Background: The nexus plant-microbe-environment is essential to understand the ecosystem processes shaping plant health and fitness. Within this triangle, soils and associated microflora are among the key ecosystem's drivers, underpinning plant productivity and evolution. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis (physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and taxonomic diversity) of soils under the canopy projection of Coffea arabica trees along a gradient of elevation (600, 800, and 900 m) and shade (0, 50, 100%).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZinc enrichment of edible food products, through the soil and/or foliar application of fertilizers, is a strategy that can increase the contents of some nutrients, namely Zn. In this context, a workflow for agronomic enrichment with zinc was carried out on irrigated cv. Syrah, aiming to evaluate the mobilization of photoassimilates to the winegrapes and the consequences of this for winemaking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreasing exposure to unfavorable temperatures and water deficit imposes major constraints on most crops worldwide. Despite several studies regarding coffee responses to abiotic stresses, transcriptome modulation due to simultaneous stresses remains poorly understood. This study unravels transcriptomic responses under the combined action of drought and temperature in leaves from the two most traded species: cv.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClimate changes boosted the frequency and severity of drought and heat events, with aggravated when these stresses occur simultaneously, turning crucial to unveil the plant response mechanisms to such harsh conditions. Therefore, plant responses/resilience to single and combined exposure to severe water deficit (SWD) and heat were assessed in two cultivars of the main coffee-producing species: cv. Icatu and cv.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOngoing climate change poses a great risk to the natural environment and the sustainability of agriculture [...
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClimate change is negatively affecting the coffee value chain, with a direct effect on approximately 100 million people from 80 countries. This has been attributed to the high vulnerability of the two-mainstream species, and , to extreme weather events, with notable uneven increases in market prices. Taking into account the narrow genetic plasticity of the commercial coffee cultivars, wild-relatives and underutilized species are valuable genetic resources.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRice ( L.) is one of the most economically and socially important cereals in the world. Several strategies such as biofortification have been developed in a way eco-friendly and sustainable to enhance crop productivity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOne-third of the world's population is suffering from "hidden hunger" due to micronutrient deficiency. Zinc is acquired through diet, leading its deficiency to the development of disorders such as retarded growth, anorexia, infections, and hypogeusia. Accordingly, this study aimed to develop an agronomic workflow for Zn biofortification on two red winegrapes varieties (cv.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDrought is a major constraint to plant growth and productivity worldwide and will aggravate as water availability becomes scarcer. Although elevated air [CO] might mitigate some of these effects in plants, the mechanisms underlying the involved responses are poorly understood in woody economically important crops such as . This study analyzed transcriptome changes in cv.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInundation, excessive precipitation, or inadequate field drainage can cause waterlogging of cultivated land. It is anticipated that climate change will increase the frequency, intensity, and unpredictability of flooding events. This stress affects 10-15 million hectares of wheat every year, resulting in 20-50% yield losses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoffea canephora (C. canephora) has two botanical varieties, Robusta and Conilon. Intraspecific variability was hypothesized and projected for the selection of C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClimate change and the accelerated rate of population growth are imposing a progressive degradation of natural ecosystems worldwide. In this context, the use of pioneer trees represents a powerful approach to reverse the situation. Among others, N-fixing actinorhizal trees constitute important elements of plant communities and have been successfully used in land reclamation at a global scale.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClimate changes with global warming associated with rising atmospheric [CO] can strongly impact crop performance, including coffee, which is one of the most world's traded agricultural commodities. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to understand the mechanisms of heat tolerance and the potential role of elevated air CO (eCO) in the coffee plant response, particularly regarding the antioxidant and other protective mechanisms, which are crucial for coffee plant acclimation. For that, plants of cv.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNowadays, there is a growing concern about micronutrient deficits in food products, with agronomic biofortification being considered a mitigation strategy. In this context, as Zn is essential for growth and maintenance of human health, a workflow for the biofortification of grapes from the variety Fernão Pires, which contains this nutrient, was carried out considering the soil properties of the vineyard. Additionally, Zn accumulation in the tissues of the grapes and the implications for some quality parameters and on winemaking were assessed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs drought threatens crop productivity it is crucial to characterize the defense mechanisms against water deficit and unveil their interaction with the expected rise in the air [CO]. For that, plants of Coffea canephora cv. Conilon Clone 153 (CL153) and C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs the productivity and quality of tomato fruits are responsive to Mg applications, without surpassing the threshold of toxicity, the assessment of potential levels of Mg accumulation in tissues, as well as the interactions with Ca and physicochemical properties, prompt this study. An agronomic workflow for Mg enrichment, consisting of six foliar applications of MgSO with four concentrations (0%, 0.25%, 1% and 4%), equivalent to 0, 43.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCalcium is essential for plants, yet as its mobility is limited, the understanding of the rate of Ca accumulation and deposition in tissues of tubers, as well as the interactions with other critical nutrients prompted this study. To assess the interactions and differential accumulation of micro and macronutrients in the tissues of tubers, L. varieties Agria and Rossi were cultivated and, after the beginning of tuberization, four foliar sprayings (at 8-10 day intervals) with CaCl (3 and 6 kg ha) or Ca(NO) (2 and 4 kg ha) solutions were performed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe climate crisis is pushing the planet's tropical plants towards their limits [...
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study evaluated the elemental composition of 25 herbal tea plants commonly used in infusions by Portuguese consumers and the contribution to the elemental daily intake of some essential elements. (L.), (L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGrapes and wine are widely consumed in the world, yet their mineral content can be influenced by many factors such as the mineral composition of soils, viticulture practices and environmental conditions. In this context, considering the importance of Zn in the human physiology, the enrichment of Moscatel and Castelão grapes (white and red variety, respectively) with this nutrient prompted this study; further assessment of tissue deposition and some implications for wine production. Using two foliar fertilizers (ZnO or ZnSO, at 150, 450 and 900 g ha), decreases in net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance occurred in both varieties, suggesting that the physiological threshold of Zn toxicity was reached without visible symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study is to evaluate the elemental composition of fifteen algae-based supplements commonly sold in the Portuguese market, by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence. Despite the fact that the majority of Kelp samples were a good source of iodine, the levels observed might well contribute to an excess in the human body, which can cause dysfunction of the thyroid gland. Furthermore, the presence of lead in Sea spaghetti, Arame, Hijiki and Wakame caused a considerable risk to public health vis a vis possible ingestion of a high daily dose.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActinorhizal plants have been regarded as promising species in the current climate change context due to their high tolerance to a multitude of abiotic stresses. While combined salt-heat stress effects have been studied in crop species, their impact on the model actinorhizal plant, , has not yet been fully addressed. The effect of single salt (400 mM NaCl) and heat (control at 26/22 °C, supra optimal temperatures at 35/22 °C and 45/22 °C day/night) conditions on branchlets was characterised at the physiological level, and stress-induced metabolite changes were characterised by mass spectrometry-based metabolomics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClimate change scenarios pose major threats to many crops worldwide, including coffee. We explored the primary metabolite responses in two genotypes, cv. Conilon Clone 153 and cv.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetamitron (MET) is a fruitlet thinning compound for apple trees, needing better understanding of its action on leaf energy metabolism, depending on nighttime temperature. A trial under environmental controlled conditions was set with 'Golden Reinders' potted trees, under 25/7.5 and 25/15 °C (diurnal/nighttime temperature), with (MET, 247.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe contamination of abandoned mining areas is a problem worldwide that needs urgent attention. Phytoremediation emerges as a successful method to extract different contaminants from the soil. In this context, plants growing in soils artificial contaminated with arsenic (As) were used to access its phytoremediation capabilities.
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