Production and breeding of bulbous plants and herbaceous perennials in Poland

Bioenergy from perennial grasses mitigates climate change via displacing fossil fuels and storing atmospheric CO2 belowground as soil carbon. Here, we conduct a critical review to examine whether increasing plant diversity in bioenergy grassland systems can further increase their climate change mitigation potential. We find that compared with highly productive monocultures, diverse mixtures tend to produce as great or greater yields. In particular, there is strong evidence that legume addition improves yield, in some cases equivalent to mineral nitrogen fertilization at 33–150 kg per ha. Plant diversity can also promote soil carbon storage in the long term, reduce soil N2O emissions by 30%–40%, and suppress weed invasion, hence reducing herbicide use. These potential benefits of plant diversity translate to 50%–65% greater life-cycle greenhouse gas savings for biofuels from more diverse grassland biomass grown on degraded soils. In addition, there is growing evidence that plant diversity can accelerate land restoration.

The root–microbe–soil interface: new tools for sustainable plant production

The development and use of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.), phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L.) and tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum Darbysh.) in the high-rainfall zone and the wheat–sheep zone is reviewed through the pastoral era of extensive grazing (from European settlement to ~1930), the expansive era of pasture improvement (1930–80) and in the modern era. Their adoption, in conjunction with inoculated clover seed, rose steadily in specifically Australian systems of animal production, designed with an appreciation of the environment, and aided by technical developments such as single-disc and aerial spreaders for mineral fertiliser, chemical fallowing and direct-drilling. These species remain vital contributors to the competitive productivity of Australia’s cattle and sheep industries. Perennial ryegrass (~6 Mha by 1994) and cocksfoot emerged as the most important after a wide range of species was introduced through the 19th Century; many of these became naturalised. Regional strains of perennial ryegrass were subsequently selected for commercialisation in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. In the modern era, persistent ecotypes were harnessed to breed persistent cultivars. Vision to both improve grass persistence and extend the area of adaptation encouraged the adoption of phalaris (~2.7 Mha by 2009) and, to a lesser extent, early-flowering types of cocksfoot and tall fescue, particularly for the marginal-rainfall, wheat–sheep zone. The sowing of grass and clover seed expanded after the wide adoption of superphosphate, which became recognised as essential for correcting the severe deficiency of soil phosphorus and nitrogen associated with ancient, intensely weathered soils. The initial and dramatic response of clover to superphosphate increased farm revenue, so fostering a phase in which perennial grasses could be successfully sown, due to having the benefit of (biologically fixed) nitrogen. The influence of European practice, agricultural societies, the Welsh Plant Breeding Station, CSIRO, universities, state Departments of Agriculture, collaborative arrangements and individuals that nurtured and managed pasture technology, plant breeding, cultivar registration and evaluation are outlined. Future considerations emerging from the review include monitoring the national pasture inventory, promotion of the great potential for increasing livestock carrying capacity, cultivar discrimination and information, relevance of models, and national coordination of collaborative research.

Intraspecific responses of plant productivity and crop yield to experimental warming: A global synthesis

The study investigated the cultivars of non-obligatorily requiring vernalization plant Festulolium braunii and assessed the influence of non-hardy reproductive and hardy vegetative structures on overwintering effect. The study was conducted taking into account systemic relations between these types of structures. The results show the cultivars differ according to the percentage of headed and overwintered plants, when the cultivars with the most abundant heading – ‘Felopa’ and ‘Sulino’ – are also better at overwintering. The positive correlation between heading and overwintering characteristics was also observed, what seemed to be a rather new finding. It can be explained by systemic effect: non-hardy later reproductive structures induce the post-generative regrowth of vegetative shoots, which during shorter days halt development and become potentially hardy. More detailed interpretation is also provided including discussion of causal mechanisms of the detected phenomenon. The authors suppose that these mechanisms constitute a survival strategy for such perennial plants. The observed late heading which represents reproductive structures could be applied in plant breeding as a marker of winter-hardiness among perennial grass plants which non-obligatorily demand vernalization.

