Effect of Trichoderma isolates on tomato seedling growth response and nutrient uptake

Trichoderma species are commonly used as biological control agents against phytopathogenic fungi and some isolates are able to improve plant growth. In this study, the effects of three Trichoderma isolates including Trichoderma harzianum isolate T969, T. harzianum isolate T447 and Trichoderma sp. isolate T in tomato seedling vigor and their nutrient uptake via two inoculants introduction methods (inoculating seed with Trichoderma spore suspension and inoculating nursery soil with Trichoderma fortified wheat) were examined. Seed germination rate was not affected by Trichoderma application, but shoot height, shoot diameter, shoot fresh and dry weight and root fresh and dry weight in tomato seedlings were interestingly (p ≤ 0.05) increased when sown in Trichoderma sp. T and T. harzianum T969 fortified soil and when compared to the control. The soil amended by Trichoderma sp. T and T. harzianum T969 had marked increase in leaf number and leaf area (p ≤ 0.05). Chlorophyll content increased in seedling grown in Trichoderma sp. T amended soil as well as in Trichoderma sp. T and T. harzianum T969 coated seed. A dramatic increase (p ≤ 0.05) in the concentrations of Ca2+, Mg2+, P and K+ were recorded in the seedling shoot and root among T. harzianum T447 soil amended treatment when compared to the control, except for Na+ level in soil amendment with T. harzianum T969 and seedcoating with strain Trichoderma sp. T, which significantly reduced the Na+ concentration.Key words: Growth response, nutrient uptake, tomato seedling, Trichoderma harzianum

The effect of sheep-manure vermicompost on quantitative and qualitative properties of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) grown in the greenhouse

This experiment aims to evaluate the effects of vermicompost produced from sheep manure on growth, yield and quality of 2 fruit cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) varieties (cv. ‘Sultan F1’ and cv. ‘Storm F1’)under greenhouse condition. Four vermicompost treatments at the rate of 0 (control), 10, 20 and 30 t ha-1 were incorporated into the top 15 cm of soil. During the experiment, fruits were harvested three timesper week and fruit number and weight were recorded for 3 months. Leaf number, plant height and chlorophyll content were measured at 30, 60 and 90 days after transplanting, while leaf area, stem and leaf dry weight and fruit qualitative properties were evaluated at 90 days after transplanting. The results showed that leaf number, plant height and chlorophyll content increased significantly (P 0.05) compared to control plots for both varieties at 30, 60 and 90 days after transplanting. The plots treatedwith 30 t ha-1 vermicompost showed increase in leaf are, stem and leaf dry weight for both varieties. The application of vermicompost at 30 t ha-1 increased total fruit yield 26% for cv. ‘Sultan F1’ and 25% for cv.‘Storm F1’ compared to the control. The plots treated with vermicompost at 30 t ha-1 enhanced fruit number per plant 26% for cv. ‘Sultan F1’ and 25% for cv. ‘Storm F1’ than plot without vermicompost. Fruit harvested from plants receiving vermicompost had higher total soluble solid (TSS), lower juice acidity and more dry matter than plots without vermicompost. Growth and yield parameters were improved with increasing vermicompost rates up to 20 t ha-1. There are no significant different between plots at 20 and 30 t ha-1 vermicompost in all evaluated parameters

Interacting entropy-corrected new agegraphic dark energy in Brans-Dicke cosmology

Motivated by a recent work of one of us [1], we extend it by using quantum (or entropy) corrected new agegraphic dark energy in the Brans-Dicke cosmology. The correction terms are motivated from the loop quantum gravity which is one of the competitive theories of quantum gravity. Taking the non-flat background spacetime along with the conformal age of the universe as the length scale, we derive the dynamical equation of state of dark energy and the deceleration parameter. An important consequence of this study is the phantom divide scenario with entropy-corrected new agegraphic dark energy. Moreover, we assume a system of dark matter, radiation and dark energy, while the later interacts only with dark matter. We obtain some essential expressions related with dark energy dynamics. The cosmic coincidence problem is also resolved in our model.Comment: 16 pages, no figure, accepted for publication in Gen. Relativ. Gra

Natural carriers for application in tuberculosis treatment

Tuberculosis remains the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide and unsuccessful therapy is mainly due to non-compliance with very prolonged treatments, often associated with severe side-effects. Overcoming this problem demands the introduction of drug carriers releasing the antimicrobial agents in a targeted and sustained manner, allowing reduction in frequency and dosing numbers. Nano and microparticles have taken the forefront of this approach, providing the means for the desired improvement of therapeutic schedules. Natural polymers are strong candidates as matrix forming materials, usually exhibiting biocompatibility, biodegradability, low cost and some technological advantages as compared with synthetic counterparts. In this review, natural particulate carriers developed for tuberculosis therapy are presented, mainly focusing on the use of polysaccharides and lipids. Their effectiveness is discussed taking into account their composition. Finally, considerations on the general potential of natural materials for this application, as well as key factors still to be addressed, are discussed

Should digestion assays be used to estimate persistence of potential allergens in tests for safety of novel food proteins?

Food allergies affect an estimated 3 to 4% of adults and up to 8% of children in developed western countries. Results from in vitro simulated gastric digestion studies with purified proteins are routinely used to assess the allergenic potential of novel food proteins. The digestion of purified proteins in simulated gastric fluid typically progresses in an exponential fashion allowing persistence to be quantified using pseudo-first-order rate constants or half lives. However, the persistence of purified proteins in simulated gastric fluid is a poor predictor of the allergenic status of food proteins, potentially due to food matrix effects that can be significant in vivo. The evaluation of the persistence of novel proteins in whole, prepared food exposed to simulated gastric fluid may provide a more correlative result, but such assays should be thoroughly validated to demonstrate a predictive capacity before they are accepted to predict the allergenic potential of novel food proteins