Search Results (86)

Almond decline and dieback have become significant challenges in newly established orchards, with symptoms including internal necrosis, canker, and external gummosis. This work aims to explore the potential fungal and bacterial causative agents through metabarcoding and traditional culture plate isolation across six almond cultivars. Our results emphasize the multifactorial nature of almond decline and dieback, with possible co-infections by opportunistic fungi and bacteria playing a central role. Classical isolation identified 47 fungal species or genera, including Diaporthe amygdali, Diplodia corticola, Phytophthora sp., and several Fusarium species. Almond metabarcoding revealed a more diverse microbial community, highlighting the prevalence of soilborne pathogens such as Neocosmospora rubicola, Dactylonectria estremocensis, and Plectosphaerella niemeijerarum. Soil metabarcoding suggested that these pathogens likely originate from nursery substrates or soils shared with other crops, such as olives and vineyards, that serve as a source of inoculum. ‘Soleta’ generally presented lower richness when compared to the other tested cultivars, suggesting a higher degree of biotic stress and decreased plant resilience. This study highlights the value of integrating NGS approaches to comprehensively study complex diseases and the need for further research on pathogen interactions and cultivar susceptibility for the future development of new sustainable, targeted management strategies in almond orchards. Full article

Colibacillosis in nursery pigs, caused by Escherichia coli (ETEC, EPEC, and STEC pathotypes), remains a major economic concern in the swine industry. This study evaluated the effects of in-feed or in-water chlortetracycline (CTC) administration on the fecal prevalence of virulence genes and pathotypes associated with colibacillosis. A total of 1296 weaned piglets (21 days old) were allocated to 48 pens (16 pens/treatment; 27 piglets/pen) and assigned randomly to no CTC, in-feed CTC, or in-water CTC groups. CTC was administered from days 0 to 14. Fecal samples from five piglets per pen on days 0, 14, and 28 were enriched, screened by 11-plex PCR, cultured for pathotypes, and tested for CTC susceptibility and tetracycline resistance genes. None of the 360 fecal samples or 3267 E. coli isolates were positive for bfpA or aggA. Prevalence of estB (96.9%) and astA (92.8%) was highest. ETEC was the dominant pathotype (41.2%), with astA (29%) and estB (21.9%) as predominant enterotoxin genes. CTC administration had no significant effect on fecal prevalence of virulence genes or pathotypes (p > 0.05). stx2 and STEC were detected only at day 28, all harboring stx2e. All pathotypes were CTC-resistant, with tetA as the predominant resistance gene. Full article

Ballota acetabulosa (L.) Benth. (syn. Pseudodictamnus acetabulosus (L.) Salmaki and Siadati), f. Lamiaceae, the Greek horehound, is a compact evergreen small shrub native to Greece, with hairy grey-green leaves, that bears small pink-purple flowers with green conical calyxes along its erect stems in late spring. The species stands out for its high resistance in xerothermic conditions and therefore it is advisable to promote its use in xeriscaping. The aim of this study was to develop an efficient protocol for in vitro propagation of B. acetabulosa for introduction into the horticultural and pharmaceutical industries. Shoot tip and single node explants derived from in vitro seedlings were cultured on MS medium with various cytokinin types and concentrations. Explants responded at almost 100% to produce high number of shoots on a medium with 1.0 mg L⁻¹ zeatin or 6-benzyladenine. However, there was intense hyperhydricity in the cultures, which was addressed in further experiments by increasing agar concentration from 8 to 12 g L⁻¹, preserving high multiplication indices (92% response, 10.2 shoots per explant). Microcuttings with 2–3 visible nodes, either from the apical part, including the apical meristem, or from the basal part of microshoots, as well as microshoot clusters, rooted 100% on full- or half-strength MS medium, respectively, regardless of the addition of indole-3-butyric acid (ΙΒA, 0.5–4.0 mg L⁻¹) in the rooting medium. However, middle level concentrations of IBA increased the number and length of roots produced, while the higher its concentration, the more and longer axillary shoots developed in the microcuttings during the rooting period. The acclimatization of all plantlets was completely successful (100%) in ex vitro conditions on peat/perlite substrate (1:1, v/v). Thus, efficient methods of producing propagation material to promote Ballota acetabulosa as a horticultural and medicinal plant were developed. In particular, rooting of microshoot clusters or microcuttings without the shoot tip, in the presence of 1.0 mg L⁻¹ IBA, leads to a plant of suitable shape for the floricultural market, without the need for further manipulation (pruning) in the nursery. Full article

