Browsing by Author "Bonomelli, Claudia"

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    Ammonium Excess Leads to Ca Restrictions, Morphological Changes, and Nutritional Imbalances in Tomato Plants, Which Can Be Monitored by the N/Ca Ratio
    (MDPI, 2021) Bonomelli, Claudia; de Freitas, Sergio Tonetto; Aguilera, Camila; Palma, Carola; Garay, Rebeca; Dides, Maximiliano; Brossard, Natalia; O'Brien, Jose Antonio
    Both nitrogen and calcium fertilization management are vital for crops, where an imbalance of these elements can cause both physiological and yield problems. It has been proposed that nitrogen absorption, particularly ammonium, is in part dependent on calcium supply. Moreover, the balance between these two nutrients could be a key indicator of plant growth in some species. Tomato, one of the most cultivated crops worldwide, can also be widely affected by nutritional imbalance. Using large amounts of N fertilizers could lead to an imbalance with other nutrients and, thus, detrimental effects in terms of plant development and yield. Here we show that ammonium excess has a negative impact on plant development and results in calcium deficiency. Moreover, a deficit in calcium nutrition not only affects calcium concentration but also leads to a restriction in N uptake and reduced N concentration in the plant. These effects were evident at the seedling stage and also during flowering/fruit set. Using PCA analysis, we integrated both phenotypic and nutritional imbalances in seedlings and grown plants. Interestingly, the Ca/N ratio appears to be a key indicator to monitor appropriate N and calcium nutrition and more importantly the balance between both. Maintaining this balance could be an essential element for tomato crop production.
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    EFFECTS OF FOLIAR AND SOIL CALCIUM APPLICATION ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF TABLE GRAPE CV. 'THOMPSON SEEDLESS'
    (TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC, 2010) Bonomelli, Claudia; Ruiz, Rafael
    Table grape quality and firmness are key parameters for Chile's export, given distances from the main markets. As a consequence, calcium (Ca) fertilization has become a standard practice in the country, although its effects have not been fully evaluated. The objectives in this study were to investigate the effects of calcium fertilization on table grape nutrition and quality. A two-year field trial was conducted in central Chile, using grapevines (Vitis vinifera) cv. 'Thompson seedless', grown on an overhead trellis system. Calcium (CaCl2) application treatments included foliar, soil, foliar plus soil, and a control without Ca fertilization. Calcium and other nutrients concentration were determined afterwards in soil, leaves, and berries. Also, yield and some fruit quality parameters were evaluated. Calcium application method did not have an effect on soil, leaf or fruit Ca content, neither on yield and berry sugar concentration, with levels being similar to the control treatment. Additionally, in treatments where CaCl2 was applied to soil, chlorides concentration in soil, leaves, and berries were higher. Also, berries were larger, more turgent, with lower dry matter and larger cells. In the second season, in these same treatments, berry firmness at harvest was higher, but this effect disappeared after the storage simulation period. These results question the validity that Ca applications might improve table grape postharvest quality for growing conditions similar to the ones in this experiment. The temporal changes in berry quality parameters were attributed to higher Cl soil content and the associated plant osmoregulatory mechanisms.
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    Nitrogen Application in Irrigated Rice Grown in Mediterranean Conditions: Effects on Grain Yield, Dry Matter Production, Nitrogen Uptake, and Nitrogen Use Efficiency
    (TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC, 2009) Artacho, Pamela; Bonomelli, Claudia; Meza, Francisco
    Field experiments were conducted in the major rice growing area of Chile to evaluate the effects of nitrogen (N) fertilization and site on grain yield and some yield components, dry matter production, N uptake, and N use efficiency in rice cultivar 'Diamante'. Two sites (indicated as sites 1 and 2) and six N rates (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 300 kg N ha-1) were compared. Nitrogen fertilization increased yield, panicle density, spikelet sterility, dry matter production, and N uptake at maturity. 90% of maximum yield was obtained with 200 kg N ha-1 in site 1 (12,810 kg ha-1) and with 100 kg N ha-1 in site 2 (8,000 kg ha-1). These differences were explained by lower panicle density, and the resulting lower dry matter production and N uptake in site 2. Nitrogen use efficiency for biomass and grain production, and grain yield per unit of grain N decreased with N fertilization. While, agronomic N use efficiency and N harvest index were not affected. All N use efficiency indices were significantly higher in site 1, except grain yield per unit of grain N. The observed variation in N use efficiency indices between sites would reflect site-specific differences in temperature and solar radiation, which in turn, determined yield potentials of each site. On the basis of these results, cultivar 'Diamante' would correspond to a high-N use efficiency genotype for grain yield.
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