Salinity is a major abiotic stress that poses great obstacles to wheat production, especially in arid regions. The application of exogenous substances can enhance plant salt tolerance and increase its productivity under salinity stress. This work aimed to assess the mechanisms of selenium (Se) at different concentrations (2, 4 and 8 μM SeCl₂) to mitigate hazardous impacts of salt toxicity at physiological, biochemical and agronomic levels in bread wheat. The results displayed that Se foliar application increased chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, relative water content, membrane stability index, excised leaf water retention, proline, total soluble sugars, Ca content, K content, antioxidant enzyme activities and non-enzymatic antioxidant compounds compared to untreated plants. On the other hand, Se application decreased the content of Na, hydrogen peroxide and superoxide contents. Accordingly, our findings recommend exogenous Se application (in particular 8 μM) to alleviate the deleterious effects induced by salinity stress and improve wheat yield attributes through enhancing antioxidant defense systems and photosynthetic capacity.

Background: Dermatophytosis in calves is a major public and veterinary health concern worldwide because of its zoonotic potential and associated economic losses in cattle farms. However, this condition has lacked adequate attention; thus, to develop effective control measures, we determined ringworm prevalence, risk factors, and the direct-sample nested PCR diagnostic indices compared with the conventional methods of dermatophytes identification. Moreover, the phenolic composition of an Aloe vera gel extract (AGE) and its in vitro and in vivo antidermatophytic activity were evaluated and compared with those of antifungal drugs. Results: Of the 760 calves examined, 55.79% (424/760) showed ringworm lesions; 84.91% (360/424) were positive for fungal elements in direct-microscopy, and 79.72% (338/424) were positive in culture. Trichophyton verrucosum was the most frequently identified dermatophyte (90.24%). The risk of dermatophytosis was higher in 4–6-month-old vs. 1-month-old calves (60% vs. 41%), and in summer and winter compared with spring and autumn seasons (66 and 54% vs. 48%). Poor hygienic conditions, intensive breeding systems, animal raising for meat production, parasitic infestation, crossbreeding, and newly purchased animals were statistically significant risk factors for dermatophytosis. One-step PCR targeting the conserved regions of the 18S and 28S genes achieved unequivocal identification of T. verrucosum and T. mentagrophytes in hair samples. Nested-PCR exhibited an excellent performance in all tested diagnostic indices and increased the species-specific detection of dermatophytes by 20% compared with culture. Terbinafine and miconazole were the most active antifungal agents for dermatophytes. Gallic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, cinnamic acid, aloe-Emodin, quercetin, and rutin were the major phenolic compounds of AGE, as assessed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). These compounds increased and synergized the antidermatophytic activity of AGE. The treated groups showed significantly lower clinical scores vs. the control group (P < 0.05). The calves were successfully treated with topical AGE (500 ppm), resulting in clinical and mycological cure within 14–28 days of the experiment; however, the recovery was achieved earlier in the topical miconazole 2% and AGE plus oral terbinafine groups. Conclusions: The nested PCR assay provided a rapid diagnostic tool for dermatophytosis and complemented the conventional methods for initiating targeted treatments for ringworm in calves. The recognized antidermatophytic potential of AGE is an advantageous addition to the therapeutic outcomes of commercial drugs.

Potato is considered a nitrogen (N) intensive plant with a low N use efficiency (NUE). The current study introduced an excellent approach by combining dicyandiamide (DCD), moringa seed oil (MSO), or zeolite (ZE), with N fertilizer for maximizing potato tuber yields and NUE as well as minimizing tubers nitrate (NO₃^-) accumulation. The impact of these materials on soil N availability and gaseous emissions (NH₃, and N₂O) was investigated under incubation conditions. A 2-year field experiment were carried out with seven treatments [without N (control), N fertilizer (350 kg N-urea ha^-1 as a recommended dose; Urea_RD), 75% of N recommended dose with DCD (Urea_75%RD+DCD), Urea_75%RD with 2% MSO (Urea_75%RD+MSO_2%), Urea_75%RD with 4% MSO (Urea_75%RD+MSO_4%), Urea_75%RD with 0.5 Mg ZE ha^-1 (Urea_75%RD+ZE_R1), and Urea_75%RD with 1.0 Mg ZE ha^-1 (Urea _75%RD+ZE_R2)]. We also conducted a 40-days incubation trial with the same treatments; however, urea was added at the rate of 200 mg N kg^-1 soil for all treatments, excluding the control. The addition of DCD, MSO, and ZE with urea under incubation conditions delayed the nitrification process, thereby causing a rise in NH₄⁺-N content and a decrease in NO₃^--N content. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) was inhibited (p ≤ 0.01) in treatments Urea+DCD, Urea+MSO_4%, and Urea+ZE_R2. The highest NUE indexes were recorded in treatment Urea_75%RD+DCD. The highest NO₃^- accumulation (567 mg NO₃^- kg^-1) in potato tubers was recorded in treatment Urea_RD. Whilest, the lowest NO₃^- content (81 mg NO₃^- kg^-1) was in treatment Urea_75%RD+DCD. The lowest cumulative N₂O emissions and highest cumulative NH₃ volatilization were observed in the treatment Urea+DCD under incubation conditions. Our findings demonstrated that N fertilizer rate could be reduced by 25%, while the tuber yields increased with an acceptable limit of NO₃^- content, resulting in economical, agronomical, and environmental benefits.

A field trial was conducted twice (in 2020 and 2021) to evaluate the effect of clove fruit extract (CFE) and/or salicylic acid (SA), which were used as a foliar nourishment, on growth and yield traits, as well as physiological and biochemical indices utilizing potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants irrigated with deficient regimes in an arid environment. Three drip irrigation regimes [e.g., well watering (7400 m³ ha⁻¹), moderate drought (6200 m³ ha⁻¹), and severe drought (5000 m³ ha⁻¹)] were designed for this study. The tested growth, yield, and photosynthetic traits, along with the relative water content, were negatively affected, whereas markers of oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide and superoxide), electrolyte leakage, and peroxidation of membrane lipids (assessed as malondialdehyde level) were augmented along with increased antioxidative defense activities under drought stress. These effects were gradually increased with the gradual reduction in the irrigation regime. However, under drought stress, CFE and/or SA significantly enhanced growth characteristics (fresh and dry weight of plant shoot and plant leaf area) and yield components (average tuber weight, number of plant tubers, and total tuber yield). In addition, photosynthetic attributes (chlorophylls and carotenoids contents, net photosynthetic and transpiration rates, and stomatal conductance) were also improved, and defensive antioxidant components (glutathione, free proline, ascorbate, soluble sugars, and α-tocopherol levels, and activities of glutathione reductase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase) were further enhanced. The study findings advocate the idea of using a CFE+SA combined treatment, which was largely efficient in ameliorating potato plant growth and productivity by attenuating the limiting influences of drought stress in dry environments.

This study aimed to determine the most effective treatment to enhance growth and yield of lettuce on sandy soil.