Scientia Horticulturae最新文献

{"title":"Elicitor potential of chitosan and its derivatives to enhancing greenhouse tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) performance under deficit irrigation conditions","authors":"Leila Jafari ,&nbsp;Mohammad Reza Shamekh ,&nbsp;Farzin Abdollahi ,&nbsp;Rasmieh Hamid","doi":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114259","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114259","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Elicitors such as chitosan have been investigated for their potential to alleviate the adverse effects of environmental stress on plants. A split-plot experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replications to examine the effects of chitosan and its derivatives on the performance of greenhouse tomato cv. Dafnis under deficit irrigation (DI) conditions. The experimental factors included irrigation levels (well-watered; WW as control, moderate (MD) and severe (SD) deficit irrigation) as the main factor, and foliar application of elicitors as the sub-factor, which included a control group (untreated plants), chitosan, and the chitosan derivatives N-Succinyl (NSU) and N, O-dicarboxymethylate (NOD). The study found that chitosan and its derivatives, particularly NSU, resulted in increased levels of leaf abscisic acid (ABA), reduced stomatal conductance (gs), decreased transpiration rate (TR), and consequently an increase in net photosynthesis (P_n) under DI conditions compared to untreated plants, with increases of 18 %, 22.0 %, 18.9 %, 27.4 %, and 8 %, respectively. While the interaction between DI and elicitors had no significant effect on peroxidase (POD), lycopene content, or total flavonoid content (TFC), NSU increased catalase (CAT) activity by 66.9 % compared to the control under SD conditions. In SD conditions, chitosan resulted in the highest total phenolic content (TPC), while NSU was most effective under WW and MD conditions. Elicitors, especially NSU, mitigated the negative effects of SD on total and marketable fruit yield (TFY and MFY). Under SD conditions, NSU-treated plants exhibited the highest MFY (104.7 tons ha^-1) and TFY (115.4 tons ha^-1), representing increases of 54.2 % and 33.3 % from the control, respectively. Additionally, deficit irrigation improved water use efficiency (WUE) indices in tomato plants, by reducing water consumption. The application of elicitors further enhanced these indices by increasing leaf ABA, lowering g_s and TR, increasing TFY and MFY, and decreasing unmarketable fruit yield (UFY). These results suggest that exploring chitosan derivatives for greenhouse tomatoes could enhance crop performance by improving WUE, fruit yield, and quality under deficit irrigation conditions. Based on these findings, NSU is proposed as a biological elicitor to mitigate the negative effects of water scarcity on tomatoes. However, further research is needed to assess its effectiveness in other crop plants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21679,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Horticulturae","volume":"349 ","pages":"Article 114259"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144549911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Functional analysis of pollen tube growth dynamics in banana (Musa spp.)","authors":"Astrid Severyns ,&nbsp;Hanne Claessen ,&nbsp;Rony Swennen ,&nbsp;Steven B. Janssens ,&nbsp;Rosemary Simba ,&nbsp;Allan Brown ,&nbsp;Nico De Storme","doi":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114268","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114268","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bananas and plantains (<em>Musa</em> spp.) are major tropical fruit crops, though the development of new cultivars is hindered by the high degree of female sterility in existing varieties. One major issue is the pollination step, and particularly the lack of optimized, research-based pollination practices. This study aimed to better understand pollen tube growth dynamics in <em>Musa</em> to inform and improve pollination strategies in breeding programs.</div><div>Pollen tube growth dynamics were assessed in several controlled crosses using both wild diploid and cultivated diploid/triploid varieties. Pre-anthesis pollination as well as the timing of pollination during the day (morning vs. evening), were also tested to evaluate their influence on pollen tube growth. We found that in wild diploids, pollen tubes reached the ovary within 48 h after pollination, while in cultivars pollen tubes progressed more slowly, reaching the ovary only after 72 h and in reduced numbers. Pollination of pistils before anthesis consistently resulted in less pollen adhesion and fewer and slower-growing pollen tubes. Similarly, using immature pollen during pollination in the evening led to less pollen tube growth. However, when mature pollen was used on pistils at anthesis, no difference was observed between morning and evening pollination. These results identified problems with pollen retention and pollen tube growth as key hybridization barriers in <em>Musa</em> cultivars. Despite these limitations, some pollen tubes still reached the ovary, suggesting room for improvement. We recommend using only post-anthesis flowers in breeding crosses to enhance pollination efficiency and fertilization success.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21679,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Horticulturae","volume":"349 ","pages":"Article 114268"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144549913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrated metabolomics and transcriptomics indicate an antagonistic relationship between low temperature stress and exogenous abscisic acid in β-ionone synthesis in Osmanthus fragrans ‘Liuye Yingui’ flowers","authors":"Yingyu Huang ,&nbsp;Hao Wei ,&nbsp;Ya Chen ,&nbsp;Xiulian Yang ,&nbsp;Lianggui Wang ,&nbsp;Yuanzheng Yue","doi":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114263","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114263","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Osmanthus fragrans</em> is valued as an ornamental tree appreciated for its fragrance, in which <em>β</em>-ionone is one of the most critical volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The distribution of <em>O. fragrans</em> is mainly limited by low temperature (LT), which in other species can also induce the synthesis of endogenous ABA and the formation of floral aroma. However, the regulatory relationship between LT and ABA on the floral aroma quality in <em>O. fragrans</em> remains unclear. In this study, flowers of <em>O. fragrans</em> ‘Liuye Yingui’ were treated with LT, ABA, or LT+ABA. Metabolic analysis of VOCs and PCA indicated that all three treatments produced clusters well separated from the control group. However, while both of ABA and LT+ABA treatments decreased the content of <em>β</em>-ionone, the LT treatment alone caused an increase. Notably, a significant enrichment in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway, which is closely associated with <em>β</em>-ionone synthesis was observed in the control vs. ABA and LT vs. LT+ABA groups, indicating that the ABA affects <em>β</em>-ionone contents mainly through its effects on the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. By conducting an analysis of the weighted gene co-expression network, a module of genes most positively correlated with <em>β</em>-ionone was identified, in which one hub structural gene <em>OfPDS3–2</em>, as well as three transcriptional factors <em>OfMYB187, OfATHB15</em>, and <em>OfTCP3</em> were indicated to have potentially important regulatory roles in <em>β</em>-ionone synthesis under LT and ABA stimuli. Together, these findings indicate that the promotion of <em>β</em>-ionone synthesis by LT can be negatively regulated by exogenous ABA and suggest useful genetic resources for the floral aroma improvement breeding in <em>O. fragrans</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21679,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Horticulturae","volume":"349 ","pages":"Article 114263"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144519212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Retraction notice to “Transcriptional and biochemical profiling of Bacillus strains regulating the growth of tomato via altering morpho-physiological and hormonal traits” [Scientia Horticulturae Volume 328, 15 March 2024, 112881]","authors":"Anam Moosa ,&nbsp;Faisal Zulfiqar ,&nbsp;Adel I. Alalawy ,&nbsp;Sanaa Almowallad ,&nbsp;Rehab F. Al-Massabi","doi":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114271","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114271","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":21679,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Horticulturae","volume":"349 ","pages":"Article 114271"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144596578","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"LED spectral light combination during production preserves the phytonutritional composition of green pea shoots (Pisum sativum L.) at postharvest storage","authors":"Octavia K. Selelepoo ,&nbsp;Semakaleng Mpai ,&nbsp;Dharini Sivakumar","doi":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114270","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114270","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pea shoots (<em>Pisum sativum</em> L) are becoming increasingly popular as a vital health ingredient. Under controlled growth conditions, LED lights facilitate the germination process and improve the nutritional quality of vegetables. This study evaluated the influence of three LED light treatments: Red (625 nm); Blue (458 nm), Red / Blue (1:1) at 81 μmol/m²/s light intensity; for 10 days (16 h and 8 h darkness), and control (white light white light at 81 μmol/m²/s light intensity and darkness) during production on the phytonutritional composition and antioxidant activity of pea sprouts after 10 days of cold storage at 5 °C, 85 % RH.