Phytochemical analysis and antibacterial activity of Andrographis lineata Nees (Acanthaceae)

Andrographis lineata Nees is an erect herb and has been used as a traditional medicine against many diseases. The present study was to investigate the phytochemical analysis and antibacterial activity of A. lineata plant extracts. The methanolic extracts of A. lineata showed a variety of phytochemicals such as alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, terpenoids etc. The quantitative estimation of major phytochemical constituents revealed maximum amount of phenolic content in the roots and alkaloids in both the stem and leaf. Correspondingly, the highest amount of tannins and terpenoids were recorded in the leaf and flavonoids in the root samples. Furthermore, the plant extracts of A. lineata showed antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Comparatively, stem extract was effective against Streptococcus mutans (18.19±0.04 mm), leaf extract against Enterobacter faecalis (24.13±0.14 mm) and root extract against Bacillus subtilis (24.09±0.14 mm) at 30 μg/μL concentration. However, the leaf extract was more effective against Escherichia coli (25.13±0.16 mm), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20.20±0.13 mm) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (18.18±0.17 mm) at 30 μg/μL concentration. The studies infer that the phytochemical constituents of A. lineata have antibacterial properties and these herbs may be considered as the medicinal plant for treating bacterial diseases

The improvement of antioxidant contents and fruit quality of Sukkary date cultivar using various Potassium levels and Irrigation interval

Sukkary date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L.) were treated with three levels of potassium fertilizer combined with three irrigation intervals regime, five replicates were allocated per treatment, to enhance better date peel color; decrease loose crust, and subsequently, improve high market ability. Potassium sulfate (49% K2O) was applied annually at a rate of 490 g (as common fertilization applied in the farm in which this experiment was carried out, therefore, it was considered as a control treatment), 735 g, or 980 g K2O per palm tree, each level was divided into three equal doses. The first dose was added one month after pollination; the other two doses were added at two month interval, whereas the irrigation treatments were as follows: 24 hrs (as common irrigation application in the farm used for this study, and it was considered as a control treatment), 48 hrs, or 72 hrs. The results showed a great decrease in the loose crust dates at harvesting time. An inverse proportional relationship between irrigation intervals and loose crust of dates was observed. The High potassium fertilizer treatment accompanied with 72 hrs irrigation interval treatment produced a significantly higher date quality regarding with bright yellow color, less darkening, and loose crust. High potassium fertilizer treatments (735, or 980 g K2O per palm) increased total yield, improved date weight, size, and color. Moreover, increasing potassium level affected significantly the date total antioxidant. This study showed that, a potential means to control peel darkening and loose date crust and improve quality of cv. Sukkary dates, which ultimately improves its market ability, through implementing appropriate potassium and irrigation regimes

Cereal yield forecasting in semi-arid region of Algeria using MODIS-NDVI

The prediction of cereals yields today is very important for global food security and helps decision-makers in the import-export operations of countries, especially with the rise world population. The advent of remote sensing technologies in precision farming systems has made cereal yield predictions possible, providing valuable insights into the temporal and spatial variations in cereal conditions across both large and small-scale crop lands. Among the various vegetation indices used to analyze these conditions, the normalized difference of vegetation index (NDVI) has emerged as a key indicator. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the possibility of using MODIS-NDVI data to forecast the yield of cereal crops (wheat and barley) in semi-arid region of Algeria (Setif). Additionally, identify the optimal timing for reliable and accurate crop yield forecasts. The remote sensing data utilized in this study covered the growing seasons from February to June, from 2002 to 2022. The results indicated a strong correlation between cereal grain yield and NDVI from late February to mid-March, with R² values ranging from 0.55 to 0.82 for the two cereal species. The RMSE of the NDVI based prediction model ranged from 0.01 t ha-1 to 0.276 t ha-1. The approximate average increase in the grain yield of barley and wheat lies between 0.659 to 0.746 t ha-1 with an increase of 0.1 in NDVI value. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of using MODIS-NDVI data for cereal yield forecasting in semi-arid region of Algeria, offering valuable predictions two to three months before the harvest

