Agricultural Sciences Research Articles

Reviewer Acknowledgements for Journal of Agricultural Science, Vol. 16, No. 5

Reviewer acknowledgements for Journal of Agricultural Science, Vol. 16, No. 5, 2024.

Nomenclatural standard of barley cultivar ‘Talovsky 9’

The nomenclatural standard of spring two-row barley cultivar ‘Talovsky 9’, bred by the Federal Government Budgetory Scientific Institution "Voronezh Federal Agricultural Scientific Centre named after V.V. Dokuchaev" (FGBSI "Voronezh FASC named after V.V. Dokuchaev") former V.V. Dokuchaev Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture of the Central Black Earth Zone was created.The pedigree of the 'Talovsky 9' barley cultivar includes the ‘Pervenets’ and ‘Donetsk 8’ cultivars, highly resistant to smut, and highly resistant to root rot cultivars the ‘Donetsk 8’ and ‘Preriya’. Cultivar ‘Talovsky 9’ was selected by the method of stepwise hybridization between productive and drought-resistant cultivars ‘Pervenets’, ‘Donetsk 8’, ‘Prairie’, followed by individual selection from the hybrid population F3. The barley cultivar 'Talovsky 9' is zoned in Belgorod, Voronezh, Kursk, Lipetsk and Tambov regions within the Central Black Earth region and was included in the State Register, State Register code 9610219 in 2007 (State Register…, 2023).The herbarium specimen of the nomenclatural standard of cultivar ‘Talovsky 9’ is presented on one herbarium sheet and has 2 sheets of doublet. All sheets contain entire plants in a state of milk stage collected at the Research and Production Base “Pushkin and Pavlovsk laboratories of the VIR”, ripe inflorescences and grains collected at the Voronezh Federal Agricultural Scientific Centre named after V.V. Dokuchaev. All specimens for the herbaria are plants grown from the same seeds generation.The nomenclatural standard was prepared in accordance with the recommendations of the International Code of Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants (ICNCP), registered in the VIR Herbarium database and were processed and accessioned to the Herbarium WIR. 

Collaboration networks in agricultural research in Uruguay: An exploration based on social network analysis

Scientific collaboration networks connect researchers across institutions and academic disciplines. Agricultural research involves multiple stakeholders and academic disciplines to address increasingly complex and diverse research agendas. However, the dynamics of collaboration and the patterns of interaction in the agricultural sciences have been little investigated. Uruguay has a rich tradition in agricultural research, but little is known about the ways in which institutional and interdisciplinary collaboration occur and have evolved recently. This article uses relational data from projects documented in researchers’ vitas (CVs) to examine patterns of collaboration in agricultural research in Uruguay during the period 2000–2017. Collaboration networks were explored with social network analysis (SNA) resulting in networks involving varied institutions and academic disciplines. An inter-institutional network with a center and periphery structure is revealed with long-standing science and technology centers as the fundamental nodes. Interdisciplinary collaborations show diversification over time with more academic fields involved in research projects in the agricultural sciences. Joint research between agricultural sciences and other academic fields to address complex current phenomena could benefit from increasing connections with multiple fields in the environmental, social, and health sciences. The study shows the usefulness of SNA and research project data to improve the understanding of collaboration patterns in agricultural research.

Influence of Microbial Enriched Organic Manures with Inorganic Nutrients on the Physiological Attributes and Yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

The present investigation was conducted to study the integrated use of microbial enriched organic manures with inorganic fertilizers on the physiological attributes of chickpea in the School of Agricultural Science, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore, India. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications, during the late rabi season of 2023. The outcome of the study delineates the substantial efficacy of treatment T5 (100% N: P2O5: K2O + Microbial enriched vermicompost @ 6 t ha-1) and T4 (100% N: P2O5: K2O + Microbial enriched FYM @12.5 t ha-1) in significantly augmenting the physiological growth and development of chickpea crop, resulting in an improved yield of 12.76 q ha-1 and 12.59 q ha-1 respectively.

