Search Results (16,255)

The increasing demand for low-alcohol wine products calls for effective vineyard strategies to reduce grape sugar concentration, while climate change is exacerbating sugar accumulation through warmer growing conditions. In this context, severe shoot trimming applied at specific phenological stages may represent a promising approach to induce sustained source limitation. A field experiment was conducted in 2025 on Vitis vinifera L. cv. Ortrugo to evaluate severe shoot trimming performed at the onset of berry softening. Vine growth, yield components, grape composition, and seasonal total soluble solids (TSSs) were monitored. Vine carbon reserves and shoot fruitfulness were assessed to evaluate carry-over effects. Experimental wines were produced to determine alcohol and fermentative aroma. Severe trimming markedly reduced leaf area and vine balance, leading to a sustained reduction in sugar accumulation. At harvest, grape TSSs decreased by 4.1 °Brix (17.6 vs. 21.7 °Brix) and the final wine alcohol concentration was lower by 3.4% (v/v). Yield was unaffected and no substantial negative effects on wine fermentative aroma were observed, while titratable acidity slightly increased. Even if trimming reduced winter starch concentration in roots, no reduction in shoot fruitfulness was observed in the subsequent spring. Severe trimming successfully reduced grape sugar and wine ethanol without compromising yield, aroma, or vine performance, supporting its potential for low-alcohol wine production and reduced-impact dealcoholization. Full article

Managing vegetative vigor is a critical challenge for apple production in subtropical regions, where high water availability often promotes excessive canopy growth. This study evaluated the effects of split applications of prohexadione–calcium (ProCa) combined with naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and ethephon on the vegetative growth and yield performance of ‘Maxi Gala’ and ‘Fuji Suprema’ apples during the 2022/23 and 2023/24 growing seasons. The experimental design consisted of six plant growth regulator (PGR) protocols: a commercial standard (Control) with two applications, and five protocols based on six split applications initiated when fruit diameter reached ~8 mm, with 10-day intervals. The treatments included ProCa; ProCa + NAA; ProCa + ethephon; ProCa + NAA + ethephon; and ethephon + NAA. The ProCa + NAA protocol demonstrated the highest efficiency in vigor control, reducing shoot growth by up to 38% in ‘Maxi Gala’ and 65% in ‘Fuji Suprema’ relative to Control. Furthermore, this treatment enhanced fruit skin coloration, increased the proportion of Category 1 fruit, and improved return bloom and overall yield. These findings suggest that split applications of ProCa associated with NAA provide a robust strategy to optimize apple orchard productivity under the edaphoclimatic conditions of southern Brazil. Full article

Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is an important horticultural crop whose growth, development, and yield formation are severely constrained by heat stress. The Mediator complex is a key transcriptional co-regulator in plants and plays important roles in developmental processes and stress responses. However, the MED gene family and its functions in heat stress responses remain largely unexplored in pepper. Using the chromosome-level reference genome of the cultivated pepper (Capsicum annuum var. annuum) cultivar Zhangshugang, a total of 49 CaMED genes were identified and classified into four conserved Mediator modules, namely the head, middle, tail, and kinase modules. Comprehensive bioinformatic analyses showed that CaMED genes are evolutionarily conserved across species, whereas differences in gene structure and sequence characteristics among family members may contribute to their functional diversification. Promoter analysis further showed that these genes contain abundant cis-acting elements related to light, phytohormone, and stress responses. Transcriptome analysis of the 49 identified CaMED genes showed distinct tissue-specific expression patterns, with many members showing preferential expression during early flower development and late placenta development. Furthermore, expression profiling of all CaMED genes using publicly available transcriptome datasets under 42 °C heat-stress conditions, followed by RT-qPCR validation of selected candidates, showed that CaMED25a displayed a relatively stable heat-responsive expression pattern. Virus-induced gene silencing of CaMED25a compromised heat tolerance in pepper plants under heat stress, as evidenced by increased H₂O₂ accumulation and significantly reduced expression of heat defense-related genes, including CaHSP18, CaHSP25.9, and CaHSP70.1. Taken together, this study provides an integrated analysis of the pepper CaMED gene family and reveals the positive contribution of CaMED25a to heat stress tolerance. These findings lay the groundwork for subsequent studies on CaMED gene function and the molecular regulation of high-temperature responses in pepper. Full article

