Local plant adaptation across a subarctic elevational gradient

Predicting how plants will respond to global warming necessitates understanding of local plant adaptation to temperature. Temperature may exert selective effects on plants directly, and also indirectly through environmental factors that covary with temperature, notably soil properties. However, studies on the interactive effects of temperature and soil properties on plant adaptation are rare, and the role of abiotic versus biotic soil properties in plant adaptation to temperature remains untested. We performed two growth chamber experiments using soils and Bistorta vivipara bulbil ecotypes from a subarctic elevational gradient (temperature range: ±3 ° C) in northern Sweden to disentangle effects of local ecotype, temperature, and biotic and abiotic properties of soil origin on plant growth. We found partial evidence for local adaption to temperature. Although soil origin affected plant growth, we did not find support for local adaptation to either abiotic or biotic soil properties, and there were no interactive effects of soil origin with ecotype or temperature. Our results indicate that ecotypic variation can be an important driver of plant responses to the direct effects of increasing temperature, while responses to covariation in soil properties are of a phenotypic, rather than adaptive, nature.

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The effect of host community functional traits on plant disease risk varies along an elevational gradient

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.67340 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Author(s):

Fletcher W Halliday ◽

Mikko Jalo ◽

Anna-Liisa Laine

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Environmental Gradients ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Host Community ◽

Interactive Effects ◽

Life History Strategies ◽

Herbaceous Plant ◽

Field Evidence ◽

Increasing Temperature

Quantifying the relative impact of environmental conditions and host community structure on disease is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, as both climate and biodiversity are changing at unprecedented rates. Both increasing temperature and shifting host communities towards more fast-paced life-history strategies are predicted to increase disease, yet their independent and interactive effects on disease in natural communities remains unknown. Here, we address this challenge by surveying foliar disease symptoms in 220, 0.5 meter-diameter herbaceous plant communities along a 1100-meter elevational gradient. We find that increasing temperature associated with lower elevation can increase disease by (1) relaxing constraints on parasite growth and reproduction, (2) determining which host species are present in a given location, and (3) strengthening the positive effect of host community pace-of-life on disease. These results provide the first field evidence, under natural conditions, that environmental gradients can alter how host community structure affects disease.

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Can We Predict How Earthworm Effects on Plant Growth Vary with Soil Properties?

Applied and Environmental Soil Science ◽

10.1155/2010/784342 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 2010 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Kam-Rigne Laossi ◽

Thibaud Decaëns ◽

Pascal Jouquet ◽

Sébastien Barot

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Clayey Soil ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

A Priori ◽

Relative Strength ◽

Plant Responses ◽

Nutrient Contents ◽

Plant Soil ◽

Analytical Approaches

Earthworms are usually assumed to enhance plant growth through different mechanisms which are now clearly identified. It is however difficult to determine their relative importance, and to predict a priori the strength and direction of the effects of a given earthworm species on a given plant. Soil properties are likely to be very influential in determining plant responses to earthworm activities. They are likely to change the relative strength of the various mechanisms involved in plant-earthworm interactions. In this paper, we review the different rationales used to explain changes in earthworm effect due to soil type. Then, we systematically discuss the effect of main soil characteristics (soil texture, OM, and nutrient contents) on the different mechanisms allowing earthworm to influence plant growth. Finally, we identify the main shortcomings in our knowledge and point out the new experimental and meta-analytical approaches that need to be developed. An example of such a meta-analysis is given and means to go further are suggested. The result highlights a strong positive effect size in sandy soil and a weakly negative effect in clayey soil.

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Plastic Mulch Color Effects on Light Micro-environment and Watermelon Plant Growth

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.33.3.474d ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 474d-474

Author(s):

N.K. Damayanthi Ranwala ◽

Dennis R. Decoteau

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Light Transmission ◽

Root Zone ◽

Dry Mass ◽

Plant Responses ◽

Plastic Mulch ◽

Plant Parts ◽

Reflected Light ◽

Total Light ◽

Dry Mass Partitioning

This study was conducted to evaluate the spectral properties of various colored plastic color mulches and to determine the effects of upwardly reflected light from the mulch surfaces on watermelon plant growth when differences in root zone temperatures are minimized. Two-week-old watermelon plants were grown with black mulch, red-painted mulch, SRM-Red mulch (Sonoco, Inc., Harstville, S.C.), and white mulch. Total light reflection (58 μmol·m–2·s–1 in 400–700 nm) and red: far-red (R:FR = 0.44) of reflected light were lower in black mulch and highest in white mulch (634 and 0.92, respectively). Both black mulch and white mulch had same blue:red (B:R = 0.6) while white mulch had higher B:FR (0.58) in reflected light compared to black mulch (0.26). Reflective properties of red mulches were somewhat similar, and R:FR, B:R, and B:FR were 0.8, 0.2, and 0.18, respectively. However, SRM-Red mulch had highest total light (355 μmol·m–2·s–1 in 400–700 nm) transmission through the mulch, and R:FR, B:R, and B:FR were 0.84, 0.28, and 0.23, respectively. Light transmission through the other mulches was nonsignificant. Watermelon plants grown with black mulch and red mulches had higher internode lengths compared to white mulch after 20 days. Further, plants grown under black had significant higher petiole elongation accompanied with higher dry mass partitioning to petioles, and lower partitioning to roots, stems, and leaves. There was no effects of surface mulch color on total plant dry mass or photosynthesis although plants with black had higher transpiration rate. This suggests the differential regulation of dry mass partitioning among plant parts due to mulch color. The similar plant responses with black mulch and white mulch to plants treated with FR or R light at the end of photoperiod implies the involvement of phytochrome regulation of growth due to mulch surface color.

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Interactive effects of conservation tillage, residue management, and nitrogen fertilizer application on soil properties under maize-cotton rotation system on highly weathered soils of West Africa

Soil and Tillage Research ◽

10.1016/j.still.2019.104473 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 196 ◽

pp. 104473 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Eeusha Nafi ◽

Heidi Webber ◽

Isaac Danso ◽

Jesse B. Naab ◽

Michael Frei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Nitrogen Fertilizer ◽

Conservation Tillage ◽

Fertilizer Application ◽

Residue Management ◽

Interactive Effects ◽

Rotation System ◽

Weathered Soils ◽

Highly Weathered Soils

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Sewage sludge application enhances soil properties and rice growth in a salt-affected mudflat soil

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-80358-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yuhua Shan ◽

Min Lv ◽

Wengang Zuo ◽

Zehui Tang ◽

Cheng Ding ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sewage Sludge ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Root Growth ◽

Soil Fertility ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soluble Sugar ◽

Soil Reclamation ◽

Rice Growth ◽

Promote Plant Growth

AbstractThe most important measures for salt-affected mudflat soil reclamation are to reduce salinity and to increase soil organic carbon (OC) content and thus soil fertility. Salinity reduction is often accomplished through costly freshwater irrigation by special engineering measures. Whether fertility enhancement only through one-off application of a great amount of OC can improve soil properties and promote plant growth in salt-affected mudflat soil remains unclear. Therefore, the objective of our indoor pot experiment was to study the effects of OC amendment at 0, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.5%, calculated from carbon content, by one-off application of sewage sludge on soil properties, rice yield, and root growth in salt-affected mudflat soil under waterlogged conditions. The results showed that the application of sewage sludge promoted soil fertility by reducing soil pH and increasing content of OC, nitrogen and phosphorus in salt-affected mudflat soil, while soil electric conductivity (EC) increased with increasing sewage sludge (SS) application rates under waterlogged conditions. In this study, the rice growth was not inhibited by the highest EC of 4.43 dS m−1 even at high doses of SS application. The SS application increased yield of rice, promoted root growth, enhanced root activity and root flux activity, and increased the soluble sugar and amino acid content in the bleeding sap of rice plants at the tillering, jointing, and maturity stages. In conclusion, fertility enhancement through organic carbon amendment can “offset” the adverse effects of increased salinity and promote plant growth in salt-affected mudflat soil under waterlogged conditions.

