The influence of transpiration on foliar accumulation of salt and nutrients under salinity in poplar (Populus × canescens)

Increasing salinity is one of the major drawbacks for plant growth. Besides the ion itself being toxic to plant cells, it greatly interferes with the supply of other macronutrients like potassium, calcium and magnesium. However, little is known about how sodium affects the translocation of these nutrients from the root to the shoot. The major driving force of this translocation process is thought to be the water flow through the xylem driven by transpiration. To dissect the effects of transpiration from those of salinity we compared salt stressed, ABA treated and combined salt- and ABA treated poplars with untreated controls. Salinity reduced the root content of major nutrients like K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+. Less Ca2+ and Mg2+ in the roots resulted in reduced leaf Ca2+ and leaf Mg2+ levels due to reduced stomatal conductance and reduced transpiration. Interestingly, leaf K+ levels were positively affected in leaves under salt stress although there was less K+ in the roots under salt. In response to ABA, transpiration was also decreased and Mg2+ and Ca2+ levels decreased comparably to the salt stress treatment, while K+ levels were not affected. Thus, our results suggest that loading and retention of leaf K+ is enhanced under salt stress compared to merely transpiration driven cation supply.

Root growth and anatomy of Typha domingensis Pers. related to phosphorus availability

Aim The capacity of macrophytes to colonize large areas is often referred to as dependent of the investment in root system and its capacity to uptake nutrients. This work aimed to evaluate the phosphorus (P) effects on the root growth and anatomy as well as its capacity to uptake this nutrient by the aquatic macrophyte Typha domingensis. Methods Plants were grown for 60 days in nutrient solution containing 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 or 0.8 mM of phosphorus. At the end of the experiment, the root length and P root content as well as the root anatomy at the maturation and meristematic zones were evaluated. Results Higher P concentrations increased the uptake of this nutrient and plant dry mass. However, the root length was reduced by higher phosphorus levels. In addition, P increased the proportion of the root cap while reduced the proportion of the procambium at the meristematic zone. Higher phosphorus concentrations reduced the xylem vessel diameter and the proportion of the vascular cylinder at the maturation zone, whereas increased phloem proportion was observed under this condition. Furthermore, higher phosphorus levels reduced the endodermis and exodermis thickness as well as the aerenchyma proportion. Conclusions Therefore, the T. domingensis P requirement is fulfilled at 0.4 mM of this nutrient and hypertrophic conditions promote the development of unfavorable root anatomical traits and reduction of the root growth.

The mechanism of the plant roots’ soil-reinforcement based on generalized equivalent confining pressure

Background To quantitatively evaluate the contribution of plant roots to soil shear strength, the generalized equivalent confining pressure (GECP), which is the difference in confining pressure between the reinforced and un-reinforced soil specimens at the same shear strength, was proposed and considered in terms of the function of plant roots in soil reinforcement. Methods In this paper, silt loam soil was selected as the test soil, and the roots of Indigofera amblyantha were chosen as the reinforcing material. Different drainage conditions (consolidation drained (CD), consolidation undrained (CU), and unconsolidated undrained (UU)) were used to analyse the influences of different root distribution patterns (horizontal root (HR), vertical root (VR), and complex root (CR)) and root contents (0.25%, 0.50%, and 0.75%) on the shear strength of soil-root composites. Results The cohesion (c) values of the soil-root composites varied under different drainage conditions and root contents, while the internal friction angle (φ ) values remain basically stable under different drainage conditions. Under the same root content and drainage conditions, the shear strength indexes ranked in order of lower to higher were HR, VR and CR. The GECP of the soil-root composites with a 0.75% root content was 1.5–2.0 times that with a 0.50% root content and more than 5 times that with a 0.25% root content under the CD and CU conditions. The GECP in reinforced soil followed the sequence of CD > CU > UU. The GECP of the plant roots increased as confining pressure increased under CD and CU conditions while showed a complex change to the confining pressure under the UU condition. Conclusion It was concluded that the evaluation of plant root reinforcing soil based on GECP can be used to measure effectively the influences of roots on soil under different drainage conditions and root distribution patterns.

