A proteomic approach was used to identify droughtresponsive proteins in leaves of two cultivars of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) differing in their response to drought, more sensitive Starozagorski čern and Tiber. 2DDIGE was used to compare differences in protein abundance between control and stressed plants. Fiftyeight proteins whose abundance changed significantly were identified by LCMS/ MS in Tiber and 64 in Starozagorski čern. The majority of identified proteins were classified into functional categories that include energy metabolism, photosynthesis, ATP interconversion, protein synthesis and proteolysis, stress and defence related proteins. Details of the function of the identified proteins and their abundance profiles in Tiber and Starozagorski are discussed. Interactions between identified proteins were demonstrated by bioinformatics analysis, enabling a more complete insight into biological pathways and molecular functions affected by drought stress.
COBISS.SI-ID: 3924072
Majority of the intensive agricultural production in Slovenia is concentrated on the fertile arable land in the lowlands. However, the source for most of the slovenian drinking water are groundwater aquifers recharged through intensively cultivared shallow alluvial soils. Conservation tillage management practices where main crops are planted in the plant residues exhibited positive environmental implications not just in protecting soils from erosion, but also from preventing of leaching agrochemicals into groundwater. In 2012 a field experiment was conducted in Slovenia, where conventional, mechanical and strip till management systems were compared in maize production. In conventional plots standard technology with ploughing, seed bed preparation and post emergence herbicide was applied, whereas only physical weed control measures were applied in the mechanical weed control plots. In the strip till system maize was planted in the dead mulch of cover crops radish (Raphanus sativus L.), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) terminated in the spring with glyphosate. Weed control was the most effective in conventional system, where at the end of the growing season significantly lower weed coverage of 2.5 % compared to mecahnical weed control methods (11 %) and strip till system (15 %) was determined. Our preliminary results indicate that similar dry maize grain yields of 9.1, 8.9 and 7.7 tons per hectar were obtained in conventional, mechanical and strip-till systems, respectively. Ragardeless of greater weed infestation in mechanical and strip till systems, yields were mainly decreased due to reduced maize plants stand. Based on our initial results, mechanical and strip-till maize production systems represent alternative technology with comparable maize yields.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4312168
Beside beneficial environmental effect in aspect of nutrients, soil and water preservation, cover crops can serve as a potential tool in the integrated weed and pest management systems. With their fast, vigourous growth and establishment, cover crops impose strong competition to weed species for nutrients, water and light. From 2010-2012 buckwheat, sunflower, oats, ryegrass, niger seed, camelina, radish, rape, crimson clover and lacy phacelia were planted in the wheat stubbles as cover crops in the experiment conducted at Agricultural Institute of Slovenia. Plant residues were incorporated in the spring of the following year, after which spring wheat, barley and maize were planted as main crops. In the growing season several assessments of weed species coverage and biomass was performed. Cover crops significantly reduced weed coverage in the fall sampling period. Similarly, in the spring of 2011 and 2012, before incorporation of cover crops residues, weed coverage in all experimental plots was significantly reduced compared to control treatment with exception of sunflower and crimson clover. However, later in the season, no effect of cover crops on weed infestation in main crops spring wheat, spring barley and maize was determined as suppresive effect diminshed and weed coverage and biomass were similar in all experimental plots. In the 2012 the greatest yields were determined in nigerseed, radish and sunflower with 28.7, 31.8 and 36.5 t of fresh and 4.3, 4.8 and 5.5 t of dry matter per hectar respectively. Based on our results, cover crops strongly reduce weed infestation in the growing season and the following spring, while further reaserch will be needed to investigate it's long term effect on weed control.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4311912