Unveiling the Synergistic Effects of Phosphorus Fertilization and Organic Amendments on Red Pepper Growth, Productivity and Physio-Biochemical Response under Saline Water Irrigation and Climate-Arid Stresses.

In regions facing water scarcity and soil salinity, mitigating these abiotic stresses is paramount for sustaining crop production. This study aimed to unravel the synergistic effects of organic matter and phosphorus management in reducing the adverse effect of saline water for irrigation on red pepper ( L.) production, fruit quality, plant physiology, and stress tolerance indicators.

Irrigated barley-grass pea crop mixtures can revive soil microbial activities and alleviate salinity in desertic conditions of southern Morocco.

Soil salinity adversely limits crop and soil health, and this can be reversed by cropping systems where species exclude salts and activate microbial nutrient cycling. A randomized complete block design experiment was established in Laayoune-Morocco to evaluate the influence of irrigated grass pea and barley monocrops or combined together in 50-50% and 70-30% mixtures against soil salinity and CO-C flux in sites with varying salinity. Site by treatment interaction significantly influenced (p < 0.

Influence of cutting time interval and season on productivity, nutrient partitioning, and forage quality of blue panicgrass ( Retz.) under saline irrigation in Southern region of Morocco.

Salinity has become a major issue in various parts of the world negatively impacting agricultural activities and leading to diminished crop potential and lower yields. Such situation calls for urgent interventions such as adopting salt-tolerant crops to fill the gap in food and feed availability. Blue panicgrass ( Retz.

Agro-morphological and biochemical responses of quinoa ( Willd. var: ICBA-Q5) to organic amendments under various salinity conditions.

In the Sahara Desert, due to drought and salinity and poor soil fertility, very limited crop choice is available for the farmers to grow crops. Quinoa ( Willd.) has shown promising under such conditions in the South of Morocco, a true representative site of Sahara Desert.

Exploring the potential of mapped soil properties, rhizobium inoculation, and phosphorus supplementation for predicting soybean yield in the savanna areas of Nigeria.

Rapid and accurate soybean yield prediction at an on-farm scale is important for ensuring sustainable yield increases and contributing to food security maintenance in Nigeria. We used multiple approaches to assess the benefits of rhizobium (Rh) inoculation and phosphorus (P) fertilization on soybean yield increase and profitability from large-scale conducted trials in the savanna areas of Nigeria [i.e.

Micropropagation of and Other Cacti Species Through Axillary Shoot Proliferation: A Comprehensive Review.

Cacti are one of the most significant and diversified groups of angiosperms, distributed and cultivated globally, mostly in semi-arid, arid, and the Mediterranean climate regions. Conventionally, they are propagated by seeds or through vegetative propagation rooted offshoots or grafting. However, these multiplication procedures remain insufficient for mass propagation.

Crop Species Mechanisms and Ecosystem Services for Sustainable Forage Cropping Systems in Salt-Affected Arid Regions.

Soil salinity limits crop productivity in arid regions and it can be alleviated by crop synergies. A multivariate analysis of published data ( = 78) from arid and semiarid habitats across continents was conducted to determine the crop species mechanisms of salinity tolerance and synergies relevant for designing adapted forage cropping systems. Halophyte [ (K.

How Does Quinoa ( Willd.) Respond to Phosphorus Fertilization and Irrigation Water Salinity?

Soil salinity is a major problem in arid and semi-arid regions, causing land degradation, desertification, and subsequently, food insecurity. Salt-affected soils and phosphorus (P) deficiency are the common problems in the sub-Sahara, including the Southern region of Morocco. Soil salinity limits plant growth by limiting water availability, causing a nutritional imbalance, and imparting osmotic stress in the plants.

Phosphorus Fertilization Enhances Productivity of Forage Corn ( L.) Irrigated with Saline Water.

Salinity is a major problem affecting crop production in many regions in the world including Morocco. Agricultural practices such as fertilization could be useful to overcome this problem and improve crop productivity. The objective of our study was to evaluate the combined effect of phosphorus fertilization and irrigation water salinity on growth, yield, and stomatal conductance of forage corn ( L.

Assessing rice production sustainability performance indicators and their gaps in twelve sub-Saharan African countries.

The benchmarking and monitoring of rice production performance indicators are essential for improving rice production self-sufficiency, increasing profitability, reducing labor requirements, optimizing fertilizer inputs, engaging youths in rice production, and increasing the overall sustainability of smallholder rice production systems in countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In this paper, we quantified five sustainability performance indicators (grain yield, net profit, labor productivity, and nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) use efficiencies) to benchmark rice production systems in SSA. Data were collected between 2013-2014 from 2907 farmers from two rice production systems (irrigated and rainfed lowlands) across five agroecological zones (arid, semiarid, humid, subhumid and highlands) in 12 countries (Benin, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Togo).

