Germination of black gram (VIGNA MUNGO L.) seed is influenced by different storage containers and storage periods

A laboratory test was carried out to examine the influence of various storage containers and periods on the germination percentage of black gram seed. In this research, three seed containers, viz. sealed tin container, poly bag and gunny bag were used to store the seeds, as well as seeds were stored for three different storage periods, viz. 15, 30 and 45 days and thereby conducted germination tests. The results revealed that storage and storage periods considerably influenced the germination percentage (GP) of black gram seed. The highest GP of 87.73% was found in the seeds stored at sealed tin container, while the lowest GP (71.08%) was observed in the seeds stored in gunny bag. Among the three storage containers, the GP reduced rapidly in the seeds stored in gunny bags (6.52%), followed by poly bag (18.98%). The maximum values of GP (85.43%) of black gram seed were recorded when 15 days after storage (DAS), whereas the lowest GP (68.33%) was at 45 DAS, and the GP decreased noticeably with the increase of storage periods from 15 to 30 and to 45 DAS. In combination influence of storage containers and storage periods, the maximum GP (85.90%) was recorded at when seeds kept in sealed tin container with stored for the shortest duration (15 DAS), while the minimum (58.11%) was recorded in the seeds stored in gunny bag for the longest period with 45 DAS. Seeds stored in the sealed tin containers exhibited an excellent performance regarding GP with the shortest storage periods and, thereby, black gram should be kept in sealed tin containers or like this air tight containers for storage, as well as seeds should be sun dried after a short period for maintaining seed quality

Evaluation of bioherbicide for controlling weedy rice and enhancing the yield of rice in Malaysia

Aim: Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the second most important food crop in Malaysia, and weedy rice is the severe constraint in the Malaysian rice field. An experiment was conducted in Shadehouse at Field 2, Universiti Putra Malaysia to assess the performance of Agroplus BioDcomposer as a bioherbicide to control weedy rice and to select appropriate dosage of Agroplus BioDcomposer for effective control of weedy rice in the rice field. Methodology: Ten treatments of herbicides were applied in the experiment viz., control (0 ml), Agroplus BioDcomposer® (150 ml 20 l-1 water, 300 ml 20 l-1 water and 450 ml 20 l-1 water), Paraquat (125 ml 20 l-1 water, 250 ml 20 l-1 water and 375 ml 20 l-1 water) and the combination of Agroplus BioDcomposer® with Paraquat @150 ml 20 l-1 water + @125 ml 20 l-1 water, 300 ml 20 l-1 water + 250 ml 20 l-1 water and 450 ml 20 l-1 water+375 ml 20 l-1 water). Data on the percentage of weedy rice killed three days after treatments and percentage of weedy rice emergence 7 and 14 days after soil application of treatments were recorded to evaluate the efficacy of different treatments. Results: The results revealed significant differences among treatments in the percentage of weedy rice killed, weedy rice emergence after treatments application and the ultimate yield of rice. Paraquat, @ 375 ml 20 l-1 water and a combination of Agroplus BioDcomposer® and Paraquat (300 ml 20 l-1 water + 250 ml 20 l-1 water) performed better over other treatments to kill the weedy rice, to control the emergence of weedy rice from the seed bank and produced the highest rice yield. Interpretation: The overall result revealed that the recommended rate of Agroplus BioDcomposer® + Paraquat (300 ml 20 l-1 water + 250 ml 20 l-1 water) is more appropriate and suitable for environmental friendly control of weedy rice in Malaysia