Search Results (1,891)

Cryptomeria japonica (Japanese cedar) is extensively planted as windbreaks in Jeju, Korea, producing highly allergenic pollen that significantly affects local populations. This study analyzed 10-year trends of airborne C. japonica pollen concentrations and their relationship with meteorological factors in Jeju to provide essential data for allergy management and climate adaptation strategies. Daily airborne pollen sampling was conducted using Burkard traps from 2015 to 2024 at a monitoring site in Jeju. Meteorological data, including temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, precipitation, solar radiation, and cloud amount, were obtained from the Korea Meteorological Administration. Temporal trends were analyzed using linear regression and the Mann–Kendall test, while correlations between pollen parameters and meteorological variables were calculated using Spearman’s correlation coefficients. Over the 10-year period, annual pollen integral (APIn) and peak concentrations showed statistically significant increasing trends. Pollen season start dates demonstrated a tendency toward earlier occurrence. Season onset was strongly negatively correlated with pre-season temperatures in January and February. January solar radiation showed positive correlations with both season end and period duration. C. japonica pollen concentrations in Jeju demonstrate significant increasing trends with earlier seasonal onset, primarily driven by pre-season warming in January and February. These changes may lead to prolonged allergen exposure periods, necessitating enhanced public health preparedness and adaptation of clinical management strategies for allergic populations. Full article

Arthrinium-like fungi in the family Apiosporaceae are taxonomically complex and still require a thorough characterization despite recent phylogenetic reassessments. This study aimed to investigate the diversity and taxonomic position of endophytic Arthrinium-like fungi associated with Itea japonica and I. riparia in Thailand. Two fungal strains discovered from healthy stems of these hosts were characterized by integrative approaches including morphology, multi-locus phylogenetic analyses based on ITS, LSU, TEF1-α, TUB2 sequence data, and nucleotide base–pair comparisons. One isolate from I. japonica is introduced as Nigrospora iteae sp. nov. supported by distinct morphological traits, a well-resolved phylogenetic placement, and significant nucleotide difference from its closest relatives. The second isolate was identified as Apiospora vietnamensis and is reported herein as a new host record for I. riparia based on morphological congruence, a close phylogenetic relationship, and TUB2 nucleotide similarity with the type strain. In addition, a new species, Apiospora fici, originally described from dead leaves of Ficus septica in Taiwan, is reclassified based on updated phylogenetic analyses to clarify its taxonomic placement within Apiosporaceae. Furthermore, Nigrospora wurfbainiae nom. nov. is proposed as a replacement name for the later homonym N. guangdongensis. A summary of important morphological characteristics, host relationships, current distribution, and biological activities of Nigrospora species is provided. This study emphasizes the previously unrecognized fungal diversity within Itea hosts and offers new insights into species diversity and phylogenetic relationships within the Apiosporaceae. Full article

Japonica rice offers high cost-effectiveness and yield, with the potential to replace glutinous rice in Chinese sweet rice wine (CSRW) brewing. It can be classified into aromatic and non-aromatic types, but whether different varieties cause flavor and metabolite differences in CSRW remains unclear. In this study, glutinous rice (GR), three aromatic japonica varieties (CS-217, HXR-450, SXJ-1018), and two non-aromatic varieties (TA-1, HR-1212) were used as raw materials. The qualities of different CSRWs were evaluated through physicochemical indices, sensory evaluation, phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant capacities, HS-GC-IMS, and UPLC-MS/MS. The results showed that CS-217 displayed the highest total acid content, along with excellent overall sensory evaluation, total phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity. A total of 28 VOCs were identified by HS-GC-IMS, among which 13 compounds with VIP ≥ 1, including butyl isobutyrate, butyl acetate, and ethyl pentanoate, were identified as key flavor discriminant factors. Additionally, 2501 non-volatile metabolites were identified, and five key metabolic pathways were revealed. These pathways synergistically regulate CSRW flavor and nutritional quality. Different japonica rice varieties exhibited respective advantages in CSRW quality indicators, providing a basis for the diversification of raw materials in CSRW production. Full article