Effect of Plant Spacing and Nutrient Levels on Growth and Yield of Red Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. rubra)

An experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of plant spacing and nutrient levels on the growth and yield of red cabbage. This experiment involved three distinct spacing configurations (45cmx30cm, 45cmx45cm, and 45cmx60cm) and nutrient levels (75% NPK, 100% NPK, and 125% NPK). The experiment was designed as a Factorial Randomized Block Design (FRCBD) and carried out at the Department of Horticulture, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru, during the 2021-22 period. This study infers that spacing and nutrients promote the vegetative growth of plants. The spacing configuration of 45cm X 60cm with 125% NPK resulted in the most significant outcomes, including the highest number of leaves (28.93), maximum plant height (36.71 cm), maximum fresh weight of the head (1421.80 g) and highest head volume (1360.19 cc) which could be because of wider spacing and higher nutrient doses. Conversely, the spacing configuration of 45cm X 30cm with 75% NPK demonstrated the early head initiation (45.60 days) and the most compact head formation (0.38). The highest yield per hectare (74.43 t) was achieved with the spacing configuration of 45cmx30cm using 125% NPK which improved greater availability of nutrients and, as a result, boosted the vegetative development.

In vitro and in vivo digestibility of prebiotic galactooligosacharides synthesized by β-galactosidase from Lactobacillus delbruecki subsp. bulgaricus CRL450.

The general assumption that prebiotics reach the colon without any alterations has been challenged. Some in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that 'non-digestible' oligosaccharides are digested to different degrees depending on their structural composition. In the present study, we compared different methods aiming to assess the digestibility of oligosaccharides synthesized by β-galactosidase (β-gal) of Lactobacillus delbruecki subsp. bulgaricus CRL450 (CRL450-β-gal) from lactose, lactulose and lactitol. In the simulated gastrointestinal fluid method, no changes were observed. However, the oligosaccharides synthesized by CRL450-β-gal were partially hydrolyzed in vitro, depending on their structure and composition, with rat small intestinal extract (RSIE) and small intestinal brush-border membrane vesicles (BBMV) from pig. Digestion of some oligosaccharides increased when mixtures were fed to C57BL/6 mice used as in vivo model; however, lactulose-oligosaccharides were the most resistant to the physiological conditions of mice. In general β (1→6) linked products showed higher resistance compared to β (1→3) oligosaccharides. In vitro digestion methods, without disaccharidases, may underestimate the importance of carbohydrates hydrolysis in the small intestine. Although BVMM and RSIE digestion assays are appropriate in vitro methods for these studies, in vivo studies remain the most reliable for understanding what actually happens in the digestion of oligosaccharides. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Investigating the Impacts of Wastewaters on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) Seed Germination and Growth

There is an opportunity for agriculture to utilize the many different waste streams in our world and capitalize on what would otherwise be viewed as waste products. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is an emerging technology for converting wet biomass to bio-crude oil, while aquaponics is a practice tracing back to indigenous communities around the world; both technologies have the potential to sustainably provide the necessary nutrients for crop growth. Food systems worldwide are actively transitioning to address the many challenges of climate change in a sustainable and efficient manner. Urban agriculture (UA) has the potential to generate localized crops in densely populated areas year-round, but has its challenges, involving high capital requirements, especially for vertical farming and controlled-environment agriculture, and being energy intensive due to artificial lighting and fossil fuel-based synthetic fertilizers. This study investigated the potential for aquaponic and HTL effluents to be used in hydroponic systems through a seed germination screening experiment. Buttercrunch lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seeds were placed in Ziploc plastic bags on paper towels saturated with the wastewater treatments for 10 days while their total length of growth was routinely measured from the tip of the root to the tip of the cotyledons. The Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (CHSAS) aquaponic effluent with a 5.8× times higher nitrate concentration and 4.25× higher ammonia concentration outperformed the Bevier aquaponic effluent and improved any other source water it was combined with. Results also showed that seed germination was not inhibited in the presence of 2–8% solutions of hydrothermal liquefaction aqueous phase (HTL-AP), which performed on par with standard hydroponic fertilizer; solutions of a higher percentage, though, may lead to inhibitory effects in plants, and those of a lower percentage may not provide enough nutrients in the proper forms to sustain plant growth. However, the nutrient analyses revealed that there is still much to investigate regarding the combination of wastewaters to provide a complete, well-rounded, and sustainable source for hydroponic crop production.

