Heavy use of chemicals, in the form of fertilizer and pesticide, is the key factor in damaging natural resources. Mulches offer an innovative solution, which can improve fertilizer and water use efficiency, as well as reduce weed emergence. We hypothesized that using biodegradable mulches could enhance input use efficiency and maize crop productivity on a sustainable basis. We conducted a field experiment to evaluate various levels of nitrogen under different mulching system. The treatments consisted of two factors: Factor-A: Mulches (M1 = Biodegradable mulch and M2 = Plastic mulch) and Factor-B: Nitrogen levels (N1 = Control, N2 = 80 Kg ha-1, N3 =100 Kg ha-1, N4 = 140 Kg ha-1, N5 = 180 Kg ha-1, and N6 = 200 Kg ha-1). The results showed that the application of nitrogen at a rate of 140 Kg ha-1 under biodegradable mulch (M2) resulted in superior performance compared to other combinations. During both the years, this treatment combination improved the crop productivity in term of cob length (9%, 18%), grain rows per cob (5%, 7%), grains per cob (20%, 11%), 1000-grain weight (16%, 38%) grain yield (31%, 36%) and biological yield (19% and 18%), harvest index (14%, 22%), water use efficiency (WUE) (47%, 38%), nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and grain quality of maize crop. The biodegradable mulch positively affected soil health and soil organic matter content. Therefore, biodegradable mulch is pragmatic approach and may be used to improve WUE, grain quality, and yield of maize crop.

Sulfur (S) is essential for plant growth, influencing protein synthesis and metabolic processes. However, S deficiency in agricultural soils is becoming more prevalent, negatively affecting crop yields and quality. In barley, where grain protein composition is crucial for malting and brewing, understanding the impact of S on nutrient balance and protein profiles is imperative. This study investigated the effects of S deficiency and supplementation on growth, mineral nutrition, amino acids, proteomics, and yield in two barley cultivars, ZheDa-9 (ZD-9) and Gairdner. Results show that S deprivation significantly reduced plant height, biomass, chlorophyll content, and grain yield, with Gairdner experiencing a 25.7

Plant–microbe interactions in soil rhizosphere driven by root exudate metabolites are receiving increasing research attention. Medicinal plants possess a wide range of root-derived metabolites with unique characteristics. It is pertinent to understand how root systems of medicinal plants influence microbial populations in the rhizosphere. This work involved high-throughput sequencing of microorganisms, root exudate analysis with gas chromatography, and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Soil rhizospheres of three varying Amomum villosum root diameters revealed a diverse microbiome and root exudate metabolites. Metabolite contents in root exudates and the relative abundance of Acidobacteria and Chloroflexi significantly differed in the rhizospheres of three varying diameters of A. villosum. Moreover, root exudates promoted the growth of Actinobacteriota, Basidiomycota, and Proteobacteria while inhibiting that of Acidobacteriota and Chloroflexi in soil rhizospheres. Our results suggest that root exudates, associated with root diameter, changed the microbiome diversity of the soil rhizosphere.

With the rise of global value chain (GVC), traditional accounting methods for virtual water (VW) trade have failed to reflect the inherent VW flow generated by the production of intermediate goods in shared production processes. Here, we reassess China's VW consumption in 2020 based on a new GVC framework, and propose the concept of VW consumption embodied in forward and backward GVC activities (VWF/VWB). We clarify China's role in GVC activities and reveal VWF/VWB inequalities under multiple scenarios. Our results show that the maximum share of VWF and VWB reaches 64.4% and 86.1%, respectively, far exceeding the traditional trade share. China's VWB primarily sources from developing countries in Asia, while VWF primarily serves the United States. VWF/VWB inequalities are exacerbated by China's GVC activities and exhibit considerable variation under multiple scenarios. Our findings provide new insights into reconciling China's GVC participation and narrowing regional disparities in VW consumption.

