Effects of Potassium Availability on Growth and Development of Barley Cultivars

Potassium deficiency is one of the major issues affecting crop production around the globe. Giving the high cost of potassium fertilizers and environmental concerns related to inappropriate fertilization practices, developing more potassium use efficient (KUE) varieties is critical for sustainable food production in agricultural systems. In this study, we analysed the impact of potassium availability on agronomical attributes of thirty barley genotypes grown at four different levels of potassium (0.002 mM, 0.02 mM, 2 mM, 20 mM) under glasshouse conditions. The results showed that the availability of potassium in the soil had a major effect on yield components i.e., spike number, grain number and grain weight. Furthermore, grain weight showed a strong correlation with grain number and spike number at all levels of potassium supply. Although an increase in potassium supply led to an increase in plant height in all genotypes, the correlation with grain weight was very weak at all levels. Potassium supplementation caused an increase in shoot dry weight, which also showed a weak correlation with grain weight at the 0.002 mM potassium supply level. The genotypes Gebeina, Skiff, YF374, Flagship and YF374 were highly efficient in performing at suboptimal K supply levels and, thus, can be recommended to be grown in K-impoverished soils. We also suggest that grain and spike numbers could be used as proxies for KUE studies, to construct DH lines and identify QTL to improve low potassium tolerance and KUE in barley.

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Contribution of green organs to grain weight in dryland wheat from the 1940s to the 2010s in Shaanxi Province, China

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-82718-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yingying Sun ◽

Suiqi Zhang ◽

Jiakun Yan

Keyword(s):

Dry Matter ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Grain Weight ◽

Shaanxi Province ◽

Grain Number ◽

Replacement Process ◽

Defoliation Treatment ◽

Winter Wheat Cultivars ◽

Water Treatments ◽

Over Time

AbstractEight dryland winter wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum L.), which were widely cultivated from the 1940s to the 2010s in Shaanxi Province, China, were selected and grown in plots, and two water treatments (irrigation and drought) were used to identify the contribution of ears, leaves and stems to grain weight and grain number associated with cultivar replacement. The plant height and stem dry weight of the dryland wheat decreased significantly during the cultivar replacement process, but there was a remarkable increase in the dry matter translocation of stems under irrigation. Shaded-ear and defoliation treatment could decrease the grain number and grain weight, and the grain weight was more influenced. Both the leaf and ear are important photosynthetic sources for dryland wheat, and the contribution of ear assimilates showed a significant increase over time; however, the contribution of leaf assimilates showed a negative correlation with cultivation over time. The accumulation of stem assimilates and ear photosynthesis both increased the grain weight potential. In the future breeding process, cultivars with more assimilates stored in the stem and greater assimilative capacity of ears, especially a greater contribution of ear assimilates, are expected to increase the grain yield.

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The Impact of Nickel Mining on Soil Properties and Growth of Two Fast-Growing Tropical Trees Species

International Journal of Forestry Research ◽

10.1155/2020/8837590 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Ricksy Prematuri ◽

Maman Turjaman ◽

Takumi Sato ◽

Keitaro Tawaraya

Keyword(s):

Forest Soil ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Natural Forest ◽

Total Carbon ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

Shoot Height ◽

Fast Growing ◽

Shoot Dry Weight ◽

Nickel Mining ◽

The Impact

Opencast nickel mining is common in natural forests of Indonesia. However, rehabilitation of postmining degraded land is difficult. We investigated the effect of opencast nickel mining on soil chemical properties and the growth of two fast-growing tropical tree species, Falcataria moluccana and Albizia saman. Soil was collected from post-nickel mining land and a nearby natural forest. Soil pH, available phosphorus (P) concentration, total carbon (TC) and total nitrogen (TN) concentration, C/N ratio, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and exchangeable K, Na, Mg, Ca, Fe, and Ni concentrations were determined. Falcataria moluccana and A. saman were then grown in the collected soils for 15 weeks in a greenhouse. Shoot height and shoot and root dry weights of the seedlings were measured. The post--nickel mining soils TN, TC, available P, CEC, and exchangeable Ca and Na concentrations decreased by 98%, 93%, 11%, 62%, 85%, and 74%, respectively, in comparison with the natural forest soils. The pH of postmining soil was higher than natural forest soil. Shoot dry weight of F. moluccana seedlings grown in postmining soil was significantly ( P < 0.05 ) lower than that of seedlings grown in natural forest soil. However, there was no difference in shoot dry weight between A. saman seedlings grown in natural forest soil and postmining soil, as well as root dry weights of both species. The results indicate that opencast nickel mining decreased soil fertility, which subsequently inhibited the growth of F. moluccana and A. saman seedlings.

