Influence of seed treatment with mineral nutrient products on emergence and growth in spring oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.)

Seed treatment with mineral nutrients in spring oilseed rape (SOR) under cold climatic conditions has the potential to improve the outcome of production. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of mineral nutrients applied as seed treatment on germination and growth of roots and biomass in SOR. In addition, seed yield and oil content were also measured. Seed vigour tests and in-field experiments were performed in Central Sweden in 2016 and 2017. Seven products with different composition of mineral nutrients were applied to the seed in a combination with binder, filler and fungicide (BFF), or applied directly onto the seed. The results showed that a treatment with mineral nutrients increased the plant size at stage BBCH 60 (early flowering stage) when the products were applied in combination with BFF in the field experiments. However, the increased plant size did not influence seed yield. Furthermore, when seeds were treated only with a nutrient product the addition of BFF decreased plant size by 10% on average and seed and crude fat yields by 4% on average. The use of BFF may thereby be questioned and is subject to further investigation

Effects of sulphur fertilization in organically cultivated faba bean

Optimal seed yield and quality requires that the sulphur (S) demand of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is ensured. The effect of S fertilization on organic cultivated faba bean was investigated under field conditions during two growing seasons (2017–2018), in Sweden. Kieserite (MgSO4) and gypsum (CaSO4) were applied at a rate of 20 and 40 kg ha-1 to study the effect on faba bean growth, yield, crude protein (CP) content and amino acid (AA) composition. Gypsum and kieserite significantly increased S concentration of faba bean dry matter (DM) in 2017. The S concentration ranged from 0.20% to 0.23% of DM compared to 0.18% in the untreated control. In 2018, kieserite application at 40 kg ha-1 significantly increased S concentration to 0.15% compared to 0.12% in the untreated control. The faba bean plants did, however, not respond neither with increased growth nor increased seed yield. The seed quality in terms of CP and S-containing AA, was not affected by S fertilization, however, significant differences were observed between the experimental sites

Changes in pH and organic acids in mucilage of Eriophorum angustifolium roots after exposure to elevated concentrations of toxic elements

This is the postprint version of the article. The published article is available at www.springerlink.comThe presence of Eriophorum angustifolium in mine tailings of pyrite maintains a neutral pH, despite weathering, thus lowering the release of toxic elements into acid mine drainage water. We investigated if the presence of slightly elevated levels of free toxic elements triggers the plant rhizosphere to change the pH towards neutral by increasing organic acid content. Plants were treated with a combination of As, Pb, Cu, Cd and Zn at different concentrations in nutrient medium and in soil in a rhizobox-like system for 48-120 hrs. The pH and organic acids were detected in the mucilage dissolved from root surface, reflecting the rhizosphere solution. Also the pH of root-cell apoplasm was investigated. Both apoplasmic and mucilage pH increased and the concentrations of organic acids enhanced in the mucilage with slightly elevated levels of toxic elements. When organic acid concentration was high, also the pH was high. Thus, efflux of organic acids from the roots of E. angustifolium may induce rhizosphere basification

Rotröta påverkar uthålligheten hos vallbaljväxter

Rödklöver, som är basen i närproducerat protein, har sviktande uthållighet orsakad av rotröta som utvecklas i roten och orsakas av flera patogena svampar som finns i jorden. Angreppens påverkan på vallens botaniska sammansättning, produktionsnivå och kvalitet jämfördes i två fältförsök under tre vallår. Fröblandningar med olika baljväxter jämfördes i två- och treskördesystem. Baljväxterna som undersöktes var rödklöver SW Fanny (med och utan cikoria) och SW Vivi, vitklöver, käringtand och blålusern. Rödklöver gav störst totalavkastning över tre vallår. Baljväxthalten var högst i rödklöver de första två åren, trots stora angrepp av rotröta i vall II. Vallår III minskade rödklöverhalten signifikant och blev jämförbar med andelen vitklöver. Vivi skördad två gånger gav större avkastning än Fanny+ cikoria med tre skördar. I övrigt fanns inga signifikanta avkastningsskillnader mellan fröblandningar eller skördesystem i slutet av försöksperioden. Angreppen av rotröta var signifikant större i rödklöver än i övriga baljväxter. Blålusern hade större angrepp av rotröta än käringtand och vitklöver som låg på en låg nivå. Foderkostnaden blev minst med rödklöver respektive vitklöver i treskördesystem. Uthålligheten i baljväxtvallar totalt sett kan sannolikt ökas genom att alternera artvalet i baljväxtdominerade växtföljder med vitklöver, käringtand och blålusern som lämpliga alternativ till rödklöver

