Agronomy

Screening of 12 blackgram genotypes against Cercospora Leaf Spot (Cercospora canescens) was carried out in RCB design with 3 replications in research plot of Mid-West Academy and Research Institute, Tulsipur, Dang during Bhadra to Mangsir, 2078 B.S. The blackgram genotypes were brought from Grain Legumes Research Program, Khajura, Banke. Disease severity was taken 3 times at 40, 47, and 54 days after sowing. Disease scoring was done as a percentage of leaf area infected on the individual plant at 7-day intervals and disease incidence, disease severity, mean AUDPC, and mean yield was calculated. Disease incidence was not significant among the tested genotypes. Disease severity at 40, 47, and 54 DAS was highly significant among the genotypes. Mean disease score and mean area under disease progressive curve (AUDPC) were also highly significant. Among the genotypes, 10 genotypes were categorized as moderately resistant and 2 genotypes (BLG 0066-1-1 and BLG 0035-1) were categorized as moderately susceptible. The highest Mean AUDPC value (324.1) was possessed by BLG 0035-1 followed by BLG 0066-1-1 (317.6). The lowest mean AUDPC value (175) was possessed by BLG 0069-1. A highly significant difference was found in yield among the black gram genotypes. The highest yield (799 kg/ha) by obtained by BLG 0068-2 followed by Rampur mas (769 kg/ha). The lowest yield (495 kg/ha) was obtained by BLG 0066-1.

Black pod disease caused by P. Palmivora and P. megakarya is an important disease affecting cacao in West Africa which produces 70% of the world output. Resistance to the pathogen is therefore, an important factor to be considered when breeding for high yielding and earliness in fruiting. Resistance to the pathogen using Leaf Disc Test (LDT) was conducted at the Plant Pathology Laboratory, Ibadan, on detached 15mm diameter discs of two-month-old leaves obtained from nineteen newly generated cacao hybrids in the gene pool of the Institute. Attached Whole Leaf Test (AWLT) was also conducted on few selected hybrids in the screen house at the same institute. Ten l zoospores suspension of P. megakarya pathogen adjusted to inoculum strength of 3x105 zoospores/ml using haemocytometer was used for the inoculation of the cacao LD. Using 0-5 disease rating scale, data was taken on the 5th and 7th day after inoculation for LDT and on the 6th day after inoculation for AWLT. Data obtained were subjected to Analysis of Variance and significant means were separated using Student Newman Kuels Test at p<0.05. The LDT classified the hybrids into five groups namely: Resistant (hybrid 001, 003 and 005); Moderately Resistant (hybrid 006, 007, 008,013,015,018 and 019) Moderately Susceptible (hybrid 004, 014 and 017); Susceptible (hybrid 002, 010, 011 and 016) and Highly Susceptible (hybrid 009 and 012). Scores from LDT significantly correlated (r= 0.92**) with that of AWLT. It was observed from the study that cacao hybrid 001, 003 and 005 showed traits of resistant and therefore, could be incorporated into the national breeding programs for the development of high-yielding and resistant cacao cultivars. The moderately resistant hybrids could be conserved for future germplasm enhancement program.

Any improvement in agricultural systems that results higher production aimed to reduce negative environmental impacts and enhance sustainability plant growth regulators (PGRs) such as gibberellin have similar physiological and biological effects to those of plant hormones, and therefore used widely in agriculture to minimize unwanted shoot growth without lowering plant productivity. An experimental field was conducted at Giza Experimental Station Egypt, on sugar beet plants (Beta vulgaris L. var. Sara poly) with some plant growth regulators (gibberellin and proline) foliar application at three rates of zero (control), 100 and 200 mg l-1 and boron sources (Boric acid and B-NPs) with 75% of macro-nutrients from full dose. The main target of this study to evaluate another plant growth regulator source like proline which is safer than gibberellin for maximizing sugar beet biological parameters to reduce the gap between sugar consumption and production in presence of boron sources. Data showed that the foliar applications of gibberellin (GA3) at rate 100 mg l-1 and proline at 200 mg l-1 were found to be the more effective without significant differences for plant growth, productivity and quality may be due to increased N use efficiency, especially at sub-optimal macro nutrient fertilizers. Regard to boron sources, B-NPs had positive effect on all biological parameters under study due to sugar transport, cell membrane synthesis, nitrogen fixation, respiration, carbohydrate metabolisms, root growth, functional characteristics and development.

