Clonal propagation of avocado rootstocks through etiolated shoot rooting represents a key strategy to enhance genetic uniformity, plant health, and productivity in commercial orchards. However, its success largely depends on the rooting phase, where auxins play a critical role. This study evaluated the effect of auxin-based rooting agents (types and concentrations) on root induction and quality in etiolated shoots of the ‘Duke 7’ rootstock. Five agents (IAA, NAA, IBA, K-IBA, and IBA + NAA combination) were tested at three concentrations (24.6, 34.4, and 44.2 mM) under a completely randomized factorial design (5 × 3) with three replicates per treatment. Morphological variables included rooting percentage, survival rate, root number/length/diameter, secondary root development, callus formation, and root quality index (RQI). Results revealed significant effects of agent type, concentration, and their interaction. NAA (34.4 mM) was the most effective for root number (55.3) and RQI (154.9 cm), albeit with high callus formation and reduced secondary roots. The IBA + NAA combination (34.4 mM) also showed high RQI (140.4 cm), with greater root length and less negative impact on root architecture. IBA alone achieved 100% rooting with moderate root development, balancing efficacy and physiological tolerance. Overall, intermediate concentrations of NAA and IBA + NAA yielded optimal results. These findings can refine clonal propagation protocols for ‘Duke 7’, with direct applications in commercial nurseries producing high-performance rootstocks.

Pomato is the result of a combination of a tomato scion and a potato rootstock. This grafted combination is also acknowledged as a horticultural magic plant, a recombinant double harvest plant, or a chimeric double harvest plant. This type of plant could meet the need for proper vertical resource usage in the future, as urbanization is increasing rapidly and agricultural land is now becoming rare and expensive. Moreover, even though changes in the environment are the most substantial real limitation in vegetable production, this category of graft could be employed as an alternative strategy. Few reports on using somatic interbreeding to establish tomato-potato fusion hybrids have been available since the early 1900s. This strategy can be used again in the future to save time and convenience during labor-intensive procedures, as this plant can indeed be established through any other technique, instead of trying to make grafting and somatic combination the only reasonable alternatives. The grafted union of tomato and potato has indeed positively influenced output, reliability, hormone levels, signaling pathways, and mechanisms. This paper has been reviewed to gather all information available on the tomato plant to date, since there has been some experimentation over the past few decades.

Leucophyllum frutescens is an evergreen shrub renowned for its drought tolerance. Paclobutrazol (PBZ) and cycocel (CCC) growth retardants were applied as foliar spray on L. frutescens plants cultivated in pots to assay the possibility of increasing these plants’ tolerance to water stress while maintaining high quality. The experiment was accomplished under full sun in the open field of the Nursery of Ornamental Plants and Landscape Gardening Res. Dept., Hort. Res. Inst., ARC, Egypt during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Different concentrations of PBZ at 50, 100 and 150 ppm and CCC at 1000, 2000 and 3000 ppm were combined with 100, 75 and 50% pot capacity (P.C.) irrigation water levels, and some morphological, chemical and tolerance indices were examined. The obtained results showed a great reduction in all studied parameters except for proline content due to reduced irrigation levels. All growth retardants applied increased the values over control except for plant height and fresh weight of 10 flowers. Regarding the interaction treatments, the highest concentration of PBZ (150 ppm) and CCC (3000) produced the highest values in most cases when combined with both 75 and 50% irrigation water levels. Such treatments increased the number of main and lateral branches/plant, fresh and dry weights of vegetative growth and roots and root length, while mediated values were obtained for chemical constituents. Water use efficiency, relative stress index and stress tolerance index are also, greatly enhanced by such treatments. Cycocel at 3000 ppm could be recommended to treat Leucophyllum frutescens plants cultivated in 30 cm pots and subjected to only 50% irrigation water level as this treatment demonstrated good performance with high stress tolerance index to drought.

