Concentrations Of Nutrient Elements Research Articles

Advances in Mineral Nutrition Transport and Signal Transduction in Rosaceae Fruit Quality and Postharvest Storage.

Mineral nutrition, taken up from the soil or foliar sprayed, plays fundamental roles in plant growth and development. Among of at least 14 mineral elements, the macronutrients nitrogen (N), potassium (K), phosphorus (P), and calcium (Ca) and the micronutrient iron (Fe) are essential to Rosaceae fruit yield and quality. Deficiencies in minerals strongly affect metabolism with subsequent impacts on the growth and development of fruit trees. This ultimately affects the yield, nutritional value, and quality of fruit. Especially, the main reason of the postharvest storage loss caused by physiological disorders is the improper proportion of mineral nutrient elements. In recent years, many important mineral transport proteins and their regulatory components are increasingly revealed, which make drastic progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms for mineral nutrition (N, P, K, Ca, and Fe) in various aspects including plant growth, fruit development, quality, nutrition, and postharvest storage. Importantly, many studies have found that mineral nutrition, such as N, P, and Fe, not only affects fruit quality directly but also influences the absorption and the content of other nutrient elements. In this review, we provide insights of the mineral nutrients into their function, transport, signal transduction associated with Rosaceae fruit quality, and postharvest storage at physiological and molecular levels. These studies will contribute to provide theoretical basis to improve fertilizer efficient utilization and fruit industry sustainable development.

Bacterial community structure in the surface sediments of different habitats of Baiyangdian Lake, Northern China: effects of nutrient conditions

Baiyangdian Lake is located in the core of Xiongan New Area and is the largest freshwater lake in the North China Plain with a variety of habitats. Microorganisms are important drivers of material cycle and energy transport in freshwater ecosystems. To understand the biogeochemical circulations in Baiyangdian Lake, the bacterial community structures and influencing factors of surface sediments among the different habitats were investigated. Samples were taken from five areas of Baiyangdian Lake. The concentration of nutrient elements and bacterial community structures was measured. The bacterial community structures of different habitats were different and were influenced by the nutrients in surface sediment. Open water areas had the richest abundance of ecological functions, such as phototrophy, sulfur oxidation, sulfite respiration, nitrification, and nitrite respiration. The bacterial community structures among the different habitats were decided by different elements in sediment; sulfur was the key influencing factor of the bacterial community structure in open water; C/N ratio was the key influencing factor of reed marshes; nitrogen and organic carbon were the key influencing factors of river estuary habitat. The bacterial community structures and ecological functions of surface sediments among habitats were different, and the dominant bacteria played an important role in biogeochemical circulations, especially in the carbon and sulfur cycles of Baiyangdian Lake.

Potential of Lacto-Gypsum as an Amendment to Build Soil Quality

Strategies for the use of amendments on agricultural soils are needed to help build resilience against potential soil threats. Gypsum is commonly applied to improve soil quality and nutrient supply. However, the sustainability and environmental safety of some gypsum sources is uncertain. This study aims to i. characterize a new by-product, lacto-gypsum, derived from a dairy whey side stream over a 1 year pilot production cycle and ii. assess the temporal variability of the raw form of lacto-gypsum and the stability of its physico-chemical and compositional properties when stored under three potential storage regimes. Results showed that lacto-gypsum compares favorably with conventional equivalents in terms of nutrient and trace element concentrations and represents an environmentally safe material free of contaminants. Storage form did not affect its main physico-chemical characteristics over time and the raw lacto-gypsum remained stable up to 20 days when stored at 4°C. In contrast to conventional gypsum, the lacto-gypsum had very low pH. In general this new lacto-gypsum shows potential as a suitable product for use as a soil amendment or as an acidification agent for animal slurry to reduce ammonia gas emissions during storage. However, further evaluation of this by-product in real life scenarios is required.

