International Journal of Plant & Soil Science
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Comparative Analysis of Pollen Viability and Germination Efficiency among Guava Genotypes
No full textA study was conducted at the Fruit Science Laboratory, College of Horticulture, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh, during the years 2023-24 and 2024-25 to assess pollen viability and in vitro germination in five guava genotypes. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) comprising five treatments with three replications each. Pollen viability an essential parameter in plant breeding for evaluating the functional capacity of male gametes was examined using both the 2% acetocarmine staining technique and in vitro pollen germination methods. The results showed that among the tested guava genotypes, L-49 recorded the highest pollen viability (96.23%), followed by Allahabad Safeda (94.86%) and Lalit (92.99%). In contrast, the highest pollen germination was observed in Lalit (92.23%), followed by Allahabad Safeda (91.59%) and L-49 (87.99%) in the pooled analysis. Based on the findings, L-49 was the best genotype in terms of pollen viability, while Lalit showed the highest germination rate, indicating its superior reproductive potential under in vitro conditions
Plant-derived Smoke: A Sustainable Technique for Seed Enhancement
No full textSmoke act as an important evolutionary factor involved in post fire germination cues. In South Africa, a study on the endangered fynbos species Audouinia capitata brought attention to the role smoke plays in promoting germination. Farmers of South Africa employ conventional method of exposing seeds to smoke as it provides protection against insects and pathogens. Additionally, this technique was shown to improve seedling vigor and germination in specific plant species. By directly exposing seeds to aerosol smoke, treating them with smoke water, or using dynamic compounds extracted from smoke at varying concentrations, the potential benefits of smoke in agriculture were realized. Among these, smoke water shows convenient and promising results. One well-known seed germination agent is butenolide (3-methyl-2H furo [2,3-c]pyran-2-one), which is produced from plant-derived smoke using bioactivity-guided fractionation. Following the initial isolation of KAR1, a whole new family of plant growth regulators, named ‘karrikins’ were isolated. Glyceronitrile or cyanohydrin is another compound isolated by using bioassay which stimulates germination in species which is insensitive to karrikins. Application of smoke had found to enhance germination by breaking dormancy, increasing seedling growth and mitigating abiotic stress conditions
Effects of ZnO-NPs Treatments on Fruit Characteristics of Capsicum
No full textTo evaluate the effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) treatments: applied via seed treatment and foliar spray; on post-harvest quality attributes of capsicum fruits, including texture score, specific gravity, maximum penetration and shearing force, cuticle thickness, moisture content, shelf life, and capsaicin content. A two-year pot experiment using a completely randomized design with seven treatments (control, three seed treatment concentrations, and three foliar spray concentrations of ZnO-NPs) and three replications; was conducted in net-house conditions at Department of Soil Science and Water Management, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India. Capsicum seeds were soaked (T2, T4, T6) in ZnO-NPs suspensions (50, 100, 150 mg/L) for 24 hours before sowing (seed treatment); and sprayed (T3, T5, T7) with corresponding suspensions 15 days post-transplanting (foliar). T1 was taken as control (without application of ZnO-NPs). After harvest, uniform fruits were assessed for various fruit characteristics. The results revealed an increment in texture score (8.08), specific gravity (0.84), penetration force (11.98 N), shearing force (80.70 N), cuticle thickness (38.9 µm), moisture content (93.7%), shelf life (6.9 days), and capsaicin (0.21%) content, under treatment comprising seed treatment of capsicum with 50 mg/L ZnO-NPs. With increased concentrations or foliar application, most attributes decreased; however, at 150 mg/L foliar spray, performance frequently returned to control levels. A low-dose ZnO-NP seed treatment (50-100 mg/L) significantly improved the pungency, post-harvest quality, and mechanical integrity of capsicum fruits. Based on the results, which highlight the significance of dosage and application technique, capsicum fruit quality can be considerably improved by targeted early-stage root uptake of ZnO-NPs
Assessment of Biochar Effects on Essential Nutrient Uptake in Chickpea Under Field Conditions
