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The present investigation was undertaken in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) to estimate combining ability and gene action following a half diallel mating design using ten parents. The ratio of genetic variance components, σ2gca/σ2sca and σ2D/σ2A, showed dominant gene action, indicating the presence of non-additive genetic variance for days to 50% flowering, fruit yield per plant, total phenol, antioxidant activity and total soluble sugar. The traits fruits per plant, fruit girth, and fruit weight showed additive genetic variance. Among the parental genotypes, AB 15-08, ABSR 2 and AB 20-13 were found to be good general combiners for fruit yield, fruits per plant, and total soluble solids. The three highest-ranking hybrids were AB 15-08 × AB 20-13, AB 15-08 × AB 20-03 and AB 20-07 × GP BRJ 224. The above hybrids would be rewarding for harnessing heterosis.

Growers may adopt a tomato hybrid if it is high yielder with good fruit quality and can withstand the bacterial wilt (BW) disease. A line × tester mating design was used to determine heterobeltiosis, combining ability and gene action for 15 characters in tomato. Most traits under study exhibited additive and non-additive gene action except days to 50% flowering, polar diameter of fruit, pH of fruit and lycopene content of fruit which were controlled by additive gene effect. Two genotypes, ‘Utkal Kumari’ and ‘CLN-2460E’ were identified as potential donors. The maximum, significant, heterobeltiosis was for disease incidence of BW followed by fruit yield per plant, fruit firmness, and fruits per plant. In the tropical tomato growing zones, two potential hybrids, ‘Utkal Kumari × CLN-2460E' and ‘Utkal Deepti × CLN-2460E', may fulfil significant horticultural requirements since they exhibited resistance against virulent biovars 3 and 6. More testing in a variety of edapho-climatic conditions is required to confirm the stability of the developed resistance and the hybrids’ resilience. Partial- to over-dominance reactions of fruit yield and other economic traits were reflected. Isolating pure lines from the segregating generation of heterotic F1s is another method to improve fruit yield and quality as well as disease resistance against bacterial wilt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractUnderstanding the nutritional dynamics before pruning is essential to elucidate how nutrient reserves affect the mango tree’s ability to regenerate tissues. A research project was carried out to determine the adequate range of supply for mango sprout phase (pre-pruning) in two different mango leaves (from the first and second vegetative flushes), and evaluate effect of biochemical activity on mango sprouting and correlate it with fruit yield. Two experiments with ‘Ataulfo’ and ‘Kent’ mangoes were carried out from 2021 to 2023. The experiments were arranged in randomized blocks with treatments distributed in subdivided plots referring to two N sources (NO3-, NH4+) in the plots and N doses (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200% of the recommended dose) in the subplots. The leaf nutrient concentrations, sodium, and α-amylase were evaluated in leaves of the 1st and 2nd vegetative flush, the number of shoots per pruned branch, and fruit yield. The number of shoots per pruned branch, influenced by the nutritional status prior to production pruning, varies with nutrient, and the 2nd vegetative flush after the previous pruning has a greater impact on shoot development in the current cycle. The shoot growth of the ‘Ataulfo’ after production pruning depends on leaf concentrations of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, sulfur, cooper, manganese, zinc and molybdenum, in addition to sodium, while ‘Kent’ depends only on phosphorus, cooper, iron, manganese, and zinc. The highest fruit yield indices are recorded under the average number of sprouts per pruned branch of 2.72 for ‘Ataulfo’ and 2.63 for ‘Kent’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was undertaken in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) to estimate combining ability and gene action following a half diallel mating design using ten parents. The ratio of genetic variance components, σ² gca/σ² sca and σ² D/σ² A, showed dominant gene action, indicating the presence of non-additive genetic variance for days to 50% flowering, fruit yield per plant, total phenol, antioxidant activity and total soluble sugar. The traits fruits per plant, fruit girth, and fruit weight showed additive genetic variance. Among the parental genotypes, AB 15-08, ABSR 2 and AB 20- 13 were found to be good general combiners for fruit yield, fruits per plant, and total soluble solids. The three highestranking hybrids were AB 15-08 × AB 20-13, AB 15-08 × AB 20-03 and AB 20-07 × GP BRJ 224. The above hybrids would be rewarding for harnessing heterosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-stimulants are gaining importance for elevating the stagnated yield level resulting from continuous use of chemical fertilizers (CF) in many crops, however, their use in pomegranate have not been fully explored. Two years of field experiments were conducted on a 5-years old pomegranate cv. Bhagwa orchard to investigate the effects of different combinations of commercial bio-stimulant products namely, microbial-based product A containing consortium of Rhizophagus spp. (5 kg ha−1), seaweed extract-based granular formulation D (30 kg ha−1) and liquid formulation B (625 and 1250 ml ha−1) through soil application as well as wettable granular formulation, C (1 and 2 g l−1) and liquid formulation, E (1 ml l−1) through foliar sprays along with chemical fertilizers on soil fertility, trees' nutrition, fruit yield and quality of pomegranate. Results showed that integrated use of CF and bio-stimulants significantly increased the number of bisexual flowers. However, the combination of microbial-based product A (5 kg ha−1), seaweed extract based liquid formulation B (625 ml ha−1) in soil and foliar spary of seaweed extract based wettable granular formulation C (1–2 g l−1) with CF resulted in production of the highest fruit yield (increased by 41.97–51.61%) with 23.08–33.38% increase in the exportable grade fruit and improved quality attributes viz. ascorbic acid, anthocyanin, non-reducing sugar, protein, and mineral content of fruits through enhancement in soil fertility and trees' micronutrient status compared to only CF. These doses combinations of bio-stimulants along with CF gave rise to the highest benefit–cost ratio of 2.10–2.34:1 and hence can be recommended for sustainable pomegranate cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustained higher profitability of a pomegranate orchard relies heavily on the production of a greater proportion of high-quality fruits, a goal achievable through the implementation of effective management practices. The objective of this study is to provide site-specific supplementary knowledge regarding the response of pomegranate plants to various management practices under arid conditions. With the aim of enhancing both marketable fruit yield and quality of pomegranate in arid regions, four separate and simultaneous experiments were conducted in the same orchard to evaluate (i) the response of planting materials derived from tissue culture, air layering, and cutting; (ii) the impact of crop (fruit) load; (iii) the response of crop regulation; and (iv) the application response of organo-mineral fertilizers containing potassium (OMF-K) and phosphorus (OMF-P). The results obtained for plant growth, fruit yield, and fruit quality did not exhibit significant differences among pomegranate plants raised through the three different methods of vegetative propagation. Striking results in terms of producing superior-grade fruits, higher marketable yield, and overall fruit quality were achieved with crop loads of 80 fruits per plant. Staggering the crop regulation from June to September effectively extended the harvesting season to four months, from the last week of November to March, with eventual benefit of reduced fruit cracking compared to the standard two-month harvesting period obtained from normal regulation. Soil application of the indigenously developed OMF-K in two equal splits, along with the recommended N and P through inorganic sources, significantly reduced fruit cracking (only 6.23%) compared to the recommended NPK through inorganic sources (26.9%), while maintaining similar physicochemical quality attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article proposes an assessment of the quantitative parameters of the crop