ABSTRACTLegumes are recognized for their nutritional and economic value as a high‐quality protein source. However, antinutrients present in legumes can hinder digestibility and nutrient absorption, ultimately limiting the bioavailability of essential dietary components. Various processing techniques, including enzymatic hydrolysis, plant breeding for reduced antinutrient content, and traditional methods like soaking, germination, cooking (boiling and roasting), can effectively mitigate antinutrient levels and enhance protein digestibility in legumes. Solid‐state fermentation (SSF) presents a bioprocessing approach that utilizes microbial communities, including both macro and micro‐organisms, to degrade antinutrients and enhance the nutritional profile of legumes. This study aimed to process lentils, chickpeas, and soybeans by SSF with the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus. The effect of SSF on the nutrient and anti‐nutrient components of lentils, chickpeas, and soybeans was evaluated. The results of this work illustrated that lentils, chickpeas, and soybeans processed by SSF with P. ostreatus increased the protein contents. Lower contents of phytate and tannin of fermented lentils, chickpeas, and soybeans were achieved by SSF. In addition, SSF with P. ostreatus significantly increased the inhibitory effects against DPPH radicals in lentils, chickpeas, and soybeans. Fermentation also increased the digestibility of proteins in the investigated legumes. Based on the results, lentils, chickpeas, and soybeans processed by SSF with P. ostreatus can be introduced in the development of new functional foods or as a new food ingredient used in food design. In conclusion, solid‐state fermentation (SSF) enhances the nutritional quality of legumes by increasing protein digestibility, improving antioxidant potential, and reducing antinutrients. This process not only makes legumes more nutritionally valuable but also contributes to better health outcomes by improving the bioavailability of essential nutrients.

The leaves of the medicinal-ornamental plant Catharanthus roseus serve as the exclusive source of the anticancer alkaloids vinblastine and vincristine. The limited synthesis of these alkaloids, alongside efforts to enhance their production, has consistently been a focal point of research. Water scarcity, recognized as one of the most significant constraints in agriculture, has prompted this study to examine the effects of the amino acid elicitor tryptophan and drought stress on the alterations in secondary metabolites of C. roseus and the genes implicated in their biosynthetic pathways. This investigation was factorial experiment conducted within a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. The first factor involved drought stress (40% and 100% field capacity), the second factor pertained to tryptophan concentrations (0 and 250 ppm), and the third factor encompassed duration (24, 48, 72, and 168 hours). Key genes associated with four metabolic pathways, phenolic/flavonoid, indole, terpenoid, and alkaloid pathways, were analyzed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT- PCR). Notably, the Cm gene (phenolic/flavonoid pathway) exhibited increased expression across all treatments, with the highest expression level recorded at 168 hours under the combined conditions of tryptophan and drought. Genes associated with the indole alkaloid pathway (As and Tdc) demonstrated similar temporal variations, with peak expression levels observed at 24 hours, particularly under drought stress. Genes within the terpenoid pathway (Sls) and alkaloid pathway (Str, Dat, Prx) displayed an initial increase in expression at 24 hours, followed by a decline at 48 and 72 hours, and a subsequent increase at 168 hours post-treatment in comparison to the control. Additionally, alkaloid accumulation (vincristine, vinblastine) significantly increased, especially under severe drought stress, correlating with the observed gene expression patterns. Non-enzymatic antioxidants, including phenols and flavonoids, also exhibited elevated levels in response to stress and tryptophan treatment. Furthermore, tryptophan application resulted in a doubling of plant biomass compared to the control. Collectively, the findings of this study suggest that the combination of drought stress and tryptophan application modulates gene expression and metabolite production in C. roseus, which may be crucial for optimizing alkaloid biosynthesis under drought stress conditions.

Abstract An efficient in vitro protocol was developed for inducing stable tetraploidy in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L. cv. CP57), a cultivar with restricted flowering that hinders conventional breeding. In vitro-grown plantlets were treated with colchicine (0, 50, 100, and 200 mg L⁻¹) for 24, 48, or 72 h. The 72 h treatments resulted in complete mortality. The optimal treatment for polyploidy induction was 50 mg L⁻¹ colchicine for 24 h, which yielded the highest survival rate (83.3 ± 4.4%) and successfully produced tetraploids. Morpho-physiological analysis 60 days post-acclimatization revealed that this treatment significantly reduced tiller number (by 58%) and plant height (by 18%) while increasing chlorophyll content (by 18%) compared to diploid controls. Stomatal density decreased by 76%, while stomatal length and width increased by 150% and 120%, respectively, serving as reliable indicators of polyploidy. Cytological analysis confirmed tetraploidy (2n = ~230 chromosomes) in 68% of cells from plantlets treated with 50 mg L⁻¹ colchicine for 24 h. Karyotype analysis showed a 58% increase in total chromosome length and enhanced karyotype symmetry in tetraploids. The established protocol effectively induces tetraploidy in sugarcane cv. CP57 and provides a valuable biotechnological tool for breeding programs aimed at enhancing genetic diversity and improving agronomic traits.

