Root Fresh Mass Research Articles

Bacillus strains with potential for growth promotion and control of white mold in soybean

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are known to stimulate the biocontrol of phytopathogenic bacteria and fungi, induce plant growth, and increase the yield of important economic crops. In this study, we evaluated in vivo, the ability of Bacillus strains to control soybean white mold disease and promote the growth of soybean plants under greenhouse conditions. Initially, 27 Bacillus strains were analyzed by PCR for the presence of genes encoding antimicrobial molecules, followed by in vitro tests of the positive strains against four phytopathogenic fungi, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Macrophomina phaseolina, Rhizoctonia solani, and Colletotrichum truncatum. The bacterial strains that returned positive results for antimicrobial genes were evaluated in vivo for their growth promoting capacity in soybean cultivars Potencia RR and M6210 IPRO, and white mold control in soybean plants. The results showed that eight strains presented the genes bamD, ituD, and fenF, while the bacAB gene was observed in 16 of all tested Bacillus strains. The greenhouse experiment showed that the inoculation of the strain VBN02 was the best treatment for increasing fresh shoot biomass of the soybean M6210 IPRO and Potencia RR cultivar in the single inoculation in relation to the control (111.9% and 103.57%, respectively). Co-inoculation of soybean inoculant and VBE01 was the superior treatment for increasing fresh shoot and root mass in both the cultivars. Two other strains, VBE05 and VBE01, reduced the disease progression of white mold by 39.1% and 37.5%, respectively. In conclusion, our results showed that the Bacillus strains have potential for biocontrol of white mold and for promoting the growth of soybean plants.

Physiological quality of forage palm seeds and seedlings associated with the level of ploidy

The forage palm is widely cultivated in semiarid regions. It has a basic chromosome number of x = 11 and polyploids are the main variation. It is propagated via vegetative reproduction, and sexual propagation is rarely used. The objective was to associate the physiological quality of seeds of different cultivars of forage palm with the level of ploidy in the genera Opuntia and Nopalea. The cultivars used were: diploids (2n = 22) ‘F8’, ‘F21’, and ‘IPA Sertânia’; tetraploids (2n = 44) ‘Clone 6 African Elephant Ear’, ‘Mexican Elephant Ear’, and ‘V19’, and octaploids (2n = 88) ‘Round’, ‘Giant’, and ‘IPA Clone 20’. Thousand seed weight, length, diameter, number of seeds per fruit, first count and emergence percentage, shoot and root length, fresh and dry mass, electrical conductivity, and length, width, and fresh and dry weight of cladodes were measured. A nested scheme design was used, with three levels of ploidy and three cultivars within each level. The ploidy level positively influenced the number of seeds per fruit and the physiological quality of the seeds. Cultivars behave differently within the same ploidy level.

Desempenho produtivo e fisiológico de genótipos de jambu cultivados em hidroponia

ABSTRACT Jambu is a condiment herb used in the preparation of typical and herbal dishes in the Amazon Region. The inflorescences, leaves, and stems of the plant are used. In addition, jambu has numerous applications in the cosmetics and food industries due to the presence of the bioactive compound spilanthol. The objective of this study was to evaluate the productive and physiological performance of jambu genotypes of Acmella oleracea, and Acmella ciliata species grown in hydroponics. The experiment used was a completely randomized design with eight treatments and four replicates. The treatments consisted of jambu genotypes (UFR-1, UFR-2, UFR-3, UFR-4, UFR-5, UFR-6, UFR-7 and UFR-8) collected in different locations in the state of Pará. We evaluated the beginning of flowering, length of the main branch, diameter of the main branch, leaf area, shoot fresh mass, inflorescence fresh mass, root fresh mass, total fresh mass, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, internal CO2 concentration, and instant carboxylation efficiency. The genotypes presented different behaviors about the productive and physiological growth characteristics. The genotypes UFR-1, UFR-2, UFR-3, UFR-4 and UFR-7 exhibited greater precocity of flowering. In general, genotypes of the species A. oleracea presented lower rate of net photosynthesis when compared to those of the species A. ciliata. The genotypes of A. oleracea showed total fresh mass accumulation capacity, in addition to a high potential for inflorescence production. The genotypes UFR-2 and UFR-4 stood out because they presented higher yields of shoots fresh mass and inflorescences, respectively. Therefore, these genotypes should be considered in crop improvement programs.

