Effects of Salicylic Acid on the Development and Root Nodulation of Soybean Seedlings

Salicylic acid (SA) is recognized as an endogenous regulator of plant metabolism, mainly involved in induction of systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Exogenous SA can also induce a SAR reaction and SAR gene expression. Excessive SAR-related activity can be an overall cost to the plant in terms of energy and materials expended unnecessarily. Elicitation of plant defence responses might also block beneficial plant-microbe interactions and result in negative effects on plant growth. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of SA concentration (5, 1, 0.5, 0.1 and 0 m m ) on soybean seedling growth and nodulation by watering of soybean seedling roots or soaking of seedling leaves with SA solutions. It was found that 5 m m SA had negative effects on soybean seedling development, but other concentrations of SA did not affect the development of soybean seedlings. In addition, there were no negative effects on seedling development due to SA soaking of seedling leaves. Soybean seedling growth in sterile soil was reduced due to repressed nitrogen uptake following addition of 5 m m SA, indicating that some concentrations of SA can alter the N nutrition of seedlings. A model is presented that ties SA to nodule formation and plant growth.     

化学固沙剂对退化沙地植物多样性与微生物多样性的影响

化学-生物固沙是一种有效固沙技术。为了解化学固沙剂对沙地植物多样性与微生物多样性的影响,以450、600、750 kg/hm²固沙剂和未喷施固沙剂(CK)为研究处理,生物、微生物多样性分析结果表明：应用固沙剂后群落重要值随着优势度增加而增加,随着优势度降低而降低;各处理均比对照群落高度、盖度、生物量有提高,表明应用固沙剂后对群落的生长具有促进作用,以600 kg/hm²处理最好。固沙剂喷施量的增加植物、微生物多样性都表现为减少,而植物、微生物优势度都表现为增加。植物多样性与微生物线性相关,同样植物优势度与微生物优势度存在线性相关。植物通过影响土壤环境,进而影响土壤微生物群落结构和多样性。     

Rhizobium specificity of Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb × T. repens L. hybrid clovers

Growth of full-sib families of an F₁ interspecific hybrid between Trifolium ambiguum M.Bieb and T. repens L, and two generations of backcross hybrids (BC₁F₂ and BC₂F₁) with T. repens as the recurrent parent, were compared to their parental species. Plants were grown in a N-free medium and inoculated with Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii rhizobia effective on T. ambiguum or T. repens. Hybridisation produced progeny that nodulated with rhizobia from either T. ambiguum or T. repens, but plant growth varied. Mean weights of T. repens and hybrids, particularly F₁ and BC₁F₂, were higher when inoculated with a mixture of strains isolated from field grown T. repens than with the New Zealand inoculant strain for T. repens. When inoculated with the mix of rhizobia from T. repens, mean weights were 242, 189, 132, 125, and 100 mg/plant for T. repens, BC₂F₁, BC₁F₂, F₁ and T. ambiguum, respectively. However, although the mean weight of BC₂F₁ lines was significantly less than T. repens, there was considerable variation in individual full-sib families indicating the potential to select within BC₂F₁ hybrids for high plant growth/symbiotic nitrogen fixation. The weight of T. ambiguumplants inoculated with the New Zealand inoculant strain for hexaploid T. ambiguum was similar to T. repens inoculated with the mix of rhizobia from T. repens (253 and 242 mg/plant, respectively). Mean fresh weights of F₁ hybrid plants were similar when inoculated with rhizobia for T. ambiguum or T. repens (125 and 130 mg/plant, respectively). However, weight of T. repens, BC₁F₂ and BC₂F₁ hybrids inoculated with rhizobia for T. ambiguum were all less than 90 mg/plant. There was a significant relationship between plant fresh weight and ethylene production. The results indicate that measuring weights of inoculated plants growing in N-free media is a rapid initial method of screening a range of plant germplasm for plant growth/symbiotic nitrogen fixation rates. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

