Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 7295-2849 Vol. 8 (9), pp. 001-005, September, 2018. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Influence of water deficit and genotype on protein, oil contents and some physical characteristics of sunflower seeds

H. Oraki*, I. Alahdadi and F. Parhizkar khajani

Department of Plant and Animal Science, College of Abouraihan, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Accepted 21 June, 2019

Abstract

Water deficit stress and genotype effects on crude protein, oil content and some physical properties of sunflower seeds were investigated. The analyses indicated that, water deficit stress and varietal difference influenced the proximate composition of sunflower seeds. The seeds from Azargol and Hysun 33 cultivars were found to have the highest and lowest oil contents of 45 and 42% respectively, while the seeds from Hysun 25 and 33 cultivars had the highest and lowest protein contents of 39 and 32% respectively. In general, as the water supply decreased oil content and physical characteristics of each cultivar were negatively affected, but protein content of each cultivar was positively affected. The cultivar with the highest protein content in well-watered and water deficit stress condition (irrigation after 50 and 150 mm cumulative evaporation from class A evaporation pan, respectively) had the following mean physical properties: length of 9.68 ± 0.5 and 7.44 ± 0.6 mm, width of 6.52 ± 1.3 and 4.21 ± 0.4 mm, thickness of 4.08 ± 0.51 and 3.11 ± 0.004 mm, volume of 142.7 ± 18.6 and 52.11 ± 1.8 mm³, surface area of 105.7 ± 5.6 and 55.9 ± 1 mm ², mass of 55.7 ± 1.2 and 28.4 ± 1.3 g and moisture content of 11.4 and 9.8% (d.b). However, the cultivar with the highest oil content in well-watered and maximum water deficit stress condition had the following mean physical properties: length of 12.73 ± 0.7 and 9.37 ± 0.3 mm, width of 5.76 ± 0.33 and 2.98 ± 0.02 mm, thickness of 3.33 ± 0.4 and 2.06 ± 0.05 mm, volume of 137.69 ± 6.8 and 31.35 ± 1.5 mm³, surface area of 105.4 ± 5.2 and 42.1 ± 1.7 mm², mass of 53 ± 1.8 and 25.3 ± 0.2 g and moisture content of 9.9 and 9% (d.b).

Key words: Sunflower seed, water deficit stress, physical properties, protein content.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 7295-2849 Vol. 8 (9), pp. 001-008, September, 2018. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Effect of compost made with sludge from wastewater treatment plants on field of corn (Zea mays L.) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi density

Luna Zendejas Héctor Santos^1,2, López Wong Wenndy¹, Solís Oba Myrna¹* and Vera Andrea²

¹Research Center for Applied Biotechnology, Tlaxcala, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico.

²Center for Research in Biological Sciences, Autonomous University of Tlaxcala, Mexico.

Accepted 19 May, 2018

Abstract

In this study we evaluated four composts prepared with different proportion of sludge from two wastewater treatment plants, a soft drink and a paper industry, mixture with and without chili residues. They were tested over yield of corn and population of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Sludge was composted producing a non phytotoxic material with good physical and chemical properties. Corn cultivated with the application of the four composts grow higher than control (without compost) and in fertilized plot. Considering the corn production it was higher too in plots applied with composts 2, 3 and 4 than in control, and it was similar with those obtained in fertilized plot. There were significant differences in the number of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi spores found in samples of soil with application of compost, comparing with control and fertilized plots; application of composts improve the growth and yield. Making compost with sludge from wastewater treatment plants is an excellent way to valorize the residues, because it organic matter and minerals could be transformed into compounds that even could recover the soil fertility.

Key words: Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, compost, corn, sludge.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 7295-2849 Vol. 8 (8), pp. 001-007, August, 2018. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Bulk density, chemical composition and in vitro gas production parameters of Iranian barley grain cultivars grown at different selected climates

Einollah Abdi Ghezeljeh, Mohsen Danesh Mesgaran*, Hassan Nassiri Moghaddam and Alireza Vakili

Department of Animal Science, Excellence Center for Animal Scince, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, P. O. Box 91775-1163, Mashhad , Iran.

Accepted 10 March, 2018

Abstract

Barley grain varieties adapted to grow under different climates of Iran (16 cultivars named Bahman, Makoeei, CB-79-10, Sahand, Reyhan03, Reyhan45, Fajer, Nosrat, Valfajer, Kavir, MB-82-12, AB-23-14, Nimrooz, Jenob, Dasht and Sahra) were provided (10 samples per each cultivars). Samples were assessed for bulk density (BD), chemical composition including organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and soluble sugar. An in vitro gas production technique was also used to examine the effect of the cultivars evaluated on gas production parameters of the barley grains evaluated. Approximately, 200 mg of each sample was weighed into a 120-ml serum vial (n=4). Gas production was recorded at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, and 96 h after the incubation. Data of 24 h gas production were also used to estimate the organic matter digestibility and metabolizable energy of the cultivars. Crude protein, soluble sugar, EE, ash, NDF and ADF concentrations of the barley samples investigated was on average of 108, 35, 30, 24, 238.4 and 72 g/kg, respectively; while the difference was significant (P< 0.001) among the cultivars. Dasht had the highest crude protein (CP) and the lowest NDF; while Makooei and Sahra showed the highest NDF and BD, respectively. The average of bulk density was 679 kg/m³ (from 615 to 720); there was a negative correlation between the bulk density and ADF (r = -0.77 and P< 0.001), while the correlation between the bulk density and metabolizable energy was positive (r = 0.69 and P< 0.05). Organic matter digestibility of the samples evaluated ranged from 75 to 81% (mean= 78%) and there was a significant differences (P< 0.01) among the cultivars.

