Research Paper
Plant Nutrition, Soil Fertility and Fertilizers
Narges sousaraeS; Mojtaba Barani Motlagh; Seyed Alireza Movahedi Naeini
Abstract
Introduction: When the supply of micronutrients needed by the plant is insufficient, not only the yield of the product but also the quality of plant products are affected. Application of organic amendments is one of the ways to increase the nutrients such as zinc uptake by plants for. Biochar can be ...
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Introduction: When the supply of micronutrients needed by the plant is insufficient, not only the yield of the product but also the quality of plant products are affected. Application of organic amendments is one of the ways to increase the nutrients such as zinc uptake by plants for. Biochar can be used as a raw material for the preparation and synthesis of mineral or metal composites due to its high specific surface area, porous structure and oxygen bonding groups on its surface. In these composites, biochar is used as a good porous structure to support and host metals. Biochar can have a significant impact on soil properties, the availability of nutrients, and the dynamics of the nutrients in arid and semi-arid soils, Depending on the feedstock and pyrolysis conditions However, very limited studies have examined biochar use as a nutrient carrier in the synthesis of organic-mineral compounds. Therefore, the present study was done to investigate the efficiency of zinc-enriched biochar pellets using two pre-pyrolysis and post- pyrolysis methods, and their effect on some physiological traits (chlorophyll a, b and total) and bioavailability of zinc in soil and plant.Methods and Materials A zinc deficiency Soil was collected from 0-30 cm depth under arable lands of Seyed Abad located in Azadshahr township, Golestan Province, Iran. To achieve the objectives of this study, a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications and 18 treatments (54 pots in total) was performed in the greenhouse of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Factors included three types of zinc fertilizers (zinc sulphate, zinc-rich biochar prepared using pre-pyrolysis and post-pyrolysis methods) in three levels (0, 10 and 20 mg kg-1 zinc) and foliar spraying (distilled water and 3:1000 zinc). Zinc foliar spraying was done during the 6-10 leaf stage in the early hours of the morning before sunrise. Irrigation and weeding operations were performed manually. At the end of the growing period (vegetative and reproductive), some physiological traits (chlorophyll a, b, total and carotenoid), concentration and zinc uptake in shoots in the two stages of flag leaf emergence and seed maturity, and available concentration of zinc in the soil after wheat plant harvest were measured. The statistical results of the data were analyzed using SAS software and LSD test (at 5% level) was used for comparing the mean values.Results and Discussion: Based on the results, the interaction of type and levels of treatments was significant on all the studied traits at P<0.01, except for carotenoid. The means comparison showed that both zinc-enriched biochar pellets and zinc sulfate increased physiological traits in wheat plants. The highest amount of chlorophyll a, b, and total was obtained with an average of 4.99, 3.36, and 8.35 mg g-1 of fresh weight of the plant from the treatment of a pre-pyrolysis pellet with a concentration of 20 mg kg-1 with zinc sulfate foliar spraying, respectively. The highest zinc uptake in both the flag leaf emergence and seed maturity stages was obtained with an average of 120.33 and 86.62 mg kg-1 of dry weight of the plant from the pre and post-pyrolysis pellet treatment with a concentration of 20 mg/kkg with zinc sulfate foliar spraying, which had an increase of 20 mg kg-1 of zinc sulfate foliar spraying, respectively, equivalent to 27.69 and 30%. The pre-pyrolysis pellet treatment with 20 mg kg-1 zinc and zinc sulfate foliar spraying gave the most zinc extracted with DTPA, at an average of 3.41 mg kg-1. This was compared to the 10 mg kg-1 and 0 mg kg-1 pre-pyrolysis biochar pellet treatments, which gave an average of 2.39 mg kg-1 and 0.92 mg kg-1, respectively, which is an increase of 29.91 and 73.02 percent. The amount of DTPA extractable Zn with the amount of chlorophyll a (r = 0.87**), chlorophyll b (r = 0.81**), total chlorophyll (r = 0.87**), and carotenoids (r = 0.89**) had a positive and significant correlation. The results showed that between DTPA extractable Zn with zinc concentration (r = 0.91**) and zinc uptake (r = 0.90**) in the stage of flag emergence and zinc concentration (r = 0.87**) and zinc uptake (r = 0.86**) in the stage of seed maturity in the wheat plant, there was a positive and significant correlation.Conclusions: In general, the results showed that the positive role of biochar-zinc pellets in increasing the concentration and zinc uptake in wheat plants. Nevertheless, supplemental zinc foliar application with biochar pellets rich in zinc in the amount of 20 mg kg-1 in the form of post-pyrolysis had the greatest effect on the physiological characteristics and Zn bioavailability for wheat plants.
