The Journal of Applied Horticulture

Comparative evaluation of change detection techniques based on multispectral images for measuring land cover dynamics of mango (Mangifera indica L.) in Malihabad, Lucknow (UP)

Harish Chandra Verma — 2022-08-17

Change detection is a process of identifying and quantifying the differences between images of the same scene at different times and in mango fruit crop is still a very challenging task. The major challenge of change detection in mango is discriminating between perennial fruit crops because many of these crops have similar reflectance profiles. Accurate change detection in the mango area will help the government prepare for area expansion and conservation planning. The main aim of this study was to determine the efficient change detection method for mango fruit crop among the most commonly used change detection methods. In this work, a comparative study was conducted by using Landsat 8 OLI images of two different dates i.e. 14 February, 2015 and 25 February, 2019 of the Malihabad mango region of Lucknow district. In this paper, four change detection methods namely, Vegetation Index Differencing (VID), Log Ratio (LR), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Image Rationg (IR) were evaluated to detect the changes in mango crop area. To extract the mango regions, Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) images of year 2015 and 2019 were calculated and further used to retrieve the VID, LR, PCA, and IR raster images. After that, these four raster images were thresholded to annotate the ‘Positive change’, ‘Negative change’ and ‘No change’ areas; thereafter, to obtain the final change map, masking was applied to mask out the non-mango area. Change detection accuracy was calculated using ground truth data to assess performance. After conducting the comparative analysis of all four change detection methods, it was found that the highest change detection accuracy is achieved with the VID and PCA followed by LR and IR, respectively. PCA and VID methods provided higher accuracies, followed by LR to detect changes in mango crop area. It is due to these methods' capability to enhance the information on the change.

Factors influencing sustainability of horticultural private extension services

R. Keshavarz Ba Haghighat — 2022-08-17

The present study aimed at evaluating prominent factors that affect the sustainability of horticultural private extension services (SHPES) and the continuous flow of their activities from the perspective of public sector experts. The study sample consisted of 148 public sector experts who were selected through stratified random sampling. A questionnaire was utilized for data collection. Validity was confirmed by face validity, convergent validity, and content validity. The results showed that infrastructure, educational extension, and economic factors had the most positive and significant effects on the SHPES and the continuity of their activities. The result of the calculated goodness-of-fit index (0.718) revealed that the model provided an excellent fit for the data. Also, the structures and factors explained 78% of the variance of the SHPES. The present study showed how management, economic, socio-cultural, policy, infrastructure, and educational factors influence SHPES.

Investigations into the pre-cooling rates of apples in controlled atmosphere storage chambers

Ramesh Babu Damarla — 2022-08-17

The objective of the present investigation was to model the rate of cooling of apples in a fruit storage unit using forced air pre-cooling. Apples of Royal, Red, Rich-a-red and Golden Delicious varieties were procured from Shimla and Royal Delicious from the Kinnaur region of Himachal Pradesh, India. Apples were transported in refrigerated and non-refrigerated vehicles. After grading and sorting on a fully automatic machine, the apples were subjected to a cooling process. Apples were placed in perforated plastic crates and stacked in a controlled atmosphere chamber of 720 m3 capacity. Temperature profiles of apples were recorded with a programmable logic controller connected to sensors. The effect of variety, initial apple temperature, and fruit quantity per chamber on the cooling rate were investigated. Initial fruit temperature significantly affected the cooling time. The apple variety did not significantly affect the cooling time, except that slow cooling was observed for golden delicious in the last cooling stage. Varied masses of apples resulted in a proportionate increase in cooling time. Cooling times were 132, 113, 78, and 65 hours for a mass of 165, 150, 140, and 130 Metric Tons (MT), respectively. Correlation coefficients ranged from 0.970 to 0.979 for different varieties. The rate of cooling with apple mass was modeled with linear, exponential, and polynomial and found to best fit with the exponential model with R2 values of 0.99, 0.96, 0.95, 0.966 for 165, 150, 140, and 130 MT, respectively. The time taken to cool 150 MT of apples was 97, 114, and 147 hours from an initial temperature of 35.2, 28.4, and 15.6oC, respectively. The drop rate was exponential, with R2 values in the range of 0.936 to 0.973.

Influence of basal vitamins, growth regulators, and explants on in vitro organogenesis from synthetic seeds of Citrus jambhiri Lush.

