Crop loss of pepper plants artificially infected with Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria in relation to symptom expression

Crop losses in peppers artificially infected with Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria (XCV) were determined during 3 years of field experiments in three areas of Israel. Direct losses of 23–44% in fruit yield were recorded when severe leaf infection occurred or was induced at an early stage of plant growth. Yield losses and disease index were markedly lower in plants inoculated at later stages and near maturation. Indirect losses in severely infected fields were mainly due to shedding of leaves and exposure of fruits to sun. In this case, up to 95% of the fruits lost their commercial value. In artificially infected symptomless plants with massive endogenous populations of XCV in the leaves, a loss of 24% in yield was measured, compared with plants free from an endogenous pathogen population.     

Evaluation of Beet Leafhopper Transmitted Virescence Agent Damage in the Columbia Basin

Potato purple top disease is caused by a phytoplasma known as Beet Leafhopper Transmitted Virescence Agent (BLTVA), which is vectored by the beet leafhopper (BLH, Circulifer tenellus Baker). Previous studies determined that BLTVA can cause significant reductions in yield and tuber quality; however, quantifying the damage caused by BLTVA and the insect vector has been challenging. In 2009–2011, potato plants at different growth stages were exposed to varying densities of BLH in a screen house located at the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Hermiston, OR. The densities of potentially infective BLH were one BLH per plant (low), two BLH per plant (medium), and five BLH per plant (high). Releases occurred at the following growth stages: vegetative, tuber initiation, tuber bulking, and maturation. The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications per treatment. Disease incidence was monitored weekly and yield was assessed. When all 3 years were combined, we found that increasing rates of disease incidence correlated with decreasing yields. We also found that greater yield losses were observed with later BLH release times. With both correlations, differences between years were a strong contributing factor. There was a mean decrease in yield of 0–12 % at a density of one BLH per plant, 6–19 % at two BLH per plant, and 6–20 % for five BLH per plant. These general trends in yield loss suggest that economically relevant damage may occur at levels as low as one or two potentially infective BLH per plant in the Columbia Basin.     

Allelopathic Effects of Some Volatile Substances from the Tomato Plant

Summary

The allelopathic effects of chemical substances released from the tomato plant (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were investigated on various receptor plants. Bioassays under controlled conditions in a growth chamber showed that germination and seedling growth of Lactuca sativa and growth of Vitis were reduced when grown near tomato plants. It was also observed that when plants were grown in a U-tube pot with tomato plant, the tomato roots excreted allelochemicals that inhibit growth of tested species. To identify the phytotoxic compounds from tomato plant, a GC/MS method was employed. Forty compounds, such as trans-2-hexenal, a-terpineol, linalool, phenylace-taldehyde, methylsalicylic acid and tetradecanoic acid were identified from the essential oil of tomato plants. The volatile substances from leaves inhibited seed germination and seedling growth of receptor plants in laboratory tests. Inhibitory response varied with the concentration of compounds. These findings suggest that the tomato plant may have an interesting allelopathic potential.     

Isolation and characterization of chitinolytic rhizobacteria for the management of Fusarium wilt in tomato

Sixty-three chitinase producing rhizobacteria (CRB) were isolated from 57 rhizospheric soil samples of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) growing in different regions of Karnataka, India. Among these, 13 CRB isolates were selected based on their ability to produce chitinase, colonize roots of tomato seedlings and reduce Fusarium wilt incidence. Four of these isolates produced statistically higher levels of chitinase and also zone of clearance/colony size (CZ/CS) ratios. One Bacillus subtilis isolate (CRB20) substantially reduced the severity of Fusarium wilt under greenhouse conditions. Combined application of chitin or crude fungal cell wall (CFCW) along with this isolate, substantially enhanced the ability of the isolate to colonize tomato roots and reduced the severity of Fusarium wilt. Under greenhouse conditions, amendments of chitin and CFCW along with isolate CRB20 significantly enhanced plant height, fresh weight, number of fruits per plant and average weight of fruit compared to the untreated control. The study clearly established the significance of CRB isolates and chitin/CFCW amendment in promoting plant growth and suppression of Fusarium oxysporum, and indicated the possibility of their use for Fusarium wilt management in tomato cultivation.     

