Publications by authors named "Antonio Montagnoli"

Article Synopsis
  • *This study explored the long-term impact of biochar on grapevine roots and soil properties, revealing that while biochar improves soil quality (pH, nutrient content, and water retention), it can also reduce the production of fibrous and pioneer roots over time.
  • *The results indicate that biochar promotes a more efficient root system, allowing grapevines to allocate resources towards growth and productivity, which might be beneficial for sustainable agricultural practices in the context of climate change.
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Background: Understanding how trees develop their root systems is crucial for the comprehension of how wildland and urban forest ecosystems plastically respond to disturbances such as harvest, fire, and climate change. The interplay between the endogenously determined root traits and the response to environmental stimuli results in tree adaptations to biotic and abiotic factors, influencing stability, carbon allocation, and nutrient uptake. Combining the three-dimensional structure of the root system, with root morphological trait information promotes a robust understanding of root function and adaptation plasticity.

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Afforestation success is measured by the tree establishment and growth capacity which contribute to a range of ecosystem services. In the Mongolian steppe, and have been tested as candidate species for large afforestation programs, by analyzing their response to a combination of irrigation and fertilization treatments. While in temperate and Mediterranean forest ecosystems, xylogenetic studies provide insight into the trees' plasticity and adaptability, this type of knowledge is non-existent in semi-arid regions, whose climatic features are expected to become a global issue.

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  • Introducing plants into biophilic indoor environments is key for enhancing human health and performance, but they often struggle under LED-sourced CoeLux lighting due to poor growth conditions.
  • Research explored various strategies, including different growth media and fertilizers, to improve plant health under these unique lighting systems.
  • Results showed that using biochar in soil, along with mirror reflections and continuous light exposure, significantly improved plant biomass, leaf size, and overall growth metrics.
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The eradication of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) is mandatory worldwide, but the resulting biomass is still considered waste. The energy use of biomasses obtained from IAPS eradication may represent ecological and economic benefits, creating synergies with restoration projects. We evaluated whether the growth forms and functional types identified using the functional space of 63 IAPS corresponded to a possible bioenergy use through multivariate analysis techniques.

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  • The accumulation of salts in soil, known as salinization, adversely affects essential crops like rice, maize, and wheat, necessitating the development of biotechnological solutions.
  • A promising approach involves using halotolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to aid maize seedlings in surviving and growing in saline conditions by enhancing root colonization and nutrient uptake.
  • Research findings indicate that inoculating maize seeds with PGPR not only boosts biomass and sodium tolerance but also mitigates oxidative stress, improving overall plant growth and root structure in saline environments.
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After an unusual, late-fall wildfire in a European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest in the pre-Alps of northern Italy, the finest roots (0‒0.3 mm diameter) were generally the most responsive to fire, with the effect more pronounced at the shallowest soil depth.

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  • Investigating how plants respond to artificial biophilic lighting is important for improving indoor plant environments and understanding their metabolism, particularly in aromatic plants.
  • A study compared growth performance and essential oils (EOs) composition of two aromatic plants grown under CoeLux lighting—simulating natural sunlight—versus traditional high-pressure sodium lamps.
  • Results showed that plants under CoeLux had lower biomass but larger leaf areas, with limited differences in EOs compared to control groups, suggesting CoeLux can be beneficial for indoor biophilic designs, especially if light intensity is increased for better growth.
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We aimed to understand the effect of mulching (i.e., cutting and leaving the crushed biomass to decompose in situ) on above- and below-ground plant functional traits and whether this practice may be a potential tool for enhancing the phytoremediation of lowland hay meadows.

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  • The study examined the traits of tree coarse roots used for afforestation in Mongolia's semi-arid steppe, focusing on various watering regimes and types of soil fertilization.
  • Root length increased with higher watering levels, while fertilization generally suppressed root growth and reduced rooting depth.
  • Unfertilized trees showed better adaptability in root diameter to wind, suggesting a need for understanding root responses in afforestation practices to improve resilience against climate change.
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Using specific photoreceptors, plants can sense light signals fundamental to their growth and development under changing light conditions. Phytochromes sense red and far-red light, cryptochromes and phototropins sense UV-A and blue light, while the UVR8 gene senses UV-B signals. The study of the molecular mechanisms used by plants to respond to artificial biophilic lighting is of pivotal importance for the implementation of biophilic approaches in indoor environments.

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  • Desertification is hindering reforestation in Mongolia, largely due to insufficient technical knowledge, financial support, and irregular rainfall.
  • The study tested different irrigation (0, 2, 4, and 8 L/h) and fertilization (with NPK and compost) treatments on plant growth metrics for two species, finding that 4 or 8 L/h irrigation combined with fertilizers improved leaf area and biomass.
  • Optimal strategies for irrigation and fertilization in arid regions were identified, with findings aiding in sustainable forest management practices in such ecosystems.
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  • Mechanical stress on tree roots leads to the production of reaction wood and new branch roots, enabling trees to avoid damage and anchorage failure, driven by the vascular cambium's responses to mechanical forces.
  • The vascular cambium can assess the direction and magnitude of mechanical stress, coordinating responses even from distant meristematic cells through signaling, possibly via plasmodesmata that connect them.
  • The concept of a "meristematic connectome" is introduced, suggesting all meristems within a plant function as an interconnected system that allows for long-distance communication and adaptation to environmental changes throughout the plant's life.
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The CoeLux lighting system reproduces the true effect of natural sunlight entering through an opening in the ceiling, with a realistic sun perceived at an infinite distance surrounded by a clear blue sky. It has already been demonstrated that this new lighting system generates long-term positive effects on human beings; however, there are no investigations so far concerning the plant responses to CoeLux lighting. To fill this gap, the model plant L.

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Desertification of the semi-arid steppe of Mongolia is advancing very rapidly, motivating afforestation efforts. The "Green Belt" joint project (Government of Mongolia and Republic of Korea), which aims to mitigate soil degradation and develop agroforestry activities through the planting of a forest shelterbelt, is one such response. In these plantations, tree growth has been supported by different watering regimes (no watering, 2, 4, and 8 L h) and by two types of soil fertilization (NPK and Compost).

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  • Reaction wood (RW) is formed by woody plants as a response to mechanical stresses, helping to reinforce structure and direct growth vertically.
  • The study compared how stems and roots respond to bending, focusing on hormone distribution and RW characteristics.
  • Results showed that RW in stems forms on the upper convex side, while in roots it forms on the lower concave side, with distinct anatomical and chemical differences tied to hormone signaling.
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Despite the large amounts of data available on lateral root formation, little is known about their initiation from secondary structures. In the present work, we applied a bending treatment to Populus nigra (L.) woody taproots to induce the formation of new lateral roots.

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  • The study examines how biochar improves soil properties and affects the growth patterns of grapevine roots throughout the planting season.
  • Biochar treatment enhances soil pH, nutrient levels, and moisture while decreasing bulk density, benefiting root development.
  • Pioneer grapevine roots grow thicker and faster than fibrous roots, with biochar leading to earlier growth and better canopy development, but later results in fewer fibrous roots due to increased soil moisture availability.
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The coarse roots of included in the cage are the ones most involved in tree stability. This study explored the variations in traits, such as volume, cross-sectional area, and radius length of cage roots, and used those data to develop a mathematical model to better understand the type of forces occurring for each shallow lateral root segment belonging to different quadrants of the three-dimensional (3D) root system architecture. The pattern and intensity of these forces were modelled along the root segment from the branching point to the cage edge.

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  • We studied tree root systems on a steep, volcanic ash-influenced slope in the northern Rocky Mountains after they had been planted as seedlings 32 years earlier.
  • Trees showed a tendency to develop more roots in the downslope and windward areas, likely for increased stability against mechanical forces.
  • We discovered different types of root cages and specialty roots, which enhance their ability to withstand compression from environmental stresses, contributing to our understanding of how trees adapt their roots in response to changing climates.
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A plant phenotyping approach was applied to evaluate growth rate of containerized tree seedlings during the precultivation phase following seed germination. A simple and affordable stereo optical system was used to collect stereoscopic red-green-blue (RGB) images of seedlings at regular intervals of time. Comparative analysis of these images by means of a newly developed software enabled us to calculate (a) the increments of seedlings height and (b) the percentage greenness of seedling leaves.

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Background and Aims Progress has been made in understanding the physiological and molecular basis of root response to mechanical stress, especially in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, in which bending causes the initiation of lateral root primordia toward the convex side of the bent root. In the case of woody roots, it has been reported that mechanical stress induces an asymmetric distribution of lateral roots and reaction wood formation, but the mechanisms underlying these responses are largely unknown. In the present work, the hypothesis was tested that bending could determine an asymmetric response in the two sides of the main root axis as cells are stretched on the convex side and compressed on the concave side.

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