New Perspectives in Agriculture and Crop Science Vol. 1

Physico-chemical Properties and Resistance of Ten Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea) Varieties to Attack by Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in the Sudano-sahelian and Sudano-guinean Zones of Cameroon

2021-08-03T07:56:41+00:00

Aims: This research aimed at selecting indigenous Bambara groundnut varieties with high nutritional value and inherent resistance to insect attack for cultivation in sudano-sahelian (SS) and sudano-guinean (SG) zones of Cameroon.

Study Design: The susceptibility of varieties to insect attack was assessed by adopting the standard evaluation of Dobie index and the experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD) with five replications.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biological Sciences (laboratory of Applied Zoology), UIT (laboratory of food chemical engineering) at Ngaoundere (SG zone). The work was also carried-out at Maroua (SS zone), starting from Jun to October 2013 for susceptibility assessment and from March 2014 to April 2015 for physico-chemical characterization of varieties.

Methodology: Ten Bambara groundnut genotypes were infested with bruchids for six days. Comparative data on the mean percentage adult emergence, mean developmental period and susceptibility index (SI) were then collected for analysis. Seeds were also analyzed for physical and chemical properties to study the physico-chemical basis of resistance to bruchid attack and the nutritional value.

Results: Varieties were significantly different regarding their physical properties (F = 13.32 – 92.89; P ˂ 0.001), chemical composition (F = 6.57 – 2936.00; P ˂ 0.001 – 0.01) and susceptibility index (F = 107.02 – 152.59; P ˂ 0.001). Overall, SS zone was most suitable for insect development. Biophysical characteristics were not found important to characterize the susceptibility of varieties to insect attack. Carbohydrates were negatively correlated (r = -0.53) with Bambara groundnut SI under SS conditions, while total polyphenolic compounds were positively correlated (r = 0.52) under SG conditions. Galaji, Black eye and Guerade guerlal consistently demonstrated high tolerance to infestation by C. maculatus and therefore, may be recommended for relatively longer storage.

Conclusion: The physical parameters of the grains did not linearly relate with varietal resistance to C. maculatus. However, it may be inversely or directly correlated with chemical characteristics, depending on the agro-ecological zone. Further analyses of grain biochemical components that may relate to varietal resistance to C. maculatus are required. From the results of the present finding only two (Galaji and Black eye) and three (Guerade guerlal, Galaji and Black eye) varieties were resistant to bruchids attack respectively in SS zone and SG zone, of the ten varieties tested. Seed legumes suffer from heavy damage by cowpea weevil attack during storage in SS than in SG zone of Cameroon (Northern Cameroon). Nevertheless, Galaji and Black eye may be recommended for relatively longer storage to achieve the goal of long term and sustainable pest management strategies in Northern Cameroon in general.

Shelf-life of Tomato as Affected by Ripeness, Temperature and Handling Practices

2021-08-03T08:00:45+00:00

In most parts of sub-Saharan Africa, tomato is harvested at the pink to red-ripe stage for marketing. At this stage of maturity, the fruits begin to lose their firmness and often very susceptible to mechanical injury. Attempts to get tomato harvested at the breaker to turning stage of ripeness has not yielded the desired results. In this study, a sequence of anticipated hazards (impact, compression and vibration) encountered in a typical distribution was tested on shelf-life qualities. A vibration test to simulate a truck operating at a highway speed and the ability of shipping units to withstand mechanical forces resulting from stacking were analyzed. Tomato at turning and pink ripeness stages were subjected to a vibration test for 1hr and incubated in ripening chambers set at 15, 20 and 30 ºC. The results showed that temperature exerted the most effect on compositional characteristics, CO₂ and ethylene production, color, firmness, weight loss and overall shelf-life. For optimum quality, the fruits should be traded within 2-4, 8-12 and 10-15 days when stored at 30, 20 and 15 ºC respectively, in retail markets.

