Agronomic practises for weed control in turmeric (Curcuma longa L.)

Weeds are the main problem with turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) cultivation where herbicides are not allowed. This is because herbicides cause water contamination, air pollution, soil microorganism hazards, health hazards, and food risks. Considering turmeric's medicinal value and the environmental problems caused by herbicides, various agronomic practises have been evaluated for non‐chemical weed control in turmeric. One additional weeding is required before turmeric emergence and weed infestation is much higher when turmeric is planted in February and March, as compared to April, May or June planting. A similarly higher yield of turmeric is achieved when it is planted in February, March, and April, compared to late plantings. Weed emergence and interference are not affected by planting depth, seed size, planting pattern, planting space, ridge spacing, and the row number of turmeric until 60 days after planting. This is because turmeric cannot develop a canopy structure until then. Thereafter, weed infestation reduces similarly and significantly when turmeric is planted at depths of 8, 12, and 16 cm, compared to shallower depths. The yield of turmeric at these depths is statistically the same, but the yield for the 16 cm depth is difficult to harvest and it tends to decrease. Turmeric grown from seed rhizomes (daughter rhizomes) weighing 30–40 g reduces weed infestation significantly and obtains a significantly higher yield compared to smaller seeds. The mother rhizome also can suppress weed infestation and increase the yield markedly. Around 9% weed control and 11% higher yield are achieved by planting turmeric in a triangular pattern compared to a quadrate pattern. The lowest weed infestation is found in turmeric grown in a 20 or 30 cm triangular pattern and the highest yield is obtained with the 30 cm triangular pattern. Turmeric gown on two‐row ridges spaced 75 cm apart shows excellent weed control efficiency and obtains the highest yield. This review concludes that turmeric seed rhizomes of 30–40 g and/or the mother rhizome could be planted in a 30 cm triangular pattern at the depth of 8–12 cm on two‐row ridges spaced 75–100 cm apart during March to April in order to reduce weed interference and obtain a higher yield. Mulching also suppresses weed growth and improves the yield. The above agronomic practises could not control weeds completely; biological weed management practises could be integrated in turmeric fields using rabbits, goats, sheep, ducks, cover crops or intercrops.     

Effect of nitrogen fertilizer application on growth, biomass production and N-uptake of torpedograss (Panicum repens L.)

A glasshouse study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different rates (0, 50, 100, 200 and 400 kg ha^?1) of nitrogen (N) fertilizer application on the growth, biomass production and N‐uptake efficiency of torpedograss. The growth responses of torpedograss to the N application were significant throughout the observation periods. Torpedograss grown for 60 days obtained the highest total biomass of 23.0 g plant^?1 with an application of 200 kg ha^?1 N, followed by 20.4 g plant^?1 with an application of 100 kg ha^?1 N; when it was grown for 90 days a significantly higher biomass of 102.3–106.0 g plant^?1 was obtained with the 200–400 kg ha^?1 N than the biomass (68.0 g plant^?1) obtained with the fertilizer applied at a lower rate. When the torpedograss was grown for 130 days the highest biomass was 230.0 g plant^?1 with the 400 kg ha^?1 N application, followed by a biomass of 150.0 g plant^?1 with the 200 kg ha^?1 N application, but the above‐ground shoot in all treatments was over mature for animal food. The ratio of the above‐ground shoot to the underground part increased with the increase in N application up to 400 kg ha^?1 during the 90 days after planting (DAP), but the above‐ground shoot biomass was the same with the 200 and 400 kg ha^?1 N. The agronomic efficiency of the N application decreased to 5–38 with the increase in N application to 400 kg ha^?1, which was less than half the agronomic efficiency with the 200 kg ha^?1 N. The agronomic efficiency of N was very low (5–22) during the 60 DAP, which indicated that the N application would not be economically viable in this period for torpedograss as a pasture, and short‐duration plants could be cultivated in torpedograss‐infested fields to minimize weed‐crop competition. The nitrogen concentration (%) in the torpedograss increased with the increase in N application, but N‐uptake efficiency was the opposite and the value was very low with the 400 kg ha^?1 N. The above results lead us to conclude that the N application rate of 200 kg ha^?1 is the most effective for torpedograss growth.     

