Effects of sugarcane trash and pineapple residue incorporation on soil nitrogen,pH and redox potential

Summary Sugarcane trash and pineapple residue, in a finely ground state, were mixed with soil at different levels with and without nitrogen fertilization. The nitrogen treatments received 112 kg N/ha as ammonium sulfate. The samples were incubated for different lengths of time (up to 16 weeks) and analyzed for total, ammonium, nitrate and nitrite nitrogen, pH and redox potential.There was no noticeable loss of nitrogen from the samples due to denitrification. The concentration of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen remained very low throughout the incubation study, probably due to immobilization by soil microflora. After 12 weeks, there was some indication of the release of mineral nitrogen from immobilized reserves. The redox potential was found to be between 400–600 mv during this study and nitrates became unstable below 400 mv redox potential.Journal Series No. 1647 of Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822. This paper is based on the M.S. Thesis of the senior author: Organic matter decomposition and redox potential relationships in a Hawaiian Oxisol, University of Hawaii, 1972.     

Kinetics of zinc absorption by excised roots of two sugarcane clones

Summary Sugarcane clones differ in regard to susceptibility to zinc (Zn²⁺) deficiency in the field. Excised roots of clone H57-5174 actively absorbed Zn²⁺ at a rate twice that of H53-263 roots. The maximum rates of Zn²⁺ uptake (Vmax) and the Km values also differed markedly between these two clones. H53-263 roots have a 6-fold greater affinity for Zn²⁺ than do those of H57-5174. H57-5174 readily develops Zn²⁺ deficiency symptoms in the field but H53-263 rarely does so. A partial explanation for these varying responses appears to lie in these data.Journal Series No. 1536 of the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station.     

NITRATE REDUCTASE IN SUGARCANE TISSUES

Nitrate reductase purified from extracts of sugarcane leaf tissuesshowed an absolute requirement for NADH and a partial dependenceon the presence of FAD and Mo⁺⁺⁺. The purified enzyme had poorstability. Activity of nitrate reductase increased toward theyounger nodal regions of the stalk but the enzyme appeared tobe inhibited in the tissues of the apical meristem. Roots showedlow nitrate reductase activity compared to leaf tissue. ¹ Published with the approval of the Director as Paper No. 198in the Journal Series of the Experiment Station, Hawaiian SugarPlanters' Association, Honolulu, Hawaii, U. S. A. This investigationwas supported in part with funds provided by U. S. Departmentof Agriculture (ARS) Contract No. 12-14-100-7788 (34) to theExperiment Station of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association.     

Nutritional requirements and biochemical activities of pineapple pink disease bacterial strains from Hawaii

Bacteria which cause pink disease of pineapple, identified on the basis of their nutritional and biochemical activities, were found to belong to three genera. These bacteria include the following species: Gluconobacter oxydans, Acetobacter aceti, and Erwinia herbicola. Several pink disease strains required one to three vitamins for growth. Both G. oxydans strains 303D and 180 required biotin, nicotinic acid, and pantothenic acid for growth; E. herbicola 189 required only nicotinic acid; however, A. aceti 295 was able to grow without any added supplements in glucose mineral salts medium. Optimal vitamin concentrations for maximal growth and optimal pH for the maximal number of generations per hour was established for a few pink disease strains.Journal Series Paper No. 2373 of the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, Honolulu.     

Effect of moisture and oxidation status of alkaline rice soils on the adsorption of soil phosphorus by an anion resin

Summary Considerable effort was devoted to experimentally explaining the greater amount of anion resin-adsorbable P (ARAP) in water-saturated alkaline soils relative to moist soils with the purpose of explaining the phenomenon of increased P availability in flooded rice soils. ARAP increased when waterlogged conditions were imposed on soils, but the increase in ARAP occurred before reducing conditions were obtained. Reducing conditions did not increase ARAP. The increase in ARAP in the water-saturated alkaline soils was attributed to the enhanced P diffusion resulting from a decrease in tortuosity, thus indicating that increased P availability upon flooding could be due to increased P diffusion.Paper number 4533 of the Journal Series of the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station.Paper number 4533 of the Journal Series of the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station.     

The effects of root temperature and Ca supply on the growth and transpiration of cotton seedlings (Gossypium hirsutum,L.)

