Synergistic role of rootstock and grafting in boosting growth, yield, and quality of cucumber cultivation

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a widely grown and highly valued cucurbitaceous vegetable crop, commanding premium prices in the vegetable market. However, intensive cultivation and monocropping practices have led to significant challenges in cucumber production, particularly in greenhouses, due to root-knot nematode and soil-borne diseases. Grafting has emerged as an alternative approach to boost abiotic stress tolerance and mitigate root diseases caused by soil-borne pathogens, thereby improving crop productivity. A study was conducted during 2023-2024 on the farmer’s field to explore the interactive effects of various grafting techniques by grafting a hybrid cucumber scion onto various local rootstocks. The experiment evaluated the performance of the hybrid cucumber scion Emistar, grafted onto four rootstocks: fig-leaf gourd (Cucurbita ficifolia), pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo), ash gourd (Benincasa hispida), and bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria). Two grafting techniques-hole insertion and splice grafting, were tested using different scion-rootstock combinations. The study evaluated growth, yield, and fruit quality under controlled environmental conditions. The results indicated that the pumpkin rootstock outperformed the other rootstocks, particularly when grafted using the hole insertion techniques. This combination achieved the earliest flowering (26.33 days), longest plant growth (455.77 cm), and highest fruit yield (8.07 kg). In contrast, splice grafting on bottle gourd resulted in slower growth and lower yields. Additionally, hole insertion grafting on pumpkin produced superior fruit characteristics, including the longest fruits (16.43 cm), largest diameter (9.1cm), highest fruit weight (147.24 g), and the highest TSS content (2.85ºBrix). Correlation and principal component analysis (PCA) highlighted strong positive relationships between yield and growth traits, emphasizing the superiority of the pumpkin rootstock for cucumber grafting. The study showed vigorous rootstocks like pumpkin can significantly enhance cucumber growth and yield through improved nutrient uptake, hormone translocation, and optimized grafting techniques

Adaptability of exotic crucifers in Indian agro-environments: A comparative study in Hyderabad and Coimbatore

The Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) family comprises many cultivated plants; however, only cabbage and cauliflower are extensively cultivated in India. Numerous crops from this family remain exotic and uncommercialized within the country despite their successful cultivation in other regions. This study evaluates the adaptability of four exotic cole crops; red cabbage, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, and pakchoi grown under polyhouse and open-field conditions in Telangana (Hyderabad) and Tamil Nadu (Coimbatore) to assess their performance across diverse environmental conditions. The results indicated that head initiation occurred earlier in Hyderabad’s open fields, whereas in Coimbatore, all crops except Chinese cabbage were initiated earlier in polyhouses. In Hyderabad, red cabbage reached head maturity sooner under protected conditions, while the other crops matured faster in open fields. In Coimbatore, red cabbage and broccoli matured faster in polyhouses, while the remaining crops were harvested earlier in open fields. In Hyderabad, broccoli and Chinese cabbage demonstrated superior head attributes in polyhouses, whereas the other crops performed better in open fields. In Coimbatore, all crops showed improved head attributes under polyhouse conditions. In terms of yield, in Hyderabad, red cabbage yielded 7.90 kg and Chinese cabbage 5.15 kg, performing better in open fields, while broccoli and Pakchoi yielded more in polyhouses. In Coimbatore, red cabbage yielded 7.75 kg, broccoli 6.20 kg, Chinese cabbage 6.30 kg, and pakchoi 7.25 kg, all favoring polyhouse cultivation. This study highlights the potential to increase the commercial viability of exotic crops and enhance food diversity and sustainability in Indian agriculture

Effect of fertigation scheduling and doses of NPK on growth, yield and quality of cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. var. cerasiforme) under protected condition

This study investigated the impact of different fertigation schedules on cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) cultivation in a controlled environment at TNAU, Coimbatore, India. A Completely Randomized Design with nine treatments and three replications was used, incorporating various combinations of soil application and fertigation with water-soluble fertilizers at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF). Critical parameters such as growth, phenological traits, yield, fruit quality, soil nutrient status, and plant nutrient uptake were evaluated. Statistical analyses, including ANOVA, path coefficient analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA), were performed to assess treatment effects and identify relationships between variables. The results consistently demonstrated that fertigation with water-soluble fertilizers at 100% RDF (T3) yielded the best outcomes for most parameters, followed by 75% RDF fertigation (T4) and a combination of 25% soil application and 75% fertigation (T7). Significant improvements in plant growth, yield and fruit quality were observed with optimized fertigation compared to traditional soil application methods. T3 (100% RDF through fertigation) resulted in the highest plant height (263.95 cm), number of primary branches (15), leaf area (316.77 cm²) and dry matter production (96.85 kg/plant). Yield attributes such as fruits per plant (326.50), fruit weight (3.73 g), and total yield (23.95 t/ha) were also highest in T3. Path coefficient analysis indicated strong positive correlations between growth and yield parameters. PCA showed that the first principal component accounted for 85.9 % of the total variation. These findings highlight the potential for fertigation to improve resource use efficiency and productivity in cherry tomato cultivation

