Plant Product Quality Research Articles

Ways to increase the effectiveness of using urea

The use of prolonged nitrogen fertilizers makes it possible to reduce doses by 20–30% and the cost of their use. The use of prolonged forms of nitrogen fertilizers improves the quality of plant products by reducing their nitrate content. Various modifications of urea are used: fertilizers of prolonged action due to the weak solubility of granules, encapsulated fertilizers, fertilizers modified with urease and nitrification inhibitors, fertilizers with controlled release of nutrients, biomodified fertilizers, matrix fertilizers. The use of such fertilizers provides an increase in the nitrogen utilization rate of fertilizer by plants, reduces its gaseous losses, and increases crop yields. In addition, the use of modified forms of urea reduces the negative impact on the environment. The release of gaseous forms of nitrogen when using encapsulated urea with urease and nitrification inhibitors is 2 times slower. The efficiency of using carbamide modified with inhibitors, according to vegetation and field experiments on spring wheat, expressed in an increase in grain yield by 9–12%; the nitrogen utilization rate of fertilizers (UF) was 16–27% higher. The increase in winter wheat grain yield can be 5–21%, the nitrogen utilization factor (UF) can be 5–18% higher. The yield of corn may increase by 6–17%, and the nitrogen content of the plant may increase by 17–20%. The increase in rice yield when using carbamide with nitrification or urease inhibitors varies from 3 to 23, lettuce – 11, potatoes – 10–11%.

Phosphine and phosphine plus ethyl formate for controlling papaya mealybug (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) on succulents.

The papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), poses a serious threat to global trade and is classified as a quarantine pest in some countries. Phosphine (PH3) is considered an alternative to methyl bromide for postharvest control of P. marginatus. However, reports addressing the impact of PH3 treatment to control P. marginatus on succulent plants are lacking. This study aims to investigate the effects of PH3 fumigation alone and in combination with ethyl formate (EF) on insecticidal activity across all developmental stages of P. marginatus and its influence on the quality of plant products. Tolerance tests showed that among all developmental stages, the egg stage of P. marginatus is the most tolerant to PH3 treatment. A concentration of 1g m-3 PH3 for 8h exposure at 25 °C achieved a 99.9968% (Probit-9) mortality rate for the eggs. Additionally, we examined the synergistic effects of combining EF with PH3. Combined fumigation with 0.5g m-3 PH3 and 2g m-3 EF for 8h at 25 °C did not adversely affect the lifespan and quality of three succulent plant species, achieving an effective dose of 0.99991. These findings suggest that PH3 fumigation, with or without EF, are effective treatments for postharvest control of P. marginatus in succulent plants.

Influence of mineral fertilizers and liming on the dynamics of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions, crop yield and quality of crop products of crop rotation link

In the field experiment was investigated the effect of repeated lime application on CO2 emissions from the soil, yield and quality of plant products against the background of mineral fertilizers N90P90K90, on dark gray forest heavy loamy soil. As a result of liming and improvement of the acid regime in the soil, prerequisites are created to enhance the vital activity of beneficial microorganisms in the experiment. It was revealed that an increase in biological activity (carbon dioxide emissions) against the background of the application of mineral fertilizers N90P90K90 and CaCO3 ensures high yield and product quality, contributes to favorable conditions for preserving soil fertility and to a greater extent stimulates the development of microorganisms using mineral forms of nitrate nitrogen. With the systematic use of mineral fertilizers N90P90K90 at the stage of crop rotation, an increase in the quality of cultivated crops was noted (the nutritional value of the green mass of clover; the content of crude protein, protein, gluten, starch in barley grain; the nature of grain in winter wheat). In different years of research, according to weather conditions, grain with a high content of crude gluten, protein, nature in winter wheat grain, starch in barley, ash nutrition elements in clover was obtained. The best option turned out to be using dolomite flour and (N90P90K90). All the considered quality indicators of winter wheat improved under the influence of fertilizers and lime, and the difference with the control was: protein – 0,64–1,78%; crude gluten – 1,6–4,3%; grain nature – 11–26 g/l. The highest productivity was obtained when applying mineral fertilizers and lime: barley – 3,53 t/ha, clover hay of the first year of use – 77,53 t/ha, winter wheat – 7,89 t/ha, compared with the control without the use of fertilizers.

