The present article reports the in situ preparation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) homogeneously distributed in the formig gel matrix using only L-cysteine (CYS) as a bio-reducing agent. The complex of...

We report a new supramolecular hydrogel based on the simplest low molecular weight compounds – amino acid and silver salt. In situ formation of silver nanoparticles during self-assembly process shows...

No abstract

Varying the spectral composition of light is one of the ways to accelerate the growth of conifers under artificial conditions for the development of technologies and to obtain sustainable seedlings required to preserve the existing areas of forests. We studied the influence of light of different quality on the growth, gas exchange, fluorescence indices of Chl a, and expression of key light-dependent genes of Pinus sylvestris L. seedlings. It was shown that in plants growing under red light (RL), the biomass of needles and root system increased by more than two and three times, respectively, compared with those of the white fluorescent light (WFL) control. At the same time, the rates of photosynthesis and respiration in RL and blue light (BL) plants were lower than those of blue red light (BRL) plants, and the difference between the rates of photosynthesis and respiration, which characterizes the carbon balance, was maximum under RL. RL influenced the number of xylem cells, activated the expression of genes involved in the transduction of cytokinin (Histidine-containing phosphotransfer 1, HPT1, Type-A Response Regulators, RR-A) and auxin (Auxin-induced protein 1, Aux/IAA) signals, and reduced the expression of the gene encoding the transcription factor phytochrome-interacting factor 3 (PIF3). It was suggested that RL-induced activation of key genes of cytokinin and auxin signaling might indicate a phytochrome-dependent change in cytokinins and auxins activity.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

The tight connection between the deterioration of xylem function and plant mortality under drought is well recognized. However, a lack of mechanistic understanding of how substantial conductivity loss influences plant performance under drought and during post‐drought recovery hinders our ability to model tree responses to drought stress. We artificially induced a loss of 50% of xylem conducting area in Scots pine and Norway spruce saplings by stem notching and investigated plant performance under drought and during post‐drought recovery. Plant mortality, xylem hydraulic conductivity, leaf water status and stomatal conductance were measured. We observed no preferential mortality of top plant parts (above the notches) compared to basal plant parts (below the notches), and no consistent trend in hydraulic conductivity loss was observed between top and basal parts of dying plants. Stem hydraulic conductivity, water status of the needles and stomatal conductance changed similarly between the top and basal parts during drought and post‐drought recovery, which indicated the substantial hydraulic overcapacity of the stems. The recovery of stomatal conductance demonstrated prominent hysteresis due to non‐hydraulic stomatal limitations. The results obtained are highly important for modelling the influence of plant hydraulic impairment on plant performance under drought and during post‐drought recovery.