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Developing novel materials is an essential requirement in the engineering field. This study investigates the effects of incorporating wood dust particles on the mechanical and erosive wear properties of Luffa acutangula fiber (LAF)-reinforced phenol-formaldehyde composites, fabricated using the hand layup method with a constant 20% fiber content and varying wood dust particle contents of 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%. Using the Taguchi method, the study identifies the optimal combination for minimizing erosive wear − 20% wood dust content, 45 m/s impact velocity, 60° impingement angle, 600 μm erodent size, and 60 mm standoff distance—achieving a minimum erosion rate of 189.8 mg/kg. The addition of 20% wood dust results in significant enhancements in mechanical properties, with tensile strength increasing by 17.56%, flexural strength by 48.78%, and impact strength by 54.64%, compared to composites without wood dust. These findings underscore the potential of LAF composites with bio-fillers for lightweight structural applications in sectors prioritizing sustainability and mechanical durability, such as automotive and aerospace.

The prime intention of the current research is to enhance the freshwater productivity of the solar still (SS) by using Luffa acutangula fibres (LAF). The dried LA fibres were introduced into the absorber basin of a solar still to enhance the wet surface area through its porous structure that leads to augmented evaporation of water from the absorber basin. The effect of the number of LAF in the absorber basin such as 10,13,14,15,16,20 and 25 on freshwater productivity was estimated. The results revealed that SSLAF with 15 fibres in the absorber basin increased the yield by 25.23%. Besides, a solar still with 10,13,14,16,20 and 25 fibres in the absorber basin increased the yield by 12.27%, 17.45%, 22.04%, 22.69%, 14.64% and 4.09% respectively when compared to conventional solar still (CSS). The average thermal efficiency of the SSLAF with 15 LAF was increased by 28.35% whereas, for 10,13,14,16,20 and 25 LAF, the average thermal efficiency was increasedby 11.05%, 16.99%, 22.53%, 19.93%, 11.29% and 3.9% respectively when compared to CSS.The economic analysis resulted that the cost per litre freshwater yield from the SSLAF is 22.5% lower than CSS. Also, the payback period of SSLAF is comparatively lesser than that of CSS.

The present study assessed nutritional status, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content in fruits, i.e., mango ( Mangifera indica ), apple ( Malus domestica ), and vegetable, i.e., bottle gourd ( Lagenaria siceraria ), and ridge gourd ( Luffa acutangula ) peels. The antioxidant activity and total phenolic content (TPC) were evaluated by using methanol extracts along with 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Folin–Ciocalteu (FC) assay, respectively having Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and Gallic acid (GA) as standard. The TPC and antioxidant activity in the peels ranged from 20 mg GAE/g to 525 mg GAE/g and 15.02% to 75.95%, respectively, which revealed that investigated fruit and vegetable peels are rich source of phytochemical constituents. Bottle gourd peels exhibited the highest value of DPPH compared to the rest of the peels included in the study. Likewise, mango peels had the highest TPC as compared to the rest of the fruit peels. This research showed that the utilization of agricultural wastes should be promoted at commercial level to achieve the nutritional benefit at zero cost and minimize the generation of biological waste.

Pakistan is the 8th most climate-affected country in the globe along with a semi-arid to arid climate, thereby the crops require higher irrigation from underground water. Moreover,  ~ 70% of pumped groundwater in irrigated agriculture is brackish and a major cause of secondary salinization. Cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) is an important vegetable crop with an annual growth rate of about 3.3% in Pakistan. However, it is a relatively salt-sensitive crop. Therefore, a dire need for an alternate environment-friendly technology like grafting for managing salinity stress in cucumber by utilizing the indigenous cucurbit landraces. In this regard, a non-perforated pot-based study was carried out in a lath house to explore indigenous cucurbit landraces; bottle gourd ( Lagenaria siceraria ) (cv. Faisalabad Round), pumpkin ( Cucurbit pepo. L) (cv. Local Desi Special), sponge gourd ( Luffa aegyptiaca ) (cv. Local) and ridge gourd ( Luffa acutangula ) (cv. Desi Special) as rootstocks for inducing salinity tolerance in cucumber (cv. Yahla F1). Four different salts (NaCl) treatments; T 0 Control (2.4 dSm –1 ), T 1 (4 dSm –1 ), T 2 (6 dSm –1 ) and T 3 (8 dSm –1 ) were applied. The grafted cucumber plants were transplanted into the already-induced salinity pots (12-inch). Different morpho-physio-biochemical, antioxidants, ionic, and yield attributes were recorded. The results illustrate that increasing salinity negatively affected the growing cucumber plants. However, grafted cucumber plants showed higher salt tolerance relative to non-grafted ones. Indigenous bottle gourd landrace (cv. Faisalabad Round) exhibited higher salt tolerance compared to non-grafted cucumber plants due to higher up-regulation of morpho-physio-biochemical, ionic, and yield attributes that was also confirmed by principal component analysis (PCA). Shoot and root biomass, chlorophylls contents (a and b), activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POX) enzymes, antioxidants scavenging activity (ASA), ionic (↑ K and Ca, ↓ Na), and yield-related attributes were found maximum in cucumber plants grafted onto indigenous bottle gourd landrace. Hence, the indigenous bottle gourd landrace ‘cv. Faisalabad round’ may be utilized as a rootstock for cucumber under a mild pot-based saline environment. However, indigenous bottle gourd landrace ‘cv. Faisalabad round’ may further be evaluated as rootstocks in moderate saline field conditions for possible developing hybrid rootstock and, subsequently, sustainable cucumber production.

