No abstract

The main objective of this study is to determine the effects of 125 mT and 250mT magnetic treatment on the germination and initial growth of triticale seeds. This objective has a practical application in agriculture science: early growth of triticale. An increase in the percentage and rate of germination of seeds and a stimulation of growth of seedlings as positive response to magnetic field treatment in rice, wheat, maize and barley seeds have been found in previous studies. Germination tests were carried out under laboratory conditions by exposing triticale seeds to magnetic field for different times. The effect was studied by exposure of seeds prior sowing. The mean germination time were reduced for all the magnetic treatments applied. Most significant differences were obtained for time of exposure of 1 and 24 hours and maximum reductions was 12%. Furthermore, seedlings from magnetically treated seeds grew taller than control. The longest mean total length was obtained from seedlings exposed to 125 and 250 mT for 24 hours. External magnetic fields are assumed to enhance seed vigor by influencing the biochemical processes by stimulating activity of proteins and enzymes. Numerous studies suggested that magnetic field increases ions uptake and consequently improves nutrition value.

<p>There is hot debate about whether grassland-based livestock production can be climate-smart or not. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from livestock (primarily from enteric methane [CH<sub>4</sub>] and manure CH<sub>4</sub> and nitrous oxide [N<sub>2</sub>O]) stand vis-à-vis vegetation CO<sub>2</sub> uptake and soil carbon sequestration. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), livestock are a precious good that ensures the livelihoods of millions of people, which often belong to marginalized groups such as pastoralists. To protect their animals from predation and theft, livestock are secured in overnight enclosures (“bomas” in Kiswahili), which form the center of many pastoral settlements. However, in these enclosures manure accumulates for months or even years, making them a potential hotspot for GHG emissions. Here, we present the first year-long measurements of GHG emissions from active and inactive (abandoned) bomas from an African rangeland at the ILRI Kapiti Research Station in Kenya.</p> <p>We found that active bomas were continuous sources for CO<sub>2</sub>, CH<sub>4</sub> and N<sub>2</sub>O emissions, with flux peaks of up to 1940 mg CO<sub>2</sub>-C m<sup>‑2</sup> h<sup>‑1</sup>, 1600 μg N<sub>2</sub>O-N m<sup>‑2</sup> h<sup>‑1</sup> , and 6690 μg CH<sub>4</sub>-C m<sup>‑2</sup> h<sup>‑1</sup>. Even after their abandonment, fluxes from bomas continued to be elevated compared to savanna soil background emissions for all GHGs. When calculated over a full year and put in context with manure deposition rates into the bomas (GHG emission factors), we found that 12.6 ± 5.3 % manure-C was emitted as CO<sub>2</sub>, 2.4 ± 0.4 % manure-N was emitted as N<sub>2</sub>O, and 0.5 ± 0.1 % manure-C was emitted as CH<sub>4</sub>. GHG emissions from active bomas were not affected by rainfall seasonality or temperature, presumably because the moisture content of the fresh manure was always high due to urine input, and because temperature did not vary much during the year. In abandoned bomas, GHG emissions were driven by rainfall events that triggered emission pulses, leading to higher emissions during the wet season.</p> <p>The high N<sub>2</sub>O and CH<sub>4</sub> emissions we found have implications for global GHG inventories, which currently do not have a category for overnight livestock enclosures and therefore do not account for these emissions. Furthermore, hotspots for GHG emissions such as these livestock enclosures need to be included to assess the full GHG budget of pastoral livestock systems and to develop management interventions for low-emission livestock production in developing countries.</p>

In recent decades, physical techniques based on the application of magnetic fields (MF) have been developed in the agricultural sector with favorable results in plant germination and growth. The main objective of this study is to determine the effects of magnetic treatment on the germination of seeds of the following species Salvia officinalis L. and Calendula officinalis L. Groups of seeds were exposed to MF of 125 mT for different times, other groups of seeds were subjected to magnetic pretreatment and others were used as control.  Germination tests were performed under laboratory conditions. The parameters were: germination time of the first seed (T1), time for reaching 10 -75% of germination (T10, T25, T50 and T75), mean germination time (MGT) and number of germinated seeds (Gmax), provided by Seedcalculator software. The parameters recorded for both seeds with treatment and pretreatment were lower than the value of the corresponding control, chronic exposure at 125 mT provided the highest results; MGT was significantly reduced compared to controls. (T1-T50) were also significantly reduced.