Abstract Mountains are highly vulnerable to climate change, influencing species distributions, soil seed bank dynamics, and ecosystem resilience. This study examined relationships between aboveground vegetation and soil seed banks across five altitudinal ranges (2500–2700 m, 2800–3100 m, 3200–3500 m, 3600–3900 m, and >4000 m) in the Bale Mountains, encompassing Dry Afromontane, Ericaceous, and Afroalpine vegetation types. At each range, five 10 × 10 m plots were established to sample soil at three depths (0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm) and record floristic composition. Soil seed bank germination was assessed under greenhouse conditions, and soil nutrients were analyzed in the laboratory. Species composition differences were evaluated using Bray–Curtis dissimilarity, while the effects of altitude and soil nutrients were tested using Adonis2 and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Difference in species richness and seedling density among vegetation types and soil depths were analyzed using ANOVA. Aboveground vegetation and the soil seed bank showed strong compositional dissimilarity (Bray–Curtis = 0.91). Soil nutrients, including organic matter, soil organic carbon, available phosphorus, available potassium, and total nitrogen, significantly influenced species composition (P < 0.05). Soil seed bank richness declined with depth, reaching its lowest at 20–30 cm (6.48 ± 3.15). Above ground species richness varied significantly with altitude, with the lowest values above 4000 m (6.8 ± 2.40). Soil seed bank richness peaked at 3200–3500 m and decreased toward both lower and higher elevations. Overall, altitude and soil depth strongly shaped species composition and seed persistence, highlighting mid- altitudinal habitats as key reservoirs of plant diversity and ecosystem resilience.
Abstract Endophytes are widely recognised for their ability to enhance plant growth and survival by adapting to the plant’s internal environment. The present study explores the production of hydrolytic enzymes and plant growth-promoting traits in endophytic bacteria isolated from Drynaria quercifolia. Out of the 34 endophytic bacteria isolated, fifteen morphologically distinct bacterial isolates were initially screened for their ability to produce hydrolytic enzymes and plant growth-promoting compounds. Based on their functional attributes, seven distinct isolates were selected for molecular identification using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Sequence analysis revealed close similarity to Rothia halotolerans, two distinct strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Mycolicibacterium bacteremicum, Rhizobium sp., Microbacterium sp., and Leifsonia shinshuensis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study documenting these particular bacterial taxa as endophytes with plant growth-promoting potential associated with D. quercifolia. Among the identified isolates, Agrobacterium tumefaciens demonstrated the most pronounced plant growth–promoting activity.
Abstract Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), a technique that uses high-frequency sound waves to improve the release of target compounds from plant or biological materials with resultant higher yields, faster extraction time, less solvent usage and lower temperatures than conventional methods has widely been applied in food science, pharmaceuticals, and natural product research to preserve heat-sensitive bioactive compounds. This study investigated the nutritional composition and antioxidant phytochemical diversity of ultrasound-assisted extracts obtained from Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves cultivated in Thailand and Malaysia, with particular emphasis on the influence of extraction solvent and temperature. UAE was performed using water, ethanol, or methanol as solvents at extraction temperatures of 30, 50, and 70 °C for 48 h, employing a solvent-to-sample ratio of 100:1. Proximate analysis revealed that M. oleifera leaves from both agroclimatic regions were characterized by high carbohydrate and crude protein contents. Phytochemical analysis demonstrated that UAE effectively enhanced the recovery of total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) across all solvents and temperature conditions, with notable variations attributable to solvent polarity and thermal conditions. Extracts prepared at temperatures between 30 and 70 °C exhibited significantly elevated TPC and TFC yields compared with lower-temperature extractions. Antioxidant activity assays revealed that methanol and water extracts obtained at 70 °C exhibited the strongest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities, indicating enhanced free radical neutralization under higher extraction temperatures. In contrast, ethanol- and water-based extracts prepared at 50 °C showed superior ferric-reducing and metal-chelating capacity, indicating mechanistically distinct antioxidant pathways. Benchmarking against representative literature values confirmed that no single extraction condition is universally optimal across cultivars, supporting the need for region- or cultivar-specific UAE protocols. Overall, these findings underscore the effectiveness of UAE as a food-relevant extraction strategy for maximizing antioxidant phytochemicals from M. oleifera leaves and support their potential application in functional food and nutraceutical formulations.
