Mechanical Cultivation Research Articles

THE EVALUATION OF FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF THE GAMES RELATED WITH HAZELNUT AND WALNUT IN THE HOPA REGION/DISTRICT, TURKEY

Hopa is a kind of region with difficulties of economic life. The territorial property of the region has some boundaries for mechanical cultivation causing an effect on social life. People tried to concentrate on the activities that they got used to do in the past. The things produced, took place in their social life. The production of hazelnut and walnut, important source of agriculture, took place not only in economics and nutrition but also in life. These were used as a tool for play in addition to the art of decoration and oil industry. Article visualizations:

Biology, agricultural impact, and management of Cyperus rotundus L.: the world’s most tenacious weed

Purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus L.), a troublesome weed, is economically damaging weed, which is widely naturalized in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. This weed has been reported to cause 20–90% yield losses in various agronomic and horticultural crops across the world. Perennial nature, genetic diversity, ability to tolerate adverse climatic conditions, high rate of reproduction, ease-of-dispersion, strong competitive abilities, and allelopathic potential assist this weed to thrive in a range of agro-climatic regions. Routine cultural approaches, including crop rotation, crop choice, and mechanical cultivation, are ineffective in achieving season-long management of C. rotundus. Pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides, as well as myco-herbicides, can control its growth but fail to limit the regenerative capacity and tuber viability of C. rotundus in the long term. Integration of herbicides with tillage operations during summer fallows would be a reliable option to desiccate the tubers and rhizomes of C. rotundus. Furthermore, preventive measures as well as complete destruction of nascent foci would be helpful in preventing future spread of this weed. This review will help researchers and scientists in understanding the reproductive biology and future threats of C. rotundus, leading towards the development of improved control methodologies. The information presented in this article will also enable researchers and growers to address the prevailing gaps in the eco-biology of this weed for the long-term control of C. rotundus in economically important field crops.

Straw mulch increases potato yield and suppresses weeds in an organic production system

Late and early maturing potato cultivars were grown under two organic management systems using straw mulch or mechanical cultivation for weed management. It was found that application of straw mulch at emergence consistently increased total and marketable A-size yields for the late season cultivar Freedom Russet, and shifted the profile of marketable A-size tubers toward larger sizes. Increased yields were seen for the early season cultivar Dark Red Norland in some years, and may be related to amelioration of environmental stress by straw mulch. Mulch provided more effective control than mechanical cultivation for some broadleaf weeds, especially late in the season as potato foliage senesced and weed numbers tended to increase in unmulched plots relative to mulched plots. Grass weed incidence did not differ between straw mulched and mechanically weeded plots. Mulch did not consistently impact abundance of pest, virus vector, or predatory insects, although potato leafhopper numbers tended to be lower in straw mulched plots than mechanically cultivated plots. Straw mulching did not impact PVY incidence. It was concluded that straw mulching is a viable management option for organic potato production, with potential benefits for broadleaf weed management and tuber yield.

Technical efficiency and its determinants of the various cropping systems in the purple-soiled, hilly region of southwestern China

This study examines the technical efficiency (TE) differences among typical cropping systems of smallholder farmers in the purple-soiled hilly region of southwestern China. Household-, plot-, and crop- level data and community surveys were conducted to explore TE levels and determinants of typical cropping systems by using a translog stochastic frontier production function. Results indicate significant difference in TE and its determinants among cropping systems. The mean TEs of the rice cropping system (R), the rice-rape cropping system (RR), the rice-rape-potato cropping system (RRP), and the oil cropping system (O) are 0.86, 0.90, 0.84, and 0.85, respectively, which are over 1.17 times higher than those of the maize-sweet potato-other crop cropping system (MSO) and the maize-sweet potato-wheat cropping system (MSW) at 0.78 and 0.69, respectively. Moreover, Technical inefficiency (TIE) of different cropping systems is significantly affected by characteristics of the household as well as plot. However, the impact of land quality, mechanical cultivation conditions, crop structure, farming system, farm radius, household type, cultivated land area per capita, and annual household income per capital on TIE vary by cropping system. Additionally, output elasticity of land, labor, and capital, as a group, is greater than the one of agricultural machinery and irrigation. Finally, when household-owned effective agricultural labor is at full farming capacity, optimal plot sizes for the R, RR, RRP, MSO, MSW, and O cropping systems are 1.12 hm2, 0.35 hm2, 0.25 hm2, 2.82 hm2, 1.87 hm2, and 1.17 hm2, respectively.

