improves phosphorus uptake and the growth of under phosphorus-deficient conditions.

Introduction: Phosphorus (P) readily forms insoluble complexes in soil, thereby inhibiting the absorption and utilization of this essential nutrient by plants. Phosphorus deficiency can significantly impede the growth of forage grass. While () has been recognized for promoting the assimilation of otherwise unobtainable nutrients, its impact on P uptake remains understudied.

Effect of Trichoderma viride on insoluble phosphorus absorption ability and growth of Melilotus officinalis.

Phosphorus (Pi) deficiency is a major factor of limiting plant growth. Using Phosphate-solubilizing microorganism (PSM) in synergy with plant root system which supply soluble Pi to plants is an environmentally friendly and efficient way to utilize Pi. Trichoderma viride (T.

Changes in mass allocation play a more prominent role than morphology in resource acquisition of the rhizomatous Leymus chinensis under drought stress.

Background And Aims: Plants can respond to drought by changing their relative investments in the biomass and morphology of each organ. The aims of this study were to quantify the relative contribution of changes in morphology vs. allocation and determine how they affect each other.

Differences in Organic Solute and Metabolites of in Response to Different Intensities of Salt and Alkali Stress.

To explore differences in the physiological metabolic response mechanisms of grassland perennial plants to different intensities of salt-alkali stress, we employed GC-MS to identify the metabolome of perennial rhizome-saline-tolerant (). reduced stress damage by accumulating osmotic solutes during salt-alkali stress, although the types of accumulated solutes varied with stress and concentration gradients. Soluble sugars increased only under mild salt-alkali stress.

The Shift in Key Functional Traits Caused by Precipitation under Nitrogen and Phosphorus Deposition Drives Biomass Change in .

The trade-offs between key functional traits in plants have a decisive impact on biomass production. However, how precipitation and nutrient deposition affect the trade-offs in traits and, ultimately, productivity is still unclear. In the present study, a mesocosm experiment was conducted to explore the relationships between biomass production and the aboveground and belowground key functional traits and their trade-offs under changes in precipitation and nutrient depositions in , a monodominant perennial rhizome grass widespread in the eastern Eurasian steppe.

Physiological and Metabolic Responses of Seedlings to Alkali Stress.

To elucidate the physiological and metabolic mechanism of perennial grass responses to alkali stress, we selected (), a salt-tolerant perennial rhizomatous species of the family Poaceae as experimental material. We conducted a pot experiment in a greenhouse and measured the biomass, physiological characteristics, metabonomic, and corresponding metabolites. Our results showed that alkali stress significantly inhibited seedling growth and photosynthesis, which caused ion imbalance and carbon deficiency, but the alkali stress significantly increased the nitrogen and ATP contents.

Improved Utilization of Nitrate Nitrogen Through Within-Leaf Nitrogen Allocation Trade-Offs in .

The Sharply increasing atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition may substantially impact the N availability and photosynthetic capacity of terrestrial plants. Determining the trade-off relationship between within-leaf N sources and allocation is therefore critical for understanding the photosynthetic response to nitrogen deposition in grassland ecosystems. We conducted field experiments to examine the effects of inorganic nitrogen addition (sole NH , sole NO and mixed NH /NO : 50%/50%) on N assimilation and allocation by .

Responses of soil N O emissions and their abiotic and biotic drivers to altered rainfall regimes and co-occurring wet N deposition in a semi-arid grassland.

Global change factors such as changed rainfall regimes and nitrogen (N) deposition contribute to increases in the emission of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N O) from the soil. In previous research, N deposition has often been simulated by using a single or a series of N addition events over the course of a year, but wet N deposition actually co-occurs with rainfall. How soil N O emissions respond to altered rainfall amount and frequency, wet N deposition, and their interactions is still not fully understood.

Moderately prolonged dry intervals between precipitation events promote production in Leymus chinensis in a semi-arid grassland of Northeast China.

