Protected Cultivation Research Articles

Automatic Control System of Balancing Agricultural Stereo Cultivation Based on Wireless Sensors

As a new development direction in the field of information science, wireless sensor network (WSN) has attracted wide attention of academia and industry with its huge application prospect. This research mainly discusses the automatic control system of balcony agriculture stereoscopic cultivation based on wireless sensor network. With the application background of environmental monitoring of protected cultivation, this paper analyzes the specific requirements of plant protected cultivation, and designs the overall scheme of wireless sensor network system with temperature, humidity and light as detection parameters. In this paper, a distance based routing algorithm is designed to realize the networking of wireless sensor networks, and the network simulation is carried out with TOSSIM. Aiming at the problem of packet loss in wireless network data transmission, this paper analyzes the operation mechanism and message structure of TinyOS operating system, and designs MAC protocol based on network synchronization to ensure reliable data transmission. The experimental results show that when the communication distance is 230 m, the two nodes can carry out normal data transmission; when the communication distance is less than 310 m, the bit error rate is very small; when the distance is more than 360 m, the bit error rate is significantly improved; when the distance is more than 400 m, the bit error rate is 100%. It can be seen that wireless sensor network can bring greater convenience to the acquisition of agricultural information, and it is of great significance to extend the application of wireless sensor network to the field of agricultural automation.

Effects of Fertigation Management on the Quality of Organic Legumes Grown in Protected Cultivation

Appropriate fertigation management plays an important role in increasing crop quality and economizing water. The objective of the study was to determine the effects of two fertigation treatments, normal (T100) and 50% sustained deficit (T50), on the physico-chemical quality of legumes. The determinations were performed on the edible parts of peas, French beans and mangetout. The trials were conducted in a protected cultivation certified organic farm. The response of legumes to the treatments varied between the cultivars tested. The fertigation treatments had a significant effect on the morphometric traits (width for mangetout and French bean; fresh weight for French bean; seed height for Pea cv. Lincoln). The total soluble solids and citric acid content have been shown to be increased by low soil water availability (T50) for mangetout. Fertigation treatments did not significantly affect the antioxidant compounds (total phenolic and ascorbic acid), minerals and protein fraction contents of legumes studied. Regarding legume health benefits, the most prominent cultivars were BC-033620 pea and French bean because of their high total phenolic (65 mg gallic acid equivalent 100 g−1 fresh weight) and ascorbic acid content (55 mg ascorbic acid 100 g−1 fresh weight), respectively. The results expand our knowledge concerning the nutraceutical quality and appropriate cultivation methods of legumes in order to make the system more sustainable and to encourage their consumption.

Bokashi, Boiled Manure and Penergetic Applications Increased Agronomic Production Variables and May Enhance Powdery Mildew Severity of Organic Tomato Plants

Research on organic fertilizers are of crucial importance for sustainable production systems with high efficiency of natural resource use. The objective of this study was to evaluate organic sources of fertilization (boiled manure (BM), effective microorganism (EM) Bokashi, and Penergetic) for their effects on agronomic variables (fruit size and yield, total soluble solids) and on foliar powdery mildew severity of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The crops were grown during two cropping cycles in protected cultivation. The treatments were: Control (water only); 50 g per plant of EM Bokashi compost in two applications; Penergetic at 1.5 g L−1 applied to the substrate before planting or sprayed on the plants 14 days after transplanting; and BM at 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, and 10% concentrations (vol/vol) in water, via fertigation. Fruit production and quality were assessed. The effects of treatments on powdery mildew (Leveillula taurica Lév. G. Arnaud) were analyzed by using a diagrammatic scale. Bokashi, 10% BM, and Penergetic increased fruit production of the first three fruit trusses. Bokashi treatment increased tomato fruit diameter. The effects on fruit length and total soluble solids varied with each crop cycle. Powdery mildew severity increased with 10% BM, compared to the control. Both 10% BM and Penergetic presented similar fruit production to Bokashi and are good candidates as substitutes for Bokashi as organic fertilizers/amendments while maintaining tomato yield.

