Increment In Growth Research Articles

Melatonin Dose-Mediated Increment in Growth, Floral Production, Essential Oils Yield and Composition in Marigold

Melatonin Dose-Mediated Increment in Growth, Floral Production, Essential Oils Yield and Composition in Marigold

Single and combined applications of dopamine and 24-epibrassinolide in soybean seedlings under water deficiency: tolerance mechanisms essential to inhibit deleterious effects

Water limitations often cause plants’ physiological, biochemical and morphological disorders, restricting their growth and performance and negatively impacting agricultural yield and global food security. Dopamine (DOP) is an essential water-soluble antioxidant, representing an exciting alternative for use in agriculture, as it maximises plant tolerance under adverse stress conditions. The 24-epibrassionolide (EBR) has the most bioactive function on plant metabolomics, being biodegradable and environmentally friendly. EBR can promote plant tolerance under stress conditions, including water deficiency. Therefore, this study aimed to verify the possible contributions of pre-treatment with DOP and EBR in soybean seedlings subjected to water deficiency, evaluating the responses linked to root anatomy, germination, antioxidant system and biomass accumulation. The single and combined use of growth regulators (DOP and EBR) mitigated the harmful effects caused by water deficiency in seedlings. However, the single use of DOP under the conditions of this research had better results. DOP and EBR positively affected root anatomy, modulating plastic changes in the epidermis tissues, metaxylem and vascular cylinder tissues. Increments in biomass and growth of seedlings exposed to drought and treated with growth regulators can be explained by the intense activities of antioxidant enzymes, maximising redox metabolism and protecting root tissues from oxidative damage.

Stability analysis of power system under n-1 contingency condition

Several voltage stability indices (VSIs) have been developed to assess the potential for voltage collapse. However, certain indexes are computationally costly. Meanwhile, some have been noted to underperform across various conditions. This work proposes a novel line index called the super voltage stability index (SVSI) to calculate the system's voltage stability margin (VSM). The suggested approach is based on the transmission system's two bus systems. The reactive power loss and N-1 contingency conditions to voltage sensitivity is a unique calculation approach used in this study to identify voltage instability. Day to day, the demand for electric power is being increased due to incessant increments in technology and population growth. Therefore, the power system networks are under pressure. The operational conditions of transmission system networks are affected at this point, which may result in voltage collapse. Regular monitoring of power supply is essential to avert voltage collapse. The effectiveness of the suggested index has been assessed using the IEEE 5 and 30-bus systems across diverse operating scenarios, including variations in active and reactive power loading as well as single line losses. The findings indicate that SVSI provides a more reliable indication of the proximity to voltage collapse when compared to conventional line VSIs.

Salt-tolerant plant growth-promoting Pseudomonas atacamensis KSS-6 in combination with organic manure enhances rice yield, improves nutrient content and soil properties under salinity stress.

In the current study salt tolerant-plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (ST-PGPR) Pseudomonas atacamensis KSS-6, selected on the basis of prominent plant growth-promoting (PGP) and stress tolerance properties was tested as bioinoculant to improve yield of rice grown in saline soil. The ST-PGPRKSS-6 was capable of maintaining the PGP traits up to 200 mM NaCl, however, higher salt stress conditions affected these activities. The study was designed to determine the effect of developed talc-based bioformulation using KSS-6 along with organic manure (OM) on growth and yield of paddy under saline conditions. Bioformulation broadcasting was also done to examine the effect on soil properties. It was found that the combinatorial treatment showed positive impact on growth and yield of rice under saline conditions. Co-application of KSS-6 with OM showed maximum increment in growth, chlorophyll content, plant fresh weight, and dry weight as compared to untreated control plants. Furthermore, the combinatorial treatment improved the nutrient content (P, K, Zn, Fe, Mg, and Mn) by more than 35% and enhanced the biochemical parameters such as proline, flavonoids, carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber, and antioxidant content of rice grains by more than 32%. Soil parameters including pH and electrical conductivity(EC), moisture content, total organic carbon, OM, sodium, and chloride ions were also improved upon treatment. There was significant lowering of EC from 7.43 to 4.3 dS/m when combination of OM and bacteria were applied. These findings suggest that the application of KSS-6 in the form of bioinoculant could be a promising strategy to mitigate negative impacts of salt stress and enhance the yield and nutritional properties of rice grown in degraded and saline soil.

