Comparative Effect of Foliar Application of Cow Dung, Wood Ash and Benlate on the Disease Initiation and Development of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) Leaf Spot Disease Caused by Coniella musaiensis Var. Hibisci. in Makurdi, Central Nigeria

A study on the comparative effect of cow dung, wood ash and benlate for the control of leaf spot disease of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) was carried out following the preparation and foliar application of the materials on selected Roselle plants of the green and red accessions (Acc1 & Acc3) in the field. The cow dung was fermented for 14 days while sour milk was added to wood ash, dissolved and all filtered and labeled. The spraying commenced soon after the plants were thinned to one and was done weekly until after 50% of the plants had flowered. Results showed significant (p = 0.05) difference between benlate, the synthetic fungicide and the bio-fertilizers (cow dung and wood ash) for the two years of the study. Disease severity was significantly lower in the benlate than in the bio-fertilizers. There was no significant difference in yield between the treatments although higher yield was recorded in benlate. Though the bio-fertilizers could not suppress infection, they aided the growth of the plants by boosting luxuriant growth. The result showed that these bio-fertilizers cannot be used as substitute to the synthetic fungicide for the control of this leaf spot disease caused by Coniella musaiensis var. hibisci. However, since they give equally good yield the bio-fertilizers can still be used to minimize the reliance upon use of chemical fungicides.

Enriching Iodine and Regulating Grain Aroma,Appearance Quality,and Yield in Aromatic Rice by Foliar Application of Sodium Iodide

Applying iodine fertilizers to cultivate iodine-rich crops for daily intake is an effective approach for iodine supplementation,especially for aromatic rice.Field experiments were conducted during the early growing seasons of 2021 and 2022 to evaluate the impacts of foliar application of iodine fertilizer on aromatic rice and to explore the optimal iodine fertilizer concentration.At the full heading stage,six different concentrations of sodium iodide solutions of 0%(CK),0.010%(T1),0.025%(T2),0.050%(T3),0.075%(T4),and 0.100%(T5)were applied to indica aromatic rice cultivars Meixiangzhan 2 and Xiangyaxiangzhan.The results showed that sodium iodide treatments significantly increased the iodine and sodium contents in both leaves and grains.Compared with the CK,the T1 and T2 treatments increased the 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline(2-AP)content in mature grains by 8.41%-101.66%and 13.58%-74.60%,respectively.Improvements in the contents of 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid,proline,1-pyrroline,and methylglyoxal,as well as the activity of proline dehydrogenase were also detected.Additionally,sodium iodide treatments remarkably decreased the chalky grain rate,chalkiness area,and chalkiness degree of aromatic rice,with the T2 treatment exhibiting a 17.79%-47.42%decrease in chalkiness degree compared with the CK.Meanwhile,T1 and T2 treatments showed beneficial impacts on chlorophyll content,photosynthetic characteristics,and yield components,while T3,T4,and T5 treatments exhibited adverse effects on leaf and grain yields.The linear discriminant analysis revealed significant differences between treatments.The correlation analysis and piecewise structural equation modeling showed that the iodine and sodium influenced the photosynthetic characteristics and chlorophyll content of the leaves,thereby regulating the 2-AP biosynthesis and yield components,ultimately affecting the 2-AP content and yield.Overall,this study suggests that foliar application of 0.025%sodium iodide is an effective method to enrich the iodine content in rice grains,improve the grain aroma and appearance quality of aromatic rice,without detrimental effects on grain yield.

Analysis on Demonstration Application of Silicon Fertilizer in Field Cultivation of Rice

[Objectives]This study was conducted to investigate the scientific application of silicon fertilizer in rice cultivation,one of the staple crops.[Methods]In 2022,Yandu District carried out a special experiment and field demonstration study on the effects of foliar application of Zhengda water-soluble silicon fertilizer on rice production.[Results]The preliminary results showed that①Zhengda water-soluble silicon fertilizer could effectively improve the growth and development of rice and improve the population quality.The peak number of tillers,productive tiller percentage,number of effective panicles and number of effective grains per panicle increased by 6.7%,5.8%,5.5%,and 1.2%,respectively.②The yield and processing quality were improved.After applying silicon fertilizer,the yield per unit area increased by about 6.8%,and the unpolished rice yield,milled rice yield and head rice yield increased by 0.7%,1.94%and 2.15%respectively.[Conclusions]The demonstration application of silicon fertilizer in field cultivation of rice in Yandu District further proves previous research conclusions and has important practical significance.