Functional milk-containing products

Many developments are currently underway to create products that not only support human life, but also are safe and ensure maximum usefulness. The studies on use of protective cultures “GoldenLineProfiline PC 27.50” and wheat dietary fiber NUTRIOSA FB 06 in the technology of milk-containing products were conducted at the department of technology of food of animal origin of the Federal State Budget Educational Institution of Higher Education “Voronezh State University of Engineering Technologies” (FSBEI HE “VSUET”). Protective cultures are antagonistic microorganisms that inhibit the growth of pathogenic and other undesirable microflora without affecting the organoleptic properties and quality of the product. The use of protective cultures in the technology of milk-containing products of sour cream type allows one to increase storage stability by 30%. According to medical and biological knowledge, the value of dietary fiber (DF) in human nutrition is inestimable. It binds and excretes cholesterol, bile acids, radionuclides and other harmful substances from the body, thereby preventing “diseases of civilization”–obesity, atherosclerosis, pancreatic diabetes, etc. Introduction of soluble dietary fiber into the formula of a milk-containing fermented milk product produced according to yogurt technology allows one to increase the shelf life and increase the functionality of the product.

Planning exploration of the transition from “waste landfill” to “circular economy industrial park”-Take Guangzhou Xingfeng Domestic Waste Landfill Site Closure and Reconstruction Plan as an Example

Under the background of high-level protection of the ecological environment and the promotion of economic “green recovery” and high-quality development after the epidemic, we will do a good job in the “14th Five-Year” ecological environment protection work, correctly handle the relationship between development and protection, and develop an environmental protection culture. It will definitely become the main line of work during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period. This article takes the closure and renovation plan of the Xingfeng domestic waste landfill in Guangzhou as an example, studies and draws on successful cases at home and abroad, and explores the planning and design of the renovation of the landfill after the closure, combined with the domestic waste landfill Advanced waste treatment technology and the unique natural ecological environment of Jinkeng National Forest Park will transform the Guangzhou Xingfeng Domestic Waste Landfill into a circular economy industrial park with the function of ecological recycling of domestic waste. This transformation plan can guide the public to actively participate in the environment. Cultural construction is of great significance to the construction of ecological civilization; at the same time, it is also an exploration of green recycling, low-carbon, and sustainable planning methods.

Produção e qualidades físico-químicas do mamão do grupo ‘solo’ conduzido em diferentes ambientes de proteção em sistema orgânico

O objetivo deste trabalho foi acompanhar a influência de diferentes tipos de ambiente de cultivo protegido na produção e qualidade dos frutos do mamoeiro. Para tanto, construíram-se três tipos de estruturas de proteção contíguas: (i) estufa, (ii) estufa sombreada e (iii) telado (‘sombrite’), ao lado de uma área de (iv) ambiente natural, a pleno sol, os quais representaram os tratamentos. Mensalmente, ao longo de um ano, colheram-se frutos em cada ambiente e avaliou-se: as severidades da mancha fisiológica do mamoeiro (MFM), da varíola e o teor de sólidos solúveis; e ainda, a cada estação do ano, mediram-se o comprimento, o calibre e a espessura da polpa dos mesmos. Para efeito de análise de variância, foram considerados quatro blocos por tratamento (ambiente de cultivo), procedendo-se a “análise conjunta de experimentos”. Os resultados apontaram que em ambientes protegidos, sobretudo naquele coberto com plástico, colhem-se mais frutos e estes são menos acometidos pelas doenças: Varíola e MFM. Os ambientes protegidos, comparados ao ambiente natural, promoveram reduções da varíola nos frutos na ordem de: 60,4%, 57,4% e 37,9%, respectivamente, na estufa, na estufa sombreada e no telado. Os níveis de luminosidades e de temperaturas médias, nas faixas registradas, respectivamente, de 622 a 1857 mmoles.cm-2.s-1 e limites de 19,2 a 34,8 ºC, têm forte correlação positiva com a severidade da MFM e da varíola. O maior sombreamento influencia no comprimento, calibre e espessura de polpa sendo que no inverno e primavera colhem-se frutos com polpa mais espessa. Na estufa e na estação de verão os frutos são mais arredondados. Frutos produzidos em estufa apresentam maiores teores de sólidos solúveis totais.

