Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca
Not a member yet
2546 research outputs found
Sort by
Comparative analysis of lily responses to elevated salinity in irrigation water: Effects on physiology, anatomy, and postharvest flower quality
Get PDFSaline water irrigation presents a significant challenge in agriculture, especially in regions with water scarcity and soil salinity. Lilies are economically significant ornamental plants renowned for their aesthetic value and commercial importance. This study aims to evaluate the effects of saline water irrigation on lily anatomy, physiology, and postharvest flower quality. Three NaCl salinity levels with varying electrical conductivities (EC) (control 0.65, 3, and 6 dS m-1) were applied to three hybrid lilies (Lilium × elegans): fragrant Orienpet (‘Maytime’, white), non-fragrant Longiflorum-Asiatic (‘Pavia’, yellow), and ‘Fangio’ (pink).
Overall, moderate salinity (3 dS m-1) significantly altered lily anatomy and physiology, resulting in reduced postharvest quality, particularly evident in leaf greenness, flower size, quantity, and vase life. Exposure of plants to higher salinity levels (6 dS m-1) resulted in significant reductions in leaf area (40%), plant height (21%), stem diameter (15%), chlorophyll content (29%), and photosynthesis (Pn) (20%) compared to the control. Analysis revealed thinner epidermal cell and parenchyma tissues, along with decreased ground tissue thickness, contributing to reduced stem diameter. Reduced photosynthesis in salt-stressed lilies was attributed to significant declines in stomatal conductance (gs) (72-80%) and abaxial stomatal index (69%). High salinity levels also led to decreased flower diameter, size, number of flowers per stem, and vase life. However, irrigation with saline water at 6 dS m-1 enhanced certain color attributes, including petal redness (a*) in ‘Fangio’ and yellow hue (b*) in both ‘Fangio’ and ‘Pavia’ hybrids, along with increased colorfulness/saturation levels (C*) across all cultivars. In conclusion, this study offers valuable insights into identifying anatomical stress indicators that elucidate physiological responses. These findings could contribute significantly to the development of effective stress mitigation strategies for lily cultivation, particularly in water-scarce and saline environments
Analysis of the impact of watershed management practices, vegetation, and land use on soil erosion using EPM-IntErO modelling in Ceará’s semi-arid region
Get PDFThe semi-arid region of Ceará, located in Northeast Brazil, is typically characterized by low rainfall, high temperatures, and sparse vegetation – conditions generally associated with reduced soil erosion rates. However, the region's fragile soils, which are shallow, nutrient-poor, and particularly susceptible to degradation, exacerbate the erosion. This degradation poses a significant threat to soil fertility, agricultural productivity, and environmental sustainability in the area. The primary objective of this study was to quantify soil loss in Ceará and to challenge the prevailing assumption that semi-arid regions inherently experience minimal erosion due to limited rainfall. The Intensity of Erosion and Outflow (IntErO) model was used, in conjunction with remote sensing data and geographic information system (GIS) technologies. Through this approach, we estimated an average soil loss rate of 9.7 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. The results indicate that 38% of Ceará’s land area experiences soil loss rates exceeding tolerance limits, particularly in regions lacking vegetation, as well as in agricultural lands and pastures. These elevated erosion rates are largely attributed to the area’s poor soil properties, occasional intense rainfall events, and unsustainable land management practices. The findings underscore the urgent need for improved management of soil erosion processes to address these challenges. Implementing targeted soil conservation strategies and policies that promote sustainable land use is essential for mitigating water erosion, safeguarding long-term agricultural productivity, and enhancing environmental and socioeconomic sustainability in semi-arid regions
