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Endophytes within plants are known to be crucial for plant fitness, and while their presence and functions in many compartments have been studied in depth, the research on seed endophytes is still limited. This work aimed to characterize the seed endophytic and rhizospheric bacterial community of two Noccaea caerulescens Pb-Zn hyperaccumulator populations, growing on two heavy-metal-polluted sites in Belgium. Cultured representatives were evaluated for their potential to enhance seed germination and root length of the model species Arabidopsis thaliana. The results indicated that the community structure within the seed is conserved between the two locations, comprising mainly of Proteobacteria (seeds), and Actinobacteria in the bulk soil. Root length of A. thaliana was significantly increased when inoculated with Sphingomonas vulcanisoli. The results of this paper offer insights into the importance of the selection of the core seed endophytic microbiome and highlight the precarious symbiotic relationship they have with the plant and seed.

Polyamines (PAs) are positively charged amines that are present in all organisms. In addition to their functions specific to growth and development, they are involved in responding to various biotic and abiotic stress tolerance functions. The appropriate concentration of PA in the cell is maintained by a delicate balance between the catabolism and anabolism of PAs, which is primarily driven by two enzymes, namely diamine oxidase and polyamine oxidase (PAO). PAOs have been found to be localized in multiple subcellular locations, including peroxisomes. This paper presents a holistic account of peroxisomal PAOs. PAOs are flavin adenine dinucleotide-dependent enzymes with varying degrees of substrate specificity. They are expressed differentially upon various abiotic stress conditions, namely heat, cold, salinity, and dehydration. It has also been observed that in a particular species, the various PAO isoforms are expressed differentially with a spatial and temporal distinction. PAOs are targeted to peroxisome via a peroxisomal targeting signal (PTS) type 1. We conducted an extensive bioinformatics analysis of PTS1s present in various peroxisomal PAOs and present a consensus peroxisome targeting signal present in PAOs. Furthermore, we also propose an evolutionary perspective of peroxisomal PAOs. PAOs localized in plant peroxisomes are of potential importance in abiotic stress tolerance since peroxisomes are one of the nodal centers of reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis and an increase in ROS is a major indicator of the plant being in stress conditions; hence, in the future, PAO enzymes could be used as a key candidate for generating abiotic stress tolerant crops.

The ‘GiSelA 5’ rootstock is of high importance for growing sweet cherries because it significantly reduces the growth vigour of the trees and accelerates their fruiting. However, the method of its propagation using ‘in vitro’ cultures is expensive, prompting researchers to look for alternative methods of propagation. One of these is the root formation in shoot cuttings. The experiment presented in this paper compared the use of powdered synthetic auxins (Rhizopon AA, Ukorzeniacz AB) and their alcoholic solution (IAA, IBA), and the biostimulants Goteo and Bispeed as foliar sprays for root formation in softwood cuttings ‘GiSelA 5’ and measured some parameters of physiological processes. In addition, two different substrates of river sand with peat (1:2) and peat substrate with perlite (2:1) were used. Cuttings were obtained on two dates, in the first and third years in the month of June. Biostimulants increased the number of rooted cuttings (Goteo—16.1%, Bispeed—18.1%) without improving their growth and the intensity of most of the analyzed physiological processes compared to the control. Synthetic preparations also increased the percentage of rooted cuttings Rhizopon AA (24.4%), Ukorzeniacz AB (21.4%), auxin IBA (19.7%) and auxin IAA (14.7%), while simultaneously improving their growth and level of vital processes compared to the controls and biostimulants. The substrate consisting of peat with sand improved root formation by 6.2%, without significantly changing the growth parameters and vital functions of the cuttings. The earlier date of propagation increased the root formation percentage only by 4% and the number of roots by 14% of the ‘GiSelA 5’ rootstock cuttings.

Movements of organisms through distinct places can change the dynamics of ecological interactions and make the habitat conducive to the spread of diseases. Faced with a cyclical scenario of invasions and threats in a One Health context, we conducted a scientometric study to understand how disturbances in environments with invaded vegetation affect the incidence of parasites and disease prevalence rates. The search was carried out in Web of Science and Scopus databases, with keywords delimited by Boolean operators and based on the PRISMA protocol. Thirty-sixarticles were full-read to clarify the interaction between diseases and invaded areas. The analysis covered publications from 2005 to 2022, with a considerable increase in the last ten years and a significant participation of the USA on the world stage. Trends were found in scientific activities, and we explored how invasive species can indirectly damage health, as higher concentrations of pathogens, vectors, and hosts were related to structurally altered communities. This paper reveals invaded plants threats that enhance disease transmission risks. It is likely that, with frequent growth in the number of introduced species worldwide due to environmental disturbances and human interventions, the negative implications will be intensified in the coming years.

Viticulture is of great economic importance in the southern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, thanks to favorable climatic conditions and a long-standing tradition of growing vines. The assortment is dominated by international varieties, as well as some autochthonous and domesticated varieties. The subject of the research is the analysis of the quality of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Vranac, and Blatina varieties at two localities in Herzegovina during the period 2020–2021. The paper examined the most important economic and technological characteristics, grape quality, and berry phenolic profile. A particularly pronounced variation of the tested characteristics during the research period was observed in the Merlot and Blatina varieties, while the Cabernet Sauvignon and Vranac varieties showed a slightly higher stability of the tested characteristics. Poorer grape quality during the research period was registered with the Blatina variety, which can be considered a varietal characteristic to some extent. The analyzed grape varieties were rich in polyphenols, and the impact of grape variety on the berry phenolic profiles was confirmed. The most abundant polyphenols in the analyzed grape samples were quercetin 3-O-glucoside and catechin gallate, followed by kaempferol 3-O-glucoside. The highest values of polyphenols were found mainly in the samples originating from Trebinje. Indigenous Balkan grape varieties (Vranac and Blatina) stood out with particularly high contents of some phenolics. Research has shown that climatic conditions have a significant influence on the most important characteristics of grapes, which are conditioned by genotypic specificities. The conditions for growing vines in the conditions of Herzegovina enable high quality in the production of grapes, especially the Cabernet Sauvignon and Vranac varieties. The autochthonous variety Blatina shows significant variations in grape quality during the test period, which was confirmed by the results of a larger number of studies in the previous period.

The detrimental stresses of future climate change are well known and decisions are required to reduce their effects. Climate and disease stresses cause severe damage to plants and it is essential to understand how they will respond. Oil palm (OP) is an Fusarium important crop for many countries. The palm originated in Africa, where palm oil is produced in the largest amount within the continent by Nigeria. OP becomes stressed by climate change and wilt, a devastating disease of OP in Africa. Previous methods to determine the suitability of future climate on OP in continents and whole countries were applied to Nigeria, which is the first time an individual country has been assessed in this manner. Climate maps of Nigeria were divided equally into 16 regions from north to south and east to west to determine the future suitable climate for growing OP. CLIMEX and narrative modelling were used to determine suitability for growing OP and Fusarium wilt incidence for current time and 2050. Maps from published papers were employed directly thereby facilitating the procedure. A distinct latitudinal increasing trend from north to south in suitable climate was observed, which was unexpected. A decreasing longitudinal trend from west to east was also observed. These differences in suitable climates may allow refuges for OP in the future. The growth of OP in the south of Nigeria may be largely unaffected by climate change by 2050, unlike the north. The procedures allow policy decisions at state and national levels to be made from empirical data, which do not otherwise exist. States with low amounts of OP and where the climate deteriorates greatly, could usefully be abandoned. Other low palm oil producers, where the climate does not deteriorate greatly, could be encouraged to develop OP. Little requires to be done in the high producing states where the climate does not deteriorate. In all cases, the environmental impacts require thorough assessment. Climate change requires reduction as indicated in recent Conference of the Parties meetings.