Hybrid epoxy composites were reinforced with a constant 20 wt% of Luffa acutangula fiber (LAF) and varying Sal wood sawdust (SWD) content ranging from 0 to 25 wt%. The evaluation covered mechanical properties including tensile, flexural, impact strengths, hardness, and water absorption behavior. Results indicated a notable enhancement in all mechanical properties up to 15 wt% SWD, with a slight reduction observed beyond this point. The composite with 20LAF/15SWD exhibited superior performance, achieving tensile, flexural, and impact strengths of 46 MPa, 66 MPa, and 3.12 J, respectively. Shore D hardness and water absorption tests confirmed increased material rigidity and decreased moisture affinity up to the 15 wt% SWD level. Scanning electron microscopy revealed improved fiber–matrix bonding and homogeneous filler distribution at the optimal formulation. These findings highlight the potential of combining Luffa acutangula fiber and sawdust as sustainable reinforcements for high-performance biocomposites.

Hybrid epoxy composites reinforced with Luffa acutangula fiber (LAF) and Sal wood sawdust (SWD) were examined for their tribological and acoustic properties. A consistent 20 wt% LAF was employed throughout all composites, with the SWD content adjusted to 0%, 5%, 15%, and 25%. The engineered composites underwent assessment for wear loss, coefficient of friction (CoF), sound absorption coefficient, and noise reduction coefficient. The results demonstrated a notable reduction in wear loss with the addition of SWD up to 15 wt%, with the 20FL/15SWD sample exhibiting the lowest wear at 0.32%. In a similar manner, the CoF decreased to 0.26 for the identical composition, indicating an ideal equilibrium between filler dispersion and fiber-matrix interaction. The enhancement of sound absorption and noise reduction coefficients was observed with increased SWD content, reaching peaks of 0.23 and 0.13, respectively for the 20FL/15SWD composite. The enhancements observed can be linked to the superior void-filling capacity and interfacial bonding facilitated by the SWD particles. Nonetheless, a high concentration of SWD (25 wt%) led to a minor decrease in performance attributed to particle agglomeration. The findings indicate that the 20FL/15SWD composite demonstrates enhanced tribo-acoustic performance, positioning it as a strong contender for applications requiring noise insulation and wear resistance.

Luffa is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family. Sponge gourd ( Luffa cylindrica ) and ridge gourd ( Luffa acutangula ) are two important species of the genus Luffa and are good sources of human nutrition and herbal medicines. As a vegetable, aromatic luffa is more preferred by consumers than nonaromatic luffa. While the aroma trait is present in the sponge gourd, the trait is not present in the ridge gourd. In this study, we identified Luffa cylindrica ’s betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase ( LcBADH ) as a gene associated with aroma in the sponge gourd based on a de novo assembly of public transcriptome data. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP: A > G) was identified in exon 5 of LcBADH , causing an amino acid change from tyrosine to cysteine at position 163, which is important for the formation of the substrate binding pocket of the BADH enzyme. Based on the identified SNP, a TaqMan marker, named AroLuff , was developed and validated in 370 F 2 progenies of the sponge gourd. The marker genotypes were perfectly associated with the aroma phenotypes, and the segregation ratios supported Mendelian’s simple recessive inheritance. In addition, we demonstrated the use of the AroLuff marker in the introgression of LcBADH from the aromatic sponge gourd to the ridge gourd to improve aroma through interspecific hybridization. The marker proved to be useful in improving the aroma characteristics of both Luffa species.

