Soil Respiration and Carbon Balance Under Cover Crop in a no-Till Tropical Fruit Orchard

Agricultural practices, specifically crop and land management schemes, greatly influence the ability of soil to produce CO2 under varying conditions. A 2-year research study was planned to quantify carbon-dioxide (CO2) emission fluxes and total C (TC) contribution in a no-till tropical soil under carambola with sunn hemp-velvet bean cover cropping (CC) systems. Composted poultry manure (PM) was applied as an additional N source. The treatments were fallow control (F), fallow with PM (FM), sunn hemp (SH), SH with PM (SHM), velvet bean (VB), and VB with PM (VBM). Average daily CO2 emission from VB was 23 and 15% higher than control and SH plots, respectively, during CC growing season. Similarly, CO2 emission after CC termination was highest from VB plots. About 17% higher CO2-C emission was observed from manure applied plots which indicates that additional food sources stimulated microbial activity in the soils and subsequently produced more CO2. However, total C contribution in SH plots were significantly higher than in VB plots and was more apparent when manure was not applied. Soil and air temperature played key roles in CO2 emission, specifically during the CC growing season. Considering both input and output parameters of C in the soil, our results suggest that SH has the better potential in reducing CO2 emission and accumulating more C in the soil than VB in tropical fruit orchard.

Pharmacognostical, Phytochemical and Anti-Parkinson’s profile of Mucuna pruriens

Mucuna pruriens is a recognized herbal drug which contains numerous pharmacological activities. Mucuna pruriens commonly known as cow-age or cowitch or velvet bean or Alkushi. Mucuna pruriens has been traditionally used as a food source in a number of countries. It belongs to the Mucuna genus of Fabaceae family and it is cultivated in Asia, America, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. Mucuna pruriens is used in India since 1500 B.C. it contains various important phytoconstituents which are for medicinal purposes. Pods of Mucuna pruriens are used as a vegetable for human consumption. Its fresh leaves are used as animal fodder. Mucuna contains various species, 130 species of Mucuna are metioned in this review. The present review is an attempt to provide all the reported details of information regarding to the Pharmacognostical, Phytochemical and Anti-Parkinson’s Profile of Mucuna pruriens.

Legume Nitrogen Fixation and Symbioses in Low-Inputs Rainfed Rice Rotations

Cropping systems with legumes play key roles in farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa. However, how commonly legume associations perform in low input-systems is not well-known. Here, we studied four legume species used in three systems in rotation with upland rice, i.e., groundnut monocropping, sorghum–cowpea intercropping, and velvet bean–crotalaria intercropping, in two fertilization managements on the previous rice, i.e., manure alone or complemented with mineral fertilization. Legume suitability was assessed using rhizobial and mycorrhizal colonization rates, plant biomass production, shoot N and P content, and biological N2 fixation based on their δ15N natural abundance. Shoot and root biomasses varied significantly between legume species and were positively correlated with nodule number (r = 0.49 and 0.74, p-value < 0.05 and <0.001, respectively) and the amount of fixed N (r = 0.73 and 0.50, p-value < 0.001 and <0.05, respectively). The proportion of plant N derived from N2 fixation also varied significantly between species, with a higher percentage for velvet bean (66%), compared to the other three species (50 to 60%). Legume roots were weakly colonized by AM fungi, with similar levels between species. Overall, fertilization management did not significantly impact legume biomass, symbioses, or N2 fixation, yet the organo-mineral fertilization significantly increased legume shoot P content. The lack of effect of mineral fertilization on N2 fixation and biomass could be due to other nutrient deficiencies (Ca, Mg, micronutrients), which can hamper symbioses with rhizobia and mycorrhizae.

