Background:
Understanding soil nitrogen (N) dynamics is essential to find alternative N sources and improve N use efficiency in agriculture.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to assess N ...mineralization rates from residues of winter cover crops, during maize crop season, under Mediterranean conditions.
Methods:
A field experiment was carried out from May to September in central Portugal, with four replications, two sowing dates of cover crops (15/10/2011 and 29/11/2011) and three cover crops residues (balansa clover, ryegrass and yellow lupine) that were incorporated in the soil. Plots were cropped with local maize and net N mineralization was measured during the crop cycle, using soil cylinders placed inside micro-perforated polyethylene bags.
Results and Discussion:
Early sowing of the cover crops residues increased the NH
4
+
and NO
3
-
contents in the soil. Yellow lupine residue had the highest rate of daily N mineralization (0.71 mg N kg
-1
day
-1
). For all treatments, the highest mineralization rate was found in the last incubation period, ranging between 0.78 mg N kg
-1
day
-1
and 1.84 mg N kg
-1
day
-1
, both for balansa clover, from the second and the first sowing date, respectively.
Conclusion:
The present study suggests that, under Mediterranean field conditions, cover crops residue of Italian ryegrass, balansa clover and yellow lupin can be used as a nitrogen source namely for sustainable maize crops.
Metals are persistent in the environment and can cause bioaccumulation in the food chain, and contamination of agricultural soils is a growing concern due to food safety concerns and potential health ...risks. Plants accumulate metals from multiple sources, but soil plays a major role. This study aimed to determine the levels of metals including Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cr, Cd, and Pb in lupine and agricultural soil in four districts from South Gondar Zone with flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS). The levels of Mn (292–309 mg/kg), Co (44.5–48 mg/kg), Fe (148–155 mg/kg), and Zn (92.5–98.8 mg/kg) in lupine were below the World Health Organization (WHO) maximum allowable limits, but the concentrations of Ni (68.5–73.4 mg/kg), Cu (85.4–92.2 mg/kg), Cr (36.6–39.9 mg/kg), Cd (9.23–10.5 mg/kg), and Pb (12.2–12.7 mg/kg) exceeded the recommended WHO allowable limits in legumes and thus, need attention from concerned bodies. Besides, the concentrations of Co, Ni, Cu, and Cd in soil samples were above the maximum permissible limits set by WHO. Bioaccumulation Factor (BAF) of lupine at both study sites were less than one for all metals and the metal accumulation index (MAI) values of Fe and Mn were relatively higher than other metals. Therefore, the relatively low BAF values (<1) indicated that lupine has less capability of accumulating these metals from the soil.
•Lupine and soil samples were collected and then digested.•Among analyzed metals in lupine samples, Ni, Cu, Cr, Cd and Pb in were found above FAO/WHO recommended level.•Bioaccumulation Factor (BAF) were found in the range of 0.460–0.824.•Good positive correlations between most metals were obtained.
Larkspurs, lupines, and death camas can be acutely toxic to livestock and are serious poisonous plant problems in western North America. The toxicity of these plants depends on the composition and ...concentrations of the toxic alkaloids in the plants. In this study, goats and cows were dosed sub-lethal doses of larkspur, lupine, and death camas. Rumen contents and ocular fluid samples were collected, and simple extraction, sample preparation, and analytical methods were developed for the detection of toxic alkaloids in the rumen contents and ocular fluid samples. Toxic alkaloids were detected in the rumen contents and ocular fluid samples from the goats and cows dosed larkspur, lupine, and death camas. In addition, results from a case report where rumen contents were analyzed from a steer that was suspected to have died due to larkspur are reported. This demonstrates the utility of the methods described for the diagnosis of acute plant poisonings.
•Diagnosing plant poisonings in livestock is challenging.•Analytical methods for the detection of toxic plant alkaloids from the rumen contents and ocular fluid are presented.•This is the first report of the detection of plant alkaloids in the ocular fluid of ruminants.•Results of analysis of rumen contents from a steer that was suspected to have died due to larkspur are reported.
Inhibition of aluminium corrosion in 2
M sodium hydroxide solution by a package composed of the cationic surfactant cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and lupine seed extract has been ...investigated employing different electrochemical techniques and chemical gasometry measurements. Potentiodynamic polarization curve measurements showed that lupine seed extract controls both the anodic dissolution of aluminium and the hydrogen gas evolved at the cathodic sites of aluminium surface. Nyquist plots showed two capacitive semicircles in the high and low frequency regions separated by an inductive loop at intermediate frequencies. The inductive loop may be explained by the occurrence of adsorbed intermediates on the surface. A proposed equivalent circuit was used to analyse the impedance spectra for aluminium in NaOH solutions. The corrosion inhibition data have been analysed using different isotherms. The results showed excellent agreement between the kinetic–thermodynamic model and Flory–Huggins isotherm. Gasometry measurements showed that the Inhibitive effect of the surfactant increases at a composition around its critical micelle concentration (cmc). The presence of both the surfactant and lupine seed extract did not indicate synergistic action between them. The mode of adsorption of the surfactant molecules corresponding to their structure is also discussed.
To assess the ameliorative effects of exogenous proline application on salinity stress, 20, 35 and 50-day old seedlings of two lupine varieties (i.e., Giza 1 and Giza 2) grown on a saline soil (i.e., ...6.35 – 6.45 dS m-1) were sprayed with 0 (tap water as a control), 3, 6 or 9mM proline. This study was conducted in two seasons of 2012/2013 and 2013/2014. All proline levels caused a significant increase in growth characteristics, physiological attributes, yields and anatomical traits of both lupine varieties compared to the control. Among proline concentrations, 6mM proline led to the highest levels of plant growth, leaf photosynthetic pigments, total soluble sugars, endogenous proline and yields, and represented the best anatomical characteristics of the two lupine varieties. In contrast, the 6mM proline level caused the lowest levels of alkaloids under salinity stress. Giza 2 variety was found to generate better growth and yield, thus reflecting more salt-tolerance than Giza 1 variety. This study highlights the potential ameliorative effects of proline in mitigating the adverse effects of salinity stress in growing plants. To enhance lupine plant growth and productivity in saline soils, we recommend the use of proline as a commercial formulation.
•Proline can alleviate the adverse effects of soil salinity on Lupinus termis L. plants.•Growth and yield of Lupinus termis L. plants are maximized by proline under salinity stress.•Leaf photosynthetic pigments are maintained by proline application under soil salinity.•Increased alkaloids with salinity are reduced by exogenous proline.•Stem anatomical traits are improved by proline application under salinity stress.
•Increasing moisture content and defatting enhance protein purity.•Pre-treatments involving soaking detrimentally affect dry separation.•Electrostatic separation increased protein content of ...air-classified fractions.•Electrostatic separation of lupine is independent of initial protein content.
Air classification is a milder and more sustainable method to obtain protein-enriched fractions than commonly used wet fractionation. The protein content of air-classified fractions is generally lower than obtained with wet methods, therefore we applied pre- and post-treatments to increase the protein purity. A starch-rich legume, pea, and an oil-rich legume, lupine, were pre-treated by varying the moisture content, defatting, soaking or freezing cycles. Higher moisture contents and defatting of lupine increased the protein purity, but lower moisture contents increased the protein yield. Soaking and freezing cycles lowered the particle density, which impaired the separation. Electrostatic separation is based on electrostatic charging behaviour and was successfully applied to enrich air-classified fractions by separating protein and fibre into oppositely charged fractions. The results showed that pre- and post-treatments yielded protein fractions that are significantly purer than those obtained in single-step milling and air classification.
