Plant, Soil and Environment, 2025 (vol. 71), issue 9

Improvement of lucerne germination and seedling performance through a combined seed priming methodOriginal Paper

Ondřej Szabó, Michaela Kovandová, Zuzana Hrevušová, Saniya Tyulendinova, Josef Hakl

Plant Soil Environ., 2025, 71(9):595-603 | DOI: 10.17221/260/2025-PSE  

Seed priming is an effective seed treatment procedure and has been shown to improve the emergence of seedlings in various crops. However, there is a lack of systematic research for these techniques in lucerne (Medicago sativa L.), especially for combinations of priming agents. This study aimed to screen 22 biologically active compounds and then to evaluate the potential of combinations of these agents, assessing the dynamics of germination, seedling length, and performance, in a pot experiment for selected combinations. About half of the screened agents increased germination rate (on the 3^rd day) or seedling length (from 8% to 75%),...

Variation in the capacity for organic nitrogen acquisition along the root length of rice and wheatOriginal Paper

Baozhen Li, Paul W. Hill, Emily C. Cooledge, Davey L. Jones, Zhifan Zhang, Yue Xie, Tida Ge, Jianlin Shen

Plant Soil Environ., 2025, 71(9):604-613 | DOI: 10.17221/229/2025-PSE  

Oligopeptides constitute an important yet understudied component of soil’s dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) pool, representing a primary breakdown product of proteins. However, the mechanisms of oligopeptide uptake and utilisation by crop roots remain poorly understood in a plant nutrition context. We investigated the rate and spatial uptake pattern of ¹⁴C-labelled alanine and di- to pentapeptides of alanine in wheat and rice under sterile hydroponic conditions. Both species demonstrated the capacity to absorb N through amino acids and oligopeptides, with rice roots showing higher peptide uptake than wheat. Specifically, alanine absorption...

Effects of PEG-simulated drought stress and selenite treatment on mineral nutrient homeostasis in wheat roots and shootsOriginal Paper

Feiyan Yu, Ying Wang, Xue Luo, Kaiwei Li, Jingwen Hou, Gaogao Dai, Huimin Yuan, Lianhe Zhang

Plant Soil Environ., 2025, 71(9):614-620 | DOI: 10.17221/300/2025-PSE  

Drought stress severely impairs seed germination and early seedling establishment, and disrupts the uptake and distribution of essential mineral nutrients in plants. This study investigated the effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-simulated drought and Na2SeO3 application on the accumulation and redistribution of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sulphur (S), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn) in wheat roots and shoots. Under PEG-simulated drought, increasing PEG concentrations resulted in a progressive decline in nutrient concentrations in both roots and shoots, with significant reductions in K, Ca, S,...

Correlation of DGT-P and conventional soil P tests with rye shoot biomass and P uptake across temperate soils with differential soil propertiesOriginal Paper

Alireza Golestanifard, Markus Puschenreiter, Robert Manglberger, Marion Gotthard, Herbert Eigner, Bernhard Spangl, Walter Wenzel, Jakob Santner

Plant Soil Environ., 2025, 71(9):621-637 | DOI: 10.17221/308/2025-PSE  

Several phosphorus (P) extraction tests are being used as soil P tests, but many studies have shown that the correlation of extractable P with plant yield and P uptake varies and sometimes is poor. Infinite sink extraction methods may be superior in estimating plant P availability. Soil P tests were evaluated for their power in determining plant-available P pools. Thirty arable soils covering different soil groups were tested for soil characteristics and extractable P pools. Rye was grown on these soils for six weeks and analysed for shoot yield and shoot P concentrations. Correlations between soil P concentrations, shoot yield and shoot P content...

Effect of abscisic acid and epibrassinolide on physiological and hormonal responses of tomato plants subjected to water stressOriginal Paper

Jaromir Janousek, Zuzana Kovalikova, Alena Gaudinová, Jozef Lacek, Jiri Tuma

Plant Soil Environ., 2025, 71(9):638-649 | DOI: 10.17221/151/2025-PSE  

In this study, the effect of abscisic acid (ABA; 150 μmol) or epibrassinolide (EBL, 3 μmol) in mitigating the adverse drought conditions was evaluated in tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. Vilma). Potted plants were subjected to two 6-day periods separated by a one-time rehydration. Results showed that water deficit increased the content of superoxide radical (O₂^•−), malondialdehyde (MDA), proline, ABA and its metabolites. On the other hand, the studied cytokinins showed a rather opposite trend. ABA application maintained and later reduced the O₂^•− content....

Physiological and biochemical bases of AMF-mediated antimony stress tolerance in Linum usitatissimum: enhancing growth, phytochemical production, and oxidative damage resilienceOriginal Paper

Ahlem Zrig, Shereen M. Korany, Hana Sonbol, Emad A. Alsherif, Foued Hammouda, Danyah A. Aldailami, Marwa Yousry A. Mohamed, Mohamed S. Sheteiwy, Maria Gabriela Maridueña-Zavala, Salma Yousif Sidahmed Elsheikh

Plant Soil Environ., 2025, 71(9):650-665 | DOI: 10.17221/246/2025-PSE  

Antimony (Sb) pollution from industrial activities poses a severe global threat, particularly impacting valuable medicinal crops like linseed, which are highly sensitive to heavy metals. This study reveals the remarkable potential of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as a sustainable solution to this challenge. Our research demonstrates that while Sb stress significantly impairs linseed growth and photosynthesis, it also triggers oxidative damage. AMF improved photosynthetic performance and water status, and notably enhanced the biosynthesis of crucial phytochemicals like phenolics, flavonoids, and citric acid. These compounds are vital for both plant...

Species-specific responses of wheat and maize to thallium stress under elevated CO₂: effects on yield, photosynthesis, and metabolismOriginal Paper

Samy Selim Abdelsalam, Soad K. Al Jaouni, Seham M. Hamed, Emad A. Alsherif, Afrah E. Mohammed, Modhi O. Alotaibi, Danyah A. Aldailami, Wael A. Obaid

Plant Soil Environ., 2025, 71(9):666-679 | DOI: 10.17221/328/2025-PSE  

Heavy metal stress inhibits plant growth, but this impact is less studied and pronounced under climate change conditions. The present study investigates the physiological, biochemical, and agronomic responses of wheat (C3) and maize (C4) exposed to varying thallium (Tl) stress (60 and 120 mg/kg) under ambient (aCO₂) and elevated (eCO₂, 710 µmol/mol) CO₂ levels. High Tl exposure markedly reduced grain yield by 58% in wheat and 68% in maize at 120 mg/kg under aCO₂. However, eCO₂ partially offset the negative effects, increasing yield by ~20% in wheat and 36% in maize at 60 mg/kg Tl. eCO₂...