Development of Weather-based Yield Prediction Model for Ginger (Zingiber officinale) Using Principal Component Analysis

A field experiment was conducted at the CAE Research Farm, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh (U.P.), during the rabi season of 2023-24 to study the effect of mulching on weed suppression, soil moisture, growth, yield, and economics of two Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) cultivars (Pioneer 45S44 and Pioneer 45S46). The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized block design with eight treatment combinations comprising three types of organic mulches—paddy straw (5 t ha⁻¹), wheat straw (5 t ha⁻¹), and sawdust (20 t ha⁻¹)—along with a no-mulch control. Results revealed that mulching significantly influenced weed density, weed control efficiency, soil moisture retention, and yield parameters (siliquae plant⁻¹, seeds siliqua⁻¹, 1000-seed weight, biological yield, seed yield, and harvest index). Paddy straw mulch @ 5 t ha⁻¹ outperformed other treatments, registering the highest seed yield, oil yield, and B:C ratio across both cultivars. Between the two varieties, Pioneer 45S44 showed better performance in terms of yield and economic returns compared to Pioneer 45S46. The interaction effect of mulching and varieties indicated that Pioneer 45S44 with paddy straw mulch was the most profitable treatment combination. The study underscores the role of organic mulching as a sustainable practice for weed suppression, soil moisture conservation, and yield maximization in Indian mustard cultivation under semi-arid conditions.

Based on the typical engineering water shortage and soil degradation of sloping farmland in the karst area of southwest China, this experiment is to explore the suitable organic mulch materials and application rate and to provide theoretical reference for the regional soil moisture conservation and fertility enhancement. The maize monoculture was set as control (CK), five straw mulch treatments (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%, SM1-SM5) and four biochar mulch treatments (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, BM1-BM4), which were set according to mulch application rate from low to high, and alfalfa, chicory and ryegrass intercropping in maize were set as 3 living mulches (LM1-LM3), 13 treatments in total. Observation of soil moisture, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and total potassium (TK) in the plough layer were carried out in 2018. When straw mulch application rate reached SM5, the soil moisture reached the maximum, which was significantly higher than CK and SM1-SM3 (p<0.05), but not significantly higher than SM4 (p>0.05); biochar and living mulch did not significantly improve the moisture; the overall water conservation effect of straw mulch was better than that of biochar and living mulch. Soil TOC, TN and TP with high straw and biochar mulch application rate was significantly higher than CK, however, the increase of straw and biochar mulch had no significant effect on TK; TN of LM1 was significantly higher than CK, LM2 and LM3 (p<0.05). Among the three types of organic mulches, the TOC was high under straw and biochar mulch, and the TOC, TN and TP under biochar mulch were the largest, which was significantly higher than that of LM (p<0.05). The results indicated that straw mulch played an important role in water conservation and fertility enhancement, and about 6 Mg ha -1 of straw mulch could be an appropriate reference mulch application rate for karst areas in Southwest China.

The experiment was conducted at the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) sub-station Khagrachari during 2020-2021 to compare the effect of different mulches on the growth and yield of Binahalud-1. Experiment was conducted with different organic mulches vizs., bamboo leaf, paddy straw, water hyacinths, and silver color plastic. A treatment without mulching was also kept as a control. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with three replications. The results indicated that the plants mulched with bamboo leaves recorded maximum average plant height of 150 cm, number of leaves 71.333, number of tillers 11, leaf length and leaf width 80 cm, 16.66 cm, leaf weight 29.33 gm, petiole length 40 cm and petiole weight 17.33 gm as compared to other mulches. In case of the yield of turmeric, the bamboo leaf mulch gave maximum fresh rhizome yield of 33.2 t ha-1 . From this study it is revealed that among the treatments bamboo leaf is the best mulch material for turmeric production. Bangladesh J. Nuclear Agric, 38(2): 161-167, 2024

