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G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) regulate multiple cellular responses and represent highly successful therapeutic targets. The mechanisms by which agonists activate the G protein are unclear for many GPCR families, including the bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs). We ascertained TAS2R5 properties by live cell-based functional assays, direct binding affinity measurements using optical resonators, and atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. We focus on three agonists that exhibit a wide range of signal transduction in cells despite comparable ligand–receptor binding energies derived from direct experiment and computation. Metadynamics simulations revealed that the critical barrier to activation is ligand-induced opening of the G protein between the α-helical (AH) and Ras-like domains of Gα subunit from a precoupled TAS2R5-G protein state to the fully activated state. A moderate agonist opens the AH-Ras cleft from 22 Å to 31 Å with an energy gain of −4.8 kcal mol−1, making GDP water-exposed for signaling. A high-potency agonist had an energy gain of −11.1 kcal mol−1. The low-potency agonist is also exothermic for Gα opening, but with an energy gain of only −1.4 kcal mol−1. This demonstrates that TAS2R5 agonist-bound functional potencies are derived from energy gains in the transition from a precoupled complex at the level of Gα opening. Our experimental and computational study provides insights into the activation mechanism of signal transduction that provide a basis for rational design of new drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using flowers of 'Honghe No.1' (Camellia nitidissima Chi) as the materials, in this study, the effects of five processing technologies, including baking, sunning, desiccant drying, steaming+baking, and withering+baking, on the organoleptic quality of the products and the main biochemical compositions. The results showed that different processing technologies had different degrees of influence on the sensory quality and the main biochemical composition of C. nitidissima, in which the sensory quality of the products produced by the process of withering+baking was the best, the sensory score was 87.68 with the uniform flower color, full flower, fragrant aroma, and fresh taste. The process of steaming+baking was the second, the sensory score was 85.53. Sunning in the appearance of poor, and the score was only 80.25. Desiccant drying was worse in terms of soup colour, and the score was only 82.13. The sensory score of the baking was the worst, with a total score of only 80.78, which showed that the flowers were discolored, the petals were shriveled, the smell was pungent and the taste was bitter. The contents of main biochemical components, including water extract, soluble sugar, free amino acids, catechins, and flavonoids, were the highest by the process of withering+baking, the contents were 43.01%, 6.26%, 2.76%, 5.07 mg/g, 2.47 mg/g respectively, while the lowest by the process of sunning. The contents of minerals expect were the highest by the process of withering+baking, the total content was 5279.33 mg/kg, while they were at a low level by the process of baking or desiccant drying. Therefore, the withering+baking process was the most suitable for processing C. nitidissima, which would provide a theoretical basis for the subsequent production of C. nitidissima and the rational development and utilization of C. nitidissima resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The intricate web of interactions in nature has led to unexpected partnerships between plants and animals, greatly influencing ecosystem dynamics. In this discussion, we'll explore the Pollination Syndrome Hypothesis and consider a scenario where a partnership with unexpected pollinators emerges. We suggest that ant pollination has been largely overlooked, but ants can surprisingly play a crucial role and have a history of success in pollinating dry system plants. We will present both negative and positive aspects that must be observed in ant‐pollination syndrome. Additionally, we aim to explore the often‐underestimated phenomenon of ant pollination and the overlooked tiny, discreet, unnoticed flowers found in our fields and forests, especially in dry ecosystems, savannas and mountain fields, which may hold numerous undiscovered secrets about these interactions. We encourage young biologists to engage in natural history observations and to perform manipulative experiments directly in the field to understand the true nature of these successful ant‐pollinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chestnut (Castanea mollissima) is an economically important forest tree species, and its flowers possess functions such as repelling mosquitoes, killing bacteria, and clearing heat. However, the regulatory mechanisms of floral volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in chestnut are still unclear. This study analyzed the contents of major volatile compounds and related gene expression levels in chestnut flowers during the initial flowering stage (IFS) and full-flowering stage (FFS) using metabolomics and transcription techniques. In total, 926 volatile compounds were detected, mainly terpenes, heterocyclic compounds, and esters. Acetylenone, styrene, and β-pinene had contents that exceeded 5% in FFS chestnut flowers. In total, 325 differential metabolites between the IFS and FFS were significantly (p < 0.05) enriched in the biosynthetic pathways of sesquiterpenes and triterpenes, as well as the ethylbenzene metabolic pathway. In total, 31 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were related to terpenoid biosynthesis. There were only two DEGs related to the ethylbenzene metabolic pathway. In summary, we identified the volatile components of chestnut flowers and analyzed the changes in the contents of major volatile compounds in the flowers and the expression patterns of the related genes. The research results are helpful for understanding the regulation of VOCs in chestnut flowers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control of flowering time plays an important role in the growth and development of potato tubers. The CCT (CO, COL and TOC1) gene family is involved in the flowering process of plants. In this study, a total of 32 StCCT family genes were identified and further classified into five subfamilies, including COL (17 members), PRR (4 members), ZIM (3 members), ASML2 (6 members) and TCR1 (2 members), based on their phylogenetic relationship. An analysis of the gene structure, motif compositions and conserved domain provided support for this classification. The StCCT genes were unevenly distributed on 12 chromosomes of the potato plant. In total, six gene duplication events were observed, which played a crucial role in the expansion of the StCCT family genes in the potato. The expression profiles exhibited diverse expression patterns of the StCCT genes in six tissues (leaf, shoot, root, tuber, stolon, and flower), StCCT32 is only expressed in flowers, while StCCT19 and StCCT8 are highly expressed in flowers and tubers, respectively. The StCCT genes exhibit different expression patterns in response to IAA and TIBA treatments at different concentrations across three tissues (leaf, stem, and tuber). After IAA and TIBA treatments, it was found that the expression level of StCCT7 was low in leaves and stems but significantly increased in tubers. Collectively, this study provided valuable information for the further study of potato formation and development and provided candidate genes for molecular breeding in the potato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning is a technology that can be used to classify flowers. In this research, flower type classification using the CNN method with several existing CNN architectures will be discussed. The data consists of 4317 images in .jpg format, covering 5 classes that is sunflower, dandelion, daisy, tulip and rose. The distribution of data for each class is daisy with 764 pictures, dandelion with 1052 pictures, rose with 784 pictures, sunflower with 733 pictures, and tulip with 984 pictures. With total dataset of 4317 pictures is further split to training data with ratio of 60%, validation with ratio of 10%, and testing with ratio of 30% to process with the CNN method and CNN framework. Due to the imbalance data distribution, the SMOTE method is applied to balancing number of samples in each class. This research compares CNN architectures, including CNN, GoogleNet, DenseNet, and MobileNet, where each transfer learning model undergoes fine-tuning to improve performance. At the classification stage, performance will be measured based on model testing accuracy. The accuracy obtained using CNN is 74.61%, using GoogleNet is 87.45%, DenseNet is 93.92%, and MobileNet is 88.34%.

