SEVERAL SOIL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES INFLUENCING THE GROWTH AND RHIZOME DEVELOPMENT OF THE LOWBUSH BLUEBERRY

A field experiment using various soil management practices showed that the most effective means to increase blueberry plant spread was through the use of a surface mulch. Peat and sawdust were of equal suitability as a mulching material influencing vegetative growth, although sawdust did result in a reduction in the number of flower buds produced when compared with peat. Mulching was associated with a higher soil moisture content than non-mulched plots.Blueberry plants growing in nitrogen-treated plots had an increased flower bud number and rhizome growth in contrast with those growing in unfertilized plots. Nitrogen fertilization was of particular benefit when applied in association with surface organic mulches.Plants growing in an undisturbed soil were more vigorous than in a homogenized or tilled soil. Sawdust was found to be detrimental to the growth of lowbush blueberry plants when incorporated into a homogenized soil.

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THE EFFECTS OF PHOTOPERIOD, TEMPERATURE, AND LIGHT INTENSITY ON THE GROWTH OF THE LOWBUSH BLUEBERRY (VACCINIUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM AIT.)

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b61-151 ◽

1961 ◽

Vol 39 (7) ◽

pp. 1733-1739 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

I. V. Hall ◽

R. A. Ludwig

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Vegetative Growth ◽

Photoperiodic Response ◽

Day Length ◽

Flower Buds ◽

Flower Bud ◽

Bud Formation ◽

Lowbush Blueberry ◽

Flower Bud Formation ◽

Field And Laboratory Conditions

A study of the effect of environmental factors on the growth and development of the lowbush blueberry was carried out using clonally propagated plants. In a preliminary study a definite photoperiodic response was found. Under 8-hour days flower buds were formed and no vegetative growth occurred. Under 16-hour days vegetative growth resulted and no flower bud formation occurred. In a replicated greenhouse experiment, seven clones produced flower buds with 8-, 10-, and 12-hour days, but produced none with 14- or 16-hour days. One clone produced flower buds with 8-, 10,- 12-, and 14-, but none with 16-hour days. Two clones were able to produce flower buds under all five photoperiods. Under 8- and 10- hour photoperiods no vegetative growth occurred. Under 12, 14, and 16 hours progressively more vegetative growth occurred. In an experiment on the interaction of temperature and photoperiod, vegetative growth was significantly greater at 70° F than at 50° F with the differences being accentuated by day length. Flower bud formation occurred with 11- and 13-hour photoperiods regardless of temperature, but was more pronounced at the higher temperatures. At 70° F, 15-hour photoperiod, no flower buds were formed while at 50° F, 15 hours, three clones produced no flower buds and six clones produced an abnormal type of inflorescence. Similar abnormal inflorescences were produced by giving plants 2, 3, or 4 weeks of 8-hour days. Six weeks of 8-hour days was sufficient to initiate normal inflorescences. Shade, provided by two layers of cheesecloth, significantly reduced the number of flower buds compared with full sunlight. The growth of the lowbush blueberry under field and laboratory conditions is discussed in relation to environmental factors.

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INTERACTION OF METHOD AND DATE OF PRUNING ON GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY OF THE LOWBUSH BLUEBERRY

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/cjps82-098 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 677-682 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

AMR A. ISMAIL ◽

ERIC J. HANSON

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Growth Pattern ◽

Growth Habit ◽

Growing Season ◽

Flower Buds ◽

Flower Bud ◽

Vaccinium Angustifolium ◽

Flower Primordia ◽

Lowbush Blueberry ◽

Number Of Stems

Lowbush blueberry plants (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) were pruned mechanically by flail mowing or thermally by oil burning in the spring and fall. Plant growth pattern, vigor, and flower bud production were determined after one growing season. The incidence of winter injury to flower primordia and berry yields was also determined. The total number of stems produced was not affected by the pruning treatments, but the growth habit of stems was influenced by the method and time of pruning. The pruning treatments had no influence on the incidence of winter injury to flower primordia. Burning resulted in more flower buds per 0.1 m2 than mowing. Yields were not influenced by the method or time of pruning.