Effect of Different Organic Fertilizer Application Rates on Yield and Yield Attributes of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum)

2021-08-03T08:07:52+00:00

A field experiment was conducted at the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) to investigate the effects of organic fertilizer on growth and yield tomato from October 2014 to March 2015. The experiment was laid out in a randomised complete block design (RCBD) with four treatments being varying levels of organic fertilizer; 0 kg m^-2, 5 kg m^-2, 7.5 kg m^-2 and 10 kg m^-2 each replicated three times. The yield attributes measured were plant height, stem thickness, canopy diameter, number of leaves, fruits and fruit weight. Organic fertilizer application rates of 7.5 and 10 kg m⁻² revealed significantly (p<0.05) taller plants compared to other treatments. A highly significant difference in plant canopy was observed across the four fertilizer application rates. Higher fertilizer application rate of 10 kg m^-2outperformed the rest of the treatments. A highly significant treatment effect was observed on leaf number of plants in the 10 kg m^-2 application rate. The same trend was observed for stem thickness with the 10 kg m⁻² application rate. A linear relationship (R² = 0.9655) between number of fruits and fruits weight was revealed. Number of fruits and fruits weight increased with increasing organic fertilizer application rates. The 10 kg m^-2 fertilizer application rate outperformed the rates for most measured parameters. Results of the study demonstrate that the use of organic fertilizer would help small-scale vegetable growers to maintain the long-term soil productivity for sustainable tomato cultivation since it is affordable and abundant in Botswana.

Effects of Lead on Different Seedling Growth Attributes of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.)

2021-08-03T08:18:32+00:00

Aims: This study was conducted to determine the toxicity and tolerance to lead by the seedling growth of an important country legume crop cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L).

Study Design: The seedlings of cowpea were grown in sand culture at 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 ppm of metal ions of lead salt as lead acetate.

Place and Duration of Study: The experimental site is located in the Department of Botany at the Karachi University Campus, Pakistan in 2011.

Methodology: The healthy seeds of Vigna unguiculata L. were surface sterilized with 0.2% solution of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCL) for one minute to avoid any fungal contamination. The sand was collected from the construction site of the Karachi University washed 2-3 times with tap water, distilled water and with 5% HCl to remove any types of impurities from the soil. Seedlings were grown in sand culture at 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 ppm of metal ions of lead salt as lead acetate. The Hoagland solution was used for the supply of nutrient elements. The experiment was conducted for six weeks. 5 ml of lead concentration were poured weekly and before given concentration of lead, the materials of the tray were drained out to avoid any algal contaminations. The experiment was completely randomized and consists of six treatments replicated six times. After six weeks, the seedlings were harvested and morphological parameters shoot, root, seedling length (cm), number of leaves and leaf area (sq. cm) was noted. The biomass production such as shoot, root, leaf and total seedling dry weight (g) was also observed along with root/shoot, leaf weight, leaf area ratio and specific leaf area. The seedlings of cowpea were dried in an oven at 80°C for 24 hours until the seedlings were completely oven dried. Leaf area, Root/shoot ratio, leaf weight ratio, specific leaf area, leaf area ratio was determined, and a tolerance index was determined. The data obtained were statistically analyzed.

Results: The effects of different concentrations (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 ppm) of lead on seedling growth performance of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) as compared to control were observed. 100 ppm lead treatment in the form of lead acetate highly affected seedling growth and biomass production of V. unguiculata L. as compared to control Lead treatment at 40 ppm produce significant (P = .05). % reduction in seed germination of V. unguiculata L. as compared to control. Lead treatment at 20 ppm concentration produced a significant reduction in shoot length as compared to control. Root growth is an important growth variable and found negatively affected by the different concentration of lead treatment. The results also showed that lead treatment in the substrate at the same concentration (20 ppm) produced a significant effect on root and seedling growth of V. unguiculata L. The treatment of lead at 20 ppm produced significant (p<0.05) on the seedling dry weight of V. unguiculata L. as compared to control. 80 ppm concentration of lead treatment was found sufficient to cause significant % reductions in the seedling dry weight of V. unguiculata L. as compared with control. The seedlings of V. unguiculata L. were also tested for percentage of tolerance to lead. The results showed that V. unguiculata L. has a high tolerance to lead at 20 ppm and lowest at 80 ppm of lead. V. unguiculata seedlings showed the highest percentage of tolerance (92.50%) to lead at 20 ppm. The lowest V. unguiculata seedlings were 64.50% at 80 ppm of lead, but better tolerance of V. unguiculata L. seedlings was 73.25% at 60 ppm of lead concentration.

Conclusion: In conclusion, lead was toxic causing significant reduction (P = .05). to the seedling and biomass production of cowpea. Increased in lead concentration decreased the tolerance indices of cowpea seedlings growth.

