Higher Number Of Pods Research Articles

Effect of rice husk mulching on germination percentage, yield and economics of pea (Makhyatmubi) Pisum sativum L.

Mulch can effectively minimize water vapour loss, soil erosion, weed problems and nutrient loss. Modification of soil microclimate by mulching favours seedling emergence and root proliferation. Organic mulches add nutrients to the soil when decomposed by microbes in the soil. A field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2018 and the treatments comprised of one control (T1 -no mulch) and six levels of rice husk mulching viz, T2 (10q/ha), T3 (20q/ha), T4 (30q/ha), T5 (40q/ha), T6 (50q/ha)and T7 (60q/ ha) were laid out in RBD with three replications. The application of rice husk mulching 60q/ha (T7 ) had significant effect on the germination percentage of the crop. The highest number of pods, pods per plant and longest pod length were recorded in the treatment of rice husk mulching with 60q/ha (T7 ). The test weight was found to be non-significant. With respect to economics of yield production in pea, higher gross returns, net returns and returns per rupee invested (B:C ratio) was obtained by 60q/ha rice husk mulching as compared to the other treatments. From the present investigation it was observed that pea was found to perform better in rice husk mulching of 60q/ha.

A BREEDING STUDY TO DEVELOP EARLY MATURING SOYBEAN CROSSES SUITABLE FOR DOUBLE CROPPING

The present research was undertaken to evaluate of soybean hybrids environmental interaction and adaptability on Mediterranean region conditions. Seven advanced (F7) soybean lines selected from the Kunitz x SS-201 and Kunitz x Bert cross populations based on earliness and yield characteristics in the preliminary trials and three soybean varieties (Bravo, Nova and Arisoy) were tested in the trial in four replications in 2017 and 2018 in accordance with the RCBD. The analysis of variance revealed significant variations for all characters. According to results, the yield of lines and varieties 2017 and 2018 varied from 2.87-4,47 t ha-1 and 2.61-3.90 t ha-1 respectively and KS-39 advanced soybean line had the highest grain yield in terms of two years average. The number of flowering days varied between 32.50 days and 36.75 days according to the two-year averages, and the KS-12 genotype was the earliest flowering genotype. The lines KS-10 (103.38) and KS-12 (103.50) came to the fore as the genotypes with the earliest maturation days. With this study, it has been concluded that promising genotypes can be obtained in regions dominated by the Mediterranean climate zone (especially the Aegean coastline), and soybean cultivation can be done in double crop agriculture within the cropping system.

Evaluation of soybean varieties at Arbaminch zuria district of Gamo zone in southern Ethiopia

The study was conducted using sixteen soybean varieties gained from Pawe Agricultural Research Center. The varieties were tested for yield and yield-related traits at Arbaminch zuria district during the 2017 and 2018 main production periods. The study was conducted by using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Variance analysis for the individual year on yield and yield component showed significant differences (p<0.05) among genotypes except for seeds per pod in the year 2018. During the 2017 cropping season, the highest yield was obtained from Gazale (1948 kgha-1) and Niyala (1922 kgha-1 whereas the lowest grain yield was obtained from AFGAT (956 kgh-1). While in 2018 Nova (1110 kgha-1), Dhedessaa (1050.9kgha-1) and Nyala (988.9 kgha-1) showed better yield than other tested varieties while the lowest grain yield was observed on Korme (504.6 kgh-1). The combined test for analysis of variance showed a significant differences among genotypes for grain yield and components of yeild exculding the number of seeds per pod. The highest plant height was recorded for AFGAT (107.7m) whereas the highest number of pods per plant was obtained from Jalale (61.03) followed by Dhedessaa (60.23). The maximum hundred seed weight was gained from Nyala (15.67g while the highest branch number was obtained from Jalale (4.2) and Gishima (4.1). Nyala and Gazale had the highest grain yield of 1455 kgha-1 and 1445 kgha-1, respectively, while AFGAT (819Kgha-1 had the lowest grain yield. The result obtained from Niyala (1455 kgh-1) and Gazale (1445kgh-1) gave better yields than other tested varieties. Therefore, varieties Nyala and Gazale can be recommended for the study area and areas with similar agro-ecologies for demonstration.

