Showing papers on "Sowing published in 2018"

Cover Crops Reduce Nitrate Leaching in Agroecosystems:A Global Meta-Analysis.

Abstract: Cover crops are well recognized as a tool to reduce NO leaching from agroecosystems. However, their effectiveness varies from site to site and year to year depending on soil, cash and cover crop management, and climate. We conducted a meta-analysis using 238 observations from 28 studies (i) to assess the overall effect of cover crops on NO leaching and subsequent crop yields, and (ii) to examine how soil, cash and cover crop management, and climate impact the effect of non-leguminous cover crops on NO leaching. There is a clear indication that nonleguminous cover crops can substantially reduce NO leaching into freshwater systems, on average by 56%. Nonlegume-legume cover crop mixtures reduced NO leaching as effectively as nonlegumes, but significantly more than legumes. The lack of variance information in most published literature prevents greater insight into the degree to which cover crops can improve water quality. Among the factors investigated, we identified cover crop planting dates, shoot biomass, and precipitation relative to long-term mean precipitation as potential drivers for the observed variability in nonleguminous cover crop effectiveness in reducing NO leaching. We found evidence indicating greater reduction in NO leaching with nonleguminous cover crops on coarse-textured soils and during years of low precipitation (<90% of the long-term normal). Earlier fall planting and greater nonleguminous shoot biomass further reduced NO leaching. Overall, this meta-analysis confirms many prior studies showing that nonleguminous cover crops are an effective way to reduce NO leaching and should be integrated into cropping systems to improve water quality.

CuO Nanoparticle Dissolution and Toxicity to Wheat ( Triticum aestivum) in Rhizosphere Soil.

Abstract: It has been suggested, but not previously measured, that dissolution kinetics of soluble nanoparticles such as CuO nanoparticles (NPs) in soil affect their phytotoxicity An added complexity is that such dissolution is also affected by the presence of plant roots Here, we measured the rate of dissolution of CuO NPs in bulk soil, and in soil in which wheat plants (Triticum aestivum) were grown under two soil NP dosing conditions: (a) freshly added CuO NPs (500 mg Cu/kg soil) and (b) CuO NPs aged for 28 d before planting At the end of the plant growth period (14 d), available Cu was measured in three different soil compartments: bulk (not associated with roots), loosely attached to roots, and rhizosphere (soil firmly attached to roots) The labile Cu fraction increased from 17 mg/kg to 223 mg/kg in fresh treatments and from 283 mg/kg to 305 mg/kg in aged treatments over the growth period due to dissolution Aging CuO NPs increased the toxicity to Triticum aestivum (reduction in root maximal length) The p

Weed Suppression in Cover Crop Monocultures and Mixtures

Abstract: Interest in planting mixtures of cover crop species has grown in recent years as farmers seek to increase the breadth of ecosystem services cover crops provide. As part of a multidisciplinary project, we quantified the degree to which monocultures and mixtures of cover crops suppress weeds during the fall-to-spring cover crop growing period. Weed-suppressive cover crop stands can limit weed seed rain from summer- and winter-annual species, reducing weed population growth and ultimately weed pressure in future cash crop stands. We established monocultures and mixtures of two legumes (medium red clover and Austrian winter pea), two grasses (cereal rye and oats), and two brassicas (forage radish and canola) in a long fall growing window following winter wheat harvest and in a shorter window following silage corn harvest. In fall of the long window, grass cover crops and mixtures were the most weed suppressive, whereas legume cover crops were the least weed suppressive. All mixtures also effectively suppressed weeds. This was likely primarily due to the presence of fast-growing grass species, which were effective even when they were seeded at only 20% of their monoculture rate. In spring, weed biomass was low in all treatments due to winter kill of summer-annual weeds and low germination of winter annuals. In the short window following silage corn, biomass accumulation by cover crops and weeds in the fall was more than an order of magnitude lower than in the longer window. However, there was substantial weed seed production in the spring in all treatments not containing cereal rye (monoculture or mixture). Our results suggest that cover crop mixtures require only low seeding rates of aggressive grass species to provide weed suppression. This creates an opportunity for other species to deliver additional ecosystem services, though careful species selection may be required to maintain mixture diversity and avoid dominance of winter-hardy cover crop grasses in the spring.Nomenclature: Austrian winter pea, Pisum sativum L.; canola, Brassica napus L.; cereal rye, Secale cereale L., corn, Zea mays L., forage radish, Raphanus sativus L., medium red clover, Trifolium pratense L.; oats, Avena sativa L.; wheat, Triticum aestivum L.