Growth and biomass yield responses of Sphenostylis stenocarpa (Hochst. Ex A. Rich.) Harms accessions to waterlogging stress

Effects of waterlogging on the growth of six accessions of Sphenostylis stenocarpa were investigated. There accessions were TSs-5, TSs-7, TSs-8, TSs-9 TSs-10 and TSs-11. After growing S. stenocarpa for 4 weeks, results indicated that waterlogging significantly (p=0.05) reduced its growth parameters of S. stenocarpa. For shoot length; TSs-9 recorded the highest value (48.27±2.92 cm) above its control while TSs-11 (17.96±1.13 cm) had the lowest value. For petiole length, TSs-9 (3.62±0.33 cm) recorded the highest value while TSs-8 (0.93±0.93 cm) recorded the lowest value. Internode length had TSs-7 (6.10±0.78 cm) had the highest value while TSs-8 (2.87±2.87 cm) had the lowest value. The total photosynthetic pigment measurement showed that TSs-5 (45.0±0.65 mg/kg) with the highest value and TSs-8 (33.37±14.00 mg/kg) had the lowest value. For leaf area, TSs-7 (25.73±4.21 cm2) had the highest value while TSs-11 (16.13±2.82 cm2) recorded the lowest value. Total Fresh Weight (TFW), TSs-7 recorded the highest value (4.96 g) while TSs-8 recorded the lowest value (1.75 g). Root Fresh Weight (RFW), Tss-5 was observed to have the highest value (1.44 g) while Tss-11 recorded the lowest value (0.56 g). However, at 2 weeks after planting the effect of waterlogging stress on the growth parameter was not significant. The reduction in the growth of S. stenocarpa as a result of waterlogging stress might be due to the detrimental effect of flooding on O2 availability for plant cells and other plant metabolic activities of the plant. In areas with waterlogged soil conditions, S. stenocarpa should not be cultivated as it has poor and relatively low tolerance towards withstanding the impact of waterlogging; however, accession TSs-9 showed promising waterlogging tolerance ability

An An overview on Azelaic Acid: Biosynthesis, signalling and the action under stress conditions in plants

Plants are exposed to various biotic and abiotic stress factors throughout their lives. For this reason, they have developed some defense mechanisms. They can induce systemic acquired resistance (SAR), which provides long-lasting protection against diverse pathogen attacks. In recent years, several chemical inducers (salicylic acid, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, azelaic acid, pipecolic acid, and dehydroabietic acid) have been determined to play roles in this mechanism. The transfer of these signal molecules from infected tissue to non-infected tissues through phloem provides potent defence communication. Azelaic acid is a well-known molecule that triggers salicylic acid accumulation under biotic stress as a priming factor to induce SAR, although little is known about its role under abiotic stress. Here, this review aims to call attention to the effects of AzA under abiotic stress conditions as well as biosynthesis, transport and signalling

Insights into ancient ceramic technology: a comprehensive analysis of mineralogy, chemistry and firing conditions

The intensive integration of Azerbaijan into the global economy, mainly through international gas and oil pipeline construction, has led to significant archaeological research in the past two decades. The construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline (BTC) and the Southern Caucasus Pipeline gas pipeline (SCP) prompted a four-year archaeological fieldwork program, followed by a six-year post-excavation program. The current work applied an interdisciplinary approach using various instrumental methods for studying ancient artifacts found during those projects. The thermogravimetric method and differential thermal analysis were employed to obtain insights into the production technology of the ancient pottery and information about the mineralogy of the ceramic sherds. The complex processes involved in firing the ceramic paste have been studied extensively, and patterns in mass loss ratios during different temperature ranges have been established. In total, 15 samples were investigated, and the thermogravimetric analysis of ceramic shards revealed that the firing temperature of the samples was in the range of 700 °C. XRD analysis confirmed the presence of quartz, feldspar, and clay minerals in the ceramic samples. The presence of calcite and other specific minerals is subject to the origin of the ceramic materials. The results obtained from this multidisciplinary approach provide insights into the firing technology and the origin of the ceramic samples

Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi L. Sprague) based intercropping for higher system productivity of semiarid tropics of Northern Karnataka

