Search Results (118)

Urochloa brizantha (Brizantha) is cultivated under varying altitudinal and management conditions. Twelve full-sun (monoculture) plots and twelve shaded (silvopastoral) plots were established, proportionally distributed at 170, 503, 661, and 1110 masl. Evaluations were conducted 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 days after establishment. The conservation and integration of trees in silvopastoral systems reflected a clear anthropogenic influence, evidenced by the preference for species of the Fabaceae family, likely due to their multipurpose nature. Although the altitudinal gradient did not show direct effects on soil properties, intermediate altitudes revealed a significant role of CaCO₃ in enhancing soil fertility. These edaphic conditions at mid-altitudes favored the leaf area development of Brizantha, particularly during the early growth stages, as indicated by significantly larger values (p < 0.05). However, at the harvest stage, no significant differences were observed in physiological or productive traits, nor in foliar chemical components, underscoring the species’ high hardiness and broad adaptation to both soil and altitude conditions. In Brizantha, a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in stomatal size and density was observed under shade in silvopastoral areas, where solar radiation and air temperature decreased, while relative humidity increased. Nonetheless, these microclimatic variations did not lead to significant changes in foliar chemistry, growth variables, or biomass production, suggesting a high degree of adaptive plasticity to microclimatic fluctuations. Foliar ash content exhibited an increasing trend with altitude, indicating greater efficiency of Brizantha in absorbing calcium, phosphorus, and potassium at higher altitudes, possibly linked to more favorable edaphoclimatic conditions for nutrient uptake. Finally, forage quality declined with plant age, as evidenced by reductions in protein, ash, and In Vitro Dry Matter Digestibility (IVDMD), alongside increases in fiber, Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), and Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF). These findings support the recommendation of cutting intervals between 30 and 45 days, during which Brizantha displays a more favorable nutritional profile, higher digestibility, and consequently, greater value for animal feeding. Full article

Inselbergs are rocky outcrops with specialized vegetation, including woody species growing in poorly developed soils. We investigated whether populations of the lithophytic tree Pseudobombax petropolitanum A. Robyns (Malvaceae), a key species endemic to Atlantic Forest inselbergs, have convergent or divergent patterns of functional traits related to leaf chemistry. This study was carried out on three inselbergs located in southeastern Brazil. Green and senescent leaves from nine healthy trees and soil samples were collected in each inselberg. The carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium concentrations, and the natural abundances of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N, were measured in leaves and soil, and the C/N, C/P, and N/P ratios were calculated. The specific leaf area (SLA) was measured, and the nutrient retranslocation rate between green and senescent leaves was estimated. Divergences between populations were observed in the concentrations of potassium and magnesium in the green and senescent leaves, as well as in the C/P and N/P ratios in senescent leaves. Our results suggest that nutrient and water dynamics may differ in some inselbergs due to specific nutrients or their relationships, even though there were convergences in most functional traits related to leaf chemistry among the Pseudobombax populations. The divergences among the populations could have important implications for species selection in the ecological restoration context. Full article

A simple and fast analytical method was developed and applied to assess the effect of two forms of zinc fertilization on a pecan tree cultivar in Uruguay: fertigation and foliar application with a specially formulated fertilizer. Zinc content was determined in 36 leaf samples from two crop cycles: 2020–2021 and 2021–2022. Fresh samples were dried, ground, and sieved. Analytical determinations were performed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS, considered a standard method) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDXRF, the proposed method). In the first case, sample preparation was carried out by microwave-assisted digestion using 4.5 mol L⁻¹ HNO₃. In the second case, pellets (Φ 13 mm, 2–3 mm thick) were prepared by direct mechanical pressing. Figures of merit of both methodologies were adequate for the purpose of zinc monitoring. The results obtained from both methodologies were statistically compared and found to be equivalent (95% confidence level). Based on the principles of Green Analytical Chemistry, both procedures were evaluated using the Analytical Greenness Metric Approach (AGREE and AGREEprep) tools. It was concluded that EDXRF was notably greener than FAAS and can be postulated as an alternative to the standard method. The information emerging from the analyses aided decision-making at the agronomic level. Full article

