Fresh Pod Research Articles

Cosmetic Stay-green Trait in Snap Bean and the Event Cascade That Reduces Seed Germination and Emergence

The persistent color (pc) trait in snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a member of the stay-green gene family and falls into the cosmetic subclass. Cosmetic stay-green variants remain green but lose photosynthetic competence during senescence. It is an economically useful trait in snap bean as a result of its effects on pod quality. The trait produces a dark-green, uniform appearance of fresh pods, but has other pleiotropic effects, including a light-green seed color, bleached-white cotyledons on emergence, and foliage and pods that remain green even while senescing. One additional pleiotropic effect is reduced field germination and emergence compared with white- and colored-seeded genotypes. Nevertheless, with the aid of seed-applied fungicides, pc types occupy ≈40% of commercial snap bean acreage in the United States. This research project was aimed at understanding why and how germination and emergence is affected in pc beans. The effect is thought to be related to soil-borne pathogens because fungicide treatment of pc seeds increases germination and emergence rates to levels comparable to treated white- and colored-seeded genotypes. For our experiments, we increased seeds of 45 experimental lines and commercial cultivars (25 of which were pc) under uniform growing conditions. Initial experiments documented that, in the laboratory, all seeds analyzed in a tetrazolium test had high viability. Furthermore, untreated seeds of pc and non-pc types germinated in the laboratory showed no difference in germinability, whereas in the field, germination of pc types was reduced significantly. In addition, pc types showed substantially greater infection rates of seeds and seedlings, with the main pathogen being Fusarium oxysporum Schl. f. sp. phaseoli Kendrick & Snyder. Water uptake by green pc seeds was significantly more rapid than white and colored seeds. Measurements of electrical conductivity revealed that pc types had greater solute leakage than other seed types. When seed anatomic structure was examined, pc types had a significantly thinner testa, especially the osteosclereid layer. The reduction in germination and emergence appears to begin with a thinner, more fragile testa showing increased cracking that may happen during seed harvest and conditioning (but certainly does happen during imbibition), allowing more rapid water uptake during germination that leads to testa rupture. Increased and rapid solute diffusion into the surrounding spermosphere stimulates and attracts pathogens to colonize the seeds before seedlings can become established. Seed handling and conditioning processes before planting could be modified to improve field emergence and stand establishment. Selection for thicker testa may also mitigate some of the damage observed during germination of pc cultivars.

Prediction of genotype performance for untested years based on additive main effects and multiplicative interaction and linear mixed models: An illustration using dolichos bean (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet) multiyear data

AbstractCarrying out multi‐environment trials (MET) is a regular and mandatory procedure for identifying and recommending superior genotypes as cultivars of crops with no exception of dolichos bean. The accuracy of a crop MET can be increased using more efficient statistical tools such as Additive Main effects and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) and mixed linear models via best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) procedure. AMMI is not a single model, but rather, a family of models. Considering genotypes, environments or both as random variables, three types of BLUPs, namely BLUPg, BLUPe and BLUPge, respectively are possible. Diagnosis and use of the best AMMI model family member and type of BLUP is the key to identify the best genotype(s) for use as cultivars with a hypothesis that they will perform well in farmers' fields in future years. We diagnosed the best AMMI model family member and type of BLUP based on between‐year predictive accuracy using a 5‐year dataset in dolichos bean. Replication‐wise mean fresh pod yield of different combinations of 4‐years' was used as prediction datasets to build AMMI and BLUP models. The observed mean fresh pod yield of genotypes evaluated in the year, which is not used in modelling, was used as a validation dataset. Predictive accuracy was measured as root mean squared differences between AMMI and BLUP model‐predicted and observed mean fresh pod yield of genotypes. Our results showed that parsimonious AMMI1 model was far better than any type of BLUP in predicting the genotype performance for untested years.

