Search

Abstract Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) are a vital pest that causes significant yield losses and economic damage to potato plants. The use of chemical pesticides to control these nematodes has led to environmental concerns and the development of resistance in the nematode populations. Endophytic fungi offer an eco-friendly alternative to control these pests and produce secondary metabolites that have nematicidal activity against RKNs. The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy of Aspergillus flavus (ON146363), an entophyte fungus isolated from Trigonella foenum-graecum seeds, against Meloidogyne incognita in filtered culture broth using GC–MS analysis. Among them, various nematicidal secondary metabolites were produced: Gadoleic acid, Oleic acid di-ethanolamide, Oleic acid, and Palmitic acid. In addition, biochemical compounds such as Gallic acid, Catechin, Protocatechuic acid, Esculatin, Vanillic acid, Pyrocatechol, Coumarine, Cinnamic acid, 4, 3-indol butyl acetic acid and Naphthyl acetic acid by HPLC. The fungus was identified through morphological and molecular analysis, including ITS 1–4 regions of ribosomal DNA. In vitro experiments showed that culture filtrate of A. flavus had a variable effect on reducing the number of egg hatchings and larval mortality, with higher concentrations showing greater efficacy than Abamectin. The fungus inhibited the development and multiplication of M. incognita in potato plants, reducing the number of galls and eggs by 90% and 89%, respectively. A. flavus increased the activity of defense-related enzymes Chitinas, Catalyse, and Peroxidase after 15, 45, and 60 days. Leaching of the concentrated culture significantly reduced the second juveniles’ stage to 97% /250 g soil and decreased the penetration of nematodes into the roots. A. flavus cultural filtrates via soil spraying improved seedling growth and reduced nematode propagation, resulting in systemic resistance to nematode infection. Therefore, A. flavus can be an effective biological control agent for root-knot nematodes in potato plants. This approach provides a sustainable solution for farmers and minimizes the environmental impact.

Abstract Between 2016 and 2018, the Agriculture Research Center's Sakha Agriculture Research Station conducted two rounds of pedigree selection on a segregating population of cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) using the F2, F3, and F4 generations resulting from crossing Giza 94 and Suvin. In 2016, the top 5% of plants from the F2 population were selected based on specific criteria. The superior families from the F3 generation were then selected to produce the F4 families in 2017, which were grown in the 2018 summer season in single plant progeny rows and bulk experiments with a randomized complete block design of three replications. Over time, most traits showed increased mean values in the population, with the F2 generation having higher Genotypic Coefficient of Variance (GCV) and Phenotypic Coefficient of Variance (PCV) values compared to the succeeding generations for the studied traits. The magnitude of GCV and PCV in the F3 and F4 generations was similar, indicating that genotype had played a greater role than the environment. Moreover, the mean values of heritability in the broad sense increased from generation to generation. Selection criteria I2, I4, and I5 were effective in improving most of the yield and its component traits, while selection criterion I1 was efficient in improving earliness traits. Most of the yield and its component traits showed a positive and significant correlation with each other, highlighting their importance in cotton yield. This suggests that selecting to improveone or more of these traits would improve the others. Families number 9, 13, 19, 20, and 21 were the best genotypes for relevant yield characters, surpassing the better parent, check variety, and giving the best values for most characters. Therefore, the breeder could continue to use these families in further generations as breeding genotypes to develop varieties with high yields and its components.

Abstract Nanotechnology is one of the fastest-growing markets, but developing eco-friendly products, their maximum production, stability, and higher yield is a challenge. In this study, silver nanoparticles were synthesized using an easily available resource, leaves extract of the Neem (Azadirachta indica) plant, as a reducing and capping agent, determined their effect on germination and growth of tomato plants. The maximum production of silver nanoparticles was noted at 70 °C after 3 h of reaction time while treating the 10 ml leaf extract of Neem plant with 10 ml of 1 mM silver nitrate. The impact of the extract preparation method and solvent type on the plant mediated fabrication of silver nanoparticles was also investigated. The UV-spectrophotometric analysis confirmed the synthesis of silver nanoparticles and showed an absorption spectrum within Δ420–440 nm range. The size of the fabricated silver nanoparticles was 22–30 nm. The functional groups such as ethylene, amide, carbonyl, methoxy, alcohol, and phenol attached to stabilize the nanoparticles were observed using the FTIR technique. SEM, EDX, and XRD analyses were performed to study the physiochemical characteristics of synthesized nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles increased the germination rate of tomato seeds up to 70% while decreasing the mean germination time compared to the control. Silver nanoparticles applied at varying concentrations significantly increased the shoot length (25 to 80%), root length (10 to 60%), and fresh biomass (10 to 80%) biomass of the tomato plant. The production of total chlorophyll, carotenoid, flavonoids, soluble sugar, and protein was significantly increased in tomato plants treated with 5 and 10 ppm silver nanoparticles compared to the control. Green synthesized silver nanoparticles are cost-effective and nontoxic and can be applied in agriculture, biomedical, and other fields.

Corona has severely impacted many sectors in the past 2. 5 years, and forests are one of the major hits among all sectors affected by the pandemic. This study presents the consolidated data on deforestation patterns across the globe during COVID and also analyzes in depth the region-specific contributing factors. Exacerbated deforestation during COVID alarms biodiversity conservation concerns and pushes back the long-term efforts to combat pollution and climate change mitigation. Deforestation also increases the risk of the emergence of new zoonotic diseases in future, as deforestation and COVID are intricately related to each other. Therefore, there is a need to check deforestation and inculcation of conservation measures in building back better policies adopted post-COVID. This review is novel in specifically providing insight into the implications of COVID-19 on forests in tropical as well as temperate global regions, causal factors, green policies given by different nations, and recommendations that will help in designing nature-based recovery strategies for combating deforestation and augmenting afforestation, thus providing better livelihood, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and better environmental quality.

Abstract Milk contaminated with mycotoxins is a significant issue affecting human health, especially in infants. The current study aimed to investigate the presence of mycotoxins in milk collected from women farmers' vendors (WFV), and to evaluate certain herbal plant fibers as green mycotoxin binders. Moreover, explore the binding efficiency ratios of mycotoxins using shaking or soaking process incorporated with herbal extracts. Furthermore, compare the taste evaluations of tested milk are enriched with herbal extracts. Results indicated that the fumonisins were not detected in the collected cow milk samples but realized a 25% occurrence ratio in buffalo's milk samples. A high occurrence ratio of aflatoxin M1 (aflaM1) was observed in buffalo and cow milk samples. The soaking process of plant fibers in contaminated milk overnight significantly degrades and adsorbs mycotoxins particles. The shacking process incorporated with plant fibers exhibited more effectiveness in mycotoxins degradation than soaking or shacking processes alone. The speed of shacking process played an important role in the mycotoxin's binding process. All the tested plant fibers effectively reduced all mycotoxin presence in contaminated milk, especially green tea, during the soaking or shacking process. Moreover, the shacking process incorporated with plant fibers promoted and supported the mycotoxins degradation process.

Abstract It is crucial to understand how targeted traits in a hybrid breeding program are influenced by gene activity and combining ability. During the three growing seasons of 2015, 2016, and 2017, a field study was conducted with twelve cotton genotypes, comprised of four testers and eight lines. Thirty-two F1 crosses were produced in the 2015 breeding season using the line x tester mating design. The twelve genotypes and their thirty-two F1 crosses were then evaluated in 2016 and 2017. The results demonstrated highly significant differences among cotton genotypes for all the studied traits, showing a wide range of genetic diversity in the parent genotypes. Additionally, the line-x-tester interaction was highly significant for all traits, suggesting the impact of both additive and non-additive variations in gene expression. Furthermore, the thirty-two cotton crosses showed high seed cotton output, lint cotton yield, and fiber quality, such as fiber length values exceeding 31 mm and a fiber strength above 10 g/tex. Accordingly, selecting lines and testers with high GCA effects and crosses with high SCA effects would be an effective approach to improve the desired traits in cotton and develop new varieties with excellent yield and fiber quality.

Assessment of heavy metals fractions in soils irrigated with wastewater can directly reflect their bioavailability and contamination level in soil depths. The present study was conducted to assess the heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Mn, and Fe) fractionation in agricultural soils illegally irrigated with El-Saff wastewater drain, southern Giza Governorate, Egypt. Generally, practices of wastewater irrigation increased pH values in the deeper depths of irrigated soils. Results revealed that long-term wastewater irrigation profoundly affected the studied heavy metals fractions in soil depths. Generally, the ranges of studied heavy metals concentrations in soils irrigated with wastewater were apparently different. All fractions were significantly higher in the upper soil depths (0–60 cm and 30–60 cm) than the deeper depths. (60–90 cm and 90–120 cm). Heavy metals concentrations varied in the soils as Fe > Mn > Cu > Pb > Cd after irrigation. The heavy metals fractions were dominant in the residual form followed by oxides bound and organically bound fractions. Lower contents of heavy metals in the soil were obtained in the exchangeable fraction. Wastewater irrigation resulted in the transformation of heavy metals into different fractions as residual > oxide associated > organically bound > carbonate associated > exchangeable form. Monitoring of heavy metals concentration in El-Saff wastewater effluent is periodically required.

