Yield of Winter Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L. var. napus) in a Short-Term Monoculture and the Macronutrient Accumulation in Relation to the Dose and Method of Sulphur Application

The objective of this study was to assess the yield efficiency of sulphur-enhanced fertilisers, depending on the dose and application method, in a short-lived (three-year) monoculture of winter oilseed rape under the climate and soil conditions of south-eastern Poland. The experiment was carried out between 2010 and 2013 on winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L. var. napus) of the Orlando variety, fertilised with different sulphur doses—0, 20, 40 or 60 kg S ha−1 applied in different method—soil application sowing, foliar application in the spring, and soil application sowing + foliar application in the spring (combined application). Following the harvest, seed and straw yields and the content of macroelements (N, S, P, K, Ca and Mg) in the seed and straw samples were determined. The harvest indices were also established for each of these elements. The impact of sulphur on winter oilseed rape yield depended significantly on both the dose and the application method. Even at the lowest dose (20 kg·ha−1), sulphur materially increased seed yield, regardless of the application method. With autumn soil application and foliar application, differences between the lowest dose and the higher doses (40 and 60 kg·ha−1) were not significant. However, with combined application, the highest dose (60 kg·ha−1) significantly increased yield compared to the lower doses. In general, all the fertilisation approaches significantly increased the N, P, K, Ca and Mg contents compared to the control sample, but the differences between them were not substantial. Each of the sulphur application approaches decreased the harvest index for sulphur. The foliar application of each of the doses decreased the harvest indices for N, P, K and Ca. The soil application of 20 kg·ha−1, and the mixed application of 40 and 60 kg·ha−1, all increased the harvest indices for P, K and Ca.

Optimizing wheat seed treatment with entomopathogenic fungi for improving plant growth at early development stages

Aim of study: Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are biocontrol agents, plant growth promoters, and increase tolerance to biotic-abiotic stresses. In this study we investigated the factors associated to the application method, which are crucial for the interaction between the fungus and the host plant at initial crop growth stages. Area of study: The study was performed in Cordoba (Spain) Material and methods: Three experiments were performed to investigate: (i) the effect of different concentrations of the surfactant Tween® 80 (0, 0.5, 1, 5, and 10%) on wheat seed coating with conidia of Metarhizium brunneum and seed and conidia viability; (ii) the performance of wheat seedlings at first growth stages after their inoculation with Beauveria bassiana or M. brunneum via seed coating or soil drenching; and (iii) the role of soil sterilization and seed disinfection on leaf concentration of chlorophyll (SPAD) and B. bassiana or M. brunneum colonization. Main results: Tween® 80 concentration linearly improved seed coating (up to 127%) without altering wheat seeds and fungal conidia germination. Seedling length of inoculated plants was significantly increased with B. bassiana and M. brunneum (67% and 46%, respectively) via seed coating. Seed disinfection was key to achieve an enhancement in wheat SPAD (10-18%) with B. bassiana or M. brunneum concerning Control, that combined with sterilization of soil showed the highest endophyte colonization rates (up to 83.3% with both fungi) Research highlights: The surfactant concentration, application method, seed disinfection, and soil sterilization are key parameters to improve the potential benefits on the EPF-plant relationship.

Determining operating variables that impact internal fiber bonding using Wedge statistical analysis methods

In this study, Wedge statistical analysis tools were used to collect, collate, clean up, plot, and analyze several years of operational data from a commercial paper machine. The z-direction tensile (ZDT) and Scott Bond tests were chosen as representative of fiber bond strength. After analyzing thousands of operational parameters, the ones with the most significant impact upon ZDT involved starch application method, starch penetration, and the amount of starch applied. Scott bond was found to be significantly impacted by formation and refining. Final calendering of the paper web has also shown an impact on internal fiber bonding.

Influence of Bio-fertilizer Application Method with Organic and In-organic Fertilizer on Growth and Yield of Bitter-gourd in Winter Season (Momordica charantia L.)

