Crop Physiology Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

A field experiment was conducted during seasons (2011/2012) in semi-arid zone at North Kordofan, Sudan to evaluate local sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) genotypes for early flowering and yielding. 19 early flowered and high yielding... more

A field experiment was conducted during seasons (2011/2012) in semi-arid zone at North Kordofan, Sudan to evaluate local sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) genotypes for early flowering and yielding. 19 early flowered and high yielding ability genotypes were selected from the previous experiment. Randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications was used. Selection was done visually based on early flowering and bigger panicle size plants. Morphological, yield and yield component traits were estimated. Statistical analyses revealed significant differences among all the studied traits. Duncan Multiple Range Test organized and ranked the significances among the trait means. Results of the experiment disclosed that the highest amount of grain yield per area produced by the following genotypes: Tagat 4 (2.3), Tagat 7B (1.9), Tagat 10 (2.2), Tagat 14 (2.7) and Tagat 19 (1.9 ton h-1).

Background: The effectiveness of oil palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) compost and hexaconazole (HEX) growth regulator in increasing the storage root yield of sweet potato varietry. VitAto grown on sandy tin tailing soil was investigated.... more

Background: The effectiveness of oil palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) compost and hexaconazole (HEX) growth regulator in increasing the
storage root yield of sweet potato varietry. VitAto grown on sandy tin tailing soil was investigated. Materials and Methods: Four treatments were used namely, the recommended rate of inorganic fertilizer practice (control), EFB compost and the combination of EFB compost with 10 and 30 ppm HEX. The field experiment layout was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications.
Results: At the maturity stage, the EFB compost with 30 ppm HEX treatment significantly increased the storage root number, fresh
weight, dry mass production and harvest index by 125, 35.1, 16.9 and 15.2% higher than control treatment, respectively. At this stage also,
this treatment significantly increased the storage root potassium (K) concentration (69.4%) and content (106.9%) higher than the control
treatment, respectively. The result showed that the K nutrient was the main nutrient that can be efficiently supplied by EFB compost to
the plant. Most nutrients, in particular K uptake were enhanced by the application of HEX. Both K nutrient and HEX at 30 ppm increased
the yield primarily through an increase in the storage root number. The higher storage root number and greater proportion of assimilate
translocation to the storage root contributed to an increase in the fresh weight and subsequent dry mass production. Conclusion: The
combination treatment of EFB compost with 30 ppm HEX was better than other treatments in term of increasing the storage root nutrient
concentrations, contents and most of yield parameters. The combination of EFB compost and PGR could be considered as an alternative practice to the application of inorganic fertilizer in VitAto cultivation on sandy soil.

Large areas of the world are not usable from the agricultural perspective due to the constraints posed by nature and human activities making the soil less or unproductive. Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress worldwide. The development... more

Large areas of the world are not usable from the agricultural perspective due to the constraints posed by nature and
human activities making the soil less or unproductive. Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress worldwide. The
development of salt-tolerant crops is not always an economical approach for sustainable agriculture, whereas
microbial inoculation to alleviate salt stress is a better option because it minimizes production costs and
environmental hazards. Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) have been indicated as efficient growth
enhancer of crop plants and the growth promoting effect under stress conditions has also been suggested to be
beneficial for crop production. In this study two rice genotypes ADT43 and IR50 treated with PGPR (Pseudomonas
strains PF1 and TDK1) were subjected to 100mM NaCl, following IRRI method under laboratory environment. The
salt stress symptoms included stunted growth, poor root growth and the leaves from the tip turned to white. The
results of the experiment indicated that the plant height, root length, dry weight of shoot and root were significantly
increased due to Pseudomonas strain treatment even under salt stress whereas the plants grown without any
treatment had less growth. ADT43 genotype treated with Pseudomonas strain TDK1 recorded better plant
development under salt stress.

