The fruit metric trait characterization of scarlet eggplant using the high-throughput tomato analyzer software

Scarlet eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum [L.]) is an indigenous, underutilized fruit vegetable in Africa. Preference for fruit shape and size is high among growers and consumers. Fruit metric traits are important for yield improvement. Fruit metric descriptors are important contributors to variation, phenotypic and genotypic variation, and heritability. However, the measurement of these traits is cumbersome and subjective. Forty-three accessions were evaluated in 2016 and 2017. At maturity, 5 fruits were randomly harvested from each accession, digitalized and processed using the Tomato Analyzer software. Sixteen fruit metric traits were automatically generated and submitted for analysis of variance and multivariate analysis. The accessions differed over fruit size and shape due to genetic make-up. Fruit metric trait variation among S. aethiopicum groups was less influenced by the environment. The cv. Gilo group has oblong fruits, the cv. Shum group fruits are circular and ovoid; the cv. Kumba group fruits are less circular, lobed and flattened. AE/113 (C3), FUO 1 (C1) and FUO 5 (C2) Gilo groups are promising for fruit size. There were phenotypic plasticity and overlapping for fruit metric traits between the Gilo and Shum groups due to a common genome. The Tomato Analyzer software was able to discriminate accessions based on fruit phenomic traits, and the information could be used to establish commonalities between groups.

The efficiency of different moisture and nutrition conditions in early potato growing under drip irrigation in southern Ukraine

The article presents field research results on the effectiveness of different moisture and nutrition conditions at the cultivation of early potato under drip irrigation in southern Ukraine. The scheme of the experiment included the treatment with the complex Mochevyn K as an additional control and different methods and correlation of fertilizers Plantafol (treatment of tubers before planting, fertilizing, at budding and their combination), as well as different soil moisture conditions (irrigation rates of 100 and 200 m?/ha). Studies have shown that the average yield of early potato without irrigation was 10.44 t/ha. Moisture conditions significantly affected the yield of young tubers - irrigation at a rate of 200 m?/ha provided 21.61 t/ha, whereas reducing the irrigation rate to 100 m?/ha led to a decrease in yield - 19.86 t/ha. The first treatment of planting tubers, treatment of plants at sprouting and during budding provided almost the same yield. The second and the third treatments of plants and tubers did not lead to a significant increase in yield. The highest productivity of potato was provided by Plantafol treatment of tubers and combination of tuber treatment with foliar feeding at mass sprouting phase with a 200 m?/ha irrigation rate for two years: 24.16 and 23.22 t/ha.

Effects of sulphur on the yield, yield component characters and oil content of oilseed rape

The effects of four sulphur levels: S0, S1, S2 and S3, including 0, 12, 24 and 36 kg S ha-1, respectively, along with 115 kg N ha-1 were studied on yield-related traits of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). The significant variance of treatments was determined for plant height, yield component characters, seed yield and oil content. The sulphur application significantly increased most of the traits compared to the S0 level. The S3 (36 kg S ha-1) treatment led to the highest mean value of plant height (132 cm) which was classified with S2 (24 kg S ha-1) in the same statistical group. Sulphur had an increasing effect on pods per plant, and it ranged from 92 to 196 for S0 and S3 applications, respectively. S0 and S1 with 92 and 121 pods per plant were grouped in the same statistical group. In addition, S2, and S3 with 165 and 196 pods per plant showed no significant statistical difference. The sulphur application significantly increased seed yield compared to control (S0 level), and it ranged from 2744 to 3215 kg ha-1 in S0 and S3, respectively. The average oil contents of 45.69, 46.96, 47.46 and 49.53 % were detected for 0, 12, 24 and 36 kg S ha-1, respectively.

