Ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) is an edible plant with a high content of healthy minerals and ingredients beneficial to human health. The presented study aimed to summarize the key findings in terms of phytoremediation capabilities and nutritional values of the ice plant. A rigorous scientometric review technique and Tree of Science heuristic analyses helped compile all those findings. The scientometric review used various databases (Scopus and Science Direct) following the PIO (Population, Intervention, and Outputs) strategy, which helped to formulate the search equations and identify the most relevant articles published in the last two decades. According to scientometric mapping, the scholarly work on M. crystallinum enhanced by 12.65% between 2006 and 2023, focusing on its phytoremediation potential, salt adaptability, antioxidant capacity, and phenolic compounds. The present findings emphasized more investigation regarding its potential uses in the food sector, namely, its phytoremediation capacities for cleaning up contaminated water and soil.

Keywords: Ice plant (M. crystallinum L.), salt stress, flavonoids, phytoremediation potential, salt adaptability, antioxidant capacity, phenolic compounds

Key findings: Reports on Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. revealed a 12.65% increase in studying its phytoremediation capability, salt adaptation, antioxidant capacity, and phenolic compounds from 2006 to 2023. The study also highlights the importance of further research on its possible applications in the food industry, particularly its phytoremediation capabilities for treating polluted water and soils.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) plant architecture is crucial in rice productivity enhancement, particularly in forecasting agronomic-related traits. The presented research characterized the shoot architecture, photosynthesis, and yield-related traits in the F9 generation of rice recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between cultivar IR64 and local cultivar Hawara Bunar through correlation and path analyses among the various features. Rice RILs and parental cultivars’ sowing transpired in the greenhouse and the field. The greenhouse experiment commenced growing the rice seeds of 90 RILs and their parental lines in PVC tubes (20 cm in diameter and 50 cm in height) with sand soil as a medium. The study employed the upland rice cultivation system for the field experiment to cultivate the rice genotypes. The study used a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Shoot plant architecture, physiological, and yield traits observation continued at various stages of plant growth. A significant positive correlation to the seed yield per plant appeared in the maturative stage by the total seed weight, transpiration efficiency, intercellular CO₂ concentration, and intercellular CO₂ pressure. A substantial positive indirect effect on grain yield also surfaced from the net transpiration rate and its efficiency, intercellular CO₂ concentration, and CO₂ pressure. Therefore, the shoot architecture significantly affects the photosynthetic rate and grain yield.

Keywords: Path analysis, physiological traits, rice, recombinant inbred lines (RILs), yield

Key findings: Correlation and path analyses revealed a relationship among shoot architecture, photosynthesis rate, and yield-related traits in the 9^th generation of rice recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between cv. IR64 × Hawara Bunar.

Long-term use of inorganic fertilizers has negatively influenced rice productivity, being unsafe environmentally. The planned strategy sought to improve rice (Oryza sativa L.) production with a quality of environment-friendly rice cultivation by reducing the excessive inorganic fertilizers. The latest research aimed to analyze the effects of liquid organic fertilizer and urea on the growth and productivity of lowland rice managed with irregular irrigation. The urea (U) comprised four doses, i.e., control 0 kg/ha (U0), 50, 100, and 150 kg/ha (U1-U3, respectively), which fertilized the main plots. The liquid organic fertilizer (LOF) (P) also comprised four levels, viz., control 0 cc/L (P0), 2, 4, and 6 cc/L of water (P1-P3, respectively), which treated the subplots. The urea (100 kg/ha) application resulted in the highest average number of productive tillers (16.8) and the topmost percentage of full grain (84.47%). However, the urea fertilizer (150 kg/ha) produced the maximum flag leaf length (32.3 cm). The LOF concentration (4 cc/L) produced the superior 100-grain weight (2.84 g). The LOF (6 cc/L) produced the utmost index of chlorophyll a (236.43 μmol/m2), chlorophyll b (95.83 μmol.m^-2), and total chlorophyll (339.64 μmol.m^-2). The results showed that the combination of urea fertilizer (150 and 100 kg/ha) and liquid organic fertilizer concentration (LOF 6 cc/L) provided the best productivity of 6.26 and 6.13 t/ha, respectively.

