Journal Description
Biology and Life Sciences Forum
Biology and Life Sciences Forum
is an open access journal dedicated to publishing findings resulting from conferences, workshops, and similar events, in all areas of biology, life sciences and at the interface of related disciplines. The conference organizers and proceedings editors are responsible for managing the peer-review process and selecting papers for conference proceedings.
Latest Articles
Organic Amendments for Growth, Yield and Quality of Green Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.)
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2024, 30(1), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/IOCAG2023-17342 - 18 Apr 2024
Abstract
Fresh and green leafy vegetables are an inevitable part of human nutrition. Leafy coriander is one of the most important condiments in the world and requires adequate fertilizer input for higher production. Expanding population constraints have compelled many countries to use pesticides and
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Fresh and green leafy vegetables are an inevitable part of human nutrition. Leafy coriander is one of the most important condiments in the world and requires adequate fertilizer input for higher production. Expanding population constraints have compelled many countries to use pesticides and fertilizers in order to boost farm production and fulfil their ever-increasing food demands. To stimulate the rapid and sumptuous growth of leafy vegetables like coriander, farmers apply a lot of nitrogenous fertilizers, resulting in poor quality and shelf lives. The application of organic amendments can solve this issue by improving the quality of coriander, as well as prolonging its shelf life. Moreover, various research work has been carried out in India and abroad on coriander as a seed spice, but limited research has been conducted on coriander as a condiment. Hence, this investigation was taken up. The experiment was prepared with seven treatments in a randomized block design and was replicated three times in the organic block of the Experimental Farm at Assam Agricultural University, India. The data from the respective field experiment were subjected to appropriate statistical analysis, as per the procedure proposed by Panse and Sukhatme. The result of the present investigation revealed that T7 (enriched compost @ 5 t ha−1) could produce the maximum yield with the highest benefit–cost ratio of 3.18, along with the best performance in terms of the quality of produce. Therefore, T7 can be inferred as farmer-friendly for sustainable production due to its efficiency, higher net return in comparison to other treatments, and minimal impact on the environment (and thus its adoption can be taken into consideration under field conditions).
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Potential of Achyrocline satureioides Ethanolic Extract in the Control of Spodoptera littoralis
by
Rafaela Regina Fantatto and Rosemeire Cristina Linhari Rodrigues Pietro
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2024, 30(1), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/IOCAG2023-17338 - 18 Apr 2024
Abstract
The species Spodoptera littoralis is one of the most destructive agricultural pests in tropical and subtropical areas, causing significant losses to farmers; alternative forms of control are therefore necessary. This study aims to evaluate ethanolic extracts from leaves and inflorescences of Achyrocline satureioides
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The species Spodoptera littoralis is one of the most destructive agricultural pests in tropical and subtropical areas, causing significant losses to farmers; alternative forms of control are therefore necessary. This study aims to evaluate ethanolic extracts from leaves and inflorescences of Achyrocline satureioides as a potential control agent for Spodoptera littoralis. The ethanolic extract was prepared via maceration and a bioassay was carried out in five replications with sixth instar S. littoralis larvae, using the Food Deterrence methodology; the larvae continued to feed until they had eaten 75% of the control or sample. The results demonstrated that the extracts from A. satureioides leaves and inflorescences at a concentration of 10 mg/mL inhibited 37.23% and 22.72% of S. littoralis feeding, respectively, indicating that the extracts have an inhibitory effect.