BACKGROUND:Cotton is an important economic crop and a host of Liriomyza sativae. Pectin methylesterase (PME)-mediated pectin metabolism plays an indispensable role in multiple biological processes in planta. However, the pleiotropic functions of PME often lead to unpredictable effects on crop resistance to pests. Additionally, whether and how PME affects susceptibility to Liriomyza sativae remain unclear. RESULTS:Here, we isolated GhPME36, which is located in the cell wall, from upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Interestingly, the overexpression of GhPME36 in cotton caused severe susceptibility to Liriomyza sativae but increased leaf biomass in Arabidopsis. Cytological observations revealed that the cell wall was thinner with more demethylesterified pectins in GhPME36-OE cotton leaves than in WT leaves, whereas the soluble sugar content of GhPME36-OE cotton leaf cell walls was accordingly higher; both factors attracted Liriomyza sativae to feed on GhPME36-OE cotton leaves. Metabolomic analysis demonstrated that glucose was significantly differentially accumulated. Transcriptomic analysis further revealed DEGs enriched in glucose metabolic pathways when GhPME36 was overexpressed, suggesting that GhPME36 aggravates susceptibility to Liriomyza sativae by affecting both the structure and components of cell wall biosynthesis. Moreover, GhPME36 interacts with another pectin-modifying enzyme, GhC/VIF1, to maintain the dynamic stability of pectin methyl esterification. CONCLUSIONS:Taken together, our results reveal the cytological and molecular mechanisms by which GhPME36 aggravates susceptibility to Liriomyza sativae. This study broadens the knowledge of PME function and provides new insights into plant resistance to pests and the safety of genetically modified plants.

Background: Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are a common and pressing health concern, particularly in emergency department (ED) settings. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment and management. While urine culture is the gold standard for UTI diagnosis, urine dipstick assays offer a quicker, more accessible alternative. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of urine dipstick assays in comparison with urine culture for UTI detection in an ED setting. Methods: This study was conducted at the ED of Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, from January to June 2023. A total of 260 patients, comprising 70.4% females and 29.6% males with a mean age of 44.45 ± 14.93 years, were included. The study employed a nonprobability consecutive sampling technique. Inclusion criteria were patients aged 18 to 75 years presenting with UTI symptoms and no recent UTI treatment history. Exclusion criteria included patients outside the specified age range, those with indwelling urinary catheters, and patients already under UTI treatment. Urine samples were tested using both dipstick analysis and culture. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of the dipstick test were calculated and compared with culture results. Results: The sensitivity and specificity of the urine dipstick test were found to be 71% and 61.3%, respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) was 68.4%, and the negative predictive value (NPV) was 64%. Of the 260 patients, 146 (56.2%) had positive dipstick results, while 141 (54.2%) had positive urine culture results. The study observed a higher prevalence of UTI in females, with 80.9% of positive cultures coming from female patients. Conclusion: Urine dipstick assays, with reasonable sensitivity and specificity, can serve as a rapid screening tool for UTIs in ED settings, especially in resource-limited environments. However, for definitive diagnosis, especially in cases of negative dipstick results, urine culture remains essential.

The jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathway plays an important role in plant responses to abiotic stresses. The PEAPOD (PPD) and jasmonate ZIM-domain (JAZ) protein in the JA signaling pathway belong to the same family, but their functions in regulating plant defense against salt stress remain to be elucidated. Here, Gossypium arboreum PPD2 was overexpressed in Arabidopsis thaliana and systematically silenced in cotton for exploring its function in regulating plant defense to salt stress. The GaPPD2-overexpressed Arabidopsis thaliana plants significantly increased the tolerance to salt stress compared to the wild type in both medium and soil, while the GaPPD2-silenced cotton plants showed higher sensitivity to salt stress than the control in pots. The antioxidant activities experiment showed that GaPPD2 may mitigate the accumulation of reactive oxygen species by promoting superoxide dismutase accumulation, consequently improving plant resilience to salt stress. Through the exogenous application of MeJA (methy jasmonate) and the protein degradation inhibitor MG132, it was found that GaPPD2 functions in plant defense against salt stress and is involved in the JA signaling pathway. The RNA-seq analysis of GaPPD2-overexpressed A. thaliana plants and receptor materials showed that the differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in antioxidant activity, peroxidase activity, and plant hormone signaling pathways. qRT-PCR results demonstrated that GaPPD2 might positively regulate plant defense by inhibiting GH3.2/3.10/3.12 expression and activating JAZ7/8 expression. The findings highlight the potential of GaPPD2 as a JA signaling component gene for improving the cotton plant resistance to salt stress and provide insights into the mechanisms underlying plant responses to environmental stresses.

