Micropropagation of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Cultivar Gulistan Using Immature Inflorescence Explants

Strawberry has gained increasing popularity all over the world due to its fruit properties. This popularity is due to the phytochemicals that strawberries have. The aim of this study is to reveal the effect of cultivation in open field and high tunnel on agromorphological and biochemical properties of strawberries. In this study, fruit yield and fruit quality characteristics of some strawberry varieties grown in open field and high tunnel were investigated. The highest fruit yield, fruit weight and titratable acidity were obtained in high tunnel grown Albion cultivar (542.743 g/plant, 14.927 g/fruit and 1.047%, respectively). While there was no statistical difference between cultivars and treatments in terms of soluble solids content and pH, fruit count was higher in Albion and Kabarla cultivars in both treatments compared to other cultivars (p < 0.05). Among the phenolic compounds, gallic acid was determined to be higher (between 9.246–31.680 mg/100 g) than other phenolics. Considering the organic acid content, malic acid was determined as the dominant organic acid in Kabarla cultivar (870.729 mg/100 g). In addition, in terms of vitamin C content, Rubygem cultivar stood out in both applications. Phenolic compound and organic acid contents varied in terms of varieties and applications. As a result, strawberry fruit, which is an important fruit in terms of fruit quality and consumption diversity, has been found to have high phenolic compounds and organic acid content, although it varies in all varieties and applications.

Impact of greenhouse vs. open field cultivation on volatiles, phenolics, organic acids, antimicrobial activity, phenology, and molecular bioactivity of kumquat (Fortunella margarita) fruits.

The quality of vegetables for fresh consumption is a complex issue. In this study the yield and quality of cherry tomato fruits were assessed under different environmental control conditions, namely in a screenhouse (S), in a screenhouse equipped with a fogging system (SF) and in a screenhouse with complements such as plastic sheeting to maintain the microclimate created by the fogging system (SFS), as well as under open field (OF) cultivation. Levels of vitamin C, carotenoids (lycopene, β-carotene and lutein), phenolic compounds (flavonoids and phenolic acids), sugars (fructose, glucose and sucrose), organic acids (citric acid and malic acid) and flavour indices were measured. The aim of the study was to determine how different environmental control technologies could influence production and quality traits in tomato cherry fruits cultivated in a Mediterranean area. The results showed that the fogging system treatment's decline in maximum vapour pressure deficit (by 0.7 kPa compared with OF cultivation), increase in mean fruit weight (by about 4 g per fruit) and low radiation and temperature values may exert a positive effect on lycopene accumulation. For the production and nutritional parameters measured, it is postulated that the fogging system treatment offers a better balance between production and nutritional quality. This treatment proved to be best in terms of productivity, vitamin C and lycopene contents and antioxidant capacity.

The studies was performed by conducting the field experiments under polyhouse and open field at the Instructional Farm of Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Dr.Annasaheb Shinde College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri during rabi seasons of 2013-14.These experiments state that the best practice found in different environmental conditions (Polyhouse and open field cultivation.) can be adopted for maximum economic returns from tomato cultivation. Polyhouse tomato cultivation was found best alternative tomato cultivation during rabi season to obtain maximum yield, net return and benefit:cost ratio. The combitation of 0.95ETc x 125 % RD (I1x F1) recorded maximum yield (437.98 tha-1) under polyhouse cultivation and (149.98 tha-1)under open field cultivation. The maximum net income was found due to T1 (0.95ETc x 125 %RD) treatment i.e. ₹ 2,95,210/- under polyhouse cultivation and in case of open field cultivation the maximum net income was found ₹ 5,527/- and benefit:cost ratio was found 3.29 under polyhouse and 1.13 under open field cultivation.

