Grass Root System Research Articles

An experimental investigation on the effect of vetiver grass root system on the engineering properties of soil

An experimental investigation on the effect of vetiver grass root system on the engineering properties of soil

A snapshot of bacterial endophytes isolated from the roots of Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) grown at Bien Hoa airbase, Dong Nai province

Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) with a strong root system has been widely used for environmental pollution treatment. Recently, this grass has been cultivated at Bien Hoa airbase to mitigate dioxin concentration in the contaminated soil. Bacterial endophytes have been recognized to play key roles in plant growth promotion and responses of plant hosts to environmental factors. However, a beneficial association between endophytic bacteria and Vetiver grass root system grown in dioxin-contaminated soil has not been elucidated. In the present study, we isolated sixteen endophytic bacterial strains from the roots of Vetiver grass. The results of DNA sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that these culturable bacterial endophytes belong to 9 species of different genera. Four strains, including Klebsiella variicola B1, Enterobacter cloacae B4, Enterobacter kobei B6, and Enterobacter cloacae B11, produce high amounts of indol acetic acid (IAA). Strains K. variicola B1 and E. cloacae B4 also produce phytase and phosphatase to dissolve phytate and phosphate, respectively. These strains were selected to evaluate their abilities in promoting the growth of tomato plants as a model. After 28 days of inoculation with the tested strains through the roots, tomato plants grew 19% to 22% faster than the control plants. Conclusively, this study shows for the first time the successful isolation of endophytic bacteria from the roots of Vetiver grass cultivated in dioxin-contaminated soil, and some culturable bacterial strains exhibit as promising candidates for plant growth promotion.

Improvement of the rural grassroots community work mechanism and its role in alleviating farmers’ psychological anxiety

BackgroundWith the development of modern rural areas, farmers have developed anxiety, which is a reflection of the imperfect grassroots construction in rural areas. By establishing innovative and perfect grassroots systems, psychological anxiety relief is implemented for farmers. This study investigates the role of improving and innovating the working mechanism of rural grassroots communities in alleviating farmers’ psychological anxiety.Subjects and MethodsA total of 60 farmers from a certain village were selected and randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group, with 30 cases in each group. The intervention group received comprehensive psychological intervention and anxiety counseling, while the control group did not receive any treatment. The anxiety self-assessment scale scores were evaluated before and after the intervention. The results were tested using SPSS16.0 statistical software.ResultsBefore intervention, there was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05) between the two groups of subjects in the scores of the Self Rating Anxiety Scale, indicating no statistical significance; The score of the anxiety self-assessment scale in the intervention group decreased significantly before and after intervention (P<0.05), while there was no statistical difference in the score of the anxiety self-assessment scale in the control group before and after intervention (P>0.05).ConclusionsThe improvement and innovation of rural grassroots community work mechanisms have a good development for psychological intervention, which can effectively reduce farmers’ anxiety levels, improve patients’ quality of life, and have a good effect on farmers’ enthusiasm for life and mental health. It is worth further promoting.

Flexible Hierarchical Co‐Doped NiS2@CNF‐CNT Electron Deficient Interlayer with Grass‐Roots Structure for Li–S Batteries

AbstractThe key means to improve the performance of lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) is to reduce the internal resistance by building an electronic/ionic pathway and to accelerate the conversion kinetics of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) through modulation of interface functions. Herein, inspired by a grass root system, a flexible hierarchical CNF‐CNT (carbon nanofiber‐carbon nanotube) membrane decorated with Co‐doped NiS2nanoparticles (Co‐NiS2@CNF‐CNT) is designed as an interlayer for LSBs, in which the in situ grown CNTs (root hairs) are wound on CNF (roots). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that Co doping introduces electron‐deficient regions at the doping sites in NiS2, thus improving chemical adsorption and catalytic activities toward LiPSs. The cell pairs with the Co‐NiS2@CNF‐CNT interlayer exhibit a high rate performance of 951.4 mAh g−1at 3 C, a reversible capacity of 944.1 mAh g−1after 500 cycles at 0.2 C, and a prolonged cycle life of 3000 cycles at 5 C. More importantly, an areal capacity of 7.96 mAh cm−2is achieved with a sulfur loading of 9.6 mg cm−2. This work provides a strategy for enhancing the electrochemical performance of LSBs by combining 3D hierarchical conductive skeletons and electron‐deficient functional adsorption and catalysis materials.

