Flower Anthesis Research Articles

MAIN PERIODS OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF F1 CUCUMBER HYBRIDS AND THEIR YIELDS DEPENDING ON WEATHER

Purpose. To evaluate effects of weather on growth and development of cucumber plants, lengths of the main interphase periods, and cucumber yield the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine; to select breedingvaluable genotypes for heterosis breeding under climatic changes. Methods. Field, analytical, measuring, statistical. Results. The study was conducted outdoors at the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of NAAS in 2019–2020. The weather in the study years varied significantly, allowing us to assess its influence on phenological processes of growth and development of cucumber plants. Summarizing the results, we established that sufficiently high average daily air temperature (25.3–25.8 °С), a large amount of unevenly distributed precipitation (0–104 mm), with little or no precipitation during certain phases of cucumber development, significantly affected the growing period length and yield of the cucumber hybrids under investigation. We found that the onset of mass anthesis of female flowers did not vary significantly across the years, averaging 33–36 days. (35 days in the check accession). Fructification started on day 37–40 in 2019 and on day 42–45 in 2020, which was 4–6 days later. Fructification lasted 32–40 days in 2019 and 20–24 days in 2020, which was 12–16 days longer. Analysis of the cucumber yield dynamics over the study years showed that the weather in 2019 was more favorable for the growth and development of cucumber plants. Thus, in 2019, the total yields of hybrids ranged 20.8 t/ha to 64.9 t/ha. In 2020, at high temperatures and low air humidity, the total yield was 12.7–26.9 t/ha, which was significantly lower (by 41.4–61.0 %). Conclusions. The weather in the study years reflected the climate instability in the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. The lengths the main periods of the growth and development of cucumber hybrid plants and their yields were revealed to vary significantly under variable growing conditions. We selected hybrids with annual parameters that would be valuable for further breeding: by early ripeness – F1 ‘BD 96-18’ / ‘Tsezar’, F1 ‘RD 96 2-95’/ ‘Dzherelo’, F1 ‘RD 96 2-95’ / ‘Heim’ and F1 ‘Mah-62’ / ‘Toma-18’ (42 days); by fructification length – F1 ‘RD 96 2-95’/‘Dzherelo’ (35 days), F1 ‘Mah-62’ / ‘Toma-18’, F1 ‘BD 96-18’/ ‘Heim’ and F1 ‘RD 96 2-95/‘Heim’ (32 days); by yield capacity – F1 ‘Mah-62’ / ‘Toma-18’ (45,9 t/ha), F1 ‘BD 96-18’/ ‘Toma-18’ (39,3 t/ha), F1 ‘Krak’ / ‘RD-96 2-95’ (36,8 t/ha), F1 ‘RD 96 2-95’/ ‘Heim’ (35,8 t/ha), F1 ‘BD 96-18’/ ‘Heim’ (34,6 t/ha), and F1 ‘RD 96 2-95’/ ‘Dzherelo’ (34.2 t/ha). The selected hybrids yielded significantly more than the check F1 hybrid ‘Ajax’ (by 80-142 % or by 19.0 t/ha).