Using flowers of 'Honghe No.1' (Camellia nitidissima Chi) as the materials, in this study, the effects of five processing technologies, including baking, sunning, desiccant drying, steaming+baking, and withering+baking, on the organoleptic quality of the products and the main biochemical compositions. The results showed that different processing technologies had different degrees of influence on the sensory quality and the main biochemical composition of C. nitidissima, in which the sensory quality of the products produced by the process of withering+baking was the best, the sensory score was 87.68 with the uniform flower color, full flower, fragrant aroma, and fresh taste. The process of steaming+baking was the second, the sensory score was 85.53. Sunning in the appearance of poor, and the score was only 80.25. Desiccant drying was worse in terms of soup colour, and the score was only 82.13. The sensory score of the baking was the worst, with a total score of only 80.78, which showed that the flowers were discolored, the petals were shriveled, the smell was pungent and the taste was bitter. The contents of main biochemical components, including water extract, soluble sugar, free amino acids, catechins, and flavonoids, were the highest by the process of withering+baking, the contents were 43.01%, 6.26%, 2.76%, 5.07 mg/g, 2.47 mg/g respectively, while the lowest by the process of sunning. The contents of minerals expect were the highest by the process of withering+baking, the total content was 5279.33 mg/kg, while they were at a low level by the process of baking or desiccant drying. Therefore, the withering+baking process was the most suitable for processing C. nitidissima, which would provide a theoretical basis for the subsequent production of C. nitidissima and the rational development and utilization of C. nitidissima resources.

Different ecological types of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.), including winter, spring, and semi‐winter cultivars, exhibit varying flowering times and cannot be planted in the same cultivation areas. FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) plays a key role in regulating flowering. In allotetraploid B. napus six copies of FT (BnaFT) have been reported. However, there is uncertainty about how the translated products of each paralog, as well as cis‐allelic variations at each locus, contribute functionally to flowering time and define specific crop types. In this study, we confirm that BnaFT exhibit distinct expression patterns in different crop types of rapeseed. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system, we provide functional evidence that the mutants between Bnaft paralogues affects the regulation of flowering time. Furthermore, we identify a new haplotype of BnaFT.A2 that is associated with early flowering time, although this appears necessary but not sufficient to confer a spring type phenotype. Three haplotypes of BnaFT.C6 were further identified and associated with both flowering time and crop types. We speculate that variations in both BnaFT.A2 and BnaFT.C6 may have undergone diversifying selection during the divergence of seasonal crop types in rapeseed. Summary statement: Paralogues of BnaFTs exhibit differential regulation of flowering time, with variations in BnaFT.A2 and BnaFT.C6 being associated with seasonal crop type in rapeseed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Nowadays Alzheimer’s disease and its treatment methods are global concerns. Patients with this disease have poor prognosis and need supportive treatment. The antioxidant activity, anti-acetylcholinesterase (anti-AChE), anti-butyryl cholinesterase (anti-BChE) and Aβ-amyloid-42 inhibition activities of the ethanolic extracts of both leaves and flowers (LEE and FEE) of Markhamia lutea were assessed. The antioxidant activity of LEE and FEE was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate, oxygen radical absorbance capacity and ferrozine iron metal chelation assays. Additionally, their total flavonoids and total phenolics were determined. The phytochemicals of LEE were analysed using LC–MS/Q-TOF in both positive and negative modes. Also, molecular docking was done for phytochemicals identified in LEE. Result LEE exhibited higher antioxidant and anti-Alzheimer activities in all techniques due to its high flavonoids content. LEE showed better activity than donepezil in case of anti-butyryl cholinesterase than both donepezil and rivastigmine in case of Aβ-amyloid-42 inhibition. A total of 62 compounds were tentatively identified using Ultra-performance Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC–ESI–TOF–MS), viz. 35 flavonoids, 11 phenolic acids, 2 terpenoids, 2 phenylpropanoids derivatives, 7 polyphenols, 3 coumarins and 2 organic acids. The molecular docking of some constituents showed that isorhamnetin-O-rutinoside, sissotrin, 3,5,7-trihydroxy-4'-methoxyflavone (diosmetin), rosmarinic acid, kaempferol hexoside, kampferol-7-neohesperoside, acacetin, taxifolin and apigenin-O-hexoside exert a promising activity as anti-Alzheimer drugs. Conclusion The LEE of Markhamia lutea contains secondary metabolites that is promising to act as natural antioxidants, acetylcholinesterase, butyryl cholinesterase and Aβ-amyloid-42 inhibition inhibitors, which can aid in the treatment of Alzheimer’s. Graphical Abstract

The objective of the present study was to study butterfly-Tridax procumbens interaction and test whether there is any correlation between lengths of corolla tube of the flowers and butterfly proboscis. Most butterflies visit flowers to obtain nectar. A common weed T. procumbens is an invasive species and a nectar plant for many butterflies. At Shivaji University campus, we documented a total of 42 species of butterflies belonging to three families (Lycaenidae, Nymphalidae, and Pieridae) of superfamily Papilionoidea visiting flowers of T. procumbens for nectar from December 2022 to November 2023. Among these, lycaenids were the most speciose with a total of 21 species, followed by the family Nymphalidae with 12 species, and the family Pieridae with nine species. Although the corolla length of T. procumbens flower is considered short, butterflies with both short (Lycaenidae and Pieridae) and long (Nymphalidae) proboscises were observed visiting these flowers for nectar. Seasonal studies carried out here showed that the highest number of butterfly species was recorded during monsoon season, mainly in June, than during other seasons. Among all species recorded, Eurema laeta was recorded at the highest temperature 35.8°C with 37% humidity. In the present communication photographs of all 42 butterfly species visiting T. procumbens flowers are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Plants and animals are often adorned with potentially conspicuous colours (e.g. red, yellow, orange, blue, purple). These include the dazzling colours of fruits and flowers, the brilliant warning colours of frogs, snakes, and invertebrates, and the spectacular sexually selected colours of insects, fish, birds, and lizards. Such signals are often thought to utilize pre‐existing sensitivities in the receiver's visual systems. This raises the question: what was the initial function of conspicuous colouration and colour vision? Here, we review the origins of colour vision, fruit, flowers, and aposematic and sexually selected colouration. We find that aposematic colouration is widely distributed across animals but relatively young, evolving only in the last ~150 million years (Myr). Sexually selected colouration in animals appears confined to arthropods and chordates, and is also relatively young (generally <100 Myr). Colourful flowers likely evolved ~200 million years ago (Mya), whereas colourful fruits/seeds likely evolved ~300 Mya. Colour vision (sensu lato) appears to be substantially older, and likely originated ~400–500 Mya in both arthropods and chordates. Thus, colour vision may have evolved long before extant lineages with fruit, flowers, aposematism, and sexual colour