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Soybean ( Glycine max L.) is an economically important crop, and is cultivated worldwide, although increasingly long periods of drought have reduced the productivity of this plant. Research has shown that inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) provides a potential alternative strategy for the mitigation of drought stress. In the present study, we measured the physiological and morphological performance of two soybean cultivars in symbiosis with Rhizophagus clarus that were subjected to drought stress (DS). The soybean cultivars Anta82 and Desafio were grown in pots inoculated with R. clarus . Drought stress was imposed at the V3 development stage and maintained for 7 days. A control group, with well-irrigated plants and no AMF, was established simultaneously in the greenhouse. The mycorrhizal colonization rate, and the physiological, morphological, and nutritional traits of the plants were recorded at days 3 and 7 after drought stress conditions were implemented. The Anta82 cultivar presented the highest percentage of AMF colonization, and N and K in the leaves, whereas the DS group of the Desafio cultivar had the highest water potential and water use efficiency, and the DS + AMF group had thermal dissipation that permitted higher values of F v /F m , A , and plant height. The results of the principal components analysis demonstrated that both cultivars inoculated with AMF performed similarly under DS to the well-watered plants. These findings indicate that AMF permitted the plant to reduce the impairment of growth and physiological traits caused by drought conditions.

Background Lettuce is one of the most important and widely cultivated leafy vegetables globally. The morphophysiological mechanisms involved in the stresses caused by high temperatures and water scarcity in different lettuce genotypes remain unknown. Additionally, the presence of bioactive compounds in the leaves must also be monitored as they can prevent serious health conditions. Despite the importance, there are no studies integrating adaptation to tropical conditions with nutritional biofortification. Therefore, our objective was to characterize the photosynthetic and water use efficiency, and agronomic-nutritional potential of lettuce strains to select tropicalized and biofortified genotypes. Eighteen lettuce strains and two commercial cultivars were evaluated. The means were compared using the univariate and multivariate analysis. A Kohonen Self-Organizing map (SOM) was generated to compare the genotypes according to the variables analyzed. Results Some strains exhibited high chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, delayed bolting, agronomic potential, reduced transpiration rate, better stomatal control, intrinsic water use, photosynthetic apparatus efficiency, and reduced oxidative stress. The strains UFU-189#3#2#1 and UFU-199#2#1#1 showed the highest levels of chlorophyll and carotenoids (2.53 mg 100 g⁻¹ and 0.412 mg 100 g⁻¹, respectively). Evaluating the structural performance of photosystem II (PSII), the strains UFU-199#1#1, UFU-215#1#2, and UFU MiniBioFort-2015#1 showed the lowest values for minimum fluorescence (FO) (6685.17, 7000.33, and 8984.83, respectively) and the highest potential quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) (0.81, 0.83, and 0.79, respectively). Conclusion This study provides compelling evidence that biofortified lettuce strains developed under the UFU breeding program combine agronomic vigor, physiological efficiency, and biofortification.

Medicinal plant microbiomes undergo selection due to secondary metabolite presence. Resident endophytic/epiphytic microorganisms directly influence plant’s bioactive compound synthesis. Hypothesizing low microbial diversity in Serjania erecta leaves, we assessed leaf colonization by epiphytic and endophytic fungi. Given its traditional medicinal importance, we estimated diversity in the endophytic fungal microbiome. Analyses included scanning electron microscopy (SEM), isolation of cultivable species, and metagenomics. Epiphytic fungi interacted with S. erecta leaf tissues, horizontally transmitted via stomata/trichome bases, expressing traits for nematode trapping. Cultivable endophytic fungi, known for phytopathogenic habits, didn’t induce dysbiosis symptoms. This study confirms low leaf microbiome diversity in S. erecta , with a tendency towards more fungal species, likely due to antibacterial secondary metabolite selection. The classification of Halicephalobus sp. sequence corroborated the presence of nematode eggs on the epidermal surface of S. erecta by SEM. In addition, we confirmed the presence of methanogenic archaea and a considerable number of methanotrophs of the genus Methylobacterium. The metagenomic study of endophytic fungi highlighted plant growth-promoting yeasts, mainly Malassezia , Leucosporidium , Meyerozyma , and Hannaella . Studying endophytic fungi and S. erecta microbiomes can elucidate their impact on beneficial bioactive compound production, on the other hand, it is possible that the bioactive compounds produced by this plant can recruit specific microorganisms, impacting the biological system.