Key words: Barley grain, digestibility, metabolizable energy, gas production.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 7295-2849 Vol. 8 (8), pp. 001-007, August, 2018. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

A Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis of precision agricultural challenges

Maryam Omidi Najafabadi*, Seyed Jamal Farajollah Hosseini and Somayeh Bahramnejad

Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

Accepted 24 April, 2018

Abstract

Precision agriculture (PA) is designed to provide data to assist farmers when making site-specific management decisions. By making more informed management decisions, farmers can become more efficient, spend less and make more profit. Such benefits may lead to a sustainable agriculture. In implementation of PA, farmers encountered several challenges; therefore it is necessary to identify such challenges. A survey questionnaire was developed and mailed to a group of 40 experts in Qazvin province. The results showed that the challenges can be classified into nine latent variables namely: educational, economic, operator demographic, technical, data quality, high risk, time, institution-education and incompatibility challenges. The results suggested educational and economic challenges as the two most important challenges in the application of PA. Among the variables which build the educational challenges, lack of local experts and lack of a knowledgeable research and extension personnel provides more impact when compared to others, while lack of allocation funds to performance PA and Initial cost provides more impact in the economic challenges, among other variables.

Key words: Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis, challenges, precision agriculture (PA), sustainable agriculture, Iran.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 7295-2849 Vol. 8 (8), pp. 001-010, August, 2018. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Effects of water deficit stress on seed yield and antioxidants content in soybean (Glycine max L.) cultivars

Hassan Masoumi¹*, Farrokh Darvish¹, Jahanfar Daneshian², Ghorban Normohammadi¹ and Davood Habibi³

¹Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran.

²Department of Oilseed crops, Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, Iran.

³Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran.

Accepted 26 March, 2018

Abstract

The metabolic reasons associated with differential sensitivity of soybean cultivars to water deficit stress are not well understood. Therefore, field experiments were conducted in 2008 and 2009 to determine some agronomic traits and activity of antioxidants under different levels of irrigation. The experimental design was randomized complete block in a split plot arrangement with four replications at both years. Irrigation treatments were (S₁, 50; S₂, 100 and S₃, 150 mm evaporation from the Class "A pan" evaporation) and cultivars were (L₁₇, Clean, TMS, Williams*Chippewa and M₉). Results showed that, water deficit stress increased antioxidants content [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX)] significantly, but content of them were more at mild than high water deficit stress (S₂>S₃ >S₁). Furthermore, water deficit stress, decreased total chlorophyll content, number of pods per plant, thousand seed weight, seed yield and harvest index in all of cultivars. Among cultivars, L₁₇ and Williams*Chippewa produced the highest seed yield at the optimum condition of irrigation and both water deficit stress levels, respectively. Assessment of correlation results indicated that, there was a positive and significant correlation among SOD and seed yield in both water deficit stress levels, too.

Key words: Soybean, water deficit, antioxidant enzymes.

Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 7295-2849 Vol. 8 (7), pp. 001-005, July, 2018. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Effects of foliar micronutrient application on osmotic adjustments, grain yield and yield components in sunflower (Alstar cultivar) under water stress at three stages

Mahdi Babaeian¹*, Abolfazl Tavassoli¹, Ahmad Ghanbari², Yasser Esmaeilian¹ and Mohammad Fahimifard¹

¹Islamic Azad University, Shirvan branch, Iran.

²Departmant of Agriculture, Zabol University, Iran.

Accepted 19 April, 2018

Abstract

In order to study the effects of foliar micronutrient application under water stress, at three stages of growth, on prolinee and carbohydrate concentration, grain yield and yield components of sunflower (Alstar cultivar), a field experimental in split plot design with three replications was conducted in 2007. Alstar cultivar was comprised under water stress at three stages of growth (heading, flowering and grain filling) as main plot and seven micronutrient treatments, Fe, Zn, Mn, Fe+Zn, Fe+Mn, Zn+Mn and Fe+Zn+Mn, as sub-plots. Results showed that water stress at three stages of growth significantly decreased grain yield, biological yield, 1000 weight seeds, cap diameter and cap weight of sunflower (Alstar cultivar). The impact of water stress was more pronounced when applied at grain filling. Use of foliar micronutrient increased grain yield in water stress on the other hand, use of Mn foliar application had the highest positive effect on yield components and grain yield. Free prolinee and total soluble carbohydrate concentration were increased under water stress, at all of the three stages of growth. The highest concentration of these two components was found on the flowering stage.

Key words: Water stress, micronutrient, grain yield, osmotic adjustment, sunflower.