The Utilization of Palm Oil Mill Effluent Decanter Cake as an Organic Fertilizer on Edamame Type Soybean (Glycine max)

Decanter cake is a solid waste from a palm oil mill with quite a lot of availability and has not been utilized optimally. This research aimed to utilize decanter cake (DC) palm oil mill solid waste as solid Fertilizer and liquid Fertilizer to increase the growth and yield of Edamame. The research design used was a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with a treatment of solid DC with liquid DC, namely solid DC 0 tons ha-1, 10 tons ha-1, and 15 tons ha-1, with liquid DC concentrations of 0 % and 100 %. The variables observed were the number of leaves, number of pods, weight of pods, and yield of Edamame per hectare. The results showed that the highest number of leaves was achieved at 15 tons ha-1 solid DC dose with 100 percent liquid DC concentration. Likewise, the highest number of pods and weight of pods was at a quantity of 15 tons ha-1 and had the same effect as a dose of 20 tons ha-1 with a 100 percent liquid DC concentration. The best edamame yields per hectare were achieved in 15-ton ha-1 solid DC and 100 percent liquid DC concentrations.

Studies on Growth, Yield and Soil Fertility Status in Cluster Bean [Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub] cv. Pusa Navbahar under Natural Farming Practice in Comparison with Conventional Farming

Background: The cluster bean [Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub.] is a bushy annual herb having a deep rooted system and drought resilient leguminous crop grown on sandy soils of arid and semiarid regions. The production list of cluster bean is dominated by India as leading producers of the crop in the world contributing to around 75-82% of the total production. Methods: Field experiment was conducted in Block-I at The Regional Horticulture Research and Extension Center, Kumbapur, Dharwad. The authentic source of Cluster bean seeds of Pusa Navbahar were purchased from Nadakatti seeds, Dharwad. Treatments are imposed as T1 (Package of Practice: FYM @ 10 t/ha, 25:75:60 NPK Kg/ha), T2 (Farmers Practice: FYM @ 10 t/ha, 12.5:37.5:30 Kg/ha), T3 (Natural Farming: Ghanajeevamrutha @ 1000 Kg/ha and liquid jeevamrtha @ 500 l/ha every fortnightly interval, with organic mulching) and T4 (Organic Farming: FYM @ 15 t/ha). Result: Among four different farming practices, higher plant height at harvest was recorded in package of practice (80.0 cm). The higher number of pods per plant and higher dry biomass production was recorded in organic farming (102.3 and 2.14 t/ha) respectively. 26.8 per cent higher yield was recorded in organic farming (OF) over PoP. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content and uptake in cluster bean was found significantly higher in PoP (2.13, 0.58 and 1.17%) and (42.20, 11.51 and 23.11 Kg ha-1) respectively. Natural farming treatment recorded significantly lower nutrients content and uptake.

Effect of sowing and micronutrients foliar spray on lentil (Lens culinaris) in West Bengal

A field experiment was conducted consecutively during 2018-19 and 2019-20 cropping seasons at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur. The study was carried out in split-plot design having two sowing dates (November first week and December first week) in main plot, and foliar spray (no spray, spray of tap water, Zn @ 0.5% (ZnSO4.7H2O), Fe @ 0.5% (FeSO4.7H2O), B @ 0.2% (Borax 10.5%), Zn @ 0.5% + B @ 0.2%, Zn @ 0.5% + Fe @ 0.5%, B @ 0.2% + Fe @ 0.5% and Zn @ 0.5% + Fe @ 0.5% + B @ 0.2%) in sub-plots with three replications. Pooled results of two years experiment clearly indicated that November sown crop produced significantly (P>0.05) higher growth attributes, yield attributes and yield. November sown crop recorded 52.9%, 58.3%, 11.3% and 3.0% higher number of pods, seed yield, stover yield and test weight compared to the crop sown in December. Foliar spraying of micronutrients, viz. B @ 0.2% + Fe @ 0.5% produced significantly higher seed and stover yield of 1438 kg/ha and 3981 kg/ha respectively, which were 58.3% and 27.0% more than that obtained from the control treatment (772 and 3134 kg/ha). Delay in sowing of crop from November to December reduced the crop duration by 11.4 days (113.4 days vs 101.7 days) which affected the yield of the crop. Overall, it can be concluded that lentil sown during November along with foliar spray B @ 0.2% + Fe @ 0.5% can improve the yield in new alluvial zone of West Bengal, India.

