Row Planting Research Articles

Monitoring Spatial and Time-Series Variations in Red Crown Rot Damage of Soybean in Farmer Fields Based on UAV Remote Sensing

ABSTRACT Red crown rot (RCR) is a soil-borne disease that damages soybean growth and decreases yield. Infected plants show earlier defoliation and pencil-like roots, sometimes resulting in mortality. This disease became common relatively recently, and information about its field-scale appearance is insufficient. Insufficient data is a major constraint when planning countermeasures. In this study, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-acquired images were used to visualize the spatial and time series variation in the area damaged by RCR in the same farmer fields in 2018 and 2020. Field investigation showed that RCR severely damaged soybean production. The reductions of yield were estimated at 17.5 % and 12.7 % in 2018 and 2020, respectively. The visualized damage clarified the difference in the increasing rate and patterns of RCR between the two years. In 2018, the damaged area expanded along the planting row to the whole field, but in 2020, the expansion along the planting row was not great, and half of the fields remained sparsely damage. This difference implies that various factors are associated with damage occurrence and pathogen distribution. The method applied in this study is effective in visualizing RCR damage, but further improvement is required in the evaluation of intermediate damage and the generalization of the evaluation procedure.

Evaluation of Integrated Management Practices of South American Tomato Leaf Miner Tuta absoluta in Tomato

Tomato is grown in an area of 36000 ha in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. South American tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta has become major pest in tomato growing areas causing 50-60% damage. Even though pest damage starts from seedling stage, damage is not noticed by farmers till fruiting stage due to the pest feeding habit, and spraying chemicals repeatedly at this stage is of no use. Moreover, it causes environmental pollution and pesticide residual effects on consumers. Hence, an on-farm trial on integrated management of the Tuta absoluta was conducted during Rabi, 2020-21. The IPM practices included were installation of pheromone traps @ 25 per hectare; spraying neem oil @ 5 ml/l, twice @20 and 40 DAT and need based chemical sprays. In IPM plots, pest damage was low in crop grown under single row planting i.e., 9% followed by double row planting i.e., 12.6% whereas in farmers practice it was 21.5% and 24.3% in single row planting and double row planting respectively in crop planted during December, 2020. Crop planted during January suffered more than December planted cropi.e., in IPM plots it was 12.5% & 15.5% whereas in farmers practice it was 27.6 and 31.2% in single row planting and double row planting respectively. In December planted crop, Fruit yield of 54.2t/ha and 52.8t/ha was recorded in IPM and farmers practice respectively. In January planted crop it was 51t/ha and 49.5t/ha in IPM and farmers practice respectively. IPM along with planting of crop during December under single row method of planting found to be effective in managing the pest.

Результаты исследований температурного режима осушаемой торфяной почвы

When cultivating row crops on depleted peatlands introduced into agricultural circulation using the peat soil farming practice, post-sowing tillage (harrowing, inter-row loosening, hilling and thinning of plants in rows) changes the thermophysical properties of peat, increasing the probability of a peat fire. To study the temperature and humidity mode of the upper fi re-hazardous layer of the peat soil on a drained fi eld used for vegetable and fodder crop rotation, studies were carried outon the drained Kalskoye swamp in the Ryazan region. Measurements of the soil parameters were carried out on its surface and in the upper layer of 0 to 5 cm. When modeling spontaneous combustion and forced ignition of the peat soil, the results of experimental fi eld studies were used. Based on the practical data obtained, the authors proposed mathematical dependencies for calculating the possibility of spontaneous combustion of peat soils. Comparison of experimental and calculated data showed that their discrepancy is 2.2% to 15.6%. The obtained mathematical dependencies can be used to predict the probability of fi res on peat soils. The authors propose a scheme of a new method for monitoring the fi re hazard situation on drained peatlands during their introduction into agricultural production. This method of monitoring, based on the criterion of uneven heating, is useful for taking preventive measures against the peat soil ignition on agricultural land.