Tongbram Roshni Devi — 2022-08-17

An efficient shoot and root organogenesis protocol has been developed from synseeds derived from various explants of Citrus jambhiri Lush. Optimum synseeds were developed using sodium alginate (0.5-0.75%) in 1.0% CaCl2 solution. Shoot organogenesis was examined under various basal vitamin mediums (MS Nitsch and MSB5) supplemented with various concentrations of adenine sulfate (ADS) and 6-benzyl amino purine (BAP) from different explants such as cotyledonary junction, shoot tip, and nodal explants. The synseed regeneration response ranged between 60-100% among the vitamins, cytokinins and explants used. The number of shoots per synseeds was higher (13.4) in MSB5-BAP (1.5 mg L-1), followed by 12.8 in MSN-ADS (2.0 mg L-1), 11.2 in MSN-ADS (1.0 mg L-1), and 10.8 in MSB5-ADS (1.0 mg L-1) from the synseeds developed using 0.75% sodium alginate. The mean number of roots per explant was higher (4.2) in ½MSN+IAA (1.0 mg L-1). Similarly, the mean root length was higher (5.2 cm) in ½MSN+IAA (0.5 mg L-1) followed by 4.2 cm in ½MSN+IAA (1.0 mg L-1). Regenerants derived from synseeds have shown no somaclonal variations, confirming that the plantlets are true-to-type to their parental progenies. The encapsulated plantlets showed >90% survivability while transferred at Kachai village, Manipur, India. The results of the present study encourage the use of various vitamin mediums and explants for large-scale propagation of C. jambhiri through synseeds.

Partial root-zone drying irrigation for higher water use efficiency in papaya (Carica papaya L.)

B.L. . Manjunath — 2022-08-17

A field experiment to standardize the partial root-zone drying irrigation in papaya (Carica papaya L.) cultivar ‘Red Lady’ indicated that replenishing 70 % of the evaporative demand and changing the irrigation sides once in 12 days stored higher soil moisture (14.6 %) in the root zone. Irrigation meeting 60 % ER found to enhance the photosynthetic rate (13.9µ mol/m2/s) significantly, while shifting the irrigation at 16 days was found to reduce the rate (9.9 µ mol/m2/s). ABA production increased with an increase in the interval between the changing irrigation sides. Vertical growth of roots was significantly higher (67.3 cm) when irrigation was scheduled meeting 60 % pan evaporation with irrigation side changing once in 16 days. Replenishing 60 % of evaporation recorded significantly higher number of fruits (46.1/plant) and further changing the irrigation sides once in 12 days found to yield considerably more papaya fruits (53 /plant) and total yield (32.4 kg/plant) accounting to 100 t/ha. This treatment also recorded substantially higher water use efficiency (100.4 kg/ha.mm), saving 14.3 % water. Further, scheduling irrigation at 60 % ER and changing the irrigation sides at 12 day intervals was found to be more economical with higher gross returns (Rs. 10,00,000), net returns (Rs. 6,09,340) and benefit-cost ratio (2.60).

The impact of Myconate® HB (formononetin) on the growth, chemical composition and content of active compounds in herbal sage Salvia officinalis L. and Valeriana officinalis L.

M. Pytlarz-Kozicka — 2022-08-17

The research aimed to demonstrate the effect of Myconate® HB (formononetin) on the growth, weight, nutrients and active compounds in Valeriana officinalis and Salvia officinalis. The research was carried out in the experimental field on brown soil. A univariate experiment was established using the randomised block design in four replications. The study showed that the use of Myconate® (Agrii Polska Sp. zoo.) on V. officinalis seedlings positively affected the weight of the aerial parts and roots, as well as on the content of dry matter and fiber. However, the content of total protein and nitrogen-free extracts was unfavourable. In the case of S. officinalis, the use of Myconate® also had a positive impact on the weight of the aboveground parts and roots and on the content of total protein and crude ash in the herb, while it negatively influenced the contents of dry matter, fiber and nitrogen-free extracts. Myconate®, however, did not affect the length of the phenological stages in the experimental plants. The percentage of essential oils increased during the vegetation period in both species in all the tested plots, while their statistically higher contents were observed from the full tillering stage in the plots sprayed with Myconate®.

