Unlocking the potential of blockchain technology in enhancing the fisheries supply chain: an exploration of critical adoption barriers in China.

The application of blockchain technology holds significant potential for improving efficiency, resilience, and transparency within the Fisheries Supply Chain (FSC). This study addresses the critical barriers hindering the adoption of blockchain technology (BT) in the Chinese FSC, recognizing the unique challenges posed by its intricacies. Through a comprehensive literature review, fourteen Critical Barrier Factors (CBFs) were identified, and a grey Delphi method was employed to distill this set. Five pivotal CBFs emerged, including "Regulatory Compliance," "Cost of Implementation," and "Complex Supply Chain Network". A subsequent grey Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) analysis revealed the causal relationships among these factors, categorizing them into effect and cause groups. "Regulatory Compliance," "Cost of Implementation," and "Complex Supply Chain Network" were identified as primary influencing factors demanding attention for effective BT integration in the FSC. The findings serve as a valuable resource for FSC stakeholders, assisting in prioritizing efforts to address these barriers. The discerned causal relationships provide guidance for managers in optimizing resource allocation. Ultimately, this research advocates for the adoption of blockchain technology in the fisheries supply chain to enhance overall performance and operational efficiency.

Rootstock scion interaction studies on various horticultural attributes of pomato grafts under protected structures.

Pomato is a horticultural wonder plant, as tomato and potato can be produced from a single plant. This experiment explored the influence of diverse graft combinations of tomato scions grafted onto potato rootstocks on various growth and yield-attributing traits. The investigation outcomes confirmed the significantly positive influence of scion grafted onto rootstock on various yielding attributes of tomato and potato harvested from pomato grafts. Scion "Rakshita" grafted onto the rootstock of Kufri Himalini had the maximum fruit length. In contrast, the fruits harvested from the graft combination of Avtar grafted onto Kufri Khyati had the maximum number of fruits per cluster and the number of fruits per plant. The highest average fruit weight, fruit yield per meter square, and total fruit yield quintal per hectare were recorded with control "Avtar. The longest harvest duration was noticed with the graft combination of Heemsohna grafted onto Kufri Himalini. Moreover, on, rootstock Kufri Himalini with scion Rakshita resulted in maximum tuber length, and average tuber weight, while Kufri Himalini with Avtar had maximum fruit width. The maximum number of tubers per plant was also noticed with Kufri Pukhraj with Palam Tomato hybrid -1. The potato harvested from the rootstock of Kufri Pukhraj with Avtar had the highest tuber yield per plant, total tuber yield quintal per hectare, and tuber equivalent yield. The highest survival percentage of grafted plants was noted in Heemsohna onto Kufri Jyoti. In context to the cumulative yield of tomato fruits and potato tubers obtained from the pomato graft was found to be incremented in grafts of Avtar grafted onto Kufri Pukhraj followed by Rakshita grafted onto Kufri Rakshita, which also resulted in the maximum benefit-cost ratio with highest net return and gross return. The graft combination of scion Avtar and Rakshita onto Rootstock Kufri Pukhraj resulted in a positive increment in yield attributing traits of the pomato plant than of control of un-grafted tomato and potato.

Spatial changes of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in peach and their correlation with soil properties.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi have beneficial effects on host plants, but their growth is influenced by various factors. This study was carried out to analyze the variation of AM fungi in soils and roots of peach (Prunus persica L. var. Golden Honey 3, a yellow-flesh variety) trees in different soil layers (0-40 cm) and their correlation with soil properties. The peach tree could be colonized by indigenous AM fungi (2.2-8.7 spores/g soil and 1.63-3.57 cm hyphal length/g soil), achieving 79.50-93.55% of root AM fungal colonization degree. The mycorrhizal growth, root sugars, soil three glomalins, NH4 +-N, NO3 --N, available P and K, and soil organic matter (SOM) had spatial heterogeneity. Soil spores, but not soil hyphae contributed to soil glomalin, and soil glomalin also contributed to SOM. There was a significant correlation of soil hyphae with spore density, soil NO3 --N, and SOM. Root mycorrhiza was positively correlated with spore density, NH4 +-N, NO3 --N, and easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein. Notably, spore density positively correlated with NO3 --N, available K, SOM, and root fructose and glucose, while negatively correlated with available P and root sucrose. These findings concluded that mycorrhiza of peach showed spatial distribution, and soil properties mainly affected/altered based on the soil spore density.

