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This study was carried out to examine the effect of combining factors for immersion technique on masculinization of red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.). Three selected doses (1000, 1,500, and 2000 μg/L) of 17α-methyltestosterone (17 MT) immersion, 2 exposure times (3 and 6 h) once or twice a week, and interaction of these factors were tested. A total of 12 treatment combinations under 3 × 2 × 2 factorial experiments in randomized complete block design were conducted to compare with the negative control group (no 17 MT-treated) and positive control group (17 MT-treated feed administration). One hundred red tilapia larvae (14 days post-hatch) were randomly allocated in each treatment and were operated in a 10-L glass jar for 21 days. At the end of the treatment regime, the survival rate was determined. Then, fish were raised in a 150-L glass tank using normal commercial feed for 2 months and sex ratios were determined via the gonad squash technique. None of the immersion treatments tested resulted in a statistically significant (p > 0.05) decrease in survival rate. All 17 MT-treated groups produced progenies with a significantly higher (p

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important cereal crop in Pakistan which is suffering from major grain production loss because of weed infestations. Control of weeds by herbicides is a primary weed management tool in wheat crop which can be detrimental to the environment and grain produce. Development of an efficient and eco-friendly alternate to the herbicidal weed control, testing the effectiveness of cultural weed control (crop row orientation, selected wheat genotypes and hand weeding) and plants water extracts was undertaken for weed control in wheat. An experiment was run under field conditions in winter season in 2016–2017 and in 2017–2018 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. The repeated experiment was each time undertaken using a randomized complete block design with a double split plot arrangements at the New Developmental Farm, University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan. The crop row orientations used were assigned to the main plots. The wheat genotypes used were assigned to the sub-plots. The allelopathic water extracts and hand weeding were assigned to the sub-sub plots. The averaged mean values for row orientations of both the years revealed lowest weed density (95.7 weeds m−2), highest grains per spike (47.3), 1000 grains weight (44.7 g) in north to south row orientation. The averaged mean values of weed density (101.6 weeds m−2), grains per spike (48.2), 1000 grains weight (45.9 g), crude protein content (12.793%), crude fat content (1.533%) and ash content (1.586%) were greater for the wheat genotype Pirsabaq-2013 and Atta-Habib-2010. Water extract of S. halepense, P. hysterophorus, H. annuus and hand weeding showed significantly lower weed density (84.0 to 93.3), grains per spike (50.9 to 48.3), 1000 grains weight (48.3 to 46.2 g), grains protein content (12.280 to 12.209%), grains crude fat content (1.471 to 1.464%) and grains ash content (1.523 to 1.515%). Interaction effect of different tested weed control treatments i.e. N-S × Pirsabaq-2013 and Atta-Habib-2010 × water extract of S. halepense, P. hysterophorus and H. annuus were found to show further reduction in weed density and enhance grains per spike and grains nutrition contributing parameters. Our results show that sowing wheat genotypes Pirsabaq-2013 and Atta-Habib-2010 in north-to-south row orientation, and application of water extract of S. halepense, P. hysterophorus, H. annuus can give an effective weed management and increased quality grain yield of wheat.

A study was carried out at CSIR-CIMAP, RC. Hyderabad (India) to study the impact of coppicing time on the oil percent and its chemical composition of different cultivars of lemongrass using a randomized block design. The freshly harvested herb was used for the hydro-distillation for essential oil, and subsequent chemical analysis. The chemical components identification of the essential oil was performed by GC–MS. In the results coppicing time influenced significant changes in the essential oil content, essential oil yield, and its chemical composition especially, total citral, and geraniol content. The four top rankers varieties/cultivars of lemongrass for the essential oil yield were CIM-Shikhar > Krishna > CKP-25 > CIMAP-Suwarna; for the essential oil content CIM–Shikhar > Krishna > CIMAP-Suwarna > Praman; for total citral content Nima > CIM–Shikhar > Krishna > Pragati, and for the total geraniol content Himrosa > CN-5 > Tawirosa > Kalam, respectively. Therefore, we can recommend these varieties/cultivars for commercial cultivation in large areas under the semi-arid region of south India.

