Mixture Of Peat Moss Research Articles

Optimizing phosphorus fertilization for two commonly grown ground covers: creeping jenny and periwinkle

Growing nursery plants in containers usually requires the addition of fertilizer to achieve optimal growth. However, misconceptions among growers often lead them to apply quantities of fertilizers exceeding the recommended dose, resulting in nutrient runoff and increased production costs. Reducing fertilizer application is beneficial to have healthy plants and environment as well as to save on fertilizer costs. In this study, we wanted to determine the minimal level of phosphorus (P) required to grow bedding plants i.e. Lysimachia nummularia ‘creeping jenny’ (moneywort) and Vinca minor ‘Bowles’ (periwinkle) in nursery. The plants were grown within a greenhouse in a mixture of peat moss, vermiculite, and rice hulls (3:1:1 v/v) substrates and subjected to various P treatments. The treatments included single dose of 1, 3, or 6 mg/L of P, double doses of 3 or 6 mg/L of P, or a control that received 6 mg/L of P at each irrigation. The results indicated that single dose of 6 mg/L of P had similar fresh weight compared to control in both taxa. Reducing P application further to a single dose of 1 and 3 mg/L reduced fresh weight and leaf area in both groundcovers however did not reduce their stem length or physiological parameters such as Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Phosphorus concentration in the plant tissue at maturity was lower in all treatments than control for both the taxa. During the study period, control plants received 26 times the dose of P compared to plants receiving 6 mg/L of P once. Therefore, this study outlines the possibility of reducing P fertilizer application while growing these groundcovers in nurseries for sale.

Acclimation of Agave potatorum Zucc. micropropagated plants

Objective: Agave potatorum Zucc. is an intensively exploited wild plant species. We intend to evaluate how the concentration of mineral salts (MS), indole-butyric acid (IBA), and the incubation conditions affect in vitro-rooted A. potatorum during acclimation. Design/Methodology/Approach: We conducted 18 treatments that resulted from combining three factors: 1) MS concentrations (50%, 75%, and 100%); 2) IBA concentrations (without auxin, 0.5 mg L-1, and 1 mg L-1); and 3) incubation environments (fluorescent lighting in a laboratory or exposure to solar radiation in a greenhouse). Thirteen plants from each treatment were transplanted into individual pots containing a 1:1 mixture of peat moss and perlite. These were placed in the acclimation greenhouse for 150 days, exposed to changes in solar radiation, starting from 600 µmol m-2 s-1 and conditions of high relative humidity (80-90%), and reaching outdoor conditions with full solar radiation,1400 ±200 µmol m-2 s-1. All in vitro culture plants, both in greenhouse and laboratory, underwent the same environmental and management conditions. Results: After 150 days of acclimation, plants micropropagated in a culture medium with 0.5 to 1 mg L-1 of IBA, 100% MS, and incubated in a greenhouse showed better growth. Study limitations/Implications: The in vitro culture protocol was (successfully) modified by providing solar radiation in a greenhouse during the rooting of A. potatorum sprouts. Findings/Conclusions: Solar radiation during in vitro incubation of A. potatorum favors its acclimation.

Assessment of Water Productivity and Economic Viability of Greenhouse-Grown Tomatoes under Soilless and Soil-Based Cultivations

Water scarcity has necessitated the adoption of water-saving techniques in both protected and non-protected farming. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of a water-saving soilless cultivation technique and compare it to conventional soil-based cultivation in protected farming. The soilless technique utilized local gravel and a mixture of peat moss, humin-substrate, and perlite in a 4:3:1.5 ratio. During the tomato growth cycle, three irrigation regimes were imposed using drip irrigation: 8 Lh−1 design discharge (D1) emitters, 6 Lh−1 design discharge (D0.75) emitters, and 4 Lh−1 design discharge (D0.5) emitters for both cultivation methods. Vegetative growth, fruit yield, and water consumption were measured and water productivity was determined. Additionally, an economic assessment was conducted by estimating and comparing economic coefficients for both cultivation methods. Estimated coefficients included revenues, net profit, benefit–cost ratio, breakeven levels of production and prices, revenues over variable cost, and revenues on investment. The tomato fruit yield under soil-based cultivation surpassed the yield under soilless cultivation. Water productivity under soilless cultivation was nearly double (24.3 kg m−3) that of soil-based cultivation (15.5 kg m−3). Soilless cultivation saved 50% of the irrigation water applied by the conventional soil-based method, conserving energy and protecting the soil from deterioration. Revenues and net profits, driven by higher yield and lower variable costs, favored soil-based cultivation. The economic assessment demonstrated that both cultivation methods were economically viable. However, the soil-based cultivation method was more profitable due to its higher fruit yield. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the soilless cultivation technique is a feasible option for water-saving cultivation. However, the soil-based cultivation method remains more profitable due to its superior fruit yield. The soilless cultivation technique offers significant water savings but needs further improvements to achieve comparable economic returns to traditional farming.

