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This study produced a high-accuracy remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) imagery classification method for identifying the invasive reed Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex Steud subsp. australis using random forest (RF) machine learning. RPAS imagery was collected in the spring and fall of 2019 using a fixed-wing RPAS equipped with a visible spectrum camera (eBee X, S.O.D.A. 3D; senseFly) in Long Point, Ontario, Canada. Imagery was used to produce separate early and late season classifications and a bi-temporal classification which used imagery from both dates. The overall accuracy achieved for each was 97%, 96%, and 91%, respectively. Digital surface models (DSMs) were the most important variable for identifying Phragmites in all classifications due to their greater height when compared to surrounding herbaceous vegetation. The bi-temporal classification, which utilized change in DSM value during the growing season, resulted in an estimated 47.8% new growth of Phragmites and appeared to capture sparse growth better than traditional classification differencing alone. This study highlights the promising use of high-resolution DSMs produced from RPAS imagery to classify invasive Phragmites and monitor within-year patch expansions.

Peatlands contribute to a wide range of ecosystem services. They play an important role as carbon sinks in their natural state, but when they are drained, they cause carbon emissions. Rewetting drained peatlands is required to reduce carbon emissions and create new carbon sinks. However, drained peatlands are commonly used as grassland or croplands; therefore, alternative agriculture schemes are required following rewetting. Paludiculture, i.e., agriculture on wet and rewetted peatlands, is an option in these areas after rewetting to produce biomass sustainably. Monitoring of peatland management is challenging, yet needed to ensure a successful rewetting and plantation of, e.g., Phragmites australis and Typha spp., two plants which are commonly used in paludiculture. Remote sensing is an excellent tool for monitoring the vegetation composition of vast rewetted peatland regions. However, because many peatland species have similar spectral characteristics, such monitoring is ideally based on high-spatial, high-temporal hyperspectral images. Data that complies with all these requirements does not exist on a regular basis. Therefore, we assessed the potential for mapping peatland vegetation communities in the Peene and Trebel river basins of the federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, using multi-date hyperspectral (PRISMA) data. We used regression-based unmixing to map fractions of different peatland vegetation classes. Results were analyzed with regard to the contribution of multi-date observations and, in comparison, to multispectral datasets (Landsat-8/Sentinel-2). Our results showed that different classes are best mapped at different observation dates. The multi-date hyperspectral datasets produced less Mean Absolute Error (MAE = 16.4%) than the single-date hyperspectral images (ΔMAE + 1%), with high accuracies for all classes of interest. Compared to the results obtained with multispectral data from similar acquisition dates and annual spectral-temporal metrics (STM), the results from hyperspectral data were always clearly superior (ΔMAE + 4%). Besides the superior performance during comparisons, our results also indicate that information that can be derived from the hyperspectral data with the regression-based unmixing goes clearly beyond that of discrete classification. With more hyperspectral sensors coming up and an expected higher availability of multi-data hyperspectral imagery, these data can be expected to play a bigger role in the future monitoring of peatlands.

The improved sugarcane varieties grown in and around the world are majorly evolved through interspecific hybridization of Saccharum species. Only few promising hybrids have been developed from allied genera such as Erianthus and Sclerostachya. Several other genera, including Phragmites, Vetivera, Narenga and Neyurida, deserve further research. Successful exploitation of these allied genera resources require careful characterization, evaluation and conservation using different methods including tissue culture techniques. Among them, Phragmites australis is used to remediate waste water and remove heavy metals. In this study, meristem tip culture was standardized for five clones of Phragmites to evaluate their response and growth. Among the five clones of Phragmites studied, two clones (IND 89-711 and IND04-1326) showed better regeneration and growth. The in vitro derived plants were compared with the mother plants using four SRAP markers to check their genetic fidelity. Monomorphic bands were obtained in both the in-vitro and mother plants. No polymorphism was detected, thus proving the genetic uniformity of the micropropgated plants.

