Search Results (51)

The major objective was to investigate the protective capabilities of endophytic bacterial strains isolated from a number of medicinal plant species towards Aspergillus spp. secured from the internal tissues of fungi-infected peanuts. Among 32 fungal isolates surveyed for mycotoxin production in various culture media (PDA, RBCA, YES, CA), 10 isolates qualitatively producing AFB₁, besides 10 OTA-producers, were assayed by HPLC for quantitative toxin production. Aspergillus spp. isolate Be 13 produced an extraordinary quantity of 1859.18 μg mL⁻¹ AFB₁, against the lowest toxin level of 280.40 μg mL⁻¹ produced by the fungus isolate IS 4. The estimated amounts of OTA were considerably lower and fell in the range 0.88–6.00 μg mL⁻¹; isolate Sa 1 was superior, while isolate Be 7 seemed inferior. Based on ITS gene sequencing, the highly toxigenic Aspergillus spp. isolates Be 13 and Sa 1 matched the description of A. novoparasiticus and A. ochraceus, respectively, ochraceus, respectively, which are present in GenBank with identity exceeding 99%. According to 16S rRNA gene sequencing, these antagonists labeled Ar6, Ma27 and So34 showed the typical characteristics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus velezensis, respectively, with similarity percentages of 99–100. The plant growth-promoting activity measurements of the identified endophytes indicated the production of 16.96–80.00 μg/100 mL culture medium of IAA. Phosphate-solubilizing capacity varied among endophytes from 2.50 to 21.38 μg/100 mL. The polysaccharide production pool of bacterial strains ranged between 2.74 and 6.57 mg mL⁻¹. P. aeruginosa Ar6 and B. velezensis successfully produced HCN, but B. subtilis failed. The in vitro mycotoxin biodegradation potential of tested bacterial endophytes indicated the superiority of B. velezensis in degrading both mycotoxins (AFB₁-OTA) with average percentage of 88.7; B. subtilis ranked thereafter (85.6%). The 30-day old peanut (cv. Giza 6) seedlings grown in gnotobiotic system severely injured due to infection with AFB₁/OTA-producing fungi, an effect expressed in significant reductions in shoot and root growth traits. Simultaneous treatment with the endophytic antagonists greatly diminished the harmful impact of the pathogens; B. velezensis was the pioneer, not P. aeruginosa Ar6. In conclusion, these findings proved that several endophytic bacterial species have the potential as alternative tools to chemical fungicides for protecting agricultural commodities against mycotoxin-producing fungi. Full article

Drought stress represents a prevalent environmental challenge that significantly impedes plant growth. The Chinese hog-peanut (Amphicarpaea edgeworthii Benth.), an amphicarpic legume, can produce both aerial seeds (ASs) and subterranean seeds (SSs). However, it is largely unknown whether there are differences between the seedlings from ASs and SSs in response to drought stress. In this study, the 30-day old AS and SS seedlings of A. edgeworthii are subjected to drought stress by withholding watering for five or ten days. Then, we identify the morphological and physio-biochemical characteristics of seedlings from both ASs and SSs under drought stress. Following ten days of drought treatment, the contents of proline (PRO) and malondialdehyde (MDA), the root shoot ratio, and the rate of water loss were significantly increased, whereas the chlorophyll content and the relative water content were significantly decreased in both AS and SS seedlings. Moreover, compared to AS seedlings, SS seedlings accumulated more hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) while exhibiting significantly lower peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities after exposure to ten days of drought stress. These findings indicate that SS seedlings are more susceptible to drought stress. To identify drought-associated genes and reveal the mechanisms underlying drought adaptability in AS and SS seedlings, we performed an RNA-seq-based transcriptomic analysis in AS and SS seedlings exposed to drought stress. We identified 1317 and 2029 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in AS seedlings five and ten days post-drought treatment, respectively, and 1793 DEGs in SS seedlings ten days post-drought treatment compared to the normal treatment (CK). These DEGs were commonly enriched in response-related GO terms. Furthermore, hundreds of transcription factor (TF) genes were identified among the DEGs in AS and SS seedlings after drought treatment. Notably, the ERF, bHLH, NAC, and C2H2 families were predominant in AS seedlings five days following drought treatment, while the bHLH, ERF, MYB-related, and WRKY families were prevalent in both AS and SS seedlings ten days following drought treatment. These findings suggest that the identified TFs may play crucial roles in the response of AS and SS seedlings of A. edgeworthii to drought stress. Full article

