ALBERT

Description: In this study, yield and water productivity response of rice to various irrigation levels applied with subsurface and surface drip systems in 2019 and 2020 in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey was evaluated in comparison with conventional flooding (CF). The treatments consisted of two irrigation methods namely surface drip (DI) and subsurface drip systems (SDI), three irrigation levels designated as plant pan coefficients (I1.00: Evaporation from Class A pan (Ep) × 1.00; I1.25: Ep × 1.25 and I1.50: Ep × 1.50) and CF as control. The effects of drip systems and coefficients on yield and yield components were statistically significant (P 〈 0.01). DI produced higher yield than SDI. CF produced significantly greater yield than both DI and SDI systems. With two drip systems, average water savings of 60.5% in I1.00, 54.5% in I1.25 and 49% in I1.50 were achieved as compared to CF. However, yield reductions of 15% in I1.50, 20% in I1.25, 29% in I1.00 were observed for DI; corresponding values for SDI were 20, 28 and 44%, respectively. Drip irrigation in aerobic rice production system had almost twice the water productivity based on total irrigation water applied (WPI) or total water input (irrigation + rainfall) (WPI+P) compared with CF. During the study years, the highest WPI and WPI+P values were found in DI-I1.00 (0.81–0.73 kg/m3) and (0.85 and 0.74 kg/m3), respectively. In conclusion, DI-I1.50 treatment is recommended for sustainable aerobic rice production since DI-I1.50 resulted in water saving of 49% but yield decrease of 15% as compared to CF.

Description: The morphological traits of alfalfa under acid soil conditions with different mobile aluminium (Al) concentrations were investigated. The study site was Vėžaičiai Branch of the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, 55°70 N, 21°49 E. The experiment featuring the 30 most Al-tolerant alfalfa accessions (populations and cultivars), determined from laboratory trials was established on a Bathygleyic Dystric Retisol in 2018. In 2019 and 2020, the biological and morphological traits were evaluated: plant regrowth, plant height before flowering, wintering, leafiness, stem thickness, plant vigour, stem density, seed yield and resistance to spring black stem leaf spot. The resistance of alfalfa to mobile Al toxicity was determined using a filter-based screening method of selection cycles C1 and C2. The accessions grown in the soil with mobile Al (20.6–23.4 mg/kg) showed better tolerance to Al toxicity in the cycle C2. The hypocotyl tolerance index of these accessions was better at 8, 16, 32 and 64 mm AlCl3 concentrations in the cycle C2. The correlation analysis showed strong significant positive and negative relationships between the morphological traits. A cluster analysis showed that the accessions, grown in the soil with mobile Al (20.6–23.4 mg/kg) were the most resistant to Al toxicity in the cycle C2. These accessions produced a better seed yield and demonstrated lower values of morphological traits compared to cluster 2. Also, these accessions are considered as tolerant to mobile Al toxicity and might be used as donors in breeding for Al toxicity tolerance.

Description: Soybean yield within the Southern Africa falls below its potential despite similar climatic conditions across some agroecologies, replicable agronomic management practices and introduced improved varieties. Understanding physiological processes and water-use efficiency (WUE) of soybean offer information on bridging this yield gap. A field study was conducted in 2017 and 2018 seasons in two agroecologies (Angonia and Ruace) in Mozambique to evaluate the effects of Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens strain USDA110 formerly known as Bradyrhizobium japonicum inoculant, nitrogen and phosphorus on nodulation, physiology and yield of non-promiscuous (Safari) and promiscuous (TGx 1740-2F) soybean varieties. Data on transpiration, photosynthesis, leaf area index, radiation interception and WUE from the beginning of flowering to maturity were collected. Transpiration rate varied considerably with interaction between locations, growth stages, varieties and treatments. At podding, phosphorus-treated soybean at Angonia transpired less (6.3 mmol/m2/s) than check plants (6.6 mmol/m2/s). Photosynthesis rate and WUE were distinct with variety, growth stages and inputs within agroecologies. For instance, in Angonia 2018 season, phosphorus fertilized TGx 1740-2F photosynthesized more at flowering (25.3 μmol/m2/s) while the lowest was phosphorus-treated Safari at podding with 17.2 μmol/m2/s. At the same site in 2017, inoculated soybean photosynthesized more at 22.8 μmol/m2/s leading to better WUE of 3.6 that corresponded to 2894 kg/ha yield. Overall, soybean WUE was higher when inoculated than N-treated, while P application yielded better. Results from this study will complement breeders’ effort in developing phosphorus efficient varieties suited for a wide range of changing climatical conditions.