Pythium spp. – rosnący problem w uprawie ogórka pod osłonami

In 2022 and 2023, a record number of cucumber samples came to the Plant Diseases Clinic in Institute of Plant Protection – National Research Institute in Poznan. The dominant problem (more than 90% of the samples) was the sudden wilting of healthy-looking plants, despite adequate water availability. The yield decreased drastically, and the plants in the entire rows dried up and died prematurely. Until 2019, similar symptoms appeared sporadically on cucumbers delivered to the Clinic. On the basis of microscopic observation, confirmed by isolation on artificial substrates from fragments of infected cucumber, the cause of the disease was identified – fungus-like organisms (Oomycetes) of the genus Pythium. In soilless cultivation systems, they cause soft rot of the roots and the shoot base of cucumber and the so-called sudden wilting of a cucumber. Typical symptoms of infection are stunted plant growth, brown discoloration of the root tips and wilting of the plant during the warmer times of the day (they regain turgor during the night). Infected plants turn yellow and die. Infection can occur all year round. In summer, thermophilic species are the most serious problem, while in winter and early spring, spe¬cies preferring lower temperatures. The samples delivered to the Clinic were dominated by the species Globisporangium ultimum (Trow) Uzuhashi, Tojo & Kakish commonly known as Pythium ultimum Trow. The importance of Pythium spp. in the cultivation of cucumber under cover increases year by year, taking into account the frequency of occurrence in the samples delivered to the Clinic.

High Density Planting In Litchi Cv. Bombai For Plant Vigour, Fruit Yield And Quality Under New Alluvial Zone Of West Bengal

A field experiment was carried out at Horticultural Research Station, Mondouri, BCKV, West Bengal during the year 2014 to 2017 to study the effect of different planting system cum high density planting in litchi cv. Bombai for plant physico-chemical properties under new alluvial zone of West Bengal. The experiment was laid out in RBD consisting of five treatments viz. Square system, Cluster planting, Paired row, Single hedge row and Double hedge row system with four replications on 12 years old healthy plants. Different planting system cum high density planting significantly influenced the plant characters of litchi. Among the physical characters, maximum plant height (5.95 m) was recorded from double hedge row planting followed by single hedge row while the spread of plant and trunk girth was found maximum in square system. Chlorophyll content of leaf (10.43 mg g-1), number of fruit set per panicle and fruit retention per panicle was found maximum in square system of planting. The maximum yield (12.87 t/ha) was recorded in double hedge row system of planting while the minimum (9.01 t/ha) from square system. The total soluble solids (17.08 0brix), total sugar content, ascorbic acid and anthocyanin content (35.51 mg/100g) of fruits was found maximum in square system of planting while the minimum in double hedge row system. Finally, it can be concluded that double hedge row planting system was effective in obtaining maximum yield per hectare, while square system of planting was effective in improving the physico-chemical properties of fruits.

Resistance Assessment of Hybrid Corn Genotypes to Major Corn Diseases and Its Effects on Disease Epidemic Components in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

The use of resistant varieties is one of approach that can be used in the management of the pathogen development. This study aimed to examine the resistance level of hybrid corn genotypes to the corn major diseases and to determine its effect on the components of the disease epidemic. Testing for the three major diseases was carried out using spreader row plants as an inoculum source. Parameters observed in this study were disease incidence for downly mildew (DM), disease severity for maydis leaf blight (MLB) and leaf rust (LR), disease development model, infection rate, area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), protection index, and path analysis. The results showed that the HBC01 genotype had the lowest attack intensity to DM, MLB, and LR, namely 35.55%, 37.33%, and 25.33%, respectively. The disease epidemic components also showed that the HCB01 genotype has the lowest AUDPC value and infection rate with the highest protection index against DM, MLB, and LR. Furthermore, relative humidity, temperature, rainfall, and wind velocity were correlated in influencing the development of DM, MLB, and LR. The conclusion is that the hybrid corn genotype greatly influences the development of epidemics of DM, MLB, and LR.

