Horticulturae, Volume 11, Issue 11 (November 2025) – 138 articles

Porlieria chilensis Johnst. (guayacán), an endemic Chilean species native to the sclerophyllous forests, is experiencing a significant population decline. Typically growing as a shrub or small tree on sunny slopes and rocky soils, its populations have been severely impacted by overexploitation and habitat degradation, leading to its classification as Vulnerable (VU). Mature, well-developed individuals have become increasingly rare, now mostly replaced by shrubby regrowth. This study presents the first reported in vitro propagation method for P. chilensis, aimed at establishing a protocol for its mass propagation. A 92.0% survival rate was achieved for nodal segments cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium after surface disinfection with 1.5% sodium hypochlorite for 15 min. Shoot elongation was successfully stimulated by supplementing the medium with 8.88 μM of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), resulting in an average shoot length of 6.9 cm. For ex vitro rooting, plants were transferred to 200 mL containers filled with a 2:1 (v/v) peat/perlite substrate. High rooting rates were obtained (87.5% and 93.1%) when treated with 1968 μM and 1476 μM of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), respectively. Moreover, 89.8% of the plants survived acclimatization under controlled conditions. These results highlight the strong potential of in vitro propagation as an effective strategy for the conservation and restoration of P. chilensis populations. Full article

Global climate warming and the evolution of land-use patterns are jointly reshaping the spatial configuration of fruit tree cultivation. Focusing on apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) in China, this study constructs a comprehensive suitability assessment framework driven by the dual forces of climate change and farmland transformation. By integrating multi-source climate datasets, projected land-use data, and geostatistical analysis, the study evaluates the impacts of climate and farmland changes on the potential cultivation suitability of apricot under four SSP scenarios (SSP126, SSP245, SSP370, and SSP585) during 2021–2100. The results indicate that: (1) climate warming generally expands potential suitable areas, showing a latitudinal shift from low to high regions; (2) under moderate- to high-emission scenarios, moderately suitable areas increase significantly, whereas highly suitable areas degrade in the long term due to excess heat and water stress; (3) farmland transformation exerts a crucial constraint between climatic potential and actual plantability, as resource reduction and spatial mismatch limit development potential; and (4) climate factors contribute approximately 72% to suitability variation, while farmland factors contribute about 28%, with a significant spatial interaction between the two. This study reveals the dynamic evolution of apricot suitability patterns under the dual drivers of climate and land changes, providing a scientific basis for fruit industry optimization and spatial land-use planning. Full article

This study investigated the interactive effects of different light conditions and weed control methods on the medicinal compound composition and rhizosphere bacterial community structure of Epimedium sagittatum. A completely randomized block design was employed, incorporating four treatments: full light with manual weeding (LN), shade with manual weeding (SN), full light with weed-control fabric mulch (LG), and shade with mulch (SG). Active compound levels in two-year-old plants were quantified using HPLC, and rhizobacterial diversity was assessed via high-throughput sequencing. The results indicated that the SG treatment significantly enhanced the photosynthetic efficiency and yielded the highest levels of epimedin C and total active compounds. In contrast, the SN treatment fostered a beneficial rhizosphere environment—characterized by increased pH, ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), bacterial diversity, and the abundance of Flavobacterium—which supported the highest production of epimedin B and icariin. Redundancy analysis confirmed that these microbial shifts were primarily driven by soil pH, nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N), and shading. Furthermore, while stochastic processes governed bacterial community assembly, deterministic selection intensified across the treatments from LN to SG. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that light and mulching can be strategically tailored to manipulate the plant–soil-microbe system, thereby enabling precise modulation of the medicinal quality of E. sagittatum. Full article

Silicon-nanomaterials (Si-NMs) have emerged as a revolutionary tool in modern agriculture; however, the collaborative role of Si-NMs in onion crop productivity and expansion in acidic soils remains elusive. We conducted a series of sequential experiments, from seed germination to field trials, over two consecutive cultivation years. Intriguingly, the results revealed that among the differential doses, 1.0 mM L⁻¹ of Si-NMs significantly ameliorated the acid-stress-induced suppression of onion seed germination and seedling growth. Additionally, a selected dose of Si-NMs reduces seedling mortality and improves plant establishment rate with increased photosynthetic performance, bulb properties, and nutritional quality. These stimulatory effects of Si-NMs on onion crop adaptation to acidic soil were associated with reduced ROS accumulation driven by enhanced antioxidant potential, which further increased upon dolomite supplementation. Furthermore, exogenous Si-NMs spray accelerated the early stages of harvestable onion size, accompanied by increased synthesis of IAA and GA₃ hormones, suggesting the potential of Si-NMs to enhance farm resilience in acidic soils. Full article

