Field crops are most susceptible to salt stress in the early stages of growth. There is a general belief that barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is more salt‐tolerant than wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), yet little is known regarding the response of different South African wheat and barley cultivars to saline conditions. An experiment was conducted to study the effects of salinity on seed germination in three South African spring wheat cultivars (SST 027, SST 056, and SST 087) and three spring barley cultivars (Nemesia, Erica, and Hessekwa). The experiment was conducted in petri dishes in a growth incubator at a constant temperature of 20 °C for 7 d. Seeds were exposed to five NaCl solutions with electrical conductivity (EC) levels of 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 dS m−1 and were compared with those exposed to a solution with an EC of 0 dS m−1 (distilled water), which served as a control. The experiment design was a completely randomized design. The study showed that salinity influenced seed germination in all wheat and barley cultivars. Although all cultivars showed a reduction in total germination percentage with increasing salinity from EC levels of 0 to 20 dS m−1, the differences were only significant (P < .05) at high EC levels (16–20 dS m−1). Wheat cultivars outperformed barley cultivars at EC levels of 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 dS m−1. The study showed that salinity influenced seed germination in both wheat and barley, but barley was less salt‐tolerant during germination than wheat.
Agriculture sector is the backbone of a given economy. Globally, this sector does not only provide food and basic materials, but also employs an immense percentage of population. Nonetheless, it is afflicted with many predicaments such as inappropriate means of communication, food adulteration and lack of openness in the supply chain. Thus, utilisation of digital technologies can be one of the prospective solutions to these many problems. These technologies are various however; blockchain technology has captivated the most attentiveness. This state of the art technology is a distributed record of transactions permitting associates to document transactions in a devolved data log in processor network. In agriculture and food sector, blockchain can be used to promote food safety, stop food fraud and affirm legitimacy of agricultural commodities. Furthermore, can also be used to achieve superior prices and payment options, land title enrolment and for transparent payment of subsidies to farmers. The victory of blockchain technology mainly depends on its security, decentralisation, lucidity and constancy. Even though this technology has enormous potential benefits in agriculture and food sector, it still has diverse obstacles that hamper its wider recognition among farmers and food supply chain.
Abstract:Water shortages as a result of changes in rainfall patterns and increases in temperatures are associated with climate change. Rising temperatures and evaporation rates exacerbate water scarcity problems primarily aff ecting dry-land crop production systems in southern Africa. Thus, the search for drought-tolerant crop varieties becomes necessary to mitigate climate change and to achieve food security in the region. Fifty maize germplasm accessions obtained from the Zambian gene bank were characterized at Mount Makulu Research Station in Zambia to identify suitable varieties for on-farm evaluation. In that regard, data was collected on days to 50% tasselling, days to silking, plant height, ear height, number of leaves above leaf ear, tillering index, tassel type, number of kernel rows, kernel type, and kernel colour. Furthermore, we carried out on-farm participatory evaluation of 20 local varieties of maize at two representative sites. Farmers selected six crop varieties on the basis of their early maturity, high yielding ability, drought tolerance, and tolerance to fi eld pests and diseases. The selected maize varieties are suitable for large-scale production or variety development for the targeted sites or areas with similar agro-ecological conditions. In Botswana, greenhouse and fi eld studies were conducted to characterise 20 cowpea genotypes based on diff erent drought tolerance indices. Results showed that stress tolerance index (STI) and drought resistance index (DI) were the most suitable indices for selecting cowpea genotypes for drought tolerance. Six cowpea collections were tested in a fi eld study at Hukuntsi, situated in the Kalahari Desert, in 2014-15. Analysis of variance and regression analysis showed that three accessions [BCA001 (Blackeye), BCA009 (Mahutohuto), BCA016 (Speckled brown] were promising drought-tolerant varieties displaying a higher plant drought survival (PDS%) rate under fi eld conditions. Signifi cant correlations were detected between PDS% and STI, indicating the usefulness of the two parameters in selecting drought-tolerant cowpea genotypes. The two selected cowpea genotypes are recommended for cultivar development or production under drought-prone and rain-fed farming systems in southern Africa.Resumo: A escassez de água, resultante das alterações nos padrões de precipitação e do aumento da temperatura, está associada às alterações climáticas. O aumento da temperatura e das taxas de evaporação exacerbam os problemas de escassez de água, principalmente nos sistemas de produção de culturas de sequeiro no Sul de África. Assim, a procura de variedades de culturas tolerantes à seca torna-se necessária para mitigar as alterações climáticas e alcançar segurança alimentar na região.Cinquenta acessos de germoplasma de milho, obtidos do banco de genes Zambiano, foram caracterizados na Estação de Investigação de Mount Makulu na Zâmbia, de modo a identifi car variedades adequadas para avaliação em quintas. Nesse contexto, foram recolhidos dados sobre o número de dias que demora a...
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