Leaf Dry Weight Research Articles

ENHANCING SPINACH (SPINACIA OLERACEA L.) SEED GERMINATION, LEAF BIOMASS PRODUCTION UNDER SALINE WATER STRESS: THE IMPLICATIONS OF ZINC AND COW MANURE

Plant growth and productivity is restricted due to significant influence of salt stress on the essential physiological processes. Zinc supplementation holds promise as a technique to improve the resilience under salt stress. An open field experiment was conducted to assess the leaf growth parameters of spinach (Spinacia oleracea) including seed germination, plant area, leaf area, length, width, leaf fresh weight as well as dry weight, and Number of leaves per plant. Spinach plants were irrigated with a defined electrical conductivity (EC) level of 4.16 dSm-1 in clay loam, non-saline soil. Cow manure, a form of organic waste rich in macronutrients and micronutrients was also investigated. This study focuses on examining the response of zinc and cow manure on spinach growth under salinity stress. Salinity stress resulted in reduction in seed germination, leaf area, width, length, leaf fresh and dry weight, with no significant effect on the number of leaves. High doses of zinc and cow manure (0.20g Zinc+ 150g Cow Manure + Salinity) meaningfully enhanced performance by increasing seed germination by 15-20%, leaf area 130 cm2, length 8.41 cm, width 4.8 cm , leaf fresh 0.67g and leaf dry weight 0.51g but didn’t affect the number of leaves. Overall, our results demonstrate that the application of zinc and cow manure induced resistance to salinity stress and impacts positively on Spinach growth. Future research can focus on how zinc affects enzymatic activities and various mechanisms under salt stress.

Improvement of morphophysiological and anatomical attributes of plants under abiotic stress conditions using plant growth-promoting bacteria and safety treatments.

Drought and salinity are the major abiotic stress factors negatively affecting the morphophysiological, biochemical, and anatomical characteristics of numerous plant species worldwide. The detrimental effects of these environmental factors can be seen in leaf and stem anatomical structures including the decrease in thickness of cell walls, palisade and spongy tissue, phloem and xylem tissue. Also, the disintegration of grana staking, and an increase in the size of mitochondria were observed under salinity and drought conditions. Drought and salt stresses can significantly decrease plant height, number of leaves and branches, leaf area, fresh and dry weight, or plant relative water content (RWC%) and concentration of photosynthetic pigments. On the other hand, stress-induced lipid peroxidation and malondialdehyde (MDA) production, electrolyte leakage (EL%), and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) can increase under salinity and drought conditions. Antioxidant defense systems such as catalase, peroxidase, glutathione reductase, ascorbic acid, and gamma-aminobutyric acid are essential components under drought and salt stresses to protect the plant organelles from oxidative damage caused by ROS. The application of safe and eco-friendly treatments is a very important strategy to overcome the adverse effects of drought and salinity on the growth characteristics and yield of plants. It is shown that treatments with plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) can improve morphoanatomical characteristics under salinity and drought stress. It is also shown that yeast extract, mannitol, proline, melatonin, silicon, chitosan, α-Tocopherols (vitamin E), and biochar alleviate the negative effects of drought and salinity stresses through the ROS scavenging resulting in the improvement of plant attributes and yield of the stressed plants. This review discusses the role of safety and eco-friendly treatments in alleviating the harmful effects of salinity and drought associated with the improvement of the anatomical, morphophysiological, and biochemical features in plants.

Plant-Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi May Improve Soil Fertility and the Growth, Nutrient Uptake, and Physiological Performance of Batavia Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. longifolia) Plants

