The impact of the field conditions on needle-punched mulches made of cellulose fibres and PLA biopolymer during the 300 days of exposure was investigated. The study observed the degradation of nonwoven mulches during specific exposure periods (30, 90, 180 and 300 days), evaluating their mechanical, morphological and chemical properties. The impact of nonwoven mulches on soil temperature and moisture, consequently on the number of microorganisms developed beneath mulches after 300 days of exposure, were analysed and associated with obtained results complementing comprehension of nonwoven mulch degradation. The findings show that nonwoven mulches made from jute, hemp, viscose and PLA fibres change when exposed to environmental conditions (soil, sunlight, rainfall, snow, ice accumulation, air and soil temperatures, wind). The changes include alterations in colour, structure shifts and modifications in properties. The results highlight the degradation pathways of cellulose and PLA mulches, revealing that cellulose-based fibres degrade through the removal of amorphous components, leading to increased crystallinity and eventual structural breakdown. WAXD findings demonstrated that microbial and environmental factors initially enhance crystalline regions in cellulose fibres but ultimately reduce tensile strength and flexibility due to amorphous phase loss. FTIR analysis confirmed the molecular changes in cellulose chains, particularly in pectin and lignin, while SEM provided direct evidence of surface damage and fibre disintegration. Furthermore, it was found that fibre types of nonwoven mulch influence soil moisture retention and soil microbial activity due to a complex interplay of fibre composition, environmental conditions and nonwoven fabric characteristics. Comprehensive mechanical, morphological and chemical results of different types of nonwoven mulch during the 300 days of exposure to the field conditions provide valuable insights into sustainable practices for using nonwoven mulches for growing crops.

This study explores the dual application of Karpuravalli banana plant waste for sustainable material development, focusing on the extraction of wax from banana shoots and the creation of biodegradable packaging films from banana peel powder. Two extraction methods, refluxing and Soxhlet, were used to obtain wax from mature and third leaf shoots, with Soxhlet yielding 4% wax and refluxing producing 2%. The wax exhibited properties similar to commercial natural waxes, with GC-MS analysis revealing a predominant C23 fatty acid. Biodegradable films were developed using banana peel powder, corn starch, glycerol, and wax as a moisture-resistant coating. The wax-coated films showed increased thickness and moisture resistance but decreased transparency and mechanical properties, such as tensile strength and elongation. Both film types achieved over 98% biodegradation in soil. This research highlights the potential of utilizing banana plant by-products for eco-friendly packaging solutions, demonstrating that while the wax improves moisture resistance, further optimization is needed to enhance mechanical performance, thus contributing to sustainable material development from agricultural waste.

Hemolymph enables communication between organs in insects and ensures necessary coordination and homeostasis. Its composition can provide important information about the physiological state of an insect and can have diagnostic significance, which might be particularly important in the case of harmful insects subjected to biological control. Galleria mellonella Linnaeus 1758 (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is a global pest to honey bee colonies. The hemolymph of its larvae was examined after infection with the soil fungus Conidiobolus coronatus (Constantin) Batko 1964 (Entomophthorales). It was found that after one hour of contact with the fungus, the volume of the hemolymph increased while its total protein content decreased. In larvae with a high pathogen load, just before death, hemolymph volume decreased to nearly initial levels, while total protein content and synthesis (incorporation of 35S-labeled methionine) increased. The hemolymph polypeptide profile (SDS-PAGE followed by autoradiography) of infected insects was significantly different from that of healthy larvae. Hemocytes of infected larvae did not surround the fungal hyphae, although they encapsulated small foreign bodies (phase contrast microscopy). Infection had a negative effect on hemocytes, causing oenocyte and spherulocyte deformation, granulocyte degranulation, plasmatocyte vacuolization, and hemocyte disintegration. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 21 compounds in the hemolymph of control insects. C. coronatus infection caused the appearance of 5 fatty acids absent in healthy larvae (heptanoic, decanoic, adipic, suberic, tridecanoic), the disappearance of 4 compounds (monopalmitoylglycerol, monooleoylglycerol, monostearin, and cholesterol), and changes in the concentrations of 8 compounds. It remains an open question whether substances appearing in the hemolymph of infected insects are a product of the fungus or if they are released from the insect tissues damaged by the growing hyphae.

Siberian wildrye (Elymus sibiricus) is a xero-mesophytic forage grass with high nutritional quality and stress tolerance. Among its numerous germplasm resources, some possess superior drought resistance. In this study, we firstly investigated the physiological differences between the leaves of drought-tolerant (DT) and drought-sensitive (DS) genotypes under different field water contents (FWC) in soil culture. The results showed that, under drought stress, DT maintained a lower leaf water potential for water absorption, sustained higher photosynthetic efficiency, and reduced oxidative damage in leaves by efficiently maintaining the ascorbic acid-glutathione (ASA-GSH) cycle to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) compared to DS. Secondly, using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), we analyzed the gene expression profiles of DT and DS leaves under osmotic stress of hydroponics induced by PEG-6000. Through differential analysis, we identified 1226 candidate unigenes, from which we subsequently screened out 115/212 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were more quickly induced/reduced in DT than in DS under osmotic stress. Among them, Unigene0005863 (EsSnRK2), Unigene0053902 (EsLRK10) and Unigene0031985 (EsCIPK5) may be involved in stomatal closure induced by abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway. Unigene0047636 (EsCER1) may positively regulates the synthesis of very-long-chain (VLC) alkanes in cuticular wax biosynthesis, influencing plant responses to abiotic stresses. Finally, the contents of wax and cutin were measured by GC-MS under osmotic stress of hydroponics induced by PEG-6000. Corresponding to RNA-seq, contents of wax monomers, especially alkanes and alcohols, showed significant induction by osmotic stress in DT but not in DS. It is suggested that limiting stomatal and cuticle transpiration under drought stress to maintain higher photosynthetic efficiency and water use efficiency (WUE) is one of the critical mechanisms that confer stronger drought resistance to DT. This study provides some insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying drought tolerance in E. sibiricus. The identified genes may provide a foundation for the selection and breeding of drought-tolerant crops.

The leaf wax characteristics of Dryas octopetala and Saxifraga oppositifolia, collected from the high Arctic semi-desert of Svalbard, Norway (79 degrees N, 13 degrees E), were compared and differences in their wax composition related to winter snow cover. The leaf wax composition of the winter-green D. octopetala differed from that of the herbaceous S. oppositifolia in that high abundances of the triterpenoids, ursolic acid, oleanoic acid and uvaol, were observed in D. octopetala extracts but not in S. oppositifolia extracts. D. octopetala leaf waxes were consistently lower in n-alkanes and in n-alkanols compared to the leaf waxes of S. oppositifolia. Leaf waxes of both species from snow-free, wind-swept microsites had significantly higher abundances of n-alkanes than in those plants growing in adjacent, swale areas where snow accumulates in winter. It is hypothesized that this higher abundance of n-alkanes may be due to a response to a greater degree of dessication, lower temperatures and lower soil moisture experienced by plants on the snow-free ridge microsites during leaf expansion. In order to test whether these biochemical and anatomical attributes might change in response to short term alterations in winter climate, snow fences were erected on ridge sites. The wax attributes of ridge plants exposed to a single year of increased winter snow cover were examined and the n-alkane composition of leaf waxes were observed to be more like those of plants growing in adjacent swale areas than for those of ridge plants growing in unmanipulated areas. This shift in leaf wax composition implies that environmental differences during leaf development can have an influence on final leaf wax composition.