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Besides anthropogenic factors, climate change causes altered precipitation patterns that indirectly affect the increase of heavy metals in soils due to hydrological effects and enhanced leaching (i.e., Cd and Ni), especially in the vicinity of mines and smelters. Phytoextraction is a well-known, powerful “green” technique for environmental clean-up that uses plants to extract, sequester, and/or detoxify heavy metals, and it makes significant contributions to the removal of persistent inorganic pollutants from soils. Poplar species, due to their growth features, high transpiration rate, large biomass, and feasible reproduction represent great candidates for phytoextraction technology. However, the consequences of concomitant oxidative stress upon plant metabolism and the mechanism of the poplar’s tolerance to heavy metal-induced stress are still not completely understood. In this study, cuttings of poplar species (Populus deltoides W. Bartram ex Marshall) were separately exposed to two heavy metals (Cd2+ and Ni2+) that were triple the maximum allowed amount (MAA) (according to national legislation). The aim of the study was to estimate the effects of heavy metals on: (I) the accumulation of free and conjugated polyamines, (II) plant hormones (including abscisic acid-ABA and indole-3-acetic acid-IAA), and (III) the activities of different antioxidant enzymes at root and leaf levels. By using the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode of gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) coupled with the isotopically labeled technique, amounts of ABA and IAA were quantified, while polyamine amounts were determined by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorometric detection after derivatization. The results showed that P. deltoides responded to elevated concentrations of heavy metals in soils by exhibiting metal- and organ-specific tolerance. Knowledge about tolerance mechanisms is of great importance for the development of phytoremediation technology and afforestation programs for polluted soils.

The physiological and biochemical responses of pedunculate oaks (Quercus robur L.) to heat stress (HS) and mycorrhization (individually as well in combination) were estimated. One-year-old Q. robur seedlings were grown under controlled conditions in a pot experiment, inoculated with a commercial inoculum of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, and subjected to 72 h of heat stress (40 °C/30 °C day/night temperature, relative humidity 80%, photoperiod 16/8 h) in a climate chamber, and they were compared with seedlings that were grown at room temperature (RT). An in-depth analysis of certain well-known stress-related metrics such as proline, total phenolics, FRAP, ABTS, non-protein thiols, and lipid peroxidation revealed that mycorrhized oak seedlings were more resistant to heat stress (HS) than non-mycorrhized oaks. Additionally, levels of specific polyamines, total phenolics, flavonoids, and condensed tannins as well as osmotica (proline and glycine betaine) content were measured and compared between four treatments: plants inoculated with ectomycorrhizal fungi exposed to heat stress (ECM-HS) and those grown only at RT (ECM-RT) versus non-mycorrhized controls exposed to heat stress (NM-HS) and those grown only at room temperature (NM-RT). In ectomycorrhiza inoculated oak seedlings, heat stress led to not only a rise in proline, total phenols, FRAP, ABTS, non-protein thiols, and lipid peroxidation but a notable decrease in glycine betaine and flavonoids. Amounts of three main polyamines (putrescine, spermine, and spermidine) were quantified by using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescent detection (HPLC/FLD) after derivatization with dansyl-chloride. Heat stress significantly increased putrescine levels in non-mycorrhized oak seedlings but had no effect on spermidine or spermine levels, whereas heat stress significantly increased all inspected polyamine levels in oak seedlings inoculated with ectomycorrhizal inoculum. Spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM) contents were significantly higher in ECM-inoculated plants during heat stress (approximately 940 and 630 nmol g−1 DW, respectively), whereas these compounds were present in smaller amounts in non-mycorrhized oak seedlings (between 510 and 550 nmol g−1 DW for Spd and between 350 and 450 nmol g−1 DW for Spm). These findings supported the priming and biofertilizer roles of ectomycorrhizal fungi in the mitigation of heat stress in pedunculate oaks by modification of polyamines, phenolics, and osmotica content.

International provenance trials are a hot topic in forestry, and in light of climate change, the search for more resilient beech provenances and their assisted migration is one of the challenges of climate-smart forestry. The main aim of the study was to determine intraspecific variability in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) among 11 beech provenances according to total antioxidant capacities estimated by various assays, such as DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic) acid), FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) assay, and radical scavenging capacity against nitric oxide (RSC-NO assays), as well as osmolyte content, primarily individual polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine), and free proline content. Polyamine amounts were quantified by using HPLC coupled with fluorescent detection after dansylation pretreatment. The highest values for radical scavenger capacity assays (ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP) were measured in the German provenances DE47 and DE49. Also, the highest NO inhibition capacity was found in the provenance DE49, while the highest content of proline (PRO), total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC) was recorded in DE47. The Austrian AT56 and German provenance DE49 were most abundant in total polyamines. This research underlines the importance of the application of common antioxidant assays as well as osmolyte quantification as a criterion for the selection of climate-ready beech provenances for sustainable forest management.

