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Abstract Soybean, belonging to legumes, has a specific ability to biological nitrogen fixation, which can be reinforced by seeds inoculation. However, support with a starter dose of mineral nitrogen fertilizer may be necessary to achieve high seed yields. A four-year field experiment was conducted to determine the effect of mineral N fertilization (0, 30, 60 kg ha−1), seed inoculation with two commercial inoculants and combinations of these treatments on yield components and yielding of soybean in conditions of south-western part of Poland. The synergistic effect of mineral fertilization at dose 30 kg ha−1 and inoculation on soybean productivity was the most beneficial. Similar effects were observed when 60 kg N ha−1 was applied both separately and with inoculation. However, due to the environmental impact of mineral fertilizers and to promote plants to biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), it is advisable to use lower doses of N fertilizer (at 30 kg ha−1) and inoculate soybean seeds in agro- climatic conditions of south-western Poland. Therefore, based on this study we recommend to apply starter dose of N and inoculation.

The paper explores the technological aspects and methods involved in the preparation of flax straw within the framework of separate fiber flax harvesting technology. This particular technology allows for the prolonged maturation of seeds in the field. The study demonstrates that during the process of seasoning flax straw in the form of unprocessed stem ribbons, the seeds within the capsules undergo natural drying and ripening. This approach enables a reduction in fuel consumption compared to the traditional scheme while obtaining high-quality fiber and seeds suitable for sowing. (Research purpose) The objective of this study is to assess the quality of raw flax during the stage of straw flax preparation. (Materials and methods) The study investigates the processes and technical units involved in fiber flax harvesting, adhering to regulatory guidelines during the stages of stem pulling, seasoning, turning, picking, and processing are thoroughly examined. (Results and discussion) The research results have revealed the indicators for biological productivity of straw and seeds during the process of straw flax preparation. Under different seeding rates, the yield of straw flax ranges from 23.1 to 24.8 centners per hectare during a 14-day seasoning period and from 20.8 to 22.2 centners per hectare on the 21st day. These findings demonstrate that the average yield under various harvesting conditions is 20-30 centners per hectare. The flaxseed yield, ranging from 2.9 to 4.1 centners per hectare at different maturation periods, can be considered satisfactory. Furthermore, it was observed that the elongation of the flax ribbon increases after turning, compared to its initial state, when the combine speed is 5.3 and 7.8 kilometers per hour, remaining within the acceptable limits. However, at a speed of 9.6 kilometers per hour, there was a violation of agrotechnical requirements. (Conclusions) The separate harvesting of flax has proven to be effective during a three-week period of raw flax seasoning. It is important to note that when turning unprocessed flax ribbons, the working speed should not exceed 9 kilometers per hour.

The study was conducted to evaluate the yield performance of improved forage and food crops and to estimate the profitability of fodder and food crops in Holetta and Ejere areas, central highlands of Ethiopia during 2019 and 2020 cropping seasons. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications and evaluated two annual forage crops, two perennial forage crops, and two cereal food crops. Data on herbage dry matter (DM) yield was collected for forage crops while straw and grain yields were measured for food crops. Partial budget analysis was made to evaluate the economic feasibility of forage and food crops production. The result revealed that the herbage DM yield varied (P

Tef is a small-seeded staple crop endemic to Ethiopia. However, its yield is low, constrained partly due to improper agronomic practices and lodging. Thus, during the 2019–2020 cropping season, a field experiment was carried out at Reef Tokko Taanne Hamilee in Hababo Guduru district, Western Ethiopia to examine the effects of seed rate and inter-row spacing on growth, phenology, yield, and lodging severity of tef crop. Three levels of seed rates (10, 15, and 20 kg ha−1) and three styles of row spacing (10, 15, and 20 cm) were combined in a factorial combination in a randomized block design with three replications.Tef variety called ‘Guduru’ was used as planting material. The result showed that seed rate and inter-row spacing had significant (p

