Analysis of variance for the effects of alkalinity stress (A) and rhizome connection (C) on the photosynthetic rate, water potential, root weight, rhizome length and rhizome buds of subsequent ramets.

<p>Note: <i>F</i>-values are shown for each variable followed by their respective significance levels.</p><p>*<i>P</i> < 0.05;</p><p>**<i>P</i> < 0.01;</p><p>***<i>P</i> <0.001;</p><p>^ns, <i>P</i> > 0.05.</p><p>Analysis of variance for the effects of alkalinity stress (A) and rhizome connection (C) on the photosynthetic rate, water potential, root weight, rhizome length and rhizome buds of subsequent ramets.</p

Image_1_Effects of a Furrow-Bed Seeding System on Stand Establishment, Soil Bacterial Diversity, and the Yield and Quality of Alfalfa Under Saline Condition.JPEG

Salt stress account for large decreases in crop yield all over the world. Furrow-bed system is an efficient practice to promote plant growth in saline soil. However, the effects of Furrow-bed system on the soil environment and the growth of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in salinity are not clear. For a wider and more detail evaluation, alfalfa were planted in saline sandy loam soil in fall, the effects of two plant systems (FU, furrow-bed seeding system; FL, flat-bed seeding system) on soil moisture, root zone salinity, soil microbial community structure, seedling emergence number in the early stage of the growth period and soil nutrient contents, alfalfa production characteristics in the second growth year were determined in a 2-year field experiment. The result showed that, compared with FL, FU resulted in increased soil moisture content and seedling emergence, and significantly reduced relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Choroflexi in soil, but it did not affect root zone salinity at the seedling stage. In April of second growth year, the soil salinity was lower, and the soil available phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, and soil organic matter contents of the root zone were higher in FU than in FL. Compared with FL, FU resulted in increased yield (by 37.5%), protein content (by 3.6%), and potassium concentration (by 33.2%), and decreased ash content (by 7.7%), and sodium concentration (by 19.0%) in alfalfa plants. Pearson’s correlation analysis indicated that the increased yield was positively correlated with seedling emergence, soil available potassium, total nitrogen, and organic matter contents, and shoot potassium content and negatively correlated with shoot sodium content. The relative abundance of Actinobacteria was negatively correlated with alfalfa ash, calcium, and sodium concentrations, and positively correlated with shoot potassium content. Taken together, the results indicate that Furrow-bed seeding in early fall alleviated salt stress of alfalfa and have the potential to enhance the yield and quality of alfalfa cultivated in saline soils by improving the soil environment and regulating the growth and physiology of alfalfa.Graphical Abstract</p

Analysis of variance for the effects of alkalinity stress (A), rhizome connection (C) and data (D) on the tiller number and height of subsequent ramets.

<p>Note: <i>F</i>-values are shown for each variable followed by their respective significance levels.</p><p>*<i>P</i> < 0.05;</p><p>**<i>P</i> < 0.01;</p><p>***<i>P</i> <0.001;</p><p>^ns, <i>P</i> > 0.05.</p><p>Analysis of variance for the effects of alkalinity stress (A), rhizome connection (C) and data (D) on the tiller number and height of subsequent ramets.</p

Analysis of variance for the effects of alkalinity stress (A) and rhizome connection (C) on the biomass of original and subsequent ramets and cost-benefit analysis.

<p>Note: <i>F</i>-values are shown for each variable followed by their respective significance levels.</p><p>*<i>P</i> < 0.05;</p><p>**<i>P</i> < 0.01;</p><p>***<i>P</i> <0.001;</p><p>^ns, <i>P</i> > 0.05.</p><p>Analysis of variance for the effects of alkalinity stress (A) and rhizome connection (C) on the biomass of original and subsequent ramets and cost-benefit analysis.</p

Effects of alkalinity stress and rhizome connection on a) the biomass of daughter and b) mother ramets, c) the total biomass of clonal organs and d) cost-benefits of clonal integration.

<p>Bar groups with different capital letters indicate significant differences (<i>P</i> < 0.05) between the four levels of alkalinity in the rhizome-connected treatment. Bar groups with different lowercase letters indicate significant differences (<i>P</i> < 0.05) between the four levels of alkalinity in the rhizome-severed treatment. Asterisks indicate significant differences (<i>P</i> < 0.05) between rhizome-connected and rhizome-severed treatments.</p

Effects of alkalinity stress, rhizome connection and data on the tiller number and height of subsequent ramets.

<p>Solid lines with 0C, 60C, 180C and 300C represented 0/0, 0/60, 0/180 and 0/300 mmol L^-1 alkalinity levels in the rhizome-connected treatments, respectively; Dash lines with 0S, 60S, 180S and 300S represented 0/0, 0/60, 0/180 and 0/300 mmol L^-1 alkalinity levels in the rhizome-severed treatments, respectively.</p

Effects of alkalinity stress and rhizome connection on a) root weight, b) rhizome length, c) bud number, d) photosynthetic rate and e) water potential of subsequent ramets.

