Canola Cultivars Research Articles

Effect of clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae) on yield of canola (Brassica napus)

Clubroot, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, is a major disease of canola (Brassica napus). This study evaluated the effect of clubroot development on the yield of this crop under field and greenhouse conditions. Three canola cultivars, ‘45H31’ (susceptible), ‘45H29’ (1st-generation resistance) and ‘CS2000’ (2nd-generation resistance), were inoculated with different quantities of P. brassicae inoculum and monitored for yield, pods per plant and 1000-grain weight. The field experiment was conducted over 2 years in biosecure clubroot nurseries inoculated with pathotype 5X or a mix of pathotypes 5X and 3H at 5 × 104, 5 × 106 and 5 × 108 resting spores per plant. In the greenhouse experiment, plants were inoculated with pathotypes 5X, 3H or a mixture of both at 1 × 103, 1 × 104 and 1 × 106 resting spores per plant. In both the field and greenhouse, clubroot incidence and disease severity index (DSI) increased along with inoculum concentration; the highest levels of disease were observed in the susceptible cultivar, while the lowest levels were found in ‘45H29.’ Yield, pods per plant and 1000-grain weight decreased as the DSI increased in all cultivars. Yield was affected by DSI and cultivar but not pathotype. Regression analysis indicated that under greenhouse conditions, an increment of 1% in DSI resulted in a decrease of 0.49% in yield; under field conditions, this percentage was reduced to 0.26%. While the rate of yield reduction was similar among cultivars, overall yield loss was lower in the resistant hosts, as they developed less disease.

Registration of ‘KS4719’ winter canola

Abstract‘KS4719’ (Reg. no. CV‐28, PI 697260) is a winter canola cultivar (Brassica napus L.) that possesses superior winterhardiness, greater lodging resistance, and improved pod shattering. KS4719 first drew attention when a devastating cold snap in November 2014 caused much of the winter canola crop to winter kill. KS4719 winter survival scores were 15 and 121% greater than the check cultivars ‘Sumner’ and ‘Wichita’, respectively, at Kansas State University's lone surviving trial site in northern Oklahoma. In the National Winter Canola Variety Trial (NWCVT) testing, the winter survival score of KS4719 was equivalent to ‘Torrington’, the most winter hardy commercially available cultivar. Across two sites of the 2015–2016 Great Plains Canola Variety Trial (GPCVT), KS4719 showed significantly improved pod shatter compared with the check cultivars. Across 14 NWCVT sites in the U.S. Great Plains, grain yield did not differ from the check cultivars; however, KS4719 did yield 5 and 19% more than ‘Surefire’ and Torrington, respectively, the two most recent cultivar releases from the Kansas State University canola breeding program. Over five site‐years, KS4719 averaged 9% lodging, while Torrington averaged 19%. It is theorized that the improved lodging resistance of KS4719 comes from a stem and root system that is less prone to rotting in saturated soils. Greater winterhardiness is in part due to protection of the lower stem (rosette) throughout the winter months.

Novel Sources of Turnip Yellows Virus Resistance in Brassica and Impacts of Temperature on Their Durability.

Turnip yellows virus (TuYV; family Solemoviridae, genus Polerovirus) is the most widespread and economically damaging virus of canola (Brassica napus L.) production in Australia. However, no Australian commercial seed companies market TuYV-resistant canola cultivars, and little information is available on the susceptibility of those available. To identify potential sources of TuYV resistance, 100 B. napus accessions from the ERANET ASSYST diversity set were screened in the field and five of these were selected for further phenotyping via aphid inoculation. Furthermore, 43 Australian canola cultivars, six B. napus genotypes with previously reported resistance, and 33 B. oleracea and B. rapa cultivars were phenotyped. All Australian cultivars were susceptible except for 'ATR Stingray'. Stronger resistance to systemic TuYV infection (IR) was identified in diversity set accessions 'Liraspa-A', 'SWU Chinese 3', and 'SWU Chinese 5'. As indicated by lower relative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay absorbance values (R-E405) in infected plants, resistance to TuYV accumulation (AR) often accompanied IR. Moderate IR was identified in four B. oleracea cultivars and one B. rapa cultivar. Very strong AR was identified in four B. oleracea cultivars and AR of some degree was common across many cultivars of this species tested. The impact of temperature during the inoculation access period or post-inoculation incubation on the resistance identified was examined. Infection rates were significantly higher in resistant B. napus genotypes when inoculated at 16°C than at 26°C, suggesting an increase in aphid transmission efficiency. IR in B. napus genotypes was strong when incubated at 16°C, but weakened at elevated temperatures with almost total breakdown in most genotypes at 30°C. However, infected plants of B. napus and B. oleracea genotypes with AR maintained lower R-E405 values than susceptible controls at all temperatures tested. Novel sources of resistance identified in this study offer potential as breeding material in Australia and abroad.

