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Chapter
No-till Farming Systems for Sustainable Agriculture: An Overview
No-till (NT) farming systems have revolutionized agriculture by improving erosion control, soil water storage, soil quality and, in many instances, yield and net farm income. The adoption of NT systems has inc...
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Chapter
No-Till Systems to Sequester Soil Carbon: Potential and Reality
The conversion of soils from conventional till (CT) to no-till (NT) management has been identified as a soil management practice with the potential to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration and help ...
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Article
Absorption of foliar applied Zn is decreased in Zn deficient sunflower (Helianthus annuus) due to changes in leaf properties
Despite the importance of foliar Zn fertilisation, it remains unclear how the Zn status of the plant itself influences the efficacy of foliar applied Zn, with this forming the focus of the present study.
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Article
Selection for rapid germination and emergence may improve wheat seedling establishment in the presence of soil surface crusts
Semi-arid crop** regions are commonly affected by surface crusting of sodic soils, resulting in reduced seedling emergence and grain yield. Although seedlings of different genotypes potentially differ in the...
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Article
The effect of salinity on plant-available water
Plant-available water is determined by soil matric and osmotic potential. The effect of salinity is a combination of the osmotic potential, the plant’s capacity to osmotically adjust, and the specific toxicity...
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Article
Sulfur dynamics in sub-tropical soils of Australia as influenced by long-term cultivation
Deficiencies of S in agricultural crops are becoming more common but comparatively little is known regarding the kinetics of cultivation-induced long-term changes in soil S pools.
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Article
Kinetics and mechanisms of cowpea root adaptation to changes in solution calcium
Close regulation of cellular Ca in roots is required in the face of marked changes in soil solution Ca over time and space. This study’s aims were to quantify and gain insights into the ways in which roots res...
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Article
A web-accessible computer program for calculating electrical potentials and ion activities at cell-membrane surfaces
Increasing evidence indicates that plant responses to ions (uptake/transport, inhibition, and alleviation of inhibition) are dependent upon ion activities at the outer surface of root-cell plasma membranes (PM...
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Article
Identifying the species of copper that are toxic to plant roots in alkaline nutrient solutions
The pH of the growth medium influences Cu speciation in solution, the negativity of plasma membrane (PM) surface potential, and hence the rhizotoxicity of Cu.
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Article
Interaction between Cu toxicity and P deficiency in soil-grown cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.)
Anthropogenic contamination with Cu is an important issue and it is necessary to understand how Cu toxicity influences the uptake/acquisition of nutrients by plants. An experiment was conducted with soil-grown...
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Article
Comparative hydrolysis and sorption of Al and La onto plant cell wall material and pectic materials
Pectin, which is an important component of plant cell walls, strongly binds Al and this may play a role in expression of Al toxicity. Sorption of aluminium (Al) and lanthanum (La) from aqueous solutions onto p...
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Article
Toxicity of Cd to signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens Stapf.) and Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana Kunth.)
Given that Cd accumulates within plant tissues to levels that are toxic to animals, it is necessary to understand the role of plants in highly Cd-contaminated systems and their subsequent impact on the health ...
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Article
Toxic effects of Ni2+ on growth of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)
Despite the importance of Ni-polluted soils throughout the world, comparatively little is known about the activity of Ni2+ required to reduce plant growth and the effects that Ni2+ toxicity has on the plant. Cowp...
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Article
Effect of Cu Toxicity on Growth of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)
Accurate determination of the rhizotoxicity of Cu in dilute nutrient solutions is hindered by the difficulty of maintaining constant, pre-determined concentrations of Cu (micromolar) in solution. The critical Cu2...
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Article
Mg induced Ca deficiency under alkaline conditions
Little is known about Mg induced Ca deficiency in alkaline conditions, and the relationship between Mg induced Ca deficiency and Na induced Ca deficiency. Dilute nutrient solutions (dominated by Mg) were used ...
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Article
Assessment of P availability in heavily fertilized soils using the diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) technique
Phosphorus-availability tests typically provide an indication of quantity of P available (Colwell bicarbonate-extractable P), or of the intensity of supply (0.01 M CaCl2-extractable P). The soil’s capacity to buf...
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Article
Effect of pH on Na induced Ca deficiency
Although it is well known that high Na concentrations induce Ca deficiency in acidic conditions, the effect of high pH on this competitive mechanism is not so well understood. The effect of Ca activity ratio (...
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Article
Control of nutrient solutions for studies at high pH
Little is known about factors effecting plant growth at high pH, with research often limited by the inability to separate nutritional deficiencies and HCO 3 − ...
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Article
Effect of Mn deficiency and legume inoculation on rhizosphere pH in highly alkaline soils
Although plant growth is often limited at high pH, little is known about root-induced changes in the rhizospheres of plants growing in alkaline soils. The effect of Mn deficiency in Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana c...