Different Types Of Plants Research Articles

A novel two-stage method of plant seedlings classification based on deep learning

In agricultural production, weed removal is an important part of crop cultivation, but inevitably, other plants compete with crops for nutrients. Only by identifying and removing weeds can the quality of the harvest be guaranteed. Therefore, the distinction between weeds and crops is particularly important. Recently, deep learning technology has also been applied to the field of botany, and achieved good results. Convolutional neural networks are widely used in deep learning because of their excellent classification effects. The purpose of this article is to find a new method of plant seedling classification. This method includes two stages: image segmentation and image classification. The first stage is to use the improved U-Net to segment the dataset, and the second stage is to use six classification networks to classify the seedlings of the segmented dataset. The dataset used for the experiment contained 12 different types of plants, namely, 3 crops and 9 weeds. The model was evaluated by the multi-class statistical analysis of accuracy, recall, precision, and F1-score. The results show that the two-stage classification method combining the improved U-Net segmentation network and the classification network was more conducive to the classification of plant seedlings, and the classification accuracy reaches 97.7%.

Inhibition of ice crystal growth by protein hydrolysates from different plant- and animal-based proteins

Due to the quality deterioration and the corresponding waste of frozen foods, there is a constant need for an effective, consumer and environmentally friendly, and sustainable anti-freezing ingredient. Hence, in this study, enzymatic hydrolysis and food grade chemical modification (succinylation) were evaluated to produce ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) active peptide-based ingredients. Six different types of plant- and animal-based proteins were evaluated. Soy protein isolate (SPI), after 15- and 60- min alcalase hydrolysis, demonstrated a significant IRI activity compared to polyethylene glycol (PEG; as negative control) resulting in a two-third reduction of ice crystal size annealed at −8 ºC. Annealing temperature and peptide concentration also affected the IRI activity of SPI hydrolysate where decreased temperature and increased concentration resulted in a higher IRI activity. Increased hydrolysis time decreased the IRI activity of SPI hydrolysates but increased the IRI activity of sodium caseinate (SC) and pea protein isolate (PPI) hydrolysates. SPI-60 was less temperature resistant compared to SPI-15 which inhibited the growth of ice crystals (smaller than 23 µm). Moreover, chemical modification via succinylation reaction with OSA enhanced the IRI activity of the PPI and SPI hydrolysates leading to a 55.3% and 60.6% reduction in the size of ice crystals, respectively. Overall, this study demonstrates a great potential in the utilization of common food proteins for the production of value-added natural anti-freezing ingredients which could benefit the food industry by enhancing frozen foods’ shelf-life and reducing waste.

Использование технологий фиторемедиации для очистки почв загрязненных тяжелыми металлами

Heavy metals are among the most toxic pollutants in the environment. This paper presents data on contaminated soils with heavy metals of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The ways of their solution are proposed and characterized. Soil contamination with heavy metals is one of the urgent problems of geoecology, they will be transferred to the soil around the storage facility and pose a great threat to the ecosystem, agricultural system and human health. Several methods are already being used to clean the environment of these types of pollutants, but most of them are expensive and far from their optimal performance. The use of plants for cleaning the environment became an effective and cost-effective method only after hyperaccumulative plants were discovered, capable of accumulating up to 5% of nickel, zinc or copper in their tissues in terms of dry weight, that is, tens of times more than ordinary plants. The article provides an overview of phytoremediation technology as an improved method of soil purification. Different types of plants are considered as hyperaccumulators. Hyperaccumulating plants are found in different families and each of them plays an important role in phytoremediation. Since each of them is unique in its own way and each has its own response to the presence of heavy metals in the soil. The increased interest in this new technology is also explained by the fact that plants are hyperaccumulators of heavy metals, with high efficiency can be used on large areas. This property increases the efficiency of this technology and increases the demand.

Plant–insect interactions from the Late Oligocene of Spain (La Val fossil site, Estadilla, Huesca) and their palaeoclimatological implications

Trace fossils of insect herbivory are an important tool, which provide evidence for palaeoecological and palaeoclimatic interpretations, as well as being a unique and direct record of the plant–insect interactions in the geologic past. In the Iberian Peninsula, these types of surveys have been scarce and purely descriptive. The La Val fossil site is an interesting, new megaflora assemblage from the Late Oligocene of Spain, which encompasses numerous plant–insect interactions and their palaeoclimatic and palaeoecological implications. A total of 1337 fossil specimens from 13 stratigraphic levels were analyzed for this study. We identified 28 different types of plant–insect interactions belonging to seven Functional Feeding Groups (FFGs). Hole feeding was the most common category of external-feeding insect damage, followed by margin feeding, skeletonization, and surface feeding. Among the internal-feeding FFGs, galling was the richest and most abundant FFG. All other internal-feeding FFGs were relatively uncommon: piercing/sucking, and incertae sedis (DT114). Among stratigraphic levels, the mean herbivory frequency was significantly greater at lower levels compared to the upper levels. La Val presents a marked drop in the diversity of plant–insect interactions through time, possibly due to changes in temperature or humidity levels. A marked decrease in galling diversity and a generalized decrease in interactions are observed at the youngest levels. This could be related to an increase in humidity though time in the La Val palaeoforest, since modern xeric environments favour the proliferation of galls. • Reports plant–insect interactions from an Iberian Peninsula Oligocene deposit. • Herbivore interactions decrease in number and richness in the youngest horizons. • A decrease in galling diversity is also observed in the youngest horizons. • Changes in herbivory across horizons may reflect an increase in humidity through time. • The data provide context for previously reported European plant–insect associations.

Shape Based Deep Estimation of Future Plant Images

Plants exhibit dynamic changes as they grow. For example, a new leaf may appear suddenly, and rotate and fold over time. Therefore, it is difficult to predict the growth of plants. For accurate growth predictions, it is important to predict the shapes, colors and textures of the leaves. The conventional methods simply use RGB images to predict the next plant at once. In this paper, we propose a novel deep network which is divided into two subnets of shape estimation and color reconstruction. Four gray time-series images are first aligned to a future target using a spatial transformer network (STN) for shape estimation. They are then fused using U-Net with two LSTMs to generate a future shape image. The color reconstruction subnet fuses the predicted shape with a RGB plant image to restore the color information. In addition, we use gray images with texture information for shape estimation instead of binary images with only simple information and RGB images with too much information. The proposed deep network can robustly generate future plant images for plant growth prediction. It is evaluated using our proprietary dataset as well as two public datasets for different types of plants. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed network predicts the leaf shape more accurately and restores RGB. As a result, our method can create accurate future plant images.

EFFECTS OF VEGETATION TYPES AND HABITAT DISTURBANCE ON SPECIES RICHNESS AND COMPOSITION OF ANT (HYMENOPTERA, FORMICIDAE) ASSEMBLAGES IN LAWACHARA NATIONAL PARK, BANGLADESH

Ants, because of their diversity, abundance, and functional roles in the ecosystem, play a crucial role in understanding the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on community ecology. Thus, the influence of the structural complexity of the environment on the richness and diversity of ants makes them a potential ecological indicator. Although there exist numerous studies on ant species richness in different countries, such studies are rare in Bangladesh. To fill-up this information gap, the present study was conducted in Lawachara National Park, Bangladesh, a conservation site with abundant natural resources. The purpose of this study was to describe the richness and composition of local ant assemblage in the forest ecosystem and understand their structural diversity on different types of plants and disturbance patterns. Time unit sampling and pitfall traps were used to perform sampling from two different areas, viz, primary forest and secondary forest. A total of 843 ant individuals was identified from 48 species of 17 genera distributed among 6 subfamilies. Myrmicinae was the most abundant ant subfamily in the study area. Most of the species found were from the genus Pheidole. The rarefaction curves showed higher species richness in areas with reforestation. The richness pattern of species found in two areas denoted that vegetation and soil conditions may affect the overall diversity and composition of ants. This can be considered as the first extensive list of ant assemblages from Lawachara National Park. These findings will provide comprehensive data for using ants as bioindicators in natural protected areas.

