Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Plant Biotechnol J 2020 May 26. Epub 2020 May 26.

Center of Excellence in Genomics & Systems Biology (CEGSB), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, 502324, Telangana State, India.

Haplotype-based breeding, a recent promising breeding approach to develop tailored made crop varieties deals with identification of superior haplotypes and their deployment in breeding programs. In this context, whole genome re-sequencing data of 292 genotypes from pigeonpea reference set was mined to identify the superior haplotypes for 10 drought-responsive candidate genes. A total of 83, 132 and 60 haplotypes were identified in breeding lines, landraces and wild species, respectively. Read More

New Phytol 2020 May 26. Epub 2020 May 26.

Département des sciences de l'environnement, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, CP 500, Trois-Rivières, Québec, G9A 5H7, Canada.

Photosynthetic "least-cost" theory posits that the optimal trait combination for a given environment is that where the summed costs of photosynthetic water and nutrient acquisition/use are minimised. The effects of soil water and nutrient availability on photosynthesis should be stronger as climate-related costs for both resources increase. Two independent datasets of photosynthetic traits, Globamax (1509 species, 288 sites) and Glob13C (3645 species, 594 sites), were used to quantify biophysical and biochemical limitations of photosynthesis and the key variable C /C  (CO  drawdown during photosynthesis). Read More

Food Chem 2020 May 16;327:127041. Epub 2020 May 16.

Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Ciências Tecnologia e Inovação, Campus Universitário de Camaçari, 42809-000 Camaçari, Bahia, Brazil. Electronic address:

The physicochemical characteristics of honey vary according to bee species, climate, region, period of collection, processing and storage. In this context, this work aimed to perform a comparative study of the physicochemical characteristics of Melipona subnitida and M. fasciculata honey collected at different periods and regions of the State of Piauí, Brazil. Read More

Gene 2020 May 23:144800. Epub 2020 May 23.

International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru-503 324, Hyderabad, (Telangana State), India.

Sugarcane is one among the most important commercial crops used to produce sugar, ethanol, and other byproducts, which significantly contributes in the GDP of India and various other countries of the world. Genetic diversity is a platform for any breeding strategy of a plant species. Estimation of the genetic variability and population structure play a vital role for conservation planning and management of plant genetic resources. Read More

Plant Dis 2020 May 26:PDIS01200034A. Epub 2020 May 26.

State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas and College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi Province 712100, China.

is a worldwide plant pathogen causing serious fruit or leaf anthracnose diseases on a variety of plant hosts such as mango, coffee berry, chili, and other potential hosts, and it is distributed widely in Asia, America, Africa, and Oceania. This is the first genome resource available for The draft genome assembly will allow further analysis of species diversity and evolutionary mechanisms, and may serve as a foundation for genetic analysis that leads to greater understanding of interactions between plants and fungal pathogens. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2020 May 25. Epub 2020 May 25.

State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.

Continued long-term monitoring of vegetation activity in national key ecological function zones (NKEFZs) has implications for national ecological security and sustainability in China. We used Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI3g) dataset to map and analyze the spatiotemporal patterns of change in vegetation growth and their linkage with climate change and human activities in NKEFZs during 1982-2013. Statistically significant increases of growing season, spring, and autumn NDVI were observed during all or most periods while 25 NKEFZs are taken as a whole. Read More

Trop Anim Health Prod 2020 May 25. Epub 2020 May 25.

School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Namibia, Private Bag 13301, Pionierspark, Windhoek, Namibia.

This study retrospectively investigated the effect of breed and season on the lambing/kidding dynamics, growth performance, neonatal viability, and weaning dynamics of sheep (Damara, Dorper, and Swakara) and goats (Boer goat and Kalahari Red) at a farm in the Khomas Region of Namibia between 2004 and 2015. Litter size was dependent on breed (X(12, N = 3388) = 796, p < 0.001), with twinning more frequent in Dorper sheep and Kalahari Red and Boer goats than in the Damara and Swakara sheep (p < 0. Read More

Water Res 2020 May 7;179:115895. Epub 2020 May 7.

