Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca
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Foliar application of exogenous gibberellin or cytokinin mitigates salinity stress on faba bean (Vicia faba L.)
Full text linkSoil salinity significantly impairs plant development by reducing the availability of water and essential nutrients. This study explores the potential of gibberellin (GA) and cytokinin (CK) in mitigating detrimental effects of salinity stress on faba bean. Seeds were sown in saline soil, and plants were subjected to foliar applications of GA and CK at concentrations of 25 and 50 mg L-1. Results revealed that both hormones significantly enhanced key growth attributes, including plant height, total leaf area, and dry biomass. Moreover, chlorophyll (chl. a, b, total chl.) content increased alongside elevated levels of proline, total phenols, crude protein, membrane stability, and macronutrient (NPK) concentrations. Gibberellin and CK treatments also promoted branching and flowering, while reducing the percentage of flower shedding. In terms of yield-related traits, significant improvements were observed in seed yield per hectare, weight of 100-seed, seed number/pod, seed weight per pod, and overall reduction in flower drop. The most significant enhancements in the evaluated traits were recorded with the application of GA and CK at a concentration of 50 mg L-1 during both seasons. These findings highlight the effectiveness of GA and CK in strengthening salt tolerance mechanisms and boosting the productivity of faba bean under saline conditions
Effects of grazing intensity and topography on steppe vegetation and soil properties of Mt. Aragats, Armenia
Full text linkSteppes are large ecosystems and diverse in plant composition and soils-climatic conditions. Steppes have been used for pastoralism for centuries. Few studies have considered interactive effects of grazing intensity and topography on steppe productivity, plant composition and soil properties. The study was conducted at no grazed, moderately and freely grazed sites of two steppe areas located at 1500-1800 m a.s.l. of south-east slope of Mt. Aragats. Slope exposition, slope inclination, mean temperature and precipitation for steppe areas were also assessed. Aboveground biomass and plant and soil chemical analysis were done by the national standard methods, and influencing factors were extracted by RDA. Results showed that the steppe aboveground biomass decreased significantly with the grazing intensity increasing (55-70%), no matter of soil type as was shown by RDA analysis. Vegetation height responds to grazing intensity independently of topography and environmental factors. Nitrogen content in plants was mainly affected by grazing and increased in freely grazed sites, while it had no effect on phosphorus and potassium content. Grazing intensity and topography and environmental factors did not affect soil physicochemical properties. Only litter content was higher at moderately grazed sites on chernozem like soils. Comparative analysis of the two steppe areas highlighted notable shifts in productivity and key soil properties, primarily driven by grazing pressure rather than environmental conditions. Therefore, effective conservation strategies and controlled grazing management are essential for sustainable land use and mitigating degradation in these ecosystems
Assessing morpho-chemical and genetic diversity in acid limes germplasm using microsatellite markers
Full text linkAcid limes are highly nutraceutical and have great market demand. In Pakistan, two lime varieties are cultivated including ‘Mexican lime’ and ‘Eustis limequat’. Hence, other potential varieties were characterized for morphogenetic variability. Leaf shape was elliptic in ‘Mexican lime’ and ‘Eustis limequat’ and obcordate in ‘Tahiti lime’, ‘Seedless lime’ and ‘Tavares limequat’ while the leaf area was greater in ‘Seedless lime’. ‘Tavares limequat’ developed the heaviest fruit (74.55 g) with greater fruit length while fruit diameter was higher in ‘Seedless lime’. Juice weight and juice percentage were greater in ‘Tavares limequat’ and ‘Seedless lime’ respectively. ‘Tahiti lime’, ‘Seedless lime’ and ‘Tavares limequat’ were found as a seedless variety. Titratable acidity was higher in ‘Eustis limequat’ while sugar to acid ratio was lower in ‘Eustis limequat’, ‘Mexican lime’ and ‘Seedless lime’ varieties. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers analysis revealed great genetic diversity among populations. Maximum alleles (9-11) were amplified by using CAC23 and CTT01 markers which showed higher discrimination and heterozygosity. CAC23 and CTT01 markers effectively amplified three alleles in triploids (‘Tahiti lime’ and ‘Seedless lime’), a single allele in diploids (‘Mexican lime’, ‘Eustis limequat’) and two alleles, including a unique allele in diploid ‘Tavares limequat’. Cluster analysis bunched closely related genotypes into two groups, STRUCTURE analysis confirmed the admixture nature of all genotypes and ‘Tavares limequat’ was found to be the most divergent. Conclusively, selected SSR markers effectively discriminated among diploid and polyploid acid limes and may be extended to other citrus species as well. These findings could be helpful for the selection and conservation of heterozygous material and utilization in breeding and germplasm enhancement programs
Influence of cultivation conditions on growth and water use efficiency of zucchini seedlings
Full text linkWith the rapid advancement of facility agriculture, traditional methods of zucchini seedling cultivation face increasing challenges in meeting modern demands for quality and resource efficiency. To address this, a series of experiments were conducted to optimize cultivation conditions aimed at enhancing seedling quality and water use efficiency (WUE). Using the ‘Technology No.1’ zucchini variety as a model, the study evaluated five substrate formulations, four tray specifications, and five concentrations of an alginate composite agent (ACA) under controlled irrigation based on evapotranspiration data. Key physiological parameters, including plant height, stem diameter, dry matter accumulation, root vitality, and WUE, were measured. The results revealed that a substrate mixture of peat, perlite, and vermiculite (0.7:0.2:0.1) significantly improved plant height (+17.0%), stem diameter (+41.9%), dry matter accumulation (+53.2%), and WUE (+40.6%) compared to the peat-only control. The 50-cell tray configuration provided the most effective balance between root development and spatial efficiency, enhancing root vitality by 8.3%. Among ACA treatments, 150 mg L-1 yielded the highest WUE (44.3%) and biomass production, with significantly better performance than both lower and higher concentrations. These findings suggest that the integration of an optimized substrate, tray design, and ACA concentration (peat- perlite - vermiculite substrate + 50-cell tray + 150 mg L-1 ACA) can synergistically improve zucchini seedling quality and water efficiency. This study offers a valuable theoretical foundation for the advancement of intensive and efficient seedling cultivation technologies in facility-based zucchini production
Alternating thermal conditions enhance seedling morphophysiology, antioxidant activity and nutrient dynamics in eggplant
Full text linkPartial dormancy in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) seeds often delays germination and emergence, leading to poor and non-uniform seedlings development. Nonetheless, limited research has examined the effects of alternating temperature regimes on seedling vigour, antioxidant capacity, and nutrient dynamics in eggplant. To address this gap, the present study evaluated the responses of four commercial hybrids (‘Brigitte F1’, ‘Faselis F1’, ‘Karaefe F1’, ‘Hünkar F1’) and two hybrid rootstocks (‘Hawk F1’, ‘Köksal F1’) to two alternating temperature regimes (35/20 °C-16/8 h and 20/35 °C-16/8 h) compared with constant temperature (25 °C). A Completely Randomized Design was employed to assess germination, emergence, morphological and biomass traits, antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, APX), and macro-and micronutrient uptake. The genotypes exhibited differential responses: the 35/20 °C-16/8 h regime significantly improved germination (up to 97.7%) and emergence (up to 94.6%), enhanced seedling length and biomass, and increased SOD, CAT, and APX activities compared with constant temperature. Nutrient uptake (Ca, Mg, P, K, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, B) was also highest under this regime, while Na accumulation decreased. Correlation and PCA analyses revealed strong positive relationships among germination, emergence, antioxidant activity, and nutrient accumulation, while mean germination and emergence times were negatively correlated with seedling vigour. These findings highlight the role of antioxidant mechanisms in conferring tolerance to thermal fluctuations thereby improving seedling quality and nutrient dynamics of eggplant. Consequently, the 35/20 °C - 16/8 h regime can be readily and economically adopted by commercial producers to enhance germination rates and improve seedling development in eggplant cultivars
