Ascorbic Acid Enhances Growth and Yield of Sweet Peppers (Capsicum annum) by Mitigating Salinity Stress

Salinity is a crucial problem which has affected crop productivity globally. Ascorbic acid is considered helpful against abiotic stresses due to its powerful antioxidant potential. In the pot experiment, salinity stress (0, 35, 70, and 105?mM) was applied to sweet peppers in split doses after 20 days of transplantation. To mitigate the adverse effects of salinity, ascorbic acid (0, 0.40, 0.80, and 1.20?mM) was applied as foliar spray after a 6-day interval during vegetative growth. Sweet pepper plants sprayed with distilled water (control) recorded maximum plant height (cm), leaf area (cm²), number of branches, stem diameter (mm), number of fruit plant^?1, fruit diameter (cm), yield plant^?1 (g), and chlorophyll content (mg 100?g^?1), while the maximum polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity (unit mg protein^?1 min^?1) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity (unit mg protein^?1 min^?1) were recorded in plants treated with 70?mM NaCl application. Salinity stress beyond 70?mM significantly reduced all the studied parameters. An ascorbic acid concentration of 1.20?mM significantly mitigated the negative effects of salt stress and recorded maximum plant height (cm), number of leaves plant^?1, leaf area (cm²), number of branches plant^?1, stem diameter (mm), number of fruit plant^?1, fruit diameter (cm), yield plant^?1 (g), chlorophyll content (mg 100?g^?1), PPO activity (unit mg protein^?1 min^?1), and APX activity (unit mg protein^?1 min^?1). Hence, a 1.20?mM concentration of foliar ascorbic acid could be used in saline conditions up to 70?mM of sodium chloride (NaCl) for better growth, productivity, and enzymatic activity of sweet peppers.

     

Automation in Agriculture by Machine and Deep Learning Techniques: A Review of Recent Developments

Precision Agriculture - Recently, agriculture has gained much attention regarding automation by artificial intelligence techniques and robotic systems. Particularly, with the advancements in...     

Correction to: Automation in Agriculture by Machine and Deep Learning Techniques: A Review of Recent Developments

Precision Agriculture - A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-021-09824-9     

Effect of Phosphorus and Irrigation Levels on Yield,Water Productivity,Phosphorus Use Efficiency and Income of Lowland Rice in Northwest Pakistan

With decreasing availability of water for agriculture and increasing demand for rice production, an optimum use of irrigation water and phosphorus may guarantee sustainable rice production. Field experiments were conducted in 2003 and 2004 to investigate the effect of phosphorus and irrigation levels on yield, water productivity (WP), phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) and income of low land rice. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with split plot arrangements replicated four times. Main plot consisted of five phosphorus levels, viz. 0 (P0), 50 (P50), 100 (P100), 150 (P150), and 200 (P200) kg/hm2, while subplots contained of irrigation times, i.e. 8 (I8), 10 (I10), 12 (I12), and 14 (I14) irrigation levels, each with a water depth of 7.5 cm. Mean values revealed that P150 in combination with I10 produced the highest paddy yield (9.8 t/hm2) and net benefit (1 231.8 US$/hm2) among all the treatments. Phosphorus enhanced WP when applied in appropriate combination with irrigation level. The highest mean WP [13.3 kg/(hm2?mm)] could be achieved at P150 with I8 and decreased with increase in irrigation level, while the highest mean PUE (20.1 kg/kg) could be achieved at P100 with I10 and diminished with higher P levels. The overall results indicate that P150 along with I10 was the best combination for sustainable rice cultivation in silty clay soil.     

Application of coupled liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry in photolysis studies of the herbicide triflusulfuron‐methyl

The photochemical fate of the herbicide triflusulfuron‐methyl in aqueous solution under UV light (λ > 290 nm) was investigated. Nine photoproducts were detected and tentatively identified by LC/MS and LC/MS/MS analysis. The main routes of degradation involve the cleavage and/or contraction of the sulfonylurea bridge with the elimination of sulfur dioxide, which increases the acidity of the reaction medium. On the basis of the results obtained a photodegradation pathway is proposed. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Sperm preparation through Sephadex™ filtration improves in vitro fertilization rate of buffalo oocytes

