Plant Material Research Articles

The Influence of Container and Frigo Planting Material on the Vegetative Growth and Fertility of the Variety Clery

The quality of planting material plays a decisive role in the profitability of strawberry production. Of all categories of seedlings in commercial strawberry plantations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, frigo seedlings predominate. The goal of the research is to obtain relevant data on the reaction to external environmental conditions, vegetative growth, and reproductive potential of both types of seedlings by comparing frigo and container planting material. By researching the vegetative and generative growth of strawberries of the Clery variety with two different types of seedlings, it was concluded that green container seedlings are vegetatively more developed compared to frigo seedlings. The container seedlings produced a higher number of buds by 14.2% and leaf mass by 17.5% and entered the resting phase more readily. The percentage of unrooted container seedlings after planting is only 1.1% compared to frigo seedlings, where this percentage is 11.3%, due to the fact that container seedlings have less stress after transplanting, which is the result of the substrate around the roots of the seedling. On the other hand, green container seedlings form a higher percentage of stolons, which additionally burdens the work engagement when removing them in intensive strawberry production. Finally, the container seedlings had a higher and better yield, which amounted to an average of 10.34 grams per fruit, while the average fruit weight of the frigo seedlings was 9.84 grams. In the end, this difference in weight gave 80.29 grams more yield per plant in favor of container seedlings.

A modified CTAB method for the extraction of high-quality RNA from mono-and dicotyledonous plants rich in secondary metabolites

BackgroundHigh-quality RNA extraction from woody plants is difficult because of the presence of polysaccharides and polyphenolics that bind or co-precipitate with the RNA. The CTAB (cetyl trimethylammonium bromide) based method is widely used for the isolation of nucleic acids from polysaccharide-rich plants. Despite the widespread use of the CTAB method, it is necessary to adapt it to particular plant species, tissues and organs. Here we described a simple and generalized method for RNA isolation from mature leaf tissues of several economically important woody (17) and herbaceous plants (2) rich in secondary metabolites. High yields were achieved from small amount (up to 50 mg) of plant material. Two main modifications were applied to the basic protocol: an increase in β-mercaptoethanol concentration (to 10%v/v) and the use of an effective DNase treatment. As opposed to similar studies, we tried to describe a more detailed protocol for isolating RNA, including the exact quantity and concentration of the reagents were used.ResultsOur modified CTAB method is proved to be efficient in extracting the total RNA from a broad range of woody and herbaceous species. The RNA yield was ranged from 2.37 to 91.33 µg/µl. The A260:A280 and A260:A230 absorbance ratios were measured from 1.77 to 2.13 and from 1.81 to 2.22. The RIN value (RNA Integrity Number) of the samples fell between 7.1 and 8.1, which indicated that a small degree of RNA degradation occurred during extraction. The presence of a single peak in the melt curve analyses and low standard errors of the Ct values of replicated measurements indicated the specificity of the primers to bind to the cDNA.ConclusionsOur RNA isolation method, with fine-tuned and detailed instructions, can produce high quality RNA from a small amount of starting plant material that is suitable for use in downstream transcriptional analyses. The use of an increased concentration of the reducing agent β-mercaptoethanol in the extraction buffer, as well as the application of DNaseI-treatment resulted in a method suitable for a wide range of plants without the need of further optimalization, especially in Rhus typhina (Staghorn sumac), for which molecular-genetic studies have not yet been sufficiently explored.

Ulcerative stomatitis associated with yellow bristle grass in New Zealand dairy cows

ABSTRACT Case history A line of 25 cull cows were all found to have ulcerative lesions of the tongue at post-mortem inspection in a New Zealand slaughter plant. A further 9 of 10 cows inspected at the farm of origin had similar oral lesions. There were no other clinical signs or indicators of ill-health observed at ante-mortem inspection in the abattoir or on the farm. The cows had been fed baleage for 3 weeks prior to slaughter, made from pasture in paddocks heavily contaminated with yellow bristle grass (Setaria pumila). Clinical findings There was extensive and deep transverse linear ulceration in the lingual fossa immediately rostral to the torus linguae. At histological examination, full-thickness ulceration of the stratified squamous epithelium was observed with a bed of disorganised collagenous tissue and extensive mixed inflammatory infiltrate extending into the sub-epithelial connective tissue and skeletal muscle. Barbed plant fragments were embedded in both the superficial and deeper areas of inflammation. Detailed examination of the baleage also found that yellow bristle grass seedheads were present. Diagnosis Based on the presence of barbed plant material in the tongue and yellow bristle grass seeds in the baleage, a diagnosis of ulcerative stomatitis associated with yellow bristle grass was made. Clinical relevance Clinicians should be aware of the potential for hay or baleage contaminated with yellow bristle grass to cause oral lesions in cattle.

Insights from tuberose farmers: A survey study in Jashore District, Bangladesh.

To obtain information on the cultivation of tuberoses in Bangladesh's Jashore district, a study has been carried out to evaluate the economic and social standing of cultivators and examine the methods employed in production and farmers' attitudes towards field disease. The majority of surveyed farmers were men, aged between 30 and 40 years. Only 7.41% had a high level of education, and most had less than five years of experience in tuberose cultivation. On an annual basis, the total production cost amounted to Tk. 27,200 (bigha/year), yielding a net profit of Tk. 1,20,000 (bigha/year). 31.48% of farmers expressed the belief that diseases affecting tuberose originated from contaminated planting materials. A significant proportion (64.81%) of farmers used PGR to combat diseases affecting tuberose production. Government Agriculture Officers played a crucial role in assisting farmers with knowledge and guidance. Yet, most participants highlighted that the key to preventing diseases lies in the effective application of pesticides. The findings of this study can guide policymakers in implementing measures to enhance tuberose production and fortify the floriculture industry in Bangladesh.

Evaluating Fecal DNA Metabarcoding to Estimate the Dietary Botanical Composition of Goats

Improved techniques are needed to estimate the dietary species composition of grazing animals. The fecal DNA metabarcoding technique has been proposed as a noninvasive method to determine dietary species composition. However, studies suggest that it is more effective to qualitatively estimate species composition of wild and domestic animals than for accurately quantifying diet composition. The technique, using the trnL barcode, was evaluated with 10 individually penned goats, which were fed hand-harvested plant materials that were collected fresh each morning before known amounts of each type of plant materials were fed and completely consumed by the goats. Goats were fed at 3% of their body weight on a DM basis. Broadleaf plant materials fed were Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), silver buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea), western snowberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis), and wormwood sage (Artemisia absinthium) plus a mixture of predominantly smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis), which also included small amounts of other grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) and forbs such as leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula). Estimates of the dietary composition of the goats were different (P ≤ 0.04) from those of their known dietary composition, except for wormwood sage when expressed on a crude protein basis (P = 0.98), regardless of whether known composition was expressed on a dry matter or crude protein basis. Therefore, we conclude that the fecal DNA metabarcoding technique for estimating the dietary composition of goat diets is useful qualitatively but needs further development to be a better quantitative technique.

Antifungal efficacy of natural antimicrobial substances during the fermentation and storage of Hardaliye

Hardaliye is a non-alcoholic traditional fermented beverage produced using black grapes, mustard seeds, sour cherry leaves, and sodium benzoate. In this study, the effect of using plant materials (quince leaves, green tea, mulberry leaves, linden flowers, horseradish roots) as an alternative to sodium benzoate for inhibiting yeast growth to produce additive-free hardaliye was investigated. Hardaliye samples were produced using the selected test materials, microbiological and chemical analyses were performed during fermentation (20°C for 18 days) and storage (4°C for 2 months) periods. Additionally, the antifungal effects of test material extracts against Saccharomyces cerevisiae in grape juice and Malt Extract Broth (MEB), as well as the survival of S. cerevisiae in grape juice containing plant materials were examined. Only mustard seed extract had inhibitory and fungicidal effects at 25 mg/mL on S. cerevisiae in MEB among the tested plant material extracts and the effect increased when used in combination with grape juice. The total phenolic contents of the hardaliye samples were in the range of 2119.26 - 8653.33 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/L, and antioxidant activities were in the range of 30.24 - 93.15%. The numbers of S. cerevisiae decreased below the detection limit (<1 log CFU/mL) after 1 day in grape juice containing horseradish (5%), mustard seeds (1.5%) or sodium benzoate (0.1%). This study indicated that crushed mustard seeds at increased concentrations (1.5%), mustard seeds water extract (7.5 mg/mL), or horseradish roots (5%) have the potential to be used in the production of hardaliye as an alternative to sodium benzoate.

Reading tea leaves worldwide: Decoupled drivers of initial litter decomposition mass-loss rate and stabilization.

The breakdown of plant material fuels soil functioning and biodiversity. Currently, process understanding of global decomposition patterns and the drivers of such patterns are hampered by the lack of coherent large-scale datasets. We buried 36,000 individual litterbags (tea bags) worldwide and found an overall negative correlation between initial mass-loss rates and stabilization factors of plant-derived carbon, using the Tea Bag Index (TBI). The stabilization factor quantifies the degree to which easy-to-degrade components accumulate during early-stage decomposition (e.g. by environmental limitations). However, agriculture and an interaction between moisture and temperature led to a decoupling between initial mass-loss rates and stabilization, notably in colder locations. Using TBI improved mass-loss estimates of natural litter compared to models that ignored stabilization. Ignoring the transformation of dead plant material to more recalcitrant substances during early-stage decomposition, and the environmental control of this transformation, could overestimate carbon losses during early decomposition in carbon cycle models.

Deciphering the Interactions of Scopoletin and Scopolin from Catunaregam nilotica Roots against Naja nigricollis Phospholipase A2 Enzyme

Catuneragam nilotica has been used in ethnomedicine to treat snakebite, inflammation, and diarrhea among others. The aim of this research is to isolate, and characterize potential potential phospholipase A2 (PLA2) inhibitors from the roots of C. nilotica. The plant material was collected, authenticated, and sequentially extracted using solvents of increasing polarity starting from n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The extracts as reported in our previous work, were screened in vitro for their inhibitory activity against PLA2 enzyme from N. nigricollis venom using acidimetric assay. In line with the bio-activity guided isolation, methanol extract (being the most active) was subjected to chromatographic separation using silica gel and sephadex LH-20 which resulted in the isolation and characterization of scopoletin, and scopolin; the compounds were able to inhibit the hydrolytic actions of PLA2 enzyme with percentage inhibition ranging from 67.82 – 100.00 % and 65.76 – 93.15 %, respectively while the standard Antisnake Venom (ASV) had 74.96 – 85.04 % after 10 minutes incubation at 37 °C. The molecular docking of the compounds against PLA2 enzyme was performed using Auto Dock Vina while ADME-Tox analysis was evaluated using swissADME and ProTox-II online servers; The findings indicated that both compounds were able to bind to the active site of PLA2 enzyme with high affinity (-6.5 to -6.2 kcal/mol) and they exhibited favorable drug-likeness and pharmacokinetic properties, and according to toxicity predictions, scopolin was found to be non-toxic (LD50 of 5000 mg/kg) while scopoletin has a slight chance of being toxic (LD50 of 3800 mg/kg). In conclusion, the findings of the research revealed that the roots of C. nilotica contains phytoconstituents with anti-PLA2 enzyme activity and thus, validates the ethnomedicinal claim of the use of the plant as herbal therapy against N. nigricollis envenomation.

Influence of Compost Amendments on Soil and Human Gastrointestinal Bacterial Communities during a Single Gardening Season

To measure associations between gardening with different compost amendments and the human gut microbiota composition, gardeners (n = 25) were provided with one of three types of compost: chicken manure (CM), dairy manure and plant material (DMP), or plant-based (P). Stool samples were collected before gardening (T1), after compost amendment (T2), and at peak garden harvest (T3). Compost and soil samples were collected. DNA was extracted, 16S rRNA libraries were established, and libraries were sequenced by Illumina MiSeq. Sequences were processed using mothur, and data were analyzed in R software version 4.2.2. Fast expectation-maximization microbial source tracking analysis was used to determine stool bacteria sources. At T2/T3, the gut microbiotas of P participants had the lowest Shannon alpha diversity, which was also the trend at T1. In stool from T2, Ruminococcus 1 were less abundant in the microbiotas of those using P compost as compared to those using CM or DMP. At T2, Prevotella 9 had the highest abundance in the microbiotas of those using CM compost. In participants who used CM compost to amend their gardening plots, a larger proportion of the human stool bacteria were sourced from CM compared to soil. Soil exposure through gardening was associated with a small but detectable change in the gardeners’ gut microbiota composition. These results suggest that human interactions with soil through gardening could potentially impact health through alterations to the gut microbiota.

Indigofera cryptantha-induced pigmenturia in cattle in South Africa

Two field cases of reddish-black pigmenturia occurred where cattle grazed on an established Cenchrus ciliaris (blue buffalo grass) pasture in South Africa. The pasture was noticeably invaded by Indigofera cryptantha, which was heavily grazed. Apart from the discolored urine, no other clinical abnormalities were detected. Urinalysis revealed hemoglobinuria, proteinuria and an alkaline pH. When the animals were immediately removed from the infested pasture, they made an uneventful recovery. However, a bull died when one of the herds could not be removed from the I. cryptantha-infested pasture. Macroscopically, the kidneys were dark red in color and the urinary bladder contained the dark pigmented urine. Microscopically, the renal tubules contained eosinophilic, granular pigment casts in the lumen. In addition, many renal tubular epithelial cells were attenuated with granular cytoplasm and were detached from the basement membranes. Chemical analysis was performed on dried, milled plant material and two urine samples collected during the field investigations. Qualitative UPLC-UV-qTOF/MS analysis revealed the presence of indican (indoxyl-β-glucoside) in the stems, leaves and pods of I. cryptantha and indoxyl sulfate was identified, and confirmed with an analytical standard, in the urine samples. It is proposed that following ingestion of I. cryptantha, indican will be hydrolysed in the liver to indoxyl and conjugated with sulfate. Indoxyl sulfate will then be excreted in relatively high concentrations in the urine. In the alkaline urine, two indoxyl molecules might dimerize to form leucoindigo with subsequent oxidation to indigo, thus, contributing to the dark pigmentation of the urine. It is also possible that indoxyl sulfate contributed to the renal failure and death of the bull. Although I. suffruticosa-induced hemoglobinuria has been described in Brazil, this is the first report of I. cryptantha-induced pigmenturia in cattle in South Africa.

Plant Materials for the Production of Functional Foods for Weight Management and Obesity Prevention

Abstract: Obesity is a serious problem in the modern world and is considered a risk factor in the development of many human diseases. Consumption of low-calorie, low-fat diets, together with increased physical activity and a healthy lifestyle, contribute a lot to the fight against obesity. Meanwhile, functional foods with a reduced calorie content and enriched with substances useful for the human body may play a role as additional helpers in weight management. In this review, general suggestions for the elaboration of foods with plant-origin functional ingredients for weight management, which help the human body with obesity prevention, based on human clinical trials, are proposed. Including new ingredients of plant-origin for the preparation of traditional foods helps to have a balanced diet and may contribute to weight management and obesity prevention.

Ecofriendly and high-performance flexible pressure sensor derived from natural plant materials for intelligent audible and silent speech recognition

Ecofriendly and high-performance flexible pressure sensor derived from natural plant materials for intelligent audible and silent speech recognition

Transcriptional and physio-chemical responses of Tectona grandis L. triggered by teak defoliator

Tectona grandis (L) is a popular timber species cultivated in the Indian sub-continent and other countries because of its economic significance. However, the lack of quality planting material with special reference to defoliator herbivory is a major constraint because it negatively influences the establishment of thriving plantations. To address this, the so-called pest response in teak seedlings was investigated at the biochemical and molecular levels. The stress was levied by allowing defoliator infestation on 1-year-old seedlings for nine days at 3-day intervals, whereas control plants were maintained as uninfected. A considerable difference was observed for the considered traits among the infested plants at different intervals compared with the control. Total soluble protein, soluble sugars, tannin, and lignin accumulation increased with increasing stress intensity. Furthermore, catalase, polyphenol oxidase, and phenol content increased after defoliator feeding, whereas peroxidase activity decreased compared with control plants. In addition, six herbivory stress-responsive genes revealed the molecular response of teak. Among them, four genes viz. zinc finger protein (ZFP2), ethylene-responsive factor (ERF-1), catalase-1 (Cat1) and peroxidase super family protein (Psfp) were highly expressed in the infected plants as compared with the control plants. In contrast, the MYB-DNA binding domain gene was downregulated in infected plants compared to uninfected plants. Cytochrome P450 was up-regulated in T1 and T2 plants, while it was down-regulated in T3. Genes were highly expressed as the stress frequency increased. This study offers an improved understanding of biochemical and transcriptional defense responses against the teak defoliator, which could further support teak improvement for quality planting material production.

ВЛИЯНИЕ ОТДЕЛЬНЫХ ЭЛЕМЕНТОВ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ ВОЗДЕЛЫВАНИЯ КАРТОФЕЛЯ СОРТА ГАЛА НА УРОЖАЙНОСТЬ КЛУБНЕЙ В УСЛОВИЯХ ЗАКАМЬЯ РЕСПУБЛИКИ ТАТАРСТАН

An assessment of the impact of various areas and food conditions on potato yields in the Kama region of the Republic of Tatarstan has been carried out. It was found that on leached chernozems, as the number of tubers planted on different nutrient backgrounds increased from 30 to 60 thousand pieces/ha, the yield of potato tubers of the Gala variety increased on average over 2 years from 25.2 to 29.2 t/ha in the control, against the background of the use of fertilizers from 31.0-34.8 and 32.4-38.7 tons/ha . However, the maximum yield minus the weight of the planting material of 25.2...31.1 and 35.1 t/ha had a clear, pronounced maximum at a certain optimal planting rate of 50 thousand tubers/ha. The effect of the nutrition background on the number of stems of one bush was insignificant, however, in terms of unit area, the number of stems against the background of N60P60K90 with a planting density of 50 thousand tubers exceeded the control (without fertilizers) by 3.41 thousand pieces, and against the background of N60P60K90 - by 100 thousand pieces. + When applying 60 tons of manure, this difference amounted to 4.38 thousand pieces, which ultimately affected the formation of the tuber harvest. The largest assimilation surface – 44.6...46.7 thousand m2/ha was noted in the fertilized variants of the experiment with a planting density of 60 thousand tubers per 1 ha. The excess compared to the control was 6.3...8.4 thousand m2/ha. The use of fertilizers in potato cultivation led to a slight decrease in the starch content in tubers by 1.4...2.1% with a planting density of 50 thousand tubers per 1 hectare. As the planting density increased, regardless of the nutritional background, the starch content increased by 1.1% on the control and by 0.8...0.9% on the fertilized backgrounds.

Revisiting palaeolithic combustion features of Theopetra Cave: A diachronic use of dung and peat as fuel

The chemical diagenesis and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Palaeolithic sequence of Theopetra Cave have been studied extensively, but little information is available regarding the details of its combustion structures. The cave is characterized by extensive beds of multi-sequence combustion layers dated between 140 and 50 ka BP, and thick, often stratigraphically complex bodies of ash and charred remains dated between 16 and 13 ka BP. All combustion features contain large amounts of charred and partially charred fibrous organic matter of non-wood plant material and very little charcoal. The structure, fabric, composition, and chemistry of these remains suggest that a mixture of peat and dung was used as a fuel, occasionally enriched with amounts of wood fuel. The integrity of the sequence of combustion structures precludes the possibility that dung was produced by animals inside the cave as their traffic on its wet substrate would have destroyed the burnt layers and homogenized the sediment. The mixture of peat and dung was most likely collected from peatlands associated with swamps of the former so called Karditsa Lake that probably existed in the area until the beginning of the Holocene. Peat and dung were used as a fuel when wood fuel was not available, during the relatively cold intervals of the glacial periods, but also during the last interglacial when the area close to the cave was wooded. Of great interest is that this same fuel was used during both the Middle and the Upper Palaeolithic, presumably by different human species. Although Theopetra appears to be the first site that peat and dung was used as a fuel during the Middle Palaeolithic, it is suggested that other sites may have used this fuel as well. This has important consequences in understanding the evolution of human pyrotechnology particularly during glacial periods.

Anticancer Activity and Green Synthesized TiO2 Nanoparticles From Calotropis Gigantea Leaves Extract

Abstract: Aim &amp; Objective: Research the Anticancer Abilities of TiO2 Nanoparticles Obtain using Calotropis Gigantea by liver cells (HepG2). Materials &amp; Methods: Various plant materials for the synthesis of nanoparticles are considered in green technology. In this present study, reports the synthesis of Tio2 nanoparticles that were synthesized from Calotropis gigantea leaf, and the formation of Tio2 nanoparticles was observed with different time intervals. The characterization was recorded from scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transfer infrared spectra, DLS, UV-Vis spectrum. The supporting green synthesis and characterization of Tio2 nanoparticles. Result: The result is recorded from MTT assay and ETBR/AO Staining.

Genetic Characterization of Water Yam (Dioscorea alata L.) and Production Constraints of Yam in Pwani Region and Unguja Island, Tanzania

Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is a tuber crop cultivated in over 30% of all regions in Tanzania, contributing to the carbohydrate needs of many households. The morphological and genetic diversity of water yam (D. alata L.) local cultivars collected from Pwani region and Unguja Island were evaluated using 26 agro-morphological characters and 10 Short Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers. Cluster analysis using morphological characters classified nine water yam local cultivars into two main clusters with three subclusters. Tuber flesh and leaf colour were the main descriptors for clustering. The genetic diversity of 128 water yam genotypes using ten polymorphic SSR markers generated a total of 40 alleles that ranged from 2 to 7 per SSR marker. The mean polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.3 to 0.9, with a mean of 0.56. Cluster analysis separated 128 yam genotypes into two main clusters with five subclusters. The findings revealed relatively high genetic diversity of D. alata in the study areas. A structured questionnaire revealed drought (29.3%) and lack of planting materials (23.3%) as the major constraints to yam production in the study areas. Information reported in this study is useful in improving, reviving and promoting yam through breeding and conservation programs.

Phytochemical screening, proximate and vitamin composition of Jack fruit (Artocarpus Heterophyllus) pulp and seed

The potential health benefits of plant are determined by the level of phytochemicals, proximate, minerals and vitamin composition of the plant material. The study was carried out to determine the phytochemical composition, proximate and vitamin content of Artocarpus heterophyllus pulp and seeds. The results revealed that Artocarpus heterophyllus is rich in phytochemicals such as Saponins, Alkaloid, Cardiac Glycoside, Phlobatannins, Terpenes, Steroids and Deoxy-Sugar. Proximate composition analysis indicated that the pulp has higher moisture, protein and lipid content, while crude fibre and carbohydrate were higher in the seed. The fruit pulp contained a greater percentage of vitamins A and C compared to the seeds. These phytochemicals, proximate composition, and vitamins offer numerous health benefits, suggesting that the consumption of jack fruit pulp and seeds may help in alleviating various health challenges.

Optimization of Combined Microwave and Ultrasound Extractions of Cannabinoids Compounds from Cannabis indica L. (Blueberry Cultivar) Using Response Surface Methodology

Microwave and ultrasound are novel technologies that are widely used for extracting bioactive compounds from plant materials. In this study, combined extraction techniques, microwave and ultrasound, were applied to extract cannabinoids, cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), from Cannabis indica L. (Blueberry cultivar). Three independent variables including solid to liquid ratio (X1, A: 1:10-1:30 w/v), microwave extraction time (X2, B: 5-20 min), and ultrasound extraction time (X3, C: 10-30 min) were optimized using central composite design (CCD). The experimental data obtained was fitted to a second-order polynomial equation using multiple regression analysis and additionally analyzed using appropriate statistical methods (analysis of variance, ANOVA). The optimum conditions were determined according to the solid to liquid ratio (X1, A) of 1:22 (w/v), microwave extraction time (X2, B) of 5 min and ultrasound extraction time (X3, C) of 14 min. Under these conditions, the experimental CBD and THC content was 0.298±0.001 mg/g dry weight and 91.35±0.35 mg/g dry weight, respectively. The experimentally-achieved values were in accordance with those estimated by the CCD model, suggesting the applicability of the utilized model and the favorable result of CCD’s application in the optimization of the combined microwave and ultrasound extraction.

Fermented Rapeseed and Soybean Alone and in Combination with Macro Algae Inhibit Human and Pig Pathogenic Bacteria In Vitro

Higher plants produce secondary metabolites expressing antimicrobial effects as a defense mechanism against opportunistic microorganisms living in close proximity with the plant. Fermentation leads to bioconversion of plant substrates to these bioactive compounds and their subsequent release via breakdown of plant cell walls. Fermented feed products have recently started to become implemented in the pig industry to reduce overall disease pressure and have been found to reduce events such as post-weaning diarrhea. In this study, we investigate the antimicrobial potential of fermented soybean- and rapeseed-based pig feed supplements with and without added seaweed. The antimicrobial effect was tested in a plate well diffusion assay against a range of known human and livestock pathogenic bacteria. Further, we investigate the metabolite profiles based on liquid-chromatography mass-spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis of the fermented products in comparison to their unfermented constituents. We observed a pronounced release of potential antimicrobial secondary metabolites such as benzoic acids when the plant material was fermented, and a significantly increased antimicrobial effect compared to the unfermented controls against several pathogenic bacteria, especially Salmonella enterica Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, Yersinia enterocolitica, and a strain of atopic dermatitis causing Staphylococcus aureus CC1. In conclusion, fermentation significantly enhances the antimicrobial properties of rapeseed, soybean, and seaweed, offering a promising alternative to zinc oxide for controlling pathogens in piglet feed. This effect is attributed to the release of bioactive metabolites effective against pig production-relevant bacteria.