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Plants
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Plant Cultivation in Recent Stresses
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Plant Cultivation in Recent Stresses

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2023) | Viewed by 9598

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Berca Mihai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 011464 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: agriculture; crop protection; biotechnology; engineering in agriculture; wheat; environment protectio

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

For plants, and especially for agricultural crops, stresses are factors arising from the environment that affect the yield quantity and quality, endangering the food security and safety of people worldwide in the case of cultivated plants. Broadly speaking, the most obvious stresses are generated by climate change, industrial emissions, agriculture, and urbanism. Researchers are now interested in finding scientific and technical solutions related to GEM (genetics–environment–management) in order to provide models for plant resistance to new environmental conditions that also emphasize the possibility of absorbing the excessive amount of carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in soils. To this end, an increase in SOC (soil organic carbon) and the biological activity of the soil are very desirable. In the context of the current energy crisis, specialized research is required to find cheaper and less polluting alternatives for plant cultivation’s essential inputs (especially N and C). Nitrogen (N) and carbon (C), for example, can be extracted from the air through the biosynthesis that naturally takes place in plants (photosynthesis and symbiosis with actinomycete bacteria and fungi). Agricultural producers are expecting new solutions from researchers, and these can only be attained through better collaboration between researchers specializing in agricultural and natural ecosystems. Therefore, this Special Issue of Plants aims to bring together the latest discoveries in the field of agriculture while considering the environmental and existential conditions that we are facing.

Prof. Dr. Berca Mihai
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biotic stress
  • abiotic stress
  • climate change
  • pollution
  • nitrogen management
  • carbon management
  • plant biomass
  • alternative inputs for plants
  • humus
  • NDVI
  • NDMI
  • yield quantity and quality
  • biotechnology in plant cultivation
  • agricultural economics
  • energy crisis effects on agriculture