Phosphate Sources and Their Placement Affecting Soil Phosphorus Pools in Sugarcane

Abstract: Phosphate fertilizer placement at sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) establishment can strongly influence the distribution of soil P pools over crop cycles, and has a great influence in the availability of this nutrient to plant uptake. Our main objective was to evaluate sugarcane yield as well as changes in the distribution of soil P pools, under phosphate fertilizer sources and their management, over two years of sugarcane cultivation. The experiment was established in August 2013 with two phosphate sources (TSP (triple superphosphate) and RP (Bayovar rock phosphate)) and three application methods: as broadcast, at planting furrow and combining half broadcast/half plant furrow, all at the rate of 180 kg ha−1 soluble P2O5 being applied at crop establishment. Sugarcane yield and P uptake was evaluated, and soil was sampled after harvest in August 2015 to analyze P fractions. Substantial amounts of P derived from fertilizers were accumulated as inorganic and/or organic moderately labile P. Broadcast application of TSP was not able to enhance total P in 0–40 cm layer compared to control treatment. In general, TSP was more effective to supply P for sugarcane and keep more of this nutrient in all labile fractions in the soil. However, the potential residual effect of RP (Ca-P) is expected in the following years, slowly solubilizing over the time.

Rhizosphere priming effects on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics among tree species with and without intraspecific competition

Abstract: Rhizosphere priming effects (RPEs) play a central role in modifying soil organic matter mineralization. However, effects of tree species and intraspecific competition on RPEs are poorly understood. We investigated RPEs of three tree species (larch, ash and Chinese fir) and the impact of intraspecific competition of these species on the RPE by growing them at two planting densities for 140 d. We determined the RPE on soil organic carbon (C) decomposition, gross and net nitrogen (N) mineralization and net plant N acquisition. Differences in the RPE among species were associated with differences in plant biomass. Gross N mineralization and net plant N acquisition increased, but net N mineralization decreased, as the RPE on soil organic C decomposition increased. Intraspecific competition reduced the RPE on soil organic C decomposition, gross and net N mineralization, and net plant N acquisition, especially for ash and Chinese fir. Microbial N mining may explain the overall positive RPEs across species, whereas intensified plant-microbe competition for N may have reduced the RPE with intraspecific competition. Overall, the species-specific effects of tree species play an important role in modulating the magnitude and mechanisms of RPEs and the intraspecific competition on soil C and N dynamics.

Cold plasma treatment for cotton seed germination improvement

Abstract: Adverse environmental conditions at planting, such as cold temperature or water limitation, can lead to a reduced level of seed germination and plant establishment for cotton. Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma (CAP) treatment of cotton seeds prior to planting may help alleviate this problem. CAP is ionised gas that has a range of biological activities due to the formation of a mix of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), excited molecules, charged particles and UV photons. Our results show that a 27 minutes CAP treatment using air can significantly increase water absorption of the seed, and improve warm germination, metabolic chill test germination and chilling tolerance in cotton. We also observe that the beneficial effect of CAP treatment is long-lasting and stable as improved germination activity is still seen when treatment occurs 4 months before germination testing, suggesting that future large-scale industrial seed plasma treatments may still be effectively applied well (months) before the seed planting. We conclude that CAP treatment is a promising new tool for use in the cotton industry that has the potential to significantly improve plant establishment in a wider range of environmental conditions.

