The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of rainfed and supplemental irrigation, and sowing period (SP) treatments on Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) yield, essential oil content and umbel heights by applying new agro-technologies (TDR-sensors for soil moisture (SM), GIS, Precision Agriculture, soil-hydraulic analyses and Geostatistical models) for yield and SM root zone geospatial modelling and two-dimensional GIS mapping. Results of laboratory analysis indicated a suitable soil for coriander's growth and revealed that field's soil was characterized Sandy Clay Loam(SCL) with mean values: Soil Organic Matter(SOM) = 1.70%, bulk specific gravity = 1.42 g·cm−3, Plant Available Water = 0.129 cm·cm−1, pH = 7.10 and cation-exchange capacity(CEC) = 19.3 cmol·kg−1. The two-way ANOVA statistical analysis (P = 0.05) results revealed that the irrigation treatments (IR1:rainfed, IR2:rainfed plus supplemental irrigation[best]), and the SP treatments (SP1:October's last week, SP2:November's first week[best]) significantly affects Coriander's seed yield and essential oil content, but the SP have no significant effect on plant's umbel height (P = 0.873). Supplemental irrigation, using a limited amount of water, if applied during the critical crop growth stages, can result in substantial improvement on seed yield (+284.934%), essential oil content (+125.396%) and plant's umbel height (+117.929%).
HIGHLIGHT
Geostatistical modelling on yield and oil of Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), GIS, Precision Agriculture, Rainfed cultivation with supplemental irrigation, Soil and hydraulic analyses, TDR-soil moisture mapping.
The effects of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) on soil organic matter biodegradation, nutritional mineral elements and bacterial colonies were studied in the laboratory. The air-dried basil plant tissues incorporated at five different rates (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 g per 50 g of soil) resulted in increases in organic carbon mineralization, mineral nitrogen forms in organic phosphorus and available potassium. The level of available forms of manganese and zinc was increased at all the rates of added basil whereas copper was increased at the two upper rates. Also, the addition of basil resulted in a decrease in soil bacterial colonies. The results of this study indicated that the basil could be used as a cover crop for suppressing weed or pathogens in organic soils, with a positive effect on soil productivity. In addition, the incorporation of basil in soil could reduce the number of bacterial colonies.
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.