The phenotypic features and yield of Lentinula edodes fruiting bodies are key metrics in breeding, cultivation, and quality evaluation. To overcome the inefficiency and physical damage associated with manual measurement, this paper proposes an automated approach using a lightweight YOLOv11-Seg model. On the basis of the YOLOv11-Seg model, the ShuffleNetV2 network, the C3k2-FasterBlock feature extraction module, and the convolutional block attention module (CBAM) were introduced to construct a lightweight YOLO-SFCB model, which significantly reduced the complexity and computational cost of the model. The experimental results show that the parameters, floating point operations (FLOPs), and mAP50-95 of the YOLO-SFCB model reach 2.0 M, 7.8 G, and 80.5%, respectively, while the GPU-based inference time is only 15.7 ms. Compared with the original model, parameters and FLOPs were reduced by 29% and 25%, inference time was shortened by 9.8%, and mAP50-95 increased by 0.9%. Based on the YOLO-SFCB model, OpenCV was used to extract the minimum rotation circumscribed rectangle of the stipe and pileus segmentation areas, and the stipe height, stipe diameter, pileus width, and pileus thickness were measured; the average residual is less than 0.35 mm. Finally, using the least squares method, a yield prediction model for Lentinula edodes fruiting bodies was developed. The average prediction errors for fresh weight and dry weight were controlled within 0.5 g and 0.15 g, respectively. The YOLO-SFCB model and the method for extracting phenotypic features and predicting yield of Lentinula edodes proposed in this study can help promote the development of Lentinula edodes breeding and cultivation and stabilize market supply and demand. Full article

The light environment in a plant factory with artificial light (PFAL) can be determined based on the optical properties of the plants or structural components and lighting design (LD). Although an optimal LD can create the desired light environment, determining it is difficult because it is a complex problem with multiple variables, objectives, and constraints. In this study, we aimed to search for optimal LD using the ray-tracing method for optical simulations and ε-constrained multi-objective differential evolution for optimization. First, the LD of a cultivation system was optimized, and komatsuna plants were cultivated under the optimal LD. The correlation coefficients between the objective functions and corresponding indices calculated from the komatsuna dry weights were larger than 0.75. Therefore, an LD suitable for a specific cultivation purpose can be obtained through optimization. Thereafter, the LD of a virtual cultivation system was optimized. The photosynthetic rate and its uniformity showed a broadly positive correlation, whereas electric energy use efficiency showed trade-off relationships with other objective functions. Therefore, the threshold of electric energy use efficiency could serve as an indicator for selecting a suitable LD. These results demonstrate that LD optimization can be used to suggest optimal LD with concrete values for practical application. Full article

Understanding the seasonal dynamics of phytochemical composition in evergreen species is crucial for improving ecosystem productivity models and selecting appropriate species for urban landscapes under changing climate conditions. However, knowledge about how light environment, temperature, and precipitation interact to regulate leaf biochemical processes across seasons remains limited. We investigated morphological and biochemical responses of cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus L.) grown under contrasting light environments (light-exposed versus shaded) across twelve months, analyzing photosynthetic pigments, antioxidants, osmolytes, and secondary metabolites in relation to environmental variables. Light-exposed leaves exhibited enhanced accumulation of photoprotective compounds, including carotenoids (9.38 mg g⁻¹), xanthophylls (3.60 mg g⁻¹), and flavonoids (0.51 mg g⁻¹), along with superior total antioxidant capacity during spring and autumn. Proline showed bimodal seasonal peaks (93.7 µmol g⁻¹ in August under shade, 71.1 µmol g⁻¹ in July under light), indicating stress responses to both summer heat and winter cold. Multivariate analyses revealed that seasonal variation accounted for 94.9% of total phytochemical variability, with distinct metabolic signatures characterizing winter (high glycine betaine, anthocyanin), spring (high chlorophyll, phenolics), summer (high proline, transient carotenoid peaks), and autumn (maximum antioxidant capacity) periods. We conclude that light environment significantly influences cherry laurel’s seasonal metabolic strategies, with shade-grown plants prioritizing light harvesting efficiency and osmotic adjustment, while light-exposed plants emphasize photoprotection and antioxidant defense. The coordinated regulation of functionally related compounds reveals integrated stress response mechanisms that contribute to cherry laurel’s remarkable environmental plasticity. These quantitative seasonal patterns provide valuable parameters for optimizing cultivation practices, predicting biochemical composition for harvesting purposes, and modeling the ecological performance of this species in variable urban and forest environments under climate change scenarios. Full article

