Agronomic Research Research Articles

Effect of Different Crop Establishment Methods and Weed Management Practices on Growth Indices and Yield of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The field experiment was conducted on Agronomy research farm of Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology Kumarganj Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh, India) during Kharif season 2021 and 2022. The experiment was laid out in split-plot-design with three replications. Four establishment methods viz., Direct seeded rice, Drum seeder technique, Transplanted rice and System of rice intensification (SRI) were taken in main plot, and six weed management practices viz., Penoxsulam 22.5 g ha-1 at 2-3 leaf stage of weeds DAS/DAT, Penoxsulam 22.5 g ha-1 at 2-3 leaf stage of weeds fb one hand weeding at 35 DAS/DAT, Bispyribac sodium (10%) 25 g a.i. ha-1 at 15 DAS/DAT, Bispyribac sodium (10%) 25 g a.i. ha-1 at 15 DAS/DAT fb one hand weeding at 35 DAS/DAT, Weed free (Two hand weeding) and Weedy check in sub plot. Result revealed that significantly higher crop growth rate, relative growth rate, absolute growth rate, net assimilation rate and grain yield was recorded in system of rice intensification (SRI) during both the years of investigation. Among the weed management practices, higher value recorded with spray of Bispyribac sodium (10%) 25 g a.i. ha-1 at 15 days after sowing/days after transplanting fb one hand weeding at 35 DAS/DAT.

Effect of Fertility Levels and Weed Management Practices on Weed Species and Weed Dry Matter Accumulation

The present investigation was conducted at Agronomy Research Farm, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya (U.P.) during Rabi season of 2019-20. The experiment was laid out in Factorial Randomized block design with three replications keeping four fertility levels viz., 100% RDF-IF (150 kg/h), 125% RDF-IF (25% through FYM), 100% RDF + 25%RDN through FYM, 75%RDF-IF+25%RDN through FYM and four weed management practices Weedy Check, Weed free up to 60 days, Sulfosulfuron @ 30 g/h + Carfentazole @ 20 g/h, Clodinafoppropagynol(60 g) + metsulfuron(4 g)=(64 g/h). Results revealed that among fertility levels application of 125% RDF-IF (25% through FYM) and in weed management practices weed free followed by125% RDF-IF (25% through FYM)+Clodinafoppropagynol (60 g) + metsulfuron (4 g)=(64 g/h) a.i ha-1 proved as superior than other treatments with respect to weed population, nutrient loss by weed, dry matter accumulation in weed, was found with the application of 125% RDF-IF (25% through FYM) and weed free treatment combination.

Estimation of the economic threshold of Leptochloa chinensis (Chinese sprangletop) in direct-seeded fine grain rice (Oryza sativa)

: Leptochloa chinensis (L.) Nees (Chinese sprangletop) is a weed that is becoming a serious threat in upland and lowland rice. A field study was conducted at the Agronomic Research Farm, University of Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan, during the summer seasons of 2018 and 2019 to evaluate the effect of L. chinensis density on the yield of direct-seeded fine rice. Treatments comprised of L. chinensis densities of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 plants m-2, and the experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replications of each treatment. The results suggest that the presence of L. chinensis significantly hampered the grain yield of direct-seeded rice. Weed infestation caused 63% and 69% yield losses where 25 L. chinensis plants m-2 were sustained in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Yield reduction was due to the reduction in 1000-grain weight (22.9 and 29.1%), number of tillers m-2 (65.8 and 60.0%), and number of grains panicle-1 (53.3 and 60%) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The highest weed infestation (25 plants m-2) produced the highest weed dry biomass (687 and 669 g m-2), N uptake (19.3 and 19.3 kg ha-1), P uptake (1.92 and 2.32 kg ha-1), and K uptake (20.53 and 20.27 kg ha-1) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The lowest weed infestation (5 plants m-2) produced minimum weed dry biomass (47 and 85 g m-2), N uptake (1.6 and 2.9), P uptake (0.3 and 0.5), and K uptake (1.7 and 30 kg ha-1) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The economic threshold of L. chinensis as estimated to cause 6.73% and 6.08% yield loss by the prediction model was 1.70 and 1.73 plants m-2 during 2018 and 2019, respectively. It can be concluded that L. chinensis is a serious weed in direct-seeded rice and it should be controlled when its density reaches 1.70-1.73 plants m-2 to avoid significant yield losses.

