Nutrient Application Research Articles

Foliar Application of Growth Regulators and Nutrients for Better Quality Aspects of Guava Cv Lalit

The guava has tendency to bears flowers and fruits throughout the years but quality of fruits is highly influenced improper crop management practices and bahar season. The fruits of ambe bahar is poor in quality due to lack of nutrients availability and irregular orchard management practices. To carry out this new strategy to sustain the quality of guava through combination of nutrients and growth regulators, the present study was carried out during 2018-19 in 20-years-old orchard on mrig bahar season using foliar application of zinc sulphate (0.5%), borax (0.5%), GA3 (50 ppm), and NAA (40 ppm) either alone or in combinations, comprised of 9 treatments and 3 replications under Randomized Block Design. The results revealed that plants treated with 0.5% Borax along with 50 ppm GA3 significantly increased the leaf nutrient composition (1.09% leaf N, 0.014 % leaf P, 0.89% leaf K, 28.50 ppm Zn and 23.70 ppm B). The qualitative parameters of guava fruits also increased by borax and GA3, over untreated control.

Nutrient Management Impacts on HLB-affected ‘Valencia’ Citrus Tree Growth, Fruit Yield, and Postharvest Fruit Quality

Since the first occurrence of Huanglongbing (HLB) in the Florida commercial citrus industry in 2004, fruit yield and yield components of HLB-affected citrus have declined in endemically affected citrus tree groves. Optimal fertilization is thus critical for improving tree performance because nutrients are vital for tree growth and development, and play a significant role in tree disease resistance against various biotic and abiotic stresses. The objective of the current study was to determine whether leaf nutrient concentration, tree growth, yield, and postharvest quality of HLB-affected citrus trees were improved by the split application of nutrients. The four micronutrient application rates were used as fixed factors and the three nitrogen (N) rates were used as random factors for leaf nutrient analyses, tree growth, fruit yield, and postharvest analyses. Significant leaf manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) concentrations were detected when trees received foliar and soil-applied micronutrients regardless of the N rates. There was a strong regression analysis of leaf Mn and Zn nutrient concentration and nutrient rates with R2: 0.61 and 0.59, respectively. As a result, a significant leaf area index associated with foliar and soil-applied micronutrient rates had a positive correlation with leaf area index and soil pH with R2: 0.58 and 0.63 during the spring and summer seasons, respectively. Trees that received a moderate (224 kg·ha−1) N rate showed the least fruit decay percentage and total soluble solids (TSS) of 8% more than the lowest (168 kg·ha−1) and highest (280 kg·ha−1) N rates, even though fruit yield variations were barely detected as these micronutrients promoted vegetative growth. Moreover, the TSS to titratable acidity (TA) ratio of foliar and soil-applied micronutrient-treated trees showed 2% and 7% greater values than the foliar-only treated and control trees, respectively. Although micronutrients exacerbated stem-end rind breakdown (SERB), these nutrients significantly improved fruit storage when the fruits were stored for extended periods (8–11 weeks). Thus, moderate N rate, foliar (1×), and soil-applied (1×) micronutrient treatments improved tree growth, fruit postharvest, and fruit storage characteristics.

Dry-matter accumulation of sweet corn (Zea mays) under variable seedling age and integrated nutrient supply

An experiment was conducted during the rainy (Kharif) season of 2020 at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Wadura Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir to evaluate the effect of age of seedling and sources of nutrients on dry-matter production of sweet corn (Zea mays L.). It was laid out in randomized complete-block design with factorial arrangement, replicated thrice. The age of seedling comprised of 12, 22 and 32 days old seedlings and sources of nutrients consisted of control, 100% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), 50% RDF + FYM @ 12 t/ha, 50% RDF + vermicompost @ 4 t/ha and 50% RDF + poultry manure @ 2 t/ha. The findings of this study indicated that, age of seedling and sources of nutrients had a significant influence on dry-matter accumulation. Transplanting of 32 days old seedlings recorded significantly higher values for dry-matter accumulation up to 30 days after transplanting, but thereafter transplanting 22 days old seedlings was found superior up to the harvesting. With respect to sources of nutrients application of 50% RDF + poultry manure @ 2 t/ha registering significantly higher dry-matter accumulation.

