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Oat (Avena nuda L.) is a globally important cereal crop grown for its nutritious grains and is considered as moderately salt-tolerant. Studying salinity tolerant mechanisms of oats could assist breeders in increasing oat production and their economic income in salt-affected areas, as the total amount of saline land in the world is still increasing. The present study was carried out to better understand the salt tolerance mechanism of the naked oat line Bayou1. A soil experiment was conducted on 17 days-old Bayou1 seedlings treated with varying concentrations of NaCl for a period of 12 days. Bayou1 plants grew optimally when treated with 50 mM NaCl, demonstrating their salinity tolerance. Reduced water uptake, decreased Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, and guaiacol peroxidase activity, as well as increased Na+ concentration in leaves, all contributed to a reduction in shoot growth. However, the damage to ionic homeostasis caused by increased Na+ concentrations and decreased K+ concentrations in the roots of Bayou1 did not inhibit its root growth, indicating that the main salt-tolerant mechanism in Bayou1 existed in its roots. Further, a hydroponic experiment found that increasing Na+ concentration in root cell sap enhanced root growth, while maintaining the integrity of root cell membranes. The accumulated Na+ may have facilitated the root growth of Bayou1 exposed to NaCl by effectively adjusting cellular osmotic potential, thereby ensuring root cell turgor and expansion.

Background and Aim: Fowl cholera, caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pasteurella multocida type A, poses a significant threat to chicken production globally. This study investigates the potential of ethanolic extracts from Wild Egyptian Artichoke (WEA) (Cynara cardunculus L. var. sylvestris) to modulate virulence-associated genes and provide an alternative control strategy. Materials and Methods: A total of 160 tissue samples from diseased chickens were collected and analyzed. Phenotypic, biochemical (via Vitek 2 Compact), and molecular methods were used to identify P. multocida. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed the presence of key adhesion and colonization genes (omp87, ptfA, pfhA) in MDR isolates. The antimicrobial efficacy of WEA ethanolic extract was assessed using disk diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assays. Gene expression changes were evaluated using quantitative reverse-transcription PCR after treatment with sub-inhibitory extract concentrations. Results: Eleven isolates (6.9% prevalence) of P. multocida type A were confirmed, with four showing resistance to over five antimicrobial classes. The ethanolic WEA extract demonstrated significant antibacterial activity, with inhibition zones of up to 25 mm, MIC values ranging from 4 to 16 μg/mL, and MBC values between 8 and 32 μg/mL. Gene expression analysis revealed up to threefold downregulation in omp87 (0.28-fold), pfhA (0.25-fold), and ptfA (0.12-fold) after treatment. Conclusion: The WEA ethanolic extract effectively downregulates critical virulence genes in MDR P. multocida, highlighting its potential as a novel natural agent for controlling fowl cholera in chicken. This study emphasizes the importance of exploring plant-based antimicrobials to combat resistance and improve animal health.

Conclusions: The SHA2PE score demonstrates potential in predicting cases of low-risk LGIB, offering a high NPV for hospitalization, the need for intrahospital intervention, and return visits to the ED. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously given the low prevalence of interventions and limitations in the study’s population and design.

Melatonin, a multifunctional biomolecule found in animals and plants, is critical in regulating various physiological processes. In plants, melatonin biosynthesis primarily originates from tryptophan through multiple enzymatic steps, finely controlled by different environmental and endogenous factors. This review synthesizes current knowledge on melatonin biosynthesis, production levels, and signaling mechanisms, focusing on its role in plant stress responses. Research shows that melatonin mitigates abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and temperature extremes by enhancing antioxidant systems, scavenging reactive oxygen species, and modulating ion homeostasis. Additionally, melatonin signaling, which may involve the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade and potentially the Cand2 receptor (though its role remains debated), is essential for promoting plant growth and enhancing stress tolerance. This review also examines the potential of targeting specific enzymes, such as tryptamine 5-hydroxylase (T5H), to create melatonin knockout mutants, offering new insights into the regulatory networks of melatonin-mediated stress responses. The review concludes by identifying future research directions, particularly in understanding the complex cross-talk within melatonin signaling pathways and the debated role of Cand2 in plant resilience.

