Search Results
A soil material high in metal oxides collected from the Bw horizon of a Hemcross soil in the state of Oregon was charged with phosphate, added to a soilless root medium, and evaluated for its potential to supply phosphate at a low, stable concentration during 14 weeks of tomato cropping (three successive crops). Three rates of phosphate were charged on the soil material, 0, 2.2, and 6.5 m P/g soil material and the soil material was incorporated into a 3 peatmoss: 1 perlite (v:v) medium at 5 % (40 g) and 10 % (80 g) of the volume of a 13.6-cm pot (1.0 L of medium). Uncharged soil material incorporated into soilless root medium at 5% and 10% reduced soil solution phosphate to deficient levels for 2 and 7 weeks, respectively. Phosphate was adequately supplied for 7, 10, 12, and more than 14 weeks in the 2.2P-5%, 2.2P-10%, 6.5P-5%, and 6.5P-10% treatment, respectively, as determined by symptoms of P deficiency. Phosphate and K levels in soil solution were highest at the beginning of crop 1 and tended to decline thereafter. Incorporation of soil material into soilless root medium improved pH stability whether it was charged with phosphate or not. The loss of the phosphate-charged soil material was negligible, 0.3% for the 6.5P-5% treatment and 1.2% for the 6.5P-10% treatment. The minimum critical concentration of soil solution phosphate for tomato in a 3 peatmoss: 1 perlite (v:v) medium as determined by the pour-through extraction procedure was found to be 0.3 mg·L–1 or slightly less.
Soilless root media retain very little phosphate. This characteristic necessitates continual application of phosphate, which leads to excessive application and leaching. The phosphate desorption characteristics of synthetic hematite (a-Fe2O3), goethite (a-FeOOH), allophane (Si3Al4O12 *nH2O), and a commercial alumina (Al2O3), previously determined for their maximum adsorption capacities, were evaluated to determine their potential for providing a low, constant soil solution phosphate supply with low phosphate leaching from soilless root media. The desorption isotherms of the clay minerals were obtained by introducing 10 mM KCl solution at 0.2 ml/min flow rate into a stirred flow reaction chamber loaded with clay adsorbed with phosphate at maximum adsorption capacity. The suspension in the reaction chamber was held at pH 6.4 during desorption. Effluent solutions were collected for phosphorus analysis until the equilibrium concentration of phosphorus in solution reached 0.05 mg•L-1. Adsorbed phosphorus at 0.05 mg•L-1 equilibrium concentration in solution was in the order allophane (19 mg•g-1) > alumina™ goethite (8 mg•g-1) > hematite (1.3 mg•g-1). The equilibrium concentration of phosphorus in solution over time showed that allophane releases phosphate for a longer time than the other clay minerals at a desirable soil solution concentration for plants, less than 5 mg•L-1. Among the clay minerals tested, allophane showed the most favorable potential to supply phosphate to plants in soilless root media.
Vegetable grafting is most common in European and Asian countries where crop rotation is no longer an option and available land is under intense use. Grafting is an alternative approach to reduce crop damage resulting from soilborne pathogens and increase plant abiotic stress tolerance, which increases crop production. We discuss and outline four grafting methods that are available for vegetable production in cucurbits: tongue approach grafting, hole insertion grafting, one cotyledon grafting, and side grafting.
Abstract
‘Jubilee’ sweet corn (Zea mays L.) was grown under conventional and strip tillage in 1982 and under conventional tillage, strip tillage, and no-till culture in 1983. Stand establishment was decreased by strip tillage in 1982, but was lower only in the no-till treatment in 1983. Midseason plant height in strip tillage was slightly less than in conventional tillage both years, whereas the no-till plants were much shorter than in other treatments the second year. Yields of husked ears from strip tillage were 7% and 16% lower than from conventional tillage in 1982 and 1983, respectively. In 1983, yield from the no-till treatment was 31% lower than from conventional tillage. The percentage of kernel moisture always was higher from plants in strip tillage and no-till, indicating these treatments had ears that were more immature at time of harvest than in conventional tillage. Average daily soil temperatures at the 5 cm depth for the first 30 days after planting in 1983 were highest for conventional tillage, followed by strip tillage and no-till.
Agricultural limestone is classified based on particle-size distribution, a key factor influencing neutralization capacity. This property is an effective basis for liming recommendations for agronomic purposes which allow for gradual rise in soil pH and residual neutralization for three years. Inconsistencies are prevalent when agricultural limestone is used for horticultural applications which require rapid attainment of target pH and residual neutralization for only four months. Variations in pH among batches of substrate produced with the same limestone rate and pH drift from the same initial pH during crop production infer that factors other than particle diameter also influence limestone neutralization capacity. In this study the relationship between specific surface and diameter of limestone particles was examined. Limestones obtained from twenty North American quarries were wet-sieved into eight particle diameter fractions from 600 to <38 μm (passing 30 through 400-mesh screens). Specific surface (m2/g) of particles was measured in three replications for each fraction following the BET theory that dinitrogen gas (N2) condenses in a continuous mono-molecular layer on all particle surfaces. At each particle diameter fraction, specific surface varied significantly (five-fold differences) among quarries. Large specific surface may indicate many reactive interfaces, hence high neutralization capacity. In containerized production, typical to horticulture, preponderance of root over substrate mass and short crop duration dictate narrower characterization of limestone than is currently used. Specific surface may describe limestone neutralization capacity more finely than does particle diameter.
