Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Nadiyah M. Alabdallah Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Biology, College of Science, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, 314 41, Dammam, Saudi Arabia Author-Name: Md. Mahadi Hasan Author-Workplace-Name: State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, P.R. China Author-Name: Abdalrhaman M. Salih Author-Workplace-Name: King Saud University, College of Science, Botany and Microbiology Department, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Author-Name: S.S. Roushdy Author-Workplace-Name: Ain Shams University, Faculty of Science, Botany Department, Cairo, Egypt Author-Name: Aisha S. Al-Shammari Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Biology, College of Science, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, 314 41, Dammam, Saudi Arabia Author-Name: Sumayah I. Alsanie Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Biology, College of Science, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, 314 41, Dammam, Saudi Arabia Author-Name: Mohamed El-Zaidy Author-Workplace-Name: King Saud University, College of Science, Botany and Microbiology Department, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Title: Silver nanoparticles improve growth and protect against oxidative damage in eggplant seedlings under drought stress Abstract: Drought stress is a significant abiotic stressor that has a negative impact on crop production and global food security systems. Drought stress was applied to eggplant seedlings with various field capacities (FC), 80% FC as control, 50% FC, 35% FC, and 20% FC. AgNPs were synthesised from green chemical methods, whereas different concentrations of AgNPs (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 µmol) were applied exogenously on drought-stressed eggplants. Drought stress decreased the growth parameters (plant height, fresh mass, dry mass, leaf area), photosynthetic pigments (Chl a, Chl b, carotenoids), and protein content while increased the proline, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and activity of the antioxidant enzymes, i.e., superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). AgNPs restricted proline accumulation and reduced H2O2, MDA content by upregulating the antioxidant enzymes. Overall, the current study's findings indicated that AgNPs are an effective eco-friendly and low-cost application for plant growth under drought stress, with the potential to mitigate the impact of drought on plants. Keywords: leaf extracts, malondialdehyde, particle size, photoperiod, relative humidity Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 617-624 Volume: 67 Issue: 11 Year: 2021 DOI: 10.17221/323/2021-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/323/2021-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202111-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:67:y:2021:i:11:id:323-2021-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Evelin Kármen Juhász Author-Name: Rita Kremper Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary Author-Name: Áron Béni Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary Author-Name: Andrea Balláné Kovács Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary Title: Residual effect of superphosphate on the sulphur status of soil and plants in a long-term NPK fertilisation experiment on a Chernozem in Hungary Abstract: Recently, plant-available sulphur (S) in the soil is decreasing due to the limited use of S containing fertilisers and the reduction of atmospheric S deposition. The aim of this work was to evaluate the S status in a long-term fertilisation experiment on a Chernozem in Hungary, with control and 2 NPK rate treatments, considering that after 27 years of superphosphate (SP) use, SP was replaced by monoammonium phosphate in 2010. Plant and soil sampling were performed in 2017 at three different development stages of winter wheat. To assess the S status, the S balance was estimated (for 34 years), KCl soluble soil sulphate, S as well as nitrogen (N) concentration and some amino acids in wheat grain were measured. N/S ratios, S and N uptake of wheat were calculated. The residual effect of SP could be measured only in terms of KCl soluble SO42--S in soil. According to the wheat grain S concentration (0.08-0.10%) and N/S ratio (14.9-22.0), wheat was S deficient, despite the positive S balance in the fertilised plots. In this experiment, where S fertiliser was applied with 84 kg S/ha dose in 1983-2010, followed by a 7-year period without S fertilisation, S supply is necessary for achieving adequate wheat quality. Keywords: Triticum aestivum L., sulphur uptake, deficiency, methionine, cysteine Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 625-632 Volume: 67 Issue: 11 Year: 2021 DOI: 10.17221/247/2021-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/247/2021-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202111-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:67:y:2021:i:11:id:247-2021-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Qidi Zhu Author-Workplace-Name: Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: CollaborativeInnovation Center of Modern Biological Breeding, Xinxiang, P.R. China Author-Name: Yanyan Li Author-Workplace-Name: Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang, P.R. China Author-Name: Shang Gao Author-Workplace-Name: Yangtze University, Jingzhou, P.R. China Author-Name: Changjuan Shan Author-Workplace-Name: Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang, P.R. China Author-Workplace-Name: CollaborativeInnovation Center of Modern Biological Breeding, Xinxiang, P.R. China Title: Praseodymium enhanced the tolerance of maize seedlings subjected to cadmium stress by up-regulating the enzymes in the regeneration and biosynthetic pathways of ascorbate and glutathione Abstract: To test whether praseodymium (Pr) regulates cadmium (Cd) tolerance, we explored the effects of Pr on enzymatic activities in the regeneration and biosynthetic pathways of ascorbate and glutathione in maize seedlings under Cd stress. The findings demonstrated that Cd stress increased enzymatic activities in the regeneration pathway (ascorbate peroxidase (APX), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), glutathione reductase (GR), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR)) and in the biosynthetic pathway of ascorbate and glutathione (γ-ECS and GalLDH), as well as ascorbate (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) contents. However, Cd stress significantly decreased AsA/dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) ratio and GSH/oxidised glutathione (GSSG) ratio, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), chlorophylls (Chl) and carotenoids (Car) contents, maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm), photochemical quenching (qP) and quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (ΦPSII), as well as plant height and biomass. Application of Pr to Cd-stressed seedlings enhanced above enzymatic activities, AsA and GSH contents, AsA/DHA and GSH/GSSG ratios, Pn, Chl and Car contents, Fv/Fm, qP and ΦPSII, as well as plant height and biomass. Meanwhile, the application of Pr to Cd-stressed seedlings reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content and electrolyte leakage. The above results indicated that Pr enhanced Cd tolerance of maize by up-regulating enzymatic activities in regeneration and biosynthetic pathways of ascorbate and glutathione. Keywords: cadmium toxicity, rare earth element, redox state, antioxidant, Zea mays L Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 633-642 Volume: 67 Issue: 11 Year: 2021 DOI: 10.17221/217/2021-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/217/2021-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202111-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:67:y:2021:i:11:id:217-2021-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Shuang Han Author-Workplace-Name: Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, Henan, P.R. China Author-Name: Xiaoqin Zhu Author-Workplace-Name: Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, Henan, P.R. China Author-Name: Dongmei Liu Author-Workplace-Name: Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, Henan, P.R. China Author-Name: Libo Wang Author-Workplace-Name: Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, Henan, P.R. China Author-Name: Dongli Pei Title: Optimisation of the amount of nitrogen enhances quality and yield of pepper Abstract: The goals of this study were to explore the characteristics of nitrogen (N) absorption and utilisation of chilli peppers (Capsicum annuum L.), improve the utilisation rate of nitrogen, and provide a theoretical basis for scientific fertilisation. In this experiment, pepper cv. Huoyanjiaowang was used as the material, and potted sand cultures and field randomised block experiments were conducted to study the effects of fertilisation of different forms of nitrogen on the photosynthetic characteristics, chlorophyll, nitrate nitrogen, alkaline nitrogen, capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin and yield. In the pot experiment, the nitrogen application rates were 0, 10, 100, 320 and 600 mg/L, a level of nitrogen of 100 mg/L significantly inhibited the growth of pepper. With the increase in the application of nitrogen, the photosynthetic capacity gradually decreased, and 10 mg/L was the optimal nitrogen level. Under 0 and 10 mg N/L nitrogen levels in the field experiment, the content of chlorophyll of this group was significantly lower than those of other treatment groups, indicating that the plot lacked nitrogen. With the increase in the level of application of nitrogen, the contents of nitrate nitrogen and alkaline hydrolysis nitrogen in the soil increased. The yield of 153.18 kg/ha and 230 kg/ha nitrogen treatments was relatively high. Therefore, among the five nitrogen treatment levels, treatment with 153.18-230 kg N/ha was the most effective at stimulating the growth and yield of pepper. Keywords: macronutrient, nitrogen use efficiency, photosynthesis, growth and development, crop production Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 643-652 Volume: 67 Issue: 11 Year: 2021 DOI: 10.17221/123/2021-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/123/2021-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202111-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:67:y:2021:i:11:id:123-2021-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Agnieszka Żurawik Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Horticulture, West Pomeranian University of Technology Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland Author-Name: Dorota Jadczak Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Horticulture, West Pomeranian University of Technology Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland Author-Name: Nikolay Panayotov Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Horticulture, Agricultural University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria Author-Name: Piotr Żurawik Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Horticulture, West Pomeranian University of Technology Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland Title: Antioxidant properties of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) depending on its cultivar and fruit colouration Abstract: Due to its nutritional, health-promoting and taste-related values, new cultivars are introduced every year. The aim of the study was to assess the biological value of Polish and Bulgarian cultivars of pepper grown in moderate climate conditions and collected at different degrees of maturity. Ascorbic acid, carotenoids, polyphenols, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll and antioxidant activity (DPPH) were determined in air-dried fruit. The investigation included five Polish cultivars: Roberta, Marta Polka, Etiuda, Trapez, and Cyklon and five Bulgarian cultivars: Bulgarski Ratung, Sivriya, Kurtovska Kapiya, Delikates, and Dzuliunska Shipka. Its design involved randomised sub-blocks, with three replications comprising nine plants each. The area of a single plot was 1.44 m2 (1.2 m × 1.2 m). The study confirmed the strong antioxidant properties of pepper grown in the field, without cover, and under temperate climate conditions. The vegetable is rich in vitamin C, polyphenols, carotenoids, chlorophyll pigments, and shows high antioxidant activity. However, the biological value of pepper is cultivar-dependent and is also determined by the fruit colouration degree. The coloured fruits are richer in vitamin C and carotenoids than the green ones, and when matured, they have greater antioxidant capacity. Green fruits contain more chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll than the coloured