A field experiment was undertaken during the summer growing season of 2021 at two locations (Grdmala and Grdarasha) - Erbil Governorate to study the influence of five fertilizer types Control, ...recommended fertilizer (NPK), Nano-NPK, Humic acid and Nano-NPK+ Humic acid and two Nipping practice Without Nipping and with Nipping on some growth, yield and quality parameters of sesame crop (Somar genotype), using factorial RCBD with three replicates. The results indicated to significant effect of the studied factors and their interactions on the studied characteristics. The maximum seed yield (3.23 and 2.45) t ha-1 was recorded from sprayed with Nano-NPK+ Humic acid and Nano-NPK, while the lowest values (2.41 and 1.43) t ha-1 was recorded from control in both locations respectively. While the highest seed yield value (3.09 and 2.13) t ha-1 were obtained from Nipping practice. On the other hand, the interaction treatment of (Nano-NPK+ Humic acid * Nipping) and (Nano-NPK * Nipping) were recorded the highest seed yield per plant which were (3.77 and 2.61) t ha-1 respectively. The highest oil values (57.71 and 59.49) % was observed from Nano-NPK+ Humic acid and treatment combination of (Nano-NPK+ Humic acid* Nipping) respectively. Furthermore, the results shows that Grdmala surprised Grdarasha in most of the studied parameters.
The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) is a billion-dollar crop species of which the yields are greatly constrained by, amongst others, pollination limitation. Manual pollen supplementation has been ...proposed to counter pollination deficits, thus improving yield quantity and potentially also quality, as the origin of the pollen can be controlled. In native cacao, low self- and cross-compatibility rates and the interaction with abiotic growth conditions are expected to limit manual pollination benefits. Here we compared supplementation of self-pollen with cross-pollen of five native genotypes selected for their sensorial quality as pollen donors. Simultaneously, we assessed how temperature, relative air humidity and soil water content influenced fruit set and evaluated qualitative differences between pollen-supplemented and open pollinated fruits. Success of manual self-pollination was very low (0.5 %) but increased 3–8-fold in cross-pollination experiments. Cross-pollination success rates depended on the genotype of the pollen donor, irrespective of genetic distance between pollen donor and recipient. Further, seed weight and premium seed content was higher in fruits resulting from pollen-supplemented than from open-pollinated flowers. Fruit set was also affected by the interaction of temperature and relative humidity, but not by soil water content. Together, our findings suggest that reproductive traits of native cacao systems are constrained by genetic compatibility and some abiotic factors. Even though manual pollen supplementation with native genotypes can clearly benefit both fruit quantity and quality, it is labor intensive and hence costly to implement. Natural cross-pollination by planting compatible genotypes selected for sensorial quality could simultaneously avoid high costs and improve fruit quality, potentially resulting in net economic gains for smallholder farmers.
•Success of manual self-pollen supplementation was very low, only 0.5 %.•Supplementing cross-pollen increased successes 3–8-fold.•Genotype but not genetic distance determined success rates of cacao fruit set.•Temperature and relative air humidity jointly influenced fruit set success.•Fruit quality improved due to hand pollination with native cacao varieties.
•Se-enriched plants can be obtained by using Se-enriched peat in pre-transplanting.•Ten to 20mg Se per kg of dry peat were effective, without damage to plant growth.•Se-fortified transplants are ...transplanted in the field and grown by usual techniques.•At harvest, Se enrichment in edible organs was 1.6–8.5 times, compared to controls.•No negative effects in yield level and quality with respect to controls were found.
We propose a new method for the fortification of crop plants with Se, based on the use of Se-enriched peat during the pre-transplanting stage. The method is as follows: (i) enrich in Se an appropriate amount of peat; (ii) sow the seeds of the selected crop species in Se-enriched peat until seedlings have the appropriate size for transplanting; (iii) transfer these Se-enriched transplants in the field. Concentrations ranging from 10 to 20mg Se per kilogram of dry peat induced a Se-enrichment in transplants without negative effects on plant growth, while higher concentrations induced a severe reduction of plant growth. Those fortified transplants showed Se concentrations from 2 to 78 times higher than those observed in the untreated control. After transplanting in the field, the edible organs of Se-enriched plants at the end of cropping cycle showed Se concentrations from 1.6 (tomato) to 8.5 (lettuce) times higher with respect to the untreated controls. The final Se concentrations in Se-enriched edible organs (on a fresh weight basis) were 29.3–48.0μgkg−1 for cucumber fruits, 22.7–53.4μgkg−1 for lettuce leaves and 15.2–19.9μgkg−1 for tomato fruits, depending on the experimental year. Plants fortified with the above technique did not show any negative effects in terms of yield level and quality with respect to controls. On the contrary, a slightly higher shelf-life (lettuce) and an increased level of vitamin A (tomato) were noted in some instances, with respect to non-enriched controls.
Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a widely adapted sugar crop with high potential for bioenergy and ethanol production. Sweet sorghum can yield more ethanol per unit area of land than many ...other crops especially under minimum input production. Sweet sorghum is well-adapted to marginal growing conditions such as water deficits, water logging, salinity, alkalinity, and other constraints. Sweet sorghum potential exists for ethanol yield of 6000 L ha−1 with more than three units of energy attained per unit invested. Traditionally, sweet sorghum has served as a syrup crop and its culture and production are well understood. Sweet sorghum is genetically diverse and variations exits for characteristics such as Brix % (13–24), juice sucrose concentration (7.2–15.5%), total stalk sugar yield (as high as 12 Mg ha−1), fresh stalk yield (24–120 Mg ha−1), biomass yield (36–140 t ha−1) and others indicating potential for improvement. Transitioning sweet sorghum to a bioenergy crop is hampered by inadequate technology for large-scale harvest, transport and storage of the large quantities of biomass and juice produced, especially where the harvest window is short. Conversion of sweet sorghum to ethanol can be achieved by fermenting juice expressed from stems or directly fermenting chopped stalks. Integration of the fermentation and distillation of sweet sorghum juice in corn ethanol plants has not yet been achieved.
•Adaptation to diverse growing conditions is the virtue of sweet sorghum for bioenergy.•Potential dedicated biomass–bioenergy crop with a slight effect on the food chain.•It is a high net energy ratio crop with about 2 units recovered for each units used.•Storage and transport of biomass to processing facilities remains the major hurdle.•Developing perennial varieties may improve seasonality of biomass availability.
In the Loess Plateau region of China, winter wheat often undergoes prolonged cloudy days without rain which may affect the grain yield and quality. This study examined the impacts of shading and ...drought conditions during the grain‐filling period of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) on photosynthesis, grain yield and quality traits in a greenhouse experiment. The imposed shading and irrigation‐deficit treatments were corresponded with naturally cloudy weather in the rainfed area. Five shading treatments, 15 days shading (SD15); 12 days shading (SD12); 9 days shading (SD9); 6 days shading (SD6); and 3 days shading (SD3), and four irrigation treatments: full irrigation (I100); 75% of full irrigation (I75); 50% of full irrigation (I50); and 25% of full irrigation (I25), were applied after completion of flowering. The results showed that shading during grain filling decreased the grain yield and individual grain weight irrespective of the dry or wet conditions of the soil. Plant height increased with a decrease in shading duration to favour the efficient capturing of light. The reduction in the rate of photosynthesis was noted with an increase in the drought intensity. Shading significantly reduced the grain protein contents and increased the grain starch contents. In conclusion, shading for a long duration (SD15, SD12 and SD9) and drought stress (I25) during the grain‐filling stage significantly decreased the yield and grain quality of winter wheat. The shading of few days without drought (I100: SD3, SD6 and SD9) improved the plant height, photosynthetic activity and increased the distribution of dry matter from vegetative organs to grains.
Three pyrolysis biochars (B1: wood, B2: paper-sludge, B3: sewage-sludge) and one kiln-biochar (B4: grapevine wood) were characterized by determining different chemical and physical properties which ...were related to the germination rates and to the plant biomass production during a pot experiment of 79 days in which a Calcic Cambisol from SW Spain was amended with 10, 20 and 40 t ha(-1) of the four biochars. Biochar 1, B2 and B4 revealed comparable elemental composition, pH, water holding capacity and ash content. The H/C and O/C atomic ratios suggested high aromaticity of all biochars, which was confirmed by (13)C solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The FT-IR spectra confirmed the aromaticity of all the biochars as well as several specific differences in their composition. The FESEM-EDS distinguished compositional and structural differences of the studied biochars such as macropores on the surface of B1, collapsed structures in B2, high amount of mineral deposits (rich in Al, Si, Ca and Fe) and organic phases in B3 and vessel structures for B4. Biochar amendment improved germination rates and soil fertility (excepting for B4), and had no negative pH impact on the already alkaline soil. Application of B3, the richest in minerals and nitrogen, resulted in the highest soil fertility. In this case, increase of the dose went along with an enhancement of plant production. Considering costs due to production and transport of biochar, for all used chars with the exception of B3, the application of 10 t ha(-1) turned out as the most efficient for the crop and soil used in the present incubation experiment.
