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Single-season legume green manuring is widely promoted for soil fertility restoration in degraded agricultural lands, yet its effectiveness in alkaline semi-arid soils remains poorly understood. This study investigated the impact of first-year sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis (L.)) green manuring on soil microbiome structure and agrochemical properties in southern carbonate chernozem soils of Northern Kazakhstan. Using shotgun metagenomics, we analyzed microbial communities from sweet clover-amended soils, clean fallow, and virgin steppe reference sites. Contrary to expectations, sweet clover green manuring did not enhance soil nitrogen availability, with nitrate-N content (9.1 mg/kg) remaining lower than clean fallow (10.5 mg/kg), likely due to temporary immobilization during initial decomposition. While sweet clover significantly increased archaeal diversity (p = 0.01) and enriched nitrogen-cycling taxa, including Nitrospirae and Thaumarchaeota, overall microbial richness remained unchanged (ACE index, p > 0.05). Surprisingly, functional analysis revealed only five significant metabolic differences between sweet clover and fallow systems, indicating functional convergence of agricultural microbiomes regardless of management practice. Correlation analysis identified phosphorus as the master regulator of microbial metabolism (r = 1.0, p < 0.0001), while elevated pH (9.0), K2O (>1000 mg/kg), and NO3− showed strong negative correlations with essential metabolic pathways, revealing previously unrecognized nutrient toxicity thresholds. Virgin steppe maintained 69 unique metabolic pathways lost in agricultural systems, highlighting the ecological cost of cultivation. These findings demonstrate that sweet clover green manuring in alkaline steppe soils induces selective rather than comprehensive microbiome restructuring, with limited immediate benefits for soil fertility. This study provides critical insights for developing sustainable agricultural practices in the world’s extensive semi-arid regions facing similar edaphic constraints.

Objective: Melilotus officinalis is a plant that grows naturally in northwestern Morocco and could become a promising alternative. The study was carried out to investigate the effects of M. officinalis hay on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of goat kids in northern Morocco compared to Medicago sativa. Materials and Methods: Eighteen 3-month-old male “Beni Arouss” goat kids have been divided similarly into two groups. The control group (Luc) received lucerne hay, and the test group (YSClov) received yellow sweetclover hay, both supplemented with concentrate. Average daily gain and dry matter intake were determined during the experiment. After 99 days, goat kids were weighed, and carcass characteristics were determined. Meat quality was evaluated using samples from the semimembranosus (SM) and longissimus thoracis muscles. Results: The addition of YSClov significantly increased ash content (p < 0.001) and fat content (p < 0.01), reduced water holding capacity (p < 0.01), and SM pH 24 (p < 0.05). The YSClov meat was significantly more tender than the Luc meat, with corresponding values of 8.20 and 11.80 kg/ cm² (p < 0.05), while the Luc meat was more tender when cooked. No significant effect was found for the other parameters. The YSClov meat is richer in desirable fatty acids (DFA), while the Luc meat appears to be richer in omega-3 DFA(p < 0.01). Conclusion: Melilotus officinalis hay showed promising results in intramuscular fat, protein content, tenderness, DFA content, and similar growth performance compared to conventional feeds.

Summary Melilotus species are used as green manure and rotation crops worldwide and contain abundant pharmacologically active coumarins. However, there is a paucity of information on its genome and coumarin production and function. Here, we reported a chromosome‐scale assembly of Melilotus albus genome with 1.04 Gb in eight chromosomes, containing 71.42% repetitive elements. Long terminal repeat retrotransposon bursts coincided with declining of population sizes during the Quaternary glaciation. Resequencing of 94 accessions enabled insights into genetic diversity, population structure, and introgression. Melilotus officinalis had relatively larger genetic diversity than that of M. albus. The introgression existed between M. officinalis group and M. albus group, and gene flows was from M. albus to M. officinalis. Selection sweep analysis identified candidate genes associated with flower colour and coumarin biosynthesis. Combining genomics, BSA, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and biochemistry, we identified a β‐glucosidase (BGLU) gene cluster contributing to coumarin biosynthesis. MaBGLU1 function was verified by overexpression in M. albus, heterologous expression in Escherichia coli, and substrate feeding, revealing its role in scopoletin (coumarin derivative) production and showing that nonsynonymous variation drives BGLU enzyme activity divergence in Melilotus. Our work will accelerate the understanding of biologically active coumarins and their biosynthetic pathways, and contribute to genomics‐enabled Melilotus breeding.