A study was conducted in two sites (Paoay, Atok and Balili, La Trinidad) in Benguet Province, Philippines to investigate the growth and development of lettuce variety 'Lollo Rossa' through vegetative, biomass and yield, physiological, and... more

A study was conducted in two sites (Paoay, Atok and Balili, La Trinidad) in Benguet Province, Philippines to investigate the growth and development of lettuce variety 'Lollo Rossa' through vegetative, biomass and yield, physiological, and phytochemical parameters using low tunnel and mulch (black polyethylene plastic [PEP], alnus leaves and white PEP) as mitigation strategies against cold stress. The average temperature in Atok and La Trinidad was 15 and 21 °C, respectively. In Atok,

Two field studies to evaluate the effect of biochar and fertilizer application rates on soil and on the growth and yield of carrot (Daucus carota) were carried out in 2016 and 2017 at Mampong-Ashanti in the forest-savannah transitional... more

Two field studies to evaluate the effect of biochar and fertilizer application rates on soil and on the growth and yield of carrot (Daucus carota) were carried out in 2016 and 2017 at Mampong-Ashanti in the forest-savannah transitional zone of Ghana. Three rates of biochar - 0, 5 and 10 tons ha-1 and five rates of inorganic fertilizers - NPK 15:15:15 at 200 kg ha-1; P&K 50:50 at 50 kg ha-1; P&K 50:100 at 50 kg ha-1; Liquid Fertilizer at 1 L: 200 L water ha-1; and the control - were applied using 3×5 factorial arranged in a randomized complete block design with 3 replicates. The analysis showed significant (P<0.01) interaction of fertilizer × biochar on bulk density, soil porosity, soil pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen and organic matter producing both positive and negative correlations between the soil variables and on total yield, partitioning coefficient and net assimilation rate. The significant two-way interactions and correlation results underscored the need to define expected production outcomes to inform which soil management system is needed to promote sustainable agriculture as different fertilizer and biochar rates affect growth and yield parameters differently.

An experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farms of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta in Nigeria (7°15’N, 3°25’E) in the Forest Savannah transition zone of South Western Nigeria between September and December... more

An experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farms of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta in Nigeria (7°15’N, 3°25’E) in the Forest Savannah transition zone of South Western Nigeria between September and December 2013 to study the effect of different inter-row spacings to the growth and yield of maize. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with four plot arrangements and three replications with one meter between each replicate. The spacings were 30cm, 45cm, 60cm and 75cm. the maize variety planted during this experiment were SUWAN-1-SR . NPK 15:15:15 were applied in a blanket method 2WAP at the rate of 100kg per hectare. At 2WAP there was significant difference of planting densities on the plant height where 45cm by 25cm had 20.06cm followed by 90cm by 25cm but the four treatments were not significantly different from each other from the 3rd to 10th WAP. Also at 2WAP, there was a significant difference on the stem diameter where 75cm by 25cm had 5.78cm but the four treatments were not significantly different from each other from the 3rd to the 10th WAP. The number of leaves was also significant at 7WAP with 9.00 on 75cm by 25cm and the treatments were not significantly different from each other throughout the other planting weeks. The chlorophyll content was also significant at the 4WAP which represent the vegetative growth on 75cm by 25cm with 38.97. All the other growth and yield parameters were not significantly different from each other, though the grain weight per plant was significantly different with 12.63g. 75cm by 25cm had the highest grain weight of 41.10g which compared favourably with 60cm by 25cm that had 39.10g per plant.

In present article a brief overview is presented on spectral vegetation indices and methods for estimation of crop main biophysical variables and their proxies. The main VIs used in estimation of nitrogen and chlorophyll, biomass, LAI and... more