The impact of climate change on the water requirement of grasslands in Serbia

Due to the air temperature increase, longer growing seasons and erratic rainfalls in the last two decades, natural grasslands like meadows or pastures grow in unfavourable climatic conditions that disable the regeneration. The aim of this work is to assess the impact of climate changes on the water requirement of grasslands in Serbia. The results of ensembles of nine regional climate models from the EURO-CORDEX database were used to analyse future climatic conditions. As the most probable value, the median of scores obtained for each ensemble member was considered. The period of 1986-2005 was used as the reference. The time slices in future periods are: 2016-2035 (the near future), 2046-2065 (the mid-century) and 2081-2100 (the end of the century). Analyses were conducted for two scenarios of GHG emissions: RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Permanent grasslands will be more prone to drought risks in the future. Water shortage could be expected at the end of May when the water stored in the soil will be depleted by the duration of drought until September heavy rains. According to both scenarios, an increment of water requirement of 7% could be expected in the near future. The RCP4.5 scenario projects an increase in the water requirement in the range of 10.7-24.2% from the mid to the end of the century. The less favourable but more realistic RCP8.5 scenario projects a water need increment in the range from 4% to 14 % in the mid-century and 28.4-41.9% toward the end of the century. Recent research indicates that drought resistance will be developed through natural diversity and the spread of species resistant to high temperatures and water scarcity.

The effects of flower removal and earthing up on tuber yield and quality of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

A field experiment was conducted in Eastern Tigray, Ethiopia, during the summer season to determine the effects of flower removal and earthing up time on the tuber yield and quality of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). The experiment comprised three flower removal stages and five earthing up time treatments, which were laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) of a 5x3 factorial arrangement with three replications. Data collected on tuber yield and quality parameters were analyzed using SAS version 9.2. The interaction of flower removal stages and earthing up time treatments affected marketable and unmarketable tuber number and yield, total tuber number and yield, large-sized tuber weight, and number of large-sized tubers. The medium and small-sized tubers were also affected by main treatments but not by their interaction treatments. Similarly, dry matter content was significantly (p<0.05) affected by flower removal alone, but not by earthing up time and its interaction with flower removal. Generally, the highest marketable tuber yield (30.25 t ha-1), large-sized tuber weight (424.9 g), the number of large-sized tubers (5), and total tuber yield (30.96 t ha-1) were recorded in the treatment of potato flower removed at the bud stage and earthed up at 15 days after complete emergence. Therefore, the removal of potato flowers at the bud stage and earthing up at 15 days after complete emergence and common cultivation can be practiced for better tuber yield and quality of potato.

Effect of storage period on physical, chemical, microbial, and sensory qualities of instant masa flour produced from blends of rice and Bambara groundnut

Masa is a traditionally fermented meal usually made from cereals. The aim of this research was to produce an enriched meal from rice and Bambara groundnut. The colour, functional properties and microbial quality of composite blend of rice and Bambara groundnut flour, in the ratio of 100:0, 95:5, 90:10, 85:15, 80:20, were evaluated using standard methods. Sensory properties of freshly made masa and masa prepared from stored flours were also determined. The microbial load of the masa flour blend increased over the storage period. Water absorption capacity, swelling capacity and bulk densities increased, while the oil absorption capacity decreased with the storage period. The objective colour result showed a decrease in the lightness (L*) value. Sensory properties of masa were not substantially altered with Bambara groundnut inclusion, but the ratings reduced with storage. Instant masa may be prepared from flour stored for 4 weeks without considerable changes in quality.

The influence of electric voltage on the germination of leguminous seeds

The aim of this paper was to examine the influence of the electrostatic field on seeds of soybean (Glycine max L), vetch (Vicia spp. L.), pea (Pisum sativum L.), grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) which were selected at the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad. The DC voltage of 9V was used. The durations of seed treatment were 0 (control), 1, 2 and 3 minutes. The trial was set up as a randomized block design with four replications. 4x100 seeds of each variant and control (untreated seed) were treated. After treatment, seed quality was examined using a germination test (optimal temperature) and a cold test (low temperature). The results of the study showed that the effect of the electrostatic field on seed quality depended on the plant species, the time of seed treatment and the temperature conditions in which the seed germinated after treatment. The increase in germination energy ranged up to 18.18% in vetch, and a decrease of up to 12% was observed in chickpea. The application of the electrostatic field had a significantly greater impact on seeds that were exposed to low temperatures in the germination process after treatment. The increase in seed germination ranged up to 82.35% in chickpeas, and the decrease amounted to 92.68% in peas. In addition, the obtained results indicate that it is not possible to talk about the universal application of a certain duration of seed treatment.

