Production of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) under different soilless cultures

Study on the plant and fish production in the aquaponic system as affected by different hydraulic loading rates

Aquaponics is the combined culture of fish and plants in recirculating aquaculture systems, considered to be an innovative, eco-friendly and sustainable technology. The effect of the hydraulic loading rate (HLR) on the performance of fish and plants in the aquapoinc system was the main aim of this study. Four hydraulic loading rates were applied, 1.2, 1.8, 2.4 and 3.0 m day-1 under stocking density tilapia fish of 5 kg m-3 and lettuce population of 25 plant m-2 for a period of January to March, 2023. Water parameters, plant and fish parameters were determined. The most important results revealed that the highest plant nutrients removal was at HLR of 2.4 m day-1. The highest value of water parameters were found at the HLR of 2.4 m day-1. Root length increased with increasing HLR. Fresh and dry shoot and root weight values were higher at 2.4 m day-1 compared to other treatments under study. Meanwhile, fish growth parameter showed higher values at the HLR of 3.0 m day-1 compared to other treatments. The highest values of weight gain, feed growth rate, specific growth rate and feed conversion ratio were 81.72 g, 1.36 g day-1, 1.88% day-1 and 1.20 g feed g-1 fish, respectively, for all treatments under study.

FEMA GRAS assessment of derivatives of basil, nutmeg, parsley, tarragon and related allylalkoxybenzene-containing natural flavor complexes

In 2015, the Expert Panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) initiated a program for the re-evaluation of the safety of over 250 natural flavor complexes (NFCs) used as flavoring ingredients in food. In this publication, tenth in the series, NFCs containing a high percentage of at least one naturally occurring allylalkoxybenzene constituent with a suspected concern for genotoxicity and/or carcinogenicity are evaluated. In a related paper, ninth in the series, NFCs containing anethole and/or eugenol and relatively low percentages of these allylalkoxybenzenes are evaluated. The Panel applies the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) concept and evaluates relevant toxicology data on the NFCs and their respective constituent congeneric groups. For NFCs containing allylalkoxybenzene constituent(s), the estimated intake of the constituent is compared to the TTC for compounds with structural alerts for genotoxicity and when exceeded, a margin of exposure (MOE) is calculated. BMDL₁₀ values are derived from benchmark dose analyses using Bayesian model averaging for safrole, estragole and methyl eugenol using EPA's BMDS software version 3.2. BMDL₁₀ values for myristicin, elemicin and parsley apiole were estimated by read-across using relative potency factors. Margins of safety for each constituent congeneric group and MOEs for each allylalkoxybenzene constituent for each NFC were determined that indicate no safety concern. The scope of the safety evaluation contained herein does not include added use in dietary supplements or any products other than food. Ten NFCs, derived from basil, estragon (tarragon), mace, nutmeg, parsley and Canadian snakeroot were determined or affirmed as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) under their conditions of intended use as flavor ingredients based on an evaluation of each NFC and the constituents and congeneric groups therein.

Drug delivery as a sustainable avenue to future therapies

Climate change and the need for sustainable, technological developments are the greatest challenges facing humanity in the coming decades. To address these issues, in 2015 the United Nations have established 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Anthropogenic climate change will not only affect everyone personally in the coming years, it will also reinforce the need to become more sustainable within drug delivery research. In 2021, I was appointed professor for pharmaceutical biology at the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg. Our research is at the interface between developing biogenic therapies and understanding of bacterial infections. In this contribution to the Orations - New Horizons of the Journal of Controlled Release, I would like to underline the need for future sustainable approaches in our research area, by highlighting selected examples from the fields of infection research, natural product characterisation and extracellular vesicles. My aim is to put into perspective current issues for these research topics, but also encourage our current student-training framework to contribute to education for sustainable development. This contribution is a personal statement to increase the overall awareness for sustainability challenges in drug delivery and beyond.