Effect of irrigation regimes using saline water on faba bean (Vicia faba L.) yield and water productivity in an arid environment*

AbstractA 2‐year study was conducted to assess the effects of irrigation regimes using saline water on soil salinization, yield, water productivity, and net income of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) under actual farming conditions in arid regions of Tunisia. Faba bean (cvs. Luz de Otono and local) was grown on a sandy soil and drip‐irrigated with water having an electrical conductivity of 6 dS m−1. Two deficit irrigation (DI70 and DI40) and one full irrigation (FI) strategy consisting of applications of 40%, 70%, and 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), respectively, were compared to the traditional farmers' irrigation method (FM) in which 16 mm irrigation were applied every 5 days from planting till harvest. Results showed that the lowest soil salinity values at harvest were observed under FI treatment, while the highest were obtained with DI40 and the FM. The maximum values of faba bean yields were obtained under FI and the lowest with the FM. No significant reduction in yields was observed with the DI70 treatment compared to FI, while DI40 and the FM significantly decreased the fresh pod yields. Using 12%–20% more irrigation water than FI treatment, the FM did not improve soil salinity but resulted in a significant yield reduction compared to FI. Total water productivity values varied between 4.9 (FM) and 14 kg m−3 (DI40) across different years and treatments. Compared to the FM, which applies fixed amounts with the same frequency, the FI strategy, which adapts the irrigation amounts to the actual crop water requirements, was more productive and provided a significant advantage in terms of yield and net income. Under limited availability of irrigation water, adoption of the DI70 treatment was found to be a good alternative as it allowed 30% water saving and was subject to limited negative effects on soil salinity, yield, and net income.

Water leaching for improving fuel properties of pongamia Pod: Informing process design

Pongamia seedpods are recognized as a potential feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel production due to the relatively high oil content of the seeds. Pongamia pods are byproduct residues available after seed separation. Pods have high chlorine and potassium content that may be problematic in thermochemical energy conversion systems. Leaching experiments were performed to remove inorganic constituents of pods and thereby reduce the potential for fouling, slagging, and agglomeration. A 23 factorial design determined the impacts of process operating parameters (i.e. rinse water temperature (25 °C vs. 75 °C), rinse duration (10 min vs. 2 h), and particle size (<2 mm vs. whole pod)) on the composition and physicochemical properties of the pods and the water. The higher heating value of the pods was found to increase from 16 to 18–19 MJ/kg after leaching, while the ash content was reduced from 6.5% to as low as 2.8%wt, with significant removal of sulfur (S), chlorine (Cl), and potassium (K). The chemical oxygen demand, non-purgeable organic carbon, and total nitrogen of the post-experiment leachates were all found to increase with the rinse water temperature and rinse duration but decrease with the increase of particle size. Leached pods were further processed via torrefaction and the targeted mass and energy yields, ~70% and 85%, respectively, were reached at a process temperature of 270 °C. The S, Cl, and K contents of the leached, torrefied pods were found to be lower than that of the raw pods. The reuse of leachate on successive batches of fresh pods showed that ash removal efficiency was reduced after three cycles, although some removal was possible through 15 cycles.

Assessment of natural DNA methylation variation and its association with economically important traits in dolichos bean (Lablab purpureus L. Var. Lignosus) using AMP-PCR assay.

As a prelude to exploit DNA methylation-induced variation, we hypothesized the existence of substantial natural DNA methylation variation and its association with economically important traits in dolichos bean, and tested it using amplified methylation polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction (AMP-PCR) assay. DNA methylation patterns such as internal, external, full and non-methylation were amplified in a set of 64 genotypes using 26 customized randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers containing 5'CCGG3' sequence. The 64 genotypes included 60 germplasm accessions (GA), two advanced breeding lines (ABLs) and two released varieties. The ABLs and released varieties are referred to as improved germplasm accessions (IGA) in this study. The association of DNA methylation patterns with economically important traits such as days to 50% flowering, raceme length, fresh pods plant-1, fresh pod yield plant-1 and 100-fresh seed weight was explored. At least 50 genotypes were polymorphic for DNA methylation patterns at 10 loci generated by seven of the 26 RAPD primers. The GA and IGA differed significantly for total, full and external methylation and the frequency of methylation was higher in GA compared to that in IGA. The genotypes with external methylation produced longer racemes than those with full, internal and non-methylation in that order at polymorphic RAPD-11-242 locus. High pod yielding genotypes had significantly lower frequency of full methylation than low yielding ones. On the contrary, the genotypes that produced heavier fresh seeds harboured higher frequencies of total and externally methylated loci than those that produced lighter fresh seeds.