In present article a brief overview is presented on spectral vegetation indices and methods for estimation of crop main biophysical variables and their proxies. The main VIs used in estimation of nitrogen and chlorophyll, biomass, LAI and fAPAR, fCover, and photosynthesis are summarized. Biophysical variables and vegetation indices A number of techniques have evolved to derive the biophysical variables of vegetation using remote sensing data; these can be grouped into three broad categories: the inversion of radiative transfer models [39], machine learning (for example neural networks) [4] and the use of vegetation Indices. There are generally few ways of deriving the biophysical estimates using empirical or semi-empirical relationships: 1) single regression; 2) stepwise linear regression; 3) partial least squares (PLS) regression; 4) artificial neural networks [12]. Methods based on vegetation indices (VIs) have the benefit of being computationally simple while they are generally less site specific and more universally applicable than the other methods. The performance of the different indices and selected "optimal" wavebands depends on vegetation and land cover type, the variables to be retrieved, sun/view geometry to name but a few [12]. Satellite spectral data has the potential to measure the reflected radiation from many plants, thus making assessment of biophysical variables feasible on canopy level. The regression models relate in situ measurements and VIs. The VIs are mathematical transformations of the original spectral reflectance that are designed to reduce the additive and multiplicative errors associated with atmospheric effects, solar illumination, soil background effects, and sensor viewing geometry [29].

Rice is generally grown by seedling transplanting on puddle land to facilitate easy crop establishment and weed control. Very recently, seedling transplanting is done in unpuddled land just after strip tillage (a form of conservation... more

Rice is generally grown by seedling transplanting on puddle land to facilitate easy crop establishment and weed control. Very recently, seedling transplanting is done in unpuddled land just after strip tillage (a form of conservation tillage that clears crop residues in a narrow zone of soil and loosen subsoil layers prior to planting, Mitchell et al., 2009) followed by irrigation. The unpuddled transplanted rice gives yield similar to that of puddle transplanted rice (Haque, 2009; Saharawat et al., 2009). The weed pressure during crop establishment is low in the puddle transplanted system, but weed is the major barrier in strip till unpuddled transplanted rice. The manual or mechanical weeding is no longer feasible because of scarcity of labourers and also for increased labour costs. This labour situation has forced the farmers to rely on herbicides as the best option for weed control. The continuous use of same herbicide aids the development of herbicide resistance in weeds which make weed control more difficult. Herbicide resistance can be managed by rotation of herbicides with alternate modes of action. Therefore, the present study was aimed to evaluate the weed control efficacy of herbicides with different modes of action for sustainable weed management for unpuddled transplanted rice under strip tillage system. The study revealed that herbicide treatments had significant effect on weed biomass as well grain yield of unpuddled transplanted aman rice. Pre-emergence application of pyrazosulfuron ethyl or pendimethalin or butachlor followed by orthosulfamuron followed by either (butachlor+ propanil) or 2,4-D can be used for effective weed control in unpuddled transplanted aman rice. However, repeated application of the herbicides having same mode of action should be avoided within the same crop to delay the evolution of herbicide resistance in weeds.

One of the major issues facing humankind is global food security. A changing climate, coupled with a heightened consumer awareness of how food is produced and legislative changes governing the usage of agrichemicals for improving plant... more

One of the major issues facing humankind is global food security. A changing climate, coupled with a heightened consumer awareness of how food is produced and legislative changes governing the usage of agrichemicals for improving plant health and yield, means that alternative, more integrated and sustainable approaches are needed for crop management practices. To this end, there is increasing recognition of the value of the role of microbial inoculants in agriculture. The focus of this review is to understand how plant-growth-promoting bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can play a part in improving crop yield by promoting the health status of the plant through the sequestration of various nutrients and in the control of plant diseases.

Abstract Purpose Biochar and inorganic fertilizer when co-applied have been reported to increase crop yield and enhance soil fertility. However, studies on this complementary effect on soil properties and rain-fed upland rice performance... more