Growth performance in Horticulture: Temporal dynamics under different crop groups in India

N. . Narmadha — 2022-08-17

The present study aims at analyzing the growth performance of Horticulture in India. The paper analyzes the growth rates and decomposition analysis of horticultural crop groups’ area, production and productivity from 1991-92 to 2020-21. The study period was divided into pre-NHM (1991-92 to 2004-05) and post-NHM (2005-06 to 2020-21). The compound growth rate results show that the growth rate in area, production and productivity of horticultural crop groups are positive and statistically significant during the post-NHM period than the pre-NHM period. From decomposition analysis, area effect and yield effect are positive during the post-NHM period for all the crop groups; the interaction effect also shows positive except for fruits and flower crops. The overall performance in area, production, and productivity is quite satisfactory during the post-NHM period; greater attention needs to be given to the states where productivity has declined with marginal increments under NHM.

Identification of appropriate maturation stages and postharvest treatment for tomato fruits of the "Pearson" variety for local and distant markets

Sayed Samiullah Hakimi — 2022-08-17

This study was conducted under ambient condition at the research farm of the Agriculture Faculty in Kabul University, Afghanistan. The objectives were to identify suitable harvesting maturity stages for tomato crop that will result in adequate shelf life of tomato fruits for local and distant markets. The results indicated that fruits of the turning color stage treated with 6 % CaCl2 solution had the best quality and highest shelf life (17.5 days) compared to other treatments. Whereas, based on the significant main effect the 15.38 and 14.17 days’ highest shelf life recorded for tomatoes of H1 (turning color stage) and D1 (dipped in 6 % CaCl2 solution) respectively. The TSS (oBrix) and PLW (%) increased till the end of storage life but the tomato fruits’ firmness (g cm-2) decreased. The lowest values noted as 4.79 and 4.74 (oBrix) TSS and 3.31 and 2.93 (%) PLW but the highest tomatoes firmness were 932.50 and 854.17 (g cm-2) recorded all for fruits of H1 (turning color stage) and D1 (dipped in 6 % CaCl2 solution), respectively. In conclusion, the turning color, pink color and light red color stage’s fruits of the Pearson variety are recommended harvesting of fruits of Pearson variety for the distant market, local market, and immediate use, respectively and the 6 % CaCl2 solution could increase shelf life and maintain tomato quality.

Influence of growth regulators and length of cuttings on the propagation potential of Piper pedicellatum C. DC. – A threatened wild leafy vegetable of North-East India

A. . Samad — 2022-08-17

Piper pedicellatum C. DC. is a wild leafy vegetable belonging to the family Piperaceae and is categorized as threatened species. It is one of the widely used popular leafy vegetable in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Sikkim, locally known as Rahre, Raro or Rori. The species is rich in vitamin A, Vitamin C, minerals, dietary fibre, antioxidants, protein, and energy and is also used as an ethnomedicinal plant. An experiment was conducted to study the effect of growth regulators IBA and IAA and length of stem cuttings on propagation potential of P. pedicellatum C. DC in the Forestry Nursery of North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology during the years 2018 and 2019. The experiment revealed that the performance of stem cuttings viz., time taken for first sprouting, maximum sprout per cutting, length of sprouted shoot, number of leaves per cutting, and maximum fresh weight of shoot are found better in the treatment of T4 (L1 + IBA 1500 ppm), T7 (L1 + IAA 1500 ppm), T11 (L2 + IBA 1500 ppm) and T14 (L2 + IAA 1500 ppm), respectively. Similarly, the maximum number of roots per cutting, root length, fresh and dry weight of roots were also recorded in the treatment of T4 (L2 + IAA 1500 ppm) at par with T11 (L1 + IBA 1500 ppm) during both the year. The mean maximum survival rate of cuttings with a higher rooting percentage was observed in T11, which is at par with T7, T14, and T4. Although L2 cuttings performed better than L1 cuttings, the difference was not so prominent. Stem cuttings, irrespective of their length, treated with IBA 1500 ppm and IAA 1500 ppm showed significantly superior performance over the cuttings treated with lower concentrations of IBA and IAA. The outcome of the present study indicated that the P. pedicellatum is a promising wild leafy vegetable plant that can be exploited for conservation, domestication, and cultivation through the vegetative propagation technique, with standardization of its production technology for the adoption of commercial cultivation of the threatened species.

