A systematic study of the South African genus Prionium (Thurniaceae)

The South African monocotyledonous plant genus Prionium E. Mey (Thurniaceae; Cyperid clade) is an old, species-poor lineage which split from its sister genus Thurnia about 33 - 43 million years ago. It is a clonal shrubby macrophyte, widespread within the Fynbos biome in the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) with scattered populations into the Maputaland-Pondoland Region (MPR). This study of the systematics of the genus Prionium investigates whether this old lineage comprising of a single extant species P. serratum, is morphologically, genetically and ecologically impoverished, and identifies apomorphic floral developmental traits in relation to its phylogenetic position as sister to the Cyperid families, Juncaceae and Cyperaceae. Sampling for morphological, molecular and ecological studies was done to obtain representatives from its entire distribution range, falling within the phytogeographic regions of the CFR (North West, NW; South West, SW; Agulhas Plain, AP; Langeberg, LB) and extending into Eastern Cape (South East, SE) and KwaZulu Natal (KZN). Samples for the floral ontogenetic study were collected to obtain representatives of the Cyperid clade families: Cyperaceae (Eriophorum, Scirpus), Juncaceae (Juncus, Luzula) and Thurniaceae (Prionium)

Effects of quicklime treated acid mine drainage (AMD) irrigation on the soil microbial activity, physiological parameters and biochemical performance of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Summaries in English, Venda and TsongaThe increasing need for irrigation water due to water scarcity and decreasing precipitation has led to the use of both treated and untreated acid mine drainage (AMD) as irrigation water. However, there is a paucity of studies on the impact of quicklime treated AMD irrigation on the physiological parameters and biochemical performance on the potato cultivars as well as bacterial diversity of the irrigated soil. The present study investigated the physiological parameters and biochemical performance of Solanum tuberosum as well as the soil bacterial diversity abundance and variations when subjected to quicklime treated AMD irrigation. A randomized complete block design experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions with five treatments levels replicated four times for each of the treatments. The results showed that the quicklime treatment increased the pH of the AMD water, and reduced the concentration of electrical conductivity, NO3-, SO42- as well as other heavy metals such as Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn. The plant height, phenodays, chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, number of tubers, fresh tuber weight, and dry tuber weight of the Marykies and Royal potato cultivars were improved when irrigated with quicklime treated AMD water. The elevation in the abundance of metabolites such as glycine, dopa, pyruvic acid, dimethylglycine, aspartic acid, acetylcarnitin, norepinephrine, 4-hydroxyproline, threonine, orotic acid, serine, adenine, creatinine, cartinine, and 4-aminobutyric acid under the irrigation of treated AMD water was observed. Changes in bacterial diversity were also observed in the soil irrigated with treated AMD with Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi as the dominant phyla.U engedzea ha ṱhoḓea ya maḓi a tsheledzo zwi tshi itiswa nga ṱhahalelo ya maḓi na u fhungudzea ha mvula zwo livhisa kha u shumiswa ha vhuvhili hazwo muelelo wa maḓi a esidi o ḓalaho methala a songo kunakisiwaho na o kunakisiwaho (AMD) sa maḓi a tsheledzo. Naho zwo ralo, hu na ṱhahelelo ya ngudo nga ha masiandaitwa a ḽaimi yo kunakiswaho ya tsheledzo ya AMD nga ha kushumele kwa mivhili ya vhathu na