Effects of repetitive submergence on the accumulation and release of nutrient elements in Pinus elliottii seedlings

Pinus elliottii is an evergreen coniferous tree. It is considered a potential species for ecological restoration in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area (TGRA). To classify the effects of different degrees of flooding stress in winter on nutrient accumulation in Pinus elliottii after experiencing early drought stress in summer, simulated water treatments of deep submergence (DS) and moderate submergence (MS) were imposed after the summer drought period. The results indicated that the survival rate of seedlings was 95.3%, and the accumulation trend of the flooded plants was rapid at an average rate of 1.99 ± 0.33% in the early stage of flooding (stage I: 0-7 days), a rapid release rate in the second stage (stage II: 7-60 days), and an average rate of only 0.07 ± 0.04% in the later stage (stage III: 60-150 days). After 150 days of flooding, the leaves of Pinus elliottii released an average of 7.156 ± 0.4 g kg-1 of organic carbon, 8.839 ± 0.6 g kg-1 of nitrogen, 0.781 ± 0.1 g kg-1 of phosphorus, and 2.985 ± 0.3 g kg-1 of potassium of macroelement content, and an average of 0.201 ± 0.03 g kg-1 manganese, 0.147 ± 0.04 g kg-1 iron, 0.002 g kg-1 copper, and 0.023 g kg-1 of zinc of microelement contents. Our results also demonstrated that after 150 days of flooding, the C/N, N/P, and C/P ratios of the nutrient element content of Pinus elliottii in the water-level fluctuation zone of the TGRA were 0.810%, 11.32%, and 9.16%, respectively. The absorption and release of nutrients under water flooding are generally divided into three stages: first, the early storage stage (the first stage: 0 to 7 days, optional), then the rapid release (the second stage: 7 to 60 days), and the later stage slow release phase (third stage: 60 to 150 days). Water flooding reduced the contents of C, N, P, and K and affected the absorption of nutrient elements in the plant. At the same time, soluble Mn2 + and Fe2 + over absorbed during flooding could cause toxicity to leaf tissues. At the same time, Pinus elliottii selected to reduce Cu in leaves to ensure that the root has a strong redox capacity and improve nitrogen utilization, thereby preventing the long-term flooding of toxic cations and acid substances. Taken together, our results conclude that increased drought stress can reduce the ability of Pinus elliottii seedlings to withstand flooding stress; the seedlings of Pinus elliottii can maintain their growth by accumulating certain nutrient elements under submerged conditions, which implies that this species would be a suitable candidate for reforestation in the TGRA because of its tolerance to submergence.

Strigolactone GR24 improves cadmium tolerance by regulating cadmium uptake, nitric oxide signaling and antioxidant metabolism in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.).

Cadmium (Cd) in the food chain poses a serious hazard to human health. Therefore, a greenhouse hydroponic experiment was conducted to examine the potential of exogenously strigolactone GR24 in lessening Cd toxicity and to investigate its physiological mechanisms in the two barley genotypes, W6nk2 (Cd-sensitive) and Zhenong8 (Cd-tolerant). Exogenous application of 1μM GR24 (strigol analogue) reduced the suppression of growth caused by 10μM Cd, lowered plant Cd contents, increased the contents of other nutrient elements, protected chlorophyll, sustained photosynthesis, and markedly reduced Cd-induced H2O2 and malondialdehyde accumulation in barley. Furthermore, exogenous GR24 markedly increased NO contents and nitric oxide synthase activity in the Cd-sensitive genotype, W6nk2, effectively alleviating the Cd-induced repression of the activities of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase, increasing reduced glutathione (GSH) and ascorbic acid (AsA) pools and activities of AsA-GSH cycle including ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase and monodehydroascorbate reductase. The findings of the present study indicate that GR24 could be a candidate for Cd detoxification by decreasing Cd contents, balancing nutrient elements, and protecting barley plants from toxic oxidation via indirectly eliminating reactive oxygen species (ROS), consequently contributing to reducing the potential risk of Cd pollution.

Influence of seed-nanopriming treatment with Zinc oxide on growth, nutrient status and gene expression of enzymatic antioxidants in wheat plant

The objective of this study was to explore the effect of seed nanopriming with ZnONPs on the biomass accumulation, nutrient elements content, activity and gene expression of enzymatic antioxidants in shoots and roots of wheat plant. Maximum promontory response with respect to shoot and root biomarkers was shown in lower ZnONPs level (100 mg L-1), meanwhile at higher concentration (800 mg L-1) there was a marked suppression of growth biomarkers. Nanopriming with lower ZnONPs concentrations insignificantly changed the elements content in the shoots and roots and their transportation factors (TF). Conversely, the elements content and their transportation from root to shoot under higher ZnONPs treatments were significantly decreased compared to the untreated control. Zn content in the shoots and roots was markedly increased in a concentration – dependent trend. Seed nanopriming enhanced the activity of SOD, CAT and APx in the shoots and roots, however CAT and APx activities in the roots were markedly decreased at higher ZnONPs levels but the attained values were significantly higher than the control. The expression of SOD, CAT and APx genes was markedly up regulated in response to nanopriming with ZnONPs. This expression showed different response according to the ZnONPs concentrations and plant organs. The results suggest that the ZnONPs stimulatory and phytotoxicity effects may be attributed to the concentration of released Zn ions from ZnONPs in the plant tissues.

Ecolosystem changes and possible mechanisms of Dagze Co in the Tibetan Plateau during the past 1000 years

在全球变化的背景下，厘清湖泊生态系统对气候环境以及人类活动的响应机制对制定社会的适应政策非常重要.目前的研究手段如现场观测和围隔实验等可以很好地揭示湖泊生态系统在有观测记录以来的演替和变化过程，但是不能提供历史时期湖泊生态系统的变化及其对气候环境变化和人类活动的响应.古湖沼学可以为探讨湖泊生态系统的长期变化及其对气候环境变化的响应提供重要信息.本文以青藏高原中部无鱼湖泊达则错为研究对象，利用沉积物岩芯西藏拟溞（Daphnia tibetana）残体丰度和总烯酮含量重建该区过去1000年的浮游生物记录；利用总氮、总磷以及总有机碳含量重建过去1000年湖泊营养盐以及有机质变化记录；结合烯酮不饱和度重建的古温度记录，探讨达则错过去1000年生态系统变化及其对气候环境演变的响应机制.研究发现达则错湖泊生态系统尤其是生产力在自然状况和人类活动影响下存在显著变化.在自然状况下，较高的湖泊初级和次级生产力发生在温度较低和湖水营养盐浓度较高时；而在过去150年，达则错湖泊环境受到人类活动影响显著，湖泊生产力发生相应变化，较高的湖泊生产力发生在温度较高时期，其主要受由人类活动带来的营养盐元素浓度控制.研究结果表明达则错湖泊生态系统在人类活动影响下发生了显著的改变.;Understanding the evolution of the lake ecosystem and their response to climate change and human activities on the long-term scale is important for making social adaptation policies. Current research methods, such as in-situ observations and enclosure experiment, can well reveal the succession and change process of lake ecosystem during the past few decades, but cannot provide the change of lake ecosystem or its response to climate change and human activities in the historical period. Paleolimnology can provide valuable information for the study of long-term changes of lake ecosystem and its response to climate and environment changes. Here, we took Dagze Co, a fishless lake in the central Tibetan Plateau as the research object. Firstly, Daphnia tibetana remains abundance, and total alkenone content in the lake sediment cores were analysed to reconstruct the plankton records of the past 1000 years. Then, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total organic carbon were analysed to reconstruct the nutrients and organic matter records of the lake during the past 1000 years. Lastly, paleotemperature record reconstructed by the unsaturation index of long-chain alkenones in the sediment core of Dagze Co obtained in previous work were combined to study the ecosystem changes and their response mechanisms to the evolution of climate and environment in the past 1000 years. The results show that the lake ecosystem, especially lake productivity, has significant changes under the influence of natural conditions and human activities. Under the natural conditions, the higher primary and secondary productivity of the lake occurs when the temperature is lower, and the nutrient content of the lake is higher. However, in the past 150 years, the lake environment was significantly affected by human activities, and lake productivity changed accordingly. The higher lake productivity occurred in the period of high temperature, which was mainly controlled by the nutrient element content brought by human activities. The results show that the lake ecosystem has changed significantly under the influence of human activities.

USE OF PLANT GROWTH PROMOTING RHIZOBACTERIA AGAINST SALT STRESS FOR TOMATO (SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM L.) SEEDLING GROWTH

Salt stress affects many aspects of plant metabolism and as a result, growth and yield are reduced. The aim in this study was to determine the effects of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on tomato plants under salt stress. With this aim, the Interland F1 cv. and bacterial isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis CA41/1, Pseudomonas putida 18/1K, Pseudomonas putida S5/4ep, and Pseudomonas putida 30 were used. Salt application was completed in two different doses of 25 and 50 mM NaCl when seedlings reached the stage of 3 true leaves. At the end of the study, in addition to seedling development criteria, some nutrient element contents and rates (K, Ca, Na, K/Na and Ca/Na), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) enzyme activities, malondialdehyde (MDA) and photosynthetic pigment contents were determined. In the stress environment, PGPR inoculation increased K content by up to 10%, while apart from isolate P. putida no.30, the other isolates lowered Na content by up to 18%. Additionally, 18/1K and S5/4ep isolates were identified to reduce membrane injury index by up to 97%. It was identified that CA41/1, 18/1K and S5/4ep isolates were more effective against salt stress, especially. In general, the plant tolerance levels induced by the bacteria were identified to increase with the increase in salt stress.

288 Forage mineral and nutrient element concentrations on sheep winter range

Abstract Supplementation strategies and nutritional management of ewes during critical production periods of breeding and gestation is an important consideration, particularly when ewes are on winter range. Clinical and subclinical trace mineral deficiencies at these times limit ewe productivity in these extensive environments. The objectives of this study were to (1) quantify mineral element concentrations of common forages on winter range, and (2) evaluate producer supplementation strategies using a survey. We hypothesized that mineral element concentrations in winter forages were inadequate to meet ewe requirements during critical production stages and shrub species would contain higher levels of macro- and micro-mineral element concentrations than grass species. Forage samples were collected from 25 ranches across Wyoming winter range and were compiled by species and analyzed for nutrient and mineral element composition; however, data presented herein represents the first year of data collection (12 of 25 ranches). Nutrient and mineral element concentration results indicated an effect in CP, Ca, P, K, Mg, S, Na, Zn, Cu, Se, Mn, and Mo concentrations between grass and shrub species (P < 0.05). Specifically, Mg and Mo concentrations were higher in grasses while the other mineral element concentrations were higher in shrubs. No effect was observed for Fe and Co concentrations between grass and shrub species (P = 0.37 and P = 0.29). Survey results revealed that 80% of ranches had more than 1000 sheep, and 47% of respondents utilized winter range for 131 to 170 day periods throughout production year. While on winter range the majority of producers (47%) supplement with a protein source. Additionally, 58% do not supplement white salt, while 47% supplement a complete trace mineral mix.

Nutrient and trace element concentrations influence greenhouse gas emissions from Malaysian tropical peatlands

AbstractTropical peatlands are unique and globally important ecosystems for carbon storage that are generally considered nutrient poor. However, different nutrient and trace element concentrations in these complex ecosystems and their interactions with carbon emissions are largely unknown. The objective of this research was to explore the concentrations of macro‐ and micronutrients and othertrace elements in surface peats, and their relationship with greenhouse gas emissions in North Selangor peatlands subjected to different land use. All nutrient and trace element concentrations except chromium exhibited significant differences between sites. Most macronutrients and some micronutrients showed significant differences between seasons, typically with a reduction over time from wet to dry seasons, possibly due to leaching. CO2 emissions were positively related to organic matter content and manganese concentrations and negatively correlated with selenium. CH4 emissions were positively correlated with organic matter content, manganese, copper, barium, cobalt and aluminium, and negatively correlated with molybdenum, selenium, lithium and vanadium. This research has detected loss of essential nutrients over time, aiding to increase nutrient limitation in tropical peatlands due to drainage. The observed significant correlation between trace elements and greenhouse gas emissions strengthens the importance of including trace element analyses in understanding the biogeochemical functions of these understudied peatlands.