BASIC CONSTRUCTIONS OF SECTIONS FOR FERTILIZER APPLICATION IN SECTION OF STRIP-TILL TECHNOLOGY

Strip-till technology was formed in the USA on a short corn-soybean crop rotation. Both crops are harvested in September-October and thereby exclude the appearance of post-harvest weeds. In addition, both crops are grown on wide-row crops, and this prompted the emergence of strip cultivation technology. Strip-till technology is an alternative tillage option between traditional plowing and direct seeding. When applying this technology, the soil is deeply loosened only within the row, the rest of the field remains untreated. Structurally, each section for strip soil cultivation consists of such working bodies as a frame, a front slotted disk that cuts the soil surface and plant remains, and also withstands the depth of cultivation. Cutting discs on one rack clear the row of plant remains and lightly mulch the soil surface. The section rack performs tillage to a depth of up to 30 cm, and if additional equipment is available, it can provide fertilizers, including at two different depth values, and the rear roller compacts and grinds the soil surface. The use of this technology makes it possible to reduce the number of operations in one pass of the unit. Also, the above-mentioned tillage technology can solve such problems as high weediness, low fertility of soils with insufficient content of organic substances, the presence of a short growing season, and can also be used in arid regions and soils prone to wind erosion. The disadvantage of this technology is the need to apply a continuous action herbicide. But these economic costs of weed control are not significant in the total cost of tillage. It should be noted that herbicides are also applied according to traditional technology.

EFFECT OF PLANT DENSITY ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF PEANUT (Arachis hypogaea L.) CULTIVARS

Plant density can have a major impact on peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) yield. Information is limited in the Eastern Mediterranean Transition Region of Turkiye on growth, development, and yield of peanut cultivars based on plant density. To address this limitation, the cultivars Aysehanim, Rigel, Halisbey, Masal, and NC 7 were established in a single row planting pattern consisting of rows spaced 70 cm apart with an inter-row plant distance of 15 cm (95.000 plants ha-1) versus a twin row planting pattern consisting of rows spaced 20 cm apart on 90 cm centers with an intra-row distance of 15 cm (148.000 plants ha-1). The interaction of cultivar × plant density was significant for most variables. Irrespective of cultivar, establishing a plant population of 148.000 plants ha-1 in the twin row planting pattern resulted in greater pod yield than the single row planting pattern with a plant density of 95.000 plants ha-1. Pod yield was similar for Rigel, Masal, and NC 7 in the twin row planting pattern and exceeded that of Aysehanim and Halisbey. Conversely, yield of Rigel and Halisbey was similar in the single row pattern and exceeded yield of Aysehanim and NC 7.

Opportunities and Status of Wheat Row Planting in Smallholder Farmers in Elfeta District Oromia Regional State Ethiopia

To enhance wheat yield, adoption and management practices have become a major concern of agricultural extension activities and low produce of wheat is partly due to poor agronomic practices in Ethiopia. Compared to broadcasting system, row planting gives better yield with quality of the seed at harvesting period. The study was conducted to assess the opportunities and status of wheat row planting by farmers. This study was used descriptive research design and employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Primary data were collected from 141_sample households which were selected randomly. Additional information was obtained from focus group discussion and key informant interview. The data has been analyzed by using simple descriptive statistics such as mean, percentage and standard deviation. Moreover, inferential statistics like chi-square and t-test were used. The result shows that, education level, family size, farmers experience, seeding rate per hectare, yield per hectare, fertilizer rate per hectare and income of household were positive association with wheat row planting in the study area. Also, non-adopter farmers was not use the existing opportunity such as off-farm income generating activities, contact with extension agents, credit use, membership in cooperatives and improved seed in the study area. Moreover, more than half of smallholders not adopt the wheat row planting system; meaning, still they use broadcasting system of Planting in their farms. Therefore, the study concludes that, Policies and strategies that focus on farmers’ education, implementation of well-established extension package are helpful so as to achieve wider adoption of row planting technology of smallholder farmer in the study area.

