Phytotoxicity and Accumulation of Antibiotics in Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) and Parrot Feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum) Plants under Hydroponic Culture Conditions

The aim of this research was to investigate the accumulation of antibiotics in two kinds of plants. The hydroponic culture solution included a mixture of antibiotics, including three commonly used antibiotics in South Korea: norfloxacin (NOR), sulfamethazine (SMZ), and tetracyclines (TC). None of these antibiotics were detected in the shoots of water lettuce plants, only in the roots. However, in parrot feather plants, antibiotics were detected in both the shoots and the roots, with higher amounts detected in the shoots than in the roots. SMZ and TC were most likely to be detected in the roots and shoots of water lettuce and parrot feather plants, and about one-third of the NOR administered was later detected in the plants. The BCF (bioconcentration factor) of antibiotics ranged from 0.24 to 0.78, while that of NOR was much lower, ranging from 0.24 to 0.38. The SMZ (0.59–0.64) and TET (0.72–0.78) exhibited higher uptake accumulation in the water lettuce tissues compared with the parrot feather plants.

Implementation of iceplant production under semi-controlled conditions

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum is considered a drought and saline stress-tolerant plant with many biological activities that has been revalued as cool flavouring plant. The objective of this work was to assess optimum mode of cultivation of M. crystallinum to produce edible parts under greenhouse conditions. Therefore, three soilless media were evaluated: peat, vermiculite and hydroponic culture. Pot culture in peat did not result to be a good substrate for iceplant, with little biomass production. However, vermiculite and hydroponics allowed optimum growth of M. crystallinum, with a significantly greater yield in plants grown in vermiculite irrigated with nutrient solution. In fact, plants cultivated in vermiculite enhanced leaf area and leaf fresh weight, together with high foliar concentrations of N, Mg, Mn, Fe, Na, clorophylls and carotenoids. Furthermore, increased succulence and Na concentration of edible parts of glacier lettuce grown in vermiculite can offer more interesting taste, consistence and nutrient content for consumers. Higlights Hydroponic and vermiculite cultures led to optimum crystallinum growth. Peat pot culture did not seem to be an adequate substrate to cultivate crystallinum. Ice plants grown in vermiculite presented highest leaf fresh yield and high foliar N, Mg, Mn, Fe, Na, chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations.

Comparison of chrysanthemum flowers grown under hydroponic and soil-based systems: yield and transcriptome analysis

Background Flowers of Chrysanthemum × morifolium Ramat. are used as tea in traditional Chinese cuisine. However, with increasing population and urbanization, water and land availability have become limiting for chrysanthemum tea production. Hydroponic culture enables effective, rapid nutrient exchange, while requiring no soil and less water than soil cultivation. Hydroponic culture can reduce pesticide residues in food and improve the quantity or size of fruits, flowers, and leaves, and the levels of active compounds important for nutrition and health. To date, studies to improve the yield and active compounds of chrysanthemum have focused on soil culture. Moreover, the molecular effects of hydroponic and soil culture on chrysanthemum tea development remain understudied. Results Here, we studied the effects of soil and hydroponic culture on yield and total flavonoid and chlorogenic acid contents in chrysanthemum flowers (C. morifolium ‘wuyuanhuang’). Yield and the total flavonoids and chlorogenic acid contents of chrysanthemum flowers were higher in the hydroponic culture system than in the soil system. Transcriptome profiling using RNA-seq revealed 3858 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between chrysanthemum flowers grown in soil and hydroponic conditions. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment annotation revealed that these differentially transcribed genes are mainly involved in “cytoplasmic part”, “biosynthetic process”, “organic substance biosynthetic process”, “cell wall organization or biogenesis” and other processes. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed enrichment in “metabolic pathways”, “biosynthesis of secondary metabolites”, “ribosome”, “carbon metabolism”, “plant hormone signal transduction” and other metabolic processes. In functional annotations, pathways related to yield and formation of the main active compounds included phytohormone signaling, secondary metabolism, and cell wall metabolism. Enrichment analysis of transcription factors also showed that under the hydroponic system, bHLH, MYB, NAC, and ERF protein families were involved in metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and plant hormone signal transduction. Conclusions Hydroponic culture is a simple and effective way to cultivate chrysanthemum for tea production. A transcriptome analysis of chrysanthemum flowers grown in soil and hydroponic conditions. The large number of DEGs identified confirmed the difference of the regulatory machinery under two culture system.

