Effect of Row Spacing and Plant Density on the Yield of Faba bean L. Under Very Differentiated Humidity Conditions

The research covered Polish low-tannin Faba bean ‘Albus’, and its yielding depending on the row spacing and plant density under very different humidity conditions across the research years. The mean multi-year faba bean seed yield was 4.01 t ha-1 and it was most correlated with the total rainfall in August and in June-August. Due to a considerable variation in the total rainfall and air temperature, the faba bean seed yield ranged from 0.69-2.14 t ha-1 in dry years (2018-2019) with high air temperature, from 6.64 to 6.59 ha-1 in humid years (2016-2017) with a considerably higher total rainfall and lower air temperature in June-August. There was no significant effect of the row spacing and plant density on the faba bean yielding, except for a significantly lower seed yield in 2019 following the application of the lowest plant density. Out of all the yield structure components, only the number of pods per plant for 60-75 plants per m2 was significantly lower than for 45 plants. The other yield structure components did not differ significantly due to the factors studied either, except for the LAI, the value of which for a narrow row spacing was significantly higher. There was found a significant correlation between all the plant traits and with the faba bean yield.

Influence of methods and norms of sowing soybean seeds of the Northern ecotype on yield

The article presents the results of studying the optimal norms and methods of sowing a new variety of soybeans of the northern ecotype of the Memory of Fadeev for 2016-2018 at the experimental site of the Chuvash Research Agricultural Institute-a branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Federal Agricultural Research Center of the North-East named after N V Rudnitsky” in the southern part of the Volga-Vyatka region of Russia. It is established that in order to obtain high yields of soybean seeds of the northern ecotype in the conditions of the Chuvash Republic, the ultra-ripe variety of soy in Memory of Fadeev should be sown in a wide-row way at a rate of 600 thousand germinating seeds per 1 ha. It is revealed that to obtain a higher attachment of the lower bean, narrow-row sowing is recommended - the height of the attachment increases to 17.3 cm. Wide-row sowing increases the number of beans, the number and weight of seeds per plant, as well as the weight of 1000 seeds, which leads to an additional yield of up to 6.8 c/ha. According to the data obtained, an agroecological passport has been developed for a new Chuvash soybean variety of the northern ecotype of the Fadeev Memory variety, zoned in 2019.

Gravity Reduced Nitrogen Uptake via the Regulation of Brace Unilateral Root Growth in Maize Intercropping

Water, nutrient, light, and interspecific facilitation regulation of soil physicochemical properties and root morphology modulate nitrogen (N) uptake in cereal and legume intercropping systems. However, maize root morphological plasticity and N uptake capability response to gravity in the intercropping system remains to be determined. In this study, maize was grown under 20 cm (I20), 40 cm (I40), and 60 cm (I60) of narrow row spacing in an intercropping system (maize–soybean strip relay intercropping) and equal row spacing of monoculture (M) in a 2-year field experiment. As a supplementary for the field experiment, maize root barrier and plant inclination experiments were conducted. Plant inclination, brace root morphology, N uptake, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) level, IAA synthesis genes, and grain yield were assessed. The result showed that the plant inclination increased with decreasing narrow row spacing in intercropping system. Also, the brace unilateral root growth ratio (BURR) increased with increasing plant inclination in intercropping treatments. The plant inclination experiment showed the BURR achieved 94% after inclination at 45°. BURR tended to be positively correlated (p = 0.00) with plant inclination. Thus, gravity (plant inclination) causes brace unilateral root growth. The IAA concentration of stem nodes in the wide row increased with increasing plant inclination, while the IAA accumulation decreased in the narrow row. The Zmvt2 and ZM2G141383 genes (associated with IAA biosynthesis) were highly expressed in a wide row. There was a strong correlation (p = 0.03) between the IAA concentration of wide row and the BURR. Therefore, gravity regulates the IAA level, which affects BURR. In addition, the brace root number, volume, and surface area were decreased when BURR was increased. Subsequently, the leaf N, cob N, and kernel N accumulation were reduced. These organs N and grain yield in I60 were not significantly different as compared to the control treatment. The excessive brace unilateral root growth was not conducive to N uptake and increased yield. Our results suggest that gravity is essential in regulating root morphology plasticity by regulating IAA levels and decreasing N uptake capacity. Furthermore, these results indicate that plant inclination can regulate root phenotype and N uptake of maize and by adjusting the spacing of narrow maize row, we can improve the N uptake and yield of the maize–soybean strip relay-intercropping system.

