CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis of phytoene desaturase in pigeonpea and groundnut.

The CRISPR/Cas9 technology, renowned for its ability to induce precise genetic alterations in various crop species, has encountered challenges in its application to grain legume crops such as pigeonpea and groundnut. Despite attempts at gene editing in groundnut, the low rates of transformation and editing have impeded its widespread adoption in producing genetically modified plants. This study seeks to establish an effective CRISPR/Cas9 system in pigeonpea and groundnut through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, with a focus on targeting the phytoene desaturase (PDS) gene. The PDS gene is pivotal in carotenoid biosynthesis, and its disruption leads to albino phenotypes and dwarfism. Two constructs (one each for pigeonpea and groundnut) were developed for the PDS gene, and transformation was carried out using different explants (leaf petiolar tissue for pigeonpea and cotyledonary nodes for groundnut). By adjusting the composition of the growth media and refining Agrobacterium infection techniques, transformation efficiencies of 15.2% in pigeonpea and 20% in groundnut were achieved. Mutation in PDS resulted in albino phenotype, with editing efficiencies ranging from 4 to 6%. Sequence analysis uncovered a nucleotide deletion (A) in pigeonpea and an A insertion in groundnut, leading to a premature stop codon and, thereby, an albino phenotype. This research offers a significant foundation for the swift assessment and enhancement of CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing technologies in legume crops.

Groundnut and tree nuts: a comprehensive review on their lipid components, phytochemicals, and nutraceutical properties.

The health benefits of nut consumption have been extensively demonstrated in observational studies and intervention trials. Besides the high nutritional value, countless evidences show that incorporating nuts into the diet may contribute to health promotion and prevention of certain diseases. Such benefits have been mostly and certainly attributed not only to their richness in healthy lipids (plentiful in unsaturated fatty acids), but also to the presence of a vast array of phytochemicals, such as polar lipids, squalene, phytosterols, tocochromanols, and polyphenolic compounds. Thus, many nut chemical compounds apply well to the designation "nutraceuticals," a broad umbrella term used to describe any food component that, in addition to the basic nutritional value, can contribute extra health benefits. This contribution analyses the general chemical profile of groundnut and common tree nuts (almond, walnut, cashew, hazelnut, pistachio, macadamia, pecan), focusing on lipid components and phytochemicals, with a view on their bioactive properties. Relevant scientific literature linking consumption of nuts, and/or some of their components, with ameliorative and/or preventive effects on selected diseases - such as cancer, cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurodegenerative pathologies - was also reviewed. In addition, the bioactive properties were analyzed in the light of known mechanistic frameworks.

Validation and identification of promising gene specific markers governing foliar disease resistance in groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.).

BACKGROUND: Groundnut is vulnerable to the major foliar fungal disease viz., late leaf spot (LLS) and rust in kharif season, which results in severe yield losses. Until now, LLS and rust resistance linked markers were developed based on GPBD 4 as a major donor source and were validated in its derivatives only, which restricted their use in marker assisted selection (MAS) involving other donors. METHODS AND RESULTS: The current study focused to validate LLS and rust resistance linked markers employing advanced breeding lines of F6 generation, derived from nine different crosses involving nine diverse parents, to identify potential markers for marker-assisted breeding of LLS and rust resistance in groundnut. Out of 28-trait linked markers used for validation, 8 were polymorphic (28.57%). Marker-trait association (MTA) and Single Marker Analysis (SMA) revealed that the SSR marker pPGPseq5D05 is significantly associated with both LLS (15.8% PVE) and rust (17.5% PVE) resistance, whereas, the marker IPAHM103 is tightly linked with rust resistance (26.8% PVE) alone. In silico analysis revealed that the marker gene for IPAHM103 is a zinc finger protein and the marker gene for pPGPseq5D05 is an ADP-ribosylation factor GTPase-activating protein. Both these protein products impart resistance or tolerance to biotic stress in crop plants. Two other markers namely, GMLQ975 and pPGPseq13A10 were also found to be associated with LLS resistance explaining MTA up to 60%. CONCLUSION: These gene specific markers will enable us to screen more number of germplasm lines or newly developed lines in MAS schemes for LLS and rust resistance using a wide range of resistant sources.

