At various locations in North Ethiopia (Tigray), field experiments were conducted from 2006 to 2009 to assess the crop response to water stress of tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) under rainfed, fully irrigated and deficit irrigation conditions. Observed soil water content (SWC), canopy cover (CC), biomass production (B) and final grain yield (Y) were used to calibrate and validate AquaCrop for tef. Data from an experiment in a controlled environment in 2008 were also considered in the calibration process. Simulations of SWC, CC, B and Y were evaluated by determining the index of agreement, the root mean square error, the coefficient of determination and the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency. The statistical parameters showed an adequate fit between observations and simulations. The model was able to simulate for tef growing under rainfed condition the observed fast drop in SWC and CC when the rains ceased. The overall goodness of fit between the observed and simulated CC and SWC indicated that the thresholds for root zone depletion at which water stress (i) affects canopy development, (ii) induces stomata closure and (iii) triggers early canopy senescence were well selected. The normalised biomass water productivity (WP * ) for tef was 14 g m −2 for the local variety and 21 g m −2 for the improved variety, which is a lot smaller than the WP * expected for C 4 plants (30-35 g m −2 ). The results revealed an increase of 27% in reference harvest index (HIo) of tef in response to mild water stress during the yield formation of up to 33%. However, severe water stress causing stomata closure had a negative effect on HIo. Once it is properly calibrated, AquaCrop can provide room to improve the water productivity of tef by developing guidelines for good agricultural management strategies.
Salinity is considered as a major abiotic stress affecting germination, seedling growth and crop production in arid and semi-arid regions. Many techniques are used to improve tolerance to salinity. Priming is believed to be an effective solution that increases germination, plant growth and improve yield of several vegetables and crops under saline soil condition. The objective of this study was to see the effect of seed priming with 5 g/L NaCl on maize seedling growth exposed to five salinity levels under field conditions. Maize seeds were soaked in 5 g/L NaCl solution for 12 h at room temperature. Primed and unprimed seeds were sown in pots and were irrigated with saline solutions of five concentrations (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 g/l NaCl). Each pot was irrigated with 200 ml saline solution of the desired treatment in two days interval. Priming seeds with NaCl significantly (P < 0.05) improved growth of maize plants. As a result, fresh and dry weights of shoots and roots were improved. Seed priming alleviated the inhibitory effect of salt stress on seedling growth of maize under salt stress. Thus, seed priming with 5 g/l NaCl could be used to improve early growth of Zea mays. Further, this study needs to be continued if performance of mature maize plants could also be improved and yield could be increased by sowing primed seeds in saline soils.
Sesame is an important cash crop in Ethiopia. In Humera, farmers are largely dependent on this important cash crop for their living. The production rate is, however, lower than the national average. There could be many factors for its reduced productivity, but pests especially sesame seed bug is one of the reasons. In this study, sesame seed weight loss due to sesame seed bug was determined at field and laboratory conditions. At both conditions, there was significant seed weight loss when the packaging materials were unlined jute and unlined polythene bags, although the loss at field conditions was severe. In both setups, there was small seed weight loss when the packaging materials were lined. This could be due to moisture loss from the seeds because the bugs could not penetrate the lined bags. From these, farmers are advised to use lined bags for storage and transport the harvested seeds to their stores as soon as possible.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.