Soybean is an important crop for food, oil and feed production in China, and improving its yield is a major national goal. Salt stress severely restricts soybean production. XTH genes participate in plant growth and stress adaptation, yet the functions of most soybean XTH members are unclear. In this study, we cloned the soybean GmXTH-like26 gene previously identified via transcriptome sequencing, and successfully constructed its overexpression vector and CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing vector. Subcellular localization analysis confirmed that GmXTH-like26 is localized to the cell wall. The gene was transformed into soybean via the Agrobacterium-mediated method. Under 100 mM NaCl stress, the GmXTH-like26-overexpressing lines exhibited markedly enhanced salt tolerance at both germination and seedling stages compared with the control group. Physiological and biochemical assays showed that the overexpression plants had higher activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content and higher chlorophyll content under salt stress, while the gene-edited lines displayed the opposite trends. These results indicate that GmXTH-like26 improves salt tolerance in soybean by reducing reactive oxygen species accumulation and effectively enhances the resistance of soybean to salt stress. Full article

Driven by increasingly severe drought stress associated with global warming, this study investigated a synthetic microbial community, SynCom-SASW01, with strong stress tolerance and plant growth-promoting potential, and systematically elucidated its mechanisms for enhancing drought resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Dual-site field trials demonstrated that SynCom-SASW01 significantly alleviated drought-induced growth suppression, increasing grain yields by 10.42% and 8.52% at the Hohhot and Hulunbuir sites, respectively. This improvement was primarily associated with increased effective tiller number and enhanced root vigor. Physiologically, inoculation promoted root proline and glutathione accumulation and enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities, including superoxide dismutase, thereby reducing malondialdehyde levels. Environmental analyses showed that the consortium established rhizosphere “micro-reservoirs” through exopolysaccharide secretion, improving soil relative water content and the availability of alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen and phosphorus. High-throughput sequencing revealed that SynCom-SASW01 reshaped the endosphere microbiome through early colonization priority effects, selectively enriching beneficial taxa such as Pseudomonas. Functional prediction indicated upregulated branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis, promoting osmotic adjustment and redox homeostasis. These findings provide a microbiome-based strategy for stabilizing wheat productivity in arid regions. Full article

Recently, numerous studies have exploited satellite Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) to estimate near-surface particulate matter (PM) concentrations, with the aim of overcoming the limited spatial and temporal coverage of ground-based air quality monitoring networks. Despite significant progress, the relationship between AOD and PM remains highly uncertain, mainly due to the inadequate representation of local aerosol microphysical properties and of hygroscopic growth effects. In particular, satellite AOD is retrieved at ambient relative humidity, whereas standard PM measurements are performed under dry conditions. This study proposes a physics-informed, semi-empirical approach that overcomes these limitations by directly relating satellite AOD to PM measured at ambient humidity. Co-located measurements, from a Light Optical Aerosol Counter (LOAC) in the urban area of Bologna (Po Valley, Italy) during 2023, are used. This study is designed as a pilot application to evaluate the physical consistency of the proposed framework under well-characterised observational conditions, including spatial co-location, temporal matching to satellite overpasses, and exclusion of precipitation and desert dust events. The LOAC provides particle number size distribution and particle-type classification, which are used to estimate key aerosol properties controlling the AOD–PM theoretical relationship, including the Effective Radius, Extinction Efficiency, and aerosol Mass Density. These quantities, together with Mixing Layer Height, are combined within a theoretical framework linking PM and AOD, allowing for the derivation of a physically based scaling coefficient without relying on empirical hygroscopic growth corrections. The results show that using ambient PM_2.5 alone already yields a moderate linear correlation with AOD normalized by Mixing Layer Height (Pearson’s R = 0.56) whereas no meaningful correlation is found when using standard dry PM_2.5. When aerosol microphysical properties derived from LOAC measurements are incorporated, the correlation substantially improves (R = 0.76), with regression slopes close to unity and reduced errors, independently of the season. These results demonstrate that explicitly accounting for aerosol size and optical properties enhances the physical consistency and robustness of satellite-based PM estimates. The proposed framework also provides a pathway to indirectly derive aerosol hygroscopic growth factors by coupling ambient PM estimates from satellite observations with conventional dry PM measurements. This opens new perspectives for characterizing aerosol–humidity interactions from space and for improving air quality monitoring in regions lacking of dense in situ networks. Full article