Is the emerging mite pest Aculops lycopersici controllable? Global and genome-based insights in its biology and management.

Over the last decade, the tomato russet mite, Aculops lycopersici, has become a major pest in tomato crops worldwide, both in open-field and protected cultivation. Its minute size of 150 to 200 μm complicates early detection and monitoring in tomato crops. Passive dispersal occurs via air currents, crop management practices and commercial trade. Chemical control of Aculops lycopersici is difficult. Altered product use from broad spectrum pesticides towards selective acaricides, to meet integrated pest management (IPM) standards, has created better conditions for the rapid expansion of this specialized eriophyid mite. Moreover, practical implementation of promising natural enemies is challenging due to the complexity of biological control in tomato crops. Trichomes on tomato negatively affect arthropod natural enemies, but provide a refuge for the tomato russet mite. Despite the cosmopolitan nature of Aculops lycopersici, knowledge associated with IPM is limited and fragmented. This review describes fundamental biological data on Aculops lycopersici from the last 20 years and novel developments in the field of prevention, monitoring, chemical and biological control. The recent analysis of the genome sequence will be helpful in the development of a sustainable control strategy for Aculops lycopersici. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

A cloud computing-based approach using the visible near-infrared spectrum to classify greenhouse tomato plants under water stress

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of cloud computing technology for classifying protected tomato plants under different watering treatments. Two tomato varieties, HeZuo 903 and WanShiRuYi, were used in protected cultivation for two seasons. Three water treatments were conducted (normal watering, no watering during the first fruit-swelling period, and no watering during the both fruit-swelling periods). The visible near-infrared reflection spectra of the tomato canopies were collected during the fruiting period. Three spectral datasets were used, including the original reflection spectra, the first derivative of the reflection spectra, and the absorbance spectra. The successive projections algorithm(SPA) was used to select data from six wavebands (483, 557, 674, 783, 869, and 964 nm) as optimal wavebands. The cloud computing platform was built using the Hadoop and Spark frameworks. The MLlib machine-learning library from the Spark framework was used to build a multilayer perceptron classifier (MLPC) and one-vs.-rest classifier (ORC). These multi-class classifiers were applied to the spectral datasets (original, first derivative, and absorbance) for the two tomato varieties under different water treatments. For each classifier, 70% of the data was randomly selected for training and the remaining 30% was used for prediction. Training and prediction were conducted on the cloud computing platform. The MLPC had better classification accuracy than the ORC. Among the three spectral datasets, the first derivative of the spectra had the best classification performance, while the reflection and absorbance spectra had similar performances. Using the full waveband spectrum provided higher classification accuracy than using only the optimal wavebands. Furthermore, the tomato canopy spectrum classification performance was better for the WanShiRuYi plants than the HeZuo 903 plants. Moreover, the collected spectral dataset was increased in size to evaluate the operating efficiency of the cloud computing platform when processing ‘big data.’ The operating efficiency was significantly improved by increasing the size of the spectral dataset or the number of nodes in the platform. Finally, the python and TensorFlow were used to implement the CNN algorithm, and conducted classification and analysis of the spectral datasets. The results showed that the MLPC and ORC algorithm had better classification performance than the CNN algorithm in classification of spectral data.

