Background
Water use efficiency (WUE) is becoming a decisive factor for agricultural expansion to face water shortage. To meet the needs of high population density in Egypt, we have to use modern ...irrigation systems and new cultivation technologies. The current study is aiming to apply grafting technique for ameliorating the impact of deficit water on cantaloupe productivity and fruit quality. Two commercial cultivars (
Ideal
and
Veleta
) were grafted on two rootstocks (Cobalt and Strong-Tosa) and self-grafting. The seedlings were treated with three different irrigation levels: 100, 75, and 50% of Class A pan Evapotranspiration (ETc).
Results
The results showed that moderate irrigation level (75% ETc) increased the early yield, fruits number, by 15.3 and 17.4%, respectively, compared to control irrigation treatment (100% ETc). No significant variation was found concerning total yield between 100 and 75% ETc, so this led to an increase in WUE of moderate irrigation level (75% ETc) by 34.3%, compared to control irrigation treatment (100% ETc). Increasing deficit levels up to 50% ETc reduced the total yield by 47.4%, but it increased the WUE by 8.8%, compared to the non-deficit irrigation level (100% ETc). Meanwhile, grafting both cultivars on Cobalt rootstock improved the fruit number, total yield, and WUE by 39.2%, 26.9%, and 24.1%, respectively when irrigated with the moderate irrigation level (75% ETc), as compared to the non-grafted plants which recorded the highest decrease when irrigated with deficit irrigation level (50% ETc).
Conclusion
Finally, the combination treatments of Ideal/Strong-Tosa, Veleta/Cobalt, or Ideal/Cobalt irrigated with moderate irrigation level (75% ETc) increased the WUE by 97.3, 83.4, and 65%, respectively, compared to the control treatment (non-grafted plants of the same cv. at 100% ETc) and recorded higher flesh thickness, TSS and firmness.
Biomass yields and concentrations of crude protein（CP）, ether extract（EE）, neutral detergent fiber（NDF）, acid detergent fiber（ADF）, and crude fiber（CF） were analyzed for five cultivars of summer-sown ...maize（Zea mays L.） stover grown in field trials at three rates of N fertilization, and sampled immediately after grain harvest.The results revealed differences in yields and concentrations of nutrients according to stalk height and hence harvest portion among the cultivars.N application greatly increased biomass yield and CP, especially in upper stalks and to a lesser extent, EE.Concentrations of NDF and ADF decreased as N rate increased.The results show that stovers from all local popular maize cultivars are suitable as animal fodder and that moderate N application improves feed quality of stover.
Agricultural production must increase substantially to meet the increasing per capita demand for food, feed, fuel, and fiber of a rising human census. The amount of arable land is limited due to soil ...type, weather, and ecosystem considerations; therefore, it is necessary to increase yields on current fields. To obtain the greatest maize (Zea mays L.) yield, a farmer needs to nurture the crop as much as possible. Weather and nitrogen availability are well- known as two factors that normally have the greatest influence on maize yields and grain quality. Some management factors a producer may need to consider while growing a maize crop are mineral fertilization, genotype, plant population, and protection from insects and diseases. Additionally, there are numerous biological and chemical compounds that can stimulate plant growth, such as in-furrow mixes and foliar fungicides. Field management also plays a role in final grain yield, including crop rotation, tillage, soil pH and nutrient levels, weed control, and drainage.
This Special Issue Book focuses on weather, soil, and other maize crop management factors and their relative independent and/or interactive influence on maize growth and yield.
Effects of Nitrogen Management on the Yield of WinterWheat in Cold Area of Northeastern China LI Lian-peng, LUO Sheng-guo, PENG Xian-long (1.Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization, Ministry of Education/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P.R.China 2.Rice Research Institute, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Gongzhuling 136100, P.R.China 3.School of Life Science and Technology, Xiaogan University, Xiaogan 432100, P.R.China)
Journal of Integrative Agriculture,
06/2012, Letnik:
11, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
A plot experiment including four treatments, CK (N 105 kg ha-1 as urea, including a basal N application of 35 kg ha-1 and a topdressing N 70 kg ha-1 at turned green stage) and optimized N management ...(OPT1, OPT2 and OPT3, applied two-thirds, one-third and two-fifths N at jointing stage, respectively, total N 60 kg ha-1), was conducted to evaluate the effects of nitrogen management on growth and N uptake of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum), Dongnong 1, which is the first highly cold tolerant winter wheat in China. Index of population quality, N uptake and yield were determined. The ear-bearing tiller rate was increased by above 12%, and the leaf area index, biomass and N uptake were significantly decreased (P<0.05) at jointing stage. OPT treatments increased the grain to leaf area ratio at heading stage, the dry matter weight and N uptake after heading by 14.3-27.9%, 11.6-28.7% and 118.1-161.8 %, respectively. The yield of the OPT treatments was increased by 14.2-37.5% compared with CK, and there was a significant difference (P<0.05) between CK and OPT1 treatments. Harvest index and N partial factor productivity (PFP, kg grain yield per kg N applied) was clearly enhanced from 0.4 and 35.6 kg, respectively for CK to an average of 0.48 (P<0.05) and 77.6 kg (P<0.05) in the OPT treatments. These results indicated that the optimized N management increased the harvest index, yield and N use efficiency by decreasing the N application rate and postponing N application time, improved wheat population quality, controlled excessive growth in the vegetative stages and increased dry matter and N accumulation rates after heading.