Complete chloroplast genome sequence and characteristic analysis of Paeonia suffruticosa from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River basin
Get PDFPaeonia suffruticosa cv. ‘Yu Luo Chun’ is an important representative of the peony groups from the Jiangnan region of China. However, little is known about the genetic basis of chloroplast genome phylogeny and the adaptive evolution of this group. In this study, high-throughput sequencing technology was used to sequence the complete chloroplast genome of leaves, and sequence assembly, annotation and feature analysis were performed by bioinformatics analysis methods. The results showed that the chloroplast genome of P. suffruticosa cv. ‘Yu Luo Chun’ exhibited a typical tetrad structure with a total length of 152,596 bp, including a large single-copy (LSC) region, a small single-copy (SSC) region, and two inverted repeats (IRs) whose lengths were 84,272 bp, 17,044 bp and 25,640 bp, respectively. A total of 126 genes were annotated, including 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes and 4 rRNA genes. Bioinformatics analysis showed that a total of 71 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were searched in the chloroplast genome, of which the numbers of mononucleotide, dinucleotide, trinucleotide and tetranucleotide repeat motifs were 47, 12, 7 and 5, respectively, and no pentanucleotide or hexanucleotide repeat motifs were found. The chloroplast genome prefers to end in A/T, among which leucine (Leu) is the most frequently used, while cysteine (Cys) is the least frequently used. Highly differentiated regions, such as rpoC1, petB, rsp16, rps19, clpP, ccsA, ycf1, ndhF-trnL, ndhD-psaC and trnV-rps12, were identified as DNA barcodes and potential genetic markers for interspecies relationships. We compared the gene selection pressure and identified 5 genes, ndhF, petB, petD, rpoA and ycf2 that were positively selected, and these genes have important contributions to the adaptive evolution. The chloroplast genome sequences of 18 species, including P. suffruticosa cv. ‘Yu Luo Chun’, were clustered by the nearest neighbour combination method and the maximum likelihood method. Both methods gave the same result and indicated that this cultivar has a relatively close kinship with P. qiui and P. rockii. The results provide important references for species identification, genetic diversity analysis and systematic taxonomic research between P. suffruticosa cv. ‘Yu Luo Chun’ and other Paeonia species
Functional validation of mungbean LEA protein coding gene in bacterial expression system confers salt stress tolerance
Get PDFMungbean (Vigna radiata R. Wilczek) is a major tropical food grain legume that is widely cultivated in tropical part of the world. Mungbean like other plants, tolerate and survive limited water situation owing to expression of stress associated proteins that offers membrane stability and cell protection. Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins are among the group of low molecular weight proteins, that play diverse roles in stress protection in several species of plants and animals. A LEA protein coding gene VrLEA2 was isolated from mungbean and its role in stress tolerance has been demonstrated using a bacterial expression system. VrLEA2 gene isolated was of size 893 bp and characterized as a group 1 LEA protein based on the sequence signature motif with presence of hydrophilic domain and a characteristic 20-mer conserved amino acids motif. VrLEA2 gene was cloned into a bacterial expression vector, pET 28a (+), transformed into the E.coli BL21 (DE3) cells for recombinant protein expression and subsequently subjected to antibiotic selection with kanamycin. Functional validation of the VrLEA2 for salt stress tolerance with varied concentration of NaCl (0 mM to 600 mM) showed alteration in colony morphology and reduction in the number of colonies in control compared to the transformed cells demonstrating the improved survival rate of cells expressing VrLEA2 protein. These findings indicate the best use of bacterial expression system for functional validation of plant proteins under stressed environments.
Antimicrobial activities and metabolites profiling of Heliotropium bacciferum Forssk. methanolic extract
Get PDFIn the present study, Heliotropium bacciferum Forssk. methanolic extract was tested for its antibacterial activities against Pectobacterium carotovorum, P. atrosepticum, Ralstonia solanacearum, and Streptomyces scabiei bacterial strains. The plant extract was also tested for its antifungal properties against strains of Fusarium oxysporum, Botrytis cinerea, and Rhizoctonia solani. The potent antibacterial activities were recorded against R. solanacearum after treatment with the extract at a concentration of 1000 µg/mL with an inhibition zone of 9.67 ±0.57 mm. The methanolic extract also showed promising antifungal effects against B. cinerea and F. oxysporum, with fungal growth inhibition percentages of 86.22 ±0.33% and 82.00 ±0.55%, respectively, which were higher than the standard antifungal drug. The plant extract’s HPLC analysis identified 12 phenolic compounds and 6 flavonoid compounds, with HPLC peaks matching the used standards. Gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, coffeic acid, ellagic acid, coumaric acid, syringic acid, methyl gallate, ferulic acid, vanillin, pyrocatechol, and cinnamic acid were the phenolic compounds that were identified. The flavonoid compounds found in the extracts were daidzein, naringenin, quercetin, kaempferol, hesperetin, apigenin, and rutin, arranged from high to low abundance. Furthermore, according to the GC-MS analysis, the most abundant compounds detected in the plant extract were n-hexadecanoic acid, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (z,z), á-sitosterol, betulin, phorbol, cis-13-octadecenoic acid, and octadecanoic acid. These compounds in HPLC and GC-MS analyses were proven to have antibacterial as well as antifungal properties. Based on the obtained antimicrobial results, H. bacciferum methanolic extracts could be recommended as a promising antibacterial and antifungal agent, as well as a safe alternative to many antimicrobial pesticides for the environment and human health
Mycorrhizal fungi in Annona muricata L. rhizosphere in two agricultural production systems in Nayarit, Mexico
Get PDFMycorrhizal symbiosis is the association between the roots of several plant species and soil fungi of the Glomeromycotina subphylum. This symbiosis plays a crucial role in plant growth, development, and defense; therefore, understanding the abundance and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) species associated with plants of economic importance is of utmost concern. The objective of this study was to compare the abundance and composition of AMF communities in two Annona muricata cultivation sites, and in propagated soil, under different agricultural practices. The first cultivation site is under technified management with periodic fertilization and irrigation (TS), while the second cultivation site is under agroecological management without fertilization, irrigation, and with the presence of livestock (non-technified site; NTS). The extracted spores from the collected samples and the trap cultures were taxonomically identified based on their morphology. 13 species associated with A. muricata belonging to seven genera were identified in soil samples. The most abundant species were Funneliformis geosporum, Acaulospora kentinensis and Rhizophagus intraradices with a relative abundance of 45.9, 19.0 and 15.8%, respectively. In the propagation substrates, only 69% of the AMF species found in the field were identified. 11 species of AMF were found in the site with non-technified agronomic management, while only five species were found in the technified site
Enhancement of bud dormancy release and development, leaf nutrition, flower and fruit quality of kiwifruit cv. ‘Hayward’ induced by BUD 14 biostimulant
Get PDFThe aim of this research was to investigate the influence of a foliar fertilization program, consisted of the BUD 14 nitrogen-calcium commercial formulation (N: 14% w/w, CaO: 5.5% w/w) as a biostimulant, on bud development percentage, flowering rate, classification of flowers into open, closed and triple, flower and pollen quality traits, fruit quality attributes, and leaf nutritional status of the ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit cultivar. The study was realized during a two-year experimental period in Naoussa, Central Macedonia, Greece. The results showed that BUD 14 induced synchronization in bud development relative to different vegetative stages including initiation of bud expansion, appearance of leaf apices covered by hair and deployment of 2-8 leaves and increased the flowering rate of open flowers. Pedicel length, ovary fresh weight, and dry weight, dry matter and length in female flowers as well as maximum pollen grain diameter and area in polar view in male flowers were significantly enhanced in the BUD 14 treatment. Fruit quality characteristics like average weight and dry mass were significantly augmented, and a 1.5-fold and 2-fold increase was recorded in canes length and number of kiwifruits per cane. In addition, leaf nutrient Ca and Mg concentrations were significantly enhanced, compared to the control. The efficacy of BUD 14 as a more target-oriented and environmentally friendly alternative method of supplying plants with smaller and controlled amounts of nutrients for breaking bud dormancy and improving their development was demonstrated, enhancing flower and fruit quality, leaf nutrition, kiwifruit developmental characteristics, and finally the total production per fruit per tree