Assessment of the allelopathic potential of 17 Iranian barley cultivars in different development stages and their variations over 60 years of selection

Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the allelopathic potential of 17 Iranian barley cultivars in four development stages and their variations over the last 60 years of collection. Imbibed seeds and water leachates that were extracted from the barley plants at the seedling, tillering, stem elongation, and heading stages were used for the bioassays, including filter paper, neighboring barley seeds in soil, and soil mixed with dried barley residues. The experiments were conducted with the use of wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis) as the test plant. The Germination Rate Index (GRI) and emergence of S. arvensis were inhibited on both the filter paper and soil. The highest inhibitory effect was seen with the tillering stage's water leachate on filter paper. The GRI decreased in response to the increased density of barley imbibed seeds. The germination was less affected by the presence of barley seeds from the soil than those from the filter paper. The GRI of S. arvensis seeds was lower in the older than in the recently developed cultivars. Although there were some fluctuations in the GRI value with time, the germination inhibitory effect has decreased as new, higher‐yielding cultivars have been released.     

Influence of corn density and planting pattern on the growth of common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album L.)

Crop density and spatial arrangement affect the potential of intraspecific and interspecific competition as they increase the canopy light absorption. The effects of the corn density and planting pattern on the growth of common lambsquarters ( Chenopodium album L.) was studied in a randomized, complete block design with three replications and factorial arrangement at University College, Aburaihan, Iran, in 2003. The plant density was the recommended density and 1.5-fold the recommended density. The planting pattern treatment also was performed at two levels: one- and two-row planting. The common lambsquarters density was 0, 5, 10, and 15 plants m⁻¹ per row. The results showed that the leaf area index, biomass production, crop growth rate, and inflorescence biomass of the dry matter of common lambsquarters were decreased by increasing the corn density. But, the leaf area index, biomass production, crop growth rate, and inflorescence biomass of the dry matter of common lambsquarters under the two-row planting pattern were less than under the one-row planting pattern, although these differences were not significant.     

The biological effectiveness of artificial riffles in river rehabilitation

1. The biological effectiveness of a series of artificial riffles constructed from cobble-sized local material in the channelized Harper's Brook (Northamptonshire, England) was measured by comparing the macroinvertebrate communities of three new riffles with a control natural riffle upstream, and with three original channelized stretches (runs). 2. The mean diversity of macroinvertebrates in the seven sites was significantly different: diversities of the natural riffle and two shallower artificial riffles were highest, whilst those of the other deeper, artificial riffle and the three channelized runs were lowest. 3. There was significant negative correlation between diversity and depth; significant positive correlation between diversity and velocity. 4. Artificial riffles, if correctly constructed, do improve the habitats and increase biodiversity of macroinvertebrates to levels similar to a natural riffle. A minimum velocity of 40 cm s⁻¹ and maximum depth of 25 cm is necessary during low-flow discharges for artificial riffles to function biologically as natural riffles. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Response of wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) to sulfosulfuron: The role of degradation

Wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum) is one of the most troublesome weed species in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) in Iran. Two bioassay experiments were conducted in order to study the response of wild barley and wheat to different herbicides and to study the efficacy of pre‐emergence (PRE), postemergence (POST), and PRE followed by POST applications of sulfosulfuron on wild barely. Moreover, the degradation of sulfosulfuron was studied by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS). The results showed that wild barley was highly tolerant to clodinafop‐propargyl and its dry weight was reduced by only 15%, compared to the control, at the recommended dose (64 g ai ha^?1). Sulfosulfuron reduced the wild barley biomass by ≤50% at the highest dose (90 g ai ha^?1) in the first bioassay but by not more than 20% and 12% at the recommended dose (22 g ai ha^?1) in the first and second bioassay, respectively. Significant differences were found among the application methods of sulfosulfuron, with the POST application being the least effective method. In contrast to the POST application, wild barley was severely injured by the PRE application of sulfosulfuron, with an ED₅₀ dose of 7.3 g ai ha^?1. The degradation study showed that wild barley can metabolize sulfosulfuron that is applied POST, but at a lower rate than wheat. By 4 h after application, wild barley had metabolized 26% of the sulfosulfuron, compared to 46% by wheat. In conclusion, wild barley can metabolize the recommended dose of sulfosulfuron that is applied POST; thus, the PRE application of sulfosulfuron or other integrated methods should be considered for the effective control of wild barley in wheat.     

