Optimized Irrigation and Nitrogen Fertilization Enhance Sorghum Yield and Resilience in Drought-Prone Regions

Sorghum is one type of cereal plant that has great potential to be developed in Indonesia because it has a wide adaptation area. Sorghum has been known and cultivated for a long time in several regions in Indonesia. The opportunity to increase production through increasing productivity is still very large because up to now the productivity that has been achieved is only 60% of the potential yield of each new variety that has a potential yield of 6 tons / ha. One of the causes of low sorghum production is due to minimum fertilization and nutrient-poor soil. Efforts that can be made to keep crop production balanced will require innovation in the supply of environmentally friendly plant nutrients, one of which is by utilizing bagasse waste into organic fertilizer. The study was conducted at the Experimental Garden of the Faculty of Agriculture, Jambi University, Mendalo Indah Village, Jambi Luar Kota District, Muaro Jambi Regency which was located at an altitude of 35 m above sea level and Ultisol soil type. The study aimed to determine the effect of bagasse compost on the growth and yield of sorghum and to obtain a dose of bagasse compost that can provide the best growth and yield of sorghum. This study was conducted using a randomized block design (RBD) with one factor, namely the dose of organic bagasse organic fertilizer consisting of 4 levels of treatment. The treatment used in this study was (P0) administration of inorganic fertilizers, (P1) administration of 5 tons / ha bagasse organic fertilizer, (P2) giving 10 tons / ha bagasse organic fertilizer, (P3) giving bagasse organic fertilizer 15 ton / ha. The variables observed were plant height, number of leaves, age of flowering, root dry weight, plant dry weight, panicle length, seed weight per plant, weight of 1000 seeds, and yield per hectare. The results showed that bagasse compost treatment had a significant effect on plant height. However, there was no significant effect on the number of leaves, age of flowering, root dry weight, dry weight of plants, panicle length, weight of 1000 seeds and dry seed weight of planting and harvest index

Sorghum is a cereal food crop that is still in the same family as corn, rice and wheat. The basic problem in the development of sorghum is the maturity of the soil or its availability in the soil. This study aims to determine the effect of water provision that can increase the growth and yield of sorghum using RAL (completely randomized design) consisting of 5 treatments 4 replications The methods used include plant height, number of leaves, panicle length, wet stalk weight, seed weight per 1000 grains, and dry stalk weight. With various levels of water provision that vary P0 = (control) P1 = once every 2 days P2 = once every 4 days P3 = once every 6 days P4 = once every 8 days. Based on the results of the research that has been conducted, it can be concluded that the growth of sorghum plants with the highest value is found in treatments p3 and p4 both in plant height, number of leaves, panicle length, 1000 grain seed weight, wet bunch weight and dry bunch weight. The higher the growth and yield of sorghum plants, the higher the production value of sorghum plants will be, while the lowest values ​​of P1 and P2 are not much different from treatments P3 and P4 and the effect of watering sorghum plants has a significant effect on all parameters.

Decision letter: Data-driven, participatory characterization of farmer varieties discloses teff breeding potential under current and future climates

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) is a basic cereal for many populations living in the arid and semi-arid zones of Africa and India. In Burkina Faso, pearl millet is one of the main cereal crops in the population. However, most of the cultivated varieties are traditional landraces which productivity is always very low. This study goal is to assess and characterize available germplasm of pearl millet of Burkina Faso, India and Togo and to provide the diversity genetic and to identify the traits of interest that could be improved. Estimation of genetic diversity and identification of superior genotypes are essential of any crop improvement program. The trial was carry out during the wet season, 2020-2021 between July and November according to a Fisher block design with three (3) replications. Fourteen (14) quantitative traits were considered. The variability was particularly related, plant height, number of days 50% flowering, time to maturity, panicle length, number of basal tillers, hundred grain weight and overall qualitative trait aspect. An organization of the diversity allowed to classify the accessions into 3 distinct groups. Group 1 individuals had a late cycle, a high plant height, a large number of productive basal tillers and a low 100-grains weight. Accessions of group 2 had a short cycle, high hundred kernel weight and medium plant height. Accessions of group 3 corresponded to accessions with a medium cycle and short plant height. Strong positive correlations were observed between panicle length and plant height, plant height and number of days 50% flowering. The time to 50% flowering, onset to flowering, time to vegetative period, plant height, panicle length and 100-grains weight were less influenced by the environment. Indeed, they showed a heritability in the broad sense greater than to 70%. The variability highlighted in this study could be used to feed the genetic improvement programs of pearl millet in Burkina Faso through the creation of improved varieties.