Biological Methods of Ooptimization of Cultivation of Perennial Grasses in Agriculture of the Non-Chernozem zone

The possibility of using nitrogen of annual legumes for fertilizing perennial grasses (timofeevka meadow) by using them as cover crops has been established. By increasing the content of assimilable forms of nitrogen and other nutrients in the soil, they had a positive effect on the development of grasses in the autumn and spring periods, the formation of their biomass during vegetation, improving its quality, increasing the development of the root system of perennial grasses and the accumulation of nutrients in it. The effective effect of cover crops was traced for 4 years, the total increase in the mowing crop during this time amounted to over 120 kg/ha, the economic effect – of 17 thousand rubles.

Perennial grass root system specializes for multiple resource acquisitions with differential elongation and branching patterns.

Roots optimize the acquisition of limited soil resources, but relationships between root forms and functions have often been assumed rather than demonstrated. Furthermore, how root systems co-specialize for multiple resource acquisitions is unclear. Theory suggests that trade-offs exist for the acquisition of different resource types, such as water and certain nutrients. Measurements used to describe the acquisition of different resources should then account for differential root responses within a single system. To demonstrate this, we grew Panicum virgatum in split-root systems that vertically partitioned high water availability from nutrient availability so that root systems must absorb the resources separately to fully meet plant demands. We evaluated root elongation, surface area, and branching, and we characterized traits using an order-based classification scheme. Plants allocated approximately 3/4th of primary root length towards water acquisition, whereas lateral branches were progressively allocated towards nutrients. However, root elongation rates, specific root length, and mass fraction were similar. Our results support the existence of differential root functioning within perennial grasses. Similar responses have been recorded in many plant functional types suggesting a fundamental relationship. Root responses to resource availability can be incorporated into root growth models via maximum root length and branching interval parameters.

Root system architecture and environmental flux analysis in mature crops using 3D root mesocosms.

Current methods of root sampling typically only obtain small or incomplete sections of root systems and do not capture their true complexity. To facilitate the visualization and analysis of full-sized plant root systems in 3-dimensions, we developed customized mesocosm growth containers. While highly scalable, the design presented here uses an internal volume of 45 ft3 (1.27 m3), suitable for large crop and bioenergy grass root systems to grow largely unconstrained. Furthermore, they allow for the excavation and preservation of 3-dimensional root system architecture (RSA), and facilitate the collection of time-resolved subterranean environmental data. Sensor arrays monitoring matric potential, temperature and CO2 levels are buried in a grid formation at various depths to assess environmental fluxes at regular intervals. Methods of 3D data visualization of fluxes were developed to allow for comparison with root system architectural traits. Following harvest, the recovered root system can be digitally reconstructed in 3D through photogrammetry, which is an inexpensive method requiring only an appropriate studio space and a digital camera. We developed a pipeline to extract features from the 3D point clouds, or from derived skeletons that include point cloud voxel number as a proxy for biomass, total root system length, volume, depth, convex hull volume and solidity as a function of depth. Ground-truthing these features with biomass measurements from manually dissected root systems showed a high correlation. We evaluated switchgrass, maize, and sorghum root systems to highlight the capability for species wide comparisons. We focused on two switchgrass ecotypes, upland (VS16) and lowland (WBC3), in identical environments to demonstrate widely different root system architectures that may be indicative of core differences in their rhizoeconomic foraging strategies. Finally, we imposed a strong physiological water stress and manipulated the growth medium to demonstrate whole root system plasticity in response to environmental stimuli. Hence, these new "3D Root Mesocosms" and accompanying computational analysis provides a new paradigm for study of mature crop systems and the environmental fluxes that shape them.

