Enhancement of tomato functional food value through nutrient supplementation with fish emulsion biostimulant

Fish emulsion (FE) is a derivative of fish waste, commonly utilised within organic agricultural and horticultural applications, predominantly as a source of nitrogen within fertiliser regimens. However, as a biological derivative, FE is a complex of many bioactive compounds, and as such is also known to function as a biostimulant. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a functional food, commonly produced for consumption due to its desirable hedonic qualities and health-promoting properties associated with antioxidant phytochemicals. Accordingly, the work herein explored the potential for FE to alter the functional and hedonic measures of tomato. Results indicated that the supplementation of fertiliser regimens with FE during tomato growth significantly (p = 0.001) increased fruit total phenolic content by 1.25-fold, whilst not significantly impacting flavonoid content (p = 0.418) or fruit colour (assessed by image colour analyses). Additionally, the FE treatment did not substantially impact sensory perception of hedonic measures such as smell, taste, mouth feel, or visual appeal. Accordingly, the results herein indicate that FE is a desirable fertiliser supplement during tomato cultivation, to enhance the functional value of tomato fruits, and thereby provide enhanced health-promoting benefits from tomato consumption

A novel pathogenesis-related protein (LcPR4a) from lentil, and its involvement in defence against Ascochyta lentis

A novel pathogenesis-related protein 4 (PR4) encoding gene, LcPR4a, was induced in Lens culinaris following Ascochyta lentis infection. LcPR4a encodes a predicted 146 amino acid protein of 15.8 kDa. The putative LcPR4a protein belongs to the class II PR4 family and has close phylogenetic affinity to PR4 proteins from related species. qPCR analysis revealed differential expression of the LcPR4a gene upon Ascochyta lentis infection in both resistant and susceptible cultivars. This, combined with preliminary in vitro antifungal assays of the recombinant protein expressed in E. coli, suggests the potential important role of LcPR4a in the defence response of lentil to Ascochyta lentis attack

A molecular investigation of parameters responsible for increased iron concentrations in biofortified rice

© 2015 Dr. Jamie Marcus Selby-PhamRice (Oryza sativa L.) and other graminaceous plant species secrete phytosiderophores (PS) into the rhizosphere in response to iron (Fe) deficiency to chelate and absorb soil Fe, a response commonly referred to as Strategy II Fe uptake. Rice secretes low levels of the PS 2’-deoxymugineic acid (DMA) and is therefore prone to developing Fe deficiency. These low PS concentrations are below the limit of detection of most analytical methods. Accordingly, the Fe deficiency response of rice is less well understood relative to more Fe deficiency-tolerant species such as barley that secrete high concentrations of PS, following a diurnal pattern, under conditions of Fe deficiency. Nicotianamine synthase (NAS) is the enzyme responsible for biosynthesis of nicotianamine (NA), an important in planta chelator involved in Fe deficiency responses and also the biosynthetic precursor to DMA. Transgenic rice constitutively overexpressing OsNAS genes biosynthesize up to 12-fold more NA, produce Fe biofortified grain and have improved ability to grow on low Fe bioavailable soil. It was hypothesized that these Fe biofortification traits result from altered regulation and/or activity of the rice Fe deficiency response. To enable comprehensive investigation of the Fe deficiency response in rice, a highly sensitive NA and DMA quantification method was developed using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). This method was 3-fold more sensitive than previously published methods and allowed for high throughput analysis of up to 70 biological samples per 24 hour period. The Fe deficiency response of wild-type (WT) and Fe biofortified plants was investigated through analysis of genetic transcripts and metabolites related to Fe metabolism. The analysis included application of the developed LC-MS method to determine DMA secretion levels and duration as well as in planta concentrations of NA and DMA. The Fe deficiency response of WT rice involved increased transcript levels, amines levels and DMA secretions and was found to follow a diurnal pattern with peaks of induction at 3–5 hours after the onset of light. This diurnal pattern is consistent with other Strategy II graminaceous crops such as barley and wheat. The Fe deficiency response of Fe biofortified rice also involved increased secretions of DMA, however, no clear diurnal pattern of DMA secretion was observed as for WT rice. The Fe deficiency response of Fe biofortified rice also included a 4.6-fold increase in xylem sap NA concentration; this result was not observed in WT rice. Accordingly, the improved ability of Fe biofortified rice to grow on low Fe bioavailable soil can be primarily attributed to increased NA-mediated Fe translocation from root to shoot tissues under conditions of Fe deficiency. When grown under conditions of Fe sufficiency, Fe biofortified rice secreted up to 2.2-fold more DMA than WT rice and had up to 15-fold higher root and xylem sap concentrations of NA, DMA and histidine. These results indicate that Fe biofortified rice plants overexpressing OsNAS genes have improved capacity to scavenge soil Fe as well as chelate and translocate Fe within xylem sap and plant tissues. The results highlight new strategies to produce more nutritious and productive cereal crops

Enhancement of tomato hedonic quality through fertiliser supplementation with a biostimulant complex comprising molasses, <i>Aloe vera</i> extract and fish-hydrolysate

