植物科学

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) derivatives are of great importance in the medical, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. This relevance is mainly due to the active principles (cannabinoids) found mainly in the trichomes of the female inflorescences. One of the most commonly used methods to propagate cannabis is by vegetative stem cuttings. This low-cost technique produces genetically uniform plants, ensuring consistent growth rates and cannabinoid production. The extraction of cannabinoids and other active compounds from the resin of the flowers is the main limitation of cannabis processing. Here, we describe a step-by-step protocol for propagating female cannabis plants from vegetative stem cuttings, inducing flower development, and obtaining high-quality cannabinoid-enriched resin.

Seed germination is a critical and challenging process in the propagation of Oryza coarctata, a wild halophytic rice species. This protocol outlines the seed germination procedure for O. coarctata. All steps required for optimal germination and seedling establishment of O. coarctata in both sterile and soil-based systems are described in detail. Additionally, the protocol includes an analysis of the primary hormones, abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellin (GA), involved in regulating seed dormancy and germination.

Roots are the prime organ for nutrient and water uptake and are therefore fundamental to the growth and development of plants. However, physical challenges of a heterogeneous environment and diverse edaphic stresses affect root growth in soil. Compacted soil is a serious global problem, causing inhibition of root elongation, which reduces surface area and impacts resource foraging. Visualisation and quantification of roots in soil is difficult due to this growth substrate’s opaque nature; however, non-destructive imaging technologies are now becoming more widely available to plant and soil scientists working to address this challenge. We have recently developed an integrated approach, combining X-ray Computed Tomography (X-ray CT) and confocal microscopy to image roots grown in compacted soil conditions from a plant to a cellular scale. The method is suited to visualize cellular responses of root tips grown in both non-compacted and compacted soils. This protocol presents a fully integrated workflow, including soil column preparation, creation of compaction conditions, plant growth, imaging, and quantification of root adaptive responses at a cellular scale.