PANCHAYTI RAJ INSTITUTIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN HIMACHAL PRADESH

India is basically country of villages. Our entire system is based on the villages. Besides the increasing urban population, after more than seven decades of independence our economy is depending on agro based. Presently, more than Seventy percent of the population still resides in the villages. Keeping in broader prospect of Indian society, rural development is one of the major aspects of India System. Without rural development, development of Indian society is not possible. Our past experience proves that without participation of rural masses, rural development is not possible. Hence there is close relationship between the Panchayti raj Institutions and rural development. Panchayats have been the backbone of grassroots democracy in the Indian villages from ancient times. The 73rd constitutional Amendment Act granted constitutional status to the grassroots system and gave more powers to implementation of rural development programmes, policies and schemes. Himachal Pradesh is one of ideal state of India. It came in to being on 15th April 1948. Before the formation of Himachal Pradesh, no attention was paid to economic development and social welfare of the people in princely states. Only some efforts were made by the rulers in their states. The systematic evaluation of resources and their scientific exploitation was started in only after the formation of Himachal Pradesh as full-fledged state. It is only then that the people and the government of the Pradesh started making concerted efforts to improve socio economic condition of the people. Present paper evaluates the role of Panchayats in rural development in Himachal Pradesh. The study is based on the secondary data.

ПОВЫШЕНИЕ ПРОДУКТИВНОСТИ МОГОЛЕТНИХ ЗЛАКОВЫХ ТРАВ В СИСТЕМЕ БИОЛОГИЗАЦИИ ЗЕМЛЕДЕЛИЯ НЕЧЕРНОЗЕМНОЙ ЗОНЫ РОССИИ

. In studies on soddy-podzolic sandy loamy soil of the experimental field of All-Russian Research Institute of Organic Fertilizers and Peat - a branch of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Insti-tution "Verkhnevolzhsky Federal Agrarian Scientific Center" during 2009-2013. the possibility of using nitrogen from annual leguminous plants for feeding perennial grasses (meadow timothy grass) by using them as cover crops has been established. They, by increasing the content of as-similable forms of nitrogen and other nutrients in the soil, had a positive effect on the develop-ment of grasses in the autumn and spring periods, the formation of their biomass during the grow-ing season, improving its quality, increasing the development of the root system of perennial grasses and the accumulation of nutrients in it. The effective effect of cover crops was traced for 4 years, the total increase in hay crop during this time amounted to more than 120 c/ha, the econom-ic effect was about 17 thousand rubles.

Deconstructing the root system of grasses through an exploration of development, anatomy and function.

Well‐adapted root systems allow plants to grow under resource‐limiting environmental conditions and are important determinants of yield in agricultural systems. Important staple crops such as rice and maize belong to the family of grasses, which develop a complex root system that consists of an embryonic root system that emerges from the seed, and a postembryonic nodal root system that emerges from basal regions of the shoot after germination. While early seedling establishment is dependent on the embryonic root system, the nodal root system, and its associated branches, gains in importance as the plant matures and will ultimately constitute the bulk of below‐ground growth. In this review, we aim to give an overview of the different root types that develop in cereal grass root systems, explore the different physiological roles they play by defining their anatomical features, and outline the genetic networks that control their development. Through this deconstructed view of grass root system function, we provide a parts‐list of elements that function together in an integrated root system to promote survival and crop productivity.