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Impact of Solid Grain Waste Digestate on Biometrics and Photosynthetic Parameters of Tomato (L. Lycopersicon esculentum) Seedlings
by
Samanta Kaupaitė, Julė Jankauskienė and Kristina Laužikė
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2024, 30(1), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/IOCAG2023-17343 - 18 Apr 2024
Abstract
Anaerobic digestate has been commonly used for the cultivation of vegetable seedlings and as one of the measures for improving peat substrate. Studies have shown that there has been further research conducted on the effect of anaerobic digestate on greenhouse vegetable seedlings. The
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Anaerobic digestate has been commonly used for the cultivation of vegetable seedlings and as one of the measures for improving peat substrate. Studies have shown that there has been further research conducted on the effect of anaerobic digestate on greenhouse vegetable seedlings. The main objective was to investigate the effect of the additional insertion of different rates of solid grain waste digestate into peat substrate on tomato seedling quality. The results showed that 10% of solid grain waste digestate (peat digestate) application with transplanted seedlings had better biometrical measures and photosynthetic parameters for tomato seedlings compared with the control variant.
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Ammonium and Lanthanum Impact Methane Oxidation and Methanotrophic Communities in Agricultural Soils
by
Irina K. Kravchenko
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2024, 30(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/IOCAG2023-17339 - 18 Apr 2024
Abstract
An ever-increasing amount of research is being performed on the stability and recovery of soil methane-oxidizing bacteria since this is one of the fundamental processes controlling the amount of methane in the atmosphere. Mineral fertilizers may alter the methane oxidation processes in agricultural
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An ever-increasing amount of research is being performed on the stability and recovery of soil methane-oxidizing bacteria since this is one of the fundamental processes controlling the amount of methane in the atmosphere. Mineral fertilizers may alter the methane oxidation processes in agricultural soils when they are introduced. Although ammonium (NH4+) is believed to have a significant impact on aerobic methane oxidation activity in soils, there is still little data on how it reacts with lanthanum (La). The recent identification of a novel class of lanthanum-containing enzymes in methanotrophic bacteria may be the foundation for controlling the function of the soil “methane filter” and related microbiota. In the current study, microcosms with agricultural sod-podzolic soils were created and incubated in air or 20% CH4 in the gas phase with the addition of NH4+ (100 µg/g) and La (5 µg/g) to the soil. Using GC analysis and high-performance 16S rRNA sequencing, the methane oxidation potential and composition of soil bacterial communities were studied over the month of incubation. A negative impact of NH4+ on the oxidation of methane was observed, whereas La had a somewhat beneficial effect. Ammonium had an impact on the composition of methanotrophs, and a significant shift was observed upon La addition. Proteobacteria made up a larger share of the soil microbial community, and Gammaproteobacteria dominated the methanotrophic populations. Methylobacter, a methanotroph, and Methylotenera, an obligatory methylotroph, were the two absolute dominants in the La-amended variants. These findings could help evaluate how lanthanum regulates methanotrophic communities in agricultural soils and lead to the creation of new strategies for controlling the “methane filter” in soil.
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Management and Quality Assurance of Irrigation Water in the Sustainable Production of Selenium-Enriched Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
by
Ana Coelho Marques, Diana Daccak, Inês Carmo Luís, Ana Rita F. Coelho, Cláudia Campos Pessoa, Manuela Simões, Paula Scotti-Campos, Ana Sofia Almeida, Maria Graça Brito, José Carlos Kullberg, Carlos Galhano, Fernando Reboredo, Paulo Legoinha, José C. Ramalho, José Manuel N. Semedo, Isabel P. Pais, Maria Manuela Silva, Maria Fernanda Pessoa, Lourenço Palha, Cátia Silva and Fernando C. Lidonadd
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Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2024, 30(1), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/IOCAG2023-17335 - 18 Apr 2024
Abstract
There is a growing need for strategic actions involving efficient water use, sustainable agricultural production, and food security. Agricultural productivity can be improved through good agricultural practices based on water-quality management, new genetically modified resources, and using precision agriculture. This study aimed to
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There is a growing need for strategic actions involving efficient water use, sustainable agricultural production, and food security. Agricultural productivity can be improved through good agricultural practices based on water-quality management, new genetically modified resources, and using precision agriculture. This study aimed to monitor the crop water (supply, irrigation, and flooding) of an advanced rice (Oryza sativa L.) line of the breeding program (OP 1509) subjected to Selenium (Se) enrichment. Water lines in a paddy rice field were monitored by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The parameters of pH, pHs, electrical conductivity, temperature, HCO3−, Cl−, SO42−, PO43−, Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ were analyzed. According to the Piper diagram, the samples were classified as sodium chloride bicarbonate (supply) and sodium bicarbonate chloride (irrigation and flooding). The Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) was calculated and indicated that waters are good to use in agricultural practices. According to the Wilcox classification, regarding agriculture use, the samples were classified as C2S1 (supply and irrigation) and C3S1 (flooding). The Selenium contents were analyzed by atomic absorption and significant differences were observed in rice grains, with a maximum content of 10 mg.kg−1. In conclusion, the water quality is in accordance with the parameters for use in this crop and the workflow used improved the grain quality.