The increasing adoption of dicamba-tolerant soybean (Glycine max) increases the potential exposure of wine grape (Vitis sp.) to dicamba, to which off-target injury may occur via particle drift or vapor drift. In Missouri, at one site in 2017 and at two sites in 2018, research of production vineyards focused on the effects of dicamba on hybrid ‘Vidal blanc’ grapevines. During flowering and early fruit set, bearing grapevines were exposed to low rates of dicamba delivered as a spray solution of 81 or 161 ppm or by vapor from treated soil. Grapevines were highly sensitive to dicamba, and visible symptoms extended throughout the growing season. The severity of dicamba injury (leaf cupping and feathering) was similar at two of three site-years, with greater injury related to particle drift than to vapor drift of dicamba. Early-season injury resulted in dicamba impacting the total soluble solids (TSS) content of grape berries and grape yield. At harvest during two site-years, yield reductions of up to 45% were associated with dicamba exposure at flowering. Across all site-years, no significant effects of dicamba drift were observed in the TSS content of berries during veraison in August, as measured by refractometer. However, the final TSS content of berries at harvest in September was reduced by 12% from dicamba as particle drift. At a minimum detection level of 10 ng⋅mL−1, high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry identified dicamba at levels up to 33 ng⋅mL−1 in grape must over all site-years. Unexpectedly, this was up to 125 d after grapevine exposure despite low levels of visible dicamba symptomology.
Nicosulfuron and mesotrione are herbicides from different chemical families with different modes of action. An association between the sensitivity of sweet corn (Zea mays L.) to nicosulfuron and mesotrione was observed when hybrids, inbreds, and S1 families (S2 plants) were evaluated for herbicide sensitivity in field trials. In 2003 and 2004, 50% and 53% of mesotrione-sensitive hybrids were sensitive to nicosulfuron compared with only 6% and 1% of mesotrione-tolerant hybrids that were sensitive to nicosulfuron. In trials with inbreds in 2003 and 2004, 88% and 78% of nicosulfuron-sensitive inbreds had some injury from mesotrione but 0% and 5% of nicosulfuron-tolerant inbreds were injured by mesotrione. Among S1 families, 77% of the mesotrione-sensitive families were nicosulfuron-sensitive but only 5% of the mesotrione-tolerant families were sensitive to nicosulfuron. Segregation of S1 families for response to mesotrione was not significantly different from a 1:2:1 pattern of sensitive: segregating: tolerant families (chi square value = 2.25, P = 0.324) which would be expected if sensitivity was conditioned by a single recessive gene. Segregation of S1 families for response to nicosulfuron was 15:23:26 (sensitive: segregating: tolerant) which was slightly different from an expected 1:2:1 ratio (chi square value = 8.84, P = 0.012). Segregation of S1 families probably was affected by the relatively small number of S2 plants sampled from each family. Similar responses of the S1 families to nicosulfuron and mesotrione lead us to hypothesize that the same recessive gene is conditioning sensitivity to both herbicides. Possibly, this gene is common in the inbreds and hybrids that were sensitive in these trials. These hypotheses will be tested by examining segregation in S2 families and other segregating generations and by conducting tests of allelism among sensitive inbreds and inbred parents of sensitive hybrids. Chemical names: 2-(4-mesyl-2-nitrobenzoyl)-3-hydroxycyclohex-2-enone, (mesotrione); 2-[[[[(4,6-dimethoxy-2-pyrimidinyl)amino]carbonyl]amino]sulfonyl]-N,N-dimethyl-3-pyridinecarboxamide, (nicosulfuron).
Abstract
The environment created by ventilating a greenhouse with mine-air was suitable for the production of high quality spray chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) and snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus L.) from mid-February through November without any additional energy requirement. The environment created in the greenhouse from December to February was extremely humid and favored botrytis development and physiological problems which reduced crop quality.
The effect of ethylene on tuber sprout growth and quality in potato (Solanum tuberosum L. `Russet Burbank') was tested in laboratory and commercial studies for 6 and 3 years, respectively, in comparison with untreated (laboratory study) and CIPC-treated tubers (laboratory and commercial studies). In both studies, ethylene was applied continuously at 166 μmol·m-3 for at least 25 weeks, beginning in early December (laboratory study) or early December to early January (commercial study). In the laboratory study, ethylene delayed the appearance of sprouts for 5 to 15 weeks, compared with untreated tubers. In the ethylene-treated tubers in both studies, sprouts appeared on many eyes but most of them remained very small (<5 mm long). Longer sprouts (>5 mm) appeared after 15 weeks but did not exceed 12 and 59 mm in the laboratory and commercial studies, respectively. Sprouts on ethylene-treated tubers were more easily detached up to 6 weeks after ethylene treatment ended, compared with untreated tubers. In both studies, ethylene treatment was not associated with decay, disorder or internal sprouting problems. In both studies, the Agtron fry color [or U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) color grade] of ethylene-treated tubers was darker than CIPC-treated tubers at almost all sampling times. Continuous exposure to ethylene was an effective sprout control agent but it produced a darker fry color, compared with CIPC-treated potatoes.