Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is an important component of the signal transduction pathway, which plays important roles in regulating plant growth and development, and abiotic stress. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most popular tuber crops in the world. Genome-wide identification and analysis of the MAPK and MAPKK gene family in potato is not clear. A total of 20 MAPK genes and 8 MAPKK genes were identified in the potato genome. A conservative motif analysis showed that the MAPK protein contained a typical TxY phosphorylation site, and the MAPKK protein contained a conservative characteristic motif S/T-x5-S/T. Phylogenetic analysis showed that potato MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) and MAPKK (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase) were similar to Arabidopsis, including four groups of members A, B, C and D. Gene structure and promoter sequence analysis showed that all 28 gene family members of potato Solanum tuberosum MAPK (StMAPK) and StMAPKK have coding regions (CDS), and family members in the same group have similar intron and exon compositions, and that most cis-acting elements upstream of gene promoters elements have related to stress response. Chromosome location analysis found that MAPKs were unevenly distributed on 11 chromosomes, while MAPKKs were only distributed on chromosomes Chr. 03 and Chr. 12. Collinearity analysis showed that StMAPKK3 and StMAPKK6 have the same common ancestors among potato, pepper, and tomato. qRT-PCR results showed that the relative expressions of StMAPK14 and StMAPKK2 were significantly upregulated under low-temperature stress. These results could provide new insights into the characteristics and evolution of the StMAPK and StMAPKK gene family and facilitate further exploration of the molecular mechanism responsible for potato abiotic stress responses. Full article

Sediments remediated with a nature-based solution approach (NBS-sediments) can represent a suitable and affordable alternative to peat as a constituent of growing media for ornamental plant production based on the combination of advanced production efficiency and rational green use of resources, including peat and water. In a greenhouse experiment, the effect of different growing media containing NBS-remediated sediments on two-year-old container grown cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus cv. ‘Novìta’) under standard and induced restrictive irrigation was evaluated. Six ternary mixes with different proportion (45:30:25 and 30:20:50 v/v) of peat:pumice:sediment (PE:TS25, PE:TS50), coconut fiber:pumice:sediment (CF:TS25, CF:TS50) and wood fiber:pumice:sediment (WF:TS25, WF:TS50) were tested in comparison to the standard peat:pumice blend (60:40 v/v), commonly used for pot ornamental crops ad used as control (PE, control). Pots were drip irrigated with 200 and 250 cc daily water volume (DWV). Cherry laurels grown in the control showed the lowest sign of stress, maintaining the highest net CO₂ assimilation and transpiration rates, however stomatal conductance was reduced compared to PE:TS mixes. On the other hand, photosynthetic performance was strongly depressed by WF:TS25 and WF:TS50 under reduced DWV compared to the control, due to the combined effect of physical properties of the used matrices and reduced water availability. Nevertheless, final biomass production of plants grown on sediment-based growing media was similar to that of control, indicating that photosynthetic performance of plants fully recovered during the cultivation period. Differences in final plant development were negligible when compared to quality standards of marketing categories. Thus, appropriately blended NBS-sediment-based growing media can be used on a larger scale to produce rustic outdoor ornamentals. Full article

