Plant Characteristics Research Articles

Misidentifications in ayurvedic medicinal plants: Convolutional neural network (CNN) to overcome identification confusions.

Plants are a vital ingredient of traditional medicine in Sri Lanka, and the quantity of medicinal plants used as a number differs in literature. Field identification of medicinal plants is carried out based on various plant characteristics. Conventional identification keys are available for plant identification, but it is a complex and time-consuming process that relies on manual observation, introducing inherent errors, particularly among individuals lacking extensive botanical expertise. This may cause uncertainty in the identification of plants due to lack of professional training, morphological similarity and nomenclatural confusion of plants. Such uncertainty may result in misidentifying another plant(s) as intended medicinal plants, which may lead to unsafe consequences. The objectives of the study were accomplished with the following three steps; listing the flowering plants used for medicinal purposes in Sri Lanka using multiple detailed botanical literatures, identifying medicinal plants that are confused with other medicinal or non-medicinal plants using literature and a questionnaire survey, and developing Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) based technology to distinguish confusing plants. The study prepared a list of 1358 flowering plants cultivated and used in Sri Lanka as medicinal plants. Fifty-three medicinal plants that are confused with 63 medicinal and non-medicinal plant species were identified by two surveys. The CNN solution experimented with five species of the Bauhinia genus with close morphologically similar leaves with a high misidentification possibility. Using CNN EfficientNet-B0 Architecture for classification, four models were tested, and Model 4, which was trained using the augmented dataset with white-coloured background, resulted in a validation accuracy of 96.16%. The current study demonstrated the critical role of CNNs and EfficientNets in addressing misidentification issues in morphologically similar medicinal plants.

Proline and Glycine Betaine: A Dynamic Duo for Enhancing Salt Stress Resilience in Maize by Regulating Growth, Stomatal size, and Oxidative Stress Responses

Osmolytes proline (Pro) and glycine betaine (GB) have been reported to impart tolerance against salinity stress in many plants. However, there is no report available on the combined application of Pro and GB to mitigate salinity-induced growth inhibition in maize. Consequently, the goal of the current study is to assess Pro's and GB's potential as priming and exogenous agents in maize under salt stress. Therefore, the present study was conducted using a petri dish and hydroponic pot experiment to evaluate the morpho-physiological and biochemical characteristics of maize plants subjected to salt stress, with the addition of Pro and GB. The seeds of maize were germinated under 20 mM of each Pro or GB, with or without 120 mM salinity stress. The findings demonstrated that salt stress lessened the final germination percentage (FGP) (52.9%), photosynthetic pigments (40.0%), relative water content (RWC) (20.2%), stomatal size (59.3%), and leaf and root K+/Na+ ratios of maize seedlings compared to control. In addition, compared to the control, higher levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) (24.2%) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (25.7%) were observed, whereas lower levels of catalase (CAT) (43.8%) and peroxidase (POX) (30.4%) were noted. The priming with Pro, GB, Pro+GB significantly increased FGP, germination index (GI), shoot-root biomass, seed vigor index (SVI), and reduced mean germination time (MGT) under salt stress. Foliar application of Pro, GB, or Pro+GB resulted in a significant increment in chlorophyll contents, RWC, K+ absorption, and stomatal size under salt stress. Furthermore, supplementing with Pro, GB, or Pro+GB reduced the accumulation of H2O2 (24.0, 23.3, and 31.1%, respectively) and MDA (22.8, 17.2, and 32.1%, respectively) caused by salt and augmented the levels of CAT (33.3, 22.8, and 45.2%, respectively) and POX (36.4, 23.5, and 47.2%, respectively) in the leaves. Taken together, the current study's findings indicate that combining Pro and GB is one of the most effective techniques for improving the salinity-tolerant seed germination and seedling traits of maize plants. Consequently, this study recommends that Pro and GB can be used as seed priming and exogenous agents to help maize grow faster in salt-stress situations.

Analysis of characteristics of seawater desalination-solar chimney power plant under double-layer collector

To improve the output characteristics of seawater desalination-solar chimney power plants, enrich the theoretical research basis and promote its commercial application, this paper introduces the concept of multilayer flow channel, establishes four new types of multilayer collector flow channel, and constructs the corresponding heat and mass transfer mathematical models, revealing the mechanism of the influence of different flow channel and structural parameters on the system performance. The results showed that the surround-flow system extended the heat absorption time of the airflow, had two thermal storage layers, and had the best performance. The daily average power generation was 43.3 kW, and the average water production rate was 87.2 g/(h·m2), which was 132.8 % and 91.2 % higher than the traditional type’s, respectively, but had the longest start-up time. For the surround-flow system, the main reason for the flow loss increasing is swirling regions below the inlet and the transition section caused by the structure itself. Both the inlet width increasing and the roof’s inclination angle decreasing can increase power generation, with little impact on water production. Corner width increasing results in a significant decrease in water production, with little impact on power generation. The determination of structural parameters should also consider operational costs.

Mixed Grass Species Enhances Root Production and Plant–Soil Reinforcement

ABSTRACTVegetation is a widely used eco‐friendly approach for slope reinforcement and ecological restoration. As a potential planting strategy, mixed planting of plants is often recommended to improve biodiversity, but the effects of mixed planting on soil reinforcement and slope stability are not yet clear. To address this issue, a study on two typical herbaceous slope protection plants, Chrysopogon zizanioides and Cynodon dactylon, were conducted. The biomechanical characteristics of different herbaceous plants were analyzed, and their root distribution and soil reinforcement performance under single and mixed planting were explored. Results show that mixed planting could significantly increase the number and root area ratio of root systems. At 0.1 cm depth after 42 days, the root number under mixed planting increased by 111.42% compared to vetiver grass monoculture and by 19.57% compared to bermuda grass monoculture. Mixed planting can provide stronger soil reinforcement by increasing apparent cohesion, with a maximum increase in apparent cohesion of 47.9%. The results of slope stability analysis showed that vegetation mainly relied on mechanical reinforcement in the root zone and hydrological reinforcement outside the root zone. After 42 days of growth, mixed planting at 0.1 m depth increased slope stability by 11.94% compared to vetiver grass monoculture and by 27.12% compared to bermuda grass monoculture, with both mechanical and hydrological effects of vegetation significantly enhanced. These findings suggest that mixed planting can promote plant development and growth, improve root production, and enhance plant–soil reinforcement and slope stability during the early establishment of vegetation. Therefore, in formulating slope reinforcement and ecological restoration strategies, more consideration can be given to mixed planting of plants, maximizing the utilization of competition characteristics between plants, and reducing the risk of shallow landslides while improving biodiversity.

Reticulate Evolution in Japanese Sceptridium (Ophioglossaceae), including diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid species.

Homospory represents an intriguing reproductive strategy, including the potential for gametophytic selfing, considered the ultimate form of selfing. The plants of the fern genus Sceptridium (Ophioglossaceae) are generally considered to be predominantly selfing, making them suitable for analyzing speciation patterns and intraspecific variation characteristic of homosporous plants. The Sceptridium species in Japan not only exhibit variations in ploidy, including diploids, tetraploids, and hexaploids, but also pose taxonomic challenges due to morphologically distinctive forms that are difficult to be assigned to previously described species. We developed multiple single-copy nuclear markers and aimed to identify ancestral species of the polyploids and to elucidate the evolutionary entity of an undescribed species. Chromosome counts and analyses of individual gene trees confirmed that S. japonicum, S. atrovirens, and the undescribed species are allohexaploids originating through hybridization between a maternal tetraploid ancestor closely related to S. formosanum and a paternal diploid ancestor closely related to extant diploid species. By identifying homoeologs derived from the diploid ancestor, we successfully analyzed the phylogenetic relationship between the diploid ancestor of the hexaploid species and extant diploid species using the multispecies coalescent model. The examined undescribed species could not be distinguished from S. atrovirens by multiple nuclear markers or by SNP data obtained from multiplexed ISSR genotyping by sequencing. This species appears to represent one of the polymorphisms of S. atrovirens, which was fixed through gametophytic selfing.