State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an, 710048, China. Electronic address:

This study investigated the acute impact of heavy metals on activated sludge with respect to the amount properties of biopolymers and other solvable microbiological products (SMPs) released from the sludge. Ten heavy metals were selected for the evaluation. Under the experimental conditions, exposing activated sludge to different metals led to an increase in SMPs, with a more significant increase in nitrogenous organics than in carbonaceous ones, where Hg, Ag, Cu, and Cr led to the highest increase in SMP species, while Cd, Ni, Mn, Pb, and Co caused limited increase in the middle and small SMP molecules, and Zn and Cr resulted in a decrease in SMP content. Read More

J Ethnopharmacol 2020 May 22:112950. Epub 2020 May 22.

Department of Biology, University of Hassan I, BP 577, 26000, Settat, Morocco. Electronic address:

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The genus Ziziphus (Rhamnaceae) contains 58 accepted species that are extensively used by local people and medicinal practitioners in arid and semi-arid regions for the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, diabetic, hypertension, inflammation, intestinal spasm, liver, malaria and other diseases. Aims of this review: This review article documents and critically assesses, for the first time; up to date categorized information about botanical traits, distribution, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological and toxicological effects of Ziziphus species.

Methods: Information was collected systematically from electronic scientific databases including Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, Web of Science, ACS Publications, Elsevier, SciFinder, Wiley Online Library and CNKI, as well as other literature sources (e. Read More

Environ Monit Assess 2020 May 23;192(6):389. Epub 2020 May 23.

Department of Science, College of Basic Education, The Public Authority of Applied Education and Training, Adailiya, Kuwait.

Restoration programs require long-term monitoring and assessment of vegetation growth and productivity. Remote sensing technology is considered to be one of the most powerful technologies for assessing vegetation. However, several limitations have been observed with regard to the use of satellite imagery, especially in drylands, due to the special structure of desert plants. Read More

J Environ Sci (China) 2020 Jul 16;93:164-169. Epub 2020 Apr 16.

State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an 710048, China.

There are good prospects for phosphorus recovery from excess sludge by vivianite crystallization while a large number of extracellular polymeric substances in sludge will have impact on vivianite precipitation. In this study, as a representative of extracellular polymeric substance, the effect of sodium alginate (SA) on phosphorus recovery by vivianite precipitation under different initial SA concentrations (0-800 mg/L), pH values (6.5-9. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 May 12;733:139231. Epub 2020 May 12.

Department of Sustainable Agriculture Sciences, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, UK.

Grain and soil were sampled across a large part of Amhara, Ethiopia in a study motivated by prior evidence of selenium (Se) deficiency in the Region's population. The grain samples (teff, Eragrostis tef, and wheat, Triticum aestivum) were analysed for concentration of Se and the soils were analysed for various properties, including Se concentration measured in different extractants. Predictive models for concentration of Se in the respective grains were developed, and the predicted values, along with observed concentrations in the two grains were represented by a multivariate linear mixed model in which selected covariates, derived from remote sensor observations and a digital elevation model, were included as fixed effects. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 May 6;733:139048. Epub 2020 May 6.

Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China.

The interaction between soil properties and plant community determines the efficacy to restore the degraded grassland via improving soil properties. We conducted a field survey to investigate the relationship between plant community composition and soil physical and chemical properties alongside different degradation stages of alpine grassland. Results showed that with the increasing severity of degradation, the dominant plants shifted from sedge and graminoid species, respectively, to forbs species in alpine meadow (AM) and alpine steppe (AS). Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 May 4;733:138613. Epub 2020 May 4.

Department of Agronomy, University of Almeria, E-04120 Almería, Spain; Center for Intensive Mediterranean Agrosystems and Agri-food Biotechnology (CIAIMBITAL), University of Almeria, E-04120 Almería, Spain.

This study analyzed the influence of biocrusts on the chemical properties and bacterial diversity and community composition in the underlying soils along a depth gradient (the biocrust (C1), middle (S2) and deep (S3) soil layers) in two semi-arid Mediterranean ecosystems. Organic carbon, pH, electric conductivity and calcium carbonate content were estimated by wet oxidation, potentiometrically (pHmeter), with a conductivity-meter and volumetrically with a Bernard calcimeter, respectively. Bacterial diversity and community composition were estimated by 16S rRNA gene high-throughput amplicon sequencing. Read More

Plant Biol (Stuttg) 2020 May 23. Epub 2020 May 23.

State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, People's Republic of China.

