Soybean is a vital crop globally and a key source of food, feed, and biofuel. With advancements in high-throughput technologies, soybeans have become a key target for genetic improvement. This comprehensive review explores advances in multi-omics, artificial intelligence, and economic sustainability to enhance soybean resilience and productivity. Genomics revolution, including marker-assisted selection (MAS), genomic selection (GS), genome-wide association studies (GWAS), QTL mapping, GBS, and CRISPR-Cas9, metagenomics, and metabolomics have boosted the growth and development by creating stress-resilient soybean varieties. The artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning approaches are improving genetic trait discovery associated with nutritional quality, stresses, and adaptation of soybeans. Additionally, AI-driven technologies like IoT-based disease detection and deep learning are revolutionizing soybean monitoring, early disease identification, yield prediction, disease prevention, and precision farming. Additionally, the economic viability and environmental sustainability of soybean-derived biofuels are critically evaluated, focusing on trade-offs and policy implications. Finally, the potential impact of climate change on soybean growth and productivity is explored through predictive modeling and adaptive strategies. Thus, this study highlights the transformative potential of multidisciplinary approaches in advancing soybean resilience and global utility.
Abstract Background E2F/DP is a transcription factor family essential for regulating the cell cycle during plant growth, development, and stress response. However, its role in cotton, a crop of significant economic importance, particularly concerning salt tolerance, remains unexplored. Results We systematically identified 70 E2F/DP genes across four cotton species, including the allopolyploids Gossypium hirsutum and G. barbadense, as well as the parental diploids A-genome G. arboreum and D-genome G. raimondii. Phylogenetic analysis classified these genes into three subfamilies (E2F, DP, and DEL), with notable expansion of the E2F subfamily in tetraploid cotton through local duplication events rather than tandem duplication. Promoter analysis revealed enrichment of stress- and hormone-responsive cis-elements, suggesting functional roles in environmental adaptation. Tissue-specific and salt stress expression profiling highlighted GhDEL1_D08 as a key candidate, exhibiting rapid induction under salt stress. Functional validation using virus- induced gene silencing in cotton and overexpression in Arabidopsis thaliana demonstrated that GhDEL1_D08 negatively regulates salt tolerance by modulating antioxidant enzyme activities and membrane lipid peroxidation. Conclusions These findings provide a comprehensive view of the E2F/DP gene family in cotton and identify GhDEL1_D08 as a critical regulator of salt stress response, offering potential targets for breeding stress-resilient cotton varieties.
Riko Wahyudi, Wahyu Marjaka, Christian Silangen
et al.
The jurisdictional REDD+ (JREDD+) mechanism, aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, has been crucial in global climate change mitigation efforts. However, designing effective, efficient, and equitable benefit-distribution policy at the site level remains a challenge. This research assesses three benefit distribution mechanisms in Indonesia for JREDD+ initiatives, facilitated by the Indonesian Environment Fund (IEF). They include: (1) distribution through the provincial revenue and expenditure budget (APBD), (2) distribution through intermediary institutions (LEMTARA), and (3) direct distribution or transfer to beneficiaries. Each mechanism is evaluated on effectiveness, efficiency, and equity, considering bureaucratic processes and stakeholder capacities. The study utilizes public deliberation by involving relevant stakeholders at the national and Jambi province levels and expert judgment by purposively selecting based on certain criteria to help determine the optimal mechanism as the reference for achieving Indonesia's climate mitigation goals and the administrative intricacies involved. The findings suggest that direct distribution to beneficiaries is the most efficient and equitable, although using LEMTARA is deemed slightly more effective for targeted fund allocation. The study provides recommendations for policy makers on enhancing institutional capacities and integrating flexible inclusive mechanisms to optimize JREDD+ benefit distribution at the sub-national level.
