Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca
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Comparison of pepper accessions acting as rootstocks: A case with low P inputs
Get PDFFertilization is essential for maintaining production in agriculture. Yet, in too high quantity it causes high impact in environment and in farmers economy. This is especially true in the case of phosphorus (P) fertilization. Finding genotypes adapted to low P conditions may help to reduce the problem. P efficiency depends to some extend on the ability of the roots to acquire this mineral, therefore using efficient rootstocks would provide a higher acquisition of P, maintaining the good characteristics of the scion varieties. In this study, twenty diverse pepper accessions (Capsicum annuum L.) have been evaluated as possible rootstocks to increase P acquisition and yield in pepper under no P fertilization. Plant production, biomass, P content and physiological phosphorous use efficiency were evaluated for ‘Lobo’ variety grafted onto different rootstocks. In addition, root traits, measured manually (shovelomics) and semi-automatically (Winrhizo) were studied. The results showed a great diversity in the root traits for the studied accessions. These root traits changed significantly when the accessions act as rootstock, indicating great rootstock/scion interactions. In general, all the rootstocks adapted their root size and shape to that displayed by ‘Lobo’ root system. Some accessions seemed to have some incompatibility whereas some others enhanced the scion performance. It was possible to identify some genotypes suitable to act as rootstocks for pepper with good performance under low P conditions. Root length, root weight, branching, and root angle were identified as key root traits for plant growth and P acquisition under low P conditions
Response of lignin and flavonoid metabolic pathways in Capsicum annuum to drought and waterlogging stresses
Get PDFWater stress is a critical factor limiting the growth and development of Capsicum annuum. Flavonoids and lignin are important secondary metabolites that serve as signaling molecules in plant stress responses. However, the effects and regulatory mechanisms of lignin and flavonoids under water stress in Capsicum annuum remain unknown. The present study focused on the effects of drought and waterlogging stress on the morphology, hydrogen peroxide, and relative chlorophyll (SPAD), as well as enzyme activities, metabolite contents, and gene expression related to lignin and flavonoid metabolic pathways in Capsicum annuum. The results showed that drought and waterlogging stresses on the Capsicum annuum variety ‘Shuyu2’ significantly reduced plant height, stem thickness, and single-fruit weight, and increased fruit shape coefficients. Drought stress increased H2O2 and SPAD content, enhanced the activity levels of metabolic enzymes (phenylalanine deaminase, cinnamate 4-hydroxylase, coenzyme A ligase, peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase), and up-regulated the expression of related genes, phenylalanine deaminase (PAL), trans-cinnamate monooxygenase (C4H), chalcone isomerase (CHI), and mangiferyl hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HCT), while also promoting the accumulation of metabolites (total phenolics, flavonoids, and lignin) that have a restorative effect on drought stress. The continuous accumulation of H2O2 and the increase and then decrease in SPAD under waterlogging stress was also observed. Waterlogging stress also enhanced the activities of the above-mentioned metabolic enzymes, but the related genes were selectively down-regulated, e.g., C4H, 4CL, and peroxidase (POD), which resulted in the inhibition of the synthesis of lignin, flavonoids, and total phenols. These results indicate that the Capsicum annuum variety ‘Shuyu2’ is a drought-tolerant, waterlogging-sensitive variety. Meanwhile, the lignin and flavonoid pathway is a key pathway in response to drought stress in Capsicum annuum, which improves the theory of stress tolerance breeding in Capsicum annuum
Exploring the micromorphological diversity of palynomorphic flora from lesser Himalaya biodiversity hotspot
Get PDFPalynology, a prominent field in plant systematics and biodiversity studies, plays a vital role in identifying and determining the plant species present in a specific region. The current study was performed to evaluate the micromorphological traits of pollen from flora of Lesser Himalaya. Pollen microstructural variations aid in the identification of species belonging to specific botanical families and various geographic habitats. Flowers of 24 selected species categorized into 16 families were collected, preserved and then acetolysis protocol followed. Pollen was examined under a light and scanning microscopy (LM and SEM) for palynomorph description. The palynomorphs characteristics such as size, shape, exine surface, and aperture orientation, were examined. Status of these plants show that herbs are being dominant (11 species), while shrubs (7 