Spray Treatments Research Articles

Effect of Applying Boron, Zinc, and Manganese Foliarly on the Yield Attributes and Yield of the Potato (Solanum tuberosum) Cultivar Kufri Chipsona-1 in the Gwalior Climate

The current study was conducted during Rabi 2018–19 at the All India Coordinated Research Project on Potato, which was located in the Department of Horticulture at Rajmata Vijyaraje Scindia Krishi Vishwa Vidyalya, Gwalior (M.P.). The purpose of the experiment was to determine how different foliar treatment concentrations of boron, zinc, and manganese affected the production characteristics and yield of the potato variety Kufri Chipsona-1 in Gwalior climate conditions. Eight foliar spray treatments of micronutrients were included in the experiment. Three replications of each of these treatments were arranged in a Randomized Block Design and statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance methods. 'F' test was used to determine treatment significance. The application of zinc, manganese, and boron had a substantial impact on the yield characteristics and yield of potatoes, according to the treatment. In treatment T8 (Boron + Zinc + Manganese), the highest number of tubers (27.67/plant) and weights of tubers (680 g/plant) were noted. It is determined that using boron, zinc, and manganese would increase crop yields in potato farming under the climatic circumstances of Gwalior.

Effect of Foliar Application of Boron, Zinc and Manganese on Dry Matter Accumulation, Total Tuber Yield and Economic Feasibility of Potato (Solanum tuberosum) cv. Kufri Chipsona – 1 under Gwalior Climatic Conditions

The present experiment was carried out at All India Coordinated Research Project on Potato running in the Department of Horticulture, Rajmata Vijyaraje Scindia Krishi Vishwa Vidyalya, Gwalior (M.P.) during Rabi 2018-19. The purpose of the experiment was to determine how different foliar treatment concentrations of boron, zinc, and manganese affected the production characteristics and yield of the potato variety Kufri Chipsona-1 in Gwalior climate conditions. Eight foliar spray treatments of micronutrients were included in the experiment. Three replications of each of these treatments were arranged in a Randomised Block Design. The use of zinc, manganese, and boron had a substantial impact on potato economics and overall tuber output, according to the data. Treatment T8 (Boron + Zinc + Manganese) had the highest overall tuber yield (30.57 t/ha), dry matter of tuber (250 g/kg), net profit (Rs 193541/ha), and B:C ratio (1.7). It has been determined that using boron, zinc, and manganese would increase crop production and yield profit in potato cultivation under the Gwalior climate.

Corn (Zea mays L.) Yield Characteristics and Oil Content are Influenced by Licorice and Seaweed Extract Spray Frequency

A field experiment was done in spring 2022 on one of the farms in Al-Medhatiyah area, south of Babylon Governorate, using the randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three factors: licorice extract at three doses (0, 5, 10) mg L-1 and encoded (L0, L1, L2). (The second factor is spraying seaweed extract on the plants in three doses (0,4,8 mg L-1) and coding (A0, A1, A2). Three sprays (once, twice, and three times) are the third factor. Encoded (N1, N2, N3). Thus, each replication comprised 27 treatments, totaling 81 experimental units. The outcomes were as follows. Licorice extract at 10 mg L-1 (L2) exhibited the highest averages (32.03 grains, row-1) in all investigated features, including number of grains.row-1, weight of 300 grains, protein %, and oil %. 1,53.34g-1,9.82% 4.82%. The seaweed extract at 8 mg L-1 (A2) exhibited the highest averages (34.66 grains, row-1, 5.10%, 10.20%) in all tested aspects. The spraying treatment had the greatest averages (53.86gm-1 5.37%, 10.53%) for the measured properties (weight of 300 grains, 1gm, percentage of oil%, percentage of protein%) three times. The treatments (L2, A2, N3) and concentrations (10 mg L-1 licorice, 8 mg L-1 seaweed, for three sprays) excelled in some of the bi-interactions between licorice, seaweed, licorice, number of sprays, algae, and number of sprays. Including (the number of grains in a row, and the percentage of oil) by giving them the highest averages (30.60, 35.96, 38.94), (5.32, 5.47, 5.57%), while protein percentage was not noteworthy for the season.