No full textA field experiment was conducted during the rabi season of 2021–22 at ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kalaburagi, to assess the effects of biochar on essential nutrient uptake in chickpea under field conditions. The study employed a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with eight treatments: absolute control, recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) alone, biochar at 2 t ha⁻¹, biochar at 4 t ha⁻¹, 50% RDF + biochar at 2 t ha⁻¹, 50% RDF + biochar at 4 t ha⁻¹, 100% RDF + biochar at 2 t ha⁻¹, and 100% RDF + biochar at 4 t ha⁻¹. Significant differences in nutrient concentrations were observed among the treatments. The application of 100% RDF combined with biochar at 4 t ha⁻¹ resulted in the highest nutrient concentrations in both grain and stover—nitrogen at 3.62% and 1.25%, phosphorus at 0.51% and 0.30%, and potassium at 1.31% and 1.69%, respectively. In contrast, the absolute control recorded the lowest nutrient concentrations. The same treatment (100% RDF + biochar at 4 t ha⁻¹) also resulted in the highest nutrient uptake, with nitrogen uptake of 52.01 kg ha⁻¹ in grain and 22.10 kg ha⁻¹ in stover, phosphorus uptake of 7.32 kg ha⁻¹ in grain and 5.26 kg ha⁻¹ in stover, and potassium uptake of 18.80 kg ha⁻¹ in grain and 29.88 kg ha⁻¹ in stover
Growth and Yield of Finger Millet as Influenced by Organic Nutrient Management
No full textA field experiment was conducted during rabi2023-24 at Agricultural College Farm, Naira, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Andhra Pradesh. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design and replicated thrice. The finger millet variety Indravathi (CFMV 1) was tested in the present experiment.At all the crop growth stages, significantly the tallest plants, more number of tillers plant-1, highest dry matter production and higher leaf area index were recorded with application of 100% RDF (60:30:30 NPK kg ha-1) (M1) followed by application of 50% Recommed dose of fertilizer (NPK kg ha-1) + 50% RDN through Poultry manure was comparable with treatment (M1). Application of 100% RDN through Poultry manure (M3) recorded the lowest growth parameters. Regarding the yield attributes, significantly the higher number of ears m-2, earhead length, earheadweight, number of fingers earhead-1 and test weight were obtained with application of 100% RDF (60:30:30 NPK kg ha-1) (M1) followed by application of 50% RDF (NPK kg ha-1) + 50% RDN through Poultry manure, which was in parity with (M1). While the lowest values of yield attributes were obtained with application of 100 % RDN through poultry manure (M3). Among the foliar sprays, significantly higher values of the yield attributes were obtained with application of Panchagavya@ 3% over rest of the treatments
Genetic Divergence in Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.). Germplasm
No full textMahalanobis D2 statistic was used to study the genetic diversity between and within the forty genotypes of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.). at experimental farm department of Genetics and Plant Breeding field at College of Agriculture, Latur (Maharashtra) during Rabi 2023-24 which were sown in RBD Design at 30 cm x 5 cm spacing. The observations were recorded on ten quantitative characters namely days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height (cm), number of branches per plant, number of capsules per plant, number of seeds per capsule, 1000 seed weight (g), harvest index, oil content (%) and seed yield per plant. The data recorded on these characters was utilized for estimation of mean, variability, genetic advance, and genetic diversity by D2 method. Forty genotypes were grouped into four clusters using Tocher’s method. Cluster I had the highest number of genotypes (27) followed by cluster II (10), cluster IV (02) and cluster III included 1 genotype cluster. The intra cluster distance (D2) ranges from 10.86 to 12.89, whereas inter cluster distance D2 ranges from 14.70 to 22.36. The maximum inter cluster distance (D2 = 22.36) was observed between cluster I and cluster IV. All four clusters identified through divergence analysis comprised genotypes of diverse origins, suggesting a lack of parallelism between genetic diversity and geographical distribution. There is considerable potential for achieving improvement through hybridization and selection by making crosses between accessions belonging to different clusters
Assessment of Survival Rate in Hydrangea macrophylla Cuttings under Varying Levels of Indole-3-Butyric Acid, Cutting Types and Media
No full textA propagation study was undertaken to standardize type of stem cuttings, IBA concentrations and different media for propagation of Hydrangea macrophylla L. Hydrangea is considered as “Queen of flowering shrubs” and it performs best at higher altitudes. In the present study, softwood, semi hardwood and hardwood cuttings were collected during the month of September 2016. They were treated with IBA 500 PPM and 250 PPM for a period of 30 minutes and a control was maintained. The treated cuttings were maintained in protrays containing four different propagating media, namely sand, perlite, vermiculite and soil rite. The trays were kept under 75% agro shade net. Different biometric observations were recorded at 30, 45, 60 and 75 days after planting under first stage of investigation. At 75 days the cuttings were uprooted to study the root and other growth parameters. The percentage of survival was highest under semi hardwood cuttings × control × sand or perlite (60.7%) followed by softwood cuttings × control × sand or perlite (53.4%). IBA 500 ppm produced highest number of roots (45.0) and root length was also highest (1.57cm) under this treatment. With the present standardization of propagation, large scale cultivation of hydrangea can be possible in the place where plenty of sunshine is available in the morning hours
