Pest management is being confronted with immense economic and environmental issues worldwide because of massive utilization and over-reliance on pesticides. The non-target toxicity, residual consequence, and challenging biodegradability of these synthetic pesticides have become a serious concern, which urgently requires the alternative and prompt adoption of sustainable and cost-effective pest control measures. Increasing attention in environmental safety has triggered interest in pest control approaches through eco-friendly plant-based pesticides. Botanical pesticidal constituents are effective against myriads of destructive pests and diseases. More importantly, they are widely available, inexpensive, accessible, rapidly biodegradable, and have little toxicity to beneficiary agents. The phytochemical compositions in diverse plant species are responsible for their varying mechanisms of action against pests and diseases. However, difficulties in their formulation and insufficient appropriate chemical data have led to a low level of acceptance and adoption globally. Therefore, the review seeks to highlight the status, phytochemical compositions, insecticidal mechanisms, and challenges of plant-based pesticide usage in sustainable agricultural production.

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Use of Botanical Pesticides in Agriculture as an Alternative to Synthetic Pesticides

Trichoderma hamatum strain Th23, isolated from tomato roots, was molecularly identified using phylogenetic analysis based on ITS, tef1, and rpb2 gene sequences and evaluated for its efficiency in suppressing tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infection for the first time. Under greenhouse conditions, the application of Th23 promoted tomato growth with significant increases in shoot and root parameters as well as improved total chlorophyll content. Compared to the nontreated tomato plants, the soil pretreatment of tomato plants 48 h before TMV inoculation produced a significant reduction in the TMV accumulation level by 84.69% and enhanced different growth parameters. In contrast, TMV had a deleterious impact on fresh and dry matter accumulation and inhibited photosynthetic capacity. Furthermore, the protective activity of Th23 was associated with a significant increase in reactive oxygen species scavenging enzymes (PPO, CAT, and SOD) as well as decreased nonenzymatic oxidative stress markers (H2O2 and MDA) compared to the TMV treatment at 15 days post-viral inoculation (dpi). In addition, considerable increases in the transcriptional levels of polyphenolic genes (HQT and CHS) and pathogenesis-related proteins (PR-1 and PR-7) were shown to induce systemic resistance against TMV. Consequently, the ability of T. hamatum strain Th23 to promote plant growth, induce systemic resistance, and boost innate immunity against TMV infestation supported the incorporation of Th23 as a potential biocontrol agent for managing plant viral infections. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the antiviral activity of T. hamatum against plant viral infection.

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Trichoderma hamatum Strain Th23 Promotes Tomato Growth and Induces Systemic Resistance against Tobacco Mosaic Virus

The application of microbial products as natural biocontrol agents for inducing systemic resistance against plant viral infections represents a promising strategy for sustainable and eco-friendly agricultural applications. Under greenhouse conditions, the efficacy of the culture filtrate of Bacillus subtilis strain HA1 (Acc# OM286889) for protecting tomato plants from Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infection was assessed. The results showed that the dual foliar application of this culture filtrate (HA1-CF) 24 h before and 24 h after TMV inoculation was the most effective treatment for enhancing tomato plant development, with substantial improvements in shoot and root parameters. Furthermore, compared to non-treated plants, HA1-CF-treated tomato had a significant increase in total phenolic and flavonoid contents of up to 27% and 50%, respectively. In addition, a considerable increase in the activities of reactive oxygen species scavenging enzymes (PPO, SOD, and POX) and a significant decrease in non-enzymatic oxidative stress markers (H2O2 and MDA) were reported. In comparison to untreated control plants, all HA1-CF-treated plants showed a significant reduction in TMV accumulation in systemically infected tomato leaves, up to a 91% reduction at 15 dpi. The qRT-PCR results confirmed that HA1-CF stimulated the transcription of several defense-related tomato genes (PR-1, PAL, CHS, and HQT), pointing to their potential role in induced resistance against TMV. GC–MS analysis showed that phenol, 2,4-bis (1,1-dimethylethyl)-, Pyrrolo [1,2-a] pyrazine-1,4-dione, hexahydro-3-(2-methylpropyl)- and eicosane are the primary ingredient compounds in the HA1-CF ethyl acetate extract, suggesting that these molecules take part in stimulating induced systemic resistance in tomato plants. Our results imply that HA1-CF is a potential resistance inducer to control plant viral infections, a plant growth promoter, and a source of bioactive compounds for sustainable disease management.

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Foliar Applications of Bacillus subtilis HA1 Culture Filtrate Enhance Tomato Growth and Induce Systemic Resistance against Tobacco mosaic virus Infection

Ischemic stroke (IS) is characterized by high recurrence and disability; however, its therapies are very limited. As one of the effective methods of treating acute attacks of IS, intravenous thrombolysis has a clear time window. Quercetin, a flavonoid widely found in vegetables and fruits, inhibits immune cells from secreting inflammatory cytokines, thereby reducing platelet aggregation and limiting inflammatory thrombosis. In pre-clinical studies, it has been shown to exhibit neuroprotective effects in patients with ischemic brain injury. However, its specific mechanism of action remains unknown. Therefore, this review aims to use published data to elucidate the potential value of quercetin in patients with ischemic brain injury. This article also reviews the plant sources, pharmacological effects, and metabolic processes of quercetin in vivo, thus focusing on its mechanism in inhibiting immune cell activation and inflammatory thrombosis as well as promoting neuroprotection against ischemic brain injury.

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Neuroprotective Effects of Quercetin on Ischemic Stroke: A Literature Review

The curative activity of some arylidene dihydropyrimidine hydrazone against Tobacco mosaic virus infestation

The widespread use of chemical control agents and pesticides for plant-pathogen control has caused many human health and environmental issues. Plant extracts and biocontrol agents have robust antimicrobial activity against different plant pathogens. However, their antiviral activities are still being investigated. In the present study, the methanol extract of Paronychia argentea was characterized and evaluated for its protective activity against the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infection in tomato plants under greenhouse conditions at 21 days post-inoculation. The results showed that the foliar application of P. argentea extract (10 µg/mL) enhanced tomato plant growth, resulting in significant increases in shoot and root parameters and total chlorophyll contents. Moreover, a significant reduction in TMV accumulation level in P. argentea-treated plants of 77.88% compared to non-treated plants was reported. Furthermore, induction of systemic resistance with significant elevation in production of antioxidant enzymes (PPO, CAT, and SOD) and transcriptional levels of the pathogenesis-related proteins (PR-1 and PR-7) and polyphenolic genes (CHS and HQT) were also observed. Out of 16 detected compounds, HPLC analysis revealed that the most abundant polyphenolic compounds found in P. argentea extract were gallic acid (5.36 µg/mL), kaempferol (7.39 µg/mL), quercetin (7.44 µg/mL), ellagic acid (7.89 µg/mL), myricetin (8.36 µg/mL), and ferulic acid (8.69 µg/mL). The findings suggest that the use of P. argentea extract as an effective and safe source for the production of bioactive compounds may offer a solution for a promising approach for the management of plant viral infections. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the protective activity of P. argentea extract against plant viral diseases.

Maha M Alsubaie

Papers

First Report of Protective Activity of Paronychia argentea Extract against Tobacco Mosaic Virus Infection.