Burrowing nematodes (Radopholus spp.) are the most significant parasites of bananas (Musa spp.) world over. They feed on the root tissue of bananas resulting to toppling disease at the fruit bearing stage. This study assessed the impact of farmers selected agronomic practices that influenced distribution of burrowing nematodes. We also assessed the abundance of Radopholus spp. across four AEZs namely; UM 2, UM 3, LM 3 and LM 4 of Kirinyaga County, Kenya. Purposive sampling was done on April, 2024 targeting farmers that grew ‘dwarf Cavendish’ variety of bananas, those that grew an average of 25 banana stems and those whose farms that were 1km apart. A structured questionnaire was issued to ninety farmers to collect demographic information and to determine their awareness of burrowing nematodes and toppling disease. Soil and banana root samples were also collected to determine abundance and distribution of burrowing nematodes. Data from the questionnaire and samples was subjected to R -statistical software and analysed at p≤ 0.02. The study revealed that majority of banana farmers practised mixed cropping and were not aware of toppling disease associated with Radopholus spp. It also revealed that majority of banana farmers were male and of ˃ 50 years of age. The findings also showed Radopholus spp was rarely distributed in lower AEZs of LM 3 and LM 4 compared to Pratylenchus spp. which was pre- dominantly distributed in upper AEZs of UM 2 and UM 3 in both soil and root samples.

The 'terroir' character of wines can be shaped with certain technological elements such as bentonite fining. Bentonite is an agent used for the removal of thermolabile proteins in wines. However, during fining, the quantity of certain wine components can change, including the elemental composition of the wine. According to the recommendations of bentonite suppliers, wines should be racked off the bentonite fining sediment within 2-3 weeks. However, in winemaking practice, wines can remain on bentonite fining sediment for up to 1-4 months. One reason for this is that racking wines off the sediment has a negative impact on wine quality. Thus, it is a question of how much the later or earlier racking time can alter the elemental content of the wine. Our study aimed to examine the elemental content of wines treated with three different bentonite products sampled from over the bentonite fining sediment at various time points. Our investigation was conducted with the 2019 vintage white wine of the University of Debrecen. Fining was performed with three bentonite products: Nucleobent, BW200, and Granubent Poretec. The sampling schedule following fining was: 0 days - unfined control, 7th, 14th, 27th, 56th, and 85th days. The macro-, meso-, and microelement contents (P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Al, Na, B, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Cd, Ba, and Pb) of the wines were determined using ICP OES and ICP MS devices. Our results showed significant changes in the Al, Na, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Sr, Ba, Cu, and Pb contents of the wines depending on the sampling time. It is noteworthy that all three bentonite products increased the Al and Pb contents of the wines. For Fe, dynamic increases were observed over time with the BW200 product, reaching the threshold value of susceptibility to brakeage. However, from a winemaking technology perspective, it was favorable for the Cu content of the wines to decrease with both earlier and later racking times, for all bentonite products examined. Based on the elemental analyzes of the white wines studied, it can be concluded that racking of wines should be timed according to the recommendations of suppliers.

This experiment was conducted to determine the influence of fertilizer types and ethylene remediation agents on postharvest shelf-life of tomato fruit. The experiment was conducted at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria.  Fruits were produced under four fertilizer treatment levels (Poultry manure, NPK 15:15:15, Poultry manure + NPK 15:15:15 and Control) and were harvested at breaker stage of maturity. The post-harvest treatments consist of eight ethylene remediation agents (ERAs) which includes three levels of 1-Methylcyclopropene (0.1 µL/L 1-MCP, 0.3 µL/L 1-MCP, 0.5 µL/L 1-MCP), two levels of Potassium tetraoxomanganate VII (5% 10% KMnO₄), two levels of Zeolite (10 g and 20 g) and Open shelf as control. The parameters observed included fruit weight loss and days to spoilage (1^st, 50% and 100%). It was observed that fruits produced with sole poultry manure and NPK 15-15-15 and stored in the media of 5% KMnO₄ had a shelf life of 45 days, longer than observed in other fertilizer regimes. Fruits stored in 0.3 µL/L1-MCP, 0.5µL/L1-MCP and 5% KMnO₄ concentrations as ERAs had reduced weight loss and delayed spoilage that translated to longer shelf-life. Fruits grown with poultry manure and treated with 0.3 µL/L1-MCP, 0.5µL/L1-MCP and 5% KMnO₄ had better performance in terms of fruit firmness and shelf life compared to other treatments. The use of either 1-MCP or 5% KMnO₄ is recommended as efficient ethylene scavengers in a storage medium for tomato fruit shelf-life extension.