Field experiment was conducted during dry season of 2008–10 at Andaman and Nicobar Islands to study the influence of irrigation at critical stages and mulching on yield and water productivity of table purpose groundnut under humid tropical conditions. Experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications by assigning irrigation at critical stages (‘No irrigation ’, ‘one irrigation at pegging ’, ‘two irrigation at life and pegging’, ‘three irrigation at life, flowering and pegging’ and ‘four irrigation at life, flowering, pegging and pod development’) to main plot and crop residue mulching (‘Paddy straw’, ‘banana leaf’, and ‘Gliricidia leaf’ and ‘No mulch’) to subplots. Growth and yield attributes were significantly influenced by irrigation and mulching. Application of two irrigations at life (3 DAS) and pegging (55–60 DAS) resulted in higher pod yield (3 549 kg/ha) compared to three and four irrigations which registered 2.6 and 7.7% yield reduction. Higher net returns (Rs. 41 599/ha), B: C ratio (1: 8), energy ratio (15.3) and lower specific energy (4.0 MJ/kg) was recorded with two irrigations. However, one irrigation at pegging registered higher water productivity of Rs. 66/m3. Among the crop residue mulches, paddy straw mulch registered higher pod yield (3 425 kg/ha), water productivity (Rs. 33/m3), net returns (Rs. 39 280/ha), B: C ratio (1: 6) and energy ratio (15.0).

Rice is one of the six priority crops chosen by the government of Rwanda to increase agricultural productivity. This crop faces significant challenges from climate variability and soil conditions, affecting yields and food security. The past studies concentrated on building machine learning regression models for predicting the rice productivity with the help of weather parameters as predictors. Few researchers incorporated some soil nutrients to improve the precision of the prediction model. However, most of the farmers in Rwanda rely on agricultural input like inorganic fertilizer to boost the agriculture productivity. This means that the weather parameters are not sufficient to build a robust crop yield prediction model without incorporating the soil parameters. In this paper, rice yield status (favorable, unfavorable) prediction model was optimized using machine learning techniques, including logistic regression, random forest, gradient boosting, extreme gradient boosting, support vector machine, and artificial neural networks. The models were trained on historical weather parameters and soil nutrient data collected from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda, Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board and Rwanda Meteorology Agency. Findings indicated that the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBOOST) model outperformed other models under consideration with 91%, 94.1%, and 82.7% of prediction accuracy, sensitivity, and precision, respectively. The above results demonstrate that the XGBOOST is the most robust model in predicting rice yield. The feature importance technique applied in this study also revealed that weather parameters (rainfall, and temperature), phosphorus, sulfur, manganese and carbon were crucial factors to prioritize for rice yield prediction compared to other model predictors under study. The results may provide valuable insights into whether the rice yield will be classified as low or high. This information is essential for helping farmers and decision-makers obtain actionable insights into expected crop yields, enabling them to make informed decisions on agricultural inputs resource allocation to maximize Rwanda's agricultural productivity. Key words: artificial intelligence, machine learning, precision farming, Smart agriculture, yield prediction

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of hydrogel application and mulching on the physiological growth attributes and yield, of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) under semi-arid conditions. Study Design: The experiment was conducted using a factorial randomized block design with twelve treatment combinations, including different hydrogel application rates (2.5 kg ha-1, 5 kg ha-1 and 7.5 kg ha-1) in combination with mulching types (paddy straw, polythene, and no mulching). Place and Duration of Study: The field experiment was conducted at the instructional farm of the School of Agricultural Sciences, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore, during the kharif 2024-25 cropping season. Methodology: Pearl millet variety CO 10 was used with a seed rate of 5 kg ha-1. The crop was transplanted 18 days after sowing, following the standard agronomic practices. The physiological attributes measured included leaf area index (LAI), crop growth rate (CGR), and net assimilation rate (NAR). The grain yield was recorded at harvest. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA to determine treatment effects. Results: The results indicated that the application of hydrogel at 5 kg ha-1 with polythene mulching significantly improved the yield of pearl millet crop by registering a higher yield of 24.40 q ha-1 while positively impacting the all the physiological parameters of crop growth. Conclusion: The integration of hydrogel and mulching significantly enhanced pearl millet growth and yield. This suggest that hydrogel and mulching can be an effective strategies for sustainable pearl millet production in water-limited environments. Future research should explore long-term effects and economic feasibility for large-scale adoption.

