Tons Of Seeds Research Articles

Diversity of the <i>Ralstonia Solanacearum</i> Species of Potato Seeds in Mali

Potato brown rot was classified as a quarantine disease because of the complexity of the pathogen <i>Ralstonia solanacearum L</i>., formerly called <i>Pseudonomas</i> or <i>Burkholderia solanacearum</i>. This same bacterium causes the disease bacterial wilt. It is a multifaceted bacterium hence the complex name <i>Ralstonia solanacearum</i> (CeRs or RASLSSO) or BW (in English). It attacks several plant families, notably nightshades such as potatoes; the tomato; eggplant; chili pepper; tobacco…etc. The potato is the most cultivated plant worldwide. Mali is the second largest producer in West Africa after Nigeria. It imports more than 9,000 to 11,000 tons of seeds each year. Potato cultivation is faced with several biotic and abiotic attacks. Among all these attacks, those caused by bacteria cause the most significant damage. In addition, diseases caused mainly by the <i>Ralstonia solanacearum</i> complex lack adequate control solutions. Despite everything, today, very few studies are carried out to identify these bacteria in order to prevent their spread in the soil in Mali. This is why the objective of this study is to identify the bacteria responsible for brown rot in potato seeds in Mali. To achieve our objective, a total of 63 samples were taken from nine varieties of imported and locally multiplied potato seeds. The agent responsible for brown rot was isolated on the Triphenyl-Tetrazolium-chloride culture medium, and several microbiological, biochemical and molecular tests were carried out to identify the different isolates selected. As the main results of this study: twenty-seven bacterial isolates, capable of causing brown rot of potato seeds were isolated, the biochemical tests carried out on these isolates showed that they all of race3 and twenty -four isolates were biovar 3; one from biovar 2 and two from biovar 6. The molecular studies carried out using universal primers confirmed the presence of the species <i>Ralstonia solanacearum</i> with two phylotypes (I and II).

ПРОРОСТАННЯ НАСІННЯ ПШЕНИЦІ ОЗИМОЇ ЗАЛЕЖНО ВІД ПЕРЕДПОСІВНОЇ ОБРОБКИ РЕГУЛЯТОРАМИ РОСТУ

Modern technologies for growing grain crops require the use of environmentally safe measures and methods. The pre-sowing treatment of wheat seeds necessitates the correct choice of drugs with a wide spectrum of influence on the morphological and physiological indicators of seedlings. From 2019 to 2022, the effectiveness of pre-sowing treatment of winter wheat seeds was studied using the growth regulators 1-naphthyl-acetic acid (25 ml/l), succinic acid (0.025 % solution), and the organo-mineral preparation Fulvohumin (1 % solution) both separately and in combination: 1-naphthyl-acetic acid + Fulvohumin, 1-naphthyl-acetic acid + succinic acid, succinic acid + Fulvohumin, and 1-naphthyl-acetic acid + succinic acid + Fulvohumin. The working solution consumption was 10 liters per ton of seeds. Treated winter wheat seeds were germinated for eight days at a temperature of +20°C. Laboratory seed germination, biometric parameters, and dry and wet weight of seedlings were determined and statistically analyzed. It was established that succinic acid significantly increases seed germination by 11 %, but seedlings treated with succinic acid showed slightly smaller seedling length and raw weight than the control. Pre-sowing treatment of winter wheat seeds with Fulvohumin significantly increases laboratory seed germination (up to 95 %), root length, and total seedling length. This treatment resulted in a 34.5 % increase in the dry weight of seedlings compared to the control. The highest content of dry matter was observed after seed treatment with a mixture of 1-naphthyl-acetic acid + Fulvohumin + succinic acid, reaching 17.4 %. The combination treatment with Fulvohumin + succinic acid produced the tallest seedlings (14.12 cm) and the greatest raw weight (131.39 mg). A significant increase in raw and dry mass of 8-day-old seedlings was noted after seed treatment with the mixture of 1-naphthyl-acetic acid + succinic acid. However, pre-sowing treatment of winter wheat seeds with only 1-naphthyl-acetic acid (0.025 % solution) was not effective, as it did not significantly increase germination (only by 1.3 %). Additionally, seedlings treated with 1-naphthyl-acetic acid had the shortest root length (4.99–5.78 cm). Therefore, the use of Fulvohumin enhances the effectiveness of growth regulators such as succinic acid and 1-naphthyl-acetic acid.

