Plant growth, contents of photosynthetic pigments, photosynthetic gas exchange, and chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Heinong37] were investigated after it was inoculated with Sinorhizobium fredii USDA191 or treated with 5 mM (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 (N5) and 30 mM (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 (N30), respectively. In the plants following N5 fertilization, not only plant biomass, leaf area, and Chl content, but also net photosynthetic rate (P N ), stomatal conductance (g s ), carboxylation efficiency (CE), maximum photochemical efficiency (F v /F m ) of photosystem 2 (PS2), and quantum yield of PS2 (Φ PS2 ) were markedly improved as compared with the control plants. There were also positive effects on plant growth and plant photosynthesis after rhizobia inoculation, but the effects were much less than those of N5 fertilization. For N30 plants there were no significant positive effects on plant growth and photosynthetic capacity. Plant biomass, P N , and g s were similar to those of N-limited (control) plants. Φ PS2 and photochemical quenching (q P ) were obviously declined while content of carotenoids and non-photochemical quenching (q N ) were significantly enhanced in N30 treated plants. This indicated that excess N supply may cause some negative effects on soybean plants.
The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that fibrous-root plants and rhizomatic-root plants are characterized by different root morphologies, root growth and distribution, and contaminant removal capabilities. Four fibrous-root and four rhizomatic-root wetland plants were studied in mono-cultured microcosms which received wastewater. Fibrous-root plants had significantly greater (P \ 0.05) small-size root (diameter B 1 mm) biomass and a larger (P \ 0.05) root surface area per plant than the rhizomatic-root plants and exhibited accelerated growth in both shoots and roots compared to the rhizomatic-root plants. Fibrous-root plants developed the majority of their root biomass increment within a shallower gravel medium than the rhizomatic-root plants. All plants demonstrated fast root biomass growth from July to September. The wetland microcosms planted with fibrous-root plants showed significantly higher (P \ 0.05) ammonium-nitrogen (NH 4 -N) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO 3 -N) removal rates from July to December than those planted with the rhizomatic-root plants. These results suggest that root characteristics of wetland plants, which are related to their shoot and root growth, root distribution, and decontamination ability, can be used in the selection of wetland plants with a higher contaminant removal capacity and in the construction of a multi-species wetland plant community.
In order to determine the susceptibility of Ipomoea cairica to herbivory, the compensatory growth and photosynthetic characteristics of I. cairica plants were measured after simulated herbivory by leaf trimming in three patterns: leaf‐apex removal, leaf‐edge removal, and perforation. The leaf‐edge removal resulted in a significantly reduced total biomass and root biomass of the plants, but the leaf‐apex removal and perforation had no significant influence on the plant growth. The defoliation patterns had significant effects on the photosynthesis of I. cairica. The net photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance of the plants whose leaf edges had been removed were the highest among the three defoliation patterns and the fraction of absorbed light that is used in Photosystem II photochemistry increased greatly, while the fraction of light energy that is dissipated thermally decreased. The increased photosynthetic rate as a result of the leaf‐edge removal treatment could be attributed to a decrease in stomatal limitation and an increase in the Rubisco content, as well as higher photosynthetic efficiency and less light energy being dissipated as heat. Increased photosynthesis in the plants whose leaf edges had been removed changed the carbon allocation and resulted in less root development. As the expansion of I. cairica primarily depends on clonal growth, smaller roots could limit its uptake of nutrients from the soil. These direct and indirect effects indicate that leaf‐edge‐feeding herbivores could have potential in the biological control of I. cairica.
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