Search Results (30)

Computer vision recognition technology, due to its non-invasive and convenient nature, can effectively avoid damage to fragile wild plants during recognition. However, balancing model complexity, recognition accuracy, and data processing difficulty on resource-constrained hardware is a critical issue that needs to be addressed. To tackle these challenges, we propose an improved lightweight Faster R-CNN architecture named ULS-FRCN. This architecture includes three key improvements: a Light Bottleneck module based on depthwise separable convolution to reduce model complexity; a Split SAM lightweight spatial attention mechanism to improve recognition accuracy without increasing model complexity; and unsharp masking preprocessing to enhance model performance while reducing data processing difficulty and training costs. We validated the effectiveness of ULS-FRCN using five representative wild plants from the PlantCLEF 2015 dataset. Ablation experiments and multi-dataset generalization tests show that ULS-FRCN significantly outperforms the baseline model in terms of mAP, mean F1 score, and mean recall, with improvements of 12.77%, 0.01, and 9.07%, respectively. Compared to the original Faster R-CNN, our lightweight design and attention mechanism reduce training parameters, improve inference speed, and enhance computational efficiency. This approach is suitable for deployment on resource-constrained forestry devices, enabling efficient plant identification and management without the need for high-performance servers. Full article

Wild edible fruit plants are integral to the cultural, nutritional, medicinal, and economic practices of Indigenous Isan communities in Roi Et Province, northeastern Thailand, a region characterized by plateau and lowland topography and a tropical monsoon climate. This study aimed to document the diversity, traditional uses, phenology, and conservation status of these species to inform sustainable management and conservation efforts. Field surveys and ethnobotanical interviews with 200 informants (100 men, 100 women; random ages) were conducted across 20 local communities to identify species diversity and usage patterns, while phenological observations and conservation assessments were performed to understand reproductive cycles and species vulnerability between January and December 2023. A total of 68 species from 32 families were recorded, with peak flowering in March–April and fruiting in May–June. Analyses of Species Use Value (0.19–0.48) and Relative Frequency of Citation (0.15–0.44) identified key species with significant roles in food security and traditional medicine. Uvaria rufa had the highest SUV (0.48) and RFC (0.44). Informant consensus on medicinal applications was strong for ailments such as gastrointestinal and lymphatic disorders. Economically important species were also identified, with some contributing notable income through local trade. Conservation proposed one species as Critically Endangered and several others as Vulnerable. The results highlight the need for integrated conservation strategies, including community-based initiatives and recognition of Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), to ensure the preservation of biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and local livelihoods. Full article

The root parasitic weed Phelipanche aegyptiaca (Pers.) Pomel poses a serious threat to solanaceous crops, leading to yield losses of up to 80% in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Strigolactones (SLs), derived from the carotenoid metabolic pathway, serve as key host-recognition signals for root-parasitic plants. This study investigated the molecular mechanisms of host resistance, focusing on the suppression of SL biosynthesis through altered carotenoid metabolism in the high-pigment tomato mutants hp-1 and og^c. Both pot experiment and in vitro seed germination assays demonstrated that the mutants exhibited reduced susceptibility to P. aegyptiaca and triggered lower germination rates in broomrape seeds compared to the wild-type cultivar AC. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed a significant downregulation of SL biosynthesis genes (SlD27, SlCCD7, SlCCD8, SlMAX1, SlP450, SlDI4) in hp-1 at various parasitic stages post-inoculation, with a more pronounced suppression observed in hp-1 than in og^c. Notably, the extent of downregulation correlated with the enhanced resistance phenotype in hp-1. These findings highlight a synergistic resistance mechanism involving the coordinated regulation of carotenoid metabolism and SL biosynthesis, providing new insights into the molecular defense network underlying tomato-broomrape interactions. Full article

