Plant Fruit Number Research Articles

Interference with sex expression, estimation of yield and bioactive compounds in bitter gourd under PGRs-induced conditions

BackgroundThe bitter gourd fruit yields are not at a desirable level due to maleness. Maleness is one of the biggest difficulties with bitter gourd, reducing fruit yields substantially. On the other hand, plant stages are the most important consideration for PGR application because of their sensitive responsiveness. Therefore, it is necessary to determine how bitter gourd plants respond to plant growth regulators, namely PGR0 (control: application of water as control treatment), PGR1 (GA3-Gibberellic acid, 100 mgL−1), PGR2 (NAA-Naphthalene acetic acid, 100 mgL−1), and PGR3 (MH- Maleic hydrazide, 100 mgL−1) at three application phases, S1: soaking of seeds; S2: four-leaf; and S3: flower bud in terms of vegetative development, male–female flower sex alteration, and fruit features including bioactive compounds.ResultsPhysiological, floral and yield characteristics of bitter gourd exposed significant changes by GA3 and MH at various stages. The number of leaves plant−1, the fresh mass of the plant, and the fresh mass of fruit and fruit dry matter content were enhanced remarkably for MH application at the seed soaking stage except for plant height and the number of branches plant−1. MH increased the number of female flowers plant−1, the number of fruits plant−1 and the yield at the 4-leaf stage of application. PGRs substantially influenced the quantity of sugar, chlorophyll, total carotenoids, protein, and water content at various phases of their application but not on ascorbic acid, TSS, or total phenol concentration.ConclusionsFor sex expression and yield attributes, 100 mgL−1 MH at the 4-leaf stage would be effective in bitter gourd. Exogenous NAA showed a considerable dual influence on plant development and antioxidant enzyme activity in bitter gourd fruits.

Effect of pre-harvest fruit bagging on yield, postharvest quality and shelf life of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cv. BARI Tomato-2

Fruit bagging protects fruits from pest infestation and multiple biotic and abiotic stresses during development without reducing yield. It also can potentially improve the quality and market value of fruits. Hence, the present study aimed to determine the effect of pre-harvest fruit bagging on the yield and quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cv. BARI Tomato-2. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications that constituted the various treatments- T0: Control (no bagging), T1: White paper bag (single layer), T2: Brown paper bag (double layer), T3: Non-woven fabric bag, and T4: Jute bag from October 2021 to March 2022. The results showed that the non-woven fabric bag had the highest fruit length (57.79 mm), diameter (57.81 mm), number of fruits plant-1 (55.9), yield (4.06 kg plant-1), vitamin C (24.63mg/ 100g-1), and lycopene content (0.12 mg g-1). The maximum insect incidence (18.41%) was recorded in control and the minimum was counted in T3 (2.17%). The highest total soluble solid (6.73%0Brix) and dry matter (8.63%) were observed in a white paper bag. The highest mean color score (6.08), firmness (26.81%), and shelf life (13 days) found in fabric bags outperformed non-bagged fruits. The fabric bag showed maximum net income (21.12 TK) and the highest benefit: cost ratio (2.36). Thus, the fabric bag was the best for improving the physical and chemical qualities of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) among the various fruit-covering materials.

Combining ability, heterosis, and heterobeltiosis to select highly productive F1 hybrids of habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq.)

AbstractSelection of lines from segregating generations and breeding hybrids to exploit heterosis or heterobeltiosis is an effective tool for improving economically important traits in the genus Capsicum. The objective of this study was to identify high potential parents to obtain high-yielding F1 hybrids using a Line × Tester (8 × 2) mating design in the Habanero pepper improvement programme. Ten parents and 16 hybrids were evaluated in order to determine their values of general combining ability, specific combining ability, heterosis, and heterobeltiosis. Parent NKA-11 had the highest values of GCA for different quantitative variables of the fruit, which does it suitable for future improvement works, and tester RNJ-04 showed the highest value of GCA for fruit length. The quantitative variables evaluated confirm a significant genetic variability among the Habanero pepper genotypes studied. The best hybrids were NEK-03xRNJ-04, NBA-06xRNJ-04, AKN-07xRNJ-04, and RKI-10xRNJ-04, which showed their high productive potential with values between 3.13 and 4.92 Kg/Pta, a quality, that would open to them the national market for fresh consumption. Based on the GCA values of the parents and heterosis of the progenies, it is concluded hybridization would be the most appropriate genetic improvement method to increase both yield (YP) and the number of fruits for plant.

