Plant Growth Quality Research Articles

Tillers Diversity on One Hundred Accessions of Upland Rice Germplasm

<p>The utilization of local upland rice germplasm as genetic resources for important and potentially traits can be implemented if their characteristics have been known. Plant growth characters such as plant tillering will determine the levels of productivity of the plant. Tillering character has not been much characterized in most rice accession collected in BB Biogen genebank. The objective of this research was to characterize tillering type, including primary, secondary, and tertiary of 100 accessions of local upland rice. The Experiment was carried out by planting 100 local varieties of upland rice grown in pots with three replications in the greenhouse. The type of tiller that is marked with a string of different colors from early emergence was observed. Numbers of primary, secondary and tertiary tillers of the upland rice tested were observed at the age of two months and ripening stage. Grouping rice germplasm tested was implemented through average linkage cluster analysis method with Euclidean distance. The diversity of number tertiary tillers character at maturity stage was showed the highest diverse compared with other characters. Ketan Hitam and Ketan Salome are the two upland rice accessions that have the highest number of tillers.</p>

NITROGEN FERTILIZERS AND OCCURRENCE OF Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Mèneville & Perrottet) IN TRANSPLANTED COFFEE SEEDLINGS

The coffee leaf-miner (CLM) Leucoptera coffeella (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae) is one of the main pests of coffee plants in Brazil. Its occurrence in the crop is directly related to the physiological state and growth characteristics of coffee plants, in turn related to plant nutrition. The present work, therefore, aimed to evaluate the effect of nitrogen sources on the occurrence of CLM in coffee seedlings. The fertilizers used were ammonium sulfate, urea, and organomineral. The number of leaves mined by CLM and the relative contents of chlorophyll and crude protein in the leaves were recorded. Ammonium sulfate and urea favored higher occurrence of leaves mined and organomineral fertilizer provided the lowest incidence of leaves mined by CLM. The three sources of nitrogen increased the chlorophyll content, but only ammonium sulfate caused an increased percentage of crude protein in the leaves of coffee seedlings. For the improvement of management strategies for L. coffeella it is fundamental to understand favorable conditions, nutritional management it is one of the pest control mechanisms, thus making it possible to control the insect and prevent the population of CLM from reaching an economic damage threshold.

Simulation of soil heavy metal pollution environmental stress on plant growth characteristics in the presence of wastewater

<p>Soil pollution was simulated by means of artificial heavy metal enrichment, in the presence of treated wastewater, and its effect on the growth characteristics of Beta vulgaris L. (red beets) i.e. on the dry matter yield, and on beet quality expressed in terms of dry matter heavy metal, nitrogen and crude protein content, was investigated in a greenhouse pot experiment. Twelve treatment combinations of heavy metals mixtures composed of Zn, Mn, Cd, Co, Cu, Cr, Ni, and Pb, with each one metal participating in the mixture at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 mg.kg-1 were applied, respectively. It was found that the increase of soil DTPA extractable heavy metal concentrations reflecting high soil pollution, decreased statistically significantly the beet dry matter (dm) yield, but increased the metal and the , the nitrogen concentrations, and consequently, contributed statistisically significantly to the increase of beet crude protein yield.</p>

Stem direction affects the fruit yield, plant growth, and physiological characteristics of a determinate-type processing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

The aim of this study was to investigate whether vertical or horizontal training of the main stem of the determinate-type processing tomato ‘Shuho’ (Solanum lycopersicum L.) through physical stimulation affects its yield, growth, and physiological characteristics. There was no difference in the total fruit yield and fruit number per plant between the two training directions, but fruit yield, fruit number at 11 weeks after transplanting, and the marketable fruit percent were higher in vertically-trained plants. Furthermore, the stem length increased, the stem diameter decreased, and the lateral shoots at the sixth to seventh and first to fourth nodes were longer in vertically-trained plants due to a positive association between lateral shoot elongation and the concentrations of indole-3-acetic acid, isopentenyl adenine riboside, and isopentenyl adenine. Vertical training, if compared to horizontal one, also resulted in an increased leaf area and photosynthetic rate in the seventh true leaf, bleeding sap rate of the xylem, and dry weights and nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents of the leaf, stem, upper lateral shoots, and roots. These results suggest that vertical training of the main stem is more efficient than horizontal training for increasing the marketable fruit ratio and initial fruit yield of processing tomatoes because it induces morphological changes and increased vegetative growth.

