Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jacinta Collado-Gonzalez, Maria Carmen Pinero, Gines Otalora, Josefa Lopez-Marin, Francisco M. del Amor
Summary: This study found that nitrogen fertilization management and putrescine treatment can alleviate the effects of short-term heat stress on plants, increasing their tolerance and content of antioxidant compounds. The combination of putrescine and a 50:50 NO3-/NH4+ treatment led to higher levels of sugars, phenolic compounds, polyamines, and antioxidant activity, particularly in young leaves.
Article
Plant Sciences
Rabia Naz, Amina Sarfraz, Zahid Anwar, Humaira Yasmin, Asia Nosheen, Rumana Keyani, Thomas H. Roberts
Summary: The study found that the application of SA and Spd under drought and Cr stress conditions can alleviate oxidative stress and nutrient loss in maize plants, enhancing their tolerance. The combined application of SA + Spd not only increases plant growth but also boosts antioxidant enzyme activities in plants.
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Rakesh Minocha, Alexandra R. Contosta, Gregory B. Lawrence, Ravinder K. Kohli, Subhash C. Minocha, Stephanie Long
Summary: The study investigated changes in soil chemistry and foliar metabolism of Himalayan cedar and Himalayan spruce along a steep elevational gradient in Kufri, Himachal Pradesh, India. Differences in soil chemistry were observed along the gradient, with high-elevation sites showing higher concentrations of certain nutrients potentially due to grazing. High-elevation cedar foliage exhibited unique metabolic profiles compared to ridge, mid, and low elevations.
Article
Plant Sciences
Zikria Zafar, Fahad Rasheed, Rana Muhammad Atif, Muhammad Asif Javed, Muhammad Maqsood, Oliver Gailing
Summary: The study found that foliar application of salicylic acid significantly improved the dry weight production and water stress tolerance in plants under soil water deficit, with a greater positive impact observed in Conocarpus erectus.
Article
Forestry
Jacob D. Putney, Douglas A. Maguire
Summary: This study established fertilization trials in the Coast Range of Oregon to investigate the response of coast Douglas-fir to nitrogen fertilizer. It was found that nitrogen fertilization influenced stem form through interaction with a crown variable, which was mediated by the initial crown length of trees. The results are expected to enhance site-specific growth response predictions.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Maria Carmen Pinero, Gines Otalora, Jacinta Collado, Josefa Lopez-Marin, Francisco M. del Amor
Summary: This study demonstrates that short-term heat stress has a positive effect on the quality of melon fruits, increasing total sugars, polyamines, and antioxidant capacity, while reducing undesirable substances like nitrate. Combining heat stress with putrescine further enhances fruit quality, with increased antioxidant capacity, polyamines, amino acids, and beneficial minerals, and even lower nitrate concentration compared to control fruits.
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
(2021)
Article
Forestry
K. M. Littke, S. M. Holub, R. A. Slesak, W. R. Littke, E. C. Turnblom
Summary: Intensive forest management has varying impacts on the survival and growth of young Douglas-fir stands, affecting stand biomass due to microclimate and limited resource competition. Site differences in growth may be attributed to factors such as planting density and climate. Vegetation control treatments can have beneficial effects on Douglas-fir growth under different conditions.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Jeffrey M. M. Kane, Lucy P. P. Kerhoulas, Gabriel S. S. Goff
Summary: The study found that stand conditions and thinning treatments can affect foliar moisture content in Oregon white oak and Douglas-fir, and that there is spatial variation in tree physiology and foliar moisture content. This has implications for other ecosystems.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF WILDLAND FIRE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Claire A. Qubain, Yuriko Yano, Jia Hu
Summary: This study explored nitrogen dynamics within mature Douglas-fir trees and found that the majority of nitrogen used for new growth originated from the soils rather than aboveground storage. This suggests a tight coupling between soil available nitrogen and nitrogen uptake in the ecosystem.