Formulation and In Vitro Evaluation of Ethosomes as Vesicular Carrier for Enhanced Topical Delivery of Isotretinoin

Purpose: The purpose of the present research was to evaluate the ability of ethosomes for topical delivery of isotretinoin. The ethosomal vesicles were prepared with various concentrations of lecithin and ethanol by using hot method. The ethosomal based isotretinoin gel (GEL-ES) was compared to that of marketed formulations isotretinoin (GEL-MF) by using hydrophobic hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose as gel base. The physicochemical and stability of ethosomal based isotretinoin and a marketed gel (control) were evaluated for organoleptic properties, drug entrapment, drug content uniformity and in vitro drug release and skin permeation studies. F2 ethosomal vesicles containing 2%w/w lecithin and 30%w/w ethanol was found to have shown the best entrapment percentage (99.21%) and also showed suitable physicochemical characteristics for topical administration. Physical stability studies were also conducted for 45 days at 4°C and 25°C. GEL-ES and GEL-MF were applied to rat skin and penetration was assessed by Franz diffusion cells. In vitro release studies showed that less than 10% of isotretinoin reached the receptor compartment compared to GEL-MF till 8 h. On comparing F2 and F4 gel formulations, F2 gel has shown better controlled release by in vitro drug release and in vitro skin permeation profile than F4 gel. However, the in vitro skin permeation was increased with the addition of enhancers. From the experimental data, it may be concluded that the ethosomal vesicles and enhancers increased the skin permeation and depot formation of drug in the skin

Formulation and In Vitro Evaluation of Ethosomes as Vesicular Carrier for Enhanced Topical Delivery of Isotretinoin

Purpose: The purpose of the present research was to evaluate the ability of ethosomes for topical delivery of isotretinoin. The ethosomal vesicles were prepared with various concentrations of lecithin and ethanol by using hot method. The ethosomal based isotretinoin gel (GEL-ES) was compared to that of marketed formulations isotretinoin (GEL-MF) by using hydrophobic hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose as gel base. The physicochemical and stability of ethosomal based isotretinoin and a marketed gel (control) were evaluated for organoleptic properties, drug entrapment, drug content uniformity and in vitro drug release and skin permeation studies. F2 ethosomal vesicles containing 2%w/w lecithin and 30%w/w ethanol was found to have shown the best entrapment percentage (99.21%) and also showed suitable physicochemical characteristics for topical administration. Physical stability studies were also conducted for 45 days at 4°C and 25°C. GEL-ES and GEL-MF were applied to rat skin and penetration was assessed by Franz diffusion cells. In vitro release studies showed that less than 10% of isotretinoin reached the receptor compartment compared to GEL-MF till 8 h. On comparing F2 and F4 gel formulations, F2 gel has shown better controlled release by in vitro drug release and in vitro skin permeation profile than F4 gel. However, the in vitro skin permeation was increased with the addition of enhancers. From the experimental data, it may be concluded that the ethosomal vesicles and enhancers increased the skin permeation and depot formation of drug in the skin

Platelet-Associated CD40/CD154 Mediates Remote Tissue Damage after Mesenteric Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Several innate and adaptive immune cell types participate in ischemia/reperfusion induced tissue injury. Amongst them, platelets have received little attention as contributors in the process of tissue damage after ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury. It is currently unknown whether platelets participate through the immunologically important molecules including, CD40 and when activated, CD154 (CD40L), in the pathogenesis of I/R injury. We hypothesized that constitutive expression of CD40 and activation-induced expression of CD154 on platelets mediate local mesenteric and remote lung tissue damage after I/R injury. Wild type (WT; C57BL/6J), CD40 and CD154 deficient mice underwent mesenteric ischemia for 30 minutes followed by reperfusion for 3 hours. WT mice subjected to mesenteric I/R injury displayed both local intestinal and remote lung damage. In contrast, there was significantly less intestinal damage and no remote lung injury in CD40 and CD154 deficient mice when compared to WT mice. Platelet-depleted WT mice transfused with platelets from CD40 or CD154 deficient mice failed to reconstitute remote lung damage. In contrast, when CD40 or CD154 deficient mice were transfused with WT platelets lung tissue damage was re-established. Together, these findings suggest that multiple mechanisms are involved in local and remote tissue injury and also identify platelet-expressed CD40 and/or CD154 as mediators of remote tissue damage

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly