Principal Component Analysis Approach for Comprehensive Screening of Tomato Germplasm for Polyhouse Condition

Yield and yield contributing attributes are the mostly targeted in tomato improvement programme so the existence of variability has prime importance in plant breeding. In this study 14 genotypes were assessed with principal component analyses (PCA) based on morphological and biochemical traits to select genotypes and traits for future breeding program. Based on the PCA with 21 traits, 14 components were formed however, 6 PCs had more than 1 Eigen value with the variability of 87.60%. So, these six PC were used for further explanation. The first principal component explained maximum variability of the total variation presented. PC1 correlated with days to first flowering, days to 50% flowering and days to first fruiting etc. while PC2 dominated by β- carotene, lycopene, total soluble solid and ascorbic acid. PC 3 correlated with the traits like plant height at final harvest, number of fruits per plant and days to 50% flowering. PC 4 reflected positive factor loading by polar diameter, days taken to first picking and plant height at final harvest. PC 5 correlated with polar diameter, node to first flowering and ascorbic acid with positive factor loading and PC 6 correlated with ascorbic acid, days to 50% flowering, number of fruits per truss, equatorial diameter, pericarp thickness, titratable acidity, β-carotene, average fruit weight, fruit yield per plant. Therefore, the important traits coming jointly from diverse PCs and contributing towards elucidation variability may be kept into consideration during utilization of these traits in breeding programme of tomato.

Dynamic versus Concurrent Lighting with Red and Blue Light-emitting Diodes as the Sole Light Source Can Potentially Improve Campanula Stock Plant Morphology for Cutting Production

Short campanula (Campanula portenschlagiana ‘PGM Get MEE’®) stock plants present a difficulty in machine-harvesting of cuttings. Light adjustment may be an effective approach to mediate plant elongation. Two experiments were performed to 1) investigate whether short-term (five weeks) daily 24-h dynamic lighting (DL) with red and blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can promote elongation without inducing flowering, and 2) explore whether DL can be used to modify stock plant morphology to improve the cutting quality and rooting success in a controlled environment. Two lighting treatments were used: concurrent lighting (CL) with red (85%) and blue (15%) LEDs (RB) at 100 µmol·m−2·s−1 and DL with red (170 µmol·m−2·s−1), blue (30 µmol·m−2·s−1), and RB (100 µmol·m−2·s−1) LEDs sequentially at three different lighting stages, respectively, in both experiments. In Expt. 1, at final harvest of stock plants, the side branches were longer under DL compared with CL, but the five (= 2 + 2 + 1) weeks of 24-h daily lighting resulted in visible flower buds under both treatments. Based on the results of Expt. 1, a second experiment (Expt. 2) was conducted with the same cultivar and experimental conditions, but with a shorter photoperiod (10 h·d−1) for 11 (= 8 + 2 + 1) weeks. In Expt. 2, at final harvest, DL compared with CL caused more upright side branches, and reduced the dry biomass of side branches with one branching order and leaf chlorophyll content. However, the harvested cutting quality and rooting success were similar between both treatments. In both experiments, side branch number under DL was greater compared with CL at the end of the first lighting stage. Stock plants under DL were taller from the second lighting stage on to final harvest compared with CL, and the final heights of stock plants under DL met the target for machine-harvest in both experiments. Therefore, if the lighting strategy is further optimized, DL can potentially benefit controlled-environment production of campanula cuttings.

Price Premium Requirements for Growing Higher Quality Pine Sawtimber in Even-Aged Systems in the Southeastern United States

