Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita (Kofold and White) Chitwood) are among the most damaging pests affecting tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production globally, leading to significant yield losses. Conventional control using synthetic nematicides is increasingly constrained due to environmental, health, and regulatory concerns, highlighting the need for safe and sustainable alternatives. This study evaluated the nematicidal potential of Morus alba L. (mulberry) leaf extracts and their effects on tomato growth parameters under controlled experimental conditions. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, saponins, phenols, glycosides, tannins, and terpenoids, indicating strong bioactivity. Treatments consisted of varying extract application rates (5–25 g/plant) applied either before or after nematode inoculation. Results showed that application of mulberry extracts significantly (P less than 0.05) reduced nematode population densities and improved plant growth compared to untreated controls. The 15 g treatment applied before nematode inoculation produced the most pronounced suppression of nematode juveniles and eggs, coupled with enhanced root and stem growth. These effects are attributed to the phytochemical constituents of the extract, which may interfere with nematode metabolism and reproduction while promoting plant vigour. The findings suggest that M. alba extracts possess promising nematicidal potential and can be developed as eco-friendly biocontrol agents for sustainable tomato production.

The present study aimed to develop and evaluate a functional vegan ready-to-serve (RTS) beverage fortified with non-heme iron, by blending Amaranthus tricolor Linn. leaf extract with guava (Psidium guajava L.) pulp. The beverage was assessed for proximate composition, physicochemical characteristics, phytochemical content, mineral profile, antinutritional factors, and sensory attributes. Out of the different tested formulations, the 7:3 guava to amaranth blend exhibited superior antioxidant activity (77.26%), and improved mineral enrichment, especially in iron (0.48 mg/100 ml), magnesium (7.1 mg/100 ml), and calcium (8.1 mg/100 ml), as compared to guava RTS. The developed RTS showed significant iron bioaccessibility (9.96%). Microbial and sensory evaluation revealed that the pasteurised beverage, packed in glass bottles, remained stable for 90 days at both room and low temperature conditions. Overall, the study demonstrates that fortification of guava RTS with amaranth leaf extract is a promising food-based approach to develop a nutritionally enriched, shelf-stable, non-heme iron fortified functional beverage suitable for vegan populations.

Litsea cubeba, a valuable tree cultivated for essential oil, medicinal purposes, and spices, is gaining attention for development in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Accurate spatial planning for its cultivation requires a precise assessment of suitable land areas. This study aimed to model the potential distribution of L. cubeba in Gia Lai Province using the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) algorithm, renowned for its effectiveness with limited species occurrence data. The model was trained with 195 species presence locations and 19 bioclimatic variables from WorldClim 2.1. Model performance was evaluated through 15 cross-validation replicates, assessed by the Area Under the Curve (AUC), True Skill Statistic (TSS), and ROC curves. The results demonstrated high model accuracy, with mean training and validation AUC values of 0.926 and 0.896, respectively. The most influential variable was precipitation of the driest quarter (Bio17), contributing 66.6% and exhibiting the highest gain in Jackknife tests. Other significant variables included diurnal temperature range (Bio02) and precipitation of the driest month (Bio14). The resulting suitability map was classified into four levels. The findings indicate that only approximately 10.25% (about 1,589 km²) of the province's area is suitable for Litsea cubeba, with highly suitable zones (∼1-2%) concentrated on the plateau peaks. This research provides a critical scientific foundation for land-use planning and the sustainable expansion of Litsea cubeba cultivation in the region.

Communities of soil fungi play a crucial role in maintaining crop health, and tillage methods can disrupt the balance between pathogenic and beneficial fungi. On the highly fertile chernozem soils of the Krasnodar Territory (southern Russia), traditionally cultivated by deep ploughing, the effect of reduced tillage on the soil mycobiota remains unclear. This study aims to meet the need for local data on how the lack of tillage and minimal tillage affect soil fungi compared to conventional ploughing. Field experiments were conducted during two winter wheat growing seasons (2023-2024 and 2024-2025) at the Federal Research Center for Biological Plant Protection in the Krasnodar Territory. Four tillage methods were evaluated: dump ploughing, combined tillage, minimal tillage and no tillage. Soil samples were collected at key stages (before sowing, spring vegetative growth, and after harvesting) and analysed for the number of fungal colonies and community composition (identification of saprotrophic and pathogenic fungi at the genus level). Saprotrophic fungi Penicillium and Aspergillus predominated in all soils (up to 80% of the total number of colonies), which indicates a high decomposition activity. However, the number of pathogenic fungi of the genus Fusarium increased markedly with zero and minimal tillage, reaching up to 10-15% of the fungal community by spring, compared with lower levels (up to 5%) with dump and combined tillage. Trichoderma antagonist fungi showed the opposite trend: their populations were higher in ploughed and combined areas than in untreated ones. These results suggest that traditional and combined tillage can more effectively suppress soil pathogens in the short term, while zero or minimal tillage may require additional measures, including the use of biocontrol tools to maintain soil health.