Effect of soil and foliar application of organic nutrients on growth and yield of bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.)

An experiment was carried out on bottle gourd during 2022 to study the effect of soil and foliar application of organic nutrients on growth and yield of bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.). The field experiment was laid out in randomized block design with fifteen treatments which were replicated thrice. The organic manures used in the experiment were farm yard manure (FYM) @ 25 t ha-1, vermicompost (VC) @ 5 t ha-1 and enriched manure (EM) @ 1 t ha-1 as soil application along with consortium biofertilizers (CBF) @ 2 kg ha-1 and foliar application of biostimulants viz., panchagavya (3%), effective microbial inoculants (2%), Humic power (1%) and Jeevamrutha (2%) were tested. Result revealed that the growth parameters viz., vine length, number of leaves, leaf length, leaf breadth and leaf area were recorded highest in the treatment that received the application of enriched manure 1 t ha-1 combined with consortium biofertilizers (CBF) 2 kg ha-1 and humic power (1%) as foliar were applied. The yield attributes viz., the number of fruits plant-1, fruit length, fruit girth, fruit weight and fruit yield plant-1 were registered the highest in the treatment which received the application of vermicompost 5 t ha-1 combined with CBF 2 kg ha-1 and humic power (1%) as foliar application in both the seasons respectively.

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT POTASSIUM LEVELS ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF TOMATO (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is a popular vegetable and the most important ingredient when any vegetable is cooked and referred to as “protective food” because of its special nutritive value and widespread production. The present research was carried out in 2017-18 at Horticulture Garden, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Pakistan. To assess the Effect of Different Potassium levels on the Growth and Yield of Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum mill.) the experimental trial was carried out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The Gola Variety Seedlings are transplanted at the field. Six different potassium levels were used for soil fertility Viz K1 (Control/ without K), K2 (25 kg ha-1), K3 (50 kg ha-1), K4 (75 kg ha-1), K5 (100 kg ha-1) and K6 (125 kg ha-1). Potassium should be applied on split doses and tomato crop was planted and observations were recorded for plant height (cm), number of branches plant-1, days to flowering, days to fruiting, number of fruits plant-1, the weight of single fruit (g), fruit yield plot-1 (kg) and fruit yield (ton ha-1). It was found that all studied attributes were statically significant (P<0.05) and influenced by different potassium levels. The maximum plant height (107.00cm), number of branches plant-1 (9.33), number of fruits plant-1 (91.66), the weight of single fruit (105.67g), fruit yield plot-1 (45.48kg) and fruit yield (49.12ton ha-1) was recorded in where potassium 100 kg ha-1 was used. The maximum plant height (103.60cm), number of branches plant-1 (7.33), number of fruits plant-1 (87.66), the weight of single fruit (101.00g), fruit yield plot-1 (40.95kg) and fruit yield (44.23ton ha-1) was recorded in where potassium 75 kg ha-1 was used. While the minimum plant height (70.00cm), number of branches plant-1 (3.66), number of fruits plant-1 (60.00), the weight of single fruit (48.00g), fruit yield plot-1 (10.27kg) and fruit yield (11.09ton ha-1) was recorded in where potassium did not be used respectively. The present results that the (100 kg K ha-1) had a better result for all parameters and all results were statically significant.

Influence of Organic Amendments and Fertigation on Growth, Yield, Quality of Watermelon (CitrulluslanatusThunb.) and Available Nutrient Status in Their Land (Red Sand Dune) of Southern Tamil Nadu