Optimized Wasserstein Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network fostered Groundnut Leaf Disease Identification System.

Groundnut is a noteworthy oilseed crop. Attacks by leaf diseases are one of the most important reasons causing low yield and loss of groundnut plant growth, which will directly diminish the yield and quality. Therefore, an Optimized Wasserstein Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network fostered Groundnut Leaf Disease Identification System (GLDI-WDCGAN-AOA) is proposed in this paper. The pre-processed output is fed to Hesitant Fuzzy Linguistic Bi-objective Clustering (HFL-BOC) for segmentation. By using Wasserstein Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network (WDCGAN), the input leaf images are classified into Healthy leaf, early leaf spot, late leaf spot, nutrition deficiency, and rust. Finally, the weight parameters of WDCGAN are optimized by Aquila Optimization Algorithm (AOA) to achieve high accuracy. The proposed GLDI-WDCGAN-AOA approach provides 23.51%, 22.01%, and 18.65% higher accuracy and 24.78%, 23.24%, and 28.98% lower error rate analysed with existing methods, such as Real-time automated identification and categorization of groundnut leaf disease utilizing hybrid machine learning methods (GLDI-DNN), Online identification of peanut leaf diseases utilizing the data balancing method along deep transfer learning (GLDI-LWCNN), and deep learning-driven method depending on progressive scaling method for the precise categorization of groundnut leaf infections (GLDI-CNN), respectively.

Acidified groundnut cake for enhanced bio adsorption of anionic textile dye Reactive Red 195.

This study focuses on the improvement of bioremediation of textile dye Reactive Red 195 using agro-industrial waste, groundnut oil cake (GNOC) obtained after oil-pressing. The treatment of GNOC with 1 N H2SO4 had resulted in physiochemical changes on the insoluble porous adsorbent, which improved their adsorption efficiency. The dye removal efficiency increased from 55% to 94% on acidification of GNOC. The raw groundnut oil cake (RGNOC) and acid-treated groundnut oil cake (AGNOC) were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, and zeta potential. The rate and efficiency of dye adsorption were examined using adsorption kinetics and isotherm models. The results confirm that acid-treated GNOC eliminates impurities, alter the surface functional groups, and significantly increase porous surface areas of RGNOC. The investigation of key factors such as contact time, initial concentration of dye, static/agitation impact, particle size, and adsorbent dose had significantly influenced adsorption capacity of GNOC. Adsorption of dye fits best into the Langmuir model and equilibrium data of dye on AGNOC was explained by psuedo-second-order reaction with maximum adsorption capacity of 12.65 mg/g. This emphasis AGNOC has a very excellent potential to remove the textile dye Reactive Red dye from industrial effluent.

This study reports the primary investigation exploring the application of groundnut oil cake (RGNOC) and its acid-modified (AGNOC) version for the bioremediation of industrially used textile dye Reactive Red 195 (RR195). The core objective of this study is to use a low-cost biosorbent to remove RR195 dye from effluent that pose risk to the health and environment. This study analyses the adsorption capacity of RGNOC and its acid-modified version AGNOC to treat contaminated water and the influencing parameters. AGNOC adsorption potential for RR195 dye sequestration was shown to be higher compared to RGNOC. Acidification of the adsorbent is simple, cost expensive, and more efficient alternate approaches to scale up for industrial application. As a result, an attempt has been made to add a new adsorbent to the database.

Comparative evaluation of milk proteins and oil-seed-cake-derived proteins extracted by chemical and biological methods for obesity management.

