Zinnia Elegans Research Articles

Efficacy of Foliar Application of Micronutrients and BA Concentrations on Flowering and Vase Life of Zinnia Plant (Zinnia elegans)

This study was carried out in the lath house of the Horticulture Department Nursery, College of Agriculture Engineering Sciences, Duhok University. Kurdistan region, Iraq, for the period from 5th 2024 to study the effect of different levels of Zn (0, 0.50 and 0.75) and different concentration of BA (0. 50, and 100) mgl-1 on some flowering and vase life of two cultivars of Zinnia plant. The results were as follows: The best results (fewest days) for the number of days from planting to bud emergence, and anthesis were obtained on Zinnia Lavanda (54.957 and 85.185) respectively. Also, these treatments were significantly superior in the other characteristics like flower stem length (cm), flower stem diameter (cm) and vase life (days) for Zinnia Lavanda cultivar reached (3.815 cm 8.169 cm 10.710 day) respectively. While the flower dry weight 1.429g and vase life 11.009 day was significantly increased when plant spraying with 0.75 % Zn compared with other treatments. The responses of the Zinnia plants to micro elements under study, significantly increased number of flowers per plant 4.389, flower stem diameter 0.437 cm, flower fresh weight 9.510 g and vase life 11.148 for the Zinnia Lavanda when spraying with 0.75% Zn compared to the control. While the maximum result about the flower stem length 87.310 cm, flower diameter 8.319 cm and flower dry weight 1.674 g for Zinnia rosso scarlatta when spraying with 0.75% Zn. Also, the best result of Zinnia Lavanda for number of flowers per plant, flower stem diameter, flower fresh weight and vase life (4.333, 0.405 cm, 10.462 g and 11.111 days) was obtained when the plant sprays with BA at (100 and 50) mgl-1 respectively compared with control and Zinnia rosso scarlatta. Maximum fresh flower weight (13.030 g) was recorded for plants grown in BA at 50 mgl-1+ 0.50% Zn treatment for the Zinnia Lavanda cultivar follow by 12.217g fresh flower weight for the same cultivar when spraying only 100 mgl-1 BA. Maximum dry flower weight (2.317 g) was recorded for Zinnia rosso scarlatta cultivar in control treatment. Maximum vase life (12.333 days) was recorded for Zinnia Lavanda cultivar in 0.75% Zn combined with 50 mgl-1 BA treatment.

First report of tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus infecting Erigeron breviscapus (Vant.) Hand.-Mazz. in Yunnan, China.