Biochar, a by-product of agri-food waste, has shown benefits in plant growth and soil health. However, its use in vitro remains underexplored. This study investigates the impact of biochar supplementation in the culture medium, alone or in combination, with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), on kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa), cv. Tomuri proliferation. Kiwifruit explants were cultured on media enriched with 0, 4, or 6 g/L biochar, without or with BAP (0.2 mg/L), over two subcultures (SUB1 and SUB2). Parameters such as shoot and root number and length, fresh and dry weight, as well as plantlets’ total phenolic content and antioxidant activity, were measured and analyzed. Biochar enhanced plantlets proliferation, particularly with BAP. In SUB1, at 4 g/L, biochar promoted shoot production (2.00 vs. 1.63) and their length (1.50 cm vs. 0.98), independently of the presence of BAP. The presence of biochar in the BAP-free media, favored rhizogenesis; particularly in SUB2, where on average, 5.58 roots per plantlets were recorded. Biochar increased the plantlets’ total phenolic content and antioxidant activity, especially in BAP-free media. The addition of biochar as an additive to the culture medium during the kiwifruit in vitro proliferation phase could be a breakthrough outcome for the nursery sector. Full article

The morphological characteristics and surface roughness of substrata can significantly affect the settlement behaviour of planktonic larvae and the post-settlement survival of benthic organisms, such as mussels. Despite widespread recognition of these effects on ecological and aquaculture processes, species-specific complexities and limited research hinder a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon and the potential to harness its application. In this study, the settlement of juvenile green-lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus; 0.32–3.59 mm shell length) on 42 different custom-designed artificial substrata with varied branch widths and surface microstructures were compared. Mussels smaller than 0.99 mm in shell length exhibited a clear preference for substrates with a thinner branch width (1.6 mm), wider roughness width (3.2 mm), and shorter roughness height (0.4 mm) on both V-shaped and squared-shaped surface microstructures. In contrast, for mussels larger than 1 mm, only the branch width of artificial substrata significantly influenced mussel attachment, while millimetre-scale surface features had no measurable effect. These findings indicate that, at the millimetre scale, the attachment of mussels > 1 mm does not conform to the surface contact theory, which proposes that settling organisms prefer substrates with microstructures that maximize their surface contact. Overall, a thinner branch width consistently yielded higher attachment densities, underscoring its dominant role. Our results reveal significant opportunities for optimizing the design of artificial substrata in mussel aquaculture, such as spat catching and nursery ropes, potentially improving seed collection efficiency and reducing the subsequent loss of seed mussels during their culture on mussel farms. Full article

This study explores the impact of different temperature and humidity conditions on Mulberry cutting rooting and transplanting survival rates in an aeroponically rapid propagation system. It investigates the relationship between droplet adhesion and mortality based on mildew and rot distribution in cuttings. The regulating strategies were divided into three groups: humidity, temperature, and combined humidity and temperature. The humidity group included a fixed spray frequency (H3) and fixed-range humidity conditions (H1: 90% ≤ Humidity ≤ 100% and H2: 95% ≤ Humidity ≤ 100%). The temperature group comprised room temperature (T2) and fixed-range temperature circumstances (T1: 25 °C < Temperature < 27 °C). The non-regulation group (THCK) made no particular modifications, whereas the combined temperature and humidity group (TH) maintained both temperature and humidity within a set range (90% ≤ Humidity ≤ 100% and 25 °C < Temperature < 27 °C). Moreover, the humidity control group (HCK) and the temperature control group (TCK) integrated a soil cultivation system. Then, the transplantation experiment and the droplet adhesion amount experiment were carried out. The results demonstrate that faster callus formation and rooting with aeroponic propagation, temperature and humidity regulation significantly improves root growth and survival rate. The temperature and humidity regulation group outperforms, increased callus rate, rooting rate, average root length, average root number, fresh weight, and dry weight by 30%, 25%, 4.54 mm, 1.09, 0.12 g, and 0.012 g, while reducing mortality by 20%. Conversely, soil culture showed no callus formation or rooting throughout the same timeframe. Significant (p < 0.01) differences between regulation and non-regulation groups exist in growth parameters, mortality, and transplant survival rates. All groups achieved 80–100% transplant survival, with temperature regulation enhancing hardening effects. Excessive droplet adhesion heightens the risk of mortality, with an optimal adhesion threshold of approximately 0.06444 g. This study offers valuable insights into aeroponically rapid propagation and intelligent nurseries. Full article