The present investigation was carried out at Thirumaraiyur village, Sattankulamtaluk, Thoothukudi district, to study the effect of organic amendments with the recommended dose of fertilizers on the growth and yield of watermelon in Ther isoil (red sand dunes) during the year 2017 and 2018. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with Factorial concept (FRBD). There were three factors as organic amendments with 6 treatment combinations for each factor, which were assigned at random in each plot with three replications. The recommended dose of fertilizers in treatments was two levels 75 and 100 percent. Among the treatment combinations, the tank silt application @ 100 t ha-1 with 100 per cent recommended fertilizer as 200:100:100 kg of NPK ha-1 through Fertigation at 7 days interval (A1N5) produced the maximum number of branches (10.67), longest vine (362.0 cm), number of fruits plant-1 (2.57), the weight of fruit (5.27 kg), fruit yield (68.77 t ha-1), total soluble solid (TSS) 10.94%), ascorbic acid (8.08 (mg 100g-1), gross return ( 4,09,320/ha), B:C ratio (2.45), uptake of NPK 41.51, 3.93 and 31.94 kg ha-1, respectively) compared to other treatments. Significant built-up of organic carbon (0.52%), available N (253.47 kg ha-1 ), P (16.40 kg ha-1) and K (218.40 kg ha-1) were registered with the application of tank silt application @ 100 t ha-1 with 100 per cent recommended fertilizer as 200:100:100 kg of NPK ha-1 through Fertigation at 7 days interval (A1N5).

Correlation and Path Analysis of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Monech) Germplasms for Fruit Yield and its Components

Field experiment was conducted at AICRP on Vegetable Crops of OUAT, Bhubaneswar during Kharif, 2018-19 to study the correlation of okra germplasm. Study on correlation between several characters shows that selection for fruit yield based on plant height, stem diameter, nodes plant-1, leaflet length, average fruit weight, fruit length, fruit girth, days to 1st flowering, days to 50% flowering, number of fruits plant-1, PDI at 30DAS, PDI at 45DAS, PDI at 60DAS, PDI at 75DAS. In present study genotypic correlation was observed to be higher than the corresponding phenotypic correlations for all the character combinations and therefore it shows that the suppression of phenotypic expression under the influence of environmental factors. Path coefficient analysis of total fruit yield contributing attributes estimated that like average fruit weight had the highest positive effects followed by number of fruits plant-1, days to 1st flowering, plant height, PDI for YVMV at 60 DAS, stem diameter, node at 1st flowering, nodes plant-1, which indicated that these traits have to give much importance in selection programme for yield improvement in okra.

Effect of Spraying Mineral Fertilizer and Sorbitol Sugar on Growth and Yield of Capsicum frutescens L.

This experiment was carried out in order to study the effect of Mineral fertilizer and Sorbitol Sugar on the growth, and yield produced by chili pepper plant Barbarian F1, A factorial experiment with two factors, Mineral Fertilizer concentration 0, 0.5, 1, 1.25 and 1.5 g L-1 and Sorbitol Sugar 0 and 10 g L-1 was used in the term of (RCBD) with three replications. The results showed significant superiority of Mineral Fertilizer at 1.5 ml-1 in the plant height (59.62 cm plant-1 ), number of main branches plant-1 (5.600 branch plant-1), total leaf area (21.100 dm2 plant-1), number of fruits plant (88.25 fruit plant-1). One plant yield (0.718 kg plant-1) and total yield (23.94 tons hectare-1). The result also showed a significant increase of Sorbitol sugar in concentration 10 g L-1 in the plant height, number of branches1, total leaf area by balance, number of fruits, (58.63cm, 5.493 branch plants-1, 21.98dm2, 84.78 fruit plant-1, 0.685 kg plant-1, and 23.03 ton hectare-1 respectively). The interaction indicated that both variables were significant for all the studied traits, indicated that the response of pepper to the first variable is related to the second one. Thus, the research has concluded that the Interaction of variables, mineral fertilizer (1.5 g L-1) and Sorbitol Sugar 10 g l-1 has a great combination to increase the growth and the yield of chili pepper.

Diversity and Genetic Association Analysis of Dry Chillies (Capsicum annuum L.) of Northern India for Yield and Biochemical Traits

A study was conducted at the Experimental Farm of Department of Vegetable Science, Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan (HP), India during the year 2018 (May–October) to screen twenty-one (21) genotypes of chilli for thirteen characters including yield and total capsaicin content. The evaluation was done in a randomized block design with three replications. Sufficient genetic variability was found for all characters. Correlation analysis revealed a positive significant correlation of fresh ripe yield plant-1 with the number of red fruits plant-1 (0.842*), days to fresh ripe maturity (0.394*), dry yield as percentage of fresh ripe (0.386*), days to 50 % flowering (0.384*), plant height (0.374*) and days to green fruit maturity (0.352*). The number of red fruits plant-1 (0.440*) had a positive significant correlation with total capsaicin content. Path analysis revealed a positive direct effect of number of red fruits plant-1 (0.698) on fresh ripe yield followed by days to green fruit maturity (0.372), number of seeds fruit-1 (0.218), average red fruit weight (0.168), dry yield as percentage of fresh ripe (0.111), plant height (0.111) and red fruit length (0.007) whereas total capsaicin content in dry chilli had the positive direct correlation with days to 50% flowering, days to fresh ripe maturity, number of fruits plant-1 and 1000 seed weight. Finally, it was revealed that the selection of genotypes bearing many small-thick fruits would be the most suitable criterion for selecting a population having high capsaicin content and fruit yield.

