Pea (Pisum sativum L.), a globally cultivated leguminous crop valued for its nutritional and economic significance, faces a critical challenge of soil salinity, which significantly hampers crop ...growth and production worldwide. A pot experiment was carried out in the Botanical Garden, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur to alleviate the negative impacts of sodium chloride (NaCl) on pea through foliar application of ascorbic acid (AsA). Two pea varieties Meteor (V1) and Sarsabz (V2) were tested against salinity, i.e. 0 mM NaCl (Control) and 100 mM NaCl. Three levels of ascorbic acid 0 (Control), 5 and 10 mM were applied through foliar spray. The experimental design was completely randomized (CRD) with three replicates. Salt stress resulted in the suppression of growth, photosynthetic activity, and yield attributes in pea plants. However, the application of AsA treatments effectively alleviated these inhibitory effects. Under stress conditions, the application of AsA treatment led to a substantial increase in chlorophyll a (41.1%), chl. b (56.1%), total chl. contents (44.6%) and carotenoids (58.4%). Under salt stress, there was an increase in Na
accumulation, lipid peroxidation, and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the application of AsA increased the contents of proline (26.9%), endogenous AsA (23.1%), total soluble sugars (17.1%), total phenolics (29.7%), and enzymatic antioxidants i.e. SOD (22.3%), POD (34.1%) and CAT (39%) in both varieties under stress. Salinity reduced the yield attributes while foliarly applied AsA increased the pod length (38.7%), number of pods per plant (40%) and 100 seed weight (45.2%). To sum up, the application of AsA alleviated salt-induced damage in pea plants by enhancing photosynthetic pigments, both enzymatic and non-enzymatic activities, maintaining ion homeostasis, and reducing excessive ROS accumulation through the limitation of lipid peroxidation. Overall, V2 (Sarsabz) performed better as compared to the V1 (Meteor).
With increasing use of antibiotics, the development of antibiotic-resistant pathogens poses a serious threat to human health and the environment. Photocatalytic inactivation of these harmful ...pathogens is one of the novel and non-antibiotic treatments. The study fabricated Ag NPs decorated CdZnS QDs via a facile and biological co-precipitation method using L. camara plant extract as a green alternative to treat the toxic chemicals. The fabricated Ag/CdZnS QDs (NCs) were prepared for the efficient treatment of antibiotic-resistant pathogens as they raise a major global concern. The fabricated NCs were characterized with various characterization techniques to verify its physicochemical properties. The fabricated NCs have shown excellent photo-sterilization performance of 97 % against S. aureus. The excellent activity was attributed to the decoration of Ag NPs on CdZnS QDs as it helped in shortening band gap, improved visible light absorption ability, increased active sites, and boosted photogenerated electron/hole pairs stability. Radical trapping experiment and ESR analysis indicated the involvement of •OH and h+ in the photoinactivation of bacteria. The photo sterilization reaction of NCs was carried out under different environmental conditions, including light and dark conditions and different pH conditions. The experiment was carried out in sewage-treated water in order to test the real-time application, and the fabricated NCs achieved excellent 95.9 % photo-inactivation of S. aureus cells in sewage treated water and the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of the system was increased after photo inactivation treatment. The fabricated NCs have also shown excellent reusable efficiency of 95% after six runs and the photostability and anti-corrosive nature of NCs were confirmed. The study provides an insight for the employment of photocatalysis for the sterilization of pathogens in real time aquatic environment across the globe.
Display omitted
Chromium (Cr) contamination in agricultural soils poses a risk to crop productivity and quality. Emerging nano-enabled strategies show great promise in remediating soils contaminated with heavy ...metals and enhancing crop production. The present study was aimed to investigate the efficacy of nano silicon (nSi) in promoting wheat growth and mitigating adverse effects of Cr-induced toxicity. Wheat seedlings exposed to Cr (K2Cr2O7) at a concentration of 100 mg kg−1 showed significant reductions in plant height (29.56%), fresh weight (35.60%), and dry weight (38.92%) along with enhanced Cr accumulation in roots and shoots as compared to the control plants. However, the application of nSi at a concentration of 150 mg kg−1 showcased substantial mitigation of Cr toxicity, leading to a decrease in Cr accumulation by 27.30% in roots and 35.46% in shoots of wheat seedlings. Moreover, nSi exhibited the capability to scavenge oxidative stressors, such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and malondialdehyde (MDA) and electrolyte leakage, while significantly enhancing gas exchange parameters, total chlorophyll content, and antioxidant activities (enzymatic and nonenzymatic) in plants grown in Cr-contaminated soil. This study further found that the reduced Cr uptake by nSi application was due to downregulating the expression of HMs transporter genes (TaHMA2 and TaHMA3), alongwith upregulating the expression of antioxidant-responsive genes (TaSOD and TaSOD). The findings of this investigation highlight the remarkable potential of nSi in ameliorating Cr toxicity. This enhanced efficacy could be ascribed to the distinctive size and structure of nSi, which augment its ability to counteract Cr stress. Thus, the application of nSi could serve as a viable solution for production of crops in metal contaminated soils, offering an effective alternative to time-consuming and costly remediation techniques.