The structure and stability of grassland ecosystems have a significant impact on biodiversity, material cycling and productivity for ecosystem services. However, the issue of the structure and stability of grassland ecosystems has not been systematically reviewed. Based on the Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases, we used the systematic-review method and screened 133 papers to describe and analyze the frontiers of research into the structure and stability of grassland ecosystems. The research results showed that: (1) The number of articles about the structure and stability of grassland ecosystems is gradually increasing, and the research themes are becoming increasingly diverse. (2) There is a high degree of consistency between the study area and the spatial distribution of grassland. (3) Based on the changes in ecosystem patterns and their interrelationships with ecosystem processes, we reviewed the research progress and landmark results on the structure, stability, structure–stability relationship and their influencing factors of grassland ecosystems; among them, the study of structure is the main research focus (51.12%), followed by the study of the influencing factors of structure and stability (37.57%). (4) Key scientific questions on structural optimization, stability enhancement and harmonizing the relationship between structure and stability are explored. (5) Based on the background of karst desertification control (KDC) and its geographical characteristics, three insights are proposed to optimize the spatial allocation, enhance the stability of grassland for rocky desertification control and coordinate the regulation mechanism of grassland structure and stability. This study provided some references for grassland managers and relevant policy makers to optimize the structure and enhance the stability of grassland ecosystems. It also provided important insights to enhance the service capacity of grassland ecosystems in KDC.

Climate change is more likely to have a detrimental effect on the world’s productive assets. Several undesirable conditions and practices, including extreme temperature, drought, and uncontrolled use of agrochemicals, result in stresses that strain agriculture. In addition, nutritional inadequacies in food crops are wreaking havoc on human health, especially in rural regions of less developed countries. This could be because plants are unable to absorb the nutrients in conventional fertilizers, or these fertilizers have an inappropriate or unbalanced nutrient composition. Chemical fertilizers have been used for centuries and have considerably increased crop yields. However, they also disrupt soil quality and structure, eventually impacting the entire ecosystem. To address the situation, it is necessary to develop advanced materials that can release nutrients to targeted points in the plant-soil environment or appropriate receptors on the leaf in the case of foliar applications. Recently, nanotechnology-based interventions have been strongly encouraged to meet the world’s growing food demand and to promote food security in an environmentally friendly manner. Biological approaches for the synthesis of nanoscale agro-materials have become a promising area of research, with a wide range of product types such as nanopesticides, nanoinsecticides, nanoherbicides, nanobactericides/fungicides, bio-conjugated nanocomplexes, and nanoemulsions emerging therefrom. These materials are more sustainable and target-oriented than conventional agrochemicals. In this paper, we reviewed the literature on major abiotic and biotic stresses that are detrimental to plant growth and productivity. We comprehensively discussed the different forms of nanoscale agro-materials and provided an overview of biological approaches in nano-enabled strategies that can efficiently alleviate plant biotic and abiotic stresses while potentially enhancing the nutritional values of plants.

Aegilops tauschii is one of the malignant weeds that affect wheat production and is also the wild species ancestor of the D genome of hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum, AABBDD). It contains many disease resistance genes that have been lost in the long-term evolution of wheat and is an important genetic resource for the mining and utilization of wheat disease resistance genes. In recent years, the genome sequence of Aegilops tauschii has been preliminarily completed, which has laid a good foundation for the further exploration of wheat disease resistance genes in Aegilops tauschii. There are many studies on disease resistance genes in Aegilops tauschii; in order to provide better help for the disease resistance breeding of wheat, this paper analyzes and reviews the relationship between Aegilops tauschii and wheat, the research progress of Aegilops tauschii, the discovery of disease resistance genes from Aegilops tauschii, and the application of disease resistance genes from Aegilops tauschii to modern wheat breeding, providing a reference for the further exploration and utilization of Aegilops tauschii in wheat disease resistance breeding.

Phytophthora infestans, the notorious pathogen of potato late blight, leads to a severe decline in potato yields and even harvest failure. We isolated 201 endophytic isolates from healthy root tissues of potatoes, among which 41 showed strong antagonistic activity against P. infestans. Further, the tolerance to stress and the potential application against potato late blight of these antagonistic isolates were tested. Most of them were extremely tolerant to stresses such as acid–alkali, temperature, UV, salt, and heavy metal stress. However, some antagonistic isolates with excellent stress tolerance might be pathogenic to potatoes. Combining the screening results, a total of 14 endophytes had excellent comprehensive performance in all the tests. In this paper, the endophyte 6-5 was selected among them for the preliminary exploration of the anti-oomycete mechanism. Analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence revealed that 6-5 had a high homology to the corresponding sequence of Bacillus velezensis (99.72%) from the NCBI database. Endophyte 6-5 significantly inhibited the mycelial growth of P. infestans, with an inhibition rate of over 90% in vitro assays, and deformed the hyphal phenotype of P. infestans. In addition, endophyte 6-5 could secrete protease and cellulase, and produce antagonistic substances with high thermal stability, which might be helpful to its antagonistic activity against P. infestans. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that 6-5 had the ability to improve the resistance of potato tubers to late blight. In short, our study described the process of isolating and screening endophytes with antagonistic activity against P. infestans from potato roots, and further explored the potential of biocontrol candidate strain 6-5 in potato late blight control.

As an agricultural plant, the cantaloupe contains rich nutrition and high moisture content. In this paper, the estimation problem of the moisture ratio model during a cantaloupe microwave drying process was considered. First of all, an image processing-based cantaloupe drying system was designed and the expression of the moisture ratio with regard to the shrinkage was built. Secondly, a maximum likelihood principle-based iterative evolution (MLP-IE) algorithm was put forward to estimate the moisture ratio model. After that, aiming at enhancing the model fitting ability of the MLP-IE algorithm, a maximum likelihood principle-based improved iterative evolution (MLP-I-IE) algorithm was proposed by designing the improved mutation strategy, the improved scaling factor, and the improved crossover rate. Finally, the MLP-IE algorithm and MLP-I-IE algorithm were applied for estimating the moisture ratio model of cantaloupe slices. The results showed that both the MLP-IE algorithm and MLP-I-IE algorithm were effective and that the MLP-I-IE algorithm performed better than the MLP-IE algorithm in model estimation and validation.

Vietnam is extremely rich in biodiversity, with a remarkable range of habitats and more than 13,500 species of vascular plants recorded for the flora of Vietnam. This number represents about 3 to 5% of the world’s diversity of vascular plants. Over the past 30 years, there were two important documents on the vascular plants of Vietnam published, An Illustrated Flora of Vietnam (IFV) and Checklist of Plant Species of Vietnam (CPSV). During the past half century, the advent of molecular phylogenetics has witnessed dramatic changes in the classifications of vascular plants, and some modern classification systems of vascular plants have been established, e.g., PPG I, GPG, and APG. However, the vascular plants of Vietnam have not yet been classified according to these modern classification systems. In this paper, we present the history of the classification of vascular plants in Vietnam, compare the circumscription of all families of vascular plants occurring within Vietnam in IFV, CPSV, and the modern classification systems when applicable, and summarize familial assignments of all controversial genera in the different classifications. Furthermore, we also arrange the 37 families of lycophytes and ferns occurring within Vietnam according to the latest classification system (PPG I) and the 8 families of gymnosperms according to the latest Christenhusz’s system (GPG). The 246 families of angiosperms are arranged according to the fourth edition of the latest Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG IV). These results are the foundation stones and would be helpful for future research on the flora of Vietnam and the arrangement of plant collections in Vietnamese herbaria based on the updated classifications.