Enhanced hairy root induction in garlic (Allium sativum L.) via Agrobacterium rhizogenes: Targeting the basal plate of intact sprout
Full text linkHairy root induction in garlic represents a promising approach to actively exploit biomass from a familiar plant species rich in antibacterial compounds. Previously, the stem disc region of garlic was identified as a potential site for morphogenesis; however, few studies have focused on utilizing this tissue for hairy root induction and optimizing the conditions to enhance transformation efficiency. Histological analysis revealed that the basal plate contains soft parenchyma tissue conducive to root and vascular development, making it a suitable target for transformation in monocot species. In this study, we investigated the factors influencing hairy root induction from this recalcitrant tissue. Our results indicated that maintaining the integrity of the basal plate of stem disc in 10-day-old garlic seedlings significantly enhanced induction efficiency compared to sectioning methods. Through preservation of the primary root system and inner clove tissue and addition of acetosyringone, roots exhibited further improved stability in genetic, morphological, and growth traits, with fresh biomass accumulation reaching 1 g per induced explant and the hairy-root induction rate achieved 100%. PCR analysis confirmed the presence of rolB and rolC genes in induced roots, verifying successful gene transfer by Agrobacterium rhizogenes ATCC 15834. Overall, this study provides important insights into improving hairy root induction in garlic-a monocotyledonous species typically considered recalcitrant-and highlights the stem disc as a reliable and efficient target tissue for generating bioactive root biomass. These findings not only advance transformation strategies in monocots but also open broader opportunities for metabolic engineering, enhanced production of valuable secondary metabolites, and the development of sustainable biotechnological platforms for pharmaceutical and agricultural applications
Modelling of nitrogen content estimation in cotton based on UAV ‘Spectrum-Image’ data fusion
Full text linkNitrogen is crucial for crop growth, development, yield, and quality. Traditional nutrition monitoring relies on single data sources; however, spatial coverage and information limitations hamper the accuracy of such monitoring methods. The recently developed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing technology has emerged as an efficient and convenient method of crop nutrition monitoring, which allows the integration of data from sources, such as hyperspectral and digital images, resulting in comprehensive and multi‐angular insights. This study is aimed at enhancing crop monitoring accuracy by integrating multiple data types obtained at the UAV scale, using ‘Xinluzao 53’ cotton as an experimental subject. Nitrogen content was obtained via hyperspectral and digital imaging and the features of the two data sources analyzed by constructing four machine learning models: Ridge (RR), back-propagation neural network (BPNN), random forest (RF), and Bagging, which were integrated with the multilevel data fusion methods to obtain nutrition information. The results indicated optimal efficacy for RF together with the UAV ‘spectrum-image’ feature-level fusion framework, with a validation set R2 of 0.915 and RMSE of 1.562, while the optimal decision-level fusion framework was found to be Bagging, with a validation set R2 of 0.923 and RMSE of 1.488. UAV-based ‘spectral-image’ multilevel fusion frameworks were found to enhance the accuracy of monitoring, with the optimum decision-level fusion evaluation indices providing crucial theoretical support for precision agriculture in the future
Impact of thermal processing and solvent extraction on antioxidants in Orobanche coerulescens