Exogenous melatonin regulates chromium stress-induced feedback inhibition of photosynthesis and antioxidative protection in Brassica napus cultivars

Melatonin is an early player in chromium stress response in canola plants; it promotes ROS scavenging and chlorophyll stability, modulates PSII stability and regulates feedback inhibition of photosynthesis conferring chromium tolerance. The development of heavy metals, especially chromium (Cr)-tolerant cultivars is mainly constrained due to poor knowledge of the mechanism behind Cr stress tolerance. In the present study, two Brassica napus contrasting cultivars Ac-Excel and DGL were studied for Cr stress tolerance by using chlorophyll a fluorescence technique and biochemical attributes with and without melatonin (MT) treatments. Cr stress significantly reduced the PSII and PSI efficiency, biomass accumulation, proline content and antioxidant enzymes in both the cultivars. The application of MT minimized the oxidative stress, as revealed via a lower level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) synthesis (H2O2 and OH-). Enhanced enzymatic activities of important antioxidants (SOD, APX, CAT, POD), proline and total soluble protein contents under MT application play an effective role in the regulation of multiple transcriptional pathways involved in oxidative stress responses. Higher NPQ and Y(NPQ) observed in Cr stress tolerant cv Ac-Excel, indicating that the MT-treated tolerant cultivar had better ability to protect PSII under Cr stress by increasing heat dissipation as photo-protective component of NPQ. Reduced PSI efficiency along with increased donor end limitation of PSI in both canola cultivars further confirmed the lower PSII activity and electron transport from PSII. The Cr content was higher in cv. DGL as compared to (that in Ac-Excel). The application of MT significantly decreased the Cr content in leaves of both cultivars. Overall, MT-induced Cr stress tolerance in canola cultivars can be related to improved PSII activity, Y(NPQ), and antioxidant potential and these physiological attributes can effectively be used to select cultivars for Cr stress tolerance.

Phosphorus depletion controls Cu and Zn biogeochemistry in canola and corn rhizosphere on a calcareous soil

Phosphorus (P) deficiency may trigger rhizodeposition, including protons and organic compounds, with possible effects on metal solubility and speciation. To explore the relevance of this process, we investigated biogeochemical changes in the rhizosphere of P-deficient canola (Brassica napus L.) and corn (Zea mays L.) cultivars grown in a pot experiment on calcareous soil. Depletion of total soluble (0.005 mol/L Ca(NO3)2-extractable) P in the rhizosphere varied with crop species and cultivar but was generally strong and negatively correlated with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in canola (R2 = 0.868) and corn (R2 = 0.844) rhizospheres, indicating rhizodeposition in response to limited P availability. DOC was correlated with dissolved Cu, explaining 86% of its variation in the rhizosphere and bulk soil solution of canola and corn cultivars, respectively, suggesting Cu mobilisation via the formation of Cu-organic complexes. In line with lower Zn-organic complex stabilities, the effect of rhizodeposition was less pronounced for Zn mobilisation. We show that the P nutritional status of plants and the related variation of rhizodeposition among crops and cultivars represents a major control of metal solubility in soil, with possible effects on micronutrient supply and toxicity. Hence, targeted P availability control should be considered in the management of polluted and micronutrient-deficient soils.

Growth attributes, biochemical modulations, antioxidant enzymatic metabolism and yield in Brassica napus varieties for salinity tolerance.

