Selection Of Varieties Research Articles

Evaluation of safflower varieties for productivity and quality in the arid conditions of the Northern Caspian region

In a dry continental climate, safflower has an undeniable advantage over grains and oilseeds due to its morphological structure. The main advantage of this crop is that it is capable of extracting water from deep layers of soil with its developed root system, and due to the structural features of the vegetative mass, it can use it economically, while forming stable yields. Therefore, the search for promising varieties for the selection of new varieties, especially in the arid conditions of the Astrakhan region, continues to be relevant. Over the course of three years (2019-2021), there were studied 28 collection varieties of safflower of various ecological and geographical origin from the Federal Research Center N. I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR). During the study period, 12 varieties were identified from the collection under study based on the yield and a number of economically valuable traits for further use in breeding work. The productivity of the selected samples of the studied collection varied greatly, depending on the conditions of the year and on average exceeded the standard variety Astrakhansky 747 by 0.08...0.23 t/ha. At the same time, the highest yield of the selected samples was from Tajikistan (619 Tsam-buli, 618 Shahalli-260) and Kazakhstan (620 Shirkas, 622 Center 70) – 0.43...0.51 t/ha, that was 0.15…0.23 t/ha higher than the standard. According to the oil content in the seeds (0.5...1.9 % higher than the standard) the following varieties were identified: 621 Talan (Kazakhstan) – 30.3 %, 584 Sinaloa-90 (Mexico) – 30.3 %, 619 Tsambuli (Tajikistan) – 29.4 %, 609 Akmai (Kazakhstan) – 29.1 %. The development of new varieties based on selected samples will allow to obtain stable yields in extremely arid conditions of the region.

Non-stomatal processes are responsible for the decrease in gross primary production of a potato crop during edaphic drought

Soil water stress is one of the main constraints on agrosystem functioning, causing a reduction in gross primary production (GPP). It is a key factor for the selection of drought-tolerant plant varieties and the adaptation of irrigation management strategies. Therefore, identifying the physiological factors limiting GPP is crucial. Land surface models commonly implement a beta (β) stress function to reproduce the effects of drought on GPP. It is still unclear whether GPP limitations originate from a direct stomatal response (SOL) or from other non-stomatal causes (NSOL). Moreover, the shape and thresholds of the β function are a major cause of uncertainty in LSMs. This study investigated the effects of edaphic drought on GPP limitations of a potato crop by using eddy covariance data from the Lonzée ICOS station (BE-Lon) in Belgium for four years (2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018) and by calibrating the β function on NSOL and SOL.The decrease in the relative extractable water in the soil (REW) induced a decline in the apparent maximum carboxylation rate (NSOL) from similar REW thresholds for all growing seasons of potato crops. A sensitivity analysis showed that the non-inclusion of REW decrease on NSOL in the modeling of GPP led to important overestimations of carbon sequestration from a threshold corresponding to 46 % of the maximum available soil water. The stomatal sensitivity to photosynthesis (SOL) remained constant or even increased in 2010 and 2018. The carbon and water fluxes were decoupled when REW decreased, exhibiting a strict control of NSOL on hourly dynamics of GPP. This study provides REW thresholds to identify drought stress episodes and to help for designing irrigation management strategies. Our results advocate for a better representation of the influence of drought on photosynthesis processes of potato crops to improve the accuracy of model predictions during drought.

