Phytotoxity of waste waters with Cr and

The dry and fresh biomass and metal concentration (Cr, Ni) in roots and shoots of mustard (S. alba L.) seedlings was evaluated in laboratory experiments with three types of washing waste-waters from cutlery production line. All tested washing waters reduced root dry mass, where-as the dry mass of shoots was either not affected or it increased. The effect of tested washing waters was stronger on fresh mass production than on dry mass production. This indicates problems in water reception and translocation. While the accumulation of Cr was higher in the roots, Ni was distributed equally through the whole plant seedling. Cr uptake in the roots and shoots was in average about 1.7 and 7.3 times, respectively, lower than that of Ni. Ni percentage uptake from washing waters in the roots and shoots was nearly equal and range from 10.2 to 15.8%.

Agronomic and sensory evaluation of lettuce in hydroponic system

Lettuce is the most important leafy vegetable in Brazil. Hydroponic lettuce cultivation has grown due to the viability of harvesting throughout the year. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the agronomic characteristics, color, and preference of curly lettuce in the NFT hydroponic system. Six lineages (6601-1A, 6601-2L, 7016-6A, 7119-1B, 7223-1A, and 7224-4A) and two commercial cultivars (Brida and Vanda) of lettuce were used, in a completely randomized blocks design with four replications. Shoot length, root length, stem length, number of leaves, stem diameter, plant diameter, shoot fresh mass, root fresh mass, chlorophyll content, instrumental color, and sensory characteristics were evaluated. As for agronomic evaluation, the bolting of 6601-2L lettuce was relevant in different attributes. The Vanda lettuce and the lineage 7016-6A presented best performances for shoot fresh mass (399.44 and 378.63 g, respectively), while the lineages 7119-1B and 6601-2L present the worst performance (279.50 and 273.13 g, respectively). There was variation in chlorophyll content and luminosity, however, the evaluators did not notice differences between lettuces for brightness or green color, as well as for crunchy texture. Lettuces 6601-2L, 7224-4A, 6601-1A, Brida, 7223-1A, and 7119-1B were preferred. The variation among plants may be due to different situations, such as harvesting times and bolting, and a direct relationship between agronomic properties and preference among lettuces has not been established yet.

Effects of high dilutions of Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt (citronella) on the germination and growth of seedlings of Sida rhombifolia

The effects of high dilutions of Cymbopogon winterianus (citronella) on the growth and germination of Sida rhombifolia are analyzed; 5 homeopathic dilutions (3cH, 6cH, 12cH, 24cH, 30cH) and a control (water) were used, with 5 repetitions. Variables analyzed were the primary growth of the root system, length of the shoot, fresh mass total, germination percentage and germination speed index. All dilutions stimulated the primary growth of the root. Dilutions 3cH, 6cH, 12cH and 30 cH stimulated the growth of the aerial parts and 24cH inhibited it. Dilutions 6cH, 12cH, 24cH and 30cH stimulated a larger production of fresh mass than 3cH. Dilution 12cH resulted in the largest germination percentage while 24cH in the lowest. Dilution 12cH resulted in the highest score in the germination speed index, while 3cH and 24cH in the lowest. Keywords: Homeopathic dilutions; Plants; Germination; Growth; Cymbopogon winterianus; Sida rhombifolia.  Efeitos de altas diluições de Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt (citronella) na germinação e crescimento de sementes de Sida rhombifolia Resumo Os efeitos de altas diluições de Cymbopogon winterianus (citronella) no crescimento e germinação de Sida rhombifolia são analisados; 5 diluições ho´meopáticas (3cH, 6cH, 12cH, 24cH, 30cH) e um controle (água) foram utilizados, com 5 repetições. As variáveis analisadas foram: crescimento primário do sistema da raiz, longitude do broto, massa fresca total, porcentagem de germinação e índice de velocidade de germinação. As diluições 3cH, 6cH, 12cH e 30cH estimularam o crescimento das partes aéreas, que foi inibido pela diluição 24cH. As diluições 6cH, 12cH e 30cH estimularam uma maior produção de massa fresca que a diluição 3cH. A diluição 12cH mostrou a porcentagem máxima de germinação, enquanto 24cH mostrou a mínima. Igualmente, a diluição 12cH resultou no máximo índice de velocidade de germinação, enquanto as diluições 3cH e 24cH, os mínimos. Palavras-chave: Diluições Homeopática; Plantas; Germination; Crescimento; Cymbopogon winterianus; Sida rhombifolia.  Efectos de altas diluciones de Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt (citronella) en la germinación y crecimiento de semillas de Sida rhombifolia Resumen Los efectos de altas diluciones de Cymbopogon winterianus (citronella) en el crecimiento y germinación de Sida rhombifolia son analizados; 5 diluciones homeopáticas (3cH, 6cH, 12cH, 24cH, 30cH) y un control (agua) fueron utilizados, con 5 repeticiones. Las variables analizadas fueron: crecimiento primario del sistema de la raíz, largura del brote, masa fresca total, porcentaje de germinación e índice de velocidade de germinación. Las diluciones 3cH, 6cH, 12cH y 30cH estimularon el crecimiento de las partes aéreas, mientras que éste fue inhibido por la dilución 24cH. Las diluciones 6cH, 12cH, 24cH y 30cH estimularon una mayor producción de masa fresca que la dilución 3cH. La dilución 12cH mostró el máximo porcentaje de germinación, mientras que la dilución 24cH, el mínimo. Igualmente, la dilución 12cH resultó en el máximo índice de velocidad de germinación, mientras que las diluciones 3cH y 24cH, los mínimos. Palabras-clave: Diluciones homeopáticas; plantas; germinación, crecimiento, Cymbopogon winterianus; Sida rhombifolia.  Correspondence author: Carlos Moacir Bonato, [email protected], State University of Maringá-SP, Brazil How to cite this article: Marques RM, Marques-Silva GG, Bonato CM. Effects of high dilutions of Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt (citronella) on the germination and growth of seedlings of Sida rhombifolia. Int J High Dilution Res [online]. 2008 [cited YYYY Mmm DD]; 7(22): 31-35. Available: http://journal.giri-society.org/index.php/ijhdr/article/view/208/342. ÂÂÂ

