Improved Plant Vigor Research Articles

Effect of yeast and mycorrhizae inoculation on tomato production under normal and water stress conditions

The integration of beneficial microorganisms into agricultural systems can improve crop resistance to stress and increase yields. We studied tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) production in a greenhouse experimental trial over a complete growing season. The experimental design involved three factors: irrigation condition (normal/low), addition of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Funneliformis mosseae (with/without), and inoculation with four native soil yeasts (Candida aff. ralunensis; Candida sake; Lachancea nothofagi and Candida oleophila). Co-inoculation of F. mosseae and yeasts did not affect the tomato plants. Addition of F. mosseae increased mycorrhizal colonization and production variables regardless of irrigation level; however, its effects on growth were variable. None of the inoculated yeasts increased mycorrhizal colonization. C. aff. ralunensis and C. oleophila inoculation increased stem diameter under all conditions studied. C. aff. ralunensis inoculation enhanced fruit set and the fruit/flower ratio under normal irrigation conditions, while C. sake inoculation increased the fruit/flower ratio under low irrigation conditions. Arbuscular mycorrhizae inoculation is presented as a beneficial production strategy to increase plant tolerance and improve water use. We propose that C. aff. ralunensis and C. oleophila inoculation improves plant vigor. Highlights: Tomato production under greenhouse conditions was studied during a complete growing season following a three-factor trial: irrigation condition (normal/low), addition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and inoculation with four native soil yeasts. Addition of arbuscular mycorrhizal increased mycorrhizal colonization and production variables regardless of irrigation level. Inoculation with two of the yeasts studied increased stem diameter under all conditions studied. Utilizing indigenous microorganisms could represent a promising alternative to external inoculants, potentially cutting down production costs and eliminating the necessity of introducing foreign microorganisms into the environment.

Comparative Study of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Cultivation Through Organic and Conventional Farming

As organic farming gains popularity worldwide, it is crucial to investigate the potential benefits of using poultry manure as an organic fertilizer source. This study aimed to assess the comparative performance of tomato cultivation under organic and conventional farming practices, with a specific focus on the effects of varying rates of poultry manure applications. The research was carried out at the Teaching and Research Farm of College of Agriculture Science and Technology Jalingo, Taraba State, Nigeria. This was conducted during the 2021 cropping season (April - June) with four levels of poultry manure. Three (3) application rate of poultry manure (5.0 tha-1, 8.0 tha-1, and 11 tha-1) was used to compare with the control/check with no application of poultry manure, all replicated four times in a randomized complete block design. The objective of this research was to determine the impact of different rates of poultry manure application on tomato growth and yield potentials. After a thorough evaluation of the experimental plots, it was found that the treatment with 11tha-1 of poultry manure demonstrated superior performance compared to the other treatment levels. The tomatoes grown with this application rate exhibited significantly higher yields and improved plant vigor, as confirmed by the recorded data. The study's findings provide valuable insights for local farmers, as this research supports the use of 11 tha-1 poultry manure application as an effective strategy to enhance tomato cultivation and maximize yield potential. The necessity of conducting this research arises from the need to optimize tomato cultivation practices and address the growing demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly farming methods. The study also provides evidence that the application of 11 tha-1 poultry manure significantly improves tomato cultivation outcomes. The results obtained underline the relevance of optimizing nutrient management practices in organic and conventional farming systems, fostering enhanced yield potential, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices for future food security.

An omnivore vigour hypothesis? Nutrient availability strengthens herbivore suppression by omnivores across 48 field sites.

Nutrients regulate herbivore growth from the 'bottom-up' via improved plant vigour and food quality. Nitrogen also affects 'top-down' control of herbivores by moderating attraction of predators and the rates at which they consume herbivorous prey. Tri-trophic consequences of nitrogen availability are more challenging to predict among omnivorous natural enemies who feed on both plants and herbivores, limiting our ability to predict net outcomes of nutrient availability in food webs. In a two-year field survey of insects on zucchini host plants at 48 sites, I predicted that both herbivores and foliar-feeding omnivores would increase with nutrient availability, while predators would not. My results revealed positive relationships between omnivores and foliar nitrogen concentrations, while predators had neutral responses to foliar N. Surprisingly, herbivores declined with increasing foliar N across the field sites. Greenhouse experiments re-enforced these patterns, as herbivore growth inversely correlated with soil N concentrations in communities that included foliar-feeding omnivores. Conversely, herbivore growth was uncorrelated with soil N on plants with predators, nor on predator-free plants. These results suggest that omnivores mount strong and consistent responses to nitrogen in plant tissues in a variety of ecological contexts. In environments where omnivorous arthropods can thrive, their recruitment to nitrogen-rich plants may increase predation and thereby counterbalance and stabilize 'bottom-up' increases in herbivore performance supported by enhanced foliar nutrition.

