Search Results (10)

Soil fertility is declining in low-input agriculture due to insufficient fertilizer application by small-scale farmers. On the other hand, concerns are rising regarding the environmental pollution of both air and water in high-input agriculture due to the excessive use of N fertilizers in short growing seasons for vegetable crops, which is directly linked to the health of human beings and environmental safety. This study aimed to determine genotypic differences in the Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) levels of different leafy vegetable species (Arugula, Spinach, Cress, Parsley, and Dill) grown hydroponically under two different N rates, low N (0.3 mM) and high N (3.0 mM), and to identify the plant traits that are contributing to NUE. A nutrient solution experiment was conducted between March and April 2024 by using an aerated Deep-Water Culture (DWC) technique in a fully automated climate room with a completely randomized block design (CRBD) with three replications for five weeks. The results indicated that shoot growth, as well as root morphological and leaf physiological responses, was significantly (p < 0.001) affected by genotype, the N rate, and genotype–N rate interactions. Shoot growth in some vegetable species (Arugula, Spinach, and Cress) was significantly higher under a low N than a high N rate, illustrating that they have a great capability for NUE under low N stress conditions. Similar results were also recorded for the root growth of the N-efficient species under low N rates. The NUE levels of these species were closely associated with leaf physiological (leaf area, leaf chlorophyll index (SPAD), photosynthesis, and total leaf chlorophyll (a + b) and carotenoids) and root morphological (root length, root volume, and average root diameter) characteristics. These plant traits could be useful indicators for the selection and breeding of ‘N-efficient’ leafy vegetable species for sustainable low-input agriculture systems in the future. However, further investigation should be carried out at the field level to confirm their commercial production viability. Full article

Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold et Zucc.) Endl. is cultivated in the temperate region of East Asia for its high-quality and profitable timber. The timber-processing industry produces a large amount of waste, such as tree bark, branches, and leaves, and finding ways to minimize such waste is economically and environmentally efficient. In the present study, the allelopathic activity and allelochemicals of the C. obtusa leaves were investigated to develop potential application methods. C. obtusa leaves were phytotoxic and associated leaf extracts significantly suppressed the growth of the weeds; Echinochloa crus-galli, Phleum pratense and Lolium multiflorum under laboratory conditions. The leaf powder applied onto the soil surface also suppressed the germination of E. crus-galli and P. pratense under greenhouse conditions. Hinokiic acid and (+)-dihydrosesamin were isolated from the leaves and structurally identified. Both compounds suppressed the growth of cress and P. pratense in a concentration dependent manner. When the leaves of C. obtua were applied as a soil additive, hinokiic acid and (+)-dihydrosesamin in the leaves potentially cause the growth inhibitory activity by leaching into the soil. These experiments showed that the leaves and the leaf extracts of C. obtusa are phytotoxic. These experiments also demonstrated that the leaves and the leaf extracts of C. obtusa have growth inhibitory potential against several plant species, and the leaves produce allelochemicals. Therefore, the leaves and leaf extracts of C. obtusa may be useful for weed suppression purposes. The leaf biomass of C. obtusa is frequently large and the timber processing industry produces significant leaf waste. The development of weed control products using waste leaves may be a solution to minimize the timber processing waste to reduce environmental impact and provide economic value. However, leaf material should be evaluated for weed suppression and herbicidal activity as a soil additive and also possible as a foliar spray under field conditions. Full article

Tanacetum vulgare is a perennial plant growing wild along roadsides, pastures, and agricultural fields. Its prevalence is due to several factors: good climatic adaptability, high self-seeding potential, phenotypic plasticity, multiplying via underground rhizomes and its allelochemicals, which influence the seed germination, root development and the overall vegetation of the surrounding plants. The phytochemistry of tansy extracts and their allelopathic activity on the seed germination and growth of garden pepper cress (Lepidium sativum L.) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) were investigated. The major volatile compounds, 1,8-cineole, camphor and borneol were determined in tansy flower extracts. The leaf extracts contained appreciable amounts of 1,8-cineole and borneol. Feruloylquinic, (di)ferulic and dehydrocaffeoyl-5-caffeoylquinic acids, acacetin, ludovicin C and tanacetin were determined both in leaf and inflorescence extracts. Root extracts contained minor quantities of some terpenoids and polyphenols. Extracts of T. vulgare’s aerial parts showed strong allelopathic effects on model plants. The flower and leaf water extracts inhibited lettuce and pepper cress seed germination and growth the most. According to the fractions, the acidic solution had the strongest effect, followed by neutral and alkaline solutions. At the highest relative concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0 tansy leaf acidic fraction, lettuce seed germination and growth decreased by 89.93% (from 35.07 ± 4.79 to 3.53 ± 2.10 mm) and by 98.46% (from 35.07 ± 4.79 to 0.57 ± 0.98 mm) compared to the control, respectively. Tansy root extracts showed weak effects. Our results demonstrated that the allelopathic inhibitory potential of tansy extracts was higher on garden pepper cress than on lettuce. The presence of allelochemicals in T. vulgare may have a significant impact on plant communities and ecosystems. Full article