Deep sequencing identified potential miRNAs involved in defence response, stress and plant growth characteristics of wild genotypes of cardamom.

Cardamom has long been used as a food flavouring agent and in ayurvedic medicines for mouth ulcers, digestive problems and even depression. Extensive occurrence of pests and diseases adversely affect its cultivation and result in substantial reductions in total production and productivity. Numerous studies revealed the significant role of miRNAs in plant biotic stress responses. In the current study, miRNA profiling of cultivar and wild cardamom genotypes was performed using an Ion Proton sequencer. We identified 161 potential miRNAs representing 42 families, including monocot/tissue-specific and 14 novel miRNAs in both genotypes. Significant differences in miRNA family abundance between the libraries were observed in read frequencies. A total of 19 miRNAs (from known miRNAs) displayed a twofold difference in expression between wild and cultivar genotypes. We found 1168 unique potential targets for 40 known miRNA families in wild and 1025 potential targets for 42 known miRNA families in cultivar genotypes. The differential expression analysis revealed that most miRNAs identified were highly expressed in cultivars and, furthermore, lower expression of miR169 and higher expression of miR529 in wild cardamom proved evidence that wild genotypes have stronger drought stress tolerance and floral development than cultivars. Potential targets predicted for the newly identified miRNAs from the miRNA libraries of wild and cultivar cardamom genotypes involved in metabolic and developmental processes and in response to various stimuli. qRT-PCR confirmed miRNAs were differentially expressed between wild and cultivar genotypes. Furthermore, four target genes were validated experimentally to confirm miRNA-mRNA target pairing using RNA ligase-mediated 5' Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (5'RLM-RACE) PCR.

STUDIES ON WATER USE EFFICIENCY OF GRAFTED AND NON-GRAFTED MELON PLANTS GROWN UNDER TWO SOILLESS CULTURE SYSTEMS

hydroponic culture is the fastest growing sector of agriculture, and it could be impetus for food production in the future. It is expected to grow exponentially also in the future, as conditions of growing soil becoming difficult. In the current study, the effect of different rootstocks on cantaloupe plants (Cucumis melo L.) F1 hybrid Galia and the reflection of that on water consumption, growth, nutrient uptake, fruit yield and quality were studied for two successive seasons 2016 and 2017 by comparing grafted plants with non-grafted ones under two systems of hydroponic (Nutrient Film Technique and substrate culture mixture of 1 peat, 1 vermiculite and1 perlite). The Galia cantaloupe hybrid was grafted onto Lagenaria sicenaria and Cucurbita ficifolia. Non-grafted plants were used as control with both soilless culture systems. The results indicated that NFT as soilless culture system led to significant increase on plant growth characters i.e. plant height, leaves number/plant and stem thickness compared to traditional growing media. Grafting positively affected plant growth i.e. plant height, leaf number and stem thickness. Water consumption was affected also by grafting where the highest water consumption was recorded with cantaloupe plants grown in NFT system and grafted into Lagenaria sicenaria rootstock. Although growing media saved water use by plants from 85-87% in comparison with estimated water requirement calculated according pan evaporation method, the yield was low with using media cultivation system in comparison with yield of the plants grown in NFT system which saved only 39-41% of estimated water requirement increases in fruit yield and fruit size were recorded with grafted plants and this clear which may be due to utilization of the vigorous root system of the rootstocks. These grafted plants also shows increasing in minerals uptake when compared with nongrafted plantsIn general, plants grown in NFT system produced fruits characterized with superior quality, high yield, rapid harvest, and high nutrient content.

