Phenotypic traits for wild red clover seed yield under drought conditions

Changes in the gene pool and homogeneity of red clover cultivars occur over time. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly renew the breeding material and foundation seed. Moreover, the market also prescribes a new demand. Based on the Natura 2000 habitats profile, we collected seeds from 39 locations across Lithuania in 2016. The phenotypic traits that affect the seed yield of red clover were analysed in 2018. The homogeneity of the populations with reference to the seed yield and 1 000 seed weight (TSW) were determined as well. Also, the possibility of obtaining two seed yields per season under drought conditions from wild genotypes of red clover was analysed. We found that the final seed yield mostly depends on the seed number per flower head (SN/FH), which strongly correlated with 1^st component of PCA during first (r = 0.91) and second (0.92) harvest. Meanwhile, the cluster analysis showed that the typical wild red clover has a lower seed weight than the cultivars and could be clustered on the basis of seed homogeneity. Finally, based on the seed phenotype and harvest components, there were five prospective accessions (2177, 2871, 2876, 2898 and 2899) for a new cultivar prototype.

Socio-economic Dynamics of Farmers and Economics of Certified Seed Production of Paddy in Karimnagar District, Telangana

Paddy plays a vital role in the national food security and principal food crop cultivated throughout the Telangana state providing food for its population, fodder to the cattle and employment to the rural masses. The present study was based on primary data in Karimnagar district of Telangana during the agricultural year 2014-15. Analysis of data shows that majority of seed farmers belongs to small category (1-2 ha) followed by semi-medium (2-4 ha) and marginal (< 1 ha) category. The overall average land holding size of paddy seed farmers was 2.04 ha followed by grain farmers (1.27 ha) and district average (1.03 ha). Study area was dominated by paddy, cotton and maize with a cropping intensity of 159. Net irrigated area of paddy grain producer, certified seed producer and district average was 71.00, 90.60 and 73.95% respectively. Non-availability of labour was the most important constraints hindering adoption of paddy seed production technology. The seed production area is dominated by variety BPT- 5204 which covers 31.57% area under paddy seed production. Current study illustrates a ratio of 32:68 towards fixed and variable costs in paddy certified seed production with a total cost of Rs. 57315 per hectare and the gross and net returns were Rs. 83150 and Rs. 25835 per hectare respectively. The total cost of cultivation in paddy seed production was around 13.63% higher than grain production while, gross return was about 28.42% higher in seed production. Consequently, net return from seed production of paddy was 80.56% higher than grain production. Hence, production of certified seed has resulted in a win-win situation for the farmers with higher yield and increased returns. Higher yield and profitability associated with certified seed production can be effectively popularized among farmers, results in increased certified seed production. Farmers can be promoted in this endeavour by providing required quantity of foundation seed along with technical guidance.

Penentuan Pilihan Model Kelembagaan untuk Pengembangan Perbenihan Bawang Merah Melalui True Shallot Seed di Jawa Timur (Choice Determination of Institutional model for Seed Development of Shallot through True Shallot Seed System in East Java)

<p>Penggunaan biji true shallot seed (TSS) telah diperkenalkan sebagai salah satu alternatif penyediaan benih bawang merah yang sehat dan berkualitas tinggi yang tersedia dalam jumlah yang cukup bagi petani sepanjang tahun. Penggunaan TSS diharapkan dapat mengatasi persoalan kuantitas dan kualitas bawang merah konsumsi serta perbenihan bawang merah di Indonesia. Pembentukan kelembagaan yang tepat perlu dibangun sejalan dengan pengembangan TSS. Pembentukan kelembagaan yang baik dan kuat dapat menghasilkan teknologi inovatif yang tepat dan menjamin ketersediaan benih TSS dalam jangka panjang. Tujuan penelitian yaitu mengetahui model pilihan kelembagaan stakeholder (pemangku kepentingan) untuk mendukung pengembangan sistem perbenihan TSS bawang merah di Jawa Timur. Survei dilaksanakan pada bulan Maret hingga Agustus 2016 di Jawa Timur melalui interview kepada 35 responden. Analisis data dilakukan menggunakan konsep Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) dengan program statistik Super Decisions. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa opsi kelembagaan yang dipilih oleh responden untuk pengembangan perbenihan bawang merah TSS di Jawa Timur adalah opsi 1. Di opsi 1, Balitsa dan BPTP berperan memproduksi TSS kelas jenis Benih Penjenis (BS) dari umbi varietas bawang merah unggul dan memberikan delegasi legalitas/lisensi kepada BBI/BBU/BBH/SWASTA untuk memproduksi/memperbanyak Benih Umbi kelas benih BS. Berikutnya, Perguruan Tinggi (PT)/BPTP/SWASTA menghasilkan TSS dan umbi benih untuk kelas Benih Dasar (BD). Selanjutnya penangkar terpilih memproduksi TSS dan umbi benih kelas Benih Pokok (BP) dan Benih Sebar (BR). Benih Sebar ditanam oleh petani untuk memproduksi umbi bawang merah konsumsi. Produksi TSS-BP, benih umbi BP, TSS-BR, dan benih umbi BR diawasi dan didampingi oleh BPTP.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong></p><p>Analisis hirarkhi proses (AHP); Benih botani bawang merah; Model kelembagaan; Perbenihan bawang merah</p><p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p>The use of true shallot seed (TSS) has been promoted as an alternative method to obtain healthy and high quality shallot seed that supposed to be adequately available for farmers along the year. The use of TSS is expected to be able of solving quantity and quality problems of shallot table consumption and shallot seed in Indonesia. A functioning institutional setting should be established in line with the development of TSS. The establisment of good and strong institutional could generate innovative appropriate technologies and ensure the availability of TSS in a long term. The objective of this study was to investigate the stakeholders’ choice of some institutional models to support the development of TSS shallot seed system in East Java. A survey was conducted from March to August 2016 to collect data by interviewing 35 respondents. Data were analysed by employing the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) concept and using Super Decisions statistical program. Results indicates that an institutional setting selected by respondents to support the development of TSS shallot seed system in East Java is described in the first option. The first option suggests that Indonesian Vegetables Research Institute (IVEGRI) and Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology (AIAT) have the role of producing TSS for Breeder Seed class (BS) from high quality shallot bulbs and providing legality delegation or license to BBI/BBU/BBH (Indonesian government seed institutions)/Private in producing/multiplying seed bulbs of BS class. Afterward, the University/AIAT/Private will produce TSS and seed bulbs for Foundation Seed class (FS). Furthermore, selected shallot seed growers will produce TSS and seed bulbs for Stock Seed class (SS) and Extension Seed class (ES). The ES will be used by farmers to produce shallot bulbs for table consumption. Production of FS-TSS, FS-seed bulbs, ES-TSS, and ES-seed bulbs will be monitored and supervised by AIAT.</p>

