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Fermentation Kinetics and Changes in Levels of Antinutrients in Pearl Millet and Pearl Millet-Maize Composite Dough Recipes Used to Prepare Injera
No full textWhile pearl millet is rich in important nutrients with potential health and nutrition benefits, it contains antinutrients that limit the bioavailability of minerals and the digestibility of starches and proteins; however, fermentation is believed to reduce these antinutrient levels. The objective of this work was to determine the fermentation kinetics and its implications for changes in the levels of antinutrients in pearl millet and pearl millet-maize composite dough recipes used to prepare Injera, a traditional fermented flatbread consumed in Ethiopia. Three dough recipes identified through focus group discussion with women from the Dangeshita sub-district, Dangila District, Ethiopia, were investigated: pure pearl millet dough (P), a 1:1 mixture of pearl millet and maize (P1M1) and a 1:2 mixture of pearl millet and maize (P1M2) doughs. Significant decreases in pH were observed for all dough recipes at the later stages of fermentation. This drop in pH was accompanied by a rapid increase in titratable acidity. Counts of aerobic mesophilic bacteria and molds decreased (with molds reaching zero), while counts of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) increased at the later stage of fermentation across all dough recipes. A two-step fermentation process characterized by both lactic acid and alcoholic fermentation was identified, yielding lactic acid and mannitol as primary end products. Phytate was degraded by 91.3% in pearl millet (P) dough, by 98.2% in P1M1 dough, and by 72.7% in P1M2 dough after 168 h (7 days) fermentation. All fermented dough recipes resulted in reduced levels of raffinose at the later stages of fermentation, with the highest degradation noted in pearl millet (P) dough (95%) followed by P1M1 dough (87.7%) and P1M2 (80.8%) dough. In conclusion, 7 days fermentation resulted in significant reductions of phytate and raffinose levels in all dough recipes
Evolution of linear triterpenoid biosynthesis within the Euphorbia genus
No full textTerpenoids are among the largest classes of plant natural products. Squalene, a high value commodity in the cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical industries, is a common linear precursor for the biosynthesis of C30 triterpenes and sterols across plant, animal and fungal kingdoms. The anti-fungal compound peplusol is another linear C30 triterpene, but has only been reported in the genus Euphorbia. Here, we show that peplusol production has evolved due to duplication of a sterol synthase gene with one copy acquiring peplusol synthase activity and the original gene retaining the ancestral function. We identify a number of key amino acid residues that can convert the squalene synthase enzyme into peplusol synthase and vice versa. The PEPLUSOL SYNTHASE gene from E. peplus is able to drive significant levels of peplusol production in alternate host production platforms including Nicotiana benthamiana (over 2.5% leaf dry weight) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (30 mg/L culture)
Structural analyses of ABA transporters give new impetus to the study of ABA regulation
No full textAbscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone that regulates key physiological processes, including stomatal closure, seed germination and development, and is central to the coordination of abiotic stress responses. In the six decades since it was first described, a huge amount of work has been conducted on ABA synthesis, breakdown and signalling mechanisms.. ABA is synthesized mainly in vascular tissues and transported to distal sites to exert its physiological functions. This review presents an integrated overview of ABA metabolism and signalling. A major focus is placed on recent structural breakthroughs in the characterization of adenosine triphosphate ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, particularly ABCG25, which have revealed detailed molecular mechanisms of ABA recognition, binding, and transmembrane transport. These discoveries, including transporter conformational dynamics and dimerization with ABCG16, reveal how ABA movement is tightly controlled across cell membranes and intracellular compartments. As climate change intensifies, understanding ABA transport offers a promising avenue for future plant breeding and agricultural innovation
