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Key message: This study provided a non-destructive detection method with Vis–NIR hyperspectral imaging combining with physio-biochemical parameters in Helianthus annuus in response to Orobanche cumana infection that took insights into the monitoring of sunflower weed. Sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.) is an obligate weed that attaches to the host roots of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) leading to a significant reduction in yield worldwide. The emergence of O. cumana shoots after its underground life-cycle causes irreversible damage to the crop. In this study, a fast visual, non-invasive and precise method for monitoring changes in spectral characteristics using visible and near-infrared (Vis–NIR) hyperspectral imaging (HSI) was developed. By combining the bands sensitive to antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GR), non-antioxidant enzymes (GSH, GSH + GSSG), MDA, ROS (O2−, OH−), PAL, and PPO activities obtained from the host leaves, we sought to establish an accurate means of assessing these changes and conducted imaging acquisition using hyperspectral cameras from both infested and non-infested sunflower cultivars, followed by physio-biochemical parameters measurement as well as analyzed the expression of defense related genes. Extreme learning machine (ELM) and convolutional neural network (CNN) models using 3-band images were built to classify infected or non-infected plants in three sunflower cultivars, achieving accuracies of 95.83% and 95.83% for the discrimination of infestation as well as 97.92% and 95.83% of varieties, respectively, indicating the potential of multi-spectral imaging systems for early detection of O. cumana in weed management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles, thanks to their superior properties such as large surface area and high reactivity, can be an alternative to traditional fertilizers for improving nutrient uptake. Furthermore, considering that chemical and physical synthesis methods require high energy consumption and cause environmental pollution, plant-mediated green synthesis of NPs has attracted great attention since it provides eco-friendly, biocompatible, and inexpensive solutions. In this present study, plant mediated green synthesis of Iron Oxide (Fe2O3), Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles by using Laurus nobilis leaves (bay leaves) were carried out and their structural properties were characterized by UV visible spectra, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). UV spectrum and FTIR analysis exhibited characteristic peaks indicating the presence of the desired NPs, while DLS analysis and TEM images confirmed that synthesized particles are in nano-scale. The potential of nanoparticles as biofertilizer in agricultural uses were assessed by investigating their effects on sunflower growth in hydroponic system. TEM images of the NP applied plant tissues proved the uptake and translocation of NPs from root to leaf. Furthermore, Fe2O3, ZnO and TiO2 NP applications on sunflower up to 5 ppm generally improved physiological growth parameters such as root length, fresh weight and leaf surface area while 20 ppm of Fe2O3 and ZnO NPs application cause a significant decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed at converting meat industry waste, particularly waste bones and chicken feathers, into biochar to recycle valuable nutrients present in it, which ultimately become part of the municipal waste. The bone biochar (BB) and feathers biochar (FB) were prepared at 550 °C, and their potential was evaluated as an organic amendment for the growth of sunflower. The ash content (AC) and fixed carbon (FC) improved significantly in prepared biochars as compared to raw feedstock. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses signaled the occurrence of various functional groups viz. amide group and hydroxyapatite, porosity, and multiple nutrients. Application of BB and FB in potted soil alone as well as in composites (1:1, 1:2, 2:1) at 1%, 3%, and 5% (w/w) and synthetic fertilizer significantly increased soil pH, electrical conductivity (ECe), organic matter (OM) and water holding capacity (WHC), while reducing the bulk density (BD). The growth of plants grown in soil treated with a 2:1 composite of feathers and bone biochar at 5% application rate showed significantly greater differences in plant height, total chlorophyll content, and plant dry weight than the control but was comparable to growth with chemical fertilizer, rendering it a potential alternative to chemical-based synthetic fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virus-Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) is a versatile tool in plant science, yet its application to non-model species like sunflower demands extensive optimization due to transformation challenges. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the factors that significantly affect the efficiency of Agrobacterium-VIGS in sunflowers. After testing a number of approaches, we concluded that the seed vacuum technique followed by 6 h of co-cultivation produced the most efficient VIGS results. Genotype-dependency analysis revealed varying infection percentages (62–91%) and silencing symptom spreading in different sunflower genotypes. Additionally, we explored the mobility of tobacco rattle virus (TRV) and phenotypic silencing manifestation (photo-bleaching) across different tissues and regions of VIGS-infected sunflower plants. We showed the presence of TRV is not necessarily limited to tissues with observable silencing events. Finally, time-lapse observation demonstrated a more active spreading of the photo-bleached spots in young tissues compared to mature ones. This study not only offers a robust VIGS protocol for sunflowers but also provides valuable insights into genotype-dependent responses and the dynamic nature of silencing events, shedding light on TRV mobility across different plant tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, HaDGAT3 encoded protein in sunflower was analyzed by bioinformatics. It was predicted that the protein encoded by HaDGAT3 was basic and hydrophilic protein. The secondary structure of the protein encoded by HaDGAT3 was dominated by α - helix (47. 11%), and the subcellular localization was predicted in the nucleus. Phylogenetic analysis showed that HaDGAT3 was closely related to Erigeron canadensis L. DGAT3, with sequence similarity of 68%. The results of real-time PCR showed that the expression level of HaDGAT3 in various parts of sunflower tissues was as follows:tubular flowers> leaves> seeds, but no expression was found in stems, ligulate flowers and roots. The expression level of HaDGAT3 was significantly higher in the middle and late stage (22-37 d after flowering) than in the early stage (7-17 d after flowering) of seed development, and the highest level was at 37 d after flowering. Correlation analysis of the expression level of HaDGAT3 gene with seed oil and fatty acid content showed that the expression level of HaDGAT3 gene was significantly positively correlated with seed oil content. It was speculated that HaDGAT3 gene was an important gene related to oil content accumulation in sunflower seeds. The results of this study provided theoretical basis for revealing the function of HaDGAT3 gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The identification of HaYABBY gene related to flower development in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is conductive to exploring its biological function and regulatory mechanism in the floral development of sunflower, and to provide important molecular clues for sunflower variety breeding. [Method] Based on sunflower genome database and our transcriptome data, bioinformatics analysis was conducted to analyze the physicochemical properties, chromosome localization, phylogenetic relationship, gene structure, conserved motif, protein structure, promoter cis-action regulatory element, and tissue expression pattern, etc. RT-qPCR was used to analyze the differences of HaYABBY gene expression between WT sunflower and cb1 (crazy broccoli 1) mutant with the defection of meristem determinacy and floral organ differentiation at st2-st8. [Result] Twelve members of YABBY family were identified, belonging to 4 subfamilies, and located in 8 chromosomes; meanwhile, the members in the same subfamily shared similar gene structure and conserved motifs. Results of tissue expression pattern showed that 8 members presented high expressions during flower development in sunflower, including HaYABBY1a, HaYABBY1c, HaYABBY3, HaYABBY4b, HaYABBY5a, HaYABBY5b, HaCRABS CLAWa, and HaCRABS CLAWb, among which HaYABBY3, HaYABBYY5a, and HaYABBYY5d expressed with up-regulation at the late stages of flower development in cb1 mutant; while the expression of HaYABBYY4b and HaCRABS CLAWa was strongly inhibited in cb1 mutants, corresponding to their expressions at early floral developmental in WT plants. The analysis of cis-regulatory elements showed that all the HaYABBY members contained multiple promoter cis-acting elements, some acting