Increase Crop Productivity Research Articles

Impact of Subsurface Drainage System Design on Nitrate Loss and Crop Production

Subsurface (or tile) drainage offers a valuable solution for enhancing crop productivity in poorly drained soils. However, this practice is also associated with significant nutrient leaching, which can contribute to water quality problems at the regional scale. This research presents the findings from a 4-year tile depth and spacing study in central Illinois that included three drain spacings (12.2, 18.3, and 24.4 m) and two drain depths (0.8 and 1.1 m) implemented in six plots under the corn and soybean rotation system (plots CS-1 and CS-3: 12.2 m spacing and 1.1 m depth, plots CS-2 and CS-4: 24.4 m spacing and 1.1 m depth, and plots CS-5 and CS-6 18.3 m spacing and 0.8 m depth). Our observations indicate that drain flow and NO3-N losses were higher in plots with narrower drain spacings, while plots with wider drain spacing showed reduced drain flow and NO3-N losses. Specifically, plots set up with drain spacings of 18.3 m and 24.4 m showed significant reductions in drain flow compared to plots featuring a 12.2 m drain spacing. Likewise, plots characterized by 18.3 m and 24.4 m drain spacings (except CS-4) showed better NO3-N retention and lower leaching losses than those with 12.2 m spacing (CS-1 and CS-3). Crop yield results over a 3-year period indicated that CS-2 (wider spacing plot) showed the highest productivity, with up to 13.6% higher yield compared to other plots. Furthermore, when comparing plots with the same drainage designs, CS-2 and CS-4 showed 5.1% to 2.6% higher corn yield (3-year average) compared to CS-1 and CS-3, and CS-5 and CS-6, respectively. Overall, a wider drainage system showed the capacity to export lower nutrient levels while concurrently enhancing productivity. These findings represent that optimizing tile drainage systems can effectively reduce nitrate losses while increasing crop productivity.

Transparent, Sprayable Plastic Films for Luminescent Down‐Shifted‐Assisted Plant Growth

AbstractThe world's steadily growing population and global heating due to climate change are a threat to food security. To meet this challenge, novel technologies are needed to increase crop production in a sustainable way. In this work, the use of luminescent down‐shifting (LDS) materials based on molecular Eu3+‐containing polyoxotitanates for plant growth enhancement is investigated. Using a systematic design strategy to optimize down‐shifting properties, conversion of the ultraviolet spectral range to the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is achieved with quantum yields as high as 68%. The prototype Eu3+‐compound can be incorporated into water‐based acrylic varnish that can be spray‐coated onto existing greenhouses. Comparing coated with uncoated greenhouses, basil plants produce 9% more leaf dry weight per plant, and a highly significant 10% increase in individual leaf dry weight. The coating reduces the amount of transmitted PAR by 8% but has advantageous effects on diffuse radiation and in reducing the internal mean temperature. Although there is some uncertainty as to the contribution of down‐shifting, with the bulk of the increase probably being due to higher diffused light and the reduction in maximum daily temperatures, this study establishes a model for the design of LDS paints for real‐world agricultural applications.

Soybean cultivation in Russia under modern conditions

The article presents an analysis of the current state of soybean production in the Russian Federation. It is shown that the production of this valuable high-protein oilseed crop over the previous years has made a huge breakthrough in conquering the market and increasing its share in the country’s total agricultural production. In Russia, in 2023, a record was set for the gross soybean production in history, with a total grain of 6.8 million tons. At the same time, the production leader also changed: from the traditional Far East, where soybeans have been cultivated for more than 100 years, to the Central Federal District, which has achieved the largest gross soybean yields in the country – about 3.0 million tons. Production growth is realized not only through extensive development paths, but also through increasing crop productivity. In 2023, the average yield in the country was 1.92 t/ha, which is also a historical maximum. It should be noted that in increasing productivity, the direction has been taken, according to the Food Security Doctrine, to increase to 75% the share of seeds of domestic varieties in the total volume by 2030, and for this there are all the necessary resources.

