Plant Physiological Properties Research Articles

Effects of seed coating with (titanium dioxide and selenium) nanoparticles on fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum L.) plant growth and antioxidant activity

Background: The fenugreek plant is a kind of herbaceous plant that resembles a clover. It is extensively used as a spice and condiment, as well as a medicinal plant. Studying the effect of seed coating on fenugreek is an important step to learn about the effects it imprints on plant growth and its antioxidant activity when its seeds are coated by nanoparticles of titanium and selenium. Methods: To study the effects of seed coating with Nanoparticles of Titanium dioxide at concentrations of (0, 100, 200, 300, and 400) ppm and selenium at concentrations of (0, 20, 40, 60, and 80) ppm on shoot length, number of leaves per plant, carbohydrate %, protein %, and antioxidant activity peroxidase %, single and two way interaction on fenugreek’s growth is taken into account. Treatments are designed as a properly randomized factorial experiment (5×5×3), with three replicates in a totally randomized design.Results: It was revealed that a single application of the previously mentioned ingredients had a significant impact on fenugreek growth and antioxidant activity, especially at high concentrations.Conclusions: Plant physiological properties were favorably influenced by seed coating with (Titanium dioxide and Selenium) nanoparticles. Based on the results of TiO2 NPs’ effect on seed germination and early seedling growth, it is possible that NPs aided in seed water absorption, increased seed ability to absorb and utilize efficiently, and activated and promoted hydrolytic enzymes in the seed antioxidant system.Keywords: Titanium dioxide; Selenium; Nanoparticles; Antioxidant activity; Fenugreek

Facilitating effects of plant extracts on soil health and replanted Panax ginseng growth in recession soil.

Plant extracts have been shown to be effective agricultural strategies for improving soil fertility and quality, and promoting plant growth in soil degradation remediation. The application of plant extracts improves the material cycle of soil microecology, such as the decomposition of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, while increasing plant resistance. However, there is currently no experiment to demonstrate whether plant extracts have a promoting effect on the growth of ginseng and the mechanism of action. Pot experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of extracts, namely Rubia cordifolia (RC), Schisandra chinensis (SC), and Euphorbia humifusa (EH) on soil properties, enzyme activities, and plant physiological characteristics were evaluated. Results showed that compared with CK, plant extract-related treatments increased soil Organic carbon (OC), Available nitrogen (AN), Available phosphorus (AP) contents, and Soil urease activity. (S-UE), Soil sucrase activity (Soil sucrase), Soil acid phosphatase activity. (S-ACP). Meanwhile, plant extract-related treatments significantly increased plant physiological properties and TP (Total protein) content, and decreased the content of MDA (malondialdehyde) by 15.70% -36.59% and PRO (proline) by 30.13% -148.44%. Furthermore, plant extract-related treatments also significantly promote plant growth and reduce plant incidence, the fresh weight of ginseng increased by 27.80% -52.08%, ginseng root activity increased by 45.13% -90.07%, and ginseng incidence rate decreased by 20.00% -46.67%. Through correlation analysis between fresh weight of ginseng and root parameters and soil index, fresh weight is significantly positively correlated with root diameter, fiber root number, root activity, total protein (TP), catalytic activity (CAT) and superoxide dismutase activity (SOD), H, soil urea activity (S-UE), soil sucrose activity (S-SC), soil acid phosphate activity (S-ACP), and soil laccase activity (SL); The fresh weight was significantly negatively correlated with incidence rate, disease severity index, and malondialdehyde content (MDA). In summary, plant extract-related treatments improve soil quality and promote ginseng growth, further enhancing soil health and plant disease resistance. These findings provide new insights into ginseng cultivation and soil health management and highlight a new approach that can be applied to a wider range of agricultural practices and environmental sustainability.

Mitigating water deficit stress in lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) through integrated soil amendments: A pathway to sustainable agriculture.

