Rice Grain Chalkiness Is Negatively Correlated with Root Activity During Grain Filling

Field and pot experiments were conducted using indica rice varieties with differential chalkiness. There were significant differences in root activity among the varieties. The percentages of chalky grains and chalky area were both negatively correlated with root activity expressed as α-naphthylamine oxidation ability （RA） per gram of fresh root （RAfw） , RA per spikelet （RAgrn）, or RA per sink capacity （RAsink）. The RAsink was more closely related to chalkiness than RAt, and RAgrn when varieties differed greatly in panicle size and grain weight. Application of NO3^--N fertilizer at heading resulted in higher root activity and reduced chalkiness. Application of 30 mg/L NaN3 （respiration inhibitor） resulted in reduced root activity and increased chalkiness for one variety ＇GD9501＇, but for the other variety ＇Qinluai＇ was in reverse. The percentages of chalky grains and chalky area were negatively correlated with root activity at 10 days after heading under different chemical treatments （r=-0.8567^＊ and r=-0.9211^＊＊, respectively）.

Effects of clump spacing on nutrient distribution and root activity of Dendrocalamus strictus in the humid region of Kerala,peninsular India

The humid agroclimatic conditions of Kerala,India permit the cultivation of an array of bamboo species of which Dendrocalamus strictus Roxb.(Nees.) is an important one on account of its high growth rate and multiple uses. Stand density, a potential tool in controlling the productivity of woody ecosystems, its effect on growth and root distribution patterns may provide a better understanding of productivity optimization especially when bamboo-based intercropping options are considered.Growth attributes of 7-year-old bamboo(D. strictus) stands managed at variable spacing(4×4 m, 6×6 m, 8×8 m,10×10 m, 12×12 m) were studied. Functional root activity among bamboo clumps were also studied using a radio tracer soil injection method in which the radio isotopeP was applied to soil at varying depths and lateral distances from the clump. Results indicate that spacing exerts a profound influence on growth of bamboo. Widely spaced bamboo exhibited higher clump diameters and crown widths while clump heights were better under closer spacing. Clump height was 30% lower and DBH 52%higher at the widest spacing(12×12 m) compared to the closest spacing(4×4 m). With increasing soil depth and lateral distance, root activity decreased significantly. Root activity near the clump base was highest(809 counts per minute, cpm; 50 cm depth and 50 cm lateral distance) at 4×4 m. Tracer study further showed wider distribution of root activity with increase in clump spacing. It may be concluded that the intensive foraging zone of bamboo is within a 50-cm radius around the clump irrespective of spacing. N, P and K content in the upper 20 cm was 2197,21, and 203 kg/ha respectively for the closely spaced bamboo(4×4 m) which were significantly higher than corresponding nutrient content at wider spacings. About 50% of N, P and K were present within the 0–20 cm soil layer, which decreased drastically beyond the 20 cm depth.The results suggest that stand management practices through planting density regulation can modify the resource acquisition patterns of D. strictus which in turn can change growth and productivity considerably. Such information on root activities, spatial and temporal strategies of resource sharing will be helpful in deciding the effective nutrition zone for D. strictus. Further, the study throws light on the spatial distribution of non-competitive zones for productivity optimization yields, especially when intercropping practices are considered.

Delaying application time of slow-release fertilizer increases soil rhizosphere nitrogen content,root activity,and grain yield of spring maize

Application of slow-release fertilizer(SF)is a nutrient-management measure aimed at improving maize nutrient use and yield and saving labor cost.One-time application of SF at sowing usually results in nutrient deficiency during the post-silking stage,owing to the long growth period of spring maize.This study was conducted to investigate the effects on spring maize of SF application stage(zero,three-,and six-leaf stages,designated as SF0,SF3,and SF6,respectively)on grain yield,total soil rhizosphere nitrogen(N)content,and root activity,in comparison with the conventional fertilization mode(CF,application of compound fertilizer at sowing time,and topdressing urea at six-leaf and tasseling stages)at the same fertilization level as the control.Compared with no fertilization(F0)and CF,SF increased grain number and weight.The maize cultivars Suyu 30(SY30)and Jiangyu 877(JY877)produced the highest grain yield and net return under SF6 treatment over the three years.SF6 increased enzymatic activities including oxidoreductase,hydrolase,transferase,and lyase in rhizosphere soil at silking(R1)and milking stages(R3).SF6 increased the total N contents of rhizosphere soil by 7.1%at R1 and 9.2%R3 stages compared with SF0.The activities of antioxidant enzymes in roots were increased under SF6 treatments at R1and R3.The mean root activities of SF0,SF3,and SF6 increased by 7.1%,12.8%,and 20.5%compared with CF at R1 and by 8.8%,13.0%,and 23.5%at R3.Delaying the application time of SF could increase grain yield by increasing total N content of rhizosphere soil,delaying root senescence,and increasing root activity at the late reproductive stage.Applying SF at the six-leaf stage is recommended as an effective fertilization strategy for the sustainable production of spring maize in southern China.

