Jyoti Solanki

Cover crops (CCs) are widely used to improve soil function, support water regulation, and moderate vine vigor. This study evaluated alternative vineyard floor management strategies designed to improve ecosystem services while minimizing excessive competition with grapevines under semiarid Mediterranean conditions. A long-term, three-season field experiment was conducted in Bekoa, Israel, using four treatments: standard-management control, selective herbicide promoting annual winter grasses, interrow tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea-TF), and full-TF ground cover. Unlike conventional perennial CCs, the selective herbicide treatment promoted naturally occurring winter grass weeds that completed their life cycle before the dry summer period, thereby limiting prolonged competition with grapevines. Vine water status, vegetative-growth, yield components, and wine-color attributes were monitored. The tall fescue treatments progressively reduced vegetative growth and were associated with more negative stem water potential. Yield declined over the three growing seasons because cluster numbers decreased, with the largest cumulative decline in the tall fescue between-row treatment, followed by the full-cover tall fescue treatment. In contrast, the selective herbicide treatment consistently produced intermediate physiological and agronomic responses. In the third season, wines from the perennial turfgrass treatments exhibited greater color intensity, particularly under full-cover TF, while hue was not significantly affected. Overall, CC-based vineyard floor management affected vine performance and wine color attributes but the response depended on cover-type and duration of use. The selective promotion of naturally occurring winter grasses through targeted herbicide application produced intermediate responses in vine water status, vegetative growth, and yield, suggesting that limiting active ground cover to the wettest part of the season may reduce prolonged summer competition with grapevines.

Cover crops (CCs) are widely used to improve soil function, support water regulation, and moderate vine vigor. This study evaluated alternative vineyard floor management strategies designed to improve ecosystem services while minimizing excessive competition with grapevines under semiarid Mediterranean conditions. A long-term, three-season field experiment was conducted in Bekoa, Israel, using 4 treatments: standard-management control, selective herbicide promoting annual winter grasses, interrow tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea-TF), and full-TF ground cover. Unlike conventional perennial CCs, the selective herbicide treatment promoted naturally occurring winter grasses that completed their life cycle before the dry summer period, thereby limiting prolonged competition with grapevines. Vine water status, vegetative-growth, yield components, and wine-quality parameters were monitored. Grass-based treatments progressively reduced vegetative growth and induced moderate vine water stress, as reflected by lower leaf area index and more negative stem water-potential. Yield declined over the three growing seasons due to reductions in cluster number, with the strongest effects observed in perennial turfgrass. In contrast, the selective herbicide treatment consistently produced intermediate physiological and agronomic responses. In the third season, wines from the perennial turfgrass treatments exhibited greater color intensity, particularly under full-cover TF, while hue was not significantly affected. Overall, CC-based vineyard floor management affected vine performance and wine quality, but the response depended on cover-type and duration of use. The selective promotion of naturally occurring winter grasses through targeted herbicide application represents a practical vineyard floor management strategy that retains many of the benefits associated with vineyard floor vegetation while minimizing excessive summer water competition under Mediterranean conditions.

This study investigated the antibacterial and antiadhesive properties of a biosurfactant (BS) produced by Dyadobacter fermentans JDP9 against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The presence of BS was confirmed using oil spreading test, drop collapsing test and emulsification test. The BS demonstrated antimicrobial effects against Bacillus subtilis, Enterobacter aerogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Streptococcus faecalis at a 500 mg/mL concentration. Using a 96-well microtiter plate, the results indicated that both antibacterial and antiadhesive activities increased with higher BS concentrations. Glass slides coated with BS showed significantly reduced biofilm formation compared to control slides. The BS inhibited 71% of P. aeruginosa biofilm formation on a medical-grade catheter. Vero cells treated with BS exhibited moderate morphological changes with an IC50 value of 217.5 μg/mL, indicating biocompatibility at 200 μg/mL. These findings suggest that BS, with its antibacterial, anti-adhesive, and biocompatible properties, holds potential as a biodegradable antifouling agent.

