Annali di Botanica

Effects of silicon on the biochemical characteristics of wheat under drought stress conditions

2023-02-02T17:33:00+00:00

Abstract

The country can be further assisted to achieve food security by finding a solution to reduce the quantitative and qualitative yields of wheat. Effects of drought stress on the biochemical characteristics of wheat under drought stress conditions were investigated in a factorial experiment as a randomized complete block design with three replications in the research field of the Soil and Water Research Institute in the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 crop years. Experimental treatments were drought stress at three levels without stress, mild stress, and severe stress with 75, 50, and 25% usable moisture in the soil as the first factor. The second factor was potassium silicate at four levels of a Si-free control, 20 kg/ha as soil application at the bolting stage, and spraying at 2.5 and 5 kg/ha at bolting, heading, and seed dough stages, which were examined in the Sivand wheat cultivar (drought-sensitive) for 2 years.

Environmental factors influencing Lolium temulentum L. (Darnel ryegrass) seed germination

2023-03-16T08:51:04+00:00

Darnel ryegrass (Lolium temulentum L.) is an annual long-day plant belonging to the Poaceae family, that common in grain fields worldwide. L. temulentum is a valuable model grass species for studying stress in forage and turf grasses. This study was conducted to study the impact of critical environmental factors on the seed biology of L. temulentum seeds from agricultural districts in southern Iraq were gathered within 2020, and testing was conducted at Erciyes University's Faculty of Agriculture labs in Kayseri. The findings of this study indicated that the seeds of this weed germinate in three days at temperatures between 20 °C and 30 °C, 14 days at 10 to 15 °C, and 28 days at 5 ° C. Furthermore, at a temperature of 35 °C to 40 °C, the seeds did not germinate for 28 days. After 14 days, this species' most significant germination percentage was 91.6 % at 10 °C and 20 °C. Seeds did not germinate when incubated for 14 days under continuous darkness, whereas germinated at 32.5% when subjected to light for 12 h daily. Also, the results showed no significant effect of examined pH and different salinity levels on seed germination of L. temulentum.

Temporal changes of vascular plant diversity in response to tree dieback in a mediterranean lowland forest

2023-05-30T16:01:10+00:00

Palo Laziale wood is a small biotope of about 129 ha situated along the north coast of Rome. It is one of the last remaining patches of an ancient lowland floodplain forest that once covered the coastal area of the Lazio region. It contains several habitats and species of high conservation interest which has been included in the Natura2000 network. The forest suffered an impressive dieback event in 2003, coinciding with a particularly hot and dry summer.

In the framework of an ecological restoration project (LIFE PRIMED LIFE17 NAT/GR/000511), a preliminary assessment of the biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem was carried out, including a floristic analysis. This analysis was compared with that conducted in 1990 to assess whether there was any change in the species composition also following the forest dieback. Comparisons between biological forms, chorotypes and the Ellenberg indicators were also made in the analysis.

The total flora of the site increased from 462 to 490 species. Moreover, there has been a turnover of species with the disappearance of some grassland and halophytic species and the appearance of allochthonous/ruderal and freshwater habitat species. Despite this, the flora remained unchanged in ecological terms, demonstrating a certain resilience of the plant species, confirming this approach to identify declining processes and support ecosystem-based restoration actions elsewhere.

Postharvest longevity and physiological changes in cut Asparagus plumosus foliage as influenced by preharvest and postharvest treatment of salicylic acid and gibberellic acid

2023-04-02T22:02:36+00:00

Asparagus plumosus have plenty of applications in floral decoration, but its postharvest longevity is short. So, the present research aimed to improve vase life and some physiological parameters of this plant species in a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design with 16 treatments and three replications. The experimental treatments included two plant growth regulators of gibberellic acid (GA₃) and salicylic acid (SA) at four rates (0, 100, 200, and 400 µmol) and two application methods of foliar application at the preharvest phase and application in the preservative solution at the postharvest phase. In both application methods, SA and GA₃ improved all traits versus the control irrespective of the application method. However, the combined application of 100 and 200 µmol of GA₃ and SA exhibited the best results and the longest vase life. The weakest results among different rates were obtained from increasing the application rate of SA and GA₃ to 400 µmol. In general, the best treatments for improving the vase life and related traits were SA100 + GA200 in the foliar application and SA200 + GA100 in the vase solution application. So, they are recommended for preserving the postharvest quality of this plant species.