Farmers’ Perceptions on Drought, Low Soil Fertility, Coping Strategies and Preferred Traits of Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in Balaka District of Malawi

Background: Bean is an important nutritious food and cash crop. Bean productivity is low mostly due to various abiotic, biotic and socio-economic constraints. The aims of this study were to assess constraints to high bean seed yield productivity, determine farmers’ perceptions on drought and low soil fertility, strategies farmers are practicing to adapt to the constraints and preferred bean traits. Methods: A Participatory rural appraisal approach was applied by administering a questionnaire to 139 household representatives from Bazale, Phalula and Utale areas in 2017. Result: Farmers (68.4%) cultivated beans under irrigation in winter (dry) season and most of them practiced sole cropping. Constraints to high bean seed yield productivity include drought and low soil fertility (31.7%) and deforestation (81.3%) contributed a lot. Farmers (44.6%) implemented afforestation, 32.4% grew early maturing bean varieties, while 20.9% practiced conservation agriculture. Farmers were not involved in variety development as indicated by 91.4% of the respondents. However, farmers preferred determinate plant type (95.7%), creamy taste (61.2%) and high number of pods per plant (47.4%). These farmers’ preferred traits need to be considered in the ongoing bean improvement program(s) to increase adoption rate of improved varieties.

Effect of Spacing and Boron Levels on Growth and Yield of Black Gram (Vigna mungo L.)

A field experiment was conducted aiming to study the influence of Spacing and Boron levels on growth and yield of black gram during Zaid season 2022. The treatments comprised of row spacing (25, 30, 35 cm) and boron at (1.0, 1.5, 2.0 kg/ha). The results show that application of boron 2.0 kg/ha at 35 × 10 cm spacing has recorded significantly higher plant height (44.53 cm), number of branches per plant (9.27), number of nodules (35.53) and dry weight (10.44 g). However higher number of pods per plant (30.73), seeds per pod (6.40), test weight (42.48 g), seed yield (930.33 kg/ha) and stover yield (2040.33 kg/ha) gross return (Rs 58,610.79/ha), net return (Rs 34,311/ha) and B:C ratio (1.41) were recorded with the application of boron 2.0 kg/ha at 25×10 cm spacing. Therefore, the spacing of 25×10 cm and application of Boron @ 2.0 kg/ha could be a promising option for the yield enhancement in black gram.

Yield components of soybean cultivars under sowing densities

The aim of this study was to assess yield components and grain yield of soybean cultivars in response to sowing densities. For this, two soybean cultivars and five sowing densities were tested, in a two-factor scheme. The following yield components were measured by the end of the cycle: plant height; insertion height of the first pod; number of nodes per plant; number of pods with one, two, three and four grains; number of pods per plant; number of grains per plant; weight of a thousand grains; humidity and grain yield. Sowing densities did not cause significant variations of grain yield (bags ha-1) for any cultivar, however, higher populational densities promoted a reduction in the number of pods with two and three grains, as well as a reduction in the total number of pods and grains per plant for both cultivars. Cultivar NS 5700 IPRO was the most productive, with a higher number of pods with two and three grains and number of pods and grains per plant.

Field evaluation of promising mutants of mungbean against Fela Beetle, Aphid and POD Borer

Experiment was conducted at the Agricultural Farm of Patuakhali Science and Technology University to know the morphological characteristics of different mutants of mungbean and to find out tolerant/least susceptible mutant(s) against flea beetle, aphid and pod borer based on the reaction of insect pests to promising mutants of mungbean during the period from April to June, 2015. The mutant MBM-07(S)-2 was found to be the tallest (32.57 cm) with highest number of branches/plant (5.03), highest number of leaves/plant (11.06) among all mutants and check variety while MBM-07-Y-2 (23.40 cm) was the shortest plant height, MBM-656-51-2 had the lowest number of branches/plant (3.73), MBM-347-13 (7.03) had the lowest number of leaves/plant. The mutant MBM-427-87-3 had the highest number of pods (5.00) compared to other mutants but MBM-656-51-2 had the lowest number of pods/plant (3.09). Significantly the highest pod length and the highest number of seeds/pod were recorded in the mutant MBM-07-Y-1 (6.37 cm) while the lowest pod length (5.19 cm) was in MBM-80(LCAL) and lowest number of seeds/pod was in the mutant MBM-390-94-Y (5.34). Mutant MBM-347-13 had the lowest population of flea beetle (18.00) and pod borer (2.00) compared to all other mutants while the lowest number of aphid/plant was observed in mutant MBM-07-Y-1 (1.00). In case of infestation, the mutant MBM-347-13 had the lowest percentage of infestation (20.69%) by flea beetle, (3.18%) by pod borer but the lowest infestation by aphid (3.33%) was recorded in the mutant MBM-390-94-Y while the mutant MBM-427-87-3 had the highest percentage of plant infestation (37.80%) by flea beetle, pod damage (9.69%) by pod borer and variety BARI moog-6 had the highest percentage (34.45%) of plant infestation by aphid. Mutant MBM-347-13 was least susceptible to flea beetle and pod borer while mutant MBM-427-87-3 was highly susceptible to flea beetle and pod borer. However, mutant MBM-390-94-Yand MBM-07-Y-2 were less susceptible to aphid while BARI moog-6 and mutant MBM-427-87-3 were highly susceptible to aphid. SAARC J. Agric., 20(1): 97-106 (2022)