Heavy Metals in Fruits and Juice of Elstar Apple Variety

2021-08-03T09:29:23+00:00

The goal of the research was to determine the concentration of lead, copper, cadmium, zinc and iron in the soil of different pH, the degree of contamination in the intensive production of Elstar apples, as well as the impact of soil contamination on the concentration of heavy metals in fruits and apple juice. The stationary research was conducted during 2014-2015 in the fruit nursery Špionica near Srebrenik (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Along with the standard agro-technology, acidification and calcification of soil were applied, as well as the simulation of soil contamination with heavy metals, on the experimental plot of apple plantations. The concentrations of heavy metals in the soil, fruits and apple juice were measured on an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Analyst 200) and inductively coupled plasma by optical emission method ICP-OES (Optima 2100 DV) and by standard analytical methods. In tilted layer of soil in the width of the treetop, the heavy metal concentration ranged from 9.60mg/kg for lead, 26.76mg/kg for copper, 34.23 mg/kg zinc and 17852.00 mg/kg for iron. There was no cadmium. After zero soil sample analysis the acidity of sample soil were increased or decreased with ammonium sulfate, i.e. acidification (1.2 kg per apple tree) and with lime, i.e. calcification (3.2 kg per apple tree) and treated with solution of each metal in an amount of 800 mL per tree (10 mL of pure solution mixed with 10 L of distilled water). In soil samples where the acidification were done average concentration of heavy metals were: lead 12.70 mg/kg, copper 36.97 mg/kg, zinc 61.03 mg/kg and iron 24.00 mg/kg. In soil sample where the calcification were done average concentration of heavy metals were: lead 13.87 mg/kg, copper 38.50 mg/kg, zinc 65.03 mg/kg and iron 26193.00 mg/kg. In Elstar apples grown on demonstration plot, the highest was iron content with an average of 15 mg/kg. The content of zinc ranged from 2.36 to 4.40 mg / kg, with an average copper content of about 0.70 mg / kg while the lead content was 0.41-0.70 mg/kg. In juice, produced from the Elstar apples grown on the basic soil copper content was highest 0.668 mg/kg and that is the highest value recorded from all the values in the juice in general. The concentrations of these heavy metals in the soil before the experiment were below the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) for powdery-loamy soil. After acidification, calcification as well as simulation of soil contamination with heavy metals, there was a noticeable increase in the concentration of heavy metals in the soil, but after experiment concentrations of heavy metals in fruits and apple juice were very low, far below MAC. This research has shown that even with heavy metals in the soil there is no risk to consumers health to consume such fruits and products because coefficient of heavy metal transfer from the soil to the fruits is very low, below the limit values.

Potassium Dynamics under Sub Surface Drip Fertigation System on Banana cv. Rasthali

2021-08-03T09:32:14+00:00

Banana demands very high quantity of potassium for its growth and development. It occupies an important place not only with regard to its content in plant tissues but also for its role in physiological and biochemical functions as many of the experimental results shown that adequate supply of potassium fertilizers not only increased the growth and yield of banana but also improved the quality of fruits, physiology of the plant and induce resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses. The soil sampling was done at emitting point (laterals placed at 25 cm depth of soil from surface) and 15 cm horizontally away from the emitting point of the same lateral. Similarly, the soil samples were also collected from 0-25, 25-50 and 50 -75 cm depth of profile (vertical) between the drippers in 24 hours after fertigation at flowering stage of the crop. The soil was air dried, powdered and passed through a 2 mm sieve and stored in clean polythene bags. The available potassium both in horizontal and vertical dimensions were mapped by using Surfer 7 software. The main aim of this study is to known potassium distribution at different depth in sub surface drip fertigation system in banana.

Effect of Legume Cover Crop on Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis) Fruit Weight and Brix

2021-08-03T09:36:17+00:00

Recent reports show that orange yield and fruit quality is on the decline in Kenya’s coastal lowlands hence need for an efficient and sustainable production system. A field study was conducted in Vitengeni, Ganda and Matuga locations within the coastal lowland of Kenya from May 2012 to April 2015 to evaluate the effect of three legume cover crops on orange fruit weight and brix. The treatments included mucuna (Mucuna pruriens), dolichos (Lablab purpureus), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) cover crops and fallow of natural vegetation as the control. The experiment was laid out in a randomised complete block design (RCBD) and each treatment replicated four times within the four blocks. Data collected were orange fruit weight, orange fruit brix, weather, soil texture and composition. The data was subjected to the analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the procedures of R statistical analysis software version 3.3.2 (R Core team, 2015). Mean separation was done using the least significant difference (LSD) at 5% level of significance. The results from the study showed that mucuna, dolichos and cowpea significantly (P=.05) increased fruit weight and brix. There was interaction effect between treatments and sites. Mucuna increased orange fruit weight by 12.4%, 10.5% and 7.6% for Ganda, Matuga and Vitengeni respectively. Orange fruit weight increased by 8.8%, 7.8% and 7.2% for Ganda, Matuga and Vitengeni respectively due to dolichos and 6.0% for Ganda due to cowpea. Orange fruit brix increased by 5.8%, 5.1% and 4.2% for Vitengeni, Matuga and Ganda respectively due to mucuna. Cowpea increased orange fruit brix by 4.6%, 3.8% and 3.2% for Vitengeni, Matuga and Ganda respectively. Orange fruit brix increased by 3.3% and 3.1% for Vitengeni and Matuga respectively due to dolichos. From the outcome of this study, mucuna is recommended for use in orange tree orchards as it is useful in improving yield and fruit quality.

