Soil aggregate stability data are often predicted to be positively associated with measures of plant productivity, rangeland health, and ecosystem functioning. Here we revisit the hypothesis that soil aggregate stability is positively associated with plant productivity. We measured local (plot-to-plot) variation in grassland community composition, plant (aboveground) biomass, root biomass, % wa...

It has often been stated or implied that grazing is an important factor in the land degradation process, a suggestion supported by various research projects, and this study investigated the effect of livestock grazing on stem height, crowncover, production, basal diameter, stem biomass, litter, leaf-stem index (leaf to stem weight) , root diameter and weight and seed production per individual o...

To demonstrate the combined toxicity of cadmium (Cd) and arsenate (As) to early developmental stages of six wheat varieties, young seedlings were exposed to solutions containing both contaminants and seed germination frequency and seedling biomass, root length and shoot height, Cd and As uptake, amylase activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), soluble protein and ...

Two cultivars of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (Jing 411 and Lovrin 10) were used to investigate arsenate (As) uptake and distribution in plants grown in hydroponic culture and in the soil. Results showed that without As addition, Lovrin 10 had higher biomass than Jing 411 in the soil pot experiment; in the hydroponic experiment Lovrin 10 had similar root biomass to and lower shoot biomas...

Our understanding of plant growth in response to nitrogen (N) supply is mainly based on studies of mutants and transformants. This study explored the natural variability of Arabidopsis thaliana first to find out its global response to N availability and secondly to characterize the plasticity for growth and N metabolism among 23 genetically distant accessions under normal (N+), limited (N-), an...

It is a great challenge for researchers to select plant species in terms of their physiological and root properties for vegetation on slope. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the physiology and root profile of four selected tropical plants namely Leucaena leucocephala (LL), Adenanthera pavonina (AP), Peltophorum pterocarpum (PP) and Pterocarpus indicus (PI). The species studied wer...

Root architecture traits are an important component for improving water stress adaptation. However, selection for aboveground traits under favorable environments in modern cultivars may have led to an inadvertent loss of genes and novel alleles beneficial for adapting to environments with limited water. In this study, we elucidate the physiological and molecular consequences of introgressing an...

We established Populus deltoides Bartr. stands differing in nitrogen (N) availability and tested if: (1) N-induced carbon (C) allocation could be explained by developmental allocation controls; and (2) N uptake per unit root mass, i.e., specific N-uptake rate, increased with N availability. Closely spaced (1 x 1 m) stands were treated with 50, 100 and 200 kg N ha(-1) year(-1) of time-release ba...

Increasing level of carbon dioxide CO2 due to industrial activity is primarily cause of global warming. Planting Artoplex lentiformis can help to reduce atmospheric CO2 buildup partly replacing use of fuels and by carbon storage. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of row spacing on carbon storage. A split- plot design with three replications included three row spacing (2×2...