Impact of continuous cropping on tobacco growth, stress resistance, and soil microecological structure

Tobacco fields have been continuously cropped for several years because of the high demand for tobacco leaves and limited land resources. To explore the effects of continuous cropping on tobacco growth and soil microecological community structure, this study compared the agronomic traits and physiological resistance characteristics of tobacco plants grown in noncontinuous cropping soil and soil with different continuous cropping years. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to analyze and predict the microbial community structure and functional gene variation patterns of tobacco soil. The results demonstrated that continuous cropping significantly impacted the average height, leaf area, and stem diameter of tobacco plants, as well as the contents of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and glutathione in tobacco leaves that were continuously cropped. The relative abundances of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Gemmatimonadetes in tobacco soil decreased with an increase in continuous cropping years, while relative abundance of Acidobacteria increased. The biodiversity index of tobacco soil samples showed a decreasing trend with an increase in continuous cropping years, with the sample with the longest continuous cropping year (33 years) having the lowest biodiversity index. Prediction of the potential functions of soil samples with different continuous cropping years revealed that the Z-scores of each pathway in noncontinuous cropping soil samples ranged from 1.12 to 0.078, while those in 33-year continuous cropping samples decreased from −0.10 to −1.41. Our findings indicate that continuous cropping has negative impacts on soil health and microecology, leading to a reduction in beneficial microbial population and microbial diversity.

An optimization method for measuring the stomata in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) under multiple abiotic stresses.

As a gateway for gas exchange, pores regulate the transport of air and water in carbon assimilation, respiration, and transpiration to quickly adapt to environmental changes. Therefore, the study of stomatal movement characteristics of plants is helpful to strengthen the understanding of the mechanism of plant response to multi-environmental stress, and can improve the function of plant resistance to stresses. The stomatal movement of Arabidopsis leaves was observed by staining the stomata with rhodamine 6G, but this method has not been reported in other plant leaf stomata studies. Taking cassava as an example, the correlation between cassava stomatal movement and cassava response to stress was observed by using and improving the staining method. Rhodamine 6G is a biological stain widely used in cell biology and molecular biology. It was found that 1 μM rhodamine 6G could stain the stomata of cassava without affecting stomatal movement (n = 109, p < 0.05). In addition, we proposed that stomata fixed with 4% concentration of formaldehyde after staining were closest to the stomatal morphology of cassava epidermis, so as to observe stomatal movement under different environmental stresses more accurately. Previous methods of measuring stomatal pore size by autofluorescence of cell wall needs to fix the cells for 6 h, but Rhodamine staining can only be observed in 2 min, which greatly improves the experimental efficiency. Compared with the traditional exfoliation method (e.g., Arabidopsis), this method can reduce the damage of the leaves and observe the stomata of the whole leaves more completely, so that the experimental results are more complete. In addition, the method enables continuous leaf processing and observation. Using this method, we further compared four different cassava varieties (i.e., KU50, SC16, SC8, and SC205) and found that there are differences in stomatal density (SD) among cassava varieties, and the difference in the SD directly affects the stress resistance of cassava (n = 107, p < 0.001). This finding has important implications for studying the mechanism of plant response to environmental stress through stomata.

Influence of Different Nitrogen Concentrations on Growth, Yield, and Yield Attributes of Hydroponically Grown Cherry Tomato

This scientific study aimed to determine the optimal nitrogen concentration within a hydroponic solution for the Rosa variety of cherry tomato plants cultivated in a controlled greenhouse environment. The study was conducted over a period of October 2019 to April 2021. Various treatments were administered, each with distinct nitrogen concentrations, to evaluate their effects on plant growth, yield, and yield-attributing characteristics. The results unequivocally demonstrated that the application of 8 mmol/L of nitrogen (T3) emerged as the most efficacious treatment for optimizing the growth, yield, and yield-attributing characteristics of the cherry tomato plants. These findings hold significant implications for refining nitrogen management practices in horticultural crop production, particularly for the Rosa variety of cherry tomatoes, within controlled greenhouse settings.

Toxicity Assessment of Ethanol Extract of Saussurea lappa (Costus) Root in Male Wistar Rats

: Background and Objective: Saussurea lappa is a medicinal plant that has been used in the treatment of various disease conditions for decades. Researchers have provided diversified characteristics of this medicinal plant, enormous data about the bioactive compounds and as well its pharmacological properties. However, information regarding toxicity study of Saussurea lappa root is lacking. The acute and sub-chronic toxicity of Saussurea lappa root ethanolic extract was investigated in this study using an in vivo model (male Wistar rats). Materials and Method: The acute toxicity study was done in two phases: Phase One comprised four groups of three rats each which were administered with 50 mg, 100 mg and 1600 mg per kg bodyweight ethanolic extract of S. lappa while the last group (control) was given water and normal fed once. Phase Two involved administering 1600 mg, 2900 mg and 5000 mg per bodyweight. The median lethal dose of the plant was determined in the acute toxicity study. In sub-chronic toxicity studies, the effects of S. lappa root ethanol extract in daily single oral administration at the doses of 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg during 28 days were determined. The blood haematological and biochemical parameters as well as the histopathological examination of the liver and kidneys were studied. Results: In acute study, a single administration of the Saussurea lappa root ethanolic extract up to a dose of 5000 mg/kg did not cause mortality of animals all through the study. Thus, the median lethal dose (LD50) of Saussurea lappa root ethanolic extract was greater than 5000 mg/kg. Saussurea lappa root ethanolic extract caused no significant effect in the haematological and biochemical parameters of the treated groups when compared to the control. There were also no noticeable histological changes in the liver and kidneys of the Saussurea lappa treated rats compared to controls.. Conclusion: These results have shown that oral administration of Saussurea lappa root ethanol extract did not yield any significant toxic effect when acutely and daily administered for 28 days in the male Wistar rats. Hence, Saussurea lappa root ethanol extract could be regarded as a safe natural product for therapeutic use.

Microscopic analysis of Valeriana stolonifera and Valeriana collina leaves

Plants of the Valeriana species are distributed in various parts of the world, especially in Europe and Asia. A high content of polyphenolic compounds, including flavonoids and hydroxycinnamic acids with expressed biological activity, was previously identified within the herb of the studied Valeriana species. Morphological and anatomical data can be used in phylogenetics of species and genera to find out diagnostic and age-related characteristics of plants. This led us to microscopic studies of aerial organs of the above-mentioned Valeriana species. The aim of the work is to conduct a comparative study of the diagnostic features within the morphological and anatomical structure of Valeriana stolonifera and Valeriana collina leaves. Materials and methods. Both raw and dried plant material of V. stolonifera and V. collina was used for microscopic studies. Temporary micropreparations were made using generally accepted methods. The anatomical features of the raw material were examined using Carl ZEISS “AxioStar Plus” and “Primo Star”. Results. The study identified key morphological and anatomical features of the species, which should be considered for the identification and standardization of promising medicinal plant materials and within the development of methods of analytical and regulatory documentation. Conclusions. The key microscopic differences in the leaves of the studied species lie in the structure of the adaxial and abaxial surfaces of the leaf blade. The upper epidermis consists of large elongate cells with wavy walls. The cells of the lower epidermis are smaller and have more sinuous walls compared to the upper epidermis cells. The degree of wall sinuosity varies between species – V. collina is characterized by more sinuous cells in both the upper and lower epidermis compared to V. stolonifera. The absence of stomata on the upper epidermis is a common feature for both species.

