Asian Journal of Research in Crop Science

Biochar Influence on Zucchini Growth and Flowering in a Coastal Agroecosystem

Md. Touhidul Islam Sourav — 2025-09-19

Biochar, a carbon-rich byproduct of biomass pyrolysis, has emerged as a sustainable soil amendment capable of improving soil health and plant productivity under stress-prone conditions. This study investigates the impact of wood-derived biochar on the growth and reproductive performance of zucchini (Cucurbita pepo). The field experiment was conducted at the research field of the Department of Agriculture, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh (22.82°N latitude and 91.10°E longitude). The site belongs to the Young Meghna Estuarine Floodplain (Agro-ecological Zone 18). Five different biochar treatments (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 tons/ha) were used in a randomized complete block design in Noakhali, Bangladesh. Key growth parameters including leaf number, petiole length, stem length, and biomass, along with reproductive traits such as male and female flower counts, were measured at 35 and 60 days after sowing. Results showed that higher biochar applications, particularly 8 tons/ha (T₅), significantly enhanced all measured traits. Eight tons/ha of biochar application resulted in the highest leaf and stem dimensions, flower production, and leaf dry weight. These improvements are attributed to biochar’s ability to enhance soil structure and nutrient availability, along with its capacity to improve water retention. The study concludes that biochar application is an effective strategy for improving zucchini productivity in saline coastal soils, offering a sustainable solution for vegetable cultivation in stress-prone agroecosystems.

Yield Estimation of Paddy in Bhandara District, Maharashtra, India, Using a Semi-Physical Remote Sensing Approach

Gargi Gaydhane — 2025-10-04

Accurate and early estimation of crop yield is essential for food security planning, market regulation, and sustainable resource management. This study applies a semi-physical remote sensing approach to estimate paddy yield in Bhandara District, Maharashtra, India, for the 2018-2022 kharif seasons. Satellite-derived Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), Fraction of Absorbed PAR (fAPAR), Radiation Use Efficiency (RUE), temperature stress, and water stress were integrated into a Net Primary Productivity (NPP) model to generate spatially explicit yield maps. A paddy crop mask was prepared from Sentinel-2 data, while MODIS and INSAT-3D products provided biophysical inputs. Grain yield was obtained by applying a harvest index to NPP estimates. Validation against five-year crop-cutting statistics showed an overall mean deviation of -1%, indicating close agreement between remote sensing estimates and official records. The results confirm that combining simplified process-based modeling with satellite data can provide reliable and timely yield forecasts over heterogeneous agricultural landscapes. This methodology supports decision-making for farmers, planners, and policymakers, and offers potential for operational yield monitoring in other rice-growing regions.

Growth Analysis and Yield of Twelve Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Genotypes in Myanmar

Tin Zar Phyu — 2025-10-10

Groundnut productivity in Myanmar is often limited by fluctuations in seasonal conditions. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate and identify genotypes that perform well under variable environments. Two field experiments were conducted at the Oilseed Crops Research Section, Department of Agricultural Research (DAR), Yezin, Myanmar, during the post-monsoon season (October, 2023 to January, 2024) and the monsoon season (May to September, 2024). Twelve groundnut genotypes were evaluated using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. This research aimed to evaluate the growth performance of twelve groundnut genotypes and to study the relationship between yield and some agronomic characters. Results revealed that significant differences in all growth parameters and yield were observed among the tested genotypes in both seasons indicating genetic variation existing among the tested genotypes. ICGV-07406 and ICGV-07286 consistently produced the highest pod yield across both seasons. ICGV-07406 and ICGV-07286 recorded 15–20% higher pod yield than the trial mean. ICGV-07406 was characterized by a greater number of branches per plant, higher number of mature pods, larger 100-seed weight, higher shelling percentage, and superior growth parameters such as total dry matter (TDM), crop growth rate (CGR), leaf area index (LAI) and harvest index. Meanwhile, ICGV-07286 showed higher values for 100-seed weight, shelling percentage, net assimilation rate (NAR), relative growth rate (RGR), and harvest index (HI). Greater yield of Sinpadatha-12 in monsoon season was attributed to its maximum harvest index. Most growth parameters were positively correlated, each contributing to groundnut pod yield with varying degrees. Pod yield of groundnut was strongly correlated with TDM in the post-monsoon season, while it was more closely associated with HI during the monsoon season. It highlights the need for seasonal specific management practices, varietal choice, and breeding strategies to maximize productivity.