A greenhouse experiment was realized to investigate the effects of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on soil quality and the growth, nutrient uptake, and physiological performance of Batavia lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. longifolia). For this purpose, six fertilization treatments were applied: (i) inorganic fertilization (I.F.—control, i.e., usual/conventional fertilization), (ii) I.F. + PGPR, (iii) I.F. + PGPR + AMF, (iv) manure (MAN), (v) MAN + PGPR, and (vi) MAN + PGPR + AMF. Soil fertility was influenced by the treatments, and soil respiration (CO2 flux) was significantly increased after applications of PGPR and AMF. Following MAN fertilization in particular, an approximately sixfold higher soil respiration value was recorded following the MAN + PGPR + AMF treatment compared to the control (I.F.). Root, leaf, and total biomass dry weights were significantly affected by the PGPR and AMF applications, mainly following the I.F. treatment. In contrast, K, Mg, and Fe uptake was significantly influenced by PGPR and AMF application following the MAN treatment. The SPAD value, performance index (PI), photosynthetic rate, and stomatal conductance were significantly higher in the I.F. + PGPR + AMF-treated plants compared to the control plants. Overall, these data prove the beneficial roles of PGPR and AMF in soil quality and fertility and the nutrient uptake and physiological performance of lettuce plants. However, further clarification is needed in the near future to test the interaction effects between PGPR, AMF, and the type of fertilizer used (organic or inorganic).

Blue light regulated lignin and cellulose content of soybean petioles and stems under low light intensity.

To improve light harvest and plant structural support under low light intensity, it is useful to investigate the effects of different ratios of blue light on petiole and stem growth. Two true leaves of soybean seedlings were exposed to a total light intensity of 200μmolm-2 s-1 , presented as either white light or three levels of blue light (40μmolm-2 s-1 , 67μmolm-2 s-1 and 100μmolm-2 s-1 ) for 15days. Soybean petioles under the low blue light treatment upregulated expression of genes relating to lignin metabolism, enhancing lignin content compared with the white light treatment. The low blue light treatment had high petiole length, increased plant height and improved petiole strength arising from high lignin content, thus significantly increasing leaf dry weight relative to the white light treatment. Compared with white light, the treatment with the highest blue light ratio reduced plant height and enhanced plant support through increased cellulose and hemicellulose content in the stem. Under low light intensity, 20% blue light enhanced petiole length and strength to improve photosynthate biomass; whereas 50% blue light lowered plants' centre of gravity, preventing lodging and conserving carbohydrate allocation.

Recent advances in the genetic parameters and prospects of cultivation of the climate-smart herb senna (Senna alexandrina Mill.): A significant industrial medicinal crop

The bulk of senna plant components are used to make herbal medications to treat infections and other ailments. Except for grading, more than 80% of dried leaves are exported from India. The current study examined the genetic variability, correlations, and character contributions of 25 senna accessions. The amplitude of the GCV was larger than that of the PCV, showing that the selected factors interact genetically. X1 had substantial and positive connections with X4, X5, X6, X8, X11, and X13, while X2 had significant and positive links with X7, X10, X11, X12, X13, and X14. The characteristic X11 made the largest direct contribution to the X14 attribute. In X1 and X13, the indirect effect was greater. Fresh and dry leaf weight had high heritability and medium GA over the mean, respectively, whereas pod weight had high heritability and GA over the mean, at 93.62 and 94.93%. The mean, heritability, and GA over the mean of genotypes Gen 1, 2, 3, 4, and 25 were selected for high yield in the most economically significant traits. As a result, the senna genotypes mentioned above may be effectively exploited.

The application potential of mepiquat chloride in soybean: improvement of yield characteristics and drought resistance

BackgroundDrought can result in yield losses, the application of plant growth regulators is an effective measure to improve drought resistance and yield. The objective of the study was to explore the application potential of mepiquat chloride (MC) in regulating soybean yield and drought resistance.MethodsIn this study, a three-year field experiment was designed and combined with drought experiments to measure the yield of popularized varieties during 2021–2022 and drought-resistant and drought-sensitive varieties were selected, and planted in the field in 2023.ResultsMC increased the yield of HN84 and HN87 for two consecutive years from 2021 to 2022 and improved their physiological characteristics under field conditions. Under M200 treatment, the yield of HN84 increased by 6.93% and 9.46%, and HN87 increased by 11.11% and 15.72%. Different concentrations of MC have different effects on soybeans. The maximum increase of SOD, POD and proline in HN84 under M400 treatment reached 71.92%, 63.26% and 71.54%, respectively; the maximum increase of SOD, POD and proline in HN87 under M200 treatment reached 21.96%, 93.49% and 40.45%, respectively. In 2023, the foliar application of MC improved the physiological characteristics of HN44 and HN65 under drought-stress conditions. On the eighth day of drought treatment, compared to the drought treatment, the leaf and root dry weight of HN44 under M100 treatment increased by 17.91% and 32.76%, respectively; the dry weight of leaves and roots of HN65 increased by 20.74% and 29.29% under M200 treatment, respectively. MC also reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content, decreased antioxidant enzyme activity and proline content. In addition, different concentrations of MC increased the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (Fs, Fv/Fm, YII, and SPAD). In the field, the plant height of the two varieties decreased significantly, the yield increased, the number of two-grain and three-grain pods increased, and the stem length at the bottom and middle decreased with MC induction.ConclusionsThe application of 100–200 mg/L MC effectively improved drought resistance and increased yield. This study provided support for the rational application of MC in soybean production.