Increasing plant density can increase cereal crop yields. However, the physiological and anatomical mechanisms of grain yield increase at high plant densities in maize-based intercropping systems are not well understood. A two-year field experiment was conducted in 2018 and 2019 to investigate grain yield, photosynthetic characteristics, stomatal traits, and leaf anatomy of maize plants in an intercropping system with high plant densities. Two cropping patterns (monocropping and intercropping) and three plant densities (D1, 78,000 plants ha−1; D2, 103,500 plants ha−1; D3, 129,000 plants ha−1) were arranged in a randomized block design. Increasing maize plant density significantly increased maize yield, and intercropping gave a significant yield advantage over monocropping under the same plant density. Intercropping combined with high plant density increased the leaf area and SPAD value of maize, increasing the photosynthesis rates after the harvest of pea. At the twelfth leaf stage, the stomatal density and stomatal area of intercrops combined with medium plant density increased by respectively 10.5% and 18.4% relative to their values for the corresponding density of monocrops. Although leaf thickness of maize was reduced by increasing plant density, the chloroplast number and grana lamella number were higher in intercropping than in monocropping under different plant densities. These positive changes in leaf anatomy resulted in increased photosynthesis, suggesting a physiological basis for the increase in grain yield.

Stable yield of staple grains must be ensured to satisfy food demands for daily dietary energy requirements against the backdrop of global climate change. Summer maize, a staple crop, suffers severe yield losses due to extreme rainfall events, threatening food security. A randomized block experiment with four treatments: control, no water stress (CK); waterlogging for 6 days at the third leaf, sixth leaf stage, and 10th day after tasseling, was conducted to investigate the mechanism of waterlogging-induced yield losses of summer maize. Waterlogging delayed plant growth and impaired tassel and ear differentiation, leading to high grain yield losses of Denghai 605 (DH605). Waterlogging at third leaf (V3) stage reduced the photosynthesis of DH605, reducing total dry matter weight. Waterlogging at V3 stage reduced sucrose-cleaving enzymes activities in spike nodes and ears, reducing the carbon partitioned to ears (–53.1%), shanks (–46.5%), and ear nodes (–71.5%) but increasing the carbon partitioned to ear leaves (9.6%) and tassels (43.9%) in comparison with CK. The reductions in total carbon assimilate together with the reduced carbon partitioning to ears resulted in poor development of spikes (with respectively 15.2% and 20.6% reductions in total florets and fertilized florets) and lengthened the anthesis–silking interval by around 1 day, leading to high yield losses.

Drought and low organic carbon content are two main problems for agriculture in arid and semiarid regions. Application of hydrogels and compost may decrease adverse effects of drought on plants. A factorial experiment with a randomized complete block design with three replicates was conducted to evaluate the effect of hydrogels and compost application on yield and growth parameters of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) under drought stress (DS). These factors manipulated with seven treatments of soil amendments with 0, 150 (H1) and 300 (H2) kg ha−1 hydrogel, 10 (C1) and 20 (C2) ton ha−1 compost, 150 kg ha−1 hydrogel + 10 ton ha−1 compost (H1C1), and 150 kg ha−1 hydrogel + 20 ton ha−1 compost (H1C2) upon three DS levels (D1: 25% depletion of available soil moisture (DASM) as no-stress condition, D2: 50% DASM as mild-stress and D3: 75% DASM as severe-stress treatment). Results showed that drought stress significantly decreased growth parameters and relative water content (RWC) while increased ion leakage (IL), antioxidant activity (AA), and total phenolic content (TPC). H1, H1C1, and H1C2 Treatments significantly increased chlorophyll content index (CCI), leaf area (LA), leaf water potential (LWP), RWC, AA, and TPC compared to control under mild and severe stress conditions. In addition, only H1C2 treatment significantly increased calyx yield (CY) under mild and severe drought conditions. Interaction between 150 kg.h−1 hydrogel and 20 ton ha−1 compost compared to the each treatment alone led to the highest SDW, LA, and CY amounts under severe DS treatment. The CCI showed a strong positive correlation with CY (R2 = 0.61, p = 0.01), while revealed a negative correlation with TPC (R2 = -0.72, p = 0.01) and AA (R2 = -0.68, p = 0.01). These results confirm that hydrogel and compost could be suitable for agricultural use under DS conditions. The amount of hydrogel and compost application is very important on plant performance under DS.

