Nutrient limitation constrains tree growth in many managed forests. Nitrogen (N) is the most common limiting nutrient, but high N supply can shift limitation to other nutrients, particularly phosphorus (P) and the base cations calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K). As different soil minerals have different capacities to supply...
For tuberizing crops like potato (Solanum tuberosum), the geocaulosphere, or the zone of soil in contact with and influenced by the tuber, is a distinct sphere of microbial life and represents an important interface between the potato crop and the soil environment. Upon potato harvest, specific geocaulosphere soil called tare...
Sudden Oak Death (SOD) is a forest disease caused by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora ramorum, and infects trees in the Western United States and Europe. This generalist pathogen can infect over 130 species of plants, and causes rapid mortality in tree species in the Fagaceae. Sexual reproduction is thought to...