(1) Background: Humulus lupulus L. plants constitute a rich source of bioactive compounds. The synthesis of bioactive compounds in plants is often triggered by the activation of secondary metabolism, which can be induced by biotic or abiotic elicitors. In vitro, the effect of the elicitors can be studied in a controlled environment and in a small space, independently of seasonal variations. Cytokinins are frequently used in plant tissue culture for bud regeneration, branching and shoot elongation due to their role in cell division enhancement. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different cytokinins on the growth parameters, total (poly)phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of in vitro-grown hop plants to evaluate hop vitro-derived biomass as a potential source of bioactive compounds. (2) Methods: unimodal hop (cvs. Cascade and Columbus) explants were cultured on media enriched with four cytokinins (kinetin, 6-benzylaminopurine, meta-topolin and 6-(γ,γ-dimethylallylamino)-purine) at four concentrations. (3) Results: A genotype-dependent response to different cytokinins was encountered. (4) Conclusions Columbus explants could root in culture media auxin-free, providing valuable opportunities for commercial nurseries. Moreover, cytokinins were confirmed to be valuable elicitors to stimulate the bioactive compound biosynthesis in micropropagated hop plants, making them a precious source for various industries. Full article

Horsfieldia hainanensis is China’s second-class key protected wild plant with high scientific research, timber, and medicinal values. In this study, the SNP molecular marker technology was used to determine the genetic diversity, genetic structure, genetic differentiation, genetic relationship, and its influencing factors of H. hainanensis populations. It provided a scientific basis for the formulation of its protection strategy. The results showed that (1) the genetic diversity of H. hainanensis populations exhibited a very low level (π = 0.0011). (2) The overall genetic differentiation of H. hainanensis populations was relatively large. There was a significant genetic differentiation between Hainan populations and Guangxi and Yunnan populations on the mainland (FST = 0.556); the genetic differentiation between Guangxi and Yunnan populations was relatively smaller (FST = 0.242). There is a natural water barrier around Hainan Island that reduces the gene exchange between island populations and mainland populations. Therefore, geographical isolation is one of the main factors affecting the genetic differentiation of H. hainanensis populations (p = 0.0103 < 0.05). (3) The genetic relationship between Hainan populations and Yunnan and Guangxi populations was relatively distant, while the genetic relationship between Yunnan and Guangxi populations was relatively closer. In conclusion, it is recommended that during in situ protection, the Guangxi population with higher genetic diversity should be preferentially protected, especially the populations in NG and SL should be regarded as the key protected populations of wild populations. The gene exchange between Yunnan population (MLP) and Guangxi populations (NG, SL, DX1, and DX2) should be enhanced by means of artificial pollination in different localities. During ex situ protection, the germplasm resource collection work of the population (NG, SL) with higher genetic diversity should be carried out preferentially. The technical research on tissue culture and rapid propagation should be actively carried out. A germplasm resource nursery should be established. The individuals should be planted according to provenance and family, but the planting distance between individuals can be appropriately reduced to increase the gene exchange between individuals and make up for the defects during in situ protection. Full article

The costly production of live microalgal feed prevents the inclusion of an extended nursery phase in bivalve aquaculture. One method of feeding juvenile bivalves that has received minimal attention is the use of dissolved nutrients to reduce the reliance on live microalgae as a sole feed input. This study aimed to determine whether dissolved sucrose could work as a supplement to live microalgae. Two different concentrations of dissolved sucrose (i.e., 100 μg mL⁻¹ and 1 mg mL⁻¹) were each provided daily for 2 h and 4 h to juvenile Greenshell^™ mussels as a supplement to a diet of live microalgae. The growth and survival of the mussels were measured over three weeks. All combinations of sucrose concentrations and exposures improved the growth of spat compared with the control without sucrose. However, the best-performing spat were provided with a concentration of 1 mg mL⁻¹ of dissolved sucrose for an exposure time of 4 h, which induced 57% greater spat growth daily compared with the control diet. The mussel spat supplemented with dissolved sucrose also accumulated greater carbohydrate content compared with those in the control treatment, indicating they were in greater nutritional condition. This demonstration that dissolved sucrose can significantly improve the growth and nutritional composition of mussel spat over periods as short as 2 h shows promise for the commercial application of sucrose as low-cost supplementary feed in bivalve nurseries. Full article