Effects of editing DFR genes on flowers, leaves, and roots of tobacco

BackgroundDFR is a crucial structural gene in plant flavonoid and polyphenol metabolism, and DFR knockout (DFR-KO) plants may have increased biomass accumulation. It is uncertain whether DFR-KO has comparable effects in tobacco and what the molecular mechanism is. We employed the CRISPR/Cas9 method to generate a knockout homozygous construct and collected samples from various developmental phases for transcriptome and metabolome detection and analysis.ResultsDFR-KO turned tobacco blossoms white on homozygous tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants with both NtDFR1 and NtDFR2 knockout. RNA-seq investigation of anthesis leaf (LF), anthesis flower (FF), mature leaf (LM), and mature root (RM) variations in wild-type (CK) and DFR-KO lines revealed 2898, 276, 311, and 101 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), respectively. DFR-KO primarily affected leaves during anthesis. According to KEGG and GSEA studies, DFR-KO lines upregulated photosynthetic pathway carbon fixation and downregulated photosystem I and II genes. DFR-KO may diminish tobacco anthesis leaf photosynthetic light reaction but boost dark reaction carbon fixation. DFR-KO lowered the expression of pathway-related genes in LF, such as oxidative phosphorylation and proteasome, while boosting those in the plant–pathogen interaction and MAPK signaling pathways, indicating that it may increase biological stress resistance. DFR-KO greatly boosted the expression of other structural genes involved in phenylpropanoid production in FF, which may account for metabolite accumulation. The metabolome showed that LF overexpressed 8 flavonoid metabolites and FF downregulated 24 flavone metabolites. In DFR-KO LF, proteasome-related genes downregulated 16 amino acid metabolites and reduced free amino acids. Furthermore, the DEG analysis on LM revealed that the impact of DFR-KO on tobacco growth may progressively diminish with time.ConclusionThe broad impact of DFR-KO on different phases and organs of tobacco development was thoroughly and methodically investigated in this research. DFR-KO decreased catabolism and photosynthetic light reactions in leaves during the flowering stage while increasing carbon fixation and disease resistance pathways. However, the impact of DFR-KO on tobacco growth steadily declined as it grew and matured, and transcriptional and metabolic modifications were consistent. This work offers a fresh insight and theoretical foundation for tobacco breeding and the development of gene-edited strains.

The polyvariety of <i>Acer negundo</i> L. individuals development in different conditions of the urbanized environment

The paper studies the morphological and rhythmological polyvariety of the female and male A. negundo individuals development in conditionally clean and conditionally dirty habitats. The morphological polyvariety of leaves has been analyzed according to three characteristics: shape, edge and venation. Of the 5 identified leaf forms, elliptical leaves are found with a high frequency. Two forms of the edge of the leaf blade have been revealed one-piece and toothed: female trees have an increase in the occurrence of leaves with a jagged edge; in males growing in a conditionally clean habitat, the leaves were mostly whole-edged, and in a conditionally dirty one toothed. Regardless of the habitat, three types of venation are noted: regular, opposite and mixed. The most common type of venation is mixed. The revealed diversity of leaves in A. negundo, growing in conditionally clean and conditionally dirty habitats according to the three characteristics studied, indicates the manifestation of morphological polyvariety. It is established that the flowering of A. negundo depends not only on weather conditions and the degree of illumination, but also on the location of inflorescences in different tiers of the crown. Even within the same tier, the order of flowering of inflorescences is not the same. The rhythmological polyvariety of the phenophases of A. negundo flowering manifests itself in the asynchrony of flowering, this is due to the peculiarities of individuals of the generative period and is of great biological importance for this species. Apparently, atmospheric air pollution can accelerate phenophases, so male A. negundo individuals in a conditionally dirty habitat bloomed earlier than in a conditionally clean habitat.

Flower and fruit formation of Hexachlamys edulis in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Hexachlamys edulis (O. Berg) Kausel & D. Legrand, “ubajay” is a Myrtaceae species autochthonous of South America. It is a prominent species, with potentially nutraceutical fruits, leaves and other organs with important uses with great benefits for human health and new alternatives for production systems. Levels of polyphenols and pigments together with the antioxidant activity allow us to consider H. edulis fruit as a functional food. Nevertheless, there are not yet enough scientific studies on its physiology and productive capacity. The objectives of this work were i) describe the development of flower bud to mature fruit of H. edulis in the agro ecological conditions of the locality of Moreno (Buenos Aires provinc ); ii) study of pollination methods; iii), evaluate the floral phenology evolution and iv) compare the climatic conditions of Moreno (Buenos Aires province) with Federación (Entre Ríos province), which is the original place of the plants. Nine floral phenological stages (B, C, D, E, F1; F2, F3, G, H) have been recognized during the blooming period. Results of pollination treatments were very diverse. SP and CPS did not produce fruits while OP and CPA produced 5.6% and 20.0% respectively. Climatic condition of Moreno was very appropriate during the year 2018, when the levels of flower anthesis and fruit set were the highest. Fruits ripened during the last three weeks of December, without significant differences between 2019 and 2020. Despite the climatic differences between the site of origin and the experimental plot, it can be confirmed that the biological cycle of Hexachlamys edulis was perfectly fulfilled without anthropic intervention in the Moreno site, confirming that this species presents a high plasticity and that fruit production could be incremented with appropriate cultural practices.

