Cicer Arietinum Plants Research Articles

Use of image analysis in the evaluation of radicular nodules in chickpeas

The use of advanced computational systems facilitates the application of a wide range of statistical techniques, available in open-source format, to perform analyses of substantial complexity in biological systems, particularly in the field of plant biology. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the application of image analysis in the evaluation of root nodules in Cicer arietinum plants. The research was conducted in the field, where roots were collected, subjected to rigorous cleaning protocols and subsequently photographed under precisely controlled studio conditions. This photographic process was performed using equipment configured with meticulous parameter settings. Subsequently, image analyses were performed using the statistical software package, R. Parameters of interest were quantified, including metrics such as root area, nodule area, the proportional representation of nodules in relation to the total root mass and the absolute count of nodules present. A critical comparison between the proposed analytical methodology and conventional approaches evidenced a substantial improvement in efficiency, thus highlighting the robustness and validity of this analytical framework for the outlined research objectives. Therefore, the developed methodology has significant potential to facilitate accurate and comprehensive analyses of nodules and root systems, thus making a notable contribution to fostering a deeper understanding and exploration of plant-microorganism interactions. Furthermore, this methodological advancement has the potential to contribute to reducing operational costs and optimizing the time spent on such meticulous evaluative undertakings.

Effective removal of toxic mixed azo dyes and Cr (VI) ions from wastewater using an integrated approach

The textile industry generates a significant amount of wastewater, including hazardous dyes, pigments, and heavy metals. The integrated approach of isolated bacterial strain and the bacterially synthesized ZnO nanoparticles was used in the removal of mixed azo dyes and Cr(VI) in a lab-scale bioreactor. It resulted in 77.19 % bromocresol purple (4th day), 50.11 % on bromocresol blue (3rd day), and 50.59 % bromocresol green (4th day) removal. Mixed azo dyes and Cr(VI) were removed using bacterial strain, which showed the maximum removal of Cr(VI) was 73.6 % at 25 ppm (3rd day) and mixed azo dyes removal was a maximum of 49.01 % at 75 ppm. A lab-scale reactor study using bacterial strain resulted in 45.89 % (5th day) of mixed azo dye and Cr(VI) removal. However, when the reactor was employed with synthetic wastewater and bacterially synthesized ZnO nanoparticles, achieved a maximum removal of 53.84 % at 120 min. Also, a phytotoxicity study on the Cicer arietinum plant with different concentrations of mixed azo dyes and chromium concentrations showed a maximum length of 5.5 cm at 100 ppm (3rd day). The bacterial strain and synthesized ZnO nanoparticles integrated technique providing an economically viable and scale-up solution for wastewater treatment techniques.

Assessment of Physiological, Cellular and Biochemical Responses to Salt Stress in Vigna mungo and Cicer arietinum : A Preliminary Study

A major environmental stress that affects plant growth negatively is salt stress. It is responsible for damaging an array of commercial plants utilized as food sources in several countries. Plants being sessile, are unable to avoid the effects of salt stress. The primary goal of this specific research was to analyze the morphological, cellular, and biochemical impact of salt stress on two commercially important crops, Vigna mungo and Cicer arietinum plants by subjecting them to two concentrations of salt viz. 50 and 100 mM while maintaining control. The crops were subjected to stress and growth, biochemical and genetic parameters were assessed. The growth parameters Showed that stress inflicted by plants significantly affected shoot length and root length and the quantitative change in adventitious roots. It was also observed to destroy both species’ tetrad structure of the vascular bundles. The impact was also visible on the cell division, where the mitosis was observed to decrease considerably. The biochemical assays indicated that NaCl significantly induced stress in these plants by reducing the catalase activity along with the chlorophyll pigments and causing an accumulation of proline and phenolic compounds. The comparative study showed that V. mungo’s response to the salt stress exceeded that of C. arietinum at similar salt concentrations, indicating that assessing the soil for these specific stress inducing ions before crop plantation will help in enhancing the productivity of the land, thereby increasing the yield.