Sustaining Biodiversity and Income against Climate Change through Food Value Chain System by the Small-Holder Farmers in Southern Nigeria

Biodiversity and sustainable income are very necessary in ecosystem stability. The food value chain (FVC) introduced in Nigeria to transform agriculture is commendable because through the system farmers receive various incentives as highly subsidized inputs from government and loans of low interest rates from designated Agricultural Banks and Central Bank. However, the system encourages specialization in the production of the reference crops but intercropping and mixed cropping systems practiced by most small-holder farmers because of its inherent advantages is de-emphasized or completely abandoned. This paper presents the results of two surveys of sole pepper and maize growers in 2015 and 2016 respectively as affected by sudden stoppage of rainfall in Nsukka area. The analyses showed that on the average > 70 % of the pepper farmers lost ≈ 65 % of their pepper fields while ≈ 57 % of the maize fields were lost. For a substitute intercropping system, plantain yield data from plantain plus moringa intercrop trials carried out in 2014 and 2015 were analyzed and projected to incorporate a food crop within inter-alleys. The mean plantain yields from the trials were 20 kg plant -1 for fresh bunch and 7 suckers stand -1 . Based on a 6 m x 5 m (≈330 plants ha -1 ) spacing and the 2016 prices of bunches and suckers, these yields translated to a minimum net income per annum of N 1 320 000.00 (N 330 000.00 from bunches and N 990 000.00 from 6 suckers (net) stand -1 ). Proceeds from the food crop, moringa seed and leaf extracts used as liquid fertilizer took care of the cost of other inputs and cultural practices. The inter-row spacing of 6 m allows mechanical cultivation of any food crop by the farmer. This system was considered a reliable insurance against climate change and pest insurgence and can be adopted by farmers in the entire southern Nigeria because both plantain and moringa can do very well in the subregion.

Weed management using crop competition in Pakistan: A review

Agriculture occupies an important place in improving the living standards of farmers in Pakistan. About 90% of farm earnings rely on the cultivation of sugar, fibre, cereals and legumes. Due to lack of essential resources and technical expertise, every year thousands of farmers fail to reach maximum yield potential. Over 70% of farmers own less than 5 ha in Pakistan; therefore, it is uneconomic to employ costly mechanical and chemical strategies for the control of pests in their crops. Among these pests, we eds are considered to be the major obstacle to crop production, and can ultimately result in crop failure. Traditionally, manipulation of cropping techniques was employed for the control of weeds; later on, development of synthetic chemical herbicides made it easier to control weeds in a very short time period. However, over time the increased use of herbicides has led to the development of herbicide resistant weeds. Furthermore, increasing environmental concerns, weed population shifts, and increased managerial costs have made it difficult for farmers to control these weed species within their limited economic resources. Nowadays, scientists and research organizations are being urged to provide innovative weed management solutions, with minimal ecological impacts. Studies have revealed the importance of cultural strategies for the management of weeds in different cropping systems. Research has proved that alternation of cultural practices, and selection of competitive crop cultivars, could be a possible strategy to minimize the competitiveness of weeds. Increased crop densities, narrower row spacing, intercropping and alternation in row directions are among the weed control strategies gaining rapid attention in many countries. Unfortunately, limited information is available about weed management using crop competition in Pakistan. This review article focusses on the importance of these agronomic practices in reducing the competitive potential of weeds, for their effective and appropriate management in major crops of Pakistan. It is intended to assist researchers in the design of economically viable and eco-friendly weed management strategies, which will aid in eliminating the burden of herbicides and mechanical cultivation from farmer’s production costs.