Applicable
Plant Nutrition, Soil Fertility and Fertilizers
Esmaeil Khaleghi; Mehrangiz Chehrazi; Hojjat Shirazi
Abstract
Introduction
Anthurium (Anthurium scherzerianum schott) is one of the most important ornamental plants with beautiful leaves and flowers. The quantitative and qualitative characteristics of this flower can be affected by many factors, including the cultivation and feeding system. Biochar is a carbon-rich ...
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Introduction
Anthurium (Anthurium scherzerianum schott) is one of the most important ornamental plants with beautiful leaves and flowers. The quantitative and qualitative characteristics of this flower can be affected by many factors, including the cultivation and feeding system. Biochar is a carbon-rich solid material that is produced during the process of pyrolysis (decomposition of organic materials by heat in the absence of oxygen or a small amount of oxygen). It includes elements such as (Si, P, S, N, H, O, K, alkali cations and heavy metals) with different proportions. In addition, humic acid is used as a biological polymer in the agricultural field to increase the efficiency of cultivation of various plant products, improve the efficiency of fertilizer consumption, the possibility of using it in soilless and greenhouse cultivation environments and increasing the efficiency of water consumption.
Materials and Methods
This study was conducted to investigate the effect of biochar and humic acid on the quantitative, qualitative and nutritional characteristics of anthurium flowers as a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design in three replications in the greenhouse of the Faculty of Agriculture of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz during 2017-2018. In order to perform this experiment, first, Anthurium seedlings were prepared from the Anthurium flower production greenhouse located in Pakdasht Varamin and transferred to the greenhouse of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. Then they were cultivated in 15 liter pots containing cocopeat and perlite in a ratio of 1:1. The treatments included biochar at 3 levels (0%, 5%, and 10% by weight), which was provided to the substrate at the same time as cultivation, and humic acid at 3 concentrations of 0, 500, and 1000 mg/liter. The end of experiment, indicators such as fresh and dry weight of roots, root surface, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b and carotenoids, total soluble carbohydrates, nitrogen and potassium were measured.
Results and Discussion
The results showed that the use of biochar and humic acid significantly increased the morphological characteristics such as fresh and dry weight of roots, number of leaves, root surface and leaf surface. The highest fresh weight (50.62 grams) and dry weight (5.12 grams) of the root was obtained by using 10% biochar along with 1000 mg/liter of humic acid. There was a significant difference between plants treated with 1000 mg/liter of humic acid and 500 mg/liter of humic acid in all different levels of biochar on leaf number. The highest number of leaves (82.66) in the highest concentration of humic acid and biochar were obtained. The highest number of flowers was obtained at the highest level of humic acid and biochar. Also, biochemical properties such as chlorophyll and carotenoid and nutritional properties such as nitrogen and potassium increased significantly under the influence of treatments. The increase in growth parameters can be due to the effect of these two compounds in increasing the photosynthetic pigments, improving the absorption of water and nutrients, including nitrogen and potassium. Biochar, as a compound resulting from the anaerobic pyrolysis of different biomasses, changes the physical and chemical characteristics of the cultivation environment and increases the capacity to hold water and nutrients, increase total porosity and ventilation porosity, living and non-living biological compounds. On the other hand, humic acid, as a biopolymer, has a high ability to stimulate chemical reactions in the plant environment, especially in the rhizosphere of the plant. It is worth mentioning that the behavior of humic acid as a biopolymer in the plant environment can also affect the secondary metabolites of the plant, which has been reported in various studies for plants.
Conclusion
In general, Mechanisms such as increasing root activity due to increasing cationic capacity, increasing water retention capacity in the culture medium, increasing biological activities in the culture medium during the application of biochar are important and key factors that they can affect the absorption of different nutrients and the biochemical reactions of the rhizosphere environment of the plant. Therefore, the results showed that the consumption of biochar and humic acid significantly increased in vegetative characteristics, reproductive characteristics, photosynthetic pigments and nutritional elements such as nitrogen and potassium. The use of 10% biochar and 1000 mg/liter of humic acid was the most effective treatment in improving the mentioned factors.
