Aims Citrus trees are subjected to variation of environmental conditions throughout the annual cycle, especially during the flowering and fruit set. Heat waves have affected the environmental conditions required for optimum crop growth and have reduced fruit yield and quality worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate an extra supply of magnesium (Mg) and/or nitrogen (N) to increase citrus tolerance to excessive increased irradiation and consequent air temperature. Methods Young lemon trees were grown in a greenhouse with extra Mg, N and Mg + N supply for five months and then exposed to heat for 12 days. After imposing stress condition, photosynthetic and enzymatic antioxidant system parameters were assessed to evaluate the impact of the extra nutrient supply in alleviating stress induced by combination of elevated irradiance and air temperature.Results Extra nutrient supply increased plant tolerance to the environmental stress, allowing maintenance of high photosynthetic and transpiration rates and low ratio of apparent electron transport rate per photosynthetic carbon assimilated. Enhanced Mg supply also increased activity of the antioxidant enzyme system and decreased the oxidative stress of plants. Trees treated with extra N exhibited increased chlorophyll concentrations and ability to harvest light energy. Conclusions Citrus trees under stressed condition, such as elevated air temperature and radiation, associated to heat waves, exhibited less damage in the photosynthetic mechanism and high activity of the antioxidant enzymatic system when supplied with extra nutrient. It was concluded that extra Mg and N supply are important tools to prevent damages and enhance lemon trees biochemical and physiological responses to alleviate the harmful effects of unfavorable environmental condition.
The fertilization with biofertilizer associated with the use of irrigation favors nutrient uptake by plants and soil chemical properties; however, these effects are little studied in Tithonia diversifolia in semiarid regions. This study evaluated the effect of doses of bovine biofertilizer and irrigation on accumulation of nutrients in the leaves of Tithonia diversifolia plants and on soil chemical attributes. The study was carried out from December 3, 2014 to November 28, 2015, and arranged in a 2 x 5 factorial scheme, consisting of five doses of bovine biofertilizer (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 m3 ha-1), combined with and without irrigation. The experiment was set in a randomized block design, using three replicates. Irrigation promoted increased accumulation of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu and B in leaves of Tithonia diversifolia in the first cutting. However, the high bicarbonate concentration in the irrigation water and the occurrence of rainfall during the second crop increased the accumulation of Cu in the leaves of Tithonia diversifolia under rainfed condition, compared with irrigated plants. The increase in biofertilizer doses contributed to the increment of base saturation and the contents of organic matter, P and K in soil.
Variations in environmental conditions, such as the availability of light, can affect the efficacy of herbicides because they alter the biological characteristics of plants including those that are related to the plant’s sensitivity to herbicides. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to assess the influence of environments with different light availabilities, and of the application of glyphosate and carfentrazone-ethyl (separately or in combination) on the morphophysiology and control of Macroptilium atropurpureum. An experimental design of randomized blocks with five replicates was used, with treatments arranged in a split-plot design. The plots were composed of three levels of shading (full sunlight, 50% shading, and 70% shading); within each plot there were sub-plots, one for each of the two herbicides (glyphosate and carfentrazone-ethyl), used either separately or in combination. The doses of glyphosate + carfentrazone-ethyl applied in the treatments were 0+40 g ha-1 of carfentrazone-ethyl, 1.440+0 g ha-1 of glyphosate, 1.080+30 g ha-1 of glyphosate + carfentrazone-ethyl, and there was an additional treatment that did not include the application of an herbicide. Plants of M. atropurpureum cultivated under shading exhibited higher sensitivity to the herbicides, greater leaflet area, and lower photosynthetic rates than plants cultivated under full sunlight conditions. Under shading, both herbicides applied separately or in combination were effective in controlling M. atropurpureum, which indicates a greater susceptibility of this species to these herbicides in environments with light restriction. The species was tolerant to the two tested herbicides, used either alone or in combination, when grown under full sunlight conditions.
Boron (B) affects plasma membrane (PM) integrity and consequently modulates the P‐type PM H+‐ATPase activity creating a driving force for nutrient influx at the root level. Because citrus rootstocks respond differently to B supply, we hypothesised that PM H+‐ATPase activity of varieties contrasting in horticultural traits would affect nutrient uptake by trees. Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) trees grafted onto Rangpur lime (RL; Citrus limonia) or Swingle citrumelo (SW; Citrus paradisi × Poncirus trifoliata) were grown in nutrition solution with four B concentrations (0 [control concentration], 46, 230 and 460 μM B, as H3BO3) up to 7 days of treatment imposition after plant adaptation into the hydroponic condition. SW exhibited higher B absorption, leaf B and enzyme activity than RL. The highest enzyme activity was achieved with 230 μM of B 1 day after treatment imposition (ATI), whereas B excess impaired the PM H+‐ATPase in all periods evaluated. Absorption of mineral nutrients correlated with PM H+‐ATPase activity, with greater nutrient uptake per root unit in SW compared to RL. Leaf and root nutrient concentrations were equivalent to amounts absorbed and enzyme activity, with greater increments exhibited by trees grafted onto SW compared to RL. Effects of B supply on PM H+‐ATPase activity explain distinct nutrient uptake patterns by trees, what supports fine‐tuning fertilisation guidelines of citrus taking into account rootstock varieties.
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