Strategies to Enhance l-Isoleucine Synthesis by Modifying the Threonine Metabolism Pathway in Escherichia coli.

l-threonine as an important precursor substance of l-isoleucine and improving its accumulation in Escherichia coli became an important idea to construct a chassis strain with high l-isoleucine production. Meanwhile, the effect of l-threonine metabolic pathway disruption in E. coli for the improved production of l-isoleucine remains unrevealed. In the present study, a mutant strain of E. coli was engineered by inactivating specific metabolic pathways (e.g., Δtdh, ΔltaE, and ΔyiaY) that were associated with l-threonine metabolism but unrelated to l-isoleucine synthesis. This was done with the aim to reduce the breakdown of l-threonine and, thereby, increase the production of l-isoleucine. The results obtained demonstrated a 72.3% increment in l-isoleucine production from 4.34 to 7.48 g·L-1 in the mutant strain compared with the original strain, with an unexpected 10.3% increment in bacterial growth as measured at OD600. Transcriptome analysis was also conducted on both the mutant strain NXU102 and the original strain NXU101 in the present study to gain a comprehensive understanding of their physiological attributes. The findings revealed a notable disparity in 1294 genes between the two strains, with 658 genes exhibiting up-regulation and 636 genes displaying down-regulation. The activity of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle-related genes was found to decrease, but oxidative phosphorylation-related genes were highly up-regulated, which explained the increased activity of the mutant strain. For instance, l-lysine catabolism-related genes were found to be up-regulated, which reconfigured the carbon flow into the TCA cycle. The augmentation of acetic acid degradation pathway-related genes assisted in the reduction in acetic acid accumulation that could retard cell growth. Notably, substantial up-regulation of the majority of genes within the aspartate pathway could potentially account for the increased production of l-isoleucine in the present study. In this paper, a chassis strain with an l-isoleucine yield of 7.48 g·L-1 was successfully constructed by cutting off the threonine metabolic pathway. Meanwhile, transcriptomic analysis revealed that the cutting off of the threonine metabolic pathway induced perturbation of genes related to the pathways associated with the synthesis of l-isoleucine, such as the tricarboxylic acid cycle, glycolysis, and aspartic acid pathway.

Tree community dynamics in the cerradão (2002-2016): A case of biome shift

The cerradão is the result of profound structural changes from open Cerrado vegetation, associated with the absence of certain disturbances, such as wild fires. Little is known about these changes in the long term, both in species composition and structure after canopy closure, hindering predictions regarding the community trajectory. Cerradão is positioned along the higher biomass extreme in the Cerrado phytophysionomic gradient. This study is based on the changes recorded over a 14 yr period, in 256 plots totaling 10.24 ha of sampling area, in a cerradão located inside a conservation unit, protected from fire for at least 60 years in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The changes in the community structure and species composition were assessed. We investigated if the changes are related to tree community structure or to biological attributes of the species, especially by their habitat preference (savanna specialists vs. generalists of forest species). Despite the long period without disturbance and the dystrophic soils, we found tree basal area still increasing and the largest trees still growing. On the other hand, tree density is decreasing over time, and 54% of trees recorded in the first survey had died 14 years later. Community diversity had only a slight increase over time, due to a small gain in species richness. Forest and generalist species presented higher increments in basal area and faster growth compared to the rare savanna specialists still alive in the community. We also verified that larger trees grow slightly faster than smaller trees. Although these changes point to an increase in competition, mortality was not correlated with tree basal area, and seemed to happen more randomly at community level. However, mortality and recruitment were not random at species level. We detected increase in abundance of forest and generalist species, which are shade tolerant. The lowest recruitment rates and highest mortality rates were associated with typical open Cerrado species (savanna specialists), that tend to disappear over time, consolidating the biome shift from savanna to forest. The contribution of cerradão to the conservation of Cerrado endemic tree species, therefore, is poor and tends to decrease over time.