Perfiles aromáticos de aceites esenciales de cuatro variedades de albahaca en taiwán y estudio preliminar de su sensación aromaterapéutica

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), green basil (Ocimum basilicum L. cv. green), purple basil (Ocimum basilicum L. var. purpurascens) and clove basil (Ocimum gratissimum L.) smell similarly, and have been taken as the same plant by many for a long time. However, they are slightly different, and so are their essential oils. This study identifies the differences between these four types of plants in two aspects: first, their chemical compositions; and second, their aroma. Essential oils of these four types of plants are extracted by steam distillation. The components of the essential oils were analysed and compared using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Aromatherapists also evaluated the essential oils on their aroma through a questionnaire. The result shows that green basil and purple basil are very similar in terms of chemical composition and their smell and can be considered to be the same plant. Meanwhile, sweet basil, green and purple basil and clove basil have very different components and aroma and are deemed to be different types of plants.

IMPROVEMENT OF HYDROPON INSTALLATIONS

Hydroponics is a promising area of development of modern agriculture, which provides long-term cultivation of basic vegetables and greenery in small areas with minimal consumption of water and fertilizers. This technology allows you to get a fairly large harvest of fresh vegetables within large cities, including office and residential premises. Entrepreneurs and researchers are paying close attention to developing more efficient hydroponics methods and equipment to implement them in order to reduce usable space, save water, nutrients and increase air supply and plant capacity. Several hydroponics systems are known: static solution culture, continuous flow solution (NFT) culture, deep water culture, passive irrigation, underwater and drainage irrigation systems, wastewater drainage system, deep-water fertilized culture, rotary system, aeroponics, wick system. The first three of the above methods were used commercially and industrially. The system of static culture solution does not provide the necessary saturation of plant roots with air. With the implementation of the method of continuous solution culture, minor buffering is possible due to interruptions in the flow (power outage), flooding of water in some canals, in addition, there are restrictions on the maximum length of canals (12 - 15 m). The system of deep-water culture on an industrial scale is used mainly for growing lettuce. Other mentioned systems are not efficient enough in terms of commercial use. The improved hydroponic installations presented in the article were developed taking into account the following requirements: universality of use (possibility of growing different types of plants); harmonization of optimal supply of crops with water, nutrients, light and air; maximum use of space; increasing the area for each plant and maintaining its stems and shoots. Also in the article the equation for definition of the basic parameters of the developed installations is given.

Природные феномены, геоактивные зоны и их использование в ландшафтном дизайне

The research was carried out in the Vishersky Nature Reserve and in the adjacent territories (Perm Krai). We used methods of phyto- and bioindication and decoding of satellite images with the allocation of 8 types of geoactive zones with diameters 1, 3, 8, 16, 32, 55, 76 and 110 m. Such zones are favorable for biota and are studied by the biolocation method, the data of which have been confirmed by contact photography since 2009. It is shown that the studied 25 natural phenomena were formed on a combination of 2-3 “junior” zones with dimensions of 1–8 m when they were placed inside 2–3 “senior” zones with a size of 16–110 m. A hypothesis is put forward explaining the appearance of natural phenomena by the action of the Earth’s energies and their synergetic when radiating through geoactive zones. Distances from the centers of zones forming comfortable belts in the form of rings for biota are recommended for use in landscape design. For the most numerous zones of 1 and 3 m in size, this belt is located between radii of 0.31–0.48 m. For a zone of 8 m in size, the comfort ring is located between radii of 0.91–3.20 m; for a zone of 16 m — within a radius of 1.45 m and further to the zone border; for a zone of 32 m — from 1.75 m and to its border. For large zones 55, 76 and 110 m, they are determined from single observations and start from about a distance of 5.3 m; at the same time, there are additional belts identified in space images. The use of comfort rings of geoactive zones will help to create compositions of trees and shrubs directly on the rocks, as well as to grow different types of plants in dense biogroups.

