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Don’t Fear The Science. Learning Biotechnology with Dinosaurs, Zombies, Mad Doctors and Monsters.

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 11:07:35 GMT

Título : Don’t Fear The Science. Learning Biotechnology with Dinosaurs, Zombies, Mad Doctors and Monsters. Autor : Sánchez Angulo, Manuel

Influence of Growing Substrate and Rootstock on the Physicochemical Properties of Lemons

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 07:24:58 GMT

Título : Influence of Growing Substrate and Rootstock on the Physicochemical Properties of Lemons Autor : Martinez Nicolas, Juan Jose; Núñez-Gómez, Dámaris; Lidón Noguera, Vicente; Martínez Font, Rafael; Melgarejo Moreno, Pablo; Hernández, Francisca; Legua, Pilar Resumen : Lemons are regarded as one of the most important species in the world due to its high level of bioactive compounds. Lemon juice is credited with direct health benefits due to its antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory activity. Their economic importance stems not only from their fresh consumption but also from their applications in various industries such as medical, pharmaceutical, and food. However, the chemical and nutritional composition of lemons is not constant and can be influenced by external factors, including variety, weather conditions, and crop management. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to determine the compositional variations of the fruit, which is essential to define its potential use. The rootstock and growing substrate were two controlled factors that were evaluated in relation to the physicochemical properties of the 'Verna' lemon. Ninety lemon trees were grown on three different rootstocks and three different culture mediums. Lemon trees cultivated with a 50% sediment/peat mix substrate showed a higher total production (590 lemons and 90.53 kg) than those cultivated with 75% marine sediment, which resulted in an 80% lower production. Citrus aurantium's output was greatly outperformed by Citrus macrophylla and Citrus aurantium/Citrus sinensis rootstocks. All the fruits presented a predominantly yellow color appropriate for the market (0 < CI < +5), and nutritional and chemical parameters were consistent with data reported for 'Verna' clones. All of the lemons obtained, both fresh and processed, were suitable for marketing and consumption. The findings showed that the studied variables have limited influence on the quality parameters of lemon fruits but could confirm the potential of marine sediment as a culture substrate

Culture Media and Rootstock Influence on Lemon Tree Cultivation: Metabolomic Leaves Profile

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 07:23:08 GMT

Título : Culture Media and Rootstock Influence on Lemon Tree Cultivation: Metabolomic Leaves Profile Autor : Melgarejo Moreno, Pablo; Núñez-Gómez, Dámaris; Martinez Nicolas, Juan Jose; Hernández, Francisca; Martínez Font, Rafael; Lidón Noguera, Vicente; Garcia-Sanchez, Francisco; Legua, Pilar Resumen : The development of new methodologies and analysis technologies is allowing to increase in knowledge about the biochemical interactions of plant organisms, as is the case of woody crops. In this sense, metabolomic studies through hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) enable the elaboration and definition of "metabolic fingerprints". These unique metabolic footprints can support both the determination of plant varieties and the identification of plant responses and adaptations to external and/or internal factors. In this study, the primary and secondary foliar metabolites of Citrus limon Burm were identified, because it is one of the most important crops in the southeast of Spain and is frequently consumed worldwide. Thus, the trial evaluated two-year-old lemon leaf simples (variety 'Verna'), cultivated under different conditions (three rootstocks and three culture media) aiming to identify the impacts of these variables on the vegetative development of the plant. In total, 19 metabolites were identified for all the samples, of which 9 were amino acids, 5 organic acids, 3 sugars, and 2 intermediate metabolites. Sucrose and maltose were the major sugars identified, which confirms the maturity degree of the studied leaves since the mature leaves are in charge of photosynthesis and provide sources of energy and carbon (mainly sugars such as glucose) to the other plant parts. The variable importance projection (VIP) study identified quinate, arginine and malate metabolites as significant and differentiated between substrates; and arginine, quinate and sucrose metabolites as significant between rootstocks. The results pointed to a limited influence, both of the substrate and the rootstock of the crop, in the metabolomic differentiation of the lemon tree leaves. The knowledge and foliar metabolomic differentiation can offer important information that supports the application of foliar treatments of crops and also helps in the management of diseases and pests

Chapter 9 - Oil in water nanoemulsion formulations of botanical active substances

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 08:25:48 GMT

Título : Chapter 9 - Oil in water nanoemulsion formulations of botanical active substances Autor : Pascual-Villalobos, Maria Jesus; Guirao, Pedro; Díaz Baños, F. Guillermo; Cantó-Tejero, Manuel; VILLORA, GLORIA Resumen : Water-based nanoemulsions of insecticidal botanical oils and extracts have advantages over emulsifiable concentrates and macroscopic emulsions, particularly due to the small droplet size (< 300 nm). In this chapter, we explain some concepts and present some examples of applications of nanoformulations of biopesticides. We also present some new data from our recent work on formulating plant essential oils and assessing them against the aphid species Myzus persicae (Homoptera: Aphididae). Lecithin nanoemulsions (1%, v/v) of geraniol, farnesol, and trans-anethole prepared by ultrasound maintained their activity after storage (Repellency Index = 59.6–71.6) and had Z-potential values of < 30 mV measured with a Zetasizer, indicating good stability. Repellent doses (RD50) were in the range of 0.47–2.06% (v/v). Nanoemulsions were prepared with a high speed rotor and tween80 as the surfactant. Citral gives a monodispersed nanoemulsion with 50–100 nm particles, even after dilution. Anise emulsions had at least two populations of particles, one of small sizes (20 nm in diameter) and another of 200–300 nm. When emulsified in water, cis-jasmone, the most active product, had particles of larger sizes (400 nm). Pyrethrum extract gave a reduction in RD50 from 0.131%–0.025% if a nanoemulsion was applied instead of a macroscopic emulsion in the choice laboratory bioassay with M. persicae. However, in greenhouse experiments, the number of aphids on pepper plants was not different between both treatments. Obviously, spraying pyrethrum had insecticidal effects in comparison with a control. On the other hand, the preventive application of citral or anise in pepper plants showed some repellence but only if the binary mixture at doses of 0.1%–0.2% was sprayed. A reduction in the number of aphids per plant was observed. Pyrethrum nano was less toxic to Aphidius colemani (LC90 = 0.064%) than the macroscopic pyrethrum emulsion (LC90 = 0.038%). Citral or anise was much safer for natural enemies (parasitoids) and had no residual contact toxicity up to 0.1%