In order to provide a theoretical basis and technical approach for the construction and regulation of medium- and high-yield population cultivation practice of wheat after rice, agronomic and physiological characteristics in medium-high yielding populations were investigated by setting different basic seedlings and cutting leaves and ears with isotope tracing method in week-gluten wheat (Ningmai 29). The results showed that the medium-high yield (yield above 7500 kg/km²) group could be achieved at medium densities (150 × 10⁴/hm² and 225 × 10⁴/hm²), whose populations own suitable number of spikes, higher grain number per spike and thousand-grain weight (the larger and stronger ‘sink’). Meanwhile, these two medium-high yielding populations had higher leaf area index and suitable light-transmission rate after anthesis; thus, the leaf net photosynthetic rate after anthesis was higher, and the capacity of carbon assimilates was stronger. From the ¹⁵N test, it can be seen that the relationship between individuals in the medium-high yielding population (medium-density) is more harmonious, and the plant had higher nitrogen utilization efficiency. More nitrogen is concentrated in the spike at maturity. The results of the ¹³C pot trials showed that the top-three functional leaves had a higher capacity for source-production, which was also the main source of post-flowering assimilates. Increasing their area to improve the ‘source–sink’ ratio would help coordinate the ‘source–sink’ relationship in the group with a stronger ‘sink’. The main technical approach is to increase the area and duration of the upper-three functional leaves after anthesis on the basis of a larger sink, thus ensuring a higher source–sink ratio and a harmonious ‘source–sink’ relationship after flowering. Full article

Based on the concepts of circular economy and bioeconomy, the reuse of agrifood residues through vermicomposting can help solve serious environmental problems such as soil contamination and degradation, erosion and climate change. In this sense, the objective was to identify, quantify and analyze the physical, chemical, hormonal, amino acid content and microbial biodiversity of three formulations of vermicompost, with and without inoculation of microorganisms from native forest and commercial formulation, aiming at the production of an organic fertilizer rich in microorganisms for use in sustainable production systems. As a result, the vermicompost formulations presented values higher than the minimum requirements stipulated by Brazilian legislation for the registration of class A composite organic fertilizer. There is a significant difference between the vermicomposts, in the parameters related to the content of phosphorus, auxin, tryptophan and organic matter, as well as the relation between humic and fulvic acids. Bacillus sp. and Trichoderma sp. were also influenced by the type of vermicompost formulation. In addition, inoculation with microorganisms from native forest promoted an increase in biodiversity, in which the presence of Actinomyces sp. and Azotobacter chrooccocum contribute to the reduction in the levels of heavy metals in the compost. It is concluded that vermicomposting is a potential tool in the reuse of agri-food residues, with expressive microbial diversity that can influence plant growth, suppression of pathogens, minimize or reduce the effects of biotic and abiotic stresses on plant production, in addition to contributing to maintenance of soil biodiversity, integral fertility and resilience to climate change. Full article

Due to the heavy computation load of closed-loop simulations, optimal control of greenhouse climate is usually simulated in an open-loop form to produce control strategies and profit indicators. Open-loop simulations assume the model, measurements, and predictions to be perfect, resulting in too-idealistic indicators. The method of two-time-scale decomposition reduces the computation load, thus facilitating the online implementation of optimal control algorithms. However, the computation time of nonlinear dynamic programming is seldom considered in closed-loop simulations. This paper develops a two-time-scale decomposed closed-loop optimal control algorithm that involves the computation time. The obtained simulation results are closer to reality since it considers the time delay in the implementation. With this algorithm, optimal control of Venlo greenhouse lettuce cultivation is investigated in Lhasa. Results show that compared with open-loop simulations, the corrections in yield and profit indicators can be up to 2.38 kg m⁻² and 11.01 CNY m⁻², respectively, through closed-loop simulations without considering the computation time. When involving the time delay caused by the computation time, further corrections in yield and profit indicators can be up to 0.1 kg m⁻² and 0.87 CNY m⁻², respectively. These conservative indicators help investors make wiser decisions before cultivation. Moreover, control inputs and greenhouse climate states are within their bounds most of the time during closed-loop simulations. This verifies that the developed algorithm can be implemented in real time. Full article