Plant-derived foods have gained recognition for their health-promoting values, which are largely attributed to bioactive compounds such as phytosterols and triterpenoids. This study aimed to analyze the content of these compounds in the fruit of black elder (elderberry) Sambucus nigra L. and in commercially available food products, including jam, juice, syrup and wine. An additional objective was to compare the phytosterol and triterpenoid profiles of fruits and fruit cuticular waxes from wild and cultivated elderberry (cultivar Haschberg), ornamental elderberry (S. nigra f. porphyrophylla cultivar Black lace “Eva”), and red elderberry (S. racemosa). Qualitative and quantitative determinations were performed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This study provides a detailed characterization of triterpenoids in black and red elderberries, revealing a complex composition of oleanane-, 18-oleanane-, ursane-, lupane- and taraxastane-type compounds. Elderberry fruits were found to be rich sources of phytosterols (ranging from 0.54 mg/g d.w. in cultivated elderberry cv. Haschberg to 0.96 mg/g in ornamental elderberry) and triterpenoids (from 1.41 mg/g d.w. in S. racemosa to 13.81 mg/g in ornamental elderberry). Among the processed products, jam contained the highest concentration of these compounds (a total of 340 µg/g) and wine contained the lowest (0.87 µg/mL). Furthermore, the results suggest that certain features of the triterpenoid profile in S. nigra and S. racemosa may hold chemotaxonomic significance for the Sambucus genus. Full article

Rice lesion mimic mutants are important materials for studying the mechanisms of cell death. In-depth research on these mutants can provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying rice growth and development, offering a theoretical basis for crop improvement. In this study, rice variety Wuyunjing 21 (WYJ21) was mutagenized with ethyl methanesulfonate to obtain a lesion mimic mutant, lmm28. Unlike wild-type (WT) plants, the lmm28 mutant exhibits brown lesions on the leaves starting from the early tillering stage. The size of the lesions increases as the plant grows. Additionally, the lmm28 mutant shows significantly reduced plant height, tiller number, number of effective panicles, seed setting rate, and 1000-grain weight compared to the WT. Leaf staining of the mutant revealed an accumulation of reactive oxygen species and cell death in the lesion leaves. Transmission electron microscopy images showed that, in the lmm28 mutant, the nuclear boundaries in leaf cells became indistinct and damage to the chloroplast membrane structures was observed, with thylakoid disorganization occurring in some chloroplasts. Genetic analysis and map-based cloning localized the candidate gene of the mutant to a 167.79 kb region on chromosome 5. After analyzing the annotated genes within this region, the candidate gene was preliminarily identified as OsBON3. Sequencing analysis revealed that, in lmm28, a base change from GT to GC occurred at the 5′ splice junction of the 15th intron of OsBON3. Further analysis, using cDNA amplification of exons 14–16 followed by sequencing, showed that the mutation at the splice recognition site caused the incorrect splicing of OsBON3 pre-mRNA, leading to an increased number of transcripts in lmm28. The transcript containing an inserted intron is present at much higher levels than the normal transcript, which may lead to a reduction in the protein levels containing the functional vWA domain. Therefore, the vWA domain of OsBON3 is likely crucial for maintaining ROS homeostasis in rice and plays a key role in regulating its growth and development. Full article

N6–methyladenosine (m⁶A) is a widespread post–transcriptional modification in eukaryotic mRNAs. Proteins with the YTH structural domain act as m⁶A–binding proteins by recognizing the m⁶A modification and regulating mRNA through this recognition. In this study, SlYTHDF2, a prototypical m⁶A –binding protein gene in the YTH family was expressed in various tissues, and subcellular localization analyses indicated that the SlYTHDF2 protein was localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm. SlYTHDF2 knockout lines were obtained using CRISPR/Cas9 technology and showed the senesced leaves prematurely increased endogenous ABA accumulation compared with the wild type. Moreover, we found that dark promoted leaf senescence in SlYTHDF2 knockout lines and exogenous ABA further accelerated leaf senescence under dark conditions. The qRT–PCR analysis revealed significant alterations in the expression of genes associated with the ABA pathway. Relative to the wild type, the CR–slythdf2 plants exhibited reduced levels of photosynthetic pigments, higher accumulation of reactive oxygen species, and increased damage to cell membranes. Additionally, we discovered that SlYTHDF2 interacts with the chloroplast–binding protein SlRBCS3 through yeast two–hybrid and BiFC experiments. Overall, our data suggest the important role of SlYTHDF2 in regulating tomato leaf senescence. Full article

