Knowledge about the response of root biomass and root system architecture (RSA) to soil conditions would increase efficiency in selecting high performance crop varieties and predicting the impact of rotations on long-term soil organic matter (SOM) stock. We evaluated the effect of variety and site on maize (Zea mays L.) root growth. Two-dimensional (2D) and 3D techniques were used to quantify changes

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of cultivation systems and nitrogen fertilization on the dry mass yield and botanical composition of Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraés and Stylosanthes cv. Campo Grande in the four seasons of the year. The experiment took place in an area previously established with Xaraés grass, where Stylosanthes cv. Campo Grande was introduced. Yield traits were evaluated

The nutritive value, fermentation profile, microbial population, and effluent and gases losses of sweet potato vine silages, with and without microbial inoculant, were evaluated. The experiment was conducted in a 5 × 2 factorial arrangement, with five sweet potato genotypes (BD‐08, BD‐23, BD‐25, BD‐31TO and BD‐43) and presence/absence of microbial inoculant (Sil‐All® 4 × 4), in a randomized blocks

In Brazil, the livestock systems are mainly forage‐based, and nitrogen inputs are an uncommon practice, despite its great benefits. The objective was to evaluate the effect of nitrogen input on the physiological responses of Marandu palisadegrass (Urochloa brizantha [Hochst. ex A. Rich.] R. D. Webster) and Mombaça guineagrass (Megathyrsus maximus [Jacq.] B. K. Simon & S. W. L. Jacobs), and its impacts

Nitrogen fertilizer supply and use play a vital role in determining crop growth and yield. However, the effects of nitrogen fertilizer levels on plant growth under waterlogging conditions remain elusive. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of nitrogen fertilizer rates (0, 90, 180, 270, and 360 kg N ha−1, designated N0, N1, N2, N3, and N4, respectively) on leaf physiological characteristics

This review deals with the mechanism of antagonistic action of bacterial and fungal biocontrol agents such as the production of antibiotics, siderophores, enzyme secretion, competition for nutrition, plant growth promotion by rhizosphere microorganism. The utilisation of synthetic pesticides has been the predominant control processor for diseases brought about by phytopathogenic microorganisms. Notwithstanding

Low-input grasslands depend on the presence of grasses and legumes for the provision of nitrogen and a sufficient amount and quality of herbage for livestock. Increasing variability in the amount and distribution of rainfall, associated with climate change, is a major factor affecting production from permanent grassland and particularly grass-clover swards. Previous work has shown that introduction

Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach is the most widely cultivated mushroom globally. Wet bubble disease (WBD), mainly caused by Mycogone perniciosa, is a major threat to A. bisporus production worldwide. In the current study, it was expected to select safe fungicides that can successfully control WBD on mushroom due to the biological similarity of A. bisporus and M. perniciosa. The in vitro sensitivity

Timely sowing is an important agronomic practice that ensures normal seed germination, stable seedling establishment and final yield formation for winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). However, delays in sowing frequently occur due to uncontrollable limitations, especially under multi–cropping. Increased seeding rate is recommended to minimize the negative impacts associated with delayed sowing, but

Productive cropping systems like cereal-legume intercropping might contribute to feeding the ever-growing population. However, intercropping systems require adapted nitrogen (N) fertilizer management that better match temporal and spatial N supply with crop demand. On the basis of field experiment conducted in northwestern China from 2012 to 2014, the study evaluated three N management practices in

Pecan bacterial leaf scorch (PBLS), caused by Xylella fastidiosa has been reported in Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Accurate methods are critical for the early detection of X. fastidiosa, but the validation of current diagnostic tools for pecan has yet to be investigated. Collected petioles, leaflets, and shoots from pecan and other Carya relatives in Texas, Indiana

Huanglongbing disease affects the Rutaceae family and is associated with three phloem-limited bacterium species: Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, africanus and americanus. These species are considered quarantine pathogens in the world, and pose major risks for citrus production and industry. Due to the low titer and the uneven distribution of the bacteria within its host plant, conventional PCR detection

A total of 377 lines from Sorghum Association Panel (SAP) grouped into 10 subpopulations based on eight phenotypic traits, including flag leaf width, terminal branch length, flag leaf height, and flowering time and genetic data were evaluated for grain mold resistance by inoculating them with Alternaria alternata alone, a mixture of A. alternata, Fusarium thapsinum, and Curvularia lunata, and untreated

There is still limited information about influence of different tillage and crop residue management on soil bacterial communities in paddy field. Therefore, the short-term effects of tillage and incorporated crop residue management on soil properties and bacterial communities in a double-cropping rice system of southern China were studied. The experiment included four tillage treatments: conventional

Kazakhstan is one of the top ten countries in the world that use careful farming with a total area of 2 million hectares, therefore, the priority area of scientific research in the field of agriculture is the development and improvement of effective means: seed drills, tillage machines and mechanisms. As part of the research, tests were conducted with the use of experimental seed drills with various

