Screening of Lentil Genotypes against Highly Aggressive Strain of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lentis

Lentil is one of the most nutritious pulse crops known as masur and grown as a rainfed crop throughout the world in winter season. It is rich in protein, starch, micronutrients and dietary fiber. In the global scenario, India ranked first in the area and second in the production with Bihar being one the major lentil growing state. The majority of the lentil crop is grown in Tal area of the state. As it is cultivated as a rainfed crop, it gets severely affected by several biotic and abiotic stresses. Among the biotic stresses, Fusaium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lentis (Fol) is one of the major fungal diseases and remarkably causing severe crop damage from vegetative to reproductive stage producing significant yield reduction. Fol isolate exhibit great variability and aggressiveness based on agro- climatic conditions. AGLF-11 isolate of Fol collected from Tal area of Bihar was found to be highly aggressive based on previous studies. For this, 50 diverse genotypes were screened against this isolate under greenhouse condition, out of which 14 genotypes showed high susceptibility, 29 genotypes showed moderate susceptibility, 5 genotypes exhibited moderately resistance and only 2 genotypes (L 7920 and DPL 58) exhibited resistance reaction.

Influence of Sowing Methods and Sowing Time on Growth, Growth Attributes and Yield of Black Gram Vigna mungo L. under Rice Oryza sativa L. Fallow Black Gram Cropping System

Aim: Blackgram is one of the most important pulse crops raised in several types of soil under well drained conditions. Currently, it is cultivated as monocrop , intercrop as well as rice fallow crop in southern India. When the rice fallow pulse systems are described as, the pulse crop is seeded before or after rice harvest without ploughing, the remaining soil moisture may be better used through conservation agriculture measures. It's also known as a relay crop, a no-till crop, or a residual crop.In general, the production and productivity of black gram is declining because of poor management practices . Thus, this study was undertaken rice establishment methods as a strategy to determine the availability of residual moisture on the establishment of rice fallow black gram system during the early growth stages. Place and Duration of Study: A field investigation was carried out at Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai (Tamil Nadu Agricultural University9o54’ N Latitude, 78o54’ E Longitude with an altitude of 147 m above MSL), Tamil Nadu, India from September 2019 to April 2020 Methodology: To see how different seeding methods and time influence the rice fallow black gram, the factors include rice planting methods as the main plot, methods of sowing black gram on rice fallow black gram as sub plot, and time of sowing black gram on rice fallow black gram given out in sub-sub plot treatment. Results: The treatments had the best growth qualities, growth analysis, and yield. It could be because the above-mentioned combinations had higher residual moisture content, which resulted in a higher germination percentage, better crop stand, and higher growth and yield of rice fallow black gram. Conclusion: The best management strategy is to sowing black gram in rice fallow situations with a rice fallow pulse planter at 10 days before rice harvest, under the direct seeded of rice establishment technique with drum seeder.

Geospatial Distribution of Iron in Major Sugarcane Growing Soils of Sivagangai, Tamil Nadu, India

The present study was undertaken to assess the available DTPA iron status in the major sugarcane growing soils of Southern Sivangai district, Tamil Nadu, India. A total of 500 geo referenced surface (0-30 cm) were collected from five blocks viz., Kalaiyarkovil, Padamathur, Sivagangai, Thiruppachetty and Thiruppuvanam and analyzed for basic soil properties and available DTPA iron. Simple correlation was worked out to ascertain the degree of relationship between soil properties and available DTPA iron content of soil study area. The available DTPA iron in the entire sugarcane growing soils ranged from 2.95 to 5.79 mg kg-1, 2.11 to 4.31 mg kg-1, 3.49 to 5.59 mg kg-1, 1.99 to 5.66 mg kg-1 and 3.94 to 6.39 mg kg-1 in soil samples of Kalaiyarkovil, Padamathur, Sivagangai, Thiruppachetty and Thiruppuvanam respectively. In the soil samples from Kalaiyarkovil, Padamathur, Sivagangai, Thiruppachetty, and Thiruppuvanam, the results revealed that 52, 59, 55, 53, and 51 % of the soils were deficient in available iron and 33, 29, 35, 30 and 32 % of the soils were moderate in available iron, and 15, 12, 10,5 and 17 % of the soils were sufficient in available iron. As per the nutrient index study, the soils of study area recorded very low to low fertility rating for available iron and the mean nutrient index value (NIV) ranged from 1.42 to 1.64 in the soil of the study area. SOC and CEC were found to have a beneficial impact on iron availability, whereas EC and CaCO3 levels had a negative impact on DTPA iron availability.