The Brazilian case as a beacon to increase crop production in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract Maize is one of the major agricultural commodities in the world, and a source of food in Africa, representing more than 40 million ha currently harvested on the continent. Despite sub-Saharan Africa's dependence on grain, the maize actual yield (Ya) of the crop is low when compared to its potential yield. In Brazil, the yield-gap between Ya and water-limited yield (Yw) is approximately 50% of Yw. The objective of this study was to carry out a case study, using upland maize as a reference to identify a set of agricultural areas with similar soil and climate in Brazil and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The climatic similarity between Brazil and SSA countries was verified, seeking homogeneous climatic zones that occur in both regions. The Ya was determined including the data of at least the last three years of cultivation and were taken from the database of the national institutes of agricultural statistics. The climatic data showed that the SSA had well-distributed rainfall throughout the crop season, being higher than in Brazil, as well as the average air temperature. The average Yw was 11.3 and 7.4 Mg/ha for Brazil and SSA, respectively. Maize Ya in SSA was 1.4 Mg/ha, while in Brazil Ya was 5.2 Mg/ha. Ya represented approximately 9% of Yw in the SSA. The low Ya shows the large yield-gap found in SSA. With this, it is evident that the technologies used and the crop management are largely responsible for the yield differences between Brazil and SSA.

Microbes in Agriculture: Prospects and Constraints to Their Wider Adoption and Utilization in Nutrient-Poor Environments

Microbes such as bacteria and fungi play important roles in nutrient cycling in soils, often leading to the bioavailability of metabolically important mineral elements such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn). Examples of microbes with beneficial traits for plant growth promotion include mycorrhizal fungi, associative diazotrophs, and the N2-fixing rhizobia belonging to the α, β and γ class of Proteobacteria. Mycorrhizal fungi generally contribute to increasing the surface area of soil-root interface for optimum nutrient uptake by plants. However, when transformed into bacteroids inside root nodules, rhizobia also convert N2 gas in air into ammonia for use by the bacteria and their host plant. Thus, nodulated legumes can meet a high proportion of their N requirements from N2 fixation. The percentage of legume N derived from atmospheric N2 fixation varies with crop species and genotype, with reported values ranging from 50–97%, 24–67%, 66–86% 27–92%, 50–92%, and 40–75% for soybean (Gycine max), groundnut (Arachis hypogea), mung bean (Vigna radiata), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), and Kersting’s groundnut (Macrotyloma geocarpum), respectively. This suggests that N2-fixing legumes require little or no N fertilizer for growth and grain yield when grown under field conditions. Even cereals and other species obtain a substantial proportion of their N nutrition from associative and endophytic N2-fixing bacteria. For example, about 12–33% of maize N requirement can be obtained from their association with Pseudomonas, Hebaspirillum, Azospirillum, and Brevundioronas, while cucumber can obtain 12.9–20.9% from its interaction with Paenebacillus beijingensis BJ-18. Exploiting the plant growth-promoting traits of soil microbes for increased crop productivity without any negative impact on the environment is the basis of green agriculture which is done through the use of biofertilizers. Either alone or in combination with other synergistic rhizobacteria, rhizobia and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi have been widely used in agriculture, often increasing crop yields but with occasional failures due to the use of poor-quality inoculants, and wrong application techniques. This review explores the literature regarding the plant growth-promoting traits of soil microbes, and also highlights the bottle-necks in tapping this potential for sustainable agriculture.

Friends and Foes: Bacteria of the Hydroponic Plant Microbiome

Hydroponic greenhouses and vertical farms provide an alternative crop production strategy in regions that experience low temperatures, suboptimal sunlight, or inadequate soil quality. However, hydroponic systems are soilless and, therefore, have vastly different bacterial microbiota than plants grown in soil. This review highlights some of the most prevalent plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) and destructive phytopathogenic bacteria that dominate hydroponic systems. A complete understanding of which bacteria increase hydroponic crop yields and ways to mitigate crop loss from disease are critical to advancing microbiome research. The section focussing on plant growth-promoting bacteria highlights putative biological pathways for growth promotion and evidence of increased crop productivity in hydroponic systems by these organisms. Seven genera are examined in detail, including Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Azospirillum, Azotobacter, Rhizobium, Paenibacillus, and Paraburkholderia. In contrast, the review of hydroponic phytopathogens explores the mechanisms of disease, studies of disease incidence in greenhouse crops, and disease control strategies. Economically relevant diseases caused by Xanthomonas, Erwinia, Agrobacterium, Ralstonia, Clavibacter, Pectobacterium, and Pseudomonas are discussed. The conditions that make Pseudomonas both a friend and a foe, depending on the species, environment, and gene expression, provide insights into the complexity of plant–bacterial interactions. By amalgamating information on both beneficial and pathogenic bacteria in hydroponics, researchers and greenhouse growers can be better informed on how bacteria impact modern crop production systems.

