Healthy Plants Research Articles

Plant-microbe interactions influence plant performance via boosting beneficial root-endophytic bacteria.

Salvia miltiorrhiza is a highly valuable medicinal plant and its cultivation is constrained by limited suitable land. Long-term continuous cropping practices alleviate limitations in planting area as well as causes the decline in plant yield and quality. Endophytic microorganisms colonize inside plant roots and are known to play important roles in improving the performance of model plants (such as Arabidopsis thaliana) and food crops (such as wheat, soybean, rice and maize). However, the understanding of how medicinal plants with different growth status (i.e., healthy and disease) shape the assembly of root-endophytic microorganisms and the functional importance of these microorganisms in improving plant performance remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the assembly of root-endophytic microorganisms in medicinal plants with different growth status and its links with plant performance improvement. We found that medicinal plants with different growth status had distinct root-endophytic bacterial communities. Healthy plant roots recruited some potentially beneficial bacteria partners, particularly Pseudomonas into the endosphere. We further investigated the functional importance of these potentially beneficial bacteria on plant performance in subsequent greenhouse and field experiments. We found that root-endophytic Pseudomonas effectively increased medicinal plant seedling growth, crop yield, and the content of effective medicinal components. Taken together, we demonstrate that healthy medicinal plants can form a distinct root-endophytic bacterial community, leading to an increase in plant growth-promoting endophytic bacteria (PGPEB) that contribute to the improvement of crop growth and quality. Our research provides valuable insights into the significant role of PGPEB in enhancing crop growth and improving medicinal plants quality for human health development in the future.

Deciphering the Distinct Associations of Rhizospheric and Endospheric Microbiomes with Capsicum Plant Pathological Status

Exploring endospheric and rhizospheric microbiomes and their associations can help us to understand the pathological status of capsicum (Capsicum annuum L.) for implementing appropriate management strategies. To elucidate the differences among plants with distinct pathological status in the communities and functions of the endospheric and rhizospheric microbiomes, the samples of healthy and diseased capsicum plants, along with their rhizosphere soils, were collected from a long-term cultivation field. The results indicated a higher bacterial richness in the healthy rhizosphere than in the diseased rhizosphere (P < 0.05), with rhizospheric bacterial diversity surpassing endospheric bacterial diversity. The community assemblies of both the endospheric and rhizospheric microbiomes were driven by a combination of stochastic and deterministic processes, with the stochastic processes playing a primary role. The majority of co-enriched taxa in the healthy endophyte and rhizosphere mainly belonged to bacterial Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes, as well as fungal Ascomycota. Most of the bacterial indicators, primarily Alphaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria, were enriched in the healthy rhizosphere, but not in the diseased rhizosphere. In addition, most of the fungal indicators were enriched in both the healthy and diseased endosphere. The diseased endophyte constituted a less complex and stable microbial community than the healthy endophyte, and meanwhile, the diseased rhizosphere exhibited a higher complexity but lower stability than the healthy rhizosphere. Notably, only a microbial function, namely biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites, was higher in the healthy endophytes than in the diseased endophyte. These findings indicated the distinct responses of rhizospheric and endospheric microbiomes to capsicum pathological status, and in particular, provided a new insight into leveraging soil and plant microbial resources to enhance agriculture production.

Digital framework for georeferenced multiplatform surveillance of banana wilt using human in the loop AI and YOLO foundation models

Bananas (Musa spp.) are a critical global food crop, providing a primary source of nutrition for millions of people. Traditional methods for disease monitoring and detection are often time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to inaccuracies. This study introduces an AI-powered multiplatform georeferenced surveillance system designed to enhance the detection and management of banana wilt diseases. We developed and evaluated several deep learning foundation models, including YOLO-NAS, YOLOv8, YOLOv9, and Faster-RCNN to perform accurate disease detection on both platforms. Our results demonstrate the superior performance of YOLOv9 in detecting healthy, Fusarium Wilt and Xanthomonas Wilt diseased plants in aerial images, achieving high mAP@50, precision and recall metrics ranging from 55 to 86%. In terms of ground level images, we organized the dataset based on disease occurrence in Africa, Latin America, India, Asia and Australia. For this platform, YOLOv8 outperforms the rest and achieves mAP@50, precision and recall between 65 and 99% depending on the plant part and region. Additionally, we incorporated Explainable AI techniques, such as Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping, to enhance model transparency and trustworthiness. Human in the Loop Artificial Intelligence was also utilized to enhance the ground level model’s predictions.