In tropical agriculture, maize (Zea mays L.) intercropped with palisadegrass (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu) is considered a highly relevant cropping system to deliver both residue and forage. However, the benefits of inclusion of palisadegrass in maize systems and its influence on fertilizer dynamics and nitrogen (N) budget as well as the period after maize harvest for which palisadegrass continues

Fusarium head blight (FHB) and the mycotoxins produced by its causal agents in oats (Avena sativa L.) have become a growing problem in northern countries over the last decades. The development of resistant cultivars would offer a highly needed and economical solution to the problem. To tackle the high genotype×environment interaction of FHB, a combined analysis was carried out on eight greenhouse and

Buxus spp. are possibly endangered by fungal pathogens of the genus Calonectria. The first documented occurrence of the pathogen Calonectria pseudonaviculata in the Czech Republic, in 2010, was on young plants in a plant production nursery. In 2017 and 2018, Calonectria spp. were monitored on established landscape plants in 27 historical gardens. Leaf spots and dieback of the plants were recorded in

Fungal pathogens secrete effector molecules into host plant cells to suppress host immunity to colonize plants. Ongoing efforts are being made to identify and characterize effector proteins in many fungal plant pathogens. Nevertheless, the precise biological and biochemical functions of many effectors, such as their trafficking from the pathogen to the host, have yet to be fully understood. In this

We investigated the effect of inoculation with the plant-growth-promoting rhizobacterium Azospirillum brasilense Sp245 under aeroponic conditions on the quality and performance of minitubers of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cvs. Nevsky and Kondor). In vitro-grown microplants were planted in an aeroponic system, and after 3 weeks of growth, the bacteria were added to the potato nutrient solution. We

Improved knowledge of how tea planting age impacts the relationships of soil aggregates with microbial biomass and activity may help understand the mechanisms of improving soil organic matters (OM) sequestration in tea plantation ecosystem. In this study, soil samples (0–20 cm depth) were collected from tea plantations with various ages (8, 17, 25 and 43 years) in the southern Guangxi, China. Soil

Excessive application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer causes ammonium toxicity in Panax notoginseng production, but the mechanism of excessive NH4 + accumulation in planting soil remains unclear. To reveal the mechanism, this study investigated the N contents of P. notoginseng planting soils, field and lab experiments were designed to assess the plant growth and antioxidant system of P. notoginseng, as

The objective of this study was to examine the genetic diversity present among 297 common bean genotypes using 2554 SNPs and 12 insects and seed-related traits. The phenotyping was done under laboratory condition while the genotyping was conducted by using the Illumina SNP BeadChip. High phenotypic diversity among traits were recorded, ranging from 0.87 to 0.96, with a mean of 0.92. Principal component

Development of a sustainable agriculture is a current trend searching for alternative and more environmentally friendly strategies to control crop diseases. The necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea, the causal agent of grey mould, affects crops pre- and post-harvest and cause huge economical losses. Microorganisms and microbially-derived elicitors are known to induce plant defences. Here, we study

Eleven coelomycetous fungi were isolated from diseased leaves of Lasia spinosa (Araceae) in Guangxi Province, China. These isolates produced sporodochial and myrothecium-like conidiomata. Multi-gene analyses (ITS, LSU, cmdA, rpb2, tub2 and tef1) showed that these isolates belonged to Xepicula group with a close relationship to X. leucotricha, but formed an independent branch with high bootstrap support

Needle nematodes are polyphagous root-ectoparasites parasitizing a wide range of economically important plants not only by directly feeding on root cells, but also by transmitting nepoviruses. This study deciphers the diversity of the complex Longidorus goodeyi through integrative diagnosis method, based on a combination of morphological, morphometrical, multivariate analysis and molecular data. A

Weeds are often solely considered with a negative viewpoint, but they may also provide services for agroecosystems. Especially, the residual weed flora that is tolerated by integrated crop protection may contribute to a reduction of nitrate leaching and soil erosion during the summer and autumn fallow. To date, the determinants underlying these environmental weed benefits are largely unknown. The present

Pythium myriotylum is a destructive soil-borne phytopathogen, causing yield losses in ginger and many other crops. Environmental and regulatory concerns drive the need to find biological alternatives to conventional pesticides used to manage P. myriotylum. Trans-cinnamic acid (TCA) alone, and fermentation broth from strains of symbiotic bacteria of eight species of entomopathogenic nematodes alone

Relating crop yield to soil properties at the field scale is a tool in site-specific management planning for sustainable crop production. This study investigated the relationship between some soil properties and the yield of three crops (cowpea, maize and cassava + maize) grown on Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme Training Farm in Ado Ekiti, Nigeria using descriptive, multivariate and geostatistical

