MINERAL CONTENT OF MELON FRUIT (CUCUMIS MELO L.)
Melons are highly demanding, thermophilous plants, which is why they are unpopular among fruit growers. Melon cultivation requires special treatment methods for the improvement of microclimatic conditions. Seven Polish melon cultivars are presently grown on the domestic market. They are well adapted to the local climate. The growth rate, vigor, fruit shape, fruit size, rind color and flesh thickness of those cultivars vary. The objective of this study was to determine the mineral content of edible parts of four field-grown melon cultivars in the Warmia region (NE Poland). This study discusses the mineral content of melon fruit subject to the investigated cultivar and cultivation method. In Poland, melon production is difficult and unreliable. The main problem is the selection of an appropriate cultivar and cultivation method. The analyzed material consisted of four Polish melon cultivars: Malaga F1, Melba, Oliwin, Seledyn F1, grown in a field experiment without protective cover, under polyethylene (PE) sheet cover, under non-woven polypropylene (PP) cover, with soil mulching, as well as with soil mulching under PE sheet cover or nonwoven PP cover. The highest concentrations of total N, K, Ca and Cu were determined in melon fruit of cv. Oliwin. Significant variations in total nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the edible parts of melon plants were noted subject to the applied cultivation method. Cucumis melo L. grown in the control treatment without protective cover was marked by significantly higher levels of total nitrogen and phosphorus in the fruit, compared with fruit grown with the use of other cultivation methods. The results of this study indicate that the fruit of melon plants cv. Seledyn grown in mulched soil under non-woven PP cover was characterized by the most favorable Ca:Mg and Ca:P ratios in comparison with fruit from the remaining treatments.
EFFECT OF FOLIAR FERTILIZATION WITH TYTANIT ON THE CONTENT OF SELECTED MACROELEMENTS AND SODIUM IN CELERY
AbstractFoliar application of growth regulators or fertilizers containing biostimulators can influen-ce the uptake and accumulation of mineral elements by plants. A pot experiment carried out in two annual series (year of experiment I and II) examined the effect of various concentrations of Tytanit applied once or twice against mineral fertilization (NPK), in comparison with the control object (without fertilization) and the object with mineral fertilization (NPK), on the total content of potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium in petioles and leaf blades of celery. The experi-ment involved the application of various concentrations of Tytanit, ranging from 0.001% to 3.6%. The content of selected elements in the plant material was determined after dry mineralization, using the ICP – AES method. The total content of potassium in petioles of celery fertilized with NPK + 3.6% was higher or the same as in the control and in plants fertilized with NPK (I and II series). The results were similar in the case of leaf blades (except for series I). The highest concentration of Tytanit (3.6%) resulted in a reduction of the total calcium content in both of the tested parts of celery and magnesium in petioles, compared with the control. On the other hand, the total content of sodium increased along with the growth of the fertilizer concentration. The highest bioaccumulation of calcium was observed in celery cultivated in the object without ferti-lization (control). A significantly higher potassium content (mean from both series of research) and over two-fold higher content of calcium were found in celery leaf blades than in petioles, while a higher content of magnesium and sodium appeared in petioles than in leaf blades. The values of (K+Na) : (Ca+Mg) ratios in leaf blades were found to be over two-fold higher than in petioles of celery fertilized with Tytanit.Key words: petioles and leaf blades of celery, Tytanit concentration, potassium, calcium, mag-nesium, sodium.prof. dr hab. Stanislaw Kalembasa, Chair of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, B. Prusa 14 Street, 08-114 Siedlce, Poland; e-mail: kalembasa@uph.edu.pl
Nuclear spin-lattice relaxation in transition metal compounds with local tetragonal symmetry.
We report on the various contributions to the total spin-lattice relaxation rate in metallic materials with local tetragonal symmetry. The analytical formulae are given in the tight-binding approximation. The calculations show the relation between various partial electron densities of states and corresponding contributions to the relaxation rates. The presented formulae can be used to compare theoretically calculated electron band structure parameters with those obtained from NMR spin-lattice relaxation time measurements.