Transcriptomic analysis reveals the molecular basis of photoperiod-regulated sex differentiation in tropical pumpkins (Cucurbita moschata Duch.).

Background: Photoperiod, or the length of the day, has a significant impact on the flowering and sex differentiation of photoperiod-sensitive crops. The "miben" pumpkin (the main type of Cucurbita moschata Duch.) is well-known for its high yield and strong disease resistance.

Biocontrol potential of lipopeptides produced by the novel strain Y17B against postharvest fruit rot of cherry.

The use of synthetic fungicides against postharvest rot adversely affects human health and the environment. In this study, as a safe alternative to fungicides, strain Y17B isolated from soil exhibited significant antifungal activity against Y17B was identified as based on phenotypic identification and 16S rRNA sequence analysis. To reveal the antimicrobial activity of this strain, a PCR-based study detected the presence of antifungal lipopeptide (LP) biosynthetic genes from genomic DNA.

Phosphate Removal Mechanisms in Aqueous Solutions by Three Different Fe-Modified Biochars.

Iron-modified biochar can be used as an environmentally friendly adsorbent to remove the phosphate in wastewater because of its low cost. In this study, Fe-containing materials, such as zero-valent iron (ZVI), goethite, and magnetite, were successfully loaded on biochar. The phosphate adsorption mechanisms of the three Fe-modified biochars were studied and compared.

Rational Programming of Cas12a for Early-Stage Detection of COVID-19 by Lateral Flow Assay and Portable Real-Time Fluorescence Readout Facilities.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to a global pandemic with a high spread rate and pathogenicity. Thus, with limited testing solutions, it is imperative to develop early-stage diagnostics for rapid and accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2 to contain the rapid transmission of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, there remains little knowledge about the integration of the CRISPR collateral cleavage mechanism in the lateral flow assay and fluorophotometer.

Distribution of Fungi and Recent Aflatoxin Reports, Health Risks, and Advances in Developments of Biological Mitigation Strategies in China.

Aflatoxins (AFs) are secondary metabolites that represent serious threats to human and animal health. They are mainly produced by strains of the saprophytic fungus , which are abundantly distributed across agricultural commodities. AF contamination is receiving increasing attention by researchers, food producers, and policy makers in China, and several interesting review papers have been published, that mainly focused on occurrences of AFs in agricultural commodities in China.

The Regulatory Mechanism of Water Activities on Aflatoxins Biosynthesis and Conidia Development, and Transcription Factor AtfB Is Involved in This Regulation.

Peanuts are frequently infected by strains and then contaminated by aflatoxins (AF), which brings out economic losses and health risks. AF production is affected by diverse environmental factors, especially water activity (). In this study, was inoculated into peanuts with different (0.

A highly porous animal bone-derived char with a superiority of promoting nZVI for Cr(VI) sequestration in agricultural soils.

Paddy soil and irrigation water are commonly contaminated with hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] near urban industrial areas, thereby threatening the safety of agricultural products and human health. In this study, we develop a porous and high specific area bone char (BC) to support nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) and apply it to remediate Cr(VI) pollution in water and paddy soil under anaerobic conditions. The batch experiments reveal that BC/nZVI exhibits a higher removal capacity of 516.

A CRISPR/Cas12a Based Universal Lateral Flow Biosensor for the Sensitive and Specific Detection of African Swine-Fever Viruses in Whole Blood.

Cross-border pathogens such as the African swine fever virus (ASFV) still pose a socio-economic threat. Cheaper, faster, and accurate diagnostics are imperative for healthcare and food safety applications. Currently, the discovery of the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) has paved the way for the diagnostics based on Cas13 and Cas12/14 that exhibit collateral cleavage of target and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) reporter.

Mycotoxins in Ethiopia: A Review on Prevalence, Economic and Health Impacts.

Mycotoxigenic fungi and their toxins are a global concern, causing huge economic and health impacts in developing countries such as Ethiopia, where the mycotoxin control system is inadequate. This work aimed to review the occurrences of agriculturally essential fungi such as , , and and their major mycotoxins in Ethiopian food/feedstuffs. The incidents of crucial toxins, including aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2, M1), fumonisins (B1, B2), zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, and ochratoxin A, were studied.

A rapid and sensitive CRISPR/Cas12a based lateral flow biosensor for the detection of Epstein-Barr virus.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world, and several studies have associated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) with NPC occurrence and development. EBV-PCR (polymerase chain reaction), in situ hybridization and immunoassays are the most common methods for NPC identification. However, these approaches have drawbacks, which include tedious procedures and false results.

Synergetic performance of isothermal amplification techniques and lateral flow approach for nucleic acid diagnostics.

The advancement in developing sensitive, rapid, and specific sensing tools is crucial in diagnostics and biotechnological applications. Although various isothermal amplification approaches exist for the detection and identification of nucleic acids, post-amplicon analysis is still based on traditional methods such as gel electrophoresis, colorimetry, turbidity, which could be non-specific and inconvenient. Thus, this review will first elaborate various isothermal amplification techniques (principle, merits, and demerits) and their potentials when combined with lateral flow approach for point-of-care nucleic acid diagnostics.

Impact of sugarcane bagasse-derived biochar on heavy metal availability and microbial activity: A field study.

In the current study, we conducted a field experiment using the test plant, Brassica chinesis L. (pak choi), to investigate the effect of sugarcane bagasse-derived biochar on the bioavailability of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb), and the health of soil microbiota in a contaminated soil. Biochar application significantly (P < 0.

[Research advance in cyclic hydroxamic acids, main allelochemicals of Zea mays].

The research advance in cyclic hydroxamic acids was reviewed in this paper. Cyclic hydroxamic acids are the important natural products of cereal crops. They and their respective derivatives are the constitutive compounds of a wide variety of gramineous plants and few dicot plants.

[Chemical components of Vetiveria zizanioides volatiles].

The chemical components of the volatiles from Vetiveria zizanioides were analyzed by SPME and GC-MS. In the roots, the main component was valencene (30.36%), while in the shoots and leaves, they were 9-octadecenamide (33.

[Effect of transgenic plants on biodiversity of agroecosystem].

The effect of transgenic plants on the biodiversity of agroecosystem is an important environmental issue. There are many researches in this field at home and abroad recently. This paper reviewed the advances of the researches based on three levels of biodiversity as genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity.