Remediation of atmospheric sulfur and ammonia by wetland plants: development of a study method.

In the context of S and N pollutant remediation, this study aimed to develop a methodology to test the ability of wetland plants to reduce atmospheric pollution by S and N. A methodology using S and N-labeled compost and five species (trap plants) used to fix volatile compounds was developed. 18.

Using plant traits to explain plant-microbe relationships involved in nitrogen acquisition.

It has long been recognized that plant species and soil microorganisms. are tightly linked, but understanding how different species vary in their effects on soil is currently limited. In this study, we identified those.

Vegetation ecology meets ecosystem science: Permanent grasslands as a functional biogeography case study.

The effect of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning has been widely acknowledged, and the importance of the functional roles of species, as well as their diversity, in the control of ecosystem processes has been emphasised recently. However, bridging biodiversity and ecosystem science to address issues at a biogeographic scale is still in its infancy. Bridging this gap is the primary goal of the emerging field of functional biogeography.

Relationships between functional traits and inorganic nitrogen acquisition among eight contrasting European grass species.

Backgrounds And Aims: Leaf functional traits have been used as a basis to categoize plants across a range of resource-use specialization, from those that conserve available resources to those that exploit them. However, the extent to which the leaf functional traits used to define the resource-use strategies are related to root traits and are good indicators of the ability of the roots to take up nitrogen (N) are poorly known. This is an important question because interspecific differences in N uptake have been proposed as one mechanism by which species' coexistence may be determined.

Is white clover able to switch to atmospheric sulphur sources when sulphate availability decreases?

Sulphur (S) is one of the very few nutrients that plants can absorb either through roots as sulphate or via leaves in a gas form such as SO2 or H2S. This study was realized in a non-S-enriched atmosphere and its purpose was to test whether clover plants can increase their ability to use atmospheric S when sulphate availability decreases. A novel methodology measuring the dilution of (34)S provided from a nutrient solution by atmospheric (32)S was developed to measure S acquisition by Trifolium repens L.

How to improve the hygienic quality of forages for horse feeding.

Background: Improving the hygienic quality of forages for horse nutrition seems to be a reasonable target for decreasing the prevalence of pulmonary diseases. The aim of the experiment was to study the effects of different agricultural practices on the main aero-allergens contained in forages, including breathable dust, fungi, mycotoxins and pollens.

Results: Results showed that the late harvest of hay, a second crop or a haylage production provides a good alternative to increase hygienic quality by reducing fungi contamination and breathable dust content.

How does sulphur availability modify N acquisition of white clover (Trifolium repens L.)?

The role of S in legume growth, N uptake, and N2 fixation was investigated using white clover (Trifolium repens L.) as a model species. We examined whether the effect of sulphate addition on N fixation resulted from a stimulation of host plant growth, a specific effect of S on nodulation, or a specific effect of S on nodule metabolism.

Ethylene modifies architecture of root system in response to stomatal opening and water allocation changes between root and shoot.

Ethylene plays a key role in the elongation of exploratory and root hair systems in plants, as demonstrated by pharmacological modulation of the activity of ethylene biosynthesis enzymes: ACC synthase (ACS) and ACC oxidase (ACO). Thus, treatments with high concentrations (10 microM) of aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG, inhibitor of ACS) and 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid (ACC, ethylene precursor, ACO activator) severely decrease the elongation of the exploratory root system but induce opposite effects on the root hair system: root hair length and numbers were increased in seedlings treated with ACC, whereas they were reduced in seedlings treated with AVG. Until now, such elongation changes of root architecture had not been questioned in terms of nitrate uptake.