Sweet clover, particularly white sweet clover (Melilotus albus), is an underexplored plant that has gained attention in recent years. This study compared the bioactive compounds content in the flowers, leaves, and stems of Melilotus albus Medic. to the well-known health-promoting Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam. Both fresh and dried plant materials were analysed, with chromatographic assessments preceded by the optimisation of the extraction method (using 50% aqueous ethanol–water and the plant sample ground in a mortar, followed by 30 min of ultrasound-assisted extraction). Flower and leaf extracts were also evaluated for their total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity using FRAP and DPPH· assays. Both plant species were rich in phenolic compounds, including coumarins, phenolic acids, and flavonoids. HPLC-PDA analysis revealed similar profiles for both species, with quantitative differences in individual compound fractions. The highest coumarin content was found in the fresh flowers, followed by the leaves and stems. No significant species-specific differences in the coumarin content were observed. However, the flowers of M. albus were a richer source of flavonoids, with the highest hyperoside content. The flavonoid profile in the leaf extracts was similar to that of the flowers, but the content was about four times lower in the leaves and even lower than in the stems. Interestingly, the leaf extracts exhibited higher antioxidant activity than the flower extracts. The presented findings suggest that white sweet clover is an equally valuable source of health-promoting compounds as yellow sweet clover.

Coumarin is an effective treatment for primary lymphoedema, as well as lymphoedema related to breast cancer radiotherapy or surgery. However, its clinical use is limited in several countries due to the possible occurrence of hepatotoxicity, mainly in the form of mild to moderate transaminase elevation. It is worth noting that only a few cases of severe hepatotoxicity have been described in the literature, with no reported cases of liver failure. Data available on coumarin absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion have been reviewed, focusing on hepatotoxicity studies carried out in vitro and in vivo. Finally, safety and tolerability data from clinical trials have been thoroughly discussed. Based on these data, coumarin-induced hepatotoxicity is restricted to a small subset of patients, probably due to the activation in these individuals of alternative metabolic pathways involving specific CYP450s isoforms. The aim of this work is to stimulate research to clearly identify patients at risk of developing hepatotoxicity following coumarin treatment. Early identification of this subset of patients could open the possibility of more safely exploiting the therapeutical properties of coumarin, allowing patients suffering from lymphoedema to benefit from the anti-oedematous activity of the treatment.

Phosphorus (Pi) deficiency is a major factor of limiting plant growth. Using Phosphate-solubilizing microorganism (PSM) in synergy with plant root system which supply soluble Pi to plants is an environmentally friendly and efficient way to utilize Pi. Trichoderma viride ( T. viride ) is a biocontrol agent which able to solubilize soil nutrients, but little is known about its Pi solubilizing properties. The study used T. viride to inoculate Melilotus officinalis ( M. officinalis ) under different Pi levels and in order to investigate the effect on Pi absorption and growth of seedlings. The results found that T. viride could not only solubilizate insoluble inorganic Pi but also mineralize insoluble organic Pi. In addition, the ability of mineralization to insoluble organic Pi is more stronger. Under different Pi levels, inoculation of T. viride showed that promoted the growth of aboveground parts of seedlings and regulated the morphology of roots, thus increasing the dry weight of seedlings. The effect of T. viride on seedling growth was also reflected the increasing of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and photosynthetic pigment content. Moreover, compared to the uninoculated treatments, inoculation of T. viride also enhanced Pi content in seedlings. Thus, the T. viride was a beneficial fungus for synergistic the plant Pi uptake and growth.

Fourteen different plant parts consisting of leaves, roots, flowers, and seeds were examined separately of Rumex patientia, Hyoscyamus niger, Melilotus officinalis, Lamium album, and Epilobium angustifolium plants. All of these are naturally growing and used for medicinal purposes in Kars province. Five different methods were used to determine the antioxidant capacity of these herbal products. The methods were as follows: determination of total polyphenol, total flavonoid, DPPH● (free radical), CUPRAC (cupric reducing antioxidant capacity), and FRAP (ferric ıon reducing antioxidant power). The data obtained regarding the antioxidant activity demonstrated that the flower part of the Epilobium angustifolium plant obtained from Kars had the highest antioxidant capacity. It was determined that the seeds of the Hyoscyamus niger plant had the lowest antioxidant capacity.