BACKGROUND: In light of the exponential rise in global population, there is a critical requirement to reduce food waste on a global scale. According to studies, agricultural wastes such as oil-seed cakes offer great nutritional value. Acid precipitation (A) and alkaline extraction methods (traditional methods) were used to extract protein from oil-seed cakes; however, both procedures are linked to decreased protein quality and quantity, which prompted the development of a novel strategy known as the biological/microbial/probiotic (B) method. Therefore, the present study aimed to highlight the optimal way of protein extraction from oil-seed cakes and the effect of extraction methods on protein efficacy against obesity. The outcomes were also compared with milk proteins. RESULTS: In vitro study provided evidence that proteins from both sources (plant and milk) suppressed adipogenesis and stimulated adipolysis in 3T3L-1 cells. For the in vivo study, mice were fed with different protein extracts: soya protein preparation (SPP), ground protein preparation (GPP), whey protein (WP) and casein protein (CP) containing 40% of their calories as fat. Body weight decreased significantly in all the rats except CP-fed rats. Body mass index, atherogenic index, plasma triglyceride and very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level decreased significantly in all the groups in comparison to the model group (high-fat-diet group), but the decrease was more pronounced in plant proteins than milk proteins. In hepatocytes, the expression of fasting-induced adipose factor, carnitine palmitoyltransferase I and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α genes was increased significantly in SPP-fed groups. Adiponectin gene expression was upregulated significantly in visceral fat tissue in groups fed SPP-B, GPP-A and CP, whereas leptin gene was downregulated significantly in all groups except SPP-A. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that SPP-B showed the most effective anti-obesity property, followed by WP. Additionally, we found that the biological precipitation approach produced better outcomes for plant proteins isolated from oil-seed cakes than the acid precipitation method. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Characterisation of Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) shell waste as a potential biomass for different bio-based products.

Efforts are ongoing to utilise agricultural waste to achieve a full resource use approach. Bambara groundnut is an important crop widely grown in the sub-Saharan Africa with potential future importance because of its resilience to thrive under heightened weather uncertainty and widespread droughts that have challenged food security. After harvesting, the edible nuts are separated from the shells which are discarded as waste. Therefore, this research is aimed at characterising the chemical composition and the structural properties of Bambara groundnut shells (BGS) in view of their potential application as a biomass for different bio-products. The chemical composition of BGS was found to be 42.4% cellulose, 27.8% hemicellulose, 13% lignin and 16.8% extractives. Proximate analysis showed a high amount of volatile matter (69.1%) and low moisture (4.4%). XRD analysis confirmed crystallinity of cellulose I polymer and FTIR analysis observed functional groups of lignocellulosic compounds. Thermal stability, maximum degradation temperature and activation energy were found to be 178.5 °C, 305.7 °C and 49.4 kJ/mol, respectively. Compared to other nutshells, BGS were found to have a relatively high amount of cellulose and crystallinity that may result in biocomposites with improved mechanical properties.

Phosphate solubilizing bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, improve the growth and yield of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.).

For agricultural safety and sustainability, instead of synthetic fertilizers the eco-friendly and inexpensive biological applications include members of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) genera, Pseudomonas spp. will be an excellent alternative option to bioinoculants as they do not threaten the soil biota. The effect of phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MK 764942.1) on groundnuts' growth and yield parameters was studied under field conditions. The strain was combined with a single super phosphate and tested in different combinations for yield improvement. Integration of bacterial strain with P fertilizer gave significantly higher pod yield ranging from 7.36 to 13.18% compared to plots where sole inorganic fertilizers were applied. Similarly, the combined application of PSB and inorganic P fertilizer significantly influenced plant height and number of branches compared to sole. However, a higher influence of phosphorous application (both PSB and P fertilizer) observed both nodule dry weight and number of nodules. Combined with single super phosphate (100% P) topped in providing better yield attributing characters (pod yield, haulm yield, biomass yield, 1000 kernel weight, and shelling percentage) in groundnut. Higher oil content was also recorded with plants treated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa combined with single super phosphate (SSP) (100% P). Nutrients like nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K) concentrations were positively influenced in shoot and kernel by combined application. In contrast, Ca, Mg, and S were found to be least influenced by variations of Phosphorous. Plants treated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and lower doses of SSP (75% P) recorded higher shoot and kernel P. We found that co-inoculation with PSB and SSP could be an auspicious substitute for utilizing P fertilizer in enhancing yield and protecting nutrient concentrations in groundnut cultivation. Therefore, PSB can be a good substitute for bio-fertilizers to promote agricultural sustainability.

Association mapping in bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.] reveals loci associated with agro-morphological traits.

BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are important for the acceleration of crop improvement through knowledge of marker-trait association (MTA). This report used DArT SNP markers to successfully perform GWAS on agro-morphological traits using 270 bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.] landraces sourced from diverse origins. The study aimed to identify marker traits association for nine agronomic traits using GWAS and their candidate genes. The experiment was conducted at two different locations laid out in alpha lattice design. The cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] reference genome (i.e. legume genome most closely related to bambara groundnut) assisted in the identification of candidate genes. RESULTS: The analyses showed that linkage disequilibrium was found to decay rapidly with an average genetic distance of 148 kb. The broadsense heritability was relatively high and ranged from 48.39% (terminal leaf length) to 79.39% (number of pods per plant). The GWAS identified a total of 27 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) for the nine studied traits explaining 5.27% to 24.86% of phenotypic variations. Among studied traits, the highest number of MTAs was obtained from seed coat colour (6) followed by days to flowering (5), while the least is days to maturity (1), explaining 5.76% to 11.03%, 14.5% to 19.49%, and 11.66% phenotypic variations, respectively. Also, a total of 17 candidate genes were identified, varying in number for different traits; seed coat colour (6), days to flowering (3), terminal leaf length (2), terminal leaf width (2), number of seed per pod (2), pod width (1) and days to maturity (1). CONCLUSION: These results revealed the prospect of GWAS in identification of SNP variations associated with agronomic traits in bambara groundnut. Also, its present new opportunity to explore GWAS and marker assisted strategies in breeding of bambara groundnut for acceleration of the crop improvement.

Deciphering the molecular basis for photosynthetic parameters in Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc) under drought stress.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of segregating populations for their ability to withstand drought stress conditions is one of the best approaches to develop breeding lines and drought tolerant varieties. Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea L. Verdc.) is a leguminous crop, capable of growing in low-input agricultural systems in semi-arid areas. An F4 bi-parental segregating population obtained from S19-3 × DodR was developed to evaluate the effect of drought stress on photosynthetic parameters and identify QTLs associated with these traits under drought-stressed and well-watered conditions in a rainout shelter. RESULTS: Stomatal conductance (gs), photosynthesis rate (A), transpiration rate (E) and intracellular CO2 (Ci) were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) while water use efficiency (WUE) was significantly increased (p < 0.05) under drought-stressed conditions. A strong linear correlation was observed between gs, WUE, A, E and Ci under both water regimes. The variability between different water treatment, among individual lines and the interaction between lines and environment for photosynthetic parameters provides resources for superior lines selection and drought resistant variety improvement. Significant QTL for gs and FV/FM under well-watered conditions were mapped on LG5 and LG3, respectively, with more than 20% of the PVE, which could be considered as the major QTL to control these traits. Five clustered QTLs for photosynthetic traits under drought-stressed and well-watered conditions were mapped on LG5, LG6A, LG10 and LG11, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Significant and putative QTLs associated with photosynthetic parameters and the effect of drought stress on these traits have been revealed by QTL linkage mapping and field experiment in the F4 segregating population derived from S19-3 × DodR in bambara groundnut. The study provides fundamental knowledge of how photosynthetic traits response to drought stress and how genetic features control these traits under drought-stressed and well-watered conditions in bambara groundnut.

Can different types of tree nuts and peanuts induce varied effects on specific blood lipid parameters? A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Tree nuts and peanuts have shown cardioprotective effects through the modulation of blood lipid levels. Despite the abundance of scientific evidence available, it remains uncertain whether the type of nut consumed influences these changes. The objective of this study was to evaluate and rank the effects of six types of nuts on total cholesterol (total-c), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-c), triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL-c) levels through a systematic search of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), a frequentist network meta-analysis (NMA), and the estimation of SUCRA values. A total of 76 RCTs were ultimately analyzed. The total c for pistachios, almond, and walnuts; LDL-c for cashews, walnuts, and almond; and TG for hazelnuts and walnuts significantly decreased, while only peanuts exhibited a significant increase in HDL-c levels. According to the rankings, the most effective type of nut for reducing total cholesterol was pistachio, cashew for LDL-c, hazelnut for TG, and peanut for increasing HDL-c levels. It should be noted that every type of nut analyzed exhibited a significant positive impact on some parameters, and specific types demonstrated enhanced advantages for particular blood lipids. These results endorse the use of personalized nutritional strategies to address and prevent dyslipidemia.Registration: PROSPERO database CRD42021270779.