Leaf defoliation and Tabernaemontana rotensis (Asterids: Gentianales: Apocynaceae) flower induction and fruit development

Tabernaemontana rotensis (Kaneh.) P.T. Li is an attractive small tree that is endemic to the islands of Guam and Rota. Conservation efforts of the threatened population are constrained by lack of research. Understanding the ecology of flower and fruit development is fundamental to successful conservation of threatened angiosperms. This study determined the extent of flower induction following tropical cyclone defoliation, tested the efficacy of 10% urea sprays as a defoliant to induce flowering, and quantified the resulting fruit expansion to determine ontogeny traits. A total of 512 inflorescences were observed, half following tropical cyclones and half following defoliation with urea. Fruit length was measured every five to seven days until seed dispersal. The mean length of time between defoliation and initial flower anthesis was 29 days, and did not differ between tropical cyclone defoliation and urea solution aerosol defoliation. Four stages of observable fruit development were identified following anthesis. Linear increases in ovary length occurred for two weeks, maximum ovary length occurred at about day 30, color break from green to orange began at about day 60, and seed dispersal occurred at about day 90. Defoliation treatment did not influence the timing of these stages. The results indicated that tropical cyclone and urea solution defoliation consistently generated mast flowering after about one month with mast seeding about three months later. Conservationists may use this new knowledge to predictably schedule seed harvests at about four months following a natural or anthropogenic defoliation event. Many Tabernaemontana species are exploited for traditional medicine, and the use of defoliation to manipulate phenology of these species may benefit the practitioners of this trade.

Vermicompost Leachate a Viable Bio-stimulant for Tomato Growth and Yield (Solanum lycopersicum)

Background: The influence of inorganic fertilizer has posed considerable challenges on increasing food production worldwide. A careful plan is required to increase the yield and quality of crops. A profound knowledge on the use of organic manure involvement in plant growth and development could be beneficial for food production. The use of acceptable inorganic and different concentrations of vermicompost has been used in an attempt to enhance crop growth and development with the aim of increasing food production. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of vermicompost tea concentrate extracted from cow manure and grass cutting on physiological responses of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).Vegetative growth and yield of tomato was stimulated by mineralization of organic waste coupled with the mesophilic action of earthworm. Vermicompost is a by-product of earthworm tissues. It is a nutrient source rich in essential components for plant growth and development. Methods: An investigation was conducted in pot media under exposed natural conditions from August 2020 to November 2020 at Mangosuthu University of Technology. In this experiment, the growth of tomato plants were subjected to different vermicompost concentrations and amended with NPK fertilizer were studied. Sandy loam soil of about 5 kg were weighted into pot media (2.0mheight, 2.3m diameter). The experiment was set up in a completely randomized block design consisting of five treatments with five replicates per treatment. Treatments included: Positive control (PC), 5%VCL+NPK, 10% VCL+NPK, 20%VCL+NPK and the inorganic (NPK). Result: revealed that there were significant differences at (P less than 0.01) among the treatments with respect to plant height and number of leaves from week three to week eight. Similar trends were found with 5% VCL+NPK, 10% VCL+NPK, 20% VCL+NPK and the NPK treatments. This may be due to phytohormone release from earthworm tissue. Tomato flower inflorescence was significant at (P less than 0.01). Tomato fruit, different components at harvest which were, weight wet and dry weight were higher with NPK treated at (P less than 0.01) than the 5% VCL+NPK, 10% VCL+NPK. Root length in 20% concentration was considerably higher than the other treatments. The results showed that minimum supplementation with inorganic fertiliser may be necessary with vermicompost leachate in order to successfully grow crops in nutrient deficient soil.

