Selected agronomic traits are the conventional approach to evaluating corn plantings. However, this approach is only some-encompassing for planting plots; hence, needing a more precise method for the evaluation. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones are precision technologies that provide detailed information regarding cropping status through image analysis to make the assessment and prediction process more efficient. Therefore, using agronomic traits and drones together is a necessary approach to take. Presented research aimed to develop a productivity prediction model based on selective and precision secondary characters. The experiment happened from September to December 2021 in Tarowang Village, Takalar Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Eight maize cultivars, i.e., ADV1, Pioneer 1, Pioneer 2, NK, Bisi 18, Sinhas 1, NASA 29, and ADV2, grown and evaluated in a randomized completely block design with three replications, served as the main factor. Based on the results, the weight of 1000 grains, was a recommended agronomic trait in the evaluation and prediction of corn planting. In addition, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)-UAV, as part of ‘Technology 4.0’, considerably showed effectiveness in predicting maize productivity. Meanwhile, combining two variables notably have the highest accuracy in predicting corn productivity compared with their independent predictions. However, the advanced research still needs optimizing by using more maize genotypes and locations to increase the accuracy and forecast of the model.

Keywords: Agronomic traits, multivariate regression, NDVI, Technology 4.0, Zea mays

Key findings: Combining a selective agronomic trait (weight of 1000 grain) and NDVI-UAV revealed more effectiveness in evaluating the maize genotypes. This combined strategy can enhance the accuracy and precision of corn yield prediction. The multiple regression formulation from combining the two characters was 17.0486 NDVI + 0.038 weight of 1000 grain – 20.244. Moreover, the maize cultivar NK-7328 proved to be the best for cultivation in Takalar Region, Indonesia.

Zinc deficiency in cereal crops is a significant issue for human health. Rice, being a staple food crop, could cause severe zinc deficiency. The use of zinc-solubilizing bacteria (ZSB) is an ecological tactic to raise bioavailable zinc in the soil that may alleviate yield loss and, subsequently, enhance the nutritional value of rice. In the presented study, treating rice plants with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria S. marcescens FA-4 along with the recommended dose of chemical Zn and half dose of chemical Zn ensued under pot and field conditions at the COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan. The obtained data indicated an augmentation in rice growth, yield, and grain zinc content in response to the S. marcescens FA-4 inoculation with and without the chemical Zn application. The S. marcescens FA-4 significantly enhanced the grain zinc content (21.4–27.7 mg kg^-1) under the pot and (18.7–30.1 mg kg^-1) under field conditions, with 1.5 to twofold rise in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity in rice compared with the control. The rice plants treated with zinc solubilizing bacteria, followed by zinc treatments gave higher grain yields of 23.4–34.1 g pot^-1 and 3.2–3.6 t ha⁻¹ in rice cultivars, Basmati 385 and Super Basmati. The S. marcescens FA-4 with a half dose of chemical Zn also increased the zinc translocation index (1.4 to 1.7) toward grains. Consistency in the performance of zinc solubilizing bacteria occurred in the pot and field conditions. Hence, a conclusion that the use of zinc solubilizing strains is an efficient approach to enhance the zinc content of rice grains and combat the problem of zinc deficiency in humans.

Keywords: Zinc-solubilizing bacteria, superoxide dismutase, carbonic anhydrase, grain zinc content, rice

Key findings: The rice growth and yield increased in response to the combination of zinc solubilizing Serratia marcescens FA-4 and half a dose of chemical Zn. The Serratia marcescens FA-4 significantly enhanced the grain zinc content under the pot and field conditions, causing a 1.5 to twofold rise in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity in rice compared with the control.

Phenotypic and genotypic diversity is essential and needs more enhancement in different ways to achieve higher productivity and better quality vegetables. The presented research aimed to study the phenotypic characteristics and determine the genetic diversity of F₁ populations compared with the colchicine mutant variants in the Mercy cultivar of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), held from March to May 2019 at the experimental field of the Department of Agrotechnology, Islamic University of Riau, Pekanbaru, Indonesia. A total number of 144 studied plants comprised 72 from each of the two plant groups. The data recorded on various parameters attained statistical analysis using paired T-test at a significant P < 0.05. Comparisons between the cucumber plants of both groups included karyotypes and chromosome shapes, idiograms, and sequencing. The results revealed that, on average, the taller plants came from F1 populations (93.49 cm), followed by mutants of the same cultivar (67.83 cm). The F₁ hybrids showed early flowering (29.00 days) compared with colchicine-treated mutants (33.31 days). However, the number of fruits and fruit weight were higher in the mutant variants (9.39 fruits and 1055.39 g), followed by F₁ populations. The karyotypes of cucumber cultivar Mercy F₁ hybrids and mutants have different chromosomes, especially with the arm size. An idiogram also exhibited differences in chromosome length between the variants of both plant groups, while the primers of trnL-F and trnL-R target sequences were the same with the DNA sequence length. Using mutant cucumber seeds demonstrates a change in phenotypic character to increase fruit production. However, polyploidy did not occur, with genetic alterations measured by the length of chromosome arms. As a result, a future study with increased concentrations of colchicine is imperative to obtain significant chromosomal mutations.