Chromium [Cr (IV)] toxicity poses a serious threat to plant health by inducing oxidative stress and disrupting physiological processes. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a vital annual vegetable crop grown globally in 5 million hectares of land. Additionally, tomatoes are highly susceptible to a range of abiotic stressors, particularly metal stress, which highlights the need to investigate how metal stress impacts their morphological and biochemical characteristics. In view of this, the current study was carried from April 2023 to June 2024 at Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India, to evaluate the impact of Cr(VI) stress and the mitigating roles of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and nitric oxide (NO) on tomato seedlings grown hydroponically. The findings indicated that exposure to 20 µM Cr(VI) for seven days resulted in a significant decrease in total chlorophyll (27.17%) and carotenoid (19.62%) contents as compared to the control ones. Additionally, the activities of key antioxidant enzymes, including glutathione reductase (GR), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were affected, suggesting impairment of the photosynthetic system and redox balance. However, exogenous supplementation of H2O2 (1 µM) and NO (25 µM) considerably diminished these negative effects by restoring pigment levels and augmenting antioxidant enzyme activities. The protective role of H2O2 was negated by the supplementation of NO scavenger cPTIO (2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide)) and the NOS (Nitric Oxide Synthase) inhibitor L-NAME (N-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, suggesting that H2O2- mediated stress tolerance operates via NO-dependent signaling pathways. Conversely the application of ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) inhibitors such as DPI (Diphenyleneiodonium) and NAC (N-acetyl-L-cysteine) had minimal impact on NO’s protective function. Further, supporting a synergistic interaction between H2O2 and NO in conferring chromium stress tolerance in tomato seedlings.

Water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions demands efficient irrigation and soil management to sustain crop production. Investigating the effect of different soil equipment on the productivity and water use efficiency of intercropped potato and faba bean can optimise water utilisation, minimise losses, and improve yield under modern sustainable agricultural practices. To further investigate, a field experiment was conducted during the 2024-25 growing seasons in Al-Rasheed sub-district to evaluate the effect of different soil equipment on the productivity and water use efficiency of intercropped potato and faba bean. The study aimed to optimise irrigation scheduling and identify the best tillage method under intercropping conditions in arid regions using drip irrigation. The field was arranged in a Randomised Complete Block Design with three replicates, and irrigation was scheduled based on soil moisture depletion levels (35% and 40% of available water), monitored by GS3 soil moisture sensors. Results showed the seasonal water consumption of potato was 293 mm, 315 mm and 335 mm under the rotary tiller, disc harrow, and cultivator treatments, respectively, during the 2024 autumn season, with a crop growth duration of 93 days, while the seasonal water consumption of faba bean under the same treatments, which was 535 mm, 472 mm, and 500 mm under the rotary tiller, disc harrow, and cultivator, respectively, during the 2024-25 season, with a growth duration of 141 days. The results indicate the presence of statistically significant differences in FWUE values depending on the type of tillage equipment (reduced tillage). For potato, the rotary treatment resulted in the highest field water use efficiency, reaching 37.56 kg/m³, with an increase of 22.58% and 65% compared to the disc harrow and cultivator treatments, respectively. In contrast, the disc harrow treatment produced the highest FWUE for faba bean, with a value of 0.50 kg/m³, representing an increase of 31.57% and 56.25% over the rotary tiller and cultivator treatments, respectively.

Plants of the Citrus L. genus are genetically closely related and crossbreed easily, forming interspecific hybrids. The pedigree of many cultivars (or groups of cultivars) can be difficult to trace, so molecular markers that detect polymorphism between Citrus plants are valuable tools for studying them. DNA markers developed using minisatellite loci are often effective in detecting polymorphism even between closely related genomes. The OrV890 minisatellite DNA marker recently developed in the Orange ‘Valencia’ genome was tested on 7 orange cultivars by electronic-PCR (e-PCR). In this study, the OrV890 marker was tested with 48 genotypes of Citrus genus using PCR and fragment analysis. These experiments showed the presence of PCR products for 21 samples and no amplification found for 27 samples. Eight alleles of the studied locus were detected. The fragments of 736 and 750 bp in length were found more frequently than others, while the 771 (in Myrtle-leaved bitter orange), 867 (Lime ‘Kaffir’ and Orange ‘Canaliculata’), 756 (Orangelo ‘Chironja’), 760 (Lime ‘Palestinian sweet’), and 768 bp (Tangor ‘Honey Artounik’) alleles found rare. The 769 bp allele was observed in pomelo variety and their hybrids only. The absence of amplification was observed in lemon, kumquat, and some lime varieties, as well as in a whole group of orange varieties (American varieties), most mandarin varieties, and one grapefruit variety (‘Star Ruby’). Thus, the experimental results showed that the OrV890 marker can be useful for analysis of hybrids, establishing the origin of Citrus plant varieties, as well as for creating breeding programs and accelerating the breeding process.