A DEMATEL-MABAC-based approach for grading and evaluation of jute fibers

Purpose Due to several unique characteristics, such as high tensile strength, low extensibility, high frictional resistance, biodegradability, eco-friendliness and cheapness, Jute ranks second just after cotton with respect to its worldwide consumption and production. To overcome the difficulties of the existing Jute grading procedure, this paper aims to focus on the application of decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and multi-attributive border approximation area comparison (MABAC) methods for evaluation of 10 Tossa Jute fiber lots based on strength, defects, root content, color, fineness and bulk density properties. Design/methodology/approach The DEMATEL method divides all the six physical properties of Jute fiber into cause and effect groups. The most influencing property is also identified. On the other hand, the considered Jute fiber lots are ranked using MABAC method along with the identification of the strengths and weaknesses of each of them. Findings This combined approach would provide a more scientific and realistic way of Jute grading and evaluation based on various properties of the considered Jute fiber lots. The positions of the superior and the inferior Jute lots perfectly match with those as identified by the earlier researchers. Originality/value It is concluded that the adopted combined decision-making tool can be effectively applied for grading and evaluation of other natural fibers with diverse heterogeneous physical properties.

How do you smile along a path?

This paper argues that a core component of root meaning is the distinction between body parts versus the body conceived as a whole. This distinction is shown to be relevant in the acceptability of motion sentences in English with whole-body roots like $\sqrt {\textsc{dance}} $ and body-part roots like $\sqrt {\textsc{smile}} $. In keeping with the assumption that roots lack syntactic category, I argue that verbal roots occur freely in syntactic structures but that some root-structure combinations are degraded (or unacceptable), and that this is due to an incompatibility between conceptual root content and interpreted syntactic structure.

Study on Mechanical and Ecological Properties of Fly Ash Substrate for Ecological Slope Protection

In order to realize the resource utilization of fly ash, a kind of ecological slope protection substrate was prepared by mixing fly ash produced by MSW incineration into slope protection soil. Through the direct shear test and a leaching experiment on ion pollutants, the influence that shear strength of the substrate changed with root content, ash content, and moisture content and the ecological effects of leach liquor were investigated. The results showed the following: (1) When the optimum moisture content is about 24.9%, the shear strength of the substrate is the maximum. (2) Fly ash can improve the shear strength of the soil, which can reach 1.67 times as much as that of plain soil, and the optimum content of fly ash is 5%–6.7%. (3) The root system can increase the cohesion and internal friction angle of the substrate soil but mainly increases the cohesion of the substrate soil. (4) Plants grow taller in ash-mixed soil than in plain soil. (5) When the fly ash content is 20%, the ion concentrations of Cl, Cu, and Zn are the highest: 220.7, 0.153, and 1.526 mg/L, respectively. All of them are lower than the standard limit of class V water and gradually decrease with time. Therefore, the leaching liquid will not cause environmental pollution and meet the ecological requirements.

Vitalizing Ancient Cultures Mythological Storytelling in Metal Music

This chapter is focused on the relationship between ancient narratives “music” and “mythology.” Technological developments and changes in social structure caused the occurrence of different music genres over time. “Metal music” is one of these genres. In the present day, it is possible to observe that there is a tendency to mythology in sub-genres of metal music. This tendency is observed in lyrics, album artworks, videos, and gig performances of some bands. In this chapter, metal music is examined based on its root, content, and technical features, primarily. Afterwards, mythology, content of mythology, and cultural and social functions of mythology are discussed. In the praxis of this study, the cover of the album Twilight of the Thunder God (2008) of the Swedish metal band Amon Amarth is analyzed by semiological analysis.

