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Auxin is a small molecule involved in most processes related to plant growth and development. Its effect usually depends on the distribution in tissues and the formation of concentration gradients. Until now there has been no tool for the direct tracking of auxin transport at the cellular and tissue level; therefore the majority of studies have been based on various indirect methods. However, due to their various restrictions, relatively little is known about the relationship between various pathways of auxin transport and specific developmental processes. We present a new research tool: fluorescently labelled auxin in the form of a conjugate with two different fluorescent tracers, FITC and RITC, which allows direct observation of auxin transport in plant tissues. Chemical analysis and biological tests have shown that our conjugates have auxin-like biological activity and transport; therefore they can be used in all experimental systems as an alternative to IAA. In addition, the conjugates are a universal tool that can be applied in studies of all plant groups and species. The conjugation procedure presented in this paper can be adapted to other fluorescent dyes, which are constantly being improved. In our opinion, the conjugates greatly expand the possibilities of research concerning the role of auxin and its transport in different developmental processes in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serpentine soils represent stressful habitats where plants have to cope with heavy metals, moisture limitation and low nutrient availability. We propose that facilitation is an important mechanism structuring plant communities under such stressful conditions. Facilitation has been shown to generate the spatial association of species, forming discrete vegetation patches of phylogenetically distant species. We measured these spatial and phylogenetic signatures left by facilitation in a serpentine plant community of central Cuba. Our results show that seedlings preferentially grow under plants of different species, and that adults are significantly aggregated into vegetation patches. In these patches, adults tend to co-occur with distant relatives, ultimately forming phylogenetically diverse neighbourhoods. We discuss possible mechanisms explaining how species adapted to serpentine areas may be acting as nurses, reducing the stressful conditions for the establishment of other species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the effects of nutrient availability on the growth of Trifolium medium in alkaline soil. In 2010, a pot experiment (10 N, P and K fertiliser treatments) with seeding of T. medium into alkaline soil was performed and emergence of seedlings, survival, aboveground and belowground organs were studied. The positive effects of increased nutrient availability on seedling emergence ranged from 5% in the control to 17% in the high P treatment. The lowest mortality was in treatments with P and K supply and the highest in treatments with N supply, due to the sensitivity of young plants to high N availability. The highest values of most measured aboveground plant traits were recorded in treatments with simultaneous application of N, P and K. There were highly positive effects of P supply alone or in combination with N and K on the development of belowground organs. Taproot length ranged from 11.5 in high N to 40.2 cm in P treatment. There was a negative effect of N application on nodulation, especially in N treatments, where growth of T. medium was limited by insufficient P supply. The number of nodules per plant ranged from 0.8 to 4.5 in the high N and P treatments. As demonstrated in this study, T. medium is a potentially suitable legume for alkaline soils. It requires a relatively high P and K supply as well as moderate mineral N supply to achieve its maximum growth potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravity has shaped the evolution of life since its origin. However, experiments in the absence of this overriding force, necessary to precisely analyse its role, e.g. for growth, development, and orientation of plants and single cells, only became possible with the advent of spaceflight. Consequently, this research has been supported especially by space agencies around the world for decades, mainly for two reasons: first, to enable fundamental research on gravity perception and transduction during growth and development of plants; and second, to successfully grow plants under microgravity conditions with the goal of establishing a bioregenerative life support system providing oxygen and food for astronauts in long-term exploratory missions. For the second time, the International Space Life Sciences Working Group ( ISLSWG), comprised of space agencies with substantial life sciences programmes in the world, organised a workshop on plant biology research in space. The present contribution summarises the outcome of this workshop. In the first part, an analysis is undertaken, if and how the recommendations of the first workshop held in Bad Honnef, Germany, in 1996 have been implemented. A chapter summarising major scientific breakthroughs obtained in the last 15 years from plant research in space concludes this first part. In the second part, recommendations for future research in plant biology in space are put together that have been elaborated in the various discussion sessions during the workshop, as well as provided in written statements from the session chairs. The present paper clearly shows that plant biology in space has contributed significantly to progress in plant gravity perception, transduction and responses - processes also relevant for general plant biology, including agricultural aspects. In addition, the interplay between light and gravity effects has increasingly received attention. It also became evident that plants will play a major role as components of bioregenerative life support and energy systems that are necessary to complement physico-chemical systems in upcoming long-term exploratory missions. In order to achieve major progress in the future, however, standardised experimental conditions and more advanced analytical tools, such as state-of-the-art onboard analysis, are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tripeptide glutathione ( GSH) is an important metabolite with a broad spectrum of functions, and its homeostasis is essential to maintain cellular redox poise and