Sajid Hussain

Glycine increases cold tolerance in rice via the regulation of N uptake, physiological characteristics, and photosynthesis

To investigate the response of rice growth and photosynthesis to different nitrogen (N) sources under cold stress, hydroponic cultivation of rice was done in greenhouse, with glycine, ammonium, and nitrate as the sole N sources. The results demonstrate that exposure to low temperature reduced the rice biomass and leaf chlorophyll content, but their values in the glycine-treated plants were significantly higher than in the ammonium- and nitrate-treated plants. This might be attributed to the higher N uptake rate and root area and activity in the glycine-treated plants. The glycine-treated plants also maintained high contents of soluble proteins, soluble sugars, and proline as well as enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities to protect themselves against chilling injury. Under cold stress, reduced stomatal conductance (gs) and effective quantum efficiency of PSII (ΦPSII) significantly inhibited the leaf photosynthesis; however, glycine treatment alleviated these effects compared to the ammonium and nitrate treatments. The high non-photochemical quenching (qN) and excess energy dissipative energy (Ex) in the glycine-treated plants were beneficial for the release of extra energy, thereby, strengthening their photochemical efficiency. We, therefore, conclude that the strengthened cold tolerance of glycine-treated rice plants was closely associated with the higher accumulation of dry matter and photosynthesis through the up-regulation of N-uptake, and increase in the content of osmoprotectants, activities of the antioxidant defense enzymes, and photochemical efficiency. The results of the present study provide new ideas for improving the plant tolerance to extreme temperatures by nutrient resource management in the cold regions.

Crop growth and yield losses in wheat due to little seed canary grass infestation differ with weed densities and changes in environment O crescimento das culturas e as perdas de rendimento no trigo decorrentes da pouca infestação de sementes de alpiste diferem com as densidades de plantas daninhas e alterações no ambiente

Understanding the weed interference with different sowing times of crop is inevitable for forecasting yield losses by weed infestation and designing sustainable weed management systems. A field experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of sowing dates (20 November, 10 December) and various little seed canary grass (LCG) infestation levels (10, 20, 30 and 40 plant m) on growth and yield of wheat under semiarid conditions. Plots with two natural infestations of weeds including LCG (Unweeded control; UWC) and excluding LCG (UWC-LCG) were maintained for comparing its interference in pure stands with designated densities. A season-long weed-free (WFC) treatment was also run. All the weeds/ LCG infestation levels starting from 10 LCG plants m considerably reduced the wheat growth (leaf area index, crop growth rate, total dry matter accumulation) and hampered the yield contributing factors in both sowing dates. Presence of LCG was more detrimental for growth of late-sown wheat (10 Dec), therefore, 40 LCG plants m recorded more reductions in growth indices of wheat even than UWC. In late sown wheat crop, the grain yield losses by 40 LCG plants m and UWC were comparable, however, these losses were much greater than UWC LCG. In crux, delay in sowing of wheat not only reduced the crop growth and yield but also enhanced the LCG/weed interference. Furthermore, greater competitive ability of LCG particularly for late-sown wheat suggests that it should be controlled in order to provide healthy environment for crop plants.

Mixed-nitrogen nutrition-mediated enhancement of drought tolerance of rice seedlings associated with photosynthesis, hormone balance and carbohydrate partitioning

To investigate whether mixed-N (NO3− + NH4+) nutrition can enhance rice growth under water-deficit condition, a hydroponic experiment in which rice plants were supplied with different N forms (NO3−, NH4+ and mixed-N) was conducted, and the intrinsic mechanisms involved in photosynthesis, root-shoot carbon partitioning, and hormone signalling were investigated. Water stress was found to decrease rice biomass, leaf area, chlorophyll and Rubisco contents. However, mixed-N nutrition substantially alleviated these inhibitions compared with NO3− nutrition alone. Mixed-N nutrition also maintained a higher electron transport rate, actual photochemical efficiency of PSII, and non-photochemical quenching, causing higher photosynthesis and photochemical efficiency. Water stress up-regulated leaf sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS), but down-regulated acid invertase (InvA). However, leaf InvA and root sucrose synthase in the cleavage direction (SSc) in NO3− nutrition was higher than that in mixed-N nutrition. Water stress decreased indole acetic acid (IAA) content in leaves and cytokinins content in roots, but their contents in mixed-N nutrition were higher than those in NO3− nutrition. In mixed-N nutrition, the up-regulation of SPS and IAA in leaves and the reduction of sucrose metabolism (SSc and InvA) in roots jointly resulted in the accumulation of sucrose in leaves and the inhibition of its transportation to roots, finally reducing the root:shoot ratio (R/S). The reduced R/S provides more photosynthates for shoots and increases the utilisation efficiency, thereby strengthening the water-deficit tolerance of plants. We concluded that the strengthened water-deficit tolerance in mixed-N-supplied rice was closely associated with higher accumulation of dry matter mainly via improvement of photosynthesis and photochemical efficiency, hormone balance, and coupling with root-shoot carbon partitioning.

Effects of salt stress on rice growth, development characteristics, and the regulating ways: A review

Abstract Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is highly susceptible to the rhizosphere salinity than other cereals. High sensitivity has been observed, mainly at vegetative and reproductive stages in rice. It is the duty of plant physiologists to comprehend the growth, development, and physiological processes of rice plants under stress. This paper includes the overview of rice growth and developmental processes influenced by salt stress and the regulation pathways involved in these processes. It also includes the promising salt tolerance strategies, i.e., genetic modification techniques, agronomic practices to improve rice growth, yield, and role of phytohormones and their management, especially inhibition of ethylene biosynthesis by using inhibitors 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP). Rice cultivation may be a first choice for improvement of salt tolerance through plant growth regulators and improved cultivation techniques. This study will significantly improve the understanding toward low rice grain yield and poor rice resistance under salt stress and will also stream scientific knowledge for effective utilization of salt affected soils by using different regulating ways.