Vegetable farming beyond the regular cropping calendar when supply is low and prices are high increases consumers range of choices and enhance profit. Nepal offers favourable potential for off-season vegetable production. However, inadequate approach to market and seasonal fluctuation of available vegetable creates difficulties in commercialization of off-season production. The current paper describes about what opportunities and importance do off-season farming has in Nepal and the constraints it has to encounter with. The cheap availability of labour, increasing interest of the government, and climatic suitability provide an opportunity for the farmers to make profitable income due to high prices during the off-season period which reduces the risk of failure of the farm, marketing risk, and maintains market equilibrium. Nevertheless, this cultivation system faces challenges of high post-harvest loss, poor implementation of policies, hijacked subsidies, inadequate irrigation facilities, and high pest infestation on-farm side and scarcity of cold storage, high transact cost, unmanaged collection, and market centers on the market side. Commercialization of off-Season vegetable production can create a better environment for income improvement and maintain market equilibrium.

Tea is one of the most important non-alcoholic beverage in the world and has been gaining further popularity as an important ‘health drink’ in view of its inferable medicinal value. In Bangladesh, commercially tea was cultivated since 1854 by establishing first tea garden Malnicherra Tea Estate in Sylhet. From 1947 to 2020, tea growing area, production and per hectare yield were increased 127.71%, 370.53% and 137.96% respectively. The major reasons behind the increasing tea productivity are extension of tea growing areas as well as cultivation of the tea clones (BT clones) released by Bangladesh Tea Research Institute (BTRI). Till now BTRI released 23 clones and 5 biclones, having average per hectare yield of 3461.67 kg. In the world, tea production, consumption and exportation have increased significantly. Unlike world condition, there is a negative relation between tea production and export in Bangladesh. From 1980 to 2020 the quantity of tea exports was decreased by 92.99%. This situation emphasizes the need for exploring alternative means by the tea industries of increasing profits from tea cultivation and tea export. As a result, researches on tea varietal improvement is needed for rapid economic growth and development of tea industry as well as to encourage tea plantation business to go ahead with more production to meet our own demand along with quality tea to flourish tea business in Bangladesh.

Phosphorous is an essential macronutrient for plant growth and development. Most of the soil is deficient in plant available phosphorous and due to economic limitations majority of Ethiopian farmers applied inadequate fertilizers. It is essential to stabilize a mechanism to access P for plants with an efficient, cheap, and eco-friendly approach for enhanced crop growth and production. The main objective of this study was to screen efficient phosphate solubilizing bacteria from tomato rhizosphere soil. Using halo zone formation on PVK agar medium, more than 400 PSB isolates were isolated from 13 rhizosphere soil samples. By evaluating SI, texture in the culture-re-culturing process, liquid medium pH change efficiency and growth rate, upmost three promising PSB isolates (K-1-29, K-10-27, and K-10-41) were selected. Incubation of the isolates in PVK broth for five days showed significant pH reduction. For instance, isolate K-10-41 showed significant pH change (4.02) which indicates the organic acid production. Isolation and evaluation of efficient phosphate solubilizing bacteria maintain soil fertility, promote plant growth, induce plant response to pathogens, reduce agrochemical consumption and promote sustainable agriculture. Therefore, these selected PSB isolates need further detailed study for taxonomic identification, plant growth promotion, host range, and phytopathogen response. Local isolation improves environmental adaptation and indigenous competition.

This study was conducted in the Tolon district of Ghana to determine small-scale farmers' perceptions, motivation and problems faced by them in the adoption of agroforestry practices. Primary data were collected through a pre-structured questionnaire from a sample of 200 respondents who were selected using a multi-stage random sampling technique. Data analysis was done by using the percentage and total weighted score (TWS) method. Most of the farmers in the study area have a positive perception of the adoption of agroforestry practices. Crop diversification, high returns and risk minimisation were the major motivational factor, whereas small landholding size, lack of awareness and poor knowledge, poor market accessibility, lack of subsidy, credit facility, lack of good quality planting material and longer period for tree growth were the major problems faced by the farmers in the study area. Thus, the study suggested that farmers can be encouraged to practice agroforestry through improved agroforestry extension services, cooperative groups and distribution of quality planting material to farmers.

Bu çalışma, yetiştirme ortamına kompost ve gübre ilavesinin gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii Bolus ex Hooker f.) bitkisinin büyüme ve çiçeklenmesine etkilerini belirmemek amacıyla 2021-2022 yıllarında yürütülmüştür. Yetiştirme ortamına farklı oranlarda kompost (%0- %20 ve %40) ve farklı EC seviyelerine sahip (EC 750 µS/cm – EC 1100 µS/cm ve EC 1450 µS/cm) gübreleme uygulamaları yapılmıştır. Kompost oranlarının bitki gelişimine etkisi incelendiğinde, çiçek sap uzunluğu, çiçek sap kalınlığı, çiçek çapı, dal ağırlığı, SPAD değeri, vazo ömrü, kök uzunluğu, kök yaş ağırlığı, kök kuru ağırlığı ve verim parametrelerinde kompost uygulaması yapılmayan (%0) ortamlarda en iyi sonuçlar elde edilmiştir. Farklı gübreleme düzeylerinin etkisine bakıldığında ise, EC 1100 µS/cm gübreleme seviyesinde, çiçek sap uzunluğu, çiçek çapı, dal ağırlığı, vazo ömrü, kök uzunluğu, kök kuru ağırlığı ve verim parametrelerinde en iyi sonuçlar saptanmıştır. Farklı oranlarda kompost ve gübreleme uygulamalarının kombine edilmesi sonucunda ise, çiçek sap uzunluğu, çiçek sap kalınlığı, çiçek çapı, dal ağırlığı ve vazo ömrü parametrelerinde %0 kompost uygulaması ve EC düzeyinin 750 µS/cm olduğu yetiştirme ortamlarında diğer uygulamalara kıyasla olumlu etki yaptığı görülmüştür. Bitki boyunda %40 kompost uygulaması ve EC düzeyinin 1100 µS/cm, SPAD değerinde ve kök uzunluğunda %0 kompost uygulaması ve EC düzeyinin 1100 µS/cm, kök yaş ağırlığında ise %0 kompost uygulaması ve EC düzeyinin 1450 µS/cm olduğu yetiştirme ortamlarında en iyi sonuçlar elde edilmiştir. İki yıllık veriler kıyaslandığında ise gerbera bitkisinin gelişim özelliği ve uygulamaların da etkisiyle ikinci yılda ve büyüme ve çiçeklenmenin daha iyi olduğu saptanmıştır. Sonuç olarak, gerberada kompost oranının artışı genel itibariyle bitki gelişimini kısıtladığı tespit edilmiştir Gübreleme uygulamalarında ise 1100 µS/cm EC düzeyinin bitki gelişimi açısından diğer uygulamalara kıyasla daha olumlu etki yaptığı görülmüştür.

