Endophytic Fungi and Ecological Fitness of Chestnuts

Chestnuts (Castanea spp.) are plants of relevant economic interest in the agro-sylvicultural contexts of mountain regions throughout the temperate zone, particularly in the northern hemisphere. In recent years, several biological adversities have repeatedly endangered species belonging to this genus, calling for coordinated actions addressed to contrast their decline. These actions have mainly focused on the control of key pests/pathogens and the improvement of resistance/tolerance by the plant host, while the role of microorganisms as mediators of interactions between plants and the noxious agents has been less considered, essentially by reason of a limited knowledge on their ecological impact. In line with the increasing awareness of the basic importance of microbial symbionts in regulating plant fitness in both natural and crop contexts, this paper offers an overview on the occurrence and effects of endophytic fungi of chestnuts

Academic Performance and Behavioral Patterns

Identifying the factors that influence academic performance is an essential part of educational research. Previous studies have documented the importance of personality traits, class attendance, and social network structure. Because most of these analyses were based on a single behavioral aspect and/or small sample sizes, there is currently no quantification of the interplay of these factors. Here, we study the academic performance among a cohort of 538 undergraduate students forming a single, densely connected social network. Our work is based on data collected using smartphones, which the students used as their primary phones for two years. The availability of multi-channel data from a single population allows us to directly compare the explanatory power of individual and social characteristics. We find that the most informative indicators of performance are based on social ties and that network indicators result in better model performance than individual characteristics (including both personality and class attendance). We confirm earlier findings that class attendance is the most important predictor among individual characteristics. Finally, our results suggest the presence of strong homophily and/or peer effects among university students

Wielokierunkowe działanie ekstraktów z alg morskich: wpływ na status fizjologiczny i biochemiczny warzyw z rodziny Solanaceae

Seaweeds are one of the important marine bioresources which are nowadays termed as eco-friendly stimulators of crop growth, stress tolerance, and yielding. In this review, we give an update of the current state of our understanding of the seaweed extracts (SWE) effects on the physiological alterations they induce in Solanaceae vegetables. SWE may provide a powerful and environmentally friendly approach to nutrient management. A pool of common bioactive molecules of SWE provides enhancement of the antioxidant machinery of treated plants providing balanced development, earlier flowering, and enhanced fruiting. The basic mechanisms of SWE action seem to be unspecific for tomato, pepper, and eggplant. They include accelerating growth, nutrient uptake, and photosynthesis performance, which can induce plant tolerance to adverse environmental conditions, improve flowering, fruit setting, and yield, and enhance nutritional quality of the crops. The mechanism of SWE action is complex because of multielement composition and cross-action between constituents.Algi morskie są elementem zasobów biologicznych mórz i oceanów. Obecnie wykorzystuje sie je w rolnictwie jako naturalne stymulatory wzrostu, tolerancji na stres i plonowania roślin uprawnych. Niniejsze opracowanie przedstawia aktualny stan wiedzy dotyczący mechanizmów działania i efektów stosowania ekstraktów z alg morskich (EAM) w uprawie warzyw z rodziny Solanaceae (pomidora, papryki i oberżyny). Bioaktywne składniki EAM regulują status mineralny roślin, modyfikują gospodarkę hormonalną, regulują rozwój wegetatywny i generatywny. Mechanizmy działania EAM wydają się być niespecyficzne dla pomidora, papryki i oberżyny. U wszystkich wymienionych gatunków zaobserwowano efektywniejsze pobieranie składników pokarmowych z gleby, lepszą wydajność fotosyntezy i przyspieszony wzrost. Te zmiany mogą z kolei wpływać pozytywnie na tolerancję roślin w stosunku do niekorzystnych warunków środowiskowych, intensyfikować kwitnienie i zawiązywanie owoców, zwiększać plon oraz poprawiać jego jakość. Ze względu na kompleksowy skład chemiczny i interakcje między składnikami, mechanizmy działania EAM są wielokierunkowe i trudne do zanalizowania na podstawie wyników doświadczeń rolniczych

Content of macroelements in index part of broccoli in relation to cultivation method and spacing

Brokuł jest warzywem, którego znaczenie gospodarcze w Polsce systematycznie rośnie. Jest ceniony przez konsumentów za walory smakowe i zdrowotne. Wielkość plonu i jakość róży brokułu zależą bezpośrednio od zaopatrzenia roślin w pierwiastki w ciągu sezonu wegetacyjnego. Przedstawiono wyniki stanu odżywienia makroelementami roślin brokułu, na podstawie ich zawartości analizowanej w częściach wskaźnikowych (nerw główny liścia), w dwóch fazach rozwoju. Analizę uzależniono od dwóch czynników agrotechnicznych: metody uprawy (siew wprost do gruntu i rozsada) oraz rozstawy roślin (20, 30, 40 i 50 cm x 67,5 cm). W prezentowanej pracy zakres zawartości badanych składników wyniósł kolejno w fazie wzrostu wegetatywnego i fazie wiązania róż (g·(100 g)-1 s.m.): NH4 + 0,11-0,80 i 0,09-0,43; NO3 - 0,49-5,73 i 0,34-3,30; P 0,17-0,31 i 0,24-0,41; K 2,37-5,74 i 2,22-3,09; Ca 0,92-2,27 i 0,93-2,80; Mg 0,16-0,41 oraz 0,20- 0,44. Poziom analizowanych makroelementów był zróżnicowany nie tylko pomiędzy obiektami doświadczenia, ale również pomiędzy latami badań. Prezentowane dane pozwalają na diagnozę stanu odżywienia brokułu w fazach determinujących wielkość i jakość plonu.Broccoli is a vegetable with systematically growing economical importance in Poland. This species is valued by the consumer due to its taste and health promoting effects. Yield and head quality of broccoli depend on the elements supply during the vegetation season. The results concerning the status of nutrition of broccoli plants with macroelements are presented on the basis on their content analysed in the index parts in two phases of growth. The analysis depended on the method of cultivation (seeds sown directly to the soil or seedlings) and plant spacing (20, 30, 40 and 50 cm x 67.5 cm). The range of the content of macroelements in the phase of vegetative development and the phase of flower head formation was as follows (g 100 g-1 DM): NH4 + 0.11-0.80 and 0.09-0.43; NO3 - 0.49-5.73 and 0.34-3.30; P 0.17-0.31 and 0.24-0.41; K 2.37-5.74 and 2.22-3.09; Ca 0.92-2.27 and 0.93-2.80; Mg 0.16-0.41 and 0.20-0.44, respectively. The level of the elements studied was differentiated not only between the experimental treatments but also among the years of the experiment. The presented results permit the diagnosis of the nutrient status of broccoli in phases which determine the yield and its quality

The Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria—Effective Enhancers of Growth and Chemical Composition of Egyptian Henbane under Varied Mineral N Nutrition

Egyptian henbane (Hyoscyamus muticus L.) plants are rich sources of alkaloids used in pharmaceutical products. Recently, rising eorts have been devoted to reducing mineral fertilizer supply, production cost, and environmental pollution via decreasing the doses of nitrogenous fertilizers and adopting biofertilizer farming systems. Two field experiments were conducted to examine the potential role of N fixing bacteria Azotobacter spp. and Azospirillum spp. on the growth, mineral status, tropane alkaloids, leaf anatomy, and seed yield of Egyptian henbane grown with dierent levels of mineral nitrogen fertilizer, i.e., 25%, 50%, and 100% of the recommended dose, equal to 30, 60, and 120 kg N ha1. N fertilizer improved growth, mineral elements, tropane alkaloids, seed yield, and yield components of Egyptian henbane, which showed a gradually rising trend as the rate of N fertilizer increased. High doses of N fertilizer presumably elicited favorable changes in the anatomical structure of Egyptian henbane leaves. The application of 50% N dose plus N fixing bacteria aected Egyptian henbane trials similarly to 100% of recommended N dose. In conclusion, the N fixing bacteria proved to be a sustainable tool for a two-fold reduction in the recommended dose of mineral N fertilizer and the sustainable management of Egyptian henbane nutrition