The quarantine pathogen Phytophthora ramorum has a high potential for dispersal due to its airborne inoculum, its wide range of hosts, and its ability to spread through the trade of nursery plants. For these reasons, it represents a serious threat to ornamental nursery production and, consequently, to urban, natural and semi-natural ecosystems. This oomycete pathogen (EU1 lineage, A1 mating type) has been detected on Viburnum tinus in a commercial nursery located in the Pistoia nursery district (PND) (Tuscany, central Italy), one of the main nursery areas for the production of ornamentals in Europe. Artificial inoculations were carried out in the laboratory under controlled conditions, following a standard detached-leaf assay protocol, on leaves of 16 ornamental shrub species commonly marketed by the PND. Disease severity was assessed, and susceptibility categories (high, moderate, low, and non-susceptible) were defined based on data collected at 7 and 14 days post-inoculation and validated through statistical analysis. Inoculated species exhibited variable levels of disease severity. The results confirmed the pathogen’s high virulence on Viburnum tinus and Rhododendron hybrid ‘Madame Masson’. The following species were also found to be highly susceptible: Ilex aquifolium, Loropetalum chinense, Magnolia stellata, Osmanthus fragrans, and Trachelospermum jasminoides. Camellia japonica, Nerium oleander, Osmanthus heterophyllus, Prunus laurocerasus, and Rhododendron obtusum showed moderate susceptibility. Arbutus unedo, Laurus nobilis, Photinia fraseri and Syringa vulgaris exhibited low susceptibility. At the end of the trial, no infected species fell into the non-susceptible categories. The oomycete proved particularly aggressive on Ilex aquifolium, the most susceptible host among those tested. This high susceptibility is a new finding that could have significant epidemiological implications. Our findings emphasize the need for rigorous phytosanitary surveillance in nursery systems, based on constant monitoring and the adoption of high-throughput diagnostic protocols, in order to implement effective and rapid control measures. Full article

Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) is a commercially important subtropical fruit, and its internal sweetness is an important indicator of market quality. Accurate and non-destructive determination of total soluble solids content (TSSC) is therefore essential for fruit grading and quality evaluation. In this study, short-wave infrared hyperspectral imaging (1000–2400 nm) was combined with a multi-scale spectral attention adaptive convolutional neural network (MSSA-ACNN) for rapid TSSC prediction. Spectral data were preprocessed using an SG-MSC-DT strategy to reduce noise and scattering effects, while conventional models (PLSR, Ridge, and SVM) were used for comparison. The proposed model combines multi-scale feature extraction with a dual-path attention mechanism, enabling adaptive enhancement of informative chemical wavebands while suppressing irrelevant variations. Experimental results, rigorously validated through a 5-fold cross-validation strategy, demonstrated that the proposed approach achieved the best predictive performance, with an R_p² of 0.942, RMSEP of 0.505, and RPD of 3.091, outperforming traditional methods. In addition, attention weight analysis revealed that the model mainly focused on spectral regions associated with water and carbohydrate absorption, indicating consistency between the learned features and known chemical information. These results suggest that the proposed method provides an effective and interpretable approach for non-destructive evaluation of loquat quality and shows potential for application in intelligent fruit grading systems. Full article

This study added two types of resistant dextrin (RD), i.e., Bailong (BL) and Luo Gaite (LGT)) to a Japonica (cv. RXY) and an early indica (cv. IP44) rice during cooking and analysed the functional and structural properties of the cooked rice. Compared with no RD addition, 3–10% RD addition induced a declinein cooking time and an incrementin gruel solid loss. Further, 3–10% RD addition increased the hardness, chewiness, and springiness of cooked rice but decreased the cohesiveness. With increases in the added RD amount, the smell, structural appearance, palatability, taste, cool rice texture, and total score of the cooked rice all increased; the peak time and pasting temperature increased, but the peak, final, breakdown, and setback viscosities all significantly decreased. The enthalpy, conclusion temperature of gelatinisation, and gelatinisation peak width and height all decreased with increasing RD amount, but the peak temperature of gelatinisation increased. The addition of 3–7% RD did not change amylopectin ageing, but 10% RD significantly increased amylopectin ageing. RD addition reduced the protein weakness degree and starch breakdown torque of rice doughbut appeared to increase the amorphous and crystalline regions of cooked rice. The addition of 10% BL or LGT induced the formation of α-helix and random coil secondary protein structures in cooked rice, with optimal cooking properties and total sensory score. Microstructure analysis further showed that low-viscous RD induced the formation of new gel-like structures. In conclusion, 3–10% RD addition in cooking rice decreases amylose recrystallisation, weakens the protein structure, and induces new gel-like structures, enhancing the hardness, chewiness, adhesiveness, springiness, and sensory score of cooked rice. This study is useful for developing functionalcooked rice. Full article

