Comprehensive analysis and implications of Veronica persica germination and growth traits in their invasion ecology.

Invasive alien species implications in ecological threats are attributed to their unique characteristics that are linked to their invasion. Veronica persica (Plantaginaceae family) is an alien weed species in Egypt. Regardless of its widespread globally in various regions, the growth traits and behavior of V. persica remain poorly understood. The comprehensive analysis, reveals the optimal germination (Gmax) was detected at 10/20 °C, 15/20 °C, and 20/25 °C at the moderate temperature regimes. The rapid germination rate (G rate) peaked at 10/20 °C regime, with a rate of 0.376 per day. Furthermore, under stress conditions, V. persica has 50% germination inhibition (G50) and 50% of growth inhibition occurred at - 0.91 MPa and 0.75 MPa of osmotic pressure and 3225.81 ppm and 2677.1 ppm of salt stress (NaCl) respectively. The germination ranged from 6 to 9 pH, with the highest germination percentage occurring at a pH of 7 & 8, reaching 88.75% compared to the control group. There is a strong interaction effect between habitats and plant stages, the plant stages and habitats have significant effects (p ≤ 0.00) on V. persica growth. There was high and moderate plasticity in the response of morphological and growth features between stages. During the seedling-juvenile interval and the juvenile-flowering stages, respectively, there was a noticeable increase in both Relative Growth Rate and Net Assimilation Rate. Demographic surveys identified approximately 24 species across 11 families associated with V. persica in invaded areas. The Sorenson indices of qualitative index exhibited high similarity values in the invaded sites by (82.35%) compared to (72.72%) in non-invaded sites. However, interactions with native communities were reflected in lower richness, diversity, and evenness, displaying slightly higher Simpson index 1 (λ) values compared to invaded and non-invaded sites (0.043 and 0.0290) vs. (0.0207 and 0.268), in rangelands and F. carica orchards respectively. These results emphasize the substantially higher adaptability of V. persica to variable environmental conditions and abilities to invade a new community. This knowledge about invasive V. persica weeds germination and growth is itemized as the consistent predictive base for future invasion and informs strategic management priorities.

Physiological and structural traits contribute to thermotolerance in wild Australian cotton species.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Five species of cotton (Gossypium) were exposed to 38°C days during early vegetative development. Commercial cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) was contrasted with four wild cotton species (G. australe, G. bickii, G. robinsonii and G. sturtianum) that are endemic to central and northern Australia. METHODS: Plants were grown at daytime maxima of 30°C or 38°C for 25 d, commencing at the four-leaf stage. Leaf areas and shoot biomass were used to calculate relative rates of growth and specific leaf areas. Leaf gas exchange measurements revealed assimilation and transpiration rates, as well as electron transport rates (ETR) and carboxylation efficiency (CE) in steady-state conditions. Finally, leaf morphological traits (mean leaf area and leaf shape were quantified), along with leaf surface decorations, imaged using scanning electron microscopy. KEY RESULTS: Shoot morphology was differentially affected by heat, with three of the four wild species growing faster at 38°C than at 30°C, whereas early growth in G. hirsutum was severely inhibited by heat. Areas of individual leaves and leaf numbers both contributed to these contrasting growth responses, with fewer, smaller leaves at 38°C in G. hirsutum. CO2 assimilation and transpiration rates of G. hirsutum were also dramatically reduced by heat. Cultivated cotton failed to achieve evaporative cooling, contrasting with the transpiration-driven cooling in the wild species. Heat substantially reduced ETR and CE in G. hirsutum, with much smaller effects in the wild species. We speculate that leaf shape, as assessed by invaginations of leaf margins, and leaf size contributed to heat dispersal differentially among the five species. Similarly, reflectance of light radiation was also highly distinctive for each species. CONCLUSIONS: These four wild Australian relatives of cotton have adapted to hot days that are inhibitory to commercial cotton, deploying a range of physiological and structural adaptations to achieve accelerated growth at 38°C.

Characterization of heat, salt, acid, alkaline, and antibiotic stress response in soil isolate Bacillus subtilis strain PSK.A2.

Microbes play an essential role in soil fertility by replenishing the nutrients; they encounter various biotic and abiotic stresses disrupting their cellular homeostasis, which expedites activating a conserved signaling pathway for transient over-expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs). In the present study, a versatile soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis strain PSK.A2 was isolated and characterized. Further, the isolated bacterium was exposed with several stresses, viz., heat, salt, acid, alkaline, and antibiotics. Stress-attributed cellular morphological modifications such as swelling, shrinkage, and clump formation were observed under the scanning electron microscope. The comparative protein expression pattern was studied by SDS-PAGE, relative protein stabilization was assessed by protein aggregation assay, and relative survival was mapped by single spot dilution and colony-counting method under control, stressed, lethal, and stressed lethal conditions of the isolate. The findings demonstrated that bacterial stress tolerance was maintained via the activation of various HSPs of molecular weight ranging from 17 to 115 kD to respective stimuli. The treatment of subinhibitory dose of antibiotics not interfering protein synthesis (amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin) resulted in the expression of eight HSPs of molecular weight ranging from 18 to 71 kD. The pre-treatment of short stress dosage showed endured overall tolerance of bacterium to lethal conditions, as evidenced by moderately enhanced total soluble intracellular protein content, better protein stabilization, comparatively over-expressed HSPs, and relatively enhanced cell survival. These findings hold an opportunity for developing novel approaches towards enhancing microbial resilience in a variety of conditions, including industrial bioprocessing, environmental remediation, and infectious disease management.

Field performance of grafted, micropropagated, and own-rooted plants of three Italian hazelnut cultivars during the initial four seasons of development.

Introduction: Over the course of four consecutive years, a comparative study, for the first time, was carried out to assess their growth characteristics, vegetative and productive performances. Material: Micropropagated, grafted on not suckering rootstock and own-rooted plants by layering from three Italian hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) cultivars were established in the same orchard and environmental condition. Results: We found that the micropropagated plants, regardless of the variety considered, even being smaller than the other plants at the beginning of the plantation, reached similar sizes as the other plants after four growing seasons. Furthermore, micropropagated plants exhibited greater uniformity in growth compared to grafted ones, while own-rooted plants displayed more variability. No significant differences in yield performance and canopy volume were observed among the three propagation methods. These results suggest that the in vitro propagation technique, even in hazelnut, allows standardizing the plant material while preserving cultivar characteristics. Finally, in vitro propagation as well as grafting can be safely recommended for the cultivation of hazelnut cultivars.

Heterotic growth of hybrids of Arabidopsis thaliana is enhanced by elevated atmospheric CO2.

PREMISE: With the global atmospheric CO2 concentration on the rise, developing crops that can thrive in elevated CO2 has become paramount. We investigated the potential of hybridization as a strategy for creating crops with improved growth in predicted elevated atmospheric CO2. METHODS: We grew parent accessions and their F1 hybrids of Arabidopsis thaliana in ambient and elevated atmospheric CO2 and analyzed numerous growth traits to assess their productivity and underlying mechanisms. RESULTS: The heterotic increase in total dry mass, relative growth rate and leaf net assimilation rate was significantly greater in elevated CO2 than in ambient CO2. The CO2 response of net assimilation rate was positively correlated with the CO2 response of leaf nitrogen productivity and with that of leaf traits such as leaf size and thickness, suggesting that hybridization-induced changes in leaf traits greatly affected the improved performance in elevated CO2. CONCLUSIONS: Vegetative growth of hybrids seems to be enhanced in elevated CO2 due to improved photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency compared with parents. The results suggest that hybrid crops should be well-suited for future conditions, but hybrid weeds may also be more competitive.

Ability of Different Growth Indicators to Detect Salt Tolerance of Advanced Spring Wheat Lines Grown in Real Field Conditions.