Paddy Residue Management: A Need of the Hour

2021-08-03T09:42:15+00:00

India produces about 500 million tonnes (Mt) of crop residues annually. Paddy is the major crop of Punjab and Haryana states of India and is being cultivated in an area of about 300 million ha and 1.35 million ha, respectively. Paddy straw produced is not preferred as animal feed due to high silica content. Burning of paddy straw in field is a major challenge in Punjab and Haryana agriculture today as it contributes to reduced air quality and human respiratory ailments in intensive rice-production areas. Therefore, evaluation and popularization of technologies at farm level need concentrated efforts of researchers through farmers’ participatory approach of technology evaluation and dissemination.

Seed Village Scheme: Empowering Livelihood of Farmers

2021-08-03T09:49:01+00:00

The seed is a fragile living organism which is considered as a miracle of life. Seed is the basic input in agriculture which alone surges the yield by 15-20 percent. The non-availability of quality seeds in oilseeds and pulses is one of the main reasons for the lower production. So quality seed is the need of time. A village, wherein trained group of farmers are involved in production of seeds of various crops and cater to the needs of themselves, fellow farmers of the village and farmers of neighboring villages in appropriate time and at affordable cost is called as seed village. The process of establishment of seed village, history, implementing agencies, training, advantages and causes of seed village programme failure is discussed in this chapter.

Influence of Impulse Pressure Treatment on Changes in Productivity of Buckwheat Plants

2021-08-03T09:53:48+00:00

Plants are sensitive to different environmental factors. Pressure and mechanical forces are factors of plant growth and development control. We have proposed the method of pre-sowing seed treatment by impulse pressure generated by a shock wave. It is possible to use the shock wave for different precision purposes due to the excellent parameter control that determine the intensity of the influence. Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench., cv. Saulyk) plants were treated by impulse pressure.

The aim of this work was to get dependence of germination and yield on the value of IP. The choice of contrasting variants for the assessment would be useful to determine stress strategies of plants after the treatment of IP. IP did not influence the germinability of seeds in the range of 3-11 MPa. Changes in the yield after the treatment of IP 3-8 MPa were not revealed, but it was grown up to 17% after IP 11 MPa. This variant is recommended for agricultural use. IP 17-23 MPa retarded germination, but did not bring about acute seed death; variability of yield denotes the transition state. IP 29-35 MPa induced the death of some of seeds, and seed germinability reduced on 22%-57%, but it would be tempting to get the 2.3-fold increase of yield.

Use of AMMI and GGE Analyses to Identify Stable and Resistant Soyabean (Glycine max L. Merrill) Genotypes Infected with Cucumber mosaic virus

2021-08-03T09:59:35+00:00

Soyabean is an important source of protein for millions of people in developing countries. However, infection by Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) causes devastating losses. Cultivation of resistant varieties has been identified as the best management strategy in many crops. The present study was, therefore, conducted to identify soyabean genotypes with high stability for growth and seed weight under CMV and disease-free conditions. Thus, eight soyabean genotypes were evaluated as CMV-infected and uninfected, using completely randomised design replicated five times and set up in the screenhouse at the School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Federal University of Minna, (lat.9°40֬ N;long 6°30֬ E at an altitude of 220 m.a.s.l), Nigeria in 2018. Soyabean seedlings were infected with the virus by sap transmission at 10 days after sowing (DAS). Additive Main Effects and Multiplicative (AMMI) analyses of the evaluated parameters for growth and seed weight of the test genotypes showed that environments’ effects -infected and uninfected- were significant (p<0.05). They accounted for 100% Genotype × Environment (G×E) interaction. Disease-free soyabean plants enhanced significantly higher growth and seed weight than the CMV-infected plants. The AMMI and Genotype main effects (G) plus Genotype×Environment (GGE) analyses showed that TGX 1993-4FN was the genotype with the greatest stability for leaf diameter, leaf length, number of leaves per plant, number of days to flowering and seed weight. It is recommended that, the soyabean genotype TGX 1993-4FN, can be exploited for breeding purposes and strategies that will prevent CMV infection in soyabean fields should so be adopted by farmers pending the development of new soyabean varieties incorporated with durable resistant traits for CMV.

