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The study compared the leaf count and height of Solanum melongena plants grown in Spent Mushroom Compost (SMC 5%) with those grown in red soil. In a greenhouse shed, the experimental group was alone with a temperature ranging from 20 °C to 28 °C and RH of 68–80%, whereas the control group was exposed to the environment. The experimental group consisted of SMC 5% mixed with 95% red soil and the control group consisted of red soil (100%). Each group was taken as 20 samples, and the total number of samples was 40. The higher results were found in the addition of SMC (5%) over a red soil cultivation on Solanum melongena plant.The t-test for independent sample revealed that both group results are of statistical significance, with p-values (> 0.05) for leaf count (0.011) and plant height (0.03). The current study determined that adding SMC to red soil increases calcium content, which is required for the leaf count and height of solanum melongena plants.The use of Spent Mushroom Compost (SMC) also helps to increase the leaf count and height of the Solanum melongena plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to influence the administration of applying applying liquid organic fertilizer Bamboo Shoots on the success of grafting of Jackfruit Seedlings with a certain amount of concentration. This research used Randomized Block Design factorial with 5 treatments and 5 replications to obtain 25 experimental units with the order of treatment, namely N0 = No, Bamboo Shoot POC, N1 = Giving POC Bamboo Shoots 20 ml/seed, N2 =Providing POC Bamboo Shoots 30 ml/seed, N3 = Giving Bamboo Shoot POC 40 ml/seedling, and N4 = Giving Bamboo Shoot POC Bamboo 50ml/seed. The parameters observed were: plant height, number of leaves and percentage of live plants. Plant height is measured by measuring from the basestems to the youngest shoots or leaves of growing plants using a ruler. The number of leaves is calculated by counting all the leaves which has developed and opened perfectly on the jackfruit plant which grow. Percentage of live plants was carried out by counting the number of plants survival to the total number of plants planted. Observations were made at the age of 15, 30 and 45 days after plant. The research results show that the application of liquid organic fertilizer bamboo the best treatment obtained in N2 treatment (POC bamboo shoots 30 ml/seed) aged 15 to 45 days after plant.

The way of inheritance, the manifestations of heterosis, transgression and depression, minimal number of genes by which parental forms differ, degree of dominance, manifestations of epistasis and coefficient of heritability and efficiency of selection with regard to plant height and number of leaves, on Burley tobacco samples are established. For the purpose are researched the population of P1, P2, F1 and F2 of seven hybrid combinations. The results show that in the height of plants and number of leaves inheritance is preferably overdominantly and always in the direction of the parent with the higher values of investigated parameters. With respect to the height of the plants was observed and incompletely dominantly, and when the number of leaves and an additive. Manifestations of heterosis and transgression are more pronounced in relation to the number of leaves and have significant values of economic importance, only by this indicator. Data from hybridological analysis showed that the minimal number of genes determining the expression of the trait plant height is greater than the number of leaves. Epistatic interactions are more strongly manifested in the determination of the trait height of plant, but only in the number of leaves negative ones are observed. The relatively low to medium values obtained in terms of the coefficient of heritability in the studied crosses Burley tobacco show that a low share of genotype influence on the manifestation of the studied trait is observed, which means that the selection for plant height will be more effective in the later hybrid generations. The established even lower values for the index number of leaves show the crucial importance of the influence of the environment on the determination of the trait and suggest an effective selection in even later hybrid generations, which makes the selection activity difficult. The study shows that, in general, the selection for the trait number of leaves is more complex and longer than that for the height of the plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global focus on enhancing sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] for biomass-related traits is increasing due to its potential contribution to the growth and sustainability of the ethanol and biogas production chain. Heterosis has been widely used in sorghum breeding, especially in improving biomass yield using efficient crossing and selection methods. The objective of this study was to assess the heterosis potential of elite sorghum accessions. Ten hybrids were established using five reciprocal crosses of seven elite breeding accessions. The hybrids and the parental lines were significant of great variation for plant height (PH), panicle length (PL), number of leaves (NL), and stem diameter (SD). Most hybrids had high positive mid-parent heterosis for biomass-related traits, while better parental heterosis ranged from -7.90 to 31.16 for PH, 17.14 to 79.59 for PL, -39.68 to 13.20 NL, and -19.19 to 104.23% for SD. Four hybrids (P6×P4, P4×P6, P6×P5, and P5×P6) exhibited plant heights greater than the best parent (P5:322.33 cm). Reciprocal cross effects had a significant impact on PH and SD, with a wide range of -10.23 to 39.35% and -37.50 to 30.55%, respectively. The results indicated that heterosis could be come true for the characters of plant height, panicle length, and number of leaves, and stem diameter that contributes great impact on having high biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The doses of paclobutrazol that reduce the height of the flower stem or modify the visual appearance may be different for each cultivar. In this research, the effect of eight paclobutrazol concentrations on stem height, visual appearance, anthesis period, and biomass distribution of Asiatic Lilium cv. Litouwen was evaluated. Eighteen bulbs were immersed for 24 h in 5 L of the following solutions: 0 (control), 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, 100, 200 mg L-1 of paclobutrazol. After some time, three bulbs were planted in pots with 2.5 L of tezontle and randomly distributed inside a greenhouse. During the 2022 crop cycle, the moisture of the substrate was maintained with a Steiner solution. Results were processed with analysis of variance and Tukey’s mean comparison tests (p# 0.05). The height of the flower stems was 61.5, 56.6, 43.4, 29.1, 18.4, and 14.1 cm with 0 or 2.5, 5 or 10, 20, 40, 100, and 200 mg L-1 of paclobutrazol, respectively. Leaf number and leaf area decreased, but stem diameter, greenness index, dry root biomass, flower buds, time to flowering and anthesis period increased from 40 mg L-1. In Lilium ‘Litouwen’, doses of 40 or 100 mg L-1 of paclobutrazol are required to obtain compact plants with intense green foliage and striking flower buds, which would help their marketing as pot plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the effect of different methods and levels of irrigation water on some vegetative and reproductive characteristics of saffron, this research was carried out as a split-plot experiment based on a randomized complete block design with three replications at the Razavi Khorasan Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization Center (Gonabad Research Station) in the crop years of 2019-2021. In this research, irrigation method treatments (including basin, drip (tape), and sprinkler (P-flex) methods) were in the main plot, and different levels of irrigation water (including supply of 100, 75 and 50% of water requirement) were in the secondary plot. The traits studied in this experiment include the number of plants, the number of leaves in a plant, the average length of a leaf, total leaf length per plant, total leaf length in m², total dry weight of leaves per plant, total dry weight of leaves in m², flower number, stigma dry weight and water efficiency. The results of the means comparison showed that in both years of the experiment, changing the irrigation method from basin to drip (tape) and sprinkler (P-flex) increased the number of plants in m², total leaf length in m², number of flowers in m², stigma dry weight and water efficiency. Based on this, changing the irrigation method from basin to sprinkler (P-flex) in the first and second year caused a 61 and 38% increase in the number of plants, 28 and 30% increase in the total length of leaves in m², and 45 and 32% increase in the flower number, 51 and 39% increase in stigma dry weight, 55 and 47% increase in water efficiency. Based on this, the highest values of the measured traits were obtained by providing 100% of the water requirement and reducing the water requirement of saffron from 100 to 50% in the first and second year, respectively, causing a 38 and 46% decrease in the number of plants, 79 and 67% decrease in the total length of leaves in m², 27 and 22% decrease in the flower number, 33 and 30% reduction in stigma dry weight and water efficiency increased by 32% and 37% in the first and second year, respectively. The interaction effects table showed that the effect of increasing the amount of irrigation water is different in each system. Based on this, although the positive effect and relative advantage of modern irrigation systems decreased with the increase in the age of the farm, it seems that it is possible to use sprinkler irrigation (P-flex) while saving water consumption (up to 335 and 407 m³ in the first and second year, respectively), increased water efficiency by two times. The results of this study also showed that although achieving high yield requires 100% supply of water needs, facing the lack of water availability and using modern irrigation systems, part of the water shortage can be covered. During the years investigated in this study, the average actual evaporation and transpiration, effective rainfall, and net irrigation water requirement of saffron were 2386, 734, and 3120 m³ /ha, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amaranthus amaranthus contains all the essential nutrients required by the body for healthy growth. However, poor soil nutrients have hampered the cultivation of amaranthus in Nigeria. Agricultural waste compost is expected to provide all the nutrients required for plant growth. This study was aimed at investigating the quality of compost produced from agricultural wastes and its impact on the growth of Amaranthus amaranthus. The composting process was carried out on a windrow for 28 d. Bacterial and fungal populations were respectively determined by plate counting. Various physicochemical parameters were also used to assess the quality of the compost. Different compost-to-soil ratios was used to cultivate Amaranthus; the plant height and number of leaves were used as the growth parameters. Data was analyzed using SPSS software. Bacterial and fungal populations (× 106 cfu/mL) decreased from 2.5 ± 0.05 and 1.5 ± 0.05 to 1.0 ± 0.05 and 0.5 ± 0.05 respectively, during the composting period. Temperature decreased from 44.0 ± 0.58 to 31.0 ± 0.58 °C while pH increased from 6.9 ± 0.06 to 8.4 ± 0.03. There was a decreasing trend in moisture, carbon, and total nitrogen during the period of composting. The plant height and number of leaves were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in 100% compost and compost-treated soils compared to the control soil. A strong positive correlation (p = 0.000) was observed between the fungal count, plant height, and number of leaves with some physicochemical parameters such as moisture, carbon, C/N-ratio among others. The compost produced was stable and contained nutrients which improved the growth and yield of A. amaranthus.