signals. We also find that there appears to have been an explosion of colour within the last ~100 Myr, including >200 origins of aposematic colouration across nine animal phyla and >100 origins of sexually selected colouration among arthropods and chordates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is among themost important crop worldwide. Given a growing population and changing climate, enhancing wheat yield is of great importance. Yield is closely associated with flower and spike development, and E-class genes play important roles in the flower and kernel development of plants. Currently, the absence of systematic analysis on the E gene family hinders our comprehension of their roles in plant growth and development. Methods: Identify E-class genes based on homologous sequence searches. Analyze the identified E-class genes through a series of gene family analyses. Determine the expression levels of wheat E-class genes by searching public databases. Validate the functions of these genes by transforming them into Arabidopsis. Finally, determine the interactions between the genes through yeast two-hybrid experiments. Results: Fifteen E-class genes (TaEs) were identified in common wheat. Nine Eclass genes were detected in five ancestral/closely related species, including one in Aegilops tauschii (AtE), one in T. Urartu (TuEs), two in T. turgidum (TtEs), two in T. dicoccoides (TdEs), and three in T. spelta (TsEs). The 24 E-class genes were classified into three subgroups using a phylogenetic approach. All genes were highly expressed in spikes, and most were only highly expressed at the floret meristem stage. The effects of TaSEP5-A on flowering and growth cycles were confirmed in homologous mutants and transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana. The Eclass genes were able to regulate the growth cycle of Arabidopsis. Finally, we confirmed the interactions between TaSEP5-A and other wheat E-class genes based on yeast two-hybrid assays. Discussion: Our findings provide information regarding the E-class genes in wheat and will potentially promote the application of these genes in wheat improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isolation of new plant-derived lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is highly prioritized in developing novel starter cultures for plant-based fermentation. This study explores the diversity of LAB in Danish flowers and their potential use for plant-based food fermentation. A total of 46 flower samples under 34 genera were collected for LAB isolation. By introducing an enrichment step, a total of 61 LAB strains were isolated and identified using MALDI-TOF and 16S rRNA sequencing. These strains represent 24 species across 9 genera, predominantly Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Fructobacillus fructosus, Apilactobacillus ozensis, and Apilactobacillus kunkeei. Phenotypic screening for exo-cellular polysaccharide production revealed that 40 strains exhibited sliminess or ropiness on sucrose-containing agar plates. HPLC analysis confirmed that all isolates produced exo-cellular polysaccharides containing glucose, fructose, or galactose as sugar monomers. Therefore, the strains were glucan, fructan, and galactan producers. The suitability of these strains for plant-based fermentation was characterized by using almond, oat, and soy milk. The results showed successful acidification in all three types of plant-based matrices but only observed texture development in soy by Leuconostoc, Weissella, Lactococcus, Apilactobacillus, and Fructobacillus. The findings highlight the potential of flower-derived LAB strains for texture development in soy-based dairy alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise: With growing interest in the impact of false springs on plant reproduction, there is the need to develop reliable, high‐throughput methods for assessing floral freezing damage. Here we present a method for use with floral tissue that will facilitate more comparative work on floral freezing tolerance in the future. Methods and Results: We examined the effectiveness of a modified electrolyte leakage protocol to assess floral freezing damage. By comparing data from temperature response curves to an estimate of visual tissue damage, we optimized the protocol for different floral types and improved the signal‐to‐noise ratio for floral data. Conclusions: Our modified protocol provides a quick and straightforward method for quantifying floral freezing damage that can be standardized across floral types. This method allows for cross‐species comparisons and can be a powerful tool for studying broad patterns in floral freezing tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The third largest angiosperm family, Leguminosae, displays a broad range of reproductive strategies and has an exceptional practical value. Whereas annual legume species are mostly planted as crops, there is a significant interest in breeding and cultivating perennials. It is therefore of importance to compare reproductive traits, their interactions and the resulting productivity between related annual and perennial species. Two highly variable taxa were chosen for this purpose, the Fabeae tribe, including numerous temperate crops, and the largest angiosperm 'megagenus' Astragalus. A dataset of quantitative reproductive traits was composed of both originally obtained and previously published data. As a result of statistical analysis, we found that perennials in both groups tend to produce more flowers per axillary racemose inflorescence as well as more ovules per carpel. Perennial Astragalus also have larger flowers. Only a part of the developing flowers and ovules gives rise to mature pods and seeds. This difference is especially pronounced in small populations of rare and threatened perennials. Numerous reasons underlie the gap between potential and real productivity, which may be potentially bridged in optimal growing conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nowadays Alzheimer's disease and its treatment methods are global concerns. Patients with this disease have poor prognosis and need supportive treatment. The antioxidant activity, anti-acetylcholinesterase (anti-AChE), anti-butyryl cholinesterase (anti-BChE) and Aβ-amyloid-42 inhibition activities of the ethanolic extracts of both leaves and flowers (LEE and FEE) of Markhamia lutea were assessed. The antioxidant activity of LEE and FEE was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate, oxygen radical absorbance capacity and ferrozine iron metal chelation assays. Additionally, their total flavonoids and total phenolics were determined. The phytochemicals of LEE were analysed using LC–MS/Q-TOF in both positive and negative modes. Also, molecular docking was done for phytochemicals identified in LEE. Result: LEE exhibited higher antioxidant and anti-Alzheimer activities in all techniques due to its high flavonoids content. LEE showed better activity than donepezil in case of anti-butyryl cholinesterase than both donepezil and rivastigmine in case of Aβ-amyloid-42 inhibition. A total of 62 compounds were tentatively identified using Ultra-performance Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray Ionization-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC–ESI–TOF–MS), viz. 35 flavonoids, 11 phenolic acids, 2 terpenoids, 2 phenylpropanoids derivatives, 7 polyphenols, 3 coumarins and 2 organic acids. The molecular docking of some constituents showed that isorhamnetin-O-rutinoside, sissotrin, 3,5,7-trihydroxy-4'-methoxyflavone (diosmetin), rosmarinic acid, kaempferol hexoside, kampferol-7-neohesperoside, acacetin, taxifolin and apigenin-O-hexoside exert a promising activity as anti-Alzheimer drugs. Conclusion: The LEE of Markhamia lutea contains secondary metabolites that is promising to act as natural antioxidants, acetylcholinesterase, butyryl cholinesterase and Aβ-amyloid-42 inhibition inhibitors, which can aid in the treatment of Alzheimer's. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ongoing climate change poses an increasing threat to biodiversity. To avoid decline or extinction, species need to either adjust or adapt to new environmental conditions or track their climatic niches across space. In sessile organisms such as plants, phenotypic plasticity can help maintain fitness in variable and even novel environmental conditions and is therefore likely to play an important role in allowing them to survive climate change, particularly in the short term. Understanding a species' response to rising temperature is crucial for planning well‐targeted and cost‐effective conservation measures. We sampled seeds of three Hypericum species (H. maculatum, H. montanum, and H. perforatum), from a total of 23 populations originating from different parts of their native distribution areas in Europe. We grew them under four different temperature regimes in a greenhouse to simulate current and predicted future climatic conditions in the distribution areas. We measured flowering start, flower count, and subsequent seed weight, allowing us to study variations in the thermal plasticity of flowering phenology and its relation to fitness. Our results show that individuals flowered earlier with increasing temperature, while the degree of phenological plasticity varied among species. More specifically, the plasticity of H. maculatum varied depending on population origin, with individuals from the leading range edge being less plastic. Importantly, we show a positive relationship between higher plasticity and increased flower production, indicating adaptive phenological plasticity. The observed connection between plasticity and fitness supports the idea that plasticity may be adaptive. This study underlines the need for information on plasticity for predicting species' potential to thrive under global change and the need for studies on whether higher phenotypic plasticity is currently being selected as natural populations experience a rapidly changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Twenty Opuntia accessions from Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) were classified according to 52 quantitative and qualitative descriptors, including the traits of the cladodes, flowers, fruits, and spines, as described by the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) guidelines. A database composed of 20 accessions and 52 traits was used to perform a cluster analysis based on the Euclidian distance and Ward's method and a canonical discriminant analysis. In terms of the analyzed characteristics, cactus pears with orange flesh showed less variability than cactus pears with white or purple flesh. Good classifications according to fruit flesh color were obtained using discriminant analysis. As a result of the cluster analysis, Opuntia plant accessions with white, orange, or purple-fleshed fruits were classified into four homogeneous groups according to the cubic clustering criteria. This study proves that it was possible to make a preliminary classification of Opuntia varieties from the Canary Islands based on a few main morphological characteristics. To improve the classification, a molecular analysis of the different Opuntia plants is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to demonstrate the production of edible extracts from red jambo flowers, cultivated in northeastern Brazil, and investigate their bioactive properties. For this purpose, a multivariate optimization of the extraction process was performed, by solid–liquid extraction, where it was observed that the presence of ethanol, acetone, and polysorbate in the extracting solution had the most significant influence on the extraction process, as opposed to temperature, time, volume of extracting solution, and the use of ultrasound. After the mixture system optimization, the best extraction condition was achieved when the extracting solution was composed of 25% ethanol, 25% acetone, and 50% polysorbate 0.25% in water, resulting in an extract containing 27.11 mg of anthocyanins, 457.69 mg of total carotenoids, and 198.09 mg of, total flavonoids, per 100 g of dried flower. The reducing capacity was 466.8 mg GAE per 100 g of dried flower, and the antioxidant activity was 17.25% against the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical. Through chromatographic analysis, it was possible to identify 10 compounds with bioactive properties (ferulic acid dihexoside, pedunculagin, methyl-dihydroquercetin dihexoside, dimethyl-dihydromyricetin diglucoside, kaempferol-3-O-hexosyl-rutinoside-7-O-rhamnoside, quercetin-O-hexoside-O-hexoside, ellagic acid, quercetin-O-hexoside, hesperetin-O-rutinoside, and diosmetin-O-rhamnoside), with a high prevalence of flavonoids. The extract showed no toxicity in an in vivo model of Galleria mellonella when administered at up to 1.6 g kg−1 of body mass. The extract exhibited inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus (23 mm), Salmonella Typhimurium (12 mm), and Escherichia coli (12 mm), with inhibition zones close to that of gentamicin for the latter two. This study highlights the promising potential of red jambo flower extract as a valuable source of bioactive compounds with significant antioxidant, antimicrobial, and non-toxic properties. The optimized extraction process yielded extracts rich in bioactive compounds, demonstrating its suitability for various applications in the food industry. Further research is warranted to explore the full range of applications and potential health benefits of this natural extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parasitic plants left little trace in the macrofossil record, making their evolutionary history mysterious. Baltic amber and other fossil lagerstätts have provided plenty of angiosperm fossils, there are only three reports of fossil leaves (cf. Schoepfia republicensis and Schoepfia sp. 1) related to Schoepfiaceae until now, making many hypotheses related to its evolution untested. Here we report a fossil corolla and stamens of a probable schoepfiaceous flower (Schoepfiaceae, Santalales) from late Eocene (37.8–33.9 Ma ago) of Kaliningrad, Russia. Unlike previously reported flowers, the new fossil is characterized by its five fused petals bearing adnate stamens. This character assemblage points to an affinity of Schoepfiaceae. This is the debut of schoepfiaceous flower in the macrofossil record, shedding a new light on the evolution of this poorly understood family. Its unexpected occurrence in Russia adds information to the discussion on the history of Schoepfiaceae.

Mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata Blanco) is the most common citrus fruit, covering nearly 42 % of the total citrus cultivation area in India. The main varieties of mandarin oranges cultivated in India include Nagpur Mandarin, Khasi Mandarin, Coorg Mandarin and Sikkim Mandarin. Globally, genomic data is being used to unravel the complexities and mysteries of citrus taxonomy. However, despite India being a primary centre of citrus origin, these valuable genomic resources remain underutilized. Here, we conducted whole genome resequencing of four mandarin genotypes viz., Nagpur Mandarin (22,861,254 bp raw reads), Sikkim Mandarin (24,160,847 bp raw reads), Coorg Mandarin (27,974,860 bp raw reads), and Khasi Mandarin (40,532,383 bp raw reads) using Illumina Novaseq 6000 sequencing platform with 28x sequencing coverage. These genomic sequences will provide valuable insights into the taxonomic complexities and evolutionary history of mandarin oranges. The identified SNPs can further be used to study the evolution of flowering patterns in citrus, especially under tropical and subtropical conditions. The NGS data obtained (FASTQ format) for all four mandarin genotypes have been deposited in the Indian Biological Data Centre (https://ibdc.dbtindia.gov.in/inda/submittedStudyHome) under INDA study Id INRP000149. The sample accession numbers are INS0004744 (Sikkim Mandarin), INS0004745 (Nagpur Mandarin), INS0004746 (Coorg Mandarin), INS0004747 (Khasi Mandarin).

