Effects of catch crops on the content of sulfur (S) and selenium (Se) in vegetables

Selenium is an essential nutrient for animals, humans and microorganisms. Se deficiency in humans has been linked to a plethora of physiological disorders. Increasing evidences point to an anticarcinogenic potential of Se-compounds. To address Se deficiency in the human diet, agronomists and plant breeders are pursuing complementary strategies to produce crops with greater Se concentrations. Catch crops have been used successfully in agriculture, increasing nitrogen and sulfur content in the soil and avoiding nutrient leaching. In this experiment we study whether catch crops can have similar beneficial effects regarding Se

Novel Miscanthus genotypes selected for different drought tolerance phenotypes show enhanced tolerance across combinations of salinity and drought treatments

Arid and saline land area is a challenging but potentially significant resource for growing biomass crops such as Miscanthus if yields are sustainable. Responses to drought and salinity sometimes overlap and selecting for drought tolerance traits may deliver tolerance against both stresses. We grew commercial Miscanthus and three selected novel types in drought, salinity and combination treatments. The Miscanthus used displayed diverse responses that may be summarised as conservative and non-conservative growth strategies. Some response mechanisms such as staying green were less competitive. Some novel Miscanthus types were more resilient than commercial Miscanthus but overall produced less biomass