A total of 34 strains of bacteria were isolated from peanut rhizosphere soil, and all showed some in vitro inhibition of the pathogen Sclerotium rolfsii in co-culture. Strain YB-1632 produced the highest level of inhibition and also produced relatively high levels of biofilm in culture. Cell-free culture extracts and volatiles from it were also inhibitory to S. rolfsii. Based on 16S rDNA, gyrA, and gyrB sequences, it was identified as Bacillus siamensis. In the greenhouse, seed treatment resulted in a level of control of peanut sclerotium blight (PSB) comparable to that of a standard fungicide seed treatment. In addition to its antifungal activity, YB-1632 could induce disease resistance in peanut seedlings based on increasing peanut defense enzyme activities and gene expression. The priming of defense gene expression against a necrotrophic pathogen is consistent with Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR). In addition, YB-1632 produced enzyme activities in culture associated with root colonization and plant growth promotion. In the greenhouse, it increased peanut seedling growth, indicating the YB-1632 is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR). In summary, YB-1632 is a promising novel PSB biocontrol agent and PGPR of peanut. Full article

Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis), or the Inca peanut, is a promising functional food and sustainable alternative to traditional oilseed crops like soybean. Its seeds are rich in omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids, high-quality protein, and bioactive compounds, offering significant nutritional and health benefits. Moreover, sacha inchi cultivation thrives on degraded soils with minimal agrochemical input, supporting biodiversity and reducing environmental impacts. Despite its potential, its large-scale cultivation faces challenges such as genetic variability, low seed viability, and susceptibility to pests and diseases, resulting in inconsistent yields and plant quality. In vitro propagation presents a viable solution, enabling the production of genetically uniform, disease-free seedlings under controlled conditions. Successful in vitro cultivation depends on factors like explant selection, plant growth regulator combinations, medium composition, and environmental control. Advances in these techniques have improved propagation outcomes in other oilseed crops, such as enhanced germination, oil yield, and genetic stability, and offer similar opportunities for sacha inchi. By integrating in vitro and field techniques, this review highlights the potential of sacha inchi as a nutritionally rich, sustainable agricultural solution. These findings provide a foundation for advancing its cultivation, ensuring enhanced productivity, improved oil quality, and greater accessibility to its health benefits around the world. Full article

Peanut is a key cash crop worldwide, yet the limited availability of functional genes and markers for breeding hinders further progress, largely due to the lack of an efficient and user-friendly transformation system. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of nodal agroinjection, a novel transformation technique we developed for peanut, by introducing the soybean cold-tolerance gene SCTF-1. Putative transgenic seeds and seedlings were screened using genomic DNA PCR, while transgene expression was analyzed via qRT-PCR and phenotypic assessments. Southern blotting confirmed the stable integration of SCTF-1. The transgenic seedlings displayed enhanced chilling tolerance, characterized by increased proline accumulation, reduced malondialdehyde (MDA), and elevated peroxidase (POD) activity. These findings demonstrate that nodal agroinjection is an efficient and reliable approach for generating transgenic peanut and analyzing gene function. This method offers a promising alternative to conventional tissue culture-based transformation strategies. Full article

In order to solve the problems that arise from poor fruit–soil separation, a high fruit burial rate, and a high crushing rate during peanut harvesting under clay-heavy soil conditions, a multistage roller peanut harvester that is suitable for operation in these environments was designed. Considering the growth conditions of peanuts and the agronomic requirements of planting, the movement process and separation operation mechanism of the seedling and fruit–soil were analyzed, coupled with the vibrating excavation device and the conveying roller group. A dynamic model of seedling fruit–soil coupled throwing and soil collisions on the conveyor roller was constructed. The structure and maximum swing angle of the vibrating excavation device, the number of stages of the conveying roller group, the diameter of the throwing roller, and other parameters were determined through analyses. Utilizing the design results, a prototype was built, and a multifactor test for the operation parameters was carried out. The forward speed of the machine, the excavation depth, and the speed of the conveyor roller were used as the test factors. The fruit burial rate and the peanut crushing rate were used as the test indexes. The Box–Behnken test method was used to establish a regression equation between the factors and the test indexes, and the influence law of each factor on the peanut harvest index was determined. When the optimal parameters were combined, i.e., 1.0 m/s, 150 mm, and 80 r/min, the fruit burial rate and crushing rate of peanuts were 6.2% and 6.4%, respectively. The performance of the machine meets the design requirements, and our research results can provide a reference for the research of mechanized peanut harvesting technology and equipment. Full article

