Zn deficiency is a widespread problem in rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown under flooded conditions, limiting growth and grain Zn accumulation. Genotypes with Zn deficiency tolerance or high grain Zn have been identified in breeding programmes, but little is known about the physiological mechanisms conferring these traits. A protocol was developed for growing rice to maturity in agar nutrient soluti...

Unlike most biofuel species, Jatropha curcas has promise for use in marginal lands, but it may serve an additional role by stabilizing soils. We evaluated the growth and structural responsiveness of young J. curcas plants to diverse soil conditions. Soils included a sand, a sandy-loam, and a clay-loam from eastern Mexico. Growth and structural parameters were analyzed for shoots and roots, alth...

Centaurea maculosa, an invasive North American plant species, shows a high degree of tolerance to the root-boring biocontrol herbivore, Agapeta zoegana. For example, infested individuals of C. maculosa often exhibit more rigorous growth and reproduction compared with their non-infested counterparts. Compensatory responses to aboveground herbivores often involve increases in leaf area and/or pho...

In order to investigate the relationship between hydraulic lift and drought tolerance in potato, four cultivars differing susceptibilities were selected, a pot experiment with three different irrigation conditions was carried out randomized complete block design. Under (WW), of soil water not observed upper pots. half-irrigation (DW) (DD) conditions, content increased pots, along change root-re...

Root systems of 6-month-old, cold-hardened, container-grown black spruce seedlings (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) were exposed to 0, -5, -10, -15, -20, or -22.5 degrees C. Freezing-induced damage to fine roots, coarse roots and the whole root system was assessed by various viability tests including leakage of electrolytes, leakage of phenolic compounds, water loss, root and shoot water potentia...

We recently demonstrated the circadian clock modulated water dynamics in the roots of a small model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, by the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) microimaging technique. Our developed technique was able to visualize the water distribution that depended on differences in the (1)H signal among region in the shoot, such as the shoot apex, the hypocotyl and the root shoot jun...

Optimizing root system architecture can overcome yield limitations in crop plants caused by water or nutrient shortages. Classic breeding approaches are difficult because the trait is governed by many genes and is difficult to score. We generated transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants with enhanced root-specific degradation of the hormone cytokinin, a negative re...

Hydroponic experiment was conducted to investigate the sole and combined effects of cadmium and salinity on growth and photosynthesis of Brassica napus (cultivar Abasin) and Brassica juncea (cultivar NIFA-Raya). Cadmium (as CdCl2; 3 and 6 μmol L) and NaCl (100 and 200 mM) were added either alone or in combination in Hoagland solution along with non-treated controls. Cd and NaCl treatments impos...

Grafting provides a tool aimed to increase low-P stress tolerance of crops, however, little is known about the mechanism (s) by which rootstocks can confer resistance to P deprivation. In this study, 4 contrasting groups of rootstocks from different genetic backgrounds (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme and introgression and recombinant inbred lines derived from the wild relatives S. pennel...

According to the importance and diversity of Chenopodium album, Cynodon dactylon and Amaranthus retroflexus in safflower fields and significant role of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) as an oil seed, an experiment was conducted using CRD based factorial design with three replications to study the allelopathic effects of root and shoot extracts of these weeds on germination and early growth ...