Performance of mungbean in Response to zinc and iron through agronomic mechanism of biofortification

A field experiment was conducted at College of Agriculture, Agriculture University, Jodhpur in kharif season during 2020 and 2021 to study the effect of agronomic biofortification of zinc and iron on growth, yield and quality of mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) varieties. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design, comprised with two varieties namely GM-7 and MH-421 and three treatments of foliar spray of iron (Fe) and urea in main-plots and four treatments included seed inoculation by zinc solubilizing bacteria with soil application of zinc (Zn) in a combinations were assigned to sub-plots. In this way, the experiment had twenty four treatment combinations were replicated thrice. Mung bean variety ‘MH-421’ had performed prominently with respect to all growth and yield parameters, while taller height was recorded under variety ‘GM-7’ during both the years as well as pooled basis of experimentations. Biofortified treatment of iron with urea spray and zinc significantly higher growth and yield attributes were recorded under treatment foliar spray of 0.5% Fe + 2% urea at flower initiation and pod formation stages and seed inoculation with ZSB + soil application of higher dose of zinc sulphate i.e. ZSB (SI) + 25 kg ZnSO4/ha, which remained at par with foliar spray of 0.5% Fe + 2% urea at flower initiation stage and ZSB (SI) + 20 kg ZnSO4/ha at 25, 50 DAS and at harvest stage of mungbean, respectively.

Response of some Yield and Quality Indicators of Different Cultivars of Bread Wheat to Spraying with Nano-Potassium Fertilizer

A field experiment was conducted in plot numbered 95 affiliated to Al-Mahaweel district, north of Babylon, during the seasons 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. In order to know the response of three bread wheat cultivars to the stages and concentrations of nano-spraying potassium. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was used in a split-split plot with three replicates, where the cultivars(Abu Ghraib, Hawler, Aras) occupied the main plot, and the spraying stages (tilleting, elongation, booting) occupied the sub plot, while potassium nano-fertilizer concentrations occupied (2,1,0 g/L) for sub-sub-plot. The results showed that the cultivar had excelled in the highest values for the characteristics of weight of 1000 grains, total protein yield, and grain yield for both seasons, with averages of (38.01 g and 38.59 g), (0.498 tons.ha-1, 0.520 tons.ha-1) and (4.629 tons.ha-1). 1 and 4.777 tons.ha-1) respectively. The spraying treatment excelled in the booting stage of the nano potassium at a concentration of 2 g L-1, and recorded the highest values in the trait of the number of grains per spike and the percentage of gluten in the grains in%, as it recorded (44.43 grains and 44.88 grains), (16.59% and 16.71%), respectively, and the weight of 1000 grains for both seasons were (35.77 and 36.63 g) respectively.

Coating Corn Seeds with Silver Using DC Magnetron Plasma to Protect Them from Biological Effects

The silver was sputtered as layers on corn seeds using a direct current plasma planar magnetron sputtering. Three samples of corn seeds coated with silver resulted from varying the sputtering times 1,2, and 3 min. AFM and XRD technique were used to study the surface morphology of Ag thin films and structure properties. Cultivation of corn grains treated with the three levels of sputtering individually 1, 2 and 3 minutes did not affect the germination percentage. The atomic absorption spectrophotometer’s findings showed that the amounts of silver in plant of the control treatment (without sputtering) did not differ significantly from the spraying treatment for the three levels, where it was 0.350 ppm and for sputtering treatment at levels 1,2,3 minutes and the gum Arabic treatment were 0.363, 0.368, 0.385, 0.382 ppm respectively.

Field validation of an antibiotic-free hoof spray to effectively treat ovine footrot by eliminating virulent Dichelobacter nodosus

