Total Soluble Carbohydrates Research Articles

Eco-friendly approach to decrease the harmful effects of untreated wastewater on growth, yield, biochemical constituents, and heavy metal contents of carrot (Daucus carota L.).

Here, the impact of irrigation using untreated wastewater (WW) on carrots (Daucus carota L.) was examined. We hypothesized that the addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), dry algal powder (Spirulina platensis or Chlorella vulgaris), and Salix alba leaves powder would function as chelators for harmful contaminants in wastewater. The findings showed that irrigation of carrot plants with the sampled untreated wastewater led to significant decreases in the shoot lengths, fresh, dry weights of shoots and roots at stage I, the diameter of roots, pigment content, carotenoids, total soluble carbohydrate content, and soluble protein content. Furthermore, a significantly increased level of proline, total phenols, and the activities of polyphenol oxidase (PPO), peroxidase (POX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) was identified in stage I samples. In contrast to the stage I, the length of the roots, the number of leaves on each plant, wet and dry weights of the stage II roots were all greatly enhanced. In spite of the increased yield due to the wastewater irrigation, carrot roots irrigated with wastewater had significantly more cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and lead (Pb) than is considered safe. Our data clearly show that the application of Spirulina platensis, Chlorella vulgaris, EDTA, and leaves powder of salix was able to alleviate the toxicity of wastewater on carrot plants. For example, we recorded a significant decrease in the accumulation of carrot's Cd, Ni, Co, and Pb contents. We conclude that the treatments with Spirulina platensis and Chlorella vulgaris can be utilized as eco-friendly tools to lessen the damaging effects of wastewater irrigation on carrot plants.

Differential responses of Brassica napus cultivars to dual effects of magnesium oxide nanoparticles.

Magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) have great potential to enhance the crop productivity and sustainability of agriculture. Still, a thorough understanding is lacking about its essentiality or toxicity and precise dose for the safe cultivation of oilseed crops. Thus, we assessed the dual effects of MgO NPs (control, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 200mg/L) on the seed germination, growth performance, photosynthesis, total soluble protein, total carbohydrates, oxidative stress markers (hydrogen peroxide as H2O2 and superoxide anion as O2•‒), lipid peroxidation as MDA, and antioxidant defence machinery (SOD, CAT, APX, and GR activities, and GSH levels) of seven different oilseeds (Brassica napus L.) cultivars (ZY 758, ZD 649, ZD 635, ZD 619, GY 605, ZD 622, and ZD 630). Our findings revealed that low doses of MgO NPs (mainly at 10mg/L) markedly boosted the seed germination, plant growth (shoot and root lengths) (15‒22%), and biomass (fresh and dry) (11‒19%) by improving the levels of photosynthetic pigments (14‒27%), net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm), total soluble protein and total carbohydrates (16‒36%), antioxidant defence, and reducing the oxidative stress in B. napus tissues. Among all B. napus cultivars, these beneficial effects of MgO NPs were pronounced in ZD 635. ile, elevated levels of MgO NPs (particularly at 200mg/L) induced oxidative stress, impairedantioxidant scavenging potential, photosynthetic inhibition, protein oxidation, and carbohydrate degradation and lead to inhibit the plant growth attributes. These inhibitory effects were more pronounced in ZD 622. Collectively, low-dose MgO NPs reinforced the Mg contents, protected the plant growth, photosynthesis, total soluble carbohydrates, enzyme activities, and minimized the oxidative stress. While, the excessive MgO NP levels impaired the above-reported traits. Overall, ZD 622 was highly susceptible to MgO NP toxicity and ZD 635 was found most tolerant to MgO NP toxicity.