Applicable
Post-harvest technology
Saleh Azari; Esmaeil Mirzaee- Ghaleh; Hekmat Rabbani; Hamed Karami
Abstract
Introduction: Coffee is a common drink which is obtained from the roasted and ground beans of the coffee plant. Coffee beverages are widely consumed as a stimulant, a property largely attributed to the presence of caffeine, which is the most active pharmaceutical ingredient consumed worldwide. When the ...
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Introduction: Coffee is a common drink which is obtained from the roasted and ground beans of the coffee plant. Coffee beverages are widely consumed as a stimulant, a property largely attributed to the presence of caffeine, which is the most active pharmaceutical ingredient consumed worldwide. When the fruit of the coffee plant ripens, the coffee beans are harvested, processed, and finally dried. Dried coffee beans are roasted to different degrees and graded depending on the desired aroma and taste. It is very important to detect natural and unnatural impurities and adulteration in coffee.
Materials and Methods: An odor machine system based on eight MOS sensors was used to investigate the effect of bread storage time based on odor characteristics. The designed system includes a data acquisition system, sensors, sensor shield, sample container, power supply, connections, electric valves, air pump, and air filter. The sensor array consisted of 8 MOS sensors, including MQ136, TGS822, MQ9, MQ3, TGS813, TG2620, TG2602, and MQ135, each reacting to specific volatile compounds. These sensors are widely used in olfactory machines because of their high chemical stability, high durability, low response to moisture, and affordable prices. They are the most commonly used sensors in electronic nose systems. Sensors are the main components of an electronic nose system; therefore, it is necessary to select sensors able to detect differences among samples. In this research, the use of electronic nose technology and artificial intelligence was evaluated to detect common adulteration in Arabica coffee (Medium Dark). Robusta coffee samples with weight percentages of 10, 40, 30, 20, and 50% were used for experiments and adulteration. An electronic nose equipped with eight metal oxide sensors was used to carry out experiments related to odor. The data received from 8 sensors was first recorded and stored as raw data. In this research, the fractional method was used to normalize the data. Preprocessed data were used as the input matrix for multivariate analytical methods. The unsupervised multivariate principal component analysis (PCA) method was used to analyze the data. The LDA method was used to reduce classification differences and expand the differences between different groups. The artificial neural networks (ANN) method was used for classification. All calculations and analyses were done using Excel 2016, Unscrambler x10.4, and MATLAB software. Model evaluation criteria are used to evaluate algorithm performance in supervised learning. To analyze the system's performance, common criteria including Specificity, Recall, Precision, Accuracy, Area Under the Curve (AUC), and F-score were used.
Results and Discussion: The results of PCA showed that 87% of the total variance of the data was explained by PC1, and 8% by PC2, and the two main components constituted 95% of the total variance of the normalized data. Based on the results, pure Robusta coffee (B) was located on the right side of the PCA diagram and completely separate from other levels of adulteration. Also, pure Arabica coffee (A) was placed in the vicinity of counterfeit samples, and all counterfeit samples showed the same behavior as Arabica coffee, which is very difficult to distinguish. The loading diagram was examined to determine the role of sensors in separating the groups. Based on the loading diagram for coffee adulteration detection, the sensors that had the highest value on the principal component were MQ9, TGS822, and MQ136. Other sensors also showed a high correlation with the smell of the samples. In other words, other sensors could be neglected. The models of artificial neural networks analysis were evaluated by the correct classification rate (CCR), root mean square error (RMSE), and coefficient of determination (R2). According to the results obtained for 7 different coffee groups, the 7-8-8 structure had the best results. This structure has 8 neurons in the input layer (number of sensors), a hidden layer with 8 neurons, and 7 neurons in the output layer (7 groups). The average values of the class obtained from the ANN model for the parameters of accuracy, precision, recall, specificity, area under the curve (AUC), and F-score were equal to 0.984, 0.952, 0.943, 0.990, 0.971, and 0.942, respectively. Also, the ANN method showed higher accuracy than the LDA method.
Conclusion: The electronic nose showed that it is a fast and effective tool for detecting adulteration substances in coffee.