Extracted sweet corn tassels as a renewable alternative to peat in greenhouse substrates

Soilless substrates are primarily used in the production of containerized greenhouse and nursery crops. Sphagnum peat moss is a primary constituent of these substrates and its harvest from endangered ecosystems has become a worldwide concern. Ethanol-extracted, coarse-ground corn (Zea mays L. ‘Silver Queen’) tassels were used as a peat replacement for potting substrates. Replacing peat moss with increasing levels of ground tassel (up to 50%, v/v) elevated pH and electrical conductance, while having variable effects on substrate physical properties (bulk density, percent solids, air porosity, container capacity, and total porosity). Two identical greenhouse experiments separated by time were conducted using tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. ‘Red Robin’) plants grown in 6.0-L pots. In the first experiment, all substrates were similar for total tomato yield per plant and number of fruit per plant, with only the 50% tassel substrate having significantly lower values. There were no differences for plant height or average fruit weight among substrates. No differences were found for any of these variables in the second experiment. This research indicates that extracted ground tassels may be utilized as a suitable replacement for peat in greenhouse substrates for tomatoes.     

Limiting factors for yields of field tomatoes grown by smallholders in tropical regions

Tomatoes are widely cultivated in developing countries and are a major source of income for small-scale farmers. Yields of field-grown tomatoes vary considerably under tropical conditions but the main factors that limit yields remain to be identified. To this end, we conducted an on-farm survey in 22 fields in 2003 and in 28 fields in 2005 in a range of socio-economic settings typical of smallholder farms on the island of Mayotte (Indian Ocean). Data on crop management, fulfilment of water requirements, weed density, nitrogen absorption by the crop and nutrient availability in the soil, as well as the sanitary status of the crop were recorded at two-week intervals throughout the crop cycle. The data were analysed by principal component analysis, and multiple linear regression. Yields varied between years and sites from 0.7 to 45.3 t ha⁻¹ in 2003 and from 8.1 to 89.1 t ha⁻¹ in 2005. In 2003, the number of fruits per m², fruit weight, the health status of the crop, and the cation exchange capacity of the soil explained 84.7% of yield variability among fields. In 2005, the number of fruits per m² and the health status of the crop explained 84% of yield variability. In 2003, 61.8% of the variability of the number of fruits per m² was explained by health status and the number of plants per m², whereas in 2005, 65.6% of the variability was explained by health status, the number of pesticide applications, and planting density. The results of this study indicate that tomato yield could be increased by improving the health status of the crop by improving the efficiency of crop protection practices and by increasing planting density.     

海南槟榔黄化植原体分子检测及其系统发育关系研究

由植原体引起的槟榔黄化病是海南特色经济作物槟榔种植上的一种毁灭性病害。本研究通过PCR扩增测序、序列多重比对和系统发育分析,对海南部分代表性地区槟榔致死性病原植原体的序列信息与系统发育关系进行检测分析。结果表明：本研究检测的保亭、屯昌、万宁等海南部分代表性地区的槟榔黄化植原体的16S rDNA序列一致;BLAST分析表明各株系16S rDNA与16SrI组植原体同源性为100%。序列多重比对分析表明,本研究各槟榔黄化植原体株系与海南苦棟丛枝、长春花绿变、马松子变叶、辣椒黄化皱缩、蛇婆子丛枝、细圆藤丛枝和日本洋葱黄化、美国翠菊黄化等植原体同源性为100%;与已报道的海南万宁、印度、海南三亚的槟榔黄化植原体16S rDNA序列同源性分别为99.9%、99.9%、99.8%。系统发育分析表明,本研究槟榔黄化植原体与海南苦棟丛枝、长春花绿变、马松子变叶、辣椒黄化皱缩、蛇婆子丛枝、细圆藤丛枝等株系聚于一个分枝,支持率为100%。此外,在发病槟榔叶片、花穗、心叶等组织部位均可检测到植原体。研究结果表明,海南槟榔黄化植原体与海南苦棟丛枝、长春花绿变、马松子变叶、辣椒黄化皱缩、蛇婆子丛枝、细圆藤丛枝等植原体株系的同源性极高,槟榔黄化病很可能会以这些寄主植物作为病原传播载体进行传播扩散。     

