Salidroside is a glycoside of tyrosol, which is mainly found in the underground parts of plants of the genus Rhodiola L. , including Rhodiola rosea L . This biologically active component is known for its various beneficial properties: anticancer, antioxidant, anti-aging, antidiabetic, antidepressant, antihyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. In this work, the content of salidroside in the rhizomes and roots of Rhodiola rosea of Altai Mountains origin, grown in introduction in the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia, is analyzed. Planting material for the experiment was obtained by the in vitro method. Clonal plants aged 2 to 6 years, as well as one plant grown in introduction for 20 years, were used for biochemical analysis. The maximum salidroside content in the rhizome and roots (2.33 and 1.04 mg/g, respectively), as well as the highest annual increase in the biomass of underground organs (more than 3 times) were observed in clonal samples in the 6th year of cultivation The maximum salidroside content in the rhizome and roots (2.33 and 1.04 mg/g, respectively), as well as the highest annual increase in the biomass of underground organs (more than 3 times) were observed in clonal samples in the 6th year of cultivation. In the period from the 2nd to the 5th year, the salidroside content varied from 1.04 to 1.83 mg/g and did not depend on the age of the plants. The plant grown in an introduction for 20 years showed the highest salidroside content in the rhizome ‒ 12.25 mg/g, which corresponds to or exceeds the indicators of natural samples from the Altai Mountains. It is important to note that only the 20-year-old plant meets the requirements of the Russian Pharmacopoeia for the level of salidroside accumulation. It was concluded that a 6-year cultivation cycle during introduction in the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia is insufficient to obtain standard Rhodiola rosea raw materials. In the future, it is planned to develop agricultural methods that will increase the content of salidroside and simultaneously reduce the time of plant cultivation.

Biodegradation is a natural process that continuously recycles components into eco-friendly compounds. Despite the toxicity, pesticides such as chlorpyrifos (CPF) are still approved for agricultural uses. Microbial breakdown of the chlorpyrifos component results in 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) and chlorpyrifos oxon, which exert a negligible toxic effect on the ecosystem. This research aims to evaluate the ability of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Rhizobium leguminosarum to chlorpyrifos-degrade and measure CPF residues in male rats fed with treated beans and cultured with bacterial strains. Results of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis conducted for bean plants and soil to estimate the pesticide residues showed the ability of bacteria to degrade CPF. Pseudomonas bacteria exhibited a superior capacity to degrade chlorpyrifos, with a degradation rate of 97.80%, while Rhizobium bacteria achieved an 81.39% degradation rate. The regulation of cytokines in blood samples collected from rats exposed to pesticide stress demonstrated that the addition of Ps and Rh bacteria resulted in upregulation of Interleukin-2 and IL-4 gene expression. Conversely, downregulation of LIF and IL-6 expressions was observed. The expression of neurodegenerative markers (SEPT5, SV2B, AXTN2, and PARK2) was downregulated in brain tissue samples treated with CPF. The combination of Ps and Rh bacteria showed a decrease in TARC levels compared to the CPF-treated group. The study demonstrated that the application of these strains in soil, in conjunction with plant cultivation, can reduce pesticide residues. Consequently, they could be used on a large scale, as they proved to be environmentally safe and effective in the biodegradation of pesticides.

Pruning residues from medicinal and aromatic plant cultivations represent an under-exploited biomass rich in bioactive metabolites. In this study, pruning by-products from Lavandula angustifolia Mill. 'Essence Purple' and Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G.Don were investigated as sources of essential oils (EOs) within a circular economy perspective. Micromorphological analyses confirmed the presence of secretory glandular trichomes in the residual biomass. EOs were obtained by steam distillation (0.33% and 0.15% yield for lavender and helichrysum, respectively) and chemically characterized by GC-FID and GC-MS. A total of 51 and 55 compounds were identified, accounting for 99.68% and 99.57% of the total composition. The main constituents were τ-cadinol (23.09%) and linalyl acetate (14.07%) in lavender EO and γ-curcumene (15.47%) and eudesm-4(14)-en-11-ol (10.71%) in helichrysum EO. Pruning-derived EOs showed a higher sesquiterpene content than those from conventional plant organs, indicating a compositional shift. Phytotoxic assays on Hordeum vulgare, Raphanus sativus, Lolium multiflorum, and Sinapis alba revealed concentration-dependent effects, with a stronger inhibition of radicle elongation than seed germination. These concentrations should be interpreted as indicative of intrinsic phytotoxic potential under controlled conditions. Ecotoxicological tests showed no significant reduction in viability in Artemia salina, whereas concentration- and time-dependent immobilization was observed in Daphnia magna, highlighting species-specific sensitivity, likely related to differences in the uptake and membrane interactions of lipophilic compounds. These findings highlight pruning residues as a promising biomass for the recovery of bioactive phytocomplexes with potential applications in sustainable weed management, although further studies under agronomically relevant conditions and comprehensive environmental assessments are required to validate their practical applicability.

