Flower Opening Research Articles

Comprehensive Transcriptome and Metabolome Characterization of Peony ‘Coral Sunset’ Petals Provides Insights into the Mechanism of Pigment Degradation

The petals of Paeonia lactiflora ‘Coral Sunset’ change color from coral pink to pale yellow after flower opening. Pigment-targeted metabolomic analysis showed that the carotenoid and anthocyanin contents rapidly decreased after petal fading. SMART-sequencing and next-generation-sequencing analyses were performed to identify differentially expressed transcripts to characterize the candidate genes involved in petal fading. The expression of certain genes associated with anthocyanin and carotenoid synthesis and degradation was correlated with the petal-fading phenotype. The anthocyanin synthesis (AS) structural genes, CHS, F3H, F3′H, DFR, and ANS, and the carotenoid synthesis genes, LCYB and LCYE, were strongly expressed before fading, but their expression significantly declined after fading. In contrast, the expression of certain genes associated with oxidase activity and light signaling significantly increased after fading. Therefore, inhibition of pigment synthesis and accelerated pigment degradation may be crucial for petal fading. A R2R3-MYB family member of subgroup 4 (MYBs-SG4) showed the same expression pattern as the AS structural genes and functioned in the positive regulation of anthocyanin synthesis by forming the MBW protein complex. This is the first report of a SG4 member with a positive regulatory function. This study provides a foundation for elucidation of the mechanisms of pigment synthesis and metabolism, and a theoretical basis for flower-color-directed breeding.

Increasing the Vase Life of Chrysanthemum Cut Flowers by Using Silver and Zinc Nanoparticles.

Cut flowers are horticultural products that have great potential to be developed. Efforts to maintain quality and extend the shelf life of cut flowers are very important to obtain a product that is accepted in the market. The main problems of chrysanthemum cut flowers are the leaves easily turning yellow, wilting, and failure to fully open flowers. This study aimed to obtain the best pulsing solution formulation that increases vase life and maintains the freshness of chrysanthemum cut flowers. Pulsing solution treatment was carried out on chrysanthemum cut flowers during the evaluation period. Pulsing solution treatment consisted of control, AgNO3, nano-Ag (NAg), ZnO, and nano-Zn (NZn). The results showed that NAg20 treatment increased the vase life of chrysanthemum cut flowers up to 23 days, which was 19 days longer than the control. Nano-Ag inhibits bacterial growth, flower wilting, color degradation, and carotenoids. In addition, nano-Ag increased the size of the bloom-flower diameter. Considering the results of all postharvest quality parameters mentioned above, NAg20 extends the vase life of chrysanthemum cut flowers.

Petunia bZIP transcription factor PhbZIP3 is involved in floral volatile benzenoid/phenylpropanoid biosynthesis through regulating the expression of PhPAL2 and PhBSMT

Floral volatile benzenoid/phenylpropanoid compounds (FVBPs) are essential plant secondary metabolites and play a pivotal role in plant reproduction and development. However, the knowledge of transcriptional regulation of its biosynthesis pathway remains limited. Although extensively implicated in the regulation of plant secondary metabolisms, the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) family has not been reported to regulate FVBP biosynthesis. This study aimed to screen out important bZIP transcription factor members in the transcriptional regulation of FVBP biosynthesis in petunia. The entirety of bZIP genes throughout the petunia genome was ascertained and in-depth investigations into their phylogenetic relationships, structural characteristics, expression patterns, and potential interactions with structural genes related to FVBP biosynthesis were conducted. Outcomes showed that 77 bZIP genes of petunia could be categorized into 11 groups. The significant quantitative differences of introns and conserved motifs among the petunia bZIP members, along with the variety of cis-acting elements, reflected the structure diversity of petunia bZIPs. Seven candidate bZIP genes for regulating FVBP biosynthesis were selected because of their up-regulated expression level after flower opening according to RNA sequencing data. Based on the qPCR and the subcellular localization analysis, one nuclear-localized member, PhbZIP3 was screened out. PhbZIP3 was mainly expressed in the corolla, and its expression level increased significantly during the anthesis period. Dual luciferase assay revealed that PhbZIP3 could enhance the expression of PhPAL2 and PhBSMT. The findings from the yeast one-hybrid assay further corroborated the interaction between PhbZIP3 and the promoters of PhPAL2 and PhBSMT. Taken together, these results suggest that PhbZIP3 play a pivotal role in the regulatory mechanism of FVBP biosynthesis in petunia.