FOOD SECURITY CHALLENGES: AN IMPEDIMENT TO ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs 2) IN NIGERIA

SDGs-2 is about the shared responsibility to ensure that every one has access to nutrition and affordable food. The heightened interest in food security is the result of a recognition that a number of important factors constitute a setback to the success of SDGs-2 in Nigeria. The main objective of the study is to identify the challenges to achieving Sustainable Development Goals on food security in Nigeria. The theoretical framework of the paper is Political Economy Theory by Karl Marx (1883-1883). Methodologically, the paper used secondary data, the study primarily drew evaluation and statistical information from Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, National Bureau of Statistics, Nigerian Living Standard Survey, and SDGs Base line Reports. While the results have shown that the Nigerian government has embraced the idea of rolling out plans and programs to address the gaps in food security at one time or the other, little has been achieved in curbing insecurity in food. The findings from the study show that Nigeria has about 85 million hectares of land where almost everything can grow, currently produced 110,798 metric tons of seeds in 2022, which is a summation of some major seeds that are established in the formal seeds sector, has the manpower favorable for the advancement of Agriculture and to boost livestock as well as food security. The paper concludes that it is important government removes barriers that increases vulnerability to poverty and hunger by providing an integrated security strategy to address issues of security threats in the agricultural sector. The paper recommends that government should partner with key private agencies to increase investments in the agricultural sector by empowering small and medium scale farmers in particular with access to credits and modern tools.

DYNAMICS OF FERTILITY INDICATORS OF LIGHT-CHESTNUT SOIL AND OIL FLAX PRODUCTIVITY UNDER BOGARIAN CONDITIONS OF SOUTHEAST KAZAKHSTAN

The suitable research aims to ascertain the optimum dose of mineral fertilizers and methods of soil processing and preparation for successful flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) cultivation in the semi-arid conditions of the Almaty Region, Kazakhstan, focusing on achieving high crop productivity with good seed quality. Agrochemical investigations also employed modern devices and widely accepted methods. Studying parameters, such as total humus, labile humus, nitrate nitrogen, mobile phosphorus, exchangeable potassium, soil composition density, structural-aggregate composition, and moisture supply, ensued using specific techniques. The study observed an enhancement in nitrate nitrogen content in the soil, from an initial level of 11–19 mg/kg to 36–91 mg/kg during flax harvest in all experimental variants. On the contrary, the mobile phosphorus exhibited a decline in the soil from the beginning of crop vegetation until harvest; however, determining the available phosphorus in different practices showed medium, high, higher, and very high. Moreover, a decline in exchangeable potassium content (from 344–446 mg/kg to 175–215 mg/kg) emerged during the flax crop across all the experimental variants. The application of mineral fertilizers NPK at the rate of 60:60:30, with the application of a growth regulator Ecorost at the rate of 2 liters per ton of seeds, and employing a flatcut treatment (10–12 cm) on light chestnut soil in the semi-arid zone with super dry season of Almaty Region, resulted in the highest flax yield in cv. Karabalykskaya (410 kg/ha

First Report of Root Rot Caused by Pythium myriotylum on Sesame in China.

