Brown juice is a byproduct of fractionated green biomass during leaf protein isolation. It represents approximately 45%–50% of the total pressed fresh biomass. Disposal of brown juice is a serious issue in leaf protein production due to its high biological oxygen demand and carbohydrates content. The current study aimed to find a possible potential use of brown juice. Therefore, chemical and biochemical properties of brown juice—derived from alfalfa green biomass—were determined before and after fermentation by lactic acid bacteria. Additionally, the growth stimulation potential of fermented brown juice on plumed cockscomb (Celosia argantea var. plumose ‘Arrabona’) plants were tested. Celosia seedlings were sprayed at different rates of fermented brown juice (i.e., 0.5%, 1%, 2.5%, 5%, and 10%) and tap water was applied as control. The results revealed that lactic acid bacteria successfully enhanced the stabilization of brown juice via reducing sugars content and increasing organic acids content. After fermentation, contents of glucose monomers were 15 times lower; while concentrations of lactic and acetic acids increased by 7- and 10-fold, respectively. This caused a reduction in the pH of fermented brown juice by 13.9%. Treating Celosia plants at lower rates of fermented brown juice (up to 1.0%) significantly induced their growth dynamics and antioxidant capacity. Higher values of vegetative parameters were measured in treated plants compared to control. The brown juice treatments caused significant changes in histological parameters as well. The activity of catalase and peroxidase increased in plants that received fermented brown juice especially at low rates. Moreover, an increase in water-soluble protein and phenol was measured in different tissues of plants sprayed with fermented brown juice. Malondialdehyde content was lowered in treated plants compared to control. Fermented brown juice at high rates slightly reduced the amount of photosynthetic pigments; however, this reduction was not reported for low rates of fermented brown juice. These results surely illustrate the potential use of fermented alfalfa brown juice as a growth stimulator for crops particularly at rates below 2.5%.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR), and UPOV phenotype markers were used to study the DNA polymorphism in gamma-ray induced morphological mutants of Celosia argentea var. plumosa Hungarian variety ‘Arrabona.‘ In the experiments, the study determined the radio sensitivity and the genetic diversity of gamma radiation of C. argentea var. plumosa ‘Arrabona.‘ Seeds of C. argentea var. plumosa ‘Arrabona‘ were irradiated with gamma rays to increase their genetic diversity. The irradiation doses consisted of 0, 75, 150, 300, 450, and 600 Grays (Gy). The germination percentage, survival rate, and phenotype of irradiated plantlets underwent evaluation in the first (M1) and second (M2) generations. The investigation of genetic diversity used the ISSR and RAPD primers. Based on the results, the first-generation genetic distance increased as the doses increased. But the trend changed considerably through the generation due to the low condition and fertility of the high doses of gamma-irradiated plants. These individuals did not show at the next mutant generation, changing the population gene pool. In addition, open pollination has also changed genetic diversity. The RAPD and ISSR primers proved proper to evaluate the genetic diversity, nonetheless fewer direct connection occurred between the appearance and the used RAPD or ISSR markers. The LD50 dose between 150 and 300 Gray treatments and the radiation between 300450 Gray induced the median growth reduction in the mutant ‘Arrabona‘ population. Based on these results, the study concluded that both UPOV-based phenotyping and molecular marker analysis revealed appropriate for determining genetic divergence, but detecting greater genetic distance resulted in molecular markers.