ya zwipuka na kushumele kwa khemikhala dzine dza wanala kha zwi tshilaho kha tshaka dzo fhambanaho dza maḓabula kha zwitshili zwo fhambanaho zwa mavu a tsheledzo. Ngudo ya zwino i khou ṱoḓisisa nga ha kushumele kwa mivhili ya vhathu na ya zwipuka na kushumele kwa khemikhala dzine dza wanala kha zwi tshilaho zwa Solanum tuberosum na zwithu zwinzhi zwo fhambanaho zwi tshilaho mavuni na phambano zwi tshi ḓa kha ḽaimi yo kunakiswaho ya tsheledzo ya AMD Nyolo ya tshilinganyo tsho itelwaho zwiedza zwa vhulimi hune yuniti dzine dza fana dza kuvhanganywa nga zwibuḽoko nga fhasi ha nyimele ya nnḓu ine ya fhisa hune zwimela zwa aluwa khayo hu na ḽeveḽe ṱhanu dza kushumisele dzo bveledzwaho hafhu zwiṋa kha kushumisele kuṅwe na kuṅwe. Mvelelo dzo sumbedza u shumiswa ha ḽaimi hu engedza pH ya maḓi a AMD, na u fhungudza u khwaṱha ha kutshimbidzele kwa muḓagasi, NO3-, SO42- na dziṅwe methala dzine dza lemela dzi ngaho sa Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, na Zn. Vhulapfu ha tshimela, maduvha, zwi re ngomu kha kolorofili, sitomatala khondakitentse, tshivhalo tsha khufhi, tshileme tsha khufhi thethe, na tshivhalo tsha khufhi yo omaho ya tshaka dzo fhambanaho dza maḓabula a Marykies na Royal dzo khwinisea musi dzi tshi sheledzwa nga maḓi a AMD ane a shumisa ḽaimi. U gonya ha vhunzhi ha methabolizimu dzi ngaho giḽeserina, dopa, esidi ya pyruviki, giḽeserina ya dimetheyeli, esidi ya asiparatiki, acetylcarnitin, norepinephrine, 4-hydroxyproline, threonine, esidi ya orotic, serine, adenine, creatinine, cartinine, na esidi ya 4-aminobutyric nga fhasi ha tsheledzo ya kushumisele kwa maḓi a AMD zwo sedzwa. Tshanduko kha u fhambana ha zwitshili na zwone zwo sedzwa kha mavu a tsheledzo na tsireledzo ya AMD na Acidobacteria na Chloroflexi sa khethekanyo khulwane ya zwi tshilaho.Ku ngeteleleka ka xilaveko xa ku cheleta hikokwalaho ka ku pfumaleka ka mati na ku ya ehansi ka minyuku ya mati swi endle leswo ku tirhisiwa mati yo huma eka timayini yo basisiwa no ka ya nga basisiwangi ya esidi ku nga acid mine drainage (AMD) tanihi mati yo cheleta. Kambe, a ku na mindzavisiso yo enela eka ku tirhisiwa ka quicklime-treated ADM ku cheleta eka rimba ra swo khomeka (physiological parameteres) na ku tirha kahle ka swa bayokhemiikali ka matapula yo byariwa na le ka ku hambana-hambana eka misava leyi nga cheletiwa. Ndzavisiso lowu wa sweswi wu lavisise tipharamita ta ku khomeka na tirhelo ra bayokhemikali eka Solanum tuberosum xikan'we na ku hambana ka tibhaktheriya ta misava hi xitalo na ku hambana loko swi pimanisiwa na ncheleto wa quicklime-treated AMD. Ku endliwe ekspirimente ya block design yo helela ehansi ka xiyimo xa greenhouse hi swiyenge swa ntlhanu swa ku ongola eka mikarhi ya mune eka n'ongolo wun'wana na wun'wana. Vuyelo byi kombise leswo quiklime treatment yi ngetele pH ya mati ya ADM, no hunguta ku fambiseka ka swa electrical conductivity, NO3-, SO42- xikan'we na ti-heavy metal to fana na Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn. Vulehi bya ximila, phenodays, na chlorophyll content, stomatala conductance, nhlayo ya ti-tubers, na ntiko wa tuber ya frexe, na ntiko wa tuber yo oma ya matapula ya Marykies and Royal cultivars swi antswiswile loko swi cheletiwa hi mati ya quicklime-treated AMD. Ku tlakusiwa ka vunyingi bya metabolites byo fana na glycine, dopa, pyruvic acid, dimethylglycine, aspartic acid, acetylcarnitin, norepinephrine, 4-hydroxyproline, threonine, orotic acid, serine, adenine, creatinine, cartinine, and 4-aminobutyric acid ehansi ka vucheleti hi mati yo ongoriwa ya AMD swi voniwile. Ku cinca eka ku hambana ka tibhaktheriya, naswona swi voniwile eka misava leyi yi nga cheletiwa hi mati yo ongoriwa ya AMD hi Acidobacteria na Chloroflexi tanihi hi phyla yo tala ngopfu.Environmental SciencesPh.D. (Agriculture