The relationship between plant diversity and productivity has received much attention in ecology, but the relationship of these factors to soil microbial communities has been little explored. The carbon resources that support soil microbial communities are primarily derived from plants, so it is likely that the soil microbial community should respond to changes in plant diversity or productivity, particularly if the plant community affects the quality or quantity of available carbon. We investigated the relationship of plant diversity and productivity to the composition of the soil microbial community along a topographic gradient in a mid-successional old-field in southwestern Michigan. Soil moisture, soil inorganic N, and plant biomass increased from the top to the base of the slope, while light at ground level decreased along this same gradient. We characterized the changes in resource levels along this gradient using an index of productivity that incorporated light levels, soil N, soil moisture, and plant biomass. Average plant species richness declined with this productivity index and there were associated compositional changes in the plant community along the gradient. The plant community shifted from predominantly low-growing perennial forbs at low productivities to perennial grasses at higher productivities. Although there was variation in the structure of the soil microbial community [as indicated by fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles], changes in the composition of the soil microbial community were not correlated with plant productivity or diversity. However, microbial activity [as indicated by Biolog average well color development and substrate-induced respiration (SIR)] was positively correlated with plant productivity. The similarity between patterns of plant biomass and soil microbial activity suggests that either plant productivity is driving microbial productivity or that limiting resources for each of these two communities co-vary.

The purpose of research is to study the yield of green mass and the productivity of forage plants in the conditions of the Republic of Tuva, to determine the mass of roots in the 0–30 cm layer, the aggregate composition of the soil by dry sifting, to assess the structure of the soil under various forage crops. It was established that the yield of forage crops was largely determined by the amount of precipitation and productive moisture at the beginning of plant development, and the distribution of precipitation over the gro-wing season. Over 3 years of research, on average, the highest yield of green mass among legumes was provided by vetch (14.8 t/ha), and among perennial grasses – sainfoin (13.9 t/ha). The maximum dry matter collection in annual crops was noted for the pea variant (6.39 t/ha). In terms of feed units and metabolic energy, it surpasses other vetch varieties (8.42 thousand and 123.46 GJ/ha). Among perennial grasses, the best indicators on average over the years of research in all productivity parameters were recorded in sainfoin: dry matter yield – 8.34 t/ha, feed units – 31.57 thousand, metabolic energy – 136.99 GJ/ha. It was revealed that the content of agronomically valuable fractions (AVF) under perennial grasses is greater than under annual grasses. The largest amount of AVF is contained in the alfalfa and sainfoin varieties. The coefficient of structure on the top layer of perennial grasses ranges from 2.0 to 2.47, which is 2 times higher than that of annual leguminous crops. The structure of the dark chestnut soil under perennial grasses is assessed as excellent. Research results have established that the cultivation of perennial grasses contributes to better soil structuring compared to annual leguminous crops.

Bamboo and Miscanthus species are perennial low-input plants that are excellent candidates for bioenergy feedstock production. Biological characteristics, dry matter yields and fuel properties of the bamboo and Miscanthus have been studied. Genotype growth characteristics were determined by measurements of plant height, tillering, tuft diameter, and shoot diameter. To date, comparisons of biomass yields of bamboo and Miscanthus have not been previously reported in the literature. Bamboo and Miscanthus species were collected and previous articles describing the productivity of bamboo and Miscanthus were examined. Genotypes differed in plant height, tillering, tuft diameter, and shoot diameter. Nitrogen, temperature, water and plant density have effects on mature stands biomass production, which ranged from 5.9 to 49.5 tonnes/ha/yr for bamboo and 3.2 to 49.0 tonnes/ha/yr for Miscanthus. With such biomass yields, bamboo and Miscanthus should be considered as two very promising plants for biomass production in Zhejiang, China in the near future.

Whole plant productivity is obviously the ultimate product of leaf photosynthesis and this has led to numerous efforts to relate the two. However, often with perennial grasses, plant productivity is more sink-limited than source-limited, causing the linkage between the photosynthetic rate and productivity to be weak or nonexistent. This has led to a different approach, characterizing plant productivity in terms of the efficiency of intercepted light use in producing biomass, also called radiation use efficiency. Likewise, the efficiency of the use of water to produce plant biomass, or water use efficiency, has been the object of much interest. The use of a simulation model to quantify biomass, using radiation use efficiency in parallel with a daily water balance simulation, allows for the effective calculation of water use efficiency. In this project, the process of determining radiation use efficiency with field data is described, as well as example values for highly productive perennial grasses useful for feedstock for bioenergy. In addition, values of water use efficiency for these grasses are reported and compared with other perennial grasses and common cultivated crops.