Dynamics of industrial hemp vegetative growth and metabolite accumulation in response to light intensity

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a high-yielding cash crop with strong stress resistance, and its fibrous and metabolic profile holds significant development potential. In this study, we measured various agronomic traits, amino acids, saccharides, and their derivatives under four different light intensities (30 μmol·m−2·s−1, 80 μmol·m−2·s−1, 130 μmol·m−2·s−1, 180 μmol·m−2·s−1). Results showed that plant height decreased with increasing light intensity and reached a minimum at 180 μmol·m−2·s−1, which was 27 % less than the control treatment. Further, stem diameter increased by 52 %, leaf fresh weight by 130 %, stem fresh weight by 116 %, and root fresh weight by 264 % were at their maximum at 130 μmol·m−2·s−1. Plant dry weight of leaf (113 %), stem (214 %), and root (427 %) were also found to be maximum at 130 μmol·m−2·s−1. Metabolic results revealed that the free amino acid content was 10 %, 61 %, and 60 % higher under 30 μmol·m−2·s−1 compared to 80, 130, and 180 μmol·m−2·s−1. Additionally, soluble protein contents were 42 %, 81 %, and 77 % higher under 30 μmol·m−2·s−1 compared to 80, 130, and 180 μmol·m−2·s−1. In contrast, the soluble sugar contents were 42 %, 61 %, and 75 % higher than in the other three treatments. In conclusion, industrial hemp morphological characteristics and metabolite profiles exhibit distinct responses to different light intensities. To achieve desired outcomes, it is imperative to carefully choose an optimized light intensity specifically tailored to align with the defined objectives. These findings provide a foundation for a deeper understanding of the characteristics of industrial hemp, optimizing cultivation techniques, and investigating the impact of light intensity on industrial hemp vegetative period growth, amino acids, and saccharides.

Purification and Characterization of Desferrioxamine B of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Its Application to Improve Oil Content, Nutrient Uptake, and Plant Growth in Peanuts

Microorganisms produce siderophores, which are low-molecular-weight iron chelators when iron availability is limited. The present analyzed the role of LNPF1 as multifarious PGPR for improving growth parameters and nutrient content in peanut and soil nutrients. Such multifarious PGPR strains can be used as effective bioinoculants for peanut farming. In this work, rhizosphere bacteria from Zea mays and Arachis hypogaea plants in the Salem area of Tamil Nadu, India, were isolated and tested for biochemical attributes and characteristics that stimulate plant growth, such as the production of hydrogen cyanide, ammonia (6 µg/mL), indole acetic acid (76.35 µg/mL), and solubilizing phosphate (520 µg/mL). The 16S rRNA gene sequences identified the isolate LNPF1 as Pseudomonas fluorescens with a similarity percentage of 99% with Pseudomonas sp. Isolate LNPF1 was evaluated for the production of siderophore. Siderophore-rich supernatant using a Sep Pack C18 column and Amberlite-400 Resin Column (λmax 264) produced 298 mg/L and 50 mg/L of siderophore, respectively. The characterization of purified siderophore by TLC, HPLC, FTIR, and 2D-NMR analysis identified the compound as desferrioxamine, a hydroxamate siderophore. A pot culture experiment determined the potential of LNPF1 to improve iron and oil content and photosynthetic pigments in Arachis hypogaea L. and improve soil nutrient content. Inoculation of A. hypogea seeds with LNPF1 improved plant growth parameters such as leaf length (60%), shoot length (22%), root length (54.68%), fresh weight (47.28%), dry weight (37%), and number of nuts (66.66) compared to the control (untreated seeds). This inoculation also improved leaf iron content (43.42), short iron content (38.38%), seed iron (46.72%), seed oil (31.68%), carotenoid (64.40%), and total chlorophyll content (98.%) compared to control (untreated seeds). Bacterized seeds showed a substantial increase in nodulation (61.65%) and weight of individual nodules (95.97) vis-à-vis control. The results of the present study indicated that P. fluorescens might be utilized as a potential bioinoculant to improve growth, iron content, oil content, number of nuts and nodules of Arachishypogaea L., and enrich soil nutrients.

