Changes in growth parameters and forage quantity and quality of corn harvested at different developmental stages

Due to the different agricultural practices such as second cropping or more for the increase product obtained from the areas of suitable climate, some differences in harvesting stages of plants have been occurred. The study was carried out in the Menemem location of Izmir in the coastal Aegean region of Turkey under Mediterranean climate in 2018 and 2019 to determine the performance of corn cultivars in different maturity stages. Seven varieties of corn (Everest, Aga, Kilowatt, Burak, Samada-07, P30B74 and P31Y43) were harvested at 3 different growth stages (silking, end of milk and dough stages) to determine the changes in some parameters of growing, forage quantity and quality. The highest average of dry forage yield (24159 kg ha-1 average of years) was determined at the third harvest date. The maximum cob rate was also measured at the third harvest date, but the maximum leaf and stalk rates were measured at the first harvest date. The average protein rate decreased throughout the growing period while ADF and NDF increased. Almost all of the varieties were found to have large leaf areas. The Burak variety came to the fore due to its long length and relatively thick stalk features and high green and dry yields. Moreover, P31Y43 was determined to have a high quality in addition to high green and dry grass yields. Therefore, the Burak and P31Y43 can be suggested in terms of high parameters both quantity and quality under different crop conditions for increase production.

The occurrence of Fusarium species in white spears of Asparagus officinalis

The aim of the study was to determine the species composition of fungi of the Fusarium genus found on white Asparagus officinalis spears, depending on the presence or absence of disease symptoms, age of the plantation, date of harvest and the place from which samples were collected for mycological analysis. Additionally, the pathogenicity of selected Fusarium spp. isolates was determined. A. officinalis L. was cultivated for white spears. The research was conducted on the German dioecious cultivar ‘Eposs’. Samples of A. officinalis spears for tests were collected from two plantations. Six species of fungi of the Fusarium genus were identified in the asparagus spears: F. culmorum, F. equiseti, F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. solani, and F. fujikuroi. Among the Fusarium species colonizing Asparagus officinalis the greatest threat is F. oxysporum. Always there are more isolates in the spears with the symptoms, in epidermis. The late harvest date favors the development of fusariosis. This means that the spears harvested at the latest date (late June) are the most heavily colonised by fungi. The isolates of fungi of the Fusarium genus collected from the spears exhibit pathogenicity against A. officinalis plants.

Sod Tensile Strength, Handling Quality, and Their Interrelationship for 39 Bermudagrasses

Suitable tensile strength is essential for sod harvest, transport, and installation. Thirty-nine bermudagrass (Cynodon sp.) entries were evaluated for sod handling quality (SHQ) and sod tensile strength (STS) during 2014–15. The SHQ (a discontinuous qualitative parameter) was evaluated using a 1 to 5 scale with 1 = complete pad separation during handling and 5 = no cracking or separation in the sod pad with excellent quality. The STS (a quantitative parameter) was determined using the force required to shear/separate the sod pad. Sod harvests were conducted at 14, 22, and 24 months after planting (MAP). The entry, harvest date, and their interaction affected STS and SHQ. Entries OKC 1302 and 12-TSB-1 had greater STS than ‘Patriot’ but less STS than ‘Latitude 36’, ‘Tifway’, ‘Astro’, and ‘TifGrand’. The seeded entry PST-R6T9S had the lowest STS and SHQ. The overall mean STS and SHQ were lowest at 22 MAP, which could be attributed to the slow recovery of the entries after Winter 2014. A strong positive correlation (r = 0.92) between STS and SHQ suggests that SHQ can be used as a rapid field method to estimate suitability for sod harvest. A predictive linear relationship between overall STS and overall SHQ (r2 = 0.85) found predicted STS values of 8.5, 22.6, 36.8, and 51.0 kg⋅dm–2 for overall mean SHQ ratings of 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. The results of this work will help sod producers in cultivar selection and will aid breeders in making commercialization decisions.

Effect of Different Harvest Dates on Yield and Quality of Wheat Cultivars Triticum Aestivum L

Afield experiment was conducted at the Research station of the college of Agriculture - University of Al-Muthanna, in the Northeast of Al-Muthanna Governorate (9 km from center of the city of Samawa), in the seasons (2018-2019) and (2019-2020), to study the effect of four harvest dates and four varieties of wheat on yield and quality characteristics, The experiment was applied according to split-plots design Using the R.C.B.D with three replications, The results of the analysis showed the Significant effect of harvest dates on all studied traits, as the date of the third harvest increased by giving the highest grain yield of 5.01 and 5.32 t h−1 for the two seasons respectively, while the fourth harvest date was superior by giving the highest percentage of dry gluten in the first season amounted to 11.66%. As for the effect of the cultivars, it was noticed that the Babel cultivar was superior in grain yield of 4.81 and 5.04 t ha−1, for the two seasons respectively, while the Bora cultivar gave the highest average weight of 1000 grains for the second season which amounted to 32.68 g, and the percentage of protein in the grains was 12.83% for the second season, and Ash was 1.90 and 1.85% for the two seasons sequentially, while the interaction of the fourth harvest date with Babel cultivar was superior by giving highest weight of 1000 grains in the first season amounted to 33.41 m, while the interaction of the first harvest date with Bora cultivar in the vital yield first season was 16.6 t h−1.

Effect of Sugar Beet Harvest Date on Its Technological Quality Parameters by Exploratory Analysis

Choice of the harvest date is one of the foundations of vintage quality and good-yield sugar in sugar beet. However, it is difficult to define the harvest date and more precisely the date of maturity of beet roots, in an exact and absolute way. Indeed, maturity is divided into several stages and degrees depending on environmental and climatic conditions such as temperature, precipitation, geographic area, and others. The present study evoked the effect of three harvest dates (at esteemed maturity, 7 days after maturity, and 15 days after maturity) on the technological quality parameters, namely, sucrose, nitrogen, potassium, and sodium, using the most popular chemometric method, principal component analysis (PCA). To do this, samples from the Tadla irrigated perimeter were used. The results of exploratory analyses by the application of PCA clearly showed the influence of harvest date, in an important way, on the three quality parameters, composition of sucrose, potassium, and sodium. But, for nitrogen composition, there were negligible variations between samples.

‘Helete Güneşi’, a New Walnut Cultivar with Late Leafing, Early Harvest Date, and Superior Nut Traits

‘Helete Güneşi’ was selected among different genotypes obtained from crossing ‘Maraş 18’ × ‘Chandler’ in Turkey. The present study compares phenological and pomological traits of ‘Helete Güneşi’ with those of its parents so as to scale their performances. ‘Helete Güneşi’ staged leaf out on 22 April, whereas its parents, ‘Chandler’ and ‘Maraş 18’, did on 20 and 12 April, respectively. The harvest date of ‘Helete Güneşi’ was as early as 17 September, whereas ‘Chandler’ and ‘Maraş 18’ began to be harvested on 5 October and 15 September, respectively. Defoliation in ‘Helete Güneşi’ occurred about 1 month earlier than ‘Chandler’. The nut weight and kernel percentage of ‘Helete Güneşi’ were 13.41 g and 53.39%, respectively, whereas in ‘Chandler’ the values were 12.73 g and 48.23%, respectively, but were 14.62 g and 53.76% in ‘Maraş 18’. ‘Helete Güneşi’ had a higher yield value compared to its parents. The results demonstrated that ‘Helete Güneşi’ has superior traits in being selected for late leafing date, early harvest date, high yield, and good nut quality. Therefore, it can be considered as a valuable genetic resource in future breeding programs around the world.