Optimising cutting method and timing for the control of Abutilon theophrasti seed production

Abutilon theophrasti (velvetleaf) is a widespread and problematic annual weed. Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of different cutting methods on the viability of A. theophrasti seeds. Three cutting methods were assessed: (1) Entire plant cut and dried (EPD)—plants were cut at soil level and dried with capsules attached on the greenhouse bench or soil surface for 4 weeks; (2) capsules detached and dried (CD)—capsules were removed from plants and dried for 4 weeks; and (3) capsules detached and tested while fresh (CF)—a control treatment. Before drying, the developmental stage (stage one, dark green; stage two, light green; stage three, yellowish-green; or stage four, black with the slightly open capsule) and age (days after flowering, DAF) of each capsule was recorded. Seed viability was measured immediately in the CF treatment and after the 4-week drying period in the EPD and CD treatments. No seeds in the EPD and CD treatments were viable when harvested at the first developmental stage (1–8 DAF) in either experiment, but 100% of seeds in the CF treatment in the field were viable when harvested at 8 DAF. In both greenhouse and field experiments, seeds attained full viability at earlier harvest ages in CF than in EPD or CD treatments, suggesting that seeds might become viable relatively early in development but lose viability if allowed to dry. These findings could be applied to optimise late-season mechanical control of A. theophrasti.     

Relations between relative evapotranspiration and predawn leaf water potential in soybean grown in several locations

Summary The measurement of water consumption in the field is normally restricted to research purposes, although the development of practical field criteria for timing water application is required to improve crop productivity. To develop such criteria irrigation experiments on Soybean were conducted from flowering to grain filling at four locations which differed in their soil properties and the convective contribution of their climates to potential evapotranspiration. The energy balance, predawn leaf water potential (PLWP), soil moisture depletion, and a crop water stress index (CWSI) based on foliage temperature were measured. The range of soil, atmospheric, phenological and irrigation conditions, produced a common, linear relation between relative evapotranspiration (rET) and the logarithm of -PLWP. Correlation with the temperature based CWSI was weak. A similar relation with PLWP for other C₃ plants was also derived from data in the literature. This relation could be helpful for irrigation scheduling once the critical values of rET for crop productivity are known.     

Water balance and crop coefficients of summer-grown peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in a humid tropical region of India

A field experiment was conducted with a bunched variety of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cv. JL-24 during the summer seasons (March–June) of 1992 and 1993 in the humid tropical canal command area at the University Experimental Farm, Memari (23°1 N, 88°5 E and 21.34 m a.s.l) in West Bengal of eastern India. The soil at the site is of sandy loam (Typic Fluvaquent) texture and the area has a shallow water table. Weekly and seasonal field water balance components of actual evapotranspiration (ETa) including the capillary contribution into root zone were determined. Peanut yield and water productivity were determined for three ratios of irrigation water and cumulative pan evaporation (CPE) of 0.9, 0.7 and 0.5. Mean crop coefficients were determined for each 7-day period of growth and were related to leaf area index and growing degree-days. Average seasonal values of ETa of peanut were 434, 391 and 356 mm for the three treatments, respectively, for 115 days of growth. The total pod yield and WP were significantly higher in 0.9 IW:CPE treatment in the 1992 season. On an average, 0.9 IW:CPE treatment had 7 and 11% higher yields in 1992 and 1993, respectively, over treatments 0.7 and 0.5 IW:CPE. The maximum average Kc of 1.19 occurred about 9 weeks after sowing relative to grass reference ET (ETo).     

Agronomic fortification of rice grains with secondary and micronutrients under differing crop management and soil moisture regimes in the north Indian Plains