Abstract Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are a powerful disinfectant, but little information is available on their potential use as a growth promoter and the safety margin of this. In this study, 480 1-day-old Cobb chicks were assigned to one control and three treated groups. The treated groups were supplemented with silver-doped silica nanoparticles (SiO2@AgNPs) at three dietary levels (8, 16, and 20 mg/kg diet) for 35 days. The results revealed no significant changes in the growth performance and oxidative parameters, and in most of the hematological and biochemical parameters among the control and treated groups. In contrast, dose-dependent adverse effects were exerted on the histopathological structure and immunohistochemical expression of CD45 in liver, kidneys, and lymphoid organs (spleen, bursa, and thymus). In addition, the relative weight of lymphoid organs and the serum levels of immunoglobulins M and G were significantly diminished. Moreover, the gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-β1 and TNF-α) and the ultrastructural morphology in breast muscle showed significant dose-dependent alterations. It could be concluded that the dietary supplementation of SiO2@AgNPs at a level of 8 mg/kg diet or more has dose-dependent proinflammatory and immunosuppressive effects on broiler chickens.

Abstract To generate high-yielding cultivars with favorable fiber quality traits, cotton breeders can use information about combining ability and gene activity within a population to locate elite parents and potential F1 crosses. To this end, in the current study, twelve cotton parents (eight genotypes as female parents and four testers) and their F1 crosses obtained utilizing the linex tester mating design were evaluated for their general and specialized combining abilities (GCA and SCA, respectively) of yield traits. The findings showed that for all the investigated variables, variances owing to genotypes, parents, crosses, and parent vs cross showed extremely significant (P ≤ 0.01) differences. Additionally, throughout the course of two growing seasons, the mean squares for genotypes (parents and crosses) showed strong significance for all the variables under study. The greatest and most desired means for all the examined qualities were in the parent G.94, Pima S6, and tester G.86. The best crossings for the qualities examined were G.86 (G.89 × G.86), G.93 × Suvin, and G.86 × Suvin. The parents' Suvin, G89x G86 and TNB were shown to have the most desired general combining ability effects for seed cotton yield/plant, lint yield/plant, boll weight, number of bolls/plants, and lint index, while Suvin, G.96 and pima S6 were preferred for favored lint percentage. For seed cotton yield, lint percentage, boll weight, and number of bolls per plant per year, the cross-G.86 x (G.89 × G.86) displayed highly significant specific combining ability impacts. The crosses G.86 × Suvin, Kar x TNB, G.93 × Suvin, and G.93 × TNB for all the studied traits for each year and their combined were found to have highly significant positive heterotic effects relative to better parent, and they could be used in future cotton breeding programs for improving the studied traits.

Potato cyst nematodes caused by Globodera rostochiensis, are quarantine-restricted pests causing significant yield losses to potato growers. The phytohormone ethylene play significant roles in various plant-pathogen interactions, however, the molecular knowledge of how ethylene influences potato–nematode interaction is still lacking. Precise detection of potato-induced genes is essential for recognizing plant-induced systemic resistance (ISR). Candidate genes or PR- proteins with putative functions in modulating the response to potato cyst nematode stress were selected and functionally characterized. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we measured the quantified expression of four pathogenesis-related (PR) genes, PR2, PR3, peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase. The activation of these genes is intermediate during the ISR signaling in the root tissues. Using different ethylene concentrations could detect and induce defense genes in infected potato roots compared to the control treatment. The observed differences in the gene expression of treated infected plants are because of different concentrations of ethylene treatment and pathogenicity. Besides, the overexpressed or suppressed of defense- related genes during developmental stages and pathogen infection. We concluded that ethylene treatments positively affected potato defensive genes expression levels against cyst nematode infection. The results emphasize the necessity of studying molecular signaling pathways controlling biotic stress responses. Understanding such mechanisms will be critical for the development of broad-spectrum and stress-tolerant crops in the future.

Rice straw ash (RSA) geopolymer adobe bricks were produced using the geopolymerization reaction among the RSA, soil, and alkaline activator at the Biosystem Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, Egypt, to optimize adobe brick advantages. The bulk density, water absorption, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity of the new composite were measured at RSA contents of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 20% and sodium hydroxide contents of 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10% after curing the composite for 28 days. Results indicated that increasing RSA from 0% to 20% increased the compressive strength and decreased the bulk density, water absorption, and thermal conductivity. Further, increasing sodium hydroxide from 2.5% to 10% increased the bulk density and compressive strength and decreased the water absorption. Significant effects of RSA and sodium hydroxide percentages and their interaction on all the studied characters were reported. The best conditions to minimize bulk density, water absorption, thermal conductivity, and optimize compressive strength of the composite were at 10% sodium hydroxide and 20% RSA. The minimum bulk density, water absorption, and thermal conductivity were 1.463 g/cm3, 8.3%, and 0.46 W/(m·K), respectively, while the maximum CS was 2.1 MPa after 28 days. Using RSA geopolymer adobe bricks on building interior walls is recommended to decrease bricks' thermal conductivity, water absorption, and weight.

Nanoparticles have a positive impact in several subjects especially in agriculture, while their safety is still being debated. Numerous commercial nano pesticide, insecticides, and fertilizers products are found in the local markets without any intensely studies on the side effect of these products on plant, human as well as environmental effects. The present study aimed to evaluate the genotoxicity of commercial amino zinc nanoparticles (AZ NPs) on Triticum aestivum L. during seeds germination and root elongation using concentration ranges (50, 100, and 150 ppm) at different exposure times (8, 16 and 24 hrs). Long term exposure to AZ NPs, exhibited only slight variation in germination rates and the elongation of roots was affected by AZ NPs treatment ranged from 97.66 to 100%. Significant reduction in the mitotic index was 35.33% after 24 hrs and 150 ppm of AZ NPs, was also observed comparing with control which was 88.0%. Genotoxicity was evaluated at a cytological level in root meristems that revealed sever variations in mitotic activity, chromosomal aberrations, and micronuclei release. Results exhibited that nano amino zinc could enter effortlessly into the cells and inhibit the normal cellular function. The decrease in the emergence of chromosomal aberrations resulting from AZ NPs exposure in a dose-dependent manner was clearly indicated that AZ NPs has induced genotoxic effect on wheat root tips.

