A field investigation was undertaken during 2014–2015 to evaluate effects of bamboo species and mulch materials on weed dynamics and physico-chemical properties of soil when turmeric was grown under bamboo species and open area (sole cropping). The experiment was carried out in split plot design with three replications. Weed growth was higher under sole cropping. However, there was not much alteration among the treatments. Bamboo species significantly increased the organic carbon (OC), available phosphorus (P) and potassium (K).It was found reverse in case of soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and bulk density (BD), which was higher in sole cropping. Mulched plots showed an increase in OC, available nitrogen (N), P and K over un-mulched plots. OC, N and K showed maximum value in T5 (Alnus nitida + FYM + RDF). However, available P was reported maximum in T7 (Toona ciliata + FYM + RDF). Further, turmeric crop supplied with the mulch of Pinus roxbhurghii + FYM + RDF under sole cropping displayed amaximum return of Rs.1, 54, 484 ha−1.
The present study was conducted in five forest types of subtropical zone in the Northwestern Himalaya, India. Three forest stands of 0.1 ha were laid down in each forest type to study the variation in vegetation carbon pool, stem density, and ecosystem carbon density. The stem density in the present study ranged from (483 to 417 trees ha−1) and stem biomass from (262.40 to 39.97 tha−1). Highest carbon storage (209.95 t ha−1) was recorded in dry Shiwalik sal forest followed by Himalayan chir forest > chir pine plantation > lower Shiwalik pine forest > northern mixed dry deciduous forest. Maximum tree above ground biomass is observed in dry Shiwalik sal forests (301.78 t ha−1), followed by upper Himalayan chir pine forests (194 t ha−1) and lower in Shiwalik pine forests (138.73 t ha−1). The relationship with stem volume showed the maximum adjusted r2 (0.873), followed by total density (0.55) and average DBH (0.528). The regression equation of different parameters with shrub biomass showed highest r2 (0.812) and relationship between ecosystem carbon with other parameters of different forest types, where cubic function with stem volume showed highest r2 value of 0.873 through cubic functions. Our results suggest that biomass and carbon stocks in these subtropical forests vary greatly with forest type and species density. This variation among forests can be used as a tool for carbon credit claims under ongoing international conventions and protocols.
The present study was undertaken to estimate the general and specific combining ability in 10 x 10 diallel set of crosses (excluding reciprocals) in bitter gourd to get 45 hybrids using 10 parents (DVBTG-1, VRBT-94, VRBT-39, VRBT-41, VRBT-49, VRBT-50, VRBT-103, VRBT-63, VRBT-32 and VRBT-6). These 45 F1 along with 10 parents were evaluated in Randomized Block Design with three replications considering 10 characters (days to first male flower anthesis, days to first female flower anthesis, days to first harvest, number of branches/plant, plant height, fruit length, fruit diameter, number of fruits/plant, fruit weight and fruit yield/plant) in bitter gourd. Analysis of variance due to treatment was highly significant for all the traits. The combining ability analysis revealed highly significant differences among the treatments for all the parameters studied. The variances due to sca were higher than the gca for all the characters indicating the predominance of non-additive gene effects. Out of 10 parents’ four parents DVBTG-1, VRBT-49, VRBT-103 and VRBT-32 exhibited significant and negative g.c.a effects for early female flowering and days to first harvest. Similarly, positive and significant g.c.a effects were shown by DVBTG-1, VRBT-50, VRBT-49, VRBT-103 and VRBT-6 for number of fruits/plant. DVBTG-1 and VRBT-49 showed negative gca effects for the characters except days to 1st harvesting. How VRBT-49 was identified as one of the best general combiners. The cross combinations VRBT-94 x VRBT-32, DVBTG-1 x VRBT-50, VRBT-49 x VRBT-103, VRBT-49 x VRBT-32, VRBT-94 x VRBT-32 and VRBT-41 x VRBT-103 exhibited positive and significant s.c.a effects for first female flower anthesis and days to first harvest. The finding of experiments confirmed the potentiality of DVBTG-1 x VRBT-6, VRBT-94 x VRBT-103, VRBT-41 x VRBT-6, VRBT-94 x VRBT-49, VRBT-39 x VRBT-49 and VRBT-94 x VRBT-39 combination based hybrids for yield/plant. The results of this study also suggest that for improvement of a desirable character, the selected parental line should be of high gca value and their F1s should express high specific combining ability. Significant estimates of additive component (d) along with significance of additive x additive (i) gene interaction-with positive sign pod yield per plant which indicated the presence of increase alleles and associated pair of genes.
Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is known tropical cucurbitaceous vegetable for its nutritional, medicinal and curative properties. The immature fruit is valued for its bitter taste and richness in calcium, phosphorous, iron, copper, potassium and vitamins A, B1, B2 and C. The genus Momordica consist of 60 species worldwide and out of them 7 species (Momordica charantia, M. balsamina, M. dioica, M. cochinchinensis, M. tuberosa, M. subangulata M. macrophylla) are found in Indian sub-continent which expressed large variability with respect to fruit shape, size, coulour due to varied edaphic and climatic conditions. Breeding efforts for emergence of early pistillate flower at earlier nodes, high female to male sex ratio, earliness, fruit color, firm fruit with narrow seed cavity, less seed development, desirable fruit shape, size, non-ridge fruits, thick flesh, thick flesh, resistant to leaf mosaic and fruit fly and suitability for export, canning and dehydration. Considering the above traits, several varieties and hybrids in different segments has been developed by public and private seed companies. Due to monoecism and expression of gynoecism has played a vital role in development of high yielding varieties, hybrids and seed production. The major limitations of molecular markers are limited in number, and their association with few economically important traits in bitter gourd. Generation of high-density genetic maps is the best way to identify the closely associated or functional markers for marker assisted selection and map-based cloning for fruit-related traits, gynoecium sex and yield. Crop wild relative can play an important role as a source of stress tolerance. The availability of whole genome information, selection of biotic and abiotic stress tolerant genes along with heterosis related alleles can be easily accomplished in breeding programmes.
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