Visitation of Apis mellifera L. in Runner Bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.) and Its Exposure to Seasonal Agrochemicals in Agroecosystems

Plant species and abiotic factors including season appear to be the most important variables influencing the frequency of visits by honeybees (Apis mellifera L.). In the present study, we evaluated the activity of honeybee workers visiting runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus L.) local cultivar ‘Piękny Jaś’. The runner beans are widely cultivated in south-eastern Poland, and are an important forage plant for honeybees in agroecosystems. We aimed at a comprehensive monitoring of the health of colonies and symptoms in A. mellifera in response to acute exposure to pesticides. The most numerous visits of A. mellifera were observed at the highest flower opening of the runner bean. A very weak positive correlation was observed between the number of honeybees on P. coccineus, the number of visited flowers, the time spent per flower and air temperature. The visitation rates of honeybees were more frequent at mid-day and decreased after 15:00. Signs of poisoning were detected in two out of seven apiaries monitored for acute pesticide exposure symptoms on runner bean plantations. The analysis of dead honeybee samples revealed the acute exposure of honeybees to the imidacloprid (neonicotinoid) and chlorpyrifos (organophosphorus) insecticides, which are highly toxic and banned in the European Union. Hazard quotient (HQ) screening showed an elevated burden of imidacloprid and chlorpyrifos corresponding to 7.1% and 10% of the LDD50, respectively, most likely indicating bee poisoning due to chronic exposure to these substances with contaminated food. Noteworthy was the presence of three fungicides that could pose a risk of poisoning in honeybees.

Sex-dependent phenological responses to climate vary across species' ranges.

Anthropogenic climate change has significantly altered the flowering times (i.e., phenology) of plants worldwide, affecting their reproduction, survival, and interactions. Recent studies utilizing herbarium specimens have uncovered significant intra- and inter-specific variation in flowering phenology and its response to changes in climate but have mostly been limited to animal-pollinated species. Thus, despite their economic and ecological importance, variation in phenological responses to climate remain largely unexplored among and within wind-pollinated dioecious species and across their sexes. Using both herbarium specimens and volunteer observations of cottonwood (Populus) species, we examined how phenological sensitivity to climate varies across species, their ranges, sexes, and phenophases. The timing of flowering varied significantly across and within species, as did their sensitivity to spring temperature. In particular, male flowering generally happened earlier in the season and was more sensitive to warming than female flowering. Further, the onset of flowering was more sensitive to changes in temperature than leaf out. Increased temporal gaps between male and female flowering time and between the first open flower date and leaf out date were predicted for the future under two climate change scenarios. These shifts will impact the efficacy of sexual reproduction and gene flow among species. Our study demonstrates significant inter- and intra-specific variation in phenology and its responses to environmental cues, across species' ranges, phenophases, and sex, in wind-pollinated species. These variations need to be considered to predict accurately the effects of climate change and assess their ecological and evolutionary consequences.

‘Brs rubra cara’: a new citrus cultivar as alternative for ornamentation

The objective of this work was to perform the morphological and physicochemical characterization of ‘BRS Rubra Cara’ cultivar aiming at identifying characters with potential for use in ornamentation. The work was carried out from May to December 2018 in the post-harvest laboratory of the Federal University of Pelotas-RS and in the experimental orchard of “Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura”, Cruz das Almas-BA. The experimental design was completely randomized, using 10 adult leaves, 10 fully open flowers, 10 ripe fruits and 10 adult plants. Thirty-eight morphological characteristics of leaves, flowers, fruits and plants were evaluated, as well as physicochemical pH, acidity and soluble solids evaluations performed in triplicate. The results show great versatility for use of the ‘BRS Rubra Cara’ cultivar in the various niches of the ornamental plants market, with emphasis on its use in landscaping and pots.