Effect of Bacillus pumilus Strains on Heavy Metal Accumulation in Lettuce Grown on Contaminated Soil

Increasing number of heavy metal on land needs to be addressed through sustainable ways and various species of Bacillus can be used to mitigate heavy metals. The research work entitled “Effect of Bacillus pumilus strains on heavy metal accumulation in lettuce grown on contaminated soil” focuses on functional role of Bacillus pumilus strains inoculated with lettuce seed in mitigating heavy metal present in chromite mining soil. This experiment was conducted at ornamental horticulture nursery, the University of Agriculture Peshawar. In this experiment, factor A was three Bacillus pumilus strains (sequence C-2PMW-8, C-1 SSK-8 and C-1 PWK-7) while soil used for this experiment was collected from Prang Ghar mining site and lettuce seeds were grown in three levels of chromite mining soil (2.27, 4.65 and 7.14 %).The experimental design used during this research was randomized complete block design with two factors and was replicated thrice. The collected data related to effect of chromite mining soil and Bacillus pumilus strains indicated that these both factors have significant influence on growth parameters. For mining soil minimum days to germinate (14 days) was noted in lettuce grown on garden soil inoculated with sequence. Maximum germination percentage noted was (100%) for C-1 SSK-8 grown on garden soil, dry weight of lettuce leaf (5.0 g) for lettuce inoculated with C-1 SSK-8 and C-1 PWK-7 strains, survival percentage (77.9%) for C-1 SSK-8 treated lettuce for sequence C-2 PMW-8. Maximum germination percentage noted was (88%) for garden soil, fresh leaf weight (17.3g), dry leaf weight (6.5g), number of leaf per plant (16), leaf area (49.0 cm2) were noted in garden soil with no chromite mining soil. Results related to heavy metals accumulation showed that minimum chromium was (2.3 mg kg-1) in lettuce and (1.9 mg kg-1) in soil for all three sequences. It can be concluded that chromite mining soil significantly reduced the growth and survival of lettuce, but when lettuce was inoculated with Bacillus.pumilus strains it enhances the growth and survival. Similarly, minimum heavy metal accumulation in plant and soil, regardless of type of B. pumilus used, all three sequences has same mitigating effect on heavy metal in both soil and lettuce. All the three Bacillus pumilus strains ensured reduction in heavy metals content (Cr) in lettuce, below the maximum permissible limits of WHO/FAO 2011.

Stimulatory effects of smoke solution and biogas digestate slurry application on photosynthesis, growth, and methylation profiling of solanum tuberosum

ABSTRACT Biostimulants are obtained from various sources like plants, animals, microorganisms, and industrial by-products as well as waste material. Their utilization in agriculture practices is being increased that is giving positive results. The purpose of the current study was to use plant-derived smoke (SMK) solution and biogas digestate (BGD) slurry as biostimulant to elucidate their impact on potato (Solanum tuberosum) performance. The experiment was conducted in lab as well as field conditions, and SMK and BGD solutions were prepared in varying concentrations such as SMK 1:500, SMK 1:250, BGD 50:50, and BGD 75:25. Foliar applications were performed thrice during experiments and data were collected related to photosynthesis, growth, pigments, and genome-wide methylation profiling. Net photosynthesis rate (A) and water use efficiency (WUE) were found higher in SMK- and BGD-treated lab and field grown plants. Among pigments, BGD-treated plants depicted higher levels of Chl a and Chl b while SMK-treated plants showed higher carotenoid levels. Alongside, enhancement in growth-related parameters like leaf number and dry weight was also observed in both lab- and field-treated plants. Furthermore, DNA methylation profile of SMK- and BGD-treated plants depicted variation compared to control. DNA methylation events increased in all the treatments compared to control except for SMK 1:500. These results indicate that smoke and slurry both act as efficient biostimulants which result in better performance of plants. Biostimulants also affected the genome-wide DNA methylation profile that resultantly might have changed the plant gene expression profiling and played its role in plant responsiveness to these biostimulants. However, there is need to elucidate a possible synergistic effect of SMK and BGD on plant growth along with gene expression profiling.