(1) Phosphate (Pi) deficiency severely restricts plant growth and development, as Pi is an essential macronutrient. Calcium (Ca ) is a ubiquitous second messenger in plants, calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs) and CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) signaling pathways act as one important Ca signaling network which integrate plants to fine tune response to stresses, however, whether CIPKs are involved in Pi deficiency stress remains largely unknown. (2) In this study, we carried out a reverse genetic strategy to screen T-DNA insertion mutants of CIPKs isoforms under Pi deficiency in Arabidopsis thaliana. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 May 20;17(10). Epub 2020 May 20.

State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an 710048, China.

Knowledge of soil erodibility (k-value) is vital for measuring soil erosion and conservation planning. Through field sampling, laboratory analysis, and geostatistical analysis, the effects of land use type and soil depth on soil erodibility were studied in a typical watershed of China. The spatial distribution of k-value was determined by Kriging interpolation. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2020 May 18;21(10). Epub 2020 May 18.

Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Wallenberg Laboratory, 413 45 Gothenburg, Sweden.

Chronic liver disease, with viral or non-viral etiology, is endemic in many countries and is a growing burden in Asia. Among the Asian countries, Pakistan has the highest prevalence of chronic liver disease. Despite this, the genetic susceptibility to chronic liver disease in this country has not been investigated. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 May 8;732:139251. Epub 2020 May 8.

Key Laboratory of Agricultural Soil and Water Engineering in Arid and Semiarid Areas, Ministry of Education, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China; Institute of Water Saving Agriculture in Arid regions of China, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China; Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. Electronic address:

China's food security is facing serious threats because the virtual water triggered by grain trade flows from the water-scarce north region to the water-rich south region in recent years. Thus, quantitatively evaluating grain virtual water flow is increasingly important. We established a multi-objective linear optimization model based on analyzing drivers of grain trade by the entropy method, and the two drivers of transport cost and grain consumption structure between provinces were analyzed. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 May 6;732:139168. Epub 2020 May 6.

Department of Geography, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain. Electronic address:

Biological soil crusts are a thin layer within the soil system but strongly determine the infiltration, runoff and water and solute movement. Little is known about the role of biological soil crusts on soil solute dynamics in arid ecosystems and the objective of this paper is to determine in Qara Qir rangeland how biological soil crusts control the water and salt distribution along the soil profile. Rainfall simulation experiments were carried out at five locations, and measurements of the soil at 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-50 and 50-80 cm depth were done before, 48 h and 21 days after the rainfall simulations. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2020 May 21. Epub 2020 May 21.

School of Water and Environment, Chang'an University, Yanta Road #126, Yanta District, Xi'an, 710054, People's Republic of China.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a growing problem worldwide, damaging human and ecosystem health. In this study, a novel buoyant-bead flotation (BBF) method using chitosan-coated fly ash cenospheres (CFACs) was developed to remove HABs in freshwater. To achieve a high removal efficiency of harmful algae (Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus quadricauda, and Microcystis aeruginosa), this study investigated the effects of chitosan/fly ash ratios in CFAC composite, CFAC concentration, flotation time, and pH values on the microalgae removal. Read More

Microbiol Resour Announc 2020 May 21;9(21). Epub 2020 May 21.

Center for Renewable Natural Resources of the Semi-Arid Zone, National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

CAS922 was isolated from sunflower seed hulls. Its fully sequenced genome harbors a multitude of genes for carbohydrate-active enzymes, which likely facilitate growth on lignocellulosic biomass. Furthermore, the presence of 27 predicted biosynthetic gene clusters indicates a significant potential for the production of bioactive secondary metabolites. Read More

Toxicon 2020 May 18. Epub 2020 May 18.

Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore, Pakistan.

The contamination of food with mycotoxins could be a major health risk. Identification and quantification of mycotoxins in maize are essentially required to guarantee food safety. Seven commonly grown maize cultivars were sown at semi-arid conditions in Pakistan. Read More

Glob Chang Biol 2020 May 21. Epub 2020 May 21.

State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents, and soil acidification have greatly increased in grassland ecosystems due to increased industrial and agricultural activities. As major environmental and economic concerns worldwide, nutrient enrichment and soil acidification can lead to substantial changes in the diversity and structure of plant and soil communities. Although the separate effects of N and P enrichment on soil food webs have been assessed across different ecosystems, the combined effects of N and P enrichment on multiple trophic levels in soil food webs have not been studied in semi-arid grasslands experiencing soil acidification. Read More

Environ Pollut 2020 May 10;264:114773. Epub 2020 May 10.

