Salicylic acid (SA) plays a key role in plant disease resistance and hyper-sensitive cell death but is also implicated in hardening responses to abiotic stress. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of salicylic acid on the growth, eco-physiological and biochemical characteristics in Zinnia elegans plant exposed to copper stress. Effects of copper (Cu) on biomass, root length and shoo...

The objectives of this study were to determine the pattern of dry matter (DM) accumulation and the evolution of phenolic compounds in the rhizosphere soil from tillering to the ripe seed stages of wild oat (Avena fatua L.), a widespread annual grassy weed. Plants were grown under controlled conditions and harvested 13 times during the growing season. At each harvest, shoot and root DM and pheno...

Al toxicity is a severe impediment to production of many crops in acid soil. Toxicity can be reduced through lime application to raise soil pH, however this amendment does not remedy subsoil acidity, and liming may not always be practical or cost-effective. Addition of organic acids to plant nutrient solutions alleviates phytotoxic Al effects, presumably by chelating Al and rendering it less to...

Despite its environmental (and financial) importance, there is no agreement in the literature as to which extractant most accurately estimates the phytoavailability of trace metals in soils. A large data set was taken from the literature, and the effectiveness of various extractants to predict the phytoavailability of Cd, Zn, Ni, Cu, and Pb examined across a range of soil types and contaminatio...

Objective:  In addition to the role of organic matter in plant nutrition, this material improves soil quality, physical structure, ventilation and water supply, and ease of penetration and expansion is rooted deep in the soil surface. Effects of organic matter due to climatic factors, soil characteristics may vary from region to region, resulting in organic materials management must be given to...

Remediating soils with heavy metals contamination is a significant challenge. This study investigated the co-remediation effect when paired soil amendment mixtures were used to treat soil contaminated by Pb, Cd, and Zn. The three mixed amendments are: 1) micro particle hydroxyapatite (mHAP) and humic acid 2) nano particle hydroxyapatite (nHAP) and humic acid 3) sepiolite and humic acid. Co-reme...

Inhibition of Aspergillus flavus growth from spores was used as a simple bioassay for toxicity of Al and Mn mobilized by simulated acid precipitation. Al was identified as being toxic in soil leachates resulting from acid inputs of pH less than 2.7. Inhibition by Mn was not detectable. The addition of fluoride significantly reduced Al toxicity, suggesting that biotoxicity of Al is partially dep...