Wild desert grasslands are characterized by diverse habitats, uneven plant distribution, similarities among plant class, and the presence of plant shadows. However, the existing models for detecting plant species in desert grasslands exhibit low precision, require a large number of parameters, and incur high computational cost, rendering them unsuitable for deployment in plant recognition scenarios within these environments. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a lightweight and fast plant species detection system, termed YOLOv8s-KDT, tailored for complex desert grassland environments. Firstly, the model introduces a dynamic convolutional KernelWarehouse method to reduce the dimensionality of convolutional kernels and increase their number, thus achieving a better balance between parameter efficiency and representation ability. Secondly, the model incorporates triplet attention into its feature extraction network, effectively capturing the relationship between channel and spatial position and enhancing the model’s feature extraction capabilities. Finally, the introduction of a dynamic detection head tackles the issue related to target detection head and attention non-uniformity, thus improving the representation of the target detection head while reducing computational cost. The experimental results demonstrate that the upgraded YOLOv8s-KDT model can rapidly and effectively identify desert grassland plants. Compared to the original model, FLOPs decreased by 50.8%, accuracy improved by 4.5%, and mAP increased by 5.6%. Currently, the YOLOv8s-KDT model is deployed in the mobile plant identification APP of Ningxia desert grassland and the fixed-point ecological information observation platform. It facilitates the investigation of desert grassland vegetation distribution across the entire Ningxia region as well as long-term observation and tracking of plant ecological information in specific areas, such as Dashuikeng, Huangji Field, and Hongsibu in Ningxia. Full article

In ascomycetous fungi, sexual mate recognition requires interaction of the Ste2 receptor protein produced by one partner with the α-factor peptide pheromone produced by the other partner. In some fungi, Ste2 is further needed for chemotropism towards plant roots to allow for subsequent infection and colonization. Here, we investigated whether this is also true for the pine pitch canker fungus, Fusarium circinatum, which is a devastating pathogen of pine globally. Ste2 knockout mutants were generated for two opposite mating-type isolates, after which all strains were subjected to chemotropism assays involving exudates from pine seedling roots and synthetic α-factor pheromone, as well as a range of other compounds for comparison. Our data show that Ste2 is not required for chemotropism towards any of these other compounds, but, in both wild-type strains, Ste2 deletion resulted in the loss of chemotropism towards pine root exudate. Also, irrespective of mating type, both wild-type strains displayed positive chemotropism towards α-factor pheromone, which was substantially reduced in the deletion mutants and not the complementation mutants. Taken together, these findings suggest that Ste2 likely has a key role during the infection of pine roots in production nurseries. Our study also provides a strong foundation for exploring the role of self-produced and mate-produced α-factor pheromone in the growth and overall biology of the pitch canker pathogen. Full article

Reintroduction has been successful in re-establishing several endangered wild animals in their historical habitats, including Père David’s deer (Elaphurus davidianus). Continuous monitoring of reintroduced individuals is essential for improving the sustainability of ex situ conservation efforts. Despite an increased recognition of the significance of the gut microbiome for animal health, the correlation between diet and the gut microbiome in E. davidianus is unclear. In this study, 15 fresh fecal samples of E. davidianus were collected from Tianjin Qilihai Wetland and the association between dietary and gut microbiota composition was evaluated. Microscopic observations showed that Nymphoides peltata [relative density (RD = 0.3514), Phragmites australis (RD = 0.2662), Setaria viridis (RD = 0.1211), and Typha orientalis (RD = 0.1085) were the main dietary plants in the fecal samples. High-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing showed a predominance of the phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria and the genus Psychrobacillus (26.53%) in the gut microbiota. The RD of N. peltata was significantly positively correlated with the abundance of Firmicutes (p = 0.005) and the genus UCG-005 (p = 0.024). This study indicates a close association between food digestion and nutrient intake, providing basic monitoring data for the full reintroduction and recovery of wild E. davidianus. Full article