effective responses to stress in plants. In Arabidopsis GSH is synthesised in two successive enzymatic steps by γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase ( GSH1), localised exclusively in plastids, forming the pathway intermediate γ-glutamylcysteine (γ- EC), and then by glutathione synthetase ( GSH2), which is located in both plastids and cytosol. This suggests a mechanism for γ- EC export from the plastids and, because the majority of GSH2 transcripts (90%) encode the cytosolic isoform, it is speculated that the cytosol may be the main compartment for GSH biosynthesis. With the availability of knockout lethal mutants of GSH1 and GSH2 in Arabidopsis, we were able to manipulate the GSH biosynthetic pathway within cells through transgenic techniques. We successfully complemented the gsh1 and gsh2 null mutants with a cytosol-targeted bacterial Ec GSHA and plastid-targeted Arabidopsis GSH2 protein, respectively, to wild-type phenotypes. These transgenics were little affected under heavy metal (cadmium) or oxidative stress ( H2O2) when compared to the wild type. Collectively, our data show that redirecting GSH1 activity exclusively to the cytosol or restricting GSH biosynthesis to the plastids has no significant impact on development or stress resistance, suggesting efficient exchange of γ- EC and GSH between the plastid and cytosol compartments within cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we analyse morpho-physiological modifications presented during the allomorphic growth of the aroid vine Rhodospatha oblongata Poepp throughout its ascent into the forest canopy. We test the hypothesis that morphological modifications in the root, shoot and leaf are followed by a gradual improvement of the xylem vascular system in order to increase water acquisition and transport as body size increases. The characterisation of these structural modifications was based on 30-35 specimens divided into six size classes. The dimensions of shoots, leaves and roots were quantified and qualified. The transition from the terrestrial to the epiphytic phase was followed by a simultaneous increase of leaf number and lamina area, together with increased length and diameter of the petiole. Furthermore, as the plant grows, the shoot internodes become shorter and thicker. However, occurrence of aerial roots is the most important characteristic in the ascending phase. In taller individuals, the increase in number of roots with wider xylem vessels guarantees an increased theoretical xylem hydraulic conductance for this growth phase. Along an acropetal direction of the same shoot, the diameter of xylem vessels increased, while the number of vessels per stele area decreased, in contrast with such allometric models as that of West, Brown and Enquist, showing that xylem vessel number and diameter taper in a reverse manner along the same direction. Such structural changes of R. oblongata allow improved foraging for light and water, facilitating the survival of bigger-sized plants of this vine in the canopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starch pasting viscosity is an important quality trait in cassava ( Manihot esculenta Crantz) cultivars. The aim here was to identify loci and candidate genes associated with the starch pasting viscosity. Quantitative trait loci ( QTL) mapping for seven pasting viscosity parameters was carried out using 100 lines of an F1 mapping population from a cross between two cassava cultivars Huay Bong 60 and Hanatee. Starch samples were obtained from roots of cassava grown in 2008 and 2009 at Rayong, and in 2009 at Lop Buri province, Thailand. The traits showed continuous distribution among the F1 progeny with transgressive variation. Fifteen QTL were identified from mean trait data, with Logarithm of Odds ( LOD) values from 2.77-13.01 and phenotype variations explained ( PVE) from10.0-48.4%. In addition, 48 QTL were identified in separate environments. The LOD values ranged from 2.55-8.68 and explained 6.6-43.7% of phenotype variation. The loci were located on 19 linkage groups. The most important QTL for pasting temperature ( PT) ( q PT.1 LG1) from mean trait values showed largest effect with highest LOD value (13.01) and PVE (48.4%). The QTL co-localised with PT and pasting time ( PTi) loci that were identified in separate environments. Candidate genes were identified within the QTL peak regions. However, the major genes of interest, encoding the family of glycosyl or glucosyl transferases and hydrolases, were located at the periphery of QTL peaks. The loci identified could be effectively applied in breeding programmes to improve cassava starch quality. Alleles of candidate genes should be further studied in order to better understand their effects on starch quality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facilitation, reduced competition or increased competition can arise in mixed stands and become essential to the performance of these stands when compared to pure stands. Facilitation and over-yielding are widely held to prevail on poor sites, whereas neutral interactions or competition, leading to under-yielding of mixed versus pure stands, can occur on fertile sites. While previous studies have focused on the spatial variation of mixing effects, we examine the temporal variation of facilitation and competition and its effect on growth. The study is based on tree ring measurement on cores from increment borings from 559 trees of Norway spruce ( Picea abies [ L.] Karst.), European beech ( Fagus sylvatica [ L.]) and sessile oak ( Quercus petraea ( Matt.) Liebl.) in southern Germany, half of which were in pure stands and half in adjacent mixed stands. Mean basal area growth indices were calculated from tree ring measurements for pure and mixed stands for every species and site. The temporal variation, with positive correlations between species-specific growth indices during periods of low growth and neutral or negative correlations during periods of high growth, is more distinct in mixed than in neighbouring pure stands. We provide evidence that years with low growth trigger over-yielding of trees in mixed as opposed to pure stands, while years with high growth lead to under-yielding. We discuss the relevance of the results in terms of advancing our understanding and modelling of mixed stands, extension of the stress gradient hypothesis, and the performance of mixed versus pure stands in the face of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]