Given the diversity and richness of China’s grain varieties, traditional physicochemical quality testing methods for rice, while providing accurate results, suffer from drawbacks such as time-consuming procedures, high costs, substantial reagent consumption, cumbersome sample preparation, and reliance on destructive or semi-destructive techniques. This study aims to employ near-infrared spectroscopy technology to establish rapid and non-destructive predictive models for key quality indicators of japonica rice. The research analyzed 133 samples from 71 widely cultivated japonica rice varieties across five major production regions in China, utilizing spectral data within a wavelength range of 660–1080 nm. Predictive models for moisture, protein, amylose, and fatty acid values were constructed using three algorithms—partial least squares regression (PLSR), ridge regression (RR), and extremely randomized trees (ERT)—linear regression and the extreme randomization tree (ERT)—their optimal parameters were determined using a 10-fold cross-validation optimization method. Eighty percent of the total dataset served as the training set, while the remaining 20% formed the test set, yielding a final test set comprising 26 samples. Performance comparisons revealed that the PLSR and RR models demonstrated superior predictive performance: the coefficient of determination (R_p²) exceeded 0.9 for all four indicators, with the R² value for fatty acid prediction reaching as high as 0.99; the root mean square error (RMSEP) of the PLSR and RR models ranged between 0.0534% and 0.3360%, confirming their high predictive accuracy. Although all ERT models (except the protein model) achieved R_p² values exceeding 0.9, their overall performance was slightly inferior to the first two methods. The protein ERT model demonstrated relatively low performance, with an R_p² value of 0.6984 on the test set, which may be attributed to the limited sample size and weak protein spectral response signals. Although the samples covered five major production regions and 71 japonica rice varieties, their distribution was uneven (multiple varieties were represented by only one or a few samples). This study provides an efficient rapid quality assessment method for japonica rice; however, the generalization ability of the models requires further validation in future studies employing larger and more balanced sample sizes. Full article

Pre-incubation sorting for infertile and non-viable eggs could save significant resources in quail farming. Previous research has revealed often contradictory correlations between egg morphometric parameters used to assess incubation success. The current pilot study aimed to identify these correlations for eggs from an F₂ quail resource population. The most significant parameter, demonstrating the highest correlation (R_p = −0.625) with egg fertility (F), was egg density (D). A similar, albeit less pronounced, relationship (R_p = −0.329) was observed between this parameter and hatchability (H). That is, eggs with low D values had a high probability of being either infertile or containing non-viable embryos. A similar relationship was tested for quail eggs from purebred breeds (English White, Radonezh, Estonian, Pharaoh, and Tuxedo), but this did not reveal such a strong relationship. The correlation between D and F was R_p = −0.313, and R_p = −0.201 between D and H. Although results from studies examining the relationship between the morphometric parameters of quail eggs and their fertility and/or hatchability can vary, this may be explained by the fact that different breeds possibly display varying correlations between oological parameters and their incubation properties. Our preliminary findings suggest that more studies are needed in large-scale trials to clarify the relationships between density and morphometrics with egg fertility and hatchability. Full article

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, is associated with monoaminergic dysfunction, neuronal damage, and gut microbiota disorders. Low molecular weight fucoidan (LMWF) is a sulfated polysaccharide extracted from Saccharina japonica (Phaeophyta), processes antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties, suggesting its potential relevance for ADHD-related pathophysiology. This study investigated the therapeutic effects of LMWF on ADHD-like symptoms in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Behavioral tests revealed that LMWF reduced hyperactivity and anxiety-related behavior in the open field test, and improved spatial memory in the Morris water maze test. LMWF treatment significantly increased dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The transcript levels of tyrosine hydroxylase (Th) and synaptosome-associated protein-25 (Snap25) were upregulated, while dopamine transport (Dat) was downregulated in the PFC. TH protein expression was elevated in the striatum (STR), and neuronal integrity was preserved in the STR and cerebellum. LMWF also reshaped gut microbiota composition and enhanced microbial diversity, contributing to improved gut-brain axis homeostasis. These findings suggest that LMWF may serve as a promising dietary intervention for ADHD through neurochemical restoration and microbiota modulation. Full article

Nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) co-management is critical for optimizing grain yield in rice. However, the interactive effects of N supply and K application timing on cultivars with contrasting N efficiencies remain poorly understood. Here, we conducted a two-year field experiment (2020 and 2021) using two japonica rice cultivars, Shennong 265 (SN265) and Meifengdao 61 (MFD61), under three N rates (180, 225, and 270 kg ha⁻¹) and three K application ratios (basal: panicle = 3:7, 5:5, and 7:3). SN265 exhibited a 20.31% higher average grain yield than MFD61, primarily attributable to increased crop growth rates during the tillering–booting (14.08%) and grain-filling–maturity phases (31.88%). Under moderate N supply (N₁₈₀ and N₂₂₅), increasing the proportion of basal K application (K_7:3) consistently improved dry matter accumulation, enzyme activity, and grain yield in both cultivars. However, under high-N conditions (N₂₇₀), excessive early-season K application reduced grain yield in MFD61 by 7.69%. For SN265, further yield improvement required an enhanced net assimilation rate during the tillering–booting phase. Although this study was conducted at a single site with only two cultivars, it provides a physiological and agronomic framework for cultivar-specific N–K co-management strategies to improve grain yield and nutrient use efficiency. Full article

Background/Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate whether maternal genetic variants previously associated with gestational duration in European-ancestry populations are associated with gestational duration in Japanese women. Methods: We analyzed 347 women with a history of delivery from a community-based cohort in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Gestational age at first delivery (weeks) was obtained from the Maternal and Child Health Handbook. Four representative maternal single-nucleotide polymorphisms were analyzed: rs2946169 near EBF1, rs2955117 in/near EEFSEC, rs12037376 in/near WNT4, and rs9861425 in/near ADCY5. Maternal genotype data were obtained from existing Japonica Array data generated as part of the Iwaki Health Promotion Project. Associations with gestational age at first delivery were tested using linear regression under an additive genetic model, adjusted for maternal age at first delivery. A Bonferroni-corrected threshold of p < 0.0125 was applied for four SNPs. Results: Mean gestational age at first delivery was 39.4 weeks. Each additional rs2946169 T allele was nominally associated with shorter gestation (adjusted β = −0.2679 weeks per allele; p = 0.021), but this association did not remain significant after Bonferroni correction. No significant associations were observed for rs2955117, rs12037376, or rs9861425. Conclusions: These findings provide suggestive evidence that maternal variation at the EBF1 locus may be related to gestational duration in Japanese women. However, the association did not remain significant after multiple-testing correction, and larger studies are needed to confirm this finding and clarify population-specific genetic effects. Full article

Boro II (BT), the first cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) system in rice, is widely used in three-line japonica hybrid rice production. Accurate detection of maintainer-seed contamination in BT-type CMS seed lots is critical for ensuring genetic purity and hybrid seed quality. In this study, we developed a SYBR Green-based quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay for the detection and quantification of maintainer-seed contamination in BT-type CMS seed lots. Maintainer-specific primers targeting a mitochondrial sequence unique to the maintainer line, together with an endogenous reference targeting a conserved mitochondrial sequence present in both maintainer and CMS lines, were validated for specificity. A standard curve was constructed using defined CMS–maintainer seed mixtures (0.1–5% contamination), and ΔCt values were converted to relative abundance (2^−ΔCt). The assay exhibited high specificity, reproducibility, and sensitivity, with a strong linear relationship between 2^−ΔCt values and actual contamination levels (R² > 0.99). Performance testing using simulated contamination samples (0.2–3.13%) demonstrated accurate quantification with acceptable recovery rates. This method provides a rapid, robust, and reliable tool for routine genetic purity testing and quality control in BT-type CMS hybrid rice seed production. Full article