In this research, we used the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and Geographical Information System (GIS) to predict the annual rate of soil loss in the District Chakwal of Pakistan. The parameters of the RUSLE model were estimated using remote sensing data, and the erosion probability zones were determined using GIS. The estimated length slope ($LS$), crop management ($C$), rainfall erosivity ($R$), soil erodibility ($K$), and support practice ($P$) range from 0–68,227, 0–66.61%, 0–0.58, 495.99–648.68 $\; MJ/mm.t.ha^{-1}.year^{-1}\comma \;$ 0.15–0.25 $MJ/mm.t.ha^{-1}.year^{-1}$, and 1 respectively. The results indicate that the estimated total annual potential soil loss of approximately 4,67,064.25 $t.ha^{-1}.year^{-1}$ is comparable with the measured sediment loss of 11,631 $t.ha^{-1}.year^{-1}\;$ during the water year 2020. The predicted soil erosion rate due to an increase in agricultural area is approximately 164,249.31 $t.ha^{-1}.year^{-1}$. In this study, we also used Landsat imagery to rapidly achieve actual land use classification. Meanwhile, 38.13% of the region was threatened by very high soil erosion, where the quantity of soil erosion ranged from 365487.35 $t.ha^{-1}.year^{-1}$. Integrating GIS and remote sensing with the RUSLE model helped researchers achieve their final objectives. Land-use planners and decision-makers use the result's spatial distribution of soil erosion in District Chakwal for conservation and management planning.

Precision agriculture which facilitates and enables crop management through site-specific recommendations, is essential to optimize agricultural inputs in space and time. In this study, we used Landsat and MODIS-NDVI product data with climatic, topographic data and laboratory-analyzed soil samples to map the spatial distribution of seven soil properties; soil texture (T), electrical conductivity (EC), potential hydrogen (pH), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and organic matter (OM) in the Punjab, Pakistan from 2000 to 2020. We examined and compared three statistical prediction models: the support vector machine (SVM), the random forest regression (RFR), and the multiple linear regression (MLR). The predictions were validated against a separate set of soil samples while considering the modeling region and an extrapolation area. Model performance statistics showed that the RFR often provided the highest accuracy, with the machine learning algorithms performing slightly better than the MLR. It was discovered that one obstacle to accurately forecasting soil parameters at unsampled areas with MLR was its inability to handle non-linear connections between independent and dependent variables. The results indicate that the cultivated area decreased from 43.16 % in 2000 to 38.24% in 2020. The soil has a high level of EC due to salinity. In general, the soils contained

Abstract Background and Aims Contrast‐enhanced cross‐sectional imaging is the cornerstone in the diagnosis, staging, and management of HCC, including eligibility for liver transplantation (LT). Radiological‐histopathological discordance may lead to improper staging and may impact patient outcomes. We aimed to assess the radiological‐histopathological discordance at the time of LT in HCC patients and its impact on the post‐LT outcomes. Methods We analyzed further the effect of 6‐month waiting policy on the discordance. Using United Network for Organ Sharing—Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (UNOS‐OPTN) database, we examined the discordance between pre‐LT imaging and explant histopathology for all adult HCC patients who received liver transplants from deceased donors between April 2012 and December 2017. Kaplan–Meier methods and Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate the impact of discordance on 3‐year HCC recurrence and mortality. Results Of 6842 patients included in the study, 66.7% were within Milan criteria on both imaging and explant histopathology, and 33.3% were within the Milan based on imaging but extended beyond Milan on explant histopathology. Male gender, increasing numbers of tumors, bilobar distribution, larger tumor size, and increasing AFP are associated with increased discordance. Post‐LT HCC recurrence and death were significantly higher in patients who were discordant, with histopathology beyond Milan (adj HR 1.86, 95% CI 1.32–2.63 for mortality and 1.32, 95% CI 1.03–1.70 for recurrence). Graft allocation policy with 6‐month waiting time led to increased discordance (OR 1.19, CI 1.01–1.41), although it did not impact post‐LT outcome. Conclusion Current practice for staging of HCC based on radiological imaging features alone results in underestimation of HCC burden in one out of three patients with HCC. This discordance is associated with a higher risk of post‐LT HCC recurrence and mortality. These patients will need enhanced surveillance to optimize patient selection and aggressive LRT to reduce post‐LT recurrence and increase survival.

