Nirit Bernstein Ph.D

Research Interests

• Salinity effects on plant growth and development, on all levels of organization in the plant: cellular, tissue, organ and whole plant levels.
• Plant growth kinematics and dynamics. Applications for studies into cell and organ growth.
• Numerical methods of plant growth analyses.
• Irrigation of agricultural crops with brackish water (saline or treated effluents).
• Environmental stress effects on plant growth and development: including also mineral deficiencies and toxicities, water stress, heat stress.
• Plant nutrition.
• Internalization of bacterial human pathogens into crops via the root system
• Frankia , a N-fixing bacteria

Selected Publications

• Lazof, D., Bernstein, N., Läuchli, A. (1991). Growth and development of the Latuca sativa shoot as affected by NaCl stress: Consideration of leaf Developmental stages. Bot. Gaz. 152(1):72-76.
• Bernstein, N., Läuchli, A., Silk, W.K. (1992). Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Inorganic Solutes in Salt Affected Leaves. Curr Top Plant Biochem Physiol. 11:305-306.
• Bernstein, N., Läuchli, A., Silk, W.K. (1993). Kinematics and dynamics of sorghum (sorghum bicolor L.) leaf development at various Na/Ca salinities. I. Elongation growth. Plant Physiol. 103:1107-1114.
• Bernstein, N., A., Silk, W.K. Läuchli. (1993). Growth and development of sorghum leaves under conditions of NaCl stress. Spatial and temporal aspects of leaf growth inhibition. Planta. 191:433:439
• Sharp. R.E., Voetberg, G.S., Saab, I.N., Bernstein, N. (1993). Role of abscisic acid in the regulation of cell expansion in roots at low water potentials. Curr topics Plant Physiol. 10:57-66
• Bernstein, N., Silk, W.K., Läuchli, A., (1995). Growth and development of sorghum leaves under conditions of NaCl stress: Possible role of some mineral elements in growth inhibition. Planta. 196:699-705.
• Martinez, V., Bernstein, N., Läuchli. (1996). Salt induced inhibition of Phosphorous transport in lettuce leaves. Physiol Plantarum 97(1):118-122.
• Lazof, D., Bernstein N. (1997). The NaCl-induced inhibition of shoot growth: The case for disturbed nutrition with special consideration of Calcium nutrition. Adv. Bot. Res. 29:115-189.
• Peters, W.P., Bernstein, N. (1998). The determination of relative elemental growth rate profiles from segmental growth rates: a methodical evaluation. Plant Physiol. 113:1395-1404.
• Lazof, D.B., Bernstein, N. (1999). Effect of salinization on nutrient transport to lettuce leaves: consideration of leaf developmental stage. New Phytologist, 144(1):85-94.
• Meiri, A., Bernstein, N., Yanai, U., Strul, R. Zilberstaine, M. (1999). Temporal changes in soil N of drip-irrigated avocado indicate seasonal differences in N uptake. Rev. Chap. Hort. 5: 195-200.
• Spollen, W.G., LeNoble M.E., Samuels, T.D., Bernstein, N., Sharp R.E. (2000). ABA accumulation maintains maize primary root elongation at low water potentials by restricting ethylene production. Plant Physiol. 122(3):967-976.
• Neves-Piestun, B.G., Bernstein, N. (2001). Salinity-induced inhibition of leaf elongation is not mediated by changes in cell-wall acidification capacity. Plant Physiol. 125:1419-1428.
• Bernstein, N. Ioffe, M., Zilberstaine, M., (2001). Salt-stress effects on avocado rootstock growth. I. Establishing criteria for determination of shoot growth sensitivity to the stress. Plant and Soil. 233:1-11.
• Bernstein, N., Meiri, A, Zilberstaine, M. (2004). Root growth of avocado [Persea Americana Mill] is more sensitive to salinity than shoot growth. J Amer Soc. Hort. Sci.. 129:188-192.
• German, M.A., Dai, N., Mastevitz, T., Hanael, R., Petreikov, M., Bernstein, N., Ioffe, M., Shahak, Y., Schaffer, A., Granot, D. (2003). Suppression of fructokinase encoded by LeFRK2 in tomato stem inhibits growth and causes wilting of young leaves. Plant J. 34(6): 837-46.
• Baas, R., Van Oers, S., Silber, A., Bernstein. N., Ioffe, M., Keinan, M. Bar-Tal, A. (2003). Calcium distribution in cut roses as related to transpiration. J. Hort. Sci. Biotech. 78: 1-9.
• Neves-Piestun, B.G., Bernstein, N. (2005). Salinity induced changes in the nutritional status of expanding cells may impact leaf growth inhibition in Maize. Functional. Plant Biol. 32: 141-152.
• Guetsky, R., Gollop, N., Bernstein, N. (2005). Genetic diversity of Frankia strains isolated from root nodules of Casuarina in Israel. Israel J. plant Sci. 53:125-133.
• Bernstein, N., Ioffe, Bruner, M., Nishri, Y., Luria, G., Dori, I., Matan., E, Philosoph-Hadas, S., Umiel, N., Hagiladi, A. (2005). Effects of supplied nitrogen form and quantity on growth and postharvest quality of Ranunculus asiaticus flowers. HortSci. In Press.
• Bernstein, N., Bar-Tal, A., Friedman, H., Snir. P., Chazan, A., Ioffe, M. (2005). Application of treated wastewater for cultivation of roses (Rosa hybrida) in soil-less culture. Scient. Hort. In Press.

  Book Chapters and invited reviews

• Kafkafi, U., Bernstein, N. (1995). Root growth under ionic composition and salinity stress. In: Yoav Waisel, Amram Eshel, Uzi Kafkafi, eds. Plant roots: the hidden half, 2nd edition. pp. 435-452.
• Bernstein, N., Kafkafi, U., (2000). Root growth under salinity stress. In: Plant roots: the hidden half, (Y. Waisel, A. Eshel, U. Kafkafi, eds.), 3rd edition. pp. 787-805.

Current Projects

• 2004-2006. Testing the tolerance of ornamental crops to irrigation with recycled sewage water vs high quality drinking water.
• 2002 - 2006. Application of wastewater to growth of roses in greenhouse in soiless culture.
• 2003 -2006. Optimization of fertilization regime for ranunculus.
• 2003 – 2006. Development of salicornia, a new halophytic crop for export to the gourmet market of Europe.
• 2005-2005. Evaluation of the potential for internalization of human pathogenic bacteria into crops via the root system.
• 2003 2006. Restricted irrigation for induction of early flowering in verbunum tinus.
• 2004 – 2007. Optimization of fertigation regimes for Anemone.

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