Plant Diameter Research Articles

Agro Morphological Characterization and Evaluation of Three Okra [<i>Abelmoschus esculentus</i> (L.) Moench] Varieties from Zinder (Niger) for Yield and Other Variability Components

Okra, (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench), is grown as a sole crop and as a field crop in Niger. In the present study, three okra varieties from Zinder region in Niger Republic have been assessed for their agronomic performance traits. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications during the dry season 2018-2019. The following characters were evaluated: emergence; germination; boutonization flowering; fructificaion; height at flowering; height at maturity; length of the petiole; diameter of leaves; diameter of plants; number of fruits; number of fruit per branch; total number of fruits; number of branch, number of leaves; length of fruits; diameter of fruits; number of arrets; weight of fruits; weight of seed, number of seeds. The collected data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using XlStat version 7.1 and the means separated by using Turkey’s Method. Analysis of Principal components (PCA) using R software was also performed on the variables. There were significant differences for all characters except emergence, germination, diameter of plants, number of fruits, total number of fruits and diameter of fruits. The multivariate analysis by the ACP showed a grouping of the varieties in three groups. The three okra varieties have revealed good performances and could be useful for a breeding program. The study of the water needs of the varieties will be very interesting to make a better selection of the collection.

EFFECTS OF VERMICOMPOST FERTILISATION ON SOME GROWTH PARAMETERS AND YIELD OF TOMATO (SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM L). IN DALOA, WEST-CENTRAL OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE

The production of tomato, a very important vegetable for human consumption and the most widely grown in Africa, remains low to meet the needs of the Ivorian population. Also, mineral fertilisation with its certain contributions to the crop, remains costly and inaccessible to small farmers. The present study aims to assess the effects of organic fertilisation based on vermicompost on the growth and yield of the tomato Solanum lycopersicum L. In a Fisher block design. Three vermicompost treatments T20 (20 t/ha), T40 (40 t/ha), T60 (60 t/ha) and a control T0 were set up with four replicates in Daloa, west-central of Côte d'Ivoire. The germination rate of the tomato seeds was determined during the three weeks of nursery. The height, crown diameter and vigour index of the tomato plants were measured regularly, as well as the yield at the end of the trial. The main results show that the germination rate was higher with the lowest dose of vermicompost (20 t/ha) while the height, crown diameter and vigour index of the tomato plants increased more rapidly with increasing doses of vermicompost. Thus, the highest height (146.76 cm), the largest crown diameter (38.13 mm) and the highest vigour index (4.22) were obtained with the highest dose. Similarly, yield was favourably affected with increasing doses of vermicompost. The highest being obtained with T60. Increasing doses of vermicompost favourably influence tomato growth and yield. Organic fertilisation with vermicompost could be recommended to farmers in order to sustainably increase agricultural production.

Development of a Technical Itinerary for the Production of Avocado (<i>Persea américana</i> Mill.) Seedlings with Biofertilizers