Sugar beet productivity is highly constrained by the root-knot nematode (RKN) Meloidogyne incognita. Eight sugar beet genotypes were screened under greenhouse conditions for their susceptibility to M. incognita according to an adapted quantitative scheme for assignment Canto-Saenz’s host suitability (resistance) designations (AQSCS). Besides, the degree of susceptibility or tolerance of the examined genotypes was recorded by the modified host-parasite index (MHPI) scale based on yield performance. In addition, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was also determined. Sugar beet genotypes have been classified into four categories for their susceptibility or tolerance according to the AQSCS scale. The first category, the moderately resistant (MR) group implies only one variety named SVH 2015, which did not support nematode reproduction (RF≤1), and had less root damage (GI≈2). Second, the tolerant group (T) involving Lilly and Halawa KWS supported fairly high nematode reproduction (RF>1) with relatively plant damage (GI≤2). Whereas the susceptible (S) category involved four varieties, FARIDA, Lammia KWS, Polat, and Capella, which supported nematode reproduction factor (RF>1) with high plant damage (GI>2). The fourth category refers to the highly susceptible (HYS) varieties such as Natura KWS that showed (RF≤1) and very high plant damage (GI>2). However, the MHPI scale showed that Lammia KWS variety was shifted from the (S) category to the (T) category. Results revealed significant differences among genotypes regarding disease severity, yield production, and quality traits. The SVH 2015 variety exhibited the lowest disease index values concerning population density with 800/250 cm3 soils, RF=2, root damage/gall index (GI=1.8), gall size (GS=2.3), gall area (GA=3.7), damage index (DI=3.4), susceptibility rate (SR=2.4), and MHP index (MHPI=2.5). However, Lammia KWS showed the highest disease index values regarding population density with 8890/250 cm3 soils, RF= 22.2, GI= 4.8, and SR= 14.1. Meanwhile, Natura KWS the highest GS, GA and MHPI with 7.1, 8 and 20.9, respectively. The lowest DI was achieved by Capella (DI= 6) followed by Lammia KWS (DI= 5.9). For yield production, and quality traits, SVH 2015 exhibited the lowest reductions of sugar yields/beet's root with 11.1%. While Natura KWS had the highest reduction with 79.3%, as well as it showed the highest reduction in quality traits; including sucrose, T.S.S, and purity with 65, 27.3, and 51.9%, respectively. The amino acid alignment and prediction of the DNA sequences revealed the presence of five SNPs among all sugar beet verities.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the important cereal crops along with wheat and rice worldwide. The purpose of this study was to use classical genetic approaches to assess the resistance of various maize parents and hybrids to the northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) disease in two different locations in Egypt. Eight parents, 28 F1, and 2 check hybrids were evaluated. The analysis of variance showed high significant variations between maize parents and their hybrids for the studied parameters and NCLB disease, besides there are significant variations between both locations. Results of maize parents showed that Sids 63, Giza 602, and Giza 628 cultivars exhibited the highest values and were resistant to NCLB in both locations comparing with Nubaria 39 and Gemmiza 18 that were susceptible to NCLB disease. Concerning the maize hybrids, analysis of variance and mean squares of growth characters in both locations indicated high significant variations between the maize hybrids including the check hybrids. When combined between the two locations for current parameters against NCLB, the data pointed that the Sakha location values for maize hybrids were much closed to the combining data in parents and the hybrids detected high resistance to this disease comparing with Nubaria location. All tested maize lines (38 lines), including parents and hybrids were classified as follows, two lines were rated as 1 (highly resistant), three were rated as 2 (resistant), sixteen were rated as 3 (moderate resistant), eight were rated 4 (moderately susceptible) and nine were rated 5 (susceptible). The data explaining that the crossing between high resistant maize cultivars produced high levels of resistance to NCLB disease. Therefore, our results verified that classical breeding could efficiently increase the resistance levels of maize germplasm against NCLB disease by developing new cultivars with superior performance in terms of grain yield, disease resistance and grain quality.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to test the nematicidal activity of extracts of two marine algae (Colpomenia sinuosa and Corallina mediterranea) and their synthesized silver nanoparticles against root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita) that infest tomato plants. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that nanoparticles had aggregated into anisotropic Ag particles, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the particle sizes were less than 40 nm. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis revealed that the obtained nanoparticles had a sharp absorbance between 440 and 4000 cm−1, with 13 distinct peaks ranging from 474 to 3915 cm−1. Methylene chloride extracts and nanoparticles synthesized from both algae species were used to treat M. incognita. C. sinuosa nanoparticles had the highest nematicidal activity of any treatment. Furthermore, and in contrast to other treatments, C. sinuosa nanoparticles reduced the number of nematode galls, egg-masses per root, and eggs/egg mass, while also improving plant growth parameters. C. sinuosa's methylene chloride extract was more active than C. mediterranea's, and the most effective eluent of this solvent was hexane: methylene chloride: ethyl acetate (1: 0.5: 0.5, v/v/v). When applied to M. incognita, the third fraction of this eluent was the most effective, resulting in 87.5% mortality after 12 h and 100% mortality after 24 and 72 h of exposure. The presence of seven bioactive constituents was discovered during the analysis of this fraction. In conclusion, the silver nanoparticles synthesized from C. sinuosa could be used as alternative chemical nematicides.

Tissue culture methods are useful in assessing the tolerance of various stresses due to the ease of controlling stress under in vitro conditions. This study aimed to investigate the response of sugarcane genotyps to drought stress using calli as a model system. For inducing sugarcane callus, the medium of Murashige and Skoog (MS) was used with different mannitol concentrations (100, 200, and 300 mM) to measure their effects on callus frequency, the day of callus initiation, embryogenic potential, relative growth rate (RGR), water and proline contents, K+ and Na+ contents, as well as the formation of shoot and roots for three sugarcane genotypes (e.g., GT 54-9, G 84-47, and pH 8013). The RAPD-PCR analysis was carried out using five oligonucleotide primers to identify the genetic variation among sugarcane genotypes. The results indicated that the degree of callus proliferation varied from 70 − 86%. The highest value of callus proliferation, PGR, shoot formation was recorded for the genotype GT 54-9 compared to the other two genotypes (G 84-47 and pH 8013). Calli treated with 100 mM mannitol showed the highest RGR, proline and waer contents for the genotype GT 54-9, while, those treated with 300 mM recorded the lowest values of these parameters for the genotype pH 8013. The genotype G 84-47 collected highest Na+ content, while the genotype pH 8013 collected highest K+ content. The results of this study recommend preference for GT 54-9 genotype, which is considered the most promising genotype, showing more tolerance to drought stress based on all studied traits.

Materials with multifunctional surface, such as UV shielding, self-cleaning or antimicrobial properties have been highly desirable. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and nanocomposite nanoparticles (NPs) composed of metallic silver/titanium dioxide (Ag0/TiO2) were prepared. Both of TiO2 nanoparticles and Ag0/TiO2 nanocomposite were coated onto the surface polyester fabric utilizing the straightforward pad-dry-curing technique. The morphological properties and elemental composition were determined utilizing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The resultant materials demonstrated photocatalytic and antimicrobial properties. The photocatalytic performance was studied using the photochemical destruction of methylene blue, while the antimicrobial activity was recorded against Escherichia coli. The performance of polyester fabrics comprising Ag0/TiO2 nanocomposite particles was much better than those containing pure anatase TiO2 nanoparticles.

Salinity is one of the major plant abiotic stresses increasing over time worldwide. The most important biological role of nitric oxide (NO) in plants is related to their development and growth under abiotic conditions. The present experiment was conducted to study the effect of salt stress (0 and 100 mM) and NO (0 and 80 μM) on two different ecotypes of Brassica rapa (L.): PTWG-HL and PTWG-PK. The different growth attributes, biochemical and physiological parameters, and the mineral contents were examined. The results indicated increased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), relative membrane permeability, malondialdehyde (MDA), and Na+ content and decreased plant biomass in both ecotypes (PTWG-PK and PTWG-HL) under salt stress. In contrast, NO treatment resulted in increased plant biomass, chlorophyll content, and total soluble proteins and decreased H2O2, relative membrane permeability, MDA, total phenolic content, catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and Na+. The combined effect of salt stress and NO application increased the chlorophyll a content, total phenolic content, and total soluble proteins, but decreased H2O2, relative membrane permeability, MDA, and Na+. The response of carotenoids, anthocyanins, and K+, Ca2+, and Cl− ions varied in both ecotypes under all treatment conditions. The PTWG-PK ecotype showed maximum overall growth response with the application of NO. Henceforth, it is proposed that the molecular mechanisms associated with NO-induced stress tolerance in plants may be exploited to attain sustainability in agriculture under changing climate scenarios.

Nitrogen (N) is an important macro-nutrient required for crop production and is considered an important commodity for agricultural systems. Urea is a vital source of N that is used widely across the globe to meet crop N requirements. However, N applied in the form of urea is mostly lost in soil, posing serious economic and environmental issues. Therefore, different approaches such as the application of urea coated with different substances are used worldwide to reduce N losses. Urea coating is considered an imperative approach to enhance crop production and reduce the corresponding nitrogen losses along with its impact on the environment. In addition, given the serious food security challenges in meeting the current and future demands for food, the best agricultural management strategy to enhance food production have led to methods that involve coating urea with different nutrients such as sulfur (S) and zinc (Zn). Coated urea has a slow-release mechanism and remains in the soil for a longer period to meet the demand of crop plants and increases nitrogen use efficiency, growth, yield, and grain quality. These nutrient-coated urea reduce nitrogen losses (volatilization, leaching, and N2O) and save the environment from degradation. Sulfur and zinc-coated urea also reduce nutrient deficiencies and have synergetic effects with other macro and micronutrients in the crop. This study discusses the dynamics of sulfur and zinc-coated urea in soil, their impact on crop production, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), the residual and toxic effects of coated urea, and the constraints of adopting coated fertilizers. Additionally, we also shed light on agronomic and molecular approaches to enhance NUE for better crop productivity to meet food security challenges.

Arsenic (As) contamination in the soil adversely affects crop productivity, grain quality, and human health. A pot experiment was performed to assess the sole and combined effects of Si and biochar on growth, physiological and antioxidant defense mechanisms, yield, and grain quality of maize. Soil treatments comprised of control (no treatment), As, Si, biochar, Si + biochar, As + Si, As + biochar, and As + Si + biochar placed in a completely randomized design with three replications. As toxicity significantly reduced chlorophyll a (5.18%), chlorophyll b (33.87%), chlorophyll a + b (11.67%), and primary metabolites [soluble protein (54.93%), amino acids (24.85%), total soluble sugars (39.77%), and phenolic contents (25.88%)], while increasing the activities of enzymatic antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) by 43.51%, peroxidase (POD) by 47.93%, catalase (CAT) by 47.98%, and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) by 59.02%, as well as that of lipid peroxidation in the leaves of maize. In addition, As contamination reduced the grain yield and yield-related attributes relative to the respective controls. Among the soil applications, the interactive effect of Si and biochar improved maize grain yield (12.12%) by triggering activities of enzymatic antioxidants and proline contents and reducing the H2O2 and MDA contents. The combined application of Si and biochar enhanced the Si contents in shoots of the control and As-contaminated plants, while significantly reducing As concentration in shoots (69%) and grains (142%). In conclusion, the combined application of Si and biochar was found to be a fruitful soil amendment strategy to improve the yield of maize and reduce the toxic limit of As under As-contaminated soil. The results of this study may be useful for the cultivation of food crops under AS-contaminated soils, but before commercial recommendation, more trails are required under field conditions.

