Diagnostic biases in DRIS evaluations on sweet cherry and hazelnut

Abstract

Five hundred leaf analyses of sweet cherry and hazelnut leaves were evaluated to determine if biases in DRIS formulas could prevent the detection of some deficiencies or excesses. Both one‐equation and two‐equation calculation procedures were evaluated. The one‐equation approach has several disadvantages. The data imply that there are limits on minimum or maximum values that an index can obtain for some elements, but not for others. The range of index values obtainable varies considerably among elements. If the sum of DRIS indices, regardless of sign, is used as a criterion to identify imbalances, relative deficiencies or excesses for some elements are masked. These difficulties are lessened but not entirely eliminated with the original two‐equation procedure. Regardless of the calculation procedure the relationship between DRIS indices and the respective concentrations varied for the elements N, K, P, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Cu, B, and Zn. Some indices are so dependent on the concentration of the element involved that a ratio based diagnosis would have little advantage over a sufficiency range diagnosis. Other elements have indices that are so dependent on the concentrations of other elements that the index is of little use in evaluating nutritional status. Although DRIS is a very useful diagnostic approach, it will not detect all deficiencies or excesses. DRIS serves best as a supplement to sufficiency range based interpretation; providing additional information when severe imbalances exist.     

DRIS norms and limiting nutrients in banana cultivation in the South of Ecuador

Abstract

Foliar analysis is an effective method to diagnose the nutritional status of plants. However, the mineral concentration in foliar tissue has traditionally been evaluated by assessing the activity of each element, without considering the interactions between them. To address this, dual interactions were calculated using the Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) to identify which crop nutrients are most influential in nutrient imbalances and which are the most limiting nutrients for the nutritional status of banana crops in Ecuador. To achieve this, a regional survey of the nutritional status and its productivity levels was conducted for 188 different sites during the crop season in 2017–2018, involving banana cultivars ‘Vallery’ and ‘Williams’, from the Cavendish subgroup. The DRIS calculation method was combined with Beaufils and Jones functions. From the initial 188 foliar samples, 83 samples (representing 44% of the population) were considered to represent the high-yield reference population, with yields of 38–60 t ha^?1. The DRIS method defined the mean nutritional balance index, which was not found to be statistically correlated (p?>?0.05) with productivity, revealing that there was no significant association with the nutritional status of the plants. Specific DRIS norms were obtained and indicated that deficiencies in K, N, Ca, and Fe, and excesses in Mn, B, Cl, Zn, S, Cu, and Mg were the most limiting nutrients for banana cultivars in the south of Ecuador.     

Non-abscised aborted sweet cherry fruits are vulnerable to fruit decaying fungi and may be sources of infection for healthy fruits

During three growing seasons (1999–2001), disease incidence of non-abscised aborted and normally developing (sound) sweet cherry fruits were investigated in a research orchard at Ullensvang, western Norway. To reveal possible fungal infections, aborted and sound fruits of two cultivars (cv. Van for three years and cv. Lapins for two years) were harvested over four to seven weeks in an experimental orchard during the green fruit phase and incubated at 20°C in moisture saturated air for 7 days. The most frequently observed fungal pathogens were Monilinia laxa, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and Botrytis cinerea. The mean of all observations (±standard deviation) over three years, showed that aborted and sound fruits had a disease incidence of 51.9% (±31.8) and 5.2% (±9.7), respectively, after seven days incubation. In 24 of 25 trials aborted fruits had significantly higher disease incidence than sound fruits after incubation. In one season, when fruits were collected from two commercial orchards, aborted fruits had much higher disease incidence than sound fruits (a mean of 6.5 and 4.5 times higher incidence for the two orchards, respectively). Time of fruit abortion varied with the years (two years observation) and the two cultivars, but the major abortion took place between the fourth and eighth week after anthesis. A higher disease incidence and more rapid disease development in non-abscised aborted fruits indicate that they are more vulnerable to fungal colonisation than sound fruits and may thus be potential incoulum sources for neighbouring, healthy fruits.     

