Agro-meteorology of Indian Brassicas

Field experiment was conducted for two crop seasons (1996-97 & 1997-98) at CCS, HAU, Hisar research farm to study the effect of weather parameters on growth and yield of mustard. The results indicated that an increase in maximum temperature and duration of sunshine hours resulted in increased leaf area index (LAI). The increase in daytime temperature resulted in higher biomass accumulation during vegetative phase, but the trend was reversed during physiological maturity. The biomass accumulation in brassicas increased with increase in evaporation rate during the grand growth period. However, latter on during the physiological maturity, increase in evaporation rate resulted in decline of biomass accumulation. Further, it was noted that the magnitudes of some important weather parameters (maximum and minimum temperatures, pan evaporation and morning relative humidity) during the vegetative phase of crop played decisive role in deciding the quantum of seed yield which is a resultant of various yield attributes. The rainfall during the crop growing season either have no association or had a negative relationship with yield and yield attributes because crop never experienced water stress as abundant moisture was made available through irrigation.

A study of basal crop coefficient for wheat under humid regime from heat unit accumulations

A methodology has been presented to compute basal crop coefficient from soil moisture and heat unit accumulations, for wheat in the humid region of northeast India. In developing the method data from 1976-77 to 1981-82 crop seasons for the Sonalika variety of wheat from germination to maturity have been used and tested on independent data set for 1982-83 and 1985-86 crop seasons. Milk stage to physiological maturity stage is found to use maximum fraction of heat unit totals. The largest value of basal crop coefficient is about I 5 occurring during milk stage of the crop growth. Very high correlation is noticed between the actual ET and those computed from the model.

Herbicide resistant confectionary sunflower variety Aladdin

The variety Aladdin is the new confectionary sunflower variety. It is developed in the laboratory of OP-sunflower breeding jointly with the laboratory of genetic at the V.S. Pustovoit AllRussian Research Institute of Oil Crops in 2014– 2020. It is developed by crossing plants of a line VK 1-imi (Imr Imr) used as a maternal form and a pollen mixture of an early maturing confectionary sunflower variety, with the further treatment by the herbicide Euro-Lightning. Later, there were conducted a multiple individual selection and estimation in progenies of families that were the best by their morphometric and economically valuable traits, tolerance to broomrape races E, F, and G and to downy mildew. The variety belongs to the middle maturity group, confectionary type. The major features of the cultivar Aladdin are its resistance to imi-herbicides, high productivity, tolerance to the main races of broomrape and downy mildew, increased level of autofertility. The variety is suitable for cultivation by Clearfield (BASF) technology. It is uniformed by plants height, flowering and maturing. A period emergence – physiological maturity is equal to 97–99 days. Weight of 1000 seeds at plant population of 25–30 thousand plants/ha exceeds 130 g.

Assesment of Correlation and Path Analyses for Yield and its Componant Traits in Soybean [(Glycine max (L.) Merrill]

A study was conducted with an aim to understand character association and cause-effect relationship in Randomized Complete Block Design accommodating 30 genotypes randomly in three replicates. These genotypes evaluated for twenty-seven traits: five phenological, nine agro-morphological, eight physiological traits (from field trial) and five physiological traits (from laboratory experiment) recorded and subjected to statistical and biometrical analyses. Positive association of flowering traits (days to tubercles formation→ days to flower budding→ days to first flowering→ days to cessation) and uncorrelated with days to physiological maturity can be precisely utilized in selection. Late physiological maturity increases seedling dry weight, plant height, clusters and seeds per pod while reduces leaf area index, seed weight and dry matter efficiency. With an increase in primary branches corresponding more secondary branches, cluster/plant, seed weight and effective rainfall use efficiency noticed. Effective rainfall use efficiency positively correlated with primary branches, secondary branches, clusters/plant, germination relative index, seedling length, harvest index. Towards polygenic complex trait seed yield per plant had high positive correlation and highest positive direct effect of effective rainfall use efficiency and vigor index I considered as selection criteria.

Thermal indices in relation to crop phenology and seed yield of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L. Millsp.) grown in the north bank plains zone of Assam

