Plant Quality Research Articles

The Impact of Semi‐Transparent Solar Panels on Tomato and Broccoli Growth

The emergence of semi‐transparent solar panels offers opportunities for their application in greenhouses where the radiation is a critical issue. The light passing through these panels is often affected, leading to a decrease in certain wavelengths that could potentially impact plant growth and quality. To address this concern, this study is performed to investigate the growth and yield of tomato and broccoli plants cultivated under semi‐transparent photovoltaic solar panels compared to those grown under conventional greenhouse plastic. Their physiological and metabolic changes are also examined. A decrease in the yellow/green spectrum after installation of the solar panels is observed. In both plants, slight alterations are observed by solar panels, enhancing even the height of plants and fruit yield in case of tomato. However, both plants showed changes related to their photosynthetic activity and some metabolite concentration. Specifically, there are significant reductions in An (photosynthetic rate) and lower levels of trigonelline in plants grown under solar panels. These reductions may be attributed to the different radiation conditions experienced by the plants, which do not appear to directly impact plant growth. The obtained results highlight the promising potential of solar panel‐integrated greenhouses that optimize economic and energy benefits while maintaining product quality.

Mechanism and application prospects of microbial fertilizers in regulating quality formation of medicinal plants

With the promotion of chemical fertilizer and pesticide reduction and green production of traditional Chinese medicines, microbial fertilizers have become a hot way to achieve the zero-growth of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, improve the yield and qua-lity of medicinal plants, maintain soil health, and promote the sustainable development of the planting industry of Chinese herbal medicines. Soil conditions and microenvironments are crucial to the growth, development, and quality formation of medicinal plants. Microbial fertilizers, as environmentally friendly fertilizers acting on the soil, can improve soil quality by replenishing organic matter and promoting the metabolism of beneficial microorganisms to improve the yield and quality of medicinal plants. In this regard, understanding the mechanism of microbial fertilizer in regulating the quality formation of medicinal plants is crucial for the development of herbal eco-agriculture. This study introduces the processes of microbial fertilizers in improving soil properties, participating in soil nutrient cycling, enhancing the resistance of medicinal plants, and promoting the accumulation of medicinal components to summarize the mechanisms and roles of bacterial fertilizers in regulating the quality formation of medicinal plants. Furthermore, this paper introduces the application of bacterial fertilizers in medicinal plants and makes an outlook on their development, with a view to providing a scientific basis for using microbial fertilizers to improve the quality of Chinese herbal medicines, improve the soil environment, promote the sustainable development of eco-agriculture of traditional Chinese medicine, and popularize the application of microbial fertilizers.

Optimization of advanced sonoelectrochemical oxidation process with graphene-graphene electrode in improving the quality of Parand city wastewater treatment plant

Optimization of advanced sonoelectrochemical oxidation process with graphene-graphene electrode in improving the quality of Parand city wastewater treatment plant

Agronomic potential of plant-specific Gγ proteins.

The vascular plant-specific type III Gγ proteins have emerged as important targets for biotechnological applications. These proteins are exemplified by Arabidopsis AGG3, rice Grain Size 3 (GS3), Dense and Erect Panicle 1 (DEP1), and GGC2 and regulate plant stature, seed size, weight and quality, nitrogen use efficiency, and multiple stress responses. These Gγ proteins are an integral component of the plant heterotrimeric G-protein complex and differ from the canonical Gγ proteins due to the presence of a long, cysteine-rich C-terminal region. Most cereal genomes encode three or more of these proteins, which have similar N-terminal Gγ domains but varying lengths of the C-terminal domain. The C-terminal domain is hypothesized to give specificity to the protein function. Intriguingly, many accessions of cultivated cereals have natural deletion of this region in one or more proteins, but the mechanistic details of protein function remain perplexing. Distinct, sometimes contrasting, effects of deletion of the C-terminal region have been reported in different crops or under varying environmental conditions. This review summarizes the known roles of type III Gγ proteins, the possible action mechanisms, and a perspective on what is needed to comprehend their full agronomic potential.