Stable pleiotropic loci and candidate genes for fresh pod‐ and seed‐related characteristics across multiple environments in soybean (Glycine max)

AbstractSoybean provides irreplaceable protein and oil. Pods and seeds are essential soybean harvested organs. To illustrate the genetic basis of pod‐ and seed‐related traits, a natural population was assessed for eight related traits under four environments. In all, 15 associated SNPs were identified across multiple environments or controlling various traits, and 11 were verified through BLUP. Two SNPs on chromosome 15 were associated with six traits across multiple environments. Two SNPs on chromosome 2 were also associated with six traits under multiple environments. Significant phenotype differences between favourable and unfavourable alleles/haplotypes under four environments were detected. Significant association of pod length SNP and large‐pod phenotype (pod length ≥4.5 cm) was detected. The genetic basis of elite germplasms was analysed, and ‘Chuxiu’ possessed all of the 15 favourable alleles with best phenotype. Some candidate genes participating in cell wall structural remodelling, gibberellin and ethylene pathways were selected with different expressions in pod developmental stages. These results provided novel insights into genetic basis and molecular markers/candidate genes for soybean fresh pod and seed genetic improvement.

Study on Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) Response to Salt Stress Environment under Kabul Climatic Conditions, Afghanistan

Abstract − The research was conducted to examine the effects of saline-irrigation water on growth and fresh pod weight of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) under climatic conditions of Kabul province, Af-ghanistan. This study consisted of four treatments having different salinity levels of irrigation water, (T1:0.0mM, T2:5mM, T3:10mM, and T4:20mM), which were applied throughout the growing season of okra in plastic pots with a randomized complete block design. Results showed that saline irrigation water caused a significant reduction in germination of seeds (in T1:98% germination, T4: 53% germination), leaf length (in T1:9.17 cm, T4:6.8cm leaf length), shoot height (in T1:15.43cm, T4: 13.87cm Shoot height) and root length (in T1:15.37cm, T4:8.7cm root length). Okra plants grown under salt stress conditions showed a significantly decline in yield as compared to control treatment. While 6904kg/ha yield was obtained in control treatment (T1), 6696kg/ha, 4772kg/ha, 3100kg/ha yield were obtained in T2, T3 and T4 applications, respectively. Water use efficiency was maximum in the control treatment and minimum in treatment level 20mM. A maximum value of 13.08kg/ha/mm was computed for control treatment and minimum value of 5.87kg/ha/mm for treatment level 20mM, the water use efficiency value for treatment level 5mM and 10mM were 12.68kg/ha/mm and 9.04kg/ha/mm respectively. As a result, okra growth parameters were decreased significantly with the increasing concentration of ECiw (electrical conductivity of irrigation water). Salinity adversely affected morphological and physiological characteristics of okra.

Organic stimulants for enhancing phytoremediation of crude oil polluted soil: A study on cowpea

Petroleum hydrocarbon (PH) contamination of soils remains a major threat to environmental health and food security. A two-years phytoremediation study was conducted on a crude oil polluted soil to assess changes in soil total petroleum hydrocarbon concentration (TPHsoil) following use of pawpaw seed powder (PSP), moringa seed powder (MSP) and their combination (PSP + MSP) as organic stimulants in cowpea cultivation. The stimulants were tested at different application rates (100, 150, 200 and 250 g m−2), with the control (No stimulant) for their effectiveness in reducing TPHsoil and accelerating the removal rate (R) of PH from soil. The TPHsoil did not differ significantly (p < 0.05) among the treatments in year 1, but was highest in the control (11,600 mg kg−1) and least in 200 g m−2 PSP (7400.0 mg kg−1). In year 2, mean TPHsoil varied significantly (p < 0.05) and remained highest in control (7100 mg kg−1) but lowest in 150 g m−2 PSP (2700 mg kg−1). Application of 150 g m-2 PSP gave the highest R (78.2%), followed by 150 g m-2 PSP+MSP (77.4%), and least by the control (42.7%) over two years of study. The average fresh pod yield of cowpea over two years was highest in 250 g m−2 PSP (2416.67 kg ha−1), followed by 150 g m−2 PSP (2173.34 kg ha−1) and least in control (1302.22 kg ha−1). There was significant negative association between TPHsoil and fresh pod yield (r = −0.403; p < 0.01). However, application of 150 g m−2 PSP appeared most effective for enhanced phytoremediation of crude oil polluted soil and improvement of cowpea yield.

Genetic variability for vegetable traits in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.)Millsp.)

