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Streptomyces is a group of microbes known for antibiotic production and has contributed to more than 70% of present commercially available antibiotics. These antibiotics are important in the management, protection, and treatment of... more
Streptomyces is a group of microbes known for antibiotic production and has contributed to more than 70% of present commercially available antibiotics. These antibiotics are important in the management, protection, and treatment of chronic illnesses. In the present study, the isolated S. tauricus strain from mangrove soil in Mangalore, India (GenBank accession number: MW785875) was subjected for differential cultural characterization, phenotype involving brown pigmentation, filamentous mycelia, and ash-colored spore production was observed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis revealing filamentous mycelia possessing a straight spore chain. Spores were visualized as elongated, rod-shaped, smooth surfaces with curved edges. After optimized growth conditions for S. tauricus on starch-casein agar medium, the GC/MS analysis of S. tauricus intracellular extract detected bioactive compounds reported for pharmacological applications. Analyzed using the NIST lib...
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Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a type of neurodegenerative disease, associated with the hastening of ROS, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, and amyloid β peptides plaques in the brain. The limitations and side effects of existing... more
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a type of neurodegenerative disease, associated with the hastening of ROS, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, and amyloid β peptides plaques in the brain. The limitations and side effects of existing synthetic drugs incline toward natural sources. In the present communication active principles of methanolic extract of Olea dioica Roxb, leaves are explored as an antioxidant, AChE inhibitor, and anti-amyloidogenic. Furthermore, neuroprotection against the amyloid beta-peptide has been studied. The bioactive principles were identified by GC-MS and LC-MS and further subjected to antioxidant (DPPH and FRAP) and neuroprotection (AChE inhibition, ThT binding, and MTT assay, DCFH-DA and lipid peroxidation (LPO) assay using neuroblastoma (SHSY-5Y) cell lines) assays. Methanolic extract of O. dioica Roxb, leaves was found to contain polyphenols and flavonoids. In vitro assays exhibited potential antioxidant and anti-AChE (˃50%) activities. ThT binding assay indi...
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Field studies were conducted to evaluate the comparative efficacy of six systemic and four non-systemic fungicides against early blight of tomato caused by Alternaria solani (Ellis and Martin). The experiments conducted during Kharif 2014... more
Field studies were conducted to evaluate the comparative efficacy of six systemic and four non-systemic fungicides against early blight of tomato caused by Alternaria solani (Ellis and Martin). The experiments conducted during Kharif 2014 to study effect of some promising fungicides found under in vitro studies as foliar sprays against early blight of tomato. Three foliar sprays of at 15 days interval with Difenoconazole 25 EC was the most effective fungi toxicant reducing the disease incidence to 23.48 per cent from 61.23 per cent, unsprayed check. The other fungicides in order of their decreasing efficacies were Flusilazole 40 EC >Hexaconazole 5 EC >Mancozeb 75 WP. Propineb 70 WP proved least efficacious among the test fungitoxicants reducing the disease incidence to 43.70 per cent from 61.23 per cent, unsprayed check. Similarly Difenoconazole 25 EC again proved most effective fungitoxicant in case of disease intensity reducing the disease intensity to 16.39 as against 41.31...
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In vitro studies were conducted to evaluate the comparative efficacy often systemic and non-systemic fungitoxicants against Alternaria solani (Ellis and Martin). Both systemic and non systemic fungicides were evaluated for their efficacy... more
In vitro studies were conducted to evaluate the comparative efficacy often systemic and non-systemic fungitoxicants against Alternaria solani (Ellis and Martin). Both systemic and non systemic fungicides were evaluated for their efficacy against the mycelial growth of A. solani by using poisoned food technique. On an overall mean basis, Mancozeb, proved the most effective exhibiting mean mycelial growth inhibition of 83.10 per cent followed by Dodine and Polyram causing 77.00 and 57.10 per cent mean inhibition, respectively, while Propineb proved the least effective among test non systemic fungitoxicants showing only 51.88 per cent mean inhibition. The maximum inhibition of 77.11 per cent was achieved at 500μg a.i ml-1 which decreased as the fungitoxicant concentration decreased. The minimum inhibition of 53.65 per cent was recorded at a concentration of 50 μg a.i ml-1 concentration. Amongst the systemic fungicides Difenoconazole, proved the most effective exhibiting mean mycelial g...