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is a very important oilseed crop and cultivated on 11.7 million hectares, producing 6.02 million tons of seeds with an average seed yield of 512 kg ha-1 in the world (Yadav et al. 2022). In June of 2021, diseased roots were observed on sesame in the villages of Mada and Hanba, Xiangcheng city (114.88°N, 33.13°E), Henan province, China. The diseased plants appeared stunted and wilted at the seedling stage. Approximately 7.1% to 17.7% of plants were affected in two fields, 0.6 ha in total, and disease severity in each affected plant ranged from 50% to 80%. Twenty-four disease plants were collected to confirm the pathogen. The diseased roots were cut into small fragments (2 to 5 mm long), surface sterilized with 75% ethanol (for 1 min), and 10% sodium hypochlorite (for 1 min) and then rinsed in sterilized water three times (1 min each rinse). The fragments were blotted dry and transferred to a potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium (potato 200 g/L, glucose 20 g/L, agar 18 g/L) amended with streptomycin (50 μg/mL). After incubation at 28°C for 24 h, white mycelium grew out from plant fragments. Then, a total of seven morphologically similar strains were transferred onto fresh V8 agar by hyphal tip transfer (Rollins 2003). By light microscope observations, the sporangia were filamentous or digitated, and undifferentiated or inflated lobulate. The oospores were mostly aplerotic, globose or subglobose in shape, and 20.4 to 42.6 μm in diameter (n = 90, n: Total number of oospores measured). Furthermore, antheridia were bulbous-like or clavate-like and were observed attached to the surface of the oospores. The zoospores were abundant and ranged from 8.5 to 14.2 μm in diameter. The morphology characteristics of all strains were consistent with those of Pythium myriotylum (Watanabe et al. 2007). Genomic DNA was extracted from the representative strain 20210628 using the CTAB method (Wangsomboondee et al. 2002). The complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (COI, COX1) can be valid and useful barcodes for accurate identification of many oomycetes (Robideau et al. 2011). The ITS and COI were amplified with the primers ITS1/ITS4 (Riit et al. 2016) and primers OomCox-Levup/OomCox-Levlo (Robideau et al. 2011), respectively. The nucleotide sequences obtained were deposited in the GenBank database under the accession numbers OM230138.2 (ITS) and ON500503.1 (COI). GenBank BLAST search identified the sequences as P. myriotylum ITS and COI sequences (e.g., HQ237488.1 and MK510848.1, respectively) with 100% coverage and 100% identity. To evaluate the pathogenicity, sesame seeds (cultivar: Jinzhi No.3) were planted in 12-cm-diameter plastic pots containing a mixture of sterilized soil, vermiculite and peat mossat a ratio of 3:1:1. Oospores were collected following the procedure of Raftoyannis et al. (2006) with minor modifications. Three-leaf stage sesame roots were soaked with 5 mL of oospore suspension at 1 × 106/mL of the 20210628 strain, and the control plants were inoculated with sterilized water. All plants were maintained in a greenhouse (28±2°C, > 80% R. H.). The experiment was repeated twice with three replications. The plants inoculated with P. myriotylum showed the water soak symptom on the stem base 7 days after inoculation, while control plants were symptomless. Three weeks after inoculation, the plants showed root tissue necrosis, root rot, and dwarfing symptoms that were similar to those observed on sesame plants in the field, while control plants remained healthy. P. myriotylum was re-isolated from the inoculated plants and the morphology was the same as the original strain 20210628. These results suggest that P. myriotylum is the causal agent of sesame root rot. Previous studies have revealed that P. myriotylum can cause root rot in peanuts (Yu et al. 2019), chili pepper (Hyder et al. 2018), green bean (Serrano et al. 2008) and aerial blight of tomato (Roberts et al. 1999). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of P. myriotylum causing root rot on sesame. This pathogen can infect plant roots and develop rapidly if no effective control measures are implemented. Once the disease breaks out in a large area, the yield of sesame will be seriously threatened. The results provide important implications for the prevention and management of this disease.

ОПРЕДЕЛЕНИЕ ЭФФЕКТИВНЫХ КОНЦЕНТРАЦИЙ ДЕЙСТВУЮЩЕГО ВЕЩЕСТВА ФУБЕРИДАЗОЛА ДЛЯ СОЗДАНИЯ ХИМИЧЕСКОГО ПРОТРАВИТЕЛЯ ПРОТИВ ФИТОПАТОГЕННЫХ ГРИБОВ

The study is devoted to determining the effective concentration of the active substance fuberidazole to create a chemical disinfectant against phytopathogenic fungi. The effect of various concentrations of fuberidazole (30, 60, 100 and 150 g per ton of seeds) on the manifestation of fungicidal activity and the effect on the growth rates of seedlings of spring soft wheat cultivar Omskaya 36 was studied in comparison with the reference preparations of Economics and Oplot-Trio. It was revealed that all the studied concentrations of the active substance have fungicidal and growth-stimulating activity. Based on the data obtained, it was concluded that the optimal effective concentration for creating a preparative form of a disinfectant is a concentration of 100 g per ton of seeds.