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1262 KiB  
Article
Evaluating Yield, Nutritional Quality, and Environmental Impact of Quinoa Straws across Mediterranean Water Environments
by Javier Matías, Verónica Cruz, María José Rodríguez, Patricia Calvo, Isaac Maestro-Gaitán and María Reguera
Plants 2024, 13(6), 751; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13060751 - 07 Mar 2024
Viewed by 673
Abstract
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a promising and versatile crop due to its remarkable adaptability to diverse environments and the exceptional nutritional value of its seeds. Nevertheless, despite the recent extensive research on quinoa seeds, the straw associated with this crop has [...] Read more.
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a promising and versatile crop due to its remarkable adaptability to diverse environments and the exceptional nutritional value of its seeds. Nevertheless, despite the recent extensive research on quinoa seeds, the straw associated with this crop has received comparatively little attention. The valorisation of this by-product provides an opportunity to improve the overall outcomes of quinoa cultivation. In this work, three quinoa varieties were evaluated for two years (2019 and 2020) under three different Mediterranean water environments (irrigation, fresh rainfed, and hard rainfed), aiming to assess the straw yield and nutritional quality and to study the changes in the crop nutritional uptake associated with different water environmental conditions. The nutritional analysis included the quantification of the ash, crude protein, crude fat, minerals (P, K, Ca, Mg), and fibre (gross fibre (GF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), hemicellulose, cellulose) contents. As the results reveal, most of the parameters evaluated were susceptible to change mainly with the water environment but also with the genotype (or their interaction), including the yield, crude protein, relative feed value (RFV), and mineral content, which generally decreased under water-limiting conditions. Moreover, a comparative analysis revealed that straw Ca, Mg, and K contents were generally higher than in seeds. Overall, this study demonstrates that quinoa straw quality is genotypic and environmentally dependent, and these factors should be considered when aiming at improving straw feed value for livestock nutrition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Cultivation in Recent Stresses)
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28 pages, 4303 KiB  
Article
Silicic and Humic Acid Priming Improves Micro- and Macronutrient Uptake, Salinity Stress Tolerance, Seed Quality, and Physio-Biochemical Parameters in Lentil (Lens culinaris spp. culinaris)
by Deepak Rao, Sangita Yadav, Ravish Choudhary, Dharmendra Singh, Rakesh Bhardwaj, Sharmistha Barthakur and Shiv Kumar Yadav
Plants 2023, 12(20), 3539; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12203539 - 11 Oct 2023
Viewed by 956
Abstract
Lentil is an important grain legume crop which is mostly grown on marginal soils that hamper its productivity. Improvement of salt tolerance in lentils is considered to be a useful strategy of utilizing salt-affected lands in an economic manner. This study was conducted [...] Read more.
Lentil is an important grain legume crop which is mostly grown on marginal soils that hamper its productivity. Improvement of salt tolerance in lentils is considered to be a useful strategy of utilizing salt-affected lands in an economic manner. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of seed priming using silicic acid and humic acid both seperately and in combination to improve salt stress tolerance among three different lentil varieties: IPL-316 (tolerant), PSL-9, and PDL-1 (susceptible). The concentrations and durations of treatments were standardized under the normal condition and the salinity stress condition. Salt stress hindered seedling emergence and biomass production and accelerated Na+ toxicity and oxidative damage at the seedling stage in untreated seeds. Nevertheless, chemical priming improved early seedling emergence, increased root length, shoot length, and seed vigor index I and II, and reduced the mean germination time. A significant quantitative change in biochemical parameters under normal and salinity stress conditions was observed in IPL-316,viz. Specifically, for IPL-316, the following parameters were observed (values under the normal condition and values under salt stress conditions, respectively): chlorophyll-a (16 and 13 mg/g Fw), chlorophyll-b (25 and 16 mg/g FW), total chlorophyll content (42 and 30 mg/g FW), relative leaf water content (92% and 82%), total soluble sugars (26 and 33 ug/g FW), free amino acid (10 and 7 mg/g FW), total phenol (26 and 24 mg of GAE/g FW), total protein (35 and 29 mg/g FW), carbohydrate (208 and 173 mg/g FW), superoxide dismutase (SOD) (29 and 35 unit/min./g FW), proline (0.28 and 0.32 u mol/g FW), catalase (CAT) (84 and 196 unit/mL/g FW), and peroxidase (POX) (217 and 738 unit/mL/g FW). Furthermore, histochemical analysis of H2O2 and O2−, micronutrients, and macronutrients also increased, while malondialdehyde (MDA) (0.31 and 0.47 nmol/mL FW) content decreased using silicic and humic acid priming under salt stress conditions. The combination of silicic and humic acids improved seedling growth and reduced oxidative damage in lentil plants under salt stress conditions. The combination of silicic and humic acid priming hastened seedling emergence, seed quality parameters, and biochemical parameters under salt stress over respective control. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of integrated chemical priming in lentils for salinity stress. In conclusion, chemical priming using a combination of silicic and humic acid performed better in terms of seed quality due to enhanced antioxidant machinery, better membrane stability and osmolyte protection, and enhanced nutrient uptake under salt stress conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Cultivation in Recent Stresses)
