Effect of leguminous cover crops on soil biological activity in pots of Citrus unshiu Marcovitch

Little is known about the effects of cover crops on soil properties in citrus orchards. To fill this gap, this work was aimed to determine the effects of leguminous cover crops on the chemical and biological properties of the soil and on the structure of the microbial community in pots of Citrus unshiu (Marcovitch). After amendment with cover crops, an increase in total organic C (TOC), total extractable C (TEC), and total N (TN) contents were observed irrespective of the type of soil. Substrate induced respiration (SIR), and potentially mineralisable nitrogen (PMN), tested three times in one year, were higher in soils with leguminous cover crops while no significant differences were observed in protease and deaminase activity. The effect on the chemical and biochemical properties of the soil was more evident in plots containing Trifolium subterraneum. No changes were observed in the microbial communities studied (_-proteobacteria, _-proteobacteria, nitrogen-fixing, and ammonia oxidizers) irrespective of the kind of cover crop or type of soil, neither were variations noted during the trial

The Effect of Citrus Pulp Amendment on Sunflower Production and the Dissipation of the Herbicide Aclonifen

The research evaluated the effects that amendment with 3 kg m-2 and 9 kg m-2 of citrus pulp had both on the production of sunflowers and the dissipation of the aclonifen herbicide. At the same time any eventual effect of the use of the herbicide on sunflower production was verified. The use of the citrus pulp determined an increase in the height of the plants, the diameter of the flower-heads and their achenes production and a reduction in the sterile zone. The effect of amending was not proportional to the quantity of citrus pulp added: in fact, the maximum agronomic efficiency was reached with the lowest quantity of amendant (97 kg of achenes per ton of citrus pulp used, as against the 53 kg obtained with the higher quantity). The herbicide had no effect on sunflower production. The dissipation of aclonifen was not influenced by the addition of citrus pulp in field conditions but in laboratory conditions a faster degradation was found. The mean half-life time was 14 days in the field and 30 and 13 days respectively, in untreated soil and soil treated with citrus pulp, in laboratory conditions

Increased homocysteine and lipoprotein(a) levels highlight systemic atherosclerotic burden in patients with a history of acute coronary syndromes

n/