Alteration in yield and oil quality traits of winter rapeseed by lodging at different planting density and nitrogen rates.

Abstract: Lodging is a factor that negatively affects yield, seed quality, and harvest ability in winter rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). In this study, we quantified the lodging-induced yield losses, changes in fatty acid composition, and oil quality in rapeseed under different nitrogen application rates and planting densities. Field experiments were conducted in 2014–2017 for studying the effect of manually-induced lodging angles (0°, 30°, 60°, and 90°), 10, 20 and 30 d post-flowering at different densities and nitrogen application rates. The fertilization/planting density combination N270D45 produced the maximum observed yield and seed quality. Timing and angle of lodging had significant effects on yield. Lodging at 90° induced at 10 d post-flowering caused the maximum reduction in yield, biomass, and silique photosynthesis. Seed yield losses were higher at high N application rates, the maximum being at N360D45. Lodging decreased seed oil content and altered its fatty acid composition by increasing stearic and palmitic acid content, while decreasing linoleic and linolenic acid content, and deteriorating oil quality by increasing erucic acid and glucosinolate content. Therefore, lodging-induced yield loss and reduction in oil content might be reduced by selecting optimum N level and planting density.

Mapping Early, Middle and Late Rice Extent Using Sentinel-1A and Landsat-8 Data in the Poyang Lake Plain, China.

Abstract: Areas and spatial distribution information of paddy rice are important for managing food security, water use, and climate change. However, there are many difficulties in mapping paddy rice, especially mapping multi-season paddy rice in rainy regions, including differences in phenology, the influence of weather, and farmland fragmentation. To resolve these problems, a novel multi-season paddy rice mapping approach based on Sentinel-1A and Landsat-8 data is proposed. First, Sentinel-1A data were enhanced based on the fact that the backscattering coefficient of paddy rice varies according to its growth stage. Second, cropland information was enhanced based on the fact that the NDVI of cropland in winter is lower than that in the growing season. Then, paddy rice and cropland areas were extracted using a K-Means unsupervised classifier with enhanced images. Third, to further improve the paddy rice classification accuracy, cropland information was utilized to optimize distribution of paddy rice by the fact that paddy rice must be planted in cropland. Classification accuracy was validated based on ground-data from 25 field survey quadrats measuring 600 m × 600 m. The results show that: multi-season paddy rice planting areas effectively was extracted by the method and adjusted early rice area of 1630.84 km², adjusted middle rice area of 556.21 km², and adjusted late rice area of 3138.37 km². The overall accuracy was 98.10%, with a kappa coefficient of 0.94.

Application of rock phosphate enriched composts increases nodulation, growth and yield of chickpea.

Abstract: Phosphorus (P) deficiency in agricultural land is one of the main factors which reduce the crop production and yield. To increase the crop growth, the availability of P using the rock phosphate (RP) can be enhanced using organic waste with the addition of phosphate solubilizing microorganisms (PSMs). Moreover, the combination along with time and dose application of RP and compost can also affect the P-availability through mineralization and/immobilization. To investigate the effect of different combinations of RP and compost (0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25 and 100:0) and time of application (30, 15, 7, 3 and 0 days before sowing), each was conducted in two consecutive pot experiments while, the rate of application (100–1000 kg ha−1) was investigated under field conditions, in comparison to control (recommended P fertilizer). Rock phosphate enriched compost (RP-EC) with a combination ratio of 50:50; RP and compost applied before 7 days of sowing in pot experiments resulted in the maximum nodulation, growth and productivity of chickpea. Under field conditions, the maximum increase of 35.3% in no. nodules plant−1, 26.7% in dry wt. of nodules plant−1 and 20.8% in grain yield (t ha−1) compared to control was obtained by RP-EC @ 1000 kg ha−1. The same treatment indicated an increase of 12.9 and 4.3% in P contents in straw and grains, respectively, compared to control. However, most results were non-significant when RP-EC applied at the rate of 1000 kg ha−1. Application of RP-EC, with the ratio of 50:50 (RP:Compost) and application rate of 800 kg ha−1 before 7 days of sowing, exhibited maximum growth and development, and can be highly recommended for optimum production of chickpea.