Banana production in Turkey is located well beyond subtropical banana production zones. However, banana is the only tropical fruit produced commercially in both open-field and greenhouse conditions. Recently the area under greenhouse production has started to expand, partly because production costs are covered by harvesting fruit in same year as planting. This popularity has also led to improved greenhouse technology being used for banana production. In this research, the effects of open-field and greenhouse production systems on some of the morphological (number of leaves, pseudostem circumference, pseudostem height, bunch stalk circumference), phenological features (fruit maturation length), and yield components (number of hands, number of fingers per bunch) were determined. In addition, the effects of production systems on physicochemical features of banana were investigated. Similar cultural measures were applied in both cultivation systems except for bunch covering. Among the morphological features, number of leaves, pseudostem circumference and pseudostem height were found to be higher under greenhouse conditions than those in open field cultivation. Fruit maturation length was shorter in greenhouse-produced banana by about 25 days, compared to that observed in open-field cultivation. Yield components were also found to be better in greenhouse-produced banana as compared with open field production, with average bunch weight of 40 kg in greenhouse-produced banana versus 27 kg in banana produced under open-field conditions. Physical fruit parameters were found to be better for greenhouse-produced fruits compared to those observed in open-produced fruits while soluble solids contents did not differ in both production conditions. The results of this research clearly showed that some yield and fruit quality components were found to be superior when produced in a greenhouse production system compared to that observed in open field production system and no wind damage, naturally, was observed in greenhouse.

Soluble organic nitrogen pools in greenhouse and open field horticultural soils under organic and conventional management: A case study

Increasing soil organic matter content is important in improving soil fertility; however, conventional farming practices generally lead to a reduction in such organic material. A comparative study of organic and conventional arable farming systems was conducted in Shanghai, China, to determine the influence of management practices on soil chemistry, microbial activity, and biomass. Soils used in greenhouses and open field cultivation were obtained from plots subjected to organic farming methods for 3 years or from conventionally farmed fields in the same area. Four combinations of field type and management system were evaluated: (1) organic management in open fields (ORG-OP); (2) conventional management in open fields (CNV-OP); (3) organic management in plastic tunnel fields (ORG-GR); and (4) conventional management in plastic tunnel fields (CNV-GR). Soils obtained at the 0- to 10-cm depth were analyzed using an approach combining traditional soil analysis, microbiological analysis using enzymology and microcalorimetric techniques, and a written survey of management practices among the farmers. Organic management resulted in significant increases (p < 0.001) in total organic C and total N, Olsen-P, cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil respiration, microbial biomass C (C min) and N (N min), and alkaline phosphatase and urease activity. Sucrase activity was highest in CNV-GR soil and lowest in ORG-OP and CNV-OP soils. No significant difference was observed between ORG-OP and CNV-OP. The Olsen-P, total organic C, total N, CEC, N min, and sucrase and alkaline phosphatase activities were greater in greenhouse soils than those under open field cultivation, which indicated a higher level of soil management under greenhouse conditions. The microcalorimetry power–time curves for all samples described typical microbial metabolic activity. In soil samples supplemented with glucose and ammonium sulfate, the heat dissipation per cell unit suggested that microorganisms in soils under organic management had more efficient metabolism. In addition, microbial growth in soils under conventional management displayed lower growth rates, lower peak heat, and longer peak heat times, all of which indicated lower activity of soil microorganisms compared with organic management. There was a large positive correlation (p < 0.01) between the values of P max (the peak value of thermal power), Q total (total heat flux), and k (microbial growth rate constant) and the chemical properties. However, there was a significant negative correlation (p < 0.05) between the value of t max (the time required to reach peak thermal power) and chemical properties other than sucrase activity. Organic production systems significantly improved soil microbial characteristics and increased soil organic C, thus improving soil quality and fertility. Further studies investigating the long-term functional significance of carbon sequestration under organic practices are therefore warranted.

