An Integrated Molecular Networking and Docking Approach to Characterize the Metabolome of and Its Pharmaceutical Potentials.

South Africa is rich in diverse medicinal plants, and it is reported to have over 35% of the global species, many of which are utilized in traditional medicine. Various phytochemical studies have offered valuable insights into the chemistry of plants, hinting at bioactive components that define the medicinal properties of the plant. However, there are still knowledge gaps regarding the size and diversity of the chemical space.

Molecular mechanisms associated with microbial biostimulant-mediated growth enhancement, priming and drought stress tolerance in maize plants.

Microbial-based biostimulants are emerging as effective strategies to improve agricultural productivity; however, the modes of action of such formulations are still largely unknown. Thus, herein we report elucidated metabolic reconfigurations in maize (Zea mays) leaves associated with growth promotion and drought stress tolerance induced by a microbial-based biostimulant, a Bacillus consortium. Morphophysiological measurements revealed that the biostimulant induced a significant increase in biomass and enzymatic regulators of oxidative stress.

Plant Responses to Abiotic Stresses and Rhizobacterial Biostimulants: Metabolomics and Epigenetics Perspectives.

In response to abiotic stresses, plants mount comprehensive stress-specific responses which mediate signal transduction cascades, transcription of relevant responsive genes and the accumulation of numerous different stress-specific transcripts and metabolites, as well as coordinated stress-specific biochemical and physiological readjustments. These natural mechanisms employed by plants are however not always sufficient to ensure plant survival under abiotic stress conditions. Biostimulants such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) formulation are emerging as novel strategies for improving crop quality, yield and resilience against adverse environmental conditions.