The rapid growth of the green bond market has intensified the need for transparent and reliable monitoring systems, particularly in circular-economy environments characterized by complex, multi-stakeholder, and dynamic interactions. However, existing monitoring approaches still rely heavily on static, issuer-driven disclosures, which sustain information asymmetry and increase the risk of greenwashing. This study systematically reviews the role of digital technologies in enhancing green bond monitoring within circular economy systems. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted using the Scopus database, covering publications from 2022 to 2026 and yielding 56 eligible studies. A bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer identified major research trends, thematic clusters, and collaboration patterns within the field. The findings reveal four dominant technological pillars—blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and digital twin—that support data verification, automated analytics, real-time environmental monitoring, and system-wide integration. Although these technologies show significant potential, the literature remains fragmented and lacks comprehensive monitoring architectures that integrate technological, governance, and regulatory dimensions. This study contributes to the literature by synthesizing these technologies through a business informatics perspective and highlighting digital twin architectures as a promising foundation for integrated green bond monitoring. The findings provide practical insights for regulators, issuers, and investors seeking interoperable, transparent, and trustworthy monitoring ecosystems that strengthen accountability and credibility in sustainable finance. Full article

Abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, and aluminum toxicity (Al³⁺), affect the growth and initial establishment of wheat plants, limiting crop yield in restrictive growing environments. Therefore, the early selection of tolerant genotypes adapted to multiple production environments is essential to optimize wheat production. A laboratory experiment was conducted to identify and recommend wheat cultivars that simultaneously combine adaptability and stability for initial morphological responses when subjected to stressful environmental conditions. Plants from 12 wheat cultivars were grown under non-stressful (control) and stressful conditions (drought, salinity and Al³⁺ stress), using a 4 × 12 factorial arrangement with four replicates. On the 28th day, the emergence rate, length, dry matter and vigor of the plants were measured. Abiotic stresses limit the initial growth and vigor of wheat plants, with drought causing the greatest limitation for plant growth and biomass accumulation, while salinity had the greatest impact on plant vigor indices. Aluminum toxicity limits root development and biomass allocation. Principal component analysis explained 67.76% of the total variability and distinguished the plant growing environments. The multi-trait index proved effective in cultivar selection, highlighting the cv. ORS Feroz due to its proximity to the ideotype and adaptability to multiple abiotic stresses. Full article

To evaluate the effects of saline water on the yield and quality of tomatoes, a late fruit-setting stage irrigation experiment was conducted in a greenhouse using two cultivars: medium-fruited, tasty Strawberry tomato (fresh-eating) and large-fruited Maofen tomato (fresh/processing). For this, plants were grown in pots containing substrate, and five irrigation water electrical conductivity (EC) levels (1.0 as control, 2.6, 4.2, 5.8, and 7.4 dS m⁻¹) were applied for each cultivar, resulting in a 2 × 5 factorial design with 10 treatments in total. Then, tomato growth, fruit ion composition, and quality attributes were evaluated. The results showed that 1.0–7.4 dS m⁻¹ saline water had no significant impact on the plant height, stem diameter, single-fruit weight, or total yield of either cultivar. However, Strawberry tomato’s marketable yield decreased by 23.5% at 7.4 dS m⁻¹. The yield per plant of Maofen tomato was 2.7 times that of Strawberry tomato. Fruit Na⁺ content increased with EC for both cultivars; Maofen tomato had higher Na⁺ and a lower K⁺/Na⁺ ratio, with greater ion content responses to salinity. Regression analysis revealed distinctly nonlinear responses in key yield, ion, and quality parameters across the salinity gradient. The fruit comprehensive quality score (CQS) rose with EC, and Strawberry tomato’s average CQS increase (109%) was significantly higher than Maofen tomato’s. In conclusion, saline irrigation initiated when the fourth-cluster fruits attained 60% of the final harvested diameter, at EC ≤ 5.8 dS m⁻¹ for Strawberry tomato and ≤7.4 dS m⁻¹ for Maofen tomato, improved fruit quality without compromising yield. Strawberry tomato is recommended for quality-oriented production, whereas Maofen tomato is better suited for yield-oriented production, providing scientific support for saline water utilization in greenhouse soil-less cultivation. Full article

As the Italian hop industry undergoes consolidation, assessing the environmental pressure of diverse cultivation and processing models is essential for sustainable growth. This study characterizes the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) of Italian hop production through a multi-case analysis of eight representative farms. A primary data collection tool was utilized to quantify resource inputs, including water management, nutritional strategies, and phytosanitary defense. Following a rigorous thermodynamic consistency screening of the field data to eliminate unrepresentative parameters, the life cycle inventory focused on two validated regional anchor cases. The findings reveal a high degree of management heterogeneity, with dry cone yields ranging from 400 to 1673 kg of dry matter per hectare. Two functional units were defined: 1 kg of fresh hop cones (FU1) to assess cultivation impacts, and 1 kg of processed products (FU2) at the brewery gate to evaluate the full supply chain. Integrating deterministic life cycle impact outputs with a probabilistic Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis, the results indicate that the environmental impact varies significantly across commercial formats: Cryogenic Powder (2.33 ± 0.34 mPt/kg) represents the most resource-intensive format, while Raw Bales and T90 Pellets from high-yield models exhibit scores as low as 1.36 and 1.55 mPt/kg, respectively. The study identifies the agricultural phase as the primary environmental hotspot, driven predominantly by water deprivation. To address these burdens, a Sustainable Italian Hop (SIH) integrated scenario was developed. By combining precision irrigation, thermal decarbonization via biomass valorization, and a direct-to-pellet processing flow, this model achieved a 70% total reduction in the environmental footprint score (0.465 ± 0.076 mPt/kg) and an 86% reduction in water use impacts. Finally, the socio-technical and financial barriers to implementing the SIH framework are qualitatively evaluated. These results provide actionable benchmarks for aligning the emerging Italian hop supply chain with European Union climate neutrality objectives. Full article

