Plant species

Plants are fundamentally important to life. Key research areas in plant science include plant species identification, weed classification using hyper spectral images, monitoring plant health and tracing leaf growth, and the semantic interpretation of leaf information. Botanists easily identify plant species by discriminating between the shape of the leaf, tip, base, leaf margin and leaf vein, as well as the texture of the leaf and the arrangement of leaflets of compound leaves. Because of the increasing demand for experts and calls for biodiversity, there is a need for intelligent systems that recognize and characterize leaves so as to scrutinize a particular species, the diseases that affect them, the pattern of leaf growth, and so on. We review several image processing methods in the feature extraction of leaves, given that feature extraction is a crucial technique in computer vision. As computers cannot comprehend images, they are required to be converted into features by individually analyzing image shapes, colors, textures and moments. Images that look the same may deviate in terms of geometric and photometric variations. In our study, we also discuss certain machine learning classifiers for an analysis of different species of leaves.

In this study, we examined the use of the 15N natural abundance method to quantify the percentage N derived from fixation of atmospheric N2 in honeybush (Cyclopia spp.) shrubs and trees in the fynbos, South Africa. Non-fixing shrubs and trees of similar phenology to the Cyclopia species were chosen as reference plants. These reference plants were selected to cover a range of mycorrhizal associations (ericoid mycorrhizal, arbuscular mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal). Isotopic analysis revealed a wide range of foliar δ15N values for the reference plants, including many very negative values. The marked differences in δ15N values were defined by the mycorrhizal status of the reference plant species, with the ericoid and arbuscular mycorrhizal plants showing lower foliar δ15N values relative to their non-mycorrhizal counterparts. In contrast, the δ15N values of the N2-fixing Cyclopia species were uniformly clustered around zero, from −0.11‰ to −1.43‰. These findings are consistent with the observation that mycorrhizal fungi discriminate against the heavier 15N isotope during transfer of N from the fungus to the host plant, leaving the latter depleted in 15N (i.e. with a more negative δ15N value). However, a major assumption of the 15N natural abundance method for estimating N2 fixation is that both legume and reference plant should have the same level of fractionation associated with N uptake. But, because mycorrhizal associations may strongly affect the level of fractionation during N uptake and transfer, the test legume should belong to the same mycorrhizal group as the chosen reference plant species. As shown in this study, if the mycorrhizal status of the legume and the reference plant differs, or cannot be assessed, then the 15N natural abundance technique cannot be used to quantitatively estimate N2 fixation.

The state of Rajasthan is situated between 23o3’ and 30o12’ N latitude and 69o30’ and 78o17’ E longitude . The total land area of the state is about 3,24,239 km2 , out of which about 1,98,100 km2 is arid and the rest semi arid. The physical features are characterized mainly by the Aravallis and to the some extent by the vindhyan formation, and the Deccan trap. A major portion of western Rajasthan has desert soils and sandy plains. Sand dunes occupy a greater part of western Rajasthan ( 1,20, 983 km2). The soils of the desert plains are loamy sand to loam and the eastern part has alluvial soil which supports good forests and agricultural crop. Occurrence of saline soils with pH up to 9.0 is a common feature in the sandy areas of Rajasthan. The average annual rainfall in the state is 525-675 mm, and the annual precipitation in different tracts of Rajasthan varies from 13 mm to 1766 mm. Out of the total area , forests cover only about 37,638 km2 and are rich in biodiversity. Rajasthan ...

Mine associated wastewater is characteristically elevated in metals and other contaminants and has been conventionally treated with costly chemical applications. The development of passive treatment systems such as wetlands, which employ both biotic and abiotic processes, has been recognized as an economically feasible, ecologically acceptable treatment technology in the last decade. Not only can constructed wetlands provide an efficient facility

Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) is proposed as a method to assess floristic integrity in Illinois. For the application of FQA, each taxon in the Illinois vascular flora was assigned an integer from 0 to 10 termed a coefficient of conservatism (C). Two basic ecological tenets that the coefficients represent are that plant species differ in their tolerance to disturbance and

The SO4= toxicity in gypsiferous soils, which represent more than 100 million hectares worldwide, constitutes one of the major problems limiting world agricultural output. Currently, phytoremediation of SO4= is regarded, from agricultural and environmental standpoints, as one of the most effective alternatives for the decontamination and recovery of these soils. In this study, we analyzed the behavior of five plant species characteristic of gypsiferous soils (Gypsophila struthium, Helianthemun alypoides, H. squamatum, H. syriacum, and Lepidium subulatum) in order to establish the variability of these plants in terms of S-extraction mechanisms. Our results indicate that the species best adapted and with the densest population was Lepidium subulatum. This plant showed the highest concentration of total S and the greatest organic S, as well as the highest levels of amino acids and proteins. In this study, we propose that the incorporation of S into organic compounds is the essential me...

We tested the hypothesis that the El Niño Southern Oscillation influences forest-wide fruit production, which, in turn, limits frugivorous and granivorous mammals on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama. Observations of BCI mammals have been compiled for 49 years. ...

Resumo: Analisa as utilizações do sistema Crispr/Cas-9 no melhoramento vegetal. Por meio de revisão narrativa de literatura realizada na base de dados Scopus, foi criado um protocolo de pesquisa para selecionar os artigos a partir de critérios de exclusão e inclusão. Os dados desta pesquisa indicam a maior concentração de trabalhos no continente asiático, tendo a China se apresentando como principal expoente em pesquisas na área, com um foco muito grande no melhoramento de Oriza sativa e Solanum lycopersicum. Esses estudos na maioria das vezes buscam o aumento na produtividade e a tolerância a estresse abiótico e biótico isso por que há uma crescente busca por melhoria da qualidade dos grãos e melhoria da resistência a estresses diante do aquecimento climático.

Abstract: Analyze the uses of the Crispr/Cas-9 system in plant improvement, through a systematic literature review carried out in the Scopus database. A research protocol was developed to select articles based on exclusion and inclusion criteria. The data from this research indicate the greatest concentration of works in the Asian continent, with China presenting itself as the main exponent in research in the area, with a great focus on the improvement of Oriza sativa and Solanum lycopersicum. These studies most often seek to increase productivity and tolerance to abiotic and biotic stress because there is a growing search for improvement in grain quality and improved resistance to stresses in the face of climate warming.

The reuse of treated wastewater effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) is a recent practice in the environmental restoration of marginal areas in combination with tree and shrub planting. In urban areas, an integrated approach to the application of this practice implies (a) reuse of treated domestic wastewater for irrigation of hardy plant species and (b) design of environmentally friendly outdoor landscape including the planting of species acceptable for irrigation with such kind of wastewater. The application of this practice in urban areas is possible through the combined reuse of treated municipal wastewater effluents inside buildings as well as towards the environmental configuration of outdoor spaces in combination with the concurrent planting of hardy plant species and their parallel irrigation with such effluents, within the scope of an integrated, complete reuse. For the successful application of such a plan, it is important to continuously monitor a number of pa...