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Perpetuation studies were conducted through both seed and plant debris.The seeds collected at harvest from diseased tomato plants (c.v Marglobe) were stored in khadi cloth bags in laboratory and assessed for the presence of the pathogen... more
Perpetuation studies were conducted through both seed and plant debris.The seeds collected at harvest from diseased tomato plants (c.v Marglobe) were stored in khadi cloth bags in laboratory and assessed for the presence of the pathogen through blotter methods at monthly intervals. Tomato leaves and twigs bearing typical symptoms of early blight disease at harvest and kept separately in nylon mesh bags. The highest conidial viability 89.67 % was seen in the month of november Ist 2014. The viability showed a gradual decrease as the storage period advanced such that after six months of storage in April 2015. The conidial viability was gradually reduced as the storage period advanced such that only 18.00 per cent was recorded in April 2015. 24.66 per cent seeds showed Alternaria solani growth in November 2014. The percentage of seeds exhibiting Alternaria. solani growth showed a gradual decrease as the storage period advanced, such that the percentage of these seeds was 4.94 per cent a...
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Technological advances have played a critical role in the production of flower crops, enabling farmers to maximize yields and reduce losses while also improving the quality of flowers. These advances have included the development of new... more
Technological advances have played a critical role in the production of flower crops, enabling farmers to maximize yields and reduce losses while also improving the quality of flowers. These advances have included the development of new breeding techniques, such as molecular marker-assisted breeding, and the use of modern technologies like high-throughput phenotyping to identify and select superior cultivars. In addition, precision farming techniques, such as the use of sensors and remote monitoring systems, have made it possible to closely monitor crop growth and optimize inputs like water and fertilizer, leading to higher yields and improved resource efficiency. Advancements in biotechnology have also resulted in the development of transgenic plants that are resistant to pests and diseases, reducing the need for chemical pesticides and improving plant health. Modern molecular genetic tools, particularly genome editing with CRISPR/Cas9 nucleases, are emerging in addition to convent...
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Plants are very often confronted by different heavy metal (HM) stressors that adversely impair their growth and productivity. Among HMs, chromium (Cr) is one of the most prevalent toxic trace metals found in agricultural soils because of... more
Plants are very often confronted by different heavy metal (HM) stressors that adversely impair their growth and productivity. Among HMs, chromium (Cr) is one of the most prevalent toxic trace metals found in agricultural soils because of anthropogenic activities, lack of efficient treatment, and unregulated disposal. It has a huge detrimental impact on the physiological, biochemical, and molecular traits of crops, in addition to being carcinogenic to humans. In soil, Cr exists in different forms, including Cr (III) “trivalent” and Cr (VI) “hexavalent”, but the most pervasive and severely hazardous form to the biota is Cr (VI). Despite extensive research on the effects of Cr stress, the exact molecular mechanisms of Cr sensing, uptake, translocation, phytotoxicity, transcript processing, translation, post-translational protein modifications, as well as plant defensive responses are still largely unknown. Even though plants lack a Cr transporter system, it is efficiently accumulated a...
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Honeybees are eusocial insects with close interaction with their surrounding environment. Gut microbiota in honeybees play a significant role in host health, biology, and interaction behavior with the surrounding environment. Apis florea,... more
Honeybees are eusocial insects with close interaction with their surrounding environment. Gut microbiota in honeybees play a significant role in host health, biology, and interaction behavior with the surrounding environment. Apis florea, a wild bee, is the most primitive among all honeybees and is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. Previous reports on reared honeybee species provide information on the gut microbiome. No such studies are reported on the gut microbiota of the wild honeybee species. This study aimed at studying the gut microbiome of the wild honeybee species, A. florea. The study reports the analysis and the identification of gut bacteria in the wild honeybee species, A. florea, employing culture-based and culture-independent methods. Cultured bacteria were identified and characterized by MALDI-TOF MS and 16S rRNA sequencing. A comprehensive analysis and identification of non-culturable bacteria were performed by 16S rRNA amplicon next-generation sequencing. This ...