PRpnp, a novel dual activity PNP family protein improves plant vigour and confers multiple stress tolerance in Citrus aurantifolia.

Under field conditions, plants are often simultaneously exposed to several abiotic and biotic stresses resulting in significant reductions in growth and yield; thus, developing a multi-stress tolerant variety is imperative. Previously, we reported the neofunctionalization of a novel PNP family protein, Putranjiva roxburghii purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PRpnp) to trypsin inhibitor to cater to the needs of plant defence. However, to date, no study has revealed the potential role and mechanism of either member of this protein group in plant defence. Here, we overexpressed PRpnp in Citrus aurantifolia which showed nuclear-cytoplasmic localization, where it functions in maintaining the intracellular purine reservoir. Overexpression of PRpnp significantly enhanced tolerance to salt, oxidative stress, alkaline pH, drought and two pests, Papilio demoleus and Scirtothrips citri in transgenic plants. Global gene expression studies revealed that PRpnp overexpression up-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to ABA- and JA-biosynthesis and signalling, plant defence, growth and development. LC-MS/MS analysis validated higher endogenous ABA and JA accumulation in transgenic plants. Taken together, our results suggest that PRpnp functions by enhancing the endogenous ABA and JA, which interact synergistically and it also inhibits trypsin proteases in the insect gut. Also, like other purine salvage genes, PRpnp also regulates CK metabolism and increases the levels of CK-free bases in transgenic Mexican lime. We also suggest that PRpnp can be used as a potential candidate to develop new varieties with improved plant vigour and enhanced multiple stress resistance.

Simulated Soil Moisture and Planting Material Health on the Behaviour of Cosmopolites sordidus, Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

The pest status of Cosmopolites sordidus has been related to farm sanitation, environmental conditions and local weevil biotypes. This study was to confirm the inherent fecundity of endemic weevils, soil moisture effect and planting material health status that may contribute to weevil behaviour. Adult banana weevils were confined to plantain rhizomes, which were then subjected to four soil moisture regimens for 65 days. In another experiment to measure potential fecundity, weevils collected from the farmer’s field were dissected to determine the internal egg follicles. Planting material with different initial weevil egg infestations on the pseudostem were confined below insect screening net in growing pots. Larva damage and stage populations were determined after 22 weeks. The results showed that weevils confined to plants under moisture stress had higher corm damage than irrigated and vigorously growing plants. A lower number of weevils were associated with plants under moisture stress than vigorously growing plants. The maximum number of mature egg follicles present in the ovaries of female weevils was 17. In general, the mean number of mature egg follicles was 4 per female adult weevil. Infested planting material with initial estimated number of 0.3 eggs per sucker resulted in 2.3 adult emergence and ≈ 34% corm cross section damage after 154 days. The potential egg follicles albeit slow weevil population build-up reiterates the k-selected nature of the banana weevil. The egg follicles in adult female ovaries were high and comparable with weevils in other banana growing regions. The default health status of planting material was confirmed to be a contributing factor to weevil build-up in confinement. Soil moisture increased weevil survival but the improved plant vigour compensated for weevil damage.

Can Grafting Manage Fusarium Wilt Disease of Cucumber and Increase Productivity under Heat Stress?