Assessment of growth and early maturation traits in various genotypes of muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.)

The success of any breeding programs depends on the parents chosen. Breeders select parents with high mean values as an added benefit for crossing programmes. The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the performance of muskmelon genotypes for growth and earliness attributes. Muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) is one of the most well-known desert vegetables, belong to the Cucurbitaceae family. Thirty-three germplasm lines were collected from different regions of India. The experiment was conducted at Puthur village, Salem district, and evaluated under Randomised Block Design with three replications during February to May 2022. The findings indicate that the genotypes CM 2, CM 16, CM 11, CM 19, CM 7, CM 13 and CM 22 reported as elite genotypes were exhibited higher values for different traits like days to first female flower opening, first female flowering node, number of vines per plant, vine length (cm), sex ratio and days to first fruit harvest. As a result, the above mentioned seven genotypes are used in the hybridization programme, could be exploited to develop elite cultivars with maximum growth and earlier in flowering and harvest.

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of Na+/H+antiporter (NHX) genes in tomato under salt stress.

Plant Na +/H + antiporter (NHX) genes enhance salt tolerance by preventing excessive Na+ accumulation in the cytosol through partitioning of Na+ ions into vacuoles or extracellular transport across the plasma membrane. However, there is limited detailed information regarding the salt stress responsive SlNHXs in the most recent tomato genome. We investigated the role of this gene family's expression patterns in the open flower tissues under salt shock in Solanum lycopersicum using a genome-wide approach. A total of seven putative SlNHX genes located on chromosomes 1, 4, 6, and 10 were identified, but no ortholog of the NHX5 gene was identified in the tomato genome. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these genes are divided into three different groups. SlNHX proteins with 10-12 transmembrane domains were hypothetically localized in vacuoles or cell membranes. Promoter analysis revealed that SlNHX6 and SlNHX8 are involved with the stress-related MeJA hormone in response to salt stress signaling. The structural motif analysis of SlNHX1, -2, -3, -4, and -6 proteins showed that they have highly conserved amiloride binding sites. The protein-protein network revealed that SlNHX7 and SlNHX8 interact physically with Salt Overly Sensitive (SOS) pathway proteins. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the SlNHX2 and SlNHX6 genes were substantially expressed in the open flower tissues. Moreover, quantitative PCR analysis indicated that all SlNHX genes, particularly SlNHX6 and SlNHX8, are significantly upregulated by salt shock in the open flower tissues. Our results provide an updated framework for future genetic research and development of breeding strategies against salt stress in the tomato.

Island area, isolation and climate effects upon flower traits in a megadiverse archipelago

AbstractAimFlower traits are critical to the mutualistic networks that underpin ecosystem function. However, the broad‐scale drivers of flower traits are unclear. Using the megadiverse islands of Malesia, we test three hypotheses: (1) Flower size, openness and colourfulness (i.e. the trend from white to colourful flowers) will decrease with increasing temperature, but not with increasing precipitation seasonality. (2) Flower size, openness and colourfulness will increase with island area, and decrease with isolation. (3) Models parameterised by climate, rather than non‐climatic island characteristics will have the greatest predictive capacity as climate affects both pollinator communities and energetic/physiological constraints upon flower traits.LocationFourteen Malesian islands.TaxonAngiosperms.MethodsWe applied Bayesian phylogenetic models of occurrence for >2500 species in 400 m elevation bands, across islands, as a function of flower trait interactions with either climatic variables or islands characteristics. We compare predictive capacity of models based on climate versus island characteristics using Leave One Out‐Cross Validation.ResultsAll six flower traits examined varied with at least temperature, precipitation seasonality, island area and isolation. Flowers are larger in cold environments. The lowland tropics are mostly inhabited by white flowered species. At cold high elevations, red and pink flowered species are more frequent whereas green and purple flowered species increase in the drought‐prone seasonally dry tropics. Flower openness declined with precipitation seasonality and increased with isolation. Models parameterised by climate performed best for perianth length, red and white flowers, whereas pink flowers and flower openness were better predicted using island characteristics.Main ConclusionsThere are relationships between flower traits and climatic gradients within Malesia. However, island characteristics have also left a legacy upon current flower trait distributions. These island biogeographical impacts are likely key for the eco‐evolutionary drivers of flower traits.