Wild species field cress (Lepidium campestre) has favorable agronomic traits, making it a good candidate for future development as an oil and catch crop. However, the species is very prone to pod shatter, resulting in severe yield losses. This is one of the important agronomic traits that needs to be improved in order to make this species economically viable. In this study, we cloned the L. campestre INDEHISCENT (LcIND) gene and prepared two LcIND-RNAi constructs with the IND promoter (long 400 bp and short 200 bp) from Arabidopsis. A number of stable transgenic lines were developed and evaluated in terms of pod shatter resistance. The majority of the transgenic lines showed increased resistance to pod shatter compared to the wild type, and this resistance was maintained in four subsequent generations. The downregulation of the LcIND gene by RNAi in the transgenic lines was confirmed by qRT-PCR analysis on T₃ lines. Southern blot analysis showed that most of the analyzed lines had a single-copy integration of the transgene, which is desirable for further use. Our results show that it is possible to generate stable transgenic lines with desirable pod shatter resistance by downregulating the LcIND gene using RNAi in field cress, and thus speeding up the domestication process of this wild species. Full article

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is receiving increased attention for the detection of new viruses and infections occurring at the human–animal interface. The ability to actively transport and relocate this technology enables in situ virus identification, which could reduce response time and enhance disease management. In a previous study, we developed a straightforward mNGS procedure that greatly enhances the detection of RNA and DNA viruses in human clinical samples. In this study, we improved the mNGS protocol with transportable battery-driven equipment for the portable, non-targeted detection of RNA and DNA viruses in animals from a large zoological facility, to simulate a field setting for point-of-incidence virus detection. From the resulting metagenomic data, we detected 13 vertebrate viruses from four major virus groups: (+)ssRNA, (+)ssRNA-RT, dsDNA and (+)ssDNA, including avian leukosis virus in domestic chickens (Gallus gallus), enzootic nasal tumour virus in goats (Capra hircus) and several small, circular, Rep-encoding, ssDNA (CRESS DNA) viruses in several mammal species. More significantly, we demonstrate that the mNGS method is able to detect potentially lethal animal viruses, such as elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and the newly described human-associated gemykibivirus 2, a human-to-animal cross-species virus, in a Linnaeus two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) and its enclosure, for the first time. Full article

Magnetic stimulation of seeds before sowing can have a significant impact on the speed of their germination. Sprouts are sought after by consumers for their high nutrient content. The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of a pulsed magnetic field on the dynamics of seed germination and on the content of ions in sunflower, cress, and radish sprouts. The research material in the experiment was provided by seeds of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.), and garden radish (Raphanus sativus L.) intended for sprouting, which were supplied by PNOS Ożarów Mazowiecki. The research methods involved germinating seeds under strictly defined conditions for 14 days. Then, the mineral composition of the previously mineralised sprout material was determined using emission spectrometry on a ICP-OES iCAP Duo 6500 Termo spectrometer. Greater dynamics of germination were noted in the first half of the growth period in seeds stimulated with a pulsed magnetic field with the parameters 100 µT and 100 Hz. However, the application of the magnetic field produced no increase in the capacity of the seeds to germinate. The research showed an increase in the content of macronutrients in sprouts, such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and sulphur. In the case of the field with parameters of 100 µT and 200 Hz, the effect was similar for both the germination percentage and the accumulation of macronutrients. However, in the case of both frequencies of magnetic field applied, the effect on individual plant seed species was different. Pre-sowing stimulation of seeds with a pulsed magnetic field may affect the rate of seed germination and the content of ions in the sprouts; however, these effects vary in individual plant matrices. Full article

