Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Phosphate-Solubilizing Bacteria Consortia Associated with Phospho-Compost on Phosphorus Solubilization and Growth of Tomato Seedlings (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

ABSTRACT

The exploitation of phosphate mines generates an important quantity of phosphate sludge that remains accumulated and not valorized. In this context, composting with organic matter and rhizospheric microorganisms offers an interesting alternative and that is more sustainable for agriculture. This work aims to investigate the synergetic effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and phospho-compost (PC), produced from phosphate-laundered sludge and organic wastes, and their combination on plant growth, phosphorus solubilization and phosphatase activities (alkaline and acid). Inoculated mycorrhizae and bacteria strains used in this study were selected from plant rhizosphere grown on phosphate-laundered sludge. Significant (p < .05) increases in plant growth was observed when inoculated with both consortia and PC (PC+ PSB+ AMF) similar to those recorded in plants amended with chemical fertilizer. Tripartite inoculated tomato had a significantly (p < .05) higher shoot height; shoot and root dry weight, root colonization and available P content, than the control. Co-inoculation with PC and AMF greatly increased alkaline phosphatase activity and the rate of mycorrhizal intensity. We conclude that PC and endophytic AMF and PSB consortia contribute to a tripartite inoculation in tomato seedlings and are coordinately involved in plant growth and phosphorus solubilization. These results open up promising prospects for using formulate phospho-compost enriched with phosphorus-solubilizing microorganisms (PSM) in crop cultivation as biofertilizers to solve problems of phosphate-laundered sludge accumulation.     

First detection and molecular characterization of avian polyomavirus in young parrots in Pakistan

Veterinary Research Communications - Avian polyomavirus (APV) infection, also called as budgerigar fledgling disease (BFD) causes various health problems in many psittacine species which may cause...     

Mycorrhizal autochthonous consortium induced defense-related mechanisms of olive trees against Verticillium dahliae

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - The present work aimed to investigate the effect of an autochthonous mycorrhizal consortium in enhancing olive tree tolerance against Verticillium...     

Fucoidans of Moroccan Brown Seaweed as Elicitors of Natural Defenses in Date Palm Roots

Fucoidans from Moroccan brown seaweed Bifurcaria bifurcata and Fucus spiralis were tested for their elicitor activity after their purification and complete characterization. The fucoidans of B. bifurcata (BBF) and of F. spiralis (FSF) were extracted and purified then characterized by infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and size exclusion chromatography. The results show that BBF and FSF are mainly sulfated with 45.49 and 49.53% (w/w) sulfate, respectively. Analysis of neutral sugars determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry showed that FSF and BBF were mainly composed of 64% and 91% fucose and 20% and 6% galactose, respectively, with a few other sugars such as glucose (8% in FSF), rhamnose (1% in BBF) and mannose (8% in FSF and, 2% in BBF). The eliciting activity of these sulfated polysaccharides in stimulating the natural defenses of the date palm was evaluated through the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), and the increase in phenols and lignin content in the roots. The results obtained clearly show that the two fucoidans early and intensely stimulate the natural defenses of the date palm after 24 h of treatments. This remarkable elicitor effect seems to be linked to the sulfated groups compared to non-sulfate alginates extracted from the same algae. These results open promising perspectives for a biological control approach against date palm diseases.     

Genetic diversity and phylogeny of pearl millets [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] based on chloroplast trnL-F region

Local varieties of pearl millets in Saudi Arabia are heat- and drought-tolerant and are grown under various environments. Here, we evaluated the diversity of six local varieties based on sequencing and analysis of the trnL-F region of their chloroplast DNA that includes the genes of tRNA^Leu and tRNA^Phe and the intergenic spacer between them, trnL-F. The obtained sequences were 1171–1172 bp in length, including the complete sequences of the tRNA^Leu, trnL-F and tRNA^Phe regions. Three variable nucleotide sites were observed in the sequences of the Indian variety, whereas for each of the three varieties, Tihamah, Jazan, and Sayah, a single variable site was observed. The varieties, Yemeni and Baydhan, were identical for the entire analyzed sequence. The secondary structure of tRNA^Leu intron of Indian variety was distinct from the other five varieties, while Tihamah and Jazan were distinct in the secondary structure of trnL-F spacer. Additionally, Indian was distinct in the secondary structure of tRNA^Leu whereas Sayah and Jazan were distinct in the secondary structure of tRNA^Phe. Phylogenetic analysis with NCBI-retrieved accessions of the Pennisetum glaucum revealed close relationships between the investigated varieties with an exception of the Indian, which clustered separately from the other five varieties. The nucleotide polymorphism analysis revealed higher nucleotide diversity in the spacer between tRNA^Leu and tRNA^Phe than in the tRNA^Leu intron across the six local varieties. This study provides insights into the genetic diversity within local pearl millets, which is important for the conservation of the local varieties that exhibit exceptional adaptation to the harsh climate conditions in the Arabian Peninsula.

