Plant Quality Research Articles

Does This Look Infected? Hidden Host Plant Infection by the Pathogen Botrytis cinerea Alters Interactions between Plants, Aphids and Their Natural Enemies in the Field

Few studies have considered whether hidden (asymptomatic) plant pathogen infection alters ecological interactions at the higher trophic levels, even though such infection still affects plant physiology. We explored this question in two field experiments, where two varieties of lettuce (Little Gem, Tom Thumb) infected with Botrytis cinerea were either (1) naturally colonised by aphids or (2) placed in the field with an established aphid colony. We then recorded plant traits and the numbers and species of aphids, their predators, parasitoids and hyperparasitoids. Infection significantly affected plant quality. In the first experiment, symptomatically infected plants had the fewest aphids and natural enemies of aphids. The diversity and abundance of aphids did not differ between asymptomatically infected and uninfected Little Gem plants, but infection affected the aphid assemblage for Tom Thumb plants. Aphids on asymptomatically infected plants were less attractive to predators and parasitoids than those on uninfected plants, while hyperparasitoids were not affected. In the second experiment, when we excluded natural enemies, aphid numbers were lower on asymptomatically and symptomatically infected plants, but when aphid natural enemies were present, this difference was removed, most likely because aphids on uninfected plants attracted more insect natural enemies. This suggests that hidden pathogen infection may have important consequences for multitrophic interactions.

Transcriptome analysis and functional validation reveal the novel role of LhCYCL in axillary bud development in hybrid Liriodendron.

Shoot branching significantly influences yield and timber quality in woody plants, with hybrid Liriodendron being particularly valuable due to its rapid growth. However, understanding of the mechanisms governing shoot branching in hybrid Liriodendron remains limited. In this study, we systematically examined axillary bud development using morphological and anatomical approaches and selected four distinct developmental stages for an extensive transcriptome analysis. A total of 9,449 differentially expressed genes have been identified, many of which are involved in plant hormone signal transduction pathways. Additionally, we identified several transcription factors downregulated during early axillarybud development, including a noteworthy gene annotated as CYC-like from the TCP TF family, which emerged as a strong candidate for modulating axillary bud development. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction results confirmed the highest expression levels of LhCYCL in hybrid Liriodendron axillary buds, while histochemical β-glucuronidase staining suggested its potential role in Arabidopsis thaliana leaf axil development. Ectopic expression of LhCYCL in A. thaliana led to an increase of branches and a decrease of plant height, accompanied by altered expression of genes involved in the plant hormone signaling pathways. This indicates the involvement of LhCYCL in regulating shoot branching through plant hormone signaling pathways. In summary, our results emphasize the pivotal role played by LhCYCL in shoot branching, offering insights into the function of the CYC-like gene and establishing a robust foundation for further investigations into the molecular mechanisms governing axillary bud development in hybrid Liriodendron.

A Review of Transcriptomics and Metabolomics in Plant Quality and Environmental Response: From Bibliometric Analysis to Science Mapping and Future Trends

Transcriptomics and metabolomics offer distinct advantages in investigating the differentially expressed genes and cellular entities that have the greatest influence on end-phenotype, making them crucial techniques for studying plant quality and environmental responses. While numerous relevant articles have been published, a comprehensive summary is currently lacking. This review aimed to understand the global and longitudinal research trends of transcriptomics and metabolomics in plant quality and environmental response (TMPQE). Utilizing bibliometric methods, we presented a comprehensive science mapping of the social structure, conceptual framework, and intellectual foundation of TMPQE. We uncovered that TMPQE research has been categorized into three distinct stages since 2020. A citation analysis of the 29 most cited articles, coupled with a content analysis of recent works (2020–2023), highlight five potential research streams in plant quality and environmental responses: (1) biosynthetic pathways, (2) abiotic stress, (3) biotic stress, (4) development and ripening, and (5) methodologies and tools. Current trends and future directions are shaped by technological advancements, species diversity, evolving research themes, and an environmental ecology focus. Overall, this review provides a novel and comprehensive perspective to understand the longitudinal trend on TMPQE.