Tomato (Solanum lycopoersicum L.) is often threatened by wilt disease caused by Fusarium oxysporium f.sp lycopersici. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been reported to promote plant growth and reduce disease severity. This experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of TiO2 application on incidence and severity of Fusarium wilt as well as yield indices of three susceptible tomato accessions. A 3 x 5 factorial experiment fitted into Completely Randomized Design and Randomized Complete Block Design in both the screenhouse and the field, respectively. All experiments were set up with three replications. The treatments consisted of three tomato accessions (CPTTO/19/191, CPTTO/19/193 and CPTTO/19/195) and TiO2 with four concentrations (0.3, 0.7, 1.0 and 1.3 ml/l) was applied using soil drenching. Plots without TiO2 application served as the control. In both screenhouse and the field experiments, application of 1.3 ml/l TiO2 significantly reduced the incidence and severity of Fusarium wilt with better yield of tomato fruit in the three accessions than the control plots and pots. The study concluded that application of TiO2 at 1.3 ml/l reduced incidence and severity of Fusaruim wilt of tomato and increased the yield of tomato.

Cacao (Theobroma cacao) is affected annually by Frosty Pod Rot (FPR) (Moniliopthora roreri) and Black Pod Rot (BPR) (Phytophthora sp). The loss caused by both diseases is threatening cacao production worldwide. Therefore, cacao breeding programs focus on developing new cacao clones with high productivity potential and disease resistance. However, this challenge is not easy to achieve due to the long time required for selection, the influence of environmental conditions on the severity of the disease, and the avoidance of chemical control of diseases. Therefore, genetic resistance should be the best option for selecting and releasing new cacao clones to the farmers. In this study, 40 cacao clones, 20 from CATIE and 20 from FHIA breeding programs were evaluated from 2013 to 2017. Three criteria were used to select clones: Yield, Percentage Disease Pod (PDP), and Disease and Production Index (DPI). Results indicated that depending on the cacao breeding program objectives, it is possible to use those criteria to select new cacao clones that are highly productive and resistant to diseases because cacao clones with high productivity are not always the most resistant to diseases and vice versa; however, a combination of both criteria can be used to select cacao clones with high productivity potential and resistance to FPR and BPR.

Assessment of the severity of Fusarium wilt disease in cowpea and other crops relies mainly on visual rating scales which are prone to errors, which can compromise the reproducibility of the data. Furthermore, the rating scales require considerable practical training and routine experience for reliable assessment. Two objective metrics, stem vascular discoloration length (%VDL) and number of Fusarium necrotic vessels (NFNV), for quantitative measurement of vascular damage incited by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. tracheiphilum race 4 (Fot4) of cowpea, were compared and their utility as a measure of disease severity and potential usefulness in other crop pathosystems is proposed. The metrics were tested in seven F2 populations and one F2:3 population, segregating for wilt response, and inoculated with race Fot4 at the seedling stage. %VDL and NFNV were highly correlated with plant wilting for all populations (r = 0.51 - 0.93 and 0.52 - 0.94, respectively). Furthermore, the relationships between the variables were linear in all populations (R2 = 0.81 to 0.87 and 0.71 to 0.91), indicating that they can provide accurate and reliable measurement of severity of Fusarium wilt disease. Also, %VDL and NFNV were strongly correlated (r = 0.88 - 0.97) and demonstrated a linear relationship (R2 = 0.69 - 0.94). Analysis of goodness-of-fit in two F2 populations revealed that errors in measurement of vascular discoloration length can result in higher segregation distortion when compared to enumeration of necrotic vessels. However, both metrics were highly effective in accounting for the severity of vascular damage caused by Fusarium wilt disease.