Digital image analysis has emerged as a highly precise and efficient methodology for assessing the physiological attributes of seeds. This research aimed to assess the morphological and physiological properties of lettuce seeds subjected to hydropriming using multivariate statistical approaches. Two lettuce genotypes, Roxa and Vanda, were evaluated under hydropriming treatments (primed-dry and primed-stored). Seedlings were digitally scanned, and vigor indices were quantified using the Seed Vigor Imaging System (SVIS®). Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), with tests of normality and homogeneity of covariance ensuring analytical robustness. The primed-dry treatment resulted in minimal improvement in vigor and uniformity, while the primed-stored treatment promoted a partial recovery of these attributes. The Roxa genotype exhibited greater variability in vigor and seedling length, whereas Vanda demonstrated higher uniformity but slightly reduced seedling growth. A strong positive correlation was observed between the vigor index and seedling length, reinforcing the importance of these parameters in seed quality assessment. These findings underscore the utility of digital image analysis combined with multivariate statistical methods for the accurate assessment of seed vigor, thereby improving seed-lot classification and informing decision-making in lettuce production systems.

Shallot (Allium ascalonicum L.) is a vital horticultural commodity in Indonesia, valued for its culinary and medicinal properties. Seed priming, especially with boron (B), represents a promising approach to enhance germination performance. This study investigated the effects of various boron concentrations on the germination performance of shallot seeds. The experiment was conducted under screen house conditions at the Faculty of Agriculture, Hasanuddin University, in May 2024, using a randomized block design with 11 boron concentrations (0-100 mg L-1) and three replications. Priming with 100 mg L-1 resulted in the best performance across several germination parameters, including as germination percentage (GP), germination speed index (GSI), the time required for 10% of seeds to germinate (T10), the time required for 50% of seeds to germinate (T50), mean germination time (MGT), mean germination rate (MGR), and germination speed coefficient (GSC). Regression analysis showed a strong positive linear relationship between boron concentration and both final germination percentage (r² = 0.84) and germination speed index (r² = 0.76). These findings suggest that boron priming, especially at 100 mg L-1, significantly enhances germination performance of shallot seeds and may as an effective method for improving seedling vigor.

Strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) are nutrient-rich specialty fruits with a short shelf life due to microbial spoilage, softening, darkening, and moisture loss. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of edible coatings in extending shelf life and maintaining fruit quality. Freshly ripened, randomly selected strawberries were coated with 1.5% chitosan, 1.5% chitosan+1% CaCl₂, Aloe vera gel (AVG), and AVG+1% CaCl₂, along with an uncoated control. Each treatment was replicated 3 times with 25 samples per replicate, followed by air drying. The coated strawberries were stored in sterilized polypropylene containers under standard refrigerated conditions (4±1°C; 50±5% relative humidity) for 9 days. The application of edible coatings significantly (p<0.05) reduced respiration rates (by 25 to 34%) and microbial load (by 41 to 62%), helping to preserve fruit color, moisture content, ascorbic acid, firmness, and overall acceptability. The effect was more pronounced in strawberries coated with AVG and AVG+1% CaCl₂ coatings on strawberries throughout storage period. Uncoated strawberries had an acceptability score of 4.0, while all coated fruits scored above 5, showing a significant improvement by 20 to 37%. Strawberries treated with AVG, with or without CaCl₂, maintained the highest acceptability score of 5.5, outperforming all other coatings. These findings suggest that Aloe Vera -based coatings are particularly effective in extending the shelf life and preserving the quality of strawberries during refrigerated storage.

Achillea millefolium L., commonly known as yarrow, is a perennial herb traditionally used in various cultures for its therapeutic properties. Belonging to the Asteraceae family, it has gained attention for its rich phytochemical composition, including flavonoids, terpenoids, sesquiterpene lactones, phenolic acids, and essential oils. These bioactive compounds contribute to a wide range of pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antispasmodic, and wound-healing effects. Ethnobotanical use of yarrow includes treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, skin injuries, menstrual irregularities, and respiratory infections. Modern preclinical studies have substantiated many of these traditional claims, although clinical validation remains limited. Additionally, its essential oil components show potential in cosmetic and food industries due to their preservative and aromatic properties. Despite its therapeutic promise, concerns related to allergic reactions and toxicity at high doses, particularly from thujone-containing oils, warrant further safety assessment. This review aims to consolidate current scientific knowledge on A. millefolium, highlighting its pharmacological relevance, phytochemical diversity, and future potential in evidence-based herbal medicine and natural product development.

