BACKGROUND Development of Verticillium wilt in olive, caused by the soil-borne fungus Verticillium dahliae, can be influenced by biotic and environmental factors. In this study we modeled i) the combined effects of biotic factors (i.e., pathotype virulence and cultivar susceptibility) and abiotic factors (i.e., soil temperature) on disease development and ii) the relationship between disease se...

A growing number of studies have focused on evaluating vegetation indices in terms of their sensitivity to vegetation biophysical parameters as well as to external factors affecting canopy reflectance. In this context, leaf and canopy radiative transfer models have provided a basis for understanding the behaviour of such indices, particularly their resistance to external perturbing effects rela...

The present study explored the eco-friendly approach of utilizing plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) inoculation and foliar application of silicon (Si) to improve the physiology, growth, and yield of mung bean under saline conditions. We isolated 18 promising PGPR from natural saline soil in Saudi Arabia, and screened them for plant-growth-promoting activities. Two effective strains we...

The study shows that leaf area index (LAI) and canopy chlorophyll content can be mapped in a heterogeneous Mediterranean grassland from canopy spectral reflectance measurements. Canopy spectral measurements were made in the field using a GER 3700 spectroradiometer, along with concomitant in situ measurements of LAI and chlorophyll content. We tested the utility of univariate techniques, involvi...

intra-specific variation in responses of diurnal and long-term photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll fluorescence, and respiration in spring wheat (triticum aestivum l.) to salinity was investigated using two tolerant cultivars (cr and kharchia-65) and a sensitive one (ghods). plants were grown in sand culture in controlled environment at selected levels of salinity (5 as control, 1...

A dedicated field experiment was conducted to investigate the response of a green reflectance continuum removal-based optical index, called area under the curve normalized to maximal band depth between 511 nm and 557 nm (ANMB511-557), to light-induced transformations in xanthophyll cycle pigments of Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst] needles. The performance of ANMB511-557 was compared with...

Tonnage (T), Simmonds (S) avocado trees, and TxS crosses were evaluated for differences in chlorophyll content and maximal quantum yield of photosystem II in sun and shade-type leaves. Total chlorophyll content by area (Chl a+bar) ranged from 984 mg m in TxS240 to 4320 mg m in Simmonds. Chlorophyll a/b ratio (Chl a/b) ranged from 9.8 to 5.5 in TxS238 and TxS243, respectively. Tonnage and Simmon...

Treatment of maize seedlings with different concentrations of sorbitol decreased the rate of germination substantially. Root and shoot length was also reduced by sorbitol treatment, however, decrease in root length was lower than shoot length. Incubation of leaf segments from maize seedlings grown in continuous light with sorbitol decreased the fresh weight and increased the dry weight in a con...

Coral-reef ecosystems are increasingly being impacted by a wide variety of anthropogenic inputs, including heavy metals, which could be contributing to coral reef stress and bleaching episodes. Fragments of Pocillopora damicornis were exposed in the laboratory to cadmium (Cd) or copper (Cu) chlorides (0, 5, 50 microg l(-1)) for 14 days and analyzed for metal content in the whole association, al...

The content of individual chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments is determined in three spinach varieties (Lorelei, Springfield, and Ballet) after processing. Raw spinach and spinach that is steam-blanched for 3, 9, or 15 min is stored frozen at -24 degrees C for 6 months. In addition, spinach is air-dried at 75 degrees C, packed in atmospheric air or nitrogen, and stored at ambient temperature fo...