Existence of Vivipary in Mango (Mangifera indica cv. ‘Amrapali’) – A Report

Aim: The Amrapalii cultivar of mango is known for its dwarf stature, high productivity and ability to capture the market late when mango from other regions of the country gets over. Vivipary is of unusual occurrence in mango. The aim of the study is to report the occurrence of vivipary in mango especially in cultivar Amrapali under the sub-Himalayan subtropics of India. Materials and Methods: Incidental occurrence of vivipary in mango has been reported from the Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh during the growing season of the year 2021. Upon observance of abnormal protuberances from the fruit surface, the harvesting was commenced at the weekly intervals and the per cent proportion of viviparous fruits was ascertained by cutting the fruits longitudinally and confirming the viviparous germination of the seeds. Weather data of the fruit development state were analysed for the accumulation of heat units and rainfall distribution. Efforts have been made for ascertaining the reason behind the viviparous seed development. Results and Discussion: The proportion of viviparous seeds increased with the progression of time and by the mid of September, more than 12% of seeds were found viviparous. The weather data show that there was an early accumulation of heat units. Also, the rainfall during the period of fruit development was high particularly at the time when fruits were advancing toward maturity. It has been observed that the seed maturity has preceded the fruit pulp maturity and ripening may be due to the early accumulation of heat units and high rainfall. This coincidence might have resulted in precocious germination of seed inside the fruit, leading to vivipary. Conclusion: The development of vivipary in Amrapali mango has been found to be associated with the early accumulation of heat units and high rainfall. Under the current changing climatic scenario, a need has been projected for strategic research for curtailing vivipary incidences and saving economic losses to the growers of late mango varieties in the sub-Himalayan subtropics.

Response of Organic Manure and Azotobacter on Quality and Leaf Nutrient Status of Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) Cv. Winter Dawn

The field experiment was conducted during two subsequent years, i.e., 2017-18 and 2018-19 at the Department of Horticulture, Hisar with aim to study the effect of organic manures and Azotobacter on quality and leaf nutrient status of strawberry cv. Winter Dawn under hi-tech greenhouse conditions of Haryana. In this experiment, organic manures in combination with biofertilizers comprised of nine treatments, viz., T1: Sand: FYM (3:1), T2: Sand: FYM (2:1), T3: Sand: Vermicompost (3:1), T4: Sand: Vermicompost (2:1), T5: Sand: FYM (3:1) + Azotobacter, T6: Sand: FYM (2:1) + Azotobacter, T7: Sand: Vermicompost (3:1) + Azotobacter. T8: Sand: Vermicompost (2:1) + Azotobacter and T9: Control (Sand); were tested as potting media in complete randomized block design. Maximum TSS, ascorbic acid, anthocyanin content and minimum acidity content and leaf with maximum N, P and K content were observed under sand: vermicompost (2:1) + Azotobacter in comparison to the other treatments. The results of this experiment revealed that, the combination of sand: vermicompost (2:1) with Azotobacter showed significant influence on leaf nutrient content of strawberry and produced better results with respect to quality of strawberry fruits.