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence the speciation and subcellular abundance of uranium in plant roots
No full textUranium (U) is a natural radioactive metal and a persistent environmental pollutant. Characterising the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on U bioaccumulation and partitioning in plants is crucial to understand U soil-to-plant transfer mechanisms. High resolution elemental mapping, spectroscopy and microscopy techniques were conducted on uranyl nitrate dosed Plantago lanceolata roots colonised
with Rhizophagus irregularis. U-rich particles accumulated within the root cells, with higher abundance in epidermal and outer cortex cells of mycorrhizal root samples than in non-mycorrhizal roots. Electron microscopy determined two different crystalline U phases, an acicular crystal and a novel rounded aggregate formation, the latter of which was only found within the mycorrhizal root cells. Multiple
imaging and spectroscopic techniques enabled the dominant elements with these U biominerals to be determined. Co-localisation between U, phosphorus and oxygen indicated the dominance of U phosphate biominerals, but metals including calcium and zinc were also found to co-localise. The most
dominant U compound was uranyl orthophosphate, likely accompanied by autunite. This study demonstrates alteration in U localisation and U particle morphology within Plantago roots as a direct consequence of AMF colonisation. This knowledge will allow more accurate U food-chain transfer
modelling and better assessment of AMF-assisted phytoremediation feasibility
Harnessing chemical ecology for improved pest management- advances and future opportunities
No full textOne aspect of chemical ecology is the study of interactions between organisms across trophic levels that are mediated by naturally occurring chemicals. These chemical cues are produced by organisms, including plants, insects, and microorganisms, enabling them to communicate intra- and inter-specifically. These cues can be exploited for the management of pests that affect crops through several mechanisms, including, but not limited to, inducing plant defences against pests, direct suppression of pests, and signalling to beneficial predators/parasitoids for pest control. Identifying the chemical cues (semiochemicals) involved in these biological activities, and advancing our understanding of their roles could enable the development of novel, sustainable tools to increase crop productivity. This special issue presents 21 articles published in Pest Manag. Sci. from 2023 to 2025 that report on plant-insect-microbe interactions and microbe-insect interactions. This editorial has a brief overview of manuscripts from the special issue, highlighting substantial advancements in chemical ecology research and priorities for future research. We hope this special issue inspires new ideas for the future of chemical ecology research, highlights opportunities for joint and collaborative approaches, and showcases cutting-edge research that can advance the field forward in tackling global pest management challenges in agricultural and horticultural crop
NWFP_Daily_Data_QC_MV_Adjusted_Summary_Report_2012-01-01-2023-12-31
No full textThis report includes tables and graphics of summary statistics of the daily means data set ‘NWFP_Daily_Means_QCadjusted_MissValsadjusted_2012-01-01_2023-12-31.csv’ published on the Rothamsted Research data repository [https://data.rothamsted.ac.uk/dataset/qc-and-missing-values-adjusted].
The published data set was calculated from yearly csv files (2012‐2023) of 15-minute time steps for water flow, various water quality parameters, soil temperature, soil moisture and precipitation that were downloaded from the North Wyke Farm Platform Data Portal [https://nwfp.rothamsted.ac.uk/].