Medical physicists in radiology – present status in AFOMP region

The wide use of ionization radiation in healthcare and increasing high radiation procedures like computed tomography [CT] and interventional radiology [IR] procedures have raised serious safety and health concerns for both patients and health professionals necessitating establishment of a radiation protection culture. Responsibilities for radiation protection in the imaging team lies on the radiologists, radiation technologists and medical physicists. However the role of the medical physicist [MP] in radiology imaging is not as well established as it is in radiation oncology. In radiation oncology, clinical medical physicists are mandatory by law but many radiology departments currently operate without MP, though international standards and requirements mandates the role of the MP in radiation protection in radiology. The Asia Oceania Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics [AFOMP] has 19 National Member Organizations [NMO] as members and 2 NMO’s as affiliate members from Asia–Pacific region covering about 4.5 billion population with majority of countries are less-developed countries with lack of appropriate infrastructure and funding, lack of regulations regarding requirement of MPand, awareness of radiation protection. We have carried out survey by sending a questionnaire to AFOMP member countries to get the information about number of MP in radiotherapy, radiology and related details. We have received response from 21 countries, the data collected is analyzed and found that 16/21 counties have MP in radiology and number of MP vary from 0.94% to 69.9% as compared 21/21 countries having MP in radiotherapy varies from 16.7% to 94.4%.

Evaluation of the efficacy of commercial protective cultures to inhibit mold and yeast in cottage cheese

Biopreservation is defined as using microbes, their constituents, or both to control spoilage while satisfying consumer demand for clean-label products. The study objective was to investigate the efficacy of bacterial cultures in biopreserving cottage cheese against postprocessing fungal contamination. Cottage cheese curd and dressing were sourced from a manufacturer in New York State. Dressing was inoculated with 3 different commercial protective cultures-PC1(mix of Lacticaseibacillus spp. and Lactiplantibacillus spp.), PC2 (Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus), and PC3 (Lactic. rhamnosus)-following the manufacturer recommended dosage and then mixed with curd. A control with no protective culture was included. Nine species of yeast (Candida zeylanoides, Clavispora lusitaniae, Debaryomyces hansenii, Debaryomyces prosopidis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Pichia fermentans, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa,and Torulaspora delbrueckii) and 11 species of mold (Aspergillus cibarius, Aureobasidium pullulans, Penicillium chrysogenum, Penicillium citrinum,Penicillium commune,Penicillium decumbens,Penicillium roqueforti,Mucor genevensis,Mucor racemosus,Phoma dimorpha, andTrichoderma amazonicum) were included in the study. Fungi strains were previously isolated from dairy processing environments and were inoculated onto the cheese surface at a rate of 20 cfu/g. Cheese was stored at 6 ± 2°C. Yeast levels were enumerated at 0, 7, 14, and 21 d postinoculation. Mold growth was visually observed on a weekly basis through d 42 of storage and imaged. Overall, the protective cultures were limited in their ability to delay the outgrowth in cottage cheese, with only 8 of the 20 fungal strains showing an effect of the cultures compared with the control. The protective cultures were not very effective against yeast, with only PC1 able to delay the outgrowth of 3 strains: D. hansenii, Tor. delbrueckii, and Mey. guilliermondii. The efficacy of these protective cultures against molds in cottage cheese was more promising, with all protective cultures showing the ability to delay spoilage of at least 1 mold strain. Both PC1 and PC2 were able to delay Pen. chrysogenum and Pho. dimorpha outgrowth, and PC1 also delayed Pen. commune,Pen. decumbens,and Pen. roqueforti to different extents compared with the controls. This study demonstrates that commercial lactic acid bacteria cultures vary in their performance to delay mold and yeast outgrowth, and thus each protective culture should be evaluated against the specific strains of fungi of concern within each specific dairy facility.

