Search Results (436)

Brassica napus L. is one of the world’s most important oilseed crops. Blackleg disease is a serious, yield-limiting factor in the cultivation of oilseed rape. Genetic resistance is primarily conferred by major resistance (R) genes. In this study, we analyzed the expression of the blackleg resistance genes Rlm3, Rlm4, and Rlm7 following inoculation with the Leptosphaeria maculans isolate using the RT-qPCR method. Additionally, we demonstrated and assessed their interactions. The results showed that, while Rlm3 was weakly induced, Rlm4 and Rlm7 displayed variable expression post-inoculation. The correlation between phenotypic and genotypic similarity was low. This suggests that transcriptional responses do not fully explain resistance patterns. Furthermore, significant main effects of the analyzed genes, as well as two- and three-way interactions, were indicated. These results support current knowledge of gene-mediated resistance to blackleg in oilseed rape. Full article

The increasing demand for sustainable agricultural practices has led researchers to explore alternative methods for controlling plant diseases and pests. Among these alternatives, essential oils (EOs) derived from various plant species have gained significant attention due to their broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties, which can be utilized in plant protection. Essential oils are volatile compounds that possess strong aromatic characteristics and are found in many medicinal and aromatic plants. They are known for their antifungal, antibacterial, and insecticidal activities, making them viable candidates for eco-friendly pest and disease management strategies. In this research, six essential oils—pine, patchouli, geranium, spruce, coriander, and eucalyptus oil—have been tested in vitro for controlling mycelium growth of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Botrytis cinerea, Alternaria brassicicola, and Cylindrosporium concentricum. The study also covers experiments in controlling pollen beetle and cabbage seed weevil (laboratory trials). In greenhouse conditions, the phytotoxicity of EOs to oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) and the effect of these substances on the control of cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) were also tested. The results obtained indicate a large diversity of different essential oils in terms of their action on pathogens, pests, weeds, and winter rapeseed. Differences in their effectiveness were also found, depending on the applied dose. Full article

Efficient pesticide application remains a critical resource-management challenge in modern agriculture, where limited spray penetration reduces treatment efficacy, wastes chemical inputs, and increases environmental losses. This study quantified the effect of air-assisted spraying (AAS) on droplet deposition in two contrasting field crops, oilseed rape and wheat. Field trials were conducted using a sprayer equipped with an adjustable airflow module, and spray coverage was measured with water-sensitive papers at multiple canopy heights and orientations. In oilseed rape, AAS improved deposition on front-facing and top surfaces in the lower canopy, for example, increasing top-surface coverage at 90 cm from 53.4% to 65.5% at 6 km∙h⁻¹, indicating more uniform distribution and enhanced penetration. In wheat, which typically exhibits a more open canopy structure compared to oilseed rape, AAS effects were smaller and less consistent, with the greatest gain on front-facing lower surfaces (from 13.3% to 21.9% at 7 km∙h⁻¹). Although drift was not measured in this experiment, previous studies using the same sprayer prototype demonstrated measurable reductions, supporting the environmental relevance of improved deposition. These results highlight the role of canopy architecture in determining AAS performance and underscore the technology’s potential to reduce pesticide inputs, minimize off-target losses, and improve the resource efficiency of crop protection in line with EU Farm to Fork objectives. Full article

This study investigates the biocontrol potential of Trichoderma asperellum and Coniothyrium minitans against the pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, which causes yield losses in many plants, including oilseed rape (Brassica napus) cultivation. This research emphasizes the promising alternative of hybrid control, specifically using T. asperellum and C. minitans in strategy with synthetic fungicides. In vitro experiments demonstrated that T. asperellum effectively inhibited S. sclerotiorum mycelial growth, especially when combined with synthetic fungicides such as azoxystrobin. Field trials conducted over two years revealed that pre-sowing applications of T. asperellum and C. minitans, followed by fungicide treatments during the flowering stage, significantly reduced plant infection rates and improved both yield and seed quality across different oilseed rape cultivars. The results indicated an efficacy range of 81% to 100% in controlling the pathogen and highlighted the synergistic effects of combining biological and chemical controls. Overall, the research findings support the integration of T. asperellum and C. minitans into sustainable agricultural practices for oilseed rape, offering a viable strategy to enhance disease management while reducing reliance on chemical fungicides. This research underscores the importance of adopting innovative biocontrol approaches to improve crop health and productivity. Full article