Benzopyrene content in soil and atmosphere near boiler house

The paper considers a boiler house using firewood as fuel. The amount of combustion products and harmful substances such as nitrogen oxides, soot, carbon monoxide, suspended solids and benzopyrene formed during the combustion of 13 tons of birch wood per year is determined for it. Particular attention is paid to the content of benzopyrene as a substance capable of migrating from the atmosphere into water bodies, soil and belonging to the first hazard class, thereby affecting the quality of plant products, animal feed and human health. Being a strong carcinogen, benzopyrene affects the immune system, development processes, is capable of causing mutations and being transmitted to subsequent generations. Based on software, long-term average concentrations of benzopyrene in the air in the ground layer at a height of 2 m from the surface at eight points on the ground near the emission source and at the boundary of the corresponding sanitary protection for the boiler house under consideration were calculated. It was found that for this emission source, no excess of the content of this substance in the atmosphere is observed, and the influence of the wind rose on its dispersion is shown. Using laboratory studies of the soil near the source, it was found that the concentration of benzopyrene during its accumulation over 7 years on lands intended for agricultural use does not exceed the permissible values. Also, in the work, based on the law of conservation of energy and consideration of heat transfer from combustion products through a cylindrical wall into the surrounding space during transverse flow around the pipe, expressions are written that allow determining the temperature of the outgoing flue gases taking into account their thermophysical properties, pipe material and climatic features of the area.

Real-Time Object Classification on an Enamel Paint Coating Conveyor Line Using Mask R-CNN

The rising demand to efficiently acquire live production data has added more significance to automated monitoring and reporting within the industrial manufacturing sector. Real-time parts screening requiring repetitive human intervention for data input may not be a feasible solution to meet the demands of modern industrial automation. The objective of this study is to automatically classify and report on manufactured metal sheet parts. The metal components are mechanically suspended on an enamel paint-coating conveyor line in a household appliance manufacturing plant. At any given instant, the parts may not be in the exact coordinates within the desired area of interest and the classes of objects vary based on changing production requirements. To mitigate these challenges, this study proposes the use of a trained Mask R-CNN model to detect the objects and their associated class. Images are acquired in real-time using a video camera located next to the enamel coating line which are subsequently processed using the object detection algorithm for automated entry into the plant management information system. The highest achieved average precision obtained from the model was 98.27% with an overall accuracy of 98.24% using the proposed framework. The results surpassed the acceptable standard for the average precision of 97.5% as set by the plant production quality engineers.

Applying Types Of Solid And Liquid Organic Fertilizer Dosages To Onion (Allium ascalonicum L.) Production

One of the plant cultivation techniques to increase shallot production is fertilization. Fertilization is the application of fertilizer to increase the supply of nutrients needed by plants to improve the yield and quality of plant products. This research aims to determine and obtain a combination of the type of organic fertilizer and dosage of liquid organic fertilizer that has the best effect on the production of shallots (Allium ascalonicum L.). The research was conducted on farmers' land in Sukajadi Village, Talang Kelapa District, Banyuasin Regency, South Sumatra. The study was carried out from March to June 2023. This research used an experimental method with a split-plot design with 12 treatment combinations repeated 3 times. The treatment in question is the main plot: type of organic fertilizer consisting of chicken manure, buffalo dung fertilizer, and goat dung fertilizer, while sub-plots: dosage of liquid organic fertilizer consisting of control; 10 L/ha; 15 L/ha and 20 L/ha. The variables observed were the number of tubers per cluster (tuber), tuber weight per cluster (g), and tuber weight per plot (kg). The research results showed that a combination of organic chicken manure and liquid organic fertilizer at a dose of 20 L/ha gave the best production of shallots, namely 0.61 kg/ plot (2.44 tons/ha).