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars physiological, biochemical performance and yield parameters response to acid mine water irrigation and soil physiochemical properties

Abstract This paper aimed to analyse the potato cultivar’s response to physiological, biochemical performance, yield parameters and soil physiochemical properties when subjected to quicklime (un)treated acid mine drainage (AMD) irrigation. A randomized design experiment was conducted with five water treatment levels: TW1; TW2; TW3; TW4 to TW5 replicated four times. The results showed that the quicklime treatment increased the pH of the AMD water, reduced the concentration of EC, NO3 −, SO4 2− and ameliorated heavy metals. However, unsafe levels of heavy metals above the maximum permissible (WHO/FAO) levels were found in Pb, Mg and Mo for water (TW4 and TW5), while As, Cd and Cr for soils (ST4 and ST5) respectively. For potato tubers (TT4 and TT5) concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, and Pb were above the maximum levels. Stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content and yield parameters responded positively by increasing significantly on TW4 and TW5 treatments, but negatively (reduced) towards TW2 and TW3 treatments. A higher bioaccumulation factor was obtained for Zn ˃ Cu ˃ Mg ˃ Pb ˃ Mn, which was an indication of the contamination status of soil, with Zn being more concentrated than other metals. The findings indicate that quicklime-treated AMD is usable for potato irrigation with regular monitoring of heavy metal levels and strict observation of water reuse protocols. The use of this large source of ameliorated (AMD) water will go a long way in improving food security in South Africa and/or in countries where agriculture production is around mining areas

Heavy Metal Analysis and Health Risk Assessment of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Cultivars irrigated with Fly Ash-Treated Acid Mine Drainage

In water-scant regions, the reuse of (un)treated acid mine drainage effluent (AMD) water for crop irrigation has turned into a prerequisite. The study assesses the levels of heavy metals, and health risk assessment in two potato crop cultivars, namely, Fianna and Lady rosetta (both determinate and indeterminate) when exposed to irrigation with different fly ash: acid mine drainage amelioration ratios. The study investigates the health risk assessment in the potato tissues namely, stem, tubers, new and old leaves of the potato cultivars. The treatments constituted a control, 50% FA: AMD, 75% FA: AMD ratio, and 100% AMD (untreated AMD). The results showed that the heavy metals of plants irrigated with AMD mixed with FA was significantly affected differently at harvest. In summary, the concentration of Cd was over the WHO acceptable standards in untreated acid mine drainage water. Fianna recorded 1.34 mg/kg while a notably decrease was observed in Lady rosetta with (1.01 mg/kg). In any case, FA was proven to significantly lessen the Cd particles in both FA-AMD ratios: Cd content was 0.98 mg/kg and 0.84 mg/kg in 50% FA: AMD treatment for Fianna and Lady rosetta separately, while the recommended maximum limit is 0.1 mg/kg. With the readings recorded, they are slightly high according to the CODEX general standard for food contaminants and toxins in food and feed (CODEX STAN 193-1995). Then again, in 75% FA: AMD ratio, the Cd concentration was 0.04 mg/kg and 0.03 mg/kg for Fianna and Lady rosetta exclusively. It is in this way obvious that FA adsorbed the Cd ions, and the two cultivars fulfill the CODEX guideline, nonetheless the potato crop irrigated with a 75% FA: AMD ratio can be consumed by humans without causing any detrimental effects

Accumulation of Heavy Metals, Yield and Nutritional Composition of Potato (<i>Solanum tuberosum</i> L.) Cultivars Irrigated with Fly-Ash-Treated Acid Mine Drainage