We used the Cellular Automata Markov (CA-Markov) integrated technique to study land use and land cover (LULC) changes in the Cholistan and Thal deserts in Punjab, Pakistan. We plotted the distribution of the LULC throughout the desert terrain for the years 1990, 2006 and 2022. The Random Forest methodology was utilized to classify the data obtained from Landsat 5 (TM), Landsat 7 (ETM+) and Landsat 8 (OLI/TIRS), as well as ancillary data. The LULC maps generated using this method have an overall accuracy of more than 87%. CA-Markov was utilized to forecast changes in land usage in 2022, and changes were projected for 2038 by extending the patterns seen in 2022. A CA-Markov-Chain was developed for simulating long-term landscape changes at 16-year time steps from 2022 to 2038. Analysis of urban sprawl was carried out by using the Random Forest (RF). Through the CA-Markov Chain analysis, we can expect that high density and low-density residential areas will grow from 8.12 to 12.26 km2 and from 18.10 to 28.45 km2 in 2022 and 2038, as inferred from the changes occurred from 1990 to 2022. The LULC projected for 2038 showed that there would be increased urbanization of the terrain, with probable development in the croplands westward and northward, as well as growth in residential centers. The findings can potentially assist management operations geared towards the conservation of wildlife and the eco-system in the region. This study can also be a reference for other studies that try to project changes in arid are as undergoing land-use changes comparable to those in this study.

ABSTRACT Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV) is a highly contagious pathogen that causes a serious illness with global circulation. While there is extensive data available on the virus’s existence and transmission in commercial chickens in Saudi Arabia, there is a lack of such information regarding guineafowls. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate possible IBV infection among guineafowls in the Al-Hassa Governorate of the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs were collected from several unvaccinated flocks of guinea fowls without respiratory clinical symptoms in November and December 2022, totaling 350 samples. Total RNA was extracted from the swab samples, and a conventional reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was employed to detect IBV. The results revealed varying amounts of IBV in oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs at different points in time, suggesting that IBV may be widely distributed among guineafowls without exhibiting any symptoms. These findings indicate that guineafowls could act as reservoirs, influencing the ecology and epidemiology of the disease. Notably, this study reports the first occurrence of IBV in the province of Al-Ahsa, highlighting that guineafowls have been naturally exposed to the virus. To support the development of effective vaccination techniques and control measures for the disease in Saudi Arabia, the recommendation for future research endeavors is conducting ongoing surveillance, viral isolation, sequencing, phylogenetic tree analysis, and serotype characterization of IBV in guineafowls.