Biopolymers in the preservation of rhizobacteria cells and efficiency in soybean inoculation

Soybean (Glycine max (L). Merr.) is among the most important legumes worldwide performing a significant role in biological fixation of nitrogen through rhizobacteria. These microorganisms that act in the plant root system are inoculated by biological products, which must contain viable cells. The viability of inoculants is a market challenge, and biopolymers have been studied for the preservation of microorganisms. Thus, this study aimed to assess the influence of adding xanthan gum and carboxymethylcellulose biopolymers on the preservation of cells of Bradyrhizobium elkanii, Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens, Azospirillum sp., and Pseudomonas fluorescens, and inoculation of soybean seeds. The inoculants were produced and stored added with biopolymers. Soybean seeds were inoculated at 0, 90 and 210 inoculant storage days and sown in pots of 1 L. 50 days after emergence for assessing physiological parameters of stomatal conductance (gs - mol H20 m-2 s-1), CO2 assimilation rate (A - µmol CO2 m-2 s-1), transpiration rate (E - mmol H2O m-2 s-1), in addition to morphological parameters of plant height (H), fresh mass of aerial part (FMAP), root fresh mass (RFM), number of nodules (NNo), fresh mass of nodules (FMNo), dry mass of aerial part (DMAP), root dry mass (RDM), and dry mass of nodules (DMNo). The use of biopolymers proved efficient at preserving the cells of the microorganisms tested at 210 storage days through the responses obtained from an increase in aerial and root plant biomass resulting from a more efficient nodulation in the inoculant with biopolymer.

Association of growth-promoting bacteria and hydroponic system aiming at reducing the time of production of banana seedlings

ABSTRACT Banana micropropagation allows the production of vigorous and high-quality phytosanitary plants, which can be improved with the use of endophytic growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) that stimulate the growth and development of plants. It is possible to associate them with hydroponics, allowing a high supply of seedlings and reducing the production cycle. The objective was to evaluate the effect of PGPB in a floating hydroponic system in the acclimatization phase of banana. The cultivars studied were Prata Anã and BRS Princesa. The treatments evaluated were as follows: control (nutrient broth without bacteria); Bacillus cereus strain 1 (BC1); Bacillus cereus strain 2 (BC2); Bacillus thuringiensis (BT); Buttiauxella agrestis (BA). Total height, pseudostem diameter, root length, number of leaves, fresh root mass, pseudostem, leaf and leaf area, stomatal conductance, internal carbon concentration, photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, leaf temperature and chlorophyll. Bacteria B. cereus strain 2 and B. agrestis in the cultivar Prata Anã and B. agrestis in BRS Princesa improved the acclimatization process of the seedlings in a floating hydroponic system. Stimulating plant growth, fresh weight and promoting root growth. The association of bacteria and hydroponics allowed the reduction of the seedling acclimatization period from 90 to 25 (Prata Anã) and 15 days (BRS Princesa).

Pratylenchus brachyurus Suppression by Organic Fertilizers and the Development of Soybean Plants

The root lesion nematode, Pratylenchus brachyurus (Godfrey) Filipjev & Schuurmans Stekhoven, has been caused significant losses in soybean crops in Brazil. The addition of organic fertilizers may suppress the population of these plant-parasitic nematodes. The aim of this work was to evaluate the action of cattle manure, cattle vermicompost, cattle compost, and slaughterhouse swine compost on the reduction of P. brachyurus population and the development in soybean plants (cv. NR 5909). The experiment was conducted for 90 days after P. brachyurus inoculation (DAI) in the pots, in greenhouse. At 90 DAI, shoots, roots and soil were collected from all experimental units to determine shoot dry matter, root fresh mass and nematodes quantification present in roots and soil. All the organic fertilizers promoted the increase of shoot dry matter and root fresh mass in relation to control, even under nematode infestation in soybean plants (cv. NR 5909). However, organic fertilizers did not promote a suppressive effect on P. brachyurus population in soybean plants.