English

The canola is an important oilseed crop of the world and Pakistan that grows in a substantial area, but the required quality and yield of canola oil is still not enough to meet the country’s need. Iron (Fe) and Zinc (Zn) are important human nutrients and biofortification of these elements in canola oil is a challenge especially under alkaline calcareous soil conditions owing to less bioavailability of these metal ions in soil. With the same objective, the present investigation was conducted in 2 experiments (Pot and Field trials) with 7 treatments (Control, So-200 kg ha-1, Iron-3 kg ha-1, Zinc-6 kg ha-1, S+Fe, S+Zn and S+Fe+Zn) under pot and filed conditions, separately. The application of S, Fe and Zn resulted in a significant increment in canola crop growth, yield, improved plant physiology and enhanced Fe and Zn uptake and accumulation. The elemental S alone was found to be affecting these properties significantly and combined application with Fe, Zn, and Fe+Zn resulted in further increment in growth, yield, oil percentage and shoot/grain elemental components. For Fe distribution, S application with Fe enhanced its shoot and grains accumulation 16% and 14% compared to alone Fe control under pot settings while 16% and 15% higher shoot and grain Fe was observed under field trial. The shoot and grains’ Zn contents were also found to be significantly improved (10% and 9% higher Zn in shoot and grain of pot-grown canola plants while 19% and 10% increment was observed under filed investigation compared with respective controls).

Anatomical distribution of starch in the stemwood influences carbon dynamics and suggests storage‐growth trade‐offs in some tropical trees

Abstract Trees balance temporal asynchrony in carbon source and sink activity by accumulating and using non‐structural carbon (NSC). Previous work has demonstrated differences in the amount and distribution of NSC stored in stemwood in tropical tree species and related these patterns in NSC distribution to tree growth and mortality rates. However, we still do not know how changes in the amount and location of starch, a major component of NSC in stemwood, influence the seasonal carbon dynamics of mature trees and how this may reflect storage‐growth trade‐offs. In this work, we hypothesized that combining two life history traits, here leaf habit (evergreen/semi‐deciduous) and the anatomical distribution of starch within the stemwood (parenchyma storage and fibre storage), would allow us to explain differences in the seasonal interplay between carbon sources and sinks and the use and accumulation of starch in the tree stem. We expected semi‐deciduous/fibre‐storing species to have greater seasonal amplitudes of carbon source and sink activity, and therefore greater variation in starch content and stronger storage‐growth trade‐offs than evergreen/parenchyma‐storing species. We measured monthly increments in stem radial growth, soluble sugars and starch every 3 months during 2019 in Dacryodes microcarpa (semi‐deciduous/fibre‐storing species), Ocotea leucoxylon (evergreen/parenchyma‐storing species) and Sacoglottis guianensis (semi‐deciduous/parenchyma‐storing species). We found seasonal changes in starch but not sugars in the semi‐deciduous species, with greater amplitude in the fibre‐storing species that also had greater storage capacity and stem respiration rates. The fibre‐storing species further showed a negative relationship between starch consumption/accumulation and growth during the rainy season, suggesting a trade‐off between growth and storage, with starch accumulating in some cases when growth was low. Synthesis. Our results show the influence of seasonal starch storage on carbon dynamics in three species of tropical trees that differ in leaf phenology and starch storage traits. Semi‐deciduous/fibre‐storing species have greater temporal variation in carbon sink activities and more seasonally dynamic starch content. Since the fibre‐storing species we studied are slower‐growing and longer‐lived trees with lower mortality rates compared to the parenchyma‐storing species, these results may provide clues about how storage traits could influence their survival and life span.

Land-use/cover Change in Raebareli District (Uttar Pradesh, India): A Remote Sensing and GIS-Based Study

Abstract: Raebareli district is majorly agrarian economy, holding large tracts of rural land as Agricultural and respective natural geomorphologies which mainly included barren land, fallow land, shrub land, plantations, and wetlands along with forest. The landcover alone of Agricultural land was more than three-fourth of total land of whole district. The increment in the settlement pattern growth seems to be so natural and calm in progression with gradual changes as per population increase. Explicit and forced development seems not to be driving factor for the district.