Household food security contextualised: A comparison of Ambros and Maramanzhi villages, South Africa

Smallholder agriculture plays a crucial role in achieving food security, particularly at the household level. However, fallow fields are progressively increasing in former homelands of South Africa. While substantial efforts have been devoted towards addressing food insecurity, access to arable land has not translated to sustainable crop production for smallholder farmers in former homelands of the country. This paper analyses household food security in the context of deagrarianization in two villages, Ambros (Eastern Cape) and Maramanzhi (Limpopo). Using a mixed-method approach, a total of 106 semi-structured questionnaires were administered through face-to-face interviews with household heads. Descriptive statistics were analysed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 27.0 computer program. Meanwhile, qualitative data was coded and content analysis was conducted on NVivo 12 software. The key findings revealed that the primary household income in the study area was earned from social grants. Furthermore, home gardens, with an average size of 4100m2 in Ambros and 4400m2 in Maramanzhi village, played a crucial role in supporting household crop production. However, food insecurity threatened the sustainability of rural livelihoods because the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) indicator highlighted that a majority of 54% of households in Ambros and 69% in Maramanzhi were mildly food insecure. Food insecurity challenges varied between the two villages but these were mainly perpetuated by food shortages caused by insufficient monthly income and waning household crop production. Although acquiring food was rated as a very important reason for cultivating in both villages, deagrarianization eroded opportunities for increased crop production. Among other solutions, this study recommends that the government improve the delivery of basic services such as water to promote household crop production and the revitalization of fallow fields. These transformations can potentially enhance food security, income and employment opportunities for rural households, contributing to the sustainability of rural livelihoods.

Graph-Root: Prediction of Root-Associated Proteins in Maize, Sorghum, And Soybean Based on Graph Convolutional Network and Network Embedding Method

Background: The root system plays an irreplaceable role in plant growth. Its improvement can increase crop productivity. However, such a system is still mysterious for us. The underlying mechanism has not been fully uncovered. The investigation on proteins related to the root system is an important means to complete this task. In the previous time, lack of root-related proteins makes it impossible to adopt machine learning methods for designing efficient models for the discovery of novel root-related proteins. Recently, a public database on root-related proteins was set up and machine learning methods can be applied in this field. Objective: The purpose of this study was to design an efficient computational method to predict root-associated proteins in three plants: maize, sorghum, and soybean. Method: In this study, we proposed a machine learning based model, named Graph-Root, for the identification of root-related proteins in maize, sorghum, and soybean. The features derived from protein sequences, functional domains, and one network were extracted, where the first type of features were processed by graph convolutional neural network and multi-head attention, the second type of features reflected the essential functions of proteins, and the third type of features abstracted the linkage between proteins. These features were fed into the fully connected layer to make predictions. Results: The 5-fold cross-validation and independent tests suggested its acceptable performance. It also outperformed the only previous model, SVM-Root. Furthermore, the importance of each feature type and component in the proposed model was investigated. Conclusion: Graph-Root had a good performance and can be a useful tool to identify novel rootrelated proteins. BLOSUM62 features were found to be important in determining root-related proteins.

ВЪЗДЕЙСТВИЕ НА STRIP-TILL ТЕХНОЛОГИЯТА ВЪРХУ СИСТЕМИТЕ НА ЗЕМЕДЕЛИЕТО

Farmers face the challenges of climate change and rising production costs, forcing them to apply the most efficient farming practices in order to achieve sustainable agriculture. More and more farmers are rethinking traditional tillage methods and introducing changes to implement more agroecological practices. Intensive farming brings with it negative consequences such as reduced soil fertility, loss of organic carbon, reduced biodiversity, and the excessive use of natural resources, which threatens sustainable agriculture. It is therefore important to place equal emphasis on both increasing crop productivity and focusing on, implementing, and using agri-environmental practices. Choosing the appropriate practice, such as working towards a no-till system or a more balanced strip-till approach, will lead to a positive impact on agriculture and the environment. The goal of this paper is to investigate the impact of agroecological practices, in particular strip-tillage, on environmental protection. The research methodology covers a literature review on the concept of strip-tillage technology, an analysis of the effects of the adoption of this technology in agriculture, and an assessment of the future prospects of strip-tillage for environmental protection.

