Microgreens: a newly merging product, aspects, prospectives, and disadvantages

In this article we demonstrate the connotation of microgreens, the newly merging product in the Russian market. Microgreens are normal plants planted in highly density on a substrate medium and harvested shortly after the first true leaves appear. Microgreens of many aromatic plants possess intensive flavour similar to its mature product. We also expound the aspects related to this product, including growth, harvesting time, Seeds utilization, light requirements, available suitable substrate, as well as the disadvantages related to its production. There is still a lot of controversy about the health benefits of consuming microgreens. Some researchers believe that there is currently not enough scientific evidence to support a higher nutrient level in microgreens than in mature plants. In this review, we discuss whether microgreening is a great addition to gardening or not. Still, other prospects for the future of this product indicates that the demand of the market for the microgreens will be strong especially with the wide spread of home-growing facilities like phytotrons and simple growing chambers.

Photophysiological Tolerance and Thermal Plasticity of Genetically Different Symbiodiniaceae Endosymbiont Species of Cnidaria

Coral reefs are endangered by constantly rising water temperature due to global warming. This triggers a breakdown of the nutritional symbiosis between cnidarian hosts and their Symbiodiniaceae symbionts, resulting in the loss of the algal partner. In the Symbiodiniaceae exists a high genetic diversity with broad physiological plasticity within and between species, resulting in large thermal tolerance. While these variations have been studied in individual taxa, comprehensive comparative experimental data on numerous species are still rare. In the present study, the photosynthetic performance and tolerance as function of light and temperature of nine Symbiodiniaceae genetic types of four different clades were determined. The data indicate significant differences in the response patterns. Almost all algal isolates exhibited low to moderate light requirements for photosynthesis without photoinhibition, and a photosynthetic efficiency between 20 and 80% in the temperature range 20–34°C, indicating a broad thermal tolerance to temperature fluctuations in tropical regions. The presented data clearly point to a broad photophysiological tolerance and thermal plasticity of genetically different Symbiodiniaceae, which contributes as an important finding to a better understanding of host-symbiont response to an increasing sea surface temperature.

Ecophysiological, morphological, and biochemical traits of free-living Diplosphaera chodatii (Trebouxiophyceae) reveal adaptation to harsh environmental conditions

Single-celled green algae within the Trebouxiophyceae (Chlorophyta) are typical components of terrestrial habitats, which often exhibit harsh environmental conditions for these microorganisms. This study provides a detailed overview of the ecophysiological, biochemical, and ultrastructural traits of an alga living on tree bark. The alga was isolated from a cypress tree in the Botanical Garden of Innsbruck (Austria) and identified by morphology and molecular phylogeny as Diplosphaera chodatii. Transmission electron microscopy after high-pressure freezing (HPF) showed an excellent preservation of the ultrastructure. The cell wall was bilayered with a smooth inner layer and an outer layer of polysaccharides with a fuzzy hair-like appearance that could possibly act as cell-cell adhesion mechanism and hence as a structural precursor supporting biofilm formation together with the mucilage observed occasionally. The photosynthetic-irradiance curves of D. chodatii indicated low light requirements without photoinhibition at high photon flux densities (1580 μmol photons m−2 s−1) supported by growth rate measurements. D. chodatii showed a high desiccation tolerance, as 85% of its initial value was recovered after controlled desiccation at a relative humidity of ~10%. The alga contained the low molecular weight carbohydrates sucrose and sorbitol, which probably act as protective compounds against desiccation. In addition, a new but chemically not elucidated mycosporine-like amino acid was detected with a molecular mass of 332 g mol−1 and an absorption maximum of 324 nm. The presented data provide various traits which contribute to a better understanding of the adaptive mechanisms of D. chodatii to terrestrial habitats.