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Cyclamen Leaf Unfolding Rate in Response to Temperature

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.33.3.447d ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 447d-447

Author(s):

Meriam Karlsson ◽

Jeffrey Werner

Keyword(s):

Day Length ◽

Leaf Number ◽

Cyclamen Persicum ◽

Flower Buds ◽

Flower Bud ◽

Leaf Unfolding ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Number Of Leaves ◽

Growth Chambers ◽

Response To Temperature

Nine-week-old plants of Cyclamen persicum `Miracle Salmon' were transplanted into 10-cm pots and placed in growth chambers at 8, 12, 16, 20, or 24 °C. The irradiance was 10 mol/day per m2 during a 16-h day length. After 8 weeks, the temperature was changed to 16 °C for all plants. Expanded leaves (1 cm or larger) were counted at weekly intervals for each plant. The rate of leaf unfolding increased with temperature to 20 °C. The fastest rate at 20 °C was 0.34 ± 0.05 leaf/day. Flower buds were visible 55 ± 7 days from start of temperature treatments (118 days from seeding) for the plants grown at 12, 16, or 20 °C. Flower buds appeared 60 ± 6.9 days from initiation of treatments for plants grown at 24 °C and 93 ± 8.9 days for cyclamens grown at 8 °C. Although there was no significant difference in rate of flower bud appearance for cyclamens grown at 12, 16, or 20 °C, the number of leaves, flowers, and flower buds varied significantly among all temperature treatments. Leaf number at flowering increased from 38 ± 4.7 for plants at 12 °C to 77 ± 8.3 at 24 °C. Flowers and flower buds increased from 18 ± 2.9 to 52 ± 11.0 as temperature increased from 12 to 24 °C. Plants grown at 8 °C had on average 6 ± 2 visible flower buds, but no open flowers at termination of the study (128 days from start of treatments).

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Chemistry of Variable Charge Soils

10.1093/oso/9780195097450.001.0001 ◽

1997 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Keyword(s):

Soil Pollution ◽

Management Practices ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Soil Management ◽

Soil Productivity ◽

Basic Difference ◽

The Past ◽

Variable Charge ◽

Constant Charge ◽

Variable Charge Soils

This book, based on research carried out at the Academia Sinica over the past 30 years, explains the basic difference between the variable charge soils of tropical and subtropical regions, and the constant charge soils of temperate regions. It will focus on the chemical properties of the variable charge soils--properties which have important bearing on soil management practices, including maximizing soil productivity and combating soil pollution.

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Earthworm Abundance Changes Depending on Soil Management Practices in Slovenian Vineyards

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11061241 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 1241

Author(s):

Stanko Vršič ◽

Marko Breznik ◽

Borut Pulko ◽

Jesús Rodrigo-Comino

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Human Impacts ◽

Soil Layer ◽

Soil Management ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Soil Tillage ◽

Soil Biodiversity ◽

Straw Mulch ◽

Green Cover ◽

The Impact

Earthworms are key indicators of soil quality and health in vineyards, but research that considers different soil management systems, especially in Slovenian viticultural areas is scarce. In this investigation, the impact of different soil management practices such as permanent green cover, the use of herbicides in row and inter-row areas, use of straw mulch, and shallow soil tillage compared to meadow control for earthworm abundance, were assessed. The biomass and abundance of earthworms (m2) and distribution in various soil layers were quantified for three years. Monitoring and a survey covering 22 May 2014 to 5 October 2016 in seven different sampling dates, along with a soil profile at the depth from 0 to 60 cm, were carried out. Our results showed that the lowest mean abundance and biomass of earthworms in all sampling periods were registered along the herbicide strip (within the rows). The highest abundance was found in the straw mulch and permanent green cover treatments (higher than in the control). On the plots where the herbicide was applied to the complete inter-row area, the abundance of the earthworm community decreased from the beginning to the end of the monitoring period. In contrast, shallow tillage showed a similar trend of declining earthworm abundance, which could indicate a deterioration of soil biodiversity conditions. We concluded that different soil management practices greatly affect the soil’s environmental conditions (temperature and humidity), especially in the upper soil layer (up to 15 cm deep), which affects the abundance of the earthworm community. Our results demonstrated that these practices need to be adapted to the climate and weather conditions, and also to human impacts.

