The correlation between important farm indicators in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) samples

The study objective was to analyze the formation of the leaf surface of white melilot (Melilotus albus) cultivated in pure sowing and mixes with annual cereals, with varying seeding rates for this species and varying fertilization levels. White melilot was sown in pure sowing and mixes with maize, millet, Sudan grass, and sorghum, with four seeding rates (16, 18, 20, and 22 kg ha–1). Four doses of fertilization with NPK were used in the investigations (0 – control treatment without fertilization, N45P45K45, N60P60K60, and N60P90K90). The leaves’ surface was assessed through scanning on the 30th, 40th, and 50th day after the germination of white melilot and in the period of its readiness for mowing (64th day). White melilot leaves were separated from the stems and placed in a transparent folder with a 25 cm calibration square, then scanned with a flatbed scanner in black-and-white mode. The obtained image was analyzed in Areas software, the built-in analytical tools of which were used to determine the area of the scanned leaves. After determining each plant’s leaf surface, the mean for each variant of the experiment was calculated, and then, using the concentration of plants per 1 m2, the mean M. albus leaf surface per hectare was obtained. The investigations demonstrated that the surface of white melilot leaves varied depending on the mix’s component, the seeding rate for this species, and the fertilization doses. Depending on the seeding rate (16, 18, 20, and 22 kg ha–1), one plant’s mean leaf surface area was as follows: 0.014115, 0.013955, 0.013824, and 0.013654 m2. The smallest M. albus leaf surface area per hectare was recorded in treatments without components (pure sowing) and with the highest seeding rate for this species’ seeds. The significantly the largest leaf surface area was observed in treatments where M. albus was sown in 16 kg ha–1, in a mix with Sudan grass and maize. Millet was the component with the strongest negative effect on this parameter, with each of the M. albus seeding rates used. Typically, the studied species’ leaf surface area was successively decreasing by 2 to 11% as the seeding rate increased. When mineral fertilizers were introduced, the species under study's leaf surface area was increasing by 7 to 16% as the fertilization rate increased. Considering the mean values for the study period, the largest area of white melilot leaves (in the period of readiness for cutting) was recorded in a mixed treatment of white melilot with Sudan grass, i.e., 52.3 thousand m2 ha–1 with fertilization of N60P90K90 and seeding rate of 16 kg ha–1.

Particulate matter in European cities, especially in urban areas, is mainly from urban road traffic and constitutes a great threat to the health of inhabitants. Therefore, understanding of the role of common urban roadside plant plays for particulate matter (PM) reduction would have important meaning for the mitigation of urban air pollution. The leaf surface PM capturing capacity of 12 representative urban plants (five shrubs and seven trees) alongside one main street in Hanover Germany was explored in this study. Significant differences for the amount of captured PM (both PM10 and PM2.5) on the leaf surface were found between plant species. Leaves of Taxus baccata, Berberis thunbergii, Pinus nigra, and Quercus robur showed the highest capturing capacity, while leaves of Prunus laurocerasus and Carpinus betulus showed the lowest value. Leaf shape is an important factor which affects the capturing capacity of the tested plant species. Needle-leaved pants were relatively more effective than broad-leaved species. Besides, species with small leaf surface area (0-10cm2) showed a notably higher capacity than species with large leaf surface area (over 100cm2). Additionally, by the observation of leaf surface characteristics, plant species with rough and hairy leaf surface tended to be more effective than species with smooth leaf surface. More PM was found distributed on the upper leaf surface close to the midrib rather than on the surface area away from it. At last, no significant correlation was found between the leaf surface contact angle and its PM capturing capacity for the 12 tested plant species in September. In summary, leaf traits including leaf form, leaf shape, leaf surface area, leaf surface hydrophilicity and leaf surface characteristics all have notable effects on the PM capturing capacity of the roadside plant species. This study provides a scientific basis for roadside plants as an eco-friendly solution for the reduction of urban traffic-related PM and stresses the importance of leaf traits as criteria for the plant selection.