Role of microbial inoculants for improving productivity and systemic resistance in Abelmoschus esculentus

Okra is an economic vegetable crop and widely dispersed throughout the world's tropical, subtropical zones. It is necessary for human health and an adequate supply of total vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes and other elements that are typically deficient in developing-country diets. The disease issues in this crop are root-decaying infections. Microbial inoculants are gaining a reputation in agronomic research. Pseudomonas species have the ability to boost plant immunity by inducing resistance against biotic and abiotic stress. Because of its substantial properties in growth and pathogen suppression during its complimentary relationship with host, Pseudomonas is the most preferred bio-inoculant. The association of Pseudomonas with crop stimulates the secretion of phytohormones, secondary metabolites and enzymes responsible for growth and pathogen control. The aim of the study is to figure out the consequences of competing inoculants on the nutritional content and quality of okra plants. So different strains of P. fluorescens (EFP161, EFP121, EFP43, EFP56, and EFP171) were inoculated (200 mL in soil) along with okra seeds in field trails. The experiment was completely randomized block design and run for 60 days of inoculation. After harvesting (60 days), their growth parameters with their biomass and stress resistance indicators like polyphenols (26.5 μg/mL), antioxidant (43.08%) and salicylic acid content (0.11 μg/mL) were estimated in Pseudomonas treated plants. Fruit quality parameters including total soluble solids (4.7%), pH, moisture content (93%), proteins (95 μg/mL) and carbohydrates (39 μg/mL) were tested in order to check their nutritional value. Okra plants showed some complications during field trails like death of the young seedlings, wet soil, rotting of small pods is a fairly common problem. These inoculants exhibited plant growth-stimulating properties by elevating their resistance power to stress and against phytopathogens responsible for plant growth reduction. The inoculation of these strains not only increased the plant growth parameters but also increased the nutritional quality of fruits. This research summarizes the impact of microbial inoculants as agricultural inputs.

Differential metabolic rearrangements improve biomass and enhance the tolerance of two dwarf cashew (<i>Anacardium occidentale</i> L.) genotypes to salt stress

<abstract> <p>Salinity is one of the abiotic stresses that affect crop productivity and plant development the most. We aimed to analyze the physiological and biochemical responses of dwarf cashew (<italic>A. occidentale</italic> L.) genotypes subjected to salt stress. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse with a completely randomized design in a 5 × 2 factorial scheme, with five salinity levels (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mM NaCl) and 2 dwarf cashew genotypes (Embrapa51 and CCP76). There was no significant effect of salinity on plant height, leaf number, and stem diameter; however, the dry biomass was significantly reduced. Chlorophylls, starch, and total free amino acids decreased with salt stress, mainly with 75 and 100 mM NaCl. The CCP76 genotype salt-stressed increased carotenoids, anthocyanins, total soluble carbohydrates, reducing sugars, sodium, and potassium ions compared to Embrapa51. Free proline was increased in response to salt stress in dwarf cashew genotypes. Interestingly, sucrose declined in Embrapa51 and increased in CCP76 in response to salinity. When submitted to 75 and 100 mM NaCl, i.e., under severe stress, CCP76 presented more sucrose than Embrapa51. Our results indicated that sucrose accumulation plays an important role in the acclimation of CCP76 to salinity. This disaccharide induces metabolic rearrangements, mostly in the levels of soluble carbohydrates and amino acids, which contribute to rebalancing the osmotic potential and help to maintain favorable plant metabolism under salt stress. Overall, the dwarf cashew CCP76 was more tolerant to salinity than Embrapa51.</p> </abstract>

The effect of spraying with amino acids and iron on some characteristics of vegetative and flowering growth of petunia

A pot experiment was conducted during the 2019-2020 season at the temporary place of the Faculty of Agriculture/ University of Kufa/ Najaf city/ Iraq to estimate the response growth and flowering of petunia hybrid to Spraying amino acids and iron. The amino acid concentrations were 0, 3, and 6 ml.l-1, and three iron concentrations were 0, 15, and 30 mg.l-1.It is clear that the interaction between amino acid {6 ml.l-1}and iron {15mg.l-1} produces an increase in vegetative and flowering characters, the number of leaves and branches, length of flowering branches, number of flowers, Flower diameter, The age of the flower in the plant & the flower content of carotene pigment increased remarkably, while amino acid {6 ml.l-1} and iron {30 mg.l-1} have significant effect on leaf chlorophyll content, and total soluble carbohydrates. Keywords: Petunia plant; amino acids; Iron; Auxins; growth; flowering.

