Search Results (223)

Manganese is one of the trace elements necessary for organisms to maintain normal biological activities and is also a cofactor for manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) and manganese peroxidase (MnP). In order to find a simple and effective method to rejuvenate the degenerated V. volvacea strains, we explored the effect of the exogenous addition of MnSO₄ on the antioxidant vigour and productivity of degenerated strains of V. volvacea. The results showed that the exogenous MnSO₄ had no significant effect on the non-degenerated strain T0, but it could effectively increase the mycelial growth rate, mycelial biomass, and LBL decolouring ability of the degenerated strains T10 and T19, and reduce the production cycle and increased the biological efficiency of T10; it helped the severely degenerated T19 to regrow its fruiting body; and it also significantly increased the viability of the matrix-degrading enzymes such as EG, Lac, Xyl, etc. of T10 and T19. Meanwhile, exogenous MnSO₄ significantly increased the activity of GPX, GR, CAT, SOD, and the content of GSH, polyphenols, minerals, and polysaccharides in T10 and T19 strains, which resulted in a significant decrease in the accumulation of ROS, such as O₂⁻ and H₂O₂ in T10 and T19. The correlation analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between antioxidant activity and the production ability of V. volvacea. This study can provide theoretical reference and technical support for the rejuvenation research of degenerated strains of V. volvacea and other edible fungi. Full article

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of treating maize (Zea mays L.) seeds with fish collagen hydrolysate (FC) and keratin (KE) derived from animal waste by-products of leather and meat production, as well as poly(hexamethylene biguanide) hydrochloride (P) and bentonite (B). This research is in line with the search for new, environmentally friendly methods to increase yields of industrial crops in a way that is compatible with sustainable development. The effect of the binders used was investigated by analysing the grown maize seedlings by determining changes in parameters of chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthetic pigments, elemental composition and FTIR analysis on maize shoots. The results indicated a slightly higher fresh weight (FW) of shoots in plants treated with fish collagen, PHMB and bentonite (FC+P+B) and FW of roots in plants treated with keratin, PHMB and bentonite (KE+P+B). Unexpectedly, the FW and dry weight (DW) of both roots and shoots of all bentonite-treated plants were significantly higher than the corresponding non-bentonite-treated groups. In addition, changes in chlorophyll-a fluorescence were observed for the keratin, PHMB and bentonite variants. This study showed that the proposed materials could be promising seed pelleting agents to improve seed growth and yield. Full article

This study investigated the combined effects of novel plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR)—Agrobacterium pusense NC2, Kosakonia oryzae WN104, and Phytobacter sp. WL65—and Ascophyllum nodosum seaweed extract (ANE) as biostimulants (PGPR-ANE) on rice growth, yield, and rhizosphere bacterial communities using the RD79 cultivar. The biostimulants significantly enhanced plant growth, shoot and root length, and seedling vigour; however, seed germination was not affected. In pot experiments, biostimulant application significantly increased the richness and evenness of bacterial communities in the rhizosphere, resulting in improvements in rice growth and yield, with increases in plant height (9.6–17.7%), panicle length (14.3–17.9%), and seeds per panicle (48.0–53.0%). Notably, biostimulant treatments also increased post-harvest soil nutrient levels, with nitrogen increasing by 7.7–19.2%, phosphorus by 43.4–161.4%, and potassium by 16.9–70.4% compared to the control. Principal coordinate analysis revealed distinct differences in bacterial composition between the tillering and harvesting stages, as well as between biostimulant treatments and the control. Beneficial bacterial families, including Xanthobacteraceae, Beijerinckiaceae, Acetobacteraceae, Acidobacteriaceae, and Hyphomicrobiaceae, increased in number from the tillering to harvesting stages, likely contributing to soil health improvements. Conversely, methanogenic bacterial families, such as Methanobacteriaceae and Methanosarcinaceae, decreased in number compared to the control. These findings highlight the dynamic responses of the rhizosphere microbiome to biostimulant treatments and underscore their potential benefits for promoting sustainable and productive agriculture. Full article