Optimizing nitrogen (N) fertilization without sacrificing grain yield is a major concern of rice production system because most of the applied N has been depleted from the soil and creating environmental consequences. Hence, limited information is available about nutrient management (NM) performance at a specific site under alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation compared to conventional permanent flooding (PF). We aimed to inquire about the performance of NM practices compared to the farmer’s fertilizer practice (FFP) under PF and AWD on rhizospheric nitrifier and denitrifier abundance, rice yield, plant growth, and photosynthetic parameters. Two improved NM practices; nutrient management by pig manure (NMPM); 40% chemical N replaced by pig manure (organic N), and nutrient management by organic slow-release fertilizer (NMSR); 40% chemical N replaced by organic slow-release N were compared. The results showed an increased total grain yield (16.06%) during AWD compared to PF. Compared to conventional FFP, NMPM, and NMSR significantly increased the yields by 53.84 and 29.67%, respectively, during AWD. Meanwhile, PF prompted a yield increase of 45.07 and 28.75% for NMPM and NMSR, respectively, (p < 0.05) compared to FFP. Besides, a significant correlation was observed between grain yield and nitrogen content during AWD (R2 = 0.58, p < 0.01), but no significant correlation was observed during PF. The NMPM contributed to photosynthetic attributes and the relative chlorophyll content under both watering events. Moreover, relatively higher abundances of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) were observed during AWD, and the highest value was found after the late panicle stage. Our results suggest that the AWD–NMPM model is the best option to stimulate nitrifier and denitrifier gene abundance and promote rice production.

In recent years, heavy metals-induced soil pollution has increased due to the widespread usage of chromium (Cr) in chemical industries. The release of Cr into the environment has reached its peak causing hazardous environmental pollution. Heavy metal-induced soil pollution is one of the most important abiotic stress affecting the dynamic stages of plant growth and development. In severe cases, it can kill the plants and their derivatives and thereby pose a potential threat to human food safety. The chromium ion effect on plants varies and depends upon its severity range. It mainly impacts the numerous regular activities of the plant's life cycle, by hindering the germination of plant seeds, inhibiting the growth of hypocotyl and epicotyl parts of the plants, as well as damaging the chloroplast cell structures. In this review article, we tried to summarize the possible effects of chromium-induced stress on plant growth, developmental physiology, biochemistry, and molecular regulation and provided the important theoretical basis for selecting remedial plants in chromium-induced contaminated soils, breeding of low toxicity tolerant varieties, and analyzing the mechanism of plant resistance mechanisms in response to heavy metal stress.

Heavy metal (HM) contamination is a serious concern across the globe, and in recent times, HMs’ intensity has significantly increased, posing a serious threat to crop growth and productivity. Heavy metals pose serious health issues in humans by entering the human food chains. Therefore, it is direly needed to reduce the effects of HMs on plants and humans by adapting appropriate practices. In this context, application of micronutrients can be an essential practice to mitigate the toxic effects of HMs. Zinc (Zn) is a crucial nutrient needed for plant growth, and Zn application reduced the HM-induced toxicity in plants. This review highlights Zn’s role in mitigating the HMs toxicity in plants. We have systematically described the potential mechanisms mediated by Zn to mitigate HMs in plants. Zinc application reduced the HMs uptake and translocation plants, which is considered an essential mechanism of HM stress tolerance. Zn application also improves membrane stability, plant water relationship, nutrient uptake, photosynthetic performance, osmolytes accumulation, anti-oxidant activities, and gene expression. In addition to this, the Zn application substantially improves photosynthesis by enhancing the synthesis of photosynthetic pigments, photosystem activities, enzymatic activities, and maintaining photosynthetic apparatus structure, ensuring better growth under HM stress. Therefore, Zn nutrition could improve the plant performance under HM stress by modulating the plant’s physiological and biochemical functioning, anti-oxidant activities, osmolytes accumulation, and gene expression.

Cotton is considered as the main crop in the agricultural sector of Pakistan. Water deficiency in this region in recent years has reduced the chances of high yields of cotton. Selection and creation of high-yielding varieties of cotton, even in water deficit conditions, is one of urgent tasks of today. For this purpose, 40 diverse genotypes of upland cotton were screened in normal and water deficit conditions in triplicate arrangement under split plot in a randomized complete block design. All the genotypes showed significant difference under both water regimes. Ten upland cotton accessions were screened out as water deficit tolerant (VH-144, IUB-212, MNH-886, VH-295, IR-3701, AA-802, NIAB-111, NS-121, FH-113, and FH-142) and five as water deficit sensitive (IR-3, CIM-443, FH-1000, MNH-147, and S-12) based on seed cotton yield and stress susceptibility index. These tolerant and sensitive genotypes were crossed in line × tester mating design. For further evaluation of genetic material, the seed of 50 F1 crosses and their 15 parents were field planted under normal and water deficit conditions during next cotton growing season. Traits related to yield under the study showed significant variations among the accessions and their half sibs. The results of the principal component analysis (PCA) exhibited that total variation exhibited by factors 1 and factor 2 were 55.55 and 41.95%, respectively. PCA transformed the variables into three factors, and only two factors (F1 and F2) had eigenvalue > 1. The degree of dominance revealed that all parameters were highly influenced by non-additive gene action under both water regimes. Furthermore, the line VH-295 and tester CIM-443 had better yield performance under water deficit stress. The cross-combinations, viz., VH-144 × S-12, NIAB-111 × IR-3, and VH-295 × MNH-147, were the best for yield contributing traits. These combinations may be helpful for germplasm enhancement on large scale under water scarcity. All the studied traits have non-additive types of gene action suggesting the usage of these genotypes in cotton hybrid development program against water deficit tolerance.

Novel push–pull tricyanofuran-based dyes containing trolox or hindered amine nucleus were synthesized. The synthesis procedure involved the preparation of phenylvinyl-bridged tricyanofuran (TCF) dyes with a secondary amine or a hydroxyl terminal group, followed by the attachment of 6-hydroxyl-2, 5, 7, 8-tetramethyl-chroman-2-carboxylic acid (TROLOX) or N-alkyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-amine (HALS) fragment. Those TROLOX or HALS-bearing chromophores displayed pronounced solvatochromic performance in various organic solvents with changing solvent polarity. The molecular structures of the generated TROLOX or HALS-containing chromophores were proved by 1H and 13C NMR and FT-IR. This could be attributed to the occurred intra-molecular charge transfer (ICT). The photodegradation of the prepared dyes were studied using dual-beam thermal lens method. The UV–Vis absorption spectra showed dramatic improvements in the photostability of the prepared TROLOX or HALS-bearing chromophores compared to the corresponding reference dyes. Due to the presence of nitrogen-containing heterocycles in their structures, the HALS-bearing chromophores displayed an antibacterial behavior to Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Escherichia coli. The colorfastness properties against light were also evaluated.

Salinity stress (SS) is a challenging abiotic stress that limits crop growth and productivity. Sustainable and cost effective methods are needed to improve crop production and decrease the deleterious impacts of SS. Zinc (Zn) nano-particles (NPs) have emerged as an important approach to regulating plant tolerance against SS. However, the mechanisms of SS tolerance mediated by Zn-NPs are not fully explained. Thus, this study was performed to explore the role of Zn-NPs (seed priming and foliar spray) in reducing the deleterious impacts of SS on wheat plants. The study comprised different SS levels: control, 6 and 12 dS m−1, and different Zn-NPs treatments: control, seed priming (40 ppm), foliar spray (20 ppm), and their combination. Salinity stress markedly reduced plant growth, biomass, and grain yield. This was associated with enhanced electrolyte leakage (EL), malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), sodium (Na), chloride (Cl) accumulation, reduced photosynthetic pigments, relative water contents (RWC), photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), stomata conductance (Gs), water use efficiency (WUE), free amino acids (FAA), total soluble protein (TSP), indole acetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GA), and nutrients (Ca, Mg, K, N, and P). However, the application of Zn-NPs significantly improved the yield of the wheat crop, which was associated with reduced abscisic acid (ABA), MDA, H2O2 concentration, and EL, owing to improved antioxidant activities, and an increase in RWC, Pn, Tr, WUE, and the accumulation of osmoregulating compounds (proline, soluble sugars, TSP, and FAA) and hormones (GA and IAA). Furthermore, Zn-NPs contrasted the salinity-induced uptake of toxic ions (Na and Cl) and increased the uptake of Ca, K, Mg, N, and P. Additionally, Zn-NPs application substantially increased the wheat grain Zn bio-fortification. Our results support previous findings on the role of Zn-NPs in wheat growth, yield, and grain Zn bio-fortification, demonstrating that beneficial effects are obtained under normal as well as adverse conditions, thanks to improved physiological activity and the accumulation of useful compounds. This sets the premise for general use of Zn-NPs in wheat, to which aim more experimental evidence is intensively being sought. Further studies are needed at the genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic level to better acknowledge the mechanisms of general physiological enhancement observed with Zn-NPs application.