Genome-Wide Identification, Genomic Organization, and Characterization of Potassium Transport-Related Genes in Cajanus cajan and Their Role in Abiotic Stress.

Potassium is the most important and abundant inorganic cation in plants and it can comprise up to 10% of a plant's dry weight. Plants possess complex systems of transporters and channels for the transport of K+ from soil to numerous parts of plants. Cajanus cajan is cultivated in different regions of the world as an economical source of carbohydrates, fiber, proteins, and fodder for animals. In the current study, 39 K+ transport genes were identified in C. cajan, including 25 K+ transporters (17 carrier-like K+ transporters (KUP/HAK/KTs), 2 high-affinity potassium transporters (HKTs), and 6 K+ efflux transporters (KEAs) and 14 K+ channels (9 shakers and 5 tandem-pore K+ channels (TPKs). Chromosomal mapping indicated that these genes were randomly distributed among 10 chromosomes. A comparative phylogenetic analysis including protein sequences from Glycine max, Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Medicago truncatula Cicer arietinum, and C. cajan suggested vital conservation of K+ transport genes. Gene structure analysis showed that the intron/exon organization of K+ transporter and channel genes is highly conserved in a family-specific manner. In the promoter region, many cis-regulatory elements were identified related to abiotic stress, suggesting their role in abiotic stress response. Abiotic stresses (salt, heat, and drought) adversely affect chlorophyll, carotenoids contents, and total soluble proteins. Furthermore, the activities of catalase, superoxide, and peroxidase were altered in C. cajan leaves under applied stresses. Expression analysis (RNA-seq data and quantitative real-time PCR) revealed that several K+ transport genes were expressed in abiotic stress-responsive manners. The present study provides an in-depth understanding of K+ transport system genes in C. cajan and serves as a basis for further characterization of these genes.

Seed Priming with Brassinosteroids Alleviates Chromium Stress in Rice Cultivars via Improving ROS Metabolism and Antioxidant Defense Response at Biochemical and Molecular Levels.

This research was performed to explore the vital role of seed priming with a 0.01 µM concentration of brassinosteroids (EBL) to alleviate the adverse effects of Cr (100 µM) in two different rice cultivars. Seed priming with EBL significantly enhanced the germination attributes (germination percentage, germination energy, germination index, and vigor index, etc.), photosynthetic rate as well as plant growth (shoot and root length including the fresh and dry weight) under Cr toxicity as compared to the plants primed with water. Cr toxicity induced antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, POD, CAT, and APX) and ROS level (MDA and H2O2 contents) in both rice cultivars; however, a larger increment was observed in YLY-689 (tolerant) than CY-927 (sensitive) cultivar. EBL application stimulatingly increased antioxidant enzyme activities to scavenge ROS production under Cr stress. The gene expression of SOD and POD in EBL-primed rice plants followed a similar increasing trend as observed in the case of enzymatic activities of SOD and POD compared to water-primed rice plants. Simultaneously, Cr uptake was observed to be significantly higher in the water-primed control compared to plants primed with EBL. Moreover, Cr uptake was significant in YLY-689 compared to CY-927. In ultra-structure studies, it was observed that EBL priming relieved the rice plants from sub-cellular damage. Conclusively, our research indicated that seed priming with EBL could be adopted as a promising strategy to enhance rice growth by copping the venomous effect of Cr.

