The present study was aimed to determine the effects of seasonal changes in pH, water temperature (WT), and electrical conductivity (EC) on β-carotene biosynthesis in green spinach (GRSP) and green lettuce (GRLE) leaves from an aquaponic greenhouse. The pH values of the fish water tap (FWTP) and deep-water culture tank (DWCT) were measured with a portable electrode pH meter. The WT and EC of the FWTP and DWCT were measured using a portable dissolved oxygen meter and multi-parameter water quality meter, respectively. The biosynthesis of β-carotene in the GRSP and GRLE was determined using HPLC-Shimadzu Prominence. This research was conducted over four consecutive seasons (winter, spring, autumn, and summer). The pH values of the FWTP and DWCT ranged from 6.39±0.33–7.43±0.43. The pH levels were significantly differed among some seasons. The maximum and minimum pH values were detected in the winter and autumn, respectively. The WT values of these components (FWTP and DWCT) ranged from 12.12±1.34–25.21±0.95 °C. The EC levels ranged from 0.55±0.05–0.65±0.55 mS cm-1. The WT and EC values differed significantly across four seasons. The highest and lowest WT and EC levels were observed in the summer and winter, respectively. The biosynthesis of β-carotene in the GRSP and GRLE leaves ranged from 3.63±0.27–25.80±6.67%. A significant difference in β-carotene biosynthesis was detected among some periods. The highest level of β-carotene biosynthesis in both leafy vegetables occurred in the summer. The results of this study revealed that the seasonal dynamics of pH, WT, and EC induced variations in β-carotene biosynthesis in the studied leafy plants. Therefore, the results of this work could be used to understand better climate and growing conditions for sustainable food production.

Vector competence is the inherent capacity of an insect to transmit diseases to plants and other organisms. It’s a complex feature influenced by several factors such as their physiology, microbiology, environment and some genetic factors. The main molecular features that separate vector insects apart from their non-vector counterparts are depicted in this review by synthesizing current developments in comparative genomics. The modulation of pathogen susceptibility, their transmission is largely dependent on various immunological Pathways-Toll, IMD and JAK-STAT. Here insects’ gene family expansions and their regulatory mechanisms related to immunity, olfaction, digestion, detoxification and salivary secretion by combining information from annotated genomes, transcriptome profile experiments have been studied. Beyond genome discovery, the review examines how domestication, natural selection, urban adaptations have contributed to shape vectorial traits across the insect populations. This review also investigates the genetic bases of the main barriers to transmission-salivary gland tropism, midgut infection and hemocoel dispersion. Vector control mechanisms are conceivable by developments in high-through- microbiome engineering, input sequencing, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing and RNA interference. Moreover, this review studies the potential of integrative multiomics and predictive genomes addressing ethical and ecological issues crucial for field applications.

The purpose of this study was to separate microorganisms (fungi and bacteria) from three distinct vegetables: celery, lettuce, and arugula. The Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) method of the power plate method was utilized to isolate and identify various fungal species, and the same procedure was followed to isolate bacteria from the samples under study. The findings identify the fungi and display the total number of colony forming units (CFU) in three different vegetables grown on PDA medium. Rhizopus sp., Aspergillus sp., Alternaria, yeast, Penicillium, Alternaria, and Rhodotorula were the most often isolated fungi. Mucor and Demaceous were the less common species of fungi found. The first grocery store had celery with a higher count of bacteria—268 CFU. With 250 CFU, lettuce had the highest amount of bacteria in the second grocery. Additionally, celery was found to have a higher concentration of bacteria in the third grocery store—280 CFU.

This study was carried out to evaluate marigold (Tagetes erecta) leaves as a natural mosquito repellent. This experiment was conducted during March to June 2023 at Entomology Laboratory, EXIM Bank Agricultural University Bangladesh. Marigold leaf extract was tested in three replications at four different concentrations (100ml, 75ml, 50ml and 25ml) to evaluate the efficacy of mosquito larvae. To compare the repellent activity of marigold-based coils with commercial coils on adult mosquitoes, 25 adult mosquitoes were tested with three replications. Data were collected from 25 randomly selected individuals to determine how they responded to marigold-based coils. The highest concentration (100ml) resulted in an impressive mean percentage of 88% mosquito larvae mortality after 24 hours of exposure, highlighting the potent larvicidal potential of marigold leaf extract. The marigold-based coil demonstrated remarkable efficacy in controlling adult mosquitoes. Although it took slightly longer (39.67 minutes) than the commercial coil (16.34 minutes) to kill mosquitoes, it showed sustained and consistent efficiency over time. The evaluation of mosquito repellent activity by respondents indicated a preference for mosquito coils (64%) as the primary method of repelling mosquitoes. Respondents perceived a moderate reduction (52%) in mosquito attacks when using the marigold-based coil and rated its repellent effectiveness as moderate (52%) to high (28%). While some participants reported side effects, including offensive smell (45%), eye burning (20%), breathing problems (15%), and coughing (15%). There was the absence of any adverse impact on non target organisms. Marigold leaves showcase promising potential as a natural larvicide for mosquito control. The marigold-based coil demonstrates moderate to high repellent effectiveness on adult mosquitoes, with the added advantage of being free from toxic side effects. These findings emphasize the superiority of the marigold-based mosquito coil as a valuable and environmentally friendly mosquito repellent option, offering an effective solution for mosquito control.