Climate significantly influences vineyard placement and grape variety selection. Grapes cultivated in cold climates typically yield higher quantities but have lower sugar content and higher acidity, resulting in high-quality table wines. Cool climates are particularly conducive to white wine production. However, susceptibility to frost poses a challenge in colder regions, potentially damaging crops and hindering proper ripening. The present study aims to explore the relationships between three primary fungal pathogens that pose significant threats to grapevines, within the specific climatic conditions of the experimental area, using multiple regression analysis and response surface methodologies. The research was conducted in Hunedoara County, Geoagiu Depression using Feteasca alba grape variety. Three phytosanitary treatment schemes, including two experimental treatments and one untreated control, were implemented. The targeted pathogens include Plasmopara viticola, Uncinula necator, and Botrytis cinerea. Statistical analysis was performed using the STATISTICA v.8.0 software for Windows. Graphical representations with response surfaces and multivariate analysis were used to examine pathogen interactions. According to our study, strong positive correlations (resulted between pathogens, whatever phytosanitary fight scheme was used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of food waste and food loss has garnered increasing attention in academic research and policymaking circles, highlighting challenges within the agri-food supply chain. In developed countries, various actors collectively contribute to food waste, while in low-income countries, issues derive from financial and technological constraints. Despite efforts to address food waste in Western economies, Central and Eastern European countries face challenges due to lack of standardised legislation and limited data. This study aims to explore stakeholders' perceptions related to food waste in Romania and proposes strategies to mitigate it. It employed semi-structured interviews to collect data due to their flexibility and ability to capture personalised responses, based on European Commission recommendations. Participants were selected purposively from different categories, including farmers, processors, distributors, HoReCa representatives and NGOs. A total of 128 interviews were conducted, primarily in Transylvania (Romania). The study found a shared recognition among stakeholders of the need for improved legislation, increased awareness, and technological advancements to reduce food loss and waste. It also revealed common challenges, including inefficient distribution channels, lack of cooperative campaigns and inadequate infrastructure. Recommendations include implementing strategies such as food stock management, efficient packaging and storing as well as donation initiatives. The findings contribute to a better understanding of food waste and loss dynamics in Romania and offer insights for policymakers and stakeholders to address this pressing issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pot experiment was conducted at the Botanical garden of University of Ilorin to evaluate the influence of different concentration of poultry manure on the growth and yield of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum). The experiment was a Randomized Block Design with six treatments and three replicates. The treatment details include T1 = Control T2 = 0.5 kg poultry dropping, T3 =1.0 kg poultry dropping, T4 =1.5 kg poultry droppings, T5 = 2.0 kg poultry droppings, T6 = 2.5 kg poultry droppings. Data were collected on Plant height, stem girth, Number of leaves, Leaf area, Number of flowers, chlorophyll contents as well as yield parameters was carried out at the end of the experiment. The result depicts a significant increase in the plant height, numbers of leaves per plant, leaf area, stem girth as well as yield parameter in the plant treated with 2.0 kg poultry manure when compared to the control plants. In conclusion, 2.0 kg poultry manure application should be adopted for soil nutrient amendment in bell pepper cultivation if optimum yield is to be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cabbage is one of the most important vegetables from the Brassicaceae family to which biofertilisers are increasingly applied following the current trend in cabbage organic farming. The main goal of our study was to examine whether solely applicated biofertilisers enhance head weight and other morphological parameters in cabbage. Experiment with three Bejo Zaden cultivars ('Farao' F1, 'Tiara' F1, and 'Excalibur' F1) were conducted under the open field conditions from April to June 2019. Two different microbiological fertilisers, Organic balance and FitoHelp, were applied foliar, six times during the vegetation period, with a battery sprayer. After harvest, several parameters were estimated: head weight, width and height, number of leaves, internal core height and width. The results showed the highest value of head weight (1264.89 g), head width (15.06 cm), head height (15.57 cm), number of leaves (22.56), internal core height (8.01 cm) and internal core width (3.51 cm) in cultivar 'Excalibur' F1 compared to other two cultivars for fresh market. Application of both fertilisers led to increased levels of all tested parameters compared to the control. Furthermore, fertiliser Organic balance showed the highest impact on all tested parameters, resulting in an increasing value of head weight by 78.6%. This study revealed that mixed culture fertiliser showed a greater impact in terms of head weight, number of leaves, and internal core width compared to fertiliser containing a single strain of bacteria. Accordingly, with an exception in head and internal core height, all examined factors showed a statistically significant impact on tested parameters, including their interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of pyrolysis temperature of corncob biochar as a soil amendment and urea fertiliser on the growth and yield of pakchoi. Pakchoi was cultivated in pots (13 cm height, 19 cm upper diameter, and 13.5 cm bottom diameter). Two factors including pyrolysis temperature of biochar and urea dose were combined with four levels each. Pyrolysis temperature factor consisted of B0 (no biochar), B1 (250 °C), B2 (300 °C), and B3 (350 °C). Urea dose consisted of F0 (no urea), F1 (0.6 g pot–1), F2 (1.2 g pot–1), and F3 (1.8 g pot–1). All treatment combinations were randomly designed in triplicates. The amount of biochar was 90 g with total growing media of 3000 g. The results showed that pyrolysis temperature influenced significantly (a = 0.05) growth parameters, fresh yield, and water productivity. Pyrolysis temperature of 350 °C resulted in the highest growth and production with average yield of 30.6 g pot–1, water productivity of 10.09 g cm–3, and fertiliser productivity of 27.59-53.39 g g–1 depending on the dose. In order to have optimal benefits, biochar application should be combined with fertiliser application.

