Nomenclatural standards of black currant cultivars bred at VIR

In the framework of the program initiated at the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR), nomenclatural standards of five domestic black currant cultivars have been prepared. The present paper presents nomenclatural standards of these five cultivars bred at VIR: ‘Binar’, ‘Veloy’, ‘Peterburzhenka’, ‘Poeziya’ and ‘Trilena’. Plant morphological traits and breeding characters of these cultivars are described. Iinformation is provided on the formation and development of the VIR black currants collection at the Pavlovsk Experiment Station of VIR.

Nomenclatural standards of apple cultivars bred at the Pavlovsk experiment station of VIR

In the framework of the program of creating nomenclatural standards of domestic cultivars initiated by the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR), nomenclatural standards of apple cultivars bred at the Pavlovsk Experiment Station of VIR have been developed. The cultivars in question are ‘Kormay’, ‘Kordonovka’, ‘Kryukovskoye’, ‘Krasnoshchyokoye’, ‘Leningradskaya Zelyonka’, ‘Leningradskiy Sinap’, ‘Leningradskoye Zheltoye’, ‘Lyubimitsa Tarasenko’, ‘Novogodneye’, ‘Novoye Polosatoye’, ‘Pashkevicha Krasnoye’, and ‘Sigovskoye’.

Source material from the VIR collection for hybrid breeding of multiple-ear maize

Background. Expanding the genetic polymorphism of maize is an effective way to increase its productivity by involving multiple-ear genotypes in breeding.Materials and methods. In 2007, 596 maize accessions from VIR were assessed at the Kuban Experiment Station of VIR. In 2020, 52 hybrids between multiple-ear and single-ear maize lines were tested in the steppe zone of Kabardino-Balkaria at the site of the OTBOR Agrifirm. Useful agronomic traits were recorded, the coefficient of prolificacy (kmc) was calculated for the source lines and their hybrid progeny from crosses with a single-ear tester, and 52 parent lines were ranked according to the type of inheritance of the prolificacy feature.Results. Accessions that combined prolificacy with other useful agronomic traits were identified. The following accessions were selected for their plant height (score 5, 126–175 cm): k-8819, k-9054, k-15269, k-15355, k-15360, k-15331, k-15877, k-15442, k-15443, k-15445, k-8009, k-14344, k-15195, k-15226 and k-17385. Accessions that excelled in the height of the ear attachment for mechanized harvesting (score 5, 50–70 cm) were as follows: k-8819, k-15269, k-15355, k-15360, k-14394, k-14904, k-14979, k-14968, k-15292, k-15391, k-9289, k-15322, k-15439, k-15442, k-15443 and k-14344. Sources of the following traits were identified: long cob (score 9, > 20 cm): k-9054, k-4535, k-13730, k-14817 and k-14996; higher number of rows per ear (score 5–9, > 16 grain rows): k-14904, k-14979, k-14968, k-15442, k-15330, k-15322 and k-9257; and higher number of grains in a row (score 5–9, > 31 grains per row): k-14904, k-14996, k-15639, k-15353, k-15330, k-15322, k-15344, k-15281, k-15439, k-9357 and k-15237. Ranking 52 accessions according to the test cross results showed that 9 of them produced progeny of the maternal type (no more than one ear), 26 of the intermediate type (1.1–1.5 ears per plant), 11 of the paternal type (1.6–2,0 ears) and 6 of heterotic type (more than 2 ears).

Studying agronomic characters in new millet accessions from the VIR collection at Yekaterinino Experiment Station of VIR

Background. Adding new plant varieties to the VIR collection is an important effort to preserve the diversity of worldwide bioresources. The millet collection at VIR is formed through the study of acquired accessions, aimed at identification of biological features that have emerged under certain conditions. Such germplasm may be recommended for use in breeding practice. Studying new accessions makes it possible to predict long-term development of the collection.Materials and methods. The study was carried out at Yekaterinino Experiment Station of VIR, Tambov Province, in 2017–2019. New millet accessions added to the VIR collection served as the research material. The study was based on the descriptors and guidelines for Panicum miliaceum L. developed at VIR.Results and conclusions. An assessment was made for such agronomic characters as the growing season, plant height, grain size, grain yield, and resistance to bacteria. The identified accessions exceeded the reference (cv. ‘Gorlinka’) in a number of traits. Earliness was observed in k-10479 (‘Dozh’), k-10481 (‘Zapadnoye’), k-10324, k-10325, k-10478 (‘Nizhnevolzhskoye’), k-10275 (‘Kvartet’), k-10306 (‘Volga 59’), k-10322 (‘Soyuz’), k-10473 (‘Yarkoye 120’), and k-10474 (‘Kavkazskiye zori’). Low plant height was recorded for k-888, k-10324, k-10306, k-10474, k-10479, k-10326, k-10481, and k-10480 (‘Kamyshenskoye’). Large grain size was shown by k-888, k-10325, k-10306, k-10324, k-10479, k-10475 (local), k-10322, k-10473, k-10480, and k-10481. High grain yields under the conditions of the Central Black Earth Region of Russia were demonstrated by the accessions from Belarus (cv. ‘Zapadnoye’, k-10481) and from Chelyabinsk Province (local cultivar, k-888). Medium and strong resistance to bacterial pathogens was observed in k-888, k-10275, k-10473, k-10474, k-10324, and k-10325. The selected accessions can serve as source material for the development of new millet cultivars.