In the context of planned manned missions and colonization of Mars, one of the key challenges is to ensure local cultivation of plants, which play an important role in sustaining life. They are a source of food, produce oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, regulate humidity, and have a positive effect on people’s mental health. Due to the logistical and economic limitations of transporting resources from Earth, increasing attention is being paid to the concept of in situ resource utilization (ISRU), which involves the use of local materials, including Martian regolith, as a potential substrate for cultivation. This paper provides an overview of the current state of knowledge in the field of Martian regolith-based agriculture. The physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of regolith are discussed, highlighting the shortcomings of regolith as a plant growth substrate. The role of organic matter, nitrogen, and soil microorganisms in improving growth conditions is determined. The results of the most important experiments are also presented, in which the growth of various plant species was studied on regolith simulants using fertilizers, compost and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The collected data indicate that although raw Martian regolith is not a suitable substrate, its appropriate modification may enable the creation of optimal conditions for plant cultivation.

Medicinal plants frequently suffer from severe continuous cropping problems, yet it remains unclear whether divergent ecological strategies underlie species-specific susceptibility to this problem. In this study, we investigated rhizosphere assembly patterns in three continuous cropping-sensitive Panax species (P. ginseng, P. quinquefolius, P. notoginseng) and the resilient species Achyranthes bidentata by analyzing paired cultivated and uncultivated soil samples from four major production regions in China. We measured soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activities and characterized bacterial (16S) and fungal (ITS) communities via amplicon sequencing. Plant-specific effects were quantified using Log2 fold change relative to uncultivated controls. The Panax species aggressively remodeled their rhizosphere, inducing significant acidification and ammonium accumulation (Log2 FC up to 1.64 in P. notoginseng) while suppressing nitrification enzymes, and assembled fungal-dominated microbiomes enriched with pathogenic Nectriaceae, including Ilyonectria (LDA = 4.2) and Neocosmospora (LDA = 5.3). Their co-occurrence networks showed reduced stability, with negative correlations as low as 3.2%, and functional prediction indicated activated terpenoid metabolism (+74.8%). In contrast, A. bidentata maintained a neutral pH while specifically increasing available phosphorus (Log2 FC = +1.74) and nitrate nitrogen (Log2 FC = +0.74), and it enriched beneficial Actinobacteria by 15-85% and Hypocreales fungi. Its networks retained structural stability, with negative correlations of 12.7-18.6%. Plant species explained 60.5% of bacterial and 46.2% of fungal community variation, overwhelmingly exceeding the effect of soil compartment. We conclude that Panax employs a resource-acquisitive strategy that assembles unstable, pathogen-prone microbiomes, whereas A. bidentata adopts a resource-conservative strategy that fosters resilient communities. This ecological framework offers a predictive basis for developing tailored microbiome management in medicinal plant cultivation.

GreenhousesProvide Electronics and Communication Engineering a controlled environment for plant cultivation, but traditionalgreenhouse management often depends on manual monitoring of environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, soil moisture, and light intensity. This manual approach is time-consuming and may lead to inaccurate regulation of plant growth conditions. To address these challenges, this paper presents an IoT-based greenhouse monitoring and controlling systems that enables automatic observationand management of environmental parameters inside the greenhouse. The proposed system integrates multiple sensors including the DHT11 sensor for temperature and humidity measurement, a soil moisture sensor for detecting water content in soil, and an LDR sensor for measuring light intensity. These sensors are connected to an Arduino microcontroller, which acts as the central processing unit and continuously collects environmental data from the greenhouse. The sensed data is transmitted to the cloud through the NodeMCU ESP8266 Wi-Fi module, enabling real-time monitoring using a smartphone or desktop device. The system also includes an automated control mechanism in which actuators such as fans, water pumps, and artificial lighting systems are activated whenever the environmental parameters exceed predefined threshold levels. This automated process helps maintain optimal conditions for plant growth without continuous human intervention. The implementation of this system reduces manual effort, improves monitoring accuracy, and ensures efficient environments. By integrating IoT