Soil nematodes are sensitive indicators of soil ecosystem functioning, yet their seasonal dynamics across tree hosts and edaphic gradients are poorly documented in southern Africa. We sampled rhizosphere soils of pomegranate (Punica granatum), lemon (Citrus sp.), and fig (Ficus carica) across four seasons in Sovenga Hills, Limpopo Province. We explicitly state that the rhizospheres of pomegranate, lemon, and fig were selected because they represent widely cultivated fruit trees in smallholder systems across Limpopo Province, where soil management practices and climate variability may influence nematode community dynamics. The hypothesis is that nematode assemblages exhibit seasonal shifts in diversity, trophic composition, and ecological indices across these hosts. The nematode genera were identified morphologically using standard diagnostic keys. A total of 29 genera were recorded. Bacterivores and herbivores dominated the assemblage, while fungivores, predators and omnivores were less abundant. Notably, Ditylenchus (fungivores) exhibited the highest Prominence Value (PV = 7926.1) and occurred in 83% of samples (Frequency of Occurrence (FO%) = 83), followed by a plant-parasitic nematode, namely Rotylenchulus (PV = 3279.8; FO% = 83%). Shannon diversity ranged from 2.09–2.34, and Maturity Index (MI) varied from 2.41–2.78 across seasons. Food-web indicators showed an enrichment index (EI) of 17–38 and structure index (SI) of 49–71, suggesting a moderately structured but dynamic soil food web. Spring communities exhibited the highest abundance (mean 471.7 individuals), biomass (0.49 µg), and composite/metabolic footprints, while autumn showed higher maturity and structural indices; summer recorded the lowest abundance and biomass. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed a total of 40.78% variation among the samples collected from different seasons and separated winter communities from autumn/spring ones (which partially overlapped). Soil pH, nitrate, phosphate, texture (sand/clay/silt), and electrical conductivity strongly associated with the observed seasonal patterns. The observed seasonal trends suggest that PV and FO% may serve as informative indicators for tracking shifts in nematode assemblages, but these patterns were not statistically significant (p > 0.05) and should therefore be considered preliminary rather than conclusive. These results highlight pronounced seasonal shifts in nematode assemblages and confirm PV and FO% as useful metrics for monitoring soil ecosystem dynamics. Full article

Tea (Camellia sinensis (L). Kuntze) cultivation by smallholder out-growers has grown significantly. Recent government initiatives have expanded production from traditional tea growing regions. This study investigated how smallholder farmers perceive and prefer different commercial tea clones. It also looked at the factors that influence their choices across major tea-growing regions of Uganda. A structured questionnaire was administered to 324 randomly selected tea out-growers from Central, Western, Kigezi, and West Nile regions. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, a Tea Preference Index (rating clone attributes on a 1–5 scale), and a multivariate Probit (MVP) model to evaluate farmers’ choices and preferences. Clone 303/577 is the most cultivated, accounting for 59%. Adoption rates were high in West Nile (98%), Kigezi (77%), and Central (67%) regions. Clone 6/8 ranked second at 47%, while clone 100/5 had the lowest cultivation rate at 10%. The ranking of clones by preference was 303/577, 6/8, 108/82, 31/8, and 100/5. Key attributes influencing preferences included, yield potential, canopy width, post-plucking/pruning recovery rate, shoot tenderness and cup quality. Results showed that a farmers’ choice of clone 303/577 was significantly influenced by shoot density, gender and tea farming experience. For clone 108/82, the most important factors were quick recovery after plucking/pruning, education level and household size. This information is vital for agricultural policy, extension services, tea breeding and genetic improvement programs in the tea sector. Full article

Phytoremediation utilizing woody plants represents a promising approach for mitigating cadmium (Cd) contamination; however, the potential of ornamental species such as Punica granatum L. (pomegranate) remains insufficiently characterized. This study evaluated the growth performance, physiological responses, and Cd accumulation patterns of pomegranate seedlings exposed to increasing Cd concentrations (T1–T6) in a hydroponic system. High Cd levels (≥T4) markedly suppressed plant growth, as evidenced by reductions in biomass, root necrosis, leaf wilting, and chlorosis. Photosynthetic efficiency was severely compromised, indicated by significant declines in chlorophyll content and key chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (Fv/Fm, ΦPSII, and qP). Simultaneously, increases in the chlorophyll a/b ratio, carotenoid content, and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) reflected the activation of photoprotective mechanisms. A reduction in stomatal conductance (G_s) and net photosynthetic rate (P_n), coupled with elevated intercellular CO₂ concentration (C_i), suggested that non-stomatal limitations were primarily responsible for photosynthetic inhibition. Cd exposure also triggered oxidative stress, as shown by increased levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). In response, seedlings activated antioxidative and osmotic adjustment pathways, including elevated peroxidase (POD) activity and the accumulation of glutathione (GSH), proline, soluble proteins, and sugars. Notably, pomegranate displayed a root-based Cd sequestration strategy, with high root accumulation (bioconcentration factor, BCF > 271) and minimal translocation to aerial tissues (translocation factor, TF < 0.17). These findings demonstrate that pomegranate seedlings exhibit pronounced tolerance to Cd stress and substantial bioaccumulation capacity, supporting their potential application as ornamental woody species for phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated environments. Full article

The MADS-box transcription factor family is involved in regulating plant root germination, flowering, fruit development, maturation, and the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. To investigate the role of MADS-box transcription factors in anthocyanin biosynthesis, this study utilized the pepper cultivar ‘CS03’ as experimental material. A transcription factor, CaMADS1, was selected from our previous transcriptome data for cloning and bioinformatic analysis. The results revealed that the CaMADS1 protein is localized to the nucleus. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis demonstrated that CaMADS1 is predominantly expressed in leaves. In CaMADS1-silenced plants, anthocyanin accumulation in the leaves decreased, which was consistent with the downregulated expression of structural genes in the biosynthesis pathway. In CaMADS1-overexpressing plants, both anthocyanin accumulation and the expression of these structural genes were elevated. Yeast one-hybrid and Dual-luciferase assays confirmed the interaction between CaMADS1 and the promoter of CaC4H, which encodes a key enzyme in anthocyanin biosynthesis. These results demonstrate that CaMADS1 positively regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis in pepper by directly binding to the promoter of the CaC4H gene. Full article