More is not always better: peat moss mixtures slightly enhance peatland stability.

Terrestrial wetland ecosystems challenge biodiversity-ecosystem function theory, which generally links high species diversity to stable ecosystem functions. An open question in ecosystem ecology is whether assemblages of co-occurring peat mosses contribute to the stability of peatland ecosystem processes. We conducted a two-species (Sphagnum cuspidatum, Sphagnum medium) replacement series mesocosm experiment to evaluate the resistance, resilience, and recovery rates of net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) under mild and deep water table drawdown. Our results show a positive effect of mild water table drawdown on NEE with no apparent role for peat moss mixture. Our study indicates that the carbon uptake capacity by peat moss mixtures is rather resilient to mild water table drawdown, but seriously affected by deeper drought conditions. Co-occurring peat moss species seem to enhance the resilience of the carbon uptake function (i.e. ability of NEE to return to pre-perturbation levels) of peat moss mixtures only slightly. These findings suggest that assemblages of co-occurring Sphagnum mosses do only marginally contribute to the stability of ecosystem functions in peatlands under drought conditions. Above all, our results highlight that predicted severe droughts can gravely affect the sink capacity of peatlands, with only a small extenuating role for peat moss mixtures.

First Report of Vascular Wilt on Peanut in Mexico Caused by Fusarium incarnatum.

During the fall of 2020, wilt symptoms were presented in a commercial peanut field (Arachis hypogaea L.), variety 'CHAMPS' in Buenavista de Benito Juárez, México (18.460501 N, 98.627100 W). A peanut field was scout 80 days after planting, and plants presenting symptoms of root and crown rot, vascular chlorosis, and tissue death, were sampled. Disease incidence was estimated at 55% of the field. Isolations of the pathogen were made from stem and root tissues. These samples were disinfected by immersion in 1% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) for 3 min and immersion in 70% ethanol for 1 min with 3 rinses with sterile distilled water. Subsequently, 0.5 cm fragments were removed and placed on media of potato dextrose agar (PDA) and Rose Bengal. Petri dishes were incubated in complete darkness at 26 °C for 7 days. Abundant aerial white mycelium was observed, which turned tan to brown and showed a slightly orange color on the back of the plate. Finally, pure cultures were obtained by single sporing (Aslam et al. 2020). Colonies identified as Fusarium spp. (Leslie and Summerell, 2006) were sub cultured on PDA agar media and Spezieller Nährstoffarmer (Pérez-Vázquez et al. 2022) to observe microscopic characteristics of ten isolates. Colonies of a representative strain (MA-PET-03) produced hyaline septate hyphae, macroconidia dorsoventrally curved, tapering towards both ends of 51-57 × 4.6-5.4 μm (n = 80) with most having 7 septa. Microconidia were unicellular, nonseptate, hyaline, and ovoid, 12.4-20.6 × 3.6-4.1 μm (n = 80). Chlamydospores were abundant and globose 5-11 μm diam (n = 80), intercalary, and solitary in short chains (Figure 1). The observed microscopic characteristics correspond to the description of Fusarium incarnatum (Khoa et al. 2006; Leslie and Summerell, 2006; Xia et al. 2019). The molecular analyses were done with genomic DNA extracted as previously reported by Pérez et al. (2022). A region from the translation elongation factor gene was PCR amplified using EF688/EF1251 primers (Alves et al. 2008) and from the calmodulin (CMDA) gene, using CALDF1 and CALDR1 primers (Noel et al. 2022). The corresponding PCR products were purified with the Gen Elute™ PCR Clean-Up Kit from Sigma-Aldrich Co. (St. Louis Mo. USA) and sequenced at Macrogen Inc. (Seoul, South Korea). The phylogenetic analysis was inferred using the Bayesian Inference method with 1 million generations, final standard deviation was 0.008516. The nucleotide substitution model for Calmodulin (CMDA) was GTR + G and for TEF1 GTR + I + G. This analysis showed that strain MA-PET-03 shared 100% identity (Figure 2) with F. incarnatum ex-type strain CBS 132.73 (CMDA: MN170342; TEF1: JMN1704761) from Pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica) in Malawi Africa. The sequences of strain MA-PET-03 were deposited in GenBank (CMDA: OQ679820; TEF1: OQ679821). The pathogenicity tests were carried out with a total of 20 peanut plants, variety 'CHAMPS', 18 days after having been sown in groups of five seeds in 250 g plastic pots, containing a sterilized mixture of Peatmoss and Agrellite (1:1 v./v), with four repetitions. The seeds were inoculated by immersion in 20 mL of spore suspension (106 conidia/mL) isolated from F. incarnatum for 10 min. The plants were maintained in a greenhouse (70% relative humidity and 28 °C) until the appearance of disease symptoms of. Likewise, 10 control plants were inoculated with sterile water. The experiment was repeated twice. The symptoms developed 15 days after inoculation, the plants presented symptoms of chlorosis, wilting of leaves, stems, and roots, a manifestation similar to that observed in the field, while the control plants remained healthy. F. incarnatum was consistently reisolated from inoculated stems and roots and identified by the microscopic characteristics described above. Peanut leaf blight and wilt disease caused by F. incarnatum has been reported in India (Thirumalaisamy et al. 2019). This first report emphasizes that this phytopathogen is a new threat for peanut producers in Mexico, which is why our finding suggests the need to seek new strategies for its control.

Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles: an alternative to conventional phosphorus fertilizers in acidic culture media

BackgroundTraditional phosphorus fertilizers generally have low efficiencies due to their immobilization in soil, and a large part of these fertilizers are not plant-available. Also, phosphorus resources are non-renewable. In recent years, a great deal of attention has been paid to nanofertilizers because of their slow or controlled release and also their very small particle size which increases the solubility and uptake of nanoparticles in plant. Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles are of great importance as phosphorus nanofertilizer thanks to their very low toxicity, biocompatibility, and the fact that products obtained from their degradation, i.e., phosphate and calcium ions, are naturally available in soils.ResultsIn this study, hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were synthesized using the wet chemical precipitation method in three formulations and characterized with various techniques including electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Chemical and microscopic analyses showed that phosphorus was distributed in different parts of the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plant. To investigate the fertilizing effects of the nanoparticles, hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were used in different culture media including alkaline soil, acidic soil, the mixture of peat moss and perlite, and cocopeat. Based on our observations, hydroxyapatite nanoparticles showed fertilizing properties in all media. However, fertilizing potential strongly depended on the culture media. HAP nanoparticles demonstrated a high potential to be used as a fertilizer in acidic media. Nevertheless, only a slight fertilizing effect was observed in alkaline soils. Furthermore, the findings of our study showed fertilizing properties of powder hydroxyapatite nanoparticles without the need to convert them to suspension. Moreover, hydroxyapatite nanoparticles in all the three formulations showed low toxicity in such a way that their toxicity was even less than that of triple super phosphate.ConclusionsHydroxyapatite nanoparticles in both suspension and powder forms can be considered an alternative to conventional phosphorus fertilizers in acidic culture media. Our study revealed that hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were likely dissolved in the culture media and absorbed by plant mainly in the phosphate form.Graphical

Fe2O3 nanoparticles can replace Fe-EDTA fertilizer and boost the productivity and quality of Raphanus sativus in a soilless system

The objective of this research was to compare the applications through drench (on the surface of the substrate) and foliar application of Fe2O3 nanoparticles (Fe2O3 NPs) against a conventional Fe fertilizer (Fe-EDTA) in Raphanus sativus L. plants established in a soilless system under a greenhouse. The seeds of the cv. Champion were sown in 2 L pots with a mixture of peat moss:perlite in a 1:1 ratio. A 50% concentrated Steiner solution supplied plant nutrition. Fourteen days after sowing, the applications of the treatments began. Treatments consisted of foliar and drench applications of Fe-EDTA and Fe2O3 NPs. The standard amount of Fe applied in a radish on a soilless system (13 mg plant −1) was taken as a reference. The control treatment was the application of Fe-EDTA by drenching, while the same product was also applied via foliar application. Fe2O3 NPs were applied at 100, 75, and 50% for control through foliar and drench application. The treatments were administered weekly, giving a total of four applications. The results showed that the dimensions and biomass of the R. sativus root increased in ranges of 20–30% when applying Fe2O3 NPs, as well as the concentration of chlorophylls in the leaves by 18–38%. Similarly, increases between 24 and 147% were found in the levels of vitamin C, GSH, and antioxidant capacity in leaves and roots, in addition to a greater activity of antioxidant enzymes. The K concentration rose between 35 and 48% in leaves and roots, while Fe levels increased up to 40% in leaves. On the other hand, Fe2O3 NPs showed a fertilizer use efficiency (FUE) up to 42% higher than that of Fe-EDTA. In conclusion, the results indicate that the complete replacement of Fe-EDTA with Fe2O3 NPs is possible, improving the yield and quality of R. sativus and obtaining a better FUE.

