Search Results (22,336)

North African oases constitute critical socio-ecosystems characterised by complex agro-biodiversity and millennia of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Nevertheless, such fragile landscapes are confronted with mounting pressures from climate change and an-thropogenic activities driven by agri-industrial modernisation. This systematic review, executed in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, appraises the contemporary state of scientific literature concerning agrobiodiversity and local knowledge in North African oases, with the objective of identifying evolutionary trends and crucial research gaps. A comprehensive search of the Web of Science database yielded a substantial corpus of 270 studies, which were subsequently subjected to a rigorous, standardised analysis to ascertain the reliability and validity of the results. The results obtained demonstrate a significant structural imbalance in the distribution of research efforts. Geographically, there is a notable concentration of studies in the Maghreb region (Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco), which collectively account for over 80% of the extant literature. In contrast, the Sahelo-Saharan arc remains significantly under-researched. The thematic orientation of re-search remains predominantly reductionist and species-centric, with a preponderance of studies focused on date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) and conventional agronomy. This narrow focus obscures the functional intricacies of the three-tiered stratified system and its agropastoral interconnections. Moreover, although the need to assess landscape degradation and knowledge erosion is urgent, the integration of geospatial technologies (GIS), accounting for a mere 1.5% of studies, with ethnobotanical approaches remains marginal. The necessity for a paradigm shift is emphasised by these findings. It is essential that future research adopts transdisciplinary frameworks, which should integrate advanced geospatial monitoring with the socio-economic revitalisation of TEK. This transition is required to occur from a utilitarian perspective to holistic, locally grounded conservation strategies. The latter should ensure the long-term resilience of such agroecosystems. Full article

This study evaluated the microbial strain Bacillus VWC18, isolated from waste vegetable compost, as a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) for two high-value ornamental crops: poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) and cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum). Identified as Bacillus haynesii, the strain VWC18 showed robust phosphate, potassium, and zinc solubilization, siderophore production, and indole-3-acetic acid synthesis, with γ-hemolytic biosafety confirmation. Greenhouse trials evaluated its biostimulant activity by comparing control plants (three cultivars of each species) under standard commercial protocols with those receiving B. haynesii VWC18 via sub-irrigation. Treated poinsettias exhibited 90% greater fresh foliar weight in white cultivars and over 50% increased root biomass, while red varieties produced twice as many pigmented bracts. Cyclamen nearly doubled fresh leaf and root weight. Photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, and carotenoids) approximately doubled in both species. Anthocyanin content increased significantly in red and orange poinsettia bracts and red/violet cyclamen flowers. Quantitative PCR, targeting soil eubacteria, confirmed an increase of rhizosphere communities, with bacterial populations rising from ~5 × 10⁵ to 1–2.6 × 10⁷ CFU g⁻¹ soil. B. haynesii VWC18 enhances vegetative growth and aesthetic quality through phytohormone production, nutrient mobilization and rhizosphere modulation, offering a strategy for sustainable input solutions in greenhouse floriculture while maintaining marketable quality. Full article

During the growing season 2018–2019, a total of 199 tomato and 21 pepper asymptomatic and symptomatic samples were collected from different major regions of Saudi Arabia. Using the general Norgen Kit and universal Pospi1-RE/Pospi1-FW primers for Pospiviroid RT-PCR detection, only seven tomato samples and three pepper samples were positive, which amplified the PCR products with the expected sizes of ~364 bp and /~350 bp respectively, confirming the presence of at least one of the nine Pospiviroid species. The PCR amplified products were sent for sequencing, and the results confirmed the presence of tomato apical stunt viroid (TASVd) and pepper chat fruit viroid (PCFVd). However, further confirmation was conducted using specific primers for TASVd and PCFVd that amplify the complete genome. One positive TASVd Saudi isolate was selected to evaluate the severity and symptom responses to mechanical inoculation of four tomato cultivars that are often grown in greenhouses. According to the data obtained, each cultivar exhibited a significant change in each metric. The studied cultivars’ plant heights did not differ significantly from one another. The greatest decrease in vegetative dry weight (39.3%) was observed in the Newton cultivar; with just a 6% decrease in comparison to the healthy controls, the Alindi cultivar was the least impacted. With a 90.2% decrease in fruit output when compared to its untreated control, the Newton cultivar was the most impacted; meanwhile, with a 49.1% decrease in fruit output, the Irit cultivar was the least impacted. The infection of viroids and their economic impact on commercial tomato cultivars have been discussed. Full article