Growth phases of autumn rapeseed effect of seedling thickness

Rapeseed is a highly valuable livestock feed as its seeds contain a higher percentage of oil and protein compared to other agricultural crops such as pea, wheat, and barley flour. Rapeseed seeds are rich in protein and oil, with percentages ranging from 21% to 33% and 42% to 48%, respectively. Rapeseed flour now has a protein content that is 1.9 to 4.0 times higher than that of wheat, barley, and pea flour. Rapeseed also produces 1 ton of seeds per hectare along with 0.41 to 0.44 tons of oil and roughly 0.2 tons of protein. With the introduction of contemporary cultivars that contain low amounts of erucic acid and glucosinolates in both the oil and seed tissues, the importance of rapeseed as a livestock feed has been further increased. Its seed yield is also high, with one hectare producing one ton of seeds, 0.41-0.44 tons of oil, and 0.2 tons of protein. In this research, scientific research experiments were carried out in the fields of experimental scientific research and educational experimental farm of Tashkent State Agrarian University during 2020-2021. The results showed that during the flowering phase, the development of the Yasna control variety slowed down and was delayed by 1-3 days compared to the Sarmat and Loris varieties. In the flowering phase, differences in varieties of rape began to be noticed.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF SUNFLOWER SEED PRODUCTION IN SINGIDA REGION, TANZANIA

Sunflower seed production has been a response of rising demand for sunflower oil in the local and export market of Tanzania. The use of certified sunflower seeds has increased production of sunflower oil among the producers for local and export market. This work aimed at investigating the socio-economic determinants affecting sunflower seed production in Singida region of Tanzania. The cross-section research design with a sample size of 140 respondents was used to obtain information regarding determinants of sunflower seed production in the study area. The findings of the study shows that, the level of technology used by seed producers and suppliers, the use of skilled labor in the factories , the market deman, disasters and diseases were the key factors having a direct effect on sunflower seed production. The extent of seed production was measured based on tons of seeds produced in the years 2016 to 2020, and the study also found that sunflower seed production was low compared to the market demand at the same period. The study concluded that the rate of sunflower seed production and supply in the market can be increased by upgrading the technology used in sunflower seed value chain in Tanzania.

Research on the effectiveness of means for intensifying oil compression in twin-screw extrusion presses

The relevance of the study is due to the problem that is characteristic of various types of screw press structures, which leave up to 16% of the oil in the cake when pressing sunflower oil. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to find rational methods to improve the design of twin-screw extrusion presses to increase the oil yield. The leading methods for solving this problem are empirical research methods that allow comprehensively considering the stages of improving the geometric configuration of the screw shaft based on observation and finding a rational solution to the problem by measuring and experimenting. The paper analyses the features of technical means for grinding oil-containing raw materials in presses and extrusion presses, justifies the need to develop new grinding working bodies. The need to supplement the existing ideas about the interaction of special grinding working bodies with transport and compressive screw nozzles and the development of grinding units for twin-screw extrusion presses produced in Ukraine are clarified. Experimental studies were conducted with the developed design of new working bodies – cylindrical-conical nozzles. They create an intermediate compression of oil-containing raw materials, aimed at intensifying grinding with simultaneous mixing of the processed oil-containing material. A triple repetition of the increase in the degree of compression was obtained when installing three pairs of cylindrical-conical nozzles along the length of the screw shaft. Their use allowed for intensifying the degree of pressure increase and the additional oil yield of up to 3.1%. With each processed ton of seeds, due to the increase in the amount of pressed oil, the profit of enterprises that will improve twin-screw extrusion presses with these working bodies will also increase accordingly.