Endophytic microorganisms play crucial roles in regulating host plant physiology, enhancing growth, and promoting the synthesis of bioactive metabolites. Eclipta prostrata (L.) L., an important medicinal plant widely used in Ayurveda and traditional medicine for its hepatoprotective, hair growth-promoting, and anti-inflammatory properties, was investigated to characterize its endophytic bacterial community. Plant tissues were processed for endophytic DNA extraction, followed by Illumina MiSeq metagenomic sequencing. Reads were assembled using MEGAHIT, and gene prediction was performed with MetaGeneMark. Functional annotation (KEGG, eggNOG, NCBI-nr) revealed diverse microbial genes related to stress tolerance, including heat shock proteins (GroEL, Hsp60), oxidative stress enzymes (glutathione S-transferase, superoxide dismutase), and heavy metal ATPases. These genes are integral to protecting E. prostrata from oxidative, thermal, and metal-induced stress, thereby maintaining cellular homeostasis necessary for the synthesis and stability of its secondary metabolites such as wedelolactone, luteolin, and ecliptine. The enrichment of xenobiotic degradation pathways further indicates the adaptive role of endophytes in detoxification, potentially supporting the plant's therapeutic efficacy under environmental challenges. Sequencing data have been deposited in the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (BioProject ID: PRJNA950587). This study highlights the functional contribution of endophytic microbiota in stress tolerance, detoxification, and sustaining the medicinal potential of Eclipta prostrata.
Tamarindus indica L. (tamarind) is an economically and nutritionally important species. This study characterized the morphological and biochemical diversity of 300 tamarind trees from 10 locations in Cameroon's Sudano-Sahelian zone. Significant diversity was observed. High variability (Coefficient of Variation > 45%) was found in fruit traits like zinc content, calcium content, shell thickness, and seed dimensions, as well as in tree traits like diameter at breast height (DBH) and total height. Principal Component Analysis showed the first five components accounted for 45.1% of total variance. Tree height correlated positively with leaf area (r = 0.47) and DBH (r = 0.35). Biochemically, polyphenols, tannins, and flavonoids were strongly inter-correlated, especially polyphenols and tannins (r = 0.80). Hierarchical Ascending Classification grouped the genotypes into three distinct classes, each with unique morphological and physicochemical profiles. These findings provide valuable insights for breeders seeking to improve tamarind cultivars for enhanced production and quality.
Volatile secondary metabolite (VSM) profiles of six species of Turkish Hypericum L. (H. lanuginosum, H. lydium, H. montbretii, H. olympicum, H. polyphyllum and H. retusum) from four different sections were determined by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) supported gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses. All tested chemicals were dominated mainly by sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, oxygenated monoterpenes and monoterpene hydrocarbons, however main volatiles and the range of each constituent varied significantly with species. A total of 182 constituents were detected accounting for 100% of the total volatiles, H. polyphyllum being the richest with 35 components and H. lydium and H. olympicum the poorest with 25 components. Two multivariate techniques namely, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were utilized to differentiate chemically the tested species. The results indicated H. lydium and H. polyphyllum populations as probably new chemotypes and H. montbretii and H. olympicum populations as likely beta-caryophyllene chemotypes.The results also indicated no chemotaxonomic value for the volatile profiles and constituents. Such findings provide an important contribution to our knowledge of Hypericum chemistry and could help to elucidate the possible role of VSMs as chemical markers as well as the evolutionary relationships within botanical sections of the Hypericum genus.