In vitro propagation of some important medicinal and ornamental Dendrobiums (Orchidaceae): A review

Ashok N. Pyati — 2022-08-17

Dendrobiums are highly valued in the floriculture industry and have important medicinal properties used in preparing herbal medicines in different parts of the world. Numerous anthropogenic factors are leading to the rapid loss of natural stands of germplasm. Plant tissue culture, specifically in vitro propagation, may be the only viable solution for preserving and reintroducing Rare Endangered Threatened (RET) back into the wild. An efficient protocol for in vitro seed germination and propagation through various explants of Dendrobiums was established. The protocols developed will help alleviate the pressure on the natural population under stress but also help meet its demands in pharmaceutical and ornamental industries and form the basis for conservation. A perusal of available literature reveals that micropropagation has been achieved using immature or mature seeds/embryos, protocorms, shoot tips, TLCs, leaf explants, pseudobulbs and nodal segments in Dendrobiums. This review provides a short synopsis of the advances made thus far in the in vitro propagation of ornamental and medicinal Dendrobiums.

Salinity-driven oxidative stress in Gerbera jamesonii cv. Bolus

Javeria . Uzma — 2022-08-17

Salinity adversely affects various plants’ metabolic processes, negatively influencing their productivity and crop yield. Gerbera jamesonii cv. Bolus is a commercially important ornamental plant cultivated globally throughout the year for its cut flower production in polyhouses. During polyhouse cultivation, repeated fertigation may cause salinity in Gerbera, affecting flower quality and yield, and functional alterations in the basal level of cellular antioxidative defence systems. Though several factors induce salinity in general, we focussed on NaCl as it is one of the major components of fertigation. In salt-stressed plants, monitoring altered levels of antioxidative defense systems may help better understand their physiological changes. However, little to no studies were attempted on salinity-induced oxidative damage in Gerbera till date. In the current study, we verified the salt sensitivity level of Gerbera with varying concentrations of NaCl (0-200 mM) using in vitro leaf disc approach. We measured various antioxidative enzymatic/non enzymatic defense systems besides MDA and chlorophyll content. Treatment with higher salt concentrations (above100 mM NaCl) exhibited severe bleaching in leaf discs, followed by elevated levels of H2O2, lipid peroxidation and proline. Besides, our study also revealed a decrease in the total chlorophyll content; activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase, and ascorbate peroxidase. The observed results showed that Gerbera might not tolerate higher levels of NaCl as it could be detrimental to its cellular activities. Future studies on decoding molecular networks associated with salinity stress and antioxidative defense systems may help in developing salt-tolerant varieties in Gerbera and several other ornamental plants of Asteraceae.

Assessment of root-knot nematode, M. incognita and identification of the source of resistance in cauliflower, Brassica oleracea

S. . Kaur — 2022-08-17

Root-knot nematodes of genus Meloidogyne are the most devastating plant parasitic nematodes of vegetable crops responsible for severe global economic losses. The objective of the present work was to study the diversity of Meloidogne species in cauliflower growing areas of Punjab and to identify the source of resistance against M. incognita. The root and soil samples were collected from the cauliflower growing areas and associated nematode specie(s) was identified based on perineal pattern morphology and morphometry of adult females. M. incognita sp. was found most prevalent in all the cauliflower growing areas surveyed. A total of thirty genotypes of Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea) was screened against root-knot nematode, M. incognita, in pots. Four genotypes viz., LSMVAR-6, PI1654, LSMVAR-2 and LS-4 were resistant to M. incognita with root galling index (RGI) less than 2.0 and reproduction factor (Rf) less than 1.0. Among others, fourteen genotypes showed hypersusceptible (RGI 2.0- 2.6; Rf 0.57-1.0) and eleven genotypes showed a susceptible reaction. The resistant genotypes identified in the present study may be utilized to incorporate resistance against M. incognita in commercial cauliflower cultivars.

Assessment of knowledge index of farmers about the cultivation of apple (Malus domestica) in temperate regions of Kashmir valley

