Studies on the influence of foliar application of chemicals on the microflora and certain enzyme activities in the rhizosphere of Eleusine coracana Gaertn

The studies on the activities of the enzymes hydrolysing sucrose and starch in the rhizosphere of finger millet plant (Eleusine coracana Gaertn.) showed significantly greater activity of both the enzymes in the rhizosphere than in the soil away from the influence of plant roots. The activity of the enzyme hydrolysing sucrose was always greater than that hydrolysing starch and a constant ratio in the activity of these two enzyme systems was maintained all through plant growth. A highly positive correlation between the bacterial and fungal populations of the rhizosphere and the enzyme activities was also observed. Foliar application of N as ammonium sulphate, P as disodium phosphate and K as potassium chloride, seemed to increase the activities of the enzymes in the rhizosphere from the 45th to 75th day of plant growth, such an effect being relatively more with K than N or P. Application of Dimecron 100, a systemic insecticide and Blastin, a systemic fungicide, on the foliage significantly altered the populations of bacteria and fungi as well as the enzyme activities at various stages of plant growth. Although the enzyme activities were reduced initially due to the first spray treatment, a subsequent significant increase in the enzyme activities was recorded. The increase in the enzyme activities due to the foliar treatments appeared to have been retained in the rhizosphere even 15 days after the last spray

Response of Capsicum annuum L. Seedlings Raised in Pro Trays to Inoculation with AM Fungus Glomus bagyarajii and K Solubilizing Bacterium Frateuria aurantia

Raising vegetable seedlings in pro trays is becoming an innovative approach to producing quality seedlings in horticulture. The present investigation was conducted to evaluate the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) Glomus bagyarajii and potassium (K) solubilizing bacterium Frateuria aurantia singly and together in enhancing the growth of capsicum seedlings raised in pro trays under polyhouse conditions. Different growth parameters such as shoot and root length, total seedling length, stem diameter, dry weight of seedlings, biovolume index, plant strength, vigour index, macro and micronutrient uptake, mycorrhizal root colonization, and the population of F. aurantia in the root zone soil were monitored. Significantly higher shoot length, root length, stem diameter, and biovolume index were recorded in the treatments inoculated with G. bagyarajii alone, followed by F. aurantia alone. Most of the plant growth parameters were significantly less in the dual inoculated treatment with G. bagyarajii + F. aurantia compared to single inoculation with either of them. This brings out the negative influence of the two inoculants on each other leading to a reduced effect on plant growth

Threats to soil biodiversity - global and regional trends

Using the information provided on the main threats in the ten ecoregions present in the six world regions (Table of threats for Sub-Saharan Africa, South West Pacific, Latin America and Caribbean, North Africa and Near East, North America and Europe; FAOand ITPS, 2015), a summary table of the main threats common to these ecoregions was produced. This exercise showed that the most widespread threat to soil biodiversity in the world was the loss of SOM and SOC, and that this could be associated with other threats such as deforestation and agricultural intensification (both linked withland use change) and with climate change (particularly in tundra). This clearly shows the importance of sustainable management and conservation practices, to maintain this resource in soils, which represents one of the bases for the soils food webs. Deforestation and agricultural intensification were also major threats worldwide, being important intropical and temperate broad leaf and mixed forests and temperate and montane grassland sand boreal forests/taiga, although the level of available information on the topic was highly variable, depending on the particular world regions where these ecoregions occur. The ecoregions with the highest number of threats were the deserts and dry shrublands, the tropical and subtropical grasslands, and the temperate broad leaf and mixed forests. Invasive species also represented an important threat, particularly in Mediterranean and temperate forests and tundra.Fil: Brown, George. Ministerio da Agricultura Pecuaria e Abastecimento de Brasil; BrasilFil: Cooper, Miguel. Universidade do Sao Paulo. Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz; BrasilFil: Kobayashi, Mónica. Food And Agriculture Organization Of The United Nations; ItaliaFil: Orgiazzi, Alberto. No especifíca;Fil: Domínguez, Anahí. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Dias Turetta, Ana Paula. No especifíca;Fil: Franco, André. No especifíca;Fil: Zaitsev, Andrey. No especifíca;Fil: Winding, Anne. No especifíca;Fil: Foereid, Bente. No especifíca;Fil: Singh, Brajesh. No especifíca;Fil: Guerra, Carlos. No especifíca;Fil: Rojas, Claudia. No especifíca;Fil: Spurgeon, David. No especifíca;Fil: Aksoy, Ece. No especifíca;Fil: Moreira, Fátima Maria. No especifíca;Fil: Bautista, Francisco. No especifíca;Fil: Xu, Jianming. No especifíca;Fil: Rousk, Johannes. No especifíca;Fil: Bedano, José Camilo. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Cs.exactas Fisicoquimicas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Cordoba. Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra, Biodiversidad y Ambiente.; ArgentinaFil: Bagyaraj, Joseph D.. No especifíca;Fil: Saxena, Krishna. No especifíca;Fil: da Silva, Laura Fernanda Simões. No especifíca;Fil: Tedersoo, Leho. No especifíca;Fil: Byrne, Loren. No especifíca;Fil: Callaham, Mac A.. No especifíca;Fil: Choudhary, Madhu. No especifíca;Fil: Aller, M. Fernanda. No especifíca;Fil: Delgado Baquerizo, Manuel. No especifíca;Fil: García Orenes, Maria Fuensanta. No especifíca;Fil: Tsiafouli, Maria. No especifíca;Fil: de Graaf, Marie. No especifíca;Fil: Hart, Miranda. No especifíca;Fil: Thuita, Moses. No especifíca;Fil: Karanja, Nancy. No especifíca;Fil: Fromin, Nathalie. No especifíca;Fil: Eisenhauer, Nico. No especifíca;Fil: Kaneko, Nobuhiro. No especifíca;Fil: Mele, Pauline. No especifíca;Fil: Pastor, Pilar Andres. No especifíca;Fil: Ochoa-Hueso, Raul. No especifíca;Fil: Kuperman, Roman. No especifíca;Fil: Ichami, Stephen. No especifíca;Fil: Fonte, Steven J.. No especifíca;Fil: Santillan, Vinisa Saynes. No especifíca;Fil: Tapia Torres, Yunuen. No especifíca