Summary1. We investigated the effects of two features of leaf‐pack habitat structure (i.e. mass of a leaf pack and surface area of leaves comprising a leaf pack) and fish predation on colonisation of shredders and leaf breakdown rates in a coldwater stream. Packs were constructed of red maple (Acer rubrum) leaves.2. A 2 × 3 × 3 factorial experiment was used to manipulate fish predation (exclusion and control cage), leaf‐pack mass (1, 3 and 5 g dry mass) and leaf surface area (small: approx. 17.9 cm2, medium: approx. 34.6 cm2, large: approx. 65.6 cm2). Exclusion cages had mesh on all sides, whereas control cages lacked mesh on two sides to provide access to fish.3. Common shredders were Gammarus pseudolimnaeus, Pycnopsyche and Lepidostoma. Shredder biomass per leaf pack increased with the mass of a leaf pack (P < 0.001), but biomass per unit mass of leaf pack did not differ with leaf‐pack mass (P = 0.506). Shredder densities did not respond to the exclusion of fish (P > 0.7) or leaf surface area (P > 0.7), and interactions among treatment factors were not significant (P > 0.2).4. Breakdown rates were lower for leaf packs comprised of small leaves (P < 0.001) and leaf packs with high mass (P = 0.001). Excluding fish did not significantly affect leaf breakdown rates (P = 0.293), and interactions among treatment factors were not significant (P > 0.3). Breakdown rates were highest when packs consisted of few leaves (i.e. leaf packs with large leaves and low mass) and were colonised by many shredders.5. Fish predation was not an important factor controlling shredder densities in leaf packs over the spatiotemporal scale of our experiment. Nevertheless, we found shredder colonisation was proportional to leaf‐pack mass and breakdown rates were affected by leaf‐pack size (i.e. number of leaves in a pack). We suspect that fragmentation is the primary mechanism causing the breakdown rates to be dependent on leaf‐pack size.

The mechanisms of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants’ tolerance to chloride salinity were investigated in cv. Lugovskoi regionalized in Russia. Regenerated plants were produced in vitro from apical meristem and grown on half-strength Murashige and Skoog medium (0.5 MS) using a hydroponic unit in controlled-climate conditions. At the age of six weeks, the plants were exposed to salt stress (50–150 mM NaCl, 7 days). Plant response to salt stress was estimated by growth parameters (fresh and dry biomass of the aboveground and underground parts of plants, linear dimensions of shoot and root, area of leaf surface, and number of stolons) and physiological characteristics (level of photosynthetic pigments, accumulation of sodium, potassium, and calcium ions in the aboveground and underground parts of plants, content of proline, activity of antioxidant enzymes, plant tissue hydration, osmotic potential, and POL). It was found that, in response to salinity, the plants of potato, cv. Lugovskoi, showed a considerable inhibition of growth processes, reduction in chlorophyll a content, and suppression of stolon formation, which points to a rather low salinity tolerance of the cultivar. At the same time, under weak or moderate salt stress, the plants preserved water homeostasis owing to effective osmoregulation, actively accumulated proline that acted as a stress protector, and showed hardly any signs of oxidative stress. It was assumed that low salt tolerance of this cultivar depends on the inability of its root system to retain sodium ions and ensure selective ion transport to the aboveground part of the plant and on inefficiency of the system of sodium ions’ removal from the cytoplasm of leaf cells and their compartmentalization in the central vacuole with the purpose of reducing their toxic effect. The obtained results may be useful for working out a technique of improving salt tolerance of this cultivar by the methods of molecular genetics.