The cultivation of fruit trees generally requires a nursery phase during which the young seedlings are monitored and treated to improve their ability to adapt to the environment. This leads to the production of seedlings that are used to create orchards. It consists of four essential steps or operations: 1) The germination phase of the seeds in germinators for the production of rootstocks; 2) Transplanting into pots or bags; 3) Fertilisation in order to obtain seedlings of a satisfactory vigour (stem diameter) ready for grafting. The nursery phase requires a good understanding and mastery of plant regeneration and fertilisation techniques. In Cameroon, the demand for avocado (Persea americana) fruits is increasing, but the supply is not keeping up with this demand. After a summary monograph on the production practices of avocado seedlings in the Yaounde area, this work aims to optimise the aforementioned three steps in order to obtain seedlings of sufficient sizes for grafting. Three factors are considered in this study: 1) The substrate (Substrate), whose effects are evaluated by the germination rate (GR), the daily average germination (DAG) and the root volume of seedlings (RootV). 2) The transplanting date (TransD), determined by considering three dates including 40 (Trans40), 65 (Trans65) and 75 (Trans75) days after sowing, and 3) Fertilisation using biological fertilisers, evaluated by testing four fertilisation levels, Fert1 (10 gr of 20-10-10 plus 10 gr fowl droppings), Fert2 (Acaulospora tuberculata), Fert3 (Gigaspora margarita) and Fert4 (Mixed mycorrhizal strains of Gigaspora margarita and Acaulospora tuberculata). This third factor is evaluated by growth parameters including leaf area (LeafA), chlorophyll index (ChlorInd), gain in Plant height (GainPltH) and plant diameter (GainPltD). The trial took place in the First Seed company, a seed production unit located in the Simbock district of Yaounde for the field phase, and the Biological Control Laboratory of the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD), Nlolbisson, Yaounde. Two trials were conducted, the first with the objective of determining the best substrate with a completely randomized block design in 2 replications, three substrates/replication. The second trial was done with a factorial design (Split plot) with three replicates, the main factor being the Transplanting Date (TransD) and the second factor the biological fertilizer. Data were separated using least significant difference at 5% treshhold. Results indicate a highly significant effect of substrate on RootV (p = 5.00E-03). This effect translated by an increase of 49.42% and 19.53% of root volume on sawdust respectively to sand and soil. Sawdust (100%) and soil (98%) affect germination by 8 days reduction over sand and the germination rate on these two substrates is higher than the one on sand (92%). The early transplanting (TransD40) allows a better growth of the seedlings in terms of stem length and the collar diameter. The only observation variable that stands out for the early nursery stage fertilisation is leaf area, which shows significant differences between the 4 fertilisation formulae tested. The chlorophyll index and leaf area are also strongly correlated with the seedling growth parameters. Our results show that the early transplanting stage (40 days after planting) combined with a germination on white sawdust should be proposed to reduce the production cycle of grafted seedlings in association with early application of biofertilisers or organic fertilizer.

Evaluation of the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the growth of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.) grown in Bangui (Central African Republic) under controlled conditions

Valuing mycorrhizae is a potential alternative to the use of fertilizers and phytosanitary products. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) on the growth of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.). The trial was conducted in a greenhouse for 4 months. Inoculation of tomato with the four AMF strains was compared to the control (non-inoculated plant) in a simple randomized design. Height growth of inoculated tomato plants varied among treatments with different strains of AMF. Glomus intraradices resulted in high stem growth (59.12±2.12 cm). The effect of AMF inoculation was significant on the growth of neck diameter of tomato plants. The Glomus fasciculatum strain showed a larger value (13.66±0.82 mm) followed by Glomus mosseae; (12.46±0.20 mm) and Glomus intraradices (11.99±0.42 mm) in diameter. The number of leaves produced per plant differed significantly between plants inoculated with the different strains of AMF and those not inoculated. The average number of leaves (32.2 and 30 leaves/plant) respectively with the plants inoculated with Glomus mosseae and Glomus intraradices. The best average number of branches (4.33±1.25) was obtained with the Glomus fasciculatum strain. The highest values were obtained with the Glomus aggregatum strain (149.57 g) for total fresh biomass and 36.56 g for total dry biomass.

Binocular-Vision-Based Structure From Motion for 3-D Reconstruction of Plants

Monitoring plant growth is essential in modern agriculture to guarantee productivity. Since manual measurement of plant characteristics is laborious and expensive, automatic measures are desirable. This can be accomplished by methods such as vision-based structure from motion (SFM) to obtain the 3-D information of a plant. An SFM method based on binocular vision is here developed to acquire the physical parameters of plants. In this method, image sequences are captured by a binocular camera from multiple views of the target plant to improve the effectiveness and simplify the implementation. The spatial relationships between adjacent images are estimated through image feature extraction and matching. A disparity map is then built and the 3-D coordinate of each image pixel is obtained by applying stereo-vision. The connected coordinates then constitute the 3-D model of the plant. By doing so, plant structure parameters, such as height, canopy size, and trunk diameter, can be derived from the 3-D model. Experimental results show that the measured plant height, the canopy width, and the trunk diameter of the target plant are within an acceptable accuracy at the millimeter level, and the mean errors of the measured sizes are all less than 2%. This demonstrates the potential value of the proposed method for online growth monitoring of agricultural plants.