Article
Horticulture
Xianghan Cheng, Panpan Wang, Xiaolei Zhang, Tingting Ma, Rui Wang, Yajun Gao, Yulin Fang, Xiangyu Sun
Summary: This study investigated the impacts of foliar nitrogen fertilizers on methoxypyrazines and their correlation with amino acids in Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown in nitrogen-deficient soil. The results showed that nitrogen fertilizers effectively increased the levels of leucine, valine, and isoleucine in grapes, with phenylalanine fertilizer being more effective than urea. Phenylalanine fertilizer significantly reduced the methoxypyrazines content in grapes and wines, thanks to the downregulation of VvOMT1, VvOMT2, VvOMT3, and VvOMT4. On the other hand, urea resulted in the highest levels of methoxypyrazines due to higher gene expression. Furthermore, there was little correlation between the composition of methoxypyrazines and their amino acid precursors in grapes. These findings suggest that foliar phenylalanine fertilizer has the highest potential in reducing vegetable-like odors in wines from nitrogen-deficient vineyards.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhengzhen Li, Jian Yang, Bo Shang, Evgenios Agathokleous, Kennedy F. Rubert-Nason, Yansen Xu, Zhaozhong Feng
Summary: Plant phenolic compounds exhibit non-linear responses to increasing O3 exposure, which are influenced by phenolic compound class, antioxidative capacity, and soil nitrogen conditions. The impact of O3 on ecological processes mediated by phenolics will be concentration-dependent, highlighting the complexity of the ecological effects of ground-level O3 pollution.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Muhammad Tajammal Khan, Shakil Ahmed, Rehana Sardar, Muhammad Shareef, Asim Abbasi, Muhammad Mohiuddin, Sezai Ercisli, Sajid Fiaz, Romina Alina Marc, Kotb Attia, Naeem Khan, Kiril S. Golokhvast
Summary: Drought is a major environmental limitation affecting crop production and food security. Coriander, a culinary herb, is highly susceptible to drought stress. This study investigated the physiological and chemical changes in coriander under drought stress and the role of foliar-applied folic acid (FA) in improving stress tolerance. The results showed that FA treatment improved biomass, biochemical activities, and yield of coriander under mild drought stress. FA also enhanced the drought tolerance efficiency and essential oil production in coriander plants. These findings highlight the potential of FA as a strategy to improve drought tolerance in coriander.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Horticulture
Maryam Haghighi, Saaid Khosravi, Shafaque Sehar, Imran Haider Shamsi
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effects of foliar-applied calcium and its complex with tryptophan on the growth and nutritional value of salt-stressed broccoli plants. The results showed that Ca-Trp treatment significantly improved plant growth and biochemical attributes under low and moderate salt stress.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Imran Khan, Momina Iqbal, Athar Mahmood, Rizwan Maqbool, Muqarrab Ali, Muhammad T. Aslam, Muhammad S. Hanif, Shoaib A. Kohli, Sally Negm, Mahmoud Moustafa, Muhammad U. Chattha, Muhammad U. Hassan
Summary: Under salinity stress, foliar application of proline and acetic acid can significantly improve the growth and yield of wheat by enhancing physiological traits, photosynthetic pigments, antioxidant activities, and maintaining ionic homeostasis. This approach helps to reduce the negative effects of salinity stress and improve crop productivity.
NOTULAE BOTANICAE HORTI AGROBOTANICI CLUJ-NAPOCA
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Saulo Augusto Quassi de Castro, Thomas Kichey, Daniel Pergament Persson, Jan Kofod Schjoerring
Summary: Foliar fertilization is a potential tool to increase nitrogen fertilizer use-efficiency, but the underlying physiological processes of leaf scorching are not clear. This study found that the intensity of leaf scorching is affected by the balance between ammonium assimilation and accumulation, and leaf scorching is promoted by ammonium accumulation due to a limitation in nitrogen assimilation capacity.
