Relative Shoot Height Research Articles

Physiological Characteristics and Nitrogen and Phosphorus Uptake of Myriophyllum aquaticum Under High Ammonium Conditions

Ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) at high concentrations is toxic to plants. In order to explore the NH4+-N tolerance of Myriophyllum aquaticum (M. aquaticum) and its ability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) uptake, this study used a nutrient solution with three NH4+-N levels (70, 210, 420 mg·L-1) to incubate M. aquaticum for 21 d. The characteristics of plant physiology and N and P uptake of M. aquaticum were measured. At NH4+-N of 70 mg·L-1, M. aquaticum grew healthily, and shoot height and biomass linearly increased with the increase incubation time. Relative shoot height and biomass of M. aquaticum were 40.56 cm and 17.82 g·hole-1 on day 21, respectively. Compared to the control with 70 mg·L-1 ammonium, malondialdehyde (MDA) content of M. aquaticum was significantly increased; chlorophyll and soluble sugar contents were also high at NH4+-N of 210 mg·L-1. M. aquaticum suffered from the NH4+-N stress. However, the stress of 210 mg·L-1 NH4+-N did not affect its normal growth and there was no significant difference in the relative growth rate of the shoot height and biomass compared with the control. At NH4+-N of 420 mg·L-1, MDA contents of M. aquaticum doubled and the shoot height and biomass growth rate were only 27.4% and 17.9% of those for 70 mg·L-1 NH4+-N, indicating that M. aquaticum was subjected to serious stress that caused unhealthy growth or even death. At three NH4+-N levels, the ranges of N and P content of M. aquaticum were 30.7-53.4 mg·g-1 and 3.8-7.7 mg·g-1, respectively, which indicated that M. aquaticum had a high uptake capacity of N and P. M. aquaticum is an ideal wetland plant that has a good application prospect for constructed wetlands in biological treatment of high-ammonia wastewater.

EFFECT OF ARSENIC ON GERMINATION OF ISATIS CAPPADOCICA DESV., A NEWLY DISCOVERED ARSENIC HYPERACCUMULATOR

Isatis cappadocica Desv. is a newly found As-hyperaccumulator showing very high remediation efficiency in polluted soils. We studied the effects of arsenic at 0–1400 μM concentrations on seed germination, relative root length, relative shoot height, and root and shoot biomass in young seedlings of I. cappadocica. The seeds were from Iranian arsenic-contaminated mine spoils and from a non-contaminated population. The control for reference was brassica (Descurenia sofia). Germination decreased significantly versus the control with increasing arsenic concentrations. The response to arsenic exposure differed between the I. cappadocica populations and D. sofia. I. cappadocica from mine spoil seeds showed strong resistance to the highest As concentration, with no adverse effects until the 1000 μM dose. Germination from non-mine seeds of I. cappadocica decreased to 89.6% at 1400 μM As. D. sofia germination was completely inhibited at 400 μM As. Relative root length (RRL) and relative shoot height (RSH) decreased with increasing As concentration. Overall, RRL correlated with RSH. Shoot height and root length were more sensitive to arsenic than other endpoints, and might be used as arsenic toxicity indicators. I. cappadocica showed more As tolerance than the reference brassica.

EFFECT OF ARSENIC ON GERMINATION, PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND GROWTH PARAMETERS OF TWO WINTER WHEAT VARIETIES IN IRAN

□ Effects of different arsenic (As) concentration (0–30 mg L−1) on seed germination, root tolerance index, relative shoot height, root and shoot biomass, photosynthetic pigments and arsenic accumulation in two wheat varieties were investigated. Low concentrations of arsenic (0–2.5 mg L−1) stimulated germination percentage, shoot and root elongation, plant biomass as well as chlorophyll content as compared with control, however, these factors all decreased gradually at high concentrations of arsenic (5–30 mg L−1). ‘Zarin’ variety had a significantly higher tolerance to arsenic than ‘Sardari.’ Arsenic accumulation by plants root and shoot increased with the increasing arsenic concentrations in medium, which ‘Zarin’ had a higher ability to absorb and translocate arsenic to the shoots. Root accumulated more arsenic than shoot. The similar trend of chlorophyll content and wheat growth under different arsenic concentration suggesting that arsenic toxicity affects the photosynthesis which ultimately results in the reduction of wheat growth and yield.

