Synthetic Polymer Based Coating of Fodder Cowpea Seeds Enhances Germination and Vigour

In Indian arid and semi-arid conditions, comparatively less fertile lands are allotted to forage crops. In addition, erratic weather condition makes the situation more complex where proper seedling emergence and establishment of pastures with economic use of input remains a big question. Our view is that crop seedling production from seed sown into arid or semiarid environments could be significantly enhanced by the use of simple seed coating technologies. Such approaches would make use of newly synthesised seed coat-applied polymers that could be used to hold the desired supplements like powerful germination enhancement chemicals and plant protectants with seed to support both germination and seedling establishment under the crucial stages. This approach would be expected to increase the rate and speed of germination, thereby bringing the uniformity in plant population even under stressful (drought) growing conditions. On the other hand, cowpea seed are highly susceptible to insect pest during storage in addition to seed borne diseases. Hence, coating of seed was envisaged in order to protect the seeds from pest attack and boost initial seedling vigour

Efficacy of Different Herbicides on Weed Flora of Berseem (\u3cem\u3eTrifolium alexandrium L.\u3c/em\u3e)

Berseem is one of the prominent winter legume fodder crops. It has 20-24% crude protein and 70% digestible dry matter. Common weeds found in berseem are Cichorium intybus, Cornopus didimus, Spergula arvensis, Chenopodium album, Rumex dentatus and some grass family weeds. Weeds compete with main crop for essential plant nutrients, light, moisture and space. They not only deteriorate fodder quality but also decrease fodder and seed yield. Weed infestation reduces normally 25-35% green fodder and seed yield. It is the major challenge to control the berseem weeds for enhancement of productivity and quality of fodder and seed yield. Hence the present investigation is undertaken to study the efficacy of some herbicides for berseem weed management

Anthesis Dynamics, Pollen Availability and Enhancement of Seed to Ovule Ratio in \u3cem\u3eChrysopogon fulvus\u3c/em\u3e

Under the present scenario of severe green fodder shortage (64%) in India, grassland offers an opportunity to enhance fodder availability. To revitalize the existing denuded grasslands, seed is the best propagating material. Availability of quality seed in forage grasses is less than 20% of actual requirement/ demand. Hence, there is a need to enhance the production and productivity of grass seeds. Even the available grass seeds have very low germination percentage, which is mainly due to the absence of a caryopsis inside the fluffy seed material. Chrysopogon fulvus, commonly known as Guria grass or red false beard grass, is a tufted perennial tropical grassland species, with good palatability and green fodder potential of \u3e20 t/ha. With its ability to grow under annual rainfall of 300-1200 mm it is well suited for the rainfed situation of Indian grasslands. As per Indian minimum seed certification standards (IMSCS), the germination percentage of C. fulvus is only 15%. The low germination coincides with the low seed setting (14-18%) as recorded in bulk harvested sample by Bahukhandi et al. (2011). Enhancement of seed to ovule ratio not only increases germination percent but enhances productivity per se. With this background, the present study was undertaken to understand the reproductive morphology, pollen availability and effect of exogenous application of chemicals for enhancement of seed to ovule ratio in C. fulvus

Foraging behaviour of honeybees (Apis spp.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in hybrid seed production of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea)

Pollination of entomophilous crops by honeybees is considered as one of the effective and inexpensive method for improving the crop yield and its quality. In most of the crops, effective pollination is prerequisite for fruitful fertilisation. Hence, we investigated the differential foraging activity of honeybees in relation to aspects of crop management including sowing time and parental row ratio in the hybrid seed production of the first Indian mustard hybrid NRCHB Apis spp. (half of which being Apis dorsata) was the dominant pollinators in our study. The pollinator abundance was maximum in the forenoon in male line (19.1) and in the afternoon in female line (13.9). Pollen collectors (8.7) outnumbered the nectar collectors (7.2) in male line and the reverse in female line. Pollinator abundance decreased in rows distantly positioned from the male parent row. Air temperature was positively correlated (r = 0.631) and relative humidity negatively correlated (r = –0.736) with honeybee foraging. Warmer weather conditions during flowering period showed higher number of honeybee visiting the hybrid seed production plots. This study would help the seed producers to standardise the planting geometry and date of sowing to promote maximum pollinator abundance at peak flowering period resulting in higher hybrid seed yield

Climate Change Redefining Disease Prevalence in Agriculture

32-33HUMAN activities, driven by demographic, economic, technological and social changes, are progressively having a major consequence on the interactive global systems driven by climate, land, water and vegetation leading to a slow but steady change in intensity of these components. </span

Nanoparticles influence seed germination traits and seed pathogen infection rate in forage sorghum (<em>Sorghum bicolour</em>) and cowpea (<em>Vigna unguiculata</em>)

363-372Nanoparticles (NPs) influence germination and growth of plants and also reported to have antimicrobial effect on seed. In the present study, effect of four metal/metal oxide NPs viz. Zinc oxide (ZnO), Titanium oxide (TiO2), Copper oxide (CuO) and Silver (Ag) on seed germination traits and seed pathogenicity of forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolour (L.)] and cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.)] was assessed. NPs were synthesized before seed treatment and characterized for size and chemical property by particle size analyzer (PSA), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) following standard procedure. All NPs were pure and confirmed as under nano-size (>90% of particles below 100 nm). Seed surfaces were observed under SEM for natural openings that apparently acted as entry points for NPs. Seeds were treated with NPs at 0 mg (D0), 750 mg (D1), 1000 mg (D2) and 1250 mg/kg of seed (D3). Except TiO2, all other NPs enhanced germination at lower dose (D1), but germination was reduced at higher dose (D3) (p=0.05) as compared to control (D0). Seed vigour traits (germination, shoot length, root length and seedling dryweight in this experiment) were also influenced by NPs. Ag NP was proved to be strong antimicrobial agent in this study

Intertwined nanopetal assembly of Mg(OH)(2) powders

The intertwined nanopetal assembly of Mg(OH)(2) powder was synthesized in the present work by a very simple, inexpensive, green chemical route without using any catalysts and templates. The synthesized powder was thoroughly investigated by X-ray diffraction, BET and BJH measurements, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric and differential thermal analysis techniques. The results showed that phase pure, oxygen rich Mg(OH)(2) powder of 2.7-6.16 nm crystallite size, similar to 7 nm pore size, and similar to 93.76 m(2) gm(-1) surface area was obtained. Finally, the possible growth mechanism of intertwined nanopetal assembly was discussed for the Mg(OH)(2) powders. (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved