Plant, Soil and Environment, 2012 (vol. 58), issue 1
Effects of urea types and irrigation on crop uptake, soil residual, and loss of nitrogen in maize field on the North China Plain
T.Y. Ning, G.Q. Shao, Z.J. Li, H.F. Han, H.G. Hu, Y. Wang, S.Z. Tian, S.Y. Chi
Plant Soil Environ., 2012, 58(1):1-8 | DOI: 10.17221/156/2011-PSE 
Water and nitrogen managements are both very important to increase crop yield. An experiment was carried out in split plot design to study the effects of urea types (normal urea and coated urea) and irrigation on soil and fertilizer nitrogen use in maize (Zea mays L.) field in 2006 and 2007. Irrigation was used as main plot, and urea types were used as split-plot. Two irrigation levels, no irrigation in the whole growth duration and 85 mm irrigation at the blister stage, were designed. There were five nitrogen treatments, which were no nitrogen used as control (N0), normal urea 75 kg N/ha (N1), normal urea 150 kg N/ha (N2), coated urea 75...
The impact of post-anthesis nitrogen and water availability on yield formation of winter wheat
A. Madani, A.H. Makarem, F. Vazin, M. Joudi
Plant Soil Environ., 2012, 58(1):9-14 | DOI: 10.17221/299/2011-PSE
The effects of irrigation regimes (full irrigation and water-withholding at anthesis) and post-anthesis nitrogen supplies (LN: 0, MN: 20 and HN: 40 kg N/ha) on grain yield and its components in winter wheat were studied, with attention to biomass gain by assimilation and its loss by respiration. Fully-irrigated wheat responded to N fertilization with increased grain number (GN) and decreased grain weight (GW) and achieved similar grain yields (5.2 to 5.5 t/ha) at different N supplies. However, drought-stressed wheat responded to N with higher GN without significant changes in GW, and achieved higher grain yields (2.7 vs. 3.3 t/ha) with HN compared...
Antioxidant activity of grain of einkorn (Triticum mono-coccum L.), emmer (Triticum dicoccum Schuebl [Schrank]) and spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties
J. Lachman, M. Orsák, V. Pivec, K. Jírů
Plant Soil Environ., 2012, 58(1):15-21 | DOI: 10.17221/300/2011-PSE
Wheat and cereals generally are largely consumed worldwide and contribute significantly to antioxidant intake with beneficial health effects. In the precise two-year field experiments, two varieties of wheat einkorn, two varieties of emmer wheat and three varieties of spring wheat in 2008 and moreover further two spring wheat varieties, three einkorn varieties and three emmer wheat varieties in 2009, were evaluated for antioxidant activity (AOA) using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay (DPPH). The higher grain AOA was observed in emmer (215.4-257.6 mg Trolox/kg DM) and einkorn (149.8-255.8 mg Trolox/kg DM) varieties, while in spring varieties the...
Effects of high concentrations of soil arsenic on the growth of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L) and rape (Brassica napus)
Q.J. Liu, C.M. Zheng, C.X. Hu, Q.L. Tan, X.C. Sun, J.J. Su
Plant Soil Environ., 2012, 58(1):22-27 | DOI: 10.17221/311/2011-PSE
Soil arsenic (As) levels are particularly high in parts of China, where wheat and rape are widely grown. Understanding the effects of As concentration on the growth of these two major crops is of significance for food production and security in China. A pot experiment was carried out to study the uptake of As and phosphorus (P), and the soil As bioavailability at different growth stages of wheat and rape. The results indicated that winter wheat was much more sensitive to As stress than rape. Wheat yields were elevated at low rates of As addition (< 60 mg/kg) but reduced at high rates of As concentrations (80-100 mg/kg); while the growth of rape...
Effects of tillage and residue management on soil microbial communities in North China
J.J. Wang, X.Y. Li, A.N. Zhu, X.K. Zhang, H.W. Zhang, W.J. Liang
Plant Soil Environ., 2012, 58(1):28-33 | DOI: 10.17221/416/2011-PSE
The impacts of tillage system (conventional tillage and no-tillage) and residue management (0, 50, and 100%) on soil properties and soil microbial community structure were determined in the Fengqiu State Key Agro-Ecological Experimental Station, North China. The microbial community structure was investigated by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles. The results showed that tillage had significant effects on soil properties and soil microbial communities. In no-tillage (NT), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), total N, microbial biomass carbon/soil organic carbon (MBC/SOC), total microbes, and arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi increased, while actinomycetes,...
Reactions of grape varieties to climate changes in North East Slovenia
S. Vršič, T. Vodovnik
Plant Soil Environ., 2012, 58(1):34-41 | DOI: 10.17221/352/2011-PSE
This work examined the trend of changes in temperature from 1950 to 2009 recorded by the Maribor meteorological station, and from 1980 to 2009 the dynamics of grape ripening of early-, medium late-, and late-ripening vine varieties in the Slovenian Styria wine-growing region in North East Slovenia. Based on the data associated with the content of soluble solids, total acidity, and the recommended date of harvest in a particular year, the trends towards shortening of the grapevine growing period were calculated. In general, temperature changes were more significant since 1980 than between 1950 and 1979. The mean annual and seasonal temperature significantly...
Evaluating chemical extractants to estimate available potassium for pinto beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) in some calcareous soils
A.R. Hosseinpur, M. Zarenia
Plant Soil Environ., 2012, 58(1):42-48 | DOI: 10.17221/314/2011-PSE
Evaluation of the nutrient status in soil is important for nutritional, environmental, and economical aspects. The objective of this study was to determine potassium (K) available to Pinto beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) in 15 soils from the Charmahal Va Bakhtyari province. The treatments included two K levels [0 and 200 mg K/kg as potassium sulfate (K2SO4)] and 15 soils in a factorial experiment in a randomized block design with three replications. The results indicated that in some soils K application increased yield, K concentration and K uptake by bean. The 9 extracting solutions used in this study were classified...
A new simple method for the enumeration of nitrifying bacteria in different environments
Kh. Elbanna, R.M. El-Shahawy, K.M. Atalla
Plant Soil Environ., 2012, 58(1):49-53 | DOI: 10.17221/412/2011-PSE
In this work, a simple, safe and rapid method for enumerating nitrifying bacteria was used as an alternative to traditional harmful chemical methods. The enumeration of nitrifying bacteria was based upon the change of color of the growth media containing pH indicators in response to acid production during nitrification. The oxidation of ammonia to strong acids by nitrifiers leads to pH decrease, which can be detected by pH indicators such as methyl orange (MO), bromocresol green (BCG), methyl red (MR), bromothymol blue (BTB), and phenol red (PhR) using the Most Probable Number (MPN) technique. The use of these pH indicators revealed a higher estimate...