The textile industry encounters serious environmental challenges from wastewater with persistent organic pollutants, demanding sustainable solutions for remediation. Herein, we report a novel green synthesis of flexible BiOBr@PZT nanocomposite membranes via electrospinning and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) for visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation. The hierarchical structure integrates leaf-like BiOBr nanosheets with PAN/ZnO/TiO₂ (PZT) nanofibers, forming a Z-scheme heterojunction. This enhances the separation of photogenerated carriers while preserving mechanical integrity. SILAR-enabled low temperature deposition ensures eco-friendly fabrication by avoiding toxic precursors and cutting energy use. Optimized BiOBr@PZT-5 shows exceptional photocatalytic performance, achieving 97.6% tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) degradation under visible light in 120 min. It also has strong tensile strength (4.29 MPa) and cycling stability. Mechanistic studies show efficient generation of O₂⁻ and OH radicals through synergistic light absorption, charge transfer, and turbulence-enhanced mass diffusion. The material’s flexibility allows reusable turbulent flow applications, overcoming rigid catalyst limitations. Aligning with green chemistry and UN SDGs, this work advances multifunctional photocatalytic systems for scalable, energy-efficient wastewater treatment, offering a paradigm that integrates environmental remediation with industrial adaptability. Full article

The present study aims to evaluate the mechanical properties, colorimetric characteristics, and decay resistance of Pinus elliottii woods treated with oxides synthesized via green chemistry. For this purpose, an aqueous extract from Eucalyptus dunnii leaves was used to synthesize particles based on copper- and zinc-based oxides, as well as a binary oxide system (CuO/ZnO). Sodium polyacrylate was employed as a dispersant, impregnating the oxides into the wood through a horizontal autoclave using a modified Bethell process, assisted by a compressor, applying a pressure of 0.8 MPa for 30 min. The exposure to weathering aging did not significantly alter the mechanical properties of the samples, but it caused the leaching of particles from the treated wood surface, as shown by colorimetric results. Regarding the decay resistance, the copper-based oxide proved to be the most effective treatment against Trametes versicolor (a white-rot fungus), reducing mass loss down to 1.2%. The CuO/ZnO formulation reduced the mass loss caused by Gloeophyllum trabeum to 1.1%, while the zinc oxide showed minimal efficacy. Thus, oxides synthesized via green chemistry using aqueous leaf extracts and mild thermal conditions for synthesis and calcination proved effective in enhancing the wood resistance against biotic deterioration agents. Full article

Dendrochemistry was applied to a small town, Taylorville, Illinois, which has a superfund site and apparently more cases of cancer than expected based on background rates. As an ecologic study, dendrochemistry is not intended to unequivocally associate particular elements to specific illnesses, but rather dendrochemistry serves more generally to characterize changes in element availability through time, which then might lead to follow-up epidemiological studies. In Taylorville, multiple elements measured in decadal chunks of tree rings of 12 trees showed no trend though time going back several decades. This non-result is important, demonstrating that element concentrations can remain constant across tree rings. By contrast, multiple other elements showed an uptick in concentration beginning by about 2000. Some of these elements are known to be harmful to human health, while others are not. More broadly, it could be of interest to consider increases through time in multiple metals as a combined burden in public health. Spatially, tree sampling for dendrochemistry is often not dense enough to isolate sources of element availability. Other techniques of environmental monitoring exist for elucidating spatial patterns of elements, and leaf surface chemistry is recommendable as a companion technique for dendrochemistry to discover spatial and temporal environmental patterns. Full article

Analyzing the nutritional and defensive chemistry of Quercus rugosa provides insight into gall wasp interactions. Quercus rugosa is the most widely distributed white oak species in Mexico. It is the dominant canopy species in its geographic distribution range and has the largest number of associated gall wasp species (Cynipidae: Cynipini). Our main aims were to characterize the nutritional and defensive chemistry of Q. rugosa leaves and determine whether this chemistry differed between leaves with and without galls. We evaluated 60 trees from six populations of Q. rugosa in central Mexico. For each tree, we analyzed the nutritional chemistry (nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, and carbon/nitrogen ratio) and defensive chemistry (secondary metabolites). Also, we characterized the community of cynipids in the leaf tissue of each tree. We documented 18 cynipid species, and the cynipid communities differed in composition among localities. We recorded the presence of a total of ten phenolics. The composition of nutritional and defensive chemicals differed significantly between leaves with and without galls in each locality. The nutritional and defensive chemical compounds of Q. rugosa were influenced by their associated cynipids. Our results suggest that gall-inducing cynipids influence the production of secondary metabolites in leaves with galls through the reassignment of nutritional compounds by the hosts. Full article