Ovine footrot caused by Dichelobacter nodosus is a highly contagious hoof disease negatively impacting animal welfare and causing major economic losses to the sheep industry. Bactericidal footbaths have shown to be an efficient treatment option and will be used in the national footrot control program in Switzerland. However, the application of footbaths is laborious and economically not sound for small flock holders. We therefore tested in a field study the Intra Repiderma spray for its applicability and efficacy to treat ovine footrot. Ten independent flocks fulfilling defined parameters (e.g. clinical signs, positive for D. nodosus, flock size) could be identified and were included in the study. Farms were visited weekly to fortnightly and clinical scores and swabs for D. nodosus real-time (rt)PCR were taken. Treatment with the Intra Repiderma spray was started after initial claw trimming at the very first visit and was carried out three times within a week. Clearly visible clinical improvement was evident after one week of treatment. Virulent D. nodosus amounts on feet declined constantly during treatment which was continued until all sheep of a flock tested rtPCR-negative (1–10 weeks). Results indicate that a highly effective improvement of clinical signs and complete elimination of virulent D. nodosus can be achieved with the spray treatment. Therefore, it is a valuable alternative to cumbersome footbaths especially for small flocks. A sustainable control of footrot and its pathogen in a successfully treated flock can be maintained by strict biosecurity measures and continued treatment as far as necessary.

Productivity and Profitability of Sesame / Green Gram / Urdbean – Mustard Based Cropping Systems under Moisture Conservation Practices

A field experiments was conducted on sandy loam soil during 2016 -17 and 2017 -18 at M.G. chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, Chitrakoot, Satna (M.P.) to find out the most productive and profitable mustard based cropping system under different moisture conservation practices. Treatment consisted three cropping systems viz. Sesame –mustard, green gram-mustard and urdbean –mustard and four moisture conservation practices (no irrigation, life saving irrigation, straw mulch @4 t/ha and kaolin 5% spray). Results revealed that on pooled basis of two years mulching @4 t/ha produced significantly higher grain yield of sesame (512 kg/ha), green gram (1023 kg/ha) urdbean (2349 kg/ha) and mustard (2558kg/ha) than no irrigation while numerical enhancement were recorded under life saving irrigation and kaolin 5 % spray treatment in seed yield of sesame, green gram, urdbean and mustard crop. The maximum mustard equivalent grain yield of 3759 kg/ha, system production efficiency of 33.52 kg/ha/day and system profitability of 339.00 Rs/ha/day was recorded under green gram – mustard system. Among the moisture conservation practices, straw mulch treatment had highest mustard equivalent grain yield of 4021 kg/ha, production efficiency of 35.83 kg/ha/day and system profitability (35.83 Rs/ha/day). The gross returns (Rs 182764/ha), net returns (Rs 139644/ha) and benefit: cost ratio (3.24) were maximized under green gram- mustard system x straw mulch @4 t/ha treatment on pooled basis.

Coping with Water Stress: Ameliorative Effects of Combined Treatments of Salicylic Acid and Glycine Betaine on the Biometric Traits and Water-Use Efficiency of Onion (Allium cepa) Cultivated under Deficit Drip Irrigation.

Freshwater scarcity is a major global challenge threatening food security. Agriculture requires huge quantities of water to feed the ever-increasing human population. Sustainable irrigation techniques such as deficit drip irrigation (DDI) are warranted to increase efficiency and maximize yield. However, DDI has been reported to cause water stress in plants. The study aimed to investigate the influence of the exogenous application of salicylic acid alone (SA) or in combination with glycine betaine (GB) on the growth, yield quality, and water-use efficiency of onions under different DDI treatments (100%, 70%, and 40% field capacity (FC)). Spray treatments (sub-treatments) were as follows: T1: (distilled water), T2: (1.09 mM SA), T3: (1.09 mM SA + 25 mM GB), T4: (1.09 mM SA + 50 mM GB), and T5: (1.09 mM SA + 100 mM GB). Our results indicated that T2 slightly ameliorated the effects of water stress by improved plant heights, leaf number, pseudostem diameter, bulb quality, and nutrient content of onion bulbs, especially under the 70% FC treatment. However, T3 recorded the poorest results on leaf number, pseudostem diameter, and bulb quality under the 70% and 40% FC treatments. Generally, our results indicated that onions could tolerate moderate water stress (70% FC) without severely affecting the growth and yield of onion. In conditions where freshwater is a limiting factor, a DDI treatment of 40% FC is recommended.