Biodegradable mulches have the same temperature- and moisture-preservation effects as ordinary plastic mulches before degradation. After degradation, rainwater enters the soil through the damaged parts, improving precipitation utilization. Under drip irrigation with mulching, this study explores precipitation utilization of biodegradable mulches under different precipitation intensities and the effects of different biodegradable mulches on the yield and water use efficiency (WUE) of spring maize in the West Liaohe Plain, China. In this paper, in situ field observation experiments were conducted for three consecutive years from 2016 to 2018. Three types of white degradable mulch films were set up, with induction periods of 60 d (WM60), 80 d (WM80), and 100 d (WM100). Three types of black degradable mulch films were also used, with induction periods of 60 d (BM60), 80 d (BM80), and 100 d (BM100). Precipitation utilization, yield, and WUE under biodegradable mulches were studied, with ordinary plastic mulches (PM) and bare land (CK) set as controls. The results showed that as precipitation increased, the effective infiltration of precipitation decreased first and then increased. When precipitation reached 89.21 mm, plastic film mulching no longer affected precipitation utilization. Under the same precipitation intensity, the precipitation effective infiltration ratio increased as the damage to the biodegradable film increased. Still, the intensity of this increase gradually decreased as the damage increased. The highest yield and WUE were observed for the degradable mulch film with an induction period of 60 days in years with normal rainfall and for the degradable mulch film with an induction period of 100 days in dry years. In the West Liaohe Plain, maize planted under film receives drip irrigation. We recommend that growers select a degradable mulch film with a degradation rate of 36.64% and an induction period of approximately 60 days in years with normal rainfall, and a degradable mulch film with an induction period of 100 days in dry years.

Despite being an increasingly important source of genes for crop breeding aimed at improving food security and climate change adaptation, crop wild relatives (CWRs) are globally threatened. A root cause of CWR conservation challenges is a lack of institutions and payment mechanisms by which the beneficiaries of CWR conservation services (such as breeders) could compensate those who can supply them. Given that CWR conservation generates important public good values, for the significant proportion of CWRs found outside of protected areas, there is a strong justification for the design of incentive mechanisms to support landowners whose management practices positively contribute to CWR conservation. This paper contributes to facilitating an improved understanding of the costs of in situ CWR conservation incentive mechanisms, based on a case study application of payments for agrobiodiversity conservation services across 13 community groups in three districts in Malawi. Results demonstrate a high willingness to participate in conservation activities, with average conservation tender bids per community group being a modest MWK 20,000 (USD 25) p.a. and covering 22 species of CWRs across 17 related crops. As such, there appears to be significant potential for community engagement in CWR conservation activities that is complementary to that required in protected areas and can be achieved at modest cost where appropriate incentive mechanisms can be implemented.

High levels of cadmium (Cd) in soil can cause crop yield reduction or death. Cadmium accumulation in crops affects human and animal health as it passes through the food chain. Therefore, a strategy is needed to enhance the tolerance of crops to this heavy metal or reduce its accumulation in crops. Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an active role in plants’ response to abiotic stress. The application of exogenous ABA can reduce Cd accumulation in shoots of some plants and enhance the tolerance of plants to Cd; therefore, ABA may have good application prospects. In this paper, we reviewed the synthesis and decomposition of ABA, ABA-mediated signal transduction, and ABA-mediated regulation of Cd-responsive genes in plants. We also introduced physiological mechanism underlying Cd tolerance because of ABA. Specifically, ABA affects metal ion uptake and transport by influencing transpiration and antioxidant systems, as well as by affecting the expression of metal transporter and metal chelator protein genes. This study may provide a reference for further research on the physiological mechanism of heavy metal tolerance in plants.

Vegetable oils are among the most important traditional resources of Amazonia. Oleoresins are a type of oil that have interesting characteristics and highly bioactive properties with pharmacological potential. Oleoresins produced in the trunks of Copaifera (Fabaceae) spp. trees, known as copaiba oils, are made up of terpenes from the sesquiterpene (volatile) and diterpene (resinous) classes, but in amounts that vary between species and depending on several factors, such as soil type. Despite being used for medicinal purposes, via topical and oral application, the toxic effects of copaiba oils and their constituents are little known. The current paper reviews the toxicological studies, both in vitro and in vivo, described in the literature for copaiba oils, as well as the cytotoxic characteristics (against microorganisms and tumor cells) in in silico, in vitro and in vivo models for the sesquiterpenes and diterpenes that make up these oils.

The opium poppy’s ability to produce various alkaloids is both useful and problematic. Breeding of new varieties with varying alkaloid content is therefore an important task. In this paper, the breeding technology of new low morphine poppy genotypes, based on a combination of a TILLING approach and single-molecule real-time NGS sequencing, is presented. Verification of the mutants in the TILLING population was obtained using RT-PCR and HPLC methods. Only three of the single-copy genes of the morphine pathway among the eleven genes were used for the identification of mutant genotypes. Point mutations were obtained only in one gene (CNMT) while an insertion was obtained in the other (SalAT). Only a few expected transition SNPs from G:C to A:T were obtained. In the low morphine mutant genotype, the production of morphine was decreased to 0.1% from 1.4% in the original variety. A comprehensive description of the breeding process, a basic characterization of the main alkaloid content, and a gene expression profile for the main alkaloid-producing genes is provided. Difficulties with the TILLING approach are also described and discussed.

Accompanying the process of growth and development, plants are exposed to ever-changing environments, which consequently trigger abiotic or biotic stress responses. The large protein family known as receptor-like protein kinases (RLKs) is involved in the regulation of plant growth and development, as well as in the response to various stresses. Understanding the biological function and molecular mechanism of RLKs is helpful for crop breeding. Research on the role and mechanism of RLKs has recently received considerable attention regarding the balance between plant growth and environmental adaptability. In this paper, we systematically review the classification of RLKs, the regulatory roles of RLKs in plant development (meristem activity, leaf morphology and reproduction) and in stress responses (disease resistance and environmental adaptation). This review focuses on recent findings revealing that RLKs simultaneously regulate plant growth and stress adaptation, which may pave the way for the better understanding of their function in crop improvement. Although the exact crosstalk between growth constraint and plant adaptation remains elusive, a profound study on the adaptive mechanisms for decoupling the developmental processes would be a promising direction for the future research.

The field survey made in the last 20 years revealed that large areas of Romania’s territory are still unexplored concerning moss distribution. The long-term research in natural and mature spruce forest habitats of this country shows that many sites are well protected, a status that is also confirmed by reports of Buxbaumia viridis. However, many other sites where this species was identified still lack legal protection. We also generated a potential distribution of the species based on an ensemble model, useful in guiding extensive field surveys and also management and conservation measures. In a country where the volume of wood cut by illegal logging is larger than the legal one, according to official data, it is very important that all habitats for B. viridis be included in protected areas. Our paper brings important data to aid in this goal.

Grape (Vitis spp.) is one of the most important horticultural crops, cultivated worldwide on more than 7.3 million hectares for various purposes such as winemaking, fresh fruit consumption, rootstock, and ornamental plants. Based on the inter- and intraspecific morphological variability, several descriptor lists, manuals and ampelographic studies are available for identification. Among the organs, leaves have the most traits, while the young shoot, bunch and berry are also important in the characterization of the genotypes. Vitis species and cultivars are described by leaf morphological characterization developed in many ways for the identification of genotypes, to clarify synonymies and distinct clones or evaluate the diversity of wild Vitis taxa. Morphometric—also known as ampelometric—evaluation has an extensive background in the literature. However, for some reasons, only a part of the literature is cited, despite its significant scientific value. In this paper, we summarize the efforts of metric characterization of the grapevine leaf with the introduction of the scientific objectives and reviewing the studies showing the innovations in phenotyping during the past 120 years.

Unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) have attracted much attention in crop phenotype monitoring due to their lightweight and flexibility. This paper describes a new UGV equipped with an electric slide rail and point cloud high-throughput acquisition and phenotype extraction system. The designed UGV is equipped with an autopilot system, a small electric slide rail, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to achieve high-throughput, high-precision automatic crop point cloud acquisition and map building. The phenotype analysis system realized single plant segmentation and pipeline extraction of plant height and maximum crown width of the crop point cloud using the Random sampling consistency (RANSAC), Euclidean clustering, and k-means clustering algorithm. This phenotyping system was used to collect point cloud data and extract plant height and maximum crown width for 54 greenhouse-potted lettuce plants. The results showed that the correlation coefficient (R2) between the collected data and manual measurements were 0.97996 and 0.90975, respectively, while the root mean square error (RMSE) was 1.51 cm and 4.99 cm, respectively. At less than a tenth of the cost of the PlantEye F500, UGV achieves phenotypic data acquisition with less error and detects morphological trait differences between lettuce types. Thus, it could be suitable for actual 3D phenotypic measurements of greenhouse crops.

The increasing availability of massive omics data requires improving the quality of reference databases and their annotations. The combination of full-length isoform sequencing (Iso-Seq) with short-read transcriptomics and proteomics has been successfully used for increasing proteoform characterization, which is a main ongoing goal in biology. However, the potential of including Oxford Nanopore Technologies Direct RNA Sequencing (ONT-DRS) data has not been explored. In this paper, we analyzed the impact of combining Iso-Seq- and ONT-DRS-derived data on the identification of proteoforms in Arabidopsis MS proteomics data. To this end, we selected a proteomics dataset corresponding to senescent leaves and we performed protein searches using three different protein databases: AtRTD2 and AtRTD3, built from the homonymous transcriptomes, regarded as the most complete and up-to-date available for the species; and a custom hybrid database combining AtRTD3 with publicly available ONT-DRS transcriptomics data generated from Arabidopsis leaves. Our results show that the inclusion and combination of long-read sequencing data from Iso-Seq and ONT-DRS into a proteogenomic workflow enhances proteoform characterization and discovery in bottom-up proteomics studies. This represents a great opportunity to further investigate biological systems at an unprecedented scale, although it brings challenges to current protein searching algorithms.

In the process of longan production and processing, a large amount of remnants is produced, such as dried longan pericarps and seeds, which have been reported to be rich in polyphenols but not effectively utilized. In this paper, the total phenolic contents in the remnants of longan pericarps and seeds were found to be 39.58 ± 3.54 and 69.53 ± 1.99 mg/g (DW), respectively, accounting for 60–80% of those in fresh samples. The contents of extractable condensed tannins (ECTs) in the remnants of longan pericarps and seeds were 19.25 ± 6.71 mg/g (DW) and 44.59 ± 2.05 mg/g (DW), respectively, accounting for 60–70% of the fresh samples. These data indicate that the polyphenols in the remnants of the sampled longan pericarps and seeds were effectively retained. The antioxidant capacity of ECTs from the longan pericarps and seeds was more than 60% of the fresh samples measured with the 1, 1-diphenyl-2-trinitrophenylhydrazine and ferric reducing ability of plasma methods. Further exploration showed that ECTs from the longan pericarps and seeds had significant inhibitory effects on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the longan pericarp ECTs on all four studied bacteria was 3 mg/mL. The MIC of longan seed ECTs on Salmonella was 3 mg/mL, and that of the other three bacteria was 1.5 mg/mL. In view of the good antioxidant and antibacterial activities of longan pericarps and seeds, we applied them to the preservation of fresh-cut lotus roots. When the concentration of ECTs in the longan pericarps and seeds was 2 mg/mL and 1 mg/mL, respectively, the two kinds of ECTs showed an obvious preservative effect. After the ECT treatment of the lotus roots, their browning degree was reduced, their color was better maintained, their respiration was inhibited and their nutrient loss was reduced. Bacterial reproduction was inhibited, and cell senescence was slowed. Accordingly, the shelf life of ECT-treated fruits and vegetables can be effectively extended. Overall, we can suggest that ECTs from the remnants of dried longan pericarps and seeds could be used as natural preservatives for fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.

The Cachrys L. genus belongs to the Apiaceae family and it is widely distributed in the Mediterranean basin, with plant species being endemic to southern Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. Different studies, focused on the phytochemical composition of Cachrys spp. and the biological properties of their phytocomplexes, have been reported. These works mostly focused on the essential oils obtained from these plants, and pointed out that Cachrys species are a rich source of coumarins, mainly furanocoumarins. Other phytochemicals, such as terpenes, fatty acids, phytosterols, and flavonoids have been also identified. Moreover, a number of biological properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, and photocytotoxic effects have been assessed. Nevertheless, a review of the chemical and pharmacological properties of this genus is not available in the literature. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the reports concerning the identified phytochemicals and the biological effects reported for Cachrys spp., and to offer a comprehensive understanding of the potential of this genus as a source of bioactive compounds. The current taxonomy, the traditional uses, and the toxicological aspects of plants belonging to this genus are also reported, and the future research directions are discussed.

The study of the biodiversity of vegetation cover in the context of its genesis and development is an important task. The results of these studies are the basis for the development of ecological, biogeographical, evolutionary, and sociological research, such as modelling the dynamic processes of natural ecosystems, understanding the consequences of natural and anthropogenic changes for biodiversity, solving problems of biodiversity conservation, etc. Of particular interest from this point of view is the biodiversity of ecotones, which can serve as a model for studying the factors of the genesis of the plant cover structure in a dynamic environment. In this paper, we analyze the taxonomic structure of the flora of vascular plants and the spatial structure of the plant cover in the East Asian boreal–nemoral ecotone (of the Lower Amur region). The botanical research was conducted through the application of traditional techniques for floristic and geobotanical studies. The material for this article was drawn from over 15,000 herbarium samples and 1400 floristic and geobotanical descriptions made between 1993 and 2021 in the Lower Amur region. The analyzed flora includes 2240 species from 760 genera and 158 families, which constitute 80% of the species composition of the Russian part of the Amur River basin. The native flora comprises 1801 species from 602 genera and 152 families. The species diversity and quantitative characteristics of the natural and adventive flora of vascular plants in the Lower Amur region are comparable to those of the southern limit of the distribution of taiga ecosystems in the Holarctic. The spectrum of the leading families and genera in terms of the number of species corresponds to the geographical position of the territory (the family spectrum is led by Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, Poaceae, Ranunculaceae, Rosaceae and Polygonaceae and in the generic spectrum, Carex, Artemisia, Salix, Viola, Saxifraga, Poa and Saussurea). The specificity of the flora is determined by a combination of elements in the boreal and sub-boreal flora of East Asia. Seven floristic complexes are defined for the Lower Amur region flora: forest (41.4% of the native flora), meadow (19.2%), mire (4.1%), mountain tundra (12.5%), rocky scree (8.9%), aquatic–semiaquatic (7.8%) and floodplain–estuarine shallow (6.2%). The regularity of some floristic complexes is defined by the landscape’s ecological conditions, and the variety in the edaphic, orographic and climatic parameters within the region. The spatial structure of the plant cover of the boreal–nemoral ecotone is described.