Sweet pepper (Capsicum annum L.) is an important vegetable and spice crop grown worldwide for its pungency, which is derived from high concentrations of capsaicinoids. Despite the economic importance of sweet pepper as an export vegetable in Kenya, its production is currently constrained by the false codling moth (FCM) (Thaumatotibia leucotreta) and inadequate management strategies for the pest, among other factors. This study, therefore, evaluated repellent plants (Artemisia (Artemisia absinthium), Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), and Spearmint (Mentha spicata) under different irrigation frequencies to control FCM. A split-plot factorial greenhouse experiment was conducted at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Muguga (trial 1) and the Horticulture Research and Teaching Field, Egerton University, Kenya (trial 2). Irrigation frequency at three levels (irrigating once a week, irrigating twice a week and irrigating thrice a week) was the main-plot factor, while repellent plants at four levels: sweet pepper (Capsicum annum L.), artemisia (Artemisia absinthium), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and spearmint (Mentha spicata) constituted the sub-plot factor. Irrigating thrice or twice a week and using lavender as a repellent plant significantly reduced false codling moth infestation by 90%, increased yield by 28% and improved fruit quality in terms of fruit collar diameter and total soluble salts (TSS). The findings demonstrate that integrating lavender repellent plants with frequent irrigation can be adopted as an eco-friendly management strategy for FCM and enhancing sweet pepper yield and quality.

Hydroponic farming, particularly using the nutrient film technique, is gaining traction as a sustainable approach for cultivating leafy vegetables such as lettuce. However, the selection of appropriate growing media remains critical for optimizing plant growth and yield in a soilless system. A completely randomized design (CRD) was used in this study to assess the impact of six distinct growing media (sponge made up of cellulose, perlite, saw dust, sand, cocopeat, and rice husk) on the growth and yield of lettuce under NFT conditions at Mutha Agro Pvt. Ltd., Lalitpur, Nepal. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) in RStudio (v4.4.1) was used to examine the data, and Tukey HSD test was used to differentiate treatment means at a 5% significance level. Lettuce grown in sponge media exhibited the highest performance in terms of number of leaves (11), longest leaf length (17.55 cm), greatest leaf width (9.43cm), plant height (35.81 cm), root length (12.51 cm), canopy diameter (36.07 cm), and stem diameter (0.62 cm). The highest fresh root weight (24.67 g) and moisture loss (98.7%) were obtained by perlite. The highest yield was recorded in sponge (146.45 g), followed by perlite (139.65 g), while the lowest was observed in rice husk (117.83 g). Overall, sponge made up of cellulose proved to be the most effective growing medium for hydroponic lettuce cultivation using NFT, followed by perlite. These findings can help guide growers in selecting suitable substrates to improve yield and quality in hydroponic production systems.

This study investigates the structure and growth of a 73-year-old Turkish hazel (Corylus colurna L.) plantation in Hungary. The stand had a tree density of 290 per ha, mean height of 18.2 m, quadratic mean diameter of 34.2 cm, and a basal area of 26.7 m² ha⁻¹. The slenderness ratio of 0.55 indicates moderate stability. Diameter distribution was normal (22–53 cm). Crown structure parameters showed moderate correlations with diameter (R² = 0.59 for crown diameter; R² = 0.53 for crown projection area), emphasizing the role of crown traits in yield modelling. An optimal planting density of 434 trees ha⁻¹ was estimated based on the average crown projection area (23 m²). Turkish hazel, with its drought resilience and valuable wood, is a promising species for afforestation in semi-arid climates. However, further research is needed on its management and genetic improvement to support wider application. This study can be considered gap-filling both in a Hungarian and, to some extent, an international context.

African Leafy Vegetables (ALVs) are crucial components of diet globally due to their significant nutritional value. We conducted a field experiment in October 2022 to assess the effect of fertilizer application rates on the growth and nutritive value of four ALVs (Solanum nigrum, Cleome gynandra, Amaranthus hybridus, and Vigna unguiculata) at South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU) Teaching and Research Farm. We collected data through a randomized complete block experimental design that comprised four treatments: manure alone (M), fertilizer alone (F), manure + fertilizer (M+F), and a control (C). Once the planted vegetable seeds had been established, we counted their leaves on a weekly basis and averaged after a month. At the end of the experiment, the ALVs leaves were harvested. They were analyzed for retinol, a precursor of vitamin A, iron, calcium and zinc. It was found that manure and fertilizer treatments significantly increased the number of ALVs leaves. Results also showed that the Solanum nigrum had the highest number of leaves at 118.5% in M+F treatment as compared to the control. Across all vegetables, a combined treatment (M+F) significantly affected the retinol mean (P=0.0063) while crop type and the interaction between crop type and the treatment had no statistically meaningful impact on any nutrient. This suggests that fertilization effects on retinol are independent of crop type. These results highlight the importance of soil fertilization in influencing vitamin A levels in ALVs.