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The impact of source or sink limitations on yield formation of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) due to post-anthesis water and nitrogen deficiencies

Plant Soil and Environment ◽

10.17221/217/2009-pse ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 56 (No. 5) ◽

pp. 218-227 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

A. Madani ◽

A. Shirani-Rad ◽

A. Pazoki ◽

G. Nourmohammadi ◽

R. Zarghami ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Triticum Aestivum L ◽

Grain Weight ◽

Grain Number ◽

Water Regimes ◽

N Supply ◽

Nitrogen Deficiencies ◽

Rainfed Wheat ◽

Source Sink ◽

The Impact

The experiments were laid out to understand the mechanisms causing yield limitations imposed by post-anthesis water and nitrogen deficiencies in plants with modified source-sink ratios. Two soil-water regimes were allotted to the main plots. At anthesis, three levels of N were applied: none, 25% and 50% of total the N supply. Spike-halving caused reduction in grain yield at both water regimes and all N supply levels, showing that the reduction in grain number can not be compensated by a higher individual grain weight. Sink reduction by trimming 50% of the spikelets reduced grain number per ear by 38.5% and increased individual grain weight by 12.0%, which shows the plasticity in grain weight and grain set of wheat if sufficient assimilates are available. Additional nitrogen supply at anthesis had no significant effect on the total aboveground biomass, but increased grain yield through more allocation of dry matter to grains. Our findings suggest that for rainfed wheat with optimum N supply and supplemental irrigation, wheat growers should choose cultivars with a high grain number per ear and manage the crop to increase grain number per unit of land (sink capacity).

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Grain number and grain weight as determinants of triticale, wheat, two-rowed and six-rowed barley yield in the Pannonian environment

Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research ◽

10.5424/sjar/2018163-11388 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. e0903 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Milan Mirosavljević ◽

Vojislava Momčilović ◽

Srbislav Denčić ◽

Sanja Mikić ◽

Dragana Trkulja ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Grain Yield ◽

Crop Production ◽

Large Scale ◽

Heading Date ◽

Growing Season ◽

Grain Weight ◽

Scale Production ◽

Grain Number ◽

Winter Cereal ◽

Growing Seasons

Climate significantly affects cropping systems across Europe. Knowledge of the variability in grain number per unit area and grain weight across different growing seasons and its association with grain yield is important for further improving small grain crop production. The main aim of this study was to compare grain yield and its numerical components among triticale, wheat, two-rowed and six-rowed barley cultivars across different growing seasons in a typical Pannonian location (south-eastern part of Central Europe). Trials with twelve winter cereal genotypes (three two-rowed barley, three six-rowed barley, three wheat and three triticale genotypes) were carried out in four successive seasons in Novi Sad, Serbia. Results of this study showed that growing season, species, cultivar, and species × growing season interaction significantly (p<0.01) affected grain yield and its determinants. Generally, triticale had higher average grain yield, while the lowest grain yield was recorded in six-rowed barleys. Grain yield was more associated with the number of grains/m2 than with grain weight. Heading date was recognized as one of the important adaptive traits in crop development and yield determination. Short duration of the pre-anthesis phase in early cultivars and delayed anthesis in late cultivars significantly decreased the number of grains/spike in different species/spike types, reducing the final grain yield. Medium early cultivars had the highest number of grains/spike due to optimal duration of the pre-anthesis period and heading date and are suggested as recommendable for large scale production in the Pannonian environments.

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Co-composted Biochar Enhances Growth, Physiological, and Phytostabilization Efficiency of Brassica napus and Reduces Associated Health Risks Under Chromium Stress

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2021.775785 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Muhammad Naveed ◽

Bisma Tanvir ◽

Wang Xiukang ◽

Martin Brtnicky ◽

Allah Ditta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antioxidant Enzyme ◽

Health Risks ◽

Contaminated Soil ◽

Enzyme Activities ◽

Crop Production ◽

Industrial Effluents ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Antioxidant Enzyme Activities ◽

Maximum Increase ◽

Shoot Dry Weight

Among heavy metals, chromium (Cr) contamination is increasing gradually due to the use of untreated industrial effluents for irrigation purposes, thereby posing a severe threat to crop production. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of compost, biochar (BC), and co-composted BC on the growth, physiological, biochemical attributes, and health risks associated with the consumption of Brassica grown on Cr-contaminated soil. Results revealed that Cr stress (Cr-25) significantly reduced the growth and physiological attributes and increased antioxidant enzyme activities in Brassica, but the applied amendments considerably retrieved the negative effects of Cr toxicity through improving the growth and physiology of plants. The maximum increase in plant height (75.3%), root length (151.0%), shoot dry weight (139.4%), root dry weight (158.5%), and photosynthetic rate (151.0%) was noted with the application of co-composted BC under Cr stress (Cr-25) in comparison to the control. The application of co-composted BC significantly reduced antioxidant enzyme activities, such as APX (42.5%), GP (45.1%), CAT (45.4%), GST (47.8%), GR (47.1%), and RG (48.2%), as compared to the control under Cr stress. The same treatment reduced the accumulation of Cr in grain, shoot, and roots of Brassica by 4.12, 2.27, and 2.17 times and enhanced the accumulation in soil by 1.52 times as compared to the control. Moreover, the application of co-composted BC significantly enhanced phytostabilization efficiency and reduced associated health risks with the consumption of Brassica. It is concluded that the application of co-composted BC in Cr-contaminated soil can significantly enhance the growth, physiological, and biochemical attributes of Brassica by reducing its uptake in plants and enhanced phytostabilization efficiency. The tested product may also help in restoring the soils contaminated with Cr.