Visual analysis and X-ray computed tomography for assessing the spatial variability of soil structure in a cultivated Oxisol

Intensive agriculture and its associated practices modify soil structure, aiming to enhance conditions for root growth. However, there are also negative consequences on many soil properties which vary with many factors, including soil depth and evaluation techniques. This study aimed to assess the effects of soil management in coffee plantations on soil structure and its spatial variability, as influenced by soil depth and time elapsed since mechanical cultivation and planting (3 or 6yrs) on a clayey Oxisol in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Two contrasting techniques were used: in-field, expedite visual analysis of crop profiles, and X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning of undisturbed cores at three depths (20–34, 80–94, and 150–164cm), the latter producing X-ray attenuation data further processed by geostatistical tools. For both stand ages, visual analysis in field showed the soil structure at 20–34cm layer as similarly loose. The semivariograms elaborated from X-ray CT attenuation values in grayscale for three directions X, Y (horizontal) and Z (vertical), showed increased spatial variability, especially in the horizontal directions. In deeper layers, the two techniques showed results varying with stand age, depth of soil preparation, root development and soil formation processes. For instance, the 80–94cm layer was marked by visually distinct clods, with narrower prediction intervals for semivariograms in all directions when compared to the other depths, suggesting a low spatial variability. The joint use of the two techniques has allowed not only the validation of an expedite method of soil structure evaluation, but also a more detailed perspective on how the spatial variability varies across soil depth and time of soil use.

Analysis of market of row-crop cultivators

The row crops occupy a prominent position in agriculture. For example, in the Rostov Region nearly 25% of the acreage annually is under row crops. One of the features of cultivation of row crops is the possibility of mechanical weed control after emergence of seedlings. Mechanical inter-row cultivation could not be substituted for the chemical one, because the first gives rise to a loose mulch layer on the soil surface that contributes to the accumulation of soil moisture. This is particularly important for arid areas of agriculture, including the North Caucasus and Lower Volga Region. Among other things, mechanical cultivation is much more environmentally friendly than chemical one. There is a large number of row-crop cultivators of both domestic and foreign manufacture in the Russian market. The purpose of the study is to identify the main trends in the manufacture of row-crop cultivators that are typical for global enterprises of agricultural machinery industry. With the aim of a qualitative assessment of domestic and foreign brands of row-crop cultivators, the paper analyzes the technical parameters of the most common samples in the market of the South of Russia. The study reveals that in their design domestic and foreign row-crop cultivators differ from each other slightly, mostly only in the width of rows. On all of the considered row-crop cultivators, the parallelogram suspensions of working organs are used. Their basic designs are identical for nearly all machines: the main working organs are the A-hoe blades with different grasp width. The motion speed of the unit lies in the range of 5-10 km/h and depends on the type of working organs and landscape conditions. Weight of fertilizer distributing system in row-crop cultivator is 11-16% of the total weight of the machine, while the specific weight of Russian cultivator is 1.35 times larger than the imported one, which is due to the use of lighter and stronger materials in the manufacture of imported cultivators.

Forming and maintaining a collection of plant genetic resources of the Buckwheat (Fagopyrum Mill.) genus

Purpose. Providing information on the formation, composition, maintenance of the collection of Buckwheat (Fagopyrum Mill.) genus at Ustymivka Experimental Station of Plant Production (Poltava region), and areas of its use: introduction, preservation and study of the material, for the set of index, formation of special collections and providing research and education institutions of Ukraine with a valuable original material. Methods. Methodical developments dealing with formation and maintenance of crop collections, methodical literature on the study of buckwheat collection for breeding and agronomic performance. Results. The author represented results of the collection material study for the main breeding and economically valuable traits including yield, productivity, resistance to abiotic and biotic factors of the environment. The results of work are considered aimed on creating special collections of the gene pool – base, trait (for yield and large seeds; for productivity, drought and heat resistance; for suitability for mechanical cultivation), educational and core ones. Conclusions. All formed and registered collections are a valuable base material for solving a number of breeding goals to increase the quantity and improve the quality of plant production.