Review on agrophotovoltaic systems with a premise on thermal management of photovoltaic modules therein

Agrophotovoltaics (APV) is the coexistence of solar photovoltaics (PV) and agriculture on the same piece of land. Although the concept of APV is known for the last two decades, its actual penetration in society is inconsiderable. The objective of the current article is to discuss the various APV systems explored in the past and to highlight the futuristic APVs. Furthermore, this study presents the review of the available experimental work on the performance and environmental and techno-economic aspects of the APV systems. The key features, crop selection criteria, feasible crops for Indian climatic conditions, and the future research directions of APV systems have been summarized. Furthermore, apart from the known techno-economic benefits of APV, a premise on its another utility for the thermal management of the solar PV modules by crops' natural transpiration cooling has been presented in this study. A theoretical study demonstrates the gain in the electrical output of the solar PV plant as compared with the conventional PV installation. The theoretical study has been carried out considering the meteorological data of Nagpur (21.1458° N, 79.0882° E). The estimation has been carried out using Nominal Operating Cell Temperature (NOCT) model, NREL irradiance database-NSRDB, and System Advisor Model (SAM). An experimental study has been conducted on APV systems with a 2-kW solar PV plant and tomato crops to investigate its actual performance. The study shows an increment of 17.96% in the daily energy generation as compared with the conventional solar PV power plant.

Estimation of Morphological Features and Essential Oil Content of Basils (Ocimum basilicum L.) Grown under Different Conditions

This study was carried out in the experimental field and in unheated greenhouses of the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry Institute of Horticulture. The investigation aimed to evaluate the morphological features, amount of essential oil, and productivity of 10 basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivars grown under different growing conditions. Studied cultivars were different according to morphological parameters, productivity, and the accumulation of essential oil. Most of the investigated parameters were influenced by growing conditions. Basil plants of cultivars Sweet Genovese and Toscano were determined to be the highest, and their height reached up to 70.5 cm. Cultivar Sweet Genovese was the most productive; its fresh herb mass per plant reached up to 0.71 kg under growing in the open field and greenhouse. Higher air temperature and constant watering of the soil in the greenhouse increased the accumulation of essential oils of basil. The biochemical analyses showed that the essential oil amount of 31% was higher when basils were grown in a greenhouse compared to an open field.

The Effect of Ocimum basilicum L. and Its Main Ingredients on Respiratory Disorders: An Experimental, Preclinical, and Clinical Review

Ocimum basilicum L. (O. basilicum) and its constituents show anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antioxidant effects. The plant has been mainly utilized in traditional medicine for the treatment of respiratory disorders. In the present article, effects of O. basilicum and its main constituents on respiratory disorders, assessed by experimental and clinical studies, were reviewed. Relevant studies were searched in PubMed, Science Direct, Medline, and Embase databases using relevant keywords including “Ocimum basilicum,” “basilicums,” “linalool,” “respiratory disease,” “asthma,” “obstructive pulmonary disease,” “bronchodilatory,” “bronchitis,” “lung cancer,” and “pulmonary fibrosis,” and other related keywords.The reviewed articles showed both relieving and preventing effects of the plant and its ingredients on obstructive pulmonary diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and other respiratory disorders such as bronchitis, aspergillosis tuberculosis, and lung cancer. The results of the reviewed articles suggest the therapeutic potential of O. basilicum and its constituent, linalool, on respiratory disorders.

Optimizing growing conditions for hydroponic farming of selected medicinal and aromatic plants

This work presents a pipeline for optimizing semi-hydroponic growth conditions and analyzes the impact on the growth and metabolism in three Mentha species (M. arvensis, M. x piperita, or M. spicata) and three Ocimum basilicum genotypes (́Chládek červená́, ́Litrá, or ́Máneś). The plant growth and the content- of nitrogen-containing compounds, phenolics, and terpenoids were determined under different nitrate concentrations and salt stress. Different responses were observed among genotypes for both species. ́Chládek červená́ had the best growth under low nitrate, with lower histamine and higher flavonoid levels. Mentha x piperita was the best mint species performing under low nitrate and salt stress. Altogether, we demonstrate that a combination of phenomics and metabolomics is ideal to identify the optimal growth conditions for these plants and the chemical markers associated with these conditions. Besides, we showed that both primary and secondary metabolites can be good markers for classifying both species.