While L-tryptophan is a precursor of plant growth regulators, its effects on secondary metabolism, amino acid profile and cell wall organization in flax callus remain underexplored. This study aimed to optimize flax callus shaken cultures and evaluate the impact of L-tryptophan (0.1 mM and 1 mM) on structural properties of plant cell walls in tested callus using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The impact of L-tryptophan on callus proliferation and metabolism was also determined, because amino acids (among them L-tryptophan) can promote the growth of callus. The results showed that 1 mM L-tryptophan is an effective elicitor, which stimulates flax callus to accumulate larger amounts of bioactive compounds, especially carotenoids and polyphenols, than control callus cultured without L-tryptophan. A lower concentration of L-tryptophan (0.1 mM) slightly improved the level of determined secondary metabolites (except flavonoids). The effect of L-tryptophan on polymers in plant cell walls was investigated. The data confirm that the plant cell wall is a dynamic structure, capable of remodelling in response to growth conditions and external agents. L-tryptophan (0.1 and 1 mM) reduced cellulose levels and induced structural changes in cellulose compared to the untreated control. The structural analyses also suggested a decrease in lignin level and increase in pectin amounts in flax callus after tryptophan addition in comparison to control callus. The results may reflect the relationship between tryptophan and auxins (which are derived from tryptophan) and confirm the role of these metabolites in shaping the structure of the plant cell wall. In fact, an increase in tryptophan level was confirmed in flax callus in tested experimental conditions (supplementation of cultures with both doses of L-tryptophan). These findings have practical significance, because L-tryptophan is also used as a fertilizer or component of fertilizers in plant cultivation.

Abstract Excessive nitrogen fertilizer utilization and improper manure management cause severe NH3 losses. Given high cost and complexity of existing ammonia inhibition technologies, this study utilized the dual properties of plasma activated water (PAW) mixed with ammonia source, which has been demonstrated to effectively inhibit NH3 volatilization and enhance nitrogen content. To evaluate its feasibility as a novel nutrient solution and its effects on plant growth, hydroponic experiments were conducted using PAW-ammonia mixtures (PAW+NH) and PAW at various dilutions, with deionized water as a control. Results showed that 10-fold diluted PAW+NH best promoted wheat, buckwheat, and mung bean heights (34%, 46%, 23% higher), while single PAW inhibited growth. PAW+NH and its dilutions outperformed PAW and its dilutions at the same ratio. Physiologically, protein content and SOD activity increased with growth, while MDA content was negatively correlated. The optimal effect of 10-fold diluted PAW+NH was due to suitable pH and adequate, properly concentrated nitrogen, avoiding adverse nitrogen excess damage.

Investigating the Spectroscopic Performance of Y3Al5O12:Mn4+ Phosphors Co-Doped with Divalent Metal Ions and the Use of Phosphor Film for “Green” Plant Cultivation

Shade-induced metabolic reprogramming improves phytochemical profiles and antioxidant potential in Polygonatum cyrtonema.

Transforming steel slag into a soil-like matrix via CO2 sequestration: A strategy for simultaneous waste valorization and carbon emission reduction.

Microbial purification of perchlorate in a simulated Martian water to ensure its plant cultivation for Martian BLSS

Spectral engineering of Mn4+/Ba2+ Co-doped perovskite phosphors for high-performance plant cultivation LED

Since ancient times, medicinal plants have been a big part of human civilisation and are still an important part of both traditional and modern healthcare systems. The current paper, entitled “An Analytical Study of Medicinal Plants and Their Importance in Sustainable Environmental Health,” investigates the botanical, ecological, therapeutic, and environmental significance of medicinal plants within the framework of sustainable development. Medicinal plants are rich in bioactive compounds like alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, phenols, glycosides, and essential oils. These compounds help them heal and make them useful for preventing and treating many diseases. These plants are good for more than just medicine; they also help protect biodiversity, keep ecosystems healthy, improve soil health, store carbon, and keep ecosystems natural. This study examines the dual function of medicinal plants as healthcare resources and ecological assets. It emphasises that the cultivation, conservation, and sustainable use of medicinal plants can enhance environmental health by diminishing reliance on synthetic pharmaceuticals and chemical treatments, many of which may have detrimental effects on human health and the ecosystem. The paper also talks about how important medicinal plants are in traditional systems of medicine like Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and folk medicine. It also talks about how more and more people around the world are interested in herbal remedies and plant-based medicines. It also stresses the importance of scientific validation, sustainable harvesting methods, habitat protection, and public awareness for protecting the wealth of medicinal plants. The study finds that medicinal plants are not only necessary for human health, but they are also necessary for long-term environmental health and for bringing people and nature together.

