Dynamic Soil, Dynamic Plant

Abbreviation: Dyn. Soil Dyn. Plant

Print: ISSN 1749-6500

Scope and target readership: Dynamic Soil, Dynamic Plant publishes research papers, reviews, short communications and techniques
papers on a wide range of applications of soil science, applying scientific principles to understand and solve important soil problems as
they affect plant growth, development, flowering and other processes linking the plant to the soil environment. Dynamic Soil, Dynamic
Plant also covers all aspects of soil biology which deal with floral ecology or the plant-microbe ecology and activity in soils, at different
levels of organization: individuals, populations, communities, ecosystems using a range of approaches: molecular biology, genetics,
ecophysiology, biogeography, ecology, soil processes, organic matter, nutrient dynamics and landscape ecology.

Papers covering the following themes are acceptable:
1) Biological transformations of plant nutrients in soil;
2) Community ecology and functioning processes: interactions between plants and mineral or organic compounds; involvement of such
interactions in soil pathogenicity; transformation of mineral and organic compounds, cycling of elements; soil structure;
3) Modelling of plant processes and population dynamics;
4) Nitrogen fixation and denitrification;
5) Pathogenesis: soil-borne phases of plant parasites, the ecological control of soil-borne pathogens;
6) Pesticides and their influence on soil organisms;
7) Physical, chemical and biological parameters of the soil environment brought about by biotic and abiotic influences;
8) Population biology and molecular ecology: methodological development and contribution to study microbial and plant populations;
diversity and population dynamics; genetic transfers, influence of environmental factors;
9) Soil biology, physics and chemistry: occurrence of physicochemical parameters and surface properties on plant processes and
population behaviour;
10) Soil pollution: the biochemistry of pesticide and pollution decomposition in soil, microbial aspects of soil pollution;
11) Soil tillage: characterization or modelling of tillage and field traffic effects on the soil environment; tillage systems (including
reduced cultivation and direct drilling) suitable for specific conditions of soil, climate, topography, irrigation and drainage with the
objective of improving crops, crop rotations, intensities for fertilization, degree of mechanization, and crop production for
sustainable agriculture with minimum environmental impacts; tillage in weed, pest and disease control.

Editor-in-Chief
Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva, Japan

Technical Editor
Kasumi Shima, Japan

Editorial Board and Advisory Panels

Agricultural and Agronomic Science (D1)
Emilio Cervantes, Spain
Suriyan Cha-um, Thailand
Thomas Dubois, Uganda
Hany A. El-Shemy, Egypt
Faouzi Haouala, Tunisia
Pranab Hazra, India
Xinhua He, Japan
Hashem Hussein, Egypt
Domingo Iglesias, Spain
Xinxian Li, Japan
Moahammad J. Malakouti, Iran
Reda Moghaieb, Egypt
Pio Colepicolo, Brazil
P. Ponmurugan, India
Gamal Hassan Rabie, Egypt
M. Mehdi Sharifani, Iran
Aluri Jacob Solomon Raju, India
S. Sudhakaran, India
James T. Tambong, Canada
Daniel Valero, Spain
Rajeev K. Varshney, India
Teferi Yeshitela, South Africa
Bioremediation and Bioavailability (D3)
Abdolkarim Chehregani, Iran
Jude C. Igwe, Nigeria
Anushree Malik, India
Benkeblia Noureddine, Japan
Geert Potters, Belgium
S. Sudhakaran, India

Soil Systems (D16)
Hany A. El-Shemy, Egypt
Xinhua He, Japan
Harminder Pal Singh, India
P. Ponmurugan, India
Gamal Hassan Rabie, Egypt
S. Sudhakaran, India
James T. Tambong, Canada

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Editorial Office: Takamatsu, Japan
Accounting: Lagos, Portugal

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Dynamic Soil, Dynamic Plant 2007 Global Science Books, Ltd.
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Cover photo: Flavonoid-mediated processes during the development of Rhizobium-legume symbiosis and nodulation. More
details in Reddy et al., pp 83-94.

Disclaimers: All comments, conclusions, opinions, and recommendations are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the publisher, or the Editor(s). GSB does not specifically endorse any product mentioned in any
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Printed in Japan on acid-free paper.

CONTENTS

Anne Kasurinen, Petri A. Peltonen, Jarmo K. Holopainen, Elina Vapaavuori, Toini Holopainen (Finland) Leaf Litter
Under Changing Climate: Will Increasing Levels of CO
2
and O
3
Affect Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling Processes?