The 15-minute data were first screened based on the Quality Control (QC) flag that was assigned to the value at each time step during the QC process. Values that did not have ‘Good’, ‘Acceptable’ and ‘Outlier’ QC flags were set to ‘NA’ to represent missing value. In addition, since the number of within day missing values impacts the reliability of the statistic, means were set to ‘NA’ where the threshold limit for the acceptable number of daily missing values for each variable was exceeded
Application of a sunlight-switched sugar signal increases wheat yield in the field
No full textCrop yield improvement has plateaued in the past three
decades, owing largely to genetic bottlenecks in the germplasm of staple food crops. We used a chemical intervention method that increases yield in the field, providing a sustainable means to improve yields of wheat and potentially other crops
MIBiG 4.0: advancing biosynthetic gene cluster curation through global collaboration
Full text linkSpecialized or secondary metabolites are small molecules of biological origin, often showing potent biological activities with applications in agriculture, engineering and medicine. Usually, the biosynthesis of these natural products is governed by sets of co-regulated and physically clustered genes known as biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). To share information about BGCs in a standardized and machine-readable way, the Minimum Information about a Biosynthetic Gene cluster (MIBiG) data standard and repository was initiated in 2015. Since its conception, MIBiG has been regularly updated to expand data coverage and remain up to date with innovations in natural product research. Here, we describe
MIBiG version 4.0, an extensive update to the data repository and the underlying data standard. In a massive community annotation effort, 267 contributors performed 8304 edits, creating 557 new entries and modifying 590 existing entries, resulting in a new total of 3059 curated entries in MIBiG. Particular attention was paid to ensuring high data quality, with automated data validation using a newly developed custom
submission portal prototype, paired with a novel peer-reviewing model. MIBiG 4.0 also takes steps towards a rolling release model and a broaderinvolvement of the scientific community. MIBiG 4.0 is accessible online at https://mibig.secondarymetabolites.org/
Nature–based nutrient management through returning agricultural organic waste enhances soil aggregate organic carbon stability
Full text linkAgricultural organic waste can enhance aggregate organic carbon stability, which is crucial for soil carbon sequestration in croplands. However, it is unclear how aggregate organic carbon stability changes with different nature-based nutrient management practices, especially with partial organic substitution. This study aimed to elucidate how different organic wastes (chicken manure, biochar, straw, and carbon-based materials from kitchen waste) influence aggregate organic carbon stability, including aggregate stability, the content of physically protected organic carbon, and the decomposability of aggregate carbon. The improvement of aggregate organic carbon stability was trialed in a 4-year field experiment with equivalent nitrogen and organic carbon input under nature-based nutrient management. The results showed that all nature-based nutrient management practices improved aggregate organic carbon stability compared to no nutrient addition. Biochar application dramatically improved aggregate organic carbon stability by 5.8% – 11.4% in aggregate stability, 83.9% – 152.4% in aggregate organic carbon, and 36.6% – 75.0% in aggregate recalcitrant carbon content. By comparison, straw returning showed the lowest improvement in aggregate organic carbon stability, owing to substantial increases of microbial respiration and enzyme activities involved in carbon degradation. Organic carbon merely increased by 32.3%, 33.6%, and 29.5% in large macroaggregates, small macroaggregates, and microaggregates, respectively. This study dissected the different efficiencies of nature-based nutrient management in improving aggregate organic carbon stability in vegetable fields. The findings highlight that appropriate nature-based nutrient management with organic waste could better implement the carbon neutrality in agroecosystems from the perspective of aggregate organic carbon stability
Dose Splitting Increases Selection for Both Target-Site and Non-Target-Site Fungicide Resistance—A Modelling Analysis
Full text linkFungicide resistance management principles recommend that farmers avoid splitting the total dose applied of a fungicidal mode of action (MoA) across multiple applications per season (‘dose splitting’). However, dose splitting may sometimes be needed to make another proven resistance management tactic - application in mixture with a different MoA - practically achievable, especially in cases where there are limited MoAs available for disease control. Variable effects of dose splitting on selection for resistance have been observed in field experiments, and its effect on selection for partial resistance in fungal pathogens is not well studied. An improved understanding of whether the effect of dose splitting depends on fungicide properties and type of fungicide resistance is required. We developed a compartmental epidemiological model of septoria leaf blotch (STB) (Zymoseptoria tritici) to investigate the effect of dose splitting on selection for both complete and partial target-site and non-target-site resistance. To measure solely the effects of dose splitting, we restricted the analysis to solo fungicide application (solo use is not recommended in practice). Our results show variable effects of dose splitting: in general, it increased selection for both target-site and non-target-site resistance. Within the range of dose response parameters expected for commercial fungicides, dose splitting increased selection most for partial resistance mechanisms that result in a reduction in fungicide efficacy at low fungicide concentrations but not at high concentrations. We predict that dose splitting of a succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) fungicide (solo) will increase selection for target-site and non-target-site resistance by between 20-35%