Land gradient and configuration effects on yield, irrigation amount and irrigation water productivity in rice-wheat and maize-wheat cropping systems in Eastern India.

Laser land levelling is expanding rapidly in the rice-wheat (RW) and maize-wheat (MW) systems of the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India and Pakistan. Current practice is to level to zero (0%) gradient, whereas a small gradient (e.g.

Assessing alternative crop establishment methods with a sustainability lens in rice production systems of Eastern India.

Sustainability of rice production systems is a prime concern for Asia to maintain food security and to support economic growth. This gain in productivity not only depends on agricultural inputs but also depends on social and environmental factors. To address these emerging issues, new resource- and capital-efficient and profitable technologies have been introduced.

A Novel Diterpene Glycoside with Nine Glucose Units from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni.

Following our interest in new diterpene glycosides with better taste profiles than that of Rebaudioside M, we have recently isolated and characterized Rebaudioside IX-a novel steviol glycoside-from a commercially-supplied extract of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. This molecule contains a hexasaccharide group attached at C-13 of the central diterpene core, and contains three additional glucose units when compared with Rebaudioside M. Here we report the complete structure elucidation-based on extensive Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) analysis (1H, 13C, Correlation Spectroscopy (COSY), Heteronuclear Single Quantum Coherence-Distortionless Enhancement Polarization Transfer (HSQC-DEPT), Heteronuclear Multiple Bond Correlation (HMBC), 1D Total Correlation Spectroscopy (TOCSY), Nuclear Overhauser Effect Spectroscopy (NOESY)) and mass spectral data-of this novel diterpene glycoside with nine sugar moieties and containing a relatively rare 16 α-linked glycoside.

A New Diterpene Glycoside: 15α-Hydroxy-Rebaudioside M Isolated from Stevia rebaudiana.

In a continued search for novel diterpenoid glycosides, we recently isolated and characterized a Rebaudioside M derivative with a hydroxyl group at position 15 in the central diterpene core from an extract of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. Here we report the complete structure elucidation of 15α-hydroxy-Rebaudioside M (2) on the basis of NMR (1H, 13C, COSY, HSQC-DEPT, HMBC, 1D TOCSY, NOESY) and mass spectral data. Steviol glycoside with a hydroxyl group at C-15 in the central diterpene core has not been previously reported.

Degradation products of rubusoside under acidic conditions.

A natural sweetener, Rubusoside (1), subjected to extreme pH and temperature conditions, resulted in the isolation and structural elucidation of one novel rubusoside degradant (7), together with seven known degradants (2-6 and 8-9). ID and 2D NMR spectroscopy (1H, 13C, COSY, HSQC-DEPT, HMBC, and NOESY) and mass spectral data were used to fully characterize the degradant 7.

Bioconversion of rebaudioside I from rebaudioside A.

To supply the increasing demand of natural high potency sweeteners to reduce the calories in food and beverages, we have looked to steviol glycosides. In this work we report the bioconversion of rebaudioside A to rebaudioside I using a glucosyltransferase enzyme. This bioconversion reaction adds one sugar unit with a 1→3 linkage.

Isolation and structure elucidation of rebaudioside D2 from bioconversion reaction of rebaudioside A to rebaudioside D.

We report the isolation and complete structure of an isomer of rebaudioside D, known as rebaudioside D2. This novel steviol glycoside was isolated from a bioconversion reaction of rebaudioside A to rebaudioside D. Rebaudioside D2 possesses a relatively rare 1 --> 6 sugar linkage, which was discovered by extensive analysis of NMR (1H, 13C, COSY, HSQC-DEPT, HMBC, 1D TOCSY and NOESY) and mass spectral data.

Isolation and characterization of a novel rebaudioside M isomer from a bioconversion reaction of rebaudioside A and NMR comparison studies of rebaudioside M isolated from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni and Stevia rebaudiana Morita.

A minor product, rebaudioside M2 (2), from the bioconversion reaction of rebaudioside A (4) to rebaudioside D (3), was isolated and the complete structure of the novel steviol glycoside was determined. Rebaudioside M2 (2) is considered an isomer of rebaudioside M (1) and contains a relatively rare 1→6 sugar linkage. It was isolated and characterized with NMR (1H, 13C, COSY, HSQC-DEPT, HMBC, 1D-TOCSY, and NOESY) and mass spectral data.