Low Red to Far-Red Light Ratio Promoted Growth and Fruit Quality in Salt-Stressed Tomato Plants Based on Metabolomic Analysis

Salt stress poses a serious threat to tomato production. Red to far-red light ratio (R/FR) is actively involved in the regulation of tomato growth and development; however, it is still uncertain whether and how R/FR improves fruit quality under salt stress. Thus, we conducted metabolomic analysis of tomato fruits under four treatments, including R/FR = 7 (CK), R/FR = 0.7 (L), R/FR = 7 and 100 mmol·L−1 NaCl (Na), and R/FR = 0.7 and 100 mmol·L−1 NaCl (Na+L). Metabolomic analysis indicated that both low R/FR and salt stress enhanced organic acids and phenols accumulation; however, additional low R/FR mainly improved carbohydrates, organic acids, phenols and amino acids accumulation in salt-stressed tomato fruit. Physiological studies were consistent with the above results and further revealed that additional low R/FR drastically promoted plant growth, soluble sugar, total phenol and flavonoid contents, improved osmotic pressure balance and antioxidant capacity, and notably relieved the salt stress-induced suppressions. This study proved the importance of applying light quality regulation in salt-resistant tomato production.

Non-target metabolomics approach for the investigation of the hidden effects induced by atrazine and its degradation products on plant metabolism

Japanese radish (Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus) plants grown under laboratory conditions were individually exposed to the same doses of atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-1,3,5-triazine, ATR) or its main degradation products: either 2-amino-4-chloro-6-isopropylamino-1,3,5-triazine (DEA) or 2-amino-4-chloro-6-ethylamino-1,3,5-triazine (DIA) or desethyl-desisopropyl-atrazine (DEDIA) or 4-(ethylamino)-2-hydroxy-6-(isopropylamino)-1,3,5-triazine (HA), respectively. One week after treatment in plants exposed to ATR, DIA, and DEA, their concentrations were 7.8 μg/g, 9.7 μg/g, and 14.5 μg/g, respectively, while those treated with DEDIA and HA did not contain these compounds. These results were correlated with plant amino acid profile obtained by suspect screening analysis and metabolomic “fingerprint” based on non-target analysis, obtained by liquid chromatography coupled with QTRAP triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. In all cases, both ATR and its by-products were found to interfere with the plant's amino acid profile and modify its metabolic “fingerprint”. Therefore, we proved that the non-target metabolomics approach is an effective tool for investigating the hidden effects of pesticides and their transformation products, which is particularly important as these compounds may reduce the quality of edible plants.

Agricultural performance of biomaterials mulching based on nitrosamine-free natural rubber latex

Natural rubber mulching material is generally more environmentally friendly than a conventional mulching. Artificial straw and mulch derived from natural rubber latex (NRL) with no presence of nitrosamines were used as sustainable alternatives to substitute for conventional materials like rice straw and polyethylene plastic. A real-time recorded field study employed Internet of Things (IoTs) with tracking devices and sensors to monitor the growth and quality of cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L.) over a 50-day period. Results of the study highlight the superior efficiency of artificial straw, showcasing enhanced growth and quality. NRL mulching from natural rubber latex contained nanocellulose (CNC) filler and was vulcanized at room temperature. The addition of 3 parts per hundred rubber (phr) of CNC significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of the NRL formulation, particularly in tensile (22.13±2.26 MPa) and tear strength (39.13±4.58 N/mm). The NRL mulching was demonstrated to promote plant growth and increase yield. It has been developed to ensure the safety of agricultural products and to support environmental conservation.

Moringa oleifera L. mediated zinc oxide nano-biofertilizer alleviates non-alcoholic steatohepatitis via modulating de novo lipogenesis pathway and miRNA-122 expression