Households Large and Small: Healthcare Civilians and the Prominence of Women’s Work in the Edmonton Bulletin’s Reporting of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic

Between October and December 1918, more than 10 percent of Edmonton’s population contracted epidemic (or “Spanish”) influenza. The high rates of infection in the city prompted the development of a grassroots system of volunteers to provide support for those affected by the epidemic. Organizers of this volunteer-run relief system recognized that the impact of the flu extended beyond the need for nurses at the sickbed. It encompassed other aspects of household labour, including laundry, cooking, and childcare. Reflecting the domestic needs of Edmonton’s stricken population, healthcare civilians organized their work through household-style cooperatives. This paper examines how the household became the unit of measure commonly employed in the Edmonton Bulletin daily newspaper to conceptualize the impact of, and responses to, the epidemic. Gendered chores, rarely discussed in the newspaper before the epidemic, suddenly merited significant column space. As the perceived importance of domestic labour increased, so did women’s claim to positions of authority and leadership in these newly formed households. The value placed on gendered household chores resulted in both an affirmation of gender roles and a partial, but significant, inversion of gendered authority structures. Women’s flu-time volunteer work was viewed as an act of citizenship during a community crisis, an understanding supported by the conceptual links between wartime military nursing and the public nature of healthcare civilians’ labour.

Root-To-Shoot Ratios of Flood-Tolerant Perennial Grasses Depend on Harvest and Fertilization Management: Implications for Quantification of Soil Carbon Input

Quantifying soil organic carbon stocks (SOC) is a critical task in decision support related to climate and land management. Carbon inputs in soils are affected by development of belowground (BGB) and aboveground (AGB) biomass. However, uncertain fixed values of root:shoot ratios (R/S) are widely used for calculating SOC inputs in agroecosystems. In this study, we 1) assessed the effect of harvest frequency (zero, one, two, and five times annually) on the root and shoot development of the perennial grasses Phalaris arundinacea (RCG), Festuca arundinacea (TF), and Festulolium (FL); 2) determined the effect of management on the carbon and nitrogen content in AGB and BGB; and 3) assessed the implications of R/S for SOC quantification. We found the highest yields of BGB in zero-cut treatments with 59% (FL)–70% (RCG) of total biomass. AGB yield was highest in the five-cut treatments with 54% (RCG)–60% (FL), resulting in a decreasing R/S with frequent management, ranging from 1.6–2.3 (zero cut) to 0.6–0.8 (five cuts). No differences in R/S between species were observed. Total carbon yield ranged between 5.5 (FL, one cut) and 18.9 t ha−1 year−1 (FL, zero cut), with a higher carbon content in AGB (45%) than BGB (40%). We showed that the input of total organic carbon into soil was highest in the zero-cut treatments, ranging between 6.6 and 7.6 t C ha−1 year−1, although, in the context of agricultural management the two-cut treatments showed the highest potential for carbon input (3.4–5.4 t C ha−1 year−1). Our results highlighted that using default values for R/S resulted in inaccurate modeling estimations of the soil carbon input, as compared to a management-specific application of R/S. We conclude that an increasing number of annual cuts significantly lowered the R/S for all grasses. Given the critical role of BGB carbon input, our study highlights the need for comprehensive long-term experiments regarding the development of perennial grass root systems under AGB manipulation by harvest. In conclusion, we indicated the importance of using more accurate R/S for perennial grasses depending on management to avoid over- and underestimation of the carbon sink functioning of grassland ecosystems.

Time Course of Root Axis Elongation and Lateral Root Formation in Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.).

Grasses have a segmental morphology. Compared to leaf development, data on root development at the phytomer level are scarce. Leaf appearance interval was recorded over time to allow inference about the age of segmental sites that later form roots. Hydroponically grown Lolium perenne cv. Aberdart tillers were studied in both spring and autumn in increasing and decreasing day length conditions, respectively, and dissected to define the development status of roots of known age on successive phytomers basipetally on the tiller axis. Over a 90-day observation period spring and autumn tillers produced 10.4 and 18.1 root bearing phytomers (Pr), respectively. Four stages of root development were identified: (0) main axis elongation (~0–10 days), (1) primary branching (~10–18 days), (2) secondary branching (~18–25 days), and (3) tertiary and quaternary branching without further increase in root dry weight. The individual spring roots achieved significantly greater dry weight (35%) than autumn roots, and a mechanism for seasonal shift in substrate supply to roots is proposed. Our data define a root turnover pattern likely also occurring in field swards and provide insight for modelling the turnover of grass root systems for developing nutrient efficient or stress tolerant ryegrass swards.

