Effect of humic acid on growth and crop nutrient status of wheat on two different soils

The effect of plant-derived humic acid (PDHA) and coal-derived humic acid (CDHA) on wheat growth was tested on two alkaline calcareous soils in pots. Humic acid derived from plant and coal materials was applied at the rate 0 (control), 50 and 100 kg/ha to wheat in pots carrying two soils viz. clayey loam soil and sandy loam soil separately. Data was collected on plant growth parameters such as spike weight, grain and straw weight, and plant nutrients (macronutrients and micronutrients). Results showed that spike weight increased by 19%, 15%, and 26%, and 11% with application of PDHA at the rate of 50 and 100 mg/kg in clayey loam and sandy loam soil, respectively. Grain yield show an increase of 21% and 11% over control with application of PDHA and CDHA at the rate of 50 mg/kg on both soils, respectively, and 10% and 22% with application of PDHA and CDHA at the rate of 100 mg/kg on both soils.     

盐碱地土壤：氧化亚氮和二氧化碳排放的潜在来源？

Increasing salt-affected agricultural land due to low precipitation,high surface evaporation,irrigation with saline water,and poor cultural practices has triggered the interest to understand the influence of salt on nitrous oxide(N_2O) and carbon dioxide(CO_2)emissions from soil.Three soils with varying electrical conductivity of saturated paste extract(EC_e)(0.44-7.20 dS m~(-1)) and sodium adsorption ratio of saturated paste extract(SARe)(1.0-27.7),two saline-sodic soils(S2 and S3) and a non-saline,non-sodic soil(S1),were incubated at moisture levels of 40%,60%,and 80%water-filled pore space(WFPS) for 30 d,with or without nitrogen(N)fertilizer addition(urea at 525 μg g~(-1) soil).Evolving CO_2 and N2 O were estimated by analyzing the collected gas samples during the incubation period.Across all moisture and N levels,the cumulative N_2O emissions increased significantly by 39.8%and 42.4%in S2 and S3,respectively,compared to S1.The cumulative CO_2 emission from the three soils did not differ significantly as a result of the complex interactions of salinity and sodicity.Moisture had no significant effect on N_2O emissions,but cumulative CO_2 emissions increased significantly with an increase in moisture.Addition of N significantly increased cumulative N_2O and CO_2 emissions.These showed that saline-sodic soils can be a significant contributor of N_2O to the environment compared to non-saline,non-sodic soils.The application of N fertilizer,irrigation,and precipitation may potentially increase greenhouse gas(N2O and CO_2) releases from saline-sodic soils.     

Effectiveness of Zinc and Gypsum Application Against Cadmium Toxicity and Accumulation in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Cadmium (Cd) is a nonessential and toxic element because it inhibits the growth and development of plants and is dangerous for end consumer. It enters in the human food chain through food crops. Application of plant nutrients such as zinc (Zn) and gypsum is a viable and cheap strategy to minimize its accumulation in edible plant portions. Therefore, this investigation was conducted to determine the effectiveness of Zn and gypsum against Cd accumulation in wheat. The results showed that Cd toxicity considerably decreased the plant growth, physiological activities, and yield attributes and increased the Cd accumulation in root, shoot, and grain, while application of Zn and gypsum remarkably increased the growth and yield and decreased the Cd accumulation in plant parts in Cd-contaminated soil. The results also depicted that application of Zn showed better results as compared to gypsum. In conclusion, we can say that application of Zn and gypsum remarkably ameliorated the Cd toxicity and decreased its accumulation in wheat, grown in Cd-contaminated soil.     

Assessment of genetic divergence in salt tolerance of soybean (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Glycine max</Emphasis> L.) genotypes

A large number of soybean (Glycine max L.) genotypes of diverse growth habit and adaptive characters were used in the experiment. Soil salinity-induced changes in nine morpho-physiological characters of 30-day-old seedlings of 170 soybean genotypes were compared in the study. The first and second principal components (PC) of principal component analysis (PCA) results accounted for 97 and 2.5%, respectively, of the total variations of soybean genotypes. The variation for the first PC was composed mainly of relative total dry weight (DW), relative shoot dry weight, as well as petiole dry weight. There were four clusters distinguished in the cluster analysis. The genotypes in cluster IV performed better in respect to relative total dry weight and relative shoot dry weight and hence having salt tolerance. The genotypes clusters III performed very poorly and those of clusters II and I were moderate to poor. D2 analysis indicated that the clusters differed significantly from each other. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) again asserts strongly that more than 92% of the genotypes were correctly assigned to clusters. Both PCA and DFA confirmed that the relative total DW followed by shoot and petiole DW were the major discriminatory variables, and the root DW were the secondary important variables to distinguish genotypes into groups. In this study, multivariate analyses were used in identifying the soybean genotypes of desirable traits for salt tolerance.     

Winter nitrate uptake by the temperate deciduous tree <Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus serrata</Emphasis>

Winter nitrogen use in deciduous species is largely uncharacterized. We investigated nitrate uptake in the fine roots of a deciduous oak (Quercus serrata Thunb. ex. Murray). We conducted a ¹⁵N-labeling experiment using saplings of Q. serrata in the winter. During three weeks of labeled nitrate application, the concentration of ¹⁵N in the fine roots increased significantly. The amount of nitrogen absorbed, as nitrate, was 1.16 ± 1.02 mg N g DW⁻¹, equivalent to 7.6 ± 5.8% of the total nitrogen content. Our results indicate that Q. serrata saplings have significant potential for nitrate uptake in the fine roots in midwinter (i.e., in the absence of leaves). Although a significant amount of nitrogen applied as nitrate was accumulated, nitrate concentration in the fine roots remained low during the labeling period. Furthermore, significant nitrate reductase activity was detected. These data suggest that Q. serrata saplings can assimilate nitrate in the fine roots in midwinter.     

Identifying the driver of pulsating aurora

Pulsating aurora, a spectacular emission that appears as blinking of the upper atmosphere in the polar regions, is known to be excited by modulated, downward-streaming electrons. Despite its distinctive feature, identifying the driver of the electron precipitation has been a long-standing problem. Using coordinated satellite and ground-based all-sky imager observations from the THEMIS mission, we provide direct evidence that a naturally occurring electromagnetic wave, lower-band chorus, can drive pulsating aurora. Because the waves at a given equatorial location in space correlate with a single pulsating auroral patch in the upper atmosphere, our findings can also be used to constrain magnetic field models with much higher accuracy than has previously been possible.