Comparison of species-rich cover crop mixtures in the Tokaj wine region (Hungary)

Intensive agricultural practices of past decades—such as mechanical cultivation on steep vineyard slopes—can endanger soil fertility. In addition, climate change scenarios predict heavier rainstorms, which can further accelerate soil degradation. Therefore, the use of cover crops in the inter-row has a special importance, particularly on steep slopes and in organic agriculture. A species-rich cover crop mixture helps not only in preventing erosion and providing easier cultivation, but has also positive effects on soil structure, soil fertility and ecosystem functions (Bauer et al. 2004; Hofmann et al. 2008). We began to develop and test several species-rich cover crop mixtures in spring of 2012 in Hungarian vine regions. During the experiments, three species-rich cover crop mixtures (Biocont-Ecovin mixture, mixture of legumes, mixture of grasses and herbs) were compared in vineyards of the Tokaj vine region. Each mixture was sown in three subsequent inter-rows at each site of the experiment. In the control blocks, unsown inter-rows and mechanically cultivated inter-rows were located subsequently next to each other. We studied weed control, yield quantity and must quality in every treatment. We found that the cover of weeds was lower in every treatment compared to the unsown control plots for 2013; thus, cover crops suppressed the weeds of the inter-rows effectively. Most examined indices of grapevines were not significantly affected by the applied cover crops. However, the yield loss results show that under Hungarian climate, the soil coverage in every second inter-row is more recommendable than subsequent seeding, where total erosion control is not required. The interest of the vine growers shows the importance of the topic; thus, we involved other wine regions of Hungary in our further experiments.

The effectiveness of flame weeding and cultivation on weed control, yield and yield components of organic soybean as influenced by manure application

AbstractPropane flaming in combination with cultivation could be a potential alternative tool for weed control in organic soybean production. Field experiments were conducted at the Haskell Agricultural Laboratory of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), Concord, NE in 2010, 2011 and 2012 to determine the level of weed control and the response of soybean grain yield and its components to flaming and cultivation within two fertility regimes (FRs) (with and without manure) utilizing flaming equipment developed at the UNL. The treatments included: weed-free control, weedy season-long and different combinations of banded flaming (intra-row), broadcast flaming and mechanical cultivation (inter-row). The treatments were applied at VC (unfolded cotyledon) and V4–V5 (4-leaf–5-leaf) growth stages. Propane doses were 20 and 45 kg ha−1 for the banded and broadcast flaming treatments, respectively. The data were collected for visual ratings of crop injury and weed control at 7 and 28 days after treatment (DAT) at V4–V5 growth stages, weed dry matter at 60 DAT, crop yield and yield components. The annual application of 101 t ha−1 manure did not alter weed community or influence the effectiveness of weed management treatment; however, it decreased soybean yield by 0.25 t ha−1 through an increased weed biomass of 0.16 t ha−1. The weed-free control plots yielded 4.15 t ha−1. The combination of mechanical cultivation and banded flaming applied twice (at VC and V4–V5) was the best treatment resulting in 80–82% weed control and 6–9% crop injury at 28 DAT and 3.41–3.67 t ha−1 yield. Cultivation conducted twice provided only 19% weed control at 28 DAT and 1.75 t ha−1 yield. Soybean plants recovered well after all flaming treatments, with the exception of broadcast flaming conducted twice (28% crop injury at 28 DAT). Combining flaming with cultivation has a potential to effectively control weeds in organic soybean production across a range of FRs.