Enhancement of Growth Characteristics and Biological Activities in Astragalus membranaceus Using Artificial Light Sources

We investigated the effects of light emitting plasma (LEP) and red, blue, green, and white light emitting diode (LED) artificial light sources on plant growth characteristics and antioxidant activities in Astragalus membranaceus B. The highest germination rate (91.33 ± 2.08%) was produced by growth under red LED light. Root growth under LEP light was superior to that under the other light treatments. We measured antioxidant activity using a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and determined the total phenol and flavonoid contents and tyrosinase inhibitory activity in response to the various light treatments. Antioxidant activities were 53.6% as the highest level of activity under LEP light. Growth under LEP light also produced the highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents of 36.05 and 5.94 mg/mL, respectively. Extracts from plants grown under LEP light caused the highest inhibition of tyrosinase activity with inhibition of 35.37, 61.87 and 65.49%, respectively, for extract concentrations of 100, 500, and 1000 μg/mL compared with other artificial light treatments. These results suggest that LEP light may be an important artificial light source for the enhancement of plant growth and biological activity and indicate the importance of further study of the use of LEP light sources for agricultural production.

EFFECT OF BIOFILM WITH BIOFERTILIZER OF Pseudomonas fluorescens AND Rhizobium leguminosarum ,CHEMICAL FERTILIZER LEVEL AND ADDATION TECHNIQUE ON SOME GROWTH AND YIELD TRAITS OF WHEAT(Triticum asetivum L.)

This Research was performed to evaluate the efficiency of Biofilm Biofertilizer produced from local isolates of Pseudomonas fluorescens, Rhizobium leguminosarum, with two addition technique include with bentonite as carrier and with liquid inoculant(without carrier) and three levels of chemical fertilizers (zero,25,50)% of recommendation on some growth and yield traits of wheat variety Rashid Biofilm Biofertilizer and chemical fertilizer affect significantly on all growth characters of wheat plant, Bentonite gave the best result compare with liquid inoculant, use of Biofilm Biofertilizer with 50% of the chemical fertilizer recommendation gave highest growth and yield of wheat .The duple Biofilm Biofertilizer of P. fluorescens plus R. leguminosarum was superior in enhancing growth and yield of wheat plant .The treatment of Biofilm Biofertilizer of P. fluorescens and R. leguminosarum with Bentonite and 50 chemical fertilizer recommendation gave45.89cm2, 47.77 spad,70.00 gm,39.81mgN g-1 4.931mgP g-135.471mgK g- 1 of leaf area, chlorophyll content, weight of 1000 grains, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium uptake in the vegetative part respectively.of plant

Effects of low nitrogen nutrition on plant growth characteristics and nitrogen accumulation in Chinese natural bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) germplasm resources

ABSTRACTBermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) is a widely used warm-season turfgrass and has the highest nitrogen (N) fertilization requirements among turfgrasses. Wild ecotype found in N-poor habitats can potentially tolerant N limiting conditions for reducing N inputs in the turf industry. However, the extent of variation in their low N tolerance has remained unclear. We conducted hydroponic experiments to evaluate the variation on growth, N accumulation, and partitioning of wild bermudagrass from China pre-core collection under normal (5 mM) and limited (0.05 mM) N levels in two experiments. The results showed that low N nutrition significantly decreased clipping growth, while had no effects on verdure and root growth; in addition, the magnitude of clippings N accumulation reduction was higher than verdure and root across all accessions. However, significant genetic variations in all studied traits except for root N content in experiment 2 were found among accessions. Using a cluster analysis, 56 accessions in experiment 1 and 12 accessions in experiment 2 were classified into four groups and two groups separately. The accessions with superior low N tolerance had improved growth and accumulated more N in the verdure and roots; it is interesting that other accessions with low N tolerance had different tolerance mechanisms and transferred more N nutrition from the roots to the clippings to maintain better turf quality. The different molds in low N tolerance suggest that there is much potential for improving low N tolerance among Chinese natural bermudagrass accessions.