Powdery Mildew of Echinacea purpurea Caused by Podosphaera xanthii in China.

Echinacea purpurea (Eastern Purple Coneflower) is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Asteraceae. It originated from North America and is cultivated all over the world. Extracts of E. purpurea are widely used for the treatments of colds and sore throats (Jiao et al. 2020). In October 2024, powdery mildew-like signs and symptoms were observed on leaves of E. purpurea plants (n=100) cultivated in a garden (20 m2) in Xinxiang city, Henan Province, China (35.32° N, 113.92° E). A specimen (PX-ZM20241024) was stored in Xinxiang Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology. The infected leaves were covered with white and thin masses and showed senescence symptoms. More than 80% of plants (n=100) exhibited these signs and symptoms. White colonies were on both sides surfaces of the leaves, covering about 80% of the leaf area. The slightly curved or straight Conidia chain (n = 50) were 70 to 156 × 8 to 12 μm in size and consisted of foot cells, shorter cells, and conidia. Foot cells were straight, 30 to 60 μm long. Conidia were ellipsoid to oval, 20 to 35 × 12 to 17 μm (n = 50), with a length/width ratio of 1.8 to 2.2, containing fibrosin bodies. These morphological characteristics were similar to Podosphaera xanthii (Braun and Cook 2012). Following a previously reported method (Zhu et al. 2022), the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) regions of a selected specimen of the fungus were amplified and sequenced with primers ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990) and GAPDH1/GAPDH3R (Bradshaw et al. 2022). The resulting sequences were deposited in GenBank (Accession No. PQ508348 and PQ734986). BLASTn analysis indicated that the ITS and GAPDH sequences had 99.82 % (564/565 bp) and 100% (238/238 bp) identity with reported P. xanthii (MW300956 and ON075660) on Xanthium strumarium and Cucurbita moschata, respectively (Zhu et al. 2024; Bradshaw et al. 2022). By phylogenetic analysis, the isolated fungus clustered with previously reported P. xanthii (Zhu et al. 2024; Bradshaw et al. 2022). Therefore, the morphology and phylogenetic analysis indicated that the pathogen was P. xanthii. To complete Koch's postulates, mature leaves of three healthy E. purpurea (30 cm high) were inoculated with fungal conidia by gently pressing surfaces of infested leaves onto leaves of healthy plants. Three untreated plants served as controls. Both the control and inoculated plants were separately placed in greenhouses (humidity, 60%; light/dark, 16 h/8 h; temperature, 18°C). 10 to 12 days post inoculation, the leaves of the inoculated plants exhibited signs of powdery mildew, whereas the control group remained unaffected. The experiments were repeated three times and the same results were obtained. Therefore, the pathogenicity of this fungal pathogen was confirmed. Previously, P. xanthii was reported on E. purpurea in Korea (Choi et al. 2020). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of P. xanthii on E. purpurea in China. The sudden presence of powdery mildew caused by P. xanthii may adversely affect plant health and thus reduce the medicinal value of E. purpurea. Therefore, the identification and confirmation of P. xanthii infecting E. purpurea enhances our comprehension of hosts of this pathogen and provides fundamental information for forthcoming disease control studies.

ВЛИЯНИЕ СОСТАВА ПИТАТЕЛЬНОЙ СРЕДЫ НА КОРНЕОБРАЗОВАНИЕ ГОЛУБИКИ ТОПЯНОЙ (VACCINIUM ULIGINOSUM L.) СЕВЕРНОРОССИЙСКОГО ПРОИСХОЖДЕНИЯ В КУЛЬТУРЕ IN VITRO

The results of studies on clonal micropropagation of blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum L.) at the stage of rooting of microshoots in vitro are presented. V. uliginosum is an economically valuable forest berry species in food and medicinal terms, which can be successfully used for cultivation in areas of former peat mining. To quickly obtain a large amount of healthy planting material, it is advisable to use the method of clonal micropropagation. It is necessary to improve the technology for growing V. Uliginosum in in vitro culture for forms of Northern Russian origin. The objects of study are plants of V. uliginosum forms Arkhangelsk and Vologda. At the stage of rooting of microshoots in vitro, the highest values of the number of roots (5.2–5.4 pcs.) of V. uliginosum plants were noted on the Woody Plant Medium culture medium. The maximum total length of roots of V. uliginosum of the Arkhangelskaya form (on average 10.6 cm) in in vitro culture was detected on the Woody Plant Medium culture medium, the Vologodskaya form (9.3–9.9 cm) – on the Woody Plant Medium and Woody Plant Medium 1/2 media. An increase in the content of indolylacetic acid in the culture medium from 1.0 to 2.0 mg/l contributed to an increase in the number of roots (1.2–1.4 times) and a decrease in the average root length (1.3 times) of V. uliginosum plants of northern Russia origin in in vitro culture, while the total length of roots did not differ significantly depending on the form and concentration of auxin.