Introduction: Among the macro-elements for plants, potassium has a fundamental role, such as osmotic adjustment, maintaining turgor pressure, stomatal function, enzyme activity, protein synthesis, oxidant metabolism, photosynthesis and resistance to environmental stresses (humidity and heat) at the end of the dryland wheat growth period. Although about 80% of the potassium required by the plant is provided by diffusion, because the diffusion of potassium ions in dry soil is reduced 100 times compared to wet soil, therefore, with water limitation and moisture stress conditions, the absorption of this element by the plant is greatly reduced. Therefore, in order to solve the limitations of the absorption of this element through the roots in the conditions of moisture stress and heat at the end of the season, the present experiment was carried out by spraying potassium compounds on dryland wheat at different stages of growth. Materials and methods: The experiment was conducted on dryland wheat (Rijaw cultivar) as a split plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications in the Dryland Agricultural Research Sub-Institute during the 2021-2022 cropping seasons. The factor of the growth stage in the main plots included pregnancy (booting stage) and the beginning of flowering and the spraying factor with four levels in the sub-plots included the control treatment (without spraying), potassium sulfate solution spraying at a concentration of 1%, potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4) at a concentration of 1% and potassium sulfate at a concentration of 1% + urea 1%. The volume of spraying solution for each experimental treatment in a sub-plot with an area of 100 square meters was calculated for 500 liters per hectare and it was performed after adding the spraying soap (surfactant) in cool and calm weather (wind speed less than 8 km/h) before 9 am. Results: The main effect of foliar application time on biological yield, grain yield, yield components, straw yield and percentage of protein and potassium of Rijaw wheat grain was not significant. However, the main effect of foliar spraying on biological yield, grain yield, the thousand seeds weight, the number of seeds per spike and seed protein percentage was significant. The highest biological and grain yield were obtained from foliar application of 1% potassium sulfate with values of 4495 and 1604 kg/ha, respectively, which, despite the difference of 365 and 248 kg/ha, had not significantly different from the biological and grain yield of potassium dihydrogen phosphate foliar application. The lowest biological and grain yield were also related to the control treatment with values of 3588 and 1175 kg/ha, respectively. Foliar spraying of different potassium compounds could increase the thousand seeds weight and the number of seeds per spike by 4.5 grams and 6 seeds, respectively. The highest increase for thousand seeds weight with 40 grams was attributed to potassium sulfate + urea foliar spraying and the highest number of seeds per spike with 32.5 seeds was allocated to potassium sulfate foliar application, which did not show a significant difference with potassium sulfate + urea foliar application. The interaction effect of foliar application time with different foliar application treatments was also significant only on seed potassium percentage. The highest increase in seed protein percentage of 4.8 units was related to potassium sulfate treatment, which was not significantly different from the other two treatments of potassium sulfate + urea and potassium dihydrogen phosphate. Conclusion: Overall, the application of foliar application of potassium compounds increased the grain yield by 211 kg per hectare, in terms of increasing the yield and percentage of grain protein among the tested treatments, potassium sulfate foliar application is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to determine the impact of selected habitat and agronomic factors on the yield of straw and flax seeds of fibrous flax (Linum usitatissimum L). The research factors were: soil agricultural suitability complex, soil pH, soil type and class, length of the vegetation period, nitrogen fertilization, and forecrop. The effect of the Sielianinov hydrothermal coefficient (K) on the yield of this plant was also studied. The paper presents results from 240 exact experiments with fibrous flax of the Nike variety. The research was carried out over 20 years at 12 experimental stations of COBORU – the Research Center for Cultivar Testing in Słupia Wielka, located in Poland. The research was conducted in the period 1985–2007. Flax straw yields were more dependent on the studied factors than seed yields. The crop of straw was favorably affected by cultivation on soils of the following types: good mountain and rye complex, the rendzina type and on soils of class III a and class III b. Of the forecrop tested – rapeseed was the best, and among the nitrogen fertilization levels, the best was highest dose exceeding 60 kg/ha. The soil pH did not affect the straw yield. The highest seed yield was found on the soil of good rye complex, rendzina type, and class V. However, soil pH, forecrop and level of nitrogen fertilization did not differentiate the level of seed yield. The length of the vegetation period differentiated the level of flax yields. The flax crop was positively affected by a longer vegetation period on the soil of cereal-mountain and good wheat complex, brown type with an acid reaction, where flax was cultivated after rape forecrop and the applied nitrogen dose was up to 40 kg/ha. A significant impact of the weather conditions expressed by the Sielianinov hydrothermal coefficient (K) on straw and seed yields was observed.

Tef is a small-seeded staple crop endemic to Ethiopia. However, its yield is low, constrained partly due to improper agronomic practices and lodging. Thus, during the 2019-2020 cropping season, a field experiment was carried out at Reef Tokko Taanne Hamilee in Hababo Guduru district, Western Ethiopia to examine the effects of seed rate and inter-row spacing on growth, phenology, yield, and lodging severity of tef crop. Three levels of seed rates (10, 15, and 20 kg ha-1) and three styles of row spacing (10, 15, and 20 cm) were combined in a factorial combination in a randomized block design with three replications.Tef variety called 'Guduru' was used as planting material. The result showed that seed rate and inter-row spacing had significant (p < 0.01) effects on all phenological and yield-related characteristics studied. Moreover, days to heading, days to maturity, grain yield and harvest index were significantly affected by the interaction effects of both seed rate and interrow spacing. Higher days to heading (68 days) and days to maturity (127 days) were recorded at a seeding rate of 20 kg ha-1 and10 cm inter-row spacing. Tef variety (Guduru) was taller (127.2 cm) under 10 kg ha-1 seed rate as compared to a higher seed rate of 20 kg ha-1 (120.8 cm). The highest dry biomass yield (51.3 kg plot-1) was obtained from a seeding rate of 20 kg ha-1 in combination with 20 cm inter-row spacing. Besides this, the maximum mean grain yield (19.8 kg plot-1) was recorded from 20 kg ha-1 seed rate and 15 cm inter-row spacing to achieve a higher yield in the study area. Furthermore, the highest straw yield (35.99 kg plot-1) was produced from the highest seed rate of 20 kg ha-1, whereas the smallest inter-row spacing (10 cm) produced the highest straw yield (33.5 kg plot-1). The maximum harvest index (56.1%) was obtained from 20 kg ha-1 seed rate and 15 cm inter-row spacing, a similar treatment combination as in the case of grain yield. 10 kg ha-1 seed rate and 20 cm inter-row spacing showed lowest lodging severity (24.1%) and (32.3%), respectively. The result suggests that sowing of tef at 20 kg ha-1 seed rate combined with 10 cm inter-row spacing which resulted in higher grain yield, straw yield and harvest index, could be recommended in the study area to achieve higher tef production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proper nitrogen (N) management of high yielding rice varieties is crucial for obtaining their potential yield benefit. In this study, we compared the effect of different N rates on rice growth, yield, and N use efficiency of two high yielding rice varieties (BRRI dhan58 and BRRI dhan75) in a Boro (dry season)-fallow-T. Aman (wet season) cropping pattern. The N rates were: 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 and 175 kg ha−1 which were assigned in randomized complete block design with three replications. In Boro season, BRRI dhan58 showed higher response to applied N compared to BRRI dhan75 in T. Aman season. The calculated optimum N dose to maximize yield of BRRI dhan58 and BRRI dhan75 were 142 kg ha−1 and 82 kg ha−1, respectively. The agronomic N use efficiency and fertilizer N recovery efficiency were comparatively higher in BRRI dhan58 grown in Boro season than BRRI dhan75 grown in T. Aman season, while in both seasons, the N use efficiencies decreased with increased N rates. This study results suggest that variety-specific N fertilization with respect to growing season is the best N management practice to maximize rice yield avoiding the excess use of N fertilizer.

Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is mostly grown in temperate climate conditions. The rising demand for natural fibres other than cotton has re-introduced flax cultivation in to the agenda. This situation has necessitated the acceleration of flax production research in Turkey. The purpose of this research is to discover the best seeding density for flax fibre cultivation. The trials were carried out with the Rolin flax variety at the coordinates 41°21′53″ N and 36°11′17″ E, during the winter seasons of 2018–2019 and 2019–2020, at densities of 500, 750, 1000, 1250, 1500, 1750, and 2000 plant m−2, by using a random block design. According to the results obtained from analysis of variance, where all these charectors examined viz, years, densities, year and density interaction were found statistically significant (p < 0.01). The highest straw, fiber and seed yields per decare were measured at 2000 plant m−2 density, while as the lowest values were determined at 500 plant m−2 density. However In the interaction of year and density, the highest plant height and technical length were measured in the first year at 1750 plant m−2 density at 102.7 cm and 80.2 cm, respectively. Similarly the highest straw yield (764 kg da−1), fiber yield (198.6 kg da−1) and seed yield (133.9 kg da−1) were measured in the first year at 2000 plant m−2 density. Adequate rainfall during the rapid development stage of winter flax in April-May boosted plant height, technical length, straw, seed, and fibre yield. Although the yields were low during the second year, which was dry. While the positive significant correlation (**; p < 0.01) was found between plant density and plant height (r = 0.907 **), straw yield per decare (r = 0.981 **), seed yield per decare (r = 0.973 **), fiber yield per decare (0.978 **), technical length (r = 0.828; * p < 0.05), negative significant correlation (p < 0.01) was found between plant density and the number of secondary branches (r = −0.955 **), stem diameter (−0.955 **) and plant seed weight (r = −0.923 **). According to the data recorded in two-years. It was observed that for high straw, fiber and seed yield, 2000 plant m−2 density was appropriate for cultivating flax fiber during the winter growing period in mild climate conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant height, straw mass and flag leaf area are recognized by physiologists as morphological markers of drought stress tolerance. Developing varieties intended for arid and semi-arid zones need to select for these traits. Understanding the genetic control of a given trait helps breeder to handle the segregating populations under study in a more efficient and consistent manner by choosing the best breeding method available to realize significant genetic advance. For this purpose, six generations: parents, F1, F2, BC1, BC2, derived from MBB x ‘Gaviota’ durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) cross were grown to investigate the nature of gene action involved in the inheritance pattern of the three traits. The results indicated that the six-parameter model fitted the best the data related to the variability present in the generation means of the studied traits. Generation mean analysis indicated that non-allelic interactions were important factors controlling the expression of these characters with complementary type of gene action governing FLA and STW inheritance. High heritability estimates, moderate to high expected responses to selection, significant genetic correlations with grain yield and greater role of non-additive effects in controlling the inheritance of the three studied traits suggested that breeding methods exploiting both fixable and non-fixable components be applied to break unfavorable linkage and to accumulate useful genes in the base population, followed by mono-trait or index based selection in late advanced generations.

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An experiment was conducted with thirty five genotypes in rabi season of 2016-17 at research and education farm, Department of Agriculture Botany, College of Agriculture, Dapoli. Observations were recorded on eleven characters viz., days to initiation of flowering, day to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity, plant height (cm), number of primary branches per plant, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, 100 seed weight, straw yield per plant, harvest index and grain yield per plant. The correlation study revealed that the characters viz., plant height, number of primary branches per plant, number of pods per plant, straw yield per plant and harvest index showed highly significant positive correlation with grain yield per plant (g) at phenotypic and genotypic level. The path coefficient analysis revealed that the characters viz., days to maturity, plant height (cm), number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, 100 seed weight (g), straw yield per plant (g) and harvest index (%) exhibited positive direct effect on grain yield per plant (g). On the basis of path analysis and correlation study for grain yield, it could be concluded that selection on the basis of days to initiation of flowering, number of primary branches per plant, pods per plant and 100 seed weight could help in genetic improvement of grain yield per plant in lentil.

