Maintaining low levels of sodium ions in the cell cytosol is critical for plant growth and development. Biochemical studies suggest that Na(+)/H(+) exchangers in the plasma membrane of plant cells contribute to cellular sodium homeostasis by transporting sodium ions out of the cell; however, these exchangers have not been identified at the molecular level. Genetic analysis has linked components...

Annual field surveys were conducted from 1999–2004 within the Seney National Wildlife Refuge in northern Michigan to determine if ambient ozone levels at this remote location were great enough to injure refuge vegetation. Ozone injury was observed on sensitive bioindicator plants during each survey year; however, the incidence (percentage) of plants exhibiting symptoms was low and varied among ...

Characean plants provide an excellent experimental system for electrophysiology and physiology due to: (i) very large cell size, (ii) position on phylogenetic tree near the origin of land plants and (iii) continuous spectrum from very salt sensitive to very salt tolerant species. A range of experimental techniques is described, some unique to characean plants. Application of these methods provi...

The calcifuge habit of plants is commonly explained in terms high soil pH and its effects on nutrient availability, particularly that phosphorus (P). However, most Proteaceae occur nutrient-impoverished soils south-western Australia are calcifuge, despite their ability to produce cluster-roots, which effectively mobilize P micronutrients. We hypothesize the mechanism explaining sensitivity calc...

Foraging behavior, one of the adaptive strategies of clonal plants, has stimulated a tremendous amount of research. However, it is a matter of debate whether there is any general pattern in the foraging traits (functional traits related to foraging behavior) of clonal plants in response to diverse environments. We collected data from 97 published papers concerning the relationships between fora...

Salt contamination of soils due to climate change faces a severe environmental issue that affects crop production today. However, the response mechanism in plants salt stress is not fully understood. The present study investigated molecular and biochemical changes under rice seedlings three cultivars, i.e., AGPPS114 (salt-tolerant), OM6967 (moderately tolerance), VD20 (salt-sensitive). Increasi...

A bioassay study was conducted to determine the differences in susceptibility of selected crops simulated imazethapyr residues based on morphological and anatomical parameters. Sugar beet, white mustard, rapeseed oil were found be most sensitive ED50 values for root length fresh weight. Corn sunflower less sensitive, wheat least sensitive. The measured parameters confirmed different sensitiviti...

tobacco is a salt-sensitive glycophyte crop species. in this work effect of silicone (si) supplementation (1 mm as na2sio3) was studied in nicotiana rustica l. cv. basmas grown hydroponically in growth chamber under control, low (25 mm) and high (75 mm) nacl concentration for two weeks. dry matter production of leaves was depressed by salinity level as low as 25 mm and higher salt concentration...

To investigate correlations between phenotypic adaptation to water limitation and drought-induced gene expression, we have studied a model system consisting of a drought-tolerant line (R1) and a drought-sensitive line (S1) of sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.) subjected to progressive drought. R1 tolerance is characterized by the maintenance of shoot cellular turgor. Drought-induced genes (HaEli...

To study cold signaling, we screened for Arabidopsis mutants with altered cold-induced transcription of a firefly luciferase reporter gene driven by the CBF3 promoter (CBF3-LUC). One mutant, chy1-10, displayed reduced cold-induction of CBF3-LUC luminescence. RNA gel blot analysis revealed that expression of endogenous CBFs also was reduced in the chy1 mutant. chy1-10 mutant plants are more sens...