Farmers’ perceptions of earthworms and their role in soil

Farmers’ perceptions of earthworms were surveyed based on the criteria they use to identify them, i.e., use of common names, knowledge of morphological characteristics, presence in various land uses, soil layers, as well as direct and indirect use. A total of 39 farmers of the La Vieja River watershed in Colombia were interviewed and the data submitted to chi-square test and multiple correspondence analysis. Significant differences (p < 0.1) were found in farmers’ replies in relation to recognition and use of earthworms depending on gender, level of schooling, and age. According to the interviewees, earthworm abundance was highest in plantain and coffee crops, in places where harvest residues accumulate, and in soil layers from 0 to 20 cm depth. The topsoil was identified as the main area of recognition, which can be attributed to soil preparation tasks. Farmers differentiated earthworms by shape and color and in 97% of the cases, by size and how they react when captured. They recognized nine species and used several common names to differentiate them. Most (95%) farmers considered earthworms as soil quality indicators and many (38–49%) of them recognized their use for recreation and medicinal purposes and as important for soil organic matter decomposition. This study showed the value of local farmer knowledge for scientists as part of research aiming to facilitate communication between farmers and scientists and generate complementary means of addressing and interpreting natural processes and dynamics at the ecosystem level. It also highlights the need to draw from farmers’ perceptions in informal education processes and to link the contributions of scientists to traditional knowledge in order to consolidate proposals related to biodiversity conservation and use in rural development programs.     

Changes of Sorghum bicolor landrace diversity and farmers’ selection criteria over space and time,Ethiopia

Temporal and spatial changes in sorghum landrace diversity and distribution, field sizes, and farmers’ selection criteria were studied in five agricultural landscapes in North Shewa and South Wollo, Ethiopia. The study was undertaken during 2000/2001 and 2011/2012 cropping seasons in order to ascertain the stability of a range of factors that support the maintenance of sorghum landrace diversity. The same farmers were interviewed and the same sorghum fields were surveyed during both cropping seasons to determine the changes over the 11-year period. Farmers’ selection criteria increased significantly in all agricultural landscapes [Bati (P < 0.0001); Borkena (P < 0.0015); Epheson (P < 0.002); Hayk (P < 0.022); and Merewa Adere (P < 0.05)]. In Bati (P < 0.0081) and Merewa Adere (P < 0.0087), fields planted to sorghum landraces have increased significantly. Changes in field sizes in Epheson (P < 0.36) and Hayk (P < 0.237) did not show significant differences. The field sizes in Borkena (P < 0.0001) have decreased significantly due to population growth, land distribution policy, and seasonal variations followed by inter-and intra-species crop diversification. Sorghum landrace richness has increased significantly in Bati (P < 0.0001) and Hayk (P < 0.0001), marginally increased in Merewa Adere (P < 0.08). No significant changes have been observed in sorghum landrace richness in Borkena (P < 0.344) and Epheson (P < 0.24). In 2011/2012, 24 “generalist” sorghum landraces (grown widely across three or more agricultural landscapes), and 53 “specialist” sorghum landraces (restricted to certain microhabitats in one or two agricultural landscapes) were found. Landrace dynamics in response to farmers’ selection criteria and environmental variations are explained.     

Farmers’ adoption of maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids and the persistence of landraces in Southwest China: implications for policy and breeding

This paper examines changes in the distribution of maize hybrids and landraces in the mountainous areas of southwest China over 1998–2008, farmers’ reasons for cultivar adoption and the implications for national policies in relation to seed production and breeding, based on baseline data and a survey conducted in Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou. The study traced the dynamic changes in the adoption of hybrids and landraces in farmers’ fields, explored how individual farmer’s choices can influence local landrace distribution, and investigated the space for conducive policy and innovative action for on-farm conservation of maize genetic resources. The research showed that although there is strong farmers’ interest in accessing modern maize hybrids, farmers also express strong reasons for maintaining at least some of the landraces that satisfy local agronomic context and social preferences. Farmers recognized that hybrids have a number of advantages but they also indicated some disadvantages of the current available hybrids e.g. with respect to seed quality, local adaptability, taste and cost of seeds, but also lack of information on the performances of the new hybrids. Based on farmers’ reasoning and experiences, the requirements have been identified for improving yield combined with local preferences (agronomic, cultural and socio-economic). The paper concludes by identifying options for how China might seek to develop resilient seed systems for smallholder farmers in poor areas, under changing climatical conditions and volatile markets. Participatory Plant Breeding is among the options considered for bringing farmers’ needs into conservation and breeding strategies for improving local adaptation.     

