An experiment was conducted to assess the effect of psychoenergetic energy in litchi as positive and negative thoughts using a simple meditation technique at ICAR-NRC on Litchi, Muzaffarpur. The plant produced 24.75 g of fruit given positive energy, while the plant with negative thought energy produced 22.12 g of fruit. The fruit and seed weight increased by 11.88% and 13.63%, respectively, due to positive energy. The number of fruit retentions increased by 23.77% due to positive energy. Anthocyanin content in pericarp was increased by 5.45% in plants given positive energy. Fruit qualities were also significantly affected by psychoenergy. TSS (Brix) was significantly increased by 13.54% in plants given positive energy as compared to negative energy, and titratable acidity was reduced by 25% due to positive energy. Ascorbic acid was also increased by 30% in plant given positive thoughts. Sun burn was reduced by 54.76% and fruit cracking by 63.64% due to energy of thought. Fruit borer infestation was reduced by 70%, and mite infestation was reduced by 90% in plants given positive energy. The psychoenergetic potential is vast, and its ability to improve crop yield and quality cannot be overstated. The hidden power of thought is being practiced by all, but mostly people do not know this power and use it in an improper manner. This is a high time when we need to practice generating powerful thoughts to change present-day agriculture and its dependents.
Mangifera indica L. (Mango, Anacardiaceae) is a popular tropical evergreen tree known for its nutritional and medicinal values. It is native to India and Southeast Asia and is known as the “king of fruits” in India and the Philippines. It is considered important in Ayurveda and other systems of medicine. Mango fruit is unique in its taste, colour, aroma, and nutritional qualities. Mangoes are a rich source of polyphenols (Mangiferin, Gallotannins, Quercetin, Isoquercetin, Ellagic acid, Glucogallin, Kaempferol, Catechins, Tannins, and the unique Xanthonoid), phenolic acids (Hydroxybenzoic acids- Gallic, Vanillic, Syringic, Protocatechuic, and p-Hydroxybenzoic acids, Hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives-p-Coumaric, Chlorogenic, Ferulic, and Caffeic acids), flavonoids (β-carotene, α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, and Lutein), Vitamin A, Vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), Vitamin-C, Vitamin-E, Carbohydrates, Amino acids, Organic acids, micronutrients (Potassium, Copper), fats (Omega-3 and 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids), dietary fibre and certain volatile compounds. About 25 different types of carotenoids have been isolated from the fruit pulp, which contributes to the colour of the fruit. Phytochemical and nutrient content may vary depending on the cultivar. Mangoes possess potential medicinal properties such as antioxidant, gastro-protective, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, immunomodulatory, anti-microbial, and many more. Mango fruit is an abundant source of all essential nutrients and phytochemicals; it could be ultilized as a nutritional supplement in the prevention and cure of several diseases. A comprehensive report on the nutritional and medicinal properties of fruit is presented below.
Tomato is one of the major solanaceous vegetables, which has a unique place in the global vegetable market. Instead of being a high-value crop, there is still a need to do improvement in its potential against various biotic and abiotic stressors that adequately demolish its real yield. Alternaria solani (causing early blight disease) is designated as one of the fatal organisms that may reduce tomato crop yield by up to 80%. There were lots of methods, viz., chemical, cultural and biological suggested to overcome it. However, chemical strategies are much in vogue, but they have several negative consequences for human health and the ecosystem. Enlightening this issue, the efficacy of various treatments, viz., chemical fungicides (Amistar Top®, Nativo®, and Contaf®), biochar and fungal bioagent (Trichoderma viride) was assessed under both in vivo and in vitro conditions. Induced resistance is mediated by several regulating pathways, like salicylic acid and jasmonic acid. These mediating pathways manipulate different physiological processes like growth and development, stress tolerance, and defence mechanisms of the plant. The assessment of results revealed that among all treatments biochar at 3.25% by weight consistently displayed remarkable effectiveness against the early blight infection by triggering resistance and improving the overall performance of tomato plants. This result is attributed to improved soil health, fastening mineralization as well as absorption processes, and boosting the plant’s immunity with the use of a higher concentration of biochar. Hence, it could be recommended for the overall improvement of tomato crop and its sustainability.
