ACS agricultural science & technology最新文献

Honey, a valuable and globally consumed food product, has significant market potential linked to its origin. However, authenticating honey is challenging due to sophisticated adulteration techniques. This current research introduces an innovative approach employing YOLOv7, a cutting-edge object detection model, to detect and classify honey pollens, thereby bolstering the authentication of honey. Our methodology involved creating a data set comprising three well-known honey varieties (Sundarban, Litchi, and Mustard), supplemented by three sets of unidentified honey pollen images sourced from Kaggle. Subsequently, we assembled a data set consisting of 3000 images representing the pollen types extracted from the known honey samples. To tackle the challenge of limited sample sizes, we employed data augmentation techniques. The efficacy of our approach was evaluated using established statistical measures including detection accuracy, precision, recall, mAP value, and F1 score, yielding impressive values of 98.3, 99.3, 100, 99.2%, and 0.985, respectively. The YOLOv7 model’s reliability was validated using Kaggle’s unknown honey pollen data sets, which showed that it correctly detected and identified these new pollens based on previous training. Through rigorous experimentation and validation, our study underscores the potential of the YOLOv7 framework in revolutionizing quality control practices within the honey industry, ensuring consumers access to genuine and top-tier honey products through pollen image analysis.

Drought is among the most damaging climatic hazards affecting crop productivity and nutritional quality. Here, we investigated the influence of Cu-based materials at mitigating drought stress in soybeans (Glycine max) during the reproductive stage in order to elucidate effects on productivity. Commercial copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles (NPs), in-house synthesized copper sulfide (CuS) NPs, and copper sulfate (CuSO₄) were foliar applied at 10 mg Cu/L daily for 1 week to soybean that were exposed to water deficit at the onset of flowering, and plants were harvested 5 days after exposure. Drought inhibited flower production by 27% compared to the nondrought treatment. Notably, both CuS NPs and ionic Cu mitigated the drought-induced inhibition of flower production, showing 41.7 and 33.3% improvement. CuS NPs exhibited the most positive impact on restoring shoot biomass, pod biomass, and shoot moisture content, increasing values by 53, 96, and 10%, respectively, compared to the drought control plants. The Cu-based materials maintained photosynthetic parameters under drought conditions and modulated oxidative damage by enhancing reactive oxygen species-scavenging enzyme activities. Furthermore, CuO NP treatment increased shoot and pod Cu levels by 624 and 54%, respectively, compared to the drought control plants. Taken together, these findings suggest that Cu-based materials modulate plant protective mechanisms against drought stress during the flowering stage, offering a potentially important nanoenabled strategy to promote biofortified climate resilient crops.

Plant diseases significantly threaten global food security, with numerous historical instances of devastating epidemics. This risk is particularly acute in key agricultural and food crops, such as sugarcane. Although recent advancements in molecular diagnostics have improved the detection of sugarcane viruses, these methods are largely confined to lab settings due to their reliance on sophisticated, costly equipment. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a more accessible and cost-effective solution: a magnetic nanozyme-enhanced colorimetric ImmunoFlow-through assay designed for the ultrasensitive detection of sugarcane yellow leaf curl virus (ScYLV). This innovative technique allows for clear optical identification of viral concentrations as low as femtomolar levels. The assay employs cationic magnetic nanoparticles for virus isolation and colorimetric immunolabels for diagnosis, enhancing sensitivity and providing immediate results, comparable to those of established methods like quantitative real-time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Our assay offers a one-step detection process and a two-step semiquantitative analysis, marking a major breakthrough in plant virus diagnostics. Extensive research into the assay’s design, including its sensing platform, blocking agents, antibody conjugation chemistries, sensitivity, quantification, potential for multiplexing, and field applicability, was carried out. This diagnostic research utilizing Magnetozyme in a flow-through assay represents a pioneering approach to rapid and sensitive diagnosis within plant disease diagnostics. It introduces a promising alternative to traditional molecular diagnostics, potentially transforming plant disease management and enhancing food security globally.

Effective pesticide utilization is an essential matter that needs attention, owing to the vast usage of pesticides worldwide. Herein, a pyrrolidinium-based ionic liquid (IL) 1-hexyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bromide [PyrC₆]Br^– was chosen to solve the purpose of an adjuvant to enhance the surface activity and wettability of a pesticide nitenpyram (NTP). The critical micellar concentration of IL-NTP was evaluated using surface tension and spectrophotometric techniques, viz., UV–visible and steady state fluorescence. ΔG_ads⁰ and ΔG_mic⁰ were also calculated, and it was found that the adsorption process was favored over micellization. The sizes and stability of IL-NTP aggregates were analyzed using DLS and zeta potential measurements, respectively, which indicated optimum stability for IL-NTP when IL was present at its cmc value. The wettability of IL-NTP was found to be enhanced as compared to NTP in aqueous solution by evaluating it on various crop leaves using static contact angle measurements. Further, DFT calculations were performed which revealed complex formation between IL and NTP and various thermal and physiochemical parameters were obtained and it was found that IL and NTP bind through electrostatic interactions. Our results suggest an improved effect of IL on NTP, which could help in developing an IL-NTP composition that might result in better activity on crops.