Effects of grass roots on soil-water retention curve and permeability function

The effects of Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) roots on the soil-water retention curves (SWRCs), permeability (k) function, and saturated permeability, ksat, have been investigated on clayey sand (SC) and low-plasticity silt (ML). For ML soil, when the root biomass per soil volume was lower than 6.5 kg/m3, the saturated permeability increased, the air-entry suction decreased slightly, and the SWRC became steeper with increasing root contents, probably due to the formation of cracks caused by wetting and drying cycles during the plant growing period. Nevertheless, roots appeared to decrease the saturated permeability and increase the air-entry suction of ML soil, after reaching this threshold with a root content of about 6.5 kg/m3 as roots occupied the macropores and tended to suppress cracks and swelling. For SC soil for all root contents, only a slight variation of the saturated permeability with root content could be observed for the upper bounds on saturated permeability. However, the lower bounds on saturated permeability appeared to decrease as root content increased. It has also been shown that for a suction range beyond 30 kPa, the influence of roots on permeability appeared to be less significant.

The Increased Content of Micronutrients in Celery, Carrot, Parsnip and Parsley Plants after Treatment with Sodium Naphthenate

Summary Young plants of celery, parsley, parsnip and carrot, grown in nutrient solution, were treated with sodium naphthenate (10−7 mol dm−3), applying foliar and root treatments. Both treatments affected the root content of all investigated elements present in the nutrient solution, but in a different way, depending on the plant species. An average change (increase/decrease) in the contents of investigated essential elements was about 35%. Our experiments with naphthenate showed that this treatment may enhance the efficiency of essential elements uptake and increase its content in plants without changing concentration of these elements in the nutrient solution. Especially interesting results were obtained in the case of carrot, as increased contents were observed in the elements that are usually deficient in nutrition (Fe, Zn, Mn), whereas the other remained unchanged.

SUGAR BEET YIELD AND QUALITY AS AFFACTED BY WATER REGIME BEFOR HARVEST, DENSITY AND SOME CULTIVARS IN NEW RECLAIMED SOILS.

Field experimental was carried out at Kalabsho - El-Dakhlia Governorate, Egypt,  in 2013/14 and 2014/2015 winter growing seasons. To study effect of last regime irrigation before harvest by 15 and 30 days and spacing hills 15, 20 and 25 cm between plants in addition to three cultivars (Sultan, Farida and Samba) on sugar beet yield and quality under reclaimed soils in Kalabsho location. Split-Split plot design were used in both season. Main plots allocated with regime irrigation befor harvest, sub-plots were take with hill spacing between plants whearas, cultivars were arranged in sub-sub plots. Main results were obtained can summarized as folllow: Wih decreasing the gap between last irrigation and harvest to 15 days caused to gave significant increase in value of top fresh weight and root yields, this was true in both seasons (0.361and 0.283 kg/plant) and (25.59 and 26.00 ton/fed.) respectivety. On the other direction,with increasing the gab between last irrigation and harvest untill 30 days resulting in significant differences among mean values of root fresh weight kg/plant,sugar yield ton/fed.,sucrose %,total soluble solids and purity percentages in both seasons. These trends due to,with elonation the period before harvest with out water supply reduced water content in roots through 30 days compared to 15 days befor harvest which was notenough to exhibited any enjourity to plants, or decreasing in water root content. Planting sugar beet seeds at 20 cm. between hills progressive than other distance (15 and 25 cm.) for most important characters,root,top fresh weight, sucrose and purity %. On the other hand space 15 cm. between hills gave the highest values of top fresh weight,root yield, sugar yield and sucrose % in the first season. Cultivar,Farida gave the highest values of root fresh weight,root yields,sugar yields,sucrose % and T.ss % in the first season and purity in the second season. Significant interaction effects were found between main three factors under study illustrated that spacing hill 20 cm. between plants,preventation irrigation befor harvest by 30 days with used Farida cultivare gave the highest values for most important characters under study.