using the analysis of mechanical vibrations. A demonstration of the investigation is shown for a situation where a support system in the field helps cucumbers grow vertically. The study was carried out by modeling the yield of cucumbers. The greatest attention was paid to the frequencies of natural oscillations. A developed numerical model of the support design is proposed and its natural oscillation frequencies are calculated using the finite element method (FEM). The results were confirmed by a physical experiment that actually simulates a numerical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) is a popular fruit consumed for its desirable flavour, aroma and colour and is considered a functional food due to its antioxidant properties. Noting the need for farmers to increase productivity to meet increasing consumer demands, this study aimed to explore the potential of biostimulants to enhance strawberry cultivation. Herein, a field trial was conducted on a commercial strawberry farm, wherein 1944 strawberry plants received fertigation supplementation with either a control solution (nutrients only) or nutrients combined with one of two biostimulant complexes (BCs). Biostimulant complex 1 (BC1) was composed of molasses, Aloe vera extract and fish-hydrolysate, and biostimulant complex 2 (BC2) was composed of potassium silicate and potassium phosphite. Results indicated that BC1 maintained total yields but increased the sellable proportion and decreased the proportion of waste. In contrast, BC2 increased total yields with both sellable yields and waste increased. No significant changes were observed for indicators of consumer preference (flavour, aroma and fruit colour), however, on-average large increases were observed to indicators of fruit antioxidant properties (phenolic and flavonoid content). Accordingly, these results support the utilisation of biostimulants as a strategy to improve strawberry on-farm productivity without compromising consumer quality measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fruit Harvest Helper, a mobile application developed by Northwest Nazarene University's (NNU) Robotics Vision Lab, aims to assist farmers in estimating fruit yield for apple orchards. Currently, farmers manually estimate the fruit yield for an orchard, which is a laborious task. The Fruit Harvest Helper seeks to simplify their process by detecting apples on images of apple trees. Once the number of apples is detected, a correlation can then be applied to this value to obtain a usable yield estimate for an apple tree. While prior research efforts at NNU concentrated on developing an iOS app for blossom detection, this current research aims to adapt that smart farming application for apple detection across multiple platforms, iOS and Android. Borrowing ideas from the former iOS app, the new application was designed with an intuitive user interface that is easy for farmers to use, allowing for quick image selection and processing. Unlike before, the adapted app uses a color ratio-based image-segmentation algorithm written in C++ to detect apples. This algorithm detects apples within apple tree images that farmers select for processing by using OpenCV functions and C++ code. The results of testing the algorithm on a dataset of images indicate an 8.52% Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.6 between detected and actual apples on the trees. These findings were obtained by evaluating the images from both the east and west sides of the trees, which was the best method to reduce the error of this algorithm. The algorithm's processing time was tested for Android and iOS, yielding an average performance of 1.16 s on Android and 0.14 s on iOS. Although the Fruit Harvest Helper shows promise, there are many opportunities for improvement. These opportunities include exploring alternative machine-learning approaches for apple detection, conducting real-world testing without any human assistance, and expanding the app to detect various types of fruit. The Fruit Harvest Helper mobile application is among the many mobile applications contributing to precision agriculture. The app is nearing readiness for farmers to use for the purpose of yield monitoring and farm management within Pink Lady apple orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining ability assessment helps select parents and hybrids with high performance, which can lead to increased yield and effective crop improvement. The present study aimed to evaluate 24 diverse crosses for ten different quantitative traits using line x tester mating in the kharif season. The experiment involved the assessment of crosses, which included 4 females, 6 males, and 1 commercial cultivar (Nishant). The evaluation employed a randomized block design (RBD) with three replications. Major discrepancies were observed in the genotypes of both parents and hybrids for all traits, indicating a significant amount of variation in fruit yield and other characteristics that contribute to yield. JBR-20-05 was found the best general combiner for days to 50% flowering, fruit length and plant height. JBR-20-04 was found to be the best general combiner for average fruit weight, fruit girth and total fruit yield per plant. The genotype identified in the JBR-20-07 study, resistant to fruit and shoot borer infestation, held significant potential for use in breeding and selection programs to enhance the resistance of brinjal varieties. Estimation of Specific combining ability effect revealed that among the hybrids, the hybrids JBR-20-04 x JBR-20-05 recorded highly significant specific combining ability (SCA) effects for total fruit yield per plant. The cross JBR-20-03 x JBR-20-05 showed high desirable significance to SCA for fruit and shoot borer infestation. Variance due to general combining ability was less than the variance due to SCA, and the ratio of GCA to SCA variance was less than unity. When choosing hybrids to enhance yield in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) through breeding, it is crucial to prioritize specific traits that directly contribute to increased production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mandarin fruits are the most widely grown citrus fruits in the world, particularly in the eastern Himalayas of India, which is the primary center of citrus diversity. Diagnosing potential nutritional imbalances using leaf tissue analysis is a mandatory practice for a higher yield. Regarding the nutritional diagnosis of Khasi mandarin plants, particularly in the acidic soil of the hilly ecology of the Eastern Himalayas, India, there is currently no information available. Therefore, the present study was conducted to identify nutrient constraints, establish leaf-based diagnostic recommended and integrated system (DRIS) norms, and determine nutrients' relationship with fruit yields in 144 orchards. The result showed that the DRIS indices predicted a nutritional optimum value for Khasi mandarin: 2.26–2.83% N, 0.11–0.16% P, 1.86–2.07% K, 1.85–2.12% Ca, 0.33–0.48% Mg, 170.10–225.10 mg kg−1 Fe, 74.03–83.43 mg kg−1 Mn, 1.24–2.45 mg kg−1 Cu, and 19.84–21.28 mg kg−1 Zn. The DRIS norms identified the nutrients Zn, P, Ca, K, N, and Mg as deficient to low levels (14.15→2.14), while Fe, Mn, and Cu were at high to excessive levels (5.50→18.25). The nutritional balance index had a significantly negative relationship with the fruit yield. Leaf nutrient concentrations of N (0.909**), P (0.827**), K (0.867**), Zn (0.833**), Ca (0.827**), and Mg (0.592**) had a significant positive correlation with fruit yield. The finding will facilitate the correct interpretation of leaf nutrient analysis, and the norms developed will enable a precise intervention through nutrient management for higher yields in mandarin citrus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Pepper is a rich source of essential vitamins and minerals. Like tomatoes, pepper plays an important role in preventing heart diseases due to its high amount of antioxidants. Fruit yield is a complex trait that is not only controlled by several genes, but also greatly influenced by the environment. On the other hand, fruit yield is affected by a large number of other traits and their interaction. Therefore, it is very important for plant breeders to know the relationships between these traits and their interaction effects. The path coefficient analysis is a method that clarifies the relationships between traits and their direct and indirect effects on fruit yield. In this method, the correlation coefficient between two attributes is divided into components that measure direct and indirect effects. Considering the limited