BMC Plant Biology最新文献

{"title":"Correction: Genome-wide association mapping reveals genetic loci underlying phenotypic variation in early root vigour improvement induced by osmopriming in Brassica napus L.","authors":"Kingsley Onyinye Ibeabuchi, Maira Marins Dourado, Stefan Scholten, Ulf Feuerstein","doi":"10.1186/s12870-026-09985-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12870-026-09985-7","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9198,"journal":{"name":"BMC Plant Biology","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13670473/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149191484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Eco-friendly management of cercospora leaf spot disease in sugar beet using ZnO and MgO nanoparticles.","authors":"Heba-Alla S AbdElfatah, Nashwa M A Sallam, Hadeel M M Khalil Bagy, Mohamed S Mohamed, Mennatallah M A El-Geddawy, Rofida F Moftah, Mohamed Abd El-Aal","doi":"10.1186/s12870-026-09965-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12870-026-09965-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cercospora leaf spot, caused by Cercospora beticola, is the most destructive disease of sugar beet. This study evaluated zinc oxide (ZnO) and magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles (NPs) as sustainable alternatives to chemical fungicides.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In vitro experiments, at a concentration of 90 ppm, the fungal inhibition rate of MgO NPs reached 58.33%, higher than the 52.08% recorded for ZnO NPs. SEM observations confirmed that both types of nanoparticles caused severe distortion and deformation of the mycelium of the tested fungi. However, under greenhouse and field conditions, ZnO NPs provided superior disease control, reducing disease severity by up to 50.92%. Both also raised crop phenolic content and boosted PO, PPO, and PAL enzyme activity, peaking 6 days post-treatment. Treated crops showed higher root yield and sucrose and less unwanted sugar than untreated controls.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Both ZnO and MgO nanoparticles represent promising alternatives to conventional fungicides for the management sugar beet leaf spot disease. Although MgO NPs were more effective in vitro, ZnO NPs were more effective in greenhouse and field conditions. They can also enhance sugar beets' defense responses, root yield, and sucrose content, and can be incorporated into the sustainable plan for integrated sugar beet disease management.</p>","PeriodicalId":9198,"journal":{"name":"BMC Plant Biology","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13670523/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149191472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genome-wide identification and characterization of the galactinol synthase (GmGolS) gene family and its expression under drought, heat, and combined stress in soybean.","authors":"Sobhi F Lamlom, Nada S Ibrahim, Nagy S Radwan, Nader R Abdelsalam","doi":"10.1186/s12870-026-09943-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12870-026-09943-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Galactinol synthase (GolS) catalyzes the first committed step in raffinose family oligosaccharide (RFO) biosynthesis and is implicated in plant adaptation to abiotic stress. Although GolS gene families have been characterized in several plant species, a comprehensive genome-wide analysis in soybean has been lacking. Here, we identified 25 GmGolS genes in the soybean genome, ranging from 328 to 644 amino acids in length, and characterized their genomic organization, evolutionary history, and stress-responsive expression. The 25 GmGolS genes were distributed unevenly across 11 chromosomes, with chromosomes 3 and 19 showing the highest gene density. Phylogenetic analysis with orthologs from Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa classified all GolS proteins into six groups, and structural conservation within groups suggests shared functional ancestry. Synteny analysis indicated that segmental duplication, supported by tandem clusters on chromosomes 4 and 5, appears to be the predominant mechanism underlying family expansion, with duplication events estimated to span from approximately 0.20 to 112.87 million years ago. Ka/Ks analysis of duplicate gene pairs indicated values predominantly below 1, consistent with purifying selection acting on this family since duplication. Subcellular localization predictions suggested diverse targeting to chloroplasts, the cytoplasm, and the plasma membrane, pointing to potential multi-compartment roles, while protein-protein interaction network analysis linked GmGolS proteins to carbohydrate-metabolism and stress-responsive partners, and homology modeling indicated a conserved GT8 fold consistent with the catalytic requirements for galactinol synthesis. To examine stress-responsive expression, RT-qPCR was performed on three soybean cultivars subjected to drought, heat, and combined stress at the seedling stage. GmGolS genes displayed variable and stress-specific expression patterns, with combined stress eliciting the strongest transcriptional response overall. GmGolS-3, GmGolS-9, GmGolS-10, GmGolS-13, and GmGolS-17 showed comparatively higher expression across treatments, with GmGolS-3 and GmGolS-9 most strongly induced under combined stress; by contrast, GmGolS-11 responded primarily to heat stress alone, and GmGolS-13 was consistently downregulated across all treatments, suggesting functional divergence within the family. Taken together, these findings provide a foundation for understanding the evolution and stress-responsive functions of the GmGolS gene family in soybean and identify GmGolS-3 and GmGolS-9 as candidates warranting further investigation, though functional validation is required to confirm the precise biological roles of individual members.