The Effect of Organic Fertilization and Jasmonic Acid on the Morphological, Quantitative, and Chemical Parameters of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) variety Hussainawiya

A study was conducted in a field belonging to the Najaf Agriculture Directorate/Najaf/Iraq during the spring growing season of 2021. The study aimed to analyze the response of okra variety Hussainiya for two factors. The first studied factor was three levels of DPW (decomposed palm waste), including 0, 16, and 32 tonha-1, while the second factor was three levels of a foliar application of Jasmonic acid, including 0, 15, and 30 mgL-1. Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) was used to model the factorial experiment with three replications, and the Least Significant Differences (LSD) were selected to compare the means at the probability level of 0.05. The results showed the significant superiority of organic fertilization treatment of DPW at the level of 32-ton ha-1 compared with control treatments in the studied parameters, recording the highest value of the plant height, total number of leaves, total leaf area, dry weight of the vegetative system, number of fruits per plant, the yield of one plant, total yield, the percentage of nitrogen in leaves, the total chlorophyll percentage, and the total soluble carbohydrates in fruits. The foliar application of 30 mg. L-1 Jasmonic acid gave significantly higher values for the above indicators than control treatments. The interaction between the application of 32 tons. ha-1 DPW and 30 mg L-1 Jasmonic acids showed significant superiority over other treatments in all studied indicators. These indicators were plant height 131.66 cm, total number of leaves 42.55 leaves plant-1, total leaf area 1.66 m2plant-1, dry weight of the vegetative system 95.48 g plant-1, fruits number 77.15 fruit plant-1, yield of one plant 884.75 g plant-1, total yield 56.17 tons. ha-1, nitrogen in leaves 2.262%, total chlorophyll in leaves 80.91 mg.100 g-1FW, and carbohydrates in fruits 20.33%. While the interaction between non-fertilized plants sprayed with water only recorded significantly the lowest value of these indicators, which scored 77.10 cm, 20.36 leaf plant-1, 0.59 m2plant-1, 54.11 g plant-1, 47.23 fruit plant-1, 237.42 g plant-1, 15.07-ton ha-1, 1.351%, 47.45 mg.100 g-1 fresh weight, and 6.77% respectively. Keywords: Abelmoschus plant; decomposed palm waste; Jasmonic acid; okra, Organic fertilizer; yield indicators.

Response of Chinese Carnation Plant, Dianthus chinensis, to Spraying with Putrescine and Roselle Extract in Growth and Flowering Indicators

The experiment was carried out in the nursery of University of Kufa during the agricultural season 2021-2022 to study the response of Chinese carnation plant to spraying with putrescine and roselle extract in growth and flowering indicators. Experiment was conducted based on RCBD with three replications. The concentrations of putrescine were 0, 50 and 100 mg l-1 and 0, 2.5 and 5 ml l-1 of roselle extract. The obtained results confirmed that spraying putrescine at a concentration of 100 mg l-1 with roselle extract at a concentration of 2.5 ml l-1 led to a significant increase in plant growth characteristics such as number of branches, the dry weight of the shoot system, the dry weight of the root system, and the content of the leaves in total soluble carbohydrates, and flowering characteristics such as inflorescence length, number of florets, diameter of the floret, the percentage of potassium (K) in the leaves, and the flower content of the anthocyanin pigment, compared to the control treatment.

Effect of Spraying with Moringa Leaf Extract and Potassium Silicate on some Chemical Properties of Banana Plant MUSA spp.

