Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: M. Hawrot-Paw Author-Workplace-Name: West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin, Poland Author-Name: A. Wijatkowski Author-Workplace-Name: West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin, Poland Author-Name: M. Mikiciuk Author-Workplace-Name: West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin, Poland Title: Influence of diesel and biodiesel fuel-contaminated soil on microorganisms, growth and development of plants Abstract: The paper presents the results of studies concerning the phytotoxicity of biodiesel and its diesel oil blends with a germination and root elongation test. The paper also analyses the effect of fuel on the number and activity of soil microorganisms and the reaction of plants used in the research. Fuel was introduced into the soil at a concentration of 10 and 50 g/kg dry mass soil. Based on the test results, it was found that from among 19 plants species representing 5 families taxonomically, only 4 species showed resistance to the presence of the fuel in soil, regardless of their type and dose (Glycine max (L.) Merill, Helianthus annuus L., Lupinus luteus L., cv. Lord and Pisum sativum L., cv. Eureka). Fuel generally reduced the number of heterotrophic microorganisms, and stimulated the growth of decomposing microorganisms and content of biomass. Significant differences in the number and activity of microorganisms were associated with the presence of biodiesel in the soil. The fuel had a negative influence on the biometric and physiological parameters of plants. A shorter length of shoots and roots was noted, especially in objects with biodiesel, reduced water content, and general content of assimilation pigments. Keywords: contamination, petroleum, remediation, bioindicator, microflora, microbial biomass Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 189-194 Volume: 61 Issue: 5 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/974/2014-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/974/2014-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-201505-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:61:y:2015:i:5:id:974-2014-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: H.E. Liu Author-Workplace-Name: Resources and Environment College, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, P.R. China Author-Name: Q.Y. Wang Author-Workplace-Name: Resources and Environment College, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, P.R. China Author-Name: Z. Rengel Author-Workplace-Name: Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, School of Earth and Environment, UWA Institute of Agriculture, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia Author-Name: P. Zhao Author-Workplace-Name: Resources and Environment College, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, P.R. China Title: Zinc fertilization alters flour protein composition of winter wheat genotypes varying in gluten content Abstract: Wheat flour protein components affect the processing quality of wheat. While it is known that zinc (Zn) fertilization can change flour protein content, there is little knowledge about Zn influence on flour protein composition. A pot experiment was conducted with five Zn fertilization treatments and three wheat genotypes differing in protein concentration and gluten composition. Zn fertilization up to 10 mg Zn/kg soil increased activity of nitrate reductase and glutamine synthetase in flag leaves after flowering, but 40 mg Zn/kg soil caused a genotype-dependent decline in these activities. Similarly, an increase in Zn fertilization was associated with a genotype-dependent increase in grain protein content and concentrations of gliadins, glutenins, albumins and globulin in flour, followed by a decrease of all three protein types at 40 mg Zn/kg soil. These results demonstrate that Zn nutrition can alter flour protein content and composition in wheat that has differential end uses, influencing flour quality. Keywords: Triticum aestivum, plant-available Zn, seed bread, nutritional value, nutrient Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 195-200 Volume: 61 Issue: 5 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/817/2014-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/817/2014-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-201505-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:61:y:2015:i:5:id:817-2014-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: W. Yan Author-Workplace-Name: State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, P.R. China Author-Name: Y. Zhong Author-Workplace-Name: State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, P.R. China Author-Name: Z. Shangguan Author-Workplace-Name: State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, P.R. China Title: The relationships and sensibility of wheat C:N:P stoichiometry and water use efficiency under nitrogen fertilization Abstract: A field study was conducted to investigate the variations in the carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus (C:N:P) stoichiometry of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and its relationships with wheat growth rate (r) and water use efficiency (WUE) under different rates of N fertilization. The results indicated that the growth rate and WUE of wheat significantly increased with N fertilization and were strongly correlated with the N and P contents and C:N:P ratio. The C content in wheat was relatively stable, regardless of N fertilization, and the N contents were higher in the N fertilization treatments. In addition, the P contents were higher in the treatments without N fertilization, and changes in the C:P and N:P ratios mainly depended on changes in P. The response ratio of the N:P ratio in straw was higher than that of the other investigated traits and largely depended on changes in the plant P content due to N addition. Keywords: grain yield, evapotranspiration, wheat production, nutrient availability, macroelement Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 201-207 Volume: 61 Issue: 5 