We examined the influence of aluminum and calcium (and certain other cations) on hormone transport in corn roots. When aluminum was applied unilaterally to the caps of 15 mm apical root sections the roots curved strongly away from the aluminum. When aluminum was applied unilaterally to the cap and 3H-indole-3-acetic acid was applied to the basal cut surface twice as much radioactivity (assume...

Biochar can increase microbial activity, alter microbial community structure, and increase soil fertility in arid and semi-arid soils, but at relatively high rates that may be impractical for large-scale field studies. This contrasts with organic amendments such as manure, which can be abundant and inexpensive if locally available, and thus can be applied to fields at greater rates than biochar...

The base temperature for germination of corn is approximately 10°C, which results in slow germination and emergence of corn crops sown into cool soils. The effects of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and kinetin on grain and sweet corn emergence, plant growth and yield were studied under short season conditions in 1996 and 1997. Two PGPR strains (Serratia proteamaculans 1-102 and Ser...

The distribution of sodium and potassium throughout corn (Zea mays L. [A632 x Crows 3640] x Oh 43) plants is not simply a matter of uptake by cortical cells and irreversible delivery to the xylem for upward transport. We show that sodium, but not potassium, accumulates in the mesocotyl of corn seedlings grown on NaCl medium. Upon transfer to NaCl-free medium, total sodium is reduced by export t...

The abundance of Pratylenchus scribneri in soil and root habitats was compared in potato and corn plots during 1986-88. Nematodes were extracted from 100-cm(3) soil samples and the roots contained within the samples. The percentage of the population recovered from soil, similar among years and crops, averaged ca. 50% at the beginning and end of the growing season and ca. 20% from early to late ...

Excised apical segments of corn root (Zea mays) (5-15 mm from the root cap), some with and some without the root tips (0-5 mm) attached, were washed for varying time periods up to 4 hours in 0.5 mm CaSO(4). After washing, tips were removed from those segments washed with tips attached, and then all segments and tips were analyzed for K(+) content. The root tips (0-5 mm) initially contained abou...

Two field experiments were conducted at the Waimanalo research station on the island of O'ahu, Hawaii to study the effect of chicken (CM) and dairy (DM) manures on biomass and nutrient concentration in sweet corn roots and shoots. Sweet corn (super sweet 10, Zea Mays L. subsp. mays) was grown for two consecutive growing seasons under four rates of application (0, 168, 337, and 672 kg ha(-1) tot...

A facile synthesis of novel 2-(4-oxochromen-3-yl) benzothiazolium bromides 4 and benzoxazolium bromide 5 using the one-pot condensation of substituted 4-oxochromene-3-carboxaldehydes 1 with 2-methylbenzothiazole (2a) or 2-methylbenzoxazole (2b) and benzyl bromide is described. The effects of benzothiazolium bromides 4 on the growth stimulation of the cucumber and retardant activity on corn seed...

Weeds compete with crops for belowground resources; however, there is little detailed information on relative dynamics of soil water during competitive interactions. This research was conducted to determine changes in soil-water storage (CSWS) in rain-fed no-tillage corn (Zea mays L.) production in the presence or absence of weed competition over two droughty growing seasons. Weeds at the exper...