The world is facing rapid climate change and a fast-growing global population. It is believed that the world population will be 9.7 billion in 2050. However, recent agriculture production is not enough to feed the current population of 7.9 billion people, which is causing a huge hunger problem. Therefore, feeding the 9.7 billion population in 2050 will be a huge target. Climate change is becoming a huge threat to global agricultural production, and it is expected to become the worst threat to it in the upcoming years. Keeping this in view, it is very important to breed climate-resilient plants. Legumes are considered an important pillar of the agriculture production system and a great source of high-quality protein, minerals, and vitamins. During the last two decades, advancements in OMICs technology revolutionized plant breeding and emerged as a crop-saving tool in wake of the climate change. Various OMICs approaches like Next-Generation sequencing (NGS), Transcriptomics, Proteomics, and Metabolomics have been used in legumes under abiotic stresses. The scientific community successfully utilized these platforms and investigated the Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL), linked markers through genome-wide association studies, and developed KASP markers that can be helpful for the marker-assisted breeding of legumes. Gene-editing techniques have been successfully proven for soybean, cowpea, chickpea, and model legumes such as Medicago truncatula and Lotus japonicus. A number of efforts have been made to perform gene editing in legumes. Moreover, the scientific community did a great job of identifying various genes involved in the metabolic pathways and utilizing the resulted information in the development of climate-resilient legume cultivars at a rapid pace. Keeping in view, this review highlights the contribution of OMICs approaches to abiotic stresses in legumes. We envisage that the presented information will be helpful for the scientific community to develop climate-resilient legume cultivars.

Phosphorus (P) constraint can be alleviated by increasing C inputs, which can help to improve crop production and P fertilizer use efficiency. However, the effects of different manures on soil microbial biomass P (MBP) and P fractions as well as C fractions in calcareous soils remain poorly understood. Soil MBP pool involves the P mineralization and immobilization processes, potentially changing P fractions and P availability. Therefore, the effects of different manures on soil microbial biomass (MBP, MBC) pool, P, and C fractions and crop P utilization were evaluated in greenhouse experiments with maize plantation. Treatments included no manure (control), poultry manure (PM), cow manure (CM), goat manure (GM), mixed manure (MM), and three inorganic P (Pi) rates; P0: 0 mg kg-1, P50: 50 mg kg-1, and P100: P100 mg kg-1 (P2O5). For plant growth comparison, crop physiological growth indices, shoot P contents and total P uptake were increased by PM and P100 as compared to other treatments. The PM with P100 significantly increased the plant growth by inducing P uptake of ∼18% compared with control. The results exhibited that Pi (P100) combined with manure (PM) significantly (p < 0.05) increased the soil physicochemical properties, that is, 683.76 mg kg-1 total P, 21.5 mg kg-1 Olsen P, 4.26 g kg-1 SOC, 2.41 g kg-1 POC, as well as microbial biomass C and P increased by 152.84 mg kg-1 and 36.83 mg kg-1, respectively. Consequently, we concluded that PM with Pi (P100) application builds up soil microbial biomass, which is more beneficial for promoting P utilization for maize.

Photosynthetic rate (Pn) and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) are the two important factors affecting the photosynthesis and nutrient utilization of plant leaves. However, the effect of N fertilization combined with foliar application of Fe on the Pn and PNUE of the maize crops under different planting patterns (i.e., monocropping and intercropping) is elusive. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to determine the effect of N fertilization combined with foliar application of Fe on the photosynthetic characteristics, PNUE, and the associated enzymes of the maize crops under different planting patterns. The results of this study showed that under intercropping, maize treated with N fertilizer combined with foliar application of Fe had not only significantly (p < 0.05) improved physio-agronomic indices but also higher chlorophyll content, better photosynthetic characteristics, and related leaf traits. In addition, the same crops under such treatments had increased photosynthetic enzyme activity (i.e., rubisco activity) and nitrogen metabolism enzymes activities, such as nitrate reductase (NR activity), nitrite reductase (NiR activity), and glutamate synthase (GOGAT activity). Consequently, intercropping enhanced the PNUE and soluble sugar content of the maize crops, thus increasing its yield compared with monocropping. Thus, these findings suggest that intercropping under optimal N fertilizer application combined with Fe foliation can improve the chlorophyll content and photosynthetic characteristics of maize crops by regulating the associated enzymatic activities. Consequently, this results in enhanced PNUE, which eventually leads to better growth and higher yield in the intercropping system. Thus, practicing intercropping under optimal nutrient management (i.e., N and Fe) could be crucial for better growth and yield, and efficient nitrogen use efficiency of maize crops.

Nitrogen is a vital nutrient for agricultural, and a defieciency of it causes stagnate cotton growth and yield penalty. Farmers rely heavily on N over-application to boost cotton output, which can result in decreased lint yield, quality, and N use efficiency (NUE). Therefore, improving NUE in cotton is most crucial for reducing environmental nitrate pollution and increasing farm profitability. Well-defined management practices, such as the type of sources, N-rate, application time, application method, crop growth stages, and genotypes, have a notable impact on NUE. Different N formulations, such as slow and controlled released fertilizers, have been shown to improve N uptake and, NUE. Increasing N rates are said to boost cotton yield, although high rates may potentially impair the yield depending on the soil and environmental conditions. This study comprehensively reviews various factors including agronomic and environmental constraints that influence N uptake, transport, accumulation, and ultimately NUE in cotton. Furthermore, we explore several agronomic and molecular approaches to enhance efficiency for better N uptake and utilization in cotton. Finally, this objective of this review to highlight a comprehensive view on enhancement of NUE in cotton and could be useful for understanding the physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanism of N in cotton.

Seaweeds are non-vascular, photosynthetic that inhabit the coastal regions commonly within rocky intertidal or submerged reef-like habitats and have been one of the richest and most promising sources of bioactive primary and secondary metabolites with antimicrobial properties. They selectively absorb elements like Na, K, Ca, Mg, I, and Br from the seawater and accumulate them in their thalli. Padina antillarum (Kützing) Piccone is a member of Phaeophycota and has remarkable phycochemistry as well as bioactivity. The phycochemical tests of the different extracts showed the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, tannins, steroids, and phenols. The relative percentage of Oxirane, tetradecyl (C16H32O), and Cyclononasiloxane (C18H54O9Si9) are higher while Tetrasiloxane (C16H50O7Si8) is lowest in Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry analysis. FRAP, %inhibition, the total antioxidant value of P. antillarum was higher in methanolic extract. Hexane, chloroform extracts showed no zone of inhibition against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The methanolic extract of P. antillarum exhibits a maximum zone of inhibition against S. epidermidis (18.66 ± 0.09). Antifungal activity of the P. antillarum in hexane extract exhibited no zone of inhibition against Aspergillus niger and Penicillium notatum while the chloroform extract yields maximum zone (37 ± 0.012, 21.66 ± 0.03). Diabetes mellitus is one of the most familiar chronic diseases associated with carbohydrate metabolism. It is also an indication of co-morbidities such as obesity, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia which are metabolic complications of both clinical and experimental diabetes. The treatment of P. antillarum methanol extract in mice reduced the body weight loss, low level of triglycerides, and elevated HDL cholesterol level as compared to diabetic mice.

Productivity of maize (Zea mays L.) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) as affected by nitrogen application levels and timing were studied. The experimental design was a three-replication randomized complete block design (RCBD). The first factor was nitrogen levels (122, 240, 288 and 336 kg N/ha) and the second factor was nitrogen timing (50% of N at sowing and 50% of N before the first irrigation; T1, 50% of N at sowing and 50% of N before the second irrigation; T2 and 50% of N before the first irrigation and 50% of N before the second irrigation; T3). Results indicated that plant height, ear length, kernel weight, number of grains/rows, number of grains/ear and grain yields all increased significantly as nitrogen levels increased and the level of 336 kg N/ha significantly exhibiting the highest values in both seasons. In terms of nitrogen application time, maize yield parameters such as plant height, ear length, kernel weight/ear, number of grains/rows, number of grains/ear and grain yield were significantly affected by nitrogen timing, with the highest values obtained at T3 while the lowest values obtained at T1 in both seasons. The interaction had a significant impact on plant height and grain yield/ha, with the tallest plants, the highest yields and its components observed at 336 kg N/ha, with 50% of N applied during the first irrigation and 50% of N applied during the second. Furthermore, under the study conditions, NUE decreased dramatically as nitrogen levels increased and increased significantly as nitrogen application time changed.