Soil compaction under repetitive tillage and surface flood method of irrigation (SFMI) are significant hurdles for sustaining crop production in India, necessitating the adoption of efficient soil and water management strategies. Hence, a 3-year field study was conducted at two diverse agro-climatic locations (Abohar and Faridkot) to investigate the impact of subsurface drip (SUSD) fertigation on crop and water productivity of cotton-wheat cropping system (CWCS), over traditional practice (TP) (conventional tillage with SFMI and manual application of nutrients). The experiment was conducted in a factorial randomized complete block design with three levels of subsurface drip irrigation (SUSDI) [100, 80, and 60% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc)] and two fertigation levels [75% recommended dose of nutrients (RDN) and 100% RDN], where TP and surface drip (SD) fertigation at 80% ETc coupled with 100% RDN (Control 2), served as two control treatments. Cotton was raised through reduced tillage, while zero till drill was used for sowing wheat. The results revealed that, barring SUSDI at 60% ETc, both crops exhibited improved yield under all drip combinations of reduced or zero tillage over TP. Better mass and higher length of cotton roots in drip fertigation were evident due to improved steady-state infiltration rates (SSIR) and reduced bulk density (BD) under conservation tillage. When 100% RDN was applied, the 100% and 80% ETc SUSDI resulted in 26.7% and 24.7% higher seed cotton yield (SCY) than TP. Similarly, wheat yield with 100% RDN was improved by 10.5% and 14.4% under SUSDI of 80% and 100% ETc, respectively, over the TP. The results indicated that SUSD can be clubbed with reduced tillage for better soil health, improved crop yield, and higher apparent water productivity. The improved benefit to cost (B:C) owing to enhanced monetary returns over TP also substantiated that reduced tillage with SUSD is a viable and remunerative practice for CWCS. The study elucidated that reduced tillage exercised a beneficial effect on physical soil properties by lowering BD and improving SSIR. At the same time, SUSD could save huge amounts of irrigation water besides enhanced input use efficiency leading to higher crop productivity.

Abstract Timely and accurate estimation of rice-growing areas and forecasting of production can provide crucial information for governments, planners, and decision-makers in formulating policies. While there exists studies focusing on paddy rice mapping, only few have compared multi-scale datasets performance in rice classification. Furthermore, rice mapping of large geographical areas with sufficient accuracy for planning purposes has been a challenge in Pakistan, but recent advancements in Google Earth Engine make it possible to analyze spatial and temporal variations within these areas. The study was carried out over southern Punjab (Pakistan)-a region with 380,400 hectares devoted to rice production in year 2020. Previous studies support the individual capabilities of Sentinel-2, Landsat-8, and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) for paddy rice classification. However, to our knowledge, no study has compared the efficiencies of these three datasets in rice crop classification. Thus, this study primarily focuses on comparing these satellites’ data by estimating their potential in rice crop classification using accuracy assessment methods and area estimation. The overall accuracies were found to be 96% for Sentinel-2, 91.7% for Landsat-8, and 82.6% for MODIS. The F1-Scores for derived rice class were 83.8%, 75.5%, and 65.5% for Sentinel-2, Landsat-8, and MODIS, respectively. The rice estimated area corresponded relatively well with the crop statistics report provided by the Department of Agriculture, Punjab, with a mean percentage difference of less than 20% for Sentinel-2 and MODIS and 33% for Landsat-8. The outcomes of this study highlight three points; (a) Rice mapping accuracy improves with increase in spatial resolution, (b) Sentinel-2 efficiently differentiated individual farm level paddy fields while Landsat-8 was not able to do so, and lastly (c) Increase in rice cultivated area was observed using satellite images compared to the government provided statistics.

Abstract Slow release nitrogenous fertilizers can improve crops production and reduce the environmental challenges in agro-ecosystem. There is a need to test the efficiency and performance under arid climatic conditions. The study investigates the effect of slow-release fertilizers (urea, neem coated urea (NCU), sulfur coated urea (SCU) and bioactive sulfur coated urea (BSCU)) on the growth, productivity and grain nutritional qualities of wheat crop. Slow-release fertilizers (SRF) with nitrogen levels (130,117,104 and 94 kg ha−1) were applied with equal splits at sowing, 20 and 60 days after sowing (DAS). Research showed that the BSCU with 130 kg ha−1 increased dry matter accumulation (1989 kg ha−1) after anthesis and grain yield 4463 kg ha−1. The higher plant height (102 cm) was attained by 130 kg N ha−1 SCU while the minimum (77.67 cm) recorded for 94 kg N ha−1 as urea source. Maximum grain NPK concentrations (3.54, 0.66 and 1.07%) were recorded by BSCU 130 kg N ha−1 application. While, the minimum NPK (0.77, 0.19 and 0.35%) were observed by Urea 94 kg N ha−1. The high irrigation water use efficiency (WUE) recorded (20.92 kg ha−1 mm−1) and a crop index of 25.52% by BSCU 130 kg N ha−1 application. Research findings show that generally all SRF but particularly BSCU proved effective and can be recommended for wheat crop under arid environment.