Effect of Crop Establishment Methods and Fertility Management on Growth Parameters of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

An experiment was conducted at Agronomy Research Farm of Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) during Kharif season 2021 -22 in order to study the effect of crop establishment methods under fertility management on growth parameters of rice. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications. The treatment consisted of four crop establishment methods i.e., (M1) Transplanting rice (Conventional) (M2) Direct seeded rice by line sowing (Conventional) (M3) Drum seeded method under puddled condition (M4) System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method kept in main plots .However, four nitrogen levels viz, (N1) 100% RDF (150: 60:40 kg N:P:K ha -1), (N2) 75% RDF +25% RDN through FYM, (N3) 75 % RDF + 25% RDN through Vermi-compost, (N4) 50 % RDF + 25 % RDN through V.C. + 25% RDN through FYM allotted the in sub plots. This way there was made 16treatment combinations. As per the results the values of growth parameters viz. plant height (cm), number of tillers m-2, dry matter accumulation (m-2) and leaf area index of rice were increased significantly with system of rice intensification (SRI) method followed by transplanting method. However, in fertility management the application of 100% RDF (150: 60:40 N: P: K kg ha -1)) recorded the maximum plant height, dry matter accumulation, no of tillers, leaf area index, CGR, RGR, NAR, AGR and LAR, which was at par with the application of 75 % RDF + 25% RDN through Vermi- compost and significantly superior over rest of the treatments.

Effects of Nutrient Management on Growth Indices and Grain Yield of Different Crop Establishment Methods in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

A field experiment was conducted during two consecutive Kharif seasons, 2021 and 2022 at Agronomy Research Farm, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh, India) to assess the effect of crop establishment methods and nutrient management on growth indices and yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.). The experiment was conducted in split plot design which comprised of four crop establishment methods. There are: M1 transplanting (Conventional); M2 direct seeded rice; M3 drum seeded rice and M4 broadcasting sprouted seed under puddled condition were kept in main plot while five nutrient management practices were kept in sub plot. They are: N0 Control; N1 Recommended dose of fertilizer (150:60:40 kg/ha NPK); N2: RDF + Zn@5kg/ha; N3: RDF + S@40 kg/ha; N4: RDF + Zn + S (@5 + 40 kg/ha). The experiment was replicated three times. Significantly higher crop growth rate, absolute growth rate, relative growth rate and net assimilation rate growth and grain yield was recorded in transplanting methods during both the years of investigation. Among the nutrients management; higher value of all the growth indices and grain yield was recorded in 150:60:60 kg/ha NPK + Zn (5 kg/ha) + Sulphur (40 kg/ha).

Growth, Yield and Economics of Irrigated Green Gram (Vigna radiata .L) as Influenced by Inorganic Fertilizer and Various Organic Inputs

A field experiment was conducted at agronomy research farm of Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore during rabi season 2022 in order to look into the influence by inorganic fertilizer and various organic inputs on the crop growth and yield compared to organic fertilizer in greengram under irrigation. The experiment comprised of ten treatments viz. T1 : Absolute control, T2 : Vermicompost 100% + 2% Cowdung slurry, T3 : Vermicompost 100% + 2% biomineralizer,T4 : Vermicompost 100% + 2% EM solution, T5 : Vermicompost 100% + 2% pleurotus sp, T6 : Vermicompost 50% + RDF 50% + 2% Cowdung slurry, T7 : Vermicompost 50% + RDF 50% + 2% biomineralizer, T8 : Vermicompost 50% + RDF 50% + EM solution, T9 : Vermicompost 50% + RDF 50% + pleurotus sp and T10 : RDF alone were arranged in Randomized Block Design and replicated three times. Data was collected in 20, 40 DAS and at harvest stage of greengram crop. Results in all the growth parameters, yield and its attributes and economics had a significant influence under the inorganic fertilizer (100% RDF). The plant height (65.8 cm), dry matter accumulation (3871 kg ha-1) and number of pods/plant (12.32), number of grains/pod (7.2), grain yield (981 kg ha -1), haulm yield (2538 kg ha -1) of greengram were recorded in T10. On the basis of economics, the maximum gross returns (Rs.68670 ha -1), net returns (Rs. 39441 ha -1) and B: C ratio (2.34) was recorded under treatment (100% RDF).