Water use in the growth of atlantic forest tree species seedlings under different shading levels

ABSTRACT The increase in the demand for seedlings of native tree species makes it important to determine their water and light requirements, which are important factors in their production, in terms of costs and time. Water use and productivity in the growth of seedlings of Dalbergia nigra (Vell.) Allemão ex Benth., Apuleia leiocarpa (Vogel) J.F. Macbr and Hymenaea courbaril L. were determined under four light levels (three shading levels and control), using a randomized block design with four replicates. Height, stem diameter, leaf area and biomass, as well as Dickson quality index (DQI) were evaluated. The seedlings were transplanted into 280-cm3 plugs, filled with substrate composed of pure biosolids, and irrigated by a drip system with automatic management. The highest total volumes applied were 3.1 L per D. nigra seedling (in 37 and 58% shading), 2.5 L per A. leiocarpa seedling (in 37% shading) and 3.8 L per H. courbaril seedling (in full sun). Growth indices, confirmed by the DQI, indicate that shading levels of 37 and 58% for D. nigra, 37% for A. leiocarpa, and full sun for H. courbaril are the most recommended. The highest volumes of irrigation promoted the greatest development of the species, in general for intermediate shading, which provided the highest values of DQI and irrigation water productivity.

Eco-friendly Mn-doped CsPbCl3 Perovskite Nanocrystals Glass with Blue-red Emitting for Indoor Plant Lighting

Mn-doped CsPbCl3 perovskite nanocrystals (PeNCs) glass was prepared by melt-quenching and in-situ crystallization. Under the protection of robust glass, PeNCs exhibit excellent moisture resistance and thermal stability. Due to the combination effect of thermal quenching and energy transfer of exciton-to-Mn2+, the emission intensity of Mn shows an abnormal temperature-dependence with the temperature increasing from 80 to 300 K, which can be explored further in the application of temperature sensor. Interestingly, by matching with ultraviolet chips, all-inorganic blue-red emitting conversion device consisting of PeNCs glasses were prepared for light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which can meet the light requirements of plant growth. The cultivation results indicated that growth of cabbages using PeNCs plant cultivation LEDs were greater than those cultivated using commercial w-LEDs. Therefore, Mn-doped CsPbCl3 PeNCs can be used as a new-generation of solid fluorescent materials in the field of indoor plant cultivation LEDs.

Germination of Cenchrus ciliaris, Pennisetum divisum, and Panicum turgidum is seasonally dependent

Knowledge of optimal conditions for germination facilitates more efficient practices, such as fodder production and restoration. We assessed seeds of three grass species harvested in winter and summer 2018. Germination ability was assessed under two night/day temperature regimes (15 °C/20 °C, 20 °C/30 °C) and two photoperiod regimes (0, 12 h light per day). Winter-maturing seeds had a slightly lower mass and reduced germination. Temperature and light requirements for optimal germination were dependent on species and harvest-time. Summer-maturing seeds of all three species had higher germination rates regardless of germination temperature. Interactions among treatment temperatures and species were 0.7- to 5.4-times higher than the control, as shown by heatmaps. Therefore, attention to these factors will improve the efficiency of seedling establishment for rehabilitation work.

Mitigation of climatic conditions and pest protection provided by insect-proof nets for cabbage cultivation in East Africa

SummaryAlthough several studies have underlined the advantages of using insect-proof nets to improve yields while reducing the use of pesticides, one obstacle to the diffusion of this technique in tropical conditions is the associated increase in temperature in the tunnel. The aim of this work was to assess the interest of combining the physical protection provided by nets against insect pests with the beneficial impacts of using shade nets to grow cabbages. A two-season experiment was set up to compare temperature conditions, insect pest populations, yields, and the quality of cabbage crops grown in the open field and in low tunnels covered with nets providing different degrees of shading, 17.2% by white and 50.1% by silver nets. During the day, the temperature under the white and silver nets was 10.4 °C and 6.3 °C higher, respectively, than in the open field in the first season, and 6.5 °C and 5.9 °C higher in the second season. Both insect-proof nets significantly reduced insect pest populations and hence the need for insecticide treatments. The white nets increased marketable yield by 45.4% in the first season and by 16.4% in the second compared to yields in the open field, whereas silver nets reduced yield by 18.6% and 15.0%, respectively. The reduction in yield under silver nets was attributed to excessive shading that prevented the light requirements of cabbage crops from being fulfilled. Economic analysis raised some concerns about the profitability of the use of netting to grow cabbage due to investment costs and the lack of premium prices for vegetables produced with fewer pesticides in local markets.