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15 pages, 2874 KiB  
Article
Silicon Supply Improves Nodulation and Dinitrogen Fixation and Promotes Growth in Trifolium incarnatum Subjected to a Long-Term Sulfur Deprivation
by Raphaël Coquerel, Mustapha Arkoun, Quentin Dupas, Fanny Leroy, Philippe Laîné and Philippe Etienne
Plants 2023, 12(12), 2248; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12122248 - 08 Jun 2023
Viewed by 900
Abstract
In many crops species, sulfur (S) deprivation negatively affects growth, seed yield quality and plant health. Furthermore, silicon (Si) is known to alleviate many nutritional stresses but the effects of Si supply on plants subjected to S deficiency remain unclear and poorly documented. [...] Read more.
In many crops species, sulfur (S) deprivation negatively affects growth, seed yield quality and plant health. Furthermore, silicon (Si) is known to alleviate many nutritional stresses but the effects of Si supply on plants subjected to S deficiency remain unclear and poorly documented. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether Si supply would alleviate the negative effects of S deprivation on root nodulation and atmospheric dinitrogen (N2) fixation capacity in Trifolium incarnatum subjected (or not) to long-term S deficiency. For this, plants were grown for 63 days in hydroponic conditions with (500 µM) or without S and supplied (1.7 mM) or not with Si. The effects of Si on growth, root nodulation and N2 fixation and nitrogenase abundance in nodules have been measured. The most important beneficial effect of Si was observed after 63 days. Indeed, at this harvest time, a Si supply increased growth, the nitrogenase abundance in nodules and N2 fixation in S-fed and S-deprived plants while a beneficial effect on the number and total biomass of nodules was only observed in S-deprived plants. This study shows clearly for the first time that a Si supply alleviates negative effects of S deprivation in Trifolium incarnatum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Cultivation in Recent Stresses)
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18 pages, 3635 KiB  
Article
Early Effects of Mycorrhizal Fungal Inoculum and Fertilizer on Morphological and Physiological Variables of Nursery-Grown Nothofagus alessandrii Plants
by Antonio M. Cabrera-Ariza, Patricia Silva-Flores, Marta González-Ortega, Manuel Acevedo-Tapia, Eduardo Cartes-Rodríguez, Götz Palfner, Patricio Ramos and Rómulo E. Santelices-Moya
Plants 2023, 12(7), 1521; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12071521 - 31 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1654
Abstract
Nothofagus alessandrii (ruil) is an endangered relict species, endemic to the Mediterranean area of Chile, and one of the most threatened trees in the country. Its natural distribution area has been greatly reduced by the effect of human activities; the remaining fragments are [...] Read more.
Nothofagus alessandrii (ruil) is an endangered relict species, endemic to the Mediterranean area of Chile, and one of the most threatened trees in the country. Its natural distribution area has been greatly reduced by the effect of human activities; the remaining fragments are mostly intervened and highly deteriorated as a habitat and refuge for the associated biodiversity. In order to produce healthy and resistant nursery plants for recovery and restoration of N. alessandrii forests, this study evaluates the early effects of mycorrhizal fungal inoculum (MFI) combined with fertilization on the cultivation of seedlings. The experiment was established under a completely randomized design with a factorial arrangement of the mycorrhizal factors (M0 = without mycorrhizal, M1 = Thelephora sp. and M2 = Hebeloma sp.) and fertilization (F1 = standard fertilization and F2 = intensive fertilization), with three replicates of each combination, for each type of plant (P1 = plants from one season and P2 = plants from two seasons). Each experimental unit corresponded to a group of 20 plants, with 720 plants in the test. The results indicate that application of fertilizer and MFI significantly affects some growth and photosynthesis parameters of ruil plants in one and two seasons. The morphological parameters obtained in the study show shoot height values ranging between 67 and 91 cm for P1 and between 96 and 111 cm for P2; while, for shoot diameter, values ranged between 7.91 and 8.24 mm for P1 and between 10.91 and 11.49 mm for P2. Although formation of fully developed mycorrhizal roots was not observed during the assay period, we conclude that inoculation of mycorrhizal fungi combined with fertilization could be an efficient strategy to produce a quality plant, in addition to maintaining a high photosynthetic capacity and, therefore, a higher percentage of survival in the field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Cultivation in Recent Stresses)
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15 pages, 7900 KiB  
Article
Salinity Stress Influences the Main Biochemical Parameters of Nepeta racemosa Lam.
by Constantin Lungoci, Iuliana Motrescu, Feodor Filipov, Cristina Mihaela Rimbu, Carmenica Doina Jitareanu, Carmen Simona Ghitau, Ioan Puiu and Teodor Robu
