Abstract. A two year field study was conducted to evaluate the effects of straw management and tillage on the soil profile (1.5m) water storage, nature of the moisture profile, infiltration and sorptivity as influenced by rainfall, evaporativity (E0) and soil texture. The straw mulch treatment stored more moisture under low E0 rainy conditions in three coarse to medium textured soils. Straw incorporation treatment was better under low E0 rain free conditions, as well as under high E0 rainy conditions in the two coarser textured soils. In the coarsest textured soil, tillage and straw mulching were not effective in maintaining greater soil water storage under high E0 because of the very open nature of the soil. The soil moisture profiles showed a sharper increase in water content below the tilled layer in the tillage and straw‐ incorporation treatments than the untreated and straw mulch treatments. Tillage and straw incorporation treatments increased the sorptivity of the soil compared with untreated and straw mulch treatments respectively. The results of this study suggest that when selecting a suitable soil water conservation practice to increase water storage in the soil profile, information on soil texture and weather (rain and evaporativity) must be considered.
Teliospores of Tilletia harclayana germinated equally well on the surface of 2 % water agar, soil extract agar and in cavities made in water agar. Maximum germination occurred at 29 °C under 12 h photoperiod with artificial daylight (cool fluorescent light). There was marked increase in germination when the teliospores in bunted grains were pre‐treated for 30 min at 60 °C. Seventeen‐week‐old tehospores did not germinate while 73 week‐old‐tehospores showed retention of good germinability. Teliospores buried at 2 mm depth showed no germination whereas those at the moist surface germinated to produce sporidia. Implications of these results in the disease development are discussed.
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