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) is a valuable medicinal plant, but its growth can be significantly impacted by drought stress. This study aimed to mitigate the adverse effects of water deficit stress on lemon balm biomass by integrating poultry manure compost, poultry manure biochar, NPK fertilizer, Trichoderma harzianum, Thiobacillus thioparus, and elemental sulfur as soil amendments. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse using a completely randomized design with a factorial arrangement, consisting of three replicates. It included a water deficit stress factor at three levels (95-100%, 75-80%, and 55-60% of field capacity) and a soil amendment treatment factor with eleven different fertilizer levels. Treatments included control (no amendment), NPK fertilizer, poultry manure compost, poultry manure biochar, and combinations of these with T. harzianum, T. thioparus, and elemental sulfur under various water deficit levels. Water deficit stress significantly reduced photosynthetic pigments, gas exchange parameters, chlorophyll fluorescence, relative water content, and antioxidant enzyme activity, while increasing membrane permeability and lipid peroxidation in lemon balm plants. However, the integrated application of organic, biological, and chemical amendments mitigated these negative impacts. The combined treatment of poultry manure compost, poultry manure biochar, NPK fertilizer, T. harzianum, T. thioparus, and elemental sulfur was the most effective in improving the morpho-physiological properties (1.97-60%) and biomass (2.31-2.76 times) of lemon balm under water deficit stress. The results demonstrate the potential of this holistic approach to enhance the resilience of lemon balm cultivation in water-scarce environments. The integration of organic, biological, and chemical amendments can contribute to sustainable agricultural practices by improving plant morphological and physiological properties and plant performance under drought conditions.

Effects of water and exogenous glucose on apple seedling growth and soil enzyme activity in semiarid area.

Soil water and organic carbon (C) are key factors affecting the growth and development of apple seedlings. The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of different soil moisture and glucose supplies on apple seedling growth and soil enzyme activities. We hypothesized that the growth of apple seedlings was affected by soil water and C content through their effects on root structure, plant physiological properties and soil enzymatic activities. A pot experiment consisting of nine treatments was set up, including three water treatments with soil moisture contents at 75-85% (normal irrigation, CK), 65-75% (light water stress, LS), and 55-65% (mild water stress, MS) of the soil field capacity, in combination with three glucose treatments with carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 7.5 (C1, no adding glucose), 10 (C2) and 15 (C3), respectively. Results showed that the LSC2 treatment significantly increased plant height by 7%, stem diameter by 5% and leaf area by 17%, as compared with LSC1. Also, LSC2 significantly increased root dry weight, root vitality and soil enzyme activities. Moreover, results of leaf photosynthetic, malondialdehyde (MDA), peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and proline contents also proved that adding glucose improved the drought resistance of plants. LSC2 treatment is more conducive to the growth of apple seedlings, and application of carbon has a good alleviation effect on plant water stress. The study demonstrated that addition of exogenous glucose alleviated light water deficiency, significantly affected root vitality, and promoted apple seedling growth. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Design and Implementation of a Low-Cost, Linear Robotic Camera System, Targeting Greenhouse Plant Growth Monitoring

Automated greenhouse production systems frequently employ non-destructive techniques, such as computer vision-based methods, to accurately measure plant physiological properties and monitor crop growth. By utilizing an automated image acquisition and analysis system, it becomes possible to swiftly assess the growth and health of plants throughout their entire lifecycle. This valuable information can be utilized by growers, farmers, and crop researchers who are interested in self-cultivation procedures. At the same time, such a system can alleviate the burden of daily plant photography for human photographers and crop researchers, while facilitating automated plant image acquisition for crop status monitoring. Given these considerations, the aim of this study was to develop an experimental, low-cost, 1-DOF linear robotic camera system specifically designed for automated plant photography. As an initial evaluation of the proposed system, which targets future research endeavors of simplifying the process of plant growth monitoring in a small greenhouse, the experimental setup and precise plant identification and localization are demonstrated in this work through an application on lettuce plants, imaged mostly under laboratory conditions.