Phenotypic and yield responses of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris l.) varieties to different soil moisture levels

BackgroundMorphological plasticity is one of the capacities of plants to modify their morphological appearance in response to external stimuli. A plant’s morphology and physiology are constantly tuned to its variable surroundings by complex interactions between environmental stimuli and internal signals.In most of plant species,, such phenotypic and physiological expression varies among different varieties based on their levels of particular environmental stress conditions. However, the morphological and yield responses of common bean varieties to different environmental conditions are not well known. The purpose of the study was to evaluate morphological and yield response of common bean to soil moisture stress and to investigate the morphological mechanism by which common bean varieties tolerate fluctuations in moisture stress.MethodsA pot experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of different moisture levels on the phenotypic and yield responses of common bean varieties. A factorial combination of five common bean varieties (Hirna, kufanzik, Awash-1, Ado, and Chercher) and three moisture levels (control, waterlogging stress, and moisture deficit stress) was used in three replications. Moisture stress treatments were started 20 days after planting, at the trifoliate growth stage. To evaluate the response of each variety, morphological and yield data were collected at week intervals.Main resultsThe results indicated that moisture levels and varieties had a significant influence on all growth parameters. Crop phenology was significantly influenced by the interaction effect of moisture level and variety. Exposing Hirna variety to moisture stress led to extended flowering and pod setting by 23 and 24 days, respectively, compared to the other treatments. The results showed that the phenotypic responses to moisture deficit and waterlogging stress varied between varieties. Waterlogging stress had a stronger reduction effect on the fresh weight, dry weight and leaf area of common bean varieties than moisture deficit and the control. Pods per plant, seeds per plant, grain yield per plant, and harvest index were significantly influenced by the varieties, moisture stress levels and their interaction. Except for Chercher and Hirna. However, varieties Ado, kufanzik and Awasha-1 did not show significant differences on the time of flower initiation due to moisture level. Biomass and growth in leaf fresh weight, leaf dry weight, leaf area, leaf number and plant height were significantly influenced by moisture level. When moisture deficit and waterlogging stress occurred, Ado and Awash-1 were more responsive to moisture stress than Hirna, Chercher, and Kufanzik.ConclusionHence, Hirna and Kufanzik varieties were found to be tolerant because they produced higher yields than the Chercher, Awash-1, and Ado varieties.

Effects of humic acid water-soluble fertilizer on growth and physiological characteristics of Bupleurum chinense seedlings

The effects of humic acid water-soluble fertilizer on the growth and physiological characteristics of Bupleurum chinense seedlings(Zhongchai No.1) were studied by using a single factor experiment design. When the seedling age was 60 days, the humic acid water-soluble fertilizer was diluted 1 200 times(T1), 1 500 times(T2), 1 800 times(T3), and 2 100 times(T4) for seedling treatment, respectively, and water was used as the control(CK). The effects of different treatments on growth indexes, biomass accumulation, root activity, antioxidant enzyme activity, membrane lipid peroxidation, and photosynthetic characteristics of B. chinense seedlings were analyzed after 30 days. The results showed that compared with CK, stem height, leaf number, root diameter, and root length of the B. chinense seedlings under T3 treatment were significantly increased by 36.82%, 37.03%, 42.78%, and 22.38%, respectively. Root fresh weight, leaf fresh weight, root dry weight, and leaf dry weight under T3 treatment were significantly increased by 90.36%, 98.68%, 123.84%, and 104.38%, respectively. In addition, humic acid water-soluble fertilizer also enhanced TTC reducing activity of the root of B. chinense seedlings, inhibited malonaldehyde(MDA) content, increased superoxide dismutase(SOD), peroxidase(POD), and catalase(CAT) enzyme activities, improved chlorophyll content, and enhanced P_n, G_s, T_r, and other photosynthetic parameters. In conclusion, the application of humic acid water-soluble fertilizer diluted 1 800 times can significantly promote the growth of B. chinense seedlings, enhance root vitality, improve seedling stress resistance, and enhance photosynthesis. The results of this study can provide a theoretical basis for fertilization of B. chinense seedlings.