Investigating the influence of selenium and epibrassinolide on antioxidant activity, proline accumulation, and protein expression profiles in wheat plants experiencing heat and drought stress.

In the current investigation, the combination of selenium (Se) and epibrassinolide (EBL) exhibited a promising alleviative response against the concurrent stress of heat and drought in wheat plants. The compromised growth and photosynthetic performance of wheat plants under the combined stress of heat and drought were substantially improved with the treatment involving Se and EBL. This improvement was facilitated through the expression of Q9FIE3 and O04939 proteins, along with enhanced antioxidant activities. The heightened levels of antioxidant enzymes and the accumulation of osmoprotectant proline helped mitigate the overaccumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including electrolyte leakage, H2O2 accumulation, and lipid peroxidation, thus conferring tolerance against the combined stress of heat and drought. Studies have demonstrated that Se and EBL can assist wheat plants in recuperating from the adverse effects of heat and drought. As such, they are essential components of sustainable farming methods that aim to increase crop productivity.

Effect of Different Fertilization Strategies on Infestation of Brown Wheat Mite and Wheat Productivity

The brown wheat mite, Petrobia tritici, poses a significant threat to wheat fields. While fertilizers can increase crop productivity, imbalanced application may exacerbate plant susceptibility to pests. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of various NPK fertilization programs on P. tritici infestations over two consecutive cropping seasons. The results revealed significant differences in mite infestation among the treatment groups (p < 0.001). The lowest populations (1.1 and 3.0 mites/leaf) were observed in the treatments sprayed with phosphoric acid (at 0.75 and 1.00 cm/L), where the infestation appeared approximately 120 days after sowing; in contrast, it appeared early at 75 days in the other treatments. Conversely, treatments lacking potassium fertilizer presented the greatest degree of mite injury levels (49.5–57.7 mites/leaf). Although these treatments provided moderate leaf nutrition and crop yield, the highest nutritional content and total yield (10.49 and 9.71 1 t/ha for the two years) were observed in the treatment that received 224:70:100 kg fad−1 commercial fertilizers (=178:25:114 kg ha−1 NPK units) as soil fertilization, which was followed by the treatment with a foliar application of phosphoric acid (1.00 cm/L) with a total yield of 9.34 and 8.53 1 t/ha for the two years. In this treatment, the P. tritici density was moderately high at 9.40 and 6.32 mites/leaf over the two years, respectively. The consistency of P. tritici density and total yield ranking across both years indicated reliable estimates of the impact of fertilization. This study suggests that potassium sulfate application is crucial for reducing P. tritici density and that foliar phosphoric acid application instead of soil application reduces the number of P. tritici and delays its occurrence.

Long-term experiments to identify response patterns of available soil nitrogen, rice, and soybeans to rice straw compost in a paddy-upland rotation field in Akita, Japan

ABSTRACT Compost application can enhance soil fertility and is consequently presumed to increase crop production in Japan’s paddy-upland rotation fields. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of rice straw compost (RSC) application on available soil nitrogen (Av-N) levels and rice and soybean plants in a paddy-upland rotation field using data obtained from a long-term field experiment. Data collected between 2005 and 2020 were analyzed from a long-term paddy rice – upland soybean rotation field. The experimental design employed a split-plot arrangement, with RSC application (with and without RSC) representing the whole plot, N fertilizer application (no nitrogen vs. standard fertilizer) representing the split-plot, and years representing the replication factor. The datasets included eight years of rice and soybean cultivation, and the chemical properties of postharvest soil spanned 16 years. The data was analyzed via analysis of variance. Applying RSC increased the Av-N concentration significantly by 63%–67%. The RSC application significantly increased the N concentration in rice shoots at the mature stage by 8%–12% but decreased it in soybean shoots after the seed emergence stage by 4%–8%. Consequently, the rice yield displayed clear responses to RSC application, whereas the soybean yield did not. The lack of soybean yield response might be due to an inhibitory effect of the Av-N gain attributable to the RSC application on biological nitrogen fixation. While applying compost can enhance Av-N content as well as rice productivity in paddy-upland rotation fields, its impact on soybean productivity requires careful evaluation.

