Estimation of available potassium for cotton by soil analysis

Measurements of exchangeable K, percentage of exchangeable K of the total exchange capacity (EPP), K extracted in a CaCl₂ solution, and the change in free-energy of exchange of K for Ca+Mg (F), were compared as methods for estimation of available K in soil for growing irrigated cotton. A significant correlation was found between each of the methods and the response to K fertilizer. The different methods are discussed; the advantages of extraction with CaCl₂ solution are that it reflects the change in free energy and is easy to operate. For sandy soils, it is suggested that determination of exchangeable K be added.Contribution from the Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel. 1975 Series, No. 202-E Contribution from the Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel. 1975 Series, No. 202-E     

Elimination kinetics of L-alanyl-L-glutamine in ICU patients

Summary. A randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled study was performed giving 0.5 g · kg⁻¹ · day⁻¹ of undiluted alanyl-glutamine (20%) or saline in a peripheral vein during 4 hours in ICU patients (n = 20). During the infusion period a steady state in plasma concentration was reached for alanyl-glutamine, but not for alanine, glutamine or glutamate. On the other hand there was no accumulation of any of the amino acids, as the pre-infusion concentrations were reached within 8 hours after the end of infusion. The half-life of the dipeptide was 0.26 hours (range, 0.15–0.63 h). The distribution volume of alanyl-glutamine was larger than the extracellular water volume, indicating a rapid hydrolysis of the dipeptide. There was no detectable alanyl-glutamine in the urine of any of the patients. All patients had excretion of small amounts of amino acids in urine, but the renal clearance of alanine, glutamine and glutamate were not different between the two groups.     

Contrasting responses to ectomycorrhizal inoculation in seedlings of six tropical African tree species

Five caesalpinioid legumes, Afzelia africana, Afzelia bella, Anthonotha macrophylla, Cryptosepalum tetraphylum and Paramacrolobium coeruleum, and one Euphorbiaceae species, Uapaca somon, with a considerable range in seed sizes, exhibited different responses to inoculation by four species of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, Scleroderma dictyosporum, S. verrucosum, Pisolithus sp. and one thelephoroid sp. in greenhouse conditions. Thelephoroid sp. efficiently colonized seedlings of all of the five caesalpinioid legumes except U. somon, but provided no more growth benefit than the other fungi. Thelephoroid sp. and S. dictyosporum colonized seedlings of U. somon poorly, but stimulated plant growth more than the other fungi. The relative mycorrhizal dependency (RMD) values of the caesalpinioid legumes were never higher than 50%, whilst U. somon had RMD values ranging from 84.6 to 88.6%, irrespective of the fungal species. The RMD values were negatively related to seed mass for all plant species. Potassium concentrations in leaves were more closely related than phosphorus to the stimulation of seedling biomass production by the ECM fungi. Our data support the hypothesis that African caesalpinioid legumes and euphorbe tree species with smaller seeds show higher RMD values than those with the larger seeds.     

Mutations in CAX1 produce phenotypes characteristic of plants tolerant to serpentine soils

Plant tolerance of serpentine soils is potentially an excellent model for studying the genetics of adaptive variation in natural populations. A large-scale viability screen of Arabidopsis thaliana mutants on a defined nutrient solution with a low Ca(2+) : Mg(2+) ratio (1 : 24 mol : mol), typical of serpentine soils, yielded survivors with null alleles of the tonoplast calcium-proton antiporter CAX1. cax1 mutants have most of the phenotypes associated with tolerance to serpentine soils, including survival in solutions with a low Ca(2+) : Mg(2+) ratio; requirement for a high concentration of Mg(2+) for maximum growth; reduced leaf tissue concentration of Mg(2+); and poor growth performance on 'normal' levels of Ca(2+) and Mg(2+). A physiological model is proposed to explain how loss-of-function cax1 mutations could produce all these phenotypes characteristic of plants adapted to serpentine soils, why 'normal' plants are unable to survive on serpentine soil, and why serpentine-adapted plants are unable to compete on 'normal' soils.     

