Abstract Seed germination is an important phase of plant development during which soil water availability is crucial. Salinity can affect seed germination in two ways: 1) Change of osmotic potential of available water, 2) toxicity effects. In this experiment, interactive effects of salinity and water deficit on germination criteria of two species of A, littoralis and A. logopoides were...

Boron (B) is essential to growth at low concentrations and limits growth and yield when in excess. Little is known regarding plant response to excess B and salinity occurring simultaneously. In this study, two models of Leibig-Sprengel (LS) and Mitscherlich-Baule (MB), originally proposed to explain plant response to nutrients only, were modified to evaluate canola yield response to combined le...

The importance of plant-soil feedback (PSF) has long been recognized, but the current knowledge on PSF patterns and the related mechanisms mainly stems from laboratory experiments. We aimed at addressing PSF effects on community performance and their determinants using an invasive forb Solidago canadensis. To do so, we surveyed 81 pairs of invaded versus uninvaded plots, collected soil samples ...

Producers have the possibility to combat human-induced dryland salinity by planting salt-tolerant plants such as saltbush. Saltbush has the potential to be used as a source of food for livestock at a time and place where pasture is not viable. However, saltbush contains high concentrations of sodium chloride salt and some other anti-nutritional factors that have the potential to affect feed and...

Phytoextraction is influenced by the indigenous soil microbial communities during the remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils. Soil microbial communities can affect plant growth, metal availability and the performance of phytoextraction-assisting inocula. Understanding the basic ecology of indigenous soil communities associated with the phytoextraction process, including the interplay bet...

Soil permeability and soil salinity are considered the most important elements affecting agriculture in arid areas. To analyze and visualize solute transport and soil salinity distribution mechanisms, dye tracer and an electromagnetic device (W.E.T Probe) were used. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of separate clayey patches (spots) exist in loamy sand soil on both of soil...

Electromagnetic induction (EM) is a useful mean of assessing soil salinity in large areas, particularly after its calibration on different soils. Electromagnetic induction was used to monitor spatial and temporal changes of soil salinity within the saline irrigation district of Flumen, Spain. Soil salinity patterns in this region are entangled because of intensive land leveling and irrigation. ...

Global and regional environmental changes often co-occur, creating complex gradients of disturbance on the landscape. Soil microbial communities are an important component of ecosystem response to environmental change, yet little is known about how microbial structure and function respond to multiple disturbances, or whether multiple environmental changes lead to unanticipated interactive effec...