Significant Differences In Yield Research Articles

Effects of Straw Returning with Lime on SOC and Carbon Pool Management in Acidic Paddy Soil

Soil acidification and low SOC are the main limiting factors in acidic paddy soils. Straw returning with lime is an effective measure to alleviate soil acidification and improve soil fertility; however, its interaction effects on SOC and carbon pool management are still unclear. To investigate the impact of straw returning with lime on the organic carbon pool of acidic paddy soil, field experiments were conducted on acidic paddy soil in Baiyun District and Huiyang District of Guangdong Province. The changes in soil total organic carbon (TOC), water-soluble organic carbon (DOC), active organic carbon (LOC), particulate organic carbon (POC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), carbon pool index (CPI), stable organic carbon (IOC), carbon pool activity (L), carbon pool activity index (CPAI), and carbon pool management index (CPMI) were analyzed under three treatments (CK, conventional fertilization; RS, straw returning+conventional fertilization; RS+L straw returning with lime+conventional fertilization). The results demonstrated that compared with that in CK, the TOC, LOC, POC, and MBC in the RS+L treatment were significantly increased by 10.24%-17.79%, 34.49%-44.37%, 19.27%-23.59%, and 33.36%-43.26%, respectively (P<0.05). Compared with that in CK, the RS+L treatment significantly increased the DOC content during the early growth stage (15-45 days after transplanting) of rice (P<0.05) but had no significant influence on the DOC content during the late growth stage of rice. Compared with that in RS, the TOC, LOC, POC, and MBC in the RS+L treatment were increased by 2.15%-6.95%, 1.17%-17.90%, 4.27%-8.65%, and 12.99%-14.53%, respectively. Compared with that in CK, the RS+L treatment significantly increased IOC and CPI by 8.32%-15.57% and 14.00%-20.00%, respectively (P<0.05). Compared with that in the CK treatment, the RS treatment significantly increased CPI by 14.00%-18.00% (P<0.05). No significant differences in L, CPAI, or CPMI were detected among the different treatments. The soil pH in the RS+L treatment was significantly higher than that in the CK treatment (P<0.05). No significant differences in rice yield were detected among the different treatments. Principal component analysis demonstrated that rice yield was primarily correlated with DOC, LOC, CPAI, and CPMI but its contribution to SOC and carbon pool management index was low. Principal component analysis also indicated that straw returning with lime could improve soil pH and nutrient contents of acidic paddy soil, driving the formation and accumulation of organic carbon fraction such as MBC and POC, thus boosting the increase in SOC. In conclusion, straw returning with lime is beneficial to the accumulation of MBC, POC, LOC, and IOC in acidic paddy soil to improve the content and stability of soil total organic carbon, which is an effective way to improve the carbon sequestration of acidic paddy soil.

Method to predict alloy yield based on multiple raw material conditions and a PSO-LSTM network

The production of ferroalloys accounts for a large proportion of the total energy consumption of the steelmaking industry. Accurately predicting alloy element yields is the key to reducing alloy waste, but there are significant differences in alloy yield under different conditions using ferroalloy raw materials during steelmaking. Therefore, this paper proposes a multi-model alloy element yield prediction method based on a particle swarm optimization (PSO) hyperparameter-optimized long short-term memory (LSTM) network and raw material condition classification. The accuracy of the PSO-LSTM prediction model was verified through simulations and was significantly higher than that of other network models when using the same raw material conditions. The average absolute error of predictions using raw materials with a low drum index was 0.4485, and it was 0.6162 under a high drum index, which was significantly lower than that (0.7077) under the condition without classification. This demonstrates the rationality of classifying working conditions according to the raw material conditions of ferroalloys. In addition, this paper combines the prediction model with a linear programming algorithm to develop a ferroalloy operating system and uses it in a steel plant to guide workers to complete an alloying operation. After four months of industrial testing, the internal control rate of finished steel composition increased from 91–94 % to 95–98 %. According to statistical analysis, the optimized HRB400E threaded steel consumed 1.23 kg less silicon-manganese per ton of steel, reduced the cost of steel alloy per ton by 8.6 yuan, and significantly reduced the waste of ferroalloys during steelmaking.