Increased Postharvest Life of TomLox B Silenced Mutants of Tomato (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Solanum lycopersicum</Emphasis>) Var. TA234

A healthy lifestyle includes fruits and vegetables consumption. Tomato is one of the most consumed vegetables, although it is susceptible to physical damage through postharvest handling, thus leading to important losses. Softening is an important variable during tomato ripening; excessive softening is undesirable and leads to postharvest losses. TomloxB plays an important role in ripening, mainly in the loss of cellular integrity caused by fatty acids released from the lipid matrix of membranes that initiate oxidative deterioration, which is in turn carried into senescence. In order to increase postharvest life, we produced transgenic tomato plants via Rhizobium radiobacter with tomato lipoxygenase B (TomloxB) antisense constructs under control of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter. Lipoxygenase activity and firmness were measured in tomato fruit and the fatty acids profile was determined. Transgenic fruits were maintained for 40 days at room temperature in optimal conditions, whereas wild type fruits remained in similar conditions for only six days. Firmness in pink and red stages was significantly lower in wild type fruits than in two transgenic lines. Linolenic acid was the most important fatty acid consumed by lipoxygenase in both turning and pink stages of ripening. Lipoxygenase activity was smaller in transformed fruits in comparison with the wild type. These results suggest that silencing the TomloxB gene promoted significant changes in the physiology of transformed tomatoes, being the increase in postharvest life the most important.     

Preliminary investigation and detection based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) of phytoplasmas associated with diseases in B. napus L.

In the last decade, some disease occurred on our experimental farms that had caused serious losses. They were not caused by fungi, bacteria or viruses. By loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique, the detection results pointed to the possible pathogen as phytoplasma. The investigation results implied that phytoplasmas could cause more than 13 kinds of symptoms in almost all parts of plants in B. napus L., including witches’ broom, multi-stems, aggregate main inflorescences, and flat stems. The incidences of these phytoplasma-associated diseases in our experimental farms rose from 1.61% in 2010 to 6.00% in 2021. Some phytoplasma infected plants died without any growing points. These studies would be helpful for detecting phytoplasmas diseases, selecting disease resistant germplasm and improving varieties with disease resistances in B. napus L.     

Seed-yield and yield components response to source-sink ratio in annual and perennial species of Lesquerella (Brassicaceae)

Although the annual Lesquerella fendleri is the prime candidate for the development of a lesquerolic rich oil-seed crop, within this genus there are other species available to breeders, some of which are perennials. However, the feasibility of a perennial crop of Lesquerella is not clear because increases in seed-yield tend to reduce perennially. The objective of this work was to determine the effect of the source-sink ratio on seed yield and yield components in annual and perennial species of Lesquerella. We predicted that (i) due to differences in allocation patterns of annual and perennial species, seed-yield and yield components in perennials would be less affected by the source-sink ratio (higher stability) than in annuals and (ii) since seed-weight has been found to be the most stable yield component in other crops and their wild relatives, most of the variation in seed-yield as a consequence of source-sink ratios would be determined by changes in the number fruits per plant and the number of seeds per fruit. A field experiment was carried out in Chubut, Patagonia Argentina in a complete randomized design with four treatments to examine source-sink relationships in four species of Lesquerella, two annuals (L. angustifolia, L. gracilis) and two perennials (L. pinetorum, L. mendocina). We used either shading (reduction of source) or removal of flower-buds (reduction of sink) to develop a range of source-sink relationships. All four species showed a similar yield response to source-sink variations. Seed-yield was lower in shaded plants, although the timing of shading influenced this response. Flower-bud removal resulted in a significant increase in seed-yield. Seed-yield differences among source-sink treatments were best explained by changes in the number of fruits per plant than by the number of seeds per fruit. Source-sink manipulations had no affect on seed weight. Flower-bud removal significantly increased the number of fruits per plant in all species except for L. mendocina. The number of seeds per fruits increased only in L. pinetorum. Our results show that carbon stored during pre-anthesis plays a key role in reproduction both in annual and perennial Lesquerella. The increase in the seed-yield components found with bud removal could potentially reduce longevity in perennial species. The results also show that the number of fruits per plant is a good proxy for seed-yield within a species.     