Genetic Stability of TGMS Hybrids in Dry Direct Seeded Rice

Rice is a water-loving crop and traditionally sown in the nursery and then transplanted to the puddled and waterlogged main field. Owing to climate change, water scarcity and labour shortage problems, rice is now cultivated in the dry direct seeded method. Owing to potential of hybrid rice in increasing both rice production and productivity, many countries are focusing on exploiting the benefits of this technology. To break the yield plateau in rice cultivation, Thermosensitive Genetic Male Sterile (TGMS) hybrids were found to be very effective. In the present study, 41 TGMS hybrids and 9 checks were evaluated for their stability and adaptability by dry direct seeded method in four locations viz., E1 - Allahabad, E2 - Lucknow, E3 - Dhamtari and E4 - Raipur. The TGMS hybrid G44 was predicted as an ideal hybrid by the GGE stability model that possessed high grain yield and stable performance over environments. It was followed by hybrids viz., G10, G14, G34, G11, G20 and G47 that had a stable performance with high yield. Hence, these TGMS hybrids were identified as high and stable yielders across environments and suitable for dry direct seeded rice ecosystems. Among the environments, E1 (Allahabad) and E4 (Raipur) were considered favourable environments as they possessed the highest discriminating power. The hybrids identified in the study can be utilized for breaking the yield barriers in rice and can be recommended for dry direct seeding in marginal and rainfed areas.

Halo Tolerance of Biocontrol Agents against Root Rot of Mung Bean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek var. radiata) Caused by Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid in Salt Affected Soils

Root rot of mung bean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek var. radiata] is major disease and claims huge yield loss if they occur in the field. The pathogen is basically soil borne and survivability may vary depends on soil condition. The fungicide chemicals are available to manage the disease; however, the biocontrol agents are nowadays available for the disease management and the microbial activity of the biocontrol agents is influenced by existing soil condition including soil pH. Hence, a study was conducted to find out the halo tolerance capacity of the biocontrol agents against root rot disease in salt affected soils under in vitro, in vivo and field condition. The root rot pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina was isolated from infected root. Efficacy of biocontrol agents against growth of M. phaseolina was assessed in vitro. The results revealed that TNAU strain of Bacillus subtilis reduced the mycelial growth of the M. phaseolina significantly when media supplemented with NaCl at 5% (1.4 cm), 7.5% (1.5 cm), 10% (1.6cm) and 12.5% (1.6 cm) and without NaCl (1.2 cm) and similar trend of reduction also expressed by BCA1 strain of B. subtilis, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Trichoderma viride under in vitro. The performance of the biocontrol agents against the pathogen is slightly reduced when media supplemented with NaCl. The reduction of mycelia weight of M.phaeolina was more in media added with TNAU strain of B.subtilis and the performance of TNAU strain of B.subtilis on reduction of mycelial weight of M.phaseolina is reduced when the broth added with NaCl at 5% (3.15g), 7.5% (3.25g), 10% (3.32g) and 12.5%(3.65g) level and which is followed by P. fluorescens, BCA 1 strain of B. subtilis and Trichoderma viride. Under pot culture conditions, the effect of talc formulated biocontrol agents and challenge inoculation with pathogen was assessed against root rot incidence. It was found that the soil application of TNAU strain of B.subtilis performed better in reducing the root rot incidence at pH of 7.0 (2.37%), 7.5 (4.50%), 8.0 (5.53%) and 8.7 (6.57%) and followed by BCA 1 of B.subtilis in all pH level. Among the biocontrol agents, TNAU strain of B.subtilis applied as seed as well as soil application expressed more population in the rhizosphere in all pH level. The biocontrol agents applied as soil application had more populations of the agents in the soil when compared to seed treatment. The halo tolerance performance of the biocontrol agents was also assessed under field condition in pH of 7.5 and 8.7 during 2019-20 and 2020-21. It was found that the minimum root rot incidence and maximum yield was observed from soil application of TNAU strain of B subtilis at 2.5 kg/ha but the effect is on par with soil application of BCA1 strain of B.subtilis at 2.5 kg/ha.

Influence of Biodegradable Polymer Coated Urea on Nitrogen Uptake and Utilization of Maize (Zea mays L)