Water and fertilizer application strategies seriously affect the healthy growth of peanuts. The stoichiometric ratio can directly reflect the elemental requirements for crop growth, which are very important for improving fertilizer utilization efficiency. In order to investigate the response of C (carbon), N (nitrogen), and P (phosphorus) allocation pattern and stoichiometric characteristics in peanut seedlings to water and nitrogen addition, we designed a greenhouse pot experiment which had different water treatments (W1, 75–80% field capacity; W2, 45–50% field capacity) and nitrogen addition treatments (N0, 0 kg hm⁻²; N1, 90 kg hm⁻²; N2, 180 kg hm⁻²). The distribution and content changes in C, N, and P in different organs were measured and analyzed by ecological stoichiometry. The results showed that drought stress significantly increased the N or P content of different organs. The average N/P value of peanut roots treated with W2 decreased by 13.02% compared to W1. Restoring irrigation relieved this stress while reducing the C/N and C/P of roots, stems, and leaves, as well as the N/P of roots and stems. The water treatment after rehydration showed significant differences in the C/N, C/P, and N/P ratios of peanut roots. The average values of the C/N, C/P, and N/P ratios of peanut roots in W2 treatment were reduced by 13.54%, 28.66%, and 16.34%, respectively, compared to W1 treatment. On the other hand, nitrogen application significantly increased the N content of stems and leaves, while reducing C/N. On the contrary, it significantly reduced the P content of roots and stems, and increased the N/P ratio of roots, stems, and leaves. Overall, there is a significant interaction between water and nitrogen treatment on the stoichiometric characteristics of C, N, and P in different organs, with water treatment playing a dominant role. In terms of nutrient distribution in organs, the average N content in leaves is the highest. The coefficient of variation (CV) of P content is greater than that of C and N content. The CV of N content, P content, and C/N and N/P ratios of the stem are all greater than those of the roots or leaves, while the stems are more sensitive to water and nitrogen conditions. And the N and P content of roots, stems, and leaves were positively correlated. Meanwhile, peanut seedlings have the phenomenon of ionic synergism that occurs between nitrogen and phosphorus ions. In summary, studying the stoichiometric ratios can reflect the water and fertilizer demand status of peanuts, thereby better improving water and fertilizer utilization efficiency. Full article

Exploring the relationships between plant phenotypes and genetic information requires advanced phenotypic analysis techniques for precise characterization. However, the diversity and variability of plant morphology challenge existing methods, which often fail to generalize across species and require extensive annotated data, especially for 3D datasets. This paper proposes a zero-shot 3D leaf instance segmentation method using RGB sensors. It extends the 2D segmentation model SAM (Segment Anything Model) to 3D through a multi-view strategy. RGB image sequences captured from multiple viewpoints are used to reconstruct 3D plant point clouds via multi-view stereo. HQ-SAM (High-Quality Segment Anything Model) segments leaves in 2D, and the segmentation is mapped to the 3D point cloud. An incremental fusion method based on confidence scores aggregates results from different views into a final output. Evaluated on a custom peanut seedling dataset, the method achieved point-level precision, recall, and F1 scores over 0.9 and object-level mIoU and precision above 0.75 under two IoU thresholds. The results show that the method achieves state-of-the-art segmentation quality while offering zero-shot capability and generalizability, demonstrating significant potential in plant phenotyping. Full article