Mining plays an important role in Kenyan Economic development through provision of employment, raw materials as well as foreign income. Despite the important role played by this sector, it is associated with land degradation, impacting food security. Closure of mines calls for rehabilitation process through establishment of native trees, grass or crops. In order to promote crop production as a reclamation measure, performance of sorghum in post mined soils was evaluated in the south dune site of base titanium limited Kwale Company. The experiments were laid down in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with split plot arrangement and replicated thrice. Fertilizer, Manure, Manure + Fertilizer, Control (unfertilized) and Gadam and Silla sorghum varieties were tested. Data collected included: Initial soil properties, plant height, number of leaves, leaf length, leaf width, stem circumference, panicle length, panicle circumference and grain yield per hectare. Data collected was subjected to analysis of variance using Genstat software and means separated using the Fisher’s protected least significant difference at (P≤0.05). The soils were slightly acidic with low levels of exchangeable P, K, S, Cu and Bn. Manure + fertilizer significantly (P≤0.05) increased plant height by 14% (gadam), and 28% (silla), number of leaves per plant by 28% (gadam) and 29% (silla), panicle length by 18% (gadam), 8% (silla), dry matter by 30% (gadam) 40% (silla) and grain yield by 50% for both gadam and silla varieties compared to control plots in both varieties. Average yields in both seasons for manure + fertilizer treated plants were significantly high (5.3 tones/ha) for Silla variety and (5.7 tones/ha) for Gadam variety. Where gadam produced slightly high grain yield than silla variety by 7%. Combined application of farmyard manure and inorganic fertilizer were most effective in enhancing sorghum growth, dry matter and yield. Growth and yield data collected showed that combined farmyard manure + fertilizer can support optimal sorghum production in the post mined soils. Owing to the fact that the soils have compromised profile, soil structure and fertility, long term trials and simulation models are required to ascertain optimal sorghum production while ensuring sustainable soil health in such soils.

BackgroundChanging climate is causing erratic rainfall and prolonged drought periods, thus posing serious threats to crop productivity. Owing to severity of drought events, it is imperative to take proactive measures to enhance the resilience of drought sensitive crops like rice. Therefore, the present study was carried out to improve the drought stress tolerance in rice through gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) application.MethodsThe experiment was included four GABA concentrations i.e., 0 mM as control, 1 mM, 1.5 mM, and 2 mM, two water levels i.e., 100% and 50% field capacity (referred as FC100 for well-watered and FC50 for drought conditions, respectively), and two fragrant rice cultivars i.e., Super Basmati and Basmati-515.ResultsThe findings unveiled a comprehensive improvement in various parameters with GABA application in fragrant rice under both well-watered (FC100) and water-limited (FC50) conditions, compared to the control. Specifically, GABA induced enhancements were observed in plant height, root length, fresh weight, dry weight, total soluble protein content, and total free amino acid content across both cultivars. Moreover, GABA application significantly improved peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) enzyme activities, alongside elevating anthocyanin levels, while concurrently reducing H2O2 contents in both FC100 and FC50 treatments. Furthermore, the positive impact of GABA extended to morphological traits, with notable increases in panicle length, total tillers and productive tillers per hill, branch and grain numbers per panicle, and 1000-grain weight for Super Basmati and Basmati 515 cultivars under both water regimes, compared to Ck. Similarly, the grain yield increased by 31.01% and 27.32% under FC100 and 36.85% and 27.71% under FC50 in Super Basmati and Basmati-515, respectively, in response to GABA application, compared to Ck. Additionally, principal component analysis (PCA) revealed significant variances attributed to Dim1 and Dim2, with 86.1% and 4.0% of the variance, respectively, across three bi-plots encompassing rice cultivars, water levels, and GABA treatments. Notably, all tested indices, except for H2O2 and non-productive tillers per hill, exhibited positive correlations amongst themselves and with rice yield, further emphasizing the beneficial effects of GABA application on fragrant rice under well-watered and drought conditions.ConclusionsGABA significantly improved fragrant rice performance under both well-watered (FC100) and water-limited (FC50) conditions. Moreover, integrating GABA application into rice cultivation practices could not only improve the crop resilience to drought stress but also potentially benefiting the future food and nutritional security globally. However, however; further research is needed to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the functionality of GABA in fragrant rice, particularly under drought conditions.