PERFORMANCE OF STRAWBERRY IN A CLOSED LOOP AQUAPONICS SYSTEM

Aquaponics is an innovative technology and a sustainable source of organic food in agriculture that combines aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (soilless plant cultivation). To determine the performance of strawberry in closed loop aquaponics system, an experiment was carried out at newly established aquaponics system at Ornamental plants nursery, Department of Horticulture, The University of Agriculture Peshawar in 2019.Strawberry cv. Chandler was raised from runners in peat moss and seedlings were transplanted at different times in the Aquaponics system i.e., 15th January, 15th February and 15th March. The Experiment was laid out in Randomized complete block design (RCBD) with single factor i.e. Transplantation times with five replications. The analysis of data showed that different transplantation times significantly affected the growth, yield and quality of strawberry. However transplantation of plants on 15th February, resulted in maximum number of leaves plant-1 (7.79), fresh & dry leaves weight plant-1 (29.39 & 4.04 g ), number of fruits plant-1 (20.0), fruit weight plant-1 (140 g), root length (16.69 cm) with maximum fresh & dry root weight (35.74 & 6.32 g). Whereas transplantation of strawberry plants on 15th January took maximum days (100.20) to fruit maturity and produced fruits with minimum fruit weight plant-1 (4.66).However transplantation of strawberry plants on 15th march took maximum days to first flowering (35.00) and produced minimum root length (10.51 cm). It was concluded from the results of experiment that Strawberry cv. Chandler could be transplanted in growing beds of aquaponics system on 15th February for better production under the agro-climatic conditions of Peshawar.

Interaction Effect of Zinc and Boron on the Growth, Yield and Yield Attributes of Tomato in Acid Soils of Manipur

The field experiment was carried out at the Research farm of Central Agricultural University, Imphal, Manipur, during the rabi seasons of 2016-17 and 2017-18, to study the interaction effect of Zinc and Boron on growth, yield, and yield attributes of tomato (Pusa Ruby). There were ten treatments viz., T1 (Zn0.0+B0.0), T2 (Zn2.5+B1.0), T3 (Zn2.5+B1.5), T4 (Zn2.5+B2.0), T5 (Zn5.0+B1.0), T6 (Zn5.0+B1.5), T7 (Zn5.0+B2.0), T8 (Zn10+B1.0), T9 (Zn10+B1.5) and T10 (Zn10+B2.0) with three replications were laid out by FRBD design. The combined effect of zinc and boron showed a significant effect on the number of fruits plant-1, fruit weight plant-1, and yield ha-1, whereas there was no significant effect on plant growth parameters (plant height). Among the treatments, the T10 (Zn10+B2.0) treatment exhibited a significantly increased in the number of fruits plant-1 (35.83 in the first year and 36.52 in the second year), fruit weight plant-1 (1.62 kg in the first year and 1.76 kg in the second year.), highest fruit yield (60.06 t ha-1 in the first year and in 65.1 t ha-1 in the second year) was produced from the treatment combination of 10 kg of Zn ha-1 and 2.0 kg B ha-1 in both years than the control treatment (Zn0.0+B0.0).

A Study on the Phenotypic Variation of 103 Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Landraces for the Development of Desirable Cultivars Suitable for the Changing Climate.

The cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is one of the most important vegetables in Bangladesh as well as across the globe. However, many of the important cucumber landraces have disappeared in Bangladesh due to climate change, particularly erratic rainfall, extreme temperature, salinity, and drought. Therefore, to protect against the extinction of the cucumber landraces, we collected 103 landraces in different geographical regions of Bangladesh, including drought and saline-prone areas, and studied their divergence for the future breeding programme for the development of cultivars suitable for the climate-changing situations. Data on morphological features, yield, and its components, which include 17 qualitative and quantitative traits, were recorded during the observation. Among the cucumber landraces, the Shannon–Weaver diversity index analysis revealed the presence of genetic diversity in these landraces. The biggest diversity appeared in the fruit-related characteristics, i.e., stem end fruit shape, bottom end fruit shape, fruit shape, and fruit skin colour at the table and harvest maturity. The descriptive statistics and analysis of variance expressed a wide range of variability for quantitative traits. A broad phenotypic variation was also observed for traits such as yield plant−1 [CV (%) 31.88, ranges 0.96 to 3.11 kg] and fruits plant−1 (CV (%), 28.71, ranges, 2.58 to 9.75). High heritability (broad sense) coupled with a high genetic gain was observed for yield and yield-contributing characteristics, indicating that these characteristics are controlled by additive gene effects, and they are more reliable for effective selection. The phenotypic correlation studies showed that fruit yield plant−1 exhibited a positive and significant correlation with fruits plant−1, fruit length, fruit weight, fruit width, branches plant−1, and plant height. All landraces were grouped into six clusters, and the maximum number of landraces were accommodated in cluster VI (30), followed by cluster V (22), cluster III (22), cluster IV (14), cluster I (13), and cluster II (2). Comparing cluster means with studied traits revealed that cluster III with landraces AC-14, AC-97, AC-471, AC-451, and RAI-209 were more divergent for improving average fruit weight, fruit length, and fruit width. On the other hand, cluster IV with landraces AC-201, TT-161, RAI- 217, RAI-215, and TRMR-103 were more divergent for improving average vine length, internode length, and the number of primary branches plant−1, the number of fruits plant−1, and yield plant−1. According to the MGIDI index, AC-14 (G1), AC-201 (G7), AC-471 (G24), AC-97 (G30), RAI-215 (G68) and TT-161 (G 94) may be considered to be the best parents based on their qualitative and quantitative characteristics for the future breeding programme. Moreover, crossing between the landraces, which were collected from saline and drought areas, in clusters I, V, and VI with those in other clusters could produce suitable cucumber varieties for the climatic changing situation.

A Study on Correlation and Path Coefficient Analysis of Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) for Yield and Yield Contributing Traits

Correlation and path analysis was studied for 43 lines and F1s of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) for seventeen qualitative and quantitative characters. The studies revealed that total fruit yield plant-1 which is the most important trait had highly significant and positive association with fruit weight, number of fruits plant-1, fruit length, fruit diameter and number of pickings plant-1 at both phenotypic and genotypic level. A significant but negative correlation of fruit yield was recorded with days to first flowering, days to first fruit set and days to first fruit picking. Path coefficient analysis revealed that the highest magnitude of positive direct effect on yield was exerted by number of fruits plant-1 (1.865) followed by fruit weight (0.848), fruit length (0.259), plant spread (0.188), plant height (0.142), number of pickings (0.109) whereas, lowest positive direct effect on fruit yield was observed for fruit diameter (0.088). For negative direct effects, days to first flowering (-0.868) showed highest negative direct effect on total fruit yield plant-1 followed by number of branches plant-1 (-0.099), days to first fruit picking (-0.078), and days to first fruit set (-0.044). Therefore, during selection, these characters should also be taken into consideration. Direct selection may be carried out. Considering these traits as the main selection criteria, direct selection can be done. This will also cut down the indirect effect of other characters for developing high yielding brinjal varieties.

Defoliation impacts on morpho-physiological attributes and yield of tomato

The experiment was conducted under sub-tropical condition during two successive seasons (November-March) of 2017-18 and 2018-19 to investigate the effect of defoliations on morpho- physiological attributes and yield of tomato. The experiment comprised of five levels of defoliation viz., 0 (control), 3, 6, 9 and 12 leaves defoliation from the base out of 17 leaves at the beginning of flowering stage and two widely cultivated varieties viz., TM-110 and TM-135. The plant characters such as leaf area, plant height, number of leaves plant-1, straw weight plant-1, absolute growth rate, number of fruits plant-1, individual fruit weight and fruit yield were not affected up to 6 leaves defoliation irrespective of seasons and genotypes. Interestingly, photosynthesis, nitrate reductase and reproductive efficiency increased with increasing defoliation levels. Morpho-physiological parameters and yield attributes were better in 3 and 6 leaves defoliated plants over the control with being the highest in 6 leaves defoliated plant, which resulting the highest fruit yield. Heavy defoliation not only reduced source sizes but also decreased total sink (fruits) causing lower fruit yields. The lowest morpho-physiological attributes and fruit yield was recorded in 12 leaves defoliated plants. These results indicate that tomato plants can tolerate one-third leaf loss during reproductive stage and the knowledge of which might be essential for maintaining better quality tompato production. SAARC J. Agric., 20(1): 87-96 (2022)

