Effect of Priming on Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis (Bok Choy) Seeds Germination

Brassica rapa subsp. Chinensis, commonly known as Bok Choy, is a nutrient-rich vegetable with substantial antioxidant content. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of hydropriming and bio-nutri-priming using Sandwich compost leachate on seed germination, SPAD reading, and dry matter accumulation in 280 dwarf variants of Bok Choy seeds sourced from Green Eagle. The experimental process involved hydropriming with tap water, bio-nutri-priming using 0.2% Sandwich compost leachate, and a control group cultivated in soil without priming. A complete randomization design (CRD) with three replications assessed seed germination performance, SPAD, root and shoot dry matter, and root-to-shoot ratio. While there was no significant difference in the germination percentage (88.35±1.13%), the entire priming seeds exhibited a 2-day peak germination period, compared to 3 days for the non-priming counterparts. Bio-nutri-priming seeds showed faster median and mean germination times due to enhanced nutrient uptake. They further displayed high SPAD readings, suggesting a lack of toxic compounds. The dry matter production of all treated Bok Choy was similar because administered treatments did not interfere with plant growth and development. Therefore, applying bio-nutri-priming using Sandwich compost leachate positively affected seed germination performance, warranting its recommendation as a seeds priming solution

Do it yourself: humic acid

The humic substance consists of humic acid, fulvic acid, and humin. Humic acid is a useful metal complexing agent, a good dispersant, and a redox agent. Humic acid showed an auxin-like activity and thus promoted root growth and development. It positively affected soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties. Hence, humic acid indirectly improved plant growth by chelating nutrients to the plant. However, humic acid converted carcinogen compounds in chlorinated water. Still, humic acid is a good compound for agricultural purposes. Humic acid can be produced in thermophilic composting, vermicomposting, and Bokashi. The humification process can occur with decomposers such as black soldier fly. Those methods can be made in farmland and even in the housing area. Extraction of humic acid is required from those production methods. However, it is not easy to extract by farmers on a small scale. Full compost and Bokashi or its tea also showed much humic acid alone. Humic acid extraction may be optional but good as crop tonic. Nonetheless, further study should be carried out. Bokashi tea and leachate with decomposer should be further studied to obtain more evidence of their benefits. With the benefit of composting and fermentation, further study on treating is required for food security

Effect of EM Sandwich Compost on the Enzymatic Activities of the Soil Planted with Bok Choy (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis)

Soil enzymes secure our food security; however, they are sensitive to abiotic stresses. Solving the global issues of food waste by implementing Sandwich compost can be a great solution to secure food security. Food waste Sandwich compost substrate (as soil treatment) and leachate (as seed priming agent and liquid fertilizer) were used to grow Bok Choy for four cycles, where soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), moisture content, aggregate stability and enzyme activity were determined. All variables were positively corelated except catalase activity. Sandwich compost treatment significantly increased soil pH close to neutral and CEC. Anaerobic Sandwich compost-treated soil significantly reduced soil catalase activity. However, it gradually increased throughout the growing cycle. Sandwich compost treatment significantly maintained the aggregate stability along growing cycles. Hence, Sandwich compost substrate is recommended to improve soil quality in the aspects of pH, CEC and urease activity

Effect of sandwich compost leachate on allium tuberosum seed germination

Food waste is a serious global issue, and one way to reduce the impact of food waste is by composting. Sandwich compost is a type of fermented food waste compost created with microbial fermentation; meanwhile, the composting leachate provides nutrients for plants. Studies have shown that seed germination may be enhanced when treated with sandwich compost leachate. Furthermore, few studies have been on sandwich compost leachate used for seed priming. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of varying leachate concentrations of food waste sandwich compost and priming durations on the performance of Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum) seed germination. Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum) was chosen as the test crop. It is widely used as a flavouring herb with high economic potential; however, its seed germination time is long and requires pre-treatment such as crushing and seed priming to speed up the germination process. The study used four replications and a complete randomisation design (CRD). The seeds were exposed to different percentages of sandwich compost leachate (0.0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, and 1.0%) and priming duration (4, 8, and 12 hours). A significant interaction between the bio-nutri-priming concentration and priming duration was demonstrated by measuring the standard error of germination rate (( ) and ) corrected germination rate index (Scorrected). A longer bio-nutri-priming duration was key for a higher seed vigour index. The bio-nutripriming concentration and priming duration, however, had no significant interaction.Longer bio-nutri-priming durations were recommended to obtain better germination performance of Chinese chive. The study showed that a twelve-hour bio-nutri-priming duration and a 0.6 % leachate concentration significantly enhanced the Chinese chive seed germination and helped break seed dormancy

The World Vegetable Center Okra (<i>Abelmoschus esculentus</i>) Core Collection as a Source for Flooding Stress Tolerance Traits for Breeding

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a heat tolerant vegetable crop with high economic and nutritional importance in parts of Asia, Africa, and America. The okra biodiversity held in gene bank collections could be mined for traits for breeding more stress tolerant and nutritional cultivars. An okra core collection of 166 accessions comprising A. esculentus, A. moschatus, A. caillei, and A. manihot has been assembled from the World Vegetable Center germplasm collection (840 accessions) based on diversity analysis with 20 microsatellite markers. A selection of A. esculentus accessions of the core collection (75 accessions) and 20 breeder-selected genotypes have been screened for variation of their response to flooding stress under field conditions using a high throughput phenotyping system. Growth increment per day and changes of physiological indices were measured before, during, and after application of 9 days of flooding stress. Several accessions showed only a small reduction in daily growth increment during flooding. Across the germplasm panel, maintained growth was correlated with maintained normalized differential vegetation index and was negatively correlated with plant senescence index. Accessions with maintained growth and health under flooding were selected for future further analysis and use in breeding