Unveiling the Ecological and Pharmacological Perspectives of Lithophytic Life Form

Environmental extremes such as high temperature, cold, alkalinity, drought, and rocky substrate modulate plant growth and promulgate adaptive characteristics in plants. The same plants can be found inhabited in different life forms, namely epiphytic, lithophytic, terrestrial, halophytic, and psammophytic, based upon adaptive characteristics essential for their survival. Microorganisms residing on the surface or within rocks make a unique habitat referred to as “lithobiontic habitat,” which further facilitates weathering phenomena and accumulates water and nutrients from the ecosystem to form a lithobiontic ecological niche. Lithobionts are divided into two groups, namely epiliths and endoliths, based on their presence on rock surfaces. Lithophytes, the rock-inhabiting plants, thriving under extreme stress conditions adapted successfully and their extraordinarily challenging atmosphere encouraged them to make new forms of life. Many biotic and abiotic factors are responsible for dwelling in such environments. Lithophytes interact with their surroundings to obtain vital elements necessary for their metabolism and, because of natural selection, their morphology and physiology help them with better adaptation. Another factor that facilitates such adaptation in lithophytes is the association of a fungus with lithophytic roots to ensure nutrient supply for their survival and facilitate growth in extreme conditions. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) root fungal associations commonly found among plants under stressed conditions help hosts adapt and promote plant life. In lithophytes, AM association aids in nutrient uptake from soil and facilitates plant survival under harsh conditions. The present review provides a comprehensive account of lithophytic life forms and covers different aspects of rock-dwelling plants concerning their historical background, classification, habitat, distribution in various families, root adaptive mechanisms, and phytopharmacological status. This review focused on plant species that can be considered among the most common representatives of lithophytes. This manuscript furnishes insights into different perspectives on the ecological and biological properties of the most common lithophytic species adapted to extreme rocky structures and explains their wide array of applications for pharmacological use.

Comprehensive evaluation of fertilizer treatments on biometric traits and marketable tuber weight across diverse potato varieties

IntroductionThe efficiency of potato production depends to a large extent on the production of quality seeds that meet the requirements of the growing region. The main component of this production includes breeding, which creates the genetic basis of seeds. The process of establishing patterns between the amount of fertilizer application (“Aquarin 12,” “Bona Forte,” “Osmocote Exact High K”), their type, and biometric characteristics of potato plants of the studied varieties “Guliver,” “Beauty of Meshchera,” and “Grand” was explored.MethodsDuring the experimental studies, the methods of variation statistics, the technique of field experiment with the corresponding transformations to achieve normal distribution, and subsequent dispersion analysis were used.ResultsThe results of the research on the evaluation of potato structural elements depending on the plant nutrition system of the studied varieties testify to the expediency of using nutrient solutions in potato cultivation irrespective of their type. In addition, it has been established that increasing the concentration of the nutrient base solution from 75 to 125% of the nutrient formula improves the quality indicators of minitubers, namely the content of starch, sugars, dry matter, crude protein, phosphorus, specific gravity, and ash content, which can contribute to obtaining high-quality potatoes.DiscussionThus, the use of morphological and physiological tools in closed ecosystems is informative for predicting key agricultural characteristics of potato plants. Additionally, integrating organic amendments and biofertilizers, as supported by other studies, could further enhance nutrient uptake and plant health, especially under conditions of low irrigation.