Belonging to the Brazilian flora, the species Hancornia speciosa (Gomes), known as mangabeira, has bioactive compounds of interest, such as flavonoids, xanthones, and proanthocyanidins. The objective of this study was to determine how the supplementation of sugars in culture medium affects the osmotic potential of the medium, as well as its influence on cell growth and on the concentration of phenolic compounds. For this purpose, after 90 days of subculture, 20 mL aliquots of the cultures were added to flasks containing 20 mL of medium with different sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose, mannitol, and sorbitol) under a 16-h photoperiod with a spectral range between 400 and 700 nm of photosynthetically active radiation (45–55 μmol m −2  s −1 ) in a shaker at 110 rpm. After 30 days, the pH, electrical conductivity, osmotic potential, biomass accumulation, and concentrations of phenolic compounds were evaluated. Regardless of their concentration in the medium, the sugars sorbitol and mannitol provided more unfavorable conditions for water absorption at the cellular level, reducing the water potential of the medium. Sucrose favored greater water absorption and biomass accumulation. Among the various sugar concentrations, 3% (30 g/L) sucrose or glucose improved the accumulation of fresh and dry cell weight and the production of polyphenols such as chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, rosmarinic acid, hesperidin, rutin, and quercetin. In addition, they resulted in a higher osmotic potential of the medium and larger cells than other carbon sources. Despite the differences in cell size, no culture conditions compromised cell survival.

This study aimed to compare the conventional soybean ( Glycine max L.) cultivation method with integrated systems in an Latossolo Vermelho Acriférrico típico and how these systems affect soil cover biomass production, initial nutrient concentration in plant residues, soil respiration and microclimate, as well as soybean growth, physiology and productivity. A comparative analysis of microclimate and soil respiration, plant physiology, and growth was conducted between a conventional soybean monoculture (soybean grown without plant residues on the soil from the previous crop) and soybean grown in soil containing maize residues. Additionally, experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of monocultures and previous integration between maize, three cultivars of Panicum maximum (Zuri, Tamani, and Quênia guinea grass) and Pigeon pea ( Cajanus cajan cv. BRS Mandarim) on soil health, physiological aspects, and soybean production. Our results indicated that all cultivars of Panicum maximum can be used in integrated systems. The triple consortium resulted in greater production of ground cover biomass and a higher concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur, which contributed to lower soil temperature and greater humidity, without a concomitant increase in soil respiration. Consequently, soybeans grown in the resulting integrated systems cover biomass showed a higher net photosynthesis rate and increased leaf chlorophyll index, resulting in taller plants, with higher above-ground biomass production and 21.0% and a 36.8% increase in grain yield when compared to soybean cultivated on maize biomass and on soil without cover residue, respectively. The data presented in this study demonstrated that integrated systems, with the presence of grasses and legumes, improve soil climatic conditions and nutrient availability, enhancing soybean physiology and productivity characteristics, thus contributing to the sustainability of agricultural production, even in the short term. Further long-term research is strongly recommended.

Bark is a structure involved in multiple physiological functions, but which has been traditionally associated with protection against fire. Thus, little is known about how the morpho-anatomical variations of this structure are related to different ecological pressures, especially in tropical savanna species, which are commonly subjected to frequent fire and drought events. Here we evaluated how the structural and functional variations of bark are related to the processes of resilience and resistance to fire, as well as transport and storage of water in 31 native species from the Brazilian Cerrado. Because of their thick bark, none of the trees analyzed were top-killed after a severe fire event. The structural and functional variations of the bark were also associated with water storage and transport, functions related to properties of the inner bark. In fact, species with a thicker and less dense inner bark were the ones that had the highest water contents in the wood, bark, and leaves. Lower bark density was also related to higher stem hydraulic conductivity, carbon assimilation, and growth. Overall, we provide strong evidence that in addition to protection from fire, the relative investment in bark also reflects different strategies of water use and conservation among many Cerrado tree species.

Urban vertical agriculture with lighting system can be an alternative green infrastructure to increase local food production irrespective of environmental and soil conditions. In this system, light quality control can improve the plant physiological performance, well as induce metabolic pathways that contribute to producing phenolic compounds important to human health. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of RBW (red, blue and white) and monochromatic (red and blue; R and B, respectively) light associated or not with UV-B on photosynthetic performance and phenolic compound production in microtomato fruits cultivated via vertical agriculture. The experimental design adopted was completely randomized, with six replicates illuminated with 300 µmol·m −2 ·s −1 light intensities (RBW, RBW + UV, B, B + UV, R, and R + UV), 12 h photoperiod, and 3.7 W·m −2 UV-B irradiation for 1 h daily for the physiological evaluations. Twenty-six days after the installation, gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence and nocturnal breathing were evaluated. Fruits in different ripening stages (green, orange, and red) were collected from microtomato plants grown under with different light qualities, to evaluate the physiological performance. The identification and quantification of the phenolic compound rutin was also performed to investigate their metabolic response. This study identified that plants grown under B + UV had high photosynthetic rates ( A =11.57 µmol·m −2 ·s −1 ) and the fruits at all maturation stages from plants grown under B and B + UV had high rutin content. Meanwhile, the activation of suppressive mechanisms was necessary in plants grown under R because of the high nocturnal respiration and unregulated quantum yield of the non-photochemical dissipation of the photosystem II. These results highlight the importance of selecting light wavelength for vegetable cultivation to produce fruits with a high content of specialized metabolites that influence color, flavor, and health promotion, which is of special interest to farmers using sustainable cropping systems.