‘Nachit’, a wild‐relative‐derived durum wheat resilient to climate change in Morocco

AbstractMorocco, in North Africa, is a country vastly exposed to the whims of climate change, with frequent moisture and heat stresses occurring throughout the season. Hence, developing climate‐resilient, high‐yielding, and nutritious cultivars of durum wheat [Triticum turgidum L. durum (Desf.)] is a major goal and challenge of Moroccan crop breeders. In that sense, the exploitation of crop wild relatives (CWRs) holds great potential to increase genetic diversity for critical adaptation traits. ‘Nachit’ (Reg. no. CV‐1202, PI 702365) is a CWR‐derived durum wheat cultivar released in 2018 for cultivation in Morocco by a joint effort of the National Institute of Agronomic Research, Morocco and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas. Nachit was released due to its good adaptation to the Moroccan dry conditions combined with high yield potential under irrigated conditions, extremely large grains, and richness in protein content. It also combines several traits for drought tolerance such as earliness and deep root system. Nachit was derived from a top cross between two elite lines and a wild emmer [T. turgidum ssp. dicoccoides] collected in Syria. Hence, it provides a substantial example of exploitation of CWRs to achieve a superior cultivar adapted to the climatic stresses and responding to human needs.

Influence of Different Tillage and Nutrient Management Practices on Growth Performance of Direct Seeded Rice

The experiment entitled “Impact of different tillage and nutrient management strategies on productivity and profitability of direct seeded rice (Oryza sativa L.)” was conducted in an ongoing trial at the Agronomical Research Farm (plot no. 5) of Tirhut College of Agriculture, Dholi (RPCAU, Pusa) during Kharif 2019. The experiment was laid out in a ‘split-plot design’ with tillage practices under main plot treatments and nutrient management practices as subplot treatments. The results revealed that both tillage and nutrient management practices significantly influenced all the growth parameters of rice. Significantly higher plant height, no. of tillers/m2, dry matter production and superior CGR at all the stages of crop growth were recorded in Zero tillage + Residue management over conventional tillage among tillage practices which was statistically at par with Zero tillage and in SSNM based on Nutrient expert over RDF among nutrient management treatments which was statistically at par with 60 % RDN + GSGN + 100% PK of RDF. Zero tillage + Residue management and Zero tillage increased the grain yield of direct seeded rice to the tune of 14.03 and 10.15 per cent over Conventional tillage, respectively. While SSNM based on Nutrient expert and 60 % RDN + GSGN + 100% PK of RDF increased grain yield of direct seeded rice to the tune of 14.91 and 12.07 per cent over RDF, respectively.

Effect of different Doses and Time of Applications of Topramezone on Weed Dynamics, Growth and Yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in Bihar (India)

Aims: To study the different levels of doses and time applications of topramezone on weed, growth and yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in Bihar.
 Place and Duration of Study: Agronomy research farm of Tirhut College of Agriculture, Dholi, Muzaffarpur (Bihar), during the rabi 2020-21.
 Methodology: The experiment was carried out in an RBD design with three replications and ten treatments: topramezone (20.6 and 25.7 g/ha) applied at 14, 21, and 28 DAS, and quizalofop-p-ethyl (100 g/ha) applied at 25 DAS as post-emergence (PoE), pre-emergence (PE) application of valor 1000 g/ha + one hand weeding (HW) at 30 DAS, weed-free control (WFC), and weedy check.
 Results: PE application of valor 1000 g/ha + one HW 30 DAS recorded maximum plant height, number of branches/plants, plant dry matter, seed and straw yield while registered lowest weed dry weight and WCE as compared to all other herbicide treatments. Among all PoE-treated treatments, spray of topramezone (25.7 g/ha) after 21 days of sowing recorded maximum of all these growth parameters at harvest and lowest weed dry matter and highest WCE as compared to other PoE applications.