In various leguminous crops, chickpea is the fourth most important legume contributing 3.1% to the total legume production. Grains of chickpea are rich source of proteins, minerals and vitamins which makes them suitable for both food and feed. For any crop to be improved, the knowledge of genetic diversity of wild and elite cultivar is very important. Therefore among various available marker systems, molecular markers are more reliable and accurate, therefore are very commonly used for genetic diversity analysis, phylogenetic studies and cultivar identification. Due to several advantages of Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers in present study we analyzed the genetic diversity, structure, cross-species transferability and allelic richness in 50 chickpea collection using 23 ISSR markers. The observed parameters such as allele number varied from 3 to 16, and PIC varied from 0.15 to 0.4988 respectively. Further, range of allele size varied from 150 to 1600 bp which shows the significance of ISSR markers for chickpea germplasms characterization. On the basis of ISSR marker genotypic data dendrogram were constructed which divides these 50 chickpea in group I and II showing the reliability of ISSR markers. Among 50 chickpea, the accession P 74-1 is in group I and rest are in group II. Further we made mini-core collection of 15 diverse chickpea and subgrouped them. Dendrogram, PCA, Dissimilarity matrix and Bayesian model based genetic clustering of 50 chickpea germplasms revealed that P 74-1,P 1883, P 1260 very diverse chickpea accession. Characterization of these diverse chickpea would help in maintenance breeding, conservation and in future could be used to develop climate resilient elite cultivar of chickpea. Utilization of these novel ISSRs markers in diversity analysis and population structure characterization of 50 chickpea germplasm suggests their wider efficacy in superior scale for molecular breeding studies in chickpea.

Necrotic leaf spot of Curcuma longa (turmeric) limits the chief physio-biochemical activity for maintaining the plant health and productivity. In the present study, polyhouse and open field trials were conducted to estimate the pathogenicity of C. gloeosporioides on turmeric and to evaluate the foliar efficiency of propiconazole @ RD and copper oxychloride, extracts of A. indica, A. sativum and O. sanctum @ 40%, and culture filtrates of T. viride, T. harzianum and T. virens @ 4x106 cfu/ml in inducing physio-biochemical tolerance of pathogen inoculated and non-inoculated plants. In both the trials, these three agents yielded the highest efficiency to enhance the physio-biochemical traits. The induced physio-biochemical tolerance in treated turmeric plants showed variation in the elevation of plant health and immunity in response to pathogen aggressiveness or disease severity. However, phytophenol content was quite higher in infected plants than non-infected plants due to initiation of defense reaction in response of pathogenic elicitors. Thus, the present study demonstrated the novelty of physio-biochemical tolerance induction on turmeric plants by using fungicides, biocontrol agents and phytoextracts. HighlightsO_LIFoliar treatments improve desirable plant physio-biochemical traits against pathogen. C_LIO_LIPhysio-biochemical variation induces the innate plant defense system. C_LIO_LIHigh phytophenol accumulation counteracts the pathogenic stress. C_LIO_LITurmeric plants health and yield enhance by the reduction of disease intensity. C_LI

The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of two intercrop species, Canavalia ensiformis and Desmodium intortum, to reduce weed growth, herbicide use and damage by the stalk borer Chilo sacchariphagus in sugarcane cropping system in Reunion. We compared six inter-row management techniques: four treatments combined the two intercrops Canavalia ensiformis or Desmodium intortum sown either early (between 0 and 2.1 months after sugarcane emergence) or late (between 1.3 and 3.7 months after sugarcane emergence), a treatment where no weeding was carried out on the inter-row, and a treatment with chemical weeding of the inter-row (CcWp). In all treatments, the sugarcane row was weeded chemically and manually. The six treatments were compared in a multilocal randomized block design with three localities, during one or two crop cycles depending on the locality. Desmodium intortum produced poor ground coverage in half of the trial x crop cycles and was therefore found unsuitable for use as an intercrop of sugarcane in our conditions. On the opposite, Canavalia ensiformis quickly covered the inter-rows, regardless of the sowing date. The Canavalia ensiformis intercrops allowed a reduction of herbicide consumption by 63% when sown early and by 28% when sown late, compared to the CcWp control treatment. Both Canavalia ensiformis intercrops caused a reduction of weed coverage on the inter-row similar or better than the chemical control. However, the early sown Canavalia ensiformis intercrop caused a 18.6 t.ha-1 yield loss compared the chemical control. No yield loss was detected with the late sown intercrop. A significant reduction of stalk damage by a 0.8-fold factor was observed in the early sown Canavalia ensiformis treatment.