Longitudinal analysis of deciduous tooth emergence: IV. Covariate effects in Japanese children

Emergence of the deciduous teeth is generally considered to be robust to moderate environmental insults, malnutrition, and disease. Consequently, deciduous tooth emergence has been used to assess growth and development and for age estimation in children. In this paper, we examine the way in which nutritional status and other covariates affect deciduous tooth emergence in a sample of 114 Japanese children born in Tokyo in 1914 and 1924. Parametric survival analysis was used to quantify the effects of nutritional status, breastfeeding behavior, and sex on the hazard of deciduous tooth emergence. Children of poor nutritional status exhibited significantly delayed emergence of all deciduous teeth, with effects that ranged from 14-29% increases in mean emergence times. Children of medium nutritional status exhibited increases in mean emergence times of 5-9% for the canines and lower molars, and 13-17% for the incisors. Partial breastfeeding had no effect on tooth emergence, but children who were not breastfed at all showed delayed emergence of the upper incisors. No significant sex differences in emergence were found. The findings contradict the idea that moderate malnutrition has little effect on deciduous tooth emergence. Furthermore, nutritional differences may account for some of the observed differences among populations in the timing of tooth emergence.     

Impact of long-term conventional and organic farming on the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Previous work has shown considerably enhanced soil fertility in agroecosystems managed by organic farming as compared to conventional farming. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a crucial role in nutrient acquisition and soil fertility. The objective of this study was to investigate the diversity of AMF in the context of a long-term study in which replicated field plots, at a single site in Central Europe, had been cultivated for 22 years according to two organic and two conventional farming systems. In the 23rd year, the field plots, carrying an 18-month-old grass-clover stand, were examined in two ways with respect to AMF diversity. Firstly, AMF spores were isolated and morphologically identified from soil samples. The study revealed that the AMF spore abundance and species diversity was significantly higher in the organic than in the conventional systems. Furthermore, the AMF community differed in the conventional and organic systems: Glomus species were similarly abundant in all systems but spores of Acaulospora and Scutellospora species were more abundant in the organic systems. Secondly, the soils were used to establish AMF-trap cultures using a consortium of Plantago lanceolata, Trifolium pratense and Lolium perenne as host plants. The AMF spore community developing in the trap cultures differed: after 12 months, two species of the Acaulosporaceae (A. paulinae and A. longula) were consistently found to account for a large part of the spore community in the trap cultures from the organic systems but were found rarely in the ones from the conventional systems. The findings show that some AMF species present in natural ecosystems are maintained under organic farming but severely depressed under conventional farming, indicating a potentially severe loss of ecosystem function under conventional farming.     

Transcriptional regulation and functional properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> Pht1;4, a high affinity transporter contributing greatly to phosphate uptake in phosphate deprived plants

Phosphate mobilization into the plant is a complex process requiring numerous transporters for absorption and translocation of this major nutrient. In the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana, nine closely related high affinity phosphate transporters have been identified but their specific roles remain unclear. Here we report the molecular, histological and physiological characterization of Arabidopsis pht1;4 high affinity phosphate transporter mutants. Using GUS-gene trap and in situ hybridization, Pht1;4 was found mainly expressed in inorganic phosphate (Pi) limiting medium in roots, primarily in the epidermis, the cortex and the root cap. In addition to this, expression was also observed at the lateral root branch points on the primary root and in the stele of lateral roots, suggesting a role of Pht1;4 in phosphate absorption and translocation from the growth medium to the different parts of the plant. Pi-starved pht1;4 plantlets exhibited a strong reduction of phosphate uptake capacity (40). This phenotype appears only related to the pht1;4 mutation as there were no obvious changes in the expression of other Pht1 family members in the mutants background. However, after 10 days of growth on phosphate deficient or sufficient medium, the Pi content in the mutants was not significantly different from that of the corresponding wild type controls. Furthermore, the mutants did not display any obvious growth defects or visible phenotypes when grown on a low phosphate containing medium. The work described here offers a first step in the complex genetic dissection of the phosphate transport system in planta.     