Summary Cotton seedlings were germinated in either tap water or a CaSO₄ solution and then grown for two days in nutrient solutions containing 0.1, 1.0, or 10.0 me Ca/1. They were then transferred to cultures having the same Ca variables and the roots subjected to temperatures of 26, 18, 15 and 12°C for four days. The fresh weight of all plant parts and leaf area increased with increasing root temperatures and with increasing Ca levels, the effect of Ca being most pronounced at the higher temperatures. The dry weight was increased by increasing root temperature; the effect of Ca was rather small. Water use increased with increasing temperature and was higher for the lowest Ca level than for the higher levels. The results emphasize the overriding effect of low temperature on water uptake. Calcium had little effect on the growth depression resulting from low root temperatures. Joint contribution from the Agronomy Department, Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station, State College and the Soil Science Department, North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, Raleigh. Published with the approval of the Directors of Research as Journal Contribution No.1530 and Paper No.2389 of the Journal Series, respectively. This is a report of research conducted while the author was on sabbatical leave at North Carolina State University, February 1–September 10, 1965.     

Evidence for root Fe nutrition in Hydrilla verticillata Royle

Summary The uptake of Fe by roots and apical leaves of the submersed aquatic plant Hydrilla verticillata Royle was studied using ⁵⁹FeEDTA. ⁵⁹FeEDTA was absorbed by both roots and apical leaves, and translocated to the other parts of the plant. Approximately 3% of the total ⁵⁹FeEDTA absorbed by the roots over a period of 60 h was translocated to the leaves. Downward translocation of ⁵⁹FeEDTA from the apical portion of the plant to the lower leaves was approximately 21% of the amount absorbed.Published as Journal Series No 333 of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station.     

Influence of lime on nitrogen fixation by tropical and temperate legumes

Summary A nitrogen deficient Oxisol which had been fertilized with P, K, Zn and Mo received CaCO₃ at rates which increased continuously from zero to 22 tons/ha. Liming produced a range of pH in the saturation paste from 4.7 to 7.1; a range of calcium in the saturation extract from 0.3 to 3 meq/l; and a significant decline in available manganese. Responses of 9 tropical and 7 temperate legumes were compared across the pH variable.For Stylosanthes spp. nodule numbers and weight and plant yield declined above pH 5.5. Arachis hypogaea and Vigna sinensis, whose yield increased by only 30%, showed no clear improvement in nodulation or nodule effectiveness (acetylene reduction rate per unit nodule weight).Increased nodule effectiveness could account for most of the growth increase in Dolichos axillaris and Glycine max var. Kahala. Both the number and effectiveness of nodules increased for Desmodium intortum, Glycine wightii, Medicago sativa, and Trifolium subterraneum. Nodule size and effectiveness increased for G. max var. Kanrich. Only in one species, Coronilla varia, could increase in nodule numbers alone account for the increased growth associated with liming, although increased numbers of nodules probably accounted for much of the response by Lotus corniculatus, and by Desmodium canum and D. intortum up to pH 5.3.Increased nodulation and plant N contents were consistent with the conclusion that for most species improved N₂-fixation was the cause of growth improvement associated with liming. However, percent N was high in leaves of Vigna and Phaseolus vulgaris at all lime levels. In Phaseolus, variation in nodulation and growth were unrelated. The growth improvement was associated with decline in leaf N, suggesting that something other than N nutrition was limiting.Journal Series No. 1957 of the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station.Department of Soils and Plant Nutrition, University of California, Davis.Department of Agronomy and Soil Science, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii.     

A general procedure for protoplast recovery,callus and plant regeneration in plants

A portion of this work was supported by NSF grant DCB 8718314 and by the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station. This research is a joint contribution from the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station, Journal Series No. 10,789 and from the Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station, Amherst, MA 01003; Journal Paper No. MAES 2959. Ousama Zaghmout was supported by the Food for the 21st Century Program, College of Agriculture, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.     

Copper as essential to wheat reproduction

Summary The role of Cu in promoting the reproductive phase of growth was examined using Thatcher spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Plants were grown in limed Bladen soil (pH 5.3) in a controlled growth room. The plants were first harvested when five leaves had developed (day 23) and some top leaves of Cu-deficient (-Cu) plants had rolled (withertip) indicating a Cu deficiency. The leaves were shorter on Cu than Cu-sufficient (+Cu) plants, and fewer leaves developed. As they entered the reproductive growth phase, +Cu plants accumulated reducing sugars and reduced 2, 3, 5- triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) in their stems, while Cu plants had lower concentration of the reducing sugars and very little TTC was reduced indicating a reduction in energy and in reducing capacity. Thin-layer-chromatography showed that top leaves of Cu plants contained higher concentrations of aspartic acid, alanine, and serine; and less aminobutyric acid than +Cu plants. Nitrate, P, and K concentrations were higher, and Ca and Cu were lower in Cu than in +Cu plants.Contribution of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Plant Stress Laboratory, Northeast Region, Beltsville, MD 20705 and North Central Region, Department of Agronomy, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583 as Paper No.5187, Journal Series, Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station.Contribution of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Plant Stress Laboratory, Northeast Region, Beltsville, MD 20705 and North Central Region, Department of Agronomy, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583 as Paper No.5187, Journal Series, Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station.     