Studies on Tracheary Element of Several Native Cycad Species in Australia and Two American Plants

Studies on Tracheary Element of Several Native Cycad Species in Australia and Two American Plants

Growth, photosynthesis and yield of soybean in ridge-furrow intercropping system of soybean and flax

It is of practical significance to control the excessive vegetative growth of soybean during the rainy season, which causes a reduction in yield. In this study, we adopted soybean flax ridge-furrow intercropping system in order to constrain soybean’s excessive vegetative growth by interspecific competition between intercrops and estimated the growth, photosynthesis and yield of soybean. Two-year-experiment was conducted in 2018 and 2019 in the experimental farm of KIM IL SUNG University. Soybean seeds were grown in ridges and flax seeds were in furrows between ridges. During the co-growth stage, the early growth of soybean intercropped with flax was depressed by interspecific competition. At 45 days after soybean sowing, just before flax harvest, the average height and stem diameter of intercropped soybean plant were 22.5 cm and 0.7 mm shorter than those of sole cropped soybean plant, respectively. At the reproductive growth stage, the height of intercropped soybean plant was still 18.5 cm shorter than sole cropped soybean, while other agronomic parameters, including leaf area index (LAI), dry matter per plant, photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll contents, were greater for intercropped soybean. This led to higher yield of soybean (118.5%) and land equivalent ratio (LER) (203.5%) in ridge-furrow intercropping, as compared to sole cropping. Our results suggest that ridge-furrow intercropping system can be an effective way to constrain soybean’s excessive vegetative growth during the rainy season and improve soybean seed yield and LER.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE BEHAVIOUR OF ANTIRRHINUM MAJUS SPECIES CULTIVATED IN FIELDS AND IN VERTICAL SYSTEMS FOR GREEN FAÇADES UNDER THE CLIMATE CONDITIONS IN THE NORTH-EASTERN REGION OF ROMANIA

A highly popular and well-known flowering species for the unmistakable shape of its velvety and beautifully coloured flowers, Antirrhinum majus is often used in garden decor due to its long flowering period, ease of cultivation and low maintenance during the growing season. This study aims to investigate the behaviour of a dwarf variety of the Antirrhinum majus species grown in both vertical systems for green façades and also in a control field under the climate conditions in the north-eastern region of Romania. The façades of the vertical structure were been oriented towards a cardinal point, each of them having four equal layers arranged on height. The study found that this dwarf variety adapts very well to vertical systems, maintaining its ornamental features for a long time. During the experiment, observations included the diameter, height and number of flowers per plant in the control variant and on each side of the experimental structure. The highest values in July and August for plant diameter, plant height and the number of flowers were shown for the western facade and the lowest for the control variant. Instead, the control variant in September held the first position showing the highest means for all three monitored parameters and the lowest were for the southern orientation.

Agronomic and sensory evaluation of lettuce in hydroponic system

Lettuce is the most important leafy vegetable in Brazil. Hydroponic lettuce cultivation has grown due to the viability of harvesting throughout the year. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the agronomic characteristics, color, and preference of curly lettuce in the NFT hydroponic system. Six lineages (6601-1A, 6601-2L, 7016-6A, 7119-1B, 7223-1A, and 7224-4A) and two commercial cultivars (Brida and Vanda) of lettuce were used, in a completely randomized blocks design with four replications. Shoot length, root length, stem length, number of leaves, stem diameter, plant diameter, shoot fresh mass, root fresh mass, chlorophyll content, instrumental color, and sensory characteristics were evaluated. As for agronomic evaluation, the bolting of 6601-2L lettuce was relevant in different attributes. The Vanda lettuce and the lineage 7016-6A presented best performances for shoot fresh mass (399.44 and 378.63 g, respectively), while the lineages 7119-1B and 6601-2L present the worst performance (279.50 and 273.13 g, respectively). There was variation in chlorophyll content and luminosity, however, the evaluators did not notice differences between lettuces for brightness or green color, as well as for crunchy texture. Lettuces 6601-2L, 7224-4A, 6601-1A, Brida, 7223-1A, and 7119-1B were preferred. The variation among plants may be due to different situations, such as harvesting times and bolting, and a direct relationship between agronomic properties and preference among lettuces has not been established yet.

