PERFORMANCE OF YIELD AND YIELD CONTRIBUTING CHARACTERISTICS OF BC2F3 POPULATION WITH ADDITION OF BLAST RESISTANT GENE

ABSTRACTThe study was carried out in the University Putra Malaysia (UPM) Rice Research Centre to evaluate the yield performance of newly developed selected blast resistant plants of BC2F3 generations derived from a cross between MR263, a high yielding rice variety but blast susceptible and Pongsu Seribu 1, donor with blast resistant (Pi-7(t)and Pi-d (t)1, Pir2-3(t)genes and qLN2 QTL), Malaysian local variety. On the basis of assessed traits, the plants 12, 6, 7, 5, 21, 22, 5, 26, 11, 8, 10, 13 and 15 had the higher yield, blast resistant and good morphological traits. More than 70% heritability was found in days to maturity, plant height, tiller numbers per hill, and panicle per hill, 80% heritability was found in filled grain and yield per hill and more than 90% heritability was found in grain length, grain width and seed weight. Cluster analysis based on the traits grouped 30 plants along with MR263 into seven clusters. According to PCA, the first four principal components account for about 69.3% total variation for all measured traits and exhibited high correlation among the characteristics analyzed

Four decades of research on rice intercropping: A bibliometric analysis

Intercropping stands as a crucial strategy in promoting sustainable crop intensification while optimizing the use of natural resources. Rice intercropping, predominantly prevalent in upland and deepwater ecosystems characterized by less favorable conditions, represents a crucial area of research within this context. To the best of our knowledge, no prior research has explored the landscape of rice intercropping through bibliometric methods. Using the comprehensive Web of Science database, we conducted a meticulous analysis of 187 articles spanning the years 1980–2022, employing specialized software tools such as VOSviewer, Biblioshiny, and OriginPro. These articles were authored by a diverse group of 561 researchers hailing from 68 different organizations across 36 countries and disseminated through 67 distinct journals. Notably, the average annual growth rate of publications in this field was found to be 5.37 %. Our findings reveal that India, China, Brazil, and Indonesia emerged as the leading countries in publishing rice intercropping research. Among the numerous organizations, South China Agricultural University secured the highest rank, closely followed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers. The research landscape was further illuminated by identifying the three most prominent journals in which these articles were published: Indian Journal of Agronomy, Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, and Field Crops Research. Classification of these research publications into categories exposed the primary domains of interest, including agronomy, multidisciplinary subject, soil science, and environmental science. A keyword analysis unequivocally pointed to ‘intercropping’ as the focal point of interest within this research area. As we look to the future, it is imperative that forthcoming studies delve into the realms of mechanization in rice intercropping, soil microbiology, and harnessing solar energy for more efficient agricultural practices. This comprehensive review serves as a valuable reference for pinpointing research priorities in tackling global food security challenges

Effect of plastic mulch on growth and yield of chilli (Capsicum annuum L.)

In this work a field study was conducted to evaluate the effect of coloured plastic mulch on growth and yield of chilli from October 2005 to April 2006. The plastic mulches were transparent, blue, and black and bare soil was the control. Different mulches generated higher soil temperature and soil moisture under mulch over the control. Transparent and blue plastic mulches encouraged weed population which were suppressed under black plastic. Plant height, number of primary branches, stem base diameter, number of leaves and yield were better for the plants on plastic. At the mature green stage, fruits had the highest vitamin-C content on the black plastic. Mulching produced the fruits with the highest chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b and total chlorophyll contents and also increased the number of fruits per plant and yield. However, mulching did not affect the length and diameter of the fruits and number of seeds per fruit. Plants on black plastic mulch had the maximum number of fruits and highest yield. Thus, mulching appears to be a viable tool to increase the chilli production under tropical conditions