Effects of Root Zone Temperature of Hydroponic Lettuce Affects Plant Growth, Nutrient Uptake, and Vitamin A Content

Water temperature can affect plant growth and quality in hydroponic production. Lettuce ‘Antonet’, ‘Waldman’s Dark Green’, ‘Parris Island’, ‘Jericho’, and ‘Rex’ were grown using the nutrient film technique with chilled (water temperature set at 21.1 °C) or ambient water. Data were collected on plant growth, foliar nutrient content, and vitamin A content. ‘Jericho’ had the greatest shoot fresh weight but was only significantly different from ‘Antonet’, which had the lowest shoot fresh weight but the greatest vitamin A content. SPAD was greatest in ‘Paris Island’ and was significantly greater in chilled water over ambient for ‘Antonet’. Plants grown in ambient water had greater number of leaves and root dry weight, whereas SPAD was greatest with chilled water. Greater nutrient values were observed in ‘Rex’, ‘Jericho’, and ‘Waldman’s Dark Green’ in chilled water, whereas no nutrient differences were observed in ‘Antonet’ and ‘Parris Island’.

Growth and yield of pakcoy (Brassica rapa L.) due to different concentration of AB Mix nutrient and foliar fertilizer in the floating hydroponic system

Nutrient solution is one of the most essential factors in influencing the production, yield and quality of plants hydroponically. This study aimed to obtain the best concentration of AB Mix nutrients and foliar fertilizer, as well as their combination on the growth and yield of pakcoy in the Floating Hydroponic System. This research was carried out at the Experimental Garden of the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh from February to March 2023. This study used a 3 x 3 factorial RCBD with two factors. The first factor was the AB Mix concentration (800, 1000, and 1200 ppm), and the second factor was foliar fertilizer concentration (0, 250 and 500 ppm). The AB Mix concentration had a very significant effect on the total and consumption part wet weight, and also it had a significant effect on the number, length and width of leaf at 4 WAP. The foliar fertilizer concentration had a very significant effect on total and consumption part wet weight, had a significant effect on plant height at 4 WAP. The best growth and yield of pakcoy plants was obtained with the combination of 1200 ppm AB Mix nutrient concentrations and 250 ppm foliar fertilizer concentration.

Minimizing Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination in indoor farming: effects of cultivar type and ultra-violet light quality.

Bacterial contamination of produce is a concern in indoor farming due to close plant spacing, recycling irrigation, warm temperatures, and high relative humidity during production. Cultivars that inherently resist contamination and photo-sanitization using ultraviolet (UV) radiation during the production phase can reduce bacterial contamination. However, there is limited information to support their use in indoor farming. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) cultivars with varying plant architectures grown in a custom-built indoor farm exhibited differences in E. coli O157:H7 survival after inoculation. The survival of E. coli O157:H7 was lowest in the leaf cultivar (open architecture) and highest in the romaine and oakleaf cultivars (compact architecture). Of the different UV wavelengths that were tested (UV-A, UV-A + B, UV-A + C), UV A + C at an intensity of 54.5 μmol m-2 s-1 (with 3.5 μmol m-2 s-1 of UV-C), provided for 15 min every day, was found to be most efficacious in reducing the E. coli O157:H7 survival on romaine lettuce with no negative effects on plant growth and quality. Contamination of E. coli O157:H7 on lettuce plants can be reduced and the food safety levels in indoor farms can be increased by selecting cultivars with an open leaf architecture coupled with photo-sanitization using low and frequent exposure to UV A + C radiation. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

CRISPR-Cas9 based molecular breeding in crop plants: a review.