Twenty-four Pelibuey × Katahdin lambs (36.4 ± 2.9 kg initial weight) were used in a 77 d feeding trial in a randomized complete block design to evaluate the influence of a standardized synbiotic-glyconutrient combination (GLY) on growth performance, dietary energetic, and carcass characteristics of lambs finished during a period of high ambient temperature. Dietary treatments consisted of a high-energy basal diet supplemented (% of diet dry matter basis) with 0% versus 0.4% GLY. Throughout the study, the average temperature humidity index (THI) was 76.23, corresponding to the “alert” range, but daily maximum THI exceeded 80 for 2 to 6 h of each day of the 77 d study. Daily GLY intake averaged 0.10 g GLY·kg−1 live weight. Supplemental GLY increased (P = 0.04) daily water intake, but dry matter intake was not affected. Supplemental GLY increased (P

Objective: The study was conducted to investigate the impact of boron supplementation on nutrient digestibility, inflammatory responses, blood metabolites and diarrhea index, and their relevance to growth performance in weaned pigs housed in good and poor sanitary environments for 14 days after weaning.Methods: A total of 108 male pigs (Duroc×[Yorkshire×Landrace]) weaned at 21 days of age were used in a randomized complete block design with 2×3 factorial arrangement. Pigs were assigned to three boron treatments (0, 5, and 10 mg/kg) under two environments (good and poor sanitary) to give six replicates per treatment (3 pigs per replicate). On 0, 7, and 14 days, one pig per replicate was euthanized to collect, ileum tissue samples, and rectal fecal samples.Results: Boron supplementation quadratically influenced (p

Several studies have shown that the competition for fresh water is increasing, and there is a need to sustainably manage the available water for crop production. Also, studies that investigate the use of fish wastewater to irrigate sweet pepper are scarce. Therefore, a field experiment was carried out to investigate and compare the growth yield, and nutrient composition of sweet pepper under fish wastewater and borehole water. Experimental design consisted of a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The treatments include; 50% Potential Evapotranspiration (PET) with fish pond water (T1), 100% PET with fish pond water (T2), and 100% PET with borehole water- control (ground water), (T0) and were replicated three times. Soil physico-chemical properties, Pepper Agronomic parameters (growth and yield) and nutrient compositions (moisture, fat, ash, protein, carbohydrate and crude fiber) were determined using standard procedures. Results showed that the water quality of fish wastewater (aquaculture) and ground water used for irrigating pepper was within the permissible limits when compared to standard. Also, Aquaculture water improves the soil physico-chemical and soil water content, which consequently led to improved growth and yield of pepper. The average plant height values were 59.00 cm, 37.50 cm, and 45.00 cm in treatments T2, T1 and T0, respectively. Similarly, the highest number of leaves, stem girth, biomass and sweet pepper yield, root weight and Leave area index (LAI) were recorded in treatment, T2. In addition, highest nutrient compositions were recorded in treatment T2, while the least was recorded in treatment T0. Statistical analysis showed that agronomic and mineral composition parameters were significantly different (P