Assessment research was conducted in six Kebeles (administrative units) of Mirab azerenet and Alicho wuriro Districts of Silte Zone in 2021/21 cropping season, to assess the prevalence and damage of diseases and insect pests of apple and growers experience on pest identification and its management. A total of 60 apple growers were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Powdery mildew and apple scab were more damaging diseases of apple fruit tree in the area and they imply economic threat if not managed and also green apple aphid was the only recorded insect pest that caused leaf curling of apple fruit tree. About 71.7% of respondents were responded powdery mildew as number one disease of apple that hinders apple production. About 76.7% of producers were answered that they didnt identified insect pests that attack their apple fruit tree. Out of the total respondents 90% (for diseases) and 16.7% (for insects) responded that, winter season was primary period for occurrence of these pests in their apple orchard/nursery. Out of the respondents 61.7% and 85% (for diseases and insect pests) responded that they dont have any information about management methods. About 85% of respondents replied that, they dont prune their apple fruit tree in the optimum season and also they dont know its importance and the method. Generally, the result of current assessment revealed that, awareness of growers on crop agronomy, pest type and its infestation season, and management measures that taken so far were not encouraging. Based on the results of our survey, we recommend the following; timely awareness of apple fruit tree; agronomy, improvement and protection should be provided for growers by agricultural extension workers and other agents.

The wetting behaviour of the spray and biological efficacy of Cu2+ active ingredients in agrochemical formulations may be enhanced by tank-mix additives. We investigated how three BREAK-THRU(R) additives (BT301: biodegradable, BT133 and BT420: bio-based and biodegradable) as tank-mix with commercial copper preparations influence the spray distribution, leaf uptake and biological efficacy of copper additive mixtures against apple scab and apple powdery mildew under controlled conditions. We quantified the synergetic effects of these additives in foliar applications. In addition, we determined the phytotoxic potential and evaluated impacts on photosynthetic activity, non-photochemical quenching and ROS activity. The additives BT301 and BT420 strongly reduced surface tension and contact angle of copper treatments. The fluorescence observations revealed that BT301 achieved better spreading of copper formulation with more complete coverage of the leaf surface than BT420 and BT133, whereas "coffee-ring" spreading was observed with BT133. The additive BT301 showed an increase in relative fluorescence area, indicating higher ROS production as a signal of intra-cellular tissue activity. The photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) was not negatively influenced by copper or additive treatment. Thus, we observed no phytotoxic effects of copper-additive mixtures on apple leaves at treatment doses of 4 g Cu2+ L-1. All copper treatments reduced apple scab infestations significantly, by 53-76%. Interestingly, addition of BT301 to copper preparations showed the strongest biological efficacy (83% reduction) against V. inaequalis, whereas addition of BT420 showed the strongest effect against P. leucotricha (89% infection reduction). The synergetic effects of additives on the biological efficacy without phytotoxic effects on plants may have potential for reducing copper loads in horticultural production systems.