Development of an Artificial Intelligence-Based Mobile Application Platform: Evaluation of Prospective Science Teachers’ Project on Creating Virtual Plant Collections in terms of Plant Blindness and Knowledge

This research aims to investigate the use of an artificial intelligence-based mobile application with plants and plant identification techniques (AImPLANT) with prospective science teachers in outdoor activities. The goals of the study are: i) to develop an AI-based mobile application from scratch based customized for education ii) to enhance knowledge about common plants iii) to increase awareness of plants, animals, and the natural environment, offering solutions to reduce plant blindness iv) to support outdoor activities to observe, identify and taxonomically determine specific characteristics of plants (endemic, economic, health, aesthetic etc.) v) guide students creating an individual virtual herbarium. The research will achieve the expected goals by coding an original “AI-Based Mobile Application” using ChatGPT and PlantNet APIs through technologies like Flutter, Firebase, Firestore, involving approximately 3200 lines of code. The mobile application includes components such as an “Plant collection (herbarium) project module”, “AI-based chatbot", "AI-based plant identification module", "AI-based student assessment module", and a "Student assistance section". The application provides guidance in creating virtual plant collections (herbariums). Additionally, aids by the “help module” and “chatbot”. Furthermore, an AI-based “self-assessment module” evaluates like a teacher based on the answers. The research question and sub problems were based on prospective science teachers' knowledge about plant identification and taxonomy, plant blindness, and opinions on studying with artificial intelligence outdoors with common plant species. The research, once again showed that artificial intelligence facilitates teaching biology, increases academic success, has positive contributions to eliminating plant blindness, and reduces teacher candidates' concerns about artificial intelligence and affects their opinions positively.

Genetic Divergence Analysis for Quantitative Traits in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Germplasm under Irrigated Conditions

The present study was with the aim of knowing genetic divergence analysis for quantitative traits among the rice genotypes for agronomical and yield traits. The experimental material consists of 36 rice genotypes sown in a Randomized Block Design with three replications and observations recorded on randomly selected five plants for 13 quantitative traits. The results indicated that the genotype Nagarjuna shows greater yield among the genotypes. The genetic parameters show high GCV and PCV in grain yield per plant, and according to D2 analysis, the 36 genotypes were grouped into 6 clusters based on Tocher's method of cluster formation. Cluster I is the largest cluster, consisting of 29 genotypes, while Cluster II has 3 genotypes. Cluster III, IV, V, and VI were the smallest, with only a single genotype. The maximum intra-cluster distance was found in cluster II (39.19), followed by cluster I (30.15), and the maximum inter-cluster distance was shown in between cluster VI and cluster II (178.97), followed by cluster VI and cluster V (151.75). Based on cluster means, Cluster III (39.67) shows greater among 6 clusters for grain yield per plant as contributing the highest among all the quantitative characters. Hence, these traits could be focused on for selection while improving seed yield and seed quality. On the basis of their greater inter-cluster distance, high value of cluster means, and performance of the individual germplasms for the character, the germplasm could be used in improving seed yield and seed quality programs for improvement of different plant characters of the rice.

Research Progress of Spectral Imaging Techniques in Plant Phenotype Studies.

Spectral imaging technique has been widely applied in plant phenotype analysis to improve plant trait selection and genetic advantages. The latest developments and applications of various optical imaging techniques in plant phenotypes were reviewed, and their advantages and applicability were compared. X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) are more suitable for the three-dimensional reconstruction of plant surfaces, tissues, and organs. Chlorophyll fluorescence imaging (ChlF) and thermal imaging (TI) can be used to measure the physiological phenotype characteristics of plants. Specific symptoms caused by nutrient deficiency can be detected by hyperspectral and multispectral imaging, LiDAR, and ChlF. Future plant phenotype research based on spectral imaging can be more closely integrated with plant physiological processes. It can more effectively support the research in related disciplines, such as metabolomics and genomics, and focus on micro-scale activities, such as oxygen transport and intercellular chlorophyll transmission.

