Plant vibration of american pepper cultivars for fruit production in protected environment with and without closed sides

The aim of this research was to evaluate plant vibration for fruit and seed production of american pepper in greenhouse with open and closed sides. The experiment was carried out at Fazenda Experimental da Unesp/FCA located in the municipality of São Manuel-SP. Six treatments were carried out, in a split plot design, two plots with plant vibration or without plant vibration and three subplots with cultivars ('Dirce', 'Dínamo' and 'Doce Comprida'). Plants were vibrated by shaking the wire where the stake was fixed, manually, for about 5 seconds, twice a day. Randomized block design with three replications were used. The same experiment was performed in two environments: with and without closed sides with screen. The traits evaluated were: mass of fruit and total and marketable number of fruits (no visible defects) per plant; percentage of marketable fruit; mass, diameter and length of the fruit; mass and number of seeds per fruit; and plant height. The fruit production was higher in the environment with sides closed, with 24 marketable fruits per plant whereas in the open environment, 7 marketable fruits. American pepper plant vibration did not affect production, length, diameter and average mass of the fruits. Exceptionally for the cultivar 'Doce Comprida', a higher seed production per fruit was obtained in open environment in the absence of plant vibration, in comparison to close environment, with average of 259 and 126 seeds per fruit, respectively. American pepper plant vibration did not affect production, length, diameter and average mass of marketable fruit

Germination profiling of lentil genotypes subjected to salinity stress

Salinity is one of the most severe environmental stresses, negatively affecting productivity of salt-sensitive crop species. Given that germination is the most critical phase in the plant life cycle, the present study aimed to determine seed germination potential and associated traits under salt stress conditions as a simple approach to identify salt-tolerant lentil genotypes. The genetic material consisted of six lentil genotypes whose adaptation to various agroclimatic conditions is not well elucidated. Salinity stress was applied by addition of NaCl at three different levels of stress, while non-stressed plants were included as controls. Evaluation of tolerance was performed on the basis of germination percentage, seed water absorbance, root and shoot length, seedling water content, seedling vigour index and number of seedlings with an abnormal phenotype. Overall, our findings revealed that salinity stress substantially affects all traits associated with germination and early seedling growth, with the effect of salinity being dependent on the level of stress applied. It is noteworthy, however, that genotypes responded differently to the varying salinity levels. In this context, Samos proved the most salt-tolerant genotype, indicating its possible use for cultivation under stress conditions. In conclusion, the determination of seed germination and early growth potential may be exploited as an efficient strategy to reveal genetic variation in lentil germplasm of unknown tolerance to salinity stress. This approach allows selection of desirable genotypes at early growth stages, thus enabling more efficient application of various breeding methods to achieve stress-tolerant lentil genotypes. © 2018 German Society for Plant Sciences and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherland

Effect of storage conditions on seed quality of soybean (Glycine max L.) germplasm

Soybean is one of the most important oil seed crops. However, soybean seed is structurally weak and inherently short-lived, making the crop vulnerable to long period storage. Thus, it is crucial to study the effect of storage conditions on the quality of soybean seeds (Glycine max L.). The genetic material consisted of 10 soybean varieties, whose seeds were stored under both cooling (refrigerator) and room temperature conditions and were subsequently subjected to germination test, electric conductivity test and estimation of free fatty acids percentage. In order to determinethe long-term effects of storage on seed quality, all genotypes were subjected to accelerated ageing at 40°C up to 48 days and viability equation was used to determine the Ki value. Overall findings revealed the significant effect of storage conditions on seed quality and, at the same time, underlined the beneficial effect of storage under cooling conditions, which is expressed as higher germination percentage, reduced electric conductivity and free fatty acids percentage and improved storage longevity. Further, our data provide conclusive evidence for the qualitative superiority of the varieties Adonai, Celina and Neoplanta, especially upon storage under cooling conditions, as they were characterized by higher germination percentage and improved tolerance to storage (storage potential) © 2022. the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Effect of foliar application of micronutrients on plant growth and seed germination of four okra cultivars

In the present study, the effect of foliar application of micronutrient fertilizers on okra plants was examined. Four okra cultivars ('Boyiatiou', 'Veloudo', 'Clemson' and 'Pylaias') were sprayed weekly throughout the duration of the cultivation with two commercial micronutrient fertilizers (F1 and F2) [e.g. M1= control (0 ml); M2= 40 ml (20 ml of each fertilizer); M3 = 80 ml (40 ml of each fertilizer). From the results of the present study, it was observed that plant height of 'Boyiatiou' and 'Pylaias' was increased by application of M2 whereas plant height of 'Clemson' and 'Veloudo' was either unaffected or reduced. Flower induction increased at both micronutrient levels (M2 and M3) only in 'Pylaias'. Pod set was higher in treatment M3 in 'Veloudo' and 'Pylaias' and resulted in higher seed yield. Pod length and diameter were not affected by micronutrient application, as well as 100-seed mean weight and moisture content; however the number of seeds per pod in 'Pylaias' was significantly lower in M2 and M3 than in M1, whereas the percent seed germination of all cultivars was higher following micronutrient application. Germination differed between the control and the micronutrient treatments at all times of harvest and plant parts. In conclusion, the main value of foliar application of micronutrients was to increase germination percentage and reduce hardseedness, especially for cv. 'Veloudo', since the occurrence of hard seeds in susceptible cultivars reduces germination, and therefore seed quality. In some cultivars ('Pylaias' and 'Veloudo' here) micronutrients may also increase seed yield by increasing pod set

Nitrogen application and sowing date affect okra pod and seed characteristics

The effect of nitrogen (N) application rate and sowing date on seed quality and pod production of four cultivars of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) were examined. Seeds of four okra cultivars (cv. ‘Boyatiou’, ‘Veloudo’, ‘Clemson’, and ‘Pylaias’) were sown on 13 May (1st sowing) and 2 June (2nd sowing). Plants were subjected to three N levels: F1, F2, and F3 (150, 300, and 450 mg N L−1). The 2nd sowing improved flower induction and pod set, without however affecting pod size. The number of seeds per pod was not affected by sowing time, but the mean 100 seed weight was generally lower in the 2nd sowing. In all cultivars, except cv. ‘Veloudo’ germination increased in the 2nd sowing mainly as a result of lower seed hardness. Germination was also improved by increasing N levels, or by seed storage, acid scarification, or seed priming. © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Effect of nitrogen application on seed yield, pod and seed characteristics of okra

Four okra cultivars [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] were cultivated for two growing periods at nitrogen (N) application rates of 150, 300 and 450 mg N L−1. There was no effect of N on pod size (length and diameter) or on the number of seeds per pod and seed size (mean 1000 seed weight), all these characteristics of which related to the genotype. High N application (450 mg N L−1), increased the seed yield of the cultivar with the lowest flower induction (Boyiatiou), but only in experiment 2. In Veloudo, seed yield was highest at 300 mg N L−1, whereas in Pylaias and Clemson 450 mg N L−1 reduced seed yield. In all cultivars, seeds produced at an N rate of 450 mg N L−1 exhibited a significantly higher percent germination N, possibly by reducing the incidence of seed hardness. © 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC