Characterization and identification of leaf morphology of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Populus deltoides</Emphasis> Bartr. clones

Leaves are of fundamental importance to plants, representing their facility to generate power and are the sensing units of plants towards the environment. An attempt was made to characterize and compare the variations of leaf morphology of various Populus deltoides Bartr. clones by studying the winter buds and other leaf parameters of fully developed leaves. To achieve these objectives, forty-three exotic and indigenous clones of P. deltoides Bartr. were evaluated for different parameters. On the basis of various morphological characteristics the results reveal that each clone has a distinct color pattern of leaves. Different colors observed in these clones varied from light green through green to dark green. Two distinct lengths of the leaf apex were found, i.e., short and long; as well both acuminate and acute apex types were found. Erratic distribution of serration of leaves was also found. In this study, the morphological traits of leaves provided discriminatory grounds for separating various populations of P. deltoides Bartr. clones. Winter bud studies indicate that different clones vary considerably with regard to shape, color, shape of leaf scars and exudation.     

Effect of Nano Fe-Chelate,Fe-Eddha and FeSO4 on Vegetative Growth,Physiological Parameters and Some Nutrient Elements Concentrations of Four Varieties of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) In NFT System

In order to investigate the effects of different iron (Fe) sources (nano iron (Fe)-chelate, Fe- ethylenediamine-di(o-hydroxy phenyl acetic acid (EDDHA) and iron (II) sulfate (FeSO₄)) on lettuce (Lactuca sativa) growth in alkaline solutions, an experiment was arranged in hydroponic system. This study showed that leaf Fe content and overall plant growth was significantly increased by Fe-chelate application, and the highest values of leaf Fe, plant pigments and vegetative growth were recorded in plants treated with nano Fe-chelate. The lowest Fe, chlorophyll, carotenoids and soluble sugars in leaves were observed in FeSO₄ treatment. There were no difference in soluble sugars contents of plants between nano Fe-chelate and Fe-EDDHA treatments. Fertilization of lettuce plants with different Fe-chelate sources had a beneficial effect on the manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) uptake in plants. It is concluded that application of chelated form of Fe (especially nano Fe-chelate) must be performed in hydroponic system with alkaline water, to overcome Fe deficiencies and to make better nutritional status.     

Kinetics of phosphorus release from calcareous soils under different land use in Iran

The rate of phosporus (P) release from soils can significantly influence P fertility of soils. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of land‐use types on the kinetics of P release under different management practices and the relationship between kinetic parameters and soil physical and chemical properties from calcareous soils. The kinetics of P release in 0.01 M CaCl₂ was studied in surface samples of 30 calcareous soils planted to garlic, garden, pasture, potato, vegetables, and wheat. Trend in P‐release kinetics was similar between land‐use types. Significantly different quantities of P were released under different land use. The maximum amount (average of five soils) (46.4 mg kg^–1) of P was released in soil under potato and the minimum amount (10.4 mg kg^–1) under pasture. The kinetics of P release from soils can be described as an initial rapid rate followed by a slower rate. Different models were used to describe P release. In general, parabolic diffusion and power equation were found to be appropriate for modeling P release. The P‐release rate for the soils was estimated by parabolic equation for the studied land‐use types. The constant b was lower for pasture and wheat than for garlic and potato. The relationship between the rate of P release with Olsen‐P was linear, while it was curved with respect to the CaCl₂‐P, indicating that release of P was diffusion‐controlled. When the kinetic parameters of models were regressed on soil properties, CaCl₂‐P and CaCO₃ appeared to be the most important soil properties influencing P‐release rates in these soils.     

Phosphorus leaching in a calcareous soil treated with plant residues and inorganic fertilizer

Column experiments were conducted over 45 d to determine the degree of P mobility. The sandy loam soil was spiked with 200 mg P kg^–1 and 5% organic residues. The treatments included: control without any water‐soluble P and plant residues, potato, wheat, water‐soluble P fertilizer, wheat + water‐soluble P, and potato + water‐soluble P. Each column was leached with distilled water, and leachates were collected and analyzed for P, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, along with pH and EC. Sequential extraction was performed on soil samples at the end of leaching column experiments. The relatively high initial concentration of P in the leachates decreased to more stable values after 15 d which can be attributed to the colloid‐bound P. The P concentrations in the leachates fluctuated between 8 and 220 mg L^–1 in the water‐soluble–P fertilizer treatment, between 0.80 and 230 mg L^–1 in the potato + water‐soluble‐P treatment, and between 0.90 and 214 mg L^–1 in the wheat + water‐soluble P treatment. Leaching loss of P mainly occurred in the 15 d of leaching, accounting for 94%, 88%, and 65% of total P leached in wheat + water‐soluble‐P, potato + water‐soluble‐P, and water‐soluble‐P treatments, respectively. Maximum amount of P leached was found from an exponential kind model and was in the range 0.45 mg kg^–1 to 125.4 mg kg^–1 in control and potato + water‐soluble‐P treatments, respectively. Sequential extraction results showed that in control and amended soils the major proportion of P was associated with Ca. The leachate samples in all treatments were saturated with respect to hydroxyapatite, β‐tricalcium phosphate, and octacalcium phosphate up to 20 d of leaching, whereas they were undersaturated with respect to Mg‐P minerals through the entire leaching experiment.     