Effect of two root endophytes (Campylospora parvula and Tetracladium setigerum) on the growth of the wheat plant

Endophytic aquatic hyphomycetes, Campylospora parvula and Tetracladium setigerum, recovered from the roots of riparian plants, Pilea scripta and Debregessia sp., respectively, were used to treat wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) through pot experiments for assessing their effect on the growth and development of the plant. Both endophytes were effective in enhancing the growth of the test plant significantly (p<0.01). The increment in plant growth was measured in terms of length (shoot and root), diameter (shoot and root), total fresh weight and total dry weight of test plants in comparison with the control plants. Both endophytes served as significantly affective (p<0.01) wheat growth promoters. The present findings strongly support the utilization of these endophytic fungi as plant growth promoters. In the future, these strains deserve to be used as bio-fertilizers to increase the yield of agricultural crops.

Election cycles and corruption perception in Africa

AbstractThis paper empirically examines whether Africa’s low corruption agenda can be achieved amid election cycles. We employ country-level data from 36 African countries covering the period 1998–2020. Using fixed effects, random effects and dynamic panel data regressions, our results suggest that in election years, increment in government expenditure is associated with higher corruption perception while increment in real GDP growth lowers corruption perception than in non-election years. On regional differences, the effect of election cycles on corruption perception was found to be greater in southern part of Africa than the rest of the sub-regions. These findings may have important implications for policy.

Flooding and planting density shape forests in an experimental Everglades landscape: Lessons for forest restoration

AbstractTree islands, a prominent feature of wetland landscapes worldwide, are patches of forest scattered throughout a matrix of herbaceous marsh. In the Florida Everglades, their development over millennia as elevated, relatively well‐drained features above the wetland surface has made them cultural centers for indigenous people and refugia for a rich assortment of plants and animals. However, since the early years of the twentieth century, the number and area of tree islands have been roughly halved in Everglades National Park and Water Conservation Areas due to scarce or excessive water levels, leading to fires or persistent flooding, respectively. This loss has prompted a need for tree island rehabilitation or reconstruction within the ongoing state–federal partnership to bring about Everglades restoration. In this paper, we present results of a field‐scale experiment that examined the effects of flooding, planting density, and the size and proximity of neighbors on the performance of native tree species on constructed tree islands. Hypotheses derived using the stress‐gradient hypothesis as a framework were tested at the neighborhood level. Flooding reduced survival and mean tree size 7–8 years after initial planting, while planting seedlings at spacings as close as 1 m apart resulted in higher total biomass, with no significant cost in tree survival. Flood‐tolerant species increased in relative abundance during the study period along the entire hydrologic gradient, while flood‐intolerant species were able to survive only at higher elevations. Crowding effects within neighborhoods varied across the flooding gradient. Survival increased or remained stable as neighbor effects increased in high‐flooding zones, while declining sharply as crowding increased under low‐flooding conditions. Similar results were obtained for the growth of flood‐tolerant species under close spacing, with most showing an increment in growth where flooding was high. These data suggest that tree island restoration can benefit from targeted mixed‐species plantings at variable densities, as the compositional and structural heterogeneity promoted by these measures may increase adaptability and resilience to future uncertainties.

Development of Hypertolerant Strain of Yarrowia lipolytica Accumulating Succinic Acid Using High Levels of Acetate.

Acetate is emerging as a promising feedstock for biorefineries as it can serve as an alternate carbon source for microbial cell factories. In this study, we expressed acetyl-CoA synthase in Yarrowia lipolytica PSA02004PP, and the recombinant strain grew on acetate as the sole carbon source and accumulated succinic acid or succinate (SA). Unlike traditional feedstocks, acetate is a toxic substrate for microorganisms; therefore, the recombinant strain was further subjected to adaptive laboratory evolution to alleviate toxicity and improve tolerance against acetate. At high acetate concentrations, the adapted strain Y. lipolytica ACS 5.0 grew rapidly and accumulated lipids and SA. Bioreactor cultivation of ACS 5.0 with 22.5 g/L acetate in a batch mode resulted in a maximum cell OD600 of 9.2, with lipid and SA accumulation being 0.84 and 5.1 g/L, respectively. However, its fed-batch cultivation yielded a cell OD600 of 23.5, SA titer of 6.5 g/L, and lipid production of 1.5 g/L with an acetate uptake rate of 0.2 g/L h, about 2.86 times higher than the parent strain. Cofermentation of acetate and glucose significantly enhanced the SA titer and lipid accumulation to 12.2 and 1.8 g/L, respectively, with marginal increment in cell growth (OD600: 26.7). Furthermore, metabolic flux analysis has drawn insights into utilizing acetate for the production of metabolites that are downstream to acetyl-CoA. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on SA production from acetate by Y. lipolytica and demonstrates a path for direct valorization of sugar-rich biomass hydrolysates with elevated acetate levels to SA.