Nano-biofertilizer has recently been shown to alter plant growth through a variety of physiological and morphological changes which many improves the quality of plant and increase its active constitutes concentration. Moringa oleifera L. is a promising plant to treat non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) because of its potent anti-inflammatory, lipid-lowering, and antioxidant properties. Consequently, this research aims to investigate the impact of ZnO-nano-biofertilizer on Moringa oleifera L extract. The vegetative growth characteristics, and total phenolic and flavonoid contents were evaluated. Thirty-six rats were randomized to six groups and the effect of Moringa oleifera L. extract and Moringa oleifera L. extract with ZnO-nano-biofertilizer on rats fed with high-fat diet (HFD) was studied. The experimental animal results showed that Group (4) fed with HFD and Moringa oleifera L. extract with ZnO-nano-biofertilizer significantly improved liver functions, lipid profile, oxidative stress, inflammatory markers and possessed a superb effect considering the gross anatomical morphology and histopathological score of inflammation and steatosis as well as significantly reduced de novo lipogenesis and mi-RNA expression. In conclusion, ZnO-nano-biofertilizer improved the quality of Moringa oleifera L. and increased the its antioxidant activity. This effect positively reflected the improvement in the ability of Moringa oleifera L. extract to mitigate NASH in vivo.

Silicon and selenium alleviate cadmium toxicity in Artemisia selengensis Turcz by regulating the plant-rhizosphere

Soil cadmium (Cd) pollution has emerged as a pressing concern due to its deleterious impacts on both plant physiology and human well-being. Silicon (Si) is renowned for its ability to mitigate excessive Cd accumulation within plant cells and reduce the mobility of Cd in soil, whereas Selenium (Se) augments plant antioxidant capabilities and promotes rhizosphere microbial activity. However, research focusing on the simultaneous utilization of Si and Se to ameliorate plant Cd toxicity through multiple mechanisms within the plant-rhizosphere remains comparatively limited. This study combined hydroponic and pot experiments to investigate the effects of the combined application of Si and Se on Cd absorption and accumulation, as well as the growth and rhizosphere of A. selengensis Turcz under Cd stress. The results revealed that a strong synergistic effect was observed between both Si and Se. The combination of Si and Se significantly increased the activity and content of enzymes and non-enzyme antioxidants within A. selengensis Turcz, reduced Cd accumulation and inhibiting its translocation from roots to shoots. Moreover, Si and Se application improved the levels of reducing sugar, soluble protein, and vitamin C, while reducing nitrite content and Cd bioavailability. Furthermore, the experimental results showed that the combination of Si and Se not only increased the abundance of core rhizosphere microorganisms, but also stimulated the activity of soil enzymes, which effectively limited the migration of Cd in the soil. These findings provided valuable insights into the effective mitigation of soil Cd toxicity to plants and also the potential applications in improving plant quality and safety.

A comprehensive evaluation of different responses of supplementary light qualities on physiological and biochemical mechanisms of ‘Kyoho’ grape

Grape is an economically important fruit crop worldwide, for which light qualities play a diverse role in vineyard growth and development. However, the regulatory mechanisms between different light qualities and the quality of plant growth at the morphophysiological and pomological levels remain unknown. Therefore, in the current study, we studied plant physiological, biochemical and genetical analysis to investigate the response of all seven light qualities, including red (R), blue (B), white (W), 1-red, 1 blue (1R1B), 2-red, 1-blue (2R1B), 1-red, 2-blue (1R2B), and natural (N, was used as control group) to evaluate ‘Kyoho'grape (Vitis labrusca L. × V. vinifera) morphophysiological, pomological traits at light responsive transcriptional pathway, which revealed the possible networking metabolism controlling fruit quality and quantity of grape plant. Our results showed that photosynthetic indicators such as leaf stomata, number of stomata, and longitudinal and transverse diameter of stomata improved under red and blue light qualities as compared to white light. Leaf gas exchange indicators showed that net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, intercellular CO2 concentration rate, total conductance to CO2, stomatal conductance, conductance to water vapor, maximal quantum yield of PS (II), actual photochemical quantum efficiency, electron transfer chain, and non-photochemical quantum efficiency improve under blue and red light. Photosynthetic pigments showed that chlorophyll a and b, carotenoid, and total pigment contents improved under blue and red light. Nutrient elements showed that potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc contents improved under blue and red light. Morphological and organic acid indicators such as the appearance of fruit shape, firmness, and titratable acidity improved under blue and light. However, there was a notable increment in the total soluble sugar under blue and red light as compared to natural light. The composition of sugar including (sucrose, fructose, glucose) and organic acids (tartaric acid, citric acid, and malic acid) improved under blue and red light (fruits) and showed notable reductions for tartaric acid under blue and red light (leaves) as compared to natural light. Aromatic compounds showed that esters, aldehydes, acetaldehyde, 2-hexenal, ethyl acetate, n-propyl acetate, butanoic acid, ethyl ester, 1-hexanol, 2-ethyl, 2-propanone, and 1‑hydroxyl, improved under blue and red light. Further, changes in enhanced expression of light-responsive genes including VvCRYI, VvCRY2, VvPHYA, VvPHYB, VvCOP1, VvHY5, VvHYH, and VvPIF4 upregulated under blue and red light, while VvPIF3.1 down-regulated as compared to natural light. Also, chlorophyll synthesis-related genes including VvSGR, VvPAO, and VvCHLH upregulated under blue and red light, while VvNYC1, VvPPH, and VvPOR showed noticeable changes under blue and red light as compared to natural light. Interestingly, most of the relative genes were highly expressed in fruits as compared to leaves. Finally, we have established correlation and principal component analysis for indicators in grapes. Current findings provide novel mechanisms by which different responses of supplementary light control the plant fruit quality of grapes.

