This study evaluated the effects of different feed additives on growth performance and heat stress mitigation in
broiler chickens. Three hundred 1-d-old Cobb broiler chicks were randomly allocated into five treatments, each
treatment contained six replicates (10 birds/replicate). Treatment 1 (-Control) was fed a basal diet (BD) under
thermo-neutral conditions between d 1 and 42 of age. Treatment 2 (+Control) also fed the BD under thermoneutral conditions from d 1 to 28 of age, followed by exposure to cyclic heat stress (HS; 36◦C between 0900
and 1700 h, then to 24◦C between 1700 and 0900 h daily) during the fifth week. During the fifth week,
Treatments 3, 4, and 5 underwent the same HS regime and fed the same BD containing 15g/kg of thyme oil (TO),
cinnamon oil (CO), and pomegranate oil (PO) from d 1 to 42, respectively. Compared to the thermoneutral
control, HS control exhibited lower ADFI, higher FCR, increased mortality rate, altered plasma biochemicals, and
reduced anti-oxidant capacity. Broilers supplemented with PO showed a 14.4 % increase in final BW and a 25.8
% in ADG during recovery period. FCR was improved by 16.9 %, and mortality dropped to 6 % compared to 10 %
in the HS control, suggesting reduced losses under heat stress. TO and CO treatments also showed beneficial
effects compared to the HS control group. The supplemented feed additives decreased plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, and malondialdehyde content, while increasing plasma glutathione peroxidase activity and total
antioxidant capacity relative to the HS control. TO, CO, and PO treatments exhibited higher plasma superoxide
dismutase activity compared to the HS control. All supplemented treatments showed lower H/L ratio compared
to HS control (P < 0.05). The PO and TO treatments exhibited an increased jejunal villus/crypt ratio relative to
the control groups. In conclusion, supplementing broiler diets with PO, TO, and CO can alleviate heat stress
effects, improve growth performance, and potentially boost profitability for poultry farmers, with PO providing
the most significant benefits in both thermoneutral and heat stress conditions.
 

The agricultural sector is one of the most important sectors concerned with self-sufficiency in agricultural crops and food security, but these crops are threatened by many pests that cause severe infestation and decrease productivity. Pesticides play a vital role in pest control in that they are a quick and effective tool for reducing the severity of pest infestations. However, because of irresponsible and unwise use of pesticides, this led to an increase in pesticide residues in environmental components to the point that they became toxic to the environment and living organisms. Residual pesticides have the potential to stay at the application site longer due to their persistence. The current trend is to eliminate these residues through cost-effective, sustainable, economic, and ecologically friendly means. Among these techniques, using aquatic plants to eliminate pesticides and their harmful effects is one of the most significant. Multiple matrices have been subjected to remediation procedures classified as biological, chemical, physical, and physicochemical, which aim to eliminate organic and inorganic contaminants. Biological remediation, which comprises phytoremediation and bioremediation, has been used to clean up contaminated areas because of its low-cost energy efficiency and environmental friendliness.

Plant diseases significantly threaten global food security, with viral infections, particularly Watermelon Mosaic Virus (WMV), causing substantial losses in economically important crops such as squash. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of beneficial bacteria isolated from various plants in promoting growth and mitigating the effects of WMV in squash. Understanding the interactions between plants and beneficial microbes could provide sustainable solutions for managing viral infections in agriculture. Sixty-two bacterial isolates were obtained from the rhizosphere of basil, mint, thyme, and squash plants. Among these, six strains exhibited notable plant growth-promoting activities, including the synthesis of indole acetic acid, solubilization of phosphate and zinc, ammonia production, and activity of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase (ACCD). Morphological observations and 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified these isolates as Pseudomonas indica, Bacillus paramycoides, Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus mycoides, Paenibacillus glucanolyticus, and Niallia circulans. In pot experiments, squash plants inoculated with these bacterial strains demonstrated significant reductions in disease severity after being infected with WMV. Specifically, foliar applications of the bacteria resulted in the following reductions in disease severity: B. mycoides (87%), B. thuringiensis (73%), Paenibacillus glucanolyticus (73%), Niallia circulans (70%), B. paramycoides (65%), and Pseudomonas indica (65%). Additionally, plants treated with B. mycoides showed increased plant height and shoot dry weight, indicating enhanced growth performance relative to infected controls. Statistical analysis revealed that these growth promotions and disease severity reduction were significant (p < 0.05). GC–MS analysis of the six bacterial strains revealed a diverse array of 73 chemical metabolites, including common compounds such as 9-Octadecenoic acid (Z), benzene derivatives, and cyclopentanones. These findings suggest shared metabolic pathways among the strains and indicate potential roles in ecological interactions, plant defense mechanisms, and antiviral properties. These metabolites likely contribute to the observed reductions in viral severity and enhance plant resilience. The study indicates that inoculating squash plants with specific beneficial bacteria, especially B. mycoides, through foliar or soil application can significantly decrease the severity of WMV and promote plant growth. This approach offers an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical antiviral treatments and may reduce reliance on pesticides. This research highlights the potential of using plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB)as a sustainable approach to control viral infections in crops. Further field trials are necessary to PGPB validate the scalability of these findings and assess their effectiveness under diverse agricultural conditions. Incorporating these beneficial microbes into agricultural practices could enhance the resilience of cropping systems, ultimately fostering sustainable agriculture and enhancing food security.