Zooplankton is the important component of aquatic ecosystems. These organisms are important biological indicator of water quality of aquatic ecosystem due to their response to the environmental changes. In this study, we investigated distribution of zooplankton biomass in the Shatt Al-Basra Canal and Shatt Al-Arab River. Zooplankton samples were collected from two stations in the Shatt Al-Basra Canal, before (S1) and after (S2) the dam, and two stations in the Shatt Al-Arab River, Al-Siba (S3) and Al-Faw (S4). The biomass of zooplankton in the Shatt Al-Basra Canal varied between 23.102 - 520.875 mg/m3 in terms of wet weight and 3.787 - 102.132 mg/m3 in terms of dry weight at two stations (before the dam and after the dam) during the period of January and May, respectively. The displacement volume and standing crops also showed variations of the biomass of zooplankton. In the Shatt Al-Basra Canal, the range was from 0.06 ml/m3 and 3.9 mgC/m3 during January at S1 to 1.083 ml/m3 and 70.395 mgC/m3 during May at S2. While in the Shatt Al-Arab River, the biomass of zooplankton in terms of wet weight ranged from 10.671 - 655.78 mg/m3 during December at S3 (Al-Siba) and may at S4 (Al-Faw) respectively. In terms of dry weight, the biomass ranged from 1.423 to 168.149 mg/m3 in S3 during the December and in S4 during May respectively. In terms of displacement volume and standing crops, they ranged from 0.03 ml/m3 to 1.95 mgC/m3 during December at S3 to 1.819 ml/m3 and 118.235 mgC/m3 during February at S4.
Pedro M. de Souza Campos, Sebastián Meier, Arturo Morales
et al.
Reducing phosphate fertilizer inputs while increasing food nutritional quality has been posited as a major challenge to decrease human undernourishment and ensure food security. In this context, quinoa has emerged as a promising crop due to its ability to tolerate different stress conditions and grow in marginal soils with low nutrient content, in addition to the exceptional nutritional quality of its grains. However, there is scarce information about the phosphorus acquisition capacity of quinoa roots. This work aimed to provide new insights into P acquisition and functional root traits, such as root biomass, rhizosphere pH, carboxylate exudation, and acid phosphatase activity of thirty quinoa genotypes grown under P limiting conditions (7 mg P kg<sup>−1</sup>). Significant genotypic variation was observed among genotypes, with average P accumulation ranging from 1.2 to 11.8 mg. The shoot biomass production varied more than 14 times among genotypes and was correlated with the P accumulation on shoots (r = 0.91). Despite showing high variability in root traits, only root biomass production highly correlated with P acquisition (r = 0.77), suggesting that root growth/morphology rather than the measured biochemical activity possesses a critical role in the P nutrition of quinoa.
Heat stress alters the number and distribution of meiotic crossovers in wild and cultivated plant species. Hence, global warming may have a negative impact on meiosis, fertility, and crop productions. Assessment of germplasm collections to identify heat-tolerant genotypes is a priority for future crop improvement. Durum wheat, <i>Triticum turgidum</i>, is an important cultivated cereal worldwide and given the genetic diversity of the durum wheat Spanish landraces core collection, we decided to analyse the heat stress effect on chiasma formation in a sample of 16 landraces of <i>T. turgidum</i> ssp. <i>turgidum</i> and T. <i>turgidum</i> ssp. <i>durum</i>, from localities with variable climate conditions. Plants of each landrace were grown at 18–22 °C and at 30 °C during the premeiotic temperature-sensitive stage. The number of chiasmata was not affected by heat stress in three genotypes, but decreased by 0.3–2 chiasmata in ten genotypes and more than two chiasmata in the remaining three ones. Both thermotolerant and temperature-sensitive genotypes were found in the two subspecies, and in some of the agroecological zones studied, which supports that genotypes conferring a heat tolerant meiotic phenotype are not dependent on subspecies or geographical origin. Implications of heat adaptive genotypes in future research and breeding are discussed.