Impact of Foliar Application of Boron on Productivity of Different Varieties of Triticum aestivum L

Wheat is a common staple crop in Pakistan and it is also a major component of most people's daily diets. Pakistan is ranked eighth in the world for wheat production. The fifth major factor affecting crop yields is a lack of micronutrient availability. A field experiment was carried to determine the impact of foliar application of boron on the productivity of different varieties of wheat at Agronomic Research Farm, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad during Rabi season in 2020-21. The crop was sown by hand drill in plots with a net size of 6.5 m × 1.8 m. The experiment was comprised of 12 treatments in randomized complete block factorial design with two factors i.e. V1: Ghazi 2019, V2: Akbar 2019, V3: Anaj 2017, and four boron levels i.e. B0: 0g ha-1, B1: 50g ha-1, B2: 60g ha-1 and B3: 70g ha-1. The source of boron was boric acid which contains 5% B. Significantly the plant height (7.46%), productive tillers (6.01%), spike length (24.18%), number of spikelets per spike (35.53%), number of grains per spike (42.32%), 1000-grain weight (19.44%), grain yield (22.15%), biological yield (24.33%), harvest index (3.63%) increased as compared to control in wheat variety Akbar 2019 where 70 g ha-1 boron was applied at booting, flowering and milking stages. Recommended from observations that 70g ha-1 boron at the booting, flowering and milking stages is helpful for achieving a higher economic yield of wheat.

Effects of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) density under rice-cassava intercropping in the west of Côte d’Ivoire

In western Côte d’Ivoire, the rice-based cropping system is characterized by cassava intercropping where the rice yield decreases with high densities of cassava. Hence, the need to determine the optimum densities of the associated crops. A trial was set up on plateau soil (Ferralsol) at the main research station of National Center of Agronomic Research in Man city (western Côte d’Ivoire). Five cropping systems were compared in a Fisher experimental design: single rice cropping, single cassava cropping, and three densities of cassava associated with rice (20cm×20cm). The main observations were focused on respective agronomic data of rice and cassava, including yields, land equivalent ratios and area-time equivalent ratios. The results showed rice grain yield decreasing from 1.78–0.81t ha-1 with the increasing density of cassava yielding between 22.39–34.68t ha-1. The optimum density of cassava was 3333 plants/ha (3m×1m) for yield and LER (>1) coefficient while the ATER ratio was always low (<1) and the difference between cropping cycles was observed. Exploring new calculation methods of the ATER for cassava-rice association was recommended as a future research topic.

Sustainable production of bread wheat using laser land levelling and sowing methods as potent regulators of carbon sequestration, fuel consumption and water use in the arid environment of Bahawalpur, Pakistan

AbstractExcessive use of water in wheat is associated with high fuel consumption and the emission of carbon dioxide into the environment. This study was conducted with the objectives to decrease water use and the associated fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions and to improve the productivity of wheat on a sustainable basis using LASER levelling and sowing methods as potent modulators of these adversities. The experiment was conducted in the research area of the Agronomic Research Station Bahawalpur over 3 years using a split‐plot experimental design and four replications. Treatments contained LASER levelling in the main plot (L0 = no LASER levelling, L1 = LASER levelling) and sowing methods in split plots (S1 = broadcast, S2 = ridge sowing and S3 = drill sowing). Less water use, fuel consumption and emission of carbon dioxide were quantified under ‘LASER levelling’ and under ‘ridge sowing’ compared to other treatments. Regarding wheat crop productivity, the same treatment combination (LASER levelling and ridge sowing) resulted in more fertile tillers, grains per spike, 1000‐grain weight and grain yield. Therefore, we concluded that ‘LASER levelling’ and ‘ridge sowing’ have the potential to reduce the cost involved and environmental pollution (by reducing fuel consumption) and improve water use efficiency, grain yield and yield components of wheat compared to other treatments. Moreover, strong negative associations of water use, fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions with the grain yield of wheat were recorded.

