FERTILISATION SOURCE AND DOSE OPTIMISATION BOOST YIELD OF DURUM WHEAT IN MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

Climate change, global warming, environmental pollution, greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural fields, stagnant wheat yields and reduced farm economic returns require optimisation of sources and doses of plant nutrients. A field study was conducted to evaluate wheat response to different forms of fertilisers and nitrogen (N) doses under Mediterranean conditions. The field trial was comprised of fertiliser sources, including chemical fertilisers, compost and leonardite, while different nitrogen levels (0, 80, 160, 240 kg ha-1) were also tested. The experimental variables included yield attributes (height of the, length of the spike, spikelets number per spike, thousand-grain weight and grain yield). In addition, nutritional quality attributes like protein and starch contents were studied along with NDVI values of wheat under different fertilisation regimes. The trial was executed using a randomised complete block (factorial) design using four replications. The results revealed that fertiliser forms and N doses remained ineffective for boosting yield attributes of wheat. For nutritional characteristics of wheat grains, a higher N dose remained instrumental in boosting protein, starch and wet gluten contents. Thus, 240 kg ha-1 of N dose might be recommended for general adoption under Mediterranean conditions; however, study findings are limited in scope and further in-depth studies are needed by testing organic manures from plant and animal origins.

COMPARISON OF TWO MICROWAVE DRYING TECHNIQUES FOR CEREAL SEEDS AND DETERMINATION OF THEIR PHYSICAL PARAMETERS

The microwave drying of wheat and corn seeds by two technologies at different working powers is studied here. The main objective is to evaluate the effect of microwaves on variations in the moisture, colour and size of the seeds after microwave drying. The tests are performed in microwave ovens with and without inverter technology at three drying powers (260, 440 and 620 W). It has been observed that increasing drying power results in a ~50% reduction in drying time and a seed moisture level below 14%. The colour variation of the seeds is insignificant between microwave drying with and without the inverter. However, there is also an unacceptable decrease in size for both types of seeds with increasing drying power, which can lead to increased shrinkage of the seeds and the appearance of cracks, especially in the corn seeds.

PLANT SPACING AND ITS EFFECT ON YIELD, FIBRE QUALITY AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN COTTON

The purpose of this study was to see how changing plant spacings affected cotton yield, yield components, fibre quality traits, and physiological parameters. In this study, six plant spacings (no thinning, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 cm) were investigated. Plant density caused significant differences in the number of first fruiting branches, number of bolls, ginning percentage, seed cotton yield, fibre yield, and normalised difference vegetative index (NDVI). Plant height, the number of sympodial branches, number of monopodial branches, boll weight, seed cotton weight/boll, number of 100-seed weight, seeds/boll, canopy temperature, chlorophyll content, leaf area, and fibre quality properties (micronaire, length, strength, elongation, uniformity, short fibre index, reflectance, yellowness, and spinning consistency index [SCI] were non-significant. The highest values of seed cotton yield, fibre yield, ginning percentage, number of first fruiting branches, and NDVI were obtained in the no thinning and 5 cm plant spacing applications, while the highest boll number was obtained at 20 and 25 cm plant spacings. In this study, physiological parameters, such as canopy temperature, leaf area, chlorophyll content, and fibre technological traits, were not affected by plant spacing. The highest seed cotton yield, fibre yield, ginning percentage and NDVI were obtained from no thinning and 5 cm intra-row spacing, indicating their impact on examined characteristics. Therefore, a yield estimation can be made in the flowering period with the NDVI in different plant densities in cotton.

THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SOWING TIMES ON FRESH EAR YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS IN SWEET CORN (ZEA MAYS L. SACCHARATA STURT.) VARIETIES

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of different sowing times on duration of tasselling, plant height, first ear height, ear length, ear diameter, number of ears per plant, fresh ear yield with husk, fresh ear yield unhusked, and marketable number of ears of different sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata Sturt.) varieties in Diyarbakır between the years of 2010-2012. The trial was conducted as split plots in randomised complete blocks with three replications. The main plots were sowing times, and the sub-plots were varieties. The trials were carried out at eight different sowing times (1 April, 15 April, 1 May, 15 May, 1 June, 15 June, 1 July and 15 July) with ‘Merit’, ‘Jubilee’, ‘Lumina’, ‘Vega’ and ‘Sakarya’ composite sweet corn varieties. From the variance analysis of the three-year combined average, the duration of tasselling, plant height, first ear height, ear length, ear diameter, number of ears per plant, fresh husked ear yield, fresh unhusked ear yield and marketable ear number were statistically significant for sowing times and varieties. According to the sowing time × variety interaction, except ears per plant and first ear height values, all other traits were significant. The fresh husked and unhusked ear yields varied between 8541.7-19396.8 kg ha-1 and 5065.0-13485.7 kg ha-1, respectively. The highest fresh husked and fresh unhusked ear yields were obtained from the 15 April sowing time of ‘Vega’ variety. The results state that optimal sowing dates for different varieties of sweet corn could be from 1 April to 1 May, and the most suitable variety to be planted is ‘Vega’ in Diyarbakır conditions.