<p>Volcanic ashfall negatively affects crops, causing major economic losses and jeopardising the livelihood of farmers in developing countries where agriculture is at volcanic risk. Ash on plant foliage reduces the amount of incident light, thereby limiting photosynthesis and plant yield. An excessive ash load may also result in mechanical plant damages, such as defoliation and breakage of the stem and twigs. Characterising crop vulnerability to ashfall is critical to conduct a comprehensive volcanic risk analysis. This is normally done by describing the relationship between the ash deposit thickness and the corresponding reduction in crop yield, i.e. a fragility function. However, ash depth measured on the ground surface is a crude proxy of ash retention on plant foliage as this metrics neglects other factors, such as ash particle size, leaf pubescence and condition of humidity at leaf surfaces, which are likely to influence the amount of ash that stays on leaves.</p><p>Here we report the results of greenhouse experiments in which we measured the percentage of leaf surface area covered by ash particles for one hairy leaf plant (tomato, Solanum lycopersicum L.) and one hairless leaf plant (chilli pepper, Capsicum annuum L.) exposed to simulated ashfalls. We tested six particle size ranges (≤ 90, 90-125, 125-250, 250-500, 500-1000, 1000-2000 µm) and two conditions of humidity at leaf surfaces, i.e. dry and wet. Each treatment consisted of 15 replicates. The tomato and chilli pepper plants exposed to ash were at the seven- and eight-leaf stage, respectively. An ash load of ~570 g m<sup>-2 </sup>was applied to each plant using a homemade ashfall simulator. We estimated the leaf surface area covered by ash from pictures taken before and immediately after the simulated ashfall. The ImageJ software was used for image processing and analysis.</p><p>Our results show that leaf coverage by ash increases with decreasing particle size. Exposure of tomato and chilli pepper to ash ≤ 90 μm always led to ~90% coverage of the leaf surface area. For coarser particles sizes (i.e. between 125 and 500 µm) and dry condition at leaf surfaces, a significantly higher percentage (on average 29 and 16%) of the leaf surface area was covered by ash in the case of tomato compared to chilli pepper, highlighting the influence of leaf pubescence on ash retention. In addition, for particle sizes between 90 and 500 µm, wetting of the leaf surfaces prior to ashfall enhanced the ash cover by 19 ± 5% and 34 ± 11% for tomato and chilli pepper, respectively.</p><p>These findings highlight that ash deposit thickness alone cannot describe the hazard intensity accurately. A thin deposit of fine ash (≤ 90 µm) will likely cover the entire leaf surface area, thereby eliciting a disproportionate effect on plant foliage compared to a thicker but coarser deposit. Similarly, for a same ash depth, leaf pubescence and humid conditions at the leaf surfaces will enhance ash retention, thereby increasing the likelihood of damage. Our study will contribute to improve the reliability of crop fragility functions used in volcanic risk assessment.</p>

Biological control of Phomopsis leaf blight of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) with combining phylloplane and rhizosphere colonizing beneficial bacteria

The labeling of products containing genetically modified organisms (GMO) is linked to their quantification since a threshold for the presence of fortuitous GMOs in food has been established. This threshold is calculated from a combination of two absolute quantification values: one for the specific GMO target and the second for an endogenous reference gene specific to the taxon. Thus, the development of reliable methods to quantify GMOs using endogenous reference genes in complex matrixes such as food and feed is needed. Plant identification can be difficult in the case of closely related taxa, which moreover are subject to introgression events. Based on the homology of beta-fructosidase sequences obtained from public databases, two couples of consensus primers were designed for the detection, quantification, and differentiation of four Solanaceae: potato (Solanum tuberosum), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), pepper (Capsicum annuum), and eggplant (Solanum melongena). Sequence variability was studied first using lines and cultivars (intraspecies sequence variability), then using taxa involved in gene introgressions, and finally, using taxonomically close taxa (interspecies sequence variability). This study allowed us to design four highly specific TaqMan-MGB probes. A duplex real time PCR assay was developed for simultaneous quantification of tomato and potato. For eggplant and pepper, only simplex real time PCR tests were developed. The results demonstrated the high specificity and sensitivity of the assays. We therefore conclude that beta-fructosidase can be used as an endogenous reference gene for GMO analysis.

The study aimed to explore the impacts of distinctive qualities of the LED light (such as to low power consumption, lesser production costs, longer operational lifetime and cool light emission with specific monochromatic wavelength) on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) growth and development including plant height, number of leaves, root length, fresh and dry weight etc. The accumulation of phyto-pigments, soluble proteins and sugars, free radical scavenging activity and overall tuber yield were also evaluated. Enhanced plant height with increased diameter and branching was observed with the plant growing under the B100 and R30B70 LED light combination. Similarly, total number of leaves, leaf surface area, health index, phyto-pigments and tuber yield of potato was also significantly increased as compared to the plant growing under the W100 as control. Soluble proteins and sugar content and free radical scavenging enzyme activity were also significantly enhanced in the R30B70 LED light combination. Tubers yield per plants were also enhanced under the RB combination of the LED light. The current study indicated that the combination of R and B LED lights proved better for plant growth and development in a controlled environment and the R30B70 is the best combinational spectra for increased growth and tuber yield of potato plants. Therefore, the precise management of the irradiance and wavelength may hold promise in maximizing the economic efficiency of potato production, and quality of this important vegetables grown in controlled environments.