Traditional crop breeding techniques are not quickly boosting yields to fulfill the expanding population needs. Long crop lifespans hinder the ability of plant breeding to develop superior crop varieties. Due to the arduous crossing, selecting, and challenging processes, it can take decades to establish new varieties with desired agronomic traits. Develop new plant varieties instantly to reduce hunger and improve food security. As a result of the adoption of conventional agricultural techniques, crop genetic diversity has decreased over time. Several traditional and molecular techniques, such as genetic selection, mutant breeding, somaclonal variation, genome-wide association studies, and others, have improved agronomic traits associated with agricultural plant productivity, quality, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. In addition, modern genome editing approaches based on programmable nucleases, CRISPR, and Cas9 proteins have escorted an exciting new era of plant breeding. Plant breeders and scientists worldwide rely on cutting-edge techniques like quick breeding, genome editing tools, and high-throughput phenotyping to boost crop breeding output. This review compiles discoveries in numerous areas of crop breeding, such as using genome editing tools to accelerate the breeding process and create yearly crop generations with the desired features, to describe the shift from conventional to modern plant breeding techniques.

The Effect of VP3 Biofertilizer and Compost Application on Red Spinach (Amaranthus dubius) and Green Spinach (Amaranthus viridis) Yield and Quality

VP3 biofertilizer is a biological agent that has been formulated in previous research. It was applied once with compost and has been tested on red spinach and green spinach in the greenhouse to see its effect on yield and quality (chlorophyll content, anthocyanins, and shelf life at room temperature). Red spinach and green spinach had shown a significantly different growth response to applying biological fertilizers. VP3 biofertilizer with compost had the highest yield effect but was not significantly different from the recommended Nitrogen Phosphate Potassium (NPK) and Effective Microorganism4(EM4) treatment with compost. The application of VP3 Biofertilizer with NPK fertilizer showed a darker color (higher chlorophyll and anthocyanin content) than the application of biological fertilizers, but the values ​​were not significantly different. The application of VP3 biofertilizer with compost affected the shelf life of both red spinach and green spinach. Spinach plants remained fresh at room temperature for three days of storage, while the other treatments lost freshness on the 3rd day after harvesting and even loosened the leaf on the 4th day after harvesting. Therefore, VP3 biofertilizer has potential to increase the yield and quality of spinach and other vegetable crops. The addition of the application period of VP3 biofertilizer needs to be carried out and observed to increase the yield and quality of plants further. Canonical Variate Analyses (CVA) can distinguish the grouping of treatments based on the selected parameter. Biplot assessment provides information on the strong relationship between the yield of green spinach and red spinach and a number of leaves, leaf area, and plant height. The application of VP3 biofertilizer with compost had a significant effect on the yield and quality and produced different effects between treatments, both in the case of green spinach and red spinach.

How Nutrients Mediate the Impacts of Global Change on Locust Outbreaks.

Locusts are grasshoppers that can migrate en masse and devastate food security. Plant nutrient content is a key variable influencing population dynamics, but the relationship is not straightforward. For an herbivore, plant quality depends not only on the balance of nutrients and antinutrients in plant tissues, which is influenced by land use and climate change, but also on the nutritional state and demands of the herbivore, as well as its capacity to extract nutrients from host plants. In contrast to the concept of a positive relationship between nitrogen or protein concentration and herbivore performance, a five-decade review of lab and field studies indicates that equating plant N to plant quality is misleading because grasshoppers respond negatively or neutrally to increasing plant N just as often as they respond positively. For locusts specifically, low-N environments are actually beneficial because they supply high energy rates that support migration. Therefore, intensive land use, such as continuous grazing or cropping, and elevated ambient CO2 levels that decrease the protein:carbohydrate ratios of plants are predicted to broadly promote locust outbreaks.