Canopy Structure, Light Intensity, Temperature and Photosynthetic Performance of Winter Wheat under Different Irrigation Conditions.

A high-quality canopy architecture is central to obtaining high crop yields. A field experiment was carried out at the Wuqiao Experimental Station from 2015 to 2019 under four irrigation schemes (W0, no irrigation after sowing; W1, 75 mm irrigation at jointing stage; W2, 75 mm irrigation at jointing and anthesis stages, respectively; W3, 75 mm irrigation at tillering, jointing and anthesis stages, respectively) to investigate the canopy structure, canopy apparent photosynthesis (CAP), canopy temperature (CT), yield and water use efficiency (WUE). The results showed that increasing irrigation times improved the leaf area index (LAI), non-leaf area index (NLAI) and light interception (LI) of the spike and total canopy but decreased the canopy temperature (CT) after anthesis. The CAP in the W3 treatment was consistently lower than that in the W1 treatment, suggesting lower effective utilization of light energy under the W3 treatment. Increasing irrigation times improved wheat yield, but the W2 treatment had no significant difference in yield compared to the W3 treatment. In addition, the W1 and W2 treatments had higher WUEs. The CT, organ temperature and LI were closely positively associated with each other, but they were all strongly negatively related to the yield. Overall, the W2 treatment was the best irrigation scheme for constructing a reasonable canopy architecture for winter wheat, obtaining more efficient water use and yield in the North China Plain (NCP). CT and organ temperature can be used as proxy parameters to estimate the canopy structure.

EXPRESSION OF CHITINASE AND -1,3-GLUCANASES IN RICE CULTIVARS IN REACTION TO Rhizoctonia solani,THE CAUSAL AGENT OF RICE SHEATH BLIGHT

Fifteen high yielding rice cultivars were screened for their reaction to sheath blight under field as well as semi-controlled conditions inoculated with the pathogen Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn. Expression of two pathogenesis related proteins (PRPs), Chitinase and -1,3-glucanases activities were estimated. Both chitinase and 1,3-glucanase PR proteins activity in terms of specific activity expressed after 72 h of pathogen inoculation was generally higher in tolerant cultivars (NLR 145, MTU 1061, NLR 3238, MTU 1153) including checks (TETEP and MTU 1001) as compared to control (MTU 7029) and other susceptible cultivars. The presence of a 33 kDachitinase and 32 kDa and -1,3-glucanase proteins was revealed by western blot analysis, across all the rice cultivars following Rhizoctonia solani infection. No significant grain yield difference in relation to the expression of PRPs was observed across the test rice cultivars.

Grazing summer cover crops mix impact on carbon[sbnd]nitrogen cycling, soil water, and wheat yields

Summer fallow practice is common in the US semiarid Southern Great Plains ecoregion. Its primary objective is to store water to enhance winter wheat production for grain and grazing. Prior research on replacing fallow with legume cover crops (CC) (green manure) reported a yield loss through soil moisture depletion for winter wheat. Recent research has shown the potential of grass CC to enhance soil physical properties compared to legume CC. Cost-benefit analyses of CC make it difficult to justify their adoption. Grazing, however, offers an opportunity to mitigate CC costs. The impact of a grazed CC mix on stored soil water, CN cycling, intercropping, and wheat yields was evaluated. Although CC used soil moisture early in the growing season and nitrate+nitrite-N, they recharged soil moisture by the critical wheat seeding and dormancy-breaking periods. In the summer of 2014, net mineralization in CC increased nitrate+nitrite-N by 10-fold compared to 2013 concentrations, resulting in no significant differences in yields in 2015. Nitrate+nitrite-N was reduced by 28% in 2015 compared to the preceding year due to CC growth and net nitrate+nitrite-N immobilization in residues, resulting in 25% less yield in CC treatments in 2016 compared to no-till (NT) fallow. Grazed and ungrazed CC enhanced organic N by up to four times that in NT fallow and sequestered particulate organic N and C by 7–17% and 6–10%, respectively, in micro-aggregates. Despite reducing biomass by 56%, grazing did not differ from most ungrazed measured soil parameters, offering the potential for mitigating CC production costs.

