Growth and cadmium accumulation in two durum wheat cultivars

Abstract

A solution culture study was conducted to determine the effects of cadmium (Cd) application on Cd accumulation and growth of two durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var durum) cultivars. Arcola and DT618 were grown in nutrient solution for 13 days. Cadmium application to nutrient solution significantly (P ≤ 0.05) decreased root and shoot biomass, leaf area, leaf mass, total root length, and chlorophyll a and b concentration of the first leaf. The deleterious effects of Cd on plant growth were explained by a modified version of Weibull distribution function of the form, y = a.exp(b.√Cd), where ‘y’ is the growth parameter, ‘a’ is plant growth in the absence of Cd, and ‘b’ is reduction in growth with per unit increase in solution Cd. Total root length was decreased the most (80%) and chlorophyll b concentration of the first leaf decreased the least (9%) with per unit increase in solution Cd. Although the two cultivars were significantly different in some growth characteristics, both responded similarly to increase of Cd concentration in solution. Cadmium concentration in roots and shoots increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) with Cd application, but due to concomitant decrease in growth the Cd content of plants remained constant at solution Cd concentrations of 5 μm or above. We concluded that seedlings of durum cultivars with different growth potential responded similarly to Cd application in nutrient solution.     

Seedling vigor and nitrogen use efficiency of Moroccan wheat as influenced by level of soil nitrogen

Abstract

One of the characteristics that can help wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants escape late season drought in the semiarid areas of Morocco is early stand establishment and adequate vigor. Little is known about the effect of nitrogen (N) on early seedling vigor in wheat. The objective of this study was to determine how N supply affects early root and shoot growth, N partitioning between the two parts and N use efficiency of seedlings. To reach this objective, three spring wheat cultivars were grown in pots in a growth chamber under N conditions which were low, adequate and high. Data showed that optimum N rates increased shoot and root growth but high N concentrations reduced their dry matter accumulation and inhibited root elongation. The cultivars tested behaved differently. ‘Nesma’, an older cultivar, produced 60% more dry matter and accumulated 93% more N in the shoot and root than the newer cultivars ‘Merchouch 8’ and ‘Saada’. Because of its high N uptake, ‘Nesma’ probably reduced soil N concentration at the root zone and avoided the negative effect of high N concentration on root growth. Although, ‘Nesma’ performed better and produced more dry matter, it used N less efficiently than the other two cultivars.

From this study, we can conclude that use of optimum N rates at time of seeing will result in quicker establishment and higher vigor of wheat seedlings. However, excessive N supply may retard seedling growth. The cultivars that produce more seedling dry matter with greater N accumulation are not necessarily the ones that use N more efficiently.     

Interaction Between Phosphorus Nutrition and Drought on Grain Yield,and Assimilation of Phosphorus and Nitrogen in Two Soybean Cultivars Differing in Protein Concentration in Grains

ABSTRACT

Drought affects many physiological and biochemical processes and thus reduces plant growth. Phosphorus (P) fertilization improves tolerance to drought stress in many plants. A greenhouse experiment examined the interactive effects of P nutrition and drought stress on P accumulation and translocation, yield, and protein concentration in grains of two cultivars of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. Plants of cultivars ‘Heisheng 101’ (high protein in grains) and ‘Dongnong 464’ (low protein) were grown in a P-deficient soil supplied with 0–30 mg P kg^?1 soil. Drought stress was imposed at the initial flowering (R1) or the podding (R4) stage. Drought stress limited P accumulation and reduced P translocation to the seed. The addition of P enhanced the concentration and accumulation of nitrogen (N) and P in shoots and seeds of both cultivars. Drought stress decreased shoot biomass, grain yield, and P accumulation; the decrease was greater in ‘Dongnong 46’ than ‘Heisheng 101,’ and even more so if drought stress was imposed at R4 than at R1. In contrast, drought stress increased the concentration of N in shoot and protein in grains. The addition of P alleviated the effect of drought stress on plant growth, P accumulation, and grain yield in both cultivars but to a greater extent in ‘Dongnong 46’. The results suggest that application of P fertilizers could mitigate drought stress at the reproductive stage, resulting in less yield penalty and improvement of grain quality of soybean grown in P-deficient soils.     