Morphological characterization of sweet and sour cherry cultivars in a germplasm bank at Portugal

Nine sweet cherry and eight sour cherry varieties located in a germplasm bank at Fundão, Portugal, were studied from the viewpoint of characterization. Most of them were autochthonous cultivars that have a high risk of extinction since at the present they are markedly minor varieties. Morphological characteristics were evaluated in different organs: crown and trunk of the trees, leaves, flowers and fruits, over a three consecutive years period. Statistical analyses were carried out in order to detect similarities between cultivars as well as the existence of synonymies. Qualitative characteristics of the fruits were scored in order to carry out the multivariate analysis. A dendrogram of the evaluated characters shows the marked differentiation between sour and sweet cherries and suggests the existing synonymies. Conservation of the autochthonous cultivars in the future is highly recommended.     

Assessment of Nutritional Status of Guava Seedlings using Preliminary DRIS Norms and Sufficiency Ranges

The objective of this work was to propose preliminary Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) norms and derive critical levels and nutrient sufficiency ranges in the leaves of guava plants in commercial nursery conditions. Sixty-eight leaf samples were evaluated from fertilization trials with seedlings. In the low-yield subpopulation (84% of the population), the limiting nutrients by deficiency in descending order were nitrogen (N)> copper (Cu)>phosphorus (P) = potassium (K)> manganese (Mn)> iron (Fe) = zinc (Zn)> sulfur (S)> boron (B) = magnesium (Mg)> calcium (Ca), and the limiting ones by excess in descending order were B > Ca > Fe > Mn > S > Mg > Cu > P > Zn > N = K. The ranges of the appropriate DRIS indices were 24 to 28, 2.4 to 3.1, 21 to 29, 6 to 8, 1.9 to 2.9 and 1.9 to 2.3 (g kg^?1) for the macronutrients N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S, respectively, and 35 to 48, 4 to 15, 68 to 93, 31 to 60 and 180 to 245 (mg kg^?1) for the micronutrients B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn, respectively. The dry matter production of guava seedlings was associated with the nutritional status.     

Chloroplast DNA study in sweet cherry cultivars (Prunus avium L.) using PCR-RFLP method

The chloroplast DNA of 96 sweet cherry cultivars (Prunus avium L.) and five cultivars of sour cherry (P. cerasus L.) were analysed to reveal their haplotypes using PCR-RFLP (Polymerase Chain Reaction - Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) method. The main advantages of the PCR-RFLP technique are: resolutive, time and cost effective and reproducible. Approximately 9.6% of the chloroplast genome was analysed, using six universal primer pairs and two restriction enzymes. All the mutations detected were insertion-deletions, ranging between 5–30 bp. The combination of all the mutations resulted in three haplotypes (H1, H2 and H3) in the 96 sweet cherry cultivars and a single haplotype (H4) in the five cultivars of sour cherry. The cpDNA polymorphism determined by PCR-RFLP markers helped to understand the maternal inheritance of chloroplast genome in sweet cherry, clearly distinguished the sour from the sweet cherry, and supported that P. avium is not the maternal species of P. cerasus.     

Comparison of DOP and DRIS Methods for Leaf Nutritional Diagnosis of Vitis vinifera L., Cv. Tempranillo

Deviation from optimum percentage (DOP) and Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) are methodologies for leaf analysis interpretation. DOP calculates the deviation as a percentage for each essential element while DRIS calculates the average deviation for different ratios that include each element. A vine survey was undertaken for 11 years in La Rioja, northeastern Spain, to establish nutritional references for cv. ‘Tempranillo’ (Vitis vinifera L.). Diagnosis of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium were performed by DRIS and DOP on the dataset for leaf blade and petiole, at both flowering (n = 684) and veraison (n = 801) with a moderate-yield criterion (3,800–10,000 kg·ha^?1). Important differences between DOP and DRIS were found when a diagnosis using the same dataset was performed. In spite of the differences, the regression equations obtained are an acceptable adjustment between both methods for phosphorus (P) and magnesium (Mg) in blades and petioles, and for potassium (K) in blades.     