This study was conducted in one of the covered greenhouses in Saran affiliated to the College of Agriculture - University of Dhi Qar during the agricultural season 2022-2023 during the growth period on the Grand Nine banana seedlings, for the purpose of knowing the effect of Moringa extract and potassium silicate on its chemical properties, 48 plants were selected Homogeneous, 3-4 months old. The study included two factors, the first factor: spraying with Moringa leaf extract in four concentrations (0, 5, 10, 15) g L-1, the second factor: spraying with potassium silicate in four concentrations (0, 1, 2, 3) ml L-1, the date was The first is for spraying, with an interval of ten days between one spray and another, with a rate of 6 sprays. The experiment was applied according to C.R.D, with three repetitions. The results showed that the combination a3b3 (15 g L-1 X 3 ml L-1) was superior in most chemical properties (total chlorophyll concentration (2.40) mg in 100 g-1, total soluble carbohydrates (27.00)%, nitrogen (28.90) mg g-1, phosphorus (1.28) mg g-1, potassium (19.60) mg g-1, silicon (0.078) mg kg-1, ascorbic acid (150.00) mg g-1), while proline was superior in the comparison treatment (a0×b0) as it gave (0.85) micrograms g-1.

Response of Matthiola Incana L. to Spraying with Amino Acids and Nano-Chelated Iron in Growth and Flowering Indicators

The experiment was carried out in the nursery of University of Kufa during the agricultural season 2021-2022 to study the response of stock plant to spraying with amino acids and nano-iron in growth and flowering indicators. experiment was conducted based on RCBD with three replications The concentrations of amino acids were 0, 1.5 and 3 ml l−1 and 0, 20 and 40 mg l−1 of nano-iron. The obtained results confirmed that spraying amino acids at a concentration of 3 ml l−1 with nano iron at a concentration of 20 mg l−1 led to a significant increase in plant height, total number of leaves, leaves content of total chlorophyll, total soluble carbohydrates, number of inflorescences, number of florets, flower diameter and inflorescence length, compared to the control treatment.

Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration mitigates salt damages to safflower: Evidence from physiological and biochemical examinations

The physiological and biochemical responses of salt-stressed safflower to elevated CO2 remain inadequately known. This study investigated the interactive effects of high CO2 concentration (700 ± 50 vs. 400 ± 50 μmol mol−1) and salinity stress levels (0.4, 6, and 12 dS m−1, NaCl) on growth and physiological properties of four safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) genotypes, under open chamber conditions. Results showed that the effects of CO2 on biomass of shoot and grains depend on salt stress and plant genotype. Elevated CO2 conditions increased shoot dry weight under moderate salinity stress and decreased it under severe stress. The increased CO2 concentration also increased the safflower genotypes' relative water content and their K+/Na + concentrations. Also enriched CO2 increased total carotenoid levels in safflower genotypes and improved membrane stability index by reducing H2O2 levels. In addition, increased CO2 level led to an increase in seed oil content, under both saline and non-saline conditions. This effect was particularly pronounced under severe saline conditions. Under conditions of high CO2 and salinity, the Koseh genotype exhibited higher grain weight and seed oil content than other genotypes. This advantage is due to the higher relative water content, maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), and K+/Na+, as well as the lower Na+ and H2O2 concentrations. Results indicate that the high CO2 level mitigated the destructive effect of salinity on safflower growth by reducing Na + uptake and increasing the Fv/Fm, total soluble carbohydrates, and membrane stability index. This finding can be used in safflower breeding programs to develop cultivars that can thrive in arid regions with changing climatic conditions.

Morpho-Anatomical, Physiological and Biochemical Adjustments in Response to Heat and Drought Co-Stress in Winter Barley.

This study aimed to investigate the combined effect of high temperatures 10 °C above the optimum and water withholding during microgametogenesis on vegetative processes and determine the response of winter barley genotypes with contrasting tolerance. For this purpose, two barley varieties were analyzed to compare the effect of heat and drought co-stress on their phenology, morpho-anatomy, physiological and biochemical responses and yield constituents. Genotypic variation was observed in response to heat and drought co-stress, which was attributed to differences in anatomy, ultrastructure and physiological and metabolic processes. The co-stress-induced reduction in relative water content, total soluble protein and carbohydrate contents, photosynthetic pigment contents and photosynthetic efficiency of the sensitive Spinner variety was significantly greater than the tolerant Lambada genotype. Based on these observations, it has been concluded that the heat-and-drought stress-tolerance of the Lambada variety is related to the lower initial chlorophyll content of the leaves, the relative resistance of photosynthetic pigments towards stress-triggered degradation, retained photosynthetic parameters and better-preserved leaf ultrastructure. Understanding the key factors underlying heat and drought co-stress tolerance in barley may enable breeders to create barley varieties with improved yield stability under a changing climate.