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Open AccessProceeding Paper
Irrigation Water Management and Quality in Two Rocha Pear Orchards
by
Cláudia Campos Pessoa, Ana Coelho Marques, Ana Rita F. Coelho, Diana Daccak, Inês Carmo Luís, Manuela Simões, Paulo Legoinha, Maria Manuela Silva, Fernando H. Reboredo, Paula Scotti-Campos, Isabel P. Pais, José N. Semedo, José C. Ramalho and Fernando C. Lidon
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2024, 30(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/IOCAG2023-17341 - 18 Apr 2024
Abstract
Tackling human malnutrition resulting from mineral deficits in foods is currently an agro-industrial problem. To address this problem, an agronomic workflow to enrich Rocha pears with calcium (Ca) was considered in two orchards in Portugal. This study aims to assess quality differences in
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Tackling human malnutrition resulting from mineral deficits in foods is currently an agro-industrial problem. To address this problem, an agronomic workflow to enrich Rocha pears with calcium (Ca) was considered in two orchards in Portugal. This study aims to assess quality differences in the irrigation water of two orchards (of Rocha pear) where an agronomic Ca enrichment workflow would be performed and identify possible conditioning to Ca increases in fruits. Thus, electrical conductivity (EC), pH, pHs, cations (Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+), and anions (HCO3−, Cl−, and SO42−) were attained to calculate the Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) index and the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) and assess the agricultural use. The values of EC, pH, pHs, SAR index and LSI of both orchards varied between 1198 and 1211 µS/cm, 7.4 and 7.5, 7.7 and 8.1, 3.5 and 7.4, and −0.69 and −0.21, respectively. Regarding Piper classification, irrigation waters were classified as sodium bicarbonate (orchard 1) and sodium chloride bicarbonate (orchard 2). Both orchards presented different classifications regarding agricultural use, namely C3S1 (orchard 2) and C3S2 (orchard 1). The water of both orchards presented the same salinity hazard (C3), but the use of these irrigation waters is enabled since these trees can be considered salt-tolerant. However, regarding the alkalinization hazard to soils, the irrigation water from orchard 2 offers less danger (S1) in comparison to orchard 1 (S2). Meanwhile, a slightly inferior LSI (orchard 1) can favor a higher tendency to dissolve calcium carbonate. In conclusion, although slightly different, analysis indicated that the waters of both orchards did not induce toxicity in Rocha pear trees.
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Statement of Peer Review
by
Jay Fox
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2023, 24(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/IECT2023024016 - 12 Apr 2024
Abstract
In submitting conference proceedings to Biology and Life Sciences Forum, the volume editors of the proceedings certify to the publisher that all papers published in this volume have been subjected to peer review administered by the volume editors [...]
