MicroRNA-based markers as a tool to monitor the barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) response to soil compaction

Article Details: Received: 2020-03-26 | Accepted: 2020-05-19 | Available online: 2020-09-30 https://doi.org/10.15414/afz.2020.23.03.139-146Plants are often exposed to adverse environmental conditions that can significantly interfere with their genomic response. Soil compaction induced by heavy field machinery represents a major problem for crop production mainly due to restricted root growth and penetration into soil and therefore reduced water and nutrient uptake by the plants. Tested hypotheses were to declare whether the plant‘s genome responds to soil compaction and whether the microRNA-based markers are suitable to determine this response. A long term field scale experiment was established in 2009 where different levels of soil compaction are researched from the soil and crop point of view. The analyzed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants were collected during the growing season in 2019. The effect of soil compaction was analysed by four different DNA-based markers corresponding to miRNA sequences of dehydratation stress-responsive barley miRNAs (hvu-miR156, and hvu-miR408) and nutrition-sensitive markers (hvu-miR399 and hvu-miR827), within the leaf, stem and root tissues of barley plants. Our preliminary data support hypotheses that plant genome response was tissue-specific due to significant induction of the biomarkers to dehydratation and nutrition stress. The most affected part of the plant by dehydration, were roots and lack of nutrient supply was most pronounced on leaves.Keywords: abiotic stress, crop yield, miRNAs, root growthReferencesANTILLE, D.L. et al. (2019). Review: Soil compaction and controlled traffic farming in arable and grass cropping systems. Agronomy Research, 17(3), 653–682. https://doi.org/10.15159/AR.19.133ARVIDSSON J. (1999). Nutrient uptake and growth of barley as affected by soil compaction. Plant and Soil, 208, 9–19.AXTELL, M.J. et al. 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OCCURRENCE OF SPECIES FAMILY CARABIDAE (COLEOPTERA) INDEPENCE ON THE INPUT OF ORGANIC MATTER INTO SOIL

Cieľom práce bolo zistiť vplyv rôznych dávok organických hnojív (maštaľného hnoja a biokalu) na výskyt pôdneho edafónu s dôrazom na druhy čeľade Carabidae. Počas rokov 2001 až 2003 sa metódou zemných pascí realizovali zbery pôdneho edafónu. Zbery sa uskutočnili v Kolíňanoch s celkovou plochou územia 9 000 m2, na piatich variantoch (1. variant - nehnojená kontrola; 2. variant - 25 t maštaľného hnoja.ha-1; 3. variant – 50 t.ha-1 biokalu; 4. variant – 50 t.ha-1 maštalného hnoja; 5. variant – 100 t .ha-1 biokalu). Na uvedených piatich variantoch sa získalo 59 054 exemplárov pôdneho edafónu, patriacich do 23 skupín. Do modelovej čeľade Carabidae patrilo 21 189 jedincov, v rámci ktorých bolo determinovaných 25 druhov. Hodnoty druhovej identity podľa Jaccarda (IA) sa pohybovali od 45,45 do 71,43 % a hodnoty identity dominancie (ID) boli v intervale od 94,20 do 97,72 %. Hodnoty diverzity (d) dosiahli 0,5406 až 0,8986. K dominantným druhom možno zaradiť druh Harpalus rufipes (De Geer, 1774), ktorý sa vyskytuje na suchých až polovlhkých, prevažne svetlých stanovištiach. Hodnoty jednotlivých variantov sú ovplyvňované množstvom inputov organickej hmoty do pôdy, ktorá má vplyv pri formovaní vyhranených spoločenstiev s charakteristickou druhovou skladbou. Pri porovnávaní jednotlivých variantov vo vzťahu k výskytu zooedafónu sa najlepšie prejavil variant hnojený biokalom v dávke 100 t.ha-1.The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of different rates of organic fertilizers (farmyard manure and bio sludge) on occurrence of soil organisms with focus to species of family Carabidae. During 2001-2003, samples of biological material were collected using the earth trap method. Samples were taken from five treatments (i) unfertilized, (ii) 25 t ha-1 farmyard manure, (iii) 50 t ha-1 bio sludge, (iv) 50 t ha-1 farmyard manure, (v) 100 t ha-1 bio sludge) which cover area of 9 000 m2 at experimental farm of Slovak Agricultural University Kolíňany. Totally 59 054 individuals of soil edaphon belong to 23 epigeic groups was collected from which 25 species totally 21 189 individuals belong to the target group Carabidae. The attributes of specific identity according Jaccard (IA) ranged from 45.45 to 71.43 % and those of dominant identity (ID) from 94.20 to 97.72 %. The attributes of diversity (d) achieved a level from 0.5406 to 0.8986. Harpalus rufipes (De Geer, 1774) occurring on arid to damp soil, mostly in light places, was determined as the dominant species. The attributes of individual treatments are influenced by the quantity of organic mater inputs into soil that affects the formation of well-defined communities with the characteristic species composition. A comparison of individual treatments in terms of the occurrence of zooedaphon showed that application of 100 t ha-1 bio sludge create the most suitable soil condition for zooedaphon development

