Cellular and ultrastructural changes in the seedling roots of upland rice (Oryza sativa) under the stress of two allelochemicals from Ageratina adenophora

Two sesquiterpene‐derivative compounds, 4,7‐dimethyl‐1‐(propan?2‐ylidene)–1,4,4a,8a‐tetrahydronaphthalene‐2,6(1H, 7H)‐dione (DTD) and 6‐hydroxy‐5‐isopropyl‐3,8‐dimethyl?4a,5,6,7,8,8a‐hexahydronaphthalen‐2(1H)–one (HHO), are the major putative allelochemicals of the aqueous leachates of Ageratina adenophora. A laboratory experiment was conducted, using the hydroponic method, to evaluate the cellular and ultrastructural changes in the seedling roots of upland rice under the stress of DTD and HHO. The subsequent changes were observed in the treated upland rice roots in comparison with their controls. The scanning electron microscopy results showed that the DTD‐treated root tip cells turned into an irregular arrangement and shape and that most of them were wizened, with a poor cytoplasm. In the HHO treatment, the root tips had many irregularly shaped cells, with a greater number of sloughing cells, as well as short, wide cells that resulted in spherical and wider, but shorter, roots. At the ultrastructural level, DTD and HHO induced irregularly shaped and lobed nuclei, increased cytoplasmic vacuolation, reduced ribosome density and dictyosomes, and a reduced number of mitochondria in the cells, which indicated limited protein transportation and a reduced capability to export substances for cell development and growth in the upland rice seedling roots. The overall effect of HHO on the upland rice seedlings was more pronounced than that of DTD.     

Field trial measuring the compatibility of methoxyfenozide and flonicamid with Orius laevigatus Fieber (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) and Amblyseius swirskii (Athias-Henriot) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) in a commercial pepper greenhouse

BACKGROUND: Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are among the most serious pests of sweet peppers in greenhouses. Chemical control is difficult because of their high reproductive rates and insecticide resistance, and seasonal inoculative releases of Orius laevigatus (Fieber) and Amblyseius swirskii (Athias‐Henriot) are commonly used to reduce their populations. As chemical treatments are often needed in the crop against other pests, the side effects of methoxyfenozide (an insect growth regulator against lepidopteran pests) and flonicamid (a selective feeding inhibitor against sucking insects) were studied in both beneficial organisms in a commercial greenhouse. RESULTS: Orius laevigatus and A. swirskii were released at commercial rates (4–5 and 100 m^?2), and a strong establishment and a very homogeneous distribution were reached. One pesticide treatment with the maximum field recommended concentration of methoxyfenozide and flonicamid (96 and 100 mg AI L^?1) was done when they were well established, and their population levels were not affected either immediately or up to 30 days after treatment. CONCLUSION: The results are indicative of no impact of methoxyfenozide and flonicamid on the two natural enemies in the field, and both can be considered as potential alternatives to be included in IPM programmes in sweet pepper. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Partial replacement of Fe(o,o‐EDDHA) by humic substances for Fe nutrition and fruit quality of citrus

The most widely used Iron (Fe) fertilizer in calcareous soils is the synthetic chelate Fe(o,o‐EDDHA). However, humic substances are occasionally combined with Fe chelates in drip irrigation systems in order to lower costs. We investigated the effect of various mixtures of Fe(o,o‐EDDHA) and a commercially available humic substance on Fe availability in a calcareous soil from Murcia, Spain (in vitro experiment) and on leaf Fe content and fruit‐quality attributes of Citrus macrophylla (field experiment). In the in vitro experiment, a calcareous soil was incubated for 15 d with solutions of sole Fe(o,o‐EDDHA) and humic substance and of a mixture of humic substance and Fe(o,o‐EDDHA) to determine the dynamics of available Fe. While the mixture did not significantly increase the available soil Fe, it did decrease the rate of Fe retention in the surface soil compared to sole Fe(o,o‐EDDHA). In the field experiment, the substitution in the application solution of 67% of Fe(o,o‐EDDHA) by commercial humic substance increased leaf P in lemon trees from 0.19% with sole Fe(o,o‐EDDHA) to 0.30% and leaf Fe from 94 mg kg^–1 to 115 mg kg^–1. Some quality parameters like vitamin C content and peel thickness were also improved with a partial substitution of Fe(o,o‐EDDHA) by humic substances. We conclude that a partial substitution of commercial Fe chelates by humic substance can improve crop Fe uptake and may thus be economically attractive. The underlying physiological mechanisms and ecological implications require further studies.     