Introduction: Lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) frequently leads to emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations, encompassing a spectrum of outcomes from spontaneous resolution to intrahospital mortality. Aim: The purpose of this study was to validate a scoring system designed to identify cases of low‐risk LGIB, allowing for safe discharge from the ED. Methods: A retrospective analysis of all gastrointestinal bleeding cases presented at three EDs in 2020 was conducted, focusing specifically on patients with LGIB. The SHA2PE score incorporates factors such as systolic blood pressure, hemoglobin levels, use of antiplatelet or anticoagulant medications, pulse rate, and episodes of bright blood per rectum. Results: Out of 1112 patients presenting with LGIB to the ED, 55 were hospitalized, 20 required blood transfusions, 15 underwent colonoscopies, one underwent interventional radiology procedures, and two patients died. Employing a SHA2PE score with a cutoff value of 1 yielded a specificity of 78.5% (95% CI (confidence interval) [75.8–81.0]), sensitivity of 76.8% (95% CI [63.6–87.0]), positive predictive value (PPV) of 17.0% (95% CI [12.6–22.2]), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 98.3% (95% CI [97.2–99.1]) for predicting the need for hospitalization and intrahospital intervention. When considering return visits to the ED within 7 days with the same presentation, the score demonstrated a specificity of 78.8% (95% CI [76.0–81.3]), sensitivity of 68.6% (95% CI [56.4–79.1]), PPV of 19% (95% CI [14.3–24.4]), and NPV of 97.2% (95% CI [95.8–98.2]). Conclusions: The SHA2PE score demonstrates potential in predicting cases of low‐risk LGIB, offering a high NPV for hospitalization, the need for intrahospital intervention, and return visits to the ED. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously given the low prevalence of interventions and limitations in the study's population and design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize (Zea mays L.), along with rice and wheat, is a vital important cereal crop worldwide. Fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda, a significant agricultural pest, has caused substantial economic losses to maize crops globally. This study evaluated the efficacy of two commercial bioinsecticides, Bio-Magic® and Bio-Power®, against the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, in field conditions over two growing seasons 2023 and 2024. Larval mortality was assessed three days post-treatment. Both bioinsecticides demonstrated efficacy, with Bio-Magic® consistently exhibiting higher mortality rates. Importantly, the virulence of both compounds persisted for up to ten days. Bio-Power® was less toxic to S. frugiperda compared to Bio-Magic®. Sublethal doses of both bioinsecticides led to increased chitinase and alkaline phosphatase activities in S. frugiperda larvae, while acid phosphatase activity was slightly elevated. These findings highlight the potential of bioinsecticides as sustainable alternatives to synthetic insecticides for S. frugiperda management. Entomopathogenic fungi stand out as targeted insect pest control solutions, minimizing harm to beneficial insects compared to broad-spectrum insecticides. Their integration into IPM programs is crucial for sustainable pest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Salt stress (SS) has seriously threatened the productivity of pulses including black gram in modern input-intensive farming systems which necessitates finding biologically viable, pro-farmer and environmentally friendly SS ameliorating strategies. Methods: An experiment was conducted to assess three levels of both SS (0, 50 and 100 mM NaCl) and citric acid (CA, 0, 50 and 100 µM) applied as a foliar spray to ameliorate the deleterious effects of SS on black gram (cv. BARI Mash-3). The response variables included plant growth traits like plant height (PH), leaf number (BLPP) and root dry weight (RDW) along with chlorophyll contents (chl a, chl b and tchl), plant water status (relative water content RWC and water retention capacity WRC), grain yield (GY), stover yield (SY), biological yield (BY)) and harvest index (HI) along with nitrogen (N) and protein (P) content of black gram. Result: The results revealed that CA (100 µM) remained unmatched by increasing PH (76.25%), NLPP (37.52%), RDW (83.67%), Chl a (17.80%), Chl b (11.59%), tChl (15.51%), RWC (9.81%) and WRC (26.64%) under highest level of induced SS. The same treatment also surpassed the rest of the doses in terms of grains number per pod (23.89%), 100 grains weight (59.74%), GY (82.86%), SY (59.66%), BY (64.94%) and HI. Moreover, CA accumulated N and P content (29.9%) in the grain under SS conditions. These results indicated that application CA alleviated the adverse effects of SS by triggering the growth, yield and nutritional quality which might be developed as a potent strategy to cope with the declining productivity of black gram in saline environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptive e-learning is viewed as stimulation to support learning and improve student engagement, so designing appropriate adaptive e-learning environments contributes to personalizing instruction to reinforce learning outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to design an adaptive e-learning environment based on students' learning styles and study the impact of the adaptive e-learning environment on students' engagement. This research attempts as well to outline and compare the proposed adaptive e-learning environment with a conventional e-learning approach. The paper is based on mixed research methods that were used to study the impact as follows: Development method is used in designing the adaptive e-learning environment, a quasi-experimental research design for conducting the research experiment. The student engagement scale is used to measure the following affective and behavioral factors of engagement (skills, participation/interaction, performance, emotional). The results revealed that the experimental group is statistically significantly higher than those in the control group. These experimental results imply the potential of an adaptive e-learning environment to engage students towards learning. Several practical recommendations forward from this paper: how to design a base for adaptive e-learning based on the learning styles and their implementation; how to increase the impact of adaptive e-learning in education; how to raise cost efficiency of education. The proposed adaptive e-learning approach and the results can help e-learning institutes in designing and developing more customized and adaptive e-learning environments to reinforce student engagement.