Effective Biopesticides Analysis for Blast Disease of Rice in Ranchi District of Jharkhand State, India

Munmun Mitra — 2025-10-22

Blast disease in Rice was first reported in China in1637, in India it was first reported in 1918 Pyricularia oryzae, a fungus of Ascomycota release septate pear form conidia attack host’s leaves, node, internode area. In 1919-1920 Japan was affected by blast of rice create 40-90% yield losses, Rice blast disease was outbreak,1943 at the time of second world war in Bengal, Bangladesh, 800,000-3.8 million people died due to starvation, malaria, malnutrition known as Bengal Famine.1980-1990 Brazil was suffering continuously from rice blast, causes 100% crop loss in humid wet condition.In past 2021-2022 blast of rice disease incidence(DI) increase by 17.13 in Malda district of West Bengal. Chemical pesticide Carbendazim (0.2%) then Propiconazole (0.1%) application reduced blast DI 3.12%. Lots of Blast disease resistance varieties were developed, like Phalguna (CR Dhan 801) from ICAR-NRRI of Cuttack, Odisha in 2011. Swarna Mukhi, Jaya, Kotha, Apoorva by the Agricultural Research Station (ARS), Maruteru, Andhra Pradesh. IR-36, IR-64 were released from IRRI, CO-50 from Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, ADT-36 and ADT-37 selected from Aduthurai Rice Research Station in Tamil Nadu many more but problems were not solved completely. NRRI demonstrated an effective botanical plant extraction made up of leaves of Aegle marmelos (Bael) and Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi) against rice blast. In this experiment, Invasive Plants were chosen as biopesticides for their high quality of resistance capacity against any pathogen. Lantana camera, Ipomoea carnea, and Parthenium heterosporous were collected and used for their extraction as biopesticide tagging with T1-Lantana camera extract, T2-Ipomoea carnea extract, T3 for the extraction of Parthenium heterosporous and T4 used mixture of all. Chemical Pesticide (T5), Only Infection (T6) and Control (T7) were used for comparison purposes. All over the experimental plot T2 Ipomoea extracted solution worked very effectively as compared to others, T1, T3, T4, and T5 were more or less similar impact against Blast disease.

Effects of Different Water Management Practices on the Growth and Yield of Binadhan5 and BRRI dhan28 Rice

Islam, Z. — 2025-10-22

Water control systems significantly influence Rice growth and yield, with water-saving strategies, such as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) and controlled irrigation often increasing water productivity and grain yield related to continual flooding, while deep flooding can inhibit growth. The research gap is the lack of specific studies on how modern water management practices like AWD affect the growth and yield of locally important varieties like Binadhan5 and BRRI dhan28. The policy implications suggest that farmers can achieve higher water productivity and water savings by adopting these water-saving methods, leading to more sustainable rice production without compromising yield, particularly in drought-prone or water-scarce areas. A field study was carried out at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) to investigate the impacts of various water control systems on the development and yield of 2 Boro rice varieties Binadhan5 as well as BRRI dhan28. The research was conducted in split-plot design with water management practices in the main plot and rice cultivars in the sub-plot. The water control procedures were as follows: (I₁) alternate wetting and drying of the field, indicating the usage of 5 cm irrigation water when the water surface in the pierced PVC pipe decreased 15 cm beneath earth surface, (I₂) irrigation after 5 days of saturation, and (I₃) continuous flooded condition. The maximum grain yield of rice was obtained from the cultivar Binadhan5 followed by BRRI dhan28. Among the different water management practices, alternate wetting and drying (I₁) documented the maximum grain yield of rice followed by irrigation after 5 days of saturation (I₂) and continuous flooded condition (I₃). The resulting impact has proven that excellent water control measures, as well as the adoption of appropriate varieties, assist to increase yield every droplet of water utilized and can quadruple growers' revenue.

Effects of Cotton Oil Cake with Recommended Fertilizer Dose on Nutrient Uptake, Yield Contributing Characters, and Yield of BRRI dhan29 Rice

Mondal, M. M. — 2025-10-25

Nowadays, organic manures are traditionally used as a fertilizer for farming to get high quality at low cost. Similarly, cotton oilcake is a superior organic manure that has been boosted with vital nutrients. A research was conducted at the Soil Science Field Laboratory of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh throughout Boro season of 2024 to study the effects of cotton oil cake with recommended fertilizer dose on rice. The research was set up using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 3 replicates. There were seven treatments such as T1: Control, T2: Recommended Fertilizer Dose (RFD), T3: 90% of RFD + 10% of Cotton Oil Cake (COC), T4: 80% of RFD + 20% of COC, T5: 70% of RFD + 30% of COC, T6: 60% of RFD + 40% of COC and T7: 50% of RFD + 50% of COC. The grain, straw, and biological yield of BRRI dhan29 were all substantially impacted by the various treatments. The maximum grain yield of 5.21 t ha^–1was recorded for the treatment T2 which was statistically identical to those recorded for the treatments T5 (5.10 t ha^–1), T6 (5.13 t ha^–1), and T7 (5.18 t ha^–1). The maximal features of nutrient concentration in grain and straw, as well as absorption by grain, straw, and overall were likewise greater for treatment T2, whereas T5 produced substantially equivalent findings. Plant length, active tillers hill^–1, panicle length, filled grains panicle^–1, unfilled grains panicle^-1 and 1000-grain weight were also greater for the treatment T2. Grain yield enhanced with raising nutrient absorption through BRRI dhan29. The implementation of treatment T5 suggestively influenced the yield contributing characters, nutrient content and nutrient absorption through grain and straw of BRRI dhan29 but remained statistically similar to that of the results revealed due to the treatment T2. The findings discovered obviously showed that in order to enhance the crop yield and maintain soil good health, treatments T5 may be practiced instead of treatments T2. Consequently, bearing in mind the importance of organic manures and sustain soil good health, cotton oilcake should be regarded for implementation in combination with chemical fertilizers for yield enlargement of rice.