Influence of Phosphorus and Sulphur Levels on Economics and Yield of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) under the Eastern Zone of UP, India

The present study highlights the influence of Phosphorus and Sulphur Levels on Economics and Yield of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.): A Field Experiment yield of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L)". var. "ISF-764" was tested at Crop Research Farm during Rabi 2021–23. Ministry of Agriculture Sciences and technology United University, Prayagraj in the U.P. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) India ranks second in terms of planted area after food crops and is the world's fourth-largest producer of oilseeds in terms of output. The soil of the experimental plot had a sandy loam texture, was almost pH-neutral (7.5), had low organic carbon content (0.50%), and was readily available. N (228.59 kg/ha), available P (29.80 kg/ha) and available K (125.21 kg/ha). The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with nine treatments consists three level of S 20,30,40 kg/ha and three level of P 30,40,50 kg/ha with control (Farmer practice) were replicated thrice. Results obtained that higher plant height (173.33 cm), Number of branches (19.27), dry weight (117.89 g/day), yield attributes and yield viz., seed yield (2.20 t/ha), stover yield (2.98 t/ha) and Hi (42.44 %) were recorded with the application of 40 kg/ha S + 50 kg/ha P, economics viz. however, higher gross return (113804.07 INR/ha), net return (77799.97 INR/ha) and B:C ratio (2.16) was observed when 40 kg/ha S and 50 kg/ha P were applied. Application of 40 kg/ha S with 50 kg/ha P was therefore more productive and financially viable. It is concluded that treatment T9 with application of S 40 kg/ha + P 50 kg/ha was found to be the best that recorded highest plant height, number of capitulam / plant , dry weight (g), panicle length, number of panicles, number of grains per panicle, seed yield, straw yield, test weight and harvest index.

Soil and Foliar Application of Zn and Fe Impact on Growth, Grain Yield and Seed Quality of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

A field experiment was conducted in kharif season of 2021-22 at Village Nuapur, Tal. Sadar, Dist.Balasore, (Odisha) through Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry College of Agriculture, Badnapur, VNMKV, Parbhani, with an objective to study the Soil and foliar application of zinc and iron impact on growth, grain yield and seed quality of rice (Oryza sativa L.).The treatment were tested in  Randomized Block Design (RBD) with 4 replications i.e., T1-RDF, T2-RDF+Nano Zn(0.5% foliar spray at 30 DAS ) , T3-RDF+Nano Fe (0.5% foliar spray at 30 DAS) , T4-RDF + Nano Fe+Nano Zn(0.5% foliar spray at 30 DAS) , T5- RDF + ZnSO4 (25 kg ha-1 soil application),T6-RDF+FeSO4(25 kg ha-1 soil application), T7-RDF+ZnSO4+FeSO4(25 kg ha-1 soil application).The result emerged out clearly indicated the significantly higher plant height (128.2 cm) was noted at harvest stage with treatment T7: RDF+ZnSO4+FeSO4 (25 kg ha-1 soil application) among all treatments. Significantly higher number of tillers plants-1 (16.5), effective tillers per square meter (337), panicle length (31.2cm) and number of grains per panicle (188) maximum grain and straw yield of rice (47.9 and 62.5 q ha-1)  at harvest stage were recorded in T4 : RDF+ Nano Fe + Nano Zn (0.5%foliar spray at 30 DAS. In grain quality the maximum test weight (24.2g), highest starch content (86.4%) was obtained with treatment T4: RDF + Nano Fe + Nano  Zn(0.5%foliar spray at 30 DAS).

Optimization of Crop Establishment Methods and Phosphorus Fertilizer Levels on Growth and Economic Efficiency of Groundnut under Semi-Arid Region of Afghanistan