Exogenous application of sulfur-rich thiourea (STU) to alleviate the adverse effects of cobalt stress in wheat

Heavy metal stress affects crop growth and yields as wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth and development are negatively affected under heavy metal stress. The study examined the effect of cobalt chloride (CoCl2) stress on wheat growth and development. To alleviate this problem, a pot experiment was done to analyze the role of sulfur-rich thiourea (STU) in accelerating the defense system of wheat plants against cobalt toxicity. The experimental treatments were, i) Heavy metal stress (a) control and (b) Cobalt stress (300 µM), ii) STU foliar applications; (a) control and (b) 500 µM single dose was applied after seven days of stress, and iii) Wheat varieties (a) FSD-2008 and (b) Zincol-2016. The results revealed that cobalt stress decreased chlorophyll a by 10%, chlorophyll b by 16%, and carotenoids by 5% while foliar application of STU increased these photosynthetic pigments by 16%, 15%, and 15% respectively under stress conditions as in contrast to control. In addition, cobalt stress enhances hydrogen peroxide production by 11% and malondialdehyde (MDA) by 10%. In comparison, STU applications at 500 µM reduced the production of these reactive oxygen species by 5% and by 20% by up-regulating the activities of antioxidants. Results have revealed that the activities of SOD improved by 29%, POD by 25%, and CAT by 28% under Cobalt stress. Furthermore, the foliar application of STU significantly increased the accumulation of osmoprotectants as TSS was increased by 23% and proline was increased by 24% under cobalt stress. Among wheat varieties, FSD-2008 showed better adaptation under Cobalt stress by showing enhanced photosynthetic pigments and antioxidant activities compared to Zincol-2016. In conclusion, the foliar-applied STU can alleviate the negative impacts of Cobalt stress by improving plant physiological attributes and upregulating the antioxidant defense system in wheat.Graphical

Determination of the Effects of Heavy Metal Stress on Plant Development and Physiology in Feed Soybean (Glycine Max L.)

This study was carried out to determine the tolerance level of cadmium and lead applications at different concentrations on physiological and morphological parameters in soybean (Glycine max L.) The experiment was carried out in Atatürk University Plant Production Application and Research Center greenhouses. Yeşilsoy variety of feed soybean (Glycine max L.) was used as plant material. Plant growth (seedling height, stem diameter, fresh and dry weight, etc.), physiological properties (tissue proportional water content, tissue electrical conductivity) and biochemical parameters (chlorophyll amount, superoxide distumase (SOD), catalase (CAT), heavy metal applications) peroxidase (POD) enzyme activities, etc.) were investigated. All treatments had negative effects on all parameters compared to the control group. Growth retardation was experienced at the highest concentrations applied, but plant deaths were not observed. Although it is known that cadmium metal is more toxic than lead metal, the wet weight values of the plants to which the highest dose of both metals were applied were included in the same statistical group.

Chitosan embedded with ZnO nanoparticles and hydroxyapatite: synthesis, antiphytopathogenic activity and effect on tomato grown under high density

This study aimed to the synthesis of the new composite ZnOHap@Cs made with ZnO nanoparticles, hydroxyapatite and chitosan, and to examine its effect on tomato grown under normal conditions or under high density in the greenhouse. In addition, its antimicrobial activities were assessed in vitro against several fungal phytopathogens, and in planta against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, the causal agent of bacterial speck disease of tomato. Results showed that ZnOHap@Cs was able to reduce radial growth of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis and Alternaria solani by more than 75 and 67%, respectively. Furthermore, the composite revealed to be effective in reducing disease severity of bacterial speck when used as a foliar spray. Our study showed that the variety of tomato, Campbell 33, was affected by shade generated when grown at high density, as evidenced by increased plant height, stem thinning, decreased root biomass, and reduced photosynthetic pigments and net photosynthesis. ZnOHap@Cs treatment enhanced root biomass, content of photosynthetic pigments, and net photosynthesis of tomato when grown under low density. However, most of these variables were maintained in pre-treated plants when they grow at high density. These results highlight that ZnOHap@Cs improves partly plant physiological properties to cope with the effect of shade, and it could be used as effective fungicides for sustainable health plant protection.