Soil–Plant Nutrient Status and their Relations in Maize-Growing Fields of Wolaita Zone,Southern Ethiopia

This study investigates the soil–plant nutrient status and relationship in Wolaita, Southern Ethiopia. Maize leaves, soil samples and field history were collected. The result indicated that continuous cultivation without fallowing, complete crop residue removal and inadequate fertilization were common practices. The soil was low in organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, boron and copper. Tissue analysis indicated 100, 84, 54 and 28% deficiency of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and copper, respectively. Significant and positive correlations (r = 0.70, 0.40 and 0.50) of soil phosphorus, calcium and copper with tissue content were observed. Soil pH was correlated with tissue phosphorus (r = 0.4), iron (r =—0.3) and manganese (r = ?0.7). Overall, the levels of calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese and zinc were adequate for maize. Therefore, fertilizer application addressing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and copper deficiencies is recommended for the study area.     

Assessment of Agricultural Extension Agents’ Marketing-Related Services: Implications for Policy Makers in Ekiti State,Nigeria

This study assessed the marketing-related services performed by agricultural extension agents in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Data were collected from agricultural extension agents in the service of the State Agricultural Development Program. A questionnaire was administered to the agents during the fortnightly training meeting. Data were summarized with frequency, mean and percentages, correlation and regression analysis. Results of the study showed that the mean age of the agents was 39 years and the mean working experience was 9 years. A significant relationship exists between the perceived legitimate marketing-related services and the performed services (r = 0.413). Performed marketing-related services significantly correlate with qualification of the agents (r = 0.324), working experience (r = 0.301), number of farmers visited and transportation (r = 0.281, 0.280), respectively. The study concluded that policy makers should include agricultural marketing specialists in fortnightly training.     

Soil acidity under multiple land-uses: assessment of perceived causes and indicators,and nutrient dynamics in small-holders’ mixed-farming system of northwest Ethiopia

Knowledge on farmers’ perspectives is of paramount importance in order to design appropriate agricultural research and development interventions attuned to local farming systems. A participatory rural appraisal was conducted in order to understand perceived causes and indicators of soil acidity under multiple land-uses in three Districts of northwest Ethiopia. Soil samples were also collected from five dominant land-uses. The samples were analysed for soil pH, exchangeable acidity and other physico-chemical properties. The result indicated that the pH_(H2O) of most of the soils in the study sites were in a strongly acidic range (4.6–5.5). Gashena Akayita of the Banja District was the most acidic of all. Among the land-uses, eucalyptus fields were the most acidic followed by crop outfields and grazing lands in that order. At all the study sites, exchangeable Al was detected in soils having a pH of less than 5.0. Overall, the nutrient dynamics showed variation across land-uses and study sites. Farmers’ perceived causes of soil acidity included: soil erosion; contending use of fertility replenishing local resources; abandoning traditional fertility management practices and minimal use of external inputs. The farmers attributed the exclusive use of acid-forming inorganic fertilizers to exhaustion of the soil. Various land and soil characteristics, plant growth attributes, changes in genetic diversity were mentioned as indicators of soil acidity. Particularly, the farmers used prevalence of acidophilic weed species on crop fields and grazing lands as marker of strongly acidic soil. Farmers’ perceived causes and indicators were in agreement with scientific facts and can be utilized as input in designing sustainable acid soil management strategies. Decline in genetic diversity of the once widespread crop species and land races, and expansion of newly introduced soil acidity tolerant species, suggests the need to undertake rescue collections in these areas.     

Trace metal pollution in freshwater sediments of the world’s largest mercury mining district: sources,spatial distribution,and environmental implications

Purpose

The Almadén mining district has suffered long-term extraction activity, and this has left significant areas of decommissioned mining liabilities. Nowadays, the uncontrolled runoff and related erosion and transport of trace metal-enriched soils and sediments affect the whole freshwater ecosystem. The goal of this study was to distinguish geogenic from mining-related sources of trace metals in freshwater sediments, to understand their dispersion in the watershed, and, finally, to evaluate the potential environmental implications for future corrective plans.

Materials and methods

Freshwater surface sediment samples were collected from ten points along the main streams of the watershed (nine inside the mining district and one control point outside the district). Sediments were air dried and analyzed by different standard methods for pH, total major and trace element concentrations, total organic carbon, and grain size. In addition to the determination of the enrichment factor, a multi-statistical approach was applied involving discriminant analysis, Student’s t test, and Mann-Whitney U analysis.

