2 research outputs found
Exploring drought tolerance in melon germplasm through physiochemical and photosynthetic traits
No full textDrought stress is a global concern that has a negative impact on the growth and production of melon (Cucumis melo L.). In this study, 58 melon accessions were subjected to drought stress induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000). Comprehensive evaluations were performed to identify various morphological, biochemical, and physiological attributes of melon. Drought stress significantly reduced shoot length (SL), stem diameter (SD), leaf width (LW), and leaf length (LL) in the melon seedlings. Similarly, drought stress resulted in a significant reduction in photosynthetic pigments (Chl, Car), relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm), transpiration rate (Tr), stomatal conductance (Gs), net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci). On the other hand, biochemical indicators such as malondialdehyde content (MDA), soluble protein content (SP) and soluble sugar content (SS) were observed to be enhanced upon exposure to drought stress. Most indicators showed strong positive correlations based on Pearson correlation analysis. Furthermore, the modified membership function and D values for the drought tolerance indices were calculated to evaluate the drought tolerance level of melon accessions. In addition, melon accessions were classified into drought-resistant and drought-sensitive groups based on cluster analysis. As a result, mel-46, mel-58 and mel-15 were identified as drought-resistant genotypes among the assessed melon accessions. Taken together, these accessions provide potential genetic resources for further improvement and breeding of melon genotypes. Furthermore, the indicators responsible for the assessment of drought tolerance can provide a baseline for future studies
Nano-scale defenders tackling sweet cherry (Prunus avium) fungal threats with eco-friendly zinc oxide nanoparticles
No full textGreen nanotechnology holds significant potential for use in agriculture due to its antifungal properties, ability to control fungal diseases, and reduce the reliance on chemical fungicides. Prunus avium (sweet cherry) is highly valued for its nutritional content but is vulnerable to microbial infections, particular postharvest. This work aims to use zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) obtained from Artemisia annua to diagnose and manage fruit rot disease in sweet cherry. The synthesis of ZnO-NPs was confirmd sing several characterization methods, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–visible spectroscopy (UV), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Transmission Electron Microscopy, which revealed a uniform spherical morphology. In vitro and in vivo evaluations demonstrated significant antifungal effectiveness of ZnO-NPs against the Fusarium equiseti (F. equiseti). Specifically, ZnO-NPs at 100 mg/L concentrations inhibited mycelial growth by over 88 %. This treatment also reduced the severity of fruit rot by approximately 77.8 % in in vivo studies using the wound method. These findings support using ZnO-NPs as a biocompatible and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional chemical fungicides in agriculture. Future research should focus on scaling up the synthesis process for industrial applications, exploring the long-term environmental impact, and assessing the broader applicability of ZnO-NPs in managing other phytopathogenic diseases across various crops