Joint detection of strawberry growth stages and defective fruit is needed for harvest planning and quality screening, but field images make this task difficult because stage-related visual differences are subtle, flowers and early fruits are often small and densely distributed, and occlusion weakens localization reliability. This study develops Multi-Scale Refined Detection and Classification YOLO (MRDC-YOLO), a lightweight detector based on the YOLO11s framework, for this fine-grained detection scenario. The backbone, neck, and detection head are redesigned with three modules: a Multi-Scale Adaptive Edge Enhancement Module (MAEM), a Reparameterized Progressive Feature Aggregation (RPFA) module, and a Decoupled Cross-Scan Head (DCSH). MAEM strengthens boundary and texture responses for visually similar categories, RPFA reduces redundant multi-scale fusion while maintaining features for dense small targets, and DCSH introduces task-aware classification and regression branches with cross-scan-inspired spatial modeling for occlusion-sensitive localization. Experiments on a five-class strawberry dataset containing 5114 images show that MRDC-YOLO achieves 95.63% mAP@0.5 and 82.39% mAP@0.5:0.95. Over YOLO11s, the model yields a 2.06-percentage-point gain in precision and 1.34- and 1.53-percentage-point gains in mAP@0.5 and mAP@0.5:0.95, together with 10.7% fewer parameters and 8.9% lower GFLOPs. These results suggest that MRDC-YOLO improves fine-grained category discrimination and localization while retaining a smaller model size than the YOLO11s baseline. Full article

To investigate the effects of co-application of KMnO₄-modified biochar and organic fertilizer on the physicochemical properties, carbon and nitrogen content, and growth of Chinese cabbage in acidic red soil. Using typical acidic red soil from Yunnan as the test substrate, this study conducted a pot experiment with four treatment groups: control (CK), organic fertilizer alone (OF), biochar combined with organic fertilizer (BOF), and potassium permanganate KMnO₄-modified biochar combined with organic fertilizer (Mn-BOF), each at three application rates (1500, 3000, and 4500 kg/ha). The results indicated that KMnO₄ modification significantly improved the pore structure of biochar, increasing its specific surface area by 22.776%, and successfully loaded manganese onto the biochar surface. Compared with the CK, all treatments significantly increased soil pH, organic matter (SOM), alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), and available potassium (AK), with the effects gradually increasing as the application rate rose; the 4500 kg/ha treatment yielded the best results. The Mn-BOF treatment was most effective in increasing soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), soluble organic carbon and nitrogen (DOC/DON), and microbial carbon and nitrogen (MBC/MBN); simultaneously, the Mn-BOF treatment significantly promoted the growth of Chinese cabbage, with yield under the 4500 kg/ha treatment increasing by 158.58% compared to CK (under pot-grown conditions), and soluble total sugars, chlorophyll, and vitamin C content also significantly increased. In summary, Mn-BOF can improve the fertility of acidic red soil, particularly demonstrating excellent performance in enhancing key carbon and nitrogen components such as SOC, TN, DOC, DON, MBC and MBN. This, in turn, promotes increased yield and improved quality of Chinese cabbage, providing feasible guidance for enhancing soil fertility in highland agricultural systems. Full article