Evidence of plaggen soils in European North Russia (Arkhangelsk region)

To clarify whether a particular group of soils of Archangelsk region (European N Russia) with humus‐rich topsoils exceeding the plowing zone supports an anthropogenic formation, four exemplary profiles were investigated. The investigation sites are characterized by distinct elevated surfaces, and the soils show thick toplayers of up to 60 cm with enrichment of soil organic matter and artifacts like brick, charcoal, and peat fragments, all indicating an anthropogenic origin. Increased phytolith amounts and high P contents of up to 800 mg kg^–1 citric acid–soluble P and up to 1,400 mg kg^–1 total P in the top horizons support an anthropogenic influence. These properties are very similar to the Plagganthrepts of NW Europe. The same is true regarding the main management aims: increasing soil fertility and overcoming the need of bedding materials. Having the required depths of the anthropogenic topsoil, the properties of the soils of the Archangelsk region allow a classification as Agrozems (Russian classification), Plaggenesche (German classification), and Plagganthrepts (US taxonomy). Since the high base saturation of the topsoil excludes a designation as plaggic horizon, the topsoil has to be considered as terric horizon, which leads to a classification as Terric Anthrosol according to WRB.     

Microbial immobilisation of C rhizodeposits in rhizosphere and root-free soil under continuous C labelling of oats

A greenhouse experiment was conducted by growing oats (Avenasativa L.) in a continuously ¹³CO₂ labeled atmosphere. The allocation of ¹³C-labeled photosynthates in plants, microbial biomass in rhizosphere and root-free soil, pools of soil organic C, and CO₂ emissions were examined over the plant's life cycle. To isolate rhizosphere from root-free soil, plant seedlings were placed into bags made of nylon monofilament screen tissue (16 μm mesh) filled with soil. Two peaks of ¹³C in rhizosphere pools of microbial biomass and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), as well as in CO₂ emissions at the earing and ripeness stages were revealed. These ¹³C maxima corresponded to: (i) the end of rapid root growth and (ii) beginning of root decomposition, respectively. The δ¹³C values of microbial biomass were higher than those of DOC and of soil organic matter (SOM). The microbial biomass C accounted for up to 56 and 39% of ¹³C recovered in the rhizosphere and root-free soil, respectively. Between 4 and 28% of ¹³C assimilated was recovered in the root-free soil. Depending on the phenological stage, the contribution of root-derived C to total CO₂ emission from soil varied from 61 to 92% of total CO₂ evolved, including 4-23% attributed to rhizomicrobial respiration. While 81-91% of C substrates used for microbial growth in the root-free soil and rhizosphere came from SOM, the remaining 9-19% of C substrates utilized by the microbial biomass was attributable to rhizodeposition. The use of continuous isotopic labelling and physical separation of root-free and rhizosphere soil, combined with natural ¹³C abundance were effective in gaining new insight on soil and rhizosphere C-cycling.     