First report of Groundnut ringspot virus (GRSV) infecting tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) in South Africa.

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) is an important industrial crop from the Solanaceae family cultivated for its leaves in approximately 100 countries worldwide. In South Africa (SA), tobacco is grown in five of its nine provinces: Limpopo, North West, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and Mpumalanga. The producer price for unmanufactured tobacco is approximately US$3570/ton annually (FAO, 2021). Emerging and recurrent plant viruses such as tomato spotted wilt orthortospovirus (TSWV) have seriously affected tobacco production yield and quality. Between November 2018 to April 2019 growing season, large thrips (order Thysanoptera) populations were observed in tobacco fields throughout South Africa's major tobacco-growing areas, and plants were showing severe necrosis, yellowing, stunted growth, ringspot, and leaf curling symptoms, which are usually associated with plant virus infections. The disease incidence was estimated at 30%, as per visual observations. Twenty-two symptomatic leaf tissue samples were collected from tobacco farms in Limpopo, Northwest, and Western cape provinces. Samples were initially screened using the double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) with LOEWE®Fast Kit (LOEWE®, Germany), which detectsTSWV, groundnut ringspot orthotospovirus (GRSV), and tomato chlorotic spot orthotospovirus (TCSV). Nineteen of these samples tested positive for orthortospoviruses. Subsequently, a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was performed on all ELISA-positive samples using orthotospovirus-specific primers gM410 & gM870c targeting the NSm gene (Chen et al., 2012). All samples were positive for orthotospoviruses, as indicated by the presence of a 500bp amplicon. Nineteen purified PCR products were sequenced in the forward and reverse directions using Sanger sequencing at the KwaZulu-Natal Research and Innovation Sequencing Platform (KRISP; South Africa). The sequences were aligned using Muscle in MEGA version X (Kumar et al., 2018) to generate the consensus sequences that were then subjected to the standard nucleotide basic local alignment search tool (blastn) on the NCBI website. Blastn analysis showed that 16 of the 19 samples matched TSWV nucleotide sequences, while three of the sequences; LP14 (accession number OL505552), LP18 (accession number OL505553), and NW4 (accession number OL505554), had a nucleotide sequence identity of 96,38%, 96,97% and 97,29% with the GSRV isolate SA-05 (accession number MH742957; Silva et al., 2019) from South Africa, respectively. This is the first report of GRSV infecting tobacco after TSWV was reported in SA. Previously, GSRV was reported on soybean and groundnut in South Africa by Petersen and Morris in (2002) and Silva et al. in (2019). The results from this study lay a foundation for more detailed studies on GRSV, which will result in the development of effective and sustainable control strategies to manage GRSV diseases on tobacco in SA.

Ethrel-induced release of fresh seed dormancy causes remodelling of amylase activity, proteomics, phytohormone and fatty acid profile of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.).

It is important to have a short period of fresh seed dormancy in some of the groundnut species to counter pre-harvest sprouting (PHS). One of the main causes of PHS is the activation of ethylene-mediated pathways. To determine the effect of ethylene, the study was conducted and alterations in amylase, proteins and fatty acids were observed at the 0, 6, 12, and 24 h stages after ethrel administration. The result showed an increase in amylase activity, and the fatty acids profile showed a unique alteration pattern at different germination stages. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DGE) revealed differential expression of proteins at each stage. The trypsin digestion following spectral development through UPLC-MS/MS enabled identification of number of differentially expressed proteins. A total of 49 proteins were identified from 2DGE excised spots. The majority were belonged to seed storage-related proteins like Arah1, Arah2, AAI- domain containing protein, conglutin, Arah3/4, arachin, glycinin. Expression of lipoxygenase1, lipoxygenase9 and Arah2 genes were further confirmed by qRT-PCR which showed its involvement at transcript level. Up-regulation of lipoxygenase9 is correlated with decreased content of fatty acids during germination. Phytohormone detection revealed decrease in ABA, SA and JA content which are generally inhibitor of seed germination while GA, IAA and kinetin concentration increased revealing positive regulation of seed germination. We present an integrated view of proteomics, phytohormone profile, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism to unravel mechanism of fresh seed dormancy. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-023-01332-6.