The Asteraceae family plant Erigeron breviscapus (Vant.) Hand.-Mazz. (EBHM), commonly known as Dengzhan Asarum, was first recorded in the South Yunnan Materia Medica. E. breviscapus is widely utilized for treating stroke hemiplegia due to its ability to enhance blood circulation, clear collaterals, and alleviate pain (Liu et al., 2024). This species is recognized as a natural medicinal resource in China and is increasingly recognized as the primary source of such materials in Yunnan Province (Dong et al., 2022). In July 2023, virus-like symptoms, including leaf chlorosis and necrosis, were observed in 20 E. breviscapus plants in Luxi Province, Yunnan, China, with an incidence rate of approximately 10% among the examined specimens (Figure 1a-1c). Electron microscopy revealed the presence of spherical virions, measuring between 80 and 120 nm, which exhibited morphological characteristics consistent with members of the Orthotospovirus genus. These virions were localized within the cytoplasm of the mesophyll cells (Figure 1d). Total RNA was extracted from the infected E. breviscapus plants using the TRNzol Universal Reagent (Tiangen Biotech, Beijing, China), and cDNA synthesis was performed using the PrimeScript™ IV 1st strand cDNA Synthesis Mix (TaKaRa, Beijing, China). A 280 bp PCR product amplified using the dTospo-F2/dTospo-R2 primer pair (Zheng et al., 2020) was cloned and sequenced. A total of 10 samples were subjected to RT-PCR and sequencing. A 20 μL reaction system was prepared in PCR tubes, consisting of cDNA (100 ng/μL), forward primer (10 μM), reverse primer (10 μM), PrimeSTAR Max DNA Polymerase (1x) (TaKaRa, Beijing, China), and ddH2O. The PCR reaction procedure included the following steps: 98 ◦C for 10 s; followed by 35 cycles of 98 ◦C for 20 s, 56 ◦C for 1 min, and 72 ◦C for 1 min; concluding with an extension at 72 ◦C for 10 min. A BLASTn search of the sequenced amplicons against the NCBI GenBank viral database revealed a 97.83% nucleotide identity with the corresponding sequences of the TSWV-BJFC-Ze strain (MN493846.1), which was isolated from Zinnia elegans in China. This finding confirmed the presence of the tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus in the E. breviscapus samples. The primers were specifically designed to target the partial genome of each segment reported for TSWV-BJFC-Ze (MN493846, MN493847, MN493848) to amplify the S, M, and L segments obtained via RT-PCR. The expected PCR product sizes were S (3 kb), M (4.8 kb), and L (8.9 kb). The segments were amplified using KOD One™ PCR Master Mix (Toyobo), followed by cloning, sequencing, and assembly. The assembled S, M, and L segments of TSWV-EBHM-1 were found to be 2,956 nt (PP596540), 4,773 nt (PP596541), and 8,913 nt (PP596542), respectively. A BLASTn analysis confirmed that the S, M, and L segments exhibited 99.23%, 99.43%, and 99.56% identity, respectively, to the TSWV-HLJ-1 (MG878875, MG878874, MG878873) sequences. We achieved 98% coverage of the virus genome through cloning and sequencing, which was sufficient to confidently establish its identity. Our team also conducted a disease incidence survey in three fields of E. breviscapus in Luxi province. Prior to the identification of TSWV, a symptom survey was performed, and samples were collected from symptomatic plants. We recorded a symptom incidence of 30% across all three fields. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an E. breviscapus infection by TSWV. The experiment provides valuable insight into the potential host range and transmission of TSWV, which could inform future disease management strategies.

First Report of cucumber mosaic virus in Zinnia elegans in Indonesia

First Report of cucumber mosaic virus in Zinnia elegans in Indonesia

Effect of nano NPK and bio fertilizers on growth and flowering of potted zinnia (Zinnia elegans Jacq)

Effect of nano NPK and bio fertilizers on growth and flowering of potted zinnia (Zinnia elegans Jacq)

Exogenous putrescine application imparts salt stress-induced oxidative stress tolerance via regulating antioxidant activity, potassium uptake, and abscisic acid to gibberellin ratio in Zinnia flowers

This research was conducted to investigate the efficacy of putrescine (PUT) treatment (0, 1, 2, and 4 mM) on improving morphophysiological and biochemical characteristics of Zinnia elegans “State Fair” flowers under salt stress (0, 50, and 100 mM NaCl). The experiment was designed in a factorial setting under completely randomized design with 4 replications. The results showed that by increasing the salt stress intensity, the stress index (SSI) increased while morphological traits such as plant height decreased. PUT treatments effectively recovered the decrease in plant height and flower quality compared to the not-treated plants. Treatment by PUT 2 mM under 50 and 100 mM salt stress levels reduced the SSI by 28 and 35%, respectively, and increased plant height by 20 and 27% compared to untreated plants (PUT 0 mM). 2 mM PUT treatment also had the greatest effect on increasing fresh and dry biomass, number and surface area of leaves, flower diameter, internodal length, leaf relative water content, protein contents, total chlorophyll contents, carotenoids, leaf potassium (K+) content, and K+/Na+ ratio in treated plants compared to untreated control plants. The treatment of 2 mM PUT decreased the electrolyte leakage, leaf sodium (Na+) content, H2O2, malondialdehyde, and proline content. Furthermore, PUT treatments increased the activity of defense-related enzymes including catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and phenylalanine ammonium lyase (PAL), and reduced the abscisic acid (ABA) content while increased the level of gibberellin (GA) content compared to untreated samples under all different levels of salinity stress. In this research, enhancing the plant’s antioxidant system, increasing K+ absorption, K+/Na+ ratio, and reducing the ABA/GA ratio are likely the most important mechanisms of PUT treatment, which improved growth, and maintained the visual quality of zinnia flowers under salt stress conditions.

