Artificial cultivation of a novel wild strain of Lepista sordida (Sowerby) Pat from south west China

A novel wild strain of Lepista sordida mushroom was collected from a soybean field in Liujiaba at Dazhou district of south western area of China in 2015.The morphological description and molecular identification were conducted to confirm the species. In the present study, optimization was carried out from mycelial growth and fruit body production. For DAAS-E70, the best growth rate was obtained using yeast malt extract, pH 6.0 and temperature 25°C. The wheat grain mushroom spawn was used for upscaling of the mycelium to be used for fruiting body production. In the field experiments, the average biological efficiency of DAAS-E70 was higher than that of Jilin-1, in which, DAAS-E70 accounting for 41.22% of the average biological efficiency, while the Jilin-1 was 35.02%. The stable biological efficiency of DAAS-E70 in different environments and seasons showed that the DAAS-E70 could be used for its commercial cultivation and could provide a new reference for its artificial domestication. Bangladesh J. Bot. 50(3): 813-818, 2021 (September) Special

Response of soybean (Glycine max) to Rhizobia inoculation, mineral nitrogen and inoculation amendment at the two agro ecological zones of northern Nigerian savannah

For sustainable agriculture nitrogen must be adequately supplied because it is the most limiting major nutrient required by all living plants. This experiment was conducted at the two ecological zones, Sudan savannah in Kano State and Guinea savannah in Bauchi state of Nigeria during the 2016 cropping season. The design of the experiment was Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with seven treatments and four replications in each site. The treatments were; legume fix, alosca, 50 kg N ha-1, cattle manure, legume fix + cattle manure, alosca + cattle manure and control. The result showed that Legume fix had the highest grain N uptake (90.51 kg N ha-1) which differed significantly (P≤0.001) from the rest of the treatments. At Guinea savannah legume fix gave the highest N uptake value (95.53 kg N ha-1) which was significantly different from all treatments except legume fix + cattle manure. However, 50 kg N ha-1 gave the least (48.64 kg N ha-1) even lower than the control and differs significantly with the rest of treatments (P≤0.001). Legume fix gave the highest P uptake value (9.66 kg P ha-1) which significantly differed from all other treatments. At Sudan savannah, significant differences (P ≤ 0.001) occurred between some of the treatments. Alosca + cattle manure recorded the highest K uptake (49.99 kg K ha-1). Result for the fixed N in the Sudan and Guinea savannahs soybean field revealed a significant difference between the treatments and the control.

Recent Discovery of Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson in Italy: Characterization of ALS-Resistant Populations and Sensitivity to Alternative Herbicides

Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson (Amaranthaceae Juss.) is a dioecious noxious weed, native to the Americas, which infests summer crops. It causes high crop losses, and rapidly evolves resistance to herbicides. In Europe, A. palmeri was recorded mostly as a casual alien, but in 2018 it was reported infesting a soybean field in Italy, and the next year two more populations were found in the same area. Experiments were conducted on these three populations to evaluate the resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides, to determine the main resistance mechanisms involved and assess the efficacy of alternative herbicides with different sites of action than ALS. The three populations were confirmed cross-resistant to ALS-inhibiting herbicides (thifensulfuron-methyl and imazamox). Gene sequencing identified a Trp to Leu substitution at position 574 of ALS gene in resistant plants, proving that the main resistance mechanism for the three populations is target-site related. The presence of other resistance mechanisms cannot be excluded. Metobromuron, metribuzin and glyphosate are still effective on these populations.

Responses of Soil Microbial Biomass and Enzyme Activities to Natural Restoration of Reclaimed Temperate Marshes After Abandonment

Restoration of reclaimed marshes has great effects on soil biological processes. However, the responses of soil microbial properties (microbial biomass and enzyme activities) to natural restoration of reclaimed marshes is poorly studied, especially in a long restoration chronosequence. This study assessed the responses of soil microbial properties to natural restoration and investigated the relationships between soil microbial properties and soil physico-chemical and plant properties. We selected a restoration chronosequence (1, 4, 8, 13, 17, 27 years) after farmland abandonment, a soybean field, and a natural marsh in Sanjiang Plain, northeast China. For each site, we analyzed the soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen (MBC and MBN), four enzymes (β-glucosidase, invertase, catalase, urease) activities, soil physico-chemical properties at 0–50 cm depths, and plant properties (biomass, height, and coverage). The MBC and MBN contents increased with restoration time, but MBN content slowed down after 8 years of restoration. After 27 years of restoration, the soil MBC and MBN contents were 15.7 and 3.2 times of those in the soybean field, but the largest contents of MBC and MBN in the restored sites were 7.78%, 27.76% lower than those in natural marshes, respectively. Moreover, soil enzyme activities and the geometric mean of enzymatic activities (GME) also increased with restoration but slowed down after 13 years of restoration. After 27 years of restoration, the GME was 2.9 times than that in the soybean field, but the largest GME in the restored sites was 31.15% lower than that in the natural marsh. MBC and MBN contents, soil enzyme activities, and GME had significant relationships with soil C:N ratio, organic carbon, nutrients (total nitrogen, available nitrogen, total phosphorus), bulk density, moisture content, pH, plant properties, (i.e. biomass, height, and coverage) (p < 0.01). Redundancy analysis revealed that soil C:N ratio, pH, moisture content, total nitrogen and phosphorus were main factors affecting MBC and MBN contents and enzyme activities. In conclusion, soil microbial properties can respond positively to the natural restoration process of the reclaimed marshes and were significantly correlated with specific parameters of soil physico-chemical and plant properties.

Effect of row spacing and herbicide programs for control of glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) in dicamba/glyphosate-resistant soybean

Glyphosate-resistant (GR) Palmer amaranth is one of the most difficult to control weeds in soybean production fields in Nebraska and the United States. An integrated approach is required for effective management of GR Palmer amaranth. Cultural practices such as narrow row spacing might augment herbicide efficacy for management of GR Palmer amaranth. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of row spacing and herbicide programs for management of GR Palmer amaranth in dicamba/glyphosate-resistant (DGR) soybean. Field experiments were conducted in a grower’s field with a uniform population of GR Palmer amaranth near Carleton, Nebraska in 2018 and 2019. Year-by-herbicide program-by-row spacing interactions were significant for all variables; therefore, data were analyzed by year. Herbicides applied preemergence (PRE) controlled GR Palmer amaranth ≥ 95% in both years 14 d after PRE (DAPRE). Across soybean row-spacing, most PRE fb early-POST (EPOST) herbicide programs provided 84% to 97% control of Palmer amaranth compared with most EPOST fb late-post (LPOST) programs, excluding dicamba in single and sequential applications (82% to 95% control). Mixing microencapsulated acetochlor with a POST herbicide in PRE fb EPOST herbicide programs controlled Palmer amaranth ≥ 93% 14 DAEPOST and ≥ 96% 21 DALPOST with no effect on Palmer amaranth density. Interaction of herbicide program-by-row spacing on Palmer amaranth control was not significant; however, biomass reduction was significant at soybean harvest in 2019. The herbicide programs evaluated in this study caused no soybean injury. Due to drought conditions during a majority of the 2018 growing season, soybean yield in 2018 was reduced compared to 2019.