Exogenous γ-aminobutyric acid improves the photosynthesis efficiency, soluble sugar contents, and mineral nutrients in pomegranate plants exposed to drought, salinity, and drought-salinity stresses

Backgroundγ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), as a regulator of many aspects of plant growth, has a pivotal role in improving plant stress resistance. However, few studies have focused on the use of GABA in increasing plants’ resistance to interactional stresses, such as drought-salinity. Therefore, the focus of this study was to examine the effect of foliar application of GABA (0, 10, 20, and 40 mM) on growth indices and physio-biochemical parameters in plants of two pomegranate cultivars, ‘Rabab’ and ‘Atabaki’ exposed to drought, salinity, and drought-salinity.ResultsUnder stress conditions, the photosynthetic capacity of two pomegranate cultivars, including transpiration rate, net photosynthetic rate, intercellular carbon dioxide concentration, stomatal conductance of water vapour, and mesophyll conductance, was significantly reduced. This resulted in a decrease in root morphological traits such as fresh and dry weight, diameter, and volume, as well as the fresh and dry weight of the aerial part of the plants. However, the application of GABA reversed the negative effects caused by stress treatments on growth parameters and maintained the photosynthetic capacity. GABA application has induced the accumulation of compatible osmolytes, including total soluble carbohydrate, starch, glucose, fructose, and sucrose, in charge of providing energy for cellular defense response against abiotic stresses. Analysis of mineral nutrients has shown that GABA application increases the absorption of potassium, potassium/sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, and iron. As concentration increased up to 40 mM, GABA prevented the uptake of toxic ions, sodium and chloride.ConclusionsThese findings highlight the potential of GABA as a biostimulant strategy to enhance plant stress tolerance.

Protective Role of Mycosynthesized Bimetallic ZnO-CuO Nanoparticles as Therapeutic Nutrients to Enhance the Resistance of Vicia faba against Fusarium Wilt Disease

The exacerbation of climatic changes helped to increase the risk of plant diseases in the world. The novelty of this study lies in the manufacture of therapeutic nutrients using nanotechnology with strong effectiveness against plant disease. Based on this concept, we mycosynthesized bimetallic ZnO-CuO nanoparticles (NPs), alternatives to reduce the spread of Vicia faba Fusarium wilt disease, which is one of the world’s most imperative cultivated crops. The article’s uniqueness comes in the utilization of ZnO-CuO nanoparticles to carry out two crucial tasks: therapeutic nutrients and managing Fusarium disease. To evaluate the resistance of infected plants, disease index (DI), photosynthetic pigments, osmolytes, oxidative stress and yield parameters were assessed. NPs of ZnO, CuO, and ZnO-CuO were mycosynthesized using a biomass filtrate of Aspergillus fumigatus OQ519856. DI reached 87.5%, due to Fusarium infection, and, as a result, a severe decrease in growth characters, photosynthetic pigments, total soluble carbohydrates, and proteins as well as yield parameters was observed. Infected plants produced more of the studied metabolites and antioxidants. On the other hand, the treatment with CuO-ZnO NPs led to a great decline in the DI by 22.5% and increased the protection by 74.28%. A clear improvement in growth characters, photosynthetic pigments and a high content of carbohydrates and proteins was also observed in both healthy and infected plants as a result of CuO-ZnO NPs treatment. Remarkably, CuO-ZnO NPs significantly increased the yield parameters, i.e., pods/plant and pod weight, by 146.1% and 228.8%, respectively. It could be suggested that foliar application of NPs of ZnO, CuO, and ZnO-CuO could be commercially used as antifusarial agents and strong elicitors of induced systemic resistance.

