Reducing the forage content of the ration using the undigested forage neutral detergent fiber: The effects on production, rumen environment, and digestibility.

Several factors influence the effectiveness of forage in ruminant rations, including NDF content and the physical nature, fragility, digestibility, and more of the forage. Recently, several studies suggested using the undigestible NDF (uNDF) fraction as a possible approach to achieve a more precise ration. The objective of the current study was to reduce the forage content of the diet by using the in vitro forage uNDF for diet formulation and to determine the effects on production, rumen environment, and digestibility.

Biological Control of Postharvest Diseases: The Evolution of New Concepts and Perspectives.

Postharvest biological control based on the use of microbial antagonists has been the subject of research and development for more than three decades. Several formulated products have been developed; however, their widespread use has not been realized, which has led to the development of new concepts and paradigms to better describe, understand, and employ biocontrol systems under commercial conditions. In the first part of this review, the evolution of postharvest biocontrol and its current status are briefly discussed.

Maternal Exposure to Carbamazepine at Environmentally Relevant Concentrations Causes Growth Delay in Mouse Embryos.

The anticonvulsant drug carbamazepine is ubiquitous in the environment and has even even detected in human urine after consuming produce irrigated with reclaimed wastewater. Whether unintentional carbamazepine exposure through food and water affects public health is unknown. Its potential adverse effects are particularly concerning during pregnancy, as carbamazepine increases the risk of intrauterine growth restriction and congenital malformations in fetuses of carbamazepine-prescribed mothers.

Tomato leaf microstructure affects the adhesion and localization of Salmonella enterica as shown using biomimetics.

Non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica serovars are a major cause of diarrheal diseases worldwide and represent a significant health concern. Several Salmonella outbreaks worldwide originated from bacteria residing on plants, specifically on leaves. Understanding the adhesion and survival of Salmonella upon the leaf surface is, hence, of great importance.

Pooled CRISPR screens identifies key regulators of bovine stem cell expansion for cultured meat.

Cultured meat presents a sustainable alternative to traditional meat production but faces significant challenges in scalability and cost efficiency. A key limitation is the restricted proliferation capacity of bovine mesenchymal stem cells (bMSCs), a widely used cell source in the field. Using a pooled, lentiviral CRISPR knockout screen, we interrogated 3000 CRISPR guides targeting 600 genes involved in stem cell regulation or proliferation.

Uptake of tire-wear derived compounds by lettuce grown in three soils.

Tire-wear derived compounds have recently been detected in commercially grown leafy vegetables, raising concern about their uptake and accumulation in crops under realistic agricultural conditions. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivated in three agricultural soils, which varied in sand content (25-82 %), clay content (4-27 %), cation exchange capacity (11 meq/100 g-21 meq/100 g), and organic matter content (1.

Exocarp-specific expression of a fungal cutinase in tomato fruits alters cuticle ultrastructure, chemistry and nanomechanics.

Fruit cuticles control water and gas diffusion and protect against biotic and environmental stresses. The cuticle is built from the cutin polymer-a composite of C16 and C18 ω-hydroxy fatty acids that are linked via ester bonds, embedded polysaccharides and phenolics-as well as waxes made primarily from very-long-chain fatty acids that are deposited on the cuticle and incorporated within the cutin matrix. Considerable progress toward understanding fruit cuticle function has been achieved in recent years, but knowledge gaps remain regarding the biosynthesis and assembly of the cuticular constituents and how these processes are linked to the cuticle's macromolecular architecture and nanomechanical properties.

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis of the white-eye gene in the tephritid pest Bactrocera zonata.

Bactrocera zonata is a highly invasive agricultural pest that causes extensive damage to fruit crops. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), a species-specific and environmentally friendly pest control method, significantly benefits from the availability of Genetic Sexing Strains (GSSs) that enable efficient mass production of males for sterile release. However, no GSS currently exists for B.