Plant growth indicators (GIs) are important for evaluating how different genotypes respond to normal and stress conditions separately. They consider both the morphological and physiological components of plants between two successive growth stages. Despite their significance, GIs are not commonly used as screening criteria for detecting salt tolerance of genotypes. In this study, 36 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) along with four genotypes differing in their salt tolerance were grown under normal and 150 mM NaCl in a two-year field trial. The performance and salt tolerance of these germplasms were assessed through various GIs. The analysis of variance showed highly significant variation between salinity levels, genotypes, and their interaction for all GIs and other traits in each year and combined data for two years, with a few exceptions. All traits and GIs were significantly reduced by salinity stress, except for relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), and specific leaf weight (SLW), which increased under salinity conditions. Traits and GIs were more correlated with each other under salinity than under normal conditions. Principal component analysis organized traits and GIs into three main groups under both conditions, with RGR, NAR, and specific leaf area (SLA) closely associated with grain yield (GY) and harvest index, while leaf area duration (LAD) was closely associated with green leaf area (GLA), plant dry weight (PDW), and leaf area index (LAI). A hierarchical clustering heatmap based on GIs and traits organized germplasms into three and four groups under normal and salinity conditions, respectively. Based on the values of traits and GIs for each group, the germplasms varied from high- to low-performing groups under normal conditions and from salt-tolerant to salt-sensitive groups under salinity conditions. RGR, NAR, and LAD were important factors determining genotypic variation in GY of high- and low-performing groups, while all GIs, except leaf area duration (LAR), were major factors describing genotypic variation in GY of salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive groups. In conclusion, different GIs that reveal the relationship between the morphological and physiological components of genotypes could serve as valuable selection criteria for evaluating the performance of genotypes under normal conditions and their salt tolerance under salinity stress conditions.

Germination patterns and seedling growth of congeneric native and invasive Mimosa species: Implications for risk assessment.

Comparisons of plant traits between native and invasive congeners are useful approaches for identifying characteristics that promote invasiveness. We compared germination patterns and seedling growth of locally sympatric populations of native Mimosa himalayana and two varieties of invasive M. diplotricha (var. diplotricha and var. inermis) growing in southeastern Nepal. Seeds were germinated under a 12-h photoperiod or complete dark, low (25/15°C day/night) and high (30/20°C) temperatures, different water stress levels (0, -0.1, -0.25, -0.5, -0.75 and -1.0 MPa), and soil depths (0, 2, and 4 cm). Plant height, biomass allocations, and relative growth rate (RGR) of seedlings were measured. Invasive M. diplotricha had higher germination percentage, rate, and shorter germination time compared with the native species. Germination of both congeners declined as water stress increased, but the decline was more pronounced in native species. Seedling emergence declined with increasing depth in all taxa. The seedlings of invasive species were taller with higher leaf number and allocated greater proportion of biomass to shoot, whereas the native congener allocated greater biomass to root. The RGR was nearly twice as high in invasive species as it was in the native congener. Seedling height and number of leaves were always higher in invasive than in native species, and the native-invasive differences increased over time. Better germination and higher growth performance of invasive species than the congeneric native one suggests that seed germination and seedling growth can be useful traits for the prediction of species' invasiveness in their introduced range during risk assessment process.

Pushing the envelope: do narrowly and widely distributed Eucalyptus species differ in response to climate warming?

Contemporary climate change will push many tree species into conditions that are outside their current climate envelopes. Using the Eucalyptus genus as a model, we addressed whether species with narrower geographical distributions show constrained ability to cope with warming relative to species with wider distributions, and whether this ability differs among species from tropical and temperate climates. We grew seedlings of widely and narrowly distributed Eucalyptus species from temperate and tropical Australia in a glasshouse under two temperature regimes: the summer temperature at seed origin and +3.5°C. We measured physical traits and leaf-level gas exchange to assess warming influences on growth rates, allocation patterns, and physiological acclimation capacity. Warming generally stimulated growth, such that higher relative growth rates early in development placed seedlings on a trajectory of greater mass accumulation. The growth enhancement under warming was larger among widely than narrowly distributed species and among temperate rather than tropical provenances. The differential growth enhancement was primarily attributable to leaf area production and adjustments of specific leaf area. Our results suggest that tree species, including those with climate envelopes that will be exceeded by contemporary climate warming, possess capacity to physiologically acclimate but may have varying ability to adjust morphology.

Characterization of indigenous populations of cannabis in Iran: a morphological and phenological study.

BACKGROUND: Cannabis is a historically, culturally, and economically significant crop in human societies, owing to its versatile applications in both industry and medicine. Over many years, native cannabis populations have acclimated to the various environments found throughout Iran, resulting in rich genetic and phenotypic diversity. Examining phenotypic diversity within and between indigenous populations is crucial for effective plant breeding programs. This study aimed to classify indigenous cannabis populations in Iran to meet the needs of breeders and breeding programs in developing new cultivars. RESULTS: Here, we assessed phenotypic diversity in 25 indigenous populations based on 12 phenological and 14 morphological traits in male and female plants. The extent of heritability for each parameter was estimated in both genders, and relationships between quantitative and time-based traits were explored. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified traits influencing population distinctions. Overall, populations were broadly classified into early, medium, and late flowering groups. The highest extent of heritability of phenological traits was found in Start Flower Formation Time in Individuals (SFFI) for females (0.91) Flowering Time 50% in Individuals (50% of bracts formed) (FT50I) for males (0.98). Populations IR7385 and IR2845 exhibited the highest commercial index (60%). Among male plants, the highest extent of Relative Growth Rate (RGR) was observed in the IR2845 population (0.122 g.g- 1.day- 1). Finally, populations were clustered into seven groups according to the morphological traits in female and male plants. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, significant phenotypic diversity was observed among indigenous populations, emphasizing the potential for various applications. Early-flowering populations, with their high RGR and Harvest Index (HI), were found as promising options for inclusion in breeding programs. The findings provide valuable insights into harnessing the genetic diversity of indigenous cannabis for diverse purposes.

Glyphosate hormesis induced by treatment via seed stimulates the growth and biomass accumulation in soybean seedlings.

Glyphosate hormesis, identified as a potential means to enhance crop yields, encounters practical constraints because it is typically assessed through foliar applications. The expression and extend of hormesis in this approach are influenced by unpredictable environmental conditions, highlighting the need to explore alternative glyphosate application methods, such as seed treatment. This study aimed to assess glyphosate hormesis on growth rates and biomass accumulation in seedlings soybean cultivars. Two dose-response experiments [doses from 0 to 2880 g acid equivalent (ae) ha-1], one via foliar and one via seed, were conducted on three soybean cultivars [one non-glyphosate-resistant (NGR) and two glyphosate-resistant (GR, one RR and one RR2)]. In a subsequent experiment, three safe glyphosate doses (0, 90 and 180 g ae ha-1) applied via seed were evaluated on four soybean cultivars (two RR and two RR2). For foliar applications, the range of glyphosate doses increasing growth rates and dry biomass by 12-28 % were 5.6-45 g ae ha-1 for the NGR cultivar, of 45-720 g ae ha-1 for RR and of 11.25-180 g ae ha-1 for RR2. In the seed treatment, biomass increases of 16-60 % occurred at 45-180 g ae ha-1 for the NGR and RR cultivars, and 90-360 g ae ha-1 for RR2. Glyphosate doses of 90 and 180 g ae ha-1, applied via seeds, provided greater growth and biomass accumulation for the RR and RR2 soybean cultivars. Both foliar and seed applications of glyphosate increased growth and biomass accumulation in soybean cultivars, with seed treatments showing greater and more consistent enhancements. These findings propose practical and viable alternative for harnessing glyphosate hormesis to facilitate the early development of soybeans and potentially enhance crop yield.

