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Fusarium‐induced wilt significantly affects the cultivation and yield of pigeon peas. This warrants sustainable disease management while promoting plant growth. The present study investigated the biopotential of coinoculation of Streptomyces pseudogriseolus S‐9 and Rhizophagus irregularis for plant growth promotion and mitigation of the impact of Fusarium wilt on pigeon pea over three seasons at pot and field levels. Pigeon pea plants were subjected to Fusarium wilt stress and treated with different inoculation strategies, including single and combined applications of S. pseudogriseolus S‐9 and R. irregularis. Plant growth parameters and yields were assessed to evaluate the efficacy of the coinoculation. In the pot experiment, T‐6 treatment resulted in the longest root (62.56 ± 0.01 cm) and shoot (70.24 ± 0.01 cm) lengths compared to the application of commercial biofungicide T‐8 (Trichoderma). This treatment also significantly influenced the yield of potted plants. It resulted in the highest fresh root weight (62.27 ± 0.01 g), fresh shoot weight (70.24 ± 0.02 g), maximum root (55.25 ± 0.01 g) and shoot dry weights (52.25 ± 0.01 g). In the field experiment, pigeon pea plants treated with the bioinoculant also demonstrated a substantial increase (р ≤ 0.05) in total grain yield, the weight of 100 grains, and the number of filled grains compared to the control group in all experimental seasons. In vitro, antagonism assay of compatibility of mycorrhizae and bacteria showed good activity using powder formulation. Thus, the consortium application inspired the broad application of Streptomyces and Trichoderma as effective bioinoculants for wilt management and yield improvement in pigeon peas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc deficiency is one of the most widespread nutritional problems, affecting nearly one-third of the world population. In addition, it is known that zinc deficiency not only reduces crop yield but also its quality. The effect of different methods of zinc application on the growth, yield, and quality of safflower seeds under regular irrigation and interruption of irrigation from flowering to harvest (82 and 80 DAS in the first and second years, respectively) was evaluated. Zinc sulfate was applied in both soil and foliar methods. The zinc sulfate treatments include no zinc sulfate, soil application of 20, 40, and 60 kg ha−1 at the planting stage; spraying 2.5, 5, and 7.5 g L−1 in the rosette stage; and spraying 2.5, 5, and 7.5 g L−1 in the flowering stage. The end-season drought caused a decrease in the chlorophyll index, leaf area index, relative water content, plant height, yield components, biological yield, seed yield, harvest index, seed oil content, oil harvest index, and seed element content compared to regular irrigation. The decrease in yield occurred with a decrease in the capitol number and diameter, seed number per capitol, and 1000-seed weight. The severity of the damage of the end-season drought stress in the second year was higher than in the first year due to the higher temperatures and the decrease in the rainfall. In both years, the application of zinc sulfate in different ways had an increasing effect on the studied traits in both normal and stress conditions. The application of zinc sulfate reduced the negative effects of unfavorable environmental conditions and improved the yield and nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and iron element content in the seed. In both application methods of zinc sulfate, the increment in the zinc sulfate concentration decreased the seed phosphorus content. However, the phosphorous content was more than that of the treatment of non-zinc application. The application of zinc increased the biological, seed, and oil yield of the treated plants, but the seed and oil yield were more affected. This effect was shown in the seed and oil harvest index increment. Under regular irrigation, higher concentrations of zinc sulfate enhanced plant performance, but under stress conditions, medium and lower concentrations were more effective. The highest 1000-seed weight and potassium and zinc content were obtained by spraying zinc sulfate at 5 g L−1 in the flowering stage under normal irrigation conditions. A comparison of the two methods of applying zinc sulfate showed that foliar spraying was more effective than soil application in improving the seed yield. The soil application is more effective on biological yield than seed yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gamma-oryzanol (ORY), found in rice (Oryza sativa L.), is a mixture of ferulic acid esters with triterpene alcohols, well-known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Our past research demonstrated its positive impact on cognitive function in adult mice, influencing synaptic plasticity and neuroprotection. In this study, we explored whether ORY can exert neuro-differentiating effects by using different experimental models. For this purpose, chemical characterization identified four components that are most abundant in ORY. In human neuroblastoma cells, we showed ORY's ability to stimulate neurite outgrowth, upregulating the expression of GAP43, BDNF, and TrkB genes. In addition, ORY was found to guide adult mouse hippocampal neural progenitor cells (NPCs) toward a neuronal commitment. Microinjection of ORY in zebrafish Tg (-3.1 neurog1:GFP) amplified neurog1-GFP signal, islet1, and bdnf mRNA levels. Zebrafish nrf2a and nrf2b morphants (MOs) were utilized to assess ORY effects in the presence or absence of Nrf2. Notably, ORY's ability to activate bdnf was nullified in nrf2a-MO and nrf2b-MO. Furthermore, computational analysis suggested ORY's single components have different affinities for the Keap1-Kelch domain. In conclusion, although more in-depth studies are needed, our findings position ORY as a potential source of bioactive molecules with neuro-differentiating potential involving the Nrf2 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on Cistus monspeliensis L. aerial parts (AP) and roots (R) extracts, investigating the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of the two organs in comparison. At dosages between 1.56 and 6.25 µg/mL, both extracts showed a protective effect against LPS inflammatory stimulus on a macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7). Interestingly, only R was able to significantly reduce both IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA gene expression in the presence of LPS. Moreover, the treatment of a neuroblastoma cell line (SH-SY5Y) with AP and R at 6.25 µg/mL increased the cell survival rate by nearly 20% after H2O2 insult. However, only R promoted mitochondria survival, exhibited a significantly higher production of ATP and a higher activity of the enzyme catalase than the control. Both AP and R had similar primary metabolites; in particular, they both contained 1-O-methyl-epi-inositol. Labdane and methoxylated flavonoids were the most characteristic compounds of AP, while R contained mainly catechins, gallic acid, and pyrogallol derivatives. Considering the importance of elemental composition in plants, the inorganic profile of AP and R was also investigated and compared. No potentially toxic elements, such as Pb, were detected in any sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium is a micronutrient element that is beneficial for the growth and development of plants. It has antioxidant, anticancer, and antiviral properties that are essential for human and animal health. Low-consumption mineral elements such as selenium can be included in the diet from various sources. To investigate the growth and phytochemical attributes of a broccoli cultivar "Heracklion", an experiment with five levels of selenium concentration (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 mg/L sodium selenate) was carried out in a randomized complete block design with 3 replications in the field condition. With increasing the concentration of sodium selenate in the foliar application, the accumulation of sodium selenate in broccoli increased and the highest amount (1.47 mg/kg dry weight) was measured at 20 mg/L of sodium selenate. The highest amount of photosynthetic pigments in leaves was recorded at 15 mg/L of sodium selenate. In the case of glucosinolates, with increasing selenium concentration up to 20 mg/L concentration, glucoraphanin, 4-methoxy glucobrassicin, and aliphatic glucosinolates increased in leaves. It could be demonstrated that foliar application of selenium at 10 mg/L led to an improvement of secondary metabolites, especially glucoraphanin, both in leaves and florets, and could also have a positive effect on human nutrition., (© 2024 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)