Abstract
Purpose Biochar and inorganic fertilizer when co-applied have been reported to increase crop yield and enhance soil fertility.
However, studies on this complementary effect on soil properties and rain-fed upland rice performance in Sub-Saharan
Africa are still scanty.
Methods Field factorial studies conducted over 2 years was set up to investigate the interactions between rice husk biochar
and inorganic nitrogen (N) fertilizer on a sandy clay loam Alfisol. A two-factor (4 × 4) in RCBD where rice husk biochar
was incorporated at four doses, 0, 3, 6, and 12 t/ha−1, inorganic N fertilizer (urea) at four rates, 0, 30, 60 and 90 N kg/ha−1,
and their combinations was adopted.
Results Results showed that combination of biochar and N fertilizer exerted significant (P > 0.05) interactive effect on rice
harvest index, grain and straw yield and N-use efficiency. Interaction between biochar and N fertilizer increased agronomic
efficiency by 140% and grain nutrient recovery by 191% over 2 years. Combination of biochar and N fertilizer reduced soil
bulk density, increased water holding capacity and soil chemical status such as pH, N, P, K, Corg, Ca, ECEC and base saturation,
all within the top 10 cm depth of the soil.
Conclusions Overall, the results established that rice husk biochar can be used as a soil conditioner to enhance upland rice
yield on an Alfisol. The combined dose of 3–6 t/ha−1 biochar and 30 kg/ha−1 of N fertilizer is thus recommended for upland
rice farmers in the study area.

Now a day, multidrug resistance of pathogenic microbes throws a challenge to scientists to discover the source of alternative medicine. This study focuses on the antimicrobial properties of the leaf extracts of five... more

Now a day, multidrug resistance of pathogenic microbes throws a
challenge to scientists to discover the source of alternative medicine.
This study focuses on the antimicrobial properties of the leaf extracts
of five commonly known medicinal plants–Azadirachta indica,
Alpine besseya, Mentha longifolia, Manilkara zapota, Bryophyllum
pinnatum. The methanolic and ethanolic extracts of the leaf of the
above mentioned plants were prepared by distillation method. Then
comparative analysis of antimicrobial effects between those extracts
and available antibiotics in the market were tested in Escherichia
coli, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas sp. culture. All of the leaf
extracts have shown potent antimicrobial activity and the extract of
Bryophyllum pinnatum have shown the most potent activity compare
to others.

The low adoption rates of modern technologies in West Africa, such as improved rice varieties, suggest a gap between the motivations of farmers and development agencies. Many smallholder rice farmers in West Africa continue to rely on... more

The low adoption rates of modern technologies in West Africa, such as improved rice varieties, suggest a gap between the motivations of farmers and development agencies. Many smallholder rice farmers in West Africa continue to rely on farmer varieties, farmer saved seeds and farmer seed system innovations. A better understanding of local farming practices and how they relate to farmer communities and their culture, as well as to the landscapes and climate within which the crop is grown might result in more successful initiatives to strengthen rice cultivation and improve food security and the livelihood of the many small scale rice growers in West Africa. As African rice has never been improved scientifically or commercially it is an important entry point to study farmers’ variety selection and development. By studying farmer variety selection and development related to African rice within the Togo Hills in Ghana and Togo, a region that is ecologically as well as political-economically and culturally diverse, the research presented in this thesis tries to unravel the interactions between genetics, ecology and society (G × E × S).
Results show that in the Ghanaian Togo Hills cultural factors set additional and rice diversity enhancing criteria for selection, while in Togo selection criteria are mostly pragmatically agronomic and ecological factors dominate. This can be understood by the higher necessity in Ghana to construct identity and autonomy within the larger and more dynamic economic and political powers of competition and individualization. Here African rice has become a tool to shape such identity. Despite the ecological, cultural and political-economic differences within the Togo Hills, farmers in all the case studies selected a set of different varieties used for different purposes rather than a uniform type. This can be seen as a continuation of their earlier dynamic history in which the maintenance of diversity was part of a risk spreading strategy facilitating emergent innovations that suited such dynamics. Other examples from West Africa also show the different combinations of social and natural factors within the maintenance of rice diversity. Importantly farmers in West Africa have developed varieties that are robust and versatile: able to perform in very different ecologies and societal settings. African rice was found to be particularly robust.
This research therefore shows the importance of the “genealogies” between the genetic, the ecological and the social within variety development and food security issues. Therefore, it is the task of science to take an evolutionary perspective. These genealogies and their products should be made visible and need juxtaposition to formal scientific breeding strategies, strategies to tackle food security and agricultural and societal development issues in general. This indicates that there is a systemic alternative to a top-down Green Revolution in Africa. Trajectories of interaction between the social and the natural have produced a large variety of versatile resources and are crucial within tackling development issues in areas where such trajectories took place: there where farmer conditions are dynamic and suboptimal. Instead of anthropologically mapping local cultural preferences (these can change quickly over time and can vary over small distances) it is much more fruitful to emanate from and also disseminate the varieties farmers have already developed themselves.