Inter-annual variation in the abundance of specialist herbivores determines plant resistance in Datura stramonium.

The expression of plant resistance traits against arthropod herbivores often comes with costs to other essential plant functions such as growth and fitness. These trade-offs are shaped by the allocation of limited resources. However, plants might also possess the capability to allocate resources to both resistance and growth, thereby ensuring their survival when under herbivore attacks. Additionally, the extent of damage caused by herbivores could vary across different years or seasons, subsequently impacting plant performance. In this study, we aimed to investigate how the annual variations in herbivore abundance and damage levels affect plant performance. We generated F2 progeny through a cross between two populations of the annual herb Datura stramonium (Solanaceae). These populations are known to have differing levels of chemical defense and herbivory. These F2 plants were cultivated in a common natural environment for two consecutive years (2017 and 2018). Our findings reveal that plants with higher resistance, attained higher seed production but this trend was evident only during 2018. This relationship coincided with a five-fold increase in the abundance of Lema daturaphila (Chrysomelidae) larvae in 2018. Indeed, the plants experienced a 13-fold increase in damage during this second year of study. Furthermore, our results indicated that there was no trade-off between resistance, growth, and fitness in either of the 2 years. In contrast, during 2018, when plants faced stronger herbivore pressure, they allocated all available nutritional resources to enhance both resistance and growth. Our study highlights how the selection for plant resistance is dependent upon the inter-annual variation in herbivore abundance.

Analysis of Research Publications on Pharmacogenomics of Sulphonylurea - A Scientometric Study.

This study analysed pharmacogenomics studies on sulfonylurea research publications using the Pubmed and Scopus databases. In the end, 65 publications from the years 2015 to 2021 were noticed. The objective of this study was to analyse these studies using scientometric tools, such as frequency counts, percentages, relative growth rates, doubling times, and collectively. A maximum of 19 (29.23%) research publications were contributed during the 2020 research period. The relative growth rate tends to decrease from 2015 to 2020 and the doubling time tends to increase and decrease after 2020. Up to 2 (3.08%) research publications were contributed by Ewan R. Pearson and Chen each. The top authors have an average degree of collaboration of 0.90 and 41 (63.83%) of their research publications are articles. The United States is the major contributor with 19 (29.23%) pharmacogenomics research publications on sulfonylureas. Although the United States is the most prolific country in sulfonylurea pharmacogenomics research, there are few Indian institutions that are not listed among the most prolific institutions.

Upscaling the effect of traits in response to drought: The relative importance of safety-efficiency and acquisitive-conservation functional axes.

We tested the idea that functional trade-offs that underlie species tolerance to drought-driven shifts in community composition via their effects on demographic processes and subsequently on shifts in species' abundance. Using data from 298 tree species from tropical dry forests during the extreme ENSO-2015, we scaled-up the effects of trait trade-offs from individuals to communities. Conservative wood and leaf traits favoured slow tree growth, increased tree survival and positively impacted species abundance and dominance at the community-level. Safe hydraulic traits, on the other hand, were related to demography but did not affect species abundance and communities. The persistent effects of the conservative-acquisitive trade-off across organizational levels is promising for generalization and predictability of tree communities. However, the safety-efficient trade-off showed more intricate effects on performance. Our results demonstrated the complex pathways in which traits scale up to communities, highlighting the importance of considering a wide range of traits and performance processes.

Evaluation of an adapted method of relative growth to determine the susceptibility of Enterobacterales to polymyxin B by MALDI-TOF MS.