Genetic Diversity in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) based on Quantitative Traits

Present investigation was conducted at Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh state, India during 2014−15 to assess the genetic diversity among 66 accessions of tomato maintained at Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University. The techniques of principal component analysis and D2 analysis were used for genetic diversity assessment. The analysis revealed significance of four principal components representing 70.12% of the total variability. Some of the important yield traits like average fruit weight, fruit yield plant-1 and number of locules fruit-1 were the most important traits in PC1 indicating that selection for diversity must be based on these traits. The correlation plot depicted that the traits plant height, number of fruits cluster-1 and number of fruits plant-1 were closely related to each other. Based on the scores of 1st and 2nd principal component, the genotypes were distributed in biplot. Most of the genotypes were congregated near the centre and revealed narrow genetic diversity existing among the germplasm accessions. The coordinates of the genotype EC 538380 indicated it as the most unique. The entries EC 538155, Pant T3, EC 521069, EC 538434 and EC 168283 were standing separate from the majority of entries. Cluster analysis also indicated congregation of most of the genotypes in one group. Overall, the study indicated limited genetic diversity in the test material.

Effect of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizer on Growth, Yield and Nutritional Quality of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)

The application of organic and inorganic fertilizer on agricultural farming as a management practice has tremendously brought about a great boost to crop yield due to improvement in soil fertility. The thrust of this experiment was to compare the effect of organic and inorganic fertilizer on the growth, yield and nutritional qualities of cucumber (cucumis sativus). The research was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti in 2019 using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The treatment consisted of sole application of NPK fertilizer, sole application of goat manure, sole application of poultry, NPK + goat manure, NPK fertilizer + poultry manure and control. Parameters assessed include vine length (cm), stem girth (cm), number of leaves, fruit weight (g), length of fruit (cm), fruit diameter (cm) and number of fruit plant-1. The results revealed that poultry manure (PM) significantly influenced all the agronomic parameters and yield of cucumber than other treatments. There were significant differences among the agronomic parameters measured including yield in all the treatments except the number of fruits plant-1. Poultry manure had the highest fruit yield followed by goat manure, NPK fertilizer and poultry manure respectively. For the proximate test, it was observed in the results that there were slight differences in the composition of the proximate of cucumber based on the treatments, suggesting that fertilization can influence the proximate of fruit and vegetables. The overall assessment of the research suggested that poultry manure is the best fertilizer for cucumber growth and yield performance.

Analysis of Genetic Variability, Heritability and Genetic Advance for Yield and Yield Related Traits in Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.)

Thirty five chilli genotypes were evaluated in a randomized block design at College of Horticulture, Rajendranagar, Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University, Hyderabad, Telangana state, India during Kharif, 2019 for seven months and at National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Regional station, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad during Rabi 2019-20 for seven months to estimate genetic variability, heritability, genetic advance and genetic advance as % of mean of seventeen yield and yield related traits. For all the traits studied, the magnitude of PCV was higher than corresponding GCV. High Phenotypic coefficient of variation and genotypic coefficient of variation estimates were recorded for plant height, plant spread, fruit length, fruit diameter, number of fruits plant-1, fruit weight, fruit yield plant-1, fruit yield plot-1, ascorbic acid, capsaicin content and capsanthin content indicating the existence of wider genetic variability for these traits in the genotypes studied. High heritability was recorded for the traits Days to first flowering, Fruit length, Fruit diameter, No. of fruits plant-1, Fruit weight, Fruit yield plant-1, Fruit yield plot-1, Ascorbic acid, Chlorophyll content, Capsaicin content and Capsanthin content. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as % mean indicates existence of additive gene action which was observed in fruit length, fruit diameter, number of fruits plant-1, fruit weight, fruit yield plant-1, fruit yield plot-1, ascorbic acid, chlorophyll content, capsaicin content and capsanthin content. Hence these traits can be improved by direct selection.