Food system is the main consumer of water resources, and the differences in urban and rural diets pose new challenges to the water sustainability and increase the uncertainty of food security in China. In this study, we quantified the dietary water footprint (DWF) of urban and rural residents at the city scale in four major urban agglomerations in China from 2015 to 2021, identified the key economic and educational factors of urban and rural DWF, and measured the inequality of urban and rural DWF driven by the main influencing factors. We found that there was a 27.17 % increase in urban DWF and a 23.18 % increase in rural DWF between 2015 and 2021. Cereals had the largest water footprint among the 12 food types, accounting for 20.27 % and 31.57 % of urban and rural DWF, respectively. Meanwhile, milk and dairy products contributed the most to the difference between urban and rural DWF, up to 57.89 m3 each year. The main economic factor of DWF was consumption expenditure. The number of primary school students and the number of primary schools are the most important educational factors of urban and rural DWF, respectively. The results show there is an inequality between DWF and major educational factors, with a decreasing trend in DWF inequality over time. This study revealed for the first time the difference between urban and rural DWF at the city scale, and clarified the impact of regional educational inequality on DWF. A greater focus should be placed on the primary education-related factors that influence DWF inequality, in order to better target sustainable DWF strategies for urban and rural residents.

Purpose: Phyllospheric microorganisms are among the most vital factors that influence the flavor and taste of coffee (Coffea arabica). Little is known about the relationship between bean properties in C. arabica and phyllospheric microorganisms. The study was carried out to assess bean morphology and biochemical compositions in Coffea arabica cultivars and correlation analysis between them and phyllospheric microorganisms. Materials: Ten C. arabica accessions were collected to assess the factor affecting coffee quality. An extensive variation was determined in terms of the bean morphological and biochemical compositions traits examined between the ten C. arabica accessions. Results: Correlation analysis demonstrated that the hundred-grain weight had strong positive correlation with transverse diameter (r = 0.80***) and longitudinal diameter (r = 0.61***). Additionally, strong positive correlation was determined between chlorogenic acid and longitudinal diameter (r = 0.69***), between caffeine and neochlorogenic acid (r = 1.00***), and between isochlorogenic acid B and isochlorogenic acid C (r = 0.74***). Furthermore, among four C. arabica cultivars, highly significant differences for the alpha and beta diversity indices of the pyllospheric bacterial and fungal communities were observed. Besides, T test indicated that the relative abundance of top five phyllospheric bacterial and fungal phyla exhibited significant different enrichment among the four C. arabica varieties. Conclusion: The redundancy analysis revealed that Proteobacteria were the most correlated with transverse diameter, caffeine, and trigonelline for dominant fungal phylum, and strong correlations were detected between Ascomycota and two bean biochemical compositions (isochlorogenic acid C and crude oil). This study may be useful for promoting the quality and yield of C. arabica.

An experiment was carried out to explore the impact of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs)-degrading microbial consortium (MC) on phytoremediation ability and growth of water hyacinth (WH) plants in water contaminated with lead (Pb) and PHs. Buckets (12-L capacity) were filled with water and WH plants, PHs (2,400 mg L-1) and Pb (10 mg L-1) in respective buckets. Plants were harvested after 30 days of transplanting and results showed that PHs and Pb substantially reduced the agronomic (up to 62%) and physiological (up to 49%) attributes of WH plants. However, the application of MC resulted in a substantial increase in growth (38%) and physiology (22%) of WH plants over uninoculated contaminated control. The WH + MC were able to accumulate 93% Pb and degrade/accumulate 72% of PHs as compared to initial concentration. Furthermore, combined use of WH plants and MC in co-contamination of PHs and Pb, reduced Pb and PHs contents in water by 74% and 68%, respectively, than that of initially applied concentration. Our findings suggest that the WH in combination with PHs-degrading MC could be a suitable nature-based water remediation technology for organic and inorganic contaminants and in future it can be used for decontamination of mix pollutants from water bodies.