Article
Plant Sciences
Leonie Schoenbeck, Charlotte Grossiord, Arthur Gessler, Jonas Gisler, Katrin Meusburger, Petra D'Odorico, Andreas Rigling, Yann Salmon, Benjamin D. Stocker, Roman Zweifel, Marcus Schaub, Alistair Rogers
Summary: Long-term soil drought reduces sensitivity to vapor pressure deficit, with atmospheric conditions playing an increasingly important role in combination with soil drought. Structural adjustments lead to an attenuation of initially strong leaf-level acclimation to strong multiple-year drought.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xiaoyu Wang, Leonie Schoenbeck, Arthur Gessler, Yue Yang, Andreas Rigling, Dapao Yu, Peng He, Maihe Li
Summary: It is yet unclear whether previous summer drought and fertilization will affect the winter non-structural carbohydrate reserves, spring leaf development, and tree mortality in the following year. A study was conducted on Quercus pubescens saplings grown under different drought levels and fertilizer treatments to investigate this question. The results showed that carbon reserves were abundant in storage tissues, particularly in roots, regardless of drought intensity. Extreme drought did not significantly alter NSC levels but had a negative impact on leaf development and biomass. Fertilization in the previous season enhanced survival under extreme drought conditions.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Frederik Baumgarten, Arthur Gessler, Yann Vitasse
Summary: Phenological shifts in response to changing climatic conditions are crucial for the survival of perennial plants in temperate and boreal climates. The timing of leaf-out is determined by a trade-off between avoiding freezing damages and maximizing resource uptake for competitive advantage. We conducted an experiment on four tree species and found that the timing of leaf-out significantly affected their performance and recovery from frost damage, with the most delayed leaf-out resulting in the lowest performance.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Philipp Schuler, Valentina Vitali, Matthias Saurer, Arthur Gessler, Nina Buchmann, Marco M. M. Lehmann
Summary: Recent methodological advancements have allowed us to determine the nonexchangeable hydrogen isotopic composition of plant carbohydrates, providing insights into the drivers of hydrogen isotope fractionation processes in plants. In our study, we examined the influence of phylogeny on the isotopic composition of various plant tissues, and found that phylogeny plays a role in hydrogen isotope fractionation in plant carbohydrates, particularly in leaf sugars. Our findings also suggest that the original phylogenetic signal of autotrophic processes is modified by species-specific metabolism. These results have important implications for dendrochronological and ecophysiological studies and can improve hydrogen isotope fractionation models for plant carbohydrates.
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Roman Zweifel, Christoforos Pappas, Richard L. Peters, Flurin Babst, Daniel Balanzategui, David Basler, Ana Bastos, Mirela Beloiu, Nina Buchmann, Arun K. Bose, Sabine Braun, Alexander Damm, Petra D'Odorico, Jan U. H. Eitel, Sophia Etzold, Patrick Fonti, Elham Rouholahnejad Freund, Arthur Gessler, Matthias Haeni, Guenter Hoch, Ansgar Kahmen, Christian Korner, Jan Krejza, Frank Krumm, Michael Leuchner, Christoph Leuschner, Mirko Lukovic, Jordi Martinez-Vilalta, Radim Matula, Henning Meesenburg, Patrick Meir, Roman Plichta, Rafael Poyatos, Brigitte Rohner, Nadine Ruehr, Roberto L. Salomon, Tobias Scharnweber, Marcus Schaub, David N. Steger, Kathy Steppe, Christopher Still, Marko Stojanovic, Volodymyr Trotsiuk, Yann Vitasse, Georg von Arx, Martin Wilmking, Cedric Zahnd, Frank Sterck
Summary: Forests account for a significant amount of the world's biomass and biodiversity. To better understand forest dynamics, a global monitoring network is needed. This network should be capable of connecting existing monitoring sites and providing real-time data for assessments and predictions.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Shengnan Ouyang, Liehua Tie, Xingquan Rao, Xi'an Cai, Suping Liu, Valentina Vitali, Lanying Wei, Qingshui Yu, Dan Sun, Yongbiao Lin, Arun K. Bose, Arthur Gessler, Weijun Shen
Summary: Mixed-species plantations of Acacia mangium with 56 native species showed better forest productivity and soil fertility compared to monocultures of A. mangium. The mixed-species plantations promoted the accumulation of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and available phosphorus, as well as improved forest regeneration and growth. Thus, introducing multiple native species into A. mangium monocultures is suggested for management in subtropical regions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mirela Beloiu, Lucca Heinzmann, Nataliia Rehush, Arthur Gessler, Verena C. Griess
Summary: The study successfully used the Convolutional Neural Network algorithm, Faster R-CNN, and open-source aerial RGB imagery to geolocate and identify four tree species in heterogeneous forests. The average detection accuracy of single-species models was 0.76, and the accuracy increased in multi-species models. The performance of the models was mainly influenced by forest stand structure.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yan-Li Zhang, Yue Yang, Matthias Saurer, Marcus Schaub, Arthur Gessler, Marco M. M. Lehmann, Andreas Rigling, Marco Walser, Beat Stierli, Noureddine Hajjar, Daniel Christen, Mai-He Li
