Chemical and microbiological changes in the soil mediated by different vegetative coverings in a Natal orange orchard

Proper soil cover management for citrus cultivation can contribute to increased productivity and improved soil quality. This study examined five different vegetative coverings [Urochloa brizantha; U. decumbens, U. ruziziensis, spontaneous vegetation, and herbicide application (glyphosate) in the total area] in the inter rows of a Natal orange orchard [Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck] grafted on the Swingle citrumelo (C. paradisi × Poncirus trifoliata). Their effects on the microbiological and chemical attributes of the soil and the vegetative development in the orchard were examined. Chemical (Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, P, pH, H+Al, CECpH7, base saturation, and OM) and microbiological (carbon and nitrogen of microbial biomass, basal respiration, and metabolic quotient) soil attributes in the rows and inter-rows were evaluated for the orchard in 2018 and 2019. There was a significant difference for most variables in the 2 years studied, emphasizing 2019 for microbiological parameters and OM, with the latter being 14.8% lower in the treatment with glyphosate in the total area compared to the treatment with spontaneous vegetation. The results showed the benefits of vegetation cover with brachiaria in inter-rows of the Natal sweet orange orchard in the chemical and microbiological attributes of the soil, especially in carbon and nitrogen of the microbial biomass.

Efficiency of Zinc in Plants, its Deficiency and Sensitivity for Different Crops

Optimal crop nutrition is a significant factor in increasing agricultural vintage and quality of products. Zinc (Zn) is an immobile important micronutrient, which is taken up by plants in Zn2+ form to complete their life cycle efficiently. It plays a critical metabolic role in plants and is an important constituent of proteins and other large-molecules, and serves as structural and functional unit, or controlling cofactor for a wide range of enzymes. The Zn is needed in small and in appropriate amounts for plants main physiological processes to work normally. These processes play critical roles in photosynthetic activity of plants and forming carbohydrates, synthesis of protein, reproduction and seed development, growth, and disease protection. After Zn deficiency in plants, these physical functions are decreased, and plant health and productivity suffer greatly, subsequent in reduced production or even failure of crops and often bad quality of crop products. Plant Zn deficiencies occur on variety of soils and are severe due to a combination of symptoms like chlorosis, resetting, dieback and suppressed or irregular vegetative development. In addition, various crops require varying amount of Zn. So the knowledge regarding this is not up to date. The present review discusses the Zn importance in plants, its deficiency in soil and required level of Zn for crops.

Cultural treatments in pineapple crop. Management for high yield – Review

Several factors influence in the vegetative development, yield and quality of pineapple fruits, among which the cultural treatments adopted throughout the production cycle stand out, mainly weed control, mineral nutrition, irrigation and induction artificial flowering. The purpose of this review was to present the main advances in research on cultural treatments in the cultivation of pineapple (Ananas comosus L. Merril) and their effects on yield and fruit quality. Current research shows that interventions for weed management, through chemical control with herbicides or the adoption of organic or inorganic soil cover are strategies that can be adopted by producers who seek to reduce labor costs and provide good conditions for plant development. The use of mulching is a promising and effective practice, given the cost reduction with polluting herbicide applications and improvement of the physicochemical quality of the soil. Regarding mineral nutrition, pineapple is a rustic plant, tolerant to soils with moderate acidity and low levels of nutrients in the soil, however, liming and fertilization are essential for crops where high yields are sought. In the same way, it is verified that the pineapple, even being a CAM metabolism plant, tolerant to situations of water stress, is highly responsive to irrigation, which provides improvements in the vegetative and reproductive development of the plant. Another essential management practice in pineapple crops is artificial floral induction, a practice that aims to synchronize the flowering period, facilitate harvesting and ensure a consumer market in times when the supply of fruit is scarce

Implications of soil nitrogen enhancement on the yield performance of soybean (Glycine max) in cadmium-polluted soil.

