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Abstract Background This study addresses the critical issue of Fusarium wilt in tomatoes, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL), a severe fungal pathogen responsible for global yield losses. Conventional control measures, such as resistant crop varieties and chemical fungicides, have limitations due to environmental concerns and the risk of pathogen resistance. As a sustainable alternative, this study aims to explore the biocontrol potential of the bacterial strain Sh-17, focusing on its lipopeptides (LPs) to effectively suppress FOL. Results This study demonstrated the antifungal capability of the Sh-17 strain, obtained from a tomato field, against FOL. Through 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis and phenotypic evaluation, Sh-17 was identified as Bacillus subtilis Sh-17. During the disease control assay using in vitro petri dishes, Sh-17 showed promising plant growth-promoting and disease-control capabilities in seedlings when tomato seeds were inoculated with both Sh-17 and FOL. Subsequently, the lipopeptide extract derived from Sh-17 showed strong antifungal properties in a dose-dependent manner, with complete inhibition of FOL at a concentration of 3500 µg mL−1. Furthermore, it was observed that LPs decreased the amount of ergosterol, which affects the stability and general structure of the plasma membrane. The genomic DNA of Sh-17 was subjected to PCR screening, which revealed the presence of genes responsible for the biosynthesis of antifungal LPs. Furthermore, LC–MS analysis identified distinct LPs, such as surfactins, fengycin, iturins, bacilysin, and bacillomycin derivatives in the crude LPs extract of Sh-17. Moreover, microscopic analyses (fluorescent/TEM) demonstrated morphological abnormalities and even death of the hyphae and spores of the phytopathogen upon its interaction with LPs. Conclusions B. subtilis Sh-17 exhibits strong antifungal properties against FOL and supports seedlings health by protecting them from pathogen infestation. The LPs produced by Sh-17 inhibit FOL growth in a dose-dependent manner by disrupting the pathogen’s cellular structures and proved to be an effective biocontrol agent against Fusarium wilt in tomatoes. Graphical abstract

Abstract In the rice-based system of mid-latitudes, mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer serves as the largest source of the N cycle due to an insufficient supply of N from organic sources causing higher N losses due to varying soil and environmental factors. However, aiming to improve soil organic matter (OM) and nutrients availability using the best environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable cultural and agronomic management practices are necessary. This study aimed to enhance nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and grain yield in rice-based systems of mid-latitudes by partially replacing inorganic N fertilizer with organic inputs. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was employed to evaluate the effects of sole mineral N fertilizer (urea) and its combinations with organic sources—farmyard manure (FYM) and poultry compost—on different elite green super rice (GSR) genotypes and were named as NUYT-1, NUYT-2, NUYT-3, NUYT-4, NUYT-5, and NUYT-6. The study was conducted during the 2022 and 2023 rice growing seasons at the Rice Research Program, Crop Sciences Institute (CSI), National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad, one of the mid-latitudes of Pakistan. The key objective was to determine the most effective N management strategy for optimizing plant growth, N content in soil and plants, and overall crop productivity. The results revealed that the combined application of poultry compost and mineral urea significantly enhanced soil and leaf N content (1.36 g kg− 1 and 3.06 mg cm− 2, respectively) and plant morphophysiological traits compared to sole urea application. Maximum shoot dry weight (SDW) and root dry weight (RDW) were observed in compost-applied treatment with the values of 77.62 g hill− 1 and 8.36 g hill− 1, respectively. The two-year mean data indicated that applying 150 kg N ha⁻1, with half provided by organic sources (10 tons ha⁻1 FYM or poultry compost) and the remainder by mineral urea, resulted in the highest N uptake, utilization, and plant productivity. Thus, integrated management of organic carbon sources and inorganic fertilizers may sustain the productivity of rice-based systems more eco-efficiently. Further research is recommended to explore root and shoot morphophysiological, molecular, and biochemical responses under varying N regimes, aiming to develop N-efficient rice varieties through advanced breeding programs.

Cryopreservation allows for the long-term storage of biological materials, ensuring their viability for future use and preserving biodiversity. This study aimed to develop an efficient protocol for the long-term in vitro conservation of fegra fig. In vitro precultured shoot tips of fegra fig with 0.3 M sucrose showed the highest regrowth percentage (100%) before plunging into liquid nitrogen. After plunging into liquid nitrogen, the regrowth percentage was 43.33%. Following cryopreservation, the recovered shoots were rooted and acclimatized to ex vitro conditions. The genetic fidelity of the acclimatized 8-week-old fegra fig plantlets after cryopreservation with their mother plant was tested using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR), and start codon targeted (SCoT) molecular markers. Genetic similarity between the stored plantlets with their mother plant was 100% ensuring uniformity and true-to-type regenerated plants following cryopreservation. This study presents, for the first time, an efficient protocol for the genetic conservation of fegra fig.

Heat as an abiotic stress significantly impairs the sustainable productivity of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). To determine the tolerance of genotypes to heat stress, a comprehensive approach should be used that integrates simultaneous phenotyping and genotyping analyses. The aim of this study is to identify local heat-tolerant genotypes using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and evaluate the selected genotypes under field conditions for their tolerance to heat stress. Of the 12 SSR markers that showed polymorphism, eight were associated with six important traits. The use of hierarchical cluster analysis (HC) based on SSR markers led to the identification of 13 genotypes that showed varying results and were grouped into three distinct heat tolerance classes: tolerant (T), moderately tolerant (MT), and sensitive (S). The results showed that heat stress had a significant effect on 19 traits under this study, with significant variation in tolerance to heat stress between genotypes. The tolerant genotypes exhibited a range of average thousand-kernel weight (TKW) values between 40.56 and 44.85, while the sensitive genotype (Yecora Rojo) had an average TKW of 35.45. Furthermore, the tolerant genotypes showed two to three times higher levels of antioxidants compared to the sensitive genotypes when exposed to heat stress. Among the traits analyzed, six showed a favorable combination of high heritability (>60%) and genetic gain (>20%). Through the integration of principal component analysis and stepwise multiple linear regression, it was determined that six traits (grain yield, 1000-kernel weight, plant height, intercellular carbon dioxide, flag leaf area, and grain filling duration) revealed differences between the 13 genotypes. HC analysis of the six traits resulted in the same division of genotypes into three main categories as observed in an HC analysis based on SSR markers. It is worth noting that Saudi wheat, including KSU106, KSU105, and KSU115 as local genotypes, in addition to the 16HTWYT-22 genotype, showed higher heat tolerance compared to the other genotypes tested, indicating its potential suitability for agriculture in Saudi Arabia. These results contribute to breeding programs focused on developing heat-tolerant wheat varieties and accelerate progress in wheat productivity improvement programs.