Dinucleoside polyphosphates (Np_nNs) are considered novel signalling molecules involved in the induction of plant defence mechanisms. However, Np_nN signal recognition and transduction are still enigmatic. Therefore, the aim of our research was the identification of the Np_nN receptor and signal transduction pathways evoked by these nucleotides. Earlier, we proved that purine and pyrimidine Np_nNs differentially affect the phenylpropanoid pathway in Vitis vinifera suspension-cultured cells. Here, we report, for the first time, that both diadenosine tetraphosphate (Ap₄A) and dicytidine tetraphosphate (Cp₄C)-induced stomatal closure in Arabidopsis thaliana. Moreover, we showed that plasma membrane purinoreceptor P2K1/DORN1 (does not respond to nucleotide 1) is essential for Ap₄A-induced stomata movements but not for Cp₄C. Wild-type Col-0 and the dorn1-3 A. thaliana knockout mutant were used. Examination of the leaf epidermis dorn1-3 mutant provided evidence that P2K1/DORN1 is a part of the signal transduction pathway in stomatal closure evoked by extracellular Ap₄A but not by Cp₄C. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in signal transduction caused by Ap₄A and Cp₄C, leading to stomatal closure. Ap₄A induced and Cp₄C suppressed the transcriptional response in wild-type plants. Moreover, in dorn1-3 leaves, the effect of Ap₄A on gene expression was impaired. The interaction between P2K1/DORN1 and Ap₄A leads to changes in the transcription of signalling hubs in signal transduction pathways. Full article

There are an increasing number of initiatives that recognize arable weed species as an important component of agricultural biodiversity. Such initiatives often focus on declining species that were once abundant and are still well known, but the ethnographic relevance of such species receives little recognition. We carried out an extensive literature review on the medicinal, ornamental, and cultural applications of three selected species, Papaver rhoeas, Centaurea cyanus, and Delphinium consolida, in the relevant Hungarian literature published between 1578 and 2021. We found a great diversity of medicinal usages. While P. rhoeas stands out with its sedative influence, D. consolida was mainly employed to stop bleeding, and C. cyanus was most frequently used to cure eye inflammation. The buds of P. rhoeas were sporadically eaten and its petals were used as a food dye. All species fulfilled ornamental purposes, either as garden plants or gathered in the wild for bouquets. They were essential elements of harvest festivals and religious festivities, particularly in Corpus Christi processions. P. rhoeas was also a part of several children’s games. These wildflowers were regularly depicted in traditional Hungarian folk art. In poetry, P. rhoeas was used as a symbol of burning love or impermanence; C. cyanus was frequently associated with tenderness and faithfulness; while D. consolida regularly emerged as a nostalgic remembrance of the disappearing rural lifestyle. These plants were also used as patriotic symbols in illustrations for faithfulness, loyalty, or homesickness. Our results highlight the deep and prevalent embeddedness of the three iconic weed species studied in the folk culture of the Carpathian Basin. The ethnobotanical and cultural embeddedness of arable weed species should also be considered when efforts and instruments for the conservation of arable weed communities are designed. Full article

Ubiquitin/proteasome-mediated proteolysis (UPP) plays a crucial role in almost all aspects of plant growth and development, proteasome subunit RPN10 mediates ubiquitination substrate recognition in the UPP process. The recognition pathway of ubiquitinated UPP substrate is different in different species, which indicates that the mechanism and function of RPN10 are different in different species. However, the homologous ZmRPN10 in maize has not been studied. In this study, the changing of leaf angle and gene expression in leaves in maize wild-type B73 and mutant rpn10 under exogenous brassinosteroids (BRs) were investigated. The regulation effect of BR on the leaf angle of rpn10 was significantly stronger than that of B73. Transcriptome analysis showed that among the differentially expressed genes, CRE1, A-ARR and SnRK2 were significantly up-regulated, and PP2C, BRI1 AUX/IAA, JAZ and MYC2 were significantly down-regulated. This study revealed the regulation mechanism of ZmRPN10 on maize leaf angle and provided a promising gene resource for maize breeding. Full article