Biodiversity, autecology and status of aromatic and medicinal plants in Geopark M’Goun (Morocco)

2023-05-31T10:32:19+00:00

The M'goun Geopark vegetation is presented by a rich Mediterranean vegetation cover consisting of oak groves, juniper groves, tetraclinae, and Aleppo pine, these forests are inhabited by an extremely biodiverse species, particularly medicinal and aromatic plants. This richness is owing to the region distinct characteristics, namely the ecological diversity that has resulted in altitudinal and continental climate variation on the one hand, mixed with lithological and orographic diversity on the other. The specific richness of aromatic plants within the geopark is meaningful; with approximately 47 species, of which at least six are cultivated, this confirms the good adaptation of aromatic plants to the ecological conditions of the geopark. However, some spontaneously aromatic plants are overexploited, making them more vulnerable. In addition, the IUCN Red List showed that 42 % of these species are not yet evaluated, 3 are near threatened, 2 are vulnerable, and one is endangered. Some of non-evaluated species are under threat, which need assessment, mentoring, and conservation projects.

Kinetic study of a single and binary biosorption of cadmium and lead onto the dead acquatic plant Lemna Gibba

2023-04-06T10:56:28+00:00

Cadmium and lead are recognized as toxic heavy metals even at low concentrations. Thus, their removal is required. The present paper deals with the use of a natural low-cost and environmentally friendly material as a bioadsorbent obtained from a dead aquatic plant (Lemna gibba). The biosorption of Cd and Pb individually or in combination was studies under different experimental conditions such as time effect (0-240 min), concentration of metal ion (0.1 and 1 mg/L), adsorbent dose (0.10, 0.25 and 0.50 g) to examine the operational factors impact on heavy metals removal effectiveness. The dead biomass was characterized by FTIR to provide information about the functional groups responsible of biosorption. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy was employed to perform quantitative measurement of Cd and Pb (ICP-OES). For the kinetic investigation, pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order, models were used.

The experimental results demonstrated that lead and cadmium adsorption onto Lemna gibba powder occurred quickly, with equilibrium being reached in 120 minutes and 30 minutes, respectively. At 0.1, the greatest removal efficiencies were 84.01% of Pb and 93% of Cd . At 1 mg/L, 73.82%, and 88% of Pb and Cd were removed respectively. After 180 minutes, both metals were effectively eliminated (90%) from the binary system that was contaminated with 0.1 mg/L of each metal. At 1 mg/L for each element, Pb was removed 86% after 90 minutes, and Cd clearance was less (54%).

The plants of Jericho. The earliest cultivars between symbiosis and domestication

2023-06-12T10:55:15+00:00

The central core of this article is to testify through the exemplary case study, for antiquity and complexity, of Tell es-Sultan/ ancient Jericho in Palestine, how archaeology and archaeobotany can help us to understand the peculiar relationship developed between a human community and specific plants, the cultivation of which blossomed over the centuries. If we put emphasis on human initiative we talk about domestication, however if we want to have a look from the perspective of reciprocal adaptability of plants and humans we could perhaps speak of symbiosis.

The excavations conducted for more than a century at Tell es-Sultan by four archaeological expeditions have returned a large collection of archaeobotanical finds (Hopf, 1969; 1983; 2008; Moricca et al., 2020), that have been retrieved thanks to the abilities of the archaeologists, but above all thanks to the extraordinary climatic conditions of the site, that allowed to preserve them for millennia.

This is due to the geological characteristics of the Jericho soil, to the morphology of the archaeological site, and to its paleoclimatic conditions (Mimi & Jamous, 2010; Ighbareyeh, 2019). However, this significant amount of botanical data has been only partially studied, focusing on specific periods of the ancient settlement. In the present contribution, I intend to offer a sketch summary of some salient historical-archaeological themes, with respect to which the archaeobotanical data known so far either provides curious and stimulating indications or suggests the need to further deepen the research. In this preliminary work, I focus on Pre-Pottery Neolithic, the period of the first great cultural flourish of Jericho, roughly between 11,000 and 6,000 BC, hoping that the readers of this journal will be inspired to study more in depth and extensively what the excavations of Jericho have made available, contributing to the knowledge of the site.