Polylactic acid microplastics regulate organophosphorus pesticide impacts on phosphorus bioavailability in soil-plant systems.

Genome-wide identification of APX gene family in peach and functional characterization of PpAPX1 in salt tolerance.

Phospholipids in plant systems: metabolism, regulation and functional insights.

Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata), a vital legume for suitable agriculture and food security in sub-Saharan Africa, plays a crucial role in improving soil health through intricate plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the microbial interactions in the rhizosphere, focusing on soil health, microbial diversity, and their contributions to nutrient cycling and plant growth. Cowpea roots foster a diverse microbial consortium, including nitrogen-fixing rhizobia, phosphate-solubilizing bacteria and organic matter decomposers, which enhance soil fertility and structure. The microbial community in the cowpea rhizosphere is shaped by complex soil physiochemical properties, such as potential of hydrogen (pH), nutrient availability, and salinity, which significantly influence plant-microbe interactions. However, contradictions persist regarding pH's effect on microbial diversity, with unresolved questions about how specific environmental conditions regulate microbial taxa. Advanced techniques, including metagenomic analyses, have provided deeper insights into the taxonomic and functional composition of rhizosphere microbiomes, uncovering both abundant and rare microbial taxa involved in these processes. Despite these advancements, gaps remain in understanding the dynamic responses of microbial communities to environmental stresses. Bridging these gaps through integrative multi-omics approaches will enable the development of microbiome-informed strategies to improve cowpea productivity and promote sustainable agricultural practices, ensuring resilience in the face of climate variability.

A review on the impact of biochar applications on soil health and fertility, plant growth, and food security: advancing agricultural sustainability

Soil origin shapes root-associated fungal communities and plant growth in myrtaceous species used in riparian revegetation

Roots play a pivotal role for plant performance, but they are difficult to access, which hampers quantitative measurements. Repeated imaging of rhizotrons, flat growth containers with a transparent side, has proven suitable to assess dynamics of root traits in indoor experiments. However, measuring hundreds of soil-grown plants with high temporal resolution remains a laborious challenge. We introduce a novel whole-plant phenotyping platform with a capacity of almost 900 rhizotrons, which we named GrowScreen-Rhizo 3. This platform was designed to image shoots and roots of individual plants simultaneously and derive digital proxy traits for biomass and growth. In addition, built-in weighing and watering stations deliver water use data for each rhizotron. To achieve the desired throughput (image all 896 plants once a day) a high degree of automatization and standardization was required. We realized a modular plant-to-sensor solution, using a fleet of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) to transport large rhizotrons (80 × 40 × 5 cm) to four measurement chambers for daily imaging, weighing, and watering. Simultaneous imaging of the root system with a high-resolution camera (116 μm per px) and the shoot from six different viewing angles allows to monitor plant growth with high spatial and temporal accuracy. First, we verified that moving plants to the measurement chambers did not significantly affect above- or belowground plant growth. Next, we measured phenotypic variation in root and shoot traits of 24 barley genotypes, parents of a nested association mapping population. Our analysis revealed that heritability of root traits such as root system depth and seminal root length was moderate to high (r2 = 0.52 and r2 = 0.93, respectively), enabling further assessment of increasing numbers of recombinant genotypes. The results demonstrate the suitability of GrowScreen-Rhizo 3 to phenotype a range of plant species characterized by various growth habits, including crop, niche, and wild plant species. We conclude that GrowScreen-Rhizo 3 will contribute significantly to the development of phenotyping pipelines for the identification of candidate genotypes with improved resource use efficiency and to pre-breeding processes of climate-resilient crops.

Disruption of pseudouridine kinase OsPUKI impairs grain yield and quality in rice.

Auxin plays diverse roles in plant growth and development, including sensing environmental changes. Quantifying the interaction between auxin coreceptors provides the molecular basis for cells to sense and adapt to environmental cues. Although several assays are available, a more high-throughput method is necessary to efficiently evaluate the auxin-induced binding of coreceptors. We developed a homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence (HTRF) assay to quantitatively measure the binding between the Arabidopsis thaliana TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESPONSE 1 (TIR1) and indole-3-acetic acid 7 (IAA7) auxin coreceptor proteins. The HTRF assay provides a rapid analysis with sensitivity similar to the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We demonstrated its effectiveness by analyzing the potency of several auxin analogs to induce binding between TIR1 and IAA7. We also found that a mild increase in temperature impairs the binding activity of TIR1 to IAA7. This method provides a rapid and robust tool to evaluate the auxin-induced binding between TIR1 and Aux/IAA auxin coreceptors. A similar strategy may also be applicable to study other plant hormone heterodimer coreceptors.

Lanthanum-modified biochar for dual removal of particulate/dissolved phosphorus in agricultural runoff: Performance and reuse as slow-release fertilizer.

Graphene-structured biochar produced via Joule heating enhances soil functions, microbial communities, and plant growth

A ternary reaction triggering fluorescence/colorimetric dual-mode signals for visual detection of ammonium nitrogen in environmental samples.

This study quantified water-use metrics under five sustained container capacity (CC) levels (100%, 85%, 70%, 55%, and 40%) during greenhouse production of Petunia milliflora F1 (Picobella Pink) production. Total irrigation input and leachate volumes were measured weekly, and plant growth and quality parameters were measured at harvest. Plant size declined gradually with decreasing CC; however, flower coverage was unaffected. Irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE; grams of dry biomass per volume of water) increased as CC decreased; highest IWUE was observed at 40%. No leachate was recovered at 55% and 40% throughout the experiment. Irrigation input and leachate volumes were significantly reduced at 70% and 55% while maintaining marketable quality, suggesting a practical balance between water conservation and crop marketability. Although the greatest IWUE occurred at 40% CC, the reduction in plant size at 40% limits the practical application of this irrigation strategy for commercial production.

Endophytic fungi as partners in a holistic approach to enhance plant growth and stress tolerance for sustainable agriculture

• Saturation with carbon dioxide nanobubbles increases concentration and stability • Salt content influences carbon dioxide concentration and stability in dispersions • Nanobubble saturation of growth media results in higher concentration and stability The application of nanobubbles (NBs) in materials research, water treatment, and chemical reactions is well documented, primarily due to their high stability, longevity, and enhanced mass transfer rates. Recently, oxygen and air nanobubbles have been employed in enhancing algal and plant growth. However, data on carbon dioxide nanobubbles remain scarce, particularly regarding their effects on concentration and retention. In this work, carbon dioxide was dissolved into aqueous solutions with varying salt concentrations, and the flow was depressurized through a needle valve to generate NBs dispersions. Particle number and carbon dioxide concentration were analyzed over a 10-day period and compared with a control solution generated via bubbling. The dispersions exhibited significant NBs concentrations and, more importantly, higher carbon dioxide levels than the bubbling solution. The highest concentrations were observed in 1 mM NaCl and distilled water, corresponding to increases of 136% and 97%, respectively. All dispersions maintained superior concentrations compared to the control. Furthermore, the dispersions retained elevated carbon dioxide levels for an average of five additional days relative to the bubbling solution. Finally, the experimental data were used to fit exponential models describing the evolution of the dispersions. These models revealed both the influence of the saturation methodology and the trade-off between salinity, particle size, and carbon dioxide retention. Overall, the results demonstrate that this methodology provides advantages over conventional carbon dioxide delivery strategies and may contribute to process optimization in algal biomass production.

The improved auxin signalling via entire mutation enhances aluminium tolerance in tomato.

Salinity stress predominantly affects negatively charged cell wall polymers, for example, pectin. Excess Na+ ions interact physically and affect growth in stress-sensitive plants. However, the salinity resistance of sugar beet cell walls remains unclear. To get a better understanding of cell wall assembly, we investigated arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs), extensins and pectic polysaccharides (homogalacturonan, rhamnogalacturonan-I and rhamnogalacturonan-II), in relation to underlying physiological mechanisms and growth expansion with low and adequate boron (B) under salinity. Findings revealed that salt stress affects AGPs and reduces cross-linking of RG-II, resulting in the softening of the sugar beet plant's cell wall. Adequate B compensates for plant growth by improving water flow into the cell, as indicated by the transpiration rate and stomatal conductance. In particular, the higher reduction of the Na+/Ca2+ ratio in the young leaves and apoplastic fluids and higher RG-I content and dimeric RG-II pectin (a key component of cell wall integrity) offered by adequate B, hint at protection against cell wall defects. However, no influence of B was detected for AGPs and extensins. This suggests that adequate B rescues cell wall integrity, thereby conferring strengthening and acid growth.

Live cribwalls, a common Soil and Water Bioengineering (SWB) intervention, are typically built using timber, in combination with soil and plant materials. Timber, due to prolonged exposure to environmental and biological factors, inevitably undergoes progressive deterioration. This process is a fundamental element of live cribwall design that needs to be considered, as the simultaneous growth of live plants gradually provides soil reinforcement and compensates for the loss of wood resistance. Despite the importance of this dual dynamic, long-term monitoring data and standardized diagnostic tools to assess the deterioration of timber are still lacking. Among various diagnostic tools used to evaluate timber deterioration, drilling resistance (DR) is a semi-destructive technique capable of providing rapid and reliable assessments of wood density and mechanical properties. A 15-year monitoring campaign on 15 chestnut ( Castanea sativa Mill.) cribwalls, aged from 2 to 31 years, produced 794 perforations. Because DR measurements are influenced by operational parameters such as feed and drill speeds, we developed a correction model to standardize data collected over the years with different instrument settings. Results revealed a consistent linear decrease of DR values with structure age, corresponding to a reduction of approximately 2% per year, directly reflecting the progressive loss of density and mechanical strength of the wooden member. Distinct degradation stages were identified among cribwalls of different ages, confirming the gradual deterioration of structural timber over time. Within single structures, additional differences emerged depending on log position and microclimatic exposure. DR techniques proved valid and practical for operational use, offering a quick and reliable tool suitable for monitoring programs and research studies. The standardized approach developed here enhances consistency in the monitoring of cribwalls. It opens new opportunities for integrated research that combines wood degradation monitoring with the assessment of root reinforcement from vegetation growth, leading to a better understanding of the life cycle and functional lifespan of live cribwalls. • Deterioration of chestnut cribwalls assessed by standardized drilling resistance. • A correction model standardizes drilling resistance across feed and drill speeds. • Monitoring includes 15 structures aged 2–31 years with 794 drilling tests. • Drilling resistance decreases linearly by ∼2% per year. • The method provides a practical tool for durability assessment of SWB structures.

Alterations in nitrogen-induced root exudates affect plant nitrogen utilization and growth

Integration of water-retaining polymers into cemented soil to revegetate steep rock-cut slopes in hydropower projects