The association of both cell-surface PRRs (Pattern Recognition Receptors) and intracellular receptor NLRs (Nucleotide-Binding Leucine-Rich Repeat) in engineered plants have the potential to activate strong defenses against a broad range of pathogens. Here, we describe the identification, characterization, and in planta functional analysis of a novel truncated NLR (TNx) gene from the wild species Arachis stenosperma (AsTIR19), with a protein structure lacking the C-terminal LRR (Leucine Rich Repeat) domain involved in pathogen perception. Overexpression of AsTIR19 in tobacco plants led to a significant reduction in infection caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, with a further reduction in pyramid lines containing an expansin-like B gene (AdEXLB8) potentially involved in defense priming. Transcription analysis of tobacco transgenic lines revealed induction of hormone defense pathways (SA; JA-ET) and PRs (Pathogenesis-Related proteins) production. The strong upregulation of the respiratory burst oxidase homolog D (RbohD) gene in the pyramid lines suggests its central role in mediating immune responses in plants co-expressing the two transgenes, with reactive oxygen species (ROS) production enhanced by AdEXLB8 cues leading to stronger defense response. Here, we demonstrate that the association of potential priming elicitors and truncated NLRs can produce a synergistic effect on fungal resistance, constituting a promising strategy for improved, non-specific resistance to plant pathogens. Full article

Invasive alien plants (IAPs) are considered to be one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity and ecosystems. Timely and accurate detection technology is needed to identify these invasive plants, helping to mitigate the damage to farmland, fruit trees and woodland. Hyperspectral technology has the potential to identify similar species. However, the challenge remains to simultaneously identify multiple invasive alien plants with similar colors based on image data. The spectral images were collected by a hyperspectral camera with a spectral range of 450–998 nm, and the raw spectra were extracted by Cubert software. First derivative (FD), Savitzky-Golay (SG) smoothing and standard normal variate (SNV) were used to preprocess the raw spectral data, respectively. Then, on the basis of preprocessing, principal component analysis (PCA) and ant colony optimization (ACO) were used for feature dimensionality reduction, and the reduced features were used as input variables for later modeling. Finally, a combination of both dimensionality reduction and non-dimensionality reduction is used for identification using support vector machines (SVM) and random forests (RF). In order to determine the optimal recognition model, a total of 18 combinations of different preprocessing methods, dimensionality reduction methods and classifiers were tested. The results showed that a combination of SG smoothing and SVM achieved a total accuracy (A) of 89.36%, an average accuracy (AA) of 89.39% and an average precision (AP) of 89.54% with a test time of 0.2639 s. In contrast, the combination of SG smoothing, the ACO, and SVM resulted in weaker performance in terms of A (86.76%), AA (86.99%) and AP (87.22%), but with less test time (0.0567 s). The SG-SVM and SG-ACO-SVM models should be selected considering accuracy and time cost, respectively, for recognition of the seven IAPs and background in the wild. Full article

Plants recognise bacterial microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) from the environment via plasma membrane (PM)-localised pattern recognition receptor(s) (PRRs). Lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) are known as MAMPs from gram-negative bacteria that are most likely recognised by PRRs and trigger defence responses in plants. The Arabidopsis PRR(s) and/or co-receptor(s) complex for LPS and the associated defence signalling remains elusive. As such, proteomic identification of LPS receptors and/or co-receptor complexes will help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that underly LPS perception and defence signalling in plants. The Arabidopsis LPS-binding protein (LBP) and bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI)-related-2 (LBR2) have been shown to recognise LPS and trigger defence responses while brassinosteroid insensitive 1 (BRI1)-associated receptor kinase 1 (BAK1) acts as a co-receptor for several PRRs. In this study, Arabidopsis wild type (WT) and T-DNA knock out mutants (lbr2-2 and bak1-4) were treated with LPS chemotypes from Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst) and Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris 8004 (Xcc) over a 24 h period. The PM-associated protein fractions were separated by liquid chromatography and analysed by tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) followed by data analysis using Byonic^TM software. Using Gene Ontology (GO) for molecular function and biological processes, significant LPS-responsive proteins were grouped according to defence and stress response, perception and signalling, membrane transport and trafficking, metabolic processes and others. Venn diagrams demarcated the MAMP-responsive proteins that were common and distinct to the WT and mutant lines following treatment with the two LPS chemotypes, suggesting contributions from differential LPS sub-structural moieties and involvement of LBR2 and BAK1 in the LPS-induced MAMP-triggered immunity (MTI). Moreover, the identification of RLKs and RLPs that participate in other bacterial and fungal MAMP signalling proposes the involvement of more than one receptor and/or co-receptor for LPS perception as well as signalling in Arabidopsis defence responses. Full article