Scientifica
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CiteScore5.300
Journal Citation Indicator0.710
Impact Factor3.2

Effects of Complex Fertilizers on the Properties of Grey Forest Heavy Loamy Soil

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Research Article

Intercropping Maize with Faba Bean Improves Yield, Income, and Soil Fertility in Semiarid Environment

Continuous adoption of improved maize varieties in the last three decades has changed farm landscapes from heterogeneity to maize homogeneity in semiarid areas of Ethiopia. This has substantially decreased maize productivity. Recently, farmers have integrated faba bean into maize-based farming systems aimed at increasing productivity. Yet, there is limited information on the effects of maize-faba bean intercropping on productivity and land-use efficiency. We studied the effects of maize intercrops with two faba bean varieties (Gora and Moti) at three different densities (25, 50, and 75%) of the recommended sole faba bean (250,000 plants ha−1) on yield, economic return, and some soil fertility indicators in Tigray, northern Ethiopia. Randomized complete block design with three replications was used for the experiment. The intercrops revealed that a significantly higher total grain yield, economic revenue, and land equivalent ratio (LER) over the sole cropping. Intercrops also showed higher soil organic carbon and total nitrogen compared to the preplanting soil and sole maize. Maize intercropped with the Gora faba bean variety at a density of 50% increased the total grain yields, economic return, and LER, respectively, by 13, 42, and 38% over the sole maize. The intercrop also increased soil total N by 55 and 22% compared to the preplanting soil and sole maize, respectively. Intercropping maize with faba bean significantly improved crop yield, income, land-use productivity, and some soil fertility indicators than either the sole maize or faba bean crop in the semiarid region of northern Ethiopia.

Review Article

Onion (Allium cepa L.) and Drought: Current Situation and Perspectives

Onions (Allium cepa L.) are the second most commonly produced and consumed vegetable worldwide due to their economic, nutritional, and medicinal benefits. However, drought hinders vegetative growth, lowers yields and bulb quality, reduces photosynthetic activity, and alters the onion plant’s metabolism. This review provides a summary of global research on the impact of drought on onions. It specifically seeks to shed light on aspects that remain unclear and generate research avenues. Relevant scientific articles were sourced from the AGORA database, Web of Science (WoS), and search engines such as Google Scholar, Scopus, MEDLINE/PubMed, and SCImago to achieve this objective. A total of 117 scientific articles and documents related to onion and drought were critically examined. The review revealed agromorphological, physiological, biochemical, and genomic studies depicting factors that contribute to drought tolerance in onion genotypes. However, there was little research on the physiological, biochemical, and genetic characteristics of drought tolerance in onions, which need to be deepened to establish its adaptation mechanisms. Understanding the mechanisms of onion response to water stress will contribute to fast-tracking the development of drought-tolerant genotypes and optimize onion production. Future research should be more focused on investigating onion drought tolerance mechanisms and structural and functional genomics and identifying genes responsible for onion drought tolerance.

Review Article

Microbial Biofungicides as a Substitute for Chemical Fungicides in the Control of Phytopathogens: Current Perspectives and Research Directions

These days, two important issues are causing concern in the global community: the alarmingly growing trend of the human population and the issue of food security. To this end, people around the world have been searching for solutions that could feed the needy in a sustainable way. In response to this urgent call, scientists from around the world started working on increasing crop production and productivity by controlling crop pathogens that could harm the productivity of crops. Synthetic fungicides have been in use for controlling crop diseases for several decades, but later, due to the evidenced side effects of the fungicides, there have been attempts to shift towards a less cost-effective and eco-friendly method of controlling crop diseases, and so far, many remarkable results have been achieved. However, due to the less effective and shorter shelf life of microbial biofungicides, as well as the less accessibility of these microbial biofungicides to growers around the world, it became difficult to remove the fungicides totally from the market. To minimize this problem, researchers suggested an integrated approach: the combination of microbial biofungicides with a reduced dose of synthetic fungicides. Hence, this review explored the status as well as the merits and demerits of microbial biofungicides as compared to synthetic fungicides.

Research Article

Antibiofilm Activity of Curcumin and Piperine and Their Synergistic Effects with Antifungals against Candida albicans Clinical Isolates