Tomato flower pollination features recognition based on binocular gray value-deformation coupled template matching

It is necessary to recognize the tomato pollination features for the designing demand of intelligent and precise tomato supplementary pollination equipment. Mentioned pollination features include flower opening state and the three-dimensional position and pose of flower anther. Tomato flower pollination features recognition method is designed in this paper based on the deep learning full opened flower recognition model and binocular template matching three-dimensional information recognition method. First of all, a binocular stereo vision system is built to acquire the tomato flower images in greenhouse with natural lighting. Which can help vision system avoid the impact of inconsistent light intensity on image recognition. The acquired images were equalized with three groups parameters to labeled images. And the improved MC-AlexNet deep learning model is established to recognize the full opened tomato flowers in the left image of image pair acquired with binocular vision system. Then, the template is created with the full opened flower recognition result of deep learning model in left image based on gray value and deformation template matching method. And the template matching is established to recognize the corresponding full opened flowers in the right image of image pair. Finally, with the template matching result, the anther segmentation is conducted to calculate three-dimensional position and pose of anther. The experimental results show that the accuracy of full opened tomato flowers recognition model is 96.23%. The average position recognition deviation of anther is 5.94 mm. And the average anther pose recognition deviation in three plane is 6.24° for the images that anthers can be observed. And the average time consuming is about 143.18 ms per image pair. It can be concluded that the method of binocular template matching established in this paper can fulfill the demand of supplementary pollination equipment design, and the research result lays a foundation for designing and improvement of tomato supplementary pollination equipment in greenhouse.

Generic concepts and species diversity within the Gynoxyoid clade (Senecioneae, Compositae).

The Gynoxyoid clade of the Senecioneae (Asteraceae) until now included the five genera Aequatorium, Gynoxys, Nordenstamia, Paracalia and Paragynoxys as diagnosed using selected morphological characters. In their pre-phylogenetic circumscription, the genera Aequatorium and Paragynoxys were considered to inhabit the northern Andes in contrast to Nordenstamia and Paracalia that occur in the central Andes. The most species-rich genus, Gynoxys, was believed to be distributed throughout the Andes. We use a recently established plastid phylogenomic framework that rendered Gynoxys paraphyletic to further evaluate the delimitation of genera in the Gynoxyoid clade. We examine the morphological variation of all members of the Gynoxyoid to identify characters potentially informative at genus level. This results in a matrix of eleven, mostly multistate characters, including those originally used to diagnose these genera. The ancestral character state inference displays a high level of homoplasy, but nevertheless supports the recognition of four genera. Aequatorium is characterised by white radiate capitula. Paracalia and Paragynoxys share white flowers and floral characteristics, such as flower opening and length of disc flowers lobes, as plesiomorphic states, but differ in habit (scandent shrubs vs. trees). Paracalia also retained white flowers, but its two species are characterised by the absence of outer phyllaries. The genera Gynoxys and Nordenstamia comprise species with yellow capitula which appear to be a derived feature in the Gynoxyoids. The genus Nordenstamia, with eight species, is synonymised under Gynoxys since molecular evidence shows its species nested within various parts of the Gynoxys subclade and the morphological variation of Nordenstamia falls well within that of Gynoxys. With the goal to assign all species to four genera (Aequatorium, Gynoxys, Paracalia and Paragynoxys), we assess the states for the eleven characters for all members of the Gynoxyoids and generate new ETS and ITS sequences for 171 specimens belonging to 49 species to further support their generic placement. We provide a taxonomic treatment for the four genera recognised here including amended diagnoses and morphological descriptions. Furthermore, a species-level taxonomic backbone is elaborated for all genera using electronic tools that list 158 currently accepted names and synonyms (209 names in total) with the respective protologue and type information, as well as notes on the current understanding of species limits. Eleven names are newly synonymised, two are lectotypified and eight are newly transferred to other genera.