studies regarding the evaluation of relationships between fruit yield and other traits affecting fruit yield in pepper, this research was conducted with the aim of identifying these important relationships and evaluating their direct and indirect effects in Iranian pepper populations. Materials and Methods In order to carry out this research, the seeds of 30 Iranian pepper accessions were collected directly from the farmers. The experiment was conducted in the form of pot cultivation in the research greenhouse of the Faculty of Agriculture of Urmia University in a completely randomized design with five replications during 2015-2016. After the flowering stage, the desired traits were estimated. Variance analysis was estimated, after examining the basic hypotheses of variance analysis by SAS9.4, as well as the genotypic and phenotypic correlation between traits based on the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) procedure in the SAS9.4 software. Step-by-step regression analysis was used to determine the traits with the most variation justified the fruit yield. The Durbin-Watson test was performed to investigate the independence of experimental errors. Analysis of path coefficients was performed based on the results of stepwise regression and genotypic correlation of traits in the R V.4.0.5. Results and Discussion In order to understand the relationships between traits and use them in breeding programs, the phenotypic correlation was estimated. In this study based on the results of phenotypic correlation, leaf width and leaf length (0.651), single fruit weight and fruit circumference (0.784), fruit circumference and fruit diameter (0.625) and pulp weight and fruit diameter (0.610), showed positive and significant correlation. The purpose of estimating genotypic correlation coefficient is to determine relationships in conditions which in environmental factors are not involved. In the investigation of genotypic correlation, a positive, strong and significant relationship between fruit yield and pulp weight (0.907), fruit circumference (0.891), fruit diameter (0.697), single fruit weight (0.646) and around the plant (0.381) were observed. Given that most of these traits are factors contributing to fruit yield, the presence of such positive and significant genotypic correlation coefficients is reasonable. It can be inferred that pepper accessions with higher fruit characteristics, encompassing factors such as plant density and branching, are likely to exhibit higher fruit yields as well. It's important to note that correlation coefficients are mathematical tools used to measure the linear relationship between two variables. Their significance lies in their mathematical interpretation, and as such, they alone do not provide sufficient proof of a cause-and-effect relationship. Utilizing the results of stepwise regression, less impactful traits or those with minimal effects were eliminated from the model. As a result, seven key traits were identified as the most influential factors affecting fruit yield: pulp weight, plant density, fruit diameter, fruit count, plant height, total seed weight, and branch count.The first characteristic was pulp weight, which was included in the model and explained 78.8% of the fruit yield changes between genotypes. The second characteristic (around the plant) along with pulp weight explained 80.9% of the fruit yield variations. Fruit diameter, together with the previous two characteristics, explained 81.5% of fruit yield variations. In total, the traits included in the model for fruit yield justified 84.6% of the total changes in fruit yield in 30 pepper accessions. In order to better understanding and more accurately interpret of the results, as well as to know the direct and indirect effects and the effect of the traits that were entered into the model through stepwise regression, the path coefficient analysis method was used in this research. Fruit diameter (0.709) and pulp weight (0.289) respectively showed the most positive and direct effect on fruit yield. Fruit pulp weight through fruit diameter had the most positive indirect effect (0.595) on fruit yield. Around the plant showed an indirect positive effect on fruit yield through pulp weight (0.157), fruit diameter (0.392) and number of branches (0.080). Conclusion In the present study, the trait of fruit diameter had a positive, strong and significant genotypic correlation (0.697) with fruit yield, and it also showed a positive direct effect (0.709) on fruit yield, these two coefficients can be considered equal, Approximately. Therefore, direct selection based on fruit diameter proves to be a valuable strategy for enhancing fruit yield. The magnitude of residual effects serves as an indicator of the model's accuracy in path analysis. When this value is substantial, it may be advisable to incorporate additional causal variables into the model. In the current study, the residual effects value (0.213) affirms the model's optimal accuracy.This research highlights the effectiveness of employing stepwise multivariate regression and path coefficient analysis to gain a deeper understanding of the fundamental relationships between traits. It underscores that relying solely on correlation relationships is insufficient for comprehensively justifying the associations between these traits.

Leguminous crop Tephrosia candida has high biomass production and contains a substantial quantity of nutrients within its biomass. Starting in 2019, a long-term study was done to find the best Tephrosia candida dose for mulching in guava orchards. The study had four treatments: T1 = 3.0 kg dry biomass m−2 of the plant basin, T2 = 2.0 kg, T3 = 1.0 kg, and T4 = control (no mulch). Every year, the treatments imposed in the month of August. The third year (2021–2022) results indicated that mulching with 3 kg of biomass m−2 increased trunk diameter, fruit yield, fruit weight, specific leaf area, total leaf chlorophyll, and leaf macro- and micro-nutrients. At 3.0 kg m−2, mulching improved soil properties such as EC, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable potassium, DTPA extractable micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn), total organic carbon (Ctoc), soil organic carbon (Csoc), organic carbon fractions, and microbial biomass carbon between 0–0.15 m and 0.15–0.30 m. There was an increasing trend in dehydrogenase activity (DHA) and fluorescein diacetate (FDA). The Tephrosia leaf litter exhibited decay constants of 1.27 year−1, and the carbon content was 40.11%. Therefore, applying Tephrosia biomass mulching at a rate of 3.0 kg m−2 is a viable long-term solution for enhancing soil fertility and sequestering carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the smaller size of berries plants and some vegetables, their production in containers has grown worldwide. To understand the effect of increasing doses of ammoniacal N, we evaluated production, firmness and size of fruits and concentration of macronutrients in leaves of four blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) cultivars (Duke, Legacy, Cargo, and Suziblue) in south central Chile. All were grown in pots with substrate during their third growing season. The results showed an interaction of ammoniacal N dose with blueberry cultivar in most of the parameters evaluated, except for firmness and size of fruits. The increasing dose of ammoniacal N allowed higher production per plant in only two of the four cultivars without effects on the quality attributes firmness and size of fruits. Differences in production per plant and fruit firmness were obtained between cultivars, with production values per plant between 86-210, 142-219, 195-203, and 504-979 g in Duke', Legacy', Cargo', and Suziblue', respectively, and greater fruit firmness in Suziblue'. The concentrations of macronutrients in leaves showed interactions between cultivar and doses of ammoniacal N, which did not allow obtaining a single dose of ammoniacal N that generate nutritional concentration values in leaves associated with greater fruit production in the four blueberry cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress substantially reduces tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) growth and yield globally, thereby jeopardizing food security. DnaJ proteins, constituents of the heat shock protein system, protect cells from diverse environmental stresses as HSP‐70 molecular co‐chaperones. In this study, we demonstrated that AdDjSKI, a serine‐rich DnaJ III protein induced by pathogens, plays an important role in stabilizing photosystem II (PSII) in response to heat stress. Our results revealed that transplastomic