Method of ISSR-marking in the study of genetic diversity of flax varieties

The genetic diversity of crop varieties should be assessed using modern molecular markers. One of the most promising and simple methods of plant genetic analysis is intermicrosatellite labeling (ISSR). The purpose of this research is to study the polymorphism of varieties of fiber flax and linseed flax included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation, as well as local forms of fiber flax using ISSR markers. The objects for the research were 83 samples from the collection of the Federal Research Center for Bast Fiber Crops, among them 24 varieties of linseed flax, 56 varieties of fiber flax of domestic and foreign breeding, and three local forms from the Central Non-Black Earth Region. Genetic analysis was carried out by PCR method using a set of 25 ISSR primers. Detection of amplification products was carried out using electrophoresis in 1.5% agarose gel. Based on intraspecific selection of flax varieties to oilseed and fiber forms, a cluster analysis was performed according to the results of ISSR labeling independently in each of two groups that allowed to increase the reliability of conclusions on the existing dependences. Dendrograms of the genetic similarity of the studied samples of linseed flax and fiber flax were studied independently from each other. As a result of the analysis, linseed flax varieties were divided into five clusters, which made it possible to establish dependencies related to their origin (originator of the variety) and oil content in the seed. The dendrogram which included varieties of fiber flax and its local forms, revealed twelve subclusters forming three uneven groups. Almost every group had its own characteristic feature, not related to the geography of origin. The grouping of varieties occurred mainly on the basis of their various characteristics in terms of flax fiber content, ripening time and resistance to environmental stress factors. The results of the research show the applicability of using the ISSR-markers as a valid and accessible method for developing the elements of marker-associative breeding of bast fiber crops.

CUDU-Net: Collaborative up-sampling decoder U-Net for leaf vein segmentation

Leaf vein is a common visual pattern in nature which provides potential clues for species identification, health evaluation, and variety selection of plants. However, as a critical step in leaf vein pattern analysis, segmenting vein from leaf image remains unaddressed due to its hierarchical curvilinear structure and busy background. In this study, we for the first time design a deep model which is tailored to address the segmentation of overall leaf vein structure. The proposed deep model, termed Collaborative Up-sampling Decoder U-Net (CUDU-Net), is an improved U-Net structure consisting of a fine-tuned ResNet extractor and a collaborative up-sampling decoder. The ResNet extractor utilizes residual module to explore high-dimensional features that are representative and abstract in the hidden layers of the network. The core of CUDU-Net is the collaborative up-sampling decoder which utilizes the complementarity of the bilinear-interpolation and deconvolution, to enhance the decoding capability of the model. The bilinear-interpolation can recovery key veins while the deconvolution actively learns to supplement more fine-grained features of the tertiary veins. In addition, we embed the strip pooling in the skip-connection to distill the vein-related semantics for performance boosting. Two leaf vein segmentation datasets, termed SoyVein500 and CottVein20, are built for model validation and generalization ability test. The extensive experimental results show that our proposed CUDU-Net outperforms the state-of-the-art methods in both segmentation accuracy and generalization ability.

Influence of varietal characteristics of winter wheat and weather conditions on lodging resistance and productivity

Growing technologies and variety selection are crucial for increasing yields and improving the quality of winter wheat grain. The area under winter wheat is the largest in Ukraine, which is associated with the production of high-quality grain. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of weather conditions and variety characteristics on winter wheat plant height, internode length, lodging resistance, productivity factor and yield during the years under study. In the course of the study, the following generally accepted methods were used: systematic approach, system analysis approach, analytical synthesis approach, field approach and statistical approach. The article presents data on the results of research with 20 varieties of soft winter wheat in the conditions of the Training and Practical Centre of Mykolaiv National Agrarian University from 2017 to 2023. Agricultural technology for growing winter wheat varieties is widespread in the steppes of southern Ukraine. The influence of weather conditions and varietal characteristics on lodging resistance and productivity of winter wheat was investigated. The results showed that the optimum plant height of winter wheat varieties ranged from 82.1 to 84.5 cm, and the highest yield was 6.32 t/ha in Staleva and 6.68 t/ha in Duma Odeska. A significant effect of varietal traits on stem length, second and last internode, number of stems formed per 1 m2 , grain weight in the ear and lodging resistance of winter bread wheat was established. Plants of the tested winter soft wheat varieties Staleva, Dyvo, Katarina, Felix, Ozerna, PONTICUS, Faust, Glaucus have a very high (9.0 points) resistance to lodging regardless of the weather conditions of the year. Ukrainian varieties Duma Odeska (6.68 t/ha) and Staleva (6.32 t/ha) achieved higher productivity. The obtained scientific results of the research contribute to the widespread use of the studied winter wheat varieties of this reasonably climatic zone and contribute to further improvement of grain production

