Synergistic Interaction of Rhizobium tropici, Rhizophagus irregularis and Serendipita indica in Promoting Snap Bean Growth

The overuse of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in crop farming has led to a decrease in crop quality and negative impacts on soil and the environment. It is crucial to adopt alternative strategies to maintain soil and environmental quality while enhancing crop growth and yield. To explore this, a study was conducted under greenhouse conditions to investigate the effect of Rhizobium tropici CIAT 899 alone, as well as in association with mycorrhizae (Rhizophagus irregularis) and endophytic fungus (Serendipita indica), on the growth, yield, and nutrient status of snap bean plants. At harvest, the rhizobial strain CIAT 899 demonstrated the highest effectiveness. It significantly increased the number of nodules in both Contender and Garrafal Enana varieties by 6.97% and 14.81%, respectively, compared with the control without inoculation. Furthermore, the results indicated that co-inoculation of Rhizobium and symbiotic fungi had positive effects on nitrogen content, phosphorus availability, and overall plant growth. Regardless of the variety, plants inoculated with R. tropici CIAT 899 and Serendipita indica exhibited the highest values for plant growth parameters. This combination resulted in 168% and 135% increases in root dry biomass, as well as 140% and 225% increases in the number of pods for Contender and Garrafal Enana, respectively, compared with the control at harvest. Additionally, this study highlights the potential benefits of combining R. tropici with either Serendipita indica or Rhizophagus irregularis in terms of nitrogen and phosphorus uptake. These symbiotic microorganisms demonstrated synergistic interactions with snap bean plants, leading to improved mineral nutrition and enhanced growth. Overall, these findings suggest that utilizing these symbiotic microorganisms can effectively enhance the mineral nutrition and growth of snap bean plants.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Traumatic Meniscus and Cruciate Ligament Tears in Young Patients: A Comparison of 3T Versus 1.5T MRI

Objective: To compare diagnosis value of 1.5T and 3T MRI in the detection of traumatic knee injuries in young patients by reference to arthroscopy. Materials and Methods: One hundred patients were prospectively included. All patients randomly underwent standardized knee 1.5T or 3T MRI with subsequent knee arthroscopy. Meniscus and cruciate ligaments tears were blindly assessed by two independent musculoskeletal radiologists. Results: Comparison of 1.5T and 3T MRI groups in the diagnosis of medial and lateral meniscal tears showed significantly higher sensitivity ('p' = 0.015) of 1.5T MRI in the diagnosis of lateral meniscal tears. Sensitivity and specificity for complete ACL tears were 100 percent [35/35] and 100 percent [23/23] at 1.5T MRI ('p' = < 0.0001) versus 95.5 percent [21/22] and 100 percent [16/16] at 3T MRI ('p' = < 0.0001). Only three complete PCL tears were observed in this study. Sensitivity and specificity for all complete CL tears were 100 percent [37/37]; 100 percent [77/77] for 1.5T MRI ('p' < 0.0001); and 95.7 percent [22/23] and 100 percent [59/59] for 3-T MRI ('p' < 0.0001). Diagnosis value of 1.5T and 3T MRI was equal for ACL and PCL complete tears. Conclusion: Diagnosis value of 1.5T was similar to 3T MRI for medial meniscal and cruciate ligament tears of the knee in symptomatic patients and higher for lateral meniscal tears

Purification and biochemical characterization of a novel thermostable protease from the oyster mushroom Pleurotus sajor-caju strain CTM10057 with industrial interest