Bees visiting the broad bean (Vicia faba L.) and the impact of border planting on their abundance and the yield improvement in Ismailia, Egypt

Incorporating flowering plants into cropping systems has the potential to actively enhance pollination and crops yields. This study evaluated whether the introduction of border planting affects bee visitation and yield of a broad bean (Vicia faba L.). Experiments were carried out in 2018 and 2019 in Ismailia, Egypt. Bee visitation and broad bean yields were compared between plots with and without border planting. Results showed that open flowers achieved higher yields than netted flowers. Apis mellifera L. was the dominant visitor, followed by four solitary bee species, Chalicodoma siculum (Rossi), Colletes lacunatus Dours, 1872, Andrena ovatula and Xylocopa pubescens (Kirby, 1802). The addition of border planting was associated with a significant increase in the abundance of all five bee visitors and the associated yields. Findings showed that flowering border plants adjacent to broad bean can actively enhance pollination services and yields of this commercially valuable crop, whilst helping to conserve vulnerable bee populations.

Forcing Temperature Effects on Plant Development for Containerized Blackberry Grown Using Long-Cane Techniques

Dormant containerized blackberry plants grown as long canes are forced into protected environments, such as plastic tunnels or greenhouses, to schedule harvesting for important market weeks. The time needed to produce a crop is mainly a function of temperature. In this study, the objectives were to quantify the effects of temperature on plant development rates for long-cane blackberry and develop simple models predicting the time from forcing dormant plants to first open flowers and ripe fruit as a function of average daily temperature (ADT). The crop time and ADT at the first-flower and -fruit stages were measured for the cultivars ‘Loch Ness’, ‘Osage’, ‘Ponca’, and ‘Prime-Ark® 45′ grown as long canes during a greenhouse and high-tunnel experiment, and the days to flowering and fruiting were converted to rates by calculating the reciprocal. Nonlinear models relating flowering and fruiting rates to ADT were developed for each cultivar using a combination of the experimental data and base (6 °C), optimum (25 °C), and maximum (35 °C) temperature parameters derived from a previous blackberry heat unit study. Model accuracy was evaluated by comparing the predicted to observed times to first flower and fruit per cultivar. Average daily temperature was shown to have a main influence on crop timing, as shown by a strongly positive and near 1:1 relationship between predicted and observed days to flowering/fruiting. However, there was significant variability depending on the cultivar and model accuracy within ±7 days, ranging from 50% (‘Prime-Ark® 45) to 90% (‘Loch Ness’) for the flower models and from 60% (‘Prime-Ark® 45) to 100% (‘Loch Ness’) for the fruit models. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to characterize the relationship between temperature and crop timing for soilless long-cane blackberry, and it provides a framework for modeling temperature effects on crop timing for these systems. The authors discuss further methods to improve model accuracy and precision for commercial use. These models can also be used for general training purposes to help educate growers on how temperature influences crop scheduling during long-cane blackberry production.

Silicon spray affect floricultural traits and leaf elemental nutrient concentrations of Rose ‘Beverly Watson’

Silicon (Si) is looked upon as a non-essential nutrient whose positive effects have been proved on most plant species. This study explored the impact of various types and rates of Si on some plant traits of rose (Rosa hybrida) ‘Beverly Watson’ in a factorial experiment based on a Randomized Complete Design with two treatments and three replications. Three Si sources (calcium silicate, potassium silicate, and sodium silicate) were used as foliar application in five rates (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg L−1) during 10 wks. It was found that Si treatment improved flowering stem length and diameter, petal thickness, flower fresh and dry weight, and days to flower senescence, but it reduced days to full flower opening. Likewise, foliar application of Si increased leaf N, P, K, Ca, and Si content. Si at lower rates improved leaf Cu, Mn, and Fe content, but it reduced them at higher rates.

