Evaluating peat as a growing medium for jack pine seedlings. 1. Conventional quality indices

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 945-949 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Folk ◽  
V. R. Timmer ◽  
J. B. Scarratt

Jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.) seedlings were grown in paperpots filled with 26 different horticultural peat moss substrates to evaluate conventional laboratory indices for characterizing container growing media. Seedling growth performance varied on the different substrates; dry weight differed 52% and height at harvest differed 37% between the best and poorest yielding peat. Precultural physical and chemical properties of the growing media varied widely, but correlated weakly with growth and nutrient composition of the seedlings, suggesting that conventional laboratory indices were not sensitive enough to predict peat suitability for jack pine culture. Height growth was significantly related to nutrient composition of the seedlings; however, correlations were low when tested against initial measures of peat nutrient status. Foliar vector diagnoses of both high- and low-yield plants identified N and P as the primary and secondary nutritional constraints upon growth, respectively. Since plants received a common fertilizer regime, seedling development may be more closely associated with specific fertilizer–substrate interactions rather than conventional precultural test measures. Further research is needed to develop quality indices more sensitive to potential nutrient supply and fertilizer reactions in container rooting media.

HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1474-1476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo R. Hidalgo ◽  
Frank B. Matta ◽  
Richard L. Harkess

The effects of various substrates with or without earthworm [Eisenia fetida (Savigny, 1826] castings on growth of marigolds were evaluated. In addition, the physical and chemical properties of such substrates were determined. Castings had a greater nutrient content than the remaining substrates. The 4 pine bark: 1 sand treatment (v/v) (PBS) had higher P, K, and Zn than 7 peat moss: 3 perlite (v/v) (PP). PP had the lowest nutrient content of all substrates. Castings (C) had the highest pH followed by 1 PBS: 1 C (v/v), 2 PBS: 1C (v/v) and 3 PBS: 1C (v/v). Sunshine Mix 1 and PP had the lowest pH. EC (ER) was increased by castings, which had high ER. Castings and PP had the greatest percentage pore space. Water-holding capacity was greatest for 2 PBS: 1C (v/v) compared with Sunshine Mix 1 followed by castings. Earthworm castings increased plant growth index, stem diameter, root growth, dry weight, and flower number of marigolds compared with PP, Sunshine Mix 1, and PBS. All mixtures of castings (C) with PP, PBS, except 3 PBS: 1C (v/v), increase the growth index of plants. 1 PP: 1 C (v/v), increased flower number compared with all substrates without castings. Castings alone increased number of open flowers, but did not differ from 1 PP: 1 C or 3 PP:1 C.


HortScience ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 47 (10) ◽  
pp. 1438-1444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Mininni ◽  
Pietro Santamaria ◽  
Hamada M. Abdelrahman ◽  
Claudio Cocozza ◽  
Teodoro Miano ◽  
...  

Posidonia [Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile] is a marine phanerogam endemic of the Mediterranean Sea that grows all along the coast forming extensive underwater meadows. Senescent posidonia leaves, together with fibers (residues of rhizomes and decomposed leaves), periodically accumulate along Mediterranean beaches, covering vast areas of coast. Removal and disposal of these large volumes of plant biomasses represent a high cost for local administrations. Therefore, in this experiment, beached residues of posidonia were composted with olive pruning and green wastes with the objective to assess the efficacy of posidonia-based compost (63% on a volume basis) as a peat replacement. The compost was then mixed with a peat-based commercial substrate at rates of 0% (C0, pure peat-based commercial substrate tested as control), 25% (C25), 50% (C50), 75% (C75), and 100% (C100, pure posidonia-based compost) v/v. Mixtures were used as growing media to produce lettuce seedlings for transplant. Two lettuce cultivars (8511RZ and Satine) were tested. Main physical and chemical properties of the five growing media, shoot and root fresh and dry weight, leaf area, root morphology, and elemental leaf tissue composition were studied. Growing media containing posidonia-based compost, C25 and C50 in particular, showed good physical properties. Increasing compost proportions in the mixtures resulted in enhanced: 1) availability of macro- and micronutrients in the growing media; and 2) overall growth parameters of lettuce seedlings, in particular for the cultivar Satine. In conclusion, posidonia-based compost shows a considerable potential as a peat substitute in horticultural substrates; posidonia residues are a low-cost renewable material. In growing media for lettuce seedlings production, posidonia-based compost could be used as a complement to peat at a rate of 25% or 50% to obtain optimal physical properties and to limit the negative effects of high B content, which are typical of posidonia residues.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Anshu Siwach ◽  
Siddhartha Kaushal ◽  
Ratul Baishya