The Fate of Nitrogen During Agricultural Intensification in East Africa: Nitrogen Budgets in Contrasting Agroecosystems

AbstractThe intensification of agricultural systems in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) is necessary to reduce poverty and improve food security, but increased nutrient applications in smallholder systems could have negative consequences for water quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and air quality. We tracked nitrogen (N) inputs and measured maize (Zea mays) biomass, grain yields, N leaching, and nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide fluxes from a clayey soil in Yala, Kenya and a sandy soil in Tumbi, Tanzania, with application rates of 0, 50, 75, 100, 150, and 200 kg N ha−1 yr−1 over two cropping seasons. Maize yields were 4.5 times higher in Yala than Tumbi, but yields plateaued at both sites with fertilizer applications at or above 100 kg N ha−1 yr−1. Partial N budgets in Yala were typically negative, meaning more N was exported in maize biomass plus grain or lost from the system than was added in fertilizer. In Tumbi, N budgets were negative at lower fertilizer levels but positive at higher fertilizer levels. At both sites most (96%) of the N was lost through maize biomass/grain removal and N leaching. Fertilizer additions at or less than 50 kg N ha−1 yr−1 on these two contrasting sites resulted in minor gaseous N losses, and fertilizer additions less than 200 kg N ha−1 yr−1 caused relatively little change to N leaching losses. This indicates that the modest increases in fertilizer use required to improve maize yields will not greatly increase cropland N losses.

Enhanced Growth of Chili (Capsicum annuum L.) by Silicon Nutrient Application in Fertigation System

Silicon (Si) is one of the most abundant elements naturally available in the soil. This element performs an essential function in improving plant growth. This present study was carried out to evaluate the impact of Si nutrient application on the growth performance of chili (Capsicum annuum L.). Chili plant grown using a fertigation system was subjected to manual application of a silicon nutrient solution in varying concentrations (0 ppm, 108 ppm, 180 ppm, & 360 ppm) via root application. Each treatment was replicated five times, with five plants in each replicate, and all plants were grown in a shade house. The growth performance parameters measured were the number of leaves, stem diameter, plant height, plant biomass (dry weight), and Si accumulation in the stem, leave, and chili fruit. Results showed that Si nutrient application significantly affected the growth performances of chili plants. Application of T3 (360 ppm Si nutrient) was able to produce the highest stem diameter (8.92 mm), fresh weight (129.63 g), dry weight (67.23 g), as well as Si accumulation in stem (54 ppm), and chili fruit (24 ppm). On the other hand, applications with T2 (180 ppm Si nutrient) also demonstrated the highest plant height (20.98 cm), number of leave (27), and Si accumulation in leave (87 ppm). In conclusion, the application of silicon nutrients has the potential to enhance plant growth in numerous crops, making it a beneficial supplement to traditional agricultural practices.

The effect of beneficial microorganism as biofertilizer application in hydroponic-grown tomato

<p>The use of N<sub>2</sub>-fixing bacteria and growth hormone-producing rhizobacteria delivers nitrogen, enhances nutrients absorption by plants, and reduces the usage of inorganic fertilizers. Implementing biofertilizer in the hydroponic system as a means to reduce application of synthetic nutrient is recently in interest due to economic, food safety, and sustainability factors. This study determines the effects of biofertilizer dose on tomato yields in the hydroponics system. A randomized block design was utilized that consisted of seven treatments, namely 100% inorganic fertilizer and 0% biofertilizer (control), and various doses of inorganic nutrient combined with 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% biofertilizer. The result illustrated that the application of biofertilizer augmented the population of endophytic bacteria, <em>Azotobacter</em> sp., <em>Azospirillum</em> sp., phosphate solubilizing bacteria, and nitrogen content. The distinct combination of biofertilizer did not alter the phosphorus and potassium content compared to control samples however resulted in superior tomato grade. The 50% inorganic fertilizer and 100% biofertilizer combination amplified the weight of the fruit by 36% compared to the control. This finding indicates that the application of biofertilizers in the hydroponic system for tomato plants is not only beneficial in minimizing the dosage of inorganic fertilizers but also enhancing the fruit quality.</p>