The utilization of sugars and starch as carbon sources by sugarcane cell suspension cultures

Best growth of sugarcane cell suspensions on sugar substrateswas obtained with raffinose, followed closely by sucrose. Growthon glucose, fructose, cellobiose, melibiose and trehalose wasslightly below that on sucrose. Pentoses have been reportedpreviously not to be utilized by plant tissues in culture-ribosesupported growth of the sugarcane cells. Starch supported growthas well as did sucrose. This support is due to the secretionof an -amylase by the sugarcane cells in culture. ¹Published with the approval of the Director as Paper No. 239in the Journal Series of the Experiment Station, Hawaiian SugarPlanters' Association, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A. (Received October 3, 1969; )     

Peripheral reticulum in chloroplasts of plants differing in CO2 fixation pathways and photorespiration

Summary The development of peripheral reticulum (PR) in chloroplasts varies in C₃ and C₄ plants. In general, PR is more extensive in C₄ plants, but PR is also seen in the chloroplasts of some C₃ plants. Within some C₄ plants, PR is seen in the bundle sheath cells which predominantly use the C₃ pathway. Thus, PR is not associated directly with the presence of the C₄ pathway on a cellular basis. Its predominance in C₄ plants must be related to some characteristic other than the method of CO₂ fixation. Ultrastructural evidence suggests that PR is associated with the rapid transfer of substances into and out of chloroplasts and from mesophyll to bundle sheath cells.Cooperative investigations of the Department of Agronomy, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia; Department of Agronomy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; and the Plant Science Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Gainesville, Florida. The mention of specific products is for the purpose of clarity and does not imply endorsement by the USDA. Journal Series No. 977 of the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Station, and Journal Series No. 3870 of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station.     

Some physiological changes in Vinca rosea L. associated with mycoplasma-like disorders

The mycoplasma-like disorders associated with the aster yellowsand peach X-disease decreases the chorophyll and protein constituentsof Vinca rosea L. The reduction in total chlorophyll and proteinsare quantitative for both disorders but there is a preferentialreduction of chlorophyll a with respect to chlorophyll b inthe peach X-disease. ¹ Contribution from the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station.Journal Series No. 7750, approved by the Director. (Received August 9, 1977; )     

Mitochondrial DNA synthesis during fungal spore germination

Summary Germinating spores of the fungus Botryodiplodia theobromae incorporated guanine-8-C¹⁴ into both the nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA fractions. Ethidium bromide inhibited the synthesis of mitochondrial DNA without having a significant effect on nuclear DNA synthesis or on the rate and extent of spore germination. Rates of leucine and uracil incorporation and of oxygen uptake were not significantly affected by ethidium bromide until germination was nearly completed. Mitochondrial DNA synthesis is apparently not required for germination of the spores of B. theobromae but is probably essential to continued vegetative growth.Abbreviations DNA deoxyribonucleic acid - mit-DNA mitochondrial DNA - nuc-DNA nuclear DNA - RNA ribonucleic acid - EB ethidium bromide - Tris tris (hydroxymethyl)aminomethane Published with the approval of the Director as Paper No. 3331, Journal Series, Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station. Research reported was conducted under Project No. 21-17. Paper No. 7877, Scientific Journal Series, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.     

Depression of legume growth by liming

Summary Early growth or nodulation of certain species was depressed when a Hawaiian Oxisol was limed at rates above 6 tons/ha (pH 6). In 8 legumes, the depression later gave way to positive response. This was evident in plant weights of Desmodium intortum and Glycine wightii var. Cooper, and in pod weights of Phaseolus vulgaris. A transient depression was observed visually in Desmodium canum, Dolichos axillaris, Glycine wightii var. Tinaroo, and Trifolium subterraneum. In Stylosanthes guyanensis and S. fruticosa, the depression persisted throughout the experiment (6 months). Growth was not depressed in Arachis hypogea, Coronilla varia, Glycine max, Leucaena leucocephala, Medicago sativa, Trifolium repens, or Vigna sinensis. Journal Series No. 1953 of the Hawaii Agr. Exp. Station Journal Series No. 1953 of the Hawaii Agr. Exp. Station     

Calcium and magnesium in ryegrass some differences in accumulation by roots and in translocation to shoots