HIGH-SPEED CULTIVATION AND BANDING FOR WEED MANAGEMENT IN NO-TILL CORN

Replacing herbicides with mechanical cultivation can reduce pesticide use in row crop production. Although a majority of Iowa’s corn land is cultivated, most is cultivated only once and herbicide is broadcast applied. To increase grower confidence in reducing herbicide use and in using cultivation for interrow weed control, a three-year field experiment compared various single-cultivation plus band-herbicide application strategies with broadcast application strategy and no-control strategy. To cover larger acreages in a narrow window of time, cultivation speed was increased each year from 11.3 to 14.1 to 16.9 km/h (7.0, 8.8, and 10.5 mph). A 38-cm (15-in.) herbicide band treatment had less weed growth, and generally greater yield, extended leaf height, and corn population than did a 19-cm (7.5-in.) band treatment. Few differences were noted among cultivator styles. Weed management and grain yield were as good or better with the traditional low-crown sweep as with other styles. Its wider cutting width (56-cm or 22 in.) in 76-cm (30-in.) rows resulted in a lower corn population, however, when operated at 16.9 km/h (10.5 mph) with a crosswind. Differences in weed population and visual weed cover rankings when comparing single-cultivation with broadcast-only strategies varied with years. Grain yield from a treatment using a single cultivation with a low-crown sweep and a 38-cm (15-in.) wide herbicide band was statistically equivalent to that from a broadcast-only treatment in all three years. Results of this study indicate that herbicide use can be halved and weed control and corn yield can be maintained by use of a 38 cm (15 in.) herbicide band and a single sweep cultivation.

Effectiveness of flame weeding and cultivation for weed control in organic maize

Weed management is a major constraint in organic crop production. Propane flaming combined with mechanical cultivation in a single operation could be an additional tool for weed control in organic maize. Field studies were conducted on the certified organic field at the Haskell Agricultural Laboratory of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), Concord, NE, USA in 2010, 2011 and 2012 to evaluate the effect of flaming and cultivation within two fertility regimes (with and without manure) on the level of weed control and grain yield of organic maize. A total of 12 weed management treatments (WMTs) were applied at the 3-leaf (V3) and/or the 6-leaf (V6) growth stages of maize that included a weed-free control, weedy season-long, and 10 combinations of mechanical cultivation (inter-row), banded flaming (intra-row) and broadcast flaming (intra- and inter-row area). The treatments were applied utilizing flaming equipment developed at the UNL. All evaluated parameters (weed control, weed dry matter, crop injury, yield and yield components) indicated that there was no interaction between manure application and WMT; however, manure application increased maize yield by 1.1 t ha − 1. Overall, maize showed good tolerance to all flaming treatments averaging only 5.1% and 3.6% crop injury at 28 days after treatment in no-manure and manure plots, respectively. The best weed control was achieved with banded flaming followed by aggressive cultivation, providing over 90% weed control and yields of 7.8 t ha − 1, and flame-cultivation conducted twice as a single operation, giving 88% weed control and yields of 7.5 t ha − 1, conducted twice at the V3 and V6 growth stages. Broadcast flaming conducted twice provided 70% weed control and yielded 6.0 t ha − 1. These results suggest that flaming and cultivation applied separately or combined in a single operation, as a single trip across the field, have a potential to be used for weed control in organic maize production systems.

Floor Management Systems in an Organic Apple Orchard Affect Fruit Quality and Storage Life

In an organic apple orchard, standard mechanical cultivation was compared with four different orchard floor management systems (OFMS): acetic acid (V), living mulch (L), a sandwich system during the growing season (SSS), and a sandwich system during the whole year (SSW). The effects of these OFMS on weed management, soil conditions, tree growth, tree yield, fruit quality, and fruit storage potential in a cool climate were evaluated. Acetic acid treatment showed good weed suppression without any amendatory effect on soil conditions, fruit quality, or tree performance. The L and SSS systems increased soil respiration, decreased tree vigor, and improved fruit quality, but had no sufficient influence on weed competition and thus decreased fruit yield. Only SSW gave better weed control, higher soil respiration, and acceptable tree growth with no yield reduction. Fruit from this system also showed better quality at harvest than fruit from other OFMS and maintained this good quality during storage. A 6-week weed-free period from late May to mid-July gave the highest apple yield in two OFMS (SSW and V).