Hydroponics is a modern agricultural system that enables year-round plant growth. Biochar, derived from apple tree waste, and humic acid were investigated as a replacement for the Hoagland nutrient solution to grow strawberries in a greenhouse with three replications. Growth parameters, such as leaf area, the average number of fruits per plant, maximum fruit weight, and the weight of fresh and dry fruits, were measured. A 50% increase in fresh and dry fruit weight was observed in plants grown using biochar compared to the control. Additionally, the use of Hoagland chemical fertilizer led to a 25% increase in both fresh and dry weight. There was a 65% increase in the number of fruits per plant in the biochar-grown sample compared to the control. Moreover, biochar fertilizer caused a 100% increase in maximum fruit weight compared to the control and a 27% increase compared to the Hoagland chemical fertilizer. Biochar had a higher pH compared to the Hoagland solution, and such pH levels were conducive to strawberry plant growth. The results indicate that biochar has the potential to enhance the size and weight of fruits. The findings of the study demonstrate that biochar, when combined with humic acid, is a successful organic hydroponic fertilizer that improves the quality and quantity of strawberries. Moreover, this approach enables the more efficient utilization of garden waste.
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a tropical vegetable and a source of vitamins such as K, C, and B. It is commonly grown and sold for daily consumption, but picking the right fruit size is more profitable. Therefore, a method for estimating the fruit weight is highly recommended. This paper aimed to determine the dimensions of cucumber fruit based on its usual harvesting size and to establish a model to show the relationship between fruit weight, fruit length, and fruit diameter. Cucumber was planted in the experimental field belonging to the Faculty of Agricultural Biosystems Engineering, Royal University of Agriculture, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from January to June 2022. In the study, 48 market-size fruits were randomly selected from the plots to measure their weight, length, and diameter. The result shows that fruit length and fruit diameter had a positive relationship (P < 0.001; R = 0.70). Fruit weight was 3.38 fruit length × fruit diameter (P <0.001; R = 0.95). Nevertheless, L/D ratio negatively affected fruit weight, when it exceeded 3:1. Fruit weight was greater than 100 g when fruit diameter was over 4 cm and fruit length was over 10 cm. Therefore, when picking cucumber fruits, one must consider fruit length and diameter to be profitable. Further studies will focus on measuring cucumber fruit already available on the market to understand more about actual consumer preferences.
The study evaluated 33 accessions of groundnut in the field, consisting of 23 landraces from Nasarawa communities in Nigeria and 10 inbred lines. Assessment entailed the determination of plant survivorship, yield related parameters and pathological indices while genetic diversity study was undertaken using SSR and RAPD molecular markers. Data analysis was done on the Minitab 17.0 software. Significant variability was noted in all traits except in pod sizes, seed sizes and % infected seeds. About 33.3% of the accessions had a survival rate of ≥ 70.0% where 9/10 Inbred lines were found with overall yield (kg/ha) ranging from 4.0 ± 1.6 in Akwashiki-Doma to 516.8 ± 46.9 kg/ha in Samnut 24 × ICGV–91328. Five accessions (15.5%) had pathological indices of zero indicating no traces of any disease of any type and they included one landrace called Agric-Dazhogwa and four Inbred lines: Samnut 25 × ICGV–91317, Samnut 26 × ICGV–19324, Samnut 26 × ICGV–91328 and Samnut 26 × ICGV–91319. Coefficients of yield determination R2 by survivorship and pathological index were 50.6% and 15%, respectively. A fit model was established (Yield in kg/ha = –146 − 7.94 × Pi + 5.88 × S). Susceptibility to diseases depends on the type of variety (χ2(32) = 127.67, P = 0.00). Yield was significantly affected by BNR@30 (F = 5.47, P = 0.025, P < 0.05) and DSV@60*RUST@60 interaction effect (F = 4.39, P = 0.044, P < 0.05). The similarity coefficient ranged from 28.57 to 100 in plant morphology. Four varieties had no amplified bands with SSR primers whereas amplified bands were present only in four landraces accessions using the RAPD primer. The dendrogram generated by molecular data gave three groups where genetic similarity ranged from 41.4 to 100.0. The Inbred lines were noted for their high survivorship, good yield and disease resistance. Samnut 24 × ICGV–91328, an inbred line, had the highest yield but was susceptible to diseases. Among the landraces, Agric-Musha, Bomboyi-Dugu and Agric-Dazhogwa were selected for high survivorship and disease resistance. The selected inbred lines and landraces are valuable genetic resources that may harbour useful traits for breeding and they should be presented to the growers based on their unique agronomic values. The highest yielding inbred lines should be improved for resistance to late leaf spot diseases while the outstanding landraces should be improved for yield.
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