Effect of Growing Media Composition on the Growth of Areca Nut (Areca catechu L.).

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Every plant needs a suitable growing medium to grow and develop optimally. The growing media provide nutrients and an ideal place for roots to grow and take nutrients. This study aimed to obtain a suitable growing medium composition to increase the growth of areca nut. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The research was carried out at the Agronomy Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Halu Oleo University, Indonesia from March-September, 2020. Nine treatments of growing media composition in combination with the percentage of soil medium, rice husk charcoal and organic fertilizer used and arranged in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications. <b>Results:</b> The result showed that the composition of the growing medium has a significant effect on the growth of areca nuts. Growing media using the composition of 25% soil, 25% rice husk charcoal, 50% of organic plus fertilizer (M₅) is the best growing medium composition that can increase the growth of areca nut. Another growing media is composed of 50% soil, 0% rice husk charcoal, 50% organic plus fertilizer (M₂), 50% soil, 50% rice husk charcoal, 25% organic plus fertilizer (M₄), 25% soil, 50% rice husk charcoal, 25% organic plus fertilizer (M₇) and 0% soil, 50% rice husk charcoal, 50% organic plus fertilizer (M₈) can also be an alternative in increasing the growth of areca nut. <b>Conclusion:</b> The composition of the growing medium has a significant effect on the growth of areca nuts seedling. The growing media using the composition of 25% soil, 25% rice husk charcoal and 50% organic plus fertilizer is the best growing medium composition that can increase the growth of areca nut seedling.

In-vitro and in-vivo antioxidant assays of chicory plants (Cichorium intybus L.) as influenced by organic and conventional fertilisers.

BACKGROUND: Chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a traditional European crop that is highly appreciated for its contents of bioactive compounds, especially phenolics, which have high antioxidant activities. Among other factors, agricultural practice might affect the contents of these bioactive compounds, which are also important from a nutritional point of view, and affect the shelf-life. RESULTS: The antioxidant potential (AOP) of chicory plants treated with different fertilisers was investigated in vitro using DPPH radical scavenging and in vivo using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Additionally, total phenolics content (TPC) was evaluated using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, and total flavonoids content (TFC) using the aluminium chloride method. Four different chicory cultivars were included: 'Treviso', 'Verona' and 'Anivip' as red cultivars; and 'Castelfranco' as a red-spotted cultivar. These were grown in pots under controlled glasshouse conditions using organic and/or mineral fertilisers. The combination of organic and mineral fertilisers during red chicory growth resulted in significantly higher in-vitro and in-vivo AOPs compared to the control. For the red-spotted cultivar 'Castelfranco', this combined organic and mineral fertilisation decreased AOPs in vitro and increased AOPs in vivo. Among the cultivars examined, 'Castelfranco' treated with combined organic plus mineral fertilisers showed the highest AOP in vivo, accompanied by the lowest TPC and TFC. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that application of different fertilisers has different impacts on red and red-spotted chicory cultivars in terms of TFC and TPC, which for red-spotted chicory resulted in different AOPs in vitro and in vivo. The in-vitro AOP is well reflected in the in-vivo AOP for the red chicory cultivars, but less so for the red-spotted cultivar 'Castelfranco'. Based on the in-vivo AOPs for these chicory cultivars analysed, the combined organic plus mineral fertiliser treatment is recommended.

The effect of anaerobic digestate derived composts on the metabolite composition and thermal behaviour of rosemary.

The study reports on the effect of anaerobic digestate derived composts on the metabolite composition and thermal behaviour of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.). Plants were cultivated in semiarid soil under four different fertiliser treatments (composts of anaerobic digested cattle (C) or pig slurry (P) at 30t/ha and 60 t/ha, and two control treatments (inorganic fertiliser and no fertiliser application). Samples of leaves and stems were analysed to investigate the effect of treatment on chemical composition and thermochemical properties. Three orthogonal analytical approaches were used, namely: Fourier transform mid infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and thermochemical gravimetric analysis (TGA). FTIR and GC/MS showed fertiliser treatment resulted in tissue specific changes in sample metabolite composition. Fertiliser treatment was detected to change the thermogravimetric properties of the leaf samples and from inorganic and composted pig slurry digestate treatments had greater ash content and lower proportions of fixed carbon compared with samples from the unfertilised control treatment. This study provides information on how the composition of rosemary might be altered by fertiliser application in regions of poor soil, and has implications for biomass quality when rosemary is grown on semi-wild sites for the purpose of soil improvement.

Bacterial potentials for uptake, solubilization and mineralization of extracellular phosphorus in agricultural soils are highly stable under different fertilization regimes.