•Cr exposure reduced growth, biomass and photosynthetic pigments in wheat plants.•NSi improved overall plant health through reducing the Cr buildup in wheat tissues.•NSi alleviated Cr toxicity by alteration in ROS and antioxidant defense system.•NSi noticeably influenced antioxidant-responsive genes expression under Cr stress.•By mitigating Cr toxicity, nSi offered a sustainable solution for wheat cultivation.
This study describes a robust chromatographic authentication methodology for herbaceous pollen, employing gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) ...and high‐performance thin liquid chromatography (HPTLC) protocols. The comprehensive profiling of organic compounds not only distinguishes between different botanical sources but also establishes a reliable framework for quality control and assessment of herbaceous pollen authenticity. Traces of quercetin were detectable using HPTLC in Chaenomeles japonica, and the composition of the mobile phase led to distinct phenolic acid tracks in the extracts of free phenolic compounds. In Lonicera nummulariifolia, prominent chlorogenic acid signal and traces of 3,4‐dihydroxybenzoic acid were identified, along with the presence of vanillic, trans‐ferulic, p‐coumaric and p‐hydroxybenzoic and sinapic as phenolic acid standards. The HPLC chromatogram identified six peaks representing bioactive phenolic compounds such as gallic acid measuring 5.89 ± 0.56 mg g−1, hydroxybenzoic acid 2.39 ± 0.78 mg g−1 and caffeic acid 2.83 ± 0.11 mg g−1. The combined use of GC–MS, HPTLC and HPLC techniques provides a powerful and reliable means of authenticating the botanical origin of herbaceous pollen, offering valuable insights for quality control and ensuring the accuracy of botanical source identification.
•Salt stress negatively impacted the growth and flower quality of edible flower.•AgNPs ameliorated the salt induced oxidative stress.•AgNPs under normal and stress condition improved phenolics and ...antioxidants activity in calendula flower.
Nanotechnology is a vital domain for improving growth, productivity, and abiotic stress resistance of horticultural crops. In this study, semi-spherical shaped biogenic AgNPs with size ranging between 21 nm and 48 nm were synthesized using rambutan fruit extract and characterized using SEM and TEM, and beneficial effects of AgNPs on salt-treated marigold (Calendula officinalis L. cv. Orange King) plants were evaluated. Plants were grown in pots filled with sandy loam soil until reaching up to six leaves and then irrigated with water containing 100 mM NaCl. After a week of salt stress, foliar spray treatments with AgNPs were performed three times every 20 days. Results showed that shoot and root dry weights and total chlorophyll content of salt-stressed plants decreased more than 35 % compared to non-stressed plants, but oxidative biomarkers including electrolyte leakage (EL) and concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) substantially increased. Foliar spraying of AgNPs decreased EL and proline contents, increased leaf chlorophyll and protein contents, and alleviated the growth inhibition of salt-stressed plants. The amelioration of salt stress was accompanied by changes in the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, APX, CAT, POD, PPO, and PAL) and reduction of MDA and H2O2 concentrations. Floral secondary metabolites including carotenoids, total flavonoids, total phenols, as well DPPH improved in response to application of AgNPs. Our data suggest that AgNPs were able to alleviate negative effects of salt stress on marigold plants through its ability to produce enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants. Thus, foliar application of AgNPs could be a viable solution to improve its growth and edible flowers production when grown in salt affected soils.