The experiment was conducted at the Horticulture farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka-1207 during the period of November 2019 – May 2020 to find out Influence of bio-fertilizer application method with organic and in-organic fertilizer on growth and yield of bitter-gourd in winter season .The experiment was consisted of two factors : as- Factor A: Fertilizer (4 levels) T0: control, no fertilizer ,T1: Organic (kitchen compost @1000 kg/ha),T2: in-organic (N46 P40 K 45 ) Kg/ha and T3: Organic (kitchen compost @1000 kg/ha) + in-organic (N23 P20 K23) kg/ha Factors B: Bio-fertilizer application method (3 levels) F1: Seed treatment with bio-fertilizer @ 100ml/250g seed,F2: Seedling treatment with bio-fertilizer @400 ml/500 seedling. And F3: Soil treatment with bio-fertilizer @.046 g/m2. The two factorial experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Maximum plant height (299.69 cm),fruit number per plant (19.96), fruit length(27.11 cm), yield/plant (1.05 kg), yield per plot(6.30kg) and total yield (19.44 t/ha) were found from T3F3 treatment. whereas minimum plant height (90.67 cm), fruit number per plant (1.27), fruit length (4.49 cm), yield/plant (.046 kg), yield per plot(.28 kg) and total yield (.86 t/ha) were found from T0F2(control) treatment .All growth related parameter was collected up to 75 DAS due to COVID-19.This study suggests that T3F3 (Organic (kitchen compost @1000 kg/ha) + in-organic (N23 P20 K23) kg/ha)+ bio-fertilizer (soil treatment) treatment acts as a potential source of plant nutrients for suitable bitter gourd production. The combination of organic, In-organic and soil application of bio-fertilizer (T3F3) gave the highest gross return (Tk. 1458000). The lowest gross return (Tk.85600) was obtained in the control condition where no bio-fertilizer as well as no fertilizer was applied. The combination of organic, inorganic and soil application of bio-fertilizer (T3F3) gave highest benefit cost ratio (3.16) and the lowest benefit cost ratio (0.60) was obtained in combination of control condition (T0F2). So, the economic analysis revealed that the treatment T3F3 combination appeared to be the best for achieving the higher growth, yield and economic benefit of bitter gourd.

The effectiveness of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae in controlling the green leaf hopper (Nephotettix virescens)

Green leafhopper (Nephotettix virescens) is one of the major pests on rice plants that can be a vector of tungro disease. Current pest control using insecticides by farmers is very worrying because in general it is not as recommended which can cause disturbances in the balance of the ecosystem, so it is necessary to use more environmentally friendly control alternatives, one of which is the use of entomopathogenic fungi that are targeted and do not cause the death of natural enemies. The potential of entomopathogenic fungi as biological control agents needs to be continuously developed to reduce the use of insecticides, one of which is the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae which is a type of entomopathogenic fungus that can kill insect pests. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of several concentration and application method of M. anisopliae on the mortality of the green leafhopper (Nephotettix virescens). The study was conducted in the Laboratory and Greenhouse of the Tungro Disease Research Station starting from February - April 2020 using a two-factor factorial design in a completely randomized design (CRD). The first factor was the application method consisting of two treatments, namely the spray method (A1) and dip method (A2) while the second factor was the conidia density of Metarhizium anisopliae with 4 levels, namely 0 (C0) as control, conidia density 106 (C1) conidia density 107 (C2) conidia density 108(C3). Each treatment was repeated three times. The results showed that the concentration of 106 by dipping application showed the fastest average death time of green leafhopper imago, which occured after 4 days of application, while the fastest average death time of green leafhopper nymph was 3.67 days after application at a concentration of 10 7 by dipping applications.

Waterway control assembly for rope core drilling rig and its application method

In the process of conventional rope core drilling, the connection and disassembly of waterway occupy a lot of auxiliary time, which seriously affects the drilling efficiency, and even causes drilling or safety accidents. The waterway control assembly and application method for the rope coring rig developed by the author’s team can control the waterway flow direction. It does not need to disassemble the water pipe frequently to control the raising speed of the inner pipe and avoid damaging the drilling tool too fast.Introduction.