Symptoms of severe stunting, little leaf, yellowing and axillary shoot proliferation were recorded on chickpea plants in three northern states of India (New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan) during January–March, 2017–2018 with disease incidences of 6–56%. Nested PCR assays with phytoplasma-specific universal primer pairs (P1/P7 and 3Far/3Rev) and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis confirmed the association

Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum (FOC) is an important soil-borne disease of cucumber in several parts of the world. In this study, we employed amplified fragment length polymorphic (AFLP) markers along with bulked segregant analysis (BSA), in order to identify structural markers linked to the Foc gene that governs resistance to FOC races 1, 2 and 3 in the resistant cv

A 32-year field experiment was performed to examine the impact of applications of pig manure and mineral fertilizers alone or in combination on phosphorus (P) forms, transformations, and availability in a Mollisol. The concentrations of total P, Olsen P, inorganic P (Pi) and organic P (Po) and their fractions were generally higher in treatments with than without mineral fertilizers and manure, and

Olive oil is highly valued by its nutritious and healthy function mainly due to its chemical composition. Oil chemical components are highly influenced by the cultivar and the environment, resulting in some cases in levels out of the limits set by the International Olive Council. In the present research, we used a multi-environment trial with five different agro-climatic conditions of Andalusia to

Timely and accurate weed detection in pasture is critical for efficient grazing management. Although high‐resolution images from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer new opportunities for the detection of weeds at the farm scale, pixel‐based image analyses do not always produce the best results and object‐based image analysis (OBIA) has improved weed discrimination accuracy. In the present study,

Phytopathogens causing mycotoxicoses in maize are a potential threat to grain quality and availability in many maize producing countries including South Africa. The use of natural biological agents for controlling maize fusariosis and many other such plant diseases, as opposed to the more traditional use of chemicals, is growing in popularity globally, as a greater emphasis gets placed on public health

The present study was conducted to investigate the relationships between meteorological conditions and the disinfection effect of soil solarization in five greenhouses (located in Kaizu City, Gifu, Japan). The specific analysis focused on soil temperature, the population density of Ralstonia solanacearum before and after soil disinfection, the air temperature inside and outside the greenhouse, the

Fire blight disease, caused by plant pathogenic bacteria Erwinia amylovora represents a global threat for pome fruit industry, affecting yield and causing serious economic damage. During six year period (2011–2016), a total of 45 isolates typical for E. amylovora were isolated from four different host plants (apple, pear, quince and medlar) in 21 localities within four Serbian regions (Southeast, Central

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of Pratylenchus brachyurus parasitism on the vegetative and nematological parameters of soybean, as well as on the productivity, composition, isoflavone profile and antioxidant capacity of the grains. A completely randomized design with four nematode inoculum levels (0, 500, 1000 and 2000) was used. Plants without P. brachyurus presented higher productivity

There is a trend in organic dairy farming towards higher milk yields associated with more concentrates and less grazing. Grazing is usually compulsory but grass intake from grazing varies greatly. This has consequences for nitrogen (N) transfer from stable to field and for the risk of N leaching. Our aim was to compare different management options for grazing in moderate to intensive organic farming

Adsorption and desorption rates play an important role in availability and mobility of Lead (Pb2+) in soils treated with biochar. However, information is still limited about the effects of pyrolysis temperature, presence of Zn, and incubation times on these processes. This study was performed to investigate the effects of 1% (w/w) walnut leaves biochars produced at different temperatures (200 (B200)

A field micro-plot experiment with nitrogen isotope (15N) labelling was performed to study the impacts of the timing of a side-dressed N application on urea-15N in a maize-soil system. The treatments comprised three application timings, each of which consisted of the identical total rate of N, i.e., 280 kg ha−1. In all treatments 40% of the N was used the day prior to sowing, and the rest was used

Azolla is a free-floating hydrophyte fern grown in temperate and tropical regions. The specialized dorsal leaves of the fern possess cavity that harbors cyanobacteria capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen (N) through biological processes. It is either incorporated into the soil before rice transplanting or grown as an inter-crop with rice crop. Its intercropping also improves efficiency of applied

Tillage erosion coupled with water erosion complicates soil erosion process on hilly croplands. This study aims to investigate the role of water discharge and slope gradient in the impact of tillage erosion on runoff and sediment yield by simulated tillage and scouring experiments. Results show that simulated tillage duration (10-, 20-, 30-, 35-, 40-year tillage) had positive effect on runoff yield

Biochar can affect soil microbial abundance and community structure due to its excellent physiochemical properties. Our previous study of soil bacterial community discovered that the relative abundance of Acidobacteria was significantly influenced by biochar. In this study, we further investigated the effect of biochar on acidobacterial community composition generated with Acidobacteria-specific primers