     

A novel T177P missense variant in the HSPA8 gene associated with the low tolerance of Awassi sheep to heat stress

Tropical Animal Health and Production - This study was conducted to identify the association of coding variations in the HSPA8 gene with heat stress in two different breeds of sheep. All the coding...     

Comparative efficacy of Ovaprim and hMG (menotropin) to induce breeding in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

Fish Physiology and Biochemistry - The applications of exogenous hormones in different species for the induction of oocyte production, final oocyte maturation (FOM), and spawning for their...     

Effect of inhaled corticosteroids on growth and puberty in Egyptian asthmatic children and adolescents

Growth suppression and delayed puberty may be major concerns for Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS) treatment in children. Thus, we aimed to assess the effect of long-term ICS on growth and pubertal status in 30 asthmatic children and adolescents in comparison to 20-matched healthy subjects. Auxological measurements, Tanner staging and bone age assessment were performed. Measurements of basal and Lutenizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) stimulated follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and Lutenizing hormone (LH) were done for patients only. In addition, pelvic ultrasound for measurements of uterine length and right ovarian volume was done for females aged > 11 years. Patients' height, bone age and their Standard Deviation Scores (SDSs) were significantly lower, while weight SDSs were significantly higher than controls. ICS at doses > 400 microg/day negatively affected height and its SDS (OR: 8.5, 95% CI: 2.15-33.8), whereas the use of ICS for > 1 year significantly affected all auxological parameters with a particular risk on height SDS (OR: 9, 95% CI = 3.10-10.64) and weight for height SDS (OR: 6.82, 95% CI: 1.36-34.27). Significantly lower stimulated gonadotropins were encountered at doses > 400 microg/day, while a duration > 1 year was associated with significantly lower basal and stimulated gonadotropins. Logistic analysis revealed that the use of ICS for > 1 year carried the highest risk of association with low stimulated FSH (OR: 5.80, 95%, CI: 1.54-33.70) and LH (OR: 8.31, 95% CI: 1.83-50.47). In conclusion, ICS at doses > 400 microg/day carry a significant risk of retarding height of asthmatic children while their continuous use for > 1 year carries significant risks of short stature, weight gain and delayed puberty.     

Remediation of salt-affected soil by natural and chemical amendments to improve berseem clover yield and nutritive quality

Salinity is a major problem affecting crop production worldwide. The potential of different soil amendments (sulphur, gypsum, compost, and combination of gypsum, compost and sulphur) and two plant-growth stimulators (potassium silicate and calcium carbonate nanoparticles) to alleviate the harmful effects of saline soil on two cultivars of berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.), one salt tolerant (‘Serw-1’) and the other high yielding (‘Helaly’), was evaluated. Some soil properties were measured before and after treatments. Plant growth parameters, herbage yield, nutritive value and plant metabolites, including photosynthetic pigment and endogenous hormone contents, were also determined. The herbage yield of berseem clover cultivars substantially increased with the application of soil amendments in both years. The greatest yield increase was obtained with the compost application. The highest protein contents in herbage (16.4% in Helaly and 17.2% in Serw-1) were detected in response to composite (compost + gypsum + sulphur) and compost treatments, respectively. Carbohydrate content increased to 9.53% in Helaly and 5.1% in Serw-1 in response to the gypsum and compost treatments, respectively. The composite, compost and gypsum soil amendments were the most effective treatments resulting in the greatest herbage yield and quality values.     

Effect of salinity and silicon on root characteristics,growth, water status,proline content and ion accumulation of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.)

Abstract

A significant part of potentially mineralizable organic nitrogen (N) in soil comprises microbial cells (Bonde et al. 1988). Since the major part of organic N in cow dung also consists of microbial biomass N (Marsh and Campling 1970), it may be worth comparing the origin and the successive processes of N mineralisation in cow dung with those in soil. We studied the effect of the dung beetle, Onthophagus lenzii H., on the decomposition of cow dung and found that the dung beetle played a significant role in this process (Yokoyama et al. 1990). We employed, here, the acid hydrolysis method to analyze the effect of the dung beetle on N transformation in dung balls and residual cow dung.