ЕКОНОМІЧНА ЕФЕКТИВНІСТЬ ДВОСТАДІЙНОГО СПОСОБУ СЕПАРУВАННЯ НАСІННЯ ГІБРИДІВ КУКУРУДЗИ

Topicality. During harvest and post-harvest processing, maize seeds are a mixture that consists of seeds of different quality, size, and weight. Therefore, it is necessary to separate the seeds, i.e. divide the mixture into separate homogeneous fractions. The number of fractions varies depending on the evenness of the mixture and separation methods. Aim. To establish the pattern of fractional separation of maize hybrid seeds, develop methods for their cleaning and sorting in post-harvest processing technologies, and calculate the economic efficiency of a new two-stage separation method. Materials and methods. In the experiments, we used maize hybrids developed by the Institute of Grain Crops of the NAAS, which were separated on sieves with round and oblong holes. The two-stage sepa-ration method was as follows: the first stage, the sieve of grain separator in the throughs and tailing mode separates the mixture into two groups of seed (the sieve holes with a diameter of 8–9 mm or ob-long holes with a width of 5.5–6 mm and a length of 20 mm); the second stage, a grain separator (one or two) sorts each group into a given number of seed fractions (the sieve holes with a diameter of 5–8 mm or oblong holes with a width of 3.75–4.50 mm). Results. Our research has determined the features of separation of the studied hybrid seeds according to various traits and methods. Firstly, the field germination of the seed fractions selected on the trait of seed width was higher compared to seeds selected on the trait of seed thickness. Secondly, separation on the trait of seed thickness is effective only for increasing seed uniformity. The new two-stage separation method was tested in the Research Farm LLC Agrofirma ART Zolotoi Kolos (Dnipropetrovsk region) during separation of maize hybrid seeds harvested in 2018–2020. As a result of fractional separation by a new method, it was obtained the standard seeds of maize hybrids with a germination rate of 95–96 %, a growth rate of 85–90 % without any seed injury. Conclusions. In the technologies of post-harvest processing and pre-sowing preparation, it is recommended to use a two-stage separation method when the seeds are divided into two sowing groups with further separation into the required number of fractions. Separation is carried out on flat sieves with a size of holes depending on the shape of the seeds. The productivity of grain separators increased by 20 %, and the specific energy consumption decreased by 8 % due to the two-stage separation. The overall economic effect was in the form of energy savings of UAH 1.8 per ton of seeds. In addition, the net profit from sowing with high-quality seeds was 6,233 UAH per 1 ha. Key words: maize, hybrids, separation, field germination, economic efficiency.

Evaluation of date palm kernels’ biological activities and possible role in improving liver and kidney functions

ObjectiveGlobal production of date fruit, Phoenix dactylifera, has exceeded 8 million tons, with thousands of tons of seeds ending up as waste. Here, a detailed functional study is presented on the biological activities of the date palm seed powder using chemical analysis carried out via in vitro and in vivo approaches to assess its medical application. Material and methodPowdered fresh dates kernel from Al-Baha city, Saudi Arabia were used to treat rats, HepG2, and HCT-116 cell lines. Toxicity and biochemical analyses were carried out on the cells. ResultAntibacterial tests on Al-Baha date palm kernel (AB-DPK) powder indicated no antibacterial activity on Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Protius mirabilis and Escherichia coli. Cytotoxicity tests of cancer cells revealed a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability in both HCT-116 and HepG2 cell lines after 24 h with IC50 of 43.2 ± 4.9 µg/ml and 63.7 ± 5.4 µg/ml respectively. Rats that were treated with AB-DPK for 48 h also showed no difference in hepatic and renal functions. However, oxidative stress assessment in both the liver and kidneys showed improvement in antioxidant levels by stimulating the production of CAT, GPx, SOD and GSH. In addition, the peroxidation parameter was also reduced in both the liver and kidney assays. ConclusionThe date seeds powder improved antioxidant activities in liver and kidney fractions of treated rats. Coupled with the possible anticancer effect on the colorectal and hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, AB-DPK may prove a useful therapy for the treatment of some cancers, but this requires further investigation.