The Preparation and Properties of Ni2Al3 Intermetallic Compound Coating

In this work, a Ni2Al3 intermetallic compound coating was prepared on 45 # steel by combining methods of low-pressure cold spray and heat treatment. Firstly, powders mixed with Ni powders, Al powders, and Al2O3 powders as a mass ratio of 20:6:4 were sprayed on surface of 45 # steel by low-pressure cold spraying technology to prepare a Ni-Al pre-coating. Subsequently, the pre-coating was annealed at 570 °C in an argon atmosphere for 12 h to obtain the Ni2Al3 intermetallic compound coating. The composite coating was characterized using TEM, SEM, and XRD. High temperature oxidation performance of the composite coating was analyzed by isothermal oxidation tests conducted at 600 °C in air atmosphere for 96 h. The results show that the composite coating is composed of Ni2Al3 phase. Under a high-temperature oxidation environment, a protective oxide film composed by Al2O3 and NiO was formed on the coating surface, which resulting in a superior high-temperature oxidation resistance compared to 15CrMo heat-resistant steel. The mechanism of the Ni2Al3 coating resistance to high-temperature oxidation is that an oxide film mainly composed of Al2O3 and NiO formed on the surface during the high-temperature oxidation process; this oxide film can effectively resist oxidation and protect the substrate material from oxidation at a high temperature of 600 °C.

Response Growth and Yield of Three Broad Bean Cultivars (Vicia faba L.) to Spraying with Different Concentrations of Salicylic Acid Under Saline Soil Conditions

South of Babylon province, at 32 degrees 40 minutes north latitude and 44 degrees 39 minutes east longitude, was the site of a field experiment run by the College of Agriculture at Al-Qasim Green University during the winter of 2022-2023. Three broad bean varieties were tested for their reactions to salicylic acid sprays of varying doses in saline soil. The experiment was conducted with a split plot arrangement according to The Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. The experiment included two factors: The first important factor was the cultivation of three cultivars of broad beans (Turkish, Spanish, and Dutch) which were placed in the main plot. As for, the sub-plot was included three concentrations of salicylic acid: control treatment, the spraying treatment with 100 mg L-1, and the spraying treatment with 200 mg L-1. The results showed that the Turkish cultivar was significantly excelled in the studied trait of plant height (118.46 cm), the number of branches (branch-1), and the biological yield (4.81 tons. ha-1), while the Spanish cultivar was excelled in leaf area (2505.8 cm2) and the number of pods (21.74 pods. plant -1), seed yield (2.49 ton. ha-1), and harvest index (56.15%). Where spraying with salicylic acid was significantly excelled on 200 mg L-1 in the studied traits for plant height (97.08 cm), the number of branches (10.87 branch.plant-1), the leaf area (2363.7 cm2), the number of pods (23.01 pods plant-1), seed yield (2.40 ton.ha-1), and the harvest index (49.23%).

Effect of Growth Regulator (ATONIK) and Zn-Nano-Fertilizer on Sweet Pepper (Capsicum Annuum L.)

To determine the effects of foliar spraying with growth regulator (Atonik) and Nano-Zinc in sandy loam soil on the Qurtuba cultivar of sweet pepper, Capsicum annuum L., a field experiment was conducted in a non-heated plastic house at a specified field at coordinate during the autumn of 2022. A factorial experiment was constructed using the RCBD method, and the average was compared using an LSD with a 5% level of significance. Both the growth regulator (Atonik) and Nano-Zinc fertilizer were applied in three replicates at four different concentrations (0, 25, 50, and 75 mg L-1) each. An increase in plant height, number of branches, and leaf area was seen after spraying with the growth regulator at the level (75 mg L-1). With averages of (98.4 cm, 6.1 branch, 2157.7 cm2, 101.3 gm, 53.7 spad, 1.85%, 0.61%, and 2.01%) for dry weight of the vegetative group, leaf chlorophyll content, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, respectively. Nano-Zinc sprayed at a dosage of 6 gm L-1 resulted in significant increases in all of the aforementioned metrics compared to the control treatment, with average increases of 94.8 cm, 6.0 branches, 2049.8 square centimeters, 100.5 grams, 52.3 spads, 1.78%, 0.59%, and 1.88 percent. By assigning the highest possible values to the interaction spraying treatment (75 mg L-1 + 6 gm L-1), it was shown that this treatment excelled over other interaction treatments.