Vegetative Growth and Productivity of Potted Crocus sativus in Different Growing Media

Saffron (Crocus sativus) is the most expensive spice in the world and a valuable medicinal plant. In this study, the flowering, vegetative growth performance, and daughter corm formation of potted saffron were investigated in six growing media: loamy soil, silty soil, sandy soil, peatmoss, peatmoss + sandy soil, and peatmoss + foam. The highest values of the stigma fresh weight, the root weight, and the number and diameter of daughter corms were observed in plants grown in soil with a light texture, i.e., sandy soil or peatmoss + foam, although smaller daughter corms were produced by sandy soil-grown plants. Compared with loamy soil (heavy soil), the peatmoss + foam growing medium increased the leaf pigment levels and the number of leaves and daughter corms, and it produced the highest number of daughter corms with diameters of ≥2 cm. Compared with plants in other media, saffron plants grown in loamy soil had higher catalase and peroxidase activities but lower polyphenol oxidase activity. Overall, saffron could be cultivated and produced in growing media with various pH values (4.00–9.25), although a mixture of peatmoss and foam was the optimal growing medium for potted saffron production. These findings are beneficial for selecting the optimal growing media/soil for saffron cultivation in farmlands.

PROPAGATION PROTOCOL OF THE MEDICINAL PLANT – ALOE VERA USING TISSUE CULTURE

Aloe vera is one of the most popular cactus-type plants in the global market due to its widespread uses in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, and decorative purposes. The present study derived callus cultures from the Aloe vera plant leaves, then reproduced on agar-solidified MS medium from June to December 2021 at the University of Mosul, Iraq. Results revealed that the MS medium + 3.0 mg L-1 benzyl adenine (BA) proved suitable for induction of leaf callus up to 85%, while the MS medium supplement with 1.0 and 2.0 mg L-1 BA reached 70%. The MS medium with 1.0 mg L-1 BA showed the best results for growing apical shoots of A. vera plants and producing vegetative branches. The formation of roots emerged within two weeks after placing them on the rooting medium. The shoots regenerated from the growing apices and were rooted easily in agar-solidified MS medium. The obtained plants attained successful acclimatization in terms of their growth and length, afterward, transferred to the peat-moss mixture.

STUDYING THE GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY OF SAFFRON UNDER DIFFERENT AGRICULTURE TECHNIQUES

This study was conducted at Abi – Jarash farm, Damascus, Syria, during 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 growing seasons. The aim of this study was comparing the effect of three different cultivation techniques of saffron (Crocus sativus L.), which were soilless cultivation, within the nutrient film technique (NFT), and the technique of cultivation in substrates (mixture of peat moss- perlite), in addition to cultivation in soil. An increasing in the vegetative growth measurements was recorded with​​ cultivation saffron in the soil, compared to the cultivation without soil, within the nutrient film technology (hydroponics) ,and the technology of cultivation in the substrates (peat moss and perlite mixture)، Flowering was poor in the hydroponics technique, while non significant differences were observed among the cultivation technique in the peat moss–perlite mixture, and the cultivation in the soil in first and second seasons . Cultivation in the soil achieved a significant increase in the rate of corms multiplication (corm plant-1), and the weight of daughter corms produced from one plant, whereas, a qualitative superiority appeared within the nutrient film technique, in which the percentage of commercial corms (˃ 8 g) reached 100%, and the average weight of the produced corms was 13.65,16.07 g in first and second seasons, respectively .

Effects of Bed Soils and Plant Growth Regulators on Root Growth of <italic>Hibiscus syriacus</italic> L.