Control of Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) by the new trend of photosensitizer and nanocomposites and their effects on productivity and storability of tomato

Tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is a serious insect pest on tomato plants worldwide. Its larvae can cause up to 100% damage if not controlled. Furthermore, using of chemical pesticides is causing serious threat to environment and human health. The effect of two photosensitizers; magnesium and copper chlorophyllin (Mg-Chl and Cu-Chl) alone and two nanomaterials (GO and Ag) over their photosensitizers (Mg-Chl /Go, Mg-Chl /Ag, Cu-Chl/ Go, and Cu-Chl /Ag) on T. absoluta in tomato field at two seasons were studied. The tested concentrations of photosensitizer and nanocomposites were 10−3 (100 ml/L), 10−4 (10 ml/L) and 10–5 (1 ml/L). The effect of photosensitizer and nanocomposites on reduction % of Tuta absoluta, tomato plants growth, yield, and quality were studied. The number of tunnels was recorded, the reduction percentages for each treatment were calculated compared to control before and after 1, 5, and 7 days of spraying. Results showed that the reduction in the number of tunnels after one day of spraying with photosensitizers (Mg-Chl and Cu-Chl) at the highest concentration (10−3) was 72.79 and 70.52% in the 1st season and 77.95 and 60.08% in the 2nd season. The reduction percentage increased gradually with the number of days after spraying and reached 100% after seven days in both seasons. The reduction percentage reached 100% in plants treated with all nanomaterial concentrations after five days of spraying in the 1st season and after one day of spraying in the second season. Photosensitizer and nanocomposites treatments at all concentrations positively affected all vegetative growth parameters of tomato plants compared with insecticides and control. The highest concentration of all treatments increased yield and enhanced the storability of tomato fruits. The yield after treatment with Mg-Chl was 28.67 tons/fed, which was more than the yield of those treated with Cu-Chl (24.8 tons/fed). Loading nano silver (Ag) over Mg-Chl achieved tomato yield (35.18 tons/fed) compared with the loading of nano graphene oxide (Go) (32.95 tons/fed). Therefore, treatment with these materials can be recommended in the IPM program to control T. absoluta in tomato fields.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi as Biofertilizers to Increase the Plant Quality of Sour-Orange Seedlings

In addressing the agricultural challenges posed by climate change, the use of biofertilizers, derived from living organisms, promotes environmentally friendly crop cultivation, and represents an adaptive strategy for sustainable agriculture in the face of climate uncertainty. Careful selection of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) would represent a crucial step in mycorrhizal inoculation, considering the varying levels of compatibility between the AMF and the host plant. This study aimed to assess the impact of two AMF species that are prevalent in citrus soils of south-eastern Spain (Rhizophagus irregularis and Funneliformis mosseae) on the Citrus aurantium seedlings’ behavior. Sour-orange plants showed a high mycorrhizal dependence regardless of the specific AMF species. Both R. irregularis and F. mosseae fungi exhibited high colonization percentages, with R. irregularis outperforming F. mosseae in root colonization. Inoculation with both AMF yielded notable growth improvements, but R. irregularis exhibited higher positive effects in the long term. The heightened P nutrition and increased chlorophyll concentration significantly enhanced the performance of AMF-inoculated plants. With F. mosseae, plants showed more pronounced improvements in P nutrition and a stronger correlation of their dry mass with P concentration; however, in general, inoculation with R. irregularis produced a higher sour-orange-plant performance. Both R. irregularis and F. mosseae fungi produced strong positive effects in sour-orange growth, which positioned them as viable biofertilizer options. These results can contribute to enhancing understanding for the development of an improved design of biofertilizers used in regions that are vulnerable to climate change, such as south-eastern Spain. This promotes a shift towards more sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural practices by reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers.

Initial Physiological, Biochemical and Elemental Garlic (Allium sativum L.) Clove Responses to T. vulgaris and S. aromaticum Extract Application