Effects of Bacillus thuringiensis, Beauveria bassiana, Neem, and a Tomato Intercrop on Diamondback Moth (Plutella xylostella L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) in Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) is an important crop in Kenya, ranked 3rd among the exotic vegetables. Diamondback moth (DBM) is a major cabbage pest that can cause a 100% loss in yield if not well managed. Farmers indiscriminately use synthetic pesticides associated with environmental, health, and pest resistance concerns to manage the DBM. To increase the availability of technologies for effective management of DBM in Kenya, three biopesticides; BioPower (Beauveria bassiana 1.0 x 108 CFUs/g), Dipel DF® (Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki), Neemraj Super 3000 (Azadirachtin 0.3% EC), and a tomato intercrop were evaluated. Cabbages (30 plants) spaced at 40 cm x 60 cm were established in 6 m x 6 m plots in 3 replicates per treatment. The treatments applications were; B. bassiana 100 g/20 L, B. thuringiensis 20 g/20 L, and neem 20 mL/20 L. A row of tomato intercrop was established in every two rows of cabbage and distilled water was used on the untreated control. Data on the number of damaged leaves, live larvae, and marketable yields for two seasons was collected from five leaves of ten randomly selected cabbage plants. Results showed significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) between the control and treatments in the mean number of live larvae and the number of damaged leaves. However, there were no significant marketable yield differences between the treatments (P ≥ 0.05). In conclusion, the three bio-pesticides and the tomato intercrop were effective against the DBM damage on cabbage leaves and can be part of integrated pest management (IPM) packages for DBM management on cabbage. There is a need to determine why the treatments did not result in meaningful outcomes against the DBM population and cabbage head weights. In addition, a cost-benefit analysis of each treatment is necessary.

Surgeon, Pathologist and Pathology Technician Effects on Nodal Yield after a Neck Dissection

A minimum nodal count of 18 lymph nodes has been associated with improved survival after neck dissection and has been suggested as a head and neck cancer quality metric. Despite its critical importance, factors affecting nodal yield are poorly studied. In particular, the relative contribution of surgeons, pathologists, and pathology technicians has not been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to understand both patient and provider related factors that affect nodal yield after neck dissection for patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC). This retrospective cohort study involved review of all adult patients with OCSCC undergoing primary neck dissection between 2000-2020 at an academic medical center. The outcome of interest was a continuous variable denoting the number of nodes removed per side during neck surgery. Surgeon and pathologist year of experience were calculated and represented in quartiles. A multilevel multivariable linear regression model was used to assess the association of surgeon/pathologist experience quartiles with nodal yield, controlling for patient age, comorbidity index, previous cancer, tumor grade, and clinical nodal status. The 508 patients included in our cohort were treated by 5 surgeons and 6 pathologists and involved 44 pathology technicians. Of these patients, 310 (61.0%) were male with a mean age of 63. Oral tongue primary tumors were 46.7% of the cohort, while 64.4% of patients had cT1-T2 tumors, and 65.2% were cN0. The mean nodal yield was 24.2 nodes. The ANOVA analysis revealed significant difference in mean nodal yield by surgeon (p-value = 0.03), pathologist (p-value<0.01) and pathology technician (p-value = 0.037). After accounting for patient-level characteristics and patient clustering by surgeon, increasing surgeon experience was found to be significantly associated with a higher nodal yield (joint significance of surgeon years of experience quartiles < 0.01). Specifically, when compared to surgeons with the least experience (1st quartile), those whose years of experience fell into the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quartile removed 4.69 (95% CI: 0.97 to 7.92), 4.47 (95% CI: 0.33 to 7.87), and 7.37 (95% CI: 0.73 to 11.27) more lymph nodes. Meanwhile, there was no association between pathologist experience and nodal yield (joint significance of pathologist years of experience quartiles = 0.27). Additionally, previous cancer diagnosis and cN0 disease were significantly associated with lower nodal yield (all p-values = 0.02). This study demonstrates an independent association between increasing surgeon experience and higher nodal yields. Importantly, it also demonstrates that pathologists and pathology technicians contribute to the variation in nodal yield, and their contribution should not be overlooked in the implementation of a lymph node yield-based quality metric.