Uncontrolled mine waste disposal globally poses severe environmental and health risks due to high concentrations of toxic substances like heavy metals and organic pollutants. This jeopardizes soil ...fertility and ecological balance. In this study, we adopted a novel approach based on the use of low-cost amendments that can be used in small to tailing sites for better plant growth and reducing health risks. On a 37-ha-old abandoned pyrrhotite mine site (Kettara) which was operated for 34 years near Marrakesh a high amount of tailing material low in organic C, high in salt contents, and contaminated by various heavy metals still exists. This material is low in fertility and is only patchily discovered by vegetation which should hinder the material of aeolian erosion. To increase the fertility of the material and improve vegetation growth, the soil material has to be improved by different organo-mineral amendments and their combinations as Marble waste (Mw), Clay (Cy), and Compost (Cp). To determine the impact of these amendments on plant growth the fast-growing Lupinus angustifolius L. a legume plant found close to the mining site, identified with the Regional Herbarium 'MARK' code: MARK-14861. This plant serves as a pivotal component in the comprehensive approach aimed at rehabilitating the soils surrounding the mining site. To identify the most effective organo-mineral amendment, we examined 65 combinations by mixing mine tailing soils with varying proportions (2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, or 10%) of the three distinct amendments and its combinations (Com), to identify the optimal rate for effective seeds germination and plant growth. Preliminary results on the germination index of L. angustifolius seeds revealed that four combinations (Com1: Cy2.5-Cp2.5-Mw10; Com2: Cy2.5-Cp5-Mw5; Com3: Cy7.5-Cp2.5-Mw7.5; and Com4: Cy10-Cp10-Mw10) maintained a high index due to improved soil properties. These combinations were used as the soil substrate material for a greenhouse experiment where plant growth, heavy metals accumulation, soil characteristics, and available metal content were determined. Our findings demonstrated that incorporating these four organo-mineral soil amendments into Kettara mine tailings led to a significant enhancement in plant growth. Notably, L. angustifolius plants exhibited a preferential accumulation of heavy metals in the root’s biomass (Cu: 565.60, Zn: 433.52, and Pb: 301.44 mg kg−1) with limited translocation to shoot parts (Cu: 37.44, Zn: 28.40, and Pb: 19.36 mg kg−1), particularly following the application of Com4. Furthermore, the properties of the mine soil were improved, including both neutralization of acidic soil pH (3 to ∼ 7) and reduction of metal elements bioavailability. Specifically, Com1, Com3, and Com4 effectively decreased the mobile fraction of metals in the tested mine tailings to exceptionally low levels achieving a reduction of 99% for copper, lead, and zinc, and 95% for arsenic. Our findings from this study indicated that our amendment holds promising potential for enhancing both plant growth and soil fertility, while simultaneously mitigating the mobility of heavy metals in heavy metal-contaminated acidic mine soils.
•The synergistic use of marble waste with compost's buffering properties and the binding capabilities of organo-mineral materials (compost and clay), led to a significant reduction in the mobile fraction of heavy metals for Cu, Pb and Zn by 99% and 95% for arsenic declining health risk of former mining soils.•The germination index of L. angustifolius seeds revealed that four combinations (Com1: Cy2.5-Cp2.5-Mw10; Com2: Cy2.5-Cp5-Mw5; Com3: Cy7.5-Cp2.5-Mw7.5; and Com4: Cy10-Cp10-Mw10) maintained a high index of germination due to improved soil properties.•L. angustifolius plants exhibited a preferential accumulation of heavy metals in the root’s biomass (Cu: 565.60 mg kg−1, Zn: 433.52 mg kg−1, and Pb: 301.44 mg kg−1) with limited translocation to shoot parts.
•A normalised real-time PCR assay targeting the Lup a 4 gene of lupine was proposed.•A sensitivity down to 0.0005% (w/w) of lupine in rice flour was achieved.•Food matrix and baking affected ...negatively the quantitative performance of assay.•The validated method enable quantifying 4.12–22.9% of lupine in processed foods.•Most foods labelled as “may contain traces of lupine” were negative for lupine.
Lupine is widely used as an ingredient in diverse food products, but it is also a source of allergens. This work aimed at proposing a method to detect/quantify lupine as an allergen in processed foods based on a normalised real-time PCR assay targeting the Lup a 4 allergen-encoding gene of Lupinus albus. Sensitivities down to 0.0005%, 0.01% and 0.05% (w/w) of lupine in rice flour, wheat flour and bread, respectively, and 1 pg of L. albus DNA were obtained, with adequate real-time PCR performance parameters using the ΔCt method. Both food matrix and processing affected negatively the quantitative performance of the assay. The method was successfully validated with blind samples and applied to processed foods. Lupine was estimated between 4.12 and 22.9% in foods, with some results suggesting the common practice of precautionary labelling. In this work, useful and effective tools were proposed for the detection/quantification of lupine in food products.
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