An improved model to simulate soil water and heat: A case study for drip-irrigated tomato grown in a greenhouse

Soil physical, chemical, and biological processes are influenced by soil water and heat conditions, which greatly depend on the crop root systems in different soil layers. Hence, understanding root distribution, soil water and heat dynamics is essential to improve water and nutrient use efficiency. A case study of tomato grown in a greenhouse with drip irrigation was conducted to test an improved two-dimensional (2D) model, namely UZflow-2D, for simulating the soil water and heat dynamics. The performance of UZflow-2D model was also compared with the well-known Hydrus-2D model. A 2D root length density (RLD) function, as a main subsidiary model of UZflow-2D, was proposed by investigating the roots distribution from lateral and radial latitudes at the four main growth stages (seedling, flowering, fruit-setting, and picking). Experimental data in 2015 was used to calibrate the parameters of UZflow-2D and Hydrus-2D models, and validated using the data of 2016. Results showed that more than 70% of the total RLD was concentrated in soil layers of 0–20 cm during the seedling, 0–40 cm during the flowering, and 0–60 cm during the fruit-setting and picking stages. The 2D RLD function perform well for locations within and between two rows, with determination coefficients higher than 0.77. Both UZflow-2D and Hydrus-2D models perform well in simulating soil water and soil temperature dynamics, while UZflow-2D model produced improved accuracy in modeling the soil water and heat dynamics within and between two rows of drip-irrigated tomato plants. The overall root mean square error (RMSE) was ∼0.008 cm3 cm−3 for soil water contents, and ∼0.434 °C for soil temperature for UZflow-2D model. However, the overall RMSE was ∼0.012 cm3 cm−3 for soil water contents, and ∼0.504 °C for soil temperature for Hydrus-2D model. Hence, the UZflow-2D model can be served as an alternatively useful tool to simulate water and heat dynamics.

Juvenile plumcot tree can improve fruit quality and economic benefits by intercropping with alfalfa in semi-arid areas

CONTEXTTo accelerate rural development, give play to regional advantages and improve economic benefits, the Chinese government has been promoting strongly the establishment of new agricultural operating entities, and adopting the planting of fruit-legume agroforestry system. However, the current popular planting pattern lacks comprehensive benefit evaluation from two aspects of yield and economy, and farmers lacks practical reference. OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this study was to investigate the planting status, agronomical and economic benefits of agroforestry in large-scale professional farming households, and to determine the optimal planting pattern in Xinjiang. METHODSThis experiment consists of field measurements and a questionnaire. (1) According to the common planting patterns in this region, the following five treatments were compared in Xinjiang: plumcot + soybean intercropping (PSI) (1.2 m interval between two species, soybean wide narrow row planting), plumcot + alfalfa intercropping (PAI) (1.0 m interval between two species, 0.15 m interval between alfalfa rows), sole-cropped soybean (SS) (soybean wide narrow row planting), sole-cropped alfalfa (SA) (0.15 m interval between alfalfa rows), and sole-cropped plumcot (SP) (5 m interval between plumcot rows). The underground interspecific competitiveness index, yield, land equivalent ratio (LER), Soluble solids content (SSC), fruit firmness and economic benefit were measured. (2) A two-stage stratified sampling procedure was applied. Eighteen fruit-legume large-scale professional farming households in each selected administrative unit were stratified into intercropping with soybean or intercropping with alfalfa. The questionnaire survey investigated field management, sales channels, economic benefits and other information. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONLarge-scale professional farming households are scientific and market sensitive in developing agroforestry intercropping. Plumcot was consistently less competitive, and the main competitive area of the root system occurred at a depth of 0–0.2 m. The competition intensity of plumcot + alfalfa intercropping (PAI) was weaker than that of plumcot + soybean intercropping (PSI). Compared with sole-cropping, the yield of each species under intercropping decreased, especially that of alfalfa, but the land equivalent ratio increased. Plumcot intercropped with alfalfa had a higher soluble solids content. Intercropping has greater economic benefits, especially PAI. PAI was the most suitable planting pattern which can effectively solve the dilemma that fruit trees are not profitable in the juvenile growth stage of a plumcot. SIGNIFICANCEAn intercropping pattern can effectively solve the dilemma that fruit trees cannot make profits in the early stage of planting. There are few relevant research reports, and farmers lack decision-making suggestions on scientific planting and comprehensive economic benefits. Based on our findings, we suggest that large-scale professional farming households should develop the planting pattern of intercropping between fruit trees and legumes, especially new species of fruit trees and alfalfa. This will provide decision support for them to obtain benefits, improve land use efficiency and improve farmland ecology.