Research Interests: Biology, Microbiome, Gut Flora, Serratia, Firmicutes, and 3 morePantoea Sp, Proteobacteria, and bacteroidetes
The Glutamicibacter group of microbes is known for antibiotic and enzyme production. Antibiotics and enzymes produced by them are important in the control, protection, and treatment of chronic human diseases. In this study, the... more
The Glutamicibacter group of microbes is known for antibiotic and enzyme production. Antibiotics and enzymes produced by them are important in the control, protection, and treatment of chronic human diseases. In this study, the Glutamicibacter mysorens (G. mysorens) strain MW647910.1 was isolated from mangrove soil in the Mangalore region of India. After optimization of growth conditions for G. mysorens on starch casein agar media, the micromorphology of G. mysorens was found to be spirally coiled spore chain, each spore visualized as an elongated cylindrical hairy appearance with curved edges visualized through Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) analysis. The culture phenotype with filamentous mycelia, brown pigmentation, and ash–colored spore production was observed. The intracellular extract of G. mysorens characterized through GCMS analysis detected bioactive compounds reported for pharmacological applications. The majority of bioactive compounds identified in i...
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Humans rely heavily on cereal grains as a key source of nutrients, hence regular improvement of cereal crops is essential for ensuring food security. The current food crisis at the global level is due to the rising population and harsh... more
Humans rely heavily on cereal grains as a key source of nutrients, hence regular improvement of cereal crops is essential for ensuring food security. The current food crisis at the global level is due to the rising population and harsh climatic conditions which prompts scientists to develop smart resilient cereal crops to attain food security. Cereal crop improvement in the past generally depended on imprecise methods like random mutagenesis and conventional genetic recombination which results in high off targeting risks. In this context, we have witnessed the application of targeted mutagenesis using versatile CRISPR-Cas systems for cereal crop improvement in sustainable agriculture. Accelerated crop improvement using molecular breeding methods based on CRISPR-Cas genome editing (GE) is an unprecedented tool for plant biotechnology and agriculture. The last decade has shown the fidelity, accuracy, low levels of off-target effects, and the high efficacy of CRISPR technology to induc...
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In the present study, F2 segregating population was developed from the crosses between the parental lines K343 and DHMAS rice during Kharif 2016 and evaluated for statistical description, genetic variability components i.e. GCV & PCV,... more
In the present study, F2 segregating population was developed from the crosses between the parental lines K343 and DHMAS rice during Kharif 2016 and evaluated for statistical description, genetic variability components i.e. GCV & PCV, heritability (broad sense) and genetic advance of various agronomical traits. The experiment was conducted using augmented design-I, analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed statistically significant differences (p<0.05) indicating the existence of genetic variability amongst the population. The mean value and range in days to maturity, duration of grain filling and spikelet fertility % age was greater than that of other traits. The values recorded for genotypic variance was less than those of the phenotypic variance. In the present study spikelet density (7.24) and yield per plant (7.02) showed the highest GCV values whereas days to maturity showed the lowest GCV value (2.61). The low GCV and PCV values, indicates that trait expression was less influe...
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Panicle traits are the most important agronomic characters which directly relate to yield in rice. Panicle length being one of the major components of rice panicle structure is controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTLs). In our... more
Panicle traits are the most important agronomic characters which directly relate to yield in rice. Panicle length being one of the major components of rice panicle structure is controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTLs). In our research, conducted at Research Farm of SKUAST-J, crosses of parental lines K 343 and DHMAS were made for generating F2 mapping population, which were then transplanted into the field using augmented design I. The F2 population was used for phenotypic evaluation, development of linkage map and identification of QTLs on the chromosomes by using SSR markers. A total number of 450 SSR markers were used for screening of both the parents, out of which 53 highly polymorphic markers were selected and used for genotyping of 233 genotypes of F2 population. Linkage map was generated using MAPMAKER/EXP3.0 software, 7 linkage groups were found, distributed on 11 chromosomes of rice. QTLs were detected using QTL Cartographer (version 2.5) software. Based on 1000 permuta...