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.

Plant diseases significantly threaten global food security, with viral infections, particularly Watermelon Mosaic Virus (WMV), causing substantial losses in economically important crops such as squash. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of beneficial bacteria isolated from various plants in promoting growth and mitigating the effects of WMV in squash. Understanding the interactions between plants and beneficial microbes could provide sustainable solutions for managing viral infections in agriculture. Sixty-two bacterial isolates were obtained from the rhizosphere of basil, mint, thyme, and squash plants. Among these, six strains exhibited notable plant growth-promoting activities, including the synthesis of indole acetic acid, solubilization of phosphate and zinc, ammonia production, and activity of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase (ACCD). Morphological observations and 16S rRNA …

Robinia pseudoacacia L., commonly known as black locust, is a nitrogen-fixing species characterized by multiple uses. Among these uses, black locust is of special interest to beekeepers due to its abundant flowering and delicious honey. Given the great importance of honey production in Italy, beekeepers are looking for genotypes that have a delayed flowering time. As a consequence, the aim of the present study was to develop a complete protocol of micropropagation for genotypes, which have been selected in the Veneto region due to their delayed flowering, ie, about 3 months, in comparison with the normal flowering time (from late April to early June). The subsequent steps of the micropropagation protocol (explant decontamination, shoot induction, proliferation, and rooting) were investigated and optimized. The most effective decontamination treatment of explants (axillary buds from shoots developed in a greenhouse) was obtained using 50 mg/L AgNO3 for 20 min. This method resulted in the highest survival and regeneration rates for the explants (90%), although contamination was slightly higher than when using HgCl2 and NaOCl. The best medium for shoot establishment was MS with 1 mg/L of mT, which achieved 100% regeneration of the explants. In comparison with BA, mT at 1 mg/L was shown to be the best stimulator of shoot proliferation, especially in combination with 0.7 mg/L GA3 (Proliferation Rate, 4.7). An intermediate 2 h treatment with AgNO3, in combination with mT, was shown to be beneficial in improving the shoot proliferation and quality in the subsequent subculture in a gelled medium. As for shoot rooting, the shoots …

Population and food demand increased rapidly so to face this increment; we must dramatically increase food crop production to ensure global food security. Hence, saline agriculture is a possible solution for producing food in salt-affected soils using saline water for irrigation. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of applying different types and doses of biochar to saline soil under irrigation by saline water on soil quality indicators and growth parameters and yield of arugula plant. Four types of biochar: banana leaves biochar (BLB), rice straw biochar (RSB), sorghum stalks biochar (SSB), and wood chips biochar (WCB) were applied to the soil in the pots at levels of 1%, 3%, and 5% (w/w). This pot experiment was cultivated by arugula under irrigation with saline water (6.2 dS m- 1). Total available nitrogen increased significantly relative to the control treatment (unamended soil) by 41%, 34%, 43%, 34%, 33%, 24%, 41%, and 44% under adding 3%WCB, 5%WCB, 1%BLB, 3%BLB, 5%BLB, 5%SSB, 1%RSB, and 5%RSB treatments, respectively. Results showed significant increases in available potassium (K) over the control treatment by 48%, 125%, 410%, 738%, 137%, 352%, 632%, 158%, 576%, and 849% for 5%WCB, 1%BLB, 3%BLB, 5%BLB, 1%SSB, 3%SSB, 5%SSB, 1%RSB, 3%RSB, and 5%RSB treatments, respectively. Cation exchange capacity increased significantly relative to the control treatment by 26%, 22%, 30%, 58%, 31%, 54%, 28%, and 48% for 3%WCB, 5%WCB, 3%BLB, 5%BLB, 3%SSB, 5%SSB, 3%RSB, and 5%RSB, respectively. Relative to the control treatment, the fresh biomass of the arugula plant significantly improved by 97%, 143%, 76%, 129%, 103%, 146%, 81%, 57%, 121%, and 97% for 3%WCB, 5%WCB, 1%BLB, 3%BLB, 1%SSB, 3%SSB, 5%SSB, 1%RSB, 3%RSB, and 5%RSB, respectively. The highest value of fresh biomass, nitrogen uptake, and phosphorus uptake of arugula plant were observed at 3%SSB applications. According to the results obtained from our study, we recommend adding sorghum stalks biochar at 3% which is a promising approach to rehabilitate saline soil and use saline water for sustainable crop production, this is attributed to the effective improvement of the nutrient uptake, productivity, and growth of arugula plant under saline conditions as it enhances the tolerance of plants under salt stress as well as improved nutrient supply and soil quality. Also, adding 3% sorghum stalks biochar saves the costs of addition and production compared to adding 5% dose. This study also provided useful information about the optimal quantities and types of biochar used to improve the productivity of saline soils.