Effect of Salt Stress (NaCl) on Germination and Early Seedling Parameters of Three Pepper Cultivars (Capsicum annuum L.)

Salinity is one of the major environmental problem that lead to a deterioration of agricultural land and, as a result, to a reduction in crop productivity worldwide. This research tested the effect of different salinity levels on germination and early seedling growth of three pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivars which were "Beldi", "Baklouti" and "Anaheim Chili". Experimental treatment included 7 concentrations of NaCl (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 g/l). Results indicated that all investigate traits were affected by salt stress. Salt stress affected on germination parameters and radicle and plumule length. Fresh weight and dry weight of evaluated seedlings was also affected. "Anaheim Chili" cultivar was shown to be the most restraint cultivar to salt stress in comparison to "Beldi" and "Baklouti" cultivars

Cancrinite synthesis from natural kaolinite by high pressure hydrothermal method: Application to the removal of Cd2+ and Pb2+ from water

International audienceZeolites were synthesized from natural Tunisian clay by hydrothermal treatment under high pressure (100 MPa H 2 O pressure) at different gradients of temperature in high pressure autoclaves. The natural clay was first heated at 650 � C (HC-heated clay) and then transformed to an amorphous phase at 650 � C by adding different amount of NaOH. By increasing temperature and NaOH content, low-density frameworks zeolites like faujasite are transformed into more stable zeolites having higher density frameworks like cancrinite due to dissolution and recrystallisation steps. Cancrinite (Na 8 (H 2 0) 2 CO 3 [Al 6 Si 6 O 24 ]) (IZA-code: CAN) was successfully synthesized with a good purity. The synthesized CAN was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The removal performance of heavy metal ions (Cd 2þ , Pb 2þ) from solution by pure CAN and clays has been studied. The kinetics of adsorption of Cd 2þ and Pb 2þ are very fast: equilibrium is reached within 2 min at 298 K. The capacity of adsorption of CAN is higher for Pb 2þ (192 mg g À 1) than for Cd 2þ (68 mg g À 1). Adsorption equilibrium of Cd 2þ and Pb 2þ on CAN were well represented by Langmuir equation although the thermodynamic study reveals a more complex mechanism: thermodynamic parameters, such as equilibrium constant, free energy, entropy and enthalpy for adsorption were obtained from the experimental data, including adsorption microcalorimetry