The pH of the solution in the rhizosphere is an important factor that determines the availability and mobility of nutrients for plant uptake. Solution pH may also affect the root distribution and ...architecture of apple rootstocks. In this study, we evaluated the effect of solution pH on root system development of apple rootstocks using an aeroponics system designed and developed at Cornell AgriTech Geneva, USA. Four Geneva ® apple rootstocks (G.210, G.214, G.41, and G.890) were grown in an aeroponic system under nutrient solution misting featuring continuously adjusted pH levels to three pH treatments (5.5, 6.5, and 8.0). Root development was monitored for 30 days and evaluated regularly for distribution and root mass. Images of the developed roots grown in the aeroponic system were collected at the end of the experiment using a high-resolution camera and analyzed using GiA Roots ® software, which generates root architecture parameter values in a semi-automated fashion. The resulting root architecture analysis showed that the Geneva ® rootstocks were significantly different for two architecture parameters. The length-to-width ratio analysis represented by two GiA Roots parameters (minor-to-major ellipse ratio and network width-to-depth ratio) showed that G.210 was flatter than G.890, which had a greater tendency to grow downward. Rootstocks G.214 and G.41 displayed similar growth values. The solution pH affected most root architecture parameter measurements where overall root growth was higher at pH 8 than at pH 5.5 and 6.5, which showed similar growth. In general, the average root width tended to decrease at higher pH values. While there were no significant differences in the leaf nutrient concentrations of P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Zn, Cu, and Fe within the four rootstocks, the pH level of the solution had a significant effect on P, Ca, and Mn. This study is the first of its kind to investigate the effect of pH on root architecture in a soil-free (aeroponic) environment and may have implications for apple root behavior under field conditions where pH levels are different.
Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient for plant growth and tuber yield in potato. Its excess application is harmful for environment, and therefore dissecting traits involved in improving nitrogen use ...efficiency (NUE) and yield is essential to address them. This study was conducted to analyze variation in 56 Indian potato varieties at optimal N concentration (2 milli molar) under aeroponics for two years based on 17 different traits for root system architecture (length, surface area, diameter and volume), plant height, leaf area, root and shoot dry weight, tuber traits (number, yield and dry matter), and NUE parameters viz., NUE, agronomic NUE (AgNUE), nitrogen uptake efficiency (NUpE), nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUtE), harvest index (HI) and N harvest index (NHI). Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed in the varieties for most traits under the investigation. The Agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) analysis clearly distinguished the varieties into two main groups, and principal component analysis (PCA) analysis showed total 64.78% variability in the first two components. Significant and positive correlations were found for tuber yield with AgNUE, NUE and NUpE. On the other hand, top 10 promising varieties under aeroponics for above traits were Kufri Badshah, Kufri Frysona, Kufri Chipsona-3, Kufri Pushkar, Kufri Lalit, Kufri Ashoka, Kufri Sutlej, Kufri Jyoti, Kufri Mohan and Kufri Khyati. This study implies that a great variation exists in the Indian potato varieties including old and new categories and they can be exploited in breeding for increasing resource capture to improve NUE in potato.
Hydroponic technologies have increased the cultivated area under greenhouses covered with UV filter polyethylene film. However, there is a concern about the antioxidant contents of lettuces produced ...under these systems. In this study, it was compared to the antioxidant contents of green and red leaf lettuces produced in two hydroponic systems in a greenhouse, against the ones produced with the conventional cultivation system by Colombian farmers. The antioxidant analysis revealed significant statistical differences for DPPH and Anthocyanin analyses (P=0) versus all other culture systems. The best results were obtained in the conventional cultivation. Red lettuce obtained the highest value of FRAP (655.3±82.6 mgAAE 100g-1), ABTS (17.8±6.9 mmolTE 100g-1), total phenols (680.2±69.3 mgGAE 100g-1) and anthocyanin (126.2±6.9 mgC3G 100g-1). Green lettuce exhibited the most antioxidant activity of DPPH (20.7±5.6 mmolTE 100g-1). These results suggest a detrimental effect of the greenhouse covered with UV filter polyethylene film in the antioxidant production of lettuce. Finally, red leaf lettuce showed better antioxidant capacity independent of the cultivation system.