The aim of our study was to produce and characterize poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) nanospheres containing essential oils from Zanthoxylum riedelianum fruit and to evaluate their stability gains as well as their insecticidal and deterrent activities against whitefly (Bemisia tabaci). The PCL nanospheres exhibited a homogeneous spherical morphology, with particle diameters between 106.7 nm and 129.2 nm, pH of approximately 6, zeta potential (ZP) lower than −19.0 mV and encapsulation efficiency higher than 98%. Only 43% of the nanoencapsulated essential oil (NSEO) was degraded in response to ultraviolet light, whereas the essential oil (EO) degraded by 76% over the same period. In a free-choice test, the NSEO and EO reduced the number of whitefly eggs by approximately 70%. NSEO and EO at 1.5% killed 82.87% and 91.23% of 2nd-instar nymphs of whitefly, respectively. Although NSEO displayed lower insecticidal activity, it offers a greater advantage over the free EO, due to protection conferred by polymer against photodegradation. Therefore, its usage may optimize the maintenance of essential oils in the field through photoprotection and controlled release. Our results suggest that the EO of Z. riedelianum fruit can be used for B. tabaci management strategy; nevertheless, the benefits of NSEO require further evaluation at the field level.

The cage-free rearing of laying hens combined with probiotics promotes intestinal health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of adding probiotics on the intestinal microbiota of Isa Brown laying hens raised in a cage-free system. A total of 450 Isa Brown hens, 19 weeks old, were used in a cage-free system over three 28-day cycles in a completely randomized design with five treatments and six replicates, containing 15 birds per pen. The Isa Brown hens were fed a basal ration based on corn and soybean meal; a basal ration plus a single strain of Bacillus subtilis (500 g/t); a basal ration plus a single strain, Bacillus subtilis (1000 g/t); a basal ration plus a probiotic blend (Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus salivarius, Pediococcus acidilactici) at a dosage of 200 g/t; and a basal ration plus the blend at 400 g/t. From one hen per replicate, contents from the small intestine, including the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, were collected for DNA extraction and bacterial species identification. There was an increase in Helicobacter brantae, which was quantified at 86% in the diet containing 1000 g/t of the probiotic single strain of Bacillus subtilis and 87% in the diet containing 500 g/t dosage, in comparison to the basal ration. With the probiotic blend at 200 g/t, 37% Lactobacillus crispatus and 21% Lactobacillus aviarius were observed, while the dosage of 400 g/t of the probiotic blend increased the level of Lactobacillus kitasatonis to 68% compared to the basal ration. The inclusion of 200 g/t of the probiotic blend proved to be more beneficial to the small intestinal microbiota of laying hens.

The soybean looper, Chrysodeixis includens , is a primary soybean pest that reduces crop productivity. This work examined control of C. includens populations with methanolic extract of Serjania erecta , a native Cerrado plant, while minimizing risks to pollinators, natural enemies and the environment. Serjania erecta specimens were collected, identified, and subjected to methanol extraction. Bioassays were performed using newly hatched and second-instar caterpillars and different extract concentrations on the diet surface to obtain IC 50 values. Two replicates, containing 10 caterpillars, were established in triplicate. The IC 50 values were 4.15 and 6.24 mg of extract mL −1 for first-instar and second-instar caterpillars, respectively. These growth inhibition results informed the extract concentrations assessed in subsequent development inhibition assays, in which the pupal weight was higher under the control than under the treatments. Extract treatments increased the duration of the larval, pupal and total development. The potential of different concentrations of S. erecta extract to inhibit the enzymes carboxylesterases was also evaluated. Carboxylesterases activity decreased by 41.96 and 43.43% at 7.8 and 15.6 μg mL −1 extract, respectively. At 31.3 μg mL −1 extract, enzymatic activity was not detected. Overall, S. erecta leaf methanolic extract showed inhibitory potential against carboxylesterases.