CsCLE3 delays female flower anthesis in cucumber

Abstract A corolla opening is a necessary process affecting the quality of fruits and market competitiveness in cucumber (Cucumis sativus). In the previous paper, we identified a unique cucumber line (‘6457’) that possesses extra-long ovaries and shows a delayed corolla opening when nutrient supplies are abundant. We also previously showed that the expression of CsCLE3 (Csa4G627800) is correlated with the delayed opening of the female corolla. Here, we investigated the function of CsCLE3 in cucumber by conducting transgenic experiments and phenotypic analysis. The results showed that the expression of CsCLE3 in the extra-long ovary was significantly lower than in the typical ovary. In CsCLE3-overexpressed plants, the capacity to produce extra-long ovaries was lost, and the average rates of the extra-long ovary and the extra-long ovary plant were both 0%. In the CsCLE3 knockout plants obtained by the CRISPR/Cas9 system, the average extra-long ovary and extra-long ovary plant rates were significantly higher- 66.67% and 100%, respectively. Our study proved a negative regulating corolla opening time factor and provides new insight into the molecular basis of cucumber reproduction, producing fruits with flowers remaining on the tip.

Drone-Based Identification and Monitoring of Two Invasive Alien Plant Species in Open Sand Grasslands by Six RGB Vegetation Indices

Today, invasive alien species cause serious trouble for biodiversity and ecosystem services, which are essential for human survival. In order to effectively manage invasive species, it is important to know their current distribution and the dynamics of their spread. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) monitoring is one of the best tools for gathering this information from large areas. Vegetation indices for multispectral camera images are often used for this, but RGB colour-based vegetation indices can provide a simpler and less expensive solution. The goal was to examine whether six RGB indices are suitable for identifying invasive plant species in the QGIS environment on UAV images. To examine this, we determined the shoot area and number of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and the inflorescence area and number of blanket flowers (Gaillardia pulchella) as two typical invasive species in open sandy grasslands. According to the results, the cover area of common milkweed was best identified with the TGI and SSI indices. The producers’ accuracy was 76.38% (TGI) and 67.02% (SSI), while the user’s accuracy was 75.42% (TGI) and 75.12% (SSI), respectively. For the cover area of blanket flower, the IF index proved to be the most suitable index. In spite of this, it gave a low producer’s accuracy of 43.74% and user’s accuracy of 51.4%. The used methods were not suitable for the determination of milkweed shoot and the blanket flower inflorescence number, due to significant overestimation. With the methods presented here, the data of large populations of invasive species can be processed in a simple, fast, and cost-effective manner, which can ensure the precise planning of treatments for nature conservation practitioners.

Flowering biology and fruiting phenology study in white cross-berry (Grewia tenax (Forssk.)) Fiori.

Current emphasis on food supply, market value, and therapeutic use of underutilised crops makes Grewia tenax suitable for commercial production. Therefore, flowering biology and fruiting phenology study were carried out on field-established G. tenax plants in Kachchh, Gujarat, from February - March 2018. Flowers are scented and cream-white with yellow stamens and composed of 5 petals and sepals, an ovary and a style, 2 anther lobes and many anthers (66.33 ± 7.51). Bud initiation started in the last week of February and anthesis was observed after 6.40 ± 0.18 days of bud initiation. Flower anthesis start at 1130 h and is completed at 1330 h, with peak anthesis during 1215-1230 h in February. On an average, 15.55±0.98 and 19.55±0.98 days are required for fruit maturity and ripening. The study revealed that the fruit traits of the white cross berries, including fruit length and diameter, varied within the ranges of 4.93-6.69 mm and 4.06-5.91 mm, respectively. As there is limited information available on this species, these findings provide a foundation for further genetic research on white cross berries. This study can serve as a valuable resource for future investigations aiming to enhance our understanding of the genetic makeup of this species and potentially improve its fruit traits through breeding programs.

