Arsenic contamination poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity and food security, especially in Cicer arietinum L. (chickpea). This study evaluates the potential of silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) to mitigate arsenic stress in C. arietinum (Noor 2022). The experiment was conducted at The Islamia University of Bahawalpur using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with a factorial arrangement and three replications. A pot experiment was conducted using seven treatments comprising various concentrations of SiNPs applied alone or combined with arsenic [T0 (control, no SiNPs), T1 (3.5% SiNPs), T2 (7% SiNPs), T3 (10.5% SiNPs), T4 (3.5% SiNPs + 30 ppm Ar), T5 (7% SiNPs + 30 ppm Ar), and T6 (10.5% SiNPs + 30 ppm Ar)]. SiNPs were applied as foliar sprays in three splits from the second to fourth weeks after sowing. Morphological, physiological, and biochemical parameters were assessed, including chlorophyll content, total soluble proteins, proline, and antioxidant enzyme activities. The results demonstrated that SiNPs significantly enhanced stress tolerance in chickpea plants. At 10.5% SiNPs, chlorophyll content increased by 35%, carotenoids by 42%, and proline by 68% compared to arsenic-stressed plants without SiNPs, indicating improved photosynthetic efficiency and osmotic adjustment. Antioxidant enzyme activities, including peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), increased by 50%, 47%, and 53%, respectively, mitigating oxidative damage. Soluble sugars and phenolic content also rose by 28% and 32%, respectively, under 10.5% SiNPs. However, when combined with arsenic, some antagonistic effects were observed, with a slight decrease in chlorophyll and antioxidant activity compared to SiNPs alone. These findings suggest that SiNPs are a promising tool for improving crop resilience in arsenic-contaminated soils, offering insights into sustainable agricultural practices. Further research is warranted to explore long-term impacts and optimize application strategies.

Drought (D) and chromium (Cr) stress co-occur in agricultural fields due to the accumulation of excessive Cr in soils from industrial pollution and increasing frequency of water scarcity. Carrageenan (Car), a compound extracted from red seaweed, is an emerging biostimulant with multifaceted roles in plants. This study investigated the role of exogenous Car in mediating tolerance to D-, Cr-, and DCr-stress in wheat seedlings, aiming to elucidate the potential of Car in mitigating toxicity and promoting plant resilience. Wheat seedlings exposed to DCr-stress exhibited reduced growth and biomass production, along with elevated levels of reactive oxygen, carbonyl, and nitrogen species. Moreover, D-stress exacerbated Cr-toxicity, as demonstrated by principal component analysis (PCA), which showed a strong positive correlation between DCr-stress and stress marker parameters. This suggests that DCr-stress resulted in higher Cr uptake and increased oxidative damage compared to individual D-or Cr-stress, making DCr-stress more detrimental than either stress applied alone. However, Car priming ameliorated the toxic effects of DCr-stress and promoted the growth performance of DCr-stressed wheat seedlings. In PCA, the positive correlation of D + Car, Cr + Car, and DCr + Car treatments with growth and plant defense-related parameters suggests that Car-mediated improvement in stress tolerance can be attributed to reduced accumulation of toxic Cr, increased levels of total free amino acids and soluble sugars, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, elevated non-enzymatic antioxidant levels, higher phenolic and flavonoid content, and improved metal chelation and detoxification. Our results indicated Car is a potential and cost-effective biostimulant for managing D-, Cr-, or DCr-stress in wheat.

Integration of breeding innovations and epigenetic modifications offers the potential to boost productivity and promote sustainable agricultural practices, particularly in tomato production, which accounts for 16 % of global vegetable production. They are susceptible to various stress factors, Both abiotic (light, temperature, water, humidity, nutrients) and biotic (pests, diseases), which can impact fruit quality and reduce yield quantity by 50-70 %leading to food insecurity and economic losses. Climatic factors impact the traditional farming of tomatoes in the open field; innovative technologies aim to tackle the adverse effects of both abiotic and biotic stress factors. It highlights advancements in crop productivity and stress tolerance, including increased phytochemicals biosynthesis, improved water use efficiency, and soil salinity tolerance. However, challenges like photooxidative damage and downregulation of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes persist. This review provides highlights of promising technologies to mitigate the impact of stress factors on open field tomato production, highlighting both qualitative and quantitative losses. Besides sustainable systematic solutions, such as agroforestry systems, the advantages of using beneficial microbial endophytes, nanomaterials, and exogenous phytohormones in agriculture are discussed.