Influence of different sources of nitrogen fertilizer and weed control on yield, yield components and some qualitative traits of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars under dryland conditions of Khorramabad

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate yield, yield components, and some qualitative traits of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars under nitrogen fertilizers and weed control in dryland conditions of Khorramabad during the 2017 - 2018 growing season. Treatments were arranged in split-split-plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The main factor included F1: control (without fertilizer); F2: bio-fertilizer (Rhizobium); F3: 100 % chemical fertilizer and F4: integration of bio-fertilizer + 50 % chemical fertilizer; sub-factor consisted of three cultivars of chickpea (Adel, Mansour, and Arman) and sub-sub-factor included weeds control (weeding) and weed infested (non-weeding). The results indicated that nitrogen fertilizers, especially the integration of bio-fertilizer + 50 % chemical fertilizer, had a positive effect on all studied traits. The highest number of pods per plant, grain yield, and biological yield were obtained from the Arman cultivar with the application of bio-fertilizer + 50 % chemical fertilizer and for the same cultivar under weed control conditions. The maximum number of pods per plant (28.2) and amount of grain protein content (25.3 %) were obtained by integrating of bio-fertilizer + 50% nitrogen chemical fertilizer and weeds control. In general, the Arman cultivar has priority over other cultivars for the grain yield under Khorramabad climate conditions, and integration of bio-fertilizer + 50 % chemical fertilizer could be considered as a means to reduce the consumption of chemical fertilizers for sustainable agriculture.

SEASONAL RESPONSES OF FLOWERING AND POD SETTING IN COWPEA (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp)

Seven varieties of cowpea, Vigna unguiculata L. Walp were studied in two field trials (the wet and dry seasons) in the 2021 cropping season in Agbor, South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, were laid out in a complete randomized block design (CRBD) with seven replications for seasonal responses of flowering and pod setting. The dry season crops were manually watered twice daily while the wet season crops were rain-fed. The study recorded that most of the cowpea genotypes grown in the wet season showed photoperiod sensitivity, flowering between 46.36 and 56.43 DAP with mean of 54.97 + 6.98. Pod setting was similar across genotypes but the number (9.64 + 8.29), while length of pods varied (14.66 + 2.83) as noted from field observations. Furthermore, Seeds per pod was not significant among varieties of the wet season but they were significant and among those of the dry season (9.37 + 5.17). Genotypes which flowered earlier produced higher number of pods per plant and gave better yield such as IT06K-149-1, IT98K-128-3, IT95K1072-57 and IT98K-506-1 with grain filling of 205.58, 186.3, 183.53 and 775.99 mean seeds respectively were consequently recommended for hybridization in cowpea breeding programmes in south-south Nigeria.