Growth, physiological response and productivity of four wheat varieties, namely Masr 1, Giza 171, Gemmeiza 12, and Sids 13, grown under salt-affected soil conditions irrigated with brackish water, and their feedback to reduce applied... more

Growth, physiological response and productivity of four wheat varieties, namely Masr 1, Giza 171, Gemmeiza 12, and Sids 13, grown under salt-affected soil conditions irrigated with brackish water, and their feedback to reduce applied mineral nitrogen fertilizers from 215 kg N/ha to 145 kg N/ha coupled with the foliar application of 10g L-1 yeast extract or 10g L-1 K2O or 0.3g L-1 ascorbic acid (AA) were the main objective of this study. Therefore, a field trial was conducted in salt-affected soils of South Port Said Governorate, Egypt, in two successive winter growing seasons 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. The experiments were performed in a split plot design with four replications. The main plots were devoted to the four wheat varieties, and the subplots for other treatments; i.e., 145 kg N with yeast extract, 145 kg N with 1% K2O, 145 kg N with 300 ppm ascorbic acid and control with 215 kg N fertilization. Masr 1 significantly surpassed the rest of varieties for grain productivity and proved the most tolerant variety in the present experiment, followed by Giza 171; Sids 13 seemed to be the lowest tolerant variety under such conditions. Non-significant differences were observed between plants fertilized with 215 kg N/ha and those received 145 kg N/ha plus foliar application of yeast extract for plant height, leaf area index (LAI), crop growth rate (CGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), photosynthetic pigments, soluble sugars, catalase (CAT), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POD), leaf potassium content, spike length, spike weight, 1000-grain weight, grain and straw yields. Plants treated with 145 kg N/ha plus foliar application of K2O or ascorbic acid (AA) followed the aforementioned treatments in their effects for all studied traits. Relative reduction in soil salinity and sodium absorption ratio (SAR) values during the studied two seasons along with increasing soluble Ca 2+ helped in the enhancement of wheat yield and its attributes.

Cowpea is an economically and nutritionally important vegetable crop widely cultivated by smallholder farmers both for subsistence and income generation. Uprooting the entire plant as a form of harvest is common in on-field subsistence... more

Cowpea is an economically and nutritionally important vegetable crop widely cultivated by smallholder farmers both for subsistence and income generation. Uprooting the entire plant as a form of harvest is common in on-field subsistence farming systems. However, little is known about the effect of harvesting regimes on total productivity of cowpea under greenhouse conditions. This study was conducted with an objective of evaluating growth and yield of cowpea in response to different harvest regimes under controlled conditions. Plots of cowpea stands/clusters each with four plants were subjected to three different treatments, i.e., harvest 1 (H1), harvest 2 (H2), and harvest 3 (H3) in a randomized complete block design. Overall crop yield was measured by the number of leaves and Plant Height (PH) at 7-day intervals. Data collection was initiated at week 1 and week 2 after emergence. The results revealed significant differences in both PH and NTL between H0 and H1, H2, or H3 (p≤0.05), ...

Field experiment was conducted during 2011-12 to study the response of rice varieties on morpho-physiological and yield under two nitrogen levels 120 kg N ha-1 [N120], 60 kg N ha-1 [N60] as main treatments and twenty six rice genotypes as... more

Field experiment was conducted during 2011-12 to study the response of rice varieties on morpho-physiological and yield under two nitrogen levels 120 kg N ha-1 [N120], 60 kg N ha-1 [N60] as main treatments and twenty six rice genotypes as sub treatments. In the present investigation among the nitrogen treatments application of 120 kg N ha-1 recorded significantly higher values for morpho-physiological parameters such as number of tillers hill-1, SCMR values, photosynthetic rate and also resulted in maximum number of panicles hill-1, number of filled grains hill-1, filled grain percentage, 1000 grain weight and grain yield. Spikelet sterility and number of unfilled grains hill-1 were minimum in this treatment. Among the genotypes, MTU-1001 recorded the maximum grain yield of 5021 kg ha-1 even under application of 60 kg N ha-1. This indicated that maximum yield can be attributed to maximum SCMR values, more photosynthetic rate, more tillers and panicles, more number of grains hill-1, maximum filled grain percentage and minimum spikelet sterility.

