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Drought stress significantly impacts wheat productivity, but plant growth regulators may help mitigate these effects. This study examined the influence of gibberellic acid (GA3) and abscisic acid (ABA) on wheat (Triticum aestivum L., CV: Giza 171) growth and yield under different water regimes. Using a split-plot design, we tested three drought levels as main plots: normal irrigation (80% field capacity), moderate drought (60% field capacity), and severe drought (40% field capacity). Subplots consisted of GA3 and ABA treatments at 100 and 200 ppm concentrations. Results showed that 200 ppm GA3 treatment enhanced multiple growth parameters under normal irrigation, including plant height (25–30% increase), leaf area (30–35% increase), and reproductive traits (40% increase in number of number of spikes, 35% increase in grains per spike). In contrast, ABA treatment at 200 ppm resulted in reduced plant height (35% decrease) and greater leaf area reduction (40% vs. 20% in control) under drought conditions. GA3 at 200 ppm also improved physiological parameters including catalase and superoxide dismutase activities, protein content, and proline accumulation. These findings demonstrate the distinct roles of GA3 and ABA in regulating wheat growth and stress responses, providing valuable insights for drought management in wheat cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetative soybean (maodou or edamame) serves as a nutrient-rich food source with significant potential for mitigating global nutritional deficiencies. This study undertook a thorough examination of the nutritional profiles and transcriptomic landscapes of six soybean cultivars, including three common cultivars (Heinong551, Heinong562, and Heinong63) and three fresh maodou cultivars (Heinong527, HeinongXS4, and HeinongXS5). Nutrient analysis of the seeds disclosed notable differences in the levels of protein, fat, soluble sugars, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron, and zinc across the cultivars. Through comparative transcriptome profiling and RNA sequencing, distinct variations in differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between fresh and traditional maodou cultivars. Functional enrichment analyses underscored the involvement of DEGs in critical biological processes, such as nutrient biosynthesis, seed development, and stress responses. Additionally, association studies demonstrated robust correlations between specific DEG expression patterns and seed nutrient compositions across the different cultivars. Sankey diagrams illustrated that DEGs are strongly linked with seed quality traits, revealing potential molecular determinants that govern variations in nutritional content. The identified DEGs and their relationships with nutritional profiles offer valuable insights for breeding programs focused on developing cultivars with improved nutritional quality, tailored to specific dietary needs or industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study examined the transcriptome and physiological responses of cold-tolerant soybean cultivar "KD52" and cold-sensitive cultivar "DS17". Increased malondialdehyde levels demonstrated DS17's vulnerability to lipid peroxidation and membrane breakdown. In contrast, cold exposure boosted antioxidant enzyme activity in the KD52 cultivar, including peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, demonstrating a strong antioxidant defense system against oxidative stress. A transcriptomic study mapped 54,532 genes and showed dynamic responses. This group had 234 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that consistently changed over time, indicating unique expression patterns in the 2 cultivars. These key DEGs and physiological markers were linked to candidate genes for oxidative damage management and antioxidant defenses. The identification of improved defense mechanisms in KD52 and key genes should improve soybean cold stress tolerance. Low temperatures greatly restrict the development, growth, and productivity of soybeans, with their effects differing across various cultivars. The present work investigated the transcriptome and physiological reactions of two soybean cultivars, namely "KD52" exhibiting cold tolerance and "DS17" displaying cold sensitivity, to cold stress across a precisely defined period. The soybean plants were subjected to cold treatment at 6 °C for durations of 0, 2, 4, and 8 h. A comparative physiological marker study revealed distinct reactions to cold stress in the two cultivars. The findings showed that increased malondialdehyde levels provided evidence of DS17's heightened vulnerability to lipid peroxidation and membrane degradation. In contrast, the KD52 cultivar exhibited increased activities of antioxidant enzymes, including peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, in response to cold exposure, suggesting a strong antioxidant defense system against oxidative stress. The transcriptomic analysis revealed dynamic responses, mapping 54,532 genes. Within this group, a total of 234 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found to be consistently changed at several time intervals, showing unique expression patterns across the two cultivars. Analysis of the association between these important DEGs and the physiological indicators revealed candidate genes that may be involved in controlling oxidative damage and antioxidant defenses. Some key genes showed a progressive rise in expression over time in both cultivars, with a more significant acceleration in KD52, and are probably involved in promoting adaptation processes during extended periods of cold exposure. The identification of improved defense mechanisms in KD52, together with the identification of crucial genes, offers great prospects for enhancing the cold stress resilience of soybean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybeans are grown worldwide owing to their protein, oil, and beneficial bioactive compounds. Genetic and environmental factors influence soybean seed isoflavones. In the present study, we profiled the seed isoflavones in world diverse soybean germplasm grown in two locations over two years in China. Significant differences (p < 0.001) were observed between the accessions, accession origins, seed coat colors, and maturity groups for individual and total isoflavone (TIF) content. TIF content of the soybean accessions ranged from 677.25 μg g−1 to 5823.29 μg g−1, representing an 8-fold difference. USA soybean accessions showed the highest mean TIF content (3263.07 μg g−1), followed by Japan (2521.26 μg g−1). Soybean with black seed coat showed the highest (3236.08 μg g−1) TIF concentration. Furthermore, isoflavone levels were significantly higher in late-maturity groups. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations between individual and TIF content. Malonyldaidzin and malonylgenistin showed higher correlations with TIF content (r = 0.92 and r = 0.94, respectively). The soybean accessions identified as having high and stable TIF content can be utilized in the food and pharmaceutical industries and breeding programs to develop soybean varieties with enhanced isoflavone content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen is an essential element for maize growth, but excessive application can lead to various environmental and ecological issues, including water pollution, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss. Hence, developing maize hybrids resilient to low-N conditions is vital for sustainable agriculture, particularly in nitrogen-deficient soils. Combining ability and genetic relationships among parental lines is crucial for breeding superior hybrids under diverse nitrogen levels. This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity of maize inbred lines using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and evaluate their combining ability to identify superior hybrids under low-N and recommended conditions. Local and exotic inbred lines were genotyped using SSR markers, revealing substantial genetic variation with high gene diversity (He = 0.60), moderate polymorphism information content (PIC = 0.54), and an average of 3.64 alleles per locus. Twenty-one F1 hybrids were generated through a diallel mating design using these diverse lines. These hybrids and a high yielding commercial check (SC-131) were field-tested under low-N and recommended N conditions. Significant variations (p < 0.01) were observed among nitrogen levels, hybrids, and their interaction for all recorded traits. Additive genetic variances predominated over non-additive genetic variances for grain yield and most traits. Inbred IL3 emerged as an effective combiner for developing early maturing genotypes with lower ear placement. Additionally, inbreds IL1, IL2, and IL3 showed promise as superior combiners for enhancing grain yield and related traits under both low-N and recommended conditions. Notably, hybrids IL1×IL4, IL2×IL5, IL2×IL6, and IL5×IL7 exhibited specific combining abilities for increasing grain yield and associated traits under low-N stress conditions. Furthermore, strong positive associations were identified between grain yield and specific traits like plant height, ear length, number of rows per ear, and number of kernels per row. Due to their straightforward measurability, these relationships underscore the potential of using these traits as proxies for indirect selection in early breeding generations, particularly under low-N stress. This research contributes to breeding nitrogen-efficient maize hybrids and advances our understanding of the genetic foundations for tolerance to nitrogen limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pomegranates are grown in upper Egypt, especially in Assiut Governorate, for fresh consumption and juice. Due to increased awareness of pomegranate's health advantages, there is an exponential increase in demand for pomegranate fruit and its by-products. In order to determine the impact of four levels of potassium citrate (100, 200, 300, and 400 ppm) on yield and fruit quality, this study was conducted during the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons on 45 years-old Manfalouty and Hajazy pomegranate trees in the Pomology Orchard at the Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University. A factorial experiment with three replicates was conducted randomized complete blocked design (RCBD). The results showed that potassium citrate treatment led to significant differences at four concentrations used and the concentration of 200 ppm was the best in increasing leaf area, fruit weight, arils and rind weight, juice volume, total soluble solids (TSS), TSS / total acidity, reducing sugars, while there was a significant decrease in total acidity percentage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective management is crucial to achieve the high yield potential of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), renowned for its resilience in harsh environments, to meet the rising global demand. The present study examines how varying levels of water and nitrogen affect the agronomic and yield traits of quinoa (cv. Q-36) during the two growing seasons of 2020/2021 and 2021/2022. The experiment was a 3 × 4 factorial laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications per treatment during the two seasons of the study, as water regimes were considered the main factor, including 100%, 80%, and 60% ETc, whereas nitrogen levels were considered the sub-plot factor, comprising four levels (75, 150, 225, and 300 kgN ha−1). The analysis of variance indicated that nitrogen level, irrigation regime, and irrigation regime × nitrogen level had highly significant effects (p < 0.001) on all studied traits, including plant height, panicle length, dry weight, seed weight, seed yield, and total yield in the two growing seasons under