Structure, in vitro starch digestibility and physicochemical properties of starch isolated from germinated Bambara groundnut.

This study investigated the effect of germination time (0, 24, 48 and 72 h) on the physicochemical characteristics, in vitro starch digestibility and microstructural changes in Bambara groundnut starch. The starch yield, lightness (L*) value, amylose content and resistant starch contents of isolated starches decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) with increasing germination time. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that starch from raw and germinated Bambara grains were smooth with no evidence of starch degradation and were mainly oval shaped, with some granule's irregular and kidney shaped. Water absorption capacity (1.33-1.90 g/g), swelling power (2.12-16.53 g/g), solubility index (1.14-13.04 g/g), and dispersibility (75.92-86.47%) greatly increased as germination timed increased. Germination did not alter the X-ray diffraction pattern (Type-A) but increased the relative crystallinity of the starches. The peak gelatinization temperatures (73.23-73.91 °C) of starch from germinated Bambara were significantly higher than native starch (72.81 °C). Native starch and starch from germinated Bambara grains had substantially high proportion of resistant starch (approx. 73%) and high pasting temperatures (approx. 88 °C). Conclusively, germination significantly changed starch structure at molecular level and impacted functionality.

Influence of pyrolysis temperature on biochar properties and Cr(VI) adsorption from water with groundnut shell biochars: Mechanistic approach.

This study was envisaged to understand the effect of increasing pyrolysis temperature on the Cr(VI) removal potential of the groundnut shells derived biochars. The biochars were prepared at four different pyrolysis temperatures (350 °C, 450 °C, 550 °C, 650 °C) and were used unmodified to examine the adsorption potential for Cr(VI). Influence of biochar dose (1-10 g/L), pHinitial (2-10), Cr(VI)initial (10-500 mg/L) on Cr(VI) adsorptions; adsorption kinetics and isotherms were investigated. The observations suggested that the pyrolysis temperature is the key player in deciding the physicochemical properties as well the adsorption potential of the biochars. SEM and FTIR analysis suggested significant morphological and functional transformations in biochars with increasing pyrolysis temperature. The pHinitial was found to be the most profound adsorption parameter determining the adsorption potential of the biochars. The Cr(VI) adsorption capacity of the biochars decreased with the increase of the pyrolysis temperature (142.87-31.25 mg/L) as well as the solution pHinitial. All the biochars attained 100% removal efficiency with 50 mg/L of Cr(VI)initial and GNSB/350 achieved it in the minimum time (10 h) among all the biochars. GNSB/350 showed promising Langmuir adsorption capacity of 142.87 mg/L (pH 2, Tadsorption 30 °C, Cr(VI)initial 10-500 mg/L). In addition, the adsorption mechanism was found to be a synergistic action of chemi/physi-sorption with monolayer adsorption. Hence, the pyrolysis temperature significantly altered the physicochemical properties of the biochars, which highly influenced the adsorption performance of biochars.

Piperine, Reserpine and ß-Sitosterol Attenuate Stem Rot (Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc.) of Groundnut by Inducing the Secretion of defense Enzymes and Phenolic Acids.

