Search Results (291)

Insect pests cause severe damage and yield losses to many agricultural crops globally. The use of chemical pesticides on agricultural crops is not recommended because of their toxic effects on the environment and consumers. In addition, pesticide toxicity reduces soil fertility, poisons ground waters, and is hazardous to soil biota. Therefore, applications of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are an alternative, eco-friendly solution to chemical pesticides and mineral-based fertilizers to enhance plant health and promote sustainable food security. This review focuses on the biological and ecological aspects of these organisms while also highlighting the practical application of molecular communication approaches in developing a novel plant health product. This insight will support this innovative approach that combines PGPR and EPNs for sustainable crop production. Several studies have reported positive interactions between nematodes and bacteria. Although the combined presence of both organisms has been shown to promote plant growth, the molecular interactions between them are still under investigation. Integrating molecular communication studies in the development of a new product could help in understanding their relationships and, in turn, support the combination of these organisms into a single plant health product. Full article

Pimelea is one of the highly toxic plants in Australia, particularly affecting cattle. It contains simplexin, a potent toxin that can cause Pimelea poisoning (St. George Disease) in livestock. A survey was conducted to assess the current impact of Pimelea on livestock production, pasture systems, and financial losses among agricultural producers. In addition, information was also sought about the environmental conditions that facilitate its growth and the effectiveness of existing management strategies. The survey responses were obtained from producers affected by Pimelea across nine different Local Government Areas, through three States, viz., Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia. Pimelea was reported to significantly affect animal production, with 97% of producers surveyed acknowledging its detrimental effects. Among livestock, cattle were the most severely affected (94%), when compared to sheep (13%), goats (3%), and horses (3%). The presence of Pimelea was mostly observed in spring (65%) and winter (48%), although 29% of respondents indicated that it could be present all year-round under favorable rainfall conditions. Germination was associated with light to moderate rainfall (52%), while only 24% linked it to heavy rainfall. Pimelea simplex F. Muell. was the most frequently encountered species (71%), followed by Pimelea trichostachya Lindl. (26%). Infestations were reported to occur annually by 47% of producers, with 41% noting occurrences every 2 to 5 years. Financially, producers estimated average annual losses of AUD 67,000, with 50% reporting an average of 26 cattle deaths per year, reaching up to 105 deaths in severe years. Some producers were spending up to AUD 2100 per annum to manage Pimelea. While chemical and physical controls were commonly employed, integrating competitive pastures and alternative livestock, such as sheep and goats, was considered as a potential management strategy. This study reiterates the need for further research on sustainable pasture management practices to reduce Pimelea-related risks to livestock and agricultural production systems. Full article

Allium ursinum (wild garlic) has long been collected and consumed as food and medicine in the north temperate zone, where its popularity is growing. Colchicum autumnale and Convallaria majalis contain toxic alkaloids. Their habitats overlap, and without flowers, their vegetative organs are similar. Confusing the leaves of Colchicum or Convallaria with the leaves of wild garlic has repeatedly led to serious human and animal poisonings. Our goal was to find a histological characteristic that makes the separation of these leaves clear. We compared the anatomy of foliage leaves of these three species grown in the same garden (Debrecen, Hungary, Central Europe). We used a bright-field microscope to characterize the transversal sections of leaves. Cell types of epidermises were compared based on peels and different impressions. We established some significant differences in the histology of leaves. The adaxial peels of Allium consist of only “long” cells without stomata, but the abaxial ones show “long”, “short” and “T” cells with wavy cell walls as a peculiarity, and stomata. Convallaria and Colchicum leaves are amphystomatic, but in the case of Allium, they are hypostomatic. These traits were confirmed with herbarium specimens. Our results help to clearly identify these species even in mixed, dried plant material and may be used for diagnostic purposes. Full article

Foodborne diseases are the most common causes of illness worldwide. Bacterial pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, are often involved in foodborne disease and pose a serious threat to human health. S. aureus is commonly found in humans and a variety of animal species. Staphylococcal enteric disease, specifically staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP), accounts for numerous gastrointestinal illnesses, through the contamination of food with its enterotoxins, and its major impact on human health imposes a heavy economic burden in society. Commonly, antibiotics and antimicrobials are used to treat SFP. However, a range of complications may arise with these treatments, impeding the control of S. aureus diseases specifically caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Natural alternative options to control S. aureus diseases, such as bacteriophages, plant-based antimicrobials, nanoparticle-based or light-based therapeutics, and probiotics, are promising in terms of overcoming these existing problems as they are environmentally friendly, abundant, unlikely to induce resistance in pathogens, cost-effective, and safe for human health. Recent findings have indicated that these alternatives may reduce the colonization and infection of major foodborne pathogens, including MRSA, which is crucial to overcome the spread of antibiotic resistance in S. aureus. This review focuses on the present scenario of S. aureus in foodborne disease, its economic importance and current interventions and, most importantly, the implications of natural antimicrobials, especially probiotics and synbiotics, as alternative antimicrobial means to combat pathogenic microorganisms particularly, S. aureus and MRSA. Full article

