Cucumber Seeds Research Articles

Evaluation of the acute phytotoxicity of phototreated textile effluent using cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and radish seeds (Raphanus sativus)

Water, as a vital resource, plays a crucial role in human activities, notably in the textile industry, whose operations can significantly impact the quality of this resource. It is imperative to explore solutions, such as the adoption of advanced oxidative processes, which encompass the degradation of dyes present in effluents through the action of hydroxyl radicals. To evaluate the effectiveness of this treatment, acute phytotoxicity tests are carried out to analyze the responses of plant organisms to the effluents. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the acute phytotoxicity of a natural textile effluent subjected to heterogeneous photocatalysis and homogeneous photo-fenton treatments. Acute phytotoxicity tests were performed with cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and radish (Raphanus sativus) seeds, both for the treated effluent and in natura. The results revealed a sensitivity of cucumber seeds to effluent in natura and resistance to radish seeds. Regarding the phototreated effluents, the results showed an increase in seed germination rate and contributed to enhance this germination. Phytotoxic tests were also carried out with sodium chloride and sodium sulfate, and the toxicity of these substances to cucumber and radish seeds was confirmed.

A Novel Enterococcus-Based Nanofertilizer Promotes Seedling Growth and Vigor in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Excessive use of chemical fertilizers poses significant environmental and health concerns. Microbial-based biofertilizers are increasingly being promoted as safe alternatives. However, they have limitations such as gaining farmers' trust, the need for technical expertise, and the variable performance of microbes in the field. The development of nanobiofertilizers as agro-stimulants and agro-protective agents for climate-smart and sustainable agriculture could overcome these limitations. In the present study, auxin-producing Enterococcus sp. SR9, based on its plant growth-promoting traits, was selected for the microbe-assisted synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). These microbial-nanoparticles SR9AgNPs were characterized using UV/Vis spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy, and a size analyzer. To test the efficacy of SR9AgNPs compared to treatment with the SR9 isolate alone, the germination rates of cucumber (Cucumis sativus), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seeds were analyzed. The data revealed that seeds simultaneously treated with SR9AgNPs and SR9 showed better germination rates than untreated control plants. In the case of vigor, wheat showed the most positive response to the nanoparticle treatment, with a higher vigor index than the other crops analyzed. The toxicity assessment of SR9AgNPs demonstrated no apparent toxicity at a concentration of 100 ppm, resulting in the highest germination and biomass gain in wheat seedlings. This work represents the first step in the characterization of microbial-assisted SR9AgNPs and encourages future studies to extend these conclusions to other relevant crops under field conditions.

Biochar addition influences C and N dynamics during biochar co-composting and the nutrient content of the biochar co-compost

This study investigated the effects of corn cob biochar (CCB) and rice husk biochar (RHB) additions (at 0%, 5%, and 10% w/w) on nitrogen and carbon dynamics during co-composting with poultry litter, rice straw, and domestic bio-waste. The study further assessed the temperature, moisture, pH, and nutrient contents of the mature biochar co-composts, and their potential phytotoxicity effects on amaranth, cucumber, cowpea, and tomato. Biochar additions decreased NH4+-N and NO3- contents, but bacteria and fungi populations increased during the composting process. The mature biochar co-composts showed higher pH (9.0–9.7), and increased total carbon (24.7–37.6%), nitrogen (1.8–2.4%), phosphorus (6.5–8.1 g kg−1), potassium (26.8–42.5 g kg−1), calcium (25.1–49.5 g kg−1), and magnesium (4.8–7.2 g kg−1) contents compared to the compost without biochar. Germination indices (GI) recorded in all the plants tested with the different composts were greater than 60%. Regardless of the biochar additions, all composts treatments showed no or very minimal phytotoxic effects on cucumber, amaranth and cowpea seeds. We conclude that rice husk and corn cob biochar co-composts are nutrient-rich and safe soil amendment for crop production.