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Steel Slag Raises pH of Greenhouse Substrates

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.50.4.603 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 50 (4) ◽

pp. 603-608 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

James E. Altland ◽

James C. Locke ◽

Wendy L. Zellner ◽

Jennifer K. Boldt

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Manufacturing Industry ◽

Steel Slag ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Nutrient Concentrations ◽

Ph Response ◽

Shoot Dry Weight ◽

Shoot Mass ◽

Foliar Concentration ◽

Substrate Ph

Dolomitic lime (DL) is the primary liming agent used for increasing pH in peatmoss-based substrates. Steel slag (SS) is a byproduct of the steel manufacturing industry that has been used to elevate field soil pH. The objective of this research was to determine the pH response of a peatmoss-based greenhouse substrate to varying rates of DL or SS. Two experiments were conducted with an 85 peatmoss : 15 perlite substrate. In the first experiment, the substrate was amended with 0, 2.4, 4.8, or 7.1 kg·m−3 of either DL or SS. Half of the containers remained fallow and the other half were potted with a single sunflower (Helianthus annuus L. ‘Pacino Gold’). In the second experiment, fallow containers were only used with the substrate amended with 0, 2.4, 4.8, 9.5, or 14.2 kg·m−3 DL or SS. Sunflower were measured for relative foliar chlorophyll content, shoot mass, root ratings, and foliar nutrient concentrations. Substrate electrical conductivity (EC) and pH were measured weekly using the pour-through procedure. All sunflower plants grew vigorously, although nonamended controls had less shoot dry weight than those amended with DL or SS. There were minor differences in foliar concentration of N, Ca, Mg, and Mn; however, these differences did not adversely affect plant growth. Summarizing across both experiments, EC was affected by treatment and time, although all substrates had EC readings within the range recommended for floriculture crop production (1.0–4.6 mS⋅cm−1). Substrate pH differed slightly in Expt. 1 between fallow and planted containers. Substrate pH increased exponentially with increasing rates of either DL or SS. Maximum pH in fallow DL and SS amended substrates was 6.57 and 6.93, respectively, in Expt. 1 and 6.85 and 7.67, respectively, in Expt. 2. The SS used in this experiment resulted in a greater pH response than DL with higher application rates. SS is a viable material for raising pH of soilless substrates.

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Effects of Some Growth Retardants on Shoot and Root Growth of Two Cool-season Turfgrasses

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.30.4.895e ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 895E-895 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Fahed A. Al-Mana ◽

Hesham H. Abdel-Kader ◽

Ritchard J. Bisarove

Keyword(s):

Root Growth ◽

Perennial Ryegrass ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Major Effect ◽

Cool Season ◽

Shoot Height ◽

Red Fescue ◽

Shoot Dry Weight ◽

Turf Quality ◽

Shoot And Root Growth

Effects of mefluidide, paclobutrazol, and their mixture on shoot and root growth of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L. `Wendy') and creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra L. `Dawson') were studied under container culture. Mefluidide applied alone or in combination with paclobutrazol caused significant reduction in shoot and root growth of perennial ryegrass and red fescue. These treatments also enhanced turf green color of both species and increased their root–shoot percentage, with no major effect on turf quality. Paclobutrazol applied alone reduced shoot height of perennial ryegrass and red fescue by 10% and 32%, respectively, and caused little reduction in their shoot weights, with no effect on turf quality and color. Although paclobutrazol applied alone reduced the root length and percentage of root–shoot dry weight of perennial ryegrass, it did not affect red fescue.