Joint transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis provides new insights into drought resistance in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)

IntroductionWatermelon is an annual vine of the family Cucurbitaceae. Watermelon plants produce a fruit that people love and have important nutritional and economic value. With global warming and deterioration of the ecological environment, abiotic stresses, including drought, have become important factors that impact the yield and quality of watermelon plants. Previous research on watermelon drought resistance has included analyzing homologous genes based on known drought-responsive genes and pathways in other species.MethodsHowever, identifying key pathways and genes involved in watermelon drought resistance through high-throughput omics methods is particularly important. In this study, RNA-seq and metabolomic analysis were performed on watermelon plants at five time points (0 h, 1 h, 6 h, 12 h and 24 h) before and after drought stress.ResultsTranscriptomic analysis revealed 7829 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at the five time points. The DEGs were grouped into five clusters using the k-means clustering algorithm. The functional category for each cluster was annotated based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database; different clusters were associated with different time points after stress. A total of 949 metabolites were divided into 10 categories, with lipids and lipid-like molecules accounting for the most metabolites. Differential expression analysis revealed 22 differentially regulated metabolites (DRMs) among the five time points. Through joint analysis of RNA-seq and metabolome data, the 6-h period was identified as the critical period for watermelon drought resistance, and the starch and sucrose metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction and photosynthesis pathways were identified as important regulatory pathways involved in watermelon drought resistance. In addition, 15 candidate genes associated with watermelon drought resistance were identified through joint RNA-seq and metabolome analysis combined with weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA). Four of these genes encode transcription factors, including bHLH (Cla97C03G068160), MYB (Cla97C01G002440), HSP (Cla97C02G033390) and GRF (Cla97C02G042620), one key gene in the ABA pathway, SnRK2-4 (Cla97C10G186750), and the GP-2 gene (Cla97C05G105810), which is involved in the starch and sucrose metabolism pathway.DiscussionIn summary, our study provides a theoretical basis for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying drought resistance in watermelon plants and provides new genetic resources for the study of drought resistance in this crop.

Integrated Nutrient Management in Muskmelon: A Comprehensive Field Study

The present study aims to describe the effects of integrated nutrient management (INM) on Madhumita variety of muskmelon cultivation in terms of plant growth, fruit yield, and quality. The experiment has been carried out in the crop field located in the North Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. This case study involved seven different treatments (T1 to T7), each with varying nutrient application regimes. Certain observational data, such as vine length, number of leaves per plant, leaf length, days to 50% flowering, number of fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit width, fruit weight, and fruit yield, were recorded for three replications over the course of the experiment. The results of statistical analysis revealed significant differences, with specific treatments demonstrating T6, which included Vermicompost at 5 tons/ha, 75% of the recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF), and 1% NOVEL prime organic liquid nutrient, consistently outperformed the other treatments groups. The findings highlight the utility of integrated nutrient management. It helps in understanding and optimizing the application of nutrients to boost crop productivity and promote sustainability.