Although irrigation water is a fundamental need for plant growth, it is also a source of pollutants if contaminated with harmful materials like cadmium (Cd). Irrigation water possessing abundant Cd causes damage to soil, plants, animals and ultimately human beings through the food chain. A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the gladiolus ( Gladiolus grandiflora L.) potential of Cd accumulation and the capability of the plant to be an economically beneficial choice in presence of high Cd irrigation water supply. Artificially prepared four levels of Cd irrigation water were applied to the plants viz., 30, 60, 90 and 120 mg L −1 . The results revealed that 30 mg L −1 Cd had no difference in all growth-related parameters when compared to the control. Photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate along with plant height and spike length were reduced with high accumulation levels of Cd in plants. The main plant portion for Cd storage found in Gladiolus grandiflora L was corm where the amount of Cd was 10–12 times higher than the amount found in leaves, and 2–4 times more than the stem. This deportment was further established by the translocation factor (TF). In corm to shoot TF and corm to stem TF, the factor reduced with increasing Cd levels, while, in corm to leaves TF, Cd levels were statistically non-significant. From corm to shoot TF value of 0.68 and 0.43 in case of 30 and 60 mg L −1 , Cd treatments indicates good phytoremediation potential of Gladiolus in low and moderate Cd-polluted environments. Conclusively, the study reveals the good capability of Gladiolus grandiflora L. to harvest Cd from the soil and water in reasonably good amount with sufficient potential to grow under irrigation-based Cd stress. Under revelations of the study, Gladiolus grandiflora L appeared as a Cd accumulator which could potentially be used as a sustainable approach for phytoremediation of Cd.

Starch plays a pivotal role in food and other industries, necessitating the exploration of new starch sources to cater the substantial requirement. This study delved into the variations in the physicochemical properties, structure attributes and in vitro digestibility of seed starches extracted from five distinct loquat cultivars (Eriobotrya japonica L.). The starch extraction yield of loquat seeds was found to be 45.2 % as an average. Loquat seed starches were designated as having high-amylose starch (>50 %). The starch granules exhibited similar shapes, but granular size significantly varied across the cultivars. Loquat starches presented a C-type crystalline pattern with relative crystallinity from 17.14 % to 21.06 %. The short-range ordered structure of the starches differed with loquat cultivars. The swelling power, solubility and amylose leaching of loquat starches increased with increasing temperature, significantly varying among different cultivars. Gelatinization parameters exhibited significant variations among the loquat starches. Different loquat starches exhibited pronounced variations in paste clarity, water and oil absorption capacity. Marked differences were detected in proportions of rapidly digestible starch (RDS), slowly digestible starch (SDS), and resistant starch (RS) across the five cultivars, with RS being particularly prominent fraction with an average of 84.30 %. These compressive findings offer valuable insights into the potential application of loquat seed starches in the formulation of foods and various industrial products.

The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of heat transfer and flow of non-Newtonian power-law fluids towards a stretching sheet in the appearance of transverse magnetic field with slip boundary conditions. Suitable similarity transformations are used to change the non-linear partial differential equations to ordinary differential equations. For the numerical solution Maple software by applying built-in command dsolve with numeric is utilized. It is noticed from the obtained results that an increase in the magnetic parameter results in a decrease in the dimensionless velocity profile and in the stream function while the temperature profile increases for the Newtonian, dilatant, and pseudo-plastic fluids. Increasing the velocity slip parameter, a reducing behavior can be seen in the stream function and in the velocity profile while temperature profile is enhancing. Moreover, with increasing thermal slip, a decrease occurs in the dimensionless temperature. The variations in the velocity and temperature profiles under dimensionless parameters are significant for n = 0.8 (pseudo-plastic fluid) rather than for n = 1 (Newtonian fluid) and n = 1.02 (dilatant fluid).

