Financial development,international trade,and environmental degradation: a nonlinear threshold model based on panel smooth transition regression

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Environmental degradation has severely affected the natural cycle of ecosystem. It’s high time now and humans should execute strategies...     

Does financial development mitigate the effects of climate variability on rice cultivation? Empirical evidence from agrarian economy

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study is the first attempt to examine the effects of changing climate and financial development on rice cultivation in the context of agrarian...     

Utilising the Synergy between Plants and Rhizosphere Microorganisms to Enhance Breakdown of Organic Pollutants in the Environment (15 pp)

Background Phytoremediation is a promising technology for the cleanup of polluted environments. The technology has so far been used mainly to remove toxic heavy metals from contaminated soil, but there is a growing interest in broadening its applications to remove/degrade organic pollutants in the environment. Both plants and soil microorganisms have certain limitations with respect to their individual abilities to remove/breakdown organic compounds. A synergistic action by both rhizosphere microorganisms that leads to increased availability of hydrophobic compounds, and plants that leads to their removal and/or degradation, may overcome many of the limitations, and thus provide a useful basis for enhancing remediation of contaminated environments.Main Features The review of literature presented in this article provides an insight to the nature of plant-microbial interactions in the rhizosphere, with a focus on those processes that are relevant to the breakdown and/or removal of organic pollutants. Due consideration has been given to identify opportunities for utilising the plant-microbial synergy in the rhizosphere to enhance remediation of contaminated environments.Results and Discussion The literature review has highlighted the existence of a synergistic interaction between plants and microbial communities in the rhizosphere. This interaction benefits both microorganisms through provision of nutrients by root exudates, and plants through enhanced nutrient uptake and reduced toxicity of soil contaminants. The ability of the plant-microbial interaction to tackle some of the most recalcitrant organic chemicals is of particular interest with regard to enhancing and extending the scope of remediation technologies.Conclusions Plant-microbial interactions in the rhizosphere offer very useful means for remediating environments contaminated with recalcitrant organic compounds.Outlook A better knowledge of plant-microbial interactions will provide a basis for improving the efficacy of biological remediations. Further research is, however, needed to investigate different feedback mechanisms that select and regulate microbial activity in the rhizosphere.     

Inoculation of Azospirillum brasilense and exogenous application of trans-zeatin riboside alleviates arsenic induced physiological damages in wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Due to increased industrialization, arsenic (As) in the soil has become a serious issue for wheat production since past few decades. We investigated...     

Revealing empirical association among ecological footprints,renewable energy consumption,real income,and financial development: a global perspective

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study quantifies the effect of real income, financial development, trade openness, and renewable energy consumption on the ecological footprint...