Background Proteases are hydrolytic enzymes that catalyze peptide linkage cleavage reactions at the level of proteins and peptides with different degrees of specificity. This group draws the attention of industry. More than one protease in three is a serine protease. Classically, they are active at neutral to alkaline pH. The serine proteases are researched for industrial uses, especially detergents. They are the most commercially available enzyme group in the world market. Overall, fungi produced extracellular proteases, easily separated from mycelium by filtration. Results A new basidiomycete fungus CTM10057, a hyperproducer of a novel protease (10,500U/mL), was identified as Pleurotus sajor-caju (oyster mushroom). The enzyme, called SPPS, was purified to homogeneity by heat-treatment (80 C for 20min) followed by ammonium sulfate precipitation (35-55%)-dialysis, then UNO Q-6 FPLC ion-exchange chromatography and finally HPLC-ZORBAX PSM 300 HPSEC gel filtration chromatography, and submitted to biochemical characterization assays. The molecular mass was estimated to be 65 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Native-PAGE, casein-zymography, and size exclusion by HPLC. A high homology with mushroom proteases was displayed by the first 26 amino-acid residues of the NH2-terminal aminoacid sequence. Phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) and diiodopropyl fluorophosphates (DFP) strongly inhibit SPPS, revealing that it is a member of the serine-proteases family. The pH and temperature optima were 9.5 and 70 C, respectively. Interestingly, SPPS possesses the most elevated hydrolysis level and catalytic efficiency in comparison with SPTC, Flavourzyme 500 L, and Thermolysin type X proteases. More remarkably, a high tolerance towards organic solvent tolerance was exhibited by SPPS, together with considerable detergent stability compared to the commercial proteases Thermolysin type X and Flavourzyme 500 L, respectively. Conclusions This proves the excellent proprieties characterizing SPPS, making it a potential candidate for industrial applications especially detergent formulations

Battling arid adversity: unveiling the resilience of cotton in the face of drought and innovative mitigation approaches

Climate change has had significant impacts on agriculture, particularly on cotton production, where drought has emerged as a major threat worldwide. Long and intense dry periods in cotton-growing regions have become more frequent and severe. Drought stress severely affects various aspects of cotton plants, including chlorophyll pigments, carbohydrate metabolism, and enzyme activities related to fiber development, such as vacuolar invertase and sucrose synthase. Furthermore, drought stress disrupts the movement of nutrients toward the reproductive tissues in cotton, resulting in compromised pollen function, propagative failure, and fiber characteristics. To tackle these issues, scientists have made advancements in creating drought-resistant cotton varieties through transgenic methods or molecular breeding techniques, genome editing, CRISPR/Cas9, utilizing quantitative trait loci (QTL). Moreover, the application of plant growth regulators and mineral elements has displayed the potential to improve cotton’s ability to endure drought stress while also enhancing fiber yield and quality. These approaches activate stress-responsive signaling pathways, which could contribute to mitigating reproductive failure and improving fiber characteristics. While the impact of drought stress on cotton plants has been extensively studied, the variations in fiber quality resulting from drought stress are not yet completely understood. Current research has been focused on unraveling the mechanisms underlying these changes, including the physiological, biochemical, and molecular alterations during the multiplicative growth phase that contribute to poor fiber development. Understanding these mechanisms will facilitate the development of novel strategies to alleviate the adverse impact of worldwide weather changes on cotton growth and fiber quality. This research focuses on the drought stress in cotton cultivation and explores its different effects on cotton morphology, physiology, crop yield, and fiber characteristics as well as mechanisms by which cotton exhibits drought tolerance and highlights innovative strategies to mitigate drought stress

Memoiren einer Großmutter : Bilder aus der Kulturgeschichte der Juden Russlands im 19. Jahrhundert

Pauline Wengeroff. Mit ein. Geleitw. von Gustav Karpele

Statistical Experimental Design Optimization of Microbial Proteases Production under Co-Culture Conditions for Chitin Recovery from Speckled Shrimp Metapenaeus monoceros By-Product

This study was designed with the aim to produce microbial proteases in presence of speckled shrimp by-product. For this reason, three strains belonging to Bacillus genus, namely, Aeribacillus pallidus VP3, Lysinibacillus fusiformis C250R, and Anoxybacillus kamchatkensis M1V were studied under co-culture procedure. A Taguchi L27 experimental design was applied to optimize the co-culture parameters. The experimental design was built with 9 factors (by-product powder concentration, the pH of the medium, the temperature, the sucrose concentration, the agitation speed, the inoculum sizes of VP3, M1V, and C250R strains, and the culture volume) at three different levels. The obtained results showed that a total protease activity of 8,182 U/mL could be achieved after 24 h of incubation in presence of 20 g/L shrimp by-product and 10 g/L sucrose, at an initial pH of 7, a 40°C temperature and absorbance, at 600 nm, of inoculum sizes of 0.1, 0.3, and 0.1 for VP3, M1V, and C250R strains, respectively. The agitation was set at 200 rpm, and the final volume was 25 mL. Taguchi’s design allowed the identification of temperature, the inoculum size for strain VP3, the inoculum size for strain M1V, and the final culture volume as the most influencing variables. A Box–Behnken design with 27 experiments was carried out for the optimization of these four selected factors. Following such design, the highest protease production reached was 11,300 U/mL. This yield was obtained in a final culture volume of 15 mL containing 20 g/L shrimp by-product powder and 10 g/L sucrose and inoculated with VP3, C250R, and M1V strains at 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2, respectively. The flasks were incubated at 45°C for 24 h with shaking at 200 rpm. The efficiency of chitin extraction by co-cultivation was investigated under the latter conditions. The chitin yield from shells by-product was 16.7%. Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis of the obtained chitin displayed characteristic profiles similar to that of the commercial α-chitin