Influence of the main tillage on the formation of the root system of grain crops and perennial grasses in the conditions of the forest-steppe of the Trans-Urals

Influence of the main tillage on the formation of the root system of grain crops and perennial grasses in the conditions of the forest-steppe of the Trans-Urals

Estudio experimental del sistema radicular del pasto vetiver sometido a esfuerzos de tracción

Un estudio experimental del comportamiento mecánico del sistema radicular del pasto Vetiver se presenta en este trabajo. Se realizaron 305 ensayos de resistencia a la tracción al sistema radicular primario de la planta Vetiver, sembradas en diferentes suelos y estado de crecimiento. La metodología comienza desde la producción de la planta y sus cuidados en los diferentes tipos de suelos. Las raíces se prepararon para el ensayo según lo propone Mickovski y Van Beek (1). Los resultados obtenidos reflejan un incremento sustancial de su resistencia a la tracción en comparación con la tomada para los diseños de estabilización (75 MPa). Se establece que la carga máxima se incrementa según el diámetro de la raíz bajo una relación potencial, y el esfuerzo a tracción de la raíz de la Planta Vetiver alcanza una media y moda de 118.5 MPa y 131.71 MPa, respectivamente.

Wearables and Sur(over)-Veillance, Sous(under)-Veillance, Co(So)-Veillance, and MetaVeillance (Veillance of Veillance) for Health and Well-Being

At the University of Toronto, we’re embarking on a bold new initiative to bring together these four disciplines: law, business, engineering, and medicine, through what we call “sousveillant systems”—grassroots systems of “bottom up” facilitation of cross-, trans-, inter-, meta-, and anti-disciplinarity, or, more importantly, cross-, trans-, and inter-passionary efforts. Passion is a better master than discipline (to paraphrase Albert Einstein’s “Love is a better master than duty”). Our aim is not to eliminate “big science,” “big data,” and “big watching” (surveillance), but to complement these things with a balancing force. There will still be “ladder climbers,” but we aim to balance these entities and individuals with those who embody the “integrity of authenticity” and to provide a complete picture that is otherwise a half-truth when only the “big” end is present. This generalizes the notion of “open source,” where each instance of a system (e.g., computer operating system) contains or can contain its own seeds (e.g., source code). Sousveillant systems are an alternative to the otherwise sterile world of closed-source, specialist silos that are not auditable by end-users (i.e., are only auditable by authorities from “above”).

ВЛИЯНИЕ МИНЕРАЛЬНЫХ УДОБРЕНИЙ НА ИЗМЕНЕНИЕ БИОХИМИЧЕСКОГО СОСТАВА ГЕТЕРОГЕННЫХ ПОСЕВОВ ЛЮЦЕРНЫ ИЗМЕНЧИВОЙ С МЯТЛИКОВЫМИ ТРАВАМИ НА СЕРЫХ ЛЕСНЫХ ПОЧВАХ ЦЕНТРАЛЬНОГО РЕГИОНА РОССИИ