A study was conducted to determine the genetic variability among sixty four vegetable pigeonpea genotypes for ten quantitative and quality traits. Highly significant differences existed among the genotypes for all the ten characters studied. Phenotypic coefficients of variation (PCV) were found higher than the genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for all the traits. High PCV and GCV was observed for total soluble sugars (28.73, 27.94 %) and hundred fresh bean weight (26.54, 25.87 %), respectively. PCV and GCV values were moderate for the traits viz., fresh pod length, fresh pod width, the number of beans per pod, bean length, bean width, protein content and fibre content. High heritability was observed for fresh pod length, fresh pod width, the number of beans per pod, hundred fresh bean weight and total soluble sugars. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for fresh pod length, fresh pod width, hundred fresh bean weight and total soluble sugars indicating the additive gene effect. The genotypes viz., CVPP-20-002, CVPP-20-023, CVPP-20-017, CVPP-20-031, CVPP-20-032 and CVPP-20-061 showed a good performance for quantitative and nutritional traits and were superior over the check varieties. The promising genotypes identified for different vegetable traits could be used in the breeding programme to develop vegetable/dual purpose varieties in pigeonpea. Key wordsPigeonpea, vegetable traits, nutritional analysis, genetic variability, dual purpose pigeon pea

Chemical Composition and Bioactive Properties of Purple French Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) as Affected by Water Deficit Irrigation and Biostimulants Application

Biostimulants are a novel and eco-friendly agronomic tool with practical applications in alleviating negative effects of environmental stressors. The present work studied the effects of three biostimulant products (Nomoren (N), Twin-Antistress (TW), and X-Stress (XS)) under normal irrigation (W+) and water deficit irrigation conditions (W−) on the nutritional, chemical composition and bioactive properties of common bean fresh pods. A variable effect of biostimulants and water deficit irrigation was observed on nutritional value parameters, while fructose and sucrose were the main detected sugars, especially in NW+ and CW− treatments. Oxalic, malic, and citric acid were the main detected organic acids, while γ- and total tocopherol content was the highest in TWW+. (+)-Catechin and (−)-epicatechin were the most abundant phenolic compounds, especially in the NW− treatment. A variable antioxidant capacity was observed for the Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) and Oxidative Haemolysis assays (OxHLIA), while TWW+ extracts showed the best overall results against the tested fungi. In conclusion, the tested biostimulants had a positive effect on chemical composition and bioactivities of purple bean depending on the irrigation regime.

Molecular Hallmarks, Agronomic Performances and Seed Nutraceutical Properties to Exploit Neglected Genetic Resources of Common Beans Grown by Organic Farming in Two Contrasting Environments.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an essential source of food proteins and an important component of sustainable agriculture systems around the world. Thus, conserving and exploiting the genetic materials of this crop species play an important role in achieving global food safety and security through the preservation of functional and serependic opportunities afforded by plant species diversity. Our research aimed to collect and perform agronomic, morpho-phenological, molecular-genetic, and nutraceutical characterizations of common bean accessions, including lowland and mountain Venetian niche landraces (ancient farmer populations) and Italian elite lineages (old breeder selections). Molecular characterization with SSR and SNP markers grouped these accessions into two well-separated clusters that were linked to the original Andean and Mesoamerican gene pools, which was consistent with the outputs of ancestral analysis. Genetic diversity in the two main clusters was not distributed equally the Andean gene pool was found to be much more uniform than the Mesoamerican pool. Additional subdivision resulted in subclusters, supporting the existence of six varietal groups. Accessions were selected according to preliminary investigations and historical records and cultivated in two contrasting Venetian environments: sea-level and mountain territories. We found that the environment significantly affected some nutraceutical properties of the seeds, mainly protein and starch contents. The antioxidant capacity was found significantly greater at sea level for climbing accessions and in the mountains for dwarf accessions. The seed yield at sea level was halved than mountain due to a seeds reduction in weight, volume, size and density. At sea level, bean landraces tended to have extended flowering periods and shorter fresh pod periods. The seed yield was positively correlated with the length of the period during which plants had fresh pods and negatively correlated with the length of the flowering period. Thus, the agronomic performance of these genetic resources showed their strong connection and adaptation to mountainous environments. On the whole, the genetic-molecular information put together for these univocal bean entries was combined with overall results from plant and seed analyses to select and transform the best accessions into commercial varieties (i.e., pure lines) suitable for wider cultivation.