Description: Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius), leafhopper (Amrasca biguttula biguttula Ishida) and large yellow-banded blister beetle (Mylabris phalerata) cause considerable damage to okra, especially under organic farming. Thus, the present study was carried out to test the bioefficacy and environmental safety of six naturally derived components [indigenous water plant extracts, i.e. chilli (Capsicum annum), garlic (Allium sativum L.) and neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss.) along with cow urine in three different combinations, one commercial botanical (azadirachtin 0.15%), and two formulated entomopathogenic fungi (Verticillium lecanii and Beauveria bassiana)] on aforesaid pests for two consecutive years at field scale. In addition to this, the eco-toxicological effect of naturally derived components was also studied on natural enemies’ populations, viz. spiders and coccinellids. Quaternary mixture application of chilli, garlic, neem leaf and cow urine (CGNC) at 10% w/v was found effective in reducing leafhoppers (94.6%), whiteflies (95.2%) and blister beetle (94.6%) over control. Okra treated with CGNC produced a higher marketable fruit yield (18.44 mg/ha) than those of other treatments. It was also observed that the application of CGNC had no phytotoxic symptoms on okra plants. Application of CGNC was found safer to the natural enemy's population (spiders and coccinellids). Thus, the study suggests that CGNC can be considered as a potential source for managing the population of whitefly, leafhopper and blister beetle without affecting the ecology of natural enemies and it could be a viable eco-friendly option in organic okra production for ensuring food safety and healthy environment.

Description: Soybean is one of the key oil crops in global food security. The objective of the current study was to determine the magnitude of soybean yield and yield gaps (Yg) in the main producing regions in Iran, the main causes and possible solutions to reduce these gaps and improve yields. This study uses an integrated approach of crop simulation and on-farm information. The SSM-iCrop2 model was used to calculate the potential yield (Yp). Furthermore, management information of soybean farms (the number of monitored farms was 224) was collected and analysed with two methods, including stepwise regression (a production model was created and based on it, the yield-limiting factors were determined) and boundary line analysis (show the optimum level of crop management and simultaneously the percentage of farms that were out of the optimal range of a specific management procedure). The results showed a Yp of 4681 kg/ha while actual yield (Ya) was around 2257 kg/ha. The main factors causing Yg of soybean in Iran were irrigation, nitrogen fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizer and sowing date. Altering soybean sowing date to late June or early July, irrigating at least five times during the growing season, applying at least 50 kg/ha nitrogen and 45 kg/ha phosphorus base application are foremost management practices that could shrink the soybean yield gap in Iran. The results presented in this study can bring relevant transferable information to other soybean production areas sharing the same latitudes and climate, and the approach can be used for other crops worldwide.

Description: The Global Yield Gap Atlas (GYGA) is an international project that addresses global food production capacity in the form of yield gaps (Yg). The GYGA project is unique in employing its original Climate Zonation Scheme (CZS) composed of three indexed factors, i.e. Growing Degree Days (GDD) related to temperature, Aridity Index (AI) related to available water and Temperature Seasonality (TS) related to annual temperature range, creating 300 Climate Zones (CZs) theoretically across the globe. In the present study, the GYGA CZs were identified for Japan on a municipality basis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on irrigated rice yield data sets, equating to actual yields (Ya) in the GYGA context, from long-term government statistics. The ANOVA was conducted for the data sets over two decades between 1994 and 2016 by assigning the GDD score of 6 levels and the TS score of 2 levels as fixed factors. Significant interactions with respect to Ya were observed between GDD score and TS score for 13 years out of 21 years implying the existence of favourable combinations of the GDD score and the TS score for rice cultivation. The implication was also supported by the observation with Yg. The lower values of coefficient of variance obtained from the CZs characterized by medium GDD scores indicated the stability over time of rice yields in these areas. These findings suggest a possibility that the GYGA-CZS can be recognized as a tool suitable to identify favourable CZs for growing crops.