An experiment was conducted at the farm of Afghanistan National Agricultural Science and Technology University (ANASTU), Kandahar Province, Afghanistan in cropping season of 2020 to investigate the Optimization of Crop Establishment methods and Phosphorus Fertilizer levels on Growth and Economic Efficiency of Groundnut under Semi-arid region of Afghanistan. The experimentation was conducted in split-plot design with 15 treatment combinations and replicated thrice. main-plot consisted of crop establishment methods, viz. ridge and furrow (RF), broad bed and furrow (BBF) and flatbed (FB), while the sub-plots comprised of phosphorus levels, viz. absolute control, 20, 40, 60 and 80 kg P2O5/ ha. The results of the investigation revealed that the growth parameters in terms of plant height in and leave area were highest in BBF, followed by FB and minimum was in RF. Adoption of BBF recorded significantly higher gross return (238928 AFN/ha), net return (202728 AFN/ha) and net benefit cost of ratio (5.2) were in Broad Bed and Furrow, followed in ridged and furrow and the minimum was in flat bed method. It can be concluded, cultivating of groundnut with Broad Bed and Furrow with application of 60 kg P2O5/ha was found beneficial for reaching higher productivity and profitability under semi-arid region of Afghanistan.

An exploration of early career agricultural and natural resource scientists’ perceptions of social responsibility

First Report of Tomato Yellow Mottle-Associated Virus Infecting Tobacco in China.

Tomato yellow mottle-associated virus (TYMaV) belongs to the genus Cytorhabdovirus in the family Rhabdoviridae and has been reported to infect a variety of Solanaceae crops, such as Solanum lycopersicum, S. nigrum, Capsicum annuum and Nicotiana benthamiana (Li et al. 2022, Li et al. 2023, Xu et al. 2017, Zhou et al. 2019). In August 2022, about 500 out of 2000 tobacco (N. tabacum) plants showing leaf distortion, crinkling and mosaic symptoms were found in one tobacco growing field in Xingren City, Guizhou Province, China. To identify the causal pathogen(s), leaves from 20 symptomatic tobacco plants were collected and pooled to perform small RNA deep sequencing (sRNA-Seq) and assembly. Briefly, total RNA was extracted with TRIzol Reagent (Takara, Kusatsu, Japan). A small RNA cDNA library was constructed by the small RNA Sample Pre Kit. sRNA-Seq was performed with an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform. About 29 million reads were obtained and 334 contigs generated after removal of host-derived sequences. Among them, 31 unique contigs mapped to the TYMaV genome (NC_034240.1), covering 28.43% of the genome with the mean read coverage of 0.92%. Meanwhile, 226 contigs mapped to the genome of a potyvirus, chilli veinal mottle virus (ChiVMV, NC_005778.1), covering 88.79% of the genome with the mean read coverage of 0.83%. To verify the sRNA-Seq result for TYMaV identification, reverse transcription (RT)- PCR was performed with specific primers TYMaV-F (5'-CTGACGTAGTGTTGGCAGAT-3') and TYMaV-R (5'-AACCTCCATGCAGAACCATGG-3'). The expected-size 936-bp fragment was amplified from total RNA of all 20 samples. Dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (Dot-ELISA) with antibody for TYMaV (kindly provided by Dr. Zhenggang Li from Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences) were performed and further verified TYMaV infection. In addition, five asymptomatic tobacco plants from the same field as controls were used to detect TYMaV by RT-PCR and Dot-ELISA, and all samples showed negative test results. Subsequently, 17 primer pairs (Supplementary Table 1) were used to obtain the full-length sequence of TYMaV from a single positive tobacco sample by RT-PCR, followed by Sanger sequencing at Sangon Biotech (Shanghai, China). The resulting amplicon sequences were assembled into a nearly full-length genome sequence of a TYMaV isolate from tobacco in Guizhou (TYMaV-GZ). BLASTn analysis of the 13, 393 nt-long sequence (GeneBank accession number, PP444718) revealed 84.7% and 87.2% nt sequence identity with the TYMaV tomato isolate (KY075646.1) and the TYMaV S. nigrum isolate (MW527091.1), respectively. Moreover, five S. nigrum plants showing leaf crinkling and mosaic symptoms from tobacco fields tested positive for TYMaV by RT-PCR assay, suggesting a potential spread of TYMaV between tobacco and S. nigrum, which may serve as a reservoir for the virus in the tobacco fields. However, the transmission route of TYMaV remains unknown, and further verification is needed. To our knowledge, this is the first report of TYMaV infecting tobacco crop in China. It will be important to assess the potential economic importance of TYMaV to tobacco production in China and elsewhere, and to elucidate the respective roles of this virus and ChiVMV in the leaf distorting and yellowing symptoms.