Effect of Humic Acids on Soybean Seedling Growth under Polyethylene-Glycol-6000-Induced Drought Stress

Humic substances (HS) are the most important natural biostimulant of plants. However, the relationship between their structure and biological activity in plants is still not well recognized. The objective of this paper was to assess the influence of molecular fractions of humic acids (HA) (HA < 30 kDa and HA > 30 kDa) on reducing negative effects of drought stress in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) seedlings of Progres and Nawiko cultivars. Drought stress was induced in laboratory conditions by the addition of polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG 6000) to make a water potential of −0.5 MPa. HA were extracted according to the International Humic Substances Society procedure, and then were separated into two molecular fractions by membrane filtration. The following physiological and biometric parameters were determined: chlorophyll content, photosynthesis activity, electrical conductivity, fresh and dry mass of overground and roots, and plant length. The enzyme activity and ion contents were also measured. Differences in response to drought stress with the addition of HA < 30 kDa and HA > 30 kDa or not to the Hoagland’s solution were observed among studied cultivars. Drought stress caused a decrease in the most physiological parameters and increase in peroxidase activity in the case of both studied cultivars. However, the results of biometric measurements showed that the Progres cultivar appears to have better tolerance to drought stress. The significant influence of water deficit on most macroelement content in dry matter leaves of both studied cultivars was not observed, while its effect on microelement uptake by soybean plants was concluded. In the case of the Progres cultivar, the results showed a significant decrease in microelement content in the dry matter of leaves, whereas in the leaves of Nawiko cultivar there was a significant increase. The influence of HA > 30 kDa and HA < 30 KDa fractions on physiological features of both studied cultivars was varied. HA > 30 kDa fraction better up-regulated the antioxidant defense system. Unfortunately, no effect of either HA fraction on the macro- and micronutrients uptake system of both studied cultivars was observed.

Humic acid and growth promoting microorganisms in the germination and initial development of white sesame plants

The objective of this work was to verify the effect of humic acid application in association with the growth-promoting bacteria Azospirilum brasilense and Bacillus subtilis on seed germination and on the initial development of white sesame seedlings. The research was carried out in the Laboratory of Seed Technology and Matology (LaSeM), at the University of the State of Mato Grosso – Campus de Alta Floresta. The treatments were composed by the combination of doses of 0, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 mL 100 kg-1 of commercial product containing humic acid, composed of 18% of humic acid, in addition to treatment with the bacteria Azospirillum brasilense and Bacillus subtilis, in the same doses as humic acid. The variables analyzed were germination percentage, aerial and root length, fresh and dry mass of the roots. Humic acid showed promise in the cultivation of white sesame.

Multivariate explanation of the establishment of soybean initial growth pattern via biostimulant seed treatment

Given the search for answers that improve soybean plant development, this study aimed to analyze the multivariate explanation about the establishment of the initial soybean growth pattern through seed treatment. The study was conducted at Luiz Eduardo de Oliveira Sales Experimental Farm, in the municipality of Mineiros-GO. The soil of the experimental area was classified as NEOSSOLO Quartzarenico. The experimental design was randomized blocks in factorial 10x5 corresponding to 10 soybean genotypes (Flecha, Bonus, TEC7548, M7739, 36B31, W791, M7198, M6210, Power and 48B32) and 5 seed treatments (Water, Sprint-Alga, Booster, Acorda and Stimulate), in 4 repetitions. The obtained data was submitted to the assumptions of the statistical model, verifying the normality and homogeneity of the residual variances, as well as the additivity of the model. Afterwards, the analysis of variance was performed in order to identify the interaction between soybean genotypes x seed treatment, applying uni and multivariate tests. The summary analysis of variance revealed significant interaction between cultivar x seed treatment. The seed treatment influenced the morphological components of soybean seedlings, showing their correlation with the fresh aerial and root mass, as well as different patterns that were observed according to the genetic variation.

Response of Lettuce Cultivars to Inoculation with Trichoderma spp.

