Temperature plays a determinant role in the rate of plant metabolic activities and, accordingly, dictates the plant's phenological stages, growth, and productivity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the phenological, growth, and ear yield behavior of ten sweet corn hybrids in response to elevational temperature changes in the humid tropics. Seeds of ten hybrids were grown in three elevations (coastland, midland, and highland). Results show that the hybrids belonged to the same maturity group with comparable accumulated growing degree days, but they varied in green ear yield, harvest index, and heat use efficiency. It was also found that higher elevations lead to longer plant growth and fewer growing degree-day requirements, resulting in increased in biomass accumulation for ear and overall vegetative growth but more efficient in the heat use. These findings will be useful as a guide for crop management scheduling, including fertilizers application, pest control, diseases control, and weed control, to maximize sweet corn yield at different elevations in the humid tropics.

The leaf crown borer Eupalamides cyparissias (Fabricius, 1777) is an agricultural pest that deserves attention in the cultivation of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) and other economically important palm trees (Areacaceae). Several studies address the use of geostatistics to understand the attack of pest insects in agriculture, but there are no studies on the spatial and temporal patterns of E. cyparissias in coconut trees. The presence or absence of the borer was verified monthly in all coconut plants of a plot measuring 12.5 hectares, from July 2018 to October 2020. The occurrence of the borer was verified by the appearance of two main symptoms in the coconut trees. Dispersion patterns of E. cyparissias were studied using semivariograms to determine the most suitable spatial distribution model for the species. Kriging maps were created. Exponential and spherical semivariogram models showed the best fit to the patterns of spatial dispersion of the borer, showing that the attack on the coconut plantation occurs in an aggregate, and in foci, with a range of 20 to 160 metres. The climatic data had no significant correlation with the infestation rate. These results show that geostatistics are an important tool to define reliable sampling plans for integrated pest management. It is useful to assess the spatial and temporal distribution of E. cyparissias

Biotic/abiotic stresses are known to induce genome instability in all organisms. Plants being sessile, are more vulnerable to stresses. Thus, they have evolved mechanisms to protect their genome from the unpredictably changing environment. DNA repair genes play a critical role in preserving genome integrity. Plants have about 15 different DNA repair pathways comprising more than 100 genes. To gain a better understanding of how plant DNA repair genes perceive stress and regulate their expression, we performed a computational analysis of the putative binding sites of different abiotic stress-responsive transcription factors (ASRTFs) on their promoters, in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Of the 12 different ASRTFs that we analysed, MYC2 had the highest number of 1876 putative binding sites. Diversity study in 135 DNA repair gene promoters revealed that these had about 6 to 12 types of putative binding sites for the ASRTFs. While RAD51 promoter had the highest number of 207 putative binding sites, RECQ4B had only 11. Comparison of the Arabidopsis eFP browser-based temporal/spatial expression profiles of these genes under nine different abiotic stresses revealed that all of these genes had altered expression under various stresses. Some genes exhibited similar expression profiles. To identify the reasons for their similar expression pattern, we compared the promoter sequences and putative cis-regulatory elements such as binding sites for ASRTFs and methylation-prone nucleotide repeats. Our analysis indicated that the gene expression and gene regulation mediated by ASRTFs, and DNA methylation have a stochastic correlation

Despite its potential, to date, work has not been carried out to identify the ideal drying conditions for Mimosa bimucronata (DC) O. Kuntze. Considering the scarcity of information on the drying process of this species, this work was with the objective of evaluating the sensitivity to desiccation by means of drying on activated silica gel (fast) and under laboratory conditions (slow). Rapid drying with silica was performed. For slow drying, the seeds were placed in plastic containers without lids, both at room temperature. Every hour, the seeds were weighed until reaching the pre-established points (30, 25, 20, 15 and 10%). The variables analyzed were: water content, first germination count, germination, germination speed index, dry mass and seedling length. The seeds of M. bimucronata (DC) show orthodox behavior, withstanding desiccation at levels below 15%. The desiccation of seeds at very low levels impairs the formation of seedlings, preventing their normal development.

Onion having several health promoting phytochemical contents is an important spices in most of the countries of the world as well as vegetables in particular and chitosan and plant probiotic bacteria are few proven natural growth enhancing agents. Here, three bio-stimulants namely Chitosan (100 and 200 ppm), Paraburkholderia BRRh-4 bacteria (1.5 × 109 CFU mL-1) and Clybio (0. 1%) in singly as well as combining one another were applied at twelve different treatment combinations including control with the aim of investigating the below and above ground vegetative growth, bulb productivity and post-harvest storage performance of onion cv. “Taherpuri”. The experiment was set up in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) maintaining three replicates and conducted during November 2019 to June 2020 where the bio-stimulant formulations were sprayed in the foliage at 20, 40 and 60 days after transplanting (DAT). Reproductive behaviors of the onion cultivar differed significantly among the treatments and those were the resultants of statistically varied vegetative performances recorded at 30, 60 and 90 DAT. Chitosan @ 100 ppm + Clybio (0.1%) + Paraburkholderia BRRh-4 (1.5 × 109 CFU mL-1) combination exhibited statistical superiority over the other treatments in terms of plant height (53.230 cm), number of leaves (10.13/plant), leaf length (41.20 cm) and diameter (10.33 mm), number of roots (32.53/plant), root length (12.23 cm), neck and bulb diameter (11.20 mm and 4.83 cm, respectively) and bulbing ratio (0.23) at 90 DAT. While, shoot and root growth didn’t vary significantly at earlier stages (at 30 DAT). Again, the highest yield (3.36 kg/plot and 10.45 t/ha) was also obtained from Chitosan @ 100 ppm + Clybio (0.1%) + Paraburkholderia BRRh-4 (1.5 × 109 CFU ml-1) treatment. The combination of chitosan and probiotic bacteria had significant influence on post-harvest storage qualities of onion where the longest shelf life/marketable life (8.17 months) with the lowest physiological weight loss and bulb rotting at 90 days after harvest was administered in Chitosan @ 100 ppm + Clybio (0.1%) + Paraburkholderia BRRh-4 (1.5 × 109 CFU mL-1) treatment. Besides the best treatment, Chitosan @ 100 ppm + Clybio (0.1%) and Chitosan @ 100 ppm + Paraburkholderia BRRh-4 (1.5 × 109 CFU mL-1) produced statistically superior results over control for onion growth and development. Therefore, chitosan and plant probiotic bacteria can be judiciously used for quality onion production in the warm and humid areas of the world