Reasons for different environmental effects of technogenic nanoparticles

Nanoparticles (NPs) of zinc, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, iron sized 20-90 nm at concentrations of 0.1-100 g of nanoparticles per ton of seeds were studied. The objects of environmental monitoring were bacterial populations and the family of earthworms (Lumbricina). The toxic effect of nanoparticles under natural conditions depended both on physical-chemical properties of NPs and the type of soil, and on the size, concentration of NPs, and pH of nanoparticle suspensions. When measuring the zeta potential of NPs in aqueous solutions, a decrease in pH of the suspensions due to their composition and size was recorded. There was a direct correlation between the energy produced in cells, which was necessary for the development of living systems, and the increase in the number of protons under the influence of nanoparticles. At NPs sizes less than 20 nm, nanoparticles were much more reactive. They exhibited high biological activity and were safe only at very low concentrations. At concentrations above 10 g/t, they inhibited the growth and development of plants and reduced the survival of microorganisms. It was noted that the ecological effect of NPs oxides was different from the behavior of metal NPs. They accumulated in a living organism, exhibited toxic properties, and were transported along trophic chains, which was not typical for metal nanoparticles. It should be noted that zinc oxide was more soluble than titanium dioxide and had a low aggregation value. Thus, such characteristics as solubility and the ability to aggregate in solutions are important for the environmental safety of NPs.

Ülkemizde Şeker Pancarı Tohumluk Üretimi

Sugar beet is an important agricultural and industrial crop that contributes to Turkey’s economy. It is not only the source of sugar production in our country but also become an important sector with seed production. The seeds are one of the most important issues directly affecting the root yield and quality of sugar beet. There are a lot of registered sugar beet varieties and sufficient seed production in Turkey. According to the data in 2020 year, the seeds of sugar beet varieties were produced with a sowing area of 11.891 decare, seed production was 2.317 tons and 198 kg/da in seed yield. The seed amount is completely belonging to the seed companies operating in the private sector. Besides, 413 tons of sugar beet seeds were imported and 11.312 million dollars was paid, while 143 tons of seeds were exported and 1.584 million dollars income was obtained in 2020. The sugar beet plant produces leaves above the ground and root in the first year, and grows the stem, branch, flower and seeds in the second year. Therefore, seed production needs a long time and intensive labor requirement. In order to shorten this two-year period in seed production of sugar beet, firstly seedlings belonging to male and female lines of a hybrid variety are grown and then, the seed production is performed by transplanting these seedlings. In this review, commercial hybrid seed production of sugar beet is explanied in detail.

Value-Added Products from Pumpkin Wastes: A Review

Conversion of agricultural residues into valuable products has become an important study in the industry. Generally, they are made up of lignocellulose biomass which requires a particular method such as pretreatment to enhance the desired yield to produce the end product. However, pumpkin is commercialized in very little way in Malaysia, and their processing generates tons of seeds and peels as byproducts. Not to mention the fact that pumpkin wastes have many beneficial nutrients and dry matter that can be utilized in many ways. Pumpkin peel is particularly rich in glucose content and can be converted through several main steps in bioethanol production; pretreatment, enzymatic saccharification, and fermentation which usually uses fungi to obtain fermentable sugar and followed by distillation. Furthermore, bioactive compounds such as carbohydrate, protein, minerals, fatty acid and a significant value on antioxidant compounds like tocopherol, phenols and carotenes are also found in pumpkin seed. On top of that, pumpkin seeds and peels contain quite an amount of pectin that can be extracted through acid hydrolysis and have great potential as gelling agents and thickeners in the food industry as an alternative source from the commercial pectin. These have proven that the usage of pumpkin residuals not only it can provide good benefits to human, in fact, various valuable products can be produced in a cheaper and sustainable way.