Hordeum jubatum L. is a perennial herb with high ornamental value and strong stress tolerance. Nitrogen deposition and cold stress are key environmental factors that affect stability of ecosystems in cold regions of northeast China. These factors significantly affect plant growth and development. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are symbiotic soil fungi that can increase plant resistance and growth. However, research on impacts of nitrogen deposition and cold stress on roots of H. jubatum-AM symbionts remains limited. Root biomass (dry and fresh weight), architecture (length, surface area, volume, forks, number of fourth-order roots, and root fractal dimension), and ultrastructure of H. jubatum were assessed, both in the presence and absence of AMF, under conditions of nitrogen deposition and cold stress. Cold stress inhibited all indicators of root architecture and disrupted root ultrastructure, with greater inhibition shown in the N2 (NH4+/NO3- = 1:1) treatment under cold stress, indicating nitrogen deposition increased sensitivity of H. jubatum to cold stress. Inoculation with AMF significantly reduced damage caused by nitrogen deposition and cold stress on H. jubatum roots compared with the non-inoculation treatment. Our results demonstrate different effects of the interaction of nitrogen deposition and cold stress versus single stress (nitrogen deposition or cold stress) on plant root development and provide a scientific basis for the use of mycorrhizal technology to improve resistance and productivity of cold-tolerant plants in cold regions under stress conditions.

Despite the widespread presence of heavy metals (HMs) in contaminated soils, there is a limiting understanding of physiological and cellular adaptive mechanisms of castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) under lead (Pb) contaminated soils of Chakera having enduring history of wastewater irrigation. This gap in knowledge hinders the development of effective strategies for managing soil pollution and protecting agricultural productivity in areas exposed to wastewater irrigation. Therefore, current pot study was conducted on two castor bean genotypes (NIAB-2020 and DS-30) on Pb contaminated soils of Chakera in glasshouse for a period of 120 days. Results showed that physiological indicators decreased under stressed conditions in NIAB-2020 and DS-30, suggesting impaired plant development. Electrolyte leakage (EL) increased in stressed plants indicating damage to cell membrane due to oxidative damage. Biochemically, the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) decreased whereas catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) showed an increase in both castor bean genotypes to mitigate oxidative stress. In similar pattern, both genotypes exhibited a reduction in total soluble proteins (TSP) and total free amino acids (TFA), while conversely total soluble sugars (TSS) and total phenolic contents (TPC) increased under stress conditions. Significant correlation was observed between various physiological, biochemical, and antioxidant enzyme responses, indicating their role as stressed biomarkers on Pb contaminated soils. Overall, NIAB-2020 outperformed DS-30 in terms of physiological and biochemical adaptations, evidencing superior adaptive approach. However, future field trials are compulsory to validate the findings of the study.

Anthropogenic activities enhance the concentration of trace elements in environment like highly carcinogenic Cadmium (Cd), which adversely affect the plant growth and development. They deliberately accumulate defense compounds e.g., flavonoids, terpenoids, and alkaloids to ensure resilience in such adverse conditions. Current study explores the adaptive evolution, structural complexity, and functional roles of Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide (FAD)-linked oxidase genes in widespread leading cash crop cotton. As a non-edible, hyperaccumulator halophyte crop, cotton is an excellent candidate for phytoremediation of Cd-polluted soils by manipulating stress resistant genetic material. They utilize FAD as a cofactor to drive oxidative reactions, including benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis, which plays a critical role in cellular signaling pathways, stress responses and metabolic processes. A total of 387 FADs retrieved from four cotton species were distributed into seven families and twelve subfamilies. They underwent large scale expansion under intense purifying selection with lineagespecific gene loss and retention, reflecting their ongoing evolution for functional advancements to adopt altering environment. High throughput transcriptomic, functional enrichment and qRT-PCR validation revealed their multifaceted roles in growth, development and stress responses. Overexpression of GhBBE59 (BBE7) in Arabidopsis enhanced Cd tolerance by 25 % marked by a 20% reduction in malondiadehyde (MDA) and 25 % higher superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity compared to wild type plants. While its knockdown in cotton, reduced Proline accumulation by 60 % and increased electrolyte leakage by 2 fold, rendering plants hypersensitity to Cd stress. Transcriptomic and biochemical analyses demonstrated that BBE7 modulates redox homeostasis via 25% higher glutathione accumulation and hormonal crosstalk, mitigating oxidative damage. Functional analyses further revealed the pivotal role of BBE7 in regulation of oxidative stress, antioxidant production, epigenetic modifications and proline accumulation, thereby enhancing stress resilience. These findings hold substantial promise for reducing cadmium accumulation in soils, thereby mitigating its entry into the food chain and associated health risks. The implications of current study extend beyond fundamental research, addressing real-world challenges associated with environmental stresses and sustainable agriculture practices by enabling safer cultivation in polluted environments.

Drought and soil salinization significantly constrain agricultural productivity, driving the need for molecular breeding strategies to enhance stress resistance. Zinc finger proteins play a critical role in plant response to abiotic stress. In this study, a gene encoding a C2H2-type zinc finger protein (AfZFP5) was cloned from Amorpha fruticosa, a species known for its strong adaptability. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that AfZFP5 expression is regulated by sorbitol, H2O2, NaCl, and NaHCO3. And all four treatments can cause upregulation of AFZFP5 expression in the roots or leaves of Amorpha fruticosa within 48 h. Transgenic tobacco lines overexpressing AfZFP5 demonstrated enhanced tolerance to drought and salt-alkali stress at germination, seedling, and vegetative stages. Compared to wild-type plants, transgenic lines exhibited significantly higher germination rates, root lengths, and fresh weights when treated with sorbitol, NaCl, and NaHCO3. Under natural drought and salt-alkali stress conditions, transgenic plants showed elevated activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD), and upregulated expression of oxidative stress-related kinase genes (NtSOD, NtPOD) during the vegetative stage. Additionally, transgenic tobacco displayed lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content and reduced staining levels with 3,3 ' diaminobenzidine (DAB) and Nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT), indicating enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capacity by AfZFP5 upon salt-alkali stress. Under simulated drought with PEG6000 and salt-alkali stress, chlorophyll fluorescence intensity and Fv/Fm values in transgenic tobacco were significantly higher than in wild-type plants during the vegetative stage, suggesting that AfZFP5 mitigates stress-induced damage to the photosynthetic system. This study highlights the role of AfZFP5 in conferring drought and salt-alkali stress tolerance, providing genetic resources and a theoretical foundation for breeding stress-resistance crops.

