Preparation and Efficacy of Microemulsion Carvacrol-Based Fruit and Vegetable Cleaner and Its Application on Cherry Tomatoes.

Carvacrol, a natural plant compound with antibacterial, antioxidant, and various biological activities, serves as the basis for developing a micro-emulsion fruit and vegetable cleaner. The study found that carvacrol demonstrated a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging between 0.25 and 0.

Household dietary diversity and associated factors in rural and peri-urban areas of Mbale District, Eastern Uganda.

Background: Globally, the importance of dietary diversity in addressing malnutrition and promoting overall health is increasingly being recognized. However, increasing urbanization has led to shifts in dietary preferences, food consumption patterns, and a greater reliance on less nutritious processed foods. Efforts to address these challenges have been futile, as nutrition in peri-urban areas often receives less attention, with food and nutrition insecurity typically seen as a rural issue.

"Socioeconomic inequalities in health behaviors in children and adolescents: evidence from an Australian cohort".

Background: Understanding the association between socioeconomic inequalities and health behaviors is imperative for elucidating and effectively addressing health inequities among children and adolescents. Despite the wealth of literature on social gradients in health behaviors, longitudinal analyses of socioeconomic inequalities in the health behaviors of children and adolescents are relatively limited, particularly in the Australian literature. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between socioeconomic inequalities and health behaviors among Australian children and adolescents.

Novel candidate genes and genetic basis analysis of kernel starch content in tropical maize.

Background: Starch is the most abundant carbohydrate in maize grains, serving as a primary energy source for both humans and animals, and playing a crucial role in various industrial applications. Increasing the starch content of maize grains is beneficial for improving the grain yield and quality. To gain insight into the genetic basis of starch content in maize kernels, a multiparent population (MPP) was constructed and evaluated for starch content in three different environments.

Dissecting the genetic basis of fruiting efficiency for genetic enhancement of harvest index, grain number, and yield in wheat.

Background: Grain number (GN) is one of the key yield contributing factors in modern wheat (Triticum aestivum) varieties. Fruiting efficiency (FE) is a key trait for increasing GN by making more spike assimilates available to reproductive structures. Thousand grain weight (TGW) is also an important component of grain yield.

Comparative miRNAome combined with transcriptome and degradome analysis reveals a novel miRNA-mRNA regulatory network associated with starch metabolism affecting pre-harvest sprouting resistance in wheat.

Background: Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) is one of the most important problems associated with the severe decrease of yield and quality under disaster weather of continuous rain in wheat harvesting stage. At present, the functions and mechanisms related to the involvement of post-transcriptional regulation has not been studied very clearly in PHS resistance.

Results: This study compared the differences of germinated seeds in miRNAome between the PHS-tolerant and PHS-susceptible white wheat varieties.

Morphological diversity variation of seed traits among 587 germplasm resources of Medicago Genus and 32 germplasm resources of Trigonella Genus.

Germplasm resources within the Medicago genus are highly regarded for their value as forage crops and their critical roles in nitrogen cycling, ecosystem restoration, and soil structure improvement. Therefore, understanding the diversity of seed morphology in this genus is essential for advancing its development and utilization. This study analyzed seed samples from 587 germplasm accessions representing 77 species within Medicago genus, as well as 32 accessions from 21 species within the closely related genus Trigonella.

The effects of Pistacia atlantica Desf. fruit oil on primary knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Pistacia atlantica Desf. (Baneh) is a native tree in many areas of Iran such as Zagros mountains and Sistan va Baluchestan Province. It is famous mostly due to its oleo-gum resin and there are many studies on its effects on gastrointestinal disorders and musculoskeletal problems.

Investigating the Protective Effects of Luteolin and Gallic Acid from Luffa acutangula L. (Roxb.) amara (Roxb.) C. B. Clarke. Fruit Pericarp Against Alcohol-Induced Liver Toxicity: Extraction, Bioactivity-Guided Fractionation, Molecular Docking, and Dynamics Studies.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Luffa acutangula var. amara (Roxb.) C.

Toxicity responses of different bee species to flupyradifurone and sulfoxaflor insecticides reveal species and sex-based variations.

Mason bees (Osmia spp.) are solitary, tunnel-nesting bees. Several species, including the horn-faced bee (Osmia cornifrons) and the blue orchard bee (Osmia lignaria), are commercially managed, primarily for the pollination of fruit trees and tree nuts.

Fruiting phenology affects the direction of vertical seed dispersal by mammals and birds across mountain ranges.

Vertical seed dispersal towards higher or lower altitudes is an important process for plants' adaptation to climate change. Although many plants depend on animals for seed dispersal, studies on vertical seed dispersal by animals, determined by complex animal behaviours, are scarce. Previous studies hypothesised that animals inhabiting temperate regions disperse seeds uphill in spring/summer and downhill in autumn/winter due to their seasonal movement following the altitudinal gradients in food phenology.

Maize kernel nutritional quality-an old challenge for modern breeders.

This article offers a comprehensive overview of the starch, protein, oil, and carotenoids content in maize kernels, while also outlining future directions for research in this area. Maize is one of the most important cereal crops globally. Maize kernels serve as a vital source of feed and food, and their nutritional quality directly impacts the dietary intake of both animals and humans.

Influence of different priming treatments on germination potential and seedling establishment of four important hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivars.