particularly in Africa and South-East Asia. The leaves contain high levels of vitamins (especially A, B and C), mineral fibres (such as iron, calcium and phosphorus), carbohydrates and proteins. They also contain phenolics and alkaloids,... more

particularly in Africa and South-East Asia. The leaves contain high levels of vitamins (especially A, B and C), mineral fibres (such as iron,
calcium and phosphorus), carbohydrates and proteins. They also contain phenolics and alkaloids, such as nicotine, quinine, cocaine, and
morphine, which are known for their medicinal attributes. With the realization of their high nutritional, medicinal and health benefits, the
demand for these vegetables has been on a rapid and steady rise in the recent years. However, due to very low leaf yields that are
considered uneconomical compared to other high-yielding and high-value horticultural crops, production of these vegetables remains on a
small scale. Prolific early flowering and excessive fruit- and seed-set, which compete with leaf production, are the main limiting factors
on leaf yields. To eliminate or reduce fruit-set, hence competition with leaves, induction of male-sterility is probably one of the most
immediate options. The main challenge that faces this strategy is propagation and maintenance of male-sterile lines. This review focuses
on the mutation breeding for improved leaf yields of African nightshades with special reference to male-sterility. Aspects of propagation
and maintenance of male-sterile lines are discussed

A field trial was conducted to examine the effect of integrated application of urea and FYM on the fodder yield of maize. N in the form of urea at the rates of 0, 60, 90, 120 and 150 kg ha-1 and FYM at the rates of 1500, 3000 and 4500 kg... more

A field trial was conducted to examine the effect of integrated application of urea and FYM
on the fodder yield of maize. N in the form of urea at the rates of 0, 60, 90, 120 and 150 kg ha-1 and
FYM at the rates of 1500, 3000 and 4500 kg ha-1 were applied separately and in all possible
combinations. The experiment was conducted in a three replicated Randomized Complete Block
Design. The results revealed significant (P<0.05) influence of different N and FYM levels on all the
parameters studied. The maize grown under T20 (N 150 kg ha-1 + FYM 4500 kg ha-1) performed
maximally with 90.48% germination, 200 cm plant height, 9.20 nodes plant-1, 8.28 internodes plant-1,
15.73 green leaves plant-1, 48.77 cm leaf length, 5.85 cm leaf width, 2.36 dry leaves plant-1, 4.88 cm
stem girth and 42200 kg green fodder yield ha-1. Reducing FYM (T19=N 150 kg + FYM 3000 kg ha-1)
resulted a reduced fodder yield with 87.52% germination, 190.33 cm plant height, 8.76 nodes plant-1,
7.88 internodes plant-1, 14.97 green leaves plant-1, 46.41 cm leaf length, 5.57 cm leaf width, 2.24 dry
leaves plant-1, 4.64 cm stem girth and 38257 kg green fodder yield ha-1. Effect of separate FYM indicates
that crop performance was relatively higher under 4500 kg ha-1 FYM than lower FYM levels. In separate
N treatment, the maize performance was higher under 150 kg ha-1 N as compared to lower N levels.
There was remarkable effect of combining N and FYM on fodder yield and its components, and N alone
or FYM alone could not produce such level of fodder yields. Nevertheless, higher fodder yields in maize
could be achieved by fertilizing only with inorganic nitrogen at higher levels (without FYM), but the
desired yields cannot be achieved with FYM as sole nutrient application (without inorganic N).
However, FYM was mainly effective to improve germination, because it is applied before sowing, and
it activates the soil microorganisms that results in improved germination. It was concluded that for
achieving high green fodder yields in maize, the crop may be fertilized with 150 kg ha-1 N in addition
to 4500 kg ha-1 well rotten farm yard manure.
Key Words: Integrated application,urea,FYM,fodder, yield and maize

