Morpho-physiological Responses Research Articles

Morpho-Physiological Response of Indonesian Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Under Combination Heat and Drought Stress

Morpho-Physiological Response of Indonesian Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Under Combination Heat and Drought Stress

Morpho-physiological response to micronutrient deficiencies and nickel addition of passion fruit plants

Ultrastructural changes and visual symptoms resulting from nutritional disorders involving boron, manganese, iron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, and nickel depend on the species of the plant, and are unknown in passion fruit plants (Passiflora edulis Sims). A hydroponic experiment evaluated the symptoms of nickel addition and micronutrient deficiency in passion fruit seedlings “BRS Gigante Amarelo” and determined the micronutrient contents in leaf and root tissue, root development, ultrastructural changes (leaf tissue deformations) and dry matter accumulation when visual symptoms were observed. Results showed that the order of manifestation of deficiencies was Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu > Mo > B. Nickel toxicity appeared 40 days after the experiment was started, presenting chlorosis in the new leaves followed by general yellowing and some white parts. Boron omission of resulted in deformations in the leaf limbus and loss of apical dominance, showing deformation of the growth points. Mn omission caused reduction of growth and generalized chlorosis of young leaves with a thick reticulum. Iron omission of resulted in internerval chlorosis with a fine lattice appearance. Omission of zinc and copper resulted in deformation and elongation of the leaves, reducing height and root development. Molybdenum omission caused chlorosis in the older leaves, which was observed to spread over time. Iron was the nutrient that most reflected symptoms of deficiency by the formation of root hairs. The findings of this research suggest that the knowledgement of plant micronutrients status permits an understanding of the physiological responses of passion fruit plants to crop fertilization.

Exploring the Role of Salt on Morpho-Physiological Response of Wheat Genotypes

Exploring the Role of Salt on Morpho-Physiological Response of Wheat Genotypes

Phosphate solubilization potential of PSB: an advance approach to enhance phosphorous availability for phytostimulation.

Rhizosphere engineering approach is considered a quantum leap in plant sciences. The current study focused on investigating rhizobacterial efficiency to mobilize bioavailable phosphate from insoluble-phosphate source. Four efficient phosphate-solubilizing bacterial isolates, i.e., Pseudomonas songnenensis (GR3), Stutzerimonas stutzeri (HH2), Bacillus bingmayongensis (KH3), and Achromobacter aegrifaciens (MH1) were selected for the current study. Interactions between various physiological parameters and phosphate solubilization efficiency of isolates revealed that glucose significantly facilitated phosphorus solubilization at 37 ℃, with media having pH 7 and 0.5% phosphorous. Additionally, positive correlation among P-solubilization potential, acids produced, and pH was observed. Plant microbe-interaction analysis was performed to evaluate the efficiency of these bacterial isolates on various morpho-physiological responses of Zea mays L. For this purpose, various concentrations of tricalcium phosphate (TCP) (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50mM) were applied to plants in the presence and absence of bacterial isolates. The results showed that lower phosphate levels (10 and 20mM) trigger shoot development and improve plant weight and leaf formation whereas higher phosphate concentrations (30mM and above) stimulated the development of longer root system. The bacterial isolates, KH3 and HH2, were observed as efficient phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) that positively stimulated various plant growth and biochemical attributes over untreated plants. At lower phosphate levels, substantial increase of 92, 65, and 200% in shoot length, fresh weight, and number of leaves was recorded with bacterial isolate HH2, whereas, at 30mM TCP, increase of 165% was observed in root length of plants treated with bacterial isolate KH3 compared to control. Similarly, at lower phosphate levels, increment of 57.3, 76.7, and 217% in phosphate, protein, and auxin content was recorded in plants treated with bacterial isolate HH2, and increase of 188.8% in total soluble carbohydrates was observed in plants treated with bacterial isolate KH3 as compared to control. Contrarily, increment in total chlorophyll content was most substantial (207%) by the bacterial isolate KH3 when provided with 30mM TCP. Hence, the current study reviled that the use of these phosphates (KH3 and HH2)-solubilizing PGPR, as an efficient phytostimulator used for crop production in the replacement of chemical fertilizers, is carcinogenic and deteriorating our eco-system.

