Search

Weeds, often considered a "menace" are top-notch, adroit survivors having intrinsic value as source of biodiversity and various promising uses as bio-resource. Among other benefits, their use as feed/food source or raw material is still to be explored. Weedy rice (Oryza sativa f. spontanea) a conspecific of rice has rapid growth, ability to uptake more fertilizer and produce large biomass. Lot of efforts are done for its management but little is known about its nutritive value and utilization as feed source for livestock. Therefore, the present study was carried out at Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad in 2017 and 2018 to optimize N level and harvesting time for improving growth and silage quality of weedy rice sown as sole crop. Treatments comprised of four N levels viz: 0, 100, 120 and 140 kg ha-1 and harvesting intervals viz. 15, 25 and 35 days after heading (DAH). Weedy rice harvested at different intervals after onset of heading stage was used for making silage and analysed for nutritive value. Results depicted that, maximum plant height, fertile tillers, panicle length, kernels per panicle and LA were obtained with 120 kg ha-1 N and harvesting at 25 DAH during both years, while NDF, ADF, cellulose, and hemicellulose were highest with no fertilizer. Crude protein was highest with N application at 120 kg ha-1 and harvesting at 25 DAH. Highest nitrogen contents in plants, plant biomass, WSC, ash and DM in silage were recorded with 140 kg ha-1 N when harvested at 35 DAH. Weedy rice harvested at 25 DAH with N application at 120 kg ha-1 seems to be better combination for rational use of nutrients, better productivity and improving most of the nutritive traits of whole crop weedy rice silage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High cadmium (Cd) concentration in soils is becoming a severe threat to environment. It deteriorates plants growth, yield, and quality of food. Although the use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), biochar and compost have been reported environment-friendly amendments for decreasing Cd stress in crop plants, but the impacts of their simultaneous co-application has not been well documented. Thus, current study was carried out to investigate the combined role of cadmium tolerant rhizobacteria, compost and biochar on the growth and Cd uptake in tomato under cadmium stress. Cd tolerant plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) were isolated from the rhizosphere of tomato grown on soil irrigated with industrial wastewater (effluents). Based on growth promotion traits and cadmium tolerance, four strains (J62, J156, J159, J165) were selected for conducting trial in growth chamber. Cadmium salt (CdCl2) and organic amendments were applied before transplanting of tomato seedlings and were inoculated with Cd tolerant rhizobacteria. After 4 weeks, plants were harvested for determination of Cd concentration and other parameters of plant. Results showed that cadmium caused reduction in all growth and physiological parameters of tomato. Sole and combined application of Cd tolerant PGPRs and organic amendments increased the growth of tomato and suppressed Cd uptake in tomato. But their interaction was more prominent as compared to sole application of each PGPRs and organic amendments. It was concluded that combined application of PGPR with organic amendments has a greater potential to suppress Cd uptake and improvement in growth of tomato under Cd stress, compared to the alone application of PGPR and organic amendments. Findings will be communicated to policy maker and extension worker for wide field application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]