Genetic Divergence on Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Genotypes Grown under Late Sown Conditions

In the current experiment, 102 chickpea.germplasm showed wide range of variation for various characters were evaluated during Rabi 2017-18 along with BG 372, Udai and Pant G 186 as checks varieties in Augmented Block Design at Agronomy Research Farm of Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Narendra Nagar (Kumarganj), Ayodhya (U.P.). The observations were recorded on 11 quantitative characters viz., days to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity, primary branches per plant, secondary branches per plant, plant height (cm), pods per plant, seeds per pod, biological yield per plant (g), seed yield per plant (g), harvest index (%) and 100-seed weight (g). A statistical investigation of each character's genetics yielded a number of results. Higher seed yield per plant was generated by genotypes GJG 1416, followed by BG 256, GJG 1416, PhuleG0819. Seed yield per plant had positive and extremely significant associations with secondary branches per plant, pods per plant, seeds per pod, biological yield per plant, harvest index, and 100-seed weight. Primary branches per plant were shown to have positive significant associations with seed output per plant, where as plant height was determined to be non-significant. It showed a poor, non-significant correlation with the number of days until 50% blooming and the number of days till maturity. Biological yield per plant (g) and the Harvest index were found to be significant direct components of seed yield per plant by path analysis. The traits mentioned above that were significant direct and indirect components ought to be taken into account when creating a chickpea selection strategy that would produce high yielding varieties. The 11 clusters formed in divergence analysis contained genotypes of heterogeneous origin there by indicating no parallelism between genetic and geographic diversity. In this context, the maximum inter-cluster distance was recorded between cluster X and XI (12.201) followed by cluster III and XI (11.254), cluster VI and XI (11.125) and cluster VII and XI (10.875). Therefore, crosses between members of cluster separated by high inter-cluster distances are likely to throw desirable segregants.

Effect of Nitrogen Doses in Boro Rice Grown with Variable Levels of Floating Duckweed

An experiment was carried out at the Agronomy Research Farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka during the period from November 2018 to June 2019 to study the nitrogen requirement of boro rice grown with floating duckweed. The experiment was laid out in a Factorial Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The treatments were duckweed: viz. D0 = Control (0 g duckweeds m-2), D1 = 200 g duckweeds m-2, D2 = 400 g duckweeds m-2 and D3 = 600 g duckweeds m-2) and nitrogen treatment: N1 = 45 kg N ha-1, N2 = 90 kg N ha-1 and N3 = 180 kg N ha-1). Different doses of duckweeds showed significant influence on most of the parameters of which D2 (400 g duckweeds m-2) treatment the best performance on growth and yield parameters of rice. Among different doses of nitrogen, N2 (90 kg N ha-1) gave the best results on growth and yield parameters of rice. In case of combined effect, D2N2 showed the highest number of tillers hill-1 (16.40), dry weight hill-1 (48.97 g), number of effective tillers hill-1 (14.73) and number of grains panicle-1 (189.50). This treatment combination also showed the highest number of filled grains panicle-1 (183.90), panicle length (25.83 cm), 1000 -grain weight (25.13 g), seed yield (7.24 t ha-1), straw yield (8.47 t ha-1), biological yield (15.71 t ha-1) and harvest index (46.09%). On the other hand, D0N3 gave the least results on these parameters. Findings revealed that application of 400 g duckweeds m-2 with 90 kg N ha-1 showed the superiority over other treatment combinations to produce higher grain yield of boro rice.
 Bangladesh Agron. J. 2022, 25(2): 109-117

Endangered indigenous rice varieties as a source of B vitamins for the undernourished population