Difenoconazole Induced Damage of Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells via ER Stress and Inflammatory Response.

Difenoconazole (DIF) is a fungicide used to control various fungi. It is absorbed on the surface of different plants and contributes significantly to increased crop production. However, DIF is reported to exhibit toxicity to fungi and to aquatic plants, fish, and mammals, including humans, causing adverse effects. However, research on the impact of DIF on the mammary epithelial cells of herbivorous bovines is limited. DIF-induced damage and accumulation in the mammary glands can have direct and indirect effects on humans. Therefore, we investigated the effects and mechanisms of DIF toxicity in MAC-T cells. The current study revealed that DIF reduces cell viability and proliferation while triggering apoptotic cell death through the upregulation of pro-apoptotic proteins, including cleaved caspase 3 and Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX), and the downregulation of leukemia type 2 (BCL-2). DIF also induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress by increasing the expression of genes or proteins of Bip/GRP78, protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), and endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductase 1 Alpha (ERO1-Lα). We demonstrated that DIF induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in MAC-T cells by activating ER stress pathways. This cellular damage resulted in a significant increase in the expression of inflammatory response genes and proteins, including cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2), transforming growth factor beta 3 (TGFB3), CCAAT enhancer binding protein delta (CEBPD), and iNOS, in DIF-treated groups. In addition, spheroid formation by MAC-T cells was suppressed by DIF treatment. Our findings suggest that DIF exposure in dairy cows may harm mammary gland function and health and may indirectly affect human consumption of milk.

Mild water deficit at seed filling stage promotes drought-tolerant soybean production formation and flavonoids accumulation

Soybean is an important crop for both grain and oil use. Appropriate agricultural managements increase crop productivity quantity and chemical nutrition quality. This study utilized two soybean varieties HN44(drought-tolerant) and SN14 (drought-sensitive)to analyze mechanism effect of light drought stress on instantaneous water use efficiency(WUEi), yield and isoflavone content by changes in the transcriptome and metabolome during the early seed-filling stage. The results showed that light drought stress can improve WUEi, stimulate the yield potential and increase the content of Daidzin and 6''-O-malonyldaidzin of HN44. In addition, under light drought stress, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) in HN44 and SN14 were significantly enriched in the biosynthetic pathways of flavonoids and isoflavones. The flavonoid metabolites in HN44 increased, while those in SN14 decreased. Through the different expression patterns of DEGs and DAMs in the two varieties, differential genes and differential metabolites were screened out, such as CHS, HCT, F3H, HIDH, IF7GT, VR, p-coumaroylquinic, and 6''-O-Malonylglycitin. These genes and metabolites can provide theoretical basis for the selection breeding of drought-tolerant soybean varieties and the evaluation of drought-resistant resources. The findings provided important agronomic strategies for improving the yield, bioactive substances, and water resource management of crop soybeans.

A comparative study of yield components and their trade-off in oilseed crops (Brassica napus L. and Brassica carinata A. Braun)