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;In recent years, a large number of Dutch tulip varieties have been cultivated in the open field of Shanghai Flower Port (The biggest tulip park in China). In this paper, nine tulip varieties’ growth period data were recorded for this experiment. By comparing the flowering duration of different varieties, it is concluded that planting early flowering varieties in Shanghai is more economical. At the end of this paper, by correlation detection method, it is concluded that there is a negative correlation between the flowering duration and temperature in Shanghai, China.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

The study has been undertaken to evaluate the performance of locally available commercial cultivars of cabbage in open field during summer season of 2019 at Defence Research Laboratory Research and Development Centre Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh). The commercial cultivars of these vegetables were evaluated based on the growth parameters and their yield performance under open field with paired row system of planting. It was found that the cultivar Green Express performance was outstanding among test edcultivars and it superseded cv. Royal Ball BC-51 and cv. Blue Jayes in terms of growth parameters as well as marketable yield (2.62 kg/m2) and biological yield (3.47 kg/m2). The cv. Royal Ball BC-86 was also found next best performing cultivar after cv. Green Express as former was at par with growth and yield parameter and harvest maturity of later. The head of cv. Green express attended harvest maturity (149.25 days) approximately one week earlier as compared to cv. Blue Jayes (155.0 days). However, the productivity of cultivars Green Express and Royal Ball BC-86 was found within the range of national average, therefore, these two cultivars could be recommended for the commercial cultivation with paired row system of planting under open field cultivation during summer season in high altitude areas of Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh).

The vegetable crops viz., TNAU tomato hybrid CO 3 and coriander variety CO 4 were raised under different cultivation systems viz., 50 per cent shade net, insect proof net house and open field conditions. Growth and yield characters of tomato and coriander were assessed during s ummer 2013 and 2014 under different systems of cultivation. The number of fruits per plant (54.3) and weight of fruits per plant (2.1 kg) with estimated yield (67.17 t / ha) of TNAU tomato hybrid CO 3 was highest under insect proof net house followed by shade net house and the lowest was noticed under open field cultivation. The highest single plant weight (52.1 g) with estimated herbage yield (3.33 t / ha) of coriander were recorded under insect proof net house followed by shade net and the lowest under open field cultivation. Among the two crops, the highest BCR (2.58) was observed with tomato hybrid CO 3 under insect proof net house followed by shade net house (2.45). The lowest BCR of 1.31 was recorded with the cultivation of coriander variety CO 4 under open field condition. Therefore, it can be concluded that tomato could be highly remunerative crop suitable for cultivation under insect proof net house condition during summer season.

A study was conducted to assess protected vegetable crop cultivation effects on soil nutrients status in Byas municipality of Tanahun, Nepal. For the study, polytunnel and playhouse were taken as treatments of protected vegetable crops cultivation, which was compared with open field cultivation, considered as control. Soil samples from each plot were sampled from 11 polytunnels, 11 polyhouses and 11 open fields consisting a total of 33 composite soil samples through stratified random sampling techniques from 20 cm soil depth in each plot. Analysis of soil samples was done in the laboratory for chemical properties. MS-Excel and R-Studio were used for data analysis. The results showed that soil nitrogen was 0.25% in the polytunnel, 0.18% in the polyhouse and 0.15% in the open field. Similarly, available potassium was 475.99 kg/ha in the polytunnel, 281.73kg/ha in the polyhouse and 143.13 kg/ha in the open field. Likewise, Available phosphorus was 266.8 kg/ha in the polytunnel, 239.84 kg/ha in the polyhouse and 140.06 kg/ha in the open field. Soil organic matter was found at 5.1% in the polytunnel, 3.6% in the polyhouse and 3.2% in the open field. Soil pH was found 6.9 in the polytunnel, 6.8 in polyhouse and 6.6 in the open field which showed slightly acidic or neutral soil pH. The research findings showed that soil nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium and soil organic matter were maximum in polytunnels followed by polyhouses whereas open fields had minimum soil nutrient contents. Hence, it was concluded that protected vegetable crop cultivation had direct effects on soil nutrient status. It showed a vital role in the prevention of soil nutrients loss and management of soil fertility status in vegetable crops cultivation areas in mid-hills.