This study investigated the seed priming effects with aqueous extracts from the cyanobacterium Anabaena minutissima (AM) and the brown seaweed Sargassum vulgare (SV) on the growth and nutritional properties of China Rose (CR), Daikon (D), and Sango Red (SR) radish varieties. AM and SV biomasses were chemically analyzed. FTIR spectra of biomasses exhibited functional groups characteristic of amides I and II of proteins in AM and functional groups associated with the pyranose ring of carbohydrates in SV. The extracts differed in total proteins, phycobiliproteins, carbohydrates, chlorophylls, carotenoids, and antioxidant activity. Seed priming with AM and SV particularly increased seed germination (2% in CR), moisture (5% in D with AM), sprout weight (35% with AM), and height (12% with SV). In the elemental analysis of sprouts, Na, Ca, and Mg levels increased variably across all varieties of both extracts. Principal component analysis revealed significant separation among treatments in SR and D varieties, confirming the effectiveness of the seed priming.

Copper (Cu) contamination in paddy fields leads to excessive Cu in rice grains and a low grain yield, posing a serious threat to sustainable agricultural production. We propose the application of seed priming with silver ions (Ag⁺) as biostimulants to trigger reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and enhance immune responses, thereby improving rice resistance to Cu stress. The results showed that seed priming with 10 μM Ag⁺ significantly improved rice tolerance to Cu, increased the fresh biomass by 22.1%, and reduced the Cu content in the roots and shoots by 25.3 and 13.4%, respectively, compared to the hydropriming treatments. Furthermore, seed priming with 10 μM Ag⁺ increased nutrient uptake in rice, leading to higher contents of Ca (15.1%), Fe (14.9%), and Mg (10.2%) in the shoots as well as Ca (21.0%), Mn (37.0%), and Mg (29.1%) in the roots. More Cu was immobilized in the root cell wall, thereby significantly enhancing root cell viability, maintaining the root morphology, and reducing malondialdehyde accumulation. Transcriptomics analyses revealed that Ag⁺-priming activated the phytohormone signal transduction and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and other kinase signaling pathways in rice roots under Cu stress. These signals triggered the upregulation of defense-related gene expression, including the Cu vesicle transporter gene, oxidoreductase activity genes, and hydrogen peroxide catabolic process genes, amino acid metabolism, purine metabolism, and starch and sucrose metabolism. This study suggests that seed Ag⁺-priming is a simple and effective way to alleviate Cu toxicity and decrease Cu accumulation in rice, which ensures safe rice production in a sustainable way.

Environmental impacts of cannabis production are of increasing concern because it is a newly legal and growing industry. Although a handful of studies have quantified the impacts of indoor production, very little is known about the impact of outdoor cannabis agriculture. Outdoor production typically uses little direct energy but can require significant fertilizer and other inputs due to dissipative losses via runoff and mineralization. Conversely, fertilizer high in nitrogen can be counterproductive, as it produces flowers with decreased cannabinoid content. This study has two aims: (1) To identify reduced-fertilizer regimes that provide optimal cannabis flower yields with reduced inputs and (2) to quantify how this shifts greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion (fossil and metal), terrestrial acidification, and the eutrophication potential of outdoor cannabis production. Primary data from a fertilizer response trial are incorporated into a life-cycle assessment model. Results show that outdoor cannabis agriculture can be 50 times less carbon-emitting than indoor production. Dissemination of this knowledge is of utmost importance for producers, consumers, and government officials in nations that have either legalized or will legalize cannabis production.

In-feed tylosin, a macrolide, is widely used to prevent liver abscessation in feedlot cattle by repressing growth of ruminal Fusobacterium necrophorum. Although tylosin has been used for almost five decades, no resistant F. necrophorum subsp. necrophorum strain has ever been isolated. Here, we report two strains (FN37 and FN38) previously isolated from abscessed livers containing several antibiotic resistance genes: cfr(C), tet(O), ant(6)-Ia, and erm(B), the latter of which confers resistance to macrolides via modification of the ribosome. To evaluate if erm(B) conferred a phenotypic advantage, four strains (deposited strain ATCC 25286, ruminal isolate FNC, and abscess isolates FN37 and FN38) were tested for their responses to tylosin. The two erm(B)-harboring strains showed resistance at concentrations commonly found within the ruminal compartment under current dosing guidelines, and in the case of FN38, up to 100 μg/mL tylosin was tolerated. Tylosin susceptibility varied depending on the growth phase (stationary vs logarithmic) and preconditioning (growth in medium containing tylosin at a concentration of 1 μg/mL) of the inoculum in all four strains, but the two harboring the erm(B) gene demonstrated robust resistance. This discovery along with whole genome sequencing and preliminary annotation indicates horizontal gene transfer and acquisition of resistance genes, highlighting the need to revisit antimicrobial strategies for the feedlot cattle industry.

Insects are still the main competitor of humans for food, and combined with other environmental stresses (such as hydric stress), they cause several yield losses and the reduction in crop quality. Therefore, the effects of the herbivory, hydric stress, methyl jasmonate, and the combination of these stresses on Glycine max cultivars resistant and susceptible to Spodoptera cosmioides were investigated. Chemical profile analyses of volatile and nonvolatile compounds from leaves revealed a clear influence of the stress conditions on the plant response according to the cultivar. Plants susceptible to S. cosmioides under hydric stress showed chemical variations characteristic of plant acclimation. Application of methyl jasmonate to the leaves induced resistance responses in both cultivars. The results indicated the activation of pathways such as glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxylipins, phenylpropanoids, and fatty acids. Thus, this study contributes to a molecular understanding of the resistance mechanisms developed in G. max cultivars.