Estimation of redox-sensitive metals in Lafarge cement company’s area in Akamkpa Nigeria: Assessment of ecological health risk

Toxic compounds such as redox-sensitive metals usually contaminate the soil. They are implicated in the causation of oxidative stress, a precursor of human diseases and ecological extinction. Having uncontaminated soil serves as the link between plant and animal health quality, and a sustainable ecosystem. Geological accumulation and spatial distribution of redox-sensitive metals in agricultural land can significantly hinder soil fertility, ecological health, food safety, and food security. This study used the soil samples from farmlands near the Lafarge industrial area at Mfamosing, Akamkpa local government area of Cross River State, Nigeria, to assess eight redox-sensitive metals (Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Nickel, Lead, Arsenic, Cobalt, and Zinc), their spatial distribution, and geo-accumulation. The redox-sensitive metals were screened with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer connected with mass spectroscopy. A geographic information system (GIS) and ArcMap version 10:8:2 was used to infer the risk of the industrial area regarding geo-accumulation, and spatial distribution of redox-sensitive metals in the farmlands. The result shows Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, As, Co and Zn have different concentrations among the samples. Three samples - MS2, MS3, and MS8, had the highest arsenic concentration, while samples Ms1, Ms2, Ms5, and Ms8, had the second-highest concentrations of Cadmium, Lead, and Chromium, respectively. The polluted area was moderately contaminated and distributed with other metals - Cu, Ni, and Co, respectively. Comparing these results with those of non-industrial areas, one can infer that the Lafarge industrial area is more contaminated with redox-sensitive metal. To advance this investigation, some microorganisms within the area can be used to verify a metal-hazard impact on the ecosystem and monitor the rise in redox-sensitive metals to predict the risk.

Integrated Analysis of Water Quality in Treatment Plants: Physicochemical and Biological Assessments

Water treatment plants (WTPs) play a crucial role in ensuring access to safe drinking water, essential for human health and well-being. This study focuses on the IPA Kedunguling, operated by the Regional Drinking Water Company Sidoarjo, which serves the residents of Sidoarjo city. The objective was to evaluate the water treatment process and quality using physical, chemical, and biological assessments in accordance with Ministry of Health Regulation No. 2/2023 and Government Regulation No. 66/2014. The process involves raw water intake at the Intake, followed by treatment at the WTP and distribution to residents. Laboratory tests revealed that chemical and biological parameters met regulatory standards; however, Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) levels exceeded permissible limits, highlighting a potential area for improvement. This study underscores the importance of continuous monitoring and optimization of water treatment processes to ensure the provision of safe drinking water to communities. Highlights : Water treatment plants ensure access to safe drinking water, vital for human health. Evaluation of IPA Kedunguling's water treatment process and quality according to regulatory standards. Laboratory tests identify areas for improvement, particularly in Total Dissolved Solid levels. Keywords: Water treatment plants, water quality assessment, regulatory compliance, drinking water safety, continuous monitoring.

Adaptive prediction for effluent quality of wastewater treatment plant: Improvement with a dual-stage attention-based LSTM network

The accurate effluent prediction plays a crucial role in providing early warning for abnormal effluent and achieving the adjustment of feedforward control parameters during wastewater treatment. This study applied a dual-staged attention mechanism based on long short-term memory network (DA-LSTM) to improve the accuracy of effluent quality prediction. The results showed that input attention (IA) and temporal attention (TA) significantly enhanced the prediction performance of LSTM. Specially, IA could adaptively adjust feature weights to enhance the robustness against input noise, with R2 increased by 13.18%. To promote its long-term memory ability, TA was used to increase the memory span from 96 h to 168 h. Compared to a single LSTM model, the DA-LSTM model showed an improvement in prediction accuracy by 5.10%, 2.11%, 14.47% for COD, TP, and TN. Additionally, DA-LSTM demonstrated excellent generalization performance in new scenarios, with the R2 values for COD, TP, and TN increasing by 22.67%, 20.06%, and 17.14% respectively, while the MAPE values decreased by 56.46%, 63.08%, and 42.79%. In conclusion, the DA-LSTM model demonstrated excellent prediction performance and generalization ability due to its advantages of feature-adaptive weighting and long-term memory focusing. This has forward-looking significance for achieving efficient early warning of abnormal operating conditions and timely management of control parameters.