</p>","PeriodicalId":9198,"journal":{"name":"BMC Plant Biology","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13660067/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149163911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Valorization of sugar industry byproducts for cost-effective Chlorella vulgaris MU-22 production: assessment of bioactive extracts and biofertilizer potential on bell pepper (Capsicum annuum).","authors":"Amany M Atia, Yasmin M Heikal, Ahmed Ramadan El-Rokh, Eladl Eltanahy","doi":"10.1186/s12870-026-09964-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-09964-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microalgae have garnered increasing attention due to their diverse applications in biotechnology, agriculture, and environmental sustainability. However, the high cost of microalgal cultivation remains a significant barrier to large-scale utilization. This study aimed to reduce the production cost of freshwater-isolated Chlorella vulgaris MU-22 by supplementing Bold Basal Medium (BBM) with hydrolyzed molasses, a low-cost byproduct of sugarcane and sugar beet processing. The effects of molasses supplementation on the growth performance and biochemical composition of C. vulgaris MU-22 were evaluated under mixotrophic conditions. Molasses supplementation significantly improved C. vulgaris MU-22 growth, increasing maximum cell density from 274 × 10⁴ cells mL⁻¹ (control) to 929 × 10⁴ cells mL⁻¹ at 1.0 g glucose L⁻¹ and raising optical density to 2.459 at 2.0 g glucose L⁻¹. Photosynthetic efficiency remained high under all treatments (Fv/Fm = 0.770-0.785), indicating enhanced biomass production without detrimental effects on photosynthetic performance. The biochemical profile of C. vulgaris MU-22 showed enriched levels of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, chlorophylls, carotenoids, total flavonoids, and phenolic compounds. Furthermore, the bioactive extracts of the cultivated microalga were assessed for their antibacterial, antioxidant, insecticidal, antigenotoxic, cytotoxic, and biofertilizer properties, particularly in relation to the growth and health of Capsicum annuum L. The findings highlight the potential of molasses as a sustainable carbon source for cost-effective microalgal cultivation and support the multifunctional application of C. vulgaris biomass in agriculture and biocontrol.</p>","PeriodicalId":9198,"journal":{"name":"BMC Plant Biology","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149171399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification of drought-tolerant and stable mung bean genotypes using stress tolerance indices.","authors":"Mohamed R Asaad, Hassan A H Soltan, Hanaa S H Bakry, Bahaa Abugammie, Islam M Y Abdellatif","doi":"10.1186/s12870-026-09706-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12870-026-09706-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Mung bean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) is an important grain legume increasingly cultivated in water-limited environments. However, strong genotype × environment interaction (GEI) often complicates the identification of broadly adapted and drought-tolerant genotypes. This study integrated multi-environment phenotypic evaluation with molecular characterization to identify superior mung bean genotypes for stressful environments.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Nine mung bean genotypes were evaluated under two irrigation regimes across two growing seasons. Environmental effects accounted for more than half of the total variation in seed and biological yields, while drought stress reduced seed yield by 25.66% across genotypes. Green seed fresh weight per pod, green pod fresh weight, and thousand-seed weight exhibited high broad-sense heritability coupled with high genetic advance, indicating favorable prospects for selection. Stress tolerance index (STI), geometric mean productivity (GMP), and mean productivity (MP) were strongly associated with grain yield under drought conditions. Multi-environment analyses revealed significant GEI, with the first two AMMI interaction principal components explaining 95.04% of the interaction variance. GGE biplot and complementary stability statistics consistently identified G8 as the highest-yielding genotype and G6 as the most stable across environments, whereas G8, G3, and G6 combined superior productivity with favorable yield stability. SCoT marker analysis generated 44 amplification products, of which 42 were polymorphic (95.45%), confirming substantial genetic diversity among the evaluated genotypes. The molecular analysis further supported the phenotypic differentiation of the superior genotypes, particularly the mutant-derived genotype G6, thereby strengthening confidence in its selection as a valuable breeding resource.