Evaluation of phytotoxic potential in Asteraceae plant extracts for biological control of Echinochloa crus-galli and Echinochloa colona.

This study evaluates the phytotoxic potential of methanolic extracts from six Asteraceae species: Wedelia chinensis, Helianthus annuus, Cosmos bipinnatus, Tagetes erecta, Tithonia diversifolia, and Zinnia elegans. The extracts were tested at concentrations of 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, and 1.0 g/mL to assess their inhibitory effects on the radicle and hypocotyl lengths of Echinochloa crus-galli and Echinochloa colona. The two most potent species, C. bipinnatus and T. diversifolia, were further evaluated using extracts from their roots, stems, and leaves. Among these, C. bipinnatus leaf extracts showed the most significant phytotoxicity and were tested at 20, 40, and 60 days of plant age. At 0.03 g/mL, C. bipinnatus extract inhibited the hypocotyl and radicle lengths of E. colona by 23.01% and 56.45%, and E. crus-galli by 8.5% and 36.35%, respectively. At 1.0 g/mL, the extract inhibited the hypocotyl lengths of E. colona and E. crus-galli by 97.54% and 88.15%, and the radicle lengths by 93.52% and 99.99%, respectively. The 60-day-old C. bipinnatus leaf extract exhibited the highest inhibitory effect, correlating with the identification of key allelochemicals such as cinnamic acid, caffeic acid, coumaric acid, ferulic acid, 2-4 dimethohydroxy benzoic acid, and salicylic acid. These findings suggest that the 60-day-old C. bipinnatus leaf extracts have strong potential for use in the biological control of these weed species, offering a promising avenue for the development of natural herbicides.

PREFERENSI MUSUH ALAMI Coccinella sp TERHADAP SIRUP TUMBUHAN BERBUNGA

The need for rice as one of the main food sources increases along with the population of Indonesia. One of the obstacles to increasing rice productivity is pest attacks. In the rice fields, there are predatory insects which are important as pest control agents in rice plants. Coccinella sp is a type of predator that is often found in rice plantations. The urgency of this research is the need to conserve natural enemies such as managing flowering plants and providing additional food (supplements) to predators. This is because planting flowering plants in rice fields will hinder or disrupt farmers' roads and if flowering plants are not managed properly they will become nesting places for mice, so it would be better to formulate these flowering plants into artificial syrup. This study aimed to determine the preferences of insect predators for various forms of pellets and various types of flowers. The treatments in this study were kenikir and Zinnia (Zinnia elegans). In each experiment, all treatments were put into a petri dish and a predatory imago, Coccinella sp., was released in the middle. From testing the predator response of Coccinella sp. for Kenikir and Zinnia flower syrup which were rated the best by observing the average frequency of Coccinella sp. attending each treatment with the length of time used. The experiment was arranged using a completely randomized design (CRD) treated with ANNOVA. The results showed that the response of the natural enemy Coccinella sp. frequency of visits was most often to white Zinnia flower syrup which was sweetened with brown sugar solution and the longest was to yellow kenikir flower syrup which was added to honey solution.

Effects of Mycorrhiza inoculation and Seaweed Extracts on the Growth and Flowering of Zinnia elegans L.

Effects of Mycorrhiza inoculation and Seaweed Extracts on the Growth and Flowering of Zinnia elegans L.

A potyvirus provides an efficient viral vector for gene expression and functional studies in Asteraceae plants.

Plant virus-derived vectors are rapid and cost-effective for protein expression and gene functional studies in plants, particularly for species that are difficult to genetically transform. However, few efficient viral vectors are available for functional studies in Asteraceae plants. Here, we identified a potyvirus named zinnia mild mottle virus (ZiMMV) from common zinnia (Zinnia elegans Jacq.) through next-generation sequencing. Using a yeast homologous recombination strategy, we established a full-length infectious cDNA clone of ZiMMV under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. Furthermore, we developed an efficient expression vector based on ZiMMV for the persistent and abundant expression of foreign proteins in the leaf, stem, root, and flower tissues with mild symptoms during viral infection in common zinnia. We showed that the ZiMMV-based vector can express ZeMYB9, which encodes a transcript factor inducing dark red speckles in leaves and flowers. Additionally, the expression of a gibberellic acid (GA) biosynthesis gene from the ZiMMV vector substantially accelerated plant height growth, offering a rapid and cost-effective method. In summary, our work provides a powerful tool for gene expression, functional studies, and genetic improvement of horticultural traits in Asteraceae plant hosts.

Effect of Compost on the Growth, Flowering Attributes, and Vase Life of Different Varieties of Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)

Zinnias originates from Mexico and has high demand in the floriculture market. The need to reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers has highlighted the importance of sustainable alternatives like organic manures. Compost application in horticulture is gaining attention as a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers, aiming to enhance soil health and plant growth. However, there is a limited understanding of its effects on the growth. This study investigates the effects of compost on the growth, flowering attributes, and vase life of Zinnia elegans to improve cultivation techniques and promote sustainable horticultural practices. The experiment used an RCBD with two factors. When they reached 3-5 true leaves, plantlets were transplanted into 12-inch pots with compost varying concentrations, including Control, 25%, 50%, and 100% with garden soil. Changing compost concentrations and zinnia varieties affected numerous factors strongly. Plant height, for instance, varied significantly, with Benary's Giant cultivar reaching the tallest (72.04 cm) under 50% compost, mirroring the stem diameter's peak at 1.01 cm with the same compost level. Compost levels and zinnia varieties also notably impacted leaf count, lateral branches, leaf area, flower count, and flower attributes like diameter and stalk length. The study also found that 50% of compost extended petal senescence survival. Compost and zinnia interaction affected the flower’s fresh weight and vase life. The interaction cultivar Benary,s Giant with 50% compost in garden soil was optimal for zinnia growth and flowering. This study will provide the basics for floriculture.

Investigating the Effect of Hydrafiber and Biochar as a Substitute for Peat-Based Substrate for Zinnia (Zinnia elegans) and Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) Production

Increasing environmental and economic concerns necessitate the research for peat moss alternatives, aiming to balance ecological sustainability with cost-effectiveness. This study assessed whether biochar (BC) and hydrafiber (HF) could be a partial replacement for peat moss as substrate components. Twelve substrates were formulated by either mixing BC (20%, 40%, and 60%, by vol.) with HF (20%, 40%, and 60%, by vol.), with the remaining being peat moss or mixing BC (0%, 20%, 40%, and 60%, by vol.) with the commercial substrates (CS) to grow zinnia (Zinnia elegans) and snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) plants in containers. The physical properties of the substrates, including container capacity, total porosity, air space, bulk density, and chemical properties including leachate pH and electrical conductivity (EC) were measured. Plant growth parameters including growth index (GI) and leaf greenness (indicated with SPAD), biomass, and number of flowers were measured biweekly. The results showed all the substrate mixes had similar air space, bulk density, and SPAD. Treatment with 20% BC and 80% CS yielded the highest GI, biomass, and numbers of flowers in both zinnia and snapdragon. In conclusion, BC could be used to partially (20%) replace commercial substrate mix for container-grown zinnia and snapdragon.

Novel Uracilphenyl sulfonamide-based inhibitors of protoporphyrinogen oxidase: Design, synthesis, and herbicidal activity

Herein, we aimed to develop effective herbicidal compounds by synthesizing 26 novel uracil derivatives containing sulfonamide groups based on the active group splicing principle, with saflufenacil as the reference compound. The structures of the final products were confirmed through 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS analyses. According to the results, 21 and 19 compounds exhibited outstanding (80 %-100 %) and 60–100 % control efficacies against broadleaf weeds (Zinnia elegans and Abutilon theophrasti) at concentrations of 150 g/hm2 and 37.5 g/hm2, respectively. Notably, compound 2a demonstrated 100 % control efficacy against Zinnia elegans even at the lowest tested concentration of 9.375 g/hm2. On the other hand, the examined compounds exhibited minimal efficacy against other grass weeds, such as Setaria glauca and Echinochloa crusgalli. Furthermore, molecular docking analysis revealed that compound 2a formed hydrogen bonds with Protoporphyrinogen Oxidase (PPO).Studies of the electrostatic potential analysis of the molecular surface showed that the highly active compounds 2a and saflufenacil have similar charge distributions, which may play an important role in the docking of the compounds with their target receptors.These findings offer valuable insights and guidance for developing more effective herbicides, paving the way for future advances in weed control tactics.