Organic amendments application has been proposed as an efficient method for remediation of heavy metals-contaminated soils. This study evaluated the performance of the water-insoluble organic material polyvinylpolypyrrolidone on decontaminating water and soil polluted by heavy metals Cu, Cd and Zn via batch trials, soil incubation and pot experiments with oilseed rape. The adsorption process of Cu, Cd and Zn by polyvinylpolypyrrolidone included a rapid step which achieved 92%, 76% and 87% of adsorption capacities within 10 min, followed with a slow step before reaching equilibrium which varied from 4 to 24 h among the three heavy metals. The maximum adsorption capacities were 327, 330 and 186 mg g⁻¹ for Cu, Cd and Zn, respectively. With application doses of polyvinylpolypyrrolidone ranging from 10 to 60 g kg⁻¹, the DTPA-extracted Cu, Cd and Zn showed 59–96%, 27–93% and 13–83% reduction compared to no addition. Moreover, the uptake of Cu, Cd and Zn by oilseed rape were significantly inhibited with polyvinylpolypyrrolidone amendments, and the effects improved with the accrual of polyvinylpolypyrrolidone. Intriguingly, the application of polyvinylpolypyrrolidone showed insignificant influences on nutrients taken up by oilseed rape. Results of the present study indicated that polyvinylpolypyrrolidone is a promising organic amendment for heavy metal (Cu, Cd and Zn) stabilization in polluted water and soil. Full article

(1) Background: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is the main causal agent of Sclerotinia stem rot in rapeseed, while the related species S. subarctica has also been reported. However, its prevalence and impact in Germany remain unclear. Understanding the pathogenicity and fungicide sensitivity of Sclerotinia spp. is important for effective and sustainable disease management. (2) Methods: Isolates were collected from symptomatic rapeseed plants across Germany. Molecular identification was performed via ITS rRNA sequencing. Pathogenicity was assessed by stem inoculation of five rapeseed cultivars at the flowering stage. Fungicide sensitivity was tested in vitro against seven active substances, including azoles, boscalid, azoxystrobin, and fludioxonil. (3) Results: All isolates were identified as S. sclerotiorum; S. subarctica was not detected. Of the tested isolates, 23 showed low aggressiveness (relative lesion length < 15% of total plant length), 29 were moderately aggressive (15–20%), and 10 were highly aggressive (>20%). Azole fungicides were highly effective (EC₅₀ < 1.6 μg a.s. mL⁻¹), while reduced sensitivity was observed for boscalid, azoxystrobin, and fludioxonil (EC₅₀ > 4.0). (4) Conclusions: This study provides insight into the molecular identity, pathogenicity, and fungicide sensitivity of Sclerotinia isolates. The observed variability in aggressiveness and mycelial growth to fungicide emphasize the need for integrated management strategies to ensure Sclerotinia stem rot control. Full article

Climate change has caused considerable uncertainty to oilseed rape production. However, the climatic suitability for oilseed rape cultivation and its future changing trend remain unclear, specifically in Jiangsu Province—a major oilseed rape producing-region in China. Based on the past 50 years (1969–2018) of daily meteorological data from 13 meteorological stations in the province, this study established a climate suitability assessment model for oilseed rape cultivation. Temperature, precipitation, and sunlight were comprehensively analyzed, with suitable zones delineated through GIS spatial analysis and the natural break method. With the incorporation of SSP2-4.5 climatic scenario simulation data, the study projected the evolving trends of oilseed rape cultivation climatic suitability zones from 2024 to 2050 in the province. The findings reveal that over the past five decades, the climatic suitability for oilseed rape planting in the province has demonstrated the following patterns: temperature suitability increased by 0.02 per decade, precipitation suitability declined by −0.01 per decade, sunlight suitability decreased by −0.01 per decade, and comprehensive suitability rose by 0.01 per decade. High climatic suitability with the index of 0.80–1.00 was predominantly clustered in the central region, while moderate suitability zones with the index of 0.50–0.80 were mainly found in its northern and southern regions. Unsuitable zones with the index of 0.00–0.50 were mainly confined to the northern and southern extremities of the province. Under future climate scenarios, oilseed rape planting suitability is projected to improve significantly, with highly suitable zones expanding, particularly into the central and parts of the northern Jiangsu. Moderately suitable zones also will be extended, including potential areas such as the parts of Lianyungang and Wuxi. Unsuitable zones will be reduced, with only limited areas like southern Wuxi retaining lower suitability. Future temperature increases in Lianyungang are expected to be in favor of oilseed rape production. However, excessive precipitation in the southern region will require enhanced drainage measures. Improved temperature and precipitation conditions in Xuzhou are anticipated to boost the climatic suitability. Overall, oilseed rape planting climatic factors in the central and northern regions are projected to improve, enabling production expansion, while the southern region will face the challenge of excessive precipitation in Jiangsu Province. Full article