Enhancing crop production and productivity to meet the needs of growing populations has emerged as a significant challenge. To explore this issue, a field experiment was conducted using optimal regimes of mineral fertilizers, either in combinations of three or two nutrients against no fertilization, to evaluate the effects on maize yield, nutrient uptake, and nitrogen (N) use efficiency in alluvial soils of India. In general, the results revealed that a significant increase in maize yield was achieved with 125% NPK application through mineral fertilizers. Nutrient uptake for P, and K was also significantly higher in the same treatment; however uptake of N was in 150% NPK. The highest agronomic efficiency of N and recovery efficiency of N was achieved with the treatment applied with 100% NPK, compared to the control. Economically, the 125% NPK treatment was found to be superior to all other treatments. Among the omissions of nutrients, N-omitted (100% PK) treatment produced the lowest yield, indicating N emerged as a critical element in crop production. The study also emphasized that the optimized yield of a combination of three nutrients is more effective than that of in a pair. The grain yield showed a positive and significant linear correlation with NPK-based treatments up to a maximum dose, indicating that higher levels of NPK could be beneficial for crop yield. The grain yield was found to be positively and significantly correlated with N and Pat r=0.72 and 0.79, respectively. Overall, it could be recommended to increase the mineral NPK application by 25% from the current recommended dose of fertilizer, and a 125% NPK treatment is the optimal dosage for maize cultivation and profitability in India.
Abstract The worldwide growth of Antimicrobial Resistance (AmR) has prompted the exploration of different alternative treatment processes and increased attention on natural antimicrobial compounds. Compounds from natural, microbial, aquatic, and fungal sources provide strong bioactive mediators, with additional benefits, including good biocompatibility, reduced toxicity, and improved environmental safety. But the natural antimicrobial products have some limitations, like low solubility, poor stability, and bioavailability issues. Current improvements in chemical modification include nanotechnology, enzymatic variation, and hybridization of various methods, which have solved these limitations, improved the antimicrobial strength, and accuracy. These variations improve microbial cell membrane permeability, inhibit efflux pumps, and break biofilm formation, causing effective treatment against MDR strains. Some valuable research proves their ultimate use in health, farming, and food packaging with preservation. Even though difficulties such as some regulatory problems and possible toxicity at maximum dosages exist, future predictions, including AI-content drug development, sustainable products, and personalized antimicrobial ingredients, are a promising field for clinical uses. This review emphasizes how natural antimicrobial compounds have been designed into future generations to show anti-infectious agents through some advanced modification methods.
Abstract Studies on the effects of BA foliar sprays at concentrations of 6.25 ppm, 12.5 ppm, and 25 ppm were conducted on nursery plants of the three different apple cultivars Jeromine, Super Chief, and Gale Gala. The experiment was laid out in randomised block design (factorial). The nursery plants received two applications of the growth regulator: the first in the first week of July and the second in the following month. Based on the study, it was found that BA at 6.25 ppm significantly increased plant growth across all growth parameters, including plant height, stock girth, number of leaves per plant, leaf area, primary root length, secondary root number, secondary root length, fresh weight of shoots and roots, per cent dry weight of shoots and roots, biomass of nursery plants, and percentage of saleable plants. Also, Gale Gala performed noticeably better than the other two cultivars in terms of plant height, stock girth, scion girth, number of leaves per plant, leaf area, internodal length, primary root length, secondary root number, secondary root length, fresh weight of shoots and roots, per cent dry weight of shoots and roots, and proportion of saleable plants.
