Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a global concern for human health and causes a decrease in crop production and nutritional characteristics. A two-year field study was planned to evaluate comparative effects of various Zn application approaches in bread wheat under plough tillage (PT) and zero tillage (ZT) system. Cultivation of wheat under ZT improved the soil organic carbon (17%), total soil porosity (11%), soil microbial biomass nitrogen (5%), and carbon (5%) in comparison to PT system averaged across the two years. Various efficiency indices were significantly influenced by Zn application methods during both years of experimentation. However, grain Zn contents were maximum with foliar-applied Zn in PT (31%) and soil-applied Zn under the ZT system (29.85%). Moreover, Zn use also enhanced the bioavailable Zn as lower phytate contents and phytate to Zn molar ratio were recorded. The highest bioavailable Zn was calculated for foliar (30%) and soil application (28%). Under both tillage systems, the maximum net benefits were obtained through Zn seed priming; nevertheless, ZT resulted in higher net benefits than PT due to low associated costs. In conclusion, Zn nutrition through different methods enhanced the productivity, profitability, and grain biofortification of wheat under PT and ZT systems.

Cotton is a major cash crop of Pakistan that provides high foreign exchange and plays an important role in agriculture, industry, and economic development. The plant population is important in achieving high cotton yield and fiber quality attributes in irrigated conditions. Most farmers maintain plant spacing according to their local tradition, and often ignore the varietal characteristics in Pakistan that cause low yield and poor quality of products. Therefore, standardization of plant spacings according to varietal characteristics is important to achieve higher yield and fiber quality. A field experiment was carried out at the Agronomic Research Area, Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan in 2017, in order to evaluate the performance of four cotton cultivars (MNH-1016, FH-Lalazar, NIAB-878, and Cyto-124) under five plant spacings (15.0, 22.5, 30.0, 37.5, and 45.0 cm), comparing them with and without nitrogen application. Nitrogen fertilization was applied at the rate of 197 kg ha⁻¹. The experiment was replicated thrice, as per Randomized Complete Block Design with factorial arrangements. The results showed that nitrogen application of 197 kg ha⁻¹ showed a positive impact on all crop parameters compared to plots where no nitrogen fertilizer was applied. The wider plant spacing (45 cm) increased the values of many cotton parameters compared with other plant spacings (22.5, 30.0, 37.5 and 45.0 cm), but the seed cotton yield was found to be higher in the narrow plant spacing (15 cm). However, fiber quality parameters such as GOT, staple strength, and micronaire showed higher values under wider plant spacing (45.0 cm). The varieties showed a mixed effect on cotton productivity and fiber quality. The MNH-1016 significantly impacted yield-contributing parameters such as bolls plant⁻¹, boll weight and seed cotton yield. The NIAB-878 showed a higher photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance compared to other varieties. Therefore, the wider plant spacing with nitrogen application could be a better strategy to increase cotton growth, yield, physiology, and fiber quality. However, long-term studies under different climatic conditions are suggested for wider plant spacing with nitrogen fertilizers.

In Australia, glyphosate is widely used in glyphosate-tolerant crops and fallows to control weeds such as common sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus L.). It has been hypothesized that glyphosate at sublethal doses, as a consequence of herbicide drift, may have a stimulatory effect on S. oleraceus growth. In 2017, pot trials were conducted to evaluate the effect of low doses of glyphosate on growth and seed production of this weed at the Weed Science Screenhouse Facility at the University of Queensland, Australia. At the 4- to 5-leaf stage (3-wk-old rosette), plants were treated with low doses of glyphosate (0 [control], 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 800 g ae ha⁻¹), and their responses were recorded until plant maturity. The study was repeated after completion of the first experimental run. An additional glyphosate dose (2.5 g ha⁻¹) was added in the second run. The low doses of glyphosate (<40 g ha⁻¹) caused a significant increase in S. oleraceus plant height and number of leaves compared with the no-glyphosate treatment. The highest stimulatory effect was observed at 5 g ha⁻¹. At 5 g ha⁻¹ glyphosate, S. oleraceus seed production increased by 154% and 101% in the first and second experimental runs, respectively, compared with the no-glyphosate treatment. The results of this study suggest that the sublethal doses of glyphosate produced hormetic effects on growth and seed production of S. oleraceus that changed the dynamics of weed–crop competition.

Summer weed species, including Echinochloa colona, are becoming problematic in the eastern grain region of Australia, but cover crops can be useful to suppress weeds during the summer fallow period. The present study evaluated the growth and seed production of E. colona grown alone or with four and eight cover crop plants per pot (i.e., 80 and 160 plants m^-2). Four legume (cowpea, lablab, pigeonpea, and soybean) and two grass (forage sorghum and Japanese millet) cover crops were used. Interference by cover crops reduced the height, the number of leaves and tillers, inflorescence number, seed production, and biomass of this weed than when it was grown alone. Cover crops differed in their ability to suppress the growth and seed production of E. colona. The effect of cover crop density on the studied attributes was non-significant in most cases. Pigeonpea as a cover crop was the least effective in suppressing the growth and seed production of E. colona. In general, leguminous cover crops exhibited less suppression of E. colona than grasses. Forage sorghum was most efficient in reducing the growth of this weed. Forage sorghum and Japanese millet reduced E. colona leaf and tiller numbers per plant by 90 and 87%, respectively. These cover crops reduced E. colona leaf number to only 17 per plant as against 160 per plant recorded without cover crops. Inflorescence number per E. colona plant growing alone was as high as 48. However, it was reduced by 20–92% when this weed was grown with cover crop plants. E. colona’s seed production was significantly suppressed by all the cover crops, except pigeonpea. Biomass of E. colona was suppressed largely by forage sorghum and Japanese millet compared to other cover crops. Among the cover crops, pigeonpea produced the lowest biomass of 11 g pot^-1, and the highest biomass (114 g pot^-1) was produced by forage sorghum. The study demonstrated the usefulness of cover crops, especially forage sorghum and Japanese millet, to suppress the growth and seed output of E. colona.