Improvement in salinity tolerance of plants is of immense significance as salt stress particularly threatens the productivity of agricultural crops. This study was designed to assess the tolerance level of six Brassica napus varieties (Super, Sandal, Faisal, CON-111, AC Excel and Punjab) under different levels of salinity (0, 50, 100, 150 & 200 mM) with three replications under CRD. Salt induced osmotic stress curtailed the plant growth attributes, photosynthetic pigments and disturbed ionic homeostasis (K+, Na+, Ca2+, Cl-) but least disturbance as compared to control was found in Super and Sandal cultivars. Punjab canola and AC Excel canola cultivars were least tolerant to salinity because these displayed greater decline in all growth and biochemical attributes. Plants subjected to NaCl induced stress exhibited considerable decline in all attributes under study with proline as exception. Antioxidants (CAT, SOD & POD) showed an obvious change in Canola plants under stress, but greatest decline was displayed at 200 mM NaCl level in all six cultivars. Over all these attributes presented a comparatively stable trend in super and sandal cultivars. This shows presence of physiological resilience and metabolic capacity in these two cultivars to tackle salinity. Similarly, all yield attributes displayed adverse behavior under 150 mM & 200 mM salinity stress. Our results demonstrated that Super and Sandal cultivars of Brassica napus exhibit good performance in salinity tolerance and can be good option for cultivation in salt affected areas.

Effects of Phosphorus on Different Genotypes of Wheat and Canola Differing in P-Efficiency in Acidic Soils of Western Australia

We hypothesized that phosphorus addition would result in plant morphological changes and changes in rhizosphere carboxylates among wheat and canola cultivars in different acidic soils. Concentration of carboxylates in the rhizosphere extracted with 0.2 mM CaCl2, expressed per unit root dry mass. Dry weight of root and shoot were measures after harvest; total root length, and average root diameter were determined using a scanner. Also, the concentration of phosphorus (Colwell P) in rhizosphere and bulk soil was measured using UV-VIS Spectrophotometer. Shoot and root dry mass of wheat and canola increased significantly with increasing P supply. There was significant difference in total root length and average root diameter between treatments and genotypes in both acidic soils. Citrate was the dominant carboxylate in the rhizosphere of wheat genotypes, and malate was the second one. In canola genotypes, concentration of carboxylates in the rhizosphere were at least 10 times higher than rhizosphere of wheat genotypes. Surprisingly, malonate which there was not in the rhizosphere of wheat genotypes, was the most important carboxylate in the rhizosphere of canola genotypes followed by malate and citrate. This study showed there were significant differences between plant P-efficient and non-efficient in acidic soils when we used different level of P.

Evaluation of lime products for clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae) management in canola (Brassica napus) cropping systems

Clubroot, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, is an important soilborne disease of canola (Brassica napus) in Alberta, Canada. As clubroot prefers acidic soils, the application of lime to increase soil pH may reduce disease. Replicated field plot experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of hydrated lime for clubroot management. In 2017, moderate (11.4 t ha−1) to high rates (12.7 t ha−1) of hydrated lime reduced the index of disease (ID) by 35–91% in a susceptible canola cultivar 8 weeks after seeding. In contrast, no effect of lime treatment was observed in the 2018 field trials, due to several environmental factors. A greenhouse study compared the efficacy of hydrated lime and limestone in reducing ID in susceptible and resistant canola cultivars, at different application rates and inoculum concentrations. In treatments that did not receive lime, ID was very high (92–100%) in the susceptible and low (9–13%) in the resistant canola. The application of hydrated lime at 4.7, 8.1, 11.4 and 14.8 t ha−1 eliminated visible symptoms in both cultivars, whereas limestone reduced the ID only at the two lowest inoculum concentrations. Root tissues from the same study were analyzed by quantitative PCR to measure P. brassicae proliferation in planta. Inoculum concentration and the type and rate of lime significantly affected the amount of P. brassicae DNA present in the root tissue. Repeated trials with less virulent inoculum indicated similar trends. Hydrated lime may represent a more effective tool than limestone to manage P. brassicae on canola in highly infested soils.