Severe environmental contamination from accumulated phosphorus tailings and their low recycling rate remain critical bottlenecks in solid waste treatment. Furthermore, geopolymers fabricated using single or binary solid wastes generally suffer from insufficient mechanical properties and poor durability, while their synergistic activation mechanisms have not been fully clarified. To address these issues, this study developed a binary geopolymers composite using phosphorus tailings and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) as raw materials through alkali activation (sodium hydroxide and water-glass), and prepared a ternary geopolymers composite incorporating fly ash. The effects of solid waste blending ratios on flowability, compressive strength, drying–wetting and freeze–thaw resistance as well as drying shrinkage were systematically investigated, and the synergistic geopolymerization mechanism was characterized by SEM-EDS, XRD and FTIR. Experimental results show that the binary system achieves optimal performance at 40% GGBS substitution, yielding a 28-day compressive strength of 23.4 MPa with lower shrinkage and better anti-damage capacity than pure phosphorus tailings specimens. Introducing 20% fly ash into the optimized binary system forms a ternary geopolymer with a 28-day strength of 37.8 MPa, rising by 61.5%. Its drying shrinkage, mass loss from drying–wetting cycles and freeze–thaw erosion are separately reduced by 33.3%, 39.5% and 40.0%. Microscopic analyses verify that GGBS and fly ash collaboratively provide active Ca, Si and Al species to stimulate abundant C-S-H gel formation and compact the matrix microstructure. This ternary geopolymer realizes efficient collaborative utilization of three industrial solid wastes, providing theoretical support and technical guidance for large-scale resource utilization of phosphorus tailings and the fabrication of geopolymer construction materials. Full article

Opuntia stricta is a highly invasive cactus species that threatens arid and semiarid ecosystems worldwide. We identified the optimal species distribution model (SDM) to predict its global habitat suitability using three hierarchical frameworks: climate only, climate with soil, and climate with soil and human influences. Among five modeling algorithms, Maximum entropy (MaxEnt) showed the highest predictive performance, supporting its use as the primary habitat-suitability model. Habitat suitability was driven mainly by climatic variables, with precipitation of the driest month, isothermality, and potential evapotranspiration contributing 30.7%, 26.7%, and 18.3%, respectively, whereas soil and human factors made smaller contributions. Biome-level analysis revealed that Mediterranean ecosystems exhibited the highest proportional habitat suitability (48.5%). The climate-only model predicted 7.35% of global land as suitable, which decreased by 34% after soil and human variables were incorporated. Native-introduced niche-overlap analysis further showed that additional environmental predictors refined environmental niche characterization across modeling scenarios. These findings highlight the importance of integrating multiple environmental predictors to improve habitat-suitability predictions and provide a robust framework for supporting the management of O. stricta and other invasive plant species worldwide. Full article

Aquatic vegetation is critical for maintaining water quality, dissolved oxygen levels, and suitable habitats for crabs in aquaculture ponds. However, traditional manual surveys for monitoring aquatic plant growth and identifying invasive weeds are inefficient, labor-intensive, and prone to subjective errors. To address these limitations, this study proposes an integrated framework combining unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), remote sensing, and deep learning (DL) for pixel-level monitoring of aquatic plants in crab ponds. High-resolution UAV RGB and multispectral (MS) images were collected by a drone in Changxing County, Zhejiang Province, China. A specialized dataset was constructed, including cultivated Elodea canadensis and Hydrilla verticillata and two dominant invasive weed species (Alternanthera philoxeroides and Lemna minor). Next, an improved U2Net was designed to fuse the RGB-MS images and provide more detailed information. We also propose a SAM-based model, PondSAM, which integrates three modules: (1) a multiscale vision transformer encoder, (2) a self-generated prompt module, and (3) a multilayer aggregation decoder. The Pond-SAM results are relatively better than those of other state-of-the-art methods (e.g., SAM), achieving a Dice score of 0.865, an mIoU score of 0.858, and a recall score of 0.907. Additionally, the proposed method has been tested on the dataset with different light intensities and training ratios, and its reliability was verified. This study confirms that UAV remote sensing combined with deep learning provides a rapid, nondestructive, large-scale solution for aquatic plant monitoring and invasive weed identification in crab ponds, supporting precision aquaculture and ecological regulation. Full article