Abstract Background Tomato, Solanum lycopersicum L. (Solanales: Solanaceae) is the second most important vegetable crop in Egypt and is infested with many insect pests. The cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.) causes severe economic losses in tomatoes and many other crops. Many management strategies were developed in order to manage the economic losses obtained. In this context, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness using a mixture of Emamectin benzoate and lufenuron or using them solely against the 2nd and 4th instar larvae of S. littoralis under semi-field conditions. Results The obtained results showed that the mixture compound show high initial killing effect against 2nd and 4th instar larvae in both growing seasons. Furthermore, the residual effect of the tested compounds also showed the efficiency of the mixture over the solitary active ingredients. In addition, the treatment of the 4th instar larvae with the LC50 of the tested compounds showed significant impacts against the soluble protein, carbohydrate, lipid contents, and the detoxification enzymes. Conclusion In conclusion, the results showed that the emamectin benzoate and lufenuron could be safe and effective substitute for conventional insecticides either applied solely or in combination.

Drought stress is one of the major limitations to the growth and yield productivity of cereal crops. It severely impairs the early growing and grain -filling stages of wheat. Therefore, cost- effective and eco-friendly approaches for alleviating drought stress in cereal crops are in high demand. Polyamines, such as putrescine, have a significant effect on improving crop yield under drought- stress conditions. Therefore, the current study was executed with the aim of exploring the significance of putrescine in alleviating drought stress and improving yield- related traits in wheat. Two distinct wheat cultivars (Fakhar-e-Bhakkar and Anaj-2017) were treated with the foliar application of different concentrations (control, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 PPM) of putrescine (put) under two moisture conditions (well- watered and terminal drought stress). The results demonstrate that the imposition of terminal drought stress significantly reduces different physiological and yield- related traits of both wheat cultivars. The reduction of relative water content (RWC%), membrane stability index (MSI), leaf area, tillers per plant, biomass yield, number of spikelets per spike, 100-grain weight, grain yield per plant, and straw yield was greater in Anaj-2017 than in Fakhar-e-Bhakkar cultivar. The results further explain that the foliar application of increased concentrations of putrescine from 0.0 to 1.0 PPM gradually improved physiological and yield traits, whereas these traits declined with the application of putrescine at the highest dose (1.5 PPM). The exogenous application of 1.0 PPM putrescine improved the relative water content (19.76%), specific leaf area (41.47%), and leaf area ratio (35.84%) compared with the controlled treatment. A higher grain yield (28.0 g plant-1) and 100-grain weight (3.8 g) were obtained with the foliar application of 1.0 PPM putrescine compared with controlled treatments. The findings of this study confirm the protective role of putrescine against terminal drought stress. It is therefore recommended to use putrescine at a concentration of 1.0 PPM, which could help alleviate terminal drought stress and attain better wheat yield.