Nutritional status of healthy and declining sweet orange trees in punjab

Abstract

A study was made of the comparative nutrient content of healthy and declining sweet orange trees. Leaves were analysed for 12 elements using Kjeldahl and Spectrographic methods. No statistical differences were observed between healthy and declining trees in their content of N, P, Mg, Na, Mn, Fe, B, Cu, Mo, and Zn. Significant differences were obtained for K and Ca; healthy Blood Red trees were found to be lower in K but higher in Ca than declining trees. Phosphorus content was observed to be borderline to low in both healthy and declining trees. Magnesium was low to deficient. Boron content was high to excessive in most orchards regardless of tree condition.     

Identification of sweet cherry cultivars (Prunus avium L.) and analysis of their genetic relationships by chloroplast sequence-characterised amplified regions (cpSCAR)

Ten cpSCAR markers that show polymorphism in Prunus avium were used to fingerprint sweet cherry cultivars. The purpose of the study was also to contribute to identification and to help determine their genetic interrelationships. Samples of ‘0900 Ziraat’, a superior Turkish variety, which were collected in several locations all over Turkey, had identical cpSCAR patterns, and they resembled a common European haplotype, A. ‘Sweetheart’, ‘Summit’ and ‘Canada Giant’ and their haplotype are intermediate between the previously described haplotypes A and B, which were originally found in Central and Eastern European sweet and wild cherries, and those from Northern Turkey, respectively. The data therefore suggests a local maternal descent (within Europe and Asia Minor) of the cultivars analysed. Our results show that chloroplast DNA analysis is a straightforward way to classify cherry cultivars. We compare our results to others previously reported for sweet cherry cultivars, and conclude that cpSCAR diversity data could be considered for phylogenetic studies in this group.     

Effect of population size and yield level in selection of diagnosis and recommendation integrated system (DRIS) norms

Abstract

A data bank comprising over 8000 observations of yield and tissue composition was assembled from a wide range of locations and conditions. DRIS norms were developed from parts of the data bank representing different sources and chronology in its development. The effects of population size and yield level used to discriminate between high and low yielding subpopulations on the DRIS norms are studied. The results indicate that the best banks are those which are large, random and have a substantial number of high yield observations.     

Diagnosis of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) nutrient imbalance by DRIS and CND-clr methods at two stages during early growth

High yield of sugar beet require adequate mineral nutrition. To be diagnosed across interacting nutrients using appropriate interpretation models, the plant must be sampled at a critical physiological stage. This study aimed to develop and validate norms at the 7-leaf and well-developed rosette stages, for diagnostic purposes using the Diagnosis and Recommended Integrated System (DRIS) and Compositional Nutrient Diagnosis based on centered log ratios (CND-clr). Data on nutrient concentrations and plant performance were obtained from 409 plots in West-Central Poland. With respect to the growth stages, for physiological and practical reasons, the 7-leaf stage is preferable for diagnostic purposes. At this growth stage, the high-yield subpopulation characterized by higher concentration of potassium and sodium compared to other nutrients. CND-clr indices were closely related to DRIS indices (R² > 0.93). The CND-clr indices, however, better explained the differences in the white sugar yield within the validated dataset than the DRIS indices.     

DRIS and Sufficient Range Approaches in Nutritional Diagnosis of “Valencia” Sweet Orange on Three Rootstocks

Abstract

Among several methods of diagnosis for nutritional status, two are more important: the Sufficiency range approach (SRA) and the diagnosis and recommendation integrated system (DRIS). This research compared DRIS with SRA, the diagnostic method currently used by the citrus industry in São Paulo State, Brazil. The study was conducted in irrigated, commercial groves of “Valencia” sweet orange more than six years old and with yield above 40 t ha^{? 1} in Mogi Guaçú, São Paulo State. Data pertaining to yield, tree spacing, rootstock, and foliar concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and boron (B) in non-fruiting terminals for each plot were processed for the years 1994 through 1998. DRIS indices were calculated by the Jones method of the intermediate functions. Index of nutritional balance (INB) was calculated by the average of the sum (disregarding the sign) of all nutritional index values and the dry matter index. Results indicated that, for the conditions of this experiment: (1) DRIS, when compared with the SRA, complements nutritional diagnosis because it establishes an order of deficiency or excess for each nutrient and detects deficiencies or excesses not considered by SRA; (2) There was agreement between the two methods for nutritional diagnosis of K; (3) Cu, Mn, and Fe concentrations were determined as deficient by DRIS, but were classified as adequate or excessive by SRA.     