Effect of Foliar Nitrogen and Basal Phosphorus Fertilization on Growth and Nutrient Uptake of Soybean in Vertisols of the Mewar Region
No full textThe soybean plant frequently suffers substantial losses of flowers and immature pods, with fewer than one-quarter of the flowers ultimately developing into pods. Soybean gives higher positive response to applied nitrogen over symbiotically fixed atmospheric nitrogen through its roots alone which proves that nitrogen fixed by soybean roots is not enough for its growth and development. The present study aimed to determine the effect of Foliar Nitrogen and Basal Phosphorus Fertilization on Growth, Yield, and Nutrient Uptake of Soybean in Vertisols of the Mewar Region. The investigation was carried out at Instructional Farm, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture & Technology, Udaipur. This experiment was conducted in split plot design with foliar nitrogen application and basal phosphorus with 24 treatment combinations. The significantly higher chlorophyll content, leaf area index, biological yield and nutrients uptake (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) was obtained under 2.5% nitrogen through urea foliar fertilization in the main plots and 100% recommended dose of phosphorus through single super phosphate in subplots over rest of the treatments. highest phosphorus uptake by soybean was recorded with the foliar application of nitrogen through urea (2.5%), which was foliar application of nitrogen through urea (1.5 and 1.0%) and control but remained statistically at par with the foliar application of nitrogen through urea (2.0 and 3.0%). The improvement in phosphorus uptake can be indirectly linked to better nitrogen availability, which enhances root growth and improves phosphorus uptake by stimulating the activity of phosphate-solubilizing enzymes and root exudates. The harvest index, physical properties of soil i.e., density, porosity, water holding capacity, physico-chemical properties i.e., pH, EC, organic carbon didn’t influence significantly with various doses of foliar fertilization of nitrogen and basal phosphorus application. The lowest parameters i.e., chlorophyll content, leaf area index, biological yield and nutrients uptake was obtained control treatments. Based on the findings, it is recommended that foliar fertilization with 2.5% urea along with 100% basal phosphorus should be adopted for enhancing soybean productivity and nutrient use efficiency without adversely affecting soil health
Assessment of the Level of Heavy Metal Contamination of the Soil in the Bobo-dioulasso Industrial Zone
No full textThe expansion of human activities has led to the accumulation of heavy metals in various ecosystem compartments. Contamination of soils with these heavy metals poses a significant public health risk because of the various pathologies they can cause. This assessment took into account the levels of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) and some pollution indicators such as the contamination factor (FC), the potential risk of heavy metals (Er), the ecological risk index of heavy metals (IR_ML), the pollution index (IP) and the degree of contamination (Cdeg). A systematic square mesh grid was used to collect 121 soil samples from the three areas occupation of the industrial zone. These samples were analyzed for heavy metal contents. The results show a wide variation in metal concentrations and land use patterns in the industrial zone (P<0.001). Zinc is the metal with the highest concentration in all three zones. Analysis of contamination factors indicated high contamination of As and Cd and high potential for risk of the same elements for all soils at the study site. Ecological risk on living organisms growing in soils is very high (above 300) regardless of the area. The pollution index is higher than 1 (1.09) in the landfill area. Therefore, the soils at the study site can be considered as soils with poor quality in terms of heavy metal content
Assessment of Seed Physiological Parameters in Gymnema sylvestre R.Br. for Optimizing Propagation and Storage Strategies
No full textThis study investigated seed viability, water imbibition behavior, and desiccation tolerance of Gymnema sylvestre R.Br. to evaluate its potential for propagation and long-term storage. Tetrazolium (TZ) staining tests at varying concentrations (0.25%, 0.5%, and 1%) and durations (1 to 24 hours) revealed that 0.5% TZ consistently yielded 100% viability across all durations, making it the most effective treatment. Statistical analysis confirmed that TZ concentration, staining duration, and their interaction significantly influenced viability outcomes (p < 0.001). The seeds exhibited a clear triphasic water imbibition pattern, with fresh weight increasing by 158.79% at 30 hours before plateauing, indicative of typical orthodox seed hydration. Germination trials demonstrated that no pre-treatment was necessary, as seeds showed high viability without signs of physical or physiological dormancy. Desiccation trials, followed by storage at –20 °C, further confirmed the orthodox nature of the seeds. Germination improved from 89.26% in fresh seeds to 90.83% after desiccation and 95.38% after three months of cold storage. These results establish G. sylvestre seeds as viable, desiccation-tolerant, and suitable for direct sowing and long-term conservation under low-temperature storage conditions