How bean fly, Rhizoctonia root rot, weed and productivity are affected by cultivar, herbicide application and planting date

A 2-year research was conducted to evaluate the effects of bean cultivar, herbicide and planting date on a plot scale in Zanjan Province, Iran. Weeds across plots were identified as 26 species. Weed density was often lower for the fourth planting date (25–30 June) than the first date (10–15 May) of Imazethapyr, Trifluralin, hand-weeding and control at seedling, flowering and maturity stages of bean growth. At seedling and flowering, there was a greater Rhizoctonia root rot incidence on the first planting date than the fourth date. Postponing cultivation to the fourth planting date decreased mean disease incidence up to 93% at flowering in 2014 and 75% at maturity in 2015. There were greater mean fly infestation ratings at the third (2014) and fourth (2015) planting dates of treatments. Fly infestation was lacking in beans planted at the second date of cultivar and herbicide treatments examined in 2015. Postponing planting from the first date to the fourth one increased mean plant dry matter up to 162% at flowering in 2015. The highest number of pods per plant and seeds per pod were recorded for the third (2014) and first-second (2015) planting dates. This study recommends a postponed planting to minimize disease, herbicide use and weed threats, and thus produce beans in sustainable agriculture.

Komponen Hasil dan Karakter Morfologi Penentu Hasil Kedelai pada Lahan Kering Tegalan

Correlation and path analysis between yield components and grain yield may be useful to provide the basis for planning more efficient in the selection program to obtain high yielding soybean genotype. The objectives of the experiment were to investigate the most responsible yield components to grain yield of morphologically diverse soybean varieties. Fifteen soybean varieties were evaluated on dry land in Grobogan, Central Java during the late rainy season of 2019. The experiment was arranged in randomized block design with four replications. Each of the genotypes was grown in five rows of five meters long. Plant spacing was 40cm x 20 cm with two seeds per hill. Results showed that among the yield components, days to maturity, number of productive nodes, number of pods per plant and seed size were positively and significantly correlated with grain yield (r= 0.501, 0.533, 0.404 and 0.422). Except the number of productive nodes, the direct effect of days to maturity, number of pods per plant and seed size to grain yield as indicated by path coefficient were the highest, each was 0.711, 0.503 and 0.520 respectively. The direct effect of number of productive nodes and other yield component were small or negative. Base on both analysis soybean genotypes with high grain yield showed have earlier maturity (<85 days), a high number of pods per plant (>35 Pods/plant) and large seed size (>15 g/100 grain). Therefore, days to maturity, pod per plant, and seed size can be suggested for selection criteria in selecting high yielding soybean genotypes on dry land.

Isolation of soybean-specific plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria using soybean agglutin and evaluation of their effects to improve soybean growth, yield, and soil nutritional status

The basic requirements of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) for field applications are that they have an affinity for the host plant and that they can colonize the rhizosphere. Here, a new technique was established using soybean agglutin (SBA) as a tool to isolate soybean-specific PGPR. Thirty-three PGPR strains with an affinity for soybean were obtained via the screening method with SBA. All 33 isolates were able to produce indole acetic acid and solubilize inorganic phosphate and potassium. Most isolates (93.94%) were able to solubilize organic phosphate and almost half (45.45%) were able to produce siderophores. More than 40% of the isolates exhibited all five plant growth-promoting traits. The isolate Enterobacter sp. strain DN9 was selected for further analyses of its rhizosphere colonization and soybean growth-promoting effects because of its excellent activity in phosphate and potassium solubilization. The luciferase luxAB gene was electrotransformed into DN9, and the labelled DN9 (DN9-L) was able to survive in the soybean rhizosphere and colonize new spaces as the soybean roots elongated. This strain positively affected root system development and soybean seedling growth. In pot and field experiments, the isolates DN9, DW1, and DW13 significantly increased the nutrient contents in rhizosphere soil and soybean leaves. On average, the seed number per plant and the seed weight per plant were increased by 20% and 24% respectively, in plants inoculated with these PGPR strains in the pot experiment. In a field experiment, compared with uninoculated plants, those inoculated with DW1 showed 46.78% higher pod number per plant and 5.23% higher seed oil content; those inoculated with DW13 showed 79.82% higher seed number per plant and 65.10% higher seed weight per plant; and those inoculated with DN9 showed 9.13% higher 100-seed weight. These results show that SBA can be used as a tool to isolate efficient PGPR to enhance soybean production.

