Agriculture

Changes in soil properties, soil organic C (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) stocks associated with different heating temperatures from 50, 100, and 150 kg/m2 dry biomass that provided for different heat intensities were compared with natural soil temperature of arable land adjacent to the burnt plots. Soil samples were collected in three replicates from control and burnt plots and soil temperatures were measured with soil thermometer placed at surface and sub-surface layers, while gas emissions were measured with sensitive gas dictators. The induced temperatures were highly variable at the soil surface whereas below 15cm depth, the temperature rise was not more than 370C. Modifications of various soil physico-chemical parameters caused by fire were related to increasing temperatures. The passage of fire promoted SOC and TN stocks, mean weight diameter, the aggregation of 2 mm stable structures which become even more resistant to disrupting action of water. The pH decreased to 5.4 at higher temperatures following burning before ashes mineralized. However, both organic matter and ECEC increased at increasing soil temperature. Potassium content remained surprisingly constant as the soil temperature increased. Air quality measurement revealed that NO2, SO2 H2S and CO2 were above the limits indicating air pollution through these activities. Despite the merits of quick release of occluded nutrients, heating temperatures of slash-and-burn method of land clearing altered soil and air quality.

The phytochemical analysis of mechanically extracted castor (Ricinus communis L.) seed oil (CSO) was carried out using gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GCMS). A total of seven compounds {oleic acid (54.97%), stearic acid (16.53%), palmitic (10.35%), ricinoleic (9.61%), squalene (3.17%), palmitin, 1, 3-di- (3%) and octadecanoic acid (2.37%) } were identified from the spectra. The ability of CSO to protect bambara groundnut seed against Callosobruchus maculatus Fabricius was also evaluated under laboratory conditions (26±2°C temperature and 75±5% relative humidity). Percentage repellency was concentration-depedendent, with 13.07% observed in the control being significantly (p<0.05) lower than percentage repellency observed in other treatments. Contact toxicity increased with exposure period. At 2 hours after treatment (HAT), mortality of C. maculatus was significantly higher (p<0.05) at 1.0µl/ beetle than the control. When CSO was applied at 0.5 µl/ beetle, the LT50 value was 0.59 (0.25-0.83) h. Percentage mortality of C. maculatus in bambara groundnut treated with CSO increased with concentration. The LD50 against C. maculatus was 0.14 (0.05-0.22) µl per 50 grams seeds. Application of CSO at the rate of 0.7- 1.5 µl per 50 g bambara groundnut seed gave significantly (p<0.05) higher percentage oviposition inhibition rate than what were obtained in methanol-treated and untreated controls. Percentage seed damage (4.74%) observed in 1.5 µl/ 50 g was significantly (p<0.05) lower than 15.26 and 17.66 % observed in methanol-treated and untreated control respectively. The results obtained indicate that CSO could be used to control Callosobruchus maculatus in stored bambara groundnut.

Crop-Benefit analysis was used to assess fresh fruit yield responses of two day-neutral okra varieties: NHAe 47-4 and LD 88-1-8 to nitrogen (N) fertilizer application in trials conducted over three years at Ado-Ekiti in the sub-humid agro-ecological zone of south-western Nigeria. Fruit yield increased with N application in all years and reflected in high returns at subsidized and unsubsidized fertilizer (urea) prices. Value-Cost ratio (VCR) was highest at 60 kg N.ha^-1 for the two varieties in 2007 and for NHAe 47-4 in 2008 but at 30 and 120 kg N.ha^-1 for LD 88-1-8 and NHAe 47-4, respectively in 2009. The current economic environment in 2010, characterized by higher producer prices due to nationwide inflationary pressure on food items and regime of high fertilizer prices from a deregulating market necessitated an assessment of the returns from the responses to application of subsidized and unsubsidized urea. Profitability of N application increased as VCR rose to 1.57 and 2.39 for NHAe 47-4 and LD 88-1-8 at 60 kg N.ha^-1. This 60 kg N.ha^-1 is the economic rate to recommend for fresh fruit production in sole okra.

This study was conducted to evaluation of wheat application on barley yield under drought condition at RCBD design with 3 replications. First factor included wheat (application of cytokenin and control) and second factor was drought stress (control, mild stress, sever stress). At the end of experiment some properties were studied such as height, spike length, number of seeds per spike, 1000seed weight and yield. SAS statistical software was performed for analysis and by Duncan's multiple range test used at the level of 5% for mean comparisons. Totally, results showed that drought stress had significant effect on studied traits, so severe stress led to 31, 38, 34, 37 and 60% reduction of height, spike length, number of seeds per spike, 1000seed weight and yield in compare to control, respectively. Also cytokenine led to 21, 20, 21, 22 and 40% increasing of height, spike length, number of seeds per spike, 1000seed weight and yield in compare to control, respectively

A field experiment was conducted during Kharif, 2013-14 at Main Agricultural Research Station to study the impact of intercropping on sucking pests and their natural enemies in Bt cotton. The results showed that the sucking pests were significantly lower on cotton under intercropping system than sole crop. Among the different intercrops, cotton intercropped with cowpea (1:2) was the best intercropping system which recorded less incidence of leafhopper (2.75/3 leaves), thrips (4.66/leaves) and whitefly (1.03/3 leaves) with more number of natural enemies followed by the cotton intercropped with coriander (1:2) and greengram (1:2). However, cotton + beans was significantly superior in recording the highest total yield (20.46 q/ha) followed by cotton + okra (16.86 q/ha) and cotton + cowpea (16.42 q/ha).