Boron (B) toxicity is a relevant problem in Mediterranean regions, where irrigation water may present high concentrations of this micronutrient. In this study, the potential of aqueous extracts from the brown macroalga Laminaria digitata and the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, applied alone or in combination with metalloids (Se, Si) and micronutrients (Mn, Fe, Zn), was evaluated to improve the tolerance of tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) grown under excess B (15 mg L⁻¹). The extracts were applied foliarly, and growth parameters, gas exchange, chlorophyll content, mineral composition, B accumulation, oxidative stress, and metabolic profile were analyzed. Excess B significantly reduced root development, net photosynthesis, and metabolic balance, evidencing a strong physiological impact. The application of algal extracts partially mitigated these adverse effects, mainly through improvements in photosynthesis, water use efficiency, and the accumulation of osmoprotective metabolites (proline, tryptophan, glucose). In particular, L. digitata promoted a significant increase in total biomass and greater physiological recovery compared with P. tricornutum. Conversely, formulations enriched with metalloids and micronutrients did not provide consistent additional benefits and even induced metabolic imbalances. Multivariate analysis (PCA) confirmed that relative tolerance was associated with physiological and metabolic variables rather than nutritional changes. Overall, these results highlight the potential of algal extracts, especially L. digitata, as effective biostimulants to mitigate boron toxicity in tomato. Full article

In facility horticultural production, intelligent disease recognition and precise intervention are vital for crop health and economic efficiency. We construct a multi-source dataset from Bayan Nur, Weifang, and Honghe that integrates handheld camera photos, drone field images, and laboratory-controlled samples. Handheld images capture fine lesion texture for close-up diagnosis common in greenhouses; drone images provide canopy-scale patterns and spatial context suited to open-field management; laboratory images offer controlled illumination and background for stable supervision and cross-crop feature learning. Our objective is robust cross-crop, cross-regional diagnosis and economically rational control. To this end, a model named CCGD-Net is proposed. It is designed as a multi-task framework. The framework incorporates a multi-scale perception module (MSFE) to produce hierarchical representations. It includes a cross-domain alignment module (CDAM) that reduces distribution shifts between greenhouse and open-field environments. The training follows an unsupervised domain adaptation setting that uses unlabeled target-region images. When such images are not available, the model functions in a pure generalization mode. The framework also integrates a regional economic strategy module (RESM) that transforms recognition outputs and local cost information into optimized intervention intensity. Experiments show an accuracy of 91.6%, an F1-score of 89.8%, and an mAP of 88.9%, outperforming Swin Transformer and ConvNeXt; removing RESM reduces F1 to 87.2%. In cross-regional testing (Weifang training → Honghe testing), the model attains an F1 of 88.0% and mAP of 86.5%. These results indicate that integrating complementary imaging modalities with domain alignment and economic optimization provides an effective solution for disease diagnosis across greenhouse and field systems. Full article

Silicon (Si) is a beneficial element that alleviates the adverse effects of salinity in plants. Despite extensive evidence of Si-mediated stress alleviation in other crops, information for tropical fruit species such as Passiflora edulis remains limited, especially regarding the efficiency of different application methods. This study evaluated two yellow passion fruit cultivars (BRS Sol do Cerrado and BRS Gigante Amarelo) at the seedling stage under five management conditions: irrigation with 1.2 dS m⁻¹ water (control), 4.0 dS m⁻¹ water (salt stress), and salt stress combined with Si applied via soil, foliar spray, or both (soil + foliar), using silicic acid as the Si source. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design in a 2 × 5 factorial arrangement with five replicates. High salinity decreased foliar nutrient concentrations, gas exchange, and seedling quality, whereas Si mitigated these effects depending on the application method and cultivar. Combined soil and foliar application increased nutrient contents, biomass, and the Dickson Quality Index, especially in BRS Gigante Amarelo. These findings provide new insights into Si management for P. edulis and offer practical implications for improving nutrient balance, growth, and seedling performance under saline conditions. Full article

Floating-tray hydroponics is expanding for microgreen production, yet evidence on substrate performance under natural-light greenhouses remains limited. This study compared perlite, coconut coir, and a 1:1 (v/v) perlite–coconut coir mixture for amaranth (Amaranthus cv. ‘Diablo Rojo’) grown at the end of summer in an unheated greenhouse (CRD; 4 replicates). Perlite significantly improved establishment and yield: emergence reached 72.6% versus 46.1% in coconut coir and 35.1% in the mixture, with fresh biomass of 297, 171, and 119 g m⁻², respectively. The proximate composition exhibited consistency across substrates (protein ≈ 32% DW; crude fiber ≈ 32% DW; crude fat ≈ 2.5% DW), whereas nitrate concentrations varied between 1300 and 2500 mg kg⁻¹ FW, irrespective of the substrate. Vitamin C and total phenolics showed no significant variation, and β-carotene exhibited only a slight, non-significant increase in coconut coir. In contrast, mineral composition was substrate-dependent: perlite increased Ca (3626 ppm DW) and Mg (1094 ppm DW), while P and Fe were unaffected; Na was higher in perlite. These results indicate that under natural-light, unheated greenhouses, bioactive compounds are mainly influenced by environmental variability, whereas root-zone aeration drives Ca/Mg enrichment and yield. Perlite-based floating-tray systems represent efficient, low-cost strategies with potentially lower environmental impact, suitable for scalable urban and smallholder microgreen production. These findings, derived from a single-season trial in one unheated greenhouse, should be regarded as preliminary yet consistent with previous studies on microgreens. Future multi-season and multi-species experiments will help to confirm and expand on these results. Full article

