Biochar and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can promote plant growth, improve soil properties, and maintain microbial activity. The effects of biochar and AMF on plant growth, root morphological traits, physiological properties, and soil enzymatic activities were studied in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.). A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of biochar and AMF on the growth of spinach. Four treatments, a T1 control (soil without biochar), T2 biochar alone, T3 AMF alone, and T4 biochar and AMF together, were arranged in a randomized complete block design with five replications. The biochar alone had a positive effect on the growth of spinach, root morphological traits, physiological properties, and soil enzymatic activities. It significantly increased the plant growth parameters, such as the shoot length, leaf number, leaf length, leaf width, shoot fresh weight, and shoot dry weight. The root morphological traits, plant physiological attributes, and soil enzymatic activities were significantly enhanced with the biochar alone compared with the control. However, the combination of biochar and AMF had a greater impact on the increase in plant growth, root morphological traits, physiological properties, and soil enzymatic activities compared with the other treatments. The results suggested that the combined biochar and AMF led to the highest levels of spinach plant growth, microbial biomass, and soil enzymatic activity.

The global nutraceutical industry is experiencing a paradigm shift, driven by an increasing demand for functional foods and dietary supplements that address malnutrition and chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and cancer. Traditional plant- and animal-derived nutraceuticals face limitations in scalability, cost, and environmental impact, paving the way for microbial biotechnology as a sustainable alternative. Microbial cells act as bio-factories, converting nutrients like glucose and amino acids into valuable nutraceutical products such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), peptides, and other bioactive compounds. By harnessing their natural metabolic capabilities, microorganisms efficiently synthesize these bioactive compounds, making microbial production a sustainable and effective approach for nutraceutical development. This review explores the transformative role of microbial platforms in the production of nutraceuticals, emphasizing advanced fermentation techniques, synthetic biology, and metabolic engineering. It addresses the challenges of optimizing microbial strains, ensuring product quality, and scaling production while navigating regulatory frameworks. Furthermore, the review highlights cutting-edge technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 for genome editing, adaptive evolution for strain enhancement, and bioreactor innovations to enhance yield and efficiency. With a focus on sustainability and precision, microbial production is positioned as a game-changer in the nutraceutical industry, offering eco-friendly and scalable solutions to meet global health needs. The integration of omics technologies and the exploration of novel microbial sources hold the potential to revolutionize this field, aligning with the growing consumer demand for innovative and functional bioactive products.

Anti-virulence agents are non-bacteriostatic and non-bactericidal emerging therapeutic options which hamper the production of virulence factors in pathogenic flora. In Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis, regulation of virulence genes’ expression occurs through the cyclic peptide-mediated accessory gene regulator (agr) and its ortholog fsr quorum sensing systems, respectively. In the present study, we screened a set of 54 actinomycetales secondary metabolites as novel anti-virulence compounds targeting quorum sensing system of the Gram-positive bacteria. The results indicated that four compounds, Phenalinolactones A–D, BU–4664LMe, 4,5-dehydrogeldamycin, and Questinomycin A, potentially inhibit the agr quorum sensing system and hemolytic activity of S. aureus. On the other hand, Decatromicin A and B, Okilactomycin, Rishirilide A, Abyssomicin I, and Rebeccamycin selectively blocked the fsr quorum sensing system and the gelatinase production in E. faecalis at sub-lethal concentrations. Interestingly, Synerazol uniquely showed the capability to inhibit both fsr and agr quorum sensing systems. Further, in silico molecular docking studies were performed which provided closer insights into the mode of action of these compounds and proposed that the inhibitory activity of these compounds could be attributed to their potential ability to bind to the ATP-active site of S. aureus AgrA. Taken together, our study highlights the potential of actinomycetales secondary metabolites with diverse structures as anti-virulence quorum sensing inhibitors.

Ginger is rich in different chemical compounds such as phenolic compounds, terpenes, polysaccharides, lipids, organic acids, minerals, and vitamins. The present study investigated the effect of mineral fertilizers on the content of mineral elements in the rhizomes of Zingiber officinale Roscoe, soil enzymes activity, and soil properties in Surkhandarya Region, Uzbekistan. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first in Uzbekistan to investigate the mineral elements of ginger rhizome inhabiting Termez district, Surkhandarya region. A Field experiment was conducted at the Surkhandarya experimental station research Institute. Four treatments have been studied (Control with no fertilizers (T-1), N₇₅P₅₀K₅₀ kg/ha (T-2), N₁₂₅P₁₀₀K₁₀₀ kg/ha (T-3) and N₁₀₀P₇₅K₇₅ + B₃Zn₆Fe₆ kg/ha (T-4)). Results showed that T-4 treatment significantly increased ginger rhizome K, Ca, P, Mg, Fe, Na, Mn, Zn, Si, Li, and V content as compared to all other treatments and control. T-3 treatment significantly increased Mo, Ga, and Ag content in comparison to other treatments. Soil enzymes showed a significant increase for all treatments against control, while T-4 treatment has recorded the highest enzyme activity in comparison to all other treatments in urease, invertase, and catalase content. Soil chemical properties have significantly changed for all treatments against the non-cultivated soil and the zero fertilizers plantation with variation among different treatments. Results showed that ginger root is rich in minerals and can be used as a great potential for nutritional supplements and soil enrichment. This study suggest that combination of macro-microelements have the potential to increase the content of mineral elements in the rhizomes of ginger in field conditions.