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Britz E, Cyster L, Samuels I, Cupido C, Masemola L, Ngcobo N, Manganyi F, Müller F. Nitrogen fertilization increases the growth and nutritional quality of the forage legume, Calobota sericea - A preliminary investigation. Heliyon 2023; 9:e13535. [PMID: 36814634 PMCID: PMC9939720 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Calobota sericea is being evaluated as a forage for drought stressed areas. The nutritional quality of C. sericea from native populations are poor, and this is believed to be due to poor soil fertility. Therefore, a greenhouse trial was established to determine the impact of N-fertilization level (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 kg/ha) on the growth and nutritional quality of C. sericea plants. Three-month-old plants were harvested and the root and shoot length, as well as branching intensity on each plant determined. Thereafter, the shoots were separated into leaves and stems and all plant parts were oven dried for dry mass determination. After weighing, the leaves and stems for each plant were combined and the dried shoots used for nutrient determination. Results indicated that increased N application levels is positively correlated with improved C. sericea growth. Similarly, mineral nutrient uptake increased significantly under all the N-fertilization treatments and crude protein content increased from 9.6% to 18.6%. Plant growth was only statistically significantly (p < 0.05) improved when N was applied at rates of 50 kg/ha and more, but crude protein content increased from the lowest N application rates (25 kg/ha). The improved growth and nutrient uptake could primarily be explained by improved resource allocation under N-fertilization. Therefore, appropriately fertilized C. sericea can result in improved forage production and improved quality forages and when N is applied at high enough rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan Britz
- Agricultural Research Council – Animal Production: Rangeland and Forage Sciences, Cape Town, South Africa,Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology. University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Lilburne Cyster
- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology. University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Igshaan Samuels
- Agricultural Research Council – Animal Production: Rangeland and Forage Sciences, Cape Town, South Africa,Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology. University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Clement Cupido
- Agricultural Research Council – Animal Production: Rangeland and Forage Sciences, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Letty Masemola
- Agricultural Research Council – Animal Production: Rangeland and Forage Sciences, National Forage Genebank, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Nothando Ngcobo
- Agricultural Research Council – Animal Production: Rangeland and Forage Sciences, National Forage Genebank, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Fortune Manganyi
- Agricultural Research Council – Animal Production: Rangeland and Forage Sciences, National Forage Genebank, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Francuois Müller
- Agricultural Research Council – Animal Production: Rangeland and Forage Sciences, National Forage Genebank, Pretoria, South Africa,Corresponding author. or
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Malan M, Müller F, Raitt L, Cyster L, Brendonck L. Essential metal and metalloid elements in the Philippi Horticultural area, and their uptake into selected vegetable crops. Int J Phytoremediation 2018; 20:471-475. [PMID: 29053349 DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2017.1365353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This study evaluated Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, Se, Sn and V status in the soils of the PHA, as well as the vegetables produced on these soils. We also determined the agronomic sources of these elements to the soils in the PHA. Farmyard manures applied as fertilizer amendments to the soils in the PHA were found to be the major agronomic sources of the metal and metalloid elements. These elements were however, retained in significantly higher concentrations in the soils compared to the concentrations found in the edible portions of the vegetable crops collected. This, in turn, resulted in these vegetables being poor sources of several of the essential mineral nutrients. It is therefore suggested that: (1) a wider variety of crops are assessed for their mineral nutrient status, (2) to find ways to increase the availability of these mineral nutrients and (3), that the possibilities of micronutrient and trace element deficiencies be assessed in the communities surrounding the PHA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marÿke Malan
- a Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology , University of the Western Cape , Cape Town , South Africa
| | - Francuois Müller
- a Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology , University of the Western Cape , Cape Town , South Africa
- b Agricultural Research Council - Animal Production Institute, University of the Western Cape , Cape Town , South Africa
| | - Lincoln Raitt
- a Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology , University of the Western Cape , Cape Town , South Africa
| | - Lilburne Cyster
- a Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology , University of the Western Cape , Cape Town , South Africa
| | - Luc Brendonck
- c Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation , University of Leuven , Leuven , Belgium
- d Department of Environmental and Water Science , Institute for Water Studies, University of the Western Cape , Cape Town , South Africa
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Malan M, Müller F, Raitt L, Aalbers J, Cyster L, Brendonck L. Farmyard manures: the major agronomic sources of heavy metals in the Philippi Horticultural Area in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Environ Monit Assess 2015; 187:708. [PMID: 26508018 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-015-4918-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Heavy metal toxicity in agro-ecosystems is a global problem. Recently, it has been indicated that the soils used for agriculture and the fresh produce grown on these soils in the Philippi Horticultural Area (PHA) contains heavy metals exceeding the maximum permissible concentrations thereof in South Africa. This study was therefore aimed at evaluating the concentrations of heavy metals in the soils and vegetables produced in the PHA, as well as to determine the major agronomic sources of these metals in this area. Cu, Pb, and Zn concentrations in the soils exceeded the maximum permissible concentrations of 6.6, 6.6, and 46 mg/kg, respectively. Cd, Pb, and Zn concentrations in the vegetables also exceeded the maximum permissible concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, and 40 mg/kg, respectively. The biggest agronomic contributors of these heavy metals to the soils in the PHA were found to be the farmyard manures. Knowing what the major sources of these heavy metals are, it is important to determine ways to mitigate the inputs thereof, as well as to remove existing concentrations from the soils without contaminating the groundwater resources in the area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marÿke Malan
- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag x 17, Bellville, 7535, South Africa
| | - Francuois Müller
- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag x 17, Bellville, 7535, South Africa.