PEG-induced drought stress effects on soybean germination parameters

Abstract

As a result of global climatic changes, water deficiency is threatening food production for the increasing population worldwide, especially drought-sensitive crops, to which soybean belongs, by suppressing yield potentials. Drought stress can inhibit sown seeds’ germination and manipulate germination parameters. A controlled, two-stage experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of drought stress, induced by PEG (polyethylene glycol), on some germination parameters of two soybean cultivars; ‘ES Mentor’ and ‘Pedro’, in Debrecen, Hungary in 2018. At the first stage, 5 PEG concentrations; 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30%, besides control (0% PEG), were applied to each cultivar in 3 replicates. Results showed that both cultivars could not germinate when 25 and 30% of PEG were applied. Significant differences among PEG concentrations, between cultivars and their interaction were recorded. Based on these results, the second stage consisted of 6 PEG concentrations; 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5 and 15% (besides control), also in three replicates. For both cultivars, germination ratio (GR) and root elongation (RE) decreased as the PEG concentration increased. Both germination energy (GE) and ultimate germination (UG) decreased, whereas mean period of altimate germination (MPUG) and percentage inhibition increased with increasing water stress. ‘ES Mentor’ could maintain higher (GR) than ‘Pedro’ under all PEG concentrations except 15%, whereas (RE) was lower under all concentrations. It was concluded that ‘ES Mentor’ can germinate better under different water deficiency levels; however, germinated seeds of ‘Pedro’ can tolerate relative water stress better, as the roots could elongate deeper searching for available water.     

Effects of phosphorus and water stress levels on growth and phosphorus uptake of bean and sorghum cultivars

Primary determinants of crop production in arid/semiarid regions are lack of moisture and infertility, especially phosphorus (P) deficiency or unavailability. The effects of P and water stress (WS) levels on shoot and root dry matter (DM), leaf area, root volume, total root length, and shoot and root P concentrations and contents were determined in two bean [Phaseolus acutifolius Gray, cv ‘Tepary #21’ ("drought‐resistant") and P. vulgaris L., cv “Emerson’ ("drought‐sensitive")] and two sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, cv SA7078 ("drought‐resistant") and ‘Redlan’ ("drought‐sensitive")] cultivars grown in nutrient solution. Plants were grown with different levels of P (20 and 100 μM for bean and 20, 80, and 160 μM for sorghum) when seedlings were transferred to nutrient solution, and WS levels of 0, 13.8, and 1 6.4% polyethylene glycol (PEG‐8000) introduced after plants had grown in solution 23 days (bean) and 31 days (sorghum). All growth traits were lower when bean and sorghum plants were grown with WS and low P. Growth traits were higher in cultivars grown with high compared to low P regardless of WS. Root P concentration and content and shoot content, but not shoot P concentration, were lower when bean plants were grown with WS compared to without WS. Tepary #21 bean had higher shoot DM, leaf area, total root length, and shoot P concentration than Emerson when plants were grown with WS at each level of P. Sorghum shoot and root P concentrations were higher as P level increased regardless of WS, and WS had little effect on shoot P concentration, but root P concentration was higher. Contents of P were similar for SA7078 and Redlan regardless of P or WS treatment, but SA7078 had greater P contents than Redlan over all P and WS treatments. “Drought‐resistant”; cultivars generally had better growth traits, especially total and specific root lengths, than “drought‐sensitive”; cultivars.     