Effect of tillage and crop residue on soil temperature following planting for a Black soil in Northeast China.

Abstract: Crop residue return is imperative to maintain soil health and productivity but some farmers resist adopting conservation tillage systems with residue return fearing reduced soil temperature following planting and crop yield. Soil temperatures were measured at 10 cm depth for one month following planting from 2004 to 2007 in a field experiment in Northeast China. Tillage treatments included mouldboard plough (MP), no till (NT), and ridge till (RT) with maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max Merr.) crops. Tillage had significant effects on soil temperature in 10 of 15 weekly periods. Weekly average NT soil temperature was 0–1.5 °C lower than MP, but the difference was significant (P < 0.05) only in 2007 when residue was not returned in MP the previous autumn. RT showed no clear advantage over NT in increasing soil temperature. Higher residue coverage caused lower soil temperature; the effect was greater for maize than soybean residue. Residue type had significant effect on soil temperature in 9 of 15 weekly periods with 0–1.9 °C lower soil temperature under maize than soybean residue. Both tillage and residue had small but inconsistent effect on soil temperature following planting in Northeast China representative of a cool to temperate zone.

Effect of hydrogel on the performance of aerobic rice sown under different techniques

Abstract: Declining water is a great concern in production of rice, because rice is more sensitive to water deficiency which restricts normal rice growth resulting in enormous economic loss. A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of hydrogel in different sowing techniques of aerobic rice viz. flat, ridge, and bed sowing. Observations on soil moisture percentage before every irrigation, yield, and yield components of rice were recorded. Application of hydrogel improved soil moisture contents in all the three sowing techniques as compared to soil without hydrogel. More soil moisture contents met the crop water needs and increased the number of germinated seeds. As a consequence of more emergence and better stand establishment, the yield components were also improved increasing the yield of rice in hydrogel amended soil in all sowing techniques. However, sowing of rice on beds with hydrogel amendment was found the most effective; it not only improved the performance of aerobic rice but also enhanced growth and yield of aerobic rice more than other sowing techniques.

Seed priming with sorghum extracts and benzyl aminopurine improves the tolerance against salt stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Abstract: Salt stress impedes the productivity of wheat (Triticum aestivum L) in many parts of the world This study evaluated the potential role of benzyl aminopurine (BAP) and sorghum water extract (SWE) in improving the wheat performance under saline conditions Seeds were primed with BAP (5 mg L−1), SWE (5% v/v), BAP + SWE, and distilled water (hydropriming) Soil filled pots maintained at the soil salinity levels of 4 and 10 dS m−1 were used for the sowing of primed and non-primed seeds Salt stress suppressed the wheat growth; seed priming treatments significantly improved the wheat growth under optimal and suboptimal conditions Total phenolics, total soluble sugars and proteins, α-amylase activity, chlorophyll contents, and tissue potassium ion (K+) contents were increased by seed priming under salt stress; while, tissue sodium ion (Na+) contents were decreased Seed priming with SWE + BAP was the most effective in this regard Under salt stress, the tissue Na+ contents were reduced by 578, 283, 322, 367% by hydropriming, seed priming with SWE, seed priming with BAP, and seed priming with SWE + BAP, respectively over the non-primed control Effectiveness of seed priming techniques followed the order SWE + BAP > BAP > SWE > Hydropriming In conclusion, seed priming with SWE + BAP may be opted to improve the tolerance against salt stress in wheat

Assessing the impact of climate variability on maize using simulation modeling under semi-arid environment of Punjab, Pakistan.