tomato plants expressing the AdDjSKI gene exhibited increased levels of total soluble proteins, improved growth and chlorophyll content, reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, and diminished PSII photoinhibition under elevated temperatures when compared with wild‐type (WT) plants. Intriguingly, these transplastomic plants maintained higher levels of D1 protein under elevated temperatures compared with the WT plants, suggesting that overexpression of AdDjSKI in plastids is crucial for PSII protection, likely due to its chaperone activity. Furthermore, the transplastomic plants displayed lower accumulation of superoxide radical (O2•─) and H2O2, in comparison with the WT plants, plausibly attributed to higher superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities. This also coincides with an enhanced expression of corresponding genes, including SlCuZnSOD, SlFeSOD, SlAPX2, and SltAPX, under heat stress. Taken together, our findings reveal that chloroplastic expression of AdDjSKI in tomatoes plays a critical role in fruit yield, primarily through a combination of delayed senescence and stabilizing PSII under heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, an increase in the frequency of low-sunlight conditions due to climate change has resulted in a decline in the yield and quality of crops for greenhouse farmers, leading to significant challenges in maintaining optimal plant growth. The crop growth model can be used to predict changes in cucumber yield in response to variations in sunlight, which can help efficiently address sunlight shortages. The objective of this study was to improve and validate the model for predicting cucumber yield under different light environment conditions, including shading and supplemental lighting. The model comprises three steps: LAI prediction, daily assimilate yield prediction, and fruit yield prediction, each of which involves modifying the coefficients applied to suit the cucumber cultivar and environment condition. The improved model demonstrated a high degree of accuracy in predicting cucumber yields in the control and low-sunlight treatments (10, 20, and 30% shading), with a coefficient of determination (R2) > 0.98. When supplemental lighting was incorporated into the control and shading treatments, the accuracy of the improved model in predicting cucumber yield was also high, with a coefficient of determination (R2) > 0.99. The model also accurately predicted the decrease in cucumber fruit yield under low-sunlight conditions (shading treatments) and the increase in yield due to supplemental lighting. The findings of this study indicate that the improved cucumber yield prediction model can be applied to assess the efficacy of yield reduction in low-sunlight conditions and the potential for yield enhancement through supplemental lighting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field trials were conducted at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria (700, 20' N, 300, 23' E) in the early and late wet seasons of 2012, to evaluate response of growth, chlorophyll content and fruit yield of cayenne pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) to seedling age and weed interference period. Split-plot arrangement in a randomized complete block design with three replicates was adopted in the trials. The main plot treatments were age of pepper seedlings at transplant, (four and six weeks after sowing (WAS)) while the subplot treatments consisted of ten periods of weed interference. Data were collected on stem girth, chlorophyll content, pepper fruit count, fruit yield and weed dry matter production. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance and treatment means were separated using least significant difference at p=0.05. The results showed that six-week old pepper seedling had higher chlorophyll content and pepper fruit yield. Chlorophyll content and fruit yield of pepper increased with weed free period and decreased with weed infestation period. Uncontrolled weed infestation for whole season caused 98.6% and 91.6% reduction in pepper fruit yield in the early wet and late wet season respectively. In this study, six-week old pepper seedling kept weed free for at least 12 weeks after transplanting (WAT) resulted in significantly higher pepper fruit yield than four-week old pepper seedling irrespective of period of weed interference. Hence, six-week old pepper seedling should be planted and kept weed-free for the first 12 WAT for maximum fruit at harvest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sowing density optimal is rated a less expensive solution for enhancing the output of tomato yield in the background of extending food requirements worldwide. Methods: The main objective of this study is to investigate the sowing density effect on the growth and tomato yield planted in Don Duong district of Lam Dong province, Vietnam. The study was conducted during the spring tomato crop (January to June 2020) with five different sowing densities varying from 33000 to 50000 plants/ha based on drip irrigation system supply approximately 100% of actual evapotranspiration. Result: Results pointed out that among investigated sowing densities, sowing density 45830 plants/ha obtained the optimal fruit yield (OFY) up to 87.8 tons/ha compared with different sowing densities while other observed variations as the number of bunches, fruit weight per plant and diameter were no significant difference. Based on the findings, tomato growers can sow with a density 45830 plants/ha to obtain the OFY thereby contributing to increase profits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus fruit yield is essential for market stability, as it allows businesses to plan for production and distribution. However, yield estimation is a complex and time-consuming process that often requires a large number of field samples to ensure representativeness. To address this challenge, we investigated the optimal altitude for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imaging to estimate the yield of Citrus unshiu fruit. We captured images from five different altitudes (30 m, 50 m, 70 m, 90 m, and 110 m), and determined that a resolution of approximately 5 pixels/cm is necessary for reliable estimation of fruit size based on the average diameter of C. unshiu fruit (46.7 mm). Additionally, we found that histogram equalization of the images improved fruit count estimation compared to using untreated images. At the images from 30 m height, the normal image estimates fruit numbers as 73, 55, and 88. However, the histogram equalized image estimates 88, 71, 105. The actual number of fruits is 124, 88, and 141. Using a Vegetation Index such as IPCA showed a similar estimation value to histogram equalization, but I1 estimation represents a gap to actual yields. Our results provide a valuable database for future UAV field investigations of citrus fruit yield. Using flying platforms like UAVs can provide a step towards adopting this sort of model spanning ever greater regions at a cheap cost, with this system generating accurate results in this manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing interest in producing organic tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) in high tunnels (HTs) in the southeast United States. HTs are unheated, passively cooled structures that allow tomato growers to harvest high-quality fruit out of season. However, excessive temperatures inside HTs may negatively impact tomato plant growth and fruit yield. Shade nets have been reported to reduce temperatures inside the HTs. Plastic mulch color has also significantly influenced plant growth and yield under high-temperature conditions. This study aimed to determine the effects of shade net color and plastic mulch color on plant growth, fruit yield, and incidence of tomato yellow leaf curl disease (TYLC) in 'Red Snapper' tomato grown in HTs under elevated temperatures (summer-fall) in southern Georgia, USA. Organic 'Red Snapper' tomato seedlings were transplanted in HTs in 2019 (Season 1) and 2020 (Season 2). The design was a split-plot randomized block where the main plots were externally mounted shade nets (black, silver, and unshaded; 30% shade factor), and the subplots were plastic mulches (black and white). Compared with black mulch, white mulch improved plant height and stem diameter but did not influence fruit yields. Shade nets reduced HT air temperature and root zone temperature (RZT) but did not affect plant height and stem diameter. The diminished photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) under the shade nets reduced marketable fruit yield. Thus, shade