The drought sensitivity of the pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) poses a threat to its survival in light of climate change. Mycorrhizal fungi, which orchestrate biogeochemical cycles and particularly have an impact on the plant’s defense mechanisms and metabolism of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, are among the microbes that play a significant role in the mitigation of the effects of climate change on trees. The study’s main objectives were to determine whether ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi alleviate the effects of drought stress in pedunculate oak and to investigate their priming properties. The effects of two levels of drought (mild and severe, corresponding to 60% and 30% of field capacity, respectively) on the biochemical response of pedunculate oak were examined in the presence and absence of ectomycorrhizal fungi. To examine whether the ectomycorrhizal fungi modulate the drought tolerance of pedunculate oak, levels of plant hormones and polyamines were quantified using UPLC-TQS and HPLC-FD techniques in addition to gas exchange measurements and the main osmolyte amounts (glycine betaine-GB and proline-PRO) which were determined spectrophotometrically. Droughts increased the accumulation of osmolytes, such as proline and glycine betaine, as well as higher polyamines (spermidine and spermine) levels and decreased putrescine levels in both, mycorrhized and non-mycorrhized oak seedlings. In addition to amplifying the response of oak to severe drought in terms of inducible proline and abscisic acid (ABA) levels, inoculation with ECM fungi significantly increased the constitutive levels of glycine betaine, spermine, and spermidine regardless of drought stress. This study found that compared to non-mycorrhized oak seedlings, unstressed ECM-inoculated oak seedlings had higher levels of salicylic (SA) and abscisic acid (ABA) but not jasmonic acid (JA), indicating a priming mechanism of ECM is conveyed via these plant hormones. According to a PCA analysis, the effect of drought was linked to the variability of parameters along the PC1 axe, such as osmolytes PRO, GB, polyamines, and plant hormones such as JA, JA-Ile, SAG, and SGE, whereas mycorrhization was more closely associated with the parameters gathered around the PC2 axe (SA, ODPA, ABA, and E). These findings highlight the beneficial function of the ectomycorrhizal fungi, in particular Scleroderma citrinum, in reducing the effects of drought stress in pedunculate oak.

Wild cherry ( L.) is a multi-purpose tree species with great ecological and economic importance for European forestry. Evaluating this species phenotypic diversity and quantitative traits characterization is of great importance to define its genetic resources conservation and breeding strategies. In this work, variations of physiological, biochemical, anatomical and morphological traits of one-year-old wild cherry seedlings were evaluated within and among populations to distinguish and characterize their phenotypic portfolio. We observed significant differences at the intra- and inter-population levels considering both biochemical and physiological leaf traits, whereas differences in morphological and anatomical traits were found to be significant only among half-sib lines within populations (i.e. intra-population level). With a multivariate approach, we explored the inter-population specificity and found out that the tiered approach spanning from organ morphology, across physiological scale, to the biochemical level gave out enough power to discriminate between different populations, and their acquisition and resource-use strategies. Moreover, stepwise discriminative analysis showed that radical scavenger capacity against 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline- 6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS•+) and water-use efficiency contributed to discrimination of studied populations to the largest extend. Lastly, our study highlights the robustness of certain functional traits, such as ABTS•+, water-use efficiency, net photosynthesis, total flavonoid content, width of stomata guard cell, and stomatal aperture length, which could be considered as a proxy to discriminate between wild cherry populations and assess phenotypic diversity.

Besides anthropogenic factors, climate change causes altered precipitation patterns that indirectly affect the increase of heavy metals in soils due to hydrological effects and enhanced leaching (i.e., Cd and Ni), especially in the vicinity of mines and smelters. Phytoextraction is a well-known, powerful “green” technique for environmental clean-up that uses plants to extract, sequester, and/or detoxify heavy metals, and it makes significant contributions to the removal of persistent inorganic pollutants from soils. Poplar species, due to their growth features, high transpiration rate, large biomass, and feasible reproduction represent great candidates for phytoextraction technology. However, the consequences of concomitant oxidative stress upon plant metabolism and the mechanism of the poplar’s tolerance to heavy metal-induced stress are still not completely understood. In this study, cuttings of poplar species (Populus deltoides W. Bartram ex Marshall) were separately exposed to two heavy metals (Cd[sup.2+] and Ni[sup.2+] ) that were triple the maximum allowed amount (MAA) (according to national legislation). The aim of the study was to estimate the effects of heavy metals on: (I) the accumulation of free and conjugated polyamines, (II) plant hormones (including abscisic acid-ABA and indole-3-acetic acid-IAA), and (III) the activities of different antioxidant enzymes at root and leaf levels. By using the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode of gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) coupled with the isotopically labeled technique, amounts of ABA and IAA were quantified, while polyamine amounts were determined by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorometric detection after derivatization. The results showed that P. deltoides responded to elevated concentrations of heavy metals in soils by exhibiting metal- and organ-specific tolerance. Knowledge about tolerance mechanisms is of great importance for the development of phytoremediation technology and afforestation programs for polluted soils.