Co-inoculation with a bacterium and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi improves root colonization, plant mineral nutrition, and plant growth of a Cyperaceae plant in an ultramafic soil.

The ecological restoration of nickel mining-degraded areas in New Caledonia is strongly limited by low availability of soil mineral nutrients, metal toxicity, and slow growth rates of native plant species. In order to improve plant growth for restoration programs, special attention was paid to interactions between plant and soil microorganisms. In this study, we evaluated the influence of inoculation with Curtobacterium citreum BE isolated from a New Caledonian ultramafic soil on arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis and growth of Tetraria comosa, an endemic sedge used in restoration programs.

Too big or too thin? New Caledonian adolescents' perceptions of overweight and underweight.

Objectives: The first aim was to examine New Caledonian adolescents' views of what constitutes an overweight or underweight person. The second aim was to assess whether an environment with a high prevalence of overweight is associated with different norms of overweight or underweight in this population.

Methods: The Stunkard Figure Rating Scale was used for a sample of 699 pluriethnic adolescents in New Caledonia.

New Caledonian ultramafic conditions structure the features of strains that play a role in plant adaptation.

The present study focused on the characterization of 10 strains isolated from the rhizosphere of pioneer plants growing on ultramafic soils from New Caledonia. Taxonomic status was investigated using a polyphasic approach. Three strains (BE, BB, and AM) were selected in terms of multiple-metal resistance and plant-growth-promoting traits.

Is a mixture of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi better for plant growth than single-species inoculants?

Inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as plant growth promoters has mostly been conducted using single-species inoculum. In this study, we investigated whether co-inoculation of different native AMF species induced an improvement of plant growth in an ultramafic soil. We analyzed the effects of six species of AMF from a New Caledonian ultramafic soil on plant growth and nutrition, using mono-inoculations and mixtures comprising different numbers of AMF species, in a greenhouse experiment.

Energy drink consumption in a pluri-ethnic population of adolescents in the Pacific.

Objective: Energy drinks are very popular among teenagers but may cause health problems. Energy drink consumption is partly associated with energy drink perception, but little is known about this in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to identify the relationships between energy drink consumption, energy drink perception, weight status and sociodemographic characteristics in a school-going sample of Pacific adolescents.