</div><div>Red/Blue LED exposure significantly increased the levels of ascorbic acid (0.6 mg/100 g), leucine (520.76 mg/100 g), phenylalanine (804.19 mg/100 g), lysine (154.05 mg/100 g), non-essential amino acids, carotenoids [lutein (33.74 mg/100 g), zeaxanthin (6.84 mg/100 g, trans-β-carotene (51.85 mg/100 g), <em>cis</em> β- carotenes (10.76 mg/100 g)], phenolic compounds [epicatechin (6.98 mg/100 g), ferulic acid (26.58 mg/100 g)] and antioxidant activity at harvest (day 0) than all other treatments. On day 4, however, leucine, phenylalanine, and lysine concentrations remained unchanged from harvest (day 0). On day 4, pea shoots grown under Red/Blue LED light had significantly higher lutein, zeaxanthin, trans and cis-β carotenes, epicatechin, and ferulic acid. Despite this, a moderately higher phytonutrient content is still achievable for up to 6 days of postharvest storage.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21679,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Horticulturae","volume":"349 ","pages":"Article 114270"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144556738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Combined transcriptome and plant hormone analysis revealed the potential mechanism of fern-leaved tomato mutant formation","authors":"Xindun Wang ,&nbsp;Jiang Yue ,&nbsp;Chaozhong Zhang ,&nbsp;Shun Wang ,&nbsp;Xiaogang Xiang ,&nbsp;Jingyi Chen ,&nbsp;Hui Wang ,&nbsp;Wei Li ,&nbsp;Jianmin Yan","doi":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114273","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114273","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To investigate the molecular regulation mechanisms and metabolic pathways associated with tomato leaf abnormalities, we utilized the leaves of wild-type <em>Alisa Craig</em> (AC) and the fern-leaved tomato mutant (fern mutant) as experimental materials. Phenotypic identification revealed that the young leaves of the fern mutant presented strip-shaped ((Fern), similar to fern leaves., while the mature leaves reverted to a morphology similar to that of AC leaves (referred to as Fern-NL). However, the leaf cleavage in Fern-NL was not pronounced, and the fern mutant exhibited dwarfism with shortened internode lengths. Microscopic analysis of the leaves from both Fern and Fern-NL, using AC as a control, indicated that the upper epidermal cells of Fern were elongated, the lower epidermal cells were irregularly arranged, the palisade tissue was densely packed, and the spongy tissue was sparse. In contrast, no significant differences were observed between the upper and lower epidermis of Fern-NL and that of AC; both exhibited tightly arranged palisade tissue and densely but irregularly arranged spongy tissue. Transcriptome sequencing data analysis using DEGsq revealed 2525 (157 up-regulated, 955 down-regulated) genes differentially expressed in AC vs Fern, 4864 (1679 up-regulated, 3185 down-regulated) in Fern vs Fern-NL, and 5341 (2151 up-regulated, 319 down-regulated) in AC vs Fern-NL. Functional analysis indicated significant differences in DEGs related to intrinsic components of the plasma membrane, ion transmembrane transport activity, and stimulation response. KEGG enrichment analysis highlighted active enrichment of DEGs in pathways such as plant hormone signal transduction, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, plant-pathogen interaction, and carbon metabolism, suggesting their potential role in fern-leaved tomato mutant formation. Quantitative hormone analysis revealed significant alterations in auxin, cytokinin, gibberellin, abscisic acid, ethylene synthesis precursors, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, and zeatin levels in the Fern mutant. Treatment with auxin promoter NAA and inhibitor TIBA demonstrated Fern's heightened sensitivity to NAA and TIBA, with NAA promoting leaf recovery and TIBA delaying it. Comprehensive analysis indicates that differentially expressed genes regulating the auxin signaling pathway act in concert with imbalances in hormones such as jasmonic acid and abscisic acid, leading to abnormal arrangement of epidermal cells and densification of palisade tissue, which ultimately drives the formation of fern-like leaf morphology. These findings offer insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying tomato leaf dysplasia and serve as a valuable resource for germplasm innovation, genetic resource exploration, and