As widespread wetland plants, Phragmites play a vital role in water purification and are widely utilized in constructed wetlands (accounting for 15.5% of applied wetland plants) as a natural alternative to wastewater treatment. However, despite such common applications, current understanding of the basic composition of the Phragmites root-inhabiting microbiome and the complex functions of each member of this microbiome remains incomplete, especially regarding pollution remediation. This review summarizes the advances that have been made in ecological and biochemical research on the Phragmites root microbiome, including bacteria, archaea, and fungi. Based on next-generation sequencing, microbial community compositions have been profiled under various environmental conditions. Furthermore, culture-based methods have helped to clarify the functions of the microbiome, such as metal iron stabilization, organic matter degradation, and nutrient element transformation. The unique community structure and functions are highly impacted by Phragmites lineages and environmental factors such as salinity. Based on the current understanding of the Phragmites root microbiome, we propose that synthetic microbial communities and iron–manganese plaque could be applied and intensified in constructed wetlands to help promote their water purification performance.

Common reed (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex Steud.) is one of the important invasive weeds in the world that helps agricultural crop pathogen survival, proliferation, and distribution via infestation of shrubby and tree crop fields. Also, the weed causes problems via water canal occlusion and growth along with railroads. However, the plant culms are profitable in the building of dwellings, feeding of livestock as well as in the phytoremediation of polluted water, and production of biofuel. Hence, it is very relevant to identify the fungi pathogenic on the plant. Among these fungi, there are two species of the genus Utrechtiana Crous and Quaedvl. U. roumeguerei (Cavara) Videira & Crous and U. arundinacea (Corda) Crous, Quaedvi. & Marín respectively reported here for the first and the second time from Iran. Additionally, the symptoms of both fungal diseases are reported. This article is the first report of the incidence of the fungal pathogen U. roumeguerei and fusoid eye spot disease of common reed in Iran.

Considering the severe shortage of water resources in Iran, the utilization of treated municipal wastewater in the agricultural sector is an effective way for supplying water requirement of plants and reducing environmental pollution. Phytoremediation is an environmentally- friendly method to eliminate many pollutants. Vetiver (Vetiver zizanioides L. Nash) and reed plant (Phragmites australis) are two special plants for phytoremediation because of their unique physiological and morphological characteristics. The present research was carried out to improve the quality of leachate by vetiver and reed plant and, using hydroponic system evaluate their efficiency in the removal of contaminants. For this purpose a pilot study (containers containing 200 L leachate) was conducted including two plants, two densities, four retention times (3, 7, 14, 21 day) and control (with no plants). All experiments were performed with three replications. At the end of each period, BOD, COD, nitrate and phosphate were determined and evaluated. Results showed that the amount of COD, BOD, phosphate and nitrate was decreased by 68, 60, 82 and 83%, respectively, for the vetiver grass after 21 days. Also, results showed that the amount of COD, BOD, phosphate and nitrate was decreased by 65, 30, 60 and 63%, respectively, for the reed plant after 21 days. Finally, the results indicated that the best density for the treatment of vetiver grass and reed plant was a density of 4 in a closed environment. According to the results of this study, the vetiver plant and the reed plant have good potential to reduce pollutants.

Polyploidization in plants is thought to have occurred as coping mechanism with environmental stresses. Polyploidization-driven adaptation is often achieved through interplay of gene networks involved in differentially expressed genes, which triggers the plant to evolve special phenotypic traits for survival. Phragmites australis is a cosmopolitan species with highly variable phenotypic traits and high adaptation capacity to various habitats. The species’ ploidy level varies from 3x to 12x, thus it is an ideal organism to investigate the molecular evolution of polyploidy and gene regulation mediated by different numbers of chromosome copies. In this study, we used high-throughput RNAseq data as a tool, to analyze the gene expression profiles in tetraploid and octoploid P. australis. The estimated divergence time between tetraploid and octoploid P. australis was dated to the border between Pliocene and Pleistocene. This study identified 439 up- and 956 down-regulated transcripts in tetraploids compared to octoploids. Gene ontology and pathway analysis revealed that tetraploids tended to express genes responsible for reproduction and seed germination to complete the reproduction cycle early, and expressed genes related to defense against UV-B light and fungi, whereas octoploids expressed mainly genes related to thermotolerance. Most differentially expressed genes were enriched in chaperones, folding catalysts and protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum pathways. Multiple biased isoform usage of the same gene was detected in differentially expressed genes, and the ones upregulated in octoploids were related to reduced DNA methylation. Our study provides new insights into the role of polyploidization on environmental responses and potential stress tolerance in grass species.