Background and objective: As the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the entire world and people found themselves spending more time at home, many households began gardening, and purchased various ornamental plants. Many cultivars of <i>Hibiscus syriacus</i> are grown for their showy flowers, or used as landscape shrubs. <i>H. syriacus</i> is generally known for its high rate of asexual reproduction. However, it is known that the effectiveness of propagation by cuttings can have big differences depending on internal and external factors. This study was conducted to determine the effects of optimal rooting bed soil composition and auxin on the rooting of <i>H. syriacus</i> cuttings.Methods: Cuttings used in this study were from 17 cultivars. As types of bed soil for propagation by cutting, gardening bed soil, sand, mixed soil 1, and mixed soil 2 were used, and the plant growth regulators of IBA and NAA were applied at 500, 1000, and 1500 mg⋅L<sup>-1</sup> concentrations.Results: The rooting rate and number of roots were highest with the combination of perlite and vermiculite. On the other hand, the gardening bed soil showed an extremely low rooting percentage. The root growth was improved in most cultivars when treated by plant growth regulator. The highest rooting rate was verified at IBA 500 mg⋅L<sup>-1</sup> treatment while the number of roots and root length showed good result in IBA 1500 mg⋅L<sup>-1</sup> treatment.Conclusion: In many cultivars, it was observed that the rooting rate and number of roots differed depending on the bed soil. The most suitable bed soil for the cuttings was a mixture of peat moss and vermiculite, and it was possible to increase the efficiency through treatment with a growth regulator, and the efficiency of IBA was better than that of NAA. However, it is necessary to identify which detailed growth regulator treatment is suitable for the root development of each cultivar, because plant growth regulator was less effective and even problematic in some cultivars.

In vitro propagation of Byblis liniflora Salisb

This study was conducted to develop an in vitro propagation procedure for Byblis liniflora Salisb. The process of seed sterilization and in vitro sowing achieved 95% efficiency. From the material aseptic stem segments, the shoot proliferation program was determined with the rate of 33.67 shoots/explants after 4 weeks of culture on nutrient medium (1/3 strength MS basal salts plus full Morel and Wetmore’s vitamins) with addition of a mixture of cytokinin (0.5 mg/L Kin and 2 mg/L BA) and then transferred to culture for another 4 weeks on nutrient medium. The rooting program from aseptic stem segments was to culture in nutrient medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L NAA for 8 weeks. To produce a complete plant, single shoot separated from the proliferative clusters was transferred to a culture flask containing nutrient medium and cultured for 4 weeks. The in vitro shoot developed more branches and self-rooted to form a complete plant. The suitable growing substrate in the acclimatization and outdoor stages was a mixture of peat moss and perlite (1 : 2 w/w). The climatic conditions of Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast of Vietnam were suitable for growing Byblis liniflora trees outdoors all year round.

Occurrence of Leaf Spot Caused by Mycocentrospora acerina on Japanese Ginseng (Panax japonicus) in China.

Panax japonicus C. A. Mey., known as Japanese ginseng or "Zhujieshen" in China, is a perennial medicinal herb (family Araliaceae) native to China and is widely grown in many provinces including Hubei, Hunan, and Sichuan. In recent years, cultivation of Japanese ginseng has increased tremendously in China because of its high value. Its root is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of inflammation. In early May 2020, severe necrotic lesions on leaves with 40 to 50 % disease incidences were observed on 3-year-old Japanese ginseng plants in a cultivated field in Xuanen County (30°05'N, 109°83'E), Hubei Province, China. The total area affected by the disease was approximately 30 ha. Initial symptoms showed small, circular, brown, necrotic spots uniformly distributed on leaves. The center of the spots was light tan, surrounded by a dark brown ring and a chlorotic halo. As the disease progressed, multiple lesions merged into large disease spots with visible white fungal hyphae, causing leaf wilting. Ten small pieces (0.1 × 0.1 cm in size) of leaf tissue were removed from the lesion margins, surface-sterilized with 0.5 % sodium hypochlorite for 1 min and 75 % alcohol for 20 s, washed with sterile distilled water three times, dried, and placed on Petri plates with potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium containing 10 µg/ml of ampicillin and incubated at 20 °C for 5 days. Colonies with dense mycelia were initially white and gradually becoming black. The hyphae were septate, branched, and 3 to 7 µm in width. Conidiophores were flexuous, not branched, and produced a single spore. Spores (ranged from 95.4 to 255.5 × 6.2 to 13.5 μm) were elongate, multiseptate, with a long, strongly curved beak (ranged from 25.5 to 95.4 μm), The number of septae ranged from 4 to 13. Clamydospores with smooth or slightly rough wall were spherical to ovoid and averaged 8.5 to 25.4 × 7.2 to 16.5 μm. The six isolates were preliminarily identified as Mycocentrospora acerina (R. Hartig) Deightonbased on the morphological characteristics (Gilchrist et al. 2015). To confirm the identification, isolates ZJS1, ZJS3, and ZJS5 were chosen for DNA sequencing. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA was amplified using the ITS1 and ITS4 primers (White et al. 1990) and sequenced. The identical sequences of the 491 bp amplicons were deposited in GenBank (accession no. ZJS1, MZ277314; ZJS3, OL333859; and ZJS5, OL333860). BLAST analysis of the sequences showed 100 % identity to M. acerina (MH856114). Moreover, the three isolates were further confirmed as M. acerina by amplifying the large subunit (LSU) of the ribosome gene (accession no. ZJS1, MZ277321; ZJS3, OL333861; and ZJS5, OL333862), as their identical sequences exhibited 99.83 % similarities with M. acerina (MH868490). Isolate ZJS1 was chosen to fulfill Koch's postulates with 30 healthy 2-year-old P. japonicus grown in plastic pots filled with a sterilized mixture of peat moss and vermiculite (3:1). One leaf of each plant was inoculated with one 5-mm-diameter mycelium-agar disc and placed in a greenhouse at 20 ± 1 °C, with ambient lighting and relative humidity of 85 %. By 5 days after inoculation, all inoculated plants showed symptoms identical to those observed in the field, and no symptoms were observed on control plants. The fungus was reisolated from the inoculated plants and identified as M. acerina using the above method. The experiment was conducted thrice with similar results. To our knowledge, this is the first report of leaf spot caused by M. acerina on Japanese ginseng in China and the world. There is a need to develop effective management measures to reduce the occurrence of this disease.