An accurate and effective peach recognition algorithm is a key part of automated picking in orchards; however, the current peach recognition algorithms are mainly targeted at bare fruit scenarios and face challenges in recognizing flat peach bagged fruits, based on which this paper proposes a model for recognizing and detecting flat peach fruits in complex orchard environments after bagging, namely, YOLOv8n-CDDSh. First, to effectively deal with the problem of the insufficient detection capability of small targets in orchard environments, the dilation-wise residual (DWR) module is introduced to enhance the model’s understanding of semantic information about small target defects. Second, in order to improve the detection ability in complex occlusion scenarios, inspired by the idea of large kernel convolution and cavity convolution in the Dilated Reparam Block (DRB) module, the C2f-DWR-DRB architecture is built to improve the detection ability in occluded target regions. Thirdly, in order to improve the sensitivity and precision of aspect ratio optimization, and to better adapt to the detection scenarios of targets with large differences in shapes, the ShapeIoU loss function is used to improve the fruit localization precision. Finally, we validate the effectiveness of the proposed method through experiments conducted on a self-constructed dataset comprising 1089 samples. The results show that the YOLOv8n-CDDSh model achieves 92.1% precision (P), 91.7% Mean Average Precision (mAP), and a model size of 5.73 MB, with improvements of +1.5 pp (Precision) and +0.5 pp (mAP) over YOLOv8n, respectively. In addition, the detection performance is excellent in actual orchard environments with different light angles, shading conditions, and shooting distances. Meanwhile, YOLOv8n-CDDSh deployed on the edge computing device achieved precision = 87.04%, mAP = 91.71%, and FPS = 37.20, and can also maintain high precision in bagged fruit recognition under extreme weather simulations such as fog and rainstorms, providing theoretical and methodological support for the automated picking of bagged peaches. Full article

Artemisia dracunculus L., commonly known as tarragon, is a popular culinary herb and a valuable source of bioactive extracts and phytocompounds. Its wide distribution across regions of the Northern Hemisphere demonstrates the species’ high adaptability to diverse growing conditions and has led to the development of chemoraces that differ in chemical composition. North Asian populations of A. dracunculus remain poorly studied, and plants growing in Siberia have not yet been examined. Given the vast areas occupied by tarragon, the species is a promising candidate for industrial use. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) profiling identified 80 compounds in Siberian tarragon samples, including hydroxycinnamates (HCys), coumarins, flavonoid aglycones (FlAs), and glycosides (FlGs). Among these, 62 phenolics were reported for the first time as A. dracunculus metabolites, highlighting the uniqueness of the North Asian accessions, particularly in their diversity of flavone O-glycosides and methylated flavanone aglycones. The highest levels of HCy, FlA, and FlG were 21.84, 52.53, and 54.44 mg/g, respectively, yielding a total phenolic content of 128.81 mg/g in the dry plant material—a high value. The concentrations of certain compounds exceeded 1%, making tarragon a noteworthy source of rare metabolites, including naringenin 7-O-methyl ester, thermopsoside, tilianin, and naringenin 7,4′-di-O-methyl ester. Thus, the existing knowledge of the chemical profile of tarragon has been expanded by new data on phenolic compounds from the North Asian populations of the species, which may be used to develop new A. dracunculus varieties with improved metabolic profiles and bioactive properties. Full article

Cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) is increasingly recognized as a climate-resilient crop in arid and semi-arid regions, yet its performance is often constrained by poor soil fertility and limited external inputs. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are known to enhance phosphorus uptake, water relations, and stress tolerance in many species, but their contribution to cactus pear growth remains largely unexplored. One-year-old cladodes were grown in pots filled with sandy loam soil, either inoculated with a mixed AMF consortium or kept as non-inoculated controls. Plant growth was assessed after 6 and 12 months by measuring cladode number and surface area, shoot and root dry weight, and biomass allocation indices. Inoculated plants produced more cladodes, developed a larger canopy surface area, and accumulated greater root and shoot biomass than controls. These gains reflected an overall acceleration of growth, while biomass partitioning (root-to-shoot balance) remained stable. AMF inoculation substantially enhanced the vegetative growth of O. ficus-indica, pointing to its promise as a sustainable practice for improving cactus pear cultivation in nutrient-poor and water-limited soils. Full article