Groundnut stem rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii is a major constraint as it affects the productivity. Although managing this disease using synthetic fungicides is a more feasible method, environmental pollution and side effects caused by them demand some safe fungicides. Seven phytochemicals piperine, quercetin, reserpine, atropine sulfate, ß-sitosterol, ethyl protocatechuate and salicylic acid were initially tested against S. rolfsii under in vitro methods. All the compounds exhibited significant effects on mycelial inhibition (except atropine sulfate), sclerotial development, ooze formation, maturity, sclerotial number and germination of S. rolfsii. The more active compounds, piperine, reserpine and ß-sitosterol were then evaluated under glasshouse condition by adopting various application methods (seed treatment, foliar application and micro-injection at 2000 µg/mL) on groundnut plants challenged with and without S. rolfsii. All the treatments effectively reduced the plant mortality when tested every 15 days of infection with S. rolfsii. However, the magnitude of reduction varied among the treatments, with the mortality ranging between 9.37 % and 29.68 % compared to the control (40.68 %). The piperine-microinjected plants recorded minimum mortality (3.12 %). The defense enzymes (PAL and PPO) and key end products such as phenolics (total and individual) were determined in the leaf samples collected after 24, 48 and 72 h of infection with S. rolfsii to understand the systemic resistance induction effect. An increase in PAL and PPO activity was observed in all the samples. While microinjection of ß-sitosterol caused a maximum PAL induction, piperine caused a maximum PPO activity. Further, samples of piperine treated group showed higher induction of phenolic acids (86.46 µg g-1 micro-injection) compared to ß-sitosterol and reserpine groups in all the methods. When the samples were analysed (HPLC) for individual phenolic acids, maximum accumulation of various acids was observed in the samples collected after 48 h. Tannic and gallic acids were found to be accumulated in higher quantities in most of the samples. The maximum accumulation of phenolic acids was found in micro-injected samples. These results verified the reduction of mortality through the induction of defensive chemicals by the action of phytochemicals. Thus, the study recommends the use of these natural molecules for the integrated management of stem rot of groundnut after necessary field trials.

Adsorption of copper, and zinc onto novel Ca-alginate-biochar composite prepared by biochars produced from pyrolysis of groundnut husk.

Alginate-based composites have been studied for adsorption technology as adsorbents due to their biocompatible, non-toxic, and cost-effective properties. In this work, groundnut husk biochar (GHB), calcium alginate (CA), and groundnut husk biochar/calcium alginate novel composites (%10) (CA-GHB1) and (% 20) (CA-GHB2) are synthesized and characterized using BET, SEM, EDX, FTIR, TGA. Adsorption performance is compared among GHB, CA, CA-GHB1, and CA-GHB2 composites to remove Cu(II), Zn (II) from aqueous solutions. Factors affecting adsorption, as well as kinetics, equilibrium, and thermal properties of adsorption, were studied using conventional equations. Adsorption isotherm models were used for two and three-parameter isotherm models to understand the interaction between the adsorbent and the adsorbate. 24.3, 44.6, 45.6, and 40.73 mg g-1 for removal of Cu(II) on GHB, CA, CA-GHB1, and CA-GHB2 and 32.16, 25.07, 36.09, and 40.55 mg g-1 for removal of Zn(II) on GHB, CA, CA-GHB1, and CA-GHB2 found maximum adsorption capacity (Qm) calculated from Langmuir isotherm. According to D-R isotherm data, the adsorption process is classified as physical adsorption. Thermodynamically, the adsorption process is non-spontaneous and endothermic.

Differential Physio-Biochemical and Metabolic Responses of Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) under Multiple Abiotic Stress Conditions.

The frequency and severity of extreme climatic conditions such as drought, salinity, cold, and heat are increasing due to climate change. Moreover, in the field, plants are affected by multiple abiotic stresses simultaneously or sequentially. Thus, it is imperative to compare the effects of stress combinations on crop plants relative to individual stresses. This study investigated the differential regulation of physio-biochemical and metabolomics parameters in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) under individual (salt, drought, cold, and heat) and combined stress treatments using multivariate correlation analysis. The results showed that combined heat, salt, and drought stress compounds the stress effect of individual stresses. Combined stresses that included heat had the highest electrolyte leakage and lowest relative water content. Lipid peroxidation and chlorophyll contents did not significantly change under combined stresses. Biochemical parameters, such as free amino acids, polyphenol, starch, and sugars, significantly changed under combined stresses compared to individual stresses. Free amino acids increased under combined stresses that included heat; starch, sugars, and polyphenols increased under combined stresses that included drought; proline concentration increased under combined stresses that included salt. Metabolomics data that were obtained under different individual and combined stresses can be used to identify molecular phenotypes that are involved in the acclimation response of plants under changing abiotic stress conditions. Peanut metabolomics identified 160 metabolites, including amino acids, sugars, sugar alcohols, organic acids, fatty acids, sugar acids, and other organic compounds. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that abiotic stresses significantly affected amino acid, amino sugar, and sugar metabolism. The stress treatments affected the metabolites that were associated with the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) and urea cycles and associated amino acid biosynthesis pathway intermediates. Principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and heatmap analysis identified potential marker metabolites (pinitol, malic acid, and xylopyranose) that were associated with abiotic stress combinations, which could be used in breeding efforts to develop peanut cultivars that are resilient to climate change. The study will also facilitate researchers to explore different stress indicators to identify resistant cultivars for future crop improvement programs.