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a popular fruit, grown worldwide for its culinary usages in fresh, processed and cooked foods. Additionally, consumption of tomato fruit is associated with health benefits due to their functional food properties. The signature hedonic measures of tomato fruits are their flavour, aroma and colour, which function as drivers of consumer perception of quality and are therefore associated with purchasing habits. Accordingly, there is interest in strategies to enhance these hedonic measures through supplementation of fertiliser regimens with biostimulants, which have demonstrated improvements to hedonic measures of other food crops. Herein, tomatoes were grown hydroponically with and without supplementation of a biostimulant complex (BC) comprising molasses, Aloe vera extract and fish-hydrolysate. Results identified significant increases in flower and fruit count (1.68-fold, p = 0.033), improvements to the hedonic measures of overall mouthfeel (p = 0.022) and overall visual assessment (p = 0.005), however decreased flavonoid content (0.61-fold, p = 0.022). Accordingly, supplementation of tomato growth with BC was associated with enhancements to the quantity and hedonic quality of tomato at the cost of functional food quality. These findings support the utilisation of biostimulants to enhance food goods’ cultivation and quality perception.</p

Comparative study of water requirements and water footprints of fibre crops hemp (Cannabis sativa) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Water is a valuable and limited resource, which is becoming increasingly under pressure due to the impacts of climate change and over utilization by the agricultural industry. Cotton is the predominant natural fibre utilized within textiles and is a highly water-intensive crop, thereby contributing to the negative environmental impacts of water use in agriculture, such as depletion of water from ecosystems and other uses, land degradation, and dissemination of pollutants. Accordingly, there is significant interest in establishing alternative natural fibre sources, which have lower water requirements. Cannabis sativa (hemp) fibre is becoming an increasingly popular fibre alternative and is purported to require less water during its cultivation. Accordingly, herein data was compared across 28 prior published sources, which identified that hemp has a 38% lower crop water requirement (CWR), 60% lower water footprint (WF), 84% lower crop irrigation requirement (CIR), and 91% lower irrigated water footprint (IRF) as compared to cotton. Therefore, these results support hemp as a water-efficient environmentally sustainable alternative to cotton for fibre cultivation

Hormonal and proteomic analyses of southern blight disease caused by Athelia rolfsii and root chitosan priming on Cannabis sativa in an in vitro hydroponic system

Abstract Southern blight disease, caused by the fungal pathogen Athelia rolfsii, suppresses plant growth and reduces product yield in Cannabis sativa agriculture. Mechanisms of pathology of this soil‐borne disease remain poorly understood, with disease management strategies reliant upon broad‐spectrum antifungal use. Exposure to chitosan, a natural elicitor, has been proposed as an alternative method to control diverse fungal diseases in an eco‐friendly manner. In this study, C. sativa plants were grown in the Root‐TRAPR system, a transparent hydroponic growth device, where plant roots were primed with .2% colloidal chitosan prior to A. rolfsii inoculation. Both chitosan‐primed and unprimed inoculated plants displayed classical symptoms of wilting and yellowish leaves, indicating successful infection. Non‐primed infected plants showed increased shoot defense responses with doubling of peroxidase and chitinase activities. The levels of growth and defense hormones including auxin, cytokinin, and jasmonic acid were increased 2–5‐fold. In chitosan‐primed infected plants, shoot peroxidase activity and phytohormone levels were decreased 1.5–4‐fold relative to the unprimed infected plants. When compared with shoots, roots were less impacted by A. rolfsii infection, but the pathogen secreted cell wall‐degrading enzymes into the root‐growth solution. Chitosan priming inhibited root growth, with root lengths of chitosan‐primed plants approximately 65% shorter than the control, but activated root defense responses, with root peroxidase activity increased 2.7‐fold along with increased secretion of defense proteins. The results suggest that chitosan could be an alternative platform to manage southern blight disease in C. sativa cultivation; however, further optimization is required to maximize effectiveness of chitosan

Prediction of cannabis sensory descriptors (SD) from volatile data, and OI data produced through odour vector modelling.

Logistic regression analysis and k-means unsupervised cluster analysis (k = 2) to predict the SD of 265 cannabis samples. Data represent the percentage of strains correctly assigned for each SD (for each data type), with error bars representing the 95% confidence interval. A) the set of 6 SDs which were predicted significantly more accurately with OI than terpene data, B) the set of 5 SDs which were predicted with equal accuracy for both OI and terpene data, and C) the single SD which was predicted significantly more accurately with terpene than OI data. Significant differences between volatile and OI data for an individual SD are indicated by * for p < 0.05, and *** for p ≤ 0.001 calculated by Student’s t-test.</p

Prediction of ln ODT.

Polynomial regression analysis with 10-fold cross-validation to predict ln ODT from physicochemical measures utilising median ODT values from 1,274 volatile chemicals.</p

S1 File -

Appendix 1. Methods and equations for odour vector modelling containing Equations S1-S8, Appendix 2. Table S1-S8 and Fig S1, and Appendix 3. Equations for prediction of SD containing Equations S9-S31. (DOCX)</p

Overview of methods workflow.

Cannabis flowers volatile profiles were converted into sample odour intensity (OI) profiles via vector modelling, which utilised odour descriptor (OD) data, odour detection thresholds (ODT), and compound concentrations as calculation inputs prior to vector addition. Sample OI profiles were compared to sensory data which allowed for logistic regression and k-means clustering to predict sensory descriptor assignment.</p