Effect of trickle irrigation on root development of the wet bulb and 'pera' orange tree yield in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different microirrigation designs on root system distribution in wet bulb region, orange orchard yield and quality of orange fruits. The experiment was installed as random blocks with five treatments and four replicates in an orchard of 'Pêra' orange trees grafted on 'Cleopatra' mandarin rootstock. The treatments consisted of: one drip line (T1), two drip lines (T2), four drip lines (T3) per planting row, microsprinkler irrigation (T4) and without irrigation (T5). Irrigation treatments favored yield and ºBrix. The treatment with a single drip line (T1) showed the greatest quantity of roots in relation to the treatments T2 and T3.

Allelopathic effect of black mustard tissues and root exudates on some crops and weeds

Laboratory and greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the phytotoxic effect of black mustard extracts and root exudates on two crops: Trifolium alexandrinum and Triticum aestivum, and two weeds: Phalaris paradoxa and Sisymbrium irio. The seeds were treated with aqueous and ethanolic extracts and chloroform for eight days, or subjected to root exudates of just harvested mustard in a greenhouse for five weeks. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to quantify phytotoxins from plant tissues. Seed germination of P. paradoxa was reduced with the lowest concentration of the different extracts. However, the aqueous extract at 4% completely curtailed the germination of all the target species. In general, plant extracts had a concentration-dependent reduction of seedling growth of the target species. However, the ethanolic extract, at the lowest concentration, has stimulated the shoot length of both T. alexandrinum and T. aestivum, and the root length of the former. Mustard root exudates inhibited emergence and growth of the target species throughout the experiment. Ferulic and syringic acids were the dominant allelochemicals found when HPLC was used.

Effect of enzymatic hydrolysis on some physicochemical properties of root and tuber granular starches

Enzymatic hydrolysis of granular starch is an important tool to provide information about granule structure. Cassava, sweet potato, Peruvian carrot, and potato starches were hydrolyzed by bacterial α-amylase at 37 °C for 48 hours, and the physicochemical properties of the residues from hydrolysis were determined. Cassava starch was the most susceptible to enzyme displaying 20.9% of hydrolysis, whereas potato starch was the most resistant with 5.9%. The granule average size varied from 10.8 to 23.4 μm for Peruvian carrot and potato starches, respectively. With the use of SEM, a smooth granule surface was observed for all native starches. Cassava and sweet potato starches displayed an A-type X-ray diffraction pattern, while Peruvian carrot and potato starches showed a B-type pattern. After hydrolysis, cassava, sweet potato, and Peruvian carrot starches showed some well degraded granules, whereas potato starch presented a slight sign of degradation. The amylose content of the starches decreased with hydrolysis for cassava, sweet potato, and Peruvian carrot starches and was kept unchanged for the potato starch. As expected, intrinsic viscosity and pasting properties decreased for all hydrolyzed starches. There is no difference between thermal properties of native and hydrolyzed starches. These results suggested that hydrolysis occurred in amorphous and crystalline areas of the granules. The B type diffraction pattern in conjunction with the big granule size of the potato starch may have contributed to the greatest resistance of this starch to hydrolysis.

Effect of mycorrhizae and pH change at the root-soil interface on phosphorus uptake by Sorghum using a rhizocylinder technique

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) was grown for 40 days in. rhizocylinder (a growth container which permitted access to rh zosphere and nonrhizosphere soil), in two soils of low P status. Soils were fertilized with different rates of ammonium and nitrate and supplemented with 40 mg phosphorus (P) kg(-1) and inoculated with either Glomus mosseae (Nicol. and Gerd.) or nonmycorrhizal root inoculum.. N-serve (2 mg kg(-1)) was added to prevent nitrification. At harvest, soil from around the roots was collected at distances of 0-5, 5-10, and 10-20 mm from the root core which was 35 mm diameter. Sorghum plants, with and without mycorrhiza, grew larger with NH4+ than with NO3- application. After measuring soil pH, 4 3 suspensions of the same sample were titrated against 0.01 M HCl or 0.01 M NaOH until soil pH reached the nonplanted pH level. The acid or base requirement for each sample was calculated as mmol H+ or OFF kg(-1) soil. The magnitude of liberated acid or base depended on the form and rate of nitrogen and soil type. When the plant root was either uninfected or infected with mycorrhiza., soil pH changes extended up to 5 mm from the root core surface. In both soils, ammonium as an N source resulted in lower soil pH than nitrate. Mycorrhizal (VAM) inoculation did not enhance this difference. In mycorrhizal inoculated soil, P depletion extended tip to 20 mm from the root surface. In non-VAM inoculated soil P depletion extended up to 10 mm from the root surface and remained unchanged at greater distances. In the mycorrhizal inoculated soils, the contribution of the 0-5 mm soil zone to P uptake was greater than the core soil, which reflects the hyphal contribution to P supply. Nitrogen (N) applications that caused acidification increased P uptake because of increased demand; there is no direct evidence that the increased uptake was due to acidity increasing the solubility of P although this may have been a minor effect.

The combined effect of the application of a biocontrol agent Paecilomyces lilacinus, with various practices for the control of root-knot nematodes

The effectiveness of a formulated product containing spores of the naturally occurring fungus Paecilomyces lilacinus, strain 251, was evaluated against root-knot nematodes in pot and greenhouse experiments. Decrease of second-stage juveniles hatching from eggs was recorded by using the bio-nematicide at a dose of 4 kg ha(-1), while a further decrease was recorded by doubling the dose. However, the mortality rate decreased by increasing the inoculum level. Application of P. lilacinus and Bacillus firmus, singly or together in pot experiments, provided effective control of second-stage juveniles, eggs or egg masses of root-knot nematodes. In a greenhouse experiment, the bio-nematicide was evaluated for its potential to control root-knot nematodes either as a stand-alone method or in combination with soil solarization. Soil was solarized for 15 d and the bio-nematicide was applied just after the removal of the plastic sheet. Soil solarization for 15 d either alone or combined with the use of P. lilacinus did not provide satisfactory control of root-knot nematodes. The use of oxamyl, which was applied 2 weeks before and during transplanting, gave results similar to the commercial product containing P. lilacinus but superior to soil solarization. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Systemic and persistent effect of neem (Azadirachta indica) formulations against root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne javanica and their storage life

Neem leaves, neem cake (a by-product left after the extraction of oil from neem seed) and a commercially refined product aza (azadirachtin) extracted from seed were evaluated. Aqueous extracts of crude neem formulations used as a seedling dip treatment significantly reduced the number of females and egg masses in roots whereas the refined one did not. A split-root technique was used to demonstrate the translocation of active compounds within a plant and their subsequent effect on the development of nematodes. When applied to the root portion all formulations significantly reduced the number of egg masses and eggs per egg mass. Whereas on the untreated root portion, neem cake at 3% w/w and aza at 0.1% w/w significantly reduced the number of egg masses as compared with neem leaves at 3% w/w, aza at 0.05% and control. All the neern formulations significantly reduced the number of eggs per egg mass on' the untreated root portion. The effect of neem leaves and cake on the development of root-knot nematodes was tested at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 16 weeks after their application to soil. Even after 16 weeks all the treatments significantly reduced the galling index and number of egg masses but their effectiveness declined over time. After storing neem leaves, cake and aza for 8 months under ambient conditions the efficacy of neem leaves and aza, against root-knot nematodes, remained stable whereas that of cake declined. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Protective and curative effect of neem (Azadirachta indica) formulations on the development of root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica in roots of tomato plants

Two types of neem formulations, crude and refined, were tested. The crude form was neem leaves and neem cakes (a by-product left after the extraction of oil from neem seed) and one of the neem-refined products was "aza". The protective and curative soil application of these formulations significantly reduced the number of egg masses and eggs per egg mass on tomato roots. Protective application of neem crude formulations (leaves and cake) did not reduce the invasion of juveniles whereas aza at 0.1% w/w did. Curative application of neem formulations significantly reduced the number of egg masses and eggs per egg mass as compared with the control. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative effect of root-knot nematode on severity of Verticillium and Fusarium wilt in cotton

