Plant functional trait variability and trait syndromes among wheat (Triticum aestivum) varieties: the footprint of artificial selection

Author(s):  
A A M Cantarel ◽  
V Allard ◽  
B Andrieu ◽  
S Barot ◽  
J Enjalbert ◽  
...  

Abstract Although widely used in ecology, trait-based approaches are seldom applied to study agroecosystems. In particular, how functional trait variability among varieties of a crop species compares to the variability among wild plant species and how variety selection can modify trait syndromes needs to be evaluated. Here, we quantified 18 above- and belowground functional traits for 57 varieties of common wheat, representative of different modern selection histories. We compared trait variability between varieties and between Pooideae species and analyzed the effect of selection histories on trait values and trait syndromes. For traits under strong selection, trait variability among varieties was less than 10% of the variability observed between Pooideae species. But for traits not directly selected like root N uptake capacities, the variability was up to 75% of the variability among Pooideae species. Ammonium absorption capacity by roots was counter-selected for conventional varieties as compared to organic varieties and landraces. Artificial selection also altered some trait syndromes classically reported for Pooideae. Identifying traits for which high or low variability is present among varieties and characterizing the hidden effects of selection on trait values and syndromes will benefit the selection of varieties to be used especially for lower N input agroecosystems.

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 229
Author(s):  
Daniel Lizzi ◽  
Alessandro Mattiello ◽  
Barbara Piani ◽  
Emanuele Gava ◽  
Guido Fellet ◽  
...  

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (nCeO2) have a wide variety of applications in industry. Models demonstrated that nCeO2 can reach environmental compartments. Studies regarding the relationships between plants and nCeO2 considered only crop species, whereas a relevant knowledge gap exists regarding wild plant species. Specimens of Silene flos-cuculi (Caryophyllaceae) were grown in greenhouse conditions in a substrate amended with a single dose (D1) and two and three doses (D2 and D3) of 20 mg kg−1 and 200 mg kg−1nCeO2 suspensions, respectively. sp-ICP-MS and ICP-MS data demonstrated that nCeO2 was taken up by plant roots and translocated towards aerial plant fractions. Biometric variables showed that plants responded negatively to the treatments with a shortage in biomass of roots and stems. Although not at relevant concentrations, Ce was accumulated mainly in roots and plant leaves.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa M. García ◽  
Jesús Martínez-Fernández ◽  
Antonio Rodríguez ◽  
Ana de la Torre

Abstract Background Antibiotics used to treat livestock species enter agricultural fields when they are excreted by grazing animals or are present in manure that is added to fields as fertiliser. In the European Union, the potential effects of such antibiotics on terrestrial plants must be evaluated following the standardised OECD 208 method, which specifies the crop and wild species that should serve as “sentinels” for assessing antibiotic exposure. The present study aimed to compare this approved list of sentinel species against crop and wild plant species actually present in agricultural and pasture lands in Mediterranean Europe in order to identify the most appropriate sentinel plants for the region. The study focused on Spain as a region representative of Mediterranean Europe. Georeferenced layers for wild plant species and cultivated areas (crops), livestock density and land cover were combined, and then selection criteria were applied, leading to the identification of sentinel crop species for agriculture and pasture scenarios. Results In the agriculture scenario, the sentinel crop species were barley, wheat, corn, sunflower, dried pie, alfalfa, vetch, oilseed rape and sugar beet; the sentinel wild species were Papaver rhoeas, Galium aparine and Chenopodium album. In the pasture scenario, sentinel wild species were Bromus tectorum, Agrostis capillaris, Trifolium pratense, Lotus corniculatus and Galium aparine. The following common weed species in field boundaries or in pasture lands also emerged as potential sentinel species for risk assessment, even though they are not listed in the OECD 208 method: Sonchus oleraceus, Avena sterilis, Dactylis glomerata, Hordeun murinum and Lolium rigidum. Conclusions The sentinel species identified in this study may be useful in risk assessment procedures covering Mediterranean Europe. The method developed for this study could be useful for identifying sentinel species for other geographical areas.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Delphine M. Pott ◽  
Sara Durán-Soria ◽  
Sonia Osorio ◽  
José G. Vallarino