Influence of plant growth regulators and salicylic acid on the production of some secondary metabolites in callus and cell suspension culture of Satureja sahendica Bornm.

<p class="042abstractstekst">The impact of combinations of plant growth regulators (PGRs) on callus culture of <em>Satureja sahendica </em>Bornm. was investigated. In nodal explants, the response of secondary metabolite production to different concentrations of PGRs was analyzed regarding the presence and absence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The explants were cultured on MS media in presence of auxins (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and naphthylacetic acid) and cytokinins (thidiazuron and kinetin); which were used in equal concentrations of 0.5, 1, and 2 mg l^-1. The treatment of 2 mg l^-1 2,4-D + 2 mg l^-1Kin (MD3) led to the highest production of total phenolics (4.303 ± 0.449 mg GAE g^-1) and flavonoids (24.903 ± 7.016 mg QE g^-1). Moreover, the effect of salicylic acid (SA) on the production of secondary metabolites in cell suspension culture of <em>Satureja sahendica</em> was evaluated. The cell suspension culture was established by culturing the nodal-derived friable callus in the liquid medium containing different concentrations of SA (0, 100, 150, 200 µM). An inverse relationship exists between the fresh mass and secondary metabolites contents. In addition, there was a significant difference among concentrations of SA in the production of total phenolics and flavonoid compounds. SA enhances secondary metabolites production and decreases cell fresh mass.</p>