Wheat breeding programs are currently focusing on using non-destructive and cost-effective hyperspectral sensing tools to expeditiously and accurately phenotype large collections of genotypes. This approach is expected to accelerate the development of the abiotic stress tolerance of genotypes in breeding programs. This study aimed to assess salt tolerance in wheat genotypes using non-destructive canopy spectral reflectance measurements as an alternative to direct laborious and time-consuming phenological selection criteria. Eight wheat genotypes and sixteen F8 RILs were tested under 150 mM NaCl in real field conditions for two years. Fourteen spectral reflectance indices (SRIs) were calculated from the spectral data, including vegetation SRIs and water SRIs. The effectiveness of these indices in assessing salt tolerance was compared with four morpho-physiological traits using genetic parameters, SSR markers, the Mantel test, hierarchical clustering heatmaps, stepwise multiple linear regression, and principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed significant differences (p ≤ 0.001) among RILs/cultivars for both traits and SRIs. The heritability, genetic gain, and genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variability for most SRIs were comparable to those of measured traits. The SRIs effectively differentiated between salt-tolerant and sensitive genotypes and exhibited strong correlations with SSR markers (R2 = 0.56–0.89), similar to the measured traits and allelic data of 34 SSRs. A strong correlation (r = 0.27, p < 0.0001) was found between the similarity coefficients of SRIs and SSR data, which was higher than that between measured traits and SSR data (r = 0.20, p < 0.0003) based on the Mantel test. The PCA indicated that all vegetation SRIs and most water SRIs were grouped with measured traits in a positive direction and effectively identified the salt-tolerant RILs/cultivars. The PLSR models, which were based on all SRIs, accurately and robustly estimated the various morpho-physiological traits compared to using individual SRIs. The study suggests that various SRIs can be integrated with PLSR in wheat breeding programs as a cost-effective and non-destructive tool for phenotyping and screening large wheat populations for salt tolerance in a short time frame. This approach can replace the need for traditional morpho-physiological traits and accelerate the development of salt-tolerant wheat genotypes.

Barley is indeed a versatile cereal crop, valued for its uses in food, animal feed, and increasingly in biofuel production. As interest grows in developing new barley genotypes that are better adapted to diverse environmental conditions and production systems, integrating agro-morphological evaluations with molecular marker analyses in barley breeding programs is essential for developing new genotypes. It is necessary to explore the genetic diversity of those germplasm to predicate their responses to targeted environments and regions. The current study explored the phenotypic and genotypic relations among Saudi advanced germplasm to facilitate the development of superior barley cultivars suitable for desert environments. Molecular microsatellites (SSR) markers revealed considerable wide genetic variation among Saudi germplasm and checks. Population structure analyses revealed four main groups. Those groups were validated using similarity analyses and coefficients. As well, principal components analysis (PCA) and heat map analyses separated the studied genotypes into four main groups. The improved Saudi germplasm, selected from the barley breeding program, revealed considerably wide genetic and phenotypic diversities, indicating the feasibility of selection to improve for semi-arid conditions. The improved line KSU-BR-C/G-2 had the highest grain yield and harvest index in the first season. Rihana/Lignee was followed by the KSU-BR-C/G-2 genotype, with a grain yield averaging 6734.07 (kg ha−1), in the first season. KSU-BR-88-29-10 yielded 20,000 kg ha−1 for biomass yield. In the second year, KSU-BR-30-7 had the highest biomass yield, with 27,037.04 kg ha−1.

Soybean is an important oilseed crop worldwide; however, it has a high sensitivity to temperature variation, particularly at the vegetative stage to the pod-filling stage. Temperature change affects physiochemical and genetic traits regulating the soybean agronomic yield. In this regard, the current study aimed to comparatively evaluate the effects of varying regimes of day and night temperatures (T1 = 20°C/12°C, T2 = 25°C/17°C, T3 = 30°C/22°C, T4 = 35°C/27°C, and T5 = 40°C/32°C) on physiological (chlorophyll, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, and membrane damage) biochemical (proline and antioxidant enzymes), genetic (GmDNJ1, GmDREB1G;1, GmHSF-34, GmPYL21, GmPIF4b, GmPIP1;6, GmGBP1, GmHsp90A2, GmTIP2;6, and GmEF8), and agronomic traits (pods per plant, seeds per plant, pod weight per plant, and seed yield per plant) of soybean cultivars (Swat-84 and NARC-1). The experiment was performed in soil plant atmosphere research (SPAR) units using two factorial arrangements with cultivars as one factor and temperature treatments as another factor. A significant increase in physiological, biochemical, and agronomic traits with increased gene expression was observed in both soybean cultivars at T4 (35°C/27°C) as compared to below and above regimes of temperatures. Additionally, it was established by correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and heatmap analysis that the nature of soybean cultivars and the type of temperature treatments have a significant impact on the paired association of agronomic and biochemical traits, which in turn affects agronomic productivity. Furthermore, at corresponding temperature regimes, the expression of the genes matched the expression of physiochemical traits. The current study has demonstrated through extensive physiochemical, genetic, and biochemical analyses that the ideal day and night temperature for soybeans is T4 (35°C/27°C), with a small variation having a significant impact on productivity from the vegetative stage to the grain-filling stage.

