Search Results (105,396)

Maize (Zea mays) is a critical global crop, serving as a source of food, livestock feed, and industrial raw materials. Climate changes, driven by rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels, have substantial effects on maize physiology, growth, and nutrient content. This review investigates the impact of elevated CO₂ on maize, with a particular focus on photosynthesis enhancement as it improves water use efficiency (WUE), which can lead to increased biomass production. Despite this, elevated CO₂ results in a decreased concentration of essential nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and folate. The reduction in folate, which is vital for both plant development and human nutrition, poses challenges, especially for population heavily reliant on maize. Additionally, biofortification through traditional breeding and genetic engineering is proposed as a strategy to enhance folate level in maize to mitigate nutritional deficiencies. Elevated CO₂ stimulates lignin production, improving stress resistance and carbon sequestration capacity. However, the increase in guaiacyl-rich lignin may negatively affect biomass degradability and efficiency in biofuel production. The findings emphasize the importance of balancing maize’s stress resilience, nutrient profile, and lignin composition to address future climate challenges. This balance is essential for optimizing maize cultivation for food security, biofuel production, and environmental sustainability. Full article

Treatment of extremely saline water such as the brine rejected from reverse osmosis water desalination plants, and produced water from shale oil and non-conventional gas extraction, is considered a global problem. Consequently, in this work, hollow fiber membrane distillation (HFMD) is experimentally evaluated for desalinating extremely saline water of a salinity ranging from 40,000 to 130,000 ppm. For the purpose of comparison, the HFMD is also tested for desalinating brackish (3000–12,000 ppm) and sea (25,000–40,000 ppm) water. Firstly, the HFMD is tested at two values of feed water temperature (65 and 76 °C) and flow rate (600 and 850 L/h). The experimental results showed that the HFMD productivity significantly increases when the temperature of feed water increases. Increasing the feed water flow rate also has a positive effect on the productivity of HFMD. It is also concluded that the productivity of the HFMD is not significantly affected by increasing the salt concentration when brackish and sea water are used. The productivity also slightly decreases with increasing the salt concentration when extremely saline water is used. The decrement in the productivity reaches 27%, when the salt concentration increases from 40,000 to 130,000 ppm. Based on the conducted economic analysis, the HFMD shows a good potential for desalinating extremely saline water especially when the solar collector is used as a heat source. In this case, the cost per liter of freshwater is reduced by 21.7–23.1% when the evacuated tube solar collectors are used compared to the system using electrical heaters. More reduction in the cost per liter of freshwater is expected when a high capacity solar-powered HFMD plant is installed. Full article

Salmonella enterica represents a diverse group of pathogens commonly associated with food contamination including red meat. Even though pre- and post-harvest cleaning and sanitization procedures are widely implemented at meat processing plants to mitigate the hazard, S. enterica cells may escape the process by colonizing, on contact, surfaces in the form of a biofilm that functions as an aggregated microbial community to facilitate mutual protection, antimicrobial resistance, proliferation and dissemination. Biofilm development is a complex process that can be affected by a variety of factors including environmental temperature. We developed methods using scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy with a novel image analysis software tool to investigate the temperature influence on S. enterica cell colonization and biofilm formation by directly visualizing and comparing the biofilm matrix’s morphological differences under various temperatures. Cocktails of S. enterica strains belonging to serovars, commonly isolated from meat samples, were applied to develop biofilms on a stainless steel surface at 7, 15, or 37 °C. Results of the microscopy analysis showed that as temperature increased, better-defined biofilm structures with extracellular polymeric structures (EPS) could be identified. However, S. enterica colonization and aggregated bacterial biomass were clearly observed at the low temperature (7 °C) as well. These results demonstrate that the environmental temperature significantly contributes to S. enterica biofilm formation as the higher temperatures encourage bacterial active proliferation and biofilm maturation leading to the development of well-pronounced structures, while the lower temperature may promote cell attachment but, meanwhile, limit the EPS biosynthesis and biofilm maturation. Our study indicates that the mature S. enterica biofilms formed under favorable conditions may protect the pathogens with the well-developed 3-demensional (3D) structure against routine treatment. Furthermore, the low temperatures commonly maintained at meat plants are not able to effectively prevent S. enterica colonization and biofilm formation since at such temperatures there could still be colonized biomass that can contaminate the products. Therefore, the temperature effect on pathogen colonization and biofilm development should be taken into consideration while evaluating hygiene standards and sanitization procedures at the processing facilities. Full article