Effect of essential heavy metals on leaf area, absolute growth rate and flower yield of tuberose cv. ‘Prajwal’

An experiment was conducted with graded levels of three essential heavy metals viz., MnSO4, CuSO4 and ZnSO4at three different concentrations i.e., MnSO4 @ 1000, 2000 and 3000 mg kg-1 soil, CuSO4 @ 100, 200 and 300 mg kg-1 soil, ZnSO4 @ 200, 400 and 600 mg kg-1 soil in addition with no application of nutrients as well as essential heavy metals in the soil (Control). The experiment was carried out with polybag culture method and conducted with a Completely Randomized Design using three replications. Data recorded on leaf area, absolute growth rate, and flower yield of tuberose cv. ‘Prajwal’ were analyzed using OPSTAT software and the least significant difference was used to differentiate the treatments. Mean analysis of the data indicated that application of ZnSO4 @ 400 mg kg-1 soil recorded significant increase in the leaf area (209.22, 239.31 and 224.87 cm2per plantrespectively during 2018-19, 2019-20 and the pooled data analysis) and absolute growth rate (0.035, 0.109 and 0.073cmday-1 respectively during 2018-19, 2019-20 and the pooled data analysis). Asubstantial increase in the weight of single floret in tuberose cv. ‘Prajwal’ was noticed by application of ZnSO4 @ 400 mg kg-1 soil which might be attributed to the consequential increase in the leaf area and absolute growth rate, even though the analyzed data was found non-significant.

Iron nanoparticle regulate succinate dehydrogenase activity in canola plants under drought stress

Application of nutrients as nanoparticle (NP) is an operative manner of nutrient supply for plants, especially under stress conditions. The present study was designed to highlight the role of iron NP on drought tolerance and elucidate the underlying mechanisms in drought-stressed canola plants. Drought stress was imposed by polyethylene glycol different concentrations (0, 10 and 15% (W/V)) with or without iron NP (1.5 and 3 mg/l). A comparative study of several physiological and biochemical parameters have been carried out in canola plants treated by drought and iron NP. Stressed-canola plants showed a reduction in growth parameters, whereas iron NP mostly stimulated growth of stressed plants, which was accompanied by reinforcement in defense mechanisms. Regarding impacts on compatible osmolytes, the data revealed that iron NP was able to regulate osmotic potential by increasing protein, proline and soluble sugar contents. The iron NP application was activated the enzymatic defense system (catalase and polyphenol oxidase) and promoted the non-enzymatic antioxidants (phenol, flavonol and flavonoid). Both of these adaptive responses declined free radicals as well as lipid peroxidation and enhanced the membrane stability and drought tolerance of the plants. Enhanced chlorophyll accumulation via induction of protoporphyrin, magnesium protoporphyrin and protochlorophyllide, by iron NP also contributed towards better stress tolerance. Enzymes of Krebs cycle, namely succinate dehydrogenase and aconitase, were induced by iron NP in canola plants grown under drought stress. These results propose a multifaceted involvement of iron NP, through regulation of activity of respiratory enzymes and antioxidant enzymes, production of reactive oxygen species, osmoregulation and secondary metabolites metabolism, in response to drought stress.

Boron Fertilization Alleviates the Adverse Effects of Late Sowing in Wheat under Different Tillage Systems

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a staple and the most important food crop around the world. The growth and productivity of wheat are influenced by different factors, viz., sowing time, tillage system and nutrient application. The current field experiment consists of different boron (B) application rates, viz., B0 = No application (Control), B1 = soil applied (2 kg ha−1), B2 = foliar applied (2 kg ha−1), B3 = water spray; two tillage systems, viz., zero tillage (ZT) and conventional tillage (CT); and three sowing dates (S1 = 15 November; S2 = 5 December and S3 = 25 December). It was conducted during the years 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 under a split-split plot arrangement. The results showed that sowing dates and boron had beneficial impacts on the growth and productivity of wheat. The wheat crop sown on 15 November showed the highest plant height, chlorophyll contents, grains per spike, and grains’ boron content. Similarly, the application of boron under late sown conditions also improved the plant height (83.8 cm), chlorophyll contents (45.6), biological (5418 kg ha−1) and grain (4018 kg ha−1) yield as compared to control during both years. Furthermore, the higher crop growth and yield parameters were noted with the foliar application of boron at 2 kg ha−1. However, wheat crop growth and yield characteristics were not significantly affected by tillage techniques, h. In conclusion, the application of boron @ 2 kg ha−1 could be a suitable option for achieving higher wheat grain yield and productivity under late-sown conditions.

