Nutrition Management and Farm’s Age Affect Saffron Daughter Corms Behavior,Nutrients Uptake and Economic Water and Fertilizer Use Efficiency: A Large Scale On-farm Experiment in Torbat Heydarieh,Iran

ABSTRACT

Evaluation of the relationships between nutritional patterns and farms’ age with the behavior of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) daughter corms based on farmers’ management (on-farm) can be crucial in improving saffron sustainable yield. Furthermore, in commercial saffron production, especially in small farms, the purchased water and fertilizers are the basis of sustainable saffron profitability, hence, recognizing the relationships between economic water use efficiency (EWUE) and economic fertilizer use efficiency (EFUE) can be important. An on-farm experiment was conducted on a large scale based on farmers’ management in Torbat Heydarieh, Iran. The farms’ age (1–6 years old) and fertilizers management approaches (organic, mineral and integrated) were considered as the first and second factors, respectively. Large-sized daughter corms number and weight and corms N and P content increased with increasing farms’ age from 1 to 4 years old. However, these parameters decreased with increasing farms’ age from 4 to 6 years old. Irrespective of saffron farms’ age, the minimum large-sized daughter corms number and weight were observed when mineral fertilizer management was practiced. By contrast, the maximum values were related to integrated fertilizer management. In each type of fertilizer management, EWUE and EFUE (based on large-sized daughter corms monetary value) increased with increasing farms age from 1 to 4 years. However, increase in farms age from 4 to 6 years caused a significant reduction in mentioned indices. Overall, if high-quality saffron corm production is needed, corms should be harvested in the fourth year to gain the maximum yield and profit.     

Effects of Iron and Zinc Fertilizers on the Accumulation of Fe And Zn Ions in Potato Tubers

The aim of this study was the evaluation of the methods to increase the yield of potato and the accumulation of iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) in response to iron and zinc fertilizers. In these studies, ‘Marfona’ potato (Solanum tuberosum) cultivar was used in a statistical factorial design experiment with three factors: methods of fertilizer application (2 levels of spray and one level by irrigation), kind of fertilizers (iron and zinc) and levels of fertilizer, (0, 1, 2, and 3 mg L^?1). Results showed that iron and zinc fertilizers increased the tubers weight and the tubers number weight^?1 ratio (P < 0.01). Also, results showed that the effects of Fe and Zn fertilizers application in irrigation water was more significant (P < 0.01) than by spray application. In addition, application of Fe and Zn fertilizers resulted in higher concentrations of these ions in the harvested tubers improving their nutritional values.     

Effects of Ammonium Nitrate and Monosodium Glutamate in Waste Water on the Growth,Antioxidant Activity,and Nitrogen Assimilation of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

It has been hypothesized that the uptake of organic as opposed to inorganic nitrogen compounds found in wastewater can be properly substituted for plant nutrients. The objective of this study was to compare effects of applying monosodium glutamate wastewater (MGW) and ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) (AN) on nitrogen metabolism and growth of lettuce. The results showed that while NH₄NO₃ (AN), NO₃^-, nitrite content and NR activity increased the protein content of lettuce. Applying MGW with a high concentration of 17 amino acids and macro- and microelements improved the fresh weights of shoot and root as well as the protein content of lettuce. Antioxidant activities were not affected by AN and MGW, and their interaction effects only increased POD after 8 weeks. In conclusion, substituting a portion of the chemical fertilizers with MGW improved lettuce growth, but did not increase NO₃^- accumulation in leaves.     

Land contamination by toxic elements in abandoned mine areas in Italy

Purpose

The present paper concerns the distribution and mobility of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn and Fe) in the soils of some abandoned mine sites in Italy and their transfer to wild flora.

Materials and methods

Soils and plants were sampled from mixed sulphide mine dumps in different parts of Italy, and the concentrations of heavy metals were determined.

Results and discussion

The phytoremediation ability of Salix species (Salix eleagnos, Salix purpurea and Salix caprea), Taraxacum officinale and P?lantago major for heavy metals and, in particular, zinc was estimated. The results showed that soils affected by mining activities presented total Zn, Cu, Pb and Fe concentrations above the internationally recommended permissible limits. A highly significant correlation occurred between metal concentrations in soils.

Conclusions

The obtained results confirmed the environmental effects of mine waste; exploring wild flora ability to absorb metals, besides metal exploitation, proved a useful tool for planning possible remediation projects.