The ²¹⁰Pb-based method is used for absolute age determination in recent sediments (<150 years). Different assumptions are possible, leading to different models and chronologies. The evaluation of the capacities and limitations of the models in challenging sedimentary scenarios is of broad interest to the scientific community, and this is the aim of the present work. The performance of the classical models, CFCS and CRS, and the novel TERESA is assessed with a 2 m long, high-resolution core sampled in Maryport Harbour, UK, by using raw data from the literature. It was affected by dredging, shortening, and by the anthropogenic impacts of radionuclides released by the Sellafield nuclear plant and the phosphate industry in Whitehaven and was considered non-datable by the ²¹⁰Pb method. A reference chronology from Sellafield-derived radionuclides serves to assess the ²¹⁰Pb dating models. The study uses the mass depth scale and solves the estimation of the unsupported fraction of ²¹⁰Pb needed for the models. The profile was very irregular, and a cluster analysis led to an ambiguous use of the piecewise CFCS model. The inventory was incomplete and in an unsteady state, but the CRS model can be tentatively applied with the reference SAR and the reference date methods, although also with ambiguous results. TERESA can explicitly handle ²¹⁰Pb_exc fluxes and sedimentation rates that vary over time and shows the best performance with insightful outputs. Full article

The increasing demand for smart agriculture has led to the development of agricultural sensor technology. Wearable sensors show great potential for monitoring the physiological and surrounding environmental information for plants due to their high flexibility, biocompatibility, and scalability. However, wearable sensors for plants face several challenges that hinder their large-scale practical application. In this review, we summarize the current research status of wearable plant sensors by analyzing the classification, working principles, sensor materials, and structural design and discussing the multifunctional applications. More importantly, we comment on the challenges the wearable plant sensors face and provide our perspectives on further improving the sensitivity, reliability, and stability of wearable plant sensors for future smart agriculture. Full article

Camellias are evergreen shrubs native to the eastern and southern regions of Asia. In Romania, camellias are popular ornamental plants grown in pots. Pestalotiopsis species have a worldwide distribution and are pathogenic to a wide range of hosts. They also represent an important group of endophytes capable of producing a variety of bioactive secondary metabolites. This paper reports the occurrence of grey blight and twig or branch dieback caused by Pestalotiopsis sp. on Camellia japonica L. grown in pots and used in the landscaping of a public garden located in Iasi city, Romania (GPS coordinates: 47°09′24.0″ N 27°35′15.6″ E). Pestalotiopsis species were identified based on morphological characteristics and Sanger sequencing. Genomic analysis of the fungal isolate coded P_CJ_24, obtained from living plants, was based on ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region amplification using the LSU primers. This first report of Pestalotiopsis species infection of ornamental plants in Romania suggests that new plant pathogens can be introduced in new environmental conditions through plant pods and their incidence increases with the widespread of plant material among gardens. Full article

Biochar application has gained attention as an effective soil amendment for improving soil quality and increasing crop productivity, particularly in clay-rich soils facing challenges such as compaction, poor drainage, and nutrient limitation. This two-year field study evaluated the effects of fresh and artificially aged biochar on soil chemical, physical, and biological properties and wheat (Triticum aestivum) yield. The experiment was conducted on clay soil with treatments including no biochar application as a control (CK), 5 and 10 t ha⁻¹ fresh biochar (B5, B10) and 5 and 10 t ha⁻¹ aged biochar (AB5, AB10). The results showed significant improvements in soil pH, soil organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, total nitrogen, and plant-available water capacity, particularly with higher doses of biochar. In both years, the effects of the treatments on the soil quality index area (SQI-area) were found to be statistically significant. The AB10 treatment increased SQI-area by 19% compared to the CK in the first year and by 33% in the second year. In the first year, the highest grain yield was obtained from the AB10 treatment, reaching 5.25 t ha⁻¹, which was 13% higher than the CK. In the second year, the highest yield was obtained from the B10 treatment, reaching 4.09 t ha⁻¹, which was 24% higher than the CK. Despite these positive changes, the correlation between SQI and yield was not statistically significant, suggesting that crop yield may also depend on other interacting variables. These results highlight the potential of biochar, particularly aged biochar, as a sustainable practice to improve soil health and productivity in clay soils. Full article