This study investigated the mutagenic effects of ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) on the M{square} generation in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) cultivar Wang Kae. A total of 275 M{square} seeds were treated with EMS concentrations of 20 mM, 40 mM, and 80 mM (75 seeds per treatment) by soaking for six hours, while 50 untreated seeds served as the control (0 mM). Phenological, yield-related and yield traits were recorded, and data were analysed using Jamovi 2.7.15 and JASP 0.95.4.0 through one-way ANOVA with post hoc contrast, principal component biplot, and cluster analyses. No optimal mutagenic concentration (LD50) was identified. Seed germination and seedling survival rates increased with increasing EMS concentration, ranging from 70.00% and 62.00% in the control (0 mM) to 89.33% and 74.67% at 80 mM, following the trend 0 mM < 20 mM < 40 mM < 80 mM. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed among treatments for all phenological traits, pod length, locule number, seed traits, and yield per plant. Yield was significantly higher (P = 0.047) at 20 mM (61.19 {+/-} 3.34 g) compared to the control. Contrast analysis identified genotypes B33 and D56 as the most productive mutants, with yields of 125.44 g and 111.85 g, respectively. Principal component analysis extracted eighteen components, with the first four cumulatively explaining 50.60% of total variation. Biplot analysis of PC1 and PC2 captured all phenological traits, key seed traits, and yield attributes, highlighting the superior performance of B33 and D56. Cluster analysis partitioned the 190 genotypes into six groups, with B33 and D56 constituting distinct clusters. EMS mutagenesis effectively induced heritable phenotypic variation, with putative superior genotypes identified for advancement to M{square} and evaluation in replicated multi-environment trials toward the development of farmer- and consumer-preferred cowpea varieties.

While the effects of different fertilization strategies on chili (Capsicum frutescens) cultivation have been extensively studied, the comparative assessment of mixed versus mono fertilization approaches remains still under the shadow. To address this gap, we have conducted an experiment using a completely randomized design (CRD) with five fertilization treatments along with four replications of each treatment (e.g., Leucaena leucocephala leaf litter and recommended dose of fertilizers (RFD)) to observed the effect of these treatments on plant productivity traits, NPP (net primary productivity), quality and overall yield of chili. Our results revealed that the mixed fertilization treatment (T: 100 g kg-1 L. leucocephala + [1/2] RFD) produced the highest yield (15.50 t ha-{superscript 1}), a 63.9% increase over the control. We also found that plant height (73.75 cm), number of leaves (1000.25 plant-1), number of fruits (93.00 plant-1) were higher at 60 DAT (days after transplanting) however, number of flowering (44.50 plant-1) at 45 DAT. Similarly, Above- and belowground NPP (26.47 g plant-1), vitamin C (124.65 mg 100 g-{superscript 1} ), capsaicin content (1.22 %) and SPAD chlorophyll index (48.61) were higher in T4 treatment compared to T0 treatment. Furthermore, regression results showed that ANPP and yield significantly increased with increase the number of leaves (ANPP: R{superscript 2} = 0.51, p = 0.02; Yield: R{superscript 2} = 0.34, p = 0.002) and number of flowering (ANPP: R{superscript 2} = 0.41, p = 0.014; Yield: R{superscript 2} = 0.42, p = 0.037) as well. Our results suggest that mixed fertilization enhances both productivity and quality traits in chili. Therefore, promotion of integrated (organic and inorganic together) nutrient management practices is recommended to improve yield and quality of chili.

A field experiment was showed to decide the influence of phosphorus level and transplanting date on quality parameters of onion at Adami Tulu Jedo Kombolcha Woreda, during 2017/18 season. The treatments consisted of four phosphorus levels (0, 20, 40 and 60 kg P ha-1) and three transplanting date (42, 49 and 56 days). The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with four replications. The result showed that phosphorus level and transplanting date significantly influenced bulb dry matter content, marketable bulb yield, medium size bulb yield. Among these parameters, marketable bulb yield was also significantly influenced by the interaction of phosphorus level and transplanting date. On the other hand, small size bulb yield, large size bulb yield, over size bulb yield and under size bulb yield were only influenced by the effect of phosphorus levels. In this study, fertilized 60 kg P ha-1 with transplanting at 56 days of transplanting date recorded the highest marketable bulb yield, but no significant difference was showed with that obtained at 40 kg P ha-1 with the same transplanting date. Treatment combinations of no P (control) and transplanting date at 42 days produced the lowest amounts of marketable bulb yield. The economic analysis revealed that the highest net benefit with low cost of production was obtained in response to the application of 40 kg P ha-1 and the transplanting age of 56 days. The marginal rate of return for this treatment was 11983% which is found to be economically feasible for producing bulb in the districts.