This study aims to investigate the variations in efficiency, technology gap, and profitability of flower producers depending on their credit constraint position. A total of 160 flower farmers have been selected from Bangladesh by using a multistage sampling technique. Meta-frontier Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is employed to estimate the efficiency differences and technological gaps depending on the credit constraint situation. At the same time, the Tobit regression model is used to estimate the factors influencing the meta-technical efficiency of flower farmers. Profitability differences depending on the credit constraint situation are identified using the gross margin and benefit cost ratio. The mean meta-technical efficiency for Marigold farmers is highest when unconstrained (0.73) and lowest when credit is constrained (0.64) relative to the meta-frontier, which indicates output could be increased by 27 and 36%, respectively, without increasing input. On the other side, the efficiency of credit-unconstrained rose farmers is slightly higher than that of constrained rose farmers. In addition, credit-constrained marigold farmers achieve the lowest technological gap ratio (0.64) compared to credit-unconstrained farmers. Sociodemographic and farm characteristics such as education, source of seed, land tenure, farm area, and age have a significant positive impact, while earning family members, types of flowers, and credit constraints have a significant negative effect on the technical efficiency of flower farmers. The profitability of credit-unconstrained marigold and rose farmers is higher than that of credit-constrained farmers. Facilitating the loan application process, easing the pre-conditions of loan acceptance, and adjusting the repayment schedule help to remove the credit-constrained situation.

Both frugivores and nectarivores are potentially exposed to dietary ethanol produced by fermentative yeasts which metabolize sugars. Some nectarivorous mammals exhibit a preference for low-concentration ethanol solutions compared to controls of comparable caloric content, but behavioural responses to ethanol by nectar-feeding birds are unknown. We investigated dietary preference by Anna's Hummingbirds (Calypte anna) for ethanol-enhanced sucrose solutions. Via repeated binary-choice experiments, three adult male hummingbirds were exposed to sucrose solutions containing 0%, 1% or 2% ethanol; rates of volitional nectar consumption were measured over a 3 h interval. Hummingbirds did not discriminate between 0% and 1% ethanol solutions, but exhibited significantly reduced rates of consumption of a 2% ethanol solution. Opportunistic measurements of ethanol concentrations within hummingbird feeders registered values peaking at about 0.05%. Ethanol at low concentrations (i.e. up to 1%) is not aversive to Anna's Hummingbirds and may be characteristic of both natural and anthropogenic nectars upon which they feed. Given high daily amounts of nectar consumption by hummingbirds, chronic physiological exposure to ethanol can thus be substantial, although naturally occurring concentrations within floral nectar are unknown.

In this review, we tried to summarize the results of all more or less noticeable works carried out in recent years and devoted to the search for ecological factors influencing the corolla color in flowering plants. The influence of various factors on corolla color has been established, including temperature, precipitation, soil characteristics, geographic latitude and longitude, distance from the place of species origin, interaction with pollinators, and in some cases the nature of such influence has been analyzed. However, it should be noted that the results obtained are rather scattered and relate to particular species, groups or phytocenoses. Significant efforts remain to be done to summarize the particular results into an overall picture, and we offer and justify our proposals for the direction of future research.

Moringa plants are among high-value trees and belong to the Moringaceae family, consisting of 13 species and highly distributed in Africa and southern Asia. It is multi-purpose tree with medicinal, nutritional, industrial and socio-economic values. Preliminary information indicates that the human dietary usage of the edible parts of these species is limited. Assessment of the nutritional quality of different moringa parts was not well documented in Oromia. Hence, the aim of this activity is to assess the nutritional qualities of different parts of moringa collected from different districts of Oromia. Sample collection was done from Bako from West Showa, Bishoftu from East Showa, Dalo Mena and Goro from Bale Zone, of Oromia representing mid and low land agro-ecologies of the region. Three to four sampling PAs were used from each district. Different parts of Moringa, namely, leaf, pod, bark, seed and flower were collected from the four districts at least in triplicate. The collected samples were made to dry at room temperature, milled with coffee miller, and passed through a 1 mm standard sieve. The prepared samples were analyzed for proximate and mineral compositions using standard methodologies. The result obtained indicated that leaf is rich in nutrients Ca, Na, Mn and Zn. Moringa flower is rich in nutrients like Zn and Mn, and second in K composition next to pod. The pod is also rich in K and Zn, while the fat and CP contents are high in the seed part of moringa. Generally, Higher % CP, K and P were found from the Bishoftu collection, while Mg, Ca and K were higher for the collection from DM. Bark is poor in protein content compared to other parts of the plant. However, Ca, Mg and Zn are double the optimum composition of plant material. Finally, it is possible to use different moringa parts for food fortification, where determination for antioxidant and nutritional composition analysis is mandatory, as well as future research directions.

This study investigated the nexus among the profitability, sales, and willingness to pay (WTP) more for weather index-based agricultural insurance premiums of flower farmers. In addition, the effect of sociodemographic and farm characteristics of flower farmers on their WTP more for insurance premiums was also estimated. A total of 160 flower farmers were selected from Bangladesh using the purposive random sampling technique. Propensity score matching technique was employed to identify the sales difference depending on WTP for insurance premiums while the profitability differences of flower farmers were assessed from different points of view. A binary logistic regression model was used to estimate the effect of sociodemographic and farm characteristics of flower farmers on their WTP more for insurance premiums, while a Likert scale was used to identify the major problems faced by flower farmers. Flower growers are willing to pay a higher premium for insurance when their sales decline. Farmers with lower profitability show a greater WTP higher insurance premiums, whereas those with relatively higher profitability are less inclined to do so. Farmers’ WTP more for insurance premiums decreases with age, education, and farm area, while farmers’ WTP more for insurance premiums increases with experience, training, earning members, marigold farming, and consciousness about natural calamities, pests, and diseases. The most significant problems faced in flower production are high input costs, demand fluctuation, pest and disease attacks, price fluctuation, and loss of production. Thus, the introduction of crop insurance in flower farming may increase profitability and reduce the exposure to risks involved in flower farming. The involvement of younger and more trained farmers in flower farming will increase their WTP more for insurance premiums.

Abstract Michelia alba DC is a highly valuable ornamental plant of the Magnoliaceae family. This evergreen tropical tree commonly grows in Southeast Asia and is adored for its delightful fragrance. Our study assembled the M. alba haplotype genome MC and MM by utilizing Nanopore ultralong reads, Pacbio Hifi long reads and parental second-generation data. Moreover, the first methylation map of Magnoliaceae was constructed based on the methylation site data obtained using Nanopore data. Metabolomic datasets were generated from the flowers of three different species to assess variations in pigment and volatile compound accumulation. Finally, transcriptome data were generated to link genomic, methylation, and morphological patterns to reveal the reasons underlying the differences between M. alba and its parental lines in petal color, flower shape, and fragrance. We found that the AP1 and AP2 genes are crucial in M. alba petal formation, while the 4CL, PAL, and C4H genes control petal color. The data generated in this study serve as a foundation for future physiological and biochemical research on M. alba, facilitate the targeted improvement of M. alba varieties, and offer a theoretical basis for molecular research on Michelia L.

