Identification, functional characterization and expression profiling of three triterpene synthases from the legume plant Vigna unguiculata.

Oxidosqualene cyclases (OSCs) are important regulatory enzymes involved in cyclization reactions of 2, 3-oxidosqualene to form triterpenes and sterols. This study presents the identification and characterization of three OSC genes, a β - amyrin synthase (VuβAS), a lupeol synthase (VuLUS) and a cycloartenol synthase (VuCAS) in Vigna unguiculata, an edible leguminous plant with high nutritional and nutraceutical value. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the VuβAS, VuLUS and VuCAS were clustered within the clades of previously characterized β - amyrin synthases, lupeol synthases and cycloartenol synthases.

Risk assessment from radon in domestic water for the Greek population.

This study focused on assessing the risk from the exposure to radon contained in domestic water for a significant part (~20%) of the Greek population. Also, the variation of radon in domestic water was monitored from 2017 to 2023 in certain villages that showed relatively high radon levels and relied on boreholes for their water supply. The radon in domestic water activity concentrations measured in the investigated Greek places ranged from lower than the minimum detection limit (2 Bq L-1) levels up to 187 Bq L-1 with an average value of 9.

Long-term study (1987-2023) on the distribution of 137Cs in soil following the Chernobyl nuclear accident: a comparison of temporal migration measurements and compartment model predictions.

After the Chernobyl accident, a designated area of ~1000 m2 within the University farm of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Northern Greece was utilized as a test ground for radioecological measurements. The profile of 137Cs in the soil was monitored from 1987 to 2023, with soil samples collected in 5-cm-thick slices (layers) down to a depth of 30 cm. The mean total deposition of 137Cs in the area, backdated to the time of the Chernobyl accident, was determined to be 18.

In-depth study of radon in water in a Greek village with enhanced radon concentrations.

This study focused on the radon transfer from the water to the air and the subsequent impact of waterborne radon indoors, taking advantage of the enhanced and decreasing from year to year radon-in-water concentrations observed in the Arnea village in Northern Greece. Some other essential aspects and observations regarding radon-in-water were also discussed. Concerning radon transfer from water to the air, the transfer efficiencies for showering and the use of the bathroom tap were estimated by measuring the radon-in-water and the waterborne radon-in-air concentrations in sealed bathrooms of two apartments in Arnea.

On the prediction of non-CG DNA methylation using machine learning.

DNA methylation can be detected and measured using sequencing instruments after sodium bisulfite conversion, but experiments can be expensive for large eukaryotic genomes. Sequencing nonuniformity and mapping biases can leave parts of the genome with low or no coverage, thus hampering the ability of obtaining DNA methylation levels for all cytosines. To address these limitations, several computational methods have been proposed that can predict DNA methylation from the DNA sequence around the cytosine or from the methylation level of nearby cytosines.

N-Source Determines Barley Productivity, Nutrient Accumulation, and Grain Quality in Cyprus Rainfed Agricultural Systems.

The Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) region is already experiencing the negative effects of increased temperatures and the increase in prolonged drought periods. The use of organic fertilization could be a valuable tool to meet the main challenges of climate change and maintain the productivity, quality, and sustainability of rainfed agricultural ecosystems. In the current study, we compare the effect of manure, compost, and chemical fertilization (NHNO) on barley grain and straw yield in a field study for three consecutive growing seasons.

LCA of Barley Production: A Case Study from Cyprus.

Greenhouse gas emissions (i.e., carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide) produced by agriculture contribute to global warming and climate change.

Differential response of NO emissions, NO-producing and NO-reducing bacteria to varying tetracycline doses in fertilized soil.

Tetracyclines are the most widely used antibiotics worldwide. Their presence in soils could affect nutrient cycling, but our knowledge regarding how they affect soil microbial communities involved in greenhouse gas emissions is limited. The objective of the current study was to evaluate how tetracycline is affecting NO emissions and the abundance of denitrifiers in fertilized soil.

PERFORMANCE OF HANDHELD NAI(TL) SPECTROMETERS AS DOSIMETERS BY LABORATORY AND FIELD DOSE RATE MEASUREMENTS.

In the framework of the IAEA Coordinated Research Project (CRP) J02012 on 'Advancing Radiation Detection Equipment for Detecting Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material Out of Regulatory Control', the properties of two commercial instruments (1) InSpector 1000 analyzer (Canberra), with a 2″ × 2″ NaI(Tl) scintillator and (2) RIIDEYE M-G3 analyzer (Thermo Scientific), with a 3″ × 3″ NaI(Tl) scintillator, were evaluated as dosimeters by laboratory and field measurements. In the Ionizing Radiation Calibration Laboratory (IRCL) of the Greek Atomic Energy Commission, the NaI(Tl) spectrometers were tested in order to measure Ambient gamma Dose Equivalent Rate (ADER). The NaI(Tl) scintillators were irradiated in a homogeneous field with 662 keV photons with different ADER values from 0.

Land use in urban areas impacts the composition of soil bacterial communities involved in nitrogen cycling. A case study from Lefkosia (Nicosia) Cyprus.

The different types of land-use and soil lithology in urban and peri-urban areas of modern cities compose a complex mosaic of soil ecosystems. It is largely unknown how these differences result in changes in bacterial community composition and structure as well as in functional guilds involved in N cycling. To investigate the bacterial composition and the proportion of denitrifiers in agricultural, forested, schoolyard and industrial areas, 24 samples were collected from urban and peri-urban sites of Lefkosia.

The effect of chemical and organic N inputs on NO emission from rain-fed crops in Eastern Mediterranean.

Nitrogen has a significant contribution to global warming and its reduction in agriculture is expected to reduce NO emissions having however adverse effects on the productivity of agricultural ecosystems. Maintaining systems productivity with alternative N sources i.e manure and composts could be a strategy also to mitigate NO emissions.

Valorization of agricultural wastes could improve soil fertility and mitigate soil direct NO emissions.

The emerging need for sustainable management of the increasing quantities of urban and industrial organic wastes creates opportunities for the development of alternative strategies for the improvement of degraded soils. The current study was performed to examine the effects of agricultural wastes application on soil bacterial community as well as CO and NO direct gas emissions. Untreated soils were compared with soils, which received the same amount of N (100 μg/g soil) in the form of ammonium nitrate and organic agricultural waste.

Optimizing Resource Allocation in a Cowpea ( L. Walp.) Landrace Through Whole-Plant Field Phenotyping and Non-stop Selection to Sustain Increased Genetic Gain Across a Decade.

Cowpea is a warm-season legume, often characterized as an orphan or underutilized crop, with great future potential, particularly under the global change. A traditional cowpea landrace in Cyprus is highly valued for fresh pod consumption in the local cuisine. In order to improve the yield potential of the landrace, the long-term response to direct selection for fresh pod yield and the associated changes in fodder and root biomass were investigated in a variety of fertility regimes under real field conditions.

The effects of different soil nutrient management schemes in nitrogen cycling.

It is imperative for sustainable agriculture to explore practices and inputs creating low NO emission capacity without reducing the productivity of the agricultural system. To evaluate different nutrient management schemes, a microcosm study was conducted to assess the direct NO emission from soil. Four different treatments were used to provide a preliminary assessment of NO emissions, as well as the concentrations of nitrates (NO) and ammonium (NH) produced in soil: compost (derived from green plant residues), chickpea residues (green manure) in two different N concentrations (2.

Converting environmental risks to benefits by using spent coffee grounds (SCG) as a valuable resource.

Coffee is perhaps one of the most vital ingredients in humans' daily life in modern world. However, this causes the production of million tons of relevant wastes, i.e.

Bioaugmentation of thiabendazole-contaminated soils from a wastewater disposal site: Factors driving the efficacy of this strategy and the diversity of the indigenous soil bacterial community.

The application of the fungicide thiabendazole (TBZ) in fruit packaging plants (FPP) results in the production of effluents which are often disposed in adjacent field sites. These require remediation to prevent further environmental dispersal of TBZ. We assessed the bioaugmentation potential of a newly isolated TBZ-degrading bacterial consortium in a naturally contaminated soil (NCS) exhibiting a natural gradient of TBZ levels (12000, 400, 250 and 12 mg kg).

Isolation of a bacterial consortium able to degrade the fungicide thiabendazole: the key role of a Sphingomonas phylotype.

Thiabendazole (TBZ) is a fungicide used in fruit-packaging plants. Its application leads to the production of wastewaters requiring detoxification. In the absence of efficient treatment methods, biological depuration of these effluents could be a viable alternative.

Glucosinolate biosynthesis in Eruca sativa.

Glucosinolates (GSLs) are a highly important group of secondary metabolites in the Caparalles order, both due to their significance in plant-biome interactions and to their chemoprotective properties. This study identified genes involved in all steps of aliphatic and indolic GSL biosynthesis in Eruca sativa, a cultivated plant closely related to Arabidopsis thaliana with agronomic and nutritional value. The impact of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) availability on GSL biosynthetic pathways at a transcriptional level, and on the final GSL content of plant leaf and root tissues, was investigated.

Dissipation, metabolism and sorption of pesticides used in fruit-packaging plants: Towards an optimized depuration of their pesticide-contaminated agro-industrial effluents.

Wastewaters from the fruit-packaging industry constitute a serious point source contamination with pesticides. In the absence of effective depuration methods, they are discharged in municipal wastewater treatment plants or spread to land. Modified biobeds could be an applicable solution for their treatment.

Detection and geographical distribution of the organophosphate resistance-associated Δ3Q ace mutation in the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi).

Background: The olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is the most important pest of olives. Its control is based mostly on organophosphate (OP) insecticides, a practice that has led to resistance development. OP resistance in B.

Exploring the potential of biobeds for the depuration of pesticide-contaminated wastewaters from the citrus production chain: laboratory, column and field studies.

The high wastewater volumes produced during citrus production at pre- and post-harvest level presents serious pesticide point-source pollution for groundwater bodies. Biobeds are used for preventing such point-source pollution occurring at farm level. We explored the potential of biobeds for the depuration of wastewaters produced through the citrus production chain following a lab-to-field experimentation.

The impact of biofumigation and chemical fumigation methods on the structure and function of the soil microbial community.

Biofumigation (BIOF) is carried out mainly by the incorporation of brassica plant parts into the soil, and this fumigation activity has been linked to their high glucosinolate (GSL) content. GSLs are hydrolyzed by the endogenous enzyme myrosinase to release isothiocyanates (ITCs). A microcosm study was conducted to investigate the effects induced on the soil microbial community by the incorporation of broccoli residues into soil either with (BM) or without (B) added myrosinase and of chemical fumigation, either as soil application of 2-phenylethyl ITC (PITC) or metham sodium (MS).

Impact of nitrogen and sulfur fertilization on the composition of glucosinolates in relation to sulfur assimilation in different plant organs of broccoli.

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) is one of the most important winter season vegetables and a rich source of chemoprotective molecules, including glucosinolates (GSL). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) fertilization on GSL concentration and composition in different parts of broccoli plants.

Microwave-assisted extraction of glucosinolates from Eruca sativa seeds and soil: comparison with existing methods.

Introduction: Glucosinolates (GSLs) are secondary plant metabolites that are abundant in brassicas and their hydrolysis products, isothiocyanates, are toxic to soil pathogens. Efficiency and extraction time are critical for routine analysis of GSLs in plant tissues. Robust analytical procedures are required for the extraction of GSL from soil.