Yield and nutritional responses of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) genotypes to irrigated, rainfed, and drought-stress environments

This study aimed to select higher-yielding and drought-tolerant quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) lines suitable for cultivation in the U.S. Midwest, where water scarcity poses a common challenge for crop production. Quinoa, known as a superfood and climate-smart crop, is rich in nutrients, possesses resilience to abiotic stress, and is ideal for sustainable food production and supporting nutritional security in the face of changing climate conditions. To achieve this goal, 128 quinoa germplasms, collected from the USDA-ARS-GRIN, were evaluated. Among those lines, ten quinoa lines were selected for further assessment and evaluated at four different locations in Missouri, United States. Evaluations were conducted under three environments: irrigated, rainfed, and drought stress, over 2 years (summer of 2021 and 2022). Two of the selected ten lines, Ames13746 and PI614927, produced higher yields across various locations and environments. Remarkably, these lines demonstrated significantly higher grain yields under drought stress compared to irrigated and rainfed conditions. However, there was no significant difference in grain yield between irrigated and rainfed environments. Notably, despite the presence of moisture stress, the concentration of essential amino acids remained unaffected, while there was a slight decrease in the total protein content under drought-stress conditions. These research results and selected genotypes can potentially facilitate quinoa production in the U.S. Midwest regions prone to water stress, contributing to food security and sustainable agricultural practices.

Influence of small-scale spatial variability of soil properties on yield formation of winter wheat

BackgroundWith the increasing development of sophisticated precision farming techniques, high-resolution application maps are frequently discussed as a key factor in increasing yield potential. However, yield potential maps based on multiple soil properties measurements are rarely part of current farming practices. Furthermore, small-scale differences in soil properties have not been taken into account.MethodsTo investigate the impact of soil property changes at high resolution on yield, a field trial has been divided into a sampling grid of 42 plots. The soil properties in each plot were determined at three soil depths. Grain yield and yield formation of winter wheat were analyzed at two sites.ResultsMultiple regression analyses of soil properties with yield measures showed that the soil contents of organic carbon, silt, and clay in the top and subsoil explained 45–46% of the variability in grain yield. However, an increasing clay content in the topsoil correlated positively with grain yield and tiller density. In contrast, a higher clay content in the subsoil led to a decrease in grain yield. A cluster analysis of soil texture was deployed to evaluate whether the soil´s small-scale differences caused crucial differences in yield formation. Significant differences in soil organic carbon, yield, and yield formation were observed among clusters in each soil depth.ConclusionThese results show that small-scale lateral and vertical differences in soil properties can strongly impact crop yields and should be considered to improve site-specific cropping techniques further.

Influence of nitrogen rate on yield and profitability of rye grain production

AbstractRye (Secale cereale L.) grain production in Kentucky is insufficient to meet the needs of distillers and bakers, in part because there is a knowledge gap about rye management that discourages farmers from choosing this crop. We conducted an economic study to develop recommendations for profitable rye grain production. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of two different nitrogen (N) rates (35 lb N acre−1 and 70 lb N acre−1) on yield and profitability of winter rye grain production. Experiments were conducted in 2020–2021 season at three Kentucky locations: Lexington, Princeton, and Adairville. Twenty‐four rye entries were planted in a split plot design experiment and the two N rates (35 lb N acre−1 and 70 lb N acre−1) were assigned to main plots. There was no significant difference in mean yield between 35 and 70 lb N acre−1. This indicates that less investment in N fertilizer will not adversely affect grain yield level, will enhance profitability of production, and will benefit distillers due to the higher alcohol yield associated with higher starch and lower protein levels.

