Long-term storage effect on chemical composition, nutritional value and quality of Greek onion landrace "Vatikiotiko".

The effect of storage at two temperatures (5±1 and 25±1 °C and 60-70±5% RH for both temperatures) on marketability and quality features of dry bulbs of local landrace "Vatikiotiko", "Sivan F1", "Red Cross F1" and "Creamgold" was examined. During storage measurements for fresh and dry weight of bulbs, tunic and flesh color, bulb firmness, nutritional value and mineral composition were taken at regular intervals. Storage concluded when either bulbs lost marketable quality or sprouting occurred. "Vatikiotiko" onion can be stored for at least 7months at 25±1 °C, whereas at 5±1 °C storage could be prolonged without significant marketability and quality loss. The fact that "Vatikiotiko" landrace can be considered a "storage" onion has to be capitalized in order to increase total production and yield, since storage could cover the market needs that arise throughout the year.

Sorption of Cu and Zn in low organic matter-soils as influenced by soil properties and by the degree of soil weathering.

Copper and Zn sorption and desorption, among other factors, depend on soil pH, but in soils with different degree of weathering the role of other soil properties (e.g., oxides content and the level of their crystallinity) has not been thoroughly examined. We conducted batch sorption and desorption tests using 21 low-organic C soils that belonged to the soil orders of Entisols, newly developed soils, Inceptisols, and Alfisols, the most weathered soils. Zinc sorption was lower than that of Cu, and its desorption faster, confirming that it is a highly mobile metal. Alfisols had the weaker affinity for metals, due to the lower soil pH typical of this soil order, but also due to the low reactivity colloids they contained. Correlation analyses showed that Fe oxides in Alfisols increased metal release from soils, while they decreased metal desorption from Entisols. We conclude that in low organic matter-content soils, where the protective role of organic colloids is not to be expected, high soil pH alone is not sufficient to protect against metal contamination, but the degree of soil weathering is also important, due to the dominant role of other mineral phases (here, Fe oxides).

Adsorption of methylene blue and methyl red dyes from aqueous solutions onto modified zeolites.

Zeolite, hematite, modified zeolite and commercial activated charcoal were examined for their ability to remove methylene blue (MB) and methyl red (MR) from their aqueous solutions. Modified zeolite and hematite were produced according to the Schwertmann and Cornell method while zeolite and commercial activated charcoal were obtained from S&B and Fluka AG companies, respectively. Adsorption experiments were conducted at three different adsorbent-to-solution ratios, namely 8, 16 and 24 g/L under environmental conditions and continuous stirring. Equilibrium isotherms of MB and MR were studied at different initial concentrations (from 5 × 10(-4) to 5 × 10(-3) g/L). MB adsorption kinetics were also studied. The maximum adsorption of MB and MR from their aqueous solutions was achieved at 24 g/L (adsorbent-to-dye solution ratio) after 1 h and was equal to 100% (MB) on modified zeolite and 99% (MR) on commercial activated charcoal, respectively. All the other materials achieved intermediate values of dye adsorption. From the applied kinetic models, the pseudo-second-order equation best described the adsorption of MB and MR. Consequently, modified zeolite showed the highest adsorption capacity for MB, while commercial activated charcoal showed the highest adsorption capacity of MR. The studied adsorbents can be used as filters to remove dyes from wastewaters.

Trace element availability in a sewage sludge-amended cotton grown Mediterranean soil.

Long-term field investigations on the use of biosolids are scarce in the Mediterranean region, especially on non-food high-profit crops. Thus we studied the effects of repeated sludge application for 4 yr on trace element (both essential and non-essential) availability to cotton, by applying sludge at four increasing rates up to 50 Mg ha(-1). Although sludge had low metal concentrations, sludge-added trace element availability (assessed with soil-to-plant transfer coefficient) was higher in the first year compared to those in the subsequent years of experiment, but it decreased with time to the value of the unamended control. This shows that trace element mobility can be reduced within a time-scale of a few years, provided soils have a relatively sufficient retention capacity (high CEC, clay, and non-acidic pH) and applied sludge has low heavy metal content. We also found that sludge-borne organic matter greatly affected metal availability, since metal transfer coefficients decreased with elevated organic matter content.

Effects of short-term pH fluctuations on cadmium, nickel, lead, and zinc availability to ryegrass in a sewage sludge-amended field.

In this field experiment, sewage sludge was applied at 0, 5, 10, and 50tha(-1), and the availability of Cd, Ni, Pb, and Zn was assessed both by ryegrass uptake and by DTPA extractions. The aim was to investigate the role of important soil parameters, particularly pH, on heavy metal availability. It was found that metal uptake and extractability increased significantly in the 50tha(-1) treatment. In the 16th week of the experiment there was a significant, although temporary, increase in DTPA-extractable Cd, Ni, and Zn concentrations. Metal concentrations in ryegrass were also significantly elevated in week 20 compared to the subsequent cuttings. These fluctuations in both DTPA and ryegrass uptake occurred only at 50tha(-1) and were probably induced by a sudden pH decrease measured in the same treatment in week 16. This suggests that soils which have received high applications of sewage sludge may be prone to fluctuations in metal availability.

The role of dissolved organic carbon in the mobility of Cd, Ni and Zn in sewage sludge-amended soils.

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of application of naturally derived dissolved organic compounds (DOC) on the uptake of Cd, Ni and Zn by Lolium perenne L. from mixtures of soil and sewage sludge and on their extractability with CaCl2. DOC was applied at concentrations of 0, 285 and 470 mg l(-1) to a loamy sand (LS) and a sandy clay loam (SCL) soil mixed with sewage sludge at rates equivalent to 0, 10 and 50 t ha(-1). DOC applications significantly increased the extractability of metals and also their uptake by ryegrass, but the increase was greater where sludge was applied at 50 t ha(-1). It is suggested that DOC in soils significantly increased the availability of the metals to plants. This was especially the case in the LS soil, where DOC had less competition with surface sorption than in the SCL soil.