Effect of planting time and row spacing on growth and seed production of junglerice (Echinochloa colona) and feather fingergrass (Chloris virgata) in sorghum

Junglerice and feather fingergrass are major problematic weeds in the summer sorghum cropping areas of Australia. The objectives of this study were to investigate the growth and seed production of junglerice and feather fingergrass in crop-free (fallow) and under competition with sorghum planted in 50 cm and 100 cm row spacings at three sorghum planting and weed emergence timing. Results revealed that junglerice and feather fingergrass had greater biomass in early planting (November 11) compared with late planting time (January 11). Under fallow conditions, seed production of junglerice ranged from 12,380-20,280 seeds plant−1; with the highest seed production for the December 11 and lowest for the January 11 planting. Seed production of feather fingergrass under fallow conditions ranged from 90,030 to 143,180 seeds plant−1. Seed production of feather fingergrass under crop-free (fallow) was similar for November 11 and December 11 planting, but higher for the January 11 planting. Sorghum crop competition at both row spacings reduced the seed production of junglerice and feather fingergrass >75% compared to non-crop fallow. Narrow row spacing (50 cm) in early and mid- planted sorghum (November 11 and December 11) reduced the biomass of junglerice to a greater extent (88%-92% over fallow grown plants) compared with wider row spacing (100 cm). Narrow row spacing was found superior in reducing biomass of feather fingergrass compared with wider row spacing. Our results demonstrate that sorghum crops can substantially reduce biomass and seed production of junglerice and feather fingergrass through crop competition compared with growth in fallow conditions. Narrow row spacing (50 cm) was found superior to wider row spacing (100 cm) in terms of weed suppression. These results suggest that narrow row spacing and late planting time of sorghum crops can strengthen an integrated weed management program against these weeds by reducing weed growth and seed production.

Impact of Tillage Systems Equipped with Row Cleaners on Some Selected Soil Physical Properties under Wheat Cropping

Availability of improved tillage and herbicides during the last decades has enhanced the acceptance of conservation tillage. The main constrain to this type of tillage, particularly, zero tillage is high level of crop residue, which reduces seeding quality, soil temperature, etc. Accordingly, a study was initiated by equipping row cleaners with no-till system under wheat cultivation. For this purpose, a field experiment was laid in a split-split plot design with three types of row cleaners, three sub-treatments of travelling speed, and two sub- sub treatments of tillage depth. The results indicated that the soil temperature was highly affected by percent of residue left. Measurement of penetration resistance indicated that hard pan was not a potential limiting factor for the crop root development. The soil water was increased by 8.83%, 15.33% and 12.54% under no-till without row cleaner (M1), no-till with narrow row cleaner (M2) and no-till with wide row cleaner (M3) respectively compared to that under conventional tillage (CT). The percentage of soil loss reduction under M1, M2 and M3 were 53.11%, 59.62% and 50.51% compared to that under CT. The water losses were also reduced by 46.19%, 48.65% and 46.86% under these treatments as compared with CT.

POSSIBILITIES OF ACCELERATED SOWING OF AUTUMN CEREALS

We examined the possibilities of accelerating sowing and its effect on accuracy with the help of 5 farmers in Hungary. Because there are a lot of work in the autumn period the speeding up of sowing is an important issue for optimal performance. Our objectives were in this experiment to show if there are any negative effects of speeding up the sowing of autumn cereals. In summary, it can be said that in the case of narrow row seed drills of different constructions and technologies, adequate quality can be achieved at increased speeds also in terms of sowing uniformity and sowing depth. Therefore, where it is necessary and the area and soil condition are suitable for it, it is worth speeding up the work in order to achieve the optimal sowing time.

Wide–Narrow Row Planting Pattern Increases Root Lodging Resistance by Adjusting Root Architecture and Root Physiological Activity in Maize (Zea mays L.) in Northeast China

Root lodging (RL) in maize can reduce yield and grain quality. A wide–narrow row planting pattern can increase maize yield in the growing regions of northeastern China, but whether it can improve RL resistance is not clear. Therefore, in this study, the root architecture distribution, root physiological activity, and root lodging rate under planting pattern 1 (uniform ridge of 65 cm, east–west ridge direction) and pattern 2 (wide–narrow rows, 40 double narrow rows and 90 wide rows, north–south ridge direction) were studied. The results showed that the RL rate under pattern 2 was significantly lower than that under pattern 1. The number and diameter of nodal roots on the upper node, the root failure moment, and the root bleeding sap intensity at the 3 weeks after VT under pattern 2 were significantly higher than those under pattern 1. Root length density in the 0–40 cm soil layer tended to be inter-row distributed. Therefore, the RL resistance of maize under pattern 2 was increased through an adjustment in the root architecture distribution and root physiological activity in northeastern China.