AbstractPlant quality trait improvement has become a global necessity due to the world overpopulation. In particular, producing crop species with enhanced nutrients and health-promoting compounds is one of the main aims of current breeding programs. However, breeders traditionally focused on characteristics such as yield or pest resistance, while breeding for crop quality, which largely depends on the presence and accumulation of highly valuable metabolites in the plant edible parts, was left out due to the complexity of plant metabolome and the impossibility to properly phenotype it. Recent technical advances in high throughput metabolomic, transcriptomic and genomic platforms have provided efficient approaches to identify new genes and pathways responsible for the extremely diverse plant metabolome. In addition, they allow to establish correlation between genotype and metabolite composition, and to clarify the genetic architecture of complex biochemical pathways, such as the accumulation of secondary metabolites in plants, many of them being highly valuable for the human diet. In this review, we focus on how the combination of metabolomic, transcriptomic and genomic approaches is a useful tool for the selection of crop varieties with improved nutritional value and quality traits.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 451
Author(s):  
Moritz von Cossel ◽  
Lorena Agra Pereira ◽  
Iris Lewandowski

The global demand for plant biomass to provide bioenergy and heat is continuously increasing because of a growing interest among many industrialized and developing countries towards climate sound and renewable energy supply. The exacerbation of land-use conflicts proliferates social-ecological demands on future bioenergy cropping systems. Perennial herbaceous wild plant mixtures (WPMs) represent an approach to providing social-ecologically more sustainably produced biogas substrate that has gained increasing public and political interest only in recent years. The focus of this study lies on three perennial wild plant species (WPS) that usually dominate the biomass yield performance of WPM cultivation. These WPS were compared with established biogas crops in terms of their substrate-specific methane yield (SMY) and lignocellulosic composition. The plant samples were investigated in a small-scale mesophilic discontinuous biogas batch test for determining the SMY. All WPS were found to have significantly lower SMY (241.5–248.5 lN kgVS−1) than maize (337.5 lN kgVS−1). This was attributed to higher contents of lignin (9.7–12.8% of dry matter) as well as lower contents of hemicellulose (9.9–11.5% of dry matter) in the WPS. Only minor, non-significant differences to cup plant and Virginia mallow were observed. Thus, when planning WPS as a diversification measure in biogas cropping systems, their lower SMY should be considered.


Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Aurelia Scarano ◽  
Teodoro Semeraro ◽  
Marcello Chieppa ◽  
Angelo Santino

Neglected and underutilized species (NUS) are cultivated, semi-domesticated, or wild plant species, not included in the group of the major staple crops, since, in most cases, they do not meet the global market requirements. As they often represent resilient species and valuable sources of vitamins, micronutrients, and other phytochemicals, a wider use of NUS would enhance sustainability of agro-systems and a choice of nutritious foods with a strategic role for addressing the nutritional security challenge across Europe. In this review, we focused on some examples of NUS from the Apulia Region (Southern Italy), either cultivated or spontaneously growing species, showing interesting adaptative, nutritional, and economical potential that can be exploited and properly enhanced in future programs.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 335
Author(s):  
Daniel Lizzi ◽  
Alessandro Mattiello ◽  
Alessio Adamiano ◽  
Guido Fellet ◽  
Emanuele Gava ◽  
...  

Most current studies on the relationships between plans and engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are focused on food crops, while the effects on spontaneous plants have been neglected so far. However, from an ecological perspective, the ENMs impacts on the wild plants could have dire consequences on food webs and ecosystem services. Therefore, they should not be considered less critical. A pot trial was carried out in greenhouse conditions to evaluate the growth of Holcus lanatus L. (monocot) and Diplotaxis tenuifolia L. DC. (dicot) exposed to cerium oxide nanoparticles (nCeO2). Plants were grown for their entire cycle in a substrate amended with 200 mg kg−1nCeO2 having the size of 25 nm and 50 nm, respectively. nCeO2 were taken up by plant roots and then translocated towards leaf tissues of both species. However, the mean size of nCeO2 found in the roots of the species was different. In D. tenuifolia, there was evidence of more significant particle aggregation compared to H. lanatus. Further, biomass variables (dry weight of plant fractions and leaf area) showed that plant species responded differently to the treatments. In the experimental conditions, there were recorded stimulating effects on plant growth. However, nutritional imbalances for macro and micronutrients were observed, as well.


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