Summary: This study investigated the uptake and metabolism of exogenous sugars in plants using infusion experiments with bonsai trees, maple trees, and pine trees. The results showed that xylem infusion significantly increased the C-13 values in plant tissues, while phloem infusion had a significant effect on the C-13 values in pine trees. This tree infusion method provides new opportunities for studying the carbon balance and regulation in response to environmental factors and extreme stress conditions.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ao Wang, Arun K. Bose, Marco M. Lehmann, Andreas Rigling, Arthur Gessler, Longfei Yu, Maihe Li
Summary: The study found that there are strong relationships between European mistletoe and its host trees in terms of water and nutrient-related traits. However, there is no significant relationship in terms of carbon-related traits, indicating that the mistletoe can adjust its physiology to survive on different deciduous tree species hosts and under different site conditions.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Jan U. H. Eitel, David Basler, Sabine Braun, Nina Buchmann, Petra D'Odorico, Sophia Etzold, Arthur Gessler, Kevin L. Griffin, Jan Krejza, Yunpeng Luo, Andrew J. Maguire, Mukund P. Rao, Yann Vitasse, Lorenz Walthert, Roman Zweifel
Summary: This study successfully monitored the onset and mid-stages of stem growth using high-resolution satellite imagery combined with observed data. However, the accuracy of monitoring the cessation stage was low. It was also emphasized that resolving individual tree crowns is important for mixed forests. In conclusion, the development of new spectral indices is needed to capture the relationship between stem growth and canopy properties for remote sensing of climate-induced changes in leaf phenology and stem growth.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Zishu Tang, Biying Zhai, Genxu Wang, Arthur Gessler, Shouqin Sun, Zhaoyong Hu
Summary: The changes in stem hydraulic characteristics of Abies fabri along an elevational gradient were studied in a subalpine ecosystem in southwest China. Xylem hydraulic efficiency decreased with increasing elevation, while hydraulic dysfunction and vulnerability to embolism increased at higher altitudes. The trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and safety was weak at higher elevations due to low temperature and excessive precipitation.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yunpeng Luo, Arthur Gessler, Petra D'Odorico, Koen Hufkens, Benjamin D. Stocker
Summary: Land carbon dynamics in temperate and boreal ecosystems are affected by environmental change. Accurate simulation of gross primary productivity (GPP) and its seasonality is crucial for carbon cycle projections. However, there are significant biases in early spring GPP simulations of northern forests, where observations suggest a later resumption of photosynthesis than predicted by models. By considering the delayed effects of minimum temperatures on light use efficiency (LUE), the model bias in springtime GPP simulations was effectively resolved, providing an approach to improve GPP estimates and simulations in northern forests.
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Natalie Orlowski, Michael Rinderer, Maren Dubbert, Natalie Ceperley, Markus Hrachowitz, Arthur Gessler, Youri Rothfuss, Matthias Sprenger, Ingo Heidbuechel, Angelika Kubert, Matthias Beyer, Giulia Zuecco, Colin McCarter
Summary: Tracing and quantifying water fluxes in the hydrological cycle is crucial for understanding the current state of ecohydrological systems and their vulnerability to environmental change. This opinion paper reflects the outcome of a discussion among hydrologists, plant ecophysiologists and soil scientists on open questions and new opportunities for collaborative research on the topic water fluxes in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum especially focusing on environmental and artificial tracers. Interdisciplinary collaboration will help to overcome research gaps that overlap across different earth system science fields and help to generate a more holistic view of water fluxes between soil, plant and atmosphere in diverse ecosystems.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Iris Le Ronce, Elia Dardevet, Samuel Venner, Leonie Schonbeck, Arthur Gessler, Isabelle Chuine, Jean-Marc Limousin
Summary: Using a fruit removal experiment, the authors tested whether preventing fruit development would increase nutrient and carbohydrates storage and modify allocation to reproduction and vegetative growth the following year. The results showed that fruit removal prevented the depletion of nitrogen and zinc in leaves during fruit growth, and modified the seasonal dynamics in zinc, potassium and starch in twigs. Fruit removal increased the production of female flowers and leaves the following year, and decreased the production of male flowers.
Article
Ecology
Mauro Hermann, Matthias Rothlisberger, Arthur Gessler, Andreas Rigling, Cornelius Senf, Thomas Wohlgemuth, Heini Wernli
Summary: Forest dieback in Europe has intensified and expanded, influenced by meteorological variations of temperature and precipitation. This study quantitatively investigates the meteorological history preceding events of reduced forest greenness and identifies the impact of the hottest summer on record in 2022, negatively affecting 37% of temperate and Mediterranean forest regions. The findings highlight the importance of understanding the forest-meteorology interaction for forest dieback in a changing climate.