Shallot as a horticultural crop has various benefits and important uses as a provider of nutritional needs. Its uniqueness in aroma and flavor makes it commonly used as a seasoning so that it has a good economic value as an increase in farmers’ income. Sandy land on the coast has the potential for shallot cultivation. The presence of wind that airborne salinity on coastal land requires the selection of tolerant varieties and knowledge of the level of airborne salinity concentration that shallot plants can tolerate. Experiments have been conducted from July to December 2023 in the screenhouse and horticultural agronomy lab, Faculty of Agriculture, Jenderal Soedirman University, Purwokerto (7°24’27.7”S, 109°15’19.1”E). Treatments consisted of the use of shallot varieties Bali Karet (B1) and Bima Brebes (B2), with the application of several concentrations of airborne salinity consisting of 0, 6, 12, and 18 mS cm-1. The Bali Karet variety excels in plant height and root dry weight morphologically. Physiologically, Bima Brebes has higher levels of chlorophyll a and stomatal density, while Bali Karet is superior in chlorophyll b. Harvest results show Bima Brebes produces more tubers, while Bali Karet produces higher fresh tuber weight per clump. Morphological parameters (plant height, root dry weight), physiology (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, stomatal aperture, stomatal density), and yield showed the highest value at the lowest air salinity concentration (0 mS cm-¹). Both varieties increased proline as a tolerance mechanism to 18 mS cm-¹ air salinity. The best interaction occurred between Bali Karet and 0 mS cm-¹ salinity on stomatal opening, and between Bima Brebes and 0 mS cm-¹ salinity on stomatal density. Both varieties were classified as having moderate tolerance to 18 mS cm-¹ salinity, but total chlorophyll was very sensitive to this salinity concentration.

Tomato is a valuable agricultural commodity widely used across Africa with the potential to contribute to food and nutritional security. However, its yield, quality, and profitability are hindered by several challenges. The study evaluated the impact of partial-extreme root restriction and no root restriction on the performance of Jaguar tomato cultivar in two different nutrient solution concentrations: standard (2.4 dS m-1) and half concentration (1.2 dS m-1). The cultivation spanned three months using a recirculating hydroponic system arranged in a 2 x 2 factorial in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Data were collected on physio-morphological responses, yield, fruit quality, and water uptake. Plant growth, leaf gas exchange, yield, fruit quality, total water uptake, and root growth were significantly influenced by the nutrient solution concentration with root restriction. Particularly, plant growth, photosynthesis, total water use (52-62%), and yield were significantly reduced but fruit quality was improved by 25% compared to previous findings in Ghana. Conversely, the standard nutrient solution concentration without root restriction recorded the highest yield of 32.4 kg m-2 y-1. These findings can serve as a manipulative hydroponic tool to increase tomato productivity and resource-use efficiency, especially in regions with limited water availability.

The affordability of packaging materials and proper storage facilities to preserve the quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) has become a problematic issue for small-scale farmers in Malaysia, who have limited resources and rely on their crops for income. This study compares the post-harvest quality preservation of lettuce using plastic bags and newspapers as cost-effective packaging materials under storage durations of 0, 3, 6, 12, and 15 days. The lettuce quality parameters measured were chlorophyll, sucrose, weight loss, and overall visual quality (OVQ). The results showed newspapers had the highest mean weight loss (7.91 g), while plastic had the lowest one (5.81 g). However, chlorophyll content did not significantly differ between the two packaging types. Lettuce packaged in plastic bags had a significantly lower total soluble solids (TSS) content mean value (2.89%) compared to newspaper (3.89%). In addition, the plastic bag materials gave a better OVQ than that of the newspaper. Generally, the use of plastic bags as a packaging option for small-scale lettuce farmers in Malaysia is affordable and readily available.