Outcrossing mating system in natural populations of the endangered aquatic fern Ceratopteris thalictroides in China as revealed by microsatellite markers: implications for conservation
Get PDFIn this study, the mating system of the endangered aquatic fern Ceratopteris thalictroides in China was investigated using microsatellite markers. The estimates of the multilocus outcrossing rate (tm) and single-locus outcrossing rate (ts) were high at the species level (tm = 0.701 and ts = 0.595, respectively), indicating that C. thalictroides is a predominantly outcrossing species. Negative F (inbreeding coefficient of the maternal parents) values (-0.137) at the species level indicated an excess of heterozygotes and low inbreeding in the populations analyzed. Our investigation revealed that some of the natural and ex situ conservation populations of C. thalictroides have a prolific capacity for vegetative growth. The results showed that the homosporous pteridophyte C. thalictroides in China predominantly favors gametophytic crossing with a certain level of inbreeding along with vegetative growth. Ten populations have been established for ex situ conservation in Wuhan, China, with a survival rate of more than 90%, and mature spores were collected from them. Several factors, including high dispersal of spores and gametophytes by flowing water, high gene flow, and the wide distribution of the species in China, with the occurrence of some large populations, may have resulted in a high outcrossing rate in Chinese C. thalictroides. The high outcrossing rate of C. thalictroides showed that ex situ plantings are most suitable for enhancing possible mixing of the different populations, thus minimizing inbreeding
Bio- and synthetic fertilizers for reducing root rot and wilt and improving growth and flowering characteristics of rose
Get PDFRoot rot and wilt diseases are among the most pressing obstacles to the production of rose flowers in Egypt. Isolation results showed that these diseases are mainly caused by seven soil-borne fungi. However, Fusarium roseum, Verticillium dahlia, and Rhizoctonia solani were the most pathogenic fungi against Rosa gallica and R. chinensis compared to other isolated fungi. The present study aimed to investigate the potential of some bio- and synthetic fertilizers, including seaweed extract, Rhizobacterin, NPK, and potassium silicate, as well as the chemical fungicide vitavax 200, to control root rot and wilt and improve growth and flowering traits of both R. gallica and R. chinensis. Under in vitro conditions, the highest linear growth inhibition of pathogenic fungi was achieved by seaweed extract followed by potassium silicate, at 400 ppm each. In addition, vitavax 200 at 400 ppm completely inhibited the linear growth of these fungi. The results also showed that all treatments applied in vivo significantly reduced the incidence of diseases on rose plants in both seasons, leading to an improvement in all growth and flowering parameters and an increase in the content of photosynthetic pigments, total carbohydrates, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In this regard, seaweed extract (4 and 2 g/L) and potassium silicate (4 g/L) were the most efficient, while Rhizobacterin (2 g/L) and NPK (2 g/plant) were the least effective. However, vitavax 200 was the most effective of all the treatments used. In conclusion, the results proved the possibility of increasing the tolerance of R. gallica and R. chinensis against root rot and wilt, while improving growth and flowering characteristics by using some bio- and synthetic fertilizers
Diversity among Coffea arabica populations in southwestern Saudi Arabia as revealed by their morphometric features
Get PDFCoffee (Coffea arabica L.) is one of the most important agricultural commodities traded worldwide. The livelihoods of millions of households in Asia, Africa and America depend on it. The sustainability of the supply chain of this crop is increasingly under threat due to the impact of climate change in the main producing countries in the tropics and sub-tropics. The resilience of these agro-ecosystems will depend on the ability of breeders to develop new coffee varieties that can better adapt to changing environmental conditions. Therefore, studying the diversity of coffee populations in the Arabian Peninsula could reveal agronomically interesting genotypes that can be exploited in breeding programs. The objective of the study was to evaluate the diversity among coffee populations in southwestern Saudi Arabia using quantitative morphological, pomological and agronomic traits. The analysis of variance of the data showed differences among the accessions for most of the measured quantitative traits. The accessions varied in growth habit, canopy shape and cherry, bean and leaf dimensions. Cherry fresh mass ranged from 96.5 to 234.8 g in 100 cherries while 100-bean dry mass varied from 9.3 to 22.5 g. The hierarchical cluster analysis divided the accessions into four main groups. The study revealed considerable variability among the 61 accessions. Based on this investigation, accessions KSA-7R, KSA-8 and KSA-9R from Tallan valley, KSA20, KSA21 and KSA52 from Fayfa, KSA38 from Eddayar district, KSA10 and KSA60 from Assir region and KSA61 from Jebel Shada are recommended for further investigation for their promising agronomic traits