The development of methods increasing plant water use efficiency (WUE) would enhance the ability to grow wild aromatic and medicinally important species. The aim of this research was to determine the effect of plant growth regulators (PGRs) applied by spraying on stress resistance and WUE of fennel subjected to water stress. Plants in the generative stage were more drought tolerant than those in the vegetative stage. Water stress at vegetative stage decreased plant biomass and grain yield by 60% and 61%, respectively. Severe water stress in vegetative stage reduced grain production by 56%, and grains had 43% lower mass than those from non-stressed plants. Application of PGRs at both stages of growth increased grain yield and biomass, but the magnitude of increase depended on the type and application time of PGRs. Plants grown in well-watered conditions and sprayed with methyl jasmonate during the vegetative stage had the highest grain production (2.7 g plant<sup>−1</sup>), whereas under moderate water stress, plants yielded the best (2.1 g plant<sup>−1</sup>) when sprayed with epibrassinolide. The maximum WUE for grain (0.91 g L<sup>−1</sup>) and essential oil production (20 mg L<sup>−1</sup>) was noted in plants exposed to moderate stress and treated with methyl jasmonate during the vegetative stage.
The presence of Centaurea ruthenica Lam. in the flora of the Republic of Moldova was indicated by SCHMALHAUSEN (1886, 1897), near the village of Rascov, on the left bank of the Dniester River. This summer, the author has found this species near the village of Tipova, Rezina district, on the right bank of the Dniester River. This article presents the morphological description of the species, its biological and ecological features under the local conditions. It has been proposed to include Centaurea ruthenica Lam. in the Red Book of the Republic of Moldova, in the Critically Endangered (CR) category.
Walaa E. Hussein, Walaa E. Hussein, Ahmed G. Abdelhamid
et al.
An Enterococcus durans strain, designated OSY-EGY, was previously isolated from artisanal cheese. In this work, comparative genomic and phenotypic analyses were utilized to assess the safety characteristics and probiotic traits of the bacterium. The comparative genomic analysis revealed that the strain is distantly related to potentially pathogenic Enterococcus spp. The genome was devoid of genes encoding acquired antibiotic resistance or marker virulence factors associated with Enterococcus spp. Phenotypically, the bacterium is susceptible to vancomycin, ampicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and aminoglycosides and does not have any hemolytic or gelatinase activity, or cytotoxic effect on Caco-2 cells. Altogether, these findings confirm the lack of hazardous traits in E. durans OSY-EGY. Mining E. durans OSY-EGY genome, for probiotic-related sequences, revealed genes associated with acid and bile salts tolerance, adhesion, competitiveness, antioxidant activitiy, antimicrobial activity, essential amino acids production, and vitamins biosynthesis. Phenotypically, E. durans OSY-EGY was tolerant to acidic pH (3.0), and presence of 0.3% bile salts. The bacterium showed adhesion capability to Caco-2 cells, cholesterol-lowering effect, DPPH scavenging activity, and antimicrobial activity against several Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria. Based on the current work, we propose that E. durans OSY-EGY is a potentially safe strain with desirable probiotic and antimicrobial traits. Thus, the investigated strain could be a promising candidate for several industrial applications.
Juan M. Lavornia, Renato A. García, Vilma G. Rosato
et al.
El Instituto de Botánica Carlos Spegazzini (IBCS) (UNLP, La Plata) contiene un herbario de hongos (LPS) de aproximadamente 40000 ejemplares, con 4200 especies tipo. El objetivo de este trabajo fue examinar los ejemplares de hongos liquenizados depositados en el IBCS, actualizar su taxonomía y denominación, revisar las especies con determinación dudosa, identificar aquellos no determinados, e incorporarlos en el Herbario LPS. Se estudiaron 192 ejemplares de 11 provincias de Argentina y de Brasil, Uruguay y Francia y de se determinaron en base a su exo-morfología, cortes histológicos y reacciones histoquímicas. También se realizaron Cromatografías en Capa Delgada (TLC) para estudiar los metabolitos presentes. Se estableció la distribución geográfica en Argentina de las especies identificadas. Se corrigió el 91,66% de los materiales examinados (176 ejemplares), contabilizándose un total de 91 especies, 50 géneros y 21 familias, siendo las mejor representadas Parmeliaceae (16 géneros; 31 especies), Graphidaceae (4; 5) y Physciaceae (3; 9). Se actualizó la nominación de 56 ejemplares pertenecientes a 32 especies. Se modificó la identidad de 120 ejemplares, a nivel de especie (87), género (33) y familia (1). Se amplía la distribución en Argentina de 9 especies