Routinely, swim‐up method is used to separate high‐quality sperm; however, long processing time and close cell‐to‐cell contact during the centrifugation step are inevitable elements of oxidative stress to sperm. The objective was to evaluate Sephadex^? and glass wool filtration to separate motile, intact and viable sperm for in vitro fertilization in buffalo. The cumulus–oocyte complexes (COC s) were collected from ovaries of slaughtered buffaloes by aspiration and matured for 24 hr in CO ₂ incubator at 38.5°C and 5% CO ₂. Matured COC s were rinsed twice in fertilization TALP and placed in the pre‐warmed fertilization medium without sperm. Cryopreserved buffalo semen was thawed at 37°C for 30 s and processed through Sephadex^?, glass wool filtration and swim‐up (control). Total and motile sperm recovery rates were assessed, resuspended in fertilization TALP and incubated for 15–20 min in CO ₂ incubator. Samples prepared by each method were divided into two aliquots: one aliquot was studied for sperm quality (progressive motility, membrane integrity, viability, liveability), while the other was subjected to co‐incubation with sets of 10–15 in vitro matured oocytes. Data on sperm quality were analysed by ANOVA , while in vitro fertilizing rates were compared by chi‐squared test using SPSS ‐20. Least significant difference (LSD ) test was used to compare treatment means. Glass wool filtration yielded higher total and motile sperm recovery rate, while Sephadex^? filtration improved (p  <  .05) sperm quality (progressive motility, membrane integrity, viability, liveability). Sperm preparation through Sephadex filtration yielded higher in vitro fertilization rate in terms of cleavage rate compared to glass wool filtration and swim‐up (control). In conclusion, cryopreserved Nili‐Ravi buffalo sperm selected through Sephadex filtration showed improved quality and yielded better fertilization rates (cleavage rate) of in vitro matured/fertilized oocytes. Sephadex filtration could be a promising technique for use in in vitro fertilization in buffalo.     

Microbial C,N, and P relationships in moisture‐stressed soils of Potohar,Pakistan

In 11 rain‐fed arable soils of the Potohar plateau, Pakistan, the amounts of microbial‐biomass C (C_mic), biomass N (N_mic), and biomass P (P_mic) were analyzed in relation to the element‐specific total storage compartment, i.e., soil C_org, N_t, and P_t. The effects of climatic conditions and soil physico‐chemical properties on these relationships were highlighted with special respect to crop yield levels. Average contents of soil C_org, N_t, and P_t were 3.9, 0.32, and 0.61 mg (g soil)^–1, respectively. Less than 1% of P_t was extractable with 0.5 M NaHCO₃. Mean contents of C_mic, N_mic, and P_mic were 118.4, 12.0, and 3.9 µg (g soil)^–1. Values of C_mic, N_mic, P_mic, soil C_org, and N_t were all highly significantly interrelated. The mean crop yield level was closely connected with all soil organic matter– and microbial biomass–related properties, but showed also some influence by the amount of precipitation from September to June. Also the fraction of NaHCO₃‐extractable P was closely related to soil organic matter, soil microbial biomass, and crop yield level. This reveals the overwhelming importance of biological processes for P turnover in alkaline soils.     

Concurrent vaccination of goats with foot and mouth disease (FMD) and peste des petits ruminants (PPR) booster vaccines

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) remains subclinical and self-limiting in small ruminants, but risk of spread of infection to susceptible cohorts is of great epidemiological significance; therefore, small ruminants must be included in vaccination campaigns in FMD endemic regions. Three groups of goats already immunized against peste des petits ruminants (PPR) were vaccinated with FMD and PPR vaccines alone or concurrently. The specific antibody response against three FMD virus strains and PPR virus were evaluated by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). Goats concurrently vaccinated with PPR + FMD vaccines had significantly (p < 0.05) higher antibody titers to two serotypes of FMD virus at 28, 45, and 60 days post-immunization compared to goats vaccinated with FMD vaccine alone, while goats vaccinated with PPR vaccines alone or PPR + FMD vaccines concurrently showed similar antibody kinetics against PPR virus up till 60 days post-vaccination. Overall, antibody kinetic curves for all three tested strains of FMD virus and PPR virus were similar in vaccinated groups during the course of experiment.     

The effects of desiccation on broad‐leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius) and curled dock (Rumex crispus) root fragment regeneration

Fresh root fragments of Rumex crispus and Rumex obtusifolius, which initially contain 65–70% moisture, progressively lose moisture when desiccated under conditions matching summer weather in southeast England. The likelihood of shoot emergence and the time it took in glasshouse conditions were both affected by desiccation, with R. crispus the most affected up to 48 hr and R. obtusifolius slower to emerge after 48 hr. These effects converged after longer desiccation periods, and R. crispus entirely failed to emerge after 120 hr. The dry weight of emerged shoots was not significantly different between the species until they were desiccated for 96 hr, after which R. obtusifolius dry weight was significantly reduced. In outdoor trials, desiccation for 24 or 48 hr had a lesser effect on emergence in either species when fragments were planted at the soil surface or at up to a depth of 10 cm, compared to deeper plantings, but emergence was significantly lower in plantings at 15 or 20 cm. Emergence delays were not significantly different between the species until they were planted at 15 or 20 cm, when R. obtusifolius was slower to emerge than R. crispus, an effect exacerbated by increasing desiccation. Similar interactions of increasing soil depth and desiccation were found in reductions in dry weight, number of tillers and leaf area, with R. obtusifolius generally, but not exclusively, better able to withstand more extreme trial conditions. Our findings suggest that control of these highly troublesome weeds can be assisted by appropriate agricultural practices, notably exposing cut fragments to drying conditions followed by deep burial.