Phosphorus is one of the most important macronutrient for plants. In agriculture, amending fertilizer with phosphorus (P) is common practice. However, natural phosphorus sources are finite, making research for more sustainable management practices necessary. We postulated that the addition of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) would stimulate phosphorus mobilization by bacteria because of their desire to maintain a stable intracellular C:N:P stoichiometry. Therefore, we chose a metagenomic approach to investigate two agricultural soils, which only received mineral N fertilizer or mineral N and organic fertilizer for more than 20 years. The most abundant genes involved in the acquisition of external P sources in our study were those involved in solubilization and subsequent uptake of inorganic phosphorus. Independent of site and season, the relative abundance of genes involved in P turnover was not significantly affected by the addition of fertilizers. However, the type of fertilization had a significant impact on the diversity pattern of bacterial families harbouring genes coding for the different P transformation processes. This gives rise to the possibility that fertilizers can substantially change phosphorus turnover efficiency by favouring different families. Additionally, none of the families involved in phosphorus turnover covered all investigated processes. Therefore, promoting bacteria which play an essential role specifically in mobilization of hardly accessible phosphorus could help to secure the phosphorus supply of plants in soils with low P input.

Chromium accumulation potential of Zea mays grown under four different fertilizers.

Chromium (Cr) contamination in soil is a growing concern in sustainable agriculture production and food safety. We performed pot experiment with chromium (30 mg/soil) to assess the accumulation potential of Zea mays and study the influence of four fertilizers, viz. Farm Yard Manure (FYM), NPK, Panchakavya (PK) and Vermicompost (VC) with respect to Cr accumulation. The oxidative stress and pigment (chlorophyll) levels were also examined. The results showed increased accumulation of chromium in both shoots and roots of Zea mays under FYM and NPK supply, and reduced with PK and VC. While the protein and pigment contents decreased in Cr treated plants, the fertilizers substantiated the loss to overcome the stress. Similarly, accumulation of Cr increased the levels of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD) indicating the enhanced damage control activity. However, these levels were relatively low in plants supplemented with fertilizers. Our results confirm that the maize can play an effective role in bioremediation of soils polluted with chromium, particularly in supplementation with fertilizers such as farm yard manure and NPK.

Growth, root formation, and nutrient value of triticale plants fertilized with biosolids.

Biosolids are utilized as nutrient rich fertilizer. Little material is available on benefits to forage crops resulting from fertilization with biosolids. This paper aimed to compare the effects of fertilization with biosolids versus commercial nitrogen fertilizer on growth, root formation, and nutrient value of triticale plants in a greenhouse experiment. Per treatment, five pots were seeded with five triticale seeds each. Treatments included a nonfertilized control, fertilization with 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 ml biosolids per pot, and fertilization with a commercial nitrogen fertilizer at the recommended application rate and at double that rate. Biomass production, root length, root diameter, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium concentration were analyzed at harvest. Fertilization with biosolids increased triticale production (P < 0.001); production was similar for the 100 to 400 mL treatments. Root length, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentration increased, and potassium concentration decreased linearly with application rate. At the recommended rate, biomass production was similar between fertilization with biosolids and commercial fertilizer. However, plants fertilized with commercial fertilizer had considerably longer roots (P < 0.001), higher nitrogen concentration (P < 0.05), and lower potassium concentration (P < 0.01) than those fertilized with biosolids. Our results indicate that at the recommended application rate, biomass production was similar between fertilization with biosolids and with commercial nitrogen fertilizer, indicating the value of biosolids fertilization as a potential alternative.

[Responses of rice-wheat rotation system in south Jiangsu to organic-inorganic compound fertilizers].

In 2006-2007, a field trial was conducted to study the effects of applying three kinds of organic-inorganic compound fertilizers [rapeseed cake compost plus inorganic fertilizers (RCC), pig manure compost plus inorganic fertilizers (PMC), and Chinese medicine residues plus inorganic fertilizers (CMC)] on the crop growth and nitrogen (N) use efficiency of rice-wheat rotation system in South Jiangsu. Grain yield of wheat and rice in the different fertilization treatments was significantly higher than the control (no fertilization). In treatments RCC, PMC and CMC, the wheat yield was 13.1%, 32.2% and 39.3% lower than that of the NPK compound fertilizer (CF, 6760 kg x hm(-2)), respectively, but the rice yield (8504-9449 kg x hm(-2)) was significantly higher than that (7919 kg x hm(-2)) of CF, with an increment of 7.4%-19.3%. In wheat season, the aboveground dry mass, N accumulation, and N use efficiency in treatments RCC, PMC, and CMC were lower than those of CF, but in rice season, these parameters were significantly higher than or as the same as CF. In sum, all the test three compound fertilizers had positive effects on the rice yield and its nitrogen use efficiency in the rice-wheat rotation system, being most significant for RCC.

[Effects of different nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium fertilization modes on carbon- and nitrogen accumulation and allocation in rice plant].

Based on a 20-year field site-specific fertilization experiment in Taoyuan Experimental Station of Agriculture Ecosystems under Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN), this paper studied the effects of different fertilization modes of N, P, and K on the accumulation and allocation of C and N in rice plant. The fertilization mode N-only showed the highest C and N contents (433 g kg(-1) and 18.9 g kg(-1), respectively) in rice grain, whereas the modes balanced fertilization of chemical N, P and K (NPK) and its combination with organic mature recycling (NPKC) showed the highest storage of C and N in rice plant. In treatments NPK and NPKC, the C storage in rice grain and in stem and leaf was 1960 kg hm(-2) and 2015 kg hm(-2), and 2002 kg hm(-2) and 2048 kg hm(-2), and the N storage in rice grain was 80.5 kg hm(-2) and 80.6 kg hm(-2), respectively. Treatment NPK had the highest N storage (59.3 kg hm(-2)) in stem and leaf. Balanced fertilization of chemical N, P, and K combined with organic manure recycling increased the accumulation of C and N in rice plant significantly. Comparing with applying N only, balanced fertilization of chemical N, P, and K was more favorable to the accumulation and allocation of C and N in rice plant during its growth period.

Production and storage of N-enriched co-compost.

Recovery of the organic fraction of municipal waste for peri-urban agriculture could contribute to the improvement of environmental sanitation and increase agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, municipal waste co-compost (Co) has low nitrogen (N) content. Therefore, this study investigated the type and form of inorganic N fertiliser that is capable of improving the nitrogen content of Co and monitored the changes in the properties of this N-enriched product under storage. To attain 30,000 mg kg(-1) (3%) N content, different amounts of urea or ammonium sulphate were applied in various forms (dry, paste and liquid) to enrich Co. The product termed comlizer was stored and its moisture, pH, total nitrogen, NH(4)(+)-N, NO(3)(-)-N, and C/N ratio were monitored under ambient conditions for two years. In the first four months of storage, total N content of 50 kg Co+3.26 kg urea (CoUD) increased from 31,333 to 54,000 mg kg(-1), and 50 kg Co+7.14 kg (NH(4))(2)SO(4) (CoASD) from 35,333 to 52,000 mg kg(-1). At the end of two years of storage, the initial N content of CoUD and CoASD decreased by 47% and 24%, respectively. Based on these results, it is recommended that dry (NH(4))(2)SO(4) should be used in N enrichment of Co, and that the comlizer should be stored in sealed bags but not more than four months.

Effects of integrated use of organic and inorganic nutrient sources with effective microorganisms (EM) on seed cotton yield in Pakistan.

A field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of integrated use of organic and inorganic nutrient sources with effective microorganisms on growth and yield of cotton. Treatments included: control; organic materials (OM); effective microorganisms (EM); OM+EM; mineral NPK (170:85:60 kg); 1/2 mineral NPK+EM; 1/2 mineral NPK+OM+EM and mineral NPK+OM+EM. OM and EM alone did not increase the yield and yield attributing components significantly but integrated use of both resulted in a 44% increase over control. Application of NPK in combination with OM and EM resulted in the highest seed cotton yield (2470 kg ha-1). Integrated use of OM+EM with 1/2 mineral NPK yielded 2091 kg ha-1, similar to the yield (2165 kg ha-1) obtained from full recommended NPK, indicating that this combination can substitute for 85 kg N ha-1. Combination of both N sources with EM also increased the concentrations of NPK in plants. Economic analysis suggested the use of 1/2 mineral NPK with EM+OM saves the mineral N fertilizer by almost 50% compared to a system with only mineral NPK application. This study indicated that application of EM increased the efficiency of both organic and mineral nutrient sources but alone was ineffective in increasing yield.

[Effects of different manure on lily quality].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the best manure scheme of lily (Lilium lancifolium). METHODS: Determining lilypolysaccharide and phosphatide contents through phenol hydrate-sulfuric acid and molybdenum blue colorimetric method. RESULTS: The content of efficacious composition in applying fertilizer on the leaves is higher than average and possium fertilizer can increase lilypolysaccharide content. CONCLUSION: Possium fertilizer is important in early stage and leaf fertilizer can improve lily quality.