Results and discussion

Sediments inside the district contained high levels of major and trace elements with respect to the control point. The predominance of fine fractions in these sediment samples appears to be one of the most important factors that affects trace metal concentrations. Among the trace elements, not only Hg but also As, Pb, and Zn are discriminative geochemical markers, thus allowing the identification of the different mining sources and their individual or combined impact throughout the district. Furthermore, the high enrichment factors obtained for As, Hg, Pb, and Zn with respect to the local background values highlight the persistent and severe impact from the decommissioned mines on the freshwater surficial sediments and their potential geoavailable risk for aquatic organisms.

Conclusions

The geochemistry of freshwater sediments alone demonstrates that different contamination sources are recognizable within the mining district and these can be related to the specific decommissioned mines. In addition, the discrete sources can be clearly distinguished on the basis of the statistical analysis of the geochemical data. Despite the closure of the mines, stream sediments are still the main repository of trace metals within the district, and they are therefore a potential threat to the freshwater ecosystem.

     

Application of the Weng’s ratio for the identification of Zn, Cu, and Pb contamination in soils and sediments

Purpose

This work explores the application of the use of Zn, Cu, and Pb relative contents as a new type of normalization method for geochemical properties of soils and sediments in an Atlantic Basin (Anllóns River, NW Spain). The method is based on the conservative behavior of these elements, which exhibit a certain concentration ratio that remains stable as long as there are no human disturbances.

Materials and methods

The average relative contents of Zn, Cu, and Pb were calculated by dividing the concentration of each metal in soils or sediments, in the <63-μm fraction, by the sum of Zn, Cu, and Pb, expressed as a percentage. The evaluation of the sum of the average relative concentrations of Zn, Cu, and Pb (Ri), together with three standard deviations for each element, namely, Ri ± 3Si, allows a hexagon to be constructed, represented in ternary diagrams of Zn:Cu:Pb. Following the method proposed by Weng et al. (Environ Geol 45:79–85, 2003), those samples falling outside the hexagon must be considered outliers.

Results and discussion

Results obtained confimed the conservative behavior between the relative contents of Zn, Cu, and Pb in surficial samples (soils, bed, and suspended sediments). Only sediment cores displayed nonconservative behavior, showing a marked Pb enrichment, with respect to the surficial samples. When Zn, Cu, and Pb relative contents were plotted in ternary diagrams, outliers were best classified when the hexagon was drawn with standard deviations of samples from the study area. The hexagon drawn with an international database of soils and sediments showed a poorer classification of outliers.

Conclusions

The results showed that total Zn, Cu, and Pb relative contents may be employed to investigate anthropogenic disturbances of these elements in soils and sediments of the Anllóns River Basin, thus corroborating that this type of normalization may be employed as a tool to assess outliers in a contaminated area.     

Soil physical properties of selected soil series in relation to compaction and erosion on farmers’ fields at Abeokuta,southwestern Nigeria

This study evaluated physical properties of selected soil series and their implications on the soil compaction and erosion in Abeokuta, southwestern Nigeria. Daily rainfall data (1999–2007) were collected to estimate the rainfall erosivity. Seven soil series (Iwo, Iseyin, Ekiti, Jago, Okemesi, Apomu, and Egbeda) were sampled from 0–15, 15–30, and 30–50 cm depths for particle size distribution, organic carbon, pH, upper plastic limit, and compactibility (Proctor test). Microtopographical changes along and across toposequences of two farmers’ fields cleared mechanically and manually, respectively, were monitored using the erosion pin method. Mean annual erosivity (EI30) was high (7646 MJ mm ha^?1 hr^?1). Particle size, organic carbon, and pH were similar (p ≥ 0.05), while upper plastic moisture was ≤?2% among different soil series. Soil-moisture density curves indicated a maximum bulk density of 1.77–1.99 g cm^?3 for a moisture range of 7.6–14%; while the soils were prone to compaction at low moisture content. Microtopographic changes were found between –2 and 0 cm and –8 and –2 cm on mechanically and manually cleared farmland, respectively. Spatial dependence showed that the soil erosion could be predicted within 5–8 m distance. To avoid erosion and compaction, soil water content should be less than 7.6% before the introduction of mechanical tillage.     

