Losses In Agricultural Production Research Articles

Sustainable Solutions to Mitigate the Negative Effects of Climate Change on Afghanistan

One of the most important global issues that face all countries is climate change. One of the nations most impacted by the effects of climate change is Afghanistan. The nation is more endangered due to its geographic location, delicate ecosystems, and socioeconomic difficulties. This article explores Afghanistan's vulnerability to climate change and highlights sustainable solutions to lessen its effects on the nation. Online surveys were used as part of the study, which comprised 136 lecturers and current students from several Afghani universities. The results showed that the main effects of climate change on Afghanistan are an increase in average temperature, more frequent and severe droughts, flooding and increased water scarcity, loss of food security and agricultural productivity, melting of glaciers and depletion of water resources, and an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters (such as storms and landslides). The main sustainable ways to lessen the effects of climate change are to promote renewable energy sources (solar, wind, and hydro), implement water management and conservation practices, improve agricultural practices for increased resilience, improve infrastructure for disaster preparedness, reforest and conserve forests, educate and raise awareness about the impacts of climate change, empower communities, create accountable policy and decision-making processes, and develop national strategies for sustainable development. Afghanistan.

Endophytic Streptomyces sp. NEAU-DD186 from Moss with Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Activity: Biocontrol Potential Against Soilborne Diseases and Bioactive Components.

Soilborne diseases cause significant economic losses in agricultural production around the world. They are difficult to control because a host plant is invaded by multiple pathogens, and chemical control often does not work well. In this study, we isolated and identified an endophytic Streptomyces sp. NEAU-DD186 from moss, which showed broad-spectrum antifungal activity against 17 soilborne phytopathogenic fungi, with Bipolaris sorokiniana being the most prominent. The strain also exhibited strong antibacterial activity against soilborne phytopathogenic bacteria Ralstonia solanacearum. To evaluate its biocontrol potential, the strain was prepared into biofertilizer by solid-state fermentation. Response surface methodology was employed to optimize the fermentation conditions for maximizing spore production and revealed that the 1:1 ratio of vermicompost to wheat bran, a temperature of 28°C, and 50% water content with an inoculation amount of 15% represented the optimal parameters. Pot experiments showed that the application of biofertilizer with a spore concentration of 108 CFU/g soil could effectively suppress the occurrence of tomato bacterial wilt caused by R. solanacearum and wheat root rot caused by B. sorokiniana, and the biocontrol efficacy was 81.2 and 72.2%, respectively. Chemical analysis of strain NEAU-DD186 extracts using nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry and mass analysis indicated that 25-O-malonylguanidylfungin A and 23-O-malonylguanidylfungin A were the main active constituents, which showed high activity against R. solanacearum (EC50 of 2.46 and 2.58 µg ml-1) and B. sorokiniana (EC50 of 3.92 and 3.95 µg ml-1). In conclusion, this study demonstrates that Streptomyces sp. NEAU-DD186 can be developed as biofertilizer to control soilborne diseases.

Estimation of agricultural productivity loss due to soil loss in Buayan-Malungon River Basin, Philippines: A foundation for watershed protection and agricultural development

The Buayan-Malungon River Basin (BMRB) is currently experiencing intolerable soil loss due to improper agricultural practices, and unsustainable land uses. This problem disrupts important ecosystem services such as provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting. This article provides an estimate of the agricultural crop productivity losses due to soil loss. The study estimates productivity losses through regression analysis by using nitrogen (N) fertilizer as a proxy for soil quality. The result revealed that N-fertilizer had a significant effect on corn yield. The predicted soil loss in BMRB in 2020 reached 41,308 tons/ha. Hence, the total soil loss cost in the river basin reached PhP 218,023,624 in 2020. This cost can be minimized if farmers practice a contour farming system as it helps to improve soil quality and control soil loss, which leads to sustainable farming and environmental sustainability.