This study compared the responses of two potato cultivars, Fianna and Lady rosetta (both determinate and indeterminate), to irrigation with various fly ash: acid mine drainage (AMD) amelioration ratios in two separate seasons. In order to calculate crude protein (CP), the nutritional composition (NC) of potato tuber samples was examined using the combustion method. The results showed that the NC of plants irrigated with AMD mixed with fly ash was significantly affected differently at harvest. In plants exposed to 75% AMD irrigation, the mean moisture content of Lady rosetta was reduced by twice more compared to Fianna. Concisely, our study has demonstrated that irrigation with AMD mixed with fly ash can promote plant growth of potato cultivars and reduce their crude protein (CP) by approximately 4% when irrigated with both 50% FA: AMD and untreated AMD (100% AMD) ratio being applied; nonetheless, it was decreased by 1% when watered with 75% FA: AMD treatment, lipids content, carbohydrates, fresh tuber weight and dry tuber weight. On average, plants from both cultivars irrigated with the 75% AMD had higher fresh tuber weight (FTW), higher dry tuber weight (DTW) and carbohydrates compared to the controls. Furthermore, Lady rosetta cultivar exhibited higher carbohydrate and crude fiber compared to the control at 75 and 50% AMD treatments, respectively. Use of AMD in agriculture is likely to reduce its devastating environmental conditions and assist in irrigation of food crops, thereby alleviating both water and food shortages. Last, all the FA-AMD-treated potatoes had Pb concentrations that were below the minimum standard limits, and this proves that FA was able to adsorb the Pb ions in the tuber samples. Importantly, fly ash reduces a metal’s concentration in AMD. However, presence of heavy metals in such potatoes needs to be explored. It is also important to relate the possible metal intake relative to the standards by World Health Organization (WHO)

LC-MS Based Metabolomics Analysis of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Cultivars Irrigated with Quicklime Treated Acid Mine Drainage Water

In water-scarce areas, the reuse of (un)treated acid mine drainage (AMD) water for crop irrigation has become a requirement, but it also carries a wide range of contaminants that can elicit the synthesis of diverse metabolites necessary for the survival of the plants. There is still a paucity of studies on the impact of quicklime treated-AMD water on the metabolite synthesis of potatoes. This study examined the effect of the irrigation of two potato cultivars (Marykies and Royal cultivars) with quicklime-treated AMD water on their metabolite profiles. A greenhouse study was conducted with five experimental treatments with different solution ratios, replicated three times in a completely randomized design. A total of 40 and 36 metabolites from Marykies and Royal cultivars which include amino acids, organic acids, and aromatic amines were identified, respectively. The results revealed elevation in the abundance of metabolites under the irrigation with treated AMD water for both cultivars with subtle variations. This will provide information on the primary metabolite shifst in potato that enhance their survival and growth under AMD conditions. However, more specific data on toxicity due to AMD irrigation would be required for a refined risk assessment

High-throughput amplicon sequencing datasets of microbial community in soils irrigated by quicklime and fly ash-treated acid mine drainage water

In water-stressed regions, the use of treated acid mine drainage (AMD) water for irrigated agriculture has been suggested as an alternative to address the shortage of fresh water sources. However, the short and long-term impact of using such (un)treated AMD water on soil health, particularly the microbiome structure and functional capacity, is not known. We present high-throughput amplicon sequence (HTS) datasets of purified microbial metacommunity DNA of soils under Irish potato production irrigated by quicklime and fly ash treated AMD water. The irrigation treatments included quicklime treated AMD water (A1Q and A2Q; n = 16), and quicklime and fly ash-treated AMD water (AFQ; n = 5), untreated AMD water (uAMD; n = 7) and control group using tap water (n = 5). The V1-V3 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene from each sample were sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq to generate these HTS datasets. The raw sequences underwent quality-checking, demultiplexing into FASTQ files, and processing using MOTHUR pipeline (v1.40.0). Th quality reads classified into taxonomic ids (phylum, class, order, family, and genus) using the Naïve Bayesian classifier algorithm against the SILVA database (v132) and were assigned to operational taxonomic units (OTUs) based on the pairwise distance matrix (Euclidean distance matrix). The applicability of the HTS datasets was confirmed by microbial taxa at the phylum level. All HTS datasets are available through the BioSample Submission Portal under the BioProject ID PRJNA974836 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/974836)