In the Mediterranean Basin, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a major staple crop, the yield performance of which can vary dramatically based on pedo-climatic conditions and genotype. Hence, dissecting the genotype × environment interaction (GEI) in this region is mandatory for the setup of high-yielding and stable potato genotypes, also considering its importance for local potato breeding and the development of protected geographical identifications. Therefore, this research evaluated the marketable tuber yield (MY) and several yield components of five potato genotypes (Arizona, Generosa, Levante, Paradiso, and Vogue) over 4 years (2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022) and three locations in Sicily (Southern Italy) by additive main effects and multiplicative interactions (AMMI) and genotype main effects + genotype × environment interaction (GGE) biplot analyses. From combined ANOVA emerged a high significance of GEI, with the environment that provided the most considerable extent of variation for the most of the productive traits. The AMMI and GGE analyses identified Arizona as the best leading genotype in the studied area by virtue of its high productivity (44.5 t ha⁻¹ of mean MY) coupled with stability, followed by Generosa (46.5 t ha⁻¹). Ideal environments (location × year) were highly dependent on the productive trait, but most of them belonged to Acireale, characterized by fertile soils. According to our results, this approach could be recommended for breeding programs and commercial cultivation in the studied regions, along with the setup of potato protected geographical identifications. Full article

Doubled-haploid lines (DHs) are normally produced from F₁ plants in maize (Zea mays L.). Several studies have found a low frequency of recombinants in doubled haploids produced from F₁ plants that could limit the selection response. Hence, an attempt was made to produce doubled haploids from the F₂ generation to verify whether one more round of meiotic recombination could lead to increased genetic variability and assess the response to selection. The F₁ and F₂ plants of two cross-combinations, VL1043 × CM212 and VL121096 × CM202, were subjected to doubled-haploid production and evaluated in terms of their reaction to Fusarium stalk rot and yield traits along with F₂ individuals of the same two crosses. There was significant variation in the number of DHs produced when F₁ and F₂ plants were subjected to DH production in the cross VL121096 × CM202. Furthermore, substantial genetic variability was observed among the DHs produced from the F₁ generation (DHF₁s), F₂ generation (DHF₂s), and F₂s for Fusarium stalk rot (FSR) resistance. The genetic variance was more extensive in DHF₂ compared to DHF₁ plants in the cross VL1043 × CM212. Extreme candidate plants (highly resistant, resistant, and highly susceptible) were found in the F₂ generation with a more standardized range than in the DHs. In the DH populations, the close correspondence between the phenotypic coefficient of variability (PCV) and the genotypic coefficient of variability (GCV) indicated less influence from the environment compared to the F₂ plants. The heritability estimates in the DHs were greater than in the F₂ plants of the VL1043 × CM212 cross, while in the VL121096 × CM202 cross, the heritability was almost the same between the DHs and F₂ plants due to the relatively small population size of the DHs. The positively skewed leptokurtic distribution of the DH populations indicated the role of fewer genes, with the majority of them exhibiting complementary epistasis with decreasing effects in response to FSR. The mean estimated yield and genotypic variance in the top crosses produced from randomly chosen DHF₁ and DHF₂ plants of the cross VL1043 × CM212 were similar in magnitude. Full article

Xerophytes in desert improve their fitness under stress through the development of stems and branches. However, little is known about changes in the structure and function of endophytic microorganisms in response to interactions between desert plants and their environment. In this study, we analyzed the lignification indices of young and mature branches during their development in a typical desert xerophyte, Nitraria tangutorum, and combined 16S and ITS high-throughput sequencing techniques to draw the following conclusions. Nitraria tangutorum accumulated more lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose content during lignification. In addition, the number of OTUs and diversity of endophytic bacteria and fungi were reduced. Both endophytic bacteria and fungi were governed by stochastic processes during the development of stems and branches of Nitraria tangutorum and were significantly affected by lignification indices. Meanwhile, the development of stems and branches increased the relative abundance of Cyanobacteria and Ascomycota, and the dominant bacterial genera were mostly positively correlated with the lignification indices. In addition, stem and branch lignification reduced endophytic microbial interactions in the relationship between the endophytic bacterial and fungal networks of Nitraria tangutorum. Functional prediction analysis further revealed that lignification of Nitraria tangutorum branches changed the metabolic function of endophytic bacteria. The results of this study indicate that plant endophytic microorganisms play an important role in resisting and adapting to adversity and provide support for related studies on microbial ecology in desert areas. Full article

