Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are a class of secondary metabolites found in various unrelated angiosperm lineages including cool-season grasses (Poaceae, subfamily Pooideae). Thesinine conjugates, saturated forms of PA that are regarded as non-toxic, have been described to occur in the two grass species Lolium perenne and Festuca arundinacea (Poaceae, subfamily Pooideae). In a wider screen, we ...

The fungus Acremonium typhinum produces a novel endoprotease during symbiotic endophytic infection of the grass, Poa ampla. This protease is unusual because it is highly active in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The enzyme is a thiol-containing serine protease and is localized to a crude membrane fraction. Similar protease activity has been detected in endophyte-infected Poa autumnalis ...

Elevated atmospheric CO2 may alter decomposition rates through changes in plant material quality and through its impact on soil microbial activity. This study examines whether plant material produced under elevated CO2 decomposes differently from plant material produced under ambient CO2. Moreover, a long-term experiment offered a unique opportunity to evaluate assumptions about C cycling under...

Novel research has demonstrated that the roots of some bioactive plants - called pathogen phytoremediation enhance die-off pathogenic organisms in soil. Strategic establishment may reduce transport human pathogens to water sources. Such plantings could be used riparian margins, as buffer strips protect drinking supplies, or block planting ‘critical source areas’ microbial contamination, such gr...

Thermal-based germination models are widely used to predict germination rate and germination timing of plants. However, comparison of model parameters between large numbers of species is rare. In this study, seeds of 27 species including 12 C4 and 15 C3 species were germinated at a range of constant temperatures from 5 °C to 40 °C. We used a modified thermal time model to calculate germination ...

Abstract Advances in technology have increased the adoption of high‐throughput phenotyping (HTP) methodologies, potentially replacing laborious and time‐consuming measurements data recording. One promising HTP tool for fine‐featured small‐sized characteristics is three‐dimensional (3‐D) scanning imaging system, but utility present two‐dimensional (2‐D) has not been fully explored this purpose. ...

in acid soils, aluminium toxicity is the primary factor limiting crop and forage production. at soil ph < 5.0, al solubility increases and al appears to be rhizotoxic. the objectives of the present study were to compare al tolerance among wild graminae of acid meadows and to evaluate the relation between a plant functional trait and the al resistance, in nutrient solution. in addition, a sensit...

Previous studies have indicated that an increased asparagine to glutamine ratio (Asn : Gln) occurs in the xylem fluid of Lolium perenne 24 h after defoliation. However, the absolute changes in Asn and Gln leading to the increased Asn : Gln ratio are unknown. The present study tested the hypotheses that: (1) defoliation-induced changes in xylem amino acid composition occur in L perenne within th...