Globally, climate change could hinder future food security that concurrently implies the importance of investigating drought stress and genotype screening under stressed environments. Hence, the current study was performed to screen 45 diverse maize inbred lines for 18 studied traits comprising phenological, physiological, morphological, and yield characters under optimum and water stress conditions for two successive growing seasons (2018 and 2019). The results showed that growing seasons and water regimes significantly influenced (p < 0.01) most of the studied traits, while inbred lines had a significant effect (p < 0.01) on all of the studied traits. The findings also showed a significant increase in all studied characters under normal conditions compared to drought conditions, except chlorophyll content, transpiration rate, and proline content which exhibited higher levels under water stress conditions. Furthermore, the results of the principal component analysis indicated a notable distinction between the performance of the 45 maize inbred lines under normal and drought conditions. In terms of grain yield, the drought tolerance index (DTI) showed that Nub60 (1.56), followed by Nub32 (1.46), Nub66 (1.45), and GZ603 (1.44) were the highest drought-tolerant inbred lines, whereas Nub46 (0.38) was the lowest drought-tolerant inbred line. These drought-tolerant inbred lines were able to maintain a relatively high grain yield under normal and stress conditions, whereas those drought-sensitive inbred lines showed a decline in grain yield when exposed to drought conditions. The hierarchical clustering analysis based on DTI classified the forty-five maize inbred lines and eighteen measured traits into three column- and row-clusters, as inbred lines in cluster-3 followed by those in cluster-2 exhibited greater drought tolerance in most of the studied traits. Utilizing the multi-trait stability index (MTSI) criterion in this study identified nine inbred lines, including GZ603, as stable genotypes in terms of the eighteen studied traits across four environments. The findings of the current investigation motivate plant breeders to explore the genetic potential of the current maize germplasm, especially in water-stressed environments.

This study was conducted to develop a protocol for in vitro shoot multiplication and callus induction of various mung bean varieties to obtain enhanced phytochemical content with the help of elicitors. For shoot multiplication, two types of explants (shoot tips and nodal tips) of three varieties of mung bean (Mung NCM-13, MgAT-7, and MgAT-4) were used. Both types of explants from in vitro and in vivo sources were cultured on the MS medium supplemented with different concentrations (0.25–3.0 mg/L, increment of 0.5 mg/L) and combinations of BAP and IBA as independent treatments. For callus induction, leaf explants (in vitro source) were cultured on MS medium supplemented with 2,4-D (1–3 mg/L) alone or in combination with BAP or NAA (0.5 and 1.0 mg/L). For the enhanced production of phenolics and glycosides, calli were cultured on MS media supplemented with zinc oxide (0.5 mg/L) and copper oxide nanoparticles (0.5 mg/L) as nano-elicitors. Results showed that in vitro explants responded better in terms of shoot length, number of shoots, and number of leaves per explant when compared to in vivo explants. Moreover, shoot tips were better than nodal explants to in vitro culturing parameters. All three varieties showed the optimized results in the MS medium supplemented with 1 mg/L BAP, while roots were produced only in cultures fortified with 1 mg/L IBA. The leaf explants of in vitro and soil-grown plantlets showed a maximum callogenic response of 90 and 80%, respectively, on MS medium supplemented with 2,4-D (3 mg/ml). Maximum phenolic content (101.4 μg of gallic acid equivalent/g) and glycoside content (34 mg of amygdalin equivalent/g of plant material) was observed in the calli cultured on MS medium supplemented with 3 mg/L of 2,4-D. Furthermore, the addition of zinc oxide (0.5 mg/L) and copper oxide (0.5 mg/L) nanoparticles to the callus culture medium significantly enhanced the phenolic content of Mung NCM-13 (26%), MgAT-7 (25.6%), and MgAT-4 (22.7%). Glycosidic content was also found to be increased in Mung NCM-13 (50%), MgAT-7 (37.5%), and MgAT-4 (25%) varieties when compared to the control. It is suggested that elicitation of in vitro cultures of mung beans with nanoparticles could be an effective strategy for the enhanced production of secondary metabolites.

The leather processing industry is currently facing numerous environmental pollution challenges. Dyes are known as one of the most significant causes for water pollution. Thus, the present work is designed to tackle this issue via preparation of different composite comprising both graphene oxide and ammonium ferric sulfate, donated as GO-AFS. Results obtained via FTIR, TGA, XRD and SEM tools confirmed the facile preparation of GO-AFS composite having good thermal stability and exhibited rough and porous surface with no clear edges. The adsorption efficiency of the as-prepared GO-AFS composite was successfully examined against two commercial dyes, namely anionic dye Basic Black 7 (BB7) and cationic dye Acid Black 210 (AB210) together with specific tannery dye wastewater. The findings also ascertained that the color removal for BB7 was noticed to be mostly 100% within 2 min by GO-AFS adsorbent at 10 mg (0.1 g/L), while the color removal concentration at pH~7 was up to 700 ppm. In addition, the color removal performance of AB210 was also detected at approximately 100% by 12 mg (0.12 g/L) of GO-AFS within 3 min when the dye concentration at pH~4 was up to 400 ppm. Regarding the removal of real tannery dye from wastewater, it was also observed that the efficacy of GO-AFS as adsorbent reached 100%. Within the second cycle, the adsorption potential of recycled GO-AFS was restored by nearly 100% and this percentage decreased to 95.4% in the third cycle. In view of these findings, it can be concluded that the prepared GO-AFS composite can be considered as an excellent candidate for eradication of pollutants or contamination from tannery wastewater instead of the conventional high-cost adsorbents.

Abstract The current study was performed on eight years old peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) trees cv. Florida prince to study the influence of spraying of commercial nano fertilizer on vegetative growth, pollen grain viability, yield, and fruit quality of the "Florida prince" peach cultivar. Furthermore, extracts from the nanofertilizer treated leaves were studied for their bioactivity as insecticidal or bactericidal activities against some stored grain insects and plant bacterial pathogens. Seventy uniform peach trees were sprayed three time as follow: before flowering; during full bloom, and one month later in addition using the water as a control. Commercial silver particales (Ag NPs) at 10, 12.5, and 15 mL/L and zinc particales (Zn NPs) at 2.5, 5 and 7.5 mL/L as recommended level in a randomized complete block design in ten replicates/trees. Spraying Ag NP at 15 mL/L increased shoot diameter, leaf area, total chlorophyll, flower percentage, fruit yield and fruit physical and chemical characteristics, followed by Ag NPs at 12.5 mL/L and Zn NPs at 7.5 mL/L. Moreover, Zn and Ag NPs caused a highly significant effect on pollen viability. Different type of pollen aberrations were detected by Zn NPs treatment. The commercial Ag NPs showed a high increase in pollen viability without any aberrations. The Ag NPs significantly increased the pollen size, and the spores also increased and separated in different localities, searching about the egg for pollination and fertilization. Peach leaves extract was examined for their insecticidal activity against rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzea L.) and the lesser grain borer (Rhyzopertha dominica, Fabricius) by fumigation method. The antibacterial activity of all treatments was also performed against molecularly identified bacteria. Ag NPs treated leaves extract at concentration 3000 µg/mL were moderate sufficient to inhibit all the bacterial isolates with inhibition zone (IZ) ranged 6–8.67 mm with high efficiency of acetone extracts from leaves treated with Ag NPs compared with Zn NPs. Also, S. oryzae was more susceptible to acetone extracts from leaves treated with both nanomaterials than R. dominica.

Abstract Fossil fuels are the main energy sources responsible for harmful emissions and global warming. Using biodiesel made from waste deep-frying oil as an alternative fuel source in diesel engines has drawn great attention. This biodiesel is produced using the transesterification process and blends with mineral diesel at Faculty of Agriculture Saba Basha, Alexandria University, Egypt. The turbocharged diesel engine of a Kubota M-90 tractor was tested. The objectives of this work are to test tractor as a source of power in the farm using waste deep-frying oil biodiesel to utilize waste frying oils (WFO) in clean energy production on the farm and determine the best engine loading stages to maximize engine efficiencies for different fuel blends and reduce the environmental impact of gas emissions from tractor diesel engines in the farms. The experiment design was factorial, with two factors, where the first was the engine load (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) and the second was fuel blend (0%, 5%, 20%, and 100% biodiesel), and the effects of loading stages and biodiesel percentage on engine performance indicators of engine speed, power take off torque, power take off power, brake power, brake mean effective pressure, brake thermal efficiency, brake specific fuel consumption, and gas emissions were studied. The experimental results indicated that engine load percentage and fuel blend percentage significantly affected all studied characters, and the best engine loading stages were between 25 and 75% to maximize engine efficiency and minimize the specific fuel consumption and gas emissions. Increasing the biodiesel percentage at all loading stages resulted decreasing in Engine brake power (BP), brake thermal efficiency, Power take-off (PTO) torque, and brake mean effective pressure and increases in brake specific fuel consumption. Increasing the engine load resulted in decreases in O2 emissions and increases in CO2, CO, NO, and SO2 emissions. Increasing the biodiesel percentage in the blended fuel samples resulted in increases in O2 and NO emissions and decreases in CO2, CO, and SO2 emissions. The use of biodiesel with diesel fuel reduces the environmental impact of gas emissions and decreases engine efficiency.