Quantitative evaluation of wheat against volunteer rye in Iran

Rye infestations have increased in frequency and severity in the wheat fields of Iran and have caused yield reductions in wheat production. In order to study the competition effects of wheat against rye, an experiment was conducted at the research centers of Karaj and Varamin, Iran, during 2001 and 2002. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with 24 treatments and four replications. The treatments included pure stands of wheat at densities of 350, 450, 550, and 650 plants m⁻² and volunteer rye densities of 10, 30, 50, and 70 plants m⁻², and mixed stands of wheat and rye at complete factorial densities. The results indicated that rye was a superior competitor compared to wheat. The biological and economic yields of wheat were mainly affected by interspecific competition in the Karaj region. This was also true during the first year in the Varamin region but, in the second year, the biological and economic yields of wheat were equally affected by interspecific and intraspecific competition because of increasing precipitation. The evaluation of competitive ability, using regression coefficients, showed that in Karaj, the effect of one rye plant on wheat was approximately equivalent to three and two plants of wheat in reducing the grain yield of wheat in the first and second years, respectively, while in Varamin, it was equivalent to three and 1.2 plants of wheat, respectively. In other words, each 0.36 and 0.51 rye plant in Karaj and each 0.36 and 0.84 rye plant in Varamin had the same impact on the reciprocal wheat grain yield as did one wheat plant in the first and second years, respectively.     

Effects of a magnetic field and adjuvant in the efficacy of cycloxydim and clodinafop‐propargyl on the control of wild oat (Avena fatua)

The reduction of herbicide applications is a main research priority in recent years. One way to achieve this goal is by using adjuvants that can increase the efficacy of foliar‐applied herbicides by reducing surface tension. Previous studies have shown that the surface tension of distilled water decreases under the influence of a magnetic field. In order to compare the effects of a magnetic field and Frigate in clodinafop‐propargyl and cycloxydim in controlling wild oat and evaluating the surface tension, a dose–response greenhouse experiment was conducted by using 0, 8, 16, 32, 48, and 64 g ai ha^?1 of clodinafop‐propargyl and 0, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 g ai ha^?1 of cycloxydim with Frigate and/or by passing them through a magnetic field. The magnetic field and Frigate caused a significant reduction in the surface tension of the herbicide solutions. But, Frigate was more effective in reducing the surface tension of the herbicide solutions, compared with the magnetic field. The magnetic field and Frigate increased the efficacy of clodinafop‐propargyl and cycloxydim remarkably. Frigate increased the efficacy of the herbicides more than did the magnetic field. The magnetic field and Frigate collectively had more of an effect on the herbicides' efficacy than when they were applied individually. The magnetic field and Frigate were more effective in increasing the efficacy of clodinafop‐propargyl than that of cycloxydim.     

Desmotomy of the Accessory Ligament of the Superficial Digital Flexor Muscle in Equine Cadaver Limbs

Effects of longitudinal compression before and after transection of the accessory ligament of the superficial digital flexor (SDF) muscle were measured in eight equine cadaver forelimbs. When compression was increased from 890 N to 3115 N, the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and carpal joints hyperextended 20 degrees and 4 degrees, respectively, and strain in the SDF and deep digital flexor tendons was increased 3.5% and 1.4%, respectively. The accessory ligament did not elongate. Immediately after transection of the accessory ligament at 3115 N load, a 2.8 mm gap formed between the transected ends of the accessory ligament, and the muscle belly of the SDF elongated and moved distad. The MCP joint hyperextended 15.8% further and strain of the SDF tendon increased 11.2% further. These results show that the accessory ligament transferred load in the SDF musculotendinous unit away from the muscle belly and that desmotomy altered this function. Decrease in the MCP joint angle indicated that the accessory ligament contributed to the support of the MCP joint under load. Increase in SDF strain after desmotomy was probably influenced by the change in the moment about the MCP joint and increased length of the SDF musculotendinous unit.     

Variability of selected soil micronutrients in a single soil series in Berkshire, England

The spatial variability of the concentrations of readily extractable iron, manganese, copper and zinc was examined in three 1 ha grids in close proximity within a single soil series. Estimates are given for the number of samples required to reach predetermined levels of precision. There were large contrasts between the grids and between the micronutrients. Iron and manganese showed greatest spatial variability and hence require the largest sample sizes, copper and zinc are less spatially variable.