SnRK2 plays vital role in responding to adverse abiotic stimuli. The applicability of TaSnRK2.4 and TaSnRK2.9 was investigated to leverage the potential of these genes in indigenous wheat breeding programs. Genetic diversity was assessed using pre-existing markers for TaSnRK2.4 and TaSnRK2.9. Furthermore, new markers were also developed to enhance their broader applicability. KASP markers were designed for TaSnRK2.4, while CAPS-based markers were tailored for TaSnRK2.9. Analysis revealed lack of polymorphism in TaSnRK2.4 among Pakistani wheat germplasm under study. To validate this finding, available gel-based markers for TaSnRK2.4 were employed, producing consistent results and offering limited potential for application in marker-assisted wheat breeding with Pakistani wheat material. For TaSnRK2.9-5A, CAPS2.9-5A-1 and CAPS2.9-5A-2 markers were designed to target SNP positions at 308 nt and 1700 nt revealing four distinct haplotypes. Association analysis highlighted the significance of Hap-5A-1 of TaSnRK2.9-5A, which exhibited association with an increased number of productive tillers (NPT), grains per spike (GPS), and reduced plant height (PH) under well-watered (WW) conditions. Moreover, it showed positive influence on NPT under WW conditions, GPS under water-limited (WL) conditions, and PH under both WW and WL conditions. High selection intensity observed for Hap-5A-1 underscores the valuable role it has played in Pakistani wheat breeding programs. Gene expression studies of TaSnRK2.9-5A revealed the involvement of this gene in response to PEG, NaCl, low temperature and ABA treatments. These findings propose that TaSnRK2.9 can be effectively employed for improving wheat through marker-assisted selection in wheat breeding efforts.

Sweet sorghum is one of the superior commodities to increase the production of food and energy. Sweet sorghum seeds produce carbohydrates that can be processed into food ingredients, while the sap from the stems and starch in the seeds can be converted into bioethanol through fermentation processes. Sweet sorghum crops tolerant to drought and stagnant water can produce on marginal land and relatively resistant to pests and diseases. This research aims to determine the interaction between sweet sorghum varieties and kinds of organic fertilizer on the growth and yield of sweet sorghum in dryland. The research method is a factorial experiment using Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD), which consists of two factors, which is sweet sorghum varieties and manure types. The varieties which were used are Kawali and Numbu. The second treatment used is without manure, chicken manure, goat manure, cow manure, and vermicompost. The total treatment combination is ten units, and each combination is repeated three times. The research variables are plant height, stem diameter, leaf area index, fresh stover weight, dry stover weight, sap content, panicle length, number of seeds per panicle, and production per hectare. Data were analyzed using the F test with a 95% confidence level if there is significantly a difference and then followed by the DMRT method at the 5% level. This research shows that the highest production per hectare is sorghum treatments by chicken manure equal 2.64 ton/ha, and this yield is higher than all other treatments.

A field experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma to investigate the effect of brewery spent grain on the growth and yield of sorghum. Treatment consisted of five rates of brewery spent grain (BSG) (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 t/ha). The experiment was a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates. Sorghum variety (ABS 4540 AMZU) was used as a test crop. The parameters measured included: plant height, leaf area, number of leaves/plant at 3, 6 and 9 weeks after planting (WAP). Whole plant dry matter yield and grain weight were also determined. The results obtained showed that BSG treatments had significantly (P<0.05) higher plant height, leaf area and number of leaves than the control in all the weeks after planting, except for number of leaves at 3 WAP. At 3 and 6 WAP, the tallest plants (21.33 cm and 33.05 cm) were obtained from crops treated with 8 t/ha BSG while those treated with 6 t/ha BSG had the tallest plant (95.04 cm) at 9 WAP. 6 t/ha BSG recorded the highest leaf area at 3, 6 and 9 WAP. At 6 WAP, the highest number of leaves (9.00) was observed from plants which received the application of 6 t/ha BSG. However, control had the highest number of leaves (10.00) than BSG treatments. The highest grain yield (2.54 t/ha) and dry matter yield (3.80 g) were obtained from crops which received the application of 6 and 8 t/ha BSG, respectively. Keywords: Brewery Spent Grain, Growth, Sorghum, Yield.

