horticultural plants, particularly fruits. Therefore, there is need for Se biofortification in fruits to meet the human
demand for Se. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal Se application rate, application stage and
method, and to assess their impacts on improving both the quality and nutrient profile of a sweet orange cultivar
’Hongjiangcheng’ (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck). ’Hongjiangcheng’ is a notable variety of mandarin orange,
acclaimed for its large size, thin and smooth skin, orange-red flesh, tender and juicy texture, balanced sweetness
and acidityand distinctive flavor. A field experiment was conducted at the Qiaotou Town Test Base in Chengmai
County, Hainan Province, China. Biofortification of Se was done through foliar and soil application methods.
Treatments were: Control (C) with no application of Se, foliar application of 25 (SeF1), 50 (SeF2), 100 (SeF3) and
200 (SeF4) mg/L and soil application of 100 mg/L (SeS1) as well as a combination of 100 mg/L Se in soil along
with 50 mg/L Se on leaves (SeS1F2). At start of the experiment, 189 healthy, four-year-old citrus trees of similar
size and normal growth were selected. The trees were divided into three groups of 63 each. Each group received
the aforementioned treatments at the young fruit, expanding fruit and premature fruit stages. The Se was applied
once during each stage before 9:00 am on sunny days. Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block
design with 9 biological replicates (7 treatments × 9 replicates = 63 citrus trees/ application stage). Foliar
application of Se at rate of 200 mg/L (SeF4) enhanced total Se content in leaves by 105, 34 and 69 % at young
fruit, expanding fruit and premature fruit stages compared to control (p≤0.05). Respective increments in fruits
were 264, 22 and 21 %. The total Se content in leaves were 32 and 40 % higher in the SeF4 (foliar) compared to
SeS1 and SeS1F2 (soil) treatments across all development stages (p≤0.05), respectively. The respective increments
in fruits total Se content were 16 and 52 %. Only at the young fruit stage, the organic Se content in
fruits was significantly higher in the SeF4 compared to soil application treatments (p≤0.05). Single fruit weight
was enhanced by 16.61, 13.69 and 4.36 g by foliar than soil application at young fruit, expanding fruit and
premature fruit stages, respectively. It was significantly higher (155.53 vs. 113.13 g) after application of SeF4
treatment at young fruit stage relative to all other treatments (p≤0.05). The application of SeF4 at the young fruit
stage resulted in an increased seed rate (97 %), total soluble solids (28 %) and solid-to-acid ratio (75 %), while
titratable acid decreased by 26 % compared to the control. Interestingly, Se application had non-significant effects
on the fruit shape index, peel rate and residue rate across all stages (p>0.05). Additionally, a positive
correlation was observed between fruit Se content and several quality indices like total soluble solids, solid acid
ratio, fruit shape index and fruit weight at young fruit stage (p≤0.05). It is concluded that foliar application of Se
at 200 mg/L (SeF4) during young fruit stage improved citrus Se content, its fruit weight and quality indices
establishing these fruits as a valuable source of Se-rich food for human consumption.

A half-diallel cross among seven okra cultivars and twenty-one hybrids was conducted to examine and analyze the general (G.C.A) and specific (S.C.A) combining ability effects and genetics related to multiple yield and yield-related characteristics. The analysis study of variance showed the existence of both additives G.C.A and non-additive effects for all characters with the exception of pod length, which exhibited an additive effect G.C.A, thereby suggesting the predominant role of additive genetic variance in the expression of these traits. Only one hybrid ‘Emerald’ x‘Pusa Sawani’ showed significant positive S.C.A effects on the number of green pods/plants, weight of green pods/plant, and total green pod yield. Based on G.C.A effects, the parent ‘Pusa Sawani’ was a good general combiner for days to 50% flowering, plant height, green pod length, number of green pods/plant, weight of green pods/plant and total green pod yield characters and can be used in breeding programs for improvement of the fruit yield and other yield components characters.