Genotypic, phenotypic variability and evaluation of okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] genotypes for yield components

Okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] is India's major vegetable crop, accounting for 60% of exports. Comparatively, Tamil Nadu has a small area of cultivation and production. Hence, the present study involves the utilizatization of simple measure of variability and genetic variance to develop new varieties. The experiment was conducted with 60 genotypes of okra crop using 20 quantitative traits. The analysis of variance found that genotypes were significant (P 0.05 and P 0.01) for all of the traits tested. The fruit yield plant-1 ranged from 176.40 to 438.40 g, with 347.42 g being the average. In all the traits studied, the phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was higher than genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV). The closeness of PCV and GCV values suggested that the environment had little influence on manifestation of the characters under examination. GCV (1.89-13.98) and PCV (4.06-16.61) levels were found to be moderate (10-20) and low (<10), respectively, in the study. Heritability ranged from 21.73 (days to first fruit harvest) to 97.19 (plant height) percent. At 5% selection intensity, the genetic advance (GA)% mean ranged from 1.82 (days to first fruit harvest) to 27.38 (plant height). Plant height (13.68, 13.48), internodal length (16.61, 13.98), first fruiting node (13.00, 10.89), number of fruits plant-1 (13.19, 11.91), number of marketable fruits plant-1 (13.36, 11.97) and fruit yield plant-1 (13.75, 12.29) showed high heritability and high GA% mean. Thus, the above-mentioned characteristics are additive genetic control and direct selection in okra has good potential for improvement in fruit yield.

Integrative NPK soil and foliar application improves growth, yield, antioxidant, and nutritional status of Capsicum annuum L. in sandy soils under semi-arid condition

Soils of arid and semi-arid environments are characterized by scant moisture conditions, low clay and organic matter contents, low water holding capacity and low inherent fertility, and hence various management practices including foliar fertilization is essential. The present study aims at assessing the effect of integrated soil and foliar application of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) fertilizers on growth, yield, and contents of some osmoprotectants, antioxidant, and nutritional status of Capsicum annuum (L.) in sandy soil under semi-arid condition. A pot experiment was conducted with five NPK application treatments: 100% added to the soil + 0% foliar spray, 75% soil + 25% foliar spray, 50% soil + 50% foliar spray, 25% soil + 75% foliar spray, and 0% soil + 100% foliar spray. The results of the study indicate that the integrated treatment of 50% soil + 50% foliar spray proved to be the best treatment compared with other treatments. This treatment significantly increased growth components (leaf area plant‒1, shoot fresh and dry weights) and yield (number of fruits plant‒1, average fruit weight, and fruits weight plant‒1), and the contents of soluble sugars, free proline, and nutrients (NPK); while significantly reduced the contents of ascorbate and glutathione compared to other treatments, including the control. The combined treatment of 75% soil + 25% foliar spray was the second-best treatment with respect to all tested parameters. The study concludes that the recommend integrated treatment of 50% soil + 50% foliar spray minimizes nutrient loss and achieves higher growth and yield of hot pepper plants under semi-arid condition.

Evaluation of improved hermaphrodite papaya (Carica papaya L.) varieties at Arba Minch, Southern Ethiopia

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the adaptability of newly released papaya varieties at Chano Mille research site of Arba Minch Agricultural Research Center during 2019-2020 cropping seasons. The three hermaphrodite papaya varieties namely; Braz-HS1, Koka-HM1 and Meki-HL1 were used for the study and laid-out in a Randomized Complete Block Design in three replications. Data on yield and yield components were collected and analyzed by using analysis of variance (ANOVA) through Statistical Analytics System software. The ANOVA results revealed that there were significant variations among papaya varieties for the studied parameters. Significantly, the highest number of fruits plant-1, number of leaves and fruit yield were obtained from Braz-HS1 papaya variety. The fruit yield of Braz-HS1 variety was 46% higher than that of Koka-HM1. In general, Braz-HS1 papaya variety performed (in terms of number of fruits and fruit yield) better than the rest two varieties. Thus, Braz-HS1 papaya variety could be recommended for the papaya growers in the study area and vicinity with similar agro-ecology. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 11(2): 69-71, Dec 2021