Study On Correlation Of Data From Yield Monitoring System And Hand Samples

One of the basic tools used in precision agriculture technology is yield monitoring and mapping. Yield maps are used to monitor the efficiency of applied inputs, to assess the variability of field and have potential to be used in farm records and farm management software. The paper deals with comparison of yield maps with information on yield obtained from hand sampling. Analyses are based on five-year data from one field with spring barley, oil seed rape, winter wheat and maize crop rotation. Results show that the correlation coefficient across the time period reached a value of 0.89 (p <0.05), which means that the yield maps show the yield trend of the field. However, looking at the data in more detail and comparing the pairs of data for selected (discrete) monitoring points, the error of estimation was calculated. This error showed that the yield monitor underestimated or overestimated the yield in average by 25 %. Therefore, the data cannot be used to evaluate the absolute yield at selected place of the field

Determining Trafficked Areas Using Soil Electrical Conductivity – A Pilot Study

Increase in machinery size and its random traffic at fields cause soil compaction resulting in damage of soil structure and degradation of soil functions. Nowadays, rapid methods to detect soil compaction at fields are of high interest, especially proximal sensing methods such as electrical conductivity measurements. The aim of this work was to investigate whether electromagnetic induction (EMI) could be used to determine trafficked areas in silty clay soil. Results of randomized block experiment showed a high significant difference (p <0.01) in EMI data measured between compacted and non-compacted areas. EMI readings from compacted areas were, on average, 11% (shallow range) and 9% (deep range) higher than non-compacted areas, respectively. This difference was determined in both shallow and deep measuring ranges, indicating that the difference in soil compaction was detected in both topsoil and subsoil. Furthermore, the data was found to have a significant spatial variability, suggesting that, in order to detect the increase in EMI (which shows the increase in soil compaction), data within close surrounding area should be included in the analyses. Correlation coefficient of EMI and penetration resistance (average moisture content 32.5% and 30.8% for topsoil and subsoil) was found to be 0.66

OCCURRENCE OF SPECIES FAMILY CARABIDAE (COLEOPTERA) INDEPENCE ON THE INPUT OF ORGANIC MATTER INTO SOIL

Cieľom práce bolo zistiť vplyv rôznych dávok organických hnojív (maštaľného hnoja a biokalu) na výskyt pôdneho edafónu s dôrazom na druhy čeľade Carabidae. Počas rokov 2001 až 2003 sa metódou zemných pascí realizovali zbery pôdneho edafónu. Zbery sa uskutočnili v Kolíňanoch s celkovou plochou územia 9 000 m2, na piatich variantoch (1. variant - nehnojená kontrola; 2. variant - 25 t maštaľného hnoja.ha-1; 3. variant – 50 t.ha-1 biokalu; 4. variant – 50 t.ha-1 maštalného hnoja; 5. variant – 100 t .ha-1 biokalu). Na uvedených piatich variantoch sa získalo 59 054 exemplárov pôdneho edafónu, patriacich do 23 skupín. Do modelovej čeľade Carabidae patrilo 21 189 jedincov, v rámci ktorých bolo determinovaných 25 druhov. Hodnoty druhovej identity podľa Jaccarda (IA) sa pohybovali od 45,45 do 71,43 % a hodnoty identity dominancie (ID) boli v intervale od 94,20 do 97,72 %. Hodnoty diverzity (d) dosiahli 0,5406 až 0,8986. K dominantným druhom možno zaradiť druh Harpalus rufipes (De Geer, 1774), ktorý sa vyskytuje na suchých až polovlhkých, prevažne svetlých stanovištiach. Hodnoty jednotlivých variantov sú ovplyvňované množstvom inputov organickej hmoty do pôdy, ktorá má vplyv pri formovaní vyhranených spoločenstiev s charakteristickou druhovou skladbou. Pri porovnávaní jednotlivých variantov vo vzťahu k výskytu zooedafónu sa najlepšie prejavil variant hnojený biokalom v dávke 100 t.ha-1.The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of different rates of organic fertilizers (farmyard manure and bio sludge) on occurrence of soil organisms with focus to species of family Carabidae. During 2001-2003, samples of biological material were collected using the earth trap method. Samples were taken from five treatments (i) unfertilized, (ii) 25 t ha-1 farmyard manure, (iii) 50 t ha-1 bio sludge, (iv) 50 t ha-1 farmyard manure, (v) 100 t ha-1 bio sludge) which cover area of 9 000 m2 at experimental farm of Slovak Agricultural University Kolíňany. Totally 59 054 individuals of soil edaphon belong to 23 epigeic groups was collected from which 25 species totally 21 189 individuals belong to the target group Carabidae. The attributes of specific identity according Jaccard (IA) ranged from 45.45 to 71.43 % and those of dominant identity (ID) from 94.20 to 97.72 %. The attributes of diversity (d) achieved a level from 0.5406 to 0.8986. Harpalus rufipes (De Geer, 1774) occurring on arid to damp soil, mostly in light places, was determined as the dominant species. The attributes of individual treatments are influenced by the quantity of organic mater inputs into soil that affects the formation of well-defined communities with the characteristic species composition. A comparison of individual treatments in terms of the occurrence of zooedaphon showed that application of 100 t ha-1 bio sludge create the most suitable soil condition for zooedaphon development