Excessive boron (B) levels in soil can lead to toxicity in plants, impacting their growth and productivity. Effective strategies to reduce B uptake are important for improving crop performance in contaminated soils. This experiment aimed to investigate the effects of chicken manure incineration ash (CMA) and triple superphosphate (TSP) on B uptake in barley plants grown in B-contaminated soil. Before the experiment, the chemical composition and molecular structure of CMA were analyzed using XRF, XRD and SEM. The soil was contaminated with 15 mg kg-1 of B, and both TSP and CMA were applied at rates of 40, 80, and 160 mg kg-1 of phosphorus (P). Neither P source had a significant impact on plant dry weight. However, increasing doses of applied TSP and CMA increased plant P concentration while significantly decreasing B concentration. Particularly with CMA applied at 160 mg kg-1 P dose, plant B concentration decreased to the lowest level of 194 mg kg-1. Increasing P doses led to a slight decrease in plant silicon (Si) concentration. The pH of soil samples taken after the experiment slightly increased with CMA treatments compared to TSP. The available P concentration in soils increased with increasing P doses. The available B concentration decreased with increasing P doses, especially reducing to the lowest level of 2.52 mg kg-1 in soils with a 40 mg kg-1 P, CMA. In conclusion, in addition to the effect of P, the molecular structure of P is also important in reducing B uptake in barley.

Soil salinization in arid and coastal areas poses a significant threat to crop production, which is further aggravated by climate change and the over-exploitation of aquifers. Cultivation of salt and drought-tolerant crops such as quinoa represents a promising adaptation pathway for agriculture in saline soils. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a salt-loving plant, known for its tolerance to drought and salinity using complex stress responses. However, available models of quinoa growth are limited, particularly under salinity stress. The objective of this study was to calibrate the crop growth, and salinity and drought stress parameters of the SWAP - WOFOST model and evaluate whether this model can represent quinoa's stress tolerance mechanisms. Field experimental data were used from two quinoa varieties: ICBA-Q5 grown under saline conditions in Laayoune, Morocco, in 2021, and Bastille grown under rainfed, non-saline conditions in Merelbeke, Belgium, from 2018 to 2023. Calibration and parameter uncertainty was performed using the DiffeRential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis (DREAMzs) algorithm on key parameters identified via sensitivity analysis using the Morris method. The resulting crop parameters provide insights into the stress tolerance mechanisms of quinoa, including reduction of transpiration and uptake of solutes. The salinity stress function of SWAP effectively represents these tolerance mechanisms and accurately predicts the impact on yield, under arid conditions. Under Northwestern European climate, the model replicates the impact of drought stress on yield. The calibrated model offers perspectives for evaluating practices to reduce soil salinization in arid conditions and for modeling crop performance under water-limited conditions or future salinization in temperate regions.

The present study uncovers the impacts of pesticide-thiamethoxam (TMX- 750 mg L- 1 ) and salicylic acid (SA- 0.01, 0.1 and 1 mM) in Brassica juncea L. TMX poisoning exacerbates the nuclear and membrane damage, whereas an increment in the oxidative stress markers like hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anions (O2- ) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents has been observed. The significance of phytohormone SA in mitigating TMX toxicity by enhancing the growth, and antioxidant capacities of B. juncea seedlings is not well documented. Salicylic acid priming to these TMX-exposed seedlings maximizes the germination potential by 34%, and root, shoot length by 86.9% and 41.5%, whereas, minimizing the levels of oxidative stress indicators such as H2O2 by 34.8%, O 2- by 26.9% and amounts of MDA by 45.6% and EL (electrolyte leakage) contents by 22.7% under 1 mM of SA. Also, an increment in the activity of enzymatic antioxidants like superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APOX), glutathione peroxidase (GPOX), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), glutathione reductase (GR), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) by 122.1%, 186%, 39%, 82.61%, 40.02%, 75.6% and 59.5% was observed when TMX exposed seeds were supplemented with the highest SA (1 mM) concentration. Whereas, an upregulation in the gene expressions of enzymatic antioxidants was assessed as well as a swift decrease in the RBOH1 (respiratory burst oxidase1) gene expression was observed under the subsequent SA supplementation. Thus, the results effectively address the ameliorative potentials of exogenously applied SA in order to maximize the growth and development, by mediating osmotic adjustments, and antioxidant potentials in B. juncea L.