Response of growth, yield and quality of small onion (Allium cepa L. var. aggregatum don.) to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University-Water Soluble Fertilizers (TNAU-WSF)

Enhancing the food production for the growing world population has needed application of highly sustainable and efficient inputs to produce more food per unit of land. Hence, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu has produced Water soluble fertilizers (WSF) in its maiden attempt and it is necessary to optimize on different crops. Small onion is one of the most important vegetables in the Indian diet and it has high demand but low productivity. To enhance crop productivity and quality of small onions, the application of TNAU-WSF was taken up. A field experiment was laid out in a Randomized block design (RBD) incorporating 8 treatments comprising of application of RDF at100% NPK as TNAU WSF, soil test based application of 75%, 100%, 125% NPK ha-1 as TNAU-WSF with soil application of sulphur (S) and foliar spray of TNAU Liquid multi micronutrient (LMM) and without S and TNAU LMM and absolute control. Each treatment was replicated thrice with onion (CO 4). Soil test based application of 125% NPK ha-1 as TNAU-WSF with sulphur (S) and TNAU LMM recorded significantly higher in plant height (54.01 cm), the number of leaves per bulb (8.56), leaf greenness (67.5 SPAD), root length (5.42 cm), polar bulb diameter (4.38 cm), equatorial bulb diameter (2.72 cm) fresh bulb weight (74.21 g), bulb yield (1751 t ha-1) and quality attributes like total soluble solids (TSS) (14.78 °Brix), ascorbic acid content (15.34 mg 100 g-1), pyruvic acid content (2.27 µmol g-1). However, soil test based application of 100% NPK ha-1 as TNAU-WSF was found to be an ideal rate to attain the economic target yield of the onion crop

Effect of Bio sulphur granules (BSG) as fertilizer ingredient on different fractions of sulphur in calcareous soil cultivated with blackgram (Var.VBN-8)

The purpose of this study was to examine the various sulphur (S) fractions in experimental pot calcareous soil treated with Bio sulphur granules (BSG) in order to assess the impact of granular sulphur fertilization in S deficient calcareous soil using blackgram (Var. VBN-8) as a test crop.Factorial randomized block design with ten treatments (T1- Absolute control;T2-Recommended dose of NPK and S (Control);T3-Soil test based NPK; T4-T3 + S as Elemental Sulphur @ 40 kg S/ha; T5-T3 + S as BSGI@ 40 kg S/ha; T6-T3 + S as BSGII@ 40 kg S/ha;T7-T3 + Vermicompost @ 4 t ha-1; T8-T4  + Vermicompost @ 4 t ha-1;T9- T5 + Vermicompost @ 4 t ha-1; T10- T6+ Vermicompost @ 4 t ha-1 ) replicated thrice and 5 pots were maintained for each replication. The results of this study revealed that there was an upward trend in all S fractions in every treatment (T1 to T10), in the following order: organic > inorganic > water soluble > exchangeable S. The pot that received vermicompost coupled with BSG II (T10) (ES@ 40 kg ha-1 and MethylobacteriumthiocyanatumVRI7-A4 as S source) was found to have the greatest S-fraction and was higher than other treatments. Therefore, using BSG II in conjunction with vermicompost is necessary to preserve the availability of S nutrients in calcareous soil and increase the solubility of nutrients through S-oxidation

Influence of distinctive Osmoprotectnats foliar spray in alleviating the harmful effects of water stress at sensitive growth stages of Maize (Zea mays L.)

Water availability is becoming a significant concern for crop production worldwide. In light of this, a study was conducted in maize crop to explore the effectiveness of various osmoprotectants including sodium nitroprusside nanoparticles (SNP NP) at a concentration of 90 ppm, melatonin (MEL), at 25 ppm and salicylic acid (SA) at 100 ppm in mitigating the adverse effects of drought, by evaluating their impact on morpho-physiological, biochemical and yield attributes of maize (Zea mays L.). Drought stress was induced by withholding irrigation during both the vegetative and reproductive stages of maize and then drought-stressed plants were foliar sprayed with different osmoprotectants. Results revealed that among the osmoprotectants tested, foliar application of salicylic acid at 100 ppm exhibited the most substantial improvement in morpho-physiological parameters (plant height, stem diameter, leaf number, root length, leaf area index, relative water content, leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid content) as well as biochemical parameteters like proline and soluble protein content increased, and enhanced membrane stability under drought conditions. The use of SA proved outstanding as it led to a remarkable 75% higher biological yield than plants subjected to drought stress. On the other hand, the SA foliar spray was successful, resulting in a 78.8% in grain yield. However, the extent of improvement varied depending on the growth stage at which the osmoprotectants were applied. While the foliar application of osmoprotectants showed promising results during the vegetative phase than the reproductive phase of maize. Nonetheless, the osmoprotectants' foliar spray exhibited a yield advantage by preserving photosynthetic pigments and the maize plants' ability to produce seeds under drought stress

Influence of rice husk ash-derived silica nanoparticles on sweetcorn (Zea mays L. sachharata) seed germination