Cucumber production is considered a crucial problem under biotic and abiotic stress, particularly in arid and semi-arid zones. The current study investigated the impact of grafted cucumber plants on five cucurbit rootstocks under infection with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum alone and in combination with heat stress in two different locations (i.e., Kafr El-Sheikh and Sidi Salem) during the year of 2021. The rootstock of VSS-61 F1 displayed the highest level of resistance with values 20.8 and 16.6% for wilt incidence and 79.2 and 83.4% for the wilt reduction, respectively for both locations. This rootstock showed the lowest disease severity of fusarium wilt (15.3 and 12%), and high grafting efficiency (85 and 88%), respectively in both locations. Grafting also improved plant vigor and cucumber production under heat stress (40–43 °C). The rootstocks VSS-61 F1, Ferro and Super Shintoza significantly increased the total yield of cucumber plants compared to non-grafted cucumber and the rootstock Bottle gourd in both locations. Further studies are needed on grafted plants under multiple stresses in terms of plant biological levels, including physiological, biochemical and genetic attributes.

Potential of grafting in vegetable crops: A review

Grafting is a method of propagation that involves joining two pieces of living plant tissue together to form a single plant. Drought, excessive temperatures, salinity, flooding, low nutrients and heavy metal contamination, as well as biotic factors including soil-borne pests and diseases, are all limiting vegetable production around the world. Cropping patterns, environmental policies, and the negative effects of climate change have all exacerbated the situation. While genetic breeding can sometimes provide effective solutions to the aforementioned issues, it cannot always do so. Grafting is now seen as a quick alternative to the very slow breeding process. Because of their potential to give tolerance to biotic and abiotic challenges, the production and cultivation of grafted Solanaceous and Cucurbitaceous plants is on the rise all over the world. To reduce post grafting losses owing to incompatibility, the right rootstock and scion cultivars, as well as grafting processes, must be carefully chosen. The methods, physiological basis, and importance of vegetable grafting in biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, improved plant vigour promotion, yield increase, and enhancing quality features are discussed in this paper.

Climate Change-Resilient Rice Production Technology: A High Yielding, Water Efficient and Remunerative Option for South Asian Farmers

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) production in South Asia is increasingly threatened by the erratic nature of onset of monsoon rain and climate change. Wide variance in rainfall pattern affects the timing of nursery raising and transplanting later in the main field. Existing rice cultivation practices such as direct seeded rice using drum seeder (DSR), system of rice intensification (SRI) and conventional transplanting (CT) are not able to address the production problems adequately. Therefore, we developed a package of practices - Climate Change-Resilient Rice Production Technology (CRRPT) - which allows keeping rice seedlings in the seedbed for an extended period to synchronize with the onset of monsoon rain. On-station trials during 2015-2016 comparing CRRPT with DSR, SRI and CT demonstrated that in CRRPT the seedlings can be maintained successfully in the seedbed for up to 55 days while achieving the equivalent yield of CT (30 days seedling) because of improved plant vigour. The CRRPT seedlings of 25 d and 35 d gave 22% and 11% more yield compared to CT (30 d seedling). Total water requirement in CRRPT was reduced by 20%, 14% and 13% in case of 55d, 45d and 35 d seedling, respectively, compared to that for CT (30 d seedling). In an on-farm study with 120 farmers’ fields in West Bengal during 2017-2018, average yield increased by 32% and net profit increased by 96%. Thus, CRRPT is remunerative, water efficient, climate change-resilient and can be easily adopted in the farmers’ fields. Results demonstrate that there is wide scope for its adoption for sustainable rice production in West Bengal and South Asia.

Elucidating the disease alleviating potential of cyanobacteria, copper nanoparticles and their interactions in Fusarium solani challenged tomato plants

The antimicrobial potential of cyanobacteria and metal nanoparticles has been explored for the control of phytopathogens, however, their interactions or synergy in a combined mode has not been studied. In the present investigation, the biocontrol potential of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs), cyanobacterium Calothrix elenkinii and copper nanoparticles augmented Calothrix elenkinii (CuNPs-Ce) were evaluated. Measures of disease severity indices, microbiological and physiological parameters in Fusarium solani infected tomato plants were evaluated, under greenhouse conditions. Application of C. elenkinii (Ce) and CuNPs alone showed 61–66% disease control efficacy, however, CuNPs-Ce showed higher efficacy of 76%. Similarly, augmentation enhanced the chitosanase activity by 10% and 7%, compared to CuNPs and C. elenkinii alone, respectively in pathogen challenged plants. Among the diseased plants, 1.3–1.6 fold increases in root length, root and shoot fresh weight were recorded in CuNPs-Ce treated plants, compared to control. The rhizosphere soil of diseased plants showed higher dehydrogenase activity, as compared to healthy plants. With the application of C. elenkinii, either alone, or augmented with CuNPs, the total PLFA content in soil increased significantly by 1.4–3.3 folds, compared to the control. However, it reduced in soils treated with chemical control Bavistin, reflecting its negative effects on soil microbial communities. The application of CuNPs or C. elenkinii alone or CuNPs-Ce not only reduced the disease severity, but also improved plant vigour. In future, efforts should focus towards exploiting the synergistic behavior of CuNPs-Ce as multifaceted biocontrol agents to control Fusarium root rot in tomato crop and minimize the dose for deployment effectively.

