Dehiscence and prolonged storage of 'Kerman' Pistachios: Effects on morphometry and nutraceutical value.

'Kerman' pistachios (KP; Pistacia vera L.) are an important crop for several countries but their commercial value is diminished by their shell dehiscence status and prolonged storage in popular marketplaces. The aim was to evaluate the independent/synergistic effect of prolonged storage (1-4 year) and dehiscence status (split/unsplit) on KP's morphometry and chemical composition. Whole nut's and kernel's length, width, thickness, surface area, and volume were more affected by dehiscence (split > unsplit; p ≤ 0.01) than storage time; Kernel's mass, macronutrient composition and tocopherols (T)/tocotrienols (T3) were not much affected by dehiscence but time-trend correlations were observed with macronutrient composition (split/unsplit; ρ = - 0.57-0.42) and T + T3 (unsplit; ρ = 0.81). Specific/total fatty acids were affected by a complex dehiscence × storage time interaction, and they linearly correlated with certain morphometric characteristics (r ≥ 0.6). Shell dehiscence status more than prolonged storage substantially modifies KP's quality.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles alter the antioxidant capacity but do not impact tuber ionome in Raphanus sativus (L).

The effects of nCeO2 on food quality are not well known yet. This research was performed to determine the impact of nCeO2 on radish (Raphanus sativus L.). Plants were cultivated to full maturity in potting soil treated with nCeO2 at concentrations of 0, 62.5, 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg. Germination, growth, photosynthesis, ionome, and antioxidants were evaluated at different growth stages. Results showed that at 500 mg/kg, nCeO2 significantly retarded seed germination but did not reduce the number of germinated seeds. None of the treatments affected gas exchange, photosynthesis, growth, phenols, flavonoids, and nutrients' accumulation in tubers and leaves of adult plants. However, tubers' antioxidant capacity, expressed as FRAP, ABTS(•-) and DPPH, increased by 30%, 32%, and 85%, respectively, in plants treated with 250 mg nCeO2kg(-1) soil. In addition, cerium accumulation in tubers of plants treated with 250 and 500 mg/kg reached 72 and 142 mg/kg d wt, respectively. This suggests that nCeO2 could improve the radical scavenging potency of radish but it might introduce nCeO2 into the food chain with unknown consequences.

Alginate modifies the physiological impact of CeO2 nanoparticles in corn seedlings cultivated in soil.

Alginates are naturally occurring components of organic matter in natural soil whose effects on nanoparticle (NP) toxicity to plants is not well understood. In the present study, corn plants were grown for one month in soil spiked with 400 mg/kg CeO2 NPs with various alginate concentrations. After one month of growth in the NPs impacted soil, plants were harvested and analyzed for Ce and mineral element concentrations. Chlorophyll concentration and heat shock protein 70, used as biomarkers for oxidative stress, were also evaluated. Results showed that, compared to CeO2 NPs treatment, alginate at 10, 50, and 100 mg/kg increased Ce concentration in roots by approximately 46%, 38%, and 29% and by 115%, 45%, and 56% in shoots, respectively. CeO2 NPs without alginate increased Mn accumulation in roots by 34% compared to control. CeO2 NPs with low and medium alginate increased Mn by ca. 92% respect to NPs without alginate and by ca. 155% respect to control. CeO2 NPs without/with alginate significantly increased accumulation of Fe and Al in roots. In addition, alginate at 50 mg/kg increased Zn accumulation in roots by 52% compared to control. In shoots, K increased at all NP treatments but the accumulation of other elements was not affected. Alginate enlarged the impact of CeO2 NPs to corn plants by reducing chlorophyll a content and triggering overexpression of heat shock protein 70.

Spectroscopic determination of the toxicity, absorption, reduction, and translocation of Cr(VI) in two Magnoliopsida species.

Hexavalent chromium is a contaminant highly mobile in the environment that is toxic for plants at low concentrations. In this work, the physiological response of Convolvulus arvensis and Medicago truncatula plants to Cr(VI) treatments was compared. C. arvensis is a potential Cr hyperaccumulator well adapted to semiarid conditions that biotransform Cr(VI) to the less toxic Cr(III). M. truncatula is a model plant well adapted to semiarid conditions with a well studied genetic response to heavy metal stress. The results demonstrated that C. arvensis is more tolerant to Cr toxicity and has a higher Cr translocation to the leaves. The inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy results showed that C. arvensis plants treated with 10 mg Cr(VI) L(-1) accumulated 1512, 210, and 131 mg Cr kg(-1) in roots, stems, and leaves, respectively. While M. truncatula plants treated with the same Cr(VI) concentration accumulated 1081, 331, and 44 (mg Cr kg(-1)) in roots, stems, and leaves, respectively. Enzymatic assays demonstrated that Cr(VI) decreased ascorbate peroxidase activity and increased catalase activity in M. truncatula, while an opposite response was found in C. arvensis. The x-ray absorption spectroscopy studies showed that both plant species reduced Cr(VI) to the less toxic Cr(III).