Leaf reflectance characteristics and yield of spring oat varieties as influenced by varietal divergences and nutritional supply

Inadequacy of nutrients in the soil and sufficient inaccessibility to nutrients is caused by factors that affect production and productivity of spring oat varieties. Exogenous application of nutrient and real time nutrient assessment can therefore reverse these associated negative consequences. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the response of spring oat varieties to sulphur and silicon based fertilisation. Eight spring oat varieties, four level of nutrient application was arranged in a split-plot design with three replications. The obtained results showed that foliar application of sulphur improves the grain yield of most nutrients responsive varieties by about 34.7%. However, application of silicon had shown a diminishing return association to grain yield of variety GK Kormorán, GK Pillangó, Lota, Panni. LAI, thousands grain weight, SPAD, NDVI was significantly (p < 0.05) influenced by genetic difference of the tested varieties, developmental plasticity, and nutrient application. Significantly higher grain yield was obtained from the variety Mv Pehely than the other tested varieties. Therefore, it could be inferred that a combined use of nutrient responsive spring oat varieties and sulphur containing fertilisers could be important agronomic practice to improve grain yield and to develop climate resilient oat varieties.

Agronomic Analysis and Nutrient Application Guidance Using Machine Learning

The Indian economy has always been based primarily on agriculture. The industry has met the entire nation’s food consumption needs while ranking among the top exporters of agricultural products worldwide. Although this industry has faced its fair share of difficulties lately, few of them are as pressing as they were before Covid-19’s limits on local and international travel. Agriculture and farming enterprises have an opportunity to expand as more people become aware of the value of wholesome food and the reasons why terms like “organic” actually matter. Online marketing is a simple way to improve sales, brand awareness, and market share in the farming and agricultural sectors. One of the most significant factors that makes websites useful is that unlike in the past, this growth is enabling business owners and farmers to specify how they must operate. But because of the shortage of labour caused by the reverse labour migration, which hindered harvesting, farmers need a strategy to boost production. Farmers must grow the appropriate crops and apply the appropriate fertilisers in order to maintain a constant output. Many farmers plant crops that are inappropriate for a particular piece of land because they are unaware of this, wasting a tonne of time and resources. Farmers can therefore use web tools to help them find the best crop to cultivate on their land in order to overcome this dilemma.

Environmental potential for crop production and tenure regime influence fertilizer application and soil nutrient mining in soybean and maize crops