Investigating Variability in Viral Presence and Abundance across Soybean Seed Development Stages Using Transcriptome Analysis.

Plant transcriptomes offer a valuable resource for studying viral communities (viromes). In this study, we explore how plant transcriptome data can be applied to virome research. We analyzed 40 soybean transcriptomes across different growth stages and identified six viruses: broad bean wilt virus 2 (BBWV2), brassica yellow virus (BrYV), beet western yellow virus (BWYV), cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), milk vetch dwarf virus (MDV), and soybean mosaic virus (SMV). SMV was the predominant virus in both Glycine max (GM) and Glycine soja (GS) cultivars. Our analysis confirmed its abundance in both, while BBWV2 and CMV were more prevalent in GS than GM. The viral proportions varied across developmental stages, peaking in open flowers. Comparing viral abundance measured by viral reads and fragments per kilobase of transcript per million (FPKM) values revealed insights. SMV showed similar FPKM values in GM and GS, but BBWV2 and CMV displayed higher FPKM proportions in GS. Notably, the differences in viral abundance between GM and GS were generally insignificant based on the FPKM values across developmental stages, except for the apical bud stage in four GM cultivars. We also detected MDV, a multi-segmented virus, in two GM samples, with variable proportions of its segments. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the potential of plant transcriptomes for virome research, highlighting their strengths and limitations.

Standardization of Post-Harvest Management Techniques for Ixora (Ixora spp.)

The objective of this experiment was to optimize the post-harvest handling techniques for four Ixora genotypes grown for loose flower purpose. The experiment was laid out in Factorial Completely Randomised Design (FCRD) with four genotypes namely viz., Red (Ixora casei-G1), Pink (I. chinensis-G2), Orange (I. coccinea-G3) and Yellow (I. chinensis-G4) and six post-harvest treatments replicated three times. Observations were made on the floral quality criteria as well as the physiological characters linked with flower post-harvest quality. The results revealed that among the genotypes, Red (I. casei-G1) proved superior with respect to quality parameters and physiological parameters followed by Pink (I. chinensis-G2). Among the post-harvest treatments, treating flower buds with 4% boric acid and storage under refrigeration @ 50C recorded superior results for all the quality parameters viz., freshness index, flower opening index, colour retention and shelf life and the physiological parameters viz., moisture content, relative water content and physiological loss in weight.

Nutrient Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Cercis chinensis Flower in Response to Different Development Stages

Cercis chinensis Bunge (C. chinensis), well known as an ornamental plant widely distributed in China, and its flowers, bark, fruit, etc., have multiple bioactivities. However, reports on the changes in mineral elements, nutrient composition and antioxidant activity in C. chinensis flower at different development stages are rare. In this study, the flower samples were collected every 20 days from March 2023 to May 2023. The changes in carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), soluble protein (SP), amino acid (AA), non-structural carbohydrate (NSC), total phenol (TP) and total flavonoids (TF) content as well as antioxidant activity in C. chinensis flower at different development stages were investigated. The results suggested that C, N, and P content, the C:N:P stoichiometric ratio, NSC contents, SP, AA, TP, TF and antioxidant activity of flower showed large variations at three development stages. This study found that C and P contents showed a significant decrease with the development and opening of flowers, while N content showed an opposite trend. The soluble protein content first decreased and then increased. The amino acid content, total polyphenol content, and total flavonoid content all showed a significant downward trend, while the content of NSC increased. Both ABTS and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) showed significant decreases at various developmental stages, but DPPH was completely opposite. The highest NSC content and DPPH activity were observed at stage III, but the highest AA, TP, TF, as well ABTS and FRAP activity wereobserved at stage I. These findings will improve understanding of the requirements and dynamic balance among C, N, and P, NSC and nutrient contents as well as antioxidant activity of C. chinensis flowers in response to development stages.

A Comprehensive Quality Analysis of Different Colors of Medicinal and Edible Honeysuckle.

