Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Elżbieta Mielniczuk Author-Name: Elżbieta Patkowska Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Plant Protection, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Lublin, Poland Author-Name: Agnieszka Jamiołkowska Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Plant Protection, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Lublin, Poland Title: The influence of catch crops on fungal diversity in the soil and health of oat Abstract: The aim of the research was to determine the quantitative and qualitative composition of soil-borne fungi in the cultivation of oat, as well as to assess the healthiness of this cereal. The experiment considered spring barley and potato as forecrops, and white mustard or lacy phacelia cultivated after spring barley as catch crops before oat. The population of fungi showing antagonistic effect towards selected fungi pathogenic to cereal was determined. The most fungi (pathogenic and antagonistic) were found in the soil under oat cultivation after spring barley, while the least after potato. The cultivation of oat after spring barley with the use of catch crops significantly influenced a reduction in the number of fungi obtained from the soil. On the other hand, catch crop cultivation increased the share of antagonists in the soil fungus population. Among the species recognised as antagonistic, Clonostachys rosea, Trichoderma viride, T. koningii, and T. harzianum predominated. The introduction of catch crops, especially white mustard, also positively influenced the healthiness of oat. The average disease index for the tested oat cultivars grown after potato and after spring barley with white mustard and lacy phacelia as catch crops was 11.02, 12.78 and 15.90, respectively, whereas after spring barley it was 21.75. Keywords: Avena sativa L., infection, phytosanitary condition, microorganisms, crop rotation Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 99-104 Volume: 66 Issue: 3 Year: 2020 DOI: 10.17221/38/2020-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/38/2020-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202003-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:66:y:2020:i:3:id:38-2020-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Klára Bradáčová Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Crop Science, Nutritional Crop Physiology (340 h), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany Author-Name: Ellen Kandeler Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, Soil Biology (310 b), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany Author-Name: Nils Berger Author-Workplace-Name: EuroChem Agro GmbH, Mannheim, Germany Author-Name: Uwe Ludewig Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Crop Science, Nutritional Crop Physiology (340 h), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany Author-Name: Günter Neumann Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Crop Science, Nutritional Crop Physiology (340 h), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany Title: Microbial consortia inoculants stimulate early growth of maize depending on nitrogen and phosphorus supply Abstract: Adoption of microbial consortia as plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) instead of single-strain inoculants is discussed as an approach to increase the efficiency and flexibility of PGPM-assisted production strategies. This study provides the functional characterisation of a commercial microbial consortia product (MCP) in a series of greenhouse experiments with maize on a silty-loam field soil (pH 5.9). A 60%-increased abundance of bacteria that could be cultivated after rhizosphere extraction was measured after MCP inoculation at the end of the 42-days culture period. MCP inoculation did not stimulate shoot biomass production of maize fertilised with nitrate, but growth improvement was recorded in combination with stabilised ammonium, especially with reduced phosphorus (P) supply. The MCP inoculant improved the acquisition of ammonium-N but also increased shoot-P. MCP inoculation stimulated root length development under reduced P supply with stabilised ammonium by 52%. This was accompanied by the increased auxin production capacity of rhizosphere bacteria. C-, N-, and P-turnover in the rhizosphere were little affected by the MCP inoculation, as deduced from the analysis of activities of extracellular soil enzymes. The findings suggest that the form of N supply is crucial for the efficiency of plant-MCP interactions. Keywords: biofertilisers, root-associated microbiome, P solubilisation, acid phosphatase, plant-microbe interactions Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 105-112 Volume: 66 Issue: 3 Year: 2020 DOI: 10.17221/382/2019-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/382/2019-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202003-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:66:y:2020:i:3:id:382-2019-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Angelica Rivera-Martin Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agronomy and Forest Environment Engineering, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain Author-Name: Martin R. Broadley Author-Workplace-Name: School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK Author-Name: Maria J. Poblaciones Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agronomy and Forest Environment Engineering, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain Author-Workplace-Name: School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK Title: Soil and foliar zinc application to biofortify broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica L.): effects on the zinc concentration and bioavailability Abstract: Agronomic zinc (Zn) biofortification of crops could help to alleviate dietary Zn deficiency, which is likely to affect more than one billion people worldwide. To evaluate the efficiency of agronomic Zn biofortification of broccoli, four application treatments were tested: no Zn application (control); soil application of 5 mg/kg ZnSO4.7 H2O (soil); two sprays (15 mL/pot each) of 0.25% (w/v) ZnSO4.7 H2O (foliar); and soil + foliar combination. Soil Zn application increased Zn-DTPA (diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid) concentration by 3.7-times but did not affect plant growth or plant Zn concentration. Foliar Zn application increased stem + leaves and floret Zn concentration by 78 and 23 mg Zn/kg, respectively, with good bioavailability based on phytic acid concentration. Boiling decreased mineral concentration by 19%, but increased bioavailability by decreasing the phytic acid concentration. The entire broccoli could constitute a good nutritional source for animals and humans. An intake of 100 g boiled florets treated with the foliar treatment will cover about 36% of recommended dietary intake (RDI) of Zn, together with 30% of Ca, 94% of K, 32% of Mg, 6% of Na, 55% of P, 60% of S, 10% of Cu, 22% of Fe, 43% of Mn, and 35% of Se RDIs. Keywords: bioavailability, nutrient uptake, zinc fertiliser, Brassica, phytate Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 113-118 Volume: 66 Issue: 3 Year: 2020 DOI: 10.17221/14/2020-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/14/2020-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202003-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:66:y:2020:i:3:id:14-2020-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Maik