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesRice is a staple food for half of the world's population and plays an important role to deliver several micronutrients including B vitamins to humans. The present investigation was carried out to detect some B vitamins and estimate their concentrations in 309 traditional indica rice landraces, compared with three modern rice varieties predominantly available in the Indian market.FindingsLiquid chromatographic examination of the rice samples demonstrated that a large number of traditional rice landraces contained considerable amounts of different B vitamins. In the landraces examined, vitamin B1 (thiamine) was recorded to be present in the range of 0.01–10.55 mg/100 g, vitamin B2 (riboflavin) 0.01–2.63 mg/100 g, vitamin B3 (niacin) 0.20–4.52 mg/100 g, vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) 0.01–18.55 mg/100 g, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 0.01–0.86 mg/100 g, and vitamin B7 (biotin) 0.01–5.90 mg/100 g in different rice landraces.ConclusionCompared with traditional rice, modern rice cultivars seem to have substantially lower B vitamin levels. It appears that these vitamin‐rich traditional rice landraces if incorporated into daily diet, may serve to attain nutritional security of the poor.Significance and NoveltyOur results show that many traditional rice landraces are nutritionally superior to any modern rice cultivar, even though traditional rice landraces are normally not in priority for agronomic research and development. This study shows how native rice landraces may be leveraged to constitute novel nutritious diet that could enhance human health.

EFFECT OF ORGANIC SEED PRIMING ON YIELD AND YIELD ATTRIBUTING TRAITS OF CHICKPEA (Cicer arietinum L.) IN DROUGHT PRONE AREA

The goals of this study are to evaluate the suitable variety and priming method and find out the interaction effect of seed priming and variety for maximization of chickpea yield and yield attributes at drought-prone region. The Agronomy Research Plot of Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh led this experiment during November 2021 to April 2022 following randomized complete block design with three replications. The experiment had two factors: (A) two chickpea varieties, V1= BARI Chola-10 and V2= BARI Chola-11, and (B) five priming treatments, P1= Control (No priming), P2= Hydropriming, P3= Alovera leaf extract, P4= Azadirachta indica leaf extract, and P5= Moringa olifera leaf extract. It was manifested that BARI Chola-10 (V1) exhibited the superior performance in the yield and yield attributing traits subjected to no. of pods plant-1 (5.62), no. of seeds plant-1 (2.18), 1000 seeds weight (207.8 g), grain (1.76 t ha-1), stover (2.71 t ha-1) and biological yield (4.48 t ha-1). In varied priming treatments, P5 (Moringa olifera leaf extract) produced the most grain yield (2.07 t ha-1), whereas control (P1) produced the least (1.35 t ha-1). The maximal stover yield was 2.72 t ha-1 with Moringa olifera leaf extract and the lowest was 2.40 t ha-1 without priming. The treatment combination V1P5 performed best in extent of grain (2.13 t ha-1) and stover yield (2.83 t ha-1) whereas the minimum seed yield (1.30 t ha-1) and stover yield (2.26 t ha-1) were recorded from V2P1 treatment combination. BARI Chola-10 (V1) primed with Moringa olifera leaf extract (P5) improved chickpea yield in the study region.

Assessment of Genetic Variability and Different Character Association in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under Late Sown Condition

In the present study, 102 chickpea germplasm showed wide range of variation for various characters evaluated during Rabi 2017-18 along with BG 372, Udai and Pant G 186 as checks varieties. The experiment was conducted in Augmented Block Design at Agronomy Research Farm of Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Narendra Nagar (Kumarganj), Ayodhya (U.P.). The observations were recorded on 11 quantitative characters viz., days to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity, primary branches per plant, secondary branches per plant, plant height (cm), pods per plant, seeds per pod, biological yield per plant (g), seed yield per plant (g), harvest index (%) and 100-seed weight (g). After analyzing the data statistical study of each characters genotypes revealed a wide range of results Genotypes GJG 1416 followed by BG 256, GJG 1416, PhuleG0819, IPC 2011-141 and IPC 1014 produced higher seed yield per plant and these genotypes constituted the top significant group for these traits..On other hand genotypes PDG 84-16, IPC 1014, H06-6, GJG 1401, GJG 1403 and JG2016-44 for early maturity;; BG 256, GJG 1209, GJG 1401, GJG 1416 and JG 11 were identified for high number of pods per plant; GJG 1416, GJG 1001, BG 256, RS 2011-06 and BG 3027 were identified for bold seed size; IPC 1014, PhuleG0805 and IPC 2010-134 for harvest index were found promising which may be used as potential donors for the traits in chickpea improvement programme. Seed yield per plant exhibited positive and highly significant correlations with secondary branches per plant, pods per plant, seeds per pod, biological yield per plant, harvest index and 100-seed weight. The positive significant correlations of seed yield per plant were found with primary branches per plant and non-significant with plant height. It exhibited negative non-significant association with days to 50 per cent flowering and days to maturity.