Finding sustainable solutions for biofuel production from agricultural waste is crucial for reducing pollution and enhancing waste management. Agricultural residues-including crop waste, livestock manure and other organic materials-can be effectively converted into biofuels. Given the substantial volume of agricultural residues and their inadequate management in Iran, evaluating the potential for bioenergy production and determining the distribution of this renewable resource, is essential. This study assessed the bioenergy production potential from agricultural residues in Khuzestan Province, Iran. Data were collected from library resources and crop statistics for the agricultural year 2023-2024. The results indicated that the annual production of field and horticultural crops totaled 13,907,333.42 tons. The Theoretical Biomass Potential (TBP), Theoretical Energy Potential (TEP) and Available Energy Potential (AEP) were calculated as 5,496,297 tons, 92,283,088 GJ and 14,582,753 GJ, respectively. The potential electrical energy and power output from the total residues of the studied crops in a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system were estimated at 1,364,122 MWh and 194.8745769 MWh, respectively. Additionally, the thermal energy potential was found to be 1,562,555.5 MWh, with a power capacity of 223.22 MWh. Environmental analysis indicated that the Global Warming Potential (GWP) was estimated at 774,334.45 tons of CO₂-equivalent.

Abstract In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on changing the agri-food system, especially in terms of agricultural, food, and nutrition security. The global food system must undergo changes in social norms and technology to achieve environmental sustainability and sufficient productivity to support the growing global population. Multiple factors’ interaction is leading to transitional changes, such as decreased productivity for certain crops and a rapid increase in demand for processed foods. Therefore, the urgent transformation of global food and agricultural systems in the direction of sustainable agriculture is necessary and is one of the most challenging tasks facing humanity. Therefore, ensuring future food security in line with sustainable agriculture is of great importance. In this chapter, the authors review the literature on the disadvantages, limitations, and practical challenges of sustainable agriculture in relation to future food security. The authors also propose solutions to stabilize agricultural practices that can ensure future food security. This study shows that achieving secure future food security through sustainable agriculture is a complex process that requires comprehensive support. Various factors are involved, the most important of which is the size and management of agricultural land. To deal with these challenges based on these factors, appropriate solutions such as land consolidation, precision agriculture (PA), cropping patterns, climate-smart agriculture (CSA), and family farming should be implemented.

Habitat fragmentation and the disruption of connectivity caused by roads are major concerns for the conservation of large carnivores as apex predator. The central arid plains of Iran support a variety of carnivore species, which their populations have sharply decreased because of habitat destruction, deterioration, and fragmentation. This study was conducted in the three conservation areas (CAs) and surrounded landscapes in central plains of Iran, focusing on two large carnivores: the grey wolf and the Persian leopard. The objectives were to predict habitat suitability and identify the environmental variables influencing the distribution of these carnivores. Additionally, the study aimed to predict core habitats and corridors, as well as their integration with CAs. Furthermore, road densities and the number of road crossings relevant to the assessed carnivores were applied. An ensemble modeling approach for habitat suitability, which includes five different algorithms and factorial least cost analysis were applied to predict habitat suitability, core habitats and their connectivity. The results indicated that the most important variables for habitat suitability were distance to CAs, grassland density, and distance to water resources for both carnivores. Three core habitats were identified for the grey wolf, while two core habitats were identified for the Persian leopard. The coverage of predicted core habitats within CAs exceeded 90%. However, the high road density within the corridors for grey wolves (80 m/km²) and particularly for Persian leopards (152 m/km²) in our study area indicated that the habitat was fragmented by roads for the assessed carnivorous species. To enhance connectivity and reduce habitat fragmentation, it is recommended to facilitate the movement of carnivores within corridors by implementing warning signs and speed cameras in areas bisected by roads. Integrated management of core habitats and corridors for the assessed carnivores, encompassing both conservation and road management, should be prioritized by wildlife managers in the study area.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-17644-4.