Selection of candidate varieties of garden egg (Solanum aethiopicum) in an on-station trial using multi-disciplinary approach

The on-station trial was conducted at the National Horticultural Research Institute, Ibadan during the rainy season of the year 2021. Seven improved varieties selected from crosses generated through half-diallel mating design and two local checks were used in this study. The study aimed to select the best candidate varieties for multi-locational trials. The trial was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Data were collected on agronomic and yield characters. The nine varieties of garden egg were screened for tolerance to Anthracnose and Tuta absoluta. Fatty acid Methyl Esters were also analyzed and sensory evaluation was done using a twelve-member trained panel of judges. The results showed that there were significant variations among all the agronomic and yield-related characters except for plant height, stem girth and days to flowering. L03 was the best in yield and related characters, followed by L06 and L01. All the seven improved garden egg varieties were tolerant to Athracnose while the highest disease incidence was recorded in YALO. The mining activities of Tuta absoluta were more pronounced in L03 while the least was observed in L07. The improved variety L03 had the highest Saturated Fatty Acids (SFAs) and very low Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs). YALO had the best low SFAs and appreciable levels of PUFAs. This was followed by L06 and L08 with moderate SFAs and high PUFAs. L02 was the best in overall acceptability during sensory evaluation but had very high SFAs. L06 was second best in overall acceptability while L01 was third. However, L03 was the least accepted. Based on the overall assessment, L06, L08 and L01 were selected for multi-locational trials and future release.

Unravelling the Complexities of Genotype-Soil-Management Interaction for Precision Agriculture

The knowledge of interactions among crop genotypes, soil types, and crop management is essential for precision agriculture. This paper explores these interactions through the analysis of 27 years of winter wheat trials, with 276 unique varieties tested across seven distinct soil types and more than 8000 plots. The study investigates how different winter wheat crop varieties respond to varying soil types and preceding crops. The findings revealed a significant interaction between variety, soil type, and preceding crop. With only a few exceptions, the highest-yielding varieties were predominantly the most recently developed. The ranking of the varieties exhibited inconsistency across the various soil types, implying that a variety yields differently when cultivated in different soil types. Furthermore, the influence of preceding crops on yield varied with soil type. This suggests that taking field-specific soil variation and the preceding crop into account during variety selection may improve the yield potential. Furthermore, the study highlights consistent yield increases due to advancements in breeding programs, with yearly increases ranging from 0.05 to 0.1 t/ha per year across all soil types. Integration of insights from genetics, soil attributes, and management practices demonstrates how farmers can increase productivity.

IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF VEGETABLES AND FRUITS USING BIOFORTIFICATION STRATEGIES

An analysis of the state of nutrition of people in Ukraine shows that the population does not eat well, which significantly worsens the state of their health and working capacity. The solution to the problem is possible through changes in the structure of nutrition, and above all, through an increase in the diet of vegetables and fruits of high quality, the varieties of which have been created using biofortification strategies. Biofortification is an innovative and promising approach in solving global problems related to nutrition. The goal of biofortification is to create plants with increased levels of the necessary functional ingredients absorbed from the soil, as well as those synthesized in the plant. Biofortification strategies consist in the development of optimal ways of mineral nutrition of plants, the creation of new species using molecular genetic approaches, and the use of traditional breeding methods. The purpose of the research is to analyze the modern experience of creating varieties of various fruit and vegetable crops with the help of biofortification strategies, which have an increased content of functional ingredients. Based on the literature review, it was established that for many years, an unconventional direction of selection has been developing – the creation of varieties and hybrids of fruits and vegetables with the recommended chemical composition. Created varieties of vegetables and fruits with increased protein content (nuts and legumes); starch (potato); carotenoids, dry matter, disaccharides (carrot, pumpkin); vitamin C, betanin, sugars (table beet); selenium (tomatoes); bioflavonoids, vitamin C (cabbage vegetables); macro- and microelements (bulb vegetables), etc. Such raw materials can be used to create special purpose products, which will significantly improve the quality of the population's diet and health. It is shown that the development of the non-traditional direction in breeding remains promising, and the study of samples of the domestic collection of agricultural crops and the selection of the best varieties from them for various directions of use, and especially for the production of special purpose products, is an important national economic and scientific task of an innovative nature that must be developed, therefore that the problem of improving the nation should come first.