POTENTIAL OF HERBAL MEDICINE IN ASIA FOR ORAL CANDIDIASIS THERAPY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

The objective of this review was to provide antifungal recommendations for Oral Candidiasis (OC) derived from herbal medicine based on the research results of the last 5 y. This systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines using the PubMed and Science Direct databases with studies published between 2016 and 2021. The review was conducted on 13 studies, in vitro and clinical trial. A total of 41 species of plants have studied its antifungal effects on Candida albicans. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) varied in the range of 0.098 µl/ml to 125 µl/ml for different types of plants and Candida samples, while the mean inhibition zone (ZOI) was 11 mm. The most recommended herbal medicine for the development of antifungal drugs for oral candidiasis therapy were Nigella sativa, Lawsonia inermis, and Zingiber officinale.

The medicinal importance of Thyme plant (Thymus vulgaris)

Medicinal and aromatic plants are a group of the oldest plants known and used by man throughout the ages for different fields, as they are used as food and medicine, in the middle and modern ages. The importance of these plants has increased, and their uses varied. The term medicinal plants include different types of plants that have therapeutic activities. These medicinal plants are considered among the sources rich in chemical components that can be used for the treatment of a specific disease or to reduce it if they are used in pure extract or in the form of fresh, dried, or partially extracted vegetable herbs. In addition to its medicinal importance, some plants have great nutritional value. One of the important medicinal plants is the thyme plant which contains many benefits that treat many health conditions. So, this article aimed to explain the most important components of thyme, in addition to its extreme role as a medicinal plant and its multiple uses as food and medicine, as well as its importance in preventing viruses, especially Corona virus.

Transgenic soy as a political crop and a resistance crop in Argentina – The struggle around control and rent appropriation between the state, seed corporations and soy farmers

Argentina is now the world’s third largest producer of transgenic crops. They grow on more than half the cultivated area of the country. Transgenic soy is not only the key crop for the Argentine economy but also for politics and society. The Argentine state and also multinational seed corporations seek to control the soy sector and appropriate rents from it, while the export-oriented soy farmers resist these attempts. To expand studies on environmental conflicts from the social to the ecological dimensions, I analyse the role of the materiality of transgenic soy in the struggles around export taxes and royalties on transgenic seeds, based on the concepts of political crops and resistance or escape crops derived from the anthropology of the state. Furthermore, I incorporate transgenic materiality into the analysis of the economic and physical materiality of political crops and resistance crops. In the case study of Argentina, I demonstrate that the materiality of transgenic soy not only enables control by the state – and in parallel by seed corporations – but that it also enables farmer resistance. Thus, transgenic soy is not only key to state building but inherently comes with the risk to the state of a powerful farmer resistance. Building on the empirical analysis, I connect the concepts of political crops and resistance crops, which have been developed for different types of plants. In the case of Argentina, there were three reasons why the state failed to control transgenic soy: 1) difficulties within the institutional setting of the state to grasp the materiality of soy; 2) the parallel governance structure of the seed corporations as developers of transgenic soy; and 3) the everyday and organised resistance of the soy farmers. For the analysis, I use qualitative and quantitative data collected during my research on transgenic agriculture in Argentina since 2009. The data are mainly analysed by applying qualitative content analysis. My own calculations based on descriptive statistics support parts of the qualitative analysis.

Impacts of COVID-19 on the Green Industry

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many horticultural businesses to alter the way they operate. This includes, but may not be limited to, changing hours of operation, working with limited staff, and restricting customer access indoors. This could result in several challenges for businesses. In this study, we evaluate the impacts of COVID-19 on the green industry in the U.S. and identify the challenges for businesses. Based on our research findings, the major challenges faced by businesses were not having enough employees and inventory to keep up with consumer demand during COVID-19. We also evaluate the effect of the pandemic on the sales of different plants, gardening products/services, and the overall revenues of businesses. For different types of plants included in the survey, landscape herbaceous flowers, landscape shrubs, and landscape trees showed the most significant increase in sales. In addition, for different gardening products/services, container plants, small plants, and soil and compost showed the most significant increase in sales. A total of 64% of the businesses reported higher overall sales compared to the same season’s previous year, while less than 24% of the businesses reported decreased sales. Moreover, over 46% of the businesses indicated that COVID-19 had positively affected their sales in 2020, while 31% thought that it had negatively impacted their sales. These findings imply a greater demand potential for plants and gardening products/services from consumers, during this pandemic.