Root phosphatase activity is a competitive trait affiliated with the conservation gradient in root economic space

Background:The diversity of resource acquisition strategies of plant roots determines the species coexistence patterns to a certain extent.However,few root physiological traits have been investigated,such as root phosphatase activity(PA)that affects plant phosphorus(P)uptake.Methods:Root PA and classical root functional traits were investigated for 21 coexisting species in a deciduous broad-leaved forest in warm temperate-subtropical transition zone,China.We analyzed the root order variation of absorptive fine root PA,clarified the attribution of root PA in root economic space(RES)and the different P acquisition strategies of co-occurring species based on the multidimensional RES theory,and determined the dominant factors affecting interspecific variation in root PA.Results:There was no distinct pattern of PA variation with root order in the first three root orders of absorptive fine roots,and root PA was constrained by phylogeny.Root PA is a competitive trait affiliated with the conservation gradient in RES.The tight linkages among root PA,mycorrhizal colonization,diameter,specific root length,and nitrogen concentration suggested trade-offs among P acquisition strategies of co-occurring species,i.e.species with long and fine roots acquire inorganic P by actively exploring the soil and secreting phosphatase to mineralize and hydrolyze organic P,while species with short and thick roots obtain P mainly by investing C in mycorrhizal partners.Conclusions:Collectively,our study provides an insight into the forest species coexistence in climatic transition zones,i.e.species coexistence mechanisms based on diverse phosphorus acquisition strategies.

Effects of Root Pruning on Non-Hydraulic Root-Sourced Signal, Drought Tolerance and Water Use Efficiency of Winter Wheat

Two pot experiments were conducted to study the effects of root pruning at the stem elongation stage on non-hydraulic root-sourced signals （nHRS）, drought tolerance and water use efficiency of winter wheat （Triticum aestivum）. The root pruning significantly reduced the root weight of wheat, but had no effect on root/shoot ratio at the two tested stages. At booting stage, specific root respiration of root pruned plants was significantly higher than those with intact roots （1.06 and 0.94 mmol g-1 s-1, respectively）. The soil water content （SWC） at which nHRS for root pruned plants appeared was higher and terminated lower than for intact root plants, the threshold range of nHRS was markedly greater for root pruned plants （61.1-44.6% field water capacity） than for intact root plants （57.9-46.1% field water capacity）. At flowering stage, while there was no significant difference in specific root respiration. The SWCs at which nHRS appeared and terminated were both higher for root pruned plants than for intact root plants. The values of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, i.e., the effective photosystem II quantum yield （F PS II ）, the maximum photochemical efficiency of PS II （F v /F m ）, coefficient of photochemical quenching （qP）, and coefficient of non-photochemical quenching （NPQ）, in root pruned plants were significantly higher than in intact root plants, 7 d after withholding of water. Root pruned plants had significantly higher water use efficiency （WUE） than intact root plants in well-watered and medium drought soil, but not in severe drought condition. In addition, root pruning had no significant effect on grain yield in well-watered and medium drought soil, but significantly decreased grain yield in severe drought condition. In conclusion, the current study showed that root pruning significantly altered nHRS sensitivity and improved WUE of winter wheat in well-watered and medium drought soil, but lowered drought tolerance of winter wheat in severe drought soil. This suggests a possible direction of drought- resistance breeding and potential agricultural measure to improve WUE of winter wheat under semiarid conditions.

Effects of Root-Growing Space on Its Absorbing Characteristics

Influences of root-growing space of maize upon root physiological characteristics, nutrient uptake and crop yields were studied under conditions with and without supply of water and N. Results showed that limitation of the root-growing space greatly affected root growth, decreased total root-absorbing area and TTC-reductive amounts. However, it obviously increased the root active-absorbing area, specific absorbing area(absorbing area per gram root weight)and specific active-absorbing area(actively absorbing area per gram root weight)in addition to promoting the TTC-reductive intensity. This clearly showed that plants were not passively tolerant to stress, but actively regulated their physiological metabolic processes, and strengthened their absorbing ability to increase water and nutrient uptake so that root injury by the environmental stress could be reduced. Supply of water and N stimulated root growth, increased root-absorbing area and activity. promoted nutrient uptake, and therefore increased crop yield and decreased the detrimental effects resulting from the limitation of roots-growing space.

Effects of Free-air CO2 Enrichment on Root Characteristics and C:N Ratio of Rice at the Heading Stage

A hydroponics experiment was conducted to investigate the rice root growth in FACE （free-air carbon dioxide enrichment）. The root biomass, root volume, ratio of root/shoot, number of adventitious roots and root diameter significantly increased under FACE conditions, while the CO2 enrichment decreased the N concentration in rice roots without any change in the C content, leading to an increase in root C：N ratio. Moreover, the elevated CO2 resulted in a remarkable decrease of root activity, expressed as per unit root dry weight, which might be responsible for decreased N concentration in roots.

Determination of drought tolerance using root activities in Robinia pseudoacada 'Idaho' transformed with mtl-D gene

Idaho locust （Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Idaho＇） is an exotic multi-purpose tree used in landscaping, soil and water conserva- tion, fodder sources and others. To improve its drought tolerance for reclaiming arid land, five lines of transformed mtl-D gene, as osmotic regulator in plant cells, have been selected and managed to determine their drought tolerance under experimental conditions. Qualitative and quantitative variables of transformed plants were studied. The critical value of drought tolerance was determined by detecting the 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride （TTC） reductants in roots and soil water content （SWC）. The critical value for drought tolerance was SWC 6% while for the control plants the critical SWC was 8%; a moderate level of SWC is 13% and the highest SWC for plant endurance was 18%. The method proved to be reliable and sensitive in the evaluation of drought tolerance for forest trees.

Grain yield,nitrogen use efficiency and physiological performance of indica/japonica hybrid rice in response to various nitrogen rates

Utilizing the heterosis of indica/japonica hybrid rice(IJHR)is an effective way to further increase rice grain yield.Rational application of nitrogen(N)fertilizer plays a very important role in using the heterosis of IJHR to achieve its great yield potential.However,the responses of the grain yield and N utilization of IJHR to N application rates and the underlying physiological mechanism remain elusive.The purpose of this study was to clarify these issues.Three rice cultivars currently used in rice production,an IJHR cultivar Yongyou 2640(YY2640),a japonica cultivar Lianjing 7(LJ-7)and an indica cultivar Yangdao 6(YD-6),were grown in the field with six N rates(0,100,200,300,400,and 500 kg ha^(-1))in 2018 and 2019.The results showed that with the increase in N application rates,the grain yield of each test cultivar increased at first and then decreased,and the highest grain yield was at the N rate of 400 kg ha^(-1)for YY2640,with a grain yield of 13.4 t ha^(-1),and at 300 kg ha^(-1)for LJ-7 and YD-6,with grain yields of 9.4–10.6 t ha^(-1).The grain yield and N use efficiency(NUE)of YY2640 were higher than those of LJ-7 or YD-6 at the same N rate,especially at the higher N rates.When compared with LJ-7 or YD-6,YY2640 exhibited better physiological traits,including greater root oxidation activity and leaf photosynthetic rate,higher cytokinin content in the roots and leaves,and more remobilization of assimilates from the stem to the grain during grain filling.The results suggest that IJHR could attain both higher grain yield and higher NUE than inbred rice at either low or high N application rates.Improved shoot and root traits of the IJHR contribute to its higher grain yield and NUE,and a higher content of cytokinins in the IJHR plants plays a vital role in their responses to N application rates and also benefits other physiological processes.

Higher Chilling-Tolerance of Grafted-Cucumber Seedling Leaves upon Exposure to Chilling Stress

The roots of figleaf gourd （Cucurbita ficifolia, as rootstock） could improve the resistance of cucumber plants （Cucumis sativus L. cv. Jinyan 4, as scion） to low temperature. In this experiment, the root activity and photosynthetic activity of photosystems in the own-rooted and grafted-cucumber plants were studied at chilling temperature （4℃） under low irradiance （100 μmol m^2 s^-1 PFD）. Compared with dark adaptation seedlings, the chlorophyll a fluorescence transient curve and the oxidizable P700 （P700＋） of both the own-rooted and grafted seedlings decreased, and PS2 and PS1 of the own-rooted seedling leaves were more inhibited than that of grafted ones at the end of chilling stress. The reduced triphenyltetrazolium chloride （TTC）, which was used to reflect the root activity, kept stable in grafted seedling roots at the end of chilling stress, while it decreased noticeably in the own-rooted seedling roots. These results implied that the root system activity of the grafted seedling roots was higher than that of the own-rooted ones. Superoxide dismutase （SOD） activity was higher in both the grafted seedling roots and leaves than that in own-rooted seedlings at both room temperature and chilling temperature. Upon exposure to chilling stress, the malondialdehyde （MDA） content, which reflects the degree of lipid peroxidation, increased markedly in the own-rooted seedling roots and leaves and kept stable in the grafted-cucumber seedlings.

Water Management for Improvement of Rice Yield,Appearance Quality and Palatability with High Temperature During Ripening Period

To clarify the optimal water management in large-scale fields under high temperatures at the ripening period,effective water managements during this period for improvement of yield,appearance quality and palatability were investigated.Compared with intermittent irrigation and flooded irrigation,the soil temperature with saturated irrigation remained low throughout the day,and the decrease rate of the bleeding rate of hills was the lowest.These results suggested that the saturated irrigation maintained root activity.For the three irrigation types,the number of spikelets per m2 and 1000-grain weight were similar,however,saturated irrigation resulted in significantly higher rice yield due to improvement in the percentage of ripened grains.The saturated irrigation produced a high percentage of perfect rice grains and thicker brown rice grain,furthermore,the palatability of cooked rice was excellent because protein content and hardness/adhesion ratio were both low.Thus,under high-temperature ripening conditions,soil temperature was lowered and root activity was maintained when applying saturated irrigation after heading time.The results indicated that saturated irrigation is an effective countermeasure against high-temperature ripening damage.

Effect of Interplanting with Zero Tillage and Straw Manure on Rice Growth and Rice Quality

The interplanting with zero-tillage of rice, i.e. direct sowing rice 10-20 days before wheat harvesting, and remaining about 30-cm high stubble after cutting wheat or rice with no tillage, is a new cultivation technology in wheat-rice rotation system. To study the effects of interplanting with zero tillage and straw manure on rice growth and quality, an experiment was conducted in a wheat-rotation rotation system. Four treatments, i.e. ZIS （Zero-tillage, straw manure and rice interplanting）, Zt （Zero-tillage, no straw manure and rice interplanting）, PTS （Plowing tillage, straw manure and rice transplanting）, and PT （Plowing tillage, no straw manure and rice transplanting）, were used. ZtS reduced plant height, leaf area per plant and the biomass of rice plants, but the biomass accumulation of rice at the late stage was quicker than that under conventional transplanting cultivation. In the first year （2002）, there was no significant difference in rice yield among the four treatments. However, rice yield decreased in interplanting with zero-tillage in the second year （2003）. Compared with the transplanting treatments, the number of filled grains per panicle decreased but l000-grain weight increased in interplanting with zero-tillage, which were the main factors resulting in higher yield, tnterplanting with zero-tillage improved the milling and appearance qualities of rice. The rates of milled and head rice increased while chalky rice rate and chalkiness decreased in interplanting with zero-tillage. Zero-tillage and interplanting also affected rice nutritional and cooking qualities. In 2002, ZIS showed raised protein content, decreased amylose content, softer gel consistency, resulting in improved rice quality. In 2003, zero-tillage and interplanting decreased protein content and showed similar amylose content as compared with transplanting treatments. Moreover, protein content in PTS was obviously increased in comparison with the other three treatments. The rice in interplanting with zero-tillage treatments had higher peak viscosity and breakdown, lower setback, showing better rice taste quality. The straw manure had no significant effect on rice viscosity under interplanting with zero-tillage, but had the negative influence on the rice taste quality under transplanting with plowing tillage.

Drought tolerance of Acacia karroo,a native tree species to South Africa,in Beijing

Acacia karroo is an indigenous, strong drought-tolerant and widely planted tree in South Africa. In order to match the plant with its adaptation to forest sites in China, it is important to know the drought-tolerance of this species under Chinese forest site con- ditions. Our study was carried out in cinnamon soils in Beijing and with Platycladus orientalis, the most drought-tolerant tree in Bei- j ing, as control. Physiological parameters of young plants of the trees were measured and divided into three groups in response to soil drying. The first group included root activity, ABA content in roots and peroxidase （POD） activity in leaves. Their values changed similarly to those of P. orientalis and dramatically increased to maximum values when the soil water content （SWC） decreased from its normal level of 20% to 7.6% where the three indices decreased dramatically when SWC was reduced further from 7.6%. The sec- ond group of parameters included the contents of proline, soluble protein and malondialdehyde （MDA）. Their values showed greater variation than those ofP. orientalis and significantly increased when SWC decreased from 20% in response to soil drying. However, the proline and soluble protein contents fluctuated in A. karroo at a lower level than those in P. orientalis. In contrast, the content of MDA in A. karroo was much higher than that in P. orientalis which almost did not increase in the drying soil. The third group of parameters consisted of soluble sugar, superoxide dismutase （SOD） and catalase （CAT）. These parameters showed greater diversity and fluctuations among the three varieties ofA. karroo compared with the control in response to soil drying. These results suggest that A. karroo is characterized as a strong, drought tolerant species in most of physiological parameters but weaker than P orientalis in membrane lipid antioxidation.

Effects of Exogenous Cinnamic Acids on the Growth and Physiological Characteristics of Cucumber Seedlings

In order to study the effects of exogenous cinnamic acids on plant growth, contents of photosynthetic pigment, root activities and ATPase activities of root membrane at cucumber seedling stage, the seedlings of Shandong Mici cucumber were tested. The results showed that seedlings growth, contents of photosynthetic pigment, root activities and ATPase activities of root membrane were inhibited by cinnamic acids. The growth and root activities of seedlings were significantly （P〈0.05） lower in the soil amended with 100 mg kg^-1 cinnamic acids compared to the control. The contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll a＋b and carotenoid of seedlings significantly （P〈0.05） decreased in the soil amended with 200 mg kg^-1 cinnamic acids, whereas ATPase activities exhibited a higher sensitivity and greatly decreased in the soil amended with 50 mg kg^-1 cinnamic acids. These results suggested that cinnamic acids could induce a stress condition, and the stress intensities increased with enhanced cinnamic acid concentration.

Complex effects of different types of acid rain on root growth of Quercus acutissima and Cunninghamia lanceolata saplings

Background:Soil acidification caused by acid rain(AR)can damage plant roots,which in turn negatively impacts plant health.In response to changing AR types,research efforts to elucidate their specific impacts on plants have become intense.Methods:For this study,we investigated the effects of simulated sulfuric,nitric,and mixed AR on the root systems of Quercus acutissima Carr.and Cunninghamia lanceolata(Lamb.)Hook.under different acidity levels.Results:As the AR S/N ratio and pH decreased,the height growth rate(HGR),basal diameter growth rate(DGR),total root length(TRL)and total root surface area(TRS)of C.lanceolata decreased,whereas the TRL and TRS of Q.acutissima remained the same.When the NO_(3)^(−)concentration in AR was increased,the root activity,superoxide dismutase(SOD)and catalase(CAT)activities of C.lanceolata roots revealed a downward trend;however,the root activity of Q.acutissima and the peroxidase(POD)activity of C.lanceolata roots revealed an upward trend.Further,redundant analysis and structural equation models indicated that AR pH had a greater impact on the HGR of Q.acutissima than that of C.lanceolata,while the impact of the AR S/N ratio on C.lanceolata growth rates was greater than that of Q.acutissima.Conclusions:Our results suggested that the root systems of different tree species had variable responses to AR,and the AR S/N ratio was an important factor affecting plant root growth.This might facilitate new strategies for the culti‑vation and protection of plantations in the future.