The Effect of Adding Whey and Spraying with Silicone on the Chemical of Chinese Cabbage Plant Brassica campestris var. Pekinensis

The experiment was conducted in the fields of horticulture and Garden Engineering at the College of Agriculture - University of Kerbala for the agricultural season 2022-2023 with the aim of knowing the effect of spraying with silicon in the form of potassium silicate (K2Sio3) and adding the by-product (whey) in improving the growth indicators of the Chinese Cabbage plant. The experiment included 16 treatments that included four concentrations of silicon (0.1.2.3) ml L-1 and four concentrations of whey by-product (0.8.16.24) L ha-1 and were in three batches between one batch and another 10 days. It was carried out as a factorial experiment with two factors according to the randomized block design and with three replications, and the least significant difference test (l.s.d) was used to compare the means at the probability level of 0.05. Silicon spraying treatment led to a significant increase in all yield traits, as the concentration of 3 ml L-1 was significantly superior in each of Nitrogen percentage, phosphorus percentage, potassium percentage and ascorbic acid. As for the treatment of whey addition, the concentration of 24 liters ha-1 was significantly higher in Nitrogen percentage, phosphorus percentage, potassium percentage and ascorbic acid. 2.547 ‘0.316‘ 1.403‘ 64.61 respectively. The bilateral interaction between the two experimental factors showed significant superiority in all the traits under experiment.

What is going on with the flower bud differentiation and metabolites control of scape elongation on Clivia miniata Regel?

Clivia miniata Regel, a globally renowned ornamental plant, is used in China to celebrate Lunar New Year (the Chinese Spring Festival). However, its anthesis in greenhouses often misses the timing of this festival. Understanding the mechanism of flower bud differentiation and scape elongation is critical for the accurate and stable regulation of anthesis. Currently, little is known about the molecular mechanism of anthesis regulation in C. miniata. In this study, a hypothetical model for its growth and the flowering mechanism was verified by systematic observation over a whole year. Once ripe-to-flower a C. miniata plant followed an autonomous, sympodial, and modular growth system in which the stem apical meristem produced four leaves before terminating in an inflorescence. Paraffin section observation revealed six stages of flower bud differentiation. Moreover, a metabolomic profile of a young leaf adjacent to the scape, at each of four stages of scape development, enabled us to identify metabolites involved in various pathways that correlated with regulation of anthesis. A total of 510 metabolites were identified as present across the different development stages of scapes. Of them, 159 metabolites were differentially expressed, and were enriched in the pathways of amino acid, sugar, glycerophospholipid, and glutathione. Amino acids, sugars, glycerophospholipids, and hormones were suggested to participate in development to anthesis by regulating the molecular network involved in scape elongation. The rate of scape appearance was highest (100 %) following spray application of 50 mg/L GA3. While all treatments could advance anthesis, a spray treatment at 200 mg/L GA3 advanced anthesis by 42 days.

Indirect adjusted comparison of 6-month clinical outcomes between esketamine nasal spray and other real-world polypharmacy treatment strategies for treatment resistant depression: results from the ICEBERG study.

The efficacy of esketamine nasal spray (NS) as a rapid-acting agent for treatment resistant depression (TRD) was demonstrated in comparisons with placebo, when both were given in addition to a newly initiated selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)/serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). How esketamine NS compares with commonly used real-world (RW) polypharmacy treatment strategies is not known. ICEBERG was an adjusted indirect treatment comparison that analysed data from SUSTAIN-2 (NCT02497287; clinicaltrials.gov), a long-term, open-label study of esketamine NS plus SSRI/SNRI, and the European Observational TRD Cohort (EOTC; NCT03373253; clinicaltrials.gov), an observational study of routine clinical practice. Data were compared between patients receiving esketamine NS (SUSTAIN-2) and those from the EOTC treated with polypharmacy treatment strategies, either combination or augmentation. Analyses were adjusted for potential confounders, using rescaled average treatment effect among treated estimates. Threshold analyses were conducted to assess potential impact of unmeasured confounders on the robustness of analyses where esketamine NS was found to be significantly superior. Sensitivity analyses were used to understand the impact of analysis method selection and data handling. Esketamine NS treatment resulted in a higher probability of 6-month response (49.7% [95% confidence interval (CI) 45.6-53.9]) and remission (33.6% [95% CI 29.7-37.6]) versus RW polypharmacy (26.8% [95% CI 21.0-32.5] and 19.4%, [95% CI 14.2-24.6], respectively). Relative risk calculations showed esketamine NS was 1.859 (95% CI 1.474-2.345; p < 0.0001) times as likely to result in response and 1.735 (1.297-2.322; p = 0.0002) times as likely to result in remission versus RW polypharmacy at 6 months. Threshold and extensive sensitivity analyses supported that analyses of esketamine NS superiority were robust. ICEBERG supports esketamine NS being superior to current RW individualized polypharmacy strategies, including augmentation, with benefits extending beyond acute use, to improved chance of 6-month response and remission. While unobserved confounding factors may certainly impact results of an indirect comparison, threshold analysis supported a low likelihood of this affecting the conclusions.To view an animated summary of this publication, please click on the Supplementary video.