Progress in the effects of warming on soil N2O and CH4 emission and the underlying micro-bial mechanisms

Global warming has received widespread concern. The increasing concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG) is one of the major factors contributing to global warming. Soil is a major source of GHG. Global warming could feed back on soil GHG emission. Warming influences the growth of plants, animals, microbes and their interactions, as well as the cycling of soil matters (especially nitrogen and carbon). Consequently, warming has the potential to affect soil GHG emission. We summarized the effects of warming on soil N2O, and CH4 emissions and the underlying mechanisms. In general, warming increased the emission of these two greenhouse gases, which are mainly related to the effects of temperature on the abundance and composition of ammonia oxidizing bacteria, denitrification functional genes, methane-producing bacteria and methane-oxidizing bacteria. Soil GHG emissions are affected by plant species characteristics, nutrient uptake and community composition, as well as soil nutrient element content, water content, pH and other physical and chemical properties. Further studies are needed to elucidate the microbial mechanisms of GHG emission. In addition, various warming patterns should be considered in the study of GHG emissions, and more attention should be paid on the interactive effects between warming and other environmental factors. It will provide solid theoretical basis for the prediction of global climate change and GHG emissions.

Growth and Nutrient Element Content of Hydroponic Lettuce are Modified by LED Continuous Lighting of Different Intensities and Spectral Qualities

LED red (R) and blue (B) continuous light (CL) is a potential efficient way to increase plant productivity of plant factory with artificial light (PFAL), but limited information was explored about their effects on plant mineral nutrition. In an environmentally controlled plant factory with artificial light (PFAL), the effects of CL of different intensities and spectral qualities, emitted by R and B LEDs on growth and nutrient element content and accumulation of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), were conducted in three hydroponic experiments. Two treatments, normal light (12 h/12 h) and CL (24 h/0 h) in experiment 1, three CL intensities (100, 200 and 300 μmol·m−2·s−1) in experiment 2, and three CL light qualities (1R:3B, 1R:1B and 3R:1B) in experiment 3 were designed. The results showed that CL significantly increased the fresh and dry lettuce shoot biomass compared with normal light, and shoot fresh and dry biomass increased with the intensity increment of CL. In experiment 3, shoot fresh biomass was great under high R light proportion CL treatment, while dry shoot biomass remained unchanged. Both CL and CL with increased intensities promoted shoot C content and accumulation in lettuce. CL reduced N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu and Zn contents in lettuce shoot, while Fe and Mn contents did not change compared to NL. Moreover, CL increased Ca, Fe and Mn accumulation. 100–200 μmol·m−2·s−1 CL facilitated N, P, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn contents in shoot, but K content was not influenced compared with 300 μmol·m−2·s−1. The data showed that high B light ratio (75%) facilitated C content comparison with low B ratios (50% and 25%). However, lettuce grown under 3R1B treatment had the higher C accumulation. Shoot N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn and Zn contents were higher under 1R1B treatment, and Cu content did not affected by light quality. Moreover, accumulation of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu in shoot was higher under 1R1B treatment, while P, Ca, Mg, Mn accumulation under 3R1B treatment was the lowest. In conclusion, CL tends to reduce shoot mineral element contents due to dilution effect as shoot dry weight increases compared to NL. However, long-term (12 days) CL composed of 1R1B, 100–200 μmol·m−2·s−1 tends to obtain relative higher K, Ca, Fe and Zn contents in the greater dry lettuce shoot.

Nutrient Stocks and Distribution in Ghanaian Cocoa Ecosystems

There is a paucity of information on nutrient stocks and distribution in the cocoa ecosystem for the management of production sites to improve its productivity. Apart, sites with long histories of cocoa production could differ in nutrient stocks and distribution relative to recent production regions. Therefore, some existing cocoa farms in Ghana were sampled on the basis of shade management (shaded and unshaded) and production site longevity (Eastern region > Western North region) to determine the nutrient stock and distributions in them. Over 93% of the total ecosystems’ elementary nutrients were stored in the soil. Higher nutrient stocks occurred under shaded cocoa ecosystem. Nutrient element concentrations in cocoa tree biomasses followed the order: N > Ca > K > Mg > P > S > Al = Fe > Zn = Mn, and mostly concentrated in leaf > root = husk > branch > stem. On average, region as a main factor affected nutrient distributions. There was a sharp distinction between macronutrient and micronutrient accumulations in favour of Eastern region and Western North region, respectively. Therefore, the regional distinction with respect to macro- and micronutrients could be used as a guide to fertilizer recommendation for cocoa systems in the two regions.

