Han Phyo Aung

Growth and 137Cs uptake of four Brassica species influenced by inoculation with a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium Bacillus pumilus in three contaminated farmlands in Fukushima prefecture, Japan

The effectiveness of the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium Bacillus pumilus regarding growth promotion and radiocesium ((137)Cs) uptake was evaluated in four Brassica species grown on different (137)Cs contaminated farmlands at Fukushima prefecture in Japan from June to August 2012. B. pumilus inoculation did not enhance growth in any of the plants, although it resulted in a significant increase of (137)Cs concentration and higher (137)Cs transfer from the soil to plants. The Brassica species exhibited different (137)Cs uptake abilities in the order Komatsuna>turnip>mustard>radish. TF values of (137)Cs ranged from 0.018 to 0.069 for all vegetables. Komatsuna possessed the largest root surface area and root volume, and showed a higher (137)Cs concentration in plant tissue and higher (137)Cs TF values (0.060) than the other vegetables. Higher (137)Cs transfer to plants was prominent in soil with a high amount of organic matter and an Al-vermiculite clay mineral type.

Influence of Different Plant Materials in Combination with Chicken Manure on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Contents and Vegetable Yield

Abstract The use of plant materials as soil amendments is an uncommon practice amongst major farming communities in Ghana, although it is necessary for soil fertility improvement. An examination of the effects of soil amendments is necessary to encourage the use of under-utilized organic resources in Ghana. Thus, a field experiment was conducted using 8 different tropical plant materials mixed with chicken manure as soil amendments for growth of tomato as a test crop. The plant materials included Leucaena leucocephala, Centrosema pubescens, Sesbania sesban, Gliricidia sepium, Mucuna pruriens, Pueraria phaseoloides, Azadirachta indica, and Theobroma cacao. There were two other treatments: one with equivalent amounts of chemical fertilizers and the other with no-fertilizer input (control). Plant materials were mixed with chicken manure to obtain a uniform carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio of 5:1. Except the no-fertilizer control, all treatments received the same amount of nitrogen (N). To clarify the decomposition pattern of the plant materials in soil, an incubation experiment was conducted using only the plant materials before the field experiment. The Gliricidia treatment released significantly more mineral N than the other plant materials in the incubation experiment. However, the tomato fruit yield was not enhanced in the Gliricidia treatment in the field experiment. The known quality parameters of the tested plant materials, such as total N, total carbon (C), C:N ratio, and total polyphenols, had minimal effects on their mineralization dynamics. Azadirachta showed the best synergistic effect with chicken manure through significantly increasing soil microbial biomass and fruit yield of tomato. This result provides insights into the possible adoption of Azadirachta in combination with chicken manure as a soil amendment in small-scale agricultural holdings.

Relations of fine-root morphology on 137Cs uptake by fourteen Brassica species

Fourteen Brassica species consisting of seven leafy vegetables and seven root vegetables were examined for (137)Cs uptake differences in relation to their fine-root morphological characters. A pot experiment was conducted from November 2014 to February 2015 in a Phytroton using a contaminated soil of Fukushima prefecture. Leafy vegetables showed bigger root diameters, larger root surface area and larger root volume. Consequently, leafy vegetables had higher (137)Cs uptake compared to root vegetables. Among the three fine-root parameters, only root surface area was observed as a significant contributing factor to higher (137)Cs uptake in terms of transfer factor (TF, dry weight basis). Kakina exhibited higher (137)Cs TF value (0.20) followed by Chinese cabbage (0.18) and mizuna (0.17). Lower TF values were observed in turnip (0.059), rutabaga (Kitanoshou) (0.062) and radish (Ha daikon) (0.064).

In vitro microtuberization of Black Zira ( Bunium persicum Boiss.)

Bunium persicum or Black Zira is one of the endangered species in the land of Persia. The main purpose of this study was to investigate microtuberization of B persicum in in order to use in germplasm storage and commercial production. Seeds of B. persicum were used as explant. Different culture media (MS, ½MS and B 5 ) along with different concentrations of jasmonic acid (JA) (0, 2 and 5) were used individually as basal media and also in combination with two different temperatures (15 and 20°C) to develop appropriate media for microtuberization. Moreover, propagated microtubers were then vernalized and acclimatized in order to transfer to greenhouse. The results revealed that by increasing in concentration of JA, weight and length of microtubers increased significantly. MS medium seemed to be the most effective basal medium for this plant. In contrary, this study indicated that MS medium and 5 mM JA were the most suitable combination for in vitro culture establishment and short-term maintenance of tested B. persicum. Also, 15°C showed significant effect on increasing the weight of microtubers. Keywords: Microtuberization, Bunium persicum , jasmonic acid, temperature, medium.