Does white wine qualify for French paradox? Comparison of the cardioprotective effects of red and white wines and their constituents: resveratrol, tyrosol, and hydroxytyrosol

It is generally believed that the French paradox is related to the consumption of red wine and not other varieties of wine, including white wine or champagne. Some recent studies have indicated that white wine could also be as cardioprotective as red wine. The present investigation compares the cardioprotective abilities of red wine, white wine, and their principal cardioprotective constituents. Different groups of rats were gavaged with red wine, white wine, resveratrol, tyrosol, and hydroxytyrosol. Red wine and its constituent resveratrol and white wine and its constituents tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol all showed different degrees of cardioprotection as evidenced by their abilities to improve postischemic ventricular performance, reduce myocardial infarct size and cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and reduce peroxide formation. It was discovered in this study that although each of the wines and their components increased the enzymatic activities of the mitochondrial complex (I-IV) and citrate synthase, which play very important roles in oxidative phosphorylation and ATP synthesis, some of the groups were more complex-specific in inducing the activity compared to the other groups. Cardioprotective ability was further confirmed by increased expression of phospho-Akt, Bcl-2, eNOS, iNOS, COX-1, COX-2, Trx-1, Trx-2, and HO-1. The results of this study suggest that white wine can provide cardioprotection similar to red wine if it is rich in tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol.     

Assessment of loose and adhered urban street sediments and trace metals: a study in the city of Poços de Caldas,Brazil

Purpose

This study aims to quantify and characterise sediments accumulated in the street gutters in an urban area of Poços de Caldas, Brazil. The main research questions are: What type of urban areas, e.g. those under construction, produce most sediments and what are the main characteristics of such sediments? What differences, e.g. granulometry, can be found in loose and adhered sediments? What trace metals can be found in the sediments?

Materials and methods

Fieldwork was carried out in a residential area of Poços de Caldas, Brazil. Ten samplings were conducted between May and August 2013 to collect sediments from road gutters. The collected sediments were then divided into ‘loose’ and ‘adhered’, depending on whether they were collected in a first, gentle, sweeping with soft bristled brush or in a subsequent sweeping with a stiff bristled brush. Granulometric curves were drawn for both types of sediments. Fine sediment analyses (≤63 μm) were performed on samples from the last five samplings. Two techniques were used to look for trace elements: energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES).

Results and discussion

Larger amounts of sediments were collected after lower intensity rainfall events. Higher intensity events seemed to wash the sediments away. A correlation was found between areas under construction and sediment mass production. A characteristic range of granulometries (medium sand), found in our study is in accordance with studies by other authors. An important presence of heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Pb, Zn, Ni and Cu) was detected and characterised. As and Sn were also detected even though they are not often mentioned in the literature on urban soil pollutants.

Conclusions

Areas under construction were found to produce more sediments than other areas. The trace metals found in highest concentrations were Pb and As. The heavy metal concentration decreases after wet periods, showing that they are carried by runoff. It is expected that this study may serve as an input for establishing diffuse pollution control and mitigation strategies for the accumulation of pollutants in the urban environment.

     

Calcium Foliar Sprays for Control of Alfalfa Greening,Cork Spot,and Hard End in ‘Anjou’ Pears

ABSTRACT

New calcium (Ca) spray materials were made available to test for their possible improvement over the often-used dry form of calcium chloride products. Four orchards of mature ‘Anjou’ pears (Pyrus communis L.) were selected for the experiments. Three Ca materials were used at equal Ca rates, consisting of a dry Ca material derived from calcium chloride (Mora-leaf-Ca) with and without Sylgard; a liquid Ca material derived from CaCl₂ (Cal-Plex-12); and a dry Ca material derived from calcium oxide (Mira-Cal) at different concentrations. In one orchard, Mira-Cal Ca at the double rate had the lowest incidence of cork spot and hard end with the highest concentration of cortex Ca and acceptable fruit finish, closely followed by the standard rate of Mora-Leaf-Ca. In a second orchard, Mora-Leaf-Ca plus Sylgard 309 had the lowest incidence of cork spot and alfalfa greening. In the third orchard, Mora-Leaf-Ca had the lowest incidence of cork spot and the highest concentration of fruit Ca in peel and cortex. In the fourth orchard, Cal-Plex-12 Ca produced nearly complete control of cork spot and the highest concentration of fruit Ca in peel and cortex. When comparing commercial spray-machine application of 935 L ha^?1, control of cork spot and fruit Ca absorption was improved with six calcium applications versus only two spray applications.     

