Relationships between reflectance and absorbance chlorophyll indices with RGB (Red,Green, Blue) image components in seedlings of tropical tree species at nursery stage

Methods based on RGB (Red, Green, Blue) image segmentation may emerge as a new and low-cost method for estimation the quality of tree seedlings. However, the vast number of indexes based on the use of the RGB image segmentation and the lack of references in the literature still hinder the widespread use of this technology. Thus, we conducted a study aiming to test the relationships between methods based on absorbance and reflectance, widely used for the estimation of chlorophyll contents and physiological status of trees, and ten indexes based on RGB component analysis. We used leaves of five tropical tree species, belonging to different botanical families. Leaf absorbance was measured using the handheld chlorophyll meter SPAD-502, reflectance was measured using a spectrometer and the RGB indices were obtained from digitalized images of the leaves using a flatbed scanner. Modified linear regression models including all five species were used to relate RGB indices to absorbance and reflectance indices. Data collected from leaves of seedlings of five tropical tree species indicated that digital image processing technology can be a useful and rapid nondestructive method for assessment of physiological status of tree seedlings at nursery stage. Among the RGB indexes tested in this study the R, 2R*(G???B)/(G?+?B) and 2G*(G???B)/(G?+?B) are the most promising for analysis the tropical seedlings physiological status and quality.

     

Insights into the Effect of a Natural Arsenate Dose on Growth, Nodulation and Redox Metabolism of Soybean Plants

<正>Dear Editor,Arsenic(As) is a harmful metalloid that occurs in soil and water; its concentration varies considerably among geographic regions, with groundwater being the principal source of human contamination(Smedley and Kinniburgh, 2002). Besides the direct contamination effect of drinking water that contains high As concentration, human poisoning may also occur after inges-     

Challenges in organic component selection and biochar as an opportunity in potting substrates: a review

Plant production in potting substrates provides maximum profit on the applied inputs, and hence, directly improving the socio-economic condition of the grower/nurserymen. The main challenge in this industry is sourcing of materials for their potting substrates. Peat and perlite have been widely preferred materials. However, recently higher prices, more restrictive legislation of many countries and wetland ecosystem destruction through its extraction has limited peat use. Nowadays, producers focus towards peat alternatives that provide good performance, are readily available, inexpensive and environment friendly to attain sustainability in potted plant production. In an effort to grasp sustainability during the last few decades, many industrial and agricultural waste materials were reviewed for their use in potting substrates. In these studies, the major focus remained on material characterization, neglecting their economics, technical aspects and environmental impacts. Thus, switching from peat and perlite to alternatives requires material exploration. In the present review, we summarize a clearer and practical approach for substituting different materials especially biochar to fulfill the need of modern potting substrate industry. Biochar has the potential to sustain the substrate production on a long-term basis.     

Impact of spent coffee grounds as organic amendment on soil fertility and lettuce growth in two Mediterranean agricultural soils

The use of spent coffee grounds (SCG) as organic amendment is a triple solution: a reuse of this bio-residue (6 millions of tons per year), an increase in soil organic carbon (SCG contain 82% of carbohydrates and 13% of proteins) and a decrease in CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere. Thus, we investigate the effect of SCG on soil and plants in an in vitro assay. The variables considered were SCG dose (2.5 and 10%), two agricultural soils (Calcisol and Luvisol), and four cultivation times (15, 30, 45 and 60 days). The chemical and physicochemical soil properties, SEM images and growth parameters were analyzed. The highest dose of SCG increased organic carbon, total N and available K and P by 286%, 188%, 45%, and 9%, respectively, while decreasing lettuce growth by 233% compared to control. The SEM study revealed that SCG particles are incorporated into soil aggregates and microorganisms grow over them, which is also corroborated by a 10-times increase of soil respiration rate. The behavior of both soils differs for some SCG effects. In conclusion, SCG have a great potential to increase soil fertility and further investigations are needed in order to improve the use of SCG as amendment.     

Balance and concentration of nitrogen and potassium affect growth and nutrient status in soilless cultivated lisianthus

Purpose: Nitrogen (N) / potassium (K) nutrient balance has been studied for some ornamental plants, however, available information is limited. Here we investigate the optimum N and K balance and concentration for lisianthus production in soilless medium.

Materials and methods: The effect of three N / K balances: 1.43, 2.14 and 4.29, prepared by varying the concentration of N and K, were evaluated in lisianthus grown in soilless medium (volcanic rock).

Results: Plants fertigated with a N / K balance of 2.14 exhibited enhanced height and stem dry weight when compared to plants fertigated with a balance of 4.29, and a higher flower buds count and total dry weight than those fertigated with a balance of 1.43 or 4.29. Plants fertigated with a balance of 2.14 exhibited increased dry weight when N was reduced from 15 to 9?meq?L^?1 and K from 7 to 4.2?meq?L^?1, suggesting that lisianthus does not require high levels of these nutrients. Although shoot N concentration was not correlated with N concentration in the nutrient solution or balance, increasing N in the shoot was associated with higher P and Mg in the plant tissues. In general, P, Ca, and Mg in plant tissues were unaffected by the external N / K balance, however, the internal P and Mg concentrations were positively correlated with shoot dry weight. Shoot K concentration significantly increased when the N / K balance decreased, which is related to the higher concentrations of external K when the balance decreased.