Ficus palmata is an important fig species that produces edible and nutritious fruit and possesses several therapeutic uses. This study reports an effective method for the micropropagation of F. palmata using nodal explants. In vitro shoots were cultured for 7 weeks onto MS medium fortified with different concentrations of cytokinins, light intensities, sucrose concentrations, and light/dark incubation treatments. Optimal axillary shoot proliferation (10.9 shoots per explant) was obtained on a medium containing 30 g/L sucrose and supplemented with 2 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) under 35 μmol/m2/s light intensity. Dark incubation limited the foliage growth but favored shoot elongation and rooting compared with light incubation. Elongated shoots, under dark conditions, were rooted (100%; 6.67 roots per explant) onto MS medium containing 1 mg/L indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 1.5 g/L activated charcoal. The micropropagated plantlets were acclimatized with a 95% survival rate. In this study, the genetic fidelity of micropropagated F. palmata clones along with their mother plant was tested using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR), and start codon targeted (SCoT) molecular markers. The genetic similarity between the micropropagated plantlets and the mother plant of F. palmata was nearly 95.9%, assuring high uniformity and true-to-type regenerated plants. Using micropropagated F. palmata plantlets as a rootstock proved appropriate for the grafting F. carica ‘Brown Turkey’. These findings contribute to the commercial propagation and production of the fig crop.

Background: This study addresses the critical issue of Fusarium wilt in tomatoes, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL), a severe fungal pathogen responsible for global yield losses. Conventional control measures, such as resistant crop varieties and chemical fungicides, have limitations due to environmental concerns and the risk of pathogen resistance. As a sustainable alternative, this study aims to explore the biocontrol potential of the bacterial strain Sh-17, focusing on its lipopeptides (LPs) to effectively suppress FOL. Results: This study demonstrated the antifungal capability of the Sh-17 strain, obtained from a tomato field, against FOL. Through 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis and phenotypic evaluation, Sh-17 was identified as Bacillus subtilis Sh-17. During the disease control assay using in vitro petri dishes, Sh-17 showed promising plant growth-promoting and disease-control capabilities in seedlings when tomato seeds were inoculated with both Sh-17 and FOL. Subsequently, the lipopeptide extract derived from Sh-17 showed strong antifungal properties in a dose-dependent manner, with complete inhibition of FOL at a concentration of 3500 µg mL−1. Furthermore, it was observed that LPs decreased the amount of ergosterol, which affects the stability and general structure of the plasma membrane. The genomic DNA of Sh-17 was subjected to PCR screening, which revealed the presence of genes responsible for the biosynthesis of antifungal LPs. Furthermore, LC–MS analysis identified distinct LPs, such as surfactins, fengycin, iturins, bacilysin, and bacillomycin derivatives in the crude LPs extract of Sh-17. Moreover, microscopic analyses (fluorescent/TEM) demonstrated morphological abnormalities and even death of the hyphae and spores of the phytopathogen upon its interaction with LPs. Conclusions: B. subtilis Sh-17 exhibits strong antifungal properties against FOL and supports seedlings health by protecting them from pathogen infestation. The LPs produced by Sh-17 inhibit FOL growth in a dose-dependent manner by disrupting the pathogen's cellular structures and proved to be an effective biocontrol agent against Fusarium wilt in tomatoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water scarcity is a critical cause of plant yield loss and decreased quality. Manipulation of root system architecture to minimize the impact of water scarcity stresses may greatly contribute towards an improved distribution of roots in the soil and enhanced water and nutrient uptake abilities. In this study, we explored the potential of TaMYB20 gene, a wheat gene belonging to the R2R3-MYB transcription factor family, to improve root system architecture in transgenic tobacco plants. The full-length TaMYB20 gene was isolated from Triticum aestivum.cv. Sakha94 and used to produce genetically engineered tobacco plants. The transgenic plants exhibited enhanced tolerance to extended osmotic stress and were able to maintain their root system architecture traits, including total root length (TRL), lateral root number (LRN), root surface area (RSa), and root volume (RV), while the wild-type plants failed to maintain the same traits. The transgenic lines presented greater relative water content in their roots associated with decreased ion leakage. The oxidative stress resulted in the loss of mitochondrial membrane integrity in the wild-type (WT) plants due to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the root cells, while the transgenic lines were able to scavenge the excess ROS under stressful conditions through the activation of the redox system. Finally, we found that the steady-state levels of three PIN gene transcripts were greater in the TaMYB20-transgenic lines compared to the wild-type tobacco. Taken together, these findings confirm that TaMYB20 is a potentially useful gene candidate for engineering drought tolerance in cultivated plants.

Aeluropus lagopoides, a dominant palatable species in various sabkha and coastal regions of Saudi Arabia, can withstand harsh saline environments through phenotypic plasticity. When subjected to grazing, how A. lagopoides adapt phenotypically is currently unknown. There is a breakage in the chain of study on the spatial and temporal expansion strategy of A. lagopoides plants when subjected to different grazing stresses in different saline soil habitats. A grazing experiment was conducted to investigate the phenotypic plasticity and resource allocation pattern response of A. lagopoides in different saline soils. Individual A. lagopoides rhizomes from five saline regions were grown and exposed to varied grazing treatments in the form of clipping, viz; light, moderate, and heavy grazing, as compared to a grazing exclusion control. Our results showed that heavy grazing/clipping significantly decreased the shoot system and above-ground biomass in high-saline region plants in the early season. Plant length, root length, root and shoot biomass, the number of stolons, average stolon length, leaf area, and SLA of A. lagopiodes responded significantly to grazing intensities. A. lagopoides from the Qareenah, Qaseem, and Jizan regions were more tolerant to light grazing than A. lagopoides from the Salwa and Jouf regions. Light grazing showed significantly good re-growth, especially during the late season. Light grazing decreased the synthesis of chlorophyll content. Also, A. lagopiodes reduced the risk caused by reactive oxygen species via the increased accumulation of proline content. Overall, plants adapted to different morphological and physiological strategies to tolerate different levels of grazing intensities by adapting their morphological attributes. Though heavy grazing damages the plant, light and moderate grazing can be allowed to maintain the productivity and economic benefits of sabka habitats where soil conditions are moderately saline.

