Evaluation of economic loss caused by Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) in agricultural land of district Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan

The Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) is a vertebrate pest of agricultural lands and forest. The study was aimed to report the damage to local crops by the Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) in the Muzaffarabad District. A survey was conducted to identify the porcupine-affected areas and assess the crop damage to the local farmers in district Muzaffarabad Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) from May 2017 to October 2017. Around 19 villages were surveyed, and a sum of 191 semi-structured questionnaires was distributed among farmers. Crop damage was found highest in village Dhanni where a porcupine destroyed 175 Kg/Kanal of the crops. Regarding the total magnitude of crop loss, village Danna and Koomi kot were the most affected areas. More than half (51.8%) of the respondents in the study area suffered the economic loss within the range of 101-200$, and (29.8%) of the people suffered losses in the range of 201-300$ annually. Among all crops, maize (Zea mays) was found to be the most damaged crop ranging between 1-300 Kg annually. In the study area, porcupine also inflicted a lot of damages to some important vegetables, including spinach (Spinacia oleracea), potato (Solanum tuberosum) and onion (Allium cepa). It was estimated that, on average, 511Kg of vegetables are destroyed by porcupine every year in the agricultural land of Muzaffarabad. It was concluded that the Indian crested porcupine has a devastating effect on agriculture which is an important source of income and food for the local community. Developing an effective pest control strategy with the help of the local government and the Wildlife department could help the farmers to overcome this problem.

Genetic diversity and molecular characterization of Cucumber mosaic cucumovirus (CMV) subgroup II infecting Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and Pea (Pisum sativum) in Pothwar region of Pakistan

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is a tremendous threat to vegetables across the globe, including in Pakistan. The present work was conducted to investigate the genetic variability of CMV isolates infecting pea and spinach vegetables in the Pothwar region of Pakistan. Serological-based surveys during 2016-2017 revealed 31.70% overall CMV disease incidence from pea and spinach crops. Triple-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (TAS-ELISA) revealed that all the positive isolates belong to CMV subgroup II. Two selected cDNA from ELISA-positive samples representing each pea and spinach crops were PCR-amplified (ca.1100 bp) and sequenced corresponding to the CMV CP gene which shared 93.7% nucleotide identity with each other. Both the sequences of CMV pea (AAHAP) and spinach (AARS) isolates from Pakistan were submitted to GenBank as accession nos. MH119071 and MH119073, respectively. BLAST analysis revealed 93.4% sequence identity of AAHAP isolate with SpK (KC763473) from Iran while AARS isolate shared maximum identity (94.5%) with the strain 241 (AJ585519) from Australia and clustered with some reference isolates of CMV subgroup II from UK (Z12818) and USA (AF127976) in a Neighbour-joining phylogenetic reconstruction. A total of 59 polymorphic (segregating) sites (S) with nucleotide diversity (π) of 0.06218 was evident while no INDEL event was observed in Pakistani isolates. The evolutionary distance of Pakistani CMV isolates was recorded as 0.0657 with each other and 0.0574-0.2964 with other CMV isolates reported elsewhere in the world. A frequent gene flow (Fst = 0.30478 <0.33) was observed between Pakistani and earlier reported CMV isolates. In genetic differentiation analysis, the value of three permutation-based statistical tests viz; Z (84.3011), Snn (0.82456), and Ks* (4.04042) were non-significant. The statistical analysis revealed the values 2.02535, 0.01468, and 0.71862 of Tajima's D, Fu, & Li’s F* and D* respectively, demonstrating that the CMV population is under balancing selection.

Amelioration of ethanol reprotoxicity by aqueous Spinacia oleracea extract in male rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus

Spinacia oleracea “Spinach” is a plant rich in antioxidants; it leads to improved male reproduction. For this reason, the objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of the aqueous extract of this plant on the fertility of adult male rabbits after their administration with ethanol. The rabbits were divided into four groups: control group, group treated with 150 mg / kg / day of aqueous Spinacia oleracea extract (Ep), group treated with 40% ethanol (EtOH), and group treated with 150 mg / kg / day of aqueous Spinacia oleracea extract + 40% ethanol (Ep + EtOH), for a period of five successive weeks. Treatment was administered orally. After sacrificing the rabbits, the reproductive organs were removed and weighed. Certain sperm parameters (concentration, mobility, speed, and vitality), the testosterone level and the weight of the testes and epididymis were assessed. The results obtained showed a decrease in the concentration, mobility, speed and vitality of sperm, accompanied by a decrease in testosterone levels, and in the weight of the testes and epididymis in the group treated with ethanol, on the other hand, treatment with aqueous Spinacia oleracea extract revealed an increase in these parameters. In conclusion, treatment with aqueous Spinacia oleracea extract can repair the damage caused by ethanol.