Plant extracts are getting attention for their sterilizing, growth-promoting properties in the agricultural field. No exception exists when it comes to the treatment of propagating material with these natural components. Plant extracts may have complex compositions which affect plants or seeds in a positive way. However, they could also cause negative effects, like decreased germination, secondary metabolite contents or biomass gain. As the agricultural field requires sustainable techniques for plant growth and quality assurance in production, it is important to evaluate the potential effects of every alternative natural compound that shows promise for future plant treatment. Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is a popular spice crop grown in various regions of the world. Therefore, our study focused on an investigation of the early physiological and biochemical changes in garlic cloves (cv. ‘Jarus’ and ‘Vasariai’) treated with Thymus vulgaris essential oil and Syzygium aromaticum extract. Experiments were carried out in controlled climate conditions, in which the treated cloves were kept for four weeks. Results show that S. aromaticum extract increased germination in cv. ‘Jarus’ compared to untreated garlic cloves. Meanwhile, T. vulgaris caused lower germination of both cultivars compared to untreated cloves. None of the extracts increased biomass gain in garlic cloves. ABTS antioxidant activity was decreased by both extracts in cv. ‘Jarus’ (~7–47%) and ‘Vasariai’ (~22–32%) compared to untreated garlic cloves. Antioxidant DPPH and FRAP activities were ~6–11% and ~14–15% higher after ‘Vasariai’ treatment with extracts. Meanwhile, in ‘Jarus’ only, S. aromaticum extract caused an increase in DPPH and FRAP antioxidant activities. The elemental content was the highest in garlic cloves treated with T. vulgaris essential oil. Total phenolic compounds (TPC) and flavonoids (TF) were 1.2 times higher after S. aromaticum treatment of ‘Jarus’ compared to untreated cloves, while slightly increased TPC and two times higher TF values were found after treatment with T. vulgaris. Around 10% higher TPC and 1.5–3 times lower TF values were observed after the plant extract treatment of ‘Vasariai’ garlic cloves. Our study demonstrates initial changes in garlic cloves dependent on the plant extract treatment and cultivar. This provides important information for the future utilization of such technology, either alone or in combination with others.

The interactive effects of heat stress, parasitism and host plant quality in a host–parasitoid system

Abstract Species interactions are expected to change in myriad ways as the frequency and magnitude of extreme temperature events increase with anthropogenic climate change. The relationships between endosymbionts, parasites and their hosts are particularly sensitive to thermal stress, which can have cascading effects on other trophic levels. We investigate the interactive effects of heat stress and parasitism on a terrestrial tritrophic system consisting of two host plants (one common, high‐quality plant and one novel, low‐quality plant), a caterpillar herbivore and a specialist parasitoid wasp. We used a fully factorial experiment to determine the bottom‐up effects of the novel host plant on both the caterpillars' life history traits and the wasps' survival, and the top‐down effects of parasitism and heat shock on caterpillar developmental outcomes and herbivory levels. Host plant identity interacted with thermal stress to affect wasp success, with wasps performing better on the low‐quality host plant under constant temperatures but worse under heat‐shock conditions. Surprisingly, caterpillars consumed less leaf material from the low‐quality host plant to reach the same final mass across developmental outcomes. In parasitized caterpillars, heat shock reduced parasitoid survival and increased both caterpillar final mass and development time on both host plants. These findings highlight the importance of studying community‐level responses to climate change from a holistic and integrative perspective and provide insight into potential substantial interactions between thermal stress and diet quality in plant–insect systems. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Effect in Growth, Flowering and Corm Yield of Gladiolus by Different Application Methods of Biofertilizers

Background: The current study was carried out to explore the effects of various biofertilizer applications on gladiolus growth, flower production and corms yield in Horticulture Research Farm of Lovely Professional University, Phagwara in winter season of 2022. Methods: Ten distinct combinations of biofertilizers and their application techniques, together with control, were used in the experiment’s Randomized Block Design, which was replicated three times. Corms were sown in the spacing 30×30 cm and treated as T1 (Control), T2 (RDF + Azotobacter (Corm dipping), T3 (RDF + Azotobacter (Soil application), T4 (RDF + Azotobacter (Foliar application), T5 (RDF + PSB (Corm dipping), T6 (RDF + PSB (Soil application), T7 (RDF + PSB (Foliar application), T8 (RDF + Azotobacter +PSB (Corm dipping), T9 (RDF + Azotobacter + PSB (Soil application) and T10 (RDF + Azotobacter +PSB (Foliar application) The following data were recorded at different stages i.e. days required for sprouting of corms, plant height (cm), number of leaves per plant, number of Shoots per mother corm, days required for spike emergence per plot, length of spike (cm), diameter of floret (cm), number of spikes per plant, number of florets per spike, number of Spikes per hectare, number of cormels per plant, number of corms per plant, diameter of corm (cm), Wt. of corms per plant (g), Wt. of cormels/plant (g) and yield of corms (q/ha). Result: Among all the 10 treatments given Treatment T8, which consisted of RDF + Azotobacter + PSB and was used as a soil application, was found to be superior, implying that biofertilizers can improve nutrient availability and absorption, which resulted in improved gladiolus plant growth, blooming, yield, quality and yield.