Keywords: Rice (Oryza sativa L.), inorganic and organic fertilizers, irrigation system, growth and productivity traits, chlorophyll content

Key findings: The rice (O. sativa L.) productivity can attain enhancement by providing optimum nutrients to the crop. Combining organic and inorganic fertilizers can quickly develop and maintain fertilizer use efficiency and increase plant productivity. The results showed that the combination of urea fertilizer (150 and 100 kg/ha) and liquid organic fertilizer concentration (LOF 6 cc/L) provided the best grain yield of 6.26 and 6.13 t/ha, respectively.

Xanthomonas citri sub sp. citri (Xcc) causes citrus bacterial canker (CBC), a highly destructive disease of citrus plants globally. A comprehensive survey commenced in seven locations of District Sargodha, Pakistan, to determine the incidence of CBC on Kinnow, Feutrell’s early (Citrus reticulata Blanco), and Musambi (Citrus sinensis) cultivars. Additionally, 47 citrus cultivars reached assessment for their response to Xcc for disease severity. The highest incidence of CBC emerged in Kinnow at Shahpur (57.3%), Bhera (40.5%), and Sargodha (35.0%). Feutrell’s early showed a higher incidence rate at Shahpur (35.0%), Bhalwal (35.0%), and Sargodha (30.0%). Meanwhile, Musambi plants exhibited an incidence of 15.0% at Shahpur and Bhera and 13.3% at Bhalwal. Among the 47 cultivars, Jaffa, Valencia Late, Sanguinello, and Musambi (Citrus sinensis) demonstrated resistance to CBC, as their severity levels were <4.0%. Tracco N (20.3%) and rough lemon (22.0%) proved susceptible cultivars. However, a high susceptibility to canker disease was notable in Shamber grapefruit (31.0%) and Chakotra (Pommelo) (34.6%). Understanding the susceptibility of diverse citrus cultivars to CBC provides valuable insights for breeding programs and integrated management of the CBC disease.

Keywords: Citrus cultivars, disease management, incidence, Xanthomonas citri

Key findings: In the District of Sargodha, Pakistan, Kinnow exhibited the highest incidence of CBC, notably at Shahpur, Bhera, and Sargodha. Feutrell’s early displayed increased incidence rates at Shahpur, Bhalwal, and Sargodha, while Musambi plants showed a lower incidence of CBC. Among the 47 evaluated cultivars, Jaffa, Valencia Late, Sanginello, and Musambi showed resistance to CBC, with disease severity levels below 4.0%. Conversely, Tracco N and Rough lemon were markedly susceptible cultivars. Higher susceptibility was evident in Shamber grapefruit and Chakotra (Pommelo).

The harvesting period of 12 months after planting (MAP) is the major constraint in cassava (Manihot esculenta) cultivation, prompting the need for early-harvest (5–9 MAP) cultivars. Hence, yield potential evaluation of cassava genotypes during the early-harvest period is necessary. This study assesses the yield potential of 18 advanced cassava mutants (M1V8 generation) and five cassava commercial varieties harvested at 7 MAP. The results showed nine mutants yielded above 30.0 t ha^-1 (ADR-24, GJ-7, GJ-10, GJ-14, GJ-16, ML-18, ML-19, ML-20, and RTM-26), and two mutants (ML-21 and RTM-25) surpassed 40.0 t ha^-1, notably higher than previous early-harvest studies. Despite high yields, the proportion of commercial-size roots is moderately low (4–6 roots/plant). However, selected mutants produced 10–16 total roots/plant, suggesting cultivation adjustments could improve commercial root yield. A positive correlation between production traits indicates that higher commercial-size roots correspond to increased yield potential. Of the 11 promising mutants, five (GJ-10, GJ-14, GJ-16, ML-21, and RTM-26) with low bitterness attained favor for taste. The five mutants are endorsable as early-harvesting, high-yielding, and low HCN-content cassava cultivars.