Gut yeast diversity of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) under different dietary conditions.

Yeast is one of the important symbiotic flora in the insect gut. However, little is known about the gut yeast in Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) under various dietary conditions. The composition and function of the intestinal yeast community also remain unclear. In this research, we explored the composition of yeast microorganisms in H. armigera larvae under different feeding environments, including apple, pear, tomato, artificial diet (laboratory feeding), Urtica fissa, Helianthus annuus, and Zinnia elegans (wild environment) using high-throughput sequencing. Results showed that a total of 43 yeast OTU readings were obtained, comprising 33 yeast genera and 42 yeast species. The yeast genera with a total content of more than 5% were Hanseniaspora (36.27%), Moesziomyces (21.47%), Trichosporon (16.20%), Wickerhamomyces (12.96%) and Pichia (6.38%). Hanseniaspora was predominant when fed indoors with fruits, whereas Moesziomyces was only detected in the wild group (Urtica fissa, Helianthus annuus, Zinnia elegans) and the artificial diet group. After transferring the larvae from artificial diet to apple, pear and tomato, the composition of intestinal yeast community changed, mainly reflected in the increased relative abundance of Hanseniaspora and the decreased abundance of Trichosporon. Simultaneously, the results of α diversity index indicated that the intestinal yeast microbial diversity of H. armigera fed on wild plants was higher than that of indoor artificial feeding. PCoA and PERMANOVA analysis concluded that there were significant differences in the gut yeast composition of H. armigera larvae on different diets. Our results confirmed that gut yeast communities of H. armigera can be influenced by host diets and may play an important role in host adaptation.

Composted Green Waste as a Peat Substitute in Growing Media for Vinca (Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don) and Zinnia (Zinnia elegans Jacq.)

The purpose of this work was to explore the feasibility of replacing all or part of peat with composted green waste (CGW) for vinca (Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don) and zinnia (Zinnia elegans Jacq.) cultivation. Seven different growing media were prepared as follows (volume/volume): T1, 100% CGW; T2, 80% CGW + 20% peat; T3, 60% CGW + 40% peat; T4, 50% CGW + 50% peat; T5, 40% CGW + 60% peat; T6, 20% CGW + 80% peat; and T7, 100% peat. In the course of the experiment, the physicochemical properties of the seven media were analyzed, and the growth of vinca and zinnia was determined. Studies showed that replacing peat completely or partially with CGW could significantly enhance the nutrient content, bulk density, water-holding capacity, total porosity, aeration porosity, water-holding porosity, organic matter, pH, and electrical conductivity of growing media. In comparison with what observed with T7 (control), shoot fresh weight (SFW), shoot dry weight (SDW), root fresh weight (RFW), root dry weight (RDW), plant height (HP), root length (RL), flower number (FN), total chlorophyll, and the content of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids in the leaves of vinca cultivated under T5 conditions increased by 36%, 34%, 84%, 27%, 34%, 25%, 157%, 62%, 60%, and 33%, respectively; SFW, SDW, RFW, RDW, HP, RL, FN, total chlorophylls, and the content of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids in the leaves of zinnia increased by 341%, 296%, 365%, 302%, 206%, 93%, 180%, 56%, 49%, 67%, 110%, respectively.

The R2R3-MYB transcription factor ZeMYB32 negatively regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis in Zinnia elegans.

This study identified an R2R3-MYB from Zinnia elegans, ZeMYB32, which negatively regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis.

First report of leaf blight caused by Stemphylium lycopersici on Salvia splendens in China.