Sustainability and the Food Industry: A Bibliometric Analysis

The food industry has significantly expanded and become globalized due to the growth of the economies of many countries and an increasing world population. The industry is consequently facing major sustainability challenges. Food, which is critical to the existence of humanity and is affected by the world’s ecosystems and human intervention, is a fundamental issue within academic research, especially in terms of sustainability. Using a bibliometric approach, this paper analyzed studies on sustainability in the food industry in the context of the most cited articles, trends in the number of articles, most influential journals, most influential authors, most productive and influential institutions and countries, and future research directions. The software tools Bibliometrix 3.1.4 R-package and VOSviewer 1.6.18.0 were used together to analyze the dataset, which was obtained from the Web of Science database. The results indicated that Sustainability, Journal of Cleaner Production, and Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems are the most important journals in this field, with the greatest number of articles published. Analyses of the network and overlay visualization of keyword co-occurrences identified six different research clusters. Since climate change and food security issues are in alignment with each other, sustainable food chains and social aspects are an important cross-cutting area of research. The results showed that future research should be multi-disciplinary and involve adjacent fields, including agriculture, agroecology, and climate science. There is also a need for research in the field of economic and social sustainability in the food industry. Studying the research topics found in the thematic map analysis, such as the effect of a sustainable diet on the food chain and the relationships among the agri-food system, sustainable agriculture, sustainable food systems, and sustainability of the food chain, is recommended for future research.

Queen Bee Rearing Trials: Making the Hive to the Production of Queen Cells

With a view to implementing a method of producing and breeding bees to ensure their increase in hives, replace aging queens and create new colonies in the event of desertion, an experimental study of breeding trials of queens of the bees were conducted in the C2GA beekeeping farm (Gassana Gafolai Cooperative of Affem Boussou) in the prefecture of Tchamba, canton of Affem, located 18 km from the town of Tchamba to the East (in the Central region). Given the time of the research internship which was granted to us for the writing of our dissertation with a view to obtaining the Professional License in Agricultural Sciences, this experience only lasted three (03) months. She particularly took into account the first stages of breeding: from the manufacture of the hive to the production of the queen cells. The last stage, which concerns the production of queens, was not reached due to an unfavorable beekeeping season and lack of time. The experiment was carried out on ten (10) Dadant-type hives subjected to three (03) methodologies and distributed as follows: two (02) hives for the grafting method, three (03) hives for the Alley method and five (05) hives for the natural method. The results obtained were more conclusive with the natural method. In fact, only the natural method allowed us to obtain queen cells. This study must be summarized and continued during the different honey flow periods and extended to other farms to better facilitate the choice of the best method of production and breeding of queen bees adapted to Togo.

Evaluation of Mulberry Germplasm for Growth and Yield Parameters during Different Seasons

Evaluation of mulberry germplasm for growth and yield parameters was carried out during the rainy and winter seasons of 2019-2020 in the Department of Sericulture, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru-65. The experimental material for the present study comprised of Seventy-one mulberry accessions and two check varieties M5 and V1. Among Seventy-one mulberry accessions evaluated the leaf yield of different genotypes differed significantly among different seasons. Among the elite mulberry genotypes, no single genotype was superior in respect of all the traits in different seasons. However, during rainy and winter season MI-232 and MI-143 recorded highest leaf yield.

First Report of Chocolate Spot Caused by Botrytis eucalypti on Faba bean in China.