Production of Immortelle Seedlings According to the Principles of Organic Production

2021-08-03T10:05:44+00:00

This paper presents the study of the influence of 3 types of organic fertiliser of industrial origin (Chap liquid, Biofert and Guano) on the most important quality parameters of immortelle seedlings.

The study was performed under protected conditions through 3 repetitions, with 10 plastic pots in each one. In the experiment were included two control: one that was not fertilised and the other one where was applied the organo-mineral fertiliser Sapro elixir.

The largest influence on the increase of the average height of the seedlings had Guano - 32.1 cm and Sapro elixir - 31.5 cm, while the lowest seedlings were measured in the non-fertilized control - 25.5 cm.

Plants with the largest above ground mass were found in variants with Guano - 17.5 g, Biofert - 16.7 g and Chap liquid - 16.1 g, while the seedlings with the lowest above ground mass were measured in non-fertilized control - 11.7 g. The differences in the above-ground biomass of immortelle seedlings between non-fertilised controls and all studied organic fertilisersM were also statistically justified. The plants with the more significant root biomass were found on variants with the application of Chap liquid - 29.9 g and Biofert - 29 g, while the lowest values for this parameter were determined in non-fertilized control - 17.9 g. All studied variants of fertilisation showed a significant increase in root biomass compared to non-fertilized control.

Population Density and Diversity of Trees on Farmlands in Three Districts of the Upper East Region of Ghana: Implications for Food Security and Ecosystem Sustainability

2021-08-03T10:12:10+00:00

Ghanaian farmers have been practicing farming since time immemorial and trees are a natural component of farmlands. However, the choice of particular tree species and their population on the farms is greatly influenced by the farmers’ preferences and therefore, the utility value placed on particular tree species. This study was conducted to determine the number of trees per unit area of farmland, the diversity of the tree species, and the factors that influence farmers’ decision to leave trees on their farms in three districts of the Upper East region of Ghana. It also seeks to determine any relationship between tree density and the yields of commonly cultivated crops in the study area. The area falls within the Guinea and Sudan savanna zones, characterized by a short unimodal rainfall regime (about 5 months) and a rather long dry season. Twelve communities (4 per district) were randomly selected and farmers were interviewed on their reasons for allowing trees on their farmlands as well as the yields of major crops cultivated. Ten farms in each community were also randomly selected and inventories of trees were conducted, where trees were identified, and enumerated. Farm sizes were also measured. Mean tree population densities on farms were 18.5, 18.4 and 25.9 trees per hectare in the Garu-Tempane, Bawku West and Kassena Nankana West districts respectively. A Shannon Weiner diversity index of 1.563, 1.195 and 1.551 were calculated for Garu-Tempane, Bawku West and Kassena Nankana West districts respectively. Forty-two (42) different tree species belonging to 23 families were encountered in Garu-Tempane district, 28 species from 18 families were encountered in the Bawku West district and 37 species belonging to 21 families in the Kassena Nankana West district. Azadirachta indica, Combretum molle, Diospyros mespiliformis were the commonest on all farms. Factors that influenced farmers’ decision to allow trees on their farms were shade (22%), fuelwood (18%), food (15%), medicine (13%), housing (13%), soil improvement (10%), erosion control (7%), fodder (1%) and others (1%). Crop yields were generally high in the Bawku West district and there was no significant relationship between tree population density and the yields of crops.