Sustainable crop production increasingly utilizes allelopathic plants as sources of bioactive compounds, yet their bimodal inhibitory–stimulatory effects and oxidative mechanisms require further elucidation. This study investigated the concentration-, tissue-, and stage-dependent effects of aqueous shoot extracts from Murraya koenigii and Tithonia rotundifolia on the germination, growth, and oxidative defense of Corchorus olitorius. Seed emergence and elongation of radicles and plumules were monitored in the laboratory using 50% and 100% aqueous extracts, while potted seedlings were treated separately with 100% extracts. Laboratory bioassays demonstrated a dose-dependent response: a 50% M. koenigii extract transiently increased germination by 4%, while higher concentrations of both species inhibited germination by 7–25%. Juvenile growth inhibition was tissue-specific, with 100% M. koenigii primarily suppressing plumule elongation and 100% T. rotundifolia significantly reducing radicle growth. Conversely, pot experiments using 100% extract concentrations of both plants significantly enhanced vegetative growth, physiological traits, and biochemical constituents, including protein and ascorbic acid. These extracts bolstered the antioxidant defense system—increasing superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase activities—while markedly reducing malondialdehyde levels. These findings provide evidence of allelopathic hormesis, where initial inhibitory effects transition into growth stimulation and oxidative stress mitigation during later developmental stages. The results suggest that M. koenigii and T. rotundifolia shoot extracts serve as effective eco-friendly biostimulants that improve crop performance by modulating antioxidant responses.

Long dormancy period and non-uniformity growth patterns of Cola nitida pose challenges for kola farmers, discouraging them from establishing kola plantations. Experiment was conducted at Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria to study the effects of seed colour and curing duration on germination, growth and dry matter yield of C. nitida. Experiment was 3 × 4 factorial, laid out in Completely Randomized Design. Treatments comprised seed colour (red, pink & white) and curing duration (12, 8, 4, and 0 weeks). The experiment had 12 treatments; each replicated three times. Data collected on germination, growth and dry matter were subjected to analysis of variance and means were separated using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (P ≤ 0.05). Germination commenced at 4 WAS, on white, pink and red kola seeds stored for 8, 4 and 6 weeks with 10%, 6.66% and 3.33% respectively. At 8 WAS, white kola seeds stored for 12, 4 and 8 weeks had 93.3, 86.7 and 83.3% germination respectively. At 12 WAS, germination was completed for white kola 12-week stored in Dodecahedron Pyramidal Device (100%), while others range between 60.0 and 96.7%. White, pink and red kola seeds stored for 8, 4 and 12 weeks produced vigorous seedlings that were taller with more leaves than those of an un-stored seed at 18 and 20 WAS. In conclusion, white, pink and red kola (C. nitida) seed stored for 4, 8 and 12 weeks inside Dodecahedron Pyramidal Device resulted in rapid germination and improved morphological growth performance.

Yams (Dioscorea spp.) are annual or perennial tuber-bearing and climbing plants that belong to the family Dioscoreaceae.  Only six principal species are grown for human consumption, while several others are produced for medicinal purposes. This study was designed to determine the influence of time of planting on yam performance and pest infestation in humid rainforest of southwestern Nigeria. The experiment was conducted in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three treatments replicated five times. The planting materials are dipped into wood ash and allowed to dry up. The number of yam setts required for this work is 4 pieces, each of white yam sett, seed yam, and 4 pieces of water yam setts for the different planting times. The planting is done in five (5) phases. In each phase 12 heaps are planted, 4 white yams (seed yam), 4 yam setts (white yam) and 4 water yam setts. No significant difference was observed in 50% sprouting both in treatments and replication. There is significant difference in yield both in treatment and block. Yam planted in April (R5) has the highest yield with 3.7 kg, followed by those planted in ending March (R4) with 2.83 kg, followed by those planted in mid-February (R1) with 1.43 kg, then those planted in February ending (R2) with 1.2 kg and those planted in mid-March (R3) with 1.17 kg respectively. The highest level of destruction was witnessed in white seed yam planted in Mid-March and Mid-April as well as white yam sett planted in Mid-February. The lowest level of destruction was found in water yam sett planted in February ending. Shifting planting date can reduce larval survival and pest populations in yam tuber.

Keywords: Dioscorea spp., pest infestation, destruction, sprouting, yam performance.