Numerical research of harbor oscillation influenced by vegetation

Harbor oscillation can cause damage to wharves, ships and coastal buildings. Vegetation zones can alter the wave field within harbors, and are therefore an effective, environmentally-friendly and cost-effective approach to reducing the harm of the harbor oscillation. However, few studies have focused on the influence of vegetation on harbor oscillation. This study used a new time-domain model, Simulating WAves till SHore (SWASH), to explore the relationship between harbor oscillation and different vegetation variables. The influence of configuration, width of vegetation zones, and height, diameter, density of plants were explored. The results showed that the positioning of vegetation zones along the four boundaries of a harbor minimized wave height. Increasing the width of the vegetation zones and height, diameter and density of plants resulted in a reduction in wave height and alteration of the modes of oscillation. The different vegetation variables had different impacts on harbor oscillation. This study can guide in the plants selection and vegetation zones distribution to effectively minimize the damage caused by harbor oscillation.

Effects of Fertilization Based on Chicken Manures and Mycorrhiza on Vegetative Parameters and Phenological Stages of Sorghum bicolor in Yagoua, Far-North Cameroon

Aims: Study aims to evaluate the effect of chicken manure and mycorrhiza levels as fertilizers on vegetative growth and on phenological stages of Sorghum in Far North Cameroon.
 Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the Valorization Station of Agricultural Research (PSAR) of Yagoua.
 Methodology: For this study, variety S-35 of Sorghum have used. Three levels of fertilization were used to evaluate germination rates, vegetative growth and phenology of this variety. The levels of fertilizers applied were 20 g of mycorrhiza, 50 g of organic manure and 20+50g of effect combined mycorrhiza+organic manure in comparison to the check (0g). The experimental design was the randomized block design with 3 replications. After evaluation of germination rates in the farm, we had evaluated the height, diameters and precocity of plants.
 Results: Uses of different levels of fertilization on germination rates were important for all the levels of fertilizers compared to the control (27. 5 %). It’s varying from 52.5 % for the chicken manure, followed by the effect of combined treatments (45 %) and bio-fertilizers with 67 %. Compared to the check, the use of chicken manure as fertilization was most significant (P<0.05) on the height of plants during the vegetative growth. The diameters of plants according to the different treatments were most significant (P<0.05) respectively by the supplies of chicken manure, the effect of both treatments (mycorrhiza+chicken manure) and mycorrhiza treatment. Theses different levels fertilization was influenced the phenological stages of plants especially first flowering of plants days after sowing. Flowering of plants at 50 % was most favorable for the treatments based on the uses chicken manure and the combined effect of treatments (mycorrhiza+chicken manure).
 Conclusion: Uses of chicken manure and mycorrhiza as fertilizers on Sorghum were significant to the vegetative growth and flowering stages of plants. Levels of chicken manure had positive effect on plant height. Plants diameters were most positively affected by organic manure, mycorrhiza and the effect of both treatments during growing of plants.

Yield and Essential Oil Composition of Thymus eigii (M. Zohary & P.H. Davis) Jalas Leaves and Flowers at Various Growth Stages in the Mediterranean Region