Salvia splendens is a popular ornamental plant in China with extensive potentials, including value in traditional Chinese medicine and in environmental restoration function (Li et al. 2008). In September 2019, leaf blight disease was observed on road side plants of S. splendens in Bayi park, Nanchang city, Jiangxi province, China. The typical symptoms appeared as irregular necrotic spots or leaf blight, accompanied by extensive scorch necrosis or ultimately defoliation. Small segments cut from diseased leaves were surface sterilized in a 2% sodium hypochlorite solution for 2 min and rinsed three times with sterile distilled water. Then, the samples were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates incubated at 25°C in darkness. Pure cultures were obtained by the hyphal tip method. Morphologically, all 11 colonies were identical to each other on PDA. Two strains, YZU 191468 and YZU 191481, were selected for further study and deposited in the Fungal Herbarium of Yangtze University (YZU), Jingzhou, Hubei, China. The 7-day-old colonies were circular, 53 to 56 mm in diameter, and consisted of white mycelium with a buff margin, and were cinnamon colored in the center of the reverse side. To examine conidial morphology, the mycelium was transferred onto potato carrot agar (PCA) and incubated at 23°C with a period of 8 h light/16 h dark for 7 days. Conidia were normally solitary or two in a chain, ellipsoid or long ellipsoid, beakless, 10 to 23×30 to 60 µm in size (n=50). Based on morphology, the isolates were consistent with Stemphylium lycopersici (Yamamoto 1960). To confirm the identification, genomic DNA was extracted from both isolates and used to amplify the internal transcribed spacer rDNA region (ITS), glyceraldehydes-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and calmodulin (CAL) genes with primer pairs ITS5/ITS4, gpd1/gpd2, and CALDF1/CALDR2, respectively (Woudenberg et al. 2017). Sequences were deposited in GenBank with accession numbers OP564983 and OP564984 (ITS), OP892529 and OP892530 (GAPDH), OP584970 and OP584971 (CAL). A neighbor-joining tree was constructed with Mega 7.0 based on the combined dataset with 1,000 bootstrap replicates. The resulting phylogenetic tree showed that the strains from S. splendens clustered with S. lycopersici (CBS 122639 and CBS 124980) supported with 100% bootstrap values. The molecular analyses confirmed that the species causing leaf blight symptoms was S. lycopersici. To test pathogenicity, healthy leaves of S. splendens were surface sterilized and inoculated by mycelium blocks (6 mm in diameter) and spore suspension (1×106 spore/mL) of representative strains YZU 191468 and YZU 191481, respectively. Controls were inoculated with blocks of PDA and sterile water. Each strain was inoculated on three leaves of a plant. One clean plant was used as control. The test was replicated three times. After inoculation, the plants were covered with plastic bags and incubated in a greenhouse (25℃, 80 % relative humidity, 8 h light/16 h dark). After 5 days, the inoculated leaves exhibited dark brown spots with white mycelium, followed by withering of necrotic tissues. There were no symptoms observed on the controls. The fungal isolates inoculated leaves had the same morphological characteristics as the strains used for inoculation. S. lycopersici has been found on eggplant and Zinnia elegans in China (He et al. 2019; Yang et al. 2017). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of S. lycopersici causing leaf blight on S. splendens in China. This finding offers a new reference for the management and control of S. splendens leaf diseases in China.

Evaluation of Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation to Reduce Soilborne Diseases in Soilless and Soil-Based Substrates for Specialty Cut Flower Production.

Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is a nonchemical soil treatment where an easily decomposable carbon source is incorporated into soil, which is then irrigated to saturation and tarped to create anaerobic conditions, which prompts shifts in the soil microbiota from aerobes to anaerobes. ASD has been tested successfully for soilborne disease management in a variety of cropping systems but has not been sufficiently investigated in ornamentals. In this study, ASD was evaluated in soil-based and soilless substrates commonly used in specialty cut flower production using two model pathosystems: Rhizoctonia solani-Zinnia elegans and Phytophthora drechsleri-Gerbera jamesonii. Each substrate was mixed with pathogen-infested vermiculite and amended with either wheat bran, tomato pomace, or soybean meal as the carbon source. Amended substrates were incubated at 25°C for 4 weeks and used as growing substrates for the two crops mentioned above, which were monitored weekly for disease development for up to 5 weeks posttransplant. Additional experiments tested the effect of plant age and inoculum concentration in the substrate on ASD efficacy. Results showed that ASD has the potential to be deployed successfully for the control of Rhizoctonia stem rot in both substrates. Conversely, ASD was not effective at controlling Phytophthora crown rot on gerbera daisy in any of the experiments conducted in this study. More research is needed to understand the influence of carbon amendments, inoculum thresholds, and environmental conditions on ASD efficacy.

