From crop left-overs to nutrient resource: growth-stimulating potential of biochar in nutrient solutions for wheat soilless cultivation systems.

To reach the estimated food demands for 2050 in decreasingly suiting climates, current agricultural techniques have to be complemented by sustainably intensified practices. The current study repurposed wheat crop residues into biochar, and investigated its potential in different plant cultivation systems, including a hydroponic cultivation of wheat. Biochars resulting from varying pyrolysis parameters including feedstock composition (straw and chaff) and temperature (450°C and 600°C), were tested using a fast plant screening method.

Highly weathered mineral soils have highest transfer risk of radiocaesium contamination after a nuclear accident: A global soil-plant study.

Accidental release of radiocaesium (Cs) from nuclear power plants may result in long-term contamination of environmental and food production systems. Assessment of food chain contamination with Cs relies on Cs soil-to-plant transfer data and models mainly available for regions affected by the Chornobyl and Fukushima accidents. Similar data and models are lacking for other regions.

Are Arabidopsis thaliana plants able to recover from exposure to gamma radiation? A molecular perspective.

Most plant research focuses on the responses immediately after exposure to ionizing irradiation (IR). However, it is as important to investigate how plants recover after exposure since this has a profound effect on future plant growth and development and hence on the long-term consequences of exposure to stress. This study aimed to investigate the IR-induced responses after exposure and during recovery by exposing 1-week old A.

Quantitative clay mineralogy predicts radiocesium bioavailability to ryegrass grown on reconstituted soils.

Current radiocesium (Cs) models to evaluate the risk of Cs transfer from soil to plants are based on the clay and exchangeable potassium (K) contents in soil. These models disregard the mineralogy of the clay fraction and are likely not capable of accurately predicting the Cs transfer factor (TF) in soils of contrasting parent rocks and weathering stages. The objectives of this study were to test that hypothesis and to identify whether quantitative information on mineralogy can improve the predictions.

New approaches to moderate CRISPR-Cas9 activity: Addressing issues of cellular uptake and endosomal escape.

CRISPR-Cas9 is rapidly entering molecular biology and biomedicine as a promising gene-editing tool. A unique feature of CRISPR-Cas9 is a single-guide RNA directing a Cas9 nuclease toward its genomic target. Herein, we highlight new approaches for improving cellular uptake and endosomal escape of CRISPR-Cas9.

Nationwide implementation of a decision aid on vaginal birth after cesarean: a before and after cohort study.

Objectives: Woman with a history of a previous cesarean section (CS) can choose between an elective repeat CS (ERCS) and a trial of labor (TOL), which can end in a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) or an unplanned CS. Guidelines describe women's rights to make an informed decision between an ERCS or a TOL. However, the rates of TOL and vaginal birth after CS varies greatly between and within countries.

Changes in DNA Methylation in Plants Exposed Over Multiple Generations to Gamma Radiation.

Previous studies have found indications that exposure to ionising radiation (IR) results in DNA methylation changes in plants. However, this phenomenon is yet to be studied across multiple generations. Furthermore, the exact role of these changes in the IR-induced plant response is still far from understood.

Interception of radionuclides by planophile crops: A simple semi-empirical modelling approach in case of nuclear accident fallout.

Shortly after an atmospheric release, the interception of radionuclides by crop canopies represents the main uptake pathway leading to food chain contamination. The food chain models currently used in European emergency decision support systems require a large number of input parameters, which inevitably leads to high model complexity. In this study, we have established a new relationship for wet deposited radionuclides to simplify the current modelling approaches.

The nitric oxide suppressed Arabidopsis mutants- Atnoa1 and Atnia1nia2noa1-2 produce nitric oxide in MS growth medium and on uranium exposure.

The mutants Atnoa1 and Atnia1nia2noa1-2 having a defective chloroplast developmental process, showed enhanced chlorophyll levels when they were grown on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium and on exposure with uranium (U) on Hoagland medium. Thus we hypothesized that these mutants probably produced NO in MS medium and on exposure with U. Wild-type Col-0, Atnoa1, Atnia1nia2noa1-2 plants were cultured on modified Hoagland and 1/10 MS media and NO generation in the roots of these mutants was monitored using NO selective fluorescent dyes, DAF-2DA and Fl2E.

Exposure to ionizing radiation affects the growth of ectomycorrhizal fungi and induces increased melanin production and increased capacities of reactive oxygen species scavenging enzymes.

Ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi form symbioses with dominant tree families in boreal, temperate and tropical ecosystems and are important drivers of ecosystem function. EM fungal hyphae extend over a large area making them susceptible to enhanced radiation levels from naturally occurring or anthropogenically originating radioisotopes in the rhizosphere. In this study, the in-vitro effects of ionizing radiation on the growth and biomass of EM fungi Suillus luteus, S.

Genome-wide DNA methylation changes in two Brassicaceae species sampled alongside a radiation gradient in Chernobyl and Fukushima.

The long-term radiological impact to the environment of the nuclear accidents in Chernobyl and Fukushima is still under discussion. In the course of spring of 2016 we sampled two Brassicacea plants, Arabidopsis thaliana and Capsella bursa-pastoris native to Ukraine and Japan, respectively, alongside a gradient of radiation within the exclusion and difficult to return zones of Chernobyl (CEZ) and Fukushima (FEZ). Ambient dose rates were similar for both sampling gradients ranging from 0.

Potential of four aquatic plant species to remove Co from contaminated water under changing experimental conditions.