Additive effects of light and branching on fruit size and chemical fruit quality of greenhouse tomatoes.

Greenhouse tomato growers face the challenge of balancing fruit size and chemical quality traits. This study focused on elucidating the interplay between plant branching and light management on these traits, while maintaining consistent shoot density. We evaluated one- and two-shoot plants under varying top light intensities using high-pressure sodium lamps and light-emitting diode (LED) inter-lighting. The reduced yield in the two-shoot plants was mainly due to smaller fruit size, but not due to source strength limitations, as evaluated through leaf weight ratio (LWR), chlorophyll index, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter percentage, and stem soluble carbohydrate accumulation. Enhanced lighting improved fruit weight and various fruit traits, such as dry matter content, total soluble carbohydrate content, and phenolic content, for both one- and two-shoot plant types. Despite lower mean fruit weight, two-shoot plants exhibited higher values for chemical fruit quality traits, indicating that the fruit growth of two-shoot plants is not limited by the available carbohydrates (source strength), but by the fruit sink strength. Diurnal analysis of fruit growth showed that two-shoot plants had reduced expansion during light transitions. This drop in fruit expansion was not related to changes in root pressure (measured as xylem sap exudation from decapitated plants), but might be related to diminished xylem area in the stem joint of the two-shoot plants. The concentration of several hormones, including cytokinins, was lower in two-shoot plants, suggesting a reduced fruit sink capacity. The predominant impact of branching to two-shoot plants on sink capacity suggests that the fruit growth is not limited by available carbohydrates (source strength). Alongside the observation that light supplementation and branching exert independent additive effects on fruit size and chemical traits, this illuminates the potential to independently regulate these aspects in greenhouse tomato production.

Physiological and biochemical mechanisms of grain yield loss in fumitory (Fumaria parviflora Lam.) exposed to copper and drought stress

Soil contamination with heavy metals adversely affects plants growth, development and metabolism in many parts of the world including arid and semi-arid regions. The aim of this study was to investigate the single and combined effects of drought and copper (Cu) stresses on seed yield, and biochemical traits of Fumaria parviflora in a split – factorial experiment at Research Field of Payam-E-Noor university of Kerman during 2019. The collected seeds from two Cu contaminated regions were evaluated under drought and Cu (0, 50, 150, 300, and 400 mg/kg) stresses. Drought stress levels were depletion of 50% (D1), 70% (D2) and 85% (D3) soil available water. The individual effects of drought and copper stresses were similar to each other as both reduced seed yield. The highest seed yield was observed at Cu concentration of 50 mg/kg under non-drought stress conditions. The maximum values of malondialdehyde (0.47 µmol/g), proline (2.45 µmol/g FW), total phenolics (188.99 mg GAE/g DW) and total flavonoids (22.1 mg QE/g DW) were observed at 400 mg/kg Cu treatment. However, the strongest antioxidant activity (83.95%) through DPPH assay, and the highest total soluble carbohydrate (115.23 mg/g DW) content were observed at 300 and 150 mg/kg Cu concentration under severe drought stress, respectively. The highest amount of anthocyanin (2.18 µmol/g FW) was observed at 300 mg/kg Cu and moderate drought stress. The findings of this study showed a high tolerance of F. parviflora plant to moderate drought stress and Cu exposure up to 150 mg/kg by modulating defense mechanisms, where grain yield was slightly lower than that of control. The results could also provide a criterion for the selection of tolerance species like F. parviflora for better acclimatization under Cu mines and/or agricultural contaminated soils subjected to drought stress.