O presente trabalho visou o levantamento etnobotânico das plantas medicinais, verificando a versatilidade das espécies utilizadas e o consenso de uso e/ou conhecimento entre os informantes, do Distrito de Aratama, no Município de Assaré, Ceará. As informações etnobotânicas foram obtidas através de entrevistas estruturadas e semi-estruturadas com os moradores locais. Foram citadas 116 espécies com fins medicinais pertencentes a 103 gêneros e 58 famílias com destaque para Fabaceae (10ssp.), Asteraceae (7spp.) e Lamiaceae (6spp.). Entre as espécies levantadas, Mentha spicata L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Allium sativum L., Bauhinia cheilantha (Bong.), Ximenea americana L., se destacaram como as mais versáteis dentro da comunidade. As indicações terapêuticas citadas foram agrupadas em 16 categorias de sistemas corporais, dos quais as Desordens mentais e comportamentais, as Afecções ou dores não definidas, os Transtornos do sistema respiratório, as Doenças de pele e do tecido celular subcutâneo, e os Transtornos do sistema sensorial (ouvidos), mostram maior concordância entre os informantes na utilização de espécies para tratar um sistema corporal especifico. Os resultados mostraram elevada riqueza da flora medicinal presente na caatinga. Neste sentido, torna-se necessária a intensificação de estudos que avaliem e consolidem as propriedades químicas e farmacológicas destas espécies.
Matelea (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae) is a genus of approximately 225 species in milkweed subtribe Gonolobinae. This New World genus is predominantly found in tropical to subtropical regions and is represented in Oklahoma by four species. Two of these, M. biflora and M. cynanchoides, are closely related, non-twining perennial herbs that have long confused amateur and professional botanists alike due to similar morphological features. This paper includes a brief review of their taxonomic history and describes the morphology, ecology, and distribution of these species in Oklahoma and neighboring states. Photographs, a distribution map, and a key to the species of Matelea in Oklahoma are included.
Ken-Taro Sekine, Reiko Tomita, Shigeharu Takeuchi
et al.
The N′ gene of Nicotiana sylvestris and L genes of Capsicum plants confer the resistance response accompanying the hypersensitive response (HR) elicited by tobamovirus coat proteins (CP) but with different viral specificities. Here, we report the identification of the N′ gene. We amplified and cloned an N′ candidate using polymerase chain reaction primers designed from L gene sequences. The N′ candidate gene was a single 4143 base pairs fragment encoding a coiled-coil nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (LRR)-type resistance protein of 1,380 amino acids. The candidate gene induced the HR in response to the coexpression of tobamovirus CP with the identical specificity as reported for N′. Analysis of N′-containing and tobamovirus-susceptible N. tabacum accessions supported the hypothesis that the candidate is the N′ gene itself. Chimera analysis between N′ and L3 revealed that their LRR domains determine the spectrum of their tobamovirus CP recognition. Deletion and mutation analyses of N′ and L3 revealed that the conserved sequences in their C-terminal regions have important roles but contribute differentially to the recognition of common avirulence proteins. The results collectively suggest that Nicotiana N′ and Capsicum L genes, which most likely evolved from a common ancestor, differentiated in their recognition specificity through changes in the structural requirements for LRR function.
<abstract language="eng">In this note we examine the population structure of Teline monspessulana, an exotic plant that is invading fragments of the Maulino Forest. We evaluate density T. monspessulana, sizes, proportion of reproductive individuals and his relation with the size of the patches in 8 forest fragments. Our results indicate a high proportion of individuals growing inside fragments. Moreover, the fragment size is not correlated with T. monspessulana density.
This Supplement to volume 50 of Phytopathologia Mediterranea contains original, peer reviewed research papers, prepared from presentations at the 7th International Workshop on Grapevine Trunk Diseases (IWGTD). This Workshop was held in Santa Cruz, Chile, 17–21 January 2010, and was organized by the International Council on Grapevine Trunk Diseases (ICGTD). Publication of this Supplement has been financially assisted by the International Society for Plant Pathology (ISPP).
This Supplementary Issue of Phytopathologia Mediterranea is dedicated to the memory of Dr Luigi Chiarappa, the founder and inspiration of the ICGTD.