Biochemical properties of winter wheat (Triticum vulgare L.) under Zn and Cu balance in the soil-culture system

The role of trace elements as a factor in the formation of biochemical features of grain crops is a debatable and extremely understudied issue. At the same time, the ecological importance of the balance of nutritional elements for the normal functioning of plants is widely highlighted in biology and agronomy. The purpose of the study was to determine the interdependence of biochemical and biogeochemical features and to determine the influence of the biogeochemical balance of Zn and Cu on the biochemical parameters of wheat in various agrolandscapes of the forest-steppe of Ukraine. We has been developed an original method of regional spatial correlation between the balance of micronutrients in the soil-crop system and biochemical indicators of the quality of plant products. Spatial correlation was implemented in wheat growing areas in two agrolandscapes, namely, with dark gray podzolized soils in the Kyiv region and gray podzolized soils in the Vinnytsia region. Regional features of the distribution of Zn and Cu in the agricultural landscape are summarized by their biogeochemical formulas, which highlight 5 evaluation characteristics of the soil-culture system in subsoil rocks, soils, and grain crops. Features of the quality of wheat in the territory of agrolandscapes are determined by statistical data on the content of protein, gluten, and vitreousness. The result of the spatial correlation of the specified characteristics is the determination of the interdependencies of the biochemical parameters of the nutritional quality of wheat and the balance of Zn, Cu in the investigated agrolandscapes. The determined differences between the features of the links of the biogeochemical chains of zinc and copper indicate the possibility of a decrease in the vitreousness and protein in wheat grains as a result of the lack of this nutrient microelement, even under the conditions of their natural and agrogenic accumulation in the soil. The inconsistency of the processes in the soil and the agrocenosis of the agrolandscape indicates the expediency of changes in soil protection and agrochemical melioration systems. Special attention needs to be paid to research on foliar nutrition of wheat culture, as a factor in increasing the biophilicity of nutrient microelements and the corresponding increase in the protein content and vitrification of wheat grain.

Формування фітопатогенного мікобіому на вегетативних органах рослин пшениці озимої

Cultivated plants, which are characterized by high resistance to phytopathogenic microorganisms, create significant selective pressure on their populations and select highly pathogenic and aggressive forms. Highly susceptible plants to such microorganisms ensure a rapid growth in the population of phytopathogenic micromycetes in agrocenoses. Cultivation of such plant groups on production crops leads to an increase in biological pollution of the agrosphere and a significant decrease in the level of biological safety. This requires increased use of chemical means of plant protection against diseases, which causes chemical pollution of agroecosystems and leads to a significant decrease in the quality of plant products through the accumulation of metabolic products of phytopathogenic microorganisms in it and a decrease in biological safety in agrocenoses. Therefore, the assessment and selection of winter wheat varieties as a factor in the regulation of the phytopathogenic mycobiome in agrocenoses is a highly relevant area of research that ensures the selection of ecologically safe varieties of cultivated plants. Cultivation of such varieties leads to a decrease in the level of biological pollution in agrocenoses and increases the quality and safety of plant products. It is known that biotic, abiotic and anthropogenic factors affect the formation of populations of microorganisms. Therefore, the formation of the mycobiome on the vegetative organs of winter wheat during the ontogenesis of plants under traditional and organic technologies was investigated. It has been proven that the meteorological conditions during the years of the study, namely: high air temperature and a significant amount of precipitation during the growing season, which was observed in 2021 and in the long dry years of 2020 and 2022, had a significant impact on the formation of the population of micromycetes in the agrocenosis of winter wheat. According to the results of our own research, the population density of micromycetes and the intensity of sporulation of mushroom species decreased during the phase of emergence into the tube using traditional cultivation technology. At the same time, during the earing phase, mushroom sporulation increases by 2–3 times. This can be explained by the homeostatic reaction of the population of micromycetes in the mycobiome of vegetative organs of winter wheat plants to the chemical pressure of applied pesticides, which can cause contamination of agrocenoses with infectious structures of pathogens and their toxic metabolites. At the same time, the population density of micromycetes, under organic cultivation technology, increased during the growing season from the tillering phase to the earing phase, depending on the soil and climatic conditions. Under the conditions of various winter wheat cultivation technologies, significant changes in the formation of micromycete populations were observed due to the influence of varietal characteristics of plants. A significantly lower frequency of occurrence of species and their intensity of sporulation was observed on the vegetative organs of the Skagen variety, compared to winter wheat plants of the Podolyanka variety. This testifies to the ability of physiological and biochemical substances of plants of various varieties of winter wheat to stimulate or restrain the development of micromycetes in the mycobiome of vegetative organs of the culture. Evaluation of the plant variety based on indicators of influence on the density, frequency of occurrence and intensity of sporulation of micromycetes will ensure a decrease in the level of biological pollution and an increase in the biosafety of plant raw materials.