Faba bean (Vicia faba) is one of the characteristic economic crops in Qinghai Province of China, which has multiple uses as grain, vegetable, fodder, fertilizer and medicine. Chocolate spot is a critical disease of faba bean in the world, and it is widely spread in all production areas of Qinghai. In August 2021, a severe occurrence of chocolate spot was found in a faba bean field in Xunhua County, Qinghai Province (35°52'N, 102°22'E, alt. 1890m). All plants in the field were affected by this disease. A voucher specimen was deposited in the Herbarium of Plant Pathology, College of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences at Qinghai University under accession No. PY015. The pathogen infected the leaves and stems, causing small irregular red spots to appear, which later coalesce into larger spots and faded green lesions appear around the spots. Diseased leaf pieces 5 mm2 were surface sterilized with 75% ethyl alcohol for 30s, 1.2% NaOCl for 30s, and rinsed three times with sterile water. They were then plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 22℃ for 10 days in the dark. Fungal colonies are initially white, then gray, and have produced spores by 5 days. Conidia are clusters, ellipsoidal or ovoid, 9-14 × 6-9 μm. The conidiophore is straight, terminally enlarged, septate, 300-1500 μm long, 8-13 μm wide. No sclerotia were observed during culture. DNA of the strain PY015 was extracted by CTAB method. Molecular identification was first performed using the universal region of ITS (ITS1/ITS4). The PCR product was sequenced, the sequence was deposited in GenBank under the accession number OR739575. The results showed 100% similarity to Botrytis spp. (KX301016, MT250940, LC519322) in BLAST search. Molecular characterization was continued using five specific primer pairs: RPB2 (DNA-dependent RNA polymerase subunit II, RPB2-5F/RPB2-7cR), NEP1 and NEP2 (necrosis and ethylene-inducing proteins, NEP1for/ NEP1revB and NEP2forD/NEP2revD), HSP60 (heat-shock protein 60, HSP60for/HSP60rev), G3PDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, G3PDHfor/G3PDHrev). The sequences of PY015 were deposited in GenBank (accession numbers: OR731179, OR731180, OR731181, OR731182, OR731183), and all five sequences showed 100% similarity to Botrytis eucalypti YZU171088 (accession numbers: MH614610 MH614611, MH614612, MH614613 MH614614). A phylogenetic tree based on these five genes was constructed using Mega7.0 (1000 bootstrap replicates, neighbor-joining method), and PY015 was placed in the same clade as YZU171088 with 100% bootstrap values. Morphological and molecular biological results confirmed that isolate PY015 was B. eucalypti. To fulfill Koch's postulates, the spore suspension (2 × 105 conidia/ml) was sprayed on healthy faba bean (Yun-122) plants at the 10-leaf stage, while an equal amount of sterile distilled water was applied to controls. After 7 days, the inoculated plants showed symptoms consistent with field infection and B. eucalypti was re-isolated using the same protocol, while the control remained asymptomatic. The pathogenicity test was repeated twice. The same isolates were recovered from symptomatic leaves and identified by NEP1 sequence. B. eucalypti was morphologically and molecularly identical to the original isolates, completing Koch's postulates. Currently, Botrytis fabae, Botrytis fabiopsis, and Botrytis cinerea are the main pathogens of chocolate spot on faba bean that have been identified and reported nationally and internationally. B. eucalypti is a new species discovered from eucalyptus in southern China in 2016, and its current hosts are only eucalyptus and citrus. To our knowledge, the present study is the first report of chocolate spot caused by B. eucalypti on faba bean in China.

Factors Influencing Undergraduate Students Toward Choosing a New Course


 Although course choice may shape students’ academic futures, with some new courses, few students may register, resulting in course cancellation, lost student opportunities, and wasted faculty effort. The study aimed to explore the attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control factors influencing students’ decisions to enroll in a new course. A QualtricsÒ survey, using a 7-point Likert scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) and open-ended questions, was distributed by email to undergraduate students (>18 years) enrolled in the fall 2021 semester within a college of agriculture and life sciences. Of respondents (n = 84), most agreed or strongly agreed that interest in the subject matter and favorable attitudes toward the instructor influenced their decision to enroll in a new course. In the context of social norms, respondents were most influenced by advisor recommendations, a course workload that would not excessively interfere with their social activities, and having friends say positive things about the professor. Within perceived behavioral control, the highest levels of agreement were related to the course helping them complete requirements for their major and graduation. In conclusion, faculty may want to consider influential factors impacting students’ new course selection when undertaking course development. 