Germination Response of Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth Seed to Different Scarification Treatments in Botswana

2021-08-03T10:15:55+00:00

Evaluation of different pre-sowing treatments on germination of A. lebbeck seeds was conducted in the laboratory at Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) from January to February 2018. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) with five treatments as follows; mechanical scarification, boiling water, hot water, concentrated sulphuric acid (98.8%) and control (untreated seeds). Sulphuric acid had four different levels of exposure time (15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes), whereas boiling water had three levels of exposure time (1, 3 and 5 minutes). Each treatment had four replications. Germination percentages (GP), mean germination time (MGT) and germination index (GI) were calculated and the data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA). Significant (p<0.01) differences in germination parameters were observed across the treatments. Concentrated sulphuric (60 minutes) had superior absolute numbers than the rest including the control, recording 82% compared to 8% for control. However, no statistical differences were observed across the three main treatments; all sulphuric acid, boiling water (1 minute) and mechanical scarification. The control revealed the longest MGT which was significantly (p<0.01) longer than the rest. As would be expected, pre-sowing treatments which outperformed others in terms of germination percentages recorded, significantly (p<0.01) increased the GI as compared to control. Based on these findings, mechanical scarification, boiling (1 minute) and hot water treatments are recommended as suitable seed pre-sowing treatments for enhancing the germination of A. lebbeck seeds because the methods are cheap and easy to perform. Although concentrated sulphuric acid yielded the best rest results the method is not recommended because of its high cost and the danger it poses to workers.

Nutrient Use Efficiency of Two Improved Cultivars of Taro (Colocasia esculenta) under Screen House Conditions in Samoa

2021-08-03T10:25:22+00:00

Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) is a staple crop of many of the South Pacific nations with an ever increasing export demand. In recent years, yields of taro have increased dramatically through breeding and selection. However, selections of improved lines are often entirely based on final yield. There are many physiological pathways by which increased potential yield may be achieved. Factors such as the accumulation of dry matter and nutrient use efficiency, merit investigation. Two improved (blight resistant) taro cultivars were planted and harvested for biomass measurements on a monthly basis for a total of eight months (30-240 days after planting) through destructive sampling. At each harvest, plants were separated into various plant parts and their dry matter accumulation and nutrient content were determined. Comparatively, cultivar Samoa 2 showed significantly higher uptake of N (25%), P (37.5%), K (33%), Mg (36.4%), Mn (22.7%) and Zn (48.3%) than cultivar Samoa 1. Even though maximum levels of total plant uptake of nutrients by the two cultivars did not differ between the cultivars, cultivar Samoa 1 plants absorbed 17% less N, 26% less P and 20% less K than those of cultivar Samoa 2 with the uptake uniformly distributed over the entire life cycle of the crop. Although cultivar Samoa 2 resulted in higher total plant (19.6%) and corm dry matter (10.4%) productions, cultivar Samoa 1 had a higher nutrient use efficiency, (kg of edible dry matter produced per kg of nutrient taken up), for N, P, K, Mg, Mn and Cu over cultivar Samoa 2. However, for Ca, Fe and Zn. Cultivar Samoa 2 had a higher nutrient use efficiency over cultivar Samoa 1. Based on nutrient use efficiency of the cultivars, Samoa 1 is recommended for marginal to rich soils while Samoa 2 for good to rich soils.

Production of Seedlings of Fast - Growth Tree of Paulownia elongata S. Y. Hu

2021-08-03T10:34:33+00:00

The major method of propagation of varieties and hybrids of Paulownia elongata is vegetative (asexual) method. Paulownia elongata can be propagated by macropropagation techniques (root cuttings, green cuttings and by micropropagation technique, tissue culture or in vitro. Today the tissue culture method is the most modern biotechnological method. In Bosnia and Herzegovina and regions of former Yugoslawia, more and more Paulownia elongata seedlings are being produced and new plantations of Paulownia elongata areestablished. This paper deals with the methods of propagation and problems in raising Paulownia elongata planting materials. The work aims to produce seedlings of fast-growth Paulownia elongata, Shan Tong hybrid and the possibility of propagation through different methods. Propagation by green cuttings, root cuttings and in vitro propagation was tested. After 15 days, the percentage of rooting for the green cuttings was 100%, and there were no dead plants, the average number of roots was 13.86 pcs per plant and roots were of different lengths. The length of the cuttings had an impact on the growth of plants because the smallest cuttings was of 1.5 cm (4 pcs from 30 plants or 1.33%), whereas cuttings of 5 cm (26 out of 30 plants or 86.6%), showed the best rooting. For in vitro propagation, meristems of mother plants were used for establishing of tissue culture. The plants showed a survival rate of 80-90% . Production of Paulownia elongata seedlings by different methods of vegetative propagation provides a variety of options to producers, depending on what kind of equipment they have. In vitro production is the most expensive but also the fastest method because a large number of seedlings can be produced in a short time. It is recommended that in vitro propagation should be used to build mother plant stock and that in the coming 2-3 years the green cuttings from super-elite planting material are going to be used.