More than twelve million individuals globally suffer from leishmaniasis, and an additional billion people are at risk in leishmaniasis prevalent areas. This work was motivated by the need to create drugs with high efficacies against leishmaniasis and to overcome the shortcomings of current anti-leishmanial treatments. In this study, a molecular docking investigation was performed to assess the Pyridoxal kinase (PDB ID – 6K91) protein targeting ability of five lead molecules, one each of maleimide, arylimidamide-azole hybrid, arylbenzimidazole, diarylidene cyclohexanone, and organoselenium. The various compounds were further subjected to molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, generalized Born and surface area continuum solvation (MM/GBSA) calculation, drug-likeness assessment, and evaluation of ADMET properties. The overall average binding affinity of the molecules to 6K91 follows the order: B (-10.7 kcal/mol) > C (-10.5) > D (-9.1) > E (-8.7) > SD (-8.1) > A (-7.8 kcal/mol). The MD simulation results indicate these compounds’ favourability and stability in binding to the target in the order; B > SD > C > E > D > A, while their estimated binding free energies in kcal/mol are in the order: B_6K91 (-88.2216) > D_6K91 (-57.4219) > SD_6K91 (-56.7839) > E_6K91 (-51.2518) > C_6K91 (-25.9665) > A_6K91 (unfavorable). The various compounds passed Lipinski’s test and were said to be orally bioavailable, having also good ADMET properties that compare quite well to Pentamidine (standard drug). Conclusively, B (arylimidamide-azole hybrid) demonstrated the best anti-leishmanial attributes, and therefore, could be developed as a potential drug candidate for leishmaniasis.

Tomato germplasm consisting of eighteen accessions and eight landraces were evaluated for morpho-agronomic traits and fruit-lycopene content to assess genetic diversity for fruit yield and quality improvement. Results obtained showed significant variability for the characters studied (p<0.05). The range of number of fruits per plant was 1.90-33.30 with the highest in L00169, while lycopene content was 2.562-13.312 μg with the highest in ABE. Positive and significant (p<0.01) correlations were recorded for number of fruits at 75 days (NOF) versus number of fruits per plant (FPP) (r = 0.916) while negative correlation was obtained for weight of fruit (WGH) versus number of fruits per plant (FPP) (-0.499). High heritability with high genetic gain was estimated for leaf area (LEA) and lycopene content (LCP). The first three principal components accounted for 63.63% of the observed variation. The 24 accession/landraces were grouped into three (Clusters I, II, and III) based on the dendrogram’s clustering structure. Cluster III had the greatest intra-cluster distance while Clusters III and I had the most inter-cluster distance. In conclusion, these results can be utilized to choose accessions that will serve as the starting point for breeding to improve tomato lycopene content and fruit yield

Approximately 18% of pregnant women are colonized with Group B streptococcus (GBS), which are β-hemolytic, gram-positive bacteria. GBS conversion from the asymptomatic commensal in the vagina to an invasive pathogen predisposes the pregnant women to ascending intrauterine infection that tiggers preterm birth and initiate fetal and neonatal infections. Here, we review the prevalence of colonizing GBS serotypes and sequence types (STs) in different geographical regions. Maternal components including demographical and obstetric factors that increase the risk for GBS colonization during pregnancy are also further elucidated. The prevalence of colonizing GBS serotypes and sequence types (STs) are elucidated in this review in addition to the maternal components including demographical and obstetric factors that increase the risk for GBS colonization during pregnancy. Investigating the epidemiology is crucial for the development of new therapeutic and preventive measures to reduce the burden of invasive GBS disease worldwide including risk-factor based screening protocols.

In this research, the cytogenetic characteristics, phases of meiosis, abnormality during meiosis, variety of pollen grains, and cytomixis phenomenon have been studied. Populations of 10 species belonging to Salvia L. have been collected from different geographical regions of Iran. Cytomixis was recorded during meiosis I in three species of Salvia (S. nemorosa, S. staminea, S. verticellata) of the Lamiaceae family. Cytomixis and other associated meiotic abnormalities such as chromatin stickiness, clumping of metaphase -1, laggards, bridges, aberrations anaphase I, II, and micronuclei in the species reported into pollen sterility and some variable sizes. It can be said all of these are dependent on each other to create some abnormalities. Cytomixis and chromosome migration occurre in diploid and polyploid meiocytes.

Abiotic factors coupled with varietal differences have a special bearing on the synthesis of bioactive compounds and enhancement of antioxidant capacities of sweet bell pepper. The aim of the present study was to characterize the content of bioactive compounds (lycopene, vitamin C, β-carotenes, total phenols, and the antioxidant activity of sweet bell pepper (Capsicum annum L) grown under different Agro climatic regions with different environmental conditions, the Eastern Highlands (High veld region) and the Save Valley (low veld region). The results from the study showed statistical differences (p ≤ 0.05) between the different growing locations with regard to the bioactive compounds which were identified and quantified. Capsicum annum var. Lafayette presented the highest concentration of vitamin C content, lycopene content and total phenols as well as the greatest antioxidant activity in the high veld region. In addition, the results indicated that low temperatures favour in vivo biosynthesis of bioactive compounds and enhances antioxidant capacities of sweet bell pepper.

The aim of this study was to investigate the behavioral response of Bemisia tabaci towards Metarhizium anisopliae (isolates PR1 and GT3) volatiles. Behavioral response of B. tabaci was investigated based on adult feeding and oviposition preference in eggplant Solanum melongena L. The highest mean number of adult (87) and egg (418) of B. tabaci were observed in the control plant, while the lowest mean number of adult (26) and egg (107) of B. tabaci were deposited in the PR1-treated plant. There were 8 and 5 compounds identified from the isolates PR1 and GT3, respectively. The highest amount of compounds of 1-Hydroxy-2-aminopropane (61.96%) and 1, 4-Dioxane-2-ol (54.18%) were released by PR1 and GT3 respectively. The results obtained so far revealed that whitefly avoided the eggplants provided with cultures of the M. anisopliae isolates emanating the volatile organic compounds and suitability largely depended upon the volatile profile.