Canola Quality and Fatty Acids Composition as Influenced by Delayed Cropping and Late Season Drought Stress

To investigate the effects of drought stress and delayed planting on oil quality and fatty ‎acids composition of canola cultivars, a factorial split-plot test was conducted in a ‎randomized complete blocks design with three replications at Seed and Plant Improvement ‎Institute, Karaj, Iran for two years (‎2015-2017) ‎.Planting date at two levels of timely ‎planting (Oct. 27) and late planting (Nov. 27) and irrigation at two levels of normal ‎irrigation (control) and restricted irrigation from pod formation stage onwards were ‎considered the main factors. Canola cultivars including Kodiak, Traviata, Compass, ‎Diffusion, Mehr2, Elvise and Tassilo were the variables. The simple effects of planting date, ‎irrigation, and cultivar on all research parameters were significant. The interaction effect of ‎planting date × irrigation was significant on oil yield and oil content at the level of 5% and ‎in terms of linoleic and palmitic acids, and stomatal resistance, it was significant at the level ‎of 1%. The interaction effect of irrigation × cultivar was significant on palmitic acid, ‎glucosinolate and stomatal resistance at the level of 1%. Late season drought stress and late ‎planting dramatically reduced oil yield (58%), oil content (8%) and qualitative ‎characteristics of canola cultivars. Among the studied cultivars, Tassilo cultivar was ‎recommended for all conditions of this research with the seed yield (4407 kg ha-1), oil yield ‎‎(2007 kg ha-1), chlorophyll content (1.43 mg g-1fw), high oleic and linoleic fatty acids, as ‎well as low and standard erucic acid (0.41%) and glucosinolate (22.8 μmol g-1).‎

Validating the Strategic Deployment of Blackleg Resistance Gene Groups in Commercial Canola Fields on the Canadian Prairies.

Blackleg, caused by the fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans, is a serious threat to canola (Brassica napus L.) production in western Canada. Crop scouting and extended crop rotation, along with the use of effective genetic resistance, have been key management practices available to mitigate the impact of the disease. In recent years, new pathogen races have reduced the effectiveness of some of the resistant cultivars deployed. Strategic deployment and rotation of major resistance (R) genes in cultivars have been used in France and Australia to help increase the longevity of blackleg resistance. Canada also introduced a grouping system in 2017 to identify blackleg R genes in canola cultivars. The main objective of this study was to examine and validate the concept of R gene deployment through monitoring the avirulence (Avr) profile of L. maculans population and disease levels in commercial canola fields within the Canadian prairies. Blackleg disease incidence and severity was collected from 146 cultivars from 53 sites across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta in 2018 and 2019, and the results varied significantly between gene groups, which is likely influenced by the pathogen population. Isolates collected from spring and fall stubble residues were examined for the presence of Avr alleles AvrLm1, AvrLm2, AvrLm3, AvrLm4, AvrLm5, AvrLm6, AvrLm7, AvrLm9, AvrLm10, AvrLm11, AvrLepR1, AvrLepR2, AvrLep3, and AvrLmS using a set of differential host genotypes carrying known resistance genes or PCR-based markers. The Simpson’s evenness index was very low, due to two dominant L. maculans races (AvrLm2-4-5-6-7-10-11 and AvrLm2-5-6-7-10-11) representing 49% of the population, but diversity of the population was high from the 35 L. maculans races isolated in Manitoba. AvrLm6 and AvrLm11 were found in all 254 L. maculans isolates collected in Manitoba. Knowledge of the blackleg disease levels in relation to the R genes deployed, along with the L. maculans Avr profile, helps to measure the effectiveness of genetic resistance.

Efficiency of photosynthetically active radiation interception associated with morphological traits in canola cultivars

Efficiency of photosynthetically active radiation interception associated with morphological traits in canola cultivars

Individual Rather Than Simultaneous Priming with Glutathione and Putrescine Reduces Chromium Cr6+ Toxicity in Contrasting Canola (Brassica napus L.) Cultivars.

The chromium (Cr6+) toxicity mechanisms have not been fully revealed yet in plants mainly due to its complex electronic chemistry. Both putrescine (PUT) and glutathione (GSH) are reported to be involved in plethora of plant cellular processes. Therefore, we hypothesized that exogenous individual or co-application of PUT and GSH could alleviate the Cr6+ stress in genetically diverse canola cultivars. The seed priming with GSH (0.1mM) alleviated inhibitory effects of Cr6+ on root growth, and thus plants raised from GSH-treated seed had higher leaf chlorophyll a contents (78, 69 and 82%, in Shiralee, Rainbow and Dunkled cultivar, respectively), carotenoids contents, stem phenolics, root GSH, leaf and root NO concentration. The foliar treatment with PUT caused 37 and 11.9% decrease in the accumulation of Cr in shoot of Shiralee and Dunkled, respectively. Overall, the results suggested that seed priming with GSH regulated leaf photosynthetic pigments to cope with Cr6+ shock at early growth stage whereas foliar treatment with PUT decreased Cr transport to the shoot, and thus increased tolerance at later growth stage irrespective of cultivars.