Trap cropping with Napier grass, Pennisetum purpureum (Schumach), decreases damage by maize stem borers

Napier grass, Pennisetum purpureum (Schumach), in combination with intercrops has been used successfully in habitat management for maize stem borers in Africa. The use of Napier grass only as a trap or barrier plant for Chilo partellus (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) and Busseola fusca (Fuller) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was evaluated in this study. Napier grass borders were planted only on two sides of small-scale farmers’ maize fields, since planting of perennial trap crops on all sides of fields hampered mechanical cultivation. C. partellus was the dominant borer species, followed by B. fusca and Sesamia calamistis (Hampson) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Reductions between 0% and 27.4% in the incidence of borer-infested plants were observed on the 16 farms evaluated in this study. The results show that Napier grass as trap/barrier crop suppresses stem borer numbers in maize fields.

キャベツの機械化一貫栽培体系における苗の移植深度が収量，結球部の傾きおよび根系分布へ及ぼす影響

農林水産省・復興庁予算の大型プロジェクト「食料生産地域再生のための先端技術展開事業（農業･農村型）」のなかで，新たに開発された収穫機を核とした加工・業務用キャベツの機械化一貫体系の実証研究が進められている．本試験では，機械収穫で問題とされる結球部の傾きを軽減する方策として，定植時にセル成型苗を深く移植する方法を検討し，キャベツ結球部の収量，傾き，および根系分布へ及ぼす影響を調べた．移植深さは浅植え（地表面から培土表面まで+4.0 mm），標準植え（-4.4 mm），および深植え（-22.6mm）とした．深植え区では，他の移植深さに比べ傾きの小さい結球が多く, 結球重および外葉重は同等であることから，深植え移植は結球部の傾き軽減策として有効だと考えられた．その原因として軸（地際から上の胚軸＋結球部までの茎部）を調べたところ，深植え区では浅植え区に比べ相対的に重い，充実した軸を持つ株が多かった．また，株直下の根系は，どの区も表層10cm に密集しており，浅植え区・標準植え区では深さ0-5cm において，深植え区では深さ5-10cm において根長密度が高い傾向がみられた．特に, 深植え区の深さ5-10cm では，浅植え区に比べ細根（径0-0.2mm）及び太い根（径1-5mm）の根長密度が高かった．深植え区の軸の形態と浅い層における根系分布は，キャベツ結球部の傾き軽減に関与する可能性が考えられた．

Kształtowanie się zbiorowisk chwastów grochu siewnego (Pisum sativum L.) pod wpływem herbicydu i następstwa roślin

Summary This paper presents the results obtained in the crop rotation experiment carried out in the years 2008–2010. It concerns weed infestation of pea (Venus variety) cultivated in six-field crop rotation: sugar beet – maize – spring barley – pea – winter oilseed rape – winter wheat, and in monoculture since 1993. Two levels of crop protection were compared: level 0 – no chemical protection, and H – with the protection of herbicide (linuron) applied after sowing at 1.5 kg/ha doses. The species composition and the number of weeds were determined at the development stage of 2–4 leaves of pea and prior to the mechanical cultivation using a frame with an area of 0.25 m 2 . On the objects without chemical protection in crop rotation and in monoculture the number of weeds amounted to 237 plants/m 2 and 614 plants/m 2 , respectively. The applied herbicide reduced the number of weeds in the crop rotation by 87.8% and by 82.5% in the monoculture. Regardless of the chosen method of crop protection, the following weed species dominated: Chenopodium album, Thlaspi arvense and Capsella bursa-pastoris. In monocultural cultivation Lycopsis arvensis, Polygonum convolvulus and also perennial weeds occurred as well.