Strategic directions of development and increase of the economic efficiency of sunflower production and processing

The article highlights the problems of strategic development and increasing the efficiency of sunflower production and processing. The primary attention is paid to identifying the agro-technological features of the crop (first, high energy intensity and extremely demanding restrictions on predecessors and compliance with crop rotations. A comprehensive assessment of the problems accompanying its production and processing was carried out. They relate to two dimensions of the environment: production-economic and ecological. Therefore, strategic directions for sunflower production development and improving the efficiency of its production and processing should cover, satisfy, and harmonize them. Production and economic strategies should include a selection of new high-yielding varieties and hybrids, innovative production techniques and technologies, new means of plant protection and fertilizers and land reclamation, and innovations in processing, logistics, implementation, and marketing policy. Nevertheless, they should not manifest themselves due to violating ecological imperatives. Therefore, ecological strategies should include modern agrotechnical techniques with simultaneous improvement of the quality of the environment and soil fertility. Only such a comprehensive approach will ensure a high level of development of the industry at the level of agricultural enterprises and a comprehensive increase in sunflower production and processing efficiency without harming the environment. The directions of development and improvement of sunflower production and processing efficiency should now be considered in two inextricably linked planes: from the standpoint of production and economic improvement of management and under the conditions of compliance with its ecological limitations and ensuring the ecological quality of the produced products. Irrational technology leads not only to a drop in productivity and a decrease in the quality of products but also to a catastrophic deterioration of the environment. This undoubtedly leads to additional costs and reduces the potential for effective development of agrarian enterprises for sunflower production and processing. Therefore, introducing innovations in all stages of the reproduction process of sunflower and its processing compliance with ecological imperatives should be a priority of strategic directions of development and improvement of the efficiency of industries at the level of agricultural enterprises. Keywords: agricultural enterprises, sunflower, production, processing, development, strategic directions, efficiency improvement, production and economic processes, ecological imperatives, harmonization.

Coupling Effects of Optimized Planting Density and Variety Selection in Improving the Yield, Nutrient Accumulation, and Remobilization of Sweet Maize in Southeast China

Low planting density and lack of density-tolerant varieties are the critical factors limiting the yield of sweet maize in Southeast China. However, there is relatively limited information about the interaction effects of plant density and variety on sweet maize in Southeast China. A two-year (2021–2022) field experiment was conducted with two sweet maize varieties (MT6855 and XMT10) and three plant densities (D1: 45,000 plants ha−1, D2: 60,000 plants ha−1, and D3: 75,000 plants ha−1). The results showed that plant density and variety had significant interaction effects on sweet maize yield and most traits. Increasing plant density significantly increased the fresh ear yield of MT6855, while it did not affect the XMT10 variety. The increase in fresh ear yield for MT6855 under D2 treatment was 14.9% and 14.0% higher than that under D1 treatment in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Meanwhile, increasing plant density significantly increased the bare plant rate and decreased the number of grains per ear of XMT10, while no sustainable changes were observed in MT6855. Moreover, we observed significantly increased pre-silking dry matter, N, P, and K accumulation across different densities in both varieties. In contrast, during the post-silking stage, the increasing plant density significantly improved the accumulation of dry matter, N, P, and K, only in MT6855 but not in XMT10. Meanwhile, harvest index, dry matter remobilization, and leaf N, P, and K remobilization of MT6855 were significantly higher than those of XMT10. Increasing plant density significantly increased N, P, and K partial factor productivity of MT6855 but did not remarkably affect those of XMT10. In addition, fresh ear yield of sweet maize was significantly and positively correlated with pre-silking, post-silking, and total N and P accumulation but had no significant relationship with leaf K remobilization across the two varieties. These results suggest that MT6855 is a density-tolerant variety of sweet maize, and optimizing planting density with a density-tolerant variety can improve the accumulation and remobilization of dry matter and nutrients, thereby improving the fresh ear yield and nutrient use efficiency of sweet maize.