Walnut bacterial blight (WBB), caused by Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis, is one of the most damaging diseases in walnut production, capable of reducing yields by up to 50%. Despite its economic importance, tissue-specific defense mechanisms in walnut fruit remain poorly understood. In this study, we performed an integrative approach with metabolomic and biochemical analyses of walnut fruit responses to WBB, examining primary and secondary metabolites, antioxidant activities, and enzyme dynamics across affected and non-affected tissues of the husk, stalk, as well as kernel pellicle and flesh. Using LC-MS, GC-MS, and spectrophotometric assays, we identified distinct compartmentalized defense strategies. The husk showed strong phenolic-mediated responses, with naphthoquinone levels increasing by 125%. However, oxidative processes in necrotic areas may have reduced the stability of these compounds by 50%. In contrast, affected kernel tissues exhibited lower phenolic activity, suggesting that carotenoids and fatty acids could be involved as a protection mechanism, undergoing early oxidation to help preserve lipid integrity. Antioxidant enzymes were upregulated in husk and kernel pellicle, while volatile terpenes and sugars accumulated in infected tissues, indicating metabolic shifts toward localized defense. Overall, our findings reveal a tissue-specific, multi-layered defense network in walnut fruit that could constitute specific markers associated with disease progression. Full article

Climate change necessitates a deeper understanding of plant tolerance mechanisms to dual water stresses. This study investigated the distinct physiological and genetic responses of Longleaf Speedwell (Pseudolysimachion longifolium) to drought and waterlogging using RNA-Seq. Physiological data showed a rapid and comparable reduction in photosynthetic efficiency after one week and a reduction in biomass under both stresses after two weeks. However, transcriptomic analysis revealed fundamentally distinct strategies: Drought induced a massive transcriptional response characterized by the strong upregulation of defense and stress-tolerance pathways and the severe shutdown of growth-related metabolism. In contrast, waterlogging triggered a constrained hypoxic response, prioritizing energy conservation by downregulating synthesis processes and activating ethylene signaling. The reliability of the RNA-Seq data was confirmed by qRT-PCR, which also crucially identified Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), Ethylene Responsive Factor (ERF), and Peroxidase (POD) as common candidate genes highly induced under both drought and waterlogging conditions, suggesting a shared genetic module for general water stress tolerance. These findings provide valuable insights into the adaptation mechanisms of non-model plants to complex environmental changes. Full article

Soil salinity and bicarbonate-induced alkalinity severely limit melon productivity by disrupting physiological and biochemical processes. This study evaluated the effectiveness of grafting an Iranian cantaloupe cultivar, ‘Til-e-Sabz’, onto Cucurbita maxima × C. moschata rootstock in mitigating salinity (10 mM NaCl; 2.7 dS m⁻¹) and alkalinity (10 mM NaHCO₃; 2.6 dS m⁻¹) stress in soilless culture. Compared to non-grafted plants, grafted plants exhibited 22–35% greater leaf area, 28–40% higher shoot and root fresh biomass, and 25–38% higher dry biomass under both stress conditions. Relative chlorophyll content (SPAD) and total chlorophyll were reduced by stress but remained 15–21% higher in grafted plants. Carotenoid content was also maintained at 10–14% higher levels in grafted plants compared to non-grafted controls. Proline and soluble protein accumulation increased significantly under stress, with grafted plants accumulating 18–25% more proline and 12–20% more protein, indicating enhanced osmotic adjustment. Sodium levels increased in the roots and shoots under stress. However, grafted plants maintained 30–45% lower Na accumulation relative to non-grafted plants. In contrast, grafted plants showed up to 27% higher phosphorus and 32% higher iron uptake, while maintaining greater potassium retention (18–24%) under both salinity and alkalinity. Overall, grafting significantly improved physiological resilience and ion homeostasis, leading to enhanced stress tolerance. These findings demonstrate that grafting is a promising agronomic strategy to sustain melon production in saline and alkaline environments associated with increasing soil and water degradation. Full article

The growing demand for fresh-cut fruit requires innovative preservation strategies to counteract rapid quality deterioration, particularly in lemon (Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f.), which is highly susceptible to flesh browning and loss of sensory traits. Manna, a natural exudate obtained from Fraxinus angustifolia, is traditionally used in the Mediterranean area and is known to be rich in bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, minerals (e.g., calcium), and antioxidants. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of manna as a natural preservative on fresh-cut lemon slices (cv. Zagara Bianca) from two different flowerings, primofiore (yellow fruit) and verdello (green fruit), harvested at the same time. Treatments with different manna solutions (5%, 10%, and 15%) were applied, and physicochemical parameters, nutraceutical content, and sensory traits (flavor and acidity perception) were evaluated at harvest and after 3, 6, and 12 days of storage at 5 °C with 85% RH. The results showed distinct effects depending on the maturity stage, but in all cases, manna treatments modulated the respiration rate, reduced weight loss, modified acidity perception, and improved nutraceutical content. In green lemon slices, treatment with 15% manna helped to maintain nutraceutical stability, sustained antioxidant activity, and reduced quality degradation, ensuring a balanced lemon flavor perception. In yellow lemon slices, treatment with 15% manna led to an increase in total soluble solids and a modified taste perception, resulting in a less pronounced freshness compared with the control. Overall, manna proved to be a natural coadjuvant capable of limiting oxidative processes and slowing tissue senescence, while simultaneously enhancing the nutraceutical properties of fresh-cut lemon slices. Full article