Although the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) has been reported to produce higher paddy (Oryza sativa L.) yields with better-quality grains, little research has addressed the latter claim. This study investigated the interactive effects of rice cultivation methods with different irrigation schedules and plant density on the uptake and concentration of sulfur (S), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu) in the grain and straw of two rice cultivars during two rainy seasons in the northern plains of India. As the two seasons differed in amounts of rainfall, there were impacts of soil moisture differences on nutrient uptake. Plots with SRI cultivation methods enhanced the grain uptake and concentrations of S, Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu by 36, 32, 28, 32 and 63%, respectively, compared to conventional transplanting (CT). Under SRI management, the highest concentrations of S, Zn and Cu in the grain and straw occurred with irrigation intervals scheduled at 3 days after disappearance of ponded water (DADPW; 3_D), whereas Fe and Mn concentrations in the grain and straw were higher with irrigation at 1 DADPW (1 _D ) compared with plots under 3 _D or 5 DADPW (5 _D ). The higher nutrient uptakes were also manifested in higher grain yield in 1 _D and 3 _D plots (by 9 and 6%, respectively) compared with 5 _D . Wider spacing (25 × 25 cm) compared with closer spacing (20 × 20 cm) significantly increased yield and the uptake and concentrations of all the said nutrients in the grains. When comparing the performance of two cultivars, the total uptakes of Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu in both grain and straw were significantly more in Hybrid 6444 than the improved variety Pant Dhan 4. Overall, SRI crop management compared to CT practices led to more biological fortification of rice grains with respect to S and the four micronutrients studied, giving a concomitant yield advantage of about 17% on average in this region.     

Fatty Acid and Non-Fatty Acid Components of the Seed Oil of Celastrus paniculatus willd.

The yield and chemical composition of the seed oil of Celastrus paniculatus were determined by solvent extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The yield of crude fatty oil was found to be 45.5% in the mature seeds on dry weight basis. Fourteen compounds, constituting 97.57% of the oil, were identified. The oil was rich in unsaturated fatty acids (70.11%) followed by saturated fatty acids (25.2%). Oleic acid (54.42%), palmitic acid (20.0%), linoleic acid (15.51%), and stearic acid (4.18%) were the main fatty acids in the oil together with four other minor fatty acids. The current study identifies the novel compounds not previously reported in C. paniculatus oil, including 1,4-benzenediol (0.46%), cinnamic acid (0.15%), 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-benzoquinone (0.03%), butylated hydroxytoluene (0.4%), and eudalene (0.16).     

Nonparametric phenotypic stability analysis in advanced barley (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hordeum vulgare</Emphasis> L.) genotypes

The development of genotypes with adaptation to a wide range of environments is one of the most important goals of plant breeding programs. In order to compare nonparametric stability measures and to identify promising high-yield and stable barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), 20 barley genotypes selected from the Iran/ICARDA joint project and grown in nine environments during 2009-11 in Iran. Four nonparametric statistical tests of significance for genotype × environment (GE) interaction and 10 nonparametric measures of stability were used to identify stable genotypes in nine environments. Results of nonparametric tests of G×E interaction (Kubinger, Hildebrand, and Kroon/ Laan) and a combined ANOVA across environments, indicated the presence of both crossover and non-crossover interactions. Also, only TOP and rank-sum values were positively associated with high yield. Thus, in the simultaneous selection for high yield and stability, only the rank-sum and TOP methods were useful in terms of the principal component analysis results, and correlation analysis of nonparametric stability statistics and yield. According to these stability parameters (TOP and rank-sum), three genotypes (G13, G12, and G17) were the most stable for grain yield. The results also revealed that based on nonparametric test results, stability could be classified into three groups, according to agronomic and biological concepts of stability.     

Shortening the generation cycle in faba bean (Vicia faba) by application of cytokinin and cold stress to assist speed breeding

The aim of this study was to reduce the length of the breeding cycle for faba bean by accelerating seed setting. We examined the mode and time of exogenous 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) (cytokinin) application, and cold treatments and their combinations in two faba bean genotypes. Acropetal node number of pod and seed set and pollen viability were recorded during the experiments. Application of BAP improved pollen germination. The application of 10^–5 M BAP 4 days after flowering increased seed set at the lower nodes. Cold treatment (8/4°C day/night for 2 days) after the onset of flowering induced the formation of more pods and faster pod set compared to the non-cold treatment. The time to first seed was significantly reduced, and pollen viability was increased in plants exposed to cold treatment. Increased pollen viability also showed a significant positive correlation with seed setting. The combinations of 10^–5 BAP and cold treatment together had similar and independent effects. These results will accelerate plant breeding in faba bean by providing additional tools for reducing generation time.     