ones. The fruits of cv. Etiuda were the richest in vitamin C, of cv. Sivriya in polyphenols, of cv. Dzuliunska Shipka in carotenoids, and of cv. Trapez in total chlorophyll. Cv. Sivriya showed the strongest antioxidant properties. Keywords: Solanaceae, phytochemical, weather conditions, nutrition Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 653-659 Volume: 67 Issue: 11 Year: 2021 File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/artkey/pse-202111-0005_antioxidant-properties-of-pepper-capsicum-annuum-l-depending-on-its-cultivar-and-fruit-colouration.php File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202111-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:67:y:2021:i:11:id:333-2021-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Jinxin Zhang Author-Workplace-Name: School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, P.R. China Author-Name: Liangmin Gao Author-Workplace-Name: School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, P.R. China Author-Name: Zhendong Pang Author-Workplace-Name: Environmental Protection Monitoring Station of Huainan city, Huainan, Anhui, P.R. China Author-Name: Linghan Liu Author-Workplace-Name: Zhejiang Wangneng Ecological Technology Co., Ltd., Huzhou, Zhejiang, P.R. China Author-Name: Xiaoqing Chen Author-Workplace-Name: School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, P.R. China Author-Name: Shuo Wang Author-Workplace-Name: School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, P.R. China Author-Name: Hui Wang Author-Workplace-Name: School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, P.R. China Author-Name: Rongrong Tong Author-Workplace-Name: School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, P.R. China Author-Name: Chuang Shi Author-Workplace-Name: School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, P.R. China Author-Name: Xudong Chen Author-Workplace-Name: School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, P.R. China Title: Effect of low-molecular-weight organic acids on phosphorus soil activation: A laboratory study of the soils from Wangbeng section of the Huaihe River Basin, China Abstract: Farmland soil samples from the northern and southern banks of the Wangbeng section of the Huaihe River Basin, China, were collected and treated with three different low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) (malic acid, citric acid, oxalic acid). This study aimed to determine how these acids affect soil phosphorus activation. The results showed that the average activation rate of total phosphorus, inorganic phosphorus, Fe/Al-P and Ca-P in soil samples from the southern bank treated with malic and citric acid was above 162%, except for organic phosphorus, with the highest at 192.04%. The three organic acids displayed significantly greater phosphorus activation in the northern bank soil samples than those of the southern bank. However, the overall average activation rate in the northern bank soils was lower than that of the southern bank. The four factors of phosphorus species, acid species, acid concentration, and treatment time had significant effects on phosphorus activation in the soils from both banks. This study showed that the three organic acids significantly activated inert phosphorus in the soil. Among them, malic acid and citric acid had a stronger effect on activating soil phosphorus and increased the available soil phosphorus utilisation rate. Keywords: soil property, soil phosphorus mobility, available phosphorus, phosphorus correlation Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 660-667 Volume: 67 Issue: 11 Year: 2021 DOI: 10.17221/379/2021-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/379/2021-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202111-0006.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:67:y:2021:i:11:id:379-2021-PSE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Mirsada Salihović Author-Workplace-Name: Facultyof Pharmacy, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Author-Name: Mirha Pazalja Author-Workplace-Name: Facultyof Pharmacy, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Author-Name: Aida Šapčanin Author-Workplace-Name: Facultyof Pharmacy, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Author-Name: Biljana P. Dojčinović Author-Workplace-Name: Instituteof Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Republic of Serbia Author-Name: Selma Špirtović-Halilović Author-Workplace-Name: Facultyof Pharmacy, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Title: Element contents and health risk assessment in wild edible mushrooms of Bosnia and Herzegovina Abstract: The content of macro- and microelements in dry samples of mushrooms of the species Macrolepiota procera, Boletus edulis and Cantharellus cibarius, collected at different areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina, was determined using the ICP-OES method (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry). Of the macroelements, K is the most represented, followed by S, P, Mg, and the least represented Ca and Na. Zn is the most represented of the essential microelements, followed by Fe, Se, Cu, Mn and Co. Al is the most abundant of the other trace elements followed by Ni and Cr. Of the toxic metals, the most represented is Cd, followed by Pb and As. There are differences in the concentration of micro- and macroelements in the mushrooms analysed, depending on the area from which they were collected because natural geology and geochemistry influence the content of macro- and microelements in wild edible mushrooms. The results show that the analysed mushrooms can be considered a good source of essential elements. The study also assessed potential health risks of heavy metals and the target hazard quotient (THQ) for As, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni and Cr in the analysed mushrooms was lower than the safe level. The carcinogenic risk index revealed that Cd and Ni are the most prevalent pollutants in the mushrooms studied. Keywords: fungi, micro- and macronutrients, health hazard analysis Journal: Plant, Soil and Environment Pages: 668-677 Volume: 67 Issue: 11 Year: 2021 DOI: 10.17221/423/2021-PSE File-URL: http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/423/2021-PSE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/pse-202111-0007.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:67:y:2021:i:11:id:423-2021-PSE