Sustainable growth of resilient cities (RCs) requires equal development and monitoring of natural and artificial ecosystems, such as biodiversity, transportation, building, legislation, etc. We applied the scientometric analysis combined with social network analysis and S-curve technique by using VOSviewer and Netdraw software to quantitatively analyze 7684 publications related to GI and RCs in the Scientific Citation Index (SCI) and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) databases from 2000 to 2021. Results showed that: (1) Publications on GI and RCs have increased from 30 in 2000 to 913 in 2021 with steady annual increasing rate, and researchers have focused on improvement of natural and societal challenges. (2) The United States and China had the highest number of publications (n = 977, 15.66%; n=541, 8.93% of global output) and were core countries in the international cooperation network. The most productive author and institution are "Wang, Y." with 23 publications and "Chinese Academy of Science" with 109 publications. (3) By co-occurrence keywords analysis, the degree of centrality: urban resilient (degree = 188), natural environment (degree = 187), green infrastructure (degree = 185), artificial environment (degree = 185), smart cities (degree = 175) and resilient cities (degree = 175) were hot research topics. (4) S-curve analysis demonstrates that transportation, CO2 emission, biodiversity, and urban planning are hot scientific areas with considerable potential. Social and smart ecosystems are nearing maturity. Finally, (5) "natural and artificial" & "RCs ecosystem" frameworks provide essential components and their importance for the sustainable growth of RCs. Decision makers and academics can learn by identifying research gaps, tracking research trends, identifying key actors, and evaluating impact. Overall, bibliometric analysis can provide decision makers and academics with valuable insights into the state of research on RCs, which can help inform policy, practice and advance knowledge in the field.

Integrated nutrient management is one of the most effective techniques to tackle soil fertility concerns and boost crop productivity. Taking this into consideration, a pot experiment was carried out to determine the effects of selected organic amendments and zinc (Zn) fertilizer on the soil quality, Zn uptake, growth, and yield of maize (Zea mays L.). Fifteen treatments containing different combinations of three organic sources comprising of compost (5 ton/ha), bioslurry (10 ton/ha), farmyard manure (10 ton/ha), and a Zn sulfate (6 kg of Zn/ha) fertilizer as an inorganic source were employed. The individual and combined application of compost, bioslurry, farmyard manure, and Zn sulfate significantly and positively affected the soil chemical properties, nutrient uptake, physiology, growth, and yield attributes of maize. Interestingly, the co-addition of bioslurry and compost with Zn sulfate was the most effective treatment that significantly increased the seed germination (75%), plant physiology (72–96%), shoot and root lengths (68–82%), shoot fresh and dry weights (66–65%) and root fresh and dry weights (84–86%), 1000-grain weight (91%), and Zn in grain (71%) as compared to their respective controls. Furthermore, the co-application of bioslurry and compost with Zn sulfate considerably improved the soil quality attributes (62–87%). The findings of the current study imply that combining compost and bioslurry with Zn fertilizer could be a useful strategy for improving soil quality, Zn uptake and accumulation in grains, and the overall quality and productivity of maize crops.

Here, a pot experiment was carried out to assess the effectiveness of co-application of a microbial consortium and L-tryptophan (L-TRP) on bioremediation of glyphosate and growth of mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) in glyphosate-contaminated soil. Mungbean seeds (untreated or treated with L-TRP) were sown in the soil that was spiked with glyphosate (600 mg kg−1) and the microbial consortium (comprising of Achromobacter xylosoxidans strain MH-13, Stenotrophomonas sp. strain MH-18, Alcaligenes faecalis strain MH-22 and Stenotrophomonas rhizophila strain MH-24) was applied to the selected pots. Results depicted that the microbial consortium and L-TRP considerably ameliorated the physiology, nutrient uptake, growth, and yield attributes of mungbean plants, and their co-application significantly increased agronomic (57–70

Cereals are important food crops all over the world. Cereals are consumed by human beings in one way or another way to get energy. However, due to climate change and other production and environmental effects, the yield is declining yearly. Environmental factors are affecting the phenology of cereal crops all over the world. In order to feed the burgeoning population of the globe, there is a dire need to adapt to climate change using different adaptation and mitigation strategies.