Monitoring the birds and the bees: Environmental DNA metabarcoding of flowers detects plant–animal interactions

AbstractAnimal pollinators are vital for the reproduction of ~90% of flowering plants. However, many of these pollinating species are experiencing declines globally, making effective pollinator monitoring methods more important than ever before. Pollinators can leave DNA on the flowers they visit, and metabarcoding of these environmental DNA (eDNA) traces provides an opportunity to detect the presence of flower visitors. Our study, collecting flowers from seven plant species with diverse floral morphologies, for eDNA metabarcoding analysis, illustrated the value of this novel survey tool. eDNA metabarcoding using three assays, including one developed in this study to target common bush birds, recorded more animal species visiting flowers than visual surveys conducted concurrently, including birds, bees, and other species. We also recorded the presence of a flower visit from a western pygmy possum; to our knowledge this is the first eDNA metabarcoding study to simultaneously identify the interaction of insect, mammal, and bird species with flowers. The highest diversity of taxa was detected on large inflorescence flower types found on Banksia arborea and Grevillea georgeana. The study demonstrates that the ease of sample collection and the robustness of the metabarcoding methodology has profound implications for future management of biodiversity, allowing us to monitor both plants and their attendant cohort of potential pollinators. This opens avenues for rapid and efficient comparison of biodiversity and ecosystem health between different sites and may provide insights into surrogate pollinators in the event of pollinator declines.

Flowering phenology of African pear (Dacryodes edulis (G. Don)HJ Lam) under Nigerian ecological conditions

A-three-year trial of flowering phenological characteristics of 150 African pear tree were studied in South-South and South-East Nigeria to study the flowering phenology of African pear (Dacryodes edulis) under Nigerian Ecological conditions. Five States were selected, three locations in each State, ten mature African pear trees were selected and tagged for data collection. Also, meteorological data were collected for three years. The surveyed trees were monitored till flowering time. Data were collected on start of flower formation, peak of flowering, days to anthesis, average temperature and rainfall during the months of flowering. Data collected were analysed using analysis of variance and percentages were calculated where appropriate. Result obtained indicated that there were variations in the time of flowering. African pear had peak flowering in January in Imo, Rivers and Delta States for 2013-2015, while Abia and Enugu had their peak flowering for the same period in February and March, respectively. African pear flowered between the temperatures of 27.0oC to 29.5oC. Rainfall ranged from 0.00mm to 137.50mm. The flowering season was affected mainly by temperature. Time of inflorescence flower bud formation to anthesis lasted for 2-5 days, but majority took 3-4 days to reach anthesis. In the study, under Nigerian ecological condition, African pear flowered when the temperature was high and when humidity was low. The planting of African pear that flowers around January and February should be encouraged because they had the highest yield and potential to ripe during hunger period.

Heterosis and Inbreeding Depression Analysis in Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia L.)

Experiment with 45 hybrids (F1s) under 10 x 10 diallel analysis was carried out to estimate the extent of heterosis over mid and better parents for yield and its contributing traits in bitter gourd. The inbreeding depression for various traits was also worked out. Analysis of variance indicated highly significant differences for almost all characters except plant height suggesting presence of wide genetic variability. The heterosis exhibited for fruit characters and fruit yield was mostly positive. Ten cross combinations (DVBTG-1 x VRBT-6, VRBT-94 x VRBT-39, VRBT-94 x VRBT-49, VRBT-94 x VRBT-103, VRBT-94 x VRBT-63, VRBT-94 x VRBT-32, VRBT-94 x VRBT-6, VRBT-41 x VRBT-6, VRBT-103 x VRBT-6 and VRBT-63 x VRBT-32) which recorded high heterosis for yield and also expressed high heterosis for yield components, indicating the additive or synergistic effect on the fruit yield. These cross combinations can be utilized for commercial exploitation and determining the strategies for future in bitter gourd hybrid development. The inbreeding depression results due to fixation of unfavorable recessive genes in F2. In the present results high inbreeding depression indicates the presence of non-additive gene action (dominance and epistasis) for the traits like first male and female flower anthesis, fruit weight, plant height and number of fruits/plant. The minimum inbreeding depression was observed in cross VRBT-32 x VRBT-6 and VRBT-94 x VRBT-49.

INVESTIGATIONS ON MORPHO-ANATOMICAL AND VOLATILE COMPOUNDS OF CULTIVATED Fritillaria persica L. (LILIACEAE)

In this study, cultivated Fritillaria persica L. (Liliaceae) investigated morpho-anatomical and volatile compounds of bulbs. Purple tepals, 12-28 flowers in inflorescence, yellow-green filaments and dark yellow or purple anthers were notable morphological properties. For the anatomical study, sections were prepared from root, stem and leaf. The cortex of the stem was comprised of parenchyma and sclerenchyma. The collateral vascular bundles were scattered. The leaves were unifacial and amphistomatic. The stomata type was anomocytic. The crushed bulb volatiles of F. persica were trapped by the headspace-solid phase microextraction technique and determined by analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Eight compounds (83.9%) were identified and the major compounds were found as 1,3-dichlorobenzene (60%), limonene (8.1%) and p-cymene (5.1%).

Phenology of flowering and seed development of jernang rattan (Daemonorops spp.)

Abstract. Fridayanti N, Widajati E, Ilyas S, Budi SW, Palupi ER. 2023. Phenology of flowering and seed development of jernang rattan (Daemonorops spp.). Biodiversitas 24: 349-358. Jernang rattan has a high economic value due to its resin content in the exocarp, as the raw material of dyes, medicines, and cosmetics. The resin is highest in the immature fruit skin (exocarp); therefore, fruits are harvested before the seed is germinable. As a consequence, regeneration is very scarce, and the species is categorized as a rare plant. This research was aimed at investigating the flowering phenology and seed development of jernang rattan until they reach physiological maturity, when the viability and vigor are at their highest. The flowering phenology was observed based on Biologische Bundesanstalt Bundessortenamt and Chemische Industrie (BBCH), at the inflorescence stage, flowering stage, fruit development stage, and fruit ripening stage. The inflorescence development from flower bud until ready to bloom took 136.4 ±10.9 days for male plants and 141.6 ±16.4 days for female plants. The inflorescence of staminate flowers bloomed longer (29.4 ±2.7 days) than pistillate flowers (15.4 ± 4.0 days). Fruit abortion mostly occurs during the first six months of fruit development, coincides with the nuclear stage of endosperm, and the final seed set is 56%. It takes around 27 months of one reproduction cycle from the appearance of the inflorescence to seed maturity. The fruit reaches physiological maturity approximately at 22 MAA when the seed is of high viability and vigor, and harvesting at 22 MAA is best for seed production. It is recommended to set up a seed production area separated from the resin production area.

Molecular Markers for Detecting Inflorescence Size of Brassica oleracea L. Crops and B. oleracea Complex Species (n = 9) Useful for Breeding of Broccoli (B. oleracea var. italica) and Cauliflower (B. oleracea var. botrytis).

The gene flow from Brassica oleracea L. wild relatives to B. oleracea vegetable crops have occurred and continue to occur ordinarily in several Mediterranean countries, such as Sicily, representing an important hot spot of diversity for some of them, such as broccoli, cauliflower and kale. For detecting and for exploiting the forgotten alleles lost during the domestication processes of the B. oleracea crops, attention has been pointed to the individuation of specific markers for individuating genotypes characterized by hypertrophic inflorescence traits by the marker assisted selection (MAS) during the first plant growing phases after the crosses between broccoli (B. oleracea var. italica)/cauliflower (B. oleracea var. botrytis) with B. oleracea wild relatives (n = 9), reducing the cultivation and evaluation costs. The desired traits often found in several B. oleracea wild relatives are mainly addressed to improve the plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and to increase the organoleptic, nutritive and nutraceutical traits of the products. One of the targeted traits for broccoli and cauliflower breeding is represented by the inflorescences size as is documented by the domestication processes of these two crops. Based on the previous results achieved, the numerical matrix, obtained utilizing five simple sequence repeats (SSRs), was analyzed to assess the relationship among the main inflorescence characteristics and the allelic variation of the SSRs loci analyzed (BoABI1, BoAP1, BoPLD1, BoTHL1 and PBCGSSRBo39), both for the Brassica oleracea and B. oleracea wild relatives (n = 9) accessions set. The main inflorescence morphometric characteristics, such as weight, height, diameter, shape, inflorescence curvature angle and its stem diameter, were registered before the flower anthesis. We analyzed the correlations among the allelic variation of the SSRs primers utilized and the inflorescence morphometric characteristics to individuate genomic regions stimulating the hypertrophy of the reproductive organ. The relationships found explain the diversity among B. oleracea crops and the B. oleracea complex species (n = 9) for the inflorescence size and structure. The individuated markers allow important time reduction during the breeding programs after crossing wild species for transferring useful biotic and abiotic resistances and organoleptic and nutraceutical traits to the B. oleracea crops by MAS.