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Open AccessProceeding Paper
Variability of Allergen-Based Length Polymorphism of Glycine max L. Varieties
by
Adam Kováčik, Jana Žiarovská and Lucia Urbanová
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2024, 30(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/IOCAG2023-16879 - 11 Mar 2024
Abstract
Food allergies are an increasingly common phenomenon across all age groups and can be called an epidemic of modern times. Legumes are a nutritionally attractive crop because of their high protein content and well-balanced nutritional value. However, in addition to nutritionally valuable components,
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Food allergies are an increasingly common phenomenon across all age groups and can be called an epidemic of modern times. Legumes are a nutritionally attractive crop because of their high protein content and well-balanced nutritional value. However, in addition to nutritionally valuable components, they contain a relatively high amount of antinutritional factors such as glycosides, lectins, inhibitors of digestive enzymes, and antinutritional proteins, including allergens. Different genomic-based analyses of allergen-coding parts are relevant in research into legume gene resources. Here, a total of thirty different soybean varieties were analyzed for polymorphism based on the specific homologous sequences of genes for vicilin and profilin; products of both of these genes belong to allergenic molecules of this species. A total of 16 different amplicons were obtained when profilin was used as marker and 17 different amplicons were obtained when vicilin was used. Comparing both of the used techniques, vicilin provided more polymorphic profiles, but in five of analyzed varieties no amplicons were obtained. Profilin fingerprints provided a higher degree of similarity coefficients among individual varieties of the soybean. Both of used PCR-based techniques proved to be applicable for genomic-based screening of allergen homologs in the genetic resources of Glycine max L.
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A Light-Weight CNN Based Multi-Task Architecture for Apple Maturity and Disease Classification
by
Li Zhang and Jie Cao
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2024, 30(1), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/IOCAG2023-16881 - 11 Mar 2024
Abstract
Quickly and accurately judging the quality grades of apples is the basis for choosing suitable harvesting date and setting a suitable storage strategy. At present, the research of multi-task classification algorithm models based on CNN is still in the exploration stage, and there
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Quickly and accurately judging the quality grades of apples is the basis for choosing suitable harvesting date and setting a suitable storage strategy. At present, the research of multi-task classification algorithm models based on CNN is still in the exploration stage, and there are still some problems such as complex model structure, high computational complexity and long computing time. This paper presents a light-weight architecture based on multi-task convolutional neural networks for maturity (L-MTCNN) to eliminate immature and defective apples in the intelligent integration harvesting task. L-MTCNN architecture with diseases classification sub-network (D-Net) and maturity classification sub-network (M-Net), to realize multi-task discrimination of the apple appearance defect and maturity level. Under different light conditions, the image of fruit may have color damage, which makes it impossible to accurately judge the problem, an image preprocessing method based on brightness information was proposed to restore fruit appearance color under different illumination conditions in this paper. In addition, for the problems of inaccurate prediction results caused by tiny changes in apple appearance between different maturity levels, triplet loss is introduced as the loss function to improve the discriminating ability of maturity classification task. Based on the study and analysis of apple grade standards, three types of apples were taken as the research objects. By analyzing the changes in apple fruit appearance in each stage, the data set corresponding to the maturity level and fruit appearance was constructed. Experimental results show that D-Net and M-Net have significantly improved recall rate, precision rate and F1-Score in all classes compared with AlexNet, ResNet18, ResNet34 and VGG16.
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Legal Protection of New Plant Varieties: Lamiaceae Patent Cases Based on International Patent Classification
by
Reda El Boukhari and Ahmed Fatimi
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2024, 30(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/IOCAG2023-16882 - 11 Mar 2024
Abstract
This study aims to analyze patents relating to new plant varieties of Lamiaceae, a plant family recognized for the interest of these genera in the medicinal and aromatic fields. The study also seeks to identify the genera and species most exploited in
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This study aims to analyze patents relating to new plant varieties of Lamiaceae, a plant family recognized for the interest of these genera in the medicinal and aromatic fields. The study also seeks to identify the genera and species most exploited in innovative applications. To identify the latest trends in this area, we systematically reviewed patents concentrating on new varieties of Lamiaceae. The relevant patent documents were identified within a specialized database using the International Patent Classification. The United States encompasses all plant patents in this area, and it is considered the leading jurisdiction. This is also confirmed by the American organizations, which led the way with the most applicants. The Lamiaceae genera concerned with the legal protection of new plant varieties comprise 23 genera. Among them are Plectranthus, Salvia, and Lavandula, which present 55.4% of total patent documents in this area. The essential objective claimed by the majority of patent documents analyzed in this study is ornamental. Furthermore, other inventive purposes are also claimed in the patent documents, but with a low percentage, such as genetic engineering, the selection of a compound, etc.