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are potential light sources for in vitro plant cultures. Here, axillary blackberry shoots were grown in MS medium with indole-3-butyric acid (1 mg L⁻¹), naphthalene acetic acid (0.5 mg L⁻¹), and sucrose supplementation (0–60 g L⁻¹) and the cultures were incubated under four light treatments: three LED light treatments (blue + red light (2:1 spectral ratio), blue + red light (1:2), and cool + warm white light (1:1)) and a standard florescent tube white spectrum treatment. Sucrose was indispensable for rooting of blackberry microshoots. Sucrose concentrations up to 45 g L⁻¹ increased total root length and root surface area under all light treatments. However, at this sucrose concentration, leaf area and vegetative growth were negatively affected. Plantlets grown in media containing 15–30 g L⁻¹ of sucrose exhibited the highest leaf pigments, shoot length, and number of leaves. LED treatments increased leaf pigments as compared with florescent treatment. Plantlets grown under blue + red light (2:1) had the highest stoma aperture length and width, whereas cool + warm white light resulted in the lowest values. Among the LED treatments, blue + red light (2:1) resulted in the highest leaf area, chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, and vegetative growth, whereas fluorescent resulted in the lowest values. A combination of blue and red light at a 2:1 spectral ratio with 30 g L⁻¹ of sucrose is recommended for the optimal in vitro rooting and vegetative growth of blackberry microshoots. Full article

Cotton is an important cash crop. Cotton diseases have a considerable adverse influence on cotton yield and quality. Timely and accurate identification of cotton disease types is important. The accuracy of cotton leaf disease identification is limited by unpredictable factors in natural settings, such as the presence of a complex background. Therefore, this paper proposes a cotton leaf disease identification model based on a bilinear coordinate attention enhancement module. It reduces the loss of feature information by bilinear coordinate attention embedding feature maps spatial coordinate information and feature fusion. Hence the model is more focused on the leaf disease region and reduces the attention to redundant information such as healthy regions. It also achieves the precise localization and amplification of attention to the leaf disease region through data enhancement, which effectively improves the recognition accuracy of cotton leaf diseases in a natural setting. By experiments, the identification accuracy of the proposed model is 96.61% and the parameter size is 21.55 × 10⁶. Compared with other existing models, the identification accuracy of the proposed model is greatly improved without increasing the parameter size. This study can not only provide decision support for the timely diagnosis and prevention of cotton leaf diseases but also validate a paradigm for the identification of other crop leaf diseases. Full article

The use of more than one species to manage a single insect pest is a common practice among biological control programs. However, the beneficial effects of natural enemies are not always additive, which in many cases may be attributed to interspecific interactions such as intraguild predation (IGP). Herein, we investigated the potential IGP between two relevant natural enemies of the Medfly (Ceratitis capitata), the predator Pseudoophonus rufipes and the parasitoid Aganaspis daci, as well as the possible implications of this phenomenon in their efficiency as biocontrol agents. To this end, we assessed their functional responses and different demographic parameters when acting alone and together against C. capitata under laboratory conditions. Coexistence led to a switch in the functional response of both species, from type III to type II in A. daci and the opposite in P. rufipes. Regarding demographic parameters, coexistence resulted in higher parasitoidism and population reduction by A. daci only at low host densities, probably due to competition pressure. In the same circumstances, P. rufipes reduced its predatory activity, rejecting those larvae that were presumably parasitized and causing negligible IGP. At high Medfly densities, A. daci efficiency decreased, and the reduced encounter probability enhanced the predatory activity by P. rufipes. As a result of these trends, Medfly population reduction reached almost 100% at all densities, which suggests an additive effect of both natural enemies and recommends combined releases of these agents as a strategy for the control of the Medfly. Full article