In vitro propagation from axillary buds of the endangered tree Dalbergia congestiflora Pittier (Fabaceae).

Dalbergia congestiflora Pittier is a woody plant species grown in Mexico and Central America and widely used as timber wood and medicinal material. Since D. congestiflora is an endangered species, an in-vitro micropropagation technique is needed for mass propagation of D. congestiflora plantlets. Nodal segments of D. congestiflora stem cuttings grown in greenhouse conditions were disinfected with an appropriate protocol and in vitro established on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) supplemented with 0.05 mg l-1 benzylaminopurine (BA). The explants showed 10% contamination with 90% survival, and the initial shoot was regenerated in 90% of them. Axillary buds of 45-day-old initial shoots were cultured on MS containing BA (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 mg l-1) singly or in combination with α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) (0, 0.1, 0.5 and 1 mg l-1). A higher shoot number (9.6 shoots/explant) was obtained on MS with 1 mg l-1 BA and 0.1 mg l-1 NAA. Rooting was investigated using half-strength MS, 2% sucrose and different concentrations of indole butyric acid (IBA) (0, 0.1, 0.5 and 1 mg l-1). After 30 days of culture, developing shoots were elongated and rooted in culture medium without IBA, with production of 3.2 roots/shoot. Micropropagated plantlets of D. congestiflora were successfully transplanted and acclimatized to a mixture of peat moss and perlite (2 : 1) with 100% relative humidity in greenhouse conditions with 80% survival at 30 days of culture. This micropropagation protocol will contribute to the conservation of D. congestiflora, and assure the mass propagation for sustainable usage of this species.

Influence of Substrate Composition and Container Size on the Growth of Tissue Culture Propagated Apple Rootstock Plants

Substrate composition and container size are considered crucial for apple rootstock grown in a plug seedling system. This study investigated the effect of substrate material’s proportion and different container volumes on the growth of apple rootstock (M-9) plants propagated by tissue culture. In substrate composition, three different ratios of peat moss (PM): vermiculite (VL): perlite (PL) at 1:1:1 (S1), 1:2:3 (S2), 3:1:2 (S3) were used. For container size, plants were grown in 1000 mL (C1), 500 mL (C2), and 300 mL (C3) containers filled by 1:1:1 mixture of PM, VL and PL. In both cases, plants were treated eleven weeks in a green house. Our results demonstrate that the plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, shoot fresh weight and root fresh weight of apple rootstock were significantly higher in substrate composition S3 compared with S1 composition. However, chlorophyll content (SPAD) and photosynthesis rate were unaffected by variation of substrate composition. Furthermore, rootstock grown in C1 container showed plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, number of nodes, root length, shoot and root’s fresh and dry weight were significantly higher than those grown in C2 and C3 volume containers. The chlorophyll content and transpiration rate were not significantly affected by the different container volumes. These results suggest that the substrate ratio 3:1:2 of PM:VL:PL and container size 1000 mL were more favorable than other treatments for initial growth and development of the tissue culture propagated apple rootstock plants.

First report of damping off disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum on Pinus pinea in Jordan.

First report of damping off disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum on Pinus pinea in Jordan.

Removal of munition constituents in stormwater runoff: Screening of native and cationized cellulosic sorbents for removal of insensitive munition constituents NTO, DNAN, and NQ, and legacy munition constituents HMX, RDX, TNT, and perchlorate.