Sustainable synthesis of microwave-assisted IONPs using Spinacia oleracea L. for control of fungal wilt by modulating the defense system in tomato plants

Background Changing climate enhances the survival of pests and pathogens, which eventually affects crop yield and reduces its economic value. Novel approaches should be employed to ensure sustainable food security. Nano-based agri-chemicals provide a distinctive mechanism to increase productivity and manage phytopathogens, with minimal environmental distress. In vitro and in greenhouse studies were conducted to evaluate the potential of green-synthesized iron-oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) in suppressing wilt infection caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycospersici, and improving tomato growth (Solanum lycopersicum) and fruit quality. Results Various microwave powers (100–1000 W) were used to modulate the properties of the green-synthesized IONPs, using spinach as a starting material. The IONPs stabilized with black coffee extract were substantively characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, dielectric and impedance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM, respectively), and magnetization analysis. XRD revealed a cubic magnetite (Fe3O4) phase with super-paramagnetic nature, detected at all microwave powers. The binding energies of Fe 2p3/2 (710.9 eV) and Fe 2p1/2 (724.5 eV) of Fe3O4 NPs were confirmed using XPS analysis at a microwave power of 1000 W. Uniform, spherical/cubical-shaped particles with an average diameter of 4 nm were confirmed using SEM and TEM analysis. A significant reduction in mycelial growth and spore germination was observed upon exposure to different IONP treatments. Malformed mycelium, DNA fragmentation, alternation in the cell membrane, and ROS production in F. oxysporum indicated the anti-microbial potential of the IONPs. The particles were applied both through the root (before transplantation) and by means of foliar application (after two weeks) to the infected seedlings. IONPs significantly reduced disease severity by an average of 47.8%, resulting in increased plant growth variables after exposure to 12.5 µg/mL of IONPs. Analysis of photosynthetic pigments, phenolic compounds, and anti-oxidant enzymes in the roots and shoots showed an increasing trend after exposure to various concentrations of IONPs. Correspondingly, lycopene, vitamin C, total flavonoids, and protein content were substantially improved in tomato fruits after treatment with IONPs. Conclusion The findings of the current investigation suggested that the synthesized IONPs display anti-fungal and nutritional properties that can help to manage Fusarium wilt disease, resulting in enhanced plant growth and fruit quality. Graphical Abstract

EDTA and nitric acid responses on nickel uptake, translocation factor and pigments on Spinacia oleracea L. replanted seedlings in hydroponic solution

The effects of Na2EDTA and HNO3 on Ni2+ uptake by Spinacia oleracea seedlings replanted inhydroponic culture in a greenhouse was investigated. Eight week old seedlings, were exposed to various doses of Ni2+ (0, 1000, 2000, and 4000 mg/L) as NiSO4, at (0, 500 and 3000 mg/L) Na2EDTA and ( 0, 500 and 3000 mg /L) HNO3 in different combinations. There was a substantial increase in nickel uptake in chelated treatments (p < 0.05) compared to unchelated treatments of same concentrations of Ni2+. So, chelation enhanced Ni2+ uptake in S. oleracea. During the exposure, antioxidant defense system helped the plant to protect itself from the damage. Due to increasing nickel uptake by the plant, the photosynthetic pigments (i.e chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and Caretenoids) gradually declined. In this study, Spinacia oleracea Seedlings and contents of the photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and Caretenoids) of both chelated and unchelated hydroponic treatments were investigated. Changes in photosynthetic pigments was significant (p < 0.05) with respect to addition of EDTA and HNO3 at different concentration to different concentrations of Ni2+ compared to unchelated treatments of same concentrations of Ni2+. The Ni2+ induced translocation factor was also determined which increased significantly (P < 0.05) with increasing Ni2+ concentrations.

Foliar Application of Potassium Mitigates Salinity Stress Conditions in Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) through Reducing NaCl Toxicity and Enhancing the Activity of Antioxidant Enzymes

Agronomic biofortification is the purposeful utilization of mineral fertilizers to increase the concentration of desired minerals in edible plant parts for enhancing their dietary intake. It is becoming crucial to enhance the dietary intake of K for addressing hidden hunger and related health issues such as cardiac diseases and hypertension. This study was designed to enhance the potassium concentration in edible parts of spinach through its foliar application under saline environment. The salinity levels of electrical conductivity (EC) = 4, 6, and 8 dS m−1 were applied using sodium chloride (NaCl) along with control. The levels of K for foliar sprays were 5 and 10 mM, along with control. The present experiment was performed under two factorial arrangements in a completely randomized design (CRD). After 60 days of sowing, the crop was harvested. Data regarding growth, ionic, physiological, and biochemical parameters, i.e., shoot dry weight, relative water content, electrolyte leakage, total chlorophyll content, tissue sodium (Na) and K concentration, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) were recorded and those were found to be significantly (p ≤ 0.05) affected by foliar application of K on spinach under saline conditions. The highest growth, physiological and biochemical responses of spinach were observed in response to foliar-applied K at 10 mM. It is concluded that agronomic bio-fortification by foliar use of K can be a useful strategy to increase tissue K intakes and minimize Na toxicity in the vegetables studied under saline conditions.