Mixing of biochar, vinegar and mushroom residues regulates soil microbial community and increases cucumber yield under continuous cropping regime

Continuous cropping is a common practice in protected agriculture, although it results in a significant decline in soil quality and crop yield. Considering the large yearly production of vinegar and mushroom residues in China, the current study aimed to investigate the effects of different organic residue amendments on soil quality in the protected cultivation of cucumber under continuous cropping regime. Accordingly, a pot experiment was conducted with the following treatments: soil without amendment (CK), soil amendment with commercial conditioner (C), biochar (B), vinegar (V) and mushroom (M) residue (VM, V:M, 3:1), and the mixtures of vinegar, mushroom residue, and biochar (VMB, V:M:B, 3:1:4). The results showed that the soil pH, soil water content (SWC), and organic carbon (OC) content significantly increased after soil amendments. Vinegar and mushroom residues improved the content of soil N, P, and K. In contrast, biochar substantially decreased the total phenol content and electrical conductivity. Moreover, microbial diversity significantly increased with VMB amendment, and structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that the microbial Chao1 index was strongly linked to cucumber yield. Furthermore, the yield of cucumber had a strong correlation with microbial diversity compared with soil physico-chemical properties. Chloroflexi, Actinobacteria and Gemmatimonadetes were significantly enriched by different amendments. Our results suggest that soil amendments can directly regulate the soil microbial community or induce compositional shifts of microbes by changing soil physico-chemical characteristics under continuous cropping regime. The coamendment of soil with vinegar and mushroom residues plus biochar is an effective method to reduce the negative effects of continuous cropping in protected cultivation. The study provides convincing evidence that the application of organic amendments and management of residues are potential sustainable strategies to increase agricultural productivity in protected horticulture.

Organic cultivation of two species of pitahaya (selenicereus undatus and selenicereus megalanthus) in the southeast of Mexico

Both species of Pithaya Selenicereus undatus and Selenicereus megalanthus, were established on the 25th of May and the 26th of June, 2019. Three hundred and forty-four cuttings were planted. The seedlings used were 30cm long, previously rooted at the ranch for three months with vegetable soil and worm-compost in a protective cultivation system using horticulture shadowed cloth with 70% sunlight penetration. The substratum that was used to plant was of organic existence enriched with worm-compost and mountain microorganisms. These plants were planted in rows of high density with a distance of 50cm interspersing between the two species. The organic products that were used to enrich the plants were created at Rancho Alegre by mountain microorganisms, cattle, sheep, and horse manure, vegetable carbon, wood ash, milk, molasses, saltwater, garlic, onion, habanero chile (Capisum Chinese Habanero Group), Neem tree leaves (Azadirachtaindica), soap, rock flour, yeast, Sulfur (S), Potassium hydroxide (KOH), vegetable oil, and Calcium oxide (CaO), the schedule is ongoing cyclically. Three hundred kilograms were produced in the first year, a total of 8 groups every 19 days, with fruit up to 960 grams, where the normal weight of pitahayas in the Southeast of Mexico is between 350-450 grams. It was concluded that the use of organic products demonstrated a significant difference between production and time of fruit bearing. A favorable result is observed between the use of products and the results obtained in this production of pitahaya, that, given the first year, greatly surpasses other reference production results.

Effect of Spacing and Fertigation on Growth and Yield Parameters of French Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) under Protected Cultivation

Background: French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important and widely grown leguminous vegetable. The area under this crop in protected cultivation is increasing due to its high yield and remunerative price. There is scanty of information on pacing and nutrients for fertigation under protected cultivation. Hence the experiment was carried out to determine the effect of spacing and fertigation on growth and yield parameters in French bean under naturally ventilated polyhouse during Kharif 2018 at Zonal Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station, Navile, Shivamogga.Methods: The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications. There were 18 treatment combinations comprised of three different spacing treatments and six fertigation treatments. Result: Among all the treatments significantly highest number of primary branches (8.70) and secondary branches (8.50) at 45 days after sowing (DAS), number of pods plant-1 (220.20), pod length (20.66 cm), pod girth (2.95 cm) and pod weight (17.69g) were recorded in the treatment combination with 60 × 75cm with 44:70:53 kg ha-1 + mulching + micronutrient spray. The least number of primary branches (4.27), secondary branches (4.50), number of pods plant-1 (160.33), pod length (15.61cm), pod girth (1.75 cm) and pod weight (13.88g) were observed in the treatment combination with 60 × 45 cm spacing with 33:52.5:39.75 kg of N:P:K kg ha-1. The higher plant height at 45 DAS (480.50 cm) and yield (13.06 t) for 1000 m-2 was found in treatment combination 60 × 45cm with 44:70:53 kg ha-1 + mulching + micronutrient spray (S3T4). It was concluded from the study that, the closer spacing (60 × 45cm) with the combination of 44:70:53 kg ha-1 (N:P:K), mulching and micronutrient spray resulted in higher pod yield (13.06 t) 1000m-2.