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A Diseased Three-Species Harvesting Food Web Model with Various Response Functions
by
Thangavel Megala, Thangaraj Nandha Gopal, Manickasundaram Siva Pradeep and Arunachalam Yasotha
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2024, 30(1), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/IOCAG2023-16876 - 11 Mar 2024
Abstract
The purpose of this work is to present a three-species harvesting food web model that takes into account the interactions of susceptible prey, infected prey, and predator species. Prey species are assumed to expand logistically in the absence of predator species. The Crowley–Martin
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The purpose of this work is to present a three-species harvesting food web model that takes into account the interactions of susceptible prey, infected prey, and predator species. Prey species are assumed to expand logistically in the absence of predator species. The Crowley–Martin and Beddington–DeAngelis functional responses are used by predators to consume both susceptible and infected prey. Additionally, susceptible prey is consumed by infected prey in the formation of a Holling type II response. Both prey species are considered when prey harvesting is taken into account. Boundedness, positivity, and positive invariance are considered in this study. The investigation covers all the equilibrium points that are biologically feasible. Local stability is evaluated by analyzing the distribution of eigen values, while global stability is evaluated using suitable Lyapunov functions. Also, Hopf bifurcation is analyzed at the harvesting rate . At the end, we evaluate the numerical solutions based on our findings.
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Predicting Maturity of Coconut Fruit from Acoustic Signal with Applications of Deep Learning
by
Farook Sattar
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2024, 30(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/IOCAG2023-16880 - 11 Mar 2024
Abstract
This paper aims to develop an effective AI-driven method to predict the maturity level of coconut (Cocos nucifera) fruits using acoustic signals. The proposed sound-based autonomous approach exploits various deep learning models, including customized CNN pretrained networks, i.e., the ResNet50, InceptionV3,
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This paper aims to develop an effective AI-driven method to predict the maturity level of coconut (Cocos nucifera) fruits using acoustic signals. The proposed sound-based autonomous approach exploits various deep learning models, including customized CNN pretrained networks, i.e., the ResNet50, InceptionV3, and MobileNetV2, models for maturity level classification of the coconuts. The proposed study also demonstrates the effectiveness of various deep learning models to automatically predict the maturity of coconuts into three classes, i.e., premature, mature, and overmature coconuts, for inspecting the coconut fruits by using a small amount of input acoustic data. We use an open-access dataset containing a total of 122 raw acoustic signals, which is the result of knocking 122 coconut samples. The results achieved by the proposed method for coconut maturity prediction are found to be promising, which enables producers to accurately determine the yield and product quality.
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Statement of Peer Review
by
Gianni Bellocchi
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2023, 27(1), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2023027060 - 7 Mar 2024
Abstract
In submitting conference proceedings to Biology and Life Sciences Forum, the volume editors of the proceedings certify to the publisher that all papers published in the volume have been peer-reviewed by the volume editors [...]
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(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Agronomy)
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Preface: The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Agronomy
by
Gianni Bellocchi
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2023, 27(1), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2023027059 - 7 Mar 2024
Abstract
The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Agronomy (IECAG 2023) took place from 15 October to 30 October 2023, organized by Agronomy in collaboration with related open-access journals (Agriculture, Plants, and Horticulturae) of the academic open-access publisher MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute) [...]