Agronomic Performance and Genetic Fidelity of the Selected Elite Cocoa Clones Derived from Somatic Embryogenesis Culture

This study was conducted to compare the agronomic performance of four elite cocoa clones (MCBC1, KKM22, KKM4 and PBC230) regenerated from staminode and immature zygotic embryo culture with conventional grafted cocoa clones. From the results, it was found that the KKM4 clone propagated from immature zygotic embryo culture exhibited variations in the fresh pod weight (339.6 g), fresh individual seed weight (4.13 g) and number of flat beans per pod (4 beans) compared with the rest of the regenerated clones. The genetic stability of the somatic embryogenesis cultured clones and the donor clones was then tested using fragment analysis with five SSR primers, i.e. mTcCIR7, mTcCIR18, mTcCIR22, mTcCIR33 and mTcCIR40. Four of these primers identified variations in the allele size and allele addition in KKM4 clone from immature zygotic embryo. Molecular analysis validated that the difference in agronomic performance of the KKM4 clone from immature zygotic embryo culture was due to genetic mutation created during the immature zygotic embryo culture process.

The effect of lime of dolomite and NPK fertilizers on the response of growth, yield and protein content on black soybean (Glycine soja L.Merr) in acid soils

The development of cultivation from plant black soybeans (Glycine soja (L.) Merr.) in the acid soils can be an alternative to increase the yield of black soybean plants. However, the utilization of acid soils is plagued by soil pH value, high content of Al, Mn, and Fe as well as low availability of macro elements N (nitrogen), P (phospor), K (potassium), Ca (calcium), and Mg (magnesium). This study aims to determine the effect of dose of lime dolomite and NPK fertilizers on the response of growth, yield, and protein content of plant black soybeans on acid soils. This research used Complete Random Design (CRD) consist of 2 factors, each factor consists of 4 levels. The dose of lime dolomite 4,5 tons/ha was able to produce the highest total dissolved protein content amounted 4,30%, while giving the lime of dolomite and NPK fertilizers showed significant results in plant’s height, weight of fresh pods, weight of seeds/plant, number of seeds/plant, weight of 100 seeds, dry weight of stover, and dry weight of roots.

Genetic variability, Heritability and Genetic advance studies in Yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata spp. sesquipedalis) genotypes

A field experiment was carried out at farmer field in Pudukurapettai village, Virudhachalam, Tamilnadu during 2019 to study genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance expressed as per cent of mean for yield and yield attributing characters in thirty three genotypes of yardlong bean. The mean performance recorded on days to first flowering was in the range of (46.78 to 57.33 days), vine length (196.76 to 386.32 cm), days to first picking (57.33 to 67.53 days), pod length (14.18 to 60.08 cm), pod width (1.76 to 3.43 cm), fresh pod weight (171.43 to 995.45 g), number of pods per plant (26.53 to 56.40), number of picking (10.00 to 14.20) and pod yield per plant (171.43 to 995.45 g). The genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation showed higher value for pod yield per plant (46.69 % and 46.70 %), fresh pod weight (42.27 and 42.28 %) and pod length (41.66 and 41.66 %). High heritability was observed for the all nine characters. Genetic advance as per cent of mean was higher for pod yield per plant (96.18 %), fresh pod weight (87.08 %), pod length (85.81 %), vine length (36.93 %), pod width (34.16 %) and number of pods per plant (30.04 %).