Summary Thirty-day old intact ryegrass plants (Lolium perenne) were exposed to solutions of Ca, Mg, or Ca+Mg. Each ion was present at 0.25 mM and each solution was labeled with an appropriate radioisotope (Ca⁴⁵ or Mg²⁸). Plants were harvested at various times over a 12-hour period and analyzed for incorporation of the radioisotopes and for the total quantities of Ca and Mg present. Uptake of the exogenous ions was calculated on the assumption that uptake of both carrier and isotopic species occurred in proportion to their concentrations in the ambient solution. Steady state rates of exogenous ion uptake by roots and translocation to shoots were observed for both ions during the 2–12 hour period. During this time the rate of exogenous Ca accumulation in the shoots substantially exceeded that in the roots, and the presence of ambient Mg had relatively little influence on either rate. However, ambient Mg did decrease the exogenous Ca taken up in the 0–2 hour period. The steady state rate of exogenous Mg accumulation in roots and shoots exceeded that of exogenous Ca, and the presence of ambient Ca suppressed both exogenous Mg rates about equally. Significant net accumulation of Ca occurred in the root tissue during the 2–12 hour period whereas with Mg there was little net accumulation. A constant rate of depletion of endogenous Mg, which was restricted by presence of ambient Ca, was observed. Evidence from the observed 2–12 hour y-intercept values for root accumulation of the two ions suggests the possibility of specific adsorption sites for Ca.Paper Number 4513 of the Journal Series of the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, Raleigh, North Carolina. These investigations were supported in part by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Grant No. AT-(40-1)-2410.Paper Number 4513 of the Journal Series of the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, Raleigh, North Carolina. These investigations were supported in part by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Grant No. AT-(40-1)-2410.     

The changes in nucleic acid and protein accumulation during the batch cultivation of sugarcane cells

Growth and changes in the nucleic acid and protein contentsof sugarcane suspension cultures have been investigated. Theweight of cells in a sugarcane culture increases exponentiallyand then linearly following fresh inoculation. The amount ofRNA and cytoplasmic protein per unit weight of cells in a cultureincreases and then decreases rapidly; that is, no steady stateperiod was found for the accumulation of these nucleic acidsand proteins, not even during a period of exponential cell increase.Changes in DNA content are less pronounced than in RNA content. Without the addition of 2,4-D to a medium containing yeast extract,the weight of cells increases at a faster rate than in a mediumwith 2,4-D. This suppression of weight increase takes placeeven when the concentration of 2,4-D is as low as 0.05 µg/ml.The weight increase of the cells in a medium without 2,4-D,however, is not accompanied by comparable accumulation of RNA. ¹ Published with the approval of the Director as Paper No. 371in the Journal Series of the Experiment Station, Hawaiian SugarPlanters' Association, Honolulu, Hawaii; U.S.A. (Received November 1, 1974; )     

A BASIC computer program for calculation of photosynthesis,stomatal conductance,and related parameters in an open gas exchange system

Computer programs written in BASICA (IBM'S VERSION OF BASIC) language were developed for the calculation of the gas exchange parameters of CO₂ assimilation, leaf conductance, stomatal conductance, residual conductance, intercellular CO₂ concentration, transpiration, water use efficiency and transpiration ratio in an open system. Formulas are discussed in both an algebraic and in a BASIC computer program form. Calculations based on mole fractions of CO₂ and water vapor are explained and both molar and mass fluxes are included in the program output to facilitate comparisons with data from the literature. Corrections are made in the program to account for under-estimation of CO₂ assimilation due to the increase in flow rates out of sample chambers caused by simultaneous transpiration. A sample output is included to illustrate the formatting capability of the program.Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Article No. 11576.Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Article No. 11576.     

Glucosyltransferase activity in a water extract of maize pollen

Summary Glucosyltransferase activity was extracted from maize pollen in distilled water. The enzymatic reaction required UDP-glucose, mercaptoethanol and Ca⁺⁺, and had a pH optimum at 8.2. Either kampferol or quercetin served as a substrate. Michaelis-Menten constants obtained were 0.6×10^-4 M for quercetin and 0.74×10^-3M for UDP-glucose. Ammonium-sulfate precipitation of the enzyme gave a 4fold purification.Cooperative investigations, Plant Science Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, and Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station, Columbia. Journal Series No. 6224.     

The effect of Cercospora rodmanii,a biological control for waterhyacinth,on the fish,Gambusia affinis

The effect of Cercospora rodmanii, a fungal pathogen being developed as a biological control for waterhyacinth, was evaluated on Gambusia affinis in a standard 96-hour bioassay. Testing indicated that C. rodmanii had no adverse effects on treated fish and would not be a hazard to populations of these fish in nature.Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. 1238.