Tomato Disease Monitoring System Using Modular Extendable Mobile Robot for Greenhouses: Automatically Reporting Locations of Diseased Tomatoes

Based on the appearance of tomatoes, it is possible to determine whether they are diseased. Detecting diseases early can help the yield losses of tomatoes through timely treatment. However, human visual inspection is expensive in terms of the time and labor required. This paper presents an automatic tomato disease monitoring system using modular and extendable mobile robot we developed in a greenhouse. Our system automatically monitors whether tomatoes are diseased and conveys the specific locations of diseased tomatoes to users based on the location information of the image data collected by the robot, such that users can adopt timely treatment. This system consists of two main parts: a modular, extendable mobile robot that we developed and a server that runs a tomato disease detection program. Our robot is designed to be configured and extended according to the actual height of the tomato vines, thus ensuring that the monitoring range covers most tomatoes. It runs autonomously between two rows of tomato plants and collects the image data. In addition to storing the image data of tomatoes, the data server runs a program for detecting diseases. This program contains a two-level disease detection model: a detection network for detecting diseased tomatoes and a validation network for verifying the detection results. The validation network verifies the results of the detection network by classifying the outputs of the detection network, thus reducing the false positive rate of the proposed system. Experimentally, this work focuses on the blossom-end rot of tomatoes. In this paper, YOLOv5, YOLOv7, Faster R-CNN, and RetinaNet are trained and compared on datasets divided by different conditions. YOLOv5l showed the best results on the randomly divided dataset: the mAP@0.5 reached 90.4%, and the recall reached 85.2%. Through the trained YOLOv5l, a dataset was created for training the classification networks: ResNet, MobileNet, and DenseNet. MobileNetv2 achieved the best overall performance with a 96.7% accuracy and a size of 8.8 MB. The final deployment to the system included YOLOv5l and MobileNetv2. When the confidence threshold of YOLOv5l was set to 0.1, the two-level model’s false positive and false negative rates were 13.3% and 15.2%, respectively. Compared to using YOLOv5l alone, the false positive rate decreased by 5.7% and the false negative rate increased by only 2.3%. The results of the actual operation of the proposed system reveal that the system can inform the user of the locations of diseased tomatoes with a low rate of false positives and false negatives, and that it is an effective and promotable approach.

Winter Wheat Seeding Decisions for Improved Grain Yield and Yield Components

The continual re-evaluation of agronomic practices is necessary to improve crop performance and sustainability of the production of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), particularly as genetics and climate conditions change. Recommendations made about winter wheat planting dates, spacing, variety, and seed rates under normal climatic conditions may not be suitable in current times with more climate variability. Our experiment investigated the effect of planting date (early, historic-optimum, and late), row spacing (19 and 25 cm), variety (Goodstreak, Robidoux, and Wesley), and seed rate (1.8, 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 2.6, 2.8, 3.1, and 3.4 M seeds ha−1) on winter wheat grain yield and yield components. The seeding rate was nested within row spacing in nested-factorial design. A nested-factorial treatment design was used with testing at several locations in Nebraska across two years. Variety had a substantial effect on winter wheat grain yield (p < 0.05). Variety also had a substantial interaction effect with planting date and row spacing 50% of the time (p ≤ 0.01). At Hemingford, for example, Wesley planted at 19 cm had 5.9% more yield when compared to Robidoux planted at 19 cm (5.5 Mg ha−1). Similarly, biomass was influenced by variety across sites (p < 0.01), but a substantial interaction effect also occurred between planting date and variety at two of the three sites. Narrow row spacing (19 cm) led to significantly more tillers (6.9 M ha−1) when planted with Goodstreak at two of the sites. While planting date by itself did not affect any of the responses evaluated, this research highlights the importance of comprehensive and holistic approaches to wheat production in the High Plains.