Biological N Fixation and N Transfer in an Intercropping System between Legumes and Organic Cherry Tomatoes in Succession to Green Corn

The aim of this study was to investigate the transfer of N from different legumes to cherry tomatoes in the intercropping system under residual straw of the previous green corn crop using the 15N natural abundance method. We also investigated the temporal variation in nitrogen transfer to a cherry tomato, the biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) of legumes, and the N concentration of green corn cultivated in the intercrop succession. The experimental design was a complete randomized block with eight treatments and five replications, described as follows: two controls consisting of a monocrop of cherry tomato with or without residual straw, cherry tomato and jack bean, sun hemp, dwarf velvet bean, mung bean, and white lupine or cowpea bean in intercropping system. The BNF was responsible for more than half of the N accumulated in the legumes. The N of legumes was transferred to cherry tomato in similar quantities, and the leaves and fruits of cherry tomato received more N transfer than shoots. It was shown that N transfer increases with the growth/development of cherry tomatoes. The intercropping system with legumes did not affect the 15N natural abundance of leaves and the aboveground biomass of green corn cultivated in succession.

Evaluation of Microbial Diversity, Community Composition and Function in Mixed Cropping Systems Using Three Legume Species Under the Application of Biochar or Chemical Fertiliser

Mixed cropping systems involve utilising multiple crop species on the field and diversifying aboveground plants. However, several contradicting results have been reported regarding their effects on soil microbial diversity. Therefore, to evaluate the effects of different leguminous species used in mixed cropping systems and the types of fertiliser on the diversity of soil microbes, a pot study was performed under maize/legume mixed cropping systems with one of three legumes, including cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.], velvet bean [Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC.] and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) , and one of three types of fertiliser treatments, namely chemical fertiliser (CF), carbonised chicken manure (CM) or the lack of fertiliser (Ctr). 16S rRNA analyses were conducted using the soils sampled from each pot for soil bacterial diversity assessment, and Tax4Fun2 was used for bacterial functional prediction analysis. A decrease in microbial diversity after CM application was observed in the soil with velvet bean + maize (MM) compared to the Ctr treatment, whereas an increase in microbial diversity was observed in the soil with common bean + maize (PM) in the same condition. With CM application, the abundance of treatment-unique bacteria increased with PM treatment, whereas their decrease was observed with MM treatment. In contrast, the abundance of dominant microbes, including Thaumarchaeota, Chloroflexi, Planctomycetes and Verrucomicrobia, was significantly lower in PM but higher in MM after CM application. Functional prediction analysis indicated that the dominant bacteria were involved in CM decomposition processes and nitrification in MM treatment. Legume species-dependent factors, including nutrient absorption and root exudate composition, might be important concerning soil bacterial diversities.

Enzymatic Preparation of Bioactive Peptides Exhibiting ACE Inhibitory Activity from Soybean and Velvet Bean: A Systematic Review

The Angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) is a peptidase with a significant role in the regulation of blood pressure. Within this work, a systematic review on the enzymatic preparation of Angiotensin-I-Converting Enzyme inhibitory (ACEi) peptides is presented. The systematic review is conducted by following PRISMA guidelines. Soybeans and velvet beans are known to have high protein contents that make them suitable as sources of parent proteins for the production of ACEi peptides. Endopeptidase is commonly used in the preparation of soybean-based ACEi peptides, whereas for velvet bean, a combination of both endo- and exopeptidase is frequently used. Soybean glycinin is the preferred substrate for the preparation of ACEi peptides. It contains proline as one of its major amino acids, which exhibits a potent significance in inhibiting ACE. The best enzymatic treatments for producing ACEi peptides from soybean are as follows: proteolytic activity by Protease P (Amano-P from Aspergillus sp.), a temperature of 37 °C, a reaction time of 18 h, pH 8.2, and an E/S ratio of 2%. On the other hand, the best enzymatic conditions for producing peptide hydrolysates with high ACEi activity are through sequential hydrolytic activity by the combination of pepsin-pancreatic, an E/S ratio for each enzyme is 10%, the temperature and reaction time for each proteolysis are 37 °C and 0.74 h, respectively, pH for pepsin is 2.0, whereas for pancreatin it is 7.0. As an underutilized pulse, the studies on the enzymatic hydrolysis of velvet bean proteins in producing ACEi peptides are limited. Conclusively, the activity of soybean-based ACEi peptides is found to depend on their molecular sizes, the amino acid residues, and positions. Hydrophobic amino acids with nonpolar side chains, positively charged, branched, and cyclic or aromatic residues are generally preferred for ACEi peptides.