Phragmites is the tallest energy crop found as an invasive species worldwide and considered as waste biomass. The present study evaluated the potential of the aquatic biomass Phragmites karka grown from two different lakes as feedstock for biofuel production. A comparative study of biomass was conducted from Chilika Lake and Loktak Lake, India. The methodology involves dilute acid, sono-assisted alkali pretreatment, and hydrolyzed biomass with commercial cellulase. SEM, XRD, and FTIR analysis were performed for the biomass physicochemical studies and confirmed that alterations occurred in the biomass structure, assisting the hydrolysis process. The enzymatic hydrolysis result showed that the highest of reducing sugar yield of 79% was obtained from biomass loading of 10% and 1% w/v alkali with a sonication frequency of 20 kHz for 25 min. Acid pretreatment released maximal reducing sugar yield of 73% attained from biomass loading of 20% and 0.5% w/v acid. Composition analysis of biomass showed that cellulose content increased from 36% to 46%. Sono-assisted alkali pretreatment solubilized 40% of lignin content compared to untreated biomass. Final ethanol recovery from the biomass is 78% fermentation efficiency from glucose. The data indicate that exploiting tall reed grass as a bioenergy raw material can be a viable approach for sustainable utilization of invasive grass/waste biomass for biorefineries, which helps control invasive weeds and management of waste.

Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of glyphosate (H1) and fluazifop- -P-butyl (H2) herbicides with adjuvants on the common reed without cutting and at two different cutting levels (10 and 30 cm). The adjuvants were urea, nitric acid and sulfonic acid. The relative importance value (RIV), leaf chlorophyll content and plant density were determined to assay the efficacy of herbicides. Glyphosate treatment only (H1a) was more effective than fluazifop-P-butyl (H2a) on reeds without cutting and at the 10 cm cutting level. However, no significant difference was observed between them at the 30 cm cutting level. A positive effect of plant cutting occurred on the efficacy of all herbicides applied alone or in a tank mix with adjuvants. Furthermore, the 10 cm cutting level was more effective in eradication of reeds than the 30 cm cutting level. The adjuvants significantly improved the efficacy of the recommended (Hb) and half recommended (Hc) herbicide rates in comparison to being used alone on uncut reeds. The reduction percentages were 94.5, 86.99, 76.61 and 69.94 for H1b, H1c, H2b and H2c treatments, respectively. However, the adjuvants did not improve the glyphosate effect at different levels of cutting. Conversely the reduction percentage of reeds was improved by the recommended rate of fluazifop-P-butyl with adjuvants (H2b) to 92.77% and 84.62% at 10 and 30 cm cutting levels, respectively.

The root of Phragmites australis can often be used as the Chinese herb in China. In this paper, the complete chloroplast genome of P. australis was studied for more genetic information. The chloroplast genome was 137,561 bp in length as the circular and typical quadripartite structure, which contained a large single-copy region (LSC) of 82,328 bp, a small single-copy region (SSC) of 12,699 bp, and a pair of inverted-repeat regions (IRs) of 21,267 bp. The overall nucleotide composition of chloroplast genome is: 42,300 bp A (30.7%), 42,090 bp T (30.6%), 26,500 bp C (19.3%), 26,671 bp G (19.4%) and the total G + C content of 38.7%. However, 134 genes were found that included 87 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 39 transfer RNA (tRNAs), and 8 ribosome RNA (rRNAs). The Maximum-Likelihood (ML) method phylogenetic relationship with the reported chloroplast genomes showed that Phragmites australis is closely related to Setaria viridis and Setaria italic of the family Poaceae.

Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia are two macrophytes commonly present in natural and artificial wetlands. Roots of these plants engage in interactions with a broad range of microorganisms, collectively referred to as the microbiota. The microbiota contributes to the natural process of phytodepuration, whereby pollutants are removed from contaminated water bodies through plants. The outermost layer of the root corpus, the rhizoplane, is a hot-spot for these interactions where microorganisms establish specialized aggregates designated biofilm. Earlier studies suggest that biofilm-forming members of the microbiota play a crucial role in the process of phytodepuration. However, the composition and recruitment cue of the Phragmites, and Typha microbiota remain poorly understood. We therefore decided to investigate the composition and functional capacities of the bacterial microbiota thriving at the P. australis and T. latifolia root–soil interface. By using 16S rRNA gene Illumina MiSeq sequencing approach we demonstrated that, despite a different composition of the initial basin inoculum, the microbiota associated with the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of P. australis and T. latifolia tends to converge toward a common taxonomic composition dominated by members of the phyla Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Planctomycetes. This indicates the existence of a selecting process acting at the root–soil interface of these aquatic plants reminiscent of the one observed for land plants. The magnitude of this selection process is maximum at the level of the rhizoplane, where we identified different bacteria enriched in and discriminating between rhizoplane and rhizosphere fractions in a species-dependent and -independent way. This led us to hypothesize that the structural diversification of the rhizoplane community underpins specific metabolic capabilities of the microbiota. We tested this hypothesis by complementing the sequencing survey with a biochemical approach and scanning electron microscopy demonstrating that rhizoplane-enriched bacteria have a bias for biofilm-forming members. Together, our data will be critical to facilitate the rational exploitation of plant–microbiota interactions for phytodepuration.

Monitoring of lakeshore ecosystems requires fine-scale information to account for the high biodiversity typically encountered in the land-water ecotone. Sentinel-2 is a satellite with high spatial and spectral resolution and improved revisiting frequency and is expected to have significant potential for habitat mapping and classification of complex lakeshore ecosystems. In this context, investigations of the capabilities of Sentinel-2 in regard to the spatial and spectral dimensions are needed to assess its potential and the quality of the expected output. This study presents the first simulation of the high spatial resolution (i.e., 10 m and 20 m) bands of Sentinel-2 for lakeshore mapping, based on the satellite’s Spectral Response Function and hyperspectral airborne data collected over Lake Balaton, Hungary in August 2010. A comparison of supervised classifications of the simulated products is presented and the information loss from spectral aggregation and spatial upscaling in the context of lakeshore vegetation classification is discussed. We conclude that Sentinel-2 imagery has a strong potential for monitoring fine-scale habitats, such as reed beds.

Methods using extensive field data and three-season Landsat TM and PALSAR imagery were developed to map wetland type and identify potential wetland stressors (i.e., adjacent land use) for the United States and Canadian Laurentian coastal Great Lakes. The mapped area included the coastline to 10 km inland to capture the region hydrologically connected to the Great Lakes. Maps were developed in cooperation with the overarching Great Lakes Consortium plan to provide a comprehensive regional baseline map suitable for coastal wetland assessment and management by agencies at the local, tribal, state, and federal levels. The goal was to provide not only land use and land cover (LULC) baseline data at moderate spatial resolution (20–30 m), but a repeatable methodology to monitor change into the future. The prime focus was on mapping wetland ecosystem types, such as emergent wetland and forested wetland, as well as to delineate wetland monocultures (Typha, Phragmites, Schoenoplectus) and differentiate peatlands (fens and bogs) from other wetland types. The overall accuracy for the coastal Great Lakes map of all five lake basins was 94%, with a range of 86% to 96% by individual lake basin (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior).

We studied reed bed development in Matsalu wetland and the Kasari River delta, Estonia, since the late 18th century using historical schemes, topographical maps and aerial photographs. Our aim was to understand the mechanisms controlling reed distribution in Matsalu wetland, the largest coastal wetland of the eastern Baltic Sea occupying an area of about 25 km2. Natural development of the reed bed in Matsalu Bay and the Kasari delta is mainly controlled by shoreline displacement due to post-glacial neotectonic land uplift. The dredging of the Kasari delta in the 1920s–1930s caused a rapid seaward migration of reed bed communities due to the dispersal of fragmented rhizomes on the shallow sea bottom and along the canal banks reaching Matsalu Bay, while the landward parts of the former wetland were occupied by meadow communities. The expansion of the reed bed started in between the 1951s and 1970s and a maximum extent of 27 km2 was gained by the late 1970s at the peak of eutrophication. In the last decades the reed bed development has been influenced by sea level rise and increased intensity of cyclonic activity in the Baltic Sea, which has caused the deterioration of the reed bed that was weakened by eutrophication due to nutrient inflow from agricultural landscapes mainly in the 1960s–1980s.