Trunk water has an important influence on the metabolism and ecological balance of living trees, which affects the vegetation growth and moisture cycle of the whole forest ecosystem. The accurate and real-time measurement of moisture content (MC) is of vital guiding meaning to living tree cultivation and forest management. In this paper, a water content diagnosis system based on a wireless acoustic emission sensor network (WASN) was designed and implemented with the aim of the nondestructive detection of water content in living wood trunks. Firstly, the acoustic emission (AE) signal of the trunk epidermis was sampled at high speed; then, its characteristic parameters were calculated and transmitted wirelessly to the gateway. Furthermore, the optimal characteristic wavelet sequence was decomposed by the adaptive chirp mode decomposition (ACMD), and the improved grey wolf optimizer (IGWO) optimization XGBoost established the MC prediction model, which was improved by the multi-strategy joint optimization. Finally, field monitoring was carried out on Robinia Pseudoacacia, Photinia serrulata, Pinus massoniana and Toona sinensis. The average diagnostic accuracy reached 96.75%, which shows that the diagnosis system has excellent applicability in different working conditions.

Soil salinization is an important environmental problem worldwide and has a significant impact on the growth of plants. In recent years, the mechanisms of plant salt tolerance have received extensive attention from researchers. In this paper, an experiment was implemented to assess the potential effect of different NaCl and NaHCO3 (sodium bicarbonate—an alkaline salt) concentrations (25 mmol·L−1, 50 mmol·L−1, 100 mmol·L−1, 150 mmol·L−1 and 200 mmol·L−1) on the growth, antioxidant enzymes, osmoprotectants, photosynthetic pigments and MDA of Viola tricolor L. to reveal the physiological response and explore the maximum concentrations of NaCl and NaHCO3 stress that V. tricolor can tolerate. The results showed that NaCl and NaHCO3 treatments had significant effects on osmoprotectants, antioxidant enzymes, photosynthetic pigments, MDA content and the plant height growth of V. tricolor. On day 14 of the NaCl and NaHCO3 stress, the height growth of V. tricolor was significantly greater than CK when the concentration of NaCl and NaHCO3 was less than 100 mmol·L−1. Soluble protein (SP) was significantly greater than CK when the NaCl concentration was less than 150 mmol·L−1 and the NaHCO3 concentration was less than 200 mmol·L−1; soluble sugar (SS) was significantly greater than CK under all NaCl and NaHCO3 treatments; proline (Pro) was significantly greater than CK when the NaCl concentration was 150 mmol·L−1 and the NaHCO3 concentration were 150 and 200 mmol·L−1, respectively. Peroxidase (POD) was significantly greater than CK when the NaCl concentration was less than 200 mmol·L−1 and the NaHCO3 concentration was less than 150 mmol·L−1; superoxide dismutase (SOD) was significantly greater than CK when the NaCl concentration was 50 mmol·L−1 and the NaHCO3 concentrations were 50, 100 and 150 mmol·L−1, respectively; catalase (CAT) was significantly greater than CK when the NaCl and NaHCO3 concentrations were 25, 50 and 100 mmol·L−1, respectively. Chlorophyll (Chl) was significantly lower than CK when the NaCl and NaHCO3 concentrations were greater than 100 mmol·L−1. Malondialdehyde (MDA) gradually increased with the increase in the NaCl and NaHCO3 concentrations. Membership function analysis showed that the concentrations of NaCl and NaHCO3 that V. tricolor was able to tolerate were 150 mmol·L−1 and 200 mmol·L−1, respectively. Beyond these thresholds, osmoprotectants and antioxidant enzymes were seriously affected, Chl degradation intensified, the photosynthetic system was seriously damaged, and the growth of V. tricolor was severely affected. According to a comprehensive ranking of results, the degree of NaCl stress on V. tricolor was lower than that from NaHCO3 when the treatment concentration was lower than 50 mmol·L−1, but higher than that from NaHCO3 when it exceeded 50 mmol·L−1.

Disporopsis longifolia Craib is an Asian medicinal plant belonging to the Asparagaceae family. The plants are well known for their steroidal saponins and phenolic compounds and are traditionally used as tonics for back pain, bellyache, cough, diabetes, asthma, pneumonia and rheumatism. However, they are challenging to identify to species level using morphology. This raises a serious concern for their medicinal applications where botanical quality control is essential. The most appropriate morphological, anatomical and pollen characters for species diagnosis were therefore determined. Synonyms were identified and lectotypification provided. The morphological characters were described from 76 fresh and dried specimens to include a broad range of materials from differing habitats and locations. Paraffin and peeling methods were applied for anatomical studies of leaves and stems and a modified acetolysis method was undertaken for pollen morphology. This paper compares the new character data to published data from other species in the genus, namely D. aspersa, D. fuscopicta, D. jinfushanensis, D. pernyi and D. undulata. This is the first report of such anatomical and pollen morphology characters for D. longifolia. The results provide accurate morphological, anatomical and palynological characters for quality control and are best applied in combination with each other.

Chemotaxonomy presents various challenges that need to be overcome in order to obtain valid and reliable results. Individual genetic and environmental variations can give a false picture and lead to wrong conclusions. Applying a holistic approach, based on multivariate data analysis, these challenges can be overcome. Thus, a metabolomics approach has to be optimized depending on the subject of research. We used 1H NMR-based metabolomics as a potential chemotaxonomic tool on the selected Euphorbia species growing wild in Serbia. Principal components analysis (PCA), soft independent modeling by class analogy (SIMCA) and Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to analyze obtained NMR data in order to reveal chemotaxonomic biomarkers. The standard protocol for plant metabolomics was optimized aiming to extract more specific metabolites, which are characteristic for the Euphorbia genus. The obtained models were validated, which revealed that variables unique for each species were associated with certain classes of molecules according to literature data. In E. salicifolia, acacetin-7-O-glycoside (not found before in the species) was detected, and the structure of the aglycone part was solved based on 2D NMR data. In the presented paper, we have shown that metabolomics can be successfully used in Euphorbia chemotaxonomy.

Carotenoids are natural lipophilic pigments and antioxidants that are present in many fruits and vegetables. The consumption of carotenoids is correlated with positive health effects and a decreased risk of several chronic diseases. Provitamin A carotenoids (β-carotene, α-carotene, γ-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin) are essential for the development and maintenance of sight. β-carotene, α-carotene, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein, and lycopene have high antioxidant activity and promote free radical scavenging, which helps protect against chronic diseases. However, carotenoids are chemically unstable and prone to oxidation in the presence of light, heat, oxygen, acids, and metal ions. The use of carotenoids in the food industry is limited due to their poor solubility in water, bioavailability and quick release. Encapsulation techniques, such as microencapsulation, nanoencapsulation and supercritical encapsulation, are used to overcome these problems. The objective of this paper is to describe the characteristics and potential health benefits of carotenoids and advances in encapsulation techniques for protecting and enhancing their solubility or bioavailability.