Utilizing Convolutional Neural Networks for Accurate Detection of Leaf Diseases in Fava Beans

Background: Worldwide, people appreciate the variety of faba beans, also referred to as broad beans. They have many health advantages and are rich in protein and other vital nutrients. One can enhance the immune system, help manage your weight and improve your general well-being by including fava beans in your diet. This crop has been grown in several countries, including northern Europe, the Mediterranean region, central Asia, East Asia and Latin America, in addition to China, Ethiopia and Egypt. It is also grown in India as a minor crop. Many diseases, such as fusarium wilt, ascochyta blight, chocolate spot, bean rust, alternaria leaf blight, powdery mildew and root rot, can affect the production of faba beans and create a global threat. Methods: In this paper, A Sequential Convolutional Neural Network is trained for the detection of diseases present in the leaves of faba bean. Jupiter notebook with Anaconda environment is used for extraction and classification of healthy and diseased plant leaves. The dataset is collected with the help of agriculture experts. Before training and testing, the dataset is preprocessed to enhance the performance of the model. Result: The outcomes achieved after training and testing of datasets show remarkable performance matrices. The overall accuracy of the model is 98.92%. The confusion matrix, precision, recall and F1-score show the effectiveness of the proposed model. This work can be utilized as a reference for the enhancement of faba bean production.

Talaromyces purpureogenus CEF642N as a Promising Biocontrol Agent for Cotton Disease Control.

Endophytic fungi live in healthy plant tissues and organs and are a major source of natural bioactive compounds. In this study, we found that an endophytic fungus, Talaromyces purpureogenus CEF642N, isolated from the healthy cotton roots, suppressed Verticillium dahliae by up to 53% after 15 days in a confrontation culture. Genome sequencing of CEF642N and mass spectrometry study of its metabolites were used to identify its primary antagonists. To further elucidate the antagonistic mechanism, transcriptome analysis and ultrastructure observation of the pathogen were performed. The antagonists were shown to act on the mitochondria and cell membranes of the pathogen. In addition, CEF642N also had mycoparasitic effects on V. dahliae. These results suggest that CEF642N has the potential to be an important biocontrol agent for efficiently managing Verticillium wilt, a severe disease affecting cotton.

Citrus Yellow Vein Clearing Virus Infection in Lemon Influences Host Preference of the Citrus Whitefly by Affecting the Host Metabolite Composition.

Plant viruses have been known to alter host metabolites that influence the attraction of insect vectors. Our study investigated whether Citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVCV) infection influences vector attractiveness, focusing on the citrus whitefly, Dialeurodes citri (Ashmead). Free choice assays showed that citrus whiteflies exhibited a preference for settling on CYVCV-infected lemon plants versus healthy control plants. Using chromatography techniques, we found that the levels of sugars were similar in leaves and stems of both plant groups, while the contents of several amino acids in leaf or stem samples and non-volatile phenolic compounds in the leaf samples of CYVCV-infected and healthy plants differ drastically. In addition, volatile terpenes/terpenoids decreased significantly in virus-infected plants compared to healthy controls. Several of the identified volatile compounds such as α-phellandrene, α-terpinolene, p-cymene, linalool, and citral are known for their whitefly repellent properties. Further Y-tube olfactometer bioassays revealed that emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from infected plants attracted more citrus whiteflies, but not alate spirea aphids, Aphis spiraecola Patch, than those from healthy plants, suggesting that the VOCs released from CYVCV-infected lemon plants may specifically affect citrus whiteflies. Therefore, we suggest that, in addition to the visual cue of yellow vein symptoms, the preference of citrus whiteflies that settled on CYVCV-infected lemon plants was attributed to a reduction in the levels of repellent volatile compounds.

Enhancing energy autonomy of greenhouses with semi-transparent photovoltaic systems through a comparative study of battery storage systems

Effective energy management is crucial in greenhouse farming to ensure efficient operations and optimal crop growth. This study investigates the energy autonomy—defined as the ratio of on-site energy generation to the total energy demand—of greenhouses equipped with semi-transparent photovoltaic (STPV) systems under two scenarios: with and without a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). STPV systems are beneficial because they generate energy while still allowing enough light to pass through for healthy plant development. Seasonal variations in energy autonomy during summer and winter were analyzed. Results show that incorporating BESS significantly reduces reliance on grid electricity, with energy autonomy improving from 43.43% to 24.17% in summer and 81.36% to 69.45% in winter. The system’s performance was highly sensitive to the transmittance rate of STPV panels and the minimum Daily Light Integral (DLI) required for crops. These findings highlight the potential of BESS to enhance energy independence and promote sustainable agricultural practices. The study provides insights into optimizing renewable energy systems in greenhouses, emphasizing practical implications for scalability and economic feasibility.

Assessment of the interaction of copper and zinc with cadmium to reduce its toxicity in heavy metal-contaminated river basin soils

Copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) serve a dual purpose by providing essential nutrients to plants and reducing cadmium (Cd) toxicity in the soil–plant system. Using Cu and Zn to alleviate Cd toxicity could be an effective and low-cost method for rehabilitating contaminated soils. Two laboratory incubation experiments were conducted to study the interaction mechanisms between Cd and Cu, and Cd and Zn at different application levels in metal-contaminated Typic Haplaquept soil. In the first experiment, 2 g of soil were placed in wide-mouthed test tubes in duplicate, with four levels of Cd (0, 1, 2, and 5 mg kg−1) and four levels of Cu (0, 5, 10, and 20 mg kg−1) added simultaneously. The second experiment used the same levels of Cd with four levels of Zn (0, 5, 10, and 20 mg kg−1). The samples were kept at 50% field water holding capacity and incubated for 0, 7, 15, 30, and 60 days at room temperature (26 ± 1 °C). The study results showed that increasing doses of Cu or Zn significantly and consistently reduced the extractable Cd and increased the soil Cu or Zn content. Over time, a significant reduction in extractable Cd and Zn and an increase in Cu in the soil were observed. Cd concentrations exhibited a gradual decline of 71.8%, 70.2%, 69.8%, and 73.5% at Cu levels of 0, 5, 10, and 20 mg kg⁻1, and 69.2%, 69.6%, 68.0%, and 70.1% at Zn levels of 0, 5, 10, and 20 mg kg⁻1, respectively, averaging a 71.3% and 69.2% reduction over an incubation period from 0 to 60 days. The interactions of Cd with Cu, Cd with Zn, Cu with days, Zn with days, and Cd with days significantly decreased Cd and Zn and increased Cu contents in the soil. The interactions between Cd and Cu, and Cd and Zn in the soil were antagonistic, demonstrating that applying Cu and Zn to the soil effectively counteracted Cd toxicity, supporting healthy plant growth in Cd-contaminated soil. It can be useful in reducing heavy metal pollution in the soils providing a sustainable and economical approach with ramifications for the environment. Using antagonistic interaction of Cd with essential micronutrients such as Cu and Zn, it contributed to soil restoration, diminished bioavailability of toxic metals and further raised the potential for safer agricultural practices in contaminated locations.

Impact of the Healthy Lifestyle Community Program (HLCP-3) on Trimethylamine N-Oxide (TMAO) and Risk Profile Parameters Related to Lifestyle Diseases During the Six Months Following an Intervention Study.