Drought is among the most limiting factors for sustainable agricultural production. Water shortage at the onset of flowering severely affects the quality and quantity of grain yield of bread wheat (
...). Herein, we measured oxidative stress and photosynthesis-related parameters upon applying transient drought on contrasting wheat cultivars at the flowering stage of ontogenesis. The sensitive cultivar (Darunok Podillia) showed ineffective water management and a more severe decline in photosynthesis. Apparently, the tolerant genotype (Odeska 267) used photorespiration to dissipate excessive light energy. The tolerant cultivar sooner induced superoxide dismutase and showed less inhibited photosynthesis. Such a protective effect resulted in less affected yield and spectrum of seed proteome. The tolerant cultivar had a more stable gluten profile, which defines bread-making quality, upon drought. Water deficit caused the accumulation of medically relevant proteins: (i) components of gluten in the sensitive cultivar and (ii) metabolic proteins in the tolerant cultivar. We propose specific proteins for further exploration as potential markers of drought tolerance for guiding efficient breeding: thaumatin-like protein, 14-3-3 protein, peroxiredoxins, peroxidase, FBD domain protein, and Ap2/ERF plus B3 domain protein.
Colored shading nets have been increasingly studied in semi-arid crop production systems, primarily because of their ability to reduce solar radiation with the attendant reductions in air, plant, and ...soil temperatures. However, there is a paucity of research concerning the impact of colored shading nets on various crops grown under semi-arid environments, particularly the sweet pepper ( Capsicum annum ) production system. This study aimed to investigate the effects of three colored shading net treatments (i.e., white, green, and black shading nets with 50% shading intensity and control with unshaded conditions) on the growth and instantaneous water use efficiency (WUE) of sweet pepper. The results showed that all colored shading nets exhibited significantly lower daytime air temperatures and light intensity (22 to 28 °C and 9992 lx, respectively) compared with the control (32 to 37 °C and 24,973 lx, respectively). There were significant differences in sweet pepper growth performance among treatments, including plant height, shoot dry weight, leaf area, leaf chlorophyll content, and vitamin C in ripened fruit. The enhanced photosynthetic rates were observed in sweet pepper plants under the colored shading nets compared with control plants. WUE increased among the colored shading net treatments in the following order: control ≤ white < black < green. Overall, the application of green and black shading nets to sweet pepper production systems under semi-arid environments significantly enhanced plant growth responses and WUE.
Plants efficiently absorb silica through the uptake of dissolved ortho silicic acid from the soil, a molecule characterized by its lack of charge. This variant of silica, recognized as ortho silicic ...acid (OSA) or plant-available silicon (PAS), originates from the depletion of silica-rich minerals. Despite its traditional non-essential status for plant growth, silica pervades the vegetation of soil- based crops, conferring functional and beneficial attributes. Intriguingly, specific crops like rice and sugarcane demonstrate a silica absorption pattern reminiscent of essential nutrients like nitrogen and potassium. Consequently, silica gains significance from an agronomic perspective, proving advantageous for enhancing the yield of these crops. Motivated by this revelation, our study delves into the effects of applying stabilized ortho silicic acid (Silxol, 0.8%) on the growth, yield, and juice quality characteristics of four distinct sugarcane varieties viz; two early (CoS 13231, CoLk 15204) and two mid-late varieties (CoS 12232, CoPb 15213). These varieties possess better sucrose percentages, yet their yield percentages fall short, leading to their limited acceptance among farmers due to the payment system anchored in cane weight. The outcomes unveiled a consistent elevation in tiller count and millable cane across all varieties due to silicic acid application. Additionally, the use of OSA fostered favorable impacts on pivotal cane yield attributes, including cane diameter, internode length, stalk height, and unit cane weight. These combined enhancements contributed to an amplified cane yield. Notably, treated canes showcased superior juice quality attributes, evidenced by enhanced measurements such as Brix levels, sucrose percentage, commercial cane sugar percentage (CCS %), and overall CCS yield per hectare.
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