A 76-year literature survey and meta-analyses were carried out to recognize the trends, biases, and knowledge gaps of studies focusing on major groups of compounds of botanical origin, or phytochemicals, as insecticides. The survey found that the main phytochemicals prospected as insecticides belong to the following major chemical groups: terpenoids, terpenes, and carbonyl, all of which were tested, mainly against beetles (Coleoptera), caterpillars (i.e., larvae of Lepidoptera), and mosquitoes and other flies (i.e., Diptera). These studies are burgeoning at an exponential rate, with an evident focus on mortality endpoint estimates, but they are also neglecting sublethal assessments. China and India in Asia, as well as Brazil in the Americas, were responsible for most studies. The majority of the papers used stored grain insects as experimental models, which limits the applicability and representativeness of the findings. As a result, the main modes of exposure tested were fumigation and contact, which leads to the prevalence of estimates of lethal concentration in these studies. Therefore, a broader range of insect species deserves testing, with suitable modes of exposure identifying and characterizing the main molecules responsible for the insecticidal activity, which is seldom performed. Attention to these needs will circumvent current biases and allow the recognition of the main patterns of association between the origin and structure of phytochemicals and their insecticidal effects.

Using herbal medicine is an ancestral cultural practice among Mexicans. A broad sector of society turns to plants to treat priority health problems, a reality that leads scientists to explore the healing value attributed to them. Advances in the experimental research of Sphaeralcea angustifolia confirmed the anti-inflammatory activity of the species; therefore, an analysis of the scope of these studies is now warranted. As such, this paper is a compendium of the advances published in the scientific literature (from 2004 to 2021) on the anti-inflammatory properties of this plant. The promise offered by the species as a potential therapeutic agent is also considered, without dismissing aspects necessary for the preservation of this resource and its cultural and physical environment. The chemical–pharmacological aspects of the wild plant and its in vitro culture are highlighted. The plant’s anti-inflammatory properties support its clinical application as an anti-inflammatory phytopharmaceutical to treat arthritic conditions. The sustained therapeutic potential of S. angustifolia is reinforced by the biotechnological processes designed to conserve the resource, thus contributing to the protection of biodiversity and cultural diversity, aspects distinctive of a megadiverse country such as Mexico.

Lavender is in the research spotlight due to its increasing economic importance, while market demand is expected to continue to grow. Among the hundreds of essential-oil-bearing plants, Lavandula angustifolia Mill. remains one of the most valuable. This paper explores the lavender chain timeline from crop to products, examining the expanding knowledge on the characteristics, phytochemical profile and functional potential of lavender that could lead to new products and uses. Lavender crops can be expanded without competing for productive land, instead using marginal, contaminated or unproductive land. A novel cultivation trend proposes leveraging agri-background biodiversity, arbuscular mycorrhiza and the natural enemies of pests for healthy crops. Together with breeding efforts targeting highly performant genotypes with complex volatile profiles coupled with resistance to specific biotic (particularly Phytoplasma) and abiotic (salt, heavy metals) stressors, industry could have a steady supply of high-quality raw material. Besides the expansion of the uses of essential oil in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food and environmental and agri-applications, novel channels have appeared for the use of the solid by-product, which is rich in polyphenols and polysaccharides; these channels have the potential to create additional streams of value. The stabilization and optimization of techno-functional delivery systems through the encapsulation of essential oil can extend shelf-life and enhance biological activity efficiency.

Leaf airborne diseases cause major shortfalls in agricultural crops. The introduction of technical means can significantly improve early-warning systems for plant diseases as well as provide timely and accurate forecasts. In this paper, we aim to evaluate the possibilities of detecting a phytopathogenic infection using a spore-catching device developed at the Federal Research Center of Biological Plant Protection (FRCBPP) on winter wheat varieties of different levels of susceptibility to major economically important leaf diseases, taking into account climatic conditions. The device captures spores in the surface layer of air among crop plants. We conducted research in the experimental fields of FRCBPP in 2019–2021. The objects of the study were four cultivars of winter wheat. They were selected according to the degree of resistance to various leaf diseases. We studied the progress of wheat diseases according to generally accepted international scales the onset of the first manifestations to their maximum development. We studied the aerogenic infection in wheat crops using the FRCBPP developed portable device for determining the infestation of plants. Sampling was carried out in the same period as the visual assessment. The samples were taken in the crops of each variety at five points. The sampling time was one minute. As a result of research on experimental crops of four varieties of winter wheat, we observed the development of such diseases as powdery mildew (Erysiphe graminis), yellow spot (Pyrenophora tritici-repentis), septoria leaf spot (Septoria tritici), yellow (Puccinia striiformis) and brown rust (Puccinia triticina). In a laboratory study of samples under a light microscope, all of the listed pathogens were found except for septoria leaf spot. Two-way analysis of variance confirmed the statistically significant separate and cumulative influence of the cultivar and year factor on winter wheat diseases. A generalized correlation analysis for three growing seasons (2019–2021) showed that an average statistically significant correlation coefficient (0.5–0.6) remains for the total groups for powdery mildew, yellow and brown rust. This indicator for the causative agent of yellow spot was equal to 0.4 with a high level of statistical significance. Thus, we conclude that by using a spore-catching device, it is possible to identify spores of economically significant pathogens in winter wheat crops and predict the further development of pathogens, taking into account the cultivar and annual climate factors.

In this research, we have reported the valorization possibilities of Matricaria recutita white ray florets using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with CO2. Experiments were conducted at temperatures of 35–55 °C and separation pressures of 5–9 MPa to evaluate their impact on the chemical composition and biological activity of the extracts. The total obtained extraction yields varied from 9.76 to 18.21 g 100 g−1 DW input. The greatest extraction yield obtained was at 9 MPa separation pressure and 55 °C in the separation tank. In all obtained extracts, the contents of total phenols, flavonoids, tannins, and sugars were determined. The influence of the supercritical CO2 extraction conditions on the extract antioxidant capacity was evaluated using the quenching activity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The chemical composition of the extracts was identified using both gas and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry methods, whereas analyses of major and minor elements as well as heavy metals by microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometer were provided. Moreover, extracts were compared with respect to their antimicrobial activity, as well as the cytotoxicity and phototoxicity of the extracts. The results revealed a considerable diversity in the phytochemical classes among all extracts investigated in the present study and showed that the Matricaria recutita white ray floret by-product possesses cytotoxic and proliferation-reducing activity in immortalized cell lines, as well as antimicrobial activity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper presenting such comprehensive data on the chemical profile, antioxidant properties, and biological properties of SFE derived from Matricaria recutita white ray florets. For the first time, these effects have been studied in processing by-products, and the results generated in this study provide valuable preconditions for further studies in specific test systems to fully elucidate the mechanisms of action and potential applications, such as potential use in cosmetic formulations.

Plant glandular trichomes have received much attention due to their commercial and biological value. Recent studies have focused on the development of various glands in plants, suggesting that programmed cell death (PCD) may play an important role during the development of plant secretory structures. However, the development processes and cytological characteristics in different types of plant secretory structures differed significantly. This study aims to provide new data on the developmental PCD of the capitate glandular hairs in Dictamnus dasycarpus. Light, scanning, immunofluorescence labeling, and transmission electron microscopy were used to determine the different developmental processes of the capitate glandular hairs from a cytological perspective. Morphologically, the capitate glandular hair originates from one initial epidermal cell and differentiates into a multicellular trichome characterized by two basal cells, two lines of stalk cells, and a multicellular head. It is also histochemically detected by essential oils. TUNEL-positive reactions identified nuclei with diffused fluorescence or an irregular figure by DAPI, and Evans blue staining showed that the head and stalk cells lost their viability. Ultrastructural evidence revealed the developmental process by two possible modes of PCD. Non-autolytic PCD was characterized by buckling cell walls and degenerated nuclei, mitochondria, plastids, multivesicular body (MVB), and end-expanded endoplasmic reticulum in the condensed cytoplasm, which were mainly observed in the head cells. The MVB was detected in the degraded vacuole, a degraded nucleus with condensed chromatin and diffused membrane, and eventual loss of the vacuole membrane integrity exhibited typical evidence of vacuole-mediated autolytic PCD in the stalk cells. Furthermore, protoplasm degeneration coupled with dark oil droplets and numerous micro-dark osmiophilic substances was observed during late stages. The secretion mode of essential oils is also described in this paper.