Adaptation strategies of soil microorganisms in resource changes and stoichiometric imbalances induced by secondary succession on the loess plateau

Sequestering farmland for secondary succession is an effective method of restoring ecosystem services to degraded farmland, but long-term secondary succession often alters ecosystem environments, resources, and substrate stoichiometry. Currently, it is not known how resource changes and stoichiometric imbalances due to secondary succession affect soil microbial community structure and function, hindering our understanding of the natural resilience for degraded ecosystems. Here, we assessed nutrient limitation elements, community structure, metabolic functions, co-occurrence network complexity, and community stability of soil microorganisms during secondary succession of abandoned farmlands on the Loess Plateau. Results showed that secondary succession significantly altered plant characteristics and soil properties, as well as causing stoichiometry imbalances in nutrient resources. Along the secondary succession chronosequence, microbial nutrient metabolism shifted from phosphorus (P) limitation to carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) co-limitation. Microbial diversity, eutrophic flora, plant growth-promoting bacteria, and metabolism functional groups increased significantly during the 20 years after the abandonment of the farmlands, but decreased significantly with long-term succession. However, oligotrophic flora and P-solubilizing bacteria became dominant after 30 years of secondary succession on abandoned farmlands. The topological features of microbial co-occurring networks, including nodes, degree, closeness, betweenness, and eigenvector complexity, natural connectivity, and community stability first increased and then decreased with secondary succession. Correlation and random forest analyses indicated that secondary succession-induced stoichiometry imbalances in C:N and N:P, as well as changes in soil organic C and lignin phenols, were the key factors influencing microbial community structure and function. Overall, these results enhance our understanding of the adaptation strategies of soil microbial communities in ecologically managed regions to changes in ecosystem resources and stoichiometric imbalances.

Differences in within-plant oviposition preferences and immature survival between Orius predators and the importance of spatial availability of prey.

Oviposition preferences of plant-feeding predators remain a complex topic, as such omnivores choose oviposition sites by assessing both plant characteristics and the quality and quantity of nearby animal food sources. Orius predators are omnivores that oviposit endophytically, thus plant characteristics play an important role in their oviposition choices. In this study, we assessed the oviposition and foraging preferences of O. laevigatus and O. majusculus on vegetative and flowering chrysanthemum plants, and assessed the survival of their offspring on differently aged tissues. Our results show a preference of O. laevigatus for young and tender chrysanthemum tissues, where the survival of the nymphs was longer on a plant diet. In contrast, O. majusculus selected older plant parts when laying its eggs, and nymphs did not survive long on any of the plant tissues offered. The foraging activity of Orius females for animal prey (Ephestia kuehniella eggs) did not reveal any specific pattern for either of the two predators. Furthermore, we tested the plasticity of the within-plant oviposition preferences of O. laevigatus, by offering sentinel prey (E. kuehniella eggs) on distinct plant parts. We found that more eggs were laid in older plant tissue when animal prey was offered lower on the plant. Overall, our findings show that oviposition choices of Orius predators are based on a dynamic interplay between plant characteristics, presence of animal and/or floral food sources among other factors, and that differences may well occur between closely related species based on the importance of plant resources in their diet.

An ecoregion-based approach to evaluate invasive plant species pools

Invasive alien species are an important component of global change, threatening biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, economy, and human health. The number of alien species that attain the invasive status has experienced an exponential increase in recent years, leading some government agencies and stakeholders to allocate substantial resources to early detection, control, mitigation, and eradication programs. To develop effective nature conservation strategies, it is crucial to understand the invasive status of alien species and to identify priority species for management at spatial scales with a biogeographical basis. Despite significant progress in producing lists of alien species at the country level, a standard methodology for species assessment within ecological regions (i.e., regions with similar environmental or biogeographical characteristics) is still lacking. Here, we develop a systematic approach to determine invasion status and to prioritize invasive alien plant species within an ecoregion. We apply this approach in the Cantabrian Mixed Forests ecoregion, which encompasses biogeographically related areas from N Portugal, NW Spain, and SW France, and is strongly affected by plant invasions. By combining scientific evidence with expert opinion on the ecological characteristics of alien plants, we identified 175 invasive plant species in the study ecoregion, of which 37 cause massive environmental and/or socio-economic impacts. For each species, we provide comprehensive information and recommendations for scientists, land managers, policy makers, and other stakeholders under a biogeographical basis. This information includes species characteristics, invasion status/level, population trends, geographic locations and range size, local abundance, environmental and socio-economic impacts, and invaded habitats. We also accounted for administrative divisions within the ecoregion to facilitate the use of such evaluations in local-scale management and conservation plans. Our framework may be applied to any ecoregion worldwide, enhancing the assessment and management of invasive species pools within biogeographically meaningful regions.