Effect of Chia Seeds Water Extract on Some Physiological Traits of Broiler

This experiment was conducted at Poultry field, Agricultural Research and Experiment Station, College of Agriculture, Al-Muthanna University from 12/2/2020 to 6/1/2020. A total of 240 oneday, 40 g, Ross 308 broiler chicks, were used. The chicks were reared in four-storey batteries. Each floor contains a cage of dimensions 1.5 × 1 m. The chicks were randomly distributed to four experimental treatments of 60 chicks. For each treatment, three replicates of the treatment (20 chicks/duplicate). The treatments were as T1, T2, T3 and T4were add water extract of chia seeds to drinking water by 0, 2, 4 and 6 ml/liter of drinking water respectively.

Influence of New Generation PGRs on Yield Parameter and Economics of Mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Dashehari

The present investigation entitled “Influence of new generation PGRs on yield of mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Dashehari” was conducted at Horticulture experiment Station, Baramunda, OUAT, Bhubaneswar during the year 2017-19. The objective of this experiment was to improve the fruit retention of mango, Yield and its economic in c.v. Dashehari by using brassinostroids and triacontanol. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replication and 12 treatments. Comprising spraying of brassinostroids (each 0.5 and 1.0 ppm), Triacontanol (@ each 300, 500 and 700 ppm) and control and its combination. The observations on different characters of fruit viz., fruit set per panicle at pea stage, fruit retention per panicle at marble stage, fruit drop %, fruit retention per panicle at harvest stage, fruit retention per shoot cluster, fruit retention per tree, number of days taken from spraying to ripening, yield per tree (kg), and its economics were recorded. Among these treatments 1 ppm brassinosteroid and 300ppm triacontanol sprayed at pea stage has increased in fruit retention per panicle at harvest stage (5.95), fruit retention per shoot cluster (30.04) and fruit retention per tree (174.84) along with early maturity (81.66 days) and yield (31.87 kg) found whereas 1 ppm brassinosteroid give maximum fruit set per panicle at pea stage (35.16) & Fruit retention per panicle at marble stage (14.63) and minimum fruit drop percentage (49.25%) were found in 300 ppm triacontanol. Maximum gross return (Rs74,625/-) and B:C ratio (1: 2.94) also found in the treatment 1 ppm brassinosteroid and 300 ppm triacontanol.

The Impact of Grit on Health Outcomes in College Students

Objectives The objective was to examine the relationship between grit and health outcomes in college undergraduate students. Methods A cross-sectional convenience sample of college undergraduate students completed an online survey assessing Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL), the National Cancer Institute Fruit and Vegetable Screener, and the 2-item Hager Food Insecurity Screener. Grit was assessed by generating a mean score using the 8-item short grit scale. Independent t-tests were used to compare health outcomes between students who reported above/below the average grit score of the sample. Chi-square tests were used to examine group differences between grit level and prevalence of food insecurity. Results Participants (N = 655) were 19.8 ± 1.5 years old, mostly female (63%), and white (84%). The average grit score was 3.27 ± 0.54 out of 5. Results indicated that students who were grittier than average (n = 372) reported fewer days/months (d/m) with poor mental health (8.1 ± 8.5 vs. 11.6 ± 9.6, P < 0.001), fewer d/m feeling sad/depressed (6.2 ± 7.7 vs. 9.9 ± 9.3, P < 0.001), more d/m with restful sleep (12.9 ± 9.8 vs. 10.3 ± 8.6, P < 0.001), more d/m feeling very healthy and full of energy (12.6 ± 8.8 vs. 8.4 ± 7.5, P < 0.001), and ate more servings of fruits and vegetables per day (2.4 ± 1.3 vs. 2.1 ± 1.32, P < 0.01). Grittier participants were also less likely to report being food insecure (16.0%) vs. less grittier participants (23.3%), P < 0.05. Conclusions This data indicates that students who were grittier than average reported better HRQOL, consumed a more healthful diet, and were more likely to be food secure. This provides justification for future research to explore grit as a mediating factor that may contribute to better health outcomes, especially in populations particularly susceptible to experiencing poor HRQOL and food insecurity. Funding Sources This project was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch project number #ME0022104 through the Maine Agricultural & Forest Experiment Station. NJ Agriculture Experiment Station.