The genetic and molecular basis of crop height based on a rice model.

PubMed

Liu, Fang; Wang, Pandi; Zhang, Xiaobo; Li, Xiaofei; Yan, Xiaohong; Fu, Donghui; Wu, Gang

2018-01-01

This review presents genetic and molecular basis of crop height using a rice crop model. Height is controlled by multiple genes with potential to be manipulated through breeding strategies to improve productivity. Height is an important factor affecting crop architecture, apical dominance, biomass, resistance to lodging, tolerance to crowding and mechanical harvesting. The impressive increase in wheat and rice yield during the 'green revolution' benefited from a combination of breeding for high-yielding dwarf varieties together with advances in agricultural mechanization, irrigation and agrochemical/fertilizer use. To maximize yield under irrigation and high fertilizer use, semi-dwarfing is optimal, whereas extreme dwarfing leads to decreased yield. Rice plant height is controlled by genes that lie in a complex regulatory network, mainly involved in the biosynthesis or signal transduction of phytohormones such as gibberellins, brassinosteroids and strigolactones. Additional dwarfing genes have been discovered that are involved in other pathways, some of which are uncharacterized. This review discusses our current understanding of the regulation of plant height using rice as a well-characterized model and highlights some of the most promising research that could lead to the development of new, high-yielding varieties. This knowledge underpins future work towards the genetic improvement of plant height in rice and other crops.

Optimization of Nitrogen Rate and Planting Density for Improving Yield, Nitrogen Use Efficiency, and Lodging Resistance in Oilseed Rape

PubMed Central

Khan, Shahbaz; Anwar, Sumera; Kuai, Jie; Ullah, Sana; Fahad, Shah; Zhou, Guangsheng

2017-01-01

Yield and lodging related traits are essential for improving rapeseed production. The objective of the present study was to investigate the influence of plant density (D) and nitrogen (N) rates on morphological and physiological traits related to yield and lodging in rapeseed. We evaluated Huayouza 9 for two consecutive growing seasons (2014–2016) under three plant densities (LD, 10 plants m−2; MD, 30 plants m−2; HD, 60 plants m−2) and four N rates (0, 60, 120, and 180 kg ha−1). Experiment was laid out in split plot design using density as a main factor and N as sub-plot factor with three replications each. Seed yield was increased by increasing density and N rate, reaching a peak at HD with 180 kg N ha−1. The effect of N rate was consistently positive in increasing the plant height, pod area index, 1,000 seed weight, shoot and root dry weights, and root neck diameter, reaching a peak at 180 kg N ha−1. Plant height was decreased by increasing D, whereas the maximum radiation interception (~80%) and net photosynthetic rate were recorded at MD at highest N. Lodging resistance and nitrogen use efficiency significantly increased with increasing D from 10 to 30 plants m−2, and N rate up to 120 kg ha−1, further increase of D and N decreased lodging resistance and NUE. Hence, our study implies that planting density 30 plants m−2 can improve yield, nitrogen use efficiency, and enhance lodging resistance by improving crop canopy. PMID:28536581

Dissection of the genetic architecture underlying the plant density response by mapping plant height-related traits in maize (Zea mays L.).

PubMed

Ku, Lixia; Zhang, Liangkun; Tian, Zhiqiang; Guo, Shulei; Su, Huihui; Ren, Zhenzhen; Wang, Zhiyong; Li, Guohui; Wang, Xiaobo; Zhu, Yuguang; Zhou, Jinlong; Chen, Yanhui

2015-08-01

Plant height is one of the most heritable traits in maize (Zea mays L.). Understanding the genetic control of plant height is important for elucidating the molecular mechanisms that regulate maize development. To investigate the genetic basis of the plant height response to density in maize, we evaluated the effects of two different plant densities (60,000 and 120,000 plant/hm(2)) on three plant height-related traits (plant height, ear height, and ear height-to-plant height ratio) using four sets of recombinant inbred line populations. The phenotypes observed under the two-plant density treatments indicated that high plant density increased the phenotypic performance values of the three measured traits. Twenty-three quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were detected under the two-plant density treatments, and five QTL clusters were located. Nine QTLs were detected under the low plant density treatment, and seven QTLs were detected under the high plant density treatment. Our results suggested that plant height may be controlled mainly by a common set of genes that could be influenced by additional genetic mechanisms when the plants were grown under high plant density. Fine mapping for genetic regions of the stable QTLs across different plant density environments may provide additional information about their different responses to density. The results presented here provide useful information for further research and will help to reveal the molecular mechanisms related to plant height in response to density.

Effect of the plate surface characteristics and gap height on yield stresses of a magnetorheological fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonkkari, I.; Kostamo, E.; Kostamo, J.; Syrjala, S.; Pietola, M.

2012-07-01

Effects of the plate material, surface roughness and measuring gap height on static and dynamic yield stresses of a magnetorheological (MR) fluid were investigated with a commercial plate-plate magnetorheometer. Magnetic and non-magnetic plates with smooth (Ra ˜ 0.3 μm) and rough (Ra ˜ 10 μm) surface finishes were used. It was shown by Hall probe measurements and finite element simulations that the use of magnetic plates or higher gap heights increases the level of magnetic flux density and changes the shape of the radial flux density profile. The yield stress increase caused by these factors was determined and subtracted from the measured values in order to examine only the effect of the wall characteristics or the gap height. Roughening of the surfaces offered a significant increase in the yield stresses for non-magnetic plates. With magnetic plates the yield stresses were higher to start with, but roughening did not increase them further. A significant part of the difference in measured stresses between rough non-magnetic and magnetic plates was caused by changes in magnetic flux density rather than by better contact of the particles to the plate surfaces. In a similar manner, an increase in gap height from 0.25 to 1.00 mm can lead to over 20% increase in measured stresses due to changes in the flux density profile. When these changes were compensated the dynamic yield stresses generally remained independent of the gap height, even in the cases where it was obvious that the wall slip was present. This suggests that with MR fluids the wall slip cannot be reliably detected by comparison of flow curves measured at different gap heights.

Site index, height growth, normal yields and stocking levels for larch in Oregon and Washington.

Treesearch

P.H. Cochran

1985-01-01

Even-aged stands of larch in Oregon and Washington have cubic volume yields similar to yields from larch in Idaho and Montana. Site index values derived from the heights of the single tallest tree on 1/5-acre plots at an age at breast height of 50 years range from 50 to 110 feet. These values have the same index to productivity as the site index values of 30 to 90 feet...

Gamma irradiation to improve plant vigour, grain development, and yield attributes of wheat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Bhupinder; Datta, P. S.

2010-02-01

Utilizing low dose gamma radiation holds promise for physiological crop improvement. Seed treatment of low dose gamma radiation 0.01-0.10 kGy reduced plant height, improved plant vigour, flag leaf area, total and number of EBT. Gamma irradiation increased grain yield due to an increase in number of EBT and grain number while 1000 grain weight was negatively affected. Further uniformity in low dose radiation response in wheat in the field suggests that the affect is essentially at physiological than at genetic level and that role of growth hormones could be crucial.

Candidacy of a chitin-inducible gibberellin-responsive gene for a major locus affecting plant height in rice that is closely linked to Green Revolution gene sd1.

PubMed

Kovi, Mallikarjuna Rao; Zhang, Yushan; Yu, Sibin; Yang, Gaiyu; Yan, Wenhao; Xing, Yongzhong

2011-09-01

Appropriate plant height is crucial for lodging resistance to improve the rice crop yield. The application of semi-dwarf 1 led to the green revolution in the 1960s, by predominantly increasing the rice yield. However, the frequent use of single sd1 gene sources may cause genetic vulnerability to pests and diseases. Identifying useful novel semi-dwarf genes is important for the genetic manipulation of plant architecture in practical rice breeding. In this study, introgression lines derived from two parents contrasting in plant height, Zhenshan 97 and Pokkali were employed to locate a gene with a large effect on plant height by the bulk segregant analysis method. A major gene, ph1, was mapped to a region closely linked to sd1 on chromosome 1; the additive effects of ph1 were more than 50 cm on the plant height and 2 days on the heading date in a BC(4)F(2) population and its progeny. ph1 was then fine mapped to BAC AP003227. Gene annotation indicated that LOC_OS01g65990 encoding a chitin-inducible gibberellin-responsive protein (CIGR), which belongs to the GRAS family, might be the right candidate gene of ph1. Co-segregation analysis of the candidate gene-derived marker finally confirmed its identity as the candidate gene. A higher expression level of the CIGR was detected in all the tested tissues in tall plants compared to those of short plants, especially in the young leaf sheath containing elongating tissues, which indicated its importance role in regulating plant height. ph1 showed a tremendous genetic effect on plant height, which is distinct from sd1 and could be a new resource for breeding semi-dwarf varieties.

Dissecting repulsion linkage in the dwarfing gene Dw3 region for sorghum plant height provides insights into heterosis.

PubMed

Li, Xin; Li, Xianran; Fridman, Eyal; Tesso, Tesfaye T; Yu, Jianming

2015-09-22

Heterosis is a main contributor to yield increase in many crop species. Different mechanisms have been proposed for heterosis: dominance, overdominance, epistasis, epigenetics, and protein metabolite changes. However, only limited examples of molecular dissection and validation of these mechanisms are available. Here, we present an example of discovery and validation of heterosis generated by a combination of repulsion linkage and dominance. Using a recombinant inbred line population, a separate quantitative trait locus (QTL) for plant height (qHT7.1) was identified near the genomic region harboring the known auxin transporter Dw3 gene. With two loci having repulsion linkage between two inbreds, heterosis in the hybrid can appear as a single locus with an overdominance mode of inheritance (i.e., pseudo-overdominance). Individually, alleles conferring taller plant height exhibited complete dominance over alleles conferring shorter height. Detailed analyses of different height components demonstrated that qHT7.1 affects both the upper and lower parts of the plant, whereas Dw3 affects only the part below the flag leaf. Computer simulations show that repulsion linkage could influence QTL detection and estimation of effect in segregating populations. Guided by findings in linkage mapping, a genome-wide association study of plant height with a sorghum diversity panel pinpointed genomic regions underlying the trait variation, including Dw1, Dw2, Dw3, Dw4, and qHT7.1. Multilocus mixed model analysis confirmed the advantage of complex trait dissection using an integrated approach. Besides identifying a specific genetic example of heterosis, our research indicated that integrated molecular dissection of complex traits in different population types can enable plant breeders to fine tune the breeding process for crop production.

Maximum plant height and the biophysical factors that limit it.

PubMed

Niklas, Karl J

2007-03-01

Basic engineering theory and empirically determined allometric relationships for the biomass partitioning patterns of extant tree-sized plants show that the mechanical requirements for vertical growth do not impose intrinsic limits on the maximum heights that can be reached by species with woody, self-supporting stems. This implies that maximum tree height is constrained by other factors, among which hydraulic constraints are plausible. A review of the available information on scaling relationships observed for large tree-sized plants, nevertheless, indicates that mechanical and hydraulic requirements impose dual restraints on plant height and thus, may play equally (but differentially) important roles during the growth of arborescent, large-sized species. It may be the case that adaptations to mechanical and hydraulic phenomena have optimized growth, survival and reproductive success rather than longevity and mature size.

A comprehensive meta-analysis of plant morphology, yield, stay-green, and virus disease resistance QTL in maize (Zea mays L.).

PubMed

Wang, Yijun; Xu, Jing; Deng, Dexiang; Ding, Haidong; Bian, Yunlong; Yin, Zhitong; Wu, Yarong; Zhou, Bo; Zhao, Ye

2016-02-01

The meta-QTL and candidate genes will facilitate the elucidation of molecular bases underlying agriculturally important traits and open new avenues for functional markers development and elite alleles introgression in maize breeding program. A large number of QTLs attributed to grain productivity and other agriculturally important traits have been identified and deposited in public repositories. The integration of fruitful QTL becomes a major issue in current plant genomics. To this end, we first collected QTL for six agriculturally important traits in maize, including yield, plant height, ear height, leaf angle, stay-green, and maize rough dwarf disease resistance. The meta-analysis method was then employed to retrieve 113 meta-QTL. Additionally, we also isolated candidate genes for target traits by the bioinformatic technique. Several candidates, including some well-characterized genes, GA3ox2 for plant height, lg1 and lg4 for leaf angle, zfl1 and zfl2 for flowering time, were co-localized with established meta-QTL intervals. Intriguingly, in a relatively narrow meta-QTL region, the maize ortholog of rice yield-related gene GW8/OsSPL16 was believed to be a candidate for yield. Leveraging results presented in this study will provide further insights into the genetic architecture of maize agronomic traits. Moreover, the meta-QTL and candidate genes reported here could be harnessed for the enhancement of stress tolerance and yield performance in maize and translation to other crops.

Mixed Compound of DCPTA and CCC Increases Maize Yield by Improving Plant Morphology and Up-Regulating Photosynthetic Capacity and Antioxidants.

PubMed

Wang, Yongchao; Gu, Wanrong; Xie, Tenglong; Li, Lijie; Sun, Yang; Zhang, He; Li, Jing; Wei, Shi

2016-01-01

DCPTA (2-diethylaminoethyl-3, 4-dichlorophenylether) and CCC (2-chloroethyltrimethyl- ammonium chloride) have a great effect on maize growth, but applying DCPTA individually can promote the increase of plant height, resulting in the rise of lodging percent. Plant height and lodging percent decrease in CCC-treated plants, but the accumulation of biomass reduce, resulting in yield decrease. Based on the former experiments, the performance of a mixture which contained 40 mg DCPTA and 20 mg CCC as active ingredients per liter of solution, called PCH was tested with applying 40mg/L DCPTA and 20mg/L CCC individually. Grain yield, yield components, internode characters, leaf area per plant, plant height and lodging percent as well as chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence, enzymatic antioxidants, membranous peroxide and organic osmolyte were analyzed in two years (2011 and 2012), using maize hybrid, Zhengdan 958 (ZD 958) at density of 6.75 plants m-2. CCC, DCPTA and PCH were sprayed on the whole plant leaves at 7 expanded leaves stage and water was used as control. Compared to control, PCH significantly increased grain yield (by 9.53% and 6.68%) from 2011 to 2012. CCC significantly decreased kernel number per ear (by 6.78% and 5.69%) and thousand kernel weight (TKW) (by 8.57% and 6.55%) from 2011 to 2012. Kernel number per ear and TKW increased in DCPTA-treated and PCH-treated plants, but showed no significant difference between them. In CCC-treated and PCH-treated plants, internode length and plant height decreased, internode diameter increased, resulting in the significant decline of lodging percent. With DCPTA application, internode diameter increased, but internode length and plant height increased at the same time, resulting in the augment of lodging percent. Bending strength and puncture strength were increased by applying different plant growth regulators (PGRs). In PCH-treated plants, bending strength and puncture strength were greater than other treatments

Mixed Compound of DCPTA and CCC Increases Maize Yield by Improving Plant Morphology and Up-Regulating Photosynthetic Capacity and Antioxidants

PubMed Central

Wang, Yongchao; Gu, Wanrong; Xie, Tenglong; Li, Lijie; Sun, Yang; Zhang, He; Li, Jing; Wei, Shi

2016-01-01

DCPTA (2-diethylaminoethyl-3, 4-dichlorophenylether) and CCC (2-chloroethyltrimethyl- ammonium chloride) have a great effect on maize growth, but applying DCPTA individually can promote the increase of plant height, resulting in the rise of lodging percent. Plant height and lodging percent decrease in CCC-treated plants, but the accumulation of biomass reduce, resulting in yield decrease. Based on the former experiments, the performance of a mixture which contained 40 mg DCPTA and 20 mg CCC as active ingredients per liter of solution, called PCH was tested with applying 40mg/L DCPTA and 20mg/L CCC individually. Grain yield, yield components, internode characters, leaf area per plant, plant height and lodging percent as well as chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence, enzymatic antioxidants, membranous peroxide and organic osmolyte were analyzed in two years (2011 and 2012), using maize hybrid, Zhengdan 958 (ZD 958) at density of 6.75 plants m-2. CCC, DCPTA and PCH were sprayed on the whole plant leaves at 7 expanded leaves stage and water was used as control. Compared to control, PCH significantly increased grain yield (by 9.53% and 6.68%) from 2011 to 2012. CCC significantly decreased kernel number per ear (by 6.78% and 5.69%) and thousand kernel weight (TKW) (by 8.57% and 6.55%) from 2011 to 2012. Kernel number per ear and TKW increased in DCPTA-treated and PCH-treated plants, but showed no significant difference between them. In CCC-treated and PCH-treated plants, internode length and plant height decreased, internode diameter increased, resulting in the significant decline of lodging percent. With DCPTA application, internode diameter increased, but internode length and plant height increased at the same time, resulting in the augment of lodging percent. Bending strength and puncture strength were increased by applying different plant growth regulators (PGRs). In PCH-treated plants, bending strength and puncture strength were greater than other treatments

An updated whole stand growth and yield system for planted longleaf pine in southwest Georgia

Treesearch

John R. Brooks; Steven B. Jack

2016-01-01

An updated whole stand growth and yield system for planted longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) was developed from permanent plot data collected annually over a 13 to 16 year period. The data set consists of 15 intensively managed longleaf pine plantations that are located in Lee, Worth, Mitchell, and Baker counties in southwest Georgia. Stand survival, dominant height,...

DELLA genes restrict inflorescence meristem function independently of plant height.

PubMed

Serrano-Mislata, Antonio; Bencivenga, Stefano; Bush, Max; Schiessl, Katharina; Boden, Scott; Sablowski, Robert

2017-09-01

DELLA proteins associate with transcription factors to control plant growth in response to gibberellin 1 . Semi-dwarf DELLA mutants with improved harvest index and decreased lodging greatly improved global food security during the 'green revolution' in the 1960-1970s 2 . However, DELLA mutants are pleiotropic and the developmental basis for their effects on plant architecture remains poorly understood. Here, we show that DELLA proteins have genetically separable roles in controlling stem growth and the size of the inflorescence meristem, where flowers initiate. Quantitative three-dimensional image analysis, combined with a genome-wide screen for DELLA-bound loci in the inflorescence tip, revealed that DELLAs limit meristem size in Arabidopsis by directly upregulating the cell-cycle inhibitor KRP2 in the underlying rib meristem, without affecting the canonical WUSCHEL-CLAVATA meristem size regulators 3 . Mutation of KRP2 in a DELLA semi-dwarf background restored meristem size, but not stem growth, and accelerated flower production. In barley, secondary mutations in the DELLA gain-of-function mutant Sln1d 4 also uncoupled meristem and inflorescence size from plant height. Our work reveals an unexpected and conserved role for DELLA genes in controlling shoot meristem function and suggests how dissection of pleiotropic DELLA functions could unlock further yield gains in semi-dwarf mutants.

Correlation, path analysis and heritability estimation for agronomic traits contribute to yield on soybean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulistyo, A.; Purwantoro; Sari, K. P.

2018-01-01

Selection is a routine activity in plant breeding programs that must be done by plant breeders in obtaining superior plant genotypes. The use of appropriate selection criteria will determine the effectiveness of selection activities. The purpose of this study was to analysis the inheritable agronomic traits that contribute to soybean yield. A total of 91 soybean lines were planted in Muneng Experimental Station, Probolinggo District, East Java Province, Indonesia in 2016. All soybean lines were arranged in randomized complete block design with two replicates. Correlation analysis, path analysis and heritability estimation were performed on days to flowering, days to maturing, plant height, number of branches, number of fertile nodes, number of filled pods, weight of 100 seeds, and yield to determine selection criteria on soybean breeding program. The results showed that the heritability value of almost all agronomic traits observed is high except for the number of fertile nodes with low heritability. The result of correlation analysis shows that days to flowering, plant height and number of fertile nodes have positive correlation with seed yield per plot (0.056, 0.444, and 0.100, respectively). In addition, path analysis showed that plant height and number of fertile nodes have highest positive direct effect on soybean yield. Based on this result, plant height can be selected as one of selection criteria in soybean breeding program to obtain high yielding soybean variety.

Soil compaction and initial height growth of planted ponderosa pine.

Treesearch

P. H. Cochran; Terry. Brock

1985-01-01

Early height growth of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.) seedlings planted in clearcuts in central Oregon was negatively correlated with increasing soil bulk density. Change in bulk density accounted for less than half the total variation in height growth. Although many other factors affect the development of seedlings, compaction...

DELLA genes restrict inflorescence meristem function independently of plant height

PubMed Central

Serrano-Mislata, Antonio; Bencivenga, Stefano; Bush, Max; Schiessl, Katharina; Boden, Scott; Sablowski, Robert

2017-01-01

Summary DELLA proteins associate with transcription factors to control plant growth in response to gibberellin 1. Semi-dwarf DELLA mutants with improved harvest index and decreased lodging greatly improved global food security during the “green revolution” in the 1960-70s 2. However, DELLA mutants are pleiotropic and the developmental basis for their effects on plant architecture remains poorly understood. Here, we show that DELLA proteins have genetically separable roles in controlling stem growth and the size of the inflorescence meristem, where flowers initiate. Quantitative 3D image analysis, combined with a genome-wide screen for DELLA-bound loci in the inflorescence tip, revealed that DELLAs limit meristem size in Arabidopsis by directly up-regulating the cell cycle inhibitor KRP2 in the underlying rib meristem, without affecting the canonical WUSCHEL-CLAVATA meristem size regulators3. Mutation of KRP2 in a DELLA semi-dwarf background restored meristem size, but not stem growth, and accelerated flower production. In barley, secondary mutations in the DELLA gain of function mutant Sln1d 4 also uncoupled meristem and inflorescence size from plant height. Our work reveals an unexpected and conserved role for DELLA genes in controlling shoot meristem function and suggests how dissection of pleiotropic DELLA functions could unlock further yield gains in semi-dwarf mutants. PMID:28827519

Effect of plant density and mixing ratio on crop yield in sweet corn/mungbean intercropping.

PubMed

Sarlak, S; Aghaalikhani, M; Zand, B

2008-09-01

In order to evaluate the ear and forage yield of sweet corn (Zea mays L. var. Saccarata) in pure stand and intercropped with mung bean (Vigna radiata L.), a field experiment was conducted at Varamin region on summer 2006. Experiment was carried out in a split plot design based on randomized complete blocks with 4 replications. Plant density with 3 levels [Low (D1), Mean (D2) and High (D3) respecting 6, 8 and 10 m(-2) for sweet corn, cultivar S.C.403 and 10, 20 and 30 m(-2) for mung bean cultivar, Partow] was arranged in main plots and 5 mixing ratios [(P1) = 0/100, (P2) = 25/75, (P3) = 50/50, (P4) = 75/25, (P5) = 100/0% for sweet corn/mung bean, respectively] were arranged in subplots. Quantitative attributes such as plant height, sucker numbers, LER, dry matter distribution in different plant organs were measured in sweet corn economical maturity. Furthermore the yield of cannable ear corn and yield components of sweet corn and mung bean were investigated. Results showed that plant density has not any significant effect on evaluated traits, while the effect of mixing ratio was significant (p < 0.01). Therefore, the mixing ratio of 75/25 (sweet corn/mung bean) could be introduced as the superior mixing ratio; because of it's maximum rate of total sweet corn's biomass, forage yield, yield and yield components of ear corn in intercropping. Regarding to profitability indices of intercropping, the mixing ratio 75/25 (sweet corn/mung bean) in low density (D1P2) which showed the LER = 1.03 and 1.09 for total crop yield before ear harvesting and total forage yield after ear harvest respectively, was better than corn or mung bean monoculture.

Genetic mapping of common bunt resistance and plant height QTL in wheat.

PubMed

Singh, Arti; Knox, Ron E; DePauw, R M; Singh, A K; Cuthbert, R D; Kumar, S; Campbell, H L

2016-02-01

Breeding for field resistance to common bunt in wheat will need to account for multiple genes and epistatic and QTL by environment interactions. Loci associated with quantitative resistance to common bunt are co-localized with other beneficial traits including plant height and rust resistance. Common bunt, also known as stinking smut, is caused by seed borne fungi Tilletia tritici (Bjerk.) Wint. [syn. Tilletia caries (DC.) Tul.] and Tilletia laevis Kühn [syn. Tilletia foetida (Wallr.) Liro.]. Common bunt is known to cause grain yield and quality losses in wheat due to bunt ball formation and infestation of the grain. The objectives of this research were to identify and map quantitative trait loci (QTL) for common bunt resistance, to study the epistatic interactions between the identified QTL, and investigate the co-localization of bunt resistance with plant height. A population of 261 doubled haploid lines from the cross Carberry/AC Cadillac and checks were genotyped with polymorphic genome wide microsatellite and DArT(®) markers. The lines were grown in 2011, 2012, and 2013 in separate nurseries for common bunt incidence and height evaluation. AC Cadillac contributed a QTL (QCbt.spa-6D) for common bunt resistance on chromosome 6D at markers XwPt-1695, XwPt-672044, and XwPt-5114. Carberry contributed QTL for bunt resistance on chromosomes 1B (QCbt.spa-1B at XwPt743523) 4B (QCbt.spa-4B at XwPt-744434-Xwmc617), 4D (QCbt.spa-4D at XwPt-9747), 5B (QCbt.spa-5B at XtPt-3719) and 7D (QCbt.spa-7D at Xwmc273). Significant epistatic interactions were identified for percent bunt incidence between QCbt.spa-1B × QCbt.spa-4B and QCbt.spa-1B × QCbt.spa-6D, and QTL by environment interaction between QCbt.spa-1B × QCbt.spa-6D. Plant height QTL were found on chromosomes 4B (QPh.spa-4B) and 6D (QPh.spa-6D) that co-located with bunt resistance QTL. The identification of previously unreported common bunt resistance QTL (on chromosomes 4B, 4D and 7D), and new understanding of QTL �

Genetic Mapping of the Leaf Number above the Primary Ear and Its Relationship with Plant Height and Flowering Time in Maize.

PubMed

Cui, Min; Jia, Bo; Liu, Huanhuan; Kan, Xin; Zhang, Yu; Zhou, Ronghua; Li, Zhipeng; Yang, Liang; Deng, Dexiang; Yin, Zhitong

2017-01-01

The leaf number above the primary ear (LA) is a major contributing factor to plant architecture in maize. The yield of leafy maize, which has extra LA compared to normal maize, is higher than normal maize in some regions. One major concern is that increasing LA may be accompanied by increased plant height and/or flowering time. Using an F 2:3 population comprising 192 families derived from a leafy maize line and a normal maize line, an association population comprising 437 inbred maize lines, and a pair of near-isogenic maize lines, we mapped the quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with LA and assessed its genetic relationship with flowering time and plant height. Ten QTL with an additive and dominant effect, 18 pairs of interacting QTL in the F 2:3 population and seventeen significant SNPs in the association population were detected for LA. Two major QTL, qLA3-4 and qLA7-1 , were repeatedly detected and explained a large proportion of the phenotypic variation. The qLA3-4 was centered on lfy1 , which is a dominant gene underlying extra leaves above the ear in leafy maize. Four LA QTL were found to overlap with flowering time and/or plant height, which suggested that these QTL might have a pleiotropic effect. The pleiotropy of the lfy1 locus on LA, flowering time and plant height were validated by near-isogenic line analysis. These results enhance our understanding of the genetic architecture affecting maize LA and the development of maize hybrids with increased LA.

Linkages and Interactions Analysis of Major Effect Drought Grain Yield QTLs in Rice.

PubMed

Vikram, Prashant; Swamy, B P Mallikarjuna; Dixit, Shalabh; Trinidad, Jennylyn; Sta Cruz, Ma Teresa; Maturan, Paul C; Amante, Modesto; Kumar, Arvind

2016-01-01

Quantitative trait loci conferring high grain yield under drought in rice are important genomic resources for climate resilient breeding. Major and consistent drought grain yield QTLs usually co-locate with flowering and/or plant height QTLs, which could be due to either linkage or pleiotropy. Five mapping populations used for the identification of major and consistent drought grain yield QTLs underwent multiple-trait, multiple-interval mapping test (MT-MIM) to estimate the significance of pleiotropy effects. Results indicated towards possible linkages between the drought grain yield QTLs with co-locating flowering and/or plant height QTLs. Linkages of days to flowering and plant height were eliminated through a marker-assisted breeding approach. Drought grain yield QTLs also showed interaction effects with flowering QTLs. Drought responsiveness of the flowering locus on chromosome 3 (qDTY3.2) has been revealed through allelic analysis. Considering linkage and interaction effects associated with drought QTLs, a comprehensive marker-assisted breeding strategy was followed to develop rice genotypes with improved grain yield under drought stress.

75 FR 30065 - Chrysler, LLC, Sterling Heights Assembly Plant Including On-Site Leased Workers From Caravan...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-28

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [TA-W-65,762] Chrysler, LLC, Sterling Heights Assembly Plant Including On-Site Leased Workers From Caravan Knight Facilities Management LLC and... Chrysler, LLC, Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, Sterling Heights, Michigan. The notice was published in the...

Rapid determination of leaf area and plant height by using light curtain arrays in four species with contrasting shoot architecture

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Light curtain arrays (LC), a recently introduced phenotyping method, yield a binary data matrix from which a shoot silhouette is reconstructed. We addressed the accuracy and applicability of LC in assessing leaf area and maximum height (base to the highest leaf tip) in a phenotyping platform. LC were integrated to an automated routine for positioning, allowing in situ measurements. Two dicotyledonous (rapeseed, tomato) and two monocotyledonous (maize, barley) species with contrasting shoot architecture were investigated. To evaluate if averaging multiple view angles helps in resolving self-overlaps, we acquired a data set by rotating plants every 10° for 170°. To test how rapid these measurements can be without loss of information, we evaluated nine scanning speeds. Leaf area of overlapping plants was also estimated to assess the possibility to scale this method for plant stands. Results The relation between measured and calculated maximum height was linear and nearly the same for all species. Linear relations were also found between plant leaf area and calculated pixel area. However, the regression slope was different between monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous species. Increasing the scanning speed stepwise from 0.9 to 23.4 m s−1 did not affect the estimation of maximum height. Instead, the calculated pixel area was inversely proportional to scanning speed. The estimation of plant leaf area by means of calculated pixel area became more accurate by averaging consecutive silhouettes and/or increasing the angle between them. Simulations showed that decreasing plant distance gradually from 20 to 0 cm, led to underestimation of plant leaf area owing to overlaps. This underestimation was more important for large plants of dicotyledonous species and for small plants of monocotyledonous ones. Conclusions LC offer an accurate estimation of plant leaf area and maximum height, while the number of consecutive silhouettes that needs to be averaged is species

Rapid determination of leaf area and plant height by using light curtain arrays in four species with contrasting shoot architecture.

PubMed

Fanourakis, Dimitrios; Briese, Christoph; Max, Johannes Fj; Kleinen, Silke; Putz, Alexander; Fiorani, Fabio; Ulbrich, Andreas; Schurr, Ulrich

2014-04-11

Light curtain arrays (LC), a recently introduced phenotyping method, yield a binary data matrix from which a shoot silhouette is reconstructed. We addressed the accuracy and applicability of LC in assessing leaf area and maximum height (base to the highest leaf tip) in a phenotyping platform. LC were integrated to an automated routine for positioning, allowing in situ measurements. Two dicotyledonous (rapeseed, tomato) and two monocotyledonous (maize, barley) species with contrasting shoot architecture were investigated. To evaluate if averaging multiple view angles helps in resolving self-overlaps, we acquired a data set by rotating plants every 10° for 170°. To test how rapid these measurements can be without loss of information, we evaluated nine scanning speeds. Leaf area of overlapping plants was also estimated to assess the possibility to scale this method for plant stands. The relation between measured and calculated maximum height was linear and nearly the same for all species. Linear relations were also found between plant leaf area and calculated pixel area. However, the regression slope was different between monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous species. Increasing the scanning speed stepwise from 0.9 to 23.4 m s-1 did not affect the estimation of maximum height. Instead, the calculated pixel area was inversely proportional to scanning speed. The estimation of plant leaf area by means of calculated pixel area became more accurate by averaging consecutive silhouettes and/or increasing the angle between them. Simulations showed that decreasing plant distance gradually from 20 to 0 cm, led to underestimation of plant leaf area owing to overlaps. This underestimation was more important for large plants of dicotyledonous species and for small plants of monocotyledonous ones. LC offer an accurate estimation of plant leaf area and maximum height, while the number of consecutive silhouettes that needs to be averaged is species-dependent. A constant scanning

Linking seed germination and plant height: a case study of a wetland community on the eastern Tibet Plateau.

PubMed

Liu, Kun; Cao, Suzhen; Du, Guozhen; Baskin, Jerry M; Baskin, Carol C; Bu, Haiyan; Qi, Wei; Liang, Ting

2018-05-20

Seed germination is the earliest trait expressed in a plant's life history, and it can directly affect the expression of post germination traits. Plant height is central to plant ecological strategies, because it is a major determinant of the ability of a species to compete for light. Thus, linking seed germination and plant height at the community level is very important to understanding plant fitness and community structure. Here, we tested storage condition and temperature requirements for germination of 31 species from a wetland plant community on the eastern Tibet Plateau, and analyzed correlation of germination traits with plant height in relation to storage condition. Germination percentage was positively related to plant height, and this relationship disappeared when seeds were incubated at a low temperature (i.e. 5°C) or after they were stored under wet-cold conditions. The response of seeds to dry+wet-cold storage was negatively related to plant height. Based on the scores of each species on the first two principal components derived from PCA, species were classified into two categories by Hierarchical Clustering, and there was a significant difference between germination and plant height of species in these two categories. These results suggest that the requirements for seed germination together with seasonal change in environmental conditions determine the window for germination and in turn plant growth season and resource utilization and ultimately plant height. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Balancing Immunity and Yield in Crop Plants.

PubMed

Ning, Yuese; Liu, Wende; Wang, Guo-Liang

2017-12-01

Crop diseases cause enormous yield losses and threaten global food[ED1] security. The use of highly resistant cultivars can effectively control plant diseases, but in crops, genetic immunity to disease often comes with an unintended reduction in growth and yield. Here, we review recent advances in understanding how nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptors and cell wall-associated kinase (WAK) proteins function in balancing immunity and yield. We also discuss the role of plant hormones and transcription factors in regulating the trade-offs between plant growth and immunity. Finally, we describe how a novel mechanism of translational control of defense proteins can enhance immunity without the reduction in fitness. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phenotypic characterization, genetic mapping and candidate gene analysis of a source conferring reduced plant height in sunflower.

PubMed

Ramos, María Laura; Altieri, Emiliano; Bulos, Mariano; Sala, Carlos A

2013-01-01

Reduced height germplasm has the potential to increase stem strength, standability, and also yields potential of the sunflower crop (Helianthus annuus L. var. macrocarpus Ckll.). In this study, we report on the inheritance, mapping, phenotypic and molecular characterization of a reduced plant height trait in inbred lines derived from the source DDR. This trait is controlled by a semidominant allele, Rht1, which maps on linkage group 12 of the sunflower public consensus map. Phenotypic effects of this allele include shorter height and internode length, insensibility to exogenous gibberellin application, normal skotomorphogenetic response, and reduced seed set under self-pollination conditions. This later effect presumably is related to the reduced pollen viability observed in all DDR-derived lines studied. Rht1 completely cosegregated with a haplotype of the HaDella1 gene sequence. This haplotype consists of a point mutation converting a leucine residue in a proline within the conserved DELLA domain. Taken together, the phenotypic, genetic, and molecular results reported here indicate that Rht1 in sunflower likely encodes an altered DELLA protein. If the DELPA motif of the HaDELLA1 sequence in the Rht1-encoded protein determines by itself the observed reduction in height is a matter that remains to be investigated.

Gibberellins Promote Brassinosteroids Action and Both Increase Heterosis for Plant Height in Maize (Zea mays L.)

PubMed Central

Hu, Songlin; Wang, Cuiling; Sanchez, Darlene L.; Lipka, Alexander E.; Liu, Peng; Yin, Yanhai; Blanco, Michael; Lübberstedt, Thomas

2017-01-01

Brassinosteroids (BRs) and Gibberellins (GAs) are two classes of plant hormones affecting plant height (PHT). Thus, manipulation of BR and GA levels or signaling enables optimization of crop grain and biomass yields. We established backcross (BC) families, selected for increased PHT, in two elite maize inbred backgrounds. Various exotic accessions used in the germplasm enhancement in maize project served as donors. BC1-derived doubled haploid lines in the same two elite maize inbred backgrounds established without selection for plant height were included for comparison. We conducted genome-wide association studies to explore the genetic control of PHT by BR and GA. In addition, we used BR and GA inhibitors to compare the relationship between PHT, BR, and GA in inbred lines and heterozygotes from a physiological and biological perspective. A total of 73 genomic loci were discovered to be associated with PHT, with seven co-localized with GA, and two co-localized with BR candidate genes. PHT determined in field trials was significantly correlated with seedling stage BR and GA inhibitor responses. However, this observation was only true for maize heterozygotes, not for inbred lines. Path analysis results suggest that heterozygosity increases GA levels, which in turn promote BR levels. Thus, at least part of heterosis for PHT in maize can be explained by increased GA and BR levels, and seedling stage hormone inhibitor response is promising to predict heterosis for PHT. PMID:28676808

PAY1 improves plant architecture and enhances grain yield in rice.

PubMed

Zhao, Lei; Tan, Lubin; Zhu, Zuofeng; Xiao, Langtao; Xie, Daoxin; Sun, Chuanqing

2015-08-01

Plant architecture, a complex of the important agronomic traits that determine grain yield, is a primary target of artificial selection of rice domestication and improvement. Some important genes affecting plant architecture and grain yield have been isolated and characterized in recent decades; however, their underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. Here, we report genetic identification and functional analysis of the PLANT ARCHITECTURE AND YIELD 1 (PAY1) gene in rice, which affects plant architecture and grain yield in rice. Transgenic plants over-expressing PAY1 had twice the number of grains per panicle and consequently produced nearly 38% more grain yield per plant than control plants. Mechanistically, PAY1 could improve plant architecture via affecting polar auxin transport activity and altering endogenous indole-3-acetic acid distribution. Furthermore, introgression of PAY1 into elite rice cultivars, using marker-assisted background selection, dramatically increased grain yield compared with the recipient parents. Overall, these results demonstrated that PAY1 could be a new beneficial genetic resource for shaping ideal plant architecture and breeding high-yielding rice varieties. © 2015 The Authors The Plant Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Plant development and yield of four sugarcane varieties irrigated by a subsurface drip irrigation system in Campinas, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, André Luiz Barros de O.; Célia de Matos Pires, Regina; Yukitaka Pessinati Ohashi, Augusto; Vasconcelos Ribeiro, Rafael; Landell, Marcos Guimarães de Andrade; Aparecida Creste Dias de Souza, Silvana

2013-04-01

The biofuel production is a growing concern on modern society due to the agricultural sustainability, in which both food and energy supply should be taken into account. The agroclimatic zoning indicates that sugarcane expansion in Brazil can only take place in marginal lands, where water deficit occurs and irrigation is necessary. The use of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) in sugarcane cultivation is an interesting cultural practice to improve production and allow cultivation in marginal lands due to water deficit conditions or to attain high yield and to increase longevity of plants. In this context it is necessary to investigate responses of different varieties to water supply. The aim of this work was to evaluate the plant development and yield of four sugarcane varieties irrigated by a subsurface drip irrigation system in Campinas, Brazil in the 1st cane ratoon cycle. The field experiment was carried out in Campinas SP Brazil, with IACSP95-5000, IACSP94-2094, IACSP94-2101 and SP79-1011 cultivars in the 1st cane ratoon cycle, from January (after the harvest of cane plant cycle) to October (harvest the 1st cane ratoon cycle). The plant spacing was 1.5 m between rows. Each cultivar was planted in an area of 0.4 hectares. The irrigation was done by a subsuperficial drip system with one drip line in each plant row installed at 0.25 m deep. During the 1st cane ratoon cycle the parameters were analysed on the 33rd, 123rd, 185th and 277th day. The analysed parameters were: plant yield (m), leaf area index (LAI) and yield (tons per hectare). According to the results from the second sampling (123rd day) the varieties IACSP95-5000 and IACSP94-2101 showed higher plant height when compared to the other varieties. However, from the third sampling (185th day) on the IACSP95-5000 variety grew considerably taller than the other varieties. The varieties SP79-1011and IACSP94-2101 presented lower values of LAI throughout the crop cycle when compared to other varieties. But on the

Effect of lamp type and temperature on development, carbon partitioning and yield of soybean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dougher, T. A. O.; Bugbee, B.

1997-01-01

Soybeans grown in controlled environments are commonly taller than field-grown plants. In controlled environments, including liquid hydroponics, height of the dwarf cultivar ``Hoyt'' was reduced from 46 to 33 cm when plants were grown under metal halide lamps compared to high pressure sodium lamps at the same photosynthetic photon flux. Metal halide lamps reduced total biomass 14% but did not significantly reduce seed yield. Neither increasing temperature nor altering the difference between day/night temperature affected plant height. Increasing temperature from 21 to 27 degC increased yield 32%. High temperature significantly increased carbon partitioning to stems and increased harvest index.

Development of gene-based markers for use in construction of the chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genetic linkage map and identification of QTLs associated with seed weight and plant height.

PubMed

Gupta, Shefali; Kumar, Tapan; Verma, Subodh; Bharadwaj, Chellapilla; Bhatia, Sabhyata

2015-11-01

Seed weight and plant height are important agronomic traits and contribute to seed yield. The objective of this study was to identify QTLs underlying these traits using an intra-specific mapping population of chickpea. A F11 population of 177 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between SBD377 (100-seed weight--48 g and plant height--53 cm) and BGD112 (100-seed weight--15 g and plant height--65 cm) was used. A total of 367 novel EST-derived functional markers were developed which included 187 EST-SSRs, 130 potential intron polymorphisms (PIPs) and 50 expressed sequence tag polymorphisms (ESTPs). Along with these, 590 previously published markers including 385 EST-based markers and 205 genomic SSRs were utilized. Of the 957 markers tested for analysis of parental polymorphism between the two parents of the mapping population, 135 (14.64%) were found to be polymorphic. Of these, 131 polymorphic markers could be mapped to the 8 linkage groups. The linkage map had a total length of 1140.54 cM with an average marker density of 8.7 cM. The map was further used for QTL identification using composite interval mapping method (CIM). Two QTLs each for seed weight, qSW-1 and qSW-2 (explaining 11.54 and 19.24% of phenotypic variance, respectively) and plant height, qPH-1 and qPH-2 (explaining 13.98 and 12.17% of phenotypic variance, respectively) were detected. The novel set of genic markers, the intra-specific linkage map and the QTLs identified in the present study will serve as valuable genomic resources in improving the chickpea seed yield using marker-assisted selection (MAS) strategies.

Whole Genome Association Mapping of Plant Height in Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

PubMed Central

Zanke, Christine D.; Ling, Jie; Plieske, Jörg; Kollers, Sonja; Ebmeyer, Erhard; Korzun, Viktor; Argillier, Odile; Stiewe, Gunther; Hinze, Maike; Neumann, Kerstin; Ganal, Martin W.; Röder, Marion S.

2014-01-01

The genetic architecture of plant height was investigated in a set of 358 recent European winter wheat varieties plus 14 spring wheat varieties based on field data in eight environments. Genotyping of diagnostic markers revealed the Rht-D1b mutant allele in 58% of the investigated varieties, while the Rht-B1b mutant was only present in 7% of the varieties. Rht-D1 was significantly associated with plant height by using a mixed linear model and employing a kinship matrix to correct for population stratification. Further genotyping data included 732 microsatellite markers, resulting in 770 loci, of which 635 markers were placed on the ITMI map plus a set of 7769 mapped SNP markers genotyped with the 90 k iSELECT chip. When Bonferroni correction was applied, a total of 153 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) were observed for plant height and the SSR markers (−log10 (P-value) ≥4.82) and 280 (−log10 (P-value) ≥5.89) for the SNPs. Linear regression between the most effective markers and the BLUEs for plant height indicated additive effects for the MTAs of different chromosomal regions. Analysis of syntenic regions in the rice genome revealed closely linked rice genes related to gibberellin acid (GA) metabolism and perception, i.e. GA20 and GA2 oxidases orthologous to wheat chromosomes 1A, 2A, 3A, 3B, 5B, 5D and 7B, ent-kaurenoic acid oxidase orthologous to wheat chromosome 7A, ent-kaurene synthase on wheat chromosome 2B, as well as GA-receptors like DELLA genes orthologous to wheat chromosomes 4B, 4D and 7A and genes of the GID family orthologous to chromosomes 2B and 5B. The data indicated that besides the widely used GA-insensitive dwarfing genes Rht-B1 and Rht-D1 there is a wide spectrum of loci available that could be used for modulating plant height in variety development. PMID:25405621

Multitemporal field-based plant height estimation using 3D point clouds generated from small unmanned aerial systems high-resolution imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malambo, L.; Popescu, S. C.; Murray, S. C.; Putman, E.; Pugh, N. A.; Horne, D. W.; Richardson, G.; Sheridan, R.; Rooney, W. L.; Avant, R.; Vidrine, M.; McCutchen, B.; Baltensperger, D.; Bishop, M.

2018-02-01

Plant breeders and agronomists are increasingly interested in repeated plant height measurements over large experimental fields to study critical aspects of plant physiology, genetics and environmental conditions during plant growth. However, collecting such measurements using commonly used manual field measurements is inefficient. 3D point clouds generated from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) images using Structure from Motion (SfM) techniques offer a new option for efficiently deriving in-field crop height data. This study evaluated UAS/SfM for multitemporal 3D crop modelling and developed and assessed a methodology for estimating plant height data from point clouds generated using SfM. High-resolution images in visible spectrum were collected weekly across 12 dates from April (planting) to July (harvest) 2016 over 288 maize (Zea mays L.) and 460 sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) plots using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAS. The study compared SfM point clouds with terrestrial lidar (TLS) at two dates to evaluate the ability of SfM point clouds to accurately capture ground surfaces and crop canopies, both of which are critical for plant height estimation. Extended plant height comparisons were carried out between SfM plant height (the 90th, 95th, 99th percentiles and maximum height) per plot and field plant height measurements at six dates throughout the growing season to test the repeatability and consistency of SfM estimates. High correlations were observed between SfM and TLS data (R2 = 0.88-0.97, RMSE = 0.01-0.02 m and R2 = 0.60-0.77 RMSE = 0.12-0.16 m for the ground surface and canopy comparison, respectively). Extended height comparisons also showed strong correlations (R2 = 0.42-0.91, RMSE = 0.11-0.19 m for maize and R2 = 0.61-0.85, RMSE = 0.12-0.24 m for sorghum). In general, the 90th, 95th and 99th percentile height metrics had higher correlations to field measurements than the maximum metric though differences among them were not statistically significant. The

Enhancement of growth, photosynthetic performance and yield by exclusion of ambient UV components in C3 and C4 plants.

PubMed

Kataria, Sunita; Guruprasad, K N; Ahuja, Sumedha; Singh, Bupinder

2013-10-05

A field experiment was conducted under tropical climate for assessing the effect of ambient UV-B and UV-A by exclusion of UV components on the growth, photosynthetic performance and yield of C3 (cotton, wheat) and C4 (amaranthus, sorghum) plants. The plants were grown in specially designed UV exclusion chambers, wrapped with filters that excluded UV-B (<315nm), UV-A+B (<400nm), transmitted all the UV (280-400nm) or without filters. All the four plant species responded to UV exclusion by a significant increase in plant height, leaf area, leaf biomass, total biomass accumulation and yield. Measurements of the chlorophyll, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, gas exchange parameters and the activity of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) by fixation of (14)CO2 indicated a direct relationship between enhanced rate of photosynthesis and yield of the plants. Quantum yield of electron transport was enhanced by the exclusion of UV indicating better utilization of PAR assimilation and enhancement in reducing power in all the four plant species. Exclusion of UV-B in particular significantly enhanced the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and activity of Rubisco. Additional fixation of carbon due to exclusion of ambient UV-B was channeled towards yield as there was a decrease in the level of UV-B absorbing substances and an increase in soluble proteins in all the four plant species. The magnitude of the promotion in all the parameters studied was higher in dicots (cotton, amaranthus) compared to monocots (wheat, sorghum) after UV exclusion. The results indicated a suppressive action of ambient UV-B on growth and photosynthesis; dicots were more sensitive than monocots in this suppression while no great difference in sensitivity was found between C3 and C4 plants. Experiments indicated the suppressive action of ambient UV on carbon fixation and yield of C3 and C4 plants. Exclusion of solar UV-B will have agricultural benefits in both C3 and C4 plants

Genetic improvement of the shoot architecture and yield in soya bean plants via the manipulation of GmmiR156b.

PubMed

Sun, Zhengxi; Su, Chao; Yun, Jinxia; Jiang, Qiong; Wang, Lixiang; Wang, Youning; Cao, Dong; Zhao, Fang; Zhao, Qingsong; Zhang, Mengchen; Zhou, Bin; Zhang, Lei; Kong, Fanjiang; Liu, Baohui; Tong, Yiping; Li, Xia

2018-05-05

The optimization of plant architecture in order to breed high-yielding soya bean cultivars is a goal of researchers. Tall plants bearing many long branches are desired, but only modest success in reaching these goals has been achieved. MicroRNA156 (miR156)-SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) gene modules play pivotal roles in controlling shoot architecture and other traits in crops like rice and wheat. However, the effects of miR156-SPL modules on soya bean architecture and yield, and the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects, remain largely unknown. In this study, we achieved substantial improvements in soya bean architecture and yield by overexpressing GmmiR156b. Transgenic plants produced significantly increased numbers of long branches, nodes and pods, and they exhibited an increased 100-seed weight, resulting in a 46%-63% increase in yield per plant. Intriguingly, GmmiR156b overexpression had no significant impact on plant height in a growth room or under field conditions; however, it increased stem thickness significantly. Our data indicate that GmmiR156b modulates these traits mainly via the direct cleavage of SPL transcripts. Moreover, we found that GmSPL9d is expressed in the shoot apical meristem and axillary meristems (AMs) of soya bean, and that GmSPL9d may regulate axillary bud formation and branching by physically interacting with the homeobox gene WUSCHEL (WUS), a central regulator of AM formation. Together, our results identify GmmiR156b as a promising target for the improvement of soya bean plant architecture and yields, and they reveal a new and conserved regulatory cascade involving miR156-SPL-WUS that will help researchers decipher the genetic basis of plant architecture. © 2018 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Development and deployment of a high-density linkage map identified quantitative trait loci for plant height in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.).

PubMed

Huang, Li; Ren, Xiaoping; Wu, Bei; Li, Xinping; Chen, Weigang; Zhou, Xiaojing; Chen, Yuning; Pandey, Manish K; Jiao, Yongqing; Luo, Huaiyong; Lei, Yong; Varshney, Rajeev K; Liao, Boshou; Jiang, Huifang

2016-12-20

Plant height is one of the most important architecture traits in crop plants. In peanut, the genetic basis of plant height remains ambiguous. In this context, we genotyped a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population with 140 individuals developed from a cross between two peanut varieties varying in plant height, Zhonghua 10 and ICG 12625. Genotyping data was generated for 1,175 SSR and 42 transposon polymorphic markers and a high-density genetic linkage map was constructed with 1,219 mapped loci covering total map length of 2,038.75 cM i.e., accounted for nearly 80% of the peanut genome. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis using genotyping and phenotyping data for three environments identified 8 negative-effect QTLs and 10 positive-effect QTLs for plant height. Among these QTLs, 8 QTLs had a large contribution to plant height that explained ≥10% phenotypic variation. Two major-effect consensus QTLs namely cqPHA4a and cqPHA4b were identified with stable performance across three environments. Further, the allelic recombination of detected QTLs proved the existence of the phenomenon of transgressive segregation for plant height in the RIL population. Therefore, this study not only successfully reported a high-density genetic linkage map of peanut and identified genomic region controlling plant height but also opens opportunities for further gene discovery and molecular breeding for plant height in peanut.

Study of water stress effects in different growth stages on yield and yield components of different rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars.

PubMed

Sarvestani, Zinolabedin Tahmasebi; Pirdashti, Hemmatollah; Sanavy, Seyed Ali Mohammad Modarres; Balouchi, Hamidreza

2008-05-15

A field experiment was conducted during 2001-2003 to evaluate the effect of water stress on the yield and yield components of four rice cultivars commonly grown in Mazandaran province, Iran. In northern Iran irrigated lowland rice usually experiences water deficit during the growing season include of land preparation time, planting, tillering stage, flowering and grain filing period. Recently drought affected 20 of 28 provinces in Iran; with the southeastern, central and eastern parts of the country being most severely affected. The local and improved cultivars used were Tarom, Khazar, Fajr and Nemat. The different water stress conditions were water stress during vegetative, flowering and grain filling stages and well watered was the control. Water stress at vegetative stage significantly reduced plant height of all cultivars. Water stress at flowering stage had a greater grain yield reduction than water stress at other times. The reduction of grain yield largely resulted from the reduction in fertile panicle and filled grain percentage. Water deficit during vegetative, flowering and grain filling stages reduced mean grain yield by 21, 50 and 21% on average in comparison to control respectively. The yield advantage of two semidwarf varieties, Fajr and Nemat, were not maintained under drought stress. Total biomass, harvest index, plant height, filled grain, unfilled grain and 1000 grain weight were reduced under water stress in all cultivars. Water stress at vegetative stage effectively reduced total biomass due to decrease of photosynthesis rate and dry matter accumulation.

Genome-Wide Association Study Provides Insight into the Genetic Control of Plant Height in Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.).

PubMed

Sun, Chengming; Wang, Benqi; Yan, Lei; Hu, Kaining; Liu, Sheng; Zhou, Yongming; Guan, Chunyun; Zhang, Zhenqian; Li, Jiana; Zhang, Jiefu; Chen, Song; Wen, Jing; Ma, Chaozhi; Tu, Jinxing; Shen, Jinxiong; Fu, Tingdong; Yi, Bin

2016-01-01

Plant height is a key morphological trait of rapeseed. In this study, we measured plant height of a rapeseed population across six environments. This population contains 476 inbred lines representing the major Chinese rapeseed genepool and 44 lines from other countries. The 60K Brassica Infinium® SNP array was utilized to genotype the association panel. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed via three methods, including a robust, novel, nonparametric Anderson-Darling (A-D) test. Consequently, 68 loci were identified as significantly associated with plant height (P < 5.22 × 10(-5)), and more than 70% of the loci (48) overlapped the confidence intervals of reported QTLs from nine mapping populations. Moreover, 24 GWAS loci were detected with selective sweep signals, which reflected the signatures of historical semi-dwarf breeding. In the linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay range up-and downstream of 65 loci (r (2) > 0.1), we found plausible candidates orthologous to the documented Arabidopsis genes involved in height regulation. One significant association found by GWAS colocalized with the established height locus BnRGA in rapeseed. Our results provide insights into the genetic basis of plant height in rapeseed and may facilitate marker-based breeding.

Evaluation of wheat growth, morphological characteristics, biomass yield and quality in Lunar Palace-1, plant factory, green house and field systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Chen; Shao, Lingzhi; Fu, Yuming; Wang, Minjuan; Xie, Beizhen; Yu, Juan; Liu, Hong

2015-06-01

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important agricultural crops in both space such as Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) and urban agriculture fields, and its cultivation is affected by several environmental factors. The objective of this study was to investigate the influences of different environmental conditions (BLSS, plant factory, green house and field) on the wheat growth, thousand kernel weight (TKW), harvest index (HI), biomass yield and quality during their life cycle. The results showed that plant height partially influenced by the interaction effects with environment, and this influence decreased gradually with the plant development. It was found that there was no significant difference between the BLSS and plant factory treatments on yields per square, but the yield of green house and field treatments were both lower. TKW and HI in BLSS and plant factory were larger than those in the green house and field. However, grain protein concentration can be inversely correlated with grain yield. Grain protein concentrations decreased under elevate CO2 condition and the magnitude of the reductions depended on the prevailing environmental condition. Conditional interaction effects with environment also influenced the components of straw during the mature stage. It indicated that CO2 enriched environment to some extent was better for inedible biomass degradation and had a significant effect on "source-sink flow" at grain filling stage, which was more beneficial to recycle substances in the processes of the environment regeneration.

[Genetic characteristics associated with drought tolerance of plant height and thousand-grain mass of recombinant inbred lines of wheat].

PubMed

Yang, De-Long; Zhang, Guo-Hong; Li, Xing-Mao; Xing, Hua; Cheng, Hong-Bo; Ni, Sheng-Li; Chen, Xiao-Ping

2012-06-01

A total of 120 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) derived from Chinese winter wheat cultivars Longjian 19xQ9086 and the two parents were taken as test materials to study the quantitative genetics characteristics of their plant height at different development stages, thousand-grain mass, as well as the correlations between the two traits under rainfed (drought stress) and well-watered conditions, and evaluate the genetic variation of the RIL. Under the two water conditions, the target traits of the RIL showed substantial transgressive segregation and great sensitivity to water condition. The drought stress coefficient of the plant height was higher at jointing stage, being up to 0.851. There was a significant positive correlation between the plant height at different development stages and the thousand-grain mass, and comparing with that at other growth stages, the plant height at jointing stage had a higher correlation coefficient with the thousand-grain mass (R2DS = 0.32, R2WW = 0.28). The plant height at both jointing and flowering stages had significant positive and direct effect but negative and indirect gross effect on the thousand-grain mass, while the plant height at heading and maturing stages was in adverse. The target traits showed a lower heritability ranged from 0.27 to 0.60. The numbers of the gene pairs controlling the thousand-grain mass were 10 under rainfed and 13 under well-watered conditions, while those of the gene pairs controlling the plant height at different development stages were 3-7 under rainfed and 4-14 under well-watered conditions, respectively. According to the clustering of the drought stress coefficient of plant height, the RIL could be classified into five subgroups, showing the abundant variation of the RIL in their phe- notypes and in the sensitivity to water condition. It was considered that the test RIL were appropriate for the study of the quantitative genetics of wheat drought resistance.