The efficient detection of nutrient deficiency and proper fertilizer for that deficiency becomes the critical challenges various farmers face. The family Cucurbitaceae includes members cultivated globally as a source of indigenous medicines, food, and fiber. Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb, generally called Ridge gourd, belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and is an annual herb originating in several areas of India, particularly in the coastal regions. Nutrient deficiency detection in ridge gourd is essential to improve crop productivity. In agricultural practises, the early identification and categorization of nutrient deficiencies in crops is essential for sustaining optimal growth and production. Addressing these nutrient deficiencies, we applied the Ring Toss Game Optimization with a Deep Transfer Learning-based Nutrient Deficiency Classification (RTGODTL-NDC) to Ridge Gourd ( Luffa acutangula ). This research proposes a new ring toss game optimization with a deep transfer learning-based nutrient deficiency classification (RTGODTL-NDC) method. The RTGODTL-NDC technique uses pre-processing, segmentation, feature extraction, hyperparameter tuning, and classification. The Gabor filter (GF) is mainly used for image pre-processing, and the Adam optimizer with SqueezeNet model is utilized for feature extraction. Finally, the RTGO algorithm with the deep hybrid learning (HDL) model is applied to classify nutrient deficiencies. The suggested framework has the potential to improve crop management practises by allowing for proactive and targeted interventions, which will result in improved agricultural health, production, and resource utilisation. The outcomes represented by the RTGODTL-NDC method have resulted in improved performance. For example, based on accuracy and specificity, the RTGODTL-NDC methodology rendered maximum a c c u y of 97.16% and specificity of 98.29%. The outcomes show how effective the transfer learning-based model is in identifying nutrient deficits in ridge gourd plants, as seen by its high level of accuracy.

Key messageA dwarfism gene LacDWARF1 was mapped by combined BSA-Seq and comparative genomics analyses to a 65.4 kb physical genomic region on chromosome 05.Dwarf architecture is one of the most important traits utilized in Cucurbitaceae breeding because it saves labor and increases the harvest index. To our knowledge, there has been no prior research about dwarfism in the sponge gourd. This study reports the first dwarf mutant WJ209 with a decrease in cell size and internodes. A genetic analysis revealed that the mutant phenotype was controlled by a single recessive gene, which is designated Lacdwarf1 (Lacd1). Combined with bulked segregate analysis and next-generation sequencing, we quickly mapped a 65.4 kb region on chromosome 5 using F2 segregation population with InDel and SNP polymorphism markers. Gene annotation revealed that Lac05g019500 encodes a gibberellin 3β-hydroxylase (GA3ox) that functions as the most likely candidate gene for Lacd1. DNA sequence analysis showed that there is an approximately 4 kb insertion in the first intron of Lac05g019500 in WJ209. Lac05g019500 is transcribed incorrectly in the dwarf mutant owing to the presence of the insertion. Moreover, the bioactive GAs decreased significantly in WJ209, and the dwarf phenotype could be restored by exogenous GA3 treatment, indicating that WJ209 is a GA-deficient mutant. All these results support the conclusion that Lac05g019500 is the Lacd1 gene. In addition, RNA-Seq revealed that many genes, including those related to plant hormones, cellular process, cell wall, membrane and response to stress, were significantly altered in WJ209 compared with the wild type. This study will aid in the use of molecular marker-assisted breeding in the dwarf sponge gourd.

Luffa (Luffa acutangula) serves as an important edible, medicinal, and industrial crop. Sucrose synthase (SUS, EC 2.4.1.13) catalyzes sucrose metabolism and facilitates the entry of photosynthetically derived sucrose into metabolic pathways, playing crucial roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. However, systematic investigations on the SUS gene family in luffa remain relatively scarce. In this study, we identified nine LaSUS family members distributed unevenly across six chromosomes. Their physicochemical properties and evolutionary relationships were systematically elucidated using bioinformatics tools. RNA-seq analysis revealed distinct expression patterns of LaSUS genes during luffa fruit aging, with most genes showing significant down-regulation during this process. Notably, several genes exhibited significant correlations with sucrose content during fruit aging. RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated the drought stress responsiveness of LaSUS genes, with LaSUS1 showing marked up-regulation under drought conditions. Furthermore, overexpression experiments in tobacco confirmed that LaSUS1 contributed to sugar accumulation, increased antioxidant enzyme activities, and positively regulated drought tolerance in luffa. This comprehensive study not only characterizes the LaSUS gene family and bridges the research gap of SUS genes in luffa but also provides theoretical support for investigating the roles of SUS genes in fruit ripening and abiotic stress responses in luffa.