study. For all traits of study, the combined application of 100% ETc with 300 kgN, followed by 80% ETc with 225 kgN, resulted in the highest value of plant height, panicle length, dry weight, seed weight, seed yield, and total yield, whereas the combination of 60% ETc and 75 kgN applications resulted in the lowest value for all of the aforementioned traits. Furthermore, the water regime impacted water productivity at all nitrogen levels as the highest productivity level was recorded under the 80% ETc (0.58 kg/m3), followed by the 100% ETc (0.54 kg/m3), and the 60% ETc (0.52 kg/m3). The highest water productivity rate was observed at 300 kg/ha of the nitrogen levels for 60% and 80% ETc regimes, where water productivity levels were 0.73 and 0.71 (kg/m3), respectively. The results also indicate that the water productivity of quinoa plants is noticeably affected by both water regime and nitrogen level; as the water regimes decrease from 100% to 60% ETc, water productivity increases for all nitrogen levels. The information obtained from these results can be applied to optimize the methods for cultivating quinoa under conditions of water scarcity and minimal nitrogen availability, thus gaining an insight into the impact of these conditions on quinoa growth and yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soluble sugar is a key quality trait of soybean seeds. We developed rapid and economic extraction and quantification methods for seed soluble sugars using an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography system with a refractive index detector. We evaluated the soluble sugar compositions of 1164 soybean accessions collected from diverse ecoregions and grown in multiple locations and years. Total soluble sugar (TSS) content was influenced by accession type, year of cultivation, and ecoregion. The mean contents of fructose, glucose, sucrose, raffinose, stachyose and TSS were 3.31, 5.21, 55.60, 6.60, 35.47, and 106.19 mg g-1, respectively. The highest mean TSS content (108.71 mg g-1) was observed in accessions from Northern Region of China. Cultivars contained higher contents of sucrose, raffinose, and TSS, whereas landraces had a higher content of stachyose. Fourteen accessions with mean TSS contents >130 mg g-1 were identified as elite soybean resources. TSS was correlated with sucrose, raffinose, stachyose, protein, oil and total tocopherol. The main soluble sugar components were correlated with latitude and longitude, indicating that the geographical origin of the accessions affected their seed soluble sugar compositions. The developed methods and elite identified accessions can be used in the food and feed industry and in soybean breeding programs aimed at improving soybean seed nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollination is important process for date palm in terms of their influence on fruit development, quality and yield, as well as the organization’s yearly tree bearing. The development of pollination technology, which results in a reasonable level of fruit set with the use of a small number of pollen grains, is necessary to improve the productivity of date palms, especially in arid conditions. This experiment was done on Sewy date palm for both progressive seasons 2020 and 2021 at Pomology department’s farm, Assiut Governorate, Egypt. The influence of strand number on fruit Physico-chemical properties was tested. Seven levels of pollination were applied as 2, 4, 6,8,10 and 12 strands/ inflorescences. The results illustrated that the initial and final fruit set percentages, bunch weight and final crop/palm increased significantly by increasing pollination levels in both experimental seasons by treatment of 14 strands/inflorescence compared to the check treatment (8 strands/inflorescence), whereas; fruit, seed and pulp weight; TSS, acidity and sugars content decreased significantly by the same treatment (except for acidity in the 1st season and non-reducing sugars in the 2nd season). Hence, it could be concluded that pollination with 14 male strands should be possible to gain an inclusive yield and quality and increase the efficiency of the pollination process of Sewy date palms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) is one of the most important crops in the world. Its major content of vegetable oil made it widely used for human consumption and several food industries. To investigate the variation in seed fatty acid composition of soybeans from different origins, a set of 633 soybean accessions originated from four diverse germplasm collections—including China, United States of America (USA), Japan, and Russia—were grown in three locations, Beijing, Anhui, and Hainan for two years. The results showed significant differences (P < 0.001) among the four germplasm origins for all fatty acid contents investigated. Higher levels, on average, of palmitic acid (PA) and linolenic acid (LNA) were observed in Russian germplasm (12.31% and 8.15%, respectively), whereas higher levels of stearic acid (SA) and oleic acid (OA) were observed in Chinese germplasm (3.95% and 21.95%, respectively). The highest level of linoleic acid (LA) was noticed in the USA germplasm accessions (56.34%). The largest variation in fatty acid composition was found in LNA, while a large variation was observed between Chinese and USA germplasms for LA level. Maturity group (MG) significantly (P < 0.0001) affected all fatty acids and higher levels of PA, SA, and OA were observed in early maturing accessions, while higher levels of LA and LNA were observed in late maturing accessions. The trends of fatty acids concentrations with different MG in this study further provide an evidence of the importance of MG in breeding for such soybean seed components. Collectively, the unique accessions identified in this study can be used to strengthen the soybean breeding programs for meeting various human nutrition patterns around the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]