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The Multitrait Genotype Ideotype Distance Index (MGIDI) is a strong and adaptable technique for choosing superior genotypes of diverse crops based on numerous attributes. It is a multivariate selection indicator that incorporates different characteristic information into a single value and ranks genotypes based on their distance from an ideal genotype. Breeders can use variable selection criteria including weighting traits and assessing genetic strengths and weaknesses. It organizes attributes into components and chooses optimal genotypes based on many traits using principal component analysis. This review covered the available information regarding the background, applications, prospects, and limitations of MGIDI for crop improvement and breeding in this research. We discussed the significant discoveries and consequences of several studies that used MGIDI to enhance the productivity, excellence, and flexibility of numerous crops, such as bush yam, barley, cassava, cucumber, guar, lentil, maize, rice, bean, soybean, wheat, etc. Additionally, we talked about some of the potential applications of MGIDI for breeding and crop improvement, such as tolerance to salinity, stability analysis, tolerance to waterlogging, mechanism of drought response, performance in agronomy and tuber quality, nutritional value and productivity, adaptability, increased yield, early maturity, and stress resistance etc. Following the upward trend, MGIDI can be considered as a valuable index technique for selection of crop genotypes that can address food security, climate change, and nutritional quality problems worldwide. We expect that this study will spark more research and use of MGIDI in different crops characteristics, contributing to the improvement of plant breeding science.

Cadmium (Cd) toxicity in agricultural soil is increasing globally and significantly impacts crop production and food safety. Tibetan hull-less barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum), an important staple food and economic crop, exhibits high genetic diversity and is uniquely adapted to the harsh conditions of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. This study utilized hydroponic experiments to evaluate the genotypic differences in Cd tolerance among 71 Tibetan hull-less barley genotypes. Physiological assessments revealed significant reductions in various growth parameters under Cd stress compared to normal conditions: soil–plant analysis development (SPAD) value, shoot height, root length, shoot and root fresh weight, shoot and root dry weight, of 11.74%, 39.69%, 48.09%, 52.88%, 58.39%, 40.59%, and 40.52%, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed key traits contributing to Cd stress responses, explaining 76.81% and 46.56% of the variance in the preliminary and secondary selection. The genotypes exhibited varying degrees of Cd tolerance, with X178, X192, X215, X140, and X162 showing high tolerance, while X38 was the most sensitive based on the integrated score and PCA results. Validation experiments confirmed X178 as the most tolerant genotype and X38 as the most sensitive, with observed variations in morphological, physiological, and biochemical parameters, as well as mineral nutrient responses to Cd stress. Cd-tolerant genotypes exhibited higher chlorophyll content, net photosynthesis rates, and effective photochemical capacity of photosystem II, along with an increased Cd translocation rate and reduced oxidative stress. This was accompanied by elevated activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT), indicating a robust stress response mechanism. These findings could facilitate the development of high-tolerance cultivars, with X178 as a promising candidate for further research and cultivation in Cd-contaminated soils.

Abstract Background Besides fibre production, Corchorus olitorius is considered a nutritional and medicinal plant in traditional medicine. Its leaves possess different antioxidant compounds and display various biological properties. This study optimized the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) parameters like temperature, time, solvent concentration, and liquid–solid ratio for total flavonoids (TFC) and total polyphenols content (TPC) from leaves employing response surface methodology (RSM). Results Findings demonstrated that under the optimized conditions, the highest extraction yield of total flavonoids (7.17 mg QE/g DW) and total polyphenol content (13.92 mg GAE/g DW) were recorded with the ethanol concentration 70.92%, temperature 68.06 °C, liquid–solid ratio 48.80 mL/mg, and ultrasound irradiation time 37.20 min. The optimum value of TFC (6.96 mg QE/g DW) and TPC (13.38 mg GAE/g DW) from the experiment of verification of optimized conditions was close to the predicted value and significantly superior to the conventional heat reflux extraction (HRE). LC–MS and HPLC analysis of the optimized extract from UAE demonstrated the existence of six major phenolic compounds, including chlorogenic acid, isoquercetin, hyperoside, adhyperforin, 1,3-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and 3,4-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid. Furthermore, the antioxidant test of the UAE leaves extract revealed an excellent 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•), 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS+•) and hydroxyl radical scavenging with IC50 values of 226.29, 199.53 and 402.02 µg/mL, respectively, compared to HRE with 336.31 µg/mL, 253.86 µg/mL, 520.08 µg/mL. Conclusions The developed optimization method could contribute to the good recovery of natural antioxidants from C. olitorius in the pharmaceuticals and food industries. Graphical Abstract