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a devastating phytopathogenic fungus with global distribution, exhibits a broad host range encompassing over 700 plant species. Sclerotinia stem rot caused by this pathogen poses a significant threat to sustainable oilseed rape production. Coniothyrium minitans, a mycoparasite of S. sclerotiorum, is a promising biological control agent against this devastating disease. C. minitans-based formulations have been commercially developed for field application. A transcriptomic analysis revealed significant upregulation of the chitinase-encoding gene CmCH1 in C. minitans during interaction with S. sclerotiorum. Knockout of either CmCH1 or another chitinase-encoding gene CmCH10 in C. minitans did not markedly affect the mycelial growth, development, and parasitism of S. sclerotiorum. However, knockout CmCH1 and CmCH10 simultaneously resulted in reduced growth rate, impaired protoplast release, enhanced cell wall integrity, and diminished mycoparasitic capability. These results indicate that CmCH1 and CmCH10 collectively influence remodeling of the cell wall in C. minitans and its mycoparasitic activity. Full article

Stomatal blockers are hydrophobic polymers applied to leaves to physically block stomatal pores and restrict gas exchange, and which have potential as plant growth regulators to retard growth. Three experiments in a heated glasshouse, one sown in autumn and two sown in winter, were conducted with pot-grown rapeseed plants at the four-leaf stage to evaluate retardant potential of two bio-based polymers: di-1-p-menthene (DPM) and extracted cauliflower leaf wax. Both stomatal blockers reduced stomatal conductance and plant dry weight in the autumn-sown experiment, when solar radiation was high during leaf development and stomatal conductance of water-treated plants was relatively high. Wax was more effective than DPM at reducing plant dry weight, despite no difference in stomatal conductance. In the two winter-sown experiments, when solar radiation was lower during leaf development, stomatal conductance in water-treated plants was less than in the autumn-sown experiment. Stomatal conductance was reduced by the blockers in the winter-sown experiments, but plant dry weight was unaffected. It was concluded that stomatal blockers may have potential to act as plant growth regulators to retard growth in rapeseed, but further research is necessary to define the circumstances when a response will occur. Full article

As an important oil and vegetable crop, rapeseed is widely planted and has important economic value worldwide. Rapeseed is often threatened by various pests during its growth. In order to effectively deal with rapeseed pests, this paper proposes a lightweight method based on collaborative compression learning. This method uses YOLOv8s as the basic model, combines model structure analysis and pruning sensitivity evaluation, and implements structured pruning to compress the model size. The Logit distillation method is integrated with the improved generative distillation method MGD, and the LMGD distillation strategy is proposed to enhance the student model’s ability to fit the teacher model’s feature expression. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, we built a rapeseed pest dataset (ACEFP) and conducted experiments. The improved model achieved 96.7% mAP@0.5, 93.2% accuracy, and 92.7% recall, while the parameter size was compressed from 11.2 MB to 4.4 MB, and the FLOPs were reduced from 28.3 G to 10.01 G, which were reduced by about 60.7% and 64.6%, respectively, and the accuracy was only reduced by 0.1%. The model achieved a measured frame rate of 11.76 FPS on the Jetson Nano edge device, demonstrating excellent real-time inference performance. Full article

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a globally distributed necrotrophic pathogen with a broad host range, including many Brassicaceae crops. In 2021, white rot symptoms on cabbage were observed in 12 commercial fields in the northern part of Serbia. Twelve representative isolates of S. sclerotiorum, forming white colonies and black sclerotia, were selected for characterization and comparison with an isolate from sunflower, as the most important host plant in Serbia. The isolates showed significant variation in growth rate and sclerotia production, while ITS sequence analysis revealed the complete nucleotide identity and all isolates grouped within the major phylogenetic clade of S. sclerotiorum. Despite the low diversity of the global population of S. sclerotiorum, forty-four haplotypes were identified, with one predominant haplotype encompassing all Serbian isolates. When six Brassicaceae species (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, mustard, and oilseed rape) and sunflower were inoculated, sunflower was found to be the most and cauliflower the least susceptible, while isolates from cabbage were generally more aggressive than those derived from sunflower. This work represents the first detailed characterization of S. sclerotiorum infecting cabbage in Serbia and highlights its genetic uniformity and differential pathogenic potential, which are critical factors for integrated disease management and crop rotation planning in Brassicaceae agroecosystems. Full article

Global climate change is causing increasing fluctuations in winter temperatures, including episodes of warm conditions above 9 °C. Such events disrupt cold acclimation in plants and can induce deacclimation, reducing frost tolerance and altering, among other things, hormonal regulation. This study investigated hormonal and molecular changes associated with cold acclimation and deacclimation in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) cultivars Kuga and Thure. Plants were grown under different conditions: non-acclimated (17 °C for three weeks), cold-acclimated (4 °C for three weeks), and deacclimated (16/9 °C day/night for one week). Detailed hormone analysis included auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, stress-related hormones, and the expression of hormone-related genes (BnABF2, BnAOS, BnARF1, BnARR6, BnICS1, BnRGA, and BnWRKY57). Hormone concentrations in leaves changed dynamically in response to deacclimation with increased amounts of growth-promoting hormones and decreased amounts of stress hormones. Additionally, alterations in gene expression during deacclimation, such as in BnABF2 and BnICS1, may function as protective mechanisms to help maintain or regain frost tolerance during reacclimation when temperatures decline again after the warm period. These findings improve the understanding of hormonal and molecular responses involved in the deacclimation of oilseed rape. Full article

Soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization plays the critical role of regulating carbon sequestration potential. This process is strongly influenced by agricultural practices, particularly tillage regimes and straw management. However, the complex interactions between tillage methods, straw types, and application rates in terms of SOC dynamics, especially in semi-arid agroecosystems like eastern Inner Mongolia, remain poorly understood. In this study, we assessed the combined effects of no tillage (NT) vs. rotary tillage (RT), three straw types (maize/MS, wheat/WS, and oilseed rape/OS), and three application rates (0.4%/low, 0.8%/medium, and 1.2%/high) on SOC concentration and mineralization using controlled laboratory incubation with soils from long-term plots. The key findings revealed that NT significantly increased the SOC concentration in the topsoil (0–20 cm) by an average of 14.5% compared to that in the RT. Notably, combining NT with medium-rate wheat straw (0.8%) resulted in the achievement of the highest SOC accumulation (28.70 g/kg). SOC mineralization increased with straw inputs, exhibiting significant straw type × rate interactions. Oilseed rape straw showed the highest specific mineralization rate (33.9%) at low input, while maize straw mineralized fastest under high input with RT. Therefore, our results demonstrate that combining NT with either 0.8% wheat straw or 1.2% maize straw represents an optimal application strategy, as the SOC concentration is enhanced by 12–18% for effective carbon sequestration in this water-limited semi-arid region. Therefore, optimizing SOC sequestration requires the integration of appropriate crop residue application rates and tillage methods tailored to different cropping systems. Full article

The production of winter wheat, spring barley, spring oilseed rape, and field beans requires detailed experimental data studies to analyze the quality and productivity of spring barley grain under different cultivation and tillage conditions. As the world’s population grows, more food is required to maintain a stable food supply chain. For many years, intensive farming systems have been used to meet this need. Today, intensive climate change events and other global environmental challenges are driving a shift towards sustainable use of natural resources and simplified cultivation methods that produce high-quality and productive food. It is important to study different tillage systems in order to understand how these methods can affect the chemical composition and nutritional value of the grain. Both agronomic and economic aspects contribute to the complexity of this field and their analysis will undoubtedly contribute to the development of more efficient agricultural practice models and the promotion of more conscious consumption. An appropriate tillage system should be oriented towards local climatic characteristics and people’s needs. The impact of reduced tillage on these indicators in spring barley production is still insufficiently investigated and requires further analysis at a global level. This study was carried out at Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy (Lithuania) in 2022–2024. Treatments were arranged using a split-plot design. Based on a long-term tillage experiment, five tillage systems were tested: deep and shallow plowing, deep cultivation–chiseling, shallow cultivation–disking, and no-tillage. The results show that in 2022–2024, the hectoliter weight and moisture content of spring barley grains increased, but protein content and germination decreased in shallowly plowed fields. In deep cultivation–chiseling fields, the protein content (0.1–1.1%) of spring barley grains decreased, and in shallow cultivation–disking fields, the moisture content (0.2–0.3%) decreased. In all fields, the simplified tillage systems applied reduced spring barley germination (0.4–16.7%). Tillage systems and meteorological conditions are the two main forces shaping the quality indicators of spring barley grains. Properly selected tillage systems and favorable climatic conditions undoubtedly contribute to better grain properties and higher yields, while reducing the risk of disease spread. Full article

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (S. sclerotiorum), a necrotrophic phytopathogen, causes sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) in many crops like oilseed rape, resulting in severe economic losses. Developing eco-friendly compound fungicides has become a critical research priority. This study explored the combination of sodium selenite and cuminic acid to screen for the optimal mixing ratio and investigate its inhibitory effects and mechanisms against S. sclerotiorum. The results demonstrated that synergistic effects were observed with a 1:3 combination ratio of sodium selenite to cuminic acid. After treatment with the selenium compound agent, ultrastructural observations revealed that the hyphae of S. sclerotiorum became severely shriveled, deformed, and twisted. The agent significantly reduced oxalic acid production and the activities of polymethylgalacturonide (PMG) and carboxymethylcellulose enzymes (Cx), while increasing the exocytosis of nucleic acids and proteins from the mycelium. Foliar application of the selenium compound agent significantly reduced lesion areas in rapeseed. Combined with the results of transcriptome sequencing, this study suggests that the compound agent effectively inhibits the growth of S. sclerotiorum by disrupting its membrane system, reducing the activity of cell wall-degrading enzymes, and suppressing protein synthesis, etc. This research provides a foundation for developing environmentally friendly and effective fungicides to control S. sclerotiorum. Full article