DESENVOLVIMENTO INICIAL DE MUDAS DE GUANANDI SUBMETIDAS A DOIS NÍVEIS DE LENÇOL FREÁTICO E DOSES CRESCENTES DE FÓSFORO

DESENVOLVIMENTO INICIAL DE MUDAS DE GUANANDI SUBMETIDAS A DOIS NÍVEIS DE LENÇOL FREÁTICO E DOSES CRESCENTES DE FÓSFORO1 RENATA DA SILVA CUBA DE CARVALHO2; MARA RÚBIA MENDES DE MELO3; fRANCIELLY GUIEIRO GOMES DE SOUSA4; antonio evaldo klar5 1Trabalho originado da tese de doutorado do primeiro autor intitulada: “Cultivo de pimentão em sistema hidropônico com água de reúso em diferentes níveis de disponibilidade de água no substrato”. 2Doutora, Programa de Pós-graduação em Agronomia – Irrigação e Drenagem, Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Avenida Universitária, 3780, CEP 18610-034, Altos do Paraíso, Botucatu-SP, Brasil, [email protected]. 3Doutoranda, Programa de Pós- graduação em Agronomia, Departamento de Produção e Melhoramento Vegetal. Faculdade de Ciências Agronômica, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rua José Barbosa de Barros, 1780. CEP: 18.610-307, Botucatu-SP - Brasil. E-mail: [email protected]. 4Doutora, Programa de Pós- graduação em Agronomia – Irrigação e Drenagem, Faculdade de Ciências Agronômica, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Avenida Universitária, 3780, CEP 18610-034, Altos do Paraíso, Botucatu-SP, [email protected]. 5 Professor Emérito do Departamento de Engenharia Rural da Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Avenida Universitária, 3780, CEP 18610-034, Altos do Paraíso, Botucatu-SP, Brasil. E-mail: [email protected]. 1 RESUMO O guanandi é uma espécie nativa com potencial para reflorestamento, porém com poucos resultados na literatura sobre seu cultivo. Diante disto, objetivou-se avaliar o desenvolvimento inicial de mudas de guanandi submetidas a dois níveis de disponibilidade de água no solo e doses crescentes de fósforo. O cultivo foi realizado de fevereiro a junho de 2016, utilizando-se dez lisímetros de lençol freático constante, simulando duas alturas do lençol freático, 0,40 m e 0,70 m. Em cada lisímetro, foram colocados seis vasos contendo uma muda por vaso. As doses de fósforo foram de 0, 40, 80, 120 e 160 mg dm-3 de solo. O delineamento experimental adotado foi em fatorial 2 x 5, com seis repetições, considerando cada vaso uma unidade amostral, totalizando 60. Os parâmetros avaliados foram: altura e diâmetro final, massa fresca da parte aérea, raízes e total, teor relativo, potencial de água na folha (Ψf) e consumo de água. Os resultados permitem inferir que, nas condições avaliadas, a dose de 160 mg dm-3 de fósforo associada ao fornecimento de 537,2 mm de água nos primeiros cinco meses de implantação da cultura, proporciona melhor desenvolvimento morfológico e fisiológico. Palavras chaves: irrigação, lisímetro, adubação fosfatada. CARVALHO, R. S. C.; MELO, M. R. M.; GOMES, F. G.; KLAR, A. E. INITIAL DEVELOPMENT OF GUANANDI SEEDLINGS SUBJECTED TO TWO LEVELS OF WATER TABLE AND INCREASING DOSES OF PHOSPHORUS 2 ABSTRACT The guanandi is a native species with potential for reforestation, but with few results in the literature about its cultivation. Because of this, the objective was to evaluate the initial development of guanandi seedlings subjected to two levels of water availability in the soil and crescent phosphorus dosages. The cultivation was conducted from February to June 2016 by using ten lysimeters of constant water table, simulating two heights of the water table, 0.40 m and 0.70 m. In each lysimeter, one of them, six pots were placed, with one seedling by pot. The crescent phosphorus dosages used were 0, 40, 80, 120, and 160 mg dm-1 of soil. The experimental design adopted was the factorial 2 x 5, with six replications, in which each, pot was considered a plot, totalizing 60 of them. The evaluated parameters were final height and diameter, aerial parts fresh mass, root fresh mass, total fresh mass, relative water level, water potential in the leaf (Ψf), and consumption of water. The results allow us to infer that, under the conditions evaluated, the dosage of 160 mg dm-3 of phosphorus associated with the supply of 537.2 mm of water in the first five months of crop implantation provides better morphological and physiological development, under the conditions evaluated. Keywords: irrigation, lysimeter, phosphate fertilization.

Evaluation of Symbiotic Association between Various Rhizobia, Capable of Producing Plant-Growth-Promoting Biomolecules and Mung Bean for Sustainable Production

To feed the increased world population, sustainability in the production of crops is the need of the hour, and exploration of an effective symbiotic association of rhizobia with legumes may serve the purpose. A laboratory-scale experiment was conducted to evaluate the symbiotic effectiveness of twenty wild rhizobial isolates (MR1–MR20) on the growth, physiology, biochemical traits, and nodulation of mung bean to predict better crop production with higher yields. Rhizobial strain MR4 resulted in a 52% increase in shoot length and 49% increase in shoot fresh mass, while MR5 showed a 30% increase in root length, with 67% and 65% improvement in root fresh mass by MR4 and MR5, respectively, compared to uninoculated control. Total dry matter of mung bean was enhanced by 73% and 68% with strains MR4 and MR5 followed by MR1 and MR3 with 60% increase in comparison to control. Rhizobial strain MR5 produced a maximum (25 nodules) number of nodules followed by MR4, MR3, and MR1 which produced 24, 23, and 21 nodules per plant. Results related to physiological parameters showed the best performance of MR4 and MR5 compared to control among all treatments. MR4 strain helped the plants to produce the lowest values of total soluble protein (TSP) (38% less), flavonoids contents (44% less), and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents (52% less) among all treatments compared to uninoculated control plants. Total phenolics contents of mung bean plants also showed significantly variable results, with the highest value of 54.79 mg kg−1 in MR—inoculated plants, followed by MR5- and MR1-inoculated plants, while the minimum concentration of total phenolics was recorded in uninoculated control plants of mung bean. Based on the results of growth promotion, nodulation ability, and physiological and biochemical characteristics recorded in an experimental trial conducted under gnotobiotic conditions, four rhizobial isolates (MR1, MR3, MR4, and MR5) were selected using cluster and principal component analysis. Selected strains were also tested for a variety of plant-growth-promoting molecules to develop a correlation with the results of plant-based parameters, and it was concluded that these wild rhizobial strains were effective in improving sustainable production of mung bean.

