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White radish is a nutritious and delectable vegetable that is enjoyed globally. Conventional techniques for monitoring radish growth are arduous and time-consuming, encouraging the development of novel methods for quicker measurements and greater sampling density. This research introduces a mathematical model working on high-resolution images to measure radish’s biophysical properties automatically. A color calibration was performed on the dataset using a color checker panel to minimize the impact of varying light conditions on the RGB images. Subsequently, a Mask-RCNN model was trained to effectively segment different components of the radishes. The observations of the segmented results included leaf length, leaf width, root width, root length, leaf length to width, root length to width, root shoulder color, and root peel color. The automated real-life measurements of these observations were then conducted and compared with actual results. The validation results, based on a set of white radish samples, demonstrated the models’ effectiveness in utilizing images for quantifying phenotypic traits. The average accuracy of the automated method was confirmed to be 96.2% when compared to the manual method.

Kimchi made from small-type (Altari) radishes grown in late spring is more pungent than that made from autumn-grown Altari radishes, which poses a major challenge in the kimchi industry. The mechanism through which the pungency of Altari radish changes seasonally has not been intensively investigated. In this study, three small-type radish cultivars with different pungency levels were cultivated in spring and autumn to identify the factors affecting the seasonal-dependent pungency of small-type radishes. The contents of pungency-related metabolite glucoraphasatin and other polar metabolites were analyzed. Although a previous study reported that the glucoraphasatin concentration affects the pungency of radish, in the current study, the concentration of neither glucoraphasatin nor its hydrolysis product (raphasatin) could fully explain the change in the pungency associated with radish cultivars grown in the two seasons. The change in the pungency of radish by season may be explained by the ratio of raphasatin content to total sweetness of sugars. In addition, the polar metabolites that differ with season were analyzed to identify seasonal biomarkers and understand the seasonal changed physio-biochemistry.

Red radish (Raphanus sativus L.) cultivars are a rich source of health-promoting anthocyanins and are considered a potential source of natural colorants used in the cosmetic industry. However, the development of red radish cultivars via conventional breeding is very difficult, given the unusual inheritance of the anthocyanin accumulation trait in radishes. Therefore, molecular markers linked with radish color are needed to facilitate radish breeding. Here, we characterized the RsTT8 gene isolated from four radish genotypes with different skin and flesh colors. Sequence analysis of RsTT8 revealed a large number of polymorphisms, including insertion/deletions (InDels), single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and simple sequence repeats (SSRs), between the red-fleshed and white-fleshed radish cultivars. To develop molecular markers on the basis of these polymorphisms for discriminating between radish genotypes with different colored flesh tissues, we designed four primer sets specific to the RsTT8 promoter, InDel, SSR, and WD40/acidic domain (WD/AD), and tested these primers on a diverse collection of radish lines. Except for the SSR-specific primer set, all primer sets successfully discriminated between red-fleshed and white-fleshed radish lines. Thus, we developed three molecular markers that can be efficiently used for breeding red-fleshed radish cultivars.

