KNO3, Nano-Zn, and Fe Foliar Application Influence the Growth and Physiological Responses of Aloe vera under Salinity

Aloe vera L. is a perennial drought-tolerant plant that is commonly used in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries. To evaluate the effects of the foliar application of KNO3, nano-Zn, and Fe (0 and 2 mgL(-1)) on Aloe vera plants under NaCl salinity stress (0, 50, 100 mM), a factorial experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design. The results revealed that foliar applications influenced the root dry weight. The chlorophyll b content was affected by the salinity plus the foliar application. The total soluble solids content, chlorophyll a, phenolics, and flavonoids of the leaves, the gel content, catalase and superoxide dismutase activity, malondialdehyde, proline, and mineral nutrients content were impacted by the treatments as well. The highest values for the gel content (0.37 g per leaf) and plant dry weight (13.1 g per pot) were recorded at 0 mM NaCl + KNO3 + nano-Fe. The top K/Na ratio (35.2), and the largest K (69 g kg(-1)), P (6.6 g kg(-1)), Ca (31 g kg(-1)), and Mg (2.5 g kg(-1)) contents were recorded after the 0 mM NaCl + KNO3 treatment. The highest Fe content (383 g kg(-1)) was observed with 0 mM NaCl + nano-Fe treatment, and the maximum Zn content (37.6 mg kg(-1)) was measured after the 0 mM NaCl + nano Zn treatment. One hundred mM NaCl increased the malondialdehyde and Na contents. The largest amount of catalase activity was measured after the 50 mM NaCl + KNO3 + nano-Zn treatment. Salinity stress had adverse effects on the growth and physiological responses of Aloe vera. However, the foliar application of KNO3, nano-Zn and Fe mitigated the damaging effects of salinity. The results from more detailed studies would be advisable for pioneer farmers and the agricultural sector

Tuber borchii Vitt. mycorrhiza protects Cistus creticus L. from heavy metal toxicity

Heavy metals (HMs), such as copper, zinc, lead, mercury and cadmium, are the most abundant and dangerous inorganic environmental pollutants. Growing pieces of evidence suggest that mycorrhizal fungi can alleviate metal toxicity in plants. In this study, we focused attention on the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungus Tuber borchii Vitt., which is widespread in Italy and is of great ecological interest because of the mutualistic associations and the advantages it provides to host plants. Seedlings of the Mediterranean shrub Cistus creticus L., mycorrhized and non mycorrhized with the ECM fungus 7: borchii, were treated with HMs (zinc, lead and chromium). HMs induced leaves' chlorosis in non mycorrhized seedlings; while no significant differencewas observed impigmentation of mycorrhized seedlings' leaves. This observation was confirmed by Euclidean Distance of color measurements in L*a*b* units from RGB digital images of leaves. The decrease in leaves pigmentation observed in HM treated non mycorrhized seedlings strongly correlated with a reduced expression of key genes associated with chlorophyll biosynthesis; instead, no significant variation of gene expression was detected in mycorrhized seedlings treated with HMs

Optimization of SAW Sensors for Nanoplastics and Grapevine Virus Detection

In this work, we report the parametric optimization of surface acoustic wave (SAW) delay lines on Lithium niobate for environmental monitoring applications. First, we show that the device performance can be improved by acting opportunely on geometrical design parameters of the interdigital transducers such as the number of finger pairs, the finger overlap length and the distance between the emitter and the receiver. Then, the best-performing configuration is employed to realize SAW sensors. As aerosol particulate matter (PM) is a major threat, we first demonstrate a capability for the detection of polystyrene particles simulating nanoparticulates/nanoplastics, and achieve a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.3 ng, beyond the present state-of-the-art. Next, the SAW sensors were used for the first time to implement diagnostic tools able to detect Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3), one of the most widespread viruses in wine-growing areas, outperforming electrochemical impedance sensors thanks to a five-times better LOD. These two proofs of concept demonstrate the ability of miniaturized SAW sensors for carrying out on-field monitoring campaigns and their potential to replace the presently used heavy and expensive laboratory instrumentation

vacuolar sorting mechanisms are differently influenced by detoxification processes

Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide that inhibits the shikimate pathway's enzyme EPSPS (5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase) preventing the production of aromatic amino acids. This herbicide is largely used and appreciated because it controls a wide range of annual and perennial weeds but it has a minimal environmental impact when compared with other herbicides. Initially it was thought that resistance to glyphosate was not easy to evolve but the continuous applications, as it happened for other herbicides, have induced the development of several glyphosate-resistant weeds. Glyphosate resistance can be developed as target-site and non-target-site mechanisms. In the target-site mechanism of resistance, either a mutation on the EPSPS enzyme (enzyme modification) or the overexpression of the EPSPS enzyme have been found to confer resistance. In the non-target-site mechanism of glyphosate resistance, the herbicide translocation and neutralization is observed. Pumping glyphosate into vacuoles via membrane transporters has been suggested as a possible process involved in the restricted glyphosate translocation. As a consequence, a different vacuolar organization or plasticity could be an interesting character or marker to correlate to glyphosate resistance. Vacuolar markers AleuGFP (Sar1 dependent sorting) or GFPChi (Sar1 independent sorting) respectively can be used to monitor independent vacuolar sorting mechanisms during glyphosate induced stress. We observed that the adaptive reaction of tobacco protoplasts vacuolar system to the treatment with glyphosate, can be mimicked by the overexpression of a Triticum durum TdGST gene. Previous analysis evidenced that the herbicide glyphosate increased TdGST expression, confirming the role of GST in the protection against xenobiotics. Non-target-site glyphosate resistance mechanisms may correlate with an independent regulation of cell compartmentalization and herbicide induced genes may have a direct effect on it

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca (CoDiRO strain) infection in four olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars: profile of phenolic compounds in leaves and progression of leaf scorch symptoms

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca (Xfp), strain CoDiRO, infects a broad range of olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars. The profile of phenolic compounds, progression of leaf scorch symptoms and population density of X. fastidiosa were analyzed in response to Xfp infection, in four olive cultivars (Cellina di Nardò, Ogliarola di Lecce, Frantoio and Leccino). Differences in X. fastidiosa multiplication in xylem tissues were estimated using qPCR assays, showing that cvs. Cellina di Nardò and Ogliarola di Lecce were characterized by fewer threshold cycles than for cvs. Frantoio and Leccino. Periodical visual inspections of symptomatic plants estimated disease severity and progression using a disease rating scale; cvs. Frantoio and Leccino showed some disease resistance with up to 3-fold severity scores than those for cvs. Cellina di Nardò and Ogliarola. During vegetative growth, Xfp-positive leaf samples were analyzed using HPLC-ESI–TOF–MS. Among quantified phenolic compounds, Xfp infection modified hydroxytyrosol glucoside and quinic acid. Constitutive levels of hydroxytyrosol glucoside were greater in cvs. Frantoio and Leccino compared to Cellina di Nardò and Ogliarola di Lecce, while levels were strongly reduced in infected plants (95% reduction in Cellina di Nardò, 94% in Ogliarola di Lecce, 97% in Frantoio and 98% in, Leccino). Constitutive levels of quinic acid did not differ among cultivars, but strongly increased in infected Cellina di Nardò and Ogliarola di Lecce (5-fold increases), and to a lesser extent (4-fold increases) in infected Frantoio and Leccino. These results were consistent with the previously reported positive association of quinic acid with X. fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa symptoms and titres in grapevine. Differences in the induced responses of these phenolic compounds among cultivars suggest that they play defensive roles in olive tree response to X. fastidiosa infection

In-service and pre-service English teachers' challenges in selecting authentic material

The notion of incorporating Authentic Material in the teaching and learning process has become more popular among educators in recent years. This type of material provides many advantages. Nonetheless, it also provides drawbacks. One of them is that some Indonesian English teachers face challenges in finding and selecting authentic material that fits their students and teaching context. This research has the purpose of looking into the differences in the challenges faced by in-service English teachers and pre-service English teachers in selecting authentic material and investigating the strategies to cope with such challenges. A qualitative study was used to answer the proposed research questions. This study interviewed four in-service English teachers of MTsN 2 Kota Kediri and four pre-service English teachers of the English Education Department UINSA. The finding reported that there is a different result between in-service and pre-service English teachers. In-service English teachers faced no challenge in selecting Authentic Material, while pre-service English teachers faced understanding the students and identifying suitable Authentic Material/suitable part of Authentic Material to achieve lesson outcomes and students’ needs as their challenges. To cope with such challenges, the English teacher also has some strategies to do. Furthermore, it may be inferred from the finding that the distinction happened due to the teachers’ experiences. Nevertheless, every teacher also has strategies to fix the challenge that they face