Simple and Economical Methods for Producing a Nano-Algae Fertilizer and its Efficacy for Germination of Cucumber Seeds

Simple and Economical Methods for Producing a Nano-Algae Fertilizer and its Efficacy for Germination of Cucumber Seeds

Low-dose 60Co-γ-ray irradiation promotes the growth of cucumber seedlings by inducing CsSAUR37 expression.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a major vegetable crop grown globally, with a cultivation history of more than 3000years. The limited genetic diversity, low rate of intraspecific variation, and extended periods of traditional breeding have resulted in slow progress in their genetic research and the development of new varieties. Gamma (γ)-ray irradiation potentially accelerates the breeding progress; however, the biological and molecular effects of γ-ray irradiation on cucumbers are unknown. Exposing cucumber seeds to 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250Gy doses of 60Co-γ-ray irradiation, this study aimed to investigate the resulting phenotype and physiological characteristics of seedling treatment to determine the optimal irradiation dose. The results showed that low irradiation doses (50-100Gy) enhanced root growth, hypocotyl elongation, and lateral root numbers, promoting seedling growth. However, high irradiation doses (150-250Gy) significantly inhibited seed germination and growth, decreasing the survival rate of seedlings. More than 100Gy irradiation significantly decreased the total chlorophyll content while increasing the malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2 content in cucumber. Transcriptome sequencing analysis at 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250Gy doses showed that gene expression significantly differed between low and high irradiation doses. Gene Ontology enrichment and functional pathway enrichment analyses revealed that the auxin response pathway played a crucial role in seedling growth under low irradiation doses. Further, gene function analysis revealed that small auxin up-regulated gene CsSAUR37 was a key gene that was overexpressed in response to low irradiation doses, promoting primary root elongation and enhancing lateral root numbers by regulating the expression of protein phosphatase 2Cs (PP2Cs) and auxin synthesis genes.

Evaluation of cucumber seed germination vigor under salt stress environment based on improved YOLOv8.

Seed germination vigor is one of the important indexes reflecting the quality of seeds, and the level of its germination vigor directly affects the crop yield. The traditional manual determination of seed germination vigor is inefficient, subjective, prone to damage the seed structure, cumbersome and with large errors. We carried out a cucumber seed germination experiment under salt stress based on the seed germination phenotype acquisition platform. We obtained image data of cucumber seed germination under salt stress conditions. On the basis of the YOLOv8-n model, the original loss function CIoU_Loss was replaced by ECIOU_Loss, and the Coordinate Attention(CA) mechanism was added to the head network, which helped the model locate and identify the target. The small-target detection head was added, which enhanced the detection accuracy of the tiny target. The precision P, recall R, and mAP of detection of the model improved from the original values of 91.6%, 85.4%, and 91.8% to 96.9%, 97.3%, and 98.9%, respectively. Based on the improved YOLOv8-ECS model, cucumber seeds under different concentrations of salt stress were detected by target detection, cucumber seed germination rate, germination index and other parameters were calculated, the root length of cucumber seeds during germination was extracted and analyzed, and the change characteristics of root length during cucumber seed germination were obtained, and finally the germination activity of cucumber seeds under different concentrations of salt stress was evaluated. This work provides a simple and efficient method for the selection and breeding of salt-tolerant varieties of cucumber.

Antioxidant and biofertilizing effect of compost extracts on horticultural crops to minimize the use of agrochemicals

Excessive chemical fertilizers harm the environment, economy, and health, while compost and its extracts provide a sustainable solution. Consequently, the development of liquid organic amendments with biofertilizing and antioxidant capabilities is of significant interest in intensive agriculture. To achieve this, four Compost Extraction Protocols (CEP1–4) were applied to different compost to obtain a range of aqueous extracts. These treatments varied in temperature, incubation duration, and agitation. The raw materials for the compost used were Agri-food Waste (AW), Sewage Sludge (SS), Vegetable Waste (VW), and Olive Mill Waste (OMW). The extracts were characterized in physicochemical terms and their potential to promote radicle germination in cucumber and lettuce seeds. Additionally, counts of microbial groups associated with biofertilizing capacity were conducted. Three extracts were chosen based on the germination index to conduct an in vivo bioassay on seedlings. Finally, oxidative stress in radicles and seedlings resulting from the preceding tests was evaluated by quantifying malondialdehyde (MDA), total phenolic compounds (TPC), and ascorbate-glutathione cycle enzymes. The results established that protocols with milder temperatures, such as CEP1 and CEP4, yielded aqueous compost extracts with good biofertilizing and antioxidant properties, although the effect was dependent on crop sensitivity. Specifically, the extracts selected for the seedling trial, OMW-A CEP4, AW-A CEP1, and especially AW-A CEP4, demonstrated a remarkable biofertilizing and antioxidant properties in lettuce, by increasing growth parameters and TPC while decreasing MDA. The results indicate that aqueous compost extracts are a suitable alternative to reduce the consumption of chemical fertilizers.

Synthesis of nano-zinc oxide by conventional chemical precipitation vs microwaves and its effect on the germination of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) seeds

Nanostructured ZnO (ZnO-NE) were successfully synthesized and seed germination and growth of cucumber seedlings in the laboratory were evaluated. The synthesis of ZnO-NE was done by direct precipitation (DP) and microwave-assisted heating with a domestic microwave (Domestic MW) vs a professional microwave (Professional MW). The crystalline phases, morphology, and absorption properties of the samples were characterized by XRD, FTIR, HR-SEM, and UV–Vis DRS respectively. The germination of cucumber seeds was evaluated through an experimental design completely randomized with five treatments and six repetitions. The number of roots, length and diameter of the main root, length and diameter of the hypocotyl were quantified. The germination percentage, germination indices and seedling vigor were calculated. All ZnO-NE synthesis methods presented wurtzite structure; smaller size (34 nm) of crystal with DP and larger (60 nm) with professional microwave. The synthesis with a Professional MW produced hexagonal prismatic particles while with a Domestic MW and DP there was no defined morphology, but with a tendency to form bars. All syntheses had a high percentage of Zn, O and a higher percentage of C in the ZnO-NE by Domestic MW, and in the ZnO-NE by DP and Professional MW Na was detected, both with a similar stoichiometric ratio, although the closest to one was with Domestic MW. The Eg values were 3.12, 3.14 and 3.16 eV for ZnO-NE synthesized by Professional MW, Domestic MW and DP, respectively. The different sources of ZnO-NE modified the length of the root and hypocotyl, the number of secondary roots, the vigor index and percentage of survival of seedlings in containers. Therefore, the preparation of ZnO-NE and its application in the germination of cucumber seeds contributes to improving the morphological characteristics of post-emergence seedlings.

Effect of Bio Control Agents on Controlling Root Rot and Damping-off Disease of Cucumber Seedlings Caused by Rhizoctonia solani

Root rot and seedlings damping-off disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani is the most damaging disease of cucumber. This disease causes reducing yield in cucumber. This study conducted laboratory and greenhouse conditions to find out the efficacy of biological control agents, Trichoderma harzianum, Bacillus subtilis, the chemical compound Bion, and fungicide revanol. The results of pathogenicity test of R. solani on cucumber seeds showed that R. solanihas led to a significant reduction in the percentage of germination and seed rot compared to the control treatment, which amounted to 100%. The results showed the ability of all control agents used in this study to reduce the incidence of the disease. The Bion (benzothiadiazole) treatment showed significant effect and outperformed the other treatments in increasing the activity of the peroxidase enzyme, which was recorded at 14,440 (unit. minute-1.g wet weight-1). It also achieved the highest significant increase in total phenolics 1.52 (mg -1 . gram wet weight -1). Biological control agent T. harzianum has outperformed on other treatments in causing an increase in the activity of the polyphenol oxidase enzyme, it has recorded 1811.7 (unit. minute - 1 .gram of wet weight - 1 leaf).

Effect of Gamma Irradiation on the Antimicrobial and Free Radical Scavenging Activities of Solvents-Based Extracts of Cucurbitaceae Seeds

The effect of gamma irradiation upon the bioactive potentials of selected Cucurbitaceae seeds commonly known as Char Magaz was investigated. The seeds were irradiated in triplicate at doses of 1, 5, 10, and 20 kGy gamma rays in a cobalt-60 irradiator. These were extracted with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol and the extracts were concentrated by rotary evaporation. The antimicrobial effects of the irradiated and non-irradiated samples against bacterial strains and the fungal strains were assessed by the agar-well diffusion method and the minimal inhibitory concentration technique. The antioxidant activities were determined via 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods. The chloroform extract of cucumber seeds exhibited the greatest zone of inhibition (18.0 mm) against S. aureus. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for antibacterial and antifungal activities ranged from 320.0 to 1280 µg/mL, and 0.50 to 16.0 µg/mL, respectively. Seeds exposed up to 10 kGy gamma irradiation increased DPPH and ABTS scavenging activities. Comparatively, all seed extracts showed high antioxidant potentials in the FRAP assay at all doses. The results suggested that gamma irradiation up to 10 kGy enhances bioactivities of the analyzed seeds.

Growth Response of Cucumber in Different Solid Organic Waste Materials

The study aims to investigate the effect of various organic waste materials on the growth of cucumber plants. The study is motivated by the increasing need for sustainable agricultural practices and the potential use of organic waste as a source of nutrients for plant growth. The experiment will be conducted using a randomized complete block design with three treatments: food scraps, animal manure, yard waste. Cucumber seeds will be sown in pots filled with soil mixed with the respective organic waste material. The growth parameters such as plant height and length of leaves will be measured at regular intervals. It is hypothesized that cucumber plants grown in soil amended with organic waste materials will exhibit better growth compared to those with no fertilizer. This hypothesis is based on previous studies that have shown the positive impact of organic waste on plant growth due to its nutrient content. The results obtained from this research will contribute to our understanding of the potential use of different organic waste materials as a sustainable alternative to synthetic fertilizers in agriculture. It may also provide insights into effective methods for recycling and managing organic waste for agricultural purposes.

In vitro antifungal activities of dose-dependent bioactive compound from potato peels to combat powdery mildew disease in cucumber

The search for biopolymer-based materials to replace dangerous chemicals in agriculture has become increasingly important in recent years for sustainable crop development. In our study enzymatic synthesis of isomaltose was done using potato peels. Isomaltose solvent extracts were tested for their ability to inhibit fungal pathogens like Erysiphe cichoracearum and Fusarium oxysporum. Among those tested, a dosedependent isomaltose extract exhibited significant inhibition on E. cichoracearum and F. oxysporum pathogen conidial sporulation, number of conidia and their motility. Under the in vitro studies, with isomaltose extract at (2.5 mg mL ) recorded a maximum conidial inhibition of 86.2, ?1 E. cichoracearum average number of conidia 4-27 and 5 per cent motility. While, sterile distilled water and DMSO showed maximum growth of the both the pathogens and also their motility was 92-97 per cent, respectively. Similarly, F. oxysporum maximum conidial inhibition of 88.3 and average conidia of 9-30 with motility of 7 per cent was observed after treating with 2.5 mg mL isomaltose. Moreover, isomaltose a biopolymer ?1 derived from potato peel was used in different concentrations as priming agent to cucumber seeds and were evaluated for its effectiveness to enhance plant growth parameters. Among the treatments, seeds-primed with 2.5 mg mL of isomaltose extracts in water exhibited early seedling germination of 96.8 per cent and ?1 vigor of 2210.3 and also cucumber seeds treated with 2.5 mg mL of isomaltose extracts in DMSO showed ?1 significant germination rate of 95.5 per cent and vigor index of 1987.7. Overall, these results determine that the antifungal property of water dissolved isomaltose is highly significant in exhibiting remarkable inhibitory action against Fusarium and powdery mildew phytopathogens, further the dose-dependent concentration of water dissolved isomaltose showed fair to good enhancement of seed germination which will lead to establishing a novel bio-waste agricultural formulation for the management of plant pathogens and in particular Fusarium and powdery mildew disease of cucumber and other cucurbitaceous crops.. KEYWORDS :Bio-polymer, optimize, pathogen inhibition, plant growth, seed treatment

Optimizing Cucumis sativus seedling vigor: the role of pistachio wood vinegar and date palm compost in nutrient mobilization.

The goal of this research is to enhance the quality of cucumber seedlings grown in greenhouses by experimenting with various soilless culture mediums (CMs) and the application of pistachio wood vinegar (WV). The experimental setup was designed as a factorial experiment within a randomized complete block design (RCBD), in greenhouse conditions featuring three replications to assess the effects of different culture media (CMs) and concentrations of pistachio wood vinegar (WV) on cucumber seedling growth. Cucumber seeds were planted in three CMs: coco peat-peat moss, coco peat-vermicompost, and date palm compost-vermicompost mixed in a 75:25 volume-to-volume ratio. These were then treated with pistachio WV at concentrations of 0, 0.5, and 1%, applied four times during irrigation following the emergence of the third leaf. The study revealed that treating seedlings with 0.5% WV in the date palm compost-vermicompost CM significantly enhanced various growth parameters. Specifically, it resulted in a 90% increase in shoot fresh mass, a 59% increase in shoot dry mass, an 11% increase in root fresh mass, a 36% increase in root dry mass, a 65% increase in shoot length, a 62% increase in leaf area, a 25% increase in stem diameter, a 41% increase in relative water content (RWC), and a 6% improvement in membrane stability index (MSI), all in comparison to untreated seedlings grown in coco peat-peat moss CM. Furthermore, chlorophyll a, b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoid levels were 2.3, 2.7, 2.6, and 2.7 times higher, respectively, in seedlings treated with 0.5% WV and grown in the date palm compost-vermicompost CM, compared to those treated with the same concentration of WV but grown in coco peat-peat moss CM. Additionally, the Fv/Fm ratio saw a 52% increase. When plant nutrition was enhanced with the date palm compost-vermicompost CM and 1% WV, auxin content rose by 130% compared to seedlings grown in coco peat-peat moss CM and treated with 0.5% WV. The study demonstrates that using 0.5% WV in conjunction with date palm compost-vermicompost CM significantly betters the quality of cucumber seedlings, outperforming other treatment combinations.

Sunlight removal of diclofenac using g-C3N4, g-C3N4/Cl, g-C3N4/Nb2O5 and g-C3N4/TiO2 photocatalysts

This study aimed to investigate four photocatalysts, whether element-doped (g-C3N4/Cl) or through heterojunctions (g-C3N4/Nb2O5 and g-C3N4/TiO2), and compare against unmodified (bare) g-C3N4 for diclofenac removal under artificial sunlight. The synthesis methodologies were deliberately chosen for simplicity to enable practical applications. Additionally, the potential phytotoxicity of the products was investigated. In this sense, the main novelty of the present work is to contribute to elucidate the performance of photocatalysts commonly employed in photocatalysis (such as Nb2O5 and TiO2), but combined with a material that allows them to be photoactive under visible irradiation. Under the experimental conditions of this study (C0= 20 mgL−1; Ccat. = 600 mgL−1; pH = 6.0; artificial sunlight: 40 Wm−2 UVA, 245 Wm−2 VIS), the four photocatalysts displayed no statistically significant differences in diclofenac removal over the 240-minute evaluation period. However, the specific constant rate normalized by SBET indicated that bare g-C3N4 demonstrated statistically superior efficacy in diclofenac removal. When exposed to natural sunlight, bare g-C3N4 achieved a 68-minute normalized illumination time (t30w) to remove over 67% of diclofenac. Assessing phytotoxicity involved 14 assays using the four photocatalysts and two seed types (cucumber and lettuce). With a few exceptions (g-C3N4, g-C3N4/Cl, and g-C3N4/TiO2, limited to cucumber seeds), experiments revealed non-phytotoxic byproducts after diclofenac photocatalysis, as indicated by germination indices exceeding 80%.

Growth and yield performance of X-ray irradiated cucumber

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a very important fruit which makes its demand and consumption continually on the increase all over the world. X-ray is an ionizing radiation and a physical mutagen with great potentials in creating artificial variability in crops. The employment of x-ray irradiation has been underutilized in plant mutagenesis, hence this study sought to determine its effect on the germination and agro-morphological traits of cucumber. Cucumber seeds were obtained from an agro-allied store and exposed to x-ray radiation from a source 70 KVA at a distance of 90cm and doses 10, 20, 30 and 40mAs. The field experiment was carried out in duplicate using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Irradiated and unirradiated (control) seeds were sown directly on a total of ten prepared plots measuring 2.44 by 1.50 m. The result generated in this study show a positive shift at the higher doses (30 and 40 mAs) with reduced number of days to fruit maturity and increased number of fruits per plant when compared to the control and other doses. A strong positive correlation was observed among some traits studied, indicating the possibility of such traits being under the influence of the same gene and the ability to be inherited together. Zonata, a chlorophyll mutant was observed at 30 mAs indicating how successful the dose was in inducing beneficial mutation on the Cucumber. Higher doses of x-ray irradiation as used in this study is therefore recommended for the genetic improvement of other vegetable and under developed crops.

Electrochemical Processes Used to Degrade Thiamethoxam in Water and Toxicity Analyses in Non-Target Organisms

Pesticides ensure greater productivity in less time; however, they spread beyond the perimeters to which they are applied to reach non-target organisms, thereby affecting plant, animal, and human health. Thiamethoxam (TMX) is considered to be one of the main agents responsible for poisoning bees and potentially contaminating surface and groundwater. Conventional water-treatment protocols are unable to degrade thiamethoxam; therefore, electrochemically advanced oxidative processes (EAOPs) have become promising alternatives owing to their ease of operation and cost-effectiveness. Herein, we examined the use of EAOPs to oxidize thiamethoxam in commercial Actara® and analyzed treatment efficiencies through phytotoxicity studies using cucumber and maize seeds as bioindicators. In addition, the cost of each process was analyzed based on the resulting current efficiency. The treated solutions were used to germinate seeds that were analyzed for total protein, hydrogen peroxide, lipid peroxidation (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activities. EAOPs were found to effectively oxidize TMX, with more than 50% degraded and 80% COD removed under all treatment conditions, even when the commercial product was used. The photoelectro-Fenton process using 10 mg L−1 FeSO4 and 100 mg L−1 H2O2 exhibited the best results, with 79% of the TMX degraded and 83% of the COD removed, additionally exhibiting the lowest estimated operating cost (USD 1.01 dm−3). Higher enzymatic SOD and CAT activities, total protein content, and H2O2 concentration were observed; however, no significant changes in MDA were recorded. This treatment protocol effectively oxidizes TMX and reduces its phytotoxicity in maize and cucumber seedlings.

Hypochlorite-mediated degradation and detoxification of sulfathiazole in aqueous solution and soil slurry

Although various activated sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) systems were proven to be promising strategies for recalcitrant organics treatment, the direct interaction between NaClO and pollutants without explicit activation is quite limited. In this work, a revolutionary approach to degrade sulfathiazole (STZ) in aqueous and soil slurry by single NaClO without any activator was proposed. The results demonstrated that 100% and 94.11% of STZ could be degraded by 0.025 mM and 5 mM NaClO in water and soil slurry, respectively. The elimination of STZ was shown to involve superoxide anion (O2•−), chlorine oxygen radical (ClO•), and hydroxyl radical (•OH), according to quenching experiments and the analysis of electron paramagnetic resonance. The addition of Cl−, HCO3−, SO42−, and humic acid (HA) marginally impeded the decomposition of STZ, while NO3−, Fe3+, and Mn2+ facilitated the process. The NaClO process exhibited significant removal effectiveness at a neutral initial pH. Moreover, the NaClO facilitated application in various soil samples and water matrices, and the procedure was also successful in effectively eliminating a range of sulfonamides. The suggested NaClO degradation mechanism of STZ was based on the observed intermediates, and the majority of the products exhibited lower ecotoxicity than STZ. Besides, the experiment results by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and a fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) indicated the negligible effects on the composition and structure of soil by the treatment of NaClO. Simultaneously, the experimental results also illustrated that the bioavailability of heavy metals and the physiochemical characteristics of the soil before and after the remediation did not change to a significant extent. Following the remediation of NaClO, the phytotoxicity tests showed reduced toxicity to wheat and cucumber seeds. As a result, treating soil and water contaminated with STZ by using NaClO was a reasonably practical and eco-friendly method.

Identification and characterizations of a few species of Fusarium infecting cucumber in greenhouse conditions

One of the most problematic and devastating diseases affecting cucumber production is Fusarium wilt (Cucumis sativus L.). The present study aimed to characterize Fusarium species isolated from three different regions of cucumber fields in Babylon province, Iraq and identify them based on morphological features and phylogenetic analyses. This study showed the presence of Fusarium incarnatum, F. solani and F. oxysporum in cucumber roots. Fusarium species were phylogenetically analyzed based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. All Fusarium isolates were pathogenic to cucumber cultivars but varied significantly in their growth and pathogenicity toward cucumber seeds during the experiment. F. solani-2 was greater in growth and pathogenicity than all other Fusarium species. In contrast, F. solani-1 was the lowest. The data obtained from morphological and molecular studies sufficiently supported each other, and the phylogenetic trees based on ITS were distinguished. Closely related species and distinctly separated all morphological taxa. These findings are reported for the first time for the cucumber plant in Babylon province. All these ITS sequences showed homologous to those of Fusarium species isolates in the GenBank database with a similarity percentage of 99%. To the best of present knowledge, this is the first molecular record of F. incarnatum on the cucumber plants in Iraq. The study concluded that F. incarnatum was reported for the first time in Iraq and worldwide as a causal agent of wilt disease in cucumber plants. The three species of Fusarium have different pathogenic abilities, highlighting their disease incidence, growth, and pathogenicity.

The Effect of Vermicompost Enriched with Ulva Lactuca on Germination of Cucumber Seeds

Vermicompost was obtained from farmyard manure compost enriched with sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca), which grows naturally on the Ordu coast, and its effects on the germination of cucumber seeds were investigated. The seaweeds collected from the sea and dried and composted in the natural environment together in 5 different groups with cattle manure after grinding. Eisenia fetida, known as Red California Worm, was used as worm species.The composts obtained were fed to earthworms according to different dose ratios. These dose ratios were determined as G1 group 9000 gr 100 % Ç.G (farm manure), G2 group 8100 gr Ç.G + 900 gr U.L (Ulva lactuca), G3 group 7200 gr Ç.G + 1800 gr U.L, G4 group 6300 gr Ç.G + 2700 gr U.L. and G5 group 5400 gr Ç.G + 3600 gr. U.L. The vermicompost was applied directly to the soil. The experiment was designed according to the randomised plots experimental design with one control and three replicates. The experiment was carried out with local Cucumis sativus (cucumber) seeds in plastic containers in open field. Including the control group, 15 saddles were used. Sowing was done by hand at a depth of 5-6 cm with 7 seeds/saddle. The 6-day development process of the seeds was observed and germination rates were analysed. At the end of the study, significant differences were found between the groups.

Auxin production and plant growth promotion by Microbacterium albopurpureum sp. nov. from the rhizoplane of leafless Chiloschista parishii Seidenf. orchid.

The strains of the genus Microbacterium, with more than 150 species, inhabit diverse environments; plant-associated bacteria reveal their plant growth-promoting activities due to a number of beneficial characteristics. Through the performance of diverse techniques and methods, including isolation of a novel Microbacterium strain from the aerial roots of leafless epiphytic orchid, Chiloschista parishii Seidenf., its morphological and biochemical characterization, chemotaxonomy, phylogenetic and genome analysis, as well as bioassays and estimation of its auxin production capacity, a novel strain of ET2T is described. Despite that it shared 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 99.79% with Microbacterium kunmingense JXJ CY 27-2T, so they formed a monophyletic group on phylogenetic trees, the two strains showed clear divergence of their genome sequences. The average nucleotide identity (ANI), average amino acid identity (AAI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values of ET2T differed greatly from phylogenetically close JXJ CY 27-2T. Based on the differences being below the threshold for species similarity, together with the unique chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain ET2T represents a novel species of the genus Microbacterium. Several genes, putatively involved in auxin biosynthesis were predicted. This strain revealed obvious plant growth-promoting activities, including diazotrophy and biosynthesis of tryptophan-dependent auxins (indole-3-acetic and indole-3-pyruvic acids). Microbial auxins directly stimulated the rhizogenesis, so that the ET2T-inoculated seeds of wheat, cucumber and garden cress showed evident promotion in their growth and development, both under optimal and under cold stress conditions. Based on phenotypic, chemotypic and genotypic evidences, the strain ET2T belongs to the genus Microbacterium, order Micrococcales, class Actinomycetes, and it represents a novel species, for which the name Microbacterium albopurpureum sp. nov. is proposed, with strain ET2T (VKPM Ac-2212, VKM Ас-2998) as the type strain.