Preparation and Quality Evaluation of Nutritionally Enriched Jam Made from Blends of Indian Blackberry and Other Fruits

Jamun (Syzygium cumini) is a tropical, underutilized fruit which is highly perishable in nature. It is a good source of vitamin C, tannins, gallic acid and anthocyanins and its beneficial effects are mostly due to the presence of bioactive compounds (pigments and phenolic compounds) in it. Due to astringent and fibrous nature, preparation of jam from jamun pulp is quite difficult, but other fruits (apple and kiwifruit) can be incorporated in it to improve its quality. This study aims to develop jam from blends of jamun with other fruits and analyse various physico-chemical, nutritional, textural and sensory properties. It was found that physico-chemical properties of jams were not found to vary greatly, but the jamun–kiwifruit jam was found to have fairly high amount of antioxidants(46.75 ± 0.67%), tartaric acid (26.24 ± 0.02 mg/100g sample), ascorbic acid (0.08 ± 0.01 mg/100 g sample) and lactic acid (23.95 ± 0.01 mg/100g sample) and lowest amount of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (0.38 ± 0.04 mg/100 g sample). Jamun jam and jamun–kiwifruit jam possessed the texture required for jam while jamun–apple jam was found to be a relatively harder gel. Jam made with jamun and kiwifruit pulp was found to have highest acceptability on the basis of sensory evaluation.     

Effects of emulsified versus saline administration of GnRHa on induction of ovulation in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss

The effects of saline-dissolved or Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA)-emulsified GnRHa treatment on the induction of ovulation in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, were examined. The FIA-emulsified GnRHa was first diluted in 0.25 ml physiological saline and then mixed with an equal volume of FIA. Fish were selected in the beginning of the spawning season and were allocated into four groups and were treated intraperitoneally with (a) 0.5 ml of emulsified GnRHa (GnRHa–FIA), (b) 0.5 ml saline-dissolved GnRHa in a single injection (GnRHa-1), (c) 0.5 ml saline-dissolved GnRHa in two injections spaced 1 d apart (GnRHa-2) and (d) 0.5 ml of saline (Control). The GnRHa dose in all hormone treatments was 25 µg kg^− 1. All fish in the FIA–GnRHa and GnRHa-2 groups ovulated within 10 and 11 d after treatment, respectively. In contrast, only 75% in the Control fish and 60% of the fish in the GnRHa-1 group ovulated within 36 d after treatment. None of the treatments caused any pre- or post-spawning mortality in the broodstock. Fertilization, eyeing and hatching percentages of the produced progeny were normal in all the treatment groups and did not differ significantly among them. In conclusion, FIA-emulsified GnRHa can be effective in advancing the onset of and synchronizing the ovulation of rainbow trout within a two-week period, thus shortening the egg collection period, without affecting broodstock survival and egg quality.     

Effects of the prebiotic mannan‐oligosaccharide on feed deprived zebrafish: Growth and reproduction

This study was designed to investigate whether the prebiotic mannan‐oligosaccharides (MOS) can reduce the deleterious impacts of feed deprivation on growth and reproduction in zebrafish. In the growth performance experiment, juvenile fish were distributed in the following four treatments: normal‐control (NC), starved‐control (SC), normal‐prebiotic (NP) and starved‐prebiotic (SP). After 8 weeks, NP and SC fish showed the highest and lowest growth patterns, respectively among treatments. Standard length, specific growth rate and feed conversion ratio did not differ significantly between NC and SP treatments. Autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were significantly higher in NP and SP than the NC and SP treatments. Feed restriction resulted in significantly lower concentrations of thyroxine. In the reproductive performance experiment, additional juveniles were fed as in the growth experiment. Crossing in the final week of the experiment resulted in successful spawning in only NP fish, which showed mature sperm and oocytes in histological examinations. The number of spermatozoa was significantly lower in the fish that experienced feed restriction; however, the oocytes of SP females were at the same maturation level to that observed in NC females. Sex‐steroids changed after both starvation and MOS supplementation where NC and SP showed no differences in the levels of testosterone and female's 17β‐estradiol. These results indicate that MOS supplemented diet reduced some side effects of feed deprivation (final weight and length, SGR, FCR and levels of LAB and T3), and suggest that supplementation of the diet with MOS may ameliorate some of the negative effects of feed deprivation in zebrafish.