Fungi of the Trichoderma genus are present in practically all types of soil and they have the ability to establish a beneficial relationship with plants. In addition to acting as direct biological control agents, they also act as plant growth promoters, by an indirect biological control mechanism. Because of these, many products containing Trichoderma strains are used to improve seed health, providing better development of roots and aerial parts of plants. In view of this fact, research work was carried out in a greenhouse with the aim of evaluating the effect of five Trichoderma strains, belonging to the species T. virens, T. asperellum, T. asperelloides, in addition to a strain unidentified at the species level T. koningiopsis, in three new crisp lettuce cultivars (BRS Lélia, BRS Leila, and BRS Mediterrânea). A conidial suspension of each of the strains was prepared (1.0 x 107 conidia mL-1) and applied at the time of sowing the lettuce in pots. The experiment was completely randomized in a factorial 5x3 design (Trichoderma spp. x cultivars). Control treatments consisted of pots containing plants without any of the fungi. All Trichoderma strains applied increased fresh mass and length of root, fresh mass of aerial part and lettuce height in comparison to the controls treated just with water. The cultivar BRS Leila showed an increase of 44% in fresh root mass, 45% in fresh mass of aerial part, with T. virens; 15% in plant height with T. koningiopsis, and 23.94% in root length, with Trichoderma sp. For ‘BRS Lélia’ the highest values ​​of fresh root mass, fresh mass of aerial part and root length were 30%, 36.71%, and 13.33% with T. asperellum. Trichoderma asperelloides provided 13.72% increase in height compared to the control. ‘BRS Mediterrânea’ showed increments of 75% of fresh root mass, 78.45% of fresh mass of aerial part, and 44.37% of height with T. virens. With T. asperelloides, 40.61% was observed in root length. The strain T. virens performed better in all the analyzed variables, except for root length.

Aspergillus niger as a Biological Input for Improving Vegetable Seedling Production.

This study evaluated the potential of Aspergillus niger as an inoculant for growth promotion of vegetable seedlings. Seven vegetable species were evaluated in independent experiments carried out in 22 + 1 factorial schemes, with two doses of conidia (102 and 106 per plant) applied in two inoculation methods (seed treatment and in-furrow granular application), plus an uninoculated control. Experiments were carried out in a greenhouse. Growth parameters evaluated were shoot length, stem diameter, root volume, total root length, shoot and root fresh mass, shoot and root dry mass, and total dry mass. Regardless of the dose and inoculation method, seedlings inoculated with A. niger showed higher growth than uninoculated ones for all crops. The highest relative increase promoted by the fungus was observed for aboveground parts, increasing the production of shoot fresh mass of lettuce (61%), kale (40%), scarlet eggplant (101%), watermelon (38%), melon (16%), pepper (92%), and tomato (42%). Aspergillus niger inoculation also increased seedling root growth of lettuce, pepper, scarlet eggplant, watermelon, and tomato. This research shows that A. niger boosts the growth of all analyzed vegetables, appearing as a promising bio-input for vegetable seedling production.

Nitrogen Sources and Doses in Arugula Development

Leafy vegetables have a high demand for nitrogen availability; however, excessive nitrogen supply causes economic, environmental and agronomic losses, compromising food security. Given the above, the objective was to assess the agronomic responses of arugula that are associated with different nitrogen sources and doses. The experiment was run under greenhouse conditions. A randomized block design was employed; the blocks were arranged in a factorial scheme (2 × 4), using two sources (urea and calcium nitrate) and four nitrogen doses (0, 40, 120 and 360 mg kg-1), with four replications. Thirty-five days after transplanting, the following were assessed: plant height, number of leaves, shoot fresh mass, root fresh mass, shoot dry mass, root dry mass, shoot/root dry matter ratio, leaf area, and leaf nitrogen content. It was found that nitrogen fertilization optimizes crop development and yield. Doses of 100 to 272 kg ha-1 promote increase in plant height and leaf number, respectively. Under the conditions studied, 200 kg ha-1 of N is recommended as a dose of maximum economic efficiency in arugula production. Calcium nitrate is indicated as the best nitrogen source for the production of the crop.

Characterization of broad-spectrum biocontrol efficacy of Bacillus velezensis against Fusarium oxysporum in Triticum aestivum L.

Fungi are the most important phytopathogens that cause yield losses. The mycotoxins released by fungi cause spoilage of stored food consumed by humans and feed supplied to animals. Fungi-antagonistic microbes are gaining attention as potential biocontrol agents (BCAs). This study was designed to isolate bacterial isolates from different crops and evaluate their in vitro antifungal assay against three phytopathogens, plant growth promoting (PGP) characteristics, molecular identification, and in vivo efficiency against the most devastating phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum Schltdl. In the in vitro experiment, the 3 isolates BA, GL-1, and 5a out of 360 isolates showed more than 60% inhibitory activity against the selected fungi in this study. On the basis of 16S rRNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, BA isolate was identified as Bacillus velezensis. All three isolates produced indole acetic acid (IAA), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), and cellulase enzymes, while the BA and GL-1 isolates also produced siderophores and the BA isolate also produced ammonia. BA was selected on basis of not only Biocontrol efficacy but also maximum PGPR activity compared to GL-1 and 5a. In vivo assay, the isolate BA showed a significant decrease in disease severity caused by Fusarium oxysporum by 64.97% after 100 days of inoculation on wheat (FD-08) seedlings in a greenhouse assay and enhanced the shoot root height, fresh and dry mass. The wide-ranging antagonistic action of Bacillus velezensis isolated from the phyllosphere of wheat crops showed promising fungicidal and plant growth-promoting capabilities, suggesting it can be used as a biofungicide.