The way of inheritance, the coefficient of heritability, the manifestations of heterosis, transgression and depression in terms of the height of the plants and the number of leaves in hybrid combinations Burley tobaco are established. For that purpose are studied, the Р1, Р2, F1 and F2 populations of eight crosses Burley tobacco. The obtained results suggest that inheritance of the height оf plants is overdominantly or incompletely dominanlyt, in the direction of the parent with both higher values and lower values. Inheritance of the number of leaves is overdominant in the direction of the parent with higher values, or incompletely dominant in the direction of the one with lower values. The manifestations of heterosis and transgression are of economic importance only in terms of the number of leaves. The minimal number of genes controlling the manifestation of the studied indicators is higher at plant height than the number of leaves. Due to low to medium values of the heritability coefficient obtained for both indicators, it is found that the environmental conditions have a stronger influence than the genotype on the manifestation of the traits plant height and number of leaves This suggests an effective selection in later hybrid generations for both studied parameters. The direction of hybridization influences the inheritance of the height of plants and the number of leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For to define more accurately the precocity group of some maize hybrids depending on vegetation conditions from maize growing area, different researches analyzed the number of leaves as invariable factor dependent on hybrid. In this writing we offer dates about number of leaves for ten maize hybrids cultivated in experimental field from Varieties Testing Centre, Targoviste. Differences between hybrids were clearly and for this reason we can classify these hybrids in two precocity groups (medium early or late).