Tetra-acetylajugasterone a new constituent of Vitex cienkowskii with vasorelaxant activity.

Tetra-acetylajugasterone C (TAAC) was found to be one of the naturally occurring compounds of the Cameroonian medicinal plant Vitex cienkowskii which is responsible for a vasorelaxant activity of an extract of this plant. The evaluation of the underlying mechanisms for the relaxing effect of TAAC was determined using aortic rings of rats and mice. TAAC produced a concentration-dependent relaxation in rat artery rings pre-contracted with 1μM noradrenaline (IC50: 8.

Compounds from which inhibit proliferation of -defective cancer cells.

A neurofibromatosis type 1 () based bioassay-guided phytochemical investigation on led to the isolation of one new canthin-6-one-9-methoxy-5----glucopyranoside (), seven known canthine alkaloids (-), two known quassinoids (-) and a known neo-lignan (). The structures of all compounds were established by HRMS, 1D- and 2D-NMR analysis and comparison with previously reported data. Most of the compounds inhibited the proliferation of an - and -deficient mouse glioma cell line at non-cytotoxic concentrations.

Identification of CB1/CB2 ligands from Zanthoxylum bungeanum.

In order to study cannabinoid receptor ligands, a novel plate-based assay was developed previously to measure internalization of CB1/CB2 receptors by determining the change in the intracellular levels of the radiolabeled agonists. This plate-based assay was also used for screening against complex matrices, specifically, in the present study screening for CB1/CB2 receptor activity of extracts for several species of the plant genus Zanthoxylum. The objective of this screen was to identify novel antagonists of the CB1 receptor, which simultaneously displayed agonist activity against the CB2 receptor, since compounds matching this criterion could be potential candidates for the treatment of type-1 diabetes.

Growth inhibition of human colon carcinoma cells by sesquiterpenoids and tetralones of Zygogynum calothyrsum.

Bioassay-guided phytochemical investigation of Zygogynum calothyrsum using the human colon carcinoma cell lines COLO205 and KM12 led to the isolation of three new drimane-type sesquiterpenoids, 1β-p-hydroxy-E-cinnamoyldrimeninol (1), 1β-p-hydroxy-E-cinnamoyl-5α-hydroxydrimeninol (2), and methyl ether of 1β-p-hydroxy-E-cinnamoyl-12α-methoxydrimeninol (3). Also isolated was the known 1β-p-coumaroyloxypolygodial (4) together with two new tetralones, 3'-deoxyisozygolone A (5) and calothyrlone A (9), three known tetralones, isozygolone A (6), zygolone A (7), and 4'-O-methylzygolone A (8), and a known cinnamolide (10). Compounds 1, 7, and 8 demonstrated higher cytotoxicity against COLO205 (GI50 18, 17, and 11 μM, respectively) and KM12 (GI50 14, 14, and 17 μM, respectively) than the other compounds.

Isobutylhydroxyamides from the pericarp of Nepalese Zanthoxylum armatum inhibit NF1-defective tumor cell line growth.

A neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)-based bioassay-guided phytochemical investigation on Zanthoxylum armatum collected in Nepal led to the isolation of new timuramides A-D (1-4) and six known sanshools (5-10). The structures of all compounds were established by using modern spectroscopic techniques, including 1D and 2D NMR analysis and comparison with previously reported data. Most of the compounds inhibited growth of an Nf1- and p53-deficient mouse glioma cell line at noncytotoxic concentrations.

Oxidative burst inhibitory and cytotoxic activity of constituents of the fruits of Odyendyea gabonensis.

The methanol extract of dried fruits of Odyendyea gabonensis afforded one new quassinoid [(-)-odyendanol (1)], one new canthin-6-one alkaloid [9-hydroxy-5-methoxycanthin-6-one (4)], and two new steroids [22E, 24R-stigmasta-5,22-diene-3,7-dione (7) and 22E,24R-stigmast-22-ene-3,7-dione (8)] along with fourteen known compounds. The structures of all compounds were established by analyzing the spectroscopic data. The ¹³C-NMR values of (-)-odyendene (2) and (-)-odyendane (3), as well as the single-crystal X-ray structure of 5-methoxycanthin-6-one (6) are also reported.

Bioactive β-indoloquinazoline alkaloids from Oricia renieri.

Three new β-indoloquinazoline alkaloids, orirenierine A (1), B (2) and C (4), together with eleven known compounds were isolated from the methanol extract of the stems of Oricia renieri. The structures of all compounds were determined by comprehensive analyses of their spectroscopic data and comparison with literature information. The alkaloids 9-11 were isolated for the first time from this genus.