Tidal Hydrodynamics and their Implications for the Dispersion of Effluents in Mazatlán Harbor: An Urbanized Shallow Coastal Lagoon

In order to investigate the Urias Coastal Lagoon (UCL) hydrodynamics, a vertically integrated semi-implicit, non-linear, finite difference model, has been applied. The flow dynamics in this model has been described by the depth integrated shallow water equations and has been forced by prescribed free surface elevations at the open boundary in the inlet of the lagoon. The predicted instantaneous tidal elevation and the vector field of tidal velocities, reflect reasonably well the flood and ebb conditions in the coastal lagoon. Maximum tidal velocities of 0.6 m/s at the navigation channel of the lagoon and tidal ranges of 1.2 m were predicted for spring tides. Residual current of 0.01–0.06 m/s have also been predicted. The advection-diffusion process of a hypothetical pollutant released at two discrete points in the UCL depended on the intensity of water circulation; sites with slow instantaneous tidal velocities and residual currents of small magnitude presented slow advection and diffusion of the pollutant and may be considered vulnerable to the contamination, specifically the head of the lagoon where the pollutant was difficult to be removed by the tidal currents. The main channel, where the tidal currents exceed 0.6 m/s and the residual currents reached 0.06 m/s, behaved as a natural conduct for the pollutant motion. The forces involved in water circulation within the channel would be the best driving mechanism to flush contaminants from the UCL into the Ocean.     

Evaluation of biochar applications combined with alternate wetting and drying (AWD) water management in rice field as a methane mitigation option for farmers’ adoption

ABSTRACT

Biochar application and alternate wetting and drying (AWD) are emerging as promising technologies recommended for reducing CH₄ emissions and water consumption in rice cultivation. In this study, we hypothesized that both technologies could be practiced in combination and this could further reduce CH₄ emissions and water consumption when compared to practicing alone. The effects of biochar application and its co-application with chemical fertilizer or compost under conventional or AWD water management on CH₄ emissions, productivity of rice, water use, and SOC stock, as well as cost and income were investigated. The experiment was carried out in an irrigated paddy field in the central plain of Thailand during both in the wet and dry seasons. Relative to control (CT), biochar application (BI), its co-application with compost (BC) or chemical fertilizer (BF) reduced seasonal CH₄ emissions by 40.6%, 29.5%, and 12.3%, respectively. BI and BC significantly (p < 0.05) reduced grain yield by 19.9% and 10.8%, respectively, while BF significantly increased grain yield by 3.70%. In addition, BI, BC, and BF significantly enhanced soil organic carbon (SOC) stock by 21.2%, 21.4%, and 18.3%, respectively. Compared to the CT, higher production costs were found in BC and BF, but the farmer’s net incomes were also higher in BF because of its higher grain yield. On the other hand, water management in all amendment treatments under AWD was resulted in the reduction of CH₄ emissions by the average of 18.8% as compared to the conventional system. AWD decreased rice yield by an average of 2.29%. It significantly reduced irrigation water use by an average of 11.9%, resulting in reducing production cost for water pumping. The results show that the practice that combined biochar application, AWD and chemical fertilizer are feasible for CH₄ emission mitigation, SOC stock increase and irrigation water saving without significant effects on yield and farmer income.     

Limitless decomposition in leaf litter of Common beech: Patterns,nutrients’ and heavy metal's dynamics

Long-term studies of Common beech litter decomposition are scarce and the relationship of its limit values to nutrients/heavy metals dynamics has not been sufficiently studied. The present study is a rare case in which beech litter decomposes almost entirely and enables analyses of the impacts of nutrients and heavy metals on litter decomposition. The aim of the present paper is to (i) determine a decomposition pattern of leaf litter and estimate the limit values and to (ii) determine the dynamics of the main nutrients and heavy metals (concentration and net amounts, based on ash-free litter) in an unpolluted stand of Common beech.Common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) leaf litter was incubated in polyester litterbags (1.5 mm mesh size) and 41 samplings were made over a period of 6.5 years until a mass loss of 88.9% was achieved. Carbon (C) plus 12 more nutrients and heavy metals were analyzed.Mass losses of both whole litter and of C were used in order to estimate the limit values as well as to determine significant differences between the two approaches. An asymptotic function gave significant limit values that were close to 100% (p < 0.0001). These results were also supported by a single exponential function (p < 0.0001). The initial increase in concentrations of nutrients was followed by a decrease of N, P, K, Ca, Na and Mn. A similar pattern was observed for some of the heavy metals (Cu, Cd and Fe) while Zn concentrations decreased continuously. A net release (e.g. a decrease in the net amounts) was observed for all nutrients and heavy metals except for Cd. The litter fraction did not leave any stable residues (i.e. limit values were close to 100%), which was at least partly due to the low initial N and very high Mn concentration (20 times higher than in other studies).     

