Introduction pages

The papers published in Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, Issue 3, Volume 49, 2021 represent new exciting researches in different topics of life science, respectively in plant science, horticulture, agronomy and crop science. Among the interesting articles we invite you to find news about: Recent advancements on use of CRISPR /Cas9 in maize yield and quality improvement; Genome-wide investigation of Hydroxycinnamoyl CoA: Shikimate Hydroxycinnamoyl Transferase (HCT) gene family in Carthamus tinctorius L.; Identification of SNPs in rice GPAT genes and in silico analysis of their functional impact on GPAT proteins; Extensive transcriptome changes underlying the fruit skin colour intensity variation in purple eggplant; Physiological variation of irradiated red radish plants and their phylogenic relationship using SCoT and CDDP markers; Alterations in leaf anatomy, quality, and quantity of flavonols and photosynthetic pigments in Nigella sativa L. subjected to drought and salinity stresses; Impact of the foliar application of nanoparticles, sulfate and iron chelate on the growth, yield and nitrogen assimilation in green beans; Phytotoxicity and allelopathic potential of extracts from rhizomes and leaves of Arundo donax, an invasive grass in neotropical savannas; Comparative study of the effect of salt stress, Alternaria alternata attack or combined stress on the Cakile maritima growth and physiological performance, etc. The Impact Factor communicated by ISI Clarivate (June 30, 2021), is IF 2020 = 1.444 (position 157 of 235 journals, Q3 in Plant Sciences). The metrics in Scopus – Elsevier (June 2, 2021): CiteScore 1.7 (#40/86 in Horticulture).

Impact of the foliar application of nanoparticles, sulfate and iron chelate on the growth, yield and nitrogen assimilation in green beans

Nano-fertilizers (Nfs) have the potential to revolutionize agricultural systems through nanostructures ranging from 1 to 100 nm that address environmental responses and a more targeted biological demand. The purpose of this work was to study the impact of the foliar application of nanoparticles (NPs), sulfate and iron chelate on the growth, yield and assimilation of nitrogen in green beans. The iron was applied foliar in three different ways: Iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe2O3), ferric sulfate (Fe2(SO4)3) and iron chelate (Fe-EDDHA) in doses of 0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 ppm. The treatments that produced a higher total biomass increase were NPs and Fe-EDDHA at 50 ppm, with increases of 37% and 47% respectively compared to the control (with no application of Fe). Regarding the in vivo nitrate reductase activity, significant differences were obtained, particularly in the NPs and Fe-EDDHA treatment, with increases of 71% and 72% respectively. NPs at low doses favored maximum fruit production with increases of 88% in comparison to the control. Finally, it is concluded that the optimal doses that enhanced total biomass, production and assimilation of nitrogen were Fe2(SO4)3 at 25 ppm, Fe-EDDHA at 100 ppm and Fe2O3 at 25 ppm. The efficiency of foliar absorption of iron was found in treatments with Fe2O3 at 50 and 100 ppm. The foliar absorption efficiency of NPs offers sustainable alternatives to increase the productivity of the green bean.

Synthesis and Characterization of Nano Fe and Mn (hydr)oxides to Be Used as Natural Sorbents and Micronutrient Fertilizers

Fe and Mn (hydr)oxides are widely used as contaminant sorbents in water/wastewater systems but their potential use as micronutrient fertilizers is still poorly known. In this research, four nano-metal (hydr)oxides (amorphous Mn oxide (AMO), Fe-Mn binary oxide (FMBO), two-line ferrihydrite (2L-Fh) and goethite) were successfully synthesized and completely characterized (infrared and Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction particle size, specific surface area, point of zero charge). AMO, FMBO and 2L-Fh were introduced to interact with AgNO3 (20.0 µM) and TlNO3 (100.0 µM) diluted solutions for three days to check their potential capability as potential Ag+ and Tl+ adsorbents. AMO and FMBO (4% w/w) were tested as nanofertilizers by arranging a hydroponic bioassay for 35 days on white lupin culture as a Mn-hyperaccumulator plant model. AMO structure was identified as an amorphous mixture of Mn oxides while FMBO was an Fe dopped birnessite. Both materials were efficient in extracting Ag+ and Tl+ although large Mn concentration was released from FMBO to the solutions. AMO and FMBO promoted Fe and Mn nutrition in plants. Synthetic iron chelate (Fe-EDDHA), present in the nutrient dissolution, could be adsorbed onto AMO surface by producing Fe and Mn accumulation in roots and increasing Mn uptake rate without toxicity symptoms. Therefore, AMO and FMBO not only demonstrated their efficiency as adsorbents, but also displayed they would be promising nanomaterials as micronutrient fertilizers.

