The tomato fruits during different stages of ripening have been extensively characterized for nutritionally important bioactives; however, changes in fatty acid composition are not available. Thus, in the present study, changes in fatty acid, along with carotenoid and α-tocopherol, were studied during the six stages of ripening. Fruits were harvested at the green, breaker, turning, pink, light red, and red stages, which occurred at means of 30, 35, 40, 46, 50, and 55 days after anthesis (DAE), respectively. During the ripening process, profiles of all the metabolites altered significantly (p< 0.05). All-E-lycopene content increased from the breaker (0.21 μg/g FW) to the red stage (30.6 μg/g FW), while all-E-lutein was slightly increased during initial stages of ripening and then decreased significantly, with the highest (4.15 μg/g FW) in the fruits of the pink stage. Furthermore, the contents of α-tocopherol increased during ripening, and its increase was highest between light red to the red stages. In all the ripening stages, linoleic acid (C18:2n6c) was found in the highest quantity (42.3-49.2%), followed by oleic (C18:1n9c; 20.1-26.6%) and palmitic acids (C16:0; 16.6-17.7%). With fruit ripening, the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids (PUFAs:SFAs) was increased significantly from 1.89 (green) to 2.19 (red). Interestingly, the oleic acid proportions correlated inversely with linoleic (r = -0.450) and α-linolenic acid (r = -0.904), during all the stages of ripening. The highest and lowest contents of oleic acid and linoleic acid (26.7 and 42.3%, respectively) were recorded in the fruits of stage 3 (turning). In conclusion, ripening in tomatoes is accompanied by significant increases in carotenoids and α-tocopherol, as well as by concomitant increases in PUFAs.

The effect of plant growth regulators on shoot proliferation from shoot tip explants of Ajuga multiflora was studied. The highest number of shoots (17.1) was observed when shoot tip explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium fortified with 8.0 µM 6-Benzyladenine (BA) and 2.7 µM α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). The mean number of shoots per explant was increased 1.6-fold in liquid medium as compared with semi-solid medium. Maximum rooting (100 %) with an average of 7.2 roots per shoot was obtained on MS basal medium. Rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatised in the greenhouse with 100 % survival rate. Composition of carotenoids, fatty acids and tocopherols was also studied from leaves of greenhouse-grown plants and in vitro-regenerated shoots of A. multiflora. The greatest amounts of carotenoids, fatty acids and tocopherols were obtained from leaves of in vitro-regenerated shoots cultured on MS basal medium, followed by leaves of greenhouse-grown plants and leaves of in vitro-regenerated shoots cultured on MS basal medium with 2.0 µM BA or thidiazuron. The most abundant carotenoid in A. multiflora leaves was all-E-lutein (89.4–382.6 μg g−1 FW) followed by all-E-β-carotene (32.0–156.7 μg g−1 FW), 9′-Z-neoxanthin (14.2–63.4 μg g−1 FW), all-E-violaxanthin (13.0–45.9 μg g−1 FW), all-E-zeaxanthin (1.3–2.5 μg g−1 FW) and all-E-β-cryptoxanthin (0.3–0.9 μg g−1 FW). α-Tocopherol was the predominant tocopherol in A. multiflora leaves. Linolenic acid (49.03–52.59 %) was detected in higher amounts in A. multiflora leaf samples followed by linoleic acid (18.95–21.39 %) and palmitic acid (15.79–18.66 %).Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13205-016-0376-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Afghanistan is the fourth largest producer of almonds in the world producing 78 native and 6 imported cultivars. However, till date, there have been no comprehensive data on nutrient profiles of the native cultivars. Thus, in the present investigation, tocopherol contents and fatty acid composition from the kernels of 20 selected native almond cultivars of Afghanistan were analyzed. The ranges of variability for the studied nutrients were similar to those already reported for almonds grown in other countries, such as 47.8–66.1% of total lipids (fresh weight basis), 62.54–81.57% of oleic acid in the total lipids, and 139.1–355.0 μg/g α‐tocopherol in kernels. With respect to cultivars, significantly (p < 0.05) high content of total lipids were recorded in ‘Belabai’ and ‘Sattarbai’ (Afghan grade), oleic acid in ‘Khairodini’ and of α‐tocopherol in ‘Khairodini‐161 Samangan’ and ‘Belabai’ cultivars. Kernels from these cultivars can be used for nutrient dense food formulations. Daily consumption of 50 g almonds is sufficient to meet the RDA of α‐tocopherol (15 mg/day), considering the average 300 μg/g of α‐tocopherol in Afghan almonds. Also, these nutrient rich cultivars can be used in almond breeding programs globally, to focus on improving kernel oil composition and nutrient contents.

Proteins are essential for cellular and biological processes. Proteins are synthesized and fold into the native structure to become active. The inability of a protein molecule to remain in its native conformation is called as protein misfolding, and this is due to several environmental factors. Protein misfolding and aggregation handle several human diseases. Protein misfolding is believed to be one of the causes of several disorders such as cancer, degenerative diseases, and metabolic pathologies. The zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle was significantly promoted refolding of thermally denatured green fluorescent protein (GFP). In the present study, ZnO nanoparticles interaction with GFP was investigated by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer, fluorescence spectrophotometer, and dynamic light scattering. Results suggest that the ZnO nanoparticles significantly assist the refolding of denatured GFP.

Climate change is one of the largest challenge of this century. Globally, climate change causes drops in yield for their most valuable crops, particularly in developing countries. Afghanistan is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the negative consequences of climate change. Tomato cultivation is a means of livelihood for most farmers in Afghanistan. The aim of this study was to assess the adaptation strategies on tomato production in response to the impact of climate change in Ghazni province. The study findings indicate a rise in both maximum and minimum temperatures, combined with a decline in annual precipitation over the ten years (2008-2017) period in an unreliable seasonal distribution. The study found that the occurrence of pests and diseases had a substantial impact on tomato production due to climate change. Present study highlights the role of climate variables in the production of tomatoes (temperature and precipitation) while controlling other confounding factors. Selection of crop variety according to climate change and planting time are the two adaptation methods to cope up with the drastic change in the climate to retain the productivity to some extent.