Stoichiometry provides an integrative framework for evaluating nutrient dynamics in plantation ecosystems. However, whether stand-age-related changes in leaf–litter–soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry are consistent among plantation types remains unclear. Using a space-for-time substitution approach, we quantified C, N, and P concentrations, mass-based stoichiometric ratios, and leaf N and P resorption efficiencies across five species-specific stand age classes in Eucalyptus robusta, Pinus massoniana, and Cunninghamia lanceolata plantations in subtropical China. Stand-age-related patterns differed markedly among the three plantation types. In E. robusta, leaf N and P concentrations and soil total P generally decreased with stand age, whereas leaf C:P and soil C:P and N:P increased, with no significant age-related changes in N or P resorption efficiency (NRE and PRE). In P. massoniana, leaf nutrient concentrations, stoichiometric ratios, and resorption efficiencies remained relatively stable, whereas litter C and N varied nonmonotonically and soil organic C (SOC) and soil C:N and C:P peaked in the mature stand. In C. lanceolata, increasing N resorption efficiency was accompanied by declining litter N and P concentrations and increasing leaf N:P, litter C:N, C:P, and N:P, and soil N:P. These findings reveal plantation-type-specific shifts in nutrient distribution and conservation during stand development. Full article

The Myrica L. genus represents a group of plants commonly known as actinorhizal plants, which have been used as food, medicine, and natural dyes. This article aims to systematically review the available recent scientific evidence identified through a defined search strategy on the phytochemical, physical, and nutritional characteristics of the fruits and leaves of the species from the Myrica L. genus. The search was conducted across three databases, following the Preferred Reporting of Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis statement guidelines. Studies published in English, as open-access articles, between 2014 and 2024, and addressing the aim of the review were included, resulting in 16 eligible articles. Concerning the physicochemical characteristics of the fruits, the research indicates variability among species and within the same species. The nutritional results are limited, with one study reporting carbohydrates and proteins as the main macronutrient components–79.84% and 25.02% respectively–in Myrica esculenta fruits, although with limited interpretation. Furthermore, numerous phytochemicals have been identified and quantified, some with reported biological activities. For example, myricetin concentrations in Myrica rubra fruits ranged from 0.002 to 1.27 mg/g. In conclusion, this review highlights the nutritional and phytochemical potential of Myrica L. species and the wide range of chemical compounds reported, while acknowledging the limited number of studies and the methodological heterogeneity, among other limitations. Full article

Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) is an important industrial oil crop worldwide. In China, western Jilin Province represents a major production region for this species, where spring drought severely constrains its yield and quality.This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate drought resistance in castor bean and explore its underlying mechanisms. A total of 40 common castor bean germplasms in Jilin Province were used as materials. Seedling drought resistance was evaluated using 25% polyethylene glycol (PEG) simulated drought stress, and agronomic traits were assessed under natural drought field conditions. Based on these evaluations, eight drought-tolerant and eight drought-sensitive germplasms were selected. Physiological indices and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) were performed on the drought-tolerant genotype Baibi 22 and the drought-sensitive genotype Nongxuan 1. The 40 germplasms were classified into three drought resistance categories: drought-tolerant (8), moderately drought-tolerant (24), and drought-sensitive (8). Under 25% PEG stress, chlorophyll content decreased continuously, while peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were higher than in the control, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content showed a unimodal increase. RNA-seq was used to identify 94 consistently differentially expressed genes (uDEGs) between the two germplasms at 3 and 7 days after stress, which were enriched in calcium signaling, redox balance, antioxidant stress, and the proteolytic ubiquitination pathway. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) verification confirmed the reliability of the RNA-seq results. This study screened elite drought-tolerant castor bean germplasms and identified 17 key genes related to abiotic stress regulation, providing germplasm resources and a molecular basis for improving abiotic stress resistance in castor bean through gene editing or molecular breeding. Full article

Intermuscular bones (IBs) are spicule-like, ossified structures located in the myosepta of muscles on either side of the vertebrae that are unique to several orders of teleost fishes, including Order Characiformes, for which research on the characteristics of IBs is limited. We investigated the morphologies and numbers of epineural and epipleural IBs in five characiform fishes: common wolffish/taíra Hoplias malabaricus (Family Erythrinidae), blackfin pacu/tambaqui Colossoma macropomum (Serrasalmidae), three-spot leporinus/piau-três-pintas Leporinus friderici (Anostomidae), flannel-mouthed characiform/grumatã Prochilodus vimboides (Prochilodontidae), and saguiru Cyphocharax modestus (Curimatidae). In addition, we characterized the ontogenetic formation of IBs in C. macropomum, examining cleared and stained juveniles at different developmental stages. The effects of species, intermuscular bone type, IB series, body side, and their interactions were assessed using a zero-inflated generalized linear model. The results revealed differences in the number, shape, and distribution of intermuscular bones (IBs) among species and morphological types. All seven previously reported types of IBs in characiforms were observed, along with three newly identified shapes. The total number of IBs ranged from 242 to 304 across the respective species. In juvenile C. macropomum, mineralized IBs were first detected at approximately 15 mm total length, after the main axial skeleton was already formed. Early IBs first appeared as simple elements and progressively acquired bifurcated morphologies during development, with “Y”-shaped IBs becoming evident in later juvenile stages. Full article