Background: Climate change is predicted to lead to changes in the amount and distribution of precipitation during the growing seasonal. This "repackaging" of rainfall could be particularly important for grassland productivity. Here, we designed a two-factor full factorial experiment (three levels of precipitation amount and six levels of dry intervals) to investigate the effect of precipitation patterns on biomass production in Leymus chinensis (Trin.

Effects of seed size and bract of on germination and seedling growth under drought stress.

Drought is a crucial factor affecting seed germination and seedling growth of desert plants. In the study, we examined the effects of seed size (large, small) and bract (without bracts, with bracts) on seed germination and seedling growth of , a perennial super xerophyte semi-shrub, under different drought levels (0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 g·L PEG6000). The results showed that drought stress significantly inhibited seed germination and reduced shoot length of seedlings.

Resistance strategies of (common reed) to Pb pollution in flood and drought conditions.

Resistance strategies of clonal organs, and parent and offspring shoots of (common reed) to heavy metal pollution in soils are not well known. To clarify the tolerance or resistance strategies in reeds, we conducted a pot experiment with five levels of Pb concentration (0∼4,500 mg kg) in flood and drought conditions. Lead toxicity had no inhibitory effect on the number of offspring shoots in flood environment; however, biomass accumulation, and photosynthetic and clonal growth parameters were inhibited in both water environment.

Increased productivity in wet years drives a decline in ecosystem stability with nitrogen additions in arid grasslands.

Adding nutrients to nutrient-limited ecosystems typically lowers plant diversity and decreases species asynchrony. Both, in turn, decrease the stability of productivity in the response to negative climate fluctuations such as droughts. However, most classic studies examining stability have been done in relatively wet grasslands dominated by perennial grasses.

Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the growth, photosynthesis and photosynthetic pigments of Leymus chinensis seedlings under salt-alkali stress and nitrogen deposition.

Leymus chinensis is the most promising grass species for salt-alkaline grassland restoration in northern China. However, little information exists concerning the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis in the adaptation of seedlings to salt-alkali stress, particularly under increased nitrogen deposition, which has become a major environmental problem throughout the world. In this study, Leymus chinensis seedlings were cultivated in soil with 0, 100 and 200mM NaCl/NaHCO under two forms of nitrogen (10mM NHNO or NHCl: NHNO=3:1), and the root colonization, growth and photosynthetic characteristics of the seedlings were measured.

Optimum harvest maturity for Leymus chinensis seed.

Timely harvest is critical to achieve maximum seed viability and vigour in agricultural production. However, little information exists concerning how to reap the best quality seeds of Leymus chinensis, which is the dominant and most promising grass species in the Songnen Grassland of Northern China. The objective of this study was to investigate and evaluate possible quality indices of the seeds at different days after peak anthesis.

Lemmas induce dormancy but help the seed of Leymus chinensis to resist drought and salinity conditions in Northeast China.

Leymus chinensis is a dominant grass in the Songnen grassland of Northern China. The lower germination caused by the presence of lemmas has proved to be an obstacle for the use of the seeds of this plant by humans. However, it is still unknown if the lemmas have other ecological roles such as resisting drought and saline conditions.

Rhizomes help the forage grass Leymus chinensis to adapt to the salt and alkali stresses.

Leymus chinensis has extensive ecological adaptability and can grow well in saline-alkaline soils. The knowledge about tolerance mechanisms of L. chinensis could be base for utilization of saline-alkaline soils and grassland restoration and rebuilding.

The influence of precipitation regimes and elevated CO2 on photosynthesis and biomass accumulation and partitioning in seedlings of the rhizomatous perennial grass Leymus chinensis.

Leymus chinensis is a dominant, rhizomatous perennial C3 species in the grasslands of Songnen Plain of Northern China, and its productivity has decreased year by year. To determine how productivity of this species responds to different precipitation regimes, elevated CO2 and their interaction in future, we measured photosynthetic parameters, along with the accumulation and partitioning of biomass. Plants were subjected to combinations of three precipitation gradients (normal precipitation, versus normal ± 40%) and two CO2 levels (380 ± 20 µmol mol(-1),760 ± 20 µmol mol(-1)) in controlled-environment chambers.