Optimization of nutrients in an aeroponic culture system is the most important factor for the quantitative and qualitative production of healthy potato seeds. This study was conducted in Ardabil ...agricultural center and natural resources greenhouse in an aeroponic culture system in 2019-2020. The study was based on a completely factorial randomized design. The reactions of the seedlings of three cultivars of potato (Agria, Banba, Caesar) to the combination of three bacterial inoculants (PGPRs) (Azospirillum lipoform, Pseudomonas putida, Aztobacter crococum), and two stages of chemical fertilizer nutrition were investigated. We found out that the maximum number and weight of mini-tuber per plant was obtained in cv. Banba. The maximum number of stolons, the number of days up to tuberization, and the maximum average weight of minitubers were achieved by applying the chemical fertilizer. PGPRs had a significant impact on the increase in the plant height and on the length of stolon in cv. Banba. The largest plant height and number of days up to tuberization were achieved in the cv. Caesar, and the greatest number of stolons was obtained in cv. Banba. We concluded that the application of the chemical fertilizer in aeroponic culture system promoted the potato yield.
Biomass burning generates a substantial amount of smoke through high-energy combustion. This smoke is deposited into forest ecosystems either as aerosol smoke or as smoke-laden water in rainfall. The ...smoke contains essential elements like nitrogen (N) and other elements essential for plant growth and development. However, it is not well understood whether plant roots directly absorb the wildfire-derived N. An understanding of such a phenomenon is of significant importance in revealing the impact of forest fires on N input into forest ecosystems. Thus, this study examined the effects of different smoke concentrations on total N content in the soil and δ15N in plant and biomass production of Cunninghamia lanceolata seedlings under different cultivation methods using the 15N tracing technique. The main findings showed that smoke at a certain concentration had a promoting effect on plant growth, and the contribution of fire wildfire-derived 15N to soil total N was higher in low concentration smoke treatment than high concentration. After 180 days of cultivation, the wildfire-derived 15N content of various plant organs was higher for low than high smoke concentration treatment, and the content being higher for fine roots, where N absorption was enhanced in aeroponics-cultivated than soil-cultivated seedlings. The study demonstrated that plant roots directly absorb N from smoke and transported it to the aboveground parts for internal circulation. The effect of smoke on plant growth was concentration-dependent, with high concentration of smoke inhibiting plant growth compared to the control, while low concentration stimulated growth. The findings emphasize that smoke generated from low-intensity fires can have a positive impact on unburnt patches within the footprint of a fire through N deposition.
Display omitted
•Nitrogen species from wildfire smoke are available to plants.•Plants exhibit a concentration-dependent response to wildfire smoke.•The absorption of wildfire-derived nitrogen varies across different plant cultivation methods.•Plant roots directly absorb wildfire-derived nitrogen and transport it for internal circulation.
•The aeroponics technology provided the good quality seed of potato.•Its mitigate the problem of shortage of good quality seeds, strategies to rapidly multiply the seed tubers.•The cost of growing a ...tuber using aeroponics is about one-quarter the cost of a conventionally—grown tuber.
Although potato is an important food and cash crop globally, its production in developing countries is hampered by constraints such as low soil fertility, pest and diseases and inadequate supply of good quality seed tubers. Lack of good quality seed is mostly a consequent of the prevailing seeds system; in most developing countries, majority of farmers recycle their own seeds or get them from informal sources. This leads to seed degeneration and build up of tuber-borne diseases and hence low yields. In mitigating the problem of shortage of good quality seeds, strategies to rapidly multiply the seed tubers such as tissue culture in conjunction with hydroponic and aeroponic systems have been tried. These technologies needs to be given serious thought and should be promoted in most developing countries so as to increase potato yields.
Various growth systems are available for studying plant root growth and plant-microbe interactions including hydroponics and aeroponics. Although some of these systems work well with Arabidopsis ...thaliana and smaller cereal model plants, they may not scale up as well for use with hundreds of plants at a time from a larger plant species. The aim of this study is to present step-by-step instructions for fabricating an aeroponic system, also called a "caisson," that has been in use in several legume research labs studying the development of symbiotic nitrogen fixing nodules, but for which detailed directions are not currently available. The aeroponic system is reusable and is adaptable for many other types of investigations besides root nodulation.
An aeroponic system that is affordable and reusable was adapted from a design invented by French engineer René Odorico. It consists of two main components: a modified trash can with a lid of holes and a commercially available industrial humidifier that is waterproofed with silicon sealant. The humidifier generates a mist in which plant roots grow, suspended from holes in trash can lid. Results from use of the aeroponic system have been available in the scientific community for decades; it has a record as a workhorse in the lab.
Aeroponic systems present a convenient way for researchers to grow plants for studying root systems and plant-microbe interactions in root systems. They are particularly attractive for phenotyping roots and following the progress of nodule development in legumes. Advantages include the ability to precisely control the growth medium in which the plants grow and easy observations of roots during growth. In this system, mechanical shear potentially killing microbes found in some other types of aeroponic devices is not an issue. Disadvantages of aeroponic systems include the likelihood of altered root physiology compared to root growth on soil and other solid substrates and the need to have separate aeroponic systems for comparing plant responses to different microbial strains.
PDF