This study revealed the possible effects of various levels of silver nanoparticle (AgNP) application on plant diseases and soil microbial diversity. It investigated the comparison between the application of AgNPs and two commercial nanoproducts (Zn and FeNPs) on the rhizobacterial population and Botrytis fabae. Two experiments were conducted. The first studied the influence of 13 AgNP concentration on soil bacterial diversity besides two other commercial nanoparticles, ZnNPs (2,000 ppm) and FeNPs (2,500 ppm), used for comparison and application on onion seedlings. The second experiment was designed to determine the antifungal activity of previous AgNP concentrations (150, 200, 250, 300, 400, and 500 ppm) against B. fabae, tested using commercial fungicide as control. The results obtained from both experiments revealed the positive impact of AgNPs on the microbial community, representing a decrease in both the soil microbial biomass and the growth of brown spot disease, affecting microbial community composition, including bacteria, fungi, and biological varieties. In contrast, the two commercial products displayed lower effects compared to AgNPs. This result clearly showed that the AgNPs strongly inhibited the plant pathogen B. fabae growth and development, decreasing the number of bacteria (cfu/ml) and reducing the rhizosphere. Using AgNPs as an antimicrobial agent in the agricultural domain is recommended.

The rabbit fish, Siganus rivulatus, is a Mediterranean non-endogenous species, that has succeeded in migrating to the different coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. The success of this species in the new environment, with different trophic, biotic, and physical conditions, inspired the study of genetic variation between the Rea Sea and Mediterranean Sea populations. The current study aims to use microsatellite (SSR) and mitochondrial DNA sequence (mtDNA) markers to determine the genetic divergence and phylogenetic relationship of S. rivulatus from the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. A total of 200 S. rivulatus samples (42.50 ± 3.89 gm) were collected from the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Twelve SSR loci were screened to detect genetic differentiation, in addition to those in mtDNA. The results for the SSR markers showed seventy polymorphic alleles, with an average of 5.83 alleles per locus. Additionally, the inter-population genetic diversity was 0.063. The nucleotide composition of the MT-CO1 sequences revealed clear variations between the two studied populations. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the Red Sea samples were more versatile than the Mediterranean Sea samples. The results indicated that the mtDNA of S. rivulatus is very variable and a species-sensitive marker to detect possible genetic variations, which could be part of the eco-physiological adaptation and key to the success of the migrant S. rivulatus in the Mediterranean Sea.

BackgroundPlant-parasitic nematodes are one of the major constraints to soybean production around the world. Plant-parasitic nematodes cause an estimated $78 billion in annual crop losses worldwide, with a 10–15% crop yield loss on average. Consequently, finding and applying sustainable methods to control diseases associated with soybean is currently in serious need.MethodsIn this study, we isolated, purified, characterized, and identified a novel cyanobacterial strain Oscillatoria sp. (blue-green alga). Based on its microscopic examination and 16S rRNA gene sequence, the aqueous and methanolic extracts of Oscillatoria were used to test their nematicidal activity against Meloidogyne incognita hatchability of eggs after 72 h of exposure time and juvenile mortality percentage in vitro after 24, 48, and 72 h of exposure time and reduction percentage of galls, eggmass, female number/root, and juveniles/250 soil. Also, the efficacy of the extract on improving the plant growth parameter and chlorophyll content under greenhouse conditions on soybean plant cv. Giza 111 was tested. Finally, the expression of PR-1, PR-2, PR-5, and PR15 (encoding enzymes) genes contributing to plant defense in the case of M. incognita invasion was studied and treated with Oscillatoria extract.ResultsThe aqueous and methanolic extracts of Oscillatoria sp. had nematicidal activity against M. incognita. The percentage of mortality and egg hatching of M. incognita were significantly increased with the increase of time exposure to Oscillatoria extract 96.7, 97, and 98 larvae mortality % with S concentration after 24, 48, and 72 h of exposure time. The aqueous extract significantly increased the percentage of Root-Knot nematodes (RKN) of egg hatching, compared with Oxamyl and methanol extract at 96.7 and 97% after 72 h and 1 week, respectively. With the same concentration in the laboratory experiment. Furthermore, water extracts significantly reduced the number of galls in soybean root, egg masses, and female/root by 84.1, 87.5, and 92.2%, respectively, as well as the percentage of J2s/250 g soil by 93.7%. Root, shoot lengths, dry weight, number of pods/plant, and chlorophyll content of soybean treated with Oscillatoria water extract were significantly higher than the control increasing by 70.3, 94.1, 95.5, and 2.02%, respectively. The plant defense system's gene expression was tracked using four important pathogenesis-related genes, PR-1, PR-2, PR-5, and PR15, which encode enzymes involved in plant defense.ConclusionsOscillatoria extract is a potential nematicide against root-knot nematode invasion in soybean.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the major cereal crops worldwide with wheat and maize. A total of two field experiments were performed to evaluate the response of some rice cultivars to various foliar zinc (Zn) concentrations based on different measurements, such as agronomic, yield, yield compounds, and grain technological parameters. The experimental layout was a split plot in three replicates; the five rice cultivars (Skaha 101, Giza178, Yasmeen, Fourate, and Amber 33) were distributed in the main plots while the four foliar applications of Zn (1,500, 2,000, 2,500 mg/L besides spray water) were occupied the sub-plots. The findings showed significant differences among the five rice cultivars regarding plant height, grain yield, straw yield, biological yield, harvest index, 1,000-grain weight, panicle length, protein percentage, and grain Zn content. There is a significant effect of Zn on all plant attributes. A significant interaction between rice cultivars and foliar application of Zn was observed, whereas fertilizing Giza 178 with foliar application of Zn at the rate of 2,500 mg/L achieved the highest mean values of grain yield and straw yield, biological yield, harvest index, 1,000-grain weight, panicle length, protein %, and Zn content followed by Sakha 101 with Zn application at the rate of 2,000 mg/L, respectively, in both seasons. The rice cultivars significantly differed in hulling (%), broken (%), hardness, grain length, shape, amylose (%), gel consistency, and gelatinization temperature. Unfortunately, the commercial Zn product used was genotoxic to pollen grains with a higher rate of Zn. Aberrations were observed such as stickiness, ultrastructural changes in the exterior and interior walls, partially or fully degenerated grains, and shrunken and unfilled grains. This study concluded that using Zn application at the rate of 2,000 mg/L to protect human and environmental health, the side effects and toxicity of the local commercial Zn product market should be investigated before making recommendations to farmers.

This current study was performed to determine the influences of plant spacing, Nitrogen (N) fertilization rate and their effect, on growth traits, yield, and yield components of cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) cv. Giza 97 during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. A split plot experiment in three replicates was utilized whereas the cotton seeds were planted at 20, 30, and 40 cm, as main plots and nitrogen at 75, 100, and 125%, was in subplots. The results revealed that the planting spacing at 40 cm significantly (p ≤ 0.01) increased plant height, number of fruiting branches per plant, number of bolls per plant, boll weight (BW), lint percentage (L%), seed cotton yield (SCY), lint cotton yield (LCY), seed index and lint index by 165.68 cm, 20.92, 23.93, 3.75 g, 42.01%, 4.24 ton/ha, 5.16 ton/ha, 12.05, 7.86, respectively, as average in both seasons. The application of N fertilizer rate at 125% caused a maximum increase in growth and yield parameters i.e., plant height (169.08 cm), number of vegetative branches (2.67), number of fruiting branches per plant (20.82), number bolls per fruiting branch (1.39), number of bolls per plant (23.73), boll weight (4.1 g), lint percent (41.9%), seed index (11.8 g), and lint index (8.2), while the plants treated with 100% N rates exhibited highest seed cotton yield (4.3 ton/ha) and lint cotton yield (5.6 ton/ha), as average in both seasons. Combining plant spacing at 40 cm between plants with a 100% N fertilizer rate recorded the highest lint cotton yield (5.67 ton/ha), while the highest seed cotton yield (4.43 and 4.50 ton/ha) was obtained from 125% N fertilizer rate under planting spacing 20 and 40 cm, respectively. Conclusively, a wide density (40 cm) with 125% N is a promising option for improved biomass, cotton growth, yield, physiological traits, and fiber quality.