Intensive pine silviculture has become the dominant management paradigm in the southeastern United States. Although productivity has been substantially increased by the combination of cultural, silvicultural, and genetic advancements, wood quality is sometimes sacrificed in intensive silviculture. Extending the optimal rotation allows trees to grow more timber, which may result in the production of better quality sawtimber; however, landowners may require incentives to do so. We simulated loblolly, slash, shortleaf, and longleaf pine for growth and yield using the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) to determine sawtimber price premiums landowners would require to offset the costs associated with delaying the final harvest by 10 to 30 years in even-aged systems. Required incentives increased with the length of harvesting delay beyond the financially optimal rotation age. On medium productivity sites, landowners would be willing to delay the final harvest by 10 years for sawtimber price premiums of $5.06/ton (20.47%) for loblolly, $5.34/ton (21.6%) for slash, $4.56/ton (18.45%) for longleaf, and $6.71/ton (27.14%) shortleaf pine, respectively. Harvest delays of 10 to 20 years were financially justifiable, whereas extensions exceeding 30 years were prohibitively costly for all species. Delaying the optimal harvest could benefit landowners by generating a premium price for their sawtimber while providing important ecosystem services. Study Implications The study findings will provide a baseline resource for forest landowners and managers who are interested in growing higher-quality and larger-diameter pine sawtimber to longer rotation ages to obtain a premium price. The results will also be helpful to primary forest product industries (e.g., sawmills) who prefer high-quality pine sawtimber and are considering offering a price premium for higher-quality pine sawtimber. Findings can be useful for those interested in managing forests for multiple benefits (e.g., timber production, wildlife hunting leases, carbon credits, and other ecosystem service incentives), as managing stands on longer rotations can provide the dual opportunities of receiving price premiums for higher-quality sawtimber while simultaneously generating revenue from nontimber benefits, which may help justify delaying the final harvest. Our findings can also help make policymakers and forest managers more aware of the minimum price premiums required to offset the revenue loss accrued by delaying the final harvest.

Techno-Economic Feasibility of In Situ Vegetable Residue Return in the Chinese Solar Greenhouse

The tremendous scale of protected vegetable cultivation incidentally produces considerable vegetable residue, which refers to the remaining parts of plants after the final harvest. The low use rate of vegetable residue results in nutrient waste and environmental pressure in China. In this study, we put forward vegetable residue directly returned to the soil and investigated its feasibility. Residue return was steadily conducted 5 times in a Chinese solar greenhouse with the cucumber–tomato rotation pattern. Results showed that residue return increased the soil alkali-hydrolysed nitrogen and available potassium contents by 4.97–26.22% and 9.31–21.92%, respectively, along with slightly reduced soil pH and bulk density by 1.00–5.39% and 6.72–11.81%, respectively. Gemmatimonadetes, Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, Basidiomycota, and Mortierellomycota were the major phyla with noticeable changes when residue return was conducted 5 times. Fruit yield began to obtain remarkable increase by 5.81–9.26 t·ha−1 after residue return was conducted 3 times, bringing about additional profits of 5382.0–8519.2 USD·ha−1. Residue return could cut down the disposal expense of vegetable residues by 480.89 USD·ha−1. Moreover, residue return could supplement nutrients to soil, potentially contributing to reducing chemical fertilizer inputs. In conclusion, in situ vegetable residue return could be considered to be a feasible and sustainable use technique for vegetable residues in the Chinese solar greenhouse.

Dissipation Kinetics of Deltamethrin 10 EC in Capsicum (Capsicum Annum var. Frutescens) and Cropped Soil Under Field and Polyhouse Conditions

The dissipation behavior of deltamethrin 10 EC (Decis®) in capsicum (Capsicum annuum var. frutescens) grown in polyhouse and open field was investigated. Two sprays of deltamethrin 10 EC @ 15 and 30g a.i./ha (150 ml/ha -recommended and 300 ml/ha- double the recommended dose), respectively were applied at 10 days intervals, initiating at button sized fruit stage. Fruit samples were collected at 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 25 days after second spray and the soil samples were collected at final harvest for residue analyses. Modified QuEChERS multi-residue analysis showed initial residues of 0.976 and 1.161 mg/kg recorded at 15 and 30 g a.i./ha doses, respectively in polyhouse. The residues persisted upto 7th and 10th day, reaching below quantification limit (BQL) by 10th and 15th day, respectively at both the doses. In open field, the initial deposits recorded were 0.607 and 1.924 mg/kg reaching BQL on 5th and 7th day, respectively @ 15 and 30 g.a.i./ha. The comparative results showed that half life (syn. Dissipation time 50- DT50) for deltamethrin in capsicum fruits varied from 2.05–2.45 days in polyhouse. The corresponding values in open field were 1.51–1.86 days suggesting that dissipation of deltamethrin residues took longer time in controlled conditions than open field. The soil samples analysed at harvest contained no residues. The insecticide degradation followed the first order kinetics. Since, the insecticide is not recommended under capsicum in India; the data may help to fix maximum residue limit (MRL) and pre harvest interval (PHI).