Recently, thermal properties of the landscaped rooftops and walls have attracted the interest of researchers because of the potential to minimize energy consumption in urban areas and to aid summer-time thermal control. For this reason... more

Recently, thermal properties of the landscaped rooftops and walls have attracted the interest of researchers because of the potential to minimize energy consumption in urban areas and to aid summer-time thermal control. For this reason the creation of a plant-based shade for walls or above buildings is highly important. In this paper we evaluate using Lygodium japonicum, one of the many ferns and fern allies traditionally used in Japanese gardening, as a component of thermal-buffering green walls. Lygodium japonicum, the only climbing fern species in Japan, is fast-growing, adheres easily to walls and has a climbing nature. A simple thermal analysis of the sun-shading effect of Lygodium canopy suggested that local surface temperature above the ceramic tiles placed on the rooftop of a building can be buffered (lowered in daytime and maintained relatively warm at night) by the presence of leafy climbing ferns covering the tiles, possibly due to the reflection and absorbance of solar radiation. Furthermore, the presence of the plants may also slow the night-time release of heat from the building surface. Because plants installed on tall walls or on the tops of buildings are not easily accessed for manual care, we performed a real-time routine monitoring and control of plant growth status using various optical sensors that could be automated and monitored remotely for large-scale applications. For this purpose, the optical properties of a L. japonicum canopy under solar incident light have been determined. In order to evaluate the natural shading and growing properties of a green canopy, the incident solar radiation spectrum (J), leaf canopy-filtered light spectrum (transmittance, T) and leaf-reflectivity spectrum (R) were measured. By reading the reflectivity spectrum, concomitant chlorophyll fluorescence signals (F) from Lygodium leaves were also detected at 760 nm, which corresponds to the O2-A Fraunhofer line. Our data suggests that the daily change in photosynthetic status (P) can be traced by monitoring the change in relative F in relation to the estimated heat loss (H) and measured J, R, and T using a series of practical equations designed to roughly estimate the gross photosynthetic response within the plant canopy. Using our equations, the photosynthetic capacity in the plant canopy structure could be simply simulated and predictable by optical sensors.

A field trail was conducted at three sites in East Delta Region, Egypt, during the two successive summer seasons 2015 and 2016 as well as winter seasons 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 to study the physiological response of some field crops grown... more

A field trail was conducted at three sites in East Delta Region, Egypt, during the two successive summer seasons 2015 and 2016 as well as winter seasons 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 to study the physiological response of some field crops grown under saline soil conditions to foliar spraying with potassium at 1 and 2% K 2 O in the form of K-leaf fertilizer besides control treatment. Results indicated that plant height, leaf area index (LAI), crop growth rate (CGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), photosynthetic pigments, soluble sugars, potassium content in leaves, potassium and protein percentages in grains or seeds, as well as yield and yield components for all crops under study were significantly increased when plants received 1% or 2% K 2 O. Also, significant increase was achieved in proline, Na + , and Na + /K + ratio in leaves when plants sprayed with water (control) as compared with other potassium treatments for all crops wheat, barley, faba bean, rice, maize and clover. Foliar spraying with 2% K 2 O as K-leaf fertilizer was more efficient for increasing growth, biochemical, potassium percentage, protein percentage and yield of wheat, barley, faba bean, rice, maize and clover crops as compared to untreated potassium fertilizer (control) under saline soils conditions.

The effect of exogenously applied brassinolide (BR) at various concentrations viz. 0.01, 0.1 and 1.0 mg/l on growth and physiological attributes of Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. was studied at low temperature stress in a pot culture.... more

The effect of exogenously applied brassinolide (BR) at various concentrations viz. 0.01, 0.1 and 1.0 mg/l on growth and physiological attributes of Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. was studied at low temperature stress in a pot culture. Foliar application of BR exerted an ameliorative effect on plant height, leaf area, plant fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll a and b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids and chlorophyll a/b ratio, while, further boosting the accumulation of proline, soluble proteins and sugars, exaggerating the activity of antioxidant enzymes and reducing the accumulation of Malendialdehye (MDA). And the highest value was obtained by treatment with 0.1 mg/l BR. The application of BR enhanced the growth and development of L. chinensis under low temperature stress by improving the biosynthesis of photosynthetic pigments and reducing MDA accumulation by modulating the osmolyte contents and activity of antioxidant enzymes.