species), climbers (3 species), bulbous plants (2 species), small tree, sedge, weed (1 species each). Pollen shape determined in equatorial view were; spheroidal, sub-prolate, oblate-spheroidal, prolate, spherical and sub-oblate. The variations were seen among pollen types; tricolpate, tricolporate and polyporate in most of the species. Exine stratification was observed mostly scabrate while echinate, cristate-reticulate, granulate, punctate, rugulate-perforate, striate-rugulate, verrucate, cristate-foveolate was visualized in each different species. Palynomorph apertural patterns were observed sunken, furrowed, slightly bulged, scabrate, granulate, slit like, and perforate. The largest polar diameter was measured in Hymenocallis littoralis (138.6 µm) whereas smallest in Parthenium hysterophorus (14.70 µm). Equatorial distance was calculated maximum for Cascabela thevetia (110.1 µm) and minimum for Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (1.7 µm). P/E ratio was calculated largest in Hymenocallis littoralis (1.8) and lowest in Duranta erecta (0.89). The palynomorphs taxonomic characters investigated can be helpful in species level identification and provide a baseline to conduct more systematic research with respect to specific plant families and genera
Pharmacological profiling and phytochemical analysis of fractionated extracts of Euphorbia royleana
Get PDFEuphorbia royleana belongs to family Euphorbiaceae, with great therapeutic potential. The present study is aimed to validate its traditional uses. GC-MS analysis of Euphorbia royleana crude and fractionated extracts were performed. Cytotoxicity was evaluated by Brine shrimp lethality (BSL) assay. Plant extract antioxidant activity was performed through in vitro multidimensional assays. Plant elemental analysis was performed through atomic absorption spectroscopy. In addition, the extract antibacterial activity against two gram negative i.e. Staphylococcus aureus, Xanthomonas campestris, and two gram-positive bacterial strains i.e. Escherichia. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae with agar well diffusion assay was performed. GC-MS analysis of n-hexane fraction revealed the presence of 16 phytocomponents. Phytochemical investigation led to identification and quantification of phenols, glycol cyanide, tannins, saponins, alkaloids and flavonoids. Highest phenol and flavonoid content (1.886±0.02 µg/mg, 0.855±0.01 µg/mg, 0.551±0.01 µg/mg and 0.090±0.01 µg/mg respectively) was quantified in plant extract and in n-hexane fraction. Crude and fractionated extracts (n-hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate and methanol) exhibited moderate cytotoxicity 81%, 71%, 52.5%, 57.5% and 51.5% respectively against brine shrimp nauplii with LD50 values of 168.46 and 220.30%. Plant extracts also showed scavenging activity ranging from 23-61% at 25-400 µg/mL. E. royleana consist of various compounds and minerals, namely K +, Na+, Fe+2, Co+3, Mn+2, Cu+3, Cr+3, and Cd+2. The antimicrobial activity revealed that the plant crude extract and n-hexane fraction comparatively exhibited the highest antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Xanthomonas campestris. This study evaluated the plant's potential as a source of antimicrobials and antioxidants for future application in treating infectious disorders
Biofortification of black chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) through plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria: enhancing nutritional and bioactive compounds
Get PDFThe chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), often called the “poor man’s meat”, is a legume with remarkable nutritional value. Recently, its recognition as a functional food has grown, owing to its ability to improve human nutrition and reduce disease risk. This study explores the biofortification potential of black chickpea seeds through the targeted application of Bacillus subtilis, B. megaterium, and Rhizobium cicer. By inoculating the seeds, these rhizobacterial treatments aim to naturally enhance the bioactive compound profile by manipulating the plant root systems. The study comprehensively assesses key parameters including total antioxidant activity, protein content, total phenolic content, and macro- and micronutrient composition of bacterial inoculated black chickpeas grown under the ecological conditions of Bolu, Türkiye. Results showed that rhizobacterial inoculation significantly improved all measured traits compared to the control group. B. subtilis treatment increased total antioxidant activity by 10.6% and total phenolic content by 19.5%. Protein content exhibited by approximately 11% across all treatments. R. cicer treatment led to the most pronounced increases in macro- and micronutrients, particularly in calcium (38.5%), potassium (82.7%), magnesium (26.35%), phosphorus (15.23%), iron (155.3%), and zinc (44.21%). These results demonstrate that rhizobacterial treatments can significantly enhance black chickpeas’ biochemical and nutritional quality. Thus, biofortified black chickpeas offer a promising, sustainable strategy for addressing global micronutrient deficiencies and combating hidden hunger, providing a valuable tool for improving food security