EFFECT OF NUTRIENT SOLUTION STRENGTH ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF GRAFTED AND NON-GRAFTED CUCUMBER GROWN HYDROPONICALLY IN GREENHOUSE

Growing cucumber through the grafted transplants has become extremely important to control the risk of consecutive cucumber cultivation in the greenhouses. The experiment was implemented in the experimental farm of Horticulture Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University during the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons. Indeed there are no true estimates of the nutrient requirements of grafted cucumber plants under Egyptian conditions. Therefore, this study was conducted on the cucumber, cv. Barracuda F1hybrid, using either grafted and non-grafted transplants. The grafted transplants were prepared by grafting onto rootstock 6001 F. Both grafted and non-grafted transplants were grown hydroponically in a greenhouse in pots filled with 7 kg of well-washed sand media. The plants were irrigated with nutrient solution at a strength of 70%, 80%, 90% 100%, and 110% throughout the plants' life. The pots were irrigated daily till sand soil water content reaching the field capacity. The results till that growing grafted cucumber transplants improved all vegetative plant growth parameters in terms of fresh shoot weight, fresh root weight, dry shoot weight, dry root weight, dry leaves weight, stem length, stem diameter, the number of leaves, and leaf chlorophyll SPAD). The and yield as well as leaf nutrient elements content were also enhanced by grafted compared to non-grafted transplants. For the nutrient solution strength, the data evidenced that all assessed parameters recorded ascending values matching with nutrient solution strength increase. The highest values were got with 100% nutrient solution strength. At 110% nutrient solution strength most vegetative and yield parameters did not significantly different from 100% strength in grafted plants. But in non-grafted plants, most parameters tended to decline thus indicate the probability of salt stress. The results establish that there is no need to increase the concentration of the nutrient solution to face the increasing of grafted cucumber plant yield, where grafting on good rootstocks increases water and fertilizer use efficiency.

EFFECT OF NUTRIENT SOLUTION STRENGTH ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF GRAFTED AND NON-GRAFTED CUCUMBER GROWN HYDROPONICALLY IN GREENHOUSE

Growing cucumber through the grafted transplants has become extremely important to control the risk of consecutive cucumber cultivation in the greenhouses. The experiment was implemented in the experimental farm of Horticulture Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University during the 2018 and 2019 growing seasons. Indeed there are no true estimates of the nutrient requirements of grafted cucumber plants under Egyptian conditions. Therefore, this study was conducted on the cucumber, cv. Barracuda F1hybrid, using either grafted and non-grafted transplants. The grafted transplants were prepared by grafting onto rootstock 6001 F. Both grafted and non-grafted transplants were grown hydroponically in a greenhouse in pots filled with 7 kg of well-washed sand media. The plants were irrigated with nutrient solution at a strength of 70%, 80%, 90% 100%, and 110% throughout the plants' life. The pots were irrigated daily till sand soil water content reaching the field capacity. The results till that growing grafted cucumber transplants improved all vegetative plant growth parameters in terms of fresh shoot weight, fresh root weight, dry shoot weight, dry root weight, dry leaves weight, stem length, stem diameter, the number of leaves, and leaf chlorophyll SPAD). The and yield as well as leaf nutrient elements content were also enhanced by grafted compared to non-grafted transplants. For the nutrient solution strength, the data evidenced that all assessed parameters recorded ascending values matching with nutrient solution strength increase. The highest values were got with 100% nutrient solution strength. At 110% nutrient solution strength most vegetative and yield parameters did not significantly different from 100% strength in grafted plants. But in non-grafted plants, most parameters tended to decline thus indicate the probability of salt stress. The results establish that there is no need to increase the concentration of the nutrient solution to face the increasing of grafted cucumber plant yield, where grafting on good rootstocks increases water and fertilizer use efficiency.