In situ self-induced electrical stimulation to plants: Modulates morphogenesis, photosynthesis and gene expression in Vigna radiata and Cicer arietinum

Specific stimuli to plants influence intracellular and intercellular communications, activation of ion channels, gene expression, growth and development. The functional role of self-induced in situ electrical stimuli at the rhizosphere of the plant by placing electrode assembly in a defined circuit mode was studied on the growth and development of Vigna radiata and Cicer arietinum plants. Experiments were designed with three-circuit mode configurational variations (CC-P, OC-P and SC-P) and compared with the relative performance of control system (non-potential). The plants cultivated under the in situ electrical stimuli (low-current) showed a marked influence on growth and photosynthetic performance of the plants. CC-P operation showed improved vegetative growth, characterized by increased roots, shoots and biomass along with accelerated plant growth from seed germination to vegetation, flowering and pod formation leading towards earlier and more robust flowering compared to control system. Plants also showed higher aquaporin gene expression levels in CC-P operation. The control operation showed 10 days additional maturation time compared to CC-P operation. The strategy can be beneficially applied to augment the bioremediation capacity of complex pollutants with reference to phytoremediation or constructed wetland systems where the plant and its roots are the main enabler apart from agriculture applications specific to nursery-raised or transplanted plants.

Mitigating phytotoxicity of tetracycline by metal-free 8-hydroxyquinoline functionalized carbon nitride photocatalyst

Photooxidative removal of pharmaceuticals and organic dyes is an effective way to eliminate growing micropollutants. However, photooxidation often results in byproducts as secondary hazardous substances such as phytotoxins. Herein, we found that photooxidation of common antibiotic tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) over a metal-free 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) functionalized carbon nitride (CN) photocatalyst significantly reduces the TCH phytotoxic effect. The phytotoxicity test of photocatalytic treated TCH-solution evaluated towards seed growth of Cicer arietinum plant model endowed natural root and shoot growth. This study highlights the conceptual insights in designing of metal-free photocatalyst for environmental remediation.

Chemotaxis and physiological adaptation of an indigenous abiotic stress tolerant plant growth promoting Pseudomonas stutzeri: Amelioration of salt stress to Cicer arietinum

Abstract Abiotic stress factors hugely affect the agricultural productivity worldwide out of which the most hazardous factor is soil salinization. Most of the crops species are susceptible to increased soil salinity; there is a great interest in developing new strategies to ameliorate salt stress as well as to make robust crop species. In this study we have selected saline sodic soil. The isolation of bacterial species was carried out on the basis of salt tolerance ability and having PGP traits by enrichment technique. Characterization and identification of isolate was done by 16 S rDNA and Gyrase-B. The isolate SGM-1 could grow at increasing salt concentrations up to 12% w/v NaCl with wide temperature and pH ranges. Pseudomonas stutzeri SGM-1 showed elongation of cells as a response to salt stress. The selected strain of Pseudomonas stutzeriSGM-1 exhibited diazotrophy by growing on nitrogen free media along with expression of other PGP traits as phosphate solubilization, auxin and siderophore production. The amelioration of the salt stress to the Cicer arietinum plant by isolate's bio-fertigation was observed up to 300 mM of NaCl. This study provides the basis for role of adaptation of soil microorganism to thrive the high stress environment. Also, the isolate exhibited indigenous salt and other abiotic stress tolerance along with potential PGP traits which indicates that it could promote plant growth by contributing to macro and micro essential nutrition in salt and other abiotic stresses.

Amelioration effect of chromium-tolerant bacteria on growth, physiological properties and chromium mobilization in chickpea (Cicer arietinum) under chromium stress.