Morphophysiological responses of black pepper to recurrent water deficit

Morphophysiological responses of black pepper to recurrent water deficit

Water Relations and Physiological Response to Water Deficit of ‘Hass’ Avocado Grafted on Two Rootstocks Tolerant to R. necatrix

Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) cultivation has spread to many countries from the tropics to the Mediterranean region, where avocado crops commonly face water shortages and diseases, such as white root rot (WRR) caused by Rosellinia necatrix. The use of drought- and WRR-tolerant rootstocks represents a potential solution to these constraints. In this research, water relations and the morpho-physiological response of avocado ‘Hass’ grafted on two selections of R. necatrix-tolerant rootstocks (BG48 and BG181) were evaluated under well-watered (WW) and at two soil-water-availability conditions (WS, ~50% and ~25% field capacity). Under WW, scion water use was markedly affected by the rootstock, with BG48 displaying a water-spender behavior, showing higher water consumption (~20%), plant transpiration rates (~30%; Eplant) and leaf photosynthetic rates (~30%; AN) than BG181, which exhibited a water-saving strategy based upon a trade-off between leaf-biomass allocation and tight stomatal control of transpiration. This strategy did not reduce biomass, with BG181 plants being more water use efficient. Under WS, BG48 and BG181 exhibited a drought-avoidance behavior based on distinct underlying mechanisms, but increases in leaf mass area (~18–12%; LMA), and decreases in Eplant (~50–65%), plant hydraulic conductance (~44–86%; Kh) and leaf water potential (~48–73%; Ψw) were observed in both rootstocks, which aligned with water stress severity. After rewatering, photosynthetic rates fully recovered, suggesting some ability of these rootstocks to withstand water stress, enabling the ‘Hass’ variety to adapt to region-specific constraints.

Exploring the morpho-physiological responses of maize to nickel stress modulated by salicylic acid

Exploring the morpho-physiological responses of maize to nickel stress modulated by salicylic acid

Exogenous Application of Melatonin and Strigolactone by Regulating Morphophysiological Responses and Gene Expression to Improve Drought Resistance in Fodder Soybean Seedlings

Exogenous Application of Melatonin and Strigolactone by Regulating Morphophysiological Responses and Gene Expression to Improve Drought Resistance in Fodder Soybean Seedlings

Epichloë endophytes can alleviate water deficit effects on perennial ryegrass through host morpho-physiological modulation

Water deficit stress largely limits plant growth and survival in natural and managed ecosystems. We studied the morpho-physiological responses of plants associated with distinct strains of Epichloë fungal endophytes to water deficit. We hypothesised that Epichloë symbionts would alleviate the negative effects of water deficit on plants and that both magnitude and mechanisms of endophyte-based alleviation would vary depending on the Epichloë strain. Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) plants from the experimental cultivar GA66 associated with the Epichloë strains AR1, AR5, AR6, and AR37 were subjected to a treatment of sustained water deficit in a pot experiment under controlled growth conditions. We measured plant biomass (shoot and root), water retention, stress-related phytohormones (abscisic acid, jasmonic acid), proline and other water-soluble amino acids, and Epichloë-derived antiherbivore alkaloids. Alleviation of the negative effects of water deficit on plants depended on the Epichloë strain, with AR37 and AR5 providing the greatest protection followed by AR1, while AR6 did not alleviate stress. The AR37-derived water deficit alleviation was associated with enhanced root biomass and plant water retention, and increased concentrations of abscisic acid, proline, and fungal alkaloids. The AR5-derived stress alleviation was associated with enhanced plant water retention and increased proline concentrations, and the AR1-derived alleviation with increased fungal alkaloid concentrations and mycelial biomass. Although AR6 did not alleviate the water deficit, the stress increased Epichloë-derived alkaloid concentrations (and enhanced root biomass) which could provide an advantage for resisting herbivory. Our study highlighted that while Epichloë generally alleviated the effects of water deficit on plants, the mechanisms of stress alleviation varied among associations, and that the host fitness could be increased even in those associations where endophytes did not alleviate direct water deficit stress if herbivores would be present.