The effect of root-knot nematode (RKN) (Meloidogyne incognita) on Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. vasinfectum in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) was investigated. Two different inoculation methods were used, one in which inoculum was added to the soil, so that nematode and fungal inoculum were in close proximity; the other, inoculation into the stem, whereby the two inocula were spatially separated. Invasion of the roots by RKN enhanced disease severity, as measured by the height of vascular browning in the stem, following inoculation with either wilt pathogen. The effect of RKN on Fusarium wilt was more pronounced than that on Verticillium wilt. Nematode-enhanced infection by F. oxysporum is a well known effect but there are few reports of enhanced infection by Verticillium due to RKN. Relative resistance of a number of cotton cultivars to both wilt diseases, as measured by height of vascular browning, was similar to the known field performance of the cultivars. The use of vascular browning as an estimate of disease severity was therefore validated.

The effect of carrier substrate, dose rate and time of application on biocontrol efficacy of fungal antagonists against Armillaria root rot of strawberry plants.

In a glasshouse experiment using potted strawberry plants (cv. Cambridge Favourite) as hosts, the effect of selected fungal antagonists grown on 25 or 50 g of mushroom compost containing autoclaved mycelia of Agaricus bisporus, or wheat bran was evaluated against Armillaria mellea. Another glasshouse experiment tested the effect of application time of the antagonists in relation to inoculations with the pathogen. A significant interaction was found between the antagonists, substrates and dose rates. All the plants treated with Chaetomium olivaceum isolate Co on 50 g wheat bran survived until the end of the experiment which lasted 482 days, while none of them survived when this antagonist was added to the roots of the plants on 25 g wheat bran or 25 or 50 g mushroom compost. Dactylium dendroides isolate SP had a similar effect, although with a lower host survival rate of 33.3%. Trichoderma hamatum isolate Tham 1 and T. harzianum isolate Th23 protected 33.3% of the plants when added on 50 g and none when added on 25 g of either substrate, while 66.7% of the plants treated with T. harzianum isolate Th2 on 25 g, or T viride isolate TO on 50 g wheat bran, survived. Application of the antagonists on mushroom compost initially resulted in development of more leaves and healthier plants, but this effect was not sustained. Eventually, plants treated with the antagonists on wheat bran had significantly more leaves and higher health scores. The plants treated with isolate Th2 and inoculated with Armillaria at the same time had a survival rate of 66.7% for the duration of the experiment (475 days), while none of them survived that long when the antagonist and pathogen were applied with an interval of 85 days in either sequence. C. olivaceum isolate Co showed a protective effect only, as 66.7% of the plants survived when they were treated with the antagonist 85 days before inoculation with the pathogen, while none of them survived when the antagonist and pathogen were applied together or the infection preceded protection.

Effect of Two Restorative Materials on Root Dentine Erosion

This study sought to evaluate the microhardness of root dentine adjacent to glass-ionomer and composite resin restorations after erosive challenge. A crossover study was performed in two phases of 4 consecutive days each. One hundred twelve bovine root dentine slabs were obtained, and standardized box-shaped cavities were prepared at center of each specimen. The prepared cavities were randomly restored with glass-ionomer cement or composite resin. The slabs were randomly assigned among 14 volunteers, which wore intraoral palatal device containing four restored root dentin slabs. Starting on the second day, half of the palatal acrylic devices were immersed extraorally in a lemonade-like carbonated soft drink for 90 s, four times daily for 3 days. Alter 3-day wash-out, dentine slabs restored with the alternative material were placed into palatal appliance and the volunteers started the second phase of this study. After erosive challenges. microhardness measurements were performed. Regardless of the restorative material employed, eroded specimens demonstrated lower microhardness value (p < 0.0001). At eroded condition examined in this study, dentine restored with glass-ionomer cement showed higher microhardness values (p < 0.0001). It may be concluded that the glass-ionomer cement decreases the progression of root dentine erosion at restoration margin. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc J Biomed Mater Res Part B Appl Biomater 93B 304-305, 2010

