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

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.95, No.1, 2026, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.076565 - 30 January 2026

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 >

Olga S. Tsiftsoglou^1,*, Vladimir Mihailovic², Nikola Sreckovic², Jelena S. Katanic Stankovic³, Kyriakos Michail Dimitriadis¹, Michalis K. Stefanakis⁴, Diamanto Lazari¹

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.95, No.1, 2026, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.075566 - 30 January 2026

Abstract Achillea species are known for their healing properties since ancient times. There is extensive literature on their pharmacological action due to their bioactive compounds. The present study aimed to investigate the antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of hydroalcoholic extracts from the inflorescences and leaves of the species Achillea crithmifolia Waldst. and Kit., A. grandifolia Friv. and A. millefolium L. The phytochemical profiles of all extracts were evaluated both by NMR spectroscopy and LC-MS analysis, and the results were consistent with the spectrophotometrically determined total phenolic (TP: 125.42–191.98 mg/g) and total flavonoid (TF: 47.34–180.02 mg/g) contents. All the extracts were tested More >

Meng Wang¹, Jinghan Cai¹, Wenzheng Liu¹, Xue Yang¹, Jingjing Zhang¹, Qiangmin Zhou¹, Fanzhen Wang¹, Hang Zhang^1,*, Tonghai Liu^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.95, No.1, 2026, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.075541 - 30 January 2026

Abstract Tomato is a major economic crop worldwide, and diseases on tomato leaves can significantly reduce both yield and quality. Traditional manual inspection is inefficient and highly subjective, making it difficult to meet the requirements of early disease identification in complex natural environments. To address this issue, this study proposes an improved YOLO11-based model, YOLO-SPDNet (Scale Sequence Fusion, Position-Channel Attention, and Dual Enhancement Network). The model integrates the SEAM (Self-Ensembling Attention Mechanism) semantic enhancement module, the MLCA (Mixed Local Channel Attention) lightweight attention mechanism, and the SPA (Scale-Position-Detail Awareness) module composed of SSFF (Scale Sequence Feature… More >

Zakia Akter¹, Sumona Akter Jannat², Sheikh Md. Shibly¹, Afroza Sultana¹, Amdadul Hoque Amran¹, Joairia Hossain Faria¹, Sabina Yeasmin¹, Md. Parvez Anwar^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.95, No.1, 2026, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.075524 - 30 January 2026

Abstract Seaweed extract contains plant growth regulators and bio-stimulants that enhance plant growth and development. In Bangladesh, winter rice (Boro rice) in the nursery bed often shows poor seed emergence and weak seedling growth due to low temperature. This problem can be addressed by using seaweed extract as a seed priming agent and bio-stimulant. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of seaweed extract (Crop Plus) on seed emergence, seedling growth, and vigor of winter rice in the nursery. Two experiments were conducted at Bangladesh Agricultural University using BRRI dhan89. The laboratory experiment… More >

Aaron David Lugo-Palacios¹, Edgar Omar Rueda-Puente², César Omar Montoya-García², Ignacio Orona-Castillo³, Urbano Nava-Camberos³, José Luis García-Hernández^3,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.95, No.1, 2026, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.075449 - 30 January 2026

Abstract To ensure the efficient use of resources, particularly in water-scarce arid and semi-arid regions where abiotic stress threatens food security, assessing soil and climate suitability for specific crops is crucial. Simultaneously, food production must align with sustainable development goals by minimizing negative environmental impacts. Therefore, establishing agro-climatic suitability using a spatiotemporal approach is essential. This involves three key steps: first, determining the climatically appropriate months based on the species’ requirements (temporal suitability), and second, establishing the soil suitability of specific plots (spatial suitability). Following this, quantifying crop evapotranspiration allows for optimized water use. This study… More >

Dmytro A. Kiriziy¹, Oksana V. Dubrovna¹, Oksana G. Sokolovska-Sergiienko¹, Alina S. Holoboroda¹, Victor V. Rohach^1,2, Oleg O. Stasik^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.95, No.1, 2026, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.075371 - 30 January 2026

Abstract Water scarcity severely constrains the genetic potential of wheat yield worldwide. Proline is among the most versatile stress-related metabolites in plants, and targeting genes involved in proline synthesis and degradation represents a promising strategy for developing drought-tolerant wheat genotypes. This study evaluates the performance of the photosynthetic apparatus in transgenic wheat line with RNAi-mediated suppression of proline dehydrogenase (ProDH) and in the original (wild-type) genotype, under both drought and recovery conditions. Drought was induced at the flowering stage by lowering soil moisture to 30% field capacity for 7 days, compared with 70% field capacity in… More >

Jiazhou Li^1,2, Mingyu Zhang¹, Xing Li^1,3, Fangbo Cao^1,2, Jiana Chen^1,2, Weiqin Wang^1,2, Huabin Zheng^1,2, Min Huang^1,2,4,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.95, No.1, 2026, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.075255 - 30 January 2026

Abstract Spikelet filling characteristics in early-season rice in southern China may be distinctive due to its exposure to high temperatures during the ripening period. However, limited information is currently available on these characteristics. This study aimed to characterize spikelet filling in early-season rice and identify the key factors contributing to its improvement. Field experiments were conducted over two years (2021 and 2022) to mainly investigate the proportions of fully-filled, partially-filled, and empty spikelets, along with the biomass-fertilized spikelet ratio and harvest index, in 11 early-season rice varieties. The results revealed significant varietal variation in spikelet filling,… More >

Kirti A. Yadav¹, Yachana Jha¹, Haiam O. Elkatry², Heba I. Mohamed^3,*, Ahmed Mahmoud Ismail⁴, Abdelrahman R. Ahmed^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.95, No.1, 2026, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.074570 - 30 January 2026

Abstract Phytophthora blight is a devastating disease of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) that severely impacts plant growth and productivity. This study investigates the morphological, anatomical, and biochemical responses of a susceptible variety (ICPL 11260) and a resistant variety (IPAC-02) following infection by Phytophthora. Morphological analyses showed that infection caused a drastic reduction in root length, shoot length, leaf number, fresh weight, and dry weight in the susceptible ICPL 11260 variety, with reductions ranging from 0.5- to 2-fold compared to non-infected controls. Anatomical observations revealed pronounced cellular damage and mycelial invasion in infected ICPL 11260 plants by 30… More >

Xiaoqing Jiang^1,2,#, Pengchong Li^1,2,#, Hongchuang Liu^1,2, Wenjie Dong^1,2, Wenjing Liu^1,2, Di Wu^1,2, Jianping Xue^1,2, Fenglan Zhao^1,2,*, Yongbo Duan^1,2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.95, No.1, 2026, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2026.074434 - 30 January 2026

Abstract As its tuberous alkaloids induce valuable pharmacological effects, Pinellia ternata has considerable clinical value. However, its production currently fails to meet its demand. In vitro microtuber culture, combined with salicylic acid (SA) elicitation, may provide an effective alternative to traditional field production. In this study, an in vitro P. ternata microtuber induction system was developed and used to evaluate SA-induced elicitation of alkaloid accumulation. The quality of in vitro microtubers was assessed by total alkaloid measurement, a cytotoxicity assay, and transcriptomic analysis. With or without SA treatment, P. ternata microtuber induction was achieved within 60 d using petiole-derived explants, with… More >

Ziying Huang¹, Ruikang Ma¹, Anning Li², Yufei Cheng¹, Xiaolin Lin², Mengzhi Li³, Yu Zhang², Liping Shi¹, Linlin Dong^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.95, No.1, 2026, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.074419 - 30 January 2026

Abstract Epimedium is commonly used to treat bone injury and kidney disease, with prenylated flavonol glycosides (PFGs) as its active ingredients. It has attracted much attention due to prominent healthcare and therapeutic effects, but faces problems of adulteration with closely related species and confusion about geographical origins. In this study, multiple technical approaches were employed to identify its genetic characteristics and metabolic differences. Based on DNA barcoding, 20 batches of samples were analyzed. The genetic distances of matK, ITS and psbA-trnH within species were all smaller than those between species, and psbA-trnH along with ITS + psbA-trnH proved most effective… More >