Modification of Phenolic Compounds and Volatile Profiles of Chemlali Variety Olive Oil in Response to Foliar Biofertilization

The main objective of this work was to studythe effects of foliar biofertilizers on individual volatile pro-files and phenolic compounds of olive oil (Olea europaeaL. cv. Chemlali). Three foliar biofertilizers were used intwo successive application seasons: T1 (rich in nitrogen,phosphorus and potassium); T2 (rich in calcium); and T3(application of both T1 and T2). Results showed that foliarfertilization with T2 increased the phenolic compound con-tents (e.g., oleuropein aglycone and decarboxymethyl lig-stroside aglycone) of Chemlali olive oil. It also enhancedthe levels of many volatile compounds responsible for thegoodflavor of olive oil such as hexanal. However,T1-tested fertilizer led to a significant decrease in the con-tent of phenolic compounds, although they seemed toimprove significantly the levels of the majority of volatilecompounds, especially hexanal. Based on these results, asignificant relationship between plant nutrition and qualityof oil was observed. Our results demonstrated a potentialpositive influence on the concentration of sensory qualitycompounds under T2 (Ca2+-based fertilizer). This resultshould be considered in the design of foliar nutrient appli-cation management strategies for olive trees

Modification of Phenolic Compounds and Volatile Profiles of Chemlali Variety Olive Oil in Response to Foliar Biofertilization

The main objective of this work was to studythe effects of foliar biofertilizers on individual volatile pro-files and phenolic compounds of olive oil (Olea europaeaL. cv. Chemlali). Three foliar biofertilizers were used intwo successive application seasons: T1 (rich in nitrogen,phosphorus and potassium); T2 (rich in calcium); and T3(application of both T1 and T2). Results showed that foliarfertilization with T2 increased the phenolic compound con-tents (e.g., oleuropein aglycone and decarboxymethyl lig-stroside aglycone) of Chemlali olive oil. It also enhancedthe levels of many volatile compounds responsible for thegoodflavor of olive oil such as hexanal. However,T1-tested fertilizer led to a significant decrease in the con-tent of phenolic compounds, although they seemed toimprove significantly the levels of the majority of volatilecompounds, especially hexanal. Based on these results, asignificant relationship between plant nutrition and qualityof oil was observed. Our results demonstrated a potentialpositive influence on the concentration of sensory qualitycompounds under T2 (Ca2+-based fertilizer). This resultshould be considered in the design of foliar nutrient appli-cation management strategies for olive trees

Biochemical characterization of olive oil samples obtained from fruit mixtures and from oil blends of four cultivars grown in Central Tunisia

Blends of olive oils obtained from four cultivars (Olea europaea L. cv. Chemlali, Chetoui, Oueslati and Koroneiki) were produced by two different methods of blending: processing fruit mixtures or mixing monovarietal oils, using the same proportions of selected cultivars. The obtained blends were biochemically characterized to evaluate quality, and the two methods were compared. The results indicated that the most successful formulations are mainly F8 (60% Chemlali × 20% Oueslati × 20% Koroneiki) characterized by the highest contents of phenols and an elevated oxidative stability, and F5 (50% Chemlali × 50% Koroneiki) containing the highest MUFA level and the highest oxidative stability. The effect of the blending process on pigments and volatiles cannot be easily regulated, unlike phenols, fatty acid composition and OS, all of which positively correlated to the fruit mass ratio in the blend. Results suggest that processing fruit mixtures of different cultivars resulted in a better oil quality than that of oils obtained by the common oil blending method. This blending procedure offers a possibility to modulate the contents of antioxidants, fatty acids and volatile compounds in virgin olive oil, and therefore, its quality and sensorial characteristics