In order to classify male sterile cytoplasms in rice, twelve cytoplasmic male sterile lines (RT2S, RT4S, RT7S, RT18S, RT41S, RT80S, RT81S, RT124S, RT132S, RT134S, RT142S, and RT153S) were crossed with five restoring testers (RT61F, BTF, RT98F, R100F and RT102F) . These lines consisted of Taichung 65's isogenic lines developed through repeated back-crossing of Taichung 65 to wild rice, Oryza ruffipogon and O. breviligulata (only RT153S) . The pollen and seed fertilitiy of the F₁ progenies which were derived from crosses between cytoplasmic male sterile lines and restoring testers was evaluated. Based on the results obtained, the cytoplasms of the male sterile lines were classified.
The pollen of the F₁s of RT18S and RT153S which was semi-fertile (50%) was characteristic of a gametophytic cytoplasm. On the other hand, the pollen fertility of all the lines except for these two lines was complete in the cace of hybridization with all the testers, regardless of the seed fertility. Further classification is required for the utilization of seed fertility.
RT18S and RT153S showed a normal seed fertility (more than 90%) in the F₁ for all the testers. RT4S showed a complete sterility for the seeds of F₁ progenies in the crosses with all the testers. The F₁s of RT2S, RT7S, RT41S, RT132S and RT134S displayed a seed sterility (less than 1%) in the crosses with RT61F and BTF, and a higher seed fertility (70-80%) in the crosses with RT98F, RT100F and RT102F. The RT80S and RT124S lines produced seed-sterile F₁ plants in the crosses with RT61F and BTF, a higher fertility in the crosses with RT98F, a lower fertility in the crosses with RT100F, and near-complete sterility in the crosses with RT102F. The RT81S and RT142S lines produced complete sterile seeds in the crosses with RT61F and BTF, but showed a lower seed fertility in the crosses with RT98F and near-complete seed sterility in the crosses with RT100F and RT102F.
The cytoplasms of the twelve cytoplasmic male sterile lines were classified into the following groups: (1) RT18S and RT153S (2) RT4S (3) RT2S, RT7S, RT41S, RT132S and RT134S (4) RT80S and RT124S (5) RT81S and RT142S.

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Effect of Abscisic acid (ABA) seed treatment on the growth and yield of Amaranthus spp. was studied. Seeds were treated with on ABA solution at concentrations of 0, 0.1, 1, 10, 100 and 1, 000 ppm placed on a filter paper for 30 hours.
1) ABA treatment at lower concentrations resulted in the increase of the germination percentage and plant Height, promotion of leaf developement, increase of leaf fresh weight, thickness of basal stem diameter and main stem fresh weight at early growth stages. On the other hand, 1, 000 ppm treatment inhibited seed germination and early growth of the seedlings. However, in spite of the inhibition at early growth stages, ABA treatment at higher concentration stimulated the later growth and eventually was more effective than the other treatments.
2) ABA treatment promoted root growth at all concentrations and the higher the concentration, the more active the root growth and lateral root development.
3) ABA treatment resulted in the increase of the chlorophyll content in leaves and the higher the concentration, the higher the content of chlorophyll and the less pronounced the senescence of lower leaves at later growth stages.
4) It was observed that the ABA treatment increased the basal stem diameter and promoted the root system development which resulted in the prevention of plant lodging at the later growth stage.
5) The yield of grains was increased by the ABA treatment. This effect was remarkable for the ABA treatment at 100 and 1, 000 ppm ABA treatments and the rate of increment was 27.4% and 42.2% respectively.
It is generally recognized that ABA is a growth retarding plant hormone. In our experiment, ABA application to Amaranthus seeds at higher concentrations inhibited the germination and early growth of seedlings as usually reported in the literature. In contrast, plant growth and root development were enhanced by treatment at lower concentrations from the early to the late growth stages. It is concluded that the ABA treatment not only inhibited plant growth but also promoted growth at lower concentrations.

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The traditional cropping pattern in the Vertisols of the semi-arid tropical regions in India would consist of sorghum cultivation in the post rainy season and year long pigeonpea cultivation following sowing during the rainy season. In the field tests conducted in Gulbarga District of Karnataka State, a predominantly vertisol region in India, it was demonstrated that it is possible to increase farmer's yields by introducing the Improved Vertisol Management Technology (IVMT), which is a package technology with low operating costs. From the point of view of the cropping systems, the results of the study on the improved practice showed that adding the sequence of the greengram in the rainy season to the traditional Rabi-Sorghum cultivation, if successfully practiced in this area, could increase the gross profit to the farmers by 132%. Similarly, intercropping of sesame with traditional pigeonpea crop rotation could improve the farmer's gross profit by 215%, compared to what he would benefit by adopting the traditional pigeonpea monoculture. Introducing the IVMT method of cultivation in the traditional pigeonpea monocropping system has helped to increase the gross profit of the farmers by 239%, thus displaying the greatest increase in gross profits to the farmers and demonstrating to be the most profitable cropping system.
The test results conclusively proves that one component of the IVMT, i.e. double cropping (mixing or sequential culture), is the most appropriate intervention for increasing the crop production. The IVMT generally produced good results in the treated fields. However, it is difficult to identity a single factor in the IVMT that contributes towrads these improvements. It is also recognized however, that Broad Bed Furrow is an important component of this technology and the cost of its introduction at Rp.182 per hectare works out to only 4.3% of the net profit of pigeonpea cultivation and 7.7% of the net profit of sorghum cultivation.