Mortality trends in the African cherry (Prunus africana) and the implications for colobus monkeys (Colobus guereza) in Kakamega Forest, Kenya

Prunus africana (Hook.f.) Kalkm. is a secondary forest canopy tree species that has been declining over much of its geographical range in sub-Saharan Africa during recent decades due to unsustainable harvesting of its bark for the international medicinal plant trade. One of the locations where the species is experiencing rapid mortality is Isecheno study site in the Kakamega Forest, Kenya where this study was conducted. Between 1997 and 2003, 21% of the P. africana (10 cm DBH) at Isecheno died and an additional 9% experienced 50% canopy dieback. However, scars from bark harvesting on P. africana were relatively small and scarred trees were not more likely to be dead or dying than unscarred trees, suggesting that bark exploitation is not causing P. africana mortality at Isecheno. Other possible causes that require further evaluation include disease, insect attack, nutrient deficiency, and/or climatic fluctuation. The poor regeneration of P. africana at Isecheno can likely be explained by the relative lack of recent disturbance coupled with the thick undergrowth layer at this site. P. africana mortality is of concern not only because the species is listed as Vulnerable by IUCN, but also because black and white colobus monkeys [Colobus guereza (Rüppell, 1835)] at Isecheno exploit it as their top food species and are particularly reliant on its leaves during times of ‘preferred' Moraceae fruit scarcity. The anticipated continued decline of P. africana may have adverse effects on C. guereza feeding habits, intergroup relations, and population density at Isecheno. Conservation of P. africana offers a formidable challenge since the species appears to require disturbance for regeneration, yet at sites where disturbance is occurring, P. africana is often a target of bark harvesters engaging in unsustainable levels of exploitation.     

“红灯”甜樱桃对秋季叶施15N-尿素的吸收、分配及利用特性

在田间条件下以7年生"红灯"甜樱桃/大青叶为试材,探讨了甜樱桃不同枝类叶片对晚秋叶施¹⁵N-尿素的吸收和翌年的分配及利用特性,研究了晚秋叶面施氮对果实品质的影响。结果表明:晚秋对甜樱桃叶面施用浓度为1.00%的¹⁵N-尿素,施用总量的16.30%1～7.27%随落叶脱离树体,其余82.73%8～3.70%进入树体。在翌年,叶片回流贮藏的氮素化合物可迅速转移到新生器官中,不同处理间的¹⁵N分配运转特性存在差异。长枝叶片吸收、回流贮藏的氮素化合物在翌年铃铛花期主要供应至新梢,促进营养生长;随着物候期的推移,表现出明显的极性分配特性。短枝叶片吸收、回流的氮素化合物主要运至花、果等生殖器官中,用于甜樱桃开花、结果。验证试验表明:叶施尿素处理甜樱桃果实单果重较对照增加21.84%;总糖含量、糖酸比分别提高11.98%、21.84%,同时叶施尿素促进了己醛、2-己烯醛(、E)-2-己烯-1-醇、苯甲醛4种果实重要香气成分的合成。     

"红灯"甜樱桃对秋季叶施15N-尿素的吸收、分配及利用特性

在田间条件下以7年生“红灯”甜樱桃/大青叶为试材,探讨了甜樱桃不同枝类叶片对晚秋叶施^15N-尿素的吸收和翌年的分配及利用特性,研究了晚秋叶面施氮对果实品质的影响。结果表明：晚秋对甜樱桃叶面施用浓度为1.00%的^15N-尿素,施用总量的16.30%1-7.27%随落叶脱离树体,其余82.73%8-3.70%进入树体。在翌年,叶片回流贮藏的氮素化合物可迅速转移到新生器官中,不同处理间的^15N分配运转特性存在差异。长枝叶片吸收、回流贮藏的氮素化合物在翌年铃铛花期主要供应至新梢,促进营养生长;随着物候期的推移,表现出明显的极性分配特性。短枝叶片吸收、回流的氮素化合物主要运至花、果等生殖器官中,用于甜樱桃开花、结果。验证试验表明：叶施尿素处理甜樱桃果实单果重较对照增加21.84%;总糖含量、糖酸比分别提高11.98%、21.84%,同时叶施尿素促进了己醛、2-己烯醛（、E）-2-己烯-1-醇、苯甲醛4种果实重要香气成分的合成。     