The effects of whey application on the soil biological properties and plant growth

Whey is an industrial dairy by-product. Whey proteins present in whey are valuable functional ingredients with a variety of applications. Because of high investment and management costs, many medium and small-scale cheese manufacturing plants choose the way to waste whey by discharging it to land without refining while large companies prefer to evaluate it. In this experiment were investigated the effects of whey application on some growth parameters of test plant and soil biological properties. For this purpose, greenhouse experiment was conducted to determine the effects of different whey powder solution (6% dry matter) such as no demineralized whey powder (NDWP), 50% demineralized whey powder (50% DWP) and whey protein powder (WPP) on maize growth and biological properties of soils using increasing application rates (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 ml/kg) as three replication. At the end of the study generally, all whey treatments influenced the soil microbiological properties in comparison with the control, indicating activation by microorganisms. The addition of different doses of different whey solutions caused a rapid and significant increase in microbial biomass C, soil respiration, dehydrogenase activity and catalase activity in soil; this increase was especially noticeable in soils treated with NDWP and 50% DWP. Similarly, addition of 50% DWP to the soil increased values of plant height, fresh plant weight and fresh root weight compared to the control and other whey. Whey has a positive effect on soil biological properties. In conclusion, we can say that this waste product, which has high nutrient element content, could be used in fertilization practices especially as a nitrogen source and multi-perspective studies need to be carried out on this topic.

A new strategy for evaluating the improvement effectiveness of degraded soil based on the synergy and diversity of microbial ecological function

Sandy soil, as an important transition phase to desertification, has been an important environmental issue of global concern. This study explored the combined effects of organic fertilizer amendment and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF)-assisted phytoremediation on sandy soil improvement and revealed the mechanism of soil improvement from the perspective of microbial interactions. Furthermore, soil quality and soil improvement effectiveness were evaluated from the perspective of microbial ecological function. A greenhouse pot experiment with four treatments, including control (CK), single AMF-assisted amendment (RI), single organic fertilizer amendment (OF) and combined amendment (OF + RI) was set up. The results showed that the biomass and nutrient element contents of Nitraria sibirica, soil enzyme activities, soil organic carbon and soil water-stable macroaggregates (>0.25 mm) were highest in the OF + RI treatment. Using Illumina high-throughput sequencing, we found that the combined amendment had a significant impact on soil microbial diversity, community composition and ecological function. Chloroflexi, Basidiomycota, Blastocladiomycota and Sordariomycetes were significantly dominant microorganisms in the OF + RI treatment. Network analysis revealed significantly positive or negative linear relationships between bacteria/fungal groups and soil nutrient elements. In conclusion, the synergy and diversity of microbial ecology function can be used as a key indicator to assess the improvement effectiveness of various soil. Under the combined effects of reasonable nutrient supplementation and effective cooperation of the microbial community, the physicochemical amendment and microbe-assisted phytoremediation will more positively drive sandy soil improvement. This study proposes new insights for effectively evaluating the soil improvement effectiveness and improving sandy soil or managing desertification.

Influence of Ascorbic Acid, Gibberellic Acid and Moringa oleifera Extract for Alleviating Salinity Stress by Enhancing Antioxidant Enzymatic Activity and Some Physiological Studies on Two Tomato Cultivars

This study aimed to explain the influence of Ascorbic acid (ASA), Gibberellic Acid (GA3) and Moringa oleifera Leaf Extract (MLE) for alleviating salinity stress by enhancing antioxidant enzymatic activity as follow: Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), Ascorbate Peroxidase (APX), and Glutathione Reductase (GR); nitrogenous components (proline and total amino acids) and some inorganic mineral nutrient elements in two tomato cultivars, cv. Cobra (resistant) and cv. Newton (sensitive) under salinity stress. Germination tomato seeds after soaking in ASA (0.75 mM); GA3 (0.05 mM) and MLE (5%), transplanted to plastic containers containing a mixture of sand/peat-moss (1:2). The tomato seeds for both cultivars watering using distilled water until the true leaf appearance then irrigated with NaCl salinity concentrations (0.0, 50, 100, 150, 200 mM) alternative with Hoagland nutrient solution. The experiment was carried out under greenhouse conditions with temperature 18oC±1oC (night) & 22oC±2°C (day) and relative humidity varied between 60 - 70%. Overall, the results indicated that the organic and inorganic components in tomato plants for both cultivars increased significantly in the present of ASA, GA3 and MLE under salinity stress respectively compared with control, there by reduces the harmful effects of salinity and increases resistance to salinity stress more than in the absent of ASA, GA3 and MLE. The data provide strong support to the hypothesis that exogenous application of ASA, GA3 and MLE reduced the harmful effects of NaCl concentrations and increases resistance to salinity in cv. Cobra and cv. Newton respectively. The evident recorded a significantly increased the antioxidant enzymes activity, proline, total amino acids and inorganic macro-mineral nutrient elements (N+3, P+3, K+, Ca+2 & Mg+2) and micro-nutrient mineral elements (Mn+2, Fe+3 & B+2) but after soaked the seeds in ASA, GA3 and MLE, these components tended to increase more compared with the control. Whereas, the tomato seeds soaked before planting in ASA, GA3 and MLE which leads to remarkably increasing more for all antioxidant enzymatic activity, nitrogenous components and inorganic mineral nutrient elements contents respectively. The relationship between compatible solutes (osmolytes) here are the strategies that plants have developed to tolerate salt stress and produced new strains adapted to salinity stress.