Abstract Mosses are one of the most important and dominant plant communities, especially in the temperate biome, and play a significant role in ecosystem function and dynamics. They influence the water, energy and element cycle due to their unique ecology and physiology. The present study was undertaken in three different temperate forest sites in the Garhwal Himalayas, viz., Triyuginarayan (Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS)), Chakrata, and Kanasar forest range. The study was focused on understanding the influence of mosses on soil physical properties and nutrient availability. Different physico-chemical properties were analysed under two different substrata, that is, with and without moss cover in two different seasons, viz., monsoon and winter. We observed mosses to influence and alter the physical properties and nutrient status of soil in both seasons. All soil physical and chemical properties, except magnesium, showed significant difference within the substrates, among all the sites and across the two seasons. Besides the soil characteristics underneath the moss vegetation, the study also highlights the diversity of mosses found in the area. Mosses appear to create high nutrient microsites via a high rate of organic matter accumulation and retain nutrients for longer periods thus, maintaining ecosystem stability.


2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 37-42
Author(s):  
Renata Mikalauskienė ◽  
Donatas Butkus ◽  
Ingrida Pliopaitė Bataitienė

The present article describes changes in specific activities and fluctuations in the ratio of natural 40K and artificial 137Cs radionuclides in soil samples taken from different places of Lithuanian territory. The samples of soil have been selected from the districts polluted after the accident in Chernobyl nuclear plant performing nuclear testing operations. The study has established the main physical and chemical properties of soil samples and their impact on the concentration of 40K activities. 137Cs/40K specific activities in soil have been observed under the dry weight of the sample that varied from 0.0034 to 0.0240. The results of the study could be used for establishing and estimating 137Csand 40K transfer in the system “soil-plant”. Santrauka Straipsnyje nagrinėjama gamtinės (40K) ir dirbtinės (137Cs) kilmės radionuklidų savitųjų aktyvumų ir jų santykio kaita skirtinguose Lietuvos teritorijos dirvožemiuose. Dirvožemio mėginiai parinkti iš vietovių, kurios buvo labiau užterštos po Černobylio atominės elektrinės avarijos ir buvusių branduolinių bandymų. Tyrimo metu nustatytos pagrindinės fizinės cheminės dirvožemio savybės ir jų poveikis 40K aktyvumų koncentracijai. 137Csir 40K savitieji aktyvumai dirvožemyje tirti esant sausam mėginio svoriui. 137Cs savitieji aktyvumai sausame dirvožemyje svyravo nuo 1,1±1,0 iki 14,3±0,9 Bq/kg, o 40K savitieji aktyvumai – nuo 326±29 iki 740±15 Bq/kg. 137Csir 40K savitųjų aktyvumų santykis skirtingų vietovių dirvožemiuose kito nuo 0,0034 iki 0,0240 Bq/kg. Tyrimo rezultatai gali būti panaudoti, nustatant ir įvertinant 137Csir 40K pernašą sistemoje dirvožemis–augalai.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-64
Author(s):  
Muhammad Hanif ◽  
Fahmi Alif Utama Harahap ◽  
Heru Heru ◽  
Yuli Darni ◽  
Simparmin Br. Ginting

The higher demands of fossil energy usage are currently imbalance to its reserves. This issue will give a potency of fossil fuel scarcity that contributes on rising of its cost and disturbing economic stabilization in the future. It is desirable to find another resource which is sustainable and renewable to reduce the dependency on this resource. This study aimed to utilize the oil from instant coffee waste as biodiesel feedstocks. The coffee oil was extracted from instant-coffee waste by Soxhlet extractor and characterized its physical and chemical properties. The solvent extraction through the solid bed of coffee ground performed by five cycles interval using n-hexane as a solvent. Separation processing oil from its hydrocarbon solvent was in a rotary vacuum evaporator and the oil extract collected for further purposes. There was about 17.6% (on a dry weight basis) of coffee oil gained on 20 cycles of extraction. Analysis regarding its physicochemical properties reported that the crude oil has 0.89 g/mL of density, 43.82 mm2/s of kinematic viscosity, 44.47 mg KOH/g of acid value, and 176.40 mg KOH/g of saponification value. The fatty acids composition of the oil provided by GC-MS analyzer showed that unsaturated fatty acids contained, observed as trans-fatty acids rather than cis-fatty acids.