Quality Characteristics of Complementary Food from Locally Fermented Maize Flour Blended with Sprouted Velvet Bean (Mucuna utilis) Flour in Nigeria

Complementary food produced from fermented maize and sprouted velvet bean flour in ratios 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, 50:50 and 100% maize (control) was studied in this research work. Proximate composition, anti-nutritional and sensory properties of the blends was evaluated using standard analytical methods. Results showed that moisture (5.49% - 8.35%), ash (0.55% - 1.25%), crude fiber (3.50% - 4.98%), protein (8.05 -13.05%) increased with increased velvet bean flour while carbohydrate content decreased (77.37% - 63.48%). Phytate (2.11 - 2.34 mg/100 g) and oxalate (0.40–10.1 mg/100 g) are within lethal doses. The colour, taste, and mouth-feel of the sample with 10% velvet bean flours were significantly (p<0.05) being the most acceptable by the assessors. This study showed that protein-energy malnutrition in developing nations could be alleviated with complementary foods.

Effect of dietary raw, cooked and toasted mucuna pruriens seeds (velvet bean) on the performance of Finisher broilers

A 5-week feeding trial was conducted to determine the effect of dietary raw, cooked and toasted Mucuna puriens seeds contained 30.3% crude protein. At 10% dietary level, raw and toasted Mucuna puriens seed meals significantly (P<0.05) depressed growth rate of broilers. At 20% dietary level, cooked Mucuna puriensseedmeal also significantly (P<0.05) depressed growth rate of the birds. Feed intake was also significantly (P<0.05) reduced at 20% and 10% dietary levels of cooked and toasted meals, respectively. The feed intake of the group on 10% raw Mucuna diet remained unexpectedly high

Effects of calcium hydroxide soaked and cooked velvet beans (Mucuna pruriens) on the performance of finisher broilers

The response of finisher broilers to diets containing pre-calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2 soaked and cooked velvet bean (VB) was investigated. The processed beanmeal was incorporated into broiler finisher rations at 0% (control), 20% and 30%levels, respectively and fed for 28 days in a complete randomized design replicated 4 times. Velvet bean diet caused progressive readuction in growth. At the end of trial, broilers fed 20 and 30% VB diets weighed 98.34 and 80.11% of the control respectively. Birds fed 30% diet had the lowest fed intake value of 4.38kg, which compared statistically with 4.58kg of the control. Birds fed 30% VB diet had significantly (P<0.05) lower feed conversion ration ( 3.02) than the control. Inclusion of 20% VB in the dietsi gnificantly (P<0.05) increased the feed (4.76) of broilers, but allowed better growth (63.00gg/d) and feed conversion ratio (2.73), than the 30% VB diet group. At the end of the trial, birds fed 20% VB diet compared statistically with the control in growth rate and feed conversion ratio. We conclude that pre-soaking in Ca(OH)2 solution for 84-hr before cooking for 1-hr partially improved the performance of finisher broilers, thus allowing for successful use of 20% processed meal in broiler finsher rations.

Green Manure Species for Phytoremediation of Soil With Tebuthiuron and Vinasse

Tebuthiuron is often used to control weed growth in sugarcane cultures. This herbicide is highly toxic and can persist in soil for up to 2 years according to its degradation half-life. Hence, its residual effect is highly hazardous for the environment and local habitants via leaching, surface runoff. Screening out of species of green manure as potential phytoremediators for tebuthiuron in soil, with and with no vinasse, accordingly is the scientific point of this study. Green manure species selected for the trial in greenhouse were jack bean [Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC.], pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L. Millsp.)], velvet bean [Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC.)], and millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.], and Crotalaria juncea L. as bioindicator of this herbicide. The determination/quantification of height, stem diameter, and number of leaves in all plants were monitored, as well as other morphological traits for drafting any inference on biomass production. Moreover, ecotoxicity bioassays were performed from soil samples at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. Results showed preliminary evidence of effective phytoremediation capacity by M. pruriens and P. glaucum in soils with tebuthiuron, as the growth of C. juncea was sustained. Both Gompertz approach and principal component analysis predicted that these green manure species could grow healthier and for longer periods in soils containing tebuthiuron and vinasse and, thus, reduce physiological anomalies due to ecotoxicity. The implications of this study may aid in the implementation of cost-effective strategies targeting decontamination of tebuthiuron in sugarcane crops with vinasse application in fertigation.