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Correlation of pH on Soil Physicochemical Properties using Linear Regression Model for Spectral Data Analysis

International Journal of Advanced Remote Sensing and GIS ◽

10.23953/cloud.ijarsg.504 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 3492-3500

Author(s):

Vipin Y. Borole ◽

◽

Sonali B. Kulkarni ◽

Keyword(s):

Linear Regression ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Physicochemical Properties ◽

Regression Model ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Spectral Data ◽

Linear Regression Model ◽

Soil Analysis ◽

Soil Physicochemical Properties ◽

Analytical Technique

Soil properties may be varied by spatially and temporally with different agricultural practices. An accurate and reliable soil properties assessment is challenging issue in soil analysis. The soil properties assessment is very important for understanding the soil properties, nutrient management, influence of fertilizers and relation between soil properties which are affecting the plant growth. Conventional laboratory methods used to analyses soil properties are generally impractical because they are time-consuming, expensive and sometimes imprecise. On other hand, Visible and infrared spectroscopy can effectively characterize soil. Spectroscopic measurements are rapid, precise and inexpensive. Soil spectroscopy has shown to be a fast, cost-effective, environmentally friendly, non-destructive, reproducible and repeatable analytical technique. In the present research, we use spectroscopy techniques for soil properties analysis. The spectra of agglomerated farming soils were acquired by the ASD Field spec 4 spectroradiometer. Different fertilizers treatment applied soil samples are collected in pre monsoon and post monsoon season for 2 year (4 season) for banana and cotton crops in the form of DS-I and DS-II respectively. The soil spectra of VNIR region were preprocessed to get pure spectra. Then process the acquired spectral data by statistical methods for quantitative analysis of soil properties. The detected soil properties were carbon, Nitrogen, soil organic matter, pH, phosphorus, potassium, moisture sand, silt and clay. Soil pH is most important chemical properties that describe the relative acidity or alkalinity of the soil. It directly effect on plant growth and other soil properties. The relationship between pH properties on soil physical and chemical parameters and their influence were analyses by using linear regression model and show the performance of regression model with R2 and RMSE. Keywords soil; physicochemical properties; spectroscopy; pH

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EFFECTS OF LIME ON EXTRACTABLE ALUMINUM AND OTHER SOIL PROPERTIES AND ON BARLEY AND ALFALFA GROWN IN POT TESTS

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/cjss72-054 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 52 (3) ◽

pp. 427-438 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

A. J. MacLEAN ◽

R. L. HALSTEAD ◽

B. J. FINN

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Ph ◽

Acid Soil ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Neutral Salt ◽

Incubation Experiment ◽

Pot Experiments ◽

P Content ◽

Mn Content

Liming of six acid soil samples in an incubation experiment with rates to raise the soil pH to 6.0 or above eliminated Al soluble in 0.01 M CaCl2, reduced soluble Mn and Zn, increased NO3-N markedly, and at the highest pH increased the amounts of NaHCO3-soluble P in some of the soils. In corresponding pot experiments, liming increased the yield of alfalfa and in three of the soils the yield of barley also. Liming reduced the concentrations of the metals in the plants and at the highest pH tended to increase the P content of the plants. Liming to a pH of about 5.3 eliminated or greatly reduced soluble Al and the soils were base saturated as measured by the replacement of Al, Ca, and Mg by a neutral salt. There was some evidence that liming to reduce soluble Al and possibly Mn was beneficial for plant growth. Gypsum increased the concentrations of Al, Mn, and Zn in 0.01 M CaCl2 extracts of the soils whereas phosphate reduced them. The changes in the Mn content of the plants following these treatments were in agreement with the amounts of Mn in the CaCl2 extracts.

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