Soil salinity results in reduced productivity in field peas, making soil salinity tolerance a critical breeding objective. In this study, four pot experiments were carried out in semi-controlled environments over four consecutive years to assess the contribution of seedling vigour to salinity tolerance at the seedling stage. Split-plot designs were used to assess the effect of salt stress (sodium chloride solution at 16 dSm⁻¹) and control conditions. Extensive sets of advanced breeding lines were used in 2018–2020 to assess growth differences in relation to the treatment, with elemental analysis used on a subset of 15 lines in 2021. A salt tolerance index (STI) was defined as a proportion of shoot biomass under salt stress (DWstress) relative to the shoot dry weight under control (DWctrl). Visual scores of salt stress were recorded on a 1–10 scale (1 = tolerant, 10 = susceptible) from salt stress treatments. The consistent positive and significant correlations (p < 0.01) between shoot DWctrl and DWstress indicated that vigorous genotypes maintained higher shoot DWstress. Both the shoot DWctrl and shoot DWstress had negative and significant (p < 0.01) correlations with visual scores of salt stress. Shoot DWstress showed strong positive correlations with STI (p < 0.01). Both the shoot DWctrl and Shoot DWstress had negative correlations (p < 0.01) with shoot Na⁺ whereas shoot DWstress had a positive correlation (p < 0.05) with root Na⁺ concentration. The results indicated that seedling vigour (measured as shoot DWctrl) contributed to salinity tolerance by maintaining improved shoot DWstress, limiting Na⁺ deposition in shoot and enduring less tissue damage in field pea seedlings. Additional field evaluations are required to establish the correlations of tolerance at seedling stage with yield under saline conditions. The insights obtained from this study may assist field pea breeders in identifying salt-tolerant parent plants, offspring, and breeding lines during the initial growth phases. Full article

The improvement in quantitative traits (e.g., yield, size) in F₁ offspring over parent lines is described as hybrid vigour, or heterosis. There exists a fascinating relationship between parental genetic distance and genome dosage (polyploidy), and heterosis effects. The contribution of nuclear heterozygosity to heterosis is not uniform across diploid and polyploid crops, even within same species, thus demonstrating that polyploid crops should be part of any discussion on the mechanisms of heterosis. This review examines the records of correlating heterosis with parental genetic distance and the influence of adding supplementary genomes in wide crosses. Increasing nuclear heterozygosity through parental genetic distance has been shown to be an imperfect predictor for heterosis in a variety of commercial crops such as maize, rice, and pepper. However, increasing the ploidy level raises the maximum number of alleles that can be harboured at any one locus, and studies on crops such as oilseed rape, potato, alfalfa, maize, and rice have demonstrated that heterosis may be maximised upon increasing multi-locus nuclear heterozygosity. The novel heterotic phenotypes observed above the diploid level will contribute to our understanding on the mechanisms of heterosis and aid plant breeders in achieving the righteous goal of producing more food with fewer inputs. Full article

Pine stands affected by root and butt rot (Heterobasidion annosum s.l.) contain pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) that can survive for a long time without showing external symptoms of the disease (‘conditionally resistant’ refers to trees that survive without symptoms despite infection). The establishment of stands from the seeds of such trees can significantly increase the effectiveness of artificial afforestation. Since the growth and development of pine trees is determined to a certain extent by the number of cotyledons after seed germination, this article examines this trait in the progeny of trees that are potentially resistant and those that have already been attacked by root pathogens. The number of cotyledons and the resilience of trees is fascinating and not generally known. Presumably, the number of cotyledons can be linked to disease resistance based on increased vigour. Biologically, a larger area for carbon assimilation leads to better photosynthetic efficiency and the production of more assimilates (sugars) necessary to trigger defence processes in the event of infection. From an ecological point of view, this can give tree populations in areas potentially threatened by root system diseases a chance of survival. The aim of this study was to analyze the potential of using the number of cotyledons and other seedling characteristics to predict the resistance of trees to root and butt rot disease. The collected data show that the seedlings from the group of diseased trees exhibited lower growth rates and vigour. However, the seedlings from the group of potentially resistant trees are similar to the control, meaning the trees that show no disease symptoms because they have not come into contact with the pathogen. Our observations suggest that monitoring germinating cotyledons could serve as an early diagnostic tool to identify disease-resistant pines, although further research is needed. Full article

Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterial consortia are an alternative to the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers that affect the environment, fix atmospheric nitrogen, and can therefore be used as plant growth promoters, synthesize various substances such as auxins, vitamins, and total proteins, and fix atmospheric biofertilizers and soil conditioners. The present study aimed to obtain and develop, by biotechnological means, two consortia of cyanobacteria isolated from the root and rhizosphere of Carica papaya grown in sandy loam soil. The culture was carried out in Blue Green Medium without modified nitrogen (BG11₀), with aeration of 0.32 L min⁻¹, at a light intensity of 48.83 μEm⁻²s⁻¹, and a temperature of 22 ± 2 °C. Two consortia consisting of Nostoc commune, Aphanothece minutissima, Planktothrix sp. (C1), Nostoc commune, Calothrix sp., and Aphanothece minutissima (C2) were isolated and morphologically identified. The effective development of these consortia was verified at the laboratory level by obtaining biomass in dry weight as well as photosynthetic pigments, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. Germination parameters were determined in seeds of Cucumis sativus L. var. Market plus treated with the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria consortia, obtaining a higher germination percentage (>90%), greater root length (>6 cm), and higher vigour index I (513), II (13.02) for the C2 consortium. This broadens the spectrum of rhizosphere-derived microorganisms with potential as growth biostimulators. Full article

Twin lamb mortality is a significant economic problem impacting the Australian sheep industry. Maternal betaine supplementation improved lamb vigour and early post-natal survival when ewes and lambs were housed indoors, suggesting that betaine may be beneficial to feed under extensive pasture systems. This study investigated whether maternal betaine supplementation during late gestation would improve Merino twin lamb live weight, thermoregulation, vigour and survival to weaning under field conditions. Ewes received dietary betaine at either 0 g/day (CTL; n = 115) or 4 g/day from day 110 of gestation (dG 110) until ~49 days post-partum (pp) (BET; n = 115). Measures indicative of lamb viability and survival were collected within 4–24 h of birth and at ~49 days pp and ~93 days pp. BET ewes had higher creatine and creatinine concentrations at dG 130 than CTL ewes (p < 0.05). BET lambs had a higher rectal temperature within 4–24 h following birth than CTL lambs (p < 0.05). CTL lambs were heavier at ~49 days pp and grew faster from birth to ~49 days pp than BET lambs (both p < 0.05). The time taken after release from the researcher to first suckling was quicker in the CTL lambs than BET lambs (p < 0.05). This study demonstrated that supplementing betaine increased creatine concentration in twin-bearing ewes and thermoregulatory capacity in neonatal lambs under extensive grazing systems. Full article

To explore the application of seed germination biomechanical event(s) in seed vigour tests, a new procedure for the evaluation of maize seed vigour tests based on pericarp–testa rupture (PR) and coleorhiza rupture (CR) during seed germination was developed. Twenty–four lots of hybrid maize were used to determine the feasibility of the rupture test (RT) as a seed vigour test in Zea mays. The results showed that the physiological quality pattern of 24 maize seed lots assessed through RT was similar to that obtained through analysis with other seed test methods. Correlation and regression analyses revealed that the percentage of CR and percentage of PR + CR at “15 ± 0.5 °C for 120 h ± 1 h” and “20 ± 0.5 °C for 72 h ± 15 min” exhibited positive correlations with the field seedling emergence data (p < 0.01). Hence, the proposed method (the rupture test) is cogent and effective, thus providing an important reference for more crops to select for seed germination event(s) and establishing corresponding new methods for seed vigour tests in the future. Full article