缺磷对已结瘤大豆生长和固氮功能的影响

磷对大豆生长起着非常重要的作用,然而区别磷在大豆生长和根瘤功能中的影响非常困难。为阐明根瘤形成后缺磷对大豆植株生长和固氮功能的影响,采用水培方法,营养液中供给正常磷酸盐浓度(30 µmol L^-1)条件下,待根瘤形成后,将营养液中的磷水平分别转换为0 µmol L^-1 (无磷)和4 µmol L^-1 (缺磷),研究缺磷对大豆生长和结瘤固氮的影响。结果表明,大豆根瘤具有固氮功能后,进行营养液中不同浓度的磷酸盐处理,从处理第9天开始,缺磷对大豆生物量的影响才表现出来,而缺磷对根瘤形成和生长的影响从处理开始就比较明显。处理第9天,无磷、缺磷和正常磷处理根瘤数比处理第3天分别增加11.8%、15.4%和20.0%,单位植株豆血红蛋白含量和单位根瘤豆血红蛋白含量都随磷浓度增加而增加。该结果表明,在保证大豆形成一定数目的根瘤后,缺磷会明显影响根瘤生长和固氮能力。     

心尖锚的力学分析

设计了一种六齿镍钛合金锚钩用于封堵器等二尖瓣、三尖瓣返流修复系统的心尖固定,并对其力学特性进行研究.通过分析心脏结构及解剖数据,确定锚钩形状和可控尺寸设计变量,利用Solidworks建立锚钩3D模型,运用Abaqus软件对23个不同尺寸锚钩模型的入鞘过程进行有限元计算,分析锚钩入鞘过程中的最大入鞘力、最大冯米塞斯应变和入鞘轨迹的影响因素.制作了一种规格锚钩实物,与计算结果进行对比分析.结果表明:鞘部长度、鞘部角度及齿宽对应力、应变的影响最大,可以通过减小鞘部长度、鞘部角度及齿宽,有效降低最大应力、应变值;厚度、曲率半径及齿宽对入鞘力起到决定性作用,而根长和角度对入鞘力的影响很小;轴向刺入深度主要通过控制鞘部长度及鞘部角度来定义,径向刺入深度则由曲率半径的大小所决定.研究可为需心尖固定的心脏介入产品设计提供一定的借鉴意义.     

和田地区绿洲外围农田防护林带的防护效益

在和田地区新垦农地外围的流动沙地种植新疆杨乔木+沙拐枣灌木复合防护林,通过布设风速风向观测仪、沙尘通量梯度仪、温湿度和辐射等测定仪于林带前后,研究防护林网的防护效益,为营建绿洲外围防护林和合理开发利用荒漠区的土地资源提供理论依据。结果表明,防护林带的防风效能随着高度的增加而减弱,大于起沙风速(6m/s)时,新疆杨林带、沙拐枣林带在0.5m处的防风效能分别为67.2%和94.5%,在3m处的防风效能分别为31.3%和33.7%。随着风速的增大,沙拐枣林带和新疆杨林带的防风效能均减弱,新疆杨林带的减弱更为明显。防护林带有效地降低了地表风速,减轻地表风蚀。林带内的输沙量仅为外围的10%左右。此外,林带内的太阳辐射强度下降,温度降低,湿度显著增加。由此可见,防护林可以有效地起到防风固沙,改善区域小气候的作用。     

Growth and Nitrogen Fixation in Soybean as Affected by Phosphorus Fertilizer and Sheep Manure using 15N Isotopic Dilution

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of adding different phosphorus (P) fertilizer levels [0, 40, and 80 kg phosphorus pentoxide (P₂O₅) ha^?1 (abbreviated as P0, P1, and P2, respectively)] and rates of sheep manure (M) [0, 20, and 40 ton ha^?1 (abbreviated as M0, M1, and M2, respectively)] on growth and nitrogen (N₂) fixation of soybean (Glycine max L.). Sorghum bicolor L. was employed as a reference crop to evaluate N₂ fixation using the ¹⁵N-isotpic dilution technique. Results showed that addition of P fertilizer or sheep manure had positive effects on dry-matter production, N accumulation, and seed yield. Such effects were more pronounced when adding sheep manure and P together than adding separately. Solely P fertilizer had a small impact on N₂ fixation. A tangible increase in the amounts of N₂ fixed due to manure addition occurred. The efficient use of N fertilizer (%NUE) increased significantly as the result of adding a high level of P fertilizer. However, a drastic decrease in %NUE was observed when sheep manure was added solely or in combination with P fertilizer. From productivity and ecological standpoints, P2M1 and P2M2 surpassed the other treatments in showing greater grain yield and greater N₂ fixation. However, considering the high cost of sheep manure, P2M1 was the optimal treatment for improving growth and N₂ fixation in soybean plants with minimal manure consumption. In conclusion, the integrated use of manure and P fertilizer could be considered a useful agricultural practice for improving the performance of soybean plants grown in an Aridisol. Their beneficial effects were mainly attributed to the enhancement of N₂ fixation through root growth and soil property improvements besides being a source of P and other nutrients that are essential for N₂-fixation process.     

