This study examined how fungal bio-priming with Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae affected shallot (Allium cepa L. var. aggregatum) seed germination under drought and salinity stress. This experiment used a factorial experiment with three bio-priming treatments (control, B. bassiana, and M. anisopliae) and three stress conditions (non-stress, 100 mM NaCl, and drought stress with polyethylene glycol at −0.5 MPa). The results showed that bio-priming and stress conditions together influenced all germination parameters. B. bassiana improved germination speed, uniformity, and synchrony under non-stress conditions. Under drought stress, however, hydro-priming (control) achieved the fastest germination timing, while B. bassiana still improved germination uniformity relative to the control. M. anisopliae showed numerically higher germination speed and velocity under salinity stress, although these differences were not statistically significant among treatments, and this treatment also exhibited greater (though non-significant) variability in germination timing. Drought and salinity both increased germination variability and uncertainty, but fungal bio-priming reduced these effects depending on the stress type. Fungal bio-priming affected not only germination capacity but also the timing and predictability of germination. These findings support using fungal bio-priming to improve shallot seed germination under drought and salinity stress.
Palm oil fronds are a plantation waste with potential as ruminant feed, but their high lignocellulose content limits widespread use. This study aimed to improve the nutritional quality of palm oil fronds through pretreatment and fermentation, including their amino acid and fatty acid profiles. Three pretreatment methods (steaming, pressure cooking, and eco-enzyme) were combined with fermentation using Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Aspergillus niger, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Fiber fractions, proximate composition, and amino and fatty acid profiles were analyzed using ANOVA and Duncan's Multiple Range Test. Pretreatment reduced lignin content by up to 52.07±2.58% (30-minute steaming with 100% eco-enzyme) relative to the untreated control (17.76±0.306%), with longer treatment durations giving greater lignin degradation. Fermentation raised crude protein from 4.99% to 16.50% in the T2M2 treatment (pretreatment with A. niger + L. acidophilus), which also had the most favorable amino acid profile. The T2M1 treatment (pretreatment with B. subtilis + L. acidophilus) showed the lowest fiber fraction content and the greatest improvement in fatty acid profile. Because both treatments combined pretreatment and fermentation, the improvements reflect their combined effect rather than the microbial consortium alone. These findings suggest that pretreated and fermented palm oil fronds have potential as a ruminant feed ingredient based on their improved chemical and nutritional profile. However, as the study was limited to laboratory analyses, in vivo feeding trials are needed to validate feed intake, growth performance, and productive efficiency.
This study aimed to estimate the under-bark wood volume of Pinus brutia Ten. naturally growing in the Zawita region of Dohuk Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This research matters because timber is typically marketed after bark removal, while the bark itself also has considerable economic value in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Field data were collected from 50 carefully selected trees, including measurements of diameter at breast height (dbh), total and commercial height, and bark thickness at different points along the stem. Mathematical and statistical models were applied, including Mayer’s method to calculate the bark factor (k) and regression models to estimate bark thickness based on dbh. The results showed that. The best model for predicting bark thickness was a simple nonlinear regression model based on dbh. The bark factor value for Pinus brutia Ten. in Zawita was 0.88. Standard under-bark volume tables were developed using dbh and merchantable height, allowing accurate estimation of net wood volume without felling the trees. The study concludes that integrating the bark factor with regression-based models offers a practical and efficient approach for estimating both wood and bark volumes, supporting sustainable forest management and the economic assessment of timber resources in accordance with market standards.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays an essential role in functions in birds and mammals such as motivation, mood, attention, memory, and movement coordination. This study aims to assess the impact of dopamine injection in two quail lines, namely brown and black Japanese quail breeds, on productive, sexual, and hatchability traits. Furthermore, the third generation was reared to receive dopamine treatment, administered intramuscularly into the breast muscle at a dose of 0.2 mL per bird to a final concentration of 20 µM. The treatments were applied as follows: group T1 was the control group, and group T2 was the dopamine injection group. A total of 24 birds were randomly allocated to the previously mentioned treatments, each consisting of three replicates, with four birds in every replicate at a sex ratio of (3 females: 1 male) for each genetic line. Accordingly, the findings revealed notable superiority (p ≤ 0.05) of dopamine injection over the control group in most sexual traits, including age at sexual maturity, which occurred earlier. It also improved fertility percentage and hatchability percentage and reduced embryonic mortality compared with the control group. It also produced the highest fertility rate in brown quail (100%) and the highest hatchability rate in black quail (97.04%). The results showed genetic differences between the lines, evidenced by higher egg production, better feed conversion, faster sexual maturity, and increased hatchability. We conclude that dopamine's positive effect comes from its role in inhibiting prolactin, reducing brooding, and supporting continuous production.
Macrophomina phaseolina, the causal agent of charcoal rot, severely constrains strawberry production, and its management relies on broad-spectrum fungicides with documented environmental and public-health risks. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) therefore represents a sustainable alternative. This study evaluated Bacillus subtilis, B. amyloliquefaciens, and B. thuringiensis against M. phaseolina and their ability to induce host defense, monitored through phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity. Antagonism was assessed in vitro, and disease severity and PAL activity were evaluated in greenhouse experiments on two major local strawberry cultivars (Albion and Camarosa), with and without M. phaseolina. Non-inoculated and Bacillus-only controls were included. B. subtilis produced the highest in vitro inhibition of M. phaseolina (percentage inhibition of radial growth, PIRG = 38.82± 1.21%), significantly exceeding (P ≤ 0.05) B. amyloliquefaciens and B. thuringiensis. In the greenhouse (cv. Albion), B. amyloliquefaciens provided the greatest disease control (disease severity index, DSI = 53.3 ± 1.9%; percentage disease control, PDC = 46.7%) relative to the pathogen-inoculated control (DSI = 100%), followed by B. thuringiensis (DSI = 66.6 ± 2.4%; PDC = 33.4%), whereas B. subtilis was least effective (DSI = 73.3 ± 2.1%; PDC = 26.7%). Conversely, B. subtilis induced the highest PAL activity (32.41 ± 1.14 nmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ FW), a 43.0% increase over the pathogen-inoculated control (22.67 ± 0.76 nmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ FW). All three Bacillus treatments significantly increased PAL activity (P ≤0.05) relative to the pathogen-inoculated control, indicating activation of host defense responses. These findings support integrating Bacillus-based bioagents into strawberry charcoal rot management.
