Taurine (TAU) has recently been found to have an impactful role in regulating plant responses under abiotic stresses. This study presented the comparative effects of TAU seed priming and foliar spray application on chickpea plants exposed to hexavalent chromium. Taurine priming and foliar applications (1.6 and 2.4 mM) notably modulated morpho-physiological and biochemical responses of plants under Cr(VI) stress. Plants subjected to 25 mg kg-1 soil Cr in the form of potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) displayed a significant reduction in growth, chlorophyll, and uptake of essential nutrients (N, K, P, and Ca). Cr(VI) toxicity also resulted in a notable increase in osmolyte accumulation, lipid peroxidation, relative membrane permeability, ROS generation, antioxidant enzyme activities, antioxidant compounds, endogenous Cr levels, and aerial Cr translocation. Taurine abridged lipoxygenase activity to diminish lipid peroxidation owing to the overproduction of ROS initiated by a higher Cr content. The acquisition and assimilation of essential nutrients were augmented by the TAU-related decrease in leaf and root Cr levels. Consequently, TAU enhanced growth by mitigating oxidative damage, reducing Cr content in the aerial parts, and reinforcing the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Compared to foliar spray, TAU seed priming has demonstrated superior efficacy in mitigating Cr phytotoxicity in plants.

Purpose: Biochar is a carbon rich material that showed positive outcomes on plant growth and productivity enduring abiotic stresses. The objective of the present investigation is thus to determine the potential of biochar to mitigate the detrimental impacts of salinity in Lepidium sativum. Method: Salinity stress was induced by NaC1 at different concentrations ranging from 0 to 5000 mg/L. Biochar was applied in two concentrations: 0.5 and 1%. For biochar preparation, dry rice straw was heated at 400 OC at certain pyrolysis conditions. Results: The study established that salt medium significantly reduced seed germination and amylase activity, with the highest decrease of 63 and 50.6%, respectively, at 5000 mg/L. The relative permeability of the cell membrane was associated with substantial increases in lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide. The free radicle scavengers' total phenolic, flavonoid, and proline levels were also induced. The use of prepared biochar at 0.5 and 1% reduced the damaging effects of salt stress by enhancing the activity of the alpha-amylase enzyme, resulting in a significant rise in germination (95% at 5000 mg/L by 0.5% of biochar). In contrast, the application of 0.5% biochar at 5000 mg/L significantly decreased MDA and hydrogen peroxide concentrations to 24.4 mg/g f wt and 1.39 mM/g d wt, respectively, compared to 48.21 and 1.77 in the control. Positive relationships between the multiple data revealed the largest augmentation of germination, dry weight, and antioxidant chemicals in stressed seedlings with 0.5% biochar. Biochar alleviated the hazardous effects of NaCl on L. sativum by decreasing free radicle formation and lipid peroxidation, thereby enhancing germination and early growth. Conclusion: The positive impact of biochar on salt stressed seedlings may underline its potential to have opposing NaCl consequences on development and sustain growth.

Cadmium significantly impacts plant growth and productivity by disrupting physiological, biochemical, and oxidative defenses, leading to severe damage. The application of Zn-Lys improves plant growth while reducing the stress caused by heavy metals on plants. By focusing on cadmium stress and potential of Zn-Lys on pea, we conducted a pot-based study, organized under completely randomized block design CRD-factorial at the Botanical Garden of Government College University, Faisalabad. Both pea cultivars were grown in several concentrations of cadmium @ 0, 50 and 100 mu M, and Zn-Lys were exogenously applied @ 0 mg/L and 10 mg/L with three replicates for each treatment. Cd-toxicity potentially reduces plant growth, chlorophyll contents, osmoprotectants, and anthocyanin content; however, an increase in MDA, H2O2 initiation, enzymatic antioxidant activities as well as phenolic, flavonoid, proline was observed. Remarkably, exogenously applied Zn-Lys significantly enhanced the plant growth, biomass, photosynthetic attributes, osmoprotectants, and anthocyanin con-tents, while further increase in enzymatic antioxidant activities, total phenolic, flavonoid, and proline contents were noticed. However, application of Zn-Lys instigated a remarkable decrease in levels of MDA and H2O2. It can be suggested with recommendation to check the potential of Zn-Lys on plants under cadmium-based toxic soil.