Keywords: Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), F₁ hybrids, colchicine mutants, growth traits, phenotypic characteristics, genetic diversity, chromosomes

Key findings: The number of fruits and fruit weight were higher in the mutant populations, while the Brix values and plant height were better in F₁ hybrids compared with the mutants in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). The varied karyotypes between F₁ and mutant populations with short-arm (p) and long-arm (q) size indicate significant differences in the number of genes. The variation in chromosome arm length phenotypically causes changes in the morphological characters. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the colchicine concentration and immersion time to obtain polyploidy.

Drought is among the severe abiotic stresses that reduces crop yield. It greatly affects the growth and development at both vegetative and reproductive stages and the yield processes of crops. Maize is the third most important and widely distributed crop, suffering from drought stress, resulting in final kernel yield losses. The conduct of a screening experiment selected drought-sensitive and drought-tolerant maize accessions against water stress applied via calculating field capacity. This experiment used two treatments, T₀ and T₁ (T₀ with 100% field capacity and T₁ with 50% field capacity), in a completely randomized design (CRD) with a factorial arrangement and two replications at the wirehouse, Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Recording data on seedling traits ensued. Drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive accessions’ selection resulted from principal component analysis, with a conclusion that the accessions H45C × H6B, H21 × H2B, H17 × H16, H23 × H21, H17 × H16A were drought tolerant, while H20 × H7C, H47A × H6C, and H9 × H21 were drought sensitive. This research will provide information in the future for comparing drought-sensitive and drought-tolerant accessions and help identify drought-tolerant maize accessions benefitting future breeding programs.

Keywords: Drought stress, screening, production, genetic variability, selection, principle component analysis, drought tolerant, drought-sensitive

Key findings: Among 50 accessions screened against drought stress, the accessions H45C × H6B, H21 × H2B, H17 × H16, H23 × H21, and H17 × H16A were drought tolerant, while H20 × H7C, H47A × H6C, and H9 × H21 were drought sensitive. These accessions will benefit future breeding programs for comparing drought-sensitive and drought-tolerant accessions to develop drought-tolerant maize accessions.

Adding organic matter to soil proved an efficient strategy for restoring soil fertility and improving crop dry matter – an indicator of yield potential. In this regard, evaluating the sources of organic matter (OM) (control, poultry manure [PM], farmyard manure [FYM], compost, and mungbean residues [MR]) to provide 120 kg N ha^-1 and effective microbes (EM) (0, 100, 200, and 300 L ton^-1 of OM) as 2% solution proceeded in field conditions during 2017–2019. The sowing of wheat seeds (cv. Pirsabak 2015) at 120 kg ha^-1 took place in the field using RCB design with four replications. Results showed that PM/FYM had delayed the phenology and improved the biomass-related parameters, dry matter (DM) accumulation, and crop growth rate (CGR) more than compost and MR. However, the results were more pronounced when applied with 300 L EM ton^-1 of OM from the PM. The maximum DM (55%) accumulation in plant parts occurred beyond 100 days after sowing (DAS). A marked increase in DM and CGR beyond 60 DAS and a reduction in CGR beyond 120 DAS appeared irrespective of treatments. In the case of EM, the 300 L ton^-1 revealed superior in terms of growth, DM accumulation, CGR, and delayed phenology. Structural equation modeling suggested that DM production gained a direct effect from crop phenology (46.1%) and crop stand (30.4%) but no indirect effect from crop growth (24.8%). In conclusion, the 300 L EM ton^-1 of OM applied to PM or FYM had improved the crop stand, development, and DM production in wheat.

Keywords: Wheat, structural equation model, poultry/farmyard manure, compost, mungbean residues, effective microbes, crop growth

Key findings: Phenology was delayed using PM and FYM, thereby increasing the plant growth and dry matter accumulation over compost and MR. Improved DM and CGR resulted from PM, FYM, and MR with higher levels of 300 L ton^-1 of OM versus compost with a lower level of EM (100 L ton^-1 of OM). More than 50% of dry matter accumulation occurs after spikes emergence. DM production was directly affected by crop phenology (46.1%) and crop stand (30.4%) but indirectly affected by crop growth (24.8%).

