Plant, Soil and Environment, 2013 (vol. 59), issue 12
List of reviewers
editors
Plant Soil Environ., 2013, 59(12):I-VIII | DOI: 10.17221/7136-PSE 
Optimization of alkali pretreatment of wheat straw to be used as substrate for biofuels productionOriginal Paper
K. Jaisamut, L. Paulová, P. Patáková, M. Rychtera, K. Melzoch
Plant Soil Environ., 2013, 59(12):537-542 | DOI: 10.17221/7129-PSE
Alkali pretreatment of wheat straw was optimized by response surface methodology to maximize yields of fermentable sugars in subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis and to remove maximum lignin in order to improve rheological attributes of the media. The effects of pretreatment conditions on biomass properties were studied using the Expert Designer software. Concentration of sodium hydroxide and temperature were the factors most affecting pretreatment efficiency. At the optimum (80°C, 39 min, 0.18 g NaOH and 0.06 g lime per g of raw biomass), 93.1 ± 1.0% conversion of cellulose to glucose after enzymatic hydrolysis and 80.3 ± 1.2% yield of monosaccharides...
The effect of light availability on leaf area index, biomass production and plant species composition of park grasslands in WarsawOriginal Paper
P. D±browski, B. Pawlu¶kiewicz, H.M. Kalaji, A.H. Baczewska
Plant Soil Environ., 2013, 59(12):543-548 | DOI: 10.17221/140/2013-PSE
How light conditions affect development of park grasslands is a question that has not been satisfactory addressed. The aim of this study was therefore determination of the level to which unfavorable light conditions influence grassy parks area and relationships between parameters which determine state of turf grasses. Researches were conducted in two parks in Warsaw, in various light conditions and included measurement of: leaf density, sward height, leaf area index (LAI), and botanical composition of the communities. The leaf density of shaded areas did not exceed 70%. LAI value varied from 0.5 to 0.9-fold lower than in the areas in half-shade and...
Effect of atmospheric water vapor on photosynthesis, transpiration and canopy conductance: A case study in cornOriginal Paper
J. Ben-Asher, A. Garcia y Garcia, I. Flitcroft, G. Hoogenboom
Plant Soil Environ., 2013, 59(12):549-555 | DOI: 10.17221/346/2013-PSE
The effect of atmospheric water vapor (AV) on plants has mostly been neglected in climate impact studies. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of AV on photosynthesis (Pn), dry matter production (DM), transpiration (Tr), leaf conductance (gl) and water use efficiency (WUE), in climate controlled chambers. The relative humidity (RH) was held near 30, 60, and 85%. DM and WUE increased with RH. δDM/δRH ~ 0.3 from 30% to 60% and ~2.2 from 60% to 85%, δWUE/δRH ~0.2 for all RH's. The improved WUE at a rate of 0.2 units for each percent of increased RH resulted from a synergy between...
Greenhouse gas emissions from a soil cultivated with wheat (Triticum spp. L.) and amended with castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) or Jatropha curcas L. seed cake: A greenhouse experimentOriginal Paper
V.M. Ruíz-Valdiviezo, Á. Aguilar-Chávez, M.R. Cárdenas-Aquino, L.D. Mendoza-Urbina, S.C. Reynoso-Martínez, A. Bautista-Cerón, F.A. Gutiérrez-Miceli, J.A. Montes-Molina, L. Dendooven
Plant Soil Environ., 2013, 59(12):556-561 | DOI: 10.17221/368/2013-PSE
Cultivation of plants, such as castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) or Jatropha curcas L. is set to increase in future as their seeds are used to extract oil for biofuel production. Ricinus communis seed cake (RSC) and J. curcas seed cake (JSC) were applied to soil cultivated with wheat (Triticum spp. L.) while plant growth and emissions of the greenhouse gases, CO2, CH4 and N2O were monitored. Application of RSC or JSC had no significant effect development of the wheat plants. Emissions of CO2 and N2O increased in soil amended with JSC...
Effects of Beauveria bassiana and acephate on enzyme activities and microbial diversity in paddy soilOriginal Paper
W. Du, J. Zhou, P. Jiang, T. Yang, Y.Q. Bu, C.H. Liu, C.C. Dai
Plant Soil Environ., 2013, 59(12):562-567 | DOI: 10.17221/447/2013-PSE
To investigate the ecological safety of Beauveria bassiana in soil, we evaluated the effects of different concentrations of B. bassiana spores suspensions and acephate on paddy soil microbial flora and enzyme activities in a potted trial. Results showed that B. bassiana can increase the quantity of bacteria and fungi on day 10 and 30, while it showed inhibition on actinomycetes growth on day 10. However, acephate reduced the quantity of bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes in soil. Investigation of enzyme activities revealed that invertase activity declined during prophase, while urease activity decreased later in B. bassiana...
Effect of spikelet position on starch proportion, granule distribution and related enzymes activity in wheat grainOriginal Paper
W. Li, S. Yan, Z. Wang
Plant Soil Environ., 2013, 59(12):568-574 | DOI: 10.17221/586/2013-PSE
The starch proportion, starch granule distribution, and activities of enzymes involved in starch synthesis in different spikelet positions were examined during grain development in two high-yielding winter wheat cultivars. The results showed that grain number and weight per spikelet in different spatial position showed a single-peak curve from the base to the top in a wheat spike. Upper spikelets had the highest starch and amylose proportion followed by basal spikelets, whereas middle spikelets had the lowest. Starch and amylose absolute content was in opposition to their proportion. The volume of B- and A-type granule in grain of middle spikelets...
The effect of meat and bone meal on phosphorus concentrations in soil and crop plantsOriginal Paper
A. Nogalska, M. Zalewska
Plant Soil Environ., 2013, 59(12):575-580 | DOI: 10.17221/594/2013-PSE
A four-year field experiment was conducted in north-eastern Poland. The aim of the study was to determine the direct and residual effects of increasing doses of meat and bone meal (MBM) on the available phosphorus content of soil and the total phosphorus content in crops above ground biomass or grain. Experimental factor I was MBM dose (1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 t/ha/year, and 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 t/ha/every second year), and experimental factor II was the year of the study (four consecutive years). The application of increasing MBM doses to slightly acidic soil insignificantly decreased its pH, but it did not change soil classification. The use of MBM...