To investigate the effects of saline stress on seed germination, ion distribution, and organic solutes changes of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), in the present study, seeds and 3-week-old seedlings were subjected to a series of external NaCl concentrations (5–200 mmol). The results showed that high salinity (200 mmol) remarkably inhibited the germination of seed and delayed germination time ...

Aims Aboveground biomass production commonly increases with species richness in plant biodiversity experiments. Little is known about the direct mechanisms that cause this result. We tested if by occupying different heights and depths above and below ground, and by optimizing the vertical distribution of leaf nitrogen, species in mixtures can contribute to increased resource uptake and, thus, i...

Laboratory-based Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) analysis of vegetation leaves, soil, and leaf litter samples is presented. The leaf litter and soil samples, numbered 1 and 2, were obtained from a site located in the savanna biome of South Africa (Skukuza: 25.0°S, 31.5°E). A third soil sample, number 3, was obtained from Etosha Pan, Namibia (19.20S, 15.93E, alt. 1100 m). ...

Fusarium wilt is caused by the infection and growth of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum in the xylem of host plants. The physiological responses of cucumbers that are infected with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum (FOC) was studied in pot and hydroponic experiments in a greenhouse. The results showed that although water absorption and stem hydraulic conductance decreased markedly in infected ...

Plant transpiration, a process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from aerial parts especially leaves, consumes a large component of the total continental precipitation (≈48%) and significantly influences global water distribution and climate. To date, various chemical and/or biological explorations have been made to tune the transpiration but with uncertain environmental ris...

Purpose: To evaluate the amino acid, antioxidant and ionic profiles of Carpolobia lutea leaf (Polygalaceae) extract (CLL). Methods: The powdered leaf was macerated and subjected to gradient solvent extraction with nhexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and ethanol for 72 h to obtain their respective fractions. Amino acid analysis was by cation-exchange chromatography using automated amino acid anal...

The phytochemical and pharmacological studies of leaf, bark and fruit extracts of Samadera indica were carried out on aqueous and methanolic extracts, obtained by soxhlet technique. The qualitative tests showed the presence of carbohydrates, proteins, phenolics, alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, tannins and resins, whereas quantitative estimations of carbohydrate, protein, phenolics and tannins ...

We performed a field experiment using the maize hybrids DengHai605 (DH605) and ZhengDan958 (ZD958) to study nitrogen uptake and translocation, key enzyme activities of nitrogen metabolism in response to waterlogging at the third leaf stage (V3), the sixth leaf stage (V6), and the 10th day after the tasseling stage (10VT). Results showed that N accumulation amount was significantly reduced after...

Plant extracts, made by grinding 2 g of fresh tissue in 5 ml of water, were toxic to Tylenchorhynchus dubius and Hoplolaimus spp. Such extracts from leaves and stems of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and leaves of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) were most toxic; those from leaves of corn (Zea mays L.), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense L.) were less ...

The acclimation of plants to light has been studied extensively, yet little is known about the effect of dynamic fluctuations in light on plant phenotype and acclimatory responses. We mimicked natural fluctuations in light over a diurnal period to examine the effect on the photosynthetic processes and growth of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). High and low light intensities, delivered via a ...