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Regulation of Flowering Timing by ABA-NnSnRK1 Signaling Pathway in Lotus

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22083932 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (8) ◽

pp. 3932

Author(s):

Jing Cao ◽

Qijiang Jin ◽

Jiaying Kuang ◽

Yanjie Wang ◽

Yingchun Xu

Keyword(s):

Protein Kinase ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Molecular Genetic ◽

Maximal Response ◽

Protein Kinase Activity ◽

Hormonal Changes ◽

Flower Buds ◽

Flower Bud ◽

Aba Content ◽

Flower Bud Abortion

The lotus produces flower buds at each node, yet most of them are aborted because of unfavorable environmental changes and the mechanism remains unclear. In this work, we proposed a potential novel pathway for ABA-mediated flower timing control in the lotus, which was explored by combining molecular, genetic, transcriptomic, biochemical, and pharmacologic approaches. We found that the aborting flower buds experienced extensive programmed cell death (PCD). The hormonal changes between the normal and aborting flower buds were dominated by abscisic acid (ABA). Seedlings treated with increasing concentrations of ABA exhibited a differential alleviating effect on flower bud abortion, with a maximal response at 80 μM. Transcriptome analysis further confirmed the changes of ABA content and the occurrence of PCD, and indicated the importance of PCD-related SNF1-related protein kinase 1 (NnSnRK1). The NnSnRK1-silenced lotus seedlings showed stronger flowering ability, with their flower:leaf ratio increased by 40%. When seedlings were treated with ABA, the expression level and protein kinase activity of NnSnRK1 significantly decreased. The phenotype of NnSnRK1-silenced seedlings could also be enhanced by ABA treatment and reversed by tungstate treatment. These results suggested that the decline of ABA content in lotus flower buds released its repression of NnSnRK1, which then initiated flower bud abortion.

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Effect of Soil Management on Erosion in Mountain Vineyards (N-W Italy)

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13041991 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1991

Author(s):

Silvia Stanchi ◽

Odoardo Zecca ◽

Csilla Hudek ◽

Emanuele Pintaldi ◽

Davide Viglietti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Management Practices ◽

Soil Management ◽

Buffer Strips ◽

Total N ◽

Organic C ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

Soil Ecosystem Services ◽

Erosion Mitigation ◽

Management Approaches

We studied the effects of three soil management approaches (permanent grassing, chemical weeding, and buffer strips), and the additional impact of tractor passage on soil erosion in a sloping vineyard located in the inner part of Aosta Valley (N-W Italian Alps). The vineyard rows were equipped with a sediment collection system with channels and barrel tanks. A total of 12 events with sediment production were observed across 6 years, and the collected sediments were weighted and analyzed. Average erosion rates ranged from negligible (mainly in grassed rows) to 1.1 t ha−1 per event (after weeding). The most erosive event occurred in July 2015, with a total rainfall of 32.2 mm, of which 20.1 were recorded in 1 h. Despite the limited number of erosive events observed, and the low measured erosion rates, permanent grassing reduced soil erosion considerably with respect to weeding; buffering had a comparable effect to grassing. The tractor passage, independent of the soil management approaches adopted, visibly accelerated the erosion process. The collected sediments were highly enriched in organic C, total N, and fine size fractions, indicating a potential loss of fertility over time. Despite the measured erosion rates being low over the experiment’s duration, more severe events are well documented in the recent past, and the number of intense storms is likely to increase due to climate change. Thus, the potential effects of erosion in the medium and long term need to be limited to a minimum rate of soil loss. Our experiment helped to compare soil losses by erosion under different soil management practices, including permanent grassing, i.e., a nature-based erosion mitigation measure. The results of the research can provide useful indications for planners and practitioners in similar regions, for sustainable, cross-sectoral soil management, and the enhancement of soil ecosystem services.

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The Mechanical Impact of Water Affected the Soil Physical Quality of a Loam Soil under Minimum Tillage and No-Tillage: An Assessment Using Beerkan Multi-Height Runs and BEST-Procedure

Land ◽

10.3390/land10020195 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 195 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mirko Castellini ◽