Zahoor A. Shah — 2022-08-17

Apple is one of the important fruits grown in different regions, including India. In India, it is mainly cultivated in temperate regions of Kashmir valley due to its well suited climatic conditions. In Kashmir, most people are directly or indirectly dependent on apple cultivation for their livelihood. Apple is considered to be Kashmir’s eye as it produces 80% share of total fruit produced in the country and is the mainstay of the economy with revenue of around Rs 1500 crores. More than seven lakh families, i.e., above 50% of the population in the valley, are associated with this industry and almost 3.5 lakh hectares of land is under apple cultivation. The area under apple fruit has increased, but the production and productivity has not improved to a satisfactory level. Adopting improved technologies plays an important role in achieving the goal of higher production and productivity in Kashmir valley. A wide gap exists between the available technologies and its actual adoption by the apple growers was reflected through poor yield at the grower’s field. This disparity was entirely due to a lack of knowledge and awareness about various innovative techniques and technologies developed at different research stations. The study was carried out in various regions of Kashmir valley that were purposefully chosen to have the most area under apple cultivation. The study used a multistage sampling procedure. The study found that the mean knowledge index of apple growers in district Shopian was 51.75 percent, followed by the apple growers in district Baramulla (46.76%) and the least mean knowledge index (41.36%) was found among the apple growers of district Budgam. However, the overall mean knowledge index from all three districts was 46.62 percent. The study also found that apple growers’ knowledge index is determined by age, experience, education, media exposure, innovative proneness, scientific orientation, and risk orientation. Furthermore, apple growers need to follow innovative techniques and technologies to increase the production and productivity of apple fruit, maximize returns, and ensure food security.

Factors hindering plantation of improved apple varieties in Kashmir valley: An economic analysis

Arshad . Bhat — 2022-08-17

Improved high-yielding apple varieties are important for reducing food insecurity in developing countries and improving horticultural production and productivity. The study used cross-sectional data from a survey conducted during 2021 fruit season, a probit model analysis was used to determine the probability of adopting new, improved apple varieties (NIAVs) by growers from two main apple-producing districts of Kashmir valley i.e., Shopian and Pulwama. The results revealed that the education of the respondent, extension services availed, and apple plant accessibility play significant roles in decisions regarding the adoption of new apple varieties. Moreover, farming variables like holding size is the key factor influencing the probability of adopting NIAVs in the study area. The extensive role performed by extension services, enormous emphasis on dissemination, demonstration, and growers' participatory studies and training packages to popularize and undertake new apple varieties and enhance their adoption rate is required on a large scale in the study area. The study suggests that policy intervention ought to be made to improve the educational status of apple-growing households and develop programs on a varietal package of apples that offer apple growers a variety of choices in selecting the appropriate varieties for adoption. Such programs ultimately help growers develop more profit-oriented behaviour, which will not only enhance adoption rate, profitability, and production but will also improve food &nutritional security in the long run in the region in the particular and whole valley in general.

Yield loss assessment and control of fruit bat (Pteropus giganteus) in litchi orchards using the artificial light method

Jungveer . Singh — 2022-08-17

Litchi (Litchi chinensis) is an important subtropical evergreen fruit crop of Punjab and is considerably damaged by the fruit bat (Pteropus giganteus). Since no study has been done in Punjab to assess fruit damage and control of fruit bats in litchi crop, present study was conducted in litchi orchards at two different locations (six sites) Gurdaspur [Regional Research Station (PAU), villages Ranjit Bagh and Tibar] and Pathankot (villages Sujanpur, Balusa and Malikpur) each having three replications, during 2018 and 2019. Our results reported that yield loss (%) to litchi fruits by P. giganteus was in the range from 6.85 to 8.93% and damage 5.59 kg/tree having average yield of 74.09 kg/tree. The average economic litchi fruit loss was calculated to be Rs. 32,232.0/acre. This damage to litchi fruit crop was minimized by using lighting, a non-lethal and non-polluting method (LED bulbs), with one-time installation cost. It is concluded that after installation of 16 LED bulbs/acre of 30 watts at a distance of 50 feet from each other in an upward position at the height of 8 feet above tree canopy in an orchard having 72 trees planted at a distance of 25×25 feet, we can reduce fruit bat damage to a lower level and can give a net economic return of Rs. 13448.0/acre to litchi fruit growers which will increase their farm income and help in conservation of fruit bats.

Polyamines and ethylene action blocker (STS) effectively augment longevity and postharvest attributes in isolated flowers of Digitalis purpurea L.