Crop Residues Distribution After Tillage Operations Under Controlled And Random Traffic Technology

Controlled traffic farming is a technology used to avoid soil compaction introduced by field machinery load and traffic. The benefits in improved soil conditions and yield increase were shown in Australia, the US and some parts of Europe. The use of permanent tramlines for every field operation was considered as a barrier to implementation in some parts of Europe. This was mainly due to fear from tillage quality in terms of crop residues distribution. The paper reports the results of the two-year assessment of the technology compared to traditional random traffic treatments in field scale experiments. The spring barley and oilseed rape crops were grown. Measurements were taken after the stubble breaking tillage operation with the Lemken disc harrows. Image analysis was used to calculate the distribution of crop residues. Results showed that the use of permanent tramlines has no negative influence on crop residues distribution

Long-Term Monitoring of Different Field Traffic Management Practices in Cereals Production with Support of Satellite Images and Yield Data in Context of Climate Change

Cereals in Europe are mainly grown with intensive management. This often leads to the deterioration of the physical properties of the soil, especially increasing bulk density due to heavy machinery traffic, which causes excessive soil compaction. Controlled traffic farming (CTF) technology has the potential to address these issues, as it should be advantageous technology for growing cereals during climate change. The aim of this study was to compare the yield potential of CTF and standardly used random traffic farming (RTF) technology using yield maps obtained from combine harvester and satellite imagery as a remote sensing method. The experiment was performed on a 16-hectare experimental field with a CTF system established in 2009 (with conversion from a conventional (ploughing) to conservation tillage system). Yield was compared in years when small cereals were grown, a total of 7 years within a 13-year period (2009&ndash;2021). The results show that CTF technology was advantageous in dry years. Cereals grown in the years 2016, 2017 and 2019 had significantly higher yields under CTF technology. On the contrary, in years with higher precipitation, RTF technology had slightly better results&mdash;up to 4%. This confirms higher productivity when using CTF technology in times of climate change

Reduction in Water Erosion and Soil Loss on Steep Land Managed by Controlled Traffic Farming

Controlled traffic farming (CTF) is used to confine soil compaction to the least possible area of the field, thereby achieving economic and environmental benefits. In the context of climate change, soil erosion is one of the most discussed topics, and there is a research gap in understanding the effects of CTF on soil erosion in Central Europe. The aim of this work was to show the potential of CTF to reduce water erosion, in terms of water runoff and soil loss on steep land. A 16 ha experimental field with a CTF technology implemented since 2009 at the Slovak University of Agriculture was used in this research. Three traffic intensity locations were selected and watered using a rainfall simulator. The results showed that the soil which had not been wheeled for 12 years had the lowest water runoff: its intensity after 20 min of simulated rain was 10 times lower compared to the multiple traffic treatment. The soil loss, expressed as the total soil sediments collected after 35 min, in the no traffic area was lower by 70%, compared to the soil with one-pass treatment and only 25% of the loss in the multiple traffic areas. These results show that CTF can significantly reduce soil loss through water runoff on steep land