Panicle traits are the most important agronomic characters which directly relate to yield in rice. Panicle length (PL) being one of the major components of rice panicle structure is controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTLs). In our... more
Panicle traits are the most important agronomic characters which directly relate to yield in rice. Panicle length (PL) being one of the major components of rice panicle structure is controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTLs). In our research, conducted at Research Farm of SKUAST-J, crosses of parental lines K343 and DHMAS were made for generating F2 mapping population, which were then transplanted into the field using augmented design-I. The F2 population was used for phenotypic evaluation, development of linkage map and identification of QTLs on the chromosomes by using SSR markers. A total of 450 SSR markers were used for screening both the parents of which 53 highly polymorphic markers were selected and used for genotyping of 233 genotypes of F2population. Linkage map was generated using MAPMAKER/EXP3.0 software, seven linkage groups were found distributed on 11 chromosomes of rice. QTLs were detected using QTL Cartographer (v2.5) software. Based on 1000 permutation tests, a lo...
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Neonicotinoids are the most widely used insecticides in the world. They are systemic in action, travelling through plant tissues and protecting all parts of the crop, and are widely applied as seed dressings. Neonicotinoids are registered... more
Neonicotinoids are the most widely used insecticides in the world. They are systemic in action, travelling through plant tissues and protecting all parts of the crop, and are widely applied as seed dressings. Neonicotinoids are registered globally in more than 120 countries and found to be effective against sucking pests. In terms of area treated almost 90% of the use is as seed treatments. Some of these active substances are approved for use as seed treatments (clothianidin), some as foliar applications (acetimiprid and thiacloprid) and some for both (imidacloprid and thiamethoxam). They are nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists; they bind strongly to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the central nervous system of insects, causing nervous stimulation at low concentrations, but receptor blockage, paralysis and death at higher concentrations. Neonicotinoids bind more strongly to insect nAChRs than to those of vertebrates, so they are selectively more toxic to insects;...
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Genome-editing (GE) is having a tremendous influence around the globe in the life science community. Among its versatile uses, the desired modifications of genes, and more importantly the transgene (DNA)-free approach to develop... more
Genome-editing (GE) is having a tremendous influence around the globe in the life science community. Among its versatile uses, the desired modifications of genes, and more importantly the transgene (DNA)-free approach to develop genetically modified organism (GMO), are of special interest. The recent and rapid developments in genome-editing technology have given rise to hopes to achieve global food security in a sustainable manner. We here discuss recent developments in CRISPR-based genome-editing tools for crop improvement concerning adaptation, opportunities, and challenges. Some of the notable advances highlighted here include the development of transgene (DNA)-free genome plants, the availability of compatible nucleases, and the development of safe and effective CRISPR delivery vehicles for plant genome editing, multi-gene targeting and complex genome editing, base editing and prime editing to achieve more complex genetic engineering. Additionally, new avenues that facilitate fi...
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The present study was conducted in three villages of district Budgam in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, to find out how farmers differentiate the quality of soils and to determine the level of concurrence between farmers... more
The present study was conducted in three villages of district Budgam in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, to find out how farmers differentiate the quality of soils and to determine the level of concurrence between farmers perception and scientific assessment of soil quality. Five fields in each village were selected and ranked on the basis of soil quality indices computed from the minimum data set of indicators, including plant available nutrients N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, OC, BD, WHC (water holding capacity), CEC (cation exchange capacity) as well as microbial count. The respondents ranked the same 5 selected fields on the bases of their experience and perceptions of soil quality. The study reveals that 58% of farmers ranked the best soils correctly whereas, the percentage of farmers who ranked 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th soils correctly was 40, 30, 40, and 45%, respectively. The study found that a greater number of farmers from the remotest village Dalwash were able to judge the soil...
