Potassium humate supplementation improves photosynthesis and agronomic and yield traits of foxtail millet.

Foxtail millet is a highly nutritious crop, which is widely cultivated in arid and semi-arid areas worldwide. Humic acid (HA), as a common plant growth regulator, is used as an organic fertilizer and feed additive in agricultural production. However, the impact of potassium humate KH on the photosynthetic rate and yield of foxtail millet has not yet been studied. We explored the effects of KH application on the morphology, photosynthetic ability, carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and yield of foxtail millet. A field experiment was performed using six concentrations of KH (0, 20, 40, 80, 160, and 320 kg ha-1) supplied foliarly at the booting stage in Zhangza 10 cultivar (a widely grown high-yield variety). The results showed that KH treatment increased growth, chlorophyll content (SPAD), photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), and stomatal conductance (Gs). In addition, soluble protein content, sugar content, and nitrate reductase activity increased in KH-treated plants. With increased KH concentration, the effects became more evident and the peak values of each factor were achieved at 80 kg ha-1. Photosynthetic rate showed significant correlation with SPAD, Tr, Gs, and soluble protein content, but was negatively correlated with intercellular CO2 concentration. Compared to that of the control, the yield of foxtail millet under the T2, T3, T4, and T5 (40, 80, 160, and 320 kg ha-1 of KH) treatments significantly increased by 6.0%, 12.7%, 10.5%, and 8.6%, respectively. Yield exhibited a significant positive correlation with Tr, Pn, and Gs. Overall, KH enhances photosynthetic rate and yield of foxtail millet, therefore it may be conducive to stable millet production. These findings may provide a theoretical basis for the green and efficient production of millet fields.

Simple, Effective, and Ecofriendly Strategy to Inhibit Droplet Bouncing on Hydrophobic Weed Leaves.

Despite small-molecule surfactants and polymers being widely used as pesticide adjuvants to inhibit droplet bouncing and splashing, they still have intrinsic drawbacks either in the easy wind drift and evaporation, the unfavorable wettability, or the usage of nonrenewable resources. In this paper, we found that upon droplet impacting, 1D nanofibers assembled from natural glycyrrhizic acid (GL) could pin on the rough hydrophobic surface and delay the retraction rate of droplets effectively. Using GL as a tank-mixed adjuvant, the efficiency of glyphosate to control the weed growth was improved significantly in the field experiment, which addressed the dilemmas of current adjuvants elegantly. Our work not only provides a constructive way to overcome droplet bouncing but also prompted us to verify in future if all 1D nanofibers assembled from different small molecules can display similar control efficiencies.

Sensitivity of yellow foxtail (Setaria glauca L.) and barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli L.) to aqueous extracts or dry biomass of cover crops.

BACKGROUND: The common weeds Echinochloa crus-galli L. and Setaria glauca L. were studied for their sensitivity to aqueous extracts or dry biomass of the following cover crops (CCs): Brassicaceae (Sinapis alba, Raphanus sativus var. Oleiformis, Camellina sativa), Fagopyrum esculentum and Guizotia abyssinica. RESULTS: Treating E. crus-galli with aqueous extracts of mixed CCs or individual brassica CC significantly reduced germination. Treating S. glauca with aqueous extracts of C. sativa or G. abyssinicia reduced germination. Aqueous extracts of all CCs significantly reduced radicle length of E. crus-galli and S. glauca, with C. sativa and mixed CCs showing the greatest effect. Aqueous extracts of nearly all CCs delayed start and middle germination of E. crus-galli and S. glauca, with S. alba and R. sativus showing the strongest effects. Aqueous extracts of Brassicaceae leaf and flower significantly reduced germination, coleoptile length, radicle length and seedling biomass of E. crus-galli and S. glauca. Brassicaceae leaves and flowers contained higher phenolics than other tissues. Adding 4 or 8% S. alba and R. sativus dry powder to soil significantly reduced growth of E. crus-galli and S. glauca; even concentrations of 1% measurably slowed growth of E. crus-galli. CONCLUSIONS: Brassicaceae may be allelopathic to S. glauca and E. crus-galli. Aqueous extracts of leaves and flowers showed greater phytotoxic activity than other tissues and also contained more phenolics. Therefore Brassicaceae CCs may be most effective against S. glauca and E. crus-galli if incorporated into soil during their flowering stage. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

The responses of two native plant species to soil petroleum contamination in the Yellow River Delta, China.