Drought is a detrimental factor to gaining higher yields in rice (Oryza sativa L.), especially amid the rising occurrence of drought across the globe. To combat this situation, it is essential to develop novel drought-resilient varieties. Therefore, screening of drought-adaptive genotypes is required with high precision and high throughput. In contemporary emerging science, high throughput plant phenotyping (HTPP) is a crucial technology that attempts to break the bottleneck of traditional phenotyping. In traditional phenotyping, screening significant genotypes is a tedious task and prone to human error while measuring various plant traits. In contrast, owing to the potential advantage of HTPP over traditional phenotyping, image-based traits, also known as i-traits, were used in our study to discriminate 110 genotypes grown for genome-wide association study experiments under controlled (well-watered), and drought-stress (limited water) conditions, under a phenomics experiment in a controlled environment with RGB images. Our proposed framework non-destructively estimated drought-adaptive plant traits from the images, such as the number of leaves, convex hull, plant–aspect ratio (plant spread), and similarly associated geometrical and morphological traits for analyzing and discriminating genotypes. The results showed that a single trait, the number of leaves, can also be used for discriminating genotypes. This critical drought-adaptive trait was associated with plant size, architecture, and biomass. In this work, the number of leaves and other characteristics were estimated non-destructively from top view images of the rice plant for each genotype. The estimation of the number of leaves for each rice plant was conducted with the deep learning model, YOLO (You Only Look Once). The leaves were counted by detecting corresponding visible leaf tips in the rice plant. The detection accuracy was 86–92% for dense to moderate spread large plants, and 98% for sparse spread small plants. With this framework, the susceptible genotypes (MTU1010, PUSA-1121 and similar genotypes) and drought-resistant genotypes (Heera, Anjali, Dular and similar genotypes) were grouped in the core set with a respective group of drought-susceptible and drought-tolerant genotypes based on the number of leaves, and the leaves' emergence during the peak drought-stress period. Moreover, it was found that the number of leaves was significantly associated with other pertinent morphological, physiological and geometrical traits. Other geometrical traits were measured from the RGB images with the help of computer vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was to explore the effect of different planting methods on yield and quality of forage rape. In the experiment, three varieties of forage rapeseed (Shuangyou 1851, Fengyou 10 and Shuangyou 195) were selected and tested under three different planting methods (sowing and drilling with row spacing of 20.0 and 33.3 cm, respectively), to determine the number of leaves, stem diameter, chlorophyll index and nutritional quality at seedling stage. The results showed that three planting methods contributed to aboveground yield of forage rape: 20.0 cm drill > broadcast > 33.3 cm drill. Under the row spacing of 20.0 cm, three cultivars showed higher biomass yields at seedling and silique stages, and Shuangyou 1851 had the highest yield in both stages, reaching 49 522.25 and 76 633.72 kg/hm², respectively. Ash content of Shuangyou 1851 under three planting methods was significantly higher than that of Fengyou 10 and Shuangyou 195 (P<0.05). Ash content in 33.3 cm drill and broadcast was significantly higher than other varieties and planting methods (P<0.05). The EE content of Shuangyou 1851 under three planting methods was significantly lower than that of Fengyou 10 and Shuangyou 195 (P<0.05). The EE content of Fengyou 10 under 20.0 cm drill was significantly higher than that of the other two planting methods (P<0.05), and EE content of Shuangyou 195 under 33.3 cm drill was significantly lower than other varieties and planting methods (P<0.05). The content of NDF of Shuangyou 195 under 33.3 cm drilling was significantly higher than that of the other two planting methods (P<0.05), and the content of ADF under sowing conditions was significantly lower than the other two methods (P<0.05). The study indicates that the overall ash, EE and crude protein content of three cultivars were higher under the row spacing of 20.0 cm, the biomass of Shuangyou 1851 silique at initial stage of seeding at 20.0 cm reaches a maximum of 76 633.72 kg/hm², and the nutritional quality is higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of shade screens on the physiological activity, growth parameters and fruit characteristics of the paprika (Capsicum annuum L.) plant. Plants were grown in a protected greenhouse and treated under two different shade screens, S1 (single screen) and S2 (double screens; 10% low light intensity compared to S1), during summer at a particular time of the day. The results revealed that the plant height was significantly enlarged by the S2 treatment. However, the number of leaves, leaf fresh weight and leaf dry weight were significantly decreased under S2-treated plants compared to those grown in the S1 treatment. The stem diameter and shoot fresh weight were not significantly different between the treatments. The sap flow and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were higher in S1-treated plants than in those grown in the S2 treatment. The chlorophyll fluorescence fluctuated in both treatments. The fruit fresh weight, number of fruits, fruit pericarp thickness, fruit firmness, fruit volume, sugar content and acidity were significantly higher in S1-treated plants than in S2. Hunter values a and b were significantly higher in S2-treated plants. Moreover, the fruit length and width were not significantly different between the two treatments. The sugar content and acidity of paprika showed a positive correlation. These results suggest that, compared to a double screen for shade in the greenhouse, a single screen is suitable for the growth of paprika plants and enhanced their fruit production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead is considered a toxic heavy metal and released in the air, water and soils due to auto wheels, industrial and anthropogenic activities which influence on plant growth, fauna and environment. It is hypothesized that plants are capable of showing different responses of toxicity and tolerance to metals stresses. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of one of the highly toxic heavy metal, lead (Pb) on the seedling growth of native plant species, Euphorbia hirta Forsk and Sporobolus coromandelianus (Retz.) Kunth in pots as there are very few data available in the literature on this toxicity subject. It is important to compare both genotype under various level of lead treatment. The seedlings of E. hirta and S. coromandelianus showed different effect when treated with 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 as compared without 0 ppm concentrations of lead. The results of the present studies showed the statistically significant (p<0.05) influences of lead 40 ppm treatment on number of leaves, leaf area and seedling dry weight of S. coromandelianus. Lead treatment at 60 ppm significantly reduced shoot, root and and total seedling height of S. coromandelianus. Lead treatment at 40 ppm also showed significant decreased on shoot, seedling length and number of leaves of E. hirta. The seedlings of E. hirta and S. coromandelianus were also used for the development of tolerance indices percentage to different level of lead. The seedlings of E. hirta and S. coromandelianus showed changes in values of tolerance indices. Lead treatment at 20 ppm showed a positively decreasing influence on the tolerance indices of E. hirta and S. coromandelianus. Increase in lead level at 80 - 100 ppm highly decreased the tolerance indices percentage of E. hirta and S. coromandelianus as compared to control. The seedlings of S. coromandelianus showed tolerance (68.38%) as compared to E. hirta (50.79%) to lead at 100 ppm. The obtained data could be useful for a wide range of researchers working in this aspect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant growth in a controlled environment system is highly dependent on the availability of light. The light-emitting diode (LED) is capable of providing the needed quality and quantity of light for the plant. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of white LED light intensity on the growth of in vitro propagated apple (M-9) seedlings in a controlled environment system. Seedlings were grown for 30 days under five different white LED light intensities: 100–500 (L1), 250–500 (L2), 500–500 (L3), 250–250 (L4), and 100–100 (L5). Our findings indicate that seedlings treated with L3 grew substantially taller than seedlings treated with L1, L2, or L5. The number of leaves, stem diameter, shoot fresh weight, root fresh weight, and shoot dry weight of L3 treated seedlings were considerably greater than those growing in other treatments. Furthermore, root length, root dry weight, chlorophyll content, and photosynthesis rate were considerably increased in the L3 treatment group compared to the L5 treatment group. However, there was no significant difference in the stomatal conductance or transpiration rate of apple seedlings between the light treatments. Moreover, a positive correlation was seen between stomatal conductance and transpiration rate. These results suggest that light intensity PPFD 500-500 were favorable for the initial growth of in vitro propagated apple seedlings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar made from crop residues has been shown to improve soil texture, soil porosity and soil structure. It can enhance fertilizer utilization, reduce leaching loses and hence improve nitrogen supply for plant growth. Utilization of biochar in preparation of potting substrates can enhance growth and yields of greenhouse tomato. A study was carried out to test the influence of rice husks biochar on substrate properties, growth and yield of greenhouse tomato. The experiment was carried as a factorial in completely randomized design with two factors: four biochar levels and two soil types, replicated three times. The biochar levels were volume ratios of 0 biochar: 1 soil (0Biochar), 0.25 biochar: 0.75 soil (0.25Biochar), 0.5 biochar: 0.5 soil (0.5Biochar) and 0.75 biochar: 0.25 soil (0.75Biochar). The two soil types used were the well drained deep red friable soil and imperfectly drained dark brown clay soil obtained from the University farm. Tomato Anna F1 was grown in four-liter plastic pots containing about 3 kg of soil-biochar mixture. Data were collected on the plant growth parameters of plant height, number of leaves per plant and plant dry weight upto the 8th - 9th week after transplanting, when fruit ripening began. The chlorophyll index of the leaves were measured using the SPAD meter. At harvesting, fresh weight and number of the fruits were determined. Incorporating biochar into potting substrate at 0.25-0.75 levels significantly increased evapotranspiration during early vegetative growth. This was indicative of biochar changing substrate properties mainly through significant reduction of bulk density and possibly increasing porosity. Biochar levels of 0.25-0.75 resulted in significant increases in vegetative growth and fruit yield of tomato. Adding biochar to the pot substrate increased tomato plant height, plant dry weight and fruit fresh weight by 21- 34%, 50-64% and 49%-56%, respectively. The increase in vegetative growth and fruit yield at 0.25-0.75 biochar levels was attributed to the positive effect of biochar on substrate physical properties. Plant height and number of leaves per plant had a significant linear relationship whose slope, the rate of increase in plant height with increase in number of leaves was not influenced by biochar levels. Biochar enhanced growth without changing the ratio of plant height to number of leaves of tomato. It is concluded that incorporation of biochar made from rice husks at 0.25 level can enhance greenhouse production in both red and clay soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of swallow excretion in agriculture is no stranger, many farmers have succeeded and get maximum results with the use of swallow fertilizer, but in the field of forestry plants very rarely use swallow excretion fertilizer as a trigger for plant growth. This research was carried out for the effect of giving the best liquid swallow excretion and dose to the diameter and final length of the roots of the Jelutung Rawa (dyera polyphylla (miq.) Steenis). This study uses a randomized block design (RBD) consisting of 2 groups of observations. the first group observed open areas, the second group observed areas of shrub cover, consisting of 5 levels of treatment with 16 replications. Measurement of light intensity at the study site was done using a light-meter. Data analysis for plant diameter variables used analysis of variance for RCBD with a linear model, while for root length was done by calculating the root length ratio of each treatment. Based on the results of the study it was found that the administration of liquid swallow excretion had a significant effect to the variable increase in diameter of the Swamp Jelutung plant Rawain the open area at a level of 5% while the closed area has no significant effect. In the open area with a dose of fertilizer control and 100 gr / L produces the longest root which is 12 cm long with a long branched taproot form, while for the longest closed root area is 12.2 cm with a taproot and branched roots that are the fertilizer dose 50 gr / L.