ASSESSING THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATIC FACTORS ON COTTON YIELD AND ITS ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Cotton is one of the strategic crops in Egypt. This article investigates the impacts of climatic factors and their variations on the cotton yield and its economic benefits during the period from 1998 to 2019. We chose the Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, where cotton is one of the major planted crops, was chosen for the analysis. The climatic factors utilized were the maximum, minimum and average temperatures; relative humidity; solar radiation and wind speed. Precipitation was excluded, as Egypt depends mainly on irrigation. The climatic factors utilized influenced yield during different growth stages: wind speed showed an influence only on the germination stage, whereas temperature had a major impact before and at the maturity stages. The latter correlation was positive in July and negative in August and September. Relative humidity and solar radiation impacted on yield at different growth stages, with an almost positive correlation with solar radiation and both a positive and a negative correlation with relative humidity. For the study of the economic indicators of cotton, cotton data were taken for the whole Egyptian Governorate during the period 2005-2019. The study showed a decrease in the net return during the period from 2005 to 2015 that reached a loss (minus value) of 195 Egyptian pounds (LE) in 2015, followed by an increase during the period from 2016 to 2019 due to the increase in farm gate prices.

Nitrogen Status and Canopy Density Detection of Vegetation Using Multispectral Data

The use of ground-based multispectral data for the evaluation of plant water stress and nitrogen status in Old Oyo national Park, Nigeria was conducted and classification was performed. The active area of nitrogen concentration in hectares was between 0.0 and 0.4. This active area was expressed in hectares (ha) and percentages (%) respectively. From the assessment, 53.52 ha (69%) and 24.29 ha (31%) were recorded at 0.2-0.4 and 0.0-0.2 ha, respectively. Heat stress takes place when the regular temperature is above 30 °C, which could slow down plant growth and lead to the threat of deficiency. The heat stress reached a maximum of 40 °C in this analysis between February and May. The research concluded that the sustainability of crops and trees requires a certain quantity of 69 percent nitrogen and a certain level of wetness for their growth which is between 400 mm and 800 mm rainfall.

EFFECTS OF SALINITY ON GROWTH AND PROLINE CONTENT ON BEAN AND ALFALFA

Soil salinity is a major agricultural constraint in many countries. Plants’ response to salinity depends on the species and the salt concentration in the soil. The objective of this study was to test the resistance of three leguminous plants - common bean (variety ‘El-Jadida’), broad bean (variety ‘Claro de Luna’), and alfalfa (variety ‘Diamon’) - to several salinity rates and to show which one was more resistant to salt stress. This study was carried out under controlled conditions, with six NaCl concentrations (0, 1, 3, 6, and 9 g/kg) added to a mixture of potting soil and sand. A completely randomised design was used, where the three legumes were cultivated with different salt concentrations to determine the effect of these doses on fresh biomass, dry mass, and physiological parameters (sodium and proline content). The results showed the negative effect of salinity on fresh biomass and dry mass of shoots and roots. Claro de Luna, the broad bean variety, was more adapted to salinity than alfalfa and common bean. The amount of sodium in the shoots and roots of the three species increased with increasing salinity. Alfalfa may play a role in soil desalination; at 53.33 mM NaCl, 100 mg alfalfa dry mass absorbed 4.5 mg Na per pot, which corresponded to the uptake of about 0.6 kg Na per hectare of soil. Proline content increased with increasing salt concentrations.

POLYEL - COMPOUND WITH ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES

A new complex compound, Polyel, which contains thiourea, macro- and microelements in the form of salts and coordination complexes, as well as vitamins, was obtained and tested. Biological tests were performed in laboratory experiments and in the vegetation complex of the Institute of Genetics, Physiology and Plant Protection. As subjects of investigations served the plants Glycine max (Merr) cultivars L. ‘Deia’, ‘Moldovița’, and ‘Enigma’ varieties, grown in the Mitcherlih vegetation pots with a volume of 40 kg soil and exposed to the drought stress at the phase "flowering - pods formation”. The beneficial effect of Polyel on antioxidant protection systems by reducing the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and intensifying the activity of antioxidant protection enzymes has been established. Polyel has been shown to be one of the new biologically active chemicals that can be used in agriculture to reduce the negative impact of oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). The use of Polyel as a physiologically active substance (PAS) with antioxidant proprieties for pre-treatment of seeds and foliar apparatus is much more effective under moderate drought conditions.

CERVICAL OESOPHAGOTOMY IN A CAT FOR FOREIGN BODY REMOVAL - CASE REPORT

Oesophageal foreign bodies are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in small animals, especially in carnivores. Due to the possibility of complications such as perforation or tracheal compression, the patient may present an upper airway obstruction, which might become a medical emergency. Here, we describe a rare case of a large cervical foreign object in a cat and review the diagnostic and therapeutic approach of this condition. A 4-year-old female cat was referred to our clinic with signs of dyspnoea, dysphagia and regurgitation. The history and clinical exam suggested an oesophageal foreign body, subsequently radiographically confirmed. Because its shape and position did not allow endoscopic extraction, the foreign body was removed via ventral cervical oesophagostomy. Due to its location and large size, it was necessary to fragment the foreign body into two pieces for complete extraction without injuring the oesophageal walls. The patient had no postoperative complications and was discharged 7 days after surgery. In this condition, an early diagnosis, followed by an immediate surgical repair and a rigorous postoperative care, correlates with patient recovery and survival, being crucial in reducing the high morbidity and mortality rates that are usually associated.