Abstract: Climate change and variability are major threats to crop productivity. Crop models are being used worldwide for decision support system for crop management under changing climatic scenarios. Two-year field experiments were conducted at the Water Management Research Center (WMRC), University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan, to evaluate the application of CERES-Maize model for climate variability assessment under semi-arid environment. Experimental treatments included four sowing dates (27 January, 16 February, 8 March, and 28 March) with three maize hybrids (Pioneer-1543, Mosanto-DK6103, Syngenta-NK8711), adopted at farmer fields in the region. Model was calibrated with each hybrid independently using data of best sowing date (27 January) during the year 2015 and then evaluated with the data of 2016 and remaining sowing dates. Performance of model was evaluated by statistical indices. Model showed reliable information with phenological stages. Model predicted days to anthesis and maturity with lower RMSE (< 2 days) during both years. Model prediction for biological yield and grain yield were reasonably good with RMSE values of 963 and 451 kg ha−1, respectively. Model was further used to assess climate variability. Historical climate data (1980–2016) were used as input to simulate the yield for each year. Results showed that days to anthesis and maturity were negatively correlated with increase in temperature and coefficient of regression ranged from 0.63 to 0.85, while its values were 0.76 to 0.89 kg ha−1 for grain yield and biological yield, respectively. Sowing of maize hybrids (Pioneer-1543 and Mosanto-DK6103) can be recommended for the sowing on 17 January to 6 February at the farmer field for general cultivation in the region. Early sowing before 17 January should be avoided due to severe reduction in grain yield of all hybrids. A good calibrated CERES-Maize model can be used in decision-making for different management practices and assessment of climate variability in the region.

In vitro propagation of Gerbera - A Review

Abstract: Gerbera has gained popularity in the past few years in many countries of the world and it is in great demand in the floral industry as cut flower as well as potted plant due to its beauty, colour, long vase life, and ability to rehydrate after long transportation. The most commercial cultivars are propagated through vegetative means by multiplication through divisions of clumps; however, the multiplication by this method is too slow to be commercially viable. To commercialize this crop and to meet the growing demand for planting material, tissue and organ culture techniques are being used as alternative methods for propagation in many countries. Most of the work has been car - ried on plant regeneration by adventitious organogenesis from capitulum, shoot tip, leaf, petiole and other parts of the plant. Attention should be paid to improve the technology to achieve 100% success in all species/cultivars to meet growing demands of the growers globally. From the literature, it is evident that gerberas are highly amenable to in vitro studies, as various explants were found to favourably respond to different culture media with different types and concentrations of growth regulators.

Performance of four crop model for simulations of wheat phenology, leaf growth, biomass and yield across planting dates.

Abstract: Robustness of four wheat simulation model were tested with 2-year field experiments of three cultivars across a wide range of sowing dates in two different climatic regions: Faisalabad (semi-arid) and Layyah (arid), in Punjab-Pakistan. Wheat growing season temperature ranged from -0.1°C to 43°C. The wide series of sowing dates was a unique opportunity to grow the wheat in an environment which temperatures varies from -0.1°C to 43°C. The CERES-Wheat, Nwheat, CROPSIM-Wheat and APSIM-Wheat model were calibrated against the least-stressed treatment for each wheat cultivar. Overall, the four models described performance of early, optimum and late sown wheat well, but poorly described yields of very late planting dates with associated high temperatures during grain filling. The poor accuracy of simulations of yield for extreme planting dates point to the need to improve the accuracy of model simulations at the high end of the growing temperature range, especially given the expected future increases in growing season temperature. Improvement in simulation of maximum leaf area index of wheat for all models is needed. APSIM-Wheat only poorly simulated days to maturity of very and extremely late sown wheat compared to other models. Overall, there is a need of improvement in function of models to response high temperature.