Aeluropus lagopoides is a halophytic grass growing in different sabkhas of Saudi Arabia. In this study, 14 inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and 15 sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) molecular markers were selected to investigate the genetic diversity within and among five natural populations of A. Lagopiodes. The genetic diversity varied within and among populations. ISSR markers were slightly more efficient than SRAP markers in evaluating genetic diversity. Average polymorphism information content, effective number of alleles, Nei’s genetic diversity, and Shannon’s information index values of ISSR markers were higher than SRAP. Analysis of molecular variance revealed about 40% genetic variation among the population and 60% within the population. Overall, the genetic diversity was lowest in Jouf (40%), while the Qaseem populations were the highest (60%). Jizan populations were highly dissimilar to other regions. A Mantel test indicated a positive correlation between geographic and genetic distance. The cluster analysis showed three groups; the first group comprises Jouf and Salwa populations, the second group comprises Qareenah and Qaseem, and the third group comprises the Jizan population. This observation matched the geographic distribution of the species. These findings can help in the conservation of a diverse population of A. lagopoides in saline regions as well as rehabilitation of these degraded unique habitats.

Successfully promoting drought tolerance in wheat genotypes will require several procedures, such as field experimentations, measuring relevant traits, using analysis tools of high precision and efficiency, and taking a complementary approach that combines analyses of phenotyping and genotyping at once. The aim of this study is to assess the genetic diversity of 60 genotypes using SSR (simple sequence repeat) markers collected from several regions of the world and select 13 of them as more genetically diverse to be re-evaluated under field conditions to study drought stress by estimating 30 agro-physio-biochemical traits. Genetic parameters and multivariate analysis were used to compare genotype traits and identify which traits are increasingly efficient at detecting wheat genotypes of drought tolerance. Hierarchical cluster (HC) analysis of SSR markers divided the genotypes into five main categories of drought tolerance: four high tolerant (HT), eight tolerant (T), nine moderate tolerant (MT), six sensitive (S), and 33 high sensitive (HS). Six traits exhibit a combination of high heritability (>60%) and genetic gain (>20%). Analyses of principal components and stepwise multiple linear regression together identified nine traits (grain yield, flag leaf area, stomatal conductance, plant height, relative turgidity, glycine betaine, polyphenol oxidase, chlorophyll content, and grain-filling duration) as a screening tool that effectively detects the variation among the 13 genotypes used. HC analysis of the nine traits divided genotypes into three main categories: T, MT, and S, representing three, five, and five genotypes, respectively, and were completely identical in linear discriminant analysis. But in the case of SSR markers, they were classified into three main categories: T, MT, and S, representing five, three, and five genotypes, respectively, which are both significantly correlated as per the Mantel test. The SSR markers were associated with nine traits, which are considered an assistance tool in the selection process for drought tolerance. So, this study is useful and has successfully detected several agro-physio-biochemical traits, associated SSR markers, and some drought-tolerant genotypes, coupled with our knowledge of the phenotypic and genotypic basis of wheat genotypes.

Multiple abiotic stresses negatively impact wheat production all over the world. We need to increase productivity by 60% to provide food security to the world population of 9.6 billion by 2050; it is surely time to develop stress-tolerant genotypes with a thorough comprehension of the genetic basis and the plant’s capacity to tolerate these stresses and complex environmental reactions. To approach these goals, we used multivariate analysis techniques, the additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model for prediction, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) to enhance the reliability of the classification, multi-trait genotype-ideotype distance index (MGIDI) to detect the ideotype, and the weighted average of absolute scores (WAASB) index to recognize genotypes with stability that are highly productive. Six tolerance multi-indices were used to test twenty wheat genotypes grown under multiple abiotic stresses. The AMMI model showed varying differences with performance indices, which disagreed with the trait and genotype differences used. The G01, G12, G16, and G02 were selected as the appropriate and stable genotypes using the MGIDI with the six tolerance multi-indices. The biplot features the genotypes (G01, G03, G11, G16, G17, G18, and G20) that were most stable and had high tolerance across the environments. The pooled analyses (LDA, MGIDI, and WAASB) showed genotype G01 as the most stable candidate. The genotype (G01) is considered a novel genetic resource for improving productivity and stabilizing wheat programs under multiple abiotic stresses. Hence, these techniques, if used in an integrated manner, strongly support the plant breeders in multi-environment trials.