Evidence for the role of an invasive weed in widespread occurrence of phytoplasma diseases in diverse vegetable crops: Implications from lineage-specific molecular markers

During the period from 2011 to 2013, several plant diseases repeatedly occurred in vegetable crops grown in Yuanmou County, Yunnan Province, China. Affected plants included cowpea, sword bean, string bean, tomato, lettuce, and water spinach. The diseased plants exhibited symptoms of witches'-broom growth and floral deformations, linking each disease to phytoplasmal infection. Phylogenetic and virtual RFLP analyses of the phytoplasmal 16S rRNA gene sequences amplified from DNA of diseased plants revealed that all of the individual strains present in the diverse vegetable plants were affiliated with a single ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma’ species (‘Ca. Phytoplasma aurantifolia’) and a single ribosomal subgroup (16SrII-A). While presence of subgroup 16SrII-A phytoplasma in this geographic region was reported previously, such widespread infections in diverse plant hosts are unveiled for the first time in this study. In pursuing the source of the infections, we found that areas surrounding the affected vegetable fields were extensively invaded by parthenium weeds (Parthenium hysterophorus); and many of the weed plants exhibited abnormal morphologies that were suspicious of, and later diagnosed with, phytoplasmal infections. Results from genotyping of 16S rRNA and lineage-specific immunodominant membrane protein genes revealed that the vegetable-infecting phytoplasmas and the parthenium weed phytoplasma belong to the same genetic lineage. The findings indicate that parthenium weed poses a substantial risk as a reservoir of phytoplasmal infection of nearby agricultural crops in the geographic region since the ecosystems of Yuanmou are insect-rich, and parthenium weed is known to attract diverse leafhoppers. Further studies are warranted to assess the impact of farmland invasions by the noxious weed and to devise practical measures for improved weed control.     

Activity of benzothiadiazole on chrysanthemum yellows phytoplasma (‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’) infection in daisy plants

A commercial preparation of the plant resistance elicitor benzothiadiazole (BTH) (Bion, Syngenta Crop Protection) was tested for its capacity to induce systemic resistance against chrysanthemum yellow phytoplasma (CYP) infection in the Chrysanthemum carinatum plant. Following one 2.4 mM BTH application, plants were exposed to CYP-infective Macrosteles quadripunctulatus leafhoppers. Symptom development and phytoplasma multiplication in the test plants were measured over time. BTH application delayed symptom development and phytoplasma multiplication in treated plants compared with the control ones. CYP titre and symptom severity were significantly lower for the first two weeks post-inoculation in treated plants compared with the control ones, suggesting that systemic acquired resistance (SAR) induced by BTH in C. carinatum is temporary. Higher concentrations of BTH resulted in phytotoxic effects involving the whitening of apical leaves. BTH application was ineffective in reducing the transmission efficiency of CYP by its leafhopper vector. Actually, in both single and group transmission tests, the proportion of infected plants was similar among BTH-treated and untreated plants. The survival of M. quadripunctulatus was unaffected by feeding on BTH-treated daisy plants. Moreover, when leafhoppers were allowed to choose between treated and untreated plants, they showed no preference. We conclude that SAR induced in daisy plants by BTH has no detrimental effects on the vector leafhopper. If the activity of BTH against phytoplasmas is confirmed also on other phytoplasma/host–plant associations, BTH applications might be included in new, more environmentally friendly, integrated management strategies of phytoplasmoses.     

Rice yield and its relation to root growth and nutrient-use efficiency under SRI and conventional cultivation: an evaluation in Madagascar