College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China. Electronic address:

The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of apricot shell-derived biochar (ASB) and apple tree-derived biochar (ATB) on soil properties, plant growth, microbial communities, enzymatic activities, and Zn and Cd fractionation and phytoavailability in mining soils. Smelter soil contaminated by Zn (1860.0 mg kg) and Cd (39. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 May 11;732:139324. Epub 2020 May 11.

Center for Agricultural Water Research in China, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China; Wuwei Experimental Station for Efficient Water Use in Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Wuwei 733000, China; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.

Variability of soil properties within large-scale fields not only exists in the horizontal domain, but also in the vertical direction, causing spatial variability in yield. Three yield zones were delineated based on measured yield in 2017 and 2018 within a large field in northwest China. The Soil Water Heat Carbon Nitrogen Simulator (WHCNS) model was calibrated and used to simulate yield, nitrogen uptake (N), water use efficiency (WUE), fertilizer N (nitrogen) use efficiency (FNUE), deep percolation (DP), nitrate leaching (NL) and residual nitrate (RN) at each sampling point in different yield zones. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 May 11;732:139289. Epub 2020 May 11.

Department of Health Policy and Management and Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Background: Previous climate change temperature-related health studies have been performed mostly in western countries with relatively cooler temperatures than the Gulf region. Regions that are inherently hot, like Kuwait, are witnessing soaring temperatures unlike ever before. Meanwhile, Kuwait and other Gulf countries are unique in their demographic profiles due to the large number of non-national migrant workers. Read More

Environ Res 2020 May 11;187:109647. Epub 2020 May 11.

Department of Chemistry, Xianyang Normal University, Xianyang, 712000, China. Electronic address:

In this work, a novel cascade system (i.e., SnTCPP/g-CN/BiWO) is successfully constructed using stannum (II) meso-tetra (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (SnTCPP) as the key photovoltaic agent for the first time. Read More

PLoS One 2020 21;15(5):e0233333. Epub 2020 May 21.

Graduate School "Human Development in Landscapes", Kiel University, Kiel, Germany.

Goats were initially managed in the Near East approximately 10,000 years ago and spread across Eurasia as economically productive and environmentally resilient herd animals. While the geographic origins of domesticated goats (Capra hircus) in the Near East have been long-established in the zooarchaeological record and, more recently, further revealed in ancient genomes, the precise pathways by which goats spread across Asia during the early Bronze Age (ca. 3000 to 2500 cal BC) and later remain unclear. Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2020 May 21. Epub 2020 May 21.

Department of Zoology, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, Pakistan.

Mercury and cadmium are highly dangerous metals that can lead to disastrous effects in animals and humans. The aim of the current research was to elucidate the poisonous effects of mercuric chloride and cadmium chloride individually and in combination on biochemical profiles of plasma and their accumulation in heart. The therapeutic effect of vitamin C against these metals in rabbits was also studied. Read More

Environ Monit Assess 2020 May 20;192(6):383. Epub 2020 May 20.

Key Laboratory of Smart City and Environmental Modeling of Higher Education Institute, College of Resources and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, People's Republic of China.

Central Asia has become a key node of the belt and road corridor. It is located in arid and semi-arid climate regions, and it is a region where the contribution of global aerosols of sand and dust is continuous. However, few studies have been conducted on the Central Asian aerosol optical depth. Read More

Arch Microbiol 2020 May 20. Epub 2020 May 20.

All India Network Project on Soil Biodiversity-Biofertilizers, ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal, India.

Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh) is among the top ten legumes grown globally not only having high tolerance to environmental stresses along, but also has the high biomass and productivity with optimal nutritional profiles. In the present study, 55 isolates of rhizobia were identified from 22 nodule samples of pigeon pea collected from semi-arid regions of India on the basis of morphological, biochemical, plant growth promoting activities and their ability to tolerate the stress conditions viz. Read More

Front Plant Sci 2020 6;11:536. Epub 2020 May 6.

Institute of Resources and Environment Science, Xinjiang University, Ürümqi, China.