elements only existing in specific genes. Among them, endosperm expression elements were presented in HaCRABS CLAWa and HaYABBY4a. Auxin responders were in HaCRABS CLAWa, HaCRABS CLAWb, HaYABBY4a, HaYABBY4b and HaYABBY5c. Meristem expression elements existed in HaYABBY1a, HaYABBY1c, HaYABBY4b, HaYABBY5a, and HaYABBY5d. Gibberellin response elements were included in HaCRABS CLAWa, HaYABBY5b, HaYABBY5c, and HaYABBY5d. Seed-specific regulatory elements presented in HaYABBY5a, HaYABBY5c, and HaYABBY5d. [Conclusion] Five HaYABBY genes of HaYABBY3, HaYABBY4b, HaYABBY5a, HaYABBY5d and HaCRABS CLAW play important roles in the process of floral meristem transformation and floral organ formation in sunflower, and they might depend on the regulation of auxin, gibberellin and meristem expression related regulators during meristem transformation and floral organogenesis, and need the involvement of the auxin response factor ARFs, gibberellin response factor MYBs and flower organ development regulator MADS-boxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short tandem repeat (STR) variation is rarely explored as a contributor to adaptive evolution. An intriguing mechanism involving STRs suggests that STRs function as "tuning knobs" of adaptation whereby stepwise changes in STR allele length have stepwise effects on phenotypes. Previously, we tested the predictions of the "tuning knob" model at the gene expression level by conducting an RNA-Seq experiment on natural populations of common sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) transecting a well-defined cline from Kansas to Oklahoma. We identified 479 STRs with significant allele length effects on gene expression (eSTRs). In this study, we expanded the range to populations further north and south of the focal populations and used a targeted approach to study the relationship between STR allele length and gene expression in five selected eSTRs. Seeds from 96 individuals from six natural populations of sunflower from Nebraska and Texas were grown in a common garden. The individuals were genotyped at the five eSTRs, and gene expression was quantified with qRT-PCR. Linear regression models identified that eSTR length in comp26672 was significantly correlated with gene expression. Further, the length of comp26672 eSTR was significantly correlated with latitude across the range from Nebraska to Texas. The eSTR locus comp26672 was located in the CHUP1 gene, a gene associated with chloroplast movement in response to light intensity, which suggests a potential adaptive role for the eSTR locus. Collectively, our results from this targeted study show a consistent relationship between allele length and gene expression in some eSTRs across a broad geographical range in sunflower and suggest that some eSTRs may contribute to adaptive traits in common sunflower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both phosphorus (P) and boron (B) can interact with each other due to their similar properties and P can hinder the uptake of boron by plants. In this study, the effect of P and B concentrations on the growth of rice, sunflower, and maize plants grown under greenhouse conditions in an environment that would induce boron toxicity was investigated. To create a toxic environment, 40 mg kg−1 B was applied to rice plants, and 30 and 25 mg kg−1 B were applied to sunflower and maize plants, respectively. To alleviate the toxicity, 500 mg kg−1 P was added to the respective pots. The results of the study showed that B application reduced the fresh and dry weight of all plant species, while significant increases were observed with the addition of P. Among the applied P sources, TSP was found to be more effective than H3PO4 in terms of fresh and dry weight of maize plants. Plant-B concentrations increased with B application but were significantly reduced by the applied P sources, with no difference observed among the P sources. Plant-P concentrations, which decreased with B applications, increased as a result of P applications. In particular, H3PO4 was found to be more effective than TSP in terms of plant-P concentration, especially in sunflower and maize plants. This study determined that P fertilization can be beneficial in reducing the damage caused by boron toxicity, which is a stress factor that severely limits agricultural production in regions with arid and semi-arid climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorescence photography was used to evaluate the effects of bentazon, an herbicide that inhibits electron transport in photosystem II, on sunflower, taken as a model plant. We measured chlorophyll fluorescence to visualize the penetration, distribution, and effect of the herbicide on the plant. Our results showed that bentazon penetrates the leaf within 10–16 min, reaching full depth within 40 min. Also, we show that the herbicide is distributed along the conducting tissues of the leaf. The presence of necrotic spots, as well as the size of increased-fluorescence areas, were positively correlated to the concentration of herbicide. These findings suggest that fluorescence imaging may be a useful tool for observing the absorption and distribution of photosystem II-inhibiting herbicides in plants as an alternative to radioactive labeling in some cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the systematic utilisation of substantial amounts of phosphorus fertilisers on agricultural crops in crop rotation, the amount of available phosphate compounds increases in the soil. It ensures the maximum increase in crop yields. The study of the phosphate level in chernozem soils in various agrocenoses is really up-to-date. The gist of our research was to determine the specifics of providing mobile phosphorus in typical chernozem in field crop rotation, especially in sunflower, varying according to fertilisation systems in the forest-steppe zone of Ukraine. The assessment of mobile phosphorus content was conducted using the Chirikov method, which involves extracting mobile phosphorus compounds from the soil using a solution containing acetic acid (CH3COOH) at a concentration of 0.5 mol dm-3, with a soil-to-solution ratio of 1:25. Phosphorus was determined with the spectrophotocolorimetric method, which is based on the colour intensity of the phosphorus-molybdenum complex. Our investigations showed that the typical low-humus chernozems have considerable reservoirs of potentially exploitable phosphorus for plant nourishment. We established that the mineral and organic-mineral fertilisation system leads to a greater use of mobile phosphorus with agricultural crops of crop rotation resulting in the formation of elevated phosphate content in the chernozem soil. By the end of the second rotation, the organic-mineral fertilisation system variant displayed the greatest concentration of mobile phosphorus within the 0-25 cm soil depth, marking a surge of 15.6 mg kg-1 compared to the unfertilised variant. In the period of sunflower germination, the content of mobile phosphates increased in the soil layers at depths of 0-25 cm and 25-50 cm in the variant of the mineral fertilisation system on 17.6 and 22.2 mg kg-1 of soil compared to the alternative without the fertiliser. In the sunflower's ripening period, the mobile phosphorus concentration in the soil at 0-25 cm depth increased significantly in the variant of organic-mineral fertilisation system by 12.0 mg kg-1 and mineral fertilisation by 14.7 mg kg-1 of soil if compared with the variant lacking the fertiliser. In the variant of the mineral fertilisation system, the amount of mobile phosphorus increased in the 0-30 cm soil depth by 18.7 mg kg-1 of soil in two crop rotations compared to the beginning of the first crop rotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genes in the glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) family are essential in regulating plant response to stressful conditions. This study employed bioinformatics to uncover the GSK3 gene family from the sunflower genome database. The expressions of GSK3 genes in different tissues and stress treatments, such as salt, drought, and cold, were assessed using transcriptome sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The study results revealed that the 12 GSK3 genes of sunflower, belonging to four classes (Classes I–IV), contained the GSK3 kinase domain and 11–13 exons. The majority of GSK3 genes were highly expressed in the leaf axil and flower, while their expression levels were relatively lower in the leaf. As a result of salt stress, six of the GSK3 genes (HaSK11 , HaSK22 , HaSK23 , HaSK32 , HaSK33 , and HaSK41) displayed a notable increase in expression, while HaSK14 and HaSK21 experienced a significant decrease. With regard to drought stress, five of the GSK3 genes (HaSK11 , HaSK13 , HaSK21 , HaSK22 , and HaSK33) experienced a remarkable rise in expression. When exposed to cold stress, seven of the GSK3 genes (HaSK11 , HaSK12 , HaSK13 , HaSK32 , HaSK33 , HaSK41 , and HaSK42) showed a substantial increase, whereas HaSK21 and HaSK23 had a sharp decline. This research is of great importance in understanding the abiotic resistance mechanism of sunflowers and developing new