     

Foliar application of iron,zinc, and manganese nano-chelates improves physiological indicators and soybean yield under water deficit stress

Abstract

To investigate the effect of foliar application of nano-chelates of iron, zinc, and manganese subjected to different irrigation conditions on physiological traits, and yield of soybean (cultivar M9), a split plot experiment was conducted in a completely randomized block design with three replications in two crop years (2016–2017). The main plot included four levels of irrigation (I): full irrigation (I ₁), irrigation withhold at flowering stage (I ₂), irrigation withhold at podding stage (I ₃), and irrigation withhold during the grain filling period (I ₄). Also, the subplot included eight levels of foliar application with Fe, Zn, Mn, Fe?+?Zn, Fe?+?Mn, Zn?+?Mn, Fe?+?Zn?+?Mn nano-chelates, and distilled water (control). The results of combined analysis of variance suggested that the effect of irrigation and foliar application of nano-chelate was significant on all traits. Water deficit stress significantly reduced the grain yield. The minimum numbers of pods per plant, number of grains per plant, 100-seed weight per plant, leaf area index, leaf chlorophyll concentration, total dry weight of plant, and the grain yield were obtained by irrigation withhold at podding stage. Foliar application of combined nano-chelates increased the soybean resistance against water shortage more considerably than the separate consumption of these elements. Under drought stress in podding stage, the application of Fe?+?Zn led to the highest yield with a mean of 2613.84?kg ha^?1 where this increase was 61.1% higher than control.     

Effects of Nitrate:Ammonium Ratios on Vegetative Growth and Mineral Element Composition in Leaves of Apple

Evaluations of vegetative growth and leaf concentrations of nitrogen (N), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and iron (Fe) were made of apple (Malus domestica Borkh. cvs. Granny Smith, Gala, and Golab) grown with five treatments of NO₃^?:NH₄⁺ ratios in pot culture. The concentrations of NO₃^?:NH₄⁺ ratios were 2.5:0.1, 6:0.3, 6:0.5, 6:0.7, and 6: 1 meq L^?1. Regression analysis showed that growth parameters of main stems and branches were not affected by increases of NH₄⁺ in the ratios. Granny Smith, Gala, and Golab differed in some of these parameters. Concentrations of N and Fe increased as NH₄⁺ increased, whereas K and Ca decreased and Mg was not affected significantly. Generally, the treatment of 2.5:0.1 produced leaves with lower N but higher K, Ca, and Mg concentrations than the other treatments. This research showed that vegetative growth was not affected by NH₄⁺ concentration whereas elemental composition was affected.     

Zinc Blotting Assay for Detection of Zinc‐Binding Prolamin in Barley (Hordeum vulgare) Grain

In plants, zinc is commonly found bound to proteins. In barley (Hordeum vulgare), major storage proteins are alcohol‐soluble prolamins known as hordeins, and some of them have the potential to bind or store zinc. ⁶⁵Zn overlay and blotting techniques have been widely used for detecting zinc‐binding protein. However, to our knowledge so far this zinc blotting assay has never been applied to detect a prolamin fraction in barley grains. A radioactive zinc (⁶⁵ZnCl₂) blotting technique was optimized to detect zinc‐binding prolamins, followed by development of an easy‐to‐follow nonradioactive colorimetric zinc blotting method with a zinc‐sensing dye, dithizone. Hordeins were extracted from mature barley grain, separated by SDS‐PAGE, blotted on a membrane, renatured, overlaid, and probed with zinc; subsequently, zinc‐binding specificity of certain proteins was detected either by autoradiography or color formation. The dithizone staining method gave similar reproducibility to the radioactive blotting. The detected zinc‐binding protein was identified as B‐hordein by Western blotting.     

On Increasing Mustard Productivity with an Inexpensive Source of Leaf—applied Phosphorus

A simple randomized field experiment was conducted for two years to test the comparative efficacy of three sources of leaf-applied phosphorus (sodium dihydrogen orthophosphate, diammonium phosphate and monocalcium superphosphate) on the yield performance of mustard ( Brassica juncea L. Czern. and Coss.) var. Varuna. The quantity of P was 3.5 kg ha⁻¹. In addition, 20 kg N and 2 (or 6) kg S ha⁻¹ were included in the spray applied in two equal splits at 70 and 90 days as supplement to the basal application of 60 kg N, 17.5 kg P and 33.2 kg K ha⁻¹. The two-year data revealed that spray treatments were significantly efficacious in augmenting most of the yield attributing parameters as well as seed and oil yield by about 20% over the water-sprayed control. However, as the three sources of phosphorus proved equally effective, commercial grade monocalcium superphosphate could be preferred over others due to its cost effectiveness and easy availability.     

Sero-prevalence of avian influenza among broiler-breeder flocks in Jordan

Thirty blood samples were collected randomly from each of the 38 breeder-broiler farms in Jordan. Serum samples were examined using indirect ELISA for specific antibodies to avian influenza virus. The overall true flock-level sero-prevalence of avian influenza was 71% (95% CI: 55,83). Positive flocks had 2-30 sero-positive chickens and half of flocks had >20 sero-positive birds. The number of sero-positive flocks varied in the studied localities with more sero-positives in farms located within the migratory route of migratory wild fowl. The examined broiler-breeder flocks had no clinical signs, or noticeable decrease in egg production; mortalities were within the normal range (0.1-1%). The number of positive sera/flock correlated with flock size. There were a no significant (Pearsons r=0.21, p=0.21) correlation between positive flocks and age. A non-pathogenic AI virus infects broiler-breeder farms in Jordan. Wild local and migrating birds might promote the further spread of this virus in Jordan and other countries.