Agricultural Productivity and Postharvest Loss Among Cassava Farmers, In Anambra State, Nigeria

Postharvest loss is one of the greatest challenges of agricultural productivity and its reduction is a key pathway to food security. Using Cassava production, this study tends to examine the socioeconomic characteristics of the cassava farmers; determine the effect of postharvest loss on cassava production; analyse the financial implication and mitigation strategies employ by the cassava farmers in the study area. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to a random sample of 120 cassava farmers in the state. Descriptive statistics, mean threshold from five points Likert scale, Logit model, and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Results showed that female farmers (51.7%) dominated the sector, with an average age of 41.91, 10.73 level of education, and 13.18 farming experience with 5.58 household sizes. The farmers have a 68.0% postharvest losses management index, and 32.0% postharvest loss among cassava farmers. The study found that the determinants of postharvest loss in the area are age, marital status, education, farming experience, household size, cooperative membership, access to credit, and extension contact. Postharvest losses come with a load of financial implications, and in that regard, the farmers designed a number of mitigation strategies like good agronomic practice adoption, processing immediately to chips, gari, and fufu among others. The study concluded that cassava farmers in Anambra State have high postharvest losses (32.0%). The study recommends the introduction of improved storage facilities and the provision of incentives to the farmers to increase their agricultural productivity and reduce postharvest losses.

Laboratory Evaluation of the Efficiency of The Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauvaria bassiana as a Biological Control Factor Against the Cucurbit Fly, Dacus ciliates

Al-Shweily, B.M., J.B. El-Zidawi and M.J. Hinnawi. 2024. Laboratory Evaluation of the Efficiency of The Entomopathogenic Fungus Beauvaria bassiana as a Biological Control Factor Against the Cucurbit Fly, Dacus ciliates. Arab Journal of Plant Protection, 42(3): 335-339. https://doi.org/10.22268/AJPP-001260 The cucurbit fly, Dacus ciliatus is a major pest which attack a wide range of crops and causes significant losses in agricultural production. Due to the high toxicity of chemical pesticides on human health and the environment, scientists focused on developing alternative safe methods to control this insect, including the use of biocontrol agents. Beauveria bassiana is one of the common fungi used as a bio-control agent. This entomopathogenic fungus was cultivated on Petri dishes containing PDA. The spore suspension of this fungus was prepared using sterilized distilled water, and three concentrations were used: 20×106 , 10×106 and 5×106 spores/ml. The effectiveness of these three concentrations was tested on larvae and pupae of the studied insect. The larval mortality rate ranged from 73.33% at the highest concentration to 33.33% at the lowest concentration used. Pupal mortality reached 66.66% at the highest concentration and 16.66% at the lowest concentration of spore suspension. Mortality rate was directly proportional to the spore suspension concentration of the entomopathogenic fungus. Keywords: Cucurbit fly, agricultural pest, biological control, Dacus ciliates, Beauveria bassiana, entomopathogenic fungi.

Anti-Agrobacterium tumefactions sesquiterpene derivatives from the marine-derived fungus Trichoderma effusum.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens can harm various fruit trees, leading to significant economic losses in agricultural production. It is urgent to develop new pesticides to effectively treat this bacterial disease. In this study, four new sesquiterpene derivatives, trichoderenes A-D (1-4), along with six known compounds (5-10), were obtained from the marine-derived fungus Trichoderma effusum. The structures of 1-4 were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses, and the calculated ECD, ORD, and NMR methods. Structurally, the hydrogen bond formed between the 1-OH group and the methoxy group enabled 1 to adopt a structure resembling that of resorcylic acid lactones, thereby producing the ECD cotton effect. Compound 3 represents the first example of C12 nor-sesquiterpene skeleton. Compounds 1-10 were tested for their antimicrobial activity against A. tumefactions. Among them, compounds 1-3 and 8-10 exhibited inhibitory activity against A. tumefactions with MIC values of 3.1, 12.5, 12.5, 6.2, 25.0, and 12.5 μg/mL, respectively.