Abstract We evaluated twenty-six rice genotypes of Assam, including landraces and modern varieties, for ten quantitative traits in three different nitrogen regimes under shallow lowland conditions during Kharif 2014 and 2015 following randomized complete block designs and assessed the variability using multivariate methods. The principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the first four principal components (PCs) explained about 78.7% of the total variation among the twenty-six rice genotypes. The two-dimensional projections for PC1 and PC2 suggested that the traits, viz ., 1000-grain weight, panicle length, stem dry weight, and effective tillers were the principal discriminatory traits. Mahalanobis D 2 statistics grouped the genotypes into three clusters, and 1000-grain weight contributed the most towards divergence (26.8%), followed by stem starch content (15.6%) and panicle length (13.5%). The promising genotypes of clusters I and II might be used as potential donors in the hybridization program to exploit heterosis and to isolate desirable recombinants from the advanced generations for the lowland rice ecosystem. From our analysis, it was inferred that, the genotypes, namely Mal Bhog, Kabori, Jahinga and Lothabor with higher 1000-grain weight, spikelet fertility, stem starch content, and panicle length, respectively would serve as potential donors for increasing grain yield in rice.
A field experiment was conducted at Birsa Agricultural University, during 2023-24 and 24-25 to assess the effects of integrated organic nutrient management and foliar applications on performance productivity and quality in soybean-linseed cropping systems. Included in the study were organic nutrient management in which 100% of the required RDN originated from organic sources (T1), organic nutrient management with partial organic source substitution combined with foliar sprays (T7, T10) and a control treatment (T11). Our results showed that T1 produced the highest yield attributes, grain yield, stover yield and protein and oil content and oil yield in linseed crop with T7 and T10 in second-place increases; those treatments also had the most significant increases in soil microorganisms in T5 + foliar versus T4 control (in 10 day). We also established positive correlations with yield and soil parameters, soil organic carbon and microbial biomass; for this year of soil sampling. Overall, our results would suggest an integrated broad, organic nutriand could be a ranked alternative method in the context of traditional paths for organic growing systems.
Abstract Arbuscular mycorrhiza and fungal endophytes are the two important symbiotic microorganisms that impart drought stress tolerance in plants. In this study, six drought tolerant fungal endophytes viz. , P1R1, P4L5, P6R3, P6R4, P10R1 and P12R2 were evaluated together with Glomus mosseae on growth and yield of Zea mays under drought condition. Out of six isolates, the isolate P6R4 with Glomus mosseae showed improved plant growth under drought in preliminary screening. This isolate P6R4 was identified as Fusarium nygamai by ITS gene sequencing. A maize plant co-inoculated with F. nygamai and G. mosseae and subjected to drought stress during a critical period of crop growth (45 to 65 days after sowing) showed significantly higher plant biomass and yield compared to plants which were exposed to drought throughout the crop period. The dual inoculation of F. nygamai and G. mosseae increased the drought tolerant traits in plants such as relative water content, phenol, flavonoid and glycine betaine and antioxidant enzyme activity. The co-inoculated plants also increased the phytohormones (IAA, GA, ABA and SA) production and phosphorus uptake efficiency in plants. The results suggested that the interaction of F. nygamai and G. mosseae can mitigate the drought stress in maize during critical period of crop growth and improve growth and yield of maize.
The experiment was conducted to assess the effect of growth retardants, namely cycocel, paclobutrazol and maleic hydrazide on potted Gerbera cv. Livia. Seven treatments comprising foliar sprays of distilled water (as control), cycocel @ 500 ppm, cycocel @ 750 ppm, maleic hydrazide @ 750 ppm, maleic hydrazide @ 1000 ppm, paclobutrazol @ 50 ppm and paclobutrazol @ 100 ppm were applied thrice at 15-day intervals, in a completely randomized design with three replications each. The findings revealed that paclobutrazol was the most efficient in restricting the vegetative growth, followed by maleic hydrazide and cycocel which were at par. The minimum plant height, number of leaves per plant and leaf length were recorded with paclobutrazol @ 100 ppm. Root traits were improved by paclobutrazol @ 100 ppm, which showed maximum root length, root number, fresh and dry root weight and root suckers. The floral quality traits viz., stalk length, number of flowers and flower size were negatively affected by paclobutrazol; however, cycocel @ 750 ppm enhanced flower quality. Thus, it was concluded that three foliar sprays of cycocel @ 750 ppm were effective in producing compact gerbera pot plants with enhanced floral quality, making it a preferred growth retardant for potted cultivation of gerbera.