Small pelagic fishes are essential for artisanal fisheries and food security in São Tomé and Príncipe, yet biological information required for stock assessment remains scarce. This study examined the population dynamics and life-history traits of Caranx crysos, Euthynnus alletteratus, Hemiramphus balao, and Cheilopogon melanurus using 9052 specimens collected from artisanal landings between 2023 and 2025. C. melanurus (35.2%) and H. balao (34.0%) dominated the sampled catches, followed by C. crysos (18.1%) and E. alletteratus (12.7%). Standardized CPUE series modelled using GAMs revealed significant temporal and seasonal variation in relative abundance, with contrasting species-specific trends. Length–weight relationships revealed negative allometric growth in three of the four species examined (75%), with b values ranging from 2.50 to 3.19, while Fulton’s condition factor differed significantly among species (Kruskal–Wallis χ² = 6702.7, p < 0.001). Sex-ratio analyses showed significant deviations from parity in C. crysos and C. melanurus, whereas E. alletteratus and H. balao remained balanced. Gonadosomatic index and maturity-stage distributions indicated year-round reproductive activity with distinct spawning peaks. Length at first maturity (L50) ranged from 30.2 cm to 38.8 cm among species. Growth parameters estimated from length-frequency data using the von Bertalanffy Growth Function fitted through ELEFAN_GA in TropFishR yielded L∞ values of 43.9–68.4 cm and K values of 0.065–0.336 yr⁻¹. Growth performance index (φ′) ranged from 2.48 to 2.99, corresponding to theoretical longevities of 8.9–46.3 years. Length-based cohort analysis indicated biomass concentration in intermediate size classes and increasing fishing mortality towards larger individuals. Exploitation rates revealed contrasting fishing pressures among species, while sensitivity analyses identified growth and mortality parameters as the main sources of uncertainty. These findings provide the first integrated biological baseline for the assessment and management of small pelagic resources in São Tomé and Príncipe. Full article

Background/Objectives: Peri-implant diseases, encompassing peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis, affect 43% and 18.8–23% of implant-bearing patients, respectively, representing significant clinical challenges in implant dentistry. While mechanical debridement remains foundational, biologically active materials offer promising adjunctive regenerative strategies. This narrative review synthesises current evidence regarding five biologically active materials: enamel matrix derivative (EMD), platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor-BB (rhPDGF-BB/GEM 21S^®), and polynucleotide–hyaluronic acid combinations (Regenfast^®). Methods: The relevant literature was identified using electronic databases, including MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. This review focused on clinical studies and randomised controlled trials with a minimum follow-up of six months investigating biologically active materials in peri-implant disease management. Material mechanisms, clinical efficacy, therapeutic limitations, and evidence quality were systematically evaluated. Attention was directed toward identifying genuine biological distinctions between peri-implant and periodontal disease contexts. Results: EMD demonstrates efficacy exclusively within multimodal surgical protocols, with isolated application yielding limited benefits. rhPDGF-BB shows superior periodontal regenerative capacity; however, dedicated peri-implantitis trials remain absent. FGF-2 exhibits paradoxical osteogenic suppression despite bone fill achievement, limiting peri-implant applicability. PRF and Regenfast^® demonstrate a mechanistically sound rationale yet lack substantive peri-implant disease validation. The critical findings revealed that peri-implant regeneration fundamentally differs from periodontal regeneration: implants lack periodontal ligament anatomy, rendering ligamentogenic differentiation-promoting agents biologically inappropriate. Conclusions: Contemporary biologically active materials demonstrate compelling periodontal efficacy yet remain inadequately validated for peri-implantitis management. This disparity reflects authentic biological distinctions rather than insufficient investigation. Until multicentre randomised controlled trials stratify efficacy across distinct peri-implant disease presentations, practitioners must prioritise evidence-based surgical fundamentals—meticulous decontamination, strategic grafting, and optimised wound healing—integrating biologically active materials judiciously within comprehensive, anatomy-respecting treatment protocols. Full article

Climatic variation is inherently linked with tree phenology; however, phenological triggers depend on species and habitat. We analyzed key climatic factors for the onset of secondary growth for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) at the southern limit of its distribution in Siberia. From direct observations of developing tree rings, seasonal curves of the number of cells in the cambial zone, in the cell-expansion zone, and the total number of xylem tracheids were developed over seven years with a wide variety in the phenological dates. We found that later and shorter intervals of these stages of xylogenesis were compensated by higher maximums of kinetics curves, probably due to higher temperatures and daylengths during the respective phenophases. Air temperature and soil temperature at a depth of 20 cm converged to values (mean ± SE) 6.6 ± 0.9 °C (air) and 3.7 ± 0.4 °C (soil) for a 15-day interval prior to cambial activity onset. Date of Tsoil ≥ 3.5 °C was most closely related to cambial activity onset (r = 0.99) and preceded it by 9.6 ± 1.1 days. Cumulative temperature sums were less reliable. Apparently, both air and soil temperature thresholds have to be reached for cambial division to start in this species-habitat combination. Late abundant snowfall can yield divergence between air and soil temperatures and delay the onset of xylogenesis. Full article