Thymus eigii is a perennial shrub from Lamiaceae family and it is found as wild in Adana and Hatay provinces, Turkey. The potential use of Thymus spp. in the prevention of viral diseases is making its demand rise. In this study, T. eigii plants were collected at various growth stages (pre-flowering, mid-flowering, and full-flowering) from Adana, Turkey in order to determine the most suitable harvest time for the highest amount of essential oil and yield. Full-flowering resulted in the highest plant height (36.11 cm), plant diameter (57.30 cm), fresh herb yield (251.31 g plant-1), fresh flower yield (158.24 g plant-1), dry herb yield (84.73 g plant-1), and dry flowers yield (53.63 g plant-1), whereas the highest fresh leaves yield (38.97 g plant-1) and dry leaves yield (16.72 g plant-1) were found at mid-flowering. While the highest flower essential oil rate (4.75 ml 100 g-1) was obtained at mid-flowering, the highest leaves essential oil rate (2.77 ml 100 g-1) was found at pre-flowering. The major compounds were carvacrol (70.87-77.98%), p-Cymene (3.39-7.46%), β-Caryophyllene (3.90-5.17%), γ-Terpinene (0.58-5.15%), and isoborneol (0.30-3.58%). As a result, the most suitable harvest time was determined as pre-flowering in terms of dry leaf yield and full-flowering in terms of flowers essential oil yield.

Does foliar nicotinamide application affect second crop corn (Zea mays)?

The largest corn yeld in Brazil is currently in the second harvest, which is the most susceptible period to climatic adversities occurring during the cycle. Thus, introducing beneficial elements for maintaining the adequate development of the plant can help producers in obtaining greater kernel yields. Among studied elements, nicotinamide has potential use since it is associated with accumulating secondary metabolites and manifesting defence metabolism in plants. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of nicotinamide applied in different doses (only once or in instalments) on the biometric and productive characteristics of corn. The treatments were composed by the number of nicotinamide applications (one or two) and five doses (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg L-1). Plant diameter, plant height, ear insertion height, leaf area and dry matter, yield and 100-kernel mass were evaluated. It was found that doses close to 100 mg L-1 resulted in increases in vegetative and reproductive development, regardless of the number of applications. In this way, foliar nicotinamide application positively influences the biometric and productive characteristics of second crop corn. Highlights The use of nicotinamide in corn plants improves its growth, yield components and grain yield. A single application of nicotinamide during vegetative stage V3 at a dose of 100 mg L-1 is sufficient to increase the leaf area of corn plants. Corn grain yield can be increased by 12.6% with a single application of nicotinamide. There was no need for two applications of nicotinamide in corn crop.

Fertilization for potted foliage anthurium

Anthurium maricense Nadruz & Mayo is one of the anthurium species with potential for commercialization as a foliage. The objective of this study was to evaluate the NPK rates and the frequency of nitrogen foliar fertilization for pot cultivation of Anthurium maricense. The experimental design was completely randomized, in a split-plot scheme, with 04-14-08 NPK rates applied in the substrate (0; 3; 6; 9 and 12 kg m−3) as the main treatments and the frequency of nitrogen foliar fertilizer (no foliar fertilizer; once and twice a month at urea concentration of 20 g L−1) in subplots, with ten replicates. Ten months after planting the seedlings in the pots, the following evaluations were made: height, average plant diameter, number of leaves and inflorescences, leaf area and dry mass (leaves, inflorescence, shoots, roots and total). In the absence of nitrogen foliar fertilizer, maximum leaf area and leaf, shoot and total dry masses were obtained with NPK rates varying from 4.7 to 5.4 kg m−3. With application of nitrogen foliar fertilizer as urea, twice a month, there is no need for NPK application in the commercial substrate used in the cultivation of foliage anthurium in pots.

Evaluation of improved taro (Colocasia esculenta(L.) Schott) genotypes on growth and yield performance in North-Bench woreda of Bench-Sheko zone, South-Western Ethiopia