Supplementation of potassium in aquaculture wastewater and its effect on growth performance of basil (Ocimum basilicum L) and pangasius (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) in NFT-based aquaponics

An experiment was conducted for 120 days to optimize the potassium dose and investigate its effects on the growth performance of basil and pangasius in a nutrient film technique-based aquaponics. Potassium was supplemented as four different dosages assigned as T1 (90 mg/L), T2 (120 mg/L), T3 (150 mg/L), and T4 (180 mg/L) were compared to an unsupplemented control (C). Basil and pangasius were stocked at 24 plants/m² and 3.00 kg/m³, respectively. The highest basil yield occurred during the 3rd harvest in T4 (390.50 ± 4.25 g), followed by T3, T2, T1, and control. No significant difference in plant yield was observed between T4 and T3. Similarly, highest plant height, leaf length, leaf width, SFW, SDW, RFW, and RDW was recorded in T4 and T3 compared to control and other treatments. Potassium supplementation resulted in increased uptake of macro-micro nutrients viz., phosphorous, nitrogen, sulfur, potassium, copper, iron, zinc, and manganese in basil. The physico-chemical parameters and nutrient profile of culture water were found to be within the permissible limits for aquaponics. The body weight of fish didn't show any significant difference in control, T1, T2 and T3 while significantly lower body weight was recorded in T4. Significantly higher serum cortisol and glucose levels were found in T4. Considering the basil yield, nutrient and chlorophyll content of basil plant, water quality, body weight of fish, and fish stress parameters, supplementation of 150 mg/L (T3) of potassium was found to be the optimum dose for basil and pangasius culture in NFT-based aquaponic system.

Production of Sugar from Cassava Peel using Different Chemical Pre-treatment

Cassava peel has been a notable agricultural waste material to researchers because of its potential to produce sugar, a valuable product in the food, agricultural, and cosmetic industries. The peels constitute lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose, also known as lignocellulosic biomass. Cassava peels must undergo a pre-treatment method to separate the lignocellulosic material effectively. This study aims to investigate the optimal chemical pre-treatment methods and optimal pre-treatment concentration to produce sugar from cassava peel. Cassava peels were pre-treated with sodium hydroxide, sulphuric acid, and methanol with a catalyst (organosolv). Then, enzymatic hydrolysis was performed using cellulase to hydrolyze cellulose to glucose. The glucose yield is quantified using Dinitrosalicylic Acid Assay and a portable blood glucometer. The results showed that pre-treatment using sodium hydroxide at a concentration of 0.05 M at 121°C for 15 minutes gave the highest glucose yield of 4.53±1.20 mg/ml. Glucose produced from 0.05 M sulphuric acid (H2SO4) and 0.2 M organosolv sodium methoxide (MeOH+NaOAc) were 3.55±0.68 mg/ml and 3.29±0.93 mg/ml, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that the effect of different pre-treatment methods and pre-treatment concentrations had a significant glucose yield (P&lt;0.05). Similarly, there was a significant difference (P&lt;0.05) in the glucose yield under different pre-treatment concentrations. Further study on mechanical-assisted chemical pre-treatment methods is recommended.

Improving Crop Health, Performance, and Quality in Organic Spring Wheat Production: The Need to Understand Interactions between Pedoclimatic Conditions, Variety, and Fertilization

