Microgreens are innovative vegetable products whose production and consumption are gaining popularity globally thanks to their recognized nutraceutical properties. To date, the effects of lighting conditions and growing substrate on the performances of Brassica carinata microgreens (indigenous to Africa) remain underexplored. The present study aimed at providing insights into the influence of different lighting treatments provided by LEDs, namely monochromatic blue (B), red (R), cool white (W) and a combination of three color diodes (B + R + W), and substrates (cocopeat, sand and cocopeat–sand mix (v/v) (1:1)) on the growth, yield and bioactive compounds of B. carinata microgreens. Seeds were germinated in dark chambers and cultivated in growth chambers equipped with LED lighting systems for 14 days under a fixed light intensity of 160 ± 2.5 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ and photoperiod of 12 h d⁻¹. The best performances were associated with the spectrum that combined B + R + W LEDs and with substrate resulting from the cocopeat–sand mix, including the highest yield (19.19 g plant⁻¹), plant height (9.94 cm), leaf area (68.11 mm²) and canopy cover (55.9%). Enhanced carotenoid and flavonoid contents were obtained with B + R + W LEDs, while the B LED increased the total amount of chlorophyll (11,880 mg kg⁻¹). For plants grown under B + R + W LEDs in cocopeat, high nitrate levels were observed. Our results demonstrate that substrate and light environment interact to influence the growth, yield and concentration of bioactive compounds of B. carinata microgreens.

The parasitic plant Striga hermonthica (Delile) Benth. is stimulated to germinate by biomolecules (strigolactones) produced in the roots of host and some non-host plants. Non-hosts induce Striga’s suicidal germination and are therefore used as trap crops. Among trap crops, the Slenderleaf legume in the genus Crotalaria (Crotalaria brevidens (L.) Benth.) and (Crotalaria orchroleuca (G.) Don.) has been popularized in African smallholder farms. However, the Striga germination efficiency of these locally grown Crotalaria varieties (landraces) is unknown. Also unclear is Crotolaria’s extent to inhibiting Striga growth, post germination. Extensive parasite penetration can expose the trap crop to secondary infections and possible phytotoxicity from Striga. We used in vitro germination assays to determine the Striga germination efficiency of 29 Crotalaria landraces. Furthermore, we determined Crotalaria’s ability to inhibit Striga attachment and growth using histological analysis. We found that: i) Crotalaria stimulated germination of Striga seeds at frequencies ranging between 15.5% and 54.5% compared to 74.2% stimulation by the synthetic strigolactone (GR24) used a positive control; ii) Crotalaria blocked Striga entry at multiple levels and did not allow growth beyond the pericycle, effectively blocking vascular connection with the non-host. Hence, Crotalaria is suitable as a trap crop in integrated Striga management.

Plants intimately coexist with diverse taxonomically structured microbial communities that influence host health and productivity. The coexistence of plant microbes in the phyllosphere benefits biodiversity maintenance, ecosystem function, and community stability. However, differences in community composition and network structures of phyllosphere epiphytic and endophytic fungi are widely unknown. Using Illumina Miseq sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 28S rRNA gene amplicons, we characterised the epiphytic and endophytic fungal communities associated with cashew phyllosphere (leaf, flower and fruit) from Kwale, Kilifi and Lamu counties in Kenya. The ITS and 28S rRNA gene sequences were clustered into 267 and 108 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at 97% sequence similarity for both the epiphytes and endophytes. Phylum Ascomycota was abundant followed by Basidiomycota, while class Saccharomycetes was most dominant followed by Dothideomycetes. The major non-ascomycete fungi were associated only with class Tremellales. The fungal communities detected had notable ecological functions as saprotrophs and pathotrophs in class Saccharomyectes and Dothideomycetes. The community composition of epiphytic and endophytic fungi significantly differed between the phyllosphere organs which was statistically confirmed by the Analysis of Similarity test (ANOSIM Statistic R: 0.3273, for 28S rRNA gene and ANOSIM Statistic R: 0.3034 for ITS). The network analysis revealed that epiphytic and endophytic structures were more specialized, modular and had less connectance. Our results comprehensively describe the phyllosphere cashew-associated fungal community and serve as a foundation for understanding the host-specific microbial community structures among cashew trees.

Background: Diversification of global food systems through exploration of traditional varieties and wild edible plant species is a focal mitigation strategy for food security worldwide. The present study determined the phenomic diversity of locally available, affordable and climate-resilient cultivated and wild Crotalaria species for breeding purposes. Methods: Seed samples were collected from different administrative counties in Kenya spanning different climatic zones. Other seeds were provided by the Genetic Resources Research Institute of Kenya. A randomized complete block design with three replications was used for agro-morphological evaluation of the 83 accessions used in this study. Data on quantitative and qualitative traits was collected. Cluster analysis on R and R-studio was used to generate a dendrogram by the Euclidian genetic distance and dissimilarity indices while the non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) method was used to determine the spatial interrelationship between the accessions. The Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used to determine the relationships between qualitative and quantitative traits while the principal component analysis was used to discriminate the accessions. Results: Three edible species (C. brevidens Benth., C. ochroleuca G.Don, C. trichotoma Bojer.) were found to be cultivated by Kenyan farmers and a significant variation (p < 0.0001) for all parameters under study was recorded. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering grouped the accessions into 8 major clusters. The NMDS ordination formed 15 and 6 groups based on counties and regions respectively. Conclusions: This study forms the basis for exploring novel breeding strategies among cultivated species, between wild and cultivated Crotalaria species as well as determining molecular markers linked to phenomic traits.

And C. ochroleuca commonly grown as vegetables have been extensively studied. However, information on breeding techniques is scanty. This study aimed to develop an artificial interspecific pollinat...