The growth, development and yield of important crop plants like soybean (Glycine max) are constantly under threat by continuous inputs of cadmium in the biosphere as a result of various industrial activities. This study investigated the level to which, addition of nitrogen fertilization can enhance plant survival, growth and yield development in a cadmium-polluted. Three accessions of Glycine max (TGm1, TGm2 and TGm3) were sown in a 12 mg/kg-cadmium polluted, which was thereafter amended with urea (FU), ammonia (FA), and ammonium nitrate (FN) singly and in combinations of equal proportions. A non-fertilized Cd-polluted soil and a general control constituted the negative and positive controls. Results showed that although N application did not enhance yield dispositions of soybean in Cd polluted soil, significant impact on vegetative development was noteworthy. Compared to yield of control plants, cadmium pollution imposed a 26.1% reduction in per plant yield in TGm-1, compared 1.71% in TGm-3. Generally, addition of nitrogenous fertilizer further suppressed crop yield by as much as 80% in plants sown in cadmium-polluted soil. However, application of ammonia fertilizer to TGm-2 improved its yield performances in the cadmium-polluted soil.

Implications of soil nitrogen enhancement on the yield performance of soybean (Glycine max) in cadmium-polluted soil

The growth, development and yield of important crop plants like soybean (Glycine max) are constantly under threat by continuous inputs of cadmium in the biosphere as a result of various industrial activities. This study investigated the level to which, addition of nitrogen fertilization can enhance plant survival, growth and yield development in a cadmium-polluted. Three accessions of Glycine max (TGm1, TGm2 and TGm3) were sown in a 12 mg/kg-cadmium polluted, which was thereafter amended with urea (FU), ammonia (FA), and ammonium nitrate (FN) singly and in combinations of equal proportions. A non-fertilized Cd-polluted soil and a general control constituted the negative and positive controls. Results showed that although N application did not enhance yield dispositions of soybean in Cd polluted soil, significant impact on vegetative development was noteworthy. Compared to yield of control plants, cadmium pollution imposed a 26.1 % reduction in per plant yield in TGm1, compared 1.71 % in TGm3. Generally, addition of nitrogenous fertilizer further suppressed crop yield by as much as 80 % in plants sown in cadmium-polluted soil. However, application of ammonia fertilizer to TGm2 improved its yield performances in the cadmium-polluted soil

Evaluation of the Morphological Quality of Hybrid Seeds and the Vegetative Development of Plants from the Two Reproductive Systems of Elite Dura Genitors from Oil Palm (Elaeisguineensis Jacq) Seed Fields in Côte d'Ivoire

The production of quality oil palm plant material (Elaeisguineensis Jacq.) necessarily involves the creation of seed fields made up of elite Dura parents. Two methods of reproduction of these elite Duragenitors were adopted for the establishment of current seed fields by the National Center for Agronomic Research (CNRA). The first group is made up of elite first-cycle parents who have undergone two successive generations of [(G1) AF] AF type self-fertilization, noted AFAF. The second group is composed of genitors having undergone a prior self-fertilization followed by AFSIB-type recombination cycle of recombination between genitors of the type (G1 × G2) AF, noted AFSIB. This study involves evaluation of morphological quality of seeds from the two breeding systems of the parents and their quality of vegetative development. For this, the seeds from 553 Dura parents distributed among eight (8) descendants and grouped within the category C1001 F were used.The resultsderived from this study have shown that the seeds obtained from the parents through double self-fertilization of AFAF-type parents are characterized by a thin shell and a high percentage of germination. After the elimination of the abnormal plants at the end of the nursery, various traits viz.circumference at the crown, height of the plants and the number of leaves emitted from the plants on the healthy plants showed that the plants resulting from the seeds obtained from self-fertilization followed by AFSIB-type recombination showed good vegetative development and vigor compared to those of AFAF type respectively.

