ALLELOPATHIC POTENTIAL OF DILL ON GERMINATION AND GROWTH PARAMETERS OF MAIZE SEEDLINGS

The aim of the study was to examine allelopathic effect of dill (Anethum graveolens L.) on germination and growth parameters of maize (Zea mays L.). Cogermination of maize seeds with dill seeds and aqueous extracts of aboveground parts of dill in concentrations of 0; 2.5; 5 and 10% were evaluated in Petri dishes. Cogermination of dill seeds significantly decreased root length of maize. The extracts of dill at 2.5% concentration, significantly stimulated root and shoot lenght of maize, but with the concentration of the aqueous extract increased, the stimulating effects decreased, and even changed into inhibited. This study indicated that the dill plants have strong allelopathic potential on maize. Aqueous extracts of dill, in low concentration, can be used in organic farming as biostimulators for initial growth of maize

SPEED BREEDING AND ITS IMPORTANCE FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL CROPS

Current environmental changes and continued global population growth represent a significant concern for food security. The slow rate at which current plant breeding programs are progressing is partly attributed to the long generation time of plants during the breeding process. One solution to overcome this obstacle is the use of Speed breeding technology that shortens the generation time to accommodate multiple generations of crops per year and accelerates crop research. The term "Speed breeding" was coined by Australian researchers in 2003 and is inspired by NASA experiments performed on a space mission. In this context, this paper summarizes some of the technological aspects, opportunities and limitations associated with Speed breeding. The integration of Speed breeding with other modern breeding technologies can further reduce the breeding cycle time and make selection for some novel traits more effective. Speed breeding is an innovative and promising breeding technology to ensure food security, which accelerates the development and release of new crop varieties

APPLICATIONS OF THE CRISPR/CAS9 TECHNIQUE IN MAIZE AND WHEAT BREEDING

Maize and wheat are some of the world's most important food crops, so their breeding programs are important for global food security. Genome editing techniques (the latest advancement in genetics) are not replacements for conventional breeding techniques, they are new methods and innovative, which promote agricultural crop breeding programs and offers unprecedented solutions to food insecurity. Among these techniques, CRISPR-Cas9 is considered a more effective tool for genome editing due to its low cost and simplicity. This paper summarizes recent applications of the CRISPR/Cas9 technique in maize and wheat breeding. The implementation of this technique allows the production of non-transgenic crops with high yield under different environmental stresses promoting sustainable agriculture

THE EFFECT OF CLIMATIC CONDITIONS ON THE YIELD AND QUALITY OF MAIZE IN THE CENTRAL PART OF OLTENIA

The Oltenia area is often affected by drought and heat that strongly influence plant development and yield. This paper aims at evaluation the genotype x environment interaction of yield and quality components of maize hybrids under different climatic conditions. The trials have been located on the experimental field at Agricultural Research and Development Station (SCDA) Simnic, during three years (2012, 2013 and 2015). As biological material, there have been used five Romanian maize hybrids: F376, Milcov, Iezer, F475M and Crisana. The results have shown that the genotype x year interaction influenced the yield and protein content, but not the oil content. The average yield for all examined hybrids was 2743 kg/ha, the average protein content was 14.70% and the average oil content was 5.22%. The yield was negatively statistically significant, correlated with protein content and with air temperature. As average values for the research period, the Iezer hybrid was highlighted by high yield and high contents of protein and oil, therefore, this Romanian hybrid is recommended for use in the future breeding programs

EVALUATION OF MAIZE HYBRIDS UNDER LOCAL CONDITIONS OF CRAIOVA, OLTENIA REGION

A field experiment with twelve maize hybrids was conducted at Agricultural Research and Development Station (ARDS) Simnic – Craiova during the cropping season 2015-2016. The results of present study revealed significant differences for grain yield and for all the traits except anthesis - silking interval that exhibited non-significant difference among the studied hybrids. The hybrids HSF 787-13 and HSF 825-13 took more days to anthesis (82 days) and silking (84 days), while hybrid HSF1098-13 was found early maturing, which took 74 days, to anthesis and 75 days to silking. The highest plant height of 214 cm was noted in hybrid HSF 1098-13, and the highest ear height of 81 cm was noted in HSF 787-13. The studied hybrids had a wide genetic background, thus showing grain yield ranges from 7.70 to 12.09 t/ha. The hybrids HSF 711-13 (12.09 t/ha), HSF 1223-13 (11.06 t/ha), HSF 1098-13 (10.20 t/ha) and HSF 825-13 (9.82 t/ha) had the highest grain yield, and these hybrids were found most promising, which have the potential to increase the average yield of maize in local condition of Craiova and similar growing areas