The contamination of soils by heavy metals from the mining industry nowadays is one of the greatest threats to environment and human health. The cleaning of polluted soils using cost-effective and eco-friendly methods such as phytoextraction has wide public recognition. Considering the above-mentioned ones, the objectives of the present study were the identification of Cu and Mo accumulation capability and the phytoextraction potential of Melilotus officinalis and Amaranthus retroflexus as well as the determination of the influence of ammonium nitrate and EDTA on phytoextraction effectiveness. The contaminated soil samples for phytoremediation experiments under ex situ conditions were collected from the surroundings of the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine, Armenia. During the studies, it was found out that M. officinalis and A. retroflexus are capable of growing in polluted soils. M. officinalis grown in polluted soil had greater ability to accumulate heavy metals in roots, while the ability to transport the copper to aboveground parts was more pronounced in A. retroflexus. During the growing of these plant species for phytoextraction of soils contaminated by copper, it is necessary to use chelates, in particular the EDTA, for the enhancement of the effectiveness of phytoextraction process. EDTA due to chelating influence increased the availability of copper for plants and its mobility in them that lead to greater accumulation of this metal in shoots. The application of chelates did not have a significant impact on molybdenum accumulation intensity in plants; therefore, in case of this metal, it is unreasonable to use additional chelating compounds.

Pollutants in soils are detrimental to ecosystems and agricultural production and may also be a pressing threat to human health. In this context, biochar could be used as part of nature-based solutions to remediate polluted areas. In this work, a series of innovative biochar-based strategies were tested in a soil contaminated by hydrocarbons C > 12 and copper (Cu) to investigate their effectiveness in soil decontamination and revegetation potential. Specifically, biochar was applied to soil alone (SB) or combined with bioaugmentation (SBB) and/or phytoremediation (SBP and SBBP) techniques. Overall results showed that after nine months (T9) biochar added to soil increased hydrocarbon degradation to 66.7% with respect to control soil (46%, natural attenuation). Moreover, the biochar in combination with a microbial consortium and/or plants significantly increased hydrocarbon removal by up to 90%. Concurrently, the fraction of Cu associated with organic matter, characterized by low bioavailability, increased significantly (1.4–2-fold) when biochar was applied. Soil microbial abundance increased over time in all conditions, reaching highest values in SBB and SBBP. This was associated with the higher levels of available phosphorus in the soil. The consortium’s presence enhanced plant growth compared to SB. On the contrary, plants grown on contaminated soil alone were not able to survive until the end of the experiment. Overall, the results of this work make a significant contribution to the understanding of the interaction of biochar with contaminants, plants and microorganisms, providing a useful tool for future brownfield revegetation/remediation programs.

There is a need of information about global warming potential in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)‐based organic and conventional farming systems. We evaluated net global warming potential (NGWP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) in the organic farming system (OFS) using sheep grazing to control weeds without N application and the conventional farming system (CFS) with herbicide, pesticide, and N applications in three crop phases of a 5‐yr crop rotation from 2013–2014 to 2015–2016 in the northern Great Plains. Crop phases were winter wheat after lentil (Lens culinaris L.) (W‐L), winter wheat after sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis L.) cover crop (W‐C), and lentil after winter wheat (L‐W) in a 5‐yr rotation of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) and sweet clover cover crop intercrop–sweet clover cover crop–winter wheat–lentil–winter wheat. Carbon sequestration rate at the 0‐to‐120‐cm depth from 2009 to 2015 was greater in OFS with W‐C than other treatments. The CO2 equivalent of N2O + CH4 fluxes was greater in OFS with L‐W than other treatments, except in CFS with L‐W in 2014–2015 and 2015–2016. The CO2 equivalent of N fertilization was greater in CFS, but CO2 equivalent of CH4 flux due to enteric fermentation from sheep was greater in OFS. Both NGWP and GHGI were lower in OFS with W‐C than other treatments. Organic farming system using sheep grazing to manage weeds in winter wheat following cover crop can reduce NGWP and GHGI compared with CFS with chemical inputs in dryland farming. Core Ideas Carbon sequestration rate at 0–120 cm was greater in organic wheat system. The CO2 equivalents of N fertilizer and N2O flux were greater in conventional farming. The CH4 flux due to enteric fermentation was greater in organic farming. Net global warming potential was lower in organic wheat following cover crop. Organic winter wheat following cover crop can reduce net greenhouse gas emissions.