The present study, comprising an evaluation of cotton amphidiploid hybrids and their families for yield and fiber quality traits, commenced from 2007 to 2022 at the Chirchik State Pedagogical University, Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The amphidiploid hybrids’ creation was through interspecific hybridization of Gossypium hirsutum subsp. euhirsutum cultivar Kelajak × F₁ (G. arboreum subsp. perenne × G. arboreum subsp. obtusifolium var. indicum) and experimental polyploidy, with genetically enriched new genotypes obtained. According to genetic variability, a considerable variation showed based on F₁–F₆ populations belonging to various clusters for the traits boll weight (2.3–6.21 g), 1000-seed weight (67.3–125.529 g), fiber length (24.9–34.4125 mm), fiber yield (31.4%–40.26%), and fiber index (6.3–7.5875 g). Furthermore, among the F₆ G. hirsutum subsp. euhirsutum cultivar Kelajak × F₁ (G. arboreum subsp. perenne × G. arboreum subsp. obtusifolium var. indicum) combination families, the promising genotypes selected gave the highest trait values for boll weight (6.6 ± 0.13 g – Family- 41), 1000-seed weight (125.8 ± 3.48 g – Family-59), fiber yield (40.3% ± 0.65% – Family-59), fiber index (8.5 ± 0.23 g – Family-59), and fiber length (34.5 ± 0.16 mm – Family-8). Genotype evaluation using cluster analysis allows the prediction of cotton families with a better combination of traits. Introgressive hybrids created based on the early maturing families, viz., Family-5, Family-8, Family- 13, Family-14, Family-41, and Family-59, with high yields and fiber indices attained inclusion in the Cotton Gene Pool, Uzbekistan (Certificate of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. 4/1255-2635 dated November 26, 2020). The promising families selected based on their best performance included F₅ (G. hirsutum L. × F₁ [G. arboreum L. × G. arboreum L.], Family-5, Family-8, Family-13, Family-14, and Family-59) and F₆ (G. hirsutum L. × F₁ [G. arboreum L. × G. arboreum L.], Family-5, Family-13, and Family-59), with the said cotton gene pool as valuable recombinants benefiting future breeding programs.

Keywords: G. hirsutum subsp. euhirsutum, G. arboreum subsp. perenne, G. arboreum subsp. obtusifolium, amphidiploid hybrids, F₁–F₆ populations, boll weight, 1000-seed weight, fiber length, fiber yield

Key findings: Results revealed considerable variations were among the primary cotton sources and interspecific amphidiploid F₁–F₆ populations for yield and fiber quality traits. Based on various economic traits, the cotton genotypes showed a relationship with different clusters.

The presented research aimed to study the numerical taxonomy of the genus Rosa L. and to identify and differentiate its various species grown in different regions in Kurdistan, Iraq. This study proceeded in the 2021–2022 season at the College of Education of Pure Science, University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq. Forty morphological quantitative and qualitative characteristics, including vegetative and reproductive traits (leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, and pollen grains), gained taxonomic analysis. From there, selection of 12 morphological features finally drew polygonal shapes for the concerned species. The analysis of the polygonal shapes revealed the species owned significant variations in these forms. The similarity among these species ranged between 0.5% to 91.0%, and the highest level of similarity (91.0%) occurred between the two species Rosa canina var. ‘canina,’ and Rosa canina var. ‘verticillacantha,’ and the lowest (0.05%) emerged from the species. R. elyamaitica and R. dumalis subsp. boissieri. From the cluster analysis, the UPGMA dendrogram separated the 13 species into three main groups and subgroups. The first main groups, divided into two subgroups, included the species R. canina var. ‘canina,’ R. canina var. ‘verticillacantha,’ R. canina var. ‘dumetorum,’ R. canina var. ‘deseglisei,’ and R. dumas subsp. boissieri. The second main groups included the species R. eiyamaitica and R. heckeliana subsp. orientalis. The second subgroup included the species R. gallica, R. centifolia, and R. damascena. Moreover, the third main group included the species R. foetida, R. foetida var. bicolor, and R. hemisphareaca.

Keywords: Rosa L. (Rosaceae), numerical taxonomy, species, genetic variations, quantitative and qualitative traits, cultivars, UPGMA, cluster analysis

Key findings: Using numerical taxonomy helped identify and differentiate the 13 taxa of the genus Rosa L. (Rosaceae), grown in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, based on quantitative and qualitative parameters, comprising vegetative morphological and reproductive traits.

