A Plant-Fungus Bioassay Supports the Classification of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) as Inconsistently Mycorrhizal.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is becoming an increasingly important food crop. Understanding the microbiome of quinoa and its relationships with soil microorganisms may improve crop yield potential or nutrient use efficiency.

Effect of soil amendments on antioxidant activity and photosynthetic pigments in pea crops grown in arsenic contaminated soil.

The mechanism of arsenic (As) immobilization in soils is crucial for improving photosynthetic pigments and antioxidants in food crops. The effects of soil amendments with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), biochar (BC), selenium (Se), sulfur (S) and Si-gel on the concentrations of chlorophyll, carotenoid, proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), and the activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) were studied in BARI pea under As stress. Soil amendments with AMF, Se, Si-gel and S enhanced chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll contents by 31-35% and 60-75%, respectively.

Author Correction: Arsenic accumulation in lentil (Lens culinaris) genotypes and risk associated with the consumption of grains.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Arsenic accumulation in lentil (Lens culinaris) genotypes and risk associated with the consumption of grains.

Arsenic (As) is a toxic metalloid. As phyto-toxicity is manifested by its accumulation in different tissue types and subsequent growth inhibition in plants. Despite the vital role of leguminous crops in providing proteins to human diets, a little is known about the As accumulation in lentil.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi reduce arsenic uptake and improve plant growth in Lens culinaris.

Arsenic (As) is a carcinogenic and hazardous substance that poses a serious risk to human health due to its transport into the food chain. The present research is focused on the As transport in different lentil genotypes and the role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) in mitigation of As phyto-toxicity. Arsenic transport from soil to root, shoot and grains in different lentil genotypes was analyzed by flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, Selenium and Biochar on Photosynthetic Pigments and Antioxidant Enzyme Activity Under Arsenic Stress in Mung Bean ().

Environmental perturbations alter biochemical compounds in food crops. Arsenic (As), a toxic metalloid, is known to affect the cultivation of food crops in many regions of the world; however, the changes in chlorophyll, catalase (CAT), and proline in response to As stress and the role of stress relief substances remain largely unknown in mung bean ( L.).

Bacteria and Competing Herbivores Weaken Top-Down and Bottom-Up Aphid Suppression.

Herbivore suppression is mediated by both plant defenses and predators. In turn, plant defenses are impacted by soil fertility and interactions with soil bacteria. Measuring the relative importance of nutritional and microbial drivers of herbivore resistance has proven problematic, in part because it is difficult to manipulate soil-bacterial community composition.

Fruit and soil quality of organic and conventional strawberry agroecosystems.

Background: Sale of organic foods is one of the fastest growing market segments within the global food industry. People often buy organic food because they believe organic farms produce more nutritious and better tasting food from healthier soils. Here we tested if there are significant differences in fruit and soil quality from 13 pairs of commercial organic and conventional strawberry agroecosystems in California.

Effects of soil type and farm management on soil ecological functional genes and microbial activities.

Relationships between soil microbial diversity and soil function are the subject of much debate. Process-level analyses have shown that microbial function varies with soil type and responds to soil management. However, such measurements cannot determine the role of community structure and diversity in soil function.

Influence of biodynamic preparations on compost development and resultant compost extracts on wheat seedling growth.

Biodynamic (BD) agriculture, a form of organic agriculture, includes the use of specially fermented preparations, but peer-reviewed studies on their efficacy are rare. Composting of a grape pomace and manure mixture was studied in two years (2002 and 2005) with and without the BD compost preparations. Water extracts of finished composts were then used to fertigate wheat seedlings, with and without added inorganic fertilizer.