Cultivation practices such as fruit thinning and soil management with ground covers are commonly applied in Citrus orchards, yet their physiological impact on young trees remains poorly documented. This study evaluated the effects of manual fruit thinning and weed-control mesh on vegetative growth, fruit development, and leaf mineral composition of Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck cv. ‘Navelina’ grafted on Citrus macrophylla. A six-month field experiment was conducted in southeastern Spain under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions using six treatments that combined different soil coverage and subsurface drainage systems. After physiological fruit drop, trees were standardized to ten fruits per plant. Vegetative parameters (canopy and trunk dimensions), fruit growth (size, juice content), and foliar nutrient concentrations were monitored. Trees with ground cover showed significantly greater canopy expansion and juice yield compared to uncovered controls. A negative correlation between fruit number and canopy-to-fruit volume ratio highlighted the trade-off between vegetative vigor and fruit load. Foliar analysis revealed lower micronutrient concentrations (Fe, Mn, B, Zn) in uncovered trees, suggesting reduced nutritional status. These findings demonstrate that combining early thinning with weed-control mesh promotes vegetative vigor, improves juice yield, and enhances nutrient uptake, providing practical insights for optimizing orchard establishment and early Citrus productivity in water-limited environments. Full article

Water scarcity is a major constraint to agricultural productivity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. This study evaluated the effects of gardening waste-based compost and compost tea (CT) on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants subjected to osmotic and water deficit stress. The first experiment assessed seed germination and early growth under polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced osmotic stress. An inverse correlation between PEG concentration and seed and plant development was found. CT improved the germination rate and early seedling development under moderate stress (2% PEG). The second experiment examined the effect of compost and CT on tomato growth in a 45-day pot trial under three irrigation levels: 100%, 60%, and 40% field capacity (FC). Compost-treated plants consistently showed significantly greater growth and biomass accumulation across all FC levels, especially under moderate water stress. In contrast, CT-treated plants showed a general reduction in growth parameters. In addition, there was a positive association between compost treatment and multiple growth traits, particularly under reduced irrigation conditions. These findings underscore the beneficial effects of compost on plant performance under drought conditions. Full article

Climate change represents a critical challenge for viticulture worldwide, primarily through increased heat stress, more frequent and severe drought periods, and unseasonal rainfall events. There is increasing evidence of its negative effects on both thermal regimes—potentially leading to accelerated phenology and unbalanced sugar-to-acid ratios—and hydric regimes—causing water stress that impacts berry development and final yield. The use of plastic covering in vineyards is a widespread technique, particularly in regions with high climatic variability such as the Mediterranean Basin (e.g., Southern Italy, Spain, Greece), aimed at protecting both vegetation and grapes from external factors such as hail, heavy rainfall, wind, and extreme solar radiation, which can cause physical damage, promote fungal diseases, and lead to berry sunburn. This study explores the impact of six distinct commercial plastic films, with varying optical properties, on the retrieval and accuracy of vegetation indices derived from Sentinel-2 imagery in a mid-season table grape vineyard (Autumn Crisp^®) in Southern Italy during the 2024 growing season. Laboratory spectroradiometric analyses were conducted to measure film-specific transmittance and reflectance factors from 200 to 1500 nm, enabling the development of a first-order linear spectral correction model applied to Sentinel-2 imagery. Vegetation indices (NDVI, CVI, GNDVI, LWCI) were corrected for plastic interference and analysed through univariate statistics and Principal Component Analysis. Results showed that after applying the spectral correction model, film T2 displayed the higher NDVI value (0.73). Films T3 and T4—characterised by high visible light transmittance (>39%) and low reflectance (<11% in the Red/NIR)—resulted in lower vine vigour and photosynthetic activity, with mean corrected NDVI values equal to 0.70, though still significantly higher than those of films T1 (0.65) and T5 (0.67). Films T6 and T1 were associated with greater water conservation, as indicated by the highest mean LWCI values (T6: 0.59; T1: 0.52), but lower chlorophyll-related signals, evidenced by the lowest mean CVI values (T6: 1.31; T1: 1.74) and GNDVI values (T6: 0.46; T1: 0.48). Among the corrected indices, NDVI demonstrated strong positive correlations with yield (r = 0.900) and total soluble solids per vine (TSS*vine, in kg), a key quality parameter representing the total sugar yield (r = 0.883), supporting its suitability as an index for vine productivity and fruit quality. The proposed correction method significantly improves the reliability of remote sensing in covered vineyards, as demonstrated by the strong correlations between corrected NDVI and yield (R² = 0.810) and sugar content (R² = 0.779), relationships that were not analysable with the uncorrected data; may guide film selection—opting for high-transmittance films (e.g., T2, T3) for yield or water-conserving films (e.g., T6) for stress mitigation—and irrigation strategies, such as using the corrected LWCI for precision scheduling. Future efforts should include angular effects and ground-truth validation to enhance correction accuracy and operational relevance. Full article