This review explores the evolution of lipid‐based nanoparticles (LBNPs) for drug delivery (DD). Herein, LBNPs are classified into liposomes and cell membrane‐based nanoparticles (CMNPs), each with unique advantages and challenges. Conventional LBNPs possess drawbacks such as poor targeting, quick clearance, and limited biocompatibility. One of the possible alternatives to overcome these challenges is surface modification of nanoparticles (NPs) with materials such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), aptamers, antibody fragments, peptides, CD44, hyaluronic acid, folic acid, palmitic acid, and lactoferrin. Thus, the main focus of this review will be on the different surface modifications that enable LBNPs to have beneficial properties for DD, such as enhancing mass transport properties, immune evasion, improved stability, and targeting. Moreover, various CMNPs are explored used for DD derived from cells such as red blood cells (RBCs), platelets, leukocytes, cancer cells, and stem cells, highlighting their unique natural properties (e.g., biocompatibility and ability to evade the immune system). This discussion extends to the biomimicking of hybrid NPs accomplished through the surface coating of synthetic (mainly polymeric) NPs with different cell membranes. This review aims to provide a comprehensive resource for researchers on recent advances in the field of surface modification of LBNPs and CMNPs. Overall, this review provides valuable insights into the dynamic field of lipid‐based DD systems.

Syzygium cumini L., Indian blackberry, popularly known as ‘jamun’, is an extremely perishable fruit with high antioxidant, nutritive and medicinal values. The present study investigated the efficacy of biosurfactant alone and/or in combination with gum ghatti and xanthan gum as edible coating to enhance shelf life and quality of jamun fruit. Coating treatments included 3% gum ghatti (T1), 0.1% xanthan gum (T2), 2% biosurfactant (T3), 3% gum ghatti and 2% biosurfactant (T4), and 0.1% xanthan gum and 2% biosurfactant (T5). Fruit quality was checked at regular intervals by evaluating physiochemical parameters and enzyme assays. The coating treatments reduced weight loss and decay percentage of jamun compared to the control. The increase of total soluble solid concentration was less in fruits treated with gum ghatti ans well as xanthan gum and biosurfactant than in the control. Moreover, sugar (glucose, fructose and sucrose) concentration was lower in treated fruit, especially, in the treatment with biosurfactant alone and in combination with gum ghatti. Concentration of phenolic substances increased in fruit treated with biosurfactant and in combination with xanthan gum. Concentration of ascorbic acid remained unchanged in fruit coated with biosurfactant. Activity of cell wall degrading enzymes was reduced in biosurfactant-treated fruit throughout the storage period. Conclusively, biosurfactant can be used as a promising edible coating, as it delays metabolic changes, maintains firmness and quality of jamun, and therefore increases the shelf life of jamun during postharvest storage.

Background Commercialization of biosurfactant production is a big challenge due to high production cost. Biosurfactant production can be made economic by using low cost agro-industrial wastes or byproducts as media supplement. It also solves the problem of environmental pollution through waste management. In the present study attempt was made to produce biosurfactant from Sphingobacterium thalpophilum DP9 using various agro-industrial wastes or byproducts at optimum fermentation conditions evaluated by traditional and statistical methods. Partial characterization of biosurfactant was also carried out through qualitative chromatographic techniques; quantitative spectroscopic method and functional group identification by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Results One factor at a time optimization experimentation showed highest emulsification in media supplemented with potato peel powder (43.12 ± 3.41%), urea (46.00 ± 3.09%), pH 7 (41.74 ± 1.15%) at 40% aeration (47.41 ± 1.62%). 1% Inoculum (O.D.₆₀₀=1.00) size favored highest emulsification (26.39 ± 1.60%). Plackett-Burman design experimentation showed carbon source (potato peel powder), nitrogen source (urea) and temperature significantly affect on biosurfactant production. Response surface experimentation by central composite design showed interaction between nitrogen source and temperature significantly influenced on biosurfactant production. Validation of model was showed increase in emulsification from 43.62 ± 2.55% to 86.11 ± 3.47% on fourth day of incubation. Partial characterization showed biosurfactant contains 439.58 ± 0.0129 µg/ml carbohydrate and 507.41 ± 0.0064 µg/ml of protein. Lipid was absent in it. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy chromatogram showed peaks at 1652.17 cm^− 1, 1541.01 cm^− 1, 1463.71 cm^− 1 and 722.32 cm^− 1 which indicated presence of peptide bond, peptide moiety, carbohydrate protons and primary as well as secondary amines. Conclusion Potato peel powder, urea and temperature have significant influence on biosurfactant production from Sphingobacterium thalpophilum DP9. When potato peel powder and urea supplied at optimum level, biosurfactant production was increased by two fold. Biosurfactant produced by S. thalpophilum DP9 was belongs to glycoprotein class and as per our best knowledge, this is the first report on glycoprotein biosurfactant produced from Sphingobacterium genus.