Response of green chiretta to different bio-fertilizers and their effect on phosphorus availability in the soil

When cultivating medicinal plants, the use of chemical substances such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers should be avoided, as these can be contaminated with hazardous substances. Bio-fertilizers are a good alternative for growing herbs, as they are produced from organic materials that contain fewer hazardous substances. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different bio-fertilizers on growth, yield, andrographolide content, nutrient accumulation, and different pigments in green chiretta. In addition, the effectiveness of bio-fertilizers on the convertible phosphorus content in the soil was investigated. The experimental design was a completely randomized design (CRD) with four treatments and four replicates. The details of the experiment were 1) control (no bio-fertilizer), 2) phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms (PSMs), 3) plant growth promoter, and 4) mycorrhiza. The findings revealed that the application of PSMs provided the highest leaf dry weight (yield) of green chiretta (20.8±3.58 g/plant). This treatment also gave the highest chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll content (699±70, 178±24, 880±94 mg/sqm, respectively) and andrographolide yield (0.38±0.06 g/plant). Regarding the phosphorus content in the soil, the PSMs application showed the highest available phosphorus and the highest phosphorus activation coefficient (PAC) in the soil, namely 52.0±4.76 mg/kg and 4.22±0.32 percent, respectively. These results indicate that the use of PSMs as a bio-fertilizer is most suitable for the cultivation of green chiretta, especially when this plant grows on acid sulfate soils.

Seed pre-treatment with electromagnetic field (EMF) differentially enhances germination kinetics and seedling growth of maize (Zea mays L.)

Pre-sowing treatment of seeds with different intensities and exposure times to electromagnetic fields (EMF) has proved to be beneficial in increasing the productivity of crops. The purpose of the recent study was to evaluate the effects of electromagnetic fields applied prior to cultivation to seeds of two maize genotypes namely FH-1046 and YH-5427. Sterilized seeds were exposed to three doses of EMF and sown in six treatments levels i.e. T0 (as control), T1 (60mT for 3 min.), T2 (120mT for 3 min.), T3 (180mT for 3 min.), T4 (60mT for 6 min.), T5 (120mT for 6 min.), and T6 (180mT for 6 min.). There were three replicates in each treatment. Results showed EMF exposure as an augmenting factor as it caused up to 50 % improvement in seed germination performance. The EMF exposure increased germination kinetics and triggered enhancement in morphological characteristics i.e., higher leaf area, plant height, more fresh and dry weight; higher concentration of physiological pigments like chlorophyll a, b, and carotenoids; upregulated antioxidative enzymatic activities; and, higher mineral ions concentration such as Na+, K+, and Ca2+. A growth promotory effect of all doses of electromagnetic field was observed on crop performance, however, T3 (180mT for 3 min.) and T5 (120mT for 6 min.) resulted in the highest germination indices, vegetative proliferations and biochemical assays. Of the two genotypes of maize, FH-1046 proved to be more sensitive the EMF as compared to YH-5427. It was concluded that maize growth and grain yield might be directly enhanced through the useful aspects of EMF by its analytical and sustainable utilization at the large scale of agricultural farming.

Homeopathic preparations to increase resistance and development of yield in bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) crops