To study the effect of phosphogypsum and humic acids in the growth and yield of barley in saline soil. A field experiment was conducted in calcareous soil (Saline - Sodic), her salinity before addition of the study factors was 73.78 dS m-1. After plowing, smoothing and leveling, the field is divided into three replicates according to the design (RCBD), where each replicate included 16 experimental units (plot) with an area of 3.0 m2, four levels of phosphogypsum 0, 5, 10 and 15 tons ha-1 with symples PG0,PG1, PG2 and PG3 respectively, and four levels of humic acids 0, 50, 100 and 150 kg ha-1 with symples HA0, HA1, HA2 and HA3 respectively, were added and mixed with the surface layer 0-15 cm for each plot at random. After the addition was carried out the leaching process of soil by adding leaching water equivalent to twice the size of soil pores to a depth of 0-30 cm, then the values of ECe and ESP reached a depth of 0-30 cm at a rate of 17.71 dS m-1 and 8.02 % sequentially, the seeds of barley were planted in lines. After harvest, the height of the plant, the straw yield, the grain yield per hectare, and the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content were measured. The results showed a significant increase in all the traits of growth and production of barley plants by increasing the level of addition, whether of phosphogypsum or humic acids, the interaction between phosphogypsum and humic acids gave a highest increase in the growth and yield characteristics. As the treatment PG3HA3 was given the highest rate of plant height, straw yield and grain yield per hectar, 100.32%, 183.55% and 99.10% sequentially relative to the non-additive treatment. The grain content of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium was significantly increased by increasing the level of addition, whether of phosphogypsum or humic acids, the interaction between phosphogypsum and humic acids showed the highest increase in grain content of the three elements. As the treatment PG3HA3 was given the highest concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium with an increase of 169.62%, 69.52% and 112.81% sequentially relative to the non-additive treatment.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the staple food for more than three billion people around the world. Zinc (Zn) deficiency is mostly found in lowland rice due to submergence condition which affect the yield adversely. In view of limited information, a pot experiment was conducted at Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, BHU, Varanasi, UP during kharif, 2018-19 to evaluate the response of rice to different levels of zinc oxide (ZnO) in combination with zinc solubilizing microbes. Zn deficient soil was collected from Agricultural Research Farm, IAS, BHU which were treated with three different doses of ZnO (0, 2.5 and 5 kg ha-1) along with three types of microbial inoculation, viz. no inoculation (M0), Enterobacter clocae strain ZnPSBJ-6 (M1) and zinc solubilizing fungi (M2). It was found that ZnPSBJ-6 has increased the grain yield by 57.2% and 101.4% while treated with Z1 (2.5 kg ha-1) and Z2 (5 kg ha-1) respectively compared to Z0. Whereas, in case of zinc solubilizing fungi, grain yield has increased by 96.4% and 127.1% in case of Z1 and Z2 respectively. On the other hand application of Z1 and Z2 have significantly increased the average straw yield by 28.9% and 36.5% respectively over the control.

West Bengal is the largest rice (Oryza sativa L) producing state of India. In spite of leading the world in rice production, India lags behind in terms of rice productivity. In view of limited information, a pot experiment was conducted at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi during kharif, 2018-19 to evaluate the response of important rice cultivars to applied silicate. The experiment was conducted with four rice cultivars (one indigenous aromatic and rest three HYVs) and three doses of sodium metasilicate (0, 250 and 500 mg/kg) using an alluvial Inceptisol collected from West Bengal. Results indicated that the grain and straw yield was increased up to 40.7 and 18.1%, respectively, due to application of silicate. Rice cultivars, on the basis of grain yield, can be arranged in the order: Khitish (20.8 g/ pot)> Satabdi (17.6 g/pot) > IR-36 (15.4 g/pot) >Badshabhog (3.72 g/pot). The highest and the lowest straw yield was recorded with Badshabhog (70.1 g/pot) and IR-36 (14.6 g/pot), respectively. Rice cultivars showed differential responses in terms of yield to applied silicate. It can be concluded that application of sodium metasilicate can be one of the effective options for enhancing rice yield in the alluvial Inceptisol of West Bengal.

Modifications of combine harvester were introduced. Flax harvesting with the modified combine harvester following the dessication with Roundup did not affect the yield and weight of flax seeds when compared to the conventional pulling harvesting. A new method lead to a reduction in the yield of homomorphic fiber but losses depend on the cutting height and with the normal plant heigh (over 700 mm) and stubble height below 80 mm could be reduced to less than 10%. Flax harvesting by mowing can reduce the total labor costs by 30% and the labor costs of harvesting by more than 42%. Mowing of fiber flax fiber can significantly reduce and simplify the entire production technology.

Soil acidity is a major problem when it comes to improving crop productivity and nutrient uptake. This experiment was therefore conducted at a farmer’s field—Nalitabari Upazila under AEZ 22 (northern and eastern Piedmont plains) to evaluate the effects of lime and organic manure (OM) amendment on crop productivity and nutrient uptake of the wheat–mungbean–T. Aman cropping pattern in acidic soils of northern and eastern Piedmont plains. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. There were nine treatments applied, varying doses of lime (dololime at the rate of 1 and 2 t ha−1), OM (cow dung at the rate of 5 t ha−1, poultry manure at the rate of 3 t ha−1) and a lime–OM combination to the first crop; T. Aman and its residual effects were evaluated in the succeeding second crop, wheat, and the third crop, mungbean. Results demonstrate that application of lime and organic manure to soil had significant effects on the first crop. However, the effects of lime and organic manure were more pronounced in the second and third crops. The increase in grain yield over control ranged from 0.24 to 13.44% in BINA dhan7. However, it varied from 10.14 to 54.38% in BARI Gom30 and 40 to 161.67% in BARI Mung6. The straw yields of the crops also followed a similar trend. The N, P, K, and S uptake by grain and straw of T. Aman, wheat, and mungbean were influenced significantly by the combined application of lime and organic manure. Sole or combined application of lime and manure amendment significantly improved nutrient availability and soil quality. Therefore, application of lime in combination with manure can be practiced for uplifting the crop productivity and improving soil quality in acidic Piedmont soils of northern and eastern Piedmont plains.