Aiming at the problem of the wheat straw and stubble of the previous crop blocking the opener during the operation of the summer peanut no-tillage seeder under straw incorporation modes, an oblique stubble-cutting and side-throwing anti-blocking device that can simultaneously cut the stubble and throw the straw was designed. The structure and working principle of the device were clarified, and the key structure of the anti-blocking device was designed through theoretical analysis. According to the kinematics analysis of the rotary blade cutting and throwing of the root–soil composite, the key factors affecting the operation quality of the device and the range of values were determined. The quadratic orthogonal rotation combination design test was carried out with the motion inclination angle, bending angle, and advancing velocity as the test factors, and the straw clearance rate, stubble-cutting rate, and operation power consumption as the indexes. The discrete element simulation test was carried out in EDEM. The significance test of the test results was carried out in Design-Expert, and the influence of each factor on the test index and the interaction between the factors were determined. Then the regression model was optimized by multi-objective function, and the optimal parameter combination was obtained as follows: The motion inclination angle was 22°, the bending angle was 58°, and the advance velocity was 7.7 km/h. At this time, the straw clearance rate of the seedling belt was 92.55%, the root stubble-cutting rate was 95%, and the operation power consumption was 1.80 kW. The field test shows that the machine had good passing capacity, the straw clearance rate of the seedling belt was 91.04%, the root stubble-cutting rate was 92.98%, and the operation power consumption of the single group of stubble cutting device was 1.92 kW. The difference between the field test results and the simulation test was less than 6%, which met the local agronomic requirements and proved that the anti-blocking device had good operation quality. Full article

Aiming to address the problems of poor separation of peanuts and soil and severe damage of pods during peanut harvesting in saline soil, a peanut digging and harvesting machine was designed using extrusion shaking vibration and roller extrusion. Theoretical calculations determined the structural parameters of critical components. The law of motion of the seedling soil assemblage at the stage of separation and transportation was derived by analyzing the kinematic properties. The soil extrusion vibration crushing dispersion and sieving process was analyzed, and the factors affecting soil crushing and separation were determined by establishing the extrusion collision model. One-way and orthogonal tests used soil content, breakage, and loss rates as test indicators. The orthogonal test showed that the working parameters were as follows: working speed was 0.889 m/s, the inclination angle was 21.5°, the working line speed of the sieve surface was 2.00 m/s and the roller gap of the roller squeezing device was 37 mm, the peanut harvesting rate of soil content was 1.36%, the breakage rate was 0.78%, and the loss rate was 1.15%. The paper references developing a peanut harvester for clay-heavy soil with soil separation performance improvement. Full article

This study investigated the phytotoxicity of agro-industrial wastes (almond, walnut, pistachio and peanut shells, asparagus spears, and brewer’s spent grain) and their biochar through germination bioassays in several horticultural species: green pea, lettuce, radish, and arugula. Biowaste was pyrolyzed under controlled conditions to produce biochar, and both biowaste and biochar were characterized. Germination bioassay was conducted using seeds exposed to different dilutions of aqueous extract of biowaste and their biochar (0, 50, and 100%). Germination percentage, seed vigor, germination index, and root and aerial lengths were evaluated. The results showed that the phytotoxicity of the biowaste was significantly different to that of its biochar. The biochar obtained demonstrated changing effects on germination and seedling growth. In particular, biochar extracts from spent brewers grains, walnut shells, and pistachio shells showed 5–14% increases in seed vigor and root and aerial length. Furthermore, the response of different species to both agro-industrial waste and biochar revealed species-specific sensitivity. Seeds of lettuce and arugula species were more sensitive to aqueous extracts than radish and green peas. This knowledge not only elucidates the behavior of agro-industrial waste-based biochar in the early stage of plant development but also provides valuable insights regarding phytotoxicity, seed sensitivity, and the variables involved in germination. Full article

Peanut seeds are harvested at different development stages (early and late) due to their uneven maturation. At the time of harvest, approximately 30% of the seeds are still immature, meaning they are not completely filled with compounds (e.g., oil and minerals) and exhibit reduced vigor. Hypothetically, these compounds can be detected as a “chemical fingerprinting” to classify seed maturation stages. Here, we investigated whether non-destructive techniques such as benchtop nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) can identify chemical patterns unique to mature seeds with superior vigor. Field-grown seeds were classified into early (R5 and R6) and late (R7, R8, and R9) stages. Seed weight, germination, vigor, H₂O₂, and MDA (oxidative stress) were analyzed. Oil, potassium (K), and calcium (Ca) were measured digitally using spectroscopy techniques. We found that: (i) oxidative stress and K levels were higher in seeds from the early stages; (ii) seed oil and Ca were proportional to high-vigor seedlings and successful plant establishment in the field; and (iii) the seed chemical composition could be identified autonomously with 87% to 100% accuracy. In conclusion, LIBS, ED-XRF, and NMR technologies can effectively screen peanut seeds with superior vigor through “chemical fingerprinting”. Full article