Value-Added Products from Pumpkin Wastes: A Review

Conversion of agricultural residues into valuable products has become an important study in the industry. Generally, they are made up of lignocellulose biomass which requires a particular method such as pretreatment to enhance the desired yield to produce the end product. However, pumpkin is commercialized in very little way in Malaysia, and their processing generates tons of seeds and peels as byproducts. Not to mention the fact that pumpkin wastes have many beneficial nutrients and dry matter that can be utilized in many ways. Pumpkin peel is particularly rich in glucose content and can be converted through several main steps in bioethanol production; pretreatment, enzymatic saccharification, and fermentation which usually uses fungi to obtain fermentable sugar and followed by distillation. Furthermore, bioactive compounds such as carbohydrate, protein, minerals, fatty acid and a significant value on antioxidant compounds like tocopherol, phenols and carotenes are also found in pumpkin seed. On top of that, pumpkin seeds and peels contain quite an amount of pectin that can be extracted through acid hydrolysis and have great potential as gelling agents and thickeners in the food industry as an alternative source from the commercial pectin. These have proven that the usage of pumpkin residuals not only it can provide good benefits to human, in fact, various valuable products can be produced in a cheaper and sustainable way.

Restoring Sahelian landscapes with people and plants: insights from large‐scale interventions

Combining traditional knowledge on native plant species with scientific plant expertise has been established as a critical factor to improve success of restoration interventions, yet evidence on its incorporation across large scales and in Africa, is scant. Even less known are the effective socio‐economic benefits that communities have reaped from restoration activities. This article builds on Sacande and Berrahmouni's paper, further supported by both socio‐economic and biophysical data from large‐scale restoration activities in Senegal, Niger, and Nigeria in support of Africa's Great Green Wall. In total, over 90,000 village households were involved and 56,000 ha of degraded lands planted in 10 countries across the Sahel to initiate restoration in 5 years. Key findings suggest not only ecological benefits, but improvements in livelihoods and health, critical factors underpinning restoration success in the drylands. Results show the profound role native plants and other non‐timber forest products play in the lives and livelihoods of dryland communities. Between 2016 and 2020, 120 tons of seeds were collected from over 110 native plant species and planted in 10 countries, with ecological and economic benefits. Perceived food insecurity significantly decreased in 2020 compared to 2016 observations, declining sharply from 46 to 15% in project sites in Senegal, from 69 to 58% in Niger, and 90 to 25% in Nigeria. In Niger and Senegal, communities generated revenues from fodder species alone of 40 USD/ha per year. The UN decade for Ecosystem restoration 2021–2030 will be an important platform to expand such climate change adaptation and mitigation programs.

Behind the forest restoration scene: a socio-economic, technical-scientific and political snapshot in Amazonas, Brazil

ABSTRACT Conservation of the Amazon rainforest is a global concern and is supported by the Brazilian government’s ratification of the Bonn Challenge and Paris Agreement and the introduction of national regulations on vegetation protection and restoration. Amazonas is the largest and least deforested of the states occupied by the Brazilian Amazon (< 3%). We carried out a survey on the current state and growth potential of seed and seedling production in Amazonas state, pointing out constraints where future investment can promote the achievement of large-scale restoration commitments. We visited the 35 officially registered seed producers or nurseries working with native seeds and interviewed their owners or managers using open and closed questions. Enterprises were mainly privately-owned family businesses with small production (10,001 - 100,000 seedlings per year) and concentrated in the metropolitan area of the state capital Manaus. We uncovered a further 54 non-officially registered nurseries. Annual production (2018) was almost four tons of seeds and nearly ten million seedlings. According to the owners, production could be increased five to seven times with existing infrastructure. Production is focused foremost on species for food production (48% seeds, 74% seedlings), while ecological restoration only makes up 35% of seed and 8% of seedling use. Major bottlenecks cited by the producers were low demand for native tree species, high transportation costs and excessive bureaucracy. To achieve large-scale restoration, we recommend enforcement of national policies for vegetation protection and restoration, and a restructuring of the seed and seedling sector with a bottom-up approach.