Growth of Basella alba under different light environments

Basella alba L. (Malabar spinach) is a non-conventional food plant (PANC) with high nutritional value and economic potential. Light is a critical factor in plant growth, acting directly on the photosynthetic process. The photoselective meshes combine the physical protection of plants with the selective filtering of solar radiation to promote physiological responses. This work evaluates the growth of B. alba under different light environments. The experiment occurred in a greenhouse at the Center for Agrarian, Environmental and Biological Sciences of the Federal University of Recôncavo da Bahia in a completely randomized design with plots comprising one useful plant and five replications. The plants were grown in three light environments: red ChromatiNet mesh, aluminet-thermo reflective mesh (both with 50% irradiance), and under full sun. The red mesh increased the root dry matter mass and stem diameter. The aluminet mesh increased the average number of leaves by about 50% compared to the plants cultivated under full sun. The results show that the cultivation of B. alba in different light environments promotes morphophysiological changes with positive increments in growth.

Legendary Old Conifer Trees in Western Himalaya: Environmental Chronicles

The Himalayan mountain system is the abode of diverse tree species growing at different elevations from sub-tropical to sub-alpine regions. Many of the tree species growing in the Himalayan region are known to attain several centuries to millennial age. Trees growing in environments with seasonal climate produce annual growth rings, which represent yearly increment in radial growth. The physical and chemical properties of annual wood increments (ring-widths, wood density and isotopic composition) reflect the respective year’s environmental conditions that affected tree growth and physiology. Various parameters of the annual wood increments are used to glean the yearly environmental variations. This makes the trees a unique natural archive of past environmental changes the tree faced over its life time. Tree-ring studies, so far carried out in India have shown over two millennia old trees of Juniperus polycarpos in cold arid Lahaul in the western Himalaya. Other conifer trees spanning over millennium age are of Pinus gerardiana and Cedrus deodara growing in extreme dry environments in the western Himalaya. As in the era of changing global climate the mean temperature of the Earth is continuously increasing and disturbing the regular pattern of climate variables. In the recent decades, the observed changes of climate variables are becoming the cause of societal challenges and responsible for the loss of lives and natural resources. In view of this, the precisely dated growth ring sequences in such old trees have been used to develop climate records (temperature/precipitation) for regions of the origin of tree-ring chronologies. The tree-ring derived climate records from the high-altitude regions of the Himalaya, where instrumental records are limited, are of significant value to understand natural climate variability and associated socioeconomicchallenges in regional and global perspective.

Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of Plasma and Radio Wave Seed Treatments on Red Clover Plants

The effect of high-frequency 5.28 MHz plasma and radio wave seed treatments on red clover growth, nodule formation and isoflavonoid content has been investigated. The short-term and long-term effects of plasma and radio wave treatment of seeds were evaluated on clover plants during two years of vegetation. The response of plants to plasma treatment was increment in root growth and the nodule formation. Significant changes in the length and weight of roots were noted in the first year of vegetation. The increase in isoflavonoids content observed after plasma and radio wave treatments can be explained by the advancement in nodulation process.

Effect of Self-Esteem and Gratitude on Personal Growth in Indian Students

It is known that self esteem and gratitude play a pivotal role in the development of an individual. The purpose of this study was to find out about the exact role that self esteem and gratitude play in the development of Indian students of 16 to 24 years. Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale, Gratitude Questionnaire and Personal Growth Initiative Scale were administered on the participants who were selected for the study by the method of random sampling. Data was collected with the help of google forms as personally meeting the subjects was not possible during the pandemic. Findings suggests that most participants who participated in the study possessed high levels of gratitude and moderate levels of self esteem, thus showing good personal development. It was believed that increment in self esteem leads to the increment in overall personal development of a person, but in this research, it came out that rise in self esteem up to a certain level can positively impact personal development, more than that can create a negative impact on the development. It was also found out that gratitude and personal development were positively correlated to each other, i.e., rise in levels of gratitude leads to increment in personal growth of students.