Can a diazotrophic endophyte originally isolated from lodgepole pine colonize an agricultural crop (corn) and promote its growth?

Several diazotrophic Paenibacillus strains were isolated from extracts of surface-sterilized lodgepole pine seedling and tree tissues. One strain, Paenibacillus polymyxa P2b-2R, was found to fix high amounts of nitrogen when reintroduced to the gymnosperms, lodgepole pine and western red cedar. We wanted to determine if P. polymyxa P2b-2R could colonize rhizosphere and internal tissues, fix N and promote growth of corn (Zea mays L), an important agricultural crop. We inoculated corn seeds with P. polymyxa strain P2b-2R and grew seedlings for 30 days. Corn seedlings were harvested 10, 20 and 30 days after inoculation for evaluation of endophytic and rhizospheric colonization as well as nitrogen fixation and growth promotion. P2b-2R successfully colonized the rhizosphere as well as internal root tissues of corn (i.e., endophytically) with population densities near 10⁶ cfu. Corn seedling growth was promoted significantly by inoculation with P2b-2R with an increase of up to 35% in length and up to 30% in biomass after 30 days of inoculation. Seedlings inoculated with P2b-2R derived up to 20% of foliar nitrogen from atmosphere after 30 days of inoculation, which is significant considering the fact that this was a short growth trial. These results suggest that P. polymyxa P2b-2R might have a broad range of plant hosts and is able to fix N and promote the growth of at least one important agricultural crop i.e. Corn.     

Nitrogen requirements associated with improved conservation tillage for corn production

Abstract

Excessive soil erosion and use of nitrogen fertilizer are costly to the Atlantic Coastal Plain corn (zea mays L., ’Funks G 4507') producer and both may serve to create environmental hazards. An in‐row chisel (36 cm deep) tillage method was compared with the standard 5 cm fluted coulter method for planting corn in premature wheat (Triticim aestivum L.) residues grown on an Orangeburg sandy loam (Typic Paleudult). Five orthogonal N levels ranging up to 440 kg of N/ha were used to determine an economic N optimum for each tillage method.

The in‐row chisel tillage method provides a possible yield advantage in the Atlantic Coastal Plain because of observed restricting soil layers within the normal corn rooting zone. The estimated profit‐maximizing quantities of N fertilizer were 262 and 295 kg of N/ha (234 and 263 1b of N/acre) for the fluted coulter and in‐row tillage procedures, respectively. Corn grain yields associated with these inputs were 9.6 × 10³ and 12.6 × 10³ kg/ha (153 and 200 bu/acre), respectively. The yield increase associated with in‐row chiseling through a 2.5 metric ton mulched surface is attributed to potentially improved rooting and more efficient water storage and use.     

Interactive effects of biochar and micronutrients on faba bean growth,symbiotic performance,and soil properties

Leguminous crops are significantly involved in the global symbiotic biological N₂ Fixation (BNF), an eco‐friendly process in the agriculture system. Biochar is considered as a vital amendment in improving growth and quality of crops and soils. Few investigations have been conducted to determine the combination effect of biochar with microelements on growth of legumes and soil properties. This study was designed to study the effect of soybean straw‐derived biochar (SSDB) with or without microelements on soil microbial and chemical properties, growth, yield, and seed chemical composition of faba bean (Vicia faba L.). Results revealed that dehydrogenase (DHA) and phosphatase (P‐ase) activities were markedly improved with the increase of SSDB rates under addition of microelements and their highest values were recorded after 90 d. Significant increases were noticed in nodulation activities, nodulation numbers (30.1–72.8), concentrations of N (1.62–1.93%), P (0.15–0.21%), and K (0.53–0.67%), and seed chemical constituents due to the addition of SSDB in the presence of microelements. Moreover, the combination of biochar with microelements caused significant changes in microbial counts. Overall, this investigation shows the potential and role of SSDB in enhancing the growth quality of faba bean seeds as well as an improvement of soil characteristics.