Eucalyptus cloeziana is an important, fast-growing, precious timber species in southern China, with tissue culture being the primary method for its propagation. However, the declining proliferation coefficient of adventitious shoots with multi-generation culture is a major constraint on its rapid propagation. This study aims to address this issue through the selection of suitable explants and optimizing the plant growth regulators’ formulation during the process of shoot proliferation. In this study, we cut shoots from the 21st generation of the tissue-cultured seedlings of ‘Chuanlinzhen 7523’ into apical, middle, and basal sections, and we measured their content of endogenous hormones. The proliferation coefficient (PC) and growth coefficient (GC) of explants under different concentrations of plant growth regulators were analyzed and ranked using the PCA method. The results indicated that the shoot basal sections were the best for proliferation when treated with 0.40 mg/L BAP (6-benzylaminopurine), 0.20 mg/L NAA (naphthaleneacetic acid), and 0.20 mg/L TDZ (thidiazuron), yielding a PC of 4.7 and a GC of 4.1. These basal sections ranked first with a rooting rate of up to 80%. When the rooted plantlets were acclimatized in the nursery, a survival rate of 100% was achieved. This protocol—from proliferation to acclimation—effectively improves the propagation efficiency of E. cloeziana ‘Chuanlinzhen 7523’ after multi-generation propagation. Full article

Allées used to be the essential artistic tools and indispensable parts of the strictly architectural, formal Baroque gardens. Beyond the practical purposes of edging paths and garden ways for walking, hunting, or horse and carriage riding, allées played a vital role in marking visual and landscape connections and thus the spatial projection of the noble estate, its wealth, and social rank. In Historical Hungary, Baroque architecture and garden art appeared in German-Austrian and French examples in the 18th century. The Széchenyi Linden Allée is an outstanding linear garden space of Baroque Garden art at Nagycenk, West Hungary. The generous composition, created by the prominent Count Széchenyi family in the mid-18th century, has remained a magnificent entity in the landscape ever since. Despite barely two hundred years of detected or unknown environmental or habitat changes, as early as 1942, the allée received a nature conservation nomination. More than a half-century later, in 2002, the allée became a historical and landscape aesthetical heritage within the Fertő-Hanság Cultural Landscape World Heritage site. Unfortunately, the once magnificent tree lines have severely eroded in recent decades due to mature trees’ subsequent death, inadequate replacement, lack of regular maintenance and tree care, and effects of climate change. In recent years (2011, 2018), landscape and horticultural analyses and visual and instrumental tree assessments were performed to help the conservation and rebirth of the allée, maintain the mature trees, and restore the landscape within a long-term renewal plan. Along with the 2018 survey and plan, the short-term maintenance works were completed in 2019–2020. This study, based on site surveys in 2022 and 2024, aims to identify the results of the primary management, analyses the vitality of mature trees after crown reductions, and then proposes a resilient and sustainable regeneration method with the habitat, cultural, natural, and genetic heritage, and the feasible maintenance contexts in focus. As proposed in the 2018 plan, the reproduction of mature trees started in 2020 and resulted in well-developing grafts for a later allée restoration. Due to the challenges of climate change, the regeneration project requires a special, long-term restoration management plan with a special focus on the still vital and possible remaining mature trees, the well-growing individuals from previous replanting, and the nursery school seedlings conserving the genetic heritage of the Széchenyi lime trees with long-viability capacity. Full article

Aim: We aimed to explore whether there is an association between maternal perceived infant discomfort due to suggestive gastrointestinal alterations and oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) through a survey. Materials and Methods: The present study included two main phases involving Portuguese-speaking parents with full-term infants aged 2–12 weeks old who were not previously hospitalized in a neonatal nursery. First, the original French Infant Colic Questionnaire (ColiQ) was translated, cross-culturally adapted and validated to Portuguese (ColiQ-PT). Then, a survey was distributed, and included sociodemographics, the ColiQ-PT, an oral health value scale, OHRQoL, self-perceived periodontal status, and smoking and oral health habits. Data were analyzed through inferential, correlation and multivariate logistic models in this cross-sectional study. Results: The ColiQ-PT revealed reliability and validity. From a total of 421 responses, higher infant discomfort was correlated with less maternal professional dental care prioritization (ρ = −0.096, p < 0.05). Self-perceived periodontitis correlated with all items of OHRQoL (p < 0.001), all seven OHIP-14 domains, and with the physical (p < 0.001), psychological (p = 0.006), and social (p = 0.011) super-domains. While the infant-related score was associated with baby age (p = 0.023) and physical pain (p = 0.040) related to OHRQoL, the parent score was associated with education (p = 0.005), unemployment (p = 0.035), and physical pain (p = 0.017). The total ColiQ-PT score was significantly associated with more deteriorated social disability related to maternal OHRQoL (ρ = −0.130, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Perceived infant discomfort seems to be linked to maternal deteriorated OHRQoL. This finding highlights the importance of prioritizing oral health in postpartum care. Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms underlying this association and to develop targeted interventions. Full article

Codium tomentosum holds a variety of bioactive compounds, high nutritional value and health benefits, which makes it a valuable natural resource for the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Currently, C. tomentosum is farmed at a small-scale targeting niche markets, and further expansion of production is limited by a lack of optimised propagation and cultivation methods. This study aims to identify the conditions required to control key production parameters including gametogenesis, gamete release and suitable culture conditions for the early stages of development of C. tomentosum. Wild specimens of C. tomentosum were collected on the Aguçadoura shore, north of Portugal. Gametogenesis was successfully induced in infertile specimens cultured under a short-day photoperiod (8 h:16 h; L:D). Gamete release was optimised through a combination of hydric shock and ultrasounds, with the highest gamete yield obtained after a 2 h 30 min desiccation period, followed by re-hydration and a series of three ultrasounds. Germlings, precursors of the adult C. tomentosum, grew faster when cultured under a lower light intensity (20 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) compared to higher intensities (40 and 60 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) in every light spectrum; additionally, the growth of germlings exposed to the lowest light intensity was significantly higher under white, red and green light spectra compared to blue light. The results on key production parameters constitute an important contribution to the establishment of nursery protocols based on sexual reproduction for aquaculture of the species. Full article

With the rapid development of ecological agriculture and organic products, there is an urgent need to reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides by producing bio-nursery substrates containing multifunctional microbial communities. In this study, beneficial Pseudomonas strains were screened from the rhizosphere of muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) pre-inoculated with Bacillus velezensis R1-3. The ability of the strain to dissolve phosphorus and produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), the effect of the strain on seed germination rate, and the antagonism with R1-3 were determined. Four strains of beneficial Pseudomonas strains that had no antagonistic effect against R1-3 were obtained and formed a Bacillus–Pseudomonas community. The seedling effect of biological substrates containing the Bacillus–Pseudomonas community was evaluated using a seedling pot experiment and a pot experiment. The results showed that the phosphorus solubilization range of all Pseudomonas strains was 86.32–459.48 mg L⁻¹ and the IAA production range was 2.98–11.86 mg L⁻¹. There was a significant negative correlation between the amount of phosphorus dissolved in the fermentation solution and pH. Combined with the results of the seed germination rate and antagonism test, the strains R1-3 + HY-S7, R1-3 + HY-S25, R1-3 + HY-S36, and R1-3 + HY-S70 were selected for the seedling pot experiment and the pot experiment. The results of the two-season seedling culture and two-season pot experiments showed that the bio-nursery substrates containing the bacterial community R1-3 + HY-S70 significantly promoted the growth of muskmelon seedlings, improved plant height, maximum leaf length, and fresh weight, and were significantly better than single bacterial and control treatments at increasing plant height and fresh weight. Finally, the bacterial community R1-3 + HY-S70 was established as the optimal combination for developing biological seedling substrates. Based on 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis, the strain HY-S70 was preliminarily identified as Pseudomonas moraviensis. Full article

Orchids are crucial for the horticulture industry. Mycorrhizal fungi benefit crops by improving nutrition, plant growth, and disease resistance. However, the mycorrhizal association of horticultural hybrid orchids is poorly understood. To address this, we investigated mycorrhizal colonization in the entire root system and assessed the mycorrhizal community using a Dendrobium cultivar, D. Stardust ‘Firebird’, obtained from three nurseries. Additionally, we isolated and tested mycorrhizal fungi in symbiotic culture to assess their role in the seed germination and growth of Dendrobium species. All plants were colonized by mycorrhizal fungi, with a higher colonization rate in mature than in juvenile plants. Molecular identification of mycorrhizal fungi by Sanger and high-throughput sequencing revealed that the cultivar was associated with a phylogenetically diverse group of fungi, including mycorrhizal fungi from Tulasnellaceae, and several wood-decaying fungi. The Tulasnellaceae isolates significantly enhanced the seed germination of three Dendrobium species and increased the survival rate and growth of asymbiotic seedlings of D. moniliforme. This study is the first comprehensive examination of mycorrhizal associations in horticultural orchid hybrids, providing valuable insights for commercial production. Full article