In agriculture, the utilization of nanomaterials has garnered significant global attention. This research adopts a pioneering approach to investigate the influence of nanosilica on the germination dynamics of sweetcorn seeds. The present study aimed to synthesize and analyze an amorphous nano-silica material using rice husk ash (RHA) and its impact on the germination of sweetcorn seeds (Zea mays L. sachharata). The extracted nano-silica particles dispersed into six rates of suspensions (0, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 ppm) were used to study their effects on seed germination. The synthesized amorphous nano-silica was  determined for size, shape, and elemental content. The amorphous nature of the silica sample was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy-selected area electron diffraction (ED) patterns and X-ray diffraction (XRD), whereas siloxane and silanol groups were mainly detected by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Image obtained using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the presence of original nanoparticles alongside secondary microparticles, probably due to agglomeration. Particles in the extracted amorphous silica had an average diameter of 35 nm. Nano-silica powder was amorphous, according to XRD. As per the EDS analysis, the extracted silica sample is 96.87 % pure. The amorphous nano-silica significantly boosted germination metrics such as germination percentage, germination index, vigour index, and mean germination time of sweetcorn. With the addition of 300 ppm nano-silica, the germination percentage increased by 40.1%, the germination index by 96%, and the vigor index by 120% over control seeds. The improvement of seed germination by amorphous nano-silica in sweetcorn implies a potential application of nano-silica in seed germination

Effect of phosphorus activators on soil legacy phosphorus availability and its uptake by maize hybrid COH(M) 6 in calcareous soil

Continuous application of phosphatic fertilizers in association with its low recovery results in the insoluble legacy P buildup in agricultural soils. In this study, a field experiment was conducted with maize hybrid COH(M) 6 to know the effect of different P activators (Farmyard Manure, Humic acid, Phosphorus Solubilising Bacteria, and Phytase) on increasing the legacy phosphorus (P) availability. The P activators were combined and applied along with the different doses of P fertilizer (100%, 75%, and 50% soil test dose of P fertilizer). The results showed that the application of Farmyard manure (FYM) and Humic acid (HA) significantly (p < 0.05) increased the soil available P (18.54 kg ha-1) and notably reduced the calcium P fraction (93.08 mg kg-1). The application of FYM and HA with 100% soil test dose of P showed a similar grain (9.98 kg ha-1) and stover P uptake (12.67 kg ha-1) response as that of FYM and HA with 75% soil test dose of P. The study suggested that FYM and HA application has activated the fixed calcium phosphorus in soil and increased its availability for crop utilization. The findings have illustrated that even the reduced dose of P fertilizer application can support the nutrient uptake if they are applied along with P- activators such as FYM and HA. This could promote soil health by reducing the P overload and further P loss in soil

Gene effects and heterosis for grain Fe and Zn content in barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentacea (Roxb.) link)

Barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentacea) is an unexplored nutri-rich crop that thrives well in harsh environments and supports many small farmers in Southern and Eastern Asia. Although it has rich sources of micronutrients, the genetic studies are very limited which further impedes in its genetic improvement. Therefore, we attempted to assess the genetic diversity for Fe and Zn content in 40 barnyard millet germplasm and to evaluate the combining ability and heterosis in sixteen F1 cross combinations through line × tester model. The Mahalanobis D2 analysis grouped the 40 genotypes into nine different clusters. Cluster III and I were the largest groups containing 22 and 6 genotypes, respectively and the rest of seven clusters were the lowest group containing one or two genotypes. Positive correlation was observed between Fe and Zn content though both had a non-significant association with grain yield. This indicate that there would not be any compromise on increase or decrease of grain yield while breeding for varieties high in micronutrient content. Combining ability analysis revealed that lines, testers, and their interaction components are significant. The predictability ratio indicated the predominance of additive variance for Fe and Zn content and non-additive variance in the inheritance of yield components. Genotypes, ACM 331, ACM 333, ACM 335 and MA 10 exhibited positive gca effects for Fe and Zn content and grain yield. Two cross combinations, ACM 331 × ACM 335 and ACM 331 × MA 10 involved one or both the parents with good gca effects exhibited, high mean, positive mid-parent heterosis and sca effects for Fe, Zn content and yield components. Thus, the present investigation provided a significant understanding of the gene action and the possibility of utilizing the selected parents and cross combination for exploiting micronutrient traits in barnyard millet crop

Morphological and microsatellite markers assessment of rice genetic diversity for phosphorus starvation tolerance breeding

Rice is an important food crop with high agronomic and nutritional importance, and it is widely cultivated in tropical and temperate regions of the world. India is one of the centres of diversity in rice, and indigenous germplasms can be used to expand the genetic base of cultivated rice. The objective of this study is to determine the extent of genetic diversity among 30 rice genotypes by using 10 morphological traits and 24 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. A large variability was observed for morphological traits such as plant height (78.00–157.10 cm), number of tillers per plant (8.00–23.67), number of productive tillers per plant (5.83–20.17), shoot phosphorus content (0.054–0.254 mg/g), grain phosphorus content (0.163–0.392 mg/g) and single plant yield (9.59–38.15 g). A total of 101 alleles were produced from 24 SSRs with an average of 4.21 alleles per SSR. The polymorphism information content (PIC) values of SSR markers ranged from 0.238 to 0.799, with an average of 0.607. Further, cluster analysis based on the SSR data grouped 30 genotypes into three major and seven sub-clusters. Among them, cluster II A had the highest value for shoot phosphorus content (ADT 37 and MDU 5) and cluster I B had both shoot (IR 64 Pup 1) and grain phosphorus content (ASD 16). In summary, genotype data obtained by SSR markers together with morphological characterization of 30 selected rice genotypes in India unveiled the diversity among the rice genotypes and their potential use for phosphorus starvation tolerance breeding programmes