Polyamines (PAs) are low-molecular-weight compounds that contain amino groups. PAs are present in a variety of organisms, including plants, animals and microorganisms. In plants, the main PAs are putrescine (PUT), spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM). They play crucial physiological roles in plant development, including flowering, fruit set, growth, ripening and metabolic processes. In addition, PAs are components of the diet and have a role in health and disease. Furthermore, PAs have been demonstrated to help overcome the negative effects of adverse environmental factors of both biotic and abiotic stresses. Thus, the main objective of this review was to examine the recent literature regarding the mentioned effects of PAs apart from the impact of preharvest PAs treatments, applied at different stages of fruit development, on fresh fruit crop yield and fruit quality properties at harvest, and in their maintenance during storage, with a special emphasis on the fruit content in bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity. Moreover, this review addressed the impact of PAs on other physiological processes affecting crop yield such as flowering and fruit set. Full article

Viola philippica, a medicinal herbaceous plant documented in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, is a promising candidate for research into plant-derived pharmaceuticals. However, the study of newly emerging viruses that threaten the cultivation of V. philippica remains limited. In this study, V. philippica plants exhibiting symptoms such as leaf yellowing, mottled leaves, and vein chlorosis were collected and subjected to RNA sequencing to identify potential viral pathogens. A novel polerovirus, named Viola Philippica Polerovirus (VPPV), was identified in V. philippica. VPPV possesses a linear, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genome consisting of 5535 nucleotides (nt) and encodes seven highly overlapping open reading frames (ORFs). Two potential recombination events were identified within ORF2, ORF3a, and ORF3, providing insights into the genetic diversity and evolution history of this novel polerovirus. An infectious cDNA clone of VPPV was successfully constructed and shown to infect Nicotiana benthamiana. Using a PVX-based heterologous expression system, the VPPV P0 protein was shown to trigger a systemic hypersensitive response (HR)-like reaction in N. benthamiana, indicating that P0 functions as the main pathogenicity determinant. These findings contributed to the detection and understanding of pathogenic mechanisms and control strategies for VPPV in V. philippica. Full article

Soil salinization severely restricts the growth and development of crops globally, especially in the northwest Loess Plateau, where apples constitute a pillar industry. Nanomaterials, leveraging their unique properties, can facilitate the transport of nutrients to crops, thereby enhancing plant growth and development under stress conditions. To investigate the effects of nano zinc oxide (ZnO NP) on the growth and physiological characteristics of apple self-rooted rootstock M9-T337 seedlings under saline alkali stress, one-year-old M9-T337 seedlings were used as experimental materials and ZnO NPs were used as donors for pot experiment. Six treatments were set up: CK (normal growth), SA (saline alkali stress,100 mmol/L NaCl + NaHCO₃), T1 (saline alkali stress + 50 mg/L ZnO NPs), T2 (saline alkali stress + 100 mg/L ZnO NPs), T3 (saline alkali stress + 150 mg/L ZnO NPs) and T4 (saline alkali stress + 200 mg/L ZnO NPs). The results were found to show that saline alkali stress could significantly inhibit the growth and development of M9-T337 seedlings, reduce photosynthetic characteristics, and cause ion accumulation to trigger osmotic regulation system, endogenous hormone and antioxidant system imbalances. However, the biomass, plant height, stem diameter, total leaf area and leaf perimeter of M9-T337 seedlings were significantly increased after ZnO NP treatment. Specifically speaking, ZnO NPs can improve the photosynthetic capacity of M9-T337 by increasing the content of photosynthetic pigment, regulating photosynthetic intensity and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. ZnO NPs can balance the osmotic adjustment system by increasing the contents of soluble protein (SP), soluble sugar (SS), proline (Pro) and starch, and can also enhance the activities of enzymatic (SOD, POD, and CAT) and non-enzymatic antioxidant enzymes (APX, AAO, GR, and MDHAR) to enhance the scavenging ability of reactive oxygen species (H₂O₂, O₂^•−), ultimately reducing oxidative damage; ZnO NPs promoted the growth of M9-T337 seedlings under saline alkali stress by synergistically responding to auxin (IAA), gibberellin (GA₃), zeatin (ZT) and abscisic acid (ABA). Additionally, the Na⁺/K⁺ ratio was reduced by upregulating the expression of Na⁺ transporter genes (MdCAX5, MdCHX15, MdSOS1, and MdALT1) and downregulating the expression of K⁺ transporter genes (MdSKOR and MdNHX4). After comprehensive analysis of principal components and correlation, T3 (150 mg/L ZnO NPs) treatment possessed the best mitigation effect. In summary, 150 mg/L ZnO NPs(T3) can effectively maintain the hormone balance, osmotic balance and ion balance of plant cells by promoting the photosynthetic capacity of M9-T337 seedlings, and enhance the antioxidant defense mechanism, thereby improving the saline alkaline tolerance of M9-T337 seedlings. Full article