Line × tester set was obtained by crossing 10 inbred lines with 2 testers in maize. 20 F1`s along with 12 parents (10 S6 lines and 2 testers) and two standard white checks (TWC321 and TWC324) were evaluated randomized complete block Design (RCBD) with three replications during summer season 2016 to detect the best new white crosses for the potential comercial crosses. Data were recorded on cob length, ear diameter row no. per ear, no. of kernels per row, 100-kernel weight and grain yield. The results of mean squares showed highly significant differences in the all examined traits. For mean grain yield of the crosses P5 × SC24, P6 × SC21, P6 × SC24, P7 × SC21, P7 × SC24 and P10 × SC21 had significant in all traits and their combined data was higher in case of TWC321 and TWC324.Hence, it could be concluded that these crosses may be useful for improving grain yield of maize. Crosses P1 × SC21, P1 × SC24, P3 × SC24, P5 × SC24, P6 × SC21, P6 × SC24, P7 × SC21 and P7 × SC24 had highest significant and positively higher percentages over check varieties TWC321 and TWC324 for grain yield and some of yield components. These lines were having promising performance which could be used in future maize breeding programs for hybrid production. Based on the overall performance of the hybrids and parental lines, some of the lines could be used as parents of hybrids of maize with high grain yield potential. Thus, these crosses could be commercially exploited after critical evaluation for its superiority in performance as maize hybrids.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of feeding starch sugar by-products (SSBs) on in situ disappearance rate, performance, and carcass characteristics of Hanwoo steers in the late finishing stage.Methods: To determine the in situ disappearance rate, nylon bags filled with 5 g of SSB were inserted into the ventral sac of two cannulated Holsteins cows and incubated for 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 48 h. A total of 30 Hanwoo steers were fed the experimental diets, which were basal diet (control) and 7% SSB on an as-fed basis (4.35% dry matter [DM]), formulated according to requirements of the Korean Feeding Standard for Hanwoo. The experiment was conducted over 80 days using a completely randomized block design.Results: Soluble fraction a of DM and organic matter (OM) was 44.20% and 64.60% DM, fraction b was 23.00% and 19.40% DM, and c values (the rate of degradation of fraction b) were 0.04 and 0.04/h, respectively. The effective degradability of DM at rumen solid outflow rates of 0.02, 0.05, and 0.08/h was 59.83, 54.75, and 52.16, respectively, and for OM was 77.78, 73.52, and 71.34, respectively. Initial and final body weight, average daily gain, DM intake, and gain:feed did not differ significantly between control and SSB groups during the entire experimental period. Carcass traits of Hanwoo steers with SSB supplementation were not significantly different between treatments except for dressing percentage, which was greater with SSB treatment. The content of saturated fatty acid (SFA) was greater and that of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) was lower in the SSB group than in the control group. The ratio of UFA to SFA was significantly lower in the SSB group than in the control group.Conclusion: A total mixed ration containing less than 4.0% DM of SSBs can be used in Hanwoo steers without a decrease in productivity and carcass traits.

Cluster bean guar or (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) a valuable and multipurpose legume, due to its galactomannan and the seeds high in protein, is widely used in different industries. A field study was carried out using factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design with three replications to evaluate the influence of different sowing times (May 15, June 22, and July 27) on performance (seed yield, harvest index, biological yield, etc.), qualitative attributes (galactomannan, protein, carbohydrate, etc.), metabolic traits (lipid, pHenol, fiber, etc.) and yield components (branch/plant, pod/plant and plant height) of 20 guar genotypes (RGC-1066, BR-99, Sarbaz, HG-867, RGC-936, S-5488, S-5490, Dalgan, Iranshahr, Pishen, RGC-1038, RGC-1017, S-5498, RGC-1031, Saravan, S-5499, RGC-986, RGC-1003, HG-884 and HG-563) from three different origins (India, Iran and Pakistan). According to the ANOVA results, plant height, harvest index, the number of pod/plant, total chlorophyll, carbohydrate rate, gum content, and gum yield were significantly changed (p

Cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) yield has plateaued due to reduction in rainfall and rise in temperature. Therefore, its production cycle could not get appropriate water and temperature. It becomes important to standardize the sowing time and plant spacing of cluster beans in changing climate scenarios to get higher productivity. Therefore, a field study was conducted in 2019 at the Research area of MNS-University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan to evaluate the effect of four sowing times (15th May, 1st June, 15th June, and 1st July) and three plant spacings (10, 12 and 15 cm) on crop growth, yield, and physiological functions of cluster bean genotype BR-2017 under split plot arrangement under randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The sowing times (15th May, 1st June, 15th June, and 1st July) were placed in the main plot, while plant spacing (10, 12 and 15 cm) was maintained in subplots. The significant effect of sowing time and plant spacing was observed on pod plant-1, pod length, grain yield, and 1000-grain weight. Results showed that 1st June sowing performed better over 15th May, 15th June, and 1st July, while plant spacing 15 cm about in all sowing times showed higher results on growth and yield parameters of cluster bean over plant spacing 10, 12, and 15 cm. The 1st June sowing time at 15 cm plant spacing showed 8.0, 22.7, and 28.5% higher grains pod-1 than 15th May, 15th June, and 1st July sowing, respectively. Maximum grain yield was observed on 1st June in all three spacings (10, 12, and 15 cm). The chord diagram indicates that the crop has received optimum environmental conditions when sown 1st June over other sowing times. In conclusion, 1st June sowing with 15 cm plant spacing could be a good option to achieve maximum productivity of cluster bean under changing climate scenario.

Sustainable agriculture is an integrated system based on ecological principles, providing society's present food needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. In this system, organic and biological fertilizers and bio-pesticides are used to maintain nutrients in the soil, control weeds and pests, and increase biodiversity. The present study aimed to evaluate some traits of Solanum tuberosum following the application of chemical, organic, and biological fertilizers. This study was conducted as a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design in three replications in two agricultural years of 2017 and 2018. The first factor was chemical/organic fertilizers at five levels (No fertilizer, 100% Urea, 66% urea + 33% Manure, 33% urea + 66% Manure and 100% Manure) and the second factor was tuber inoculation with biological fertilizers at four levels (No bacteria, Azospirillum, Pseuidomonas, Azospirillum + Pseudomonas). The results showed that the combined application of Pseudomonas with 66% urea + 33% manure resulted in the highest protein (1861.6 kg/ha) and biological (140.69 t/ha) yields in the first year. While in the second year the highest biological yield (108.65 t/ha) was achieved by the application of Pseudomonas with 100% urea. The highest tuber protein content (7.05%) and nitrate content (93.45 mg/kg) were obtained by the application of Azospirillum + Pseudomonas with 100% manure in the second year. Although the positive effect of biological fertilizers, especially Pseudomonas, has been shown on potato characters, the use of biological fertilizers alone cannot completely replace the chemical fertilizers. Therefore, sustainable agriculture can be achieved by the implementation of integrated plant nutrition using urea, manure, and biofertilizers.

Forest ecosystems represent a third of the total organic carbon (TOC) stored in the soil. However, studies still need to be carried out to generate reliable information on its soil carbon storage potential in an experimental plantation. Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine the storage of total organic carbon (TOC) in the soil in two experimental forest plantations with tropical species, located in the state of Nayarit, Mexico. The research was carried out in two experimental plantations with tropical species, located at the Santiago Ixcuintla Experimental Field (CESIX) and at the El Verdine?o Experimental Site (SEEV). The established species are Swietenia macrophylla King (mahogany), Cedrela odorata L. (cedar) and Tabebuia rosea Bertoil (pink trumpet-tree). In addition, data from dasometric variables were used in order to define if any of these variables had a similar variation to the soil TOC stock by species. The sampling was done under a randomized block experimental design in each experimental forest plantation (CESIX and SEEV). Nine composite samples were collected in the soil under the tree species at a depth of 0 - 30 cm, and 1.5 m distance from the tree. To determine the soil TOC, an elemental analyzer with a thermal conductivity detector Thermo Scientific (Flash 2000) was used. The results showed that TOC presented mean values of 103.60 and 219.98 t·ha-1 at a depth of 0 - 30 cm in CESIX and SEEV respectively. The highest TOC was obtained in soil under mahogany; 142.95 t·ha-1 in CESIX and 284.41 t·ha-1 in SEEV. The analysis of the differences in TOC between the two plantations was highly significant. In the analysis of the species, it showed a statistically significant difference (p