Solid-phase microextraction of volatile components from natural grassland plants

The volatile components from nine plants growing on natural grasslands in Auvergne, central France, selected for the broad qualitative and quantitative diversity of their terpenoid fractions, were analyzed by high-resolution gas-phase chromatography and mass spectrometry (HRGC-MS) after static headspace solid-phase microextraction (SHS-SPME). SHS-SPME allowed all the plant material to be analyzed under the same conditions despite its wide-ranging composition. This is not always possible with other extraction methods. Using an apolar poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) phase, numerous terpenoid hydrocarbons, together with alcohols, cyclic ethers, and esters, were extracted. Its ease of use and the high resolution of the chromatographic profiles obtained make SHS-SPME well suited to the rapid characterization of the main components of the volatile fraction of plants. Of the nine plants studied, four (Meum athamanticum, Pimpinella saxifraga, Achillea millefolium, and Thymus pulegioides) exhaled more than 60 different volatile components. Certain terpenes present in large amounts in these plants might help link dairy products to grazing pasture, thus improving food traceability.     

Nitrogen metabolism in flag leaf and grain of wheat in response to irrigation regimes

Although scarcity of irrigation water is one of the key limiting factors for wheat production in many regions of the world, by using partial irrigation at strategic times during the growing season, it might be possible to enhance productivity. We measured the changes in various parameters related to nitrogen (N) metabolism in flag leaf and grain of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants (cv. Jinan 17 and Lumai 21), which were subjected to five irrigation regimes until physiological maturity. Severely deficient or excessive irrigation during grain filling decreased the photosynthetic rate (A), the concentrations of N, free amino acid, and soluble protein, as well as the activities of nitrate reductase (NR) and glutamine synthetase (GS) and increased malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation and endopeptidase (EP) activity, though grain protein concentration might mainly depend on genotype. The activities of NR and GS were significantly positively correlated with A, but those of EP were significantly negatively correlated with A. The results indicate that while severe water stress aggravates the adverse effect on nitrogen metabolism, excessive soil moisture is also not useful during the grain‐filling stage, resulting in lower grain yield and quality. Our results suggest that applying an optimal irrigation regime in wheat fields still plays an important role in the improvement of grain yield and quality.     

Soil‐ and plant‐based nitrogen‐fertilizer recommendations in arable farming

Under‐ as well as overfertilization with nitrogen (N) will result in economic loss for the farmer due to reduced yields and quality of the products. Also from an ecological perspective, it is important that the grower makes the correct decision on how much and when to apply N for a certain crop to minimize impacts on the environment. To aggravate the situation, N is a substance that is present in many compartments in different forms (nitrate, ammonium, organic N, etc.) in the soil‐plant environment and takes part in various processes (e.g., mineralization, immobilization, leaching, denitrification, etc.). Today, many N‐recommendation systems are mainly based on yield expectation. However, yields are not stable from year to year for a given field. Also the processes that determine the N supply from other sources than fertilizer are not predictable at the start of the growing season. Different methodological approaches are reviewed that have been introduced to improve N‐fertilizer recommendations for arable crops. Many soil‐based methods have been developed to measure soil mineral N (SMN) that is available for plants at a given sampling date. Soil sampling at the start of the growing period and analyzing for the amount of NO ‐N (and NH ‐N) is a widespread approach in Europe and North America. Based on data from field calibrations, the SMN pool is filled up with fertilizer N to a recommended amount. Depending on pre‐crop, use of organic manure, or soil characteristics, the recommendation might be modified (±10–50 kg N ha^–1). Another set of soil methods has been established to estimate the amount of N that is mineralized from soil organic matter, plant residues, and/or organic manure. From the huge range of methods proposed so far, simple mild extraction procedures have gained most interest, but introduction into practical recommendation schemes has been rather limited. Plant‐analytical procedures cover the whole range from quantitative laboratory analysis to semiquantitative “quick” tests carried out in the field. The main idea is that the plant itself is the best indicator for the N supply from any source within the growth period. In‐field methods like the nitrate plant sap/petiole test and chlorophyll measurements with hand‐held devices or via remote sensing are regarded as most promising, because with these methods an adequate adjustment of the N‐fertilizer application strategy within the season is feasible. Prerequisite is a fertilization strategy that is based on several N applications and not on a one‐go approach.