Effects of Vernalization on Off–Season Flowering and Gene Expression in Sub-Tropical Strawberry cv. Pharachatan 80

Off-season strawberry production may diversify the yield, thereby increasing costs, but the environmental conditions are a limiting factor. This experiment aimed to study the effects of vernalization on off-season flowering and gene expression in sub-tropical strawberry cv. Pharachatan 80. The factorial (2 × 2) + 1 in a completely randomized design was used in this study. Factor A was the vernalization temperatures: 2 °C and 4 °C. Factor B was the vernalization periods: 1 week and 2 weeks, compared with non-vernalization (control). The expression profile of genes was determined after vernalization treatments. The results revealed an interaction between the two factors on the number of days it took the plants to bloom, the percentage of flowering, the number of inflorescences, the number of flowers per inflorescence and the number of flowers per plant, whereas the number of first flower bloom days, inflorescence length and flower size were not affected by the interaction between the two factors. Strawberry plants vernalized for 1 and 2 weeks at 2 °C showed earlier flowering (21.4 and 23.1 days, respectively) than did those vernalized at 4 °C (24.9 and 25.7 days, respectively). On the other hand, non-vernalized strawberry plants took longer to bloom, at 62.2 days. Strawberry plants vernalized at 2 °C for 2 weeks had the highest percentage of flowering, number of inflorescences, number of flowers per inflorescence and number of flowers per plant. The analysis on gene expression showed that VRN5, SOC1 and FT genes were upregulated after vernalization at 2 °C for 2 weeks, whereas gene expression of the control treatment was not detected. This study demonstrates that vernalization treatment could induce off-season flowering in sub-tropical strawberry cv. Pharachatan 80 by activating flowering genes.

Developing Prediction and Forecasting modelfor coconut under weather parameters and external factors in Coimbatore district.

Coconut is the most important plantation crop, planted in nearly every country. Coimbatore is the major producer of coconut in Tamil Nadu, followed by Thanjavur and Kanyakumari, hence this research is focused on the Coimbatore district. West Coast Tall is the popular variety which gives better yield than other varieties. This study was carried out on West Coast Tall (WCT) variety. In this paper, Coconut yield prediction model is developed under weather and external factors such as Minimum temperature, Relative Humidity, Rainfall, Plant height, Stem girth, Female flowers in inflorescence, Leaf length and Copra content. Correlation and multiple regression analysis is carried out to obtain the final form of the yield prediction model. Further, we validate this model using field-level data from TNAU coconut research farm using MATLAB and python software. The actual yield in comparison with the predicted yield using software is found to be in satisfactory agreement. In addition, we developed forecasting model for coconut for forthcoming years using proposed model.