One of the key indicators of a crop photosynthetic activity is the leaf surface area and its development dynamics. Plant leaves act as diffusion reflectors. In the arid and sharply continental soil and climatic conditions of the Almaty region, expanding the leaf surface, ensuring the proper formation of generative organs, and enhancing grain crop productivity are essential agricultural practices. Uneven leaf surface development and its limited size are major factors that negatively affect both yield and grain quality. Therefore, to achieve high productivity with superior grain quality, it is necessary to explore and implement techniques that promote an increase in leaf surface area. Аn increase in leaf surface area is not always a direct indicator of productivity, since it is influenced by various agricultural practices, including crop rotation, soil fertility, fertilization, and soil properties. This research aims to determine the impact of sowing methods and seeding rates of winter wheat on the dynamics of leaf surface development, the formation of generative organs, and grain yield in bogharic lands of southeast Kazakhstan. The research findings indicate that the ridge sowing method for winter wheat varieties provides a significant advantage over the conventional row method. For the Almaly variety, the most effective approach was two-line ridge sowing with a 70 cm furrow spacing and a seeding rate of 1.5 million seeds/ha. For the Erythrospermum-350 and Zhetysu varieties, the optimal methods were two-line and three-line ridge sowing with seeding rates of 2.5 and 3.5 million seeds/ha, respectively. Meanwhile, for the Steklovidnaya 24 variety, wide-ridge sowing with a seeding rate of 4.0 million seeds/ha proved to be the most suitable.

The potential of urban greening plants to capture particulate matter (PM) from the ambient atmosphere is contingent on interactions between the level of pollution and leaf surfaces. For this study, thirteen plant species were investigated to quantify their capacity of PM accumulation under three atmospheric environments, that is, industrial, traffic and university campus (control), in Kunming City (Southwest China). The sampled sites represented different pollution levels (that is, high pollution, slight pollution and clean air, respectively). The plant species differed in their accumulation of PM by six- to eight-fold across the three sites. Magnolia grandiflora was the most efficient evergreen tree species, whereas Platanus acerifolia had the highest capture of PM among deciduous trees. The accumulation capacity of the same species varied with the degree of pollution. For example, Osmanthus fragrans, Loropetalum chinense and Cinnamomum japonicum were highly efficient for the capture of PM in the traffic and university campus areas; however, they exhibited medium accumulation in the industrial area. Prunus majestica demonstrated an intermediate accumulation capacity in the industrial area, but was low in the traffic and university campus areas. The capturing capacity of the same genus was also different among the different levels of pollution. For example, C. japonicum had a 2.9–4.2-times higher PM accumulation than did C. camphora across the three sites. There were significant differences in leaf surface area, stomata density/length, guard cell area, and trichome density/length among these species. The species-specific efficacy of PM capture was primarily contributed to by leaf size and surface roughness, stomata density, and trichome length. In particular, hairy-leaf leaves with medium stomatal density exhibited higher PM capture. Therefore, leaf micromorphology, leaf size and longevity appeared to be significant predictive factors for the accumulation of PM, which may aid in the selection of greening plant species for the remediation of pollutants in urban areas.

A study was carried out to determine the host range of two fungal organisms, Fusarium oxysporum, the cause of vegetable root rots and Aspergillus niger, the black mold organism, among the members of the family Solanaceae. The test crops were tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), pepper (Capsicum annuum), potato (Solanum tuberosum), egg plant (Solanum melongena) and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). Artificial inoculation of the test plants with spore and mycelial suspension of F. oxysporum and culture paste of A. niger showed that rot symptoms were produced in pepper, tomato, egg plant and tobacco, while mold occurred in eggplant, tobacco, tomato and potato. Root rot symptoms caused massive destruction of the root system in affected plants causing wilting and eventual death of inoculated plants. The severity of both rot and mold symptoms differed among the test plants. Keywords : Root rot, mold, fungal organisms, solanaceae, aspergillus, host range

Canopy management determines canopy shape and spatial leaf area distribution which in turn determines vineyard productivity. There are two indexes evaluating vineyard productivity which involve leaf development: total leaf area – LAI – and external leaf area – SA –. The first one refers to total leaf area developed per m2 of soil while SA refers to the external leaves, assuming that most of photosynthesis – 90% – is carried out by those leaves. This chapter aims to provide a feasible methodology to calculate both LAI and SA under different training systems and cultivars in order to predict vineyard productivity or/and to make decisions along the season. Relations between main leaf nerve length (cm) and leaf surface area (cm2) are given for Airen, Albarino, Barbera, Cabernet franc, Cabernet sauvignon, Chardonnay, Godello, Garnacha, Graciano, Mencia, Merlot, Petit verdot, Pinot noir, Semillon, Syrah, Tempranillo, Treixadura, Verdejo and Viognier.