Anna Maria Stellacci ◽

Danilo Sisto ◽

Massimo Iovino

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Water Retention ◽

Management Practices ◽

Soil Management ◽

Soil Water Retention ◽

Physical Quality ◽

Soil Physical Quality ◽

Loam Soil ◽

The Impact

The multi-height (low, L = 3 cm; intermediate, M = 100 cm; high, H = 200 cm) Beerkan run methodology was applied on both a minimum tilled (MT) (i.e., up to a depth of 30 cm) and a no-tilled (NT) bare loam soil, and the soil water retention curve was estimated by the BEST-steady algorithm. Three indicators of soil physical quality (SPQ), i.e., macroporosity (Pmac), air capacity (AC) and relative field capacity (RFC) were calculated to assess the impact of water pouring height under alternative soil management practices. Results showed that, compared to the reference low run, M and H runs affected both the estimated soil water retention curves and derived SPQ indicators. Generally, M–H runs significantly reduced the mean values of Pmac and AC and increased RFC for both MT and NT soil management practices. According to the guidelines for assessment of SPQ, the M and H runs: (i) worsened Pmac classification of both MT and NT soils; (ii) did not worsen AC classification, regardless of soil management parameters; (iii) worsened RFC classification of only NT soil, as a consequence of insufficient soil aeration. For both soil management techniques, a strong negative correlation was found between the Pmac and AC values and the gravitational potential energy, Ep, of the water used for the infiltration runs. A positive correlation was detected between RFC and Ep. The relationships were plausible from a soil physics point of view. NT soil has proven to be more resilient than MT. This study contributes toward testing simple and robust methods capable of quantifying soil degradation effects, due to intense rainfall events, under different soil management practices in the Mediterranean environment.

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Effects of Management and Hillside Position on Soil Organic Carbon Stratification in Mediterranean Centenary Olive Grove

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11040650 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 650

Author(s):

Jesús Aguilera-Huertas ◽

Beatriz Lozano-García ◽

Manuel González-Rosado ◽

Luis Parras-Alcántara

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Management Practices ◽

Soil Management ◽

Olive Grove ◽

No Tillage ◽

Short Term ◽

Degradation Degree

The short- and medium—long-term effects of management and hillside position on soil organic carbon (SOC) changes were studied in a centenary Mediterranean rainfed olive grove. One way to measure these changes is to analyze the soil quality, as it assesses soil degradation degree and attempts to identify management practices for sustainable soil use. In this context, the SOC stratification index (SR-COS) is one of the best indicators of soil quality to assess the degradation degree from SOC content without analyzing other soil properties. The SR-SOC was calculated in soil profiles (horizon-by-horizon) to identify the best soil management practices for sustainable use. The following time periods and soil management combinations were tested: (i) in the medium‒long-term (17 years) from conventional tillage (CT) to no-tillage (NT), (ii) in the short-term (2 years) from CT to no-tillage with cover crops (NT-CC), and (iii) the effect in the short-term (from CT to NT-CC) of different topographic positions along a hillside. The results indicate that the SR-SOC increased with depth for all management practices. The SR-SOC ranged from 1.21 to 1.73 in CT0, from 1.48 to 3.01 in CT1, from 1.15 to 2.48 in CT2, from 1.22 to 2.39 in NT-CC and from 0.98 to 4.16 in NT; therefore, the soil quality from the SR-SOC index was not directly linked to the increase or loss of SOC along the soil profile. This demonstrates the time-variability of SR-SOC and that NT improves soil quality in the long-term.

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Water use by winter wheat as affected by soil management

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859600043458 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 103 (1) ◽

pp. 189-199 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

M. J. Goss ◽

K. R. Howse ◽

Judith M. Vaughan-Williams ◽

M. A. Ward ◽

W. Jenkins

Keyword(s):

Winter Wheat ◽

Soil Water ◽

Water Deficit ◽

Water Use ◽

Management Practices ◽

Soil Management ◽

Maximum Depth ◽

Water Extraction ◽

Soil Water Deficit ◽

Potential Yield

SummaryIn each of the years from September 1977 to July 1982 winter wheat was grown on one or more of three clay soil sites (clay content 35–55%) in Oxfordshire where the climate is close to the average for the area of England growing winter cereals.The effects on crop water use of different soil management practices, including ploughing, direct drilling and subsoil drainage, are compared. Cultivation treatment had little effect on the maximum depth of water extraction, which on average in these clay soils was 1·54 m below the soil surface. Maximum soil water deficit was also little affected by cultivation; the maximum recorded value was 186±7·6 mm. Subsoil drainage increased the maximum depth of water extraction by approximately 15 cm and the maximum soil water deficit by about 17 mm.Generally soil management had little effect on either total water use by the crop which was found to be close to the potential evaporation estimated by the method of Penman, or water use efficiency which for these crops was about 52 kg/ha par mm water used.Results are discussed in relation to limitations to potential yield.

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