Effect of Nitrogen Application Timing on Yield Components,Fodder, Grain,and Oil Yields of Brassica Cultivars

The dual-purpose use of Brassica cultivars means cutting or grazing the crop as fodder and then letting it to re-grow and produce grain with little or no yield penalty. A field experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design with split plot arrangement with three replications. Three Brassica cultivars, three nitrogen application timing, and cutting treatments were included in the experiment. The findings indicated that Brassica cultivar Abasin-95 produced higher fresh and dry fodder yields, seeds pod^?1, seed, biological, and oil yields. However, NIFA Raya resulted in a higher number of pods and branches plant^?1. Likewise, fresh and dry fodder yields were higher with nitrogen (N) application all at sowing. Nitrogen applied in two splits resulted in a higher number of pods plant^?1 and grain yield. Cutting suppressed all parameters except 1000 grain weight. Uncut plots produced significantly higher branches plant^?1, pods plant^?1, seeds pod^?1, seed, biological, and oil yields than cut plots.     

Enhancing phosphorus availability,soil organic carbon,maize productivity and farm profitability through biochar and organic–inorganic fertilizers in an irrigated maize agroecosystem under semi‐arid climate

Biochar amendments offer promising potential to improve soil fertility, soil organic carbon (SOC) and crop yields; however, a limited research has explored these benefits of biochar in the arid and semi‐arid regions. This two‐year field study investigated the effects of Acacia tree biomass‐derived biochar, applied at 0 and 10 t ha^?1 rates with farmyard manure (FYM) or poultry manure (PM) and mineral phosphorus (P) fertilizer combinations (100 kg P ha^‐1), on maize (Zea mays L.) productivity, P use efficiency (PUE) and farm profitability. The application of biochar with organic–inorganic P fertilizers significantly increased soil P and SOC contents than the sole organic or inorganic P fertilizers. Addition of biochar and PM as 100% P source resulted in the highest soil P (104% increase over control) and SOC contents (203% higher than control). However, maize productivity and PUE were significantly higher under balanced P fertilizer (50% organic + 50% mineral fertilizer) with biochar and the increase was 110%, 94% and 170% than 100%‐FYM, 100%‐PM and 100% mineral fertilizer, respectively. Maize productivity and yield correlated significantly positively with soil P and SOC contents These positive effects were possibly due to the ability of biochar to improve soil properties, P availability from organic–inorganic fertilizers and SOC which resulted in higher PUE and maize productivity. Despite the significant positive relationship of PUE with net economic returns, biochar incorporation with PM and mineral fertilizer combination was economically profitable, whereas FYM along biochar was not profitable due to short duration of the field experiments.     

Co-inoculation integrated with P-enriched compost improved nodulation and growth of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under irrigated and rainfed farming systems

The present study was designed with the objective of improving the nodulation and growth of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) by integrating co-inoculation of Rhizobium sp. (Mesorhizobium ciceri) and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) carrying ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate) deaminase activity with P-enriched compost (PEC) under irrigated and rainfed farming systems. PEC was prepared from fruit and vegetable waste and enriched with single super phosphate. The results demonstrated that co-inoculation significantly (P?<?0.05) increased the number of nodules per plant, nodule dry weight, pods per plant, grain yield, protein content, and total chlorophyll content under irrigated and rainfed conditions compared to inoculation with rhizobium alone. Integrating PEC with co-inoculation showed an additive effect on the nodulation and growth of chickpea under both farming systems. Analysis of leaves showed a significantly (P?<?0.05) higher photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate in comparison with inoculation with Rhizobium. Compared to irrigated farming system, co-inoculation with PEC under rainfed conditions was more beneficial in improving growth and nodulation of chickpea. Post-harvest soil analysis revealed that the integrated use of bioresources and compost enhanced microbial biomass C, available N content, dehydrogenase, and phosphomonoesterase activities.     

