BACKGROUND AND AIMS Changes in supplies of resources will modify plant functional traits. However, few experimental studies have addressed the effects of nitrogen and water variations, either singly or in combination, on functional traits. METHODS A 2-year field experiment was conducted to test the effects of nitrogen and water addition on leaf longevity and other functional traits of the two...

Silybum marianum is an important medicinal plant with high antioxidant properties. Static magnetic field (SMF) is a kind of abiotic stresses which can affect growth and antioxidant capacity of medicinal plants. In this research, the effects of SMF on total phenolic and flavonoid contents, radical scavenging activity, and anatomical alterations were investigated in S. marianum seedlings. Five-da...

Silybum marianum is an important medicinal plant with high antioxidant properties. Static magnetic field (SMF) is a kind of abiotic stresses which can affect growth and antioxidant capacity of medicinal plants. In this research, the effects of SMF on total phenolic and flavonoid contents, radical scavenging activity, and anatomical alterations were investigated in S. marianum seedlings. Five-da...

Phenological responses to changing temperatures are known as "fingerprints of climate change," yet these reactions are highly species specific. To assess whether different plant characteristics are related to these species-specific responses in flowering phenology, we observed the first flowering day (FFD) of ten herbaceous species along two elevational gradients, representing temperature gradi...

Drought is considered one of the most acute environmental stresses presently affecting agriculture. We studied the role of exogenous glutathione (GSH) in conferring drought stress tolerance in mung bean (Vigna radiata L. cv. Binamoog-1) seedlings by examining the antioxidant defence and methylglyoxal (MG) detoxification systems and physiological features. Six-day-old seedlings were exposed to d...

Proline accumulation was often correlated with drought tolerance of plants infected by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), whereas lower proline in some AM plants including citrus was also found under drought stress and the relevant mechanisms have not been fully elaborated. In this study proline accumulation and activity of key enzymes relative to proline biosynthesis (▵(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxy...

Water retaining agent (WRA) is widely used for soil erosion control and agricultural water saving. Here, we evaluated the effects of the combination of beneficial soil bacterium Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain GB03 and WRA (the compound is super absorbent hydrogels) on drought tolerance of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). Seedlings were subjected to natural drought for maximum 20 days ...

Effects of atmospheric humidity and soil moisture content on the relative intensity of chlorophyll fluorescence of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) exposed to high air temperatures were assessed as a measure of heat stress or injury. 1. After exposure to 25 •Ž (control) and 42•‹, 44•‹ and 46•Ž for two to three hours, the intensity of fluorescence decreased a little at 42•‹ and 44•Ž but markedly at...