Medicinal hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is gaining popularity due to its natural products with potential therapeutic properties, and its cultivation has recently been initiated in developing countries such as Turkey, Iran, India, and Pakistan. The crop is primarily grown using feminized seeds or popular varieties to achieve higher cannabidiol (CBD) yields, with seeds costing approximately $5-10 each.

Dual effects of exogenous ferulic acid bound in rice starch as 3D printable food ink: Structural fluidity and antimicrobial activity.

Starch-ferulic acid (FA) composites have been developed for medical and food fields, while little focus is caused on their use in functional products by 3D printing. In this work, dynamic high-pressure microfluidization was employed to treat starch at various concentrations, for preparing modified starch-FA composites. The high-performance liquid chromatography results showed that an increased starch concentration was conducive to a high yield of composite with enhanced binding of FA.

The roles of viruses in tephritid pest multitrophic interactions and an outlook for biological control.

Tephritid fruit fly pests remain a considerable problem for agricultural fruit production around the world. New control methods that do not rely on synthetic insecticides are increasingly desirable to diversify tephritid pest management programs. Biological control through the release of parasitoid wasps has historically provided effective suppression of fruit fly pests, although molecular factors that influence the success of fruit fly parasitoids are understudied.

Melatonin promoted terpene accumulation of blueberries during postharvest partial dehydration.

Although postharvest partial dehydration has been applied to enhance blueberry wine flavor by increasing terpene level, berry decay remains a concern. Melatonin is known to improve fruit resistance during storage, but its role in terpene accumulation in blueberries during postharvest dehydration remains unclear. This study identified aroma-active terpenes of blueberry wines applying aroma extract dilution analysis and revealed the key genes linked to the increased terpenes in dehydrated blueberries.

In situ self-cleaning PAN/CuO@Ag/Au@Ag flexible SERS sensor coupled with chemometrics for quantitative detection of thiram residues on apples.

Flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors offer a promising solution for the rapid in situ monitoring of food safety. The sensor's capability to furnish quantitative detection and retain recyclability is crucial in practical applications. This study proposes a self-cleaning flexible SERS sensor, augmented with an intelligent algorithm designed for expeditious in situ and non-destructive thiram detection on apples.

LACCASE35 Enhances Lignification and Resistance Against Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae Infection in Kiwifruit.

Kiwifruit bacterial canker, a highly destructive disease caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), seriously affects kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) production.

Effects of plasma-activated water on germination ‎and initial seedling growth of wheat.

In this research, the effect of seed halopriming with plasma activated water (PAW) on wheat germination parameters have been studied. Response surface methodology was used to investigate the effect of three factors including: 1) type of water (distilled water, 0.2 and 0.

Metabolic profiling of endophytic fungi acting as antagonists of the banana pathogen Colletotrichum musae.

Three endophytic strains, Phomopsis sp., Fusarium proliferatum, and Tinctoporellus epimiltinus, isolated from various plants in the rainforest of the Philippines, were investigated regarding their ability to repress growth of the pathogenic fungus Colletotrichum musae on banana fruits causing anthracnose disease. An in vitro plate-to-plate assay and an in vivo sealed box assay were conducted, using commercial versus natural potato dextrose medium (PDA).

Genotype x environment interaction effect on grain yield of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) in Deciduous forest and Sudan savanna ecologies of Ghana.

Cowpea is deemed as a food security crop due to its ability to produce significant yields under conditions where other staples fail. Its resilience in harsh environments; such as drought, heat and marginal soils; along with its nitrogen-fixing capabilities and suitability as livestock feed make cowpea a preferred choice in many farming systems across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite its importance, Cowpea yields in farmers' fields remain suboptimal, primarily due to biotic and abiotic factors and the use of either unimproved varieties or improved varieties that are not well-suited to local conditions.

Development and nutritional evaluation of pomegranate peel enriched bars.

Pomegranate peel powder is used as a functional ingredient in the development of nutritional bars. Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is well known fruit belongs to punicaceae family having multiple health benefits, not only limited to its edible parts but also in its non-edible parts mostly the peel. Fruit wastes are rich source of nutrients, and can be used for the development of functional food products.

Study on the evolution of the spatial patterns and driving factors of national agricultural cultural heritage in China.

The study analyzed the spatial distribution characteristics, evolution rules, and driving factors of 138 China's national agricultural cultural heritage sites from 2013 to 2021 at the overall and regional levels, using kernel density analysis, Centres for standard deviation ellipse analyses, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and geographical detector analysis.The results showed that: ①From an overall perspective, the spatial pattern of China's national agricultural cultural heritage changed greatly from 2013 to 2021, with a highly uneven spatial distribution, gradually showing a distribution pattern of "widely distributed, locally concentrated". The spatial distribution of China's national agricultural cultural heritage is increasingly evident, and the spatial distribution type has evolved from discrete to clustered.

Gibberellin regulates the synthesis of stone cells in 'Nanguo' pear via the PuMYB91-PuERF023 module.

Stone cells are one of the limiting factors affecting pear fruit quality and commodity value. The formation of stone cell is highly correlated with lignin deposition. However, the molecular mechanism of stone cell formation and regulation is still unclear.

mHealth-Based Diabetes Prevention Program for Chinese Mothers With Abdominal Obesity: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Among people with abdominal obesity, women are more likely to develop diabetes than men. Mobile health (mHealth)-based technologies provide the flexibility and resource-saving opportunities to improve lifestyles in an individualized way. However, mHealth-based diabetes prevention programs tailored for busy mothers with abdominal obesity have not been reported yet.