Knowledge of the germination ecology of weed species provides information about their potential aggressiveness and helps develop effective weed management strategies. Therefore, the influence of gibberellic acid (GA3) and environmental factors (temperature, light, osmotic stress, salinity, cutting times, and seed burial depth) was evaluated on seed germination and seedling emergence of Urospermum picroides a winter annual weed. The results indicated that maximum seed germination was 94% and 83% when seeds were soaked for 12 and 24 h with 1000 and 800 ppm of GA3, respectively. Seed germination was not influenced by light conditions but was influenced by temperature. The highest germination percentages (95% and 93%) occurred at a constant temperature of 30 °C and an alternating temperature of 20/10°C, respectively. In response to light, the results showed that U. picroides is non-photoblastic and can germinate in darkness. Seed germination in response to different cutting times demonstrated that maximum germination was observed in brown achenes (81%), while minimum germination was obtained in white (0%) and yellow (4%) achene stages. Seed germination decreased from 92.5 to 12.5% as water potentials decreased from 0 to -0.4 MPa, and germination was completely inhibited at -0.5 MPa. The salt concentration required for a 50% reduction in maximum germination was estimated at 170 mM NaCl. Maximum seedling emergence occurred at an optimal burial depth of 1.18 cm. In conclusion, this study indicated that at lower soil depths, U. picroides is likely more fit than other species under conditions of low to moderate water and saline stress.

HighlightsWhat are the main findings?Vibration-induced image features (natural frequency, damping) strongly correlate with kiwifruit firmness.A neural network using these features achieved very high prediction accuracy (R2 = 0.9951, RMSE = 0.0185 MPa).What is the implication of the main finding?Enables rapid, non-destructive, and vision-only firmness testing of kiwifruit at high throughput (700–1000 fruits/h).Provides a cost-effective alternative to destructive penetrometer and laser-based methods, with potential for automated grading and quality control.Accurate and non-destructive assessment of fruit firmness is critical for evaluating quality and ripeness, particularly in postharvest handling and supply chain management. This study presents the development of an image-based vibration analysis system for evaluating the firmness of kiwifruit using computer vision and machine learning. In the proposed setup, 120 kiwifruits were subjected to controlled excitation in the frequency range of 200–300 Hz using a vibration motor. A digital camera captured surface displacement over time (for 20 s), enabling the extraction of key dynamic features, namely, the damping coefficient (damping is a measure of a material’s ability to dissipate energy) and natural frequency (the first peak in the frequency spectrum), through image processing techniques. Results showed that firmer fruits exhibited higher natural frequencies and lower damping, while softer, more ripened fruits showed the opposite trend. These vibration-based features were then used as inputs to a feed-forward backpropagation neural network to predict fruit firmness. The neural network consisted of an input layer with two neurons (damping coefficient and natural frequency), a hidden layer with ten neurons, and an output layer representing firmness. The model demonstrated strong predictive performance, with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.9951 and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.0185, confirming its high accuracy. This study confirms the feasibility of using vibration-induced image data combined with machine learning for non-destructive firmness evaluation. The proposed method provides a reliable and efficient alternative to traditional firmness testing techniques and offers potential for real-time implementation in automated grading and quality control systems for kiwi and other fruit types.

Mentha piperita L. (peppermint) is a valued medicinal and industrial plant known for its essential oils and bioactive compounds, particularly menthol. This study investigates the effects of four phytohormonal elicitors, methyl jasmonate (MJ), abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), and gibberellic acid (GA) on oxidative stress, gene expression, and the biosynthesis of menthol and related monoterpenes in peppermint. Treatments at two concentrations, 0.2 mM and 0.4 mM, were evaluated using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) for gene expression and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for metabolite profiling. The results showed that MJ and SA at 0.4 mM significantly enhanced menthol and menthone levels while reducing menthofuran accumulation. ABA reduced menthol content at the same concentration, whereas GA had a limited impact on metabolite levels. Expression of key genes associated with the menthol biosynthetic pathway, including the biosynthetic genes PR, MDH, and MFS, as well as the regulatory transcription factors MhMYB1 and MhMYB2, was significantly affected by the treatments. MJ and SA particularly upregulated MhMYB1, MhMYB2, PR, and MDH. All phytohormones induced oxidative stress and elevated antioxidant enzyme activities, with MJ and ABA showing the strongest effects. The findings highlight the diverse regulatory roles of phytohormones in menthol biosynthesis. These results suggest that MJ and SA can be used to optimize menthol production in peppermint.