Phytoremediation Potential of Flax Grown on Multimetal Contaminated Soils: A Field Experiment.

The aim of this study was to assess the phytoremediation potential of fiber flax ( L., var. Calista) cultivated in a soil contaminated with multiple metals, under real field conditions.

Foliar Application of Sulfur-Containing Compounds-Pros and Cons.

Sulfate is taken up from the soil solution by the root system; and inside the plant, it is assimilated to hydrogen sulfide, which in turn is converted to cysteine. Sulfate is also taken up by the leaves, when foliage is sprayed with solutions containing sulfate fertilizers. Moreover, several other sulfur (S)-containing compounds are provided through foliar application, including the S metabolites hydrogen sulfide, glutathione, cysteine, methionine, S-methylmethionine, and lipoic acid.

Floret Biofortification of Broccoli Using Amino Acids Coupled with Selenium under Different Surfactants: A Case Study of Cultivating Functional Foods.

Broccoli serves as a functional food because it can accumulate selenium (Se), well-known bioactive amino-acid-derived secondary metabolites, and polyphenols. The chemical and physical properties of Se are very similar to those of sulfur (S), and competition between sulfate and selenate for uptake and assimilation has been demonstrated. Towards an efficient agronomic fortification of broccoli florets, the working questions were whether we could overcome this competition by exogenously applying the S-containing amino acids cysteine (Cys) or/and methionine (Met), or/and the precursors of Glucosinolate (GSL) types along with Se application.

The Role of Sulfur in Agronomic Biofortification with Essential Micronutrients.

Sulfur (S) is an essential macronutrient for plants, being necessary for their growth and metabolism and exhibiting diverse roles throughout their life cycles. Inside the plant body, S is present either in one of its inorganic forms or incorporated in an organic compound. Moreover, organic S compounds may contain S in its reduced or oxidized form.

Phenotypic Acclimation of Maize Plants Grown under S Deprivation and Implications to Sulfur and Iron Allocation Dynamics.

The aim of this work was to study maize root phenotype under sulfur deficiency stress towards revealing potential correlations between the altered phenotypic traits and the corresponding dry mass, sulfur, and iron allocation within plants at the whole-plant level. The dynamics of root morphological and anatomical traits were monitored. These traits were then correlated with plant foliage traits along with dry mass and sulfur and iron allocation dynamics in the shoot versus root.

Multi-Trait Wheat Rhizobacteria from Calcareous Soil with Biocontrol Activity Promote Plant Growth and Mitigate Salinity Stress.

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can be functional microbial fertilizers and/or biological control agents, contributing to an eco-spirit and safe solution for chemical replacement. Therefore, we have isolated rhizospheric arylsulfatase (ARS)-producing bacteria, belonging to and genus, from durum wheat crop grown on calcareous soil. These isolates harbouring plant growth promoting (PGP) traits were further evaluated in vitro for additional PGP traits, including indole compounds production and biocontrol activity against phytopathogens, limiting the group of multi-trait strains to eight.

Regulation of Sulfur Homeostasis in Mycorrhizal Maize Plants Grown in a Fe-Limited Environment.

Sulfur is an essential macronutrient for growth of higher plants. The entry of the sulfate anion into the plant, its importation into the plastids for assimilation, its long-distance transport through the vasculature, and its storage in the vacuoles require specific sulfate transporter proteins. In this study, mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal maize plants were grown for 60 days in an S-deprived substrate, whilst iron was provided to the plants in the sparingly soluble form of FePO.

Advances in Plant Sulfur Research.

