Total concentrations and fractionation of Cu, Zn and Pb in seven operationally defined phases (exchangeable, carbonates, manganese oxides, organic complexes, amorphous iron oxides, crystalline iron oxides and residual) were determined in sediments colonised by the halophyte species Halimione portulacoides and Spartina maritima in a Tagus estuary salt marsh (Portugal). We aimed to determine whet...

Soil salt-alkalinization is a widespread environmental stress that limits crop growth and agricultural productivity. The influence of soil alkalization caused by Na(2)CO(3) on plants is more severe than that of soil salinization. Plants have evolved some unique mechanisms to cope with alkali stress; however, the plant alkaline-responsive signaling and molecular pathways are still unknown. In th...

Glycinebetaine (betaine) highly accumulates as a compatible solute in certain plants and has been considered to play a role in the protection from salt stress. The betaine biosynthesis pathway of betaine-accumulating plants involves choline monooxygenase (CMO) as the key enzyme and phosphoethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEAMT), which require S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) as a methyl donor. SA...

The domestication of halophytes has been proposed as a strategy to expand cultivation onto unfavorable land. However, halophytes mainly have been considered for their performance in extremely saline environments, and only a few species have been characterized in terms of their tolerance and physiological responses to moderately high levels of salinity. Salvadora persica is an evergreen perennia...

Root microbiota is a crucial determinant of plant productivity and stress tolerance. Here, we hypothesize that the superior halo-tolerance of seepweed Suaeda salsa is tightly linked to a specialized belowground microbiome. To test this hypothesis, we performed a phylogenetic trait-based framework analysis based on bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal nuclear rRNA internal transcribed spacer profi...

Reactive oxygen or nitrogen species are generated in the plant cell during the extreme stress condition, which produces toxic compounds after reacting with the organic molecules. The glutathione-S-transferase (GST) enzymes play a significant role to detoxify these toxins and help in excretion or sequestration of them. In the present study, we have cloned 1023 bp long promoter region of tau clas...

The effects of climate change in coastal semi-arid and arid Mediterranean areas are intense. Green roofs planted with native plant species that able to withstand saline conditions can contribute supporting climate-change adaptation preservation wetlands, enhancing the character local landscapes reducing disaster risk. Considering limited availability water resources, there is increasing interes...

Production of heteromorphic seeds is common in halophytes growing in arid environments with strong spatial and temporal heterogeneity. However, evidence for geographic variation (reflecting local adaptation) is almost nonexistent. Our primary aims were to compare the life history traits of two desert populations of this halophytic summer annual Suaeda corniculata subsp. mongolica and to investi...

The implication of organic acids in Cd and Ni translocation was studied in the halophyte species Sesuvium portulacastrum. Citric, fumaric, malic, and ascorbic acids were separated and quantified by HPLC technique in shoots, roots and xylem saps of plants grown on nutrient solutions added with 50 μM Cd, 100 μM Ni and the combination of 50 μM Cd + 100 μM Ni. Results showed that Cd had no signific...