While plant growth and productivity are known to derive from the interaction between genetic potential (G) and environmental factors (E), efforts to improve rice production have usually proceeded assuming a standard E that is created by conventional rice-growing practices. Genotypes have been assessed for their performance in continuously flooded paddy soils, with optimally dense plant populations, with reliance on inorganic fertilization to raise yields. The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) developed in Madagascar and now becoming accepted in much of Asia proposes that GxE interactions can be made more productive with different management practices: optimally sparse populations, established with very young seedlings carefully transplanted, intermittent flooding of paddies, with active soil aeration and with soil organic matter enhanced as much as possible. This article evaluates the effects of alternative SRI cultural practices on grain yield with particular attention to their impact on the growth and functioning of rice plant roots and on associated nutrient-use efficiencies that could be contributing to the observed higher grain yields. On-station experiments and on-farm surveys were conducted in Madagascar to evaluate SRI practices in comparison with standard cultural methods, considering how rice plants’ expression of their genetic potential was affected by different crop management practices. Controlling for both soil and farmer effects, rice plants cultivated with SRI methods produced average yields more than double those from standard practice (6.26 vs. 2.63 t ha⁻¹). The most evident phenotypic difference was in plant root growth, assessed by root-pulling resistance (RPR), a summary measure of root system development. On average, uprooting single SRI plants required 55.2 kg of force plant⁻¹, while pulling up clumps of three conventionally grown plants required 20.7 kg hill⁻¹, or 6.9 kg plant⁻¹. SRI plants thus offered 8 times more resistance per plant to uprooting. Direct measurements confirmed that SRI methods induced both greater and deeper root growth, which could be contributing to increased nutrient uptake throughout the crop cycle, compared with the shallower rooting and shorter duration of root functioning under continuous flooding. Rice plants grown with SRI methods took up more macronutrients than did the roots of conventionally managed plants, which was reflected in the higher SRI yields. When grain yield was regressed on nutrient uptake to assess nutrient-use efficiency, SRI plants achieved higher grain yield per unit of N taken up, compared to plants grown with conventional methods. The internal efficiency (IE) of SRI plants in utilizing macronutrients was 69.2 for N, 347.2 for P, and 69.7 for K, while the IE in plants conventionally grown was 74.9, 291.1, and 70.4 for these three macronutrients, respectively. Although no significant differences in IE were observed for N and K, the uptake of P was significantly greater, indicating more efficient use of P by SRI plants for grain production. More research needs to be done on such relationships, but this study indicates that productive changes in the structure and functioning of rice plants, particularly their roots, can be induced by alternative management methods.     

Abundance of Sitona lineatus L. (Col., Curculionidae) in peas (Pisum sativum L.): Effects on yield parameters and nitrogen balance

In a four-year study, we investigated the relationship between the damage to root nodules of organically produced pea (Pisum sativum L.) by the larvae of the pea leaf weevil (Sitona lineatus L.) and the abundance of adult weevils. In addition to studying natural infestations, we established artificial infestations within cages to assess the impact of different weevil densities on yield parameters and determinants of the nitrogen balance. Densities of 0.2 adult S. lineatus per plant (20 individuals per m²) reduced the number of seeds and pods per plant by 18% and 15%, respectively; seeds per pod and thousand-seed weight remained unaffected. A three-fold or five-fold increase in weevil abundance (13–40 or 20 to 100 individuals per m²) did not result in an additional reduction in yield. Moreover, the higher weevil abundance did not adversely affect the N-harvest index or soil nitrogen content. We suspect that the impact of adult S. lineatus on yield and nitrogen parameters is limited by the density-dependent mortality of the larvae. Survival of larvae in turn depends on the nodulation of the plants, which is largely regulated by the supply of water. The assumption that organic cropping systems are at specific risk from the pea leaf weevil was confirmed by increasing population densities during the study period. However, yield losses were independent of adult attack within a wide range of weevil abundance, which indicates the complexity of assessing larval damage based on adult infestation level. An enhanced intraspecific competition among larvae may account for the absence of linear relationships, considering that especially young instars failed to establish in root nodules at higher densities. We found that adult densities of 0.2 individuals per plant and subsequent larval densities of 7 individuals per plant resulted in destruction of 37% of the root nodules on primary roots, which was much below destruction values reported in other studies. In conclusion, we recommend an early monitoring of weevils and early initiation of control strategies because yield losses were caused by even low weevil densities. Finally, the tolerance of P. sativum to S. lineatus was influenced by the yield level, i.e., tolerance to S. lineatus decreased as yield increased.     