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Preface: The 3rd International Electronic Conference on Nutrients
by
Maria Luz Fernandez, M. Luisa Bonet, Francisco J Pérez Cano and Egeria Scoditi
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2023, 29(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2023029028 - 7 Mar 2024
Abstract
The Third International Electronic Conference on Nutrients—Precision Nutrition and Nutrigenomics was held from 1 to 15 November 2023 [...]
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Statement of Peer Review
by
Maria Luz Fernandez, M. Luisa Bonet, Francisco J Pérez Cano and Egeria Scoditi
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2023, 29(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2023029027 - 7 Mar 2024
Abstract
In submitting conference proceedings to Biology and Life Sciences Forum, the volume editors of the proceedings certify to the publisher that all papers published in this volume have been subjected to peer review administered by the volume editors [...]
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Open AccessProceeding Paper
Effects of Calcium- and Seaweed-Based Biostimulants on Sweet Cherry Profitability and Quality
by
Marlene Santos, Carolina Maia, Inês Meireles, Sandra Pereira, Marcos Egea-Cortines, João Ricardo Sousa, Fernando Raimundo, Manuela Matos and Berta Gonçalves
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2023, 27(1), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/IECAG2023-15876 - 9 Jan 2024
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Abstract
Sweet cherry trees are one of the most important crops worldwide, producing fruits with high economic importance due to the nutritional value and bioactive properties of cherries, providing benefits to human health. Due to the currently unstable climatic conditions, cherry cracking has become
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Sweet cherry trees are one of the most important crops worldwide, producing fruits with high economic importance due to the nutritional value and bioactive properties of cherries, providing benefits to human health. Due to the currently unstable climatic conditions, cherry cracking has become a significant problem, strongly affecting the quality and yield of cherry orchards. A cracking rate of 20–25% at harvest can render cherry production unprofitable, decreasing the commercial value of the fruit, as only the cracked ones can be sold to processing industries. This study aims to assess the impact of calcium- and seaweed-based biostimulant applications on sweet cherry quality and profitability in cv. Sweetheart. Applying 300 g hL−1 of calcium led to a significant 52% reduction in the cracking index and a substantial 136% increase in orchard yield. Similarly, applying 150 mL hL−1 of seaweed resulted in a 2% increase in fruit weight and a 3% decrease in the cracking index. Therefore, our findings suggest that calcium- and seaweed-based biostimulants could serve as novel and sustainable alternatives for orchard producers, enhancing cherry profitability and marketability.
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A Study on the Antimicrobial Activity of Algae Extract: The Fucales Order Case
by
Aurora Silva, Maria Carpena, Stephanie Lopes Morais, Clara Grosso, Lucia Cassani, Frank Chamorro, Maria Fátima Barroso, Jesus Simal-Gandara and Miguel A. Prieto
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2024, 31(1), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/ECM2023-16695 - 9 Jan 2024
Abstract
Over the years, foodborne pathogens have caused countess health problems and massive financial losses. Therefore, an essential goal for the food industry is to prevent food contamination and the related foodborne illnesses as microbial contamination of food items during their acquiring and distribution
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Over the years, foodborne pathogens have caused countess health problems and massive financial losses. Therefore, an essential goal for the food industry is to prevent food contamination and the related foodborne illnesses as microbial contamination of food items during their acquiring and distribution processes is still a hygienic issue. Moreover, there is an important movement leading to the pursuit of more natural and safe food supplies and ingredients with a special emphasis on the vegan and vegetarian community; as a result, there has been a resurgence in demand for natural and eco-friendly products as a replacement for synthetic ingredients. In this context, and due to their active substances, macroalgae stand out as they are known for possessing antibacterial qualities among other abilities. Because of this, the current study updates our understanding of microbial pollutants in the food industry and compiles the latest updates on the scientific reports on antimicrobial activity of the edible brown algae species with special attention to the algae Bifurcaria bifurcata, Fucus spiralis, and Ascophyllum nodosum. These species which belong to the Phaeophyceae class and order Fucales are reportedly rich in active compounds and are still an undervalued resource. So, the ability of algal extracts to stop the growth of various significant food pathogens is reviewed herein, while considering their advantageous effects on food safety and quality issues.