The molecular mechanism of flower development and sexual differentiation, which is an intricate process, still unclear in Vitis plants. In this study, we performed the transcriptome analysis by high-throughput sequencing to measure gene expression at three stages in male, female, and hermaphrodite grape flowers, and in combination with the fluctuation of hormones (ABA, IAA, BR, GA3, and JA) to understand the gene function and molecular basis of developmental processes in Vitis flowers. The results showed that more than 581 million clean reads were generated from all samples and average 83% reads were mapped on the Vitis vinifera genome. More, quite a large number of genes were differentially expressed between different stages within and across cultivars and various transcription factor families involved were identified in flower development. The genes belonging to MYB, bHLH, ERF, NAC, and WRKY have more numbers than other TF families. Furthermore, we analyzed the correlation of those hormones with 165 DEGs (including 36 TF genes). The results suggested that those genes might play important roles in sex differentiation during flower development and a unique opportunity to increase the efficiency of crossbreeding in Vitis plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: EXPANSIN15 is involved in petal cell morphology and size, the fusion of the medial tissues in the gynoecium and expansion of fruit valve cells. It genetically interacts with SPATULA and FRUITFULL. Cell expansion is fundamental for the formation of plant tissues and organs, contributing to their final shape and size during development. To better understand this process in flower and fruit development, we have studied the EXPANSIN15 (EXPA15) gene, which showed expression in petals and in the gynoecium. By analyzing expa15 mutant alleles, we found that EXPA15 is involved in petal shape and size determination, by affecting cell morphology and number. EXPA15 also has a function in fruit size, by affecting cell size and number. Furthermore, EXPA15 promotes fusion of the medial tissues in the gynoecium. In addition, we observed genetic interactions with the transcription factors SPATULA (SPT) and FRUITFULL (FUL) in gynoecium medial tissue fusion, style and stigma development and fruit development in Arabidopsis. These findings contribute to the importance of EXPANSINS in floral and fruit development in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pollen cone structure and vasculature of Taxus baccata and T. wallichiana were investigated in the context of comparative studies in other conifers. The results indicate that the simple, flower‐like pollen cone of Taxus could be derived from an ancestral compound inflorescence as in Cephalotaxus and Pseudotaxus. In Cephalotaxus, each lateral flower‐like structure represents an entire pollen cone, compared with a single perisporangiate microsporangiophore in Pseudotaxus. The microsporangiophores are exclusively perisporangiate in both Pseudotaxus and Taxus, but in Pseudotaxus they are inserted in the axil of a pherophyll. By a simple reduction of these pherophylls, the Taxus pollen cone is formed—a strongly reduced inflorescence with flowers reduced to perisporangiate microsporangiophores, which are inserted directly at the cone axis, without pherophylls. Thus, the perisporangiate Taxus microsporangiophores correspond to the axillary flowers in Cephalotaxus and Pseudotaxus. The Taxus flower results from a strong reduction of an ancestral Cephalotaxus‐like flower type (lateral pollen cones), where all remaining hyposporangiate microsporangiophores have fused to a radial structure during evolution. Thus, perisporangiate Taxus microsporangiophores represent radial synangia and not peltate microsporophylls, suggesting that hyposporangiate microsporangiophores are the ancestral condition in Taxaceae s.l. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata) essential oil is valued for its medicinal and cosmetic benefits. This study compared the volatile compounds and antioxidant capacity of six essential oils from C. odorata flowers obtained industrially by steam distillation. The volatiles were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, and total phenolic content (TPC) were measured by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry. The main components included benzyl acetate (21.78–27.82%), benzyl benzoate (12.30–18.07%), linalool (9.45–14.39%), and germacrene D (9.17–14.46%). The highest antioxidant values were shown by the sample S6 (206.50 ± 7.45 mmol TE/L, 52.03 ± 0.88 mg GAE/g), followed by S5. The multivariate analysis separated S6 and S5 from the remaining essential oils, suggesting that extraction was more influenced by the steam flow rate. Notably, the antioxidant capacity of S6 revealed a positive correlation between volatiles and TPC values. These findings denote the importance of improving empirical industrial procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet net melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an annual climbing plant famous for its delicious fleshy fruit. It is one of the most widely cultivated and consumed around the world. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of pollination employing Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on yield and growth in greenhouse conditions, compared to the traditional method of hand cross-pollination and self-pollination. The experiment was laid out using a completely randomized design (CRD) with three treatments and one hundred replications: T1 represented self-pollination, T2 -- hand cross-pollination, and T3 -- Apis mellifera pollination. Plant growth, fruit yield, and sugar content were analyzed by using a portable refractometer. Results revealed that the Apis mellifera pollination had resulted in a significantly greater fruit set of sweet net melon than hand cross-pollination and self-pollination (100%, 74%, and 62%, respectively). Furthermore, Apis mellifera had significantly enhanced fruit yield compared to both self-pollination and hand crosspollination. In addition, self-pollination, hand cross-pollination, and Apis mellifera pollination were not significantly different in terms of sweetness, fruit thickness, fruit weight, number of seeds per fruit, and fruit size. Therefore, pollination by Apis mellifera can be used to increase fruit yield and ensure food security, in line with Cambodia's National Strategy for Food Security and Nutrition from 2019 to 2023. In addition, pollination by Apis mellifera may be one of the most powerful tools for agricultural adaptation to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of RumeliDE Journal of Language & Literature Research / RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of RumeliDE Uluslararasi Hakemli Dil & Edebiyat Arastirmalari Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Michelia alba DC is a highly valuable ornamental plant of the Magnoliaceae family. This evergreen tropical tree commonly grows in Southeast Asia and is adored for its delightful fragrance. Our study assembled the M. alba haplotype genome MC and MM by utilizing Nanopore ultralong reads, Pacbio Hifi long reads and parental second-generation data. Moreover, the first methylation map of Magnoliaceae was constructed based on the methylation site data obtained using Nanopore data. Metabolomic datasets were generated from the flowers of three different species to assess variations in pigment and volatile compound accumulation. Finally, transcriptome data were generated to link genomic, methylation, and morphological patterns to reveal the reasons underlying the differences between M. alba and its parental lines in petal color, flower shape, and fragrance. We found that the AP1 and AP2 genes are crucial in M. alba petal formation, while the 4CL, PAL, and C4H genes control petal color. The data generated in this study serve as a foundation for future physiological and biochemical research on M. alba, facilitate the targeted improvement of M. alba varieties, and offer a theoretical basis for molecular research on Michelia L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parrotia