Global macroecological patterns in host plant associations of Cryptocephalinae case-bearer leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Abstract The aim of our work is to catalogue host plant records of the leaf beetle subfamily Cryptocephalinae at the global scale and use it as the foundation to analyse host plant relationships, one proposed key driver in the evolution of phytophagan hyperdiversity. We describe macro-scale host association patterns and assess the trophic range of Cryptocephalinae at the generic level. We assembled 532 sources and extracted 14 253 host plant records (1894 species of plants) for 1436 species of Cryptocephalinae. The results revealed that most genera of Cryptocephalinae are either polyphagous or strongly polyphagous, yet the five tribes exhibit intrinsic patterns of host association. Clear macroecological constraints exist for Cryptocephalinae within major lineages of plants. Polyphagy is also maintained for most of the documented juvenile stages and the 19 genera with myrmecophilous species. The most common host plants for Cryptocephalinae are eudicots, especially among the rosids the order Fabales has the most records, and Asterales, Fagales, Malpighiales, Myrtales, Rosales, and Sapindales are common hosts within all Cryptocephalinae tribes. Our meta-analysis approach and assessing the quality of host plant records permit detection of patterns in host association at the global scale and allows detection of all levels of plant–beetle interactions, from unlikely hosts to potential or real feeders. Our criteria for assessing host plant records and our working model can be applied to other chrysomelid subfamilies and phytophagous insects. The analysis of macroecological patterns and host checklist provide a basis for generic revisions and hypothesis construction in future ecological, molecular, and morphological studies.

Effect of adding alginate -restricted bacterial inoculants to sandy soil as a partial substitute for mineral fertilization on growth, quality and yield of tomato plants

Effect of adding alginate -restricted bacterial inoculants to sandy soil as a partial substitute for mineral fertilization on growth, quality and yield of tomato plants

Fuzzy Deep Learning Recurrent Neural Network Algorithm to Detect Corn Leaf Disease

Corn is a major commodity after rice in supporting food self-sufficiency in Indonesia. However, due to leaf disease, the quality and quantity of corn plants are greatly reduced. The problem with detecting corn leaf diseases is that the detection method is still manual, making it inefficient and ineffective. Therefore, in this study, disease detection on corn leaves was performed using the Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) methods. First, oversampling was carried out to ensure an equal amount of data in all classes, then the corn leaf images were pre-processed before being input into the LSTM algorithm. After completing clustering process in the [Formula: see text] algorithm, the next step involved extracting texture features using the Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) technique, followed by classification using LSTM. To assess their performance, both algorithms underwent evaluation using the k-fold cross-validation method, and their accuracy and speed were compared. The results of the k-fold cross-validation demonstrated that the [Formula: see text] algorithm achieved an accuracy of 63.53%, whereas the LSTM algorithm achieved an accuracy of 80.24%. In terms of the time required for training and prediction, the LSTM algorithm took 13[Formula: see text]min and 18[Formula: see text]s for training on corn leaf disease images, while the prediction process only took 1.59[Formula: see text]s. The training and prediction time required for the [Formula: see text] algorithm were 65[Formula: see text]min and 24[Formula: see text]s and 5[Formula: see text]min and 44[Formula: see text]s, respectively. The conclusion of this study is that the LSTM algorithm has better accuracy and time compared to [Formula: see text] on the dataset used in this study in terms of corn leaf disease detection.

Fertilizer type effects phenolic compounds, essential oil content, and biological activities on Coriandrum sativum L.