Heat stress transcription factor DcHsfA1d isolatedfrom Dianthus caryophyllus enhances thermotoleranceand salt tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis

Heat shock transcription factors (Hsfs) participate in a variety of plant physiological processes including the regulation of transcription factors associated with thermotolerance. Here, a Hsf gene DcHsfA1d was identified from carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.). The open reading frame (ORF) of DcHsfA1d was 1 368 bp and encoded a protein of 455 amino acids with a molecular mass of 51.039 kDa and an isoelectric point of 4.94. Sequence domain prediction revealed that DcHsfA1d protein exhibited five typical functional features and motifs. The transcription of DcHsfA1d was significantly up-regulated under heat stress or ABA treatment. Yeast two-hybrid experiment indicated that DcHsfA1d and DcHsp70 physically interact with each other. Overexpression of DcHsfA1d in Arabidopsis ecotype Columbia enhanced seedling thermotolerance by increasing the activities of catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase while reducing relative electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde content, accumulation of O2- and H2O2 and by initiating transcriptional regulation of thermal protective gene expression under heat stress. Furthermore, under salt stress, the root length and fresh mass of Arabidopsis ectopically expressing DcHsfA1d were significantly higher than those of wild type, which indicated that the salt tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis was improved to a certain extent. In summary, DcHsfA1d was demonstrated to play a positive regulatory role in heat stress response and it might be a candidate gene for salt tolerance using genetic modification.

FUZZY MODELING OF SALINITY EFFECTS ON PUMPKIN (Cucurbita pepo) DEVELOPMENT

The low quality of the water currently used for irrigation purposes harms the quality of the products and can lead to a reduction in production. Thus, the objective of this work was to verify the effect of saline water in irrigation water, on biometric variables of pumpkin crop using a system based on fuzzy rules. The agronomic experimental part of this work was carried out in a greenhouse. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with 5 doses of salinity (0, 1.25, 2.5, 3.75, and 5 dS m-1) and with 5 repetitions. The salinity doses and evaluations carried out throughout the cycle (days after transplanting) were defined as input variables in the mathematical model. For the output variables, the collected biometric responses were defined: number of leaves, number of flowers, leaf fresh mass, leaf dry mass, stem fresh mass, stem length, root fresh mass, and root length. After evaluation, the mathematical model was developed and its validation was carried out using statistical methods and Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves (ROC). It was observed that salinity affects the bush pumpkin crop with a reduction in the evaluated parameters. The mathematical model proved to be efficient for this evaluation.

Trichoderma spp. in Growth Promotion of Jacaranda Mimosifolia D. Don

The low volume of information related to the interaction of Trichoderma fungi with seeds and seedlings represents a limitation to forest production, and it is important to carry out studies focusing on its effect on plant germinability and formation. The aim was to evaluate commercial products based on Trichoderma spp. in promoting growth of Jacaranda mimosifolia. For initial seedling growth assay, seeds were treated with Trichoderma spp. suspension and placed on germinating paper sheets. At 28 days after sowing (DAS) the following evaluations were: percentage germination (PG), root length (RL), shoot length (SL), total length (TL), fresh root mass (FRM), fresh shoot mass (FSM), fresh total mass (FTM), root dry mass (RDM), shoot dry mass (SDM) and total dry mass (BIO). To evaluate the development of Jacaranda mimosifolia plants, the experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, wherein the soil of each pot (10 L) was treated with five strains of the Trichoderma spp. (Trichoderma asperellum URM 5911; T. harzianum ESALQ 1306; T. harzianum IBLF 006 WP; T. harzianum SIMBI T5 and T. harzianum T-22 WG. Then, Jacaranda mimosifolia seeds were sown and the evaluations performed at 120 DAS. The variables were: PG at 120 DAS, shoot height (SH), stem diameter (SD), and Dickson quality index (DQI). The strains SIMBI T5, ESALQ 1306 and T-22 WG stood out in relation to RL; while ESALQ 1306 and SIMBI T5 stood out performed the RL and TL. In greenhouse, SIMBI T5 and ESALQ1306 presented higher values of ALT, CR, DC, MFT. Meanwhile, only the SIMBI T5 strain stood out for MSPA, MSR, BIO and DQI.