Effects of foliar spray of two kinds of zinc oxide on the growth and ion concentration of sunflower cultivars under salt stress

This study investigated the effects of foliar application of normal and nano-sized zinc oxide on the response of sunflower cultivars to salinity. Treatments included five cultivars (‘Alstar’, ‘Olsion’, ‘Yourflor’, ‘Hysun36’ and ‘Hysun33’), two salinity levels [0 and 100 mM sodium chloride (NaCl)], and three levels of fertilizer application. Fertilizer treatments were the foliar application of normal and nano-sized zinc oxide (ZnO). Foliar application of ZnO in either forms increased leaf area, shoot dry weight, net carbon dioxide (CO₂) assimilation rate (A), sub-stomatal CO₂ concentration (Ci), chlorophyll content, Fv/Fm, and Zn content and decreased Na content in leaves. The extent of increase in chlorophyll content, Fv/Fm and shoot weight was greater as nano-sized ZnO was applied to the normal form. The results show that the nano-sized particles of ZnO compared to normal form has greater effect on biomass production of sunflower plants.     

Calcium uptake and resistance to bacterial wilt of mutually grafted tomato seedlings

Bacterial wilt of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) caused by Ralstonia solanacearum Smith is a serious disease in Japan. We previously reported that calcium (Ca) nutrition in tomato significantly affected the resistance to the disease, and that highly resistant cultivars were characterized by a high Ca uptake. We examined the relationship between the Ca uptake and resistance using mutually grafted seedlings of tomato cultivars differing in their resistance. A susceptible (‘Ponderosa’) or moderately resistant (‘Zuiei’) cultivar (scion) was grafted on the rootstock of a susceptible, moderately resistant, or highly resistant cultivar (‘Hawaii 7998’). Roots or petioles of the grafted seedlings were inoculated with the pathogen, and the development of bacterial wilt was observed. Although Ca uptake by shoot increased by grafting on the rootstock of a highly resistant cultivar, the development of the disease was not influenced by the difference in Ca uptake, and depended on the resistance of the cultivar to which the inoculated part of the graft belonged. It was concluded that the differences in Ca uptake of the shoot of the grafted tomato seedlings might not be related to the expression of the resistance to bacterial wilt.     

EXOGENOUS APPLICATION OF POTASSIUM NITRATE TO ALLEVIATE SALT STRESS IN RICE SEEDLINGS

□ Overall growth characteristics of many plant species cultivated in soil affected by salinity could be alleviated by the application of potassium nitrate (KNO₃) to the soil. The aim of this research was to investigate salt-tolerance in a salt-sensitive rice cultivar, ‘Pathumthani 1’ (PT1), in response to the exogenous application of 11.8 mM KNO₃, in comparison to ‘Homjan’ (HJ), a salt tolerant cultivar. Water potential (ψ_w) in both the roots and leaves of PT1 seedlings under salt stress dropped significantly, while it was maintained in PT1 pretreated with KNO₃, and similarly in HJ. The reduction of leaf water potential was positively related to total chlorophyll degradation, leading to diminished chlorophyll fluorescence, directly affecting growth in plants exposed to salt stress. In salt-sensitive PT1, the application of 11.8 mM KNO₃ improved salt-tolerance via the conservation of water use efficiency, the maintenance of photosynthetic pigments, enhancement of chlorophyll a fluorescence, and stimulation of growth characters.     

Powdery mildew resistance of Nordic spring wheat cultivars grown in Estonia

Abstract

A group of spring wheat cultivars originating from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands was analysed for powdery mildew resistance. Using functional molecular markers, two alleles of the major resistance gene Pm3 were detected among the cultivars under the study. One of the alleles, Pm3d, was detected in the resistant cultivars ‘Vinjett’, ‘SW Estrad’, and ‘Zebra’, and in ‘Tjalve’, a cultivar of earlier release susceptible to the local population of powdery mildew. The second allele of Pm3 detected in the analysed group of cultivars was the allele Pm3f, rarely used in Europe. It was identified in the resistant cultivars ‘Satu’, ‘Helle’, and in the moderatively resistant cultivar ‘Mahti’. Pm3f was found to be effective against the local population of powdery mildew in Estonia, while Pm3d provided no protective effect. Besides the Pm3d allele on chromosome 1A, monosomic analysis of the cultivar ‘Vinjett’,which is almost immune to powdery mildew, identified two additional loci on chromosomes 5D and 7D, respectively, presumably responsible for the high resistance in this cultivar. In contrast to the earlier cultivars, six recently released cultivars (‘Vinjett’, ‘SW Estrad’, ‘Zebra’, ‘Satu’, ‘Helle’, ‘Meri’) demonstrated a high resistance to the powdery mildew fungus Blumeria graminis DC. f. sp. tritici both in the field and seedling tests, showing that the genetic basis of powdery mildew resistance in Nordic spring wheat has been improved noticeably in the last ten years.     

Genotypic Differences in Spectral and Photosynthetic Response of Peanut to Iron Deficiency

To assess the genetic variability of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in tolerance to iron (Fe) deficiency, spectral and photosynthetic parameters of 12 peanut cultivars were determined. The results showed that peanut exhibit significant variations in spectral and photosynthetic parameters within cultivars in response to Fe deficiency. The 12 peanut cultivars were separated into three groups, which include (i) a Fe-deficient tolerant cultivar (‘Zhenghong 3’), (ii) a Fe-deficient sensitive cultivar (‘Huayu 22’), and (iii) ten intermediate cultivars. Iron deficiency caused an increase in root biomass, root/shoot ratio, structure independent pigment index and intercellular carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration, but resulted in a decrease in net photosynthetic rate (Pn), quantum yield of PS II photochemistry (F_v/F_m), effective quantum yield of PS II (ΦPS II), photochemical reflectance index, red edge point, and chlorophyll normalized difference index. Iron deficiency-induced decline in net photosynthetic rate may be resulted from the reduction of photosynthetic pigment contents and inhibition of PSII photochemistry.     

Drought and Salt Stress Mitigation by Seed Priming with KNO3 and Urea in Various Maize Hybrids: An Experimental Approach Based on Enhancing Antioxidant Responses

Priming offers an effective means for counteracting different stresses induced oxidative injury and raising seed performance in many crop species. The present study was carried out to investigate the ability of potassium nitrate (KNO₃) and urea to promote the tolerance of different maize hybrids to drought and salt stresses to identify some biochemical parameters associated with KNO₃ and urea induced resistance in maize seedlings. An experiment was conducted in a controlled environment of the laboratory at the college of agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz Iran, during 2010. The first factor was stress type and intensity at five levels; moderate drought, severe drought, moderate salt, severe salt, and control (without stress). Seed priming was the second factor; water as control, KNO₃, and urea, and maize hybrids, including Maxima, SC704, Zola, and 304 were the third factor. Results indicated that the highest chlorophyll a (Ch a), chlorophyll b (Ch b), total chlorophyll (Ch T) contents, and carotenoids (Car) were found in no stress treatments and the most proline, protein contents, superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) activities in severe drought treatment. Also, results revealed that generally, drought and salinity stresses decreased the amount of Ch a and the lowest Ch a was recorded for severe salinity stress (4.29 mg g^?1). Stresses caused decrease in Ch b, but the effect of sever salinity level was higher than the others. Priming of KNO₃ had significantly higher proline content than water and urea priming. The SC704 and 304 hybrids showed higher proline content than the other ones. Finally, the maize seed KNO₃ and urea priming lead to high activities of antioxidant defensive enzymes and increase the tolerance level to abiotic stresses such as salt and drought.     

Genotypic Difference in Arsenic and Cadmium Accumulation by Rice Seedlings Grown in Hydroponics

Genotypic differences in arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) uptake and their translocation within rice seedlings grown in solution culture were investigated. Arsenic uptake and its translocation differed significantly between eight cultivars. The largest shoot and root As concentrations were found in cultivar ‘TN1’ and ‘ZYQ8’, while cultivar ‘JX-17’ had the lowest As concentration. Arsenic concentration in shoot or root of ‘JX-17’ was about 50% of that in cultivar ‘ZYQ8’. Specific Arsenic uptake (SAU) was found significantly different between rice cultivars, which was about 2-fold higher of ‘ZYQ8’ than that of ‘JX-17’. The Cd accumulation also differed significantly between cultivars. Rice cultivar ‘JX-17’ had the highest ability in Cd uptake, but the lowest ability in Cd translocation from root to shoot. The transfer factor (TF) of Cd had an important effect on Cd accumulation by rice seedlings. Arsenic can competitively inhibit P uptake by rice seedlings, P concentrations in shoots, or roots treated with As were significantly lower than those without As addition. However, the concentrations of P and As were positively correlated within these genotypes. The Cd immobilization by cell wall was an important mechanism for Cd detoxification. The cell wall bound 21–44% of total Cd in shoots and 25–59% of total Cd in roots of these tested genotypes. The genotypic differences in As and Cd uptake and translocation within rice seedlings provide the possibility of selecting and breeding genotypes and /or cultivars with reduced levels of As and Cd in rice grains.     

Ratio of Nutrient and Minerals to Defensive Compounds Indicative of Plant Quality and Tolerance to Herbivory in Pear Trees

The phenolic ester 3-0-trans-p-coumaroyltormentic acid and the volatile compounds (E,E)-α-farnesene and methyl salicylate have been identified previously in pear tree cultivars ‘Bartlett,’ ‘NY10355,’ and ‘Conference.’ Here, using the same dried extract of leaf samples, the contents of total protein, chlorophyll, and the minerals calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sodium (Na), carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) were determined. Differences between pear cultivars were found with regard to their absolute content in Ca, K, chlorophyll, and total protein, and to carbon/nitrogen values in uninfested leaves compared with leaves infested by Cacopsylla pyricola (Foester) and C. pyri L. (Homoptera, Psyllidae) on partially and completely infested trees. The ratio of nutrients and minerals to the constitutive and Cacopsylla-induced phenolic and two volatiles reflects a diminution of the leaf quality as food for Cacopsylla nymphs in infested leaves of all cultivars. In uninfested leaves, the magnitude of this ratio in partially infested trees of cv. ‘Conference’ with local response, together with Ca ion content and chlorophyll loss, point to classification of this cultivar as tolerant to herbivory.     

不同烤烟品种幼苗形态结构及光合参数对 干旱胁迫响应机制的差异

为了比较不同烤烟品种的苗期耐旱性差异,选用河南烟区主栽烤烟品种‘豫烟6号’、‘豫烟10号’、‘豫烟12号’和‘中烟100’为供试材料,利用浓度为15%的聚乙二醇(PEG-6000)模拟中度干旱环境,研究不同烤烟品种幼苗生物量、根系形态、叶片气孔特征、叶绿体超微结构和光合参数等指标对干旱胁迫响应机制的差异。结果表明:(1)干旱刺激了幼苗根系生长,抑制了地上种幼苗根冠比均显著提高;‘豫烟6号’和‘豫烟12号’幼苗根系生物量、总根长、根系表面积和根系体积均显著增加,但根系平均直径与对照无显著性差异;而‘豫烟10号’和‘中烟100’根系形态指标增加幅度较小,仅有‘豫烟10号’根系表面积显著增加,而根系平均直径均显著下降。(2)干旱引起‘中烟100’叶片气孔总面积比对照显著增加,‘豫烟12号’仅有气孔长度比其对照增加显著。(3)干旱处理后,‘豫烟6号’和‘豫烟12号’叶绿体整体结构变化不大,而‘豫烟10号’和‘中烟100’中叶肉细胞叶绿体被膜分解,与细胞壁分离;其中‘中烟100’叶绿体平均长度、长宽比和面积均显著降低。(4)与对照相比,干旱组叶片光合作用被抑制,其中‘豫烟10号’和‘中烟100’叶片净光合速率(Pn)、蒸腾速率(Tr)和气孔导度(Gs)均显著下降,而胞间CO2浓度(Ci)显著上升,说明干旱胁迫下烤烟光合速率下降是非气孔因素所致。(5)干旱胁迫后‘豫烟6号’和‘豫烟12号’叶片叶绿素总量显著增加,而‘豫烟10号’和‘中烟100’却呈下降趋势。结果表明,‘豫烟6号’和‘豫烟12号’是耐旱型品种,而‘豫烟10号’和‘中烟100’抗旱性较差,抗旱能力排序为‘豫烟6号’‘豫烟12号’‘豫烟10号’‘中烟100’。     

Salt Tolerance of Canola in Relation to Accumulation and Xylem Transportation of Cations

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted in a greenhouse to evaluate the root and shoot response of canola (Brassica napus L.) to salt-stress conditions and the remobilization, deposition, and input rate of sodium (Na), potassium (K), and magnesium (Mg) at different salinity levels using two canola cultivars. A salt-tolerant (‘Kristina’) cultivar and a salt-sensitive (‘Hyola 308’) cultivar were grown in nutrient solutions with 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mol m^?3 NaCl for 7 d. The plants were harvested after 6, 12, 18, and 24 h and 3 and 7 d after salt treatment. The results indicated that increasing salinity significantly decreased shoot and root weights 7 d after treatment. Also, K content and K-Na selectivity decreased in both cultivars, but the changes in ‘Hyola 308’ were greater than in ‘Kristina.’ Electrolyte leakage was increased significantly by salinity, and cell-membrane stability of ‘Hyola 308’ was damaged more than that of ‘Kristina’. Sodium import, transport, and deposition was increased by salinity concentration but remobilization was decreased. The K and Mg import, deposition, and remobilization were also decreased. From this experiment we can conclude that greater K and Mg remobilization in ‘Kristina’ could be a mechanism of salt tolerance in canola.     

The influence of phosphate fertilizer application levels and cultivars on cadmium uptake by Komatsuna (Brassica rapa L. var. perviridis)

Cadmium (Cd) is a common impurity in phosphate fertilizers and application of phosphate fertilizer may contribute to soil Cd accumulation. Changes in Cd burdens to agricultural soils and the potential for plant Cd accumulation resulting from fertilizer input were investigated in this study. A field experiment was conducted on Haplaquept to investigate the influence of calcium superphosphate on extractable and total soil Cd and on growth and Cd uptake of different Komatsuna (Brassica rapa L. var. perviridis) cultivars. Four cultivars of Komatsuna were grown on the soil and harvested after 60 days. The superphosphate application increased total soil Cd from 2.51 to 2.75?mg?kg^?1, 0.1?mol?L^?1 hydrochloric acid (HCl) extractable Cd from 1.48 to 1.55?mg?kg^?1, 0.01?mol?L^?1 HCl extractable Cd from 0.043 to 0.046?mg?kg^?1 and water extractable Cd from 0.0057 to 0.0077?mg?kg^?1. Cd input reached 5.68?g?ha^–1 at a rate of 240?kg?ha^–1 superphosphate fertilizer application. Superphosphate affected dry-matter yield of leaves to different degrees in each cultivar. ‘Nakamachi’ produced the highest yield in 2008 and ‘Hamami No. 2’ in 2009. Compared with the control (no phosphate fertilizer), application of superphosphate at a rate of 240?kg?ha^–1 increased the Cd concentration in dry leaves by 0.14?mg?kg^?1 in ‘Maruha’, 1.03?mg?kg^?1 in ‘Nakamachi’, 0.63?mg?kg^?1 in ‘SC8-007’ in 2008, and by 0.19?mg?kg^?1 in Maruha’, 0.17?mg?kg^?1 in ‘Hamami No. 2’, while it decreased by 0.27?mg?kg^?1 in ‘Nakamachi’ in 2009. Field experiments in two years demonstrated that applications of different levels of calcium superphosphate did not influence Cd concentration in soil and Komatsuna significantly. However, there was a significant difference in Cd concentration of fresh and dry Komatsuna leaves among four cultivars in 2008 and 2009. The highest Cd concentration was found in the ‘Nakamachi’ cultivar (2.14?mg?kg^?1 in 2008 and 1.91?mg?kg^?1 in 2009). The lowest Cd concentration was observed in the ‘Maruha’ cultivar (1.51?mg?kg^?1?dry weight (DW)) in 2008 and in the ‘Hamami No. 2’ cultivar (1.56?mg?kg^?1?DW) in 2009. A decreasing trend in Cd concentration was found in ‘Nakamachi’, followed by ‘SC8-007’, ‘Hamami No. 2’ and ‘Maruha’ successively. It is necessary to consider a low-uptake cultivar for growing in a Cd polluted soil. In these two years’ results, ‘Maruha’ cultivar was the lowest Cd uptake cultivar compared to the others.     

CELL WALL URONIC ACID CONCENTRATIONS OF RESISTANT AND SENSITIVE CULTIVARS OF WHEAT AND BARLEY UNDER BORON TOXICITY

In this study, changes in cell wall uronic acid concentrations of boron (B)-tolerant and B-sensitive cultivars of wheat and barley were analyzed in control (plants that were grown on water and received no B) and B-treated plants. Ten-day-old seedlings of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ‘Atay’ (B-sensitive) and ‘Bolal’ (B-tolerant)) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L. ‘Hamidiye’ (B-sensitive) and ‘Anadolu’ (B-tolerant)) were grown in H₃BO₃ solution (10 mM final concentration) or water for 3, 5, or 7 days. For determination of changes in cell wall uronic acid concentrations of wheat and barley cultivars, cell walls were extracted from root and leaf tissues of control and B-treated plants. Cell wall uronic acid concentrations of root and leaf tissues of each cultivar were statistically analyzed. Various reciprocal analyses were performed. These analyses were high-B-tolerant versus B-sensitive cultivars and control versus B-treated plants. In all reciprocal analyses, no significant changes were observed. These data, thus, suggest that cell wall uronic acid content does not contribute to detoxification of excess B in wheat and barley.     

Boron nutrition for improving the quality of diverse canola cultivars

Abstract

Canola (Brassica napus L.), is the most important oilseed crop due to high oil contents and low concentration of erucic acid and glucosinolates. In Pakistan, oil seed production is not sufficient to fulfill the needs of the country. Thus, the planned experiment was aimed to evaluate the performance of different canola cultivars i.e. Faisal Canola, Pakola, PARC Canola hybrid and Rainbow at grown under various soil applied boron (B) levels viz., 0, 1, 2?kg ha^?1 under a rainfed environment. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with four replications. Among the canola cultivars, the maximum seed oil contents were recorded in cultivar ‘Pakola’ whereas, higher linolenic acid and protein were recorded in cultivar ‘Faisal canola’ as compared to other cultivars. A synergistic effect was found between various levels of B and quality parameters of the canola seed; as higher concentration of oil contents were found when B was applied 2?kg ha^?1. Conversely the linolenic acid showed the antagonistic behavior with the various B levels. On the other hand, protein contents, oleic acid and erucic acid revealed non-significant differences under different B application rates. In conclusion, the cultivar ‘Pakola’ provided the highest oil content when the B was applied at 2?kg ha^?1; the low concentration of unsaturated fatty acid was observed in ‘PARC canola’ cultivar in the Pothwar region of Punjab, Pakistan.     

Effects of Salinity and Water Stress on Echophysiological Parameters and Micronutrients Concentration of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)

In order to study the effects of salinity and drought stress on echophysiological parameters and micronutrients concentration of pomegranate leaves, a factorial experiment was conducted based on completely randomized design with 0, 30, and 60 mM of salinity levels of sodium chloride and calcium chloride (1:1) and three irrigation intervals (2, 4, and 6 days) with three replications on ‘Rabab’ and ‘Shishegap’ cultivars of pomegranate. The results analysis of shoot and root indicated that the water salinity and drought affected the concentration of iron (Fe²⁺), zinc (Zn²⁺), copper (Cu²⁺) and manganese (Mn²⁺) in pomegranate leaves and roots. Mineral concentration of zinc (Zn²⁺), copper (Cu²⁺) and manganese (Mn²⁺) in roots and manganese (Mn²⁺) in shoot was increased with increasing salinity. Drought treatments decreased the concentration of Zn²⁺ in the shoot and increased Zn²⁺ in roots. Both cultivars showed significant differences in the Fe²⁺ concentrations of shoot, however the most accumulation of Fe²⁺ was observed in ‘Shishegap’ cultivar.