Bibliometric overview of carbon and particulate matter control and emissions

This research presents a bibliometric overview of the state of the art around the world regarding carbon emission and control of particulate matter, focusing on keywords, connection networks between author, countries, and quantitative and temporal analysis of publications. The method used was based on the features of the software Vosviewer version 1.6.15, and data extraction for processing of the Scopus database resulting in a sample of 102 papers between the years 2010 and 2020. The results show that research on the topic is still recent and there is no scientific homogeneity in the approaches, they also show that oriental researchers are the ones with more connection networks and although researchers in general are not very connected, the general used keywords have many connections, with emphasis on the term “particle (of particulate matter)” most used in average in 2018. China has 3 lines of research: 1. passive removal through plants like sea lettuce but with little influence; 2. removal using technology such as washing filters and technological Nano; 3. technological with coating made of metallic materials capable of capturing carbon.
 The western, in general, led by American research, uses passive solutions, by removing pollutants with different types of plants and seeking to find value for the tons of carbon removed by the plants.

Cover Picture: Identification and Classification of Technical Lignins by means of Principle Component Analysis and k‐Nearest Neighbor Algorithm (Chemistry ‐ Methods 8/2021)

The Front Cover shows an artistic map like those found in many novels. The rivers serve as natural borders to separate different types of plants, such as softwood, hardwood, straw and grass. The idea for this abstract illustration comes from the core illustration of the work on which it is based. With the help of algorithms for data analysis, infrared data of different technical lignins could be successfully evaluated. Subsequently, by creating artificial borders, a predictive model for classifying the lignins according to their original biomass could be created. This represents a fast and efficient method for identifying technical lignins that could be used in handheld devices in the future. More information can be found in the Full Paper by Friedrich Fink et al.

Electrical stimulation of Cucumis sativus in an Antrosol using modified electrodes with transition metal oxides at the in situ pilot level

Conventional agricultural systems can lead to degradation of the environment due to the high dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides; therefore, it is important to search for new technologies that help maintain the ecological balance. An example of this type of new technology is the electrofarming technique. This technology has been shown to improve the soil properties and the germination and growth processes of different types of plants. In this research, the effect of applying a low-intensity electric field using a 2D arrangement of electrodes with six modified IrO2-Ta2O5|Ti anodes around a bare Ti cathode as an in situ pilot level in 5.4 m3 of Anthrosol was determined. Electrofarming showed higher germination (59%) than farming (41%) after 18 days. This result validated the efficiency of the electrical stimulation of the seeds of cucumber in an Anthrosol with benefits on the physiological properties of cucumber plants (stem thickness, stem elongation, cotyledon length, true leaf size, root length), amount of biomass in the microbial population present in the soil (bacteria and fungi), as well as in its physicochemical properties (pH, soil organic matter, cationic exchange capacity, enzymatic activity, Ca+2, Mg+2, K+, and Na+), specifically in the area close to the anodes compared to farming.

Identification and Classification of Technical Lignins by means of Principle Component Analysis and k‐Nearest Neighbor Algorithm

AbstractInvited for this month's cover is the group of Dr. Jana Falkenhagen at the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und ‐prüfung in Berlin (Germany). The cover picture shows an artistic map like those found in many novels. The rivers serve as natural borders to separate different types of plants, such as softwood, hardwood, straw and grass. The idea for this abstract illustration comes from the core illustration of the work on which it is based. Read the full text of their Full Paper at 10.1002/cmtd.202100028.