Organic wheat production systems have lower yields compared with intensive conventional production and often do not achieve the grain protein content and quality thresholds set by millers and bakers. In contrast, organic production methods were reported to result in higher concentrations of nutritionally desirable micronutrients and lower concentrations of the toxic metal Cd in wheat grain and wholegrain flour. However, although N-availability and variety characteristics are known to affect both gain yields and bread-making quality, the exact reasons for the yield gap and differences in grain processing and nutritional quality between organic and conventional spring wheat production in the UK are poorly understood. The overall aim of this study was therefore to determine to what extent changes in variety choice and fertilization regimes may reduce the yield gap and improve processing quality without affecting nutritional quality in organic spring wheat production. To achieve this aim, we compared crop health, yield, grain processing, and nutritional quality parameters in spring wheat produced using (i) six contrasting spring wheat varieties grown with a standard fertilization regime and (ii) one variety widely used by organic farmers (Paragon) with nine different fertilization regimes in (iii) three UK sites/farms with contrasting pedoclimatic conditions. Significant differences in foliar disease severity, grain yield, and quality parameters were detected between six contrasting spring wheat varieties when grown under organic management regimes. Specifically, the varieties Paragon and Tybalt were identified as the best-performing varieties with respect to foliar disease resistance and grain yield under organic farming conditions and also produced high processing and nutritional quality across the three UK sites. However, the highest grain yields were obtained by Paragon at the Gilchester site and Tybalt at the Sheepdrove and Courtyard sites, while the highest protein contents were produced by Tybalt at the Gilchester site and Paragon at the Sheepdrove and Courtyard sites, which suggests that there is a need for site-specific wheat variety selection in the UK organic sector. Although organic fertilizer input type and level also affected wheat performance, differences between fertilization regimes were smaller than those observed between the five contrasting varieties, which suggests that improvements in spring wheat breeding/selection have a greater potential for increasing crop yield and quality in the organic sector compared with changes to fertilization practices. Overall, results suggest it is feasible to breed/select spring wheat varieties that combine high protein, vitamin E, and micronutrients with low toxic metal (Cd, Pb) concentrations when produced under organic farming conditions. These findings also support the hypothesis that differences in variety choice by organic and conventional farmers have contributed to the differences in nutritional quality between organic and conventional wheat products reported in previous studies.

Effect of Polythene Covering on Seedling Quality and It’s Carryover Effect on Field Duration and Grain Yield of Rice

Boro rice cultivation is often limit due to lack of a farmer's friendly technique for raising quality seedling in irrigated ecosystem. Experiment was conducted in Boro 2019-20 at R/S Rangpur to compare different polythene covering treatment on raising quality seedling of BRRI dhan88 and BRRI dhan89 and to measure it’s carryover effect on growth duration and grain yield of rice. The treatments were as T1: Day polythene cover (from10:00 am to Sunset), T2: Night polythene cover (Sunset to Sunrise), T3: Day-night polythene cover but round shape opening (30 cm diameter) at both sides and T4: No polythene cover (control). Seedbed was covered by transparent polythene from seeding to 30 days after seeding (DAS). Seedling strength was higher on 01 December seeding than 15 December in both the tested varieties. Day cover always had the lowest seedling strength in both varieties. Day-night polythene cover treatment (T3) produced significantly tallest seedling than other polythene covering treatments for both the plantings dates. Seedling mortality was higher in 30 January planting than 15 January planting for both the tested varieties due to prevailing low temperature (below 10°C for eight days). In 15 January planting, BRRI dhan88 and BRRI dhan89 produced higher number of tillers with day cover and night cover treatment, respectively. In 30 January planting, BRRI dhan88 produced higher tiller with day-night and control treatment but day cover had the lowest. Tiller production rate was sharply increased from 35 – 45 DAT and then decreased. Up to 45 DAT, it was statistically similar in both the varietiers with all treatments. Although, tiller number was higher in T1, T2 and T4 than T3 but productive tiller (%) was satistically similar among the treatments for both the varieties and planting dates. There was no significant difference in grain yield among the treatments for planting dates and varieties. Day-night polythene cover treatment (T3) reduces growth duration by 2-3 days over other treatments. This treatment (T3) is farmer's friendly for raising quality seedling in cold prone areas of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Rice J.26 (1): 59-68, 2022

ESTIMATION OF COMBINING ABILITY EFFECTS FOR YIELD AND FATTY ACID-RELATED TRAITS IN BRASSICA RAPA USING LINE BY TESTER ANALYSIS

