Poplars (Populus sp.) and willows (Salix sp.) are well known woody plants common throughout the northern hemisphere, both with fully sequenced genomes. They bear compact unisexual inflorescences known as "catkins." Closely related genera of the "salicoid clade" within the family Salicaceae include the Asian genera Bennettiodendron, Idesia, Itoa, Poliothyrsis, and Carrierea and the Central Ameri...

This paper reviews the potential for using trees for the phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated land. It considers the following aspects: metal tolerance in trees, heavy metal uptake by trees grown on contaminated substrates, heavy metal compartmentalisation within trees, phytoremediation using trees and the phytoremediation potential of willow (Salix spp.).

Chlorpyrifos is one of the commonly used organophosphorus insecticides that are implicated in serious environmental and human health problems. To evaluate plant potential for uptake of chlorpyrifos, several plant species of poplar (Populus sp.) and willow (Salix sp.) were investigated. Chlorpyrifos was taken up from nutrient solution by all seven plant species. Significant amounts of chlorpyrif...

Biomass produced from dedicated plantations constitutes a source of renewable energy and is expected to play an important role in several countries in the coming decades. The cultivation of woody crops such as willows therefore raises several environmental issues. In North America, several native willows are potentially interesting for biomass producers. Willow trees are diverse but few species...

The interaction between plants and microorganisms, which is the driving force behind the decontamination of petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contamination in phytoremediation technology, is poorly understood. Here, we aimed at characterizing the variations between plant compartments in the microbiome of two willow cultivars growing in contaminated soils. A field experiment was set-up at a former pet...

This study was conducted to determine the relationship in Hoagland’s hydroponic culture medium between fluoride at levels of 190, 380, 570, and 950 mg F/ L and the ability of different clones of basket willow (Salix viminalis L.: ‘Bjor’, ‘Jorr’, and ‘Tora’) to take up F. After 14 days of exposure to NaF in the medium, the roots and leaves of seedlings of these three varieties of basket willow w...

Quantifying woody plant biomass has often proven difficult in the field for reasons that include irregular plant morphology, between-observer variability, and lack of standardized techniques. One potential solution to these challenges is the use of groundbased photographic technology. Our objective was to develop a photo-based technique that could be used to monitor changes in willow (Salix spp...

In recent decades, invasive willows and poplars (Salicaceae) have built dense floodplain forests along most of the rivers in Patagonia, Argentina. These invasion processes may affect Salix humboldtiana as the only native floodplain tree species in this region. It is assumed, that the property to reproduce vegetatively can play an important role in the establishment of invasive species in their ...

With the need to conserve and improve the environment, it is recommended to employ plant materials in the erosion control of torrents and slopes alongside roads. Considering the well-known properties of some willow species regarding their power of vegetative reproduction, survival in poor soils and often flooded alluvium, we researched into the potentials of the following species: Salix triandr...

4-Coumarate:CoA ligase (4CL) genes are critical for the biosynthesis of plant phenylpropanoids. Here we identified 20 4CL genes in the genomes of two desert poplars (Populus euphratica and P. pruinosa) and salt-sensitive congener (P. trichocarpa), but 12 in Salix suchowensis (Salix willow). Phylogenetic analyses clustered all Salicaceae 4CL genes into two clades, and one of them (corresponding ...