On the First Kilometer Problem of Agricultural Products Cold Chain Logistics in Huaihua City Considering Green Development

Huaihua has vast land and is the largest prefecture level city in Hunan Province. With abundant natural resources, it is a city with a high output of agricultural products in Hunan Province. The loss and quality of agricultural products during transportation have always been a key concern for farmers and consumers.This article analyzes the problems that exist in the first one kilometer of agricultural product cold chain logistics in Huaihua City, proposes a mobile pre cooling mode to ensure the quality of agricultural products in the first one kilometer, and conducts a simple calculation of its operational return, aiming to solve the problems of high loss and difficult quality assurance in the transportation process of agricultural products.

Methodology for assessing the loss of agricultural products in conditions of ensuring food security

Methodology for assessing the loss of agricultural products in conditions of ensuring food security

PH-responsive bentonite nanoclay carriers control the release of benzothiazolinone to restrain bacterial wilt disease

Ralstonia solanacearum (R. solanacearum) is one of the most devastating pathogens in terms of losses in agricultural production. Bentonite (Bent) is a promising synergistic agent used in development of effective and environmentally friendly pesticides against plant disease. However, the synergistic mechanism of Bent nanoclays with benzothiazolinone (BIT) against R. solanacearum is unknown. In this work, acid-functionalized porous Bent and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were employed as the core nanoclays, and BIT was loaded into the clay to form BIT-loaded CT-Bent (BIT@CT-Bent) for the control of bacterial wilt disease. BIT@CT-Bent exhibited pH-responsive release behavior that fit the Fickian diffusion model, rapidly releasing BIT in an acidic environment (pH = 5.5). The antibacterial effect of BIT@CT-Bent was approximately 4 times greater than that of the commercial product BIT, and its biotoxicity was much lower than that of BIT under the same conditions. Interestingly, R. solanacearum attracted BIT@CT-Bent into the nanocomposites and induced cytoplasmic leakage and changes in membrane permeability, indicating an efficient and synergistic bactericidal effect that rapidly reduced bacterial density. In addition, BIT@CT-Bent significantly inhibited R. solanacearum biofilm formation and swimming activity, by suppressing the expression of phcA, solR and vsrC. Indeed, exogenous application of BIT@CT-Bent significantly suppressed the virulence of R. solanacearum on tobacco plants, with control effect of 75.48%, 72.08% and 66.08% at 9, 11 and 13 days after inoculation, respectively. This study highlights the potential of using BIT@CT-Bent as an effective, eco-friendly bactericide to control bacterial wilt diseases and for the development of sustainable crop protection strategies.

Application of Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model for the estimation of soil erosion and prioritization of erosion-prone areas in Majuli Island, Assam, India

Soil erosion is a serious issue, causing loss of agricultural productivity, increase in sediment deposit in the riverbeds, and damage to the ecological balance of the affected areas. Proper assessment of the soil erosion rate is essential for managing natural resources. The present study employs a GIS-based RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) model to estimate annual soil loss in Majuli River Island of Assam, India. Annual average rainfall, soil properties, topographic characteristics, and LULC were taken as inputs to identify the soil erosion susceptible areas. The result revealed that annual soil loss of the study area ranges between 0 to 711 t ha−1 yr−1, with a mean annual soil loss of 23.02 t ha−1 yr−1. The entire region was classified into six soil loss severity classes, around 90 % of the area was found to be very slightly affected (< 5 t ha−1 yr−1) by soil erosion, around 5 % slightly affected (5 – 10 t ha−1 yr−1), roughly 3% moderately affected (10 – 20 t ha−1 yr−1), around 1% moderate high (20 – 40 t ha−1 yr−1), nearly 0.3 % area affected severely (40 -80 t ha−1 yr−1) and very severely affected areas (> 80 t ha−1 yr−1) contributes 0.1 %. A total of six priority levels of conservation were demarcated village-wise; priority level I requires immediate attention, and so on. The research outcome can help effectively implement conservation and management practices to check soil erosion in the study area.

The Significance Of Nanomaterials In Enhancing Soil Microbial Communitya Short Review

A severe threat to agricultural output and sustainability are global problems including soil erosion, contaminants, and agricultural productivity loss brought on by urbanization and agricultural expansion. Many technological advancements are being used to improve the quality of contaminated soils or purify contaminants in the soil, but they haven't been able to restore or improve the condition of the soil to the desired levels because they are expensive, impractical, or, to a lesser extent, require a lot of labour. Recent developments in nanotechnology promise to raise crop yields and soil quality indices while maintaining environmental sustainability. It has been discovered that the existence of nanomaterials (NMs) within soils may influence or enhance the efficiency of rhizosphere microbes or farming crucial microbes, allowing the access of nutrients to crops and improving the functioning of root systems as well as crop growth in general, creating up an opportunity for the enhancement of soil health. It could be useful to assess nanotechnology in order to learn more about the actual utilization of NMs for enhancing soil health.

World experience in the application of low-energy electron irradiation in agriculture

According to the long-term observations of the FAO, losses of plant-based agricultural products are estimated to be between 10 and 30 %. The main causes of these losses are plant pathogens, spoilage microorganisms, and insect pests. The study discusses the problems of ensuring phytosanitary safety of agricultural products and proposes the use of radiation technology instead of chemical treatment. Radiation technology has a long history of research and application, spanning over 75 years. The most extensive and detailed data on the application of this technology have been obtained for gamma installations, which use natural radioactive isotopes. Lowenergy (less than 300 keV) electron accelerators were invented relatively recently, so the question of their use in agriculture is relevant. Treatment with low-energy electron radiation combines all the advantages of radiation treatment of food and agricultural products with gamma radiation, and at the same time, significantly reduces the risk of damage to biological structures inside the irradiated object due to the low penetrating power of the radiation. This study notes that low-energy electron accelerators can be successfully used to combat plant infectious diseases, reducing the amount of plant pathogens on seeds, without affecting their growth parameters. The use of low-energy electron irradiation to prevent microbiological spoilage is also discussed. The nutritional qualities of irradiated products are not significantly altered. The method of radiation disinfestation (control of insect pests) using low-energy electron radiation has also proven to be effective. However, it should be noted that additional research is necessary to determine the optimal doses of low-energy radiation for each type of product and to ensure safety for human health and the environment. Generally, the use of radiation technology in agriculture has great potential and can become an effective means of improving productivity and food safety. This method of food processing has been recognized as safe for human health by several authoritative international organizations, including the UN (FAO), WHO, IAEA, and others.

Bioinspired total synthesis and biological activity of Pegaharine A.

Phytopathogens cause various diseases by parasitizing crops, reducing crop yield and resulting in substantial economic losses in agricultural production. A novel type isolated from the perennial herbaceous Peganum harmala L. seeds, β-carboline alkaloids pegaharine A (PA), has become a hot topic in developing plant-originated green pesticides owing to their significant physiological activities. A scalable bioinspired total synthesis of PA is accomplished in the present work. The systematical biological assay study showed that PA exhibited moderate inhibitory activity against nine tested plant pathogenic fungi and showed significant inhibitory activity in vitro against the three tested plant pathogenic bacteria. Most noteworthy is the inhibitory rates of PA on Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), X. oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc) and X. axonopodis pv. citri (Xac) of 93.6%, 92.1% and 86.1%, respectively, which are better than the control drug, bismerthiazol (63.4%, 61.2% and 53.7% at 100 μg mL-1 concentration). Furthermore, the EC50 value of PA against Xoo, Xoc and Xac was 52.2, 60.0 and 65.1 μg mL-1 , respectively, superior to 72.9, 64.2 and 70.1 μg mL-1 of the control drug. Moreover, the anti-Xoo mechanistic studies revealed that PA exerted its antibacterial effects by increasing the permeability of the bacterial membrane, reducing the extracellular polysaccharide content and inducing morphological changes in bacterial cells. A novel β-carboline alkaloid, PA, was prepared by biomimetic total synthesis. Its significant antibacterial activity was closely related to the permeation of bacterial cell membranes, which was confirmed by anti-Xoo mechanistic studies. More importantly, the structure could be regarded as a model for developing novel bactericides. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Assam Flood and Financial Loss in Agricultural Production: A Study on Mitigation Strategy Adopted by the Farmers of Dhemaji District

Background: Assam is considered as a flood prone state, as this natural disaster creates devastating situation almost every year. The study was conducted in Dhemaji district of Assam which is in the list of highly flood hazard index. The district was selected to know the impact of flood on financial loss for agricultural production and to study the mitigation strategy adopted by the flood affected farmers in the district. Methods: For that a multistage random sampling technique was adopted to select flood affected farmers from the district. Financial loss for agricultural production due to flood was estimated by calculating financial loss for crop loss, agricultural asset loss and livestock loss for the study area. Flood situation and Non flood situation was compared while going for calculation of financial loss for crop due to flood. Henry Garret ranking technique was adopted to rank the problems face by the farmers. Result: The result reflected that net return from crop production was recorded to be less (Group I 1032.44Rs/ha and Group II 3830.99 Rs/ha) in flood situation than the non-flood situation (Group I 7051.30 Rs/ha and Group II 8330.08 Rs/ha).Total financial loss due to crop loss, asset loss and livestock loss was found to be high for size group II farmers (Rs 39094.33) then the size group I (Rs 36643.40). Majority of the respondents (79.17 per cent) preferred migration as the best coping mechanism to protect them from flood loss.

Economic consequences of climate change impacts on South Asian agriculture: A computable general equilibrium analysis

AbstractSouth Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions of the globe in terms of climate change, with agriculture the most affected economic sector of the region. This study employs an environmental Global Trade Analysis Project model to simulate the impact of an average global 2°C temperature increase by 2050, with a focus on South Asian countries. The economic costs of climate change in relation to crop productivity losses due to increasing temperature, land productivity losses caused by rising sea levels and heat stress‐induced agricultural labour productivity losses are assessed based on model simulations. The results show that the unfavourable climate change impacts on agricultural productivity (crop, land and labour) will reduce food production and create upward pressure on food prices. This will lead to a reduction in food consumption at the household level, threatening future food security in the region. The results further predict a contraction in all South Asian economies by 2050, due to adverse climate change impacts on the agricultural sector. In addition, out of the three climate change damage factors considered, labour productivity causes the greatest economic losses, while land productivity losses caused by rising sea levels impact the least. The study also found that low‐income countries would suffer most severely due to the impacts of climate change on the agricultural sector, while high‐income countries would be impacted the least.

Chemical profiling and inhibitory effects of selected South African plants against phytopathogenic bacteria and fungi of tomato

Soilborne pathogens are economically important, causing great losses in agricultural production globally. The high cost and toxicity of antibiotics, coupled with the development of drug-resistant bacteria, has awakened interest in finding alternative methods of plant-pathogen control. This study aimed to screen extracts of selected plants against phytopathogenic bacteria and fungi that infect tomatoes, and to profile their chemical constituents. The antimicrobial activity of acetone, water and dichloromethane: methanol (DCM/MeOH = 1:1) extracts from leaves of ten plants was examined against five phytopathogenic bacterial strains and one fungal strain using a serial microplate dilution method to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was used for profiling constituents in the acetone and DCM/MeOH extracts. The MIC values indicated weak antibacterial activity of all the water extracts against tested bacterial strains. Acetone and DCM/MeOH extracts of Leucosidea sericea and Searsia lancea had very good to outstanding antibacterial activity against most of the tested bacteria with MIC values ranging between 19.5 and 78 µg/mL. All extracts were not active against Fusarium spp. except for the acetone extract of Cotyledon orbiculata and the water extract of Leonotis leonurus which inhibited the growth of F. oxysporum with MIC = 39 and 97.5 µg/mL after 24 h, with further incubation resulting in MICs of 156 and 469 µg/mL respectively. The GC–MS analysis of the acetone and DCM/MeOH extracts indicated the major peaks of 9-octadecenamide, (Z)-, octadecanoic acid and dodecanamide which were present in almost all the extracts. The 9-octadecenamide was found to be the most highly concentrated compound in most extracts. Leucosidea sericea and S. lancea, therefore, contain bioactive compounds that may be used as broad-spectrum antimicrobials against phytopathogenic bacteria and fungi.

