Vegetation-soil-microbiota dynamics across a 50-year reconstructed grassland chronosequence on the Loess Plateau of China.

Alfalfa ( L.) establishment is an effective strategy for grassland reconstruction in degraded ecosystems. However, the mechanisms underlying vegetation succession in reconstructed grasslands following alfalfa establishment remain elusive.

Long-term alfalfa planting mediates the coupling of soil water and organic carbon storage in a semi-arid area of the Loess Plateau, China.

The key to restoring arid and semi-arid ecosystems is maintaining soil water and organic carbon contents. Alfalfa ( L.) is a high-yield perennial forage crop and performs ecological functions as a drought-resistance leguminous herb.

Exogenous melatonin promotes salt tolerance in smooth bromegrass seedlings: physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic evidence.

Soil salinization, which severely limits crop yield and quality, has become a global environmental and resource issue. Melatonin plays an important role in plant responses to salt stress. Smooth bromegrass is an important forage with excellent feed value and is widely grown in northern and north-west China for pasture and sand binding.

Biological Decline of Alfalfa Is Accompanied by Negative Succession of Rhizosphere Soil Microbial Communities.

The growth and biological decline of alfalfa may be linked to the rhizosphere microbiome. However, plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere of alfalfa and associated microbial community variations with stand age remain elusive. This study explored the successional pattern of rhizosphere microbial communities across different aged alfalfa stands and its relationship with alfalfa decline.

Genome-wide identification and expression pattern analysis of the Aux/IAA (auxin/indole-3-acetic acid) gene family in alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and the potential functions under drought stress.

Background: Auxin/induced-3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA) is an important plant hormone that affects plant growth and resistance to abiotic stresses. Drought stress is a vital factor in reducing plant biomass yield and production quality. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.

Genome-wide identification of B-box zinc finger (BBX) gene family in Medicago sativa and their roles in abiotic stress responses.

Background: B-box (BBX) family is a class of zinc finger transcription factors (TFs) that play essential roles in regulating plant growth, development, as well as abiotic stress. However, no systematic analysis of BBX genes has yet been conducted in alfalfa (Medica go sativa L.), and their functions have not been elucidated up to now.

Transcriptome analysis and physiological changes in the leaves of two L. genotypes in response to salt stress.

Soil salinity is a major factor threatening the production of crops around the world. Smooth bromegrass ( L.) is a high-quality grass in northern and northwestern China.

Genome-wide investigation and expression analysis of gene family in response to abiotic stress in alfalfa.

Alfalfa is an excellent leguminous forage crop that is widely cultivated worldwide, but its yield and quality are often affected by drought and soil salinization. Hyperosmolality-gated calcium-permeable channel (OSCA) proteins are hyperosmotic calcium ion (Ca) receptors that play an essential role in regulating plant growth, development, and abiotic stress responses. However, no systematic analysis of the gene family has been conducted in alfalfa.

Effects of exogenous melatonin on growth and physiological characteristics of seedlings under drought stress.

To clarify the alleviation effect of exogenous melatonin (MT) on under drought stress, we examined the response of 'Yanchi' seedlings to simulated drought stress with polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG-6000), by investigating the effects of exogenous addition of different concentrations (0, 1, 10, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg·L) of MT on seedlings growth and physiological characteristics under drought stress. The results showed that drought stress significantly inhibited the growth of seedlings, and that exogenous addition of different concentrations of MT could alleviate the growth inhibition caused by drought stress, with the strongest mitigation effect observed at MT concentration of 100 mg·L. Compared with the drought stress treatment alone, exogenous addition of 100 mg·L MT under drought stress increased plant height, aboveground dry weight, and leaf relative water content by 58.

Osmotic stress-induced lignin synthesis is regulated at multiple levels in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.).

Alfalfa is an important forage crop. Yield and quality are frequently threatened by extreme environments such as drought and salt stress. As a component of the cell wall, lignin plays an important role in the abiotic stress response, the mechanisms of which have not been well clarified.

Exogenous melatonin ameliorates drought stress in by regulating flavonoid biosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism.

Drought is one of the most common abiotic stressors in plants. Melatonin (MT) is a high-efficiency and low-toxicity growth regulator that plays an important role in plant responses to drought stress. As a wild relative of wheat, has become an important species for the improvement of degraded grasslands and the replanting of sandy grasslands.

Identification of Competing Endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) Network Associated with Drought Tolerance in with Rhizobium Symbiosis.

Drought, bringing the risks of agricultural production losses, is becoming a globally environmental stress. Previous results suggested that legumes with nodules exhibited superior drought tolerance compared with the non-nodule group. To investigate the molecular mechanism of rhizobium symbiosis impacting drought tolerance, transcriptome and sRNAome sequencing were performed to identify the potential mRNA-miRNA-ncRNA dynamic network.

Exogenous Proline Improves Salt Tolerance of Alfalfa through Modulation of Antioxidant Capacity, Ion Homeostasis, and Proline Metabolism.

Alfalfa ( L.) is an important forage crop, and its productivity is severely affected by salt stress. Although proline is a compatible osmolyte that plays an important role in regulating plant abiotic stress resistance, the basic mechanism of proline requires further clarification regarding the effect of proline in mitigating the harmful effects of salinity.

[Effects of deficit irrigation on seed production performance and water use efficiency of two native plant species in arid areas].

Scientific irrigation is of great significance to plant seed production. With two excellent native plant species in desert steppe, and , as the objects, and full irrigation as the control, we explored the effects of deficit irrigation in different growth stages on the seed production and water use efficiency (WUE) of those two species. The results showed that, compared with the control, soil water content of both species decreased under deficit irrigation.

Comparative Physiological and Transcriptome Analysis Reveal the Molecular Mechanism of Melatonin in Regulating Salt Tolerance in Alfalfa ( L.).

As a high-quality legume forage, alfalfa is restricted by various abiotic stresses during its growth and development. Melatonin is a multifunctional signaling molecule that involves in plant defense against multiple stresses. However, little is known about its downstream signaling pathway and regulatory mechanisms in salt stress of alfalfa.