Development, photosynthesis and yield of blueberry cultivar ‘Climax’ growth with different substrates and nitrogen fertilization under protected cultivation

ABSTRACT: Organic farming techniques gained popularity recently. Despite this increasing demand, there are still many problems, when comparing nutrient sources in organic and conventional farming systems. The study had as objective to evaluate the development of blueberry plants cultivar ‘Climax’ under protected cultivation in a substrate with different proportions of organic material and doses of applied mineral N. The blueberry nursery plants ‘Climax’ were transplanted into plastic pots and kept under protected cultivation. The soil and sand proportions were 40 and 20%, respectively, of the volume capacity of each pot. The remaining 40% were filled with organic material (bovine manure) and sawdust in the proportions of 5 and 35% (S1), 20 and 20% (S2) or 35 and 5% (S3), respectively. The experimental design was in complete randomized blocks, and the treatments were distributed in a 3x3 factorial arrangement, with six replications. The first factor was the different formulations of substrates. The second factor was N fertilization at 0, 10, and 15 g N plant-1. Evaluations of canopy volume, total leaf area, chlorophyll content and gas exchanges were performed six and eighteen months after transplanting. Fruits were harvested according to their ripening. Higher proportions of organic material in the substrate showed a substantial increase on estimated leaf area, canopy volume, chlorophyll content and clear efficiency of carboxylation (A/Ci), especially in plants that was not fertilized with mineral N. The highest yield was reported for the substrate S2, with intermediary amount of organic material, without the application of mineral N fertilizer. Considering agronomic and physiological traits, blueberry plants on the substrate S2 (20% OM) showed the best results, without mineral N fertilizing, becoming viable the organic management system for potted ‘Climax’ blueberry plants under protected cultivation.

Outbreak of Leaf Miner and Root Knot Nematode-wilt Disease Complex on Cucumber- A New Threat under Protected Cultivation in District Gurugram Haryana

Background: Crops are constantly exposed to various organisms feeding on above and belowground parts under both natural and protected conditions. As compare to open field, the warm and humid conditions besides abundant food under protected conditions provide a stable environment for pest and disease development either alone or together. However, the natural enemies i.e. predators, parasites and parasitoids that keep pests and pathogens under control naturally are not present under protected environment. For these possible reasons, pest and pathogens often develop in polyhouses more rapidly and with greater severity than open fields.Methods: A polyhouses study was carried out during last two months June and July in Patudi block of district Gurugram, Haryana where growers are facing failure of cucumber crop due to outbreak of insect pests- disease complexes on common host cucumber. On closer observation, symptoms of leaf miner as mining lines on leaves and galls or knots on roots the symptoms of root knot nematode were encountered. Further detailed lab based investigation were carried out on affected cucumber plant and root samples with the objective for isolation and identification of both pests and pathogens. For leaf miner morphological identification, the pattern of the feeding tunnel and the layer of the leaf being mined by leaf miner is one of the diagnostic key are useful to determine the species and instar of the leaf miner. However, Sieving and decantation method for nematode isolation and soil dilution method for fungal isolation were carried out and followed by morphological identification. Result: Two types of herbivore i.e. leaf miner Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) on aerial parts while root knot nematode, Meloidogyne javanica and wilt causing fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum were identified on the basis of their specific morphological characters. Galled roots of cucumber were affected by combined attack of vascular bundle feeders, root knot nematode, Meloidogyne javanica and wilt causing fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum identified in both soil and root samples. This kind of field report on cucumber crop under protected cultivation has not been reported so far in which three types of pest and pathogens are feeding on the same host. Poly houses or ‘hot spots’ are selected for detailed investigation especially for growers’ friendly management in addition to interaction studies of upper and lower ground herbivores on cucumber crops.