The percentage of ovules that set seeds per fruit has been used to evaluate the bumblebee activity of a two campaigns greenhouse trial. The experiment was carried out with two commercial cultivars of ...sweet pepper, ‘bell’ type, called Bardenas and Vergasa. The averages of the percentages of seed set per fruit of the two campaigns were 49.8% (Bardenas) and 40.7% (Vergasa) on the pollination treatment, whereas the averages of the control (self-pollination) treatment were 27.5% and 25.7%, respectively. Percentages of seed set per fruit was strongly related with the number of bee visits, but weakly with duration of visits.
The number of pollen grains deposited on stigmas by pollinators or by self-pollination was assessed by staining and microscopy, resulting in a higher number of pollen grains on the bumblebees-pollinated flowers than on the control (self-pollination) ones. As a consequence of this, the number of seeds set on the bumblebees-pollinated fruits, was always higher than in the control.
Flowers visited by bumblebees produced larger and heavier fruits than non-visited flowers. Because fruit external maximum diameter, length and weight were highly dependent on seed set, the use of pollinators seems to be required to obtain sweet pepper fruits with improved quality characteristics. Percentage of seed set per fruit was correlated with the number of bumblebee visits to the flowers, seeds per fruit, number of pollen grains on stigma, and the quality fruit traits. The number of pollen grains per stigma was correlated with the number of seeds per fruit.
Sahelian smallholder farmers depend on many trees and shrubs, primarily indigenous species, for a range of essential products and environmental services that improve their livelihoods. Ziziphus ...mauritiana Lam. is one of the priority fruit trees for smallholder farms in the region. A tree domestication programme for Z. mauritiana has been initiated in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Senegal. In this paper, we discuss the importance of Z. mauritiana for smallholder farmers; we briefly present recent studies on genetic variation and controlled pollination of Z. mauritiana; and we describe a recently launched breeding programme to improve productivity and drought adaptation in the West African Sahel. The goal of the breeding programme is to produce and propagate germplasm that combines the heavy-fruiting characteristics of Asian germplasm with the pest and drought tolerance of local germplasm.
Italy is the first world producer of pasta from durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) and an intense breeding activity has been conducted over the last century to support the long tradition of pasta ...making. This manuscript reviews the results achieved through the Italian breeding programs over last century. The analysis of data allows to appreciate the selective pressure imposed by the breeders on plant height and phenology to select cultivars well adapted to the Italian semi-arid conditions, where early maturity allows to escape the drought season. The annual genetic gain in terms of yield ranged from 17 to 24.6 kg ha-1 year-1 and it was most clearly associated with a higher kernels number m-2 indicating a larger grain-sink size and a higher number of spikes m-2. Regarding the quality traits, the grain protein concentration showed a decreasing trend over time of release of about 0.02% per year, confirming the negative relationship with grain yield.The progressive incorporation into recent cultivars of favourable alleles (7+8 glutenin subunit composition) coding for superior quality subunits reflects the improvement in pasta making quality of the recent genotypes.
Water-saving irrigation is an important way to realize the sustainable development of the apple industry. In order to screen the best irrigation pattern for apple, taking 9-year-old ‘Yanfu 10’ Fuji / ...Malus robusta apple as the material, the effects of different irrigation methods (drip irrigation, sprinkling irrigation, and flood irrigation) on the growth, fruit quality, and yield of apple trees were studied. The results showed that compared with the flood irrigation, drip irrigation and sprinkling irrigation significantly increased the spring shoot length by 14.8% and 9.1%, respectively, and decreased the autumn shoot length by 11.7% and 8.8%, respectively. Drip irrigation and sprinkling irrigation significantly increased the leaf area, chlorophyll content, and leaf weight, the leaf area increased by 3.0% and 1.9%, respectively, the chlorophyll content increased by 13.9% and 11.5%, respectively, and the leaf weight increased by 5.8% and 5.1%, respectively. Drip irrigation and sprinkling irrigation could slightly increase the single fruit weight and fruit shape index, significantly increase the coloring index and smoothness index. The single fruit weight increased by 3.2% and 1.9%, the coloring index increased by 6.1% and 4.1%, the smoothness index increased by 4.7% and 2.8%, and the proportion of red fruit increased by 4.2% and 2.2%, respectively. The content of soluble solids in drip irrigation and sprinkling irrigation was significantly higher than that in flood irrigation, which was 13.0% and 2.6% higher than CK, respectively. The fruit hardness in drip irrigation and sprinkling irrigation was 7.9% and 2.2% higher than CK, respectively, and that in drip irrigation increased significantly. The yield in drip irrigation and sprinkling irrigation was 12.1% and 8.2% higher than CK, respectively. In conclusion, drip irrigation and sprinkling irrigation could promote the growth of apple trees, improve the fruit quality, and increase the yield of apple trees, and the effect of drip irrigation is better than sprinkling irrigation.
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