Climatic factors are considered the major driving forces for variation of flowering phenology among species. Yet, whether flowering phenology of woody species varies with functional traits, growth form, and phylogeny in arid regions is unknown. In the present study, we evaluated the relationships of three characteristics of flowering phenology (i. Read More

Plant Cell 2020 May 20. Epub 2020 May 20.

University of Zurich CITY: Zurich POSTAL_CODE: 8008 Switzerland [CH]

Transl Res 2020 May 17. Epub 2020 May 17.

Center for Metabolic Disease Research, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, 3500 N Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19140; MD/PhD and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, 3500 N Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19140; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, 3500 N Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19140. Electronic address:

NFκB signaling and protein trafficking network play important roles in various biological and pathological processes. NIK-and-IKK2-binding protein (NIBP), also known as trafficking protein particle complex 9 (TRAPPC9), is a prototype member of a novel protein family, and has been shown to regulate both NFκB signaling pathway and protein transport/trafficking. NIBP is extensively expressed in the nervous system and plays an important role in regulating neurogenesis and neuronal differentiation. Read More

Glob Chang Biol 2020 May 20. Epub 2020 May 20.

Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.

A central challenge in global change research is the projection of the future behavior of a system based upon past observations. Tree-ring data have been used increasingly over the last decade to project tree growth and forest ecosystem vulnerability under future climate conditions. But how can the response of tree growth to past climate variation predict the future, when the future does not look like the past? Space-for-time substitution (SFTS) is one way to overcome the problem of extrapolation: the response at a given location in a warmer future is assumed to follow the response at a warmer location today. Read More

Biodemography Soc Biol 2020 Apr-Jun;65(2):156-171

Economic Science Institute, Chapman University, One University Drive, Orange, California, USA.

It is commonly expected that natural selection will favor earlier reproduction, yet ecological constraints can force people to delay marriage. Furthermore, humans demonstrate sex-specific preferences in marriage partners - with grooms normally a few years older than their brides; however, the age at which individuals marry can influence the spousal age gap. We investigate factors influencing age at first marriage and age difference at marriage using nineteenth-century historical demographic data from Baja California Sur, Mexico. Read More

Plant Mol Biol 2020 May 19. Epub 2020 May 19.

CSIR- National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, 226001, India.

Pearl millet is a widely cultivated grain and forage crop in areas frequented with hot and dry weather, and high temperature. Being cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions, the crop often encounters intermittent water stress either at early stages of development or flowering stage or both. However, its asynchronous tillering behavior and fast growth rate helps recovering from drought stress at vegetative stages while there is no such reprieve under terminal stress (flowering through grain filling). Read More

Plants (Basel) 2020 May 16;9(5). Epub 2020 May 16.

Institute for the Conservation and Improvement of Valencian Agrodiversity (COMAV), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain.

Global warming is not only affecting arid and semi-arid regions but also becoming a threat to agriculture in Central and Eastern European countries. The present study analyzes the responses to drought and salinity of two varieties of cultivated in Romania. Lavender seedlings were subjected to one month of salt stress (100, 200, and 300 mM NaCl) and water deficit (complete withholding of irrigation) treatments. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 May 15;17(10). Epub 2020 May 15.

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, P.O. Box, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland.

Watershed development (WSD) projects-planned for over 100 million ha in semi-arid areas of India-should enhance soil and water conservation, agricultural productivity and local livelihood, and contribute to better nutrition and health. Yet, little is known about the health impacts of WSD projects, especially on nutrition, vector breeding, water quality and the distribution of impacts. We conducted a qualitative study to deepen the understanding on perceived health impacts of completed WSD projects in four villages of Kolar district, India. Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2020 May 15;20(10). Epub 2020 May 15.

Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing of Gansu Province, Heihe Remote Sensing Experimental Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China.

Soil moisture and salinity are crucial parameters of the Earth's ecosystem; how to understand the radiation properties of them is of great significance for remote sensing monitoring. In this study, the application of mixed soil dielectric models (Dobson and generalized refractive mixing dielectric model (GRMDM)) and saline soil dielectric models (Dobson-S, HQR (Qingrong Hu), and WYR (Yueru Wu)) were analyzed to select the optimal models to simulate brightness temperature based on observational data. The brightness temperature of the soil moisture and multilevel salinity was simulated by using the Q-H (parameter of polarization mixing and parameter of characterizing height) model and Holmes parameterization scheme of soil effective temperature. Read More

Sci Total Environ 2020 May 8;732:139273. Epub 2020 May 8.