Participatory tomato variety selection in the lowland areas of North Shewa

The production and productivity of tomatoes in Ethiopia as well as in Amhara Region are very low because of lack of improved and adapted varieties, inadequate knowledge of production and management, and a poor marketing system. The field experiment was carried out during the 2018 irrigation seasons at Ataye and Shewarobit to identify adaptive, high yielding and disease tolerant varieties of tomato. Eight improved tomato varieties were laid out in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times. The collected biological data were analyzed using SAS statistical software version 9.4, and farmers’ preferences for those varieties were also assessed based on selection attributes set by them. The combined analysis of variance revealed that there was significant difference between the varieties on the number of fruits per cluster, plant height, marketable number, unmarketable number and average weight of a tomato. The highest number of fruits per cluster was recorded from variety Mersa (3.83), followed by Melkasalsa (3.73) and Melkashola (3.7). The variety Mersa was the tallest followed by Weyno with plant heights of 110.5 cm and 110.96 cm, respectively. The highest average fruit weight was recorded for the variety D2 (61.25 g) followed by Cochoro (46.46 g). Even though it was not statistically significant, the variety Melkashola has given the highest marketable yield (32.98 t ha-1) and showed a better reaction to late blight disease as low as 27.5 %. In addition to this, variety Melkashola was highly preferred by the farmers. Based on the biological data and farmer’s preference variety Melkashola has been recommended for Ataye and Shewarobit as well as for other similar agro-ecologies.

Assessment of physiological and biochemical thermotolerance traits in tomato genotypes

The increasing frequency and duration of high-temperature extremes have adversely impacted tomato production globally. An improved understanding of the physio-biochemical traits under such climatic changes will enable the selection, development, and adoption of resilient tomato varieties. Thus, this study investigated a suite of fifteen tomato plant traits that could be involved in the physio-biochemical mechanisms of thermotolerance to facilitate the selection of heat-tolerant tomato varieties. Ten tomato varieties selected from a previously published study were exposed to three temperature conditions (26/18 °C as control, 38/28 °C for 7 d as heat stress, and 40 °C for 7 h as heat-shock treatment). The results demonstrated that a composite variable of membrane injury metrics, including electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde content, and heat injury index, was the most successful variable for discriminating varietal thermotolerance under either heat stress or heat shock conditions among all the evaluated traits. Principal components of other plant physiological traits performed poorly in distinguishing thermotolerance among the varieties and essentially did not match the results from the membrane injury composite variable. We identified ‘Celebrity,’ ‘Heat Master,’ and ‘Valley Girl’ as the most thermotolerant varieties under both heat treatment conditions, whereas ‘Arkansas Traveler’, ‘Pruden's Purple’, and ‘Tasti-Lee’ were found to be the most thermosensitive. These results echoed results from a previous open-field screening trial of 43 tomato varieties. Results from this study suggest that measurements of membrane injury are more effective than leaf physiological traits and that heat shock treatments may be as effective as longer term, moderate heat stress treatments for screening tomato thermotolerance, implying that future controlled environment screenings may reduce the number of variables measured and the length of their trials.

Sweetpotato cultivation: characteristics, constraints and preferred traits of producers and consumers in Côte d'Ivoire.