Foliar application of magnesium oxide nanoparticles on nutrient element concentrations, growth, physiological, and yield parameters of cotton

In order to investigate the effects of different magnesium (Mg) sources of fertilizers like magnesium sulfate (MgSO4), magnesium oxide (MgO), and magnesium oxide nanoparticles (nMgO) on cotton growth and development, a pot culture experiment was carried out at different concentrations viz., 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 ppm in factorial completely randomized design (FCRD). From the pot culture studies, 60 ppm of nMgO was found as the optimal dose for improvement in SPAD chlorophyll value, boll weight, and seed cotton yield. Consequently, field experiment was carried out in randomized block design (RBD) with optimized dose of 60 ppm (from pot culture study) of Mg fertilizers like MgSO4, MgO, and nMgO to elucidate their effect on growth, physiological, yield, fiber quality parameters, and nutrient element concentrations in cotton. The treatments were foliar sprayed at vegetative and boll formation stages of cotton similar to pot culture studies. It is confirmed that foliar application of 60 ppm of 50 nm of MgO nanoparticles significantly increased the number of opened bolls per plant (20.6), single plant yield (58 g/plant) and seed cotton yield (1729 kg/ha). The increased seed cotton yield of 42.2, 39.9, and 24.8% was recorded by nMgO, MgO, and MgSO4 over control. Besides, fiber quality parameters like fiber length and fiber strength of cotton were improved by MgO nanoparticles than sulfate form of Mg fertilizers. Moreover, significant and positive influence was achieved by foliar nutrition of MgO nanoparticles on macronutrients like nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and Mg concentration in cotton plants.

Comparison of geochemical characteristics of marine facies, marine-continental transitional facies and continental facies shale in typical areas of China and their control over organic-rich shale

ABSTRACT The geochemical characteristics of marine, marine-continental transitional, and continental facies shale and their control over organic-rich shale were discussed. Results showed that the TOC content of marine shale was the highest with an average of 4.95%, followed by the marine-continental transitional shale of Taiyuan Formation, whose average was 3.20%; the continental shale of Shanxi Formation has the lowest TOC content, with an average of 1.64%. There were differences in the lithofacies of the three formations and the marine shale has the highest TOC in siliceous shale, followed by mixed calcareous shale, which were much larger than the Taiyuan and Shanxi Formation shales. The TOC of the Taiyuan Formation was higher than that of the Shanxi Formation in the same lithofacies. In terms of element composition, Al and Si of the three Formations have absolute advantages, but Mg, Na, Ca, P account for a large proportion in the marine shale compared with the other two formations. The shales of the Taiyuan Formation and the Shanxi Formation were deposited in a medium to strong reducing environment, warm and humid paleoclimate as a whole; the ancient water depth of the Shanxi Formation was larger than that of the Taiyuan Formation, and the sedimentary water body was turbulent experienced periodic transgression and regression. Warm and humid paleoclimate, certain oxygen content, and salinity, appropriate water depth, stable water body, and high nutrient element content (such as P) were more conducive to the development of organic-rich shale.