Background: The humic acid (HA) fraction of soil organic matter (SOM) exerts an effective plant growth promotion through a complex mechanism involving a coordinated activation of several key ion transport and signaling systems. We investigated the effects of HA on H + and Ca 2+ cellular dynamics at the early stages of lateral plant root development. Results: Emergence of lateral root in rice seedlings were related to specific H + and Ca 2+ fluxes in the root elongation zone underlying an activation of the plasma membrane H

Ion dynamics are important for cell nutrition and growth in fungi and plants. Here, the focus is on the relationship between the hyphal H(+) fluxes and the control of presymbiotic growth and host recognition by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Fluxes of H(+) around azygopores and along lateral hyphae of Gigaspora margarita during presymbiotic growth, and their regulation by phosphate (P) and sucrose (Suc), were analyzed with an H(+)-specific vibrating probe. Changes in hyphal H(+) fluxes were followed after induction by root exudates (RE) or by the presence Trifolium repens roots. Differential sensitivity to P-type ATPase inhibitors (orthovanadate or erythrosin B) suggests an asymmetric distribution or activation of H(+)-pump isoforms along the hyphae of the AM fungi. Concentration of P and Suc affected the hyphal H(+) fluxes and growth rate. However, further increases in H+ efflux and growth rate were observed when the fungus was growing close to clover roots or pretreated with RE. The H(+) flux data correlate with those from polarized hyphal growth analyses, suggesting that spatial and temporal alterations of the hyphal H(+)fluxes are regulated by nutrient availability and might underlie a pH signaling elicitation by host RE during the early events of the AM symbiosis.

In nature, iron (Fe) occurs in abundance and ranks fourth among all elements on Earth's surface. Still, its availability to plants is reduced, once this element is in the form of hydrated oxides, which can limit plant productivity and biomass production. On the other hand, in high concentrations, this essential micronutrient for the plants can become a toxic agent, increasing the environmental contamination. Fe is necessary for the maintenance of essential processes like respiration and photosynthesis, participating in the electron transport chain and in the conversion between Fe 2+ and Fe 3+

BackgroundThe ability of mosquitoes of the genus Aedes and its allies, such as Stegomyia, to transmit diseases such as dengue and yellow fever, makes them important in public health. This study aims to evaluate the use of the essential oil of Brazilian pepper in biological control of by assessing and quantifying the larvicidal effect against S. aegypti, the only available access to dengue control, and test its risk of genotoxicity with Salmonella typhimurium as an indicator of safety for its environmental use.ResultsThe density of the oil was 0.8622 g mL-1. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry revealed six major constituents: δ-3-carene (55.43%), α-pinene (16.25%), sylvestrene (10.67%), germacrene D (2.17), β-myrcene (1.99%), and isoterpinolene (1.4%). The minimum inhibitory dose to larvae development was 862.20 μg mL-1. The median lethal dose (LD50) of the essential oil for larvae was between the concentrations of 172.44-344.88 μg mL-1. There was no mutagenic risk for the essential oil, since there were no biochemical or morphological changes in S. typhimurium after exposure to the essential oil.ConclusionsThe minimum inhibitory essential oil concentration and the median lethal dose pointed to the value of the use of water dispersions of Brazilian pepper essential oil as an environmental safe natural larvicidal for S. aegypti.