Optimizing Sowing Time and Spacing for Enhanced Seed Yield and Component Traits in BJRI Deshi Pat Shak 1 (Corchorus capsularis L.) (BJC-390)

Mubasshir Ahmed — 2025-11-06

A field study was carried out during the 2024–2025 season at two experimental sites the Jute Agriculture Experimental Station in Manikganj and the Jute Research Regional Station in Rangpur to assess how different sowing dates and plant spacings influence the seed yield and yield-related traits of BJRI Deshi Pat Shak-1 (BJC-390). The treatments comprised three sowing dates (1st August, 11th August and 22nd August) and three spacing levels (30 cm × 20 cm, 35 cm × 20 cm, and 40 cm × 20 cm), arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Results revealed that 11th August sowing at 30 cm × 20 cm spacing produced the highest seed yield (630 kg ha⁻¹) at Rangpur, associated with the highest pod and seed numbers per plant. In contrast, the lowest seed yield (400 kg ha⁻¹) was observed in the 22nd August sowing with 40 cm × 20 cm spacing. In Manikganj, spacing and sowing dates had less pronounced effects on yield, although wider spacing (40 cm × 20 cm) combined with early sowing showed relatively higher productivity. The findings suggest that mid-August sowing combined with closer spacing is optimal for maximizing seed yield of BJRI Deshi Pat Shak-1, particularly in Rangpur agroecological conditions.

Correlation Dynamics among Yield, Growth, and Yield Characters of Chilli Pepper (Capsicum annum L.) Varieties as Affected by Plant Population Density and Seedling Age in Zuru, Kebbi State, Nigeria

Sanda, H. Y. — 2025-11-24

The experiments were conducted to examined the correlation among growth and yield components of chilli pepper (Capsicum annum L.) as influenced by plant population density and seedlings age over three consecutive rainy seasons (2022, 2023, and 2024) in Zuru, Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria. The objective was to investigate the correlation among growth traits, yield components, and fruit yield of chilli pepper under different planting densities and seedling ages. The treatments consist of three population density (100,000 pha^-1(50cm X 20cm), 50,000 pha^-1 (50cm X 40cm) and 33,334 pha^-1(50cm X 60cm)), four seedling age (20days, 30days, 40days and 50days) and three varieties of chilli pepper (Demon F1, MIHP-1041 and Local Cultivar). Factorial combinations of plant population density and seedlings age were allocated to the main-plots while varieties were assigned to the sub-plots in a split plot design, replicated three times. The size of each sub-plot was 3 x 3 m (9m²) and the net plot measured 4m². Pearson’s correlation coefficients were computed among twelve agronomic traits, including fresh fruit yield, plant height, leaves per plant, branches per plant, leaf area index, shoot dry weight, crop growth rate, number of fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit weight, and number of seeds per fruit. Results revealed significant positive correlations between fresh fruit yield and several growth and yield parameters across the three seasons. The strongest and most consistent correlations were observed between yield and number of fruits per plant (r = 0.814–0.800**), mean fruit weight (r = 0.935–0.932**), shoot dry weight (r = 0.751–0.761**), and branches per plant (r = 0.719–0.707**). Variations in correlation magnitudes across years were attributed to climatic fluctuations and density–age interactions. These findings indicate that mean fruit weight, number of fruits per plant, shoot biomass, and branching can serve as reliable selection indices for improving chilli yield under the Northern Guinea Savanna conditions.