Polymer Gel Substrate: Synthesis and Application in the Intensive Light Artificial Culture of Agricultural Plants.

This work is devoted to the description of the synthesis of hydrogels in the process of cryotropic gel formation based on copolymerization of synthesized potassium 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (SPMA-co-HEMA) and assessing the potential possibility of their use as substrates for growing plants in intensive light culture in a greenhouse. Gel substrates based on the SPMA-co-HEMA were created in two compositions, differing from each other in the presence of macro- and microelements, and their effects were studied on the plants' physiological state (content of chlorophylls a and b, activity of catalase and peroxidase enzymes, intensity of lipid peroxidation, elemental compositions) at the vegetative period of their development and on the plants' growth, productivity and quality of plant production at the final stages of development. Experiments were carried out under controlled microclimate conditions. Modern and standard generally accepted methods of gels were employed (ATR-FTIR and 13C NMR spectral studies, scanning electron microscopy, measurement of specific surface area and pore volume), as well as the methods of the physiological and chemical analysis of plants. The study demonstrated the swelling ability of the created gel substrates. Hydrogels' structure, their specific surface area, porosity, and pore volume were investigated. Using the example of representatives of leaf, fruit and root vegetable crops, the high biological activity of gel substrates was revealed throughout the vegetation period. Species specificity in the reaction of plants to the presence of gel substrates in the root-inhabited environment was revealed. Lettuce, tomato and cucumber plants were more responsive to the effect of the gel substrate, and radish plants were less responsive. At the same time, more pronounced positive changes in plant growth, quality and productivity were observed in cucumber and lettuce in the variant of gel substrates with macro- and microelements and in tomato plants in both variants of gel substrates. Further research into the mechanisms of the influence of gel substrates on plants, as well as the synthesis of new gel substrates with more pronounced properties to sorb and retain moisture is promising.

Presenting of Model in Distribution of Nutrients (Iron, Zinc, and Manganese) in Soil and Leaves of Orange Orchard Trees in the Southwest of Iran

ABSTRACT Among the soil nutrients, iron, zinc, and manganese are particularly important in producing plant product quality. The aim of this study was Presenting of Model in Distribution of Nutrients (Iron, Zinc, and Manganese) in Soil and Leaves of Orange Orchard Trees were in the Southwest of Iran, which was done using the Geographic Information System (GIS) in 2020. One hundred and thirty points were determined using Global Positioning System (GPS), and sampling of soil and leaves of orange trees was performed. Elements were measured using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The location of sampling points was simulated using R software. Interpolation was performed using simple kriging and kernel methods. The accuracy of the interpolation was also assessed using the baseline variance method. Finally, the simulated values in the model were implemented in the GIS software environment. The results showed that the interpolation accuracy was optimal for modeling iron and zinc elements in the soil samples. Correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between the amounts of elements in the soil and the leaves of the orange trees (p < .05). The strongest positive correlation is found for the iron values. The research results show the optimal efficiency of geostatistical methods in managing agricultural lands and orchards.

Seed Microbiolization Associate With Nitrogen Doses Increase the Nutrition of Tomato Fruits

Endophytic bacteria can promote growth and improve the quality of plant production. The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of inoculation of a mix of non-host endophytic bacteria isolates in the nutrition of tomato fruits cultivated, fertilized with rock powder and different doses of nitrogen. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, in a factorial arrangement (2 &amp;times; 6 + 3), with four replications. The treatments consisted of two methods of inoculation of the mix of endophytic bacteria: seed microbiolization and post-emergence inoculation; six doses of nitrogen fertilization: 0, 129, 258, 387, 516 and 645 kg ha-1; and 3 controls (without inoculation of the bacterial mix). The average export of macro and micronutrients in tomato fruits was, in descending order: K &amp;gt; N &amp;gt; P &amp;gt; Ca &amp;gt; Mg &amp;gt; S (averages of 1.33; 0.46; 0.07; 0.06; 0.05 and 0.05 g plant-1, respectively) and Mn &amp;gt; Cu &amp;gt; Fe &amp;gt; Zn (means of 2.67; 1.98; 1.71 and 0.79 mg plant-1, respectively). The inoculation method by seed microbiolization associated with nitrogen doses promoted significant increment in the dry mass of the fruits and in the content of the nutrients P, Ca, Zn, Fe and Mn.

Improvement Mechanical Properties of Epoxy Composite Reinforced with Sisal, Ramie and Carbon Fibers

In this paper, justification of mechanical characteristics is carried out to determine the ability of bio-composites to become structural composite bicycle frames capable of achieving strengths of more than 300 [MPa]. Sisal fiber is a natural fiber that is widely used as a composite fiber and is easy to cultivate. The fiber is believed to originate from Central and South America. Nearly 4.5 million tons of sisal fiber are produced annually worldwide, according to FAO. In building structural materials, in addition to structural strength, it is hoped that the material will also have good ductility. For this reason, the assembled bio-composite material consists of carbon fiber, ramie fiber, sisal fiber. The fiber is then mixed with hard epoxy resin, soft epoxy and aluminum particles 9 µm which are mixed until smooth and even. The significant increase in material strength is obtained from the strength of carbon fiber. Another thing is that the ductility of the material is obtained due to sisal and ramie which are bound by a mixture of epoxy resins. Because the quality of plant products is very dependent on the agricultural process, this study, the residual material was taken from the Subang (Indonesie) area and the ramie fiber was obtained from the Bandung market. Because agricultural cultivation in Indonesia still emphasizes the use of chemicals, basically this also has an impact on plant bio elements. However, research using local materials was still able to obtain strength reaching ~480 MPa, so it is still good. In this research, the tensile test was carried out 3 times so that it is known that the fiber taken from a rope has the greatest tensile strength which reaches around 480 MPa.

Genotype-mutagenic interaction in the cytogenetic variability of winter wheat for a new ecogenetic factor

The study of cytogenetic parameters of the activity of new mutagenic factors aims to reliably establish the possibilities of these factors in terms of variability depending on the subject of mutagenic action, the optimal use of certain factor sizes, the combination of the selected protocol with optimization of the yield of mutant forms in the future. Seeds of eight varieties of winter wheat (Balaton, Borovytsia, Zeleny Gai, Zoloto Ukrainy, Kalancha, Niva Odeska, Polyanka, Pochayna) were treated by SA (sodium azide) at concentrations of 0.010%, 0.025%, 0.05%, 0.10%. They were soaked in water solution for 24 hours. Cytogenetic activity was evaluated by pollen sterility, evaluation of general rates and indicators of spectra of chromosomal abnormalities at medium phases of cell mitosis according to wheat variety and chemical agent concentrations. As a result of the study, the key importance of the genotype-mutagenic interaction was demonstrated within the limits of variability of the main indicators of the frequency and spectrum of chromosomal aberrations. It has been established that in the future it will be more optimal to use two varieties whose genotype-mutagenic specificity indicators are significantly higher and one should expect a more significant yield of promising mutant forms from them in the future, especially in combination with SA concentrations in the range of 0.025% and 0.05%. It is demonstrated that the main parameters that reflect genetically determined possibilities in susceptibility to the ecogenetic factor are pollen fertility, the overall frequency of chromosome aberrations, and the number of induced fragments. The use of other parameters displays the trend only partially or does not display it at all, as is the case with the use of rarer types of chromosomal rearrangements. The least promising forms have also been identified for use as starting material in treatments with this substance. It is demonstrated that, in general, this agent is characterized by the same patterns in the induction of cytogenetic activity as for other chemical supermutagens, with some variations depending on the starting material. In the future, it is planned to link the obtained data with the frequency and quality of the resulting hereditary changes, primarily complex biochemical and physiological ones, in order to improve the quality of plant products and various types of plant tolerance to adverse environmental conditions.

