A Comparison of the Effects of Several Foliar Forms of Magnesium Fertilization on ‘Superior Seedless’ (Vitis vinifera L.) in Saline Soils

Mitigating excessive heat in Arabica coffee using nanosilicon and seaweed extract to enhance element homeostasis and photosynthetic recovery

BACKGROUND

Global warming-related temperature increases have a substantial effect on plant and human health. The Arabica coffee plant is susceptible to growing in many places across the world where temperatures are rising. This study examines how nanosilicon and seaweed extracts can improve Arabica coffee plant resilience during heat stress treatment (49.0 ± 0.3 °C) by maintaining mineral homeostasis and photosynthetic ability upon recovery.

RESULTS

The principal component analysis arrangement of four treatments, nanosilicon (Si), seaweed extract (SWE), Si + SWE, and control (CT), showed each element ratio of magnesium, phosphorus, chloride, potassium, manganese, iron, copper, and zinc per silicon in ambient temperature and heat stress that found influenced upper shoot rather than basal shoot and root within 74.4% of largest feasible variance as first principal component. Magnesium and iron were clustered within the silicon group, with magnesium dominating and leading to a significant increase (p ≤ 0.05) in magnesium-to-silicon ratio in the upper shoot under heat conditions, especially in Si and Si + SWE treated plants (1.11 and 1.29 fold over SWE treated plant, respectively). The SWE and Si + SWE treated plants preserved chlorophyll content (15.01% and 28.67% over Si-treated plant, respectively) under heat stress, while the Si and Si + SWE treated plants restored photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm) better than the SWE treated plant.

CONCLUSIONS

The concomitant of the Si + SWE treatment synergistically protected photosynthetic pigments and Fv/Fm by adjusting the magnesium-silicon homeostasis perspective in Arabica coffee to protect real-world agricultural practices and coffee cultivation under climate change scenarios.

Evaluation of soil nutrients and berry quality characteristics of Cabernet Gernischet (Vitis vinifera L.) vineyards in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains, China

Soil is the basis of the existence of fruit tree and soil nutrients plays a crucial role in plant growth and berry quality. To investigate the characteristics and interrelationships between soil nutrients and berry quality in Cabernet Gernischet vineyards, this study focused on seven representative vineyards in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains. Fifteen soil physicochemical factors and 10 berry quality factors were measured, followed by variation analysis, correlation analysis, multiple linear regression (MLR), partial-least squares regression (PLSR), principal component analysis (PCA), and systematic cluster analysis. We identified the main soil nutrient indicators influencing berry quality and developed linear regression equations. Utilizing PCA, a comprehensive evaluation model for berry quality was constructed, which enabled the calculation and ranking of integrated berry quality scores. The results indicated that soil nutrients in the vineyards of the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains are relatively deficient and alkaline. The coefficient of variation for soil nutrient factors ranged from 3.19 to 118.08% and for berry quality factors 2.41-26.37%. Correlation analysis revealed varying degrees of correlation between soil nutrient indicators and fruit quality indicators. PCA extracted four principal components with a cumulative contribution rate of 91.506%. Based on the scores of these components and their corresponding weights, a comprehensive model for evaluating the quality of Cabernet Gernischet berries was established. The vineyards were ranked from the highest to the lowest combined scores as Zhenbeibu (ZBB), Yuquanying (YQY), Dawukou (DWK), Beihaizi (BHZ), Shuxin (SX), Huangyangtan (HYT), and Hongde (HD). These findings provide insights into soil nutrient management and comprehensive quality assessment of vineyards in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains. In conclusion, this study offers a theoretical foundation for vineyard managers to enhance grape berries quality through soil nutrient management. This will aid in the diagnosis of vineyard soil nutrition and the efficient use of fertilizers, with critical practical and theoretical implications for the meticulous management of vineyards and the production of high-quality wines.

