Response of Three Greek Populations of Aegilops triuncialis (Crop Wild Relative) to Serpentine Soil

A common garden experiment was established to investigate the effects of serpentine soil on the photosynthetic and biochemical traits of plants from three Greek populations of Aegilops triuncialis. We measured photosynthetic and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, proline content, and nutrient uptake of the above plants growing in serpentine and non-serpentine soil. The photochemical activity of PSII was inhibited in plants growing in the serpentine soil regardless of the population; however, this inhibition was lower in the Aetolia-Acarnania population. The uptake and the allocation of Ni, as well as that of some other essential nutrient elements (Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn), to upper parts were decreased with the lower decrease recorded in the Aetolia-Acarnania population. Our results showed that excess Ni significantly increased the synthesis of proline, an antioxidant compound that plays an important role in the protection against oxidative stress. We conclude that the reduction in the photosynthetic performance is most probably due to reduced nutrient supply to the upper plant parts. Moreover, nickel accumulation in the roots recorded in plants from all three populations seems to be a mechanism to alleviate the detrimental effects of the serpentine soil stress. In addition, our data suggest that the population from Aetolia-Acarnania could be categorized among the nickel excluders.

Analysis of Some Heavy Metals and Organic Acids in Ficus carica Growing Adjacent in the Serpentine Soil in Sulaimani/Kurdistan, Iraq

Serpentine soil refers to soil having magnesium-rich minerals such as chrysotile, lizardite, and antigorite. Fig (Ficus carica) is a plant of major importance in the world. It is a nourishing food and is used in industrial productions. This study analyzes the distribution of heavy metal contents such as nickel, cobalt, zinc, and manganese in different parts of this plant, such as its leaves, stems, and fruits. Furthermore, the organic acid content, including citric acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, and oxalic acid, was estimated. The studied area is known as Kunjirin which is a village located in the northwestern extension of the Zagros-fold-thrust belt in Mawat town, northeast of Sulaimani Province, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The results show that there are significant differences in heavy metal contents among the plant organs except for zinc. The lowest level of heavy metals is in the fruits, while the highest amount of the heavy metal content is in the leaves. Moreover, the organic acids were unequally distributed in the plant organs. However, the lowest level of organic acids are found in the stem, while the highest concentration of the organic acids are found in the fruit part of the plant. The present study concludes that the level of heavy metals in the fruit part is within the legally admitted limits. This indicates that it is normal for human beings and animals to consume such fruits.

Ectomycorrhizal Fungi on South Kalimantan Serpentine Soil

Serpentine soil contains highly heavy metals, such as manganese, chromium, cobalt, and nickel,which could bean inappropriate growthmediaofmostplants. Someplants thatfound able to grow optimally on South Kalimantan serpentine soil have been known to do association with ectomycorrhizal fungi. This research aimed to obtain and characterize mushrooms assumed as ectomycorrhizal fungi indigenous South Kalimantan serpentine soil. This study used field exploration of fungal fruiting bodies and identified the genus based on morphological characters of fruiting bodies such as shape, size, and ornamentation, which are unique for the genus identification, then compared the characteristics on mushroomexpert.com. The mushrooms were also confirmed of genera assumed as ectomycorrhizal fungi based on mycorrhizas.info. Seven fruiting bodies were obtained and classified as Cantharellus (Ct), Chlorophyllum (Ch1 and Ch2), Lycoperdon (Ly), Ramaria (Rm1 and Rm2), and Thelephora (Tp). The results showed that all of those fruiting bodies belong to Basidiomycetes. There were 4 genera of Cantharellus, Lycoperdon, Ramaria, and Thelephora, assumed as ectomycorrhizal fungi. But Chlorophyllum genus was never reported as ectomycorrhizal fungus

Draft Genome Sequence of Manganese-Oxidizing Bacterium Massilia sp. Strain Mn16-1_5, Isolated from Serpentine Soil in Taitung, Taiwan

Massilia sp. strain Mn16-1_5 was isolated from serpentine soil. This strain is able to oxidize manganese and has the potential for bioremediation of chromium. Here, we present a 5.53-Mb draft genome sequence of this strain with a G+C content of 64.8% that might provide more information for species delineation and oxidase genes in this strain.