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Green mold (caused by Trichoderma harzianum) is a destructive disease in mushrooms which limits commercial production. The present investigation was carried out to verify the in vitro and in vivo effect of locally available botanicals and... more
Green mold (caused by Trichoderma harzianum) is a destructive disease in mushrooms which limits commercial production. The present investigation was carried out to verify the in vitro and in vivo effect of locally available botanicals and bacterial biocontrol agents against this disease. The in vitro evaluation of ethanol extract of botanicals against mycelial growth of T. harzianum at 1, 2, and 3% concentrations showed that Juglans regia and Allium sativum exhibited maximum mycelial growth inhibition of 84.9 and 79.8%, respectively. When the same botanicals were tested against the mycelial growth of A. bisporus, it was observed that J. regia, Curcuma longa, and Azadirachta mellea were least inhibitory (4.66–7.4%). From the in vivo evaluation of plant botanicals at 2% concentration, J. regia and C. longa had the highest average weight (11.8–11.9 g) of a single fruit body and a combined button yield of 11.3–11.9 kg/quintal compost. Among the bacterial bioagents evaluated in vitro, Ps...
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The present systematic research on cultural, morphological, and pathogenic variability was carried out on eighty isolates of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum collected from major common bean production belts of North Kashmir. The isolates were... more
The present systematic research on cultural, morphological, and pathogenic variability was carried out on eighty isolates of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum collected from major common bean production belts of North Kashmir. The isolates were found to vary in both cultural and morphological characteristics such as colony color and type, colony diameter, number of days for sclerotia initiation, sclerotia number per plate, sclerotial weight, and size. The colony color ranged between white and off-white with the majority. The colony was of three types, in majority smooth, some fluffy, and a few fluffy-at-center-only. Colony diameter ranged between 15.33 mm and 29 mm after 24 h of incubation. The isolates took 4 to 7 days for initiation of sclerotia and varied in size, weight, and number per plate ranging between 14 and 51.3. The sclerotial arrangement pattern on plates was peripheral, sub peripheral, peripheral, and subperipheral, arranged at the rim and scattered. A total of 22 Mycelial comp...
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Fusarium wilt is a severe disease that plays a significant role in reducing the yield of lentil. Under favorable conditions for disease growth, the disease can cause complete crop failure and can be a crucial limiting issue for lentil... more
Fusarium wilt is a severe disease that plays a significant role in reducing the yield of lentil. Under favorable conditions for disease growth, the disease can cause complete crop failure and can be a crucial limiting issue for lentil cultivation in specific geographical zones. The current work focused on isolating potentialbio-agents exhibiting copper oxychloride resistance and evaluating their efficacy in seed treatment for ecologically sustainable management of Fusarium wilt of lentil. Seventy biocontrol agent isolates were isolated and tested for resistance by growing them on Potato Dextrose Agar medium (PDA) amended with copper oxychloride at the rate of 2500 ppm. Isolate-H10 and isolate-C9 showed more excellent compatibility with copper oxychloride fungicide with 69 mm and 65 mm radial growths, respectively. The isolates H10 and C9 had the highest inhibitory percentages of 84.30% and 83.94% against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lentis, respectively, and the highest phosphorus solu...
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Mycoparasites cause serious losses in profitable mushroom farms worldwide. The negative impact of green mold (Trichoderma harzianum) reduces cropping surface and damages basidiomes, limiting production and harvest quality. The goal of the... more
Mycoparasites cause serious losses in profitable mushroom farms worldwide. The negative impact of green mold (Trichoderma harzianum) reduces cropping surface and damages basidiomes, limiting production and harvest quality. The goal of the current study was to evaluate new generation fungicides, to devise suitable management strategies against the green mold disease under prevailing agro-climatic conditions. Six non-systemic and five systemic fungitoxicants were evaluated for their efficacy against pathogen, T. harzianum, and host, Agaricus bisporus, under in vitro conditions. Among non-systemic fungicides, chlorothalonil and prochloraz manganese with mean mycelium inhibition of 76.87 and 93.40 percent, respectively, were highly inhibitory against the pathogen. The least inhibition percentage of 7.16 of A. bisporus was exhibited by chlorothalonil. Under in vivo conditions, use of captan 50 WP resulted in a maximum yield of button mushroom of 14.96 kg/qt. So far, systemic fungicides w...