Identification and validation of QTL for grain yield and plant water status under contrasting water treatments in fall-sown spring wheats.

PubMed

Zhang, Junli; Gizaw, Shiferaw Abate; Bossolini, Eligio; Hegarty, Joshua; Howell, Tyson; Carter, Arron H; Akhunov, Eduard; Dubcovsky, Jorge

2018-05-16

Chromosome regions affecting grain yield, grain yield components and plant water status were identified and validated in fall-sown spring wheats grown under full and limited irrigation. Increases in wheat production are required to feed a growing human population. To understand the genetic basis of grain yield in fall-sown spring wheats, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) including 262 photoperiod-insensitive spring wheat accessions grown under full and limited irrigation treatments. Analysis of molecular variance showed that 4.1% of the total variation in the panel was partitioned among accessions originally developed under fall-sowing or spring-sowing conditions, 11.7% among breeding programs within sowing times and 84.2% among accessions within breeding programs. We first identified QTL for grain yield, yield components and plant water status that were significant in at least three environments in the GWAS, and then selected those that were also significant in at least two environments in a panel of eight biparental mapping populations. We identified and validated 14 QTL for grain yield, 15 for number of spikelets per spike, one for kernel number per spike, 11 for kernel weight and 9 for water status, which were not associated with differences in plant height or heading date. We detected significant correlations among traits and colocated QTL that were consistent with those correlations. Among those, grain yield and plant water status were negatively correlated in all environments, and six QTL for these traits were colocated or tightly linked (< 1 cM). QTL identified and validated in this study provide useful information for the improvement of fall-sown spring wheats under full and limited irrigation.

Diverse regulatory factors associate with flowering time and yield responses in winter-type Brassica napus.

PubMed

Schiessl, Sarah; Iniguez-Luy, Federico; Qian, Wei; Snowdon, Rod J

2015-09-29

Flowering time, plant height and seed yield are strongly influenced by climatic and day-length adaptation in crop plants. To investigate these traits under highly diverse field conditions in the important oilseed crop Brassica napus, we performed a genome-wide association study using data from diverse agroecological environments spanning three continents. A total of 158 European winter-type B.napus inbred lines were genotyped with 21,623 unique, single-locus single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers using the Brassica 60 K-SNP Illumina® Infinium consortium array. Phenotypic associations were calculated in the panel over the years 2010-2012 for flowering time, plant height and seed yield in 5 highly diverse locations in Germany, China and Chile, adding up to 11 diverse environments in total. We identified 101 genome regions associating with the onset of flowering, 69 with plant height, 36 with seed yield and 68 cross-trait regions with potential adaptive value. Within these regions, B.napus orthologs for a number of candidate adaptation genes were detected, including central circadian clock components like CIRCADIAN CLOCK- ASSOCIATED 1 (Bna.CCA1) and the important flowering-time regulators FLOWERING LOCUS T (Bna.FT) and FRUITFUL (Bna.FUL). Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of candidate regions suggested that selection of genes involved in post-transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of flowering time may play a potential role in adaptation of B. napus to highly divergent environments. The classical flowering time regulators Bna.FLC and Bna.CO were not found among the candidate regions, although both show functional variation. Allelic effects were additive for plant height and yield, but not for flowering time. The scarcity of positive minor alleles for yield in this breeding pool points to a lack of diversity for adaptation that could restrict yield gain in the face of environmental change. Our study provides a valuable framework to further improve the

Genetic analysis of inflorescence and plant height components in sorghum (Panicoidae) and comparative genetics with rice (Oryzoidae).

PubMed

Zhang, Dong; Kong, Wenqian; Robertson, Jon; Goff, Valorie H; Epps, Ethan; Kerr, Alexandra; Mills, Gabriel; Cromwell, Jay; Lugin, Yelena; Phillips, Christine; Paterson, Andrew H

2015-04-19

Domestication has played an important role in shaping characteristics of the inflorescence and plant height in cultivated cereals. Taking advantage of meta-analysis of QTLs, phylogenetic analyses in 502 diverse sorghum accessions, GWAS in a sorghum association panel (n = 354) and comparative data, we provide insight into the genetic basis of the domestication traits in sorghum and rice. We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on 6 traits related to inflorescence morphology and 6 traits related to plant height in sorghum, comparing the genomic regions implicated in these traits by GWAS and QTL mapping, respectively. In a search for signatures of selection, we identify genomic regions that may contribute to sorghum domestication regarding plant height, flowering time and pericarp color. Comparative studies across taxa show functionally conserved 'hotspots' in sorghum and rice for awn presence and pericarp color that do not appear to reflect corresponding single genes but may indicate co-regulated clusters of genes. We also reveal homoeologous regions retaining similar functions for plant height and flowering time since genome duplication an estimated 70 million years ago or more in a common ancestor of cereals. In most such homoeologous QTL pairs, only one QTL interval exhibits strong selection signals in modern sorghum. Intersections among QTL, GWAS and comparative data advance knowledge of genetic determinants of inflorescence and plant height components in sorghum, and add new dimensions to comparisons between sorghum and rice.

Genetic analysis of inflorescence and plant height components in sorghum (Panicoidae) and comparative genetics with rice (Oryzoidae)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Dong; Kong, Wenqian; Robertson, Jon

Domestication has played an important role in shaping characteristics of the inflorescence and plant height in cultivated cereals. Taking advantage of meta-analysis of QTLs, phylogenetic analyses in 502 diverse sorghum accessions, GWAS in a sorghum association panel (n = 354) and comparative data, we provide insight into the genetic basis of the domestication traits in sorghum and rice. We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on 6 traits related to inflorescence morphology and 6 traits related to plant height in sorghum, comparing the genomic regions implicated in these traits by GWAS and QTL mapping, respectively. In a search for signatures ofmore » selection, we identify genomic regions that may contribute to sorghum domestication regarding plant height, flowering time and pericarp color. Comparative studies across taxa show functionally conserved ‘hotspots’ in sorghum and rice for awn presence and pericarp color that do not appear to reflect corresponding single genes but may indicate co-regulated clusters of genes. We also reveal homoeologous regions retaining similar functions for plant height and flowering time since genome duplication an estimated 70 million years ago or more in a common ancestor of cereals. In most such homoeologous QTL pairs, only one QTL interval exhibits strong selection signals in modern sorghum. Intersections among QTL, GWAS and comparative data advance knowledge of genetic determinants of inflorescence and plant height components in sorghum, and add new dimensions to comparisons between sorghum and rice.« less

Genetic analysis of inflorescence and plant height components in sorghum (Panicoidae) and comparative genetics with rice (Oryzoidae)

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Dong; Kong, Wenqian; Robertson, Jon; ...

2015-12-01

Domestication has played an important role in shaping characteristics of the inflorescence and plant height in cultivated cereals. Taking advantage of meta-analysis of QTLs, phylogenetic analyses in 502 diverse sorghum accessions, GWAS in a sorghum association panel (n = 354) and comparative data, we provide insight into the genetic basis of the domestication traits in sorghum and rice. We performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on 6 traits related to inflorescence morphology and 6 traits related to plant height in sorghum, comparing the genomic regions implicated in these traits by GWAS and QTL mapping, respectively. In a search for signatures ofmore » selection, we identify genomic regions that may contribute to sorghum domestication regarding plant height, flowering time and pericarp color. Comparative studies across taxa show functionally conserved ‘hotspots’ in sorghum and rice for awn presence and pericarp color that do not appear to reflect corresponding single genes but may indicate co-regulated clusters of genes. We also reveal homoeologous regions retaining similar functions for plant height and flowering time since genome duplication an estimated 70 million years ago or more in a common ancestor of cereals. In most such homoeologous QTL pairs, only one QTL interval exhibits strong selection signals in modern sorghum. Intersections among QTL, GWAS and comparative data advance knowledge of genetic determinants of inflorescence and plant height components in sorghum, and add new dimensions to comparisons between sorghum and rice.« less

Method for estimating rice plant height without ground surface detection using laser scanner measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thi Phan, Anh Thu; Takahashi, Kazuyoshi; Rikimaru, Atsushi; Higuchi, Yasuhiro

2016-10-01

A method for estimating the height of rice plants, using three-dimensional laser range data from point clouds, is proposed and assessed. Rice plant height (H) is estimated using a reference position at the top of the rice plant, avoiding the need to determine the ground position. Field experiments were performed with a SICK LMS 200 laser scanner in 2013 and 2014 on a test field with five different planting geometries. Percentile analysis identified the closest percentile to the top of the rice plant (pt=1), with vertical distances at the first percentile unaffected by planting geometry. The plant bottom position was identified using three different percentile ranks (pb=95, pb =80, and pb =70). Relative vertical distances (rD) were computed from the difference between the top and bottom positions of the rice plant. These correlated well with measured H, with slopes greater than 1.0. A greater number of stems in 2014 led to steeper slopes. Estimated H was more accurate when plant bottom positions were closer to the ground surface, and the best results were obtained with pb=95 (r2>0.87 RMSE≈4 cm). Overall, H was typically 16.0 cm greater than rD with pb=95.

Automatic rice crop height measurement using a field server and digital image processing.

PubMed

Sritarapipat, Tanakorn; Rakwatin, Preesan; Kasetkasem, Teerasit

2014-01-07

Rice crop height is an important agronomic trait linked to plant type and yield potential. This research developed an automatic image processing technique to detect rice crop height based on images taken by a digital camera attached to a field server. The camera acquires rice paddy images daily at a consistent time of day. The images include the rice plants and a marker bar used to provide a height reference. The rice crop height can be indirectly measured from the images by measuring the height of the marker bar compared to the height of the initial marker bar. Four digital image processing steps are employed to automatically measure the rice crop height: band selection, filtering, thresholding, and height measurement. Band selection is used to remove redundant features. Filtering extracts significant features of the marker bar. The thresholding method is applied to separate objects and boundaries of the marker bar versus other areas. The marker bar is detected and compared with the initial marker bar to measure the rice crop height. Our experiment used a field server with a digital camera to continuously monitor a rice field located in Suphanburi Province, Thailand. The experimental results show that the proposed method measures rice crop height effectively, with no human intervention required.

ZnO nanofertilizer and He Ne laser irradiation for promoting growth and yield of sweet basil plant.

PubMed

El-Kereti, Mohammed A; El-feky, Souad A; Khater, Mohammed S; Osman, Yasser A; El-sherbini, El-sayed A

2013-12-01

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of zinc nanofertilizer strategy on sweet basil yield, through alone application or combined with pre-sowing laser irradiation. Furthermore, evaluate the growth of plant and the level of active essential oil constituents. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized, and transmission electron microscope revealed particle size of approximately 10.5-15.5 nm. ZnO NPs were applied to sweet basil plants by foliar spray at varying concentrations (10, 20 and 30 mg/L); He Ne laser of power 3mW was used for red light irradiation of sweet basil seeds for 2 min. exposure time. Total chlorophyll, total carbohydrate, essential oil levels, zinc content, plant height, branches/plant and fresh weight were measured. In general, the combined foliar spray application of ZnO nanofertilizer with pre-sowing He Ne laser irradiation showed more effectiveness than ZnO nanofertilizer alone and 20mg/L concentration gave the highest results of all measured traits. Statistical analysis (t-test) showed significant differences among the effects of the various concentrations of zinc oxide NPs on these attributes. The results showed an inverse relationship between the total carbohydrate content and the percentage of essential oil in the leaves. Together these findings support the usefulness and effectiveness of zinc oxide nanofertilizer and laser irradiation treatment to enhance the growth and yield of sweet basil plants. The article presents some promising patents on ZnO nanofertilizer and He Ne laser irradiation.

Height-age and height-diameter relationships for monocultures and mixtures of eastern cottonwood clones

Treesearch

Steven A. Knowe; G. Sam Foster; Randall J. Rousseau; Warren L Nance

1998-01-01

Data from an eastern cottonwood clonal mixing study in Mississippi and Kentucky, USA, were used to test the effects of planting locations and genetics (clonal proportions) on height-age and height-d.b.h. functions. Planting locations, which accounted for 5.6 percent of the variation in observed dominant height growth (p = 0.0001), were more important than clonal...

Contrasting plant height can improve the control of rain-borne diseases in wheat cultivar mixture: modelling splash dispersal in 3-D canopies.

PubMed

Vidal, T; Gigot, C; de Vallavieille-Pope, C; Huber, L; Saint-Jean, S

2018-06-08

Growing cultivars differing by their disease resistance level together (cultivar mixtures) can reduce the propagation of diseases. Although architectural characteristics of cultivars are little considered in mixture design, they could have an effect on disease, in particular through spore dispersal by rain splash, which occurs over short distances. The objective of this work was to assess the impact of plant height of wheat cultivars in mixtures on splash dispersal of Zymoseptoria tritici, which causes septoria tritici leaf blotch. We used a modelling approach involving an explicit description of canopy architecture and splash dispersal processes. The dispersal model computed raindrop interception by a virtual canopy as well as the production, transport and interception of splash droplets carrying inoculum. We designed 3-D virtual canopies composed of susceptible and resistant plants, according to field measurements at the flowering stage. In numerical experiments, we tested different heights of virtual cultivars making up binary mixtures to assess the influence of this architectural trait on dispersal patterns of spore-carrying droplets. Inoculum interception decreased exponentially with the height relative to the main inoculum source (lower diseased leaves of susceptible plants), and little inoculum was intercepted further than 40 cm above the inoculum source. Consequently, tall plants intercepted less inoculum than smaller ones. Plants with twice the standard height intercepted 33 % less inoculum than standard height plants. In cases when the height of suscpeptible plants was doubled, inoculum interception by resistant leaves was 40 % higher. This physical barrier to spore-carrying droplet trajectories reduced inoculum interception by tall susceptible plants and was modulated by plant height differences between cultivars of a binary mixture. These results suggest that mixture effects on spore dispersal could be modulated by an adequate choice of architectural

Ectopic expression of specific GA2 oxidase mutants promotes yield and stress tolerance in rice.

PubMed

Lo, Shuen-Fang; Ho, Tuan-Hua David; Liu, Yi-Lun; Jiang, Mirng-Jier; Hsieh, Kun-Ting; Chen, Ku-Ting; Yu, Lin-Chih; Lee, Miin-Huey; Chen, Chi-Yu; Huang, Tzu-Pi; Kojima, Mikiko; Sakakibara, Hitoshi; Chen, Liang-Jwu; Yu, Su-May

2017-07-01

A major challenge of modern agricultural biotechnology is the optimization of plant architecture for enhanced productivity, stress tolerance and water use efficiency (WUE). To optimize plant height and tillering that directly link to grain yield in cereals and are known to be tightly regulated by gibberellins (GAs), we attenuated the endogenous levels of GAs in rice via its degradation. GA 2-oxidase (GA2ox) is a key enzyme that inactivates endogenous GAs and their precursors. We identified three conserved domains in a unique class of C 20 GA2ox, GA2ox6, which is known to regulate the architecture and function of rice plants. We mutated nine specific amino acids in these conserved domains and observed a gradient of effects on plant height. Ectopic expression of some of these GA2ox6 mutants moderately lowered GA levels and reprogrammed transcriptional networks, leading to reduced plant height, more productive tillers, expanded root system, higher WUE and photosynthesis rate, and elevated abiotic and biotic stress tolerance in transgenic rice. Combinations of these beneficial traits conferred not only drought and disease tolerance but also increased grain yield by 10-30% in field trials. Our studies hold the promise of manipulating GA levels to substantially improve plant architecture, stress tolerance and grain yield in rice and possibly in other major crops. © 2016 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Material and methods to increase plant growth and yield

DOEpatents

Kirst, Matias

2015-09-15

The present invention relates to materials and methods for modulating growth rates, yield, and/or resistance to drought conditions in plants. In one embodiment, a method of the invention comprises increasing expression of an hc1 gene (or a homolog thereof that provides for substantially the same activity), or increasing expression or activity of the protein encoded by an hc1 gene thereof, in a plant, wherein expression of the hc1 gene or expression or activity of the protein encoded by an hc1 gene results in increased growth rate, yield, and/or drought resistance in the plant.

Materials and methods to increase plant growth and yield

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kirst, Matias

The present invention relates to materials and methods for modulating growth rates, yield, and/or resistance to drought conditions in plants. In one embodiment, a method of the invention comprises increasing expression of an hc1 gene (or a homolog thereof that provides for substantially the same activity), or increasing expression or activity of the protein encoded by an hc1 gene thereof, in a plant, wherein expression of the hc1 gene or expression or activity of the protein encoded by an hc1 gene results in increased growth rate, yield, and/or drought resistance in the plant.

Vermicompost Improves Tomato Yield and Quality and the Biochemical Properties of Soils with Different Tomato Planting History in a Greenhouse Study

PubMed Central

Wang, Xin-Xin; Zhao, Fengyan; Zhang, Guoxian; Zhang, Yongyong; Yang, Lijuan

2017-01-01

A greenhouse pot test was conducted to study the impacts of replacing mineral fertilizer with organic fertilizers for one full growing period on soil fertility, tomato yield and quality using soils with different tomato planting history. Four types of fertilization regimes were compared: (1) conventional fertilizer with urea, (2) chicken manure compost, (3) vermicompost, and (4) no fertilizer. The effects on plant growth, yield and fruit quality and soil properties (including microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, NH4+-N, NO3--N, soil water-soluble organic carbon, soil pH and electrical conductivity) were investigated in samples collected from the experimental soils at different tomato growth stages. The main results showed that: (1) vermicompost and chicken manure compost more effectively promoted plant growth, including stem diameter and plant height compared with other fertilizer treatments, in all three types of soil; (2) vermicompost improved fruit quality in each type of soil, and increased the sugar/acid ratio, and decreased nitrate concentration in fresh fruit compared with the CK treatment; (3) vermicompost led to greater improvements in fruit yield (74%), vitamin C (47%), and soluble sugar (71%) in soils with no tomato planting history compared with those in soils with long tomato planting history; and (4) vermicompost led to greater improvements in soil quality than chicken manure compost, including higher pH (averaged 7.37 vs. averaged 7.23) and lower soil electrical conductivity (averaged 204.1 vs. averaged 234.6 μS/cm) at the end of experiment in each type of soil. We conclude that vermicompost can be recommended as a fertilizer to improve tomato fruit quality and yield and soil quality, particularly for soils with no tomato planting history. PMID:29209343

Vermicompost Improves Tomato Yield and Quality and the Biochemical Properties of Soils with Different Tomato Planting History in a Greenhouse Study.

PubMed

Wang, Xin-Xin; Zhao, Fengyan; Zhang, Guoxian; Zhang, Yongyong; Yang, Lijuan

2017-01-01

A greenhouse pot test was conducted to study the impacts of replacing mineral fertilizer with organic fertilizers for one full growing period on soil fertility, tomato yield and quality using soils with different tomato planting history. Four types of fertilization regimes were compared: (1) conventional fertilizer with urea, (2) chicken manure compost, (3) vermicompost, and (4) no fertilizer. The effects on plant growth, yield and fruit quality and soil properties (including microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, [Formula: see text]-N, [Formula: see text]-N, soil water-soluble organic carbon, soil pH and electrical conductivity) were investigated in samples collected from the experimental soils at different tomato growth stages. The main results showed that: (1) vermicompost and chicken manure compost more effectively promoted plant growth, including stem diameter and plant height compared with other fertilizer treatments, in all three types of soil; (2) vermicompost improved fruit quality in each type of soil, and increased the sugar/acid ratio, and decreased nitrate concentration in fresh fruit compared with the CK treatment; (3) vermicompost led to greater improvements in fruit yield (74%), vitamin C (47%), and soluble sugar (71%) in soils with no tomato planting history compared with those in soils with long tomato planting history; and (4) vermicompost led to greater improvements in soil quality than chicken manure compost, including higher pH (averaged 7.37 vs. averaged 7.23) and lower soil electrical conductivity (averaged 204.1 vs. averaged 234.6 μS/cm) at the end of experiment in each type of soil. We conclude that vermicompost can be recommended as a fertilizer to improve tomato fruit quality and yield and soil quality, particularly for soils with no tomato planting history.

Evidence for competition and cooperation among climbing plants.

PubMed

Biernaskie, Jay M

2011-07-07

A plant's best strategy for acquiring resources may often depend on the identity of neighbours. Here, I ask whether plants adjust their strategy to local relatedness: individuals may cooperate (reduce competitiveness) with kin but compete relatively intensely with non-kin. In a greenhouse experiment with Ipomoea hederacea, neighbouring siblings from the same inbred line were relatively uniform in height; groups of mixed lines, however, were increasingly variable as their mean height increased. The reproductive yield of mixed and sibling groups was similar overall, but when adjusted to a common mean height and height inequality, the yield of mixed groups was significantly less. Where this difference in yield was most pronounced (among groups that varied most in height), mixed groups tended to allocate more mass to roots than comparable sibling groups, and overall, mixed groups produced significantly fewer seeds per unit mass of roots. These results suggest that, from the group perspective, non-kin may have wasted resources in below-ground competition at the expense of reproduction; kin groups, on the other hand, displayed the relative efficiency that is expected of reduced competitiveness.

Effects of Presowing Pulsed Electromagnetic Treatment of Tomato Seed on Growth, Yield, and Lycopene Content

PubMed Central

Efthimiadou, Aspasia; Katsenios, Nikolaos; Papastylianou, Panayiota; Triantafyllidis, Vassilios; Travlos, Ilias; Bilalis, Dimitrios J.

2014-01-01

The use of magnetic field as a presowing treatment has been adopted by researchers as a new environmental friendly technique. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of magnetic field exposure on tomato seeds covering a range of parameters such as transplanting percentage, plant height, shoot diameter, number of leaves per plant, fresh weight, dry weight, number of flowers, yield, and lycopene content. Pulsed electromagnetic field was used for 0, 5, 10, and 15 minutes as a presowing treatment of tomato seeds in a field experiment for two years. Papimi device (amplitude on the order of 12.5 mT) has been used. The use of pulsed electromagnetic field as a presowing treatment was found to enhance plant growth in tomato plants at certain duration of exposure. Magnetic field treatments and especially the exposure of 10 and 15 minutes gave the best results in all measurements, except plant height and lycopene content. Yield per plant was higher in magnetic field treatments, compared to control. MF-15 treatment yield was 80.93% higher than control treatment. Lycopene content was higher in magnetic field treatments, although values showed no statistically significant differences. PMID:25097875

A modern Green Revolution gene for reduced height in wheat.

PubMed

Würschum, Tobias; Langer, Simon M; Longin, C Friedrich H; Tucker, Matthew R; Leiser, Willmar L

2017-12-01

Increases in the yield of wheat during the Green Revolution of the late 20 th century were achieved through the introduction of Reduced height (Rht) dwarfing genes. The Rht-B1 and Rht-D1 loci ensured short stature by limiting the response to the growth-promoting hormone gibberellin, and are now widespread through international breeding programs. Despite this advantage, interference with the plant's response to gibberellin also triggers adverse effects for a range of important agronomic traits, and consequently modern Green Revolution genes are urgently required. In this study, we revisited the genetic control of wheat height using an association mapping approach and a large panel of 1110 worldwide winter wheat cultivars. This led to the identification of a major Rht locus on chromosome 6A, Rht24, which substantially reduces plant height alone as well as in combination with Rht-1b alleles. Remarkably, behind Rht-D1, Rht24 was the second most important locus for reduced height, explaining 15.0% of the genotypic variance and exerting an allele substitution effect of -8.8 cm. Unlike the two Rht-1b alleles, plants carrying Rht24 remain sensitive to gibberellic acid treatment. Rht24 appears in breeding programs from all countries of origin investigated, with increased frequency over the last decades, indicating that wheat breeders have actively selected for this locus. Taken together, this study reveals Rht24 as an important Rht gene of commercial relevance in worldwide wheat breeding. © 2017 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effect of empty fruit bunch to the accumulated plant height, mass of fresh and dry weight of tomato plant treated with organic and inorganic fertilizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elias, Aishah; Mutalib, Sahilah Abd.; Mustapha, Wan Aida Wan

2016-11-01

A glasshouse experiment was conducted to study the effect of different type of compost and fertilizers on the growth of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). The experiment consisted of sixteen treatments. Compost of Empty fruit bunch (EFB) and cow dung is mixed in the ratio of 3:2:1 (soil: compost: sand) and put into 25.4 mm2 polyethylene bag. Organic fertilizer of 10 ml were added twice a week, while inorganic fertilizer was applied at the rate of 3 g per polyethylene bag of soil three weeks after sowing. Treatment without fertilizer application was established as a control. The treatments were laid in a split-split plot design with three replications. Plant growth was assessed using accumulating plant height, fresh weight and dry weight. The application of organic plus inorganic fertilizer had significant effects on plant height. The application of organic fertilizer combination with cow dung gave significant difference to plant mass (fresh and dry). The data obtained from these treatments were significantly higher than the data obtained from the control (without fertilizer). In conclusion, the type of compost did not gave significant difference towards plant height while it only gave significant difference towards plant mass.

Relationship between QTL for grain shape, grain weight, test weight, milling yield, and plant height in the spring wheat cross RL4452/'AC Domain'.

PubMed

Cabral, Adrian L; Jordan, Mark C; Larson, Gary; Somers, Daryl J; Humphreys, D Gavin; McCartney, Curt A

2018-01-01

Kernel morphology characteristics of wheat are complex and quantitatively inherited. A doubled haploid (DH) population of the cross RL4452/'AC Domain' was used to study the genetic basis of seed shape. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses were conducted on a total of 18 traits: 14 grain shape traits, flour yield (Fyd), and three agronomic traits (Plant height [Plht], 1000 Grain weight [Gwt], Test weight [Twt]), using data from trial locations at Glenlea, Brandon, and Morden in Manitoba, Canada, between 1999 and 2004. Kernel shape was studied through digital image analysis with an Acurum® grain analyzer. Plht, Gwt, Twt, Fyd, and grain shape QTL were correlated with each other and QTL analysis revealed that QTL for these traits often mapped to the same genetic locations. The most significant QTL for the grain shape traits were located on chromosomes 4B and 4D, each accounting for up to 24.4% and 53.3% of the total phenotypic variation, respectively. In addition, the most significant QTL for Plht, Gwt, and Twt were all detected on chromosome 4D at the Rht-D1 locus. Rht-D1b decreased Plht, Gwt, Twt, and kernel width relative to the Rht-D1a allele. A narrow genetic interval on chromosome 4B contained significant QTL for grain shape, Gwt, and Plht. The 'AC Domain' allele reduced Plht, Gwt, kernel length and width traits, but had no detectable effect on Twt. The data indicated that this variation was inconsistent with segregation at Rht-B1. Numerous QTL were identified that control these traits in this population.

Class I TCP-DELLA interactions in inflorescence shoot apex determine plant height.

PubMed

Davière, Jean-Michel; Wild, Michael; Regnault, Thomas; Baumberger, Nicolas; Eisler, Herfried; Genschik, Pascal; Achard, Patrick

2014-08-18

Regulation of plant height, one of the most important agronomic traits, is the focus of intensive research for improving crop performance. Stem elongation takes place as a result of repeated cell divisions and subsequent elongation of cells produced by apical and intercalary meristems. The gibberellin (GA) phytohormones have long been known to control stem and internodal elongation by stimulating the degradation of nuclear growth-repressing DELLA proteins; however, the mechanism allowing GA-responsive growth is only slowly emerging. Here, we show that DELLAs directly regulate the activity of the plant-specific class I TCP transcription factor family, key regulators of cell proliferation. Our results demonstrate that class I TCP factors directly bind the promoters of core cell-cycle genes in Arabidopsis inflorescence shoot apices while DELLAs block TCP function by binding to their DNA-recognition domain. GAs antagonize such repression by promoting DELLA destruction and therefore cause a concomitant accumulation of TCP factors on promoters of cell-cycle genes. Consistent with this model, the quadruple mutant tcp8 tcp14 tcp15 tcp22 exhibits severe dwarfism and reduced responsiveness to GA action. Altogether, we conclude that GA-regulated DELLA-TCP interactions in inflorescence shoot apex provide a novel mechanism to control plant height. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gibberellin homeostasis and plant height control by EUI and a role for gibberellin in root gravity responses in rice.

PubMed

Zhang, Yingying; Zhu, Yongyou; Peng, Yu; Yan, Dawei; Li, Qun; Wang, Jianjun; Wang, Linyou; He, Zuhua

2008-03-01

The rice Eui (ELONGATED UPPERMOST INTERNODE) gene encodes a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase that deactivates bioactive gibberellins (GAs). In this study, we investigated controlled expression of the Eui gene and its role in plant development. We found that Eui was differentially induced by exogenous GAs and that the Eui promoter had the highest activity in the vascular bundles. The eui mutant was defective in starch granule development in root caps and Eui overexpression enhanced starch granule generation and gravity responses, revealing a role for GA in root starch granule development and gravity responses. Experiments using embryoless half-seeds revealed that RAmy1A and GAmyb were highly upregulated in eui aleurone cells in the absence of exogenous GA. In addition, the GA biosynthesis genes GA3ox1 and GA20ox2 were downregulated and GA2ox1 was upregulated in eui seedlings. These results indicate that EUI is involved in GA homeostasis, not only in the internodes at the heading stage, but also in the seedling stage, roots and seeds. Disturbing GA homeostasis affected the expression of the GA signaling genes GID1 (GIBBERELLIN INSENSITIVE DWARF 1), GID2 and SLR1. Transgenic RNA interference of the Eui gene effectively increased plant height and improved heading performance. By contrast, the ectopic expression of Eui under the promoters of the rice GA biosynthesis genes GA3ox2 and GA20ox2 significantly reduced plant height. These results demonstrate that a slight increase in Eui expression could dramatically change rice morphology, indicating the practical application of the Eui gene in rice molecular breeding for a high yield potential.

Quantitative trait locus analysis of heterosis for plant height and ear height in an elite maize hybrid zhengdan 958 by design III.

PubMed

Li, Hongjian; Yang, Qingsong; Fan, Nannan; Zhang, Ming; Zhai, Huijie; Ni, Zhongfu; Zhang, Yirong

2017-04-17

Plant height (PH) and ear height (EH) are two important agronomic traits in maize selection breeding. F 1 hybrid exhibit significant heterosis for PH and EH as compared to their parental inbred lines. To understand the genetic basis of heterosis controlling PH and EH, we conducted quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis using a recombinant inbreed line (RIL) based design III population derived from the elite maize hybrid Zhengdan 958 in five environments. A total of 14 environmentally stable QTLs were identified, and the number of QTLs for Z 1 and Z 2 populations was six and eight, respectively. Notably, all the eight environmentally stable QTLs for Z 2 were characterized by overdominance effect (OD), suggesting that overdominant QTLs were the most important contributors to heterosis for PH and EH. Furthermore, 14 environmentally stable QTLs were anchored on six genomic regions, among which four are trait-specific QTLs, suggesting that the genetic basis for PH and EH is partially different. Additionally, qPH.A-1.3, modifying about 10 centimeters of PH, was further validated in backcross populations. The genetic basis for PH and EH is partially different, and overdominant QTLs are important factors for heterosis of PH and EH. A major QTL qPH.A-1.3 may be a desired target for genetic improvement of maize plant height.

Plant community composition and vegetation height, Barrow, Alaska, Ver. 1

DOE Data Explorer

Siegrist, Julia; Norby, Richard; Sloan, Victoria; Iversen, Colleen; Brooks, Jonathan; Liebig, Jennifer; Wood, Sarah

2014-04-25

This dataset contains i) the results of field surveys of plant community composition and vegetation height made between 17th and 29th July 2012 in 48, 1 x 1 m plots located in areas A-D of Intensive Site 1 at the Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments (NGEE) Arctic site near Barrow, Alaska and ii) results of a mapping exercise undertaken in August 2013 using two perpendicular transects across each polygon containing vegetation plots to determine the boundaries of vegetation communities described in 2012.

The genetic architecture of maize height.

PubMed

Peiffer, Jason A; Romay, Maria C; Gore, Michael A; Flint-Garcia, Sherry A; Zhang, Zhiwu; Millard, Mark J; Gardner, Candice A C; McMullen, Michael D; Holland, James B; Bradbury, Peter J; Buckler, Edward S

2014-04-01

Height is one of the most heritable and easily measured traits in maize (Zea mays L.). Given a pedigree or estimates of the genomic identity-by-state among related plants, height is also accurately predictable. But, mapping alleles explaining natural variation in maize height remains a formidable challenge. To address this challenge, we measured the plant height, ear height, flowering time, and node counts of plants grown in >64,500 plots across 13 environments. These plots contained >7300 inbreds representing most publically available maize inbreds in the United States and families of the maize Nested Association Mapping (NAM) panel. Joint-linkage mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL), fine mapping in near isogenic lines (NILs), genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) were performed. The heritability of maize height was estimated to be >90%. Mapping NAM family-nested QTL revealed the largest explained 2.1 ± 0.9% of height variation. The effects of two tropical alleles at this QTL were independently validated by fine mapping in NIL families. Several significant associations found by GWAS colocalized with established height loci, including brassinosteroid-deficient dwarf1, dwarf plant1, and semi-dwarf2. GBLUP explained >80% of height variation in the panels and outperformed bootstrap aggregation of family-nested QTL models in evaluations of prediction accuracy. These results revealed maize height was under strong genetic control and had a highly polygenic genetic architecture. They also showed that multiple models of genetic architecture differing in polygenicity and effect sizes can plausibly explain a population's variation in maize height, but they may vary in predictive efficacy.

Chemometric investigation of light-shade effects on essential oil yield and morphology of Moroccan Myrtus communis L.

PubMed

Fadil, Mouhcine; Farah, Abdellah; Ihssane, Bouchaib; Haloui, Taoufik; Lebrazi, Sara; Zghari, Badreddine; Rachiq, Saâd

2016-01-01

To investigate the effect of environmental factors such as light and shade on essential oil yield and morphological traits of Moroccan Myrtus communis, a chemometric study was conducted on 20 individuals growing under two contrasting light environments. The study of individual's parameters by principal component analysis has shown that essential oil yield, altitude, and leaves thickness were positively correlated between them and negatively correlated with plants height, leaves length and leaves width. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis have also shown that the individuals of each sampling site were grouped separately. The one-way ANOVA test has confirmed the effect of light and shade on essential oil yield and morphological parameters by showing a statistically significant difference between them from the shaded side to the sunny one. Finally, the multiple linear model containing main, interaction and quadratic terms was chosen for the modeling of essential oil yield in terms of morphological parameters. Sun plants have a small height, small leaves length and width, but they are thicker and richer in essential oil than shade plants which have shown almost the opposite. The highlighted multiple linear model can be used to predict essential oil yield in the studied area.

Relationship between QTL for grain shape, grain weight, test weight, milling yield, and plant height in the spring wheat cross RL4452/‘AC Domain’

PubMed Central

Cabral, Adrian L.; Jordan, Mark C.; Larson, Gary; Somers, Daryl J.; Humphreys, D. Gavin

2018-01-01

Kernel morphology characteristics of wheat are complex and quantitatively inherited. A doubled haploid (DH) population of the cross RL4452/‘AC Domain’ was used to study the genetic basis of seed shape. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses were conducted on a total of 18 traits: 14 grain shape traits, flour yield (Fyd), and three agronomic traits (Plant height [Plht], 1000 Grain weight [Gwt], Test weight [Twt]), using data from trial locations at Glenlea, Brandon, and Morden in Manitoba, Canada, between 1999 and 2004. Kernel shape was studied through digital image analysis with an Acurum® grain analyzer. Plht, Gwt, Twt, Fyd, and grain shape QTL were correlated with each other and QTL analysis revealed that QTL for these traits often mapped to the same genetic locations. The most significant QTL for the grain shape traits were located on chromosomes 4B and 4D, each accounting for up to 24.4% and 53.3% of the total phenotypic variation, respectively. In addition, the most significant QTL for Plht, Gwt, and Twt were all detected on chromosome 4D at the Rht-D1 locus. Rht-D1b decreased Plht, Gwt, Twt, and kernel width relative to the Rht-D1a allele. A narrow genetic interval on chromosome 4B contained significant QTL for grain shape, Gwt, and Plht. The ‘AC Domain’ allele reduced Plht, Gwt, kernel length and width traits, but had no detectable effect on Twt. The data indicated that this variation was inconsistent with segregation at Rht-B1. Numerous QTL were identified that control these traits in this population. PMID:29357369

Genetic Parameters And Selection Response For Yield Traits In Bread Wheat Under Irrigated And Rainfed Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khalil, Iftikhar Hussain; at-ur-Rahman, Hiday; Khan, Imran

2008-01-01

A set of 22 F5:7 experimental wheat lines along with four check cultivars (Dera-98, Fakhr-e-Sarhad, Ghaznavi-98 and Tatara) were evaluated as independent experiments under irrigated and rainfed environments using a randomized complete block design at NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar during 2004-05. The two environments were statistically different for days to heading and spike length only. Highly significant genetic variability existed among the wheat lines (P<0.01) in the combined analysis across environments for all traits. Genotype×environment interactions were non-significant for all traits except 1000-grain weight indicating consistent performance of wheat genotypes across the two environments. Wheat lines and check cultivars were 2 to 5 days early in heading under rainfed environment compared to the irrigated. Plant height, spike length, 1000-grain weight, biological and grain yields were generally reduced under rainfed environment. Genetic variances were of greater magnitude than environmental variances for most of the traits in both environments. The heritability estimates were of higher magnitude (0.74 to 0.96) for days to heading, plant height, spike length, biological and grain yield, while medium (0.31 to 0.51) for 1000-grain weight. Selection differentials were negative for heading (-7.3 days in irrigated vs -9.4 days in rainfed) and plant height (-9.0 cm in irrigated vs -8.7 cm in rainfed) indicating possibility of selecting wheat genotypes with early heading and short plant stature. Positive selection differentials of 1.3 vs 1.6 cm for spike length, 3.8 vs 3.4 g for 1000-grain weight, 2488.2 vs 3139.7 kg ha-1 for biological yield and 691.6 vs 565.4 kg ha-1 for grain yield at 20% selection intensity were observed under irrigated and rainfed environments, respectively. Expected selection responses were 7.98 vs 8.91 days for heading, 8.20 vs 9.52 cm for plant height, 1.01 vs 1.61 cm for spike length, 2.12 vs 1.15 g for 1000-grain weight, 1655

Pretreatment of Cr(VI)-amended soil with chromate-reducing rhizobacteria decreases plant toxicity and increases the yield of Pisum sativum.

PubMed

Soni, Sumit K; Singh, Rakshapal; Singh, Mangal; Awasthi, Ashutosh; Wasnik, Kundan; Kalra, Alok

2014-05-01

Pot culture experiments were performed under controlled greenhouse conditions to investigate whether four Cr(VI)-reducing bacterial strains (SUCR44, SUCR140, SUCR186, and SUCR188) were able to decrease Cr toxicity to Pisum sativum plants in artificially Cr(VI)-contaminated soil. The effect of pretreatment of soil with chromate-reducing bacteria on plant growth, chromate uptake, bioaccumulation, nodulation, and population of Rhizobium was found to be directly influenced by the time interval between bacterial treatment and seed sowing. Pretreatment of soil with SUCR140 (Microbacterium sp.) 15 days before sowing (T+15) showed a maximum increase in growth and biomass in terms of root length (93 %), plant height (94 %), dry root biomass (99 %), and dry shoot biomass (99 %). Coinoculation of Rhizobium with SUCR140 further improved the aforementioned parameter. Compared with the control, coinoculation of SUCR140+R showed a 117, 116, 136, and 128 % increase, respectively, in root length, plant height, dry root biomass, and dry shoot biomass. The bioavailability of Cr(VI) decreased significantly in soil (61 %) and in uptake (36 %) in SUCR140-treated plants; the effects of Rhizobium, however, either alone or in the presence of SUCR140, were not significant. The populations of Rhizobium (126 %) in soil and nodulation (146 %) in P. sativum improved in the presence of SUCR140 resulting in greater nitrogen (54 %) concentration in the plants. This study shows the usefulness of efficient Cr(VI)-reducing bacterial strain SUCR140 in improving yields probably through decreased Cr toxicity and improved symbiotic relationship of the plants with Rhizobium. Further decrease in the translocation of Cr(VI) through improved nodulation by Rhizobium in the presence of efficient Cr-reducing bacterial strains could also decrease the accumulation of Cr in shoots.

Effects of Sludge Compost on EC value of Saline Soil and Plant Height of Medicago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Chongyang; Zhao, Ke; Chen, Xing; Wang, Xiaohui

2017-12-01

In this study, the effects of sludge composting on the EC value of saline soil and the response to Medicago plant height were studied by planting Medicago with pots for 45 days in different proportions as sludge composting with saline soil. The results showed that the EC value of saline soil did not change obviously with the increase of fertilization ratio,which indicated that the EC value of saline soil was close to that of the original soil. The EC decreased by 31.45% at fertilization ratio of 40%. The height of Medicago reached the highest at 40% fertilization ratio, and that was close to 60% fertilization ratio, and the difference was significant with other treatments. By comprehensive analyse and compare,the optimum application rate of sludge compost was 40% under this test condition.

Reduced Height (Rht) Alleles Affect Wheat Grain Quality.

PubMed

Casebow, Richard; Hadley, Caroline; Uppal, Rajneet; Addisu, Molla; Loddo, Stefano; Kowalski, Ania; Griffiths, Simon; Gooding, Mike

2016-01-01

The effects of dwarfing alleles (reduced height, Rht) in near isogenic lines on wheat grain quality are characterised in field experiments and related to effects on crop height, grain yield and GA-sensitivity. Alleles included those that conferred GA-insensitivity (Rht-B1b, Rht-B1c, Rht-D1b, Rht-D1c) as well as those that retained GA-sensitivity (rht(tall), Rht8, Rht8 + Ppd-D1a, Rht12). Full characterisation was facilitated by including factors with which the effects of Rht alleles are known to interact for grain yield (i.e. system, [conventional or organic]; tillage intensity [plough-based, minimum or zero]; nitrogen fertilizer level [0-450 kg N/ha]; and genetic backgrounds varying in height [cvs Maris Huntsman, Maris Widgeon, and Mercia]. Allele effects on mean grain weight and grain specific weight were positively associated with final crop height: dwarfing reduced these quality criteria irrespective of crop management or GA-sensitivity. In all but two experiments the effects of dwarfing alleles on grain nitrogen and sulphur concentrations were closely and negatively related to effects on grain yield, e.g. a quadratic relationship between grain yield and crop height manipulated by the GA-insensitive alleles was mirrored by quadratic relationships for nitrogen and sulphur concentrations: the highest yields and most dilute concentrations occurred around 80cm. In one of the two exceptional experiments the GA-insensitive Rht-B1b and Rht-B1c significantly (P<0.05) reduced grain nitrogen concentration in the absence of an effect on yield, and in the remaining experiment the GA-sensitive Rht8 significantly reduced both grain yield and grain nitrogen concentration simultaneously. When Rht alleles diluted grain nitrogen concentration, N:S ratios and SDS-sedimentation volumes were often improved. Hagberg falling number (HFN) was negatively related to crop height but benefits from dwarfing were only seen for GA-insensitive alleles. For HFN, therefore, there was the

Interactions of viruses in Cowpea: effects on growth and yield parameters

PubMed Central

Kareem, KT; Taiwo, MA

2007-01-01

The study was carried out to investigate the effects of inoculating three cowpea cultivars: "OLO II", "OLOYIN" and IT86D-719 with three unrelated viruses: Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV), genus Potyvirus, Cowpea mottle virus (CMeV), genus Carmovirus and Southern bean mosaic virus (SBMV), genus Sobemovirus singly and in mixture on growth and yield of cultivars at 10 and 30 days after planting (DAP). Generally, the growth and yield of the buffer inoculated control plants were significantly higher than those of the virus inoculated plants. Inoculation of plants at an early age of 10 DAP resulted in more severe effect than inoculations at a later stage of 30 DAP. The average values of plant height and number of leaves produced by plants inoculated 30 DAP were higher than those produced by plants inoculated 10 DAP. Most of the plants inoculated 10 DAP died and did not produce seeds. However, " OLOYIN" cultivar was most tolerant and produced reasonable yields when infected 30 DAP. The effect of single viruses on growth and yield of cultivars showed that CABMV caused more severe effects in IT86D-719, SBMV had the greatest effect on "OLO II" while CMeV induced the greatest effect on "OLOYIN". Yield was greatly reduced in double infections involving CABMV in combination with either CMeV or SBMV in "OLOYIN" and "OLO II", however, there was complete loss in yield of IT86D-719. Triple infection led to complete yield loss in all the three cultivars. PMID:17286870

Natural genetic variation for morphological and molecular determinants of plant growth and yield.

PubMed

Nunes-Nesi, Adriano; Nascimento, Vitor de Laia; de Oliveira Silva, Franklin Magnum; Zsögön, Agustin; Araújo, Wagner L; Sulpice, Ronan

2016-05-01

The rates of increase in yield of the main commercial crops have been steadily falling in many areas worldwide. This generates concerns because there is a growing demand for plant biomass due to the increasing population. Plant yield should thus be improved in the context of climate change and decreasing natural resources. It is a major challenge which could be tackled by improving and/or altering light-use efficiency, CO2 uptake and fixation, primary metabolism, plant architecture and leaf morphology, and developmental plant processes. In this review, we discuss some of the traits which could lead to yield increase, with a focus on how natural genetic variation could be harnessed. Moreover, we provide insights for advancing our understanding of the molecular aspects governing plant growth and yield, and propose future avenues for improvement of crop yield. We also suggest that knowledge accumulated over the last decade in the field of molecular physiology should be integrated into new ideotypes. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Effects of nettle slurry (Urtica dioica L.) used as foliar fertilizer on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) yield and plant growth

PubMed Central

Raigón, María Dolores; Marques, Olmo; Ferriol, María; Royo, Jorge

2018-01-01

Organic agriculture is becoming increasingly important, and many natural products are now available for organic farmers to manage and improve their crops. Several ethnobotanical studies have indicated that the use of nettle slurry as fertilizer in organic farming for horticultural crops is spreading. Sometimes, however, the consequences of using these natural products have been poorly evaluated, and there is very little scientific evidence for the effects of using these slurries. In this study, we aimed to analyze the possible effect of nettle slurry on potato yields produced by organic farming. To achieve this main objective, we assessed the effect of nettle slurry on potato yields, plant size and growth parameters, chlorophyll content, and the presence of pests and diseases. Different slurry doses were assessed in 36 plots and nine variables were measured during the crop cycle. Under these field experimental conditions, nettle slurry (including one treatment with Urtica in combination with Equisetum) had no significant effects on yield, chlorophyll content, or the presence of pests and diseases in organic potato crops. The highest chlorophyll content was found in the double dose treatment, but the difference was not significant. This result, together with a small improvement in plant height with the double dose treatment, might indicate very slight crop enhancement which, under our experimental conditions, was not enough to improve yield. The Urtica and Equisetum slurry chemical analyses showed very low levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. PMID:29761049

Model of Yield Response of Corn to Plant Population and Absorption of Solar Energy

PubMed Central

Overman, Allen R.; Scholtz, Richard V.

2011-01-01

Biomass yield of agronomic crops is influenced by a number of factors, including crop species, soil type, applied nutrients, water availability, and plant population. This article is focused on dependence of biomass yield (Mg ha−1 and g plant−1) on plant population (plants m−2). Analysis includes data from the literature for three independent studies with the warm-season annual corn (Zea mays L.) grown in the United States. Data are analyzed with a simple exponential mathematical model which contains two parameters, viz. Ym (Mg ha−1) for maximum yield at high plant population and c (m2 plant−1) for the population response coefficient. This analysis leads to a new parameter called characteristic plant population, xc = 1/c (plants m−2). The model is shown to describe the data rather well for the three field studies. In one study measurements were made of solar radiation at different positions in the plant canopy. The coefficient of absorption of solar energy was assumed to be the same as c and provided a physical basis for the exponential model. The three studies showed no definitive peak in yield with plant population, but generally exhibited asymptotic approach to maximum yield with increased plant population. Values of xc were very similar for the three field studies with the same crop species. PMID:21297960

Pulsed magnetic field: a contemporary approach offers to enhance plant growth and yield of soybean.

PubMed

Radhakrishnan, Ramalingam; Ranjitha Kumari, Bollipo Diana

2012-02-01

The possible involvement of pulsed magnetic field (PMF) pretreatment in development and yield of soybean was investigated. Seeds were subjected to 20 days with 1500 nT at 10.0 Hz of PMF for 5 h per day. PMF pretreatment increased the plant height, fresh and dry weight, and protein content with the changes of protein profile in 8 days old seedlings. In addition, activity of enzymes such as β-amylase, acid phosphatase, polyphenol oxidase and catalase was enhanced while α-amylase, alkaline phosphatase, protease and nitrate reductase activities declined due to PMF exposure. However, a considerable increment of Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Mg, K and Na contents with reduced level of Ca was found in PMF treated seedlings. The number of leaves, pods, seeds and length of pods, and weight of seeds were also remarkably higher in PMF treatment in contrast to controls. The results suggest that pretreatment of PMF plays important roles in improvement of crop productivity of soybean through the enhancement of protein, mineral accumulation and enzyme activities which leads to increase the growth and yield. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Dissection of genetic architecture of rice plant height and heading date by multiple-strategy-based association studies

PubMed Central

Zhou, Liyuan; Liu, Shouye; Wu, Weixun; Chen, Daibo; Zhan, Xiaodeng; Zhu, Aike; Zhang, Yingxin; Cheng, Shihua; Cao, Liyong; Lou, Xiangyang; Xu, Haiming

2016-01-01

Xieyou9308 is a certified super hybrid rice cultivar with a high grain yield. To investigate its underlying genetic basis of high yield potential, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from the cross between the maintainer line XieqingzaoB (XQZB) and the restorer line Zhonghui9308 (ZH9308) was constructed for identification of quantitative trait SNPs (QTSs) associated with two important agronomic traits, plant height (PH) and heading date (HD). By re-sequencing of 138 recombinant inbred lines (RILs), a total of ~0.7 million SNPs were identified for the association studies on the PH and HD. Three association mapping strategies (including hypothesis-free genome-wide association and its two complementary hypothesis-engaged ones, QTL-based association and gene-based association) were adopted for data analysis. Using a saturated mixed linear model including epistasis and environmental interaction, we identified a total of 31 QTSs associated with either the PH or the HD. The total estimated heritability across three analyses ranged from 37.22% to 45.63% and from 37.53% to 55.96% for the PH and HD, respectively. In this study we examined the feasibility of association studies in an experimental population (RIL) and identified several common loci through multiple strategies which could be preferred candidates for further research. PMID:27406081

Chemical intervention in plant sugar signalling increases yield and resilience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffiths, Cara A.; Sagar, Ram; Geng, Yiqun; Primavesi, Lucia F.; Patel, Mitul K.; Passarelli, Melissa K.; Gilmore, Ian S.; Steven, Rory T.; Bunch, Josephine; Paul, Matthew J.; Davis, Benjamin G.

2016-12-01

The pressing global issue of food insecurity due to population growth, diminishing land and variable climate can only be addressed in agriculture by improving both maximum crop yield potential and resilience. Genetic modification is one potential solution, but has yet to achieve worldwide acceptance, particularly for crops such as wheat. Trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P), a central sugar signal in plants, regulates sucrose use and allocation, underpinning crop growth and development. Here we show that application of a chemical intervention strategy directly modulates T6P levels in planta. Plant-permeable analogues of T6P were designed and constructed based on a ‘signalling-precursor’ concept for permeability, ready uptake and sunlight-triggered release of T6P in planta. We show that chemical intervention in a potent sugar signal increases grain yield, whereas application to vegetative tissue improves recovery and resurrection from drought. This technology offers a means to combine increases in yield with crop stress resilience. Given the generality of the T6P pathway in plants and other small-molecule signals in biology, these studies suggest that suitable synthetic exogenous small-molecule signal precursors can be used to directly enhance plant performance and perhaps other organism function.

Five-Year-Old Cottonwood Plantation on a Clay Site: Growth, Yield, and Soil Properties

Treesearch

R. M. Krinard; H. E. Kennedy

1980-01-01

A random sample of Stoneville select cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr.) clones planted on recent old-field clay soils at 12- by 12- foot spacing averaged 75-percent survival after five years. The growth and yield was about half that expected from planted cottonwood on medium-textured soils. Soil moisture analysis showed more height growth in years...

Maximizing plant density affects broccoli yield and quality

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Increased demand for fresh market bunch broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) has led to increased production along the United States east coast. Maximizing broccoli yields is a primary concern for quickly expanding southeastern commercial markets. This broccoli plant density study was carr...

Observing Crop-Height Dynamics Using a UAV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziliani, M. G.; Parkes, S. D.; McCabe, M.

2017-12-01

Retrieval of vegetation height during a growing season is a key indicator for monitoring crop status, offering insight to the forecast yield relative to previous planting cycles. Improvement in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technologies, supported by advances in computer vision and photogrammetry software, has enabled retrieval of crop heights with much higher spatial resolution and coverage. These methodologies retrieve a Digital Surface Map (DSM), which combine terrain and crop elements to obtain a Crop Surface Map (CSM). Here we describe an automated method for deriving high resolution CSMs from a DSM, using RGB imagery from a UAV platform. Importantly, the approach does not require the need for a digital terrain map (DTM). The method involves distinguishing between vegetation and bare-ground cover pixels, using vegetation index maps from the RGB orthomosaic derived from the same flight as the DSM. We show that the absolute crop height can be extracted to within several centimeters, exploiting the data captured from a single UAV flight. In addition, the method is applied across five surveys during a maize growing cycle and compared against a terrain map constructed from a baseline UAV survey undertaken prior to crop growth. Results show that the approach is able to reproduce the observed spatial variability of the crop height within the maize field throughout the duration of the growing season. This is particularly valuable since it may be employed to detect intra-field problems (i.e. fertilizer variability, inefficiency in the irrigation system, salinity etc.) at different stages of the season, from which remedial action can be initiated to mitigate against yield loss. The method also demonstrates that UAV imagery combined with commercial photogrammetry software can determine a CSM from a single flight without the requirement of a prior DTM. This, together with the dynamic crop height estimation, provide useful information with which to inform precision

The Genetic Architecture of Barley Plant Stature

PubMed Central

Alqudah, Ahmad M.; Koppolu, Ravi; Wolde, Gizaw M.; Graner, Andreas; Schnurbusch, Thorsten

2016-01-01

Plant stature in temperate cereals is predominantly controlled by tillering and plant height as complex agronomic traits, representing important determinants of grain yield. This study was designed to reveal the genetic basis of tillering at five developmental stages and plant height at harvest in 218 worldwide spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) accessions under greenhouse conditions. The accessions were structured based on row-type classes [two- vs. six-rowed] and photoperiod response [photoperiod-sensitive (Ppd-H1) vs. reduced photoperiod sensitivity (ppd-H1)]. Phenotypic analyses of both factors revealed profound between group effects on tiller development. To further verify the row-type effect on the studied traits, Six-rowed spike 1 (vrs1) mutants and their two-rowed progenitors were examined for tiller number per plant and plant height. Here, wild-type (Vrs1) plants were significantly taller and had more tillers than mutants suggesting a negative pleiotropic effect of this row-type locus on both traits. Our genome-wide association scans further revealed highly significant associations, thereby establishing a link between the genetic control of row-type, heading time, tillering, and plant height. We further show that associations for tillering and plant height are co-localized with chromosomal segments harboring known plant stature-related phytohormone and sugar-related genes. This work demonstrates the feasibility of the GWAS approach for identifying putative candidate genes for improving plant architecture. PMID:27446200

Improvement of plant growth and seed yield in Jatropha curcas by a novel nitrogen-fixing root associated Enterobacter species

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Jatropha curcas L. is an oil seed producing non-leguminous tropical shrub that has good potential to be a fuel plant that can be cultivated on marginal land. Due to the low nutrient content of the targeted plantation area, the requirement for fertilizer is expected to be higher than other plants. This factor severely affects the commercial viability of J. curcas. Results We explored the feasibility to use endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria that are native to J. curcas to improve plant growth, biomass and seed productivity. We demonstrated that a novel N-fixing endophyte, Enterobacter sp. R4-368, was able to colonize in root and stem tissues and significantly promoted early plant growth and seed productivity of J. curcas in sterilized and non-sterilized soil. Inoculation of young seedling led to an approximately 57.2% increase in seedling vigour over a six week period. At 90 days after planting, inoculated plants showed an average increase of 25.3%, 77.7%, 27.5%, 45.8% in plant height, leaf number, chlorophyll content and stem volume, respectively. Notably, inoculation of the strain led to a 49.0% increase in the average seed number per plant and 20% increase in the average single seed weight when plants were maintained for 1.5 years in non-sterilized soil in pots in the open air. Enterobacter sp. R4-368 cells were able to colonize root tissues and moved systemically to stem tissues. However, no bacteria were found in leaves. Promotion of plant growth and leaf nitrogen content by the strain was partially lost in nifH, nifD, nifK knockout mutants, suggesting the presence of other growth promoting factors that are associated with this bacterium strain. Conclusion Our results showed that Enterobacter sp. R4-368 significantly promoted growth and seed yield of J. curcas. The application of the strains is likely to significantly improve the commercial viability of J. curcas due to the reduced fertilizer cost and improved oil yield. PMID:24083555

Genetic architecture, inter-relationship and selection criteria for yield improvement in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

PubMed

Yadav, S K; Pandey, P; Kumar, B; Suresh, B G

2011-05-01

This study has been conducted to determine the extent of genetic association between yield of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) and its components. The present experiment was carried out with 40 Rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes which were evaluated in a randomized block design with 3 replications during wet season of 2007 and 2008. Results showed that sufficient amount of variability was found in the entire gene pool for all traits studied. Higher magnitude of genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation was recorded for seed yield, harvest index, biological yield, number of spikelets per panicle, flag leaf length, plant height and number of tillers indicates that these characters are least influence by environment. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as percent of mean was registered for seed yield, harvest index, number of spikelets per panicle, biological yield and flag leaf length, suggesting preponderance of additive gene action in the expression of these characters. Grain yield was significantly and positively associated with harvest index, number of tillers per hill, number of panicle per plant, panicle length, number of spikelet's per panicle and test weight at both genotypic and phenotypic levels. Path coefficient analysis revealed that harvest index, biological yield, number of tillers per hill, panicle length, number of spikelets per panicle, plant height and test weight had direct positive effect on seed yield, indicating these are the main contributors to yield. From this study it may be concluded that harvest index, number of tillers per hill, panicle length and number of spikelet per panicle and test weight are the most important characters that contributed directly to yield. Thus, these characters may serve selection criteria for improving genetic potential of rice.

Interrelationship and path coefficient analysis of yield components in F4 progenies of tef (Eragrostis tef).

PubMed

Debebe, Abel; Singh, Harijat; Tefera, Hailu

2014-01-01

This experiment was conducted at Debre Zeit and Akaki during 2004-2005 cropping season on F2-derived F4 bulk families of three crosses, viz, DZ-01-974 x DZ-01-2786, DZ-01-974 x DZ-Cr-37 and Alba x Kaye Murri. To estimate the correlations and path coefficients between yield and yield components, 63 F4 families were taken randomly from each of the three crosses. The 189 F4 families, five parents and two checks were space planted following in 14 x 14 simple lattice design. Study of associations among traits indicated that yield was positively associated with shoot biomass, harvest index, lodging index and panicle kernel weight at phenotypic level at Debre Zeit. At Akaki, yield had significant positive correlation with shoot biomass, harvest index, plant height, panicle length and panicle weight. At genotypic level, grain yield per plot exhibited positive association with harvest index, shoot biomass, lodging index and panicle kernel weight at Debre Zeit. By contrast, days to heading, days to maturity, plant height and panicle length showed negative association with yield. At Akaki, kernel yield per plot was positively correlated at genotypic level with all the traits considered where lodging index had the highest correlation followed by shoot biomass, panicle kernel weight and harvest index. Path coefficient analysis at both phenotypic and genotypic levels for both the locations suggested those shoot biomass and harvest indexes are the two important yield determining traits. These two traits might be useful in indirect selection for yield improvement in the material generated from the three crosses under consideration.

Drip irrigation management in different chufa planting strategies: yield and irrigation water use efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pascual-Seva, Nuria; San Bautista, Alberto; López-Galarza, Salvador; Maroto, José Vicente; Pascual, Bernardo

2013-04-01

In a study presented in the EGU assembly 2012, it was analysed how yield and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) in chufa (Cyperus esculentus L. var. sativus), crop, were affected by planting strategy (ridges and flat raised beds, with two and three plant rows along them) and irrigation system [furrow (FI) and drip irrigation (DI)]. Each irrigation session started when the Volumetric Soil Water Content (VSWC) in ridges dropped to 80% of field capacity; beds were irrigated simultaneously with ridges and with the same irrigation duration. R produced lower yield than the two types of beds, and yields in DI were higher than those FI. Ridges led to the highest IWUE with DI, and to the lowest with FI. Then, it was decided to analyse, in DI, how yield and IWUE responded to start each irrigation session when the VSWC in the central point of different planting strategies [ridges (R), and flat raised beds with two (b) and three (B) plant rows along them] dropped to 80% of field capacity. In R and b, plants were irrigated by a single dripline per plant row, while in B two irrigation layouts were assayed: a single dripline per plant row (B3) and two driplines per bed (B2), placing each dripline between two planting rows. Irrigation session stop was also automated as a function of the VSWC. Results show that yield was affected (P˜0.01) by planting strategy; the greatest yield was obtained in b (2.4 kgm-2), differing (P˜0.05) from that obtained in R (2.1 kgm-2), with intermediate yields in B2 (2.3 kgm-2) and B3 (2.3 kgm-2). Yield was not affected (P˜0.05) by the utilisation of two or three driplines in B. Considerably less irrigation water was applied (IWA) in R (376 mm) than in B3 (465 mm), B2 (475 mm) and b (502 mm). This automatic irrigation management, as a function of the VSWC in each planting strategy, lead to adjust the IWA to the plant water requirements, which were similar in all three flat raised beds, since they correspond to the same planting density, that was

Reduced Height (Rht) Alleles Affect Wheat Grain Quality

PubMed Central

Casebow, Richard; Hadley, Caroline; Uppal, Rajneet; Addisu, Molla; Loddo, Stefano; Kowalski, Ania; Griffiths, Simon; Gooding, Mike

2016-01-01

The effects of dwarfing alleles (reduced height, Rht) in near isogenic lines on wheat grain quality are characterised in field experiments and related to effects on crop height, grain yield and GA-sensitivity. Alleles included those that conferred GA-insensitivity (Rht-B1b, Rht-B1c, Rht-D1b, Rht-D1c) as well as those that retained GA-sensitivity (rht(tall), Rht8, Rht8 + Ppd-D1a, Rht12). Full characterisation was facilitated by including factors with which the effects of Rht alleles are known to interact for grain yield (i.e. system, [conventional or organic]; tillage intensity [plough-based, minimum or zero]; nitrogen fertilizer level [0–450 kg N/ha]; and genetic backgrounds varying in height [cvs Maris Huntsman, Maris Widgeon, and Mercia]. Allele effects on mean grain weight and grain specific weight were positively associated with final crop height: dwarfing reduced these quality criteria irrespective of crop management or GA-sensitivity. In all but two experiments the effects of dwarfing alleles on grain nitrogen and sulphur concentrations were closely and negatively related to effects on grain yield, e.g. a quadratic relationship between grain yield and crop height manipulated by the GA-insensitive alleles was mirrored by quadratic relationships for nitrogen and sulphur concentrations: the highest yields and most dilute concentrations occurred around 80cm. In one of the two exceptional experiments the GA-insensitive Rht-B1b and Rht-B1c significantly (P<0.05) reduced grain nitrogen concentration in the absence of an effect on yield, and in the remaining experiment the GA-sensitive Rht8 significantly reduced both grain yield and grain nitrogen concentration simultaneously. When Rht alleles diluted grain nitrogen concentration, N:S ratios and SDS-sedimentation volumes were often improved. Hagberg falling number (HFN) was negatively related to crop height but benefits from dwarfing were only seen for GA-insensitive alleles. For HFN, therefore, there was the

Plant height revertants of Dominant Semidwarf mutant rice created by low-energy ion irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Binmei; Wu, Yuejin; Xu, Xue; Song, M.; Zhao, M.; Fu, X. D.

2008-04-01

Dominant Semidwarf mutant rice (Sdd) was obtained from its wild type (WT) by irradiation with a low-energy ion beam. Six tall revertants of Sdd were induced by irradiation. The revertants restored the plant height to that of WT plants. Investigation of the agronomic character and genetic analysis indicate that the revertants are similar to WT plants with putative different inherited mutations. The revertants were checked for DNA differences using the simple sequence repeat technique. Among 408 such primers used, only 2 primers detected mutation sites in the revertants, which provided the molecular evidence for the revertants induced from Sdd. This study indicates that ion irradiation may be used as a mutagen to create revertants for plant architecture studies and could be a new application.

Plant density-dependent variations in bioactive markers and root yield in Australian-grown Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge.

PubMed

Li, Chun Guang; Sheng, Shu Jun; Pang, Edwin C K; May, Brian; Xue, Charlie Chang Li

2011-04-01

The plant density-dependent variations in the root yield and content, and the yield of biomarkers in Australian grown Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, a commonly used Chinese medicinal herb for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, were investigated in a field trial involving six different plant densities. The key biomarker compounds cryptotanshinone, tanshinone I, tanshinone IIA, and salvianolic acid B were quantified by a validated RP-HPLC method, and the root yields were determined per plant pair or unit area. There were significant variations (p<0.05) in the root yields and contents and the yields of the biomarkers between the different plant densities. Positive linear correlations were observed between the contents of the three tanshinones, whereas negative linear correlations were revealed between the contents of the tanshinones and salvianolic acid B. The highest root yield per plant pair was achieved when the plants were grown at 45×30 cm or 45×40 cm, whereas the highest root production par unit area was obtained for a plant density of 30×30 cm. The highest contents of the three tanshinones and the most abundant production of these tanshinones per unit area were achieved when the plants were grown at 30×30 cm. However, the highest content of salvianolic acid B was found for a density of 45×40 cm, while its highest yield per unit area was obtained for densities of 30×40 cm or 45×30 cm. The findings suggest that the plant density distinctly affects the root yield and content and the yield of tanshinones and salvianolic acid B in Australian grown S. miltiorrhiza, which may be used as a guide for developing optimal agricultural procedures for cultivating this herb. Copyright © 2011 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG, Zürich.

Genome-Wide Association of Rice Blast Disease Resistance and Yield-Related Components of Rice.

PubMed

Wang, Xueyan; Jia, Melissa H; Ghai, Pooja; Lee, Fleet N; Jia, Yulin

2015-12-01

Robust disease resistance may require an expenditure of energy that may limit crop yield potential. In the present study, a subset of a United States Department of Agriculture rice core collection consisting of 151 accessions was selected using a major blast resistance (R) gene, Pi-ta, marker and was genotyped with 156 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Disease reactions to Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast disease, were evaluated under greenhouse and field conditions, and heading date, plant height, paddy and brown seed weight in two field environments were analyzed, using an association mapping approach. A total of 21 SSR markers distributed among rice chromosomes 2 to 12 were associated with blast resistance, and 16 SSR markers were associated with seed weight, heading date, and plant height. Most noticeably, shorter plants were significantly correlated with resistance to blast, rice genomes with Pi-ta were associated with lighter seed weights, and the susceptible alleles of RM171 and RM6544 were associated with heavier seed weight. These findings unraveled a complex relationship between disease resistance and yield-related components.

Yield Tables and Stand Structure For Loblolly Pine Plantations In Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia Highlands

Treesearch

Glendon W. Smalley; Robert L. Bailey

1974-01-01

Detailed schedules of trees per acre, basal area, mean tree height, and cubic-foot yields in eight volume categories by l-inch diameter classes are presented for all combinations of four site indexes, seven ages from seed, and nine planting densities.

Effect of salt stress on morpho-physiology, vegetative growth and yield of rice.

PubMed

Hakim, M A; Juraimi, Abdul Shukor; Hanafi, M M; Ali, E; Ismail, Mohd Razi; Selamat, Ahmed; Karim, S M Rezaul

2014-03-01

Selection of salt tolerant rice varieties has a huge impact on global food supply chain. Five Malaysian rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties, MR33, MR52, MR211, MR219 and MR232 were tested in pot experiment under different salinity levels for their response in term of vegetative growth, physiological activities, development of yield components and grain yield. Rice varieties, BRRI dhan29 and IR20 were used as a salt-sensitive control and Pokkali was used as a salt-tolerant control. Three different salinity levels viz. 4, 8, and 12 dS m(-1) were used in a randomized complete block design with four replications under glass house conditions. Two Malaysia varieties, MR211 and MR232 performed better in terms of vegetative growth (plant height, leaf area plant(-1), number of tillers plant(-1), dry matter accumulation plant(-1)), photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, yield components, grain yield and injury symptoms. While, MR33, MR52 and MR219 verities were able to withstand salinity stress over salt-sensitive control, BRRI dhan29 and IR20.

GWAS for plant growth stages and yield components in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) harvested in three regions of Kazakhstan.

PubMed

Turuspekov, Yerlan; Baibulatova, Aida; Yermekbayev, Kanat; Tokhetova, Laura; Chudinov, Vladimir; Sereda, Grigoriy; Ganal, Martin; Griffiths, Simon; Abugalieva, Saule

2017-11-14

Spring wheat is the largest agricultural crop grown in Kazakhstan with an annual sowing area of 12 million hectares in 2016. Annually, the country harvests around 15 million tons of high quality grain. Despite environmental stress factors it is predicted that the use of new technologies may lead to increases in productivity from current levels of 1.5 to up to 3 tons per hectare. One way of improving wheat productivity is by the application of new genomic oriented approaches in plant breeding projects. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) are emerging as powerful tools for the understanding of the inheritance of complex traits via utilization of high throughput genotyping technologies and phenotypic assessments of plant collections. In this study, phenotyping and genotyping data on 194 spring wheat accessions from Kazakhstan, Russia, Europe, and CIMMYT were assessed for the identification of marker-trait associations (MTA) of agronomic traits by using GWAS. Field trials in Northern, Central and Southern regions of Kazakhstan using 194 spring wheat accessions revealed strong correlations of yield with booting date, plant height, biomass, number of spikes per plant, and number of kernels per spike. The accessions from Europe and CIMMYT showed high breeding potential for Southern and Central regions of the country in comparison with the performance of the local varieties. The GGE biplot method, using average yield per plant, suggested a clear separation of accessions into their three breeding origins in relationship to the three environments in which they were evaluated. The genetic variation in the three groups of accessions was further studied using 3245 polymorphic SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) markers. The application of Principal Coordinate analysis clearly grouped the 194 accessions into three clades according to their breeding origins. GWAS on data from nine field trials allowed the identification of 114 MTAs for 12 different agronomic traits. Field

Planting pattern and weed control method influence on yield production of corn (Zea mays L.)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purba, E.; Nasution, D. P.

2018-02-01

Field experiment was carried out to evaluate the influence of planting patterns and weed control methods on the growth and yield of corn. The effect of the planting pattern and weed control method was studied in a split plot design. The main plots were that of planting pattern single row (25cm x 60cm), double row (25cm x 25cm x 60cm) and triangle row ( 25cm x 25cm x 25cm). Subplot was that of weed control method consisted five methods namely weed free throughout the growing season, hand weeding, sprayed with glyphosate, sprayed with paraquat, and no weeding.. Result showed that both planting pattern and weed control method did not affect the growth of corn. However, planting pattern and weed control method significantly affected yield production. Yield resulted from double row and triangle planting pattern was 14% and 41% higher, consecutively, than that of single row pattern. The triangle planting pattern combined with any weed control method produced the highest yield production of corn.

[Yield of starch extraction from plantain (Musa paradisiaca). Pilot plant study].

PubMed

Flores-Gorosquera, Emigdia; García-Suárez, Francisco J; Flores-Huicochea, Emmanuel; Núñez-Santiago, María C; González-Soto, Rosalia A; Bello-Pérez, Luis A

2004-01-01

In México, the banana (Musa paradisiaca) is cooked (boiling or deep frying) before being eaten, but the consumption is not very popular and a big quantity of the product is lost after harvesting. The unripe plantain has a high level of starch and due to this the use of banana can be diversified as raw material for starch isolation. The objective of this work was to study the starch yield at pilot plant scale. Experiments at laboratory scale were carried out using the pulp with citric acid to 0,3 % (antioxidant), in order to evaluate the different unitary operations of the process. The starch yield, based on starch presence in the pulp that can be isolated, were between 76 and 86 %, and the values at pilot plant scale were between 63 and 71 %, in different lots of banana fruit. Starch yield values were similar among the diverse lots, showing that the process is reproducible. The lower values of starch recovery at pilot plant scale are due to the loss during sieving operations; however, the amount of starch recovery is good.

Time interval between cover crop termination and planting influences corn seedling disease, plant growth, and yield

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Experiments were established in controlled and field environment to evaluate the effect of time intervals between cereal rye cover crop termination and corn planting on corn seedling disease, corn growth, and grain yield in 2014 and 2015. Rye termination dates ranged from 25 days before planting (DB...

[Effects of sowing date and planting density on the seed yield and oil content of winter oilseed rape].

PubMed

Zhang, Shu-Jie; Li, Ling; Zhang, Chun-Lei

2012-05-01

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different sowing date and planting density on the seed yield and seed oil content of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus). Sowing date mainly affected the seed yield of branch raceme, while planting density affected the seed yields of both branch raceme and main raceme. The seed oil content was less affected by sowing date. The proportion of the seed yield of main raceme to the seed yield per plant increased with increasing planting density, and the seed oil content of main raceme was about 1% higher than that of branch raceme. Consequently, the seed oil production per plot increased significantly with increasing planting density. In the experimental region, the sowing date of winter oilseed rape should be earlier than mid-October. When sowing in late October, the seed yield would be decreased significantly. A planting density of 36-48 plants x m(-2) could improve the seed yield and oil content of winter oilseed rape.

Waterlogging effects on growth and yield components in late-planted soybean.

PubMed

Linkemer, G; Board, J E; Musgrave, M E

1998-01-01

A major agronomic problem in the southeastern USA is low yield of late-planted soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. This problem is aggravated by the adverse effect of waterlogging on crop growth. Our objectives were to identify soybean growth stages sensitive to waterlogging; identify yield components and physiological parameters explaining yield losses induced by waterlogging; and determine the extent of yield losses induced by waterlogging under natural field conditions. Greenhouse and field studies were conducted during 1993 and 1994 near Baton Rouge, LA, (30 degrees N Lat) on a Commerce silt loam. Waterlogging tolerance was assessed in cultivar Centennial (Maturity Group VI) at three vegetative and five reproductive growth stages by maintaining the water level at the soil surface in a greenhouse study. Using the same cultivar, we evaluated the effect of drainage in the field for late-planted soybean. Rain episodes determined the timing of waterlogging; redox potential and oxygen concentration of the soil were used to quantify the intensity of waterlogging stress. Results of the greenhouse study indicated that the early vegetative period (V2) and the early reproductive stages (R1, R3, and R5) were most sensitive to waterlogging. Three to 5 cm of rain per day falling on poorly drained soil was sufficient to reduce crop growth rate, resulting in a yield decline from 2453 to 1550 kg ha-1. Yield loss in both field and greenhouse studies was induced primarily by decreased pod production resulting from fewer pods per reproductive node. In conclusion, waterlogging was determined to be an important stress for late-planted soybean in high rainfall areas such as the Gulf Coast Region.

Plant Physiological, Morphological and Yield-Related Responses to Night Temperature Changes across Different Species and Plant Functional Types

PubMed Central

Jing, Panpan; Wang, Dan; Zhu, Chunwu; Chen, Jiquan

2016-01-01

Land surface temperature over the past decades has shown a faster warming trend during the night than during the day. Extremely low night temperatures have occurred frequently due to the influence of land-sea thermal difference, topography and climate change. This asymmetric night temperature change is expected to affect plant ecophysiology and growth, as the plant carbon consumption processes could be affected more than the assimilation processes because photosynthesis in most plants occurs during the daytime whereas plant respiration occurs throughout the day. The effects of high night temperature (HNT) and low night temperature (LNT) on plant ecophysiological and growing processes and how the effects vary among different plant functional types (PFTs) have not been analyzed extensively. In this meta-analysis, we examined the effect of HNT and LNT on plant physiology and growth across different PFTs and experimental settings. Plant species were grouped according to their photosynthetic pathways (C3, C4, and CAM), growth forms (herbaceous, woody), and economic purposes (crop, non-crop). We found that HNT and LNT both had a negative effect on plant yield, but the effect of HNT on plant yield was primarily related to a reduction in biomass allocation to reproduction organs and the effect of LNT on plant yield was more related to a negative effect on total biomass. Leaf growth was stimulated at HNT and suppressed at LNT. HNT accelerated plants ecophysiological processes, including photosynthesis and dark respiration, while LNT slowed these processes. Overall, the results showed that the effects of night temperature on plant physiology and growth varied between HNT and LNT, among the response variables and PFTs, and depended on the magnitude of temperature change and experimental design. These findings suggest complexities and challenges in seeking general patterns of terrestrial plant growth in HNT and LNT. The PFT specific responses of plants are critical for

Effect of different nitrogen sources on plant characteristics and yield of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

PubMed

Fernández-Luqueño, F; Reyes-Varela, V; Martínez-Suárez, C; Salomón-Hernández, G; Yáñez-Meneses, J; Ceballos-Ramírez, J M; Dendooven, L

2010-01-01

Wastewater sludge can be used to fertilize crops, especially after vermicomposting (composting with earthworms to reduce pathogens). How wastewater sludge or vermicompost affects bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) growth is still largely unknown. In this study the effect of different forms of N fertilizer on common bean plant characteristics and yield were investigated in a Typic Fragiudepts (sandy loam) soil under greenhouse conditions. Beans were fertilized with wastewater sludge, or wastewater sludge vermicompost, or urea, or grown in unamended soil, while plant characteristics and yield were monitored (the unamended soil had no fertilization). Yields of common bean plants cultivated in unamended soil or soil amended with urea were lower than those cultivated in wastewater sludge-amended soil. Application of vermicompost further improved plant development and increased yield compared with beans cultivated in wastewater amended soil. It was found that application of organic waste products improved growth and yield of bean plants compared to those amended with inorganic fertilizer.

Impact of reflective mulch on yield of strawberry plants and incidence of damage by tarnished plant bug (Heteroptera: Miridae).

PubMed

Rhainds, N; Kovach, J; Dosa, E L; English-Loeb, G

2001-12-01

The current study investigated the impact of reflective mulch on yield of strawberry plants and incidence of damage by tarnished plant bugs, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), for three strawberry cultivars: 'Honeoye', 'Earliglow', and two sibling Dayneutrals ('Tribute' and 'Tristar', herein considered as one cultivar). Of all cultivars tested, Honeoye was the most productive and least susceptible to tarnished plant bug. For Earliglow and Honeoye, reflective mulch enhanced productivity of strawberry plants and suppressed density of nymphs per flower cluster and proportion of damaged fruits, but did not significantly impact numbers of nymphs or damaged fruits per hectare, Results with Dayneutrals were not consistently significant. Both in the presence or absence of reflective mulch, proportion of damaged fruits increased with increasing density of nymphs per flower cluster and with decreasing number of fruits harvested per row section, suggesting that planting productive strawberry cultivars or maintaining cultural practices that promote high yield may provide an effective line of defense against tarnished plant bug. These results also suggest that reflective mulch may suppress incidence of damage by tarnished plant bug both directly, by reducing number of nymphs per flower cluster, and indirectly, by enhancing productivity of strawberry plants. Economic analyses evaluating costs and benefits of using reflective mulch, as well as studies investigating mechanisms that underlie the impact of reflective mulch on yield and incidence of damage by tarnished plant bug, are still needed before reflective mulch can be implemented as a management strategy in commercial strawberry fields.

Effects of plant density on the photosynthetic and chloroplast characteristics of maize under high-yielding conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Baizhao; Liu, Wei; Zhang, Jiwang; Dong, Shuting; Liu, Peng; Zhao, Bin

2017-04-01

Plant density has been recognized as a major factor determining the grain yield. The photosynthetic performance changes as the density increases. The main objective of this research was to evaluate responses of photosynthetic performance and chloroplast ultrastructure to planting densities in two summer maize ( Zea mays L.) hybrids Denghai661 (DH661) and Nongda108 (ND108). DH661 was planted at densities of 30,000, 45,000, 60,000, 75,000, 90,000, 105,000, 120,000, or 135,000 plants ha-1. ND108 was planted at densities of 30,000, 45,000, 60,000, 75,000, or 90,000 plants ha-1. Research variables included leaf area, grain yield, chlorophyll content, leaf gas exchange parameters, number of chloroplasts, and chloroplast ultrastructure. As plant density increased, chlorophyll a and b content significantly decreased; carotenoids initially decreased and then increased; the net photosynthetic rate during each growth period significantly decreased; the membrane structure of mesophyll cells was gradually damaged; the number of chloroplasts significantly decreased; the external form of chloroplasts shifted from long and oval to elliptical or circular; the number of grana significantly decreased, while the number of grana lamellae increased; grana gradually became hypogenetic and eventually dissolved; plot yield increased; and yield per plant significantly decreased. The yield per plant of DH661 at 135,000 plants ha-1 and that of ND108 at 90,000 plants ha-1 decreased by 65.8 and 42.5%, respectively, compared with those at 30,000 plants ha-1.

Manipulating plant geometry to improve microclimate, grain yield, and harvest index in grain sorghum.

PubMed

Thapa, Sushil; Stewart, Bob A; Xue, Qingwu; Chen, Yuanquan

2017-01-01

Cultivar selection, planting geometry, and plant population are the key factors determining grain sorghum yields in water deficit areas. The objective of this study was to investigate whether clump geometry (three plants clustered) improves microclimate within crop canopy when plants are grown under varying water levels. In a 2-yr sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) greenhouse study, plants were grown at two geometries (clump and conventional evenly spaced planting, ESP), two water levels (high and low, representing well-watered and water-limited condition, respectively), and three soil surface treatments (lid covered, straw-mulched, and bare). Air temperature and relative humidity (RH) within the plant canopy were measured every five minutes at different growth stages. Mean vapor pressure deficits (VPDs) within the clumps were consistently lower than those for ESPs, indicating that clumps improved the microclimate. Clumps had significantly higher harvest index (HI) compared to ESPs (0.48 vs. 0.43), which was largely due to clumps having an average of 0.4 tillers per plant compared to 1.2 tillers per plant for ESPs. Grain yield in the current study was similar between clumps and ESPs. However, our results suggest that improved microclimate was likely a reason for clumps producing significantly higher grain yields compared to ESPs in previous studies.

Manipulating plant geometry to improve microclimate, grain yield, and harvest index in grain sorghum

PubMed Central

Stewart, Bob A.; Xue, Qingwu; Chen, Yuanquan

2017-01-01

Cultivar selection, planting geometry, and plant population are the key factors determining grain sorghum yields in water deficit areas. The objective of this study was to investigate whether clump geometry (three plants clustered) improves microclimate within crop canopy when plants are grown under varying water levels. In a 2-yr sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) greenhouse study, plants were grown at two geometries (clump and conventional evenly spaced planting, ESP), two water levels (high and low, representing well-watered and water-limited condition, respectively), and three soil surface treatments (lid covered, straw-mulched, and bare). Air temperature and relative humidity (RH) within the plant canopy were measured every five minutes at different growth stages. Mean vapor pressure deficits (VPDs) within the clumps were consistently lower than those for ESPs, indicating that clumps improved the microclimate. Clumps had significantly higher harvest index (HI) compared to ESPs (0.48 vs. 0.43), which was largely due to clumps having an average of 0.4 tillers per plant compared to 1.2 tillers per plant for ESPs. Grain yield in the current study was similar between clumps and ESPs. However, our results suggest that improved microclimate was likely a reason for clumps producing significantly higher grain yields compared to ESPs in previous studies. PMID:28264051

Salinity impact on yield, water use, mineral and essential oil content of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The experimental study was carried out to determine the effects of salinity on water consumption, plant height, fresh and seed yields, biomass production, ion accumulation and essential oil content of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) under greenhouse conditions. The experiment was conducted with a ...

Overexpression of GA20-OXIDASE1 impacts plant height, biomass allocation and saccharification efficiency in maize.

PubMed

Voorend, Wannes; Nelissen, Hilde; Vanholme, Ruben; De Vliegher, Alex; Van Breusegem, Frank; Boerjan, Wout; Roldán-Ruiz, Isabel; Muylle, Hilde; Inzé, Dirk

2016-03-01

Increased biomass yield and quality are of great importance for the improvement of feedstock for the biorefinery. For the production of bioethanol, both stem biomass yield and the conversion efficiency of the polysaccharides in the cell wall to fermentable sugars are of relevance. Increasing the endogenous levels of gibberellic acid (GA) by ectopic expression of GA20-OXIDASE1 (GA20-OX1), the rate-limiting step in GA biosynthesis, is known to affect cell division and cell expansion, resulting in larger plants and organs in several plant species. In this study, we examined biomass yield and quality traits of maize plants overexpressing GA20-OX1 (GA20-OX1). GA20-OX1 plants accumulated more vegetative biomass than control plants in greenhouse experiments, but not consistently over two years of field trials. The stems of these plants were longer but also more slender. Investigation of GA20-OX1 biomass quality using biochemical analyses showed the presence of more cellulose, lignin and cell wall residue. Cell wall analysis as well as expression analysis of lignin biosynthetic genes in developing stems revealed that cellulose and lignin were deposited earlier in development. Pretreatment of GA20-OX1 biomass with NaOH resulted in a higher saccharification efficiency per unit of dry weight, in agreement with the higher cellulose content. On the other hand, the cellulose-to-glucose conversion was slower upon HCl or hot-water pretreatment, presumably due to the higher lignin content. This study showed that biomass yield and quality traits can be interconnected, which is important for the development of future breeding strategies to improve lignocellulosic feedstock for bioethanol production. © 2015 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cura Annonae-Chemically Boosting Crop Yields Through Metabolic Feeding of a Plant Signaling Precursor.

PubMed

Vocadlo, David J

2017-05-22

The cream of the crop: With the world facing a projected shortfall of crops by 2050, new approaches are needed to boost crop yields. Metabolic feeding of plants with photocaged trehalose-6-phosphate (Tre6P) can increase levels of the signaling metabolite Tre6P in the plant. Reprogramming of cellular metabolism by Tre6P stimulates a program of plant growth and enhanced crop yields, while boosting starch content. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Genetic and Physiological Characterization of Two Clusters of Quantitative Trait Loci Associated With Seed Dormancy and Plant Height in Rice

PubMed Central

Ye, Heng; Beighley, Donn H.; Feng, Jiuhuan; Gu, Xing-You

2013-01-01

Seed dormancy and plant height have been well-studied in plant genetics, but their relatedness and shared regulatory mechanisms in natural variants remain unclear. The introgression of chromosomal segments from weedy into cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) prompted the detection of two clusters (qSD1-2/qPH1 and qSD7-2/qPH7) of quantitative trait loci both associated with seed dormancy and plant height. Together, these two clusters accounted for >96% of the variances for plant height and ~71% of the variances for germination rate in an isogenic background across two environments. On the initial introgression segments, qSD1-2/qPH1 was dissected genetically from OsVp1 for vivipary and qSD7-2/qPH7 separated from Sdr4 for seed dormancy. The narrowed qSD1-2/qPH1 region encompasses the semidwarf1 (sd1) locus for gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis. The qSD1-2/qPH1 allele from the cultivar reduced germination and stem elongation and the mutant effects were recovered by exogenous GA, suggesting that sd1 is a candidate gene of the cluster. In contrast, the effect-reducing allele at qSD7-2/qPH7 was derived from the weedy line; this allele was GA-insensitive and blocked GA responses of qSD1-2/qPH1, including the transcription of a GA-inducible α-amylase gene in imbibed endosperm, suggesting that qSD7-2/qPH7 may work downstream from qSD1-2/qPH1 in GA signaling. Thus, this research established the seed dormancy-plant height association that is likely mediated by GA biosynthesis and signaling pathways in natural populations. The detected association contributed to weed mimicry for the plant stature in the agro-ecosystem dominated by semidwarf cultivars and revealed the potential benefit of semidwarf genes in resistance to preharvest sprouting. PMID:23390608

Genetic and physiological characterization of two clusters of quantitative trait Loci associated with seed dormancy and plant height in rice.

PubMed

Ye, Heng; Beighley, Donn H; Feng, Jiuhuan; Gu, Xing-You

2013-02-01

Seed dormancy and plant height have been well-studied in plant genetics, but their relatedness and shared regulatory mechanisms in natural variants remain unclear. The introgression of chromosomal segments from weedy into cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) prompted the detection of two clusters (qSD1-2/qPH1 and qSD7-2/qPH7) of quantitative trait loci both associated with seed dormancy and plant height. Together, these two clusters accounted for >96% of the variances for plant height and ~71% of the variances for germination rate in an isogenic background across two environments. On the initial introgression segments, qSD1-2/qPH1 was dissected genetically from OsVp1 for vivipary and qSD7-2/qPH7 separated from Sdr4 for seed dormancy. The narrowed qSD1-2/qPH1 region encompasses the semidwarf1 (sd1) locus for gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis. The qSD1-2/qPH1 allele from the cultivar reduced germination and stem elongation and the mutant effects were recovered by exogenous GA, suggesting that sd1 is a candidate gene of the cluster. In contrast, the effect-reducing allele at qSD7-2/qPH7 was derived from the weedy line; this allele was GA-insensitive and blocked GA responses of qSD1-2/qPH1, including the transcription of a GA-inducible α-amylase gene in imbibed endosperm, suggesting that qSD7-2/qPH7 may work downstream from qSD1-2/qPH1 in GA signaling. Thus, this research established the seed dormancy-plant height association that is likely mediated by GA biosynthesis and signaling pathways in natural populations. The detected association contributed to weed mimicry for the plant stature in the agro-ecosystem dominated by semidwarf cultivars and revealed the potential benefit of semidwarf genes in resistance to preharvest sprouting.

Deriving Temporal Height Information for Maize Breeding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malambo, L.; Popescu, S. C.; Murray, S.; Sheridan, R.; Richardson, G.; Putman, E.

2016-12-01

Phenotypic data such as height provide useful information to crop breeders to better understand their field experiments and associated field variability. However, the measurement of crop height in many breeding programs is done manually which demands significant effort and time and does not scale well when large field experiments are involved. Through structure from motion (SfM) techniques, small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAV) or drones offer tremendous potential for generating crop height data and other morphological data such as canopy area and biomass in cost-effective and efficient way. We present results of an on-going UAV application project aimed at generating temporal height metrics for maize breeding at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research farm in Burleson County, Texas. We outline the activities involved from the drone aerial surveys, image processing and generation of crop height metrics. The experimental period ran from April (planting) through August (harvest) 2016 and involved 36 maize hybrids replicated over 288 plots ( 1.7 Ha). During the time, crop heights were manually measured per plot at weekly intervals. Corresponding aerial flights were carried out using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAV at each interval and images captured processed into point clouds and image mosaics using Pix4D (Pix4D SA; Lausanne, Switzerland) software. LiDAR data was also captured at two intervals (05/06 and 07/29) to provide another source of height information. To obtain height data per plot from SfM point clouds and LiDAR data, percentile height metrics were then generated using FUSION software. Results of the comparison between SfM and field measurement height show high correlation (R2 > 0.7), showing that use of sUAV can replace laborious manual height measurement and enhance plant breeding programs. Similar results were also obtained from the comparison of SfM and LiDAR heights. Outputs of this project are helping plant breeders at Texas A&M automate routine height

Development of a CSP plant energy yield calculation tool applying predictive models to analyze plant performance sensitivities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haack, Lukas; Peniche, Ricardo; Sommer, Lutz; Kather, Alfons

2017-06-01

At early project stages, the main CSP plant design parameters such as turbine capacity, solar field size, and thermal storage capacity are varied during the techno-economic optimization to determine most suitable plant configurations. In general, a typical meteorological year with at least hourly time resolution is used to analyze each plant configuration. Different software tools are available to simulate the annual energy yield. Software tools offering a thermodynamic modeling approach of the power block and the CSP thermal cycle, such as EBSILONProfessional®, allow a flexible definition of plant topologies. In EBSILON, the thermodynamic equilibrium for each time step is calculated iteratively (quasi steady state), which requires approximately 45 minutes to process one year with hourly time resolution. For better presentation of gradients, 10 min time resolution is recommended, which increases processing time by a factor of 5. Therefore, analyzing a large number of plant sensitivities, as required during the techno-economic optimization procedure, the detailed thermodynamic simulation approach becomes impracticable. Suntrace has developed an in-house CSP-Simulation tool (CSPsim), based on EBSILON and applying predictive models, to approximate the CSP plant performance for central receiver and parabolic trough technology. CSPsim significantly increases the speed of energy yield calculations by factor ≥ 35 and has automated the simulation run of all predefined design configurations in sequential order during the optimization procedure. To develop the predictive models, multiple linear regression techniques and Design of Experiment methods are applied. The annual energy yield and derived LCOE calculated by the predictive model deviates less than ±1.5 % from the thermodynamic simulation in EBSILON and effectively identifies the optimal range of main design parameters for further, more specific analysis.

Stability of agronomic and yield related traits of Jatropha curcas accessions raised from cuttings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mat, Nurul Hidayah Che; Yaakob, Zahira; Ratnam, Wickneswari

2016-11-01

Monitoring stability of agronomic and yield related traits is important for prediction of crop yields. This study was a latter study for the evaluation of 295 J. curcas individuals representing 21 accessions from eight countries at Biodiesel Research Station of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Pilah planted in December 2012. In this study, 183 J. curcas individuals were selected randomly from the population and their growth performance evaluated from December 2013 to December 2014. All the individual plants were raised from cuttings. The yield related data were recorded periodically and performance of each accession was analyzed using Statistical Analysis System (SAS) 9.4. Five traits which were number of fruits per plant (NFPP), number of fruits per inflorescence (NFPI), hundred seed weight (g) (HSW), number of seeds per plant (NSPP) and yield per plant (g) (YPP) showed significant differences among the accessions after two years of planting. Maximum values for each trait were 208 cm for plant height (PH), 31 for number of branches per plant (BPP), 115 for number of inflorescence per plant (NIPP), 582 for NFPP, 7 for NFPI, 307 for number of flowers per inflorescence (NFI), 17 for number of female flowers per inflorescence (NFFPI), 91.6 g for HSW, 1647.1 for NSPP and 927.6 g for YPP. Most of the plants which had performed well in the first year were among the best performers in the second year.

Gibberellins regulate the stem elongation rate without affecting the mature plant height of a quick development mutant of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

PubMed

Zhang, Ning; Xie, Yong-Dun; Guo, Hui-Jun; Zhao, Lin-Shu; Xiong, Hong-Chun; Gu, Jia-Yu; Li, Jun-Hui; Kong, Fu-Quan; Sui, Li; Zhao, Zi-Wei; Zhao, Shi-Rong; Liu, Lu-Xiang

2016-10-01

Gibberellin (GA) is essential for determining plant height. Alteration of GA content or GA signaling results in a dwarf or slender phenotype. Here, we characterized a novel wheat mutant, quick development (qd), in which GA regulates stem elongation but does not affect mature plant height. qd and wild-type plants did not exhibit phenotypic differences at the seedling stage. From jointing to heading stage, qd plants were taller than wild-type plants due to elongated cells. However, wild-type and qd plants were the same height at heading. Unlike wild-type plants, qd plants were sensitive to exogenous GA due to mutation of Rht-B1. With continuous GA stimulation, qd seedlings and adult plants were taller than wild-type. Thus, the GA content of qd plants might differ from that of wild-type during the growth process. Analysis of GA biosynthetic gene expression verified this hypothesis and showed that TaKAO, which is involved in catalyzing the early steps of GA biosynthesis, was differentially expressed in qd plants compared with wild-type. The bioactive GA associated gene TaGA20ox was downregulated in qd plants during the late growth stages. Measurements of endogenous GA content were consistent with the gene-expression analysis results. Consistent with the GA content variation, the first three basal internodes were longer and the last two internodes were shorter in qd than in wild-type plants. The qd mutant might be useful in dissecting the mechanism by which GA regulates stem-growing process, and it may be serve as a GA responsive semi-dwarf germplasm in breeding programs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Integrated analysis of mRNA and miRNA expression profiling in rice backcrossed progenies (BC2F12) with different plant height

PubMed Central

Cao, Aqin; Jin, Jie; Li, Shaoqing

2017-01-01

Inter-specific hybridization and backcrossing commonly occur in plants. The use of progeny generated from inter-specific hybridization and backcrossing has been developed as a novel model system to explore gene expression divergence. The present study investigated the analysis of gene expression and miRNA regulation in backcrossed introgression lines constructed from cultivated and wild rice. High-throughput sequencing was used to compare gene and miRNA expression profiles in three progeny lines (L1710, L1817 and L1730), with different plant heights resulting from the backcrossing of introgression lines (BC2F12) and their parents (O. sativa and O. longistaminata). A total of 25,387 to 26,139 mRNAs and 379 to 419 miRNAs were obtained in these rice lines. More differentially expressed genes and miRNAs were detected in progeny/O. longistaminata comparison groups than in progeny/O. sativa comparison groups. Approximately 80% of the genes and miRNAs showed expression level dominance to O. sativa, indicating that three progeny lines were closer to the recurrent parent, which might be influenced by their parental genome dosage. Approximately 16% to 64% of the differentially expressed miRNAs possessing coherent target genes were predicted, and many of these miRNAs regulated multiple target genes. Most genes were up-regulated in progeny lines compared with their parents, but down-regulated in the higher plant height line in the comparison groups among the three progeny lines. Moreover, certain genes related to cell walls and plant hormones might play crucial roles in the plant height variations of the three progeny lines. Taken together, these results provided valuable information on the molecular mechanisms of hybrid backcrossing and plant height variations based on the gene and miRNA expression levels in the three progeny lines. PMID:28859136

Mapping quantitative trait loci for yield, yield components and morphological traits in an advanced backcross population between Oryza rufipogon and the Oryza sativa cultivar Jefferson.

PubMed

Thomson, M J; Tai, T H; McClung, A M; Lai, X-H; Hinga, M E; Lobos, K B; Xu, Y; Martinez, C P; McCouch, S R

2003-08-01

An advanced backcross population between an accession of Oryza rufipogon (IRGC 105491) and the U.S. cultivar Jefferson (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica) was developed to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for yield, yield components and morphological traits. The genetic linkage map generated for this population consisted of 153 SSR and RFLP markers with an average interval size of 10.3 cM. Thirteen traits were examined, nine of which were measured in multiple environments. Seventy-six QTLs above an experiment-wise significance threshold of P<0.01 (corresponding to an interval mapping LOD>3.6 or a composite interval mapping LOD>3.9) were identified. For the traits measured in multiple environments, 47% of the QTLs were detected in at least two environments. The O. rufipogon allele was favorable for 53% of the yield and yield component QTLs, including loci for yield, grains per panicle, panicle length, and grain weight. Morphological traits related to the domestication process and/or weedy characteristics, including plant height, shattering, tiller type and awns, were found clustered on chromosomes 1 and 4. Comparisons to previous studies involving wild x cultivated crosses revealed O. rufipogon alleles with stable effects in multiple genetic backgrounds and environments, several of which have not been detected in studies between Oryza sativa cultivars, indicating potentially novel alleles from O. rufipogon. Some O. rufipogon-derived QTLs, however, were in similar regions as previously reported QTLs from Oryza sativa cultivars, providing evidence for conservation of these QTLs across the Oryza genus. In addition, several QTLs for grain weight, plant height, and flowering time were localized to putative homeologous regions in maize where QTLs for these traits have been previously reported, supporting the hypothesis of functional conservation of QTLs across the grasses.

Plant probiotic bacteria Bacillus and Paraburkholderia improve growth, yield and content of antioxidants in strawberry fruit.

PubMed

Rahman, Mosaddiqur; Sabir, Abdullah As; Mukta, Julakha Akter; Khan, Md Mohibul Alam; Mohi-Ud-Din, Mohammed; Miah, Md Giashuddin; Rahman, Mahfuzur; Islam, M Tofazzal

2018-02-06

Strawberry is an excellent source of natural antioxidants with high capacity of scavenging free radicals. This study evaluated the effects of two plant probiotic bacteria, Bacillus amylolequefaciens BChi1 and Paraburkholderia fungorum BRRh-4 on growth, fruit yield and antioxidant contents in strawberry fruits. Root dipping of seedlings (plug plants) followed by spray applications of both probiotic bacteria in the field on foliage significantly increased fruit yield (up to 48%) over non-treated control. Enhanced fruit yield likely to be linked with higher root and shoot growth, individual and total fruit weight/plant and production of phytohormone by the probiotic bacteria applied on plants. Interestingly, the fruits from plants inoculated with the isolates BChi1 and BRRh-4 had significantly higher contents of phenolics, carotenoids, flavonoids and anthocyanins over non-treated control. Total antioxidant activities were also significantly higher (p < 0.05) in fruits of strawberry plants treated with both probiotic bacteria. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of significant improvement of both yield and quality of strawberry fruits by the application of plant probiotic bacteria BChi1 and BRRh-4 in a field condition. Further study is needed to elucidate underlying mechanism of growth and quality improvement of strawberry fruits by probiotic bacteria.

The role of leaf height in plant competition for sunlight: analysis of a canopy partitioning model.

PubMed

Nevai, Andrew L; Vance, Richard R

2008-01-01

A global method of nullcline endpoint analysis is employed to determine the outcome of competition for sunlight between two hypothetical plant species with clonal growth form that differ solely in the height at which they place their leaves above the ground. This difference in vertical leaf placement, or canopy partitioning, produces species differences in sunlight energy capture and stem metabolic maintenance costs. The competitive interaction between these two species is analyzed by considering a special case of a canopy partitioning model (RR Vance and AL Nevai, J. Theor. Biol. 2007, 245:210-219; AL Nevai and RR Vance, J. Math. Biol. 2007, 55:105-145). Nullcline endpoint analysis is used to partition parameter space into regions within which either competitive exclusion or competitive coexistence occurs. The principal conclusion is that two clonal plant species which compete for sunlight and place their leaves at different heights above the ground but differ in no other way can, under suitable parameter values, experience stable coexistence even though they occupy an environment which varies neither over horizontal space nor through time.

Effect of Planting Date and Maturity Group on Soybean Yield Response to Injury by Megacopta cribraria (Hemiptera: Plataspidae).

PubMed

Blount, J L; Buntin, G D; Roberts, P M

2016-02-01

The kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria (F.), is an invasive member of the family Plataspidae originating from Asia. Since its discovery in Georgia in 2009, its distribution has increased to 13 southern and eastern states. In the United States, M. cribraria is bivoltine and has two primary developmental hosts, kudzu and soybean. Here, we evaluated the yield response of soybean to M. cribraria feeding injury in relation to planting date and soybean maturity group. The study contained four replicated trials in Griffin, Tifton, and Midville, GA, in 2012 and 2013. Four planting dates from April to July, served as the whole plot of a split-plot design with maturity group five and seven soybean and insecticide (lambda-cyhalothrin) randomized within planting date. Egg masses, nymphs, and adults were enumerated weekly to biweekly until soybean reached maturity. Two generations were observed in April and May plantings, but only one generation was evident in June and July soybean plantings. Insecticide-protected plots had consistently higher yields than unprotected plots. Grain yield was greatest in the May planting and lowest in the July planting. Season-long feeding by M. cribraria reduced grain yield in April, May, and June plantings but not in the July planting. Maturity group and planting date had significant effects on yield components in most comparisons. This study indicated that early-planted soybean are at greater risk of yield loss from M. cribraria injury compared with later-planted soybean. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Effects of irrigation moisture regimes on yield and quality of paprika ( Capsicum annuum L)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shongwe, Victor D.; Magongo, Bekani N.; Masarirambi, Michael T.; Manyatsi, Absalom M.

Although paprika ( Capsicum annuum L) is not widely grown in Swaziland it is becoming increasingly popular as a spice and food colourant. It is a crop that requires irrigation at specific stages of growth as this affects not only the yield but most importantly the quality of the crop. Yield of paprika has been found to increase with relative increase in moisture whereas the quality of fruits has not followed the same trend. The objective of this study was to find the effect of varying irrigation water regimes on the yield and quality of paprika at uniform fertiliser levels. The study was carried out in the 2006/2007 cropping season at the Luyengo campus of the University of Swaziland in a greenhouse. A randomised complete block design was used with four water treatments (0.40, 0.60, 0.80, and 1.00 × Field Capacity). Parameters measured included leaf number per plant, plant height, chlorophyll content, canopy size, leaf width, leaf length, stem girth, dry mass, fresh mass, fruit length, and brix content. There were significant ( P < 0.05) increases in leaf number, plant height, chlorophyll content, canopy size, fresh and dry mass tops and fruit length at the highest moisture level (1.00 × FC) followed by the second highest regime (0.80 × FC) whilst the lower water regimes resulted in lower increases in each of the parameters. Leaf area index did not differ significantly across all treatments. In increasing order the treatments 0.80 × FC and 1.00 × FC gave higher yields but in decreasing order lower brix and thus subsequent lower paprika quality. It is recommended that growers who are aiming for optimum yield and high quality of paprika may use the 0.8 × FC treatment when irrigating.

The effects of planting methods and head pruning on seed yield and yield components of medicinal pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo subsp. Pepo convar. Pepo var. styriaca) at low temperature areas.

PubMed

Bahrami, R Nikkhah; Khodadadi, M; Pirivatlo, S Piry; Hassanpanah, D

2009-03-15

This experiment carried out to evaluate the effects of planting methods (seed sowing and transplanting) and head pruning (no pruning, pruning after 12th node and pruning after 16th node) on yield and yield components such as number of branches (sub-branches) per plant, fruits per plant, growth, fruit size, weight of fresh fruit, weight of seeds per fruit, number of seeds per fruit and seed yield of medicinal pumpkin. The experiment was carried out based of factorial experiment with Randomized Completely Blocks Design (RCBD) by three replications in Ardabil Agricultural and Natural Resources Researches Station at 2007. Seedlings were grown in heated greenhouse. When the climatic condition became suitable and seedlings were at the four leaves stage, both seeds and seedlings were planted at the same time in the farm. Maintenance operations were done during the growth season. Head pruning treatments were done the forecast time. The results showed that the planting methods had significant effect on the number of ripen fruits per plant, fruits diameter, weight of seeds per fruit, weight of 1000 seeds and seed yield and had no significant effect on the other traits. Also the results indicated that head pruning treatments had significant effects on the number of branches per plant, growth and seed yield and no significant on the other traits. In this experiment the most seed yield (997.8 kg ha(-1)) obtained from transplanting method with head pruning after 12th node and the least seed yield obtained from control.

Effects of plant density on recombinant hemagglutinin yields in an Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene expression system using Nicotiana benthamiana plants.

PubMed

Fujiuchi, Naomichi; Matsuda, Ryo; Matoba, Nobuyuki; Fujiwara, Kazuhiro

2017-08-01

Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression systems enable plants to rapidly produce a wide range of recombinant proteins. To achieve economically feasible upstream production and downstream processing, it is beneficial to obtain high levels of two yield-related quantities of upstream production: recombinant protein content per fresh mass of harvested biomass (g gFM -1 ) and recombinant protein productivity per unit area-time (g m -2 /month). Here, we report that the density of Nicotiana benthamiana plants during upstream production had significant impacts on the yield-related quantities of recombinant hemagglutinin (HA). The two quantities were smaller at a high plant density of 400 plants m -2 than at a low plant density of 100 plants m -2 . The smaller quantities at the high plant density were attributed to: (i) a lower HA content in young leaves, which usually have high HA accumulation potentials; (ii) a lower biomass allocation to the young leaves; and (iii) a high area-time requirement for plants. Thus, plant density is a key factor for improving upstream production in Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression systems. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1762-1770. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

High-density genetic map construction and QTLs identification for plant height in white jute (Corchorus capsularis L.) using specific locus amplified fragment (SLAF) sequencing.

PubMed

Tao, Aifen; Huang, Long; Wu, Guifen; Afshar, Reza Keshavarz; Qi, Jianmin; Xu, Jiantang; Fang, Pingping; Lin, Lihui; Zhang, Liwu; Lin, Peiqing

2017-05-08

Genetic mapping and quantitative trait locus (QTL) detection are powerful methodologies in plant improvement and breeding. White jute (Corchorus capsularis L.) is an important industrial raw material fiber crop because of its elite characteristics. However, construction of a high-density genetic map and identification of QTLs has been limited in white jute due to a lack of sufficient molecular markers. The specific locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) strategy combines locus-specific amplification and high-throughput sequencing to carry out de novo single nuclear polymorphism (SNP) discovery and large-scale genotyping. In this study, SLAF-seq was employed to obtain sufficient markers to construct a high-density genetic map for white jute. Moreover, with the development of abundant markers, genetic dissection of fiber yield traits such as plant height was also possible. Here, we present QTLs associated with plant height that were identified using our newly constructed genetic linkage groups. An F 8 population consisting of 100 lines was developed. In total, 69,446 high-quality SLAFs were detected of which 5,074 SLAFs were polymorphic; 913 polymorphic markers were used for the construction of a genetic map. The average coverage for each SLAF marker was 43-fold in the parents, and 9.8-fold in each F 8 individual. A linkage map was constructed that contained 913 SLAFs on 11 linkage groups (LGs) covering 1621.4 cM with an average density of 1.61 cM per locus. Among the 11 LGs, LG1 was the largest with 210 markers, a length of 406.34 cM, and an average distance of 1.93 cM between adjacent markers. LG11 was the smallest with only 25 markers, a length of 29.66 cM, and an average distance of 1.19 cM between adjacent markers. 'SNP_only' markers accounted for 85.54% and were the predominant markers on the map. QTL mapping based on the F 8 phenotypes detected 11 plant height QTLs including one major effect QTL across two cultivation locations, with each QTL

Survival and height growth of northern white-cedar from 18 provenances

Treesearch

Richard M. Jeffers

1976-01-01

Northern white-cedar from 18 provenances was evaluated for total height in the nursery and for survival and total height in two field plantings in northern Wisconsin and in western Upper Michigan. There were significant differences among provenances in survival at one location and in height at both field locations 5 years after planting; there were no differences among...

Climate driven crop planting date in the ACME Land Model (ALM): Impacts on productivity and yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drewniak, B.

2017-12-01

Climate is one of the key drivers of crop suitability and productivity in a region. The influence of climate and weather on the growing season determine the amount of time crops spend in each growth phase, which in turn impacts productivity and, more importantly, yields. Planting date can have a strong influence on yields with earlier planting generally resulting in higher yields, a sensitivity that is also present in some crop models. Furthermore, planting date is already changing and may continue, especially if longer growing seasons caused by future climate change drive early (or late) planting decisions. Crop models need an accurate method to predict plant date to allow these models to: 1) capture changes in crop management to adapt to climate change, 2) accurately model the timing of crop phenology, and 3) improve crop simulated influences on carbon, nutrient, energy, and water cycles. Previous studies have used climate as a predictor for planting date. Climate as a plant date predictor has more advantages than fixed plant dates. For example, crop expansion and other changes in land use (e.g., due to changing temperature conditions), can be accommodated without additional model inputs. As such, a new methodology to implement a predictive planting date based on climate inputs is added to the Accelerated Climate Model for Energy (ACME) Land Model (ALM). The model considers two main sources of climate data important for planting: precipitation and temperature. This method expands the current temperature threshold planting trigger and improves the estimated plant date in ALM. Furthermore, the precipitation metric for planting, which synchronizes the crop growing season with the wettest months, allows tropical crops to be introduced to the model. This presentation will demonstrate how the improved model enhances the ability of ALM to capture planting date compared with observations. More importantly, the impact of changing the planting date and introducing tropical

Planted Pines do not Respond to Bedding on an Acadia-Beauregard-Kolin Silt Loam Site

Treesearch

James D. Haywood

1980-01-01

Average height and volume of loblolly and slash pines were not affected by site treatment or soil differences 15 years after planting on an Acadia-Beauregard-Kolin silt loam site. Slash pine averaged 2.04 m more in height and yielded 22 percent more volume per hectare than did loblolly pine.

The effect of ratio between rigid plant height and water depth on the manning’s coefficient in open channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizalihadi, M.; Ziana; Shaskia, Nina; Asharly, H.

2018-05-01

One of the important factors in channel dimension is the Manning’s coefficient ( n ). This coefficient is influenced not only by the channel roughness but also by the presence of plants in the channel. The aim of the study is to see the effect of the ratio between the height of the rigid plant and water depth on the Manning’s coefficient (n) in open channel. The study was conducted in open channel with 15.5 m long, 0.5 m wide and 1.0 m high, in which at the center of the channel is planted with the rigid plants with a density of 42 plants/m2. The flow was run with a discharge of 0.013 m3/s at 6 ratios of Hplants/Hwater, namely: 0; 0.2; 0.6; 0.8; 1,0 and 1,2, to obtain the velocity and water profiles. Then the value of n is analyzed using Manning’s equation. The results showed that the mean velocity becomes decrease 17.81-34.01% as increase the ratio of Hplants/Hwater. This results in increasing n value to become 1.22-1.52 times compared to the unplanted channel ( no =0.038). So, it can be concluded that the ratio between the rigid plant’s height and water depth in the open channel can affect the value of Manning coefficient.

Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies Candidate Genes That Affect Plant Height in Chinese Elite Maize (Zea mays L.) Inbred Lines

PubMed Central

Wang, Jianjun; Liu, Changlin; Li, Mingshun; Zhang, Degui; Bai, Li; Zhang, Shihuang; Li, Xinhai

2011-01-01

Background The harvest index for many crops can be improved through introduction of dwarf stature to increase lodging resistance, combined with early maturity. The inbred line Shen5003 has been widely used in maize breeding in China as a key donor line for the dwarf trait. Also, one major quantitative trait locus (QTL) controlling plant height has been identified in bin 5.05–5.06, across several maize bi-parental populations. With the progress of publicly available maize genome sequence, the objective of this work was to identify the candidate genes that affect plant height among Chinese maize inbred lines with genome wide association studies (GWAS). Methods and Findings A total of 284 maize inbred lines were genotyped using over 55,000 evenly spaced SNPs, from which a set of 41,101 SNPs were filtered with stringent quality control for further data analysis. With the population structure controlled in a mixed linear model (MLM) implemented with the software TASSEL, we carried out a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for plant height. A total of 204 SNPs (P≤0.0001) and 105 genomic loci harboring coding regions were identified. Four loci containing genes associated with gibberellin (GA), auxin, and epigenetic pathways may be involved in natural variation that led to a dwarf phenotype in elite maize inbred lines. Among them, a favorable allele for dwarfing on chromosome 5 (SNP PZE-105115518) was also identified in six Shen5003 derivatives. Conclusions The fact that a large number of previously identified dwarf genes are missing from our study highlights the discovery of the consistently significant association of the gene harboring the SNP PZE-105115518 with plant height (P = 8.91e-10) and its confirmation in the Shen5003 introgression lines. Results from this study suggest that, in the maize breeding schema in China, specific alleles were selected, that have played important roles in maize production. PMID:22216221

Modeling Biometric Traits, Yield and Nutritional and Antioxidant Properties of Seeds of Three Soybean Cultivars Through the Application of Biostimulant Containing Seaweed and Amino Acids

PubMed Central

Kocira, Sławomir; Szparaga, Agnieszka; Kocira, Anna; Czerwińska, Ewa; Wójtowicz, Agnieszka; Bronowicka-Mielniczuk, Urszula; Koszel, Milan; Findura, Pavol

2018-01-01

In recent years, attempts have been made to use preparations that allow obtaining high and good quality yields, while reducing the application of pesticides and mineral fertilizers. These include biostimulants that are safe for the natural environment and contribute to the improvement of yield size and quality, especially after the occurrence of stressors. Their use is advisable in the case of crops sensitive to such biotic stress factors like low temperatures or drought. One of these is soybean which is a very important plant from the economic viewpoint. Field experiments were established in the years 2014-2016 in a random block design in four replicates on experimental plots of 10 m2. Three soybean cultivars: Annushka, Mavka, and Atlanta were planted in the third decade of April. Fylloton biostimulant was used at 0.7% or 1% concentrations as single spraying (BBCH 13-15) or double spraying (BBCH 13-15, BBCH 61) in the vegetation period. The number of seeds per 1 m2, seed yield, thousand seed weight, number of pods per plant, number of nodes in the main shoot, height of plants, and protein and fat contents in seeds were determined. The content of phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity and antioxidant effect of soybean seeds were assayed as well. Foliar treatment of soybean with Fylloton stimulated the growth and yield of plants without compromising their nutritional and nutraceutical properties. The double application of the higher concentration of Fylloton was favorable for the plant height, seed number and soybean yield. Moreover, the highest number of pods was obtained after single treatment of plants with the lower biostimulant concentration. There was also a positive effect of using this biostimulant on the content and activity of some bioactive compounds, such as phenolics and flavonoids, and on the reducing power. PMID:29636764

Modeling Biometric Traits, Yield and Nutritional and Antioxidant Properties of Seeds of Three Soybean Cultivars Through the Application of Biostimulant Containing Seaweed and Amino Acids.

PubMed

Kocira, Sławomir; Szparaga, Agnieszka; Kocira, Anna; Czerwińska, Ewa; Wójtowicz, Agnieszka; Bronowicka-Mielniczuk, Urszula; Koszel, Milan; Findura, Pavol

2018-01-01

In recent years, attempts have been made to use preparations that allow obtaining high and good quality yields, while reducing the application of pesticides and mineral fertilizers. These include biostimulants that are safe for the natural environment and contribute to the improvement of yield size and quality, especially after the occurrence of stressors. Their use is advisable in the case of crops sensitive to such biotic stress factors like low temperatures or drought. One of these is soybean which is a very important plant from the economic viewpoint. Field experiments were established in the years 2014-2016 in a random block design in four replicates on experimental plots of 10 m 2 . Three soybean cultivars: Annushka, Mavka, and Atlanta were planted in the third decade of April. Fylloton biostimulant was used at 0.7% or 1% concentrations as single spraying (BBCH 13-15) or double spraying (BBCH 13-15, BBCH 61) in the vegetation period. The number of seeds per 1 m 2 , seed yield, thousand seed weight, number of pods per plant, number of nodes in the main shoot, height of plants, and protein and fat contents in seeds were determined. The content of phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity and antioxidant effect of soybean seeds were assayed as well. Foliar treatment of soybean with Fylloton stimulated the growth and yield of plants without compromising their nutritional and nutraceutical properties. The double application of the higher concentration of Fylloton was favorable for the plant height, seed number and soybean yield. Moreover, the highest number of pods was obtained after single treatment of plants with the lower biostimulant concentration. There was also a positive effect of using this biostimulant on the content and activity of some bioactive compounds, such as phenolics and flavonoids, and on the reducing power.

Vermicompost as a soil supplement to improve growth, yield and fruit quality of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum).

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Miceli, Federico A; Santiago-Borraz, Jorge; Montes Molina, Joaquín Adolfo; Nafate, Camerino Carlos; Abud-Archila, Miguel; Oliva Llaven, María Angela; Rincón-Rosales, Reiner; Dendooven, Luc

2007-11-01

The effects of earthworm-processed sheep-manure (vermicompost) on the growth, productivity and chemical characteristics of tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum) (c.v. Rio Grande) were investigated in a greenhouse experiment. Five treatments were applied combining vermicompost and soil in proportions of 0:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4 and 1:5 (v/v). Growth and yield parameters were measured 85 days and 100 days after transplanting. Addition of vermicompost increased plant heights significantly, but had no significant effect on the numbers of leaves or yields 85 days after transplanting. Yields of tomatoes were significantly greater when the relationship vermicompost:soil was 1:1, 1:2 or 1:3, 100 days after transplanting. Addition of sheep-manure vermicompost decreased soil pH, titratable acidity and increased soluble and insoluble solids, in tomato fruits compared to those harvested from plants cultivated in unamended soil. Sheep-manure vermicompost as a soil supplement increased tomato yields and soluble, insoluble solids and carbohydrate concentrations.

Response of Plant Height, Species Richness and Aboveground Biomass to Flooding Gradient along Vegetation Zones in Floodplain Wetlands, Northeast China.

PubMed

Lou, Yanjing; Pan, Yanwen; Gao, Chuanyu; Jiang, Ming; Lu, Xianguo; Xu, Y Jun

2016-01-01

Flooding regime changes resulting from natural and human activity have been projected to affect wetland plant community structures and functions. It is therefore important to conduct investigations across a range of flooding gradients to assess the impact of flooding depth on wetland vegetation. We conducted this study to identify the pattern of plant height, species richness and aboveground biomass variation along the flooding gradient in floodplain wetlands located in Northeast China. We found that the response of dominant species height to the flooding gradient depends on specific species, i.e., a quadratic response for Carex lasiocarpa, a negative correlation for Calamagrostis angustifolia, and no response for Carex appendiculata. Species richness showed an intermediate effect along the vegetation zone from marsh to wet meadow while aboveground biomass increased. When the communities were analysed separately, only the water table depth had significant impact on species richness for two Carex communities and no variable for C. angustifolia community, while height of dominant species influenced aboveground biomass. When the three above-mentioned communities were grouped together, variations in species richness were mainly determined by community type, water table depth and community mean height, while variations in aboveground biomass were driven by community type and the height of dominant species. These findings indicate that if habitat drying of these herbaceous wetlands in this region continues, then two Carex marshes would be replaced gradually by C. angustifolia wet meadow in the near future. This will lead to a reduction in biodiversity and an increase in productivity and carbon budget. Meanwhile, functional traits must be considered, and should be a focus of attention in future studies on the species diversity and ecosystem function in this region.

Use of Peroxyacetic Acid as Green Chemical on Yield and Sensorial Quality in Watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. Br.) Under Soilless Culture

PubMed Central

Carrasco, Gilda; Moggia, Claudia; Osses, Ingrid Jennifer; Álvaro, Juan Eugenio; Urrestarazu, Miguel

2011-01-01

The goal of this research was to evaluate the effect of different doses of peroxyacetic acid on the productivity of watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. Br.) cultivated hydroponically using a constant nutritive solution. Green chemistry in protected horticulture seeks compatibility with the environment through the creation of biodegradable byproducts. In hydroponics, appropriate doses of peroxyacetic mixtures deliver these byproducts while also oxygenating the roots. Watercress producers who recirculate the nutritive solution can use these mixtures in order to increase oxygenation in the hydroponic system. The experiment took place between August and December 2009, beginning with the planting of the watercress seeds and concluding with the completion of the sensory panels. A completely random design was used, including three treatments and four repetitions, with applications of 0, 20 and 40 mg L−1 of the peroxyacetic mixture. Measured variables were growth (plant height, leaf length and stem diameter), yield (weight per plant and dry matter) and organoleptic quality (color and sensory panel). The application of 40 mg L−1 of the peroxyacetic mixture had a greater effect on the growth and development of the plants, which reached an average height of 29.3 cm, stem diameter of 3.3 mm and leaf length of 7.6 cm, whereas the control group reached an average height of only 20.2 cm, stem diameter of 1.9 mm and leaf length of 5.7 cm. The application of the peroxyacetic mixtures resulted in an improvement in growth parameters as well as in yield. Individual weights achieved using the 40 mg L−1 dose were 1.3 g plant−1 in the control group and 3.4 g plant−1 in the experimental group (62% yield increase). Sensory analysis revealed no differences in organoleptic quality. PMID:22272143

Bridging the gap between marker-assisted and genomic selection of heading time and plant height in hybrid wheat.

PubMed

Zhao, Y; Mette, M F; Gowda, M; Longin, C F H; Reif, J C

2014-06-01

Based on data from field trials with a large collection of 135 elite winter wheat inbred lines and 1604 F1 hybrids derived from them, we compared the accuracy of prediction of marker-assisted selection and current genomic selection approaches for the model traits heading time and plant height in a cross-validation approach. For heading time, the high accuracy seen with marker-assisted selection severely dropped with genomic selection approaches RR-BLUP (ridge regression best linear unbiased prediction) and BayesCπ, whereas for plant height, accuracy was low with marker-assisted selection as well as RR-BLUP and BayesCπ. Differences in the linkage disequilibrium structure of the functional and single-nucleotide polymorphism markers relevant for the two traits were identified in a simulation study as a likely explanation for the different trends in accuracies of prediction. A new genomic selection approach, weighted best linear unbiased prediction (W-BLUP), designed to treat the effects of known functional markers more appropriately, proved to increase the accuracy of prediction for both traits and thus closes the gap between marker-assisted and genomic selection.

Height Growth of American Sycamore in Southeastern Louisiana

Treesearch

Charles B. Briscoe; Mitchell D. Ferrill

1958-01-01

The determination of site quality is one of the early steps preceding intensive forest management; it is most commonly assessed by a total height-age relationship know as site index, with quality being expressed by the height at a chosen index age. Because an intensive review of the literature has revealed no site index curves nor yield tables for American sycamore (...

Recombination and genetic variance among maize doubled haploids induced from F1 and F2 plants.

PubMed

Sleper, Joshua A; Bernardo, Rex

2016-12-01

Inducing maize doubled haploids from F 2 plants (DHF2) instead of F 1 plants (DHF1) led to more recombination events. However, the best DHF2 lines did not outperform the best DHF1 lines. Maize (Zea mays L.) breeders rely on doubled haploid (DH) technology for fast and efficient production of inbreds. Breeders can induce DH lines most quickly from F 1 plants (DHF1), or induce DH lines from F 2 plants (DHF2) to allow selection prior to DH induction and have more recombinations. Our objective was to determine if the additional recombinations in maize DHF2 lines lead to a larger genetic variance and a superior mean of the best lines. A total of 311 DHF1 and 241 DHF2 lines, derived from the same biparental cross, were crossed to two testers and evaluated in multilocation trials in Europe and the US. The mean number of recombinations per genome was 14.48 among the DHF1 lines and 21.38 among the DHF1 lines. The means of the DHF1 and DHF2 lines did not differ for yield, moisture, and plant height. The genetic variance was higher among DHF2 lines than among DHF1 lines for moisture, but not for yield and plant height. The ratio of repulsion to coupling linkages, which was estimated from genomewide marker effects, was higher among DHF1 lines than among DHF2 lines for moisture, but not for yield and plant height. The higher genetic variance for moisture among DHF2 lines did not lead to lower moisture of the best 10 % of the lines. Our results indicated that the decision of inducing DH lines from F 1 or F 2 plants needs to be made from considerations other than the performance of the resulting DHF1 or DHF2 lines.

Growth, yield and plant water relationships in sweet potatoes in response to carbon dioxide enrichment: Progress report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1986-01-01

In the summer of 1985, under the joint program of US Department of Energy, Carbon Dioxide Division, and Tuskegee University, experiments were conducted to study growth, yield, photosynthesis and plant water relationships in sweet potato plants grown in an enriched CO/sub 2/ environment. The main experiment utilized open top chambers to study the effects of CO/sub 2/ and soil moisture on growth, yield and photosynthesis of field-grown plants. In addition, potted plants in open top chambers were utilized in a study of the effects of different CO/sub 2/ concentrations on growth pattern, relative growth rate, net assimilation rate and biomassmore » increment at different stages of development. The interaction effects of enriched CO/sub 2/ and water stress on biomass production, yield, xylem potential, and stomatal conductance were also investigated. 29 refs., 18 figs., 41 tabs.« less

Estimating plant distance in maize using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

PubMed

Zhang, Jinshui; Basso, Bruno; Price, Richard F; Putman, Gregory; Shuai, Guanyuan

2018-01-01

Distance between rows and plants are essential parameters that affect the final grain yield in row crops. This paper presents the results of research intended to develop a novel method to quantify the distance between maize plants at field scale using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Using this method, we can recognize maize plants as objects and calculate the distance between plants. We initially developed our method by training an algorithm in an indoor facility with plastic corn plants. Then, the method was scaled up and tested in a farmer's field with maize plant spacing that exhibited natural variation. The results of this study demonstrate that it is possible to precisely quantify the distance between maize plants. We found that accuracy of the measurement of the distance between maize plants depended on the height above ground level at which UAV imagery was taken. This study provides an innovative approach to quantify plant-to-plant variability and, thereby final crop yield estimates.

Response of Plant Height, Species Richness and Aboveground Biomass to Flooding Gradient along Vegetation Zones in Floodplain Wetlands, Northeast China

PubMed Central

Lou, Yanjing; Pan, Yanwen; Gao, Chuanyu; Jiang, Ming; Lu, Xianguo; Xu, Y. Jun

2016-01-01

Flooding regime changes resulting from natural and human activity have been projected to affect wetland plant community structures and functions. It is therefore important to conduct investigations across a range of flooding gradients to assess the impact of flooding depth on wetland vegetation. We conducted this study to identify the pattern of plant height, species richness and aboveground biomass variation along the flooding gradient in floodplain wetlands located in Northeast China. We found that the response of dominant species height to the flooding gradient depends on specific species, i.e., a quadratic response for Carex lasiocarpa, a negative correlation for Calamagrostis angustifolia, and no response for Carex appendiculata. Species richness showed an intermediate effect along the vegetation zone from marsh to wet meadow while aboveground biomass increased. When the communities were analysed separately, only the water table depth had significant impact on species richness for two Carex communities and no variable for C. angustifolia community, while height of dominant species influenced aboveground biomass. When the three above-mentioned communities were grouped together, variations in species richness were mainly determined by community type, water table depth and community mean height, while variations in aboveground biomass were driven by community type and the height of dominant species. These findings indicate that if habitat drying of these herbaceous wetlands in this region continues, then two Carex marshes would be replaced gradually by C. angustifolia wet meadow in the near future. This will lead to a reduction in biodiversity and an increase in productivity and carbon budget. Meanwhile, functional traits must be considered, and should be a focus of attention in future studies on the species diversity and ecosystem function in this region. PMID:27097325

Vacuolar deposition of recombinant proteins in plant vegetative organs as a strategy to increase yields.

PubMed

Marin Viegas, Vanesa Soledad; Ocampo, Carolina Gabriela; Petruccelli, Silvana

2017-05-04

Delivery of recombinant proteins to vegetative tissue vacuoles was considered inconvenient since this compartment was expected to be hydrolytic; nevertheless there is growing evidence that certain foreign proteins accumulate at high yields in vacuoles. For example avidin, cellulolytic enzymes, endolysin, and transglutaminases were produced at high yields when were sorted to leaf central vacuole avoiding the detrimental effect of these proteins on plant growth. Also, several secretory mammalian proteins such as collagen, α1-proteinase inhibitor, complement-5a, interleukin-6 and immunoglobulins accumulated at higher yields in leaf vacuoles than in the apoplast or cytosol. To reach this final destination, fusions to sequence specific vacuolar sorting signals (ssVSS) typical of proteases or proteinase inhibitors and/or Ct-VSS representative of storage proteins or plant lectins were used and both types of motifs were capable to increase accumulation. Importantly, the type of VSSs or position, either the N or C-terminus, did not alter protein stability, levels or pos-translational modifications. Vacuolar sorted glycoproteins had different type of oligosaccharides indicating that foreign proteins reached the vacuole by 2 different pathways: direct transport from the ER, bypassing the Golgi (high mannose oligosaccharides decorated proteins) or trafficking through the Golgi (Complex oligosaccharide containing proteins). In addition, some glycoproteins lacked of paucimannosidic oligosaccharides suggesting that vacuolar trimming of glycans did not occur. Enhanced accumulation of foreign proteins fused to VSS occurred in several plant species such as tobacco, Nicotiana benthamiana, sugarcane, tomato and in carrot and the obtained results were influenced by plant physiological state. Ten different foreign proteins fused to vacuolar sorting accumulated at higher levels than their apoplastic or cytosolic counterparts. For proteins with cytotoxic effects vacuolar sorted forms

Enhancing crop yield with the use of N-based fertilizers co-applied with plant hormones or growth regulators.

PubMed

Zaman, Mohammad; Kurepin, Leonid V; Catto, Warwick; Pharis, Richard P

2015-07-01

Crop yield, vegetative or reproductive, depends on access to an adequate supply of essential mineral nutrients. At the same time, a crop plant's growth and development, and thus yield, also depend on in situ production of plant hormones. Thus optimizing mineral nutrition and providing supplemental hormones are two mechanisms for gaining appreciable yield increases. Optimizing the mineral nutrient supply is a common and accepted agricultural practice, but the co-application of nitrogen-based fertilizers with plant hormones or plant growth regulators is relatively uncommon. Our review discusses possible uses of plant hormones (gibberellins, auxins, cytokinins, abscisic acid and ethylene) and specific growth regulators (glycine betaine and polyamines) to enhance and optimize crop yield when co-applied with nitrogen-based fertilizers. We conclude that use of growth-active gibberellins, together with a nitrogen-based fertilizer, can result in appreciable and significant additive increases in shoot dry biomass of crops, including forage crops growing under low-temperature conditions. There may also be a potential for use of an auxin or cytokinin, together with a nitrogen-based fertilizer, for obtaining additive increases in dry shoot biomass and/or reproductive yield. Further research, though, is needed to determine the potential of co-application of nitrogen-based fertilizers with abscisic acid, ethylene and other growth regulators. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Overexpression of OsGATA12 regulates chlorophyll content, delays plant senescence and improves rice yield under high density planting.

PubMed

Lu, Guangwen; Casaretto, José A; Ying, Shan; Mahmood, Kashif; Liu, Fang; Bi, Yong-Mei; Rothstein, Steven J

2017-05-01

Agronomic traits controlling the formation, architecture and physiology of source and sink organs are main determinants of rice productivity. Semi-dwarf rice varieties with low tiller formation but high seed production per panicle and dark green and thick leaves with prolonged source activity are among the desirable traits to further increase the yield potential of rice. Here, we report the functional characterization of a zinc finger transcription factor, OsGATA12, whose overexpression causes increased leaf greenness, reduction of leaf and tiller number, and affects yield parameters. Reduced tillering allowed testing the transgenic plants under high density which resulted in significantly increased yield per area and higher harvest index compared to wild-type. We show that delayed senescence of transgenic plants and the corresponding longer stay-green phenotype is mainly due to increased chlorophyll and chloroplast number. Further, our work postulates that the increased greenness observed in the transgenic plants is due to more chlorophyll synthesis but most significantly to decreased chlorophyll degradation, which is supported by the reduced expression of genes involved in the chlorophyll degradation pathway. In particular we show evidence for the down-regulation of the STAY GREEN RICE gene and in vivo repression of its promoter by OsGATA12, which suggests a transcriptional repression function for a GATA transcription factor for prolonging the onset of senescence in cereals.

Yield response to planting date among soybean maturity groups for irrigated production in the US Midsouth

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Planting date is one of the main factors affecting soybean (Glycine max L. (Merr.)) yield. Environmental conditions in the US Midsouth allow for planting dates from late March through early July, and maturity groups (MGs) ranging from 3 to 6. However, the complexity of the interaction among planting...

[Effects of different colored plastic film mulching and planting density on dry matter accumulation and yield of spring maize.

PubMed

Zhang, Lin Lin; Sun, Shi Jun; Chen, Zhi Jun; Jiang, Hao; Zhang, Xu Dong; Chi, Dao Cai

2018-01-01

In order to investigate the effect of different colored plastic film mulching and planting density on spring maize dry matter accumulation and yield in the rain-fed area of the Northeast China, a complete combination field experiment which was comprised by three types of mulching (non-mulching, transparent plastic film mulching and black plastic film mulching) and five densities (60000, 67500, 75000, 82500 and 90000 plants·hm -2 ), was conducted to analyze the water and heat effect, dry matter accumulation and yield of spring maize (Liangyu 99). The results showed that, compared with the other mulching treatments, the black plastic film mulching treatment significantly increased the maize dry matter accumulation and maize biomass by 3.2%-8.2%. In mature stage, the biomass increased firstly and then decreased with the increasing plant density. When planting density was 82500 plants·hm -2 , the biomass was the highest, which was 5.2%-28.3% higher than that of other plant density treatments. The mean soil temperature in prophase of transparent plastic film mulching treatment was 0.4-2.7 ℃ higher than that of other treatments, which accelerated the maize growth process and augmented the dry matter transportation amount (T), dry matter transportation efficiency (TE) and contribution rate of dry matter transportation to the grain yield (TC) of maize stalk and leaf. The T, TE, TC of leaf and leaf-stalk under 60000 plants·hm -2 treatment were the highest. The highest T, TE, TC of stalk were observed under 75000 plants·hm -2 treatment. In heading period, the water consumption and daily water consumption intensity of maize under the treatment of black film mulching were the largest, which were 9.4%-10.6% and 10.6%-24.5% higher than that of other mulching treatments, respectively. The highest water consumption and daily water consumption intensity were both obtained under 90000 plants·hm -2 treatment, which increased by 6.8%-15.7% and 7.0%-20.0% compared with other

Combination of Plant Metabolic Modules Yields Synthetic Synergies

PubMed Central

Rajabi, Fatemeh; Heene, Ernst; Maisch, Jan; Nick, Peter

2017-01-01

The great potential of pharmacologically active secondary plant metabolites is often limited by low yield and availability of the producing plant. Chemical synthesis of these complex compounds is often too expensive. Plant cell fermentation offers an alternative strategy to overcome these limitations. However, production in batch cell cultures remains often inefficient. One reason might be the fact that different cell types have to interact for metabolite maturation, which is poorly mimicked in suspension cell lines. Using alkaloid metabolism of tobacco, we explore an alternative strategy, where the metabolic interactions of different cell types in a plant tissue are technically mimicked based on different plant-cell based metabolic modules. In this study, we simulate the interaction found between the nicotine secreting cells of the root and the nicotine-converting cells of the senescent leaf, generating the target compound nornicotine in the model cell line tobacco BY-2. When the nicotine demethylase NtomCYP82E4 was overexpressed in tobacco BY-2 cells, nornicotine synthesis was triggered, but only to a minor extent. However, we show here that we can improve the production of nornicotine in this cell line by feeding the precursor, nicotine. Engineering of another cell line overexpressing the key enzyme NtabMPO1 allows to stimulate accumulation and secretion of this precursor. We show that the nornicotine production of NtomCYP82E4 cells can be significantly stimulated by feeding conditioned medium from NtabMPO1 overexpressors without any negative effect on the physiology of the cells. Co-cultivation of NtomCYP82E4 with NtabMPO1 stimulated nornicotine accumulation even further, demonstrating that the physical presence of cells was superior to just feeding the conditioned medium collected from the same cells. These results provide a proof of concept that combination of different metabolic modules can improve the productivity for target compounds in plant cell

Bridging the gap between marker-assisted and genomic selection of heading time and plant height in hybrid wheat

PubMed Central

Zhao, Y; Mette, M F; Gowda, M; Longin, C F H; Reif, J C

2014-01-01

Based on data from field trials with a large collection of 135 elite winter wheat inbred lines and 1604 F1 hybrids derived from them, we compared the accuracy of prediction of marker-assisted selection and current genomic selection approaches for the model traits heading time and plant height in a cross-validation approach. For heading time, the high accuracy seen with marker-assisted selection severely dropped with genomic selection approaches RR-BLUP (ridge regression best linear unbiased prediction) and BayesCπ, whereas for plant height, accuracy was low with marker-assisted selection as well as RR-BLUP and BayesCπ. Differences in the linkage disequilibrium structure of the functional and single-nucleotide polymorphism markers relevant for the two traits were identified in a simulation study as a likely explanation for the different trends in accuracies of prediction. A new genomic selection approach, weighted best linear unbiased prediction (W-BLUP), designed to treat the effects of known functional markers more appropriately, proved to increase the accuracy of prediction for both traits and thus closes the gap between marker-assisted and genomic selection. PMID:24518889

Contribution of morphoagronomic traits to grain yield and earliness in grain sorghum.

PubMed

da Silva, K J; Teodoro, P E; de Menezes, C B; Júlio, M P M; de Souza, V F; da Silva, M J; Pimentel, L D; Borém, A

2017-05-04

Given the importance of selecting lines to obtain hybrids, we aimed to verify the relationship between morphological traits that can be used as the criteria for the selection of sorghum lines with high grain yield and earliness. A total of 18 traits were evaluated in 160 sorghum elite lines, in an incomplete block design with two replicates. A correlation network was used to graphically express the estimates of phenotypic and genotypic correlations between the traits. Two path analyses were processed, the first considering grain yield and the second considering flowering as the principle dependent variable. In general, most of the variation in the grain yield and flowering of sorghum lines was explained by the traits evaluated. Selecting sorghum lines with greater width of the third leaf blade from flag leaf, panicle weight, and panicle harvest index might lead to increased grain yield, and selecting sorghum genotypes with higher plant height might lead to reduced earliness and increased grain yield. Thus, the results suggest the establishment of selection indices aiming at simultaneously increasing the grain yield and earliness in sorghum genotypes.

Fine mapping of a yield-enhancing QTL cluster associated with transgressive variation in an Oryza sativa x O. rufipogon cross.

PubMed

Xie, Xiaobo; Jin, Fengxue; Song, Mi-Hee; Suh, Jung-Pil; Hwang, Hung-Goo; Kim, Yeon-Gyu; McCouch, Susan R; Ahn, Sang-Nag

2008-03-01

A high-resolution physical map targeting a cluster of yield-related QTLs on the long arm of rice chromosome 9 has been constructed across a 37.4 kb region containing seven predicted genes. Using a series of BC3F4 nearly isogenic lines (NILs) derived from a cross between the Korean japonica cultivar Hwaseongbyeo and Oryza rufipogon (IRGC 105491), a total of seven QTLs for 1,000-grain weight, spikelets per panicle, grains per panicle, panicle length, spikelet density, heading date and plant height were identified in the cluster (Pyielding O. rufipogon parent were beneficial in the Hwaseongbyeo background. Yield trials with BC3F4 NILs showed that lines containing a homozygous O. rufipogon introgression in the target region out-yielded sibling NILs containing Hwaseongbyeo DNA by 14.2-17.7%, and out-yielded the Hwaseongbyeo parent by 16.2-23.7%. While higher yielding plants containing the O. rufipogon introgression were also taller and later than controls, the fact that all seven of the QTLs were co-localized in the same 37.4 kb interval suggests the possibility that a single, pleiotropic gene acting as a major regulator of plant development may control this suite of agronomically important plant phenotypes.

In-field High Throughput Phenotyping and Cotton Plant Growth Analysis Using LiDAR.

PubMed

Sun, Shangpeng; Li, Changying; Paterson, Andrew H; Jiang, Yu; Xu, Rui; Robertson, Jon S; Snider, John L; Chee, Peng W

2018-01-01

Plant breeding programs and a wide range of plant science applications would greatly benefit from the development of in-field high throughput phenotyping technologies. In this study, a terrestrial LiDAR-based high throughput phenotyping system was developed. A 2D LiDAR was applied to scan plants from overhead in the field, and an RTK-GPS was used to provide spatial coordinates. Precise 3D models of scanned plants were reconstructed based on the LiDAR and RTK-GPS data. The ground plane of the 3D model was separated by RANSAC algorithm and a Euclidean clustering algorithm was applied to remove noise generated by weeds. After that, clean 3D surface models of cotton plants were obtained, from which three plot-level morphologic traits including canopy height, projected canopy area, and plant volume were derived. Canopy height ranging from 85th percentile to the maximum height were computed based on the histogram of the z coordinate for all measured points; projected canopy area was derived by projecting all points on a ground plane; and a Trapezoidal rule based algorithm was proposed to estimate plant volume. Results of validation experiments showed good agreement between LiDAR measurements and manual measurements for maximum canopy height, projected canopy area, and plant volume, with R 2 -values of 0.97, 0.97, and 0.98, respectively. The developed system was used to scan the whole field repeatedly over the period from 43 to 109 days after planting. Growth trends and growth rate curves for all three derived morphologic traits were established over the monitoring period for each cultivar. Overall, four different cultivars showed similar growth trends and growth rate patterns. Each cultivar continued to grow until ~88 days after planting, and from then on varied little. However, the actual values were cultivar specific. Correlation analysis between morphologic traits and final yield was conducted over the monitoring period. When considering each cultivar individually

Geographic variation in seed traits within and among forty-two species of Rhododendron (Ericaceae) on the Tibetan plateau: relationships with altitude, habitat, plant height, and phylogeny

PubMed Central

Wang, Yongji; Wang, Jianjian; Lai, Liming; Jiang, Lianhe; Zhuang, Ping; Zhang, Lehua; Zheng, Yuanrun; Baskin, Jerry M; Baskin, Carol C

2014-01-01

Seed mass and morphology are plant life history traits that influence seed dispersal ability, seeding establishment success, and population distribution pattern. Southeastern Tibet is a diversity center for Rhododendron species, which are distributed from a few hundred meters to 5500 m above sea level. We examined intra- and interspecific variation in seed mass and morphology in relation to altitude, habitat, plant height, and phylogeny. Seed mass decreased significantly with the increasing altitude and increased significantly with increasing plant height among populations of the same species. Seed mass differed significantly among species and subsections, but not among sections and subgenera. Seed length, width, surface area, and wing length were significantly negative correlated with altitude and significantly positive correlated with plant height. Further, these traits differed significantly among habitats and varied among species and subsection, but not among sections and subgenera. Species at low elevation had larger seeds with larger wings, and seeds became smaller and the wings of seeds tended to be smaller with the increasing altitude. Morphology of the seed varied from flat round to long cylindrical with increasing altitude. We suggest that seed mass and morphology have evolved as a result of both long-term adaptation and constraints of the taxonomic group over their long evolutionary history. PMID:24963385

Spring Burn Aids Longleaf Pine Seedling Height Growth

Treesearch

William R. Maple

1977-01-01

Prescribed burning in midspring may stimulate height growth of longleaf pine seedlings. Seedlings were planted on sandy and clayey sites that were prescribed burned 2 years later. Treatments were cool, moderate, and hot burns and an unburned control. The hot, May burn significantly increased height growth of seedlings on the sandy site. The number of seedlings with 50...

Yield of Unthinned Yellow-Poplar

Treesearch

Donald E. Beck; Lino Della-Bianca

1970-01-01

Cubic-foot and board-foot yields of unthinned yellow-poplar (Liriodendron Tulipiferi L.) stands are described in relation to stand age, site index, and number of trees per acre. The yield tables are based on analysis of diameter distributions and height-diameter relationships obtained from 141 natural, unthinned yellow-poplar stands in the...

The Pattern of Secreted Molecules During the Co-Inoculation of Alfalfa Plants With Sinorhizobium meliloti and Delftia sp. strain JD2: An Interaction That Improves Plant Yield.

PubMed

Morel, M A; Cagide, C; Minteguiaga, M A; Dardanelli, M S; Castro-Sowinski, S

2015-02-01

Delftia sp. strain JD2 is a plant-growth-promoting bacterium that enhances legume nodulation and growth, acting as nodule-assisting bacterium during the co-inoculation of plants with rhizobial strains. In this work, we evaluate how the co-inoculation of alfalfa with Sinorhizobium meliloti U143 and JD2 increases plant yield under greenhouse conditions and we analyze the pattern of secreted bioactive compounds which may be involved in the microbe-plant communication. The chemical composition of extracellular cultures (EC) produced in hydroponic conditions (collected 4, 7, and 14 days after bacterial treatment) were characterized using different chromatographic and elucidation techniques. In addition, we assessed the effect that plant irrigation with cell-free EC, produced during co-inoculation experiments, would have on plant yield. Results showed increased alfalfa shoot and root matter, suggesting that U143-JD2 co-inoculation might be a beneficial agricultural practice. The pattern of secreted secondary metabolites among treatments showed important differences. Qualitative and quantitative changes in phenolic compounds (including flavonoids), organic acids, and volatile compounds were detected during the early microbe-plant interaction, suggesting that the production of some molecules positively affects the microbe-plant association. Finally, the irrigation of co-inoculated plants with cell-free EC under greenhouse conditions increased plant yield over agronomic expectations. This effect might be attributed to the bioactive secondary metabolites incorporated during the irrigation.

Influence of conventional biochar and ageing biochar application to arable soil on soil fertility and plant yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dvořáčková, Helena; Záhora, Jaroslav; Elbl, Jakub; Kynický, Jindřich; Hladký, Jan; Brtnický, Martin

2017-04-01

Biochar represents very controversial material which is product of pyrolysis. According to many studies biochar has positive effect on physical and chemical properties such as pH, conductivity, aggregates stability etc. Unfortunately biochar is product of combustion, so it can content toxic substance as are aromatic compound. These substances may have a negative effect on yield and microbial activities in soil. Our aim was eliminated concentration of toxic compound but preserved positive effect of biochar on soil properties. We was ageing/ activating of biochar in water environment and for soil inoculum we used native soil from landscape. Moreover two types of biochar was tested by pot experiment with seven variants, where conventional biochar from residual biomass and ageing biochar were applied in different doses: 10 t/ha, 20t/ha and 50 t/ha. Pots were placed in green house for 90 days and after the end of experiment the following parameters of soil fertility, health and quality were evaluated: content of soil organic matter, arbuscular mycorrhizal colonisation of Lactuca sativa L. roots, leaching of mineral nitrogen, changes in plant available nutrient content, EC and pH. Above all the total yield of indicator plant was observed. The significant (P < 0.05) differences in plant yield and soil properties were found. The application of conventional biochar didn't have positive effect on plant yield in comparison with ageing biochar. The positive effect of ageing biochar addition on soil fertility was directly proportional to the dose which were applied - increasing in dose of ageing biochar resulted in increase of plant yield. Moreover the special experimental containers were used, where we was able to monitor the development of root in soil with and without addition of biochar (conventional or ageing). The positive influence of ageing biochar addition into soil on development of Lactuca sativa L. roots was observed.

Expression of the Arabidopsis thaliana BBX32 gene in soybean increases grain yield.

PubMed

Preuss, Sasha B; Meister, Robert; Xu, Qingzhang; Urwin, Carl P; Tripodi, Federico A; Screen, Steven E; Anil, Veena S; Zhu, Shuquan; Morrell, James A; Liu, Grace; Ratcliffe, Oliver J; Reuber, T Lynne; Khanna, Rajnish; Goldman, Barry S; Bell, Erin; Ziegler, Todd E; McClerren, Amanda L; Ruff, Thomas G; Petracek, Marie E

2012-01-01

Crop yield is a highly complex quantitative trait. Historically, successful breeding for improved grain yield has led to crop plants with improved source capacity, altered plant architecture, and increased resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. To date, transgenic approaches towards improving crop grain yield have primarily focused on protecting plants from herbicide, insects, or disease. In contrast, we have focused on identifying genes that, when expressed in soybean, improve the intrinsic ability of the plant to yield more. Through the large scale screening of candidate genes in transgenic soybean, we identified an Arabidopsis thaliana B-box domain gene (AtBBX32) that significantly increases soybean grain yield year after year in multiple transgenic events in multi-location field trials. In order to understand the underlying physiological changes that are associated with increased yield in transgenic soybean, we examined phenotypic differences in two AtBBX32-expressing lines and found increases in plant height and node, flower, pod, and seed number. We propose that these phenotypic changes are likely the result of changes in the timing of reproductive development in transgenic soybean that lead to the increased duration of the pod and seed development period. Consistent with the role of BBX32 in A. thaliana in regulating light signaling, we show that the constitutive expression of AtBBX32 in soybean alters the abundance of a subset of gene transcripts in the early morning hours. In particular, AtBBX32 alters transcript levels of the soybean clock genes GmTOC1 and LHY-CCA1-like2 (GmLCL2). We propose that through the expression of AtBBX32 and modulation of the abundance of circadian clock genes during the transition from dark to light, the timing of critical phases of reproductive development are altered. These findings demonstrate a specific role for AtBBX32 in modulating soybean development, and demonstrate the validity of expressing single genes in crops to

Effects of crop residues of sunflower (Helianthus annuus), maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max) on growth and seed yields of sunflower.

PubMed

Srisa-Ard, K

2007-04-15

This pot experiment was carried out at Suranaree Technology University Experimental Farm, Northeast Thailand to investigate effects of crop residues of sunflower, maize and soybean on total dry weight, top dry weight, plant height, root dry weight and seed yield of sunflower plants with the use of Korat soil series (Oxic Paleustults) during the rainy season (July-October) of the 2001. The experiment was laid in a split plot arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four replications where the crop residues of maize, sunflower and soybean were used as main plots. Whilst crop residues of roots, top growth and roots+top growth were used as subplots. The results showed that crop residues derived from roots of both sunflower and soybean plants had their significant inhibition effects of allelopathic substances on plant height, root dry weight, top growth dry weight and total dry weight plant(-1) of the sunflower plants than those derived from top growth of both crops alone (sunflower and soybean). Maize plant residues had no significant inhibition effect on growth of subsequent crop of sunflower.

Meaningful traits for grouping plant species across arid ecosystems.

PubMed

Bär Lamas, Marlene Ivonne; Carrera, A L; Bertiller, M B

2016-05-01

Grouping species may provide some degree of simplification to understand the ecological function of plants on key ecosystem processes. We asked whether groups of plant species based on morpho-chemical traits associated with plant persistence and stress/disturbance resistance reflect dominant plant growth forms in arid ecosystems. We selected twelve sites across an aridity gradient in northern Patagonia. At each site, we identified modal size plants of each dominant species and assessed specific leaf area (SLA), plant height, seed mass, N and soluble phenol concentration in green and senesced leaves at each plant. Plant species were grouped according with plant growth forms (perennial grasses, evergreen shrubs and deciduous shrubs) and plant morphological and/or chemical traits using cluster analysis. We calculated mean values of each plant trait for each species group and plant growth form. Plant growth forms significantly differed among them in most of the morpho-chemical traits. Evergreen shrubs were tall plants with the highest seed mass and soluble phenols in leaves, deciduous shrubs were also tall plants with high SLA and the highest N in leaves, and perennial grasses were short plants with high SLA and low concentration of N and soluble phenols in leaves. Grouping species by the combination of morpho-chemical traits yielded 4 groups in which species from one growth form prevailed. These species groups differed in soluble phenol concentration in senesced leaves and plant height. These traits were highly correlated. We concluded that (1) plant height is a relevant synthetic variable, (2) growth forms adequately summarize ecological strategies of species in arid ecosystems, and (3) the inclusion of plant morphological and chemical traits related to defenses against environmental stresses and herbivory enhanced the potential of species grouping, particularly within shrubby growth forms.

Varying plant density and harvest time to optimize cowpea leaf yield and nutrient content

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ohler, T. A.; Nielsen, S. S.; Mitchell, C. A.

1996-01-01

Plant density and harvest time were manipulated to optimize vegetative (foliar) productivity of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] canopies for future dietary use in controlled ecological life-support systems as vegetables or salad greens. Productivity was measured as total shoot and edible dry weights (DW), edible yield rate [(EYR) grams DW per square meter per day], shoot harvest index [(SHI) grams DW per edible gram DW total shoot], and yield-efficiency rate [(YER) grams DW edible per square meter per day per grams DW nonedible]. Cowpeas were grown in a greenhouse for leaf-only harvest at 14, 28, 42, 56, 84, or 99 plants/m2 and were harvested 20, 30, 40, or 50 days after planting (DAP). Shoot and edible dry weights increased as plant density and time to harvest increased. A maximum of 1189 g shoot DW/m2 and 594 g edible DW/m2 were achieved at an estimated plant density of 85 plants/m2 and harvest 50 DAP. EYR also increased as plant density and time to harvest increased. An EYR of 11 g m-2 day-1 was predicted to occur at 86 plants/m2 and harvest 50 DAP. SHI and YER were not affected by plant density. However, the highest values of SHI (64%) and YER (1.3 g m-2 day-1 g-1) were attained when cowpeas were harvested 20 DAP. The average fat and ash contents [dry-weight basis (dwb)] of harvested leaves remained constant regardless of harvest time. Average protein content increased from 25% DW at 30 DAP to 45% DW at 50 DAP. Carbohydrate content declined from 50% DW at 30 DAP to 45% DW at 50 DAP. Total dietary fiber content (dwb) of the leaves increased from 19% to 26% as time to harvest increased from 20 to 50 days.

Quantum Yields of CAM Plants Measured by Photosynthetic O2 Exchange 1

PubMed Central

Adams, William W.; Nishida, Kojiro; Osmond, C. Barry

1986-01-01

The quantum yield of photosynthetic O2 exchange was measured in eight species of leaf succulents representative of both malic enzyme type and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase type CAM plants. Measurements were made at 25°C and CO2 saturation using a leaf disc O2 electrode system, either during or after deacidification. The mean quantum yield was 0.095 ± 0.012 (sd) moles O2 per mole quanta, which compared with 0.094 ± 0.006 (sd) moles O2 per mole quanta for spinach leaf discs measured under the same conditions. There were no consistent differences in quantum yield between decarboxylation types or during different phases of CAM metabolism. On the basis of current notions of compartmentation of CAM biochemistry, our observations are interpreted to indicate that CO2 refixation is energetically independent of gluconeogenesis during deacidification. PMID:16664793

Constitutive expression of CaPLA1 conferred enhanced growth and grain yield in transgenic rice plants.

PubMed

Park, Ki Youl; Kim, Eun Yu; Seo, Young Sam; Kim, Woo Taek

2016-03-01

Phospholipids are not only important components of cell membranes, but participate in diverse processes in higher plants. In this study, we generated Capsicum annuum phospholipiase A1 (CaPLA1) overexpressing transgenic rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants under the control of the maize ubiquitin promoter. The T4 CaPLA1-overexpressing rice plants (Ubi:CaPLA1) had a higher root:shoot mass ratio than the wild-type plants in the vegetative stage. Leaf epidermal cells from transgenic plants had more cells than wild-type plants. Genes that code for cyclin and lipid metabolic enzymes were up-regulated in the transgenic lines. When grown under typical paddy field conditions, the transgenic plants produced more tillers, longer panicles and more branches per panicle than the wild-type plants, all of which resulted in greater grain yield. Microarray analysis suggests that gene expressions that are related with cell proliferation, lipid metabolism, and redox state were widely altered in CaPLA1-overexpressing transgenic rice plants. Ubi:CaPLA1 plants had a reduced membrane peroxidation state, as determined by malondialdehyde and conjugated diene levels and higher peroxidase activity than wild-type rice plants. Furthermore, three isoprenoid synthetic genes encoding terpenoid synthase, hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase were up-regulated in CaPLA1-overexpressing plants. We suggest that constitutive expression of CaPLA1 conferred increased grain yield with enhanced growth in transgenic rice plants by alteration of gene activities related with cell proliferation, lipid metabolism, membrane peroxidation state and isoprenoid biosynthesis.

Modelling the structural response of cotton plants to mepiquat chloride and population density

PubMed Central

Gu, Shenghao; Evers, Jochem B.; Zhang, Lizhen; Mao, Lili; Zhang, Siping; Zhao, Xinhua; Liu, Shaodong; van der Werf, Wopke; Li, Zhaohu

2014-01-01

Background and Aims Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) has indeterminate growth. The growth regulator mepiquat chloride (MC) is used worldwide to restrict vegetative growth and promote boll formation and yield. The effects of MC are modulated by complex interactions with growing conditions (nutrients, weather) and plant population density, and as a result the effects on plant form are not fully understood and are difficult to predict. The use of MC is thus hard to optimize. Methods To explore crop responses to plant density and MC, a functional–structural plant model (FSPM) for cotton (named CottonXL) was designed. The model was calibrated using 1 year's field data, and validated by using two additional years of detailed experimental data on the effects of MC and plant density in stands of pure cotton and in intercrops of cotton with wheat. CottonXL simulates development of leaf and fruits (square, flower and boll), plant height and branching. Crop development is driven by thermal time, population density, MC application, and topping of the main stem and branches. Key Results Validation of the model showed good correspondence between simulated and observed values for leaf area index with an overall root-mean-square error of 0·50 m2 m−2, and with an overall prediction error of less than 10 % for number of bolls, plant height, number of fruit branches and number of phytomers. Canopy structure became more compact with the decrease of leaf area index and internode length due to the application of MC. Moreover, MC did not have a substantial effect on boll density but increased lint yield at higher densities. Conclusions The model satisfactorily represents the effects of agronomic measures on cotton plant structure. It can be used to identify optimal agronomic management of cotton to achieve optimal plant structure for maximum yield under varying environmental conditions. PMID:24489020

Hormonal and metabolic regulation of source-sink relations under salinity and drought: from plant survival to crop yield stability.

PubMed

Albacete, Alfonso A; Martínez-Andújar, Cristina; Pérez-Alfocea, Francisco

2014-01-01

Securing food production for the growing population will require closing the gap between potential crop productivity under optimal conditions and the yield captured by farmers under a changing environment, which is termed agronomical stability. Drought and salinity are major environmental factors contributing to the yield gap ultimately by inducing premature senescence in the photosynthetic source tissues of the plant and by reducing the number and growth of the harvestable sink organs by affecting the transport and use of assimilates between and within them. However, the changes in source-sink relations induced by stress also include adaptive changes in the reallocation of photoassimilates that influence crop productivity, ranging from plant survival to yield stability. While the massive utilization of -omic technologies in model plants is discovering hundreds of genes with potential impacts in alleviating short-term applied drought and salinity stress (usually measured as plant survival), only in relatively few cases has an effect on crop yield stability been proven. However, achieving the former does not necessarily imply the latter. Plant survival only requires water status conservation and delayed leaf senescence (thus maintaining source activity) that is usually accompanied by growth inhibition. However, yield stability will additionally require the maintenance or increase in sink activity in the reproductive structures, thus contributing to the transport of assimilates from the source leaves and to delayed stress-induced leaf senescence. This review emphasizes the role of several metabolic and hormonal factors influencing not only the source strength, but especially the sink activity and their inter-relations, and their potential to improve yield stability under drought and salinity stresses. © 2013.

Implementation of spaceborne lidar-retrieved canopy height in the WRF model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Junhong; Hong, Jinkyu

2016-06-01

Canopy height is closely related to biomass and aerodynamic properties, which regulate turbulent transfer of energy and mass at the soil-vegetation-atmosphere continuum. However, this key information has been prescribed as a constant value in a fixed plant functional type in atmospheric models. This paper is the first to report impacts of using realistic forest canopy height, retrieved from spaceborne lidar, on regional climate simulation by using the canopy height data in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model's land surface model. Numerical simulations were conducted over the Amazon Basin during summer season. Over this region, the lidar-retrieved canopy heights were higher than the default values used in the WRF, which are dependent only on plant functional type. By modifying roughness length and zero-plane displacement height, the change of canopy height resulted in changes in surface energy balance by regulating aerodynamic conductances and vertical temperature gradient, thus modifying the lifting condensation level and equivalent potential temperature in the atmospheric boundary layer. Our analysis also showed that the WRF model better reproduced the observed precipitation when lidar-retrieved canopy height was used over the Amazon Basin.

Height growth of red pine on fine-textured soils.

Treesearch

David H. Alban; Donald H. Prettyman

1984-01-01

Height growth was determined by stem analysis for red pine in 12 natural and 10 planted stands on well-drained, fine textured soils. Growth closely followed the Gervorkiantz site index curves. When calculating site index, an age adjustment is desirable if the trees take longer than 8 years to attain breast height.

Genetic control of soybean seed oil: II. QTL and genes that increase oil concentration without decreasing protein or with increased seed yield.

PubMed

Eskandari, Mehrzad; Cober, Elroy R; Rajcan, Istvan

2013-06-01

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] seed oil is the primary global source of edible oil and a major renewable and sustainable feedstock for biodiesel production. Therefore, increasing the relative oil concentration in soybean is desirable; however, that goal is complex due to the quantitative nature of the oil concentration trait and possible effects on major agronomic traits such as seed yield or protein concentration. The objectives of the present study were to study the relationship between seed oil concentration and important agronomic and seed quality traits, including seed yield, 100-seed weight, protein concentration, plant height, and days to maturity, and to identify oil quantitative trait loci (QTL) that are co-localized with the traits evaluated. A population of 203 F4:6 recombinant inbred lines, derived from a cross between moderately high oil soybean genotypes OAC Wallace and OAC Glencoe, was developed and grown across multiple environments in Ontario, Canada, in 2009 and 2010. Among the 11 QTL associated with seed oil concentration in the population, which were detected using either single-factor ANOVA or multiple QTL mapping methods, the number of QTL that were co-localized with other important traits QTL were six for protein concentration, four for seed yield, two for 100-seed weight, one for days to maturity, and one for plant height. The oil-beneficial allele of the QTL tagged by marker Sat_020 was positively associated with seed protein concentration. The oil favorable alleles of markers Satt001 and GmDGAT2B were positively correlated with seed yield. In addition, significant two-way epistatic interactions, where one of the interacting markers was solely associated with seed oil concentration, were identified for the selected traits in this study. The number of significant epistatic interactions was seven for yield, four for days to maturity, two for 100-seed weight, one for protein concentration, and one for plant height. The identified molecular

The sunflower transcription factor HaWRKY76 confers drought and flood tolerance to Arabidopsis thaliana plants without yield penalty.

PubMed

Raineri, Jesica; Ribichich, Karina F; Chan, Raquel L

2015-12-01

Arabidopsis transgenic plants expressing the sunflower transcription factor HaWRKY76 exhibit increased yield and tolerance to drought and flood stresses. The genetic construct containing HaWRKY76 is proposed as a potential biotechnological tool to improve crops. Water deficit and water excess are abiotic stress factors that seriously affect crops worldwide. To increase the tolerance to such stresses without causing yield penalty constitutes a major goal for biotechnologists. In this survey, we report that HaWRKY76, a divergent sunflower WRKY transcription factor, is able to confer both dehydration and submergence tolerance to Arabidopsis transgenic plants without yield penalty. The expression pattern of HaWRKY76 was analyzed in plants grown in standard conditions and under different watering regimes indicating a regulation by water availability. The corresponding cDNA was isolated and cloned under the control of a constitutive promoter and Arabidopsis plants were transformed with this construct. These transgenic plants presented higher biomass, seed production and sucrose content than controls in standard growth conditions. Moreover, they exhibited tolerance to mild drought or flood (complete submergence/waterlogging) stresses as well as the same or increased yield, depending on the stress severity and plant developmental stage, compared with controls. Drought tolerance occurred via an ABA-independent mechanism and induction of stomatal closure. Submergence tolerance can be explained by the carbohydrate (sucrose and starch) preservation achieved through the repression of fermentation pathways. Higher cell membrane stability and chlorenchyma maintenance could be the nexus between tolerance responses in front of both stresses. Altogether, the obtained results indicated that HaWRKY76 can be a potential biotechnological tool to improve crops yield as well as drought and flood tolerances.

The Impact of Adolescent Obesity on Adult Height.

PubMed

Brener, Avivit; Bello, Rachel; Lebenthal, Yael; Yackobovitch-Gavan, Michal; Phillip, Moshe; Shalitin, Shlomit

2017-01-01

Childhood obesity is a major health concern. Excess adiposity during childhood affects growth and puberty. Our aim was to assess whether genetic adult height is compromised in adolescents with obesity. In a retrospective study of 190 obese patients followed at our Pediatric Endocrinology Institute, adult height and delta height (the difference between adult height and mid-parental height) were compared to those of 150 healthy age-matched normal-weight controls. Review of medical files yielded the relevant clinical and anthropometric data of patients, controls, and parents. Of the 190 obese adolescents, 150 were morbidly obese. The median adult height of morbidly obese males was 174.3 cm, of obese males 174 cm, and of normal-weight males 176 cm (p = 0.025). Delta height of morbidly obese males was -0.5 cm, of obese males -0.8 cm, and of normal-weight males, 3 cm (p < 0.0001). The median adult height of morbidly obese females was 161.3 cm, of obese females 162.8 cm, and of normal-weight females 162 cm (p = 0.37). Delta height of morbidly obese females was -1.85 cm, of obese females -0.95 cm, and of normal-weight females 0.7 cm (p = 0.019). Impairment of potential genetic height was not associated with obesity-related comorbidities. Adolescents with obesity showed impairment of potential genetic adult height as compared to that of normal-weight subjects. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Enhanced growth, yield and physiological characteristics of rice under elevated carbon dioxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abzar, A.; Ahmad, Wan Juliana Wan; Said, Mohd Nizam Mohd; Doni, Febri; Zaidan, Mohd Waznul Adly Mohd; Fathurahman, Zain, Che Radziah Che Mohd

2018-04-01

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is rapidly increasing in the atmosphere. It is an essential element for photosynthesis which attracts attention among scientists on how plants will perform in the rising CO2 level. Rice as one of the most important staple food in the world has been studied on the growth responses under elevated CO2. The present research was carried out to determine the growth and physiology of rice in elevated CO2 condition. This research was carried out using complete randomized design with elevated (800 ppm) and ambient CO2. Results showed that growth parameters such as plant height, tillers and number of leaves per plant were increased by elevated CO2. The positive changes in plant physiology when exposed to high CO2 concentration includes significant change (p<0.05) in yield parameters such as panicle number, grain number per panicle, biomass and 1000 grain weight under the elevated CO2 of 800 ppm.

Role of aquaporins in determining transpiration and photosynthesis in water-stressed plants: crop water-use efficiency, growth and yield.

PubMed

Moshelion, Menachem; Halperin, Ofer; Wallach, Rony; Oren, Ram; Way, Danielle A

2015-09-01

The global shortage of fresh water is one of our most severe agricultural problems, leading to dry and saline lands that reduce plant growth and crop yield. Here we review recent work highlighting the molecular mechanisms allowing some plant species and genotypes to maintain productivity under water stress conditions, and suggest molecular modifications to equip plants for greater production in water-limited environments. Aquaporins (AQPs) are thought to be the main transporters of water, small and uncharged solutes, and CO2 through plant cell membranes, thus linking leaf CO2 uptake from the intercellular airspaces to the chloroplast with water loss pathways. AQPs appear to play a role in regulating dynamic changes of root, stem and leaf hydraulic conductivity, especially in response to environmental changes, opening the door to using AQP expression to regulate plant water-use efficiency. We highlight the role of vascular AQPs in regulating leaf hydraulic conductivity and raise questions regarding their role (as well as tonoplast AQPs) in determining the plant isohydric threshold, growth rate, fruit yield production and harvest index. The tissue- or cell-specific expression of AQPs is discussed as a tool to increase yield relative to control plants under both normal and water-stressed conditions. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reflectance of vegetation, soil, and water. [effects of measurable plant parameters on multispectral signal variations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiegand, C. L. (Principal Investigator)

1974-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Reflectance of crop residues, that are important in reducing wind and water erosion, was more often different from bare soil in band 4 than in bands 5, 6, or 7. The plant parameters leaf area index, plant population, plant cover, and plant height explained 95.9 percent of the variation in band 7 (reflective infrared) digital counts for cotton and 78.2 percent of the variation in digital counts for the combined crops sorghum and corn; hence, measurable plant parameters explain most of the signal variation recorded for corpland. Leaf area index and plant population are both highly correlated with crop yields; since plant population can be readily measured (or possibly inferred from seeding rates), it is useful measurement for calibrating ERTS-type MSS digital data in terms of yield.

Effect of natural biostimulants on yield and nutritional quality: an example of sweet yellow pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants.

PubMed

Parađiković, Nada; Vinković, Tomislav; Vinković Vrček, Ivana; Žuntar, Irena; Bojić, Mirza; Medić-Šarić, Marica

2011-09-01

Modifications in growing techniques can affect the yield and nutritional quality of various cultivated plant species. Owing to its high nutritional value, pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) was used in this study as a model plant to investigate the effect of natural biostimulants on yield and fruit quality parameters under conditions of reduced fertilisation. A positive influence of biostimulant treatment on yield parameters was observed. The overall increase in the pigment content of leaves after biostimulant application agreed well with the higher total and commercial yields of treated pepper cultivars compared with their controls. The results showed that natural biostimulants had a positive effect on the vitamin C and total phenolic contents in pepper fruits during the hot summer season. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) antioxidant activities were also significantly higher (P < 0.05) in treated plants and correlated strongly with all measured quality parameters except total phenolic content. Generally, biostimulants improved the antioxidant activity, vitamin C and phenolic contents in fruits as well as the pigment content in leaves of treated compared with non-treated pepper plants grown hydroponically. Thus the application of biostimulants could be considered as a good production strategy for obtaining high yields of nutritionally valuable vegetables with lower impact on the environment. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

Engineering salt-tolerant Brassica plants: characterization of yield and seed oil quality in transgenic plants with increased vacuolar sodium accumulation.

PubMed

Zhang, H X; Hodson, J N; Williams, J P; Blumwald, E

2001-10-23

Transgenic Brassica napus plants overexpressing AtNHX1, a vacuolar Na(+)/H(+) antiport from Arabidopsis thaliana, were able to grow, flower, and produce seeds in the presence of 200 mM sodium chloride. Although the transgenic plants grown in high salinity accumulated sodium up to 6% of their dry weight, growth of the these plants was only marginally affected by the high salt concentration. Moreover, seed yields and the seed oil quality were not affected by the high salinity of the soil. Our results demonstrate the potential use of these transgenic plants for agricultural use in saline soils. Our findings, showing that the modification of a single trait significantly improved the salinity tolerance of this crop plant, suggest that with a combination of breeding and transgenic plants it could be possible to produce salt-tolerant crops with far fewer target traits than had been anticipated.

Effect of Sowing Methods and NPK Levels on Growth and Yield of Rainfed Maize (Zea mays L.).

PubMed

Gul, Shamim; Khan, M H; Khanday, B A; Nabi, Sabeena

2015-01-01

To investigate the response of rainfed maize to sowing methods and NPK levels, an experiment was undertaken during kharif of 2011 and 2012 at Dryland (Kerawa) Agriculture Research Station, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Budgam. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with combination of 2 sowing methods (flat sowing, 75 cm apart rows, and ridge sowing, 75 cm apart ridges) and 3 fertility levels (60 : 40 : 20, 75 : 50 : 30, and 90 : 60 : 40 N : P2O5 : K2O kg ha(-1)) with three replications. Various growth characters, namely, plant height, leaf area index, dry matter accumulation, number of days to different phenological stages, and yield, and yield contributing characters namely, cob length, number of grains cob(-1), cob diameter (cm), and 100-seed weight (g), were significantly higher with S2 over S1 during both the years of experimentation. Fertilizer levels F3 (90 : 60 : 40) and F2 (75 : 50 : 30) at par with one another produced significant increase in growth and yield characters, namely, plant height, leaf area index, dry matter production at different growth stages, cob length, number of cobs plant(-1), number of grains cob(-1), and 100-seed weight over F1 (60 : 40 : 20). Significantly higher grain yield was recorded with fertilizer level F3 (90 : 60 : 40) being at par with F2 (75 : 50 : 30) and showed significant increase over F1 (60 : 40 : 20) with superiority of 5.4 and 5.7 per cent during 2011 and 2012, respectively. The findings of the study concluded that ridge method of sowing of maize with NPK levels of 75 : 50 : 30 kg ha(-1) showed better performance of crop in terms of growth, yield, and yield attributes.

Adaptation of six shallots varieties to phosphate solubilizing bacteria on the flower formation, seeds fromation, and yields on the lowland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Triharyanto, E.; Sudadi; Rawandari, S.

2018-03-01

Using seeds as planting materials is a solution to improve the quality and quantity of shallot. This study aims to determine the interaction between shallot varieties and Phosphate- Solubilizing Bacteria (PSB) on the flowering and shallot yield on the lowlands. The research was conducted in Mijil Village, Jaten, Karanganyar, 98 m altitude with Vertisol-type soil order in June to December 2016, using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with two factors. Shallot varieties used as factors are Bima, Manjung, Ilokos, Bima (bulb seeds), Mentes and Rubaru. PSB factors are control and with PSB inoculation. Observed variables included plant height, number of leaves, flowering percentage, seed formation and shallot bulb yield. Results showed that there was no interaction between varieties and PSB inoculation on all observed variables. However, PSB inoculation were able to increase the number of flowering plants and seed weight per plot. Bima variety have the highest average yield compared to other varieties in terms of number of leaves, number of bulbs per plant and bulb weight per plot (fresh harvest weight 317.74 g equivalent to 17.65 ton per hectare and dry weight 288.16 g consumption equivalent to 16 ton per hectare).

Application of Endophytic Pseudomonas fluorescens and a Bacterial Consortium to Brassica napus Can Increase Plant Height and Biomass under Greenhouse and Field Conditions

PubMed Central

Lally, Richard D.; Galbally, Paul; Moreira, António S.; Spink, John; Ryan, David; Germaine, Kieran J.; Dowling, David N.

2017-01-01

Plant associated bacteria with plant growth promotion (PGP) properties have been proposed for use as environmentally friendly biofertilizers for sustainable agriculture; however, analysis of their efficacy in the field is often limited. In this study, greenhouse and field trials were carried out using individual endophytic Pseudomonas fluorescens strains, the well characterized rhizospheric P. fluorescens F113 and an endophytic microbial consortium of 10 different strains. These bacteria had been previously characterized with respect to their PGP properties in vitro and had been shown to harbor a range of traits associated with PGP including siderophore production, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity, and inorganic phosphate solubilization. In greenhouse experiments individual strains tagged with gfp and Kmr were applied to Brassica napus as a seed coat and were shown to effectively colonize the rhizosphere and root of B. napus and in addition they demonstrated a significant increase in plant biomass compared with the non-inoculated control. In the field experiment, the bacteria (individual and consortium) were spray inoculated to winter oilseed rape B. napus var. Compass which was grown under standard North Western European agronomic conditions. Analysis of the data provides evidence that the application of the live bacterial biofertilizers can enhance aspects of crop development in B. napus at field scale. The field data demonstrated statistically significant increases in crop height, stem/leaf, and pod biomass, particularly, in the case of the consortium inoculated treatment. However, although seed and oil yield were increased in the field in response to inoculation, these data were not statistically significant under the experimental conditions tested. Future field trials will investigate the effectiveness of the inoculants under different agronomic conditions. PMID:29312422

Bacterial impregnation of mineral fertilizers improves yield and nutrient use efficiency of wheat.

PubMed

Ahmad, Shakeel; Imran, Muhammad; Hussain, Sabir; Mahmood, Sajid; Hussain, Azhar; Hasnain, Muhammad

2017-08-01

The fertilizer use efficiency (FUE) of agricultural crops is generally low, which results in poor crop yields and low economic benefits to farmers. Among the various approaches used to enhance FUE, impregnation of mineral fertilizers with plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) is attracting worldwide attention. The present study was aimed to improve growth, yield and nutrient use efficiency of wheat by bacterially impregnated mineral fertilizers. Results of the pot study revealed that impregnation of diammonium phosphate (DAP) and urea with PGPB was helpful in enhancing the growth, yield, photosynthetic rate, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and phosphorus use efficiency (PUE) of wheat. However, the plants treated with F8 type DAP and urea, prepared by coating a slurry of PGPB (Bacillus sp. strain KAP6) and compost on DAP and urea granules at the rate of 2.0 g 100 g -1 fertilizer, produced better results than other fertilizer treatments. In this treatment, growth parameters including plant height, root length, straw yield and root biomass significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased from 58.8 to 70.0 cm, 41.2 to 50.0 cm, 19.6 to 24.2 g per pot and 1.8 to 2.2 g per pot, respectively. The same treatment improved grain yield of wheat by 20% compared to unimpregnated DAP and urea (F0). Likewise, the maximum increase in photosynthetic rate, grain NP content, grain NP uptake, NUE and PUE of wheat were also recorded with F8 treatment. The results suggest that the application of bacterially impregnated DAP and urea is highly effective for improving growth, yield and FUE of wheat. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Metabolic engineering of biomass for high energy density: oilseed-like triacylglycerol yields from plant leaves.

PubMed

Vanhercke, Thomas; El Tahchy, Anna; Liu, Qing; Zhou, Xue-Rong; Shrestha, Pushkar; Divi, Uday K; Ral, Jean-Philippe; Mansour, Maged P; Nichols, Peter D; James, Christopher N; Horn, Patrick J; Chapman, Kent D; Beaudoin, Frederic; Ruiz-López, Noemi; Larkin, Philip J; de Feyter, Robert C; Singh, Surinder P; Petrie, James R

2014-02-01

High biomass crops have recently attracted significant attention as an alternative platform for the renewable production of high energy storage lipids such as triacylglycerol (TAG). While TAG typically accumulates in seeds as storage compounds fuelling subsequent germination, levels in vegetative tissues are generally low. Here, we report the accumulation of more than 15% TAG (17.7% total lipids) by dry weight in Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) leaves by the co-expression of three genes involved in different aspects of TAG production without severely impacting plant development. These yields far exceed the levels found in wild-type leaf tissue as well as previously reported engineered TAG yields in vegetative tissues of Arabidopsis thaliana and N. tabacum. When translated to a high biomass crop, the current levels would translate to an oil yield per hectare that exceeds those of most cultivated oilseed crops. Confocal fluorescence microscopy and mass spectrometry imaging confirmed the accumulation of TAG within leaf mesophyll cells. In addition, we explored the applicability of several existing oil-processing methods using fresh leaf tissue. Our results demonstrate the technical feasibility of a vegetative plant oil production platform and provide for a step change in the bioenergy landscape, opening new prospects for sustainable food, high energy forage, biofuel and biomaterial applications. © 2013 CSIRO. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology, Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Detection of Powdery Mildew in Two Winter Wheat Plant Densities and Prediction of Grain Yield Using Canopy Hyperspectral Reflectance

PubMed Central

Cao, Xueren; Luo, Yong; Zhou, Yilin; Fan, Jieru; Xu, Xiangming; West, Jonathan S.; Duan, Xiayu; Cheng, Dengfa

2015-01-01

To determine the influence of plant density and powdery mildew infection of winter wheat and to predict grain yield, hyperspectral canopy reflectance of winter wheat was measured for two plant densities at Feekes growth stage (GS) 10.5.3, 10.5.4, and 11.1 in the 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 seasons. Reflectance in near infrared (NIR) regions was significantly correlated with disease index at GS 10.5.3, 10.5.4, and 11.1 at two plant densities in both seasons. For the two plant densities, the area of the red edge peak (Σdr 680–760 nm), difference vegetation index (DVI), and triangular vegetation index (TVI) were significantly correlated negatively with disease index at three GSs in two seasons. Compared with other parameters Σdr 680–760 nm was the most sensitive parameter for detecting powdery mildew. Linear regression models relating mildew severity to Σdr 680–760 nm were constructed at three GSs in two seasons for the two plant densities, demonstrating no significant difference in the slope estimates between the two plant densities at three GSs. Σdr 680–760 nm was correlated with grain yield at three GSs in two seasons. The accuracies of partial least square regression (PLSR) models were consistently higher than those of models based on Σdr 680760 nm for disease index and grain yield. PLSR can, therefore, provide more accurate estimation of disease index of wheat powdery mildew and grain yield using canopy reflectance. PMID:25815468

Altered Tuber Yield in Genetically Modified High-Amylose and Oil Potato Lines Is Associated With Changed Whole-Plant Nitrogen Economy

PubMed Central

Pourazari, Fereshteh; Andersson, Mariette; Weih, Martin

2018-01-01

Breeding for improved crop quality traits can affect non-target traits related to growth and resource use, and these effects may vary in different cultivation conditions (e. g., greenhouse vs. field). The objectives of this study are to investigate the growth and whole-plant nitrogen (N) economy of two genetically modified (GM) potato lines compared to their non-GM parental varieties and when grown in different cultivation conditions. A high-amylose GM potato line and its parent were grown under field and greenhouse conditions for one growing season in Sweden; and a GM oil potato line and its parent were grown in greenhouse conditions only. Tuber yield, above ground biomass, N uptake efficiency and other plant N economy traits were assessed. In both cultivation conditions, the GM lines produced between 1.5 and two times more tubers as compared with their parents. In the greenhouse, fresh tuber yield and N uptake efficiency were unaffected by the genetic modifications, but the GM-lines produced less tuber biomass per plant-internal N compared to their parents. In the field, the fresh tuber yield was 40% greater in the high-amylose line as compared with its parent; the greater fresh tuber yield in the high-amylose GM line was accomplished by higher water allocation to the harvested tubers, and associated with increased N recovery from soil (+20%), N uptake efficiency (+53%), tuber N content (+20%), and N accumulation (+120%) compared with the non-GM parent. The cultivation conditions influenced the yield and N economy. For example, the final fresh above-ground plant biomass and N pool were considerably higher in the greenhouse conditions, whilst the tuber yield was higher in the field conditions. In conclusion, the genetic modification inducing high accumulation of amylose in potato tubers affected several non-target traits related to plant N economy, and increased the plant N uptake and accumulation efficiency of the field-grown plants. Due to strongly increased

Operation UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE, Nevada Proving Grounds, March-June 1953. Project 6.12. Determination of Height of Burst and Ground Zero

DTIC Science & Technology

1955-05-01

6.2.1 Seismic Height of Burst Determination 6l 6.2.2 Long Range Yield Determination 6l 6.2.3 Lead Sulphide Cells 6l | • APPENDIX A SURVEY...located at M 96 in the vicinity of Array 3* The original metro station was moved to vicinity Camp Mercury Sewage Disposal Plant for Shots 9 and 10. The...JWiRE COMMUNICATION =r=^^l .QBAWIELS ., I foi* 50—ftfejP - -70 CAMP DESERT MICROPHONE 40- 15" (CAMP --’ MERCURY -60 MICROPHONE ARRAY NO I

Extractability, plant yield and toxicity thresholds for boron in compost

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brinton, W.F.; Evans, E.; Blewett, C.

Boron (B) is a trace element essential to crop growth in small soil concentrations (0.2-1.5ppm), yet may produce plant toxicity symptoms readily as the amount in the soil solution increases over 2ppm. Our study examined commercial compost made with coal fly-ash used to prepare growing media for cultivars of varying sensitivity (corn, beans, cucumber, peas). We examined total vs. extractable boron content and relate final visual symptoms of B-toxicity to yields and tissue concentrations. Visual toxicity effects included tip burn (corn), leaf mottling and necrosis (beans and peas) and leaf mottling and cupping (cucumbers). Fly ash added to compost increasedmore » hot-water soluble (HWS) B in proportion to rate and in dependence on pH, with 30% and 10% of total-B expressed as HWS-B at a media pH of 6 and 7.5, respectively. Biomass for bean and cucumber was significantly reduced by 45 to 55%, respectively, by addition of 33% fly-ash compost to growing media (28ppm total-B) while plant tissue-B increased by 6- to 4-fold, respectively. Economic yield depressions in compost media are evident for all crops and appeared at levels of HWS-B in compost media exceeding 5 ppm. The study underscores the need for careful management of exogenous factors that may be present in composts and suggests detailed understanding of media-pH and cultivar preferences may be required in preparation of growing media in order to reduce potential negative growth effects.« less

Rapid high-yield expression of full-size IgG antibodies in plants coinfected with noncompeting viral vectors

PubMed Central

Giritch, Anatoli; Marillonnet, Sylvestre; Engler, Carola; van Eldik, Gerben; Botterman, Johan; Klimyuk, Victor; Gleba, Yuri

2006-01-01

Plant viral vectors allow expression of heterologous proteins at high yields, but so far, they have been unable to express heterooligomeric proteins efficiently. We describe here a rapid and indefinitely scalable process for high-level expression of functional full-size mAbs of the IgG class in plants. The process relies on synchronous coinfection and coreplication of two viral vectors, each expressing a separate antibody chain. The two vectors are derived from two different plant viruses that were found to be noncompeting. Unlike vectors derived from the same virus, noncompeting vectors effectively coexpress the heavy and light chains in the same cell throughout the plant body, resulting in yields of up to 0.5 g of assembled mAbs per kg of fresh-leaf biomass. This technology allows production of gram quantities of mAbs for research purposes in just several days, and the same protocol can be used on an industrial scale in situations requiring rapid response, such as pandemic or terrorism events. PMID:16973752

A methodology for probabilistic assessment of solar thermal power plants yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Peruchena, Carlos M.; Lara-Faneho, Vicente; Ramírez, Lourdes; Zarzalejo, Luis F.; Silva, Manuel; Bermejo, Diego; Gastón, Martín; Moreno, Sara; Pulgar, Jesús; Pavon, Manuel; Macías, Sergio; Valenzuela, Rita X.

2017-06-01

A detailed knowledge of the solar resource is a critical point to perform an economic feasibility analysis of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants. This knowledge must include its magnitude (how much solar energy is available at an area of interest over a long time period), and its variability over time. In particular, DNI inter-annual variations may be large, increasing the return of investment risk in CSP plant projects. This risk is typically evaluated by means of the simulation of the energy delivered by the CSP plant during years with low solar irradiation, which are typically characterized by annual solar radiation datasets with high probability of exceedance of their annual DNI values. In this context, this paper proposes the use meteorological years representative of a given probability of exceedance of annual DNI in order to realistically assess the inter-annual variability of energy yields. The performance of this approach is evaluated in the location of Burns station (University of Oregon Solar Radiation Monitoring Laboratory), where a 34-year (from 1980 to 2013) measured data set of solar irradiance and temperature is available.

Soil resilience and yield performance in a vineyard established after intense pre-planting earthworks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costantini, Edoardo; Valboa, Giuseppe; Gagnarli, Elena; Mocali, Stefano; Fabiani, Arturo; Priori, Simone; Simoni, Sauro; Storchi, Paolo; Perria, Rita; Vignozzi, Nadia; Agnelli, Alessandro

2017-04-01

Conventional earthworks undertaken before vine plantation may severely compromise soil functions and vine production, as a consequence of a decline of soil fertility caused by loss of organic matter and biological activity, along with changes in chemical and physical features of the topsoil due to the upset of the soil profile. This research was aimed at assessing the effects of conventional pre-planting earthworks on soil fertility and vine yield performance under organic farming. To this purpose, grape yield and quality along with soil chemical, physical and biological properties, were monitored over seven years in a young vineyard established in 2010 after soil leveling and deep ploughing, and in parallel in an older vineyard planted in 2000 after similar earthworks under the same soil and environment conditions. The vineyards (Vitis vinifera L., cv. Sangiovese) were located in the Chianti Classico district (Tuscany, Italy) on a stony calcareous soil classified as Cambic Skeletic Calcisol (loamic, aric) (WRB, 2014). Fertilization was based on annual applications of compost and shredded plant residues. According to the ordinary farming system, the older vineyard was kept free from grass covering during the first four years of growth by periodic tillage, in order to prevent nutritional competition, while in the following years it was managed by natural grass covering on alternate inter-rows. In the younger vineyard, grass covering needed to be postponed because of a delay in the vine development and grape yield induced by poor soil fertility. The results showed significant differences between the two vineyard, with the younger exhibiting lower total organic carbon (0.4 - 0.6 % vs 0.6 - 1.1 %), lower total nitrogen (0.07 - 0.11 % vs 0.10 - 0.15 %) and higher carbonate contents (32 - 38 % vs 21 -30 % total CaCO3), with no clear trend of recovery over time. Pre-planting earthworks also affected the structure and diversity of microbial and microarthropod communities

Effects of vermicomposts produced from food waste on the growth and yields of greenhouse peppers.

PubMed

Arancon, Norman Q; Edwards, Clive A; Atiyeh, Rola; Metzger, James D

2004-06-01

Vermicomposts, produced commercially from food wastes, were substituted at a range of different concentrations into a soil-less commercial bedding plant container medium, Metro-Mix 360 (MM360), to evaluate their effects on the growth and yields of peppers in the greenhouse. Six-week-old peppers (Capsicum annum L. var. California) were transplanted into 100%, 80%, 60%, 40%, 20% or 10% MM360 substituted with 0%, 10%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% vermicompost. All plants were watered three times weekly with 200 ppm Peter's Nutrient Solution from the time of transplanting up to 107 days. Peppers grown in potting mixtures containing 40% food waste vermicomposts and 60% MM360 yielded 45% more fruit weights and had 17% greater mean number of fruits than those grown in MM360 only. The mean heights, numbers of buds and numbers of flowers of peppers grown in potting mixtures containing 10-80% vermicompost although greater did not differ significantly from those of peppers grown in MM360. There were no positive correlations between the increases in pepper yields, and the amounts of mineral-N and microbial biomass-N in the potting mixtures, or the concentrations of nitrogen in the shoot tissues of peppers. Factors such as: an improvement of the physical structure of the potting medium, increases in populations of beneficial microorganisms and the potential availability of plant growth-influencing-substances produced by microorganisms in vermicomposts, could have contributed to the increased pepper yields obtained. Copyright 2003 Elsevier Ltd.

Estimating sugarcane yield potential using an in-season determination of normalized difference vegetative index.

PubMed

Lofton, Josh; Tubana, Brenda S; Kanke, Yumiko; Teboh, Jasper; Viator, Howard; Dalen, Marilyn

2012-01-01

Estimating crop yield using remote sensing techniques has proven to be successful. However, sugarcane possesses unique characteristics; such as, a multi-year cropping cycle and plant height-limiting for midseason fertilizer application timing. Our study objective was to determine if sugarcane yield potential could be estimated using an in-season estimation of normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI). Sensor readings were taken using the GreenSeeker® handheld sensor from 2008 to 2011 in St. Gabriel and Jeanerette, LA, USA. In-season estimates of yield (INSEY) values were calculated by dividing NDVI by thermal variables. Optimum timing for estimating sugarcane yield was between 601-750 GDD. In-season estimated yield values improved the yield potential (YP) model compared to using NDVI. Generally, INSEY value showed a positive exponential relationship with yield (r(2) values 0.48 and 0.42 for cane tonnage and sugar yield, respectively). When models were separated based on canopy structure there was an increase the strength of the relationship for the erectophile varieties (r(2) 0.53 and 0.47 for cane tonnage and sugar yield, respectively); however, the model for planophile varieties weakened slightly. Results of this study indicate using an INSEY value for predicting sugarcane yield shows potential of being a valuable management tool for sugarcane producers in Louisiana.

A Macroecological Analysis of SERA Derived Forest Heights and Implications for Forest Volume Remote Sensing

PubMed Central

Brolly, Matthew; Woodhouse, Iain H.; Niklas, Karl J.; Hammond, Sean T.

2012-01-01

Individual trees have been shown to exhibit strong relationships between DBH, height and volume. Often such studies are cited as justification for forest volume or standing biomass estimation through remote sensing. With resolution of common satellite remote sensing systems generally too low to resolve individuals, and a need for larger coverage, these systems rely on descriptive heights, which account for tree collections in forests. For remote sensing and allometric applications, this height is not entirely understood in terms of its location. Here, a forest growth model (SERA) analyzes forest canopy height relationships with forest wood volume. Maximum height, mean, H100, and Lorey's height are examined for variability under plant number density, resource and species. Our findings, shown to be allometrically consistent with empirical measurements for forested communities world-wide, are analyzed for implications to forest remote sensing techniques such as LiDAR and RADAR. Traditional forestry measures of maximum height, and to a lesser extent H100 and Lorey's, exhibit little consistent correlation with forest volume across modeled conditions. The implication is that using forest height to infer volume or biomass from remote sensing requires species and community behavioral information to infer accurate estimates using height alone. SERA predicts mean height to provide the most consistent relationship with volume of the height classifications studied and overall across forest variations. This prediction agrees with empirical data collected from conifer and angiosperm forests with plant densities ranging between 102–106 plants/hectare and heights 6–49 m. Height classifications investigated are potentially linked to radar scattering centers with implications for allometry. These findings may be used to advance forest biomass estimation accuracy through remote sensing. Furthermore, Lorey's height with its specific relationship to remote sensing physics is

Analysis of the genetic basis of plant height-related traits in response to ethylene by QTL mapping in maize (Zea mays L.).

PubMed

Zhang, Weiqiang; Li, Zhi; Fang, Hui; Zhang, Mingcai; Duan, Liusheng

2018-01-01

Ethylene (ET) is critical importance in the growth, development, and stress responses of plants. Plant hormonal stress responses have been extensively studied, however, the role of ET in plant growth, especially plant height (PH) remains unclear. Understanding the genetic control for PH in response to ET will provide insights into the regulation of maize development. To clarify the genetic basis of PH-related traits of maize in response to ET, we mapped QTLs for PH, ear height (EH), and internode length above the uppermost ear (ILAU) in two recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations of Zea mays after ET treatment and in an untreated control (CK) group. Sixty QTLs for the three traits were identified. Twenty-two QTLs were simultaneously detected under both ET treatment and untreated control, and five QTLs were detected at two geographic locations under ET treatment only. Individual QTL can be explained 3.87-17.71% of the phenotypic variance. One QTL (q2PH9-1, q1PH9, q1EH9/q1ILAU9-1, q2ILAU9, and q2EH9) for the measured traits (PH, EH, ILAU) was consistent across both populations. Two QTLs (q2PH2-5, q2ILAU2-2, q1PH2-2, and q1ILAU2-2; q1PH8-1, q1EH8-1, q2PH8-1) were identified for up to two traits in both locations and populations under both ET treatment and untreated control. These consistent and stable regions are important QTLs of potential hot spots for PH, ear height (EH), and internode length above the uppermost ear (ILAU) response to ET in maize; therefore, QTL fine-mapping and putative candidate genes validation should enable the cloning of PH, EH, and ILAU related genes to ET response. These results will be valuable for further fine-mapping and quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) determination, and elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of ET responses in maize.

Analysis of the genetic basis of plant height-related traits in response to ethylene by QTL mapping in maize (Zea mays L.)

PubMed Central

Li, Zhi; Fang, Hui; Zhang, Mingcai; Duan, Liusheng

2018-01-01

Ethylene (ET) is critical importance in the growth, development, and stress responses of plants. Plant hormonal stress responses have been extensively studied, however, the role of ET in plant growth, especially plant height (PH) remains unclear. Understanding the genetic control for PH in response to ET will provide insights into the regulation of maize development. To clarify the genetic basis of PH-related traits of maize in response to ET, we mapped QTLs for PH, ear height (EH), and internode length above the uppermost ear (ILAU) in two recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations of Zea mays after ET treatment and in an untreated control (CK) group. Sixty QTLs for the three traits were identified. Twenty-two QTLs were simultaneously detected under both ET treatment and untreated control, and five QTLs were detected at two geographic locations under ET treatment only. Individual QTL can be explained 3.87–17.71% of the phenotypic variance. One QTL (q2PH9-1, q1PH9, q1EH9/q1ILAU9-1, q2ILAU9, and q2EH9) for the measured traits (PH, EH, ILAU) was consistent across both populations. Two QTLs (q2PH2-5, q2ILAU2-2, q1PH2-2, and q1ILAU2-2; q1PH8-1, q1EH8-1, q2PH8-1) were identified for up to two traits in both locations and populations under both ET treatment and untreated control. These consistent and stable regions are important QTLs of potential hot spots for PH, ear height (EH), and internode length above the uppermost ear (ILAU) response to ET in maize; therefore, QTL fine-mapping and putative candidate genes validation should enable the cloning of PH, EH, and ILAU related genes to ET response. These results will be valuable for further fine-mapping and quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) determination, and elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of ET responses in maize. PMID:29466465

Growth and yield of patchouli (Pogostemon cablin, Benth) due to mulching and method of fertilizer on rain-fed land

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasruddin; Harahap, E. M.; Hanum, C.; Siregar, L. A. M.

2018-02-01

The drought stress that occurs during growth results in a drastic reduction in growth and yield. This study was aimed to study the effect of mulching and method of fertilizer application in reducing the impact of drought stress on patchouli plants. The experiment was conducted from July to December 2016 using a split plot design into three replications with two treatment factors. The first factor was mulch factor with three levels, i.e. M0 (without mulch), M1 (rice straw mulch) and M2 (silver black plastic mulch). The second factor was the method of fertilizer application consisting of three stages: C1 (once), C2 (twice), C3 (three times). The parameters included plant height, number of branches, number of leaves, root length, wet weight of plant, root canopy ratio, total of chlorophyll, soil temperature and soil moisture content. The results showed the use of straw mulch reduce the impact of drought stress on patchouli plants. Two times fertilizer application gave better growth and yield. The use of straw mulch produced lower temperature degrees and maintained soil moisture content.

Growth and Yields of 5-Year-Old Planted Hardwoods On Sharkey Clay Soil

Treesearch

Roger M. Krinard; Harvey E. Kennedy

1981-01-01

Yields of five hardwood species at age 5, planted at 10- by 10-foot spacing on Sharkey clay soil, were ranked cottonwood>sycamore>green ash>sweet-gum~Nuttall oak. By species, per acre volume of stemwood ranged from 29 to 446 cubic feet and total above-ground dry tree weight ranged from 1.08 to 7.68 tons.

Plant architecture and grain yield are regulated by the novel DHHC-type zinc finger protein genes in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

PubMed

Zhou, Bo; Lin, Jian Zhong; Peng, Dan; Yang, Yuan Zhu; Guo, Ming; Tang, Dong Ying; Tan, Xiaofeng; Liu, Xuan Ming

2017-01-01

In many plants, architecture and grain yield are affected by both the environment and genetics. In rice, the tiller is a vital factor impacting plant architecture and regulated by many genes. In this study, we cloned a novel DHHC-type zinc finger protein gene Os02g0819100 and its alternative splice variant OsDHHC1 from the cDNA of rice (Oryza sativa L.), which regulate plant architecture by altering the tiller in rice. The tillers increased by about 40% when this type of DHHC-type zinc finger protein gene was over-expressed in Zhong Hua 11 (ZH11) rice plants. Moreover, the grain yield of transgenic rice increased approximately by 10% compared with wild-type ZH11. These findings provide an important genetic engineering approach for increasing rice yields. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sexual Orientation, Objective Height, and Self-Reported Height.

PubMed

Skorska, Malvina N; Bogaert, Anthony F

2017-01-01

Studies that have used mostly self-reported height have found that androphilic men and women are shorter than gynephilic men and women, respectively. This study examined whether an objective height difference exists or whether a psychosocial account (e.g., distortion of self-reports) may explain these putative height differences. A total of 863 participants, recruited at a Canadian university, the surrounding region, and through lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) events across Canada, self-reported their height and had their height measured. Androphilic men were shorter, on average, than gynephilic men. There was no objective height difference between gynephilic, ambiphilic, and androphilic women. Self-reported height, statistically controlling for objective height, was not related to sexual orientation. These findings are the first to show an objective height difference between androphilic and gynephilic men. Also, the findings suggest that previous studies using self-reported height found part of a true objective height difference between androphilic and gynephilic men. These findings have implications for existing biological theories of men's sexual orientation development.

Effect of drought and heat stresses on plant growth and yield: a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lipiec, J.; Doussan, C.; Nosalewicz, A.; Kondracka, K.

2013-12-01

Drought and heat stresses are important threat limitations to plant growth and sustainable agriculture worldwide. Our objective is to provide a review of plant responses and adaptations to drought and elevated temperature including roots, shoots, and final yield and management approaches for alleviating adverse effects of the stresses based mostly on recent literature. The sections of the paper deal with plant responses including root growth, transpiration, photosynthesis, water use efficiency, phenotypic flexibility, accumulation of compounds of low molecular mass (eg proline and gibberellins), and expression of some genes and proteins for increasing the tolerance to the abiotic stresses. Soil and crop management practices to alleviate negative effects of drought and heat stresses are also discussed. Investigations involving determination of plant assimilate partitioning, phenotypic plasticity, and identification of most stress-tolerant plant genotypes are essential for understanding the complexity of the responses and for future plant breeding. The adverse effects of drought and heat stress can be mitigated by soil management practices, crop establishment, and foliar application of growth regulators by maintaining an appropriate level of water in the leaves due to osmotic adjustment and stomatal performance.

Gaseous pollutants from brick kiln industry decreased the growth, photosynthesis, and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

PubMed

Adrees, Muhammad; Ibrahim, Muhammad; Shah, Aamir Mehmood; Abbas, Farhat; Saleem, Farhan; Rizwan, Muhammad; Hina, Saadia; Jabeen, Fariha; Ali, Shafaqat

2016-05-01

Gaseous pollutant emissions from brick kiln industries deteriorate the current state of ambient air quality in Pakistan and worldwide. These gaseous pollutants affect the health of plants and may decrease plant growth and yield. A field experiment that was conducted to monitor the concentration of gaseous pollutants emitted mainly from brick kilns in the ambient air and associated impacts on the growth and physiological attributes of the two wheat (Triticum spp.) cultivars. Plants were grown at three sites, including control (Ayub Agriculture Research Institute, AARI), low pollution (LP) site (Small Estate Industry), and high pollution (HP) site (Sidar Bypass), of Faisalabad, Pakistan. Monitoring of ambient air pollution at experimental sites was carried out using the state-of-art ambient air analyzers. Plants were harvested after 120 days of germination and were analyzed for different growth attributes. Results showed that the hourly average concentration of gaseous air pollutants CO, NO2, SO2, and PM10 at HP site were significantly higher than the LP and control sites. Similarly, gaseous pollutants decreased plant height, straw and grain yield, photosynthesis and increased physical injury, and metal concentrations in the grains. However, wheat response toward gaseous pollutants did not differ between cultivars (Galaxy and 8173) studied. Overall, the results indicated that brick kiln emissions could reduce the performance of wheat grown in the soils around kilns and confirm the adverse impacts of pollutants on the growth, yield, and quality of the wheat.

Texas Native Plants Yield Compounds with Cytotoxic Activities against Prostate Cancer Cells.

PubMed

Shaffer, Corena V; Cai, Shengxin; Peng, Jiangnan; Robles, Andrew J; Hartley, Rachel M; Powell, Douglas R; Du, Lin; Cichewicz, Robert H; Mooberry, Susan L

2016-03-25

There remains a critical need for more effective therapies for the treatment of late-stage and metastatic prostate cancers. Three Texas native plants yielded three new and three known compounds with antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities against prostate cancer cells with IC50 values in the range of 1.7-35.0 μM. A new sesquiterpene named espadalide (1), isolated from Gochnatia hypoleuca, had low micromolar potency and was highly effective in clonogenic assays. Two known bioactive germacranolides (2 and 3) were additionally isolated from G. hypoleuca. Dalea frutescens yielded two new isoprenylated chalcones, named sanjuanolide (4) and sanjoseolide (5), and the known sesquiterpenediol verbesindiol (6) was isolated from Verbesina virginica. Mechanistic studies showed that 1-4 caused G2/M accumulation and the formation of abnormal mitotic spindles. Tubulin polymerization assays revealed that 4 increased the initial rate of tubulin polymerization, but did not change total tubulin polymer levels, and 1-3 had no effects on tubulin polymerization. Despite its cytotoxic activity, compound 6 did not initiate changes in cell cycle distribution and has a mechanism of action different from the other compounds. This study demonstrates that new compounds with significant biological activities germane to unmet oncological needs can be isolated from Texas native plants.

Cry1Ac production is costly for native plants attacked by non-Cry1Ac-targeted herbivores in the field.

PubMed

McGale, Erica; Diezel, Celia; Schuman, Meredith C; Baldwin, Ian T

2018-05-13

Plants are the primary producers in most terrestrial ecosystems and have complex defense systems to protect their produce. Defense-deficient, high-yielding agricultural monocultures attract abundant nonhuman consumers, but are alternatively defended through pesticide application and genetic engineering to produce insecticidal proteins such as Cry1Ac (Bacillus thuringiensis). These approaches alter the balance between yield protection and maximization but have been poorly contextualized to known yield-defense trade-offs in wild plants. The native plant Nicotiana attenuata was used to compare yield benefits of plants transformed to be defenseless to those with a full suite of naturally evolved defenses, or additionally transformed to ectopically produce Cry1Ac. An insecticide treatment allowed us to examine yield under different herbivore loads in N. attenuata's native habitat. Cry1Ac, herbivore damage, and growth parameters were monitored throughout the season. Biomass and reproductive correlates were measured at season end. Non-Cry1Ac-targeted herbivores dominated on noninsecticide-treated plants, and increased the yield drag of Cry1Ac-producing plants in comparison with endogenously defended or undefended plants. Insecticide-sprayed Cry1Ac-producing plants lagged less in stalk height, shoot biomass, and flower production. In direct comparison with the endogenous defenses of a native plant, Cry1Ac production did not provide yield benefits for plants under observed herbivore loads in a field study. © 2018 The Authors New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.

The effect of dosages of microbial consortia formulation and synthetic fertilizer on the growth and yield of field-grown chili

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Istifadah, N.; Sapta, D.; Krestini, H.; Natalie, B.; Suryatmana, P.; Nurbaity, A.; Hidersah, R.

2018-03-01

Chili (Capsicum annuum, L) is one of important horticultural crop in Indonesia. Formulation of microbial consortia containing Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas sp., Azotobacter chroococcum and Trichoderma harzianum has been developed. This study evaluated the effects of dosage of the microbial formulation combined with NPK fertilizer on growth and yield of chili plants in the field experiment. The experiment was arranged in completely randomized design of factorial, in which the first factor was dosage of formulation (0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10 g per plant) and the second factor was NPK fertilizer dosage (0, 25, 50 and 75% of the standard dosage). The treatments were replicated three times. For application, the formulation was mixed with chicken manure 1:10 (w/v). The results showed that application of microbial formulation solely improved the chili growth. There was interaction between dosages of the microbial formulation and NPK fertilizer in improving plant height, nitrogen availability and the chili yield, while there was no interaction between those dosages in improving the root length. Combination between microbial formulation at the dosage of 5.0-7.5 g per plant combined with NPK fertilizer with the dosage 50 or 75% of the standard dosage support relatively better growth and the chili yield.

Efficacies of biochar and biochar-based amendment on vegetable yield and nitrogen utilization in four consecutive planting seasons.

PubMed

Wang, Hefang; Zheng, Hao; Jiang, Zhixiang; Dai, Yanhui; Liu, Guocheng; Chen, Lei; Luo, Xianxiang; Liu, Minhui; Wang, Zhenyu

2017-09-01

Biochar has been suggested as a potential tailored technology for mediating soil conditions and improving crop yields. However, the efficacies of biochar and biochar-based amendments (e.g., composted biochar) in agricultural soils under a rotation system remain uncertain. In this study, an arable soil was subjected to peanut shell biochar (PBC) and biochar-based amendment (PAD) combined with or without nitrogen (N) fertilizer to evaluate their effects on vegetable yield, N bioavailability, and their relative contribution to vegetable biomass in four consecutive planting seasons. PBC alone or in co-application with N fertilizer had little effect on vegetable yield, while PAD co-application with N fertilizer decreased vegetable biomass because of the inhibition of root morphology by excessive nutrient supply. PBC and PAD applications increased rhizosphere soil pH due to OH - and HCO 3 - release and NO 3 - -N uptake. Although the addition of PAD increased soil N contents due to its high contents in PAD, it had little effects on N utilization efficiency (NUE) in the four seasons. The relative contribution of PBC, PAD, and their interaction with N fertilizer to biomass yield was maintained at a low level. Our results indicated that a biochar-based amendment (e.g., PAD) was a potential alternative to N fertilizer, but the ratio of biochar to additives should be managed carefully to generate optimal benefits. Notably, the efficacy of PAD on plant growth was closely associated with plant species, and further related research on different plants is encouraged. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Genotype × Environment Interactions of Yield Traits in Backcross Introgression Lines Derived from Oryza sativa cv. Swarna/Oryza nivara

PubMed Central

Balakrishnan, Divya; Subrahmanyam, Desiraju; Badri, Jyothi; Raju, Addanki Krishnam; Rao, Yadavalli Venkateswara; Beerelli, Kavitha; Mesapogu, Sukumar; Surapaneni, Malathi; Ponnuswamy, Revathi; Padmavathi, G.; Babu, V. Ravindra; Neelamraju, Sarla

2016-01-01

Advanced backcross introgression lines (BILs) developed from crosses of Oryza sativa var. Swarna/O. nivara accessions were grown and evaluated for yield and related traits. Trials were conducted for consecutive three seasons in field conditions in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Data on yield traits under irrigated conditions were analyzed using the Additive Main Effect and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI), Genotype and Genotype × Environment Interaction (GGE) and modified rank-sum statistic (YSi) for yield stability. BILs viz., G3 (14S) and G6 (166S) showed yield stability across the seasons along with high mean yield performance. G3 is early in flowering with high yield and has good grain quality and medium height, hence could be recommended for most of the irrigated locations. G6 is a late duration genotype, with strong culm strength, high grain number and panicle weight. G6 has higher yield and stability than Swarna but has Swarna grain type. Among the varieties tested DRRDhan 40 and recurrent parent Swarna showed stability for yield traits across the seasons. The component traits thousand grain weight, panicle weight, panicle length, grain number and plant height explained highest genotypic percentage over environment and interaction factors and can be prioritized to dissect stable QTLs/ genes. These lines were genotyped using microsatellite markers covering the entire rice genome and also using a set of markers linked to previously reported yield QTLs. It was observed that wild derived lines with more than 70% of recurrent parent genome were stable and showed enhanced yield levels compared to genotypes with higher donor genome introgressions. PMID:27807437

Studies on mycorrhizal inoculation on dry matter yield and root colonization of some medicinal plants grown in stress and forest soils.

PubMed

Chandra, K K; Kumar, Neeraj; Chand, Gireesh

2010-11-01

Five medicinal plants viz. Abelmoschatus moschatus Linn., Clitoria tematea L., Plumbagozeylanica L., Psorolea corylifolia L. and Withania sominifera L. were grown in a polypot experiment in five soils representing coal mine soil, coppermine soil, fly ash, skeletal soil and forest soil with and without mycorrhizal inoculations in a completely randomized block design. Dry matter yield and mycorrhizal root colonization of plants varied both in uninoculated and inoculated conditions. The forest soil rendered highest dry matter due to higher yield of A. moschatus, P. zeylanica and P corylifolia while fly ash showed lowest dry matter without any inoculants. P. cematea were best in coalmine soil and W. sominifera in copper mine soil without mycorrhizal inoculation. The mycorrhiza was found to enhance the dry matter yield. This contributed minimum 0.19% to maximum up to 422.0% in different soils as compared to uninoculated plants. The mycorrhizal dependency was noticed maximum in plants grown in fly ash followed by coal mine soil, copper mine soil, skeletal soil and forest soil. The mycorrhizal response was increased maximum in W. sominifera due to survival in fly ash after inoculation followed by P corylifolia and P cematea. Percent root colonization in inoculated plant was increased minimum of 1.10 fold to maximum of 12.0 folds in comparison to un-inoculated plants . The native mycorrhiza fungi were also observed to colonize 4.0 to 32.0% roots in plants understudy. This study suggests that mycorrhizal inoculation increased the dry matter yield of medicinal plants in all soils under study. It also helps in survival of W. sominifera in fly ash.

Photomorphogenesis, photosynthesis, and seed yield of wheat plants grown under red light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with and without supplemental blue lighting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goins, G. D.; Yorio, N. C.; Sanwo, M. M.; Brown, C. S.; Sager, J. C. (Principal Investigator)

1997-01-01

Red light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are a potential light source for growing plants in spaceflight systems because of their safety, small mass and volume, wavelength specificity, and longevity. Despite these attractive features, red LEDs must satisfy requirements for plant photosynthesis and photomorphogenesis for successful growth and seed yield. To determine the influence of gallium aluminium arsenide (GaAlAs) red LEDs on wheat photomorphogenesis, photosynthesis, and seed yield, wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. 'USU-Super Dwarf') plants were grown under red LEDs and compared to plants grown under daylight fluorescent (white) lamps and red LEDs supplemented with either 1% or 10% blue light from blue fluorescent (BF) lamps. Compared to white light-grown plants, wheat grown under red LEDs alone demonstrated less main culm development during vegetative growth through preanthesis, while showing a longer flag leaf at 40 DAP and greater main culm length at final harvest (70 DAP). As supplemental BF light was increased with red LEDs, shoot dry matter and net leaf photosynthesis rate increased. At final harvest, wheat grown under red LEDs alone displayed fewer subtillers and a lower seed yield compared to plants grown under white light. Wheat grown under red LEDs+10% BF light had comparable shoot dry matter accumulation and seed yield relative to wheat grown under white light. These results indicate that wheat can complete its life cycle under red LEDs alone, but larger plants and greater amounts of seed are produced in the presence of red LEDs supplemented with a quantity of blue light.

Low crop plant population densities promote pollen-mediated gene flow in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

PubMed

Willenborg, Christian J; Brûlé-Babel, Anita L; Van Acker, Rene C

2009-12-01

Transgenic wheat is currently being field tested with the intent of eventual commercialization. The development of wheat genotypes with novel traits has raised concerns regarding the presence of volunteer wheat populations and the role they may play in facilitating transgene movement. Here, we report the results of a field experiment that investigated the potential of spring wheat plant population density and crop height to minimize gene flow from a herbicide-resistant (HR) volunteer population to a non-HR crop. Pollen-mediated gene flow (PMGF) between the HR volunteer wheat population and four conventional spring wheat genotypes varying in height was assessed over a range of plant population densities. Natural hybridization events between the two cultivars were detected by phenotypically scoring plants in F(1) populations followed by verification with Mendelian segregation ratios in the F(1:2) families. PMGF was strongly associated with crop yield components, but showed no association with flowering synchrony. Maximum observed PMGF was always less than 0.6%, regardless of crop height and density. The frequency of PMGF in spring wheat decreased exponentially with increasing plant population density, but showed no dependence on either crop genotype or height. However, increasing plant densities beyond the recommended planting rate of 300 cropped wheat plants m(-2) provided no obvious benefit to reducing PMGF. Nevertheless, our results demonstrate a critical plant density of 175-200 cropped wheat plants m(-2) below which PMGF frequencies rise exponentially with decreasing plant density. These results will be useful in the development of mechanistic models and best management practices that collectively facilitate the coexistence of transgenic and nontransgenic wheat crops.

Serious complications in experiments in which UV doses are effected by using different lamp heights.

PubMed

Flint, Stephan D; Ryel, Ronald J; Hudelson, Timothy J; Caldwell, Martyn M

2009-10-06

Many experiments examining plant responses to enhanced ultraviolet-B radiation (280-315nm) simply compare an enhanced UV-B treatment with ambient UV-B (or no UV-B radiation in most greenhouse and controlled-environment studies). Some more detailed experiments utilize multiple levels of UV-B radiation. A number of different techniques have been used to adjust the UV dose. One common technique is to place racks of fluorescent UV-emitting lamps at different heights above the plant canopy. However, the lamps and associated support structure cast shadows on the plant bed below. We calculated one example of the sequence of shade intervals for two common heights of lamp racks and show the patterns and duration of shade which the plants receive is distributed differently over the course of the day for different heights of the lamp racks. We also conducted a greenhouse experiment with plants (canola, sunflower and maize) grown under unenergized lamp racks suspended at the same two heights above the canopy. Growth characteristics differed in unpredictable ways between plants grown under the two heights of lamp racks. These differences could enhance or obscure potential UV-B effects. Also, differences in leaf mass per unit foliage area, which were observed in this experiment, could contribute to differences in plant UV-B sensitivity. We recommend the use of other techniques for achieving multiple doses of UV-B radiation. These range from simple and inexpensive approaches (e.g., wrapping individual fluorescent tubes in layers of a neutral-density filter such as cheese cloth) to more technical and expensive alternatives (e.g., electronically modulated lamp control systems). These choices should be determined according to the goals of the particular experiment.

A macroecological analysis of SERA derived forest heights and implications for forest volume remote sensing.

PubMed

Brolly, Matthew; Woodhouse, Iain H; Niklas, Karl J; Hammond, Sean T

2012-01-01

Individual trees have been shown to exhibit strong relationships between DBH, height and volume. Often such studies are cited as justification for forest volume or standing biomass estimation through remote sensing. With resolution of common satellite remote sensing systems generally too low to resolve individuals, and a need for larger coverage, these systems rely on descriptive heights, which account for tree collections in forests. For remote sensing and allometric applications, this height is not entirely understood in terms of its location. Here, a forest growth model (SERA) analyzes forest canopy height relationships with forest wood volume. Maximum height, mean, H₁₀₀, and Lorey's height are examined for variability under plant number density, resource and species. Our findings, shown to be allometrically consistent with empirical measurements for forested communities world-wide, are analyzed for implications to forest remote sensing techniques such as LiDAR and RADAR. Traditional forestry measures of maximum height, and to a lesser extent H₁₀₀ and Lorey's, exhibit little consistent correlation with forest volume across modeled conditions. The implication is that using forest height to infer volume or biomass from remote sensing requires species and community behavioral information to infer accurate estimates using height alone. SERA predicts mean height to provide the most consistent relationship with volume of the height classifications studied and overall across forest variations. This prediction agrees with empirical data collected from conifer and angiosperm forests with plant densities ranging between 10²-10⁶ plants/hectare and heights 6-49 m. Height classifications investigated are potentially linked to radar scattering centers with implications for allometry. These findings may be used to advance forest biomass estimation accuracy through remote sensing. Furthermore, Lorey's height with its specific relationship to remote sensing

Enhancing the growth and yield of Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.) by ramie biomass waste in liquid form and gibberellic acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suherman, C.; Nuraini, A.; Wulandari, A. P.; Kadapi, M.

2017-05-01

Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.) is one of the most important sources of natural fibre, a sustainable biomass. The growth and yield of ramie are affected by mineral nutrients. In the present study, we usedfertilizers from waste of ramie biomass in liquid form (liquid organic fertilizer, LOF) and the other treatment is by gibberellic acid (GA3). This study was to obtain the effect of treatments on enhance the growth and yield of ramie. Hence, we measure the character that related to the important parameter for biomass product of ramie. Such plant height, stem diameter, dry plant weight, and ramie fresh stem weight of ramie clone Pujon 13. This research was conducted from January 2016 to March 2016 at Research Field Ciparanje, Faculty of Agriculture, Padjadjaran University, Jatinangor, Sumedang, West Java with an altitude of about ± 750 m above sea level. The type of Soil in this area is Inceptisolsoil order and thetype of rainfall according to Schmidt and Fergusson Classification is C type. The experiment used Randomized Block Design (RBD) which consisted of eight treatments (GA and LOF) and four replications. The concentration of GA from 0, 50, 100 and 150 ppm and for concentration of LOF is 40 mlL-1. We suggested the treatment of GA 150 ppm with 40 mlL-1 LOF was the best treatment on enhancing plant height and stem fresh weight of ramie clone Pujon 13.

Interactive effects of pests increase seed yield.

PubMed

Gagic, Vesna; Riggi, Laura Ga; Ekbom, Barbara; Malsher, Gerard; Rusch, Adrien; Bommarco, Riccardo

2016-04-01

Loss in seed yield and therefore decrease in plant fitness due to simultaneous attacks by multiple herbivores is not necessarily additive, as demonstrated in evolutionary studies on wild plants. However, it is not clear how this transfers to crop plants that grow in very different conditions compared to wild plants. Nevertheless, loss in crop seed yield caused by any single pest is most often studied in isolation although crop plants are attacked by many pests that can cause substantial yield losses. This is especially important for crops able to compensate and even overcompensate for the damage. We investigated the interactive impacts on crop yield of four insect pests attacking different plant parts at different times during the cropping season. In 15 oilseed rape fields in Sweden, we estimated the damage caused by seed and stem weevils, pollen beetles, and pod midges. Pest pressure varied drastically among fields with very low correlation among pests, allowing us to explore interactive impacts on yield from attacks by multiple species. The plant damage caused by each pest species individually had, as expected, either no, or a negative impact on seed yield and the strongest negative effect was caused by pollen beetles. However, seed yield increased when plant damage caused by both seed and stem weevils was high, presumably due to the joint plant compensatory reaction to insect attack leading to overcompensation. Hence, attacks by several pests can change the impact on yield of individual pest species. Economic thresholds based on single species, on which pest management decisions currently rely, may therefore result in economically suboptimal choices being made and unnecessary excessive use of insecticides.

Fear of heights and visual height intolerance.

PubMed

Brandt, Thomas; Huppert, Doreen

2014-02-01

The aim of this review is, first, to cover the different aspects of visual height intolerance such as historical descriptions, definition of terms, phenomenology of the condition, neurophysiological control of gaze, stance and locomotion, and therapy, and, second, to identify warranted epidemiological and experimental studies. Vivid descriptions of fear of heights can be found in ancient texts from the Greek, Roman, and Chinese classics. The life-time prevalence of visual height intolerance is as high as 28% in the general population, and about 50% of those who are susceptible report an impact on quality of life. When exposed to heights, visual exploration by eye and head movements is restricted, and the velocity of locomotion is reduced. Therapy for fear of heights is dominated by the behavioral techniques applied during real or virtual reality exposure. Their efficacy might be facilitated by the administration of D-cycloserine or glucocorticoids. Visual height intolerance has a considerable impact on daily life and interpersonal interactions. It is much more frequent than fear of heights, which is defined as an environmental subtype of a specific phobia. There is certainly a continuum stretching from acrophobia to a less-pronounced visual height intolerance, to which the categorical distinction of a specific phobia does not apply.

Increasing plant density in eastern United States broccoli production systems to maximize marketable head yields

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Increased demand for fresh market broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) has led to increased production along the eastern seaboard of the United States. Maximizing broccoli yields is a primary concern for quickly expanding eastern commercial markets. Thus, a plant density study was carried ...

Growth, yield and movement of phosphate nutrients in soybean on P fertilizer, straw mulch and difference of plant spacing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanum, C.

2018-02-01

Soybean is one of the plants that require much amounts of phosphate. P nutrient, microclimate modification and plant spacing arrangement is the efforts to improve grain yield. The objective of the research was to study the effect of P fertilization, mulching straw and plant spacing on growth, yield and movement of P nutrient on soybean. The study was conducted at Cengkeh Turi Binjai using factorial randomized block design with 3 factors. The first factors was P fertilizer 0, 100, and 200 kg/ha, the second factor was thickness of rice straw mulch 0 and 5 cm, and third factors was plant spacing 30 cm x 15 cm, 40 cm x 20 cm, and 50 cm x 25 cm. The results of the research showed that phosphate fertilizer (200 kg/ha) significantly increased levels of phosphate in the shoot. Plant spacing (50 cm x 25 cm) increased root volume. The interaction of phosphate fertilizer (200 kg/ha) and spacing (50 cm x 25 cm) increased the phosphate level by 93.33% in shoot. Plant spacing (50 cm x 25 cm) produced the largest of 100 grains weight as compared to other plant spacing.

A photorespiratory bypass increases plant growth and seed yield in biofuel crop Camelina sativa

DOE PAGES

Dalal, Jyoti; Lopez, Harry; Vasani, Naresh B.; ...

2015-10-29

Camelina sativa is an oilseed crop with great potential for biofuel production on marginal land. The seed oil from camelina has been converted to jet fuel and improved fuel efficiency in commercial and military test flights. Hydrogenation-derived renewable diesel from camelina is environmentally superior to that from canola due to lower agricultural inputs, and the seed meal is FDA approved for animal consumption. However, relatively low yield makes its farming less profitable. Our study is aimed at increasing camelina seed yield by reducing carbon loss from photorespiration via a photorespiratory bypass. Genes encoding three enzymes of the Escherichia coli glycolatemore » catabolic pathway were introduced: glycolate dehydrogenase (GDH), glyoxylate carboxyligase (GCL) and tartronic semialdehyde reductase (TSR). These enzymes compete for the photorespiratory substrate, glycolate, convert it to glycerate within the chloroplasts, and reduce photorespiration. As a by-product of the reaction, CO 2 is released in the chloroplast, which increases photosynthesis. Camelina plants were transformed with either partial bypass (GDH), or full bypass (GDH, GCL and TSR) genes. Furthermore, transgenic plants were evaluated for physiological and metabolic traits.« less

A photorespiratory bypass increases plant growth and seed yield in biofuel crop Camelina sativa

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dalal, Jyoti; Lopez, Harry; Vasani, Naresh B.

Camelina sativa is an oilseed crop with great potential for biofuel production on marginal land. The seed oil from camelina has been converted to jet fuel and improved fuel efficiency in commercial and military test flights. Hydrogenation-derived renewable diesel from camelina is environmentally superior to that from canola due to lower agricultural inputs, and the seed meal is FDA approved for animal consumption. However, relatively low yield makes its farming less profitable. Our study is aimed at increasing camelina seed yield by reducing carbon loss from photorespiration via a photorespiratory bypass. Genes encoding three enzymes of the Escherichia coli glycolatemore » catabolic pathway were introduced: glycolate dehydrogenase (GDH), glyoxylate carboxyligase (GCL) and tartronic semialdehyde reductase (TSR). These enzymes compete for the photorespiratory substrate, glycolate, convert it to glycerate within the chloroplasts, and reduce photorespiration. As a by-product of the reaction, CO 2 is released in the chloroplast, which increases photosynthesis. Camelina plants were transformed with either partial bypass (GDH), or full bypass (GDH, GCL and TSR) genes. Furthermore, transgenic plants were evaluated for physiological and metabolic traits.« less

High relative humidity increases yield, harvest index, flowering, and gynophore growth of hydroponically grown peanut plants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mortley, D. G.; Bonsi, C. K.; Loretan, P. A.; Hill, W. A.; Morris, C. E.

2000-01-01

Growth chamber experiments were conducted to study the physiological and growth response of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) to 50% and 85% relative humidity (RH). The objective was to determine the effects of RH on pod and seed yield, harvest index, and flowering of peanut grown by the nutrient film technique (NFT). 'Georgia Red' peanut plants (14 days old) were planted into growth channels (0.15 x 0.15 x 1.2 m). Plants were spaced 25 cm apart with 15 cm between channels. A modified half-Hoagland solution with an additional 2 mM Ca was used. Solution pH was maintained between 6.4 and 6.7, and electrical conductivity (EC) ranged between 1100 and 1200 microS cm-1. Temperature regimes of 28/22 degrees C were maintained during the light/dark periods (12 hours each) with photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) at canopy level of 500 micromoles-m-2s-1. Foliage and pod fresh and dry weights, total seed yield, harvest index (HI), and seed maturity were greater at high than at low RH. Plants grown at 85% RH had greater total and individual leaflet area and stomatal conductance, flowered 3 days earlier and had a greater number of flowers reaching anthesis. Gynophores grew more rapidly at 85% than at 50% RH.

RNA isolation from loquat and other recalcitrant woody plants with high quality and yield.

PubMed

Morante-Carriel, Jaime; Sellés-Marchart, Susana; Martínez-Márquez, Ascensión; Martínez-Esteso, María José; Luque, Ignacio; Bru-Martínez, Roque

2014-05-01

RNA isolation is difficult in plants that contain large amounts of polysaccharides and polyphenol compounds. To date, no commercial kit has been developed for the isolation of high-quality RNA from tissues with these characteristics, especially for fruit. The common protocols for RNA isolation are tedious and usually result in poor yields when applied to recalcitrant plant tissues. Here an efficient RNA isolation protocol based on cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and two successive precipitations with 10 M lithium chloride (LiCl) was developed specifically for loquat fruits, but it was proved to work efficiently in other tissues of loquat and woody plants. The RNA isolated by this improved protocol was not only of high purity and integrity (A260/A280 ratios ranged from 1.90 to 2.04 and A260/A230 ratios were>2.0) but also of high yield (up to 720 μg on average [coefficient of variation=21%] total RNA per gram fresh tissue). The protocol was tested on loquat fruit (different stages of development, postharvest, ripening, and bruising), leaf, root, flower, stem, and bud; quince fruit and root; grapevine cells in liquid culture; and rose petals. The RNA obtained with this method is amenable to enzymatic treatments and can be efficiently applied for research on gene characterization, expression, and function. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Short-term complete submergence of rice at the tillering stage increases yield.

PubMed

Zhang, Yajie; Wang, Zhensheng; Li, Lei; Zhou, Qun; Xiao, Yao; Wei, Xing; Zhou, Mingyao

2015-01-01

Flooding is a major threat to agricultural production. Most studies have focused on the lower water storage limit in rice fields, whereas few studies have examined the upper water storage limit. This study aimed to explore the effect of waterlogging at the rice tillering stage on rice growth and yield. The early-ripening late japonica variety Yangjing 4227 was selected for this study. The treatments included different submergence depths (submergence depth/plant height: 1/2 (waist submergence), 2/3 (neck submergence), and 1/1 (complete submergence)) and durations (1, 3, and 5 d). The control group was treated with the conventional alternation of drying and wetting. The effects of waterlogging at the tillering stage on root characteristics, dry matter production, nitrogen and phosphorus accumulation, yield, yield components, and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase (ACS) gene expression were explored. Compared with the control group, the 1/1 group showed significant increases in yield, seed-setting rate, photosynthetically efficient leaf area, and OS-ACS3 gene expression after 1 d of submergence. The grain number per panicle, dry weight of the aboveground and belowground parts, and number of adventitious roots also increased. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between the panicle number and nitrogen content; however, no significant correlation was found for phosphorus content. If a decrease in rice yield of less than 10% is acceptable, half, 2/3, and complete submergence of the plants can be performed at the tillering stage for 1-3 d; this treatment will increase the space available for rice field water management/control and will improve rainfall resource utilization.

Metabolic engineering of biomass for high energy density: oilseed-like triacylglycerol yields from plant leaves

PubMed Central

Vanhercke, Thomas; El Tahchy, Anna; Liu, Qing; Zhou, Xue-Rong; Shrestha, Pushkar; Divi, Uday K; Ral, Jean-Philippe; Mansour, Maged P; Nichols, Peter D; James, Christopher N; Horn, Patrick J; Chapman, Kent D; Beaudoin, Frederic; Ruiz-López, Noemi; Larkin, Philip J; de Feyter, Robert C; Singh, Surinder P; Petrie, James R

2014-01-01

High biomass crops have recently attracted significant attention as an alternative platform for the renewable production of high energy storage lipids such as triacylglycerol (TAG). While TAG typically accumulates in seeds as storage compounds fuelling subsequent germination, levels in vegetative tissues are generally low. Here, we report the accumulation of more than 15% TAG (17.7% total lipids) by dry weight in Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) leaves by the co-expression of three genes involved in different aspects of TAG production without severely impacting plant development. These yields far exceed the levels found in wild-type leaf tissue as well as previously reported engineered TAG yields in vegetative tissues of Arabidopsis thaliana and N. tabacum. When translated to a high biomass crop, the current levels would translate to an oil yield per hectare that exceeds those of most cultivated oilseed crops. Confocal fluorescence microscopy and mass spectrometry imaging confirmed the accumulation of TAG within leaf mesophyll cells. In addition, we explored the applicability of several existing oil-processing methods using fresh leaf tissue. Our results demonstrate the technical feasibility of a vegetative plant oil production platform and provide for a step change in the bioenergy landscape, opening new prospects for sustainable food, high energy forage, biofuel and biomaterial applications. PMID:24151938

HvDep1 Is a Positive Regulator of Culm Elongation and Grain Size in Barley and Impacts Yield in an Environment-Dependent Manner

PubMed Central

Wendt, Toni; Holme, Inger; Dockter, Christoph; Preuß, Aileen; Thomas, William; Waugh, Robbie; Braumann, Ilka

2016-01-01

Heterotrimeric G proteins are intracellular membrane-attached signal transducers involved in various cellular processes in both plants and animals. They consist of three subunits denoted as α, β and γ. The γ-subunits of the so-called AGG3 type, which comprise a transmembrane domain, are exclusively found in plants. In model species, these proteins have been shown to participate in the control of plant height, branching and seed size and could therefore impact the harvestable yield of various crop plants. Whether AGG3-type γ-subunits influence yield in temperate cereals like barley and wheat remains unknown. Using a transgenic complementation approach, we show here that the Scottish malting barley cultivar (cv.) Golden Promise carries a loss-of-function mutation in HvDep1, an AGG3-type subunit encoding gene that positively regulates culm elongation and seed size in barley. Somewhat intriguingly, agronomic field data collected over a 12-year period reveals that the HvDep1 loss-of-function mutation in cv. Golden Promise has the potential to confer either a significant increase or decrease in harvestable yield depending on the environment. Our results confirm the role of AGG3-type subunit-encoding genes in shaping plant architecture, but interestingly also indicate that the impact HvDep1 has on yield in barley is both genotypically and environmentally sensitive. This may explain why widespread exploitation of variation in AGG3-type subunit-encoding genes has not occurred in temperate cereals while in rice the DEP1 locus is widely exploited to improve harvestable yield. PMID:28005988

Soil Properties Related to Coniferous Seedling Height Growth in Northern Wisconsin

Treesearch

John J. Rawinski; James A. Bowles; Nonan V. Noste

1980-01-01

Soil properties (organic matter content, pH, texture, and microclimate) were related to early height growth of jack pine (Pinus banksiana, Lamb.), red pine (Pinus resinosa, Ait.), white spruce (Picea glauca, (Moench) Voss), and hybrid larch (Larix leptolepis x Larizx decidua) planted in northern Wisconsin. Based on 2-year height growth, jack pine and hybrid larch...

Impact of implementation of spaceborne lidar-retrieved canopy height in the WRF model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Junhong; Hong, Jinkyu

2017-04-01

Canopy height is closely related to biomass and aerodynamic properties, which regulate turbulent transfer of energy and mass at the soil-vegetation-atmosphere continuum. However, this key information has been prescribed as a constant value in a fixed plant functional type in atmospheric models. This presentation reports impacts of using realistic forest canopy height, retrieved from spaceborne LiDAR, on regional climate simulation in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model's land surface model. Numerical simulations were conducted over the Amazon Basin and East Asia during summer season. Over these regions, the LiDAR-retrieved canopy heights were higher than the default values used in the WRF,which are dependent only on plant functional type. By modifying roughness length and zero-plane displacement height, the change of canopy height resulted in changes in surface energy balance by regulating aerodynamic conductances and vertical temperature gradient, thus modifying the lifting condensation level and equivalent potential temperature in the atmospheric boundary layer. Our analysis also showed that the WRF model better reproduced the observed precipitation when LiDAR-retrieved canopy height was used over the Amazon Basin.

Response of vegetation to carbon dioxide. Growth, yield and plant water relationships in sweet potatoes in response to carbon dioxide enrichment 1986

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1998-08-01

In the summer of 1985, under the joint program of US Department of Energy, Carbon Dioxide Division, and Tuskegee University, experiments were conducted to study growth, yield, photosynthesis and plant water relationships in sweet potato plants growth in an enriched CO{sub 2} environment. The main experiment utilized open top chambers to study the effects of CO{sub 2} and soil moisture on growth, yield and photosynthesis of field-grown plants. In addition, potted plants in open top chambers were utilized in a study of the effects of different CO{sub 2} concentrations on growth pattern, relative growth rate, net assimilation rate and biomassmore » increment at different stages of development. The interaction effects of enriched CO{sub 2} and water stress on biomass production, yield, xylem potential, and stomatal conductance were also investigated. The overall results of the various studies are described.« less

Inoculation of Schizolobium parahyba with Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Increases Wood Yield under Field Conditions.

PubMed

Cely, Martha V T; Siviero, Marco A; Emiliano, Janaina; Spago, Flávia R; Freitas, Vanessa F; Barazetti, André R; Goya, Erika T; Lamberti, Gustavo de Souza; Dos Santos, Igor M O; De Oliveira, Admilton G; Andrade, Galdino

2016-01-01

Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum (Huber ex Ducke) occurs naturally in the Brazilian Amazon. Currently, it is being planted extensively because of its fast growth and excellent use in forestry. Consequently, there is great interest in new strategies to increase wood production. The interaction between soil microorganisms and plants, specifically in the roots, provides essential nutrients for plant growth. These interactions can have growth-promoting effects. In this way, this study assessed the effect of the inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on growth of S. parahyba var. amazonicum under field conditions. We used two native species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Claroideoglomus etunicatum (Ce), and Acaulospora sp. (Ac); two native strains of Rhizobium sp. (Rh1 and Rh2); and a non-native strain of Burkholderia sp. Different combinations of microorganisms were supplemented with chemical fertilizers (doses D1 and D2) in two planting methods, seed sowing and seedling planting. In seed sowing, the results showed that treatments with Ce/Rh1/Fertilizer D2 and Ac/No PGPR/Fertilizer D2 increased wood yield. In seedling planting, two combinations (Ac/Rh2/Fertilizer D1 and Ac/Rh1/Fertilizer D1) were more effective in increasing seedling growth. In these experiments, inoculation with AMF and PGPR increased wood yield by about 20% compared to the application of fertilizer alone.

Inoculation of Schizolobium parahyba with Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Increases Wood Yield under Field Conditions

PubMed Central

Cely, Martha V. T.; Siviero, Marco A.; Emiliano, Janaina; Spago, Flávia R.; Freitas, Vanessa F.; Barazetti, André R.; Goya, Erika T.; Lamberti, Gustavo de Souza; dos Santos, Igor M. O.; De Oliveira, Admilton G.; Andrade, Galdino

2016-01-01

Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum (Huber ex Ducke) occurs naturally in the Brazilian Amazon. Currently, it is being planted extensively because of its fast growth and excellent use in forestry. Consequently, there is great interest in new strategies to increase wood production. The interaction between soil microorganisms and plants, specifically in the roots, provides essential nutrients for plant growth. These interactions can have growth-promoting effects. In this way, this study assessed the effect of the inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on growth of S. parahyba var. amazonicum under field conditions. We used two native species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Claroideoglomus etunicatum (Ce), and Acaulospora sp. (Ac); two native strains of Rhizobium sp. (Rh1 and Rh2); and a non-native strain of Burkholderia sp. Different combinations of microorganisms were supplemented with chemical fertilizers (doses D1 and D2) in two planting methods, seed sowing and seedling planting. In seed sowing, the results showed that treatments with Ce/Rh1/Fertilizer D2 and Ac/No PGPR/Fertilizer D2 increased wood yield. In seedling planting, two combinations (Ac/Rh2/Fertilizer D1 and Ac/Rh1/Fertilizer D1) were more effective in increasing seedling growth. In these experiments, inoculation with AMF and PGPR increased wood yield by about 20% compared to the application of fertilizer alone. PMID:27920781

[Effects of irrigation amount and various fertigation methods on yield and quality of cucumber in greenhouse].

PubMed

Fang, Dong-ping; Zhang, Fu-cang; Li, Jing; Wang, Hai-dong; Xiang, You-zhen; Zhang, Yan

2015-06-01

Taking cucumber as experimental plant, an experiment was conducted to study the effects of irrigation amount and fertigation methods on growth, yield and quality of cucumber in greenhouse. The experiment had designed two irrigation levels, i.e. 100% ET0 (W1) and 75% ET0 (W2), and four fertigation fertilization ratios, i.e. 100%, 66.6%, 33.3% and 0% (Z100, Z66 , Z33, Z0) fertigation of a total amount of (360:180:540 kg · hm(-2)) (N:P2O5:K2O) by 8 times with the corresponding remainders (0%, 33.3%, 66.6% and 100%) were applied to soil as basic fertilization before the planting according to the recommended fertilization rate, and no fertilizer treatment was set up as the control (CK). Results showed that irrigation and fertilization levels had positive correlations with plant height, leaf areas, dry mass, yield and quality of cucumber. Yield at W1Z100 was the highest, reaching 67760 kg · hm(-2). W2 treatment increased the mean water use efficiency (WUE) by 9.4% compared to W1. W2Z100 treatment had the highest WUE, reaching 47.13 kg · m(-3). Yield at W2Z100 was only 3.4% lower than the maximum, but saved 25% of water. Yield and dry matter at Z100 were 15.3% and 16.8% higher than at Z0, respectively, the cucumber fruit vitamin C, soluble protein and soluble sugar contents were increased, and the water use efficiency was increased by 19.1%. W2Z100 treatment was the best treatment which could enable cucumber to obtain both the high-yield and the high-quality.

Performance of sorghum cultivars for biomass quality and biomethane yield grown in semi-arid area of Pakistan.

PubMed

Hassan, Muhammad Umair; Chattha, Muhammad Umer; Mahmood, Athar; Sahi, Shahbaz Talib

2018-05-01

Biomass is a promising renewable energy source and its significance is escalating in the context of climate change and depletion of fossil foils. This study was conducted for two consecutive years 2016 and 2017, using five sorghum cultivars, i.e., JS-263, Jawar-2011, Hagari, JS-2002, and YS-2016, in order to determine the best cultivars in terms of dry matter yield, chemical composition, and biomethane yield grown under semi-arid conditions in Pakistan. The results revealed that sorghum cultivars responded differently in terms of growth, biomass yield, chemical composition, and methane yield. Cultivars Jawar-2011 produced maximum leaf area index, leaf area duration, crop growth rate, plant height, and leaves per plant, however, they were comparable with Sorghum-2016, whereas cultivar JS-2002 performed poorly among the tested cultivars. Similarly, cultivar Jawar-2011 produced maximum dry matter yield (16.37 t ha -1 ) similar to that of YS-2016, further cultivar JS-2002 performed poorly and gave lower dry matter yield (12.87 t ha -1 ). The maximum protein concentration (10.95), neutral detergent fibers (61.20), and lignin contents (5.55) found in Jawar-2011 were comparable with those in YS-2016, while the lowest neutral detergent fiber and lignin contents were found in JS-2002. Although JS-2002 produced the highest specific methane yield per kilogram of volatile solids, it was overcompensated by Jawar-2011 owing to higher dry matter yield per hectare. These results suggested that cultivar Jawar-2011 can be grown successfully in semi-arid conditions of Pakistan in order to get good biomass yield along with higher methane yield.

Effect of wheat and Miscanthus straw biochars on soil enzymatic activity, ecotoxicity, and plant yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mierzwa-Hersztek, Monika; Gondek, Krzysztof; Klimkowicz-Pawlas, Agnieszka; Baran, Agnieszka

2017-07-01

The variety of technological conditions and raw materials from which biochar is produced is the reason why its soil application may have different effects on soil properties and plant growth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of wheat straw and Miscanthus giganteus straw (5 t DM ha-1) and biochar obtained from this materials in doses of 2.25 and 5 t DM ha-1 on soil enzymatic activity, soil ecotoxicity, and plant yield (perennial grass mixture with red clover). The research was carried out under field conditions on soil with the granulometric composition of loamy sand. No significant effect of biochar amendment on soil enzymatic activity was observed. The biochar-amended soil was toxic to Vibrio fischeri and exhibited low toxicity to Heterocypris incongruens. Application of wheat straw biochar and M. giganteus straw biochar in a dose of 5 t DM ha-1 contributed to an increase in plant biomass production by 2 and 14%, respectively, compared to the soil with mineral fertilisation. Biochars had a more adverse effect on soil enzymatic activity and soil ecotoxicity to H. incongruens and V. fischeri than non-converted wheat straw and M. giganteus straw, but significantly increased the grass crop yield.

Effect of single and mixed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination on plant biomass yield and PAH dissipation during phytoremediation.

PubMed

Afegbua, Seniyat Larai; Batty, Lesley Claire

2018-04-27

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated sites have a mixture of PAH of varying concentration which may affect PAH dissipation differently to contamination with a single PAH. In this study, pot experiments investigated the impact of PAH contamination on Medicago sativa, Lolium perenne, and Festuca arundinacea biomass and PAH dissipation from soils spiked with phenanthrene (Phe), fluoranthene (Flu), and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) in single and mixed treatments. Stimulatory or inhibitory effects of PAH contamination on plant biomass yields were not different for the single and mixed PAH treatments. Results showed significant effect of PAH treatments on plant growth with an increased root biomass yield for F. arundinacea in the Phe (175%) and Flu (86%) treatments and a root biomass decrease in the mixed treatment (4%). The mean residual PAHs in the planted treatments and unplanted control for the single treatments were not significantly different. B[a]P dissipation was enhanced for single and mixed treatments (71-72%) with F. arundinacea compared to the unplanted control (24-50%). On the other hand, B[a]P dissipation was inhibited with L. perenne (6%) in the single treatment and M. sativa (11%) and L. perenne (29%) in the mixed treatment. Abiotic processes had greater contribution to PAH dissipation compared to rhizodegradation in both treatments. In most cases, a stimulatory effect of PAH contamination on plant biomass yield without an enhancement of PAH dissipation was observed. Plant species among other factors affect the relative contribution of PAH dissipation mechanisms during phytoremediation. These factors determine the effectiveness and suitability of phytoremediation as a remedial strategy for PAH-contaminated sites. Further studies on impact of PAH contamination, plant selection, and rhizosphere activities on soil microbial community structure and remediation outcome are required.

A review of the use of engineered nanomaterials to suppress plant disease and enhance crop yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Servin, Alia; Elmer, Wade; Mukherjee, Arnab; De la Torre-Roche, Roberto; Hamdi, Helmi; White, Jason C.; Bindraban, Prem; Dimkpa, Christian

2015-02-01

Nanotechnology has the potential to play a critical role in global food production, food security, and food safety. The applications of nanotechnology in agriculture include fertilizers to increase plant growth and yield, pesticides for pest and disease management, and sensors for monitoring soil quality and plant health. Over the past decade, a number of patents and products incorporating nanomaterials into agricultural practices (e.g., nanopesticides, nanofertilizers, and nanosensors) have been developed. The collective goal of all of these approaches is to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of agricultural practices by requiring less input and generating less waste than conventional products and approaches. This review evaluates the current literature on the use of nanoscale nutrients (metals, metal oxides, carbon) to suppress crop disease and subsequently enhance growth and yield. Notably, this enhanced yield may not only be directly linked to the reduced presence of pathogenic organisms, but also to the potential nutritional value of the nanoparticles themselves, especially for the essential micronutrients necessary for host defense. We also posit that these positive effects are likely a result of the greater availability of the nutrients in the "nano" form. Last, we offer comments on the current regulatory perspective for such applications.

High Throughput Determination of Plant Height, Ground Cover, and Above-Ground Biomass in Wheat with LiDAR

PubMed Central

Jimenez-Berni, Jose A.; Deery, David M.; Rozas-Larraondo, Pablo; Condon, Anthony (Tony) G.; Rebetzke, Greg J.; James, Richard A.; Bovill, William D.; Furbank, Robert T.; Sirault, Xavier R. R.

2018-01-01

Crop improvement efforts are targeting increased above-ground biomass and radiation-use efficiency as drivers for greater yield. Early ground cover and canopy height contribute to biomass production, but manual measurements of these traits, and in particular above-ground biomass, are slow and labor-intensive, more so when made at multiple developmental stages. These constraints limit the ability to capture these data in a temporal fashion, hampering insights that could be gained from multi-dimensional data. Here we demonstrate the capacity of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), mounted on a lightweight, mobile, ground-based platform, for rapid multi-temporal and non-destructive estimation of canopy height, ground cover and above-ground biomass. Field validation of LiDAR measurements is presented. For canopy height, strong relationships with LiDAR (r2 of 0.99 and root mean square error of 0.017 m) were obtained. Ground cover was estimated from LiDAR using two methodologies: red reflectance image and canopy height. In contrast to NDVI, LiDAR was not affected by saturation at high ground cover, and the comparison of both LiDAR methodologies showed strong association (r2 = 0.92 and slope = 1.02) at ground cover above 0.8. For above-ground biomass, a dedicated field experiment was performed with destructive biomass sampled eight times across different developmental stages. Two methodologies are presented for the estimation of biomass from LiDAR: 3D voxel index (3DVI) and 3D profile index (3DPI). The parameters involved in the calculation of 3DVI and 3DPI were optimized for each sample event from tillering to maturity, as well as generalized for any developmental stage. Individual sample point predictions were strong while predictions across all eight sample events, provided the strongest association with biomass (r2 = 0.93 and r2 = 0.92) for 3DPI and 3DVI, respectively. Given these results, we believe that application of this system will provide new opportunities to

High Throughput Determination of Plant Height, Ground Cover, and Above-Ground Biomass in Wheat with LiDAR.

PubMed

Jimenez-Berni, Jose A; Deery, David M; Rozas-Larraondo, Pablo; Condon, Anthony Tony G; Rebetzke, Greg J; James, Richard A; Bovill, William D; Furbank, Robert T; Sirault, Xavier R R

2018-01-01

Crop improvement efforts are targeting increased above-ground biomass and radiation-use efficiency as drivers for greater yield. Early ground cover and canopy height contribute to biomass production, but manual measurements of these traits, and in particular above-ground biomass, are slow and labor-intensive, more so when made at multiple developmental stages. These constraints limit the ability to capture these data in a temporal fashion, hampering insights that could be gained from multi-dimensional data. Here we demonstrate the capacity of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), mounted on a lightweight, mobile, ground-based platform, for rapid multi-temporal and non-destructive estimation of canopy height, ground cover and above-ground biomass. Field validation of LiDAR measurements is presented. For canopy height, strong relationships with LiDAR ( r 2 of 0.99 and root mean square error of 0.017 m) were obtained. Ground cover was estimated from LiDAR using two methodologies: red reflectance image and canopy height. In contrast to NDVI, LiDAR was not affected by saturation at high ground cover, and the comparison of both LiDAR methodologies showed strong association ( r 2 = 0.92 and slope = 1.02) at ground cover above 0.8. For above-ground biomass, a dedicated field experiment was performed with destructive biomass sampled eight times across different developmental stages. Two methodologies are presented for the estimation of biomass from LiDAR: 3D voxel index (3DVI) and 3D profile index (3DPI). The parameters involved in the calculation of 3DVI and 3DPI were optimized for each sample event from tillering to maturity, as well as generalized for any developmental stage. Individual sample point predictions were strong while predictions across all eight sample events, provided the strongest association with biomass ( r 2 = 0.93 and r 2 = 0.92) for 3DPI and 3DVI, respectively. Given these results, we believe that application of this system will provide new

Baldcypress Height-Diamter Equations and Their Prediction Confindence Intervals

Treesearch

Bernard R. Parresol

1992-01-01

Height-diameter relationships are an important component in yield estimation, stand description, and damage appraisals. A nonlinear exponential function used extensively in the northwest United States was chosen for bald cypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.). Homogeneity and normality of residuals were examined, and the function as well as the...

Impact of post-infiltration soil aeration at different growth stages of sub-surface trickle-irrigated tomato plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yuan; Jia, Zong-xia; Niu, Wen-Quan; Wang, Jing-wei

2016-07-01

Sensitivity to low rhizosphere soil aeration may change over time and therefore plant response may also depend on different growth stages of a crop. This study quantified effects of soil aeration during 5 different periods, on growth and yield of trickle-irrigated potted single tomato plants. Irrigation levels were 0.6 to 0.7 (low level) or 0.7 to 0.8 (high level) of total water holding capacity of the pots. Soil was aerated by injecting 2.5 l of air into each pot through the drip tubing immediately after irrigation. Fresh fruit yield, above ground plant dry weight, plant height, and leaf area index response to these treatments were measured. For all these 4 response variables, means of post-infiltration aeration between 58 to 85 days after sowing were 13.4, 43.5, 13.7, and 37.7% higher than those for the non-aerated pots, respectively. The results indicated that: post-infiltration soil aeration can positively impact the yield and growth of sub-surface trickle-irrigated potted tomato plants; positive effects on plant growth can be obtained with aeration during the whole growth period or with aeration for partial periods; positive growth effects of partial periods of aeration appears to persist and result in yield benefit.

Flower synchrony, growth and yield enhancement of small type bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) through plant growth regulators and NPK fertilization.

PubMed

Mia, Baset M A; Islam, Md Serajul; Miah, Md Yunus; Das, M R; Khan, H I

2014-02-01

Assessment of growth regulator and NPK fertilization effects are important tools for flower stimulation and yield improvement in cucurbits. This investigation demonstrates the comparative male-female flower induction and fruit yield of small sized bitter gourd treated with NPK fertilizers and plant growth regulators. Namely, two experiments having three replicates were conducted in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with NPK fertilization and plant growth regulators-GA3, NAA and Ethophon application on small sized bitter gourd-genotype BG5 at the research field of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU). In experiment 1, different doses of NPK fertilizers comprised of 10 treatments and in that of experiment 2, different levels of plant growth regulators indicated 10 treatments. The results indicated that application of different doses of NPK fertilizer and plant growth regulators significantly (< or = 0.05) influenced over the flower initiation and fruit setting. The application of N90-P45-K60 fertilizer along with Ethophon spraying resulted in the better yield of small sized bitter gourd.

Effects of domestic wastewater treated by anaerobic stabilization on soil pollution, plant nutrition, and cotton crop yield.

PubMed

Uzen, Nese; Cetin, Oner; Unlu, Mustafa

2016-12-01

This study has aimed to determine the effects of treated wastewater on cotton yield and soil pollution in Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey during 2011 and 2012. The treated wastewater was provided from the reservoir operated as anaerobic stabilization. After treatment, suspended solids (28-60 mg/l), biological oxygen demand (29-30 mg/l), and chemical oxygen demand (71-112 mg/l) decreased significantly compared to those in the wastewater. There was no heavy metal pollution in the water used. There were no significant amounts of coliform bacteria, fecal coliform, and Escherichia coli compared to untreated wastewater. The cottonseed yield (31.8 g/plant) in the tanks where no commercial fertilizers were applied was considerably higher compared to the yield (17.2 g/plant) in the fertilized tanks where a common nitrogenous fertilizer was utilized. There were no significant differences between the values of soil pH. Soil electrical conductivity (EC) after the experiment increased from 0.8-1.0 to 0.9-1.8 dS/m. Heavy metal pollution did not occur in the soil and plants, because there were no heavy metals in the treated wastewater. It can be concluded that treated domestic wastewater could be used to grow in a controlled manner crops, such as cotton, that would not be used directly as human nutrients.

Effect of cow manure and empty fruit bunches application treated with different fertilizers on growth and yield of chili (Capsicum annum)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghazali, Mohd Rashdan; Mutalib, Sahilah Abd.; Abdullah, Aminah

2016-11-01

Study on the comparison of cow manure (CM) and empty fruit bunches (EFB) compost application as planting medium was conducted using four different treatments of fertilizer (without fertilizer, chemical fertilizer, organic fertilizer, and both fertilizer) on growth and yield of chili (Capsicum annum). The experiment started on August until December 2014 which consisted of eight treatments and were laid in a completely randomized block design (CRBD) with three replications. Variety chili that was used was Cilibangi 3. The seed was planted inside the tray for one week and transferred into the polybag containing growth media consisted of soil, compost (CM or EFB compost) and sand with ratio 3:2:1. Treatments without fertilizer were acted as a control. Throughout the study, plant growth performance and yield were recorded. The highest height of the plants for CM compost was 100.8 cm using chemical fertilizer and have significant different between the groups. For EFB compost was 92.7 cm using also chemical fertilizer but no significant different between the groups. The highest fruits weight per plant for CM compost was 485.67 g treated with both fertilizers and for EFB compost was 420.17 g treated with chemical fertilizer. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) table stated that fruits weight per plant has significant different for both planting medium with the fertilizer treatment. For the highest total fruits per plant, CM compost recorded about average 55 fruits per plant using both fertilizers and EFB compost recorded around 45 fruit per plant using chemical fertilizer. There was significantly different for total fruits per plant for both planting medium with the fertilizer treatment according to the ANOVA table. For CM, the ripening time was around 102-112 days and for EFB compost was around 96-110 days. Thus, application of CM compost treated with both chemical and organic fertilizers demonstrated better growth and fruit yield. While EFB compost was better growth and fruit

A Vitis vinifera basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor enhances plant cell size, vegetative biomass and reproductive yield

DOE PAGES

Lim, Sung Don; Yim, Won Choel; Liu, Degao; ...

2018-04-16

Strategies for improving plant size are critical targets for plant biotechnology to increase vegetative biomass or reproductive yield. To improve biomass production, a codon-optimized helix–loop–helix transcription factor (VvCEB1 opt) from wine grape was overexpressed in Arabidopsis thaliana resulting in significantly increased leaf number, leaf and rosette area, fresh weight and dry weight. Cell size, but typically not cell number, was increased in all tissues resulting in increased vegetative biomass and reproductive organ size, number and seed yield. Ionomic analysis of leaves revealed the VvCEB1 opt-overexpressing plants had significantly elevated, K, S and Mo contents relative to control lines. Increased Kmore » content likely drives increased osmotic potential within cells leading to greater cellular growth and expansion. To understand the mechanistic basis of VvCEB1 opt action, one transgenic line was genotyped using RNA-Seq mRNA expression profiling and revealed a novel transcriptional reprogramming network with significant changes in mRNA abundance for genes with functions in delayed flowering, pathogen–defence responses, iron homeostasis, vesicle-mediated cell wall formation and auxin-mediated signalling and responses. Direct testing of VvCEB1 opt-overexpressing plants showed that they had significantly elevated auxin content and a significantly increased number of lateral leaf primordia within meristems relative to controls, confirming that cell expansion and organ number proliferation were likely an auxin-mediated process. VvCEB1 opt overexpression in Nicotiana sylvestris also showed larger cells, organ size and biomass demonstrating the potential applicability of this innovative strategy for improving plant biomass and reproductive yield in crops.« less

A Vitis vinifera basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor enhances plant cell size, vegetative biomass and reproductive yield

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lim, Sung Don; Yim, Won Choel; Liu, Degao

Strategies for improving plant size are critical targets for plant biotechnology to increase vegetative biomass or reproductive yield. To improve biomass production, a codon-optimized helix–loop–helix transcription factor (VvCEB1 opt) from wine grape was overexpressed in Arabidopsis thaliana resulting in significantly increased leaf number, leaf and rosette area, fresh weight and dry weight. Cell size, but typically not cell number, was increased in all tissues resulting in increased vegetative biomass and reproductive organ size, number and seed yield. Ionomic analysis of leaves revealed the VvCEB1 opt-overexpressing plants had significantly elevated, K, S and Mo contents relative to control lines. Increased Kmore » content likely drives increased osmotic potential within cells leading to greater cellular growth and expansion. To understand the mechanistic basis of VvCEB1 opt action, one transgenic line was genotyped using RNA-Seq mRNA expression profiling and revealed a novel transcriptional reprogramming network with significant changes in mRNA abundance for genes with functions in delayed flowering, pathogen–defence responses, iron homeostasis, vesicle-mediated cell wall formation and auxin-mediated signalling and responses. Direct testing of VvCEB1 opt-overexpressing plants showed that they had significantly elevated auxin content and a significantly increased number of lateral leaf primordia within meristems relative to controls, confirming that cell expansion and organ number proliferation were likely an auxin-mediated process. VvCEB1 opt overexpression in Nicotiana sylvestris also showed larger cells, organ size and biomass demonstrating the potential applicability of this innovative strategy for improving plant biomass and reproductive yield in crops.« less

Effect of Sowing Methods and NPK Levels on Growth and Yield of Rainfed Maize (Zea mays L.)

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

To investigate the response of rainfed maize to sowing methods and NPK levels, an experiment was undertaken during kharif of 2011 and 2012 at Dryland (Kerawa) Agriculture Research Station, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Budgam. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with combination of 2 sowing methods (flat sowing, 75 cm apart rows, and ridge sowing, 75 cm apart ridges) and 3 fertility levels (60 : 40 : 20, 75 : 50 : 30, and 90 : 60 : 40 N : P2O5 : K2O kg ha−1) with three replications. Various growth characters, namely, plant height, leaf area index, dry matter accumulation, number of days to different phenological stages, and yield, and yield contributing characters namely, cob length, number of grains cob−1, cob diameter (cm), and 100-seed weight (g), were significantly higher with S2 over S1 during both the years of experimentation. Fertilizer levels F3 (90 : 60 : 40) and F2 (75 : 50 : 30) at par with one another produced significant increase in growth and yield characters, namely, plant height, leaf area index, dry matter production at different growth stages, cob length, number of cobs plant−1, number of grains cob−1, and 100-seed weight over F1 (60 : 40 : 20). Significantly higher grain yield was recorded with fertilizer level F3 (90 : 60 : 40) being at par with F2 (75 : 50 : 30) and showed significant increase over F1 (60 : 40 : 20) with superiority of 5.4 and 5.7 per cent during 2011 and 2012, respectively. The findings of the study concluded that ridge method of sowing of maize with NPK levels of 75 : 50 : 30 kg ha−1 showed better performance of crop in terms of growth, yield, and yield attributes. PMID:26090269

Northern highbush blueberry cultivars differed in yield and fruit quality in two organic production systems from planting to maturity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

‘Northern highbush blueberry cultivars were evaluated in a certified organic research site. The treatments included cultivar and amendment-mulch and “weed mat”. Plant traits and yield were collected from the 2nd through 8th growing seasons. Adding on-farm compost as a pre-plant amendment and as part...

Updated sesame genome assembly and fine mapping of plant height and seed coat color QTLs using a new high-density genetic map.

PubMed

Wang, Linhai; Xia, Qiuju; Zhang, Yanxin; Zhu, Xiaodong; Zhu, Xiaofeng; Li, Donghua; Ni, Xuemei; Gao, Yuan; Xiang, Haitao; Wei, Xin; Yu, Jingyin; Quan, Zhiwu; Zhang, Xiurong

2016-01-05

Sesame is an important high-quality oil seed crop. The sesame genome was de novo sequenced and assembled in 2014 (version 1.0); however, the number of anchored pseudomolecules was higher than the chromosome number (2n = 2x = 26) due to the lack of a high-density genetic map with 13 linkage groups. We resequenced a permanent population consisting of 430 recombinant inbred lines and constructed a genetic map to improve the sesame genome assembly. We successfully anchored 327 scaffolds onto 13 pseudomolecules. The new genome assembly (version 2.0) included 97.5 % of the scaffolds greater than 150 kb in size present in assembly version 1.0 and increased the total pseudomolecule length from 233.7 to 258.4 Mb with 94.3 % of the genome assembled and 97.2 % of the predicted gene models anchored. Based on the new genome assembly, a bin map including 1,522 bins spanning 1090.99 cM was generated and used to identified 41 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for sesame plant height and 9 for seed coat color. The plant height-related QTLs explained 3-24 % the phenotypic variation (mean value, 8 %), and 29 of them were detected in at least two field trials. Two major loci (qPH-8.2 and qPH-3.3) that contributed 23 and 18 % of the plant height were located in 350 and 928-kb spaces on Chr8 and Chr3, respectively. qPH-3.3, is predicted to be responsible for the semi-dwarf sesame plant phenotype and contains 102 candidate genes. This is the first report of a sesame semi-dwarf locus and provides an interesting opportunity for a plant architecture study of the sesame. For the sesame seed coat color, the QTLs of the color spaces L*, a*, and b* were detected with contribution rates of 3-46 %. qSCb-4.1 contributed approximately 39 % of the b* value and was located on Chr4 in a 199.9-kb space. A list of 32 candidate genes for the locus, including a predicted black seed coat-related gene, was determined by screening the newly anchored genome. This study offers a high

Development and Evaluation of Models for the Relationship between Tree Height and Diameter at Breast Height for Chinese-Fir Plantations in Subtropical China.

PubMed

Li, Yan-qiong; Deng, Xiang-wen; Huang, Zhi-hong; Xiang, Wen-hua; Yan, Wen-de; Lei, Pi-feng; Zhou, Xiao-lu; Peng, Chang-hui

2015-01-01

Tree diameter at breast height (dbh) and height are the most important variables used in forest inventory and management as well as forest carbon-stock estimation. In order to identify the key stand variables that influence the tree height-dbh relationship and to develop and validate a suit of models for predicting tree height, data from 5961 tree samples aged from 6 years to 53 years and collected from 80 Chinese-fir plantation plots were used to fit 39 models, including 33 nonlinear models and 6 linear models, were developed and evaluated into two groups. The results showed that composite models performed better in height estimate than one-independent-variable models. Nonlinear composite Model 34 and linear composite Model 6 were recommended for predicting tree height in Chinese fir plantations with a dbh range between 4 cm and 40 cm when the dbh data for each tree and the quadratic mean dbh of the stand (Dq) and mean height of the stand (Hm) were available. Moreover, Hm could be estimated by using the formula Hm = 11.707 × l n(Dq)-18.032. Clearly, Dq was the primary stand variable that influenced the height-dbh relationship. The parameters of the models varied according to stand age and site. The inappropriate application of provincial or regional height-dbh models for predicting small tree height at local scale may result in larger uncertainties. The method and the recommended models developed in this study were statistically reliable for applications in growth and yield estimation for even-aged Chinese-fir plantation in Huitong and Changsha. The models could be extended to other regions and to other tree species only after verification in subtropical China.

Development and Evaluation of Models for the Relationship between Tree Height and Diameter at Breast Height for Chinese-Fir Plantations in Subtropical China

PubMed Central

Li, Yan-qiong; Deng, Xiang-wen; Huang, Zhi-hong; Xiang, Wen-hua; Yan, Wen-de; Lei, Pi-feng; Zhou, Xiao-lu; Peng, Chang-hui

2015-01-01

Tree diameter at breast height (dbh) and height are the most important variables used in forest inventory and management as well as forest carbon-stock estimation. In order to identify the key stand variables that influence the tree height-dbh relationship and to develop and validate a suit of models for predicting tree height, data from 5961 tree samples aged from 6 years to 53 years and collected from 80 Chinese-fir plantation plots were used to fit 39 models, including 33 nonlinear models and 6 linear models, were developed and evaluated into two groups. The results showed that composite models performed better in height estimate than one-independent-variable models. Nonlinear composite Model 34 and linear composite Model 6 were recommended for predicting tree height in Chinese fir plantations with a dbh range between 4 cm and 40 cm when the dbh data for each tree and the quadratic mean dbh of the stand (Dq) and mean height of the stand (Hm) were available. Moreover, Hm could be estimated by using the formula Hm=11.707×ln(Dq)-18.032. Clearly, Dq was the primary stand variable that influenced the height-dbh relationship. The parameters of the models varied according to stand age and site. The inappropriate application of provincial or regional height-dbh models for predicting small tree height at local scale may result in larger uncertainties. The method and the recommended models developed in this study were statistically reliable for applications in growth and yield estimation for even-aged Chinese-fir plantation in Huitong and Changsha. The models could be extended to other regions and to other tree species only after verification in subtropical China. PMID:25905458

Impact of lead tolerant plant growth promoting rhizobacteria on growth, physiology, antioxidant activities, yield and lead content in sunflower in lead contaminated soil.

PubMed

Saleem, Muhammad; Asghar, Hafiz Naeem; Zahir, Zahir Ahmad; Shahid, Muhammad

2018-03-01

Present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of lead tolerant plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (LTPGPR) on growth, physiology, yield, antioxidant activities and lead uptake in sunflower in soil contaminated with lead under pot conditions. Three pre-characterized LTPGP strains (S2 (Pseudomonas gessardii strain BLP141), S5 (Pseudomonas fluorescens A506) and S10 (Pseudomonas fluorescens strain LMG 2189)) were used to inoculate sunflower growing in soil contaminated with different levels (300, 600 and 900 mg kg -1 ) of lead by using lead nitrate salt as source of lead. Treatments were arranged according to completely randomized design with factorial arrangements. At harvesting, data regarding growth attributes (root shoot length, root shoot fresh and dry weights), yield per plant, physiological attributes (Chlorophyll 'a', 'b' and carotenoids content), antioxidant activities (Ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase), proline and malanodialdehyde content, and lead content in root, shoot and achenes of sunflower were recorded. Data were analysed by standard statistical procedures. Results showed that lead contamination reduced the plants growth, physiology and yield at all levels of lead stress. But application of LTPGPR in soil contaminated with lead improved plant growth, physiology, yield, and antioxidant activities, proline, and reduced the malanodialdehyde content (that is reduced by the application of different strains in lead contamination) of sunflower as compared to plants grown in soil without inoculation. Inoculation also promoted the uptake of lead in root, shoots and reduced the uptake of lead in achenes of plants as compared to plants in lead contamination without inoculation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[The differences of the effects of Vrd1 and Ppd-D1 gene alleles on winterhardiness, frost resistance, and yield in winter wheat].

PubMed

Mokanu, N V; Faĭt, V I

2008-01-01

The influence of allelic differences of Vrd1 and Ppd-D1 genes on winterhardiness, frost resistance, yield and its components was studied in recombinant-inbred F5 lines of Odesskaya 16/Bezostaya 1. From 9 to 15% differences in the resistance of recombinant-inbred lines were determined by alternative alleles of Vrd1 gene and 10-16% of Ppd-D1 gene. Interaction of vrd1 and Ppd-D1a alleles led to the higher winterhardiness and frost resistance of tillered plants during the winter. At the same time the significant increase of the period to heading, plant height and the tendency of yield reduction were revealed for vrd1 vrd1 Ppd-D1a Ppd-D1a lines when compared to the lines of Vrd1 Vrd1 Ppd-D1a Ppd-D1a genotype.

Effect of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) on plant growth, yield, and quality of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) under simulated seawater irrigation.

PubMed

Shen, Min; Jun Kang, Yi; Li Wang, Huan; Sheng Zhang, Xiang; Xin Zhao, Qing

2012-01-01

To determine the effects of three PGPRs on plant growth, yield, and quality of tomato under simulated seawater irrigation, a two consecutive seasons' field experiment was conducted in Yancheng Teachers University plot from April to June and August to October, 2011. The results showed that Erwinia persicinus RA2 containing ACC deaminase exhibited the best ability compared with Bacillus pumilus WP8 and Pseudomonas putida RBP1 which had no ACC deaminase activity to enhance marketable yields of fresh and dried fruits in tomato under simulated seawater irrigation especially under HS condition. B. pumilus WP8 had significant effects on improving tomato fruit quality under the conditions of irrigating with 1.0% NaCl solution (MS) and with 2.0% NaCl solution (HS). Na(+) contents were generally accumulated much more in tomato plant mid-shoot leaves than in fruits whatever the salt concentration. More sodium accumulation in leaves of E. persicinus RA2 and B. pumilus WP8 treatments under HS condition were found than in control. E. persicinus RA2 and B. pumilus WP8 can promote tomato growth, improve fruit quality more firmly than P. putida RBP1 during two consecutive seasons. Our study suggested that E. persicinus RA2 and B. pumilus WP8 are considered to be promising PGPR strains which are suited for application in salt marsh planting, ACC deaminase activity was not unique index on screening for PGPRs with the aim of salt stress tolerance, and plant growth promoting activities may be relevant to different growth indices and different stress conditions.

Comparisons of modeled height predictions to ocular height estimates

Treesearch

W.A. Bechtold; S.J. Zarnoch; W.G. Burkman

1998-01-01

Equations used by USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis projects to predict individual tree heights on the basis of species and d.b.h. were improved by the addition of mean overstory height. However, ocular estimates of total height by field crews were more accurate than the statistically improved models, especially for hardwood species. Height predictions...

Biochar potential in intensive cultivation of Capsicum annuum L. (sweet pepper): crop yield and plant protection.

PubMed

Kumar, Abhay; Elad, Yigal; Tsechansky, Ludmila; Abrol, Vikas; Lew, Beni; Offenbach, Rivka; Graber, Ellen R

2018-01-01

The influence of various biochars on crop yield and disease resistance of Capsicum annuum L. (sweet pepper) under modern, high input, intensive net house cultivation was tested over the course of 2011-2014 in the Arava desert region of Israel. A pot experiment with Lactuca sativa L. (lettuce) grown in the absence of fertilizer employed the 3-year-old field trial soils to determine if biochar treatments contributed to soil intrinsic fertility. Biochar amendments resulted in a significant increase in the number and weight of pepper fruits over 3 years. Concomitant with the increased yield, biochar significantly decreased the severity of powdery mildew (Leveillula taurica) disease and broad mite (Polyphagotarsonemus latus) pest infestation. Biochar additions resulted in increased soil organic matter but did not influence the pH, electrical conductivity or soil or plant mineral nutrients. Intrinsic fertility experiments with lettuce showed that two of the four biochar-treated field soils had significant positive impacts on lettuce fresh weight and total chlorophyll, carotenoid and anthocyanin contents. Biochar-based soil management can enhance the functioning of intensive, commercial, net house production of peppers under the tested conditions, resulting in increased crop yield and plant resistance to disease over several years. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fall from heights: does height really matter?

PubMed

Alizo, G; Sciarretta, J D; Gibson, S; Muertos, K; Romano, A; Davis, J; Pepe, A

2018-06-01

Fall from heights is high energy injuries and constitutes a fraction of all fall-related trauma evaluations while bearing an increase in morbidity and mortality. We hypothesize that despite advancements in trauma care, the overall survivability has not improved in this subset of trauma patients. All adult trauma patients treated after sustaining a fall from heights during a 40-month period were retrospectively reviewed. Admission demographics, clinical data, fall height (ft), injury patterns, ISS, GCS, length of stay, and mortality were reviewed. 116 patients sustained a fall from heights, 90.4% accidental. A mean age of 37± 14.7 years, 86% male, and a fall height of 19 ± 10 ft were encountered. Admission GCS was 13 ± 2 with ISS 10 ± 11. Overall LOS was 6.6 ± 14.9 days and an ICU LOS of 2.8 ± 8.9 days. Falls ≥ 25 ft.(16%) had lower GCS 10.4 ± 5.8, increased ISS 22.6 ± 13.8, a fall height 37.9 ± 13.1 ft and associated increased mortality (p < 0.001). Mortality was 5.2%, a mean distance fallen of 39 ± 22 ft. and an ISS of 31.5 ±16.5. Brain injury was the leading cause of death, 50% with open skull fractures. Level of height fallen is a good predictor of overall outcome and survival. Despite advances in trauma care, death rates remain unchanged. Safety awareness and injury prevention programs are needed to reduce the risk of high-level falls.

Development of demi-span equations for predicting height among the Malaysian elderly.

PubMed

Ngoh, H J; Sakinah, H; Harsa Amylia, M S

2012-08-01

This study aimed to develop demi-span equations for predicting height in the Malaysian elderly and to explore the applicability of previous published demi-span equations derived from adult populations to the elderly. A cross-sectional study was conducted on Malaysian elderly aged 60 years and older. Subjects were residents of eight shelter homes in Peninsular Malaysia; 204 men and 124 women of Malay, Chinese and Indian ethnicity were included. Measurements of weight, height and demi-span were obtained using standard procedures. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 18.0. The demi-span equations obtained were as follows: Men: Height (cm) = 67.51 + (1.29 x demi-span) - (0.12 x age) + 4.13; Women: Height (cm) = 67.51 + (1.29 x demi-span) - (0.12 x age). Height predicted from these new equations demonstrated good agreement with measured height and no significant differences were found between the mean values of predicted and measured heights in either gender (p>0.05). However, the heights predicted from previous published adult-derived demi-span equations failed to yield good agreement with the measured height of the elderly; significant over-estimation and underestimation of heights tended to occur (p>0.05). The new demi-span equations allow prediction of height with sufficient accuracy in the Malaysian elderly. However, further validation on other elderly samples is needed. Also, we recommend caution when using adult-derived demi-span equations to predict height in elderly people.

Genome-wide association for grain yield under rainfed conditions in historical wheat cultivars from Pakistan

PubMed Central

Ain, Qurat-ul; Rasheed, Awais; Anwar, Alia; Mahmood, Tariq; Imtiaz, Muhammad; Mahmood, Tariq; Xia, Xianchun; He, Zhonghu; Quraishi, Umar M.

2015-01-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were undertaken to identify SNP markers associated with yield and yield-related traits in 123 Pakistani historical wheat cultivars evaluated during 2011–2014 seasons under rainfed field conditions. The population was genotyped by using high-density Illumina iSelect 90K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assay, and finally 14,960 high quality SNPs were used in GWAS. Population structure examined using 1000 unlinked markers identified seven subpopulations (K = 7) that were representative of different breeding programs in Pakistan, in addition to local landraces. Forty four stable marker-trait associations (MTAs) with -log p > 4 were identified for nine yield-related traits. Nine multi-trait MTAs were found on chromosomes 1AL, 1BS, 2AL, 2BS, 2BL, 4BL, 5BL, 6AL, and 6BL, and those on 5BL and 6AL were stable across two seasons. Gene annotation and syntey identified that 14 trait-associated SNPs were linked to genes having significant importance in plant development. Favorable alleles for days to heading (DH), plant height (PH), thousand grain weight (TGW), and grain yield (GY) showed minor additive effects and their frequencies were slightly higher in cultivars released after 2000. However, no selection pressure on any favorable allele was identified. These genomic regions identified have historically contributed to achieve yield gains from 2.63 million tons in 1947 to 25.7 million tons in 2015. Future breeding strategies can be devised to initiate marker assisted breeding to accumulate these favorable alleles of SNPs associated with yield-related traits to increase grain yield. Additionally, in silico identification of 454-contigs corresponding to MTAs will facilitate fine mapping and subsequent cloning of candidate genes and functional marker development. PMID:26442056

Responses of Super Rice (Oryza sativa L.) to Different Planting Methods for Grain Yield and Nitrogen-Use Efficiency in the Single Cropping Season

PubMed Central

Chen, Song; Wang, Danying; Xu, Chunmei; Ji, Chenglin; Zhang, Xiaoguo; Zhao, Xia; Zhang, Xiufu; Chauhan, Bhagirath Singh

2014-01-01

To break the yield ceiling of rice production, a super rice project was developed in 1996 to breed rice varieties with super high yield. A two-year experiment was conducted to evaluate yield and nitrogen (N)-use response of super rice to different planting methods in the single cropping season. A total of 17 rice varieties, including 13 super rice and four non-super checks (CK), were grown under three N levels [0 (N0), 150 (N150), and 225 (N225) kg ha−1] and two planting methods [transplanting (TP) and direct-seeding in wet conditions (WDS)]. Grain yield under WDS (7.69 t ha−1) was generally lower than TP (8.58 t ha−1). However, grain yield under different planting methods was affected by N rates as well as variety groups. In both years, there was no difference in grain yield between super and CK varieties at N150, irrespective of planting methods. However, grain yield difference was dramatic in japonica groups at N225, that is, there was an 11.3% and 14.1% average increase in super rice than in CK varieties in WDS and TP, respectively. This suggests that high N input contributes to narrowing the yield gap in super rice varieties, which also indicates that super rice was bred for high fertility conditions. In the japonica group, more N was accumulated in super rice than in CK at N225, but no difference was found between super and CK varieties at N0 and N150. Similar results were also found for N agronomic efficiency. The results suggest that super rice varieties have an advantage for N-use efficiency when high N is applied. The response of super rice was greater under TP than under WDS. The results suggest that the need to further improve agronomic and other management practices to achieve high yield and N-use efficiency for super rice varieties in WDS. PMID:25111805

Responses of super rice (Oryza sativa L.) to different planting methods for grain yield and nitrogen-use efficiency in the single cropping season.

PubMed

Chen, Song; Wang, Danying; Xu, Chunmei; Ji, Chenglin; Zhang, Xiaoguo; Zhao, Xia; Zhang, Xiufu; Chauhan, Bhagirath Singh

2014-01-01

To break the yield ceiling of rice production, a super rice project was developed in 1996 to breed rice varieties with super high yield. A two-year experiment was conducted to evaluate yield and nitrogen (N)-use response of super rice to different planting methods in the single cropping season. A total of 17 rice varieties, including 13 super rice and four non-super checks (CK), were grown under three N levels [0 (N0), 150 (N150), and 225 (N225) kg ha-1] and two planting methods [transplanting (TP) and direct-seeding in wet conditions (WDS)]. Grain yield under WDS (7.69 t ha-1) was generally lower than TP (8.58 t ha-1). However, grain yield under different planting methods was affected by N rates as well as variety groups. In both years, there was no difference in grain yield between super and CK varieties at N150, irrespective of planting methods. However, grain yield difference was dramatic in japonica groups at N225, that is, there was an 11.3% and 14.1% average increase in super rice than in CK varieties in WDS and TP, respectively. This suggests that high N input contributes to narrowing the yield gap in super rice varieties, which also indicates that super rice was bred for high fertility conditions. In the japonica group, more N was accumulated in super rice than in CK at N225, but no difference was found between super and CK varieties at N0 and N150. Similar results were also found for N agronomic efficiency. The results suggest that super rice varieties have an advantage for N-use efficiency when high N is applied. The response of super rice was greater under TP than under WDS. The results suggest that the need to further improve agronomic and other management practices to achieve high yield and N-use efficiency for super rice varieties in WDS.

Over-expression of AtPAP2 in Camelina sativa leads to faster plant growth and higher seed yield

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Lipids extracted from seeds of Camelina sativa have been successfully used as a reliable source of aviation biofuels. This biofuel is environmentally friendly because the drought resistance, frost tolerance and low fertilizer requirement of Camelina sativa allow it to grow on marginal lands. Improving the species growth and seed yield by genetic engineering is therefore a target for the biofuels industry. In Arabidopsis, overexpression of purple acid phosphatase 2 encoded by Arabidopsis (AtPAP2) promotes plant growth by modulating carbon metabolism. Overexpression lines bolt earlier and produce 50% more seeds per plant than wild type. In this study, we explored the effects of overexpressing AtPAP2 in Camelina sativa. Results Under controlled environmental conditions, overexpression of AtPAP2 in Camelina sativa resulted in longer hypocotyls, earlier flowering, faster growth rate, higher photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance, increased seed yield and seed size in comparison with the wild-type line and null-lines. Similar to transgenic Arabidopsis, activity of sucrose phosphate synthase in leaves of transgenic Camelina was also significantly up-regulated. Sucrose produced in photosynthetic tissues supplies the building blocks for cellulose, starch and lipids for growth and fuel for anabolic metabolism. Changes in carbon flow and sink/source activities in transgenic lines may affect floral, architectural, and reproductive traits of plants. Conclusions Lipids extracted from the seeds of Camelina sativa have been used as a major constituent of aviation biofuels. The improved growth rate and seed yield of transgenic Camelina under controlled environmental conditions have the potential to boost oil yield on an area basis in field conditions and thus make Camelina-based biofuels more environmentally friendly and economically attractive. PMID:22472516

Nanobiotechnology can boost crop production and quality: first evidence from increased plant biomass, fruit yield and phytomedicine content in bitter melon (Momordica charantia).

PubMed

Kole, Chittaranjan; Kole, Phullara; Randunu, K Manoj; Choudhary, Poonam; Podila, Ramakrishna; Ke, Pu Chun; Rao, Apparao M; Marcus, Richard K

2013-04-26

Recent research on nanoparticles in a number of crops has evidenced for enhanced germination and seedling growth, physiological activities including photosynthetic activity and nitrogen metabolism, mRNA expression and protein level, and also positive changes in gene expression indicating their potential use in crop improvement. We used a medicinally rich vegetable crop, bitter melon, as a model to evaluate the effects of seed treatment with a carbon-based nanoparticle, fullerol [C60(OH)20], on yield of plant biomass and fruit characters, and phytomedicine contents in fruits. We confirmed the uptake, translocation and accumulation of fullerol through bright field imaging and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy. We observed varied effects of seed treatment at five concentrations, including non-consequential and positive, on plant biomass yield, fruit yield and its component characters, and content of five phytomedicines in fruits. Fullerol-treatment resulted in increases up to 54% in biomass yield and 24% in water content. Increases of up to 20% in fruit length, 59% in fruit number, and 70% in fruit weight led to an improvement up to 128% in fruit yield. Contents of two anticancer phytomedicines, cucurbitacin-B and lycopene, were enhanced up to 74% and 82%, respectively, and contents of two antidiabetic phytomedicines, charantin and insulin, were augmented up to 20% and 91%, respectively. Non-significant correlation inter se plant biomass, fruit yield, phytomedicine content and water content evidenced for separate genetic control and biosynthetic pathways for production of plant biomass, fruits, and phytomedicines in fruits, and also no impact of increased water uptake. While our results indicated possibility of improving crop yield and quality by using proper concentrations of fullerol, extreme caution needs to be exercised given emerging knowledge about accumulation and toxicity of nanoparticles in bodily tissues.

Nanobiotechnology can boost crop production and quality: first evidence from increased plant biomass, fruit yield and phytomedicine content in bitter melon (Momordica charantia)

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Recent research on nanoparticles in a number of crops has evidenced for enhanced germination and seedling growth, physiological activities including photosynthetic activity and nitrogen metabolism, mRNA expression and protein level, and also positive changes in gene expression indicating their potential use in crop improvement. We used a medicinally rich vegetable crop, bitter melon, as a model to evaluate the effects of seed treatment with a carbon-based nanoparticle, fullerol [C60(OH)20], on yield of plant biomass and fruit characters, and phytomedicine contents in fruits. Results We confirmed the uptake, translocation and accumulation of fullerol through bright field imaging and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy. We observed varied effects of seed treatment at five concentrations, including non-consequential and positive, on plant biomass yield, fruit yield and its component characters, and content of five phytomedicines in fruits. Fullerol-treatment resulted in increases up to 54% in biomass yield and 24% in water content. Increases of up to 20% in fruit length, 59% in fruit number, and 70% in fruit weight led to an improvement up to 128% in fruit yield. Contents of two anticancer phytomedicines, cucurbitacin-B and lycopene, were enhanced up to 74% and 82%, respectively, and contents of two antidiabetic phytomedicines, charantin and insulin, were augmented up to 20% and 91%, respectively. Non-significant correlation inter se plant biomass, fruit yield, phytomedicine content and water content evidenced for separate genetic control and biosynthetic pathways for production of plant biomass, fruits, and phytomedicines in fruits, and also no impact of increased water uptake. Conclusions While our results indicated possibility of improving crop yield and quality by using proper concentrations of fullerol, extreme caution needs to be exercised given emerging knowledge about accumulation and toxicity of nanoparticles in bodily tissues. PMID:23622112

[Effects of irrigation and planting patterns on photosynthetic characteristics of flag leaf and yield at late growth stages of winter wheat].

PubMed

Dong, Hao; Bi, Jun; Xia, Guang-Li; Zhou, Xun-Bo; Chen, Yu-Hai

2014-08-01

High-yield winter wheat cultivar Jimai 22 was used to study effects of irrigation and planting patterns on water consumption characteristics and photosynthetic characteristics of winter wheat in field from 2009 to 2011. Three different planting patterns (uniform row, wide-narrow row and furrow) and four irrigation schedules (W0, no irrigation; W1, irrigation at jointing stage; W2, irrigations at jointing and anthesis stages; W3, irrigation at jointing, anthesis and milking stages. Each irrigation rate was 60 mm) were designed in the experiment. Results showed that, with the increasing of irrigation amount, flag leaf area, net photosynthesis rate, maximum photochemical efficiency and actual light transformation efficiency at late growth stages of winter wheat increased. Compared with W0 treatment, the other irrigation treatments had higher grain yields, but lower water use efficiencies. Under the same irrigation condition, the flag leaf net photosynthesis, maximum photochemical efficiency and actual light transformation efficiency were much higher in furrow pattern. Grain yields of winter wheat under furrow pattern and W2 treatment were significantly higher than that of the other treatments. Taking grain yield and WUE into consideration, furrow pattern combined with irrigation at jointing and anthesis stages might be the optimal water-saving and planting mode for the winter wheat production in North China Plain.

Crop status evaluations and yield predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haun, J. R.

1976-01-01

One phase of the large area crop inventory project is presented. Wheat yield models based on the input of environmental variables potentially obtainable through the use of space remote sensing were developed and demonstrated. By the use of a unique method for visually qualifying daily plant development and subsequent multifactor computer analyses, it was possible to develop practical models for predicting crop development and yield. Development of wheat yield prediction models was based on the discovery that morphological changes in plants are detected and quantified on a daily basis, and that this change during a portion of the season was proportional to yield.

Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi On Yield and Phytoremediation Performance of Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) Under Heavy Metals Stress.

PubMed

Tabrizi, Leila; Mohammadi, Siavash; Delshad, Mojtaba; Moteshare Zadeh, Babak

2015-01-01

In order to study the effect of mycorrhizal fungi (inoculated and non-inoculated) and heavy metals stress [0, Pb (150 and 300 mg/kg) and Cd (40 and 80 mg/kg)] on pot marigold (Calendula officinalis L.), a factorial experiment was conducted based on a randomized complete block design with 4 replications in Research Greenhouse of Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Tehran, Iran, during 2012-2013. Plant height, herbal and flower fresh and dry weight, root fresh and dry weight and root volume, colonization percentage, total petal extract, total petal flavonoids, root and shoot P and K uptakes, and Pb and Cd accumulations in root and shoot were measured. Results indicated that with increasing soil Pb and Cd concentration, growth and yield of pot marigold was reduced significantly; Cd had greater negative impacts than Pb. However, mycorrhizal fungi alleviated these impacts by improving plant growth and yield. Pot marigold concentrated high amounts of Pb and especially Cd in its roots and shoots; mycorrhizal plants had a greater accumulation of these metals, so that those under 80 mg/kg Cd soil(-1) accumulated 833.3 and 1585.8 mg Cd in their shoots and roots, respectively. In conclusion, mycorrhizal fungi can improve not only growth and yield of pot marigold in heavy metal stressed condition, but also phytoremediation performance by increasing heavy metals accumulation in the plant organs.

Greenhouse tomato limited cluster production systems: crop management practices affect yield

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Logendra, L. S.; Gianfagna, T. J.; Specca, D. R.; Janes, H. W.

2001-01-01

Limited-cluster production systems may be a useful strategy to increase crop production and profitability for the greenhouse tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill). In this study, using an ebb-and-flood hydroponics system, we modified plant architecture and spacing and determined the effects on fruit yield and harvest index at two light levels. Single-cluster plants pruned to allow two leaves above the cluster had 25% higher fruit yields than did plants pruned directly above the cluster; this was due to an increase in fruit weight, not fruit number. Both fruit yield and harvest index were greater for all single-cluster plants at the higher light level because of increases in both fruit weight and fruit number. Fruit yield for two-cluster plants was 30% to 40% higher than for single-cluster plants, and there was little difference in the dates or length of the harvest period. Fruit yield for three-cluster plants was not significantly different from that of two-cluster plants; moreover, the harvest period was delayed by 5 days. Plant density (5.5, 7.4, 9.2 plants/m2) affected fruit yield/plant, but not fruit yield/unit area. Given the higher costs for materials and labor associated with higher plant densities, a two-cluster crop at 5.5 plants/m2 with two leaves above the cluster was the best of the production system strategies tested.

Some physiological measurements on growth, pod yields and polyamines in leaves of chili plants (Capsicum annuum cv. Hua Reua) in relation to applied organic manures and chemical fertilisers.

PubMed

Rapatsa, J; Terapongtanakorn, S

2010-03-15

The experiment was carried out at the Faculty of Agriculture, Ubon Ratchathani University during November 2006 to July 2007. A Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four replications was used. Six treatments were allocated into two experimental fields, i.e., field A, animal manures added soil. Field B, chemical fertilizers added soil and both fields have been used for chili cultivation for more than 5 years and they belong to Warin soil series (Oxic Paleustults). The results showed that mean values of soil pH and organic matter % of field A were much higher than field B but mean values of nitrogen % and phosphorus were much higher for field B than field A. Exchangeable potassium were inadequately available in all treatments. All treatments of field B gave excessive amounts of available phosphorus at a toxic level. T3 of field A gave higher plant height, total dry weight plant(-1), pod fresh and dry weights plant(-1) than T5 of field B. Of overall results in terms of growth and yields of chili plants, field A gave much better advantages over field B. The CO2 uptake and CO2 in leaves were higher for field A than field B. Polyamines of putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd) and spermine (Spm) of T2 were affected by stress conditions due to previous applied chemical fertilisers. Available phosphorus mean values in most treatments were excessively available. Amounts of polyamines in chili leaves due to the added organic manure and chemical fertilizers (T3 up to T6) were not cleared.

Effect of the vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungus Glomus fasciculatum on the essential oil yield related characters and nutrient acquisition in the crops of different cultivars of menthol mint (Mentha arvensis) under field conditions.

PubMed

Gupta, M L; Prasad, Arun; Ram, Muni; Kumar, Sushil

2002-01-01

The effects of inoculation with vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungus Glomusfasciculatum on the root colonization, growth, essential oil yield and nutrient acquisition of three cultivars of menthol mint (Mentha arvensis); Kalka, Shivalik and Gomti, were studied under field conditions. The VAM inoculation significantly increased the root colonization, plant height, fresh herbage and dry matter yield. oil content and oil yield as compared to non-inoculated cultivars. The effect of VAM inoculation on the root colonization, growth and yield of mint was more pronounced with the cv Shivalik than the cvs Kalka and Gomati, indicating Shivalik as a highly mycorrhizal dependent genotype. VAM inoculation significantly increased the uptake of N, P and K by shoot tissues of mint, but most markedly increased the uptake of P. The VAM-inoculated mint plants depleted the available N, P and K in the rhizosphere soil as compared to non-inoculated control plants, however the extent of nutrient depletion was greater for P than N and K. We conclude that the VAM inoculation could significantly increase the root colonization, growth, essential oil yield and nutrient acquisition of mint for obtaining economic production under field conditions.

Root morphology, hydraulic conductivity and plant water relations of high-yielding rice grown under aerobic conditions.

PubMed

Kato, Yoichiro; Okami, Midori

2011-09-01

Increasing physical water scarcity is a major constraint for irrigated rice (Oryza sativa) production. 'Aerobic rice culture' aims to maximize yield per unit water input by growing plants in aerobic soil without flooding or puddling. The objective was to determine (a) the effect of water management on root morphology and hydraulic conductance, and (b) their roles in plant-water relationships and stomatal conductance in aerobic culture. Root system development, stomatal conductance (g(s)) and leaf water potential (Ψ(leaf)) were monitored in a high-yielding rice cultivar ('Takanari') under flooded and aerobic conditions at two soil moisture levels [nearly saturated (> -10 kPa) and mildly dry (> -30 kPa)] over 2 years. In an ancillary pot experiment, whole-plant hydraulic conductivity (soil-leaf hydraulic conductance; K(pa)) was measured under flooded and aerobic conditions. Adventitious root emergence and lateral root proliferation were restricted even under nearly saturated conditions, resulting in a 72-85 % reduction in total root length under aerobic culture conditions. Because of their reduced rooting size, plants grown under aerobic conditions tended to have lower K(pa) than plants grown under flooded conditions. Ψ(leaf) was always significantly lower in aerobic culture than in flooded culture, while g(s) was unchanged when the soil moisture was at around field capacity. g(s) was inevitably reduced when the soil water potential at 20-cm depth reached -20 kPa. Unstable performance of rice in water-saving cultivations is often associated with reduction in Ψ(leaf). Ψ(leaf) may reduce even if K(pa) is not significantly changed, but the lower Ψ(leaf) would certainly occur in case K(pa) reduces as a result of lower water-uptake capacity under aerobic conditions. Rice performance in aerobic culture might be improved through genetic manipulation that promotes lateral root branching and rhizogenesis as well as deep rooting.

Herbicides do not ensure for higher wheat yield, but eliminate rare plant species

PubMed Central

Gaba, Sabrina; Gabriel, Edith; Chadœuf, Joël; Bonneu, Florent; Bretagnolle, Vincent

2016-01-01

Weed control is generally considered to be essential for crop production and herbicides have become the main method used for weed control in developed countries. However, concerns about harmful environmental consequences have led to strong pressure on farmers to reduce the use of herbicides. As food demand is forecast to increase by 50% over the next century, an in-depth quantitative analysis of crop yields, weeds and herbicides is required to balance economic and environmental issues. This study analysed the relationship between weeds, herbicides and winter wheat yields using data from 150 winter wheat fields in western France. A Bayesian hierarchical model was built to take account of farmers’ behaviour, including implicitly their perception of weeds and weed control practices, on the effectiveness of treatment. No relationship was detected between crop yields and herbicide use. Herbicides were found to be more effective at controlling rare plant species than abundant weed species. These results suggest that reducing the use of herbicides by up to 50% could maintain crop production, a result confirmed by previous studies, while encouraging weed biodiversity. Food security and biodiversity conservation may, therefore, be achieved simultaneously in intensive agriculture simply by reducing the use of herbicides. PMID:27453451

Growth, reproductive phenology and yield responses of a potential biofuel plant, Jatropha curcas grown under projected 2050 levels of elevated CO2.

PubMed

Kumar, Sumit; Chaitanya, Bharatula S K; Ghatty, Sreenivas; Reddy, Attipalli R

2014-11-01

Jatropha (Jatropha curcas) is a non-edible oil producing plant which is being advocated as an alternative biofuel energy resource. Its ability to grow in diverse soil conditions and minimal requirements of essential agronomical inputs compared with other oilseed crops makes it viable for cost-effective advanced biofuel production. We designed a study to investigate the effects of elevated carbon dioxide concentration ([CO(2)]) (550 ppm) on the growth, reproductive development, source-sink relationships, fruit and seed yield of J. curcas. We report, for the first time that elevated CO(2) significantly influences reproductive characteristics of Jatropha and improve its fruit and seed yields. Net photosynthetic rate of Jatropha was 50% higher in plants grown in elevated CO(2) compared with field and ambient CO(2) -grown plants. The study also revealed that elevated CO(2) atmosphere significantly increased female to male flower ratio, above ground biomass and carbon sequestration potential in Jatropha (24 kg carbon per tree) after 1 year. Our data demonstrate that J. curcas was able to sustain enhanced rate of photosynthesis in elevated CO(2) conditions as it had sufficient sink strength to balance the increased biomass yields. Our study also elucidates that the economically important traits including fruit and seed yield in elevated CO(2) conditions were significantly high in J. curcas that holds great promise as a potential biofuel tree species for the future high CO(2) world. © 2014 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

Burkholderia ambifaria and B. caribensis Promote Growth and Increase Yield in Grain Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus and A. hypochondriacus) by Improving Plant Nitrogen Uptake

PubMed Central

Parra-Cota, Fannie I.; Peña-Cabriales, Juan J.; de los Santos-Villalobos, Sergio; Martínez-Gallardo, Norma A.; Délano-Frier, John P.

2014-01-01

Grain amaranth is an emerging crop that produces seeds having high quality protein with balanced amino-acid content. However, production is restricted by agronomic limitations that result in yields that are lower than those normally produced by cereals. In this work, the use of five different rhizobacteria were explored as a strategy to promote growth and yields in Amaranthus hypochondriacus cv. Nutrisol and A. cruentus cv. Candil, two commercially important grain amaranth cultivars. The plants were grown in a rich substrate, high in organic matter, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) and under greenhouse conditions. Burkholderia ambifaria Mex-5 and B. caribensis XV proved to be the most efficient strains and significantly promoted growth in both grain amaranth species tested. Increased grain yield and harvest index occurred in combination with chemical fertilization when tested in A. cruentus. Growth-promotion and improved yields correlated with increased N content in all tissues examined. Positive effects on growth also occurred in A. cruentus plants grown in a poor soil, even after N and P fertilization. No correlation between non-structural carbohydrate levels in roots of inoculated plants and growth promotion was observed. Conversely, gene expression assays performed at 3-, 5- and 7-weeks after seed inoculation in plants inoculated with B. caribensis XV identified a tissue-specific induction of several genes involved in photosynthesis, sugar- and N- metabolism and transport. It is concluded that strains of Burkholderia effectively promote growth and increase seed yields in grain amaranth. Growth promotion was particularly noticeable in plants grown in an infertile soil but also occurred in a well fertilized rich substrate. The positive effects observed may be attributed to a bio-fertilization effect that led to increased N levels in roots and shoots. The latter effect correlated with the differential induction of several genes involved in carbon and N metabolism

Growth and yield of Giant Sequoia

Treesearch

David J. Dulitz

1986-01-01

Very little information exists concerning growth and yield of giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum [Lindl.] Buchholz). For old-growth trees, diameter growth is the single factor adding increment since maximum height has been obtained. Diameter growth averages 0.04 inches per year in normal old-growth trees but will fluctuate with changes in the...

Height growth and foliage color in a Scotch pine provenance study in northern Michigan

Treesearch

Peter W. Garrett

1969-01-01

A Scotch pine provenance study conducted in northern Michigan revealed important differences in height growth and foliage color among seedlings from 83 European sources. Seed from southern European sources produced seedlings with the best fall foliage coloration. Height growth was fastest among seedlings from sources with latitudes like that of the Michigan planting...

Manipulating Planting Density and Nitrogen Fertilizer Application to Improve Yield and Reduce Environmental Impact in Chinese Maize Production

PubMed Central

Xu, Cailong; Huang, Shoubing; Tian, Beijing; Ren, Jianhong; Meng, Qingfeng; Wang, Pu

2017-01-01

Relatively low nitrogen (N) efficiency and heavy environmental costs caused by excessive N fertilizer applications with outdated fertilization techniques are current cultivation production problems with maize among smallholders in North China Plain. Although many studies have examined agronomical strategies for improving yields and N use, the integrated effects of these measures and the associated environmental costs are not well understood. We conducted a 2-year field study with two densities (67,500 plants ha-1, which was similar to local farmers’ practices, and 90,000 plants ha-1) and three N rates (0, 180, and 360 kg ha-1, the rate local farmers’ commonly apply) to test the integrated effects for maize production at Wuqiao experimental station in North China Plain. The higher planting density produced significant increases in grain yield (GY), N use efficiency (NUE), agronomic N efficiency (AEN), and N partial productivity (PFPN) by 6.6, 3.9, 24.7, and 8.8%, respectively; in addition, N2O emission and greenhouse gas intensity decreased by 7.3 and 4.3%, respectively. With a lower N application rate, from 360 to 180 kg ha-1, GY was unchanged, and NUE, AEN, and PFPN all significantly increased by 6.2, 96.0, and 98.7%, respectively; in addition, N2O emission and greenhouse gas intensity decreased by 61.5 and 46.2%, respectively. The optimized N rate (180 kg N ha-1) for the 90,000 plants ha-1 treatment achieved the highest yield with only 50% of the N fertilizer input commonly employed by local farmers’ (360 kg N ha-1), which contributed to the increased N-uptake and N-transfer capacity. Therefore, our study demonstrated that agronomical methods such as increasing planting density with reasonable N application could be useful to obtain higher GY along with efficient N management to help lower environmental costs of maize production. PMID:28747925

Optimizing nitrogen application rate and plant density for improving cotton yield and nitrogen use efficiency in the North China Plain

PubMed Central

Dong, Helin; Zheng, Cangsong; Sun, Miao; Liu, Aizhong; Wang, Guoping; Liu, Shaodong; Zhang, Siping; Chen, Jing; Li, Yabing; Pang, Chaoyou; Zhao, Xinhua

2017-01-01

Plant population density (PPD) and nitrogen (N) application rate (NAR) are two controllable factors in cotton production. We conducted field experiments to investigate the effects of PPD, NAR and their interaction (PPD × NAR) on yield, N uptake and N use efficiency (NUE) of cotton using a split-plot design in the North China Plain during 2013 and 2014. The main plots were PPDs (plants m−2) of 3.00 (low), 5.25 (medium) and 7.50 (high) and the subplots were NARs of 0 (N-free), 112.5 (low), 225.0 (moderate) and 337.5 (high). During both 2013 and 2014, biological yield and N uptake of cotton increased significantly, but harvesting index decreased significantly with NAR and PPD increasing. With NAR increasing, internal nitrogen use efficiency(NUE) decreased significantly under three PPDs and agronomical NUE, physiologilal NUE, nitrogen recovery efficiency(NRE) and partial factor productivity from applied nitrogen (PFPN) also decreased significantly under high PPD between two years. Lint yield increment varied during different PPDs and years, but NAR enhancement showed less function under higher PPD than lower PPD in general. Taken together, moderate NAR under medium PPD combined higher lint yield with higher agronomic NUE, physiological NUE, and NRE, while low NAR with high PPD would achieve a comparable yield with superior NRE and PFPN and high NAR under high PPD and medium PPD produced higher biological yield but lower harvest index, lint yield and NUE compared to moderate NAR with medium PPD. Our overall results indicated that, in this region, increasing PPD and decreasing NAR properly would enhance both lint yield and NUE of cotton. PMID:28981538

Predicting and Projecting Stand Dominant Height From Inventory Data For Young Longleaf Pine Plantations in Southwest Georgia

Treesearch

John R. Brooks

2004-01-01

A stand dominant height prediction technique, based solely on diameter distribution and total height data from standard inventory procedures, was investigated. The data consist of 15 managed longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) plantations that are part of a growth and yield study located in Worth, Mitchell, and Baker counties in southwest Georgia....

Stereographic cloud heights from the imagery of two scan-synchronized geostationary satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minzner, R. A.; Teagle, R. D.; Steranka, J.; Shenk, W. E.

1979-01-01

Scan synchronization of the sensors of two SMS-GOES satellites yields imagery from which cloud heights can be derived stereographically with a theoretical two-sigma random uncertainty of + or - 0.25 km for pairs of satellites separated by 60 degrees of longitude. Systematic height errors due to cloud motion can be kept below 100 m for all clouds with east-west components of speed below hurricane speed, provided the scan synchronization is within 40 seconds at the mid-point latitude, and the spin axis of each satellite is parallel to that of the earth.

Exogenously Applied Plant Growth Regulators Enhance the Morpho-Physiological Growth and Yield of Rice under High Temperature.

PubMed

Fahad, Shah; Hussain, Saddam; Saud, Shah; Hassan, Shah; Ihsan, Zahid; Shah, Adnan N; Wu, Chao; Yousaf, Muhammad; Nasim, Wajid; Alharby, Hesham; Alghabari, Fahad; Huang, Jianliang

2016-01-01

A 2-year experiment was conducted to ascertain the effects of exogenously applied plant growth regulators (PGR) on rice growth and yield attributes under high day (HDT) and high night temperature (HNT). Two rice cultivars (IR-64 and Huanghuazhan) were subjected to temperature treatments in controlled growth chambers and four different combinations of ascorbic acid (Vc), alpha-tocopherol (Ve), brassinosteroids (Br), methyl jasmonates (MeJA), and triazoles (Tr) were applied. High temperature severely affected rice morphology, and also reduced leaf area, above-, and below-ground biomass, photosynthesis, and water use efficiency, while increased the leaf water potential of both rice cultivars. Grain yield and its related attributes except number of panicles, were reduced under high temperature. The HDT posed more negative effects on rice physiological attributes, while HNT was more detrimental for grain formation and yield. The Huanghuazhan performed better than IR-64 under high temperature stress with better growth and higher grain yield. Exogenous application of PGRs was helpful in alleviating the adverse effects of high temperature. Among PGR combinations, the Vc+Ve+MejA+Br was the most effective treatment for both cultivars under high temperature stress. The highest grain production by Vc+Ve+MejA+Br treated plants was due to enhanced photosynthesis, spikelet fertility and grain filling, which compensated the adversities of high temperature stress. Taken together, these results will be of worth for further understanding the adaptation and survival mechanisms of rice to high temperature and will assist in developing heat-resistant rice germplasm in future.

A Simple Model for Estimating Total and Merchantable Tree Heights

Treesearch

Alan R. Ek; Earl T. Birdsall; Rebecca J. Spears

1984-01-01

A model is described for estimating total and merchantable tree heights for Lake States tree species. It is intended to be used for compiling forest survey data and in conjunction with growth models for developing projections of tree product yield. Model coefficients are given for 25 species along with fit statistics. Supporting data sets are also described.

A Correction Equation for Jump Height Measured Using the Just Jump System.

PubMed

McMahon, John J; Jones, Paul A; Comfort, Paul

2016-05-01

To determine the concurrent validity and reliability of the popular Just Jump system (JJS) for determining jump height and, if necessary, provide a correction equation for future reference. Eighteen male college athletes performed 3 bilateral countermovement jumps (CMJs) on 2 JJSs (alternative method) that were placed on top of a force platform (criterion method). Two JJSs were used to establish consistency between systems. Jump height was calculated from flight time obtained from the JJS and force platform. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) demonstrated excellent within-session reliability of the CMJ height measurement derived from both the JJS (ICC = .96, P < .001) and the force platform (ICC = .96, P < .001). Dependent t tests revealed that the JJS yielded a significantly greater CMJ jump height (0.46 ± 0.09 m vs 0.33 ± 0.08 m) than the force platform (P < .001, Cohen d = 1.39, power = 1.00). There was, however, an excellent relationship between CMJ heights derived from the JJS and force platform (r = .998, P < .001, power = 1.00), with a coefficient of determination (R2) of .995. Therefore, the following correction equation was produced: Criterion jump height = (0.8747 × alternative jump height) - 0.0666. The JJS provides a reliable but overestimated measure of jump height. It is suggested, therefore, that practitioners who use the JJS as part of future work apply the correction equation presented in this study to resultant jump-height values.

Questing height of nymphs of the bush tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, and its closely related species, H. mageshimaensis: correlation with body size of the host.

PubMed

Tsunoda, T; Tatsuzawa, S

2004-05-01

The questing height (i.e. ambush height) of ticks on a plant plays an important role in host selection. To test the hypothesis that the questing height of ticks in a locality had adapted to the body size of the host in that locality, we examined the questing height of nymphs of the ticks, Haemaphysalis longicornis and H. mageshimaensis, at 7 locations in Japan. Sika deer, Cervus nippon, is the primary host of these ticks and there is considerable geographical variation in the body size of sika deer. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the questing height in the field was influenced by the height of the plants and by the body size of deer at a location. However, the questing height of ticks at some locations may have been constrained by the height of the plants and might not be the same as their intrinsic questing height. When ticks were placed in vertical glass tubes in the laboratory, the questing height of ticks from a locality was correlated with the mean body size of deer at that locality. Therefore, the prominent cue determining the questing height of H. longicornis and H. mageshimaensis seems to be the body size of the host deer.

Second Generation Crop Yield Models Review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hodges, T. (Principal Investigator)

1982-01-01

Second generation yield models, including crop growth simulation models and plant process models, may be suitable for large area crop yield forecasting in the yield model development project. Subjective and objective criteria for model selection are defined and models which might be selected are reviewed. Models may be selected to provide submodels as input to other models; for further development and testing; or for immediate testing as forecasting tools. A plant process model may range in complexity from several dozen submodels simulating (1) energy, carbohydrates, and minerals; (2) change in biomass of various organs; and (3) initiation and development of plant organs, to a few submodels simulating key physiological processes. The most complex models cannot be used directly in large area forecasting but may provide submodels which can be simplified for inclusion into simpler plant process models. Both published and unpublished models which may be used for development or testing are reviewed. Several other models, currently under development, may become available at a later date.

Simulation-Based Height of Burst Map for Asteroid Airburst Damage Prediction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aftosmis, Michael J.; Mathias, Donovan L.; Tarano, Ana M.

2017-01-01

Entry and breakup models predict that airburst in the Earth's atmosphere is likely for asteroids up to approximately 200 meters in diameter. Objects of this size can deposit over 250 megatons of energy into the atmosphere. Fast-running ground damage prediction codes for such events rely heavily upon methods developed from nuclear weapons research to estimate the damage potential for an airburst at altitude. (Collins, 2005; Mathias, 2017; Hills and Goda, 1993). In particular, these tools rely upon the powerful yield scaling laws developed for point-source blasts that are used in conjunction with a Height of Burst (HOB) map to predict ground damage for an airburst of a specific energy at a given altitude. While this approach works extremely well for yields as large as tens of megatons, it becomes less accurate as yields increase to the hundreds of megatons potentially released by larger airburst events. This study revisits the assumptions underlying this approach and shows how atmospheric buoyancy becomes important as yield increases beyond a few megatons. We then use large-scale three-dimensional simulations to construct numerically generated height of burst maps that are appropriate at the higher energy levels associated with the entry of asteroids with diameters of hundreds of meters. These numerically generated HOB maps can then be incorporated into engineering methods for damage prediction, significantly improving their accuracy for asteroids with diameters greater than 80-100 m.

Effect of different plant spacing on the production of cauliflower (Brassica oleraceae var. Botrytis) under the agro-climatic conditions of D.I. Khan.

PubMed

Mujeeb-ur-Rahman; Iqbal, Muhammad; Jilani, Muhammad Saleem; Waseem, Kashif

2007-12-15

A research project to evaluate the effect of different plant spacing on the production of cauliflower was conducted at Horticulture Research Area, Faculty of Agriculture, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, NWFP, Pakistan. Six different plant spacing viz., 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and 55 cm were used. The results revealed significant variations in all the parameters and amongst various plant spacing, 45 cm spacing showed the best response for all the parameters. Maximum plant height (49.33 cm), curd diameter (19.13 cm), maximum curd weight (1.23 kg plant(-1)) and yield (30.77 t ha(-1)) were recorded in the plots where the plants were spaced 45 cm apart.

Development and evaluation of height diameter at breast models for native Chinese Metasequoia.

PubMed

Liu, Mu; Feng, Zhongke; Zhang, Zhixiang; Ma, Chenghui; Wang, Mingming; Lian, Bo-Ling; Sun, Renjie; Zhang, Li

2017-01-01

Accurate tree height and diameter at breast height (dbh) are important input variables for growth and yield models. A total of 5503 Chinese Metasequoia trees were used in this study. We studied 53 fitted models, of which 7 were linear models and 46 were non-linear models. These models were divided into two groups of single models and multivariate models according to the number of independent variables. The results show that the allometry equation of tree height which has diameter at breast height as independent variable can better reflect the change of tree height; in addition the prediction accuracy of the multivariate composite models is higher than that of the single variable models. Although tree age is not the most important variable in the study of the relationship between tree height and dbh, the consideration of tree age when choosing models and parameters in model selection can make the prediction of tree height more accurate. The amount of data is also an important parameter what can improve the reliability of models. Other variables such as tree height, main dbh and altitude, etc can also affect models. In this study, the method of developing the recommended models for predicting the tree height of native Metasequoias aged 50-485 years is statistically reliable and can be used for reference in predicting the growth and production of mature native Metasequoia.

Development and evaluation of height diameter at breast models for native Chinese Metasequoia

PubMed Central

Feng, Zhongke; Zhang, Zhixiang; Ma, Chenghui; Wang, Mingming; Lian, Bo-ling; Sun, Renjie; Zhang, Li

2017-01-01

Accurate tree height and diameter at breast height (dbh) are important input variables for growth and yield models. A total of 5503 Chinese Metasequoia trees were used in this study. We studied 53 fitted models, of which 7 were linear models and 46 were non-linear models. These models were divided into two groups of single models and multivariate models according to the number of independent variables. The results show that the allometry equation of tree height which has diameter at breast height as independent variable can better reflect the change of tree height; in addition the prediction accuracy of the multivariate composite models is higher than that of the single variable models. Although tree age is not the most important variable in the study of the relationship between tree height and dbh, the consideration of tree age when choosing models and parameters in model selection can make the prediction of tree height more accurate. The amount of data is also an important parameter what can improve the reliability of models. Other variables such as tree height, main dbh and altitude, etc can also affect models. In this study, the method of developing the recommended models for predicting the tree height of native Metasequoias aged 50–485 years is statistically reliable and can be used for reference in predicting the growth and production of mature native Metasequoia. PMID:28817600

Yield of illicit indoor cannabis cultivation in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Toonen, Marcel; Ribot, Simon; Thissen, Jac

2006-09-01

To obtain a reliable estimation on the yield of illicit indoor cannabis cultivation in The Netherlands, cannabis plants confiscated by the police were used to determine the yield of dried female flower buds. The developmental stage of flower buds of the seized plants was described on a scale from 1 to 10 where the value of 10 indicates a fully developed flower bud ready for harvesting. Using eight additional characteristics describing the grow room and cultivation parameters, regression analysis with subset selection was carried out to develop two models for the yield of indoor cannabis cultivation. The median Dutch illicit grow room consists of 259 cannabis plants, has a plant density of 15 plants/m(2), and 510 W of growth lamps per m(2). For the median Dutch grow room, the predicted yield of female flower buds at the harvestable developmental stage (stage 10) was 33.7 g/plant or 505 g/m(2).

5. VIEW EAST, height finder radar towers, radar tower (unknown ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

5. VIEW EAST, height finder radar towers, radar tower (unknown function), prime search radar tower, operations building, and central heating plant - Fort Custer Military Reservation, P-67 Radar Station, .25 mile north of Dickman Road, east of Clark Road, Battle Creek, Calhoun County, MI

The application dosage of Azolla pinnata in fresh and powder form as organic fertilizer on soil chemical properties, growth and yield of rice plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiawati, Mieke Rochimi; Damayani, Maya; Herdiyantoro, Diyan; Suryatmana, Pujawati; Anggraini, Derisfha; Khumairah, Fiqriah Hanum

2018-02-01

The yield of rice plants is strongly influenced by N fertilizer. Nitrogen in rice plants has roles in vegetative growth, tiller formation and increasing yield through rice protein formation. Nitrogen supplied from organic fertilizers is better than inorganic fertilizers that may have environmental problem effects. Organic fertilizers from Azolla pinnata water fern contain higher N than other organic fertilizers. Symbiosis between A. pinnata and the N-fixing cyanobacteria results in high content of nitrogen, 3 to 5%. A. pinnata can be added to the rice field as organic fertilizer in form of fresh biomass or composted. Composted form can be ground into powder which passes through 100 mesh sieve. Preparation of compost powder of A. pinnata is done to reduce the constraints of voluminous application of organic fertilizers and to improve the efficiency of its use. The objective of this research was to compare the effect of the use of fresh A. pinnata and compost powder of A. pinnata on some soil and plant chemical properties and rice yield. The treatments applied were fresh A. pinnata at the dose of 0, 10 and 20 ton ha-1 and A. pinnata compost powder at 12.5 and 25 kg ha-1. The results showed that incorporation of fresh A. pinnata at 20 tons ha-1 and its compost powder at 25 kg ha-1 increased the available P of soil, plant P content and tiller number, but did not affect the content of organic-C, total soil N, plant N content and rice yield. This study suggested the benefits of A. pinnata compost powder technology in organic fertilization of soil to increase the nutrient content of soil and rice plants.

Nanoscale Roughness of Faults Explained by the Scale-Dependent Yield Stress of Geologic Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thom, C.; Brodsky, E. E.; Carpick, R. W.; Goldsby, D. L.; Pharr, G.; Oliver, W.

2017-12-01

Despite significant differences in their lithologies and slip histories, natural fault surfaces exhibit remarkably similar scale-dependent roughness over lateral length scales spanning 7 orders of magnitude, from microns to tens of meters. Recent work has suggested that a scale-dependent yield stress may result in such a characteristic roughness, but experimental evidence in favor of this hypothesis has been lacking. We employ an atomic force microscope (AFM) operating in intermittent-contact mode to map the topography of the Corona Heights fault surface. Our experiments demonstrate that the Corona Heights fault exhibits isotropic self-affine roughness with a Hurst exponent of 0.75 +/- 0.05 at all wavelengths from 60 nm to 10 μm. If yield stress controls roughness, then the roughness data predict that yield strength varies with length scale as λ-0.25 +/ 0.05. To test the relationship between roughness and yield stress, we conducted nanoindentation tests on the same Corona Heights sample and a sample of the Yair Fault, a carbonate fault surface that has been previously characterized by AFM. A diamond Berkovich indenter tip was used to indent the samples at a nominally constant strain rate (defined as the loading rate divided by the load) of 0.2 s-1. The continuous stiffness method (CSM) was used to measure the indentation hardness (which is proportional to yield stress) and the elastic modulus of the sample as a function of depth in each test. For both samples, the yield stress decreases with increasing size of the indents, a behavior consistent with that observed for many engineering materials and recently for other geologic materials such as olivine. The magnitude of this "indentation size effect" is best described by a power-law with exponents of -0.12 +/- 0.06 and -0.18 +/- 0.08 for the Corona Heights and Yair Faults, respectively. These results demonstrate a link between surface roughness and yield stress, and suggest that fault geometry is the physical

Yield and seed oil content response of dwarf, rapid-cycling Brassica to nitrogen treatments, planting density, and carbon dioxide enrichment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frick, J.; Nielsen, S. S.; Mitchell, C. A.

1994-01-01

Effects of N level (15 to 30 mM), time of N increase (14 to 28 days after planting), and planting density (1163 to 2093 plants/m2) were determined for crop yield responses of dwarf, rapid-cycling brassica (Brassica napus L., CrGC 5-2, Genome: ACaacc). Crops were grown in solid-matrix hydroponic systems and under controlled-environment conditions, including nonsupplemented (ambient) or elevated CO2 concentrations (998 +/- 12 micromoles mol-1). The highest seed yield rate obtained (4.4 g m-2 day-1) occurred with the lowest N level (15 mM) applied at the latest treatment time (day 28). In all trials, CO2 enrichment reduced seed yield rate and harvest index by delaying the onset of flowering and senescence and stimulating vegetative shoot growth. The highest shoot biomass accumulation rate (55.5 g m-2 day-1) occurred with the highest N level (30 mM) applied at the earliest time (day 14). Seed oil content was not significantly affected by CO2 enrichment. Maximum seed oil content (30% to 34%, dry weight basis) was obtained using the lowest N level (15 mM) initiated at the latest treatment time (day 28). In general, an increase in seed oil content was accompanied by a decrease in seed protein. Seed carbohydrate, moisture, and ash contents did not vary significantly in response to experimental treatments. Effects of N level and time of N increase were consistently significant for most crop responses. Planting density was significant only under elevated CO2 conditions.

Two rhizobacterial strains, individually and in interactions with Rhizobium sp., enhance fusarial wilt control, growth, and yield in pigeon pea.

PubMed

Dutta, Swarnalee; Morang, Pranjal; Kumar S, Nishanth; Dileep Kumar, B S

2014-09-01

A Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain, RRLJ 04, and a Bacillus cereus strain, BS 03, were tested both individually and in combination with a Rhizobium strain, RH 2, for their ability to enhance plant growth and nodulation in pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.) under gnotobiotic, greenhouse and field conditions. Both of the rhizobacterial strains exhibited a positive effect on growth in terms of shoot height, root length, fresh and dry weight, nodulation and yield over the non-treated control. Co-inoculation of seeds with these strains and Rhizobium RH 2 also reduced the number of wilted plants, when grown in soil infested with Fusarium udum. Gnotobiotic studies confirmed that the suppression of wilt disease was due to the presence of the respective PGPR strains. Seed bacterization with drug-marked mutants of RRLJ 04 and BS 03 confirmed their ability to colonize and multiply along the roots. The results suggest that co-inoculation of these strains with Rhizobium strain RH 2 can be further exploited for enhanced growth, nodulation and yield in addition to control of fusarial wilt in pigeon pea.

Identification and characterization of OsEBS, a gene involved in enhanced plant biomass and spikelet number in rice.

PubMed

Dong, Xianxin; Wang, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Liangsheng; Yang, Zhengting; Xin, Xiaoyun; Wu, Shuang; Sun, Chuanqing; Liu, Jianxiang; Yang, Jinshui; Luo, Xiaojin

2013-12-01

Common wild rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff.) is an important genetic reservoir for rice improvement. We investigated a quantitative trait locus (QTL), qGP5-1, which is related to plant height, leaf size and panicle architecture, using a set of introgression lines of O. rufipogon in the background of the Indica cultivar Guichao2 (Oryza sativa L.). We cloned and characterized qGP5-1 and confirmed that the newly identified gene OsEBS (enhancing biomass and spikelet number) increased plant height, leaf size and spikelet number per panicle, leading to an increase in total grain yield per plant. Our results showed that the increased size of vegetative organs in OsEBS-expressed plants was enormously caused by increasing cell number. Sequence alignment showed that OsEBS protein contains a region with high similarity to the N-terminal conserved ATPase domain of Hsp70, but it lacks the C-terminal regions of the peptide-binding domain and the C-terminal lid. More results indicated that OsEBS gene did not have typical characteristics of Hsp70 in this study. Furthermore, Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) transformed with OsEBS showed a similar phenotype to OsEBS-transgenic rice, indicating a conserved function of OsEBS among plant species. Together, we report the cloning and characterization of OsEBS, a new QTL that controls rice biomass and spikelet number, through map-based cloning, and it may have utility in improving grain yield in rice. © 2013 Society for Experimental Biology, Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

In-situ data collection for oil palm tree height determination using synthetic aperture radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pohl, C.; Loong, C. K.

2016-04-01

The oil palm is recognized as the “golden crop,” producing the highest oil yield among oil seed crops. Malaysia, the world's second largest producer of palm oil, has 16 per cent of its territory planted with oil palms. To cope with the increasing global demand on edible oil, additional areas of oil palm are forecast to increase globally by 12 to 19 million hectares by 2050. Due to the limited land bank in Malaysia, new strategies have to be developed to avoid unauthorized clearing of primary forest for the use of oil palm cultivation. Microwave remote sensing could play a part by providing relevant, timely and accurate information for a plantation monitoring system. The use of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has the advantage of daylight- and weather-independence, a criterion that is very relevant in constantly cloud-covered tropical regions, such as Malaysia. Using interferometric SAR, (InSAR) topographical and tree height profiles of oil palm plantations can be created; such information is useful for mapping oil palm age profiles of the plantations in the country. This paper reports on the use of SAR and InSAR in a multisensory context to provide up-to-date information at plantation level. Remote sensing and in-situ data collection for tree height determination are described. Further research to be carried out over the next two years is outlined.

Love and fear of heights: the pathophysiology and psychology of height imbalance.

PubMed

Salassa, John R; Zapala, David A

2009-01-01

Individual psychological responses to heights vary on a continuum from acrophobia to height intolerance, height tolerance, and height enjoyment. This paper reviews the English literature and summarizes the physiologic and psychological factors that generate different responses to heights while standing still in a static or motionless environment. Perceptual cues to height arise from vision. Normal postural sway of 2 cm for peripheral objects within 3 m increases as eye-object distance increases. Postural sway >10 cm can result in a fall. A minimum of 20 minutes of peripheral retinal arc is required to detect motion. Trigonometry dictates that a 20-minute peripheral retinal arch can no longer be achieved in a standing position at an eye-object distance of >20 m. At this distance, visual cues conflict with somatosensory and vestibular inputs, resulting in variable degrees of imbalance. Co-occurring deficits in the visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems can significantly increase height imbalance. An individual's psychological makeup, influenced by learned and genetic factors, can influence reactions to height imbalance. Enhancing peripheral vision and vestibular, proprioceptive, and haptic functions may improve height imbalance. Psychotherapy may improve the troubling subjective sensations to heights.

Impacts of industrial waste resources on maize (Zea mays L.) growth, yield, nutrients uptake and soil properties.

PubMed

Singh, Satnam; Young, Li-Sen; Shen, Fo-Ting; Young, Chiu-Chung

2014-10-01

Discharging untreated highly acidic (pH<4.0), organic and nutrients rich monosodium glutamate wastewater (MW), and highly alkaline (pH>10.0) paper-mill wastewater (PW) causes environmental pollution. When acidity of MW neutralized (pH 6.5±0.1) with PW and lime (treatments represented as MW+PW and MW+Lime), then MW may be utilized as a potential source of nutrients and organic carbon for sustainable food production. Objectives of this study were to compare the effects of PW and lime neutralized MW and chemical fertilizers on maize (Zea mays L. cv. Snow Jean) plant growth, yield, nutrients uptake, soil organic matter and humic substances. The field experiment was carried out on maize using MW at 6000 L ha(-1). Impacts of the MW application on maize crop and soil properties were evaluated at different stages. At harvest, plant height, and plant N and K uptake were higher in MW treatment. Leaf area index at 60 days after sowing, plant dry matter accumulation at harvest, and kernels ear(-1) and 100-kernel weight were higher in MW+Lime treatment. Kernel N, P, K, Mn, Fe and Zn, and plant Zn uptake were highest in MW+Lime. Plant Fe uptake, and soil organic matter and humic substances were highest in MW+PW. The MW+PW and MW+Lime treatments exhibited comparable results with chemically fertilized treatment. The MW acidity neutralized with lime showed positive impacts on growth, yield and nutrients uptake; nevertheless, when MW pH neutralized with PW has an additional benefit on increase in soil organic matter and humic substances. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Effects of plant phenology and vertical height on accuracy of radio-telemetry locations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grovenburg, Troy W.; Jacques, Christopher N.; Klaver, Robert W.; DePerno, Christopher S.; Lehman, Chad P.; Brinkman, Todd J.; Robling, Kevin A.; Rupp, Susan P.; Jenks, Jonathan A.

2013-01-01

The use of very high frequency (VHF) radio-telemetry remains wide-spread in studies of wildlife ecology and management. However, few studies have evaluated the influence of vegetative obstruction on accuracy in differing habitats with varying transmitter types and heights. Using adult and fawn collars at varying heights above the ground (0, 33, 66 and 100 cm) to simulate activities (bedded, feeding and standing) and ages (neonate, juvenile and adult) of deer Odocoileus spp., we collected 5,767 bearings and estimated 1,424 locations (28-30 for each of 48 subsamples) in three habitat types (pasture, grassland and forest), during two stages of vegetative growth (spring and late summer). Bearing error was approximately twice as large at a distance of 900 m for fawn (9.9°) than for adult deer collars (4.9°). Of 12 models developed to explain the variation in location error, the analysis of covariance model (HT*D + C*D + HT*TBA + C*TBA) containing interactions of height of collar above ground (HT), collar type (C), vertical height of understory vegetation (D) and tree basal area (TBA) was the best model (wi = 0.92) and explained ∼ 71% of the variation in location error. Location error was greater for both collar types at 0 and 33 cm above the ground compared to 66 and 100 cm above the ground; however, location error was less for adult than fawn collars. Vegetation metrics influenced location error, which increased with greater vertical height of understory vegetation and tree basal area. Further, interaction of vegetation metrics and categorical variables indicated significant effects on location error. Our results indicate that researchers need to consider study objectives, life history of the study animal, signal strength of collar (collar type), distance from transmitter to receiver, topographical changes in elevation, habitat composition and season when designing telemetry protocols. Bearing distances in forested habitat should be decreased (approximately 23

Climate Cloud Height

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2017-11-27

article title:  Is Climate Changing Cloud Heights? Too Soon to Say Climate change may eventually change global cloud heights, but scientists need ... whether that's happening already. For details see: Is Climate Changing Cloud Heights? Too Soon to Say . Climate ...

Relationships Among Ecologically Important Dimensions of Plant Trait Variation in Seven Neotropical Forests

PubMed Central

Wright, Ian J.; Ackerly, David D.; Bongers, Frans; Harms, Kyle E.; Ibarra-Manriquez, Guillermo; Martinez-Ramos, Miguel; Mazer, Susan J.; Muller-Landau, Helene C.; Paz, Horacio; Pitman, Nigel C. A.; Poorter, Lourens; Silman, Miles R.; Vriesendorp, Corine F.; Webb, Cam O.; Westoby, Mark; Wright, S. Joseph

2007-01-01

Background and Aims When ecologically important plant traits are correlated they may be said to constitute an ecological ‘strategy’ dimension. Through identifying these dimensions and understanding their inter-relationships we gain insight into why particular trait combinations are favoured over others and into the implications of trait differences among species. Here we investigated relationships among several traits, and thus the strategy dimensions they represented, across 2134 woody species from seven Neotropical forests. Methods Six traits were studied: specific leaf area (SLA), the average size of leaves, seed and fruit, typical maximum plant height, and wood density (WD). Trait relationships were quantified across species at each individual forest as well as across the dataset as a whole. ‘Phylogenetic’ analyses were used to test for correlations among evolutionary trait-divergences and to ascertain whether interspecific relationships were biased by strong taxonomic patterning in the traits. Key Results The interspecific and phylogenetic analyses yielded congruent results. Seed and fruit size were expected, and confirmed, to be tightly related. As expected, plant height was correlated with each of seed and fruit size, albeit weakly. Weak support was found for an expected positive relationship between leaf and fruit size. The prediction that SLA and WD would be negatively correlated was not supported. Otherwise the traits were predicted to be largely unrelated, being representatives of putatively independent strategy dimensions. This was indeed the case, although WD was consistently, negatively related to leaf size. Conclusions The dimensions represented by SLA, seed/fruit size and leaf size were essentially independent and thus conveyed largely independent information about plant strategies. To a lesser extent the same was true for plant height and WD. Our tentative explanation for negative WD–leaf size relationships, now also known from other

Health, Height, Height Shrinkage, and SES at Older Ages: Evidence from China†

PubMed Central

Huang, Wei; Lei, Xiaoyan; Ridder, Geert; Strauss, John

2015-01-01

In this paper, we build on the literature that examines associations between height and health outcomes of the elderly. We investigate the associations of height shrinkage at older ages with socioeconomic status, finding that height shrinkage for both men and women is negatively associated with better schooling, current urban residence, and household per capita expenditures. We then investigate the relationships between pre-shrinkage height, height shrinkage, and a rich set of health outcomes of older respondents, finding that height shrinkage is positively associated with poor health outcomes across a variety of outcomes, being especially strong for cognition outcomes. PMID:26594311

Predicting diameter at breast height from total height and crown length

Treesearch

Quang V. Cao; Thomas J. Dean

2013-01-01

Tree diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) is often predicted from total height (model 1a) or both total height and number of trees per acre (model 1b). These approaches are useful when Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data are available. LiDAR height data can be employed to predict tree d.b.h., and consequently individual tree volumes and volume/ ha can be obtained...

Rhizosphere bacteria containing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase increase yield of plants grown in drying soil via both local and systemic hormone signalling.

PubMed

Belimov, Andrey A; Dodd, Ian C; Hontzeas, Nikos; Theobald, Julian C; Safronova, Vera I; Davies, William J

2009-01-01

Decreased soil water availability can stimulate production of the plant hormone ethylene and inhibit plant growth. Strategies aimed at decreasing stress ethylene evolution might attenuate its negative effects. An environmentally benign (nonchemical) method of modifying crop ethylene relations - soil inoculation with a natural root-associated bacterium Variovorax paradoxus 5C-2 (containing the enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase that degrades the ethylene precursor ACC), was assessed with pea (Pisum sativum) plants grown in drying soil. Inoculation with V. paradoxus 5C-2, but not with a transposome mutant with massively decreased ACC deaminase activity, improved growth, yield and water-use efficiency of droughted peas. Systemic effects of V. paradoxus 5C-2 included an amplified soil drying-induced increase of xylem abscisic acid (ABA) concentration, but an attenuated soil drying-induced increase of xylem ACC concentration. A local bacterial effect was increased nodulation by symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which prevented a drought-induced decrease in nodulation and seed nitrogen content. Successfully deploying a single bacterial gene in the rhizosphere increased yield and nutritive value of plants grown in drying soil, via both local and systemic hormone signalling. Such bacteria may provide an easily realized, economic means of sustaining crop yields and using irrigation water more efficiently in dryland agriculture.

[Influences of micro-irrigation and subsoiling before planting on enzyme activity in soil rhizosphere and summer maize yield.

PubMed

Zhang, Ming Zhi; Niu, Wen Quan; Xu, Jian; Li, Yuan

2016-06-01

In order to explore the influences of micro-irrigation and subsoiling before planting on enzyme activity in soil rhizosphere and summer maize yield, an orthogonal experiment was carried out with three factors of micro-irrigation method, irrigation depth, and subsoiling depth. The factor of irrigation method included surface drip irrigation, subsurface drip irrigation, and moistube-irrigation; three levels of irrigation depth were obtained by controlling the lower limit of soil water content to 50%, 65%, and 80% of field holding capacity, respectively; and three depths of deep subsoiling were 20, 40, and 60 cm. The results showed that the activities of catalase and urease increased first and then decreased, while the activity of phosphatase followed an opposite trend in the growth season of summer maize. Compared with surface drip irrigation and moistube-irrigation, subsurface drip irrigation increased the average soil moisture of 0-80 cm layer by 6.3% and 1.8% in the growth season, respectively. Subsurface drip irrigation could significantly increase soil urease activity, roots volume, and yield of summer maize. With the increase of irrigation level, soil phosphatase activity decreased first and then increased, while urease activity and yield increased first and then decreased. The average soil moisture and root volume all increased in the growth season of summer maize. The increments of yield and root volume from subsoiling of 40 to 20 cm were greater than those from 60 to 40 cm. The highest enzyme activity was obtained with the treatment of subsoiling of 40 cm. In terms of improving water resource use efficiency, nitrogen use efficiency, and crop yield, the best management strategy of summer maize was the combination of subsurface drip irrigation, controlling the lower limit of soil water content to 65% of field holding capacity, and 40 cm subsoiling before planting.

Effects of ozone and sulfur dioxide on height and stem specific gravity of Populus hybrids

Treesearch

Roy L. Patton

1981-01-01

Unfumigated hybrid poplars (Populus spp.) were compared with poplars of the same nine clones fumigated with 0.15 pprn ozone or 0.25 ppm sulfur dioxide. After 102 days, plant height and stem specific gravity were measured to determine whether specific gravity is altered by the fumigants and to compare that response to height suppression, an accepted...

Rice Crop Monitoring and Yield Assessment with MODIS 250m Gridded Vegetation Products: A Case Study of Sa Kaeo Province, Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wijesingha, J. S. J.; Deshapriya, N. L.; Samarakoon, L.

2015-04-01

Billions of people in the world depend on rice as a staple food and as an income-generating crop. Asia is the leader in rice cultivation and it is necessary to maintain an up-to-date rice-related database to ensure food security as well as economic development. This study investigates general applicability of high temporal resolution Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 250m gridded vegetation product for monitoring rice crop growth, mapping rice crop acreage and analyzing crop yield, at the province-level. The MODIS 250m Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) time series data, field data and crop calendar information were utilized in this research in Sa Kaeo Province, Thailand. The following methodology was used: (1) data pre-processing and rice plant growth analysis using Vegetation Indices (VI) (2) extraction of rice acreage and start-of-season dates from VI time series data (3) accuracy assessment, and (4) yield analysis with MODIS VI. The results show a direct relationship between rice plant height and MODIS VI. The crop calendar information and the smoothed NDVI time series with Whittaker Smoother gave high rice acreage estimation (with 86% area accuracy and 75% classification accuracy). Point level yield analysis showed that the MODIS EVI is highly correlated with rice yield and yield prediction using maximum EVI in the rice cycle predicted yield with an average prediction error 4.2%. This study shows the immense potential of MODIS gridded vegetation product for keeping an up-to-date Geographic Information System of rice cultivation.

The relationship between tree height and leaf area: sapwood area ratio.

PubMed

McDowell, N; Barnard, H; Bond, B; Hinckley, T; Hubbard, R; Ishii, H; Köstner, B; Magnani, F; Marshall, J; Meinzer, F; Phillips, N; Ryan, M; Whitehead, D

2002-06-01

The leaf area to sapwood area ratio (A l :A s ) of trees has been hypothesized to decrease as trees become older and taller. Theory suggests that A l :A s must decrease to maintain leaf-specific hydraulic sufficiency as path length, gravity, and tortuosity constrain whole-plant hydraulic conductance. We tested the hypothesis that A l :A s declines with tree height. Whole-tree A l :A s was measured on 15 individuals of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) ranging in height from 13 to 62 m (aged 20-450 years). A l :A s declined substantially as height increased (P=0.02). Our test of the hypothesis that A l :A s declines with tree height was extended using a combination of original and published data on nine species across a range of maximum heights and climates. Meta-analysis of 13 whole-tree studies revealed a consistent and significant reduction in A l :A s with increasing height (P<0.05). However, two species (Picea abies and Abies balsamea) exhibited an increase in A l :A s with height, although the reason for this is not clear. The slope of the relationship between A l :A s and tree height (ΔA l :A s /Δh) was unrelated to mean annual precipitation. Maximum potential height was positively correlated with ΔA l :A s /Δh. The decrease in A l :A s with increasing tree size that we observed in the majority of species may be a homeostatic mechanism that partially compensates for decreased hydraulic conductance as trees grow in height.

Is self-reported height or arm span a more accurate alternative measure of height?

PubMed

Brown, Jean K; Feng, Jui-Ying; Knapp, Thomas R

2002-11-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether self-reported height or arm span is the more accurate alternative measure of height. A sample of 409 people between the ages of 19 and 67 (M = 35.0) participated in this anthropometric study. Height, self-reported height, and arm span were measured by 82 nursing research students. Mean differences from criterion measures were 0.17 cm for the measuring rules, 0.47 cm for arm span, and 0.85 cm and 0.87 cm for heights. Test-retest reliability was r = .997 for both height and arm span. The relationships of height to self-reported height and arm span were r = .97 and .90, respectively. Mean absolute differences were 1.80 cm and 4.29 cm, respectively. These findings support the practice of using self-reported height as an alternative measure of measured height in clinical settings, but arm span is an accurate alternative when neither measured height nor self-reported height is obtainable.

Height, height-related SNPs, and risk of non-melanoma skin cancer

PubMed Central

Li, Xin; Liang, Liming; Feng, Yen-Chen Anne; De Vivo, Immaculata; Giovannucci, Edward; Tang, Jean Y; Han, Jiali

2017-01-01

Background: Adult height has been associated with risk of several site-specific cancers, including melanoma. However, less attention has been given to non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Methods: We prospectively examined the risk of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in relation to adult height in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS, n=117 863) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS, n=51 111). We also investigated the relationships between height-related genetic markers and risk of BCC and SCC in the genetic data sets of the NHS and HPFS (3898 BCC cases, and 8530 BCC controls; 527 SCC cases, and 8962 SCC controls). Results: After controlling for potential confounding factors, the hazard ratios were 1.09 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.15) and 1.10 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.13) for the associations between every 10 cm increase in height and risk of SCC and BCC respectively. None of the 687 height-related single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was significantly associated with the risk of SCC or BCC, nor were the genetic scores combining independent height-related loci. Conclusions: Our data from two large cohorts provide further evidence that height is associated with an increased risk of NMSC. More studies on height-related genetic loci and early-life exposures may help clarify the underlying mechanisms. PMID:27846199

Height, height-related SNPs, and risk of non-melanoma skin cancer.

PubMed

Li, Xin; Liang, Liming; Feng, Yen-Chen Anne; De Vivo, Immaculata; Giovannucci, Edward; Tang, Jean Y; Han, Jiali

2017-01-03

Adult height has been associated with risk of several site-specific cancers, including melanoma. However, less attention has been given to non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). We prospectively examined the risk of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in relation to adult height in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS, n=117 863) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS, n=51 111). We also investigated the relationships between height-related genetic markers and risk of BCC and SCC in the genetic data sets of the NHS and HPFS (3898 BCC cases, and 8530 BCC controls; 527 SCC cases, and 8962 SCC controls). After controlling for potential confounding factors, the hazard ratios were 1.09 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.15) and 1.10 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.13) for the associations between every 10 cm increase in height and risk of SCC and BCC respectively. None of the 687 height-related single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was significantly associated with the risk of SCC or BCC, nor were the genetic scores combining independent height-related loci. Our data from two large cohorts provide further evidence that height is associated with an increased risk of NMSC. More studies on height-related genetic loci and early-life exposures may help clarify the underlying mechanisms.

Potato growth and yield using nutrient film technique (NFT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wheeler, R. M.; Mackowiak, C. L.; Sager, J. C.; Knott, W. M.; Hinkle, C. R.

1990-01-01

Potato plants, cvs Denali and Norland, were grown in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) trays using a continuous flowing nutrient film technique (NFT) to study tuber yield for NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS) program. Nutrient solution pH was controlled automatically using 0.39M (2.5% (v/v) nitric acid (HNO3), while water and nutrients were replenished manually each day and twice each week, respectively. Plants were spaced either one or two per tray, allotting 0.2 or 0.4 m2 per plant. All plants were harvested after 112 days. Denali plants yielded 2850 and 2800 g tuber fresh weight from the one- and two-plant trays, respectively, while Norland plants yielded 1800 and 2400 g tuber fresh weight from the one- and two-plant trays. Many tubers of both cultivars showed injury to the periderm tissue, possibly caused by salt accumulation from the nutrient solution on the surface. Total system water usage throughout the study for all the plants equaled 709 liters (L), or approximately 2 L m-2 d-1. Total system acid usage throughout the study (for nutrient solution pH control) equaled 6.60 L, or 18.4 ml m-2 d-1 (7.2 mmol m-2 d-1). The results demonstrate that continuous flowing nutrient film technique can be used for tuber production with acceptable yields for the CELSS program.

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria reduce aphid population and enhance the productivity of bread wheat.

PubMed

Naeem, Muhammad; Aslam, Zubair; Khaliq, Abdul; Ahmed, Jam Nazir; Nawaz, Ahmad; Hussain, Mubshar

2018-04-24

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria increase plant growth and give protection against insect pests and pathogens. Due to the negative impact of chemical pesticides on environment, alternatives to these chemicals are needed. In this scenario, the biological methods of pest control offer an eco-friendly and an attractive option. In this study, the effect of two plant growth promoting rhizobacterial strains (Bacillus sp. strain 6 and Pseudomonas sp. strain 6K) on aphid population and wheat productivity was evaluated in an aphid susceptible (Pasban-90) and resistant (Inqlab-91) wheat cultivar. The seeds were inoculated with each PGPR strain, separately or the combination of both. The lowest aphid population (2.1tiller -1 ), and highest plant height (85.8cm), number of spikelets per spike (18), grains per spike (44), productive tillers (320m -2 ), straw yield (8.6Mgha -1 ), and grain yield (4.8Mgha -1 ) were achieved when seeds were inoculated with Bacillus sp. strain 6+Pseudomonas sp. strain 6K. The grain yield of both varieties was enhanced by 35.5-38.9% with seed inoculation with both bacterial strains. Thus, the combine use of both PGPR strains viz. Bacillus sp. strain 6+Pseudomonas sp. strain 6K offers an attractive option to reduce aphid population tied with better wheat productivity. Copyright © 2018 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Stimulate Vegetative Growth and Asexual Reproduction of Kalanchoe daigremontiana.

PubMed

Park, Yong-Soon; Park, Kyungseok; Kloepper, Joseph W; Ryu, Choong-Min

2015-09-01

Certain bacterial species associate with plant roots in soil. The plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) stimulate plant growth and yield in greenhouse and field. Here, we examined whether application of known bacilli PGPR strains stimulated growth and asexual reproduction in the succulent plant Kalanchoe daigremontiana. Four PGPR strains B. amyloliquefaciens IN937a, B. cereus BS107, B. pumilus INR7, and B. subtilis GB03 were applied to young plantlets by soil-drenching, and plant growth and development was monitored for three months. Aerial growth was significantly stimulated in PGPR-inoculated plants, which was observed as increases in plant height, shoot weight, and stem width. The stimulated growth influenced plant development by increasing the total number of leaves per plant. Treatment with bacilli also increased the total root biomass compared with that of control plants, and led to a 2-fold increase in asexual reproduction and plantlet formation on the leaf. Collectively, our results firstly demonstrate that Bacillus spp. promote vegetative development of K. daigremontiana, and the enhanced growth stimulates asexual reproduction and plantlet formation.

[Effects of phosphorus fertilization on yield of winter wheat and utilization of soil nitrogen].

PubMed

Xing, Dan; Li, Shu-wen; Xia, Bo; Wen, Hong-da

2015-02-01

In order to evaluate the threshold of phosphorus (P) application rate and improve the utilization efficiency of fertilizers in Baoding region of Hebei Province, a field experiment was conducted to examine the impacts of P fertilization on wheat yield, soil NO(3-)-N and nitrogen use efficiency. Results showed that, compared with the CK (P0), all treatments with P application (P1, 120 kg · hm(-2); P2, 240 kg · hm(-2) and P3, 480 kg · hm(-2)) increased the plant height, flag leaf areas and total leaf areas per plant of winter wheat, which was conducive to the accumulation of photosynthetic products. In addition, P application increased the spike number, kernels per spike and yield of winter wheat but slightly decreased the grain mass per 1000 seeds. Of the P-fertilized treatments, P2 had the highest wheat yield of 6102 kg · hm(-2), which was similar to P1 but significantly greater than those of P0 and P3. Furthermore, P fertilization reduced the NO(3-)-N content in top soil layer although the total accumulation of NO3- was still rather high. The N grain production efficiencies (GPE(N)) and N uptake efficiencies (UE(N)) of P1 and P2 were similar but greater than the other treatments. The use efficiency (UR(P)) , agronomic efficiency (AE(P)) and partial productivity of P fertilizer (PFP(P)) in P1 were significantly greater than P2 and P3. In conclusion, the P application rate of 120 kg · hm(-2) (P1) in this study could be an appropriate threshold in Baoding, Hebei, from the aspects of wheat yield, nitrogen and phosphate use efficiencies and accumulation of soil NO3-.

Projecting crop yield in northern high latitude area.

PubMed

Matsumura, Kanichiro

2014-01-01

Changing climatic conditions on seasonal and longer time scales influence agricultural production. Improvement of soil and fertilizer is a strong factor in agricultural production, but agricultural production is influenced by climate conditions even in highly developed countries. It is valuable if fewer predictors make it possible to conduct future projections. Monthly temperature and precipitation, wintertime 500hPa geopotential height, and the previous year's yield are used as predictors to forecast spring wheat yield in advance. Canadian small agricultural divisions (SAD) are used for analysis. Each SAD is composed of a collection of Canadian Agricultural Regions (CAR) of similar weather and growing conditions. Spring wheat yields in each CAR are forecast from the following variables: (a) the previous year's yield, (b) earlier stages of the growing season's climate conditions and, (c) the previous year's wintertime northern hemisphere 500hPa geopotential height field. Arctic outflow events in the Okanagan Valley in Canada are associated with episodes of extremely low temperatures during wintertime. Principal component analysis (PCA) is applied for wintertime northern hemisphere 500hPa geopotential height anomalies. The spatial PCA mode1 is defined as Arctic Oscillation and it influences prevailing westerlies. The prevailing westerlies meanders and influences climatic conditions. The spatial similarity between wintertime top 5 Arctic outflow event year's composites of 500hPa geopotential height anomalies and mode 3's spatial pattern is found. Mode 3's spatial pattern looks like the Pacific/North American (PNA) pattern which describes the variation of atmospheric circulation pattern over the Pacific Ocean and North America. Climate conditions from April to June, May to July, mode 3's time coefficients, and previous year's yield are used for forecasting spring wheat yield in each SAD. Cross-validation procedure which generates eight sets of models for the eight

A response to: Limitations within "The Limits to Tree Height".

PubMed

Koch, George W; Sillett, Stephen C

2009-02-01

Here we respond to the communication in American Journal of Botany (96: 542-544 in this issue) by Netting, who proposes several ways in which our paper "The Limits to Tree Height" (Nature 428: 851-854) may have erred in estimating the biophysical limits to height growth in Sequoia sempervirens. We first explain that because embolism repair requires long time periods and is generally incomplete, xylem vulnerability characteristics offer a sound basis for estimating performance limits in woody plants. We reaffirm our earlier use of vertical gradients of foliar carbon isotope composition with new data for S. sempervirens. We support these arguments with reference to studies in other tree species. We take exception with Netting's view that the turgor pressure-cell expansion relationship for Zea mays is applicable to S. sempervirens. Finally, we second Netting's call for more work on carbon allocation vis a vis height growth limits.

Yield model development project implementation plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ambroziak, R. A.

1982-01-01

Tasks remaining to be completed are summarized for the following major project elements: (1) evaluation of crop yield models; (2) crop yield model research and development; (3) data acquisition processing, and storage; (4) related yield research: defining spectral and/or remote sensing data requirements; developing input for driving and testing crop growth/yield models; real time testing of wheat plant process models) and (5) project management and support.

Accuracy of recumbent height measurement.

PubMed

Gray, D S; Crider, J B; Kelley, C; Dickinson, L C

1985-01-01

Since many patients requiring specialized nutritional support are bedridden, measurement of height for purposes of nutritional assessment or prescription must often be done with the patient in bed. This study examined the accuracy of measuring body height in bed in the supine position. Two measurements were performed on 108 ambulatory inpatients: (1) standing height using a standard height-weight scale, and (2) bed height using a flexible tape. Patients were divided into four groups based on which of two researchers performed each of the two measurements. Each patient was also weighed and self-reported height, weight, sex, and age were recorded. Bed height was significantly longer than standing height by 3.68 cm, but the two measurements were equally precise. It was believed, however, that this 2% difference was probably not clinically significant in most circumstances. Bed height correlated highly with standing height (r = 0.95), and the regression equation was standing height = 13.82 +/- 0.09 bed height. Patients overestimated their heights. Heights recorded by nurses were more accurate when patients were measured than when asked about their heights, but the patients were more often asked than measured.

Definition of Physical Height Systems for Telluric Planets and Moons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tenzer, Robert; Foroughi, Ismael; Sjöberg, Lars E.; Bagherbandi, Mohammad; Hirt, Christian; Pitoňák, Martin

2018-01-01

Regio. The largest geoid undulations between - 747 and 1685 m were found on Mars, with the extreme positive geoidal heights under Olympus Mons in Tharsis region. Large variations in the geoidal geometry are also confirmed on the Moon, with the geoidal heights ranging from - 298 to 461 m. For comparison, the terrestrial geoid undulations are mostly within ± 100 m. We also demonstrate that a commonly used method for computing the geoidal heights that disregards the differences between the gravity field outside and inside topographic masses yields relatively large errors. According to our estimates, these errors are - 0.3/+ 3.4 m for Mercury, 0.0/+ 13.3 m for Venus, - 1.4/+ 125.6 m for Mars, and - 5.6/+ 45.2 m for the Moon.

Overexpressing the Multiple-Stress Responsive Gene At1g74450 Reduces Plant Height and Male Fertility in Arabidopsis thaliana

PubMed Central

Visscher, Anne M.; Belfield, Eric J.; Vlad, Daniela; Irani, Niloufer; Moore, Ian; Harberd, Nicholas P.

2015-01-01

A subset of genes in Arabidopsis thaliana is known to be up-regulated in response to a wide range of different environmental stress factors. However, not all of these genes are characterized as yet with respect to their functions. In this study, we used transgenic knockout, overexpression and reporter gene approaches to try to elucidate the biological roles of five unknown multiple-stress responsive genes in Arabidopsis. The selected genes have the following locus identifiers: At1g18740, At1g74450, At4g27652, At4g29780 and At5g12010. Firstly, T-DNA insertion knockout lines were identified for each locus and screened for altered phenotypes. None of the lines were found to be visually different from wildtype Col-0. Secondly, 35S-driven overexpression lines were generated for each open reading frame. Analysis of these transgenic lines showed altered phenotypes for lines overexpressing the At1g74450 ORF. Plants overexpressing the multiple-stress responsive gene At1g74450 are stunted in height and have reduced male fertility. Alexander staining of anthers from flowers at developmental stage 12–13 showed either an absence or a reduction in viable pollen compared to wildtype Col-0 and At1g74450 knockout lines. Interestingly, the effects of stress on crop productivity are most severe at developmental stages such as male gametophyte development. However, the molecular factors and regulatory networks underlying environmental stress-induced male gametophytic alterations are still largely unknown. Our results indicate that the At1g74450 gene provides a potential link between multiple environmental stresses, plant height and pollen development. In addition, ruthenium red staining analysis showed that At1g74450 may affect the composition of the inner seed coat mucilage layer. Finally, C-terminal GFP fusion proteins for At1g74450 were shown to localise to the cytosol. PMID:26485022

Early selection of novel triploid hybrids of shrub willow with improved biomass yield relative to diploids

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Genetic improvement of shrub willow (Salix), a perennial energy crop common to temperate climates, has led to the development of new cultivars with improved biomass yield, pest and disease resistance, and biomass composition suitable for bioenergy applications. These improvements have largely been associated with species hybridization, yet little is known about the genetic mechanisms responsible for improved yield and performance of certain willow species hybrids. Results The top performing genotypes in this study, representing advanced pedigrees compared with those in previous studies, were mostly triploid in nature and outperformed current commercial cultivars. Of the genotypes studied, the diploids had the lowest mean yield of 8.29 oven dry Mg ha−1 yr−1, while triploids yielded 12.65 Mg ha−1 yr−1, with the top five producing over 16 Mg ha−1 yr−1. Triploids had high stem area and height across all three years of growth in addition to greatest specific gravity. The lowest specific gravity was observed among the tetraploid genotypes. Height was the early trait most correlated with and the best predictor of third-year yield. Conclusions These results establish a paradigm for future breeding and improvement of Salix bioenergy crops based on the development of triploid species hybrids. Stem height and total stem area are effective traits for early prediction of relative yield performance. PMID:24661804

Numerical Assessment of Four-Port Through-Flow Wave Rotor Cycles with Passage Height Variation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paxson, D. E.; Lindau, Jules W.

1997-01-01

The potential for improved performance of wave rotor cycles through the use of passage height variation is examined. A Quasi-one-dimensional CFD code with experimentally validated loss models is used to determine the flowfield in the wave rotor passages. Results indicate that a carefully chosen passage height profile can produce substantial performance gains. Numerical performance data are presented for a specific profile, in a four-port, through-flow cycle design which yielded a computed 4.6% increase in design point pressure ratio over a comparably sized rotor with constant passage height. In a small gas turbine topping cycle application, this increased pressure ratio would reduce specific fuel consumption to 22% below the un-topped engine; a significant improvement over the already impressive 18% reductions predicted for the constant passage height rotor. The simulation code is briefly described. The method used to obtain rotor passage height profiles with enhanced performance is presented. Design and off-design results are shown using two different computational techniques. The paper concludes with some recommendations for further work.

Final height in survivors of childhood cancer compared with Height Standard Deviation Scores at diagnosis.

PubMed

Knijnenburg, S L; Raemaekers, S; van den Berg, H; van Dijk, I W E M; Lieverst, J A; van der Pal, H J; Jaspers, M W M; Caron, H N; Kremer, L C; van Santen, H M

2013-04-01

Our study aimed to evaluate final height in a cohort of Dutch childhood cancer survivors (CCS) and assess possible determinants of final height, including height at diagnosis. We calculated standard deviation scores (SDS) for height at initial cancer diagnosis and height in adulthood in a cohort of 573 CCS. Multivariable regression analyses were carried out to estimate the influence of different determinants on height SDS at follow-up. Overall, survivors had a normal height SDS at cancer diagnosis. However, at follow-up in adulthood, 8.9% had a height ≤-2 SDS. Height SDS at diagnosis was an important determinant for adult height SDS. Children treated with (higher doses of) radiotherapy showed significantly reduced final height SDS. Survivors treated with total body irradiation (TBI) and craniospinal radiation had the greatest loss in height (-1.56 and -1.37 SDS, respectively). Younger age at diagnosis contributed negatively to final height. Height at diagnosis was an important determinant for height SDS at follow-up. Survivors treated with TBI, cranial and craniospinal irradiation should be monitored periodically for adequate linear growth, to enable treatment on time if necessary. For correct interpretation of treatment-related late effects studies in CCS, pre-treatment data should always be included.

Effects of body conformation and udder morphology on milk yield of zebu cows in North region of Cameroon

PubMed Central

Mingoas, Kilekoung Jean-Pierre; Awah-Ndukum, Julius; Dakyang, Houinga; Zoli, Pagnah André

2017-01-01

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of udder morphological characteristics on milk yield in zebu cows of Cameroon. Materials and Methods: The diameter and height of the udder, length and diameter of the teat, and the milk yield were measured in 29 Djafun (Red Mbororo) and 19 Aku (White Fulani) cows in Louggueré zootechnical station in the North region of Cameroon. Results: Overall, strong positive correlation (rp=0.60) between the diameter (240.21±28.58 mm) and height (131.12±23.64 mm) of udders (p<0.001) and between length (39.51±6.44 mm) and diameter (19.85±3.08 mm) of teats (rp=0.78) were found in the zebu cows. Udder morphologic characteristics varied significantly (p<0.005) according to breed, lactation stage and parity, and height at whiters. There was significant (p<0.001) correlations between udder diameter (rp=0.541) and height (rp=0.549) with milk yield. Conclusion: This study ascertained udder morphological characteristics values in local zebu cows, and showed that udder size is strong and positively correlated to milk yield. The findings are useful in genetic improvement programs of zebu cows. PMID:28919680

Exiguobacterium oxidotolerans, a halotolerant plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, improves yield and content of secondary metabolites in Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennell under primary and secondary salt stress.

PubMed

Bharti, Nidhi; Yadav, Deepti; Barnawal, Deepti; Maji, Deepamala; Kalra, Alok

2013-02-01

Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), an integral component of Indian Ayurvedic medicine system, is facing a threat of extinction owing to the depletion of its natural populations. The present study investigates the prospective of exploitation of halotolerant plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in utilising the salt stressed soils for cultivation of B. monnieri. The effects of two salt tolerant PGPR, Bacillus pumilus (STR2) and Exiguobacterium oxidotolerans (STR36) on the growth and content of bacoside-A, an important pharmaceutical compound in B. monnieri, were investigated under primary and secondary salinity conditions. The herb yields of un-inoculated plants decreased by 48 % under secondary salinization and 60 % under primary salinization than the non salinised plants. Among the rhizobacteria treated plants, E. oxidotolerans recorded 109 and 138 %, higher herb yield than non-inoculated plants subjected to primary and secondary salinity respectively. E. oxidotolerans inoculated plants recorded 36 and 76 % higher bacoside-A content under primary and secondary salinity respectively. Higher levels of proline content and considerably lower levels of lipid peroxidation were noticed when the plants were inoculated with PGPR under all salinity regimes. From the results of this investigation, it can be concluded that, the treatments with salt tolerant PGPR can be a useful strategy in the enhancement of biomass yield and saponin contents in B. monnieri, as besides being an eco-friendly approach; it can also be instrumental in cultivation of B. monnieri in salt stressed environments.

Biochar and flyash inoculated with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria act as potential biofertilizer for luxuriant growth and yield of tomato plant.

PubMed

Tripti; Kumar, Adarsh; Usmani, Zeba; Kumar, Vipin; Anshumali

2017-04-01

Overuse of agrochemical fertilizers alarmingly causes deterioration in soil health and soil-flora. Persistence of these agrochemicals exerts detrimental effects on environment, potentially inducing toxic effects on human health, thus pronouncing an urgent need for a safer substitute. The present study investigates the potential use of agricultural and industrial wastes as carrier materials, viz. biochar and flyash, respectively, for preparation of bioformulations (or biofertilizers) using two plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, Bacillus sp. strain A30 and Burkholderia sp. strain L2, and its effect on growth of Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. (tomato). The viability of strains was determined based on colony forming units (cfu) count of each bioformulation at an interval of 60 days for a period of 240 days. Seeds were coated with different carrier based bioformulations and pot experiment(s) were carried out to access its effects on plant growth parameters. Biochar based bioformulations showed higher cfu count and maximum viability for strain L2 (10 7  cfu g -1 ) at 240 days of storage. Maximum percentage of seed germination was also observed in biochar inoculated with strain L2. Significant (p < 0.05) increase in plant growth parameters (dry and fresh biomass, length, number of flowers) were ascertained from the pot experiment and amongst all bioformulations, biochar inoculated with strain L2 performed consistently thriving results for tomato yield. Furthermore, post-harvest study of this bioformulation treated soil improved physico-chemical properties and dehydrogenase activity as compared to pre-plantation soil status. Overall, we show that prepared biochar based bioformulation using Burkholderia sp. L2 as inoculum can tremendously enhance the productivity of tomato, soil fertility, and can also act as a sustainable substitute for chemical fertilizers. In addition, mixture of biochar and flyash inoculated with strain L2 also showed noteworthy results for the

Effects of chronic elevated ozone concentration on the redox state and fruit yield of red pepper plant Capsicum baccatum.

PubMed

Bortolin, Rafael Calixto; Caregnato, Fernanda Freitas; Divan, Armando Molina; Reginatto, Flávio Henrique; Gelain, Daniel Pens; Moreira, José Cláudio Fonseca

2014-02-01

Ozone (O3) is one of the most harmful air pollutants to crops, contributing to high losses on crop yield. Tropospheric O3 background concentrations have increased since pre-industrial times reaching phytotoxic concentrations in many world regions. Capsicum peppers are the second most traded spice in the world, but few studies concerning the O3 effects in this genus are known. Thereby, the aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of chronic exposure to elevated O3 concentrations in red pepper plant Capsicum baccatum L. var. pendulum with especial considerations on the leaf redox state and fruit yield. Fifteen C. baccatum plants were exposed to O3 in open-top chambers during fruit ripening (62 days) at a mean concentration of 171.6 µg/m(3) from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. We found that O3 treated plants significantly decreased the amount and the total weight of fruits, which were probably a consequence of the changes on leaf oxidative status induced by ozone exposure. Ozone exposed plants increased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels on the leaves, which may be associated with the observed decrease on the activity of enzymatic antioxidant defense system, as well with lower levels of polyphenol and reduced thiol groups. Enhanced ROS production and the direct O3 reaction lead to biomacromolecules damages as seen in the diminished chlorophyll content and in the elevated lipid peroxidation and protein carbonylation levels. Through a correlation analysis it was possible to observe that polyphenols content was more important to protect pepper plants against oxidative damages to lipids than to proteins. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.

Effect of Root-Zone Moisture Variations on Growth of Lettuce and Pea Plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilieva, Iliana; Ivanova, Tania

2008-06-01

Variations in substrate moisture lead to changes in water and oxygen availability to plant roots. Ground experiments were carried out in the laboratory prototype of SVET-2 Space Greenhouse to study the effect of variation of root-zone moisture conditions on growth of lettuce and pea plants. The effect of transient increase (for 1 day) and drastic increase (waterlogging for 10 days) of substrate moisture was studied with 16-day old pea and 21-day old lettuce plants respectively. Pea height and fresh biomass accumulation were not affected by transient substrate moisture increase. Net photosynthetic rate (Pn) of pea plants showed fast response to substrate moisture variation, while chlorophyll content did not change. Drastic change of substrate moisture suppressed lettuce Pn, chlorophyll biosynthesis and plant growth. These parameters slowly recovered after termination of waterlogging treatment but lettuce yield was greatly affected. The results showed that the most sensitive physiological parameter to substrate moisture variations is photosynthesis.

Remote Sensing of Multiple Cloud Layer Heights Using Multi-Angular Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sinclair, Kenneth; Van Diedenhoven, Bastiaan; Cairns, Brian; Yorks, John; Wasilewski, Andrzej; Mcgill, Matthew

2017-01-01

Cloud top height (CTH) affects the radiative properties of clouds. Improved CTH observations will allow for improved parameterizations in large-scale models and accurate information on CTH is also important when studying variations in freezing point and cloud microphysics. NASAs airborne Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) is able to measure cloud top height using a novel multi-angular contrast approach. For the determination of CTH, a set of consecutive nadir reflectances is selected and the cross-correlations between this set and co-located sets at other viewing angles are calculated for a range of assumed cloud top heights, yielding a correlation profile. Under the assumption that cloud reflectances are isotropic, local peaks in the correlation profile indicate cloud layers. This technique can be applied to every RSP footprint and we demonstrate that detection of multiple peaks in the correlation profile allow retrieval of heights of multiple cloud layers within single RSP footprints. This paper provides an in-depth description of the architecture and performance of the RSPs CTH retrieval technique using data obtained during the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC(exp. 4)RS) campaign. RSP retrieved cloud heights are evaluated using collocated data from the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL). The method's accuracy associated with the magnitude of correlation, optical thickness, cloud thickness and cloud height are explored. The technique is applied to measurements at a wavelength of 670 nm and 1880 nm and their combination. The 1880-nm band is virtually insensitive to the lower troposphere due to strong water vapor absorption.

Heavy metals effects on forage crops yields and estimation of elements accumulation in plants as affected by soil.

PubMed

Grytsyuk, N; Arapis, G; Perepelyatnikova, L; Ivanova, T; Vynograds'ka, V

2006-02-01

Heavy metals (Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn) effect on the productivity of forage crops (clover and perennial cereal grasses) and their accumulation in plants, depending on the concentration of these elements in a soil, has been studied in micro-field experiments on three types of soil. The principle objective was to determine regularities of heavy metals migration in a soil-plant system aiming the estimation of permissible levels of heavy metals content in soils with the following elaboration of methods, which regulate the toxicants transfer to plants. Methods of field experiments, agrochemical and atomic absorption analysis were used. Results were statistically treated by Statistica 6.0, S-Plus 6. Experimental results have shown that the intensity of heavy metals accumulation in plants depends on the type of the soil, the species of plants, the physicochemical properties of heavy metals and their content in the soil. Logarithmic interdependency of heavy metals concentration in soils and their accumulation in plants is suggested. However, the strong correlation between the different heavy metals concentrations in the various soils and the yield of crops was not observed. Toxicants accumulation in crops decreased in time.

Yield improvement strategies for the production of secondary metabolites in plant tissue culture: silymarin from Silybum marianum tissue culture.

PubMed

AbouZid, S

2014-01-01

Plant cell culture can be a potential source for the production of important secondary metabolites. This technology bears many advantages over conventional agricultural methods. The main problem to arrive at a cost-effective process is the low productivity. This is mainly due to lack of differentiation in the cultured cells. Many approaches have been used to maximise the yield of secondary metabolites produced by cultured plant cells. Among these approaches: choosing a plant with a high biosynthetic capacity, obtaining efficient cell line for growth and production of metabolite of interest, manipulating culture conditions, elicitation, metabolic engineering and organ culture. This article gives an overview of the various approaches used to maximise the production of pharmaceutically important secondary metabolites in plant cell cultures. Examples of using these different approaches are shown for the production of silymarin from Silybum marianum tissue culture.

The membrane tethered transcription factor EcbZIP17 from finger millet promotes plant growth and enhances tolerance to abiotic stresses.

PubMed

Ramakrishna, Chopperla; Singh, Sonam; Raghavendrarao, Sangala; Padaria, Jasdeep C; Mohanty, Sasmita; Sharma, Tilak Raj; Solanke, Amolkumar U

2018-02-01

The occurrence of various stresses, as the outcome of global climate change, results in the yield losses of crop plants. Prospecting of genes in stress tolerant plant species may help to protect and improve their agronomic performance. Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) is a valuable source of superior genes and alleles for stress tolerance. In this study, we isolated a novel endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane tethered bZIP transcription factor from finger millet, EcbZIP17. Transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing this gene showed better vegetative growth and seed yield compared with wild type (WT) plants under optimal growth conditions and confirmed upregulation of brassinosteroid signalling genes. Under various abiotic stresses, such as 250 mM NaCl, 10% PEG6000, 400 mM mannitol, water withdrawal, and heat stress, the transgenic plants showed higher germination rate, biomass, primary and secondary root formation, and recovery rate, compared with WT plants. The transgenic plants exposed to an ER stress inducer resulted in greater leaf diameter and plant height as well as higher expression of the ER stress-responsive genes BiP, PDIL, and CRT1. Overall, our results indicated that EcbZIP17 improves plant growth at optimal conditions through brassinosteroid signalling and provide tolerance to various environmental stresses via ER signalling pathways.

A fixed full-matrix method for determining ice sheet height change from satellite altimeter: an ENVISAT case study in East Antarctica with backscatter analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yuande; Hwang, Cheinway; E, Dongchen

2014-09-01

A new method, called the fixed full-matrix method (FFM), is used to compute height changes at crossovers of satellite altimeter ground tracks. Using the ENVISAT data in East Antarctica, FFM results in crossovers of altimeter heights that are 1.9 and 79 times more than those from the fixed half method (FHM) and the one-row method (ORM). The mean standard error of height changes is about 14 cm from ORM, which is reduced to 7 cm by FHM and to 3 cm by FFM. Unlike FHM, FFM leads to uniform errors in the first-half and second-half height-change time series. FFM has the advantage in improving the accuracy of the change of height and backscattered power over ORM and FHM. Assisted by the ICESat-derived height changes, we determine the optimal threshold correlation coefficient (TCC) for a best correction for the backscatter effect on ENVISAT height changes. The TCC value of 0.92 yields an optimal result for FFM. With this value, FFM yields ENVISAT-derived height change rates in East Antarctica mostly falling between and 3 cm/year, and matching the ICESat result to 0.94 cm/year. The ENVISAT result will provide a constraint on the current mass balance result along the Chinese expedition route CHINARE.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis ameliorates the optimum quantum yield of photosystem II and reduces non-photochemical quenching in rice plants subjected to salt stress.

PubMed

Porcel, Rosa; Redondo-Gómez, Susana; Mateos-Naranjo, Enrique; Aroca, Ricardo; Garcia, Rosalva; Ruiz-Lozano, Juan Manuel

2015-08-01

Rice is the most important food crop in the world and is a primary source of food for more than half of the world population. However, salinity is considered the most common abiotic stress reducing its productivity. Soil salinity inhibits photosynthetic processes, which can induce an over-reduction of the reaction centres in photosystem II (PSII), damaging the photosynthetic machinery. The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis may improve host plant tolerance to salinity, but it is not clear how the AM symbiosis affects the plant photosynthetic capacity, particularly the efficiency of PSII. This study aimed at determining the influence of the AM symbiosis on the performance of PSII in rice plants subjected to salinity. Photosynthetic activity, plant gas-exchange parameters, accumulation of photosynthetic pigments and rubisco activity and gene expression were also measured in order to analyse comprehensively the response of the photosynthetic processes to AM symbiosis and salinity. Results showed that the AM symbiosis enhanced the actual quantum yield of PSII photochemistry and reduced the quantum yield of non-photochemical quenching in rice plants subjected to salinity. AM rice plants maintained higher net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate than nonAM plants. Thus, we propose that AM rice plants had a higher photochemical efficiency for CO2 fixation and solar energy utilization and this increases plant salt tolerance by preventing the injury to the photosystems reaction centres and by allowing a better utilization of light energy in photochemical processes. All these processes translated into higher photosynthetic and rubisco activities in AM rice plants and improved plant biomass production under salinity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Nanoscale Roughness of Natural Fault Surfaces Controlled by Scale-Dependent Yield Strength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thom, C. A.; Brodsky, E. E.; Carpick, R. W.; Pharr, G. M.; Oliver, W. C.; Goldsby, D. L.

2017-09-01

Many natural fault surfaces exhibit remarkably similar scale-dependent roughness, which may reflect the scale-dependent yield strength of rocks. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), we show that a sample of the Corona Heights Fault exhibits isotropic surface roughness well-described by a power law, with a Hurst exponent of 0.75 +/- 0.05 at all wavelengths from 60 nm to 10 μm. The roughness data and a recently proposed theoretical framework predict that yield strength varies with length scale as λ-0.25+/-0.05. Nanoindentation tests on the Corona Heights sample and another fault sample whose topography was previously measured with AFM (the Yair Fault) reveal a scale-dependent yield stress with power-law exponents of -0.12 +/- 0.06 and -0.18 +/- 0.08, respectively. These values are within one to two standard deviations of the predicted value, and provide experimental evidence that fault roughness is controlled by intrinsic material properties, which produces a characteristic surface geometry.

Induced variations in brassinosteroid genes define barley height and sturdiness, and expand the green revolution genetic toolkit.

PubMed

Dockter, Christoph; Gruszka, Damian; Braumann, Ilka; Druka, Arnis; Druka, Ilze; Franckowiak, Jerome; Gough, Simon P; Janeczko, Anna; Kurowska, Marzena; Lundqvist, Joakim; Lundqvist, Udda; Marzec, Marek; Matyszczak, Izabela; Müller, André H; Oklestkova, Jana; Schulz, Burkhard; Zakhrabekova, Shakhira; Hansson, Mats

2014-12-01

Reduced plant height and culm robustness are quantitative characteristics important for assuring cereal crop yield and quality under adverse weather conditions. A very limited number of short-culm mutant alleles were introduced into commercial crop cultivars during the Green Revolution. We identified phenotypic traits, including sturdy culm, specific for deficiencies in brassinosteroid biosynthesis and signaling in semidwarf mutants of barley (Hordeum vulgare). This set of characteristic traits was explored to perform a phenotypic screen of near-isogenic short-culm mutant lines from the brachytic, breviaristatum, dense spike, erectoides, semibrachytic, semidwarf, and slender dwarf mutant groups. In silico mapping of brassinosteroid-related genes in the barley genome in combination with sequencing of barley mutant lines assigned more than 20 historic mutants to three brassinosteroid-biosynthesis genes (BRASSINOSTEROID-6-OXIDASE, CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC DWARF, and DIMINUTO) and one brassinosteroid-signaling gene (BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE1 [HvBRI1]). Analyses of F2 and M2 populations, allelic crosses, and modeling of nonsynonymous amino acid exchanges in protein crystal structures gave a further understanding of the control of barley plant architecture and sturdiness by brassinosteroid-related genes. Alternatives to the widely used but highly temperature-sensitive uzu1.a allele of HvBRI1 represent potential genetic building blocks for breeding strategies with sturdy and climate-tolerant barley cultivars. © 2014 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Height-related scaling of phloem anatomy and the evolution of sieve element end wall types in woody plants.

PubMed

Liesche, Johannes; Pace, Marcelo R; Xu, Qiyu; Li, Yongqing; Chen, Shaolin

2017-04-01

In the sieve elements (SEs) of the phloem, carbohydrates are transported throughout the whole plant from their site of production to sites of consumption or storage. SE structure, especially of the pore-rich end walls, has a direct effect on translocation efficiency. Differences in pore size and other features were interpreted as an evolutionary trend towards reduced hydraulic resistance. However, this has never been confirmed. Anatomical data of 447 species of woody angiosperms and gymnosperms were used for a phylogenetic analysis of end wall types, calculation of hydraulic resistance and correlation analysis with morphological and physiological variables. end wall types were defined according to pore arrangement: either grouped into a single area (simple) or into multiple areas along the end wall (compound). Convergent evolution of end wall types was demonstrated in woody angiosperms. In addition, an optimization of end wall resistance with plant height was discovered, but found to be independent of end wall type. While physiological factors also showed no correlation with end wall types, the number of sieve areas per end wall was found to scale with SE length. The results exclude the minimization of hydraulic resistance as evolutionary driver of different end wall types, contradicting this long-standing assumption. Instead, end wall type might depend on SE length. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

The relation between height, foot length, pelvic adequacy and mode of delivery.

PubMed

Van Bogaert, L J

1999-02-01

To investigate the value of maternal height and foot length as predictors of pelvic adequacy and to evaluate the influence of body components' proportions on the mode of delivery. Retrospective study of the anthropometry of women having normal vertex deliveries (NVD), caesarean sections (CS) and vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC). NVD patients were taller, had a longer vertebral column, longer lower limbs and longer feet than CS and than VBAC patients. The anthropometric measurements of VBAC patients yielded values intermediate between CS and NVD patients. The ratios of height to any of the other measured variables (vertebral column, lower limb and foot length) were similar in the three groups indicating that the body proportions were the same. Maternal height and foot length are of limited value as predictors of pelvic (in-)adequacy. The anthropometric features of women delivered by CS only are similar to those of women having a vaginal birth after Caesarean.

Impact of liquid fertilizers on plant growth, yield, fruit quality and fertigation management in an organic processing blackberry production system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The impact of organic fertilizer source on the growth, fruit quality, and yield of blackberry cultivars (‘Marion’ and ‘Black Diamond’) grown in machine-harvested, organic production systems for the processed market was evaluated from 2011-13. The planting was established in spring 2010 using approve...

Ethiopian Wheat Yield and Yield Gap Estimation: A Spatial Small Area Integrated Data Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mann, M.; Warner, J.

2015-12-01

Despite the collection of routine annual agricultural surveys and significant advances in GIS and remote sensing products, little econometric research has been undertaken in predicting developing nation's agricultural yields. In this paper, we explore the determinants of wheat output per hectare in Ethiopia during the 2011-2013 Meher crop seasons aggregated to the woreda administrative area. Using a panel data approach, combining national agricultural field surveys with relevant GIS and remote sensing products, the model explains nearly 40% of the total variation in wheat output per hectare across the country. The model also identifies specific contributors to wheat yields that include farm management techniques (eg. area planted, improved seed, fertilizer, irrigation), weather (eg. rainfall), water availability (vegetation and moisture deficit indexes) and policy intervention. Our findings suggest that woredas produce between 9.8 and 86.5% of their potential wheat output per hectare given their altitude, weather conditions, terrain, and plant health. At the median, Amhara, Oromiya, SNNP, and Tigray produce 48.6, 51.5, 49.7, and 61.3% of their local attainable yields, respectively. This research has a broad range of applications, especially from a public policy perspective: identifying causes of yield fluctuations, remotely evaluating larger agricultural intervention packages, and analyzing relative yield potential. Overall, the combination of field surveys with spatial data can be used to identify management priorities for improving production at a variety of administrative levels.

Monitoring of biophysical parameters of cashew plants in Cambodia using ALOS/PALSAR data.

PubMed

Avtar, Ram; Takeuchi, Wataru; Sawada, Haruo

2013-02-01

An accurate estimation of a plant's age is required for the prediction of yield and management practices. This study demonstrates the relationship between backscattering properties (σ°) of Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) dual polarimetric data with cashew plants' biophysical parameters (height, age, crown diameter, diameter at breast height, basal area, tree density, and biomass) in Cambodia. PALSAR σ° has shown a positive correlation with the biophysical parameters of cashew plants. The value of σ° increases with the age of cashew plants. At a young stage, the cashew plants show a higher rate of an increase in σ° compared to that at the mature stage. The σ° horizontal polarization transmitted and vertical received (HV) shows higher sensitivity to the plant's growth than σ° horizontal polarization transmitted and received (HH). High backscattering and low variations were observed at mature stage (8-12 years) of cashew plantation. Saturation in backscattering has shown from the age of about 13 years. The validation results indicate strong coefficient of determination (R(2) = 0.86 and 0.88) for PALSAR-predicted age and biomass of cashew plants with root mean square error = 1.8 years and 16.3 t/ha for age and biomass, respectively. The correlations of σ° (HH) with biophysical parameters observed in the dry season were better than those of the rainy season because soil moisture interferes with backscattering in the rainy season. Biomass accumulation rate of cashew plants has been predicted that would be useful for selection of plants species to enhance carbon sequestration. This study provides an insight to use PALSAR for the monitoring of growth stages of plants at the regional level.

Association of yield-related traits in founder genotypes and derivatives of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

PubMed

Guo, Jie; Shi, Weiping; Zhang, Zheng; Cheng, Jingye; Sun, Daizhen; Yu, Jin; Li, Xinlei; Guo, Pingyi; Hao, Chenyang

2018-02-20

Yield improvement is an ever-important objective of wheat breeding. Studying and understanding the phenotypes and genotypes of yield-related traits has potential for genetic improvement of crops. The genotypes of 215 wheat cultivars including 11 founder parents and 106 derivatives were analyzed by the 9 K wheat SNP iSelect assay. A total of 4138 polymorphic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci were detected on 21 chromosomes, of which 3792 were mapped to single chromosome locations. All genotypes were phenotyped for six yield-related traits including plant height (PH), spike length (SL), spikelet number per spike (SNPS), kernel number per spike (KNPS), kernel weight per spike (KWPS), and thousand kernel weight (TKW) in six irrigated environments. Genome-wide association analysis detected 117 significant associations of 76 SNPs on 15 chromosomes with phenotypic explanation rates (R 2 ) ranging from 2.03 to 12.76%. In comparing allelic variation between founder parents and their derivatives (106) and other cultivars (98) using the 76 associated SNPs, we found that the region 116.0-133.2 cM on chromosome 5A in founder parents and derivatives carried alleles positively influencing kernel weight per spike (KWPS), rarely found in other cultivars. The identified favorable alleles could mark important chromosome regions in derivatives that were inherited from founder parents. Our results unravel the genetic of yield in founder genotypes, and provide tools for marker-assisted selection for yield improvement.

Genetic variation for susceptibility to storm-induced stem breakage in Solidago altissima: The role of stem height and morphology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wise, Michael J.; Abrahamson, Warren G.

2010-07-01

While storms can have obvious ecological impacts on plants, plants' potential to respond evolutionarily to selection for increased resistance to storm damage has received little study. We took advantage of a thunderstorm with strong wind and hail to examine genetic variation for resistance to stem breakage in the herbaceous perennial Solidago altissima. The storm broke the apex of nearly 10% of 1883 marked ramets in a common-garden plot containing 26 genets of S. altissima. Plant genets varied 20-fold in resistance to breakage. Stem height was strongly correlated with resistance to breakage, with taller stems being significantly more susceptible. A stem's growth form (erect versus nodding) had no detectable effect on its resistance to breakage. Therefore, we rejected the hypothesis that a function of the nodding, or "candy-cane," morphology is protection of the apex from storm damage. The significant genetic variation in S. altissima for stem breakage suggests that this plant has the capacity to respond to selection imposed by storms - particularly through changes in mean stem height. Tradeoffs between breakage resistance and competition for light and pollinators may act to maintain a large amount of genetic variation in stem height.

Traits Explaining Durum Wheat (Triticum turgidum L. spp. Durum) Yield in Dry Chilean Mediterranean Environments

PubMed Central

González-Ribot, Gerlitt; Opazo, Marcela; Silva, Paola; Acevedo, Edmundo

2017-01-01

Yield under water stress (YS) is used as the main criterion in the selection of wheat varieties for dry Mediterranean environments. It has been proposed that selection of genotypes using YS assisted by morphological and physiological traits associated with YS is more efficient in selecting high yielding genotypes for dry environments. A study was carried out at the Antumapu Experiment Station of the University of Chile, located in Santiago, Chile (33° 40′S and 70° 38′ W). The objective was to evaluate the extent to which morpho physiological traits could explain YS. For this purpose, grain yield and yield components of 185 durum wheat genotypes from ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) and INIA (Chilean National Institute for Agricultural Research) were evaluated along with seed size and weight, days to heading (DH), glaucousness (GLAU), plant height (PH) and 13C discrimination (Δ). The design was an α-lattice with two replications, the genotypes were grown in two different water conditions (high and low irrigation) during two seasons (2011-2012/2012-2013). Grain weight (GW) was the only yield component with high H associated with YS, but it was not associated with yield under high irrigation (YI). The combination of YI with DH+GLAU+PH+Δ+GW obtained in LI environments explained a greater fraction of YS (38%) across years; these traits had lower genotype x environment interaction than YS, they also explained a higher proportion of yield under drought than YI. None of the traits studied could replace YS in selections for grain yield. It is concluded that these traits could aid in the selection of durum wheat subject to water stress, particularly in early generations. PMID:29104578

The positive effect of phosphogypsum-supplemented composts on potato plant growth in the field and tuber yield.

PubMed

Kammoun, Mariem; Ghorbel, Imen; Charfeddine, Safa; Kamoun, Lotfi; Gargouri-Bouzid, Radhia; Nouri-Ellouz, Oumèma

2017-09-15

The production of phosphoric acid from phosphate rock leads to an industrial by-product called phosphogypsum (PG). One ton of phosphoric acid generates 5 tons of PG that is frequently stocked near the production units. Several attempts were made to test PG valorization via soil amendment because of its phosphate, sulphate and calcium content. In this study, the use of PG in composting was envisaged. Composts were produced by mixing olive oil wastes and spent coffee grounds. Two concentrations of PG, 10% (A 10 ) and 30% (A 30 ), were tested in composting substrate in addition to control compost without PG (A T ). After 8 months of fermentation, the resulting composts were used in field experiments using nine different treatments conducted to evaluate the potential use of these PG-containing composts in potato plant (cv. Spunta) cultivation. Plants were grown in the field and the different composts (A T , A 10 and A 30 ) were added as fertilizer and compared to commercial compost and cattle manure. During the culture period, a number of physiological (dry weight, chlorophyll content, tuber yield) and biochemical parameters (antioxidant activities, mineral content, starch and protein content) were followed. Similarly, chlorophyll content was measured in plants cultivated on commercial or PG supplemented composts. An increment of 55.17% in potato yield was recorded with the use of A 30 the compost. Collectively, these data reveal the positive impact of the addition of PG in composting which may be adopted as a strategy for PG valorization and its use for the production of high quality edible products. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing the Effect of Composting Cassava Peel Based Substrates on the Yield, Nutritional Quality, and Physical Characteristics of Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. ex Fr.) Kummer

PubMed Central

Kortei, N. K.; Dzogbefia, V. P.; Obodai, M.

2014-01-01

Cassava peel based substrate formulations as an alternative substrate were used to grow mushrooms. The effect of two compost heights, three composting periods on the mycelia growth, physical characteristics, yield, and nutritional qualities of Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. ex Fr.) Kummer was studied. Mean mycelia growth of 16.2 cm after a period of seven (7) weeks was the best for 1.5 m compost height. Cap diameter and stipe length differed significantly (P < 0.05) with the compost heights (0.8 m and 1.5 m). The yield on compost height of 1.5 m, composted for 5 days, differed significantly (P < 0.05) from that of 0.8 m and gave increasing yields as follows: cassava peels and manure, cassava peels only, cassava peels and corn cobs (1 : 1 ratio), and cassava peels and corn cobs (1 : 1 ratio) with chicken manure. Composting periods (3 and 7 days) gave varying yields depending on the compost height. Based on the findings an interaction of 1.5 m compost height and 5 days composting period on cassava peels and corncobs (1 : 1 ratio) with chicken manure produced the best results. The nutritional quality of the mushrooms also differed significantly (P < 0.05), indicating that cassava peels could be used as a possible substrate in cultivation of mushroom. PMID:25580299

Nutrient enrichment shifts mangrove height distribution: Implications for coastal woody encroachment.

PubMed

Weaver, Carolyn A; Armitage, Anna R

2018-01-01

Global changes, such as increased temperatures and elevated CO2, are driving shifts in plant species distribution and dominance, like woody plant encroachment into grasslands. Local factors within these ecotones can influence the rate of regime shifts. Woody encroachment is occurring worldwide, though there has been limited research within coastal systems, where mangrove (woody shrub/tree) stands are expanding into salt marsh areas. Because coastal systems are exposed to various degrees of nutrient input, we investigated how nutrient enrichment may locally impact mangrove stand expansion and salt marsh displacement over time. We fertilized naturally co-occurring Avicennia germinans (black mangrove) and Spartina alterniflora (smooth cordgrass) stands in Port Aransas, TX, an area experiencing mangrove encroachment within the Northern Gulf of Mexico mangrove-marsh ecotone. After four growing seasons (2010-2013) of continuous fertilization, Avicennia was more positively influenced by nutrient enrichment than Spartina. Most notably, fertilized plots had a higher density of taller (> 0.5 m) mangroves and mangrove maximum height was 46% taller than in control plots. Fertilization may promote an increase in mangrove stand expansion within the mangrove-marsh ecotone by shifting Avicennia height distribution. Avicennia individuals, which reach certain species-specific height thresholds, have reduced negative neighbor effects and have higher resilience to freezing temperatures, which may increase mangrove competitive advantage over marsh grass. Therefore, we propose that nutrient enrichment, which augments mangrove height, could act locally as a positive feedback to mangrove encroachment, by reducing mangrove growth suppression factors, thereby accelerating the rates of increased mangrove coverage and subsequent marsh displacement. Areas within the mangrove-marsh ecotone with high anthropogenic nutrient input may be at increased risk of a regime shift from grass to woody

Nutrient enrichment shifts mangrove height distribution: Implications for coastal woody encroachment

PubMed Central

Armitage, Anna R.

2018-01-01

Global changes, such as increased temperatures and elevated CO2, are driving shifts in plant species distribution and dominance, like woody plant encroachment into grasslands. Local factors within these ecotones can influence the rate of regime shifts. Woody encroachment is occurring worldwide, though there has been limited research within coastal systems, where mangrove (woody shrub/tree) stands are expanding into salt marsh areas. Because coastal systems are exposed to various degrees of nutrient input, we investigated how nutrient enrichment may locally impact mangrove stand expansion and salt marsh displacement over time. We fertilized naturally co-occurring Avicennia germinans (black mangrove) and Spartina alterniflora (smooth cordgrass) stands in Port Aransas, TX, an area experiencing mangrove encroachment within the Northern Gulf of Mexico mangrove-marsh ecotone. After four growing seasons (2010–2013) of continuous fertilization, Avicennia was more positively influenced by nutrient enrichment than Spartina. Most notably, fertilized plots had a higher density of taller (> 0.5 m) mangroves and mangrove maximum height was 46% taller than in control plots. Fertilization may promote an increase in mangrove stand expansion within the mangrove-marsh ecotone by shifting Avicennia height distribution. Avicennia individuals, which reach certain species-specific height thresholds, have reduced negative neighbor effects and have higher resilience to freezing temperatures, which may increase mangrove competitive advantage over marsh grass. Therefore, we propose that nutrient enrichment, which augments mangrove height, could act locally as a positive feedback to mangrove encroachment, by reducing mangrove growth suppression factors, thereby accelerating the rates of increased mangrove coverage and subsequent marsh displacement. Areas within the mangrove-marsh ecotone with high anthropogenic nutrient input may be at increased risk of a regime shift from grass to woody

The influence of purge times on the yields of essential oil components extracted from plants by pressurized liquid extraction.

PubMed

Wianowska, Dorota

2014-01-01

The influence of different purge times on the yield of the main essential oil constituents of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.), and chamomile (Chamomilla recutita L.) was investigated. The pressurized liquid extraction process was performed by applying different extraction temperatures and solvents. The results presented in the paper show that the estimated yield of essential oil components extracted from the plants in the pressurized liquid extraction process is purge time-dependent. The differences in the estimated yields are mainly connected with the evaporation of individual essential oil components and the applied solvent during the purge; the more volatile an essential oil constituent is, the greater is its loss during purge time, and the faster the evaporation of the solvent during the purge process is, the higher the concentration of less volatile essential oil components in the pressurized liquid extraction receptacle. The effect of purge time on the estimated yield of individual essential oil constituents is additionally differentiated by the extraction temperature and the extraction ability of the applied solvent.

Water stress amelioration and plant growth promotion in wheat plants by osmotic stress tolerant bacteria.

PubMed

Chakraborty, U; Chakraborty, B N; Chakraborty, A P; Dey, P L

2013-05-01

Soil microorganisms with potential for alleviation of abiotic stresses in combination with plant growth promotion would be extremely useful tools in sustainable agriculture. To this end, the present study was initiated where forty-five salt tolerant bacterial isolates with ability to grow in high salt medium were obtained from the rhizosphere of Triticum aestivum and Imperata cylindrica. These bacteria were tested for plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria traits in vitro such as phosphate solubilization, siderophore, ACC deaminase and IAA production. Of the forty-five isolates, W10 from wheat rhizosphere and IP8 from blady grass rhizosphere, which tested positive in all the tests were identified by morpholological, biochemical and 16SrDNA sequencing as Bacillus safensis and Ochrobactrum pseudogregnonense respectively and selected for in vivo studies. Both the bacteria could promote growth in six varieties of wheat tested in terms of increase in root and shoot biomass, height of plants, yield, as well as increase in chlorophyll content. Besides, the wheat plants could withstand water stress more efficiently in presence of the bacteria as indicated by delay in appearance of wilting symptoms increases in relative water content of treated water stressed plants in comparison to untreated stressed ones, and elevated antioxidant responses. Enhanced antioxidant responses were evident as elevated activities of enzymes such as catalase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase as well as increased accumulation of antioxidants such as carotenoids and ascorbate. Results clearly indicate that the ability of wheat plants to withstand water stress is enhanced by application of these bacteria which also function as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria.

Identifying seedling root architectural traits associated with yield and yield components in wheat.

PubMed

Xie, Quan; Fernando, Kurukulasuriya M C; Mayes, Sean; Sparkes, Debbie L

2017-05-01

Plant roots growing underground are critical for soil resource acquisition, anchorage and plant-environment interactions. In wheat ( Triticum aestivum ), however, the target root traits to improve yield potential still remain largely unknown. This study aimed to identify traits of seedling root system architecture (RSA) associated with yield and yield components in 226 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between the bread wheat Triticum aestivum 'Forno' (small, wide root system) and spelt Triticum spelta 'Oberkulmer' (large, narrow root system). A 'pouch and wick' high-throughput phenotyping pipeline was used to determine the RSA traits of 13-day-old RIL seedlings. Two field experiments and one glasshouse experiment were carried out to investigate the yield, yield components and phenology, followed by identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs). There was substantial variation in RSA traits between genotypes. Seminal root number and total root length were both positively associated with grains m -2 , grains per spike, above-ground biomass m -2 and grain yield. More seminal roots and longer total root length were also associated with delayed maturity and extended grain filling, likely to be a consequence of more grains being defined before anthesis. Additionally, the maximum width of the root system displayed positive relationships with spikes m -2 , grains m -2 and grain yield. Ten RILs selected for the longest total roots exhibited the same effects on yield and phenology as described above, compared with the ten lines with the shortest total roots. Genetic analysis revealed 38 QTLs for the RSA, and QTL coincidence between the root and yield traits was frequently observed, indicating tightly linked genes or pleiotropy, which concurs with the results of phenotypic correlation analysis. Based on the results from the Forno × Oberkulmer population, it is proposed that vigorous early root growth, particularly more seminal roots and longer total