As an essential nutrient required for plant growth and development, sulfur (S) deficiency in productive systems limits yield and quality. This special issue hosts a collection of original research articles, mainly based on contributions from the 11th International Plant Sulfur Workshop held on 16-20 September 2018 in Conegliano, Italy, focusing on the following topics: (1) The germinative and post-germinative behaviour of seeds when severe S limitation is applied to the parent plants; (2) the independence of S deficiency from the mRNA degradation initiation enzyme PARN in Arabidopsis; (3) the glucosinolate distribution in the aerial parts of sel1-10, a disruption mutant of the sulfate transporter SULTR1;2, in mature plants; (4) the accumulation of S-methylcysteine as its γ-glutamyl dipeptide in ; and (5) the role of ferric iron chelation-strategy components in the leaves and roots of maize, have provided new insights into the effect of S availability on plant functionality. Moreover, the role of S deficiency in root system functionality has been highlighted, focusing on (6) the contribution of root hair development to sulfate uptake in Arabidopsis, and (7) the modulation of lateral root development by the CLE-CLAVATA1 signaling pathway under S deficiency.

Impact of Elemental Sulfur on the Rhizospheric Bacteria of Durum Wheat Crop Cultivated on a Calcareous Soil.

Previous experiments have shown that the application of fertilizer granules containing elemental sulfur (S) as an ingredient (FBS) in durum wheat crops produced a higher yield than that produced by conventional ones (F), provided that the soils of the experimental fields (F vs. FBS) were of comparable quality and with the Olsen P content of the field's soil above 8 mg kg. In this experiment the FBS treatment took place in soil with Olsen P at 7.

An Exploration of the Roles of Ferric Iron Chelation-Strategy Components in the Leaves and Roots of Maize Plants.

Plants have developed sophisticated mechanisms for acquiring iron from the soil. In the graminaceous species, a chelation strategy is in charge, in order to take up ferric iron from the rhizosphere. The ferric iron chelation-strategy components may also be present in the aerial plant parts.

The Effect of Granular Commercial Fertilizers Containing Elemental Sulfur on Wheat Yield under Mediterranean Conditions.

The demand to develop fertilizers with higher sulfur use efficiency has intensified over the last decade, since sulfur deficiency in crops has become more widespread. The aim of this study was to investigate whether fertilizers enriched with 2% elemental sulfur (ES) via a binding material of organic nature improve yield when compared to the corresponding conventional ones. Under the scanning electron microscope, the granules of the ES-containing fertilizer were found to be covered by a layer of crystal-like particles, the width of which was found to be up to 60 μm.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis alters the expression patterns of three key iron homeostasis genes, ZmNAS1, ZmNAS3, and ZmYS1, in S deprived maize plants.

Nicotianamine is an essential molecule for Fe homeostasis in plants, its primary precursor is the S-containing compound methionine, and it is biosynthesized by the enzyme family of nicotianamine synthases (NASs). In maize, a graminaceous plant that follows Strategy II for Fe uptake, ZmNAS genes can be subgrouped into two classes, according to their roles and tissue specific expression profiles. In roots, the genes of class I provide NA for the production of deoxymugineic acid (DMA), which is secreted to the rhizosphere and chelates Fe(III).

New insights into trophic aerenchyma formation strategy in maize (Zea mays L.) organs during sulfate deprivation.

Aerenchyma attributes plant tissues that contain enlarged spaces exceeding those commonly found as intracellular spaces. It is known that sulfur (S) deficiency leads to formation of aerenchyma in maize adventitious roots by lysis of cortical cells. Seven-day-old maize plants were grown in a hydroponics setup for 19 days under S deprivation against full nutrition.

Comparative spatiotemporal analysis of root aerenchyma formation processes in maize due to sulphate, nitrate or phosphate deprivation.

Nitrate (N), phosphate (P) or sulphate (S) deprivation causes aerenchyma formation in maize (Zea mays L.) nodal roots. The exact mechanisms that trigger the formation of aerenchyma under these circumstances are unclear.

Dynamics of Aerenchyma distribution in the cortex of sulfate-deprived adventitious roots of maize.

Background And Aims: Aerenchyma formation in maize adventitious roots is induced in nutrient solution by the deprivation of sulfate (S) under well-oxygenated conditions. The aim of this research was to examine the extent of aerenchyma formation in the cortex of sulfate-deprived adventitious roots along the root axis, in correlation with the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS), calcium levels and pH of cortex cells and root lignification.

Methods: The morphometry of the second whorl of adventitious (W2) roots, subject to S-deprivation conditions throughout development, was recorded in terms of root length and lateral root length and distribution.