Effects of micronutrients foliar application on rice (Oryza Sativa L. cv. Shiroodi) morphological traits, yield and yield components

In order to assess the effect of micronutrients(Mn,Zn,Fe,Cu and B)on rice metabolism and performance,research implemented in the form of randomized complete block design with 8 treatments(T0 Control,T1-T7 one to seven spraying)with 3 replications.The location of this research was the Rice Research Institution of Iran(Mazandaran)during two consecutive years(2017 and 2018 cultivation seasons).The results demonstrate that the effect of micronutrients foliar application is significant at the 1%level of probability of some traits such as plant wet weight,12 plants yield,and leaf area.Also,it is significant at the 5%level of probability of some traits such as the number of tillers/plant,80 plants yield,cluster length,leaf color chart and 1000 grains weight.In this relation,the interaction of year*foliar application was significant for the studied traits.The purpose of this study was to evaluation of micronutrients effect on rice plant.Pursuant to the results,it can be significantly concluded that the micronutrients furnish through the leaf application can influence on rice yield and yield components.This event is justifiable by micronutrients role in the plant metabolic procedures and enzymes activation that affects crops vegetative growth and productivity.Furthermore,the postponement time can be decreased by the leaf spraying of the micronutrients and this is vital for rice plant during the rapid growth phase.The results are significantly evident that one leaf spraying of essential micronutrients will impress on rice yield.

Grain zinc and iron concentrations of Chinese wheat landraces and cultivars and their responses to foliar micronutrient applications

Grain zinc(Zn) and iron(Fe) concentrations and their responses to foliar application of micronutrients in 28 Chinese wheat landraces and 63 cultivars were investigated in a two-year field experiment. The average grain Zn and Fe concentrations were 41.8 mg kg^(-1)(29.0-63.3 mg kg^(-1)) and 39.7 mg kg^(-1)(27.9-67.0 mg kg^(-1)), respectively. Compared with cultivars, landraces had greater grain Zn(11.0%) and Fe(4.8%) concentrations but lower harvest index(HI), grain weight per spike(GWS), grain number per spike(GNS) and thousand grain weight(TGW). Both Zn and Fe concentrations were negatively and significantly correlated with HI, GWS, and GNS, while showed a poor association with TGW, suggesting that lower HI, GWS, and GNS, but not TGW, accounted for higher Zn and Fe concentrations for landraces than for cultivars. Grain Zn concentrations of both cultivars and landraces significantly increased after foliar Zn spray and the increase was two-fold greater for landraces(12.6 mg kg^(-1)) than for cultivars(6.4 mg kg^(-1)). Foliar Fe spray increased grain Fe concentrations of landraces(3.4 mg kg^(-1)) and cultivars(1.2 mg kg^(-1)), but these increases were not statistically significant. This study showed that Chinese wheat landraces had higher grain Zn and Fe concentrations than cultivars, and greater increases occurred in grain Zn concentration than in grain Fe concentration in response to fertilization, suggesting that Chinese wheat landraces could serve as a potential genetic source for enhancing grain mineral levels in modern wheat cultivars.

Application of Zinc, Iron and Boron Enhances Productivity and Grain Biofortification of Mungbean

Deficiencies of essential vitamins,iron(Fe),and zinc(Zn)affect over one-half of the world’s population.A significant progress has been made to control micronutrient deficiencies through supplementation,but new approaches are needed,especially to reach the rural poor.Agronomic biofortification of pulses with Zn,Fe,and boron(B)offers a pragmatic solution to combat hidden hunger instead of food fortification and supplementation.Moreover,it also has positive effects on crop production as well.Therefore,we conducted three separate field experiments for two consecutive years to evaluate the impact of soil and foliar application of the aforementioned nutrients on the yield and seed biofortification of mungbean.Soil application of Zn at 0,4.125,8.25,Fe at 0,2.5,5.0 and B at 0,0.55,1.1 kg ha−1 was done in the first,second and third experiment,respectively.Foliar application in these experiments was done at 0.3%Zn,0.2%Fe and 0.1%B respectively one week after flowering initiation.Data revealed that soil-applied Zn,Fe and B at 8.25,5.0 and 1.1 kg ha−1,respectively,enhanced the grain yield of mungbean;however,this increase in yield was statistically similar to that recorded with Zn,Fe and B at 4.125,2.5 and 0.55 kg ha−1,respectively.Foliar application of these nutrients at flower initiation significantly enhanced the Zn contents by 28%and 31%,Fe contents by 80%and 78%,while B contents by 98%and 116%over control during 2019 and 2020,respectively.It was concluded from the results that soil application of Zn,Fe,and B enhanced the yield performance of mungbean;while significant improvements in seed Zn,Fe,and B contents were recorded with foliar application of these nutrients.