Remediation of soil polluted with Pb and Cd and alleviation of oxidative stress in Brassica rapa plant using nanoscale zerovalent iron supported with coconut-husk biochar

Accumulation of toxic elements by plants from polluted soil can induce the excessive formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby causing retarded plants' physiological attributes. Several researchers have remediated soil using various forms of zerovalent iron; however, their residual impacts on oxidative stress indicators and health risks in leafy vegetables have not yet been investigated. In this research, nanoscale zerovalent iron supported with coconut-husk biochar (nZVI-CHB) was synthesized through carbothermal reduction process using Fe2O3 and coconut-husk. The stabilization effects of varying concentrations of nZVI-CHB and CHB (250 and 500 mg/kg) on cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in soil were analyzed, and their effects on toxic metals induced oxidative stress, physiological properties, and antioxidant defence systems of the Brassica rapa plant were also checked. The results revealed that the immobilization of Pb and Cd in soil treated with CHB was low, leading to a higher accumulation of metals in plants grown. However, nZVI-CHB could significantly immobilize Pb (57.5–62.12%) and Cd (64.1–75.9%) in the soil, leading to their lower accumulation in plants below recommended safe limits and eventually reduced carcinogenic risk (CR) and hazard quotient (HQ) for both Pb and Cd in children and adults below the recommended tolerable range of <1 for HQ and 10−6 – 10−4 for CR. Also, a low dose of nZVI-CHB significantly mitigated toxic metal-induced oxidative stress in the vegetable plant by inhibiting the toxic metals uptake and increasing antioxidant enzyme activities. Thus, this study provided another insightful way of converting environmental wastes to sustainable adsorbents for soil remediation and proved that a low-dose of nZVI-CHB can effectively improve soil quality, plant physiological attributes and reduce the toxic metals exposure health risk below the tolerable range.

A Review of Rapid Generation Advancement (RGA) in Crop Improvement

The use of the speed breeding method is widely considered to be the wave of the future in plant breeding. The term "speed breeding" is used to describe a rapid generational advancement technique that is used to minimise the time it takes from seed to seed, therefore reducing the length of a crop plant's typical life cycle. Plants that are not sensitive to light may have as many as six generations in a single year using this method, whereas other plants can only expect two or three generations every year. With this technique, the photoperiodic and temperature needs of crops produced in controlled-poly homes may be altered. This methodology, when combined with other cutting-edge tools like genome editing and high-throughput genotyping systems, may help breed new kinds of crops at a much quicker pace. Spacefaring food producers: NASA first conceived of this notion. Breeder's equation may be used to determine whether speed breeding is applicable to a certain crop. Light, photoperiodic regime, temperature, and humidity modification make up the backbone of the fast-breeding formula. Accelerated breeding, expedited genomic selection, improved transgenic and CRISPR-Cas9 pipelines, and the investigation of critically important agricultural plant physiological properties are just some of the numerous uses for this approach.

PHENOTYPIC RESPONSE OF SPRING WHEAT PERSPECTIVE LINE GENOTYPES TO DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

Spring wheat can be a viable alternative for satisfying the agri-food market. A performant genotype is characterized by high adaptability to different environmental conditions, high grain yield capacity, and yield stability. Three new spring wheat genotypes created at Agricultural Research and Development Station from Turda were tested in six different field conditions at the State Institute for Testing and Registration of Varieties Centres for plant physiological attributes, yield, and quality indices in comparation with Pădureni variety. Regarding the vegetation period, the new spring wheat varieties have the same growing season as the control genotype, with minor differences being observed for the generative stage. Thousand kernel weight has a large variability between test centers for all studied genotypes and in the hectolitre weight and grain yield. Based on the correlation coefficient the rainfalls from the second decade of May have a positive influence on the grain yield level, respectively the rainfalls from the second decade of June influenced negative hectolitre weight. Compared to the control genotype- Pădureni- the three new genotypes are productively superior with 21 to 33%. The quality indices for studied spring wheat genotypes are close to the control genotype which means that improvement of grain yield was achieved without sacrificing its quality.