Effectiveness of Climate-Smart Agriculture Innovations in Smallholder Agriculture System in Ethiopia

The scientific basis for conceptualizing how farm households achieve the three climate-smart agriculture (CSA) pillars, the “triple benefit”, is not well developed. This paper examined the impacts of CSA innovations on simultaneously enhancing food security, climate adaptation, and reducing GHG emissions. A cross-sectional household survey was collected from a multi-stage sample of 424 smallholder farmers selected from five agroecosystems of the upper Blue Nile highlands in Ethiopia and analyzed using an endogenous switching regression (ESR) model. CSA innovations, improved variety, compost, row planting, and agroforestry, provide farmers with the benefits of enhanced food security and climate change adaptation, reducing GHG emissions from farm plots. Crop rotation provides farmers with enhanced food security and reduced livelihood vulnerability, while SWC meets the goal of enhancing food security and reducing GHG emissions. Unfortunately, adopting crop residue management, one of the recommended CSA practices in Ethiopia, does not deliver at least two of the CSA pillars. Farmers should be encouraged to adopt improved variety, crop rotation, compost, row planting, soil and water conservation, and agroforestry as the best portfolio of CSA innovation for highland smallholder agriculture systems.

Application of Earthworm Manure (EWM) and NPK Fertilizer to Improve the Quality of Acid Sulphate Soil (ASS) as a Sweet Corn (Zea mays L) Cultivation Land in North Sumatra, Indonesia

A field trial has been carried out in order to study the use of Earthworm Manure (EWM) and NPK fertilizer to improve the quality of Acid Sulphate Soil (ASS) as a sweet corn (Zea mays L) cultivation land in North Sumatra. The experiment was a Factorial Randomized Block Design. Factors studied were Earthworm Manure (EWM) and NPK fertilizer. The EWM treatment was arranged in 4 doses consisting of: Control (0 kg EWM / plot), 0.4 kg EWM / plot; 0.8 kg EWM / plot; and 1.2 kg EWM/plot. NPK treatment was given in 4 doses consisting of: control (0 kg NPK / plot); 5 g NPK / plot; 10 g NPK / plot; and 15 g NPK / plot. The treatment of EWM material was applied by mixing EWM with topsoil of ASS at a depth of about 5 cm evenly in each trial plot when it was 1 week before sweet corn plant was planted. While NPK fertilizer treatment was given between the rows of plants when the plants are 2 weeks old. Each treatment was given in each trial plot with a size of 100 cm x 100 cm and was repeated 3 times. The plant spacing was set at 60 cm x 70 cm, the distance between replications was 50 cm, and the distance between treatment plots was 30 cm. Variables observed include some soil properties, growth and crop yields. Soil properties were measured consisting of: pH (H₂O), total N (Kjeldahl), P (Bray II), Exchangeable-K (K-ex) (NH₄OAc pH 7.0). Growth and yield of plants were also determined including: plant height, stem diameter, and crop yield. The results obtained showed that the application of EWM could improve the quality of ASS properties shown by the increase in the total N content, available P, exchangeable-K, and ASS pH and plant growth based on stem diameter growth. NPK application increases total N content, available P, and K-ex, but does not increase growth in height, stem diameter, number of leaves, and crop yields. Application of EWM increases pH, whereas NPK has no effect on ASS pH. The effects of EWM and NPK interact positively on total N content where the application of EWM increases the effect of NPK on total N content; the effect of EWM was better in improving the chemical properties (N, P, K, and pH) of ASS and plant stem diameter growth compared with NPK application. EWM can be used to improve the quality of chemical properties (N, P, K, and pH) and partially or completely substitute NPK sweet corn plants in ASS so as to save on the use of NPK fertilizer. Therefore, EWM has the potential as an alternative agrobiotechnology product that has the opportunity to be used to overcome the problem of ASS as agricultural land.