nets are not recommended once heat challenges do not limit HT tomato production in Georgia (after about mid-October). Shade nets and plastic mulch inconsistently affected TYLC incidence, severity, and area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC). Additional fruit yield reductions occurred due to TYLC because the incidence was 100% 6 weeks after transplanting. Preliminary insect data showed that shade net treatments had similar sweetpotato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) numbers. The high TYLC incidence indicates that 'Red Snapper' may not be suitable for fall HT tomato production in the southeast United States. More research on shading and heat stress management in HT organic tomato production is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lycopene is an essential antioxidant found in tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) that can inhibit and prevent cell damage in the body. Thus, enhancing lycopene content is one of the crucial objectives in tomato breeding. Efforts should focus on assembling the tomato with high fruit yield and good quality by conducting transgressive segregant selection through plant breeding programs. The study aimed to select tomato lines with the potential for transgressive segregation based on high fruit yield and lycopene content. The research began in an augmented design combined with factors comprising 54 non-repeated tomato lines, compared with four repeated standard cultivars (Mawar, Chung, Karina, and Tymoti). The tomato lines' planting into seven blocks had no repeats, while the check cultivars for comparison engaged in repeated planting in each block. The observations underwent the analysis of variance (ANOVA), path analysis, correlation, heritability (narrow sense), and transgressive segregants. Based on transgressive segregation, the high-yielding tomato lines selected bore analysis for lycopene content. Based on the plant height and productive bunches per plant (directly supporting the fruit yield), the 14 promising transgressive segregant families' selection comprised 10 MC crosses, MC10.10, MC10.4, MC11.4, MC12.3, MC27.12, MC27.7, MC29.4, MC35.7, MC74.12, and MC8.3 and four KM crosses, KM23.2, KM26.1, KM30.5, and KM.5.5. For increased lycopene content, the five F4 families MC10.10, MC27.12, MC35.7, KM23.2, and KM30.5 showed better performance wherein selecting 10 transgressive segregant lines resulted with high lycopene content and fruit yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Low temperature has a major influence on survival and geographical distribution of plants and as an important environmental factor, it affects plant productivity. Physalis (Physalis peruviana L.) belongs to the Solanaceae family and is a tropical and subtropical plant that is affected by low temperatures at beginning and end of the growing season. These fruits are highly beneficial to human health due to their nutritional and bioactive compounds (antioxidants, vitamins A, B, C, E and K1, flavonoids and carotenoids), so it has gained attention for cultivation worldwide. Amino acids (L-Phenylalanine and cysteine) or selenium play important roles in plant resistance to low temperature. However, the role of L-phenylalanine (Phe) and cysteine (Cys) or selenium (Se) in regulating chilling tolerance and improve fruit quality of physalis is still unknown. In this study, the effects of Phe, Cys and Se on quality and antioxidant capacity of physalis fruit under low-temperature stress were investigated. Materials and Methods: The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The seeds of physalis (Physalis peruviana L.) were sown in seedling trays containing peat moss under optimal conditions of 25±2 °C during the day and 20±2 °C at night. Different concentrations of L-phenylalanine (0.75, 1.5, and 2.5 mM, Phe), L-cysteine (0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 mM, Cys), or sodium selenate (0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg L-1, Se) were sprayed on the seedlings at the 4-5th true leaf stage. Distilled water was used as the control treatment. To induce chilling stress, plants with the basically same growth were transferred to a 4 °C climate chamber for 48 hours. The control group was grown under optimal conditions. After applying the chilling stress, the plants were returned to optimal growth conditions for 24 hours. Plants transplanted to the field and foliar sprayed three times (growth stage, flowering and fruit set stages) with amino acids and Se. After exposed plants to autumn chilling, fruits harvested during calix and fruit color change from green to orange stage, and plant height, yield and the quality characteristics of the fruit including carotenoid content, membrane stability index, titratable acidity, phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity were evaluated. Results: The results showed that low temperature stress significantly decreased fruit yield, carotenoids content and membrane stability index (MSI), and increased titratable acidity, phenols and flavonoids content and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities. Foliar spray of Physalis plants with Phe, Cys and Se under cold stress significantly increased plant height, fruit yield, antioxidant enzymes activity, MSI, carotenoids, phenolic compound and TA. The highest value of MSI (38.46 and 36.1) was obtained in fruit of plants treated with Se 0.25 and 0.5 mg L-1 under low temperature condition. The maximum phenol content (8.08 and 7.83 mg L-1) of fruit was observed with application of Phe 0.75 mM and Cys 0.25 mM in plants exposed to cold stress. Also, the highest antioxidant capacity was obtained in plant fruits treated with Phe 0.75 and 1.5 mM (60.8%), Cys 0.25 mM (60.26%) and Se 0.5 mg L-1, respectively under low temperature condition, and the lowest antioxidant capacity (50.5%) was observed in control plant fruits. Conclusion: The results of research showed that the foliar application of Phe, Cys or Se treatments, especially the levels of Phe 0.75 and 1.5 mM and Se 0.5 mg L-1 during seedling and field growing periods caused a significant increase in fruit yield, also increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes, phenolic compounds and the membrane stability index of fruits exposed to autumn cold and led to improvement of fruit quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the first occurrence of Huanglongbing (HLB) in the Florida commercial citrus industry in 2004, fruit yield and yield components of HLB-affected citrus have declined in endemically affected citrus tree groves. Optimal fertilization is thus critical for improving tree performance because nutrients are vital for tree growth and development, and play a significant role in tree disease resistance against various biotic and abiotic stresses. The objective of the current study was to determine whether leaf nutrient concentration, tree growth, yield, and postharvest quality of HLB-affected citrus trees were improved by the split application of nutrients. The four micronutrient application rates were used as fixed factors and the three nitrogen (N) rates were used as random factors for leaf nutrient analyses, tree growth, fruit yield, and postharvest analyses. Significant leaf manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) concentrations were detected when trees received foliar and soil-applied micronutrients regardless of the N rates. There was a strong regression analysis of leaf Mn and Zn nutrient concentration and nutrient rates with R2: 0.61 and 0.59, respectively. As a result, a significant leaf area index associated with foliar and soil-applied micronutrient rates had a positive correlation with leaf area index and soil pH with R2: 0.58 and 0.63 during the spring and summer seasons, respectively. Trees that received a moderate (224 kg·ha−1) N rate showed the least fruit decay percentage and total soluble solids (TSS) of 8% more than the lowest (168 kg·ha−1) and highest (280 kg·ha−1) N rates, even though fruit yield variations were barely detected as these micronutrients promoted vegetative growth. Moreover, the TSS to titratable acidity (TA) ratio of foliar and soil-applied micronutrient-treated trees showed 2% and 7% greater values than the foliar-only treated and control trees, respectively. Although micronutrients exacerbated stem-end rind breakdown (SERB), these nutrients significantly improved fruit storage when the fruits were stored for extended periods (8–11 weeks). Thus, moderate N rate, foliar (1×), and soil-applied (1×) micronutrient treatments improved tree growth, fruit postharvest, and fruit storage characteristics.