Species-Specific Real-Time PCR Assay for Rapid Identification of Coquillet (Diptera: Tephritidae) from Other Closely Related Fruit Fly Species.

Fruit flies that belong to the genus (Diptera: Tephritidae) pose significant threats as invasive pests of agricultural crops in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The intensification of transboundary trade in fresh horticultural produce has increased the risk of introducing invasive species such as fruit flies, more so through the inadvertent transport of their immature developmental stages. Such immature stages of fruit flies belonging to the Tephritidae family are frequently intercepted at the international borders worldwide and are unable to be identified to the species level using morphological characteristics.

MADS-BOX PROTEIN3 cooperatively acts with AGAMOUS-like6 and MADS-BOX PROTEIN22 to suppress parthenocarpy in tomato.

Ovule fertilization initiates fruit set, the transition from a quiescent ovary to a growing ovary (fruit), yet how ovary growth is arrested before fertilization remains poorly understood. Previously, we have shown that the ovaries of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) AGAMOUS-like6 (SlAGL6) loss-of-function mutant (slagl6CR-sg1) develop normally until anthesis but nevertheless can set fruits independently of fertilization (parthenocarpy). Here, we demonstrate that SlAGL6 suppresses parthenocarpy specifically from the ovules, as reintroducing SlAGL6 into slagl6CR-sg1 using an ovule-specific promoter restored ovary arrest and eliminated parthenocarpy.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Potential Applications of New Silica-Phosphonium Nanoparticles.

Although many bacterial species are vital to human health and are important in the food industry, some species lead to disease, which has promoted the development of antibacterial agents to reduce infection and illness. However, antibiotics can be toxic and increase bacterial resistance. Recently, we synthesized new silane-phosphonium monomers to form cross-linked thin coatings on polypropylene films.

Association of AHR gene-environment interactions with oxidative stress, sperm DNA fragmentation, and bull subfertility.

Declining male fertility poses significant challenges to both human health and livestock production. In this study, we investigated cases of bull subfertility that occurred despite normal semen quality and quantity metrics. Analysis of fertility records and genotype-based kinship among hundreds of inseminating bulls revealed familial clustering of subfertility, supporting a monogenic component.

Postharvest storage affects the chemical composition of the avocado fruit cuticle in a cultivar-specific manner.

The cuticle plays critical roles during fruit development, however there have been scarce research on how the cuticle regulates fruit quality and stress tolerance during storage. Here, we provide the first inclusive repertoire of cutin polymer composition of the avocado fruit cuticle via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, revealing key aliphatic and phenolic monomers. Microscopy and metabolite profiling delineated natural variations in cuticle thickness and cutin loads of 'Ardit' and 'Hass' fruit cultivars.

Repelling Fruit Flies with Essential Oils and Their Components: the Peach Fruit Fly Bactrocera zonata.

The peach fruit fly (PFF) Bactrocera zonata (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a major agricultural pest attacking at least 55 plants of economic importance. Previous studies have identified unique compounds in each sex, but none of these appear attractive to either sex. However, it is well known that methyl eugenol (ME) found in nectaries of many plants is strongly attractive to males, while food baits are weakly attractive to both sexes.

Maternal environmental effects and climate-smart seeds: unlocking epigenetic inheritance for crop innovation in the seed industry.

Seed production is facing a three-fold challenge: ensuring food security, maintaining sustainability, and adapting to climate change. Although most efforts have focused on genetic breeding and crop management, additional levers need to be explored to optimize plant tolerance to the accelerating climate change. A groundbreaking approach will be to capitalize on the ability of plants to naturally adjust their responses to fluctuating environments during the crop cycle and transmit stress-induced information to the next generation(s).

Silver coated porous silicon microarray SERS platform for detecting aflatoxin B1 fumonisin B1 and ochratoxin A.

