Mycorrhizal inoculation enhances growth and nutrition of cotton plant

Arbuscular Mycorrhizae Fungi (AMF) inoculations may improve growth and nutrient uptake of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plant. Although the importance of mycorrhizal symbioses for growth and nutrient acquisition of cotton plant is known, less is known about mycorrhizal dependency on P and Zn nutrition under low Zn fertile soil conditions. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different of P and Zn fertilizer addition on cotton plant growth as well as Zn and P uptake. Sterilized and non-sterilized low Zn fertile Konya series soil was treated with different levels of P and Zn. Soils were inoculated with two mycorrhizae species like Funneliformis mosseae and Claroideoglomus etunicatum after sterilization. Results showed that mycorrhizal inoculation on plant growth and nutrient uptake has significant effect when soil was sterilized. Cl. etunicatum mycorrhizae species has greater effect than Fu. mosseae mycorrhizae species. Root colonization increased 23–65% due to mycorrhizal amendment. The shoot: root ratio increased by 13 and 22% for non-sterile and sterile condition respectively in mycorrhiza amended soil. Mycorrhizal dependency varies 1–55% and 3–64% for non-sterile and sterile soil respectively on mycorrhizae, P and Zn amended soil. Mycorrhizal dependency analysis showed that cotton plant in both sterile and non-sterile soil conditions depends on mycorrhizae species, P nutrition, however is less depend on Zn nutrition. This study concluded that the inoculation of cotton plant with selected mycorrhizae is necessary under both sterile and non-sterile soil conditions.     

Alleviation of alternate bearing phenomenon in mango (Mangifera indica L.) trees using boron and nitrogen fertilization

Abstract

This investigation was conducted during two successive seasons (2014/2015) and (2015/2016) using 15?years old productive mango (Mangifera indica) trees cv. Zebda. The trees were grown at AlMalak Valley Farm, El-Sharkeya Governorate- Egypt (30–51° North; 32–53° East). Trees were planted 8?×?8 meter within and between rows in sandy soil under drip irrigation system using the Nile water. The objective of this study is to alleviate alternate bearing in cv. Zebda using mineral nutrients (nitrogen in the on year and boron in the off year). Treatments included three concentrations of nitrogen (1000, 1250, 1500?g/tree/year) and three concentrations of boron (0.0, 250, 500?mg L^?1). Nitrogen was applied to the soil as ammonium sulfate and boron was applied as foliar spray of boric acid. The extra amount of nitrogen fertilizer (250 and 500?g N/tree) was applied at three installments in (May, June and July). Treatment was arranged in a factorial Completely Randomized Block Design with three replicates for each treatment. Results show that the on-year nitrogen fertilization significantly increased mango tree vegetative growth (number of shoot/branch, shoot length, shoot thickness, number of leaves/meter and leaf area) and yield. The average yield in the on year is 85.5?kg/tree at 1250?g N/tree but 67.4?Kilogram/tree at 1000?g N/tree (the control treatment). While in the off year boron foliar application resulted in a significant increase in flowering, initial fruit set, final fruit set and fruit yield. The average yield in the off year is 47?kg/tree at 250?mg L^?1 boron but 9?kg/tree at 0.0?mg L^?1 boron rate (the control treatment).The interaction treatment of 250?mg L^?1 boron + 1500?g nitrogen/tree is the best treatment as it resulted in the highest values for all the tested parameters. The average yield of this treatment is 53.5?kg/tree. This treatment helps alleviate alternate bearing phenomenon by 41% and obtain the highest economic yield in the off-year, i.e. increased yield by 5.9 fold.     

Role of active aluminum in the formation of water-stable macroaggregates

Soil structure is determined by the arrangement of particles in soil and the particles of sand, silt, and clay bind together into aggregates of various sizes by organic and inorganic materials. Structural stability which is the ability of the aggregates and pores to remain intact when subjected to stress, markedly affects crop production and soil erosion (Tisdall 1996). Since water, either directly as rainfall or as surface runoff is the main agent of aggregate breakdown, in the analyzes of stable soil aggregation, the term water-stable aggregation is generally used (Lynch and Bragg 1985). Water-stable aggregates have been divided into micro aggregates < 0.25 mm dia.) and macro aggregates (> 0.25 mm dia.) (Edwards and Bremner 1967; Tisdall and Oades 1982). Microaggregates show a relatively high stability against physical disruption (Edwards and Bremner 1967). On the other hand, macro aggregates are sensitive to soil management (Tisdall and Oades 1982).

There are many reports on the relationships between the aggregate stability and the soil physicochemical properties. For example, significant correlations were found between the aggregate stability and the amounts of organic C (Tisdall and Oades 1982), total N, and carbohydrates or the CEC (Chaney and Swift 1984). However, most of these studies were conducted in non-volcanic ash soils. Volcanic ash soils are widely distributed in Japan and are very important soils for crop production. The objective of this study was, therefore, to obtain more information on the relationship between the degree of macro aggregation and the soil physicochemical properties in non-volcanic and volcanic ash soils.     