This study aimed to establish a rapid in vitro plant regeneration method from rhizome buds of Kaempferia parviflora to obtain the valuable secondary metabolites with antioxidant and enzyme inhibition properties. The disinfection effect of silver oxide nanoparticles (AgO NPs) on rhizome and effects of plant growth regulators on shoot multiplication and subsequent rooting were investigated. Surface sterilization of rhizome buds with sodium hypochlorite was insufficient to control contamination. However, immersing rhizome buds in 100 mg L−1 AgO NPs for 60 min eliminated contamination without affecting the survival of explants. The number of shoots (12.2) produced per rhizome bud was higher in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 8 µM of 6-Benzyladenine (6-BA) and 0.5 µM of Thidiazuron (TDZ) than other treatments. The highest number of roots (24), with a mean root length of 7.8 cm and the maximum shoot length (9.8 cm), were obtained on medium MS with 2 µM of Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). A survival rate of 98% was attained when plantlets of K. parviflora were acclimatized in a growth room. Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to determine the chemical profile of K. parviflora leaf extracts. Results showed that several biologically active flavonoids reported in rhizomes were also present in leaf tissues of both in vitro cultured and ex vitro (greenhouse-grown) plantlets of K. parviflora. We found 40 and 36 compounds in in vitro cultured and ex vitro grown leaf samples, respectively. Greenhouse leaves exhibited more potent antioxidant activities than leaves from in vitro cultures. A higher acetylcholinesterase inhibitory ability was obtained for greenhouse leaves (1.07 mg/mL). However, leaves from in vitro cultures exhibited stronger butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory abilities. These results suggest that leaves of K. parviflora, as major byproducts of black ginger cultivation, could be used as valuable alternative sources for extracting bioactive compounds.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of plant growth regulators, sucrose concentration, and the number of subcultures on axillary shoot multiplication, in vitro flowering, and somaclonal variation and to assess the phytochemical composition, antioxidant capacity, and enzyme inhibitory potential of in vitro-established callus, somaclonal variant, and normal green shoots of Catharanthus roseus. The highest shoot induction rate (95.8%) and highest number of shoots (23.6), with a mean length of 4.5 cm, were attained when the C. roseus nodal explants (0.6&ndash, 1 cm in length) were cultivated in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 2 &micro, M thidiazuron, 1 &micro, M 2-(1-naphthyl) acetic acid (NAA), and 4% sucrose. The in vitro flowering of C. roseus was affected by sucrose, and the number of subcultures had a significant effect on shoot multiplication and somaclonal variation. The highest levels of phenolics and flavonoids were found in normal green shoots, followed by those in somaclonal variant shoots and callus. The phytochemicals in C. roseus extracts were qualified using liquid chromatography&ndash, tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 39, 55, and 59 compounds were identified in the callus, somaclonal variant shoot, and normal green shoot tissues, respectively. The normal green shoot extracts exhibited the best free radical scavenging ability and reducing power activity. The strongest acetylcholinesterase inhibitory effects were found in the callus, with an IC50 of 0.65 mg/mL.

The influence of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), benzyladenine (BA), and thidiazuron (TDZ) on direct rhizome induction and shoot formation from rhizome explants of Cymbidium goeringii was explored. Rhizome segments obtained from in vitro seed cultures of C. goeringii were placed on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium incorporated with 5, 10, 20, or 40 µM 2,4-D and 1, 2, 4, or 8 µM BA or TDZ alone or in combination with 20 µM 2,4-D. The explants developed only rhizomes on MS medium with or without 2,4-D. The highest percent of rhizome formation (100%) was obtained on MS medium incorporated with 20 μM of 2,4-D. The morphology and number of rhizomes varied with the level of 2,4-D in the medium. Direct adventitious shoot formation was achieved on medium incorporated with BA or TDZ. The adventitious shoots produced per explant significantly increased with the supplementation of 2,4-D to cytokinin-containing medium. The highest mean of 21.8 ± 1.8 shoot buds per rhizome segment was obtained in medium fortified with 20 μM 2,4-D and 2 μM TDZ. The greatest percent of root induction (100%) and the mean of 5.3 ± 1.1 roots per shoot were achieved on ½ MS medium incorporated with 2 μM of α-naphthaleneacetic acid. About 97% of the in vitro-produced plantlets acclimatized in the greenhouse. An efficient in vitro propagation protocol was thus developed for C. goeringii using rhizome explants.

Radish (Raphanus sativus) is an economically important vegetable crop in Asia. Here, we assessed the genetic diversity of 126 F1 cultivars using 29 agronomic traits and 60 SSR markers. The 126 F1 cultivars are composed of 105 from Korea, 17 from Japan, and 4 from China. To assess the phenotypic diversity of 126 F1 cultivars, 29 agronomic traits were recorded from seedling stage to harvest, and analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis. The nine principal components (PC1-PC9) explained approximately 72% of the total variance of the 126 cultivars, and the first two PCs accounted for approximately 34%. The first PC represented “root shape to determine the harvest time”, and the second PC represented “coloration of plant”. Cluster analysis of 126 cultivars based on 29 agronomic traits resulted in three main groups in accordance with morphological affinity. To assess the genotypic diversity, we analyzed 126 F1 cultivars using 60 SSR markers. 226 polymorphic amplified fragments were obtained and the average of PIC value was 0.61. In UPGMA analysis, 126 cultivars were classified into seven groups at the Jaccard’s coefficient of 0.47. 29 agronomic traits and 60 SSR markers successfully discriminated all the 126 cultivars, respectively. We examined the correlation between distance matrices of 29 agronomic traits and 60 SSRs using the Mantel test. The two data sets were significantly correlated (r = 0.527, p = 0.0001). These results would be valuable for cultivar identification and genetic diversity analysis in cultivated radishes.