In vitro rooting of promising Lonicera caeruleae L. cultivars

The work is devoted to the improvement of the in vitro rooting technique of valuable Lonicera caerulea L. cultivars. The influence of different types of auxins and iron sources was determined at the stage of rhizogenesis. The use of indolylbutyric acid at a concentration of 1.0 mg/l was effective for the rooting of the cultivars Solovey and Yugana: the rooting rate was 60% and 99%, respectively. When using indoleacetic and indolylbutyric acids no significant differences were found in the percentage of rooting rates in the cultivars Gzhelka, Dlinnoplodnaya, Knyaginya and Lenya. It was found that 200 mg/l of iron chelate (Fe(III)-EDDHA) and 0.5 mg/l of indoleacetic acid in the nutrient medium had a positive effect on the dynamics of root formation of most honeysuckle cultivars. It was preferable to use a nutrient medium with the addition of iron chelate Fe(III)-EDTA at a concentration of 73.4 mg / l for the cultivar Yugana (rooting rate was 76%). Keywords: LONICERA CAERULEA, CULTIVARS, IN VITRO, RHIZOGENESIS, AUXINS, SOURCES OF IRON

Synthesis of iron chelates for remediation of iron deficiency in an alkaline and calcareous soil

The present study was aimed to investigate the using iron chelates viz., ferrous glycinate and ferrous citrate for the remediation of iron deficiency in alkaline and calcareous soil. The lab experiment was carried out to study the synthesis of Fe chelates by using organic and amino acid based chelating agents. The Fe chelates were synthesized based on 2:1 molar ratio of chelating agents and metal ions. The synthesized iron chelate was characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FT-IR). Finally, the synthesized amino acid and organic acid chelated iron were used to remediate the calcareous soil with black gram as a test crop. Iron content in black gram (above ground mass) tented to fluctuate at different growth stages. The highest shoot iron content of 325, 351 and 347 mg kg-1 at vegetative, flowering and harvest stages were recorded with 1% ferrous glycinate as foliar spraying on 25 and 45 Day after sowing (DAS). The root iron content was also higher in 1% ferrous glycinate as foliar spraying on 25 and 45 DAS. The current investigation affirmed that the utilizing different chelating agents like the ferrous glycinate were powerful than ferrous sulfate, which may build the iron substance and iron take-up of blackgram in various development stages.

In vitro plant regeneration system for date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.): effect of chelated iron sources

Background Iron chelate sources and their concentrations are important factors in in vitro propagation of date palm. This study’s objective was to investigate the effect of the iron chelated form on the growth and development of tissue cultures of Barhee cultivar. Results The addition of FeEDDHA to the culture medium was more effective than FeEDTA on callus growth, shoot regeneration, and the number of shoots per jar, where the best result (220.8mg callus, 86.67% and 17.2 shoots per jar, respectively) was obtained by using 93.5 mg L−1 FeEDDHA (5.6 mg L−1 Fe), compared with other treatments. The results also indicate that using 93.5 mg L−1 FeEDDHA (5.6 mg L−1 Fe) as a supplement can decrease antioxidant enzymes CAT and POD activity compared to the rest of the treatments. Medium equipped with 187.0 mg L−1 FeEDDHA (11.2 mg L−1Fe) had the highest rooting percentage and number of roots per shoot than other treatments. The biochemical analysis results showed that treatments with FeEDDHA of 280.5 mg L−1 (16.8 mg L−1 Fe) and 187.0 mg L−1 (11.2 mg L−1Fe) significantly increased the iron content. The results showed that shoot maximum chlorophyll and endogenous IAA level content were recorded in a medium supplemented with 187.0 mg L−1 FeEDDHA (11.2 mg L−1Fe) as Fe source. Conclusion FeEDDHA used in the present study was proven to be a promising iron chelate source in comparison with the FeEDTA sources.