Jordan University of Science and Technology

About: Jordan University of Science and Technology is a education organization based out in Irbid, Irbid, Jordan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 7582 authors who have published 13166 publications receiving 298158 citations. The organization is also known as: JUST.

Enhancing seed germination of four crop species using an ultrasonic technique

Abstract: A laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the effect of ultrasound (US) treatment on seed germination of chickpea, wheat, pepper and watermelon. All tests were carried out at 40 kHz in a water bath ultrasonic device varying two factors, treatment duration (5, 10, 15, 30, 45 or 60 min) and germination temperature (15 or 20 °C). Parallel tests were run in which seeds were soaked in water without sonication in order to eliminate the effect of water from US test results. The effects of US on seed germination varied between crops and were more obvious on germination speed, expressed as germination rate index (GRI), rather than on germination percentage (GP). In particular, US treatment significantly increased the GRI of chickpeas, wheat and watermelon, resulting in a maximum increase of 133% (at 45 min), 95% (30 min) and 45% (5 min), respectively, above control seeds. The beneficial effects of US on the GRI of these crops were observed at both 15 and 20 °C, suggesting that US treatment offers a practical priming method to overcome the slow germination that may occur at low temperatures. Water-soaking treatment improved the GP of both chickpea and pepper seeds by 59 and 24%, respectively, compared to the control but neither water nor US had any positive effect on pepper GRI. Post-treatment measurement of moisture content of these seeds produced variable results depending on crop species and US treatment duration. Results of this research indicated that US treatment effectively enhanced speed of germination of chickpea, wheat and watermelon seeds. This increase in speed of germination may improve early field establishment of these crops in the semiarid Mediterranean region and thus needs further investigation. The US technique may also be very useful for plant propagators in nurseries to achieve fast seedling establishment of watermelon.

Seasonal mycorrhizal colonization of winter wheat and its effect on wheat growth under dryland field conditions

Abstract: A field experiment was conducted to determine the seasonal patterns of arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) in a dryland winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) system and to determine wheat growth and P uptake responses to inoculation with mycorrhizal fungus. Broadcast-incorporated treatments included (1) no inoculation with mycorrhizal fungus, with and without P fertilizer, and (2) mycorrhizal fungal inoculation at a rate of 5000 spores of Glomus intraradices (Schenck and Smith), per 30 cm in each row, with and without fertilizer P. Winter wheat was seeded within a day after treatments were imposed, and roots were sampled at five growth stages to quantify AM. Shoot samples were also taken for determination of dry matter, grain yield and yield components, and N and P uptake. No AM infection was evident during the fall months following seeding, which was characterized by low soil temperature, while during the spring, the AM increased gradually. Increases in wheat grain yields by enhanced AM were of similar magnitude to the response obtained from P fertilization. However, responses differed at intermediate growth stages. At the tillering stage, P uptake was mainly increased by P fertilization but not by fungal inoculation. At harvest, enhanced AM increased P uptake regardless of whether or not fertilizer P was added. The AM symbiosis increased with rising soil temperatures in the spring, in time to enhance late-season P accumulation and grain production.

Evaluation of phytotoxicity effect of olive mill wastewater treated by different technologies on seed germination of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.).

Abstract: Olive-mill wastewater (OMW) is a by-product effluent of olive oil extraction process that is produced in large amount in the Mediterranean region. OMW is believed to induce phytotoxic effect on organisms including seed germination and plant growth. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of untreated and treated OMW with different techniques on seed germination of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). The following treatments were investigated: (1) tap water (control); (2) OMW treated by aerobic biological technology in a Jacto Reactor (JR); (3) OMW treated by solar fenton oxidation (SFO); (4) OMW treated by microfiltration followed by nanofiltration (MF+NF); (5) OMW treated by microfiltration followed by reverse osmosis (MF+RO) process; (6) diluted OMW with tap water (25 % OMW); (7) diluted OMW with tap water (50 % OMW); (8) diluted OMW with tap water (75 % OMW); and (9) untreated OMW (100 % OMW). A germination test was conducted in an incubator at temperature of 23 ∘C. In each petri dish, a filter paper was mounted and ten seeds of barley were placed on the filter paper. Five milliliter of water were added to each petri dish. The seed germination was determined by counting the number of germinated seeds to calculate the percentage of germination (G %). Germination rate index (GRI), seed vigor index (SVI), and phytotoxicity index (PI) were also calculated. Then, the dry weights and lengths of the shoots and the roots of the germinated seeds were measured. The results show that 100, 75, and 50 %OMW were very phytotoxic and completely prohibited seed germination. However, phytotoxicity decreased significantly following treatments of OMW with all techniques investigated and by the 25 % OMW dilution, as results of removing the phenols and other phytotoxic organic compounds from the OMW or by diluting it. This was evidenced by relative enhancement of the dry weights and lengths of shoot and root as well as the G %, GRI, SVG, and PI. It was concluded that if OMW will be used for irrigating crops, it has to be first treated or diluted with tap water at a ratio of 1:3 OMW:water at least. The most efficient treatment techniques in reducing the phytotoxicity of OMW were the MF+RO, followed by SFO and JR.