Establishing indicator leaf and its threshold values for need based nitrogen management using chlorophyll meter and leaf color chart in Bt cotton

Over application of fertilizer N to cotton is not only a potential threat to environment but also leads to increased costs of cultivation. The study aimed to establish the indicator leaf and its critical greenness for in-season management of fertilizer nitrogen (N) in Bt cotton using chlorophyll (SPAD) meter and leaf color chart (LCC). The response of three varieties and N treatments viz. 0, 30, 60, 90,120, 150 and 180?kg N ha^?1 applied in two splits {(50% at thinning and 50% at first flowering) and three splits (50% at thinning, 25% at first flowering and 25% at boll formation)} was studied through split plot design. SPAD values and LCC scores of first, second, third and fourth fully opened leaves from the top of the main stem was recorded at first flowering and boll formation. The physiological efficiency and harvest index was highest for 90?Kg N ha^?1 applied in two splits. Beyond 120?kg N ha^?1, the N use efficiency parameters were higher for the N treatments applied in three split compared to the respective two split N treatments. The fourth leaf from the top in terms of SPAD values and LCC scores correlated best with N concentration compared to other leaves at all growth stages. The calculated critical SPAD values for the fourth leaf were 45 and 41 at first flowering and boll formation, respectively. Critical score of fourth leaf was 4.1 and 4, respectively at first flowering and boll formation, respectively. It is suggested that color of the fourth leaf from the top of Bt cotton can well indicate N supply from the soil and can help in need based N management.     

Performance of six European plum cultivars on four plum rootstocks growing in a northern climate

Abstract

The performances of the plum rootstocks Marianna GF 8-1, Pixy, and Wangenheim, compared with St. Julien A as a standard, for the cultivars ‘Avalon’, ‘Edda’, ‘Excalibur’, ‘Jubileum’, ‘Reeves’, and ‘Victoria’ were assessed in a field trial in western Norway at 60° North. Trees were planted in spring 1999; the plant material was one-year-old whips, spaced 2.0×4.5 m and formed with a central leader as free spindles. Tree vigour, yield, fruit size, fruit quality, and yield efficiency were evaluated for the seven subsequent years. Tree size was significantly affected by the rootstocks after seven years' growth. Wangenheim produced the smallest and St. Julien A and Pixy the largest trees as measured by trunk cross-sectional area, on average for the different cultivars. However, Pixy produced significant larger yields per tree for the cultivar ‘Reeves’ than did St. Julien A. ‘Edda’ gave the smallest yield and ‘Avalon the largest. Trees on Pixy were the most yield efficient for all cultivars with the exception of ‘Victoria’. The fruit sizes became little affected by the different rootstocks. ‘Edda’ and ‘Victoria’ produced the smallest fruits and ‘Excalibur’ and ‘Reeves’ the largest. Fruit quality characterized by the content of soluble solids was on average 16.1% and did not differ between trees on the various rootstocks. The cultivar ‘Avalon’ had the highest contents of soluble solids and ‘Reeves’ the lowest. The nutrient levels in the leaves were within the optimum range by the end of the seventh season. Trees on Marianna GF 8-1 had the highest nitrogen and magnesium leaf uptake. In conclusion, St. Julien A and Pixy were the most reliable semi-vigorous rootstocks which induced high yield efficiency and with favourable influences on fruit quality to the six European plum cultivars. Pixy is a good alternative to St. Julien A, with a lower vigour in trees, more precocity, and higher yield efficiency.     