In order to study the effects of increasing corn plant densities on competitive ability of corn with natural weed populations in Khouzestan climate, a split plot based on randomized Complete Block design with four replications were conducted in 2011 in a field experiment station at Ramin Agricultural and Natural Resources, University of Mollasani, Ahvaz. Treatments included pure stands of corn at three densities (40000, 70000 and 100000 plants ha-1) and weed-interference period to v9 and v13 in any of plant densities (40000, 70000 and 100000 plants ha-1). The following results were observed that there was significantly difference between studied characters, grain yield, biological yield, harvest index, grain number per and row number per ear, grain number per row and 1000-grains weight among treatments. The studied characters were severely reduced by increasing the duration of weed interference after corn emergence. In addition, results showed that with corn plant increasing densities, corn plants tolerated the presence of weeds until v9 stage with approximately 6-15% in yield loss.

The need for intensive germplasm collection to broaden the genetic base of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) breeding to safeguard the vulnerability and the rate at which wild oil palm are becoming extinct as these wild oil palms are very imperative. The paper highlights oil palm accessions that were collected from the Central Region of Ghana. Thirty seven (37) accessions were collected from seven (7) locations in the Central Region. Data on stem height, bunch weight, bunch length, bunch breadth, bunch depth, stalk weight, weight of ten fruits, weight of ten nuts, mesocarp to fruit ratio, fruit length, fruit diameter, nut diameter, kernel diameter, shell thickness and other qualitative traits were examined. The mean, co-efficient of variation and range of the individual traits, were statistically analysed using standard procedures. Differences in the qualitative traits were recorded with most of the oil palm accessions having nigrescens fruits. The Tenera (T) type recorded the highest mesocarp to fruit ratio of 63.8%. These prospected germplasm accessions are being germinated and raised for future planting in the germplasm fields of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (C.S.I.R) - Oil Palm Research Institute (OPRI) to be introduced for breeding programmes.

Overview of root system may clarify some aspects of breeding crops under saline stress condition. In an experiment studied 8 genotypes of wheat (spring cultivars) consist of Quds, Shiraz, Sorkh-Tokhm, Sistani, Mahooti, Falat, Bam and Arg at 3 levels of salinity stress with six replications. The present work, conducted in green-house of Zanjan University in the process of constant condition (T=27±2 °C, L:D= 16:8, RH=60±5 %) in 2011. Variation of few root attributes such as, Shoot Dry Weight (SDW), Root Dry Weight (RDW), the Ratio of Root Dry Weight /Shoot Dry Weight (R/S), Root Area (RA), Root Volume (RV), Root Area Per Volume (RAPV), Root Density (RD), the Average of Root Diameter (ARD), Root Area Index (RAI), Special Root Area (SRA), Root Area Density (RAD), Root Volume Ratio (RVR), and Specific Root Mass (SRM) evaluated before pollination step. The results showed that Sistani and Sorkh-tokhm Genotype Showed Highest resistance in compare to other cultivars. Therefore, selection and breeding traits on wheat would be possible to find the more consequential types for further crop products.

This study was conducted to evaluation of different formulations of Betanal Progress OF herbicide on weeds control of sugar beet field. The experimental design was factorial on the basis of randomized complete block with four replications. Treatments consisted of four different formulations of the herbicide Betanal Progress F (Iranian, Spanish, German and Chinese) with four different doses (3, 4, 4.5 and 5 liters per hectare). Evaluated traits included frequency of weed and dry weight at 15 and 30 days after spraying. Result showed that German formulation and 4.5 liter per ha Betanal Progress F had highest weed control at sugar beet field.

Due to the process of deforestation and Increasing human population and growing demands for forests, afforestation and the development of forest is and will be of paramount importance. The objective of this research is to identify suitable lands for afforestation and forest development in Mehran County on the western of Iran by using multi criteria evaluation making. Site selection analysis was carried out to find the best suitable lands for forest development and afforestation in an example of promising southern Ilam province, Iran. The GIS models were developed to represent a scenario of land use suitability in the study area using GIS Multi Criteria Analysis Modeling. The factors contributed in the analysis are the Topography, Land cover, Climate, Soil, and Geology. Land suitability maps for afforestation have been extracted using weighted overlay techniques. The total resulting areas for afforestation reveal the importance of forest development in Mehran County, and the suitability of the terrain. The suitable map for afforestation shows that 35.88% of the investigated area is highly suitable, 28.64% is moderately suitable and 35.46% is lowly suitable. According to autochthonous species and adaptive exotic species and their ecological demand suggest species for afforestation in suitable places that ecological demand of the suggested species is similar to ecology specifications of this suitable land that have capability for afforestation. Several species suggested for afforestation in suitable lands such as Amygdalus arabica, Prosopis juliflora, Pistasia atlantica, Eucaliptus camaldulensis, Ziziphus spina- christi, Ziziphus numularia, and Myrtus communis.