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/28/2015-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/28/2015-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-201505-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:61:y:2015:i:5:id:28-2015-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: I. Jaskulska Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Plant Production and Experimenting, University of Technology and Life Sciences, Bydgoszcz, Poland Author-Name: D. Jaskulski Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Plant Production and Experimenting, University of Technology and Life Sciences, Bydgoszcz, Poland Author-Name: M. Piekarczyk Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Plant Production and Experimenting, University of Technology and Life Sciences, Bydgoszcz, Poland Author-Name: K. Kotwica Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Plant Production and Experimenting, University of Technology and Life Sciences, Bydgoszcz, Poland Author-Name: L. Gałęzewski Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Plant Production and Experimenting, University of Technology and Life Sciences, Bydgoszcz, Poland Author-Name: P. Wasilewski Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Plant Production and Experimenting, University of Technology and Life Sciences, Bydgoszcz, Poland Title: Magnesium content in the leaves of winter wheat in a long-term fertilization experiment Abstract: Long-term experiments facilitate the observations of changes in soil properties affected by agricultural activity as well as the reactions of crops to those properties. The aim of the study was the assessment of the relationship between the soil pH as well as contents of organic carbon, total nitrogen, available forms of phosphorus, potassium (Kav), magnesium (Mgav) and the magnesium content in flag leaves (Mgfl) in winter wheat. There was also determined the correlations between the Mgfl content and the nitrogen (Nfl), phosphorus, potassium (Kfl) and calcium (Cafl) contents in those leaves. The Mgfl content was at-the-highest-level linearly positively correlated with soil pH and its richness in Mgav. The dependence of the Mgfl content on soil properties and the wheat leaves chemical composition was best described by polynomial equations of the 2nd degree, except for the Kav and Kfl contents. The Mgfl content depending on the Mgav content × soil pH and Mgav × Kav interaction. The winter wheat containing more Nfl and Cafl and less Kfl, accumulated more Mgfl. Keywords: Triticum aestivum, available macroelements, field experiment, cereales Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 208-212 Volume: 61 Issue: 5 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/60/2015-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/60/2015-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-201505-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:61:y:2015:i:5:id:60-2015-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: K. Copec Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Author-Name: D. Filipovic Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Author-Name: S. Husnjak Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Author-Name: I. Kovacev Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Author-Name: S. Kosutic Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia Title: Effects of tillage systems on soil water content and yield in maize and winter wheat production Abstract: The four-year trial was conducted in north-western Slavonia (main arable crop producing region in Croatia) to evaluate the effects of different tillage systems on the water content of silty loam soil (Albic Luvisol) and yields of maize (Zea mays L.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The tillage systems compared were: conventional tillage; reduced conventional tillage; conservation tillage I; conservation tillage II (CM); no-tillage (NT). During the study period, there were one dry, two wet and one average season. Soil water content (SWC) was measured at 0-5, 15-20 and 30-35 cm depths on a monthly basis. Tillage systems had significant (P < 0.05) effects on SWC and yields. The highest average SWC in all seasons was measured under the NT system, followed by the CM system. In the second season, the highest yield was measured under the NT system while in all other seasons, it was under the CM system. Keywords: soil tillage, dry farming, rainfall, grain yield, weather conditions Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 213-219 Volume: 61 Issue: 5 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/156/2015-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/156/2015-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-201505-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:61:y:2015:i:5:id:156-2015-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: G.-Q. Wu Author-Workplace-Name: School of Life Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, P.R. China Author-Name: Q. Jiao Author-Workplace-Name: School of Life Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, P.R. China Author-Name: Q.-Z. Shui Author-Workplace-Name: School of Life Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, P.R. China Title: Effect of salinity on seed germination, seedling growth, and inorganic and organic solutes accumulation in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) Abstract: To investigate the effects of saline stress on seed germination, ion distribution, and organic solutes changes of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), in the present study, seeds and 3-week-old seedlings were subjected to a series of external NaCl concentrations (5-200 mmol). The results showed that high salinity (200 mmol) remarkably inhibited the germination of seed and delayed germination time in sunflower. It was found that 25-200 mmol NaCl significantly reduced both stem and leaf dry weight. Concentrations of 100 and 200 mmol also caused a clear reduction in tissues water content. With the increase of NaCl concentration, Na+ concentrations both in root and stem showed the increasing trend, whereas to a lesser degree in root than in stem. In leaf, Na+ concentration remained unchanged when the external concentrations of NaCl were below 100 mmol, while significantly increased by 41-fold when plants were exposed to 200 mmol. By contrast, K+ concentration