Canola Growth Stage at Time of Infection Determines Magnitude of White Leaf Spot (Neopseudocercosporella capsellae) Impact.

White leaf spot (Neopseudocercosporella capsellae) is a persistent and increasingly important foliar disease for canola (Brassica napus) across southern Australia. To define the role of plant growth stage in the development of disease epidemics, we first investigated the response of different canola cultivars (Scoop and Charlton) at five Sylvester-Bradley growth stages against N. capsellae. White leaf spot disease incidence and severity was dependent on plant growth stage and cultivar (both P < 0.001), with plants being most susceptible at plant growth stage 1.00 (cotyledon stage) followed by plant growth stage 1.04 (fourth leaf stage). Then, to quantify the impact of this disease on canola yield, we investigated the in-field relationship of white leaf spot disease incidence and severity with seed yield loss following artificial inoculation commencing at growth stage 1.04 (fourth leaf stage). White leaf spot significantly (P < 0.001) reduced seed yield by 24% in N. capsellae inoculated field plots compared with noninoculated field plots. To our knowledge, this is the first time that serious seed yield losses from this disease have been quantified in the field. The current study demonstrates that N. capsellae disease incidence and severity on canola is determined by host growth stage at which pathogen infestation occurs. Emerging seedling cotyledons were highly susceptible, followed by less susceptibility in first true leaves to emerge, but then increasing susceptibility as plants subsequently aged toward the fourth leaf stage. This explains field observances where white leaf spot readily establishes on emerging seedlings and subsequently becomes more prevalent and severe as plants age.

Clubroot resistance in canola and brassica vegetable cultivars in Ontario, Canada

Clubroot, caused by the obligate pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae Woronin, has been present on brassica vegetables in Ontario for decades, but was only recently identified on canola (Brassica napus L.). Once P. brassicae is present in a field, eradication is difficult, but resistant cultivars can provide effective management. Pathotype 6 has been the predominant pathotype on vegetable crops for decades, but pathotype 2 is predominant in canola fields in Ontario. Field trials were used to assess the reaction of selected canola and vegetable Brassica cultivars to pathotype 2, and controlled environment studies were conducted to evaluate the reaction of the same cultivars to pathotypes 2 and 6. Four canola cultivars with putative clubroot resistance were compared with two cultivars that were expected to be susceptible and three susceptible control cultivars. Several brassica vegetables were assessed: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, napa cabbage, rutabaga, and Shanghai pak choi (a susceptible control). The canola cultivars marketed as resistant were highly resistant in both the field and growth room trials. The canola cultivars not marketed as resistant were susceptible to pathotype 2, as expected. All of the canola cultivars were resistant to pathotype 6. The vegetable cultivars marketed as resistant or tolerant were resistant to pathotype 6 and most were resistant to pathotype 2. A putative resistant cultivar of cabbage and one of broccoli were resistant to pathotype 6 but susceptible to pathotype 2. Clubroot consistently reduced fresh shoot weight in susceptible cultivars of canola and brassica vegetables relative to resistant cultivars.

Heat stress affects floral morphology, silique set and seed quality in chamber and field grown winter canola

AbstractThe impact of heat stress coinciding with reproductive stages in winter canola was studied using walk‐in controlled environment chambers and field‐based tents. Six different cultivars (46W94, Edimax CL, Mercedes, Popular, DKW44‐10 and DKW46‐15) were used in both the experiments following a split‐plot design. Under controlled environment chambers, all six cultivars were exposed to HDT (day/night; 34/15°C), HNT (23/20°C), HDNT (34/20°C) and control (23/15°C) conditions for 14 days coinciding with flowering. Under field conditions, custom built ‘heat tents’ were used to impose heat stress starting seven days after 50% of flowering till maturity. The results demonstrated that HDT and HDNT induced significant impact on floral morphology, extreme levels of floral sterility and complete yield loss with two weeks of stress exposure during flowering. However, biomass, seed weight and oil concentration at maturity were either significantly increased or unchanged which demonstrated significant post‐stress phenotypic plasticity in canola to overcome damage caused by short episode of HDT and HDNT during flowering. The long duration heat stress under field conditions recorded significant decrease in yield parameters and oil concentration in the canola cultivars. Incorporating greater post‐stress phenotypic plasticity will help develop canola as an ideal alternative crop under future climates associated with enhanced frequency of short heat stress episodes coinciding with critical reproductive stages.