cultivation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21679,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Horticulturae","volume":"349 ","pages":"Article 114273"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144587727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Foliar urea sprays induce budbreak in peach via rapid non-structural carbohydrate metabolism – A lower-toxicity alternative to hydrogen cyanamide","authors":"Jia Chuang Tan,&nbsp;Syuan-You Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114267","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114267","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Warm winters in subtropical regions often result in insufficient winter chill accumulation, leading to the unsatisfied chilling requirements in deciduous fruit crops, disrupting budbreak and reducing yield. Hydrogen cyanamide (HC) is the most effective commercial bud-breaking agent, but it poses safety and regulatory concerns. This study evaluated whether foliar urea sprays could serve as a lower-toxicity alternative to HC. We provide the first integrated assessment of non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) dynamics in both stem and root tissues following the chemical induction of budbreak. One-year-old potted ‘Tainung No. 7 HongLing’ peach (<em>Prunus persica</em> L.) trees grown in central Taiwan were treated with sprays of foliar urea (14 % and 20 %, w/v), HC (0.5 % and 1 %, v/v), or water (untreated control) on December 7 and 23 2022. We assessed treatment effects on defoliation, budbreak, dry weight distribution, and NSC concentrations in stems and roots. HC and foliar urea sprays effectively accelerated defoliation and budbreak compared to the untreated control. The HC treatment maintained stable NSC concentrations in stems and accumulated starch in roots, suggesting a more conservative resource-use strategy. In contrast, foliar urea sprays resulted in a pronounced depletion of glucose, fructose, and starch in both stems and roots, indicating strong carbon mobilization. Despite these differences, both treatments significantly increased dry weights of new shoot flushes, indicating successful bud dormancy release supported by internal carbon reserves. These findings suggest that foliar urea sprays are an effective and safer alternative to HC for dormancy release in low-chill peach. However, its use should be carefully managed to avoid long-term stress from carbon reserve depletion. This study provides physiological insights to guide the development of safer and more sustainable bud-breaking strategies under climate-induced chilling limitations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21679,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Horticulturae","volume":"349 ","pages":"Article 114267"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144519214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metabolomic and transcriptomic insights into yellow leaf coloration in Ginkgo biloba","authors":"Wanwen Yu ,&nbsp;Shuqing Zhang ,&nbsp;Fangting Xue ,&nbsp;Wenxuan Wei ,&nbsp;Minyue Cai ,&nbsp;Peng Xiang ,&nbsp;Qifei Cai ,&nbsp;Yan Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114274","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114274","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Ginkgo biloba</em> is cultivated worldwide as a landscape tree species for its golden foliage. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying leaf yellowing in ginkgo remain largely unknown. Here, the physiological, metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses were performed on normal green leaves (GL) and yellow-leaf mutants (YL). The value of a* (redness) in YL was lower, and the values of L* (lightness), and b* (yellowness) and a*/b* ratio in YL were higher than those in GL. The concentrations of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll <em>b</em>, carotenoid and flavonoids in YL were lower, and the ratios of chlorophyll a/b and carotenoid/chlorophyll in YL were higher than those in GL. Consistently, a number of differentially abundant metabolites and differentially expressed genes implicated in chlorophyll <em>b</em>iosynthesis and degradation and flavonoid biosynthesis were identified in YL vs. GL. For instance, the concentrations of protoporphyin IX, Mg-protoporphyin IX and protochlorophyllide, as late-stage chlorophyll <em>b</em>iosynthesis intermediates, in YL were lower when compared with those in GL. Concurrently, the transcript levels of genes associated with chlorophyll degradation, including <em>chlorophyllase</em> (<em>CLH</em>), <em>non-yellowing</em> (<em>NYE</em>) and <em>red chlorophyll catabolite reductase</em> (<em>RCCR</em>), were upregulated in YL vs. GL. Additionally, 85 differentially expressed transcription factors, such as <em>ERFs, bHLH</em>s and <em>MYBs</em>, were identified in YL vs. GL. Overall, these results indicate that chlorophyll concentration and proportion are significant for the leaf yellowing, and the limited chlorophyll <em>b</em>iosynthesis and accelerated chlorophyll degradation as well as differentially expressed transcription factors are essential for the lower chlorophyll concentration in yellow-leaf ginkgo mutant.