Konservasi Kupu-Kupu Penting Sebagai Penyerbuk di Kampung Wisata Isyo Hills Rhepang Muaif Nimbokrang, Kabupaten Jayapura

Butterflies are an important example of pollinating insects of the Order Lepidoptera. The presence of butterfly pollinating insects in nature is highly dependent or influenced by the availability of flowering plants visited in the ecosystem. The purpose of this study was to determine the diversity and abundance of butterfly pollinator in flowering plants. A direct survey method (visual) with a radius of ± 100-250 m² was done with scan sampling technique. Parameters measured were the abundance and the species richness of butterflies visited flowering plants as well as the species richness of flowering plants visited by butterflies pollinator. The data obtained were analyzed using the the Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H’). The results showed that at study sites in secondary forest habitats and yards, 25 species of butterfly pollinators were found consisting of 5 families with 308 individuals. Nine species of flowering plants visited by butterfly pollinators. The Jatropha integerrima was the most visited by butterfly pollinators with 11 species, followed by Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Ixora coccinea (9 species), Clerodendron paniculatum (6 species), Mussaenda ralateensis (4 species), Bidens pilosa and Celosia argentea (3 species), Zinnia elegans visited by 2 species and Portulaca oleracea visited by 1 species of butterfly pollinators. Based on the calculation, the value of Shannon-Wiener index (H') is 2.946, which indicates that the level of diversity of butterfly pollinators in the medium category.

Evaluation of some garden flowers as specialty cut flowers in Eskisehir province-Türkiye.

Specialty cut flowers are in demand, especially in the domestic market as they can be grown with low production costs without the need for specially equipped greenhouses and offer diversity in terms of form, texture, and colour. These products, which are widely cultivated in the USA, are not well known in Türkiye. One of the main problems of the Turkish cut flower sector is its dependence on foreign inputs and the lack of product diversity. Therefore, specialty cut flower production can be an alternative crop for Türkiye, which has climatic advantages. The cut flower potential of plants such as Zinnia elegans, Tagates erecta, Helianthus annuus, Gomphrena globosa, Centaurea cyanus, and Cleome spinosa that are commonly grown in gardens has been evaluated. After harvesting these flowers grown in an open field in June-October 2020, the stem length (cm), stem thickness (mm), flower length (cm), flower diameter (cm), flower weight (g), and vase life (days) were measured. As a result of the evaluations, considering the phenological findings such as flowering and harvesting period, Zinnia elegans, Tagates erecta, Helianthus annuus, Gomphrena globosa, and Centaurea cyanus were found to be suitable for Eskişehir climatic conditions due to their long flowering periods. On the other hand, if the stem length value, which is one of the most important parameters for cut flowers, is taken as a reference, the minimum stem length value of 30 cm and above is met by Zinnia elegans, Tagates erecta, Helianthus annuus, and Cleome spinosa while the vase life value of 6 days and above is met by Zinnia elegans, Tagates erecta, Helianthus annuus, Gomphrena globosa, and Cleome spinosa. However, Cleome spinosa was not found to be suitable for the region due to its low yield value and short flowering period, while Zinnia elegans, Helianthus annuus, Tagates erecta, and Gomphrena globosa were found to be plants that could be evaluated for the region. In addition, it is believed that the cultivation of specialty cut flowers, with the selection of suitable species, will be an alternative production in regions without climatic advantages.

Morpho-Physiological and Enzymatic Responses of Zinnia (Zinnia elegans L.) to Different Metal Hoarded Wastewaters

Morpho-Physiological and Enzymatic Responses of Zinnia (Zinnia elegans L.) to Different Metal Hoarded Wastewaters