1. There are some opinions not coincident in re-lation to the method of forcing, especially on the time and the method of low temperature treatment in freesia. Therefore, these experiments were con-ducted to find out the effects of low temperature upon the flower bud formation and flowering in the plant. 2. The materials used were the corms of F. refracta var. alba, which were transported from Ha-chijio Island. 3. The corms of the plant were divided into two groups; one (A) had no treatment before they were planted on every 3 rd day of the month from August to December, and the other (B) had cold storage, which comprised various methods of low tempera-ture treatment by plots, before they were planted. 4. In the plots of group A, the flower bud for-mation occurred from October 24 to December 23, when the average minimum temperatures of 10 days of the months were 2°C to 10°C. and the height of the plants were 3.1 to 22.8cm, according to the planting time. 5. The flowers began to bloom from January 23 to March 16 according to the planting time. And the percentage of flowering, number of flowers per plant, height of plants, number of leaves were all reduced, the percentage of malformed flower were increased and the term of harvest prolonged, as the plants were planted later. 6. In the plots of group B, the flower bud initia-tion occurred from September 14 to November 3, when the height of plants were 13. 1 to 23.6cm, and the flowers began to bloom from December 1 to February 6, according to treatments. 7. The most superior treatment in the time of flower bud initiation and flowering was 10°C for 50 days wet storage, and the next was 10°C for 40 days wet storage. But the percentage of flowering, num-ber of flowers per plant, height of plants, number of leaves were less and the term of harvest prolong-ed more than the other treatments. And the other four treatments; 3°C for 30 days dry storage, 15°C for 30 days dry storage, 10°C for 20 days wet sto-rage, and 10°C for 20 days then 3°C for 20 days wet storage, did not hasten the time of flowering as the plants of group A.

The study was conducted during 2019 main cropping season at Erer research station Babile district PA. Globally pigeon pea (<i>Cajanus cajan</i> (L.) Millsp.) is the fifth most important pulse crop mainly grown in the developing countries by resource-poor farmers in drought prone areas and on degraded soils. It is a multipurpose leguminous crop that can provide food, forage, fuel wood and fodder for the small-scale farmer in subsistence agriculture. Pigeon pea is a deep-rooted and drought tolerant grain legume that adds substantial amount of organic matter to the soil and has the ability to fix up to 235 kg N/ha). Harari regional state, farmers didn’t accept drought tolerant sorghum variety, because of small harvests of total biomass. Thus why, pigeon pea sorghum intercropping can solve the problem of low availability of forage and low soil fertility in this low land area. The treatments of the experiments were, Sole sorghum (malkam) variety, Sorghum + Accession 16520, Sorghum + Accession 16527, sorghum +Accession 16528, pigeon pea Accession 16520, Pigeon pea Accession 16527 and Accession 16528 respectively. The design of the experiment was, RCBD with three replication. The result showed significant difference statistically, in terms of plant height, panicle length, and panicle diameter at 5% (table 1). The highest plant height was obtained from the treatment with sorghum intercropped with pigeon pea accession 16527 (tsegas variety). The result that obtained was statistically not significant in terms of grain yield (p < 0.01) among treatments (both sole and intercropped one). In (Table 1) was indicated that intercropping of pigeon pea Accessions had no negative significant effect on grain yields of sorghum. The maximum grain yields were obtained from T3 (sorghumX16527 pigeon pea accession); (2894) kg ha^-1), followed by T2 (16527 pigeon pea accession) (2856) kg ha^-1 respectively. The minimum grain yield obtained from sole sorghum (2339 kg ha^-1). The most probable reason for this variation could be due to leguminous nature of pigeon pea accessions that add nitrogen nutrients to the soil and affect sorghum positively. When observed graphically, there is mean yield difference. Both land equivalent ratio and relative total yield was calculated and the obtained result is about 1.22. So this intercropped experiment is advantageous. Partial budget analysis was conducted and the experiment is economically viable.

The present study aims to identify QTL influencing agronomic traits and yield components under well-watered and pre-flowering drought stress conditions. One hundred F5 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) and the parental lines of a cross between a drought-tolerant and a susceptible line in a field experiment were carried out at Nong Lam University of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Drought stress was induced by withholding irrigation water from the plants at four weeks after sowing to flowering. Leaf area of the third leaf, stem diameter, plant height, days to heading, anthesis and maturity, panicle length, number of seeds per plant, hundred kernel weight and grain yield were measured. Plants were genotyped with 117 Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) and eight expressed sequence tag (EST)-derived simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Composite interval mapping was carried out on the traits and significant QTL were claimed at a logarithm of the odds (LOD) score >2.5. A total of 50 QTL were detected on nine chromosomes or 13 linkage groups, respectively. Six promising QTL regions with seven QTL for yield and agronomic traits especially related to pre-flowering drought tolerance were identified on chromosomes SBI-01, SBI-03, SBI-04, SBI-05 and SBI-07.