C. A. Meyer (Hamamelidaceae) is a relictual genus with only two extant species disjunctly distributed in the subtropical forests of East China and temperate forests of North Iran. Fossil records suggest that Parrotia was widespread in Europe and Asia during the Miocene, but its fossils are predominantly based on pollen and leaves. In this paper we describe the first fossil flower of Parrotia based on an exceptionally well‐preserved amber inclusion from the middle Miocene of Zhangpu, Southeast China. The fossil flower was investigated with light microscope and microcomputed tomography techniques. Parrotia zhiyanii sp. nov. is a small apetalous staminate flower subtended by a pair of prominent bracts. The androecium consists of 12 stamens, and each stamen consists of a short, slender filament and a prominent, elongated anther. The anthers with short simple trichomes on the outer surface and a prominent apical connective extension are opened by longitudinal slits. Unlike its living relatives, the new Parrotia from Zhangpu grew in a Miocene seasonal tropical rainforest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthocyanins are widely found in plants and have significant functions. The accurate detection and quantitative assessment of anthocyanin content are essential to assess its functions. The anthocyanin content in plant tissues is typically quantified by wet chemistry and spectroscopic techniques. However, these methods are time-consuming, labor-intensive, tedious, expensive, destructive, or require expensive equipment. Digital photography is a fast, economical, efficient, reliable, and non-invasive method for estimating plant pigment content. This study examined the anthocyanin content of Rosa chinensis petals using digital images, a back-propagation neural network (BPNN), and the random forest (RF) algorithm. The objective was to determine whether using RGB indices and BPNN and RF algorithms to accurately predict the anthocyanin content of R. chinensis petals is feasible. The anthocyanin content ranged from 0.832 to 4.549 µmol g−1 for 168 samples. Most RGB indices were strongly correlated with the anthocyanin content. The coefficient of determination (R2) and the ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) of the BPNN and RF models exceeded 0.75 and 2.00, respectively, indicating the high accuracy of both models in predicting the anthocyanin content of R. chinensis petals using RGB indices. The RF model had higher R2 and RPD values, and lower root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) values than the BPNN, indicating that it outperformed the BPNN model. This study provides an alternative method for determining the anthocyanin content of flowers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the potential of federated learning (FL) to develop a predictive model of hypoxemia in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Centralized learning (CL) and local learning (LL) approaches have been limited by the localized nature of data, which restricts CL approaches to the available data due to data privacy regulations. A CL approach that combines data from different institutions, could offer superior performance compared to a single-institution approach. However, the use of this method raises ethical and regulatory concerns. In this context, FL presents a promising middle ground, enabling collaborative model training on geographically dispersed ICU data without compromising patient confidentiality. This study is the first to use all five public ICU databases combined. The findings demonstrate that FL achieved comparable or even slightly improved performance compared to local or centralized learning approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two fertiliser supplements which have become established within the agricultural sphere for their promotion of resistance to biotic and abiotic stressors, are the non-nutritive biostimulants silicon (Si) and phosphite (Phi). However, within the cannabis sphere, Phi has had limited establishment, and Si is purported to be non-bioavailable in silicate form. The work herein explored the impacts to cannabis (hemp) from application of a biostimulant complex (BC) containing Si (as silicate) and Phi. The results confirmed the bioavailability of silicate, which increased leaf Si by 2.1-fold (p = 0.001). Additionally, BC treatment was associated with a marginally significant reduction to branch length (p = 0.070). Inflorescence yield was increased by approximately 1.2-fold (p = 0.087), whilst volatile and colour quality measures were unchanged. Accordingly, this study provides novel support to the utilisation of Si and Phi in combination for the promotion of cannabis yield without compromising yield quality.Abbreviations: B: boron; BC: biostimulant complex; C: carbon; Ca: calcium; DW: dry weight; EC: electrical conductivity; Fe: iron; FW: fresh weight; GC/MS: gas chromatography mass spectrometry; HS: head space; ICP/AES: inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy; IPDM: integrated pest and disease management; L:D: light:dark; Mn: manganese; Mg: magnesium; N: nitrogen; P: phosphorous; PAMP: pathogen associated molecular pattern; Phi: phosphite; Pi: phosphate; PPFD: photosynthetic photon flux density; RH: relative humidity; RI: retention index; RT: retention time; S: sulfur; Si: silicon; Zn: zinc [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual cues are of critical importance for the attraction of animal pollinators, however, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underpinning intraspecific floral colour variation. Here, we combined comparative spectral analysis, targeted metabolite profiling, multi‐tissue transcriptomics, differential gene expression, sequence analysis and functional analysis to investigate a bee‐pollinated orchid species, Glossodia major with common purple‐ and infrequent white‐flowered morphs. We found uncommon and previously unreported delphinidin‐based anthocyanins responsible for the conspicuous and pollinator‐perceivable colour of the purple morph and three genetic changes underpinning the loss of colour in the white morph – (1) a loss‐of‐function (LOF; frameshift) mutation affecting dihydroflavonol 4‐reductase (DFR1) coding sequence due to a unique 4‐bp insertion, (2) specific downregulation of functional DFR1 expression and (3) the unexpected discovery of chimeric Gypsy transposable element (TE)‐gene (DFR) transcripts with potential consequences to the genomic stability and post‐transcriptional or epigenetic regulation of DFR. This is one of few known cases where regulatory changes and LOF mutation in an anthocyanin structural gene, rather than transcription factors, are important. Furthermore, if TEs prove to be a frequent source of mutation, the interplay between environmental stress‐induced TE evolution and pollinator‐mediated selection for adaptive colour variation may be an overlooked mechanism maintaining floral colour polymorphism in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Flavonoids are one of the bioactive ingredients of Lonicera macranthoides (L. macranthoides), however, their biosynthesis in the flower is still unclear. In this study, combined transcriptomic and targeted metabolomic analyses were performed to clarify the flavonoids biosynthesis during flowering of L. macranthoides. Results: In the three sample groups, GB_vs_WB, GB_vs_WF and GB_vs_GF, there were 25, 22 and 18 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in flavonoids biosynthetic pathway respectively. A total of 339 flavonoids were detected and quantified at four developmental stages of flower in L. macranthoides. In the three sample groups, 113, 155 and 163 differentially accumulated flavonoids (DAFs) were detected respectively. Among the DAFs, most apigenin derivatives in flavones and most kaempferol derivatives in flavonols were up-regulated. Correlation analysis between DEGs and DAFs showed that the down-regulated expressions of the CHS, DFR, C4H, F3'H, CCoAOMT_32 and the up-regulated expressions of the two HCTs resulted in down-regulated levels of dihydroquercetin, epigallocatechin