Distribution and accumulation of zinc and nitrogen in wheat grain pearling fractions in response to foliar zinc and soil nitrogen applications

Increasing zinc(Zn)concentration in wheat grain is important to minimize human dietary Zn deficiency.This study aimed to investigate the effect of foliar Zn and soil nitrogen(N)applications on the accumulation and distribution of N and Zn in grain pearling fractions,N remobilization,and the relationships between nutrient concentration in the vegetative tissues and grain or its fractions in two cropping years in the North China Plain.The results showed a progressive decrease in N and Zn concentrations from the outer to the inner parts of grain,with most of the accumulation in the core endosperm.Foliar Zn application significantly increased N concentration in the pericarp,and soil N application increased N concentration in each grain fraction.Both treatments significantly increased core endosperm Zn concentration.Foliar Zn had no effect on grain N and Zn distribution.Soil N application made N concentrated in the aleurone,promoted Zn translocation to the core endosperm and also increased N remobilization and its efficiency from the shoot to the grain,but no improved contribution to grain was found.N concentration in grain and its fractions were positively correlated with N in vegetative organs at anthesis and maturity,while positive correlations were obtained between N concentration in the pericarp and progressive central area of the endosperm and Zn concentration in the core endosperm.Thus,foliar Zn and soil N applications effectively increased yield and N and Zn concentrations in the wheat grain,particularly in the endosperm,and could be promising strategies to address Zn deficiency.

Management of cotton bollworms Helicoverpa armigera and Earias vittella by ento mopathogenic nematodes

Background: The bollworm complex consisting of Helicoverpa armigera and Earias vittella is a major threat in cotton production globally. The habit of developing resistance to many insecticides including Bt transgenic cotton necessitates the exploration of an alternate strategy to manage bollworms. The entomopathogenic nematodes(EPN) Steinernema carpocapsae strain APKS2 and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora strains KKMH1 and TRYH1 at different concentrations of 1 × 10^(9) infective juveniles(IJs)·hm^(-2), 2 × 10^(9)IJs.hm^(-2), and 3×10^(9)IJs·hm^(-2) in 500 L of water were evaluated as a foliar spray in fields naturally infested with H.armigera and F.vittella located at Eastern Block and and Cotton Research Farm of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbaotre, India during October 2010–February 2011 and October 2011–February 2012, respectively.Results: In general, all three tested EPN strains reduced the larval population of H. armigera and E. vittella;reduced square and boll damage;and subsequently increased cotton yield compared with the untreated control. The S. carpocapsae APKS2 is most e ective against H. armigera whereas both S. carpocapsae APKS2 and H. bacteriophora KKMH1 were equally effective against E. vittella. The higher dose of 3×10^(9)IJs·hm^(-2) was highly significant in the reduction of H. armigera larvae. However, the doses 2×10^(9)IJs·hm^(-2)and 3×10^(9)IJs·hm^(-2) were equally effective for E. vittella control. The S. carpocapsae APKS2 at 3×10^(9)IJs·hm^(-2) caused a 62.2% reduction of H. armigera larvae, 34% reduction of square damage, 58.5% reduction of boll damage, and yielded 45.5% more seed cotton than the untreated control plots. In E. vittella infested field, S. carpocapsae strain APKS2 and H. bacteriophora strain KKMH1 at 2×10^(9)IJs·hm^(-2)resulted in 60.6%~62.4% larva reduction, 68.4%~70.7% square damage reduction, 66.6%~69.9% boll damage reduction and 45.9% yield increase over the untreated control. The effective EPN treatments were comparable to the chemical insecticide chlorpyriphos 20% emulsifiable concentrate spraying at 2 mL·L^(-1).Conclusions: This study has shown that EPN have great potential in the management of the bollworm complex in cotton. Foliar spraying EPN strain S. carpocapsae(APKS2) at 3×10^(9)IJs·hm^(-2) and S. carpocapsae(APKS2) or H. bacteriophora(KKMH1) at 2×10^(9)IJs·hm^(-2) five times at 10days intervals are the best for the management of H. armigera and E. vittella, respectively.

Evaluation of N Fertilizers Effects on Grape Based on the Expression of N Metabolic Genes

In order to study the influence of different types of N fertilizers on grapevine(Vitis labruscana ‘Black Summer') trees were used as experiment materials and fertilizers foliar application trails were conducted in the flowering and veraison stages. The expression levels of five grapevine N metabolic genes, including Vv GHD, Vv Ni R, Vv NR, Vv GS and Vv AS, were analyzed, some physiological traits including the flower and fruit dropping rate, leaves and shoots growth rate, chlorophyll content and the fruit size of grape berry were also investigated. The results showed that,in general, the expression levels of the five N metabolic genes were increased after foliar applied different types of N fertilizers in the two periods.N metabolic genes showed similar expression patterns toward the same type of fertilizer in the two periods, whereas foliar applied different types of N fertilizers, their expression patterns changed. Moreover, the N fertilizer which had stronger and longer influence on the N metabolic genes could enhance the physiology traits more dramatically. Given the gene expression levels and the changes of physiology traits, we conclude that urea and ammonium nitrate have the best effect on grapevine; calcium nitrate can help to reduce the flower and berry dropping rate; ammonium sulphate and sodium nitrate have relatively poor effects on grapevine.