Effects of cyanobacteria producing microcystins on seed germination and seedling growth of several agricultural plants

The effects of cyanobacteria aqueous extracts containing Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) on the seed germination and growth of Pisum sativum, Lens esculenta, Zea mays and Triticum durum were investigated. Experiments were carried out on a range of doses of the extract (equivalent to 0, 1.6, 2.9, 5.8, 8.7 and 11.6 μ g MC-LR/mL). The results confirm that these plants were sensitive to cell-free extracts of a toxic Microcystis and that germination inhibition was dose dependent. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that P. sativum is the most sensitive tested species with a 97% germination rate reduction and L. esculenta was the most resistant. At the 8th day, the exposure to the microcystins (MC) resulted in a significant decrease of plant epicotyls length, roots length and a net inhibition of lateral root formation. It is concluded that MC could affect also terrestrial plants seedling germination and growth. Therefore, the use of water for irrigation contaminated by MC could exert negative biochemical effects on seed and plant metabolism which might influence the agricultural crops.     

Effects of Forest Fragmentation on Seed Dispersal and Seedling Establishment in Ornithochorous Trees

Abstract: Habitat fragmentation increases seed dispersal limitation across the landscape and may also affect subsequent demographic stages such as seedling establishment. Thus, the development of adequate plans for forest restoration requires an understanding of mechanisms by which fragmentation hampers seed delivery to deforested areas and knowledge of how fragmentation affects the relationship between seed‐deposition patterns and seedling establishment. We evaluated the dispersal and recruitment of two bird‐dispersed, fleshy‐fruited tree species (Crataegus monogyna and Ilex aquifolium) in fragmented secondary forests of northern Spain. Forest fragmentation reduced the probability of seed deposition for both trees because of decreased availability of woody perches and fruit‐rich neighborhoods for seed dispersers, rather than because of reductions in tree cover by itself. The effects of fragmentation went beyond effects on the dispersal stage in Crataegus because seedling establishment was proportional to the quantities of bird‐dispersed seeds arriving at microsites. In contrast, postdispersal mortality in Ilex was so high that it obscured the seed‐to‐seedling transition. These results suggest that the effects of fragmentation are not necessarily consistent across stages of recruitment across species. Habitat management seeking to overcome barriers to forest recovery must include the preservation, and even the planting, of fleshy‐fruited trees in the unforested matrix as a measure to encourage frugivorous birds to enter into open and degraded areas. An integrative management strategy should also explicitly consider seed‐survival expectancies at microhabitats to preserve plant‐population dynamics and community structure in fragmented landscapes.     

3种抗生素对黑麦草种子萌发的生态毒性效应

为探明四环素、环丙沙星和磺胺嘧啶3种抗生素对黑麦草种子萌发的影响,为评价抗生素污染的生态影响提供科学依据,采用保湿培养法研究了它们对黑麦草种子萌发的影响,比较分析了抗生素的生态毒性差异和相对敏感的指标。结果表明,在种子萌发期,一定浓度范围的抗生素胁迫会引发植物种子抵抗逆境的应激反应,因此,3种抗生素在1 mg·L~(-1)处理水平下均能促进种子发芽。超过该浓度,四环素对黑麦草种子发芽仍有一定的促进作用,而环丙沙星和磺胺嘧啶则表现为抑制作用。四环素对种子发芽率的最大无作用浓度(NOEC)为5 mg·L~(-1),而环丙沙星和磺胺嘧啶对种子发芽率的NOEC为1 mg·L~(-1)。实验结束时,3种抗生素在1 mg·L~(-1)处理水平下的种子发芽率最高。3种抗生素浓度超过0.1 mg·L~(-1)时,种子根长和芽长即受到抑制,因此,它们对种子根长和芽长的NOEC均为0～0.1 mg·L~(-1)。其中,磺胺嘧啶的抑制作用最为显著。根长受到抑制的程度强于芽长。黑麦草种子萌发受3种抗生素影响程度依次为磺胺嘧啶环丙沙星四环素。     

Effects of pyrethroid insecticide seed treatments on Rhizobium japonicum and its symbiotic relationship with,and growth of soybean

Abstract

Two pyrethroid insecticides were compared with two fungicides for their effects on the rhizobial and seedling components of the N₂‐fixing symbiosis in soybeans (Glycine max Merr. variety Olinda). In vitro growth of Rhizobium japonicum RI16, was inhibited in the order of HgCl₂ > thiram > cypermethrin > permethrin. The emergence of the seedlings was stimulated by all chemicals tested. Also, none of the pesticides studied had any significant effect on N₂ fixation (acetylene reduction), at the dosages used. Consequently, yields of the various organs were also not significantly influenced by the chemicals.     

The persistence of insecticidal chemicals in soils treated with granular formulations of disulfoton and their uptake by potato plants

Abstract

Potatoes were grown from cut seed in Plainfield sand treated in‐furrow with disulfoton (Di‐Syston 15G, 3.36 kg Al/ha) in 1983 and from whole seed in similarly treated loam in 1991. Soils were contained in 2 m² field plots. Soil, seed potato and foliage were analyzed for the insecticide and its sulfoxide and sulfone metabolites during the 8–12 wk following planting. Disulfoton disappeared at different rates from the two soils (k_sand=0.024 day^‐1, k_loam=0.056 day^‐1) with partial conversion to the sulfoxide and sulfone in both. Larger quantities of the three insecticidal components were absorbed by the seed potato in the cut‐seed/sand combination. The relative amounts of these components in the seed potato also differed between treatments with disulfoton being the largest component of the cut‐seed/sand and smallest in the whole‐seed/loam. Disulfoton sulfoxide and sulfone were the major insecticidal components of the foliage and concentrations in the initial foliage (each ca. 10 ppm) were similar for both treatments. Sulfoxide concentrations in the foliage decreased more rapidly than the sulfone and the decrease in concentration of each of the components was similar for the two treatments.     

底泥厌氧环境和光照对菹草萌发和幼苗生理的影响

通过向底泥中投加不同量的蔗糖使其发生厌氧反应以模拟不同程度的底泥厌氧环境，研究这种环境和光照强度对菹草石芽萌发和幼苗生理作用的影响。实验结果表明，底泥厌氧环境能显著降低菹草石芽的最终萌发率，且低光照会加剧这种趋势；尽管低光照不一定会提高最终的萌发率，但对提早石芽的萌发是有利的。在01%蔗糖投加处理中，幼苗的叶绿素和可溶性蛋白含量最高(平均为250和1928 mg/g FW)，其后随投加量的升高而降低，而游离氨基酸的含量却一直呈上升趋势，最高时达到024 mg/g FW ，但低光照却使它下降；可溶性糖含量基本不受底泥厌氧水平的影响，但随着光照减少而降低。随着厌氧水平的增加（从对照到05%蔗糖投加量），菹草的超氧物歧化酶(SOD)活性呈现上升趋势，但在10%蔗糖投加处理中活性降至最低；而过氧化物酶(POD)活性一直处于下降趋势。研究结论是：底泥厌氧对菹草石芽萌发影响显著，这种影响可能比低光照的限制作用还要重要。轻度的厌氧环境反而能促进菹草幼苗的生理代谢，但随厌氧水平的升高对碳氮平衡和其它生理活动产生不利影响。此外，底泥厌氧环境对菹草幼苗的抗氧化系统也有明显刺激作用。     

Challenges to Introducing and Managing Disturbance Regimes for Holocarpha macradenia, an Endangered Annual Grassland Forb

Abstract:  Introducing rare plants to new sites for conservation to offset effects of habitat destruction requires detailed knowledge of habitat requirements, plant demography, and management needs. We conducted a factorial experiment replicated at three coastal prairie sites to test the effects of clipping frequency and litter accumulation on seed germination, seedling survival, reproduction, and seedling recruitment of introduced populations of the endangered, tall-stature, annual forb, Holocarpha macradenia (DC.) E. Greene. Clipping favored H. macradenia , primarily by enhancing seed germination and flower production. Litter accumulation had no effect on seed germination, even after 5 years of treatments. Seedling recruitment was highly site specific with large numbers of recruits recorded at only one of three sites. Although recruitment of seedlings was higher in clipped plots for 2–3 years, by 4–5 years after introduction very few seedlings survived to reproduction in any treatment. We attribute this result to a combination of poor habitat quality, small population size, and lack of a seed bank. We were unsuccessful in introducing this relatively well-studied species of concern to apparently suitable habitat at multiple sites in multiple years, which suggests that translocating rare plant populations to mitigate for habitat destruction is an expensive and highly uncertain endeavor.     

Mass-transfer processes of chromium(VI) adsorption onto guava seeds

The chromium(VI) biosorption onto guava seeds, as an alternative method for Cr⁶⁺ removal from aqueous solutions, was investigated. The parameters affecting kinetics and equilibrium of Cr⁶⁺ adsorption onto guava seeds were studied. An external mass-transfer diffusion coefficient k and intra-particle diffusion coefficient k_i were determined to measure the rate-limiting step of adsorption. A single external mass-transfer diffusion model and intra-particle diffusion models were used. The effects of initial pH, sorbent mass, and initial Cr⁶⁺ concentrations on mass-transfer coefficients were investigated. The external mass-transfer coefficient has an average value of 7.2×10^-3 cm s^-1, while the intra-particle mass-transfer diffusion coefficient was 0.34 mg g^-1 min^-0.5. This indicates that external diffusion to the guava seeds surface and intra-particle diffusion are both involved in the sorption process. The isotherm equilibrium data were well fitted by the Langmuir and Freundlich models with an average correlation coefficient R²=0.98. The maximum removal of Cr⁶⁺ was obtained at pH 1 (about 100% for adsorbent dose of 15 g l^-1 and 25 mg l^-1 initial concentration of Cr⁶⁺). The results indicated that the guava seeds exhibit acceptable sorption capacity.     

Seeds and rights: new approaches to post-war agricultural rehabilitation in Sierra Leone

Based on preliminary findings of ongoing 'action research' in the war zone in central Sierra Leone, this paper shows how more equitable seed distribution could contribute to fostering a culture of human rights as well as to agricultural rehabilitation. Assessment of seeds-and-toosl programmes in 19 villages found that aid agency targeting and distribution modalities channelled inputs through village committees which denied assistance to intended beneficiary groups. Such distribution inequalities constitute violations of fundamental human rights, exacerbate grievance and division and maintain the threat of social disorder. The benefits and disadvantages of an alternative, more inclusive, rights-based approach to seed distribution are discussed, and preliminary results from the pilot phase of CARE's Rights-based Approach to Food Security Project are presented. Under this project, village-level peace and rights days are held to allow villagers to debate the vulnerabilities that facilitated the war and to elaborate on local notions of human rights. In symbolising new beginnings, seed can be seen as a useful medium through which to debate a more inclusive--and ultimately less vulnerable--society.     

毛竹入侵对常绿阔叶林主要树种的化感作用研究

为探讨毛竹入侵对周边森林环境的影响,以毛竹浸提液处理苦槠、青冈种子,测定种子萌发效应.结果表明,两树种种子萌发与浸提液浓度和来源有关.浓度效应表现为高抑低促的作用规律,高浓度处理下苦槠的发芽率为对照的82.3%~102.2%,青冈为对照的80%~90.9%,而低浓度处理下分别为对照的101.7%~107.6%和94.9%~109.1%.除低浓度处理对苦槠发芽速度无影响外,其他处理均对两树种发芽速度有显著的延缓作用(P<0.05).高浓度浸提液对苦槠根系活力有显著的抑制作用(P<0.05),抑制率为41.1%~62.4%.不同来源浸提液处理间差异明显,根系浸提液处理的种子发芽率最低.苦槠芽苗的芽长与不同来源浸提液间差异不显著(P>0.05),而青冈芽苗芽长与不同来源浸提液间差异显著(P<0.05),茎叶、根系与枯落物浸提液高于土壤浸提液.这些结果说明毛竹具有潜在的化感作用,可能有利于其入侵周边森林,从而危害周边森林环境.