ABSTRACTOur objective was to examine the effects of inter-annual variation of precipitation on productivity of two dominant species (Chuquiraga avellanedae, an evergreen shrub, and Nassella tenuis, a perennial grass) in two communities of contrasting soil degradation: a herbaceous steppe with shrubs (HSS) and a degraded shrub steppe (SS). Data were collected during two consecutive years with different annual precipitation. Aboveground productivity was determined nondestructively using a double sampling approach. The number of inflorescences per plant was recorded too. Perennial grass productivity was lower in SS than in HSS in both years, while shrub productivity was lower in SS only during the year of below average precipitation. With rising precipitation the perennial grass increased the number of inflorescences while the evergreen shrub augmented vegetative biomass. In summary, the effects of precipitation on plant productivity are community dependent; abiotic factors, such as superficial and sub-superficial soil characteristics, and biotic factors, such as leaf area index (LAI) or tussock sizes, may interact to influence the responses of species to precipitation. Our results suggest that if precipitation increased, this would favor the dominance of shrubs over grasses.

Ornamental crops provide better income from a unit area with higher profitability. The production of flower crops has increased significantly and there is huge demand for floricultural products in the world resulting in growing international flower trade. Value addition in floriculture increases the economic value and consumer appeal of any floral commodity. The present publication on “Value Addition in Flowers and Orchids” is planned in 12 interesting s vividly highlighting value addition in flower crops and orchids covering wide range of aspects. The first 10 s are represented by various value added products from commercial flowers viz. rose, chrysanthemum, carnation, anthurium, gerbera, gladiolus, tuberose, tulip, lilium, freesia, iris, alstroemeria, liatris, strelitzia, solidago, dahlia, jasmine, marigold, crossandra, barleria, annuals, herbaceous perennials, flowering shrubs, house plants, aquatic plants, bulbous plants, cacti and succulents and lesser known ornamentals. Two most important s on value addition in flower crop like orchid are separately dealt in details in this publication. These commercial orchids presented in this book include Aerides, Anoectichilus, Arachnis, Ascocentrum, Bulbophyllum, Calanthe, Cattleya, Coelogyne, Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Doritis, Epidendrum, Eulophia, Gastrochilus, Habenaria, Laelia, Miltonia, Odontoglossum, Oncidium, Paphiopedilum, Phaius, Phalaenopsis, Pholidota, Pleione, Renanthera, Rhyncostylis, Vanda, Zygopetalum. It may be humbly claimed that this is the first book of its kind on value addition in flower crops including orchids in India. I sincerely hope that this book on “Value Addition in Flowers and Orchids” will be useful to teachers, students, scientists, plant breeders, plant biotechnologists, planners, exporters, amateurs and professional flower growers.

Contamination of agricultural land in Poland by heavy metals is not a general problem but is limited to industrial areas. In regions of long history of industrial emission, of elevated levels of lead, cadmium, zinc and other ions during coal and ore mining and processing, as for example in Silesia, about 10 % of agricultural land may be characterized by exceeded maximum residue limits for Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni and Zn ions. Since the maintenance of agricultural areas in those regions is important from an ecological standpoint, the alternative farming activities are needed. Perennial grass biomass production for energy purposes is currently the best solution for majority of agricultural areas not suitable for food production in Poland. Along with increasing knowledge on separation and utilization of heavy metals (HM) during and after biomass processing, phytoremediation of polluted soils will become important and valuable. To detect the effect of soil HM ions concentration on growth and development of selected, tall growing and high biomass yielding perennial grass cultivars, the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were registered. The elevated content of Pb, Cd and Zn ions in soil influenced on decrease of: minimal (Fo), maximal (Fm) and variable (Fv) fluorescence level as well as on total complementary area on a diagram of chlorophyll a fluorescence induction curve (Area). Based on detected parameters it was concluded, that the high level of HM ions in soils negatively affected the efficiency of photosynthesis. Therefore, plant growth, as well as development of generative shoots and finally the biomass yield were reduced in some cultivars. Among tested cultivars different reaction for HM ions in polluted soil were noted: from only slightly modified parameters of photosynthesis and unreduced yield (Elytrigia elongata cv. Bamar and Arrhenatherum elatius cv. Wiwena) to significantly reduced Fo, Fv, Fm and biomass yield (Bromus carinathus cv. Broma and Bromus inermis cv. Brudzynska).