Simulation models based on biological and environmental variables allow the analysis of scenarios in proposing more sustainable management. The objectives is to identify potential biological and environmental variables for inclusion and validation of multiple linear regression model for yield simulation and analyze scenarios that promote yield and satisfactory control of foliar diseases, with longer intervals between the last fungicide application and the grain harvest. The study was conducted in 2015, 2016, 2017, in Augusto Pestana, RS, Brazil. The soil is classified as Oxisol and the climate of the region as Cfa type, by the Köppen classification. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with three replications, in a 22 x 4 factorial, for 22 oat cultivars (10 recommended and 12 no longer recommended) and 4 fungicide use conditions (no application; one application 60 days after emergence (DAE); two applications, 60, 75 DAE; and three applications, 60, 75, 90 DAE. In 2015 and 2016, the fungicide FOLICUR® CE was used, and in 2017 PRIMO®, at a dosage 0.75 and 0.3 liters ha-1, respectively. Necrotic leaf area, rainfall depth, mean minimum and maximum temperatures, thermal sum, and crop cycle period (days) are potential variables by the Stepwise technique in the simulation of oat yield, validating the use of the multiple linear regression. The condition with three fungicide applications, at 60, 75, 90 DAE, resulted in satisfactory foliar disease control and grain yield, while maintaining a long interval between the last fungicide application and the grain harvest, thus improving the safety of the product obtained

Sunflowers are grown in various countries throughout the world and used for cooking oil, biodiesel, animal feed and as ornamental plants.Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith) is a polyphagous insect species that is native to tropical America and that has spread rapidly around the world.The purpose of the current study was to evaluate resistance of sunflower genotypes to S. frugiperda .This was accomplished by assessing antibiosis and antixenosis in 25 sunflower genotypes.Were evaluated: free and no-choice attractiveness test, larval stage: period and viability of the larval stage and weight of caterpillars at ten days of age; pre-pupa stage: period and viability; pupal stage: period, weight at 24 hours of age and viability; complete cycle: period and viability; adult stage: daily longevity assessments and sex ratio; nutritional parameters The BRS 55 and BRS 64 genotypes showed antixenosis resistance in choice and no-choice tests.Biological and nutritional measures demonstrated that the BRS 323, BRS 56, BRS 65 genotypes were unfavorable to S. frugiperda development.These genotypes showed moderate resistance and could be used by sunflower growers as a way of controling S. frugiperda.

Mung bean vermicelli is manufactured from mung bean starch by mixing, extruding, boiling, cooling, freezing, defrosting and sun drying. However, the end product requires a long rehydration time. Hence, this study investigated microwave drying technology to reduce the rehydration time. Instant mung bean vermicelli was dried in a continuous microwave dryer at 50 Hz, 60 Hz, and 70 Hz with different numbers of rounds. The dried mung bean vermicelli was analyzed for its physical and sensory properties. The experimental design involved 3 treatments (50 Hz, 60 Hz, 70 Hz) with 3 replications of each treatment (3x3). The results indicated that drying at 70 Hz for 16 rounds produced instant vermicelli that had a very good porous structure and good cooking quality. The vermicelli dried at 70 Hz, 60 Hz, and 50 Hz rehydrated within 2.79, 2.81 and 3.05 min, respectively. Compared to a commercial product, the color of the microwaved vermicelli was greater in lightness (L*), greenness (a*), and blueness (b*). There were no significant differences in tensile strength among the 60Hz and 70Hz treatments and the commercial product; however, the elasticity of the microwaved vermicelli samples was lower than for the commercial product. Notably, the overall acceptability scores for the microwaved dried vermicelli at 70 Hz and for the commercial product were the same (7.03 score based on a 9-point hedonic scale). In conclusion, continuous microwave drying technology at 70 Hz was recommended for instant mung bean vermicelli production due to its short drying (18.88 min) and rehydration (2.76 min) times and its good quality with a high level of acceptability

The objective of the present study was to assess the mitigating effect of brassinosteroid regulator plant on damages caused by salt stress in sorghum. The experiment was carried out in pots containing 5 kg of substrate, on benches in a greenhouse covered with transparent plastic film and with a 50% shade screen on the sides. A completely randomized design with four replications was used, in a 2×5 factorial arrangement consisted of application and non-application of brassinosteroids at concentration of 0.1 mg L-1 applied at the 30, 37, and 45 days after emergence (DAE) and five salinity levels of the irrigation water (electrical conductivities of 0, 2, 4, 8, and 16 dS m-1). The plants were irrigated with water from the public supplying system up to 45 DAE and, then, with brackish water up to 60 (DAE), when they were evaluated. Our results indicate that Brassinosteroids mitigated damages caused by salt stress by increasing the Ca to Na ratio. Sorghum is moderately resistant to salt stress by presenting a sodium extrusion mechanism activated by calcium. Further studies with longer exposure time to salt stress are recommended for a more thorough understanding and recommendation of the use of brackish water in sorghum crops