In this study, chromium (Cr)-tolerant bacteria were test for their efficiency in alleviating Cr stress in Cicer arietinum plants. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene analysis, the isolates were identified belonging to genus Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Bacillus thuringiensis B. cereus, and B. subtilis. The strains produced a considerable amount of indole-3-acetic acid in a medium supplemented with tryptophan. The strains also showed siderophore production (S2VWR5 and S3VKR17), phosphorus production (S1VKR11, S3VKR2, S3VKR16, and S2VWR5), and potassium solubilization (S3VKR2, S2VWR5, and S3VKR17). Furthermore, the strains were evaluated in pot experiments to assess the growth promotion of C. arietinum in the presence of chromium salts. Bacterization improved higher root and shoot length considerably to 6.25%-60.41% and 11.3%-59.6% over the control. The plants also showed increase in their fresh weight and dry weight in response to inoculation with Cr-tolerant strains. The accumulation of Cr was higher in roots compared to shoots in both control and inoculated plants, indicating phytostabilization of Cr by C. arietinum. However, phytostabilization was found to be improved manifold in inoculated plants. Apart from the plant attributes, the amendment of soil with Cr and Cr-tolerant bacteria significantly increased the content of total chlorophyll and carotenoids, suggesting the inoculant's role in protecting plants from deleterious effects. This work suggests that the combined activity of Cr-tolerant and plant growth-promoting (PGP) properties of the tested strains could be exploited for bioremediation of Cr and to enhance the C. arietinum cultivation in Cr-contaminated soils.

Isolation and characterization of phosphate solubilizing bacteria in Erbil soil and study their effects on Cicer arietinum plant growth and phosphorus uptake

Plants require phosphorus from soil as phosphate anion. It is the least mobile element in plant and soil contrary to other macronutrients. Some soil microorganisms play an important role in plant nutrition through increase in phosphate uptake by plants and used as biofertilizers for agricultural crops. A study was conducted to isolate phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) from Erbil soil. Twenty isolates of PSB were isolated from thirty rhizospheric soil samples of Erbil governorate. The isolates belonged to Bacillus megaterium and Pseudomonas putida. For pot experiment, two efficient PSB isolates selected from the colonies based on their ability to form clear halo zone on Pikovskaya‘s agar medium, and they were also able to solubilize tricalcium phosphate in broth culture and released high amount of phosphorus. Pot experiment showed that both bacterial species remarkably enhanced plant (Cicer arietinum) height, root length, root and shoot dry weight, phosphorus uptake and available P- content of soil compared to the control. Based on the results, it could be concluded that PSB isolates (Bacillus megaterium and Pseudomonas putida) possess great potential to be developed as biofertilizer to enhance soil fertility and plant growth.

Controlled biofertilizer release kinetics and moisture retention in gum xanthan-based IPN

A crosslinked interpenetrating network based on gum xanthan was produced in the presence of gamma radiation and its potential as controlled release fertilizer was evaluated. Different process parameters such as gamma radiation dose, solvent amount, crosslinker and monomer concentrations were optimized to determine the maximum fluid uptake capacity of the synthesized sample. The samples were characterized using FTIR, XRD and SEM. The thermal stability was investigated using TGA, DTG and DTA techniques. The biofertilizer extracted from vermicompost was used as model agro-chemical and the presence of essential macro- and micronutrients in the biofertilizer was confirmed by chemical analysis. The in vitro release kinetics was administered by Korsmeyer–Peppas model. Release exponents were found in the range of 0.8–0.9, signifying the non-Fickian mode of diffusion where the relaxation of polymer matrix also played an important role. Further, the impact of biofertilizer control release on Cicer arietinum plant growth was investigated and it was found that there was an increase in stem and root bio-mass. The synthesized candidate polymer was found to act as a mini-water reservoir in different soil types and prolonged soil moisture for more than 50 days. Therefore, the synthesized superabsorbent with controlled release of biofertilizer can protect the environment from adverse effects of carcinogenic synthetic fertilizer leaching, along with its functionality to act as water reservoir in the fields.