Intercropping legumes and intermediate wheatgrass increases forage yield, nutritive value, and profitability without reducing grain yields

IntroductionKernza intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) is a perennial grain and forage crop. Intercropping IWG with legumes may increase the forage yields and nutritive value but may compromise Kernza grain yields. The interaction between IWG and legumes depends on planting season, row spacing, and legume species. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of those management practices on Kernza grain yield, summer and fall forage yield and nutritive value, weed biomass and, the profitability of the cropping system in Wisconsin, USA.MethodsIn the spring and fall of 2017, we planted eight cropping systems at 38 and 57 cm of row spacing: four IWG monocultures [control without N fertilization or weed removal (IWG), hand weed removal (hand weeded), IWG fertilized with urea at rates of 45 or 90 kg ha−1], and four IWG-legume intercrops (IWG with alfalfa, Berseem clover, Kura clover, or red clover).Results and discussionMost of the intercropping systems were similar to IWG monoculture in grain (ranging from 652 to 1,160 kg ha−1) and forage yield (ranging from 2,740 to 5,190 kg ha−1) and improved the forage quality. However, for spring planted IWG, intercropped with red clover or alfalfa, the grain and forage yields were lower than the IWG monoculture (~80 and 450 kg ha−1, respectively). The best performing intercrops in the first year were Kura clover in the spring planting (652 kg Kernza grain ha−1, 4,920 kg IWG forage ha−1 and 825 kg legume forage ha−1) and red clover in the fall planting (857 kg Kernza grain ha−1, 3,800 kg IWG forage ha−1, and 450 kg legume forage ha−1). In the second year, grain yield decreased 84% on average. Overall, the profitability of the IWG legume intercropping was high, encouraging the adoption of dual-purpose perennial crops.

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Economic Analysis of Tef Yield Response to Different Sowing Methods and Seed Rates in Eastern Amhara, Ethiopia

The study was conducted in 2019/2020 for two years in Habru, Kobo, and Dawa Chefa districts of the Eastern Amhara with the main objectives of evaluating and validating the productivity, evaluating economic feasibility and selecting the best performing sowing method and seed rate of tef technologies under farmers condition. The districts were selected based on their representativeness for the growth of tef. Three treatments were used for the study namely row planting with 5kg.ha-1, row planting with 10kg.ha-1, and hand broadcasting methods. Tef (Zoble variety) was used for the study purpose. Based on the data obtained, the highest yield was obtained from the hand broadcasting (25kg.ha-1) and the lowest yield was from the row planting (5kg.ha-1). The mean yield of tef from the hand broadcasting (25kg.ha-1) was 16.5% higher than the row planting (5kg.ha-1). Similarly, the labor utilization has increased from hand broadcasting 25kg.ha-1to row planting of (5kg.ha-1) and 10kg.ha-1. The labor cost for row plantings of tef was also higher, whereas the hand broadcasting (25kg.ha-1) consumed the least labor. This study therefore has proved that hand broadcasting is both high yielder and economically feasible in the Eastern Amhara. In addition to this, the study suggests that there should be additional seed rate study on broadcasting In order to gain optimum tef yield with feasible economic advantage.

