Lu Lu^1,#, Zewei Lu^1,#, Wenwu Zou^2,3,#, Kun Li¹, Jing Liu², Jiahao Pan⁴, Mintao Sun¹, Jun Wang¹, Yansu Li^1,*, Yan Yan^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.074706

Abstract To address the issue of residual pollution caused by polyethylene mulch, this study explored the effects of different mulching methods on the soil environment of the yam field, as well as on yam yield and quality. The experiment comprised six treatments in total: one non-mulched treatment served as the control (CK), along with five different film-mulched treatments, namely PE, FZS12, FZS15, FC12, and FC15. The degradation of these films and their effects on soil physicochemical properties, microbial community, yam yield and quality were compared. The results showed that the FZS12 treatment achieved grade 5 degradation… More > Graphic Abstract

Shizhou Yu^1,2, Jie Zhang¹, Linggai Cao¹, Jie Liu¹, Peng Lu³, Jiemeng Tao³, Xueliang Ren¹, Zhixiao Yang^1,2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.073509

Abstract Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum, 2n = 48) is a key non-food economic crop, yet its stress response and gene regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. By analyzing 603 transcriptome datasets, this study identified 1405 tissue-specific genes, revealing tissue-specific synthesis of terpenoids and other ecologically important secondary metabolites in sepals and other tissues. Comparative stress-response analysis highlighted distinct gene expression patterns in leaves and roots under biotic and abiotic stresses. Additionally, 28,396 expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) were mapped in leaves, offering valuable genetic regulatory markers. These findings provide crucial insights into tobacco’s gene expression characteristics and their functional More >

Christian Pérez-Chablé¹, Daisy Pérez-Brito^1,*, Anuar Magaña-Alvarez¹, Jairo Cristóbal-Alejo², Irma L. Medina-Baizabal¹, Marcela Gamboa-Angulo^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.072668

Abstract Acalypha gaumeri (Euphorbiaceae) is the only endemic species of the genus in the Yucatan Peninsula. It is dioecious and has antifungal properties against various phytopathogens. In the present study, molecular identification of A. gaumeri was performed using the rbcL region, confirming its belonging to the Acalypha genus. Its genetic diversity was evaluated using 10 SPAR markers (ISSR and DAMD) from 60 individuals collected from female and male plants of the Kiuic, Tinum and Yaxcaba ex-situ populations. The results showed a high level of genetic polymorphism (PIC = 0.980) and significant differences among the populations. Ethanol and aqueous extracts from… More >

Erna Karalija¹, Sabina Dahija¹, Sajra Prijić¹, Dunja Šamec^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.072517

Abstract Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses limiting chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) productivity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where soil salinization is intensifying. Developing cost-effective and practical strategies to enhance seedling establishment and early vigor under saline conditions is therefore essential. In this study, we compared two seed-priming agents—1 mM proline and 25 mM NaCl—under identical hydroponic conditions to elucidate tissue-specific responses to 25 mM NaCl stress. Proline priming significantly improved shoot length (by ~23%), total chlorophyll content (by ~19%), and ascorbate peroxidase (ASPOX) activity. In contrast, NaCl priming enhanced root biomass retention (by More >

Amine Batbat^1,2, Khaoula Habbadi², Mohamed Jeddi³, Samiah Hamad Al-Mijalli⁴, Hanae Naceiri Mrabti⁵, Fahad M. Alshabrmi⁶, Naif Hesham Moursi⁷, Hassane Greche¹, Naoufal El Hachlafi^8,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.072398

Abstract Origanum elongatum (OE) is an aromatic, medicinal plant endemic to Morocco that is widely used in traditional medicine due to its biological properties. This study aimed to elucidate the chemical composition of the essential oil (EO) obtained from O. elongatum (OEEO) at three stages of its life cycle, including vegetative stage (OEEO-VS), flowering stage (OEEO-FS), and post-flowering (OEEO-PFS), as well as to evaluate its biological and antiradical characteristics. The chemical analysis of the essential oil was conducted using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antibacterial activity was evaluated in vitro through distinct methodologies, namely, disc diffusion and microatmosphere assay;… More >