Taro is the world's fourth most important root crop in terms of production by weight, behind cassava, potato, and sweet potato, and the second most significant staple root crop in terms of consumption, after sweet potato. However, a shortage of well-adapted cultivars is one of the production problems that contribute to low yields and small planted areas across the country. As a result, genotypes with high production potential and adaptability for local environmental circumstances must be evaluated. During the 2018 and 2019 main cropping seasons, field experiments were done in the North-Bench woreda in the Bench-Sheko zone, south-western Ethiopia, to improve taro production and productivity by evaluating and selecting high yielding taro cultivars. Three improved and one local taro variety were used in the trial, which was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications at the North bench location. The data were collected and analyzed by using SAS 9.2 Version statistical software. The study's findings revealed that variety had a significant (P < 0.01) impact on all of the variables considered. Accordingly, combined analysis over years indicated that the highest leaf number per plant (7.76), plant diameter (40.82cm), corm diameter (8.28cm), cormel number per plant (6.10), and total yield (22.34 t/ha) were observed for Boloso-1 variety. The highest value of the number of suckers per plant was also observed for the Boloso-1 variety in both years (8.2 in 2018 and 6.2 in the 2019 growing season). However, combined analysis over years indicated the highest corm length in local variety (12.15cm) followed by Boloso-1 variety (10.34cm). Therefore, based on the overall results of this study, the Boloso-1 variety performed best and was more adapted to the area as compared to other varieties. This variety should be popularized and disseminated to users to boost the production and productivity of taro in the testing location and similar agro-ecologies of the region.

The effects of municipal treated wastewater and sludge on some vegetative characteristics of Nitraria Schoberi

The present study investigates the effect of treated wastewater and sludge on some vegetative characteristics of the Nitraria schoberi plant. This study was conducted in a randomized block template using several treatments include five levels of irrigation with wastewater (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%), two types of soil (arable land and desert soil of Meighan desert area), and two levels of sludge (presence and absence of sludge) with 6 repetitions for each treatment. SPSS software was used to perform the statistical analysis of plant morphological characteristics. The results showed that the highest increase in height, collar diameter, and the crown cover was observed when a wastewater level of 100% was applied in the catchment basin soil of the Meighan desert at both presence and absence treatment of sludge. However, the same characteristics of Nitraria schoberi plant for cropland soils in the present treatment of sludge were at wastewater level of 100% and in the absence treatment of sludge for plant height, collar diameter and crown cover diameter were at wastewater level of 50%, 100%, and 75%, respectively. According to the results, different levels of wastewater have a significant impact on Nitraria schoberi plant height and crown cover diameter (P<0.01(. But different treatments did not show a significant difference in the collar diameter of the Nitraria schoberi plant. We can conclude that the use of wastewater should have a favorable effect on plants and soils of the desert area and should protect soil and water resources, but the environmental impact of treatments should be examined.

Framework for assessing live fine fuel loads and biomass consumption during fire

Accurate quantification of fine fuel loads (e.g. foliage and twigs) in forests is required for many fire behaviour models, and for assessing post-fire changes in carbon stocks and modelling smoke emissions. Fine fuels burn readily and are thus often targeted for fuel load assessments. Estimates of fine live fuel loads often rely on visual assessments or utilise allometric equations that relate stem diameter of plants to total above-ground biomass. Here, we develop allometric equations for shrubs that relate stem diameter to the portion of above-ground biomass comprised of fine fuel. Our study area is within the temperate eucalypt forests of south-eastern Australia. We present equations for (i) foliage; (ii) all biomass < 3 mm diameter; (iii) all biomass < 6 mm diameter; and (iv) all above-ground biomass. Simple power-law models were developed for five shrub species and saplings of two tree species. Models combining all species (RMSE = 0.03–0.0.06) worked similarly well to species-specific models (RMSE = 0.01–0.08). We then applied these all-species combined models to field observations of shrub stem diameters, measured before and after planned burns. In unburnt forest, the proportion of shrub biomass comprised of fine fuel varied considerably (from 6 to 58%). Fine fuel loads were positively related to total above-ground biomass (R2 = 0.75) and basal area of shrubs (R2 = 0.79). There was considerable variation in consumption of fine fuel. The median reduction in fine fuel load was 22.4%, whereas the median reduction in total above-ground biomass was only 2.3%. Our models of shrub fine fuels can be readily applied to field-based assessments or combined with existing models or remotely sensed estimates of above-ground biomass to model fine fuel loads over large heterogeneous study areas.