Research progress on the growth promoting effect of microbial fertilizer on plants

Microbial fertilizer is a kind of live bacteria preparation that can make plants obtain specific fertilizer effect. With the extensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides caused by a series of problems, people began to pay more and more attention to the research and use of microbial fertilizer. This paper describes the application of microbial fertilizer in food crops, vegetables, fruit trees and so on. The mechanism of microbial fertilizer was explained from five aspects: improving soil fertility, promoting plant growth, biological control, improving plant product quality and improving environmental conditions.

Integrating Quality Assurance in Balance Mix Designs for Durable Asphalt Mixtures: State-of-the-Art Literature Review

Delivering durable asphalt concrete within a reasonable cost is one of the great ambitions of pavement material engineers. This state-of-the-art review article documents the efforts spent in the past two decades to ensure the durability and performance of asphalt mixtures in mix design and production. A perspective with the attempt to integrate laboratory mix design, plant production quality assurance, and field place acceptance is applied in the review. The development of the performance specification and performance mix design is summarized. The paper categorizes performance specification into index-based performance specification and predictive performance specification that include performance-related specification and performance-based specification. The approaches to developing index-based performance mix design/balanced mix design and predictive performance mix design are also compared in the review. The challenges and solutions in incorporating performance tests in asphalt productions are documented and discussed. The challenges include selecting performance testing methods, determining index threshold limits, estimating and incorporating testing variability and uncertainty, determining sampling position and testing frequency, and so forth. The paper also provides suggested areas of future research and implementation activities.

Titration curve for the determination of free lithium in a lithium-boron alloy

A simple and available method for identification and authentication of edible vegetable oils using a smartphone and chemometric analysis is presented. Identification of oils by the region of origin and species (olive, sunflower, rapeseed, cotton, etc.), as well as their authentication (authenticity and falsification) were carried out by the intrinsic color of vegetable oils and fluorescence under irradiation of the samples with monochromatic ultraviolet light (A = 365 nm). The iPhone X and iPhone XIII smartphones (Apple, USA) equipped with a specialized software (RGBer) were used as a color-recording device in the study of optical and colorimetric characteristics. A smartphone-based test device and a method for measuring colorimetric parameters in an additive RGB system for identification and authentication of edible vegetable oils are proposed. The processing of the data array (for three variables R, G, and B) was carried out using the XLSTAT software product. To differentiate the samples by the region of origin and species, the method of principal components and hierarchical cluster analysis were used. Approbation of the developed approach was carried out on the samples of commercially produced vegetable oils purchased in retail stores. The use of algorithms of chemometric analysis made it possible to establish the authenticity of vegetable oils, identify them by the region of origin, and to reveal facts of falsification by diluting expensive oils with cheaper ones. The developed method for assessing the quality of plant products is advantageous for the simplicity of hardware design, the availability of technical means and materials used, the possibility of in situ analysis without involving highly qualified specialists, and the clarity and speed of obtaining information.

The History of Plant Physiology at the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University

The article reviews the history of plant physiology research at the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University from 1969 to this day and analyzes the role of the first and long-time head of the Department of Plant Physiology and Agrochemistry, M. M. Okuntsov, and his pupils, O. A. Ronzhina, G. N.Chupakhina, and A. S. Grebennikov, in the development of these studies. A scientific school led by Okuntsov and focused on non-photosynthetic light-dependent processes in plants had formed by the late 1970s. Presently, physiological research at the University is carried out at the Laboratory of Natural Antioxidants headed by Chupakhina. The Laboratory focuses on the studies of antioxidant system for the purposes of elucidating molecular mechanisms of plant resistance to unfavorable environmental conditions, evaluating plant product quality, and searching for producers of biologically active substances with high antioxidant activity and material for genetic engineering of plants with beneficial traits.