Canola (Brassica napus L.) and carinata (Brassica carinata A. Braun) are two oilseed crops that have seen a surge in demand in recent years. However, current yields achieved by farmers are inconsistent and significantly lower than those achieved in research experiments. Therefore, a better understanding of the trade-off between yield components is crucial to help breeders develop new high-yielding cultivars and for farmers to manage their crops more effectively. Unfortunately, scientific literature focused on trade-offs between yield components in rapeseed is scarce for canola and lacking for carinata. To address this issue, we conducted field experiments in Uruguay over three consecutive seasons (2016–2018) using the cultivars “Rivette” and “Avanza 641” for canola and carinata, respectively. Our goal was to study yield compensation and determine the comparative performance of canola and carinata across a wide range of sowing dates. Our results showed that carinata yields ranged from 854 kg ha−1 to 7283 kg ha−1, while canola yields ranged from 1152 kg ha−1 to 4489 kg ha−1. Higher biomass production was linked to increased yields in carinata, while an increase in biomass did not necessarily result in higher yields in canola due to a harvest index reduction. Carinata yield was positively correlated with grain number, silique number, and grains per silique. In canola, moderate to large yield changes were primarily influenced by grain number and grain weight, as silique number had a negative trade-off with yield, while grains per silique had a neutral relationship with yield. Our study revealed a distinct yield building process in canola and carinata, despite the general belief that they share physiological similarities and can be managed alike. These findings enhance our understanding of crop knowledge and management, potentially leading to increased crop productivity, and generate more effective breeding programs. Enhancing the yield performance of canola and carinata will position them as economically profitable crops, allowing for greater crop diversification and meeting the growing global demand for biofuels.

Analysis Of City Government And Farming Community Partnership In Food Security Policy: Urban Farming Program

The urban farming program is the city government policy to overcome the food security problem for the community's welfare. The study aims to discuss the partnership between the city government and the urban farming community in an urban farming program. It utilizes agricultural land and urban garden as the place for urban agroecological transformation as part of urban food security policy through the partnership capacity theoretical approach from Mathers, et al. This analytic descriptive study uses the case survey method, and data collection is obtained from the unstructured in-depth interview, focus group discussion, and observation in Jeruk urban village in Lakarsantri district in Surabaya. The findings show the success of the partnership between the department of food security and agriculture in Surabaya and Sri Sedono farmer group in the management of the integrated agricultural center. Urban farming program is influenced by mutual consensus which is beneficial to increase crop productivity. However, the result also indicates that the skill base factor is not optimal because of the limited personnel in PPL. Furthermore, the farmers are concerned about adopting new plant varieties. We suggest that the urban farming program can be sustainable and needs to increase the number of personnel in PPL. In addition, it is necessary to increase the entrepreneurial spirit of farmers so that they have innovation values to adopt new crop varieties, and the discipline through the increase of intensity assistance from PPL towards independent, skilled, and professional farmers.

Development and assessment of Nirgundi-Chakramardha biopesticide against Diamondback Moth on Cabbage

Introduction: The global population is rapidly approaching 9.7 billion by 2050, with Africa and Asia playing significant roles in this growth. This surge necessitates increased crop production, highlighting the importance of effective pest control to ensure food security. India, facing an annual crop loss of about 30% due to pests and diseases, emphasizes the urgency of maintaining ecological balance in natural ecosystems. The diamond back moth (Plutella xylostella L.) poses a substantial threat to cruciferous plants globally, causing severe yield losses of 50–80% in infested cabbage. Addressing this challenge is crucial for minimizing crop losses and securing successful harvests. Our study aimed to analyze the emergence and abundance of small, medium, and large-sized larvae before and after applying treatments. Materials and Methods: A study with five treatments, including Nirgundi-chakramardha biopesticide and a control (Cypermethrin), was conducted. Each treatment was replicated four times, and the entire experiment was set up using a randomized block design. Results: After chemical application, all treatments displayed significant differences. The biopesticide in our study produced notable results within trial groups. Notably, the control group exhibited excellent results compared to the other treatments. Conclusion: The Nirgundi-chakramardha Biopesticide exhibited insecticidal activity against Diamondback moth pests, specifically targeting medium-sized larvae. Although not statistically significant compared to the control group, its efficacy in pest control, especially during the larval stage, indicates its potential as a viable pest management option. Further research and optimization could improve its effectiveness in combating Diamondback moth infestations.

