The curious case of selenium hyperaccumulation in Coelospermum decipiens from the Cape York Peninsula (Queensland, Australia).

Background And Aims: The tropical shrub Coelospermum decipiens (Rubiaceae) is an extreme selenium (Se) hyperaccumulator, reported to accumulate up to 1140 µg Se g-1 when found growing on soils with levels of Se below the limit of detection (i.e. <0.

Metabolic imprint induced by seed halo-priming promotes a differential physiological performance in two contrasting quinoa ecotypes.

"Memory imprint" refers to the process when prior exposure to stress prepares the plant for subsequent stress episodes. Seed priming is a strategy to change the performance of seedlings to cope with stress; however, mechanisms associated with the metabolic response are fragmentary. Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses that affect crop production in arid and semiarid areas.

Micro-analytical and molecular approaches for understanding the distribution, biochemistry, and molecular biology of selenium in (hyperaccumulator) plants.

Micro-analytical techniques to untangle Se distribution and chemical speciation in plants coupled with molecular biology analysis enable the deciphering of metabolic pathways responsible for Se tolerance and accumulation. Selenium (Se) is not essential for plants and is toxic at high concentrations. However, Se hyperaccumulator plants have evolved strategies to both tolerate and accumulate > 1000 µg Se g DW in their living above-ground tissues.

Tissue culture tools for selenium hyperaccumulator Neptunia amplexicaulis for development in phytoextraction.

Neptunia amplexicaulis is an herbaceous legume endemic to the Richmond area in central Queensland, Australia and is one of the strongest known Selenium hyperaccumulators on earth, showing significant potential to be utilised in Se phytoextraction applications. Here a protocol was established for in vitro micropropagation of Se hyperaccumulator N. amplexicaulis using nodal segments from in vitro-germinated seedlings.

Seed characterization and early nitrogen metabolism performance of seedlings from Altiplano and coastal ecotypes of Quinoa.

Background: Early seed germination and a functional root system development during establishment are crucial attributes contributing to nutrient competence under marginal nutrient soil conditions. Chenopodium quinoa Willd (Chenopodiaceae) is a rustic crop, able to grow in marginal areas. Altiplano and Coastal/Lowlands are two representative zones of quinoa cultivation in South America with contrasting soil fertility and edaphoclimatic conditions.