varieties with improved stress resistance. Supplementary Material Supplementary Material File [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water deficit stress reduces crop yield in field crops, including sunflowers, at any growth stage. In response, most plants activate hormonal and gene expression patterns to mitigate damage. In this study, we evaluated changes in the physiological and gene transcription levels of two sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) inbred lines -one sensitive (B59 line) and one water stress-tolerant (B71)–in response to water stress, by using mannitol to simulate water deficit conditions, which provides moderate stress in both sunflower lines. The analyses of the accumulation of various phytohormones under this stress revealed that Jasmonic acid (JA) significantly increased in the shoots of both lines. Similarly, Salicylic acid (SA) increased in the shoots of both lines, although it also accumulated in B71 roots. In addition, Abscisic acid (ABA) and Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) showed a considerable increase in the B59 shoots. Regarding the JA and SA pathways, the WRKY70 transcription levels were higher in the shoots of both lines and the roots of B71. The B59 line showed overtranscription of a gene related to the ABA pathway (XERICO) and genes associated with IAA (ARF9 and ARF16 genes). The B71 line, on the other hand, simultaneously triggered the JA, SA and ABA hormonal pathways in response to this stress condition. The ABA and JA hormonal pathways activated different TFs, such as RD20, RD22, RD26, ANAC19 and ANAC29, through MYC2. Both the JA and SA hormonal pathways activated the WRKY70 transcription factor. Altogether, each line triggered the hormonal and transcriptional pathways in response to water stress, although at varying intensities. The results suggest that the hormonal pathways of JA, SA, IAA and ABA, along with their primary associated genes, are activated in response to water deficit at the early growth stage in sunflower seedlings, which mitigates damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf senescence is a complex trait which becomes crucial for grain filling because photoassimilates are translocated to the seeds. Therefore, a correct sync between leaf senescence and phenological stages is necessary to obtain increasing yields. In this study, we evaluated the performance of five deep machine-learning methods for the evaluation of the phenological stages of sunflowers using images taken with cell phones in the field. From the analysis, we found that the method based on the pre-trained network resnet50 outperformed the other methods, both in terms of accuracy and velocity. Finally, the model generated, Sunpheno, was used to evaluate the phenological stages of two contrasting lines, B481_6 and R453, during senescence. We observed clear differences in phenological stages, confirming the results obtained in previous studies. A database with 5000 images was generated and was classified by an expert. This is important to end the subjectivity involved in decision making regarding the progression of this trait in the field and could be correlated with performance and senescence parameters that are highly associated with yield increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient water supply and timely detection of drought stress in crops to increase yields is an important task considering that agriculture is the primary consumer of water globally. This is particularly significant for plants such as sunflowers, which are an important source of quality edible oils, essential for human nutrition. Traditional detection methods are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and rely on advanced sensor technologies. We introduce an innovative approach based on neural networks and transfer learning for drought stress detection using a novel dataset including 209 non-invasive rhizotron images and 385 images of manually cleaned sections of sunflowers, subjected to normal watering or water stress. We used five neural network models: VGG16, VGG19, InceptionV3, DenseNet, and MobileNet, pre-trained on the ImageNet dataset, whose performance was compared to select the most efficient architecture. Accordingly, the most efficient model, MobileNet, was further refined using different data augmentation mechanisms. The introduction of targeted data augmentation and the use of grayscale images proved to be effective, demonstrating improved results, with an F1 score and an accuracy of 0.95. This approach encourages advances in water stress detection, highlighting the value of artificial intelligence in improving crop health monitoring and management for more resilient agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an important oil crop, ranking behind soybean, peanut, and rapeseed in terms of planting area in China. Throughout its cultivation, sunflower is susceptible to various diseases that can significantly reduce its seed yield. Among them, Fusarium species pose a major threat to numerous crops. The accurate identification of Fusarium species responsible for specific diseases is crucial for developing effective control measures. In Inner Mongolia, sunflower disk rot (SDR) has been observed in various sunflower fields, with an average infection rate of approximately 8.50%. The infection rate can reach up to 11.67% in certain highly susceptible cultivars. Samples of diseased sunflower receptacles were collected from different locations, and Koch's postulates were employed to identify the causal agent. The results confirmed Fusarium verticillioides as the pathogen responsible for SDR. Fungicide toxicity tests were conducted, screening six fungicides for efficacy against F. verticillioides. Fludioxonil and Flutolanil were identified as the most effective, with EC50 values of 0.05 µg/mL (R = 0.9825) and 0.96 µg/mL (R = 0.9964), respectively. This is the first report of SDR caused by F. verticillioides, and it will alert sunflower researchers to include SDR in the disease list, so as to control sunflower diseases with integrated management strategies successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced reliance on synthetic chemical fertilizers necessarily requires using renewable biomaterial-derived soil organic amendments (SOAs) in agriculture for sustained retention of nutrients through improvement in the soil organic matter (SOM). SOM replenishment through SOAs derived from wasted materials could help in its valorization by furthering the sustainability prospects of agronomic crop production systems. In the current study, compost (CP) and biochar (BC) were derived as SOAs from combustible and compostable fractions of municipal solid waste (MSW) for their potential valorization by adding SOAs as potential sustainable sources of nutrients as a replacement of chemical fertilizers (CF) for sunflower crops cultivated in potted soils. The experimental design included quadruplicated soil application of MSW-derived BC and CP in discrete and combined forms, each in three doses (% w:w), viz., low (L), medium (M), and high (H), i.e., BC-L, BC-M, BC-H; CP-L, CP-M, CP-H; and BC + CP-L, BC + CP-M, BC-CP-H. The results showed that, compared to the control (soil only), the sunflower growth and harvestable yield were significantly greater in BC + CF with a medium dose and were comparable to the growth and yield obtained in soils with CF. Sunflower growth in the discrete SOAs remained less than in the combined SOAs (BC + CP) and was attributed to the comprehensive soil health improvement rendered by the applied SOAs. The soil health improvement factors included SOM, CEC, and concentrations of total and available NPK. The dose-effect comparison of the SOAs showed highly variable trends, i.e., the sunflower growth did not correspond with the increase in dose of the SOAs. It is concluded that the combined application of BC + CP derived from MSW components at a medium dose could act as a potential alternative to CF. The developed approach resulted in MSW valorization, which improved soil health and yielded a better sunflower crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is one of the most essential oil crops in the world. Several component traits, including flowering time, plant height, stem diameter, seed weight, and kernel weight, determine sunflower seed and oil yield. Although the genetic mechanisms governing the variation of these yield-related traits have been studied using various approaches, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have not been widely applied to sunflowers. In this study, a set of 342 sunflower accessions was evaluated in 2019 and 2020 using an incomplete randomized block design, and GWAS was conducted utilizing two complementary approaches: the mixed linear model (MLM) and the fixed and random model circulating probability unification (farmCPU) model by fitting 226,779 high-quality SNPs. As a result, GWAS identified a number of trait-associated SNPs. Those SNPs were located close to several genes that may serve as a basis for further molecular characterization and provide promising targets for sunflower yield improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil plants play an important role in human or animal nutrition and are also an valuable source of raw material for industrial sector. They are also functional with the rich nutritional contents. Vegetable oil production in the world is covered from mainly palm oil and then soybean, rapeseed and sunflower. In Turkey, the majority of oilseed and vegetable oil production are obtained from sunflower. Besides cottonseed, soybean, rapeseed, safflower, olive and corn plants are used for producing vegetable oils. But the most cultivated and produced one is sunflower. The high edible oil quality of sunflower ensure more consumption. In Turkey, only sunflower meets 69% of production of vegetable oil, 84% of total oil consumption, 32% of total oil usage. Since the sunflower oil production does not meet the consumption, a large part of the sunflower oil demands are imported. The purpose of this review is to reveal the importance sunflower oil within oilseed plants and its role in overcoming oil deficiency in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sunflower is a significant oil crop that can be cultivated in various environmental conditions. Due to the changing climate, the pathogen profile has been altered, posing a threat to sunflower production. Among the various threats, charcoal rot, caused by the soil-borne fungus Macrophomina phaseolina (Tassi) Goid, is one of the most significant pathogen. This study aimed to investigate the resistance of 80 sunflower inbred lines to this pathogen using two inoculation methods and naturally infested area under field conditions in two years, 2019 and 2020. The results showed that both inoculation methods and occurrence of disease in naturally infested area (DNI) effectively differentiated between resistant and susceptible inbred lines, with the toothpick method being the most effective. Thirteen inbred lines were resistant according to all inoculation methods, and the others were moderately resistant moderately susceptible or susceptible regarding to inoculation method. The study identified five inbred lines (Ha 74, L1, LIV 10, MA SC 2 and PB 21) as the most resistant, making them important sources for breeding sunflower hybrids resistant to M. phaseolina. Their resistance was confirmed in 2020, highlighting their potential to combat the impact of climate change on sunflower production. This study represents a valuable insight into the control of M. phaseolina using sunflower resistant genotypes, especially since resistance findings have been lacking in other plant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress-associated proteins (SAPs) are known to play an important role in plant responses to abiotic stresses. This study systematically identified members of the sunflower SAP gene family using sunflower genome data. The genes of the sunflower SAP gene family were analyzed using bioinformatic methods, and gene expression was assessed through fluorescence quantification (qRT-PCR) under salt and drought stress. A comprehensive analysis was also performed on the number, structure, collinearity, and phylogeny of seven Compositae species and eight other plant SAP gene families. The sunflower genome was found to have 27 SAP genes, distributed across 14 chromosomes. The evolutionary analysis revealed that the SAP family genes could be divided into three subgroups. Notably, the annuus variety exhibited amplification of the SAP gene for Group 3. Among the Compositae species, C. morifolium demonstrated the highest number of collinearity gene pairs and the closest distance on the phylogenetic tree, suggesting relative conservation in the evolutionary process. An analysis of gene structure revealed that Group 1 exhibited the most complex gene structure, while the majority of HaSAP genes in Group 2 and Group 3 lacked introns. The promoter analysis revealed the presence of cis-acting elements related to ABA, indicating their involvement in stress responses. The expression analysis indicated the potential involvement of 10 genes (HaSAP1, HaSAP3, HaSAP8, HaSAP10, HaSAP15, HaSAP16, HaSAP21, HaSAP22, HaSAP23, and HaSAP26) in sunflower salt tolerance. The expression of these 10 genes were then examined under salt and drought stress using qRT-PCR, and the tissue-specific expression patterns of these 10 genes were also analyzed. HaSAP1, HaSAP21, and HaSAP23 exhibited consistent expression patterns under both salt and drought stress, indicating these genes play a role in both salt tolerance and drought resistance in sunflower. The findings of this study highlight the significant contribution of the SAP gene family to salt tolerance and drought resistance in sunflower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of floral organs, crucial for the establishment of floral symmetry and morphology in higher plants, is regulated by MADS-box genes. In sunflower, the capitulum is comprised of ray and disc florets with various floral organs. In the sunflower long petal mutant (lpm), the abnormal disc (ray-like) floret possesses prolongated petals and degenerated stamens, resulting in a transformation from zygomorphic to actinomorphic symmetry. In this study, we investigated the effect of MADS-box genes on floral organs, particularly on petals, using WT and lpm plants as materials. Based on our RNA-seq data, 29 MADS-box candidate genes were identified, and their roles on floral organ development, especially in petals, were explored, by analyzing the expression levels in various tissues in WT and lpm plants through RNA-sequencing and qPCR. The results suggested that HaMADS3, HaMADS7, and HaMADS8 could regulate petal development in sunflower. High levels of HaMADS3 that relieved the inhibition of cell proliferation, together with low levels of HaMADS7 and HaMADS8, promoted petal prolongation and maintained the morphology of ray florets. In contrast, low levels of HaMADS3 and high levels of HaMADS7 and HaMADS8 repressed petal extension and maintained the morphology of disc florets. Their coordination may contribute to the differentiation of disc and ray florets in sunflower and maintain the balance between attracting pollinators and producing offspring. Meanwhile, Pearson correlation analysis between petal length and expression levels of MADS-box genes further indicated their involvement in petal prolongation. Additionally, the analysis of cis-acting elements indicated that these three MADS-box genes may regulate petal development and floral symmetry establishment by regulating the expression activity of HaCYC2c. Our findings can provide some new understanding of the molecular regulatory network of petal development and floral morphology formation, as well as the differentiation of disc and ray florets in sunflower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a major agricultural challenge that is expected to worsen with climate change. A better understanding of drought responses has the potential to inform efforts to breed more tolerant plants. We assessed leaf trait variation and covariation in cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in response to water limitation. Plants were grown under four levels of water availability and assessed for environmentally induced plasticity in leaf stomatal and vein traits as well as biomass (performance indicator), mass fractions, leaf area, leaf mass per area, and chlorophyll content. Overall, biomass declined in response to stress; these changes were accompanied by responses in leaf-level traits including decreased leaf area and stomatal size, and increased stomatal and vein density. The magnitude of trait responses increased with stress severity and relative plasticity of smaller-scale leaf anatomical traits was less than that of larger-scale traits related to construction and growth. Across treatments, where phenotypic plasticity was observed, stomatal density was negatively correlated with stomatal size and positively correlated with minor vein density, but the correlations did not hold up within treatments. Four leaf traits previously shown to reflect major axes of variation in a large sunflower diversity panel under well-watered conditions (i.e. stomatal density, stomatal pore length, vein density, and leaf mass per area) predicted a surprisingly large amount of the variation in biomass across treatments, but trait associations with biomass differed within treatments. Additionally, the importance of these traits in predicting variation in biomass is mediated, at least in part, through leaf size. Our results demonstrate the importance of leaf anatomical traits in mediating drought responses in sunflower, and highlight the role that phenotypic plasticity and multi-trait phenotypes can play in predicting productivity under complex abiotic stresses like drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to evaluate for the first time the degree of contamination of soil and crops with major and trace elements (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, F, Na, Mg, Si, P, Cl, Fe, Al) in agricultural lands situated in the Lower Danube Basin, Galati and Braila counties (SE Romania), impacted by the steel industry. Soil samples, as