[Influence of long-term fertilization on phosphorus fertility of calcareous soil II. Inorganic and organic phosphorus].

By the Jiang-Gu inorganic phosphorus fractionation method and the Bowman-Cole organic phosphorus fractionation method, this paper studied the forms and compositions of inorganic and organic phosphorus in 0-100 cm layer of calcareous soil after 23 years located experiment. The result showed that the content of inorganic phosphorus was in the order of treatment animal manure > fallow > chemical fertilizer > low rate straw > high rate straw > medium rate straw > no fertilizer. The IPi value of inorganic phosphorus forms in different fertilizer treatments had the following characteristics: a) it was relatively low for Ca2-P, Ca8-P and Al-P, but relatively high for Ca10-P, Fe-P and O-P; b) comparing with no fertilizer treatment, treatments animal manure and fallow had a notably high IPi value of Ca2-P, Ca8-P and Al-P and a low IPi value of Ca10-P, Fe-P and O-P; while treatment chemical fertilizer had a high IPi value of Ca2-P, Ca8-P, Al-P and O-P, but a low IPi value of Ca10-P and Fe-P; c) as for available phosphorus source (Ca2-P, Ca8-P and Al-P), their content was higher in treatment animal manure than in treatment chemical fertilizer, and higher in treatment chemical fertilizer than in treatments straws. A combined application of straw and chemical fertilizer could increase soil organic phosphorus content notably. Applying animal manure could increase the content of all organic phosphorus forms, while applying chemical fertilizer could promote the transformation of soil resistant organic phosphorus to labile and medium labile organic phosphorus. No fertilizer treatment had a relatively lower content of labile and medium labile organic phosphorus, but a relatively high content of resistant organic phosphorus. For treatment fallow, it had a relatively low content of soil organic matter and organic phosphorus, but a relatively high content of labile and medium resistant organic phosphorus.

[Effects of various organic fertilizers on growth and mineral nutrient absorption of Morindar officinalis].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of various organic fertilizers on the growth and the mineral nutrient absorption of Morindar officinalis. METHOD: The growing character and the mineral nutrition contents were determined with conventional assay methods. RESULT: The influences of four kinds of fertilizers on the bionomics and nutrient absorption of M. officinalis successively were: biotic organic fertilizer A > biotic organic fertilizer C > biotic organic fertilizer B > farm manure. CONCLUSION: Different kinds of organic fertilizers could facilitate the growth and the mineral nutrient absorption of M. officinalis. Increasing the fertilizer amount of germ manure could promote the absorption of mineral nutrients and the accumulation of dry matters in plants.

Controlled release urea as a nitrogen source for spring wheat in Western Canada: yield, grain N content, and N use efficiency.

Controlled release nitrogen (N) fertilizers have been commonly used in horticultural applications such as turf grasses and container-grown woody perennials. Agrium, a major N manufacturer in North and South America, is developing a low-cost controlled release urea (CRU) product for use in field crops such as grain corn, canola, wheat, and other small grain cereals. From 1998 to 2000, 11 field trials were conducted across western Canada to determine if seed-placed CRU could maintain crop yields and increase grain N and N use efficiency when compared to the practice of side-banding of urea N fertilizer. CRU was designed to release timely and adequate, but not excessive, amounts of N to the crop. Crop uptake of N from seed-placed CRU was sufficient to provide yields similar to those of side-banded urea N. Grain N concentrations of the CRU treatments were higher, on average, than those from side-banded urea, resulting in 4.2% higher N use efficiency across the entire N application range from 25 to 100 kg ha(-1). Higher levels of removal of N in grain from CRU compared to side-banded urea can result in less residual N remaining in the soil, and limit the possibility of N losses due to denitrification and leaching.

[Effect of various nutrient solutions on quality of Gastrodia elata].

This paper dealed with the effect of media fertilization on the quality of Gastrodia eleta according to the results of tissue culture. The results showed that contents of nutrient elements, gastrodin and free amino acids in G. elata were affected by various nutrients solutions. The result of comprehensive analysis showed that the 1/2 MS medium was the fittest treatment of fertilization.

[Effects of fertilization on yield of Asparagus cochinchinensis (Lour.) Merr].

The experiment revealed that the use of various kinds of fertilizers has apparent effect on the yield of Asparagus cochinchinensis during its growth period. Nitrogen fertilizer and compound fertilizer are suitable for the seeding period, while compound fertilizer, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are suitable for the period of root forming. The quantity of fertilizer to be used depends on the growing and soil conditions.