Although the use of saltbush plants in metal phytoremediation is well known, there is little information about the impact of sugarcane vinasse (SCV) and EDTA on metal uptake. Heavily cadmium-polluted soil (38 mg kg−1 Cd) was used in pot and incubation experiments to investigate the Cd phytoextraction potential of wavy saltbush (Atriplex undulata) and quail saltbush (Atriplex lentiformis). EDTA at rates of 3, 6, and 10 mM kg−1 soil and SCV at rates of 7, 15, and 30 mL kg−1 soil were added to the polluted soil. The application of EDTA significantly (P = 0.002) reduced the growth of saltbush plants; on the other hand, SCV improved the growth. Both EDTA and SCV increased the availability and root-to-shoot transfer of Cd. The plants of A. lentiformis grown on the soil amended with the highest rate of SCV were able to remove 20.4 % of the total soil Cd during a period of 9 months. Based on the obtained results, it may be concluded that A. lentiformis and sugarcane vinasse could be more effective in the phytoextraction of Cd from the polluted soils.

In Musa (Musaceae family) as for other angiosperms, somatic embryo formation from somatic cells exemplify a distinctive phenomenon of plant cell developmental plasticity. Somatic embryogenesis (SE) through embryogenic cell suspension (ECS) cultures is an important milestone method for accelerating bananas mass-propagation due to its high regeneration potential, and serves as powerful cellular tool for its non-conventional improvement. Protocols for SE has been standardized for several genotypes of wild Musa species (having AA and/or BB genomes), dessert (AA, AB and AAA), cooking (ABB) and plantain (AAB) bananas using different types of explants, however, in some cases the protocols are limited by the low embryo germination and plant conversion rates. Therefore, efforts are needed to understand the physiological, biochemical and genetic processes underpinning banana embryo development (zygotic and somatic), in other to inaugurate robust SE protocols with high rates of embryo germination and plant conversion. Here we present an overview of the general progress in banana plant regeneration through somatic embryogenesis.

Saltbush shrubs are halophytic plants found in many regions, they are promising as forage sources, but their chemical composition varies during the seasons. This study was conducted in Assiut, Egypt to investigate the nutritive value and chemical composition of quail saltbush (Atriplex lentiformis) and old man saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) as affected by the seasonal variations. Composite samples of leaves and stems of each species were collected in the winter, spring, summer and autumn of 2013. The chemical composition of the tested plants varied considerably during the year. Leaves had relatively low concentrations of phosphorus (P) and high concentrations of sodium (Na), potassium (K), and chloride (Cl) during the summer; however calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) contents remained unaffected throughout the seasons. The crude protein in the leaves of A. nummularia and A. lentiformis was about 22 and 18%, while in the stems it was about 6.7 and 4.6% respectively. The tested saltbush plants are good as protein source during the winter. In that season of the year, the crude protein (CP) of the leaves of A. lentiformis and A. nummularia was increased by 32 and 26% respectively compared to the summer. The ash content of saltbush plants was increased by about 25% in the summer compared to the other seasons, while the moisture content remained unaffected during the winter, spring and autumn and then declined by about 17% during the summer, this indicates that saltbush plants may be minimize their succulence moisture content during the summer to achieve osmotic adjustment.

Saltbush shrubs are halophytic plants found in many regions, they are promising as forage sources, but their chemical composition varies during the seasons. This study was conducted in Assiut, Egypt to investigate the nutritive value and chemical composition of quail saltbush (Atriplex lentiformis) and old man saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) as affected by the seasonal variations. Composite samples of leaves and stems of each species were collected in the winter, spring, summer and autumn of 2013. The chemical composition of the tested plants varied considerably during the year. Leaves had relatively low concentrations of phosphorus (P) and high concentrations of sodium (Na), potassium (K), and chloride (Cl) during the summer; however calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) contents remained unaffected throughout the seasons. The crude protein in the leaves of A. nummularia and A. lentiformis was about 22 and 18%, while in the stems it was about 6.7 and 4.6% respectively. The tested saltbush plants are good as protein source during the winter. In that season of the year, the crude protein (CP) of the leaves of A. lentiformis and A. nummularia was increased by 32 and 26% respectively compared to the summer. The ash content of saltbush plants was increased by about 25% in the summer compared to the other seasons, while the moisture content remained unaffected during the winter, spring and autumn and then declined by about 17% during the summer, this indicates that saltbush plants may be minimize their succulence moisture content during the summer to achieve osmotic adjustment.