Ten-year-old lemon (Citrus limon L. cv. Eureka) was used during the 2019 and 2020 seasons to investigate the effect of AgNPs at control, 5, 7.5, and 10 mg/L as a foliar application on vegetative growth, yield, and fruit quality. The selected trees were subjected to agricultural practices applied in the field during the study. The results indicated that the foliar application of AgNPs positively improved the shoot length, total chlorophyll, flower, and fruit set percentage, fruit yield, physical and chemical characteristics of fruits, and leaf mineral composition from macro and micronutrients compared to control in both seasons. The foliar application of AgNPs at 10 mg/L showed the highest mean values followed by 7.5 and 5 mg/L, respectively, for the previous characteristics. The treated leaves and fruit peels were hydrodistillated to extract the essential oils (EOs), and GC–MS analysis of leaf EOs. The analysis of leaves EOs showed the presence of neral, geranial, neryl acetate, and limonene as the main abundant bioactive compounds. While in peel the main compounds were neral, geranial, neryl acetate, D-limonene, geraniol acetate, linalool, and citronellal. Toxin effect of both EOs from leaves and peels were evaluated on the rice weevils (Sitophilus oryzae) and the results indicated a higher effect of lemon peel EOs than leaves based on mortality percentage and the values of LC50 and LC95 mg/L. Melia azedarach wood samples loaded with the produced lemon EOs were evaluated for their antifungal activity against the molecularly identified fungus, Fusarium solani (acc # OL410542). The reduction in mycelial growth was increased gradually with the applied treatments. The most potent activity was found in lemon leaf EOs, while peel EOs showed the lowest reduction values. The mycelial growth reduction percentages reached 72.96 and 52.59%, by 0.1% leaf and peel EOs, respectively, compared with control.

Abstract Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been used as a promising alternative to antibiotics in poultry feed. In this study, silver-doped silica nanoparticles (SiO2@AgNPs) were prepared in powder form, using starch, via the chemical reduction method and sol–gel technique followed by full characterization. SiO2@AgNPs were added to the poultry diet at three doses (2, 4, and 8 mg/kg diet). The safety of the oral dietary supplementation was estimated through the evaluation of the growth performance and hematological, biochemical, and oxidative parameters of birds. Moreover, the immunohistochemical examination of all body organs was also performed. Results of this study showed that SiO2@AgNPs have no negative effects on the growth performance and hematological, biochemical, and oxidative parameters of birds. Moreover, the immunohistochemical examination revealed the minimum inflammatory reactions and lymphoid depletion under a dose level of 8 mg/kg. In conclusion, SiO2@AgNPs could be considered as a promising and safe nano-growth promoter in broilers when added to poultry diet under a dose level of 4 mg/kg diet.

Abstract In Egypt, water shortage has become a key limiting factor for agriculture. Water-deficit stress causes different morphological, physiological, and biochemical impacts on plants. Two field experiments were carried out at Etay El-Baroud Station, El-Beheira Governorate, Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Egypt, to evaluate the effect of potassium silicate (K-silicate) of maize productivity and water use efficiency (WUE). A split-plot system in the four replications was used under three irrigation intervals during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Whereas 10, 15, and 20 days irrigation intervals were allocated in main plots, while the three foliar application treatments of K-silicate (one spray at 40 days after sowing; two sprays at 40 and 60 days; and three sprays at 40, 60, and 80 days, and a control (water spray) were distributed in the subplots. All the treatments were distributed in 4 replicates. The results indicated that irrigation every 15 days gave the highest yield in both components and quality. The highly significant of (WUE) under irrigation every 20 days. Foliar spraying of K-silicate three times resulted in the highest yield. Even under water-deficit stress, irrigation every fifteen days combined with foliar application of K-silicate three times achieved the highest values of grain yield and its components. These results show that K-silicate treatment can increase WUE and produce high grain yield requiring less irrigation.

During the last era in India, the use of chemical fertilizer has increased tremendously. The excessive use of these chemicals leads to the degradation of soil quality, health, as well as nutritional status. These are also causing a degradation of human health. This experiment was conducted during Mrig Bahar (July to December) during two consecutive years (2019–2020)in a randomized block design with three replications in which six-year-old 42 pomegranate plants were tested with 14 treatments of different organic manures. Findings showed that in the various treatments, the organic combination T13-Jeevamrut 16.08 L plant-1 + Vermicompost 24.79 kg plant-1 had a significant effect on the nutritional status (available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium) and microbial population (fungi, bacterial, and actinomycetes count). In addition, T13-Jeevamrut 16.08 L plant-1 + Vermicompost 24.79 kg plant-1 found a significant effect on fruit yield characteristics like fruit plant-1 (122.00), fruit yield (17.38 kg plant-1), fruit weight (192.50 g) and fruit quality characteristics such as fruit juice percent (52.92%), and total sugar (11.92%).

Marine diesel engine is widely used in merchant ships as a propulsion system. The wasted heat of the diesel engines is one of the main drawbacks in this system. The aim of this paper is to recover this wasted heat to be used in designing combined heat and power plant. A bulk carrier WADI SAFAGA has been investigated as a case study. Power and electricity from Supercritical Organic Rankine Cycle will be produced as wasted heat recovery of the main engine. Maximum power, thermal efficiency and specific fuel consumption have been investigated according to the change of the evaporating pressure of organic fluid from 50 bar to 75 bar with increment of 5 bar. Heat exchangers must be redesigned due to the replacement of cooling water by refrigerant (R34a and R245fa). Also, parametric and economic studies will be taken into account. A comparison between diesel generator and SORC generator will be studied from economic and weight dimensions together with the specific power of generator point of view. The results showed that using SORC with R134a at working pressure of 50 bar have a satisfied performance with respect to the saving in specific fuel consumption, lubrication oil and cooling water. In addition, replacing three diesel generators by one SORC generator would decrease the weight by 12 tons, and would also decrease fuel consumption by 2.1 ton/day, shrinking the heat exchangers size, specific fuel consumption was decreased by 61 g/kW-h. Finally, the wasted heat of the main engine will decrease by 18%.

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary dried onion and dried cinnamon supplementation on laying performance, egg quality, serum lipid profile, and immune responses of Japanese quails. A total of 120 laying quails aged 12 weeks were randomly allocated into five groups (24 birds each). Each treatment was replicated 4 times with 6 quails in a completely randomized design. Dietary treatments were as follows: control (basal diet only, without any supplementation); tylosin (basal diet + 100 mg tylosin/kg diet); onion (basal diet + 800 mg dried onion/kg diet); cinnamon (basal diet + 800 mg dried cinnamon/kg diet); and onion + cinnamon (basal diet + mixture of 400 mg each of dried onion and dried cinnamon/kg diet). Cinnamon supplementation improved laying rate, egg numbers, egg mass, and feed conversion ratio of quails compared to the control treatment, followed by tylosin supplementation. Egg shell percentage was higher (P < 0.05) in quails that consumed the onion + cinnamon mixture than those fed only the cinnamon supplemented diet. Serum total lipid content, egg yolk lipids and egg yolk cholesterol were lower (P < 0.05) in birds fed with the supplemented diets than that of the control group. On the other hand, dietary supplements did not affect levels of triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein levels. The dietary supplementation with onion and/or cinnamon reduced serum malondialdehyde levels compared to control treatment. The foot web index was higher (P < 0.05) in the onion treatment than in the other experimental groups. The dried cinnamon and the mixture of dried onion + dried cinnamon treatments showed higher (P < 0.05) immunoglobulin M (IgM) levels than the control treatment. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with natural plant materials such as dried onion and cinnamon can be used to improve the laying Japanese quail performance, egg quality, and immunity.

One of the most common tumors to cause death worldwide is colon cancer. This study aims to investigate the antitumor potency of Litophyton sp. methanolic extract (LME) against DMH-induced colon cancer in adult male rats. Group (1) normal rats served as the control, group (2) normal rats were ip-injected with LME at a dose of 100 μg/kg/day, group (3) DMH-induced colon cancer animals, and group (4) colon cancer-modeled animals were treated with LME (100 μg/kg/day) for six weeks. The results revealed that injection of LME markedly regenerated the colon cancer pathophysiological disorders; this was monitored from the significant reduction in the values of serum biomarkers (CEA, CA19.9, AFP), cytokines (TNF-α and IL1β), and biochemical measurements (ALAT, ASAT, urea, creatinine, cholesterol, and triglycerides) matched significant increase of apoptotic biomarkers (CD4+); similarly, colon DNA fragmentation, MDA, and NO levels were down-regulated. In contrast, a remarkable upregulation in colon SOD, GPx, GSH, and CAT levels was noted. Moreover, the colon histopathological architecture showed obvious regenerations. Chromatography of LME resulted in the purification of two polyhydroxylated steroids (1 and 2) with potential cytotoxic activities. LME performed therapeutic potential colon tumorigenesis; therefore, LME may have a promising chemo-preventive feature against colon cancer, probably via enhancement of the apoptosis pathway, improvement of the immune response, reduction of inflammation, or/and restoration of the impaired oxidative stress.