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Centaurea melitensis L., known commonly as Malta thistle, is an aggressive and invasive weed species native to the Mediterranean region. This species now occupies a diverse range of ecosystems and climate types across the globe, including the semi‐arid zone of New South Wales, Australia. This semi‐arid climate differs dramatically from its native Mediterranean climate, therefore, we aimed to identify if local adaptations in the seed ecology for C. melitensis have developed. Seeds were collected from mature C. melitensis at Nanya Station, located within the Scotia region of NSW, and then transported to Federation University Australia, Mt. Helen, Victoria. Under laboratory conditions, mature seeds were tested for their germination responses to temperature (17/7, 25/15, 30/20, 35/25°C), photoperiod (12 h light and 12 h dark [L/D], 24 h dark [D]), salinity (0, 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 mM), osmotic potential (0, −0.1, −0.2, −0.4, −0.6, and −0.8 MPa), and pH (5, 6, 6.2, 7, 8, 9, and 10). The seeds achieved 100% germination in the 17/7°C treatment, with light not being a limiting factor. The seeds exposed to the 25/15°C (D) and 30/20°C (D) treatments also maintained high germination percentage, whilst germination was significantly reduced in the 35/25°C (D) treatment. The L/D photoperiod maintained a 77.5% germination rate at 35/25°C. Whilst increased salinity reduced seed germination from 97.5% in the control to 6% at 250 mM, this species nevertheless demonstrated resistance to osmotic stress with 23% germination observed at 0.8 MPa. Germination exceeded 90% at all of the soil pH treatments, although mean germination time was significantly reduced when seeds were treated with a solution of pH 10. Our results demonstrate that the C. melitensis seeds collected in Australia's semi‐arid zone demonstrated high germination plasticity and are capable of competitive germination in warmer and drier conditions compared to its native Mediterranean climate. Therefore, management efforts that prioritise restricting the spread of C. melitensis seeds into new environments, for example through practising correct sanitation protocols, coupled with the early detection and control of emerging populations will be critical for C. melitensis management in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Despite their putative invasive potential, Miscanthus taxa have been increasingly viewed as promising crops for bioenergy production. Miscanthus x giganteus is cultivated worldwide due to its high productivity, and its non‐spreading growth limits its risk of invasion. However, the genetic uniformity of its unique cultivated clone has recently been questioned. We used morphometry, nuclear microsatellites, AFLP fingerprints and nrDNA ITS barcoding to assess Miscanthus genotypes cultivated in eastern France. As expected, the globally cultivated clone was the main morphotype and genotype of our samplings; however, we also identified a second genotype, assigned to M. sacchariflorus, in the sampled fields. Morphological differentiation partially overlaps genotypic assignation, probably due to disturbance at the crop edges. We also show that Miscanthus taxa are misidentified in commercial nurseries. Our study confirms previous reports of the occurrence of other accessions in fields of M. x giganteus. These taxonomic confusions limit the certainty that a single clone of M. x giganteus is cultivated. In this context, M. x giganteus crop fields may actually promote the dispersal of invasive Miscanthus taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ventenata dubia ( African wiregrass), a winter annual weed, is a non-native species invading grasslands, rangelands and pastures throughout the USA. Limited information is available on its suitability as a host to pathogens and insects in its invaded range. The barley/cereal yellow dwarf virus ( B/ CYDV) complex occurs ubiquitously in Poaceae species. In non-managed grasslands, BYDV infection influences competitive dynamics between native and invasive grasses and facilitates invasion by non-native annual weeds. The Palouse prairie of south-eastern Washington and northern Idaho, USA, is an endangered ecosystem. Surveys of V. dubia in Palouse prairie and neighbouring Conservation Reserve Program ( CRP) habitats were conducted to determine whether B/ CYDV viral species are present. Laboratory tests examined the suitability of V. dubia to host BYDV - PAV and serve as an inoculum source. Plant growth and weight parameters were measured to gauge the impact of BYDV- PAV on V. dubia. Infection of V. dubia in Palouse prairie and CRP habitats with two species of BYDV, PAV and SGV, was detected for the first time. The ability of BYDV- PAV to infect V. dubia in the laboratory and transmission from infected V. dubia to barley were demonstrated. BYDV- PAV-infected V. dubia showed reductions in plant height, number of leaves and tillers per plant, and above-ground dry weight, suggesting that V. dubia is sensitive to BYDV. Results demonstrate that V. dubia is a host to BYDV and may serve as a virus inoculum source with potential implications for its management, competitive dynamics between invasive and native grasses and future conservation of endangered grasslands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand alterations of oxalate and other metabolite levels induced by aluminium ion (Al3+) stress in Rumex plants, we measured the metabolites in R. obtusifolius using the capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry. Oxalate and its precursors (isocitrate and citrate) accumulated in leaves of R. obtusifolius after the Al3+ treatment at pH 4.5. Such increase was not observed under the acidic condition (pH 4.5) without Al3+. Principal component analysis showed organ-specific changes in metabolite levels in R. obtusifolius by the Al3+ treatment. Highly positive correlations between oxalate and its precursors were revealed by hierarchical clustering and correlation analyses. An increase in oxalate content was consistently observed for three Rumex species ( R. obtusifolius, R. crispus and R. japonicus) grown in the presence of Al3+. On the other hand, multivariate analyses revealed the differential alterations of other metabolite levels between R. obtusifolius and the other two Rumex species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]