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of groundnut haulm and maize bran mixture supplementations on feed intake, digestibility, body weight gain and carcass characteristics of local sheep fed hay basal diet at Salga sheep farm in Assosa district, Western Ethiopia. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four treatments consisting of six blocks with four animals per block based on their initial body weight of 20.12 ± 0.05 kg (mean ± SD). Treatments comprised of feeding natural pasture hay ad libitum T1 = 0; T2 = 100% maize bran (MB); T3 = 50% MB and 50% Groundnut haulm (GNH), and T4 = 100% GNH. The amount of supplements offered was 300 g/day/animal on DM basis. The daily feed intake, daily body weight gain, feed conversion efficiency, dry matter and nutrient digestibility, and carcass characteristics parameters were measured during the experimental period. The study result indicates that the crude protein (CP) contents were 7.12% and 11.6%, and the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) contents were 67.9% and 57.5% for natural grass hay and groundnut haulm, respectively. The total DM intake was higher (P

Ketak ( Lygodium circinnatum (Burm.F) Sw.) is one of the main species of non-timber forest products (NTFP s ) in West Nusa Tenggara. Ketak produce tendrils that was used as a raw material for the woven handicraft industry. The sustainability of the handicraft business has constraints in decreasing the supply of raw materials because the potential is very reduced in nature so that it is necessary to make efforts to cultivate L. circinnatum plants. The aim of the study was to determine the success of planting L. circinnatum with fertilization and different types of vines . The research used a randomized block design which was arranged factorially with a combination of different types of fertilizers (goat manure, cow manure, NPK fertilizer ) and vine tree s ( Gliricidia sepium , Erythrina variegata , bamboo). For six months, the application of fertilizers and different types of climbing stems significantly affected the increase in tendril length and number of leaves and there was an interaction between the two treatments tested; while the increase in the number of tendrils and life percentage occurred the effect of a single treatment. Goat fertilizer and climbing species G. sepium were the best treatments for the increase in tendril length (73.4 cm) and number of leaves (88 sheet). The best NPK fertilizer treatment for the growth of the number of tendrils (3 tendrils), climbing species G. sepium and goat manure produced the highest percentage of life (80.42% and 85.56%)

Mindi ( Melia azedarach Linn ., family Meliaceae ) is a multipurpose forest tree species such as for furniture, vinier and plywood, otherwise the leaves for pesticide and medicine material. Mindi mostly cultivated in a community forest, especially in West Java. This study was aimed to assess the growth performance and genetic parameter of the progeny test of mindi at Parungpanjang Forest Research Station, Bogor, West Java. The progeny test was established by using a randomized complete block design, consisting of 6 blocks and 73 families and each family consisting of 4 trees row-plot. The survival at 7 years old was 57.48%, height was 7.15 m and diameter is 8.59 cm, in average. The height and diameter growth s among families showed a significantly different. The best family growth in height and diameter were Sumedang-31 and Bogor-18 families, respectively. The individual and family heritabilities for both stem diameter and tree heght characters were stil relatively low , with the higher family heritability value than individual heritability . The genetic correlation between total height and stem diameter of 0. 57 indicates a strong correlation between the traits.