The dietary components choline, betaine, and L-carnitine are converted by intestinal microbiota into the molecule trimethylamine (TMA). In the human liver, hepatic flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 oxidizes TMA to trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). TMAO is considered a candidate marker for the risk of cardiovascular disease. The Healthy Lifestyle Community Program cohort 3 (HLCP-3) intervention was conducted with participants recruited from the general population in Germany (intervention: n = 99; control: n = 48). The intervention included intensive educational workshops, seminars, and coaching activities. The assessment was conducted using a complete case analysis (CCA) of the participants. The intervention was carried out for a ten-week intensive phase and an alumni phase. The interventional program emphasizes adopting a healthy plant-based diet and reducing meat consumption, as adherence to such a diet may lead to lowering TMAO levels. Additionally, it provides general recommendations about physical activity, stress management, and community support. The control group did not receive any intervention. TMAO was evaluated using stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography, and tandem mass spectrometry was used to measure fasting plasma levels of TMAO. The present study aimed to determine the impact of the Healthy Lifestyle Community Program (HLCP-3) on risk profiles for lifestyle-related diseases and TMAO plasma levels. Significant decreases in most risk profile parameters were detected, and a non-significant decrease in plasma TMAO levels was observed in the intervention group (0.37 (-1.33; 0.59) µmol/L). Furthermore, for the intervention group, after a six-month follow-up period, there was a significant negative correlation between higher healthy plant diet index (hPDI) scores and a decrease in plasma TMAO (ß = -0.200, p = 0.027). Additionally, a significant negative correlation was observed between the TMAO level and the scores for adherence to the plant diet index (PDI) (r = -0.195; p = 0.023). HLCP-3 is effective at improving adherence to a plant-based diet and improving risk profile parameters. However, long-term interventions involving stricter dietary programs in the sense of a plant-based diet are recommended if significant decreases in TMAO levels are to be obtained.

Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Potential of Endophytic Aspergillus versicolor Isolate from the Medicinal Plant Plectranthus amboinicus.

Endophytic fungi are non-pathogenic organisms that colonise healthy plant tissues asymptomatically. Endophytes derived from medicinal plants are sources for identifying natural products and bioactive compounds with potential uses for industry, medicine, agriculture, and related sectors. In the present study, ethyl acetate crude extracts of four endophytic fungal isolates (CALF1, CALF4, and CASF1) from the medicinal plant Plectranthus amboinicus showed potent antimicrobial activity against the test pathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus subtilis using disc diffusion assays. A colorimetric microdilution assay to detect the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) revealed that the extracellular extract (ECE) of CASF1 isolate had the lowest MIC values against the test pathogenic bacteria (0.19-6.25 mg/ml) compared to other CALF1 and CALF4.Cytotoxic activity of CASF1-ECE against the drug-resistant KB.CHR.8-5 cancer cell line tested by the MTT assay showed complete cell death at a concentration of 220 μg/mL and the half-maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50) was determined to be 77.9 ± 09 μg/mL.GC-MS analysis showed hexadecanoic acid, 2-hydroxy-1-(hydroxymethyl) ethyl ester, as the dominant compound among the bioactive compounds identified in the EXE of CASF1 isolate, with the highest peak in the GC chromatogram, indicating its role in the antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of CASF1. Molecular identification of CASF1 using 18S rRNA sequencing and BLAST analysis detected CASF1 as an isolate of Aspergillus versicolor with 100% sequence identity.

Long-Term Intercropping With Nitrogen Management to Improve Soil Quality and Control Crop Diseases.

Long-term positioning experiments have demonstrated significant benefits in agricultural production and environmental protection. Faba bean-wheat intercropping with nitrogen fertiliser can effectively mitigate the occurrence of faba bean wilt disease. Identifying the optimal nitrogen application rate is essential for enhancing the disease control efficacy of intercropping. This study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of varying nitrogen application levels on the physical, chemical, and biological changes in the rhizosphere soil of faba bean under intercropping conditions and to examine their relationship with the incidence of faba bean wilt disease. In a 9-year field experiment, two treatments of faba bean-wheat intercropping for 1 year (IF-1) and 9 years (IF-9) were established to investigate the incidence of faba bean wilt under four nitrogen levels (N0: 0 kg ha-1; N1: 45 kg ha-1; N2: 90 kg ha-1; N3: 135 kg ha-1). Rhizosphere soil from faba bean plants was collected to assess the corresponding physical, chemical, and biological indicators. Long-term intercropping promoted the growth of faba bean plants and effectively controlled faba bean wilt disease by improving soil structure and fertility and soil quality (SQI). Under different nitrogen application levels, certain soil physical properties (moisture content, macroaggregate proportion, MWD, and GMD) and chemical properties (SOM, total carbon, SOC, total nutrients, and available nutrients) peaked under N2 (90 kg ha-1), with SQI showing a similar trend. Additionally, long-term intercropping enhanced enzyme activity in the faba bean rhizosphere, reshaped microbial community composition, maximised the benefits of beneficial microbes, reduced the abundance of the pathogenic fungus Fusarium, and achieved optimal disease control under N2. Under long-term intercropping with nitrogen fertiliser application at N2 (90 kg ha-1), the physical structure of the faba bean rhizosphere soil was significantly improved, soil quality and fertility were enhanced, and the abundance of plant pathogens was reduced by modifying the microbial community composition. This effectively alleviated faba bean disease, promoted healthy plant growth, and maintained soil function.