Influence of growth media and bulbil sizes on plant growth and corm yield of porang (Amorphophallus muelleri Blume)

Porang (Amorphophallus muelleri Blume) is usually cultivated on the field under the tree as natural shading. Porang can also be grown on a pot containing limited amount of growth media. The present research work was carried to evaluate the minimum amount of growth media required for optimum growth and corm yield. The study used bulbils (10 g/bulbil and 20 g/bulbil) and corm (+ 15 g/corm) sown on growth media of 2.5 kg, 5.0 kg and 7.5 kg/pot as treatments. Each treatment was arranged in completely randomized design and was replicated 3 times. Plant height, plant diameter, shoot dry weight, diameter and thickness of corm and fresh weight of corm were measured to evaluate the influence of the treatments on growth and corm yield of porang. The plant growth of porang measured as plant height, plant diameter, shoot dry weight was improved when the planting materials were planted on bigger size of growth media. Bigger size of bulbil caused better growth of porang on each growth medium. The effect of plant materials and the size of growth media on porang growth was in parallel to its effect on corm yield measured as corm diameter, corm thickness and fresh weight of corm. The result of the present study suggests to use bigger bulbil and bigger size of growth media when planted on polyethylene bag. Corm as planting material was better than bulbil because less size of corm produced similar plant growth and corm yield compared to bigger size of bulbil. Therefore, the use of corm as planting material is more favorable to bulbil.

Genetic parameters and selection of biofortified lettuce genotypes based on selection indices

ABSTRACT Obtaining biofortified vegetables with an emphasis on lettuce is a tool to improve the nutritional status of the population. Selection indices can maximize the simultaneous selection of good agronomic traits and high carotenoid levels. The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters and efficiency of different indices in selecting genotypes of biofortified lettuce with high concentrations of carotenoids and favorable agronomic traits. Statistical analyses were performed on 91 genotypes belonging to the vegetable germplasm bank of the Federal University of Uberlândia, Brazil. The variables analyzed were the chlorophyll index of the leaves, plant diameter, stem diameter, and number of leaves per plant. The values found for narrow sense heritability (h²) ranged from 89.63% (stem diameter) to 96.05% (chlorophyll), showing a high magnitude. The Smith-Hazel index, sum of ranks by the Mulamba &amp; Mock index, direct and indirect selection, and Williams base index were used to predict the selection gains. A total of 17 individuals were selected using the selection methodologies. The Smith-Hazel, Williams, and Mulamba &amp; Mock indices were efficient in showing good direct gains for the evaluated traits. Thirteen genotypes were selected for all indices presenting suitable agronomic traits, which show promise for advancing generations within the breeding program to obtain biofortified lettuce strains.

The Effect of Various Treatment of Bio Boost Fertilizer On The Growth and Yield of Melon (Cucumis melo. L)

Bio boost is a biological fertilizer containing superior soil microorganisms, useful for increasing soil fertility as a result of soil biochemical processes. Bio boost biofertilizer contains Azotobacter sp., Azospirillum sp., Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Cytophaga sp. One of the applications of organic cultivation is the use of biological fertilizers in the cultivation of melons. Melon is a horticultural commodity that has a fairly high economic value and is profitable to be cultivated as a source of farmers' income. This research was conducted in Jamaimo Village, Mariat District, Sorong Regency from July to November 2020. This study used a single factor with a randomized block design consisting of 4 levels of treatment. Each treatment was repeated 4 times so that 16 experimental units were obtained. The concentration of Bio boost treatment is as follows: P1 = Treatment with a concentration of 500 ml bio boost + 1000 ml water; P2 = Treatment with a concentration of 700 ml bio boost + 800 ml water; P3 = Treatment with a concentration of 900 ml bio boost + 600 ml water; P4 = Treatment with a concentration of 1100 ml bio boost + 400 ml water. The results of the study found that the application of bioboost with various concentrations affected the length of the vine, the number of leaves, the weight of the fruit and the fruit diameter of the melon plant. Treatment with a concentration of 1100 ml bioboost + 400 ml water (P4) can increase the length of the tendrils up to 108.34 cm, the number of leaves 42.75, fruit weight 1.61 kg, and melon diameter 17.56 cm.Keywords: Organic_fertiliser; Bioboost; Melon