School of Land Engineering, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710054, PR China.

Global warming may influence the bioavailability and mobility of heavy metals by stimulating or inhibiting plant growth, thereby influencing rhizosphere soil chemistry and microbial characteristics. Black locust has been widely planted in China as a promising species for afforestation programs, farmland shelterbelt projects, and soil restoration in mined areas because of its rapid growth and adaptability to environmental stressors. Here, we examined soil bacterial community structure and predicted bacterial metabolic function in the rhizosphere of black locust exposed to elevated temperature (+1. Read More

PLoS One 2020 19;15(5):e0233511. Epub 2020 May 19.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, Maricopa, AZ, United States of America.

The western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus Knight (Hemiptera: Miridae) and the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) are key hemipteran pests of numerous crop plants throughout the western United States and Mexico. Management in the U.S. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 May 19;10(1):8293. Epub 2020 May 19.

Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Immunology & Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia.

Medicago minima is a pasture legume that grows almost all over the world. In Tunisia, it occupies various climatic environments and is considered the most abundant annual Medicago plant. However, this species is unconsumed and unused by humans. Read More

Data Brief 2020 Jun 6;30:105659. Epub 2020 May 6.

Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry, University of Oran1 Ahmed Benbella. BPN°1524 El'Menouer, 31000- Oran, Algeria.

Orthoptera are capable of threat of agriculture, human health and resists to all pesticides used. This problem is become an objectif of many research's. Pesticide resistance is the adaptation of insects to this materials resulting in decreased susceptibility to that chemical. Read More

Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2020 May 16. Epub 2020 May 16.

Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases and Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.

Drylands comprise over 41% of all terrestrial surface area and are home to approximately 35.5% of the world's population; however, both free-living and parasitic fauna of these regions remain relatively understudied. Yet, the very conditions that make these regions challenging to study - extreme environmental conditions and low population density for various organisms - also make them potentially untapped natural laboratories for examining eco-evolutionary relationships between hosts and parasites. Read More

PeerJ 2020 8;8:e8999. Epub 2020 May 8.

Department of Systematics and Evolution of Plants, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.

Background: , the only genus of the tribe Drosanthemeae, is widespread over the Greater Cape Floristic Region in southern Africa. With 114 recognized species, together with the highly succulent and species-rich tribe Ruschieae, constitute the 'core ruschioids' in Aizoaceae. Within , nine subgenera have been described based on flower and fruit morphology. Read More

J Environ Manage 2020 May 15;269:110765. Epub 2020 May 15.

ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal, MP, India.

Wool is a biodegradable fiber, rich in nutrients and can be recycled in soil as a fertilizer for maximum benefits. The present study was planned with the hypothesis that waste wool could be used as a nutrient source or manure to forage crops and aim of this study was to identify practicable recycling options of sheep based wastes in agriculture. In our study, we have compared the effect of different sheep based organic wastes on soil health, crop productivity and water use. Read More

Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2020 May 18. Epub 2020 May 18.

Department of Microbiology, Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Bikaner, 334004, India.

Lipases have a characteristic folding pattern of α/β-hydrolase with mostly parallel β-sheets, flanked on both sides by α-helixes in the structure. The active site is formed by a catalytic triad (serine, aspartic/glutamic acid, and histidine), which is highly conserved. In this study, we have used an integrated experimental and computational approach to identify the extremophilic microbial lipases from the saline habitats of the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Read More

Environ Monit Assess 2020 May 18;192(6):379. Epub 2020 May 18.

Centre for Social Responsibility in Ming (CSRM), Sustainable Mineral Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4067, Australia.

The relationship between human behaviour and vulnerability is interactive, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. This paper analyses vulnerability and human behaviour in the core areas of Qilian Mountains National Park, which is located in Qilian and Sunan counties. We used the vulnerability index and grey correlation degree methods to analyse the data. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 May 18;10(1):8129. Epub 2020 May 18.

Livestock Research and Development Station, Surezai, Peshawar, Pakistan.

An assessment of the competitive indexes in intercropping of different winter and summer based intercropping systems were studied, with the aim of increasing the productivity of these crops. Four winter crops, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L. Read More