Advanced screening methods for assessing motility and hatching in plant-parasitic nematodes.

Background: Plant-parasitic nematodes are economically important pests responsible for substantial losses in agriculture. Researchers focusing on plant-parasitic nematodes, especially on finding new ways of their control, often need to assess basic parameters such as their motility, viability, and reproduction. Traditionally, these assays involve visually counting juveniles and eggs under a dissecting microscope, making this investigation time-consuming and laborious.

Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase inhibitors: progress towards agricultural practice.

Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase (CKX) inhibitors reduce the degradation of cytokinins in plants and thereby may improve the efficiency of agriculture and plant tissue culture-based practices. Here, we report a synthesis and structure-activity relationship study of novel urea derivatives concerning their CKX inhibitory activity. The most active compounds showed sub-nanomolar IC50 values with maize ZmCKX1, the lowest value yet documented.

Antimicrobial and anthelmintic activities of aryl urea agents.

Objectives: This study aimed to characterise compounds with activity against carbapenemase-expressing Gram-negative bacteria and nematodes and evaluate their cytotoxicity to non-cancerous human cells.

Methods: The antimicrobial activity and toxicity of a series of phenyl-substituted urea derivatives were evaluated using broth microdilution, chitinase, and resazurin reduction assays.

Results: The effects of different substitutions present on the nitrogen atoms of the urea backbone were investigated.

New Water-Soluble Cytokinin Derivatives and Their Beneficial Impact on Barley Yield and Photosynthesis.

Solubility of growth regulators is essential for their use in agriculture. Four new cytokinin salts─6-benzylaminopurine mesylate (), 6-(2-hydroxybenzylamino)purine mesylate (), 6-(3-hydroxybenzylamino)purine mesylate (), and 6-(3-methoxybenzylamino)purine mesylate ()─were synthesized, and their crystal structures were determined to clarify structural influence on water solubility. The mesylates were several orders of magnitude more water-soluble than the parent CKs.