BACKGROUND Plants depend on their root systems to acquire the water and nutrients necessary for their survival in nature, and for their yield and nutritional quality in agriculture. Root systems are complex and a variety of root phenes have been identified as contributors to adaptation to soils with low fertility and aluminium (Al) toxicity. Phenotypic characterization of root adaptations to in...

It is reported that salvianolic acid B, a bioactive phenolic compound contained in the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza, exhibits a much stronger activity in free radical scavenging and antioxidance than those of vitamin E. When a conventional refluxing method is adopted to extract salvianolic acid B from the root, in which the materials are subjected to higher temperature and longer time, the yield...

Growth of flue-cured tobacco as influenced by Meloidogyne javanica and the effectiveness of DD and ethoprop to manage this nematode were evaluated over two growing seasons. Populations of M. javanica, root galling, plant height, steam crown diameter, whole plant weight, and yield were monitored at approximately 2-week intervals beginning 28 days after transplanting. Treatment influence on nemat...

An experiment was undertaken to identify heterotic rice hybrids for aerobic condition based on physiological and root characters associated with water stress tolerance in rice. Panicle harvest index, a substitute for spikelet fertility is used as a secondary trait in the selection of drought tolerant genotypes. Deep roots are required to explore the soil profile for effectively absorbing water ...

Radish seeds (Raphanus sativus, Mino variety) were exposed to full-wave rectified sinusoidal magnetic fields (MF) of strengths 40 mT, 80 mT, and 110 mT for 2.5, 5, and 10 min each, and its effects have been investigated on germination, seedling growth, and yield. Seeds were sown following the MF treatment according to the protocol of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) under contr...

This work evaluates the impact that the application of different mulches exerts on nitrogen (N) metabolism in roots and leaves and on yield of potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum var. Spunta). The parameters analyzed in this experiment were root temperature; nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase activities; concentrations of nitrates, ammonium, amino acids, proteins, and organic N; dry weight of...

The influence o f various crop rotations and nematode inoculum levels on subsequent population densities of Meloidogyne incognita races 1 and 3 were studied in microplots. Ten different 3-year sequences o f cotton, corn, peanut, or soybean, all with cotton as the 3rd-year crop, were grown in microplots infested with each race. Cotton monoculture, two seasons o f corn, or cotton followed by corn...