樱桃品种果实品质因子主成分分析及模糊综合评价

研究不同品种甜樱桃果实品质指标差异,确定代表性品质指标,从而筛选出品质优良的甜樱桃品种。以24种甜樱桃果实为材料,测定其11项品质指标(单果质量、硬度、可食率、出汁率、p H值、总糖含量、还原糖含量、可滴定酸含量、糖酸比、维生素C含量、花色苷含量),并运用主成分分析、模糊评判法进行综合评价。结果表明:不同甜樱桃品种各项指标存在差异,其中单果质量与维生素C之间,可食率与出汁率、可滴定酸之间,花色苷与p H值、可滴定酸之间,总糖、还原糖、糖酸比与p H值之间均呈及极显著正相关。因子分析提取了甜味、口感、抗氧化、可食、质量5项主因子,累计方差贡献率为82.948%,包含了大部分指标信息,因此筛选总糖、出汁率、维生素C、可食率、单果质量作为评价甜樱桃的关键指标;利用PAST软件绘制各品种在5个主因子的分布状况,并对品种因子综合得分进行排序,得分排名前10的樱桃品种依次为"Red"(0.70)、"早露"(0.63)、"红蜜"(0.60)、"彩玉"(0.47)、"秦樱一号"(0.44)、"S2S1"(0.38)、"早大果实生"(0.35)、"13-33"(0.28)、"明珠"(0.13)、"秦林"(0.07);对11个分析指标进行模糊综合评判,综合品质表现排名前10的品种分别为"Red"(0.642)、"红蜜"(0.566)、"早露"(0.545)、"明珠"(0.524)、"彩玉"(0.521)、"秦樱一号"(0.512)、"秦林"(0.501)、"美早"(0.491)、"S2S1"(0.482)、"早大果实生"(0.470),以上结果一致表明"Red"、"早露"、"红蜜"、"彩玉"、"秦樱一号"、"S2S1"、"早大果实生"、"明珠"、"秦林"等9种樱桃综合品质较其他15种樱桃更优,其中"Red"樱桃品质最优,可作为樱桃资源开发利用、育种及品质改良的原材料。因子分析与综合评价结果基本一致,该试验初步确定排名前9位的樱桃优良品种,为樱桃品种选育和加工利用提供理论依据。     

淹水条件下硝态氮对甜樱桃根系抗氧化酶活性和活性氧含量的影响

为探讨淹水条件下NO3-对根系抗氧化酶活性和活性氧（ROS）含量的影响,以美早/Colt甜樱桃（Prunus pseudocerasus Lindl.）为试验材料,研究了NO3-在淹水过程中对甜樱桃根系抗氧化酶活性和活性氧含量的变化。结果表明,淹水过程中甜樱桃根系超氧化物岐化酶（SOD）、过氧化物酶（POD）、过氧化氢酶（CAT）活性和过氧化氢(H2O2)、超氧阴离子(O2—)、丙二醛（MDA）含量变化皆呈先升后降趋势。加入NO3-,甜樱桃根系SOD、POD和CAT活性亦呈先升后降趋势,但均高于对照;而H2O2、O2— 和MDA含量低于对照。因此,淹水条件下,加入NO3-可以提高抗氧化酶活性、降低活性氧含量,从而减轻甜樱桃根系因淹水造成的伤害。     

有机施肥条件下甜玉米的叶片渗透压、植物生长及其光合作用

A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted using a complete random design with six replications. A pressure-volume curve analysis was employed to study the effects of organic fertilizers on plant water relations in sweet corn (Zea mays L. cv. Honey-bantam) in terms of leaf osmotic concentration (C_s), osmotic potentials at full turgid status (π_FT) and at incipient plasmolysis (π_IP), and of symplastic (ζ_sym) and apoplastic (ζ_apo) fractions in the tissue water compartment in relation to photosynthetic capacity (P_C) and dry mass accumulation. At the seedling stage (day 15), plants with chemical fertilizer treatments showed lower π_FT, π_IP and ζ_apo and higher C_s, ζ_sym and P_C than those with organic fertilizer treatments. Compared to P_C and relative growth, where values from day 15 to day 75 were first lower for organic treatments and then higher, ζ_sym and C_s values were similar, while π_FT and π_IP were opposite being higher then lower. Dry mass production with organic fertilizer was higher than or close to the chemical fertilizer treatments in the later growth stage (day 75), though dry mass production with chemical fertilizers was much higher in the early and middle growing stages (days 15 and 45). Increased photosynthesis and dry mass production in later growth stages due to organic fertilizers were associated with increased osmotic concentration in the tissue and the symplastic fraction of the tissue water compartment. These might favor stomatal opening and biochemical activities.