Domestication of a new crop requires identification and improvement of desirable characteristics Field cress (Lepidium campestre) is being domesticated as a new oilseed crop, particularly for northern temperate regions.. In the present study, an F₂ mapping population and its F₃ progenies were used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for plant height (PH), number of stems per plant (NS), stem growth orientation (SO), flowering habit (FH), earliness (ER), seed yield per plant (SY), pod shattering resistance (SHR), and perenniality (PE). A highly significant correlation (p < 0.001) was observed between several pairs of characteristics, including SY and ER (negative) or ER and PE (positive). The inclusive composite interval mapping approach was used for QTL mapping using 2330 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers mapped across the eight field cress linkage groups. Nine QTLs were identified with NS, PH, SO, and PE having 3, 3, 2, and 1 QTLs, explaining 21.3%, 29.5%, 3.8%, and 7.2% of the phenotypic variation, respectively. Candidate genes behind three of the QTLs and favorable marker alleles for different classes of each characteristic were identified. Following their validation through further study, the identified QTLs and associated favorable marker alleles can be used in marker-aided breeding to speed up the domestication of field cress. Full article

Mosquitoes are the most important vectors for arthropod-borne viral diseases. Mixed viral infections of mosquitoes allow genetic recombination or reassortment of diverse viruses, turning mosquitoes into potential virologic mixing bowls. In this study, we field-collected mosquitoes of different species (Aedes aegypti and Culex pipiens complex), from different geographic locations and environments (central Europe and the Caribbean) for highly sensitive next-generation sequencing-based virome characterization. We found a rich virus community associated with a great diversity of host species. Among those, we detected a large diversity of novel virus sequences that we could predominately assign to circular Rep-encoding single-stranded (CRESS) DNA viruses, including the full-length genome of a yet undescribed Gemykrogvirus species. Moreover, we report for the first time the detection of a potentially zoonotic CRESS-DNA virus (Cyclovirus VN) in mosquito vectors. This study expands the knowledge on virus diversity in medically important mosquito vectors, especially for CRESS-DNA viruses that have previously been shown to easily recombine and jump the species barrier. Full article

Parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus L.) is an invasive plant species in around 50 countries and a ‘Weed of National Significance’ in Australia. This study investigated the relative toxicity of the leaf, shoot and root extracts of two geographically separate and morphologically distinct biotypes of parthenium weed in Queensland, Australia. Parthenium weed exhibited higher phytotoxic, cytotoxic and photocytotoxic activity in leaf tissue extracts in contrast to shoot and root. The germination and seedling growth of a dicot species (garden cress) were inhibited more than those of a monocot species (annual ryegrass) using a phytotoxicity bioassay. The cytotoxicity of leaf extracts was assessed in a mouse fibroblast cell suspension assay and increased under high ultraviolet A(UV-A) radiation. A major secondary metabolite, parthenin, was found in abundance in leaf extracts and was positively correlated with cytotoxicity but not with photocytotoxicity or phytotoxicity. Ambrosin and chlorogenic acid were also detected and were positively correlated with germination inhibition and the inhibition of radicle elongation, respectively. In addition, other currently unidentified compounds in the leaf extracts were positively correlated with phytotoxicity, cytotoxicity and photocytotoxicity with two to three molecules strongly correlated in each case. Both parthenium weed biotypes investigated did not differ with respect to their relative toxicity, despite their reported differences in invasive potential in the field. This suggests that secondary chemistry plays a limited role in their invasion success. Full article

The phytotoxic potential of plants and their constituents against other plants is being increasingly investigated as a possible alternative to synthetic herbicides to control weeds in crop fields. In this study, we explored the phytotoxicity and phytotoxic substances of Schumannianthus dichotomus, a perennial wetland shrub native to Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar. Leaf extracts of S. dichotomus exerted strong phytotoxicity against two dicot species, alfalfa and cress, and two monocot species, barnyard grass and Italian ryegrass. A bioassay-driven purification process yielded two phenolic derivatives, syringic acid and methyl syringate. Both constituents significantly inhibited the growth of cress and Italian ryegrass in a concentration-dependent manner. The concentrations required for 50% growth inhibition (I₅₀ value) of the shoot and root growth of cress were 75.8 and 61.3 μM, respectively, for syringic acid, compared with 43.2 and 31.5 μM, respectively, for methyl syringate. Similarly, to suppress the shoot and root growth of Italian rye grass, a greater amount of syringic acid (I₅₀ = 213.7 and 175.9 μM) was needed than methyl syringate (I₅₀ = 140.4 to 130.8 μM). Methyl syringate showed higher phytotoxic potential than syringic acid, and cress showed higher sensitivity to both substances. This study is the first to report on the phytotoxic potential of S. dichotomus and to identify phytotoxic substances from this plant material. Full article