Norway spruce (Picea abies) is one of the most important commercial conifer species naturally distributed in Europe. In this paper, the composition and abundance of essential oil and hydrosol from the needles and branches of P. abies were investigated with an additional evaluation of changes related to different times of the year, annual shoots and branches, and differences in composition under different microenvironments. Essential oils and hydrosols obtained via hydrodistillation were analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), where 246 compounds in essential oil and 53 in hydrosols were identified. The relative amounts of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes in essential oil changed significantly during the year, with the highest peak of monoterpenes observed in April (72%), the highest abundance of sesquiterpenes observed in August (21%), and the highest abundance of diterpenes observed in June (27%). The individual compound with the highest variation was manool, with variation from 1.5% (April) to 18.7% (June). Our results also indicate that the essential oil with the lowest allergenic potential (lowest quantity of limonene and linalool) was obtained in late spring or summer. Location had no significant influence on composition, while the method of collection for distillation (whole branch or annual shoots) had a minor influence on the composition. All nine main compounds identified in the hydrosol samples were oxygenated monoterpenes. The composition of P. abies hydrosol was also significantly affected by season. The method of preparing the branches for distillation did not affect the composition of P. abies hydrosol, while the location had a minor effect on composition.

The published health benefits of Cannabis sativa has caught the attention of health-conscious consumers and the food industry. Historically, seeds have long been utilized as a food source and currently there is an increasing number of edibles on the market that contain cannabis. Cannabinoids include the psychoactive constituent, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and the non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) that are both compounds of interest in Cannabis sativa. This paper looks at the distribution of nutrients and phytocannabinoids in low-THC Cannabis sativa, the historical uses of hemp, cannabis edibles, and the possible side-effects and concerns related to cannabis edibles. Several authors have pointed out that even though the use of cannabis edibles is considered safe, it is important to mention their possible side-effects and any concerns related to its consumption that negatively influence consumer acceptance of cannabis edibles. Such risks include unintentional overdose by adults and accidental ingestion by children and adolescents resulting in serious adverse effects. Therefore, cannabis edibles should be specifically packaged and labelled to differentiate them from known similar non-cannabis edibles so that, together with tamperproof packaging, these measures reduce the appeal of these products to children.

In this paper, a novel point cloud segmentation and completion framework is proposed to achieve high-quality leaf area measurement of melon seedlings. In particular, the input of our algorithm is the point cloud data collected by an Azure Kinect camera from the top view of the seedlings, and our method can enhance measurement accuracy from two aspects based on the acquired data. On the one hand, we propose a neighborhood space-constrained method to effectively filter out the hover points and outlier noise of the point cloud, which can enhance the quality of the point cloud data significantly. On the other hand, by leveraging the purely linear mixer mechanism, a new network named MIX-Net is developed to achieve segmentation and completion of the point cloud simultaneously. Different from previous methods that separate these two tasks, the proposed network can better balance these two tasks in a more definite and effective way, leading to satisfactory performance on these two tasks. The experimental results prove that our methods can outperform other competitors and provide more accurate measurement results. Specifically, for the seedling segmentation task, our method can obtain a 3.1% and 1.7% performance gain compared with PointNet++ and DGCNN, respectively. Meanwhile, the R2 of leaf area measurement improved from 0.87 to 0.93 and MSE decreased from 2.64 to 2.26 after leaf shading completion.

The global palm oil industry is targeting an increased oil extraction rate in oil palm milling to meet global demand. This can be achieved through the certification of mills and adherence to bunch grading as part of ensuring that only high-quality and ripe fresh fruit bunches are accepted and processed at all mills. However, the current grading process requires the analysis of oil palm bunches, which is laborious and tedious or prone to error due to human subjectivity. This paper introduces a non-destructive technique to predict the moisture and oil content in oil palm fruitlets using electrical impedance spectroscopy. In total, 90 samples of oil palm fruitlets at different stages of ripeness were acquired. Electrical impedance measurement of each fruitlet was done using electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes connected to an LCR meter at frequencies of 1 kHz, 10 kHz, 20 kHz, and 100 kHz. The actual oil content in the fruitlets was determined using the Soxhlet extraction method, while the actual moisture content was determined using a standard oven-drying method. The variation of electrical impedance values at each frequency was analyzed. At 100 kHz, the correlation coefficients relating the electrical impedance to the moisture and oil content were around −0.84 and 0.80, respectively. Predictions of the moisture and oil content using linear regression of the impedance measurements at 100 kHz gave RMSE values of 5.85% and 5.71%, respectively. This information is useful for oil palm fruit grading and oil yield production estimation in the palm oil industry.

Natural herbicide is considered as a sustainable approach for weed management in agriculture. Here, allelopathic activities of Piper betle L. extract (BE) and known allelochemical eugenol (EU) were studied against rice and associated weeds in terms of germination and seedling growth. Five plant species including a rice crop (Oryza sativa L.); a dicot weed, false daisy (Eclipta prostrata (L.) L.); and three monocot weeds, barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.), swollen fingergrass (Chloris barbata Sw.), and weedy rice (Oryza sativa f. spontanea Roshev.) were studied. The paper-based results demonstrated that BE and EU had inhibitory effects on seed germination and seedling growth. The IC50 values of BE and EU for seed germination were ranked from swollen fingergrass, to false daisy, barnyard grass, rice, and weedy rice, respectively. The ratio of root to shoot length of the seedlings indicated that the roots were more affected by the treatments than the shoots. In addition, the gel-based results showed the reduction of the rice seedling root system, especially on lateral root length and the numbers upon the treatments. Taken together, BE had an allelopathic activity similar to that of EU. Interestingly, the major paddy weed, barnyard grass, was more sensitive to BE than rice, underlining BE as a natural herbicide in rice agriculture.

The aim of this review is to perform a systematic review of scientific papers and an in-depth analysis of the latest research related to Paeonia × suffruticosa Andrews as a valuable plant species, important in pharmacy and cosmetology. P. × suffruticosa bark root-Moutan cortex is a medicinal raw material formerly known from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) but less common in official European medicine. It was introduced for the first time in the European Pharmacopoeia Supplement 9.4 in 2018. In this work, the numerous possible applications of this raw material were depicted based on modern professional pharmacological studies documenting its very valuable medicinal values, including antioxidant, cytoprotective, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-diabetic and hepatoprotective activities. The scientific studies indicated that the profile of raw material activity is mainly due to paeonol, paeoniflorin and 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucopyranose. Moreover, the significance of this plant (its different organs) in the production of cosmetics was underlined. P. × suffruticosa finds increasing application in cosmetology due to research on its chronic dermatitis, anti-aging and brightening effects. Furthermore, some biotechnological research has been described aimed at developing effective in vitro micropropagation protocols for P. × suffruticosa.

Chinese local gazetteers have long been widely used by scholars to investigate the local products, culture, economy, and much more. Confronted with large-scale digitized resources nowadays, researchers can explore historical texts in a novel way. In this paper, we propose a computational approach in order to perform large-scale quantitative analysis of plant knowledge embedded in Chinese local gazetteers. We select the typical rice cultivars by their occurrences in the records, interpret their common features, and leverage the data clustering algorithm to investigate the inner connections among cultivars. We conduct a case study on a dataset of records of rice cultivars over 8 centuries in Jiangsu Province, China. We find that although planting early-season rice in Jiangsu province was the common practice, the local rice farmers cared more about the color, quality, and uses of cultivars than their sowing time. In addition, not all the rice varieties mentioned frequently in records are local plants. Plants imported from other provinces or countries were also highly recorded because of their good quality and special characteristics. Our study offers a practical guide and reference to history study as well as useful clues for modern agriculture.