Optimal fruit production from many tree crops relies on the transfer of cross-pollen between trees of different cultivars rather than the transfer of self-pollen between trees of the same cultivar. However, many orchards are established with wide blocks of single cultivars, which can result in high percentages of self-fertilised fruit and sub-optimal yield and quality. We aimed to determine whether outcrossing rates and yield of Hass avocado fruit decline with increasing distance from polliniser trees of cultivar Shepard and whether selfed fruit are smaller than outcrossed fruit. Outcrossing rates declined from 49% at six trees (40 m) from a block of Shepard trees to 30% at thirty trees (160 m) from a block of Shepard trees. Tree yield across this distance declined by 44% as a result of a 69% decline in the number of outcrossed fruit per tree, without a significant decline in the number of selfed fruit per tree. Outcrossed Hass fruit were 12% heavier than selfed Hass fruit, with 3% greater diameter and 5% greater length. The study results demonstrate the importance of interplanting Type B avocado pollinisers closely with Type A Hass trees to increase fruit yield and size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practice of intercropping in Rosa roxburghii Tratt orchards holds potential for enhancing fruit yield and financial benefits, yet remains insufficiently explored. To address this, we delved into the effects of intercropping on fruit yield and financial viability of R. roxburghii orchards in Longli County, southern China. Orchards of varying ages (4 years old and 5 years old; 7 years old and 8 years old) were subjected to different treatments: (i) Zea mays and Capsicum annuum intercropping, and clean tillage for younger orchards, and (ii) Lolium perenne, natural grass, and clean tillage for older orchards. Each treatment was assessed for its impact on fruit yield and financial benefits. In younger orchards, intercropping with Z. mays and C. annuum did not significantly elevate fruit yield compared to clean tillage in the 4-year-old orchard; however, C. annuum intercropping significantly improved fruit yield in the 5-year-old orchard. Concurrently, intercropping significantly augmented the total financial benefit by 9234.35–10,486.25 CNY ha−1 (Z. mays) and 14,304.90–16,629.18 CNY ha−1 (C. annuum) compared to clean tillage. In older orchards, L. perenne intercropping significantly elevated fruit yield by 598.84–803.64 kg·ha−1, while natural grass reduced it by 394.61–986.24 kg·ha−1, compared to clean tillage. Additionally, L. perenne intercropping significantly boosted the total financial benefit by 8873.92–9956.56 CNY ha−1, whereas natural grass negatively impacted financial benefits by 78.42–2444.94 CNY ha−1 compared to clean tillage. Collectively, our results illustrate that judicious selection of intercrops, based on orchard age and conditions, can significantly enhance both fruit yield and financial advantages in R. roxburghii orchards. This study furnishes vital insights for orchard management and accentuates the prospective merits of intercropping in fruit production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biochar application has been reported to have a positive effect on crop yield and nutrient utilization. However, the effects of the joint application of biochar and nitrogen (N) on soil physical properties, fruit yield, quality, crop water productivity (WP) and partial factor productivity of nitrogen (PFPN) of water-stressed greenhouse tomato under drip fertigation remain poorly understood. In this study, a two-season experiment was conducted on greenhouse tomato in autumn 2021 and spring 2022, involving two biochar application rates (0 and 30 t ha–1 only in the first season before sowing), two N fertilization rates (175 and 250 kg N ha–1), and three irrigation levels (100%, 75%, and 50% of crop evapotranspiration). The results showed that biochar application significantly decreased soil bulk density by 7–13%, but significantly increased soil porosity by 5.5%− 10% and fruit yield by 43.2–73.8% compared with the non-biochar treatment. The biochar application significantly affected the total soluble solids (TSS), soluble sugar (SS), and vitamin C of tomato fruits. The interaction of biochar application and N fertilization increased PFPN and WP by 67.4% and 76.3% in autumn 2021, and by 38.1% and 51.8% in spring 2022, respectively. Biochar rate and irrigation level had significant effects on TSS and SS contents in both seasons, but N rate significantly affected TSS in autumn 2021 only and SS in both seasons. The interaction of biochar application, N rate and irrigation level had significant effects on fruit yield. The effects of biochar rate, N rate, and irrigation level on PFPN were significant in both growing seasons. The joint application of biochar and nitrogen significantly enhanced fruit yield, quality and water-nitrogen productivity of water-stressed greenhouse tomato. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that PC1 accounted for 47.7% and 48%of the variation in autumn 2021 and spring 2022, while PC2 accounted for 14.6% and 15.6% in autumn 2021 and spring 2022, respectively. This study underscores the significance of biochar application in drip-fertigated greenhouse tomato cultivation and highlights its sustained positive effects in the next growing season.

Although distributed across the Sudano-Sahelian region as an agroforestry system tree species, Vitellaria paradoxa has yet to be reported as successfully established outside of Africa, significantly limiting its yield and further exploitation. In this paper, in order to assess a well-established population of V. paradoxa in the Yuanjiang dry-hot valley of China and examine the relationships between morphological-geological factors and fruit yield, we monitored dendrometric traits and fruiting across 844 shea trees located on different aspects, and applied partial least square regression to build a yield model based on dendrometric and geographical variables. Results revealed climatic resemblance of the introduction site in Yuanjiang to the natural habitat in Ghana, and the growth performance and fruit yield were also comparable, but accumulated precipitation of about 600 mm was better for fruit yield when heat accumulation reached about 2,000 °C. Apart from crown diameter (p < 0.05), dendrometric parameters (basal diameter, basal area and tree height) had positively weak relationships with fruit yield. On the contrary, aside from north and northeast aspect, other aspects showed a strong negative influence. The findings presented that growth and productivity of V. paradoxa increased with dendrometric parameters and monthly average temperature on shady and semi-shady slope, providing a theoretical basis for the development of shea tree and construction of agroforestry system in dry tropical areas outside Africa.