Description: The current study assessed ruminal fermentation parameters and bacterial community, nutrient intake, nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance of goats fed diets containing buffel grass hay and ruminal ammonia nitrogen (N-NH3). Five rumen-cannulated mixed-breed castrated adult goats (45 ± 2.3 kg) were used in a 5 × 5 Latin square design represented by five N-NH3 levels (3.43, 9.95, 17.2, 23.0 and 33.7 mg/dl). Control animals were fed hay exclusively. Other treatments were represented by ruminal infusion composed of a mixture containing urea, ammonium sulphate and casein. The increasing N-NH3 concentrations did not affect rumen fluid pH, which averaged 6.43. Rumen ammoniacal nitrogen increased linearly in response to N-NH3. Volatile fatty acids were not affected by increasing N-NH3 concentrations. A higher abundance of Ruminococcaceae (Ruminococcus 1, Ruminococcaceae UCG-014 and Ruminococcaceae NK4A214 group) was observed in the rumen of goats infused with higher concentrations of N-NH3 (17.2 and 33.7 mg/dl N-NH3). There was a quadratic effect (P 〈 0.050) of N-NH3 levels on neutral detergent fibre intake with maximum values estimated at 13.7 mg/dl N-NH3. Nutrient intake, nitrogen excretion and nitrogen balance presented a positive linear effect (P 〈 0.050). In conclusion, 3.43 mg/dl of N-NH3 is the minimum level to maintain microbial activity, whereas the recommended level to optimize the microbial community is 14.5 mg/dl of N-NH3 in the rumen of goats fed buffel grass.

Description: Soybean varieties genetically free from Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (KTI) and lipoxygenase-2 (Lox2) are desirable to increase human consumption, as the former is an antinutritional factor that affects protein digestibility while the latter is a principal contributor to off-flavour. In the present investigation, soybean genotypes free from both these undesirable components were developed by introgression of null allele of Lox2 from NRC109 (lox2lox2) into two KTI-free soybean genotypes derived from genotypes JS97-52 and NRC7. Foreground selection of plants in F1, F2, BC1F1, BC1F2, BC2F1 and BC2F2 generations developed from two cross combinations i.e. NRC7-derived KTI-free genotype (N7KTIF)×NRC109 (parental combination 1) and JS97-52 derived KTI free genotype (JKTIF)×NRC109 (parental combination 2) was performed using null allele specific markers and tightly linked simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers for both KTI and Lox2 genes for the identification of homozygous recessive (titilox2lox2) plants. Background selection was performed using 239 and 241 polymorphic SSR markers across the genome. This resulted in the development of 9 and 13 soybean lines stacked for null alleles of both KTI and Lox2 (titilox2lox2) exhibiting recurrent parent genome content more than 97 and 96%, respectively. Days-to-flowering, days-to-maturity, 100-seed weight and yield per plant of the stacked lines developed from both the parental combinations were at par with the respective recurrent parents.

Description: The aim of this study was to evaluate the non-carcass components (NCC) of Berganês ecotype lambs of different sexual classes and genotypes using univariate and multivariate statistics, carrying out two experimental trials. In order to evaluate the effects of the sexual class, non-castrated males (BNC), castrated males (BC) and females (BF) of Berganês ecotype lambs were used, with mean initial body weight of 27 ± 3.1 kg. To evaluate crossbreeding, non-castrated male lambs of the genotypes Berganês (BG), Berganês × Santa Inês (BSI) and Berganês × Dorper (BD) were used, as well as the control Dorper × Santa Inês (DSI), all with mean initial body weight of 28 ± 3.8 kg. The weight and yield of the total by-products was higher for BNC. Regarding the genotype, BSI showed higher weight and yield of internal fat, but the weight and yield of the total by-products was higher for BG and BD. In factorial analysis (FA), the NCC, more correlated with empty body weight (EBW) and total weight gain (TWG), showed higher eigenvectors for factor 1. For factor 2, the weights and yields of internal fat and total viscera obtained higher eigenvectors. The discriminant analysis (DA) classified 100% of individuals in their respective sexes and genotypes. Therefore, the FA indicated that, among the NCC evaluated, the weights of liver, kidneys, GIT, skin and feets are determinant for obtaining EBW and TWG. The classification achieved by the DA indicates that the sexual classes and genotypes are heterogeneous.

Description: Evaluating the effects of crop successions in no-tillage system (NTS) is essential for the correct recommendation of agronomic practices, such as top-dressing nitrogen fertilization. The aim was to evaluate the effect of the crop succession and the splitting of top-dressing N fertilization on the agronomic performance and economic viability of common bean crop. The experiment was conducted in southeastern Brazil for two agricultural seasons in an area under NTS, using a split-plot in randomized complete block design. The plots represented three cropping successions (maize in sole crop, maize intercropped with Urochloa ruziziensis and U. ruziziensis in sole crop) and the subplots composed of ten combinations of splitting of top-dressing N, at the stages V3, V4 and R5 of the common bean crop. In relation to the single application of the N dose of 90 kg ha−1, the common bean had higher response as a function of the N splitting schemes adopted, regardless of the previous cropping succession. The cropping successions evaluated did not interfere with the seed yield of common bean as subsequent crop, even at the beginning of the establishment of NTS. To obtain higher seed yield and economic viability, the N dose of 90 kg ha−1 indicated for the crop must be split and applied among the phenological stages V3, V4 and R5.