Abiotic stress resistance, plant growth promotion and antifungal potential of halotolerant bacteria from a Tunisian solar saltern

The uses of halotolerant bacteria isolated from naturally saline habitats have the potential to be useful crop protection agents for plants in stressful conditions. These beneficial microbes generate several plant growth regulators and bioactive molecules, which enhance plant protection from adversities, such as plant pathogens, salts and metals stresses. In this study, 15 halotolerant bacterial strains endowed with important antimicrobial activities were isolated from Sfax solar saltern (Tunisia). All of these strains were characterized by biochemical and molecular tools aiming to investigate their in-vitro and in-vivo antifungal potentialities, plant growth promotion capabilities and metal tolerance abilities under saline stress condition. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that the isolated strains were affiliated to different phylum and three species were described for the first time as plant growth promoting strains (Idiomarina zobelli FMH6v, Nesterenkonia halotolerans FMH10 and Halomonas janggokensis FMH54). The tested strains exhibited several potentialities: to tolerate high salt and heavy metal concentrations, to produce biosurfactants, exopolysaccharides and extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, to form biofilms and to liberate plant promoting substances. Eight strains were able to protect tomatoes fruits from the proliferation of the fungal disease caused by Botrytis cinerea and six strains improved plant vigor indexes. Principal component analysis showed an important correlation between in-vitro and in-vivo potentialities and two strains Bacillus velezensis FMH2 and Bacillus subtilis subsp. spizizenii FMH45 were statistically considered as the most effective strains in protecting plants from fungal pathogens attack and promoting the growth of tomatoes seedlings under saline and multi heavy-metals stress conditions.

Participatory evaluation of groundnut planting methods for pre-harvest aflatoxin management in Eastern Province of Zambia

Aflatoxin contamination remains a major challenge for smallholder groundnut producers in Southern Africa. This is compounded by the stringent aflatoxin regulatory regimes in the lucrative international markets that continue to deny groundnuts produced in this region the access to markets. Participatory on-farm experiments were carried in 2016 and 2017 in Chinkhombe (Katete) and Kalichero (Chipata), and on-station trials at Mount Makulu Central Research Station (Chilanga) to evaluate the efficacy of groundnut planting methods: planting in double rows, single rows, tied ridges and on flatbeds, for pre-harvest aflatoxin management. Planting on flatbeds (no ridges), a popular planting method in most parts of Zambia was designated as the baseline. Significantly low (p < 0.05) levels of aflatoxin, (10.3 ± 3.1 μg/kg) were recorded in the groundnuts planted on tied ridges, and less than 22% of these had aflatoxin levels above the Zambia regulatory limit of 10 μg/kg, compared to more than 40% in other methods. Except for double rows, significantly higher pod yield, 1193 kg/ha, was recorded in groundnuts planted on tied ridges compared to other pre-harvest management options. A reduction of 37 and 81% in aflatoxin contamination was observed in groundnuts planted on single rows and tied ridges, respectively compared to an increase of 39.2% in double rows above 54.3 ± 10.9 μg/kg recorded in flatbeds. In addition, tied ridging was observed to improve plant vigour, lower disease incidence, insect pest and weed infestation. It is clear that the evaluation of these practices on-farm enabled more farmers to be more aware of the effects of these methods and get motivated to adopt them. It is thus imperative that participatory on-farm evaluations of existing aflatoxin management options are carried out as they are an essential step in influencing adoption and uptake of pre-harvest management control methods among smallholder farmers.