Keywords: Manihot esculenta, irradiation mutagenesis, early maturity, high-root productivity

Key findings: Gamma irradiation randomly affects cassava root morphological and yield changes. This evaluation found 11 early-maturity (harvesting at 7 MAP) and high-yielding advanced mutants. Moreover, the root bitterness level of the five cassava mutants is low, indicating a minimal HCN level.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is a crop for potential development and cultivation in Indonesia because of its high tolerance for planting on marginal lands. The sorghum plant can serve as food, feed, bioenergy, and renewable materials. Sorghum exhibits numerous phenotypes; therefore, it is crucial to determine their suitability for various purposes. The ideotype of sorghum genotypes for biomaterial purposes is a recognized genotype with high lignin content and biomass. The Indonesian Agency for Research and Innovation has identified sorghum landraces with different lignin content in their germplasm. The agronomic parameters evaluation of these genotypes determined their biomaterial suitability purposes. The presented study showed that sorghum genotypes with different lignin content levels have variable biomass (plant height, stem diameter, leaf weight, and stem weight) and yield (panicle weight, length, and hundred-seed weight) attributing traits. The enhanced stem weight is the main contributor to total biomass in these sorghum genotypes. Stem weight positively correlated to a high lignin content and considerable broad sense heritability estimates. Therefore, these traits can become selection criteria for choosing sorghum genotypes for biomaterial purposes. The sorghum genotypes KS and G181 showed ideotype suitability for biomaterials.

Keywords: Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), biomass, character, heritability, selection, yield

Key findings: The high lignin content with biomass is the ideotype of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) genotypes for biomaterial purposes. Stem weight can be beneficial as a selection criterion for considering sorghum genotypes for biomaterial purposes. The sorghum genotype ‘KS’ showed ideotype suitability for particle board manufacturing, while the genotype G181 revealed an ideotype for biopellets.

Egyptian wild medicinal plants are Nicotiana glauca R.C., Solanum incanum L., and Withania somnifera L. The phytochemicals, antibacterial activity, and cytotoxicity of each species’ 1%, 3%, and 5% aqueous extracts attained scrutiny. Five fungal and five bacterial species (Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, A. terreus, Alternaria alternata, and Rhizoctonia solani) trials used the antimicrobial activity, agar well diffusion method. The Vicia faba assay showed the cytotoxicity of these plants at varied doses. N. glauca had 1.65% tannins and the most antioxidant activity at 0.32 mg/ml. N. glauca had a superior antifungal activity against A. niger, A. terreus, R. solani, B. cereus, P. aeruginosa, and R. solanacearum. At 1%, 3%, and 5% aqueous extracts, W. somnifera has the largest chromosomal aberrations, 22.97%, 25.46%, and 40.93%, respectively. In anaphase and telophase, cytotoxicity causes interphase micronucleus, stickiness, disrupted metaphase, lagging, bridge, and diagonal abnormalities. For reducing the pharmaceutical cytotoxicity, this study provided information on wild medicinal plants, revealing N. glauca with the greatest phytochemicals, antioxidants, and antibacterial activity with minimum cytotoxicity and abnormalities. Hence, its use can be safe for therapeutic dosages.

Keywords: Wild medicinal plants, Nicotiana glauca, Solanum incanum, Withania somnifera, antimicrobial activity, phytochemical analysis, cytotoxicity

Key findings: Nicotiana glauca, Solanum incanum, and Withania somnifera are Egyptian wild medicinal herbs with high antioxidant secondary metabolites. N. glauca had the most phytochemicals, antioxidant, and antibacterial activity but the lowest cytotoxic effect and abnormality percentage. The findings suggest using N. glauca aqueous extracts at 1%, 3%, or 5% for specific medical disorders.