Infectious diseases, particularly bacterial infections, pose a global crisis with significant impacts on public health and economic stability due to the emergence of multi-drug resistance and ...limitations in existing therapeutic options. The present study focused on the development of photocatalytic disinfectant and silver-decorated hexagonal zinc oxide nanorods (Ag/ZnO NRs) were fabricated through an ultrasonic-assisted solvothermal method, and investigated for the photocatalytic inactivation on E. coli. The morphological, structural, and optical characteristics of the fabricated Ag/ZnO NRs were systematically studied through various analytical techniques. Here, 3%Ag/ZnO NRs showed 96.9% inactivation of E. coli within 120 min of visible light irradiation. The excellent inactivation efficiency of the photocatalyst could be attributed to the higher charge carrier mobility, efficient electron-hole pair separation, and highvisible light harvesting ability. The Schottky heterojunction was proposed as a possible mechanism for the photoinactivation of E. coli. Further, the impacts of different dosages of nanocomposites (NCs) and varying pH on bacterial inactivation were studied under visible light exposure. The reusability and stability of the NCs were investigatedfor 6 consecutive cycles of photoinactivation and it showed excellent efficiency (91.16%) of the photocatalyst for prolonged usage. The real-time application was assessed using reclaimed wastewaterand the influence on the organic matter was determined using COD analysis. The proposed study offers a significant point reference for the practical application of photocatalysis forthe inactivation of antibiotic-resistant microbes present in water bodies and environmental wastewater.
Display omitted
•Ag/ZnO nanorods with (200) hexagonal facets were fabricated via ultrasonic assisted method.•Optimized 3%Ag/ZnO exhibited excellent photocatalytic inactivation of E. coli.•Schottky heterojunction with enhanced charge separation elucidated from PL and EIS.•Real time waste water photoinactivation evaluation suggests its practical applicability.
Laboratory and field assays of three sets of experiments were conducted to evaluate the impact of different phagostimulants alone and in combination with other phagostimulant lure sources, such as ...ammonium acetate, DAP, and acetic acid, on the attractancy of both sexes of B. zonata. In the first experiment, the laboratory olfactometer study revealed that out of eleven phagostimulants, banana, mulberry, mango, guava, molasses, and protein hydrolysate exhibited moderate attractancy (15.2–60.2%) to B. zonata. Unexpectedly, banana and protein hydrolysate were demonstrated to be highly attractive phagostimulants for starved female B. zonata (53.6% and 60.2%, respectively). In the field study, none of the tested phagostimulants exhibited high attractancy; however, banana, mulberry, protein hydrolysate, guava, mango, and molasses demonstrated moderate attractancy (5.6–35.6%) to B. zonata. In the second experiment, out of five phagostimulant-mixtures, phagostimulant-mixture-4 proved highly attractive (40.5–68.6% and 45.5–51.2%), followed by phagostimulant-mixture-3, which proved to be moderately attractive (17.0–22.5% and 28.4–36.1%) to B. zonata in olfactometer and field studies, respectively. In the third experiment, out of five phagostimulant-AdMixtures, phagostimulant-AdMixture-4 demonstrated strong attractiveness in the olfactometer (41.6–68.7%) and field studies (52.7–58.7%) for B. zonata, while the rest of the AdMixtures demonstrated moderate to no attractiveness for B. zonata. So, phagostimulant-AdMixture-4 with GF-120 could be used in the development of a phagostimulant bait station which attracts the maximum B. zonata population and ultimately provides pest-free fruits to the farmers
IntroductionMagnetic resonance enterography (MRE) has emerged as a promising technique for evaluating the extent and severity of Crohn's disease activity. To compare how we measure Crohn's disease ...activity with MRE and endoscopy.Material and methodsWe retrospectively reviewed MRE studies of 60 patients with suspicious Crohn's disease who underwent 1.5-T MRI examinations (T1-weighted images pre- and post-IV contrast medium administration and T2-weighted images) and endoscopy within one month, and they were evaluated by one radiology consultant with experience of 17 years. Endoscopy was used as the reference standard for diagnosing active Crohn's disease cases. Data analysis was performed using the websites (www.graphpad.com and www.medcalc.org) and Microsoft Excel (Microsoft® Corp., Redmond, USA).ResultsA total of 35 patients were included in the study. The remaining 25 patients were excluded either due to non-available data in the endoscopy report or cases of non-Crohn's disease. The MRI examinations were reviewed by one radiology consultant and revealed 27 active and eight non-active Crohn's disease cases compared to 30 active and five non-active Crohn's disease cases in endoscopy. The sensitivity of MRI in detecting active cases of Crohn's disease compared to endoscopy was 83.3% and the specificity of 60%. The strength of agreement between both methods was fair to good (Kappa = 0.347, p-value = 0.4497, Chi-squared = 0.571 with one degree of freedom).ConclusionMRE statistically has a good impact on the assessment of Crohn's disease as well as endoscopy with the parameters used in this study. Non-invasiveness and the changes of activity seen in the bowel proximal to the ileocecal junction undetectable by endoscopy make MRE more practically applicable in this aspect.
PDF