The importin FgPse1 is required for vegetative development, virulence and DON production by interacting with the nuclear polyadenylated RNA-binding protein FgNab2 in Fusarium graminearum

Karyopherins are involved in transport through nuclear pore complexes. Karyopherins are required for nuclear import and export pathways by binding to their cargos. Polyadenylation of mRNA is required for various biological processes by regulating gene expression in eukaryotes. Until now, the association of karyopherin with mRNA polyadenylation has been less understood in plant pathogenic fungi. In our study, we focused on the biological functions of the karyopherin FgPse1 in Fusarium graminearum. The results showed that FgPse1 is involved in mycelial growth, asexual reproduction, virulence and DON production. Co-IP and BiFC showed that FgPse1 interacts with the nuclear polyadenylated RNA-binding protein FgNab2. Moreover, a fluorescence localization assay indicated that FgPse1 is required for the nuclear import of FgNab2. The nuclear import of FgNab2 regulates the expression of FgTri4, FgTri5 and FgTri6, which are essential for DON production. Thus, ΔFgPse1 and ΔFgNab2 showed consistent defects in DON production. In summary, our data indicated that FgPse1 is required for mycelial growth, virulence and DON production by interacting with FgNab2 in F. graminearum. These results contribute to improving our understanding of the functions of importins in phytopathogenic fungi.

Vegetative Phase Change Causes Age-Dependent Changes in Phenotypic Plasticity

Phenotypic plasticity allows organisms to optimize traits for their environment. As organisms age, they experience diverse environments that merit varying degrees of phenotypic plasticity. Developmental transitions can control these age-dependent changes in plasticity and as such, the timing of these transitions can determine when plasticity changes in an organism. Here we investigate how the transition from juvenile-to adult-vegetative development known as vegetative phase change (VPC) contributes to age-dependent changes in phenotypic plasticity using both natural accessions and mutant lines in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Further, we look at how the timing of this transition and the concordant shifts in plasticity change across accessions and environments. We found that the adult phase of vegetative development has greater plasticity than the juvenile phase and confirmed that this difference in plasticity is caused by VPC using mutant lines. Further, we found that the timing of VPC, and therefore the time when increased plasticity is acquired, varies significantly across genotypes and environments. This genetic and environmental variation in the timing of VPC indicates the potential for population-level adaptive evolution of VPC. The consistent age-dependent changes in plasticity caused by VPC add further support to the hypothesis that VPC is adaptive.

The SUMO ligase MMS21 profoundly influences maize development through its impact on genome activity and stability

The post-translational addition of SUMO plays essential roles in numerous eukaryotic processes including cell division, transcription, chromatin organization, DNA repair, and stress defense through its selective conjugation to numerous targets. One prominent plant SUMO ligase is METHYL METHANESULFONATE-SENSITIVE (MMS)-21/HIGH-PLOIDY (HPY)-2/NON-SMC-ELEMENT (NSE)-2, which has been connected genetically to development and endoreduplication. Here, we describe the potential functions of MMS21 through a collection of UniformMu and CRISPR/Cas9 mutants in maize (Zea mays) that display either seed lethality or substantially compromised pollen germination and seed/vegetative development. RNA-seq analyses of leaves, embryos, and endosperm from mms21 plants revealed a substantial dysregulation of the maize transcriptome, including the ectopic expression of seed storage protein mRNAs in leaves and altered accumulation of mRNAs associated with DNA repair and chromatin dynamics. Interaction studies demonstrated that MMS21 associates in the nucleus with the NSE4 and STRUCTURAL MAINTENANCE OF CHROMOSOMES (SMC)-5 components of the chromatin organizer SMC5/6 complex, with in vitro assays confirming that MMS21 will SUMOylate SMC5. Comet assays measuring genome integrity, sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents, and protein versus mRNA abundance comparisons implicated MMS21 in chromatin stability and transcriptional controls on proteome balance. Taken together, we propose that MMS21-directed SUMOylation of the SMC5/6 complex and other targets enables proper gene expression by influencing chromatin structure.