Phytostabilisation : use of wetland plants to treat mine tailings

Mine tailings can be rich in sulphide minerals and may form acid mine drainage (AMD) through reaction with atmospheric oxygen and water. AMD contains elevated levels of metals and arsenic (As) that could be harmful to animals and plants. An oxygen-consuming layer of organic material and plants on top of water-covered tailings would probably reduce oxygen penetration into the tailings and thus reduce the formation of AMD. However, wetland plants have the ability to release oxygen through the roots and could thereby increase the solubility of metals and As. These elements are released into the drainage water, taken up and accumulated in the plant roots, or translocated to the shoots. The aim was to examine the effects of plant establishment on water-covered mine tailings by answering following questions: A) Is plant establishment on water-covered mine tailings possible? B) What are the metal and As uptake and translocation properties of these plants? C) How do plants affect metal and As release from mine tailings, and which are the mechanisms involved? Carex rostrata Stokes, Eriophorum angustifolium Honck., E. scheuchzeri Hoppe, Phragmites australis (Cav.) Steud., Salix phylicifolia L. and S. borealis Fr. were used as test plants. Influences of plants on the release of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn and in some cases Fe in the drainage water, and plant element uptake were studied in greenhouse experiments and in the field. The results obtained demonstrate that plant establishment are possible on water-covered unweathered mine tailings, and a suitable amendment was found to be sewage sludge. On acidic, weathered tailings, a pH increasing substance such as ashes should be added to improve plant establishment. The metal and As concentrations of the plant tissue were found to be generally higher in roots than in shoots. The uptake was dependent on the metal and As concentrations of the tailings and the release of organic acids from plant roots may have influenced the uptake. The metal release from tailings into the drainage water caused by E. angustifolium was found to depend greatly on the age and chemical properties of the tailings. However, no effects of E. angustifolium on As release was found. Water from old sulphide-, metal- and As-rich tailings with low buffering capacity were positively affected by E. angustifolium by causing higher pH and lower metal concentrations. In tailings with relatively low sulphide, metal and As contents combined with a low buffering capacity, plants had the opposite impact, i.e. a reduction in pH and elevated metal levels of the drainage water. The total release of metal and As from the tailings, i.e. drainage water together with the contents in shoots and roots, was found to be similar for C. rostrata, E. angustifolium and P. australis, except for Fe and As, where the release was highest for P. australis. The differences in metal and As release from mine tailings were mainly found to be due to the release of O2 from the roots, which changes the redox potential. Release of organic acids from the roots slightly decreased the pH, although did not have any particular influence on the release of metal and As. In conclusion, as shown here, phytostabilisation may be a successful technique for remediation of mine tailings with high element and sulphide levels, and low buffering capacity

Functional divergence effects of intercropped faba bean and maize in organic production for forage increase mineral contents and reduces leaf spots

Multispecies cropping systems contribute to sustainable agriculture with multiple ecosystem services. Effects of intercropping of organically managed maize and faba beans to silage on acquisition of mineral nutrients in shoots of both crops and on leaf spot progression in faba beans were investigated. Three field experiments were performed with maize and faba bean intercropped or grown separately. Intercropping increased shoot concentrations of K, Ca, Mg, Na, S and B in faba bean, and shoot concentrations of Cu, Zn and Mo in maize. Thus, the ecological complementary effects enhance feed quality. Disease severity index (DSI) of leaf spots in faba beans was reduced by intercropping by 42–57%, partly due to an increased Cu acquisition at sites where the Cu availability was low. There was a significant negative linear relationship between Cu concentration in shoots and DSI of leaf spots. Total uptake of mineral nutrients per land area was greater in the intercropping system with a total LER > 1 for all mineral nutrients, except for P, Ca and Mn at one of the sites. Increased nutrient use efficiency, due to facilitative uptake from the soil, and the production of crops with higher contents of minerals compared with monocropping, are benefits of intercropped maize and faba beans

Effects of sulphur fertilization in organically cultuvated faba bean

Optimal seed yield and quality requires that the sulphur (S) demand of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is ensured. The ef-fect of S fertilization on organic cultivated faba bean was investigated under field conditions during two growing seasons (2017–2018), in Sweden. Kieserite (MgSO4) and gypsum (CaSO4) were applied at a rate of 20 and 40 kg ha-1to study the effect on faba bean growth, yield, crude protein (CP) content and amino acid (AA) composition. Gyp-sum and kieserite significantly increased S concentration of faba bean dry matter (DM) in 2017. The S concentra-tion ranged from 0.20% to 0.23% of DM compared to 0.18% in the untreated control. In 2018, kieserite application at 40 kg ha-1 significantly increased S concentration to 0.15% compared to 0.12% in the untreated control. The faba bean plants did, however, not respond neither with increased growth nor increased seed yield. The seed quality in terms of CP and S-containing AA, was not affected by S fertilization, however, significant differences were observed between the experimental sites