The use of municipal solid waste compost (MSW) and biochar, two renewable resources with a low carbon footprint as components of substrates, may be an alternative to reducing peat and coir usage. The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of selectively collected MSW and biochar as components of the coir-based substrate to spinach grown. An experiment was carried out to evaluate five substrates, coir and four coir-based blends (coir + biochar + perlite, coir + municipal waste compost + perlite, coir + biochar + pine bark, and coir + biochar + pine bark) with 12% () MSW or biochar and 10% () perlite or pine bark.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of nitrogen source applied by fertigation to an enriched soil with organic compost on plant growth, mineral nutrition, and phytochemical contents in two successive harvests in coriander. The treatments were as follows: unfertilized soil, soil enriched with organic compost, and soil enriched with organic compost to which 60 kg N ha as ammonium nitrate and as ammonium sulfate applied by fertigation were added. Ammonium nitrate addition allowed to obtain a high total fresh yield (3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA novel enzyme, induced by choline, ethanolamine, glycine betaine or dimethylglycine, was released at low temperature and phosphate from Pseudomonas fluorescens (CECT 7229) suspensions at low cell densities. It is a CDP-ethanolamine pyrophosphatase/(dihexanoyl)glycerophosphoethanolamine phosphodiesterase (CGDEase) less active on choline derivatives, and inactive on long-chain phospholipids, CDP-glycerol and other NDP-X compounds. The reaction pattern was typical of phospholipase C (PLC), as either phosphoethanolamine or phosphocholine was produced.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVanadium pentoxide mainly used as catalyst in sulphuric acid, maleic anhydride and ceramics industry, is a pollutant watering redistributed around the environment. Research on biological influence of vanadium pentoxide has gained major importance because it exerts toxic effects on a wide variety of biological systems. In this work we intent to evaluate the effects of vanadium pentoxide ranging from 0 to 2 mM in culture media on a wine wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae from Alentejo region of Portugal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNucleoside 5'-diphosphate-X hydrolases are interesting enzymes to study due to their varied activities and structure-function relationships and the roles they play in the disposal, assimilation, and modulation of the effects of their substrates. Few of these enzymes with a preference for CDP-alcohols are known. In Yersinia intermedia suspensions prepared from cultures on Columbia agar with 5% sheep blood, we found a CDP-alcohol hydrolase liberated to Triton X-100-containing medium.
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