Eurydema ventralis has recently intensified in Brassica production in Central and Southeastern Europe, increasing the need for alternatives to conventional insecticides. This laboratory study evaluated five locally sourced inert and plant-derived dusts on the mortality and feeding damage of E. ventralis adults and nymphs. The tested materials were diatomaceous earth, zeolite, quartz sand, wood ash of Norway spruce and Ailanthus altissima leaf dust, compared with an untreated control and a lambda-cyhalothrin control. Mortality and feeding damage were recorded over seven days. The insecticide caused complete mortality in both developmental stages. Diatomaceous earth exhibited the highest efficacy among inert dusts, i.e., 78.3% mortality in adults and 55.2% in nymphs, and a feeding damage index of 3.5. Zeolite and wood ash caused moderate mortality (30.4 and 26.1% in adults; 37.9 and 24.1% in nymphs) and feeding indices of 4.5 and 4.5. A. altissima leaf dust caused low mortality (≤14.5%) but reduced feeding damage (3.7), indicating a deterrent or antifeedant effect. Quartz sand showed negligible efficacy. Diatomaceous earth appears most suitable for integration into sustainable Brassica protection, and A. altissima leaf dust may act as a complementary deterrent, though optimized composition and persistence should be further investigated. Full article

The implementation of immersion heaters in hydroponic strawberry systems offers substantial potential for reducing glasshouse operational costs. This 115-day study investigated the effects of nutrient solution temperature on strawberry physiological and biochemical parameters. Temperature significantly influenced anthocyanin accumulation, with a maximum increase (135.49%) at 20 °C. Total chlorophyll content and photosystem II efficiency (Fv/Fm) exhibited temperature-dependent variations, while the 20 °C treatment served as the optimal baseline. Plants maintained at 20 °C demonstrated superior growth performance, achieving 64.79% higher fresh shoot weight and 50.29% greater total dry biomass compared to controls. Fruit quality parameters remained largely temperature-independent, except at 15 °C, which produced fruits with elevated sugar content but reduced acidity and dimensions. Conversely, the 20 °C treatment yielded the maximum fruit weight. Photosynthetic rates peaked during the experimental period, with plants at 20 °C exhibiting optimal recovery capacity. Both transpiration and stomatal conductance displayed treatment-specific patterns, with 20 °C maintaining superior physiological responses despite stress periods. These findings establish that maintaining nutrient solution temperature at 20 °C optimizes strawberry physiology, growth, and fruit quality, validating temperature regulation as an effective practice for hydroponic strawberry production systems. Full article

Accurate detection of apple blossoms is critical for monitoring flowering status and optimizing agricultural management. Traditional methods often fail to address challenges such as overlapping petals and environmental variability, leading to inefficiency and inaccuracy. In this paper, LEAF-Net, a modified YOLOv11-based target detection model, is proposed. The original C3k2 module in YOLOv11 lacks a targeted attention mechanism and exhibits insufficient enhancement of key features such as petal edges. Therefore, we propose our model, LEAF-Net, which incorporates a Multi-scale Attention Enhanced Block (MAEB) that enhances edge feature extraction through a hierarchical attention mechanism and reconstructs the C3k2 module. A Frequency-aware Feature Pyramid Network (Freq-FPN) that optimizes multi-scale feature fusion while preserving high-frequency details; and a comprehensive apple blossom dataset capturing diverse growth stages and environmental conditions. To address the dataset deficiencies, a specialized apple blossom dataset with complex backgrounds is constructed. Experimental results demonstrate state-of-the-art performance, with LEAF-Net achieving 90.4% mAP50 and 70.4% mAP50-95, significantly outperforming existing benchmarks. The framework’s computational efficiency (7.1 GFLOPs) and adaptability make it suitable for real-time deployment in precision agriculture. These advancements provide an extensible framework for precision orchard surveillance, thereby paving the way for their adaptive deployment in diverse agricultural automation contexts. Full article

Aux/IAA genes, functioning as transcriptional regulators downstream of auxin signaling, are essential for plant growth and development. However, their roles in fruit ripening remain largely undefined in strawberry. This study aims to elucidate the role of Aux/IAA genes in strawberry ripening. We identified 22 Aux/IAA family members and performed comprehensive spatiotemporal expression and hormone response analyses. Among them, FvIAA16 and FvIAA17 emerged as strong candidates associated with fruit ripening. Transient overexpression of FvIAA16 and FvIAA17 upregulated the expression of multiple ripening-related genes, leading to anthocyanin accumulation, soluble sugar enrichment, organic acid homeostasis, and furanone production. Dual-luciferase assays further demonstrated that both proteins robustly activated the promoters of ripening-related genes such as FvCHI and FvCHS. This activation was further enhanced by dimerization of the two proteins. Collectively, these findings reveal important regulatory functions of FvIAA16 and FvIAA17 in strawberry fruit ripening and offer valuable clues for further elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying auxin-mediated ripening regulation. Full article