Contribution of contrasting plant hierarchies to the response to N fertilizer in maize

The typical size structuring process that occurs as a consequence of intra-specific competition in maize promotes the appearance of contrasting plant hierarchies (i.e. dominated and dominant individuals). This process may become more intense under low nitrogen (N) availability. The alleviation of plant competition by N addition may reduce plant yield variability through a differential response to N in individuals of contrasting hierarchies. In this work, the response to N of dominated and dominant plants from stands with contrasting N supply (0 to 140-200 kg N ha⁻¹) was examined on 11 experiments carried out in Paraná, Argentina (31°50′S; 60°31′W) in a broad range of growing conditions that included the variation of the year, genotype, plant population and sowing date. Our objectives were: (i) to evaluate the response to N in contrasting plant hierarchies of maize, (ii) to quantify the contribution of dominated and dominant plants to the response to N of the overall stand, and (iii) to study the effect of N on relationships between plant hierarchies and stand variability. Response to N of yield per plant was associated with biomass per plant in non-fertilized controls, tending to be higher in plants with low biomass. The response to N of yield per unit area (i.e., considering all individuals of the stand) was related to the response to N of dominant and dominated plants (P < 0.0001). However, at a higher level of response to N of grain yield per unit area (>50-60%), dominant plants had a considerable lower response than dominated plants, whereas at a lower level of response (<30%), the contribution of contrasting plant hierarchies was similar. In stands with similar plant biomass between hierarchies, the differences in the response to N between plant types tended to be negligible. The coefficient of variation of yield per plant was reduced (P < 0.05) by effect of N in 4 out of 11 experiments, although it tended to be consistently lower in fertilized treatments. When the differences between the biomass of dominated and dominant plants were ample we found the highest response to N at the stand level, as a result of the higher increase in grain yield per plant in dominated plants than in dominant ones. The response to N in each plant hierarchy was differentially associated with increases in shoot biomass, harvest index, kernel number per plant and kernel weight.     

Population dynamics of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vitians on different plant species and management of bacterial leaf spot of lettuce under greenhouse conditions

The population dynamics of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vitians (Xcv) was studied both externally and internally in lettuce, tomato and pepper plants. In addition, the application of bactericides during transplant production period was carried out for the management of bacterial leaf spot of lettuce under greenhouse conditions. Epiphytic populations of Xcv were recovered on leaves of lettuce plants (10⁵ CFU/g) 5 weeks after sprayed than the other plant species when inoculated with 10⁸ CFU/ml of Xcv. When plants of each crop species infiltrated with the bacterium at 10⁵ CFU/ml, the highest populations were developed in lettuce (10⁸ CFU/cm²) followed by pepper with 10⁶ CFU/cm² and tomato with 10⁵ CFU/cm² 10-days after infiltration. Application of a mixture of Maneb and Kocide or Kocide alone as a foliar spray on lettuce significantly reduced the incidence and disease severity of bacterial leaf spot by 29 and 27% respectively. Spread of the bacterium and development of the disease may partly be managed by avoiding intercropping of these plants commonly grown in close proximity to lettuce. For the management of leaf-associated populations of Xcv in lettuce, use of a mixture of Maneb and Kocide is advocated to minimize the effect of attacks.     

Impact of okra leaf curl disease on morphology and yield of okra

The impact of okra leaf curl disease on four accessions of a local okra cultivar and four commercial okra cultivars was assessed in field conditions from June to October in 2007 and 2008. Disease incidence varied from 68.5% to 72.5% among accessions of the local cultivar while commercial cultivars were much less infected (8.7–16.2%). Diseased plants of the local cultivar suffered more reduced growth (58% reduction) than those of the commercial cultivars (39.6%). The number of marketable fruits per plant, the fruit length, fruit diameter and fruit weight which were subject to reductions of 26–61%, 19–64%, 6–42% and 23–63%, respectively. The overall yield losses were significantly higher in accessions of the local cultivar (26–55%) than in the commercial ones (4.4–9.6%). The average economic losses for one hectare of crop were estimated at of 11,100 USD and 1950 USD, respectively for the local and the commercial cultivars.     