Biogeochemical principles of plant product quality in agrolandscapes with typical chernozems

Biogeochemical principles of plant product quality in agrolandscapes with typical chernozems

BACILLUS ORIGINATED TRANSGLUTAMINASE: PROPERTIES AND USAGE

Enzymes with very important duties, form part of our lives and are useful in various fields. Owing to both the intensity of use and the amount of effective production in standard conditions, the production and use of bacterial-originated enzymes are used continuously in agriculture, health, food and many other industrial areas. Among them, transglutaminases (EC 2.3.2.13) are both intracellular and extracellular enzymes included in the transferase group that catalyse cross-links between proteins. Microbial transglutaminase enzymes are frequently used in the food and pharmaceutical industries to change the functional properties of proteins since it increases viscosity, elasticity and water holding capacity. Particularly the positive effects in meat, dairy, and bakery products such as gelling, increasing mechanical strength, and reducing structural deformations, specifically the texture. It also contributes to reducing the use of additives in diets with low protein and fat content. Furthermore, it reduces the time for cooking processes as well as sensory properties enhancement. Transglutaminase enzymes are also being used in other fields such as tissue culture, biochemical and biomedical research, textile, and leather industries. In this review, a broad perspective is presented on the literature dealing with bacterial transglutaminase studies, especially those belonging to the genus Bacillus. In Bacillus spp., transglutaminase gene was mostly reported in B. subtilis, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. cereus, B. nakamura, B. circulans species and also recently in the whole genome of local Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) SY49.1 strain (JAHKEZ010000474.1) using the RAST database. It was determined that the Bt transglutaminase gene was 93% identical to that of B. cereus species. The presence of transglutaminase gene in agriculturally indispensable Bt strain can confer them a superficial characteristic due to their water holding capacity in terms of increasing the yield and quality of plant products.

The Potential Role of Plastome Copy Number as a Quality Biomarker for Plant Products using Real-time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction.

Background: Plastids are plant-specific semi-autonomous self-replicating organelles, containing circular DNA molecules called plastomes. Plastids perform crucial functions, including photosynthesis, stress perception and response, synthesis of metabolites, and storage. The plastome and plastid numbers have been shown to be modulated by developmental stage and environmental stimuli and have been used as a biomarker (identification of plant species) and biosensor (an indicator of abiotic and biotic stresses). However, the determination of plastome sequence and plastid number is a laborious process requiring sophisticated equipment. Methods: This study proposes using plastome copy number (PCN), which can be determined rapidly by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) as a plant product quality biomarker. This study shows that the PCN log10 and range PCN log10 values calculated from RT-qPCR data, which was obtained for two years from leaves and lint samples of cotton and seed samples of cotton, rice, soybean, maize, and sesame can be used for assessing the quality of the samples. Results: Observation of lower range PCN log10 values for CS (0.31) and CR (0.58) indicated that the PCN showed little variance from the mean PCN log10 values for CS (3.81) and CR (3.85), suggesting that these samples might have encountered ambient environmental conditions during growth and/ or post-harvest storage and processing. This conclusion was further supported by observation of higher range PCN log10 values for RS (3.09) versus RP (0.05), where rice seeds in the RP group had protective hull covering compared to broken hull-less seeds in the RS group. To further support that PCN is affected by external factors, rice seeds treated with high temperatures and pathogens exhibited lower PCN values when compared to untreated seeds. Furthermore, the range PCN log10 values were found to be high for cotton leaf (CL) and lint (Clt) sample groups, 4.11 and 3.63, respectively, where leaf and lint samples were of different sizes, indicating that leaf samples might be of different developmental stage and lint samples might have been processed differently, supporting that the PCN is affected by both internal and external factors, respectively. Moreover, PCN log10 values were found to be plant specific, with oil containing seeds such as SeS (6.49) and MS (5.05) exhibiting high PCN log10 values compared to non-oil seeds such as SS (1.96). Conclusion: In conclusion, it was observed that PCN log10 values calculated from RT-qPCR assays were specific to plant species and the range of PCN log10 values can be directly correlated to the internal and external factors and, therefore might be used as a potential biomarker for assessing the quality of plant products.