The adaptation of a hydroponic system in vertical gardens adapted to a Polish climate

Green areas in cities are gradually shrinking due to the civilization development. So-called ‘vertical gardens’ may become an alternative for flat areas of lawns or flower beds in densely built-up areas, providing air quality improvement, benefits for local microclimate and aesthetic value for human health and well-being. The establishment of a new construction for the vertical garden on a wall of an existing building needs a specific approach: the vertical garden construction should be stable, robust, lightweight and easy to assembly. In our work, we present the construction for vertical garden adjusted to hydroponic cultivation of ornamental herbaceous plants. The construction was established on both the southern and northern walls on a building in university in Lublin, Poland. During three consecutive years, the construction of a vertical garden, the hydroponic water-and-nutrient supplying system and the plants were monitored. The results showed that the applied construction and hydroponic system worked well and was resistant to climatic conditions throughout the year

Environmental stress - what can we learn from chlorophyll a fluorescence analysis in woody plants? A review

Chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChF) signal analysis has become a widely used and rapid, non-invasive technique to study the photosynthetic process under stress conditions. It monitors plant responses to various environmental factors affecting plants under experimental and field conditions. Thus, it enables extensive research in ecology and benefits forestry, agriculture, horticulture, and arboriculture. Woody plants, especially trees, as organisms with a considerable life span, have a different life strategy than herbaceous plants and show more complex responses to stress. The range of changes in photosynthetic efficiency of trees depends on their age, ontogeny, species-specific characteristics, and acclimation ability. This review compiles the results of the most commonly used ChF techniques at the foliar scale. We describe the results of experimental studies to identify stress factors that affect photosynthetic efficiency and analyse the experience of assessing tree vigour in natural and human-modified environments. We discuss both the circumstances under which ChF can be successfully used to assess woody plant health and the ChF parameters that can be useful in field research. Finally, we summarise the advantages and limitations of the ChF method in research on trees, shrubs, and woody vines

Changes in air Water Vapour Pressure, Relative Humidity and Carbon Dioxide Concentration in Summer on the City Outskirts

Urban greenery contributes to improve air quality through carbon dioxide sequestration and to increase air humidity by transpiration. These processes are dependent on diurnal physiological activity of vegetation as well as its spatial distribution. In our study we aimed to find out (1) how urban greenery can change the atmospheric conditions during a day and (2) if there is a difference between a housing estate interior with abundant greenery and a wide street of heavy traffic. The examination was carried out a suburban district of Warsaw, in two sites of contrasting characteristics: in a street with heavy traffic during rush hours and in a housing estate nearby. Gas measurements were carried out using an infrared gas analyser included in a portable photosynthesis system on two sunny days in July 2021. On each day measurements of air water vapour pressure and atmospheric carbon dioxide were taken in both locations from early morning to the evening. The results showed that water vapour pressure in the air increased from ca. 12 to nearly 18 hPa from 6:45 a.m. to 9:00-9:30 a.m., respectively, and then gradually decreased until 7:00 p.m. on both measurement days. Carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere in the early morning hours exceeded 430-450 ppm and then decreased to 400 ppm or even less than 360 ppm depending on the day. We concluded that the site characteristics had not an important effect on relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentration, but vapour pressure deficit was higher in the street

The adaptation of a hydroponic system in vertical gardens adapted to a Polish climate

Green areas in cities are gradually shrinking due to the civilization development. So-called ‘vertical gardens’ may become an alternative for flat areas of lawns or flower beds in densely built-up areas, providing air quality improvement, benefits for local microclimate and aesthetic value for human health and well-being. The establishment of a new construction for the vertical garden on a wall of an existing building needs a specific approach: the vertical garden construction should be stable, robust, lightweight and easy to assembly. In our work, we present the construction for vertical garden adjusted to hydroponic cultivation of ornamental herbaceous plants. The construction was established on both the southern and northern walls on a building in university in Lublin, Poland. During three consecutive years, the construction of a vertical garden, the hydroponic water-and-nutrient supplying system and the plants were monitored. The results showed that the applied construction and hydroponic system worked well and was resistant to climatic conditions throughout the year

Chlorophyll fluorescence measurements in environmental studies

Celem opracowania jest przybliżenie szerokiemu gronu czytelników zakresu możliwości zastosowania pomiarów fluorescencji chlorofilu w badaniach stanu roślin, poddanych stresom abiotycznym. Zaprezentowano zagadnienia związane z samym zjawiskiem fluorescencji chlorofilu, następnie skupiono się na technice pomiarowej, scharakteryzowano metody pomiaru fluorescencji bezpośredniej i modulowanej (w systemie PAM), a także przybliżono test OJIP stosowany do analizy otrzymywanych wyników. Szczególny nacisk położono na znaczenie parametrów fluorescencji chlorofilu. Omówiono też wpływ wybranych czynników środowiskowych na zmiany fluorescencji chlorofilu. Skupiono się na znaczeniu światła, temperatury, suszy, zasolenia gleby, niedoboru składnika mineralnego oraz toksycznego oddziaływania metali. Zaprezentowano także inne przykłady zastosowania fluorescencji chlorofilu, jak kontrola dojrzałości owoców, wigoru nasion czy monitoringu ekosystemów wodnych, również w systemie NASA-MODIS do wykrywania zagrożeń biologicznych. W podsumowaniu podkreślono, że fluorescencja chlorofilu stanowi uniwersalny i szybki sposób oszacowania oraz narzędzie do wykrywania różnych niesprzyjających warunków środowiska mających wpływ na sprawne funkcjonowanie aparatu fotosynetycznego.The aim of this paper is to inform the readers about some possibilities of applying chlorophyll fluorescence measurements in studies of plants' condition under abiotic stress. We present basic knowledge on chlorophyll fluorescence emission and measuring techniques of prompt fluorescence, pulse amplitude modulated fluorescence, and the OJIP test. Special emphasis is placed on chlorophyll fluorescence parameters obtained from each measuring technique and their relevance to functioning of photosynthetic machinery and the whole process of photosynthesis. The influence of selected abiotic factors on chlorophyll fluorescence is described, focusing on the photosynthetic active radiation, temperature, drought, soil salinity, mineral deficiencies, and heavy metals. The paper presents also some of unusual applications of chlorophyll fluorescence measurements, such as testing of fruit maturity, seed vigor, or monitoring of aquatic ecosystems. In the summary, we highlight that measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence provide an universal tool for a quick evaluation and analysis of the effects of various unfavorable environmental conditions on the efficiency of photosynthesis