Toxigenic mold contamination in food and agricultural commodities affects a quarter of the world's crops with massive economic losses and consequential health risks. Herein, we present a newly developed nanostructured microarray based on silver-coated porous silicon (Ag-pSi) used as a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) transducer. The internal porous void and pore morphology were optimized to amplify the SERS effect while achieving an enhancement factor of 1.

The effects of incorporating sprouted barley in diets of high-yielding dairy cows on production, efficiency, and nutrient digestibility.

The sprouted system is the process of growing grains hydroponically in trays. Recently, there has been interest in using sprouted grains as feed for ruminants. The objective of this study was to determine how including sprouted barley in dairy cow rations affects performance, nutrient digestibility, and efficiency.

Whole-Cell Fiber-Optic Biosensor for Real-Time, On-Site Sediment and Water Toxicity Assessment: Applications at Contaminated Sites Across Israel.

Sediments are key players in the optimum functioning of ecosystems; however, they also represent the largest known repository of harmful contaminants. The vast variety of these sediment-associated contaminants may exert harmful effects on marine communities and can impair ecosystem functioning. Whole-cell biosensors are a rapid and biologically relevant tool for assessing environmental toxicity.

Implementing a life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate organic farming weed control and fertilizers environmental implications.

Organic farming is expanding globally in response to the growing need for more sustainable food production. However, assessing both direct and indirect environmental effects is essential for identifying effective practices. This paper employs a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) using a cradle-to-farm gate framework to evaluate the environmental effects of non-chemical weed control methods (row-cultivator, finger-weeding, flaming, and hand-weeding) in combination with four fertilization treatments (compost at 10, 30, and 60 m ha, and chemical fertilizer) in the production of four organic field crops grown under irrigated conditions in a Mediterranean climate.

Evidence for a polyphosphatase-like enzyme catalyzing the hydrolysis of long-chain polyphosphates in the rhizosphere.

Polyphosphates (poly-Ps), composed of two or more phosphate units, become plant-available only after hydrolysis to orthophosphate (ortho-P). While microbial polyphosphatase enzymes are well documented, no evidence exists for extracellular poly-P-hydrolyzing enzymes secreted by plants into the rhizosphere. This study aimed to evaluate plant capacity to hydrolyze long-chain and cyclic poly-P forms and to identify extracellular hydrolytic activity.

Designing a nitrogen-efficient cold-tolerant maize for modern agricultural systems.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the world's most productive grain crop and a cornerstone of global food supply. However, in temperate agricultural systems, maize exhibits 2 key anomalies.

Transient restriction of intercellular communication is required for root tip regeneration.

Cells of multicellular organisms rely on mobile signals to determine their identity. During organ regeneration, cells can undergo identity transitions to replace damaged tissues despite exposure to existing signals. To investigate how regeneration occurs within a patterned organ, we studied intercellular communication during the regeneration of the Arabidopsis root tip.

Responses of Crops to Abiotic Stress.

During recent years, agriculture has been undergoing a significant transformation in response to contemporary economic pressures and the escalating impact of climate change [...

Shocking results: interspecific variation in response to low-energy electrocution for weed control at various phenological stages.

Background: Low-energy electrocution and robotics are emerging technologies in weed management. Optimizing robotic weed-electrocution platforms require biological insights to improve energy efficiency and operational effectiveness. Although previous studies have shown varying sensitivity across species and growth stages, precise energy thresholds for control remain unclear.

Tomato brown rugose fruit virus isolate containing A134T amino acid substitution in the movement protein enhanced symptom severity in tomato plants.

Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) is a seed-borne, soil-borne, mechanically transmitted tobamovirus infecting tomato plants worldwide. Tobamovirus-contaminated soil occurring after a growth cycle of infected crops constitutes a primary source of infection for newly planted seedlings, severely affecting crops under the common practice of monoculture farming. For our studies of interrelationships between ToBRFV-infected plants and virus preservation in soil, we have grown ToBRFV-inoculated wild tomato species for five months and analyzed ToBRFV preservation in soil after plant removal.