Zeenat Mushtaq¹, Shahla Faizan¹, Basit Gulzar², Humira Mushtaq³, Sayyada Bushra¹, Alisha Hussain¹, Khalid Rehman Hakeem^4,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.1, pp. 149-168, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.016231

Abstract Salinity is one of the most severe abiotic stresses for crop production. The present study investigates the salinity-induced modulation in growth indicators, morphology and movement of stomata, photosynthetic pigments, activity of carbonic anhydrase as well as nitrate reductase, and antioxidant systems in two varieties of chickpea (Pusa-BG5023, and Pusa-BGD72). On 20^th day of sowing, plants were treated with varying levels of NaCl (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mM) followed by sampling on 45 days of sowing. Recorded observations on both the varieties reveal that salt stress leads to a significant decline in growth, dry biomass, leaf area, photosynthetic pigments,… More >

Jingjing Liao^1,2, Jinxing Li², Hongyan Wang³, Yan Zhu², Hisham Essawy⁴, Guanben Du^1,2,*, Xiaojian Zhou^2,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.10, No.1, pp. 19-31, 2022, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2021.016152

Abstract The current work explores the potential use of commercial Chinese bayberry tannin (BT) to develop antioxidant PVA-based films using solvent casting process for packaging applications. The effect of BT concentration on opacity, water resistance and antioxidant capacity of resulting films was investigated. Properties like tensile strength, thermal behavior, and morphological aspects were also characterized. The experimental results showed that PVA/BT films formed with uniformly brown color and generally good transparency, offering good antioxidant ability. The PVA film containing BT presented slightly higher water resistance according to the results of moisture content and water vapor permeability, especially at low BT content… More > Graphic Abstract

Mengyuan Dong^#, Rong Sun^#, Qianhui Yang, Lantian Zhang, Yangying Yong, Yunxia Fang, Xian Zhang, Xiaoqin Zhang^*, Dawei Xue^*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.90, No.6, pp. 1589-1598, 2021, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2021.017465

Abstract In recent years, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have been widely used as zinc fertilizers and pesticides. The use of ZnO NPs in this way can provide benefits to humans, but also has potential risks. ZnO NPs inevitably enter the environment during their production and use, which affects the ecological environment and crop growth. In order to investigate the phenotype, physiology, and gene expression of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seedlings under ZnO NPs stress, the barely cultivars ZJU3 (P21), Golden Promise (GP) and L23 were chosen for study. Different ZnO NPs concentrations were applied to compare the physiological and biochemical… More >

Yu-Jyun Chen, Xian-Hao Yang, Yun-Yang Chao^*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.90, No.5, pp. 1477-1489, 2021, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2021.015719

Abstract Nanosilver (10⁻⁹ m) refers to particles comprising 20–15,000 silver atoms, exhibiting high stability and specific surface area. At present, nanosilver has been used in agricultural cultivation and production. This study examined the effects of nanosilver on growth and development of rice root systems. Study results showed that fresh weight of rice belowground organs and root length both increased significantly by 5% and 25%, respectively, after rice radicles were treated with 2 ppm of nanosilver for three days. However, the H₂O₂ level reached its peak at 2 days from treatment, but the activities of the antioxidant enzymes CAT, APX, and GR… More >

Seerat Saleem¹, Naveed Ul Mushtaq¹, Wasifa Hafiz Shah¹, Aadil Rasool¹, Khalid Rehman Hakeem^2,*, Reiaz Ul Rehman^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.90, No.5, pp. 1363-1385, 2021, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2021.014826

Abstract Abiotic stresses such as drought, heat, cold, nutrient deficiency, excess salt and hazardous metals can hamper plantgrowth and development. Intensive agriculture of only a few major staple food crops that are sensitive and intolerant to environmental stresses has led to an agrarian crisis. On the other hand, nutritionally rich, gluten free and stress tolerant plants like millets are neglected and underutilized. Millets sustain about one-third of the world’s population and show exceptional tolerance to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Millets are C4 plants that are adapted to marginal and dry lands of arid and semi-arid regions, and survive low rainfall… More >

Shaoyi Ruan^1,2,3,#, Haowen Luo^1,2,3,#, Xiaoyan Zeng^1,2,3,#, Runhao Wen^1,2,3, Feida Wu^1,2,3, Xiangru Tang^1,2.*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.90, No.4, pp. 1273-1283, 2021, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2021.015610

Abstract Vermicompost is an organic fertilizer contains multiple nutrient elements. However, the application of vermicompost in fragrant rice production is rarely reported. In order to study the effects of vermicompost application on fragrant rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedling performances, present study was conducted with two fragrant rice cultivars and four vermicompost rate treatments (0 (CK), 2.5 (Wo1), 5.0 (Wo2) and 10.0 (Wo3) g kg⁻¹ ). The results showed that vermicompost treatments significantly increased dry weight of fragrant rice seedling by 8.31–32.56% compared with CK. 21.10–59.13% higher net photosynthetic rates and 10.66–59.16% higher chlorophyll contents (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll)… More >

Stefan M. Kolašinac¹, Zora P. Dajić Stevanović^1,*, Sofija N. Kilibarda¹,  Aleksandar Ž. Kostić^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.90, No.4, pp. 1041-1062, 2021, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2021.015996

Abstract Carotenoids represent a large group of mainly red, orange, and yellow natural metabolites mainly involved in regulation of many metabolic processes. Carotenoids are beneficial for human health. Current study describes the importance, chemical composition and functioning of carotenoids. It is well known that carotenoids support pigments acting in light absorbance mechanisms during photosynthesis, and are known to protect the chlorophyll molecules from oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage. Carotenoids are involved in signaling processes in plants, responses to environmental stresses, pollination, germination and reproduction, and development regulation. As nutrients of strong antioxidant activity that is primarily linked to… More >

MOHAMMAD FAIZAN¹, AHMAD FARAZ², SHAMSUL HAYAT³, JAVAID A. BHAT^4,*, FANGYUAN YU^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.45, No.4, pp. 1081-1093, 2021, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.015363

Abstract Nanotechnology has greatly expanded the applications of nanoparticles (NPs) domain in the scientific field. In this context, the zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) and 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) has been revealed to positively regulate plant metabolism and growth. In the present study, we investigated the role of ZnO-NPs and EBL in the regulation of plant growth, photosynthetic efficiency, enzymes activities and fruit yield in tomato. Foliar treatment of ZnO-NPs at three levels (10, 50 or 100 ppm) and EBL (10⁻⁸ M) were applied separately or in combination to the foliage of plant at 35–39 days after sowing (DAS); and the control plants were… More >

CHUNKUN FAN, YONGPENG ZHANG, CHUNBAO YANG, YAWEI TANG, JI QU, BU JIE, DEJI QUZHEN, LIYUN GAO^*

BIOCELL, Vol.45, No.4, pp. 1121-1135, 2021, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.014336

Abstract Salinity is a serious challenge for agriculture production by limiting the arable land. Rice is a major staple food crop but very sensitive to salt stress. In this study, we used Arabidopsis for the functional characterization of a rice F-box gene LOC_Os04g48270 (OsPP12-A13) under salinity stress. OsPP12-A13 is a nuclear-localized protein that is strongly upregulated under salinity stress in rice and showed the highest expression in the stem, followed by roots and leaves. Two types of transgenic lines for OsPP12-A13 were generated, including constitutive tissue over-expression using the CaMV35S promoter and phloem specific over-expression using the pSUC2 promoter. Both types… More >

Nong Zhou^1,2, Lingfeng Xu¹, Min Yang², Dongqin Guo¹, Qiuxia Gan, Jingjing Zhao^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.90, No.3, pp. 747-759, 2021, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2021.014858

Abstract A field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of two commercial strains composed of mulple arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) species on plant growth, antioxidant capacity, and medicine quality of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis in three subtropical soils from Wanzhou, Anshun and Baoshan in fields. The results showed that AMF inoculation enhanced the fungal colonization rate and activities of both succinate dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase, thereby, enhancing the mycorrhizal viability of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis. The concentrations of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b, a+b and carotenoids), soluble sugar, soluble protein and photosynthetic capacity were higher in AMF-inoculated plants than in… More >