Agricultural factors affecting methane oxidation in arable soil

CH₄ oxidation activity in a sandy soil (Ardoyen) and agricultural practices affecting this oxidation were studied under laboratory conditions. CH₄ oxidation in the soil proved to be a biological process. The instantaneous rate of CH₄ consumption was in the order of 800 mol CH₄ kg^–1 day^–1 (13 mg CH₄ kg^–1 day^–1) provided the soil was treated with ca. 4.0 mmol CH₄ kg^–1 soil. Upon repeated supplies of a higher dose of CH₄, the oxidation was accelerated to a rate of at least 198 mg CH₄ kg^–1 day^–1. Addition of the plant-growth promoting rhizopseudomonad strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa 7NSK2 and Pseudomonas fluorescens ANP15 significantly decreased the CH₄ oxidation by 20 to 30% during a 5-day incubation. However, with further incubation this suppression was no longer detectable. Growing maize plants prevented the suppression of CH₄ oxidation. The numbers of methanotrophic bacteria and fungi increased significantly after the addition of CH₄, but there were no significant shifts in the population of total bacteria and fluorescent pseudomonads. Drying and rewetting of soil for at least 1 day significantly reduced the activity of the indigenous methanotrophs. Upon rewetting, their activity was regained after a lag phase of about 3 days. The herbicide dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) had a strong negative effect on CH₄ oxidation. The application of 5 ppm increased the time for CH₄ removal; at concentrations above 25 ppm 2,4-D CH₄–oxidizing activity was completely hampered. After 3 days of delay, only the treatments with below 25 ppm 2,4-D showed recovery of CH₄–oxidizing activity. This finding suggests that it can be important to include a CH₄–removal bioassay in ecotoxicology studies of the side effects of pesticides. Changes in the native soil pH also affected the CH₄–oxidizing capacity. Permanent inhibition occurred when the soil pH was altered by 2 pH units, and partial inhibition by 1 pH unit change. A rather narrow pH range (5.9–7.7) appeared to allow CH₄ oxidation. Soils pre-incubated with NH ₄ ⁺ had a lower CH₄–removal capacity. Moreover, the nitrification inhibitor 2-chloro-6-trichloromethyl pyridine (nitrapyrin) strongly inhibited CH₄ oxidation. Probably methanotrophs rather than nitrifying microorganisms are mainly responsible for CH₄ removal in the soil studied. It appears that the causal methanotrophs are remarkably sensitive to soil environmental disturbances.     

Comparative Effect of Wastewater and Groundwater Irrigation Along with Nitrogenous Fertilizer on Growth,Photosynthesis and Productivity of Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.)

A study was made in the net house of Plant Physiology, Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh to study the comparative effect of wastewater and groundwater along with three different rates of nitrogen (N) of 0, 30, and 60 kg ha^?1 on growth, physiology and yield of two varieties of chilli cv. ‘G4’ and ‘Pusa Jawala’. Wastewater irrigation resulted significant increase in shoot and root length, fresh weight, dry weight, leaf number and area, net photosynthetic rate (P_N), stomatal conductance (g_s), water use efficiency (WUE), chlorophyll content, and yield. The physio-chemical parameters of wastewater met the irrigational characteristics, being well within the permissible limit as outlined by the Food and Agriculture Organization. Among the nitrogen doses 30 kg ha^?1 N along with wastewater proved best for the growth and yield. Thus it may be concluded that wastewater reduced the demand of fertilizers and it may be used for the cultivation of chilli.     

Investigating phenotypic structures and allelochemical compounds of the fruits of Momordica charantia L. genotypes as sources of resistance against Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Plant resistance is an important component of integrated management of the melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) owing to difficulties associated with its chemical control. Various biophysical traits including fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit toughness, number of the longitudinal ribs, height of the longitudinal ribs, number of small ridges, depth of small ridges and pericarp thickness, and biochemical traits including total chlorophyll, pH, tannin, flavanol, phenol, ash and silica contents of fruit were studied on six genotypes of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) in relation to resistance against B. cucurbitae under field conditions in Pakistan. Faisalabad-long and Col-II were the most resistant whereas Chaman and Col-Vehari were the most susceptible among the tested genotypes. Fruit length, fruit diameter, number of the longitudinal ribs and number of small ridges had significant positive correlations whereas fruit toughness, depth of small ridges, height of the longitudinal ribs and pericarp thickness had significant negative correlations with the percent fruit infestation and larval density. Maximum variation in fruit infestation and larval density was explained by fruit toughness (63.4 and 49.2% respectively) followed by fruit diameter (23.2 and 22.4% respectively) and number of the longitudinal ribs (8.2 and 11.6% respectively) whereas the remainder of the physical traits explained <2.0% variation in fruit infestation. Total chlorophyll and pH were lowest in resistant and highest in susceptible genotypes whereas tannin, flavanol, phenol, ash and silica contents were highest in resistant and lowest in susceptible genotypes. Tannin and flavanol contents explained 96.5% of the total variation in fruit infestation and 97.7% of the total variation in larval density whereas rest of the biochemical traits explained <0.2% variation in fruit infestation.