Adaptability to local conditions and phylogenetic differentiation of microsymbionts of TGx soybean genotypes in the semi-arid environments of Ghana and South Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 126264
Author(s):  
Jalilatu Ayuba ◽  
Sanjay K Jaiswal ◽  
Mustapha Mohammed ◽  
Nicholas N Denwar ◽  
Felix D Dakora
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Arid Environments ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Soybean Genotypes ◽  
Semi Arid

Estimating the snow-rain transition zone in a semi-arid Andean catchment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Schauwecker ◽  
Gabriel Palma ◽  
Shelley MacDonell ◽  
Katerina Goubanova
Keyword(s):  
Transition Zone ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Arid Environments ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Snow Line ◽  
Snow Cover Extent ◽  
Semi Arid ◽  
Precipitation Events

<p>The height of the snow-rain transition during infrequent but high impact precipitation events, closely related to the 0⁰C-isotherm, is a crucial variable for snow cover extent, high discharge flows and flash floods in semi-arid northern Chile. Estimations of the snow-rain transition zone and its past and future changes are therefore fundamental for adaptation strategies and might eventually serve to develop early warning systems in this region. However, there are important challenges that hinder the assessment of the snow-rain transition zone in semi-arid environments and little is known about past and future changes under different global warming scenarios. For example, there are few radiosonde observations along the Andes and most weather stations are located in valley bottoms, influenced by local conditions and the assumption of free-air temperature lapse rates contributes to the uncertainty. We combine different data sets to estimate the past snow-rain transition zone of our study site, the semi-arid Elqui river catchment. Pictures of the snow line after precipitation events - available from social networks - are used to visually estimate the snow line elevation. These values are in high agreement with vertically extrapolated temperature from meteorological stations. Furthermore, we identified considerable biases between the extrapolated 0⁰C-isotherm from meteorological stations and ERA5 reanalysis data. These large biases are probably due to the lowering of the freezing level over complex terrain and need further analysis. Our results contribute to an improved understanding of the snow-rain transition in this region, but also serve to derive a climatology of this key variable along the Andes mountain range, needed for future projections.</p>

scholarly journals Exogenously Used 24-Epibrassinolide Promotes Drought Tolerance in Maize Hybrids by Improving Plant and Water Productivity in an Arid Environment

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 354
Author(s):  
El-Sayed M. Desoky ◽  
Elsayed Mansour ◽  
Mohamed M. A. Ali ◽  
Mohamed A. T. Yasin ◽  
Mohamed I. E. Abdul-Hamid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Net Photosynthesis ◽  
Antioxidant Enzyme Activities ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Arid Environments ◽  
Maize Hybrids ◽  
Semi Arid

The influence of 24-epibrassinolide (EBR24), applied to leaves at a concentration of 5 μM, on plant physio-biochemistry and its reflection on crop water productivity (CWP) and other agronomic traits of six maize hybrids was field-evaluated under semi-arid conditions. Two levels of irrigation water deficiency (IWD) (moderate and severe droughts; 6000 and 3000 m3 water ha−1, respectively) were applied versus a control (well-watering; 9000 m3 water ha−1). IWD reduced the relative water content, membrane stability index, photosynthetic efficiency, stomatal conductance, and rates of transpiration and net photosynthesis. Conversely, antioxidant enzyme activities and osmolyte contents were significantly increased as a result of the increased malondialdehyde content and electrolyte leakage compared to the control. These negative influences of IWD led to a reduction in CWP and grain yield-related traits. However, EBR24 detoxified the IWD stress effects and enhanced all the above-mentioned parameters. The evaluated hybrids varied in drought tolerance; Giza-168 was the best under moderate drought, while Fine-276 was the best under severe drought. Under IWD, certain physiological traits exhibited a highly positive association with yield and yield-contributing traits or CWP. Thus, exogenously using EBR24 for these hybrids could be an effective approach to improve plant and water productivity under reduced available water in semi-arid environments.

Changing perceptions of the effect of plant phenolics on nutrient supply in the ruminant

1996 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 829 ◽  
Author(s):  
JB Lowry ◽  
CS McSweeney ◽  
B Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Phenolic Compounds ◽  
Acute Toxicity ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Nutrient Supply ◽  
Arid Environments ◽  
Plant Phenolics ◽  
Ruminant Nutrition ◽  
Forage Plants ◽  
Hydrolysable Tannins ◽  
Semi Arid

Mammalian metabolism of plant phenolics, initially studied in monogastric animals, gave an emphasis to their toxic and antinutrient effects. Subsequent studies in tropical ruminants and wild herbivores have highlighted the high levels than can occur in some diets and the extensive microbial modification and degradation that can occur in the tract. This paper reviews aspects of plant phenolics as they relate to ruminant nutrition in tropical or semi-arid environments in which some forage plants contain high levels of phenolic compounds. Effects range from occasional acute toxicity of hydrolysable tannins, to acetate-releasing microbial degradations that apparently enable certain phenolics to act as nutrients. The most important and complex effects are those due to tannin-protein interactions. Although these can clearly reduce feed intake, nutrient digestibilities, and protein availability, many of the interactions are still not understood. The diverse effects of plant phenolics on nutrient flow probably result from the balance between adverse effects on some organisms and the rate at which they are degraded or inactivated by other organisms, and improved animal performance can likely be obtained by manipulation of rumen microbial metabolism.

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