Phytopharmacological profile, nutritional value and amaranthine content of Amaranthus and their significance in medicine
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to determine the phytopharmacological properties and nutritional values in the protein and amino acid content of leaves and flowers in different species of the genus Amaranthus L., namely A. molleros, A. caudatus, A. mantegazzianus, and A. cruentus. The content of amarantin, total content of low molecular weight soluble antioxidants (CCA), phenolic compounds, and ascorbic acid content in the mentioned species of amaranth were also determined. The studied six genotypes of amaranth belong to the collection of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade. Amaranth is known to be an excellent food crop due to the high nutritional value of its seeds and leaves and it is excellent phyto-medicinal crop, as its inflorescences and leaves can be used as sources of antioxidants, and its seeds for producing gluten free health-safe products. In leaves, the lysine content ranged from 3.9% (A. caudatus) to 7.0% (A. cruentus; A. molleros), and in flowers from 4.2% (A. caudatus) to 7.4% (A. cruentus -G8) while the amaranth content varied (1.2-2.2%), antioxidants (CCA 1.6-3.5%), and ascorbic acid content (150-200%). Amaranth has the ability to improve the functionality of the immune system, enabling an outstanding balance of amino acid composition, as well as the ratio of lysine to arginine. Antioxidants, amaranth and ascorbic acid content significantly contributes to the ability to improve the functionality of the human immune system. Duodenal peptic ulcer and chronic gastritis caused by Helicobacter pylori can be treated with amaranth oil
Modeling of spectral monitoring of cotton aphid population based on feature bands
Get PDFCotton aphid is the most common and harmful insect in the process of cotton growth and development, and it is the most serious pest that restricts the high yield and high quality of cotton in China and even in the world. The field-scale experiments were conducted for two years to estimate the population of cotton aphids model on cotton leaves using remote sensing. Hyperspectral data from single leaves and aphid populations were obtained at different growth stages of various cotton varieties. Preprocessing techniques including savitzky-golay (SG), first derivative (FD), second derivative (SD), logarithm transformation (LG), and reciprocal transformation (RG) were applied to the original spectral data. The successive projections algorithm (SPA) combined with the Pearson correlation coefficient (Pearson) method were used to construct three types of hyperspectral monitoring models: linear regression (LR), Extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and partial least squares regression (PLSR). Results indicated that LG significantly improved model accuracy, while SPA effectively reduced the number of bands required for analysis. Among the three models constructed using selected feature bands, the XGBoost model outperforms LR and PLSR models in terms of prediction accuracy. LG-Person-XGBoost identified ten feature bands with a coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), and relative percent deviation (RPD) values reaching 0.76, 65.74 heads/leaf, and 0.91 respectively for the modeling set; whereas predicted R2, RMSE, and RPD values were found to be 0.36, 57.62 heads/leaf, and 0.99 respectively. LG-SPA-XGBoost achieved superior prediction accuracy by selecting eight feature bands with R2, RMSE, and RPD values reaching 0.87, 46.7 heads/leaf, and 1.43 respectively for the modeling set; whereas predicted R2, RMSE, and RPD values were found to be 0.77, 42.66 heads/leaf, and 1.27 respectively. This indicates that the hyperspectral remote sensing model can be used to estimate the population of cotton aphids on cotton leaves based on the selection of feature bands providing are reference for the nondestructive monitoring of cotton aphids in cotton fields and offering a significant supplement to the traditional methods of crop pest quantity monitoring
Influence of germination time on free amino acids, phenolic compounds and γ-aminobutyric acid in pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth) seeds