Previously, researchers have not paid attention to indigenous African leafy vegetables such as nightshade and kale, however, amaranth species have recently gained popularity due to their adaptability to various climatic conditions and their cultivation in both open fields and hydroponics. Amaranth species are ranked among the underutilized leafy vegetables with medicinal properties, economic values, nutritional and health benefits. This study aimed to compare the growth parameters and nutritional composition of two consumed red (Amaranthus Cruentus L.) and green (Amaranthus Graecizans L.) amaranth species in South Africa, cultivated in an open field versus a greenhouse. The findings showed a high chlorophyll content and large leaf area under open field conditions on red and green species. The number of leaves and stem height were higher in the greenhouse cultivation system. In open field cultivation, minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, aluminium, copper and manganese for both species were significantly higher whilst potassium, sodium, boron, sulphur were significantly higher in the greenhouse production. The sufficient total nitrogen and ash were recorded in the open field production, and no significant difference was observed between the open field and greenhouse on moisture and ash content of A. Cruentus. In conclusion, A. Cruentus and A. Graecizansn grown in an open field had higher proximate and mineral composition over the greenhouse cultivation system.

The use of rain shelters in pear cultivation has been shown to improve yields and the appearance and quality of fruit, as well as reduce diseases and pests; however, how rain shelters affect soil chemical properties, soil enzyme activity, and soil microbial diversity remains unknown. Here, we studied pear trees under rain-shelter cultivation and open-field cultivation in the same orchard and compared fruit quality, soil chemical characteristics, soil enzyme activity, and soil microbial diversity. Results showed that rain shelters can significantly (p &lt; 0.05) increase the sugar content (sweetness) of pear fruits and decrease the content of acids. The levels of available phosphorus, available potassium, organic matter, and water in soils under rain shelters were significantly (p &lt; 0.05) lower than in soils in open fields. Rain-shelter treatment increased soil polyphenol oxidase activity and decreased phosphomonoesterase, urease, and sucrase activity. Analysis of microbial carbon-source utilization rates and microbial diversity showed that open-field cultivation is beneficial for microbial carbon-source utilization and microbial diversity in rhizosphere soil. Our study found that rain-shelter cultivation is not beneficial to soil fertility, microbial carbon-source metabolism and utilization, matter cycling, or microbial diversity and that the use of rain shelters may require appropriate nutrient and organic matter supplementation to maintain long-term cultivation of crops; whereas, the effects of environmental factors on open-field cultivation are greater, and more refined water and fertilizer management is required to improve fruit quality.

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The current use and distribution of agricultural water resources is highly prone to effects of global climate change due to shifting precipitation patterns. The production of vegetable crops in open field cultivation often requires demanding water applications, being impaired in regions where climate change will increasingly evoke water scarcity. To date, increasingly occurring precipitation-free periods are already leading to moderate water deficits during plant growth, e.g., in southern Europe. Among all vegetable crops, leafy vegetables such as spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) are particularly vulnerable to limited water supply, because leaf expansion is highly dependent on water availability. Besides biomass production, water limitation might also affect the valuable nutritional composition of the produce. Therefore, we investigated the impact of moderately reduced water supply on the chemical composition of spinach, cultivated in the open field in three consecutive years. Two different water supply treatments, full and reduced irrigation, were used in a randomized block design consisting of three sets of six plots each. In the reduced water supply treatment, the total amount of supplied water, including both irrigation and natural precipitation, amounted to 90%, 94% and 96% in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively, of the full, optimal water supply treatment. Spinach grown under limited water supply showed significantly higher fresh biomass-based contents of polyols (e.g., inositol, glycerol), ascorbic acid, potassium, nitrogen, phosphorous, zinc and manganese, as well as total flavonoids and carotenoids. Increased dry biomass-based levels were found for total inositol, zinc and manganese, as well as decreased levels for malic acid, fumaric acid, phosphate and chloride. Furthermore, we report a high seasonal variation of several minor phytochemicals, such as single flavonoids. Spinacetin derivatives, spinatoside-glucoside as well as a rather unusual hexuronylated methylenedioxy flavonoid showed highest amounts when grown under relatively low irradiation in autumn. Levels of patuletin derivatives tended to increase under high irradiation conditions during spring. In summary, the chemical composition of spinach was shown to be highly sensitive to moderately reduced water supply and seasonal variation, but the overall nutritional quality of fresh marketable spinach was only marginally affected when considering health-related constituents such as minerals, trace elements, flavonoids and carotenoids.