Carlos A. Barassi, Rolando J. Sueldo, Cecilia M. Creus, Liliana E. Carrozzi, Elda M. Casanovas, Mara A. Pereyra
(Argentina) Azospirillum spp., a Dynamic Soil Bacterium Favourable to Vegetable Crop Production

Pallavolu M. Reddy, Martha Rendn-Anaya, Mara de los Dolores Soto del Ro, Sanghamitra Khandual (Mexico)
Flavonoids as Signaling Molecules and Regulators of Root Nodule Development

Ernest F. Bazen, James A. Larson, Roland K. Roberts (USA) Economics of Fertility Management in Cotton Production in
the United States

Peter Wafula Masinde (Kenya), Christopher Ochieng Ojiewo (Japan), Kenji Murakami (Kenya), Stephen Gaya Agong
(Japan) Scaling up Production of Traditional Green Leafy Vegetables in Kenya: Perspectives on Water and Nitrogen
Management

P.W. Masinde (Kenya), C.O. Ojiewo (Japan), S.G. Agong (Kenya), M. Masuda (Japan) Plant Growth, Water Relations and
Gas Exchange of Octoploid and Tetraploid Solanum villosum Mill. ssp. miniatum (Bernh. ex Wild.) Edmonds under Water
Deficit Conditions






































58


68


83


95



105



112








Dynamic Soi l, Dynamic Plant, VOLUME 1, NUMBER 2, 2007

Anne Kasurinen, Petri A. Peltonen, Jarmo K. Holopainen, Elina Vapaavuori, Toini Holopainen (Finland) Leaf Litter Under
Changing Climate: Will Increasing Levels of CO
2
and O
3
Affect Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling Processes? (pp 58-67)

ABSTRACT
Invited Review: In this manuscript we review existing information about CO
2
and O
3
effects on leaf litter as well as discuss the
potential impacts of climate change on decomposition processes and tree nutrition. So far field studies show that the average
response to elevated CO
2
is increased litter production and increased litter C:N-ratios, the latter response being more
prominent in deciduous than in coniferous trees. The few O
3
studies indicate that O
3
stress may decrease some nutrient
concentrations, but O
3
effects on carbon-based compounds are more ambiguous. In general, field incubation studies show only
some small or inconsistent CO
2
- and O
3
-induced changes in litter mass loss rates. On the other hand, recent long-term studies
indicate that there are some CO
2
and O
3
effects on microbial functioning in the soil (e.g. CO
2
stimulates and O
3
dampens it),
although the onset of these microbial responses may take years. Nonetheless, at the moment there is no consistent evidence of
CO
2
-induced and microbe-mediated progressive nitrogen limitation in temperate forests. Elevated O
3
effects on nutrient cycling
are far less studied, and also more information about long-term CO
2
and O
3
effects on decomposition and nutrient cycling in
boreal forests is still needed. Furthermore, some results indicate that the combined effects cannot be predicted on the basis of
single exposures and therefore, the effects of increasing CO
2
and O
3
on decomposition and nutrient cycling processes must be
studied in combination.

Carlos A. Barassi, Rolando J. Sueldo, Cecilia M. Creus, Liliana E. Carrozzi, Elda M. Casanovas, Mara A. Pereyra
(Argentina) Azospirillum spp., a Dynamic Soil Bacterium Favourable to Vegetable Crop Production (pp 68-82)

ABSTRACT
Invited Review: The soil is not merely an inert support for anchoring the plant. Its complexity and dynamics determine the way
plants will grow and develop. In these processes, the root and its interaction with the different abiotic and biotic soil components
represent a key point in the acquisition of water and essential nutrients. However, anthropogenic effects on the environment
including soil and water deterioration and contamination could alter these relationships. In addition to these, vegetable
production presents diverse problems, which could be mitigated by the use of plant-growth promoting microorganisms (PGPMs).
On the soil, PGPMs could contribute to solubilize and/or to acquire essential minerals, making scarce nutrients more available
to the plant. On the host, they stimulate several physiological changes that could lead to a better growth and to a plant more
tolerant to abiotic stresses. Amongst PGPMs, Azospirillum is one of the most studied genera. Even though it colonizes different
plant species in an ample variety of soils, its favourable effects on vegetable germination, emergence and growth, have not
been thoroughly studied. This review describes the beneficial effects PGPM inoculation could have on vegetables growing
either under normal or stressful conditions, with an emphasis on the use of Azospirillum. It also focuses on the recent advances
on Azospirillum-plant interactions and the bacterial mechanisms of plant growth promotion.

Pallavolu M. Reddy, Martha Rendn-Anaya, Mara de los Dolores Soto del Ro, Sanghamitra Khandual (Mexico)
Flavonoids as Signaling Molecules and Regulators of Root Nodule Development (pp 83-94)

ABSTRACT
Invited Review: Flavonoids are a diverse class of secondary plant metabolites, synthesized from phenylpropanoid precursors,
which play an array of important functions in plants, ranging from floral pigments for the attraction of insect pollinators to
antioxidants and auxin transport inhibitors. Many plant species also use flavonoids as signal molecules for beneficial
microorganisms in the root rhizosphere, and as antimicrobial defense compounds in their interactions with pathogenic microbes.
In legumes, flavonoids also play a critical role in promoting nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with rhizobia. Legume root-exuded
flavonoids act both as chemo-attractants for symbiotic rhizobia, and signaling molecules for the activation of the expression of
rhizobial nod genes, which are responsible for the synthesis of Nod factors, the bacterial signals that are necessary for the
initiation of a new plant organ, the nodule. In addition, flavonoids also play a key role in enabling the initiation of differentiation of
nodule primordia by inhibiting auxin transport in roots in response to rhizobial Nod factors. This review reports our present level
of understanding on the role of flavonoids in the establishment of legume-Rhizobium symbiosis. Also described are the limits of
our knowledge in this area of research, and how functional genomic strategies will help in clarifying the regulatory roles of
individual flavonoids in mediating nod gene induction in rhizobial cells and auxin transport inhibition in the legume roots during
the course of the development of legume-Rhizobium symbiosis.