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Trends and Geographical Distribution of Diphtheria in Nigeria: A Re-Emerging Disease
by
Surayya Mustapha Salim and Fatima Muhammed Hamza
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2024, 31(1), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/ECM2023-16693 - 9 Jan 2024
Abstract
Diphtheria is a highly contagious and deadly vaccine–preventable bacterial infection that affects a person’s nose, throat, and occasionally the skin. Diphtheria is fatal in 5–10% of cases; however, the case fatality rate (CFR) can be as high as 20–40% among children and unvaccinated
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Diphtheria is a highly contagious and deadly vaccine–preventable bacterial infection that affects a person’s nose, throat, and occasionally the skin. Diphtheria is fatal in 5–10% of cases; however, the case fatality rate (CFR) can be as high as 20–40% among children and unvaccinated adults. Currently, the number of diphtheria cases reported globally has being increasing gradually. Nigeria ranks number six in the list of countries by population with about 42.54% of its population below 14 years of age. Despite the availability of the antitoxin vaccine in the country, only 41.7% of children under 15 years of age are fully vaccinated, making the country more vulnerable to the disease. The study, therefore, aimed to examine the spread and trend of diphtheria in Nigeria since the major outbreak of the disease in December 2022. Data for the study were sourced from secondary sources. From December 2022 to January 2023, Nigeria recorded a total of 111 (42.1%) confirmed cases and 22 deaths, with a case fatality rate for confirmed/probable cases of 19.8% in four states. Out of the 111 confirmed cases, only a small percentage (10.8%) were vaccinated with the diphtheria toxin-containing vaccine. Additionally, the majority (91.9%) of the confirmed cases occurred in children aged 2–14 years. Since then, there has been a constant number of reported cases. As of 31 July 2023, the country recorded a total of 1534 confirmed cases in 11 states and 137 deaths, with a CFR of 8.9%. The majority (66.4%) of the confirmed cases occurred among children aged 1–14 years, with only 18.1% of the 1534 confirmed cases previously vaccinated. In this era of globalization, if prompt action is not taken, diphtheria will become a major threat not only to Nigeria but also globally.
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Pseudogymnoascus destructans as the Agent of White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) in Bat Populations
by
Andreia Garcês and Isabel Pires
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2024, 31(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/ECM2023-16696 - 9 Jan 2024
Abstract
Pseudogymnoascus destructans is a psychrophilic fungus that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS), an emerging disease in North America. This fungus has caused unprecedented population declines. It has also been described in Europe and Asia, where it has not caused significant mortality. The first evidence
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Pseudogymnoascus destructans is a psychrophilic fungus that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS), an emerging disease in North America. This fungus has caused unprecedented population declines. It has also been described in Europe and Asia, where it has not caused significant mortality. The first evidence of WNS in North America came from a photograph of a hibernating bat taken during the winter of 2005–2006 in a cave near Albany, New York. P. destructans develops when the body temperature decreases during winter hibernation. This fungus thrives in humid and cold conditions characteristic of caves. Infected bats can develop visible white fungal growth on the nose, ears, and wings, and awaken more frequently from torpor. It leads to physiologic changes that result in weight loss, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and the death of bats. The fungi can persist in the environments of underground bat hibernation sites and are believed to spread primarily by the natural movements of infected bats. Also, there is a strong possibility that it may also be transmitted by humans inadvertently carrying the fungus from cave to cave on their clothing and gear. WNS has a big impact on bat populations with high levels of mortality, particularly endangered species. Some populations will take many years to recover. The decline of bats also has an impact on the spread of diseases, since many species of bat feed on insect carriers of several pathogens.
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(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 2nd International Electronic Conference on Microbiology)
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