Brassica rapa is an important oilseed crop in Pakistan. It is a rich source of oil and contains 40%–46% oil. In addition, its meal has 38%–40% protein. Given their high levels of erucic acid and glucosinolate, mustard and rapeseed oil is unhealthy as regular cooking oil. A dire need to exploit the genetic variability of rapeseed germplasm is necessary to improve the performance of cultivars. The line × tester analysis helped estimate various types of gene actions that are important to quantitative traits. The key to successful research is selecting suitable lines and testers and designing good mating patterns. Choosing and developing genotypes with high yield and fatty acid profiles are the major concern of rapeseed breeders. The current research on hybridization and evaluation of Brassica rapa accessions sought better harvest and its related traits from the selected germplasm. The combining ability effects determination used line × tester analysis in rapeseed. The accessions’ variability analysis exhibited extremely significant differences in yield and related traits. Recorded data for different morphological and yield-related qualities provided days till 50% flowering, the number of major branches per plant, and the number of secondary branches per plant had positive and significant general combining ability estimates, and all yield-related variables had extremely notable specific combining ability estimates. All the yield-related characteristics displayed a favorable and substantial connection in the examined germplasm. Among the lines, 28244, 40980, and 40981 occurred to be the best general combiners showing the additive gene action. The cross combinations, 40977 × 26283, 40979 × 26283, and 40981 × 26283, indicated significant specific combining ability effects, which showed the non-additive genetic effects of total variance due to the dominance and/or epistasis. The results suggested that the research material used in the remarkable study can benefit by improving yield and fatty acids-related components and can further enhance upcoming breeding programs based on strong particular combining ability impacts.

Lime and gypsum application to low-acidity soils: Changes in soil chemical properties, residual lime content and crop agronomic performance

Crop yield gains and improvements in surface and subsurface soil chemical properties are evident when agricultural lime and gypsum are used in high-acidity soils. However, there is scarce information on the effects of lime and gypsum application on no-till tropical soils previously treated with these additives (low-acidity soils). The duration of the effects of lime applied to the soil surface varies according to lime rate, product characteristics, soil conditions, and water and thermal regimes. Such residual effects influence the timing of lime reapplication. This study aimed to investigate the effects of surface application of agricultural lime and gypsum on soil chemical properties, soybean and second-crop corn yields, and lime residual contents. The experiment was conducted on a Red Latosol with a very clayey texture in Floresta, Paraná, Brazil. Four rates of dolomitic lime (0.0, 2.6, 5.4, and 8.1 Mg ha−1) and agricultural gypsum (0, 4, 8, and 12 Mg ha−1) were used. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with subplots and four replications. The experiment lasted for four soybean seasons and three second-crop corn seasons. At 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after treatment, soil samples were collected from the 0.00–0.05, 0.05–0.10, 0.10–0.20, 0.20–0.30, 0.30–0.40, and 0.40–0.60 m layers for chemical analysis. No significant interaction effects were observed on soil chemical properties. Liming resulted in soil alkalization, with a consequent reduction in Al3+ and an increase in Ca, Mg, base saturation, and pH. Residual lime was not detected in layers deeper than 0.05 m, suggesting a lack of physical movement of particles in the soil pore space. Residual lime was detected on surface soil (0.00–0.05 m) up to 36 months after application, demonstrating the low reactivity of lime on no-till soils. At 6 months after gypsum application, there was an increase in Ca2+ levels up to the 0.6 m layer, whereas Mg2+ levels were reduced throughout the soil profile for up to 36 months. In no-till soybean–second-crop corn rotation systems, use of agricultural gypsum alone did not provide consistent effects on crop yield and reduced foliar Mg contents. Under the studied conditions of low acidity, liming did not produce significant differences in crop yield but improved soil chemical properties for plant growth under no-till.

Effects of reciprocal cross on major characters and yield of two sweet-waxy corn (Zea Mays L.) Varieties

Two sweet-waxy corn inbred lines, Jikenuo 20 and Wannuo 2000, were used as experimental materials. A randomized block experiment was conducted to analyze the differences and similarities in plant traits, ear traits, yield, appearance quality and main cooking quality between the two sweet-waxy corn varieties. Results showed that there were no significant differences in most plant traits, ear traits and yield between the two sweet-waxy corn varieties, indicating that the inheritance of the nucleus was dominant. There were some differences in the resistance and some cooking quality of the two sweet-waxy corn varieties in the reciprocal cross combinations, which indicated that the above characters were affected by cytoplasmic inheritance to a certain extent. Bangladesh J. Bot. 52(2): 625-630, 2023 (June) Special