The hydroponic farming significantly enhances the yield and enables multiple cropping per year. These advantages can be improved by using plant growth-promoting fungi (PGPF) either under normal or stress conditions. In this study, the fungal strain (A3) isolated from the rhizosphere of the halophyte plant Aeluropus littoralis was identified as Penicillium olsonii based on sequence homology of its ITS region. The A3 fungus was shown to be halotolerant (up to 1 M NaCl) and its optimal growth was at 27°C, but inhibited at 40°C. In liquid culture medium, the A3 produced indole acetic acid (IAA) especially in the presence of L-tryptophan. Tobacco plants grown under hydroponic farming system were used to evaluate the promoting activity of the direct effect of A3 mycelium (DE) and the indirect effect (IDE) of its cell-free culture filtrate (A3CFF). The results showed that for the two conditions (DE or IDE) the tobacco seedlings exhibited significant increase in their height, leaf area, dry weight, and total chlorophyll content. Interestingly, the A3CFF (added to the MS liquid medium or to nutrient solution (NS), prepared from commercial fertilizers) induced significantly the growth parameters, the proline concentration, the catalase (CAT) and the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities of tobacco plants. The A3CFF maintained its activity even after extended storage at 4°C for 1 year. Since the A3 is a halotolerant fungus, we tested its ability to alleviate salt stress effects. Indeed, when added at 1:50 dilution factor to NS in the presence of 250 mM NaCl, the A3CFF enhanced the plant salt tolerance by increasing the levels of total chlorophyll, proline, CAT, and SOD activities. In addition, the treated plants accumulated less Na+ in their roots but more K+ in their leaves. The A3CFF was also found to induce the expression of five salt stress related genes (NtSOS1, NtNHX1, NtHKT1, NtSOD, and NtCAT1). Finally, we proved that the A3CFF can reduce by half the chemical fertilizers inputs. Indeed, the tobacco plants grown in a hydroponic system using 0.5xNS supplemented with A3CFF (1:50) exhibited significantly higher growth than those grown in 0.5xNS or 1xNS. In an attempt to explain this mechanism, the expression profile of some growth related genes (nitrogen metabolism (NR1, NRT1), auxin (TRYP1, YUCCA6-like), and brassinosteroid (DET2, DWF4) biosynthesis) was performed. The results showed that all these genes were up-regulated following plant treatment with A3CFF. In summary the results revealed that the halotolerant fungus P. olsonii can stimulates tobacco plant growth, enhances its salt tolerance, and reduces by half the required chemical fertilizer inputs in a hydroponic farming system.

In the rice-based system of mid-latitudes, mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer serves as the largest source of the N cycle due to an insufficient supply of N from organic sources causing higher N losses due to varying soil and environmental factors. However, aiming to improve soil organic matter (OM) and nutrients availability using the best environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable cultural and agronomic management practices are necessary. This study aimed to enhance nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and grain yield in rice-based systems of mid-latitudes by partially replacing inorganic N fertilizer with organic inputs. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was employed to evaluate the effects of sole mineral N fertilizer (urea) and its combinations with organic sources—farmyard manure (FYM) and poultry compost—on different elite green super rice (GSR) genotypes and were named as NUYT-1, NUYT-2, NUYT-3, NUYT-4, NUYT-5, and NUYT-6. The study was conducted during the 2022 and 2023 rice growing seasons at the Rice Research Program, Crop Sciences Institute (CSI), National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad, one of the mid-latitudes of Pakistan. The key objective was to determine the most effective N management strategy for optimizing plant growth, N content in soil and plants, and overall crop productivity. The results revealed that the combined application of poultry compost and mineral urea significantly enhanced soil and leaf N content (1.36 g kg− 1 and 3.06 mg cm− 2, respectively) and plant morphophysiological traits compared to sole urea application. Maximum shoot dry weight (SDW) and root dry weight (RDW) were observed in compost-applied treatment with the values of 77.62 g hill− 1 and 8.36 g hill− 1, respectively. The two-year mean data indicated that applying 150 kg N ha⁻1, with half provided by organic sources (10 tons ha⁻1 FYM or poultry compost) and the remainder by mineral urea, resulted in the highest N uptake, utilization, and plant productivity. Thus, integrated management of organic carbon sources and inorganic fertilizers may sustain the productivity of rice-based systems more eco-efficiently. Further research is recommended to explore root and shoot morphophysiological, molecular, and biochemical responses under varying N regimes, aiming to develop N-efficient rice varieties through advanced breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exogenous application of antioxidants can be helpful for plants to resist salinity, which can be a potentially simple, economical, and culturally feasible approach, compared with introgression and genetic engineering. Foliar spraying of alpha-tocopherol (α-tocopherol) is an approach to improve plant growth under salinity stress. Alpha-tocopherol acts as an antioxidant preventing salinity-induced cellular oxidation. This study was designed to investigate the negative effects of salinity (0 and 120mM NaCl) on linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) and their alleviation by foliar spraying of α-tocopherol (0, 100, and 200mg L−1). Seeds of varieties “Chandni and Roshni” were grown in sand-filled plastic pots, laid in a completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement, and each treatment was replicated three times. Salinity significantly affected linseed morphology and yield by reducing shoot and root dry weights, photosynthetic pigment (Chl. a, Chl. b, total Chl., and carotenoids) contents, mineral ion (Ca2+, K+) uptake, and 100-seed weight. Concomitantly, salinity increased Na+, proline, soluble protein, peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase activities in both varieties. Conversely, the growth and yield of linseed varieties were significantly restored by foliar spraying of α-tocopherol under saline conditions, improving shoot and root dry matter accumulation, photosynthetic pigment, mineral ion, proline, soluble protein contents, peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase activities, and 100-seed weight. Moreover, foliar spray of α-tocopherol alleviated the effects of salinity stress by reducing the Na+ concentration and enhancing K+ and Ca2+ uptake. The Chandni variety performed better than the Roshni, for all growth and physiological parameters studied. Foliar spray of α-tocopherol (200mg L−1) alleviated salinity effects by improving the antioxidant potential of linseed varieties, which ultimately restored growth and yield. Therefore, the use of α-tocopherol may enhance the productivity of linseed and other crops under saline soils.