Effective microorganisms' bokashi fermentation is proposed to upcycle food waste to novel feed supplements, and to (partially) replace traditional composting of food waste (and secondary residues from industrial processes) to facilitate both plant production and soil quality as well as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The purpose was to assess the influence of bokashi tea treatment on the growth of tomato transplants. There were two treatments: one with bokashi tea and second without bokashi tea (control). Tomato transplants treated with bokashi tea tended to be higher than those in control; while the results were not significantly different. The number of leaves of tomato transplants treated with bokashi tea was not significantly different. The stem diameter of tomato transplants was 13% greater (P = 0.04) in bokashi tea treated plants than in control. Conclusion: Bokashi tea improves the growth of tomato transplants by increasing stem diameter and is allowing for plants to take up more nutrients.

Salinity is a major driver of emergence and early growth of mangrove propagules. The magnitude of salinity effects may vary across mangrove ecotypes. Using a randomised complete block design in a semi‐controlled experiment, this study assessed the effect of salinity (low: 3–5, moderate: 15–17 and high: 34–36 Practical Salinity Unit) on the emergence and early growth of Rhizophora racemosa (G.) Meyer and Avicennia germinans (L.) L., two common mangrove species in West Africa. Per cent emergence, total height and number of leaves were recorded daily for 30 days. Data were analysed using a three‐parameter log‐logistic distribution and linear mixed models. For both species, results showed significant effects of salinity on per cent emergence and growth variables. There was a negative correlation between salinity and per cent emergence of A. germinans and between salinity and height and number of leaves during the early growth phase of both species. However, the per cent emergence of R. racemosa was significantly higher for moderate salinity. To avoid the risk of dieback from osmotic shock after transplantation, we recommend the use of water of low or moderate salinity in nursery, depending on whether the soil salinity is low or high where the seedlings will be transplanted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the effects of different nitrogen levels (0, 70, 140, and 210 mg l'1) on some growh, biochemical, and nutrient uptake (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) characteristics and essential oil content in sage (Salvia officinalis L.) under hydroponic conditions, a pot experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design with four replications in the research greenhouse of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in 2019. The results of means comparison showed that with increasing the nitrogen level, the plant growth characteristics increased, so that the 210 mg l-1 N treatment decreased the stem diameter, number of branches, nodes, and leaves, length of internodes, length and leaf width, fresh and stem dry weight, fresh and aerial parts dry weight, and aerial parts dry weight to root dry weight ratio by 54.19, 72.59, 39.49, 82.52, 51.42, 72.20, 71.46, 95.17, 90.31, 95.82, 92.30, and 83.46%, respectively compared to the no N application. The application of 210 mg l-1 N increased the relative content of leaf water (RWC), proline, and essential oil content by 9.57, 266.6, and 14.87% and decreased the electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde by 30.45 and 51.51%, respectively compared to the no N application. Also, the lowest N level decreased the K, P, and N content by 32.65, 85.13, and 56.89%, respectively compared to the highest N level. The results of this experiment showed that different N levels could have different effects on the growth and essential oil content of sage. Based on the present research findings, the application of 210 mg l-1 N could be recommended for the sage cultivation due to the improving effects on the studied traits of the plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the results of the study of the effect of climatic factors on the yield and biometric indicators of various varieties of endive chicory (Cichorium endivia (L.)) over a two-year study grown in the summer-autumn period in the plastic greenhouses on the experimental plots of the St. Petersburg Agrarian University, Pushkin, Russia. The plants of the genus Chicory are known and valued for their unique medicinal and nutritional properties. Total of 14 varieties of domestic and foreign Cichorium endivia breeding were studied. The study was carried out in 2015 and 2016years that were sharply differed in the amount of precipitation and temperature. The climate of Leningrad region is characterised with humid and long-lasting cold season. The aim of the research was to identify the variety of endive chicory that is most suitable and tolerant for the climatic conditions of Leningrad region, Russia. During the growing season the plant biometric parameters such as plant height (cm), rosette diameter of leaves (cm), and number of leaves (pieces) were measured. During harvesting, additional parameters such as biomass of plants and leaves, the area of the assimilation surface were determined. The decrease in plant biometric parameters during the phenological observations in September 2016 was associated with an increased amount of precipitation in July-August. The results showed that the variety "Broad Betavian fullhearted" was the most sensitive to the adverse effects of weather, showing the largest variation in biometrics over the studied years. In plants of this variety the mass of leaves decreased by 9.2 times, the area of the assimilation surface was reduced by 11.6 times, while the crop shortfall in 2016 was almost 90%. The varieties "Green curled" and "Scarola bionda" were the most tolerant to weather conditions. These varieties were characterized by the maximum yield in both years of research: "Green curled"-7.90 kg/m 2 and 2.87 kg/m 2 , "Scarola bionda"-8.06 kg/m 2 and 2.84 kg/m 2 in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Generally, the result of the study showed that most of the studied varieties were sensitive to the amount of precipitation and the number of sunny days. The study made it possible to identify the most sensitive and most tolerant varieties of endive chicory for growing in the Leningrad region.