Genetic Diversity, Structure, and Selective Sweeps in Spinacia turkestanica Associated With the Domestication of Cultivated Spinach

Genotype-by-sequencing (GBS) was used to explore the genetic diversity and structure of Spinacia turkestanica, and the selective sweeps involved in domestication of cultivated spinach, S. oleracea, from S. turkestanica. A total 7,065 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) generated for 16 Spinacia oleracea and 76 S. turkestanica accessions placed the S. oleracea accessions in one group, Q1, and the 76 S. turkestanica accessions, which originated from Central Asia, in two distinct groups, Q2 and Q3. The Q2 group shared greater genetic identity with the S. oleracea accessions, Q1, than the Q3 S. turkestanica group. Likewise, the S. oleracea Q1 group had a smaller Fst (0.008) with the Q2 group than with the Q3 group (Fst = 0.012), and a greater gene flow (Nm = 30.13) with the Q2 group than with the Q3 group (Nm = 21.83). The Q2 accessions originated primarily from Uzbekistan while the Q3 accessions originated mostly from Tajikistan. The Zarafshan Mountain Range appears to have served as a physical barrier that largely separated members of the Q2 and Q3 groups of S. turkestanica. Accessions with admixtures of Q2 and Q3 were collected primarily from lower elevations at the southern end of the Zarafshan Mountain Range in Uzbekistan. Selective sweep regions identified at 32, 49, and 52 Mb on chromosomes 1, 2, and 3, respectively, appear to have played a vital role in the domestication of S. oleracea as they are correlated with important domestication traits, including day length sensitivity for bolting (flowering). High XP-CLR scores at the 52 Mb genomic region of chromosome three suggest that a selective sweep at this region was responsible for early differentiation of S. turkestanica into two groups in Central Asia.

Influence of Nutrient Concentration on Growth, Yield And Quality of Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) in Hydroponic System

The present experiment entitled “Influence of nutrient concentration on Growth, Yield and Quality of Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) in Hydroponic system” was carried out in Shade net, Research Field, Department of Horticulture, SHUATS, Prayagraj during March- April,2020.. The experiment was laid out in complete randomized design (CRD), with eight treatments, replicated thrice with nutrient field technique hydroponics system and variety Mulayam of Spinach, the treatments were T1 (NPK 6.25 ml/plant), T2 (NPK 8.33 ml/plant), T3 (NPK 10.41 ml/plant), T4 (NPK 12.5 ml/plant), T5 (NPK 14.58 ml/plant), T6 (NPK 16.66 ml/plant), T7 (NPK 18.75 ml/plant) and T0 (NPK 0 ml/plant). From the present experimental findings, it is found that structure with treatment T4 was found best in terms of Growth and yield parameters of spinach in NFT hydroponic system followed by structure with T3 and T1 due to appropriate supply of plant nutrients and the water treated plants had the lowest values. Maximum gross return (1871.30Rs) and net return (746.30 Rs) and maximum benefit cost ratio (1.66) was also observed in treatment T4. As seen from the experiment, it was observed that the treatment T4 was ideal nutrient for Spinach good growth and yield. Therefore, an ideal nutrient concentration helps the plants in good growth and yield.

A 12-Week Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial, Evaluating the Effect of Supplementation with a Spinach Extract on Skeletal Muscle Fitness in Adults Older Than 50 Years of Age

The aim of a 12-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study was to assess the effect of daily supplementation with a natural extract of Spinacia oleracea L. (4 × 500 mg capsules/day; total 2 g per day) combined with a moderate-intensity training program (1 h session/3 times a week) on skeletal muscle fitness in adults over 50 years of age. Muscle strength assessed by isokinetic and isometric dynamometry improved significantly in the experimental (n = 23) and the placebo (n = 22) groups, but the magnitude of improvement was higher in the experimental group, with between-group differences in almost all variables, including isokinetic at 60° s−1 in knee extension, peak torque (p < 0.007); total work per repetition maximum (p < 0.009); isokinetic at 180°s−1 in knee extension, peak torque (p < 0.002); total work (p < 0.007); total work per repetition maximum (p < 0.005); average power (p < 0.027); isometric in knee extension, peak torque (p < 0.005); and average peak torque (p < 0.002). Similar findings were observed for muscle quality. Changes in quality of life (SF-36) were not found, except for improvements in the role physical (p < 0.023) and role emotional (p < 0.001) domains, likely as a result of the physical training sessions. A nutritional survey did not revealed changes in dietary habits. No adverse events were recorded. In subjects over 50 years of age, moderate-intensity strength training combined with daily supplementation for 12 weeks with a natural extract of Spinacia oleracea L. improved muscle-related variables and muscle quality. Maintaining muscle health is a key component of healthy aging.