Maize (Zea mays L.) sprouts growth and activity dynamics of DMDH (decarboxylating malate-dehydrogenase, Malic enzyme EC:1.1.1.40) enzyme have undergone studies under combined stress conditions developed by gamma rays, salt solution, and nanoparticles. Three different factors comprising various doses of gamma radiation (250, 500, and 750 Gy), NaCl solution (100 mM), and iron oxide nanoparticles (maghemite, γ- Fe₂O₃) have been in use by the study to develop artificial stress conditions. These combined stress conditions have significantly affected and delayed the plant growth compared with the control variant. The higher doses of radiation (500 and 750 Gy) have slowed down the plant growth and caused destruction. The effect of gamma radiation (250 Gy) delayed the growth of plants. However, during the combined influence of nanoparticles (Fe₂O₃) with a dose of 250 Gy, plant development was better than with an individual dose of 250 Gy. This difference was not evident in the medium with high doses (500 and 750 Gy) of gamma radiation combined with nanoparticles (Fe₂O₃) and with salt stress (NaCl 100 mM). During the first 10 days of the experiment, DMDH enzyme activity, induced in the root and leaf cells in all variants, included the control, and inhibition occurred on the 15th day. This reaction product can be due to enzyme inhibition. However, the enzyme activity was higher during the combined stress conditions.

Keywords: Maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings, gamma radiation, salt stress, iron oxide nanoparticles, decarboxylating-malate dehydrogenase, combined stress conditions, growth traits

Key findings: Adding maghemite nanoparticles to the medium slightly reduced the stress effects, and thus, the stimulating effect of nanoparticles has manifested. In variants with NaCl solution (100 mM), no stimulating effect appeared; however, on the contrary, a retarding effect was noticeable. The DMDH enzyme (ME, EC:1.1.1.40) activity regarding corn plant growth was prominent at the beginning of the experiment (5^th and 10^th days) in the root and stem tissues under the combined stress conditions and both in control. Gamma irradiation has reduced the plant’s organic matter in applied variants compared with the control variant. However, this reduction was superior for the variants with NaCl solution.

The use of pesticides in agriculture is constantly rising in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Over the past decade, pesticide use per unit area of agricultural land has almost tripled. In 2008, this figure was 0.2 kg/ha, while in 2018, it reached 0.593 kg/ha. In crop production, pesticide application contaminates the soil, water, and plants with toxic residues, negatively affecting human health and the environment. Organic agriculture provides high-quality food and sustainable rural development. However, the development of organic crop production is slow in Kazakhstan. To date, field areas processed using organic production technologies are about 200,000 ha in Kazakhstan, as confirmed by European certifying organizations. In organic agriculture, employing biological agents (manures, straw, siderates, and biofertilizers), according to biological buffering laws, without disturbing the ecological balance, contributes to maintaining soil fertility and enhancing environmentally safe productivity. Plant protection measures require implementation through producing resistant crop genotypes and non-chemical methods like mechanical and biological in organic agriculture.

Keywords: Pesticides, toxic residue pollution, organic agriculture, environmentally friendly products, manure, straw, siderates, biofertilizers, mechanical and biological methods of plant protection

Key findings: Applying biological agents (manures, straw, siderates, and biofertilizers) in organic agriculture contributes to maintaining soil fertility, enhancing productivity, and obtaining environmentally safe products.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the crucial legume crops and a primary source of protein for human beings worldwide. The genetically diverse accessions are valuable sources for further improvement in chickpeas through breeding. In the presented study, the 36 chickpea lines from the Chickpea International Elite Nursery-Winter, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), bore assessment for yield-related traits. Determining the effects of various quantitative and yield-attributing traits on the seed yield used linear regression. Simple linear regression models ran separate evaluations for each studied parameter, including plant height, the height of the first pod, the number of secondary branches, the number of pods, the number of seeds per plant, and 100-seed weight. According to analysis for high seed productivity in chickpea cultivation under organic production conditions, the approximate model ensures a high yield as follows: The plant height ranged from 68 to –78 cm, height to the first pod (26–31 cm), number of secondary branches (8–14), number of pods (52–79), number of seeds (64–95), and 100-seed weight (25–45 g). In determining the seed productivity of chickpea genotypes, a direct positive and significant correlation occurred between the 100-seed weight and the number of seeds per plant. These parameters can serve as effective selection criteria for enhancing the chickpea yield.

Keywords: Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), regression analyses, correlation coefficient, quantitative traits, yield-related traits, crop productivity

Key findings: In chickpeas, the seed weight per plant emerged as the pivotal trait influencing seed yield, helping formulate a predictive theoretical model. Additionally, traits like the number of secondary branches and a 100-seed weight demonstrated a substantial positive correlation with seed yield, providing crucial selection criteria for effective breeding programs.