You are all forgiven for doing a ‘double-take’ upon reading that headline. Usually it’s all bad news when humans and forests are concerned, so a statement to the contrary is noteworthy. The item concerns ancient humans...
Tag - phosphorus
Nigel Chaffey
Ethylene affects cell wall remobilisation
Seeking to uncover the effects of ethylene on the metabolic process and pectin remobilising capacity of rice (Oryza sativa) that is grown in phosphorus (P)-deficient conditions, Zhu et al. find that ethylene positively...
botanyone
Root adaptations to infertile soils
Phenotypic characterisation of root adaptations to infertile soils enables plant breeders to develop improved cultivars that not only yield more, but also contribute to yield stability and nutritional security in the...
Crop acquisition of phosphorus, iron and zinc in intercropping (Review)
Phosphorus (P), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) are essential elements for plant growth and development but their availability in soil is often limited. Xue et al. review the processes regulating the acquisition of these...
Altruistic plants?
There’s been a thoughtfulness* of books recently that reflect on aspects of plant intelligence – e.g. Daniel Chamovitz’s What a Plant Knows, Anthony Trewavas’ Plant Behaviour & Intelligence, Richard Karban’s Plant...
Root foraging and yield in maize/bean/squash polycultures
One cause of the yield advantage in the 'three sisters' polyculture is that the crops have different, possibly complementary, root foraging strategies.
Snacking helps Drosera’s appetite
A paper by Pavlovič et al. has caught my eye this week. Feeding on prey increases photosynthetic efficiency in the carnivorous sundew Drosera capensis has moved into Free Access. I’m used to the idea that...
Alun Salt
Drosera, the hunter
The hunting cycle of the carnivorous sundew Drosera capensis, including prey attraction, digestion and subsequent benefits from nutrient uptake.
AJ Cann
Root cortical aerenchyma inhibits radial nutrient transport
Root cortical aerenchyma (RCA) provides an adaptation to low nutrient availability by reducing the metabolic cost of soil exploration. Hu et al. use radiolabelling to investigate uptake of phosphate, sulphate and...
Carnivory and photosynthesis in sundew
The growth of unfed D. capensis plants is P-limited, and this limitation is markedly alleviated by feeding on fruit flies, improving plant nutrient status.
Spotlight on macronutrients (Part 2): Nitrogen, in a bit of a fix…
In this and my next few posts we conclude our look at essential plant macronutrients that started in some previous articles, and this time concentrate on the last four of the nine elements – C, H, O, P, K, N, S, Ca and...
Nutrient requirements differ in two sympatric hemiparasitic species
The reasons for marked differences in growth performance of hemiparasites when attached to different hosts are not fully understood. Li et al. study the responses to inorganic solutes in the absence of a host plant of...
Spotlight on macronutrients: Phosphorus… and Potassium
It’s a little naughty to consider these two elements together, I know, because this may unintentionally add to the confusion that often ensues in class when you ask students to tell you the full chemical names for...