Far-red phosphors featuring high quantum efficiency and emission bands that strongly overlap with the absorption spectra of plant pigments are crucial for advancing plant cultivation lighting technology. Restricted by the large Stokes shift, far-red phosphors typically exhibit low energy efficiency. Moreover, many far-red phosphors suffer from low quantum efficiency, which has emerged as a critical issue in the research of these materials. To address the issue, conventional strategies-including crystal field engineering, defect engineering, and sensitizer doping-have been widely adopted to enhance their emission intensity. In this work, we propose a novel and effective strategy to improve the emission performance of far-red phosphors: low-melting-point magnesium chloride has been introduced as a flux to regulate the reaction pathway of the composite oxide phosphor Ca14Mg5.94Li0.03In0.03Ga9.95O35:0.05Mn4+ (CMLIGO:0.05Mn4+). The cubic intermediate product with a structure analogous to the target product has been designed to form a compact lattice structure and reduce crystal defects, thereby enhancing the luminescence intensity and quantum efficiency of the phosphor. The Ca14Mg5.94Li0.03In0.03Ga9.95O35:0.05Mn4+@3 wt% MgCl2 (CMLIGO:0.05Mn4+@3 wt% MgCl2) shows a broad excitation band (250-600 nm) and far-red emission centered at 720 nm (650-800 nm). Under 365 nm excitation, the CMLIGO:0.05Mn4+@3 wt% MgCl2 exhibits an internal quantum efficiency of 91.4%. Benefiting from its high internal quantum efficiency and the emission band that matches well with the absorption spectrum of phytochrome in the far-red absorbing form (phytochrome Pfr), CMLIGO:0.05Mn4+@3 wt% MgCl2 demonstrates promising potential for applications in plant cultivation lighting. This work offers a new direction for synthesizing and modification of composite oxide phosphors.

Wheat is a major cereal crop grown globally. Pratylenchus thornei causes significant yield losses in wheat production areas. The study investigated the relationship between plant parasitic nematodes and nitrogen based fertilisers commonly used in plant cultivation. It aimed to evaluate the suppressive effects of these fertilisers on plant-parasitic nematodes. The effects of seven different concentrations of five sort of nitrogen fertilisers on P. thornei were examined in three bread wheat varieties (Adana 99, Kate A1, Beyazhan). The results of direct effect trials on P. thornei showed that all concentrations of urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), nitric acid and ammonium sulphate fertilisers resulted in 100% mortality after 72 h. However, urea and calcium nitrate fertilisers did not have a statistically significant mortality effect at any concentration. In the pot experiment, UAN fertiliser showed the highest suppressive effect with about 75% at 25 ppm and 100% at 100–1600 ppm concentrations. Ammonium sulphate and nitric acid also showed significant suppressive activity at concentrations of 200 ppm and above with approximately %60. Urea and calcium nitrate fertilisers showed a suppressive effect on P. thornei only at concentrations of 100 ppm and above, 800 ppm, and 1600 ppm, respectively. The efficacy of the fertilisers was similar in all three wheat cultivars used in the experiment. The study suggests that nitrogen fertilisation, besides improving plant nutrition, may help suppress P. thornei populations within an integrated management framework.

This community engagement program aimed to strengthen household food security and improve the technical capacity of the Nuhairun Women Farmers Group (WFG), locally known as Kelompok Wanita Tani (KWT) Nuhairun, in Patalangan Village, West Sumatra, through integrated dairy goat and stingless bee farming based on dual-purpose forage plants. The group consisted of 10 active female members who had prior experience in small-scale livestock and stingless bee cultivation, but their management practices remained traditional and less productive. The program focused on improving dairy goat management, stingless bee colony maintenance, hygienic honey harvesting, and the cultivation of dual-purpose forage plants, particularly Calliandra calothyrsus and Clitoria ternatea, which function as both goat feed and nectar sources for the bees. Infrastructure support included improved goat housing, additional hives, and forage planting. Training on farm management and the Business Model Canvas (BMC) was also provided to support product development and household agribusinesses. The program improved members’ technical skills, enhanced production consistency, and improved access to nutritious food at the household level. This integrated farming model has strong potential to support sustainable rural food systems and strengthen women’s participation in community-based agribusinesses.