Weeds cause a serious constraint to wheat productivity. Chemical weed control is considered the most effective method to control weeds; however, a suitable dose and combination of herbicide with adjuvants play a vital role in controlling weeds and producing maximum wheat production. A field study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of various doses of metribuzin alone or in combination with adjuvants [Bio-power (alkyl ether sulfates and sodium salts) and Ad-500 (fatty alcohol ethoxylate)] on the growth and yield of wheat and its associated weeds. Metribuzin at 175, 140, and 105 g a.i ha–1, each in combination with adjuvants (Bio-power or Ad-500) at 400 ml ha–1, were sprayed. A weedy check was also included as a control treatment. The wheat crop was infested with Fumaria indica, Melilotus indica, Anagallis arvensis, and Phalaris minor, and metribuzin with or without adjuvant was sprayed at two- to four-leaf stage of the weeds. The photosynthetic activity, weed population of each weed, and biomass of each weed was significantly affected by all herbicides along with the adjuvant. However, maximum inhibition of tested weeds was observed where metribuzin at 175 g a.i ha–1 + Bio-power at 400 ml ha–1 were sprayed. Metribuzin sprayed at 175 g a.i ha–1 with or without Bio-power recorded a maximum 1,000-grain weight, biological yield, and grain yield. Conclusively, metribuzin sprayed at 175 g a.i ha–1 + Bio-power at 400 at ml ha–1 have the potential to improve wheat yield by inhibiting weed growth, and Bio-power was superior to Ad-500 in improving the efficacy of metribuzin against weeds of wheat crop.

Understanding the response variation of morphological parameters and biomass allocation of plants in heterogeneous saline environments is helpful in evaluating the internal correlation between plant phenotypic plasticity mechanism and biomass allocation. The plasticity of plants alters the interaction among individuals and their environment and consequently affects the population dynamics and aspects of community and ecosystem functioning. The current study aimed to assess the plasticity of Aeluropus lagopoides traits with variation in saline habitats. Understanding the habitat stress tolerance strategy of A. lagopoides is of great significance since it is one of the highly palatable forage grass in the summer period. Five different saline flat regions (coastal and inland) within Saudi Arabia were targeted, and the soil, as well as the morphological and physiological traits of A. lagopoides, were assessed. Comprehensive correlation analyses were performed to correlate the traits with soil, region, or among each other. The soil analysis revealed significant variation among the five studied regions for all measured parameters, as well as among the soil layers showing the highest values in the upper layer and decreased with the depth. Significant differences were determined for all tested parameters of the morphological and reproductive traits as well as for the biomass allocation of A. lagopoides, except for the leaf thickness. In the highly saline region, Qaseem, A. lagopoides showed stunted aerial growth, high root/shoot ratio, improved root development, and high biomass allocation. In contrast, the populations growing in the low saline region (Jizan) showed the opposite trend. Under the more stressful condition, like in Qaseem and Salwa, A. lagopoides produce low spikes in biomass and seeds per plant, compared to the lowest saline habitats, such as Jouf. There was no significant difference in physiological parameters except stomatal conductance (gs), which is highest in the Jizan region. In conclusion, the population of A. lagopoides is tolerant of harsh environments through phenotypic plasticity. This could be a candidate species to rehabilitate the saline habitats, considering saline agriculture and saline soil remediation.

Increasing atmospheric temperature can significantly reduce global wheat productivity; despite a mounting demand for wheat grain supplies. Developing genotypes with superior performance under current and future hot climates is a key challenge for wheat breeders. Multidimensional tools have supported plant breeders in increasing the genetic stability rate of agro-physiological indices that influence wheat productivity. We used 25 agro-physiological indices to classify 20 bread wheat genotypes for their heat stress tolerance. Agro-physiological indices and multidimensional analyses to identify differences in genetic and phenotypic were used, combining these analyses to reach selection criteria of accurate and credible. The 25 studied indices reflected high genotypic and environmental variations. We used 16 indices, which have brought together high heritability and genetic gain as indicators for screening heat-tolerant genotypes. Based on the seven principal comprehensive indices of (D value), wheat genotypes were classified into three highly heat-tolerant, four heat-tolerant, six moderately heat-tolerant, five heat-sensitive, and two highly heat-sensitive wheat genotypes. Based on four critical indices [grain yield (GY), grain-filling duration (GFD), spike length (SL) and canopy temperature (CT)] obtained from stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR), the genotypes were grouped as four genotypes highly heat-tolerant, six heat-tolerant, two moderately heat-tolerant, four heat-sensitive and four highly heat-sensitive. The classification D value and SMLR distances were significantly correlated based on the Mantel test, with a perfect match in nine genotypes. SMLR indicated that a mathematical equation for the evaluation of wheat heat tolerance was established: GY = 0.670 + 0.504 × GFD + 0.334 × SL − 0.466 × CT (R2 = 0.739; average prediction accuracy of 94.12%). SMLR-based classification of wheat genotypes for heat tolerance was further verified through discriminant analysis, which showed that prior and posterior classification was identical in eighteen genotypes. Cross-validation showed that prior and posterior classification was identical in thirteen genotypes. Based on this study, we can recommend tolerated new wheat lines (DHL25, DHL05, DHL23 and DHL08) and cultivar Pavone-76 as a promising genetic source for heat-tolerant breeding programs.