Orchids of the Phalaenopsis genus are very popular ornamental flower plants in the world, due to their attractive phenotypic appearance and long lifespan. This makes orchids of the Phalaenopsis genus have a high selling price and become one of the promising commodities in the flower industry. This study aimed to determine the genetic diversity of Phalaenopsis orchids using RAPD markers. Six species collected from the Bungarinte Orchid Garden were analysed through DNA isolation, amplification, and electrophoresis at the Genetics Lab, Gadjah Mada University. The percentage of genetic diversity of Phalaenopsis spp. analysed by 5 RAPD primers ranged from 29% to 73%, with the division into 2 main clusters. The RAPD primer successfully amplified Phalaenopsis spp with a high polymorphism of 82%-100%. The study concludes that Phalaenopsis venosa and Phalaenopsis amboinensis showed the highest similarity (0.71), indicating good cross-compatibility but low genetic diversity, highlighting the need for inter-cluster crosses to enhance hybrid variation.

Green plantations in arid and low-forest regions often lack sufficient decorative quality and multifunctionality. Enhancing these systems requires updating species composition with well-adapted trees and shrubs. However, limited research has systematically evaluated taxa within dendro collection genera for their ecological, sanitary, and aesthetic traits. This study addresses that gap by assessing species groups to guide the development of multifunctional plantations in agricultural and urban landscapes. Therefore, a group of characteristics was refined, and a scale was developed to assess the decorative properties of plants. The research objects grow in the arboretum of the Nizhny Volga Station for the Selection of Woody Plants (Volgograd Region, Russia), which was founded in 1931 in the zone of dry steppes with chestnut soils. The assessment involved 95 taxa from the genera of the families Aceraceae, Berberidaceae, Cupressaceae, Fabaceae, Oleaceae, Pinaceae, and Rosaceae. It was found that against the background of a significant warming, the rapid accumulation of effective temperatures (above +5°C and +10°C) on the earlier onset of the initial phases of development: the beginning of sap flow, swelling and budding, and flowering. The average dates (for 2022-2024) of the onset of the main phases of woody plant development have been established, which indicates a shift in the flowering period and a 12% increase in the number of species with early spring and spring flowering periods. From the point of view of the ornamental value of plantations, the earlier and longer vegetation of adapted woody plants allows for extending the aesthetic appeal of landscaping objects up to 35-45 days. At the same time, there are also risks of reducing the ornamental value of both individual species and the plantations due to spring frosts.

In arid and semi-arid regions, furrow irrigation is a common method for okra cultivation, but water losses reduce its efficiency. Alternate furrow irrigation has been shown to conserve water without yield reduction, while nitrogen fertilization plays a key role in enhancing vegetative growth and productivity. Since okra yields in Iraq remain low due to poor irrigation scheduling and imbalanced fertilizer use, optimizing water and nitrogen management is crucial for sustainable production. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted in Abi Ghraq sub-district, Babylon Province, Iraq, during the 2024 growing season to evaluate the effects of furrow irrigation methods (conventional, fixed, and alternate) and nitrogen fertilizer levels (160, 240, and 480 kg N/ha) on okra yield and water productivity. The study was carried out on a silty clay loam soil with moderate fertility and an electrical conductivity of 2.11 dS/m. Results revealed that alternate furrow irrigation significantly improved water usage efficiency and pod yield compared to conventional and fixed furrow systems. The highest cumulative pod yield (6.42 t/ha) and water productivity (2.40 kg/m³) were recorded under alternate furrow irrigation combined with the highest nitrogen level (480 kg N/ha). Increasing nitrogen levels led to marked improvements in vegetative growth, photosynthetic activity, and ultimately pod development, especially when supported by balanced fertilisation with phosphorus and potassium. The findings demonstrate that alternate furrow Irrigation, in conjunction with appropriate nitrogen fertilisation, can reduce irrigation water use by up to 35% while maintaining or enhancing okra yield. This integrated approach offers a practical and sustainable solution for improving crop productivity and resource use efficiency in fine-textured soils of arid and semi-arid regions.