Peroxisomes are ubiquitous eukaryotic organelles housing not only many important oxidative metabolic reactions, but also some reductive reactions that are less known. Members of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) superfamily, which are NAD(P)(H)-dependent oxidoreductases, play important roles in plant peroxisomes, including the conversion of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) to indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), auxiliary β-oxidation of fatty acids, and benzaldehyde production. To further explore the function of this family of proteins in the plant peroxisome, we performed an in silico search for peroxisomal SDR proteins from Arabidopsis based on the presence of peroxisome targeting signal peptides. A total of 11 proteins were discovered, among which four were experimentally confirmed to be peroxisomal in this study. Phylogenetic analyses showed the presence of peroxisomal SDR proteins in diverse plant species, indicating the functional conservation of this protein family in peroxisomal metabolism. Knowledge about the known peroxisomal SDRs from other species also allowed us to predict the function of plant SDR proteins within the same subgroup. Furthermore, in silico gene expression profiling revealed strong expression of most SDR genes in floral tissues and during seed germination, suggesting their involvement in reproduction and seed development. Finally, we explored the function of SDRj, a member of a novel subgroup of peroxisomal SDR proteins, by generating and analyzing CRISPR/Cas mutant lines. This work provides a foundation for future research on the biological activities of peroxisomal SDRs to fully understand the redox control of peroxisome functions.

Abstract Background The morning glories (Convolvulaceae) are distributed worldwide and produce economically important crops, medicinal herbs, and ornamentals. Members of this family are diverse in morphological characteristics and trophic modes, including the leafless parasitic Cuscuta (dodders). Organelle genomes were generally used for studying plant phylogeny and genomic variations. Notably, plastomes in parasitic plants always show non-canonical features, such as reduced size and accelerated rates. However, few organelle genomes of this group have been sequenced, hindering our understanding of their evolution, and dodder mitogenome in particular. Results We assembled 22 new mitogenomes and 12 new plastomes in Convolvulaceae. Alongside previously known ones, we totally analyzed organelle genomes of 23 species in the family. Our sampling includes 16 leafy autotrophic species and 7 leafless parasitic dodders, covering 8 of the 12 tribes. Both the plastid and mitochondrial genomes of these plants have encountered variations that were rarely observed in other angiosperms. All of the plastomes possessed atypical IR boundaries. Besides the gene and IR losses in dodders, some leafy species also showed gene and intron losses, duplications, structural variations, and insertions of foreign DNAs. The phylogeny reconstructed by plastid protein coding sequences confirmed the previous relationship of the tribes. However, the monophyly of ‘Merremieae’ and the sister group of Cuscuta remained uncertain. The mitogenome was significantly inflated in Cuscuta japonica, which has exceeded over 800 kb and integrated massive DNAs from other species. In other dodders, mitogenomes were maintained in small size, revealing divergent evolutionary strategies. Mutations unique to plants were detected in the mitochondrial gene ccmFc, which has broken into three fragments through gene fission and splicing shift. The unusual changes likely initially happened to the common ancestor of the family and were caused by a foreign insertion from rosids followed by double-strand breaks and imprecise DNA repairs. The coding regions of ccmFc expanded at both sides after the fission, which may have altered the protein structure. Conclusions Our family-scale analyses uncovered unusual scenarios for both organelle genomes in Convolvulaceae, especially in parasitic plants. The data provided valuable genetic resources for studying the evolution of Convolvulaceae and plant parasitism.

Introduction. Nowadays, health-conscious consumers attend to nutritional, health, and easy-to-use products. Demand for healthy snacks is significantly increasing. Our study aimed to develop high protein nutrition bars by incorporating pumpkin seed flour and banana flour and assess their quality. Study objects and methods. We analyzed three bar samples for nutritional, textural, and sensory quality. The bars contained banana flour, pumpkin seed flour, and the mixed flour. Proximate analysis was performed following the AOAC method. The mineral content and antioxidant properties of the bars were determined by using emission spectrophotometry and the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging modified method, respectively. Results and discussion. The mixed flour nutrition bar had significantly higher total phenolic content and antioxidant activity than the bar with banana flour and the bar with pumpkin seed flour. Textural analysis demonstrated that the mixed flour sample had significantly (P < 0.05) higher hardness and color parameters compared to the other bar samples. Nutritional analysis indicated that mixed flour bar contained significantly higher amounts of protein, fat, and calcium; while pumpkin seed flour bar had higher ash, iron, and magnesium contents. The mixed flour sample also had better sensory parameters. Conclusion. The mixed flour demonstrated good quality. Hence, both banana and pumpkin seed flour have a potential to be used in bar formulations.