Substrate and fertigation management modulate microgreens production, quality and resource efficiency

Long-term space missions will require a self-sustaining food production system to meet the crew’s nutritional and health needs. For this purpose, plant-based food production systems with elevated resource efficiency are required, based on advanced agricultural technologies that produce phytonutrient-rich crops. In addition to the resource requirements for crop production on Earth, volume and time efficiency become essential factors to consider for food production in space. Microgreens represent a promising candidate for space farming as they have a high harvest index, short cultivation cycle, and high nutritional potential. However, the development of specific technical protocols for growing microgreens in space is essential since different agronomic inputs, such as substrates and fertigation, can modulate productivity, quality and resource efficiency of microgreens cultivation. The current work examines the effects of different substrates (coconut fiber and cellulose sponge) and nutrient solution (NS) management strategies (quarter strength Hoagland and half strength Hoagland/osmotic water) on the production of two species of microgreens [Raphanus sativus cv. Saxa 2 (Radish); Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. sabauda cv. Vertus (Savoy cabbage)]. The appraisal focused on (i) biomass production and quality, and (ii) sizing of space facilities devoted to the production of phytonutrients required for the astronauts’ wellbeing. In our study, the interaction among species, substrate and NS significantly affected the accumulation of fructose, sucrose, total soluble non-structural carbohydrates and nitrate as well as the daily production of total ascorbic acid and, in turn, the required microgreens serving to supply its adequate daily intake. Species-substrate interaction effects on fresh yield, dry yield, dry matter, anthocyanins, TPC, β-carotene and sulfate content as well as the cultivation surface required to produce the adequate daily intake of ascorbic acid (AscA) were assessed. Substrate-NS interaction modulated the anthocyanins, violaxanthin and sulfate contents independently of species. On the other hand, single factor effects were identified with respect to the accumulation of lutein, chlorophylls, glucose, and starch. Therefore, the management of microgreens cultivation in terms of NS and substrate is an effective tool to meet the phytochemical requirements of the crew.

Gibberellic Acid and Salicylic Acid Dual Application Improves Date Palm Fruit Growth by Regulating the Nutrient Acquisition, Amino Acid Profile, and Phytohormone Performance

Gibberellic acid (GA3) and salicylic acid (SA) are crucial phytohormones that support fruit development. The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanism of spraying 100 mg L−1 GA3 and 100 mg L−1 SA in improving the Phoenix dactylifera, cv. Zaghloul fruit yield and quality. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design during two successive growing seasons and four treatments [control (distilled water spray), 100 mg L−1 GA3, 100 mg L−1 SA, and 100 mg L−1 GA3 + 100 mg L−1 SA] were sprayed at the Hababouk and Kimri stages of date palm “Zaghloul” cv. The findings revealed that the GA3 and/or SA applications are necessary for improving the growth and development of “Zaghloul” fruit, which were associated with an increase in the content of dry matter, crude fiber, ash, total soluble solids, total soluble sugars, carbohydrate, protein, and essential nutrients. Moreover, compared with the control treatment, GA3 and/or SA exogenous treatments improved the activity of peroxidase and catalase, as well as the content of amino acids and phytohormones, while decreasing the content of moisture, total acidity, total phenol, and tannins. The results provide evidence that using GA3 in conjunction with SA has the greatest effect on improving “Zaghloul” fruit yield by up regulating the sugar accumulation, amino acid profile, nutrient acquisition, antioxidant capacity, and phytohormone performance. Consequently, combining GA3 with SA can be an effective strategy for enhancing fruit yield and quality.

Wastewater from maize lime‐cooking as growth media for alkaliphilic microalgae–cyanobacteria consortium to reduce chemical oxygen demand and produce biomass with high protein content