The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is an essential part people’s staple diet in Brazil as well as in some Latin American countries. The excessive use of agrochemical for pest and disease control negatively impacts human health, contaminates soil and water, harms biodiversity, and contributes to pest resistance. It is referred to a specific homeopathic preparation. In the context of homeopathy, the term "preparations" refers to homeopathic remedies that are created through a specific process of dilution and agitation. The use of highly diluted homeopathic preparations, which enhance the plants ability to resist diseases, represents a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative. In homeopathy, "Silicea" is used as a homeopathic remedy derived from silica which is not a silica in its natural form. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Silicea terra and Phosphorus application in high dynamized dilutions, on morphometric and productive variables of common bean plants. Two experiments were carried out in a greenhouse and one experiment in the field, in a randomized block design for both situations. In greenhouse, the preparations were used in dynamizations 7, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60CH (CH= Hahnemannian centesimal dilution order) and distilled water was used as control. In the field, the treatments were Phosphorus 48 and 60CH, Silicea terra 36 and 60CH, and distilled water as a control. In greenhouse, application of Silicea terra 36CH increased (p< 0.05) shoot dry biomass weight (9.78 g) and leaf dry biomass weight (5.36 g), compared to control. In the field, Silicea terra 36CH and Phosphorus 60CH increased bean productivity in relation to the control. The results indicate that homeopathic preparations had a high potential for improving development and consequently increasing yield when applied to common bean plants.

Far-red light modulates grapevine growth by increasing leaf photosynthesis efficiency and triggering organ-specific transcriptome remodelling

BackgroundGrowing evidence demonstrates that the synergistic interaction of far-red light with shorter wavelength lights could evidently improve the photosynthesis efficiency of multiple species. However, whether/how far-red light affects sink organs and consequently modulates the source‒sink relationships are largely unknown.ResultsHere, equal intensities of white and far-red lights were added to natural light for grape plantlets to investigate the effects of far-red light supplementation on grapevine growth and carbon assimilate allocation, as well as to reveal the underlying mechanisms, through physiological and transcriptomic analysis. The results showed that additional far-red light increased stem length and carbohydrate contents in multiple organs and decreased leaf area, specific leaf weight and dry weight of leaves in comparison with their counterparts grown under white light. Compared to white light, the maximum net photosynthetic rate of the leaves was increased by 31.72% by far-red light supplementation, indicating that far-red light indeed elevated the photosynthesis efficiency of grapes. Transcriptome analysis revealed that leaves were most responsive to far-red light, followed by sink organs, including stems and roots. Genes related to light signaling and carbon metabolites were tightly correlated with variations in the aforementioned physiological traits. In particular, VvLHCB1 is involved in light harvesting and restoring the balance of photosystem I and photosystem II excitation, and VvCOP1 and VvPIF3, which regulate light signal transduction, were upregulated under far-red conditions. In addition, the transcript abundances of the sugar transporter-encoding genes VvSWEET1 and VvSWEET3 and the carbon metabolite-encoding genes VvG6PD, VvSUS7 and VvPGAM varied in line with the change in sugar content.ConclusionsThis study showed that far-red light synergistically functioning with white light has a beneficial effect on grape photosystem activity and is able to differentially affect the growth of sink organs, providing evidence for the possible addition of far-red light to the wavelength range of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR).

Root-shoot ratio and its relationships with physiological characteristics, growth and biomass yield of Gynura procumbens under different shade levels and plant density

Gynura procumbens is one of the most common medicinal plants in the Asteraceae family, with extensive pharmacological properties. The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different shade levels (0 and 30% shade) and plant density (9, 15, and 25 plants m-2) on root-shoot ratio and it is a relationship with physiology, growth, and biomass yield using split-plot design with three replications. Increasing shade level to 30% shade significantly decreased root-shoot ratio (RSR) by22.54%, while total leaf dry weight per plant (TLDW) and total leaf dry weight per square meter (TLDW m-2) increased by 35.64, 11.58, and 32.18%, respectively due to negative correlation with RSR. Increasing plant density from 9 to 25 plants m-2 significantly increased RSR and TLDW m-2 by 67.71 and 18.54%, respectively, while TLDW decreased by 57.31%. There was a negative correlation between RSR and biomass yield per plant. Under stressed conditions (full sunlight and high plant density), G. procumbent plants appeared to change strategy to absorb limited resources, allocate more biomass to the root system, and reduce aboveground parts' size to survive, resulting in high RSR. Keywords: Gynura procumbens, shade, plant density, root-shoot ratio, physiology, growth, biomass

Impact of ZnO nanopriming on physiological and biochemical traits of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedling

To ascertain the ideal dosage of ZnO NPs (Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles), we conducted an investigation on the priming effects of varying concentrations of ZnO NPs on germination and physio-biochemical parameters of wheat. In this study, ZnO NPs were synthesized and characterized for their physico-chemical properties followed by confirmation of the formation of ZnO NPs. Throughout this study, wheat seeds were subjected to ZnO NPs at various concentrations of 5, 50, 100, 250, and 500 ppm for a period of 4 h via continuous aeration. The primed seeds were sowed in plastic bags, allowed to grow for 21 days, following which comprehensive evaluations of physio-biochemical attributes were conducted. At 250 ppm, an impressive 100% of seeds successfully germinated compared to the control group. The examined physiological factors such as shoot length, root length, and fresh as well as dry weights of leaf and root tissues all exhibited notable increases with the ascending concentrations of ZnO NP up to 250 ppm. However, beyond this threshold, at 500 ppm, these parameters experienced a decline. Inductively coupled plasma atomic absorption spectrophotometer (ICP-AAS) measurements validated the progressive increase in Zinc content in the nanoprimed seedlings, further affirming the dose-dependent trend. Zinc oxide nanoparticles notably improved key biochemical features, including elevated levels of total chlorophyll, malondialdehyde (MDA), total protein, and the accumulation of osmolytes such as proline and glycine-betaine. Additionally, the presence of ZnO NPs led to increased activity of antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase in a dose-dependent mananer. Collectively, the amassed data underscores the efficacy of the 250 ppm ZnO NPs treatment, which emerged as superior in comparison to both the control group and other administered treatments. These findings underscore the potential of ZnO NPs at a concentration of 250 ppm as a valuable seed nanopriming agent, effectively enhanced germination and robust early-stage growth in young plants.

Triacylglycerol stability limits futile cycles and inhibition of carbon capture in oil-accumulating leaves.

Engineering plant vegetative tissue to accumulate triacylglycerols (TAG, e.g., oil) can increase the amount of oil harvested per acre to levels that exceed current oilseed crops. Engineered tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) lines that accumulate 15% to 30% oil of leaf dry weight resulted in starkly different metabolic phenotypes. In-depth analysis of the leaf lipid accumulation and 14CO2 tracking describe metabolic adaptations to the leaf oil engineering. An oil-for-membrane lipid tradeoff in the 15% oil line (referred to as HO) was surprisingly not further exacerbated when lipid production was enhanced to 30% (LEC2 line). The HO line exhibited a futile cycle that limited TAG yield through exchange with starch, altered carbon flux into various metabolite pools and end products, and suggested interference of the glyoxylate cycle with photorespiration that limited CO2 assimilation by 50%. In contrast, inclusion of the LEAFY COTYLEDON 2 (LEC2) transcription factor in tobacco improved TAG stability, alleviated the TAG-to-starch futile cycle, and recovered CO2 assimilation and plant growth comparable to wild type but with much higher lipid levels in leaves. Thus, the unstable production of storage reserves and futile cycling limit vegetative oil engineering approaches. The capacity to overcome futile cycles and maintain enhanced stable TAG levels in LEC2 demonstrated the importance of considering unanticipated metabolic adaptations while engineering vegetative oil crops.

Promoting smart agroforestry of sengon-based arrowroot and cardamom to support food security

The forest land has great potential to provide food and also contributes to achieving Indonesia’s forest and other land uses (FOLU) Net Sink 2030, as a concrete contribution of the forestry sector to addressing national and global needs, which can be done by promoting smart agroforestry. This research aims to provide smart agroforestry model of sengon (Falcataria moluccana) with arrowroot and cardamom, to analyze the sengon growth, the arrowroot and cardamom biomass productivities under the agroforestry models. The split-plot design was employed with six cropping pattern as the main plot, in three agroforestry models (sengon-arrowroot; sengon-cardamom; sengon-arrowroot-cardamom) and three monoculture plots, and three levels of the dosage of manure as subplots (0; 250; 500 g). The results showed that higher growth of sengon was found in the three agroforestry models (3.0-3.5 m3.ha−1) compared to monoculture (2.1 m3.ha−1). The highest dry weight of leaf, stem, root, tuber, fruit bunch and total biomass of arrowroot and cardamom was produced in the monoculture. These agroforestry models have the potential to support food security and Indonesia’s FOLU Net Sink 2030, which will be prospective mainstreaming in implementing Social Forestry programs.