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FACTS
Mycorrhizal Fungi Enhance Cherry Tomato Growth
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are a promising tool to improve
plant nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and tolerance against abiotic
stresses. Moreover, AMF can potentially increase plant productivity
and reduce the negative externalities of the agricultural sector.
A recent study aimed to see if AMF could positively affect not
only tomato growth and productivity, but also the nutritional and
nutraceutical quality of yellow-pigmented type and red-pigmented
type landrace tomatoes. Turns out AMF rose fruit yield by increasing
the number of fruits per plant but not of the fruit mean mass. AMF
increased lycopene, total ascorbic acid, alanine, gamma-Aminobutyric
acid, and branched-chain amino acids in ‘Lucariello’ varieties. In
‘Giagiù’, AMF increased calcium, zinc, ASP, GABA, and the essential
amino acids arginine and lysine. In both landrace varieties, AMF
improved nutrient uptake and biosynthesis of important molecules
involved in the control the oxidative stress and cellular pH.
— freshplaza.com
Sea Vegetables: An Important New Source of Nutrition?
According to aquaculture experts in Florida, sea vegetables could provide
a tasty source of nutrition in the future. The native Florida vegetables that
grow in salty areas near the ocean can be cultivated in fish farms; crops like
these could provide a new sustainable and environmentally friendly
source of nutrition. Megan Davis, professor of aquaculture at Harbor
Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce, recently led a
10-week study to determine the best growing conditions for
sea vegetables. Plants in the study were sea asparagus
(which looks almost like regular asparagus), sea
purslane (harvested for the fleshy leaves on long
red stems), and saltwort, a smaller frilly plant.
The plants are high in minerals, such as zinc
and iodine, and vitamins, but Davis notes she
is awaiting a detailed nutrition analysis from the
harvest. Besides Florida, sea vegetables are native
to other coastal regions around the world.
— gephardtdaily.com
Turning School Buses into Greenhouses
A Canadian woman and her family came up with a perfect solution
for repurposing old school buses, and it’s benefiting both the
environment and the pocketbook. Doni Rae Franklin and her family
have managed to upcycle two yellow buses into greenhouses: a
longer one that is stationary, and a shorter bus that’s still mobile so
the family can drive their fresh produce to market. The roof on the
longer bus, which was replaced with polyethylene plastic, creates
the ideal environment for growing crops and plants. The family put
the tin roof from the longer bus to good use by making planters
to grow crops in. The shorter bus, with its original roof still on, is
great for keeping frost off growing crops. “As I’ve been getting
more and more into commercial gardening, I’ve realized that
these greenhouses are the best way to achieve a reliable harvest,
stopping things like frost and hail from taking a toll,” says Franklin.
— aleteia.org
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