Tang Y¹, SS Jin²

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.87, pp. 280-285, 2018, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2018.87.280

Abstract Persistent seed banks have been detected in the Horqin Sandy Land, China using experimental methods. In this study, we used seed traits (i.e. seed mass and seed shape) to predict the persistence of seed banks using the random forest algorithm. The results showed that the mean decrease in accuracy for seed mass and seed shape was 18.26 and 9.90, respectively, suggesting that seed mass was a better predictor than seed shape. With increasing seed mass, the log of P (where P is the ratio of the number of votes selecting existence of a persistent seed… More >

Álvarez AS¹, DR Pérez²

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.87, pp. 274-279, 2018, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2018.87.274

Abstract The use of microbial inocula for the restoration of severely degraded arid environments is of great interest. This is because there is a presumption that growth-favoring microorganisms can facilitate the establishment of seedlings by increasing their ability to withstand both the stress of transplantation in the case of nursery seedlings, and the extreme conditions for natural establishment imposed by the scarce, random and variable rainfall. In this work we analyze the “slenderness index”- the height of the plant divided by its diameter at the height cotyledon node- to analyze the effect of treatments with microorganisms… More >

Chichizola GA, AE Rovere, SL Gonzalez

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.87, pp. 265-273, 2018, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2018.87.265

Abstract The Onagraceae are a well-defined family of flowering plants much used by man. Many representatives of this group, which contains 75 species belonging to 8 genera, are indigenous to Argentina, and 19% of these are commonly found throughout the country. Many Onagraceae are ruderal and promote the subsequent establishment of other species, thus contributing to the restoration of degraded areas. Since it is important to know the characteristics of seeds to be used in restoration projects, we studied the basic germination physiology of Oenothera odorata Jacq., a ruderal plant indigenous to Argentina. Material was collected from… More >

Turuelo NM¹, DR Pérez²

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.87, pp. 260-264, 2018, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2018.87.260

Abstract In arid and semi-arid ecosystems, increasing and irreversible degradation in areas of high conservation value has prompted the search for various solutions, such as rehabilitation and ecological restoration. To implement these strategies, it is essential to solve critical issues affecting the establishment of plants in the field and the production of seedlings in nursery gardens. In the present work, the following pre-germination treatments were evaluated for the species Senna arnottiana and S. kurtzii, endemic to the Patagonian steppe (Payunia): (1) Immersion in water at 80 °C for 5 minutes; (2) Immersion in water at 80 °C for… More >

Sánchez J¹, J Sáenz Mata¹, J Flores³, E Jurado², E Estrada Castillón², O Aguirre², G Muro¹

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.87, pp. 252-259, 2018, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2018.87.252

Abstract The chemical and physical properties of the substrate produce positive or negative effects on the germination of seeds, and different pre-germination treatments are applied to obtain better results. However, the use of soil as a substrate where the species grows is usually not evaluated or used as a treatment. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the native substrate [two types of substrate where the woody species grow (clay and sand)] on the germination of Acacia farnesiana, Larrea tridentata and Prosopis laevigata. In addition, two groups were compared in seeds (grouped and More >

Song Y¹, CA. Busso⁵, Y Yu², P Wang³, Wuyunna¹, D Zhou⁴

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.87, pp. 242-251, 2018, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2018.87.242

Abstract The effects of different defoliation intensities and frequencies were studied on regrowth and herbage mass of Leymus chinensis and Hordeum brevisubulatum in northeast China for two years. Plants were defoliated to 6, 8 or 10 cm stubble height by removing about 40% of growth down to each designated defoliation height. In the first year, L. chinensis was defoliated 22, 17 or 13 times, and in the second year was defoliated 21, 15 or 15 times to reach 6, 8 or 10 cm stubble height treatments, respectively. H. brevisubulatum was defoliated 26, 21 or 15 times in the first year,… More >

Shi G¹, ZY Liu¹, T Baoyin¹, J Sun², JJ Duan³, XL Li³, GF Yang⁴

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.87, pp. 236-241, 2018, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2018.87.236

Abstract Plant functional traits and their effects on rangeland ecosystem function have received much attention by ecologists. However, the importance of functional traits and the interactive effects of grazing exclusion and climate are poorly understood. This study, therefore, aimed to analyse the response of Leymus chinensis functional traits in long-term grazing exclusion in different habitats (rainless typical steppe and rainy meadow steppe). This study showed that although the sensitivity and variability of different traits were similar in two steppe habitats, phenotypic plasticity of L. chinensis in meadow steppe was significantly higher than typical steppes. With the increased degree More >

Moya ME^1,2, AA Galussi^1,2, N Sattler², MS Fontana², YG Gillij^1,2

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.87, pp. 231-235, 2018, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2018.87.231

Abstract The objective of this study was to analyze the anatomy of stems and roots of Mnesithea selloana. Free hand cross sections were made from fresh material of reproductive stems and adventitious roots; they were colored with safranin and mounted on glycerin jelly. Observations were made using an Olympus CH2 light microscope and photographed. In cross section, the stems were circular towards the distal end of the synflorescence and semicircular toward the proximal end, and have two ribs. A uniseriate, continuous epidermis presenting a smooth and thick cuticle and no hairs was observed. Parenchyma cells increased in… More >

Naz N¹, F Durrani¹, Z Shah², NA Khan¹, I Ullah¹

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.87, pp. 225-230, 2018, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2018.87.225

Abstract The progress and development of crops like potato are harmfully affected by increased heat stress throughout the world. Stress caused by increased heat adversely affects germination and seedling growth which result in a reduced crop development and yield. The present research was carried out to know the influence of heat stress on growth indices and physiological processes of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). The heat stresses C- Control (25 °C); T1-45 °C, and T2-40 °C were applied in separate growth chambers to the plants, after 25 days from their germination. Increased heat stress considerably decreased the chlorophyll More >

Vázquez Núñez E¹, S Awate², MC Carrasco Monrroy³

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.87, pp. 216-224, 2018, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2018.87.216

Abstract The effect of scarification methods and silver nanoparticles on plantlets growth were tested on seeds of plants belonging to the Fabaceae family (Prosopis laevigata, Acacia farnesiana and Erythrina americana), which are predominant species in semi-arid ecosystems in Mexico. The scarification methods consisted in using coarse sand paper and two different concentrations of sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄ 98% and H₂SO₄ 50%); immersion of seeds in distilled water was used as a control. The percentage of germination was calculated and the Kotowski´s coefficient was determined. After scarification, the seeds were immersed in silver nanoparticles solutions at different concentrations i.e., 100 mg/L, More >