Inhibition Effect on the Allium cepa L. Root Growth When Using Hexavalent Chromium-Doped River Waters

The effect of Cr(6+) on Allium cepa root length was studied using both clean and polluted river waters. Seven series of Cr(6+)-doped polluted and non-polluted river waters were used to grow onions. Chromium concentration (Cr(6+)) of 4.2 mg L(-1)(EC(50) value), doped in clean river water caused a 50% reduction of root length, while in organically polluted samples similar root growth inhibition occurred at 12.0 mg Cr(6+) L(-1). The results suggested that there was a dislocation to higher values in toxic chromium concentration in polluted river water due to the eutrophization level of river water.

Effect of light-curing units on push-out fiber post bond strength in root canal dentin

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of different light-curing units on the bond strength (push-out) of glass fiber posts in the different thirds of the root (cervical, middle and apical) with different adhesive luting resin systems (dual-cure total-etch; dual-cured and self-etch bonding system; and dual-cure self-adhesive cements), Disks of the samples (n = 144) were used, with approximately 1 mm of thickness of 48 bovine roots restored with glass fiber posts, that were luted with resin cements photo-activated by halogen LCU (QTH, Optilux 501) and blue LED (Ultraled), with power densities of 600 and 550 mW/cm(2), respectively. A universal testing machine (MTS 810 Material Test System) was used with a 1 mm diameter steel rod at cross-head speed of 0.5 mm/min until post extrusion, with load cell of 50 kg, for evaluation of the push-out strength in the different thirds of each sample. The push-out strength values in kgf were converted to MPa and analyzed through Analysis of Variance and Tukey`s test, at significance level of 5%. The results showed that there were no statistical differences between the QTH and LED LCUs. The self-adhesive resin cement had lower values of retention. The total-etch and self-adhesive system resin cements seem to be a possible alternative for glass fiber posts cementation into the radicular canal and the LED LCU can be applied as an alternative to halogen light on photo-activation of dual-cured resin cements.

Effect of calcium hydroxide-based materials on periapical tissue healing and orthodontic root resorption of endodontically treated teeth in dogs

This study evaluated periapical tissue healing and orthodontic root resorption of endodontically treated teeth sealed with calcium hydroxide in dogs. The sample consisted of three contralateral pairs of maxillary incisors and two contralateral pairs of mandibular incisors in each of two dogs using a split mouth design. After biomechanical preparation of the teeth in the first group (n = 10), a Ca(OH)(2) dressing was placed for 14 days before root canal filling with Ca(OH)(2)-based sealer (Sealapex) and gutta-percha points. In the second group (n = 10), root canals were obturated immediately after the mechanical preparation with gutta-percha points and zinc oxide and eugenol (ZOE)-based sealer (Endofill). After completion of endodontic treatment, the teeth were moved with an orthodontic appliance with a calibrated force of 200 g, reactivated every 21 days. After 105 days, the animals were killed and the teeth were removed upon completion of active treatment, without a period of recovery, and prepared for histomorphological analysis. All sections of each tooth were graded subjectively on a scale from one to four to obtain the average of the 16 histomorphological parameters analysed. Evaluation of the differences between the two treatment protocols was made with Mann-Whitney U-test. It was observed that the teeth treated with Ca(OH)(2)-based materials provided better outcomes (P = 5%), with complete repair of all root resorption areas, high rate of biological closure of the main canal and apical accessory canals by newly formed cementum, less intense and extensive chronic inflammatory infiltrate, and better organization of the periodontal ligament. Under the tested conditions, Ca(OH)(2)-based materials had a favourable action on periapical tissue healing and repair of orthodontic root resorption in endodontically treated dogs' teeth.