A Multi-year Beneficial Effect of Seed Priming with Gibberellic Acid-3 (GA 3 ) on Plant Growth and Production in a Perennial Grass, Leymus chinensis.

Abstract: Seed priming is a widely used technique in crops to obtain uniform germination and high-quality seedlings In this study, we found a long-term effect of seed priming with gibberellic acid-3 (GA3) on plant growth and production in Leymus chinensis Seeds were germinated on agar plates containing 0–200 μM GA3, and the germinated seedlings were transplanted to clay planting pots and grown for about one year The clonal tillers grown from the mother plants were transplanted to field conditions in the second year Results showed that GA3 treatment significantly increased seed germination rate by 14–27% GA3 treatment also promoted subsequent plant growth and biomass production, as shown by a significant increase in plant height, tiller number, and fresh and dry weight in both pot (2016) and field (2017) conditions It is particularly noteworthy that the growth-promoting effect of a single seed treatment with GA3 lasted for at least two years In particular, GA3 treatment at 50 μM increased aboveground fresh and dry weight by 1682% and 1089% in pot-grown conditions, and 645% and 1262% in field-grown conditions, respectively These results imply a transgenerational transmission mechanism for the GA-priming effect on clonal offspring growth and biomass production in L chinensis

Pre‐sowing seed treatment with cold plasma and electromagnetic field increases secondary metabolite content in purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) leaves

Abstract: The effects of seed treatment with cold plasma (2–7 min), vacuum (7 min), and electromagnetic field (5–15 min) on Echinacea purpurea germination and performance are studied. All treatments induce faster germination but did not change the final germination percentage, except the decrease evoked by vacuum treatment. The plants grown from all groups of treated seeds have larger height, develop more leaves, some treatments increase root weight. The content of vitamin C and phenolic acids in extracts of plant leaves from the treated groups is substantially higher in comparison to the control, so that the amount of cichoric acid per plant increased up to 3.8-fold, and amount of vitamin C per plant – up to 1.9-fold. Seed treatments induce large increase in radical scavenging activity (up to 114%) in leaf extracts.

Changes in Norway spruce germination and growth induced by pre-sowing seed treatment with cold plasma and electromagnetic field: Short-term versus long-term effects

Abstract: The effects of Norway spruce (Picea abies) seed treatment with cold plasma (CP), vacuum, and electromagnetic field (EMF) on germination and seedling growth are studied. CP treatments negatively affected germination ‘in vitro’, but for germination in cassettes CP (7 min) and EMF (5 min) significantly increased the germination yield. All treatments increase the germination rate in cassettes except CP (7 min) treatment having a negative effect. Seed treatment with CP and EMF increases the number of paramagnetic centers in dry seeds and modulate H2O2 production in germinating seeds. After the second vegetation season seedlings grown from CP (5 min) and CP (7 min) treated seeds, characterized by negative effects on either the germination rate or yield, have 50–60% larger height and 40–50% increased branching in comparison to the control seedlings.

Yield and quality of grain amaranth (Amaranthus sp.) in Eastern Austria

Abstract: The introduction of a new crop requires adapted genotypes as well as optimum crop management practices. This study was conducted to determine the optimum crop density of adapted grain amaranth genotypes in the Pannonian region of Eastern Austria. The genotypes Neuer Typ (A. hypochondriacus), Mittlerer Typ (A. hypochondriacus) and Amar (A. cruentus) were established at plant densities of 8, 17 and 35 plants/m 2 in 2002 and 2003. Average hand-harvested yields ranged from 2200 to 3000 kg/ha without significant genotypic differences. Genotypes differed in thousand seed weight (0.55–1.04 g), time from sowing to harvest (97–130 days), grain water content at harvest (24–38%), microbial infestation of air-dried grain (0.2–118.6 cfu × 10 6 /g), germination (29–79%) and grain composition. Grain contents fell within the following ranges: crude protein 15.2–18.6%, crude fat 5.4–8.6%, crude fibre 3.5–4.2%, ash 2.7–3.2%, and carbohydrates 66.7–72.7%. High grain water contents involved stronger microbial infestation and reduced germination. Crop density affected neither grain yield nor grain quality.