A Comparison Investigation on Antioxidant Activities,Physicochemical Properties and Phytochemical Contents of Kiwifruit Genotypes and Cultivars

The present work was conducted to find the physicochemical properties, chemical components and antioxidant capacity of kiwifruit hydroalcoholic extracts (B-31, HO-1-14, J-242, Bruno, Greenlight, Hayward, Monty, Topstar) grown Yalova, Turkey. Phytochemical tests were performed to determine total phenolic, flavonoid and ascorbic acid. Moreover, the kiwifruit extracts were subjected to evaluate their antioxidant potential using different in vitro assays such as total antioxidant, inhibition of lipid peroxidation, reducing power, metal chelating, free radical, H₂O₂ and superoxide anion scavenging activities at 50–500 μg mL^?1, and also found EC₅₀ and IC₅₀ values. The soluble solid content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA) and pH were analyzed in all the genotypes and cultivars. The highest total phenolic, flavonoid and ascorbic acid content were found in J-242 (89.53 mg GAE/100 g), J-242 (109.13 mg QE/100 g) and HO-1-14 (64.15 mg/100 g), respectively. The linoleic, palmitic, stearic and oleic acid methyl esters were detected in all kiwifruit extracts by GC/MS. Significant differences were found between genotypes and cultivars in the antioxidant tests. The extracts showed high inhibition of lipid peroxidation and compared to standards, significantly (p < 0.05). The GC/MS analyses confirmed quantitative variability in the antioxidant profiles. The SSC, TA and pH of kiwifruit genotypes and cultivars showed a moderate level. The key parameters for the most active kiwifruit included the following: total antioxidant activity for B-31, H₂O₂ scavenging activity for J-242 and metal chelating activity for Topstar. In conclusion, this study exhibited the important role played by the genotypes and cultivars background on the chemical content and antioxidant profiles.     

The use of iron (III) ferrocyanide soil amendment for removing salt from the soil surface

Accelerated soil salinization is a worldwide concern. Our study was carried out to determine the effects of different rates (0, 5, 10, and 15?mmol kg^?1) of iron (III) ferrocyanide application to remove salts from the soil. Within two weeks of its application, iron (III) ferrocyanide at 5, 10, and 15?mmol?kg^?1 removed 12.2%, 26.5%, and 42.9% of the total salts from the soil, respectively. Results suggested that iron (III) ferrocyanide application at 15?mmol?kg^?1 is one of the most rapid and effective ways to remove substantial amounts of salts from undrained soil (land) where fresh water is scarce.     

Determination of Energy Input-Output Analysis in Plum (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus domestica</Emphasis> L.) Production

The aim of this research is to compose the energy input-output analysis of plum in Nevsehir province in Turkey. This research was conducted at the plum cultivating facilities during the 2015–2016 production seasons in Nevsehir province of Central Anatolian Region in Turkey. The agricultural input energies and output energies used in plum cultivation were calculated to determine the energy input-output analysis. According to the research findings, the energy inputs in plum cultivation were calculated respectively 3920?MJ ha^?1 (44.99%) chemical fertilizers energy, 1618.91?MJ ha^?1 (18.58%) diesel fuel energy, 1125.85?MJ ha^?1 (12.92%) chemicals energy, 1069.20?MJ ha^?1 (12.27%) machinery energy, 723.24?MJ ha^?1 (8.30%) human labour energy and 255?MJ ha^?1 (2.93%) irrigation water energy. Production output plum yield were calculated as 12,112.50?MJ ha^?1. The energy output/input ratio, specific energy, energy usage efficiency and net energy calculations were calculated respectively as 1.39, 1.37?MJ kg^?1, 0.73?kg MJ^?1 and 3400.30?MJ ha^?1.     

Genetic Variation for Maize Epicuticular Wax Response to Drought Stress at Flowering

Drought stress is thought to promote epicuticular wax accumulation on maize leaves, which reduces plant water loss. We evaluated 62 maize inbred lines and their hybrid testcross progeny for epicuticular wax accumulation on flag leaves at flowering under full and limited irrigation regimes. Extracted wax was measured as a percentage of wax weight to leaf weight (WLW) and leaf area (WLA). Eleven genotypes had above average WLW as both inbred lines and hybrid testcrosses. Thirteen genotypes had above average WLA as either inbred lines or hybrid testcrosses. The drought treatment did not significantly alter WLW or WLA. Heritability of WLW was 0.17 (inbred lines) and 0.58 (hybrid testcrosses). Heritability of WLA was 0.41 (inbred lines) and 0.59 (hybrid testcrosses), suggesting it is a better trait than WLW for epicuticular wax screening. Correlations (r) between inbred lines and their testcross progeny were 0.44 and 0.18, for WLW and WLA, respectively. Heritability of grain weight per ear and plot yield was highest in hybrid testcrosses, with no correlation between inbred and hybrid germplasm. It is not warranted to evaluate epicuticular wax accumulation as the sole drought tolerance mechanism. However, it may be a good secondary trait to observe in relation to grain yield production in hybrids tested under water‐limiting conditions.     

Veterinary pharmacovigilance: between regulation and science

Veterinary pharmacovigilance has shown a remarkable development in recent years. After presenting briefly the regulatory context, this paper considers the scope of veterinary pharmacovigilance, causality assessment of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs), the systems existing in different countries and the evolution for the coming years. The involvement of veterinary research and teaching institutions should certainly become more important in this cross-road activity.     

Evaluation of PCR,IEF and ELISA techniques for the detection and identification of potato cyst nematodes from field soil samples in England and Wales

Effective management of potato cyst nematodes (PCNs) requires simple, rapid and accurate identification and quantification of field populations. Soil samples from a survey of 484 fields in potato rotations in England and Wales were used to compare the identification and quantification of PCNs using IEF, PCR, ELISA and bait plant tests. The cyst counts and bait plant test revealed that 64.3% of field samples contained PCNs. Bait plant tests increased the detection rate of PCNs in field samples by 4–6.4%. This means that some infestations are cryptic and would not normally be detected by standard counts. IEF, PCR and ELISA methods distinguished between Globodera rostochiensis and G pallida and were able to register mixed populations; however they were not in full agreement. All methods suggested that G pallida is the dominant species in the field samples tested. The PCR results indicated that 66% of field samples contained pure G pallida, 8% contained pure G rostochiensis and 26% contained mixtures of the two species. Estimates of the relative process times taken per sample in the PCR, IEF and ELISA techniques are given. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry