Salt Stress Effects on Germination, Plant Growth and Accumulation of Metabolites in Five Leguminous Plants

The investigation was conducted to determine physiological criteria of early selection for salt tolerant leguminous plants. Plants were subjected to 5 levels of salt stress at the roots （0, 50, 100,150 and 200 mM NaCI）. Results showed that sodium chloride had an underrating effect on growth of stems and seed germination of the species studied. The germination rates of seeds of Glycine max and Phaseolus vulgaris （sensitive glyeophytes） were affected from 3 g/L of NaCl, with critical thresholds at 9 and 12 g/L respectively. In contrast, critical thresholds with Mucunapoggei （facultative halophyte）, Vigna unguiculata （moderately tolerant glycophyte） and P. adenanthus （natural halophyte） was found to be above 21 g/L. The reduction of stems growth rate were not significant in P. adenanthus whereas in M. poggei and V. unguiculata this inhibition was observed just when nutritive solutions were enriched with 200 mM. The lipid contents were reduced in all the species under salt stress, whereas proteins and proline contents in the leaves were substantially increased in tolerant species （M. poggei, P. adenanthus and V. unguiculata）. In contrast, proteins and leaf proline contents were negatively affected by salt concentration to G. max and P. vulgaris. Seed germination, proteins and proline could be used as physiological criteria of early selection for salt tolerant leguminous plants.

Computational investigation of small RNAs in the establishment of root nodules and arbuscular mycorrhiza in leguminous plants

Many small RNAs have been confirmed to play important roles in the development of root nodules and arbuscular mycorrhiza. In this study, we carried out the identification of certain small RNAs in leguminous plants(Medicago truncatula, soybean, peanut and common bean), such as miRNAs, tRFs and srRNAs, as well as the computational investigation of their regulations. Thirty miRNAs were predicted to be involved in establishing root nodules and mycorrhiza, and 12 of them were novel in common bean and peanut. The generation of tRFs in M. truncatula was not associated with tRNA gene frequencies and codon usage. Six tRFs exhibited different expressions in mycorrhiza and root nodules. Moreover, srRNA^(5.8S) in M. truncatula was generated from the regions with relatively low conservation at the rRNA 3′ terminal. The protein-protein interactions between the proteins encoded by the target genes of miRNAs, tRFs and srRNAs were computed. The regulation of these three types of sRNAs in the symbiosis between leguminous plants and microorganisms is not a single regulation of certain signaling or metabolic pathways but a global regulation for the plants to own growth or specific events in symbiosis.

Effects of Different Organic Residues on Rice Yield and Soil Quality

Calcaric regosols are a valuable land resource, distributed widely across western China. Soil quality has deteriorated considerably in recent years owing to the blind pursuit of economic benefits. A 2-year field experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of using spent mushroom compost, leguminous plant (Vicia sepium L.) compost, and a combination of the two (at a 1:1 and 2:1 ratio), on rice yield and soil quality in a suburb of China. Vicia sepium L. composted with spent mushroom compost at a 1:1 ratio produced the highest grain and stover yield, grain and stover phosphorus concentration, and phosphorus uptake of rice; they were 56.5%, 93.2%, 89.3%, 198.6% and 22.2% greater than control soil, respectively. The 2:1 ratio (Vicia sepium L.: spent mushroom compost) produced the highest grain N concentration, stover N concentration, and N uptake; they were 31.6%, 31.4%, and 40.7% higher than control, respectively. Soil physical, chemical, and environmental properties were improved with the application of Vicia sepium L. composted with spent mushroom compost at a 2:1 ratio. In particular, soil water-stable aggregates, organic carbon, particulate organic carbon, total nitrogen, available potassium, and cation exchange capacity increased, whereas bulk density, pH, and phytoavailable heavy metals decreased. This organic treatment is beneficial to improve soil quality indicators, and contribute to soil restoration.

Dosage of Some Chemical Substances in Two Plant Species: Alysicarpus ovalifolius (Sch. and Th.) and Indigofera pilosa (Poir)

The content of chemical compounds of two leguminous plants (Alysicarpus ovalifolius and Indigofera pilosa) was given through chromatographic methods (HPLC) and spectrocolorimetry. The principal isolated compounds are: β-Carotene in the sheets, the vitamin B in the roots and the vitamin C in the pods. Trace elements are not also insulated in the two plant species. The results show a content iodine (0.27 mg/100g of sample) particularly high in the stems of Indigofera pilosa, what could explain the use of the plant to fight against the thyroid dysfunctions. The ratio iron in mg/100g of sample 114.14 is rather important and would make Indigofera pilosa a palliative against anaemia. The two plants would be indicated in cases of treatment of hypocalcaemia.

Nitrogen availability mediates the effects of roots and mycorrhizal fungi on soil organic carbon decomposition:A meta-analysis

Plant roots and their associated mycorrhizal fungi critically mediate the decomposition of soil organic carbon(C),but the general patterns of their impacts over a broad geographical range and the primary mediating factors remain unclear.Based on a synthesis of 596 paired observations from both field and greenhouse experiments,we found that living roots and/or mycorrhizal fungi increased organic C decomposition by 30.9%,but low soil nitrogen(N)availability(i.e.,high soil C:N ratio)critically mitigated this promotion effect.In addition,the positive effects of living roots and/or mycorrhizal fungi on organic C decomposition were higher under herbaceous and leguminous plants than under woody and non-leguminous plants,respectively.Surprisingly,there was no significant difference between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and ectomycorrhizal fungi in their effects on organic C decomposition.Furthermore,roots and/or mycorrhizal fungi significantly enhanced the decomposition of leaf litter but not root litter.These findings advance our understanding of how roots and their symbiotic fungi modulate soil C dynamics in the rhizosphere or mycorrhizosphere and may help improve predictions of soil global C balance under a changing climate.

Phosphorus Speciation and Nutrient Stoichiometry in the Soil-Plant System During Primary Ecological Restoration of Copper Mine Tailings

The effects of plant vegetation on phosphorus （P） speciation, pH, total carbon concentration, total nitrogen concentration, and alkaline phosphatase activities were investigated to explore the P uptake strategy of plants in low-P soil and to determine the nutrient stoichiometric ratio changes in the rhizosphere of plants （Imperata cylindrica, Miscanthus floridulus, Zoysia sinica, Artemisia lavandulaefolia, Indigofera pseudotinctoria, and Conyza canadensis） which had grown for approximately 15 years in copper mine tailings, East China. The results showed that the average pH values in the rhizosphere decreased by 0.06 1.37 compared with those in the non-rhizosphere. The alkaline phosphatase activities of the rhizosphere were significantly higher than those in the non-rhizosphere. The mean concentrations of aluminum （A1）- and iron （Fe）-bound P and Ca2-P （CaHPO4） in the rhizosphere of all plants were 5.4% to 87.7%, 49.2% to 214.2%, and 86.6% to 147.6% higher than those in the non-rhizosphere, respectively. Except for Cas-P （CasH2（PO4）6） and Cal0-P （Cal0（PO4）6（OH）2） in the rhizosphere, all kinds of inorganic P forms were negatively correlated with pH. Significant correlation was also observed among the concentrations of dominant forms of inorganic P, C, and N and alkaline phosphatase activities in the rhizosphere. Among the studied species, I. pseudotinetoria showed the most significant effect on enhancing soil available P concentration. The stoichiometric ratios of C：P and N：P were apparently higher in the rhizosphere than the non-rhizosphere, whereas these ratios were far below the ratios commonly observed in Chinese soils. These results indicated that the plant growth effectively affected P fractions possibly by changing pH, C and N concentrations, and alkaline phosphatase activity, in the rhizosphere in copper mine railings.