Wheat breeding programs are currently focusing on using non-destructive and cost-effective hyperspectral sensing tools to expeditiously and accurately phenotype large collections of genotypes. This approach is expected to accelerate the development of the abiotic stress tolerance of genotypes in breeding programs. This study aimed to assess salt tolerance in wheat genotypes using non-destructive canopy spectral reflectance measurements as an alternative to direct laborious and time-consuming phenological selection criteria. Eight wheat genotypes and sixteen F8 RILs were tested under 150 mM NaCl in real field conditions for two years. Fourteen spectral reflectance indices (SRIs) were calculated from the spectral data, including vegetation SRIs and water SRIs. The effectiveness of these indices in assessing salt tolerance was compared with four morpho-physiological traits using genetic parameters, SSR markers, the Mantel test, hierarchical clustering heatmaps, stepwise multiple linear regression, and principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed significant differences (p ≤ 0.001) among RILs/cultivars for both traits and SRIs. The heritability, genetic gain, and genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variability for most SRIs were comparable to those of measured traits. The SRIs effectively differentiated between salt-tolerant and sensitive genotypes and exhibited strong correlations with SSR markers (R2 = 0.56–0.89), similar to the measured traits and allelic data of 34 SSRs. A strong correlation (r = 0.27, p < 0.0001) was found between the similarity coefficients of SRIs and SSR data, which was higher than that between measured traits and SSR data (r = 0.20, p < 0.0003) based on the Mantel test. The PCA indicated that all vegetation SRIs and most water SRIs were grouped with measured traits in a positive direction and effectively identified the salt-tolerant RILs/cultivars. The PLSR models, which were based on all SRIs, accurately and robustly estimated the various morpho-physiological traits compared to using individual SRIs. The study suggests that various SRIs can be integrated with PLSR in wheat breeding programs as a cost-effective and non-destructive tool for phenotyping and screening large wheat populations for salt tolerance in a short time frame. This approach can replace the need for traditional morpho-physiological traits and accelerate the development of salt-tolerant wheat genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat as an abiotic stress significantly impairs the sustainable productivity of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). To determine the tolerance of genotypes to heat stress, a comprehensive approach should be used that integrates simultaneous phenotyping and genotyping analyses. The aim of this study is to identify local heat-tolerant genotypes using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and evaluate the selected genotypes under field conditions for their tolerance to heat stress. Of the 12 SSR markers that showed polymorphism, eight were associated with six important traits. The use of hierarchical cluster analysis (HC) based on SSR markers led to the identification of 13 genotypes that showed varying results and were grouped into three distinct heat tolerance classes: tolerant (T), moderately tolerant (MT), and sensitive (S). The results showed that heat stress had a significant effect on 19 traits under this study, with significant variation in tolerance to heat stress between genotypes. The tolerant genotypes exhibited a range of average thousand-kernel weight (TKW) values between 40.56 and 44.85, while the sensitive genotype (Yecora Rojo) had an average TKW of 35.45. Furthermore, the tolerant genotypes showed two to three times higher levels of antioxidants compared to the sensitive genotypes when exposed to heat stress. Among the traits analyzed, six showed a favorable combination of high heritability (>60%) and genetic gain (>20%). Through the integration of principal component analysis and stepwise multiple linear regression, it was determined that six traits (grain yield, 1000-kernel weight, plant height, intercellular carbon dioxide, flag leaf area, and grain filling duration) revealed differences between the 13 genotypes. HC analysis of the six traits resulted in the same division of genotypes into three main categories as observed in an HC analysis based on SSR markers. It is worth noting that Saudi wheat, including KSU106, KSU105, and KSU115 as local genotypes, in addition to the 16HTWYT-22 genotype, showed higher heat tolerance compared to the other genotypes tested, indicating its potential suitability for agriculture in Saudi Arabia. These results contribute to breeding programs focused on developing heat-tolerant wheat varieties and accelerate progress in wheat productivity improvement programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barley is indeed a versatile cereal crop, valued for its uses in food, animal feed, and increasingly in biofuel production. As interest grows in developing new barley genotypes that are better adapted to diverse environmental conditions and production systems, integrating agro-morphological evaluations with molecular marker analyses in barley breeding programs is essential for developing new genotypes. It is necessary to explore the genetic diversity of those germplasm to predicate their responses to targeted environments and regions. The current study explored the phenotypic and genotypic relations among Saudi advanced germplasm to facilitate the development of superior barley cultivars suitable for desert environments. Molecular microsatellites (SSR) markers revealed considerable wide genetic variation among Saudi germplasm and checks. Population structure analyses revealed four main groups. Those groups were validated using similarity analyses and coefficients. As well, principal components analysis (PCA) and heat map analyses separated the studied genotypes into four main groups. The improved Saudi germplasm, selected from the barley breeding program, revealed considerably wide genetic and phenotypic diversities, indicating the feasibility of selection to improve for semi-arid conditions. The improved line KSU-BR-C/G-2 had the highest grain yield and harvest index in the first season. Rihana/Lignee was followed by the KSU-BR-C/G-2 genotype, with a grain yield averaging 6734.07 (kg ha−1), in the first season. KSU-BR-88-29-10 yielded 20,000 kg ha−1 for biomass yield. In the second year, KSU-BR-30-7 had the highest biomass yield, with 27,037.04 kg ha−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. The plant growth regulator 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) is an important component of plant nutrient medium with tendency to accelerate physiological, biochemical and molecular processes in woody plants such as olive. To date, limited knowledge is available on the role of BAP in mediating physiological, biochemical and genetic activities in olives under in vitro conditions. To cover this research gap, the current study was conducted with the objective of studying the role of BAP in regulating physiological traits (chlorophyll, CO2 assimilation), antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase), metabolic contents (starch, sucrose and flavonoids) and gene expression (OeRbcl, OePOD10, OeSOD10, OeCAT7, OeSS4, OeSuSY7, OeF3GT and OeChlH) under varying concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 mg L−1) within the provided in vitro conditions. The explants obtained from different olive cultivars ('Leccino', 'Gemlik', 'Moraiolo', 'Arbosana') were cultured on olive medium (OM) provided with different BAP concentrations using a two-factorial design, and data were analysed statistically. All traits increased significantly under in vitro conditions due to increasing concentrations of BAP; however, this increase was more dramatic at 2.5 mg L−1 and the least dramatic at 0.5 mg L−1. Moreover, correlation, principal component analysis and heatmap cluster analysis confirmed significant changes in the paired association and expression of traits with changing BAP concentration and type of olive cultivars. Likewise, the expression of all genes varied due to changes in BAP concentration in all cultivars, corresponding to variations in physiological and biochemical traits. Moreover, the spectrographs generated via scanning electron microscopy further indicated the variations in the distribution of elements in olive leaf samples due to varying BAP concentrations. Although all cultivars showed a significant response to in vitro varying concentrations of BAP, the response of Arbosana was statistically more significant. In conclusion, the current study proved the dynamic impact of the varying BAP concentrations on regulating the physiological, biochemical, and molecular attributes of olive cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment of the salt tolerance of a large genotype collection at the early growth stages may assist in the fast-tracking improvement of salt-tolerant barley genotypes in breeding programs. This study aimed to investigate the ability of traits related to seed germination ability and seedling growth performance with helping of nine sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers to detect the salt tolerance of 70 barley genotypes during the early growth stages. The different genotypes were exposed to three salt concentrations (0, 100, and 200 mM NaCl) and evaluated for salt tolerance by looking at germination percentage, germination index, and mean germination time during eight days as well as the lengths and weights of seedling shoot and root after 21 days from sowing. The results showed that genotypic variations in germination ability and seedling growth performance obviously appeared under 200 and 100 mM NaCl, respectively. The germination traits exhibited a strong correlation among themselves, whereas they had a poor correlation with seedling traits. A strong and positive correlation was only observed for shoot fresh weight with shoot length and root fresh weight under salinity conditions. Principal component analysis revealed that the first two components, which explained 53% of the total variability, succeeded to identify the genotypes with high salt tolerance during only one stage (germination or seedling stage) and both stages. Cluster analysis based on the stress tolerance index of germination and seedling traits grouped 70 genotypes into four key clusters, with genotypes grouped in cluster 1 and cluster 2 being salt tolerant during the germination stage and moderately tolerant during the seedling stage; the opposite was found with the genotypes grouped in cluster 4. According to Ward’s method, the salt tolerance of genotypes that ranked as most salt-tolerant (T) or salt-sensitive (S) remained almost unchanged during germination and seedling stages. In contrast, a change in salt tolerance with both stages was found for the genotypes that ranked as moderately salt-tolerant (MT) and salt-sensitive (MS) genotypes. The nine SRAP markers divided the tested genotypes into two distinct clusters, with clusters B had the most T and MT genotypes. Finally, using appropriate statistical methods presented in this study with SRAP markers will be useful for assessing the salt tolerance of a large number of barley genotypes and selecting the genotypes tolerant of and sensitive to salinity at the early growth stage.