CONTEXTDifferences in land tenure regimes are one challenge to implementing soil conservation practices in agricultural systems. It is frequently assumed that tenants are less likely to adopt soil conservation strategies than owners, given a shorter-term engagement with the field. Also, the field's environmental potential (i.e., potential for agricultural production) may influence farmers' investment decisions, since high-potential fields increase the chances of achieving a return on the investment. OBJECTIVEUnderstand the effect of land tenure regimes and environmental potential on fertilization rates and balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur in soybean and maize crops in Argentina. METHODSWe applied mixed-effects models on a database of 52,588 fields of soybean and maize farms, covering a total area of 3.8 M ha in Argentina during the period of 2017–2022. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSOverall, the balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur was (mean ± SE) −29.11 ± 0.15, −2.58 ± 0.38, and 8.26 ± 0.044 kg ha−1 yr−1, respectively. Despite 8.04 and 0.63 kg ha−1 yr−1 more nitrogen and phosphorus were applied in high-potential compared to low-potential maize fields, nutrient outputs were still higher. Therefore, net nutrient exports of the most productive fields increased by 9.99 and 2.06 kg ha−1 yr−1 for nitrogen and phosphorus, respectively. In soybean fields, environmental potential had no effect on nutrient application, but the net export of nitrogen and phosphorus was 9.85 and 2.14 kg ha−1 yr−1 higher in high-potential fields compared to low-potential fields. Tenure regime had a weak effect, mainly on phosphorus. On average, owners applied 0.37 kg ha−1 yr−1 more and exported 0.28 kg ha−1 yr−1 less phosphorus than tenants in both crops. Sulfur application and balance were weakly affected by the studied variables, and the positive balance suggests overfertilization under the assumptions of this paper. We conclude that the Argentine farming system depletes some of the main nutrients, regardless of the field's environmental potential or the land tenure system. The effect of the tenure regime is overwhelmed by the impact of environmental potential on farmers' fertilization management, with high-potential fields degrading due to soil mining at a faster pace than low-potential fields, putting future yields at risk. SIGNIFICANCEBy exploring a farming system based on nutrient depletion, our results contribute to the general understanding of tenure regime consequences on soil degradation. Argentinean farmers should consider increasing N and P application and contemplate environmental heterogeneity to avoid nutrient mining and degradation of one of the most productive areas of the world.

Effect of Plant Growth Regulator on Growth, Physiology and Yield of Direct Sown Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana L.)

Aims: To determine the “Effect of plant growth regulator on growth, physiology and yield of direct sown finger millet”.
 Place and Duration of Study: The field experiment was conducted during rabi 2022 at South Farm, Division of Agronomy, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore.The soil of the experimental field was sandy clay loam in texture, nearly neutral in soil reaction (pH 5.36), level of organic carbon (1.03%), available N (289 kg/ha), P (115 kg/ha) and K (437 kg/ha). 
 Study Design: Completely randomized block design.
 Methodology: T1 (RDF + Water spray - Control), T2 (100% RDF + Foliar spraying of Brassinosteroid @ 0.5 ppm), T3 (100% RDF + Foliar spraying of Gibberellic acid @10 ppm), T4 (100% RDF + Foliar spraying of Salicylic acid @100 ppm), T5 (50% RDF + Foliar spraying of Brassinosteroid @ 0.5 ppm), T6 (50% RDF + Foliar spraying of Gibberellic acid @10 ppm), T7 (50% RDF + Foliar spraying of Salicylic acid @100 ppm), T8 (Foliar spraying of Brassinosteroid @ 0.5 ppm), T9 (Foliar spraying of Gibberellic acid @10 ppm), T10 (Foliar spraying of Salicylic acid @100 ppm).
 Results: The experiment was laid out in RBD and showed that 100% RDF + Foliar spraying of Brassinosteroid @ 0.5 ppm (T2) gave highest No. of tillers/hill, Dry matter production, leaf area index, grain yield, straw yield, harvest index, post-harvest NPK uptake of finger millet. when comparedcontrol (Farmer practice).
 Conclusion: From this study, it was concluded that PGR along with nutrients application increases the nutrient uptake and yield.

Magnesium Nutrient Application Induces Metabolomics and Physiological Responses in Mulberry (Morus alba) Plants.