To rapidly dry peanut pods and effectively address mold issues resulting from rainy weather, this article provides an analysis of the current research status of global peanut digging, inverting, and harvesting technologies. Based on a two-stage peanut harvesting model, the operating principles of a high-quality peanut digging-inverter are elaborated upon, and the design of key machine components is discussed. The evaluation metrics for the operation of a high-quality peanut digging-inverter include the rate of vine inverting, the soil content rate, the rate of fallen pods, and the rate of buried pods. Utilizing theoretical analysis, the Box–Behnken experimental design is employed to investigate the operating parameters of these machines, with the tractor’s running speed, the linear speed of the inverting roller, and the linear speed of the conveyor chain serving as the experimental factors in a three-factor, three-level experimental study. A regression model is established to analyze the impact of each factor on operational quality and to comprehensively optimize the influencing factors. The experimental results indicate that all factors significantly affect the rate of vine inverting. The tractor’s running speed (X₁) and the linear speed of the inverting roller (X₃) significantly influence the rate of buried pods, while the linear speed of the conveyor chain (X₂) does not have a significant effect on this rate. Similarly, the tractor’s running speed (X₁) and the linear speed of the inverting roller (X₃) significantly affect the rate of fallen pods, whereas the linear speed of the conveyor chain (X₂) does not. Furthermore, the linear speed of the conveyor chain (X₂) and the linear speed of the inverting roller (X₃) significantly impact the soil content rate, while the tractor’s running speed (X₁) does not. The optimal combination of operating parameters is a tractor running speed of 1 m/s, a conveyor chain linear speed of 1.3 m/s, and an inverting roller linear speed of 2.1 m/s. Under these conditions, the high-quality peanut digging-inverter achieves a vine inverting rate of 89.29%, a buried pod rate of 0.31%, a fallen pod rate of 0.74%, and a soil content rate of 8.11%. The experimental values for each evaluation index exhibit relative errors of 1.14%, 6.45%, 1.35%, and 0.13% compared to the optimized values provided by the Design-Expert software. The findings of this research will facilitate the development of hardware conditions for the future intelligent and information-based harvesting of peanuts, thereby establishing a solid foundation for the high-quality initial processing of oilseeds. Full article

Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, has posed a serious threat to global food security since its discovery in Africa in 2016. Intercropping peanuts with maize is a very common cultivation practice, which can result in a high possibility of peanut damage by FAW. Our study investigated the feeding behavior, plant part preferences, and damage symptoms of FAW larvae on peanuts throughout the larval period, considering changes in population densities and the passage of time over the number of investigations. The results indicated that FAW larvae frequently inhabited peanut leaves, particularly the undersides of the leaves. Larvae moved from the leaves to the soil in the seedling pot to complete development. Furthermore, FAW larvae tended to feed on peanut leaves rather than stems regardless of population densities. Based on the damage symptoms, the feeding preferences of FAW larvae tended to be heart leaves, followed by mature leaves and stems. The most frequent damage symptoms caused by FAW to peanuts were “window panes”, followed by “leafless”. This study provides a reference for the integrated management of FAW in peanut fields. Full article

Aiming at the current peanut pickup combine harvester seedling vines crushing mechanism operation qualified seedling length rate is low, the impurity rate is high, and the seedling vines crushing mechanism is optimized design. On the basis of the material characteristics of peanut seedling vines, taking the crushing mechanism as the research carrier, the interaction mechanism of the seedling vine mechanism was analyzed. Establish the mechanical model and motion trajectory model in the crushing process, simulate the peanut seedling vines crushing process based on the discrete element method, analyze the influence of the cutter shaft rotational speed, movement speed, and bending angle on the crushing of peanut seedling vines, and establish the regression model, and the results of the research show that the influence factors in the main order of priority are: knife shaft speed > movement speed > bending angle The optimal parameter combination is knife shaft speed 2171.94 r/min, movement speed 0.79 m/s, and bending angle 45°. According to the field test conditions, it is determined that the knife shaft rotational speed of 2170 r/min, movement speed of 0.8 m/s, and bending angle of 45° can make the peanut seedling vines crushing mechanism of the work performance to achieve a qualified seedling length rate of 97.292%, the rate of impurity content of 2.746%, and the error with the predicted value is less than 2%, which indicates that this study can provide a reference for the optimal design of the seedling vines crushing mechanism of the peanut pickup combine harvester. Full article