The effect of traits and the interaction of genotype × environment (GE) is one of the major challenges in detecting traits and genotypes with outstanding performance and stability through various stresses and years. The objective of this study was to identify the genetic influence traits of wheat, and genotypes with outstanding performance and stability under different environmental stress. The trials were carried out in two consecutive seasons with three treatments (optimal irrigation, limited irrigation, and heat stress), totaling six test environments at two different locations. After observing the importance of GE interaction, and the statistical significance for all studied traits, multivariate analysis was applied using stepwise regression (SR) for detecting influenced traits, and AMMI, AMMI’s stability values (ASV), yield stability index (YSI), superiority and GGE biplot methods to identify the genotype’s phenotypic stability. SR analysis showed that nine out of 22 traits have contributed significantly to grain yield (GY), which varied according to the environment. Equations of the models (GY) regression coefficient values reflected the importance seven of them have on a significant positive correlation on GY. The study confirmed the importance of AMMI and GGE biplots in decoding the GEI based on GY data. AMMI1 biplots showed that the three environments E1, E4, and E6 were the stronger interacting environments than E2, E3, and E5, in which the interaction was weak. YSI, superiority analysis, and superiority multi-trait analysis scores were largely compatible. YSI scores described the six genotypes viz, G5 (DHL26), G12 (DHL29), G10 (DHL01), G18 (Sakha-93), G2 (DHL02) and, G6 (Gemmeiza-9), these were marked by high stability and productivity. The GGE biplot analysis showed genotypes (G15 (Misr1) and G4 (DHL07)) recorded the highest grain yield in E3 and E4, whereas genotype G18 (Sakha-93) was in E6. It also showed G19 (Pavone-76) was the best genotype due to being situated in the center of the concentric circles and due to its high-yield. The methods considered were compatible with the detection of promising wheat genotypes with high mean performance and outstanding phenotypic stability across various stresses and years.

Eleven bread wheat genotypes grown at Siwa Oasis and Ashmon, Menofeya Governorate, during the winter season of 2016/2017 were examined for their agronomic traits under salinity stress. Owing to the differences in the salinity levels at the two locations, significant differences were noticed among the tested genotypes for all traits. Lines L2 and L4 showed the highest grain yields, whereas L3 showed the lowest. The most suitable parameters for screening stress-tolerance were tolerance indices and high-yielding potentiality. In this investigation, 33 SSR (Simple Sequence Repeat) primers led to the determination of one to three alleles per primer, with an average of 1.36. The use of 31 EST (Expressed Sequence Tag)-SSR markers led to the determination of 38 polymorphic alleles, ranging from one to five, with a mean of 1.23 per locus. A cluster analysis using the SSR and EST-SSR information divided the 11 wheat genotypes into three groups.

Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), in the family Potyviridae, causes an economically important disease. Antibodies are valuable reagents for diagnostic assays to rapidly detect viral infection. Here, we report the isolation of camel-derived variable domains of the heavy chain antibody (VHH, also called nanobodies) directed against the coat protein (CP) of ZYMV. Several nanobodies that specifically recognise ZYMV-CP were identified. The isolated nanobodies showed binding not only to recombinant ZYMV-CP but also to native ZYMV, indicating that these nanobodies can be used in diagnostic tools to detect viral infections.