Effect of Water Stress on Grain Yield and Physiological Characters of Quinoa Genotypes

Climate change scenarios predict that an extended period of drought is a real threat to food security, emphasizing the need for new crops that tolerate these conditions. Quinoa is the best option because it has the potential to grow under water deficit conditions. There is considerable variation in drought tolerance in quinoa genotypes, and the selection of drought-tolerant quinoa germplasms is of great interest. The main goal of this work is to evaluate the crop yield and characterize the physiology of 20 quinoa genotypes grown under water deficit in a wirehouse. The experiment was a complete randomized design (CRD) factorial with three replications. Seedling growth, i.e., fresh weight (FW), dry weight (DW), root length (RL), shoot length (SL), relative growth rate of root length (RGR-RL), shoot length (RGR-SL), and physiological performance, i.e., chlorophyll content (a and b), carotenoid, leaf phenolic content, leaf proline content, membrane stability index (MSI), and leaf K+ accumulation were evaluated in a hydroponic culture under different water-deficit levels developed by PEG 6000 doses (w/v) of 0% (control), 0.3%, and 0.6%. Yield attributes were evaluated in a pot at three different soil moisture levels, as determined by soil gravimetric water holding capacity (WHC) of 100 (control), 50% WHC (50 % drought stress) and 25% WHC (75% stress). In both experiments, under the water stress condition, the growth (hydroponic study) and yield traits (pot study) were significantly reduced compared to control treatments. On the drought tolerance index (DTI) based on seed yield, genotype 16 followed by 10, 1, 4, 5, 7, and 12 could be considered drought-tolerant genotypes that produced maximum grain yield and improved physiological characteristics under severe water stress conditions in hydroponic culture. In both studies, genotypes 3, 8, 13, and 20 performed poorly and were considered drought-sensitive genotypes with the lowest DTI values under water-stressed conditions. All the studied agronomic traits (grain yield, root and shoot length, shoot fresh and dry weights) and physiological traits (leaf phenolic, proline content, carotenoid, K+ accumulation, membrane stability index, and relative water content) were firmly inter-correlated and strongly correlated with DTI. They can be regarded as screening criteria, employing a large set of quinoa genotypes in a breeding program.

Ion-Exclusion/Cation-Exchange Chromatography Using Dual-Ion-Exchange Groups for Simultaneous Determination of Inorganic Ionic Nutrients in Fertilizer Solution Samples for the Management of Hydroponic Culture

In this study, ion-exclusion/cation-exchange chromatography (IEC/CEC) using dual-ion-exchange groups (carboxy and sulfo groups) for the simultaneous determination of anions (SO42−, Cl−, NO3−, and HPO42−) and cations (Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+) was developed. By using the combination of dual-ion-exchange groups, simultaneous separation of inorganic ions with HPO42− was achieved that was impossible by the conventional IEC/CEC based on the single-ion-exchange group (carboxy group). This method was applied to the monitoring of inorganic ionic nutrients in fertilizer solution samples in hydroponic culture. As a result, a higher peak resolution of inorganic anions and cations with phosphate ion using IEC/CEC with dual-ion-exchange groups was achieved in the absence of matrix effects. In addition, the developed method helps to understand the behavior of ionic nutrients in fertilizer solution during hydroponic cultivation and is potentially useful for the individual fertilization of ionic nutrients.

Regulatory Mechanism of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles on Uptake of Different Species of Arsenic in Rice

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are widely used as a fungicide in agriculture. The application of CuO NPs in agriculture affects the growth of rice and metal accumulation in rice. However, the mechanism of CuO NPs on arsenic (As) accumulation in rice remains unclear. In this study, a hydroponic culture was produced to investigate the mechanism of the effect of 50 and 100 mg L−1 CuO NPs on As accumulation in rice. Our results showed that CuO NPs decreased As(III/V) accumulation in the roots and shoots by adsorbing As(III/V), oxidizing of As(III) on the surface, and thickening the root cell wall. The addition of CuO NPs regulated the expression of the OsNIP1;1, OsHAC1;1, and OsHAC4 genes, which decreased As(III) transport and promoted As(V) reduction in the roots. Moreover, when CuO NPs were co-exposed to As, a negative correlation between the concentration of Cu and As in rice was also found in our study. However, CuO NPs significantly increased Cu accumulation in rice and constrained the rice growth. In conclusion, CuO NPs might be a promising way to decrease As accumulation in rice, but the negative effects such as growth inhibition should be further considered. Therefore, the application of CuO NPs in rice plants should take a more restrained approach.