Selenium (Se) is now recognized as one of the essential trace elements required in the diets of both humans and animals due to its significant physiological effects. This study aims to evaluate the in vivo biological effects of Se-enriched low-fat cheese when administered alongside heavy metals. Initially, rats were exposed to sublethal doses of AlCl₃, CdCl₂, and Pb acetate (6.11 %, 10.5 %, and 0.5 % of their LD₅₀ values, respectively). Subsequently, the rats were fed either a control diet or Se-enriched low-fat cheese. Results indicated that the weight of groups fed heavy metals in combination with Se-enriched low-fat cheese was significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) compared to those fed only heavy metals. Rats fed Se-enriched Kareish cheese had significantly lower creatinine and urea levels compared to the control rats, whose values were within the normal range. Additionally, rats consuming Se-enriched low-fat cheese exhibited lower triglyceride levels and reduced organ weights when exposed to heavy metals, suggesting a decrease in their toxicity. In conclusion, Se intake positively influenced the serum lipid profile and lowered the atherogenic index. The findings suggest a potential protective role of Se-enriched cheese in mitigating damage to the liver, kidneys, heart, and other tissues from the negative effects of heavy elements.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) seeds, renowned for their nutritional richness and balanced amino acid profile, offer promising potential as food ingredients. This study focused on extracting and characterizing the protein isolates from red and white quinoa varieties to evaluate their physicochemical and functional properties. Protein isolation involved alkaline solubilization and isoelectric precipitation, followed by characterization through amino acid analysis, phenolic profiling, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), zeta potential measurement, particle size distribution analysis, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and rheological studies. The results showed that both the red and white quinoa protein isolates exhibited high protein content and essential amino acids, with notable differences in their amino acid compositions. The phenolic and flavonoid content varied between the red and white quinoa seeds, highlighting their potential antioxidant properties. SEM revealed distinct microstructural differences between the red and white quinoa protein isolates. Zeta potential measurements indicated the negative surface charges, influencing the stability in the solution. A particle size distribution analysis showed the monomodal distributions with minor variations in the mean particle size. The DSC profiles demonstrated multiple denaturation peaks, reflecting the complex protein compositions. Rheological studies indicated diverse gelation behaviors and mechanical properties. Overall, this comprehensive characterization underscores the potential of quinoa protein isolates as functional food ingredients with diverse applications in the food industry

Drought stress occurred at early growth stages in wheat affecting the following growth stages. Therefore, selecting promising drought-tolerant genotypes with highly adapted traits at the seedling stage is an important task for wheat breeders and geneticists. Few research efforts were conducted on the genetic control for drought-adaptive traits at the seedling stage in wheat. In this study, a set of 146 highly diverse spring wheat core collections representing 28 different countries was evaluated under drought stress at the seedling stage. All genotypes were exposed to drought stress for 13 days by water withholding. Leaf traits including seedling length, leaf wilting, days to wilting, leaf area, and leaf rolling were scored. Moreover, root traits such as root length, maximum width, emergence angle, tip angle, and number of roots were scored. Considerable significant genetic variation was found among all genotypes tested in these experiments. The heritability estimates ranged from 0.74 (leaf witling) to 0.99 (root tip angle). A set of nine genotypes were selected and considered drought-tolerant genotypes. Among all leaf traits, shoot length had significant correlations with all root traits under drought stress. The 146 genotypes were genotyped using the Infinium Wheat 15 K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and diversity arrays technology (DArT) marker platform. The result of genotyping revealed 12,999 SNPs and 2150 DArT markers which were used to run a genome-wide association study (GWAS). The results of GWAS revealed 169 markers associated with leaf and root traits under drought stress. Out of the 169 markers, 82 were considered major quantitative trait loci (QTL). The GWAS revealed 95 candidate genes were identified with 53 genes showing evidence for drought tolerance in wheat, while the remaining candidate genes were considered novel. No shared markers were found between leaf and root traits. The results of the study provided mapping novel markers associated with new root traits at the seedling stage. Also, the selected genotypes from different countries could be employed in future wheat breeding programs not only for improving adaptive drought-tolerant traits but also for expanding genetic diversity.

Wheat (Triticum spp.) is one of the most important cereal crops in the world. Several diseases affect wheat production and can cause 20-80% yield loss annually. Out of these diseases, stripe rust, also known as yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici), stem rust (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici), leaf rust (Puccinia recondita), and powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici) are the most important fungal diseases that infect the foliar part of the plant. Many efforts were made to improve wheat resistance to these diseases. Due to the continuous advancement in sequencing methods and genomic tools, genome-wide association study has become available worldwide. This analysis enabled wheat breeders to detect genomic regions controlling the resistance in specific countries. In this review, molecular markers significantly associated with the resistance of the mentioned foliar diseases in the last five years were reviewed. Common markers that control broad-spectrum resistance in different countries were identified. Furthermore, common genes controlling the resistance of more than one of these foliar diseases were identified. The importance of these genes, their functional annotation, and the potential for gene enrichment are discussed. This review will be valuable to wheat breeders in producing genotypes with broad-spectrum resistance by applying genomic selection for the target common markers and associated genes.