This study aimed to compare the potential of Lemna minor, Spirodela sp., Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes to remove Co from a realistic aquatic environment. Although all four plant species performed similarly well after 3 days of exposure to 50 kBq LCo, Lemna minor and Spirodela sp.

Lemna minor plants chronically exposed to ionising radiation: RNA-seq analysis indicates a dose rate dependent shift from acclimation to survival strategies.

Ecotoxicological research provides knowledge on ionising radiation-induced responses in different plant species. However, the sparse data currently available are mainly extracted from acute exposure treatments. To provide a better understanding of environmental exposure scenarios, the response to stress in plants must be followed in more natural relevant chronic conditions.

Foliar uptake of radiocaesium from irrigation water by paddy rice (Oryza sativa): an overlooked pathway in contaminated environments.

Flooded (paddy) rice (Oryza sativa) can take up ions from the irrigation water by foliar uptake via the exposed stem base. We hypothesised that the stem base uptake of radiocaesium (RCs) is a pathway for rice grown in RCs-contaminated environments. We developed a bi-compartmental device which discriminates the stem base from root RCs uptake from solutions, thereby using RCs isotopes ( Cs and Cs) with < 2% solution leak between the compartments.

Arabidopsis plants exposed to gamma radiation in two successive generations show a different oxidative stress response.

When terrestrial environments get contaminated with long-lived gamma emitting radionuclides, plants that grow in these contaminated areas are exposed to gamma radiation during consecutive generations. Therefore it is important to evaluate the gamma induced stress response in plants in and between generations. The objective of this research is to reveal differences at the level of the antioxidative stress response between generations with a different radiation history.

Variability of the soil-to-plant radiocaesium transfer factor for Japanese soils predicted with soil and plant properties.

Food chain contamination with radiocaesium (RCs) in the aftermath of the Fukushima accident calls for an analysis of the specific factors that control the RCs transfer. Here, soil-to-plant transfer factors (TF) of RCs for grass were predicted from the potassium concentration in soil solution (mK) and the Radiocaesium Interception Potential (RIP) of the soil using existing mechanistic models. The mK and RIP were (a) either measured for 37 topsoils collected from the Fukushima accident affected area or (b) predicted from the soil clay content and the soil exchangeable potassium content using the models that had been calibrated for European soils.

Rhizophagus irregularis MUCL 41833 can colonize and improve P uptake of Plantago lanceolata after exposure to ionizing gamma radiation in root organ culture.

Long-lived radionuclides such as (90)Sr and (137)Cs can be naturally or accidentally deposited in the upper soil layers where they emit β/γ radiation. Previous studies have shown that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can accumulate and transfer radionuclides from soil to plant, but there have been no studies on the direct impact of ionizing radiation on AMF. In this study, root organ cultures of the AMF Rhizophagus irregularis MUCL 41833 were exposed to 15.

Characterizing dose response relationships: Chronic gamma radiation in Lemna minor induces oxidative stress and altered polyploidy level.

The biological effects and interactions of different radiation types in plants are still far from understood. Among different radiation types, external gamma radiation treatments have been mostly studied to assess the biological impact of radiation toxicity in organisms. Upon exposure of plants to gamma radiation, ionisation events can cause, either directly or indirectly, severe biological damage to DNA and other biomolecules.

Oxidative stress responses induced by uranium exposure at low pH in leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana plants.

Anthropogenic activities have led to a widespread uranium (U) contamination in many countries. The toxic effects of U at the cellular level have mainly been investigated at a pH around 5.5, the optimal pH for hydroponically grown plants.

Adsorption and desorption kinetics of (60)Co and (137)Cs in fresh water rivers.

Radionuclides released in water systems--as well as heavy metals and organic toxicants--sorb to both the suspended solid particles and the bed sediments. Sorption is usually represented mathematically by the distribution coefficient. This approach implies equilibrium between phases and instantaneous fixation (release) of the pollutant onto (from) the surface of the soil particle.

Biological effects of α-radiation exposure by (241)Am in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings are determined both by dose rate and (241)Am distribution.

Human activity has led to an increasing amount of radionuclides in the environment and subsequently to an increased risk of exposure of the biosphere to ionising radiation. Due to their high linear energy transfer, α-emitters form a threat to biota when absorbed or integrated in living tissue. Among these, (241)Am is of major concern due to high affinity for organic matter and high specific activity.

β-Radiation Stress Responses on Growth and Antioxidative Defense System in Plants: A Study with Strontium-90 in Lemna minor.

In the following study, dose dependent effects on growth and oxidative stress induced by β-radiation were examined to gain better insights in the mode of action of β-radiation induced stress in plant species. Radiostrontium (⁹⁰Sr) was used to test for β-radiation induced responses in the freshwater macrophyte Lemna minor. The accumulation pattern of 90Sr was examined for L.

Influence of nutrient medium composition on uranium toxicity and choice of the most sensitive growth related endpoint in Lemna minor.

Uranium (U) toxicity is known to be highly dependent on U speciation and bioavailability. To assess the impact of uranium on plants, a growth inhibition test was set up in the freshwater macrophyte Lemna minor. First growth media with different compositions were tested in order to find a medium fit for testing U toxicity in L.

Induction of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidative Mechanisms in Arabidopsis thaliana after Uranium Exposure at pH 7.5.

To evaluate the environmental impact of uranium (U) contamination, it is important to investigate the effects of U at ecologically relevant conditions. Since U speciation, and hence its toxicity, strongly depends on environmental pH, the present study aimed to investigate dose-dependent effects of U at pH 7.5.