This study formulated biodegradable, edible films with sodium alginate and varying concentrations and a combination of seed oils (watermelon seed oil, sesame seed oil) and rosehip extract. In the present study, rosehip, sesame, and watermelon seed oils, which incorporated many bioactive compounds and are known to have antioxidant properties, were incorporated into edible films to improve the film properties due to the controlled release of the active substance and thus increase the storage time. The potential to form alginate-based edible films by incorporating this extract and seed oils into alginate-based films has not been thoroughly investigated. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and mechanical, physical, thermal, and antioxidant properties characterized the edible film samples. The biodegradability by soil was also performed. Blending rosehip extract and its combination with seed oils significantly improved the films' antioxidant properties while reducing moisture content. In the study, the highest total phenolic content was recorded in the rosehip + sesame oil film (R2) sample (0.418 +/- 0.015 mg GAE/g) and the lowest total phenolic content was recorded in the control sample (0.208 +/- 0.014 mg GAE/g). Additionally, the highest % moisture value was recorded in the control sample (68.060 +/- 0.530%), and the lowest % moisture value was recorded in the rosehip + sesame oil film (R2) sample (61.223 +/- 0.881%). Watermelon seed oil blended film samples showed more homogeneity and had smooth surfaces compared to control samples. Alginate-based films incorporated with seed oils and rosehip extract may have caused color differences and whiteness index due to phenolic and bioactive compounds in their content. Soil degradation properties showed that the films were biodegradable. The elongation at break value of alginate-based films combined with rosehip extract and seed oils showed a significant increase compared to the control films. According to the results, alginate-based films combined with rosehip extract (films compounded with rosehip extract only and films compounded with rosehip and selected seed oils) improved film properties compared to control films. In addition, the incorporation of rosehip extract into the films improved the film properties compared to the films obtained using only seed oil. Based on the findings of this study, the use of rosehip extract, sesame, and watermelon seed oil in the development of composite biodegradable, edible films of sodium alginate could be used as a suitable alternative for edible food packaging.

Root-knot nematodes (RKN; Meloidogyne spp.) are among the most damaging plant-parasitic nematodes. They parasitize almost every species of higher plant and induce the formation of galls along the plant roots, which are detrimental to plant growth. North Carolina's leading field crops are sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.), soybean (Glycine max L. Merr), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.), which are all hosts to several root-knot nematode species. This pathogen represents a major threat to farmers, obligating them to seek alternative crops that are non-host to root-knot nematodes that will help decrease soil populations and provide economic revenue. We tested seven sesame cultivars for their host status and potential resistance to four Meloidogyne species (M. arenaria, M. incognita, M. enterolobii, and M. hapla). We inoculated sesame seedlings with 1,000 nematode eggs of each species. Sixty days after inoculation, we harvested the plants to evaluate a visual gall severity rating, measure final egg counts, and calculate the reproductive factor (RF). All sesame cultivars had a significantly lower RF than the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cv. Rutgers control for all species of RKN except M. arenaria. The RF values for sesame cultivars inoculated with M. incognita and M. hapla were not significantly different from one another; however, there were significant differences in RF among sesame cultivars inoculated with M. enterolobii, suggesting that genetic variability of the host may play an important role in host status and conferring resistance.

Drought has been considered the most restrictive environmental constraint on agricultural production worldwide. Photosynthetic carbohydrate metabolism is a critical biochemical process connected with crop production and quality traits. A pot experiment was carried out under four potassium (K) rates (0, 0.75, 1.5 and 2.25 g pot-1 of K, respectively) and two water regimes to investigate the role of K in activating defense mechanisms on sucrose metabolism against drought damage in sesame. The soil moisture contents are 75 +/- 5% (well-watered, WW) and 45 +/- 5% (drought stress, DS) of field capacity respectively. The results showed that DS plants without K application have lower activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco), sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), soluble acid invertase (SAI), and chlorophyll content and higher activity of sucrose synthase (SuSy), which resulted in declined synthesis and distribution of photosynthetic products to reproductive organs. Under drought, there was a significant positive correlation between leaf sucrose metabolizing enzymes and sucrose content. Plants subjected to drought stress increased the concentrations of soluble sugar and sucrose to produce osmo-protectants and energy sources for plants acclimating to stress but decreased starch content. Conversely, K application enhanced the carbohydrate metabolism, biomass accumulation and partitioning, thereby contributing to higher seed oil and protein yield (28.8%-43.4% and 27.5%-40.7%) as compared to K-deficiency plants. The positive impacts of K application enhanced as increasing K rates, and it was more pronounced in drought conditions. Furthermore, K application upregulated the gene expression of SiMYB57, SiMYB155, SiMYB176 and SiMYB192 while downregulated SiMYB108 and SiMYB171 in drought conditions, which may help to alleviate drought susceptibility. Conclusively, our study illustrated that the enhanced photo-assimilation and translocation process caused by the changes in sucrose metabolism activities under K application as well as regulation of MYB gene expression contributes towards drought resistance of sesame.

Among the oil-seed crops, Sesamum indicum L. is an important nutritionally rich crop, well adapted to grow in semi-arid regions. Waterlogging stress adversely affects the growth of sesame by limiting diffused oxygen availability in soil and generating hypoxic, subsequently anoxic conditions. The present study aimed to screen the 1,006 accessions for waterlogging stress response at the seedling stage to identify the most tolerant and susceptible genotype. The investigation revealed that, 48 h of stress are detrimental and 10 days postwaterlogging impede crop survival. The screened accessions were narrowed down by 8 to detect the morphological alterations, and the morphological characteristics such as shoot height, root length, SPAD, branches per plant and relative water content r) were significantly higher in check and EC377024. Enzymatic (SOD, CAT and APX) and non-enzymatic (TFC, TPC, DPPH, FRAP, TAA, MDA and proline) antioxidant activity was notably higher in check and EC377024 and lower in IC129289. DAB and NBT assay confirmed lower damages from free radicals in EC377024 compared to IC129289. Moreover, contrasting gene expression profiling of free radicals (POD and RBOH-C), carbohydrate metabolism (SuSy2 and StSy1), phosphate group gene (PSRG), and plant hormone (ERF RAP 2-7, ACC) confirmed the tolerance in EC377024 under waterlogging stress conditions. Besides, metabolomics study in EC377024 at control and 48 h of waterlogging stress indicate the significant accumulated metabolites in fatty acid (decanoate), carbohydrate, amino acid, Shikimate, MEP (5-enolpyruvoylshikimate-3-phosphate) Krebs cycle and Xanthophyll pathways. This comprehensive combination of morphophysiological, biochemical, molecular and metabolomic characterizations highlight the stress responsive mechanisms between the tolerant (EC377024) and susceptible (IC129289) genotypes.