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The effects of the growth regulators, gibberellin (GA) and 4-chlorophenoxy acetic acid (4-CPA), applied at the blooming time, on the fruit quality of acerola cultivated in the southern region of Kyushu were investigated.
The ascorbic acid content of the pale green immature fruit was high and it decreased with fruit maturation. As a result of the treatment with GA of 100 ppm, the highest ascorbic acid content was 2, 965 mg/100 g in the pale green immature fruit and 2, 590 mg/100 g in the red ripe mature fruit. The highest ascorbic acid content associated with the treatment with 4-CPA was 2, 710 mg/100 g at 7.5 ppm in the pale green immature fruit and 2, 105 mg/100 g at 5.0 ppm in the red ripe mature fruit.
The fruit weight, edible portion percentage, juice yield and Brix value in the red ripe mature fruit showed the highest values at a GA concentration of 100 ppm. The effect of GA on the enhancement of the fruit quality was higher than that of 4-CPA. Ascorbic acid content in acerola fruit trees which is the highest among the fruit trees cultivated in the region, increased by the GA treatment.

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The characteristics of ‘Plicata’ coconuts with plicate leaves were evaluated, compared with those of ‘Laguna Tall’ (ordinary tall) as a control. In ‘Plicata’ coconuts, the process of splitting the leaf lamina into leaflets did not take place, only part of the lamina split into leaflets. Extremely high frequency of the placation was scored with a slight variation ranging from 81% and 92%. The placation patterns were different between both wings of the lamina. Apart from leaf morphology, other traits monitored were almost comparable to those of ‘Laguna Tall’: there were no significant differences in trunk size, leaf scar interval, leaf size, total number of leaflets, and size distribution of leaflets.

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The growth of tiller buds in floating rice plants is known to be inhibited by deep water conditions. Cytokinins promote the growth of lateral buds of plants. Two experiments were carried out to observe the effects of kinetin, a kind of cytokinin, on the growth of tiller buds under deep water conditions (Expt. 1) and after lowering of the water level (Expt. 2) in floating rice plants. Seedlings were grown in solution culture. In Expt. 1, deep water treatments were applied at the plant age of 5, and kinetin was dissolved in the culture solution for absorption from roots under deep water. In Expt. 2, deep water treatments were applied during the period from the plant age of 3 to the plant age of 6, then the water level was lowered. Kinetin was dissolved in the culture solution when the water level was lowered. Kinetin promoted the growth of tiller buds under deep water conditions, and also after lowering of the water level. Kinetin promoted the growth of the tiller buds whose growth had already ceased as well as that of the tiller buds whose growth had not ceased yet.

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Activated water conteins electrolytes and is treated with electronwaves. Activated water exerts an inhibitory effect on growth and elongation but promotire effect on maturity. The mechanism of action of activated water was investigated in relation to ethylene production in blackgram. In the experiment, black gram seeds were soaked with activated water or 25°C for five days. In the dark, activated water increased ethylene production, inhibited the elongation of hypocotyl and seminal root, and decreased the ratio of hypocotyl and root weight to total seedling weight after 2 days, while it increased the respectire weights after 5 days. In the light, no difference was observed in ethylene production and seedling growth between the control and activated water treatments.

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The effects of the amount of nitrogen and phosphatic fertilizer applied on the growth and grain yield of two kinds of grain Amaranthus spp. (A. caudatus and A. hypochondriacus) were studied. Soil culture was carried out using 100×200×80 cm frames.
Treatments included a control (N : P : K =8: 8: 8 Kg/10a), application of an excessive amount of nitrogen fertilizer (N: P : K=16: 8: 8 Kg/10a) and application of an excessive amound of phosphatic fertilizer (N: P: K=8: 16: 8Kg/10a) .
The results showed that the application of an excessive amound of phosphatic fertilizer was more effective to an shoot growth compared with the application on of an excessive amound of nitrogen fertilizer and the control, resulting in the increase of branches and grains in the main panicles in both species.
In the case of grain weight, however, the effect of the application of an excessive amound of phosphatic fertilizer was more pronounced followed by the application of an excessive amount of nitrogen fertilizer and the control in A. hypochondriacus while the application of an excessive amount of nitrogen fertilizer was most effective on the increase of grain weight in the lateral branch panicles of A. caudatus followed by the application of an excessive amount of phosphatic fertilizer and the control.

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