Effect of micro–spray on plant growth and chlorophyll fluorescence parameter of tomato under high temperature condition in a greenhouse

Micro–spray is usually used to improve plant growth environment to avoid growth inhibiting and yield decreasing due to the high temperature inside the greenhouses in summer. To investigate the effect of micro–spray on plant growth and physiological properties, a combined irrigation method of micro–spray and drip irrigation (MSDI) was applied to tomato plants growing in a Venlo–type greenhouse for two seasons. The plant growth and physiological parameters of tomatoes grown under MSDI were compared with them under drip irrigation (DI). The running time of micro–spray was set based on the timing of high air temperature (Ta) appeared. The micro–spray was opened (7.5 L/h for each nozzle) for 1 min for each time point at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00 and 14:00 when the Ta was higher than 30 °C. The MSDI had a positive effect on plants growth (18% increased in stem diameter compared to DI) and the leaf temperature (Tl) decreased around 3–6 °C when the micro–spray was operated, and the cooling effect can be sustained for 10–30 min. Water use efficiency (WUE) under MSDI was similar to it under DI by comparing yield and total water consumption of tomato plants, and the total soluble solids (TSS) of tomato under two irrigation methods were similar (5.4% under DI and 5.5% under MSDI) during 2021.The results shown that the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and Ta were represented a negative correlation with chlorophyll fluorescence parameter (the effective quantum yield of PSII, ФPSII). The ФPSII value of tomato under MSDI was higher than it under DI during the micro–spray operating period, and it was more stable during the high Ta period. The improvement rate of ФPSII at different intensity of PAR (at 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 13:30 and 14:30) was varied, and it had a unified decline at 12:30 at the highest Tl during two seasons. Short time (1minute) micro–spray application did not have a remarkable effect on the adjusting of the damage caused by heat stress once temperature over 35 °C. Applying MSDI for tomato plants grown in greenhouse is recommended to reduce the severe effect on plant growth and physiology by high temperature. In addition, the result of this study provides a scientific guide for the development of intellectualization irrigation systems.

Arsenic-triggered bacterial minorities correlate with arsenic accumulation in cabbage

Arsenic (As) in vegetables imposes severe health risks. Selecting low As cultivars is a practical means to mitigate the risk; however, little is known about whether low-accumulating behaviour is related to the rhizosphere microbiota. From 18 cabbage cultivars, we identified high- and low-As transferring cultivars (HTC vs LTC) for a comparative study. Cabbages were grown in soils spiked with 0, 30, or 60 mg kg−1 of As. Plant physiological properties, As concentrations and speciation, and rhizosphere bacterial communities were analysed. The results showed that the LTC generally had more root activity, cell integrity, root antioxidants, and shoot chlorophyll than the HTC under As stress. Arsenic was the main factor driving the structure of the bacterial communities. The 60 mg As kg−1 treatment increased the proportion of bacterial minorities and altered the community co-occurrence networks. Gemmatimonadetes and Planctomycetes correlated positively and significantly with As concentrations in the HTC; however, these correlations were weaker in the LTC. Rhizosphere soils of the LTC, compared with those of the HTC, had more Patescibacteria, which might immobilise toxic ions in soils. The distinct behaviours of the HTC and LTC in harbouring bacterial communities under As stress might have a role in plant As uptake.

Microplastic/nanoplastic toxicity in plants: an imminent concern.