Interactive Effects of Hand Weeding, Tine and Sweep Cultivation for Weed Control in Organic Peanut Production

ABSTRACT Previous research has shown that mechanical cultivation is the most effective and affordable method of weed control in organic peanut production. However, growers are in need of more information on specific integrated cultivation regimes for effective season-long weed control with minimal hand-weeding requirements. Therefore, field trials were conducted in 2010–2012 to evaluate the effects of various tine and sweep cultivation treatments combined with or without hand-weeding on season-long weed control, stand establishment, and yield and grade of an organically-managed peanut crop. Tine cultivation treatments consisted of no cultivation or weekly cultivations for 5 wks after planting (WAP). Sweep treatments consisted of no cultivation, weekly cultivations (for 5 WAP), cultivations at 2 and 5 WAP only, or cultivation at 5 WAP only. Hand-weeding treatments were no hand-weeding or hand-weeding of the entire plot. There were numerous significant interactions among tine and sweep treatments on weed control. Initial weed species composition greatly affected cultivation effects on overall weed control. Tine cultivation was most effective at controlling annual grass weeds. Sweep cultivation was effective at reducing weeds (Amaranthus spp., southern crabgrass, and Florida pusley), but primarily when tine cultivation was absent. Hand-weeding significantly improved weed control for every weed species every year. Additionally, inclusion of certain cultivation regimes significantly reduced the hand-weeding time requirement over the control. However, cultivation treatments did not improve pod yield or grade in any year. The most significant benefit in cultivation from these data is in the reduction in hand-weeding requirements. Based on this research, a regime consisting of weekly tine cultivations for 5 WAP, combined with two timely sweep cultivations provided the best overall balance of weed control and minimization of hand-weeding. Hand-weeding is the most critical weed control method, followed by tine cultivation, and finally sweep cultivation, which primarily served as an aid in the event of missed tine cultivations or failure.

Response of Rice Crop to Convenential and Mechanical Cultivation Methods under N- fertilization Levels

Two field experiments were carried out at the Experimental Farm of theFaculty of Agriculture (Saba Basha), Alexandria University, at Abees region, Alexandria. Egyptduring the two successive seasons of 2012 and 2013 to study the response of rice crop toconvenential and mechanical cultivation methods under N- fertilization levels on the yield, itscomponents and technological characters of sakha 101 variety.The experiment design was a split plot with three replicates. The main plots wereoccupied by nitrogen levels (40, 60 and 80 kg N/fed), while the subplots were consisted of twoplanting methods (manual transplanting and mechanical transplanting).The main results couldbe summarized as follows: Increasing nitrogen levels up to 80kg N/fed, significantly decreasedplant height and significantly increased yield and its components and rice grain qualitycharacters in the two planting methods while, these increases were higher in manualtransplanting than mechanical transplanting in the two seasons. on the other hand, the riceproduction in manual transplanting per fed, increased by 41.80% comparing with mechanicaltransplanting.

Preliminary Evaluation of Some Qualitative Traits of Sugarcane Germplasm of North-Western Nigeria

Thirty five local sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) accessions were collected in an expedition in North-Western Nigeria, covering Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Kano and Jigawa States in September 2011. The germplasm accessions were maintained at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto. Data on leaf colour, leaf sheath colour, thrashability, ligular process, spines (pubescence), stem colour and bud groove were collected. The study indicate that shape of the accessions could be used either directly or indirectly as a selection tool for pest resistance and mechanical cultivation in sugarcane. Leaf sheath colour and number of green leaves per plant could form additional selection tools for high photosynthesis efficiency to the already existing ones. Key words : Evaluation, Sugarcane, Germplasm, Characters, Accessions