Salt tolerant cultivars of rice are continuously being developed for suitability of their cultivation in salt affected lands that cause significant loss in the crop yield. Testing of salt tolerance of a large number of breeding lines generated after crossing and selfing is a major constrain in the development of salt tolerant cultivars. The present study describes a laboratory-based method of testing salt tolerance of the breeding lines at the seedling stage. Shoot growth inhibition data were generated for five rice cultivars after hydroponic exposure of the 5 days old seedlings to 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0% NaCl for 24, 48 and 72 h. The 72 h IC 50 values for NaCl varied from 0.91% (156 mM) for the salt-sensitive Naveen to 1.8% (300 mM) for the salt-tolerant Pokkali. The IC 50 values clearly demonstrated difference in salt-tolerance/sensitivity of the rice cultivars, and hence the method can be used for testing salt tolerance of the breeding lines in the shortest possible time. Moreover, the method provides a quantitative value, rather than mere phenotypic observations being followed in the prevailing method of screening of salt tolerance of breeding lines.
This study evaluates the effects of pruning and biofertilizer application on the growth and yield of greengram intercropped with guava in an experiment conducted at the Agricultural Research Farm, Rajiv Gandhi South Campus, Banaras Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh, India. Utilizing a split-plot design, the main plots were assigned varying guava pruning intensities, while the subplots featured different fertilization treatments given to greengram. Results revealed that both factors significantly impacted plant height, dry matter accumulation, crop growth rate, and yield of greengram, with the highest values achieved at a 75% pruning intensity combined with 100% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) + NPK microbial consortia. However, the differences between this treatment and a combination of 50% pruning intensity with 75% RDF + NPK microbial consortia were not statistically significant. Given the comparable agronomic outcomes the study recommends the latter treatment as the most sustainable option for optimizing greengram production in guava-based agri-horti systems.
Distinctiveness, uniformity and stability facilitate long term gene conservation and food security by limiting spatial constraints. It ensures harmonisation with evolving phenotypes and breeding goals for trait improvement. The current work aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the diverse and intriguing characteristics of jackfruit. Twenty-two local accessions of Odisha collected from various areas were characterised based on 47 morphological traits (24 quantitative, 18 qualitative and 5 pseudo qualitative traits). The study exhibited wide range of variations among the accessions for various morphometric characters. It also suggests certain new distinct and distinguishable characteristics with a high genetic level, as well as stages for their protection under the PPV&FR (Protection of Plant Variety and Farmer's Right) Act, 2001. It will be helpful for cultivars as well as breeders to recognise and differentiate jackfruit genotypes at the field level to protect genetic resources for future improvement and management.
The genetic studies of ear height and its related traits were carried out by making crosses between two contrasting parents for ear placement i.e., AKON 40A (high) and LM 23 (low) to generate F-1 hybrids, which were selfed to produce F-2 population and backcrossed with both parents to generate BC1.1 and BC1.2 generations. Generation mean analysis was performed on all six generations for a total of 12 morphological and phenological traits. The genetic components revealed the presence of additive gene action, additive x additive and additive x dominance gene interaction for ear placement and plant height. To map the QTLs/genes for ear placement a total of 284 SSR primer pairs were applied, 146 primer pairs confirmed parental polymorphism, while nine primers exhibited polymorphism in bulked segregant analysis (BSA). These nine primers were used for constructing linkage map in F-2 population. Three linkage groups were identified in which LG1 spanned 26.9 cM on chromosome 3 while, LG(2) and LG(3) spanned 42.1 and 6.7 cM on chromosome 6 and 7, respectively. Genomic region influencing ear placement was mapped on chromosome 6 between the SSR primers umc1979 and umc2317 having LOD value of similar to 3 and the phenotypic variance (R-2) of 8.5. The prevalence of additive gene action for ear height suggested that recurrent selection can be utilized to improve source population for reducing ear placement by accumulating favourable alleles. Improved source population then can be utilized for inbred line development leading to maize hybrids having medium to low ear placement.