Effects of Planting Density on Root Spatial and Temporal Distribution and Yield of Winter Wheat

The root system is the only vital organ for plants to connect with soil moisture and nutrients and obtain feedback information. This research aimed to explore the response of different spike type winter wheat varieties to plant and row spacing configurations. Multi-spike and large-spike winter wheat varieties were used as materials. By setting different plant row configurations and planting densities, the spatial and temporal distribution of root length density, root diameter, root dry weight density, and the main control factors of root growth and development of winter wheat during the whole growth period were studied. The results showed that the root system was the most widely distributed and the root diameter was the largest in the 0–40 cm soil depth, with an average root system diameter of more than 0.5 mm. The root length density and root diameter peaked at the heading stage, decreased at the maturity stage, and the root dry weight density peaked at the jointing stage. The jointing stage and heading stage are the most vigorous periods of root growth in winter wheat, when the center of gravity of root growth in winter wheat is gradually moving down. Therefore, the rapid growth and elongation time of a root system can be effectively prolonged at the jointing stage and heading stage, and the root growth rate can be improved. Promoting root thickening can effectively meet the needs for water and nutrients, for the formation and filling of aboveground plants and grains, in the later stage, which is conducive to the formation of aboveground dry matter production and final yield. The root distribution was greatest in the 0–60 cm soil depth, accounting for 95.13–97.84% of the total root length. After the heading stage occurs, the upper roots begin to decline in large quantities. Thus, the jointing stage and heading stage require fertilization and other farmland management operations to increase root nutrients for the ground parts and dry matter accumulation to provide sufficient nutrients so that the number of effective panicles, grain weight, and the number of spike grains coordinate to achieve the highest grain yield. Results showed that the highest yield can be achieved with the planting pattern X2M1. A comprehensive analysis showed that the genetic characteristics of winter wheat varieties were different, and there were some differences in the correlation between wheat yield and root system at the different growth stages. The correlation between the root parameters and yield of multi-spike winter wheat during the overwintering-jointing stage was obvious. For large-spike type winter wheat in the jointing stage, the yield correlation is most obvious.

Фітосанітарний стан Acer tataricum L. в урбоценозах правобережної частини м. Дніпра

The research results of the vital state of Acer tataricum L. trees in the green areas of an industrial city in the period 2019–2021 are presented. In the city of Dnipro, Tatar maple grows in small groups or in a row planting in separate localities (stow, island, central park, residential and school area). A total of 112 A. tataricum trees were examined. The vital condition of most of them (75.0 %) was assessed as acceptable. The average parameters of the trees are as follows: plant height – 6 m, age – 28 years, trunk diameter – 10.2 cm. The best average indicators of the length of the annual growth have the trees of A. tataricum from the Lazar Globa Park – 5.8 mm, and «Tunelna Balka» stow – 5.7 mm. The diameter of the annual increase does not change reliably and is 2.3 mm on average for all researched trees. Examination of the leaves of A. tataricum to analyze the distribution, level of harmfulness and establish the phyllophages species composition and leaf diseases was carried out once a decade. A total of 3042 leaves were collected. The overall level of leaf damage by phyllophages was 48.6 %. The most damaged leaves were from trees growing in the central park (74.5 %) and the «Tunelna Balka» stow (65.4 %), the least – on Monastyrskyi Island (26.5 %). Among the types of damage, the main ones were: change in color of leaves due to feeding by sucking insects (50.5 % of all damaged leaves), leaves gnawing by chewing insects with an open lifestyle (40.3 %); leaf mining in 0.4 % of cases, gall-formation – in 0.5 %, respectively. During the research period, only two leaf diseases were detected. The specific disease of the Tatar maple, induced by the fungus Taphrina polyspora (Sorokīn) Johanson, 1886, affects plants in all experimental plots, in some cases the level of damage not only to the leaves, but also to the A. tataricum fruits of reached 100 % (Pokrovsky residential area, Monastyrskyi Island). Maple powdery mildew was detected only on the leaves of A. tataricum in a row planting on the school territory. It was established that the complex of insects – phyllophagous and anthophagous of Tatar maple, which grows in the green areas of the Dnipro right-bank, includes 28 species from 23 genera 15 families 5 orders. The share of Hemiptera is 42.8 %, Lepidoptera – 28.6 %, Coleoptera – 21.4 %, Thysanoptera and Diptera – 3.6 % each.