Soil additives immobilising heavy metals in contaminated soils

Addition of iron oxides, lime, clay minerals and other substances can be used to decrease the plant availability of toxic heavy metals such as Pb, Zn, and Cd. Extractability and consequently plant concentrations may be reduced in some cases by more than 50%. The assessment of remediation processes is supported by biomonitoring methods in the field with Plantago lanceolata and in the greenhouse by barley test experiments, in combination with extraction by ammonium nitrate.

Nutrient Analysis and Species Diversity of Alpine Grasslands: A Comparative Analysis of Less Studied Biodiversity Hotspots

The alpine grasslands of Kashmir Himalaya act as a treasure house of floristic biodiversity. They have remained largely unstudied because of their remoteness and inaccessibility. It is imperative to have quantitative studies of these areas to allow the long-term monitoring of flora in these fragile ecosystems. During the present study, nutrient analysis and species diversity of some alpine grasslands were investigated. Electroconductivity (EC) of the soils ranged between 0.12 and 0.33 (dSm−1). With an increase in altitude and precipitation and a decrease in temperature, soil pH and available macro-nutrients (OC, N, P, K) show a considerable decrease. Sixty-six plant species belonging to twenty-nine families and fifty-one genera were reported with members predominantly from the Asteraceae, Rosaceae and Plantaginaceae families. Seven species were common to all study areas and Renyi diversity profiles showed that Kongwattan was the most diverse followed by Poshpathri and Yousmarg. The results of the Sorensen β diversity index showed a relatively lower dissimilarity index among the three studied alpine sites. In the majority of the growth forms, growth initiation was recorded in April, whereas senescence occurred in September. The highest bloom was seen in June-July. The plant species exhibited a greater variability in their phenophases under different environmental conditions and altitudinal gradients. Plants were more vigorous at lower altitudes and showed rapid response to the prevailing conditions. Stoloniferous forbs and tussock forming graminoids such as Sibbaldia cuneata, Trifolium repens, Plantago major, Trifolium pratense, Poa compressa, Poa angustifolia, and Plantago lanceolata showed a greater importance value index (IVI). The sedentary system of livestock rearing at Yousmarg resulted in the decreased density of the palatable species. This study allowed us to conclude that direct knowledge of soil nutrient composition and species diversity in alpine ecosystems can enhance conservation and ensure better management practices over a period of time.

Phytotoxic Effects of Selected Herbal Extracts on the Germination, Growth and Metabolism of Mustard and Oilseed Rape

The use of plants that have high allelopathic potential as natural herbicides in the form of aqueous extracts is gaining popularity in environmentally friendly agriculture. Usually, their effect on the germination and growth of weeds is investigated. However, less attention is paid to the effect of the allelopathic compounds from extracts on cultivated plants. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of herbal extracts that have allelopathic properties on selected physiological and biochemical processes of two plants of great economic importance—white mustard (Sinapis alba L.) and oilseed rape (Brassica napus L. var. oleifera). The extracts were prepared from mountain arnica (Arnica montana L.), ribwort (Plantago lanceolata L.), hypericum (Hypericum perforatum L.), common milfoil (Achillea millefolium L.), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) and sage (Salvia officinalis L.). The germination of white mustard and oilseed rape was most inhibited by the extracts that were prepared from sage and sunflower. Additionally, in the germinating plants, the sunflower extracts increased the membrane permeability, which indicates membrane injuries. The metabolic changes in the plants were monitored using isothermal calorimetry and FT-Raman spectroscopy. The total heat production, which provided information about the metabolic activity of the white mustard and oilseed rape, was decreased the most by the sage extract but generally all of the tested extracts disturbed the shape of the heat emission curves compared to the water control. The impact of the allelopathic compounds that are present in the herbal extracts on the metabolism of the seedlings was clearly visible on the FT-Raman spectra—in the fatty acids and flavonoids range, confirmed using a cluster analysis. In conclusion, the herbal extracts from medicinal plants that have herbicidal activity could be used as a natural herbicide for weed control, but since they may also have negative impacts on cultivated plants, preliminary tests are advisable to find the extract from the species that has the least negative effect on a protected crop.