- Agricultural Research Council-Animal Production Institute (ARC-API), University of the Western Cape, Private Bag x17, Bellville, 7535, South Africa.
| | - Lincoln Raitt
- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag x 17, Bellville, 7535, South Africa
| | - Johannes Aalbers
- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag x 17, Bellville, 7535, South Africa
| | - Lilburne Cyster
- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag x 17, Bellville, 7535, South Africa
| | - Luc Brendonck
- Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Charles Deberiotstraat 32, Box 2439, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
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Chamier J, Wicht M, Cyster L, Ndindi NP. Aluminium (Al) fractionation and speciation; getting closer to describing the factors influencing Al(3+) in water impacted by acid mine drainage. Chemosphere 2015; 130:17-23. [PMID: 25747302 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2014] [Revised: 01/09/2015] [Accepted: 01/11/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Acid mine drainage (AMD) severely impacts the water chemistry of a receiving resource, changing the occurrence, speciation and toxicity of metals such as Aluminium (Al). The toxicity of Al is determined by its speciation represented by the labile monomer Al fraction or Al(3+). The purpose of the study was to combine fractionation and Visual MINTEQ speciation to calculate the effect of AMD altered water chemistry on Al speciation and Al(3+) concentration. Water in rivers impacted by AMD presented with monomeric Al (Almon) concentrations between 0.35 and 15.37mgL(-)(1) which existed almost exclusively in the toxic labile form (98%). For the reference site, Almon was less than 2% (10μgL(-1)), suggesting significantly lower Al toxicity. Principal component analysis plots illustrated that labile Al was directly related to the total Al and iron concentrations and strongly influenced by parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity, sulphate and dissolved organic carbon. Visual MINTEQ modelling was used to determine the primary Al species distribution. The dominant form of Al in AMD impacted water was AlSO4(+), which increased proportionally with the sulphate and Al(3+) concentration. Heavily impacted areas, presented with an average of 1mgmL(-)(1) Al(3+), which poses a potential human health risk. A novel centrifugal ultrafiltration method was investigated as an alternative to determining Almon to simplify the speciation of Al. Monomeric and centrifugal ultrafiltrated (<10kD) Al fractions were significantly similar (p=0.74), suggesting that ultrafiltration may present a time, energy and cost saving alternative to organic extraction of Almon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Chamier
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Natural Resources and the Environment, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
| | - Merrill Wicht
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Lilburne Cyster
- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Life Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
| | - Nosintu P Ndindi
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa
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Malan M, Müller F, Cyster L, Raitt L, Aalbers J. Heavy metals in the irrigation water, soils and vegetables in the Philippi horticultural area in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Environ Monit Assess 2015; 187:4085. [PMID: 25380711 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-014-4085-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2014] [Accepted: 10/28/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The aims of this study were to investigate the extent of heavy metal contamination in the Philippi horticultural area in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined in the irrigation water, soils and vegetables in both winter and summer cropping seasons with an ICP-AES and tested against certified standards. Differences were found in heavy metal concentrations between the winter and summer cropping seasons in the irrigation water, soils and vegetables. Certain heavy metals exceeded the maximum permissible concentrations in the irrigation water, soils and vegetables produced in South Africa. These toxic concentrations were predominantly found in the summer cropping season for the soils and in the crops produced in winter. It is thus suggested that further studies are carried out in the Philippi horticultural area to determine the sources of the heavy metals to try and mitigate the inputs thereof and therefore reduce the amount of heavy metals entering the human food chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Malan
- Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag x 17, Bellville, 7535, South Africa
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