Citrus transcription factor CsERF1 is involved in the response to citrus tristeza disease.

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) is a threat to the citrus production and causes severe economic losses to the citrus industry. Ethylene response factors (ERFs) play important roles in plant growth and stress responses. Although ERF genes have been widely studied in model plants, little is known about their role in biological stress responses in fruit trees, such as citrus. CsERF1 belongs to the citrus AP2/ERF transcription factor family. To determine the role of CsERF1 on CTV resistance in citrus and the effects of the exongenous hormone application on CsERF1 in citrus, the expression of related genes was quantitatively analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in this study. The expression profile showed that the expression level of CsERF1 in roots was significantly lower under CTV infection than in healthy plants, while the expression level in stems was significantly increased. CsERF1 responded to exogenous salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatments. The CTV titer in RNAi-CsERF1 transgenic sweet orange plants significantly increased. Furthermore, CsERF1-overexpressing and RNAi-CsERF1 transgenic sweet orange plants exhibited differential expression of genes involved in jasmonic acid (JA) and SA signaling. These results suggest that CsERF1 mediates CTV resistance by regulating the JA and SA signaling pathways. The results of this study provide new clues as to the citrus defence response against CTV. It is of great significance to create citrus germplasm resources resistant to recession disease.

The Future of Plant Health: Deep Learning Solutions

Plant diseases must be identified early to prevent crop losses, and agriculture is essential to maintaining food security. With the use of a deep learning model based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). This research aims to automate the process of detecting plant leaf diseases. To distinguish between healthy and unhealthy plant leaves, the suggested system makes use of image processing techniques. To increase the model's capacity for generalization, data augmentation methods including zooming, rescaling, and horizontal flipping are used. Using categorical cross-entropy as the loss function and Adam optimizer, the CNN model is trained on a dataset of plant leaf images. Findings show that the model performs well in situations involving the real-time detection of diseases, with high accuracy observed in both training and validation datasets.

Smart irrigation system for leafy vegetable crops

In India, agriculture plays a critical role, employing a massive 65 per cent of the workforce and contributing significantly (26%) to the gross domestic product (GDP). However, water scarcity poses a major challenge. To address this, an intelligent irrigation system was developed to optimize water usage and prevent overwatering. This system calculates the Soil Moisture Content (SMC) and delivers watering based on each plant’s specific needs. For the research purpose, three commonly grown leafy vegetables were chosen: fenugreek, spinach, and dill. All three are popular and healthy, widely cultivated across India. This selection offers a range of water requirements. Fenugreek, an important crop in arid regions like Rajasthan and Maharashtra, has moderate to high water needs. Spinach, a global vegetable rich in nutrients, also requires moderate watering, but suffers greatly under drought stress, a major challenge for its growth. Leafy greens, like spinach, are particularly susceptible to water stress, making precise irrigation crucial. Dill, another economical crop, likely has its own specific watering needs, further contributing to the comprehensiveness of the system’s evaluation. By studying these plants with varying water demands and drought tolerance, valuable insights were gained into how the system could benefit a diverse range of crops in different water situations. The results were promising, demonstrating the system’s ability to effectively monitor water needs and promote healthy plant growth. This innovation offers a sustainable solution for Indian agriculture, ensuring efficient water use while maximizing crop yield.

Toxicity of standing milkvetch infected with Alternaria gansuense in white mice.