Technologies are needed to address contamination with energetic compounds at military installations. This research developed and evaluated novel and sustainable materials that can be used to remove munition constituents (MC) from stormwater runoff. Initial work focused on 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO), as it is both highly soluble and ionized at environmentally relevant pH values. Screening cellulosic materials indicated that cationized (CAT) versions of pine shavings (pine, henceforth) and burlap (jute) demonstrated >70% removal of NTO from artificial surface runoff. CAT materials also demonstrated >90% removal of the anionic propellant perchlorate. NTO removal (~80%) by CAT pine was similar across initial pH values from 4 to 8.5 S.U. An inverse relationship was observed between NTO removal and the concentration of the major anions chloride, nitrate, and sulfate due to competition for anion binding sites. Sorption isotherms were performed using a mixture of the three primary legacy explosives (octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX), hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-s-triazine (RDX), 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT)), the three insensitive MC (nitroguanidine (NQ), NTO, 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN)), and perchlorate. Isotherm results indicated that effective removal of both legacy and insensitive MC would best be achieved using a mixture of peat moss plus one or more of the cationized cellulosic materials.

Vegetative Propagation of Hoya imperialis and Hoya coronaria by Stem Cutting and Micropropagation

Hoya imperialis (H. imperialis) and H. coronaria (Apocynaceae) are known to have ornamental value due to their beautiful flowers; however, the feasibility of propagating these plants have not been reported despite the wild populations in Brunei Darussalam being highly threatened due to habitat loss and overcollection. Thus, the present study aimed to conduct a preliminary study of the feasibility of two alternative propagation methods, stem cutting and micropropagation, as a potential approach for their ex situ conservation. Hoya stem cuttings were treated with either indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) (0–2000 mg/L), and then propagated onto a mixture of peat moss and perlite. For micropropagation, Hoya leaf explants were cultured onto Murashige and Skoog (MS) agar media that were supplemented with IBA and/or kinetin (KN) (0–10.0 mg/L). This present study shows that both Hoya species were successfully propagated by stem cutting even without hormone treatment. However, interestingly, in H. imperialis, when compared with control, the mean number of new leaves (6.3 ± 1.0) and the mean relative growth rate (RGR) based on stem diameter (0.004 ± 0.0007 cm cm−1 day−1) significantly increased when treated with 500 mg/L NAA and 2000 mg/L IBA, respectively. Meanwhile, in H. coronaria, significantly higher mean number of roots was achieved by treating with 1000 mg/L NAA (16.6 ± 1.4) or 2000 mg/L IBA (17.5 ± 2.7) compared with control. For micropropagation, callus induction was not promising and could only be observed at specific concentrations of both IBA and KN, with H. imperialis appearing to be more responsive towards these hormones in comparison to H. coronaria. The present study showed that stem cutting appeared more feasible in propagating both Hoya species.

Philodendron domesticum G. S. BUNTING PLANT RESPONSES TO POTTING MEDIA

A pot experiment was conducted during the winter growing season of 2019/2020 under Glasshouse conditions, Faculty of Technology and Development, Zagazig University, Egypt to study effect of seven potting media on propagation and the subsequent growth and chemical composition of Philodendron domesticum G. S. Bunting plant. The tested potting media were peat moss, sand, cocopeat, peat moss+ sand (1:1, v/v), peat moss+ sand (2:1, v/v), cocopeat+ sand (1:1, v/v) and cocopeat+ sand (2:1, v/v).Planting cuttings in potting mixtures containing peat moss+ sand (1:1 v/v) or cocopeat+ sand (2:1 v/v) significantly accelerated cutting sprouting (determined 30 days after cutting plantation). While, peat moss and peat moss+ sand at 2:1 (v/v) media delayed cutting sprouting comparing to the other tested media. At the end experimental period, grow plants in peat moss + sand at 2:1 (v/v) medium produced more roots number per plant, the longest roots and the heaviest fresh and dry weights roots per plant comparing to plants grow in the other tested media. Comparing plants grew in different tested media exhibited that plants grew in peat moss+ sand 2:1 (v/v) had the tallest plants, while the shortest plants were found in plants grow in sand medium. Also, plants that grew in medium mixture of peat moss+ sand (2:1, v/v) produced significant increases in leaf area per plant and attained the highest leaf area/ plant at the experimental end. Sand and cocopeat mixed with sand at 1:1 or 2:1 (v/v) resulted in the least leaf area per plant comparing to plants grew in the other tested media. In addition, peat moss+ sand (2:1, v/v) medium significantly increased number of produced leaves per plant and resulted in the highest stem thickness and the heaviest fresh and dry shoots/ plant, but plants grew in sand or in cocopeat mixed with sand either at 1:1 or 2:1 (v/v) recorded the least values in this regard. Potting media effect was extended to the chemical composition of plant leaves. Peat moss+ sand (2:1, v/v) medium significantly increased chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll (a+ b) and carotenoids contents (mg/g FW) as well as total carbohydrates % in leaf tissues comparing to the other tested media. Conclusively, it could be recommended to use potting medium comprise by mixing peat moss and sand at 2: 1, respectively (v/v) as a rooting medium for propagation and growing Philodendron domesticum G. S. Bunting plant by sub-terminal stem cuttings

First Report of Rhizoctonia solani AG-2-2 IIIB Causing Foliar Blight on Bletilla striata in China.

Bletilla striata (Thunb.) Rchb. f. (Orchidaceae), a perennial plant, is a traditional Chinese herb (known as baiji) used to treat hemorrhage, scalding injuries, gastric ulcers, pulmonary diseases, and inflammation (Zu et al. 2019). In May 2019, foliar blight symptoms were observed on approximately 25% of B. striata (cv. Guiji No.1) plants in three plantations (∼4.5 hectares in total) in Ziyuan County, Guangxi Province, China. Initial symptoms were light brown, irregular, water-soaked spots on the plant leaves. Several spots often merged, forming large, irregular, lesions that extended onto the stem after a week and led to leaf abscission, and even plant death. To determine the causal agent, 5-mm squares cut from the margin of 6 infected leaves were surface disinfected in 1% sodium hypochlorite solution for 2 min, rinsed three times with sterile distilled water, plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA), and incubated at 28°C (12-h light-dark cycle) for 3 days. The emerging hyphal tip of a single mycelium was transferred to PDA to obtain pure cultures of the isolates. Twenty isolates were obtained, and 10 isolates (50%) were initially white before turning light brown (∼4 days). Septate hyphae were 4.29 to 10.75 μm (average 6.42 μm) in diameter and branched at right angles with a constriction at the origin of the branch point. Staining with 1% safranin O and 3% KOH solution (Bandoni 1979) revealed multinucleated cells (3 to 9 nuclei per cell, n = 142). This morphology was typical of Rhizoctonia solani Kühn (Meyer et al. 1990). For species confirmation by molecular identification, three isolates (BJ101.6, BJ101.11, and BJ102.2) were cultured on PDA for 4 days, then DNA was extracted from the mycelium using the CTAB method (Guo et al. 2000), and the ribosomal ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region was amplified by PCR using the universal fungal primers ITS1 and ITS4 (White et al. 1990). Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of strains BJ101.6, BJ101.11, and BJ102 (deposited in GenBank under accession nos MT406271, MT892815, and MT892814, respectively) had over 99% similarity with those of R. solani AG-2-2 IIIB in GenBank (accession nos JX913810 and AB054858) (Carling et al. 2002; Hong et al. 2012). Phylogenetic analysis using ITS sequences showed that the isolates clustered monophyletically with strains of R. solani AG-2-2 IIIB. The AG of the isolates was confirmed by their ability to grow well on PDA at 35°C, which separates AG-2-2 IIIB from AG-2-2 IV (Inokuti et al. 2019). Based on morphological characteristics and nucleotide sequence analysis, the isolates were identified as R. solani AG-2-2 IIIB. Pathogenicity was tested using 1.5-year-old B. striata (cv. Guiji No.1) plants grown in a perlite and peat moss mixture (1:3) in 7-cm pots. Healthy leaves on plants were inoculated with an aqueous suspension (approximately 1 × 105 hyphal fragments/mL, 100 μL) prepared from cultures of strains BJ101.6, BJ101.11, and BJ102.2, each isolate was inoculated onto three plants; three other plants with sterile water served as controls. All plants were enclosed in transparent plastic bags and incubated in a greenhouse at 28°C for 14 days (12-h photoperiod). Three days post-inoculation, leaves exposed to the mycelial fragments had symptoms similar to those originally observed in the field. No symptoms were detected on control plants. Experiments were replicated three times with similar results. To fulfill Koch's postulates, R. solani AG-2-2 IIIB was re-isolated on PDA from symptomatic leaves and confirmed by sequencing, whereas no fungus was isolated from the control plants. To our knowledge, this is the first report of R. solani AG-2-2 IIIB causing foliar blight on B. striata in China, and these findings will be useful for further control strategies and research.