Accurate remote sensing of wetland vegetation is challenging due to heterogeneous land cover, dynamic water reflectance and extent, and spectrally similar plant types. The high spatiotemporal resolution of nanosatellite constellations enables ‘phenological leveraging’ (PL)—identification and tracking of spectrally distinct phenological events to help differentiate wetland vegetation. We use PlanetScope Dove-R images, field training data, and PL to map wetland landcover in a complex riverine wetland in Rhode Island, USA. Maximum Likelihood (MLC), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) classification algorithms are tested on individual, monthly- and multi-seasonal composite images. The greatest improvements in classification accuracy derive from targeting optimal months of maximum phenological contrast for each landcover class, and then compositing these optimized classifications into a single map. We conclude that nanosatellite constellations offer a powerful new approach for mapping wetland vegetation classes at fine spatial scales.

Annulatascus nilensis sp. nov., from freshwater habitats in Egypt, is described, illustrated and compared to other species in the genus. Phylogenetic analyses of its LSU rDNA sequence with similar fungi placed the new species in the genus Annulatascus (Annulatascaceae, Sordariomycetidae incertae sedis). Annulatascus nilensis is characterized by immersed ascomata with an ascomatal neck oriented horizontally to the substrate surface, asci with a long, narrow stalk and massive bipartite apical ring, and 5-11-septate, hyaline ascospores surrounded by a large irregular, granular sheath that is not seen in water.

Comment une démarche sociale et économique locale peut être associée à une démarche scientifique et naturaliste visant à restaurer et conserver les habitats d’une espèce d’oiseaux menacée ? Exemple de la restauration des habitats du phragmite aquatique dans les prairies humides des marais bretons.

Comment une démarche sociale et économique locale peut être associée à une démarche scientifique et naturaliste visant à restaurer et conserver les habitats d’une espèce d’oiseaux menacée ? Exemple de la restauration des habitats du phragmite aquatique dans les prairies humides des marais bretons.

Une expérience de restauration de roselière a débuté en Grande Brière depuis 2008 pour répondre à des objectifs socio-économiques et écologiques. Le défi technique de cette opération repose sur une fauche mécanique avec un équipement de faible portance respectant les fortes contraintes du site (sol tourbeux et cycle de l'eau). Le premier bilan, dressé quelques mois après cette opération, montre que la productivité du phragmite est d'un niveau intermédiaire à celle de roselières de référence. La biodiversité végétale y reste encore faible en dépit d'un potentiel semencier intéressant. L'attractivité de ce site pour la faune piscicole est restée modérée lors de l'inondation printanière.

The paper highlights the use of constructed wetland in combination with effective microbial cultures (Bacterial and fungal) for the removal of BOD, COD and faecal coliform from untreated sewage water of STP2 of Karnal city (India). The constructed wetland consists of iron drums of 220-litre capacity with 60 litres of average loading rate having 85-cm length and filled with 35-cm coarse sand, 10-cm pebbles of 2-5 mm diameter, 35 cm gravel from top to bottom, was installed at CSSRI, Karnal in the state of Haryana. Drums in triplicate were planted with Phragmite and inoculated with bacterial cultures SWB1 (Alcaligenes cupidus, MTCC 6850), SWB19 (Enterobacter intermedius, MTCC 6849) and fungal culture SWF1 (Aspergillus flavus, MTCC 6589) added at an interval of one month having 1 litre of culture broth and control without inoculation. Other treatments comprised of: no plantation, Eichhornia and Typha both uninoculated. Constructed wetland was found to be influenced by season, retention time and inoculated microorganisms.Inoculated Phragmites showed better BOD, COD and faecal coliform reduction as compared to uninoculated Phragmites because of higher biomass buildup. The system being easy to operate and low cost, can provide an economical viable solution for wastewater management.