Plant growth-promoting actinobacteria: a new strategy for enhancing sustainable production and protection of grain legumes

Grain legumes are a cost-effective alternative for the animal protein in improving the diets of the poor in South-East Asia and Africa. Legumes, through symbiotic nitrogen fixation, meet a major part of their own N demand and partially benefit the following crops of the system by enriching soil. In realization of this sustainability advantage and to promote pulse production, United Nations had declared 2016 as the “International Year of pulses”. Grain legumes are frequently subjected to both abiotic and biotic stresses resulting in severe yield losses. Global yields of legumes have been stagnant for the past five decades in spite of adopting various conventional and molecular breeding approaches. Furthermore, the increasing costs and negative effects of pesticides and fertilizers for crop production necessitate the use of biological options of crop production and protection. The use of plant growth-promoting (PGP) bacteria for improving soil and plant health has become one of the attractive strategies for developing sustainable agricultural systems due to their eco-friendliness, low production cost and minimizing consumption of non-renewable resources. This review emphasizes on how the PGP actinobacteria and their metabolites can be used effectively in enhancing the yield and controlling the pests and pathogens of grain legumes

Path Analysis of Yield Related Traits in Wheat Genotypes under Normal Irrigation and Drought Stress Conditions

For identification of correlations and relations among different traits in bread wheat, 30 genotypes were investigated based on a split plot experiment in the form of randomized complete block design with three replications under normal and moisture stress conditions during the 2016-2017 crop season. The results of the analysis of variance showed that the effect of genotypes was significant for most of the studied traits. The interaction effect of drought stress and genotype was significant for all examined traits except 1000-grain weight. Genotypes c-94-3 and Heidari were recognized as the best genotypes with average grain yield of 437 and 427 g/m2, respectively, in normal conditions. Under drought conditions, genotypes cd-4 and cd-6 had the lowest grain yield with an average of 104 and 108 g/m2, respectively. Based on the results of multiple regression in field experiment, under optimal irrigation conditions, flag leaf area, spike density,  number of days to 50% flowering and spike length, (R2= 0.466) and under stress conditions, grain filling rate, grain filling period and straw yield (R2= 0.736) were considered as important traits affecting grain yield.  Path analysis of grain yield under normal conditions indicated that the flag leaf area, spike density and spike length, and under stress conditions, the grain filling rate, grain filling period and straw yield, with the greatest direct positive effect were the important and effective traits in grain yield. Based on the results of the analysis of the grain yield correlation coefficients under normal condition, the number of kernels per spike, 1000-grain weight, flag leaf area, spike density and spike length, and under stress conditions, the number of kernels per spike, the grain filling rate, grain filling period and straw yield, were considered as the traits affecting grain yield

Effect of Vitamin C on Performance, Egg Characteristics and Some Blood Parameters of Laying Hens

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of vitamin C on laying hens performance, egg characteristics and some blood parameters under normal rearing condition. One hundred and ninety two 24 - weeks - old laying hens diet were used in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments (0, 250, 500 and 750 mg vitamin C/kg diet) and 4 replicates for 105 days. Although feed consumption, feed conversion ratio and hen–day egg production were similar among treatments (P>0.05), final body weight was significantly increased (