Heavy Metal Analysis and Health Risk Assessment of Potato (<i>Solanum tuberosum</i> L.) Cultivars irrigated with Fly Ash-Treated Acid Mine Drainage

In water-scant regions, the reuse of (un)treated acid mine drainage effluent (AMD) water for crop irrigation has turned into a prerequisite. The study assesses the levels of heavy metals, and health risk assessment in two potato crop cultivars, namely, Fianna and Lady rosetta (both determinate and indeterminate) when exposed to irrigation with different fly ash: acid mine drainage amelioration ratios. The study investigates the health risk assessment in the potato tissues namely, stem, tubers, new and old leaves of the potato cultivars. The treatments constituted a control, 50% FA: AMD, 75% FA: AMD ratio, and 100% AMD (untreated AMD). The results showed that the heavy metals of plants irrigated with AMD mixed with FA was significantly affected differently at harvest. In summary, the concentration of Cd was over the WHO acceptable standards in untreated acid mine drainage water. Fianna recorded 1.34 mg/kg while a notably decrease was observed in Lady rosetta with (1.01 mg/kg). In any case, FA was proven to significantly lessen the Cd particles in both FA-AMD ratios: Cd content was 0.98 mg/kg and 0.84 mg/kg in 50% FA: AMD treatment for Fianna and Lady rosetta separately, while the recommended maximum limit is 0.1 mg/kg. With the readings recorded, they are slightly high according to the CODEX general standard for food contaminants and toxins in food and feed (CODEX STAN 193-1995). Then again, in 75% FA: AMD ratio, the Cd concentration was 0.04 mg/kg and 0.03 mg/kg for Fianna and Lady rosetta exclusively. It is in this way obvious that FA adsorbed the Cd ions, and the two cultivars fulfill the CODEX guideline, nonetheless the potato crop irrigated with a 75% FA: AMD ratio can be consumed by humans without causing any detrimental effects

Unlocking water potential in drylands: Quicklime and fly ash enhance soil microbiome structure, ecological networks and function in acid mine drainage water-irrigated agriculture

In water-stressed regions, treated acid mine drainage (AMD) water for irrigated agriculture is a potential solution to address freshwater scarcity. However, a significant knowledge gap exists on the short and long-term effects of treated AMD water on soil health. This study used high-throughput Illumina sequencing and predictive metagenomic profiling to investigate the impact of untreated AMD (AMD), quicklime- (A1Q and A2Q) and quicklime and fly ash-treated AMD water (AFQ) irrigation on soil bacterial diversity, co-occurrence networks and function. Results showed that untreated AMD water significantly increased soil acidity, electrical conductivity (EC), sulfate (SO42−), and heavy metals (HM), including reduced microbial diversity, disrupted interaction networks, and functional capacity. pH, EC, Cu, and Pb were identified as key environmental factors shaping soil microbial diversity and structure. Predominantly, Pseudomonas, Ralstonia picketti, Methylotenera KB913035, Brevundimonas vesicularis, and Methylobacterium oryzae, known for their adaptability to acidic conditions and metal resistance, were abundant in AMD soils. However, soils irrigated with treated AMD water exhibited significantly reduced acidity (pH > 6.5), HM and SO42− levels, with an enrichment of a balanced bacterial taxa associated with diverse functions related to soil health and agricultural productivity. These taxa included Sphingomonas, Pseudoxanthomonas, Achromobacter, Microbacterium, Rhodobacter, Clostridium, Massillia, Rhizobium, Paenibacillus, and Hyphomicrobium. Moreover, treated AMD water contributed to higher connectivity and balance within soil bacterial co-occurrence networks compared to untreated AMD water. These results show that quicklime/fly ash treatments can help lessen impacts of AMD water on soil microbiome and health, suggesting its potential for irrigated agriculture in water-scarce regions