Fertilizer management plays a critical role in regulating both yield and aroma quality in fragrant rice. However, the combined effects of functional fertilizers on these traits across different varieties and ecological conditions remain poorly understood. In this study, field experiments were conducted at two sites (Fumin and Dali) using two japonica fragrant rice varieties (Yunjing 37 and Liuxiangzi 1) under four fertilization treatments: T1 (conventional fertilization); T2 (compound fertilizer + silicon fertilizer); T3 (compound fertilizer + magnesium ammonium phosphate + amino acid-chelated calcium); and T4 (compound fertilizer + bio-organic fertilizer + zinc + amino acid water-soluble fertilizer). Compared with T1, silicon application (T2) significantly increased grain yield by 8.58–15.08%, primarily through synergistic increases in effective panicles and grains per panicle. Treatments T3 and T4 significantly enhanced grain 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP) content by 18.32–32.67% and increased the diversity of volatile compounds. Correlation analysis revealed that 2-AP content was positively correlated with ketones (r = 0.373, p < 0.05) and alcohols (r = 0.363, p < 0.05), and negatively correlated with aldehydes and esters. Multifactor ANOVA showed no significant variety × treatment interaction for yield or 2-AP content (p > 0.05), indicating consistent responses across varieties. These results provide preliminary evidence that silicon fertilizer serves as an effective strategy for yield improvement, while combined application of calcium, magnesium, and amino acids enhances aroma quality by promoting the accumulation of 2-APm ketones, and alcohols. However, because treatments T3 and T4 contained multiple components, the individual contributions of Ca, Mg, or amino acids cannot be isolated. Multi-year trials are required to confirm the stability of these effects, featuring a differentiated fertilization strategy—silicon for yield and medium/trace elements for aroma—applicable across varieties, with site-specific variety selection further optimizing performance. Full article

Background: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) contribute to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression and therapeutic resistance. Natural products with antioxidant and bioactive properties may offer novel strategies to suppress CSC-driven tumorigenesis. Methods: We investigated the effects of unfermented and fermented Alnus japonica bark extracts on CSC-like rG2-DC-1C cells. Cell proliferation, invasion, and xenograft tumor formation were assessed, and autophagy/apoptosis markers were analyzed. Results: Bark extracts reduced OCT4 expression, suppressed CSC proliferation and invasion, and inhibited xenograft tumor formation. Mechanistically, extracts activated BAK-dependent autophagy, evidenced by LC3B accumulation and p62 modulation, whereas diarylheptanoids Hirsutenone (Hir) and Oregonin (Ore) primarily induced apoptosis via Caspase-3 cleavage. Blocking autophagy with chloroquine or BAK knockdown reversed the anti-invasive effects of bark extracts, confirming BAK’s role in CSC suppression. Component analysis suggests quercetin contributes to autophagy induction, though synergistic effects of other constituents remain possible. Conclusions: Together, these findings indicate that Alnus japonica bark extracts suppress CSC-driven liver tumorigenesis through autophagy, while Hir and Ore act via apoptosis, highlighting complementary mechanisms that broaden the therapeutic potential of this traditional medicinal plant and support further preclinical validation. Full article

Duckweeds are minute, fast-growing monocot aquatic plants that propagate clonally and combine high biomass productivity with a valuable biochemical composition (high-quality proteins, a favorable polyunsaturated fatty acid profile, and starch-rich tissues) and efficient nutrient uptake, making them attractive for feed/food, bioenergy, and wastewater-based phyto-bioremediation. Temperature is a key factor shaping duckweed growth, and selecting clones that perform well within specific thermal ranges can improve cultivation across different applications. Here, we screened 97 clones from the genera Spirodela, Landoltia, and Lemna, including the hybrids Lemna × japonica and Lemna × mediterranea, under warm (WC; 30/25 °C) and relative cool (CC; 20/16 °C) conditions. Relative growth rate (RGR) ranged from 0.150 to 0.338 day⁻¹ under WC and from 0.113 to 0.318 day⁻¹ under CC, revealing strong interspecific and intraspecific variation. While WC generally promoted higher growth than CC, notable exceptions occurred at both interspecific and intraspecific levels. Tests under more extreme regimes (EWC; 35/30 °C; ECC; 16/12 °C) confirmed strong clone-specific responses, with some clones maintaining or improving growth under EWC relative to WC, whereas ECC generally reduced growth relative to CC. Climatic provenance was a weak predictor of performance, showing limited correspondence between RGR and mean annual temperature at the site of origin. Overall, these results highlight the value of within-species phenotyping across relevant temperature regimes to identify high-performing duckweed material for applied use. Full article