Brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) tend to eat young canopy foliage in southern rätä (Metrosideros umbellata), and browsing tends to be concentrated on only a few trees. Samples collected as part of an artificial defoliation experiment were analysed for NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), carbohydrate, and polyphenolic concentrations to determine whether changes in foliar chemistr...

A research trial was conducted during 2011-2012 to elucidate the effects of humic acid (HA) and NPK to determine the optimum rate against different growth and floral attributes on tulip cultivar viz. ‘Triumph’. The following five treatments T0 : (control), T1: 10 g/m2 NPK (17:17:17), T2 : HA 0.75 ml (8%) + 10 g/m2 NPK (17:17:17), T3: HA 1.00 ml (8%) + 10 g/m2 NPK (17:17:17) and T4: HA 1.25 ml (...

Seedlings of endangered Dade County pine, Pinus elliotii var. densa, must survive long enough to form symbiotic associations with ectomycorrhizal fungi that assist uptake of mineral nutrients. Although plants need nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in relatively large quantities, pine seedlings also may need relatively high amounts of iron (Fe). We hypothesized that iron would limi...

Nutrient losses due to leaching, volatilization and fixation and the activated risk of nitrate leaching after fertilizer addition to the soil may be reduced through the use of slow-release fertilizers. Turmeric, a long duration and high yielding commercial crop consumes greater amount of nutrients from the soil as well as from applied fertilizers for a prolonged period. A field experiment was c...

Soil aggregation was studied in a 21-year experiment conducted on an Anthrosol. The soil management regimes consisted of cropland abandonment, bare fallow without vegetation and cropping system. The cropping system was combined with the following nutrient management treatments: control (CONTROL, no nutrient input); nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK); straw plus NPK (SNPK); and manure (M) ...

Peat moss (PM) is the most widely used growing substrate for the pot culture. Due to diminishing availability and increasing price of PM, researchers are looking for viable alternatives for peat as a growth media component for potted plants. A pot study was conducted with a view to investigate the possibility of using spent mushroom waste (SMW) for Kai-lan (Brassica oleracea var. Alboglabra) pr...

Salinity is an important abiotic stress that reduces growth and productivity of different crops. In many agricultural soils cyanobacteria or blue green algae are the prominent inhabitants, where they potentially contribute to improve soil fertility and crop productivity under normal and abiotic stress conditions. Glycinebetaine is an osmoprtectant compound improving plant tolerance to abiotic s...

Sweet-scented geranium (Pelargonium graveolens L'Hér), a plant belonging to the Geraniaceae family, has medicinal and aromatic properties and is widely used in the cosmetic, soap, perfume, aromatherapy, and food industries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of fertilization and the use of different colors of plastic mulch on sweet-scented geranium biomass and essential oil. Th...

Inorganic fertilization and mowing alter soil factors with subsequent effects-direct and indirect - on above- and below-ground communities. We explored direct and indirect effects of long-term fertilization (N, P, NPK, Liming) and twice yearly mowing on the plant, bacterial and fungal communities and soil factors. We analyzed co-variation using 16S and 18S rRNA genes surveys, and plant frequenc...