The success of plant breeding activities entirely depends on the existence of genetic variability with respect to desired traits and selection skills of plant breeders. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the extent of variability, heritability genetic advance, and character association among yield and yield-related traits in lowland GSR. The experiment was conducted using 20 low-land green supper rice genotypes in the Northwestern part of Ethiopia at Pawe agricultural research center for three consecutive years from 2016-2018 main cropping seasons. A randomized complete block design with three replications was used. The results of the analysis of variance for yield and yield-related characters revealed that highly significant mean square due to genotypes observed for all traits studied, Higher phenotypic co-efficient of variation, compared to genotypic co-efficient of variation was recorded for all the traits studied indicating the variation is not only genetic but also influence of growing environment. The highest PCV was recorded for the trait plant height (32.6) followed by panicle length (23.3). Broad sense heritability analysis showed that days to heading (56.3), plant height (49.8), Days to maturity (42.4%), and panicle length (42.3%) were high. High heritability with the high genetic advance in percent of mean was recorded by plant height (49.8 & 33.54) followed by Panicle length (42.3 & 36.55) which confirms their additive gene action and direct selection of these traits depending on phenotypic expression would be effective for yield improvement. The positive and highly significant phenotypic correlation was observed between days to heading and days to maturity (r = 9385***) plant height was positively correlated with thousand-grain weight (0.50436*) and Panicle length (0.48312*). Grain yield showed negative correlation between Days to maturity (-0.044662*), but weak positive correlation was observed for days to heading (r = 0.33472), plant height (r = 0.18729) and panicle length (r = 0.08771). Therefore, the traits recorded high heritability and higher genetic advance; and the traits showed positive correlation and could be considered as suitable traits for selection and improvement to achieve high-yielding green super rice varieties in rain-fed environments.

QTL mapping for physiology, yield and plant architecture traits in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) grown under well-watered versus water-stress conditions

An experiment was conducted in the Agriculture Field Laboratory, Noakhali Science and Technology University (NSTU) to evaluate the effects of age of seedlings on the yield and growth performance of transplanted Aus (T. Aus) rice variety from April 2019 to July 2019. The experiment was carried out assigning four age of seedlings (T1 = 22-day old, T2 = 24-day old, T3 = 27-day old, T4 = 30-day old) and two rice varieties (V1 = BRRI dhan83, V2 = BRRI dhan65). The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. In case of variety, the highest plant height (102.108 cm), the highest grain yield (2.643 t/ha), and the highest harvest index (32.317%) were obtained in BRRI dhan83 where the lowest plant height (87.804 cm), the lowest grain yield (2.431 t/ha) and the lowest harvest index (32.068%) were obtained in BRRRI dhan65. The age of seedlings had significantly affected total tillers/hill, effective tillers/hill, panicle length in T. Aus rice variety. The highest plant height (98.16 cm), straw yield (6.122 t/ha), the maximum number of effective tillers/hill (15.347) were obtained in 24 days old seedlings. The highest grain yield (2.634 t/ha) was obtained from 27 days old seedlings, and the highest harvest index (33.88%) was obtained from 22 days old seedlings. The lowest grain yield (2.429) was obtained from 24 days old seedlings, and the lowest panicle length (13.753 cm), harvest index (30.467%), and the minimum number of effective tillers/hill (13.753) were obtained from 30 days old seedlings. The lowest straw yield (5.075 t/ha) and plant height (93.16 cm) were obtained from 22 days old seedlings. In case of interaction, the highest plant height (104.667 cm) and the harvest index (34.86%) were observed in BRRI dhan83 at 27 days old seedlings. The highest straw yield (5.805 t/ha) was observed in BRRI dhan65 at 30 days old seedlings. The maximum number of effective tillers/hill (18.519) was observed in BRRI dhan83 at 24 days old seedlings. The highest grain yield (2.94 t/ha) was observed in BRRI dhan83 at 22 days old seedlings. The lowest plant height (80.67 cm) was observed in BRRI dhan65 at 27 days old seedlings. The minimum number of total tillers/hill (17.01) was observed in BRRI dhan83 at 22 days old seedlings; lowest panicle length (20.78 cm), the minimum number of grains/panicle (68.07) were observed in BRRI dhan65 at 24 days old seedlings; 1000 grains weight (22.76 g), the lowest grain yield (2.18 t/ha) were observed in BRRI dhan83 at 24 days old seedlings; the lowest straw yield (4.54 t/ha) was observed in BRRI dhan65 at 22 days seedlings old and lowest harvest index (29.09%) were observed in BRRI dhan65 at 30 days old seedlings. Based on the above results, it may be concluded that almost all of the yield and yield contributing characters of T. Aus rice performed best under the interaction between age of seedlings 22 days old seedlings and the variety BRRI dhan85.