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The western Himalayan region is susceptible to minor climate changes because of its fragile ecology, which might threaten the valley’s prestigious ecosystems and socio-economic components. The Himalayas’s local climate and weather are... more
The western Himalayan region is susceptible to minor climate changes because of its fragile ecology, which might threaten the valley’s prestigious ecosystems and socio-economic components. The Himalayas’s local climate and weather are vulnerable to and interlinked with world-scale climatic changes since the region’s hydrology is predominantly dominated by snow and glaciers. The Himalayas, notably the Jammu and Kashmir region in the western Himalayas, has clearly shown distinct and robust evidence of climate change. This study used observed data to examine the climatic variability and trends of change in precipitation and temperature for the Kashmir valley between 1980 and 2020. Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Kokernag, Qazigund, Kupwara, and Srinagar (Shalimar) meteorological stations in the Kashmir valley were studied in detail for long- and short-term as well as localized fluctuations in temperature and precipitation. The annual temperature and precipitation fluctuations were calculated using ...
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A research trial was conducted at Agronomy Farm (SKUAST-K, Wadura, Jammu & Kashmir), during kharif 2017 and 2018 to evaluate nutrient removal in rice under various rice establishment methods and weed control measures. The study comprised... more
A research trial was conducted at Agronomy Farm (SKUAST-K, Wadura, Jammu & Kashmir), during kharif 2017 and 2018 to evaluate nutrient removal in rice under various rice establishment methods and weed control measures. The study comprised of two factors: rice establishment techniques {Transplanting (TPR); Direct seeding (DSR) and System of rice intensification (SRI)} as main plot treatments and weed control measures {Butachlor @ 1500 g a.i ha−1 (B); Penoxsulam @ 22.5 g a.i ha−1 (P); Pyrazosulfuron ethyl + Pretilachlor @ 15 and 600 g a.i ha−1 (PP); Bensulfuron methyl + Pretilachlor @ 60 and 600 g a.i ha−1 (BP); 2 Conoweeding/Hand Weeding (CW/HW); Weed free (WF) and weedy check (WC)} as sub-plot treatments meant to evaluate the best establishment method and weed management practice for rice. Over DSR and transplanted rice, the SRI technique yielded a significant increase in dry biomass accumulation (17.04 and 17.20 t ha−1) and grain (7.92 and 8.17 t ha−1) and straw (9.60 and 10.17 t ha...
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Phytohormones (PHs) play crucial role in regulation of various physiological and biochemical processes that govern plant growth and yield under optimal and stress conditions. The interaction of these PHs is crucial for plant survival... more
Phytohormones (PHs) play crucial role in regulation of various physiological and biochemical processes that govern plant growth and yield under optimal and stress conditions. The interaction of these PHs is crucial for plant survival under stressful environments as they trigger signaling pathways. Hormonal cross regulation initiate a cascade of reactions which finely tune the physiological processes in plant architecture that help plant to grow under suboptimal growth conditions. Recently, various studies have highlighted the role of PHs such as abscisic acid, salicylic acid, ethylene, and jasmonates in the plant responses toward environmental stresses. The involvement of cytokinins, gibberellins, auxin, and relatively novel PHs such as strigolactones and brassinosteroids in plant growth and development has been documented under normal and stress conditions. The recent identification of the first plant melatonin receptor opened the door to this regulatory molecule being considered a...