Okra is an important vegetable crop with high nutritional and economic value. Various approaches have been attempted to increase its production, including foliar fertilisers. This study aims to determine the optimal time to apply foliar fertiliser in a day to improve the final yield in Abelmoschus esculentus L. var. Torpedo and evaluate okra's growth and yield responses by integrating foliar fertiliser as supplementary fertiliser with granule fertiliser in a controlled environment. The study was conducted in a rain shelter under a randomised complete block design with 3 blocks comprising 3 replications within each block. The treatments involved a combination of foliar and granule application at different timings: sunrise, midday, and dusk, and solely granule fertiliser at labelled recommended rates. The control group was treated with only granule fertiliser at the same rate as the combined foliar and granule application. The study found that the application of foliar fertiliser during dusk (6-7 p.m.) showed a higher trend of potential yield, which revealed the potential of dusk foliar fertiliser application timing as the optimal timing for foliar fertilisation. The study also demonstrated that incorporating liquid foliar fertiliser with granular fertiliser can enhance nutrient uptake and promote plant growth, leading to a more sustainable farming practice by reducing inorganic soil granule fertilisers. The potential yield under the combined fertiliser treatments was 5% to 20% higher when compared to experiment control while comparable to the conventional fertiliser application treatment, despite using 45% less nitrogen. Therefore, the study suggests that farmers integrate foliar and soil fertilisation methods to achieve optimal crop yield production and promote sustainable farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Using microorganisms can develop into a promising strategy for increasing photosynthetic activity and greater accumulation of assimilates in crops. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Rhodopseudomonas palustris on fruit yield and quality of 'Keitt' mangoes grown under semi-arid environmental conditions. The experiment was carried out simultaneously in two mango orchards in Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil. The study comprised a randomized block design with treatments distributed in 7 treatments, 4 replications, and 3 plants per plot. The treatments consisted of different strategies for applying R. palustris. These treatments were T1) control treatment; T2) 1.43 × 107 CFU/plant via fertigation; T3) 2.85 × 107 CFU/plant via fertigation; T4) 4.27 × 107 CFU/plant via fertigation; T5) 5.70 × 107 CFU/plant via fertigation; T6) 1.43 × 107 CFU/plant via fertigation + 1.43 × 107 CFU/plant via leaf spray; T7) 2.85 × 107 CFU/plant via fertigation + 1.43 × 107 CFU/plant via leaf spray. The treatments were a pplied monthly, totaling seven applications. We evaluated fruit yield (M g ha-1), longitudinal diameter, ventral diameter and transverse diameter, fruit mass, pulp firmness, pulp percentage, soluble solids (SS), pH, titratable acidity (TA), SS/TA ratio, and dry pulp mass. R. palustris improved mango yield and fruit quality characteristics regarding longitudinal and transversal diameters and the SS/TA ratio. Mango plants treated with R. palustris at 1.43 × 107 CFU/plant via fertigation (T2) produced 10 Mg ha-1 more than the control group, without loss of fruit quality while considering the European market demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Okra is a commercially important vegetable crop that grows in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate parts of the world, but its productivity is hindered by a lack of improved cultivars and delayed and erratic seedling emergence in the field. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of seed priming treatments on okra genotypes' seedling emergence and fruit yield. In this experiment, Clemson spineless, Arka Anamika, SOH701, 240,207, and 240,586 okra genotypes were primed with tap water, 50% cow urine, 200 ppm GA3, and 0.5% KH2PO4 as treatments, and dry seed of each genotype was used as a control. The experiment was conducted in Dire Dawa by irrigation in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. GenStat software was used to analyse all the data collected in this experiment. Genotype and seed priming treatments significantly affected phenology, growth, fruit yield, and yield-related traits, and their interactions affected the above traits, except for days to seedling emergence and fruit number per plant. Genotype Clemson spineless (5.13 days) and seed primed with GA3 (4.6 days) had the shortest days to 50% seedling emergence, and genotype 240,586 primed with KH2PO4 produced the highest fruit yield per hectare (37.78 t ha−1). So, farmers in the study area are advised to use genotype 240,586 with KH2PO4 seed priming to increase fruit yield. However, research conducted at one site should be repeated at multiple sites in order to make recommendations that are relevant to the country.

Three gummy stem blight (GSB) resistant watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) genotypes (IIHR-82, IIHR-617 and BIL-53), two resistant bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) genotypes (BG-95, BG-77-6-1) and three hybrid combinations based on watermelon genotypes (IIHR-617 × Arka Manik, IIHR-82 × Arka Manik and IIHR-82 × IIHR-617) were evaluated as rootstocks for yield, quality and GSB incidence in a sick plot during spring 2019, spring 2020 and spring 2021 at Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore. The commercial watermelon hybrid NS-295 was used as a scion for grafting onto these rootstocks. Significant differences were observed among the grafted entries and checks in terms of disease incidence (PDI). Among agronomic traits, grafting significantly affected plant growth, earliness and yield in a desirable direction. The grafted scion onto the hybrid rootstocks and BG-95 could maintain its oblong fruit shape compared to those onto IIHR-82 and BIL-53, whereas BG-77-6-1 produced spherical fruits. Quality traits showed an improvement in terms of total soluble solids (TSS), flesh colour, total carotenoids and lycopene content among the grafted entries as compared to non-grafted controls. Overall, the use of hybrid rootstocks i.e. IIHR-82 × IIHR-617 and IIHR-82 × Arka Manik was found to be advantageous in managing GSB apart from imparting desirable agronomic and fruit quality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Capsicum chinense Jacq. (Ghost Pepper) is well-known for its high pungency and pleasant aroma. The recent years witnessed a significant decline in popularity of this important crop due to the use of inferior planting material and lack of elite lines. To maintain constant performance across a variety of settings, it is crucial to choose stable lines with high yield and capsaicin content, as these are the most promising traits of Ghost Pepper. Method: In this study, 120 high-capsaicin genotypes were subjected to a 3-year (kharif 2017, 2018 and 2019) stability investigation utilizing two well-known stability methods: Eberhart-Russell (ER) and additive main effects and multiple interaction (AMMI). Three replications were used following Randomized Complete Block Design for 11 traits. The experiment soil was sandy loam with pH 4.9. Minimum and maximum temperature of 18.5 °C, 17.5 °C, 17.4 °C and 32.2 °C, 31.3 °C, 32.7 °C and rainfall of 1,781, 2,099, 1,972 mm respectively was recorded for the study period. Result: The genotype-environment linear interaction (G×E Lin.) was highly significant for days to 50% flowering, capsaicin content, fruit length and girth, fruit yield per plant and number of fruits per plant at p < 0.005. G×E interaction for fruit yield and capsaicin content in AMMI-analysis of variance reported 67.07% and 71.51% contribution by IPCA-1 (interactive principal component axis) and 32.76% and 28.49% by IPCA-2, respectively. Eight genotypes were identified to be stable with high yield and capsaicin content. The identified stable lines can be opted for cultivation to reduce the impact of crop failure when grown in different macro-environments. Moreover, the pharmaceutical and spice sectors will also be benefitted from the lines with high capsaicin content. Further research assessing the lines' performance across various regions of India can provide a solid foundation for the crop's evaluation at national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This study evaluated the response of hot pepper (Capsicum annuum var. Red chili) towards cow vermicompost application under field conditions.Method Cow vermicompost was supplied in four levels (0, 5, 10, and 15 t ha-1) across the two growing seasons in 2017 and 2018. Results Vermicompost application significantly increased the plant height, internode distance, and the number of lateral branches in both seasons. It was noticed that manuring with 15 t ha-1 of cow vermicompost resulted with enhanced chlorophyll contents, fruit yield, and fruit number in both years. In both seasons, the highest leaf number, fruit weight, and total soluble solids are related to the third treatment (10 t ha-1 of cow vermicompost). The results showed that 1000-seed weight and vitamin C content were affected by cow vermicompost. Data showed that manuring with vermicompost (5 t ha-1) caused the best quality components in 2017 and 2018.Conclusion It was concluded that the application of vermicompost had a significant impact on vegetative and reproductive growth and fruit quality of hot pepper.