Field trials were executed at the University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, Karnataka during the kharif season of 2016 and 2017 to study the growth and productivity of ajwain and leafy vegetables under intercropping system and the cost economics of cropping systems in Northern Karnataka. The experiments were carried out with thirteen treatments comprising sole ajwain and sole crops of leafy vegetables (Fenugreek, Coriander, Dill and Amaranthus) and various combinations of ajwain+ leafy vegetables in 1:1 and 1:2 ratios adopting randomized complete block design with three replications. Results showed that the sole crop of ajwain exhibited superior growth and yield. However, in intercropping systems, the combination of ajwain and coriander at a 1:1 ratio demonstrated the highest growth and yield parameters. The sole crop of ajwain recorded the maximum plant height (84.64 and 84.55 cm), number of branches per plant (52.38 and 52.19), number of umbels per plant (166.54 and 164.93), number of umbellate per umbel (12.44 and 12.34), and seed yield (12.95, 12.88 q/ha during both years, respectively). This performance was comparable to intercropping with ajwain + coriander (1:1). Sole crops of fenugreek, coriander, dill, and amaranthus yielded higher fresh market yields compared to different intercropping systems. Notably, growing ajwain as an intercrop with coriander at a (1:1) resulted in a significantly higher land equivalent ratio (1.61) and a higher benefit-cost ratio (2.99), followed by ajwain + fenugreek (1:1) (2.98)

Virus-mealybug relationship in the transmission of piper yellow mottle virus

In the current study, the piper yellow mottle virus (PYMoV)-mealybug (Ferrisia virgata) relationship in the transmission of PYMoV in black pepper was determined. The mealybug F. virgata collected from healthy black pepper plants was reared on a pumpkin in the laboratory and used to determine the acquisition access period (AAP), retention period (RP), and inoculation access period (IAP) for the transmission of PYMoV. The crude extract isolated from black pepper plants and mealybugs were tested through PCR using PYMoV-specific primers. The study determined 30 min, 8 h, and 30 min as the AAP, RP, and IAP respectively, indicating the semipersistent type of transmission of PYMoV

Livelihood Diversification: A Panacea to Food Security by Rural Farmers in Osun State

The study analyzed the livelihood diversification of rural women to improve food security in Osun state Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 129 respondents for this study. Primary data for this study were collected through an interview schedule. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square as well as linear regression was used to test the hypotheses. Results revealed the need to increase family income and ensuring family food security was the highest reason for diversifying livelihood. The result further showed crop production and crop processing are the highest income for rural women. The data revealed the rural women in Osun state are not economically secure and the hypotheses showed that the monthly income from primary occupation determines the economic security of the rural women, trading as a form of livelihood diversification contributed positively to the food security of the rural women. The research concluded that livelihood diversification influences the economic security of rural women and diversification to trading contributed significantly to their economic security. It is recommended that the provision of favorable farming conditions and accessibility to loans at reduced interest rates will improve rural women’s economic security in Osun State, Nigeria

Assessment of nutritional status with its associated factors in pregnant women attending antenatal care at Ambo Health Centers, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Nutritional status during pregnancy, maternal nutrition requires considerable attention; however, pregnant women’s nutritional knowledge and practices are less understood. The objective of this study was to assess nutritional knowledge and practices among pregnant women who attend antenatal care at Ambo and Awaro Health Center of Ambo Town, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The study was conducted from January to May of the year 2022, using a cross-sectional descriptive study on a sample of 284 pregnant women who attended antenatal care services in Awaro and Ambo health centers. Systematic sampling techniques were used to select pregnant mothers by using Health center registration lists. Socio-demographic and socio-economic data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) was measured by standard nonstretchable MUAC tape. Binary and multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program version 20 for further analysis. The finding of associated factors that affect the nutritional status of mothers was the income level of the family has a strong statistical association with the nutritional status of mothers (p<0.001), occupational status of the respondent has a significant association with nutritional status (p<0.05) and also knowledge about the importance of food for growth and development of fetus of mother have significant association (p<0.05). Hence, the government in collaboration with concerned bodies should focus on nutritional education and information of pregnant mothers on maternal nutrition during pregnancy in the study area