Evaluation of host resistance and fungicide application as tools for the management of root rot of field pea caused by Aphanomyces euteiches

Aphanomyces root rot (ARR) of field pea (Pisum sativum), caused by Aphanomyces euteiches, can cause severe root damage, wilting, and large yield losses under wet soil conditions. To identify ways to manage this disease, the effect of A. euteiches inoculum density on field pea was studied under greenhouse and field conditions in 2015 and 2016. Increases in inoculum density reduced seedling emergence, root nodulation, and plant vigor, and resulted in increased root rot severity in both field and greenhouse tests. Seed treatments with the fungicides Apron Advance (thiabendazole + fludioxonil + metalaxyl) + Vibrance (difenoconazole + metalaxyl-M + sedaxane), INTEGO Solo (ethaboxam), BAS 516F (boscalid + pyraclostrobin), BAS 720F (metalaxyl + pyraclostrobin + fluxapyroxad), and BAS 516F + BAS 720F (3:1) were evaluated for their efficacy against ARR. All seed treatments except Apron Advance + Vibrance reduced root rot severity under controlled conditions. BAS 516F, BAS 720F and INTEGO Solo improved plant vigor and all treatments reduced seedling blight to varying degrees under greenhouse conditions, but not in the field. A collection of 22 pea genotypes was evaluated for resistance to root rot in field plot experiments. Line 00–2067 showed the least severe root rot symptoms, whereas ‘Spring D’ showed the lowest reduction in yield. The results suggest that there may be an opportunity to combine partial host resistance and fungicidal seed treatments to adequately manage ARR of field pea.

Response of Bell Pepper to Rootstock and Greenhouse Cultivation in Coconut Fiber or Soil

Vegetable production in greenhouses is preferred when soil quality is degraded by high salinity or incidence of pests and diseases. In these soils with abiotic and biotic issues, it is a challenge to increase the yield and quality of fruits. The use of rootstocks and organic substrates are effective and environmentally friendly techniques to solve that challenge. The objective was to study the effect of rootstocks on yields and quality in bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) grown in either soil or coconut fiber substrate, in greenhouses. Using a randomized block design with three repetitions, the resulting treatment groups consisted of three rootstocks (Foundation-F1, Yaocali-F1, CLX-PTX991-F1 (Ultron), and non-grafted controls) with four hybrids as scions (Lamborghini, Bambuca, DiCaprio, and Ucumari). The yield of fruit per plant (YFP) and number of fruit per plant (NFP) obtained in coconut fiber were 85% and 55% greater, respectively, than in soil. The CLX-PTX991-F1 rootstock was superior to the hybrids without rootstock (p ≤ 0.05) in YFP and NPF (30% and 19.5%, respectively). The Lamborghini hybrid had significantly greater YFP and NFP than the Ucumari. We concluded that the use of coconut fiber significantly improves the yields of bell pepper and that the use of rootstock improves plant vigor and plant yield.

Evaluation of allyl isothiocyanate as a soil fumigant against soil-borne diseases in commercial tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) production in China.

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), soil-borne diseases and weeds seriously reduce the commercial yield of tomatoes grown under protected cultivation in China. Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a natural product obtained from damaged Brassica tissues, was evaluated as a potential replacement for the fumigant methyl bromide (MB) for use in the greenhouse production of tomatoes in China. The dose-response assay indicates that AITC has high biological activity against major bacterial and fungal pathogens (EC50 of 0.225-4.199 mg L-1 ). The bioassay results indicate that AITC has good efficacy against root-knot nematodes (LC50 of 18.046 mg kg-1 ), and moderate efficacy against fungal pathogens (LC50 of 27.999-29.497 mg kg-1 ) and weeds (LC50 of 17.300-47.660 mg kg-1 ). The potting test indicates that AITC significantly improved plant vigor. Field trials indicate that AITC showed good efficacy against Meloidogyne spp. and Fusarium spp. (both ∼ 80%) as well as Phytophthora spp. and Pythium spp. (both ∼ 70%), and improved plant vigor and marketable yield. AITC used as a soil fumigant (30-50 g m-2 ) effectively controlled major bacterial and fungal pathogens, root-knot nematode, weeds and increased plant vigor, yield and farmers' income in tomato cultivated under protected agriculture in China. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Plant protection means used in organic farming throughout the European Union.