Antonios Chrysargyris^1,*, Demetris Antoniou², Timos Boyias², Nikolaos Tzortzakis^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.076565

Abstract Cyprus has an extensive record in grape production and winemaking. Grapevine is essential for the economic and environmental sustainability of the agricultural sector, as it is in other Mediterranean regions. Intensive agriculture can overuse and exhaust natural resources, including soil and water. The current study evaluated how conservation strategies, including no tillage and semi-tillage (as a variation of strip tillage), affected grapevine growth and grape quality when compared to conventional tillage application. Two cultivars were used: Chardonnay and Maratheftiko (indigenous). Soil pH decreased, and EC increased after tillage applications, in both vineyards. Tillage lowered soil… More >

Xiaofeng Mao^1,#, Fenni Lv^1,2,#, Shaofeng Li³, Lulu Gao^1,2, Wenjun Ma⁴, Donglai Liu¹, Binpeng Wu¹, Yanan Wu¹, Peng Wang^1,2,*, Naiwei Li^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.072636

Abstract Catalpa bungei, a fast-growing timber tree, is threatened by the lepidopteran pest Omphisa plagialis. Previous studies in our laboratory successfully generated transgenic C. bungei lines overexpressing Cry genes (Cry1Ab, Cry2A, and Cry9-2) that exhibited resistance to O. plagialis, but their potential impact on soil bacterial communities remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed nine transgenic C. bungei lines (three independent lines for each Cry gene) to characterize their rhizosphere bacterial communities using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) V4–V5 regions. A total of 628 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were shared among all transgenic and wild-type (WT) lines, forming a stable core… More >

Olha Mykhailenko^1,2,3,#,*, Zigmantas Gudžinskas⁴, Liudas Ivanauskas⁵, Victoriya Georgiyants¹, Chia-Hung Yen^6,7,8, Chung-Fan Hsieh⁹, Riong Seulina Panjaitan⁶, Tsong-Long Hwang^10,11,12,13, Bing-Hung Chen^14,15, Michal Korinek^6,7,8,#,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.074209

Abstract The sustainable sourcing of novel bioactive compounds from natural sources is crucial to the success of the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics industries. Iris bucharica Foster (syn. Juno bucharica (Foster) Vved.) is a promising source of novel bioactive molecules, particularly phenolic compounds, which are renowned for their antioxidant properties. In this study, we developed a reliable HPLC-UV-DAD method to identify and quantify phenolic compounds in the leaves and bulbs of I. bucharica, establishing the first set of quality control markers for this species. A total of 21 phenolic compounds were identified in the leaves, with flavonoids such as isoorientin, More >

Hasan Kaan Kucukerdem^*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.074188

Abstract Root-zone temperature (RZT) strongly affects plant growth, nutrient uptake and tolerance to environmental stress, making its regulation a key challenge in greenhouse cultivation in cold climates. This study aimed to assess the potential of passive techniques, namely black polyethylene mulch and row covers, for modifying RZT dynamics in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) production and to evaluate the predictive performance of the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm. Experiments were conducted in Iğdır, Türkiye, over a 61-day period, with soil temperature continuously monitored at depths of 1–30 cm under mulched and non-mulched conditions, alongside measurements of greenhouse air… More >

Mario D’Ambrosio¹, Elisabetta Bigagli^1,*, Lorenzo Cinci¹, Cecilia Brunetti^2,*, Edgardo Giordani³, Francesco Ferrini³, Cristina Luceri¹

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.073250

Abstract Moringa oleifera (MO) is traditionally used to mitigate inflammatory-mediated disorders; however, the influence of ecotypic variation on its anti-inflammatory activity remains poorly understood. In this study, we compared the phytochemical composition and anti-inflammatory activity of ethanolic extracts obtained from fresh and dried leaves of four MO ecotypes (India, Paraguay, Mozambique, and Pakistan), all grown under the same outdoor conditions, as well as two commercial powders (Just Moringa and WISSA), using LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Extracts from fresh leaves were 19–43% more cytotoxic than those from dried leaves, depending on the ecotype, likely due to higher cyanogenic… More >