<p>Bar groups with different capital letters indicate significant differences (<i>P</i> < 0.05) between the four levels of alkalinity in the rhizome-connected treatment. Bar groups with different lowercase letters indicate significant differences (<i>P</i> < 0.05) between the four levels of alkalinity in the rhizome-severed treatment. Asterisks indicate significant differences (<i>P</i> < 0.05) between rhizome-connected and rhizome-severed treatments.</p

Chiral Nematic Solvent-Responsive Actuator Based on a Cellulose Nanocrystal Template

Photonic actuators have attracted much attention because their periodic photonic crystal structures can produce dual responses of color and motion under stimulus responses. However, photonic actuators face some problems in their manufacture, such as their fragility, high cost, and narrow tunable optical range. It is challenging to use low-cost and simple methods to fabricate a flexible, wide-range response and multicolor photonic actuators. Two cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are made by sulfuric acid hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose or pulp, which emerged blue and red following evaporative assembly, respectively, and their compositions are adjusted to modify the optical color of the final photonic thin films. The introduction of graphene oxide (GO) and the sacrifice of the CNC template result in a mesoporous structure that provides a conduit for polar liquids. When the film absorbs water, the film expands to increase the layer spacing of the film. Due to the asymmetric structure of the film, the film has different expansion rates, which makes a red shift in the color and directional bending. The film changes color from green to red in 25 s when immersed in water and 20 min in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), but no color change occurs in other solutions with less polarity even after 3 months of soaking. Furthermore, the reaction rate of the film in DMSO depends on the temperature. The film changes color from blue to red in DMSO at 30 °C in 10 min but just 3 min at 70 °C, demonstrating that increasing the temperature speeds up the passage of polar solvent molecules and increases the response rate of the film. The application prospects for the prepared nanocomposite films with changing structural colors and solvent-responsive drivability are favorable in optical actuators, solvent viewers, and other applications

Chiral Nematic Solvent-Responsive Actuator Based on a Cellulose Nanocrystal Template

Photonic actuators have attracted much attention because their periodic photonic crystal structures can produce dual responses of color and motion under stimulus responses. However, photonic actuators face some problems in their manufacture, such as their fragility, high cost, and narrow tunable optical range. It is challenging to use low-cost and simple methods to fabricate a flexible, wide-range response and multicolor photonic actuators. Two cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are made by sulfuric acid hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose or pulp, which emerged blue and red following evaporative assembly, respectively, and their compositions are adjusted to modify the optical color of the final photonic thin films. The introduction of graphene oxide (GO) and the sacrifice of the CNC template result in a mesoporous structure that provides a conduit for polar liquids. When the film absorbs water, the film expands to increase the layer spacing of the film. Due to the asymmetric structure of the film, the film has different expansion rates, which makes a red shift in the color and directional bending. The film changes color from green to red in 25 s when immersed in water and 20 min in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), but no color change occurs in other solutions with less polarity even after 3 months of soaking. Furthermore, the reaction rate of the film in DMSO depends on the temperature. The film changes color from blue to red in DMSO at 30 °C in 10 min but just 3 min at 70 °C, demonstrating that increasing the temperature speeds up the passage of polar solvent molecules and increases the response rate of the film. The application prospects for the prepared nanocomposite films with changing structural colors and solvent-responsive drivability are favorable in optical actuators, solvent viewers, and other applications

Chiral Nematic Solvent-Responsive Actuator Based on a Cellulose Nanocrystal Template

Photonic actuators have attracted much attention because their periodic photonic crystal structures can produce dual responses of color and motion under stimulus responses. However, photonic actuators face some problems in their manufacture, such as their fragility, high cost, and narrow tunable optical range. It is challenging to use low-cost and simple methods to fabricate a flexible, wide-range response and multicolor photonic actuators. Two cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are made by sulfuric acid hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose or pulp, which emerged blue and red following evaporative assembly, respectively, and their compositions are adjusted to modify the optical color of the final photonic thin films. The introduction of graphene oxide (GO) and the sacrifice of the CNC template result in a mesoporous structure that provides a conduit for polar liquids. When the film absorbs water, the film expands to increase the layer spacing of the film. Due to the asymmetric structure of the film, the film has different expansion rates, which makes a red shift in the color and directional bending. The film changes color from green to red in 25 s when immersed in water and 20 min in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), but no color change occurs in other solutions with less polarity even after 3 months of soaking. Furthermore, the reaction rate of the film in DMSO depends on the temperature. The film changes color from blue to red in DMSO at 30 °C in 10 min but just 3 min at 70 °C, demonstrating that increasing the temperature speeds up the passage of polar solvent molecules and increases the response rate of the film. The application prospects for the prepared nanocomposite films with changing structural colors and solvent-responsive drivability are favorable in optical actuators, solvent viewers, and other applications