Physiological and biochemical responses of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) under salinity stress in Iran

Saline soil and water present significant agricultural challenges, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions like Iran. Around 15 % of Iran's land is categorized as saline. Salt stress disrupts various physiological processes in plants, leading to reduced crop yields. Considering the demand for food and the limitation of cultivated areas is rising, the cultivation of salt-resistant crops is gaining attention. This study was conducted to examine the morpho-physiological responses tolerance of a native cultivar of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. cv. White Ahvazi) under conditions of salinity stress. Understanding how this native cultivar responds to salinity stress is crucial for increasing its productivity. The okra seedlings were subjected to seven different levels of electrical conductivity (EC) (1.7 as control, 4.4, 6.2, 8.5, 10.6, 12.5, 14.4, and 15.8 mS/cm) after the appearance of their first true leaves by dissolving NaCl salt in Hoagland's nutrient solution. The results showed that morphological traits in the treated samples were not significantly different from the non-treated samples until EC reached a value of 10.6 mS/cm. The increases in EC from 1.7 to 10.6 mS/cm resulted in a significant rise in the antioxidant capacity and content of biochemical constituents. While salinity stress from EC 12.5 mS/cm onwards caused significant induction of hydrogen peroxide free radicals and peroxidation of membrane lipids. The yield was also significantly reduced at ECs of 12.5, 14.4, and 15.8 mS/cm, which were 31.1, 40.6, and 59.6 % less than control plants, respectively. Increasing salinity stress resulted in a remarkable reduction of photosynthetic pigments in plants as compared to the non-treated plants. Generally, it can be concluded that the White Ahvazi cultivar of okra commonly cultivated in Iran had a moderate tolerance to EC with a threshold of 10.6 mS/cm. Thus, this study can contribute towards enhancing food production in regions facing challenges related to salinity.

Protected cultivation and water salinity in the formation of Erythrina velutina Willd seedlings

Protected cultivation can reduce the harmful effects of salt stress on the development of plant species. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth and morphophysiological responses of E. velutina seedlings grown under saline stress in two growing environments. The experiment was conducted in an experimental area belonging to the Federal University of Ceará, in Fortaleza, Ceará. The experimental design was entirely randomized in subdivided plots, where the plots were represented by the growing environments (closed-screen greenhouse - CSG and open-sided greenhouse chapel - OSG), the subplots by the irrigation waters (0.8 and 5.0 dS m-1) and in the subplots the collection seasons (20, 40, 60 and 80 DAS), with four replications. Saline stress inhibited the growth of E. velutina seedlings in terms of height, leaf area, number of leaves and dry mass of the aerial part, but provided greater root dry mass throughout the growing season. It also affected gas exchange after 50 days of cultivation. The seedlings grown in the open shade environment on the sides and with lower salinity water had a higher Dickson quality index.

Understanding morpho-physiological responses of maize towards ammonium-loaded chitosan nano-fertilizer

Understanding morpho-physiological responses of maize towards ammonium-loaded chitosan nano-fertilizer

Ameliorated Morpho-Physiological Response of Stevia Under the Influence of Variable LEDs Inside Plant Factory System

Ameliorated Morpho-Physiological Response of Stevia Under the Influence of Variable LEDs Inside Plant Factory System

Morphophysiological Responses Related to Rice Yield under Water Shortage Conditions

Morphophysiological Responses Related to Rice Yield under Water Shortage Conditions

Morpho-physiological adaptations to weed competition impair green bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) ability to overcome moderate salt stress.

The two stresses of weed competition and salt salinity lead to crop yield losses and decline in the productivity of agricultural land. These constraints threaten the future of food production because weeds are more salt stress tolerant than most crops. Climate change will lead to an increase of soil salinity worldwide, and possibly exacerbate the competition between weeds and crops. This aspect has been scarcely investigated in the context of weed-crop competition. Therefore, we conducted a field experiment on green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris ) to investigate the combined impact of weed competition and salt stress on key morpho-physiological traits, and crop yield. We demonstrated that soil salinity shifted weed composition toward salt tolerant weed species (Portulaca oleracea and Cynodon dactylon ), while it reduced the presence of lower tolerance species. Weed competition activated adaptation responses in green bean such as reduced leaf mass per area and biomass allocation to the stem, unchanged stomatal density and instantaneous water use efficiency, which diverge from those that are typically observed as a consequence of salt stress. The morpho-physiological modifications caused by weeds is attributed to the alterations of light intensity and/or quality, further confirming the pivotal role of the light in crop response to weeds. We concluded that higher yield loss caused by combined salt stress and weed competition is due to impaired morpho-physiological responses, which highlights the negative interaction between salt stress and weed competition. This phenomenon will likely be more frequent in the future, and potentially reduce the efficacy of current weed control methods.

Tall wheatgrass response toward phosphorus deficiency: a constraint to its use as a forage resource in marginal soils

Tall wheatgrass is cultivated for pasture in marginal areas around the world due to its tolerance to abiotic stress including seasonal droughts and floods, as well as saline and alkaline soils. However, there is concern about its biomass productivity, which often does not exceed that of natural pastures. In this work we hypothesize that tall wheatgrass is a plant more sensitive to low P availability than commonly assumed. A glasshouse sand culture experiment was conducted to analyze morpho-physiological responses of tall wheatgrass to different P availability levels: 1 µmol L−1 phosphorus (severe deficiency, P1), 10 µmol L−1 phosphorus (representative value of soil solution in the region, P10) and 500 µmol L−1 phosphorus (full P supply, P500). Our results show that both limiting P conditions strongly decreased plant development and biomass accumulation, and altered above- and below-ground morphology, in comparison with P500 plants. The latter, in turn, had relative growth rate values comparable to those of other cultivated grasses under non-limiting conditions. In both P-deficient treatments, plant development was severely delayed starting from leaf number 3, even when P concentration in the pseudostem at early stages was similar or even higher than that of P500 plants. Our results suggest that developmental inhibition of tall wheatgrass at low P supply may be the consequence of a specific plant response to P concentration in soil solution, rather than to direct P starvation in plant tissues, and underlines the need of improvement of this species to enhance productivity in this environment.

Morpho-physiological responses of potato cultivars under weed competition

Morpho-physiological responses of potato cultivars under weed competition

Morpho-physiological adaptations to drought stress in nitrogen-fixing and non-nitrogen-fixing plants

Drought profoundly affects the morpho-physiological responses of desert plants in dryland. To scrutinize the morpho-physiological responses of nitrogen (N)-fixing legumes (Ammopiptanthus mongolicus, Caragana korshinskii), N-fixing non-legumes (Elaeagnus angustifolia, Hippophae rhamnoides), and non-N-fixing plants (Nitraria tangutorum, Haloxylon ammodendron) under varied drought stress levels (75%, 50%, 25% and 5% of soil water holding capacity), a pot experiment was conducted in greenhouse. Following prolonged water deficit, carbon (C) and N stoichiometry, metabolic rates, plant growth, and biomass distribution of unstressed and stressed plants were recorded. Intensified drought significantly reduced stem, root and whole-plant biomass, with no significant changes observed in leaf dry-fresh mass ratio, specific leaf area, intrinsic water use efficiency and root to shoot ratio. However, other traits were impacted differently, reflecting distinct adaptive strategies to drought among three plant functional types (PFTs). Patterns of trait-soil water content (SWC) relationships varied across different PFTs, with N-fixing non-legumes followed by N-fixing legumes displayed greater sensitivity to SWC variations than non-N-fixing plants. This resulted in a shift from a stronger trait-SWC relationship in N-fixing non-legumes and N-fixing legumes to a less correlated relationship in non-N-fixing plants. The diverse responses to drought among PFTs suggest a shift from N limitation to water limitation as SWC decreases.