Yield performances differ according to the environment in which the plants are grown. In order to determine the chickpea cultivars suitable for Kahramanmaraş province, 17 different chickpea cultivars were tried during the growing seasons of 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. Among the characteristics examined in the study, flowering times, pod bind times, first branch height to years, varieties and years variety interactions were significant as statistical. There were statistically significant differences in terms of plant height, years and year × variety interaction. The number of pods, pod length, pod width created statistically significant differences in terms of years and cultivars. The differences among the cultivars in terms of grain yield were found as statistically significant. It was determined that the effects of years, cultivars and year-variety interactions on the first pod height, number of branches, and pod diameter did not have a statistically significant. At the end of the two-year study, it was concluded that Seckin, Arda, Hasanbey, Çagatay, Azkan, Ubet, Damla 89 and Aslanbey chickpea cultivars can be recommended due to the over grain yield of 300 (345-301) kg from per decare in Kahramanmaras conditions.

Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima Lam.) is a well-known, extensively grown and consumed crop, world-wide. Pumpkins are natural and rich source of potential bioactive compounds. The presence of active phytochemicals makes these fruits a great matrix to be further exploited for therapeutic purposes, beyond biotechnological applications. Peel, flesh and seeds of this fruit are heavily loaded with phenolics, flavonoids and carotenoids, which are the main tributes of this functional and medicinal food. Present study was designed to utilize these parts of pumpkin in the form of powders, at 0, 5, 10 and 15% replacement levels with white flour, to develop biscuits and to obtain methanolic extracts of these biscuits to determine their phytochemical parameters. Among the different treatment biscuits, highest amount of total phenolics (101.79 mg GAE/100 g), flavonoids (60.74 mg CE/ 100 g) and DPPH free radical scavenging activity (38.00 mg AAE/100 g) was found in biscuits with 15% replacement of pumpkin seeds powder, while biscuits with 15% replacement of pumpkin flesh powder exhibited highest amount of total carotenoid contents (6.95 mg/ 100 g) and β carotene (2.86 mg/100 g). Functional biscuits developed from replacement of pumpkin parts powders with wheat flour may be offered to patients facing oxidative stress, degenerative diseases and diabetes. These biscuits can be offered to children for better growth and development. Consumers awareness through proper marketing at commercial level with proper labelling of nutritional facts, may lead to increased demand of this functional and medicinal food rich in bio actives.

Investigating the nutrient composition in soil textural constituent as influenced by land use is a necessity towards a good soil conservative and management measure. In view of this, a laboratory experiment was conducted; soil samples were collected from different locations within and outside the Federal University of Technology, Akure and analyzed for basic chemical elements. The soil sampling was based on land use and six different soil samples were collected at a depth of 0-15cm. These samples included bare soil (BS), waterlogged soil (WS), maize cultivated soil (MS), cassava cultivated soil (CS), cassava-maize intercrop (CM), and mixed cropping of cassava, maize and cowpea (MC). The waterlogged soil was cultivated to rice while the bare soil was not cultivated. The soil samples were air-dried and crushed after which fractionation was carried out using a three-layer sieve to separate the soil particles into different size of 2mm to 0.5mm (Sand), 0.5mm-0.05mm (Silt) and

In this study, a total of 364 samples were collected and 349 of them belonged to, 349 specimens of Dasyatis pastinaca, 6 of Gymnura altavela, 5 of Torpedo marmorato, 2 of Aetomylaeus bovinus and Mustelus mustelus, were obtained by-catch in trammel nets off the Izmir Bay (Aegean sea coast of Turkey) during period of spring in 2018. Males of D. pastinaca ranged from 28–62 cm and females from 31.5-94 cm total length. The analysis of the angular coefficient (b) demonstrated that growth (in weight) in relation to length was isometric in males and females of D. pastinaca. Morphologic measurements of a total of 60 individuals to represent all individuals of the population, t test in independent groups to determine differences in males and females and all other morphometric measurements were statistically tested by multiple regression analysis (stepwise method). Therefore, difference between mean values obtained according to sexes was not found different. However, A linear correlation between weight- pelvic length for females and weight- preanal length for males according to multiple regression analysis in male and female individuals. Isometric and positive allometric growths were calculated for species of Torpedo marmorata and Gymnura altavela, respectively.