The plant microbiome is not confined to the soil. Across every anatomical compartment, the rhizosphere, phyllosphere, endosphere, anthosphere, spermosphere, and carposphere, structurally distinct and functionally specialized microbial communities orchestrate processes fundamental to plant health, productivity, and resilience. Yet horticultural science has remained disproportionately anchored to the rhizosphere, leaving the vast microbial landscape inhabiting aerial, floral, seed, and fruit tissues largely unexplored and unmanaged. This blind spot carries profound consequences at a time when global horticultural production confronts an unprecedented convergence of pressures: accelerating climate instability, stringent restrictions on synthetic agrochemicals, mounting soil degradation, and escalating consumer demand for sustainably produced, chemical-free, premium-quality produce. The biological potential embedded within the whole-plant phytobiome to address these intersecting crises remains critically underutilized. A fundamental barrier to progress is the absence of a unifying scientific framework. Existing reviews address plant-associated microbiomes in disciplinary silos, focusing narrowly on rhizosphere bacteria, individual crop species, or single microbial kingdoms, without synthesizing the full cross-compartment, cross-kingdom phytobiome in the horticultural context. No comprehensive framework has yet integrated microbial community dynamics spanning bacteria, fungi, archaea, and viruses across fruit, vegetable, and ornamental crops within a single, coherent, and practically applicable model. This review addresses that gap directly. Through critical synthesis of compartment-resolved phytobiome research across major horticultural systems, we characterize the taxonomic composition, ecological assembly drivers, and agronomic functional roles of microbial communities inhabiting each plant compartment. We demonstrate that phyllosphere microbiomes confer photoprotection and pathogen exclusion; endophytic communities directly modulate secondary metabolite profiles and systemic immunity; anthosphere microbiomes influence pollinator attraction and fruit set; spermosphere communities determine seedling establishment success through vertical microbial inheritance; and carposphere microbiomes govern post-harvest storability and food safety outcomes. We further establish how host genotype, crop developmental stage, management-induced dysbiosis, and climate-driven perturbations collectively shape phytobiome assembly and functional integrity across compartments. Building on this synthesis, proposing to introduce the Whole-Plant Phytobiome Optimization (WPPO) framework, the first integrative, three-tier conceptual model designed specifically for horticultural systems. WPPO encompasses whole-plant phytobiome profiling using multi-omics platforms, identification of functional microbial modules linked to target agronomic traits, and precision compartment-targeted intervention through synthetic microbial communities (SynComs), encapsulated biostimulants, and digitally guided delivery systems integrated with IoT sensor networks and machine learning decision-support tools. Applied across the full crop life cycle, from spermosphere conditioning at seed priming to carposphere biopreservation at post-harvest, WPPO offers a scalable, evidence-based, and technologically integrated roadmap toward substantially reduced agrochemical dependence, enhanced crop resilience, superior produce quality, and the deployment of ecologically precise next-generation biocontrol and biostimulant strategies.

Present investigation reports the fruit quality of five strawberry cultivars (‘Rania’, ‘Winter Dawn’, ‘Winter Star’, ‘Camarose’ and ‘Navelia’) harvested at different stages of color development. These cultivars showed significant variations in their chemical composition. The highest and significant values of fruit weight, hue angle and total sugars were recorded in ‘Winter Star’ cultivar at full red stage. Total phenolics and ascorbic acid content were higher in ‘Camarose’ as compared to other cultivars. These parameters and reducing sugar content in strawberry fruits showed a direct relationship with DPPH radical scavenging activity. ‘Winter Star’ exhibited highest anthocyanin content form 25% red to full ripe red stage of fruit color development with most intensive color. Total soluble sugars, reducing sugars, pH, ^°Brix values increased from green to full red stage whereas titratable acidity showed the reverse trend. These cultivars showed significant differences in their physicochemical and biochemical composition at different stages of ripening in agroclimatic conditions of Punjab area of northwest India. 

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is the fourth most cultivated vegetable globally and an increasingly important cash crop in Nigeria. Yield stagnation from suboptimal variety selection, inappropriate plant spacing and inadequate fertiliser management constrains smallholder productivity in the humid tropics. This study determined the optimal combination of variety, plant spacing and NPK 15-15-15 fertiliser rate for maximising growth and fruit yield under tropical field conditions in the forest-savanna transition zone of SW Nigeria. Two field trials were conducted at FUNAAB (7°15′N, 3°25′E) in 2019 and 2020 using a split-split plot RCBD with three replications, evaluating two varieties (CU 999 and Monalisa), three plant spacings (75×25, 75×50, 75×75 cm) and four NPK rates (0, 100, 200, 300 kg ha⁻¹). Variety CU 999 produced significantly higher fruit yield (up to 9.18 t ha⁻¹) than Monalisa across all trials. Plants at 75×25 cm spacing consistently achieved the highest yield per hectare. NPK at 300 kg ha⁻¹ reduced days to 50% flowering by 3.8–6.4 days and increased yield across trials. The three-way interaction (Variety × Spacing × Fertiliser) was significant for fruit yield, with CU 999 × 75×25 cm × 300 kg ha⁻¹ recording peak performance. CU 999 sown at 75×25 cm and fertilised with 300 kg ha⁻¹ NPK 15-15-15 is recommended for maximum cucumber yield in the forest-savanna transition zone of Nigeria.