PurposeThe Polygonum equisetifome is a prospective plant source of high protein, unsaturated fatty acids, and useful safe bioactive molecules. Therefore, the aim of this study was to optimize the ultrasonic aqueous extraction of phenols from P. equisetifome roots using Box-Behnken design based statistical modeling, and to evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial efficiencies of P. equisetifome root extracts against pathogenic bacteria.MethodsIn this study, the box-behnken design was used to optimize the extraction of phenols. The extraction temperature (30–70°C), ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) time (1–9 min), and liquid-solid ratio (35–45 mL/g) were investigated as the factors that influence the phenolic yield (Y1) and their DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) scavenging activity (Y2).ResultsThe optimal conditions for both responses were 50°C, 5 min, and 40 mL/g. At these conditions, Y1 reached its maximum to be 45.321 mg GAE/g dry weight and Y2 to be 120.354 μmol Trolox/g dry weight. The P. equisetifome roots contained water soluble phenol, high anthocyanin, and condensed tannins. Interestingly, the P. equisetifome extracts showed a relation to its antioxidant and antibacterial activities, FRAP (Ferric-reducing/antioxidant power), and ABTS scavenging activity were determined. The morphological and physico-chemical features of the extract were analyzed using SEM-EDX, FT-IR, and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was analyzed against several pathogenic bacteria. The antibacterial activity of the extract showed that the extract is more efficient against Staphylococcus aureus, while the P. equisetifome extracts showed efficient MIC against S. aureus, followed by Bacillus cereus.SuggestionsThe relation of P. equisetifome extracts to its antioxidant, and antibacterial efficiencies open a new avenue of their potential uses in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

IntroductionThe burgeoning population of the world is causing food insecurity not only by less food availability but also by the malnutrition of essential nutrients and vitamins. Malnutrition is mostly linked with food having micronutrients lower than the optimal concentration of that specific food commodity and becoming an emerging challenge over the globe. Microbial biofortification in agriculture ensures nutritional security through microbial nitrogen fixation, and improved phosphate and zinc solubilization, which increase the uptake of these nutrients. The present study evaluates the novel plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to biofortify maize gain.MethodsFor this purpose, a pot and two field experiments for maize were conducted. PGPRs were applied alone and in combination for a better understanding of the biofortification potential of these strains. At physiological maturity, the growth parameters, and at harvest, the yield, microbial population, and nutritional status of maize were determined.Results and discussionResults revealed that the consortium (ZM27+ZM63+S10) has caused the maximum increase in growth under pot studies like plant height (31%), shoot fresh weight (28%), shoot dry weight (27%), root fresh (33%) and dry weights (29%), and microbial count (21%) in the maize rhizosphere. The mineral analysis of the pot trial also revealed that consortium of ZM27+ZM63+S10 has caused 28, 16, 20, 11 and 11% increases in P, N, K, Fe, and Zn contents in maize, respectively, as compared to un-inoculated treatment in pot studies. A similar trend of results was also observed in both field trials as the consortium of ZM27+ZM63+S10 caused the maximum increase in not only growth and biological properties but also caused maximum biofortification of mineral nutrients in maize grains. The grain yield and 1000-grain weight were also found significantly higher 17 and 12%, respectively, under consortium application as compared to control. So, it can be concluded from these significant results obtained from the PGPR consortium application that microbial inoculants play a significant role in enhancing the growth, yield, and quality of the maize. However, the extensive evaluation of the consortium may help in the formulation of a biofertilizer for sustainable production and biofortification of maize to cope with nutritional security.