The genus Ajuga L., belonging to Lamiaceae family, is widespread. The demand for Ajuga species has risen sharply because of their medicinal, ornamental, and pharmacological properties. These wide-ranging plants are being rapidly depleted due to over-collection for ornamental and medicinal purposes, as well as by habitat destruction and deforestation. Ajuga boninsimae, A. bracteosa, A. ciliate, A. genevensis, A. incisa, A. makinoi, A. multiflora, A. pyramidalis, A. shikotanensis, A. reptans, and A. vestita are categorized and protected as endangered plants. In vitro plant culture has therefore emerged for the conservation and mass clonal propagation of rare plants. This mini-review covers the current in vitro scenario in the propagation of Ajuga species. Adventitious or axillary shoots are initiated on the leaf, petiole and internodes, as well as roots, nodes, and shoot tip explants. Shoot induction is predominantly dependent on plant growth regulators added to the culture medium. Full- or half-strength Murashige and Skoog medium with or without auxin is used for in vitro rooting. Rooted shoots need to be acclimatized in the greenhouse with an estimated 82-100% survival rate.

Lettuce plants tend to undergo floral initiation by elongation of flower stalks (bolting) under high-temperature and long-day conditions, which is a serious problem for summer lettuce production. Our objective was to generate a high-density genetic map using SNPs obtained from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) analysis of F5 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and to map QTLs involved in stem growth and flowering time in lettuce. A set of 127 intra-specific RIL mapping populations derived from a cross between two varieties, green and red leaf lettuce, were used to identify QTLs related to the number of days from sowing to bolting (DTB), to flowering of the first flower (DTF), to seed-setting of the first flower (DTS), and the total number of leaves (LN), plant height (PH), and total number of branches of main inflorescence (BN) for two consecutive years. Of the 15 QTLs detected, one that controls DTB, DTF, DTS, LN, and PH detected on LG 7, and another QTL that controls DTF, DTS, and PH detected on LG 1. Analysis of the genomic sequence corresponding to the QTL detected on LG 7 led to the identification of 22 putative candidate genes. A consistent QTL related to bolting and flowering time, and corresponding candidate genes has been reported. This study will be valuable in revealing the genetic basis of stem growth and flowering time in lettuce.

Fusarium wilt (FW) is a fungal disease that causes severe yield losses in radish production. The most effective method to control the FW is the development and use of resistant varieties in cultivation. The identification of marker loci linked to FW resistance are expected to facilitate the breeding of disease-resistant radishes. In the present study, we applied an integrated framework of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) to identify FW resistance loci among a panel of 225 radish accessions, including 58 elite breeding lines. Phenotyping was conducted by manual inoculation of seedlings with the FW pathogen, and scoring for the disease index was conducted three weeks after inoculation during two constitutive years. The GWAS analysis identified 44 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and twenty putative candidate genes that were significantly associated with FW resistance. In addition, a total of four QTLs were identified from F2 population derived from a FW resistant line and a susceptible line, one of which was co-located with the SNPs on chromosome 7, detected in GWAS study. These markers will be valuable for molecular breeding programs and marker-assisted selection to develop FW resistant varieties of R. sativus.