Effect of supplemental light, pinching, and number of plants per pot on the growth and flowering of chrysanthemum plant (Dendranthema grandiflora Tzvelev)

This study was conducted in the plastic house - Nursery of the Duhok University - Duhok governorate-Kurdistan region-Iraq from the period 10th Apr. 2021 to 10th Jan. 2022. This study aimed to investigate the effect of supplemental light (light and without light), pinching (pinching and without pinching) and number of plants per pot (2, 3, and 4) plants/pot on the growth and flowering of chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora Tzvelev) plant. The results showed that supplemental light for one month delayed the flower bud emergence (223.08) days, and flower anthesis (241.58) days compared with the control (without supplemental light) that gave (198.83, 218.44) days for the two characteristics respectively. Further, supplemental light gave the best results for flower length, flower diameter, flower number, and vase life compared to (without supplemental light). Pinching delayed the flower bud emergence and decreased the plant high, growth index, flower diameter, and vase life of cut flower significantly while it significantly increased the flower diameter and vasa life. Increasing the number of plants per pot to 4 plants caused a significant increment in flower number (8.25) compared with 2 plants which gave 5.64 plants/pot. The triple interaction showed significant differences in all characteristics and number of days to flower bud emergence and flower anthesis were the highest mean for the supplemental light with or without the pinch and 2 plants/pot. Also, the best plant height (72.33) cm and growth index (26761) cm3 were recorded without supplemental light, without pinch with 2 plants/pot. However, the maximum vase life of 26.33 days was found from the interaction of supplemental light, pinch, and 2 plants/pot.

Combining Ability Analysis for Fruit Yield in Bottle Gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl

Present investigation was carried out during Zaid season 2019-2020 in (Y1) and Zaid 2020-2021 in (Y2) at the Main Experimental Station (MES), Department of Vegetable Science, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology, Narendra Nagar, Kumarganj, Ayodhya (U.P) with 21 genotypes with six parental line and their fifteen F1 hybrids of bottle gourd by using diallel (excluding reciprocal) mating fashion. Experiment was laid out in RBD include three replication having each experimental unit with rows space at 3 (m) apart with a plant to plant spacing of 0.50 (m). Significant variances over seasons were found for general as well as sca for all the 17 traits studied during over season pooled which suggested that both additive and non-additive gene action were most important in the expression of all the traits. Pooled combining ability analysis revealed that parents viz., P4, P6 and P2 were good general combiner for fruit yield per plant. An attempt to identify desirable parents based on gca effect as well per se performance of the most of the character studied. Among the 15 F1 crosses P3 x P4, P2 x P6 and P2 x P5 have found good specific combiners for total fruit yield per plant along with most of the other yield contributing characters follow days to first staminate flower anthesis, days to first pistillate flower anthesis, fruit length and average fruit weight.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Behavior of Ridge Gourd [Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb.] in Tropical Urban Ecosystem

Ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula) is a climbing vegetable that produces edible fruits. Young fruits are harvested at a time when the seed coats have been established, but cotyledons have not yet formed. This study covered morphological characteristics, growth behavior, and cultivation practices suitable for increasing the production of the ridge gourd in urban ecosystems. Results of observation revealed the heart-shaped leaf of the ridge gourd was very uniform, and the leaf surface was flat so that their leaf area could be accurately estimated using leaf length and/or width (R2 > 0.97). Yet, leaf thickness was not a reliable predictor for the leaf area (R2 < 0.34). The length of petioles was not correlated with the leaf blade area. All single leaves, multiple tendrils, an inflorescence of male flowers and/or a single female flower, and a branch could be formed at each stem node. Water content in the leaf blade was lower than in the petiole. This phenomenon is related to water favor loss due to transpiration activity. Nevertheless, the total conserved water within the leaf blade was 6.26 times more than those within the petiole. The process of fruit enlargement followed the Sigmoid curve. The upper end of the curve started to flatten 10 days after the female flower bloomed. Moreover, at the age of 10 days, cotyledon has not yet formed, so it can be used as a guide to determine the harvest time of the gourd ridge fruit. Based on the leaf SPAD value, by the time the fruit began to enlarge, 4-5 leaves at the stem base were instigated to show symptoms of senescence. Ridge gourd fruit fresh weight can be best estimated using the length × diameter of the plants as a predictor. Keywords: Climbing vegetable, Fruit age, Leaf shape, Sigmoid curve, Urban olericulture