EFFECT OF THE AQUEOUS EXTRACTS OF AMORACIA RUSTICANA L. ON THE SEED GERMINATION AND SEEDLING GROWTH OF ZEA MAYS L. UNDER DROUGHT STRESS

Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana L.) is a perennial plant cultivated all over Europe, having an allelophatic effect on the germination and seedling growth at many species of plants. The experiment described in this paper examines a series of concentrations of aqueous extracts of horseradish roots in conditions of drought stress induced by NaCl, at maize. The effects of the extracts were significant on final germination rate (Gr), shoot length (SL) and root length (RL). The extracts having concentrations of 10% and 15% had a significant stimulating effect on the studied traits, and the increase of the concentration of the aqueous extracts to 20% caused the inhibition of these traits. Therefore, the aqueous extracts of horseradish could help germination and seedling growth of maize reducing the negative effect of drought stress

ALLELOPATHIC EFFECT OF SAGE ON GERMINATION AND INITIAL GROWTH OF MAIZE

Salvia officinalis L. (sage) is a medicinal plant cited for its strong allelopathic effects. This plant is being studied for its pesticidal potential and much less for its biostimulant activities. The development of new biostimulants in the context of sustainable crop management, is necessary. The aim of the  study was to determine allelopathic effect of sage on germination and initial growth of maize (Zea mays L.) Two experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions to determine effect of cogermination of sage and maize seeds and effect of sage aqueous extracts from fresh and dry sage biomass in concentrations of 5%, 10% and 20%, were investigated. Sage seeds in cogermination with maize and aqueous extracts of sage showed not significant effects on germination percentage, but showed significant effects on maize seedlings. The shoot and root length was strongly inhibited by cogermination. On the contrary, shoot length of maize was stimulated by the lowest concentration of extracts (5%), while it was inhibited by higher concentration (20%). For the root length, a slight stimulation  (not significant) was observed at the 5% and 10% concentrations of sage extracts, while it was inhibited by 20% concentration. It can be concluded that dilute concentrations of sage can be utilized as a natural source (biostimulants) for initial growth of maize

EVALUATION OF GRAIN YIELD AND OF SOME YIELD TRAITS AT DIFFERENT FOREIGN CORN HYBRIDS CULTIVATED ÎN CENTRAL PART OF OLTENIA

The field experiment was conducted during growing season of corn (2019) at the Agricultural Research and Development Station Şimnic - Craiova.  This study emphasized on screening different foreign corn hybrids under agro-climatic conditions of Oltenia and to know the adaptability of these hybrids. Twelve foreign corn hybrids (6 of French and 6 of German origin) were evaluated. The yield traits and grain yield were recorded and statistically analysed for comparison amongst the hybrids. The study showed that the corn hybrids within the two sets of different origin (but not between the two sets) were significantly different for all traits analyzed, except for the length of the cob. The highest grain yields among hybrids of French origin were recorded by: ES INVENTIVE (60.74 q/ha) and ES FARADAY (60.02 q/ha) and the highest grain yields among hybrids of German origin were recorded by: KASHMIR (63.79 q/ha), KARPATIS (63.64 q/ha) and BELLAVISTA KXB 643 (63.04 q/ha)

COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF SOME WHEAT VARIETIES FOR YIELD AND QUALITY ATTRIBUTES

Identifying high-yielding wheat varieties for various agro-climatic conditions is important because the farmers are mostly relying on these varieties for wheat production. This comparative study aimed to evaluate the performance of six wheat varieties for yield and some quality attributes, in conventional cropping system from Agricultural Research and Development Station Şimnic, Craiova. The experiment was laid out according to a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Statistical analysis of the data showed significant differences (p = 0.05) only for grain yield. The highest yield (4.03 t/ha) was recorded by the variety Litera followed by A 15 (3.90 t/ha) and Miranda (3.85 t/ha). The lowest yield was recorded by the variety Bezostaia (2.86 t/ha). It was observed that Bezostaia and Dacia varieties showed greater protein content (11.53% and 11.17%, respectively) than all other varieties, but these differences were statistically non-significant