Translation Features of Chinese Version of Emily Dickinson’s Poetry Selection Final Harvest

Final Harvest(1996) is the first and only Chinese translation of Emily Dickinson’s poetry selection of 576 poems, Final Harvest(1961). Using Antconc software and program written in python language, a statistical analysis of relevant data of stanzas, lines, punctuation marks, transliterated words and conjunctions in translated version and original book is conducted, to reveal translation features of the translation. It is found that the translation deviates slightly from the original in terms of stanza, line and punctuation, yet there are obvious deviations from the original in translation of transliterated words and conjunctions in that a large number of transliterated words are not annotated with footnotes or given explanation, and original logical relation displayed by conjunctions are often distorted or missing in translation. In general, the faithfulness of the translation to the original is mainly manifested in poetic form rather than in content.

Efficacité des pièges à paraphéromone dans la protection des vergers de manguiers greffés contre les mouches des fruits au Togo

Les mouches de fruits en infestant les mangues greffées causent des pertes considérables et un manque à gagner aux différents acteurs en passant par les producteurs jusqu’aux consommateurs. Pour venir à bout de ces insectes nuisibles, la pulvérisation des insecticides chimiques de synthèse est généralement la solution la plus commune et de premier recours dans toutes les régions du Togo. Mais cette méthode reste dangereuse pour la santé humaine et environnementale et peu rentable économiquement. Cette étude a pour objective de tester l’efficacité du piège Biofeed, une solution alternative, respectueuse de l’environnement et de la santé de l’Homme. Trois vergers d’environ 1 ha pour les trois traitements (piège Biofeed, piège M3 et le control) ont été choisis dans chacune des cinq régions du Togo. Les pièges ont été installés à la prématuration des fruits à une densité de 25 pièges/ha et sont suivis toutes les deux semaines jusqu’à la récolte finale en procédant aux échantillonnages des mangues pour l’évaluation du taux infestation et identification des espèces de mouche de fruits. Après la pose et le suivi des infestations, les pièges Biofeed se sont révélés efficaces en réduisant sur le plan national les dégâts des mouches de fruits de 73,60% tandis que les pièges M3 n’ont entrainé qu’une réductionde 39,94%. Les vergers ayant bénéficiés de ces pièges ont connu des taux d’infestations faibles promettant une bonne récolte. L’incubation des mangues récoltées dans les vergers ont permis de recenser 4 genres de mouches de fruits (Bactrocera, Ceratitis, Dacus, Zeugodacus) et Bactrocera dorsalis est l’espèce la plus abondante retrouvée sur ce fruit d’importance économique. Mots clés : Mouches de fruit, mangue greffée, piège Biofeed, piège M3. English title: Efficacy of parapheromone traps in the protection of grafted mango orchards against fruit flies in TogoFruit flies by infesting grafted mangoes cause considerable losses and loss of profit to the various actors range from producers to consumers. To control these pests, synthetic chemical insecticides use is generally the most common and first resort solution in all regions of Togo. But this method remains dangerous for human and environmental health. The objective of this study was to test the effecacy of Biofeed trap, an alternative solution that is environmentally friendly in comparison with a trap already used in the field (M3 traps based on food bait). Three orchards of about 1 ha for the 3 treatments (Biofeed trap, M3 trap and control) were chosen in each of the five regions of Togo. The traps were installed at the premature fruit maturity at a density of 25 traps / ha and were monitored every two weeks until the final harvest by sampling the mangoes for the assessment of the infestation rate and identification of fruits fly species. After setting traps and monitoring the infestations, Biofeed traps proved effective by reducing fruit fly damage by 73.60% nationally, while M3 traps by 39.94%. The orchards that benefited from these traps had low infestation rates that promissing a good harvest. Incubation of the mangoes harvested in the orchards have allowed to identify 4 genera of fruit flies (Bactrocera, Ceratitis,Dacus, Zeugodacus) and Bactrocera dorsalis is the most abundant species found on this economically important fruit.Keywords: Fruit flies, grafted mango, Biofeed and M3 traps.