‘Bloomify™ Red’ and ‘Bloomify™ Rose’, Two Infertile Lantana camara Cultivars for Production and Use in Florida

'Bloomify™ Red’ and ‘Bloomify™ Rose’ are two new infertile Lantana camara cultivars that have been developed as alternative to the invasive forms of this species, a Category I invasive species in Florida. Both cultivars have been trialed and tested in Florida and reviewed by the IFAS Invasive Plants Working Group, which concluded that the two cultivars are “not a problem species”. In 2016, the IFAS Cultivar Release Committee approved the release of these cultivars. A plant patent application has been filed for each of the new cultivars under their code name (‘UF-1013A-2A’ and ‘UF-1011-2’). The Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc. has awarded an exclusive license to Ball Horticultural Company for propagation and/or production. This publication describes the plant, stem, leaf and flower characteristics, and the male and female infertility of these new cultivars, and their hybridization potential with Lantana depressa, the Florida native lantana species.

Pod Maturity in the Shelling Process

ABSTRACT Determining an optimum harvest maturity for indeterminate crops such as peanut is critical because it directly affects yield and grade. Historically, the assumption has been that growers will harvest at optimum maturity due to the positive impact on these two characteristics. However, the increased acreage under management by a single farmer may cause growers to harvest prior to optimum maturity. The impact of peanut maturity on seed quality may not be fully understood by producers, where immature seed may have reduced emergence and vigor. Research was conducted to quantify the maturity of seed peanuts received by the Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc. (FFSP) at various stages of the shelling process: samples received from the field; after the in-shell samples were cleaned; after in-shell pre-sizing into two size classes; and after separation of in-shell samples at the gravity deck. Samples collected at each stage were pressure-washed to remove the exocarp and then separated into yellow and brown/black color classes based on the maturity board. Pods within each color class were counted, dried, weighed, and graded. Maturity at each sheller stage was assessed for three peanut cultivars. For the field stage, across all cultivars, 56% of pods were in the mature, or brown/black color class. This was well below the level of 70-80% in the brown/black class purported to be the maturity level that optimizes yield and grade. Cleaning had a minor impact on maturity percentages (average percent mature was 64% across all cultivars after passing through the mechanical cleaning process); however, in the pre-shelling sizing process where pods are sorted into “lead” and “small” baskets representing large and small pods, respectively, the maturity percentage was improved to 75% in the large pods and declined to 45% in the small pods. These results indicate that: 1) maturity levels of cultivars harvested in the field may not be optimal; and 2) that improvements could be made in maturity percentages by modifying the shelling process to separate the larger pods which are more likely to be mature than the smaller pods. These results also suggest that seed peanut lots are unlikely to be composed entirely of mature pods, that large numbers of immature pods could make it through the shelling process and that immature seed are planted by farmers. This could explain some cases of suboptimal plant stands in peanut.

Hasil Padi dari Empat Kelas Benih Yang Berbeda

There is conflicting informations regarding the advantages of planting of stock seed (SS) over Extension Seed (ES) classes. An experiment to study the effect of different seedclasses on grain yield and yield components of five rice varieties was carried out at two locations i.e. Sukamandi and Muara Field Station during the wet and dry season of 2009. The treatment consisted of five rice varieties, namely: Ciherang, Mekongga, IR64, Cigeulis and Situ Bagendit, and their respective seed classes: namely breeder seed, foundation seed, stock seed and extension seed. The experiment was arranged in a split plot design with three replications, where rice varieties were as main plots and seed classes as sub plots. Variables to be evaluated consisted of: quality of seed before sowing, plant growth, yield components and grain yield. Performance of the observed variable of each rice variety derived from four different seed-classes in each location and planting season were not significantly different. Differences of seed classes only affected the percentage of seed purity. There was no significant difference on the grain yield and the seed yield obtained from different seed classes of each variety. These results disprove the belief that the higher seed class the higher productivity, which was found to be a wrong perception. Seed certification is designed to maintain the genetic purity of variety and not to increase the productivity.