Agricultural exports of Ukraine in the conditions of war.

The article is devoted to the study of the problems and challenges of agricultural exports of Ukraine in the conditions of war. It was determined that before the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the country occupied a leading position in the world production of major agricultural crops (sunflower, rapeseed, barley, corn, wheat, soybeans). A comprehensive assessment of Ukraine's export positions in the world was carried out and the countries most dependent on the import of Ukrainian grain were identified. The dynamics of the domestic export of cereals, legumes (with products of their processing) and flour for the period from 2020/2021 MR to August 2023/2024 MR have been analyzed. The author has researched and systematized the problems of reducing the volume of export deliveries of Ukrainian grain to the world market. It is substantiated that part of the problems and challenges are macroeconomic in nature and complicate the development of the country's economy, distort market pricing mechanisms and reduce the competitiveness of domestic products. Among them is the risk of losing the country's reputation as a reliable supplier; loss of markets and trading partners; destruction of logistics and transport infrastructure; reduction of production volumes; change in demand; limiting access to resources; devaluation of the national currency, etc. A systematic analysis of the problems and challenges complicating agricultural export made it possible to single out the main ones: reduction in agricultural production volumes and loss of resource potential; limited financial resources; disruption of logistics chains. Special attention was paid to the problem of sea transportation, which before the beginning of the war provided about 95 % of agricultural exports. The dynamics of Ukraine's export volumes within the framework of the "grain initiative" during 2022- 2023 are analyzed. The role and significance of its implementation to mitigate the negative impact of Russia's military aggression on domestic agricultural exports is described. The reasons for the importance of sea transportation for Ukrainian exports have been determined: large volumes of supplies and their low cost. Emphasis is placed on the need to export by sea, even without the participation of Russia. The author researched the measures implemented by the Ukrainian government to support agricultural production and export and justified the need to develop a set of measures to stabilize and further develop the industry and restore the export of agricultural products. Among them are the following: reduction of bureaucratic barriers; state support for the development of logistics infrastructure, optimization of taxation and lending; adaptation of agricultural production to EU requirements; increasing the quality and safety of products in accordance with international standards; technological development and digitalization; restoration and transition of the agricultural sector to sustainable production. Key words: agricultural production, export, agricultural export, agricultural export problems, "grain initiative".

First Record of Meloidogyne javanica (Treub, 1885) (Chitwood, 1949) in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) Growing Areas in the Southern Marmara Region

First Record of Meloidogyne javanica (Treub, 1885) (Chitwood, 1949) in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) Growing Areas in the Southern Marmara Region
 ABSTRACT
 The estimated loss of the annual agricultural production due to plant parasitic nematodes, which are among the important soil-borne pathogens, is estimated to be approximately 118 billion US dollars. Root-knot nematodes are the most important plant parasitic nematode group due to their wide host range and difficulties in control and cause significant quality and yield losses in vegetables including lettuce plant. Root-knot nematodes are causing symptoms such as yellowing, wilting and stunting on lettuce plant. For monitoring lettuce fields for detecting nematode infected areas, surveys were made to the lettuce growing areas of Çanakkale province in the winter months of 2021-2022 and the plants infected with root-knot nematodes were examined and pure nematode cultures were obtained in the laboratory. Species identification was made using morphological methods and morphometric measurements from second-stage infective juvenile and female individuals obtained from pure cultures. As a result, the first record of M. javanica in lettuce growing areas in the Southern Marmara Region was made in this study.
 Keywords: Lettuce, Southern Marmara Region, Root-knot nematode

