Interaction effects of effective microorganisms and prolonged storage on germination and seedling vigour of maize, sorghum and sunflower

Published ArticleA study involving two incubation experiments and a germination experiment in sandy soil was conducted to determine the influence of Multiplied Effective Micro-organisms (M-EM) that were exposed to different levels of irradiation and temperature fluctuation as well as prolonged storage, on the germination and seedling vigour of maize, sorghum and sunflower. Irrespective of poor handling and/or prolonged storage of M-EM, seed treatment with M-EM improved germination under optimal conditions for all crops compared to the control. Increased planting depths and cold stress were used to create conditions where seed treatment with M-EM may improve germination and seedling growth. Seed treatment with M-EM significantly improved germination and seedling vigour of the stress-tolerant maize cultivar following cold stress. Similar improved seedling vigour results were observed for the stress-tolerant sunflower cultivar at increased planting depth. It was concluded that the beneficial influence of M-EM as a seed treatment was remarkable, even after exposure of M-EM to unfavourable environmental conditions and prolonged storage before application. Further research under field conditions and in different cultivation systems are required before the large scale application of M-EM as seed treatment can be recommended

Characterisation of plant water stress of greenhouse tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum) grown hydroponically in coir

AgriwetenskappeAgronomiePlease help us populate SUNScholar with the post print version of this article. It can be e-mailed to: [email protected]

Characterisation of plant water stress of greenhouse tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum) grown hydroponically in coir

Conference PaperOnly by characterising the growth medium's water retention characteristics and ability to supply water, can the irrigation technique for coir be improved. The study was conducted to describe the development of water stress of greenhouse tomatoes grown in coir, to identify different stages of water stress, and to determine the implication for irrigation management. From this study, mild water stress started as soon as the volumetric water content dropped below that of the well-watered mediums and lasted while the plant conditioned to the water stress. The onset of moderate water stress occurred from the point where the cucumber plants do not recover under continuous drying of the medium. Increased leaf water potential, stomatal resistance and the first signs of wilting confirmed moderate crop water stress. Severe water stress occurred where changes in the slope of transpiration of unwatered plants divided by reference transpiration became negligible over time and about 75% of all plants were irreversibly wilted. Based on plant response only, water depletion can be allowed to a point before moderate water stress is reached. Soil water sensors calibrated to measure volumetric water content in coir or tensiometer measurements converted to volumetric water content from a laboratory-determined retention curve for coir may be used to trigger irrigation

One mutation, three phenotypes: novel metabolic insights on MELAS, MIDD and myopathy caused by the m.3243A > G mutation

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Long-term HIV and tuberculosis outcomes in patients hospitalised with severe cutaneous adverse reactions

Background: Treatment-limiting severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCAR) occur more commonly amongst persons with HIV-associated tuberculosis (TB). The impact of SCAR on long-term HIV/TB outcomes is unknown. Methods: Patients with TB and/or HIV admitted to Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa with SCAR between 1/10/2018 and 30/09/2021 were eligible. Follow-up data was collected for 6- and 12-month outcomes: mortality, TB and antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen changes, TB treatment completion, and CD4 count recovery. Results: Forty-eight SCAR admissions included: 34, 11, and 3 HIV-associated TB, HIV-only and TB-only patients with 32, 13 and 3 cases of drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms, Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis and generalised bullous fixed-drug eruption respectively. Nine (19%), all HIV-positive (eight co-infected with TB), were deceased at 12-months, and 12(25%) were lost to follow-up. Amongst TB-SCAR patients, seven (21%) were discharged on all four first-line anti-TB drugs (FLTD), while 12(33%) had regimens with no FLTDs; 24/37(65%) completed TB treatment. Amongst HIV-SCAR patients, 10/31(32%) changed ART regimen. If retained in care (24/36), median (IQR) CD4 counts increased at 12-months post-SCAR (115(62–175) vs. 319(134–439) cells/uL). Conclusion: SCAR admission amongst patients with HIV-associated TB results in substantial mortality, and considerable treatment complexity. However, if retained in care, TB regimens are successfully completed, and immune recovery is good despite SCAR

Transcriptional changes in OXPHOS complex I deficiency are related to anti-oxidant pathways and could explain the disturbed calcium homeostasis.

Item does not contain fulltextDefective complex I (CI) is the most common type of oxidative phosphorylation disease, with an incidence of 1 in 5000 live births. Here, whole genome expression profiling of fibroblasts from CI deficient patients was performed to gain insight into the cell pathological mechanism. Our results suggest that patient fibroblasts responded to oxidative stress by Nrf2-mediated induction of the glutathione antioxidant system and Gadd45-mediated activation of the DNA damage response pathway. Furthermore, the observed reduced expression of selenoproteins, might explain the disturbed calcium homeostasis previously described for the patient fibroblasts and might be linked to endoplasmic reticulum stress. These results suggest that both glutathione and selenium metabolism are potentially therapeutic targets in CI deficiency.1 juli 201