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 medium and its message: reporting the Austro-Prussian War in the Times of India

'Der vorliegende Artikel behandelt die facettenreichen Wirkungszusammenhänge zwischen Kommunikationstechnologien und den durch sie übermittelten Nachrichten. Wenngleich der elektrische Telegraf im Mittelpunkt der Untersuchung steht, wird auch das Dampfschiff als zweite Übertragungsmöglichkeit von Nachrichten zwischen Großbritannien und Indien Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts in die Betrachtung einbezogen. Die ausgewählten Nachrichten beziehen sich auf die Berichterstattung des Deutschen Krieges von 1866 in der Times of India, einer der führenden indischen Zeitungen zu dieser Zeit. Im Zuge einer vergleichenden Analyse, die sowohl den Inhalt und die Form der Kriegsnachrichten, als auch ihre Kommunikationsrouten berücksichtigt, wird aufgezeigt, inwieweit diese Kommunikationstechnologien und das jeweilige Umfeld, in dem sie Verwendung fanden, die Nachrichten eingeschränkt haben und dem Leser der Zeitung einen gewissen Deutungsspielraum ermöglichten.' (Autorenreferat)'This paper explores the multifarious relations between technologies of communication and the messages they convey. The focus of the paper is on the electric telegraph, but the steamship, the other technology used to transmit messages between Britain and India during the mid-nineteenth century, is also considered. The messages examined are news about the Austro-Prussian War published in the Times of India, one of the leading Indian newspapers of the period. Through a comparative analysis which takes into account both the content and the form of war news, as well as the routes of communication along which news traveled, the paper explores the ways in which these technologies of communication and the environment in which they were used conditioned the message and constructed fields of vision for readers of the newspaper.' (author's abstract

Biswamoy Pati & Mark Harrison (Eds.). The Social History of Health and Medicine in Colonial India. London & New York: Routledge. 2009.

Book review

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

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