No abstract

Relationships between mechanical impedance and root growth have not been extensively defined for field conditions, and as a result, it is usually impossible to know with certainty when soil layers of high mechanical impedance are limiting root growth or where subsoiling is needed to improve root development. The primary objective of this investigation was to describe relationships between mechanical impedance and root concentration for both subsoiled and nonsubsoiled tillage treatments in field studies. Experiments were conducted at three locations in the North Carolina Coastal Plain on soils that were coarse‐textured Typic and Arenic Paleudults with tillage pans. At each site, flue‐cured tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) was grown in subsoiled and nonsubsoiled (moldboard plow/disk) tillage treatments replicated four times. Penetrometer readings were made in the row and 0.30 m to the side of the row at 6‐ to 14‐d intervals for periods of 28 to 42 d; these data were averaged by depth and position and were expressed as mean cone index (CI). At approximately 52 and 75 days following transplanting, roots were counted by the trench‐profile method. At all locations, numbers of roots below the Ap horizon were significantly greater for the subsoiled, as compared to nonsubsoiled treatments for both root count dates. Mean CI was significantly correlated with root concentration in the Ap and E‐B horizons at all locations with r values ranging from −0.79** to −0.88** for both root count dates. The three tillage pans examined had mean CI's between 2.8 to 3.2 MPa. Subsoiling reduced the CI of the tillage pans for up to 47 d from transplanting and permitted significantly greater root penetration of the subsoil.

Annual-hill strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) production with black plastic mulch and drip irrigation is gaining popularity in North Carolina. Two experiments (E1 and E2) were conducted on a Wagram loamy sand (Arenic Kandiudult) in 1992 and on a Norfolk sandy loam (Typic Kandiudult) in 1993 to investigate the effects of fall-applied N and spring-applied N and K on `Chandler' strawberry yield and fruit quality. E1 treatments included factorial combinations of banded fall-applied N (0, 34, and 67 kg·ha-1) and drip spring-applied N (0, 0.19, 0.37, 0.56, and 0.75 kg·ha-1·d-1 and 0, 0.37, 0.75, and 1.12 kg·ha-1·d-1 in 1992 and 1993, respectively). E2 treatments included combinations of drip spring-applied N (0.56, 1.12, 1.68, and 2.24 kg·ha-1·d-1) and K (0.46, 1.39, and 2.32 kg·ha-1·d-1 and 0, 0.75, 1.49, and 2.24 kg·ha-1·d-1 in 1992 and 1993, respectively). There were no significant interactions among main effects for any of the measured variables. Market yield maximized with total N at ≈120 kg·ha-1 with one-half banded in the fall and the remainder drip-applied in the spring. Fruit firmness decreased with increasing N rate. Fruit pH and concentrations of total acids and soluble solids were not affected by N treatments, but soluble solids increased as the harvest season progressed. Plant crown number was not affected by N treatment but crown yield increased with N rate similar to market yield. There was no response to drip-applied K for any variable in either year. Based on soil test, fall-applied K (broadcast-soil incorporated) met the K requirements both years.

Symptoms of Mn toxicity in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) are often observed in the mountain region of North Carolina at soil acidity and soil test levels of Mn which do not produce toxicity in the piedmont. Although genotypic differences between tobacco types grown in the regions may contribute to the differential response, variations in temperature between the regions may also be involved. To investigate the effects of temperature on plant growth and Mn tolerance, tobacco plants of a prevalent cultivar (‘Coker 347’) for the piedmont region were grown in sand culture at day/night temperatures of 22/18, 26/22, and 30/26 C. Manganese was applied daily at rates of 10, 20, 40, 80, and 120 mg/liter in a complete nutrient solution. Plants were sampled weekly during a 6‐week growth period and evaluated for visual toxicity symptoms, dry weight. Mn concentration, relative growth rate (RGR), and relative accumulation rate (RAR) of Mn. Plant tolerance to high rates of applied Mn increased with increasing temperature despite significantly greater tissue concentrations of Mn during early growth. Tissue levels of Mn in leaves associated with the appearance of visual toxicity symptoms were 700 to 1,200 mg/kg dry wt at 22/18 C, 2,000 to 3,500 mg/kg at 26/22 C, and 5,000 to 8,000 mg/kg at 30/26 C. Mn toxicity symptoms were more severe in immature leaves and often decreased as the leaves matured even though the concentration of Mn in the leaves increased. The RGR of leaves during the exponential growth phase increased with increasing temperatures at each Mn rate, but the RAR of Mn was unaffected by either temperature or applied Mn rate. It is proposed that the increased tolerance to high levels of tissue Mn by plants grown in warm temperatures is associated with more rapid rates of leaf expansion accompanied by increased vaculor capacity for disposal of accumulated Mn.

Under a modification of the nutrient diversion hypothesis, we propose that an inequality in carbohydrate and nitrogen translocation to the apical meristem may be a controlling factor in floral transition. Experiments were conducted in controlled-environment chambers to determine the associations between microscopic characteristics of the transition from vegetative to floral stages of the apical meristem of flue-cured tobacco and to assimilate concentrations in the plant and apical meristem. Low temperature, nitrogen withdrawal, and restriction of nitrogen uptake were used as treatment variables. In all of these stress treatments, flowering occurred at a lesser number of leaves than in control treatments. Low temperature stress accelerated the time of transition to the floral stage as compared with a high temperature control; however, nitrogen stress did not accelerate the time of transition. All stress treatments affected the levels of nitrogen and carbohydrate in whole plants. Most notable was an increase in the percentage of starch and a decrease in the percentage of total soluble carbohydrate induced by the stress treatments. These data indicate that tobacco plants under stress accumulate excess carbohydrate in the form of starch. An apparent inequality in the relative concentrations of carbohydrate and nitrogen in the apical meristem was observed in all treatments at the time of floral transition and is in support of the nutrient diversion hypothesis.