Edaphic Aptness of Subarid Soils to Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) Production in Social Dynamics Context of Diffa, Niger

In the eastern Niger, vegetable crops such as lettuce are cultivated along the Komadougou Yobé river and near Lake Chad. Insecurity linked to terrorist groups prevents the exploitation of these areas and leads population to explore other lands. This study aims to find out whether sub-arid soils have in some places potentialities that can allow lettuce cultivation. A pedological survey was first carried out in the study area and some physicochemical soil parameters were analyzed. Then, a randomized experimental design with three cultivars (“Blonde de Paris”, “Iceberg Tahoma”, and “Iceberg edem”) and three replicates was carried out on soils which present favorable conditions for vegetable crops. The lettuce fresh mass was determined at harvest. The results show a significant influence of the geomorphological gradient on texture classes, nitrogen contents, pH values, cation exchange capacity and level of exchangeable bases. The lowland soils are more apt for vegetable crops like lettuce. The mean of lettuce fresh mass obtained for the three cultivars is 4.8±0.5 kg.m-². Iceberg Eden records the highest values and seems well adapted to eastern Niger.

Ginger extract as an alternative to thrips (Thrips tabaci) control in hydroponic lettuce

Ginger has a large number of essential oils, zingiberene is the major substance found in it, which may be linked to the insecticidal activity of the plant. Therefore, it can be a viable alternative to replace the use of pesticides for pest control. The objective of this work was to evaluate the use of this ginger-based extract in hydroponic lettuce as an alternative to thrips control. The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design, with five treatments and four replications. The treatments used were the concentrations of 0 %, 20 %, 40 %, 60 %, and 80 % weight/volume of aqueous extract. After 45 days of sowing, the ginger plant extract was applied to the lettuce plants every seven days. A population of thrips was monitored using adhesive traps attached above each experimental plot once a week until harvest. In addition, fresh mass weight, shoot height, and incidence of direct damage to the crop were evaluated. Regarding thrips monitoring, no differences wereobserved indicating the uniformity of the population level among the lettuce parcels. For the evaluation of weight and fresh mass, no differences were observed regarding the treatments. However, from the concentration of 60 %, it was observed the lowest averages of plants with direct damage, showing that the higher the concentration of the solution the lesser insect feeding. Accordingly, the use of ginger plant extract in hydroponic lettuce becomes a promising alternative for reducing thrips feeding on lettuce.

Vegetative Performance of Two Cultivars and Four Hybrids of Pineapple in Côte d’Ivoire

Since the early 2000s, pineapple from Côte d’Ivoire has suffered a discount in its marketing due to the heterogeneity of the quality of its fruit and the arrival of MD2 on the international market. In order to help pineapple from Côte d'Ivoire once again win back the international market, Ananas comosus hybrids with an early natural coloring have been developed at the CNRA. The agronomic performances of these hybrids were tested at the research station of Anguédédou. Vegetative characteristics such as plant fresh mass, stem fresh and dry mass, number of leaves generated and leaf D fresh mass of these hybrids H1, H2, H3 and H4 were compared to those of cultivars Smooth Cayenne and MD2 at 2, 4 and 6 months. The results obtained showed no statistically significant difference in plant mass between hybrid H4 (2675 g) and cultivars MD2 (2645 g) and Smooth Cayenne (2763 g) after 6 months of planting. The fresh and dry mass of the stems of these three varieties were also statistically identical. Hybrid H4 leaf D fresh mass was very low (55 g) at six months of planting compared to the two cultivars (73 g each). Hybrids H2 and H3 at this same period gave leaf masses of over 80 g. Regarding the characteristics assessed, hybrids H4 and H3 had much more conformity with cultivars Smooth Cayenne and MD2.