Sumira . Farooq — 2022-08-17

The present investigation focused on the study of the exogenous inclusion of anti-senescence biogenic polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine) and ethylene antagonist silver thiosulphate on flower longevity and postharvest performance in excised flowers of Digitalis purpurea L. At one day before anthesis stage, isolated buds of Digitalis purpurea were transported to the laboratory in distilled water. The samples were divided into five sets with one set of flower buds (i.e., control) held in distilled water. The remaining four sets were respectively supplied with 0.5, 1 and 1.5 mM of putrescine (PUT), 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mM of spermidine (SPD), 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mM of spermine (SPM), 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mM of silver thiosulphate (STS). The inclusion of polyamines and STS in holding solutions enhanced the flower longevity of D. purpurea significantly compared to the control. The results indicated that the flower longevity of 14 days was recorded in 0.4 mM of spermine, followed by 13 days in 1 mM PUT, 12.5 days in 0.2 mM SPD and 12 days in 0.2 mM STS. This enhanced flower longevity corroborated with the higher values of soluble proteins, total sugars, floral diameter and membrane stability index. The improved flower longevity was also found to be positively associated with increased activities of various antioxidant enzymes viz., superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and reduced activity of lipoxygenase (LOX). The flowers supplemented with different treatments retained a lower phenolic content than the control. This research concluded that polyamines and STS have a profound impact on the flower longevity of Digitalis flowers. SPM was found to be a more potential polyamine in augmenting the postharvest performance in isolated flowers of D. purpurea.

Studies to determine the optimum rates of nitrogen and potassium fertilization of Early Sweet grapevine under open field and plastic cover conditions

S.A. . Bedrech — 2022-08-17

To determine the vines' optimum nitrogen and potassium fertilization rates of Early Sweet grape cultivar under open field and plastic cover conditions, the study was undertaken in the two periods of 2019 and 2020 with a preliminary season in 2018. Six treatments were applied in this experiment, three in an open field and three under a transparent plastic cover with different rates of (60, 45 and 30 units fed-1) for nitrogen and (100, 75 and 50 units fed-1) for potassium. Results showed that the vines receiving rates of N 45 units + K 75 units fed-1 under plastic cover recorded a higher percentage of bud break followed by N 60 units + K 100 units fed-1 treatment under plastic cover. In addition to an earlier sprout than those in the open field, they gave the highest values in term of yield and all physical and chemical parameters for reproductive growth, except for the vegetative growth where the best treatment was obtained from N 60 units + K 100 units fed-1 under plastic cover followed by N 60 units + K 100 units fed-1 in the open field. This result suggests that the plastic cover has a beneficial effect on decreasing the rates of fertilization due to the change in vine canopy microclimate through enhancing vegetative and reproductive growth and creating a balance between them.

Vermicompost liquid fertilisation affects the vegetative growth of African rose plum seedlings grafted on various rootstocks

S. . El-Kosary — 2022-08-17

This study was conducted on a farm of Horticultural Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt, during two successive seasons (2019 &2020) on seedling African-rose plum grafted on two rootstocks (Nemaguard and Marianna 26-24, respectively) in sandy soil. African rose seedlings were treated with vermicompost liquid fertilization as follows: soil treatment by vermicompost diluted times, foliar treatment by vermicompost diluted 10 times, double treatment of the soil as mentioned above, and foliar applications and control. The main purpose of this project was to study the effect of vermicompost liquid fertilization on the vegetative growth behavior of African rose plum seedlings grafted on two different rootstocks and reducing the use of chemical fertilizers in the long run and establishing farms that depend on organic fertilization to preserve the environment and maintain consumer health. The results showed that all vermicompost treatments increased the vegetative growth parameters and leaf mineral content of African rose seedlings compared to the control. In addition to, the double treatment of soil and foliar applications gave the highest growth parameters and leaf mineral content. The endogenous hormone is significantly affected by all treatments under study. These results explain that vermicompost fluid improves the morphological and physiological characteristics of the treated seedlings and can be applied to produce organic plums. It gradually dispense with chemical fertilization, and preserve the environment.

Genetic similarity, morphological, and biochemical changes in micrografted grapes explants of Flame Seedless x Freedom

M.H. Abd EL-Zaher — 2022-08-17

The explants were used as a rootstock of the Freedom grape cultivar and Flame Seedless cultivar as a scion in vitro micrografting. The in vitro obtained explants were considered as explants and cultured on MS media containing 0.4 mgL-1 BAP. Six methods of micro grafting; sterile wire tie, sterile metal needle, wax, aluminum foil, gel and callus were used. Survival percentage, number of shoots and explants, shoot length, number of leaves per shoot, rooting percentage, root length, and callus percentage were all recorded as morphological parameters. Biochemical analysis was performed to determine phenols; flavonoids content and oxidising enzymes activity in Flame Seedless and Freedom. Results recorded that all methods of in vitro micrografting succeeded in yielding grafts between rootstock with scion with success in wax method followed by aluminium foil, sterile wire tie, sterile metal needle, gel, and callus methods in descending order. The best success rate of micrografting was obtained by the micro grafting method of wax as recorded with the best results of morphological criteria as the highest survival (83.88%), number shoots/explants (1.77), shoot length (1.66 cm), leaves/shoot (4.55), rooting (58.20%), root length (1.27 cm) and callus (55.55). The study suggests that this treatment might be a promising alternative to traditional grapevine propagation methods.