well as leaves and seeds of wheat, corn, and sunflower, were collected from two depths in 11 different sites. Along with elemental and mineralogical analyses, performed by HR-CS AAS, PIGE, SEM-EDX, and ATR-FTIR, the soil pH, texture, organic matter, electric conductivity, and CaCO3 content were investigated. The results showed that the levels of Cr (83.27–383.10 mg kg−1), Cu (17.11–68.15 mg kg−1), Ni (30.16–55.66 mg kg−1), and F (319–544 mg kg−1) in soil exceeded the Romanian regulations for sensitive use of the land. Igeo, EF, PI, and PERI pollution indices indicate that the soil is moderate to highly contaminated with Cr, Ni, and Cu, while the CSI and mERMQ indices suggested a relatively low risk for metal contamination. The elemental concentrations in plant tissues and bioaccumulation factors (BFs) provide valuable insights into the soil–plant relationship, health risks, and the selectivity of plant compartments for different elements. Thus, the results revealed that the wheat plants tended to exclude the bioaccumulation of particular elements in their tissues, while exhibiting a different bioaccumulation pattern for Zn and Cu. In the case of corn, most BFs were below one, indicating a limited phytoaccumulation capacity. However, exceptions were observed for Cd, Zn, and Cu with the sunflower BFs indicating higher bioconcentration of these elements in leaves and seeds compared to other elements. Chromium (Cr) contributes to non-carcinogenic dermal contact and ingestion hazards, children being more susceptible to the adverse effects of this contaminant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small-plot field experiment with sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) was carried out at the research base of the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra. The experimental area is characterized as a warm and dry agroclimatic region with silt loam Haplic Luvisol. The realized field experiment was aimed at evaluating the quantitative and qualitative production parameters in the conditions of differentiated agroecological factors of the environment and the influence of stimulating substances on the formation of the final production. Within the evaluated parameters, a highly significant influence of year (P < 0.01) was confirmed in the formation of thousand seeds weight (TSW), seed yield and the oil content. It was indicated a significant effect of the year (P < 0.05) in the formation of head diameter and a non-significant effect (P > 0.05) in the parameter of number of plants per unit area. Agroecologically more favourable environmental conditions were recorded in 2019, when a higher number of plants (+1 173 pcs/ha; rel. 1.93%), higher head diameter (+14.81 mm; rel. 5.72%), thousand seeds weight (TSW) (+9.84 g; rel. 11.66%), oil content (+2.11%; rel. 4.81%) was indicated. Statistical analysis of the experimental results confirmed a highly significant influence of stimulating substances (P < 0.01) on the parameters of TSW and oil content of sunflower seeds. The experimental data confirmed the non-significant effect of stimulating preparations (P > 0.05) on the formation of the number of plants per unit area, head diameter and seed yield. In the range of applied stimulating substances, the treatment T1 (preparation P1 applied in the phase of 6 – 8 leaves in dose of 0.2 l/ha) was recorded as the most effective treatment, where the highest number of plants (+1 106 pcs/ha; rel. 1.84%), head diameter (+31.17 mm; rel. 13.38%), TSW (+15.60 g; rel. 21.28%), seed yield (+0.43 t/ha; rel. 11.83%) was indicated. The implementation of stimulating substances can be considered as a rationalizing element of the cultivation technology of sunflowers.

Abstract Virus-Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) is a versatile tool in plant science, yet its application to non-model species like sunflower demands extensive optimization due to transformation challenges. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the factors that significantly affect the efficiency of Agrobacterium-VIGS in sunflowers. After testing a number of approaches, we concluded that the seed vacuum technique followed by 6 h of co-cultivation produced the most efficient VIGS results. Genotype-dependency analysis revealed varying infection percentages (62–91%) and silencing symptom spreading in different sunflower genotypes. Additionally, we explored the mobility of tobacco rattle virus (TRV) and phenotypic silencing manifestation (photo-bleaching) across different tissues and regions of VIGS-infected sunflower plants. We showed the presence of TRV is not necessarily limited to tissues with observable silencing events. Finally, time-lapse observation demonstrated a more active spreading of the photo-bleached spots in young tissues compared to mature ones. This study not only offers a robust VIGS protocol for sunflowers but also provides valuable insights into genotype-dependent responses and the dynamic nature of silencing events, shedding light on TRV mobility across different plant tissues.

Abstract Honey bees are important insect pollinators that provide critical pollination services to fruit and nut crops in the US. They face challenges likely due to pressures associated with agricultural intensification related habitat loss. To better understand this, pollen preferences of foraging bees and the nutritional profile of pollen brought into hives by foraging bees in crop fields and nut orchards can provide valuable information. We trained bees to forage on bee-collected pollen from hives placed for pollination services in almond orchards, sunflower fields, or mixed species from inter-row plantings. Using bees trained to a certain kind of hive pollen, we applied a binary scoring system, to test preferences of these preconditioned foragers. We also performed metabolomic analyses of the hive pollen used for training and testing to elucidate their nutritional content. Irrespective of preconditioning, bees collected all the available choice pollen types, predominantly choosing hive-collected mixed species pollen (MSP), followed by almond orchard pollen. The hive-collected MSP was chemically diverse, richest in cholesterol, vitamins, and phytochemicals quercetin, kaempferol, coumarin, and quinine, but was not consistently high for essential amino acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Although diversity in chemical profiles may not directly relate to plant species diversity, our results suggest that foragers collect a variety of pollen types when available reiterating the importance of diverse floral resources.

The paper primarily deals with the development of agriculture in the Slovak Republic and Czech Republic, analyzes the agricultural sector in the period 2012–2022 and examines in more detail agriculture, its plant production, especially oilseeds. Attention is given to brief information on the development and situation of the sunflower and oilseed rape, where we focus on the analysis of the development of selected indicators during the observed period, such as production, area sown, yields. Within our research we deal with the concept of competitiveness, using the appropriate indicators. Based on the data, via analysis we quantified the value of Revealed Comparative Advantage index (RCA) and Competitiveness Growth Index (RCA 1). The development of society and the opening of borders between individual states caused the development of foreign trade. Membership in the European Union meant for Slovak and Czech foreign trade the relinquishment of sovereignty in this areas and the adoption of a common trade policy that establishes rules for foreign trade within member countries, but also towards third countries. At the same time, however, Slovak Republic and Czech Republic gained access to the single internal market, which is of significant importance for foreign trade of countries.

Combining ability of nine sunflower inbreds (four cytoplasmic male sterile lines and five restorers) was tested in line x tester mating design. The material including parents and cross combinations were evaluated for nine agro-biochemical parameters. The inbreds viz., 67A and 47R were identified as good general combiners for seed yield and oil yield, 88A, 89A, 47R and GMU 1080 were identified as good general combiners for oil content and 67A, 179R and GMU 1080 exhibited good general combining ability for early maturity. Similarly, highest significant positive specific combining ability effects for seed yield were observed for crosses 38A x 179R followed by 89A x 179R and 88A x 159R. On the basis of positive significant SCA effects for oil percent the crosses 67A x GMU 1080, 89A x 159R and 88A x 150R were found to be superior. All the traits exhibited non-additive gene action and the proportional contribution to variability was maximum by crosses except for seed yield where lines contributed more towards variability. The crosses 67A x 47R, 89A x 179R, 38A x 179R and 88A x 150R recorded maximum average heterosis for seed and oil yield and the cross combinations 67A x 47R, 88A x 150R and 67A x GMU 1080 revealed maximum heterosis against better parent also for the above traits.