This study was performed out at net house, privet farm, Cairo-Alexandria desert road, 80 Km, to present the positive role of using different types of organic mulch; different LEDS (light-emitting diodes) light colors and their combination on lettuce plants as growth and yield. Three types of organic mulch i.e., (mushroom wastes, compost and palm fibers) compared to bare soil and four LEDs light colors i.e., (white, yellow, green and "red + blue + green") plus natural light. Seedlings of lettuce cv. Iceberg were transplanting at 1st November through 2019 and 2020seasons. The study was conducted in a split plot design with three replications. Results obtained that using different types of organic mulch, different LEDs light colors and their combination had a significant overall tested parameters (plant length, number of leaves/head, fresh and dry weights of leaves, leaves contents from N, P and K and total heads yield/m2). In general, cultivated lettuce plants with using different types organic mulch and different LEDs light colors enhanced all tested parameters compared to bare soil or/and natural light. The most positive role of tested factors was noticed with using compost mulch, LEDs "R + B+ G" colors and their combination as compost mulch plus LEDs "R + B+ G colors", which, had greatest values of all tested parameters more than other treatments.

Aim: This study compares the effect of fresh and dry ginger juice on the lipid profile of albino rats.&#x0D; Methodology: Fifteen(15) albino rats with average weight of 150g divided into three groups of five (5) rats each were used for the study.5ml of the ginger juice was administered orally for 21 days using the gavage oral tube to the experimental animals. Blood samples were collected via cardiac puncture after a chloroform anesthesia was given to the animals to a heparinized sample bottle. Plasma samples were analyzed for total cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein using the colorimeter while and low-density lipoprotein level was calculated.&#x0D; Results: There was no significant difference in cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein levels (P&gt;0.05) when the group 1(control group) was compared with group 2 (dry ginger group) and group 3 (fresh ginger group).&#x0D; Conclusion: Ginger juice in different preparation forms does not alter the lipid profiling in the experimental animals over a period of 21 days.

Commercially processed dry ginger ( Zingiber officinale): Composition and effects on LPS-stimulated PGE 2 production

A proper protocol of efficient irrigation and nutrient management for ginger is a necessity for boosting the productivity and quality of the crop in high-intensity cultivated lands. For this, a field experiment for 3 consecutive years was conducted in an Inceptisol of India to optimize irrigation schedule and nutrient management for augmenting rhizome yield and crop water productivity (CWP) of ginger. The trial was laid out in a split plot design with 12 treatment combinations consisting of 4 levels of irrigation schedules viz., rainfed (I1) and a ratio of 0.6 (I2), 0.9 (I3) and 1.2 (I4) of irrigation water to cumulative pan evaporation (IW/CPE) and 3 levels of nutrient management: 100% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) through inorganic (N1), 75% RDF (inorganic) + 25% RDF through vermicompost (VC) (N2) and 50% RDF (inorganic) + 50% RDF through VC (N3). Mean maximum growth and yield components, quality parameters, green rhizome yield (12.63 Mg‧ha−1) and highest nutrient uptake were obtained with I4N2, which was statistically on par with I3N2. The treatment combination I1N2 exhibited maximum CWP. Well-managed irrigation and nutrient scheduling is key to improving ginger production and its marketability for better financial returns.

ISHS III International Symposium on Soilless Culture and Hydroponics: Innovation and Advanced Technology for Circular Horticulture Effect of different nitrogen fertilization levels on plant growth, yield and 6-gingerol content of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) cultivated in soilless culture system

An experiment was carried out during 2016 and 2017 at Horticultural Research Station, Mondouri, BCKV (West Bengal) to identify the optimum size of seed rhizome and spacing of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) for production of cv. Gorubathan. Growth parameters viz., plant height, tillers per clump and leaves per clump increased with each successive growth stages i.e. 90 and 150 days after plantingDAP. Among different treatment combinations, maximum plant height (74.16 cm) was observed with rhizome size 25 g and spacing of 20 × 20 cm at 150 DAP. However, maximum number of tillers per clump (14.82) was observed with rhizome size 25 g and 20 × 15 cm spacing at 150 DAP. The highest number of leaves per clump (141.38) were noticed with 25 g, 25 × 20 cm at 150 DAP. Maximum weight of clump and length of clump (200.65 and 16.05 g) were recorded with combination of rhizome size 25 g and spacing 25 × 20 cm, respectively. Breadth of clump (12.54) was maximized with 25 g and 20 × 20 cm and projected yield (t ha-1) were recorded highest in planted with mother rhizome pieces directly sowing of 25 g, with the spacing of 20 × 15 cm (29.95 t ha-1).