Manganese nutrition effects on tomato growth, chlorophyll concentration, and superoxide dismutase activity

The effects of Mn nutrition of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) seedlings on Mn-, Fe- and CuZn-superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1) enzymatic activities, metal translocation, chlorophyll concentration, and plant growth were tested using a bioassay system consisting of chelator-buffered nutrient culture with Mn2+ activities set to pMn (-log activity of Mn2+) of 6.6, 7.6, 8.6, and 9.6. The two middle levels resulted in optimal plant growth, whereas the two extreme levels resulted in a gradual decrease in chlorophyll concentration and slower plant growth. At the end of the experiment, 26 days after transfer to the Mn treatments, significant differences in shoot Mn concentration were manifested, from 10.5 mg kg(-1) in plants grown in pMn 9.6 to 207.4 mg kg(-1) in plants grown in pMn 6.6. Other element concentrations in the leaf suggest that growth inhibition and chlorophyll synthesis were affected primarily by manganese deficiency and excess. Twenty days after transfer of plants to the Mn treatments Mn-, Fe- and CuZn-SOD activities were assayed in young expanded leaf tissues by electrophoresis running gel. Whereas chloroplastic CuZn-SOD activity did not differ among Mn treatments, the cytosolic CuZn-SOD and mitochondrial Mn-SOD activities increased in both Mn-excess and Mn-deficient plants.     

Liquid culture carbon, nitrogen and inorganic phosphate source regulate nematicidal activity by fluorescent pseudomonads in vitro

AIMS: The aim of the present investigation was to determine the influence of nutrients on the nematicidal activity by Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain IE-6S+ and Ps. fluorescens strain CHA0 in vitro. METHODS AND RESULTS: Culture filtrate of IE-6S+ and CHA0 obtained from chemically defined medium caused mortality of Meloidogyne javanica juveniles in vitro and that growth medium amended with various C, N or inorganic phosphate (Pi) sources markedly influenced nematicidal activity of the two bacteria. Glycerol (C source), propionate (fatty acid precursor) and L-lysine (N source) enhanced nematicidal activity while glucose (C), L-valine (N) and Pi substantially repressed nematicidal activity of the two bacteria. CONCLUSION: Liquid culture amendments with various C, N or Pi sources modulate the biosynthesis of nematicidal agents to a different extent in vitro. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Developing bacterial strains more responsive to certain environmental signals can be exploited for increased secondary metabolite production in pharmaceutical fermentations and offers new avenues to improve biocontrol.     

Use of total dietary fiber across four lemur species (Propithecus verreauxi coquereli,Hapalemur griseus griseus,Varecia variegata,and Eulemur fulvus): Does fiber type affect digestive efficiency?

In vivo digestibility and transit of two experimental diets were compared across four lemur species for which gastrointestinal morphology and preliminary data on physiology differ:Varecia variegata (VV), Eulemur fulvus (EF), Propithecus verreauxi (PV), and Hapalemur griseus (HG). Since free-ranging groups consume varied amounts of slowly fermentable insoluble fiber (IF) and rapidly fermentable soluble fiber (SF), differences in digestibility may be related to variation in the fiber types consumed. To investigate this, two diets were designed to provide 28% of dry matter (DM) as total dietary fiber (TDF). The ratio of IF/SF (g/g) differed across the diets (12.15:1 for the IF diet, and 3.76:1 for the IF/SF diet). The DM digestibility (DMD) of both diets differed across species: DMD was lower for EF and VV (approximately 56-58%), and higher for PV (72%) and HG (76%). The fiber digestibility results were as follows: TDF digestibility was similar for VV and EF (23% and 28%), higher for PV (56%), and highest for HG (66%). IF digestibility was lower for VV and EF (20% and 28%), and higher for PV and HG (53% and 62%). The transit times (TTs) of the two markers Cr and Co were similar (approximately 3.5 hr for VV and EF, 25 hr for PV, and 30 hr for HG). The mean retention times (MRTs) showed the same trend. The results from these captive groups suggest there are large differences in digestive efficiency that are likely related to the varied fiber composition of the free-ranging diet, and the amount of time the digesta are retained in the gut.