GWAS of pod morphological and color characters in common bean

BackgroundCommon bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important legume species which can be consumed as immature pods and dry seeds after re-hydration and cooking. Many genes and QTL, and epistatic interactions among them, condition pod morphological traits. However, not all them have been mapped or validated nor candidate genes proposed. We sought to investigate the genomic regions conditioning pod morphological and color characters through GWAS.ResultsSingle and multi-locus genome wide association analysis was used to investigate pod traits for a set of 301 bean lines of the Spanish Diversity Panel (SDP). The SDP was genotyped with 32,812 SNPs obtained from Genotyping by Sequencing. The panel was grown in two seasons and phenotypic data were recorded for 17 fresh pods traits grouped in four pod characters: pod length, pod cross-section, pod color, and number of seeds per pod. In all, 23 QTL for pod length, 6 for cross-section, 18 for pod color, 6 for number of seeds per pod and 9 associated to two or more pod characters were detected. Most QTL were located in the telomeric region of chromosomes Pv01, Pv02, Pv04, Pv08, Pv09 and Pv10. Eighteen detected QTL co-localized with 28 previously reported QTL. Twenty-one potential candidate genes involving developmental processes were detected underlying 11 QTL for pod morphological characters, four of them homologous to A. thaliana genes FIS2, SPL10, TTG2 and AML4 affecting silique size. Eight potential candidate genes involved in pigment synthesis, were found underlying five QTL for pod color.ConclusionsGWAS for pod morphological and color characters in the bean Spanish Diversity Panel revealed 62 QTL, 18 co-localized with previously reported QTL, and 16 QTL were underlain by 25 candidate genes. Overall 44 new QTL identified and 18 existing QTL contribute to a better understanding of the complex inheritance of pod size and color traits in common bean and open the opportunity for future validation works.

Genetic analysis and selection of Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea [L.] Verdc.) landraces for high yield revealed by qualitative and quantitative traits

As a crop for the new millennium Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea [L.] Verdc.) considered as leading legumes in the tropical regions due to its versatile advantages. The main intent of this study was to find out the high yielding potential genotypes and considering these genotypes to develop pure lines for commercial cultivation in Malaysia. Considering the 14 qualitative and 27 quantitative traits of fifteen landraces the variation and genetic parameters namely, variability, heritability, genetic advance, characters association, and cluster matrix were determined. ANOVA revealed significant variation for all the agronomic traits (except plant height). Among the accessions, highly significant differences (P ≤ 0.01) were found for almost all the traits excluding fifty percent flowering date, seed length, seed width. The 16 traits out of the 27 quantitative traits had a coefficient of variation (CV) ≥ 20%. A positive and intermediate to perfect highly significant association (r = 0.23 to 1.00; P < 0.00) was found between yield and its related traits. The trait dry seed weight per plant (g) had the highest GCV = 59.91% and PCV = 59.57% whereas the trait fresh pod weight (99.55%), dry seed weight (98.86%), and yield (98.10%) were highly heritable. The genetic advance recorded the highest for dry seed weight (122.01%) and lowest (3.97%) for plant height. To validate the genetic disparity, an unweighted pair-group produce with arithmetic mean (UPGMA), principal component analysis (PCA), heatmap, and H’-index was performed considering 27 quantitative traits. The constructed dendrogram showed five distinct groups of accessions. Genotypes G2, G3, and G9 from Group IV consider as promising lines which gave 70.05% higher mean yield compared to grand mean yield (1180 kg ha−1) with desirable traits. Group II had a maximum number of accessions while group III and group V had one of each. However, findings declared that the availability of genetic variance will be beneficial for this crop improvement through cross breeding as well as the plant breeders to prefer desirable traits in V. subterranea L. Verdc. for further breeding purposes.

Optimum dosage of rice husk-based silicon foliar spray to improve yield of soybean grown on irrigated lowland

Silicon (Si) is highly abundant in soil and plays important role in growth and development of plant. However, number of available Si is limited depend on soil type and condition, thus supplementary Si from fertilizer is needed. Rice husk is one of potential source of Si fertilizer. This study aimed to determine the optimum dosage of rice husk-based bio-silicon foliar spray (SiF) improve yield of soybean. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design at Narmada Research Station of AIAT (Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology) of West Nusa Tengara Province from May to June 2018. There were four treatments of SiF concentration with four replications viz. SiF1 = 3 ml/lt, SiF2 = 6 ml/lt, SiF3 = 9 ml/lt, and SiF0 = 0 ml/lt (control). The results showed that plant growth and yield attribute i.e., weight of biomass, number of pods, fresh pod weight, yield were improved on all SiF treatments when compared to the control. Total ground above biomas m−2 was also significantly improved, while the highest yield produced at SiF3. Current study suggests that optimum dosage of rice husk-based bio-silica foliar spray for lowland irrigated soybean was 6 ml/lt, and further on-farm experiment is needed to test the dosage at wider scale.