Background: Snake gourd is a monoecious crop that prefers cross pollination. Snake gourd has a lot of potential for genetic improvement. A large variation can be produced when genetically diverse and geographically distant lines are combined. To examine the genetic diversity and connection between essential agronomic features in snake gourd, multivariate methods such as principal component analysis and cluster analysis were used. This study will use multivariate analysis to determine the genetic diversity and link between critical agronomic aspects of snake gourd. Methods: A total of sixteen genotypes and two varieties of snake gourd genotypes were subjected to boxplot, principal component analysis and cluster analysis based on eleven quantitative traits. Boxplot analysis, Principal component analysis and cluster analysis were performed using R version of 4.2.1. Result: Boxplot analysis depicted the frequency distribution of eleven quantitative traits among 18 snake gourd accessions. The overall variation was split into eleven principal components, out of which five major principal components contributed for variability of snake gourd genotypes by exhibiting 90.05 per cent of variability. The squared cosine variables inferred that the traits viz., days to first male flowering, days to first female flowering and days to first harvest contributed more for variability in the first component. The ward D2 method of hierarchical clustering cluster the 16 genotypes and 2 varieties in two clusters based on cluster sum of squares. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Girdling is an important means of improving the yield and quality of jujube trees, but this measure can easily cause injury, or even death, to jujube trees. A technology for increasing yield and improving quality, based on local thermal damage of jujube bark, is proposed to address a series of issues in current jujube-tree-girdling technology. First, we measured the thermophysical parameters of jujube bark and established a heat-transfer model for jujube bark. Then, in order to investigate the impact of local thermal damage on jujube-tree yield and fruit quality, local heating experiments were conducted on jujube-tree bark, using the heat-transfer model. The experimental results indicated that heating the jujube bark at a certain temperature for an appropriate time can effectively improve the yield and quality of jujube fruit. Compared with traditional girdling techniques, this method has less impact on the health of jujube trees and does not form permanent wounds on them. The research results provide new ideas for exploring sustainable yield-increase methods for fruit trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fruit supply chain (FSC) involves different stages that need to be planned at least two months in advance. Therefore, having a good fruit yield forecast with anticipation allows making timely correct decisions for providing the resources, transport, and cold storage contracts, among others. Therefore, fruit yield over or underestimation could cause important inefficiencies with regards to FSC. Because of its relevance, a method based on machine learning (ML) techniques that uses spectrometric vegetation data is proposed. This method, known as Spectrometry Based Method for Fruit Production Forecast (SBM-Fruit), allows exploring the georeferenced Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), collected in different phenological stages, aiming to capture spatial and temporal dependency in the fruit yield forecast. In the first step of SBM-Fruit, several clusters are obtained in a clustering process using the georeferenced NDVI in all phenological stages as input, while, in the second step, two validation functions are used for determining the best clustering. Finally, in the third step, the predictor variables of the best clustering are incorporated into an artificial neural network (ANN) for predicting the fruit yield. The SBM-Fruit was applied to forecast table grape yield of an orchard located in the Valparaíso Region, Chile. The results show fruit yield estimations with mean errors around 0.013 percent for every spatial zone of the orchard, forecasted at least two months in advance. The use of the SBM-Fruit would allow FSC stakeholders to make better decisions, improving the coordination of the FSC stages, and reducing costs and fruit losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourteen genetically diverse inbred lines comprising of four genic male sterile lines and 10 often pollinated lines as testers were crossed following 'line × tester' mating design to generate 40 F1s. These F1s, parents and check 'CH‐27' were evaluated in α‐lattice square design, replicated thrice during summer seasons of 2020 and 2021. The male sterile line DPChMS 9‐2 was good general combiner for marketable fruit yield and eight other component traits while testers namely, DPCh 10, PBC 535, VVG, Him Palam Mirch‐2 and DPCh 40 showed significant GCA for majority of yield related traits. The hybrids DPChMS 9‐2 × HPM‐2, DPChMS 9‐2 × DPCh 40, DPChMS 9‐2 × DPCh 101, DPChMS 9‐2× VVG and DPChMS 26‐1× HPM‐1 were the most desirable based on specific combining ability (SCA) and economic heterosis for fruit yield and other important traits. Heterosis was positively correlated with SCA indicating prediction of potential hybrids can be made based on both these parameters simultaneously. Present study provides an opportunity to exploit top hybrids for stability and commercial cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, such as Funneliformis mosseae, are essential components of the soil microbiome that can facilitate plant growth and enhance abiotic and biotic stress resistances. However, the mechanisms via which F. mosseae inoculation influences Capsicum annuum L. plant growth and fruit yield remain unclear. Here, we conducted pot experiments to investigate bacterial and fungal community structures in the rhizosphere of C. annuum plants inoculated with F. mosseae based on 16S ribosomal RNA and internal transcribed spacer gene sequencing. The α‐diversity of bacteria increased significantly following F. mosseae inoculation (p < 0.01); however, there was no significant difference in fungal diversity indices between treatments. The relative abundances of major bacterial phyla, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Gemmatimonadetes, together with the fungal phylum Ascomycota, were all higher in inoculated samples than in uninoculated controls. F. mosseae inoculation led to a remarkable enrichment of potentially beneficial genera (e.g., Streptomyces, Sphingomonas, Lysobacter, and Trichoderma), in stark contrast to the depletion of fungal pathogens (e.g., Botryotrichum, Acremonium, Fusarium, and Plectosphaerella). Rhizosphere pathways related to amino acid metabolism and antibiotic biosynthesis were upregulated by F. mosseae inoculation, whereas pathways involved in infectious diseases were downregulated. Thus, F. mosseae inoculation appears to reshape the rhizosphere microbiome, thereby augmenting C. annuum plant growth and fruit yield. Core Ideas: Funneliformis mosseae can enhance Capsicum annuum L. plant growth and fruit yield.F. mosseae can lead to the enrichment of beneficial rhizosphere microbiota.F. mosseae inoculation contributes to the depletion of fungal pathogens.F. mosseae can mediate the beneficial functions of rhizosphere microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Wood ash is an important alternative source of inorganic potassium especially for farmers in areas with acidic soils. Method: The experiment was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, treatments consisted of the application of inorganic fertilizer sources (0 kgha-1, 130.44 kgha-1 of urea, and 300 kgha-1 of NPK of 20:10:10) and wood ash (0 tha-1, 5 tha-1, and 10 tha-1) to garden egg seedlings. In the second phase of the experiment, garden eggfruits were analyzed for nutrient contents. Results: Significant (p≤0.05) fruit yield followed this order: 10 tha-1 of wood ash > control > 5 tha-1 of wood ash. Inorganic fertilizer sources effect on fruit yield followed this sequence:  300 kgha-1 of NPK 20:10:10 > 130.44 kgha-1 of urea > control. The interaction of 10 tha-1 of wood ash and 300 kgha-1 of NPK 20:10:10 produced the highest fruit yield (57 ± 0.50 tha-1). A combined application of 300 kgha-1 of NPK and 5 tha-1 of wood ash showed a greater improvement in vitamin C while an integrated application of 130.44 kgha-1 of urea and 10 tha-1 of wood ash increased vitamin A contents of garden egg. Conclusion: Integration of 10 tha-1 of wood ash and 300 kgha-1 of NPK 20:10:10 positively improved the growth and yield of the garden egg. The addition of a lower rate of wood ash to NPK fertilizer and a higher rate of wood ash to urea significantly improved the nutrient contents of garden eggs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]