Ecological-genetic model in grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) breeding

Ecological model for organizing the quantitative traits and the method of orthogonal regressions were applied to evaluate both, aboveground and root biomass of grass pea varieties different originating. The study was conducted for three years. The highest yields for fresh aboveground biomass were BGE015741 (840.40 kg/da), LAT4362 (779.3 kg da-1) and BGE027129 (722.80 kg da-1). Plants of LAT4362 and BGE025277 have a higher weight of fresh aboveground mass and fresh root mass and exhibit a good combination of adaptive and attraction genes. The highest average seed yield was recorded at BGE015741 (158.40 kg da-1), BGE027129 (113.10 kg da-1) and BGE025277 (108.30 kg da-1). The BGE027129, BGE025277 and BGE015741 varieties are found of greatest interest with regard to seed weight per plant and they are suitable as initial materials for the purpose of combinatorial breeding for the obtaining of genotypes combining both, high seed weight and high root biomass weight per plant.

Qualidade de mudas de espinafre da Amazônia (Alternanthera sessilis) produzidas com uso de substratos distintos

Amazon spinach is a vegetable classified as an unconventional food plant, easily found in the Amazon region, it has excellent nutritional properties, highlighting its high protein content. The objective of this work was to evaluate the quality of Amazon spinach is a vegetable classified as an unconventional food plant, easily found in the Amazon region, it has excellent nutritional properties, highlighting its high protein content. The objective of this work was to evaluate the quality of Amazonian spinach seedlings produced using different substrates. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse in the experimental garden of the Federal University of Acre, from July to August 2022. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with three treatments and four replications. To evaluate the seedlings, eight plants were used per block. The treatments were 3 substrates, as follows: T1 = 100% commercial substrate, T2 = 100% crushed chestnut shell and T3 = 50% commercial substrate + 50% crushed chestnut shell. There was a significant effect of the substrates for the variables: leaf width, plant height, total number of leaves, total number of roots, root length, fresh and dry mass of shoots, roots and total and the Dickson quality index. The compound treatment with a mixture of 50% commercial substrate + 50% crushed chestnut shell provides quality seedlings.

Produção de couve-flor ornamental com uso de regulador de crescimento

ABSTRACT Some vegetables have been used as an innovation in the ornamental plant market, such as cauliflower, which has well-defined morphological traits. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of paclobutrazol, applied via soil, in order to produce cauliflower for ornamental purposes. The design used was completely randomized with five treatments and seven replicates. The treatments consisted of doses of the growth regulator paclobutrazol (PBZ) (0.5; 1.0; 1.5; 2.0 mg dm-3) and the control (without application). For vegetative growth, we evaluated number of leaves, stem diameter, plant height, leaf area, total chlorophyll, flavonoid index, and nitrogen balance. For production, we evaluated fresh mass of shoot and root, fresh and dry weight, diameter and length of the inflorescences. The application of PBZ promoted significant changes in the development of the cauliflower, resulting in more compact plants, with shorter stems, smaller leaves and a more intense green color (visual observation), and also early inflorescence emission. The authors verified higher fresh and dry weight, diameter and longer inflorescence with application of 0.5 mg dm-3 of PBZ, demonstrating the potential of PBZ to obtain mini cauliflower to serve the potted plant market.

Evaluation of seed priming on germination and growth of basil (Ocimum basilicum L. cv. 'Genovese')

The priming method is a technique that can greatly improve seed performance and provide high-quality seeds for successful production. In this study, the effect of hormopriming (GA3 and IAA), halopriming (MgSO4 and KNO3), osmopriming (AA, H2O2) and hydropriming (H2O) on the germination, as well as initial stages of growth and development of basil (Ocimum basilicum L. cv. 'Genovese') were investigated. The application of different priming methods not only improved the germination performances of basil, but also significantly influenced the growth of seedlings (root length, shoot length, fresh mass, and vigor index) with the best results achieved by priming with GA3 and H2O2. In addition, it has been found that the concentration of photosynthetic pigments and soluble protein content can be improved by the appropriate priming treatment. The most favorable effect on the examined parameters was achieved during treatment with H2O2.