Origanum ramonense Danin is a rare desert plant belonging to the family Lamiaceae. The plant is rare, so the conservation efforts are crucial to protect this species from extinction. It is endemic to the Negev region in Israel. The aim of the present work was to determine the effect of temperature and photoperiod on the volatile oil composition obtained from solvent extraction and Solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) of O. ramonense and to estimate the plant growth parameters. Four different temperature regimes were tested in a day/night fashion: 12-16 degrees C; 16-22 degrees C; 22-28 degrees C and 28-34 degrees C. At each temperature, 12 and 19 hours of light regimes were examined. Volatile analyses confirmed that the oxygenated monoterpenes alpha-terpineol (15.4-32.6%), borneol (10.3-12%), trans-sabinene hydrate (10.6-18.5%) and 1,8-cineole (6.5-8.6%) were the major components from solvent extraction. Monoterpene hydrocarbons were found to be the main components using SPME sampling technique accounting for 63.3-78% of the total identified components in different temperature treatments
In a common garden experiment, the genotypes of Salix tetrasperma (Indian willow) collected from several locations in northern India were evaluated for biomass, growth, leaf sprouting and foliage duration traits. The study revealed that altitude significantly affected all biomass parameters, leaf area, petiole length, maximum breadth of lamina, internodal length, and basal diameter, whereas latitude affected foliage duration, leaf area, maximum breadth of lamina, and root length. The growth and biomass were highest in the genotypes collected from the Suhanpur in Punjab. Similarly, the genotypes collected from the lowermost latitudinal and altitudinal region (Udaipur) were found to have the maximum breadth of lamina, leaf area, and foliage duration. The foliage duration and biomass characters were affected by root zone soil moisture, rainfall, and temperature of the original geographic location of genotypes in all seasons except rainfall and temperature in monsoon season for foliage duration and post monsoon root zone moisture for biomass characters. Leaf area was influenced by all the environmental variables except root zone moisture of winter, post monsoon and monsoon and rainfall in monsoon season. Winter rainfall and summer root zone moisture affected internodal length, number of nodes and lamina breadth. While the summer and monsoon root zone moisture and post-monsoon rainfall and monsoon temperature had an impact on basal diameter. The dendrogram showed a separate cluster of genotypes collected from lower and upper latitudinal and altitudinal sites with distinct sub-cluster for the lowermost collection site (Udaipur). This study is beneficial for developing effective strategies both for the improvement and conservation of this species.
Twenty-seven germplasm of maize primarily consisting of waxy landraces of Manipur were evaluated for 15 agro-morphological and biochemical traits during Spring-2023 and Kharif-2023 at diversity. Pooled data from the two seasons were used to draw the outcomes. The analysis of variances has shown highly notable variations among the genotypes concerning all the traits examined. Diversity assessment study established on Mahalanobis's D2 statistics indicated that all 27 maize genotypes were categorized into four distinct clusters, with larger part of genotypes falling into Cluster II. Cluster III exhibits an elevated intra-cluster distance (22.1) specifying significant level of diversity among the various genotypes involved, meanwhile, clusters II and IV had utmost inter-cluster distance (66.9) showcasing enhanced diversity consequently raising the chances of acquiring advantageous transgressive segregants via hybridization among the genotypes within these clusters. Future crossing comparison of genotypes between cluster I and those of cluster II, as well as cluster IV may be suggested for breeding maize varieties of shorter duration with higher amylopectin and amylose content along with higher productivity. Traits like amylose concentration, amylopectin concentration and ear weight per plant were observed to be significant determinants of divergence.