Application of Magnesium and Calcium Sulfate on Growth and Physiology of Forage Crops under Long-Term Salinity Stress

Soil salinity is major threat to crop growth and reducing cultivated land areas and salt-resistant crops have been required to sustain agriculture in salinized areas. This original research was performed to determine the effectiveness of MgSO₄ (MS) and CaSO₄ (CS) for each species and assess changes in the physiology and growth of fodder crops after short and long-term salt stress. Six treatments (CON (control); NaCl (NaCl 100 mM); 1 MS (1 mM MgSO₄ + 100 mM NaCl); 2 MS (2 mM MgSO₄ + 100 mM NaCl); 7.5 CS (7.5 mM CaSO₄ + 100 mM NaCl); and 10 CS (10 mM CaSO₄ + 100 mM NaCl)) were applied to Red clover (Trifolium pratense) and Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) under greenhouse conditions. Cultivars were evaluated based on their dry weights, physiological parameters, forage quality, and ion concentrations. The biomass of both species decreased significantly under NaCl treatments and increased under the MS and CS treatments compared to solely salinity treatments. Salinity caused a decrease in the photosynthetic rate, but compared to CON, the MS and CS treatments yielded superior results. Moreover, the Na⁺/K⁺ ratio increased as Na⁺ concentration increased but crop quality (CP, NDF, ADF) did not show significant differences under salinity. Overall, we concluded that these T. pratense and F. arundinacea species demonstrated various responses to salinity, MS, and CS by different physiological and morphological parameters and it turned out to be efficient under salinity stress.

Physico-Chemical Properties Prediction of Flame Seedless Grape Berries Using an Artificial Neural Network Model

The grape is a very well-liked fruit that is valued for its distinct flavor and several health benefits, including antioxidants, anthocyanins, soluble sugars, minerals, phenolics, flavonoids, organic acids, and vitamins, which significantly improve the product’s overall quality. Today’s supply chain as a whole needs quick and easy methods for evaluating fruit quality. Thus, the objective of this study was to estimate the quality attributes of Flame Seedless grape berries cultivated under various agronomical management and other practices using color space coordinates (berry L*, berry a*, and berry b*) as inputs in an artificial neural network (ANN) model with the best topology of (3-20-11). Satisfactory predictions based on the R² range, which was 0.9817 to 0.9983, were obtained for physical properties (i.e., berry weight, berry length, and berry diameter as well as berry adherence strength) and chemical properties (i.e., anthocyanin, total soluble solids (TSS), TSS/titratable acidity, total sugars, titratable acidity, reducing sugars, and non-reducing sugars). Meanwhile, we also performed a contribution analysis to analyze the relative importance of CIELab colorimeter parameters of berries L*, a*, and b* to determine the main fruit quality. In terms of relative contribution, berry b* contributed relatively largely to berry weight, berry adherence strength, TSS, TSS/titratable acidity, titratable acidity, total sugars, reducing sugars, and non-reducing sugars and a* contributed relatively largely to anthocyanin, berry length, and berry diameter. The developed ANN prediction model can aid growers in enhancing the quality of Flame Seedless grape berries by selecting suitable agronomical management and other practices to avoid potential quality issues that could affect consumers of them. This research demonstrated how color space coordinates and ANN model may well be utilized to evaluate the Flame seedless grape berries’ quality.

The Effect of Combining Post-Harvest Calcium Nanoparticles with a Salicylic Acid Treatment on Cucumber Tissue Breakdown via Enzyme Activity during Shelf Life

In the present study, an experiment was carried out on the postharvest of cucumber fruit during a 14-day shelf life. The aim was to assess the impact of calcium nanoparticles (CaNPs) blended with different concentrations of salicylic acid (SA) on the shelf life of cucumbers during the seasons of 2018 and 2019. The investigation further monitored the influences of CaNPs-SA on some physical properties of cucumber, including the percentage weight loss, color, and fruit firmness. In addition, chemical properties, such as total soluble solids (SSC%), total acidity (TA%), total soluble sugars, and chlorophyll pigmentation of the fruit skin, were assessed during a 14-day shelf lifeCell wall degradation enzymes (CWEAs) such as polygalacturonase (PG), cel-lulase (CEL), xylanase (XYL), and pectinase (PT) were also researched. In addition, the generation rates of H₂O₂ and O₂^•− were calculated, as well as the reduction of DPPH. The lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde, MDA) and cell membrane permeability (IL%) of cell wall composites were also determined. CaNPs-SA at 2 mM suppressed CWEAs, preserved fruit quality, reduced weight loss throughout the shelf-life period, and reduced the percent leakage value. At this concentration, we also found the lowest levels of MDA and the highest levels of DPPH.