As a typical turbid-water reef coral, Turbinaria peltata shows strong tolerance to high temperature and sediment disturbance, yet its basin-scale niche drivers and glacial distribution dynamics across the Indo-West Pacific remain unclear. Here we constructed optimized MaxEnt models using 322 independent distribution points and 21 non-collinear marine environmental variables for modern and Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) scenarios. The model average test AUC reached 0.9874, showing excellent predictive performance. Water depth acted as the most influential predictor in the model (contribution = 44.76%), followed by distance to land and warm-season sea temperature; habitat suitability had an extremely weak linear correlation with depth (R² = 0.05), consistent with a strongly nonlinear response along the depth gradient. Modern suitable habitats are mainly concentrated in Southeast Asia and northern Australia, with the South China Sea at the species’ northern margin. Massive shelf exposure during the LGM severely shrank its range, and three potential glacial refugia (northeastern Australia, Madagascar coast, Red Sea–Gulf of Aden) were identified. These refugia may have maintained coral populations through glaciation and contributed to the present-day biogeographic patterns of this species. Our findings provide quantitative spatial evidence for targeted conservation of nearshore stress-resistant corals under climate warming. Full article

Durian cultivation has become a key development industry in China in recent years, and durian root rot (DRR) constitutes a major threat to production. In this study, symptomatic root and stem base tissues and leaves were systematically collected from the main durian-producing regions of China, yielding 202 fungal and oomycete isolates. Isolates were identified based on morphological characterization and multi-locus phylogenetic analysis. Fusarium spp. and Phytophthora spp. were the most frequently recovered taxa, accounting for 39.11% and 16.34% of the isolates, respectively. Koch’s postulates confirmed Phytophthora palmivora and the Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC) as the causal agents. In controlled co-inoculation experiments, simultaneous inoculation with both pathogens resulted in a shorter latent period and increased disease severity compared with single inoculations, indicating a potential interaction that warrants further investigation. Fungicide sensitivity assays showed that P. palmivora was sensitive to oxathiapiprolin, mandipropamid, fluopicolide, and chlorothalonil, while metalaxyl-M, mancozeb, cymoxanil, and propamocarb hydrochloride showed poor inhibitory activity. FIESC exhibited sensitivity to tebuconazole, fludioxonil, and pydiflumetofen but was insensitive to difenoconazole, mefentrifluconazole, and phenamacril. Oxathiapiprolin and azoxystrobin mixed at ratios of 1:13.8 and 1:10.5 produced pronounced synergistic effects against P. palmivora, with synergy ratios of 3.57 and 2.91 and co-toxicity coefficients of 357.98 and 291.08. This study compared three application methods (root drenching, trunk painting, and trunk injection) of fungicides and identified root drenching as the most effective strategy. Subsequent pairwise screening of eight combinations, composed of four anti-oomycete fungicides (oxathiapiprolin, mandipropamid, fluopicolide, azoxystrobin) paired with two anti-fungal fungicides (tebuconazole, fludioxonil), was conducted via 0.2 L root drenching. Among them, the tebuconazole-azoxystrobin combination offered the highest control efficacy (98.95%), whereas tebuconazole-mandipropamid exhibited the lowest. Further ratio optimization of the tebuconazole-azoxystrobin mixture, performed using a reduced application volume of 0.1 L per plant, identified a 1:2.36 ratio as the most effective formulation, providing 94.65% control. Overall, this work clarifies the pathogen complex associated with DRR in China, provides preliminary evidence for enhanced disease severity during co-inoculation of P. palmivora and FIESC, and identifies optimized fungicide combinations and application methods under greenhouse conditions. These results provide a foundation for further field validation and for the development of integrated management strategies. Full article