In Vivo Studies of Inoculated Plants and In Vitro Studies Utilizing Methanolic Extracts of Endophytic Streptomyces sp. Strain DBT34 Obtained from Mirabilis jalapa L. Exhibit ROS-Scavenging and Other Bioactive Properties.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and other free radicals cause oxidative damage in cells under biotic and abiotic stress. Endophytic microorganisms reside in the internal tissues of plants and contribute to the mitigation of such stresses by the production of antioxidant enzymes and compounds. We hypothesized that the endophytic actinobacterium Streptomyces sp. strain DBT34, which was previously demonstrated to have plant growth-promoting (PGP) and antimicrobial properties, may also have a role in protecting plants against several stresses through the production of antioxidants. The present study was designed to characterize catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD), two enzymes involved in the detoxification of ROS, in methanolic extracts derived from six endophytic actinobacterial isolates obtained from the traditional medicinal plant Mirabilis jalapa. The results of a preliminary screen indicated that Streptomyces sp. strain DBT34 was the best overall strain and was therefore used in subsequent detailed analyses. A methanolic extract of DBT34 exhibited significant antioxidant potential in 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) assays. The cytotoxicity of DBT34 against liver hepatocellular cells (HepG2) was also determined. Results indicated that methanolic extract of Streptomyces sp. strain DBT34 exhibited significant catalase and SOD-like activity with 158.21 U resulting in a 55.15% reduction in ROS. The IC50 values of a crude methanolic extract of strain DBT34 on DPPH radical scavenging and ABTS radical cation decolorization were 41.5 µg/mL and 47.8 µg/mL, respectively. Volatile compounds (VOC) were also detected in the methanolic extract of Streptomyces sp. strain DBT34 using GC-MS analysis to correlate their presence with bioactive potential. Treatments of rats with DBT34 extract and sitagliptin resulted in a significant (p ≤ 0.001) reduction in total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and VLDL-cholesterol, relative to the vehicle control and a standard diabetic medicine. The pancreatic histoarchitecture of vehicle control rats exhibited a compact volume of isolated clusters of Langerhans cells surrounded by acinies with proper vaculation. An in-vivo study of Streptomyces sp. strain DBT34 on chickpea seedlings revealed an enhancement in its antioxidant potential as denoted by lower IC50 values for DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity under greenhouse conditions in relative comparison to control plants. Results of the study indicate that strain DBT34 provides a defense mechanism to its host through the production of antioxidant therapeutic agents that mitigate ROS in hosts subjected to biotic and abiotic stresses.

MALDI-TOF-MS and 16S rRNA characterization of lead tolerant metallophile bacteria isolated from saffron soils of Kashmir for their sequestration potential.

Toxic metal contamination in soils due industrialization is nowadays a concern to the scientists worldwide. The current study deals with the evaluation of response and tolerance by isolated metallophilic bacteria in different lead concentrations (100 ppm to 1000 ppm). By taking optical densities of the isolates, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Pb2+ were determined.16S rRNA and MALDI-TOF MS were used for the identification of the bacteria. Total of 37 isolates were observed, among them 04 (Staphylococcus equorum, Staphylococcus warneri, Bacillus safensis and Bacillus thuringiensis), isolated were detected having efficacy of Pb2+tolerance and sequestration at varying MIC. Furthermore, B. thuringiensis was observed to have highest (900 ppm) tolerance for lead and lowest (500 ppm) for Staphylococcus warneri. Moreover, the highest (65.3%) sequestration potential has been observed for B. thuringiensis and least (52.8%) for S. warneri. The tolerance and sequestration potential properties of these isolated species can be utilised to exterminate heavy metals and reduce their toxicity from the contaminated environment.

Nutritional assessment study and role of green silver nanoparticles in shelf-life of coconut endosperm to develop as functional food.

Tender coconut water is a pure and nutritious drink which play important role as nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals contributes to the rapid growth of the functional food industry. In the mean-time the safety and shelf-life of the food is crucial for the both product as well as consumers. The intervention or application of nanotechnology gives immense a solution for the prolonged sustainability of the food products. This work reports on the nature of physiological changes of coconut liquid endosperm along with the interaction of its DNA with green route synthesized Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Garuga pinnata leaf, an important ethnomedicinal plant. The physical and nutritional study of the coconut water were carried by UV-visible, XRD, NMR analysis whereas the synthesized Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) were characterized by UV-Visible spectrophotometer, Raman Spectroscopy, DLS, AFM and FE-SEM analysis. The pH of the endosperm was found to decrease from 6.31 to 4.01, following an exponential decay trend and giving a decay constant of ~8.8 h. The broad absorption peak at ~310 nm gradually turns featureless with elapse of time. The proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H1-NMR) spectrum essentially revealed the presence of esters or organic acids, confirming a sudden fall in the rate of intensity in the immature coconut endosperms as compared to the matured coconut cases. While the pentosyl methyl group (~1.4-1.5 ppm) concentration is observably lowered, free amino acid (~1 ppm) is apparently suppressed in the former specimen. Gel electrophoresis of 10 kb DNA with Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) showed a gradual decrease of band intensity for a concentration varying between 3:1 and 1:1. The less intense band was due to the lack of migration of DNA into the micropores of the gel as a consequence of interaction of negatively charged DNA with negatively charged AgNPs. The study of DNA interaction with AgNPs could help identifying and addressing the nature of degradation process while considering prevention from microbial attack and make the coconut water as potential functional food entity.

Bacillus subtilis: A plant-growth promoting rhizobacterium that also impacts biotic stress.