Improving the Productivity and Physiological Characteristics of Lettuce Plants Using Spraying Calcium as a Nanofertilizer

Implementing nanofertilizers in cultivation to enhance food security is important and gaining great significance, as they have good properties to improve plant production, phytochemicals, and nutrient efficiency and thereby meet the demands of the increasing world population for food. This work demonstrated the impact of calcium carbonate nanoparticles (Ca-NPs) and Ca bulk at three concentrations (0, 100, and 200 mg L−1) on growth, productivity, photosynthetic pigments, phytochemical content, antioxidant activity enzymes, minerals, toxicity, and genomic DNA of lettuce plants. In this regard, Ca-NPs at a concentration of 200 mg L−1 reinforced the vegetative growth characteristics of lettuce plants, increasing head length by 15.7 and 19.2%, head diameter by 20.3 and 19.9%, head fresh weight by 54.4 and 52.9%, and production per hectare by 54.7 and 52.8% as compared to the control during the two growing seasons. Furthermore, the percentages of total chlorophyll (62.6 and 59.5%), carotenoids (48.4 and 56.5%), total phenolics (63.6 and 65.7%), total indoles (39.4 and 36.4%), vitamin C (39.7 and 39.6%), antioxidant activity (57.8 and 53.7%), nitrogen (70.5 and 67.5%), phosphorus (120 and 110.5%), potassium (33.0 and 33.2%), and calcium (67.14 and 63.2%) were also increased compared with the control during two consecutive growing seasons. Additionally, Ca-NPs and Ca bulk had an impact on the plants’ genomic DNA compared to the control. In addition, lettuce plants treated with Ca-NPs were proven to be nontoxic and safe for humans by using the Microtox 500 analyzer.

Narrating Disruptive Encounters in the Forest: Hunting, Animal Lives, and Ecology

Over the last century, three popular writers and media personalities have written bestsellers and created TV programs in order to alert the general public to the suffering of wild animals as well as the deleterious effects on young trees caused directly or indirectly by hunting and forestry practices. Austrian journalist and writer Felix Salten published Bambi: A Story of Life in the Woods (1923), using a baby deer’s perspective. German journalist and literary author Horst Stern shocked the nation with his TV program Remarks about the Stag (1971), which shows the brutality of hunting; his 1989 Jagdnovelle (The Last Hunt) weaves together a hunter’s perspective with his prey animal’s experience. In recent years, German forester Peter Wohlleben has shifted the focus from animals to plants by publishing a series of popular books about the forest, starting with The Hidden Life of Trees (2015). This essay examines how Salten, Stern, and Wohlleben all humanize their animal and plant characters, including through a form of “critical anthromorphism” (Mossner)—and are criticized for it. They also incorporate ethology, i.e. observations of animal behavior and the forest environment, as well as scientific knowledge, as they attempt to evoke their audience’s empathy for their nonhuman characters. Hunting pressure and the violent disruption of the lives of the animals leads to an “ecology of fear” instead of an “ecology of subjects” that would align better with changing perceptions of “nature” (Soentgen). Ethical questions concerning the mass killing of Europe’s largest mammals remain as it does not succeed in reducing deer overpopulation or damage to the forest ecosystem, perpetuing Germany’s forest/game conflict.