In this review, we explore the underlying molecular biology of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and its interplay with the host immune system. MTC is consistently driven by a small number of specific pathogenic variants, beyond which few additional genetic events are required for tumorigenesis. This explains the exceedingly low tumour mutational burden seen in most MTC, in contrast to other cancers. However, because of the low tumour mutational burden (TMB), there is a correspondingly low level of tumour-associated neoantigens that are presented to the host immune system. This reduces tumour visibility and vigour of the anti-tumour immune response and suggests the efficacy of immunotherapy in MTC is likely to be poor, acknowledging this inference is largely based on the extrapolation of data from other tumour types. The dominance of specific RET (REarranged during Transfection) pathogenic variants in MTC tumorigenesis rationalizes the observed efficacy of the targeted RET-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in comparison to multi-kinase inhibitors (MKIs). Therapeutic durability of pathway inhibitors is an ongoing research focus. It may be limited by the selection pressure TKI treatment creates, promoting survival of resistant tumour cell clones that can escape pathway inhibition through binding-site mutations, activation of alternate pathways, and modulation of the cellular and cytokine milieu of the tumour microenvironment (TME). Full article

Domesticated apple is a drought-sensitive species that spread from continental to Mediterranean temperate regions, where it can particularly experience prolonged water stress. One strategy to improve drought resistance in apple is engrafting on selected rootstocks. This study explores the potential of fast chlorophyll a fluorescence for the comparison of rootstock sensitivity to drought, looking for significant correlations with fruit productivity. The experiment was conducted in a field located in the coastal Po River Plain, Northern Italy, characterized by a loamy sandy soil, particularly prone to drought (86% sand). Mature plants of apple cv. Superchief^® Sandidge engrafted on three different rootstocks (CIVP21^pbr, MM106, M26) were monitored throughout the summer of 2021 and compared between irrigated and non-irrigated parcels, and at the end of the season, fruit production was evaluated. Despite soil water tension only reaching −13 kPa, the non-irrigated plants experienced a small but consistent loss of Photosystem II (PSII) activity and a lesser capacity of light energy conservation in the photosynthetic electron transport chain. The fruit weight correlated with PSII photochemical indexes recorded during early drought, particularly F_V/F_M and PI_ABS; a correlation emerged between fruit number per plant and median values of electron transport parameters, including PI_TOT. Although all rootstocks underwent a 40% loss of productivity, the fluorescence parameters revealed a graded susceptibility to drought, M26 > CIVP21^pbr > MM106, which matched well with the plant vigour. The least drought-sensitive MM106 produced less numerous but heavier fruits than the other two rootstocks. Full article

Seed weight in lucerne (Medicago sativa) may affect subsequent seedling vigour and stand establishment. A landrace of lucerne (Oman 2) from Oman has a 100-seed weight over 60% larger than the largest seeded parent used in previous studies. Crosses were made between Oman 2 and the smaller-seeded cultivar Titan 9, and segregating families were produced for genetic analysis and measurement of response to selection for seed size. There were significant differences in 100-seed weights between the parents (Oman 2 and Titan 9) and subsequent families. Regression of 100-seed weights of F2 families versus F1 parents was highly significant (p < 0.001), as well as 100-seed weights of the F3 families versus F1 parents. Analysis of diallel crossing among large and small-seeded F1 plants revealed highly significant general (GCAs) and specific (SCAs) combining abilities, as well as highly significant reciprocals. The GCA effect was much greater than the SCA effect with a GCA/SCA ratio of 15.9. This large ratio agrees with the significant regression coefficients and indicates that 100-seed weight in lucerne has high heritability. The significance of reciprocals was due to a large maternal effect in which large-seeded maternal parents produced progenies with significantly larger seeds relative to small-seeded parents. These results indicate that large-seeded plants should be used as the maternal parents in crosses and for recurrent selection to increase the seed size of progenies. Full article