Establishment of an Ex Situ Collection of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. as a Prerequisite for Field Cultivation in Bulgaria

Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (Fabaceae), commonly known as licorice, is a perennial medicinal plant. Its healing properties are due mainly to the secondary metabolites glycyrrhizin and flavonoids accumulated in the roots of plants aged 3 years or more. Overexploitation of licorice populations in Bulgaria led to their rapid decrease. The species is protected by the national Biodiversity Act. The present study aimed at establishing of an ex situ collection of G. glabra using plant material originating from its Bulgarian populations in order to evaluate the main characteristics of the cultivated plants and their potential use as a source of plant material for the creation of a plantation. Plants were obtained from stolon cuttings of donor wild-growing plants from three Bulgarian populations and then cultivated for 3 years in the experimental field plot. Plants originating from all three populations produced glycyrrhizin and flavonoids in similar concentrations under the controlled conditions of the ex situ collection, despite the significant inter-population differences noted in situ. The soil type and supply of soil organic matter, total nitrogen and other nutrients turned out to be most important for the quality of plants in terms of both their growth and biosynthetic capacity. In addition, in vitro micropropagation has proven to be a suitable method for accelerating seedling production. These results would be of practical importance in establishing an agricultural plantation of G. glabra.

Monitoring Smart Applications for Monitoring and Controlling of IoT-Based Strawberry Hydroponic Plants

Hydroponic farming has become an attractive option in strawberry cultivation as it provides better control over the growing environment of the plants. However, proper management and continuous monitoring are challenges often faced by farmers in hydroponic farming practices. Therefore, in this study, we designed an IoT-based application that aims to monitor and control strawberry hydroponic farming through smartphone devices. The method used in this research involves developing an application that connects with various sensors installed in the hydroponic farm environment. The data obtained from the sensors is transmitted in realtime through the IoT network. In addition to the monitoring function, the application is also equipped with a control system that can be customized according to the needs of farmers. The result of this research is an application that can work from a short distance (local) or a long distance (cloud). The application is equipped with a hazard alarm notification system. The feature allows farmers to take action to maintain the health and quality of strawberry plants. The use of this application is expected to help make it easier for farmers to monitor and control hydroponic farming to be more efficient and optimize crop yields.

Intercropping Systems to Modify Bioactive Compounds and Nutrient Profiles in Plants: Do We Have Enough Information to Take This as a Strategy to Improve Food Quality? A Review.

Various environmental, food security and population health problems have been correlated with the use of intensive agriculture production systems around the world. This type of system leads to the loss of biodiversity and natural habitats, high usage rates of agrochemicals and natural resources, and affects soil composition, human health, and nutritional plant quality in rural areas. Agroecological intercropping systems that respect agrobiodiversity, on the other hand, can significantly benefit ecosystems, human health, and food security by modifying the nutritional profile and content of some health-promoting bioactive compounds in the species cultivated in this system. However, research on intercropping strategies focuses more on the benefits they can offer to ecosystems, and less on plant nutrient composition, and the existing information is scattered. The topic merits further study, given the critical impact that it could have on human nutrition. The aim of this review is therefore to collect viable details on the status of research into the profile of nutrients and bioactive compounds in intercropping systems in different regions of the world with unique mixed crops using plant species, along with the criteria for combining them, as well as the nutrients and bioactive compounds analyzed, to exemplify the possible contributions of intercropping systems to food availability and quality.