Biochar was synthesized through high-temperature pyrolysis, and a biochar-supported nitrogen and sulfur co-doped BiOBr (BC/N,S-BiOBr) photocatalyst was successfully prepared via a one-step solvothermal method, which was applied for the degradation of tetracycline (TC), a widely detected representative antibiotic pollutant, in aqueous solution. This study systematically investigated the effects of catalyst type, initial solution pH, catalyst dosage and initial TC concentration on the photocatalytic degradation process. The experimental results showed that the as-prepared BC/N,S-BiOBr composite exhibited a flower-like nanosphere morphology, characterized by a more complete three-dimensional hierarchical structure, larger specific surface area and suitable optical absorption band, which endowed the composite with significantly improved visible-light absorption capability. Under the optimized reaction conditions (pH = 5, catalyst dosage of 0.7 g/L, initial TC concentration of 10 mg/L), the degradation efficiency of TC over BC/N,S-BiOBr reached 98% after 50 min of visible-light irradiation. In situ electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy combined with radical quenching experiments confirmed that the modified composite contained abundant oxygen vacancies, and the main reactive species governing TC degradation were identified as photogenerated holes (h⁺), hydroxyl radicals (·OH) and superoxide radicals (·O₂⁻), with their contribution to TC degradation following the order of h⁺ > ·OH > ·O₂⁻. In summary, by converting municipal sludge into biochar-supported N,S-BiOBr photocatalyst, the modified BC/N,S-BiOBr composite exhibits faster photocatalytic reaction kinetics and higher tetracycline removal efficiency compared with pristine BiOBr, while simultaneously enabling waste resource recovery, solar energy exploitation, and water purification, thereby comprehensively promoting sustainable development in terms of environmental remediation, resource circulation, and low-carbon operation. Full article

Background: Calcineurin B-like (CBL) protein-mediated calcium signaling represents a core regulatory pathway underlying plant abiotic stress adaptation. Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa (sour jujube) is a perennial woody species with remarkable saline–alkali and drought tolerance, yet the CBL gene family in this species has not been systematically characterized. Methods: We performed genome-wide identification and characterization of the CBL gene family in sour jujube through integrated bioinformatic analyses, transcriptomic profiling, qRT-PCR, and yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assays, with the annotation of one gene manually corrected based on molecular cloning and transcriptome validation. Results: Ten non-redundant ZjCBL genes were identified and grouped into three phylogenetic clades. Synteny and selection pressure analyses identified two collinear gene pairs that have undergone strong purifying selection. All ZjCBL proteins contain canonical EF-hand motifs and are predicted to be mainly localized to the plasma membrane, with ZjCBL4 and ZjCBL9 harboring additional N-terminal transmembrane helices. The promoter regions of ZjCBL genes are enriched in hormone- and stress-responsive cis-acting elements. ZjCBL1, ZjCBL2, ZjCBL3, and ZjCBL5 were highly expressed across multiple tissues, and ZjCBL1 exhibited sustained upregulation under long-term saline–alkali stress, concurrent with the accumulation of osmoprotectants. Y2H assays confirmed that ZjCBL1 interacts with two ZjCIPK proteins, exhibiting a stronger interaction signal with ZjCIPK13. Conclusions: This study provides the first systematic characterization of the CBL gene family in sour jujube and revises the annotation of ZjCBL1, establishing ZjCBL1 as an important component of the ZjCBL–ZjCIPK signaling network and offering candidate gene resources for molecular breeding to enhance stress tolerance in fruit crops. Full article

The genus Trichoderma comprises ecologically and biotechnologically important fungi that have been widely investigated and used in agriculture, industrial biotechnology, and biological control. However, publicly available genomes reveal substantial taxonomic inconsistencies across the genus, which can complicate strain identification, reproducibility, and the comparison and selection of strains for applied research and biotechnology. Here, we present a comprehensive phylogenomic and comparative genomic analysis integrating one of the largest collections of Trichoderma genomes analyzed to date. Phylogenomic reconstruction based on 920 conserved single-copy orthologs recovered four major evolutionary clades with strong statistical support and revealed widespread taxonomic inconsistencies affecting multiple species complexes, including T. harzianum, T. asperellum, T. viride, and T. longibrachiatum. Comparative analyses demonstrated marked clade-associated differences in genome size, GC content, repetitive DNA content, gene content, and whole-genome conservation patterns. Genome size was positively associated with repetitive-element accumulation and gene number, whereas GC content showed a negative association with genome size. We additionally characterized a novel Colombian isolate that clustered within a highly supported and divergent lineage together with three inconsistently annotated public genomes. This lineage, provisionally designated Trichoderma sp. “CB2”, formed a sister group to the Longibrachiatum complex and exhibited strong internal genomic cohesion and clear divergence from neighboring lineages. Orthology-based analyses identified lineage-associated proteins with predicted functions related to transcriptional regulation, plant biomass degradation, secondary metabolism, and detoxification. Overall, this study provides a genome-scale framework for resolving Trichoderma diversity and highlights the extent of taxonomic inconsistencies in public genomic resources. Improved phylogenomic characterization of strains can facilitate more reliable strain identification, reproducibility, comparative genomic studies, and the selection and evaluation of Trichoderma strains for agricultural and biotechnological applications. Full article