Assessment of Wheat Genotypes for Drought Tolerance Using PEG 6000

Nagwa E. Shalaby — 2025-11-26

Drought is a major environmental constraint affecting wheat productivity, especially under the arid and semi-arid conditions of Egypt. To identify drought-tolerant genotypes, a laboratory experiment was conducted at the Seed Technology Research Department, Sakha Agricultural Research Station, during the 2025 season. The experiment consisted of 16 wheat genotypes. Theses genotypes were subjected to different osmotic potentials (0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 %) induced by Poly Ethylene Glycole (PEG) 6000. The experiment was arranged factorially in completely randomized design with three replications. Germination percentage, germination speed, shoot length, root length, seedling dry weight, seedling vigor index and seedling growth rate were observed. Data were collected and analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Results showed that all studied traits were delayed with the increment of water stress induced by Polyethylene glycol (PEG). Also, the degree of reduction of these traits with the increment of water stress was not similar for all wheat genotypes. At different levels of water stress, genotypes (Gemmiza12, Line2, Line8, Line4 and Sakha95) showed more stress tolerance and (Shandaweel1, Misr2, Misr1, Line4 and Misr3) showed greater stress sensitivity than the others. This study recommended use genotypes (Gemmiza12, Line2 Line8, Line4 and Sakha95) to develop bread wheat genotypes in breeding programs. These results highlight promising genotypes for use in breeding programs aimed at enhancing drought tolerance in wheat.

Characterization of Colletotrichum Isolates: Causal Agents of Postharvest Anthracnose Disease of Avocado cv. Hass in Myanmar

Moe Moe Zaw — 2025-11-28

Postharvest losses associated with anthracnose disease of avocado fruit have been studied in all avocado-growing countries in the world. In Myanmar, anthracnose is one of the most significant post-harvest diseases affecting avocado fruits; however, the causal agent of this disease remains unidentified. This study aimed to determine the fungal pathogen that causes anthracnose disease in the avocado cv. Hass through pathogenicity test, morphological characterization, and molecular identification in Myanmar. Avocado fruits showing typical symptoms of anthracnose disease were collected from three commercial avocado orchards, Taunggyi, He Hoe in Southern Shan State, and Pyin Oo Lwin in Mandalay Region in Myanmar. Three Colletotrichum isolates were obtained, namely TG, POL, and HH. In the pathogenicity test, all isolates were pathogenic. The TG Colletotrichum isolate showed the most virulent pathogenicity, indicated by the largest lesion diameter (4.06±0.15 cm among all isolates (2.35±0.19 and 2.25±0.18 cm for POL and HH, respectively). Based on the cultural characterization, these three isolates were morphologically identified as Colletotrichum spp. They were primarily whitish to greyish in color, with a white-to-black circular zone on the reverse side and a cottony, fluffy texture on the upper side. The shape of conidia was cylindrical and straight with rounded ends. The mycelial growth rate of the TG isolate is 11.92±0.32 mmday^-1 and significantly different from other isolates, POL and HH (9.83±0.24,10.60±0.24mmday^-1) respectively. In the molecular identification, all isolates were identified as C. gloeosporioides using ITS4, species-specific primers CgInt for C.gloeosporioides and CaInt for C. acutatum. This study investigated that this is the first report of C.gloeosporioides causing postharvest anthracnose disease in avocado cv. Hass in Myanmar.

Morpho-physiological Responses of Rice Genotypes to Iron Toxicity during Germination and Early Seedling Growth

Udo, I. O — 2025-12-08

Iron toxicity is a major abiotic stress that significantly limits rice production in lowland ecosystems. The early germination stage is highly vulnerable to this stress, making it a critical phase for screening tolerant genotypes. This study aimed to identify iron-tolerant rice genotypes through morpho-physiological assessment during germination and early seedling growth. Twelve rice genotypes were evaluated under controlled iron stress conditions (0, 300, 450, and 600 mg/L Fe²⁺). The experimental design was a completely randomized design with four replications. Morpho-physiological parameters, including final germination percentage, plumule length, radicle length, and seedling vigour index, were measured following standard protocols. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, and mean separation was done with Tukey's HSD test at P ≤ 0.05. The results revealed significant (P < 0.01) genotypic variation in response to iron toxicity. Iron stress caused dose-dependent suppression of all growth parameters, with the most severe inhibition observed at 600 mg/L Fe. The genotypes FARO 52 and FARO 50 demonstrated exceptional tolerance, maintaining the highest values for final germination percentage (85 % and 83 %), plumule length (5.27 cm and 5.12 cm), radicle length (4.62 cm and 5.02 cm), and seedling vigour index (841.55 and 842.15) at the highest stress level. In contrast, FARO 33 showed extreme sensitivity with the lowest values across all parameters. FARO 26 displayed moderate tolerance, particularly in maintaining seedling vigour index under stress conditions. This study successfully identifies FARO 52 and FARO 50 as elite iron-tolerant rice genotypes based on their superior morpho-physiological performance during germination. These genotypes are recommended for direct cultivation in iron-toxic soils and as valuable donor parents in breeding programs aimed at enhancing iron tolerance in rice.