Sowing depth and density are factors which affect development and yielding due to their influence on plants’ competition for water, light and nutrients. The aim of the present research was to evaluate the effect of sowing depth (5 and 8 cm) and density (45, 60, 75 seeds m2) on the development and yield of two morphotypes of faba bean. Higher plants were found at 8 cm sowing depth in 2011 and 2013, in turn, plant density before harvest, at 5 cm in 2011 and 8 cm in 2013. The greatest seed yield was observed while sowing shallower in 2011 (4.50 t ha−1) and 2012 (6.62 t ha−1), and deeper in 2013 (3.53 t ha−1). Cultivar played in important role in shaping plant height and seed yield in all years of the experiment, as well as in straw yield in 2012. Bobas characterized by the greatest seed productivity in all years of experiment compared to Granit, as well as quantity of straw yield in 2011 and 2012 (3.51 and 4.88 t ha−1, respectively) and therefore can be recommended for cultivation. Taking into account plant density before harvest in 2011–2013 as well as straw yield in 2011 and 2013, the most favorable sowing density is 75 seeds per m2.

Nitrogen is a critical yield-limiting plant nutrient for crop production in Ethiopia. The demand for synthetic fertilizer is significantly increasing. Urea is the main source of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer that mainly applied in the surface resulting in significant nitrogen loss. UREAstabil fertilizer is urea with N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (nNBPT) that reduce the rate of urea hydrolysis by urease to reduce nitrogen loss and increase crop productivity. The research was conducted in Yilmana Densa district, Ethiopia for two years to evaluate the performance of UREAstabil compared to urea. The research evaluated the effect of UREAstabil fertilizer technology on bread wheat and tef at Nitisol and Vertisol. The finding of this research denies our prior hypothesis that UREAstabil could give better yields of tef and wheat with lower rates of nitrogen at single application rate compared to urea. Reducing the amounts of nitrogen by one third using UREAstabil resulted in an intolerable significant yield penalty for all the study sites and both years on wheat. Both the grain and straw yields were increased by splitting the UREAstabil, indicating that the enzyme that hydrolysis urea was merely inhibited. Considering a non-significant yield difference between the conventional urea and UREAstabil for all crops, soils, rates, and forms of applications UREAstabil is not promising. Further research with different rates of nNBPT as well as different nitrification inhibitors needs to be evaluated for their efficiency to improve crop yield and reduce nitrogen loss for different crops, different soils, and agro-ecologies.

Copyright of Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Agricultura is the property of University of Technology & Life Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Nitrogen is a critical yield-limiting plant nutrient for crop production in Ethiopia. The demand for synthetic fertilizer is significantly increasing. Urea is the main source of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer that mainly applied in the surface resulting in significant nitrogen loss. UREAstabil fertilizer is urea with N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (nNBPT) that reduce the rate of urea hydrolysis by urease to reduce nitrogen loss and increase crop productivity. The research was conducted in Yilmana Densa district, Ethiopia for two years to evaluate the performance of UREAstabil compared to urea. The research evaluated the effect of UREAstabil fertilizer technology on bread wheat and tef at Nitisol and Vertisol. The finding of this research denies our prior hypothesis that UREAstabil could give better yields of tef and wheat with lower rates of nitrogen at single application rate compared to urea. Reducing the amounts of nitrogen by one third using UREAstabil resulted in an intolerable significant yield penalty for all the study sites and both years on wheat. Both the grain and straw yields were increased by splitting the UREAstabil, indicating that the enzyme that hydrolysis urea was merely inhibited. Considering a non-significant yield difference between the conventional urea and UREAstabil for all crops, soils, rates, and forms of applications UREAstabil is not promising. Further research with different rates of nNBPT as well as different nitrification inhibitors needs to be evaluated for their efficiency to improve crop yield and reduce nitrogen loss for different crops, different soils, and agro-ecologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field experiment was conducted at Coconut Research Station Balaramapuram during Kharif season 2017 with an objective to evaluate the effect of nutrient levels and schedule of nutrient application on the nutrient uptake, nutrient availability and yield of upland rice. The experiment was laid out in factorial RBD with nutrient levels as first factor and schedule of nutrient application as second factor. Among the nutrients levels, NPK @ 120:30:60 kg ha-1 (n4) recorded the highest N and K uptake but it was statistically comparable with n3 (90:30:45 kg ha-1). However, P and Zn uptake was the highest in n3 (NPK @ 90:30:45 kg ha-1) and it was significantly