Plants encounter many biotic agents, such as viruses, bacteria, nematodes, weeds, and arachnids. These entities induce biotic stress in their hosts by disrupting normal metabolism, and as a result, limit plant growth and/or are the cause of plant mortality. Some biotic agents, however, interact symbiotically or synergistically with their host plants. Some microbes can be beneficial to plants and perform the same role as chemical fertilizers and pesticides, acting as a biofertilizer and/or biopesticide. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can significantly enhance plant growth and represent a mutually helpful plant-microbe interaction. Bacillus species are a major type of rhizobacteria that can form spores that can survive in the soil for long period of time under harsh environmental conditions. Plant growth is enhanced by PGPR through the induction of systemic resistance, antibiosis, and competitive omission. Thus, the application of microbes can be used to induce systemic resistance in plants against biotic agents and enhance environmental stress tolerance. Bacillus subtilis exhibits both a direct and indirect biocontrol mechanism to suppress disease caused by pathogens. The direct mechanism includes the synthesis of many secondary metabolites, hormones, cell-wall-degrading enzymes, and antioxidants that assist the plant in its defense against pathogen attack. The indirect mechanism includes the stimulation of plant growth and the induction of acquired systemic resistance. Bacillus subtilis can also solubilize soil P, enhance nitrogen fixation, and produce siderophores that promote its growth and suppresses the growth of pathogens. Bacillus subtilis enhances stress tolerance in their plant hosts by inducing the expression of stress-response genes, phytohormones, and stress-related metabolites. The present review discusses the activity of B. subtilis in the rhizosphere, its role as a root colonizer, its biocontrol potential, the associated mechanisms of biocontrol and the ability of B. subtilis to increase crop productivity under conditions of biotic and abiotic stress.

Phytotherapeutic efficacy of the medicinal plant Terminalia catappa L.

Diabetes is a chronic, lifelong condition due to inadequate production of insulin or the cells does not properly respond it. Recently, the significance and effectiveness of herbal drugs associated with diabetes has emerged. The aim of the present study was to determine the anti-diabetic effects of Terminalia catappa L. leaves on streptozotocin (STZ)-treated rats. Two different concentrations of ethanolic leaf extract (300 and 500 mg/kg) of T. catappa were used to treat diabetic rats, and biochemical parameters were analyzed in blood samples. The results of herbal treatments were compared with the standard drug, glibenclamide. The ethanol extract (500 mg/kg) had significant anti-diabetic activity by altering blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, liver glycogen, glucose 6-phosphatase, fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase, glucokinase, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, urea, uric acid and creatinine levels while increasing insulin levels. Thus, the present study suggests that the supplementation of the diabetic patients with T. catappa leaves can lead to recovery from diabetic effects.

Effect of Carbon, Nitrogen Sources and Water Activity on Growth and Ochratoxin Production of Aspergillus carbonarius (Bainier) Thom.

BACKGROUND: Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by fungi belonging to Aspergillus and Penicillium genera. The production of OTA is influenced by environmental conditions and nutritional requirements. The postharvest application of bunches of table grape fruit (TGF), with water activity of 0.8 aw, was highly effective for controlling OTA contamination in vitro and in vivo (table grape). OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the influence of environmental conditions and nutritional requirements on growth and OTA production by Aspergillus carbonarius, as well as, the impact of water activity on OTA production and growth characters of A. carbonarius. Furthermore, we also examined the influence of the application of different levels of water activity (aw 0.8) on the preservation of the general appearance of TGF and control of their contamination with OTA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The growth and OTA production by A. carbonarius were studied using glucose-ammonium nitrate salt broth medium. Effect of water activity was studied using glycerol (0.80, 0.85, 0.90, and 0.98 aw). The bunches of table grape fruits were immersed in glycerol solution (equivalent to 0.80 aw) and placed as a double layer in cardboard boxes (25 × 35 × 10 cm). The boxes were stored at 20°C for 15 days to simulate local market conditions. RESULTS: The maximum OTA production by A. carbonarius was observed on broth medium after eight days of incubation at 20°C, with pH 4, and fructose and ammonium nitrate supplementation as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The water activity (0.9, 0.85 aw) caused significant decrease in OTA production by A. carbonarius. The postharvest application of water activity (0.8 aw) was highly effective for maintenance of the table grape quality, which was expressed as weight loss, firmness and decay, while it also controlled OTA contamination of fruits under concept of local market conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reported that deterioration of TGF by A. carbonarius could be minimized by application of aw. Our experiments were performed under conditions of local markets, which support the economy of many thousands of families in Egypt, especially in the poor rural areas. In future adequate research is required to use these technologies commercially.