Veste Author-Workplace-Name: CEBra - Centre for Energy Technology Brandenburg e.V., Cottbus, Germany Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Environmental Sciences, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Cottbus, Germany Author-Name: Thomas Littmann Author-Workplace-Name: DLC - Littmann Consulting, Ennepetal, Germany Author-Name: Anton Kunneke Author-Workplace-Name: AgriSciences, Department of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa Author-Name: Ben du Toit Author-Workplace-Name: AgriSciences, Department of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa Author-Name: Thomas Seifert Author-Workplace-Name: AgriSciences, Department of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa Author-Workplace-Name: Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg, Chair of Forest Growth and Dendroecology, Freiburg, Germany Title: Windbreaks as part of climate-smart landscapes reduce evapotranspiration in vineyards, Western Cape Province, South Africa Abstract: Under the conditions of climate change in South Africa, ecological and technical measures are needed to reduce the water consumption of irrigated crops. Windbreak hedges are long-rated systems in agriculture that significantly reduce wind speed. Their possibilities to reduce evapotranspiration and water demand are being investigated at a vineyard in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Detailed measurements of meteorological parameters relevant for the computation of reference and crop-specific evapotranspiration following the FAO 56 approaches within a vineyard in the Western Cape Province of South Africa have shown the beneficial effect of an existing hedgerow consisting of 6 m high poplars (Populus simonii (Carrière) Wesm.). With reference to a control station in the open field, the mean wind speed in a position about 18 m from the hedgerow at canopy level (2 m) was reduced by 27.6% over the entire year and by 39.2% over the summer growing season. This effect leads to a parallel reduction of reference evapotranspiration of 15.5% during the whole year and of 18.4% over the growing season. When applying empirical crop-specific Kc values for well-irrigated grapes, the reduction of evapotranspiration is 18.8% over the summer growth period. The introduced tree shelterbelts are a suitable eco-engineering approach to reduce water consumption and to enhance water saving in vineyards. Keywords: Vitis vinifera L., dry areas, viticulture, climate change mitigation, agroforestry, irrigation Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 119-127 Volume: 66 Issue: 3 Year: 2020 DOI: 10.17221/616/2019-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/616/2019-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202003-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:66:y:2020:i:3:id:616-2019-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Matyáš Orsák Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Zora Kotíková Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: František Hnilička Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jaromír Lachman Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Radovan Stanovič Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Nitra, Slovak Republic Title: Effect of drought and waterlogging on hydrophilic antioxidants and their activity in potato tubers Abstract: Maintaining a strong antioxidant system is essential for preventing drought or waterlogging stresses damage in potato tubers. In the two-year pot experiment, the effect of long-term drought and waterlogging stresses on the content of phenolic acids, ascorbic acid, and antioxidant activity in potato tubers and relative water content of four cultivars was evaluated. Drought stress significantly (P < 0.05) decreased relative water content (RWC) in the leaves of all genotypes. The evaluation of the relationship between phenolic acid content and the level of plant stress expressed as RWC showed a negative correlation between RWC and most phenolic acids, but these correlations were not statistically significant, with the exception of l-tyrosine. A significant positive correlation was found between total and individual phenolic acid content and antioxidant activity (R = 0.657), confirming the main responsibility for the increase of antioxidant activity. The average tuber yield and weight as well as their average number correlated negatively with total phenolic acids. Drought stress decreased l-ascorbic acid content by reduction of biosynthesis, and its content was positively correlated with decreased RWC, tubers yield, weight, and number. The increase of phenolic antioxidants in potato under stress conditions can be a distinctive marker of cultivar resistance against abiotic stresses. Keywords: Solanum tuberosum L., long-term abiotic conditions, water stress, vitamin C, climate change Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 128-134 Volume: 66 Issue: 3 Year: 2020 DOI: 10.17221/520/2019-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/520/2019-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202003-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:66:y:2020:i:3:id:520-2019-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Dinh Thi Lan Phuong Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Basic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Environment, Thuyloi University, Dong Da, Hanoi, Vietnam Author-Name: Nguyen Thanh Hoa Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Chemistry and Environment, Thuyloi University, Dong Da, Hanoi, Vietnam Author-Name: Nguyen Thi Hang Nga Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Water Resouces Engineering, Faculty of Water Resources Engineering, Thuyloi University, Dong Da, Hanoi, Vietnam Title: Impact of irrigation techniques on rice yield and dynamics of zinc in plants and soil Abstract: Zinc (Zn) insufficiency and water deficiency are primary challenges in intensive rice production systems. This study aims to examine the influence of two irrigation regimes, flood irrigation (FI) and water-saving irrigation (WSI), on rice grain yield and mobile Zn accumulation in soil and rice grains. Experiments were conducted in An Vien rice fields in the Tien Lu district, Hung Yen province, located in the middle of the Red River delta during four rice seasons from 2015 to 2016. The results showed that the WSI regime dramatically increased the grain yield and Zn concentrations in grain of rice. Grain yield was increased by 14.76% and grain Zn concentration by 17.93% when compared with the FI regime. The decrease in the mobile Zn concentration in soil was only 5.7% in the WSI technique, compared with 73.6% for FI techniques. Therefore, it can be concluded that WSI can be effective agricultural practice to elevate grain yield and increase Zn retention in soil and bioavailability in rice grains. Keywords: water-saving irrigation, flooding irrigation, zinc uptake, rice yield, sustainable agricultural production Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 135-142 Volume: 66 Issue: 3 Year: 2020 DOI: 10.17221/660/2019-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/660/2019-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202003-0006.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:66:y:2020:i:3:id:660-2019-PSE