Chemical fractionation of phosphorus in calcareous soils of Hamedan,western Iran under different land use

We investigated the effects of land uses on P distribution and availability in selected calcareous soils under different management practices. KCl‐P (labile P), NaOH‐P (Fe‐Al‐bound P), HCl‐P (Ca‐bound P), and residual P (Res‐P) fractions at 0–30 cm depth were determined for soils planted to garlic, orchard, pasture, potato, leafy vegetables, and wheat. Trends in P distribution between chemical fractions were similar between land uses. Ca‐bound P was the most abundant P fraction in the soils, constituting between 61% and 78% of the total P, whereas P associated with labile was less abundant (< 2%). Soils under leafy vegetables and wheat along with pasture presented the highest and lowest values in all fractions of P, respectively. Labile P generally was highest for leafy vegetables and potato. Labile P and Fe‐Al‐bound P comprised < 1.4% and 8% of total P, respectively. Residual P ranged from ≈ 14% (potato and garlic) to 31% (pasture). Long‐term fertilization increased P allocation to inorganic fractions, as Ca‐bound P contained 78% of total P for potato and garlic and 74% for leafy vegetables but 61% for pasture. A strong positive correlation between labile P and Fe‐Al‐bound P (r = 0.534, p < 0.01), labile P and Ca‐bound P (r = 0.574, p < 0.01), Ca‐bound P and Fe‐Al‐bound P (r = 0.504, p < 0.01), Olsen‐P and CaCl₂‐P (r = 0.821, p < 0.01) was found. Principal‐component analysis showed that the first four components accounted for most of the variation, 32.5%, 16.9%, 12.9%, and 7.9% of total variation, respectively.     

Direct and Residual Effect of Sulphur Fertilization on Yield,Uptake and Use Efficiency in Indian Mustard and Succeeding Rice Crop

A field experiment was conducted on Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) with five levels of sulfur (S), 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 kg S ha^?1 in sub-tropical Inceptisol of Jammu, North India. The residual effect of S on rice crop was evaluated. The seed and stover yield of mustard increased in the linear order up to 60 kg S ha^?1 but significant yield increase was obtained up to 30 S kg ha^?1 which was 21.4 percent higher in comparison to the yield obtained in control. The uptake of S at maturity was significantly affected with all the levels of S application. The seed S uptake increased significantly up to 30 kg S ha^?1 and stover 45 kg S ha^?1. The residual effect of S was convincing in enhancing the rice yield to the tune of 5.3% over control, but was statistically non-significant. The S uptake was also favourably influenced by the residual S which was evidenced through increased S use efficiency. Agronomic and physiological efficiency as well as S recovery were all greatly influenced by direct and residual effect of S. Apparent S recovery was higher at 30 kg S ha^?1 in mustard (12.06%).     

Improvement in HCl-extractability of minerals in home made weaning foods

Three weaning foods were formulated from locally available cereals and pulses such as rice (Oryza sativa), kangini (Setaria italica), sanwak (Echinochloa frumentacea), green gram (Vigna radiata) and jaggery. Cereals and pulses were mixed in the proportion of 7:3. Nutrient composition of developed weaning foods was within range prescribed by Indian Standard Institute and was found to be acceptable. Roasting was the processing technique employed in developing weaning foods which resulted in significant increase in HC1-extractable minerals, an index of their bioavailability to humans. The higher HC1-extractability of the minerals may be ascribed to the decreased phytic acid in the processed home made weaning foods.     

Protein quality of developed home made weaning foods

Home made weaning foods developed from locally available foods like bajra, barley, green gram (Vigna radiata L.), amaranth grain (Amaranthus sp.) and jaggery using household technologies like roasting and malting had a PER ranging from 2.04 to 2.13, BV 79.56 to 80.68, NPU 66.75 to 67.86, NPR 2.13 to 2.76 and PRE 34.18 to 44.18. The values were comparable to that of cerelac—a commercial weaning food.     

Effect of home processing on ascorbic acid and β-carotene content of spinach (Spinacia oleracia) and amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor) leaves

The present investigation was conducted to study the concentration of ascorbic acid and -carotene in spinach and amaranth leaves as affected by various domestic processing and cooking methods which included storage of leaves in polythene bags or without packing for 24 and 48 hours in refrigerator at 5 °C; at 30 °C in polythene bags; drying (sun and oven); blanching (5, 10, 15 min); open pan and pressure cooking. Ascorbic acid content of fresh leaves was 624.1 to 629.0 mg and -carotene content was 35.3 to 53.1 mg/100 g dry weight. The percent loss of ascorbic acid ranged from 1.1 to 6.3 and 55.3 to 65.9 while lower losses (0.0 to 1.3 and 1.5 to 2.1) of -carotene were observed in leaves stored in refrigerator and at 30 °C, respectively. A markedly greater reduction in ascorbic acid and -carotene was observed in dried, blanched and cooked leaves. The study recommended the storage of leaves in refrigerator, drying in oven, blanching for shorter time and cooking in pressure cooker for better retention of these two vitamins.