Biofertilizers containing plant growth–promoting bacteria are gaining interest as a sustainable solution to environmental problems caused by the inappropriate use of chemical compounds. However, the colonization and plant growth–promoting effects of inoculants can be affected by the method of inoculation. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of two inoculation techniques—soil application and root dipping—using a synthetic bacterial community on water yam cv. A-19 growth under growth chamber conditions. Five plant growth–promoting bacteria in the Allorhizobium-Neorhizobium-Pararhizobium-Rhizobium clade that were previously identified as essential core bacteria for water yam growth were used for synthetic bacterial inoculation. Compared with the root dipping technique, inoculation using the soil application technique significantly improved plant growth in terms of leaf number, area, and dry weight as well as SPAD value, suggesting that the soil application technique is an efficient method for bacterial inoculation in yam plants.

Drought stress is a major production constraint for fruits and vegetable crops not only in arid and semi-arid regions but also all over the arable lands. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of seed priming on the total germination percentage and physiological responses of hot pepper under drought stress. Polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) was used as a priming agent with 5 concentrations (-0, -0.4, -0.8, -1.2 and -1.6 MPa). The seeds were half soaked in each concentration solution for 48 hours at 25°C, while -0 MPa treatment seeds were soaked in distilled water for the same duration. The seeds were dried to the recommended moisture percentage. The germinated seeds were raised in a seed tray and transplanted in small plastic pots at the 3 to 4 leaf stage. The drought stress treatment was started ten days after transplanting with mild (daily watering), moderate (7 day-interval irrigation), and severe (9 day-interval irrigation) treatment. The results showed that the seed priming with higher concentrations of PEG (-1.2 MPa and -1.6 MPa) significantly increased germination percentage and enhanced drought tolerance of the seedlings than lower concentrations. Whereas, the seed priming with lower concentrations of PEG (-0, -0.4 and -0.8 MPa) under moderate and severe stress on the 3^rd week of experiment significantly reduced the photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and ethylene production. The present findings revealed that the seed priming of hot pepper seeds with higher concentrations of PEG might well alleviate drought stress disorders.

Local citrus genetic resources grown in Kunming, Mile, Jianshui, Shiping, Wenshan, Maguan, Dali, Yuxi, and Zhaotong in Yunnan Province, China were investigated in 2009, 2015, and 2016. A total of 58 samples, seven Citrus cavaleriei, seven C. hongheensis, nine C. medica and its relatives, two C. maxima, thirteen acid citrus (C. sp.), thirteen C. reticulata, four tangelos (C. sp.), two miscellaneous (C. sp.), and one C. polytrifolia were analyzed for characteristics. These results suggested that Yunnan is an area, rich in citrus genetic resources.

Cocoa is a valuable perennial cash crop providing livelihood to millions of people around the world. Despite being classified as a tropical crop, it is a shade-loving plant. Since sufficient amount of shading is required to achieve a high survival rate of cocoa seedlings during early field establishment, farmers are being encouraged to intercrop cocoa seedlings with crops like cocoyam, maize, plantain, and cassava to provide temporary shade while also increasing the farmers’ profit margins. Although plantain-cocoa or banana-cocoa intercropping is the most widely used system among all staple crops, this only results in 20 – 30% cocoa seedling survival rates. Thus, conventional protocols do not fully meet the shading requirements of cocoa. Here, we report recent improvement in cocoa cultivation in Ghana, where an erect branching cassava cultivar referred to as ‘Pole Bankye’ is intercropped with cocoa and plantain to provide adequate shade for cocoa seedlings during early field establishment. This method ensures high seedling survival rates of 70 – 90% even during moderate to severe drought seasons. The Cocoa-Plantain-Cassava (CPC) method is an innovative intercropping pattern of cultivation and now used in Ashanti region of Ghana. Thus, the emerging CPC method can be a means of facilitating its promotion and adoption in cocoa cultivation.