The toxic impact of microplastics/nanoplastics (MPs/NPs) in plants and the food chain has recently become a top priority. Several research articles highlighted the impact of MPs/NPs on the aquatic food chain; however, very little has been done in the terrestrial ecosystem. A number of studies revealed that MPs/NPs uptake and subsequent translocation in plants alter plant morphological, physiological, biochemical, and genetic properties to varying degrees. However, there is a research gap regarding MPs/NPs entry into plants, associated factors influencing phytotoxicity levels, and potential remediation plans in terms of food safety and security. To address these issues, all sources of MPs/NPs intrusion in agroecosystems should be revised to avoid these hazardous materials with special consideration as preventive measures. Furthermore, this review focuses on the routes of accumulation and transmission of MPs/NPs into plant tissues, related aspects influencing the intensity of plant stress, and potential solutions to improve food quality and quantity. This paper also concludes by providing an outlook approach of applying exogenous melatonin and introducing engineered plants that would enhance stress tolerance against MPs/NPs. In addition, an overview of inoculation of beneficial microorganisms and encapsulated enzymes in soil has been addressed, which would make the degradation of MPs/NPs faster.Graphical

A DEEP LEARNING PROGRAM FOR PREDICTING SAP FLOW OF LARIX OLGENSIS

Plant sap flow is crucial to understanding plant transpiration, plant hydraulic functioning and physiological properties. In this study, a method for predicting trunk sap flow of Larix olgensisusing deep learning was proposed. The method is based on the combined use of Long-short term memory network (LSTM) and transformer model, noted as LSTM-transformer model. The experimental results show that the proposed method provides more accurate prediction quality in terms of correlation coefficient (R2), root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE), compared to the state of the art forecast methods such as BP, DNN, LSTM, and transformer models.

Exploring the role of bedrock representation on plant transpiration response during dry periods at four forested sites in Europe

Abstract. Forest transpiration is controlled by the atmospheric water demand, potentially constrained by soil moisture availability, and regulated by plant physiological properties. During summer periods, soil moisture availability at sites with thin soils can be limited, forcing the plants to access moisture stored in the weathered bedrock. Land surface models (LSMs) have considerably evolved in the description of the physical processes related to vegetation water use, but the effects of bedrock position and water uptake from fractured bedrock have not received much attention. In this study, the Community Land Model version 5.0 (CLM 5) is implemented at four forested sites with relatively shallow bedrock and located across an environmental gradient in Europe. Three different bedrock configurations (i.e., default, deeper, and fractured) are applied to evaluate if the omission of water uptake from weathered bedrock could explain some model deficiencies with respect to the simulation of seasonal transpiration patterns. Sap flow measurements are used to benchmark the response of these three bedrock configurations. It was found that the simulated transpiration response of the default model configuration is strongly limited by soil moisture availability at sites with extended dry seasons. Under these climate conditions, the implementation of an alternative (i.e., deeper and fractured) bedrock configuration resulted in a better agreement between modeled and measured transpiration. At the site with a continental climate, the default model configuration accurately reproduced the magnitude and temporal patterns of the measured transpiration. The implementation of the alternative bedrock configurations at this site provided more realistic water potentials in plant tissues but negatively affected the modeled transpiration during the summer period. Finally, all three bedrock configurations did not show differences in terms of water potentials, fluxes, and performances on the more northern and colder site exhibiting a transition between oceanic and continental climate. Model performances at this site are low, with a clear overestimation of transpiration compared to sap flow data. The results of this study call for increased efforts into better representing lithological controls on plant water uptake in LSMs.

PGPR improve physiological and yield attributes in mustard under different regimes of water supply

ABSTRACT Study was aimed to evaluate the effect of rhizobacteria on physiological attributes, agro-morphological-traits and yield of mustard under rainfed, one irrigation and two irrigation, at two different agro-climatic locations. At both locations, plant height, yield and physiological attributes – relative water content, membrane stability index and chlorophyll content – were adversely affected under rainfed condition; single irrigation had beneficial effect on these parameters. Two irrigations did not have similar impact at both locations. Inoculation with all the rhizobacteria improved yield, yield components and most of the assayed physiological attributes. The highest seed yield at Location I (2410 kg ha−1) and Location II (2130 kg ha−1) was obtained due to the inoculation with rhizobacteria Bacillus casamancensis MKS 6 and Bacillus sp. MRD 17, respectively; there was an increase in mustard seed yield by 650 kg ha−1 and 430 kg ha−1 compared with uninoculated treatment at Locations I and II, respectively. Correlation analysis indicated strong positive correlation between most of the plant biometric traits and plant physiological attributes. Hence, due to the application of rhizobacteria, plantphysiological attributes were improved, as a result, crop growth and yield were enhanced. Thus, these rhizobacterial strains can be used as bioinoculants to alleviate the adverse effects of drought and improve crop productivity.