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Influence of nitrogen form on growth of invasive species Acer negundo L. and Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) swingle

Glasnik Sumarskog fakulteta ◽

10.2298/gsf1205061g ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 61-72 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Matilda Djukic ◽

Danijela Djunisijevic-Bojovic ◽

Mihailo Grbic ◽

Dragana Skocajic ◽

Dragica Obratov-Petkovic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Leaf Area ◽

Nitrogen Nutrition ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Dry Mass ◽

Ailanthus Altissima ◽

Acer Negundo ◽

Shoot Dry Weight ◽

Aerial Parts ◽

The Impact

Relative amounts of nutrients, especially nitrogen, the most abundant macro-element, and also the distribution of ammonium ions in relation to nitrate ions, in the soils of different ecosystems, are determined by many factors. The most important are: temperature, pH of substrate, accumulation of organic matter, presence of allelopathic compounds, degree of oxygenation, etc. The ability of plants to adapt to these variations influences their production of bio-mass, the rate of expansion in different habitats, and the impact on ecosystem and biodiversity. This paper analyzes the impact of different forms of nitrogen (NO3 - and NH4 +) on the growth of seedlings of invasive species Acer negundo L. and Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle. The results show that nitrogen nutrition only in the form of NH4 + ions significantly affects the reduction in shoot dry weight. Compared to the nutrition with both forms of nitrogen together, aerial parts of Ailanthus altissima were reduced by 62.5%, and leaf area by 66.7%, while Acer negundo seedlings had reduction in dry mass of aboveground part by 89.5%, root by 81.2% and leaf area by 85.8%. Nutrition with nitrate form of nitrogen led to a proportionally small, but statistically significant decrease in dry mass of aboveground parts and roots as well as leaf area of Acer negundo, while in Ailanthus altissima seedlings, it was only the mass reduction of aboveground parts that was significantly influenced, so it can be assumed that this species is more resistant to the lack of both forms of nitrogen. The fact that both species produced significantly more biomass when nitrogen was present in both forms may be important in controlling the spread of alien species, or in their potential use in phytoremediation.

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In Vitro Screening of Soybean Genotypes under Salinity Stress

International Journal of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology ◽

10.3126/ijasbt.v4i2.15100 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 207-212

Author(s):

M.K. Hasan ◽

K.M. Nasiruddin ◽

M. Al-Amin ◽

A.K.M.S. Hossain

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Principal Component ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Limiting Factors ◽

Percent Reduction ◽

Shoot Dry Weight ◽

Soybean Genotypes ◽

Total Dry Weight

Salinity is one of the most limiting factors for successful crop production in in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Thirty eight soybean genotypes were screened at 8mMNaCl under in vitro condition. Salinity reduced Shoot dry weight, Root dry weight and Plant height. Salt susceptibility index was fully and positive correlated with percent reduction of total dry weight. Principal component analysis showed that the first two components were extracted that comprises of about 98.6% of the total variation in the genotypes. Based on the K-means clustering, 8, 6, 12 and 12 genotypes were categorized under cluster II, IV, III and I and considered as tolerant, moderately tolerant, moderately susceptible and susceptible which represents the 21, 16, 31.5 and 31.5%, respectively. Genotypes Shohag, AGS 313, PK 416, AGS 66, MACS 57, AGS 195, GC 308, AGS 129 were found relatively tolerant to salinity.Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol 4(2): 207-212

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Grafting onto an Appropriate Rootstock Reduces the Impact on Yield and Quality of Controlled Deficit Irrigated Pepper Crops

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10101529 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 1529

Author(s):

Ramón Gisbert-Mullor ◽

Nuria Pascual-Seva ◽

María Amparo Martínez-Gimeno ◽

Lidia López-Serrano ◽

Eduardo Badal Marín ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Stress ◽

Plant Biomass ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Sweet Pepper ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

Volumetric Soil Water Content ◽

Shoot Dry Weight ◽

Irrigation Water Use ◽

Water Potential Measurements ◽

The Impact

In this study, hybrid pepper rootstock NIBER® is tested for its ability to overcome water stress situations under soil conditions. The impact of deficit irrigation (DI) on yield and fruit quality, irrigation water use efficiency is evaluated, and consequently, the agronomic impact of employing water-stress tolerant rootstock is compared to ungrafted pepper plants. For this purpose, plants of the California-type sweet pepper ‘Maestral F1’ grafted onto NIBER® underwent a sustained DI regime during seasons 2018 and 2019 and were compared to their respective controls. Plants were drip-fertirrigated, and volumetric soil water content was continuously monitored by capacitance sensors. Gas exchange and leaf water potential measurements were taken early in the morning and midday 58, 79, and 114 days after transplanting. Plant and fruit dry biomass, marketable quality, blossom-end rot incidence and harvest index were also determined. For consecutive years, our results confirmed that grafting a pepper cultivar onto an appropriate rootstock (NIBER® in this case) as part of a DI strategy can overcome the negative effects of sustained water stress conditions. The plant biomass production and fruit yields of grafted plants were less affected by DI due to less sensitivity to water stress. This can be attributed to a less marked reduction in shoot dry weight in the grafted plants, which allowed greater whole photosynthesis by maintaining sink activity compared to ungrafted plants.

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