This study assessed the host plant selection behavior of female stalk-eyed flies (SEFs) or Diopsis apicalis, where a Y-tube olfactometer was used to compare SEF attraction to the odor of leaves from four rice varieties (ITA306, WAB56-104, CG14, and RAM55). Another step of the evaluation consisted of pairing leaf odors from two rice varieties. Also, potted plants of the tested varieties were displayed in a screened cage and submitted to female SEF selection. The results indicated that the odor produced by leaves from rice varieties CG14, WAB56-104, and ITA306 significantly attracted SEFs, at rates of 81%, 70%, and 97%, respectively, while SEF females were rarely attracted by the odor of leaves from the resistant rice variety RAM55, at a rate of 35%. The results suggested that the use of a Y-tube olfactometer was similar to the use of a screened cage. The resistance exhibited by rice variety CG14 against SEFs is related to an antibiosis interaction acting as bait, while that in RAM55 is an antixenosis one. Farmers can plant the traditional CG14 variety on the edge of rice fields to draw SEFs and poison their larvae. However, RAM55 can be inserted in an intercropping system to repel SEFs from laying eggs. The authors recommend CG14 and RAM55 as candidates for breeding to create resistant lines against SEF. Full article

Several plants produce toxic and hallucinogenic metabolites, posing risks when misused due to a lack of botanical knowledge. Improper or accidental use of these plants poses a public health risk and has been associated with forensic cases involving poisoning, suicide, or drug-facilitated crimes. This review identified eight species of forensic interest that grow in southern Chile and analyzed their active compounds, mechanisms of toxicity, and documented clinical and legal cases. These selected species included both native and introduced taxa, whose main toxic agents are tropane alkaloids (atropine, scopolamine), piperidine (coniine), taxane pseudoalkaloids, and natural opiates (morphine, codeine). Most reported cases involved unintentional poisoning, mainly in children, highlighting the lack of regulation and awareness. This review revealed the need for improved forensic and clinical documentation of plant-based intoxications in Chile and greater public education regarding the toxicological risks posed by these botanical species. Full article

The increasing global discovery of plant species presents both opportunities and challenges, particularly in distinguishing between beneficial and poisonous varieties. While computer vision techniques show promise for classifying plant species and predicting toxicity, the lack of comprehensive datasets including images, scientific names, descriptions, local names, and poisonous status complicates these predictions. In this paper, we propose an Explainable Deep Inherent Learning approach that leverages advanced computer vision techniques for effective plant species classification and poisonous status prediction. The proposed Deep Inherent Learning method was validated using different explanation techniques, and Explainable AI (XAI) was employed to clarify decision-making processes at both the local and global levels. Additionally, we provide visual information to enhance trust in the proposed method. To validate the efficacy of our approach, we present a case study involving 2500 images of 50 different plant species from the Arabian Peninsula, enriched with essential metadata. This research aims to reduce the incidence of poisoning from harmful plants, thereby benefiting individuals and society. Our experimental results demonstrate strong performance, with the XAI model achieving accuracy, Precision, Recall, and F1-Score of 0.94, 0.96, 0.96 and 0.97, respectively. By enhancing interpretability, our study fosters greater trust in AI-driven plant classification systems. Full article

Plant–endophyte symbioses are widespread in grasslands. While symbiotic interactions often provide hosts with major fitness enhancements, the role of the endophyte Alternaria oxytropis, which produces swainsonine in locoweeds (Oxytropis and Astragalus spp.), remains enigmatic. We compared endophyte-infected (E+) and endophyte-free (E−) plants of three main Chinese locoweed species (O. kansuensis, O. glabra, and O. ochrocephala) under controlled conditions, and analyzed environmental factors at locoweed poisoning hotspots for herbivores. The results demonstrated significant species-specific effects: E+ plants of O. glabra and O. ochrocephala exhibited 26–39% reductions in biomass, net photosynthetic rate, and stomatal conductance, with elevated CO₂ levels, while O. kansuensis showed no measurable impacts. Swainsonine concentrations were 16–20 times higher in E+ plants (122.6–151.7 mg/kg) than in E− plants. Geospatial analysis revealed that poisoning hotspots for herbivores consistently occurred in regions with extreme winter conditions (minimum temperatures ≤ −17 °C and precipitation ≤ 1 mm during the driest month), suggesting context-dependent benefits under abiotic stress. These findings suggest that the ecological role of A. oxytropis may vary depending on both host species and environmental context, highlighting a trade-off between growth costs and potential stress tolerance conferred by A. oxytropis. The study underscores the need for field validation to elucidate the adaptive mechanisms maintaining this symbiosis in harsh environments. Full article

Poisoning and suffocation accidents occurred frequently in the pre-treatment pool workshops of biogas plants, so this paper provided a multi-dimensional risk analysis model: Bow-Tie-Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)-Bayesian Neural Network-Consequence Simulation. First, the reasons for biogas poisoning and suffocation accidents were clarified through Bow-Tie. Then, the QCA method explored the accident cause combination paths in management. Next, the frequency distribution of biogas poisoning and suffocation accidents in the pre-treatment pool workshop was predicted to be 0.61–0.66 using the Bayesian neural network model, and the uncertainty of the forecast outcome was given. Finally, the ANSYS Fluent 16.0 simulation of biogas diffusion in three different ventilation types and a grid-independent solution of the simulation were conducted. The simulation results showed the distribution of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide gases and the hazards of the three gases to workers were analyzed. In addition, according to the results, this paper discussed the importance and necessity of ventilation in pre-treatment pool workshops and specified the hazard factors in biogas poisoning and suffocation accidents in the pre-treatment pool workshops. Some suggestions on gas alarms were also proposed. Full article

Yellow stunt and root rot causes premature degradation of Astragalus adsurgens grasslands in China. However, the etiological factors underlying livestock poisoning following the ingestion of diseased plants remain elusive. The present study aimed to comprehensively characterize the alterations in toxic substances such as swainsonine and trace element profiles in A. adsurgens after infection with Alternaria gansuense, thereby elucidating the underlying mechanisms of livestock toxicity. Using ELISA and regression analyses, we found that diseased plants had higher selenium levels than the healthy ones, with varietal differences. Selenium in the Zahua variety was higher in healthy plants, while diseased plants of the Henan variety had the highest levels. Moreover, the diseased plants demonstrated decreased levels of iron, zinc, sodium, and magnesium, while manganese and calcium concentrations remained unchanged. Swainsonine was detected in both the healthy and infected specimens of Zhongsha No.1 and Henan varieties, with a marked post-infection increase. In conclusion, swainsonine is the primary toxin causing livestock poisoning, and it is unlikely that soil-accumulated selenium poisons animals. However, potential correlations might exist among the contents of selenium, sodium, and swainsonine. We recommend the cautious use of diseased A. adsurgens as livestock feed. Full article

Oxalis pes-caprae is one of the most widespread invasive plants in the Mediterranean areas, especially in central and southern Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia. It is an herbaceous species of South African origin, very common in uncultivated areas, in meadows, and at the edges of roads but also in vegetable gardens and fields, where it can become a weed. Its negative impact on the economic sector is significant due to the presence of large quantities of oxalates, which are toxic and dangerous for grazing livestock; the ingestion of high amounts of oxalates causes the accumulation of oxalate crystals, which can lead to kidney failure and anuria. This work represents a descriptive, field-based case report of epidemiological relevance, describing two cases of acute and chronic poisoning by Oxalis pes-caprae found in two different sheep farms in southern Sardinia. In February 2024, the sudden death of about 40 animals was reported in a sheep farm. On another farm, seven animals died (between March and July 2024), while others showed poisoning symptoms such as weight loss, submandibular edema, and a barrel-shaped abdomen. This manuscript aims to highlight the damage caused by poor attention in pasture management and the importance of seasonal risk management; it is necessary to pay attention to the herbaceous species present in pastures, especially in our region, where climatic temperatures no longer respect seasonality and herbaceous species that normally grow in spring are easily found also in the winter months. Full article

Some species belonging to the genus Palicourea (Rubiaceae) are known to cause poisoning in production animals on Brazilian rural properties, being responsible for negatively affecting the livestock sector of the country. In this context, the present study aimed to review reports of spontaneous and experimental poisoning in ruminants caused by Palicourea species in different regions of Brazil. The documents were retrieved from various databases, covering the period from the first report published in 1986 to April 2025. Palicourea aeneofusca, Palicourea colorata (Syn. Psychotria colorata), Palicourea grandiflora, Palicourea hoffmannseggiana (Syn. Psychotria hoffmannseggiana), Palicourea marcgravii, and Palicourea violacea (Syn. Psychotria capitata) have been identified as causes of spontaneous poisoning in the following Brazilian states: Pernambuco, Sergipe, Paraíba, Goiás, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Tocantins, Rondônia, and Distrito Federal. In general, Palicourea species cause sudden death in poisoned animals, especially P. marcgravii. Although cattle are more susceptible to poisoning by these plants, there are reports of cases in sheep, goats, and buffalo. Sodium monofluoroacetate occurs in Palicourea species and has been well reported as the main compound responsible for cases of poisoning in these animals. Despite epidemiological evidence of spontaneous poisoning cases in Brazil, the species P. colorata, P. grandiflora, P. hoffmannseggiana, and P. violacea have not yet been experimentally tested for their toxic potential, and studies of this nature are necessary. Full article

Due to their secondary metabolite content, plant extracts are an alternative method for controlling pathogenic organisms in agriculture and post-harvest operations. Botrytis cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae are among the causative agents of diseases and losses in agricultural production. The species Larrea tridentata is abundant in the arid and semi-arid zones of Mexico and has no defined use; however, it contains secondary metabolites with microbicidal potential that could aid in biological control and enhance its harvest status. Growth inhibition (halo) of B. cinerea and P. syringae was evaluated by applying alcoholic extract of L. tridentata leaves at doses of 50, 100, 250, 500, 750, 1000, and 2000 µg mL⁻¹ in vitro, using poisoned medium and potato dextrose agar for the fungus and the agar well method for the bacteria, in a completely randomized design with five replicates. The flavonoids quercetin, apigenin, narigenin, kaempferol, and galangin were identified as possible agents of microbicidal activity. The extract inhibited the growth of B. cinerea from 100 µg mL⁻¹ and completely inhibited it with 1000 and 2000 µg mL⁻¹. For P. syringae, inhibition was observed from 250 µg mL⁻¹, demonstrating that the higher the concentration, the greater the growth inhibitory effect. The secondary metabolite content of the L. tridentata extract is sufficient to have an impact on microorganisms with economic impact in agriculture. Full article

The nature and epidemiology of plant intoxications are still not well understood, with recent data being limited. The present study aims to report cases of plant poisoning in the clinical practice of the Clinical Toxicology Department at the Naval Hospital—Varna, Bulgaria, over a 20-year period (2003–2023). A documentary retrospective analysis of the hospitalized cases of poisoning with poisonous plants and their grouping into toxidromes was performed. During the study period, patients with plant poisoning admitted to our hospital unit accounted for 0.35% of a total of 12,857 hospitalized individuals. The distribution across the toxidromes based on clinical presentation revealed the highest frequency of anticholinergic, cyanogen, and ricin toxidromes. The majority of the intoxications resulted from unintentional exposure to plant toxins in adult individuals. Most cases followed a mild to severe clinical course, with patient discharge occurring between 2 and 5 days. No fatalities were recorded, thanks to the reported treatment methods. A relatively low incidence of plant-related poisonings was observed, with their predominant manifestations affecting the gastrointestinal, nervous, and cardiovascular systems. Increased reporting of epidemiological data and clinical experiences in the management of plant intoxications would substantially enhance researchers’ understanding of them and facilitate the development of a standardized treatment protocol. Full article

Botrytis cinerea is a major fungal pathogen causing significant economic losses in grapevines worldwide. To address the environmental concerns associated with overreliance on synthetic fungicides, this study investigated the antifungal efficacy of varying concentrations of pyroligneous acid (PA) (0, 2, and 4%) compared to a commercial fungicide (Switch^®) against B. cinerea in grapevines (Vitis vinifera ‘Himrod’), as well as its physiological and biochemical responses. Our preliminary in vitro assays using the poisoned food method showed that PA significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited B. cinerea mycelial growth by approximately 0.70-, and 1-fold, respectively, compared to the 0% PA during the three weeks of observation. The results also demonstrated that the 2% PA and 4% PA treatments, as well as the Switch^® application, significantly (p < 0.05) reduced average lesion length by 0.19-, 0.52-, and 0.85-fold, respectively, compared to the untreated plants with Botrytis alone. Both the 4% PA and Switch^® significantly (p < 0.05) increased the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystems II (F_v/F_m) and potential photosynthetic capacity (F_v/F_o) by approximately 0.02-fold and 0.1-fold, respectively, compared to the untreated plants with Botrytis alone. The 2 and 4% PA treatments also increased total carotenoids and flavonoids. Further molecular studies are recommended to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the observed physiological and biochemical changes. Full article