Physicochemical Characteristics of Bambara Groundnut Speciality Malts and Extract.

Speciality malts and their extracts have physicochemical characteristics such as colour, flavour, and aroma sorted for in food production. Speciality malts used in food production are mostly produced from cereal grains. Hence, this study aimed to produce speciality malts from Bambara groundnut (BGN) seeds and analyse their physicochemical characteristics and metabolites. The base, toasted, caramel, and roasted malt were produced by drying at different temperatures and times. Syrups were produced isothermally from the speciality malts. The speciality malts and syrups were assessed for colour, pH, protein, α and ß-amylases, total polyphenols, antioxidants, and metabolite profiling. The BGN speciality malts were assayed for fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), hydrocarbons, sugar alcohols, sugars, acids, amino acids, and volatile components using capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection (GC-FID). The colours of the speciality malts and syrups were significantly (p = 0.000) different. The protein content of the BGN speciality malts was significantly different (p = 0.000), while the protein content of the syrups was not significantly different. The amylase activities of the BGN speciality malt decreased with the change in kilning temperatures and time. The α- and ß-amylase activities for the specialty malts were 1.01, 0.21, 0.29, 0.15 CU/g and 0.11, 0.10, 0.10, 0.06 BU/g. The total polyphenols and antioxidant activities differed for all BGN speciality malts. There were twenty-nine volatiles detected in the BGN speciality malts. Fifteen amino acids consisted of seven essential amino acids, and eight non-essential amino acids were detected in the speciality malts. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) identified were palmitoleic, oleic, linolelaidic, linoleic, and arachidic acid. The sugars, organic acids, and sugar alcohols consisted of lactic acid, fructose, sucrose, and myo-inositol. The BGN speciality malts exhibited good physicochemical characteristics and metabolites that can make them useful as household and industrial ingredients for food production, which could be beneficial to consumers.

Flavonoid and Phenolic Acid Profiles of Dehulled and Whole Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc Seeds Commonly Consumed in South Africa.

Bambara groundnut (BGN) is an underexploited crop with a rich nutrient content and is used in traditional medicine, but limited information is available on the quantitative characterization of its flavonoids and phenolic acids. We investigated the phenolic profile of whole seeds and cotyledons of five BGN varieties consumed in South Africa using UPLC-qTOF-MS and GC-MS. Twenty-six phenolic compounds were detected/quantified in whole seeds and twenty-four in cotyledon, with six unidentified compounds. Flavonoids include flavan-3-ol (catechin, catechin hexoside-A, catechin hexoside-B), flavonol (quercetin, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, rutin, myricetin, kaempherol), hydroxybenzoic acid (4-Hydroxybenzoic, 2,6 Dimethoxybenzoic, protocatechuic, vanillic, syringic, syringaldehyde, gallic acids), hydroxycinnamic acid (trans-cinnamic, p-coumaric, caffeic, ferulic acids) and lignan (medioresinol). The predominant flavonoids were catechin/derivatives, with the highest content (78.56 mg/g) found in brown BGN. Trans-cinnamic and ferulic acids were dominant phenolic acid. Cotyledons of brown and brown-eyed BGN (317.71 and 378.59 µg/g) had the highest trans-cinnamic acid content, while red seeds had the highest ferulic acid (314.76 µg/g) content. Colored BGN had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher content of these components. Whole BGN contained significantly (p < 0.05) higher amount of flavonoids and phenolic acids, except for the trans-cinnamic acid. The rich flavonoid and phenolic acid content of BGN seeds highlights the fact that it is a good source of dietary phenolics with potential health-promoting properties.