Background: The genus Astragalus is renowned for its diverse bioactive potential, yet the chemical composition and biological properties of Astragalus melanophrurius remain inadequately explored. This study aimed to investigate the chemical profile, antioxidant capacity, and enzyme inhibitory activities of methanol extracts from various plant parts of A. melanophrurius. Methods: Methanol extracts were obtained from leaves, stems, flowers, roots, and aerial portions of A. melanophrurius. The chemical composition was determined using LC–ESI–MS/MS, focusing on key phytochemicals such as hyperoside, kaempferol, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and chlorogenic acid. Antioxidant activities were assessed via DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays, while enzyme inhibitory activities were evaluated against α-amylase and tyrosinase. In silico molecular docking analyses were conducted to explore the interactions between major compounds and target enzymes. Results: The leaf extract exhibited the highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents, correlating with superior antioxidant activities, achieving IC₅₀ values of 16.55 mg/mL, 4.58 mg/mL, and 3.07 mg/mL in DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays, respectively. The root extract demonstrated notable α-amylase (IC₅₀ = 2.99 mg/mL) and tyrosinase (IC₅₀ = 1.34 mg/mL) inhibitory activities, suggesting potential applications in diabetes and hyperpigmentation management. Molecular docking revealed stable complexes of hyperoside and kaempferol with target enzymes, supporting their roles in observed bioactivities. Conclusions: This study highlights the bioactivity of A. melanophrurius extracts, particularly from leaves and roots, supporting their therapeutic potential. Future research should focus on isolating active compounds and conducting in vivo studies to confirm efficacy and elucidate mechanisms of action. Full article

Biocontrol microbes are environment friendly and safe for humans and animals. To seek biocontrol microbes effective in suppressing Fusarium oxysporum is important for tomato production. F. oxysporum is a soil-borne pathogen capable of causing wilt in numerous plant species. Therefore, we found a biocontrol bacterium with an excellent control effect from the rhizosphere soil of plant roots. In this work, we focus on two parts of work. The first part is the identification and genomic analysis of the biocontrol bacterium Y-4; the second part is the control efficiency of strain Y-4 on F. oxysporum. For this study, we identified strain Y-4 as Bacillus velezensis. It is an aerobic Gram-positive bacterium that can secrete a variety of extracellular enzymes and siderophores. Strain Y-4 also contains a large number of disease-resistant genes and a gene cluster that forms antibacterial substances. In addition, we found that it significantly inhibited the reproduction of F. oxysporum in a culture dish. In the indoor control effect test, after treatment with strain Y-4 suspension, the disease index of tomato plants decreased significantly. Furthermore, the control efficiency of the plants was 71.88%. At the same time, Y-4 bacterial suspension induced an increase in POD and SOD enzyme activities in tomato leaves, resulting in increased plant resistance. Taken together, strain Y-4 proves to be an effective means of controlling F. oxysporum in tomatoes. Full article

