Influence of phosphorus limitations on the growth,nutrient partitioning and physiology of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) seedlings

The effects of four rates of phosphorus (P) fertilization (0, 0.56, 5.6 and 56.0 mg l^?1) in soilless medium on the growth and physiology of mahogany seedlings were examined. The greatest response occurred at the 56 mg l^?1 rate, with relatively small differences between other treatments. Biometric parameters increased at the 56 mg l^?1 compared to 0 mg l^?1 rate except root dry mass. Both the concentration and the total content of P and Kjeldahl nitrogen (N) increased in leaves, stems and roots with P application rate. Foliar concentrations of potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn) and sulfur (S) declined, and boron (B) and copper (Cu) increased with P limitations; zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) were unaffected. Physiological adaptations of mahogany to P limitations include the preferential allocation of carbon (C) to plant roots, and increases in P utilization efficiency, P acquisition efficiency and the concentration of organic acids in xylem fluid. Root phosphatase activity was not influenced by P fertilization.     

Chemical management of weeds in corn hybrids

Corn stands out among the cultivars because of its high importance in food, animal feed and raw materials for energy production. The quantity and quality of the harvested grain can be reduced, mainly due to inadequate weed management. Nowadays, weed control is accomplished with the use of herbicides as pre‐emergence and postemergence, applied alone or in a tank mix. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the control of weeds and phytotoxicity of the herbicides that were applied in tank mix or isolated in the corn hybrids, Formula TL® and SYN 7B28 . Two experiments were conducted: in the 2012/2013 season (Formula TL®) and 2013/2014 season (SYN 7B28). There was a low initial phytotoxicity of all the tested herbicides in the initial evaluation; however, from 14 days after treatment, it was minimal. The weed control of Ipomoea indivisa, Urochloa plantaginea and Euphorbia heterophylla in both experiments was better, in general, when using the tank mixtures of atrazine + simazine + tembotrione and atrazine + simazine + mesotrione, respectively. The application of atrazine + simazine + tembotrione in the SYN 7B28 hybrids provided, with the exception of the thousand‐grain weight, the best expression of grain yield components, combining a low phytotoxicity and best control of the weeds. The Formula TL® hybrid presented the highest mass of a thousand grains and yield with the application of nicosulfuron + tembotrione. The yield average difference of the herbicide treatments and the unweeded control showed an increase of 27.66 and 34.59% in the grain yield of the corn hybrids, Formula TL® and SYN 7B28, respectively.     

The role of rhizobacteria in rice plants: Growth and mitigation of toxicity

Allelopathic compounds reduce the growth and productivity of upland rice plants, especially in consecutive plantations. The rhizobacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens BRM-32111 and Burkholderia pyrrocinia BRM-32113 have been recorded as growth promoters in rice. This study was developed to understand the effect of the application of rhizobacteria on upland rice plants in consecutive plantations. Experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design with four replications of four treatments: rice seed inoculated with P. fluorescens BRM-32111, rice seed inoculated with B. pyrrocinia BRM-32113 (both sown on soil with rice residue), non-inoculated plants sown on soil with rice residue (control with residue (WR)), and non-inoculated plants on soil with no residue (NR). Roots and seedling growth were adversely affected by allelopathic compounds in control WR plants. Plants inoculated with rhizobacteria P. fluorescens BRM-32111 or B. pyrrocinia BRM-32113 induced an increase of 88% in biomass, 3% in the leaf area, 40% in length, 67% in root biomass, 21% in chlorophyll a, 53% in chlorophyll (a+b), 50% in rate of carbon assimilation (A), 227% in A/rubisco carboxylation efficiency (C_i) and 63% in water use efficiency (WUE) compared to control WR plants. These results indicate that rhizobacteria P. fluorescens BRM-32111 and B. pyrrocinia BRM-32113 increase the tolerance of rice plants to stress from allelochemicals. There are possible practical agricultural applications of these results for mitigating the effects of environmental allelochemistry on upland rice.     

Phytostabilization Ability of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Baccharis linearis</Emphasis> and Its Relation to Properties of a Tailings-Derived Technosol

Spontaneous colonization of mine tailing dams by plants is a potential tool for phytostabilization of such reservoirs. However, the physical and chemical properties of each mine tailings deposit determine the success of natural plant establishment. The plant Baccharis linearis is the main native nanophanerophyte species (evergreen sclerophyllous shrub) that naturally colonizes abandoned copper tailings dams in arid to semiarid north-central Chile. This study compare growth of B. linearis against the physical and chemical properties of a Technosol derived from copper mine tailings. Five sites inside the deposit were selected based on B. linearis vegetation density (VD), at two soil sampling depths under the canopy of adult individuals. Physical and chemical properties of tailings samples and nutrient concentrations in tailings and plants were each determined. Some morphological features of the plants (roots and aerial parts) were also quantified. There were significant differences in soil available water capacity (AW) and relative density (Rd) at different VD. Sites with low AW and high Rd had lower nutrient concentrations and higher Zn content in tailings, decreased infection by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and increased fine root abundance and root hair length in individual plants. In contrast, higher AW, which was positively correlated with fine particles and organic matter content, had a positive effect on vegetation coverage, increased N and P contents in tailings, and increased N contents in leaf tissues, even when available N and P levels in tailings were low. Multiple constraints, such as low AW, N, P, and B contents and high Zn concentrations in the tailings restricted vegetation coverage, but no phenotypic differences were observed between individuals. Thus, in order to promote dense coverage by B. linearis, water retention in these tailings must be improved by increasing colloidal particles (organic and/or inorganic) contents, which have a positive effect on colonization by this species.