Flemingia macrophylla (Willd.) Kuntze ex Merr. is a multipurpose legume crop with medicinal and forage value. However, the shortage of wild resources and the long cultivation cycle limit its sustainable utilization. As a preliminary screening experiment, this study evaluated the effects of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and ABT rooting powder (a mixture of IAA and NAA), which are commonly used in production, on root growth, physiological and biochemical parameters, endogenous hormones, and the accumulation of the bioactive isoflavones genistein and genistin in tissue-cultured plantlets of F. macrophylla. The results showed significant differences among the regulatory effects of the three plant growth regulators (PGRs). NAA was most effective in boosting antioxidant enzyme activities while minimizing membrane lipid peroxidation; IAA significantly promoted root elongation; and the ABT treatment resulted in the highest accumulation of soluble sugars and abscisic acid (ABA). The highest genistein content (4.59 mg center dot g-1) was observed under the 0.3 mg center dot L-1 ABT treatment, while the highest genistin content (33.82 mg center dot g-1) was obtained with the 1.0 mg center dot L-1 ABT treatment. Spearman's correlation analysis suggested that the association patterns between active components and physiological factors were treatment-specific. Within the tested concentration range, the 1.0 mg center dot L-1 ABT treatment yielded the highest bioactive constituent content (37.76 mg center dot g-1), indicating a relatively high level of isoflavone accumulation; in contrast, 1.0 mg center dot L-1 IAA and 0.5 mg center dot L-1 NAA exhibited relatively balanced effects among root development, stress physiology, and bioactive constituent accumulation. This exploratory study provides preliminary data to inform the selection of growth regulators for the tissue culture propagation and production of bioactive constituents in F. macrophylla.
Rhododendron ponticum L. is a native evergreen ornamental shrub with considerable potential for landscape use and container production. Achieving compact, marketable plants while maintaining overall plant quality is an important production objective. Although the growth-regulating effects of paclobutrazol (PBZ) have previously been reported in rhododendrons, most studies have focused on PBZ concentration or single application methods, whereas comparative evaluation of practical application strategies under container production has received relatively little attention. Therefore, this study compared five PBZ application strategies, namely root dip, substrate drench, foliar spray, substrate drench with manual pinching, and foliar spray with manual pinching, each applied at five PBZ concentrations (0, 1.25, 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 mg L-1), in container-grown Rhododendron ponticum. Plant height, leaf number, leaf length, stem diameter, and floral bud occurrence were evaluated. Application strategy significantly affected plant height, leaf number and leaf length, whereas PBZ concentration and the application strategy & times; concentration interaction were significant only for leaf length. Effect-size estimates indicated larger application-strategy effects than PBZ-concentration effects for plant height, leaf number, and stem diameter, whereas leaf length also showed substantial concentration and interaction effects. Plant height ranged from 2.27 to 6.63 cm, while stem diameter ranged from 1.67 to 4.03 mm. Floral buds were present in all non-pinched substrate drench treatments, with 100% occurrence at 0-5.0 mg L-1 and 67% occurrence at 10.0 mg L-1, but were absent from all treatments combining foliar spray with manual pinching. Principal component analysis (PCA) explained 56.9% of the total variation and separated the evaluated treatments according to their morphological responses. Overall, application strategy was the dominant source of variation for several vegetative traits, while leaf length showed a more complex response involving both PBZ concentration and the application strategy & times; concentration interaction. Among the evaluated strategies, substrate drench without manual pinching provided the most favourable balance between vegetative growth control and floral bud occurrence, suggesting that this strategy may represent an effective approach for producing high-quality container-grown Rhododendron ponticum.
The domain of unknown function 506 (DUF506) family belongs to the PD-(D/E) XK nuclease superfamily and is related to the regulation of plant growth and development and responses to abiotic stress. To date, no comprehensive analysis of the DUF506 gene family has been conducted in Sorghum bicolor. This study revealed nine SbDUF506 genes, which have been distributed unevenly across five chromosomes. Gene structure analysis indicated that SbDUF506 genes composed of one to three exons and introns. Cis-regulatory element analysis indicated that most SbDUF506 genes are associated with responses to abiotic stress. Collectively, the results suggest that gene duplication events markedly enhanced the evolutionary proliferation of the SbDUF506 gene family. Ka/Ks analysis indicated that these genes have predominantly evolved under purifying selection. Furthermore, the expression analysis profiles of the SbDUF506 genes across various tissues and under stress conditions were evaluated via RT-qPCR following heat, salinity, and cold treatments. The results indicated that most SbDUF506 genes are responsive to cold stress, as well as to heat and salinity. These findings advance the theoretical understanding of the evolutionary organization and stress-responsive regulation of the DUF506 gene family in sorghum and provide candidate genes for further functional validation and the molecular breeding of Sorghum cultivars with improved tolerance to abiotic stresses.
(1) Background: Increasing heat and radiation exposure in Mediterranean vineyards are intensifying the risk of berry sunburn and altering grape composition, particularly in white cultivars such as Chardonnay. Canopy management and shading nets are potential adaptation strategies, but their effects on microclimate, vine physiology, and nitrogen-related berry composition remain insufficiently understood. (2) Methods: This study evaluated the effects of photoselective and conventional shade nets, leaf removal, and an untreated control on Chardonnay grapevines grown in east-west-oriented rows during one growing season. (3) Results: The incident photosynthetically active radiation (PARi) was strongly increased by leaf removal, being 124.0% higher than under the conventional Raschel net, 112.6% higher than under the photoselective black-white net, and 80.9% higher than the control without intervention. The photoselective black-white net eliminated afternoon temperature events above 35 degrees C, although it showed the highest sunburn severity. Leaf removal showed the highest stem water potential values, increasing proline concentration in grapes. The conventional Raschel net reduced berry arginine concentration compared with all other treatments and increased serine and histidine concentrations relative to the control and black-white photoselective net, although these amino acids did not differ from leaf removal. (4) Conclusions: Shading nets and leaf removal differentially modified light exposure, the frequency of extreme heat events, vine water status, and amino acid metabolism in Chardonnay vines trained in east-west-oriented rows. These findings highlighted the need to adjust canopy and shading strategies according to row orientation, as practices that mitigate heat exposure may also produce contrasting effects on berry sunburn and composition.
Astrantia major L. (Apiaceae) is a non-official medicinal plant with a long history of use in the traditional medicine of many European countries; however, its phytochemical composition and pharmacological properties remain insufficiently studied. This study aimed to investigate the phenolic profile of A. major herb extracts and evaluate their biological activities. A total of 17 phenolic compounds were identified, including hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonoids, catechins and tannin-related metabolites. Chlorogenic acid was the predominant hydroxycinnamic acid, while rutin was the major flavonoid. Among the tannin-related metabolites, gallocathechin predominated in the aqueous extract (AM0), whereas epigallocatechin was the major constituent in the hydroethanolic extract (AM70). The total phenolic content ranged from 14.42 +/- 0.13% to 16.91 +/- 0.09%. Pharmacological evaluation of aqueous and 70% hydroethanolic extracts demonstrated statistically significant anti-inflammatory activity compared to the pathological control group, reduced bleeding time, and accelerated wound healing. The extracts also exhibited selective antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli. The selectivity pattern differed between the extracts. The observed biological activities are likely correlated with the phenolic profile of the plant. A. major represents a promising source of biologically active compounds with hemostatic, wound-healing, and anti-inflammatory potential.