Radish (Raphanus sativus L.) is cultivated for the production of leafy and root vegetables and is one of the most economically important vegetables in Asia. Plastic film mulches are often used to improve vegetable yield. However, their effects on radish root zone temperature (RZT) and yield have not been well evaluated. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of RZT, as affected by different colored plastic mulches, on the growth and bolting of radish. Treatments were composed of three plastic film mulches (transparent, black, and green) with bare soil as a control. Two cultivation trials were conducted in spring and fall. For spring planting, the soil heat accumulation and the mean diurnal trend of RZT were the highest in the transparent group, followed by black, green, and bare soil. Moreover, film mulching significantly increased the root length, root diameter, and root weight compared to those in bare soil. The mean, maximal, and minimal RZTs at three different stages (seedling, shooting, and mature stages) were also measured and significant differences were found at seedling and shooting stages, but not at the mature stage. Thus, when the foliage of radish covered the top of the row at the mature stage, soil heat accumulation was possibly less affected by direct solar radiation. In the beginning of spring, the temperature often decreased to

In this study, we propose a deep learning method to segment plants in images. The deep learning method is composed of a contracting path and expanding path. The contracting path learns high level feature representation of images and the expanding path interprets the high level features and generates segmentation maps. The proposed method is trained and validated, via five-fold cross validation, using images of radish seedlings. The method achieved 99.15% accuracy and 0.9790 Dice coefficient, suggesting that deep learning could play a significant role in processing and analyzing plant images.

RNA silencing is an evolutionarily conserved system that functions as an antiviral mechanism in eukaryotes, including higher plants. To counteract this, several plant viruses express silencing suppressors that inhibit RNA silencing in host plants. Here, we show that both 2b protein from peanut stunt virus (PSV) and a hairpin construct (designated hp-RDR6) that silences endogenous RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 6 (RDR6) strongly suppress RNA silencing. The Agrobacterium infiltration system was used to demonstrate that both PSV 2b and hp-RDR6 suppressed local RNA silencing as strongly as helper component (HC-Pro) from potato virus Y (PVY) and P19 from tomato bush stunt virus (TBSV). The 2b protein from PSV eliminated the small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) associated with RNA silencing and prevented systemic silencing, similar to 2b protein from cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). On the other hand, hp-RDR6 suppressed RNA silencing by inhibiting the generation of secondary siRNAs. The small coat protein (SCP) of squash mosaic virus (SqMV) also displayed weak suppression activity of RNA silencing. Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer was used to investigate whether viral silencing suppressors or hp-RDR6 enhanced accumulations of green fluorescence protein (GFP) and β-glucuronidase (GUS) as markers of expression in leaf tissues of Nicotina benthamiana. Expression of both GFP and GUS was significantly enhanced in the presence of PSV 2b or CMV 2b, compared to no suppression or the weak SqMV SCP suppressor. Co-expression with hp-RDR6 also significantly increased the expression of GFP and GUS to levels similar to those induced by PVY HC-Pro and TBSV P19.

Rice (Oryza sativa) is the predominant staple food crop belonging to the Poaceae family. In this study, complete chloroplast genome sequence of O. sativa aus-type variety Nagina-22 was characterized through de novo assembly. The genome is a circular DNA molecule of 134,503 bp and has typical quadripartite structures including large single copy region (80,548 bp), small single copy region (12,347 bp), and a pair of inverted repeats (20,804 bp). A total of 120 genes were predicted in the genome, including 77 protein-coding genes, 8 open reading frame genes, 31 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed a close taxonomical relationship with O. sativa ssp. Indica species.

We developed a coherent scattering microscope (CSM) for actinic EUV mask inspection. The CSM system was designed to measure critical dimensions down to 88 nm, and 200 nm l/s patterns were experimentally inspected.

Recently, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have gained much attention. In particular, there is a growing interest in utilizing UAVs for agricultural applications such as crop monitoring and management. We propose a computerized system that is capable of detecting Fusarium wilt of radish with high accuracy. The system adopts computer vision and machine learning techniques, including deep learning, to process the images captured by UAVs at low altitudes and to identify the infected radish. The whole radish field is first segmented into three distinctive regions (radish, bare ground, and mulching film) via a softmax classifier and K-means clustering. Then, the identified radish regions are further classified into healthy radish and Fusarium wilt of radish using a deep convolutional neural network (CNN). In identifying radish, bare ground, and mulching film from a radish field, we achieved an accuracy of ≥97.4%. In detecting Fusarium wilt of radish, the CNN obtained an accuracy of 93.3%. It also outperformed the standard machine learning algorithm, obtaining 82.9% accuracy. Therefore, UAVs equipped with computational techniques are promising tools for improving the quality and efficiency of agriculture today.