Pseudomonas veronii KJ mitigates flood stress-associated damage in Sesamum indicum L.

Physiological characteristics of terrestrial plants are severely affected by waterlogging stress, leading to low photochemical efficiency of leaves and retarded growth and development. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria contain the acdS gene, which encodes for the enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase. ACC deaminase cleaves the substrate ACC to produce α-ketobutyrate and ammonia and mitigates the adverse effect of prolonged water stress. The aim of this study was to characterize ACC deaminase-producing rhizobacteria and evaluate their effects on sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) under waterlogging stress condition. The rhizobacterium Pseudomonas KJ was characterized on the basis of sequencing of the partial 1501 bp fragment of 16S rDNA amplicon and confirmed as Pseudomonas veronii KJ. ACC-supplemented minimal medium revealed the phenotypic identification of acdS gene. The nucleotide sequence (1001 bp) of ACC deaminase gene of P. veronii KJ was also confirmed. We used P. veronii KJ as a bioinoculant in waterlogging stress and monitored the growth and developmental characteristics of sesame plants, including leaf chlorophyll fluorescence signals, concentration of chlorophyll, root and shoot length, and fresh and dry biomass in stressed versus unstressed plants. Plants treated with P. veronii KJ significantly (P ≤ 0.05) mitigated the waterlogging stress-related damage. Thus, the rhizobacterium Pseudomonas veronii KJ may be considered as a commendable addition to the consortium of beneficial microbes for its ability to reduce waterlogging stress-related damage in sesame plants.

Effects of low-vacuum helium cold plasma treatment on seed germination, plant growth and yield of oilseed rape

The effects of low-vacuum helium cold plasma treatment on the seed germination, plant growth and yield of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L. cv. Zhongshuang 9) were investigated. Seeds were exposed to low-vacuum helium cold plasma ranging from 0–120 W for 15 s. Cold plasma increased the germination, plant growth and yield of oilseed rape, and the treatment of 100 W provided the best result. The germination rate, germination and vigor indices, and uniformity of emergence were improved by cold plasma treatment. Cold plasma raised the relative conductivity and water uptake, and reduced the apparent contact angle. The characteristics of plant growth, including plant height, stem diameter, dry weights of shoot and root at the seedling, bolting and flowering stages were increased by the cold plasma treatment. Yield components, including pod numbers per plant and 1000 seed weights were increased by the cold plasma treatment. Furthermore, the yield per plant increased by 28.20%. These results suggest that cold plasma treatment has the potential to improve the yield of oilseed rape through the enhancement of permeability, wettability and capacity of water uptake of the seeds, seed germination and plant growth.

ENHANCEMENT OF ROCK PHOSPHATE APPLICABILTY BY COMPOST AND PHOSPHATE DISSOLVING BACTERIA AND ITS EFFECT ON QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY OF CANOLA PLANT GROWN IN SANDY SOILS

Two field experiments were conducted during the two early winter seasons of 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 at Ismailia Agricultural Research Station, Agricultural Research Center (ARC),Ismailia Governorate, Egypt. Aim was to evaluate enhancement of applicability of rock phosphate by addition of compost and inoculation with phosphate dissolving bacteria and its effect on quality and productivity of canola plant. The experiment included 3 factors as follows: (1) three rates of rock phosphate i.e. 0 (RP0), 250 kg ha-1 (RP1) and 500 kg ha-1 (RP2, (2) two treatments of compost: without application C0 and 24 Mg ha-1(C1) and (3) two P-dissolving bacteria (PDB): none (PDB0) and inoculation (PDB1). The highest values of plant growth characters, yield and its component, seed quality, nutrient content and their uptake of canola plant were obtained under treatment of RP2 + C1 + PDB1. It could be concluded that, the combined use of rock phosphate at rate of 500 kg ha-1 and compost manure at rate of 24 Mg ha-1 plus seed inoculation with PDB was more economical due to reduce and costs of the used fertilizers with access to results would be an appropriate substitute for chemical phosphorous fertilizer in sustainable agriculture system.