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The integration of drought tolerance indices, multi-environment stability analyses, and SCoT molecular markers provided a framework for identifying superior mung bean genotypes under contrasting irrigation conditions. G8 was identified as the most productive genotype, whereas G6 combined broad adaptation with high yield stability and detectable molecular differentiation from its parental genotype (G1). These findings provide valuable genetic resources for developing climate-resilient mung bean cultivars and demonstrate the advantage of combining phenotypic and molecular approaches to improve breeding decisions under water-limited environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":9198,"journal":{"name":"BMC Plant Biology","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13656518/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149164185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genotype performance, biochemical and anatomical response of two mango rootstocks to glycine betaine and algae extract under salinity stress.","authors":"Mohamed S Gawish, Atef M Abo-Ogiala, Elsayied A E Abdel-Aziz, Essam-Eldin A Ahmed, Mohamed S Abo El-Enien, Abdel-Moety Salama","doi":"10.1186/s12870-026-09893-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12870-026-09893-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Salinity is a major abiotic constraint limiting mango (Mangifera indica L.) production, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. This study evaluated the effects of foliar application of glycine betaine (GB) and algae extract (AE) on the growth, physiological, biochemical, and anatomical responses of two mango rootstocks, Sokkary and Gahrawy, irrigated with tap water, 1500 ppm, or 3000 ppm seawater.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Salinity significantly reduced plant height, stem diameter, leaf area, chlorophyll content, and the K⁺/Na⁺ ratio, while increasing malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and antioxidant enzyme activities. At 3000 ppm, untreated plants reached only 24-25 cm in height, whereas GB application in Gahrawy and AE application in Sokkary substantially alleviated this inhibition, restoring height to 42.25 and 40.00 cm, respectively. Gahrawy exhibited greater intrinsic salinity tolerance, with higher K⁺ retention (2.174%), endogenous glycine betaine (2.91 µmol g⁻¹ DW), and antioxidant capacity (40.23% DPPH scavenging). In contrast, Sokkary responded more strongly to biostimulant application, particularly GB under severe salinity. GB improved osmotic adjustment, ion homeostasis, and chlorophyll stability, increasing plant height to 50.0 cm in Gahrawy at 1500 ppm and reducing leaf Na⁺ accumulation by up to 51% at 3000 ppm. AE enhanced antioxidant activity (53.0% DPPH scavenging), leaf expansion, and vascular development. Anatomical analyses revealed genotype-specific structural adaptations associated with salinity tolerance.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Salinity tolerance depended on the interaction among genotype, salinity level, and biostimulant treatment. GB and AE effectively alleviated salt-induced damage through complementary physiological and anatomical mechanisms, supporting their use as sustainable strategies to improve mango production under saline conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":9198,"journal":{"name":"BMC Plant Biology","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13621527/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149073303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolutionary characteristics of the GAPDH gene family and functional characterization of TaGAPDH5 in wheat.","authors":"Huaqing Li, Yang Liu, Pengxia Guo, Yesong Tian, Yang Yu, Teng Li, Yulong Song, Weiguo Hu, Donghong Min","doi":"10.1186/s12870-026-09787-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-09787-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a key glycolytic enzyme that also plays important roles in plant responses to abiotic stresses. However, the evolutionary relationships of the GAPDH genes among wheat species with different ploidy levels remain poorly understood, and the key TaGAPDH members involved in the drought response of wheat have yet to be identified.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In this study, we identified 5, 6, 13, and 19 GAPDH proteins in Triticum urartu, Aegilops tauschii, Triticum turgidum, and Triticum aestivum with different ploidy levels. All identified GAPDH proteins harbored the conserved Gp_dh_N and Gp_dh_C domains and were phylogenetically assigned to four subfamilies: GAPA, GAPB, GAPC, and GAPCp. Gene structure and conserved motif analyses indicated overall conservation of the GAPDH family but clear divergence among subfamilies, with Motif 13 emerging as a characteristic motif unique to GAPB. Cis-element prediction revealed that the promoters of TaGAPDH genes contain numerous putative cis-acting elements associated with responses to drought and light. Transcriptomic profiling further verified that TaGAPDH genes exhibited tissue-specific expression patterns and were actively responsive to drought stress. Expression trend correlation analysis of drought-responsive transcriptomic data suggested a potential regulatory association between TaMYB-7D and TaGAPDH5. Consistently, transient dual-luciferase assays showed that TaMYB-7D activates the TaGAPDH5 promoter. Under drought stress, TaGAPDH5 overexpressing Arabidopsis thaliana lines displayed less intense DAB and NBT staining, higher soluble sugar contents, reduced wilting, and fewer dead leaves than wild type plants.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Collectively, this study characterized GAPDH gene family members in wheat species of different ploidy levels and identified TaGAPDH5 as a potential drought tolerance candidate, providing a basis for further functional validation and possible application in drought tolerance breeding.