In an environment where the adoption of improved varieties resulting from plant breeding programs is limited, it is essential to identify end-user preferences beforehand. A participatory survey was conducted in eight localities in Korhogo and Bouaké regions (central and northern Cote d'Ivoire respectively) to identify producers' preferences and increase the adoption of improved varieties. The study involved 160 producers and consumers through focus group discussions and individual interviews. Sweetpotato is mostly grown on small plots (<1 ha) of land (89.2%), with women (66%) as the main producers. In the Bouaké region, sweetpotatoes are grown on mounds (100%), whereas in Korhogo they are grown on ridges (86.2%). The main food products or forms of preparation from roots are fries (34.7%), boiled (34.3%), mashed (12.4%), and sweetpotato stew (9.1%). Major constraints, including low price of roots (26.3%), low productivity (16.2%), and post-harvest storage issues (14.5%), were identified as affecting sweetpotato production. The selection of new varieties should be oriented towards high-yielding varieties with high dry matter content, deployed stems, and roots of round, oblong, or elliptical shape with good culinary characteristics (dry matter, sweet taste, dry texture, absence of fiber). Plants must be drought resistant, be tolerant to poor soil, diseases, and pests, and have a good yield. The color of skin and flesh of the sweetpotato, although constituting criteria of choice, are not essential for the acceptance or the rejection of a variety by users. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparison between Farmers’ and Commercial Cocoa Varieties in Cameroon

The present paper shows the results from eight on farm progeny cocoa trial plots set up in 2007 and 2008 on fallow and savannah, in four sites of Central Cameroon region. Mortality rate and yield were estimated on commercial cocoa varieties, consisting in progenies issued from pods harvested in bi-clonal seed gardens set up by researchers and managed by extension bodies, as well as on farmers’ varieties, issued from seeds obtained by farmers from pods harvested in their own fields. Despite the high variability observed among the trial plots for the three traits under assessment, it was possible to observe significant differences between some of the assessed varieties. The significantly highest yielding progeny is one of the assessed commercial varieties, issued from the cross IMC 67 x SNK 64. The significantly lowest yielding progeny is the farmers’ traditional amelonado variety (German cocoa). No significant difference was observed between “farmers’ hybrids” and the two other assessed commercial varieties, consisting in the progeny issued from the cross between UPA 143 and SNK 64 and from a mixture of six commercial progenies. The consequences of these data on the selection and release of commercial varieties in Cameroon are discussed.

Water deficit and potassium affect carbon isotope composition in cassava bulk leaf material and extracted carbohydrates.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important root crop, which despite its drought tolerance suffers considerable yield losses under water deficit. One strategy to increase crop yields under water deficit is improving the crop's transpiration efficiency, which could be achieved by variety selection and potassium application. We assessed carbon isotope composition in bulk leaf material and extracted carbohydrates (soluble sugar, starch, and cellulose) of selected leaves one month after inducing water deficit to estimate transpiration efficiency and storage root biomass under varying conditions in a greenhouse experiment. A local and improved variety were grown in sand, supplied with nutrient solution with two potassium levels (1.44 vs. 0.04 mM K+) and were subjected to water deficit five months after planting. Potassium application and selection of the improved variety both increased transpiration efficiency of the roots with 58% and 85% respectively. Only in the improved variety were 13C ratios affected by potassium application (up to - 1.8‰ in δ13C of soluble sugar) and water deficit (up to + 0.6‰ in δ13C of starch and soluble sugar). These data revealed a shift in substrate away from transitory starch for cellulose synthesis in young leaves of the improved variety under potassium deficit. Bulk δ13C of leaves that had fully developed prior to water deficit were the best proxies for storage root biomass (r = - 0.62, r = - 0.70) and transpiration efficiency (r = - 0.68, r = - 0.58) for the local and improved variety respectively, making laborious extractions redundant. Results obtained from the youngest fully developed leaf, commonly used as a diagnostic leaf, were complicated by remobilized assimilates in the improved variety, making them less suitable for carbon isotope analysis. This study highlights the potential of carbon isotope composition to assess transpiration efficiency and yield, depending on the chosen sampling strategy as well as to unravel carbon allocation processes.

Research Advances in Barrier Technology of Paddy Soil Co-contaminated with As and Cd

Arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) are the most common toxic and harmful heavy metal elements in paddy soils and are easily transferred from the soil to grains. At present, As and Cd and their co-contamination in paddy soils in China are widespread, posing a serious threat to food security and human health. As and Cd have opposite environmental behaviors in soil, and the simultaneous remediation of co-contamination with As and Cd is a current technical difficulty for safe rice production. This review focuses on several practical techniques for simultaneous mitigation of As and Cd uptake and transport in rice in recent years, including water management, passivation, drenching techniques, electrokinetic remediation, phytoremediation, selection of low-accumulation rice varieties, and foliar spraying application. The treatment effects, mechanisms of action, and constraints of various technologies are summarized and analyzed; the development direction of the main barrier control technologies is proposed and the importance of constructing a comprehensive technology model with high regional adaptability is emphasized to provide a reference for the remediation of co-contamination with As and Cd in paddy and safe rice production.

Empowering Women in Agriculture: Exploring Their Role and Decision Making Impact – A Study in Manipur, India

Background: Manipur, a North-Eastern State of India where about 49.81 per cent of total population is women [1] and they contribute about 51.46 per cent of total working force. The state, which is relatively backward in agricultural development paradigm, has a glorious past regarding women’s ‘movement’ for the state’s cause. Now, it is to be understood properly their role and participation in farm economy for revamping the agrarian situation in the state by exploring the farm women’s role.&#x0D; Methods: The study was conducted by collecting both secondary as well as primary information from sample respondents equally distributed over two valley districts (namely, Thoubal and Imphal East) of Manipur. In all the phases of selection (of sub-division, block, village etc.) the method of probability proportional sampling was employed. Standard econometric methods and statistical packages were applied to elucidate the core objective(s) of the study.&#x0D; Results: The status of participation of farm women in decision making process has been judged with the help of Participatory Index (P.I) and Decision Making Index (DMI). Farm women, in general, participates prominently in socio-cultural matters (DMI = 0.86-0.93) and miscellaneous matters (DMI = 0.83-0.96), moderately in family’s financial/economic matters (DMI = 0.62-0.89) but rather poorly (DMI = 0.43-0.56) in farming matters. More specifically, they are relatively less consulted or are given less importance on matters like consultation with officials (private or government), purchase of household furniture, purchase of improved implements/machineries, selection of crop variety, input management in crop cultivation etc.

Response of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) varieties to blended NPSB fertilizer rates on tuber yield and quality parameters in Gummer district, Southern Ethiopia

Potato is an important food security and cash crop in Southern Ethiopia, including Gurage Zone. However, the productivity of the crop in the zone is far below its potential due to an array of factors. For instance, inappropriate selection of varieties and lacking information regarding the actual rate of the newly recommended blended NPSB fertilizer in the potato-producing areas, including Gummer district. Cognizant of this, the present experiment was initiated and conducted in Gummer district under supplementary irrigation, during the 2021 Belg season, with the objective of assessing the response of different potato varieties to blended NPSB fertilizer rates. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with the factorial arrangement and having three replications. There were 12 treatment combinations, comprising three potato varieties (namely; Belete, Gudanie and a local check, Askot) and four blended NPSB fertilizer rates (0, 119, 238 and 357 kg NPSB ha-1). The analysis of variance showed that the two main factors (blended NPSB fertilizer rates and potato varieties) had a statistically significant effect on all tested parameters except the effect of the blended NPSB fertilizer rates on days to 50% emergence. The interaction of the two factors had also showed a statistically significant effect on days to 90% maturity, plant height, main stem number per plant, total tuber number/hill, tuber yield per hill, large-sized tuber yield, marketable and total tuber yields (t ha-1) and tuber dry matter content. Days to 90% maturity were delayed with increased rates of blended NPSB fertilizer for all tested varieties. The highest mean plant height (69.54 cm) and number of main stems per hill (8.38) were obtained at 357 kg ha-1 NPSB with Belete variety. The highest marketable tuber yield (34.40 t ha-1), total tuber yield (35.84 t ha-1) and tuber dry matter content of (26.75%) were obtained from belete variety with the application of 238 kg ha-1 NPSB fertilizer. The results of the economic analysis indicated that the maximum net benefit (180660.7 Birr ha-1) with a 3405.23% marginal rate of return was obtained from Belete variety with the application of 238 kg NPSB ha-1. Hence, the application of 238 kg ha-1 with belete variety can be recommended for optimum potato production with acceptable economic benefit in the study area and similar agroecology. However, since the result is only of one season and location, further research is recommended to be carried out across more seasons and locations