Mapping subsurface tile lines on a research farm using aerial photography, paper maps, and expert knowledge

AbstractAccurate maps of subsurface tile drainage lines are needed for agronomic and environmental research studies and the maintenance of current tile drainage systems. In this study, tile lines at the Purdue University Agronomy Center for Research and Education near West Lafayette, Indiana were located using a combination of visual aerial photo interpretation, expert knowledge, and paper construction drawings. The mapping accuracy was assessed at 27 locations where tile lines were located physically using a tile probe. Tile lines were correctly predicted 89% of the time with an average spatial accuracy of ±1.23 m of the true tile locations. This approach was better than a previous tile line location map prepared using an automated remote sensing method, which had an average spatial accuracy of ±2.12 m.

Effect of nitrogen level on growth, yield attributes and yield of hybrid varieties of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

A field experiment was conducted during two consecutive seasons of kharif 2020 and 2021 at Agronomy Research Farm, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj Ayodhya (U.P.) to evaluate the effect of nitrogen level on growth, yield attributes and yield of different hybrid varieties of rice (Oryza sativa L.). The experiment was conducted in factorial randomized block design which comprised of 4 levels of nitrogen viz., 0 % RDN, 50 % RDN, 75 % RDN and 100 % RDN and 4 varieties viz., Arize-6444 Gold, Ankur-7576, 27P31 and Shahi-Dawat. Experiment was replicated three times. Results revealed significantly higher growth parameters, yield attributes and yield at 100% of RDN (150 kg N ha-1) which is at par with 75 % RDN (112 kg N ha-1) and significantly superior over 0 % RDN and 50 % RDN (75kg N ha-1) were increased at all stages except days taken to 50% flowering. The growth parameters, yield attributes and yield were increased significantly with Ankur-7576 variety except for length of the panicle (cm) and test weight (g). Ankur-7576 gave a good response in low level of nitrogenous fertilizer and showed good efficiency in utilization of available and applied nitrogen to the crop and is best suitable for obtaining higher yield of hybrid rice.

Spatial and Temporal Arrangement of Hybrid Maize for Assesment of Phenology and Agrometeorological Indices

A field trial was conducted during the Kharif season of 2020 to assess the effect of spatial and temporal crop geometry on the phenology, yield and agro meteorological indices of hybrid maize at the Agronomy Research Farm, FoA Wadura, Sopore, SKUAST-Kashmir. The experiment was carried out in split- split plot design with dates of sowing (17th SMW; D1), 19th SMW; D2 and 21st SMW; D3) as main plot treatments; varied row spacing (50 cm × 20 cm; S1, 60 cm× 20 cm; S2 and 70 cm ×20 cm; S3) as sub- plot treatments and two maize hybrids (Hytech- 5801;H1 and YSH- 1; H2) as sub- sub plot treatments. Results indicated that hybrid Hyteh- 5801 sown on 17th SMW observed highest grain yield and biological yield and took greater days to reach different phenological stages, thereby piled higher heat units, PTUs, HTUs, HyTUs, PTI followed by 19th SMW and 21st SMW. The plant spacing of 70 cm ×20 cm took maximum days for reaching different phenophases and accumulated maximum heat units, PTUs, HTUs, HyTUs, PTI. Thermal use efficiencies were maximum ((HTUE, PTUE, HyTUE and HUE)) when the maize hybrid Hytech-5801was sown on 17th SMW. The biological yield based thermal efficiencies showed the highest response with row-spacing of 50 cm × 20 cm whereas grain yield based thermal efficiencies were maximum under 70 cm×20 cm plant spacing.