Organic and inorganic fertilizers play an important role in improving the nutritional quality of coriander plant (Coriandrum sativum L.). This study consists of 3 different fertilizer applications to coriander: Control-T0 (no fertilizer); organic fertilizer- T1 (300-600 mL/da); chemical fertilizer-T2 (2-3 L/da); vermicompost-T3 (1.5 L/da). It was conducted in three replicates in a randomized block design to evaluate the effect of different fertilizer applications on the morphological, biochemical and antioxidant potential of coriander plants. It has been observed that fertilizer applications have a significant effect on the morphological, biochemical and antioxidant properties of the plant, and especially organic fertilizer and vermicompost applications have higher phenolic and flavonoid contents (1.82, 2.14 mg GAE/g DW and 2.57, 2.46 mg QE/g DW, respectively). In the HPLC analysis, linalool was determined as the main compound and the highest concentration of 76.44% was obtained as a result of organic fertilizer application. Antioxidant potential was evaluated by DPPH radical-scavenging assay and the most effective antioxidant activity was determined from organic origin fertilizer (organic-IC50: 27.35±2.52 µg/mL, vermicompost-IC50: 29.42±2.41 µg/mL) applications.

Effect of Selenium and Garlic Extract Treatments of Seed-Addressed Lettuce Plants on Biofortification Level, Seed Productivity and Mature Plant Yield and Quality.

The enhancement of the plant seed yield and quality represents the basis of the successful productivity of the deriving crop. The effect of single and combined foliar treatments of lettuce plants with sodium selenate and garlic bulb extract on seed yield and quality and on mature plant biochemical characteristics was investigated using four lettuce cultivars (Bouquet, Picnic, Moskovsky parnikovy and Cavalier). The seed production of plants treated with Se increased by 20-41%, compared to the untreated control plants, while the augmentation was as much as 10-23% and 17-27% under garlic extract and the joint application of Se and garlic, respectively. Garlic extract stimulated the accumulation of Se in lettuce seeds, which rose by 1.21-1.29 times compared to the Se-treated plants. The proline levels in lettuce seeds exceeded the corresponding values recorded in the control ones by 1.32-1.64 times in the case of the Se supply, 1.10-1.47 times upon garlic extract application and 1.09-1.31 times under the combined Se/garlic treatment. All the treatments given to lettuce plants increased the leaf weight by 1.10-1.30 times, compared to the untreated control. The seed Se levels positively correlated with the leaf weight (r = 0.621; p < 0.005), chlorophyll (r = 0.672, p < 0.002) and total antioxidant activity (AOA; r = 0.730, p < 0.001) of plants grown from these seeds. Positive correlations were also recorded between the seed proline content and lettuce plant leaf weight, chlorophyll and AOA (r = 0.868, 0.811 and 0.815, respectively, at p < 0.001). Lettuce yield was positively correlated with the leaf AOA, chlorophyll and ascorbic acid content (r = 0.942, 0.921 and 0.665, respectively, at p < 0.001). The results indicate high prospects of Na2SeO4 and garlic extract application to seed-addressed lettuce plants, to improve seed productivity and quality, as well as lettuce yield and quality.

Investigating the synergistic effects of biochar, trans-zeatin riboside, and Azospirillum brasilense on soil improvement and enzymatic activity in water-stressed wheat

BackgroundWater stress is a major danger to crop yield, hence new approaches to strengthen plant resilience must be developed. To lessen the negative effects of water stress on wheat plants, present study was arranged to investigate the role of synergistic effects of biochar, trans-zeatin riboside (t-ZR), and Azospirillum brasilense on soil improvement and enzymatic activity in water-stressed wheat.ResultsIn a three-replication experiment comprising of four treatments (T0: Control, T1: Drought stress (DS), T2: DS + t-ZR with biochar, T3: DS + A. brasilense with biochar), we observed notable improvements in soil quality and enzymatic activities in water-stressed wheat plants with the application of t-ZR and A. brasilense with biochar. In drought stress, Treatment having the application of A. brasilense with biochar performs best as compared to the other and significant increased the enzymatic activities such as peroxidase (7.36%), catalase (8.53%), superoxide dismutase (6.01%), polyphenol oxidase (14.14%), and amylase (16.36%) in wheat plants. Different enzymatic activities showed different trends of results. Soil organic C, dissolved organic C, dissolved organic N also enhanced 29.46%, 8.59%, 22.70% respectively with the application of A. brasilense with biochar under drought stress condition.ConclusionsThe synergistic action of A. brasilense and biochar creates an effective microbiological environment that supports essential plant physiological processes during drought stress. This enhancement is attributed to improved soil fertility and increased organic matter content, highlighting the potential of these novel strategies in mitigating water stress effects and enhancing crop resilience.