Polymyxin B resistance is an emerging problem worldwide. The reference method to determine susceptibility to polymyxins is broth microdilution (BMD). As BMD is time consuming, it is necessary to develop new methodologies to provide faster evaluation of polymyxin susceptibility. This study aimed to evaluate polymyxin B susceptibility of Enterobacterales using an adapted methodology of relative growth (RG) by Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). A total of 60 isolates of Enterobacterales (22 resistant and 38 susceptible to polymyxin B by BMD) were evaluated. The adapted RG technique presented categorical agreement of 96.7% with only 2 major errors (3.3%) in comparison to BMD. Our findings demonstrate a high agreement between BMD and adapted RG, indicating that this methodology is promising for differentiating polymyxin B-susceptible isolates from polymyxin B-resistant isolates and could be implemented routinely in microbiology laboratories that already use the MALDI-TOF MS to identify bacteria.

Removal of mercury from water by phytoremediation process with Salvinia natans(L.) All.

Mercury contamination from human activities is a severe environmental problem. The low cost of rhizofiltration of heavy metal-contaminated environments is causing an increasing interest in these technologies. The present study demonstrates the effectiveness of mercury removal from water by phytoremediation using S. natans. Plants cultured and collected from the environment were used. The study used Hoagland's liquid medium contaminated with mercury: 0.15, 0.20, and 0.30. The bioconcentration factor obtained was 275-780. The relative growth rate was up to 0.12 g/gd and was much better for cultured plants than those collected from the environment. The removal rate of toxic metal was up to 94%. Total protein increased for cultures plants by up to 84%, while it decreased by up to 30% for those taken from the environment. Total chlorophyll for cultured plants decreased by up to 54%, which could be due to the toxic effect of the metal.

Evaluation of Aztreonam and Ceftazidime/Avibactam Synergism against Klebsiella pneumoniae by MALDI-TOF MS.

INTRODUCTION: Resistance to carbapenems due to the co-production of NDM and ESBL or NDM and KPC is increasing. Therefore, combined therapy with aztreonam (ATM) plus ceftazidime/avibactam (CZA) has been recommended. Then, it is necessary to develop and evaluate fast and simple methods to determine synergism in vitro in microbiology laboratories. OBJECTIVE: To develop a method to determine the synergism of ATM and CZA by MALDI-TOF MS (SynMALDI). METHOD: Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 22) isolates with blaNDM and/or blaKPC genes were tested. The time-kill curve assay was performed for four isolates (three positives for blaNDM and blaKPC and one positive for blaNDM only). For SynMALDI, each isolate was incubated for 3 h in 4 tubes containing brain-heart infusion broth with the following: (1) no antibiotic; (2) ATM at 64 mg/L; (3) CZA at 10/4 mg/L; and (4) ATM at 64 mg/L plus CZA at 10/4 mg/L. After incubation, the bacterial protein extract was analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS, and the relative growth (RG) was determined for each isolate, considering intensities of the peaks of the bacterium incubated with antibiotic (tubes 2, 3, and 4) to the same bacterium incubated without antibiotic (tube 1), as follows: RG = IntensityWith antibiotic/IntensityWithout antibiotic. The combination was determined as synergistic when there was an RG decrease of 0.3 in the antibiotic combination in relation to the RG of the most active antibiotic alone. RESULTS: The combination of ATM plus CZA proved to be synergic by time-kill curve assay. All isolates tested with the SynMALDI method also presented synergism. CONCLUSIONS: Detection of synergism for ATM plus CZA combination can be determined by MALDI-TOF MS, providing fast results in order to improve patient treatment.

Plant water use related to leaf traits and CSR strategies of 10 common European green roof species.