Ethnobotanical Survey of Two Medicinal Plants (Heliotropium indicum L., Abrus precatorius L.,) Used in Traditional Medicine in West Africa

Since the time of our ancestors, natural products issued from plant play a therapeutic crucial role. About 25-30% of all medicines (drugs) available for the treatment of diseases are derived from natural products (from plants, animals, bacteria and fungi) or are derivatives of natural products. The aim of this research was to scientifically identify and supply tangible documentation on these two plants employed in the traditional medicine. From November 2020 to February 2021, an ethnobotanical survey was conducted within four markets at the south of Benin, employing a semistructured questionnaire. Two hundred respondents including 80% of females and 20% of males were interviewed. The 2 studied plants are mainly used for different types of sickness related to infections. Females’ herbalists are the most represented. From this research, it appears that the 2 plants are widely used for the treatment of severe infections. On the market, 95% of the leafy steam are sold against 5% of the roots for both plants. The main preparation way is decoction. Oral use is reported to be common in all region. The value of samples sold varies from 200F CFA (Financial Cooperation of Africa) to 1000F CFA. The decoctions are usually obtained through one of a mix of different types of plants. Traditional knowledge is transmitted from one generation to another by oral education. Till today there was no record found. During our study, we did no record prohibition or side effect related to these plants’ use. These medicinal plants occupy a crucial place within the therapeutic arsenal of west Africa. Our results constitute a vital tool to determine the true potentials of these plants. These results could lead to new improved traditional medicine.

IMMUNOSTIMULATORY ACTIVITY OF AQUEOUS LEAVES EXTRACT OF CASSIA OCCIDENTALIS ON INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNE RESPONSE IN MICE

Different types of plants have been studied for their roles in immunostimulation and treatment of other diseases. The study aimed at evaluating the stimulatory activity of aqueous leaf extract of Cassia occidentalis on innate and adaptive immune responses in mice. Study mice were grouped into five and studied for 21 days; group I (control group) received normal saline. While the treatment groups: group II - V received aqueous leaf extract of C. occidentalis at different concentrations (250, 500, 1000, and 1500) mg/kg body weight (BW). The mice were sensitized and challenged with sheep red blood cells (SRBCs) on day 13th and 18th of the treatment, respectively. On the 19th, 20th, and 21st days, the animals’ delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses in each group were measured using a digital Vernier calliper, and humoral immune response was evaluated using the haemagglutination (HA) antibody technique. Blood samples were collected for Carbonic particle clearance index (K) and phagocytic index of Macrophage (α). Organ weight index (g/100g) was also recorded (α). The result showed a significant increase in the Carbonic particle clearance index (p=0.02) and phagocytic index of Macrophage (p<0.0001) in a dose-dependent manner. The study revealed a statistically significant difference in HA titres across the five groups, (p=0.02), also the DTH shows a statistically significant difference across the time (24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours), Wilks’ Lambda = 0. 291, F = 15. 86, p = 0. 0001. The aqueous leaf extract of C. occidentalis has an immunostimulatory effect on innate and adaptive immunity.

Performance of Electromagnetic Nanonetwork under relaying for plant monitoring

Recently, Nanonetworks has been envisioned as a predominant technology. Applications of whose ranges from environment to agriculture and biomedical to military, almost in every field of human life. It plays a vital role in crop monitoring for high-resolution agriculture and in detection of emitted volatile organic compounds. However, sensing range of an individual nanosensor is limited. Multi-hop, relay system can be used to enhance the transmission range of nanosensor based Nanonetworks. This manuscript presents various performance measure of an Electromagnetic Nanonetworks under Amplify-and-Forward (AF) relaying for plant monitoring. Specifically, proposes closed form expressions for Average Error Rate and Spectral Efficiency (SE) of Differential Binary Phase Shift Keying (DBPSK) and Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (DQPSK) modulation schemes of Nanonetworks under dual AF relaying. It is worthful to mention that plant scenarios and hence fading model for different types of plant is different. Therefore, in analysis fading channel from source to relay (S-R) is taken as Fox’s H (FH) function which realizes different fading models, such as EGK, Fisher-Snedecor (FS) distribution and Alpha-Mu fading models, as its special cases to represent different plant scenarios. Whereas, fading model from relay to destination (R-D) is taken as Generalized-Gamma (GG). It is observed that an increase in the value of severity and/or shaping parameters decreases the average error rate. On the other hand, converse is true for the spectral efficiency. Analytical results show perfect agreement with simulation.