Growth of maize (Zea mays L.) and changes in some chemical properties of an ultisol amended with brewery effluent

A greenhouse studies was conducted at the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria to evaluate the effect of brewery effluent on some soil chemical properties and growth of maize. The experiment, which was organised in a completely randomised design, had three replications with 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% effluent concentration in a 2 kg soil. Results showed that organic carbon, N, P, Na, and Mg concentration in the soil were reduced while K, Ca, C/N ratio, soil pH were increased. There were no changes observed in the soil textural class. The growth of maize plant as well as chlorophyll content was enhanced with brewery effluent treatments when compared with the control

Metal concentration in plant tissues of Ricinus communis L. (Castor oil) grown in soil contaminated with spent lubricating oil

Castor oil plant seeds (Ricinus communis L.) were grown in spent lubricating oil (SLO) contaminated soil at concentrations of 1-6% (w/w, oil/soil). Plant height and stem girth were depressed by spent lubricating oil at concentrations of 2% (w/w) and above. One percent (1%) spent lubricating oil in soil promoted growth of plants when compared with control. Fresh and dry weights of R. communis plants grown in 1% oil treatment were significantly more than that of control. Spent lubricating oil in soil depressed pH. From the values obtained for metal concentrations in leaves, stems and roots, the concentrations of manganese and nickel were highest in the leaves. At 2% SLO and above, lead concentration was highest in the leaves too. Accumulation of the metals by plant parts were not concentration dependent. Specifically metal accumulation in R. communis, in the present study showed that Mn , Ni and Pb were mostly accumulated in the leaves; while V was highest in roots. Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management Vol. 10(3) 2006: 127-13

The sunflower TLDc-containing protein HaOXR2 confers tolerance to oxidative stress and waterlogging when expressed in maize plants

The sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) genome encodes six proteins containing a TLDc domain, typical of the eukaryotic OXidation Resistance (OXR) protein family. Expression of sunflower HaOXR2 in Arabidopsis generated plants with increased rosette diameter, higher number of leaves and increased seed production. Maize inbred lines expressing HaOXR2 also showed increased total leaf area per plant. In addition, heterologous expression of HaOXR2 induced an increase in the oxidative stress tolerance in Arabidopsis and maize. Maize transgenic plants expressing HaOXR2 experienced less oxidative damage and exhibited increased photosynthetic performance and efficiency than non-transgenic segregant plants after treatment of leaves with the reactive oxygen species generating compound Paraquat. Expression of HaOXR2 in maize also improved tolerance to waterlogging. The number of expanded leaves, aerial biomass, and stem height and cross-section area were less affected by waterlogging in HaOXR2 expressing plants, which also displayed less aerial tissue damage under these conditions. Transgenic plants also showed an increased production of roots, a typical adaptive stress response. The results show the existence of functional conservation of OXR proteins in dicot and monocot plants and indicate that HaOXR2 could be useful to improve plant performance under conditions that increase oxidative stress.Fil: Torti, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Raineri, Jesica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Mencia, Regina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Campi, Mabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez, Daniel Hector. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Welchen, Elina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; Argentin