Indigenous paddy soil rhizobacteria are one alternative to restore biological fertility and soil health. Plant Growth Promotion Rhizobacteria (PGPR) that act as biofertilizer will help to increase the availability of nutrients and promote the plant growth. The objective of this research was to study the effect of the PGPR consortium indigenous paddy soil to nutrient uptake, chlorophyll content, and yield of rice. This research was arranged by Randomized Block Design with the treatment was the combination of plant Growth Promotion Rhizobateria isolates originated from paddy soil. The treatments consisted of control, Rhizobium sp. LM-5, R08 isolate, R011 isolate, Rhizobium sp. LM-5 + R08 isolate, Rhizobium sp. LM-5 + R011 isolate, R08 + R011 isolates, Rhizobium sp. LM-5 + R08 + R011 isolates. The result showed that the application of the PGPR consortium was able to increase the root growth of rice plants thereby increasing nutrient uptake, leaf chlorophyll content, and plant biomass. Application of single strain R11 isolate and the consortium of Rhizobium sp. LM-5 + R11 isolate were capable of giving the highest grain yield of 64.99 and 62.80 g plant-1 respectively. These finding were PGPR consortium between IAA-producing bacteria combined with Rhizobium sp. LM-5 as N2 fixing bacteria in increasing nutrient uptake, chlorophyll contents and crop yields, it can be recommended that PGPR consortium as a biofertilizer formula in rice cultivation

Introduction: The sustainability of agricultural systems plays a key role in adapting to climate change. There is ample evidence that biodiversity can increase the stability of ecosystem processes by changing environmental conditions. Therefore, the effectiveness of breeding programs requires a correct understanding of the reaction of breeding cultivars to environments with different climatic and soil conditions. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the response of some new maize hybrids to divergent environmental conditions and determine their grain yield stability. Material and methods: This study was conducted with 16 maize hybrids using a randomized complete block design with three replications in six locations, during the 2017 cropping season. Considering significant differences for hybrid × environment (GxE) interaction, stability analyses were performed using AMMI and GGE-biplot methods to determine stable and high-yielding hybrids. Results and discussion: The results of the AMMI model showed that only the first two principal components of AMMI (AMMI1and AMMI2) were significant and described 68.53% of the variance of G×E interaction. Based on the results of statistics of the AMMI model (ASV and SPCA1), hybrids No. 16 (SC704) and 1 (KLM77002/3-1-1-1-1-1-1-3 × K18) were recognized as the most stable hybrids. Stability analysis by GGE biplot procedure explained 71.5% of grain yield variation due to two components of GGE. In addition, hybrids No. 16 and 1 were identified as superior and stable hybrids by the GGE biplot graphical method. Conclusion: Generally, results of grain yield and stability analyses showed that hybrids No. 16 and 1 with 12.76 and 11.72 t/ha yields, respectively, were better than other hybrids across environments for yield and stability with wide adaptation and thus can be cultivated in Iran. Also, biplot analysis of correlation among environments revealed that Kermanshah, Esfahan, and Shiraz, as well as and Moghan and Miyandoab were closer and similar in ranking, grouping, and assessing stability. Also, Kerman and Karaj regions were less similar to other regions in terms of hybrids discrimination. Considering the high discriminate power of hybrids in Shiraz, Miyandoab, Kerman, and Karaj environments, and in order to decrease the costs, it is recommended to conduct future trials in the aforementioned environments.

Background and objective The use of biochar, a charred organic material, is becoming a sustainable technology that leads to the improvement of highly weathered tropical soils. A study was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the University of Calabar to compare the effects of integrated use of Biochar (B), Poultry Manure (PM) and urea on the pH and microbial properties of soil-grown with Amaranthus cruentus. Materials and methods A total of 15 treatments consisting of a sole and combined use of biochar, poultry manure, urea and control were fitted on a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. The organic amendments were applied 2 weeks before sowing while urea was applied 2 weeks after sowing. Composite soil samples (0-15 cm) were taken before and after the experiment for pH and microbial analysis. Results Soil pH was raised from a strongly acidic level to values ranging from 5.73-6.8 (moderately acid-slightly acid, respectively) pH level after the experiment with the highest obtained in Full B+½PM amended soil. The fungal population was maximum in PM (sole and combinations) (18×103-20×103 CFU g-1) and minimum in sole biochar and control (×-10×103 CFU g-1). The bacterial population exhibited a similar trend with the maximum value in PM (sole and combinations) (98×106-148×106 CFU g-1) and minimum in control (×-36×106 CFU g-1). Conclusion This suggests that biochar addition alone did not cause any apparent alteration to the microbial population and diversity compared to its complementary use.