Ammonia (NH3) volatilization is one of the major forms of nitrogen (N) losses from soil after N fertilization, especially in salt-affected soil, which leads to low N use efficiency. To evaluate the effect of biochar on NH3 volatilization from salt-affected soil with two different N fertilizers (urea and ammonium sulfate (AS)), experiments were conducted with two salt-affected soils (electrical conductivity

ABSTRACT To assess seed germination parameters and identifying tolerant varieties, seeds of nine tall fescue varieties (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) were germinated under various salinity levels for 14 days. Tall fescue is considered ‘moderately tolerant’ to salinity stress, but our study revealed a remarkable diversity among the tested varieties. Armani, Essential, Fatcat, and Starlett were found

Recently, more and more new fungal pathogens have been described as causal agents of grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs), which lead to increasingly significant economic losses in viticulture worldwide. The genus Neofabraea consists of species mainly known as important plant pathogens causing perennial canker and bull’s eye rot, a common postharvest disease of apple (Malus domestica) and pear (Pyrus communis)

Viral pathogens significantly affect pear growth and reduce annual production across the world. This study aimed to examine whether conventional virus elimination methods, including thermotherapy (0, 7, 14 and 21 d at 38 °C), meristem culture (less than 0.2 mm, between 0.2 to 0.7 mm and larger than 0.7 mm) and adventitious shoot regeneration from leaf explants can lead to virus-free pear seedlings

The aim of this study was to evaluate the application of acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM) in the penetration, development, and multiplication of P. brachyurus in maize. For this, maize seedlings cv. AL Bandeirantes, after 10 days of germination, were inoculated with 800 nematodes. Part of the plants were treated with ASM sprayed at the dose 0.25 g a.i. L−1, while another part were inoculated but not treated

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC) is one of the most destructive wheat diseases worldwide. F. graminearum is the dominant pathogen of FHB in Henan Province. Epoxiconazole is a demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicide, and is the main fungicide for controlling FHB in China. In this study, 118 F. graminearum isolates were collected from different regions

Wilt disease complex is one of the most important diseases of tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa) in the production areas of Mexico. Disease symptoms include wilting, poor growth, discoloration of vascular tissues, root rot, and death of plants. The aims of this study were to identify the fungi associated with wilt disease complex of tomatillo by the combination of phylogenetic analyses and morphological

An investigation employing a detached leaf assay was performed to evaluate the biocontrol efficacy of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) augmented Calothrix elenkinii against Alternaria alternata infection in tomato. A dose of 50 mg l− 1 AgNPs was selected, which was based on chlorophyll accumulation (as an index of C. elenkinii growth), microscopic observations and biocidal potential of AgNPs against A

This study evaluates the effectiveness of potassium sulphate (K2SO4) fertilization under salt stressed conditions on physiological and biochemical characteristics and sugar contents of two soybean cultivars (Pioneer and Jack). The treatments including 0 mM K2SO4, 9 mM K2SO4, 0 mM salinity and 90 mM salinity were tested in combination with both cultivars of soybean. Analysis of electrical conductivity

Cadmium happens to interfere with chlorophyll synthesis, calvin cycle and phosphate pathway and the resulting changes in biochemical attributes induce disorders in physiology, biochemistry and genetics of the germinating plants. Its hazardous effects disturb the phenolic contents, sugars, soluble proteins and activities of antioxidant enzymes. We employed mercapto-triazoles as wheat seed priming agents

Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) is a bipartite begomovirus affecting cucurbitaceous and solanaceous crops in the Mediterranean basin since the 2012. It has been categorized as quarantine pest according to the new EU Plant Health Regulation 2016/2031. In order to obtain a reliable and specific diagnostic method to detect the virus, a new primers and probe set, targeting the BC1 region of

The establishment of high-yielding agricultural production systems are severely restricted by low soil organic carbon (SOC) and high Na+ concentration in saline-alkaline soils. In order to confirm the effects of biochar and phosphorus (P) fertilization on SOC sequestration, soil physical structure and inorganic P (Pi) fractions, as well as optimize the amount of P fertilizer, a field experiment was

Changes in land use are very important factors affecting soil quality and especially the concentration and stock of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN). Very little is known about changes in spectroscopic properties of SOM after conversion of forestland to cropland. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to determine impact of agriculture on the concentration and stock of SOC and TN

There is no consensus on how much N can be applied to plants under salt stress. In our research we tested the hypothesis that such response depends on salt tolerance of the plant species. So, this study aimed to evaluate the uses and losses of N by cotton (salt-tolerant) and maize (moderately salt-sensitive) plants irrigated with waters of different electrical conductivity (0.5, 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0 dS

Silicon (Si) efficiently controls Podosphaera xanthii in melon by affecting epidemic components related to the infection and colonization processes. Root amendments of Si prime melon defences, but its mode of action when sprayed on the leaves is unknown. The effects of potassium silicate (PS) on the development of the pathogen were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Both forms of PS application