An important reserve for increasing the productivity of agricultural production is a scientifically based crop structure and the use of rational crop rotations, which implement the optimal ratio of agroecological standards. The aim of the research was to determine the influence of elements of agrotechnical measures, in particular, the saturation of crop rotations with sunflower, soil tillage system on the number and species composition of various agrobiological groups of weeds in sunflower crops, including the weed parasite sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.). Weed control measures and the spread of the parasitic weed sunflower broomrape in sunflower crops have been carried out according to the methods generally accepted in agriculture and weed science. The scheme of the experiment included crop rotations with saturation in the structure of sunflower sowing of 12.5, 20, 25, 33.3, 50, 100% and three systems of basic tillage: moldboard plowing, disc tillage, and no-tillage. As a result of the research, it has been found that the systems of disc tillage and no-tillage cause an increase in the number of weeds in sunflower crops compared to the moldboard plowing by 1.3–1.5 times. On average, over the years of research, the abundance of weeds in the plots when using disk tools was 10.4–15.1 pcs./m2, moldboard plowing was 7.1–12.4 pcs./m2, and before harvesting was 2.6–5.2 and 4.1–12.4 pcs./m2. The highest degree of sunflower broomrape damage has been observed in 2-fields crop rotation (winter wheat—sunflower) and permanent sunflower cultivation, as 16.0–32.4% of affected sunflower plants have been observed here. The intensity of sunflower broomrape damage to sunflower plants was higher in the moldboard plowing system and amounted to 1.2–8.3 pcs./per plant, which exceeded disc tillage and no-tillage by 1.2–1.6 times. The maximum seed yield of 2.92–2.95 t/ha has been obtained in 8- and 5-fields rotations with the use of moldboard plowing. The lowest yields of sunflower seeds were in short-rotation crop rotations with a sunflower saturation of 50% in the structure of sown areas and permanent cultivation and amounted to: moldboard plowing—1.75–2.21 t/ha, disk tillage—1.57–2.01 t/ha, and no-tillage—1.49–1.95 t/ha. Given the urgency of supplying the global market with sunflower oil, in the future it is necessary to increase the concentration of sunflower in the structure of sown areas to 30-40% through the system of basic tillage, selection of resistant hybrids, and use of herbicides.

Abstract Background Salinity is one major abiotic stress affecting photosynthesis, plant growth, and development, resulting in low-input crops. Although photosynthesis underlies the substantial productivity and biomass storage of crop yield, the response of the sunflower photosynthetic machinery to salinity imposition and how H2S mitigates the salinity-induced photosynthetic injury remains largely unclear. Seed priming with 0.5 mM NaHS, as a donor of H2S, was adopted to analyze this issue under NaCl stress. Primed and nonprime seeds were established in nonsaline soil irrigated with tape water for 14 d, and then the seedlings were exposed to 150 mM NaCl for 7 d under controlled growth conditions. Results Salinity stress significantly harmed plant growth, photosynthetic parameters, the structural integrity of chloroplasts, and mesophyll cells. H2S priming improved the growth parameters, relative water content, stomatal density and aperture, photosynthetic pigments, photochemical efficiency of PSII, photosynthetic performance, soluble sugar as well as soluble protein contents while reducing proline and ABA under salinity. H2S also boosted the transcriptional level of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase small subunit gene (HaRBCS). Further, the transmission electron microscope showed that under H2S priming and salinity stress, mesophyll cells maintained their cell membrane integrity and integrated chloroplasts with well-developed thylakoid membranes. Conclusion The results underscore the importance of H2S priming in maintaining photochemical efficiency, Rubisco activity, and preserving the chloroplast structure which participates in salinity stress adaptation, and possibly sunflower productivity under salinity imposition. This underpins retaining and minimizing the injury to the photosynthetic machinery to be a crucial trait in response of sunflower to salinity stress.

Plant-associated mycobiomes can influence important host plant traits including those related to disease, nutrient acquisition, flowering phenology, stress tolerance, and productivity. Disentangling the complex multifaceted relationships between host plants and their associated mycobiomes is a critical first step toward generating improvements in environmental sustainability and/or plant productivity. Despite decades of work on these plant–fungal interactions, consequences of and mechanisms controlling these interactions are not well resolved, especially in the face of environmental stress such as drought. Moreover, plant differential genotypic responses under stress and associated mycobiome assembly dynamics are likely important in structuring communities but have been less well studied. We conducted a controlled drought stress experiment by manipulating water treatment in a diverse set of cultivated sunflower lines with different inherent drought resistance levels to evaluate how sunflower host genotypes and drought interacts to affect belowground fungal mycobiomes at the rhizospheric and endospheric levels. Our results demonstrated that fungal community structure was driven by watering treatment, plant genotype, treatment by genotype interactions, genotype by plant compartment interactions, and treatment by genotype by compartment interactions. Additionally, our analyses demonstrated the relative abundance of plant pathogens and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increased with host genetic variation, or heterozygosity, levels. Our study provides evidence for drought and genotypic drivers of belowground sunflower–fungi interactions and offers a framework for leveraging these interactions to further understand how mycobiome community structure can improve plant productivity under stress.

Abstract Background Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is one of the most important economic crops in oilseed production worldwide. The different cultivars exhibit variability in their resistance genes. The NAC transcription factor (TF) family plays diverse roles in plant development and stress responses. With the completion of the H. annuus genome sequence, the entire complement of genes coding for NACs has been identified. However, the reference genome of a single individual cannot cover all the genetic information of the species. Results Considering only a single reference genome to study gene families will miss many meaningful genes. A pangenome-wide survey and characterization of the NAC genes in sunflower species were conducted. In total, 139 HaNAC genes are identified, of which 114 are core and 25 are variable. Phylogenetic analysis of sunflower NAC proteins categorizes these proteins into 16 subgroups. 138 HaNACs are randomly distributed on 17 chromosomes. SNP-based haplotype analysis shows haplotype diversity of the HaNAC genes in wild accessions is richer than in landraces and modern cultivars. Ten HaNAC genes in the basal stalk rot (BSR) resistance quantitative trait loci (QTL) are found. A total of 26 HaNAC genes are differentially expressed in response to Sclerotinia head rot (SHR). A total of 137 HaNAC genes are annotated in Gene Ontology (GO) and are classified into 24 functional groups. GO functional enrichment analysis reveals that HaNAC genes are involved in various functions of the biological process. Conclusions We identified NAC genes in H. annuus (HaNAC) on a pangenome-wide scale and analyzed S. sclerotiorum resistance-related NACs. This study provided a theoretical basis for further genomic improvement targeting resistance-related NAC genes in sunflowers.

Reducing pressure on agrolandscapes while maintaining indicators of economic efficiency is a promising and relevant task for researchers. The article presents the results of a four-year study on the formation of water, nutrient, and microbial regimes in the soil of mid-early ecological group hybrid sunflower crops PR64F66 F1 and Tunca F1 at different levels of biologization of zonal variety cultivation technologies in the conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine: traditional intensive, extensive minimal, organic, and two levels of biologized. The dependence of the reduction in average daily soil moisture consumption on the application of biologization elements was established. The minimum value of the water consumption coefficient over the years of the study was found for organic cultivation technology – 407 (PR64F66 F1) and 423 (Tunca F1) m3/ton of dry matter, while the least economical consumption of active moisture for biomass formation was recorded for the extensive cultivation technology variant – 523 and 624 m3/ton respectively. Variants with the application of biologization elements in the mineral nutrition system were characterized by significantly higher efficiency and economy of nitrogen consumption from soil reserves. Throughout the vegetation period, under the conditions of intensive sunflower cultivation technology, both the overall population of the plowed soil layer and the number of microflora for individual key groups decreased significantly compared to variants where individual elements of biologization or their complex application (organic cultivation technology) were implemented, by 6.1–40.9%.