Culture of protection and rescue in Denmark

Culture of protection and rescue in Denmark

Selection of experimental strawberry clones for fruit appearance attributes

Abstract The objective of this work was to carry out the morphological characterization of strawberry fruit of different genotypes, as well as to verify their postharvest conservation. Six commercial cultivars (Albion, Aromas, Dover, Festival, Pircinque, and San Andreas) and nine experimental clones (MDA01, MDA19, MDA22, MDA23, MCA89, MCA94, MFA443, MOGSC468, and MFA443PR) were evaluated. Fruit were produced on semi-hydroponic gutters in protected cultivation and classified according to size, shape, color, brightness, achene position, pulp color, “heart” color, fruit cavity, and sepal position. For the postharvest analysis of fruit, the loss of mass and the appearance of fruit during ten days of storage were determined. The evaluated genotypes show a high similarity to each other regarding morphological characterization. MCA89 and 'Pircinque' are the most divergent genotypes in relation to the others. There is an association between the characteristics large cavity, reniform shape, and medium cavity, which contributes to the indirect selection of desirable characters. On the tenth day of storage, the MDA01, MDA19, MCA89, MFA443, and 'Dover' genotypes still show acceptable conditions for commercialization.

Nutritional, phenolic content and antioxidant activities of vegetables introduced under protected cultivation at high altitude areas of Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, India

Nutritional, phenolic content and antioxidant activities of vegetables introduced under protected cultivation at high altitude areas of Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, India

Influence of Eco-Friendly Management Modules for Suppression of Meloidogyne incognita infecting Cucumber in Polyhouse

Root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) is a major threat for polyhouse growers and cause great losses under protected cultivation. To reduce the use of pesticides in poly-houses and to promote the crop production, an eco-friendly management trail was conducted with different combinations of physical method (hot water treatment), organic amendments (tea waste, tobacco churi, poultry manure, water hyacinth leaf powder, lantana leaf powder and neem cake) and bio-agents (Paecilomyces lilacinus and Trichoderma harzianum). The treatment combinations were used as soil application before sowing against Meloidogyne incognita infecting cucumber in poly-house. All the combined treatments significantly reduced nematode reproduction and enhanced plant growth parameters as compared to untreated check. Maximum yield was obtained with combination of Hot water + Tobacco churi + Paecilomyces lilacinus (3.865 kg/plant) followed by Hot water + Tea waste + Paecilomyces lilacinus (3.690 kg/plant) and Hot water + Tobacco churi + Trichoderma harzianum (3.491 kg/plant) as compared to untreated check (0.983 kg/plant).

Planting density and yield of sweet pepper grown in an organic system

Abstract The objective of this work was to evaluate the yield and fruit quality of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum) genotypes grown at various planting densities, in an organic production system under protected cultivation. The experiment was carried out in duplicate, to compare the yield and fruit quality of the 'TE 300', 'Mallorca', and ‘Timor’ sweet pepper genotypes, at the densities of 2, 4, 6, and 8 plants m-2. A randomized complete block design was used, with three replicates, in split plots. Mean fruit size and mass, yield per plant, and total yield were measured. Dunnett’s test was used to compare means between the standard density of 2 plants m-2 and the other densities. Scott-Knott’s test was used to compare the densities within each genotype. The increase of planting density in the organic production system provided a yield similar to that of the conventional system. A greater density increases yield and reduces the production cycle, without impairing the fruit size or quality of the ‘TE 300’ and ‘Timor’ genotypes. The densities of 8 plants m-2 for ‘TE 300’ and 'Timor', and of 6 plants m-2 for ‘Mallorca’ show the highest total yield per hectare.