Cu and Ni Co-Doped Porous Si Nanowire Networks as High-Performance Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Due to its extremely high theoretical mass specific capacity, silicon is considered to be the most promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, serious volume expansion and poor conductivity limit its commercial application. Herein, dealloying treatments of spray dryed Al-Si-Cu-Ni particles are performed to obtain a Cu/Ni co-doped Si-based anode material with a porous nanowire network structure. The porous structure enables the material to adapt to the volume changes in the cycle process. Moreover, the density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the co-doping of Cu and Ni can improve the capture ability towards Li, which can accelerate the electron migration rate of the material. Based on the above advantages, the as-prepared material presents excellent electrochemical performance, delivering a reversible capacity of 1092.4 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at 100 mA g-1. Even after 500 cycles, it still retains 818.7 mAh g-1 at 500 mA g-1. This study is expected to provide ideas for the preparation and optimization of Si-based anodes with good electrochemical performance.

Alternative locust control with a dilutable linseed oil emulsion

AbstractLocust swarm control is still a main topic in agriculture and is often based on the extensive use of chemical agents that can be problematic for the environment and human health. Currently, only a few alternative control agents are available on the market, such as neem oil, the fungus Metarhizium sp., and the microsporidian Paranosema locustae. In this study, we improved the formulation of a botanical insecticide that is based on linseed oil and was found to be effective against the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. To make sure that linseed oil is most effective, we first tested several natural plant oils in a comparative laboratory study. Linseed oil performed best and resulted in 100% mortality within only 2 days after a single spray treatment. However, this linseed oil formulation contains three expensive essential oils, thus we further improved it to avoid costly essential oils. A much lower concentration of linseed oil was also found to be highly effective and killed adult S. gregaria within 3 days in an experiment performed under semifield conditions. Furthermore, a concentrated stock solution of this botanical insecticide was developed to increase stability and reduce shipping costs in areas where water for dilution is available. Mechanical treatment, applied during the preparation of this linseed oil emulsion, resulted in the formation of micro‐colloids, which prevent the separation of phases and enable 1:16 dilution with water containing bicarbonate. Interestingly, only 24 h after single spray treatment, locusts became immobile and most of them were unable to jump, which would make them easy prey for natural enemies. Later, insects died due to the hardening of the linseed oil emulsion. This novel linseed oil emulsion is harmless for humans, rather easy to produce, and remains stable over weeks in its concentrated form, which suggests that it is promising alternative agent for locust control.

Highly Hydrophobic Gelatin Nanocomposite Film Assisted by Nano-ZnO/(3-Aminopropyl) Triethoxysilane/Stearic Acid Coating for Liquid Food Packaging.