Petroleum contamination is a significant environmental problem in the Yellow River Delta. The responses of two native salt-tolerant plant species, alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and bristle grass (Setaria uiridis Beauv), to soil petroleum contamination were investigated at five levels between 0 and 2.0% (w/w). Results showed that the total, aboveground and underground plant biomasses of both species were significantly reduced by petroleum contamination (p < 0.05), with the inhibition enhanced with increased petroleum levels. However, the emergence rate of bristle grass was promoted by petroleum contamination. Following 100 days of exposure, the number of soil petroleum degraders increased greatly, with a trend of initial increase followed by a decrease at 1.5% contamination or higher. Compared to bulk soils, bacteria-degrading alkanes, total hydrocarbons and PAHs in alfalfa rhizosphere soils increased by 1.33-4.18-, 0.85-3.01- and 4.12-12.75-fold, respectively, with an increase of 2.80-10.00-, 4.42-14.44- and 7.30-26.00-fold in bristle grass rhizosphere soils, respectively. The greatest number of petroleum degraders in bristle grass rhizosphere soils resulted in the highest petroleum degradation rate. Bristle grass may be the optimal species for petroleum remediation in the studied area.

Tolerance to iron accumulation and its effects on mineral composition and growth of two grass species.

This study aimed to assess the influence of excess iron on the capacity of accumulation of this heavy metal, mineral composition, and growth of Setaria parviflora and Paspalum urvillei. Seedlings were submitted to 0.009; 1; 2; 4; and 7 mM of Fe-EDTA. In both species there was an increase in the concentration of Fe, Zn, P, and Ca and a decrease in Mn, K, and Mg in the iron plaque. Both species accumulated more iron in roots. In the shoots, S. parviflora showed higher iron content, except at 7 mM. Iron altered the contents of Fe, Cu, K, and Mg in roots, and of Fe, Mn, Zn, N, P, K, Ca, and Mg in shoots. The two species tolerated high iron concentrations and accumulated high content of this element in both shoots and roots. The iron did not reduce their growth. Both species are indicated for studies aiming restoration of iron-contaminated areas.

Surfactant-induced deposit structures in relation to the biological efficacy of glyphosate on easy- and difficult-to-wet weed species.

BACKGROUND: Typical active ingredient (AI) residue patterns are formed during droplet drying on plant surfaces owing to the interaction of spray solution characteristics and leaf micromorphology. Currently, comparatively little is known about the influence of AI deposit patterns within a spray droplet residue area on the penetration and biological efficacy of glyphosate. A scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis has been used to characterise residue patterns and to quantify the area ultimately covered by glyphosate within the droplet spread area. RESULTS: The easy-to-wet weed species Stellaria media L. and Viola arvensis L., as well as the difficult-to-wet Chenopodium album L. and Setaria viridis L., differing in their surface micromorphology, have been used. Rapeseed oil ethoxylates (RSO 5 or RSO 60) were added to glyphosate solutions to provide different droplet spread areas. Addition of RSO 5 enhanced droplet spread area more than RSO 60, and both caused distinct glyphosate residue patterns. The biological efficacy of treatment solutions showed no significant correlation with the area ultimately covered by glyphosate. CONCLUSION: The results have implications on herbicide uptake models. This study shows that droplet spread area does not correspond to the area ultimately covered by glyphosate, and that the latter does not affect glyphosate phytotoxicity.

Transcriptome changes in foxtail millet genotypes at high salinity: identification and characterization of a PHGPX gene specifically upregulated by NaCl in a salt-tolerant line.

Using a macro array filter with 711 cDNA inserts representing 620 unigenes selected from a barley EST collection, we identified transcripts differentially expressed in salt (NaCl)-treated tolerant (cv. Prasad) and sensitive (cv. Lepakshi) seedlings of foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.). Transcripts of hydrogen peroxide scavenging enzymes such as phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPX), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and catalase 1 (CAT1) in addition to some genes of cellular metabolism were found to be especially up-regulated at high salinity in the tolerant line. To analyse this process at the protein level we examined protein expression patterns under various stress conditions. A 25 kD protein with a pI of 4.8 was found to be induced prominently under high salt concentrations (250 mmol/L). This salt-induced 25 kD protein has been purified and identified by peptide sequencing as PHGPX protein. The increase of the PHGPX protein level under salt stress in the tolerant line parallels the PHGPX mRNA results of array analysis but was more pronounced. We cloned and characterized the foxtail millet PHGPX cDNA, which shows 85% and 95% homology at the DNA and protein level, respectively, to one stress-induced member of the small barley PHGPX gene family encoding non-selenium glutathione peroxidases. As shown by Southern blot analysis, a small family of PHGPX genes exists in foxtail millet, too. The specific expression pattern of the PHGPX gene in salt-induced tolerant millet seedlings suggests that its product plays an important role in the defense reaction against salt-induced oxidative damage and that the characterized glutathione peroxidase is one of the components conferring resistance against salt to the tolerant foxtail millet cultivar.