Explore the vast range of titles available.

Nitrogen (N) fertilizers play a crucial role in agriculture, representing a powerful tool for farmers for increasing yields throughout the seasons under both optimal and suboptimal conditions. At the same time, their synthetic/chemical nature could have several influences on ecosystems and human health. For this reason, there is an urgent need to find new and more sustainable means of production to increase plant productivity and optimize nitrogen use. An experiment was conducted in a plastic tunnel to assess the response of baby lettuce crop to the foliar application of three plant biostimulants (PBs): Legume-derived protein hydrolysate (LDPH) ‘Trainer®’, tropical plant extract (TPE) ‘Auxym®’ and seaweed extract (SwE) from Ecklonia maxima ‘Kelpak®’ under different N rates of 0, 10, 20 and 30 kg N·ha−1. The responses of baby lettuce plants were assessed in terms of yield, growth parameters and physicochemical composition of the leaves. The fresh yield of baby lettuce in both biostimulant-treated and untreated plants was positively affected by increasing N rates from 0 to 20 kg N·ha−1, reaching a plateau thereafter indicating luxury N conditions at 30 kg N·ha−1. However, high N fertilizer application (20 and especially 30 kg N·ha−1) resulted in undesirable decreases in antioxidant activities and total ascorbic acid (TAA). Under non-fertilized regimens, foliar PBs application boost growth and yield of baby lettuce in comparison to non-treated plants. Foliar spray with LDPH and especially SwE elicited significant increases in marketable fresh yield (averaging 14%, 6% and 7% at 10, 20 and 30 kg N·ha−1, respectively) compared to TPE and untreated plants. Improved agronomical performance of baby lettuce under optimal (10 kg N ha−1) and especially suboptimal N regimens (0 kg N ha−1) was associated with increasing photochemical efficiency and a better activity of photosystem II (higher Soil Plant Analysis Development-SPAD index and chlorophyllous pigments biosynthesis). The application of LDPH enhanced antioxidant capacity and TAA in baby lettuce leaf and did not increased nitrate content as recorded in SwE and TPE treatments. Overall, plant biostimulants may be considered as a sustainable tool of production to increase leafy vegetable productivity in low fertility soils.

\"Laurelynn G. Martin and Byron E. Martin show you how to successfully plant, grow, and harvest 47 varieties of tropical fruiting plants - in any climate! This straightforward, easy-to-use guide brings papaya, passionfruit, pepper, pineapples, and more out of the tropics and into your home\"-- Provided by publisher.

Scientific investigations are being increasingly devoted to biostimulant effects on vegetable yield and quality, with the perspective of sustainable crop management. Two farming systems (conventional or organic) in factorial combination with two biostimulant treatments (tropical plant extract (PE); legume-derived protein hydrolysate (PH)) plus a non-treated control were compared in terms of tomato fruit yield, yield components, mineral composition, functional and nutritional indicators. PE- and PH-based biostimulants resulted in higher plant biomass, PH even in higher leaf area index, compared to non-treated control. Marketable yield was not significantly affected by farming system. PH and PE gave higher yield than non-treated control. PH treatment led to higher fruit number than the control, whereas PE incurred significant increase in yield only under organic farming. The mean fruit weight attained the highest value upon PE application under conventional management. Colour component a* (redness) was higher with the conventional system compared to the organic one, whereas an opposite trend was shown by the organic acids malate, oxalate and isocitrate. Irrespective of the farming system, the soluble solids, fruit brightness (L*) and redness as well as the target organic acids malate, oxalate, citrate and isocitrate were significantly higher than untreated plants by 10.1%, 16.1%, 19.8%, 18.9%, 12.1%, 13.5% and 26.8%, respectively, with no significant differences between the PH- and PE-based biostimulants. Higher lipophilic activity and total ascorbic acid concentration but lower lycopene were recorded under organic management. PE and PH application resulted in higher total phenol and ascorbic acid as well as in lycopene content, and lipophilic antioxidant activity than the non-treated control. Biostimulants proved to be an effective sustainable tool for enhancing tomato fruit yield and functional quality both under conventional and organic vegetable systems.