Water availability and soil physicochemical properties are the most important factors for the establishment and growth of plant seedlings in arid and desert areas. Improving water use efficiency and soil properties are two major factors for sustainable development in these regions. Therefore, this research aimed to study the effectiveness of biological hydrogel (b), PLANTBAC vegetation layer (PB), sand (sa) and barley straw (st) with inter-row system on some soil properties, including N, Cl, Zn, Fe, clay, silt and sand percentages, ρb and water use efficiency under the cultivation of Nitraria schoberi. This experiment was tested in a split plot design with 3 replications and 10 observations in 2015 during 2 years at Semnan province’s Natural Resources Research Station. Data analysis was carried out in SAS software version 9.1.3. According to the results, the highest amount of Cl was obtained at non-micro catchment by straw and sand treatments, as well as at micro catchment by PB treatments. The highest amount of Zn was obtained at non-micro catchment by straw treatment (1.106). The results of mulch effect on Fe showed that four mulch treatments did not have significant difference with the control. Also, the highest amount of total N content was observed at micro catchment by hydrogel treatment. There was not any significant difference among environment and clay, silt and sand treatments and about plant establishment and, all four mulch treatments had significantly higher moisture content and establishment than the control. The results of mulch effect on water use efficiency showed that there was a significant difference between all four mulch treatments (P < 0.01) and the control. The highest water use efficiency occurred in sand treatment (0.243), and the lowest was under straw mulches (0.154). Thus, considering the effects of different types of mulch on soil properties and considering the price of each, the availability and area conditions, they can be used to establish plants in desert areas, and therefore, restore these areas.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has been used as a spice and a medicine for over 200 years in traditional Chinese medicine. Ginger is an important plant with several medicinal and nutritional values used in Asian and Chinese tradition medicine. Ginger and its general compounds such as Fe, Mg, Ca, vitamin C, flavonoids, phenolic compounds (gingerdiol, gingerol, gingerdione and shogaols), sesquiterpenes, paradols has long been used as an herbal medicine to treat various symptoms including vomiting, pain, cold symptoms and it has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-tumor activities, anti-pyretic, anti-platelet, anti-tumourigenic, anti-hyperglycaemic, antioxidant anti-diabetic, anti-clotting and analgesic properties, cardiotonic, cytotoxic. It has been widely used for arthritis, cramps, sprains, sore throats, rheumatism, muscular aches, pains, vomiting, constipation, indigestion, hypertension, dementia, fever and infectious diseases. Ginger leaves have also been used for food flavouring and Asian traditional medicine especially in China. Ginger oil also used as food flavouring agent in soft drink, as spices in bakery products, in confectionary items, pickles, sauces and as a preservatives. Ginger is available in three forms, namely fresh root ginger, preserved ginger and dried ginger. The pharmacological activities of ginger were mainly attributed to its active phytocompounds 6-gingerol, 6-shogaol, zingerone beside other phenolics and flavonoids. Gingerol and shogaol in particular, is known to have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In both traditional Chinese medicine, and modern China, Ginger is used in about half of all herbal prescriptions. Traditional medicinal plants are often cheaper, locally available and easily consumable raw and as simple medicinal preparations. The obtained findings suggest potential of ginger extract as an additive in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Background: Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium udum (Butler) var. cajani is one of the most important soil-borne diseases of pigeonpea capable of causing 30-100% loss in grain yield. So it is essential to establish the relationship with weather parameters and prediction of per cent disease incidence. Methods: An experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications and sixteen treatment combinations considering different varieties and sowing windows. Correlation and multiple linear regression equations were elucidated between weather parameters and per cent disease incidence (PDI) of Fusarium wilt on different pigeonpea varieties under different sowing windows during 2017-18 and 2018-19. Result: The correlation of weather parameters with PDI of Fusarium wilt indicated that significant and positively correlation with maximum and minimum temperature and negative correlation with evening relative humidity. Among all sowing windows 30th meteorological week (MW) sowing window with the variety ICPH 2740 PDI for two weeks prior was significantly positively correlated with maximum temperature (0.871** and 0.919**) and morning relative humidity (0.727* and 0.056). The prediction of PDI of Fusarium wilt with multiple linear regression equations were recorded the highest R2 valueas 95.5% in case of treatment combination of 30th MW and the variety Vipula.