Background. Candidiasis is the common name for diseases caused by yeast of the genus Candida. Candida albicans is one of the most implicated species in superficial and invasive candidiasis. Antifungals, polyenes, and azoles have been used to treat candidiasis. However, due to the development of antifungal resistance, research of natural substances with potential antifungal effects at low concentrations or combined is also a possibility. Methods. The broth microdilution method was used to evaluate the antifungal activity. The biofilm formation was assessed using the microtiter plate method. The antibiofilm activities were assessed using micro plaque tetrazolium salt assay (MTT). The combination effect of antifungal with natural substances was made using the checkerboard method. Results. Among our isolates, clotrimazole was the most resistant, but amphotericin B was the most effective antifungal. The biofilm was formed by all isolates of C. albicans. Curcumin and piperine displayed antibiofilm activity with minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) and minimum eradicating concentration (MBEC) ranging from 64 to 1024 μg/mL and 256 to 2048 μg/mL. In combination, piperine presented double synergistic effects compared to curcumin with all antifungals tested. Curcumin shows more synergistic effect when combined with polyenes than with azoles. However, piperine shows a more synergistic effect when combined with azoles compared to polyenes. Conclusion. C. albicans was susceptible to curcumin and piperine both on planktonic cells and biofilm. The combination of curcumin and piperine with antifungals has shown synergistic effects against multiresistant clinical isolates of Candida albicans representing an alternative drug research for the treatment of clinical candidiasis.

Research Article

A Comparative Analysis of Morphological Characteristics between Endangered Local Prickly Pear and the Newly Introduced Dactylopius opuntiae-Resistant Species in Eastern Morocco

Prickly pear serves as a significant source of income for farmers worldwide, with production taking place in temperate, subtropical, and cold regions. The objective of the present investigation is to explore the morphological parameters of Opuntia robusta and Opuntia dillenii which are resistant to the white cochineal (Dactylopius opuntiae), as well as the local prickly pear that is currently threatened with extinction. This investigation aims to evaluate the feasibility of replacing the endangered local prickly pear with the recently introduced species O. robusta and O. dillenii. This analysis is based on a comprehensive assessment of 26 qualitative and 25 quantitative traits pertaining to cladodes and fruits. In terms of species differentiation and the selection of discriminative features, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of various statistical methods, as well as the analysis carried out according to the descriptors recommended by the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). Of the 51 parameters evaluated, 13 qualitative and 23 quantitative characters are significant in differentiating the species under study. This underscores the importance of quantitative traits in distinguishing different prickly pear species. Furthermore, color is identified as a crucial characteristic for discriminating between the studied samples. O. robusta is characterized by its high fruit weight, large size, greater pulp content, and high pulp-to-peel ratio, all of which are desirable traits for fresh consumption. Additionally, O. robusta has the highest number of fully developed seeds, making it an attractive option for use in the cosmetic industry. This characteristic renders the O. robusta a potential substitute for the endangered ecotype . However, O. robusta is distinguished by its short stalk, which poses a challenge for fruit harvesting and leaves it susceptible to physical damage and quality loss. Conversely, O. dillenii displays a low pulp content, which serves as a critical indicator of fruit quality. The only desirable agronomic trait of this species is its elevated seed content, which has the potential for utilization in oil production for the cosmetic industry.

Research Article

Biodiversity and Structural Analysis of Woody Plant Species of Home Gardens in Basona Worana District, North Shoa Zone of Central Ethiopia

The purpose of this study was to investigate the biodiversity and structure of woody plants of HGs in the Basona Worana district (BWD). For this, six kebeles and 138 HGs from three agroecologies of BWD were selected using various sampling techniques. The plot size used per HG was 400 m2. Diversity and important value indices (IVIs) were computed. For their structural analysis, the diameter at breast height (DBH) and height were also measured for trees and shrubs fulfilling the standards (diameters at breast height (DBH) ≥2.5 cm and height >2 m). Thus, a total of 42 woody species belonging to 37 genera and 26 families were identified. Fabaceae was the most abundant family, followed by Euphorbiaceae. Trees were the dominant habit. The richness in Kola HGs (33) was higher than Dega (14) and Woinadega (19) HGs, with an overall mean richness of 4.14 per HG of BWD. The Shannon, Simpson, and evenness indices for HGs in the district were 1.05, 0.55, and 0.75, respectively, showing their moderate diversity with even distribution. The Sorenson’s similarity of HGs between Dega and Woinadega, Kola and Dega, and Kola and Woinadega were 40%, 28%, and 32%, respectively. The multiple site similarities of woody species among three ecological zones (36%) were still <50%, showing no similarity. The overall DBH and height classes’ patterns of the woody species individuals abruptly decreased towards their highest classes. Similar DBH and height classes’ patterns of woody species individuals were also observed in Kola and Woinadega agroecologies, indicating their selective tree cutting. The mean values of DBH, height, basal, and crown areas of the woody species in the district were ∼14 cm, ∼6 m, ∼29 m2·ha−1, and 5 m2, respectively. Based on IVI, most of the HGs were dominated by Eucalyptus globules (93.35), followed by Eucalyptus camaldulensis (45.04), Rhamnus prinoides (22.4), and Cupressus lusitanica (22.33). Hence, actions should be taken to promote the diversity and managing of HGs’ woody species of BWD.

Scientifica
 Journal metrics
See full report
Acceptance rate14%
Submission to final decision107 days
Acceptance to publication13 days
CiteScore5.300
Journal Citation Indicator0.710
Impact Factor3.2
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