Eucalyptus is a commonly planted tree in North India and its cultivation area is increasing. Leaves of Eucalyptus are used for tea which has healing properties and many other economic uses. Silicon is the second most abundant element in the earths crust next to oxygen. Silicon (Si) can improve photosynthesis, decrease transpiration, increase water use efficiency and provide resistance against biotic and abiotic stress. The clear information was not available regarding Silicon nourishment in tree species like Eucalyptus. Although a positive in plant development and overall dry matter production was noticed in Eucalyptus with Si application. The amount of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) were inclined leaf whereas Calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) content was not affected by Si application potassium silicate (K2SiO3). Finally results revealed that upon Si application significant increase in the leaf mineral content in almost all genotypes was recorded. Correlation studies revealed that leaf N and P were highly and significantly correlated with leaf copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) content, leaf Mg and leaf Cu were positively and significantly correlated with leaf N, manganese (Mn) and Fe content, leaf Mn and Fe content were highly and significantly correlated with leaf N, Mg and Cu content. To our detailed knowledge this is the first ever study conducted in Eucalyptus. Here the influence of potassium silicate on popular North Indian cultivars leaf mineral content Nevertheless, more studies are required to analyze the effect of Si application in tree species like Eucalyptus.

Onion (Allium cepa L.) is a significant food bulb crop that can be used for medicine, diverse recipes, and income. However, downy mildew disease limits productivity and production of onion in onion growing-regions. Thus, this survey was conducted to assess the distribution and intensity of onion downy mildew and determine the associations of disease parameters with biophysical factors. During the 2024/2025 onion cropping season, 130 onion fields were surveyed in order to measure biophysical and disease data. The associations of disease parameters and biophysical factors were analyzed using the binary logistic regression model by employing the SAS GENEMODE procedure. The surveys findings verified that downy mildew was 100% prevalent. The highest disease intensity was assessed from Fogera (50.68% and 23.48%) and Libokemkem (45.16% and 21.62%) districts, respectively. High disease incidence (>40%) and severity (>20%) were strongly associated with maturity crop growth stages, field size (>0.25 ha), blub previous crop, late October transplanting, less than four times fungicide application and less than three times land preparation. Lower disease incidence ([&le;] 40%) and severity ([&le;] 20%) had a strong association with early December transplanting, more than three times land preparation, fungicide spray (>4 times), field size ([&le;] 0.25 ha), fields previously planted with cereals, could be considered as relative management options to minimize the diseases effects in onion growing areas of northwest Ethiopia and other similar onion cultivating areas. In addition, In order to develop effective management strategies, future research may examine pathogen variability.

Esca and Black Dead Arm (EBDA) are complex grapevine trunk diseases (GTD) that are major causes of mortality and production decline in French vineyards. Unravelling the different factors that determine symptom expression is crucial in mitigating the impact on growers. While cultivar, climate, age, and pruning system are known contributors, they do not fully explain the variability in EBDA occurrence. This study investigates the role of grapevine vigour as a determinant factor in EBDA expression. In 2022 and 2023, three vineyard networks were monitored, each consisting of approximately 30 vineyard plots of Grenache Noir, uniform in age. To minimize climate variation the selected vineyards were located within small geographical areas. We evaluated grapevine vigour and its primary drivers--water and nitrogen status, weed cover, production, and vegetation biomass--and correlated these factors with EBDA occurrence. Results show that current-year vigour is positively correlated with the EBDA incidence rate in all network*year scenarios. The relationship curve suggests that, while low to moderate vigour is consistently associated with reduced symptom expression, high vigour can be correlated with either high or low expression and implies the involvement of additional factors. In one instance, previous year water stress, of all tested variables, was most correlated with current year EBDA incidence, though vigour was also influential. In that case, EBDA expression seems to be maximal when water stress the year before is combined with a substantial current year spring vigour. While these results need to be confirmed over a longer period, in more regions and with other cultivars, they open new perspectives of applications for growers. They suggest a wider implication of grapevine physiology than just vigour.

