Search Results

You are looking at 1 - 3 of 3 items for :

  • Author or Editor: Fengyun Zhao x
  • HortScience x
Clear All Modify Search

Aeration through subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) can promote plant growth and increase crop yield; however, more research is focused on annual crops, and there are few studies on perennial crops. We have studied a new type of SDI (SDI with tanks) suitable for cultivation and production of perennial fruit trees and photovoltaic aeration device in greenhouse. The results showed that aeration irrigation promoted the growth of new leaves, fine roots, and new branches of grape, regulated O2/CO2 content in rhizosphere soil, and accelerated air exchange in rhizosphere soil. This study showed that aeration irrigation did not change the structure of bacteria and fungi but significantly increased the abundance of aerobic bacteria, such as Nitrospira and Cytophagia. Moreover, it promoted the increase of Pseudomonas and Aspergillus related to phosphate solubilization, that of Bacillus related to potassium solubilization, and that of Fusarium related to organic matter (OM) decomposition. This study shows that aeration irrigation through SDI with tanks can promote grape growth, which may be related to the ability of aeration irrigation to change the gas composition of rhizosphere soil, optimize the structure of rhizosphere soil microorganism.

Free access

The use of water-soluble chemical fertilizers for years under drip irrigation conditions results in soil compaction, fertility decline, and fruit quality decrease in arid areas. Currently, little research has been reported regarding the effects of increasing organic fertilizer and reducing drip chemical fertilizer on the growth of grape plants under different conditions in arid areas. In this study, five different treatments were conducted. Compared with no fertilizer for 3 consecutive years (CK) and single fertilizer for 3 consecutive years (T0), organic fertilizer plus 1 year of reducing drip chemical fertilizer (T1), organic fertilizer plus 2 years of reducing drip chemical fertilizer (T2), and organic fertilizer plus 3 years of reducing drip chemical fertilizer (T3) improved the soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC) values, and soil organic matter content to different degrees during early growth stages (15 days after anthesis) and mature stages (75 days after anthesis). The available N, P, and K contents in the T1 and T2 treatments increased significantly. With the T2 treatment, the longitudinal and transverse diameters of the ‘Summer Black’ grapes were the largest during the two fruit expansion periods. The anthocyanin content of grape peel with the T2 treatment was 22.0% higher than that with the T0 treatment. The soluble solids, sugar–acid ratio, various sugar contents, vitamin C, and total phenol of the fruit increased significantly with the T2 treatment, indicating that the T2 treatment was best for promoting grape growth and fruit quality and that the T3 treatment was the second best.

Open Access

Salvia miltiorrhiza, known as danshen, is one of most valued medicinal plants in China. Although it has been cultivated since ancient times, an optimal culture system needs to be standardized for this important species. Here, we explored the phytochemical properties of S. miltiorrhiza with the treatments of rare earth elements (REEs) to develop an optimal tissue culture system. Four-week-old in vitro-grown S. miltiorrhiza plantlets were used as explants. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design on a Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 0.2 mg·L−1 naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) to induce rooting at four different concentrations (50, 100, 200, and 300 μM) of REEs such as cerium (Ce), lanthanum (La), or praseodymium (Pr), respectively. Compared with all REEs at different concentrations, 100 μM Pr induced greater root length than Ce or La at any concentrations. Concomitantly, 0.38 μg tanshinone IIA/mg dry weight (DW) was observed, which was 54.84% higher than in the control. Similarly, chlorophyll content, antioxidant enzyme activity, and secondary metabolite were enhanced in rooting medium supplemented with 100 μM Pr. Therefore, this study showed that 100 μM Pr is an adequate concentration in the optimal culture system for promoting plant growth as well as enhancing secondary metabolite content in S. miltiorrhiza.

Open Access