Controlled release nitrogen fertilizers could be an excellent management approach for improving nitrogen fertilizer efficiency. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of coated urea fertilizers to increase nitrogen uptake and utilization of maize. The nitrogen use efficiency of maize from various biodegradable polymer-coated urea fertilizers, such as palm stearin coated urea (PSCU), pine oleoresin coated urea (POCU), and humic acid coated urea (HACU), was determined in a pot culture experiment conducted at the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, during 2021. The coating materials have been coated on urea with different coating thicknesses, viz., PSCU - 5, 10, 15%, POCU – 2, 4, 6%, and HACU - 5, 10, 15%. Among all the treatments, T11: HACU 15% produced highest grain yield (72.0g plant-1) followed by T7: POCU 4% (69.7 g plant-1) and T4: PSCU 10% (69.0g plant-1). In terms of dry matter production, T10: PSCU 10% produced maximum dry matter (186.5g plant-1), followed by T11: HACU 15% (186.2 g plant-1), and T7: POCU 4% (185.3g plant-1). The nitrogen uptake by the maize plant was higher in T7: POCU 4 % (1.62g plant-1), followed by T11: HACU 15% (1.59 g plant-1) and T4: PSCU 10% (1.59g plant-1). Irrespective of treatments, the highest nitrogen utilization by the maize crop was found in T7: POCU 4% (73.9%) followed by T4: PSCU 10% (71.1%) and T11: HACU 15% (70.9%) treatments. When compared to uncoated urea fertilizer, all coated urea fertilizers outperformed uncoated urea fertilizer in terms of grain yield, dry matter accumulation, and nitrogen uptake. To improve the nitrogen use efficiency, coated urea fertilizers prove to be a promising alternative to uncoated urea fertilizers.

Relationship between Yield and Yield Contributing Traits in Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench]

Knowledge about the association between grain yield and yield contributing traits is important for sorghum development programs. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine correlations and path-coefficients between grain yield per plant and yield contributing traits. The experiment was conducted during Kharif 2019 in the Department of millets, TNAU, Coimbatore, India by using nine parents and twenty hybrids to study the genotypic correlations on the basis of seventeen traits. Analysis of variance evinced significant variation for all the traits under study. In correlation studies, the grain yield was positively associated with plant height (0.603), leaf length (0.613), leaf area index (0.501), flag leaf length (0.529), panicle length (0.608), panicle weight (0.930) and hundred seed weight (0.643). In path analysis, the traits leaf length, flag leaf length, panicle length, panicle weight and hundred seed weight exposed highly direct and indirect effects. Selection for a trait is effective when both the correlation and direct effect are higher and positive as this indicates its true association. Hence this investigation revealed flag leaf length, panicle length, panicle weight and hundred seed weight exhibited positive association and direct effect on grain yield, which indicates that the selection towards these characters will improve the yield.

The Influence of Basalt Powder on the Physicochemical Properties of Impoverished Oxisoils from Ngaoundéré (Adamawa - Cameroon)

The present study aims at assessing the fertilizing potential of basalts on impoverished oxisoils from Ngaoundéré (Adamawa, Cameroon). This specifically involves the application of finely ground basalts on impoverished oxisoils and monitoring changes in physicochemical properties during six months. An experimental design which consisted in a randomized complete block design is constituted of three series of four treatments each one: the control (ST), the control soil mixed with 100 g of finely ground basalt (T0 + BA_10), the control soil mixed with 200 g of finely ground basalt (T0 + BA_20), the control soil mixed with 300 g of finely ground basalt (T0 + BA_30). Each treatment was replicated ten times in every serie. The control treatment is only soils of Ng, collected at the top soil and without any basalt application. They are clayey, acid and display an average CEC. The basalt is rich in silica (47.52%), Calcium (8.22%), Magnesium (4.03%), sodium (4.01%), potassium (2.42%) and displays average content in alumina (16.54%) and iron (11.1%). The experiment was carried out in pots, and the incubated soil samples were analyzed after 0, 1, 2, 4 and 6 months. The analyzes mainly focused on the physicochemical parameters (Grain size analysis, pH, Cation exchange capacity (CEC), the sum of exchangeable bases (SBE) and the saturation rate (V). Obtained results indicated that the application of basalt greatly improved the chemical properties of oxisoils from Ngaoundéré: the pH changes from acidic (5.5) to weakly acidic (6.5); the saturation rate, as well as the sum of exchangeable bases and the cation exchange capacity increased. Physicochemical properties of the soil are closely accompanied by an increase in fertility. It appears that 10 and 20% treatments are the most efficient treatments. Thus, the basalts from Manwi can be recommended as petrofertilizer to improve the chemical properties of impoverished soils and especially for plants requiring alkalis and alkaline earth.