Estimation of preliminary reference values for macro and micronutrients in ‘Valencia’ orange in Venezuela,by means of the compositional nutrient diagnosis system

The present study was aimed at developing preliminary reference values for foliar tissue for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) for `Valencia´ orange in Venezuela, using the Compositional Nutrient Diagnosis system (CND). References values were derived from a database comprising the nutrients concentrations and the yields of `Valencia´ orange trees (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) grafted on two different rootstocks, viz., Volkamer lemon (Citrus volkameriana Pasq.), and Cleopatra tangerine (Citrus reshni, Hort. ex. Tan). Cutoff values separating high- and low-yield sub-samples were estimated through modeling the cumulative variance ratio function versus yield relationships with the Boltzmann equation. For macronutrients, the norms developed were dependent upon the inclusion of the micronutrients concentrations in the calculations, and on the rootstocks. Care must thus be exercised, since nutrient indexes, and thus nutritional diagnosis, are based upon proper selection of such values.     

A Comparative Analysis of Binary Logistic Regression and Analytical Hierarchy Process for Landslide Susceptibility Assessment in the Dobrovǎt River Basin,Romania

A correct assessment of the landslide susceptibility component is extremely useful for the diminution of associated potential risks to local economic development, particularly in regard to land use planning and soil conservation. The purpose of the present study was to compare the usefulness of two methods, i.e., binary logistic regression(BLR) and analytical hierarchy process(AHP), for the assessment of landslide susceptibility over a 130-km~2 area in the Moldavian Plateau(eastern Romania) region, where landslides affect large areas and render them unsuitable for agriculture. A large scale inventory mapping of all types of landslides(covering 13.7% of the total area) was performed using orthophoto images, topographical maps, and field surveys. A geographic information system database was created, comprising the nine potential factors considered as most relevant for the landsliding process. Five factors(altitude, slope angle, slope aspect, surface lithology, and land use) were further selected for analysis through the application of a tolerance test and the stepwise filtering procedure of BLR. For each predictor, a corresponding raster layer was built and a dense grid of equally spaced points was generated, with an approximately equal number of points inside and outside the landslide area, in order to extract the values of the predictors from raster layers. Approximately half of the total number of points was used for model computation, while the other half was used for validation. Analytical hierarchy process was employed to derive factor weights, with several pair-wise comparison matrices being tested for this purpose. The class weights, on a scale of 0 to 1, were taken as normalized landslide densities. A comparison of results achieved through these two approaches showed that BLR was better suited for mapping landslide susceptibility, with 82.8% of the landslide area falling into the high and very high susceptibility classes. The susceptibility class separation using standard deviation was superior to either the equal interval or the natural break method. Results from the study area suggest that the statistical model achieved by BLR could be successfully extrapolated to the entire area of the Moldavian Plateau.     

Assessment of drought tolerance in mung bean cultivars/lines as depicted by the activities of germination enzymes,seedling’s antioxidative potential and nutrient acquisition

Drought stress hampers firm crop stand establishment and yield in arid and semiarid regions. The present study was conducted to examine the drought tolerance of various mung bean cultivars/lines based on the seed germination characteristics in relation with the seedling’s antioxidative potential and nutrient uptake. Activities of germination enzymes, seed germination attributes, seedling biomass production and nutrient uptake of studied cultivars/lines were adversely affected due to PEG-induced drought but the total soluble proteins (TSP) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were increased. The activities of catalse (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) increased in all cultivars/lines being the maximum in cv./line NM-2006 and 8005. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) were increased in cv./line NM-2006 and 8005 under drought condition. The ascorbic acid (AsA) and total phenolic content (TPC) decreased and total flavonoid content (TFC) increased in all cultivars/lines due to drought. Significant reduction in N, P, K, Ca and Mg was found in all cvs./lines but Fe remain unchanged. In conclusion, cultivars/lines NM-2006, 8005 were recommended as drought tolerant and 97,006 and 97,001 as drought sensitive ones. The study outcomes will likely be helpful for the farmers growing mung bean in rain fed areas for the better productivity.