Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is an economically and culturally important aromatic crop whose essential oil, phenolic, and flavonoid profiles underpin its culinary, medicinal, and industrial value. Beyond flavoring, basil essential oil and leaf phenolics are applied as antifungal, insecticidal, and antibacterial agents in low-input crop protection and food preservation; therefore, the practical value of a given cultivar depends directly on which secondary metabolites it accumulates. Sustainable exploitation and conservation of basil genetic resources depend on efficient, low-input methods for linking phytochemical variation to underlying genetic markers, knowledge that remains incomplete for many commercially grown types. This exploratory study evaluated three widely cultivated basil cultivars (Genovese, French, and Purple) using biochemical assays alongside Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) and Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers, integrated through multivariate analysis, as a low-cost framework for germplasm characterization relevant to sustainable breeding pipelines. Each cultivar was represented by a single commercial seed accession, from which three biological replicates were sampled for biochemical analysis and one pooled DNA sample was used for marker analysis. The results reflect differences among three sampled accessions rather than replicated cultivar populations. Genovese basil showed the highest essential oil content and rutin/luteolin levels; French basil accumulated the most caffeic and benzoic acid; and purple basil had the highest apigenin content along with elevated coumaric and ferulic acid levels, a pattern suggestive of a possible terpenoid–phenylpropanoid trade-off warranting confirmation in replicated trials. SSR markers revealed 70% polymorphism, grouping French and Genovese together and separating purple as a distinct lineage, a pattern corroborated by 12 accession-specific SNPs in the regions examined. The concordance between biochemical and marker-based differentiation points to a genetic basis for metabolic specialization that could help prioritize cultivars for resource-efficient, marker-assisted selection, reducing the time and inputs needed to develop chemotype-targeted basil varieties. These preliminary associations should be validated in larger, independently replicated germplasm panels, but they offer a practical starting point for integrating biochemical and molecular tools into sustainable basil conservation and breeding programs.
E. Abdul-Hafeez, Khalaf R. Al-Rashidi, M. Motawei· Sustainability· 0 citations
Climate change represents a major global challenge that threatens agricultural productivity, ecosystem stability, and food security by intensifying abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures. Solanaceous crops, which are economically and nutritionally important worldwide, are highly sensitive to these stresses, leading to oxidative damage, impaired photosynthesis, and reduced yield and quality. Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising approach to mitigate these adverse effects. Due to their unique physicochemical properties, nanoparticles (NPs) enhance nutrient uptake, improve water-use efficiency, and regulate plant metabolic processes. They also activate antioxidant defense systems, reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS), and improve the delivery efficiency of growth regulators and bioactive compounds. This review synthesizes recent literature on abiotic stress responses in solanaceous crops and evaluates the role of nanoparticles as mitigation strategies, focusing on physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms. The scope includes drought, salinity, and temperature stresses, as well as nano-enabled applications such as nano-carriers and nano-sensors. Overall, nanoparticle applications improve plant tolerance by enhancing antioxidant activity, regulating stress-responsive pathways, and improving resource-use efficiency, thereby contributing to increased crop productivity under climate change conditions. However, challenges related to nanoparticle toxicity and environmental risks remain, emphasizing the need for optimized and safe application strategies. These findings highlight the potential of nanotechnology as a sustainable tool to enhance the resilience and productivity of solanaceous crops under changing climatic conditions. This review highlights that nanoparticles can enhance abiotic stress tolerance in solanaceous crops by improving antioxidant activity, photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, and water-use efficiency under adverse environmental conditions. Overall, nanotechnology represents a promising strategy for sustainable crop production under climate change, although further studies are needed to ensure its environmental safety and long-term applicability. This review provides a comprehensive overview of abiotic stress effects on solanaceous crops and highlights the role of nanoparticles as a sustainable tool to enhance plant tolerance, productivity, and resilience under climate change conditions.
Mohamed K. Abou El-Nasr, Karim M. Hassan, Ahmed N. Abdelhamid et al.· Sustainability· 0 citations
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