A Late Würmian and Holocene pollen profile from Tüttensee, Upper Bavaria, as evidence of 15 Millennia of landscape history in the Chiemsee glacier region

A late Würmian and Holocene pollen profile from Tüttensee near Chiemsee, Bavaria, covering 14 millennia of vegetation history, shows the late Würmian reforestation of the area, Holocene woodland development, and later the human impact on the landscape. In the early Holocene a distinct Ulmus phase preceded the Corylus and Quercus expansion. Afterwards, between 6000 and 4000 BCE, Picea was most common. The expansion of Fagus and Abies started at 4000 BCE, together with the decline of Ulmus. Fagus was more common than Abies. From 500 BCE Abies started to decline, Fagus has also declined from 1000 CE onwards. Before the modern times Picea/Pinus phase Quercus is prevailing. The prehistoric human impact is rather weak. A short reforestation phase at ~ 1 BCE – 1 CE hints at the rather complex migration history in this region with so called Celts, Germanic people and Romans involved. Strong human impact indicated by cereals, Plantago lanceolata, other human indicators and deforestation started at 900 CE.

Plant economy of the Trzciniec culture based on charred plant remains from Pielgrzymowice 9 site, in the context of archaeobotanical finds from southern Poland

In the paper, new carpological data from Pielgrzymowice site 9 are presented in the context of archaeobotanical finds from southern Poland. The results were obtained from detailed analyses of 45 samples from 38 archaeological features. Only charred plant remains were taken into account as they are considered contemporaneous with the Middle Bronze Age settlement. Among the cultivated plants, Panicum miliaceum, Triticum dicoccum, Triticum monococcum and Triticum sp. were documented. Among wild plants, several taxa were found, including Chenopodium t. album, Chenopodium sp., Melandrium / Silene, Polygonum lapathifolium and Fallopia convolvulus, among others. In archaeobotanical samples, Geranium sp., cf. Lamiaceae also appeared. In addition, plants typical of grasslands, forests and ruderal areas were noted, such as Coronilla varia, Rumex acetosella, Plantago media, Plantago lanceolata, Stellaria graminea and Hypericum perforatum. These results were compared with data coming from nine sites of the Trzciniec culture from Lesser Poland to track the Middle Bronze Age plant-based economy in southern Poland.

Diversity of the Seed Material of Selected Plant Species of Naturally Valuable Grassland Habitats in Terms of the Prognosis of Introduction Success

The current conservation status of semi-natural grassland habitats in Poland indicates that actions for their restoration are necessary. Many of the degraded sites require the introduction of diaspores of representative species because other methods of improving their condition are not sufficiently effective. Meanwhile, little is known about the diaspores of native wild-flower species and the biology of their seeds. The aim of the present study was to find an answer to the question of which features of the seed material can guarantee the success of the introduction. The study covered 28 plant species of 4 non-forest natural habitats (codes: 6440, 6410, 6510, 6210) occurring in river valleys. Diaspores were collected in 2015–2017. Morphometric measurements of diaspores were performed, the weight of 1000 diaspores was determined and the germination capacity analysis was carried out in accordance with ISTA Rules. The analysis was made with the division into normal seedlings, abnormal seedlings, dead seeds and fresh ungerminated seeds. Species with similar parameters of seed material were selected using the method of hierarchical clustering and PCA analysis. Three groups of species were distinguished: (1) with good seed germination capacity (above 65%), which, regardless of weather conditions during the generative development, and despite the small size of diaspores, can guarantee successful introductions (Verbascum thapsus, Veronica longifolia, Daucus carota, Plantago lanceolata); (2) species of little suitability for introduction, due to the large proportion (over 50%) of dead seeds (Armeria maritima, Linaria vulgaris, Potentilla erecta, Centaurea stoebe, Sanguisorba officinalis, Cnidium dubium); (3) species with relatively large size of diaspores and low seed germination capacity, due to the high proportion of fresh ungerminated seeds which means dormant seeds (Lathyrus pratensis, Geranium pratense).

Quantifying the effect of genetic, environmental and individual demographic stochastic variability for population dynamics in Plantago lanceolata

Simple demographic events, the survival and reproduction of individuals, drive population dynamics. These demographic events are influenced by genetic and environmental parameters, and are the focus of many evolutionary and ecological investigations that aim to predict and understand population change. However, such a focus often neglects the stochastic events that individuals experience throughout their lives. These stochastic events also influence survival and reproduction and thereby evolutionary and ecological dynamics. Here, we illustrate the influence of such non-selective demographic variability on population dynamics using population projection models of an experimental population of Plantago lanceolata. Our analysis shows that the variability in survival and reproduction among individuals is largely due to demographic stochastic variation with only modest effects of differences in environment, genes, and their interaction. Common expectations of population growth, based on expected lifetime reproduction and generation time, can be misleading when demographic stochastic variation is large. Large demographic stochastic variation exhibited within genotypes can lower population growth and slow evolutionary adaptive dynamics. Our results accompany recent investigations that call for more focus on stochastic variation in fitness components, such as survival, reproduction, and functional traits, rather than dismissal of this variation as uninformative noise.

Varied diets: Implications for lamb performance, rumen characteristics, total antioxidant status, and welfare

Intensive pastoral systems have moved away from diverse and varied diets towards overly simple monotonous diets. Feed choice through time is an obsolete way of providing forage to animals, as intensive management schemes generally allocate a single herbage or a dyad mixed sward. Monotonous feeding regimes impose nutritional repetition, which may impair animal performance and welfare. The objective of this experiment was to determine the impact of a diverse diet [DIV; free choice from perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), and chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) at all times], a varied diet [VAR; choice from ryegrass and plantain in the AM (0700 – 1600 h), and chicory and alfalfa in PM (1600 – 0700 h)], and a single forage diet of alfalfa [SFA; alfalfa at all times], on DMI, performance, and welfare of lambs. Six-month-old Coopworth ram lambs (n=21) were offered their respective fresh-forage treatment (n = 7) diet indoors for 20 days. The DIV lambs consumed 1.64 ± 0.03 kg DM/d (mean ± SEm), which was 6% more (P < 0.05; 1.54 ± 0.03 kg DM/d) than the SFA and were not different (P > 0.05; 1.59 ± 0.03 kg DM/d) to the VAR lambs. Average daily gain (ADG) of DIV (296 g/d) and VAR (378 g/d) was 30 and 67 % greater (P < 0.05) compared with the SFA lambs (227 g/d), respectively. The VAR lambs had 28% greater (P < 0.05) ADG than the DIV lambs. Differences among treatments were detected (P < 0.05) for the proportion of the day spent conducting the following behaviors: eating, ruminating, idling, lying, and standing. In addition, the number of bouts of stereotypic behaviors recorded from the SFA lambs (13.2 ± 2.2) was 150% greater (P < 0.05) than the DIV (5.1 ± 1.0) and VAR (5.5 ± 1.0) lambs. Our results suggest that the varied diet offered can improve animal performance and welfare compared to a monotonous SFA diet. Feeding management to provide a varied diet can improve performance relative to giving lambs free choice from taxonomically diverse forage options. Moreover, performance is affected by more than the primary chemical composition of the diet consumed, but how the diet is presented through time and the herbage species and quantities of each that are consumed to reach that chemical composition.

In vivo immunoloprotective potentials of Plantago lanceolata aqueous extract on methotrexate induced albino male mice

This study aimed to evaluate the immunological potential of Plantago lanceolata through determination of (total and absolute count of white blood cell, total count of red blood cell and total count of hemoglobin). The results indicated the ability of plant extract to modulate toxic effect of methotrexate on albino mice by enhancing immunity through all tested parameters All this effect due to the presence of chemical active constituents of plant especially (flavonoid and alkaloids).