Onion (Allium cepa L.) is among the most cultivated vegetable crops in the world. Afghanistan is thought to be the origin as several local and wild varieties are found in different parts of the country. Safid e Paisaye is a local variety grown in central parts of Afghanistan in the Ghorband valley. This variety has long storability and high market demand among restaurants in the region, but little research has been done to increase the quality and its availability to the market to increase its market share in Afghanistan. Conducted under supervision of Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, India, at Agriculture Faculty Research Farm of Kabul University, this investigation looks at plough depth, land preparation methods, and planting date on quality and yield of onion bulb; it also studied other cultural practices including irrigation and fertilization dose and frequency. The parameters studied in this investigation include neck diameter (cm), bulb diameter (cm), neck to bulb ratio, bulb weight (gr), bulb volume (cm3), bulb density (gr/cm3), Total Soluble Solids (TSS) (Brix), firmness (Kg/cm2), marketable yield (MT/Ha), and total yield (MT/Ha). The data revealed that planting date has significant influence on bulb quality and yield of onion. The highest bulb diameter (6.95 cm), bulb weight (121 gr), bulb volume (128 cm3), marketable yield (32.54 MT/Ha), and total yield (34.24 MT/Ha) and the lowest neck to bulb ratio (0.04) were recorded for the first planting date (seed sown in nursery on 10 March - seedlings planted in field on 10 May). Land ...

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International LicenseThe present investigation was carried out to study the influence of planting date and field management practices on bulb quality and post-harvest losses of onions in storage at Agriculture Research Farm of Kabul University. Different traits including fresh bulb weight, total soluble solids, firmness, rooting, sprouting, spoilage and marketable bulbs were studied in these trials. The data were statistically analysed with R software. The planting dates had significant effect on fresh bulb weight, sprouting, spoilage and marketable bulbs of onions. After 120 days of storage the greatest fresh bulb weight (111.64 g), marketable bulbs (77.52%) and the lowest sprouting (10.56%) and spoilage (11.92%) were recorded for the first planting date (10 th May). Similarly, the lowest loss in total soluble solids was also observed under the first planting date. Field management practices did not have significant effect on bulb quality and post-harvest losses of onions. While delayed planting can significantly reduce onion bulb quality and increase sprouting and spoilage, early planting dates were more appropriate to reduce post-harvest losses.

Nelumbo nucifera (lotus plant) is an important member of the Nelumbonaceae family.This review summarizes the studies conducted on it since the past 15 years to provide an understanding on future areas of focus. Different parts of this plant, that is, leaves, roots, and seeds, have been used as food and for the treatment of various diseases.Polysaccharides have been extracted from different parts using different methods.The manuscript reviews the methods of extraction of polysaccharides used for leaves, roots, and seeds, along with their yield. Some methods can provide better yield while some provide better biological activity with low yield. The composition and structure of extracted polysaccharides have been determined in some studies. Although monosaccharide composition has been determined in various studies, too little information about the structure of polysaccharides from N. nucifera is available in the current literature. Different useful biological activities have been explored using in vivo and in vitro methods, which include antioxidant, antidiabetic, antitumor, anti-osteoporotic, immunomodulatory, and prebiotic activities. Antitumor activity from polysaccharides of lotus leaves is yet to be explored, besides lotus root has been underexplored as compared to other parts (leaves and seeds) according to our literature survey. Studies dedicated to the successful use of combination of extraction methods can be conducted in future. The plant provides a therapeutic as well as nutraceutical potential; however, antimicrobial activity and synergistic relationships of polysaccharides from different parts of the plant need further exploration.

The influence of land management and date of planting on physical properties of Safid e Paisaye onion (Allium cepa L.

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