The performance of new early maturing pro-vitamin A maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids in the derived savanna agro-ecology of Nigeria

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a staple food for millions of people across the globe, and it supplies more than 30% of total dietary calories. However, the normal endosperm lacks a sufficient quantity of the nutritive precursor of vitamin A. To achieve food security and avert malnutrition, there is a need to adopt the cultivation of the early multiple stress-tolerant pro-vitamin A maize hybrid. The objective of this study was to assess the agronomic performance and yield of the newly developed maize hybrids. Fifteen improved maize hybrids and one commercial hybrid used as a local check were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with two replications for two years at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching and Research farm in Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Hybrids exhibited significant variation (P < 0.01) for grain yield, number of days to anthesis and silking, ear height and husk cover. Across the years, the grain yield of hybrids ranged between 4,780.8 kg ha?1 (PVAEH-19) and 7,886.9 kg ha?1 (PVAQEH-1), with a mean of 6,354.2 kg ha?1. PVAEH-15 ranks the best on the basis of superiority in grain yield, early flowering and tight husk cover. Fourteen hybrids out-yielded the local check (4,947.2 kg ha-1), and five hybrids had a significant (P < 0.05) yield advantage of > 26% over the local check. The consistent performance of PVAEH-15 and PVAEH-16 in the two years of evaluation indicates potential for the adaptability of the hybrids to the agro-ecology. Farmers? adoption of these maize hybrids will boost maize production and prevent malnutrition in the derived savanna agro-ecology of Nigeria.

Genetic variability and selection criteria of some sesame genotypes for their agronomic traits and seed quality

The identification of genetic variation, mean performance, and selection criteria for twelve sesame genotypes is required for the genetic enhancement of agronomic traits and seed quality. Thus, using a randomized complete block design with three replications, these genotypes were evaluated in a field trial at the Kafr-El-Hamam Agricultural Research Station, Agricultural Research Center, Sharkia Governorate, Egypt, and laboratory experiments at the Seed Technology Research Department, ARC, Giza, Egypt, during the two consecutive seasons of 2018 and 2019. For earliness in flowering, N.A.130 and Shandweel3 were the most promising sesame genotypes, while N.A.114 and RH1F3 had the heaviest weight of seed plant-1 and one or more yield-related traits, and NA114, Shandweel3, and Zahar12 had the best seed quality traits. Furthermore, Shandweel3 and M1A12 had the highest proportion of seed oil, Shandweel3 and Zahar12 had the largest amount of oleic acid, N.A.114 and RH1F3 had the highest content of linoleic acid, and Zahar12 and N.A.114 had the highest proportion of linolenic acid. Seed weight plant-1 can be improved through selecting genotypes having the lengthiest fruiting zone, more branches and capsules, and the high electrical values of seed conductivity, accelerated aging germination as demonstrated by selection criteria. Moreover, the oleic acid proportion had the greatest direct and indirect effect on seed oil content, demonstrating its relevance as sesame oil quality selection criteria.

The possibility of coriander seed disinfection with the essential oil of peppermint

Seed health testing aims to ensure a healthy crop and to prevent the spread of plant diseases. The need to study and apply both essential oils and plant extracts against seed diseases is growing and becoming more important. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) is an annual herbaceous, aromatic, spicy and medicinal plant from the Apiaceae family, known for its seeds with a characteristic and pleasant odour. In human medicine, coriander is a part of various medicines for the treatment of digestive organs. Phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria are the most common and significant causes of coriander seed disease. The aim of this study was to assess coriander seed health and investigate the possibility of seed disinfection using peppermint (Mentha x piperita) essential oil. The health of the seeds was examined by the filter paper laboratory standard method. Different concentrations (1, 2, 5 and 10%) of peppermint essential oil were used for seed disinfection. The composition of the essential oil was determined by gas chromatographic analysis. The results of seed health analysis showed the presence of a fungus after seven days of incubation in a humid chamber at room temperature. The fungus was identified as Alternaria sp. (sect. Alternaria) based on the symptoms and macroscopic and microscopic features of the fungus (on seed and potato dextrose agar). Immersion treatment of infected seed in peppermint essential oil reduced the presence of Alternaria sp. on coriander seeds. The highest disease inhibition, 69,33%, namely 58,93% without the influence of the emulsifier, was shown by oil solution of 5%. Stagnation in inhibition was observed with a further increase in oil concentration. The results of this study show the possibility of disinfecting coriander seeds with peppermint essential oil to reduce infection with Alternaria sp.