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia (SA) ranks fifth in Asia in terms of area. It features broad biodiversity, including interesting flora, and was the historical origin of Islam. It is endowed with a large variety of plants, including many herbs, shrubs, and trees. Many of these plants have a long history of use in traditional medicine. The aim of this review is to evaluate the present knowledge on the plants growing in SA regarding their pharmacological and biological activities and the identification of their bioactive compounds to determine which plants could be of interest for further studies. A systematic summary of the plants’ history, distribution, various pharmacological activities, bioactive compounds, and clinical trials are presented in this paper to facilitate future exploration of their therapeutic potential. The literature was obtained from several scientific search engines, including Sci-Finder, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus, MDPI, Wiley publications, and Springer Link. Plant names and their synonyms were validated by ‘The Plant List’ on 1 October 2021. SA is home to approximately 2247 plant species, including native and introduced plants that belong to 142 families and 837 genera. It shares the flora of three continents, with many unique features due to its extreme climate and geographical and geological conditions. As plants remain the leading supplier of new therapeutic agents to treat various ailments, Saudi Arabian plants may play a significant role in the fight against cancer, inflammation, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. To date, 102 active compounds have been identified in plants from different sites in SA. Plants from the western and southwestern regions have been evaluated for various biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-cancer, antimicrobial, antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, anti-glycation, and cytotoxic activities. The aerial parts of the plants, especially the leaves, have yielded most of the bioactive compounds. Most bioactivity tests involve in vitro assessments for the inhibition of the growth of tumour cell lines, and several compounds with in vitro antitumour activity have been reported. More in-depth studies to evaluate the mode of action of the compounds are necessary to pave the way for clinical trials. Ecological and taxonomical studies are needed to evaluate the flora of SA, and a plan for the conservation of wild plants should be implemented, including the management of the protection of endemic plants.

Many by-products originating from cereal, fruit and vegetable industries contain quite high amounts of dietary fiber (DF), which play an important role in maintaining the healthy state of the human body. Nevertheless, huge proportions of these by-products are still underutilized as feed ingredients, to generate energy within an anaerobic digestion plant or even landfilled. One of the biggest hindrances in the valorization of such by-products is their very low soluble dietary fiber (SDF) to insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) ratios, impairing their nutritional functionality, palatability and technological applicability. Therefore, it is of interest to develop methods that can enhance the SDF to IDF ratio and that can be applied to the by-product streams of the food industry, enabling better valorization perspectives for human nutrition purposes. In this regard, the review paper provides an overview of existing technologies to modify the SDF to IDF ratio in by-products of the food industry by means of physical, chemical and biological treatments. For each type of treatment, available data on application examples including achieved increases in SDF contents are given. Additionally, a comparative discussion regarding the advantages and disadvantages of these methods is provided.

Fires are a naturally cyclical factor regulating ecosystems’ function and forming new postfire ecosystems. Peat soils are unique archives that store information about ecological and climatic changes and the history of past fires during the Holocene. The paper presents a reconstruction of the dynamics of fires in the subzone of the middle taiga of Western Siberia in the Holocene. Data on fires were obtained based on the results of a study of the content of macroscopic coal particles and radiocarbon dating. The effect of fires on soil organic matter (SOM) was estimated using 13C NMR spectroscopy and the content of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). It is shown that throughout the Holocene, the peatlands studied were prone to fires. The conducted analyses show that the maximum content of charcoal particles is observed in the Atlantic (~9100–5800 cal. B.P.) and Subatlantic (~3100 cal. B.P. to the present) periods. The high correlation dependence of the content of coals with the content of PAHs (r = 0.56, p < 0.05) and aromatic structures of SOM (r = 0.61, p < 0.05) in peat horizons is shown, which can characterize these parameters as a reliable marker of pyrogenesis.

Batrachospermaceae is the largest family of freshwater red algae, widely distributed around the world, and plays an important role in maintaining the balance of spring and creek ecosystems. The deterioration of the current global ecological environment has also destroyed the habitat of Batrachospermaceae. The research on the environmental factors of Batrachospermaceae and the accurate classification of the genus is necessary for the protection, restoration, excavation, and utilization of Batrachospermaceae resources. In this paper, the database of geographical distribution and environmental factors of Batrachospermaceae was sorted out, and the relationship between the classification of genus and environmental factors in Batrachospermaceae was analyzed based on two machine learning methods, random forest and XGBoost. The result shows: (1) The models constructed by the two machine learning methods can effectively distinguish the genus of Batrachospermaceae based on environmental factors; (2) The overall AUC score of the random forest model for the classification and prediction of the genus of Batrachospermaceae reached 90.41%, and the overall AUC score of the taxonomic prediction of each genus of Batrachospermaceae reached 85.85%; (3) Combining the two methods, it is believed that the environmental factors that affect the distinction of the genus of Batrachospermaceae are mainly altitude, average relative humidity, average temperature, and minimum temperature, among which altitude has the greatest influence. The results can further clarify the taxonomy of the genus in Batrachospermaceae and enrich the research on the differences in environmental factors of Batrachospermaceae.

Pulses are a group of leguminous crops that are harvested solely for their dry seeds. As the demand for plant-based proteins grows, pulses are becoming important food crops worldwide. In addition to being a rich source of nutrients, pulses also contain saponins that are traditionally considered anti-nutrients, and impart bitterness and astringency. Saponins are plant secondary metabolites with great structural and functional diversity. Given their diverse functional properties and biological activities, both undesirable and beneficial, saponins have received growing attention. It can be expected that redirecting metabolic fluxes to control the saponin levels and produce desired saponins would be an effective approach to improve the nutritional and sensory quality of the pulses. However, little effort has been made toward understanding saponin biosynthesis in pulses, and, thus there exist sizable knowledge gaps regarding its pathway and regulatory network. In this paper, we summarize the research progress made on saponin biosynthesis in pulses. Additionally, phylogenetic relationships of putative biosynthetic enzymes among multiple pulse species provide a glimpse of the evolutionary routes and functional diversification of saponin biosynthetic enzymes. The review will help us to advance our understanding of saponin biosynthesis and aid in the development of molecular and biotechnological tools for the systematic optimization of metabolic fluxes, in order to produce the desired saponins in pulses.

Mangroves are among the world’s most threatened ecosystems. Understanding how these ecosystems responded to past natural and anthropogenic drivers of ecological change is essential not only for understanding how extant mangroves have been shaped but also for informing their conservation. This paper reviews the available paleoecological evidence for Pleistocene and Holocene responses of Caribbean mangroves to climatic, eustatic, and anthropogenic drivers. The first records date from the Last Interglacial, when global average temperatures and sea levels were slightly higher than present and mangroves grew in locations and conditions similar to today. During the Last Glaciation, temperatures and sea levels were significantly lower, and Caribbean mangroves grew far from their present locations on presently submerged sites. The current mangrove configuration was progressively attained after Early Holocene warming and sea level rise in the absence of anthropogenic pressure. Human influence began to be important in the Mid-Late Holocene, especially during the Archaic and Ceramic cultural periods, when sea levels were close to their present position and climatic and human drivers were the most influential factors. During the last millennium, the most relevant drivers of ecological change have been the episodic droughts linked to the Little Ice Age and the historical developments of the last centuries.