The present study evaluated the effect of different organic fertilizers on the morphological parameters and yield in two different onion cultivars. Proper use of organic fertilizers in appropriate amounts could be helpful to growers from the economic point of view. Field experiments were conducted to study the effect of three different organic biofertilizers on yield and morphological parameters of two onion cultivars ‘Stuttgarter Riesen’ and ‘Rote Laaer’ during 2016 and 2017. The investigated treatments included: B-Stimul® – a mixture of bacterial and algal extracts, EkoBooster 2® – organic matter and NPK, and VermiFit A® – an extract of compost produced by Californian earthworms, peat, nutrients, plant hormones, enzymes, amino acids, and sugars. The following parameters of onion plants were evaluated: number of leaves, bulb diameter, bulb weight, marketable and total yields. The study showed that all the results were affected by the growing season (higher values were recorded in 2016). In ‘Stuttgarter Riesen’, EkoBooster 2® application resulted in the highest bulb weight in 2016 (67.16 g) and in 2017 (55.17 g) and in the highest number of leaves in 2016 (6.66) and in 2017 (6.30), which led to the highest marketable bulb yield in 2016 (3.47 kg m−2) and in 2017 (2.53 kg m−2). In ‘Rote Laaer’ in 2016, EkoBooster 2® application resulted in the highest number of leaves (7.06), bulb diameter (54.32 mm) and bulb weight (79.30 g). In 2017, the largest bulb diameter (54.13 mm) and the highest bulb weight (71.79 g) and marketable bulb yield (2.39 kg m−2) were determined after VermiFit A® application. EkoBooster 2® showed the best effect on parameters such as the number of leaves, bulb weight, and marketable bulb yield of the cultivar ‘Stuttgarter Riesen’ and positively affected the parameters of ‘Rote Laaer’ during 2016, while in 2017 VermiFit A® showed better results as compared to the other treatments.

Drought is a detrimental factor to gaining higher yields in rice (Oryza sativa L.), especially amid the rising occurrence of drought across the globe. To combat this situation, it is essential to develop novel drought-resilient varieties. Therefore, screening of drought-adaptive genotypes is required with high precision and high throughput. In contemporary emerging science, high throughput plant phenotyping (HTPP) is a crucial technology that attempts to break the bottleneck of traditional phenotyping. In traditional phenotyping, screening significant genotypes is a tedious task and prone to human error while measuring various plant traits. In contrast, owing to the potential advantage of HTPP over traditional phenotyping, image-based traits, also known as i-traits, were used in our study to discriminate 110 genotypes grown for genome-wide association study experiments under controlled (well-watered), and drought-stress (limited water) conditions, under a phenomics experiment in a controlled environment with RGB images. Our proposed framework non-destructively estimated drought-adaptive plant traits from the images, such as the number of leaves, convex hull, plant–aspect ratio (plant spread), and similarly associated geometrical and morphological traits for analyzing and discriminating genotypes. The results showed that a single trait, the number of leaves, can also be used for discriminating genotypes. This critical drought-adaptive trait was associated with plant size, architecture, and biomass. In this work, the number of leaves and other characteristics were estimated non-destructively from top view images of the rice plant for each genotype. The estimation of the number of leaves for each rice plant was conducted with the deep learning model, YOLO (You Only Look Once). The leaves were counted by detecting corresponding visible leaf tips in the rice plant. The detection accuracy was 86–92% for dense to moderate spread large plants, and 98% for sparse spread small plants. With this framework, the susceptible genotypes (MTU1010, PUSA-1121 and similar genotypes) and drought-resistant genotypes (Heera, Anjali, Dular and similar genotypes) were grouped in the core set with a respective group of drought-susceptible and drought-tolerant genotypes based on the number of leaves, and the leaves’ emergence during the peak drought-stress period. Moreover, it was found that the number of leaves was significantly associated with other pertinent morphological, physiological and geometrical traits. Other geometrical traits were measured from the RGB images with the help of computer vision.

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) is one of the most important medicinal plants used in various pharmaceutical, osmotic, health, and food industries. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) symbiosis is viewed as one of the several methods to improve growth under heavy metals stress. To investigate the effects of cadmium (Cd) and AMF bio-fertilizers on the growth and morpho-physiological characteristics of thyme, a greenhouse experiment was performed in three replications. Experimental treatments included Cd at three levels 0, 75, and 150 mg/kg of soil and AMF at three levels without inoculation, inoculation with Funneliformis etunicatum, and Funneliformis mosseae. Cadmium stressed plant showed reduced plant height, number of leaves, stem fresh and dry weight, and root fresh and dry weight while AMF inoculation enhanced the increased means of these traits considerably. Inoculation with F. mosseae also ameliorated the Cd stress (150 mg/kg) induced reduction in plant height, number of leaves, and stem and root dry weight by 13.41%, 8.42%, 30.3%, and 22.2%, respectively. Cadmium stress reduced membrane stability index while AMF inoculation enhanced membrane stability index considerably. An increase in soluble carbohydrate and proline content was observed due to Cd stress and AMF inoculation caused a further increase in these two metabolite contents ensuring better growth under Cd stressed conditions. Results indicated that F. mosseae had a higher efficiency in increasing morphological traits and improving physiological characteristics than F. etunicatum. Overall, AMF inoculation, especially F. mosseae significant ameliorative potential for Cd toxicity in thyme plants.

