Effectiveness of castor (Ricinus communis) and velvetbean (Mucuna deeringiana) amendments was tested for suppression of the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne arenaria) and growth of okra (Hibiscus esculentus) in three greenhouse experiments. Regression analysis was used to relate nematode population data or plant growth responses to various rates (0, 1, 2, 4, or 8 g/560 cm(3) soil pot) of each am...

A variety of lactic acid bacteria, isolated from plant surfaces and plant-associated products, were found to be antagonistic to test strains of the phytopathogens Xanthomonas campestris, Erwinia carotovora, and Pseudomonas syringae. Effective "in vitro" inhibition was found both on agar plates and in broth cultures. In pot trials, treatment of bean plants with a Lactobacillus plantarum strain b...

It is well known that growth and yield of horticultural crops can be greatly increased by optimizing the nutritional status of the root environment. Based on plant response, involving numerous fertilizer experiments for the different plants and substrates involved, guidelines can be proposed for optimal nutrient solution and pot substrate conditions. The main factors to be considered are sampli...

Carbofuran is moderately mobile in soil which could lead to ground water pollution and accumulation in plant tissues. A study was carried out to investigate the adsorption, leaching and accumulation of carbofuran in edible tissues in three soil series of Sri Lanka namely Chankanai, Inuvil and Navatkuli. For the adsorption study, soil samples were shaken with carbofuran having 625μg for 2 hours....

Four isolates each of Bacillus and Rhizobium sp were selected and characterized for their P-solubilization and auxin production. All the isolates produced auxin but with different degree of efficacy. The isolates of Rhizobium and Bacillus having maximum auxin production and P-solubilization were selected and further evaluated for improving growth, nodulation and yield of mungbean at two fertili...

A pot experiment and afield trial were conducted to study the remediation of an aged field soil contaminated with cadmium, copper and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (7.67 +/- 0.51 mg kg(-1) Cd, 369 +/- 1 mg kg(-1) Cu in pot experiment; 8.46 +/- 0.31 mg kg(-1) Cd, 468 +/- 7 mg kg(-1) Cu, 323 +/- 12 microg kg(-1) PCBs for field experiment) under different cropping patterns. In the pot experimen...

The proton-dependent oligopeptide transporter (POT/PTR) family shares a highly conserved E1X1X2E2RFXYY (E1X1X2E2R) motif across all kingdoms of life. This motif is suggested to have a role in proton coupling and active transport in bacterial homologs. For the plant POT/PTR family, also known as the NRT1/PTR family (NPF), little is known about the role of the E1X1X2E2R motif. Moreover, nothing i...

Root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, is the major limiting factor in tomato production in many regions of the world including Ethiopia. For its management, different plant species (botanicals) are being tried in different forms as an alternative to nematicides. The nematicidal potential of baker tree (Milletiaferruginea), bitter leaf (Vernonia amygodalina), parthenium (Parthenium hysterop...