Biological Control of Anthracnose in Capsicum annuum Using Inoculants in Hydroponics: A Mechanistic Review

The Colletotrichum species that causes anthracnose poses a significant threat to the growth of Capsicum annuum, or ringer pepper, resulting in significant yield losses. Conventional produced control systems can give rise to ecological and economic difficulties, necessitating the need for alternative, workable solutions. This study explores the feasibility and parts of natural inoculants in controlling anthracnose ailment in Capsicum annuum filled in chipped away at hydroponics structures. As organic inoculants, we utilized a wide variety of useful microorganisms, such as Trichoderma harzianum, Bacillus subtilis, and mycorrhizal parasites. At various stages of the Capsicum annuum plant's development, these inoculants were incorporated into the supplement arrangements for tank farming. Anthracnose was observed and compared to untreated controls and synthetically treated plants in terms of its severity. Plants treated with natural inoculants show a significant reduction in sickness rate and severity, as shown by our findings. In fact, Trichoderma harzianum outperformed Bacillus subtilis and mycorrhizal parasites in terms of biocontrol productivity. Through a series of biochemical and sub-atomic tests, the fundamental instruments were examined. Natural inoculants, according to important discoveries, increase the plant's intrinsic safe reaction by causing fundamental obstruction. This is affirmed by the upregulation of pathogenesis-related (PR) characteristics and extended activity of shield impetuses like peroxidase (Unit), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and phenylalanine antacid lyase (Amigo). In addition, the inoculants improved root development and supplement absorption, enhancing overall establish health and resistance to microorganisms. This study demonstrates that natural inoculants can be a reasonable and effective method for controlling anthracnose in Capsicum annuum grown in improved tank farms. In accordance with the goals of a potential agribusiness, incorporating these biocontrol specialists into aquafarming frameworks can increase crop productivity and reduce the use of compound pesticides.

Analisis Faktor-Faktor Yang Memengaruhi Keputusan Pembelian Pupuk Anorganik (Kasus : Desa Srimulyo Dan Sukodono, Kecamatan Dampit)

Inorganic fertilizers are currently still widely used and are the main choice for farmers because they can increase crop productivity. Companies need to pay attention to consumer orientation, which is related to how to find the target market, needs and convince consumers to make a purchase. This study aims to analyze the influence of brand image, price, review, ecology, and credibility on the decision to purchase inorganic fertilizers by coffee farmers. The locations taken are Srimulyo and Sukodono villages, Dampit District, considering that the village is the largest coffee-producing village in Malang. Purposive sampling was used for sampling as many as 35 coffee farmers with the provision of using and purchasing inorganic fertilizers. The data used in the study is primary data collected through surveys with observations, interviews, questionnaires and documentation. The research uses SEM (Structural Equation Modelling) data analysis with the PLS (Partial Least Square) approach, and conducts data analysis with the help of SmartPLS 4.0 software. The results of the analysis of respondent characteristics showed that most coffee farmers were dominated by men and the level of education of farmers varied from elementary to bachelor's degree. Most of the respondents' farming experience was from 1 to 50 years with a maximum land area of 2 ha. Testing the inner model obtained a determination coefficient (R-Square) of 60.1% brand image, price, reviews, ecology, and credibility were able to explain the influence on the decision to purchase inorganic fertilizers by farmers. The results of bootstrapping data showed that brand image and ecological had a significant negative effect and reviews had a significant positive effect on the decision to purchase inorganic fertilizers. Factors that do not affect the decision to buy inorganic fertilizers are price and credibility

Impact of Planting Time on the Performance of Different Wheat Varieties: A Review

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is among the most widely cultivated cereal crops globally. Wheat belongs to family Poaceae and genus Triticum and its center of origin is South Western Asia. Following China, India is the second-largest wheat producer in the world. Among different species of wheat crop, Triticum aestivum is the most prime because of its higher calorific values as well as a good addition for nutritional requirement of human body due to appearance of 9-10 % protein and 60-80 % carbohydrates. Choosing the appropriate sowing time and selecting suitable cultivars are crucial for achieving higher wheat yields. Early sowing with the optimal plant population promotes better growth and nutrient uptake, leading to increased crop production. Delayed sowing reduces the growth, yield, and quality of wheat grain, while early sowing leads to greater yields thanks to a longer grain development phase. Additionally, cultivar selection played a crucial role in determining wheat performance. Some cultivars exhibited greater adaptability to varying sowing dates, maintaining higher yields and better stress tolerance. Proper selection of cultivars is obtained to maximum yield due to variation among the weather conditions and genetic diversity. Optimum sowing dates give suitable temperature to obtain maximum productivity and cultivars selection also play prime role in obtaining maximum wheat production. Improper selection of cultivars produces lower grain yield.