The uses of precision oliviculture have increased in recent years to improve the quality and quantity of extra virgin olive oil. In traditional and intensive systems, biennial pruning is often applied to balance and maintain plant vigour, aiming at reducing management costs. This study presents the results of a three-year experiment with the objective of quantifying the effects of biennial pruning on the vegetative vigour of olive trees, investigating the geometric and spectral characteristics of each canopy determined with multispectral images acquired by UAV. The experiment was carried out in an olive orchard located in western Sicily (Italy). Multispectral images were acquired using a UAV in automatic flight configuration at an altitude of 70 m a.g.l. The segmentation and classification of the images were performed using Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) based on the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and orthomosaic to extract the canopy area, height, volume and NDVI for each plant. This study showed that the technology and image analysis processing used were able to estimate vigour parameters at different canopy densities, compared to field measurements (R² = 0.97 and 0.96 for canopy area and volume, respectively). Furthermore, it was possible to determine the amount of removed biomass for each plant and vigour level. Biennial pruning decreased the number of plants initially classified as LV (low-vigour) and maintained a vegetative balance for MV (medium-vigour) and HV (high-vigour) plants, reducing the spatial variability in the field. Full article

The micronutrient Zinc (Zn) is essential for the proper growth and development of crops. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (NPs) and fine particles are presented as an emerging alternative to more traditional fertilizers. In this study, the possible toxic effect of four laboratory-synthesized ZnO NPs and fine particles with different characteristics on tomato seed germination and vigor parameters was examined in comparison to bulk ZnO. Different metal precursors were used for the chemical synthesis of the particles: Zn(NO₃)₂ and ZnSO₄, for particles named NIT-. and SUL-., respectively. In addition, the synthesis process was modified to obtain coated particles (denoted as UW-, NIT-UW and SUL-UW) and washed particles (denoted as W-, NIT-W and SUL-W). These particles were applied at different toxic doses (0, 1.4, 2.8, 5.6 and 11.2 g L⁻¹). The results indicated that although the constant contact time between the ZnO particles did not affect the germination capacity of the seeds, it affected the growth of roots and hypocotyls, with a higher impact on the roots’ development. This toxicity was more evident from the lowest particle dose used, although it did not prevent radicle and hypocotyl elongation during the development period studied (14 days). The synthesized coated particles (NIT-UW, SUL-UW) generated high toxicity on radicle and hypocotyl development, and this effect was observed from the first days of contact with the particles. The observed toxic effects on radicle length were minimized by the application of bulk ZnO particles. In the case of hypocotyl growth, these minor toxic effects were observed by using NIT-W particles and bulk ZnO. The possibility of positive effects on seed germination and development (radicle and hypocotyl length) when in continuous contact with ZnO, whether in fine particles, nanoparticles, or bulk sizes, was excluded. Furthermore, no benefits on germination parameters were observed by suppressing the final washing step in the particle’s synthesis process, suggesting that particle coating did not provide any advantage for seed germination under these continuous contact conditions. Full article

The U.K. food system exhibits strong unsustainability indicators across multiple dimensions, both in terms of food and nutritional insecurity and in terms of adverse climate change, biodiversity, and physical resource impacts. These indices of an unsustainable and inequitable social metabolism are the result of capitalist agriculture and society in general and, more specifically, of neoliberal and austerity policies adopted with vigour since the global financial crisis. The causal, capitalistic, and, latterly, more neoliberal bases of the U.K. food system are delineated in the first section of the paper. These bases are then detailed in terms of their impacts in exacerbating climate change, biodiversity (and resource) decline and loss, and food and nutritional insecurity. The political narratives and policy frameworks available to dissemble, mitigate, or, more rarely, to address (resolve) these impacts are then delineated. It is argued that the only policy framework available that strongly integrates food security (social equity) with ecological sustainability is political agroecology and an accompanying degrowth strategy. The final section of the paper details what political agroecology and degrowth might entail for the U.K. food system. Full article