Low cost maize stover biochar as an alternative to inorganic fertilizer for improvement of soil chemical properties, growth and yield of tomatoes on degraded soil of Northern Uganda.

Background: Soil fertility decline due to nutrient mining coupled with low inorganic fertilizer usage is a major cause of low crop yields across sub-Saharan Africa. Recently, biochar potential to improve soil fertility has gained significant attention but there are limited studies on the use of biochar as an alternative to inorganic fertilizers. In this study, we determined the effect of maize stover biochar without inorganic fertilizers on soil chemical properties, growth and yield of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.

The genotype-dependent phenotypic landscape of quinoa in salt tolerance and key growth traits.

Cultivation of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), an annual pseudocereal crop that originated in the Andes, is spreading globally. Because quinoa is highly nutritious and resistant to multiple abiotic stresses, it is emerging as a valuable crop to provide food and nutrition security worldwide. However, molecular analyses have been hindered by the genetic heterogeneity resulting from partial outcrossing.

Exogenous Kinetin Promotes the Nonenzymatic Antioxidant System and Photosynthetic Activity of Coffee ( L.) Plants Under Cold Stress Conditions.

Coffee plants are seasonally exposed to low chilling temperatures in many coffee-producing regions. In this study, we investigated the ameliorative effects of kinetin-a cytokinin elicitor compound on the nonenzymatic antioxidants and the photosynthetic physiology of young coffee plants subjected to cold stress conditions. Although net CO assimilation rates were not significantly affected amongst the treatments, the subjection of coffee plants to cold stress conditions caused low gas exchanges and photosynthetic efficiency, which was accompanied by membrane disintegration and the breakdown of chlorophyll pigments.

Phytochemical Profile and Antioxidant Capacity of Coffee Plant Organs Compared to Green and Roasted Coffee Beans.

The current study investigates the phytochemical composition of coffee plant organs and their corresponding antioxidant capacities compared to green and roasted coffee beans. HPLC analysis indicated that the investigated compounds were present in all organs except mangiferin, which was absent in roots, stems and seeds, and caffeine, which was absent in stems and roots. Total phytochemicals were highest in the green beans (GB) at 9.

Gene expression changes triggered by end-of-day far-red light treatment on early developmental stages of Eustoma grandiflorum (Raf.) Shinn.

To better understand the molecular mechanisms related to growth promotion in the early developmental stages of Eustoma grandiflorum (Raf.) Shinn. under end-of-day far-red light (EOD-FR) treatment, we analyzed the leaf transcriptome of treated (EOD) and untreated plants (Cont) by using RNA-seq technology.

Production and characterization of cyanocobalamin-enriched lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown using hydroponics.

When lettuces (Lactuca sativa L.) grown for 30 days in hydroponic culture were treated with various concentrations of cyanocobalamin for 24 h, its content in their leaves increased significantly from nondetectable to 164.6 ± 74.

Effects of various asparagus production methods on rutin and protodioscin contents in spears and cladophylls.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between various cultivation conditions and the amounts of the rutin (RT) and protodioscin (PD) in asparagus spears. Green and white spears were grown in open culture and under two different blanching conditions. Although RT was detected only in the green spears, PD was detected mainly in white spears produced by covering with soil.

An evaluation of aerobic and anaerobic composting of banana peels treated with different inoculums for soil nutrient replenishment.

This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of aerobic and anaerobic composting of inoculated banana peels, and assess the agronomic value of banana peel-based compost. Changes in the chemical composition under aerobic and anaerobic conditions were examined for four formulations of banana peel-based wastes over a period of 12 weeks. The formulations i.

A heat-stable extract from Mucuna stimulates the differentiation of bone marrow cells into dendritic cells and induces apoptosis in cancer cells.

Pine cone extract is known to induce differentiation of human mononuclear cells into dendritic cells (DCs) and also to induce apoptosis in human cancer cells. In the present study, we screened edible plants that contain components with biological activities similar to or more potent than those of pine cone extract. We found that Mucuna (Mucuna pruviens var.

Reduction of cadmium uptake in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) by soil amendment with animal waste compost.

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of animal waste compost (AWC) in reducing Cd uptake by spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.). Spinach was grown in a field that had been treated by having cattle, swine, or poultry waste compost incorporated into the soil before each crop throughout 4 years of rotational vegetable production.

Role of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) on active oxygen-scavenging system in NaCl-treated spinach (Spinacia oleracea).

ALA is a key precursor in the biosynthesis of porphyrins such as chlorophyll and heme, and was found to induce temporary elevations in the photosynthesis rate, APX, and CAT; furthermore, treatment with ALA at a low concentration might be correlated to the increase of NaCl tolerance of spinach plants. The photosynthetic rate and the levels of active oxygen-scavenging system in the 3rd leaf of spinach (Spinacia oleracea) plants grown by foliar treatment with 0, 0.18, 0.