Mulberry (Morus alba) is a significant plant with numerous economic benefits; however, its growth and development are affected by nutrient levels. A high level of magnesium (Mg) or magnesium nutrient starvation are two of the significant Mg factors affecting plant growth and development. Nevertheless, M. alba's metabolic response to different Mg concentrations is unclear. In this study, different Mg concentrations, optimal (3 mmol/L), high (6 mmol/L and 9 mmol/L), or low (1 and 2 mmol/L) and deficient (0 mmol/L), were applied to M. alba for three weeks to evaluate their effects via physiological and metabolomics (untargeted; liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)) studies. Several measured physiological traits revealed that Mg deficiency and excess Mg altered net photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, leaf Mg content and fresh weight, leading to remarkable reductions in the photosynthetic efficiency and biomass of mulberry plants. Our study reveals that an adequate supply of the nutrient Mg promoted the mulberry's physiological response parameters (net photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, leaf and root Mg content and biomass). The metabolomics data show that different Mg concentrations affect several differential metabolite expressions (DEMs), particularly fatty acyls, flavonoids, amino acids, organic acid, organooxygen compounds, prenol lipids, coumarins, steroids and steroid derivatives, cinnamic acids and derivatives. An excessive supply of Mg produced more DEMs, but negatively affected biomass production compared to low and optimum supplies of Mg. The significant DEMs correlated positively with mulberry's net photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, leaf Mg content and fresh weight. The mulberry plant's response to the application of Mg used metabolites, mainly amino acids, organic acids, fatty acyls, flavonoids and prenol lipids, in the KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathways. These classes of compounds were mainly involved in lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, the biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites, the biosynthesis of other amino acids, the metabolism of cofactors and vitamin pathways, indicating that mulberry plants respond to Mg concentrations by producing a divergent metabolism. The supply of Mg nutrition was an important factor influencing the induction of DEMs, and these metabolites were critical in several metabolic pathways related to magnesium nutrition. This study provides a fundamental understanding of DEMs in M. alba's response to Mg nutrition and the metabolic mechanisms involved, which may be critical to the mulberry genetic breeding program.

Genotype and foliar fertilization affect growth, production and accumulation of anthocyanin in red Cabbage

ABSTRACT Foliar nutrient application could be used to improve plant nutrition status and be the fastest way to compensate for nutrient and soil fertility deficiency. Productivity and quality of red cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata L. f. rubra) are affected by contents of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) which regulate enzymatic activity and enzymes mobilize carbon transformation into glucose. Use of red cabbage genotypes able to utilize nutrients efficiently is important in management of plant nutritional status. Five genotypes of red cabbage were chosen. The foliar spray rates, 0, 1, or 2 ml·L−1, of FoliartalⓇ were applied. The cv. Rio Grande treated with 2 ml∙L−1 FoliartalⓇ presented the most chlorophyll content (SPAD index = 68.73), highest leaf dry matter (17.82%), highest total soluble solids (9.55%), longest, widest and heaviest heads (35.83, 38.73 cm and 1.71 kg) respectively, most yield (71.45 t·ha−1) and highest head content of anthocyanin (611.52 mg/100 g). The cv. Mini plants given a 2 ml·L−1 FoliartalⓇ had the highest nitrate content in the head (57.12 mg·kg−1). The cv. Bordeaux treated with 2 mL∙L−1 FoliartalⓇ had the highest nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content in heads (1.72, 0.59 and 4.56%), respectively. Foliar application of FoliartalⓇ, regardless of cultivar, improved vegetative growth, productivity and quality traits of red cabbage under field conditions.

Effect of Foliar Application of Nutrients and Growth Regulators on Physiological Traits under Water Stress in Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn)

Effect of Foliar Application of Nutrients and Growth Regulators on Physiological Traits under Water Stress in Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn)

Response of Hybrid Castor Under Different Fertility Gradient: Correlation Between Castor Yield and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) Under Inductive Cum Targeted Yield Model on an Alfisol

ABSTRACT Precision application of nutrient based on soil test value is important for improving nutrient use efficiency and yield of hybrid castor. Field trial was conducted during 2021 at Tapioca and Castor Research Station, Yethapur, Salem District, Tamil Nadu, India (11035’ N, 780 29’ E). Fertilizer prescription equations (FPEs) were developed for hybrid castor by adopting inductive cum targeted yield model approach under irrigated condition on Alfisol. Initially, soil fertility gradients were established with respect to soil available N, P and K nutrients, and 24 treatments were imposed in three fertility strips under factorial randomized design. Principle component analysis revealed that all the variables accounted for developing the FPEs of hybrid castor are present at the positive quadrant which mean that all the variables are highly important toward the castor seed yield production. From the field experimental data, the basic parameters [nutrient requirement (NR) and nutrients contributions from farmyard manure (Co), fertilizer (Cf), and soil (Cs)] were computed. The nutrient required for producing one quintal of hybrid castor seed yield was evaluated as 3.20 kg of nitrogen, 1.23 kg of phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5), and 3.28 kg of potassium oxide (K2O). The study revealed that soil nutrient contribution was high in case of available phosphorus (41.87%), available nitrogen (21.56%), and available potassium (19.12%), respectively, toward P, N, and K nutrient uptake by hybrid castor. The nutrient contribution from farmyard manure (Co) toward the total uptake was 21.40% of N, 10.35% of P2O5, and 26.06% of K2O, respectively. FPEs for hybrid castor and a ready reckoner of fertilizer dosages were developed using basic data for operational range of soil test values for intended yield target under inorganic fertilization alone and Integrated plant Nutrient System (IPNS) (NPK and FYM).