Litter decomposition is a fundamental ecological process that drives nutrient cycling and energy flow. However, little is known about the elevational patterns of this process in different stages. We established ten sites on Dongling Mountain in Beijing, China, to investigate the elevational patterns of oak leaf (Quercus liaotungensis) decomposition, as well as the underlying mechanisms. Our results revealed distinct elevational patterns of litter decomposition in different stages. There was no significant altitudinal pattern in the mass loss of Q. liaotungensis leaves at the 2nd, 4th, and 6th months of decomposition. By the 16th month, the mass loss decreased significantly along the elevation gradient (p = 0.008). By the 28th month, a reverse pattern emerged, with greater mass loss observed at higher elevations (p < 0.001). A similar change also took place in the altitudinal pattern of the abundance of invertebrates within the litter bag, which was lower at higher elevations at the 16th month (p = 0.002), but higher at higher elevations at the 28th month (p = 0.002). In addition, we examined the elevational patterns of carbon and nitrogen concentrations in different stages. The results of the structural equation model revealed that the invertebrate abundance at the 4th month influenced the litter residues at the 16th month (p < 0.001), yet nitrogen content at the 16th month affected litter residues at the 28th month(p < 0.001). This study provides novel insights into the temporal dynamics of litter decomposition along an elevational gradient and highlights the underlying mechanisms by which litter chemistry and biological factors regulate this process. Full article

The guava tree (Psidium guajava L.) is a tropical plant from the Myrtaceae family. Leaf extracts from this plant have been used in traditional medicine to treat gastrointestinal disorders and exhibit several functional activities that benefit human health. Different varieties of guava trees produce fruits in colors ranging from white to red and present a characteristic metabolic profile in both their leaves and fruits. This study presents a metabolomic characterization of the leaves from two guava varieties: the Caxcana cultivar with yellow fruits and the S-56 accession with pink fruits. Metabolite profiling was conducted using Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) on methanol extracts, followed by multivariate statistical analysis, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and a heat map visualization of compound concentrations in the two varieties. The results identified β-caryophyllene as the major secondary metabolite present in both varieties, with a relative abundance of 16.46% in the Caxcana variety and 23.06% in the S-56 cultivar. Furthermore, in silico analyses, such as network pharmacology and molecular docking, revealed key interactions with proteins such as CB2, PPARα, BAX, BCL2, and AKT1, suggesting potential therapeutic relevance. These findings highlight the pharmacological potential of guava leaf metabolites in natural product chemistry and drug discovery. Full article

Cotton biomass residues consist of an important portion of the agricultural byproducts. In this work, we systematically analyzed and compared the morphology and thermal properties of nine cotton biomass byproducts. The unique tubular and/or porous morphology of some samples (e.g., main stems, branch stems, and petioles) implied their structural advantage in the development of electric supercapacitors and pollutant absorbents. The higher heating values of the nine samples ranged between 17 and 20 MJ kg⁻¹, higher than some of the other common agricultural byproducts (e.g., rice husk and sugarcane bagasse). The moisture content showed a positive correlation (p > 0.05) to the dehydration temperature of the differential scanning calorimetric plots. The residual char after thermogravimetric analysis could be separated into a high-yield cluster (34.4–26.6%) of leaf blades, bracts/peduncles, burrs, defatted meal, and petioles, and a low-yield cluster (20.5–13.6%) of main stems, branch stems, cotton gin waste, and cottonseed hull. These observations and data are useful for a better understanding of the fundamental chemistry of cotton biomass byproducts. Growing knowledge is useful for improving their recycling strategies and may shed light on the exploration of new value-added products or applications from these cotton biomass byproducts for a circular economy with sustainable agriculture. Full article

The breadth and depth of plant leaf metabolomes have been implicated in key interactions with plant enemies aboveground. In particular, divergence in plant species chemical composition—amongst neighbors, relatives, or both—is often suggested as a means of escape from insect herbivore enemies. Plants also experience strong pressure from enemies such as belowground pathogens; however, little work has been carried out to examine the evolutionary trajectories of species’ specialized chemistries in both roots and leaves. Here, we examine the GCMS detectable phytochemistry (for simplicity, hereafter referred to as specialized volatile metabolites) of the tropical tree genus Protium, testing the hypothesis that phenotypic divergence will be weaker belowground compared to aboveground due to more limited dispersal by enemies. We found that, after controlling for differences in chemical richness, roots expressed less structurally diverse compounds than leaves, despite having higher numbers of specialized volatile metabolites, and that species’ phylogenetic distance was only positively correlated with compound structural distance in roots, not leaves. Taken together, our results suggest that root specialized volatile metabolites exhibit significantly less phenotypic divergence than leaf specialized metabolites and may be under relaxed selection pressure from enemies belowground. Full article