Elimination of common scab sensitive progeny from a potato breeding population using thaxtomin A as a selective agent

Common scab is one of the most important soil‐borne diseases of potato and is difficult to control. Selection of potato breeding lines for resistance to common scab is also cumbersome due to environmental factors influencing symptom development and an erratic spatial distribution of the scab pathogens (Streptomyces spp.) in the field. The bacterial phytotoxin thaxtomin A, which causes scab symptoms, can be used to screen large numbers of potato seedlings for tolerance in vitro, but few studies have investigated whether the results correspond to resistance to common scab observed in the field. In this study, 120 F1 potato progeny from a single cross were screened in vitro by exposing the seedlings to thaxtomin A added to the culture medium. Eighteen genotypes were selected based on high sensitivity or tolerance using shoot growth as the criterion, multiplied in vitro, and tested for resistance to common scab caused by S. turgidiscabies and S. scabies in a glasshouse and in three different fields. Evaluation of ca. 6500 tubers showed that the 18 potato genotypes differed in scab indices and disease severity (P < 0·0001). The relative shoot height in vitro (thaxtomin A used at 0·5 μg mL−1) and the scab index in the field showed significant correlation (rs = −0·463, P = 0·0528, n = 18), also consistent with the results obtained under controlled conditions in the glasshouse. Hence, the in vitro bioassay may be used to discard scab‐susceptible genotypes and elevate the overall levels of common scab resistance in the potato breeding populations.

Relative shoot height and irradiance and the shoot and leaf properties of Quercus serrata saplings

Effects of relative shoot height and irradiance on shoot and leaf properties of Quercus serrata Thunb. saplings growing in the understory and in gaps were investigated. Photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) at the location of the shoot relative to that in the open (relative PPF; rPPF) and the height of the shoot base relative to tree height (relative height; rHeight) were measured for all current-year shoots of each sapling. Current-year shoot properties (length, leaf area, number of daughter shoots) and mortality, and leaf properties (mass per area (LMA) and nitrogen content per area (N(area))) were examined in relation to rPPF and rHeight. N(area) was used as a proxy for area-based assimilative capacity. Shoot length, leaf area per shoot and number of daughter shoots increased with increasing rHeight, especially in well-lit conditions. Shoot mortality decreased with increasing rHeight and rPPF. Both LMA and N(area) were positively correlated with rPPF, but not rHeight.

Toxicity of arsenate and arsenite on germination, seedling growth and amylolytic activity of wheat

Effects of different concentrations of arsenite and arsenate (0–16 mg/l) on seed germination, relative root length and shoot height, arsenic accumulation in young seedlings, α-amylase, β-amylase and total amylolytic activity in wheat were investigated in order to elucidate the toxicity of arsenic in the early developmental stage. Germination percentages of different wheat varieties had different responses to arsenic species and decreased significantly with increasing arsenic concentrations except Duokang 1. Relative root length (RRL) and relative shoot height (RSH) of wheat seedlings decreased with increasing concentrations of arsenite and arsenate. The relative root lengths were correlated with the relative shoot heights for arsenite ( r 2 = 0.79) and arsenate ( r 2 = 0.77). Arsenic uptake by seedlings increased with the increasing concentrations of arsenite or arsenate and followed the Michaelis–Menten kinetics function. The average total amylolytic activity and β-amylase activity had no significant difference comparable to that of controls at the concentration ⩽ 2 mg/l arsenite or arsenate, but decreased apparently when the concentration was higher than 2 mg/l. Whereas the α-amylase activity decreased with increasing concentrations of arsenite or arsenate over the whole concentration range. Arsenite decreased all the endpoints more remarkably than arsenate. In comparison, shoot height and root length were more sensitive to arsenic than other endpoints and might be used as indicators for arsenic toxicity.

RELATIVE TOXICITY OF ARSENITE AND ARSENATE ON GERMINATION AND EARLY SEEDLING GROWTH OF RICE (ORYZA SATIVA L.)

Elevated soil arsenic levels resulting from long-term use of arsenic contaminated ground for irrigation in Bangladesh may inhibit seed germination and seedling establishment of rice, the country's main food crop. A germination study on rice seeds and a short-term toxicity experiment with different concentrations of arsenite and arsenate on rice seedlings were conducted. Percent germination over control decreased significantly with increasing concentrations of arsenite and arsenate. Arsenite was found to be more toxic than arsenate for rice seed germination. There were varietal differences among the test varieties in response to arsenite and arsenate exposure. The performance of the dry season variety Purbachi was the best among the varieties. Germination of Purbachi was not inhibited at all up to 4 mg l−1 arsenite and 8 mg l−1 arsenate treatment. Root tolerance index (RTI) and relative shoot height (RSH) for rice seedlings decreased with increasing concentrations of arsenite and arsenate. Reduction of RTI caused by arsenate was higher than that of arsenite. In general, dry season varieties have more tolerance to arsenite or arsenate than the wet season varieties.

Within-tree distribution of attack by Hypsipyla robusta Moore (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Australian Red Cedar ( Toona australis (F. Muell.) Harmes)

Field and laboratory evaluations were made of the within-tree distribution of attack of Hypsipyla robusta in Australian Red Cedar ( Toona australis). Proportions of shoots attacked by the insect increased with shoot height, relative shoot height, shoot length, shoot basal diameter and shoot slenderness (shoot length/shoot basal diameter). The most significant factor influencing the log-odds of attack of shoots was their relative height. Shoots positioned at above 90% of tree height were attacked twice as often as the lower-positioned shoots. This suggests that terminal shoots would be among the first to be attacked once a tree is attacked. There was a gradual shift of feeding loci with respect to host tissues as the larva aged. Feeding by larvae of the first two instars was found most often in terminal foliage or previously damaged tissues of shoots or tree stems. Pith-feeding (tunnelling) started at the later 2nd instar. On average, a larva initiated feeding in a mean of 5.4 different locations during its life time, with a minimum of three and a maximum of 11. Switching of feeding loci was most frequent during early 1st instar and much of the 3rd and early 4th instars.

Root and Shoot Growth Responses to Salinity in Maize and Soybean

AbstractSalinity generally reduces shoot growth of crops more than root growth, based on dry weight rather than length measurements. The objective of this study was to compare changes in root length to changes in shoot height under conditions of salinity, using the minirhizotron technique. The experiment was conducted in soil containers (55 cm long, 15 cm diam.), using greenhouse‐grown soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and field‐grown maize (Zea mays L.) as test crops. Segmented, nonlinear regression analysis showed changes in root length as viewed through minirhizotron tubes to be more sensitive to salinity than changes in shoot height, while there was no response to salinity treatment for final root dry weight. The regression coefficients of changes in relative shoot and root length vs. the electrical conductivity of the soil saturation extract (ECe) were 5.3 ± 4.0% per dS m−1 for soybean shoots and 6.6 ± 4.3% per dS m−1 for soybean roots. For maize, the values were 6.9 ± 1.6% per dS m−1 for shoots and 9.0 ± 4.9% per dS m−1 for roots. The regression coefficients of relative shoot height vs. relative root length of soybean and maize were 0.61 ± 0.27 and 0.66 ± 0.20, both significantly smaller than one. The discrepancy between the response in root length as measured by the minirhizotron technique and the response as measured in final root dry weights was attributed to the fact that changes in root length, as viewed in the minirhizotron video frames, depend more on new lateral root initiation than on extension of individual existing roots. Root extension is a turgor‐dependent process, as is shoot elongation, while lateral root initiation is not turgor dependent, and thus may be more sensitive to salinity. One might also speculate that the young, thin lateral roots are more sensitive to salt stress than the older, thicker main root system. Additionally, final root weight is insensitive to the addition of lateral roots if salinity treatments are initiated after the main root system is established, as was the case in this experiment.