The floristic survey of selected sites of Namal valley, Mianwali, Punjab, Pakistan began in 2016 until 2019 for documenting of wild species in the valley, which continues from the Salt Range. The research explored the unobserved vegetation of Namal valley, which has a unique biodiversity extended along its six ecological sites. Indigenous species totaled 188, distributed across discovered 152 genera and 54 families during the reporting period. The significant primary family based on species demonstration was Poaceae, having 25 genera and 39 species. Poaceae family has Asteraceae following it, having 17 genera and 18 species, and then by Fabaceae (10 genera, 15 species). The most dominating vegetation was of herbaceous type (79%). The study reported a total of 28 species of shrubs, with only 12 species of trees identified during this research from selected sites. Experimental results of five nominated plants (Grewia tenax, Pentatropis spiralis, Pulicaria edmondsonii, Ruellia nudiflora, and Tephrosia purpurea) showed that these plants differed considerably in terms of phytochemical concentration. Saponin concentration was minimal in all plants, except Ruellia nudiflora (1.7%). Tannins concentration was higher in Tephrosia purpurea (3.75%) and Pulicaria edmondsonii (3.11%) than in the other three plants. Quantitative results of free amino acids reflected that 11 amino acids were present in Grewia tenax. It was noticeable that proline was the highest amino acid (1.004 mg/ml) of the separated free amino acids, whereas isoleucine was the lowest (0.008 mg/ml) in the amino acid concentration. This checklist consists of updated systematic families and plant names that will provide a handy starting point for further ecological and bio-prospective research of the area under study.

Keywords: Checklist, salt range, Namal valley, ecological sites, families, Mianwali, Pakistan

Key findings: This research provides information about the vegetation spectrum, respective families, habitats, and habits that with no earlier documentation. It revealed the phytochemical, mineral concentration, and amino acid information about unique plant species, thus, concluding the diverse vegetation of Namal valley.

Black soybean (Glycine max L.) is native to Asia and well adapted to tropical climate countries, such as, Indonesia. The demand for black soybean supply increases due to soy sauce making. Limited fertile land causes efforts to enhance black soybean production to relocate to sub-optimal lands, such as, saline land. However, in saline soils the plant productivity is very low; therefore, technological inputs are required to prevent the crop from salinity stress, one of which is an exogenous application of antioxidants. The presented study aimed to analyze the yield in several black soybean cultivars when applied with antioxidants under salinity stress conditions. The study used a randomized complete block design with a factorial arrangement and three replications. The first factor comprised four cultivars of black soybean, i.e., Malika, Detam 2, Detam 3, and Detam 4, while the second factor was antioxidants (ascorbic acid, salicylic acid, and vitamin E – α-tocopherol) application, and without application of antioxidant (control). The results showed that salinity stress significantly affected the growth and yield of four black soybean cultivars. However, cultivar Detam 2 compared with other cultivars, performed best based on morphological and yield-related traits under saline soil conditions. Furthermore, in antioxidants, salicylic acid gave the best results for morphological characters, while ascorbic acid and vitamin E performed better for yield-related traits. Overall, the antioxidant application increased the tolerance of black soybean genotypes as compared with the control under salinity stress conditions.

Keywords: Black soybean (Glycine max L.), antioxidant defense, cultivars, morphological traits, NaCl levels

Key findings: Antioxidants play an essential role and increase the tolerance of black soybeans to salinity stress conditions.

The study of genetic variations in Catharanthus roseus L. induced by gamma rays and sodium azide using RAPD markers transpired in 2021–2022 at the Department of Biology, University of Kufa, Iraq. The seeds of two cultivars of Catharanthus roseus L., i.e., victory pure white and local (pink variety), received two doses of gamma rays (50 and 75 Gray) and four sodium azide concentrations (0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, and 0.8%). Non-treated seeds of both cultivars also served as a control for comparison. Evaluating the effects obtained through the exposure of C. roseus seeds to gamma rays and sodium azide employed DNA markers, including 16 primers used in applying RAPDs. DNA extraction, accomplished from fresh apical leaves, underwent molecular markers application. RAPD markers could detect the generation of genetic variation induced by gamma rays and sodium azide treatments through the appearance of polymorphic bands. Using 16 RAPD primers, the largest molecular size was 2,543 bp produced by primer OPB-17, with the lowest 114 bp produced by primer OPC-08. The highest number of main and polymorphic bands was 18 and 10, respectively, in primer OPA-10. The highest number of monomorphic bands was eight in primer OPX-17, which affected its ability to give the lowest value for polymorphism. The highest number of amplified bands was 78 bands in primer OPC-09. Primer OPA-10 provided the highest number of polymorphic and unique bands, as well as, the highest values for discrimination and primer efficiency. Primer OPC-09, with seven treatments resulting in a unique fingerprint, is superior to all other primers.

Keywords: Catharanthus roseus L., RAPDs, gamma rays, sodium azide

Key findings: In the presented molecular study, RAPD markers assessed genetic variations generated by both gamma ray exposure and sodium azide treatments with diverse doses and concentrations.