Effect of pruning systems on growth and yield traits of greenhouse grown bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum)

The present investigation was carried out during 2016-2017 with the objective of observing the effect of the tested systems of pruning on vegetative, fruiting, yield and quality traits of capsicum varieties. The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized block design with four replications and nine treatments with Indra, Bachata and Inspiration cultivars of capsicum pruned with three intensities i.e. two shoots, four shoots and un-pruned (control). The results showed that the two stem pruning treatment significantly affected the plant growth and flowering characteristics in terms of plant height (194.75cm), number of days to first flower (20.25 days) in cv. Indra. Same cultivar when left un-pruned recorded more number of fruits per plant (23.64 fruits), but fruit yield per plant (4.14kg) was observed in four stem pruning treatment in Indra cultivar of capsicum than other cultivars tried.

Standardization of plant species and growing medium for vertical garden system: A new urban horticulture concept

Vertical gardens are becoming a common component in contemporary garden designs at urban living space because of shrinking land spaces. Successful growing of plants in vertical garden systems depends up on growing container, plants chosen, growing media, etc. Hence a study was carried out in the Department of Horticulture, Annamalai University, during the year 2013, with the objectives to study the influence of Coir pith, Stockosorb and Geohumus as components of growing media along with FYM, Vermicompost and Leaf mould compost on growth and performance of ornamental plants for establishment of vertical garden and to study the performance of ornamental plants Viz., Philodendron erubescens Cv. ‘Gold’, Chlorophytum comosum Cv. ‘Variegatum’ and Polyscias fruticosa plants in wooden containers for establishment of vertical garden. The experiment was laid out in Completely Randomized Design in wooden containers, with ten treatment combinations of various growing media mixtures comprising red soil, river sand as basic components in combination with organic manures (FYM, vermicompost, leaf mould compost, coir pith) and hydrogels (Stocksorb and Geohumus). The plant growth characters and ornamental value index were observed. Among the three ornamental plants used, Polyscias fruticosa and Philodendron erubescens are performed better as ornamental plants in vertical garden system with the growing media of Red soil : River sand : Vermicompost @ 1:1:1/2 + Stockosorb(25g).

Standardization of plant species and growing medium for vertical garden system: A new urban horticulture concept

Vertical gardens are becoming a common component in contemporary garden designs at urban living space because of shrinking land spaces. Successful growing of plants in vertical garden systems depends up on growing container, plants chosen, growing media, etc. Hence a study was carried out in the Department of Horticulture, Annamalai University, during the year 2013, with the objectives to study the influence of Coir pith, Stockosorb and Geohumus as components of growing media along with FYM, Vermicompost and Leaf mould compost on growth and performance of ornamental plants for establishment of vertical garden and to study the performance of ornamental plants Viz., Philodendron erubescens Cv. ‘Gold’, Chlorophytum comosum Cv. ‘Variegatum’ and Polyscias fruticosa plants in wooden containers for establishment of vertical garden. The experiment was laid out in Completely Randomized Design in wooden containers, with ten treatment combinations of various growing media mixtures comprising red soil, river sand as basic components in combination with organic manures (FYM, vermicompost, leaf mould compost, coir pith) and hydrogels (Stocksorb and Geohumus). The plant growth characters and ornamental value index were observed. Among the three ornamental plants used, Polyscias fruticosa and Philodendron erubescens are performed better as ornamental plants in vertical garden system with the growing media of Red soil : River sand : Vermicompost @ 1:1:1/2 + Stockosorb(25g).