Soybean (Glycine max) is a superior plant food known as the miracle golden bean due to its treasure trove of inexpensive and superior protein to high-priced meat protein. Tofu is typically thought of as a salt or acid-coagulated water-based gel containing soy lipids and proteins trapped within its gel networks. Sprouted tofu is easier to digest and contains more nutrients than regular tofu. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the nutritional and sensory quality of tofu. The study was concerned with the preparation of tofu from non-germinated and germinated soybeans of 0 (T0), 2 (T1), 4 (T2) and 6 (T3) days. The length of the radicle was 0.8, 1.5, and 2 inches for T1, T2, and T3, respectively. Lipoxygenase activity, phytate inhibitory activity, urease activity, trypsin inhibitory activity, protein solubility, nutritional, and sensory quality of prepared tofu were all assessed. Longer sprouting times reduced phytate, urease, trypsin, and lipoxygenase activity while increasing protein solubility. Tofu prepared from T3 showed significantly better physicochemical properties than others. Protein, ash, and fat contents were significantly higher in T3. The level of nutrient content for tofu samples was in the rank of T3>T2>T1>T0. The L∗, a∗ and b∗ values were followed the same ranked as nutrient content (T3>T2>T1>T0). Sensory characteristics indicated that T3 was significantly more acceptable to the panelist. This study concludes that tofu made from 6 day sprouted soybeans with a height of 2 inches can be a good source of nutrition for consumers.

Aloe Vera leaves have great potential as an economic supplement with an adequate nutritional profile. The current study aimed to fortify plain (loaf) cakes with Aloe Vera leaf gel (AVG) powder. AVG was freeze-dried to produce Aloe Vera powder (ALP), and four plain (loaf) cakes were prepared with different proportions of ALP (0, 4, 6, and 8%). ALP contained significantly (p < 0.05) more protein (22.23 vs. 12.24), ash (19.83 vs. 0.64), and iron (175 vs. 3.05) than refined wheat flour (RWF). Along with total polyphenols and total flavonoids, ALP demonstrated good antioxidant activity. ALP-cakes and RWF-cakes were also evaluated for their nutritional and functional properties. The addition of 6 and 8% ALP to the formulation increased total polyphenols, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity in plain (loaf) cakes. Hardness and chewiness increased in ALP-cakes but decreased in RWF-cakes, while cohesiveness and springiness decreased in ALP-cakes. In conclusion, the best formulation was a 4% ALP incorporated cake, and ALP can be supplemented in plain cakes at a rate of up to 8% to improve nutrient value. This is the first study to evaluate the quality characteristics of fortified plain (loaf) cakes using ALP.

BackgroundVaccination of teachers is recommended during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the risk of infection for themselves and their students, as well as to encourage their parents to get immunized. The present study investigated the mental health outcomes and associated factors among vaccinated and unvaccinated teachers against COVID-19 infection in Bangladesh.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted in Bangladesh from March 4 to September 9, 2021. The frequency of symptoms of psychological distress, depression, anxiety, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), insomnia, and fear was assessed using the Bangla versions of the GHQ-12, PHQ-2, GAD-2, PSS-4, PC-PTSD-5, ISI, and FCV-19S scales, respectively.ResultsA total of 1,527 Bangladeshi teachers completed the questionnaire, with 678 (44.4%) being vaccinated and 849 (55.6%) being unvaccinated. Compared with unvaccinated teachers, vaccinated teachers had a statistically significant lower prevalence of psychological distress (35.8 vs. 42.9%), depression (37.6 vs. 46.4%), anxiety (31.9 vs. 45.1%), stress (18.3 vs. 32.0%), PTSD (33.0 vs. 43.8%), insomnia (25.2 vs. 36.9%), and fear symptoms (23.3 vs. 29.6%). Among vaccinated teachers, participants with master’s or lower degree levels had significantly higher symptoms of depression, stress, and fear than other education levels. Respondents with children had a significantly higher risk of depression, anxiety, stress, and fear symptoms than those who did not have children. Participants who lost family members, friends, or colleagues due to the COVID-19 pandemic had a significantly higher chance of experiencing symptoms of anxiety, PTSD, and fear than those who did not. On the other hand, unvaccinated male teachers were significantly associated with a higher risk of all mental health outcomes except psychological distress and PTSD symptoms compared to female teachers. Participants who were smokers had a significantly higher chance of anxiety, stress, and fear symptoms than non-smokers. Compared to participants with strong social support, those with poor social support had a higher risk of all mental health outcomes except PTSD symptoms.ConclusionThis study suggests emphasizing the vaccinated to unvaccinated teachers as soon as possible to control the infection and improve mental health outcomes. Vulnerable teachers also required special attention, health-related education, and psychological support.