SummaryWastewater from maize lime‐cooking (nejayote) was fermented with an alkaliphilic microalgae–cyanobacteria consortium (AMC) or mixed with a mineral salt medium (MSM) to reduce its chemical oxygen demand (COD). Four sets of experiments in 1 L Erlenmeyer flasks were done with and without previous nejayote sterilisation (NE and N) inoculated with AMC and as controls MSM (M) and non‐sterile without AMC (NB). Total soluble carbohydrates (TSC), proteins and COD were analysed in the culture broth and in dried biomass. The pH decreased for N, NE and NB to 8.8 ± 0.1, 9.2 ± 0.2 and 8.9 ± 0.1, respectively, but increased to 10.4 ± 0.1 for M. NE showed more than 50% COD removal efficiency after 12 days. NB had a protein content (ICP) of 24% ± 2% DW, followed by NE with 19% ± 0.4%, N with 16% ± 1% and M with 1% ± 0%. COD reduction was not related to AMC growth but to TSC consumption. Intracellular protein contents for NE (19%) or N (16%) were higher than the observed for M (1%), but further analysis of the amino acid profile, functionality and stability of this potential single‐cell protein (SCP) should be considered to promote its use in functional foods.

Effect of treatment by nutrient solution (SiliKaSol) and irrigation with magnetically treated water on some physical and chemical properties of tissue-grown short-stem banana plants in greenhouse conditions

This study was conducted at the Agricultural Research and Experiment Station, College of Agriculture, Basra University, from 02.01.2018 to 30.06.2018 on the Indian short-stemmed banana plant M.caredishii, multiplied by tissue in the tissue culture laboratory of the Palm and Localized Research Center, at 6 months age. They were grown in a greenhouse equipped with a desert cooling system. The plants were sprayed with 5 concentrations of the nutrient solution SiliKaSol (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2) ml l-1 and by 5 sprays between one spray and another 10 days starting from 02.01.2018. These plants were irrigated during the study period by two types of irrigation water: magnetically treated water and normal water. The most important results can be summarized as follows:- Spraying at a concentration of 2 ml l -1 of the nutrient solution showed a significant increase in the physical characteristics (increase in plant height and leaf area), reaching 32.33 cm and 312.83 cm2 , respectively, and an increase in chemical properties (content of leaves from proline, total soluble carbohydrates, total chlorophyll and nitrogen percentage in the leaves) reached 16.01 µg g-1 , 1.26 mg g-1 and 4.31 mg g-1 , respectively. The results also showed that the quality of irrigation water had a positive effect on improving most of the physical and chemical properties, as watering with magnetized water achieved an increase in plant height, leaf area, and dry weight of the leaves by 3.07 cm, 290.33 cm, 13.46 g, and 1.56 g, respectively, and caused an increase in the chemical properties of total soluble carbohydrates, total chlorophyll, and the percentage of NPK in leaves, which were 1.32 mg g-1 , 4.73 mg g-1 , 16.78%, and 1.32% and 20.39%, respectively. Keywords: Banana, Water Magnatic, SiliKaSol, Nutrient solution.

Taifi rose extract improves the growth and physiology of cowpea seedling stage under drought stress

Drought stress is the most significant environmental stress factor affecting the growth of crops and farming sector in the present era. This study was carried out mainly in the rose water extracted from the essential oil of Taif rose (Rosa damascena “Trigintipetala”), which was explored for drought stress tolerance from industry. The aim of this study was to investigate how Taif rose water (RW) pretreatment affected cowpea (Vigna unguiculata var. California blackeye NO.46) seedlings under drought stress (65% and 35% of filed capacity). The cowpea seeds are immersed in rose water with 15%, 25% and 35% for a couple of hours before being implanted. Drought stress dramatically reduces morphological traits of root and shoot length, fresh and dry biomass and leaf area. However, pretreatment of RW seed dramatically improves cowpea growth conditions, relative water content, photosynthetic rate, and transpiration rate. However, under drought stress, RW pretreated seedlings showed a decreased levels in malondialdehyde (MDA), proline, total soluble proteins and carbohydrates. However, drought stress increases the quality of antioxidant enzyme activities like superoxide dismutase and catalase in pretreated RW cowpea seedlings. This study concludes that pretreating with RW could increase the drought tolerance in cowpea seedlings by stretching their antioxidant defense mechanisms. In addition, this study holds the potential to play a vital role in ensuring food security in the near future, as it provides valuable insights into improving crop resilience and productivity under drought conditions.