Genetius

The study used digital image analysis (ImageJ and Plantix) to quantify the prevalence, incidence, and severity of Common Bacterial Blight in rice and Bacterial Leaf Blight in common bean across lowland (Kilosa) and highland (Mbarali) districts in Tanzania. Both diseases were found to be universally present, with significantly higher incidence and severity in Kilosa, and substantial variability observed at the village level, indicating the need for site-specific disease management.

The study examined how surface chemistry influences photosynthetic efficiency in 20 field-collected and 4 axenically cloned Sphagnum species, revealing species- and pH-dependent photosynthesis linked to specific functional groups such as phosphoryl and carboxyl groups. Gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements under submerged conditions across a pH gradient showed that Sphagnum palustre maintains stable photosynthesis and photoprotection, while in‑vitro cultivation reduces surface reactivity but retains basic chemical traits.

The study examined long-term trends in pollinarium removal—a proxy for pollination success—using herbarium specimens of three orchid genera (Disa, Oncidium, Ophrys) collected over two centuries at Kew Gardens. Results showed declines in Disa and Oncidium, especially among deceptive or specialized species, while Ophrys exhibited increased removal in Apidae-pollinated species but declines in Andrenidae-pollinated ones, highlighting how orchid identity, pollinator availability, and pollination strategy mediate reproductive success under anthropogenic pressures.

A common garden pot trial evaluated the growth and morphometric responses of four legume and four non‑legume tropical tree species to wood‑feedstock biochar applied at 10 and 20 t ha⁻¹, finding an average 30% increase in total biomass and enhanced height growth, with legumes showing slightly larger but highly variable gains. A literature‑based meta‑analysis of tropical and subtropical trees indicated a similar, though non‑significant, tendency for greater biochar responsiveness in legumes, and strong species × biochar interactions were observed for soil pH and other soil properties.

The authors introduced a simplified plant microtechnique that replaces paraffin with resin embedding, adds an adhesive slide treatment, and utilizes a novel trichrome stain to improve tissue stability and color contrast. Coupled with image segmentation and quantitative analysis in MATLAB and Photoshop, this histolomic workflow enables measurement of diverse morphometric and compositional features, exemplified by assessing C4 Kranz anatomy across multiple model plant species.

The study investigated plant electrophysiological signals (EPS) as early indicators of drought stress by extracting time- and frequency-domain statistical features from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and apricot (Prunus armeniaca) experiments. Logistic regression and a machine learning classifier were built to assess detection performance, revealing modest accuracies (~50% for apricots and ~66% for tomatoes) and highlighting both promising features and the need for further improvement.

The study examined how sulfur nutrition influences grassland responses to various heatwave scenarios using monocultures and species mixtures under contrasting sulfur levels. Results showed that adequate sulfur improved shoot growth and water-use efficiency during severe heatwaves, whereas sulfur limitation enhanced root-to-shoot ratio, water-use efficiency, and shoot growth under recurrent mild‑severe heat events. The findings suggest that sulfur limitation may indirectly increase tolerance to repeated heat stress.

The study quantified leaf abaxial surface texture from scanning electron microscopy images to create a numeric complexity score, which was then correlated with anatomical traits, habitat temperature indicators, and patterns of microbial colonization. Results show that higher texture complexity is linked to traits such as stomatal density and leaf orientation, and is negatively associated with pathogen richness, lichenization, and specialist fungal and bacterial taxa, highlighting texture as a protective leaf trait.

The study evaluated early root development of faba bean and white clover genotypes using greenhouse rhizobox experiments and a semi‑automated image‑based root phenotyping pipeline. It proposes a workflow linking root traits to multivariate genetic models for genomic estimation of breeding values and ties greenhouse observations to field yield performance, aiming to accelerate breeding of climate‑resilient protein crops for Northern Europe.

Two greenhouse experiments assessed how biosolid and reclaimed water amendments, spiked with PFAS, directly and microbially affect lettuce, radish, and green pea. Peas showed strong negative responses that intensified with contaminant levels and were linked to pathogen infection, whereas lettuce and radish were largely unaffected, suggesting that functional traits influence susceptibility. Soil microbiome composition changed in a crop‑ and amendment‑specific way, but prior exposure microbiomes had limited impact on pea performance without ongoing stressors.