An eco-friendly approach was used to fabricate zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using thyme, Thymus vulgaris L., leaf extract. The produced ZnO nanoparticles were characterized by XRD and SEM analysis. The ZnO NPs showed remarkable adsorption efficiency for tetracycline (TC) from water systems, with a maximum removal rate of 95% under optimal conditions (10 ppm, 0.10 g of ZnO NPs, pH 8.5, and 30 min at 25 °C). The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-2nd-order model, and the adsorption process fitted the Temkin isotherm model. The process was spontaneous, endothermic, and primarily chemisorptive. Quantum chemistry calculations, utilizing electrostatic potential maps and HOMO-LUMO gap analysis, have confirmed the stability of the TC clusters. This study suggests that green synthesis using plant extracts presents an opportunity to generate nanoparticles with properties suitable for real-world applications. Full article

Plants are able to produce various types of crystals through metabolic processes, serving functions ranging from herbivore deterrence to photosynthetic efficiency. However, the structural analysis of these crystals has remained challenging due to their small and often imperfect nature, which renders traditional X-ray diffraction techniques unsuitable. This study explores the use of Microcrystal Electron Diffraction (microED) as a novel method for the structural analysis of plant-derived microcrystals, focusing on Armeria maritima (Milld.), a halophytic plant known for its biomineralisation capabilities. In this study, A. maritima plants were cultivated under controlled laboratory conditions with exposure to cadmium and thallium to induce the formation of crystalline deposits on their leaf surfaces. These deposits were analysed using microED, revealing the presence of sodium chloride (halite), sodium sulphate (thénardite), and calcium sulphate dihydrate (gypsum). Our findings highlight the potential of microED as a versatile tool in plant science, capable of providing detailed structural insights into biomineralisation processes, even from minimal and imperfect crystalline samples. The application of microED in this context not only advances the present understanding of A. maritima’s adaptation to saline environments but also opens new avenues for exploring the structural chemistry of biomineralisation in other plant species. Our study advocates for the broader adoption of microED in botanical research, especially when dealing with challenging crystallographic problems. Full article

Given the current importance of using biochar for water treatment, it is important to study the physical–chemical properties to predict the behavior of the biochar adsorbent in contact with adsorbates. In the present research, the physical and chemical characteristics of three types of biochar derived from banana leaves were investigated, which is a poorly studied raw material and is considered an agricultural waste in some Latin American, Asian, and African countries. The characterization of non-modified biochar samples pyrolyzed at 300, 400, and 500 °C was carried out through pH, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and specific surface area measurements. The adsorption properties of banana leaf-derived biochar were evaluated by ammonium ion adsorption experiments. The results demonstrated that the pyrolysis temperature has a large impact on the yield, structure, elemental composition, and surface chemistry of the biochar. Biochar prepared at 300 °C is the most efficient for NH₄⁺ adsorption, achieving a capacity of 7.0 mg of adsorbed NH₄⁺ on each gram of biochar used, while biochar samples prepared at 400 and 500 °C show lower values of 6.1 and 5.6 mg/g, respectively. The Harkins–Jura isotherm model fits the experimental data best for all biochar samples, demonstrating that multilayer adsorption occurs on our biochar. Full article

In this study, we analysed the potential use of dried strawberry leaves and calyces for the production of nanoparticles using inorganic iron compounds. We used the following iron precursors FeCl₃ × 6H₂O, FeCl₂ × 4H₂O, Fe(NO₃)₃ × 9H₂O, Fe₂(SO₄)₃ × H₂O, FeSO₄ × 7H₂O, FeCl₃ anhydrous. It was discovered that the content of polyphenols and flavonoids in dried strawberries and their antioxidant activity in DPPH and FRAP were 346.81 µM TE/1 g and 331.71 µM TE/1 g, respectively, and were similar to these of green tea extracts. Microimages made using TEM techniques allowed for the isolation of a few nanoparticles with dimensions ranging from tens of nanometres to several micrometres. The value of the electrokinetic potential in all samples was negative and ranged from −21,300 mV to −11,183 mV. XRF analyses confirmed the presence of iron ranging from 0.13% to 0.92% in the samples with a concentration of 0.01 mol/dm³. FT-IR spectra analyses showed bands characteristic of nanoparticles. In calorimetric measurements, no increase in temperature was observed in any of the tests during exposure to the electromagnetic field. In summary, using the extract from dried strawberry leaves and calyxes as a reagent, we can obtain iron nanoparticles with sizes dependent on the concentration of the precursor. Full article