superior to other nutrient levels. Post-harvest soil nutrient status revealed that available N, P and K status and organic carbon content were the highest in the treatment NPK @120:30:60 kg ha-1. Among the schedules of nutrient application, treatments with foliar application of 0.2 per cent zinc sulphate and 0.04 per cent sodium borate at 45 days after sowing (DAS) recorded higher availability of nutrients and uptake of nutrients by crop. Organic carbon content of soil was not significantly influenced by schedule of nutrient application. Grain yield and net returns were significantly influenced by nutrient levels and schedule of nutrient application. Application of N:P:K @ 90:30:45 kg ha-1 applied as N in three equal splits, P as basal and K either in two equal splits or three equal splits along with foliar spray of 0.2 per cent zinc sulphate and 0.04 per cent sodium borate recorded the highest grain yield (3.25 t ha-1) and net returns (35, 637 Rs ha-1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural residues, such as straw, offer an opportunity to produce biofuels and chemicals in biorefineries without compromising food production. The ideal "dual‐purpose cultivar" would have high yield of grain and straw. In addition, the straw should be easy to process in a biorefinery: It should have good degradability, high concentration of carbohydrates, and low concentration of ash. Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient important for plant growth, crop yield and grain quality. However, N production and application comes with a high cost and high environmental footprint. The N application should consequently be based on an economical optimum. Limited knowledge exists on how N application affects the potential of straw for biorefining, for example, straw yield and quality. This study, conducted over three cropping seasons, investigated the effect of N supply on the biorefining potential and included 14 wheat cultivars and one triticale cultivar. The N supply directly affected the yield of straw and grain. In addition, the protein concentration in grain and straw increased, but the composition of the straw with respect to carbohydrates and lignin was largely unaffected by N supply. The only significant change was a lower silicon concentration at increasing N application rate, which could be beneficial for lignin valorization in biorefineries. Likely due to the negligible changes in cell wall composition, the effect of N application rate on straw degradability was not significant. N application should therefore primarily be optimized with respect to grain quality and overall yield of grain and straw. Differences between cultivars were also minor with respect to their performance in a biorefinery process. From a breeding and agronomic perspective, focus should therefore be put on maximizing the biomass output from the field, that is, selecting the cultivar with highest grain and straw yield and optimizing the application of fertilizer to get optimum N use efficiency. Significant differences in straw yield (up to 30%) were revealed among 14 wheat cultivars, but in particular a triticale cultivar had superior straw yield (50%–70% higher). The composition of wheat straw and its degradability for sugar production were largely unaffected by nitrogen supply and did not differ among the cultivars. Nitrogen application should primarily be optimized with respect to increasing the overall yield of biomass. Selection/breeding for increased biomass yield rather than composition is the most promising route in order to supply biomass for the growing biorefinery industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) is cultivated in many countries because of its wide-spread uses in pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries. In order to investigate the effects of different soil properties on the agro-morphological characteristics, essential oil and chamazulene content of German chamomile, a pot experiment was carried out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications under greenhouse conditions. Ten different soils were selected from the soil map of Chaharmahal–Va–Bakhtiari province with the scale of 1:50,000. Soil samples were collected from 0-30 cm depth of the soil series and soil properties including pH, EC, gravel, particle-size distribution, soluble K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+, SO42-, total N, available P, %OC and percentage of CaCO3 were determined. At the harvest time, agro-morphological characteristics, the content of essential oil, yield of essential oil and the percentage of chamazulene were determined. Univariate and multivariate, PCA and RA analyses were performed on the dataset. Univariate analyses showed that the agro-morphological properties of German chamomile were different in the different soil types. Also, the results demonstrated that Boldaji soil series had the highest values for dried flower yield and essential oil yield with 1172 and 7 Kg/ha, respectively. In contrast, the lowest yields with 243 and 0.2 Kg/ha were obtained for Shahrak soil series. Redundancy Analysis (RA) showed that among the soil properties, the content of sulfur, phosphorus, potassium and organic matter had the highest effect on the number of flowers, fresh and dried flower yield, straw yield, yield of essential oil and the percentage of chamazulene.

Camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz) is an alternative oilseed crop that is garnering increasing popularity due to its multiple applications and greater tolerance to adverse environmental conditions than oilseed rape. The study analyzed selected traits of 10 Canadian and Polish spring camelina genotypes grown in a field experiment in north-eastern Poland in 2015−2018. The greatest differences were observed in seed yield where the effect of weather and environmental conditions explained 72.7% of variance, the effect of genotype explained 5.9% of variance, and the effect of the genotype-by-environment interaction explained 5.7% of total variance. In contrast, 1000-seed weight was not affected by environmental conditions, and it was differentiated only by genotype which explained 73.3% of variance. Genotype was responsible for 4.5%−25.3% of the variance in the remaining traits. The genotype-by-environment interaction explained 2.0%−18.8% of variance in the examined traits. The additive main effects and multiplicative interaction model (AMMI) revealed that genotype 13CS0787-15 was potentially most suited for cultivation in the temperate climate of north-eastern Poland, Central Europe. This genotype was characterized by the highest seed yields and straw yields, as well as the greatest yield stability.

Copyright of Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Agricultura is the property of University of Technology & Life Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Within the bioenergy debate, the 'food vs. fuel' controversy quickly replaced enthusiasm for biofuels derived from first-generation feedstocks. Second-generation biofuels offer an opportunity to produce fuels from dedicated energy crops, waste materials or coproducts such as cereal straw. Wheat represents one of the most widely grown arable crops around the world, with wheat straw, a potential source of biofuel feedstock. Wheat straw currently has limited economic value; hence, wheat cultivars have been bred for increased grain yield; however, with the development of second-generation biofuel production, utilization of straw biomass provides the potential for 'food and fuel'. Reviewing the evidence for the development of dual-purpose wheat cultivars optimized for food grain and straw biomass production, we present a holistic assessment of a potential ideotype for a dual-purpose cultivar ( DPC). An ideal DPC would be characterized by high grain and straw yields, high straw digestibility (i.e. biofuel yield potential) and good lodging resistance. Considerable variation in these traits exists among current wheat cultivars, facilitating the selection of improved individual traits; however, increasing straw yield and digestibility could potentially have negative trade-off impacts on grain yield and lodging resistance, reducing the feasibility of a single ideotype. Adoption of alternative management practices could potentially increase straw yield and digestibility, albeit these practices are also associated with potential trade-offs among cultivar traits. Benefits from using DPCs include reduced logistics costs along the biofuel feedstock supply chain, but practical barriers to differential pricing for straw digestibility traits are likely to reduce the financial incentive to farmers for growing higher 'biofuel-quality' straw cultivars. Further research is required to explore the relationships among the ideotype traits to quantify potential DPC benefits; this will help to determine whether stakeholders along the bioenergy feedstock supply chain will invest in the development of DPCs that provide food and fuel potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat straw is a potential cellulosic feedstock for bioethanol. This study was conducted to evaluate straw yield potential and its relationship with grain yield for wheat ( Triticum spp.) grown in the United States. The specific objective was to determine if differences in straw yield and harvest index (HI) exist between and within regions and/or wheat classes. Using on-going variety performance trials in eight states, a total of 255 varietal trial entriess from five classes of wheat were surveyed for above-ground biomass. Averaged over all wheat classes and regions the HI was 0.45. Soft red winter wheat in Kentucky had, on average, the highest HI and lowest straw yield among regions and wheat classes. Soft white winter wheat under irrigation in the Pacific Northwest produced the highest straw yield. Hard red winter wheat in the southern plain states of Texas and Oklahoma had, on average, the lowest HI. Differences in the amount of precipitation and cultivars were the major contributors to the variation detected within wheat classes. The amount of wheat straw available as cellulosic feedstock in a state or wheat class can be estimated using the grain yield estimates provided by the National Agricultural Statistics Service and the class specific HI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture has straight and indirect contribution to boost the economy of Pakistan. wheat and paddy are among the major rotational crops of Pakistan. The straw management in combine harvested in wheat fields is a major problem. In the past the residual wheat straw in convectional harvesting was burnt in the field which resulted losses of 80% of Nitrogen, 25% P, 21% K and 4% to 60% S. To overcome this problem, locally available wheat straw chopper is used for cutting and collecting the wheat straw left behind the combine harvesters. These locally developed wheat straw choppers are heavy in weight having lower machine efficiency. A wheat straw chopper has been modified using locally available materials making it light weight and more efficient. The performance evaluation of wheat straw chopper has been carried out in the field and further improvements have been incorporated to increase its field efficiency. The modified wheat straw chopper has been tested for its performance at Chakra Farms of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad during the wheat harvesting season. The experiment was consisted of factorial completely randomized design. Three wheat varieties V1 (Sehar-2006), V2 (Lasani) and V3 (Faisalabad-2008) were selected in which modified wheat straw chopper was operated at two different tractor forward speeds S1 (1.77 km/h) and S2(2.42 km/h) and at two different levels of moisture contents M1(moisture at the same day of combining), M2(moisture after one day of combining). Results showed that wheat straw yield (kg ha-1) for V1, V2 and V3 was found to be 1425, 1118 and 1179 kg/ha respectively. Effect of moisture on wheat straw yield (kg/ha) was found to be significant, and higher wheat straw yield (kg/ha) was found to be at moisture content level M1.The wheat straw yield and efficiency of the wheat straw chopper was found to be higher at S1(1.77 km/h) which is for wheat variety V1 and 67.96% respectively. The average fuel consumption was found to be 9.3 L/ha. Breakeven point of the wheat straw chopper was occurred at 225 hours of use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted on loamy sand soils of during 2012-13. Plant height was recorded significantly higher in variety Gujarat Val 1 when sown on 15th October at 30 cm row spacing. All the growth and yield attributing characters such as number of primary and secondary branches per plant, number of nodules per plant, dry weight of nodules per plant, dry matter accumulation per plant at 30, 60 and 90 DAS as well as at harvest, days required to maturity, number of pods per plant, number of grains per pod, length of pod, seed yield per plant and 100 - seed weight noticed significantly higher when crop was sown on 15th October at 60 cm row spacing using variety Gujarat Val 1. Seed yield and B:C ratio of Indian bean significantly affected with sowing dates, row spacings and varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Agricultura is the property of University of Technology & Life Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Wheat is an important cereal crop in Pakistan and poor germination is an important yield limiting factor. A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of boron application on seed germination, seedling vigor and yield of wheat. Five treatments viz. recommended dose (RD) of NPK (control), RD of NPK + 0.5 kg ha-1 B, RD of NPK + 1.0 kg ha-1 B, RD of NPK + 1.5 kg ha-1 B and RD of NPK + 2.0 kg ha-1 B were used. The data regarding