Sowing

About: Sowing is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 33888 publications have been published within this topic receiving 273438 citations. The topic is also known as: seeding.

Effect of seeding density and planting time on growth and yield attributes of wheat.

Abstract: In rice-wheat cropping system, farmers usually use normal wheat seed (100 kg ha -1 ) evenunderlateplanting.The negative effect of late sowing may be compensated by the subsequent increase inseed quantity. In order to optimize seed

Species screening for short-term planted fallows in the highlands of western Kenya

Abstract: Short-term improved fallow technology, which is characterised by deliberate planting of fast growing N2 fixing legumes species in rotation with crops is currently being promoted for soil fertility replenishment in the small holder farms in the tropics. Recent research and extension efforts on this technology have mainly focused on a narrow range of species. There is a need to evaluate more alternative species in order to diversify the options available to farmers and hence reduce the risks of over dependence on fewer species. We evaluated twenty-two shrubby and herbaceous species for their site adaptability, biomass and nutrient accumulation, biomass quality and maize yield response to soil incorporated plant biomass after the fallow (six and twelve months) in three different field experiments on a Kandiudalfic Eutrudox in western Kenya. Species which yielded large amounts ofthe most biomass N adequate for two to three maize crops were Sesbania sesban, Tephrosia vogelii, Tephrosia candida, Crotalaria grahamiana, Dodonea viscosa, Colopogonium mucunoides, Desmondium uncinatum, Glycine wightii and Macroptilium atropurpureum. Most fallow species tested recycled 10%) and polyphenol (>2%) concentrations. were found only in the shrubby species, and the (Ppolyphenol + lignin ): N ratio varied widely (0.3–5) amongst the species. evaluated. Maize yield increased by two-fold in the first season following the fallow phase compared with continuous maize for most species. Results suggest that there are a wide variety of legumes that could be used for use in improved fallow technologies aimed at ameliorating nutrient degraded soils and subsequently enhancing crop yields.

Green foxtail: seed dormancy, germination and growth

Abstract: Green foxtail seed exhibited complete or near-complete dormancy when freshly harvested. This dormancy was overcome most readily during moist storage at 6 C for three to six weeks. Seed germination occurred over a wide range of temperature, but most rapidly at or above 25 C. Seedlings emerged readily from planting depths up to 8 cm. Plants emerging as late as the end of July could still produce seeds during the same season. Implications of the findings for green foxtail control are discussed. Severely restricted growth of green foxtail under reduced temperature and light intensity is considered to account for at least part of the reported low competitive efficiency of green foxtail infestations in field crops in western Canada.

Traditional maize storage methods of Mayan farmers in Yucatan, Mexico: implications for seed selection and crop diversity

Abstract: For small-scale farmers who maintain genetically diverse crop populations, aspects of the storage of their seeds and harvest may be just as important for successful farming as those related to productivity. The community of Yaxcaba, Yucatan, Mexico was studied to understand how the conditions under which Maya farmers store their maize harvests influence their seed selection practices and the diversity of maize varieties grown. Most farmers select their maize seed based primarily on ear characteristics and secondarily on grain characters. Farmers incorporate storability concerns by selecting for an archetypal healthy ear and by conducting selection in several steps between harvest and planting of the subsequent crop generation. Most farmers store their maize harvest in the husk, initially in the field and then in rustic granaries constructed of logs and palm thatch, in which farmers conserve separately their different seed lots. All local landrace populations show morphological adaptation (principally husk characteristics) for local storage conditions, indicating that storability has been an important selection pressure on traditional maize. Storability also appears to be a key factor working against the straightforward adoption of improved maize seed in Yaxcaba. Local farmers value many qualities of improved maize varieties, but their principal complaint is that improved maize cannot be conserved reliably under local storage conditions. Nearly all farmers who utilize improved seed stock in Yaxcaba grow locally adapted or ‘creolized’ versions of improved varieties, displaying characteristics of local maize landraces that facilitate their storage.