Sustainable development of animal husbandry and feed production now can be characterized by a complex approach to the introduction of elements of intensive agricultural technologies, the main direction of which should be the rise of natural resource potential of agrocenoses and, as a result, achievement of the necessary amount of balanced carbohydrate-protein complex of highly nutritious feed. Until now, the structure of seeds of perennial grasses has been dominated mainly by bluegrass species. In the future, agricultural producers plan to expand the area of perennial grasses with an increase in the share of legume species in herbage mixtures. Perennial legumes in single and mixed sows are the main components in solving the problem of protein deficiency in the production of highly nutritious feeds. It is known that mixed (heterogeneous) sows of perennial legumes and bluegrass grasses have a clear advantage in productivity over single-species agrocenosis due to the fact that they are much more efficient in using nutrients from the soil and fertilizers, moisture, solar insolation due to the different structure of bush and root system of perennial grasses. When carrying out experiments in the fields of Bryansk SAU, a modern assortment of variable alfalfa and bluegrass perennial grasses was used. In herbage mixtures, the bean component varied from 40 to 50%. Seeding was carried out under the cover of annual ryegrass westerwold (Lolium westerwoldicum Wittm.), diploid variety Izorsky. As a legume component, we used variable alfalfa (Medicago varia Mart.). The bluegrass component is represented by the meadow Timothy (phlum pratense L.),meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.), cocksfoot(Dactylis glomerata L.), smooth brome (Bromopsis inermis Leyss.). at the present time, the introduction of modern science-based fertilizer systems and technologies for the cultivation of heterogeneous seeds based on the inclusion of crops with productive longevity in their composition will solve the problem of increasing production highly nutritious feed.

Measuring the Hydraulic Conductivity of Grass Root Systems.

Root-system hydraulic conductivity (RSHC) is an important physiological characteristic that describes the inherent ability of roots to conduct water across a water-potential gradient between the root and the stem xylem. RSHC is commonly used as an indicator of plant functioning and adaptability to a given environment. A simple, fast, and easy-to-use protocol is described for the quantification of RSHC at the seedling stage in two important monocot species grown in hydroponic solution: Setaria viridis, a C4 model plant, and wheat, a C3 crop plant. This protocol can also be easily modified for use with almost any grass species and environmental treatments, such as salinity or hormone treatments. © 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Basic Protocol: Setaria hydrostatic root-system hydraulic conductivity Alternate Protocol: Measuring the root conductivity of young plants with soft stems.

DIGITAL IMAGE PROCESSING FOR EVALUATION OF PASPALUM MILLEGRANA SCHRAD ROOT SYSTEM1

ABSTRACT The characterization of the plant root system is of great importance for the understanding of its contribution to soil shear resistance, constituting an important tool for decision making in soil bioengineering works. The objective of this work was to evaluate the growth and distribution characteristics of the root system of Paspalum millegrana Schrad. grass in Entisol using Digital Imaging Processing (DIP). The data were obtained by opening a soil pit to expose the root system of Paspalum grass up to 1.70 m depth. The profile wall and volumetric ring methods were used to collect quantitative information of the root system. The SAFIRA software and the ArcMAP software belonging to the ArcGIS suite were used for image processing. The profile wall method showed that Paspalum grass has a large volume of roots in the first 0.40 m to 1.30 m soil depth. It was observed that the root length and volume of Paspalum grass reach depths beyond 1.70 m, which is important to increase soil resistance to erosion processes. The profile wall method when compared to the volumetric ring method proved to be more efficient to understand the behavior of the Paspalum grass root system since it enables an assessment of its spatial distribution with better detailing.

Research on Risk Governance Order of Spring Festival Tourism Emergency—Based on Mass Passenger Stranding Incident in Haikou Port

Spring Festival holiday tourism often brings a large-scale population flow, which aggravates the pressure of transportation. There are risks in the three levels of “physiology-psychology-society” that need to be prevented and controlled. It has become a public security field that the state and society focus on. This paper analyzes the role and role of different subjects in risk management from the perspective of order, taking the large-scale passenger detention and serious traffic congestion in Haikou Port caused by heavy fog in Hainan Province as an example. In the emergency management of “outlying islands” emergencies, the government conducts emergency mobilization through authoritative order, and optimizes resource integration order, information communication order, and inter-government collaborative cooperation order. Social forces actively participate in risk management. The market order gives priority to emergency management. The media and online platforms optimize information service order, control social order, and innovate service efficiency. Thus, Hainan province’s emergency management ability in response to the peak of Spring Festival is improved, the emergency management order is optimized, the cooperation order is expanded, the construction and innovation of urban and grass-roots emergency management system are promoted, and the tourism order is guaranteed.