PRECISION AGRICULTURE: REVIEWING THE ADVANCEMENTS, TECHNOLOGIES, AND APPLICATIONS IN PRECISION AGRICULTURE FOR IMPROVED CROP PRODUCTIVITY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Precision agriculture is a rapidly advancing field that combines advanced technologies and data analytics to improve crop productivity and resource management. This article reviews the advancements, technologies, and applications in precision agriculture. It explores the role of sensing technologies, such as remote sensing, ground-based sensors, and GPS/GIS applications, in data collection and analysis for informed decision-making. The article also examines the impact of variable rate technologies, including variable rate seeding, nutrient application, and irrigation, on optimizing input usage and improving crop performance. Furthermore, it discusses the integration of precision crop management techniques, such as remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT), in enhancing farming practices. While precision agriculture offers significant benefits, challenges related to cost, accessibility, data management, and education need to be addressed. It is crucial to overcome these challenges to fully harness the potential of precision agriculture for sustainable and efficient food production. By acknowledging and addressing these challenges, farmers and stakeholders can work towards the widespread adoption of precision agriculture, leading to improved crop productivity, resource management, and environmental sustainability.

Assessing soil health following conversion from forestry to pasture in Canterbury

Soil health was assessed across land conversions from forestry (Pinus radiata) to irrigated dairy pasture. Samples were collected and indicators of soil fertility, organic matter, soil physical condition and biological activity assessed. Soil health scores were calculated from the indicators and distance from optimum shown in radar plots. Soil health was improved for pastoral land use following conversion from forestry. The timesince forestry ceased and irrigation commenced had a signification effect on indicators of soil health, although many were not optimum even for the sites longest out of forestry/under irrigation. The main factors contributing to lower scores across all sites were suboptimal fertility,high C:N ratios, high macroporosity, low microbial respiration and low earthworm abundance and diversity. Some aspects (e.g., fertility) could be managed through nutrient application, while other aspects are more difficult to manage (e.g., C:N ratio and biological activity). Management targeting these properties may accelerate the path to a healthy and well-functioning soil. The inclusion of a wider range of indicators can help to better understand and manage soils during the conversion from forestry to pasture. This approach could be useful across all pasture systems to help ensure well-functioning soils.

Metabolic profiling, pigment component responses to foliar application of Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn for tea plants (Camellia sinensis)

Foliar application of essential nutrients is a rapid and promising strategy to enhance the concentration and bioavailability of essential nutrients in tea plants (Camellia sinensis). A field experiment was carried out to explore the effects of iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and the hyperaccumulator manganese (Mn) foliar application on the biochemical components of free amino acid (FAA), caffeine (CAF), and tea polyphenols (TP) in the black tea made from the tea plant cultivar ‘HuangDan’. The foliar application of Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn showed significant effects on FAA and TP contents of black tea (P < 0.05), but had no significant effect on the CAF content. Iron and zinc spraying significantly increased thearubigin and theabrownin content, whereas copper spraying significantly decreased thearubigin content while increasing theabrownin content. Additionally, the gene expression patterns of the POD family members CsSPX1, CsAPX1, CsGPX1, CsGPX3, CsPOD13, and CsPOD18 were identified to investigate the roles of these phenolic constituents influenced by the foliar application. The expression patterns of CsGPX3 and CsAPX1 were found to be involved in the production of TFs. POD-catalyzed TFs formation might serve as a molecular marker to identify varieties of tea plants suitable for brewing high-quality black tea beverages by regulating catechin oxidation throughout the tea processing process.