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21679,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Horticulturae","volume":"349 ","pages":"Article 114274"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144587729","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"PbIAA26 plays an important role in pear floral induction","authors":"Shuliang Zhao ,&nbsp;Kairan Hu ,&nbsp;Jinhua Du ,&nbsp;Ziyi Zhang ,&nbsp;Xing Han ,&nbsp;Lixuan Deng ,&nbsp;Hongguang Pang ,&nbsp;Chunli Jiao ,&nbsp;Qingjiang Wang ,&nbsp;Fuhou Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114252","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114252","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Auxin is one of the key hormones in regulating plant growth and development. AUX/<em>IAA</em> genes belong to the early auxin response gene, and little was known about the role in floral induction of perennial woody plants. In this study, an AUX/<em>IAA</em> gene <em>gene31333</em>, that was renamed <em>PbIAA26</em>, was concerned by analyzing the gene transcription level of leaves related to the signal of floral induction in pear. In addition, 30 <em>AUX/IAA</em> genes (<em>PbIAAs</em>) were identified in pear, which were unevenly distributed on 10 chromosomes and classified into eleven groups by phylogenetic tree. Scanning <em>cis</em>-elements of <em>PbIAAs</em> promoters laid the foundation for other researchers to study the expression of regulatory <em>PbIAAs</em>. The expression of <em>PbIAAs</em> were similar in short branch leaves and long branch leaves during floral induction, except for <em>PbIAA26.</em> Meanwhile, overexpression of <em>PbIAA26</em> in <em>Arabidopsis</em> showed early flowering traits. This discovery proved that <em>PbIAA26</em> plays an important role in pear floral induction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21679,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Horticulturae","volume":"349 ","pages":"Article 114252"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144517701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing plant productivity by nature-based solutions: exploring plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) application on sterilized and non-sterilized Technosol for urban farming","authors":"Christian Lorenz ,&nbsp;Ermenegilda Vitale ,&nbsp;Chiara Piraino ,&nbsp;Stefany Castaldi ,&nbsp;Rachele Isticato ,&nbsp;Carmen Arena","doi":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114262","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114262","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change and urbanization are exacerbating environmental challenges, especially in the Mediterranean region, where soil degradation threats agriculture. Technosols—artificial soils created from organic and mineral waste—offer potential for urban greening and land restoration, but limit plant growth because of nutrient scarcity. This study investigates the use of Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB) to enhance lettuce growth in Technosols.</div><div>Plant growth performance was tested in sterile and non-sterile Technosols. Sterilized soil experiments isolated the plant-consortium relationship, avoiding interference from native microbes. Three PGPB <em>inocula</em> were tested: a Technosol-derived <em>consortium</em> (P3), halotolerant <em>Bacillus amyloliquefaciens</em> (RHFS18), and a combination of both (P4). In sterile Technosols, the P3 strain improved leaf traits, water content, and photosynthetic performance.</div><div>However, under non-sterile conditions, the benefits due to plant-PGPB relationships were reduced due to competition of PGPB and native microbiome, leading to increased oxidative stress in plants. The P3 treatment demonstrated higher specific leaf area with minimal root infection, while RHFS18 delayed leaf aging, improved water retention, and enhanced photosynthetic efficiency.</div><div>These findings highlighted the importance of soil context in optimizing the use of PGPB, offering a Nature-Based Solution for enhancing urban greening and agricultural productivity, utilizing plant-microbe interactions to address nutrient deficiencies in Technosols.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21679,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Horticulturae","volume":"349 ","pages":"Article 114262"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144519211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}