Ekim Zamanının Mısırın (Zea mays L. indentata) Agro-Morfolojik Karakterleri Üzerine Etkisi

In this study, it was aimed to determine some agricultural characteristics of maize (Zea mays L. indentata) grown in different sowing dates under irrigated Mediterranean conditions. The study was conducted in 2019 and 2020 in Hatay / Turkey, according to split-plots in randomized complete blocks design with three replications. Four different sowing dates (March 1, March 15, April 1, and April 15) were in the main plots and three different commercial hybrid maize cultivars (77MAY35, DKC6630, P2088) were in the sub plots. It was determined that as the sowing date is delayed, the time to reach physiological maturity was shortened and plant height, ear height, thousand kernel weight, biomass yield and grain yield values of cultivars were significantly affected by environmental conditions changing depending on sowing dates. There were no statistically significant differences in grain yield between sowing dates and mean values determined as 1164.8, 1079.0, 1077.5, and 1058.7 kg da-1, in SD2, SD1, SD4, and SD3, respectively. It can be concluded that all of these varieties can be grown by sowing between March 1 and April 15 in regions with similar ecological conditions in the Mediterranean climate zone. Considering the fact that the aim in commercial production is to obtain the highest yield from the unit area, when evaluated in terms of grain yield, the second highest yielding sowing date (March 15) was chosen as the appropriate sowing date for our region.

Effects of reciprocal cross on major characters and yield of two sweet-waxy corn (Zea Mays L.) Varieties

Two sweet-waxy corn inbred lines, Jikenuo 20 and Wannuo 2000, were used as experimental materials. A randomized block experiment was conducted to analyze the differences and similarities in plant traits, ear traits, yield, appearance quality and main cooking quality between the two sweet-waxy corn varieties. Results showed that there were no significant differences in most plant traits, ear traits and yield between the two sweet-waxy corn varieties, indicating that the inheritance of the nucleus was dominant. There were some differences in the resistance and some cooking quality of the two sweet-waxy corn varieties in the reciprocal cross combinations, which indicated that the above characters were affected by cytoplasmic inheritance to a certain extent. Bangladesh J. Bot. 52(2): 625-630, 2023 (June) Special

Diagnostic yield and the number of tumor cells of ultrathin bronchoscopy for peripheral lung lesions: A comparison with thin bronchoscopy.

Ultrathin bronchoscopy has been reported to have a higher diagnostic yield than thin bronchoscopy for small peripheral lung lesions in transbronchial biopsy under radial endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS). However, data comparing the number of tumor cells in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are limited. We retrospectively compared the number of NSCLC tumor cells in peripheral lung lesions obtained using an ultrathin bronchoscope and a thin bronchoscope with radial EBUS between April 2020 and October 2021. In all patients, we used virtual bronchoscopic navigation (VBN) software, and guide sheaths were used in thin bronchoscopy cases. A total of 175 patients were enrolled in this study. Ultrathin bronchoscopy cases (n = 69) had lesions with a smaller diameter that are more peripherally located compared to thin bronchoscopy cases (n = 106) (median, 25.0 vs. 26.5 mm, mean bronchial generations accessed by bronchoscopy; 4.4±1.2 vs. 3.8±1.0, respectively; p<0.010). There were no significant differences in the overall diagnostic yield (ultrathin vs. thin bronchoscopy cases, 68.1% vs. 72.6%, p = 0.610) or diagnostic yield in only lung cancer cases (78.6% vs. 78.5%, p = 1.000). In histologically NSCLC cases (n = 102), the maximum number of tumor cells per slide as the primary endpoint was similar (average, 307.6±246.7 vs. 328.7±314.9, p = 0.710). The success rate of the Oncomine™ analysis did not differ significantly (80.0% vs. 55.6%, p = 0.247). The yield of NSCLC tumor cells was not different between the samples obtained by the ultrathin bronchoscope and those obtained by the thin bronchoscope.