The restoration of unproductive abandoned agricultural soils under a semi-arid climate in southeastern Spain was evaluated. Four organic amendments from different composted wastes (greenhouse crop residues; worm compost from sheep–cow manure and plant remains; chicken manure; and sheep–chicken manure and plant remain) were applied, untreated control plots were installed, and natural unexploited soils were selected as a reference ecosystem. Through three sampling campaigns (initial, 3 months, and 12 months), significant changes were observed in soil physico-chemical properties, nutrient content (carbon -C-, nitrogen -N-, and phosphorus -P-), and bacterial composition of the restored soils with respect to control and natural soil, especially at 3 months. The increase of labile nutrients caused the proliferation of copiotrophic phyla at 3 months, which, after their consumption, were replaced by oligotrophic phyla at 12 months. Specific taxa involved in C, N, and P cycles were identified for each soil. For the soil bacterial composition of vermicompost, only chicken and sheep–chicken manures were more dissimilar to control and natural soils after 12 months, while greenhouse crop compost showed an intermediate position between them. Results indicated that composted greenhouse crop remains could be an optimal treatment for the short-term recovery of physico-chemical properties, nutrient content, and bacterial composition of agriculture-degraded soils in semi-arid areas. Full article

Pest rodents significantly reduce crop yields globally each year, necessitating an efficient rodent management program. In small rice-producing nations like Malaysia, these rodents might lead to food insecurity, thus a science-based pest rodent management strategy is crucial. We attempted to identify the key habitat structure that affects rodent pest populations by investigating the relationships of rodent pest populations with farming practices, site-level habitat, and landscape characteristics. We found that rodent abundance in the rice fields was positively correlated with bund height and width. In addition, rice growing stages and planting seasons affected rodent abundance. However, rodent abundance was negatively related to the distance from active burrows to residential areas. As an alternative to chemical control, we suggest that trapping exercises with a covered trap should be conducted around active burrows located nearby residential areas, with high and wide bunds during early rice planting stages in the dry rice planting season. Full article

The complete netting of orchards is one strategy to protect fruit trees from pest and pathogen damage by reducing insect movement. When the cultivated trees were derived from genetic engineering (GE), reduced pollinator movement may also reduce outcrossing to cultivated or wild non-GE trees. We report on a field study over four years in a plot of apple tress supplied with insect side nets and covered with hail nets that were closed from shortly before flowering to harvest. A reduced number of arthropods in general, and large bees in particular, were recorded inside the netted plot compared with outside. However, wild bees colonized the plot before the net was closed and built up populations inside. An additional experiment demonstrated that small bees were able to cross the hail net. While the nets were effective in excluding large bees as active pollen vectors, the proportion of small bees acting as such remained unquantified. Furthermore, a companion study showed occasional cross-pollination events through the netting. For the field release of GE apple trees, acceptable levels of outcrossing thus need to be defined. Full article

The dynamics of soil moisture and its temperature is an important criterion for evaluating soil tillage technology in terms of achieving plant production stability. Understanding changes in soil moisture and temperature depending on rainfall and air temperature is necessary to develop application models for agriculture 4.0. A hypothesis was adopted assuming that the dynamics of soil moisture and its thermal properties will depend on the technology of cultivation. Hence, the aim of the research was to learn the dynamics of soil moisture and temperature during a growing season using strip and conventional tillage. Soil moisture was monitored using TDR probes in the row and inter-row of winter barley using plowing and strip-till techniques. Soil temperature was also monitored. Measurements were made every 5 min. In the most important period for the growth and development of barley vegetation, the soil in the strip-till was characterized by greater moisture (3.6% v/v on average) and greater stability than was the case with plowing. The soil in the strip-till was cooler (an average of 0.64 °C), but more stable than in plowing—temporary temperature differences in ST vs. PT reached even more than 5 °C. Strip-till therefore mitigates weather extremes to a greater extent than plowing. Full article