Biodegradable gelatin (G) food packaging films are in increasing demand as the substitution of petroleum-based preservative materials. However, G packaging films universally suffer from weak hydrophobicity in practical applications. Constructing a hydrophobic micro/nanocoating with low surface energy is an effective countermeasure. However, the poor compatibility with the hydrophilic G substrate often leads to the weak interfacial adhesion and poor durability of the hydrophobic coating. To overcome this obstacle, we used (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APS) as an interfacial bridging agent to prepare a highly hydrophobic, versatile G nanocomposite film. Specifically, tannic acid (TA)-modified nanohydroxyapatite (n-HA) particles (THA) were introduced in G matrix (G-THA) to improve the mechanical properties. Micro/nanostructure with low surface energy composed of nanozinc oxide (Nano-ZnO)/APS/stearic acid (SA) (NAS) was constructed on the surface of G-THA film (G-THA/NAS) through one-step spray treatment. Consequently, as-prepared G-THA/NAS film presented excellent mechanics (tensile strength: 7.6 MPa, elongation at break: 292.7%), water resistance ability (water contact angle: 150.4°), high UV-shielding (0% transmittance at 200 nm), degradability (100% degradation rate after buried in the natural soil for 15 days), antioxidant (78.8% of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity), and antimicrobial (inhibition zone against Escherichia coli: 15.0 mm and Staphylococcus aureus: 16.5 mm) properties. It should be emphasized that the bridging function of APS significantly improves the interfacial adhesion ability of the NAS coating with more than 95% remaining area after the cross-cut adhesion test. Meanwhile, the G-THA/NAS film could maintain stable and long-lasting hydrophobic surfaces against UV radiation, high temperature, and abrasion. Based on these multifunctional properties, the G-THA/NAS film was successfully applied as a liquid packaging material. To sum up, we provide a feasible and effective method to prepare high-performance green packaging films.

Humic Acid as Combined with Different Levels of N-P-K Fertilizer and Farmyard Manure to Enhance a Fodder Maize-Cowpea Intercropping System

In the summer season of 2021, a research study was conducted at the Department of Agronomy, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Killikulam. The primary objective was to assess how varying doses of humic acid, in addition with the recommended fertilizer dose, affected the growth and physiological characteristics of African Tall fodder maize and CO 9 fodder cowpea under intercropping system. The study was laid down by using randomized block design with 12 treatment combinations, each replicated three times to reduce the experimental error. The study's results highlighted that applying 125% of the recommended fertilizer dose, supplemented with enriched farmyard manure at a rate of 750 kg/ha, and applying 20 kg/ha of humic acid with addition of foliar spray treatments comprising 1.0% Urea and 0.5% CaCl2 (Treatment 8) were found to yield the highest plant height, number of leaves per plant, branches per plant, and increased dry matter production. Furthermore, this approach demonstrated superior physiological attributes, including agronomic growth rate, relative growth rate, and net assimilation rate at various crop growth stages. Notably, this treatment also exhibited the largest leaf area when compared to control treatments (Treatment 12).

Assessment of yield and profitability of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) with foliar fertilization under rainfed condition

A field experiment was conducted during the winter (rabi) season of 2018–19, 2019–20 and 2020–21 at Dryland Agriculture Research Farm of the Chaudhary Charan Singh, Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, to study the effect of various foliar sprays on yield and profitability of rainfed Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czernj.]. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with 3 replications, comprising 7 foliar nutrition treatments, viz. control (no spray), water-spray, urea @ 1%, urea @ 2%, water-soluble complex fertilizer (18: 18: 18) @ 0.5%, 0.5% ZnSO4 spray, water-soluble complex fertilizer (18: 18: 18) @ 0.5% + 0.5% ZnSO4 . The experimental results revealed that, the growth and yield attributes, viz. plant height at harvesting, dry-matter accumulation at harvesting, number of siliquae/plants, number of branches/plant and number of seeds/siliqua, were significantly influenced by different foliar nutrition treatments except water spray. Among different foliar spray treatments, foliar spray of water-soluble complex fertilizer (18: 18: 18) @ 0.5% + 0.5% ZnSO4 resulted in significantly higher plant height at harvesting (226.1 cm), dry-matter accumulation at harvesting (99.3 g/plant), siliquae/plant (426.0), branches/plant (32.6) and seeds/siliqua (15.2). Further, the data showed that, foliar spray of water-soluble complex fertilizer (18: 18: 18) @ 0.5% + 0.5% ZnSO4 increased the seed and stover yield of Indian mustard by 30.6 and 21.1% compared with the control with higher net returns (`121,300/ha), benefit: cost ratio (4.98) and rainwater-use efficiency (75.6 kg/ha-mm).