Economic analysis of the production of commercial vegetables with saline water drip irrigation in naturally ventilated polyhouse

R.L. . Meena — 2022-08-17

Production of vegetables under protected cultivation is necessary to meet the continuous demand across the seasons. Due to the capital and labour-intensive nature of the polyhouse technology, majority of Indian farmers with small and marginal category (>85%) cannot afford it. On the other hand, 6.73 million hectare land area in India is affected by salinity, which hampers crop production hence the area under vegetable cultivation is shrinking as the majority of vegetables are sensitive to salinity stress. This study was undertaken to assess the effect of saline water drip irrigation on production of capsicum, green chilli and tomato crops in naturally ventilated polyhouse. The economic analysis revealed that the estimated cost of polyhouse construction (300 m2) with drip irrigation system was ?4,71,563 and the overall cost (cost C3) of vegetable production under polyhouse was estimated to be ?2,15,623. Among capsicum, green chilli and tomato crops grown in the polyhouse, overall net returns over cost C3 was highest from tomato followed by capsicum and green chilli. The economic indicators were very encouraging with positive net present value, higher benefit-cost ratio, higher internal rate of returns, and shorter payback period. The investigation also suggests the viability of saline water drip irrigation for commercial cultivation of vegetables in naturally ventilated polyhouse, which is not possible under the natural environment with saline water drip irrigation.

Water soaking and benzyladenine treatment for higher grafting success in grapevine

A. . Fayek — 2022-08-17

The grafting of grapevines has become essential to overcome biotic and abiotic stresses. Also, stimulating the grafting union's rapid formation is the key to grafting success. This investigation was an attempt to study the effect of removing growth inhibitors through soaking of scion wood in water for 24 hours versus adding growth stimulation through fast dipping in 250 ppm benzyl adenine (BA) for 30 seconds before grafting, on the grafting success of Flame Seedless and Early Sweet scions (Vitis vinifera) grafted onto Freedom rootstock (Vitis champinii x 1613C) in addition to the control treatment. Water soaking was the best and followed by the treatment of 250 ppm BA, which significantly improved the grafting success of both cultivars. Grafting success was positively associated with increasing callus formation at the grafting zone, accompanied by the highest total indols content, the lowest total phenols content and peroxidase activity above and below the grafting zone. However, water soaking significantly increased total indols and decreased total phenols content of the ungrafted cuttings. This study suggests that applying water soaking to grape scion before grafting is an environmentally friendly, sustainable and alternative practice for synthetic growth regulators to improve grafted cuttings success.

The vase life and quality of cut Gerbera jamesonii cv. 'Rosalin' flowers are affected by natural essential oils (in normal and nano forms) and nano-silver particles

M.D. . Nesreen — 2022-08-17

Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii, Asteraceae), is a perennial important commercial cut-flower crop. A major problem of gerbera cut flowers is short vase life mostly due to neck bending amongst other factors. This study aimed to screen the effects of the essential oils of thyme, clove and caraway in addition to nano-silver particles on vase life and on some parameters of gerbera cv. ‘Rosalin’ cut flowers. A factorial experiment was carried out with essential oils as first factor (in normal form at 25 and 50 mg/L) and Nano-silver as second factor (at 5 and 10 mg/L) in addition of distilled water as control. The measured traits were: vase solution uptake, relative fresh weight, flower vase life, neck bending, enzyme activity of polyphenol oxidase and catalase, anthocyanin pigment and phenols. Results indicated that essential oils have significantly affected vase life and vase solution uptake positively and reduced neck bending. The most effective treatments were caraway and clove oils in normal form at 50 mg/L and 25 mg/L, respectively. Similarly, a significant increase was observed on catalase. Whereas, nano-silver particles had an insignificant effect on neck bending. Still, a significant effect was detected on vase life and solution uptake.