Environmental pollution and costs of mineral fertilization impelled scientists and farmers to ask for friendly environmental fertilizers. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different combinations of rabbit manure, rock phosphate, feldspar, and bio-fertilizers [Microbine (Bio-N), Phosphorin (Bio-P) and Potassiumag (Bio-K)] on the growth, yield and quality of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants. The mixture of rabbit manure, rock phosphate, and feldspar + Bio-N-P-K increased the tomato fruit yield by 30% compared to the inorganic fertilization. The application of rabbit manure, rock phosphate, and feldspar with the bio-fertilizer (Bio-N-P-K) inoculation increased the concentration of N, P, and K in the leaves of tomato by 34, 35, and 50% compared to the same treatment without the bio-fertilizers. The current study clearly depicted that the natural minerals (rock phosphate and feldspar) and nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium bio-fertilization may lead to higher yields and better fruit quality than conventional fertilization.

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Improving frost tolerance and winter hardiness with high agronomic features are the main objectives in winter faba bean (Vicia faba L.) breeding programs especially in cool temperate regions of Europe. 189 single seed descent (SSD) lines of Göttingen Winter Bean Population (GWBP) were evaluated in field trials (winter hardiness and yield traits). A total of seven traits were examined [three winter hardiness traits and four yield traits] and scored in this study. Of the 189 genotypes, 11 lines were addressed as winter hardy and high seed yielding genotypes. The highest repeatability (h2) estimates was found for leaf frost susceptibility (LFS) (0.86) among winter hardiness traits and for days to flowering (DTF) (0.95) for yield traits. 25 putative quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified for winter survival rate (one QTL), 1000 seed weight (one QTL), field plant height (two QTLs), days to flowering (nine QTLs), and seed yield (12 QTLs) based on association mapping approach using 156 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers. Candidate genes were identified for QTLs using synteny between Vicia faba and Medicago truncatula. SNP markers identified in this study may be used for accelerating breeding program in faba bean to improve winter hardiness and yield traits.

Understanding the population structure and genetic diversity is a very important goal to improve the economic value of crops. In rice, loss of genetic diversity in the last few centuries is observed. To address this challenge, a set of 22 lines from three different regions: India (two), and Philippines (six), and Egypt (fourteen) were used to assess the genetic diversity and the features of population structure. These genotypes were analyzed using 106 SSR markers which showed a clear polymorphism among the lines. The genetic diversity was estimated based on the number of different alleles, polymorphism information content (PIC), and gene diversity. A total of 106 SSR alleles was identified from the 23 SSR and used to study the population structure and cluster analysis. All SSR loci showed a wide range of the number of different alleles extended from two (one loci) to seven alleles (three loci). Five and eight Loci showed high PIC and gene diversity (≥0.70). The results of population structure are in agreement with cluster analysis results. Both analyses revealed two different subpopulations (G1 and G2) with different genetic properties in a number of private alleles, a number of different alleles (Na), a number of effective alleles (Ne), expected heterozygosity (He) and Shannon's Information Index (I). Our findings indicate that five SSR loci (RM 111, RM 307, RM 22, RM 19, and RM 271) could be used in breeding programs to enhance marker-assisted selection through QTL mapping and association studies. Moreover, the genotypes in G2 showed a remarkable genetic diversity among them. These genotypes can be also used to produce rice cultivar with high agronomic features and resistance to abiotic stresses