In the last decade, it has been reported that the consumption of certain foods can have a positive effect on an individual's health. Food provides not only energy, essential amino acids, fiber, vitamins and minerals, but also some active compounds, such as antioxidants (tocopherols, carotenoids, vitamin C, phenolic compounds, etc.) that can have various beneficial functions in the body. It is found that in almost every measurement the values from the field experience are lower, this fact being due to the extreme weather conditions in spring-summer 2019 and the destruction of approximately 70-75% of the field culture. But we also have exceptions: the diameter of the fruits from the De cayenne variety and those from the Arwad F1 hybrids is larger in the field culture than in the solarium culture by 0.21 mm for De cayenne and 1.93 mm for Arwad F1. The fruits are longer in solarium culture ranging between 9.13 cm (local variety) and 17.06 cm (Hyffae F1).

Taking 'Hongmian' cut Chrysanthemum as test material, the black plastic film was used to build shading shed, and six groups of different photoperiod treatments were set up by black film shading method, which were day / night7h/17h (recorded as Ph7), 8 h / 16h(Ph8), 9 h/15 h (Ph9), 10 h/14h (PhlO), 11 h/13 h (Phi 1), and long-day (13-14 h) treatment as CK. The effects of different photoperiods on the vegetative growth, flowering and development quality of Chrysanthemum were studied. The time and leaf number of budding, bud breaking, initial flowering and full blooming of different treatments were recorded. The contents of total soluble sugar, sucrose and protein in leaves at different developmental stages were measured and analyzed. The fresh weight of flowers and stems and the distribution rate of dry matter in different organs were measured at the full blooming stage of different treatments. The purpose was to clarify the regulatory effect of different photoperiods on the initial flowering stage and flowering quality of 4 Hongmian, Chrysanthemum, and to propose targeted light supplement suggestions for Chrysanthemum cultivation at different developmental stages. The results showed that, (1) the number of leaves increased with the increase of illumination time, and the increase rate of CK was the largest, followed by Phil, and Ph7 was the smallest. (2) The flowering time of 'Hongmian' cut Chrysanthemum was significantly affected by photoperiod. The flowering time of Chrysanthemum under Ph 10 treatment was the shortest from seedling stage to budding and flowering. The flowering time of Phil from the initial flowering stage to the full blooming stage of petals was the shortest. The flowering time of Ph7, Ph8 and CK was seriously lagging behind. (3) The changes of soluble sugar and protein content in leaves at different developmental stages showed a 'M' trend, and the two peaks appeared at the flower bud differentiation stage and before flowering. The total soluble sugar content in CK was the highest, followed by Phil; The contents of soluble protein and sucrose, as the messenger molecules that can perceive photoperiod signals, were the highest in PhlO. (4) Flower fresh weight of Phil was the largest, and the effect of flower promotion was significant. Therefore, in order to ensure the quality of cut flowers, the seedling stage should accept more than llh/d long sunshine conditions, so that the Chrysanthemum seedlings fully vegetative growth and not prematurely induce flower bud differentiation, with 1 Oh/d light conditions for inducing flowers, bud formation and begin to flower color, flower bud differentiation is irreversible, placed in llh/d light conditions can be the fastest full expansion of petals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Journal of Crops Improvement / Majallah-i Bih/zirā̒ī-i Kishāvarzī is the property of University of Tehran and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of shade screens on the physiological activity, growth parameters and fruit characteristics of the paprika (Capsicum annuum L.) plant. Plants were grown in a protected greenhouse and treated under two different shade screens, S1 (single screen) and S2 (double screens; 10% low light intensity compared to S1), during summer at a particular time of the day. The results revealed that the plant height was significantly enlarged by the S2 treatment. However, the number of leaves, leaf fresh weight and leaf dry weight were significantly decreased under S2-treated plants compared to those grown in the S1 treatment. The stem diameter and shoot fresh weight were not significantly different between the treatments. The sap flow and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were higher in S1-treated plants than in those grown in the S2 treatment. The chlorophyll fluorescence fluctuated in both treatments. The fruit fresh weight, number of fruits, fruit pericarp thickness, fruit firmness, fruit volume, sugar content and acidity were significantly higher in S1-treated plants than in S2. Hunter values a and b were significantly higher in S2-treated plants. Moreover, the fruit length and width were not significantly different between the two treatments. The sugar content and acidity of paprika showed a positive correlation. These results suggest that, compared to a double screen for shade in the greenhouse, a single screen is suitable for the growth of paprika plants and enhanced their fruit production.

Plant growth in a controlled environment system is highly dependent on the availability of light. The light-emitting diode (LED) is capable of providing the needed quality and quantity of light for the plant. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of white LED light intensity on the growth of in vitro propagated apple (M-9) seedlings in a controlled environment system. Seedlings were grown for 30 days under five different white LED light intensities: 100–500 (L1), 250–500 (L2), 500–500 (L3), 250–250 (L4), and 100–100 (L5). Our findings indicate that seedlings treated with L3 grew substantially taller than seedlings treated with L1, L2, or L5. The number of leaves, stem diameter, shoot fresh weight, root fresh weight, and shoot dry weight of L3 treated seedlings were considerably greater than those growing in other treatments. Furthermore, root length, root dry weight, chlorophyll content, and photosynthesis rate were considerably increased in the L3 treatment group compared to the L5 treatment group. However, there was no significant difference in the stomatal conductance or transpiration rate of apple seedlings between the light treatments. Moreover, a positive correlation was seen between stomatal conductance and transpiration rate. These results suggest that light intensity PPFD 500-500 were favorable for the initial growth of in vitro propagated apple seedlings.

ABSTRACT: The objectives of this study were to analyze whether there is genetic variability and assess the linear relationships between plant architecture and maize grain yield. Three experiments were carried out in a complete randomized block design. A group of 51 cultivars was assessed in relation to 22 traits: number of leaves, plant height, ear height, leaf angle, leaf length, leaf width, leaf area, and grain yield. Individual analyses of variance were performed, the assumptions of normality of errors and homogeneity of residual variances were tested, and means were grouped by the Scott-Knott test. The phenotypic correlation matrix was constructed using the 22 traits of the 51 cultivars. Results showed that there is genetic variability among cultivars for number of leaves, plant height, ear height, leaf angle, leaf length, leaf width, leaf area, and grain yield. Leaves close to the ear have smaller leaf angle and larger length, width, and area of the leaves. Leaf angle gradually increases towards the lower and upper ends of the plant. Length, width, and area gradually decreases in leaves towards the lower and upper ends of the plant. Cultivars with higher number of leaves and larger leaf area are associated with higher grain yield.