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In the current era of rapid industrialization, the foremost challenge is the management of industrial wastes. Activities such as mining and industrialization spill over a large quantity of toxic waste that pollutes soil, water and air.... more
In the current era of rapid industrialization, the foremost challenge is the management of industrial wastes. Activities such as mining and industrialization spill over a large quantity of toxic waste that pollutes soil, water and air. This poses a major environmental and health challenge. The toxic heavy metals present in the soil and water are entering the food chain, which in turn causes severe health hazards. Environmental clean-up and reclamation of heavy metal contaminated soil and water are very important, and it necessitates efforts of environmentalists, industrialists, scientists and policymakers. Phytoremediation is a plant-based approach to remediate heavy metal/organic pollutant contaminated soil and water in an eco-friendly, cost-effective and permanent way. This review covers the effect of heavy metal toxicity on plant growth and physiological process, the concept of heavy metal accumulation, detoxification, and the mechanisms of tolerance in plants. Based on plants' ability to uptake heavy metals and metabolize them within tissues, phytoremediation techniques have been classified into six types: phytoextraction, phytoimmobilization, phytovolatilization, phytodegradation, rhizofiltration and rhizodegradation. The development of research in this area led to the identification of metal hyper-accumulators, which could be utilized for reclamation of contaminated soil through phytomining. Concurrently, breeding and biotechnological approaches can enhance the remediation efficiency. Phytoremediation technology, combined with other reclamation technologies/practices, can provide clean soil and water to the ecosystem. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Heavy metal toxicity has become an impediment to agricultural productivity, which presents major human health concerns in terms of food safety. Among them, arsenic (As) a non-essential heavy metal has gained worldwide attention because of... more
Heavy metal toxicity has become an impediment to agricultural productivity, which presents major human health concerns in terms of food safety. Among them, arsenic (As) a non-essential heavy metal has gained worldwide attention because of its noxious effects on agriculture and public health. The increasing rate of global warming and anthropogenic activities have promptly exacerbated As levels in the agricultural soil, thereby causing adverse effects to crop genetic and phenotypic traits and rendering them vulnerable to other stresses. Conventional breeding and transgenic approaches have been widely adapted for producing heavy metal resilient crops; however, they are time-consuming and labor-intensive. Hence, finding new mitigation strategies for As toxicity would be a game-changer for sustainable agriculture. One such promising approach is harnessing plant microbiome in the era of 'omics' which is gaining prominence in recent years. The use of plant microbiome and their cocktails to combat As metal toxicity has gained widespread attention, because of their ability to metabolize toxic elements and offer an array of perquisites to host plants such as increased nutrient availability, stress resilience, soil fertility, and yield. A comprehensive understanding of below-ground plant-microbiome interactions and their underlying molecular mechanisms in exhibiting resilience towards As toxicity will help in identifying elite microbial communities for As mitigation. In this review, we have discussed the effect of As, their accumulation, transportation, signaling, and detoxification in plants. We have also discussed the role of the plant microbiome in mitigating As toxicity which has become an intriguing research frontier in phytoremediation. This review also provides insights on the advancements in constructing the beneficial synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) using microbiome engineering that will facilitate the development of the most advanced As remedial tool kit in sustainable agriculture.
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Abstract Cross-talk between various signaling elicitors in the context of abiotic stress tolerance is gaining attention, especially for the improvement of plants’ physiology for increasing resilience under a changing climate. As the... more
Abstract Cross-talk between various signaling elicitors in the context of abiotic stress tolerance is gaining attention, especially for the improvement of plants’ physiology for increasing resilience under a changing climate. As the increased global population poses pressure on modern agriculture, various sophisticated techniques are being used to increase the production of high-quality food in a sustainable way and this marks one of today’s major challenges of agricultural crop improvement under the present era of climate change. For achieving this goal, a better understanding of the tolerance tradeoff between various signaling molecules could unravel the target underlying mechanisms for increasing abiotic stress resistance. Phytohormones are chemical signaling agents which elicit a signal to regulate growth and development in plants. Phytohormones interact with various abiotic stress factors to improve stress resistance under dynamic environmental conditions. Plants’ morphophysiological processes are complex, coordinated, and are governed by multigene traits. Herein the present chapter, various examples of interplay between phytohormones and principal abiotic stress factors are summarized to demonstrate the complexity of these interrelations. The tolerance tradeoff between these factors and phytohormones are primarily meant to stimulate discussions on how the synergistic or antagonistic interactions can deliver solutions to address the problem of food crises in a changing climate.