The vegetation layer contributes to multiple functions of green roofs including their hydrological function as plants remove water from substrates between rainfall events through evapotranspiration, restoring the green roofs storage capacity for rainfall retention. While individual traits have been related to water use strategies of green roof plants, these traits are inconsistent, suggesting the importance of trait combinations which may be reflected in CSR (competitor, stress tolerator, ruderal) strategies. Therefore, relating plant water use to leaf traits and CSR strategies could help facilitate green roof plant selection into new geographical regions where green roof technology is developing. For example, in high latitude northern European regions with long daylight during the growing season. Growth (shoot biomass, relative growth rate and leaf area), leaf traits (leaf dry matter content, specific leaf area and succulence) and CSR strategies were determined of 10 common European green roof plants and related to their water use under well-watered (WW) and water-deficit (WD) conditions. All three succulent species included in the experiment showed mostly stress tolerant traits and their water loss was less than the bare unplanted substrate, likely due to mulching of the substrate surface. Plants with greater water use under WW conditions had more ruderal and competitive strategies, and greater leaf area and shoot biomass, than species with lower WW water use. However, the four species with the highest water use under WW conditions were able to downregulate their water use under WD, indicating that they could both retain rainfall and survive periods of water limitations. This study indicates that, for optimal stormwater retention, green roof plant selection in high latitude regions like northern Europe, should focus on selecting non-succulent plants with predominantly competitive or ruderal strategies to make the most of the long daylight during the short growing season.

Cd uptake and translocation by camelthorn (Alhagi maurorum Medik): a promising approach for phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soils.

Camelthorn (Alhagi maurorum Medik) is a desert plant that can withstand a variety of abiotic challenges, including water stress and harsh weather, making it potentially useful for cleaning cadmium (Cd) from contaminated soils. The current study aims to determine the degree of plant tolerance to Cd toxicity and the possibility of using it in the phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soils. Camelthorn plants were cultivated in soil polluted with Cd at doses of 0, 25, 50, 100, and 200 mg kg-1. The growth, nutrient uptake, Cd concentrations, and some biochemical compounds were determined to study the response of camelthorn plants to Cd stress. Exposure of camelthorn plants to 200 mg kg-1 of Cd inhabited the synthesis of leaf-chlorophyll by 49% compared to the control and reduced the concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) by 43, 36, 43, 50, 67, and 36%, respectively. Camelthorn plants can tolerate up to 11 mg kg-1 of available soil Cd, 65 mg kg-1 in the root, and 22 mg kg-1 in the shoot before experiencing Cd toxicity. Camelthorn plants increased the levels of carbohydrates, total phenols, and proline compounds that were used in the scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, the plants increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes, i.e., superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD), to mitigate the oxidative stress caused by Cd toxicity. The root-shoot transfer (TF) of Cd varied between 0.27 to 0.48, while the bioaccumulation factor (BAF) varied between 1.2 and 2.32. Camelthorn plants have a BAF value higher than 1 and a TF value lower than 1. Camelthorn plants accumulate Cd in the roots with low root-shoot transfer and are suitable for phytostabilization technology. Camelthorn plants have a potent antioxidant defense against the toxicity of Cd, and this finding is a good tool in the remediation of Cd-contaminated soil.

Mapping the Genomic Regions Controlling Germination Rate and Early Seedling Growth Parameters in Rice.

Seed vigor is the key performance parameter of good quality seed. A panel was prepared by shortlisting genotypes from all the phenotypic groups representing seedling growth parameters from a total of 278 germplasm lines. A wide variation was observed for the traits in the population. The panel was classified into four genetic structure groups. Fixation indices indicated the existence of linkage disequilibrium in the population. A moderate to high level of diversity parameters was assessed using 143 SSR markers. Principal component, coordinate, neighbor-joining tree and cluster analyses showed subpopulations with a fair degree of correspondence with the growth parameters. Marker-trait association analysis detected eight novel QTLs, namely qAGR4.1, qAGR6.1, qAGR6.2 and qAGR8.1 for absolute growth rate (AGR); qRSG6.1, qRSG7.1 and qRSG8.1 for relative shoot growth (RSG); and qRGR11.1 for relative growth rate (RGR), as analyzed by GLM and MLM. The reported QTL for germination rate (GR), qGR4-1, was validated in this population. Additionally, QTLs present on chromosome 6 controlling RSG and AGR at 221 cM and RSG and AGR on chromosome 8 at 27 cM were detected as genetic hotspots for the parameters. The QTLs identified in the study will be useful for improvement of the seed vigor trait in rice.