Get PDFThis research studied the influence of phytochemical compounds on the germination time of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth). Over the 72 hours germination period, the contents of total and most individual free amino acids, particularly histidine, showed substantial increases. The content of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) was also greatly increased, from 0.24 µg/g to 2.7 µg/g, representing a nearly ninefold increase. The total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were positively related with germination time, with TPC highest at 62.49 mg GAE/100 g DW at 72 h, and TFC increased from 18.87 mg RE/100 g DW to 30.05 mg RE/100g.DW at 72 hours. The contents of individual phenolic acids and flavonoids, such as, protocatechuic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid and rutin, experienced noticeable increases. However, vanillic and catechin were only detectable at 72 hours, respectively. Antioxidant capacity measured by DPPH and FRAP assays increased from 102.30 to 128.95 mgTE/100g DW and 694.13 to 836.93 mg FeSO4/100g DW mmol/g, respectively, and therefore highlighting the enhanced antioxidant potential of germinated pigeon pea. The results from Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) supported these findings. The study emphasizes the potential of germination to enhance the phytochemical compounds of pigeon pea seeds
Genetic stability evaluation of caladium somaclonal variants by morphological, cytological, and SSR analysis in three successive generations
Get PDFSomaclonal variants with valuable agronomic traits play a crucial role in crop breeding, provided that they are stably passed down in subsequent generations. Although numerous somaclonal variants have been identified and studied among in vitro regenerated plants in the foliage plant caladium (Caladium × hortulanum Birdsey), no research has been carried out to evaluate their genetic stability in subsequent generations. This study aimed to evaluate the genetic stability of three types of diploid caladium somaclonal variants, previously derived from in vitro callus cultures, over three successive tuber-propagated generations. The analysis of quantitative morphological characteristics revealed a greater degree of variation among the established plants in the first generation (G1) compared to the second (G2) and third generations (G3). Seven plants exhibiting distinct leaf coloration changes were identified in the G1 generation and were found to be stably passed down to the subsequent G2 and G3 generations. These findings indicate a wide range of morphological variation in the G1 generation, followed by relative stability in subsequent generations. A comprehensive cytological and molecular analysis revealed that five of the seven newly observed variants displayed notable differences in relative nuclear DNA content, chromosome number, or SSR (simple sequence repeat) banding patterns compared to their corresponding normal counterparts. The findings of this study will be instrumental in developing new cultivars with distinctive plant morphology through the exploitation of somaclonal variation in caladium
Piriformospora indica modifies cucumber’s tolerance to Meloidogyne incognita by regulating various agro-physiological traits, antioxidant enzymes, and abscisic acid pathway genes
Get PDFRoot knot nematode (RKN), Meloidogyne incognita, is considered a major soil-borne pathogen that can cause severe yield losses for vegetables and diverse crops. Usually, reducing of M. incognita damage is mainly relies on the application of nematicides and good agricultural practices. However, the use of synthetic nematicides is restricted due to concerns about their impact on the environment and human health. As a result, the use of alternative strategies is becoming necessary to combat RKN resistance. This study evaluates the antagonistic impact of the root mutualistic fungus Pirforomospora indica on M. incognita. It also assesses its influence on the nutritional status, photo-synthesis, antioxidant enzyme activity, endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) levels, and selected ABA related-responsive genes in cucumber plants. Roots of cucumber seedlings were inoculated with P. indica and the second-stage juveniles (1000 J2 per plant). The results demonstrated that P. indica significantly reduced M. incognita invasion in roots, resulting in a 24% reduction in root galling and 42.6% decline in final population. Inoculating plants with both P. indica and RKN increased performance of root fresh and dry weight, as well as improved photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm), photosystem II efficiency (PSII), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dis-mutase (SOD). Furthermore, P. indica colonization, either alone or in combination with M. incognita, significantly improved number of fruits per plant, average fruit weight, the plant's marketable yield, and leaf nutrient content (N, P, K and Mg), Moreover, there was an increase in IAA content combined with a decrease in ABA content in roots of dual inoculation plants, if compared to M. incognita infested plants. The highest ABA content was recorded in the root of RKN-cucumber plants. The decline in ABA content due to P. indica treatment was consistent with the modulation of ABA pathway genes, specifically PP2C, PYL1, RK2,1, and RK2,2. The mixed of P. indica and M. incognita led to a decrease in the expression of PP2C, PLY1, RK2,1, and RK2,2 in comparison to the control group. These results indicate that P. indica application could help reduce the negative effects of RKN on important crops