Ernest F. Bazen, James A. Larson, Roland K. Roberts (USA) Economics of Fertility Management in Cotton Production in the
United States (pp 95-104)

ABSTRACT
Invited Review: Cotton is a high-value crop that requires the extensive use of costly fertilizers and chemicals. This paper
provides a synthesis of the literature on the economics of fertilizer management in U.S. cotton production. The review identifies
several production factors and nutrient application strategies based on published research including: 1) economically optimal N,
P, and K management as affected by cotton lint and input prices, tillage practices, row-spacing, winter cover crops, and
production risk (yield variability); 2) the trends in the adoption of precision farming technology to improve the efficiency of
fertilizer and lime application in cotton production; and 3) the profitability of using precision technology for N, P, and K nutrient
management in cotton production. Studies from peer-reviewed journals, Proceedings of the Annual Beltwide Cotton
Conferences, and university publications were used to summarize current knowledge and suggest future avenues of research.

Peter Wafula Masinde (Kenya), Christopher Ochieng Ojiewo (Japan), Kenji Murakami (Kenya), Stephen Gaya Agong
(Japan) Scaling up Production of Traditional Green Leafy Vegetables in Kenya: Perspectives on Water and Nitrogen
Management (pp 105-111)

ABSTRACT
Mini-Review: Traditional green leafy vegetables are promising alternative vegetable crops consumed in Kenya and other
African countries. The crops whose consumption is on the increase include vegetable amaranth (Amaranthus spp.), African
nightshades (Solanum spp.) and spiderplant (Cleome/Gynandropsis gynandra). They are popular in the Kenyan retail markets
and key supermarket chains as surveys have shown. This offers the urban dwellers access to these vegetables on one hand,
while offering a reliable market for growers on the other hand. They are also potential export crops as the consumption
continues to widen in most parts of Asia too. For a long time these crops have not been integrated into mainstream agriculture.
Consequently, they have received little attention in terms of research and development, resulting in many gaps in information.
Production continues to be on small-scales, with the farmers being the major custodians of the genetic materials and production
technologies. With the current upsurge of interest in traditional vegetables, there is need to raise production to meet the
increasing demand. Some agronomic studies aiming to develop optimal cultivation practices for improved yield and nutritive
quality of these crops have been reported. More research work on these crops is necessary to facilitate increased production. In
this paper, research into the water and nitrogen use in traditional leafy vegetables is reviewed. The paper aims to show the
current status of research, major gaps in information in an effort to scale up production of these crops to meet the increasing
demand.

P.W. Masinde (Kenya), C.O. Ojiewo (Japan), S.G. Agong (Kenya), M. Masuda (Japan) Plant Growth, Water Relations and
Gas Exchange of Octoploid and Tetraploid Solanum villosum Mill. ssp. miniatum (Bernh. ex Wild.) Edmonds under Water Deficit
Conditions (pp 112-121)

ABSTRACT
Original Research Paper: Solanum villosum Mill. ssp. miniatum (Bernh. Ex Wild.) Edmonds is a leafy vegetable in Kenya,
which has had limited genetic improvement. An octoploid line with larger stomata and leaves, and late flowering characteristics
has been recently developed from the wild tetraploid. A study was conducted to evaluate the adaptive responses of this
octoploid to water deficit in comparison to its wild tetraploid parent. Three pot experiments were carried out between J anuary
and August 2006 with the aim of quantifying plant responses to water deficit in terms of expansive processes, leaf area, plant
dry matter production and partitioning, relative water content, stomatal conductance, transpiration and photosynthesis. There
were no significant differences in the response to water deficit between the octoploid and tetraploid plants. Relative leaf
expansion, relative leaf appearance and relative stem elongation rates began to decline at a fraction of available soil water
(FASW) thresholds of 0.46-0.48, 0.34 and 0.47-0.51, respectively. Water deficit caused a 310-fold reduction in total plant leaf
area and a 24-fold reduction in plant dry weight. The leaf relative water content of drought-stressed plants relative to the
watered ones began to decline at a FASW of 0.27-0.32 while stomatal closure and consequently reduction in transpiration
occurred when the FASW declined to below 0.41-0.57. Thus, reduction in expansive growth processes as well as in stomatal
conductance occurred before reduction in relative water content suggesting presence of root signals. Stomatal closure caused
relatively less reduction in photosynthesis rate as compared to transpiration rate, thereby increasing the water use efficiency. In
conclusion, both the octoploid and tetraploid responded to water deficit mainly by reduction in leaf area and stomatal closure.

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