Root-zone addition of glutathione and putrescine synergistically regulate GSH–NO metabolism to alleviate Cr (VI) toxicity in rapeseed seedlings

Abstract Glutathione (GSH) and nitric oxide (NO) regulate several physiological processes in plants under normal and stress conditions. We investigated the individual versus the interactive effect of exogenously applied GSH and PUT in rapeseed seedlings under short-term and long-term hexavalent chromium (Cr + 6 ) stress during separate experiments. Results revealed that both these metabolites reduced Cr + 6 toxicity in diverse canola cultivars. The Cr6＋ stress reduced root and shoot biomass while an increase in carotenoids was evident due to short-term stress exposure. The long-term exposure caused a prominent decrease in Chl a and total Chl (even short-term stress caused a reduction in cv. Rainbow) while, an increase in the carotenoids. Leaf endogenous GSH levels increased in all cultivars after 07-days Cr6＋ exposure and this trend was consistent with increased leaf SOD activities. The co-application of PUT and GSH via root medium alleviated the inhibitory effects of Cr + 6 . Furthermore, increased GSH and nitric oxide (NO) fraction in specific plant parts represented cross-talk between these two metabolites under Cr-stress. Above all, improvement in antioxidant capacity and ROS-scavenging, at least in some parts successfully resulted in GSH and PUT-mediated mitigation of Cr + 6 toxicity.

Physiological traits, yield, and yield components relationship in winter and spring canola.

Understanding the relationship between physiological traits with yield and yield components is an essential step towards developing high-yielding and high-quality canola (Brassica napus L.) cultivars. This study aimed to explore further the relationship between some physiological features, including radiation use efficiency (RUE), and seed yield in canola. Significant differences were found among cultivars regarding maximum leaf area index (LAImax ) and required days to achieve maximum LAI (DLAImax ). All cultivars obtained the minimum LAI required to intercept 90% of the incident radiation, but at different times. Some cultivars like SW102 and Shirali had the same fraction of intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IPAR) when LAI was maximal, but SW102 had higher IPAR. This indicated that SW102 was more efficient in irradiation capacity and may have a higher photosynthesis rate when exposed to the high irradiation conditions. The average canola RUE in the current study was 3.80 and 3.63 g MJ-1 m-2 in 2014 and 2015, respectively. In general, the crop growth rate was higher in the first year than in the second year due to the fewer cloudy days and more incident radiation. Results indicated that duration of growth, crop growth rate, and harvest index were crucial for enhancing biomass and seed yield. Also, a relatively high correlation was found between the RUE and DLAImax . The cultivars that reached their maximum LAI later demonstrated higher RUE, and consequently had higher biological and seed yield. The results obtained could be used to develop an improved canola crop growth model and breeding programs. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Inter-Comparison of Two Instrumental Test Methods for Diameter Analysis of Fibre Materials: Scope and Challenges

Two instrumental test methods—FibreShape flatbed scanning and Dia-Stron laser diffraction technology—are used for diameter analysis of lignocellulosic hollow fibrous material produced from biomass of two different canola cultivars, 5440 and 45H29. Although FibreShape is capable of working with any size of dataset, a larger dataset would generate the optimum analytical test results. Interestingly, FibreShape operates faster and saves time. On the contrary, Dia-Stron is restricted to data size, due to the limitation of its cassette slots for specimen storage. Further, this machine is slow in processing—which takes hours to complete—and the presence of microscopic cracks on the fibre surface will generate erratic test results for that specific fibre, which, however, is not notified by the computing system until the test-run is completed for all the loaded fibres. Such a practice might become challenging due to research time constraints. The requirement of consistent gauge length is another limitation of this laser diffraction test method to test staple fibres and filaments unlike the FibreShape. Upon testing the 45H29 cultivars, FibreShape and Dia-Stron exhibited a smaller difference of 12 µm (= 88.26 − 76.26) in fibre diameters between their test results, whereas the difference was as large as 44.6 µm (= 120.29 − 75.69) for the 5440 fibres. However, the statistical t-test did not identify any significant variation between the observed test results obtained from FibreShape and Dia-Stron as p = 0.34 > α = 0.05 (95% confidence interval). The current study favours using FibreShape over Dia-Stron for analysing textile fibre diameters due to the versatility of working capacity with any specimen shape or configuration, size of a dataset, speed of conducting a test, flexibility of sample selection and preparatory processes, and gauge-length independence.