and up-regulated level of kaempferol-3-O-(6"-O-acetyl)-glucoside, cosmosiin and apigenin-4'-O-glucoside. The down-regulated expressions of F3H and FLS decreased the contents of 7 metabolites, including naringenin chalcone, proanthocyanidin B2, B3, B4, C1, limocitrin-3,7-di-O-glucoside and limocitrin-3-O-sophoroside. Conclusion: The findings are helpful for genetic improvement of varieties in L.macranthoides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological-edaphic and morphological features and the state of populations of the endemic species Moehringia hypanica Gryn & Klokov within the steppe zone of Ukraine were investigated. According to the results of laboratory studies, the humus content of the soil where M. hypanica grows is high, amounting to 7.35-8.23%. According to the results of our research, the availability of soil mobile nutrients showed that the concentrations of Mg, and P2O5 were very high, and 8.5-15.0 mg/kg, 129.6-164.5 mg/kg, respectively, and Ca concentration was high and very high, which corresponds to 12.5-27.5 mg/kg. The N concentration of the substrate increased in the samples (256.2-268.8 mg/kg), and the S concentration varied between very low and low (1.3-4.8 mg/kg). This indicated high concentrations of Mg, P2O5, and Ca in the substrate and as a limiting factor for the successful growth of the studied plants. The analysis of the cationic and anionic composition of the water extract showed that the soil was classified as non-saline (the sum of salts did not exceed 0.1%). The content of all salts did not exceed the toxicity thresholds. It has been established that in order to preserve the populations of this endemic plant, it is necessary to maintain a stable chemical composition of the substrate and prevent human intervention. During the expeditionary research, we noted that the populations are dominated by young generative and medium generative plants, with a small number of old generative and virgin individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences is the property of Editorial Board of Journal of Henan Agricultural Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Premise With growing interest in the impact of false springs on plant reproduction, there is the need to develop reliable, high‐throughput methods for assessing floral freezing damage. Here we present a method for use with floral tissue that will facilitate more comparative work on floral freezing tolerance in the future. Methods and Results We examined the effectiveness of a modified electrolyte leakage protocol to assess floral freezing damage. By comparing data from temperature response curves to an estimate of visual tissue damage, we optimized the protocol for different floral types and improved the signal‐to‐noise ratio for floral data. Conclusions Our modified protocol provides a quick and straightforward method for quantifying floral freezing damage that can be standardized across floral types. This method allows for cross‐species comparisons and can be a powerful tool for studying broad patterns in floral freezing tolerance.

Abstract Ongoing climate change poses an increasing threat to biodiversity. To avoid decline or extinction, species need to either adjust or adapt to new environmental conditions or track their climatic niches across space. In sessile organisms such as plants, phenotypic plasticity can help maintain fitness in variable and even novel environmental conditions and is therefore likely to play an important role in allowing them to survive climate change, particularly in the short term. Understanding a species' response to rising temperature is crucial for planning well‐targeted and cost‐effective conservation measures. We sampled seeds of three Hypericum species (H. maculatum, H. montanum, and H. perforatum), from a total of 23 populations originating from different parts of their native distribution areas in Europe. We grew them under four different temperature regimes in a greenhouse to simulate current and predicted future climatic conditions in the distribution areas. We measured flowering start, flower count, and subsequent seed weight, allowing us to study variations in the thermal plasticity of flowering phenology and its relation to fitness. Our results show that individuals flowered earlier with increasing temperature, while the degree of phenological plasticity varied among species. More specifically, the plasticity of H. maculatum varied depending on population origin, with individuals from the leading range edge being less plastic. Importantly, we show a positive relationship between higher plasticity and increased flower production, indicating adaptive phenological plasticity. The observed connection between plasticity and fitness supports the idea that plasticity may be adaptive. This study underlines the need for information on plasticity for predicting species' potential to thrive under global change and the need for studies on whether higher phenotypic plasticity is currently being selected as natural populations experience a rapidly changing climate.

Abstract As a vital reproductive organ, flowers significantly influence the yield, sensory quality, and breeding efficacy of Camellia sinensis. Many biological characteristics of tea plants are influenced by metabolites; however, our knowledge of metabolites in tea flowers is limited. To investigate the physiological basis and molecular mechanisms underlying tea flower metabolism, we integrated metabolomics and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to analyze the metabolites present in the flowers of 171 tea genotypes. Untargeted metabolomic analysis detected 581 and 295 metabolites in positive and negative ionization modes, respectively. Twenty-seven distinct metabolites were observed between C. sinensis var. assamica (CSA) and C. sinensis var. sinensis (CSS). GWAS identified 1238 quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with 505 metabolites. Some structurally related metabolites tended to share common QTL. Integrating GWAS findings with secondary mass spectrometry (MS/MS) fragmentation and haplotype analysis for metabolites (-)-epigallocatechin-3-(3"-O-methyl) gallate (EGCG-3''-O-ME), (-)-Epicatechin-3-(3''-O-methyl) gallate (ECG-3''-O-ME), Pos_1118, and Neg_365 (p-coumaroylquinic acid) resulted in the identification of three candidate genes (W07g015551, W08g018636, and W01g002625). Taken together, our findings provide a foundation for exploring comprehensive metabolic pathways in various tissues of C. sinensis.

The MADS-box protein SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS1 (SOC1) is a key floral activator that coordinates external and internal stimuli to ensure timely floral transition. During early development, SOC1 represses floral organ identity to prevent premature differentiation and, thus, is also linked to the successful development of functional flowers. In woody perennials, SOC1 has established a divergent function in the regulation of bud dormancy release. Apart from reducing flowering time in Arabidopsis, little is known about the function of VviSOC1a and its gene regulatory network. In this study, VviSOC1a was functionally characterized through overexpression in tomato, where it was found to promote the development of leaf-like sepals and petals with an increased accumulation of chlorophyll. In severe cases, overexpression of VviSOC1a led to the formation of defective floral organs resulting in plant sterility phenotypes. Gene expression analyses revealed the significant downregulation of important floral organ identity genes in tomato, such as SIMC, SlRIN, SlCMB1, and SlMBP21. Additional downstream impacts on ripening and cuticle-associated gene expression warrant further characterization of VviSOC1a within the context of these crop traits. In silico analysis of the VviSOC1a expression profile revealed patterns distinctive of genes involved in floral induction. This, in combination with an association gene network significantly enriched in flower developmental processes, supports a predicted function for VviSOC1a in floral initiation and floral organ specification.