Response of Sesame to Intercropping with Groundnut and Cowpea

ABSTRACT Sustainable food production is one of the major challenges of the twenty-first century in the era of global environmental problems such as climate change, increasing population, and natural resource degradation. Therefore, intercropping approach to sustainable food production is the need of hour to overcome this global issue. Field experiments were conducted under rain-fed conditions for two consecutive rainy seasons (2015/2016-2016/2017) at North Kordofan Estate, Sudan, to investigate the effects of intercropping sesame with groundnut and cowpea on its growth, yield components, and Land Equivalent Ratio (LER). The experiment consisted of nine treatments: three sole crops of sesame (S), groundnut (G) and cowpea (C) and six spatial arrangements of 1S:1G or C, 1S:2G or C, and 2S:1G or C row/s of sesame with each groundnut and cowpea. The treatments were arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design with four replications. The results showed that intercropping had a significant (P < .05) effect on most of the parameters measured in this study. For sesame, the treatment 2S:1G (two rows of sesame alternating with one row of groundnut) gave the best number of seeds per capsules (79 seeds). For groundnut, the intercropping 1S:1G had the highest number of pods per plant (11 pods) and seed yield (7 g/plant). The spatial arrangement 1S:1G was the best pattern in terms of land equivalent ratio with 1.6. From this study, for attaining the highest total crop yield per unit area of land, where there is no crop bias and the preference is to maximize land use, the practice of planting one row of sesame alternating with one row of groundnut is recommended.

Growth and Production of Long Bean Plants (Vigna sinensis L.) on Concentration Level of Liquid Organic Fertilizer Banana Webs and Chitosan

The aim of this study was to determine the interaction of the concentration of liquid organic fertilizer on banana weevil and chitosan on the growth and yield of long beans. This study used a completely randomized design, with 2 factors. The first factor is banana weevil liquid organic fertilizer consisting of 3 levels, namely, 0 ml/L, 45 ml/L, and 90 ml/L. The second factor was chitosan consisting of 3 levels, namely, 0 ml/L, 3 ml/L, and 6 ml/L. Based on the experimental results, it can be concluded that there is an interaction between liquid organic fertilizer of banana weevil and chitosan with the parameters of plant length and number of branches. Increasing the concentration of liquid organic fertilizer on banana weevil can increase the number of pods and the weight of fresh pods per plant, the highest fresh pod weight per plant is 1.20 kg/plant with a concentration of 90 ml/L. The administration of chitosan concentration only affected the number of pods parameter, the highest number of pods was in the provision of 6 ml/L, namely 55.55 pods/ plant.

Nodule Parameters, Quality and Nutrient Uptake of Vegetable Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata (L.) Verdcourt] as Influenced by Foliar Application of Macro and Micro-nutrients

Background: Legumes are one of the major sources of dietary proteins for the people of India and is an inevitable component of vegetarians’ diet. Among them cowpea pods and seeds are rich source of protein and accrue delicacy in cuisines. Adequate amounts of fertilizers applied through most effective and economic means can raise productivity and profitability of cowpea cultivation. Hence the present study was formulated with an objective to study the effect of water-soluble macro and micro nutrient fertilizers on nodulation, quality and nutrient uptake of vegetable cowpea. Methods: Field experiment was conducted at Coconut Research Station, Balaramapuram during the period from 12 November 2020 to 31 January 2021. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with 13 treatments in 3 replications. The treatments comprised of recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) as control and RDF + foliar application of NPK 19:19:19 (0.5%) or potassium nitrate (0.5%) alone or in combination with ZnSO4 (0.05 %) and solubor (0.025%). Result: Foliar nutrition of micro and macro nutrients had significant effect on nodulation, quality and nutrient uptake. Foliar nutrition of 19:19:19 resulted in the production of higher number of nodules than KNO3. Among the treatments, RDF (20:30: 10 kg NPK ha-1) + foliar application of 19:19:19 (0.5% ) + solubor (0.025% ) at 45 DAS resulted in higher number of nodules and nodule fresh weight per plant, however higher number of effective nodules was recorded in RDF + foliar nutrition of 19:19:19 (0.5%) alone at 45 DAS. The highest uptake of N, P and K by the crop was also recorded in RDF + foliar application of 19:19:19 (0.5%) + solubor (0.025%) at 45 DAS. Zinc uptake was the highest in RDF + foliar application of KNO3 (0.5%) 45 and 60 DAS and B uptake was the highest in RDF + foliar application of KNO3 (0.5%) + solubor (0.025%) at 45 DAS. The highest crude protein content was recorded in RDF + foliar nutrition of 19:19:19 (0.5%) + ZnSO4 (0.05%) and solubor (0.025%) at 45 DAS fb 19:19:19 (0.5%) at 60 DAS. The treatment, RDF + foliar application of 19:19:19 (0.5%) + solubor (0.025%) at 45 DAS resulted in the highest number of pods and green pod yield per plant in bush type vegetable cowpea.

