Evaluation of Different Land Preparation Techniques for Preparing Medium Textured Soil in Rice Production under Agro-Ecological Conditions of Sheikhupura-Pakistan

Tillage is an important factor affecting different soil properties and crop yields. Tillage relates to applying forces to soil using different implements for preparation of a proper seed bed. For rice crop, land preparation is a rigorous and time consuming operation that needs special attention for preparing a puddled soil condition to transplant the weak and tender rice seedlings. A field experiment was established under agro-ecological conditions of Sheikhupura to evaluate different land preparation techniques during fall in 2017 and 2018 years. The experiment was performed at Adaptive Research Farm Sheikhupura. It was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four different land preparation techniques including T1= Cultivator (4 times) + Planking (2 times) (Farmer’s Practice), T2=MB plough (1 time) + Disc Harrow (1 time) + Planking (2 Times), T3=MB plough (1 time) + Cultivator (2 times) + Planking (2 Times) and T4= Rotavator (1 time) + Disc Harrow (1 time) + Planking (2 Times), each treatment replicated thrice during both the years. All the other agronomic and crop husbandry operations were kept uniform throughout the growing season every year. The results revealed that preparing land with MB plough (1 time), Disc Harrow (1 time) and Planking (2 times) is the best land preparation method can increase the paddy yield 13.5-17.5% as compared to the traditional method practised by the farmers. Moreover, highest plant height (134.00 cm and 132.00 cm), number of tillers (224 and 220 m-2), number of grains per spike (130 and 116) and 1000-grain weight (23.0 and 22.0 g) respectively during Kharif-18 and Kharif-19 was also recorded in the same treatment. So, preparation of land for paddy in agro-ecological conditions of Sheikhupura using MB plough (1 time), Disc Harrow (1 time) and Planking (2 times) can significantly enhance the paddy yield.

Adaptive potential of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) varieties of Azerbaijan

Background. Studies into the adaptability of the genetic diversity of cultivated plants and their wild relatives to various environments are induced by global climate change. Introduction of adaptive wheat cultivars resistant to environmental stressors is the basis for stable harvests. This article presents the results of a research into the adaptive value of indigenous durum wheat varieties and improved cultivars released in different years in Azerbaijan.Materials and methods. The experiments were carried out in the foothills of Mountainous Shirvan under unsecured non-irrigation at Gobustan Experiment Station of the Research Institute of Crop Husbandry. In 2012–2014, contrasting in weather conditions, levels and structure of yield were analyzed. VIR’s guidelines were used to study 42 durum wheat varie ties, including 10 landraces. The years of study differed sharply in rainfall. Selyaninov’s hydrothermal coefficient was used to assess the conditions of growing seasons.Results. Mostly modern cultivars of the semi-intensive type were distinguished for a set of agrobiological traits. Adaptability coefficients (0.81–1.23) showed that the response of the studied varieties to unfavorable conditions was highly expressed. Indigenous landraces ‘Ag bughda’ and ‘Bozak’, old breeding varieties ‘Arandani’, ‘Ag bughda 13’, ‘Kahraba’ and ‘Mirbashir 50’, and new cultivars ‘Karagilchig 2’ and ‘Barakatli 95’ had the highest adaptability coefficients. The first of them demonstrated stable yield, and the latter two were also resistant to stressors.Conclusion. Durum wheat yields under the conditions of moderately continental climate in Mountainous Shirvan depended on the number and weight of grains per ear. The varieties identified for the best adaptability are recommended to be included in crosses to develop new plastic cultivars of durum wheat.

Chili

Chili is a unique and popular spice in the majority of the countries of the world and is well known for its hot, pungent flavor. Capsaicin is the bio-active compound that binds to pain receptors and causes an intense burning sensation. Capsanthin, a powerful antioxidant, is responsible for the red color of ripe fruits. Chili has its origin in Central America extending further south. This crop is of high commercial importance and huge genetic diversity exists. A systematic description of the crop with respect to its origin, distribution, botanical description, standard crop husbandry, and protection cum management of biotic stresses is given.

Information needs and barriers of rural smallholder farmers in developing countries

The purpose of the study was to investigate the information needs and barriers of rural smallholder farmers in Mzimba North in Malawi. A mixed methods approach was adopted for the study and the Wilson’s Model of Information Behaviour (1996) guided the study. A questionnaire and focus group discussion guide were used to collect data from 202 rural smallholder farmers. The study found that the major information need of rural smallholder farmers was crop husbandry as revealed by the majority of rural smallholder farmers 149 (77.6). The study found that majority of rural smallholder farmers 180 (94.8%) were aware of information sources. The study also found that the predominant information sources consulted by rural smallholder farmers were personal experiences as indicated by the majority of rural smallholder farmers 185 (96%). The major challenge faced by rural smallholder farmers was lack of mobility as revealed by the majority of rural smallholder farmers 147 (76.6). The study recommends that the Department of Agriculture Extension Services (DAES) should empower the social structures such as families in rural settings with agricultural information.

Agronōmics: transforming crop science through digital technologies

Good progress in crop husbandry and science requires that impacts of field-scale interventions can be measured, analysed and interpreted easily and with confidence. The term ‘agronōmics’ describes the arena for research created by field-scale digital technologies where these technologies can enable effective commercially relevant experimentation. Ongoing trials with ‘precision-farm research networks’, along with new statistical methods (and associated software), show that robust conclusions can be drawn from digital field-scale comparisons, but they also show significant scope for improvement in the validity, accuracy and precision of digital measurements, especially those determining crop yields.

Harvest time: crop-reaping technologies and the Neolithisation of the Central Mediterranean

Neolithic societies were defined by the development of agricultural economies not only because part of their diet was obtained from cultivated plants, but also because crop-husbandry practices strongly affected people's lifestyles in a variety of ways. It is therefore unsurprising that the development and diffusion of agriculture can be studied from diverse perspectives and with different approaches, by analysing, for example, the macro- and micro-botanical remains of fruits and grains for morphometric and taxonomic variation (Colledge & Conolly 2007) and genetic history (Mascher et al.2016). Conversely, agriculture can be indirectly assessed through its impact on the environment and subsequent landscape modifications (Zanchetta et al.2013; Mercuri 2014). Yet another approach explores crop-husbandry practices as reflected in changing technology. New agricultural tasks required the adaptation of existing technologies and the adoption of new tools and practices, including querns, millstones and other grain-grinding equipment, as well as artefacts and structures for grain storage, cooking and processing.