Bioinspired composites for thermal energy storage have gained much attention all over the world. Bioinspired structures have several advantages as the skeleton for preparing thermal energy storage materials, including preventing leakage and improving thermal conductivity. Phase change materials (PCMs) play an important role in the development of energy storage materials because of their stable chemical/thermal properties and high latent heat storage capacity. However, their applications have been compromised, owing to low thermal conductivity and leakage. The plant-derived scaffolds (i.e., wood-derived SiC/Carbon) in the composites can not only provide higher thermal conductivity but also prevent leakage. In this paper, we review recent progress in the preparation, microstructures, properties and applications of bioinspired composites for thermal energy storage. Two methods are generally used for producing bioinspired composites, including the direct introduction of biomass-derived templates and the imitation of biological structures templates. Some of the key technologies for introducing PCMs into templates involves melting, vacuum impregnation, physical mixing, etc. Continuous and orderly channels inside the skeleton can improve the overall thermal conductivity, and the thermal conductivity of composites with biomass-derived, porous, silicon carbide skeleton can reach as high as 116 W/m*K. In addition, the tightly aligned microporous structure can cover the PCM well, resulting in good leakage resistance after up to 2500 hot and cold cycles. Currently, bioinspired composites for thermal energy storage hold the greatest promise for large-scale applications in the fields of building energy conservation and solar energy conversion/storage. This review provides guidance on the preparation methods, performance improvements and applications for the future research strategies of bioinspired composites for thermal energy storage. Full article

The Eastern mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki Girard, 1859, has been widely introduced into tropical and temperate countries as a biological agent to control mosquitos, which are associated with diseases such as malaria and yellow fever. However, the species exhibits invasive characteristics by competing with native species for food and habitat use. This study investigates the feeding ecology of G. holbrooki populations from three distinct freshwater environments (Lake Iris, Eğlenhoca Reservoir, and Parlak Reservoir) on the Karaburun Peninsula (North-Western Türkiye), a region outside its native range. The primary aim was to evaluate seasonal and spatial variations in the diet of the species. A total of 871 specimens were analysed: 247 from Iris Lake, 318 from Parlak Reservoir, and 306 from Eğlenhoca Reservoir. Low percentages of empty stomachs (≤20%) across all populations indicate high feeding intensity. The results reveal that G. holbrooki exhibits a generalist feeding strategy, consuming a wide range of food items such as insects, zooplankton, and plant material across all the investigated environments. The relative importance of food groups (determined by the Importance Index, MI%) varied seasonally but not spatially. In all three populations, the most important food source in the spring was dipterans, followed by plants in the summer and fall, and cladocerans in the winter. Plants accounted for the largest percentage of the diet in every population (MI% >65%). These findings suggest that G. holbrooki adapts its diet to seasonal food availability. Full article

Proline, a critical osmoregulatory compound, is integral to various plant stress responses. The P5CS gene, which encodes the rate-limiting enzyme in proline biosynthesis, known as ∆1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase, is fundamental to these stress response pathways. While the functions of P5CS genes in plants have been extensively documented, their specific roles in cotton remain inadequately characterized. In this study, we identified 40 P5CS genes across four cotton species with diverse sequence lengths and molecular weights. Phylogenetic analysis of 100 P5CS genes from nine species revealed three subgroups, with Gossypium hirsutum closely related to Gossypium barbadense. Collinearity analysis highlighted significant differences in collinear gene pairs, indicating evolutionary divergence among P5CS genes in tetraploid and diploid cotton. Exon–intron structures and conserved motifs correlated with phylogenetic relationships, suggesting functional differentiation. Stress-responsive elements in P5CS promoters suggest involvement in abiotic stress. Expression analysis under salt stress revealed differential expressions of GhP5CS genes, with GhP5CS1 emerging as a potential key regulator. Virus-induced gene silencing confirmed the pivotal role of GhP5CS1 in cotton’s salt stress response, as evidenced by increased salt sensitivity in the silenced plants. This study enhances our understanding of the functional diversity and roles of P5CS genes in cotton under stress conditions. Full article