Effect of Plant Density on Mechanical Harvest Efficiency of New Mexico Pod-type Green Chile Pepper

Summary. New Mexico green pod-type chile (Capsicum annuum) has significant importance as a vegetable crop. The cultivation and trade of New Mexico pod-type green chile are culturally significant within New Mexico (USA) and contribute to the state’s economy by providing income and employment to farmers and through supporting industries. However, because of the high cost and limited availability of labor, New Mexico pod-type green chile acreage has declined. Traditionally, New Mexico pod-type green chile is hand-harvested when the fruit are full-size but physiologically immature. To preserve and expand the production of New Mexico pod-type green chile, the adoption of mechanical harvest technologies is essential. In 2015 and 2016, experiments were conducted at New Mexico State University’s Los Lunas Agricultural Science Center (Los Lunas, NM, USA) to examine the effects of increased planting density on New Mexico pod-type green chile fruit size, plant architecture, and mechanical harvest efficiency. Two commercial New Mexico pod-type green chile cultivars, NuMex Joe E. Parker and AZ-1904, were direct-seeded on 17 Apr 2015 and 14 Apr 2016. On 11 Jun 2015 and 14 Jun 2016, three plant density treatments were implemented at 39,000 (high), 23,000 (medium), and 15,000 (standard) plants/acre. Before harvest, plant measurements, including height, width, height to first bifurcation, stem diameter, and number of lateral basal branches, were obtained. Plots were mechanically harvested using an inclined double helix harvester, and harvested material was sorted into marketable green fruit, machine-broken fruit, and nonpod plant material. Fruit measurements, including fruit weight, width, length, pericarp thickness, and number of locules, were obtained. Both cultivars exhibited a 9% increase in height to bifurcation accompanied by fewer basal branches grown at high density. Plant density did not significantly affect the fruit length, width, number of locules, and pericarp thickness. Plants grown at high density had an increased percentage of marketable fruit, with ‘NuMex Joe E. Parker’ having a higher percentage of marketable green fruit compared to ‘AZ-1904’. The results demonstrated that an increase in planting density in production fields to 39,000 plants/acre coupled with cultivar selection enhanced efficiency in a mechanical harvest system.

Implementing an S/U Undergraduate Research Course in a College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

Undergraduate research experiences provide engaging learning opportunities but are often not formally assessed for gains in knowledge and skills. This study examined undergraduate research assessment practices and the implementation of a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) research course in all academic units within a college of agricultural and life sciences. During the 2013-2014 academic year, students registered for a letter-graded research course, and supervising faculty were surveyed regarding assessment practices. Based on survey responses, an S/U 0-3 credit research course and syllabus template were implemented and subsequently evaluated in the 2015 and 2020 fall semesters. At baseline, most students did not receive a syllabus (87%) but were informed of expectations (89%); grades were determined by attendance and participation, findings confirmed by faculty respondents. Following implementation, 58% agreed or strongly agreed that they were more likely to participate in research with a 0-credit option (78%) and that having research on their transcript was important (89%). By 2020, 64% of respondents preferred a 0-credit option. Receiving a syllabus continued to be uncommon. S/U-grading of undergraduate research may be most appropriate for participatory-based assessment; however, steps are needed to promote the 0-credit option and ensure syllabi use for transparency of expectations and assessment criteria.

Study of genetic variations of oat varieties under insufficient and insufficient irrigation

A field experiment was carried out in the fields belonging to the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering Sciences /University of Baghdad-Jadriya during the season 2020-2021 in order to study the genetic variations of varieties of oats under lack of irrigation. The experiment was carried out using the design of complete random sectors and the distribution of splintered panels and two factors, the first was the treatment of irrigation at the arrival of humidity ( 50%, 25% and 10%), while the second factor was the varieties (Genzania, Anatolia, plmulao Algoda and healing ) the experiment was carried out three times. The results showed that the third irrigation level exceeded the number of days of planting up to 75% flowering in the second irrigation treatment gave the highest averages for all other qualities studied, and the V4 variety gave the highest average for all qualities except for the weight of 250 grains. . While there was a significant significant difference for the second irrigation level in the values of genetic variation for all accuracy except for the single trait, while we note that accuracy is the number of branches and the total number of branches only and it was highly effective at the first irrigation level. Later, the effect was good at the second irrigation level. The difference is in appearance. It is noted that the values at the second level of road types, except for the obtained characteristic and the nature ratio, gave the second level of irrigation the highest average for most types of resistance. Why is it not different from what was mentioned above, which did not adopt a study of scientific variations in the expected researchers, as you would expect, the second irrigation and the V4 variety, which recorded the highest averages for the characteristics that were studied.