Antagonistic potential of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and B. velezensis as biocontrol agents against Lasiodiplodia theobromae

ABSTRACT Various fungi are known to cause important plant diseases leading to significant losses in agricultural products. To prevent crop diseases, biocontrol of these phytopathogenic fungi is necessary, most importantly by replacing the application of harmful pesticides from environmentally friendly management practices. The aim of this study was to isolate bacterial strains from soil and longan fruit with the capacity to inhibit Lasiodiplodia theobromae, a cosmopolitan fungal pathogen. Of 114, only four bacterial strains (3.51%) displayed significant inhibitory activity against L. theobromae by dual culture method. Strains CMU2 and RS5 were the most prominent isolates in controlling the tested pathogen and based on 16S rRNA gene sequence, they were identified as Bacillus velezensis and B. amyloliquefaciens, respectively. Cell-free supernatants (CFSs) of both antagonistic bacteria were prepared and found to be active against all tested L. theobromae strains. The optimum pH and temperature for antifungal activity of both CFSs were 7 and 30°C. In addition, conducted experiments on UV exposure and proteinase treatments did not affect the CFS’s antifungal activity. Characterisation of the chemical constituents using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed the presence of various metabolites exhibiting antifungal activity. Furthermore, the in vivo bioassays also exhibited a significant impact on the banana rot lesion size, although it should be noted that the disease inhibition depends on the application procedure. In this study, the reduction of the disease development in bananas was most efficient when the antagonistic bacteria were applied before and/or at the same time with the fungal inoculation, emphasising the preventive measure. Our results demonstrated the effectiveness of B. amyloliquefaciens (CMU2) and B. velezensis (RS5) as the biological control agents. These findings would be useful in developing and implementing the management of L. theobromae pathogen.

Biochemical Responses to Salt Stress and Biostimulant Action in Tomato Plants Grown in Two Different Soil Types

Soil salinity is one of the major causes of losses in agricultural production, which is accentuated by global warming. A sustainable strategy to mitigate the effects of the increasing soil salinisation is the use of biostimulants. In this study, the effect of a plant-based biostimulant was tested on tomato plants exposed to different salinity levels in loamy and sandy soils. Salinity in the soils reached a maximum value of 14.35 dS m−1. The treatments included a control (tap water) and a dose of 0.4 mL L−1 of the commercial biostimulant BALOX®, containing polyphenols and glycine betaine. After 60 days of treatment, several growth and biochemical parameters were evaluated in the plants, and different responses were found depending on the type of soil texture. Salt stress inhibited plant growth, mainly affecting the roots of plants not treated with the biostimulant, in both soil texture types. It also caused a reduction of total chlorophyll and carotenoid levels by 44% and 38%, respectively, under severe salinity conditions. High salinity induced a significant increase in ionic, osmotic and oxidative stress in plants, as indicated by the accumulation of toxic Na+ and Cl− ions, higher proline and MDA levels, and increased antioxidant enzyme activities. However, the application of BALOX® stimulated plant growth and root system development in all experimental conditions. The areas of roots and leaves and the stem length and diameter showed higher mean values in biostimulant-treated plants on both soil types, with more pronounced differences with the controls in sandy soils. The total fresh weight showed maximum increases of 54% and 93% on loamy and sandy soils, respectively. In addition, BALOX® significantly improved the active transport of nutrients such as K+ and Ca2+, and the concentration of photosynthetic pigments by up to 64% over control values; it also allowed greater protection against salt stress as shown by a significant reduction of proline levels, by up to 36%, and MDA by 51% under strongly saline conditions. The application of BALOX® generally decreased the level of stress in the tomato plants, promoting plant growth and enhancing their biochemical responses, even on strongly salinised soils.