Two varieties of pigeon pea viz., BC (local) and ICPL 88039 were grown on the sandy loam soils of AICRPDA research farm of B. N. College of Agriculture, AAU in two consecutive kharif seasons of 2012-13 to 2013-14. Both the cultivars were sown on three different dates at ten days interval starting from 3rd June to 23rd June. GDD accumulation for attaining different phenological events viz., emergence, initiation of 1st flower bud and flower appearance, 50 per cent flowering, 1st pod formation, 1st seed formation and physiological maturity were worked out. The cumulative GDD accumulations up to physiological maturity were relatively higher in BC (local) which varied from 3395.6 to 3593.5 °C day, whereas, in ICPL 88039, it varied from 2945.0 to 3296.7 °C day in different sowings and seasons. A decreasing trend in accumulated GDD for attaining any Phenological event was observed with successive delay in sowings in both the cultivars in the two seasons. In both the crop seasons, Pheno-Thermal Index (PTI) varied from 16.67 to 18.18 °C day growth day-1, in BC (local) and 18.31 to 19.11 °C day growthday-1 in ICPL 88039 during the vegetative growth period under all the sowing dates while, in the reproductive growth stage, it was comparatively lower and ranged from 7.96 to 8.23 °C day growthday-1 in BC (local) and 10.28 to 11.87 °C day growthday-1 in ICPL 88039. Seed yield heat use efficiency (HUE) in BC (local) varied from 0.207 to 0.296 kg ha-1 °Cday-1, whereas, in ICPL 88039 it varied from 0.201 to 0.312 kg ha-1°Cday-1 under different sowing dates in both crop seasons. Seed yield heat use efficiency was relatively higher in 2013-14 followed by 2012-13 in both the cultivars which indicated the significant differences in using the heat, available to the plants.

Performance of CERES-rice model for prediction of different rice cultivars at Navsari

Filed experiment was conducted during kharif season of 2012 at college farm of Navsari Agricultural University, (Gujarat) to investigate the CERES-Rice model validation for three rice cultivars, viz., V1 - Jaya, V2 - Gurjari and V3 - GNR-2 with three different dates of transplanting, viz., D1- 12 July, 2012, D2- 27 July, 2012 and D3-11 August, 2012 and two nitrogen levels, viz., N1-75 kg/ha and N2-100 kg/ha. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design. The model was subsequently validated against observed data from field experiment. From the response of CERES-Rice model it was found that among the genotypes prediction accuracy for cv. Gurjari at third date of transplanting at 100 kg N level was better in respect to panicle initiation with percent error PE (-4.25%), anthesis (-3.40%) and beginning of grain filling (1.05%). But for physiological maturity stage, cv. GNR-2 was found better at third date of transplanting at same N level with PE (-0.97%) as comparison to other treatments.

Effect of elevated CO2 and temperature on growth and yield of wheat grown in sub-humid climate of eastern Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP)

The atmospheric CO2 will be in the range of 510 to 760 L-1 by the end of 21st century and mean global temperature will be 1.5 to 4.5 oC higher than the present day which has a direct and indirect effect on agriculture. India is a key global region vulnerable to climate change; however, limited studies have focused on the combine effect of CO2 enrichment and temperature on wheat production in Sub-humid climate of eastern IGP in India. To address this issue, an Open top chamber (OTCs) experiment was conducted during 2013-14, to determine the effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and temperature on growth, yield attributes and yield of wheat. Wheat cultivars (DBW 14 and HD 2967) were grown with four treatment combination of CO2 and temperature in OTCs, during the rabi season. The study revealed that wheat genotypes performed better under elevated CO2 condition in term of grain number, test weight and grain yield than an ambient condition. The greater biomass under elevated CO2 was brought about by an increase in radiation use efficiency (RUE) during both heading and physiological maturity periods. Elevated temperature decreased the grain yield but increase plant height compared to ambient temperature. Days to physiological maturity was reduced by 4 to 7 days in both the cultivars under elevated temperature condition and increased by 3 to 4 days under the elevated CO2 condition with respect to ambient condition. The elevated CO2 had positive effects whereas elevated temperature had negative effects on growth, yield attributes and yield of wheat. With elevation of both CO2 and temperature, elevated CO2 compensate the negative effects of elevated temperature on growth, yield attributes and yield of wheat.

Modeling the effect of planting date on Maize (Zea mays L.) crop in Sabour region of Bihar using DSSATv3.5 crop simulation model

CERES-Maize model calibrated for local conditions of Sabour has been used to evaluate the relevance medium range weather forecast relative to the maize crop growth period. The procedure is to place the reference year's daily weather into the model up to the time the yield prediction is to be made and sequences of historical data (one sequence per year) after that time until the end of growing season to give yield estimates. A procedure that makes use of historical weather data, medium range weather forecast (mrwf) and current weather data in conjunction with the CERES-Maize model was developed to arrive at a probable distribution of predicted yields. The lower temperature and more solar radiation in tassel emergence to dough stage silk emergence to physiological maturity phase and lower maximum temperature are found favorable to contribute more in increasing the grain yields. The CERES- Maize model correlated for the genetic coefficient predicts the silking dates and physiological maturity very well. Kharif maize gave the highest grain yield of 3490 kg/ha in 1999 and the lowest of 2474 kg/ha in 1979. Among eight different sowing dates the lowest average grain yield was 3190 kg/ha for the last sowing date and the highest average grain yield was 3313 kg/ha in 2nd sowing date. The 25 percentiles were less than the mean grain yields and also 75 percentiles.