Managing Risk: a Decision Tool to Enhance Yield and Quality of Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) in Ghana

Peanut cultivation in Ghana is influenced by abiotic (e.g., drought, fertilization, etc.) and biotic (e.g., pests, diseases, etc.) factors that must be managed effectively to maximize yields. These factors differ across agro-ecologies and pose significant risks to yields and aflatoxin contamination and can limit financial returns to farmers. Knowledge of interactions among key production practices such as pest management, crop rotation sequence, varietal selection, tillage systems, and chemical inputs is required to mitigate these risks and to provide quality advice to peanut farmers by Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs) and/or similar advisory groups. This paper describes the development of a comprehensive, Microsoft (MS) Excel based risk management tool to help farmers and their advisors implement practices that minimize the risk of yield loss and aflatoxin contamination while providing production cost estimates. This tool is based on a similar one developed for peanut production in North Carolina (USA). Three risk tools were developed; one for the interior savannah zone of northern Ghana which has a unimodal rainfall pattern, and two for the forest and transition zones of southern Ghana which are characterized by a bimodal rainfall pattern. These tools will aid AEAs and farmers to make informed decisions on the best combinations of production practices that will minimize risk and increase yields in Ghana. The development process considered the differences in selection of varieties, plant density, fertilization, and pest management between savannah and the forest-transition regions as well as the impact of their interactions on peanut yield and aflatoxin contamination. Overall, this risk management tool benefits extension service providers (government and private), breeding, agronomy, and plant protection programs as well as teaching in higher education institutions.

Economic efficiency of growing winter barley in the Southern Steppe zone of Ukraine under the influence of variety and biological preparations

The relevance of the article lies in the determination of the most optimal varieties and biopreparations that ensure high yield and profitability of growing winter barley. The purpose of the research was to determine the main indicators of the economic efficiency of the elements of the technology of growing winter barley for foliar fertilizing of plants in the main periods of vegetation with biological preparations. When conducting research, generally accepted methods were used: systematic approach and systematic analysis, field and statistical. The article provides data on the economic efficiency of the elements of winter barley cultivation technology based on the results of research conducted with four varieties of the crop in the conditions of the Educational and Scientific Practical Center of the Mykolaiv National Agrarian University in 2016-2019. The impact of variety selection, foliar fertilizing with modern bacterial preparations on the main indicators of the economic efficiency of growing winter barley was analysed. It was established that the cost of the grown grain depended on and changed under the influence of the features of the variety, biological preparation and the number of fertilizing. Obtaining the maximum cost of grain ensured the cultivation of winter barley varieties Valkyrie and Oscar for carrying out foliar feeding in the phase of tillering and emergence of plants in the tube with the biological preparation Organic Balance: 26.5 and 26.3 thousand hryvnias/ha, respectively. The same varieties, in case of two-time fertilization with Azotophyt, formed the value of grain at 25 thousand UAH/ha, and in controls – 20.1 and 21.1 thousand UAH/ha, respectively. Indicators of conditional net profit and level of profitability also changed with a similar dependence. Values of the cost of growing a unit of production of winter barley had the opposite dependence. The obtained scientific research results and definitions will contribute to the cultivation of winter barley on the basis of resource conservation with the use of biological preparations to increase productivity and the main factors of economic efficiency