Department of Environmental
Physics and Irrigation
Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences
Agricultural Research Organization,
The Volcani Center,
P.O.Box 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel
Currently
on sabbatical:
Department
of Plant Biology and Pathology
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
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.