plant height, number of tillers per square meter, grains per spike, 1000 grain weight, grain and straw yield was collected. After harvesting the grains were tested for germination and seedling vigor. Boron had no effect on yield components, except, grain per spike and 1000 grain weight which were improved significantly with its application. Wheat leaf B content increased with B application. Maximum grain and straw yield (4.85 and 9.16 Mg ha-1, respectively) was recorded with 2.0 kg B ha-1 along with recommended dose of NPK. Boron had no effect on seed germination; however, seedling vigor i.e. shoot and root length improved with B application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yield, chemical composition, in vitro digestibility and kinetics of fermentation of straw from 18 varieties of oats (Avena sativa L.) were studied. All the straw varieties were grown in three replicates under the same agronomic conditions. Significance differences were observed in the yield of straw (4.4 to 7.5 ton dry matter (DM)/ha) from different varieties. The proportion of seed/straw from these varieties varied from 0.28 to 1.02. Crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) content varied from 24.2 to 48.1, 626 to 708, 437 to 533 and 52.0 to 92.4 g/kg DM, respectively in the straws. In vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) differed among varieties and varied from 400 to 539 g/kg DM. The mean value of digestible organic matter yield (DOM) was 2.34 ton/ha. A significant difference was observed in the potential gas production (A) and lag time (L) among varieties. The fractional rate of gas production (c, /h) ranged from 0.030 to 0.034. The results emphasized that in any evaluation of oat varieties, kinetics of digestion or fermentation should be taken into consideration as well as yield and digestibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Straw is a by-product from cereal production which constitutes a considerable biomass resource, for instance for 2G ethanol production. Straw yield per hectare and straw quality in terms of ethanol production are both important factors for the available biomass resource and the potential ethanol production per hectare. In a series of field trials on three locations in 2009, we compared straw and grain yield from the winter cereal species triticale, winter barley, winter rye, and winter wheat. Grain yield did not differ significantly between the species, but winter rye yielded up to 59% more straw dry matter than the other species. The release of glucose and xylose after pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis i.e. the saccharification potential was used to indicate the potential for ethanol production. The saccharification potential did not differ between species, but due to the differences in straw yield, areal saccharification potential (i.e. potential sugar production per hectare) was from 29% to 78% higher for winter rye than for other species. In a series of winter wheat cultivar trials on two locations in 2008 and three locations in 2009, straw yield differed significantly between cultivars in both years and across years. The highest yielding cultivar yielded up to 57% and 37% more straw than the lowest yielding cultivar in the two years, respectively, even among cultivars with non-significant differences in grain yield. The saccharification potential was measured from straw of winter wheat cultivar trials harvested in 2009. The potential varied largely but was not significantly affected by neither cultivar nor location. Due to cultivar differences in straw yield, however, areal saccharification potential differed significantly between cultivars with up to 38% difference in glucose yield and up to 35% in xylose yield. Straw yield increased with increasing grain yield, but the straw:grain ratio differed significantly between cultivars and was not consistent across years and locations. This has implications for straw resource estimates when these are based on the relationship between grain yield and straw yield. In conclusion, it appears possible to choose species and cultivars with higher straw yield and consequently larger potential for ethanol production per hectare without compromising grain yield. This may provide a means of increasing the overall straw resource, as long as increased straw yield is not accompanied by negative effects such as increased tendency to lodging. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Four single crosses (VG20 × SGE48, SGE48 × SG35II, VG26 × SG35II, and SG35II × VG20) in opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) were analyzed to study the gene actions involved in the inheritance of quantitative traits, namely plant height, branches/plant, capsules/plant, peduncle length, capsule index, stigmatic rays, straw yield/plant, and morphine content. Simple additive, dominance, and epistatic genetic components were found to be significant for inheritance pattern. Dominance effect (h) was higher than additive effect (d). Digenic interaction indicated the prevalence of dominance × dominance (l) followed by additive × dominance (j) type epistasis. The significance of dominance (h) and dominance × dominance (l) indicated duplicate epistasis for all the traits and crosses except SG35II × VG20 for stigmatic rays. Biparental mating followed by recurrent selection involving desired recombinants may be utilized to improve the component traits. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sowing depth and density are factors which affect development and yielding due to their influence on plants' competition for water, light and nutrients. The aim of the present research was to evaluate the effect of sowing depth (5 and 8 cm) and density (45, 60, 75 seeds m2) on the development and yield of two morphotypes of faba bean. Higher plants were found at 8 cm sowing depth in 2011 and 2013, in turn, plant density before harvest, at 5 cm in 2011 and 8 cm in 2013. The greatest seed yield was observed while sowing shallower in 2011 (4.50 t ha−1) and 2012 (6.62 t ha−1), and deeper in 2013 (3.53 t ha−1). Cultivar played in important role in shaping plant height and seed yield in all years of the experiment, as well as in straw yield in 2012. Bobas characterized by the greatest seed productivity in all years of experiment compared to Granit, as well as quantity of straw yield in 2011 and 2012 (3.51 and 4.88 t ha−1, respectively) and therefore can be recommended for cultivation. Taking into account plant density before harvest in 2011–2013 as well as straw yield in 2011 and 2013, the most favorable sowing density is 75 seeds per m2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil acidity is a major problem when it comes to improving crop productivity and nutrient uptake. This experiment was therefore conducted at a farmer's field—Nalitabari Upazila under AEZ 22 (northern and eastern Piedmont plains) to evaluate the effects of lime and organic manure (OM) amendment on crop productivity and nutrient uptake of the wheat–mungbean–T. Aman cropping pattern in acidic soils of northern and eastern Piedmont plains. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. There were nine treatments applied, varying doses of lime (dololime at the rate of 1 and 2 t ha−1), OM (cow dung at the rate of 5 t ha−1, poultry manure at the rate of 3 t ha−1) and a lime–OM combination to the first crop; T. Aman and its residual effects were evaluated in the succeeding second crop, wheat, and the third crop, mungbean. Results demonstrate that application of lime and organic manure to soil had significant effects on the first crop. However, the effects of lime and organic manure were more pronounced in the second and third crops. The increase in grain yield over control ranged from 0.24 to 13.44% in BINA dhan7. However, it varied from 10.14 to 54.38% in BARI Gom30 and 40 to 161.67% in BARI Mung6. The straw yields of the crops also followed a similar trend. The N, P, K, and S uptake by grain and straw of T. Aman, wheat, and mungbean were influenced significantly by the combined application of lime and organic manure. Sole or combined application of lime and manure amendment significantly improved nutrient availability and soil quality. Therefore, application of lime in combination with manure can be practiced for uplifting the crop productivity and improving soil quality in acidic Piedmont soils of northern and eastern Piedmont plains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]