In a study involving the use of food-grade corn meal as a growth media for microorganisms, it was observed that stand establishment of creeping bentgrass seedlings was reduced by the incorporation of corn meal into the soil. Studies on the effect of adding corn starch, corn gluten meal, corn germ, corn seed fiber, or corn meal to the soil surface before seeding creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palu...

Absorption characteristics of Mg(2+) and Cl(-) were investigated with 5-day-old excised corn (Zea mays) roots. Uptake from both 0.5 and 10 milliequivalents per liter MgCl(2) solutions occurred at steady state rates for the first 6 hours. Inhibition by dinitrophenol and low temperatures established that absorption during this period was metabolically mediated in the absence and presence of Ca(2+...

Previous work with the fluorescent Ca probe chlorotetracycline (CTC) showed that salinity displaces Ca from membranes of root cells. Using a variety of indirect approaches, we studied whether salinity displaces Ca from the cell surface or from internal membranes of corn (Zea mays L. cv Pioneer 3377) root protoplasts. Preloading the cells with supplemental Ca counteracted subsequent NaCl effects...

Nitrogen (N) is a major enzyme constituent making it a determining factor in plant yield and health. When a plant is deficient in N the shoot:root ratio typically decreases, chlorosis occurs, and growth is reduced. The objective of this study was to determine the level of nitrogen needed for optimal growth of corn. Plants were grown in containers and watered with 0, 0.3, 1.0, 3.0, and 10 mM N f...

The rhizosphere is a hotbed of microbial activity in ecosystems, fueled by carbon compounds from plant roots. Basic questions about the location and dynamics of plant-spurred microbial growth in the rhizosphere are difficult to answer with standard, destructive soil assays mixing a multitude of microbe-scale microenvironments in a single, often sieved, sample. Soil microbial biosensors designed...