The mustard crop is commercially grown in the North Western drier tract of India. Different directions of sowing and crop phenotypes grown in the field create various planting geometry in combination which differ in yield and oil... more

The mustard crop is commercially grown in the North Western drier tract of India. Different directions of sowing and crop phenotypes grown in the field create various planting geometry in combination which differ in yield and oil productivity. The planting geometry affects the radiation use efficiency (RUE), intercepted photosynthetic active radiation (IPAR) and thereby the biomass and yield. Two different mustard varieties (erect and spreading types) were grown in two sowing directions (North-South and East-West) along with one replication as broadcast during the rabi 2004-05. The seasonal cumulated IPAR was significantly higher in East-West oriented plots than North-South in both the varieties, whereas, RUE depended on the crop phenotype. The differences in yield between the two varieties were highly significant at 5 % level with the spreading type yielding more. Direction wise, orientation in the East-West yielded more than in North-South. The difference in oil productivity was non-significant for different directions for spreading type variety. The East-West sown plots showed higher oil productivity than North-South sown plots for erect type variety.

The experiment was conducted for three consecutive seasons (2013, 2014 and 2015), at Elobeid Research Station research farm (12o -13o N, 3o-14o E), under rain fed conditions, to study the effect of plant spacing on hay and pod yield of... more

The experiment was conducted for three consecutive seasons (2013, 2014 and 2015), at Elobeid
Research Station research farm (12o -13o N, 3o-14o E), under rain fed conditions, to study the effect of plant
spacing on hay and pod yield of groundnut variety Geibish. Six treatment combinations (60, 40 and 30 for
inter-row and 20 and 15 for intra-row spacing) were laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD)
factorial with four replications. Days to fifty percent flowering were significant in season 2014 and 2015. The
earliest flowering days were recorded for the spacing of 30×20 cm. reducing plant spacing from 60×20 cm to
30×20 cm decreased the number of weeds before first and second weeding to 50%. High significant
difference (P ≤ 5) among treatments in hay and pod yield of2643.5 kg/ha and2065.0 kg/ha were recorded for
the spacing of 30×20cm, respectively, the treatment combination of30×20 cm increased the pods 66.1% and
hay yield 52.2% on average across all season. Significant differences (P ≤5) were showed between treatments
in number of pods per plant and number of seeds per pod for enter row. No significant differences (P ≤5)
were observed between treatments in shelling percent, maturity, harvest index

The poblational density of corn yield is considered as the most important controllable factor for good performance, with the use of high densities of yield (greater than 80000 plants per hectare) is aimed to increase the collecting... more

The poblational density of corn yield is considered as the most important controllable factor for good performance, with the use of high densities of yield (greater than 80000 plants per hectare) is aimed to increase the collecting antenna daylight to improve controllable factor the production and profitability. The objective of this project was to find the impact of using different yield densities on chlorophyll concentration in the vegetative stage, cob height and four performance components as Prolificacy, number of corn kernels per row, the rows number and weight of these corn kernels, of the hybrid corn “Impact in the town of Valley off San Juan (Tolima)”.
The researching to develop a test with a completely randomized design in sub-divided plot with four replicates blocks, at the main estate is established treatments row spacing (0.7 m and 0.8 m) and the sub-estate the treatments number of plants per lineal meter (7, 8 and 9).
Results show that the content of chlorophyll, cob height, number of rows, the 1000 corn kernels weight and performance not affected at significant level (0.05) by high population densities were obtained, while the number of kernels per row is affected by the action of row spacing to significant level. Treatment with higher performance (11690.97 kg / ha ± 1303) and profitability (59.65%) was achieved with a density of 112500 plants per hectare.