2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-132
Author(s):  
Poonam . ◽  
◽  
R. Bawa ◽  
D. Nayak ◽  
H.P. Sankhyan ◽  
...  

The present investigation was carried out at village Goshal of Lahaul and Spiti cold desert district of Himachal Pradesh during the year 2010 to 2013 to compare soil physical and chemical properties by demarcating the study area into three main ecosystems viz; forest ecosystem, alpine pasture ecosystem and agro ecosystem. The soil physical properties of all the three ecosystems revealed that the soils were found nearly neutral in reaction, having no salt problem and were medium in physical status. Bulk density was more in alpine and forest ecosystem due to grazing and soil was more compact as compared to agro ecosystem. The average soil moisture was maximum in agro ecosystem. Average soil nutrient status for all the three ecosystems depicted that the fields where peas and pulses were planted were found to be possessing higher nitrogen contents than other areas due to the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen.


2012 ◽  
Vol 241-244 ◽  
pp. 204-207
Author(s):  
Nongnaphat Khosavithitkul ◽  
Kenneth J. Haller ◽  
Nares Chuersuwan ◽  
Thananchai Wannasook

One hundred and thirty-seven samples of agricultural residue were taken from the study area of forty subdistricts in twenty districts of ten provines in the Northeastern region of Thailand. The samples were analyzed for major physical and chemical properties and subjected to simulated burning. Rice straw had the highest dry weight and bagasse the lowest. Bagasse had the highest moisture content and the highest carbon content. Results from simulated burning found that sugarcane leaf emitted more CO2 than the other residues. Weight loss on combustion was in the range of 75-92 %, and the simulated burn of agricultural residues showed CO2 emission values at 67% of the IPCC values.


Author(s):  
Loredana Stabili ◽  
Roberto Schirosi ◽  
Angela Di Benedetto ◽  
Alessandro Merendino ◽  
Luciano Villanova ◽  
...  

Although mucus plays many different roles among marine invertebrates, relatively little is known about the link between biochemical structure and function. In the present study we focused on some physical and chemical properties of the polychaeteSabella spallanzanii's mucus such as viscosity, osmolarity, electrical conductivity, elemental composition, the protein and carbohydrate content, the total lipids and fatty acid composition, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contamination. Moreover, an antimicrobial activity of the mucus was investigated. The water content ofS. spallanzaniimucus was 96.2±0.3%. By dry weight 26±1.2% was protein, 8±0.21% was carbohydrate and only 0.1% lipid, much of the remainder of the dry weight was inorganic (about 65.2%). The estimated PCBs content was <0.005 μg g−1. The mucus ofS. spallanzaniiexerted a natural lysozyme-like activity and producedin vitrothe growth inhibition ofVibrio anguillarum, Vibrio harveyi, Pseudomonas aeruginosaandCandida albicans.The findings from this study contribute to improve the limited knowledge available on the mucus composition in invertebrates and have implications for future investigations related to employment ofS. spallanzaniimucus as a source of compounds of pharmaceutical and marine technological interest.


2016 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 49-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhawana Bhatta Kaudal ◽  
Deli Chen ◽  
Dinesh Babu Madhavan ◽  
Adriana Downie ◽  
Anthony Weatherley

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. 2078-2084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwei-Nam Law ◽  
Jacques L. Valade

Although jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.), which represents 20% of the total softwood volume, is one of the most abundant commercial softwood species in Canada, its rate of utilization in pulping is surprisingly low. This paper reviews the literature concerning the physical and chemical properties as well as the pulping characteristics of this species by mechanical, thermomechanical, chemithermomechanical, chemimechanical, and chemical processes to better understand its potential use in papermaking. The objective is to identify the problems related to the use of jack pine so that solutions might be sought to promote its usage. Some recommendations are put forth concerning future research.


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