</p>","PeriodicalId":9198,"journal":{"name":"BMC Plant Biology","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13637277/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149104227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A PCA-based deep feature optimization framework for explainable orange fruit disease classification.","authors":"Amruta Hingmire, Avinash Golande, Vinodkumar Bhutnal, Sagar Dhanraj Pande, Tanuja Pande","doi":"10.1186/s12870-026-09984-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12870-026-09984-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accurate classification of orange fruit diseases is important for precision agriculture and yield protection. This study develops and rigorously benchmarks a hybrid deep-feature framework for classifying Black Spot, Canker, Fresh, and Greening oranges (1,090 images), combining deep feature extraction, PCA-based dimensionality reduction, and classical machine-learning classification. Eight backbones (seven CNNs and a Vision Transformer, ViT) and four classifiers (32 configurations in total) were evaluated under 5 × 5 repeated stratified cross-validation, with PCA fitted exclusively on training-fold features in every iteration to eliminate data leakage. The proposed ViT + PCA+SVM configuration achieved the highest mean accuracy, 99.12%±0.71%, significantly outperforming every CNN-based backbone, including DenseNet201 + PCA + SVM (98.48%±0.81%, p < 0.001). A dedicated variance-retention sensitivity analysis justifies the 98% threshold used throughout, and ablation experiments confirm that PCA substantially reduces feature dimensionality (by ~ 55.7% for ViT and ~ 76.6% for DenseNet201) without a significant loss of accuracy for either backbone. Explainability analysis - occlusion sensitivity and SHAP for the proposed ViT model, and Grad-CAM and SHAP for the DenseNet201 comparison model - shows that both configurations base predictions on biologically relevant, disease-affected regions of the fruit rather than spurious cues. These results identify ViT + PCA+SVM as the most accurate configuration evaluated, with DenseNet201 + PCA + SVM as a closely competitive, more compact convolutional alternative for intelligent orchard disease-monitoring systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":9198,"journal":{"name":"BMC Plant Biology","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13656406/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149164381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction: Combined metabolome and transcriptome to analyze the regulatory network of key enzymes in the synthesis of senkirkine in Emilia sonchifolia.","authors":"Jinli Yao, Yanqing Qin, Dongping Tu, Yumei Huang, Liuguan Liang, Wenhui Cai, Mingli Huang, Xiaoqi Zhu, Xinling Lao","doi":"10.1186/s12870-026-09987-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12870-026-09987-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9198,"journal":{"name":"BMC Plant Biology","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13599323/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149023851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Response of geranium to soil applications of Azolla and Moringa extracts: effects on growth, essential oil and physiological parameters.","authors":"Hala S Abd-Rabbu, Fatma S Aboud, Khalid A Khalid","doi":"10.1186/s12870-026-09900-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12870-026-09900-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens L.) is an important aromatic plant valued for its essential oil; however, its cultivation in sandy soils is often constrained by poor fertility and limited water-holding capacity. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Azolla and Moringa extracts on growth, essential oil and physiological traits of geranium grown under sandy soil conditions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Azolla extract at concentrations of 50 and 75% and Moringa extract at 5 and 10% were supplied through irrigation water throughout the growing season, and the plants were harvested on two occasions. Data were statistically analyzed using 2 ways analysis of variance (ANOVA-2).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Obtained results demonstrated that both extracts enhanced morphological and physiological characteristics relative to the control treatment. Application of 10% Moringa extract produced the greatest improvement in all measured parameters compared with the untreated control: Plant height, branch number, and biomass (fresh and dry) increased by 2.5-2.6 fold, 2.1-2.3 fold and 2 -2.1 fold, respectively. Chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoid increased by 1.7 fold, 2 fold and 1-1.3 fold, respectively. Essential oil content (%) and essential oil yield increased by 1.1-1.4 fold and 1.4-2.3 fold, respectively. Essential oil major components (citronellol, geraniol and α-gurjunene) and its major group (oxygenated monoterpene) increased by 2.4, 3.3, 2.7 and 2.3 fold, respectively. Phenols, flavonoids, inhibition of free radical, carbohydrate and crude protein increased by 1.5-1.6 fold, 1.6-1.9 fold, 1.7-1.8 fold, 2.3 fold and 1.5-1.8 fold, respectively. N, P and K content improved by 1.5-1.8 fold, 2.5 fold and 1.5-1.7 fold, respectively. N, P and K uptake increased by 3.1-3.6 fold, 5-25 folds and 2.9-3.3 fold, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Overall, the application of Azolla or Moringa extracts proved to be an effective and environmentally friendly strategy for improving geranium performance and essential oil production in sandy soils. These natural biostimulants offer a sustainable alternative to synthetic inputs and may support the commercial cultivation of geranium in newly reclaimed and desert lands.</p>","PeriodicalId":9198,"journal":{"name":"BMC Plant Biology","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13591884/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149015664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}