Optimizing the dose and foliar application frequency of growth regulators such as gibberellic acid (GA3) may play an important role in ensuring food security under changing climate scenarios by boosting grain yield of food legumes such as mungbean. A trial was conducted to evaluate the growth promoting effect of foliage applied gibberellic acid (GA3) at various spraying frequencies for mungbean crop. The employed treatments included four gibberellic acid levels (0, 100, 200, and 300 ppm) and two application frequencies (single spray at 30 days after sowing DAS, and two sprays at 30 and 40 DAS). Water relations, yield contributing characteristics and mungbean grain yield were among the response variables investigated. The research findings revealed that GA3 (200 ppm applied twice at pre-flowering and post-flowering stages) significantly improved the water relations, morphological and yield attributes of mungbean. This treatment combination remained unmatched by producing the highest relative water content in the stem (85.52), water retention capacity in the stem (17.24), and water uptake capacity in the stem and leaf (2.35). Furthermore, the same treatment combination resulted in the maximum plant height (50.04 cm), pods per plant (11.07), pod length (6.62 cm), grains number per pod (11.00), 100-grains weight (3.78 g), grain yield per plant (4.57 g), and a minimum water saturation deficit. Thus, GA3 foliage application at 200 ppm at 30 and 60 DAS has the potential to stimulate growth and increase the yield attributes and grain yield of mungbean. However, additional in-depth field trials with various doses of GA3 sprayed at a higher frequency may be required before recommending GA3 for general adoption to mungbean growers.

Salinity stress is considered the most devastating abiotic stress for crop productivity. Accumulating different types of soluble proteins has evolved as a vital strategy that plays a central regulatory role in the growth and development of plants subjected to salt stress. In the last two decades, efforts have been undertaken to critically examine the genome structure and functions of the transcriptome in plants subjected to salinity stress. Although genomics and transcriptomics studies indicate physiological and biochemical alterations in plants, it do not reflect changes in the amount and type of proteins corresponding to gene expression at the transcriptome level. In addition, proteins are a more reliable determinant of salt tolerance than simple gene expression as they play major roles in shaping physiological traits in salt-tolerant phenotypes. However, little information is available on salt stress-responsive proteins and their possible modes of action in conferring salinity stress tolerance. In addition, a complete proteome profile under normal or stress conditions has not been established yet for any model plant species. Similarly, a complete set of low abundant and key stress regulatory proteins in plants has not been identified. Furthermore, insufficient information on post-translational modifications in salt stress regulatory proteins is available. Therefore, in recent past, studies focused on exploring changes in protein expression under salt stress, which will complement genomic, transcriptomic, and physiological studies in understanding mechanism of salt tolerance in plants. This review focused on recent studies on proteome profiling in plants subjected to salinity stress, and provide synthesis of updated literature about how salinity regulates various salt stress proteins involved in the plant salt tolerance mechanism. This review also highlights the recent reports on regulation of salt stress proteins using transgenic approaches with enhanced salt stress tolerance in crops.