The expansion of sugarcane areas as a support to national sugar production has shifted to sub-optimal dry land. In drought stress conditions, early growth of sugarcane usually can inhibite and decrease its productivity. This study aimed to test the efficacy of organic biostimulant in increasing vegetative growth of sugarcane in the dry land. Firstly, seedlings were submerged with biostimulant of Citorin-Rfor overnight. Secondly, the biostimulant application of Citorin-S was carried out by foliar sprayat age1 and4 months old trees. Humicacid 0.5% (v/v) was applied in soil before planting while the application of mycorrhiza was carried out by direct pouring on soil during planting. The results showed that the initial vegetative growth of biostimulant-treated sugarcane stem diameter and length were 23% wider and 27% higher compared to that of control, respectively. In subsequent growth cycle, all observed vegetative parameters showed higher growth value in the biostimulant-treated sugarcanes than that of the control. Plant height, stem diameter and number of tillers of biostimulant-treated sugarcanes had significantly higher values than that of the control. P3 treatment (organic biostimulant plus humic acid and mycorrhiza) was the best treatment. The height and diameter of P3 sugarcane stems were 47% wider and 59% higher, respectively, compared to that of control at 107 DAP.

A field trial was conducted at the Experimental Farm of the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria between May and July in both 2015 and 2016 to evaluate growth and yield responses of cucumber (Cucumis sativum L.) to different nitrogen levels of goat manure. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design involving five treatments and replicated three times. The treatments were cured goat manure applied at levels of 0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 kg N ha-1. Growth parameters were collected on vine length (cm), vine girth (cm), number of branches, number of leaves and leaf area index (LAI). Yield parameters assessed were fruit length (cm), fruit girth (cm), number of fruits per plant and fruit yield (t ha-1). Goat manure application significantly (P < 0.05) influenced growth parameters positively, which led to the enhancement of the fruit yield. Goat manure application levels of 200 (20.85 t ha-1), 300 (20.85 t ha-1) and 400 (26.21 t ha-1) kg N ha-1 had similar (P > 0.05) fruit yield, but significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those of 0 (12.34 t ha-1) and 10 (16.96 t ha-1) kg N ha-1. It thus recommended that goat manure at 20 kg N ha-1 is more appropriate for cucumber production in the humid ultisols environment.

There have been studied the response of early maturing potato variety ‘Red Skarlet’ on different methods of application of the growth regulator ‘Albit’ and various rates of mineral nutrition on grey soils of forest-steppe zone of Middle Povolzhie. It has been established that potato treatment by the preparation before planting, double use of the medicine during vegetation and application of both preparations are the most efficient. The experiments were carried out with and without the use of NPK calculated for the potato productivity of 30 t/ha. During the trials we have estimated the dynamics of leaf formation, coefficients of FAR use, productivity and quality of potato. It has been established that the indexes significantly depend on the studied factors. Potato treatment before planting increased the productivity on 1.55-2.10 t/ha depending on the nutrition. Double potato treatment during vegetation increased the productivity on 3.03=3.15 t/ha. The maximum increase of the productivity (4.84-5.10 t/ha) was obtained after a composite use of the preparation.

There is a high demand for non-destructive systems in plant phenotyping which should precisely calculate plant growth and structure parameters. In this study, the growth of chilli plants (Capsicum annum L) was monitored in outdoor conditions. We also proposed a cost-effective and non-destructive solution for reconstruction of plants in 3D using a single mobile phone camera based on a structure from motion algorithm. Various plant growth and structure parameters such as number of leaves, plant height, and leaf area were measured from the reconstructed 3D models at different plant growth periods. The accuracy of our proposed system is measured by comparing the values derived from the 3D plant model with manual measurements. The results demonstrate that the proposed system has potential to monitor plant growth precisely and non-destructively in outdoor conditions when compared with state-of-the-art systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physiological adaptations, biochemical changes and growth performances of two sweet potatoes, Japanese Yellow (JPY) and Blackie (BLK), under NaCl salt stress were evaluated. Fallen leaves in JPY under 50 mM NaCl for 21 d were evidently observed, resulting in reduced leaf area (~60% reduction to that of control). Na+ content in the root of sweet potato BLK under salt stress was higher (54.18 mg g–1 DW) compared to the stem and leaf, whereas in case of JPY, all the plant organs were enriched by Na+, leading to reduced net photosynthetic rate (Pn) (71% reduction to that of control). Ca2+ and soluble sugar enrichments appeared to be the first line of defence mechanism in sweet potato to alleviate the Na+ toxicity, especially in BLK. A negative relation between Na+ accumulation and chlorophyll b content and a positive relation between chlorophyll b and Pn were demonstrated. Reduction in Pn in JPY under salt stress consequently reduced the leaf area, shoot height and fresh weight. It appeared that the Na+ enrichment, Ca2+ signalling and soluble sugars accumulation in the root tissues of cv. BLK played a key role in salt tolerance keeping Na+ in the vacuoles and maintaining growth of plants exposed to salt stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substrate composition and container size are considered crucial for apple rootstock grown in a plug seedling system. This study investigated the effect of substrate material’s proportion and different container volumes on the growth of apple rootstock (M-9) plants propagated by tissue culture. In substrate composition, three different ratios of peat moss (PM): vermiculite (VL): perlite (PL) at 1:1:1 (S1), 1:2:3 (S2), 3:1:2 (S3) were used. For container size, plants were grown in 1000 mL (C1), 500 mL (C2), and 300 mL (C3) containers filled by 1:1:1 mixture of PM, VL and PL. In both cases, plants were treated eleven weeks in a green house. Our results demonstrate that the plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, shoot fresh weight and root fresh weight of apple rootstock were significantly higher in substrate composition S3 compared with S1 composition. However, chlorophyll content (SPAD) and photosynthesis rate were unaffected by variation of substrate composition. Furthermore, rootstock grown in C1 container showed plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, number of nodes, root length, shoot and root’s fresh and dry weight were significantly higher than those grown in C2 and C3 volume containers. The chlorophyll content and transpiration rate were not significantly affected by the different container volumes. These results suggest that the substrate ratio 3:1:2 of PM:VL:PL and container size 1000 mL were more favorable than other treatments for initial growth and development of the tissue culture propagated apple rootstock plants.