Evaluation of Combined Weed Control Practices on Weed Dynamics, Yield and Economic Return in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) at Wolaita Sodo, Southern Ethiopia

The field experiment was conducted in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia, to evaluate different weed management practices on weed dynamics, yield and economic return in common bean in 2014. The experiment comprised of fifteen treatments which included two herbicides (s-metolachlor and pendimethalin) applied as pre-emergence alone and in different combinations, hand weeding and hoeing, weedy check all with and without mulching and weed free check laid out in randomized block design with three replications. The application of pendimethalin 1.0 kg ha -1 + mulching at 2 weeks after crop emergence (WAE) resulted in significant decrease in total weed density over weedy. Weed dry weight varied in response to weed significantly management practices at 2 WAE. However, at 12 WAE this has no significant difference with pendimethalin 1.0 kg ha -1 + hand weeding and hoeing 5 WAE, s-metolachlor 0.75 kg ha -1 + pendimethalin 0.75 kg ha -1 + mulching and hand weeding and hoeing at 2 and 5 WAE. At 12 WAE, the highest weed control efficiency (99.8%) was obtained with hand weeding and hoeing at 2 and 5 WAE which is statistically at parity with pendimethalin 1.00 kg/ha+ hand weeding and hoeing 5 WAE (99.4%. Weed infestation throughout the growing period suppressed the plant height by about 29.6 to 95.3% compared to other treatments. The highest number of pods per plant was recorded under complete weed free and it was statistically in parity with pendimethalin at 1.0 kg ha -1 + hand weeding and hoeing 5 WAE. Weedy check resulted in significant decrease in number of pods per plant which varied between 28.6 and 54.4% over other treatments. The highest number of seeds/pod was also obtained with complete weed free plots but in addition to pendimethalin at 1.0 kg ha -1 + hand weeding and hoeing 5 WAE, Weight of hundred seeds was maximum with complete weed free which was statistically in parity with the application of pendimethalin at 1.0 kg ha-1 + hand weeding and hoeing at 5 WAE and two hand weeding and hoeing 2 and 5 weeks after crop emergence (WAE) treatments. Highest grain yield (1982 kg ha -1 ) and net returns (ETB 17362 ha -1 ) was obtained with the application of pendimethalin 1.0 kg ha -1 + hand weeding and hoeing 5 weeks after crop emergence. Generally, it could be concluded that pendimethalin 1.0 kg ha-1 combined with one hand weeding and hoeing at 5 WAE was the most appropriate method for effective weed management and profitable production of common bean. Keywords: Herbicides combination, mulch, pendimethalin, pre-emergence, s-metolachlor, yield, economic feasibility DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/12-6-01 Publication date: March 31 st 2022

Biofertilizer Impacts on Soybean [Glycine max (L.)] Cultivation, Humid Tropics : Biological Nitrogen Fixation, Yield, Soil Health and Smart Agriculture Framework

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) soybean cultivar TGx 1440 -1E cultivation for grain yields and soil microbiome with different soil amendments in humid tropics in the late cropping season of 2010, Abeokuta, Nigeria, at Latitude 70 121 N and Longitude 30 251 E in randomized complete block design (RCBD) replicated three times. Treatments application includes: agro-waste recycled to biofertilizer in anaerobic biodigester with two biofertilizer formulations (GF1 and GF2), sunshine fertilizer (SF) and chemical fertilizer (NPK 20:10:10). Soybean vegetative growth parameters, nodulation, amount of nitrogen fixed, yield and yield components were determined at 8 weeks after planting (WAP). GF2 had significantly (P &lt; 0.05) higher number of leaves. GF1 had significantly (P &lt; 0.05) higher number of pods and seed weight/plant with lower biological nitrogen fixation, compared to other treatments. Soybean cultivars breeders should integrate biofertilizer into seed development programme, that bypass the naturalized soil rhizobia and nodulate only with highly effective inoculant strains under environmental stress, improved soil resilience for climate mitigation with rhizosphere-microbial interactions to manage soybean cyst nematode (SCN). Smart agriculture framework developed impacts on trans-disciplinary approach, soyabean cultivation nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), remote access to agriculture data in real-time, crop development, supply chain management, proftability and biofertilizer varietal characteristics.