Lead tolerance and accumulation characteristics of Cubana Kordes rose in lead-contaminated soil.

This study was conducted to determine lead tolerance and accumulation characteristics of Cubana Kordes rose, which is used in landscaping studies in areas with heavy traffic. In the study, 0%, 3%, and 6% leonardite was added to the sand growing medium, and Pb was applied at different doses (0, 200, 400, 800, and 1600mg Pb kg-1). At the end of the experiment, the effect of Pb application on plant physiological properties was not statistically significant. The Pb concentration of flower and stem was between 4.50 and 8.92mgkg-1 and 8.47 and 543.25mgkg-1, respectively. The Pb concentration in the stem increased with an increase in the dose of Pb. The Pb concentration in the root was between 4.00 and 50.35mgkg-1 and increased with an increase in the dose of Pb (p < 0.05). The available Pb concentration in the soil varied between 0.05 and 448.79mgkg-1. The transfer factor value varied between 1.84 and 18.73 and the bioaccumulation factor value ranged between 0.00 and 10.46. The amount of Pb removed from the soil by the stem was between 124.7 and 8346.6µgkg-1. From the results, we determined that Pb accumulated at a higher rate in the stem than in the root and the flower of Cubana Kordes roses. We found that these roses could tolerate the accumulation of Pb, and hence, they have a great potential to be used in the remediation of soil contaminated by Pb.

Forecasting rainfed rice yield with biomass of early phenophases, peak intercepted PAR and ground based remotely sensed vegetation indices

Rice is the main staple food of the country but crop productivity in some years declines due to erratic monsoon and non-uniformity in spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall. Hence, assessing productivity of the rice crop in advance using meteorological and plant physiological attributes will be helpful for planners to take decision on contingency measures. In this investigation, dry biomass of early phenophases (active tillering, panicle initiation, boot leaf stages, flowering),peak intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IPAR), peak spectral reflectance based vegetation indices of 3 rice varieties under 3 nitrogen levels (50, 100 and 130 kg ha-1) were made correlated with grain yield.Based on interrelationship it was found that biomass of flowering period was better correlated with grain yield with the R2 value of 0.75.Inter-relationship between peak IPAR(%), remotely sensed peak simple ratio index (IR/R) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)with the rice yield were also established. Multiple regression modelwas developed by interrelating yield as dependant variable with dry biomass of flowering stage, peak IPAR(%) and peak IR/R and NDVI as independent variables which may be used as an effective tool for early prediction of rice yield, at least 30-40 days in advance. The grain yield was also estimated through developed algorithm using MODIS satellite derived NDVI and compared with that of actual yield.

Soil pH alters the biological parameters of cowpea aphid Aphis craccivora Koch (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on its host plant Vicia faba

The biotic and abiotic factors including the agricultural implementation can modify soil acidification. We hypothesized that soil pH should as repercussion, alter the plant physiological and physical properties and eventually affect insect herbivores including agricultural pests. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of seven levels of soil pH on the performance of cowpea aphid Aphis craccivora on Vicia faba. Significant relationships between soil pH and growth of host bean seedlings or development and reproduction of the aphid were detected. Data demonstrated significant differences in the total longevity, the pre-reproductive, reproductive, post-reproductive and pre-viviparity periods. Within a suitable range of pH for bean growth between pH 5.3 and pH 7.2, the aphid performance was worse on seedlings growing better, however, under unfavorable extreme pH conditions, plant quality measured as height did not affect the aphids anymore and their performance was uniformly low except the case in pH 8.1 condition in which the best aphid reproduction was observed. The results confirm that soil pH affect the performance of cowpea aphid A. craccivora and also exhibited strong influence on the growth of broad bean plants.