Plant, Soil and Environment, 2013 (vol. 59), issue 2
Emission of CO2, CH4 and N2O and dynamics of mineral N in soils amended with castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) and piñón (Jatropha curcas L.) seed cakeOriginal Paper
V.M. Ruíz-Valdiviezo, L.D. Mendoza-Urbina, M. Luna-Guido, F.A. Gutiérrez-Miceli, M.R. Cárdenas-Aquino, J.A. Montes-Molina, L. Dendooven
Plant Soil Environ., 2013, 59(2):51-56 | DOI: 10.17221/363/2012-PSE 
Extraction of oils from castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) and Jatropha curcas L. to produce biofuel is set to increase. The produced seed cake could be applied to soil as it is nutrient rich, but might affect soil functioning. Seven soils from Chiapas, México, were amended with seed cake of both plants while CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions and mineral N concentrations were monitored in an aerobic incubation. The concentration of phorbol esters in the J. curcas seed cake (JSC) was 0.993 mg/g while no ricin was detected in the R. communis seed cake (RSC). Application of...
Accumulation and subcellular distribution of cadmium in ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud.) planted on elevated soil cadmium contentsOriginal Paper
Q.H. Zhu, D.Y. Huang, S.L. Liu, Z.C. Luo, Z.X. Rao, X.L. Cao, X.F. Ren
Plant Soil Environ., 2013, 59(2):57-61 | DOI: 10.17221/439/2012-PSE
The tolerance, accumulation and subcellular distribution characteristics of cadmium (Cd) in ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud.) were investigated using a 2-year field experiment. The results indicated that ramie has a certain extent of tolerance to soil Cd (≤ 20 mg/kg) contamination with no significant decrease in shoot biomass and fibre yield relative to control conditions. Although ramie did not hyperaccumulate Cd, it accumulated considerable amount of Cd in the aboveground parts (approximately 0.19 to 1.09 kg/ha annually). The Cd contents retained in ramie tissues were found in order of roots > stems > leaves. Further, regarding the...
Impact of cadmium and hydrogen peroxide on ascorbate-glutathione recycling enzymes in barley rootOriginal Paper
V. Zelinová, B. Bočová, J. Huttová, I. Mistrík, L. Tamás
Plant Soil Environ., 2013, 59(2):62-67 | DOI: 10.17221/517/2012-PSE
We analyse the effect of Cd and H2O2 short-term treatments on the activity of ascorbate-glutathione recycling enzymes in barley root tip. Even a short transient exposure of barley roots to low 15 µmol Cd concentration caused a marked approximately 70% root growth inhibition. Higher Cd concentrations caused root growth cessation during the first 6 h after short-term Cd treatment. Similarly, a marked root growth inhibition was also detected after the short-term exposure of barley seedlings to H2O2. Our results indicate that root ascorbate pool is more sensitive to Cd treatment than glutathione pool. Rapid...
Mobility of ibuprofen, a persistent active drug, in soils irrigated with reclaimed waterOriginal Paper
V. González-Naranjo, K. Boltes, M. Biel
Plant Soil Environ., 2013, 59(2):68-73 | DOI: 10.17221/590/2012-PSE
Ibuprofen is not completely removed in wastewater treatment plants, and consequently, it may enter the soil through irrigation with reclaimed water. Subsequently, due to the reversible adsorption which takes place in the soil, this emerging pollutant can become bioavailable for plants. The adsorption reversibility of this anti-inflammatory compound on four agricultural soils was quantified with adsorption-desorption experiments. The adsorption was found to be almost linear, with a minimum nads of 0.76 and a maximum of 1.08. In contrast, desorption was nonlinear, with a ndes which ranged from 0.84 to 2.75. The...
Changes of tannin and nutrients during decomposition of branchlets of Casuarina equisetifolia plantation in subtropical coastal areas of ChinaOriginal Paper
L.H. Zhang, S.J. Zhang, G.F. Ye, H.B. Shao, G.H. Lin, M. Brestic
Plant Soil Environ., 2013, 59(2):74-79 | DOI: 10.17221/598/2012-PSE
A litterbag experiment was conducted to investigate the changes of tannins and nutrients in branchlets at different decomposition stages of Casuarina equisetifolia in southern subtropical coastal zone, China, using the colorimetric assays. The time required for the loss of half of the initial dry weight (t50) was 9.13 months. Total phenolics (TP), extractable condensed tannins (ECT), protein-bound condensed tannins (PBCT), total condensed tannins (TCT) and protein precipitation capacity (PPC) of branchlets litter decreased rapidly, while fibre-bound condensed tannins (FBCT) increased during decomposition. Nitrogen and phosphorus...
Effects of root interaction and nitrogen fertilization on the chlorophyll content, root activity, photosynthetic characteristics of intercropped soybean and microbial quantity in the rhizosphereOriginal Paper
X. Zhang, G. Huang, X. Bian, Q. Zhao
Plant Soil Environ., 2013, 59(2):80-88 | DOI: 10.17221/613/2012-PSE
A pot experiment using root separation technique was conducted to further understand the effect of root interaction played in intercropping system under different nitrogen levels. The results showed that root interaction and increasing nitrogen application increased the green leaf area per plant and chlorophyll content of soybean, but their effects gradually decreased with increasing nitrogen fertilization level. Root interaction and increasing nitrogen application can improve photosynthetic characteristics of soybean, but root interaction only had a significant effect under low nitrogen level. The number of bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes and Azotobacteria...
Enhancing grain iron content of rice by the application of plant growth promoting rhizobacteriaOriginal Paper
A. Sharma, D. Shankhdhar, S.C. Shankhdhar
Plant Soil Environ., 2013, 59(2):89-94 | DOI: 10.17221/683/2012-PSE
Rice is inherently low in micronutrients, especially iron, which leads to severe malnutrition problems in rice-consuming populations. Different plant growth promoting rhizobacterial strains (PGPRs) (viz. Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Azospirillum lipoferum from a microbial collection and B 15, B 17, B 19, BN 17 and BN 30 isolated from the rhizospheric soils) were applied to field grown rice plants with an aim to increase the iron content of grains. 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that isolates belong to Enterobacteria species. Different parameters related to the increase in iron content of plants...