Plants 2023, 12(3), 583; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12030583 - 29 Jan 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1566
Abstract
In this work, the effects of salt stress on Nepeta racemosa Lam. were studied to analyze the possibility of using it as a potential culture for salinity-affected soils. A total of nine concentrations of salts—NaCl (18, 39, and 60 mg/100 g soil), Na [...] Read more.
In this work, the effects of salt stress on Nepeta racemosa Lam. were studied to analyze the possibility of using it as a potential culture for salinity-affected soils. A total of nine concentrations of salts—NaCl (18, 39, and 60 mg/100 g soil), Na2SO4 (50, 85, and 120 mg/100 g soil), and a mixture (9 g NaCl + 25 g Na2SO4, 19 g NaCl + 43 g Na2SO4, and 30 g NaCl + 60 g Na2SO4/100 g soil)—simulated real salinity conditions. Environmental electron microscopy offered information about the size and distribution of glandular trichomes, which are very important structures that contain bioactive compounds. The chlorophyll pigments, polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity were determined based on spectrophotometric protocols. The results have shown a different impact of salinity depending on the salt type, with an increase in bioactive compound concentrations in some cases. The highest polyphenol concentrations were obtained for Na2SO4 variants (47.05 and 46.48 mg GA/g dw for the highest salt concentration in the first and second year, respectively), while the highest flavonoid content was found for the salt mixtures (42.77 and 39.89 mg QE/g dw for the highest concentrations of salt in the first and, respectively, the second year), approximately 100% higher than control. From the Pearson analysis, strong correlations were found between chlorophyll pigments (up to 0.93), antioxidant activity and yield for the first harvest (up to 0.38), and antioxidant activity and flavonoid content for the second harvest (up to 0.95). The results indicate the possibility of growing the studied plants in salt-stress soils, obtaining higher concentrations of bioactive compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Cultivation in Recent Stresses)
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13 pages, 3130 KiB  
Article
Morphological Responses of Viola Accessions to Nutrient Solution Application and Electrical Conductivity
by Endre Kentelky, Zsolt Szekely-Varga, Irina M. Morar and Mihaiela Cornea-Cipcigan
Plants 2022, 11(11), 1433; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11111433 - 27 May 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1394
Abstract
Growing of ornamental flowering plants represents an important sector of horticulture. Viola × wittrockiana (garden pansy) is used in garden beds and borders due to their colorful blooming, which occurs in early spring and late autumn. Nowadays, breeders focus on applying different nutrient [...] Read more.
Growing of ornamental flowering plants represents an important sector of horticulture. Viola × wittrockiana (garden pansy) is used in garden beds and borders due to their colorful blooming, which occurs in early spring and late autumn. Nowadays, breeders focus on applying different nutrient solutions to improve the quality, flowering, and ornamental properties of plants, yet electrical conductivity (EC) level is an important fact to know. It is known that higher EC levels can inhibit plants’ growth. In the present study, pansy seedlings were subjected to different EC nutrient solutions 1 (control), 2, 3.5, 5, and 6.5 mS cm−1 EC to assess the positive or negative effects regarding the plant’s growth and development. The results indicated that an appropriate EC level of nutrient solution can have a positive effect on growth parameters, as well as on the flowering of plants. According to the hierarchical clustering, the used EC nutrient solutions significantly influenced the growth, number of shoots and leaves and the inflorescences number. From the present study results, it can be concluded that even though all EC levels increased growth parameters compared with control, the greatest results were obtained in plants under the effect of the 5 mS cm−1 of EC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Cultivation in Recent Stresses)
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Review

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19 pages, 1406 KiB  
Review
Study on the Applications and Regulatory Mechanisms of Grafting on Vegetables
by Wenjing Nie and Dan Wen
Plants 2023, 12(15), 2822; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12152822 - 30 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1409
Abstract
Grafting can overcome problems with soil sensitivity, enhance plant stress tolerance, improve product quality, and increase crop yield and value. This paper reviews the various mechanisms of vegetable grafting, the graft survival process and its influencing factors, the practical applications of grafting, and [...] Read more.
Grafting can overcome problems with soil sensitivity, enhance plant stress tolerance, improve product quality, and increase crop yield and value. This paper reviews the various mechanisms of vegetable grafting, the graft survival process and its influencing factors, the practical applications of grafting, and the molecular regulation of grafting in vegetables. The importance of germplasm and rootstock interactions, the mechanization of vegetable grafting, and future aspects, including intelligence and digitalization, are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Cultivation in Recent Stresses)
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