In this article, we discuss the effects of long-term (17 months) aluminum (Al) treatment on the growth, root respiration rate, nutrient uptake rate, and photosynthetic activity of two-year-old Quercus serrata Thunb. seedlings. The seedlings were cultivated by supplying a nutrient solution with or without Al twice a week for 17 months in siliceous sand. After 5- and 17-month treatments, growth, ...

Root systems of 6-month-old, cold-hardened, container-grown black spruce seedlings (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) were exposed to 0, -5, -10, -15, -20, or -22.5 degrees C. Freezing-induced damage to fine roots, coarse roots and the whole root system was assessed by various viability tests including leakage of electrolytes, leakage of phenolic compounds, water loss, root and shoot water potentia...

Basal stem rot (BSR) caused by Ganoderma boninense is an important disease of oil palm in Malaysia. Control of BSR is complex, because the disease occurs in the dynamic environment at the interface of the roots with soil. Endophytes as biocontrol agents offer possible advantages as they invade and proliferate in the plants to await the pathogens and they are insulated from any adverse condition...

With the rapid growing of nanotechnology, the effects of nanomaterials released into the environment on plants have drawn more and more attention. Iron is an element essential for plant growth and development. Iron is involved in chlorophyll formation; iron deficiency will cause a plant disorder known as chlorosis. However, whether iron in nano-ferric oxide can be absorbed by plants were rarely...

To study the effects of source-sink ratio and nutrient supply on photosynthetic acclimation to CO(2) elevation, we subjected white birch seedlings to two levels of nutrient supply (high vs. low) and CO(2) concentrations (ambient vs. doubled [CO(2)]) for two months and then shaded the lower canopy on half of the seedlings to reduce source/sink ratio for an additional month. The CO(2) elevation s...

Functional-structural plant modeling (FSPM) is a fast and dynamic method to predict plant growth under varying environmental conditions. Temperature is a primary factor affecting the rate of plant development. In the present study, we used three different temperature treatments (10/14°C, 18/22°C, and 26/30°C) to test the effect of temperature on growth and development of rapeseed (Brassica napu...

Colletotrichum tnmmtum NRRL 18434 is a host-specific pathogen of hemp sesbania (Sesbania exaltata), a weed in cotton, soybeans and rice. The bioherbicidal potential of C. tnmmhml microsclerotia (MS) was assessed based on the feasibility of prodUcing and storing microsclerotia and the efficacy of microsclerotia in controlling hemp sesbania. Microsclerotia were produced in highly aerated liquid c...

Polymer-coated fertilizer (PCF) provides a potential means to optimize nutrient delivery for plant uptake, while minimizing leaching. Coating technology varies by manufacturer, which may alter patterns of nutrient release over time among comparable products. Three months following sowing, Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) seedlings were transplanted into containers with Osmocot...

The neotropical liana Gnetum leyboldii (Gnetaceae) is a gymnosperm that resembles angiosperms in wood anatomy, overall morphology, and seed dispersal mechanism. Like other woody lianas, seedlings germinate in the shaded forest understory and start climbing towards the canopy, being exposed to sites with extreme differences in light conditions. However, the extent of physiological and structural...

We hypothesized that seedlings grown under water-limited conditions would develop denser wood than seedlings grown under well-watered conditions. Three Eucalyptus species (E. grandis Hill (ex Maiden), E. sideroxylon Cunn. (ex Woolls) and E. occidentalis Endl.) were grown in a temperature-controlled greenhouse for 19 weeks with watering treatments (well-watered and water-limited) applied at six ...