Following the obligatory implementation of integrated pest management in the European Union (EU), the plant protection means suitable for application in organic agriculture attracted the attention of quite a wide group of potential users. In spite of the common rules of organic production, as well as the uniform principles of placing plant protection products on the market, the availability of products that can be legally used in organic crop protection differs significantly among the Member States. There is a uniform list of 10 basic substances that can be used in the protection of organic crops throughout the entire EU. Twelve Member States have official registers of plant protection products for use in organic agriculture, and the total number of qualified products per country varies from 11 in Lithuania to 576 in Italy. Some products that improve plant vigour or resistance and may be of use in protection of organic crops are placed on the market as biostimulants. They fall under the law that governs fertilisers and the systems of their registration vary widely among the Member States. In addition, there exist a number of products that have been legally introduced onto the markets of some Member States without registration as a consequence of a loophole in the law. The use of unregistered products in organic agriculture raises some doubts, but currently it seems that there is no legal basis on which to explicitly prohibit the practice. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Employment of Waste for Irrigation Purposes

This paper deals with Irrigation using treated agricultural or food processing industry as wastewater can allow more intensive use of the land, improve plant vigour and may extend growing seasons. Nutrients in wastewater (as organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) can be balanced to plant growth needs, or natural waters can have had nutrients added. This form of irrigation is called fertigation. Irrigation with chemical addition to vegetation needs an effective environmental management plan (EMP) to prevent harm to the environment. Our aim in this paper is to give ways that ensure that resources are used efficiently, that land is not degraded or waterlogged and that natural waters are protected from salinity, turbidity, nutrient-enrichment, leached trace metals, pesticides and other harmful wastewater contaminants

Improving vitamin content and nutritional value of legume yield through water and hormonal seed priming

Seed priming is one of the methods to improve plant vigour, overcome difficult habitat conditions, and consequently obtain a higher yield. Far less is known about effect of parental seed priming on quality of the seeds produced. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of water and hormonal (brassinosteroid) seed priming on the chemical content of the seed yield of pea and lupine, grown in a pot experiment and in the field. Pre-sowing water soaking of parental plant seeds resulted in significant increased protein, lipid, sugar, vitamin E, C and provitamin A content in seeds collected from these plants compared to the content in seeds collected from the control plants (without pre-sowing seed soaking). Priming with brassinosteroid enhanced these effects. The results showed that seed priming may be effectively used as a simple method for improving the quality of legume seeds.

Over-expression of bael quinolone synthase in tobacco improves plant vigor under favorable conditions, drought, or salt stress

Type III polyketide synthases (PKSs) catalyze the biosynthesis of various medicinally important secondary metabolites in plants, but their role in growth and stress response is unclear. Here, we overexpressed quinolone synthase (QNS) from bael in tobacco. QNS-overexpressing plants showed an overall increase in growth, photosynthetic efficiency and chlorophyll content compared to wild type plants. Second-generation (T2) transgenic plants grew to maturity, flowered early and set viable seeds under favorable conditions without yield penalty. An increased accumulation of flavonoids, phenols and alkaloids was associated with higher tolerance to drought and salinity stress in transgenic plants. Thus, bael QNS seems to function as a positive regulator of plant growth and stress response, and could be potentially used for engineering plants tolerant to abiotic stress.

INFLUENCE OF HEAT SPREAD SYSTEM ON MALFORMATION OF 'ELSANTA' STRAWBERRIES IN SPRING

Malformation of 'Elsanta' strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) in a spring cultivation in a heated glass greenhouse is subject to different speculations. Insufficient pollination, reduced development of stamens, shortage of cold accumulation during winter and forced growth by heating. Two different systems of heat spread based on a network of respectively warm water pipes and warm air tubes were evaluated. A reduction of 8.3% of malformed fruits as well as an increase of production of 21% and an improved plant vigour was observed in the greenhouse heated with the warm air tubes.

Gamma irradiation to improve plant vigour, grain development, and yield attributes of wheat

Utilizing low dose gamma radiation holds promise for physiological crop improvement. Seed treatment of low dose gamma radiation 0.01–0.10 kGy reduced plant height, improved plant vigour, flag leaf area, total and number of EBT. Gamma irradiation increased grain yield due to an increase in number of EBT and grain number while 1000 grain weight was negatively affected. Further uniformity in low dose radiation response in wheat in the field suggests that the affect is essentially at physiological than at genetic level and that role of growth hormones could be crucial.