COMBINING ABILITY STUDIES FOR GROWTH AND YIELD CHARACTERS OF BHENDI ABELMOSCHUS ESCULENTUS (L.) MOENCH)

The present investigation consisted of 9 lines, 3 testers with their 27 F1 hybrids developed through line x tester mating fashion in randomized block design with three replications. Parents and hybrids differed significantly for gca and sca effects, respectively. Among the parents, maximum gca effect was found in EC 112241 and Aruna for inter node distance, EC 112241 and Arka Anamika for single fruit weight, EC 109454, EC 169344 and Arka Anamika for number of branches per plant, EC 169331 and Arka Anamika for number of fruits per plant, EC 109454 and Aruna for plant height at final harvest. The crosses exhibited maximum positive significant sca effect was observed in EC 112241 x Aruna, EC 109454 x Kashi Kranti and EC 112264 x Aruna were found as good specific combiners for single fruit weight, number of branches per plant and number of fruits per plant respectively. The hybrid EC 112264 x Aruna exhibited maximum significant negative sca effects for inter node distance and plant height at final harvest.

Precision Injection of Dairy Sludge on Crop Yield and N and P Uptake in Juvenile and Mature No-Till Silage Corn

Starter mineral fertilizer is used by famers to provide phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) to emerging corn (Zea mays) plants. Recent studies have shown that dairy slurry can replace mineral fertilizer provided it is precisely positioned close to the corn rows. This 5-year study examined the multi-year effect of precision injected sludge, the thick fraction separated from dairy slurry, on growth and nutrient uptake at the 6-leaf stage and final harvest of no-till corn. The sludge was first injected 15 cm deep and the corn planted < 10 cm from the sludge furrow at least 3 days later. Sludge provided sufficient P for both early growth and full season growth. At final harvest with equivalent total N and P rates (32P 250N treatments), fertilizer and sludge had similar maximum yields (17.9 and 17.4 t ha−1, respectively) and P uptake (26 and 25 kg ha−1, respectively) but fertilizer had higher N uptake than sludge (200 and 162 kg ha−1). N uptake and recovery N use efficiency was greater for sludge than fertilizer based on equivalent min.-N which suggests crop benefits in the sludge other than min-N and P. The study shows that precisely injected dairy sludge can obviate the need for starter mineral fertilizer, and this may help to alleviate P surpluses on dairy farms. This practice also provides a use on dairy farms for the separated solids fraction remaining after the thin fraction is decanted and applied as the primary N source to grass.

Potential of Pre-Harvest Wastes of Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) Crops, Grown for Smoke Products, as Source of Bioactive Compounds (Phenols and Flavonoids)

Tobacco cultivation is characterized by high amounts of waste biomasses whose disposal frequently represents a complex and expensive problem. A study was conducted to evaluate thepotential of pre-harvest light air-cured (Burley) and dark fire-cured (Kentucky) tobacco waste biomasses as a source of bioactive compounds (nutraceutical ingredients) such as polyphenols. Pre-harvest waste materials (topping fresh materials and residual stalks at final harvest) were collected to determine dry matter, total polyphenols content (TPC; Folin assay), and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,20-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-60-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt) antioxidant capacity. Polyphenols quali-quantitative profiles obtained by Orbitrap Q Exactive of both tobacco types were also determined. Total pre-harvest waste biomass amounted to 3956.9 and 1304.4 kg d.w. ha−1 in light air-cured (Burley) and dark fire-cured (Kentucky) tobacco types, respectively. Polyphenols content, expressed as g kg−1 dry weight (d.w.), ranged between 4.6 and 15.7 g kg−1 d.w. and was generally greater in leaves than in stalks. Considering both leaves and stalks, the light air-cured (Burley) tobacco crop yielded 22.1 kg ha−1 of polyphenols, while the dark fire-cured (Kentucky) tobacco yielded 12.0 kg ha−1. DPPH and ABTS were significantly greater in leaves than in stalks waste biomass in both types of tobacco. The most abundant components were quinic and chlorogenic acids, rutin, and luteolin rutinoside.