The evaluation of energy input and output processes in agricultural systems is a crucial method for assessing sustainability levels within these systems. In this research, the investigation focused on the input and output energies and related indices in sunflower farms in Khoy County during the agricultural year 2017–2018. Data were collected from 140 sunflower producers through specialized questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. Additionally, artificial neural networks (ANNs), specifically the multilayer perceptron, were employed to predict the output energy. The results revealed that a substantial portion of the total input energy was attributed to chemical nitrogen fertilizer (43.98%), consumable fuel (25.74%), and machinery (8.42%). The energy efficiency (energy ratio) in these agroecosystems was relatively low, measured at 1.57 for seed and 7.96 for seed and straw. These values should be improved. The energy efficiency in seed production was computed at 0.06 MJ·ha−1, while, for the combined seeds and straw, it was 0.57 MJ·ha−1. In particular, seed energy efficiency represents approximately 11% of the overall biological energy efficiency, highlighting that a substantial 89% of the produced energy is associated with straw. The proper use of this straw is crucial, as its improper handling could lead to a drastic decrease in overall efficiency. Furthermore, the explanatory coefficient (R2) and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) to predict the output energy with the best neural network were 0.94, and 1.77 for the training data, 0.97 and 1.55 for the test data, and 0.9 and 2.08 for the validation data, respectively; additionally, 0.97 and 0.42 were obtained by an ANFIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.) has severely restricted the development of the sunflower industry in China, and more efficient and convenient control methods are urgently needed. In this experiment, we investigated the effects of N, P and silica fertilizers on the parasitism rate of O. cumana, as well as on the yield of sunflower and native microbial communities in the field. Firstly, pot experiments were conducted to select the most effective fertilization method and to determine the physiological and biochemical indexes of sunflowers. Subsequently, field application studies were carried out to determine the physiological indexes, yield, O. cumana parasitism on sunflower, and the effect on the indigenous microbial community. The results demonstrate that compared with the CNP treatment (Control), the number of parasites under the N1P5 treatment significantly decreased by 66.15%. The exogenous application of silica can significantly reduce the number of O. cumana parasites. The treatments with N1P5 (N/P = 1:5) and available SiO2 content higher than 40 mg/kg (NS2, NS3, SF2 and SF3) significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content in sunflower leaves. In the field, fertilization significantly decreased the number of O. cumana parasites. The S treatment improved the native microbial community structure and enriched beneficial microorganisms, including Vicinamibacteria and Pyrinomonadaceae. Additionally, applying the S treatment significantly increased sunflower yield by 23.82% and crude protein content by 20.20%. In summary, the application of silicon fertilizer can effectively improve the host microbial community, reduce O. cumana parasitism and improve the yield and quality of sunflower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In nature, plants constantly fight against the negative effects of biotic and abiotic stress factors. Salinity encountered in agricultural areas in the world and in our country is one of the most important factors that negatively affects sustainable agriculture. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of Gibberellic Acid (GA3) and Glycine Betaine (GB) applied as pre-treatment to sunflower seeds under salt stress conditions on germination and seedling development. In the experiment, the seeds were pre-treated with four different concentrations of GA3 and GB (0, 15, 30, 45 mg/l) before planting, and then four different salt (Na+Cl-) concentrations (0, 6, 9, 12 dS/m) was put into salt stress application. The experiment was set up with 3 replications according to the Randomized Plot Factorial Trial Design. In the study, germination rate, germination power, seedling length, root length, seedling fresh weight, root fresh weight characteristics and enzyme activities such as CAT, SOD and POD were examined. In the experiment, parallel to the increase in salinity stress, decreases in germination rate and germination power and negative effects on other seedling characteristics were observed. According to the results obtained, positive results were observed for germination and seedling characteristics at 6 dS/m salt stress in 30 and 45 mg/l GB and GA3 applications. As a result, it was concluded that Glycine Betaine applications to sunflower seeds as an alternative to plant regulator groups under salt stress conditions will be beneficial in production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hetao irrigation region is located in Inner Mongolia, China, within a dry and semi-dry region. This region suffers from poor agricultural productivity and environmental damage due to the presence of saline soil. To explore the growth of salty lands using a more environmentally friendly method, this research employed three eco-conscious amendments to improve the soil. These include flue gas desulfurization gypsum (S), humic acid (H), and biochar (C). During a two-year study, the amendments were utilized to enhance the soil quality for planting sunflowers. Humic acid was used prior to every seedling season, whereas the remaining two substances were only used once. These additions increased the soil's water-holding capacity, reduced soil salinity during sunflower growth, and improved the macroaggregate proportion. The most effective treatment for decreasing the soil's salt content after the seedling stage was the application of humic acid (0.6 t ha−1). Biochar (15 t ha−1) decreased the soil's bulk density (from 1.49 to 1.34 g cm−3) and mostly increased the sunflower seed yield up to 3133−3964 kg ha−1. Humic acid addition significantly increased the aggregate (>0.25 mm) content up to 27.88% after the experiment, but it led to a lower seed yield (2607−3686 kg ha−1). In 2019, the temperature was lower compared to 2018, which may have led to a reduction in the yield. However, these three amendments could potentially increase yields by more than conventional methods. These three environmentally friendly amendments are useful for improving saline soil and increasing yields. More studies are required to understand their impacts on larger areas and over extended periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to analyze the potential of producing bioethanol from sunflower stalks with the optimized pretreatment models on total sugar production from sunflower stalk (SS) utilization to decompose the lignocellulosic biomass to sugar. The accumulation variables were examined in the pretreatment model, including pretreatment temperature (30, 35, and 40 °C), NaOH concentration (1, 1.5, and 2%), and duration (1, 2, and 3 days). Total sugar production was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) on central composite design (CCD) models. In addition, the economic strategy was carried out. It was found that sunflower stalks have properties that can be used to produce bioethanol. One kilogram of dried sunflower stalks containing 8.398 g of ethanol at 8% purity can be distilled. Economic feasibility and sensitivity analysis of the project showed that the economic net present value is about 31,875 US $ cost and benefit ratio equal 1.11, and the internal rate of return is about 10%. This investment feasibility assessment is for the dried chopped agricultural waste processing plants, and its output will be used as a raw material for ethanol production, which is worthwhile and could return the capital within 8 years. However, this project needs support from the public and private sectors, and the state may have a policy of paying subsidies to bioethanol producers to increase interest in the use of dried chopped agricultural waste. This will allow for the development of the local economy and provide an alternative way to select raw materials for bioethanol production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted to evaluate the potential use of Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) to remediate contaminated soil with pyrene in phytoremediation experiments. Pyrene was used as an example of the PAHs at different concentrations. Representative soil samples were collected and contaminated by pyrene at three levels of concentrations: C1 (1.8 mg/kg), C2 (150 mg/kg), and C3 (300mg/kg). The experiments were conducted for 86 days. The pyrene removal from the contaminated soils was higher in most of the planted soil, compared with unplanted soil (controls) at different concentrations of the contaminants. In addition, the results of this study showed that sunflower (Helianthus annuus) were able to accumulate the tested pyrene in its tissues, and this accumulation was increased with the decrease in the contaminant concentrations in the soil. In addition, sunflower (Helianthus annuus) accumulated more amounts of pyrene in its aboveground parts (shoot and disc), compared with underground part (root). The results of this study imply that using sunflower (Helianthus annuus) in the phytoremediation process is an effective technique to remediate the contaminated soil with pyrene without causing any plant toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research focuses on optimizing vegetable oil production processes for human consumption, emphasizing green and efficient extraction methods using renewable solvents with minimal toxic residues. Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), especially with ethanol, is studied for its efficiency and low solvent usage in intermittent processes. By evaluating extraction parameters and kinetics, the study aims to determine optimal conditions for higher extraction rates and yields, providing insights into production costs and other factors. Specifically, the research examines the behavior of extraction kinetics for vegetable oils like rice bran, sunflower seeds, and rolled soybeans. It also seeks to determine mass diffusivity in semi-continuous processes and to model PLE in intermittent processes using Fick's Law and Mathematica Wolfram Software v11.2. The effective diffusivity (Deff) for rice bran oil in pressurized ethanol varied between 13.09 and 15.70 × 10−12 m2/s, and the Deff value of sunflower seed oil was between 8.10 and 12.60 × 10−12 m2/s. For rolled soybean oil, the Deff value ranged from 17.25 to 31.29 × 10−12 m2/s. The mass diffusivity values of vegetable oils in pressurized ethanol remained within the same order of magnitude. The mass diffusivity for PLE in an intermittent process presented values of 5.97 × 10−12 m2/s for rice bran oil with 3 extraction cycles. The Deff value for sunflower seed oil in pressurized ethanol was 1.38 × 10−12 m2/s, with 4 cycles, and for rolled soybeans, the Deff value was 1.77 × 10−12 m2/s in 3 cycles. The Deff value found in the intermittent extraction process was lower than that in the semi-continuous process. The total solvent renewal in the semi-continuous extraction process significantly impacted the diffusivity values for all extracted oils, as this process utilizes much more solvent compared to the intermittent process for all matrices studied. Various factors, including geometry, average particle diameter, extraction temperature, and rinse solvent volume, can affect the differences in curve behavior between the semi-continuous and intermittent processes. Despite these factors, the intermittent process is considered more viable for implementation due to its favorable economic and environmental characteristics, primarily because it requires a much smaller amount of solvent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the catalytic effects of Nickel-ligated catalysts derived from tall oil (NiTO) and sunflower oil (NiSFO) on the oxidation of heavy oil. Thermogravimetric (TG) analysis were employed to assess the thermal behavior and kinetics of heavy oil degradation. The Friedman isoconversional method provided the activation energies (Ea), which were then used to derive thermodynamic parameters including changes in enthalpy (ΔH), entropy (ΔS), and Gibbs free energy (ΔG). The TG analysis revealed that both NiTO and NiSFO influence the degradation kinetics of heavy oil. Moreover, NiTO exhibited a consistent catalytic effect across a wide range of conversions, lowering the onset temperature of degradation and promoting faster degradation rates, which suggests a rapid breakdown at lower temperatures. Conversely, NiSFO demonstrated a substantial decrease in activation energy at mid-range conversions, indicating a highly efficient catalysis during these stages. In addition, thermodynamic analysis indicated that both catalysts alter the energetic profile of the reaction. Notably, NiSFO reduced ΔG significantly at lower conversions, enhancing the spontaneity of the reaction, while NiTO was associated with lower ΔG values across most conversions, implying a more favorable reaction throughout the process. The findings suggest that the choice of catalyst can be tailored based on the desired conversion range and reaction spontaneity in industrial heavy oil processing. These insights could be crucial for optimizing thermal treatments in heavy oil upgrading, offering potential improvements in the efficiency of in-situ combustion and enhanced oil recovery technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sunflower (Helianthusannuus) is one of the most important economic crops in oilseed production worldwide. The different cultivars exhibit variability in their resistance genes. The NAC transcription factor (TF) family plays diverse roles in plant development and stress responses. With the completion of the H. annuus genome sequence, the entire complement of genes coding for NACs has been identified. However, the reference genome of a single individual cannot cover all the genetic information of the species. Results: Considering only a single reference genome to study gene families will miss many meaningful genes. A pangenome-wide survey and characterization of the NAC genes in sunflower species were conducted. In total, 139 HaNAC genes are identified, of which 114 are core and 25 are variable. Phylogenetic analysis of sunflower NAC proteins categorizes these proteins into 16 subgroups. 138 HaNACs are randomly distributed on 17 chromosomes. SNP-based haplotype analysis shows haplotype diversity of the HaNAC genes in wild accessions is richer than in landraces and modern cultivars. Ten HaNAC genes in the basal stalk rot (BSR) resistance quantitative trait loci (QTL) are found. A total of 26 HaNAC genes are differentially expressed in response to Sclerotinia head rot (SHR). A total of 137 HaNAC genes are annotated in Gene Ontology (GO) and are classified into 24 functional groups. GO functional enrichment analysis reveals that HaNAC genes are involved in various functions of the biological process. Conclusions: We identified NAC genes in H. annuus (HaNAC) on a pangenome-wide scale and analyzed S. sclerotiorum resistance-related NACs. This study provided a theoretical basis for further genomic improvement targeting resistance-related NAC genes in sunflowers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing pressure on agrolandscapes while maintaining indicators of economic efficiency is a promising and relevant task for researchers. The article presents the results of a four-year study on the formation of water, nutrient, and microbial regimes in the soil of mid-early ecological group hybrid sunflower crops PR64F66 F1 and Tunca F1 at different levels of biologization of zonal variety cultivation technologies in the conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine: traditional intensive, extensive minimal, organic, and two levels of biologized. The dependence of the reduction in average daily soil moisture consumption on the application of biologization elements was established. The minimum value of the water consumption coefficient over the years of the study was found for organic cultivation technology - 407 (PR64F66 F1) and 423 (Tunca F1) m³/ton of dry matter, while the least economical consumption of active moisture for biomass formation was recorded for the extensive cultivation technology variant - 523 and 624 m³/ton respectively. Variants with the application of biologization elements in the mineral nutrition system were characterized by significantly higher efficiency and economy of nitrogen consumption from soil reserves. Throughout the vegetation period, under the conditions of intensive sunflower cultivation technology, both the overall population of the plowed soil layer and the number of microflora for individual key groups decreased significantly compared to variants where individual elements of biologization or their complex application (organic cultivation technology) were implemented, by 6.1-40.9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sunflower protein has many characteristics that make it a desirable alternate source of protein from a marketing and formulation standpoint. The absence of major allergens, low cost, low anti-trypsin inhibitors, and status as both vegan and "clean" label friendly also increase the value of sunflower protein. This study aims to optimize the four parameters i.e., pH, time, temperature, and salt concentration (sodium sulphite) for extraction of proteins from de-oiled sunflower cake by using response surface methodology. The deoiled meal was further defatted and dephenolised in Soxhlet extraction. After drying, the meal was subjected to alkali extraction and isoelectric precipitation to obtain protein isolates. For optimizing the protein extraction conditions, a central composite rotatable design (CCRD) based on four parameters and five levels was used. RSM analysis revealed that the experimental results were best fitted into a quadratic polynomial model with R2 around 0.9. The maximum protein extraction (75.32%), protein recovery (90.95%), protein yield (23.24%), purity (93.99%) was obtained at pH, 9.43; temperature, 54.62 °C; time, 63 mins; and salt concentration, 0.188%. After the removal of polyphenols brown colored protein isolates were obtained and showed good solubility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]