in root displayed the decreasing trend with the increase of NaCl concentrations. Neither lower (5 and 10 mmol) nor higher (100 and 200 mmol) salinity significantly affected K+ concentration both in stem and leaf, while moderate levels (25 and 50 mmol) significantly enhanced K+ accumulation. High salinity significantly enhanced soluble sugar concentration in stem by 28% and proline in leaf by 166%. It was proposed that sunflower plants adapt to saline stress to some extent through regulating distribution of Na+ and K+, maintaining higher selective absorption capacity for K+ over Na+, and accumulating more osmoprotectants, such as soluble sugar and proline. Keywords: soil salinization, sodium chloride, salinity tolerance, osmoregulation, osmotic adjustment, arid environment Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 220-226 Volume: 61 Issue: 5 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/22/2015-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/22/2015-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-201505-0006.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:61:y:2015:i:5:id:22-2015-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: A.K. Pradhan Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur, India Author-Name: K.S. Beura Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur, India Author-Name: R. Das Author-Workplace-Name: Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, West Bengal, India Author-Name: D. Padhan Author-Workplace-Name: Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, West Bengal, India Author-Name: G.C. Hazra Author-Workplace-Name: Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, West Bengal, India Author-Name: B. Mandal Author-Workplace-Name: Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, West Bengal, India Author-Name: N. De Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India Author-Name: V.N. Mishra Author-Workplace-Name: Indira Gandhi Agricultural University, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India Author-Name: K.B. Polara Author-Workplace-Name: Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh, Gujarat, India Author-Name: S. Sharma Author-Workplace-Name: Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat, India Title: Evaluation of extractability of different extractants for zinc and copper in soils under long-term fertilization Abstract: We aimed to evaluate the extractability of different extractants for zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) in soils of long-term field experiments covering different agro-ecological zones of India. The relationships between the amounts of Zn and Cu extracted by Mehlich 3, 0.1 mol/L HCl and AB-DTPA (ammonium bicarbonate-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) with those extracted by DTPA, the conventional extraction method widely used in soil testing laboratories in India, were elucidated. The treatments of the long-term experiments included control (no fertilizer), 100% NPK, 50%NPK + 50% N through FYM (farm yard manure) and a fallow soil. Some important physico-chemical properties of soil like pH, organic carbon, textural class, CaCO3 content, etc. were analyzed. The NPK + FYM treatment was found to be the most effective treatment in terms of increased content of Zn and Cu in soils. The results showed that the amount of Zn and Cu extracted by Mehlich 3 were significantly correlated with that extracted by 0.1 mol/L HCl (r = 0.970** for Zn and r = 0.914** for Cu). Accordingly, Mehlich 3 and 0.1 mol/L HCl could be used effectively for estimating Zn and Cu availability in soils of India. However, Mehlich 3 was superior to all the other extractants used for the study. Keywords: micronutrients, trace elements, crop nutrition, plant-availability, chelating agents Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 227-233 Volume: 61 Issue: 5 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/971/2014-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/971/2014-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-201505-0007.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:61:y:2015:i:5:id:971-2014-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: M. Madaras Author-Workplace-Name: Crop Research Institute, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: M. Koubová Author-Workplace-Name: Czech Geological Survey, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Potassium availability and soil extraction tests in agricultural soils with low exchangeable potassium content Abstract: Low application of fertilizer potassium (K) in intensive agriculture leads to a gradual decrease and, afterwards, to a steady state of soil K determined by tests which are based on soil exchangeable K (Kexch) extraction. In this situation, non-exchangeable K (Knon-exch) is being released and therefore real plant availability does not necessarily correspond to soil test K. This incoherency was investigated in 14 agricultural soils with low K as determined by the Mehlich 3 method. Plant-available K released by exhaustive cropping of perennial ryegrass and K determined by the Neubauer seedling test were compared with 8 soil K extraction methods, with the total K content and with the relative content of soil K-bearing minerals. K determined by the ryegrass test (314 mg/kg on average) was more than 3-times higher than K based on Kexch extraction methods, but was from 2 to 3 times lower than K determined by Knon-exch extracting methods. The relative content of mixed-layer phyllosilicates was significantly related to K extracted by soil tests. The relative content of orthoclase correlated only with total K and mica-group minerals with none of the extractions. The best prediction of plant-available K in investigated soils was obtained with sodium tetraphenylboron and StepK methods. Keywords: essential nutrient, soil testing, plant K availability, X-ray diffraction, clay minerals Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 234-239 Volume: 61 Issue: 5 Year: 2015 DOI: 10.17221/171/2015-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/171/2015-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-201505-0008.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:61:y:2015:i:5:id:171-2015-PSE