Sowing Time and Management Effects on Phenology, Growth and Yield of Garden Pea

The experiment was conducted at the research field of the Agronomy Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Gazipur and Regional Agricultural Research Stations (RARS), Burirhat during two successive rabi seasons of 2015 and 17 to find out the relation between different development events of garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) and the sowing time based temperature, and also to minimize the yield reduction by adopting appropriate management practices. The treatments comprised with three sowing dates (30 November, 15 December and 30 December) and three management practices (low, medium and high). Under high management, Nov. 30 sowing took maximum days (64 days in 2015-16 and 58 days in 2016-17 at Joydebpur and 58 days in 2015-16 and 57 days in 2016-17 at RARS, Burirhat) to reach harvesting maturity. The results indicated that the number of days required for attaining different phenological stages decreased with delay of sowing. Late sowing took minimum time from flowering to fresh pod maturity (51 days and 49 days in two years at Joydebpur, and 49 days and 46 days in two years at Burirhat) due to increase in minimum temperature. The results revealed that the highest pod yield (14.77 t ha-1in 2015-16 and 13.09 t ha-1in 2016-17 at Joydebpur and 9.63 tha-1 in 2015-16 and 10.33 t ha-1in 2016-17 at Burirhat) was recorded from 30 November sowing with high management practices which was followed by 15 December with the same management. Yield reduction in late sowing was reduced to some extent by high management practices. The two year results revealed that 30 November sowing with high management practices (extra 20% recommended fertilizer dose, HRC + two irrigation at pre flowering and pod development stage + seed treatment + one weeding at 21 DAE) showed better pod yield than other combinations.&#x0D; Bangladesh Agron. J. 2020, 23(2): 13-22

Advanced Yield Trial for Various Peanut Lines (Arachis hypogaea L.) at Sodonghilir, Tasikmalaya, West Java, Indonesia

This study aims to evaluate yield and yield components in several peanut lines planted in West Java, Indonesia. The genetic materials tested involved 21 genotypes consisting of 18 potential peanut lines (G100, G133, G142, G144, G199, G205, G209, G21, G234, G237, G33, G37, G41, G53, G54, G76, G84, G99) from a selection of 5 biparental population (GWS79A1/”Zebra”, “Jerapah”/GWS79A1, “Zebra”/GWS79A1, GWS79A1/”Jerapah”, “Zebra”/GWS18A1) and 3 comparative varieties (“Gajah”, “Sima”, and “Zebra”) as controls. Results showed that various genotypes have significant effects on plant height (at 9 and 10 WAP), number of branches (at 4, 10, and 12 WAP), flowering age, and harvest age. Some potential lines showed ideal characters expected of a high quality peanut plant. Based on characters such as harvest age, dry pod weight, and productivity, G100, G41, G21, G205, and G84 can be considered the best potential lines. These lines demonstrated high heritability values including characters classified as high category such as plant height, number of branches, age of flowering, age of harvest, harvest index, wet stover weight, fresh pod weight, number of filled pods, number of empty pods, number of filled pods, and weight of 100 seeds. Additionally, these lines also show high productivity, a character classified in the medium category.

Estimation of variability, heritability and genetic advance in M3 generation of natural mutant of dolichos bean

An experiment entitled “Estimation of variability, heritability and genetic advance in M3 generation of natural mutant of dolichos bean” was carried out at All India Coordinated Research Project on Vegetable Crops, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Dist. Ahmednagar (MS), which was conducted during the year 2018-19 with an objective to assess the genetic variability in M3 generation. The estimates of phenotypic coefficient of variation were higher than that of genotypic coefficient of variation for all the characters under study in M3 generation. High GCV and PCV were observed for vine length, number of racemes per vine, fresh pod width, number of fresh pods per vine, fresh pod yield per vine, fresh pod yield per hectare, fresh seed yield per vine and dry seed yield per vine in M3 generation indicating the higher magnitude of variability and direct selection of these traits may be advantageous in developing desirable dolichos bean genotype. The high heritability along with high genetic advance as percent of mean are exhibited by vine length, days to 50 per cent flowering, number of racemes per vine, pod setting per cent, fresh pod length, fresh pod width, number of fresh pods per vine, fresh pod shelling per cent, fresh pod yield per vine, fresh pod yield per hectare, fresh 100 seed weight, fresh seed yield per vine, dry 100 seed weight and dry seed yield per vine in M3 generation. This indicates presence of additive gene action for the expression of these traits which is fixable for next generation and selection in next population based on this character would be ideal.