Co-applied magnesium nanoparticles and biochar modulate salinity stress via regulating yield, biochemical attribute, and fatty acid profile of Physalis alkekengi L.

While previous studies have addressed the desirable effects of biochar (BC) or magnesium nanoparticles (Mg NPs) on salinity stress individually, there is a research gap regarding their simultaneous application. Additionally, the specific mechanisms underlying the effects of BC and Mg NPs on salinity in Physalis alkekengi L. remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the synergistic effects of BC and Mg NPs on P. alkekengi L. under salinity stress conditions. A pot experiment was conducted with salinity at 100 and 200 mM sodium chloride (NaCl), as well as soil applied BC (4% v/v) and foliar applied Mg NPs (500 mg L-1) on physiological and biochemical properties of P. alkekengi L. The results represented that salinity, particularly 200 mM NaCl, significantly reduced plant yield (58%) and total chlorophyll (Chl, 36%), but increased superoxide dismutase (SOD, 82%) and catalase (CAT, 159%) activity relative to non-saline conditions. However, the co-application of BC and Mg NPs mitigated these negative effects and improved fruit yield, Chl, anthocyanin, and ascorbic acid. It also decreased the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Salinity also altered the fatty acid composition, increasing saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), while decreasing monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). The heat map analysis showed that fruit yield, anthocyanin, Chl, and CAT were sensitive to salinity. The findings can provide insights into the possibility of these amendments as sustainable strategies to mitigate salt stress and enhance plant productivity in affected areas.

Foliar-applied silicon and selenium nanoparticles modulated salinity stress through modifying yield, biochemical attribute, and fatty acid profile of Physalis alkekengi L.

Soil salinity is a major environmental problem owing to its negative impact on agricultural productivity and sustainability. Nanoparticles (NPs) have recently been highlighted for their ability to alleviate salinity stress. The current study aimed to alleviate salt stress by using silicon (Si) and selenium (Se) NPs on the growth and physiological attributes of Physalis alkekengi L. Plants were irrigated with saline water at 50, 100, and 200 mM NaCl, and Si NPs (200 mg L-1) and Se NPs (50 mg L-1) were sprayed on leaves three times in a pot experiment in 2022. Leaf chlorophyll (Chl) content, antioxidant capacity, and fatty acid (FA) profile of fruits were measured to find the effects of NPs and salinity in the plants. Salinity at 50 mM did not significantly differ from the control, but at 100-200 mM, salt stress had a substantial impact on the majority of traits. Compared with non-saline conditions, 200 mM NaCl led to decreases in shoot weight (40%), fruit weight (30%), Chl a (30%), Chl b (39%), anthocyanin (31%), ascorbic acid (16%), total phenolic content (TPC, 11%) but increases in total soluble solids (TSS, 79%), titration acidity (TA, 17%), and TSS/TA (52%) in plants without spraying the NPs. However, Si and Se NPs modulated salinity stress by increasing shoot and fruit weight, Chl content, anthocyanin, and TPC, and with decreasing TSS and TSS/TA. Salinity elevated polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and lowered monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). According to multivariate analysis, 50 mM and control were found to be in the same cluster, whereas 100 and 200 mM were shown to be in different clusters. Foliar application of Si and Se NPs at 200 and 50 mg L-1, respectively, can be recommended for mitigating salt stress at 100-200 mM NaCl in P. alkekengi L. Plants. Farmers can use the findings to increase the ability of Si and Se NPs to protect plants against salt.

Genetic diversity analysis of Eggplant Germplasm from Iran: assessments by morphological and SSR markers.

BACKGROUND: Eggplant is an important vegetable that has long been cultivated in different parts of Iran. The major objectives of the eggplant breeding program are to improve fruit quality, increase yield performance through heterosis breeding, and introduce abilities of pest and disease resistance from wild relatives. In order to select suitable parents for breeding purposes, with respect to the genetic and morphological diversity of eggplant cultivars, it is necessary to have sufficient knowledge of genetic diversity and classification of germplasms. METHODS: This experiment was conducted in a randomized block design at the Seed and Plant Improvement Institute (SPII) in Karaj, Iran. Here, morphological diversity was assessed among a collection of eggplants which comprised four Iranian lines and 13 non-Iranian genotypes. For this purpose, 16 morphological traits were analyzed in the plants. Given the weakness of morphological analysis in providing precise characterizations of genetic divergence, a molecular study was also carried out by using five Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers. In addition to the univariate analysis, the multi-descriptor variation was studied among the genotypes using two methods of multivariate analyses. RESULTS: The genotypes differed significantly in terms of the morphological traits. The multivariate analyses of morphological data indicated that eggplants from two different origins were clearly differentiated. Three main clusters were distinguished by a morphological UPGMA dendrogram in which non-Iranian genotypes, with the exception of 11,212, constituted cluster I and required the maximum number of days to flower, days to fruit set, and days to first harvest. Cluster II was identified with two Iranian lines BJ30, Y60, and one non-Iranian genotype (11,212) which showed the highest values of stem diameter, fruit diameter, fruit length, fruit length-to-width ratio, number of fruits per plant, and yield. Cluster III comprised two Iranian lines, D1 and D7, and showed the maximum plant height, number of internodes, number of nodes, number of leaves, number of stems, fruit weight, and fruits weight per plant. The highest and lowest intra-cluster genetic distances were observed in cluster I and cluster II, respectively. Based on SSR analysis, high levels of similarity were detected between several genotypes, namely, Y60 and 13,411; BJ30 and 1111; D7 and 13,521; 21,881 and 13,421. CONCLUSIONS: High levels of heterozygosity and polymorphism information content (PIC) were observed in this study. This not only indicated high levels of polymorphism and an equal distribution of the evaluated loci but also suggested that these genotypes can be considered for the development of diverse parental lines which are of interest in breeding programs.