We evaluated net photosynthesis, respiration, leaf conductance, xylem pressure potential (XPP) and cold hardiness in red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) seedlings exposed to either a continuous thaw (CT) or a daytime thaw with freezing nights (FN) for 8 days during mid-winter. Physiological differences between CT and FN seedlings were evident for all measured parameters. However, the temporal expre...

Drought stress is the main cause of mortality of holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) seedlings in forest plantations. We therefore assessed if drought hardening, applied in the nursery at the end of the growing season, enhanced the drought tolerance and transplanting performance of holm oak seedlings. Seedlings were subjected to three drought hardening intensities (low, moderate and severe) for 2.5 and ...

The ABA Binding Factor/ABA-Responsive Element Binding Proteins (ABF/AREB) subfamily of bZIP-type transcription factors are positive effectors of ABA responses. Here, we examine the proteolytic regulation of two members: Arabidopsis thaliana ABF1 and ABF3. Both transcription factors are unstable in seedlings, and their degradation is sensitive to proteasome inhibition. ABA treatment of seedlings...

We determined the enzyme activities involved in the aerobic and anaerobic respiration of Kosteletzkya virginica on the 0, 10, 20, and 30 d of waterlogging to understand its respiratory characteristics. We also determined the enzyme activities on the 10 and 20 d of recovery after water drainage. Non-waterlogged seedlings were regarded as control during this experiment. All waterlogged seedlings ...

Container longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) seedlings often survive and grow better after outplanting than bareroot seedlings. Because of this, most longleaf pine are now produced in containers. Little is known about nursery fertilization effects on the quality of container longleaf pine seedlings and how that influences outplanting performance. We compared various fertilization rates (0.5, 1, 2,...

Although resprouting plays an important role in facilitating persistence of damaged seedlings, the functional attributes of cotyledons and taproots during resprouting of 1-year oak seedlings are not well explored. In this study, cotyledons were removed from Quercus mongolica seedlings to explore resprouting in response to simulated disturbance as a function of shoot clipping, and to examine the...

Resurrection plants are renowned for their vegetative desiccation tolerance (DT). While DT in vegetative tissues is rare in angiosperms, it is ubiquitous in mature orthodox seeds. During germination, seedlings gradually lose DT until they pass a point of no return, after which they can no longer survive dehydration. Here we investigate whether seedlings of the resurrection plant Xerophyta visco...

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is emerging as a potential molecule involved in physiological regulation in plants. However, whether H2S regulates iron-shortage responses in plants is largely unknown. Here, the role of H2S in modulating iron availability in maize (Zea mays L. cv Canner) seedlings grown in iron-deficient culture solution is reported. The main results are as follows: Firstly, NaHS, a don...

Azospirillum has been shown to improve coleoptile growth in seedlings growing in darkness under osmotic stress. However, the changes in water relations that may occur in this experimental system have not yet been studied. Two-centimetre long Triticum aestivum cv. Buck Pucará and Triticum durum cv. Balcarceño-INTA seedlings were inoculated with viable or autoclaved (control) Azospirillum brasile...

This review compares fall acclimation patterns and lift/store practices for Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii, Picea glauca (Moench) Voss x P. engelmannii Parry ex engelm and Pinus taeda L. seedlings. Spruce seedlings achieve budset and an endodormant state in late summer, coastal Douglas-fir in early fall, while loblolly pine achieves a less endodormant state with a limited amount of mitoti...