Impact of heat stress during seed filling on seed quality and seed yield in lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) genotypes.

Abstract: Lentil, a cool-season food legume, is highly sensitive to high temperatures, which drastically reduce biomass and seed yield. The effects of heat stress on qualitative and quantitative aspects of seeds are not yet known.; Results: In this study, we assessed the effects of high temperatures on quantitative and qualitative aspects of seeds in a heat-tolerant (HT; FLIP2009) and heat-sensitive (HS; IG4242) genotypes in a controlled environment. Initially, the plants were raised in a natural, outdoor environment (22/10 °C mean day/night temperature, 1350 µmol m-2 s-1 light intensity, 60-65% relative humidity) from November to mid-February until 50% flowering (114-115 days after sowing). After that, one set of plants was maintained in a controlled environment (28/23 °C, as mean day and night temperature, 500 µmol m-2 s-1 light intensity, 60-65% relative humidity;control) and one set was exposed to heat stress (33/28 °C, as mean day and night temperature, 500 µmol m-2 s-1 light intensity, 60-65% relative humidity), where they remained until maturity. Compared to control, heat stress reduced the seed growth rate by 30-44% and the seed-filling duration by 5.5-8.1 days, which ultimately reduced the seed yield by 38-58% and individual seed weights by 20-39%. Heat stress significantly damaged cell membranes and reduced chlorophyll concentration and fluorescence, and the photosynthetic rate, which was associated with a significant reduction in relative leaf water content. The proximate analysis of seed reserves showed that heat stress reduced starch (25-43%), protein (26-41%) and fat (39-57%) content, and increased total sugars (36-68%), relative to the controls. Heat stress also inhibited the accumulation of storage proteins including albumins, globulins, prolamins and glutelins (22-42%). Most of the amino acids decreased significantly under heat stress in comparison to control, whereas some, such as proline, followed by glycine, alanine, isoleucine, leucine and lysine, increased. Heat stress reduced Ca (13-28%), Fe (17-52%), P (10-54%), K (12.4-28.3%) and Zn (36-59%) content in seeds, compared to the controls.; Conclusions: High temperatures during seed filling are detrimental for seed yield and quality components in lentil genotypes, with severe impacts on heat-sensitive genotypes. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.; © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Seed priming with Se mitigates As-induced phytotoxicity in rice seedlings by enhancing essential micronutrient uptake and translocation and reducing As translocation.

Abstract: We laid down this investigation to explore the promotive and antagonistic aspect of selenium (Se) when supplemented through seed priming technology in rice before sowing into arsenic (As) free and As spiked soil. Findings suggest that As stress inhibits germination (35.38%), seedling growth (38.19%), chlorophyll content by 42.31%, and reduced translocation of iron, zinc, manganese by 19.40, 17.33, and 18.40% respectively, in the seedlings of unprimed seeds. Seedlings of unprimed seeds also had greater As translocation into the aerial part beside repressing micronutrient translocation, significantly. On the contrary, Se-primed seeds had higher germination (27.82%), longer root length (20.14%), greater chlorophyll content beside having greater translocation of iron, zinc, manganese in shoots along with restricting As translocation in rice seedlings by confining more As in the root, in a significant manner (p < 0.05 level) than the unprimed seedlings grown in identical stress. On the other hand, seedlings of Se-primed seeds grown alike the control also had higher germination % (7.08%), root and shoot length with significantly less proline, and hydrogen peroxide content in root and shoot. Findings indicate that seed priming with Se executes dual role, a growth promoting and antagonism in a more practical and farmer-friendly way to mitigate As-induced toxicity and enhance growth in rice seedlings.