Effect of Individual, Simultaneous and Sequential Inoculation of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Meloidogyne incognita on Growth, Biochemical, Enzymatic and Nonenzymatic Antioxidants of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.).

This study was conducted on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum cv. K-21) to investigate the bioprotective nature of Pseudomonas fluorescens and its interactive effects with Meloidogyne incognita in terms of growth biomarkers, changes in biochemical attributes and modulation in antioxidant enzymes of the tomato plant. In this study, we grew tomato plants with M. incognita and P. fluorescens in separate pots, simultaneously and sequentially (15 days prior or post) after 15 days of seed sowing. The sequential inoculation of Mi15→Pf maximally increased the root-knot index and decreased the nematode population. It was also noted that inoculation suppressed the plant growth biomarkers in comparison to control. However, maximum suppression in nematode reproduction and increment in growth and physiological attributes were observed when P. fluorescens was applied 15 days prior to the nematode (Pf15→Mi) as compared to control. All the treatments showed an increase in antioxidant enzymes. Expression of phenol content and defensive enzymes such as peroxidase (POX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) increased, in contrast to a significant reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents when compared with the untreated inoculated plants. However, the highest levels of POX and SOD, and a lowest of phenol, MDA and H2O2 were displayed in the treatment Pf15→Mi, followed by Mi+Pf and Mi15→Pf.

Bibliometric Analysis of Research on Diesel Pollution in Antarctica and a Review on Remediation Techniques

Diesel is a fuel commonly used in Antarctica to supply vessels and domestic applications on site. The increasing human activities in the continent consequently have generated high fuel demand, which in turn has increased the occurrence of oil pollution due to accidental events during refueling. A related study received growing interest as more detrimental effects have been reported on Antarctic ecosystems. By adopting the bibliometric analysis, the research on diesel pollution in Antarctica collected in the Scopus database was systematically analysed. An increment in annual publication growth from 1980 to 2019 was observed and two research clusters were illustrated with “hydrocarbons” as the core keyword. Several attempts have been conducted over the past decades to remove anthropogenic hydrocarbon from previous abandoned whaling sites as well as recent oil spill incidents. However, the remote and polar conditions of Antarctica constrained the installation and operation of clean-up infrastructure. This review also briefly encompasses the approaches from past to present on the management of fuel pollution in Antarctica and highlights the potential of phytoremediation as a new bioremediation prospect.

The atypical protein arginine methyltrasferase of Entamoeba histolytica (EhPRMTA) is involved in cell proliferation, heat shock response and in vitro virulence

Protein arginine methylation regulates several cellular events, including epigenetics, splicing, translation, and stress response, among others. This posttranslational modification is catalyzed by protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs), which according to their products are classified from type I to type IV. The type I produces monomethyl arginine and asymmetric dimethyl arginine; in mammalian there are six families of this PRMT type (PRMT1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8). The protozoa parasite Entamoeba histolytica has four PRMTs related to type I; three of them are similar to PRMT1, but the other one does not show significant homology to be grouped in any known PRMT family, thus we called it as atypical PRMT (EhPRMTA). Here, we showed that EhPRMTA does not contain several of the canonical amino acid residues of type I PRMTs, confirming that it is an atypical PRMT. A specific antibody against EhPRMTA localized this protein in cytoplasm. The recombinant EhPRMTA displayed catalytic activity on commercial histones and the native enzyme modified its expression level during heat shock and erythrophagocytosis. Besides, the knockdown of EhPRMTA produced an increment in cell growth, and phagocytosis, but decreases cell migration and the survival of trophozoites submitted to heat shock, suggesting that this protein is involved in regulate negatively or positively these events, respectively. Thus, results suggest that this methyltransferase regulates some cellular functions related to virulence and cell surviving.