Standing milkvetch (Astragalus adsurgens) is widely distributed in the wild in Eurasia and North America and has been bred for cultivated forage in China. Yellow stunt and root rot disease caused by Alternaria gansuense is the primary disease of standing milkvetch. A. gansuense promotes the production of swainsonine in the plant. This study aimed to determine the safety of standing milkvetch that is infected with A. gansuense as forage for animals. Two-week-old specific pathogen-free (SPF) male white mice were fed a commercial mouse feed (CMF), healthy plant feed (HPF) and diseased plant feed (DPF) for 3 or 6 weeks. We observed histological changes in the liver and kidney tissues of the mice and measured their daily feed intake, daily water intake, body weight, feed utilization, organ coefficients, and activities of serum enzymes. The results showed that the daily feed intake of the mice that were fed DPF and HPF was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those fed CMF at 3 and 6 weeks. The highest increase was observed in the daily water intake of the mice fed HPF (p < 0.05) followed by DPF and CMF. However, the mice fed DPF gained the least weight (p < 0.05). There was a significantly higher percentage of liver weight to body weight of the mice fed DPF (p < 0.05) than those fed HPF for 3 weeks and those fed CMF for 3 and 6 weeks. There were significantly higher levels of concentrations of alanine aminotransferase in the mice fed DPF and HPF than those fed CMF for 3 weeks (p < 0.05) and 6 weeks (p < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in the mice fed HPF than those fed DPF. There were significantly higher of lactate dehydrogenase concentration (p < 0.001), while the blood urea nitrogen was lower in the mice fed DPF than those fed HPF and CMF at 3 weeks. There was a significantly higher percentage of numbers of lymphocytes in the blood of the mice fed DPF (p < 0.05) than those fed HPF, but the percentages of monocytes and eosinophils were significantly lower. Comparatively, there were more apparent pathological changes in the liver and kidney tissues of the mice fed with DPF than in those fed with HPF. These findings indicate that standing milkvetch was toxic to white mice, and infection with A. gansuense increased its toxicity. Therefore, we conclude that standing milkvetch plants infected by A. gansuense must never be used as animal feed under any circumstances. Additionally, the amount of healthy standing milkvetch fed to animals should be appropriate, avoiding long-term or excessive feeding.

An Intelligent Model to combat Soybean Plant Disease based on Random Forest and Support Vector Machine Algorithms

Given that plant disease is the primary factor contributing to damage in most plants, decision makers in the agriculture industry are highly interested in enhancing prediction strategies to detect illness in plants at an early stage. This is crucial for ensuring timely and effective plant care. Classifying healthy soybean plants is a dependable and efficient use of noninvasive techniques like machine learning (ML). In this work, we used ML to enhance a smart forecasting model for the prediction of soybean diseases. We utilized two feature selection techniques, namely gain ratio and correlation, two supervised ML algorithms (support vector machine and Random forest) and the cross-validation technique was used for assessing the proposed system, such as accuracy, F-measure, specificity, executing time, and sensitivity. The suggested technique can readily differentiate between soybean plants that are infected and those that are healthy. The suggested approach has undergone testing using a comprehensive collection of soybean characteristics, as well as a subset of attributes. The findings show that performance metrics are impacted when soybean traits are reduced.

A novel single-phase white light emission phosphor for healthy lighting, anti-counterfeiting, and plant lighting

A novel single-phase white light emission phosphor for healthy lighting, anti-counterfeiting, and plant lighting

Divergent Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite and three different alphasatellite species associated with cotton leaf curl disease outbreak in Northwest India.

Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) is a major constraint for production of cotton (Gossypium sp.) in Northwest India. CLCuD is caused by a monopartite, circular ssDNA virus belonging to the genus Begomovirus in association with betasatellites and alphasatellites, and ttransmitted by a whitefly vector (Bemisia tabaci). To explore the genetic variability in betasatellites and alphasatellite associated with the CLCuD-begomovirus complex in Northwest India. A survey was conducted for successive three years of 2014 to 2016 and twig samples from symptomatic and healthy cotton plants randomly were collected. Total plant DNAs were isolated, subjected to rolling circle amplification (RCA), cloning and sequencing. Full-length genome of 12 betasatellites and 13 alphasatellites, those were obtained in the present study, were analyzed. Sequence analysis showed that all the present betasatellites shared 85-99 percent nucleotide identity (PNI) among themselves and 84-95 PNI with other members of Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMB) and fell into one genogroup along with CLCuMB. But in close observation the present betasatellites clustered into two phylogenetic subgroups under single CLCuMB. The present alphasatellites showed 72-100 PNI among themselves and fell under three alphasatellite species, Gossypium Darwinii symptomless alphasatellite (GDarSLA), Cotton leaf curl Multan alphasatellite (CLCuMA) and Cotton leaf curl Burewala alphasatellite (CLCuBuA). In the recombination analysis, all the present betasatellites and alphasatellites were found to be recombinants involving intra species recombination in betasatellite, and interspecies recombination in alphasatellite species. The present study indicated that the betasatellite and alphasatellite molecules associated with CLCuD-begomovirus complex in Northwest India are genetically diverse.