Soybean cultivation is the basis of agriculture in the Amur region. The area of soybean sowing is more than 74%, which leads to repeated sowing of soybeans and does not allow to fully realize the potential of cultivated varieties. The choice of predecessors and terms of tillage will increase the efficiency of soybean production in the region. The article presents the results of field ex-periments in the production conditions of agricultural enterprises of the Amur region. Plowing of perennial grasses in the first decade of July provides the highest yield of soybeans sown after perennial grasses. 24% more than plow-ing in the first decade of August. The tillage after perennial grasses to a depth of 12-14 cm with the BDM-8 discator and to a depth of 14-16 cm with the Morris cultivator can increase soybean yields by 39 and 22%, respectively. The choice of wheat as a precursor will improve productivity indicators and achieve yields greater than when cultivated in repeated crops by 25% and by 15% for the steam predecessor. Non-moldboard loosening of the soil after wheat to a depth of 14-16 cm at the end of April contributes to an increase in the productivity of soybean plants by 17.3% more than non-moldboard loos-ening at the end of May. Keywords: SOYBEAN, PREDECESSOR, PERENNIAL GRASSES, TILLAGE, PLANT PRODUCTIVITY, YIELD

Simple SummaryThere are various factors linked to global change that possess the capacity to alter the interannual variability in seed production. Our current knowledge regarding the impact of nitrogen availability on the year-to-year fluctuations in seed production patterns of perennial plants is limited. A multiyear field experiment was undertaken to examine the impact of nitrogen addition on the interannual seed production patterns of perennial plants. The introduction of element N had a significant impact on the preservation of aboveground biomass in plants, as well as the stability of flower traits. Consequently, this factor had an impact on the frequency of pollinator preference and the annual seed output. The findings of our study indicate that increasing the nitrogen content in the soil has the potential to alter the natural fluctuations in seed production that occur over different years. The results of this study possess the capacity to improve our understanding of the effects of nitrogen supplementation on the reproductive success of perennial herbaceous plants, as well as the fundamental mechanisms driving biodiversity in the face of worldwide environmental shifts.The variability observed in the annual seed production of perennial plants can be seen as an indication of changes in the allocation of resources between growth and reproduction, which can be attributed to fluctuations in the environment. However, a significant knowledge gap exists concerning the impacts of nitrogen addition on the interannual seed production patterns of perennial plants. We hypothesized that the addition of nitrogen would impact the annual variations in the seed production of perennial plants, ultimately affecting their overall reproductive efficiency. A multiyear field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of varying nitrogen supply levels (e.g., 0, 4, and 8 kg N ha−1 yr−1 of N0, N4, and N8) on vegetative and floral traits, pollinator visitation rates, and seed traits over a period of four consecutive years. The results showed that the N0 treatment exhibited the highest levels of seed production and reproductive efficiency within the initial two years. In contrast, the N4 treatment displayed its highest level of performance in these metrics in the second and third years, whereas the N8 treatment showcased its most favorable outcomes in the third and fourth years. Similar patterns were found in the number of flowers per capitulum and the number of capitula per plant. There exists a positive correlation between aboveground biomass and several factors, including the number of flowers per capitulum, the number of capitula per plant, the volume of nectar per capitulum, and the seed production per plant. A positive correlation was found between pollinator visitation and the number of flowers per capitulum or the number of capitula per plant. This implies that the addition of N affected the maintenance of plant aboveground biomass, flower trait stability, pollinator visitation, and, subsequently, the frequency of seed production and reproductive efficiency. Our results suggest that augmenting the nitrogen content in the soil may have the capacity to modify the inherent variability in seed production that is observed across various years and enhance the effectiveness of reproductive processes. These findings have the potential to enhance our comprehension of the impact of nitrogen addition on the reproductive performance of perennial herbaceous plants and the underlying mechanisms of biodiversity in the context of global environmental changes.

Plant breeding uses biotechnology primarily as a tool to increase efficiency of traditional plant breeding, with particular attention to improving disease and insect resistance, or adding novel kinds of herbicide tolerance. Increasing emphasis now is placed on the potential to use biotechnology to create novel industrial and food products in plants. Such products may replace products presently made from non-renewable resources, they may provide lower cost versions of products now made from other organisms, they may be more bio-degradable, or they may be entirely new products. To date few new products are on the market, but work is in progress to make new or lower cost oils, carbohydrates, and proteins. Potential problems may occur in allocation and licensing of intellectual property rights, in meeting stringent release requirements for genetically modified organisms and products, and in development of pricing and marketing mechanisms that will make the new products profitable for those who develop, produce, and market them. For plant breeding companies in particular, new alliances may be needed with both genetic resources suppliers and production and marketing entities.