Guava is a small, tropical fruit tree grown in various tropical and subtropical regions. Salicylic acid (SA) is a phenolic compound that enhances disease resistance and delays the fruit ripening process. Calcium is an essential cell component that delays ripening, particularly softening of the fruit. The effect of foliar spray of CaCl2, and SA, on the physical and biochemical traits of guava was investigated in the present investigation. The application of CaCl2 2% + SA 2mM was more effective as compared with both when applied alone. The data were recorded on fruit set (%), fruit weight (g), fruit length (cm), fruit diameter (cm), fruit yield (kg), ripening period (days), TSS, acidity, total sugar, ascorbic acid, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. CaCl2 2% + SA 2mM was showed better performance in all cases, followed by SA 2mM and CaCl2 2%. Overall, this work determines the influence on guava's essential traits by pre-harvest calcium chloride and salicylic acid.

There is a research gap related to the combined effects of compost produced from coffee husks and inorganic nitrogen fertilizer (urea). The objective of this study was to evaluate the yield and yield components of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under the integrated application of compost and nitrogen fertilizer (urea). A pot experiment was conducted in a lath house to determine the effects of the integrated use of compost produced from coffee husks and nitrogen fertilizer (urea) on the yield and yield components of wheat. The experiment consisted of nine treatments: T1, control (untreated); T2, 5 t ha-1 (8.12 g pot-1) compost; T3, 10 t ha-1 (16.24 g pot-1) compost; T4, 0 t ha-1 compost + 50 kg ha-1 nitrogen fertilizer (NF) (0.09 g pot-1); T5, 5 t ha-1 compost + 50 kg ha-1 NF; T6, 10 t ha-1 compost + 50 kg ha-1 NF; T7, 0 t ha-1 compost + 100 kg ha-1 (0.18 g pot-1) NF; T8, 5 t ha-1 compost + 100 kg ha-1 NF; and T9, 10 t ha-1 compost + 100 kg ha-1 NF. The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. The compost was prepared from coffee husks and applied in wet conditions. The findings showed that the addition of compost had little effect on wheat yield and yield components in the absence of nitrogen fertilizer (urea). However, the application of the highest amount of nitrogen fertilizer (urea), which is equivalent to the recommended field rate (100 kg ha-1) (equivalent to 0.18 g pot-1), and compost (5 t ha-1) (equivalent to 8.12 g pot-1) led to a significant (P[&le;]0.05) increase in grain yield. Under this treatment, the grain yield was 26 g pot-1 (equivalent to 14.741 t ha-1) which is a 66.29% increase compared with the control (8.9 g pot-1 (4.969 t ha-1)); in the treatment in which only the recommended amount of nitrogen fertilizer was used (21.98 g pot-1 (12.273 t ha-1)) grain yield increased by 16.74%. Spike length and dry matter yield also significantly (P[&le;]0.05) increased with the application of integrated compost and nitrogen fertilizer (urea). The results of this experiment revealed that compost-based soil management strategies can enhance wheat production, thereby contributing positively to the viability and benefits of agricultural production systems. However, nutrient-compost interactions should receive special attention due to the great variability in the properties of compost, which may depend on the type of organic materials used.

1BL/1RS translocation is widely used around the world to enhance wheat yield potential, resistance to various diseases, and adaptation. However, the translocation is combined with inherent quality problems associated with reduced dough strength and dough stickiness due to the presence of Sec-1 on proximal end and absence of GluB3/GliB1 on distal end. Two NILs, one carrying the distal (1RSRW) and the other carrying the proximal (1RSWR) fragment from 1BS, in background of Pavon were used for transferring these two loci in yellow rust resistant version of two elite wheat varieties PBW550+Yr5 and DBW17+Yr5. Foreground and background marker assisted selection was done for the Sec-1- and GluB3+ alongwith Lr26/Yr9/Sr31, Pm8 and 1RS loci in the advancing generation. BC2F5:6 NILs with absence of Secalin and presence of GluB3/GliB1 loci were evaluated for two years in replicated yield trial. A positive correlation of thousand grain weight (TGW), harvest index (HI), and tiller number per meter (TNpM) with yield (YD) with significant GxE effect was observed. Further multivariate analysis of these traits contributed maximum to the effective yield. Thirty promising NILs were identified with Sec-1-/GluB3+ alongwith with high yield contributing parameters.