Full text linkOrobanche coerulescens traditionally used in herbal medicine and as a nutraceutical, contains important antioxidant compounds. However, the antioxidant profile of O. coerulescens and the process conditions that maximize its antioxidant potential have never been systematically evaluated. This study provides the comprehensive assessment of how thermal processing combined with a range of organic solvent concentrations influences the antioxidant contents and activities of O. coerulescens. Initial screening showed that samples dried at 80 °C and extracted with 95% methanol exhibited the highest 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging ability and reducing power, as well as elevated total flavonoid (TF) and total phenol (TP) contents, compared with samples dried at 40 °C and 60 °C. This identified 80 °C as the optimal drying temperature for enhancing antioxidant properties. Further comparisons of extraction methods revealed that combining 80 °C drying with 40% methanol or ethanol significantly increased DPPH scavenging, while 60% methanol or ethanol under the same drying temperature enhanced reducing power relative to other solvent concentrations and aqueous water-bath treatments. These findings indicate that optimized thermal and solvent conditions improve the antioxidant profile of O. coerulescens for its potential as a valuable natural antioxidant source. Future work should investigate the protective, inhibitory, and functional effects of these optimized extracts in animal models to verify their in vivo bioactivities
Mineral matter contents, antioxidant activities and total phenols of basil genotypes
Full text linkBasil is a species of the genus Ocimum, Lamiaceae family recognized for its bioactive constituents that underlie applications in nutrition, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. This paper presents a comparative study on the mineral content, total polyphenols, and antioxidant activity of a selection of 12 basil genotypes cultivated in the southwest of Romania. The results demonstrated that the studied genotypes exhibited different antioxidant profiles, being an excellent source of mineral substances and phenolic compounds that can be used to address nutritional and antioxidant deficiencies in the daily diet. The mineral element concentrations in the studied genotypes varied as follows: Ca from 17,901 to 29.490 mg kg-1 D.W.; Mg from 5.891 to 11.997 mg kg-1 D.W.; K from 12.502 to 29.209 mg kg-1 D.W.; Na from 33.10 to 95.63 mg kg-1 D.W.; Cu from 6.28 to 11.2 mg kg-1 D.W.; Fe from 105.0 to 293.0 mg kg-1 D.W.; Mn from 37.9 to 89.0 mg/kg-1 D.W. and Zn from 11.0 to 57.9 mg/kg-1 D.W. The antioxidant activity, determined by the DPPH method, ranged from 27.43 µM TE g-1 D.W. to 30.66 µM TE g-1 D.W., while the total polyphenol content varied from 1.056 mg g-1 D.W. to 6.087 mg GAE g-1 D.W. These results support that the genotypes studied can be cultivated and used as raw material for obtaining nutraceutical products or in the food industry. These genotypes could be further cultivated and used as raw material for the production of nutraceutical products or in the food industry
Phytochemical profiling and SCOT marker analysis reveal genetic diversity in Ziziphus mauritiana genotypes
Full text linkThis study evaluated genetic diversity among 15 genotypes Ziziphus mauritiana based on biochemical and molecular markers to identify superior germplasm for breeding and nutritional improvement. Results of biochemical profiling revealed substantial variation as TSS ranged from 9.45 to 14.52 °Brix (‘G14’ and ‘G13’) respectively, total sugars were ranged from 7.25 to 10.53 g/100 g (‘G14’ and ‘G3’) correspondingly, moreover, Vitamin C was ranged from 29.47 to 68.53 mg/100 g (‘G12’ and ‘G2’) individually. Furthermore, highest antioxidant activity was recorded in ‘G13’ (39.65%) and peak of total phenolics was recorded in G5 (252.35 mg GAE/100 g). Principal component analysis (PCA) results revealed that genotypes ‘G3’, ‘G5’, ‘G6’, ‘G10’, and ‘G13’ as superior in sweetness, antioxidants, and secondary metabolites. Molecular markers (SCoT marker) analysis developed 112 bands, 67 polymorphic, with SCoT-2 being most informative (78.26% polymorphism, Ne = 1.37, h = 0.22, I = 0.33), reflecting moderate genetic diversity among the Z. mauritiana genotypes. However, Population structure and PCoA analysis revealed that there are two major genetic clusters constructed, with some genotypes showing admixture, indicating shared ancestry or gene flow and may be due to diverse genetic make and crossability among genotypes. The correlation matrix among phytochemical attributes displayed a positive relation between TSS and sugars with antioxidant, however, titratable acidity showed a negative relation with quality traits. Concludingly, current investigation pointed out nutritionally and genetically superior genotypes, providing a valuable resource for breeding, conservation and functional food development which is a useful information for future breeding programs