The structural analysis of shelterbelts forms the foundation of their planning and management, yet the scientific and effective quantification of shelterbelt structures requires further investigation. This study developed an innovative heterogeneous analytical framework, integrating three key methodologies: the LeWoS algorithm for wood–leaf separation, TreeQSM for structural reconstruction, and 3D alpha-shape spatial quantification, using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) technology. This framework was applied to three typical farmland shelterbelts in the Ulan Buh Desert oasis, enabling the first precise quantitative characterization of structural components during the leaf-on stage. The results showed the following to be true: (1) The combined three-algorithm method achieved ≥90.774% relative accuracy in extracting structural parameters for all measured traits except leaf surface area. (2) Branch length, diameter, surface area, and volume decreased progressively from first- to fourth-order branches, while branch angles increased with ascending branch order. (3) The trunk, branch, and leaf components exhibited distinct vertical stratification. Trunk volume and surface area decreased linearly with height, while branch and leaf volumes and surface areas followed an inverted U-shaped distribution. (4) Horizontally, both surface area density (Scd) and volume density (Vcd) in each cube unit exhibited pronounced edge effects. Specifically, the Scd and Vcd were greatest between 0.33 and 0.60 times the shelterbelt’s height (H, i.e., mid-canopy). In contrast, the optical porosity (Op) was at a minimum of 0.43 H to 0.67 H, while the volumetric porosity (Vp) was at a minimum at 0.25 H to 0.50 H. (5) The proposed volumetric stratified porosity (Vsp) metric provides a scientific basis for regional farmland shelterbelt management strategies. This three-dimensional structural analytical framework enables precision silviculture, with particular relevance to strengthening ecological barrier efficacy in arid regions.

Completely climatized cuvettes were used to follow the CO2 gas exchange of red fescue (Festuca rubra L.), growing on a fertilized and an unfertilized plot, during a growing season from May through October. Objective of the study was to determine the effect of environmental factors on the seasonal CO2 gas exchange.Gas exchange rates were calculated on the basis of leaf dry weight, surface area and chlorophyll content. Photosynthetic rates differed between the fertilized and unfertilized plants when based on leaf dry weight or leaf surface area but were similar when based on chlorophyll.Multiple regression analysis was used to related photosynthetic rates to radiation, temperature, water vapor concentration difference, chlorophyll content and time. A cubic regression equation based on daily radiation alone explained 85% of the variation for the fertilized plants and 87% of the variation for the unfertilized plants.During the growing season the unfertilized plants had a continual decline in their photosynthetic rates. The fertilized plants had high photosynthetic rates in the spring and in the fall.Light response curves indicated greater photosynthetic rates at light saturation as well as in the light limited portion of the light response curve for the fertilized plants. Photosynthetic rates of the fertilized plants were generally depressed during periods of warm temperature and high light intensity in June and July.Photosynthetic rates declined at temperatures above 24°C. The decline was greater for the more mesomorphic fertilized plants. A similar response was noted to increasing water vapor difference, although it was difficult to separate from the temperature effect. Maximum photosynthetic rates were found between 14°C and 22°C, although there was considerable variation in the maximum rates.The effects of cutting (mowing) on the gas exchange were difficult to determine due to the interaction of the environmental factors.Chlorophyll content showed significant correlation with photosynthetic rates.

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) belongs to family Amaranthaceae and is one of the important and nutritious leafy vegetable consumed in India. The pot culture experiment is carried out during 2014-15 to study the effect of nanozinc oxide particles on the leaf physical and nutritional traits of spinach. The spinach plants were sprayed with graded concentration of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) after 14 days of sowing. The leaf physical parameters like leaf length, leaf width and leaf surface area are recorded at the time of maturity (45-50 days). The protein, carbohydrate, fat and dietary fiber content in leaf samples are determined. The plants sprayed with ZnO NPs at the concentration of 500 and 1000 ppm showed the increased leaf length, width, surface area and colour of leaf samples when compared to control leaf samples. Similarly treated plants with ZnO NPs at the concentration of 500 and 1000 ppm showed higher values of protein and dietary fibre content in comparison to control leaf samples of spinach. Hence our study suggests that the nano-zinc oxide sprayed spinach is more nutritious to vegetarian diet by providing, protein, fiber and required amount of vegetarian fat to diet.