Honeysuckle (the dried flower bud or opening flower of Lonicera japonica Thunb.), a medicinal and edible substance, has is greatly popular among consumers for its remarkable health effects, such as antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, due to the influences of processing methods, storage conditions, and other factors, honeysuckles show different colors which can directly reflect the quality and the price on the market. In order to comprehensively compare the quality of different colors, 55 batches of honeysuckle samples were collected and analyzed. Their color parameters, chlorophyll content (chl), total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant activity (AA), main active compounds, and metabolites were measured. As a result, the initial green-white (GW) samples, a kind of highest-quality honeysuckle, had the smallest a* value, largest h*, chl, TPC, TFC, and AA values, and highest content of chlorogenic acid and cynaroside. There was a significant difference between GW samples and a series of discolored samples. As the color darkened or lightened, the quality gradually decreased. The yellow-brown (YB) samples were of the worst quality and were no longer available for clinical and health purposes. A series of differential metabolites, such as quercetin-7-O-glucoside and secologanoside, could be used as important references to evaluate the quality of differently colored samples. The metabolic profile of honeysuckle provided new insights into the process of color change and laid a foundation for further honeysuckle quality control. The correlation results showed that the a* and h* values significantly affect the abovementioned quality indicators and the 10 main active compounds. In other words, the color difference could directly reflect the quality and clinical efficacy. Multiple regression analysis was carried out using combined L*, a*, and b* values to predict the quality of honeysuckle. This is the first time the quality of different color honeysuckle samples on the post-harvest link has been systematically compared and a demonstration of medicinal and edible substances with different colors has been provided.

Diversity and foraging behavior assessment of watermelon pollinators in Tizi-Ouzou area (Algeria)

Foraging insects of watermelon, Citrullus lanatus (Cucurbitaceae), were studied during flowering periods in 2016 and 2017 in Tizi-Ouzou area (Algeria). Our observations showed that a majority of watermelon visitors were apoid Hymenoptera belonging to three families. Eleven species were identified including six Apidae, four Halictidae and one Megachilidae. Apis mellifera was the most abundant species on watermelon flowers followed by Lasioglossum pauxillum and Ceratina saundersi. The daily activity study of these species demonstrated varying patterns of daily distribution. During two flowering periods, the greatest bee activity occurred in the morning recording peak visits between 8 am and 9 am and was synchronized with the maximum flowers opening. The behavioral study of these species did not reveal the pollen collection but all the visits were devoted to nectar collection. Regarding pollinating efficiency of these three species, results showed that honey bee was the fastest recording a foraging speed of 9.9 ± 1.25 flowers/min and the three species spent significantly more time on female flowers than male flowers. This work highlighted the mutual relationship between watermelons and bees. Firstly, this plant provides the nutritional needs of these insects during the drought period and secondly, the bees guarantee Cucurbitaceae pollination.

Effect of Seaweed Extract Application Rate and Method on Growth, Flowering and Yield of Pansy (Viola x wittrockiana)

Pansies, part of the Viola genus, are vibrant flowers with velvety petals and a distinct center blotch. They are popular as ornamental plants due to their colorful appearance. Seaweed extract, derived from various types of seaweed or marine algae, is utilized in agriculture, gardening, and skincare. Seaweed is nutrient-rich, containing essential macro and micronutrients, making seaweed extract a valuable natural fertilizer to enhance plant growth and health. Therefore, present investigation was carried during the Winter-2022-23 with a view to determine the effect of seaweed extract application on pansy variety Majestic Giant Mix for its growth, flowering, yield. The study was examined using completely randomized block design. From the present investigation, it is concluded that treatment T4 i.e., application of Sea weed extract @ 4ml/l as drench application found superior in terms of plant height (16.00 cm), plant spread (17.56), number of branches per plant (28.81), days taken for first flower opening (30.00), days taken for 50% flowering (58.33), stalk length (8.60 cm), flower diameter (7.83) number of leaves (43.33), number of flowers per plant (38.88) and seed yield per plant (3.00g).