Evaluation of the nematicidal efficacy of an aqueous extract of Eupatorium odoratum on Radopholus similis nematode infestation in banana ( Musa acuminata “Cavendish”) in a micro plot experiment and under field trial conditions

Eupatorium odoratum is known for its ability to resist nematode infestations that attack the root systems of banana plants. An aqueous extract of the leaves and stems of E. odoratum (named EEOL) represents a natural solution that we investigated for its potential to control the harmful nematode, Radopholus similis, in Cavendish banana plants. Our research into EEOL’s efficacy spanned two distinct environments: a micro plot experiment model and a field model. Various concentrations of EEOL were examined to assess its efficacy in alleviating R. similis infestations and in mitigating their adverse effects on Cavendish banana plants. In the micro plot experiment model, the concentration of the original solution, diluted at ratios of 1:30×, 1 : 16×, 1 : 8×, 1 : 4×, and 1 : 2×, ranged from 1.76 to 28.16 mg · ml -1. In the field model, the corresponding rates varied from 6.03 to 96.54 l · ha -1. Key parameters, including infection rates, root necrosis indices, plant growth metrics, percentage of fallen trees, and harvest yields, were meticulously monitored and assessed. The results demonstrated that EEOL significantly reduced infection rates ( p < 0.05), decreased root necrosis indices ( p < 0.05), and promoted increased plant height, pseudostem circumference, and leaf area ( p < 0.05) in both models. Furthermore, it lowered the percentage of fallen trees ( p < 0.05) and enhanced harvest yields ( p < 0.05) in the field model. Notably, observations in the field model revealed that EEOL, particularly at a dosage of 96.54 l · ha -1, exhibited effectiveness equivalent to the conventional chemical nematode control method, fenamiphos ( p > 0.05). The study’s findings underscore the promising potential of EEOL in effectively managing R. similis infestations and improving the yield and quality of Cavendish banana plants. The aqueous extract of the stem and leaves of E. odoratum emerged as an effective nematode management solution for banana cultivation, in both the micro plot experiment and field conditions.

Biochar and organic fertilizer drive the bacterial community to improve the productivity and quality of Sophora tonkinensis in cadmium-contaminated soil.

Excessive Cd accumulation in soil reduces the production of numerous plants, such as Sophora tonkinensis Gagnep., which is an important and widely cultivated medicinal plant whose roots and rhizomes are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Applying a mixture of biochar and organic fertilizers improved the overall health of the Cd-contaminated soil and increased the yield and quality of Sophora. However, the underlying mechanism between this mixed fertilization and the improvement of the yield and quality of Sophora remains uncovered. This study investigated the effect of biochar and organic fertilizer application (BO, biochar to organic fertilizer ratio of 1:2) on the growth of Sophora cultivated in Cd-contaminated soil. BO significantly reduced the total Cd content (TCd) in the Sophora rhizosphere soil and increased the soil water content, overall soil nutrient levels, and enzyme activities in the soil. Additionally, the α diversity of the soil bacterial community had been significantly improved after BO treatment. Soil pH, total Cd content, total carbon content, and dissolved organic carbon were the main reasons for the fluctuation of the bacterial dominant species. Further investigation demonstrated that the abundance of variable microorganisms, including Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, Patescibacteria, Armatimonadetes, Subgroups_ 6, Bacillus and Bacillus_ Acidiceler, was also significantly changed in Cd-contaminated soil. All these alterations could contribute to the reduction of the Cd content and, thus, the increase of the biomass and the content of the main secondary metabolites (matrine and oxymatrine) in Sophora. Our research demonstrated that the co-application of biochar and organic fertilizer has the potential to enhance soil health and increase the productivity and quality of plants by regulating the microorganisms in Cd-contaminated soil.