ВЛИЯНИЕ КОМПЛЕКСНОГО ОРГАНОМИНЕРАЛЬНОГО УДОБРЕНИЯ (КОМУ) И БИОПРЕПАРАТОВ НА ПРОДУКТИВНОСТЬ ОЗИМОЙ ПШЕНИЦЫ И БИОЛОГИЧЕСКУЮ АКТИВНОСТЬ ПОЧВЫ В УЛЬЯНОВСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ

or 3 years, in three replications, on two backgrounds. The first background is without fertilizers. The second background is with introduction of granular, complex organomineral fertilizer (COMF) during sowing with an application rate of 100 kg / ha. In the subsequent scheme, four options were used on these two backgrounds: 1 control without bio products, 2 Ecoforce, 3 Extrasol-Zh, 4 BisolBifit. The effect of biological products and “COMF “ on winter wheat crops has been studied, and the relationship between soil biological activity and productivity in Ulyanovsk region has been revealed. The highest productivity parameter of Kharkovskaya 92 wheat was obtained by inoculation of seeds with Extrasol-Zh (1 liter per ton of seeds) and BisolBifit on complex fertilizer background during sowing at a dose of 100 kg / ha. Introduction of a complex organomineral fertilizer without application of biological products also contributed to an increase of soil biological activity in comparison with the control background without fertilizers by 5.6%. Our research has revealed a direct relationship between yield and soil biological activity. The regression equation shows that winter wheat yield increases by 0.09 t / ha with an increase of microbiological activity by 1%.

Sowing time and seeding rate in the new wheat varieties cultivation for seeds

The most effective agricultural techniques in the production of high-quality and productive seeds of wheat varieties are the sowing time and seeding rate. The results of the study showed that the best time for new varieties of wheat in the conditions of 2019-2020. is sowing on May 25 with a seeding rate of 5.5 million viable grains per hectare. In terms of yield, the promising variety Beiskaya surpassed the zoned variety Krasnoyarskaya 12 in all variants by 0.1 - 0.3 t / ha. The response of varieties to seeding rates is more noticeable at a late sowing period: the difference in yield in thinned and thickened crops was 0.4 t / ha, while at an early date - 0.2 t / ha. Indicators of the parameters of the elements of the structure of yield (weight of 1000 grains, grain content of an ear, productive stalk) increased with a late sowing period. Analysis of variance of wheat varieties by yield revealed that this indicator significantly depended on the sowing time - 54%, seeding rates - 22%, as well as on the hereditary characteristics of the studied forms - 14%. The seed multiplication factor (the ratio of the mass of harvested seeds to the mass of sown seeds) was 20-22 at a seeding rate of 3.5 million germinating grains per hectare for both varieties and 12-14 at a seeding rate of 5.5 million germinating grains per hectare; the reduced seeding rate allows you to get an additional 4-6 tons of seeds.

Replanting life: ecological and human restoration

Brazil has one of the largest prison populations globally, with high occupancy and recidivism rates. The possibility of professional training and work while serving time can be decisive to avoid recidivism and promote the resocialization of former inmates. The Replanting Life Program (Programa Replantando Vida–PRV) employs, trains, and remunerates inmates to work in ecological restoration activities, including seed collection, production of forest tree seedlings, planting, and water resources management. This study assesses the PRV's environmental benefits between 2015 and 2019, along with prisoners' motivation and perception of personal changes after working with ecological restoration. Recidivism rates among the participants were also determined. Between 2015 and 2019, the PRV nurseries produced 1,014,960 seedlings and collected more than 3 tons of seeds from 248 Atlantic Forest species. The PRV promoted ecological restoration and environmental education in more than 60 municipalities of Rio de Janeiro state. During this period, 326 prisoners worked in the PRV with ecological restoration for at least a month. The primary motivation that led inmates to seek job opportunities in the PRV was the right to remission, followed by professional training. Among the benefits perceived by prisoners for their lives, the most mentioned were the increased sense of responsibility, professional training, and family appreciation. PRV participants that worked in ecological restoration activities had recidivism rates of 22%, which is lower than the national average. It is possible to conclude from the PRV experience that prison work in ecological restoration, associated with professional training and income generation, can promote environmental benefits, reduce recidivism, and humanize the prison system.