Summary Understanding the anatomical basis of plant water transport in forest ecosystems is crucial for contextualizing community‐level adaptations to drought, especially in life‐form‐rich tropical forests. To provide this context, we explored wood functional anatomy traits related to plant hydraulic architecture across different plant functional groups in a lowland tropical rain forest. We measured wood traits in 90 species from six functional groups (mature‐phase, understorey and pioneer trees; understorey and pioneer shrubs; vines) and related these traits to intrinsic water‐use efficiency (WUEi) as a measure of physiological performance. We also examined vessel size distribution patterns across groups to determine trade‐offs in theoretical hydraulic safety vs. efficiency. Some plant functional groups exhibited significant differences in vessel parameters and WUEi. Vessel diameters in vines and pioneer trees were two‐ to threefold greater on average than in understorey trees and shrubs. Contrastingly, vessels in understorey trees and shrubs fell within the smaller size classes, suggesting greater safety mechanisms. In addition to these trends, large vessel dimensions were important predictors of WUEi among the functional groups. We conclude that wood functional anatomy profiles varied across plant functional groups in a tropical rain forest. These groups can therefore serve as a framework for further investigations on structure–function relationships and a sound basis for modelling species responses to drought. A lay summary is available for this article. Lay Summary

\"Illustrated with photographs taken on location in the plants' natural environment, this field guide describes more than three hundred species of tropical and subtropical species of fruits, tubers, and spices\"-- Provided by publisher.

Nitrogen is the primary technical means responsible for food production increase, but on the other hand, wise management is needed because its excessive use can have a negative impact on the environment and on green leafy vegetable quality, such as that rocket. Rocket has the characteristics of accumulating nitrate in leaves with possible impacts on human health. In order to overcome this issue, researchers are focusing their attention on the use of alternative means, such as plant biostimulant application. The scope of this study was to assess the effect of legume-derived protein hydrolysate(LDPH) and tropical plant extract(TPE), combined with various doses of nitrogen (0 kg ha−1 non-fertilized; N0); 60 kg ha−1 (sub-optimal; N1); 80 kg ha−1 (optimal; N2); and 100 kg ha−1 (supra-optimal; N3)), in order to reduce nitrogen use, boost yield, and enhance the chemical and nutritional value of leaves without significantly accumulating nitrate. Both vegetal-based plant biostimulants enhanced plant growth, boosted the marketable yield (especially at N0 and N1 levels, by 38.2% and 28.2%, respectively, compared to the non-treated control), and increased the SPAD (Soil Plant Analysis Development) index and leaf pigments content, such as chlorophyll and carotenoids, especially in treated-LDPH rocket. The plant-based biostimulants also produced a major amplification in lipophilic antioxidant activity (+ 48%) and total ascorbic acid content (average + 95.6%), especially at low nitrogen fertilization levels, and maintained nitrate content under the legal European Comission limits.

\"Lila Nova is a thirty-two year-old advertising copyrighter who lives alone in a plain, white box of an apartment. Recovering from a heartbreaking divorce, Lila's mantra is simple: no pets, no plants, no people, no problems. But when Lila meets David Exley, a ruggedly handsome plant seller, her lonely life blossoms into something far more colorful\"--Back cover.

Isoprene emissions from tropical plants under moderate conditions are more temperature‐sensitive than temperate plants and current model predictions. However, the effect of extreme heatwaves on this sensitivity remains uncertain. Here, we present controlled measurements of isoprene temperature responses for a subtropical eucalyptus species, revealing a surprising shift during heatwaves. During non‐heatwave periods, isoprene emissions followed established temperature sensitivity patterns with a well‐defined optimum temperature (Topt); However, heatwaves restricted plant physiological processes, resulting in an unexpected decrease in Topt. Current models, which consider acclimation effect based on long‐term temperature averages, failed to capture this shift, predicting higher Topt values during heatwaves. Remarkably, simulations using the default model curve that assumes no acclimation accurately replicated the observed isoprene emissions under both non‐heatwave and heatwave conditions. Our findings highlight the potential for extreme heat to suppress isoprene emissions in tropical regions and the need to reconsider isoprene‐temperature relationships under future climate. Plain Language Summary Heatwaves can significantly impact the release of reactive gases like isoprene from plants, which play an important role in shaping air quality and climate. In this study, we explored how a severe heatwave in South China in 2022 altered the temperature‐driven behavior of isoprene emissions from Eucalyptus urophylla, a common tree species in subtropical regions. Surprisingly, we found that during the heatwave, isoprene emissions peaked at a lower temperature than under normal conditions. This change occurred because extreme heat limited the tree's physiological processes. Interestingly, a simplified model that ignores complex adjustments to heat conditions accurately predicted isoprene emissions during both normal and heatwave periods. These results reveal that heatwaves can suppress isoprene emissions, potentially reducing their contribution to air pollution during extreme heat. Our findings improve the understanding of plant responses to climate extremes and highlight the importance of accurately considering heatwave impacts in environmental models. Key Points Isoprene temperature responses were measured in situ during both non‐heatwave and heatwave conditions Heatwaves restricted plant physiological processes and shifted isoprene emission peaking at a lower temperature The model acclimation mechanism for the optimal temperature could be ignored to use the default value for tropical plants