Conclusions: The optimum N / K balance for lisianthus was 2.14. However, there was a concentration effect, as fertigation with solutions containing a N / K balance of 2.14 and an N and K concentration of 9 and 4.2?meq?L^?1 respectively, resulted in plants with the greatest dry weight.     

Potato Plants Grown from Minitubers are Delayed in Maturity and Lower in Yield,but are not at a Higher Risk of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Potato virus Y</Emphasis> Infection than Plants Grown from Conventional Seed

Potato virus Y (PVY) is the most important virus in North American seed potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production. Planting virus-free minitubers in place of field-grown seed, which usually has a low PVY incidence, reduces initial PVY inoculum in the field. However, plants grown from minitubers are smaller and emerge later than those grown from conventional seed, which could make them more likely to become infected with PVY. We tested the effects of seed type of three potato cultivars (Dark Red Norland, Goldrush, and Red La Soda) on PVY incidence, tuber yield, and flowering time. The incidence of PVY in plants grown from minitubers did not differ from that of plants grown from conventional seed. Minituber-grown plants produced lower tuber yields than plants grown from conventional seed. Plants from minitubers also emerged and flowered later, but this did not increase their incidence of PVY. Cultivar-specific differences were observed in tuber yield and flowering times, suggesting that this variation may influence PVY incidence more than seed type.     

The future of fish passage science,engineering, and practice

Much effort has been devoted to developing, constructing and refining fish passage facilities to enable target species to pass barriers on fluvial systems, and yet, fishway science, engineering and practice remain imperfect. In this review, 17 experts from different fish passage research fields (i.e., biology, ecology, physiology, ecohydraulics, engineering) and from different continents (i.e., North and South America, Europe, Africa, Australia) identified knowledge gaps and provided a roadmap for research priorities and technical developments. Once dominated by an engineering‐focused approach, fishway science today involves a wide range of disciplines from fish behaviour to socioeconomics to complex modelling of passage prioritization options in river networks. River barrier impacts on fish migration and dispersal are currently better understood than historically, but basic ecological knowledge underpinning the need for effective fish passage in many regions of the world, including in biodiversity hotspots (e.g., equatorial Africa, South‐East Asia), remains largely unknown. Designing efficient fishways, with minimal passage delay and post‐passage impacts, requires adaptive management and continued innovation. While the use of fishways in river restoration demands a transition towards fish passage at the community scale, advances in selective fishways are also needed to manage invasive fish colonization. Because of the erroneous view in some literature and communities of practice that fish passage is largely a proven technology, improved international collaboration, information sharing, method standardization and multidisciplinary training are needed. Further development of regional expertise is needed in South America, Asia and Africa where hydropower dams are currently being planned and constructed.     

First description of a natural infection with spleen and kidney necrosis virus in zebrafish

Zebrafish has become a popular research model in the last years, and several diseases affecting zebrafish research facilities have been reported. However, only one case of naturally occurring viral infections was described for this species. In 2015, infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) was detected in zebrafish from a research facility in Spain. Affected fish showed lethargy, loss of appetite, abnormal swimming, distention of the coelomic cavity and, in the most severe cases, respiratory distress, pale gills and petechial haemorrhages at the base of fins. Cytomegaly was the most relevant histopathological finding in organs and tissues, sometimes associated to degenerative and necrotic changes. ISKNV belongs to the relatively newly defined genus Megalocytivirus, family Iridoviridae, comprising large, icosahedral cytoplasmic DNA viruses. This is the first case of naturally occurring Megalocytivirus infection in zebrafish research facilities, associated with morbidity. The virus has been identified based on both pathologic and genetic evidence, to better understand the pathogenesis of the infection in zebrafish and the phylogenetic relationship with other iridoviruses. Given the ability of megalocytiviruses to cross‐species boundaries, it seems necessary to implement stringent biosecurity practices as these infections may invalidate experimental data and have major impact on laboratory and cultured fish.     

Effects of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Different Metabolic Pathways in the Freshwater Microalga <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chlorella sorokiniana</Emphasis> (Trebouxiophyceae)

The products that employ nanoparticles (NPs) in their composition have increased since the beginning of NP production; hence, their availability in the environment, especially in aquatic ecosystems, tends to increase. In these ecosystems, the phytoplankton is immersed in a complex matrix of nutrients, excreted materials, and other chemical compounds, which can influence the metabolic strategy of microalgae. One of the metabolic ways is mixotrophy, a situation whereby microalgae perform photosynthesis and use dissolved organic carbon at the same time. Most toxicity evaluations do not consider such a metabolic route, but this can represent a preferential metabolism in natural environments. The present study aimed at evaluating the effects of NP-TiO₂ at a log concentration range of ??3.10 to 0.89, on photosynthesis, growth, viability, and biochemical composition of the microalgae Chlorella sorokiniana during photoautotrophic and mixotrophic growth (glucose as the organic carbon source). The results showed lower chlorophyll a and photosynthetic activity in mixotrophy than in photoautotrophy, which can be due to a decreased need for photosynthesis in mixotrophy. Photoautotrophy cultures were sensitive to NPs, reaching 39% of viability at log 0.89, while in mixotrophy, cell viability was not affected by NPs. The biochemical composition and cell density changed as a function of NP concentrations, with increase in the protein/carbohydrate ratio in both treatments. The results showed that C. sorokiniana is more resistant to NPs during mixotrophic growth, but with changes in biochemical composition, whereas the photoautotrophic cultures were more sensitive to the increase in NP concentrations.