Fagales are an order of woody plants and comprise more than 1,100 species, most of which produce economically important timbers, nuts, and fruits. Their nuclear and plastid genomes are well-sequenced and provided valuable resources to study their phylogeny, breeding, resistance, etc. However, little is known about the mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes), which hinder a full understanding of their genome evolution. In this study, we assembled complete mitogenomes of 23 species, covering five of the seven families of Fagales. These mitogenomes had similar gene sets but varied 2.4 times in size. The mitochondrial genes were highly conserved, and their capacity in phylogeny was challenging. The mitogenomic structure was extremely dynamic, and synteny among species was poor. Further analyses of the Fagales mitogenomes revealed extremely mosaic characteristics, with horizontal transfer (HGT)-like sequences from almost all seed plant taxa and even mitoviruses. The largest mitogenome, Carpinus cordata, did not have large amounts of specific sequences but instead contained a high proportion of sequences homologous to other Fagales. Independent and unequal transfers of third-party DNA, including nuclear genome and other resources, may partially account for the HGT-like fragments and unbalanced size expansions observed in Fagales mitogenomes. Supporting this, a mitochondrial plasmid-like of nuclear origin was found in Carpinus. Overall, we deciphered the last genetic materials of Fagales, and our large-scale analyses provide new insights into plant mitogenome evolution and size variation.

Plant bioactive compounds have gained global significance in terms of both medicinal and economic ramifications due to being easily accessible and are believed to be effective with fewer side effects. Growing relevant clinical and scientific evidence has become an important criterion for accepting traditional health claims of medicinal plants and also supports the traditional uses of Corchorus as folk medicine. C. capsularis and C. olitorius have broad applications ranging from textile to biocomposite, and young leaves and shoots are used as healthy vegetables and have long been used as traditional remedies for fever, ascites, algesia, liver disorders, piles, and tumors in many cultures. This review systematically summarized and emphasized the nutritional attributes, mostly available bioactive compounds, and biological and potential pharmaceutical properties of C. capsularis and C. olitorius, disclosed to users and non-users. Results suggest that various phytochemicals such as cardiac glycosides, phenols, flavonoids, sterols, lipids, and fatty acids were found or analytically identified in different plant parts (leaf, stem, seed, and root), and many of them are responsible for pharmacological properties and their antitumor, anticancer, antioxidant, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, antiviral, antibacterial, anticonvulsant, antidiabetic and antiobesity, and cardiovascular properties help to prevent and cure many chronic diseases. In addition to their use in traditional food and medicine, their leaves have also been developed for skin care products, and some other possible uses are described. From this review, it is clear that the isolated compounds of both species have great potential to prevent and treat various diseases and be used as functional foods. In conclusion, this comprehensive review establishes a significant reference base for future research into various medical and functional food applications.

Grain shape is one of the important agronomic traits, which is closely related to the yield of rice. A new rice mutant, named small and round grain (srg1), was isolated from an indica cultivar Zhenong 34 by ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis. The microscopic analysis showed that the cell length of spikelet in srg1 was decreased compared with that in wild type (WT), which caused the grain length short. Meanwhile, the grains of srg1 were wider than those of WT because of the increased cell layers in spikelet in the lateral direction. Therefore, the inhibition of cell expansion and increased cell proliferation collectively led to the small and round grain. By map-based cloning, the gene SRG1 was located on the short arm of chromosome 9, which encodes a kinesin-4 protein, represented by the gene LOC_Os09g02650. A single nucleotide polymorphism, occurred in the 16th exon of SRG1, led to premature translation stop in mutant. The cell cycle-related genes were up-regulated in srg1, which conferred that SRG1 controlled grain width through the cell proliferation. Since the role of SRG1 in regulating grain shape was not clarified well before, it is valuable to explore the mechanism of grain development. This study could, hence, provide a morphogenesis and molecular basis for elucidating the function of SRG1, as well as a new germplasm resource for the further study of grain development. Keywords: small and round grain, kinesin-4 protein, gene mapping, rice