THE APPLICATION OF FUNGICIDES AND GROWTH REGULATORS FOR SEEDBED TREATMENT OF SPRING WHEAT SEEDS IN THE IRKUTSK REGION

The purpose of the present study was to identify the biological and economic efficiency of fungicides ‘Maksim Plus’ (1.2 l/t), ‘BisolbiSan’ (1l/t) and the plant growth regulator ‘Melafen’ (10 ml/t) in the pre-treatment of spring wheat seeds in pure form and in tank mixtures. The investigations were carried out in the experimental field rotation. The technology of cultivation was zonal, the forecrop was peas, the spring awny wheat variety ‘Buryatskaya’ was experimented. In all variants of the trial, the pre-treatment of the seeds was conducted with watering (10 litersof water per 1 ton of seeds) 10 days prior to sowing process. It has been established that the use of fungicides ‘Maksim Plus’ and ‘BisolbiSan’ and plant growth regulator ‘Melafen’ in its pure form is not sufficient to reveal spring wheat potential in seed pre-treatment, despite better plant growth and development characteristics, decrease of seed infection and root rot, compared with the control variety, because the obtained yield increase proved to be unreliable. Seed pre-treatment with the tank mixtures ‘Maksim Plus+ Melafen’, ‘Maksim Plus + BisolbiSan’ is agronomically justified, as it had a significant effect on average suppression of seed infection (by 74%) and root rot in the germination period (31.4–32.8%), it increased plants’ resistance to root rot pathogens, which resulted in reliable improvement of grain productivity: on 0.74 and 0.60 t/ha on average, respectively. The costs are paid off by the increased crop yields. In 2016 profitability of the combination of chemical disinfectant ‘Maksim Plus’ with growth regulator ‘Melafen’ and fungicide ‘BisolbiSan’ was 68.3 and 88.2%, respectively. In 2017, the use of fungicide ‘Maksim Plus’ and ‘Melafen’ ensured 36% profitability of wheat grain production and 53% with ‘BisolbiSan’.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in Cannabis sativa ‘Finola’ cultivation: An alternative fertilization strategy to improve plant growth and quality characteristics

The massive employment of chemical fertilizers entails substantial costs for agriculture and leads to significant environmental pollution, soils depletion and crop productivity declines. The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate the suitability of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as an alternative fertilization approach in Cannabis sativa L. ‘Finola’, one of the low-psychoactive substances industrial hemp varieties cultivated in the Abruzzo territory. The PGPR inoculum was first studied in a model system by monitoring the colonization and survival of bacteria in roots of hemp seedling grown in vitro. Following a complete randomized block design with three replicates, female plants were also cultivated in greenhouse and subjected to different cultivation conditions: (i) two different PGPR inoculum concentrations, (ii) nitrogen fertilization, and (iii) unfertilized control. At the flowering stage, plant growth parameters, main cannabinoid content, antioxidant, and total phenolic content, were assessed. In the model system experiment, scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging revealed an excellent ability of bacteria to adhere to the surface of roots, and to colonize root vascular tissues of hemp seedlings. Under greenhouse conditions PGPR favored plant growth and development as well as plant secondary metabolites accumulation and, consequently, antioxidant capacity. In particular, the lowest PGPR concentration allowed obtaining results comparable with those induced by the recommended nitrogen fertilization. These results underline the potentiality of PGPR application in hemp plants in terms of both higher biomass accumulation and chemical composition, also meeting environmental goals such as an increase in soil biodiversity and a reduction in chemical inputs. This study represents the first step toward the potential application of PGPR in hemp cultivation and could be the base for future extensive evaluations.