Variation in Growth and Yield Performance of Seventeen Water Chestnut Accessions (Trapa spp.) Collected from Asia and Europe

Abstract

Water chestnut is an aquatic annual herb, and its fresh, edible fruit is a valuable crop. The huge variation in growth and yield of water chestnuts has not been well documented. In this study, the yield performance of 17 water chestnut lines, eight from China (Trapa acornis L., T. bicornis L., T. bispinosa Roxb, T. quadrispinosa Roxb), one from France (T. natans L.), one from India (T. bispinosa Roxb.), three from Italy (T. natans L.), three from Japanese (T. incisa L., T. japonica Flerov, T. natans.L. var. rubeola Makino), and one from Korean (T. japonica Flerov.) were cultivated in Saga City, Japan during the summer, 2005, and the morphological characters of their fruit were analyzed. European lines were early flowering, but had a lower yield due to poor canopy density and lower rosette density. All the Asian lines had a higher rosette density. In spite of the smaller number of fruits per rosette, the Chinese lines had a higher yield than the other lines because the fruit was larger. The yield performance of the Indian line was similar to that of the Chinese lines. The Korean and Japanese lines produced a large number of small fruits per unit land area. Apart from the variation in fruit size, a huge variation in shape including the height, width and the spines were observed. Path analysis revealed that productive rosette number m-² and the single fresh fruit weight are two direct yield determinants while number of fruits per rosette has indirect negative influence on yield via productive rosette number and single fruit weight.     

Effect of water stress at different development stages on vegetative and reproductive growth of corn

A field study was carried out from 1995 to 1997 in order to determine the effect of irrigation and water stress imposed at different development stages on vegetative growth, grain yield and other yield components of corn (Zea mays L.). The field trials were conducted on a silty loam Entisol soil, with Pioneer 3377 corn hybrid. A randomised complete block design with three replications was used. Four known growth stages of the plant were considered and a total of 16 (including rain fed) irrigation treatments were applied. The effect of irrigation or water stress at any stage of development on plant height, leaf area index, grain yield per hectare, as well number of ears per plant, grain yield per cob and 1000 kernels weight, were evaluated. Results of this 3-year study show that all vegetative and yield parameters were significantly affected by water shortage in the soil profile due to omitted irrigation during the sensitive tasselling and cob formation stages. Water stress occurring during vegetative and tasselling stages reduced plant height, as well as leaf area development. Short-duration water deficits during the rapid vegetative growth period caused 28–32% loss of final dry matter weight. Highest yields were observed in the fully irrigated control (VTCM) and the treatment which allowed water stress during the vegetative growth stage (TCM). Even a single irrigation omission during one of the sensitive growth stages, caused up to 40% grain yield losses during dry years such as 1996. Much greater losses of 66–93% could be expected as a result of prolonged water stress during tasselling and ear formation stages. Seasonal irrigation water amounts required for non-stressed production varied by year from 390 to 575 mm. Yield response factor (k_y) values (unitless parameter) relating yield loss to water deficits) obtained for the first, second and third experimental years were determined to be 1.22, 1.36 and 0.81, respectively.     

Effects of intraspecific competition on yield of early potato grown in mediterranean environment

Since the environment of the Mediterranean regions allows offseason production, potatoes are planted in autumn-winter and harvested in spring. During this period, potatoes are subjected to low temperatures and short day lengths which modify the growth characteristics of plants. For this reason, our analysis of competition response was conducted to better clarify the biological relationship between yield and plant density. Field trials were conducted in Sicily (south Italy), a highly representative area of early potato crop in the Mediterranean Basin, with the aim of studying effects of intraspecific competition on tuber yield and yield components. Ten planting densities (ranging from 3.0 to 8.0 plants m^?2) were studied on cv. Spunta using “tuberpieces” with a different number of eyes (one eye or all the eyes in 1996; one eye, two eyes, or all the eyes in 1997). Intraspecific competition reduced the tuber yield of individual plants, which became gradually less evident with increasing plant density. Competition affected the number of tubers per plant in the lower plant populations only (from 3.0 to 5.8 plants m^?2), whereas effects on average tuber weight were at times more marked in the higher populations (from 5.8 to 8.0 plants m^?2) and at other times in the lower densities (from 3.0 to 5.8 plants m^?2). As a consequence of increased plant density, and notwithstanding the higher intraspecific competition, the yield of tubers per unit area increased linearly. Regardless of the number of eyes per tuber-piece, when passing from the lower to the higher plant density, yield increased from 34.0 to 54.11 ha^?1 in 1996 and from 39.9 to 56.7 t ha^?1 in 1997.