Light spectral composition plays a central role in regulating plant growth, morphology, nutrient uptake, and pigment biosynthesis, particularly in controlled-environment agriculture. This study investigated the effects of targeted LED spectral modulation, focusing on green light deprivation and different red-to-blue (R:B) ratios at constant photon flux density, on morphological traits, mineral composition, and photosynthetic pigments in Salvia officinalis L. and Cannabis sativa L. grown under controlled conditions. Plants were cultivated under three LED treatments providing equal light intensity but differing in spectral composition. Morphological parameters, mineral nutrients, inorganic anions, and photosynthetic pigments were assessed at harvest. Total biomass production was not significantly affected by the light treatments in either species; however, clear species-specific responses were observed. In S. officinalis, higher R:B ratios promoted stem elongation without affecting leaf number or fresh weight, whereas in C. sativa, the higher R:B ratio significantly increased leaf number. Green light deprivation and red-blue enrichment generally enhanced mineral accumulation and nitrogen content, although the magnitude and direction of these effects varied between species. Photosynthetic pigment responses were more pronounced in hemp, with increased chlorophylls and carotenoids under green light deprivation, while salvia showed a selective increase in carotenoids under higher R:B ratios. Overall, these findings emphasize the importance of species-specific LED spectral optimization to improve physiological performance and nutritional quality in indoor cultivation of medicinal plants.

Aquaponic systems are among the sustainable approaches for combining fish farming and plant cultivation and have been proposed as potentially economically viable food production technologies. Their performance depends on the balanced environmental conditions shared by fish, nitrifying bacteria, and plants. This study assessed the performance of a trout-based (Oncorhynchus mykiss) decoupled aquaponic system for basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) growth and essential oil composition. Two cultivation strategies were compared over 60 days: a non-supplemented system relying exclusively on trout rearing water, and a system supplemented with mineral nutrients formulated according to the recommendations of the Hoagland nutrient solution. Basil grown without mineral supplementation maintained a healthy appearance and stable physiological status, with satisfactory growth, although it remained lower than in supplemented plants. The mineral profile of the plants showed similar nitrate and phosphorus concentrations between non-supplemented and supplemented plants, with nitrate levels of 5.40 ± 0.29 mg g-1 and 5.52 ± 0.29 mg g-1, respectively, and phosphorus levels of 5.46 ± 0.23 mg g-1 and 6.14 ± 0.91 mg g-1, respectively. In contrast, potassium concentration was lower in non-supplemented plants (36.89 ± 3.31 mg g-1) compared to supplemented plants (55.56 ± 7.16 mg g-1). Essential oil yield expressed per cultivated surface area remained comparable between systems, reaching 2.96 and 3.09 mL m-2 in the supplemented and non-supplemented systems, respectively. GC-MS analysis revealed that linalool (≈24%) was the predominant compound in both systems. Notably, estragole content was higher in non-supplemented plants (21.35 ± 1.46%) compared to supplemented plants (5.24 ± 0.68%). Overall, trout-based aquaponic systems not only support satisfactory basil growth but also enhance the production of essential oils with desirable aromatic characteristics, representing a sustainable and efficient strategy for aromatic plant cultivation.

Hydrogels represent a promising alternative for plant cultivation, offering excellent water and nutrient retention. This study reports the synthesis and characterization of an agarose-based hydrogel composite enhanced with eggshell powder (ESP). The hydrogel composites were prepared in four agarose-to-ESP ratios: 10:0 (Hyd-ES0), 10:1 (Hyd-ES1), 10:3 (Hyd-ES3), and 10:5 (Hyd-ES5). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed minimal peak shifts, indicating no significant chemical modifications. Characteristic ESP peaks were identified in the composite hydrogels, confirming the effective integration of ESP into the agarose matrix. The addition of ESP reduced the decomposition rate of the hydrogels and increased macromolecular stability. Density measurements indicated higher density with increasing ESP concentration, supported by enhanced crystal formation, as evidenced by more intense diffraction peaks in X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. Morphological analysis revealed that the porosity of the hydrogel, swelling, and weight-loss tests showed a decline in both properties with higher ESP content. Seed germination experiments demonstrated that stem, root, and leaf growth, as well as fresh and dry weights, were most optimal with the Hyd-ES1 hydrogel composite. Thus, Hyd-ES1 hydrogel exhibits significant potential as a medium for seed germination and plant growth.