The effect of using grafted seedlings on the yield and quality of tomatoes grown in greenhouses

This study was aimed at observing the effect of the grafting of tomato plants on morphological (vegetative growth), production and nutritive characteristics (quantity and quality of production). For this purpose, the ‘Lorely F1’ cultivar was used as a scion grafted onto the ‘Beaufort’ rootstock. Plants were cultivated with a stem and two stems. The observations collected in this study were concerned with the characteristics of plant growth. The studied morphological characteristics were plant height, stem diameter and number of leaves, and the studied production characteristics were the characteristics of fructification and productivity (the average number of fruit per plant, the average weight of the fruit, production per plant). Particular attention was paid to the nutritional characteristics of the fruit, to the fruit quality (total soluble solids, total sugar, acidity, vitamin C, antioxidant activity (by the Trolox method) and the contents of lycopene and beta-carotene). The results showed that grafting positively influenced the growth and production characteristics. Grafting of tomato plants had an appreciable effect on the vegetative growth of the variant 2-grafted tomatoes with a stem. The best option in terms of productivity and production was the variant 3-grafted tomatoes with two stems, which yielded 9.2 kg per plant. Fruit quality was not improved in any of the grafted variants.

Sodium chloride stress during early growth stages altered physiological and growth characteristics of rice

The salt stress affects plant growth and physiological characteristics during early growth stages in rice (Oryza sativa L.) The objective of this study was to examine the influence of salt stress on rice growth during early stages and to find out their salt tolerance levels. A pot culture experiment was conducted in rice cropping season 2016, with completely randomized design (CRD) and three replicates. The treatments were two rice cultivars, 'Liangyoupeijiu' (LYP9) and 'Nipponbare' (NPBA) with four salt stress levels 0 (control, CK), 1.5 (low salt stress, LS), 4.5 (medium salt stress, MS), and 7.5 g (heavy salt stress, HS) NaCl kg-1 soil at different growth stages with six seedlings per pot. About 15 parameters were recorded and most of the treatments were significantly different (P < 0.05) from each other. The results showed that salt stress reduced seed emergence characteristics of the rice. It also decreased photosynthetic parameters, growth characteristics including DM, and seedling height reduction increased at early seedling and maximum tillering stage in both rice cultivars but this disaster is less in 'LYP9' than 'NPBA'. On the basis of DM reduction, 'LYP9' was categorized as moderately susceptible (MS) and susceptible (S) at HS during early growth stage, and 'NPBA' was categorized as sensitive to the HS stress level. The result suggested that 'LYP9' showed somehow resistance under salt stress than 'NPBA'. This study will help us to provide new ideas for improving the high yielding rice cultivar (LYP9) to salt tolerance by genetic modification and cultivation techniques.

Effect of Seed Bio-priming with Microbial Inoculants on Plant Growth, Yield and Yield Contributing Characters in Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merril

The present investigation was carried out to study the effect of seed bio-priming with microbial inoculants on plant growth, yield and yield contributing characters in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merril] at Research Station, Gaja and Department of Seed Science and Technology, College of Forestry, Ranichauri, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India during kharif season 2014. All the factors in experiment as well as their interactions showed significant influence on plant growth, yield and yield contributing characters in soybean. Among all the treatments, highest field emergence (88.47%) and minimum days to 50% flowering (40.75 days) was recorded in Psf-173 while maximum plant height (30.34 cm) was measured in Th-14. However, seed yield and other contributing characters were improved by PSB bio-primed seed. Among different varieties, Shilajeet variety showed greater value in field emergence (89.27%), plant height (34.25 cm), number of branches plant−1 (4.46), number of pods plant−1 (31.18), pod length (3.39 cm), number of seeds pod−1 (2.71), number of nodule plant−1 (30.68) and seed yield plant−1 (17.03 g). However, earliest days to 50% flowering (39.13 days) was recorded in PS 1092 variety. On the basis of field experiment, PSB proved to be the best bio-agent for enhancing the growth than other tested bio-agents and in respect of selected varieties for priming purpose, Shilajeet was found most promising. The interaction between PSB and Shilajeet also had good combination for above mentioned characters. The present study thus reveals that seed bio-priming enhances growth and yield parameters in soybean. It is therefore suggested that before sowing, soybean seed should be treated with PSB and Psf-173 bio-agents.