Morphophysiological responses of conventional and gm soybean with distinct biotechnological background to weed competition

New technologies developed to control weeds in crops are flourishing in recent years. Therefore, the objective of this work was to study the competitive ability of soybean cultivars C2531E (Enlist®), M6410 IPRO (RR2®) and BRS 257 (conventional), with distinct biotechnological background, when competing against Euphorbia heterophylla and Urochloa plantaginea. Crops and competitors were studied in distinct plant proportions: 24:0; 18:6; 12:12; 6:18 and 0:24 plants per plot. Fifty days after emergence, plant height, leaf area (AL) and aboveground dry mass (DM), photosynthetic and transpiration rates and stomatal conductance were assessed. Crop responses to competition tended to be species-specific. Soybean M6410 IPRO presents better morphophysiological performance compared to C2531E and BRS 257 when it competed against U. plantaginea. The soybean BRS 257 showed greater LA when competing against U. plantaginea. The competitiveness indices showed that M6410 IPRO responses to competition by accumulating aboveground DM while C2531E responsesby increasing LA. There was difference among cultivars in their strategy to deal with the weed competition, and M6410 IPRO had better competitive ability than the other cultivars when it competed against E. heterophylla.

Comparative study on the morpho-physiological responses and alkaloids content in Eschscholzia californica cham to foliar applied α-Fe2O3 NPs and ferric ions

The effect of iron oxide nanoparticles on medicinal plants biomass biosynthesis and antioxidant defense compounds should be assessed critically to ensure their safe and sustainable use within the agricultural fields and food chains. Current focus has been given to the effects of hematite nanoparticles (α-Fe2O3 NPs, ∼ 27 nm) and ferric ions (Fe3+) at different concentrations [(0, control), 10, 100 and 1000 mg L−1)] on morpho-physiological and biochemical parameters and benzophenanthridine alkaloids content in Eschscholzia californica plants. Upon exposure to α-Fe2O3 NPs, a significant (P < 0.05) inhibition (by 26.6%) of root biomass was observed at the high concentration (1000 mg L−1) over the control. As for the total dry weight of plants, significant (P < 0.01) increase (by 22.7%) was observed at all exposures, except that of 1000 mg L−1 α-Fe2O3 NPs/and Fe+3 treatment which was reduced by 12.8%. The treatment of 100 mg L−1 α-Fe2O3 NPs and Fe3+ caused significant increase in chlorophyll a (29.2% and 40%,), chlorophyll b (59.8% and 49.3%,) and carotenoids (14.3% and 25.4%%,) content when compared to control, respectively. However, accumulation of the lipid peroxidation product, malondialdehyde (MDA), in root and leaf tissues was similar (73.5% vs control) that was induced by 1000 mg L−1 α-Fe2O3 NPs. No significant change in MDA content was observed in leaves and roots of Fe+3 treated plants at all exposure doses. Furthermore, total phenolics and flavonoids content of the leaves and roots exposed to α-Fe2O3 NPs at 100 mg L−1 were significantly (P < 0.01) increased by 41–45%, 27–29%, and 44–48%, respectively, over the control. All obtained extracts revealed strong and significant scavenging effects on DPPH˙ as compared to control, but only exposure to 100 mg L−1 Fe+3 and α-Fe2O3 NPs treatment revealed the highest free radical scavenging/antioxidant activity by 44.2% and 37.65%, respectively. The alkaloid accumulation in leaves exhibited significant (P < 0.05) differences between the control plants and those treated with α-Fe2O3 NPs and Fe+3 of all concentrations. The eshchschollzine and sanguinarine contents showed no significant change in plants treated with Fe+3 concentrations; however, the exposure of high Fe+3 concentration increased (33.4%) the content of chelerythrine compared to control. Foliar applied α-Fe2O3 NPs enhanced the content of californidine (35.4%), eshchschollzine (22.3%), and eshchschollzine (19.1%) compared to control. The observed toxicity was dose-dependent for both α-Fe2O3 NPs and Fe+3. The synthesized endogenous secondary metabolites (e.g., phenolics, flavonoids and benzophenanthridine alkaloids) induce defense mechanism in exposed plants. These results suggest that specific concentrations (10–100 mg L−1) of α-Fe2O3 NPs have extra benefits both as a nanoregulator and nanoelicitor for plant growth promotion and biosynthesis of alkaloids and cellular antioxidants.