Warming effects on permafrost ecosystem carbon fluxes controlled by plant nutrients

With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,a recent study by the research group led by Prof.Yang Yuanhe(杨元合)from the Institute of Botany,Chinese Academy of Sciences shows that plant nutrients control the response of permafrost ecosystem carbon fluxes to warming。

Breaking Barriers:Selenium and Silicon-Mediated Strategies for Mitigating Abiotic Stress in Plants

Numerous plant species,particularly those that can accumulate selenium(Se)and silicon(Si),benefit from these essential micronutrients.Se and Si accumulation in plants profoundly affects several biochemical reactions in cells.Understanding how plants react to Se/Si enrichment is crucial for ensuring adequate dietary Se/Si intake for humans and animals and increasing plant tolerance to environmental stressors.Several studies have shown that Se/Si-enriched plants are more resistant to salinity,drought,extreme temperatures,UV radiation,and excess metalloids.The interplay between Se/Si in plants is crucial for maintaining growth and development under normal conditions while providing a critical defense mechanism against stressors like heavy metals and drought.Se and Si commonly stimulate antioxidant defense systems in plants exposed to environmental stressors,but the involved mechanisms are complex and not well understood.To ensure the positive effects of Se/Si fortification in plants,it is essential to consider the degree of accumulation,the chemical form of Se/Si used,the method of application,and the likelihood of interaction with other elements.In this review,we will discuss the effects of Se/Si bio-fortification on plants subjected to abiotic stressors.Plant responses to exogenous Se/Si will also be reviewed,emphasizing the influences of Se/Si in the modulation of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defense mechanisms under various abiotic stress conditions.

Exogenous addition of nitrate nitrogen regulates the uptake and translocation of lead (Pb) by Iris lacteal Pall. var. chinensis (Fisch.) Koidz.

Since Pb is a non-biodegradable inorganic pollutant and a non-essential metal,its long-term presence in soil poses a great threat to the environment.Iris lactea Pall.var.chinensis(Fisch.)Koidz.,a perennial dense bush herb with high resistance of Pb and wide adaptability,was used in pot experiments to study the effects of exogenous nitrate N(NO_(3)^(–)-N)on the absorption and transportation of Pb and plant growth under different Pb concentrations.Then,the mechanism of NO_(3)^(-)-N affecting Pb and nutrient uptake and transport was explored.The concentration of Pb in the experiment ranged from 0 to 1600 mg/kg,and the added concentration of NO_(3)^(-)-N was 0.0–0.3 g/kg.The results showed that I.lactea was highly tolerant to Pb,and the shoot fraction was more sensitive to varied Pb concentrations in the soil than the root fraction.This protective function became more pronounced under the condition of raised Pb concentration in the soil.When the concentration of Pb in the soil reached 800 mg/kg,the highest Pb content of I.lactea was found under the condition of 0.1 g/kg of NO–3-N addition.When Pb concentration in the soil increased to 1600 mg/kg,the increase in NO_(3)^(-)-N addition promoted Pb uptake by the root.To ensure the well growth of I.lactea and the effect of remediation of Pb-contaminated soil,the recommended concentration of NO–3-N in the soil is 0.1 g/kg.This result provides a theoretical basis for exogenous N regulation of phytoremediation of Pb-contaminated soil.

Variation of Nutrient Value in Selected Composted Farm Wastes

Smallholder farming is promoted for its environmental friendliness, assurance of food security sovereignty and conservation of indigenous knowledge. However, in actual practice, Smallholder farmers recycle farm plant waste to improve soil fertility. By so doing, they contribute to environmental pollution, emissions, and global warming. This situation is a Smallholder farmers’ challenge worldwide. One of these challenges is the inability to find cheaper sources of plant nutrients. These sources of nutrients are associated with environmental pollution, such as the release of Methane. This study focused on farm wastes (bean trash, maize trash, banana trash, cattle slurry, goat slurry, and pig slurry) commonly produced by smallholder farmers in two farming systems of Masaka and Lyantonde Districts to explore the effects of composting and surface decomposition on nutrients contained in farm wastes by specifically: estimating baseline nutrient contents in farm wastes before disposal, determining the variation of nutrients of farm wastes managed by composting and surface decomposition and the potential source of major nutrients among selected farm wastes. Through carbon analysis, Calorimetric determination of Nitrogen and Phosphorus analysis using a block digester and UV-Visible spectrometer, Carbon, Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus were determined from bean trash, maize trash, banana trash, cattle slurry, goat slurry, and pig slurry. Results revealed that goat slurry, chicken waste, maize trash and pig slurry contained more and retained more P, K, C and N, respectively, as compared to other farm wastes. Significant volumes of N and P were retained in composted materials as compared to those managed by surface decomposition.

Potassium-Induced Regulation of Cellular Antioxidant Defense and Improvement of Physiological Processes in Wheat under Water Deficit Condition

Drought is the most common form of abiotic stress that reduces plant growth and productivity.It causes plant injuries through elevated production of reactive oxygen species(ROS).Potassium(K)is a vital plant nutrient that notably ameliorates the detrimental effect of drought stress in the plant.A pot experiment was conducted at the Laboratory of Plant Stress Responses,Faculty of Agriculture,Kagawa University,Japan,under controlled environment of green house to explore the role of K in mitigating drought severity in wheat(Triticum asevitum L.)seedlings.Three days after germination,seedlings were exposed to three water regimes viz.,100,50,and 20%field capacity(FC)for 21 days.Potassium was adjusted in Hoagland nutrient solution at 0,6 and 12 mM concentration and applied to pot instead of normal water.Results show that,water deficit stress notably reduced plant growth,biomass accumulation,leaf relative water content(RWC)along with reduced photosynthetic pigments.Increased amount of biochemical stress markers viz.,malondialdehyde(MDA),hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2)),methylglyoxal(MG),proline(Pro)as well as an impaired antioxidant defense system were observed in drought affected wheat plants.On the contrary,K supplementation resulted in improvement of biochemical and physiological parameters that worked behind in improving growth and development of the wheat plants.In addition,enzymes of ascorbateglutathione(AsA-GSH)cycle were also enhanced by supplemented K that accelerated the ROS detoxification process in plant.Although glyoxalse system did not performed well till MG was detoxified might following another short stepped pathways.Our results revealed that drought stressed plants showed better performances in terms of biochemical and physiological attributes,antioxidant defense and glyoxalase system,as well as ROS detoxification due to K supplementation with better performance at 12 mM K added in 50%FC growing condition.

Effects of Microbial Inoculants on Nutrient Availability and Rice Yield

Under field conditions, an experiment was conducted to study the effects of ammonification bacteria, potassium bacteria and phosphorus bacteria on nutrient availability in soil and yield of rice in the cold region of China and compared to the conventional fertilization. Results showed that DF1P2 treatment （ammonifiers 1.5× 108 cfu· m2, phosphorus bacteria 1.5× 108 cfu. m2, and potassium bacteria 1.5× 108 cfu· m2） increased available nutrient concentrations in soil, increased the concentrations of N, P, and K in plant organs and increased the rice yield and was the most significantly among all the treatments. This treatment could be recommended as the best suitable biological fertilizer application rate for the rice production in the cold region of China.

Does nitrogen fertilization impact nonstructural carbohydrate storage in evergreen Podocarpus macrophyllus saplings?

Nonstructural carbon(NSC),which represents the relationship between the carbon source and carbon sink,is an important factor that reflects the functions and performance of a tree.However,little is known regarding the timeseries responses of NSC storage in evergreen species to different nitrogen(N)fertilization regimes.This study,which was based on a pot experiment,examined the response of the NSC(soluble sugars and starch storage to different N addition intensities[light N addition(LN):6.5 g N m^(-2)a^(-1);moderate N addition(MN):13.0 g N m^(-2)a^(-1);and heavy N addition(HN):26.0 g N m^(-2)a^(-1))]in saplings of the evergreen species Podocarpus macrophyllus.Our results showed that the net photosynthetic rate(P_(n))under MN was significantly higher than that under LN,but was comparable to that under HN.Moreover,saplings subject to MN had a significant higher leaf biomass than that to LN and HN.These results indicated that the C supply via photosynthesis under MN was greater than that under LN and HN.The NSCs reserve under MN was considerable with that under LN,which suggested that saplings in MN group consumed higher and stored lower properties of NSCs than those in LN group.However,saplings under HN stored higher properties of NSCs than those under MN considering that no difference in NSCs pools was found between the two treatments.The leaf N concentrations were found in the increasing sequence of LN<MN<HN,whilst the leaf chlorophyll concentration under HN was obviously lower than that under MN.The growth rate under MN was higher than that under LN and HN.We concluded that the NSCs allocation between con-sumption and reserve in P.macrophyllus saplings depended on soil N availability,and an excessive N addition to soil favors the storage rather than the consumption of NSCs by plants.

Aquaphotomics determination of nutrient biomarker for spectrophotometric parameterization of crop growth primary macronutrients using genetic programming

Water quality assessment is currently based on time-consuming and costly laboratory pro-cedures and numerous expensive physicochemical sensors deployment.In response to the trend of device minimization and reduced outlays in sustainable aquaponic water monitoring,the integration of aquaphotomics and computational intelligence is presented in this paper.This study used the combination of temperature,pH,and electrical conductivity sensors in predicting crop growth primary macronutrient concentration(nitrate,phos-phate,and potassium(NPK)),thus,limiting the number of deployed sensors.A total of 220 water samples collected from an outdoor artificial aquaponic pond were temperature perturbed from 16 to 36℃ with 2℃ increments to mimic ambient range,which varies water compositional structure.Aquaphotomics was applied on ultraviolet,visible light,and near-infrared spectral regions,100 to 1000 nm,to determine NPK compounds.Princi-pal component analysis emphasized nutrient dynamics through selecting the highly corre-lated water absorption bands resulting in 250 nm,840 nm,and 765 nm for nitrate,phosphate,and potassium respectively.These activated water bands were used as wave-length protocols to spectrophotometrically measure macronutrient concentrations.Exper-iments have shown that multigene symbolic regression genetic programming(MSRGP)obtained the optimal performance in parameterizing and predicting nitrate,phosphate,and potassium concentrations based on water physical properties with an accuracy of 87.63%,88.73%,and 99.91%,respectively.The results have shown the established 4-dimensional nutrient dynamics map reveals that temperature significantly strengthens nitrate and potassium above 30℃ and phosphate below 25℃ with pH and electrical con-ductivity ranging between 7 and 8 and 0.1 to 0.2 mS cm^(-1) respectively.This novel approach of developing a physicochemical estimation model predicted macronutrient concentra-tions in real-time using physical limnological sensors with a 50%reduction of energy consumption.This same approach can be extended to measure secondary macronutrients and micronutrients.

Plant adaptation to low phosphorus availability:Core signaling,crosstalks,and applied implications

Phosphorus(P)is an essential nutrient for plant growth and reproduction.Plants preferentially absorb P as orthophosphate(Pi),an ion that displays low solubility and that is readily fixed in the soil,making P limita-tion a condition common to many soils and Pi fertilization an inefficient practice.To cope with Pi limitation,plants have evolved a series of developmental and physiological responses,collectively known as the Pi starvation rescue system(PSR),aimed to improve Pi acquisition and use efficiency(PUE)and protect from Pi-starvation-induced stress.Intensive research has been carried out during the last 20 years to un-ravel the mechanisms underlying the control of the PSR in plants.Here we review the results of this research effort that have led to the identification and characterization of several core Pi starvation signaling components,including sensors,transcription factors,microRNAs(miRNAs)and miRNA inhibitors,kinases,phosphatases,and components of the proteostasis machinery.We also refer to recent results revealing the existence of intricate signaling interplays between Pi and other nutrients and antagonists,N,Fe,Zn,and As,that have changed the initial single-nutrient-centric view to a more integrated view of nutrient homeostasis.Finally,we discuss advances toward improving PUE and future research priorities.

The influence of hydrochar from biogas digestate on soil improvement and plant growth aspects

Hydrochar(HC),produced by hydrothermal carbonization,offers technical advantages over biochar(BC)produced by pyrolysis,and is suitable for soil amelioration,carbon sequestration,and enhanced plant growth.BC grain size has been shown to influence nutrient retention,microbial colonization and aggregate formation;however,similar research for HC is lacking.Pot trials were conducted to investigate the influence of HC grain size[coarse(6.3-2 mm),medium(2-0.63 mm)and fine(<0.63 mm)],produced from biogas digestate,for soil improvement in three soils:loamy Chernozem,sandy Podzol,and clayey Gleysol,at a 5%HC application rate(w/w).All soils including two controls(with and without plants)were analysed for water holding capacity(WHC),cation exchange capacity(CEC),wet aggregate stability,pH,plant available nutrients(PO_(4)-P,K and N_(min))and germination and biomass success using standard laboratory and statistical methods.Soil pH showed a compensatory shift toward the HC pH(7.2)in all soils over the course of the study.For example,the pH of the medium grained HC treatment for the Chernozem decreased from 7.9 to 7.2 and increased in the Podzol and Gleysol from 5.9 to 6.1 and 4.9 to 5.5,respectively.The nutrient-rich HC(2034±38.3 mg kg^(−1) PO_(4)-P and 2612.5±268.7 mg kg^(−1) K content)provided only a short-term supply of nutrients,due to the relatively easily mineralized fraction of HC,which allowed for quick nutrient release.The pH and PO_(4)-P effects were most pronounced in the fine grained HC treatments,with a~87%,~308%and~2500%increase in PO_(4)-P content in the Chernozem,Podzol and Gleysol,respectively,compared to the controls at the beginning of the study.The same trend was observed for the K and NH_(4)^(+)content in the fine and medium grained HC treatments in all soils.No seed germination inhibition of Chinese cabbage was observed,with average germina-tion rates>50%in all soils.An effect on NO_(3)^(−)content was indeterminable,while there was little to no effect on biomass production,WHC,CEC and aggregate stability.In conclusion,the application of 5%fine grained HC significantly influenced the nutrient content over a short-term.However,the application rate was insufficient to substantially improve plant growth,nor to sustain a longer-term nutrients supply,regardless of grain size.

New insights into plant nutrient signaling and adaptation to fluctuating environments

Over the past 50 years, the Green Revolution and exploitation of heterosis have allowed cereal grain yield to keep pace with world- wide population growth. Unfortunately, plant growth and crop productivity are heavily dependent on the application of synthetic fertilizers.

Plant mineral nutrient sensing and signaling

As terrestrial plants are sessile organisms and therefore must directly deal with an often complex and changing environment, they have had to develop complex and elegant strategies to survive and thrive in the face of environmental stress. This is particularly true for plant adaptation to the soil environment, where essential mineral nutrients often are found at sub- optimal levels and their concentrations can vary significantly, both spatially and temporally. Furthermore, plants also at times have to respond to excessively high and potentially toxic levels of essential nutrients, as well as toxic levels of non- essential metals and metalloids in the soil. Although plant mineral nutrition as a bona ~ide research discipline has a history of over 15o years, beginning with the pioneering work of Justus Von Liebieg and others in the mid-1800＇s, it is only very recently that researchers have begun to truly appreciate how sophisticated plants are with regards to the sensing of their mineral status and the maintaining of mineral homeostasis in the plant.

Characteristics of volatile compounds removal in biogas slurry of pig manure by ozone oxidation and organic solvents extraction

Biogas slurry is not suitable for liquid fertilizer due to its high amounts of volatile materials being of complicated composition and peculiar smell. In order to remove volatiles from biogas slurry efficiently, the dynamic headspace and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to clear the composition of volatiles. Nitrogen stripping and superfluous ozone were also used to remove volatiles from biogas slurry. The results showed that there were 21 kinds of volatile compounds in the biogas slurry, including sulfur compounds, organic amines, benzene, halogen generation of hydrocarbons and alkanes, some of which had strong peculiar smell. The volatile compounds in biogas slurry can be removed with the rate of 53.0% by nitrogen stripping and with rate of 81.7% by the oxidization and stripping of the superfluous ozone. On this basis, the removal rate of the volatile compounds reached 99.2% by chloroform and n-hexane extraction, and almost all of odor was eliminated. The contents of some dissolved organic compounds decreased obviously and however main plant nutrients had no significant change in the biogas slurry after being treated.

Nitrogen addition mediates the response of foliar stoichiometry to phosphorus addition: a meta-analysis

Background:Changes in foliar nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)stoichiometry play important roles in predicting the efects of global change on ecosystem structure and function.However,there is substantial debate on the efects of P addition on foliar N and P stoichiometry,particularly under diferent levels of N addition.Thus,we conducted a global meta-analysis to investigate how N addition alters the efects of P addition on foliar N and P stoichiometry across different rates and durations of P addition and plant growth types based on more than 1150 observations.Results:We found that P addition without N addition increased foliar N concentrations,whereas P addition with N addition had no efect.The positive efects of P addition on foliar P concentrations were greater without N addition than with N addition.Additionally,the efects of P addition on foliar N,P and N:P ratios varied with the rate and duration of P addition.In particular,short-term or low-dose P addition with and without N addition increased foliar N concentration,and the positive efects of short-term or low-dose P addition on foliar P concentrations were greater without N addition than with N addition.The responses of foliar N and P stoichiometry of evergreen plants to P addition were greater without N addition than with N addition.Moreover,regardless of N addition,soil P availability was more efective than P resorption efciency in predicting the changes in foliar N and P stoichiometry in response to P addition.Conclusions:Our results highlight that increasing N deposition might alter the response of foliar N and P stoichiometry to P addition and demonstrate the important efect of the experimental environment on the results.These results advance our understanding of the response of plant nutrient use efciency to P addition with increasing N deposition.