Salinity stress mitigation of some canola cultivars grown under South Sinai conditions using magnetic water technology

Salinity stresses either in irrigation water and/or soil is one of the most serious agricultural problems facing farmers in arid and semi-arid regions included Egypt. Many are as in the Sinai region depend mainly on the underground water of various degrees of salinity that prevent cultivated crops from reach to the full yield.Under these conditions,a split-plot field experiment using three canola cultivars; Pactol, Serw-4 and Serw-6under three irrigation water treatments:i) Brackish-water (BW), ii) Magnetic-BW1; brackish water after magnetization through passing a three inch static-magnetic unit,3.75 mT,produced by Delta Water Company, Egypt and iii) Magnetic-BW2;brackish water after magnetization through passing a three inch static magnetic unit, 0.75 mT,produced by Magnetic-Technologies Company, UAE,was carried out at Agricultural Experimental Station of Desert Research Centre, Ras Sidr region, South Sinai Governorate, Egypt during the 2017/18 winter season. The results showed that irrigation with M-BW1or M-BW2surpassed irrigation with BW in all tested growth parameters (plant height, branches and leaf number/plant, leaf area, dry matter of leaves, stem and total plant,and total chlorophyll); leaf anatomy(instance, mid vein and lamina thickness, length and width of leaf vascular bundle and lower and upper epidermis thickness); stem anatomy(stem diameter and thickness of cortex, xylem and phloem in addition pith diameter)and chemical analysis for mineral content (N, P, K, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn ) at 85 days after sowing (DAS). As an average of both magnetically brackish-water treatments over tested three canola varieties, the percent of improvement compared to irrigation with brackish-water ranged between 10.78-16.02% for growth parameters, 28.33-31.76% for dry matter of plant; 15.58 -80.81% for leaf;10.71-63.88% for stems and2.42-54.48% for mineral content of leaves at 85 DAS.Reverse trends were observed in the best indicators for alleviation salinity stress (Na, and proline),where these decrease dunder both magnetic brackish water treatments by 66.08 and 43.75%, respectively (average of both magnetically brackish-water treatments compared to BW water treatment). Generally, the three tested canola varieties showed a positive response under magnetic brackish water treatments. The positive results in above-mentioned parameters of vegetative growth reflected improvement in canola yield and its components. The percent of improvement ranged between 9.35and35.98 for yield components and reached1.29,19.66 and21.30% in seed oil percentage, seeds and oil yield (kg fed-1;fed=4200m2), respectively compared to brackish water.

A holistic decision-making approach for identifying influential parameters affecting sustainable production process of canola bast fibres and predicting end-use textile choice using principal component analysis (PCA)

Recent research has discovered and validated that canola fibre polymer has a lower density than major industrial fibres like cotton, jute, hemp, or flax. A few studies have identified key backgrounds that relate to canola fibre polymer production parameters; however, none have modelled an analytical hierarchy process to identify the influential parameters while producing the canola fibre polymers. The current study used Plackett-Burman design analysis to optimize the fibre polymer yield (%) during retting Statistical tools including Fisher's LSD, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied for a comparative analysis among four different canola cultivars (HYHEAR 1, Topas, 5440, 45H29). Physical testing and non-parametric statistical analysis tools like Chi-square (X2) test were used to investigate the effect of cultivar on the physique of the stems--the source of biomass. This holistic approach was taken to correlate key factors for the sustainable manufacturing of canola fibre polymers. Such knowledge will lay an effective foundation for future material-science research works, consumer wearable manufacturing industries, and engineering design for composite or nonwoven fabrication using this lightweight natural fibre polymer.