Plant roots sense soil compaction through restricted ethylene diffusion

Soil Compaction

Uptake of bacteriophage f2 through plant roots.

A model system was designed to measure viral uptake through the roots of plants and translocation to distal plant parts. For this study, uptake of bacteriophage f2 was measured in corn and bean plants growing in hydroponic solutions. Few phage were detected in plants with uncut roots. However, when roots of both plant types were cut just before exposure to very high concentrations of phage, the...

Positive Plant Diversity-Soil Stability Relationships are Mediated through Roots in the Songnen Grassland: Chronosequence Evidence

Living plant diversity (excluding the litter issue) may affect below-ground properties and processes, which is critical to obtaining an integrated biodiversity-ecosystem functioning theory. However, related patterns and underlying mechanisms have rarely been examined, especially lacking long-term evidence. We conducted a factorial crossed sample survey to examine the effects of plant diversity ...

Soil Compaction: Effects and Amelioration

Soil compaction was identified as the cause of ‘growth stunting disease’ in sultana grapes and ‘red death’ in cotton at the Lower Orange River and Vaalharts irrigation schemes. In an experiment growth stunting disease was eradicated completely and yields of sultanas increased substantially by deep cultivation, which eliminated compacted soil layers. Ripping increased the quality of tobacco, and...

Plant Biology: Seedling Emergence through Soil

The resistance encountered by a seedling as it pushes through the soil causes inhibition of stem elongation and stimulates stem thickening, facilitating soil penetration. A new study demonstrates that two proteolytic pathways work in double-negative fashion - one targeting the other - to protect transcription factors central to this response.