Optimization of high-yielding protocol for DNA extraction from the forest rhizosphere microbes

Soil is major reservoir for microbes and harbors a vast microbial diversity. Soil microbiota plays a pivotal role in biogeochemical cycles, bioremediation, and in health and disease states of humans, animals, and plants. It is imperative to understand the microbial signatures which are specific in such an ecosystem to unravel their potential role and impact on environment. During the recent years, exploration of soil microbial communities has been geared up with the advent of advanced sequencing technologies. Introduction of custom-made protocols and optimized procedures have enhanced the accuracy levels along with cost-effectiveness of DNA extraction. Standardization of DNA extraction method from soil microbiota has its own limitations due to different nature of soils and the complexity of ecosystems. Though a few standardized protocols are in usage, huge variations and complexities among the microbial communities frequently suggest the optimization, based on various known and unknown factors. Therefore, a set of four standardized DNA isolation protocols was comparatively analyzed with respect to our custom-made protocol owing to the scientific fact that the same protocol does not hold good for all soil samples. Furthermore, the developed protocol has been successfully applied for the identification of efficient plant-specific Rhizobial stains for five legume plants from the soils of various locations under same geographical region. Out of 40 Badrachalam forest soils, five samples, KPFS36, CHFS17, TPFS33, GVFS06, and GPFS40, one for each of Arachis hypogaea, Vigna radiata, Vigna mungo, Glycine max, and Cicer arietinum plants, were selected, respectively, for the soil DNA extraction. A considerable improvement in the DNA yield was identified using the modified protocol with a yield of 21.08 μg/g providing abundant DNA fragments for further investigation on Rhizobial species.

Influence of endophytic Bacillus pumilus and EDTA on the phytoextraction of Cu from soil by using Cicer arietinum

ABSTRACT In developing countries, soil contamination with metals is ubiquitous, which poses a serious threat to the ecosystem. The current study was designed to screen out the nested belongings of Cicer arietinum plants and Bacillus pumilus (KF 875447) in extracting copper (Cu) from contaminated soils. A pot experiment was executed by growing C. arietinum seedlings either inoculated with B. pumilus or uninoculated along with the application of 5 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Plants were subjected to three different concentrations of Cu (250, 350, and 500 ppm) for 48 days. An increase in Cu uptake was observed in C. arietinum plants inoculated with B. pumilus as compared to uninoculated ones. C. arietinum exhibited improved values for different growth parameters in the presence of B. pumilus, that is, root length (37%), shoot length (31%), whole plant fresh as well as (45%) dry weight (27%), and chlorophyll contents (32%). More than 70% of tolerance index (TI) was observed for plants at 500 ppm Cu treatment. Addition of B. pumilus and EDTA significantly increased metal uptake by C. arietinum up to 19 and 36%, respectively, while the application of B. pumilus and EDTA in combination increased metal accumulation by 41%. The calculated bioaccumulation and translocation factor (TF) revealed that C. arietinum possess phytoextraction potential for Cu, and this ability is significantly improved with application of B. pumilus and EDTA amendments.

Salicylic acid enhances the efficiency of nitrogen fixation and assimilation in Cicer arietinum plants grown under cadmium stress

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of salicylic acid (SA) on nitrogen fixation and assimilation under conditions of cadmium stress in chickpea plants. Chickpea seeds were sown in pots containing 0, 25, 50, or 100 mg of cadmium per kilogram of soil. The foliage of the 30-day-old plants was sprayed with 10−5 M SA, and the activities of nitrogenase, nitrate reductase, glutamine synthetase, glutamate synthase, and glutamate dehydrogenase were investigated. SA exposure increased the number of nodules, fresh and dry nodule masses, leghemoglobin content, and activity of the nitrogen-fixing enzyme nitrogenase compared with the control conditions. Furthermore, SA application enhanced the activities of the enzymes involved in nitrogen assimilation, in both the control and cadmium-stressed plants. The overall results indicate that SA increases the fixation and assimilation of nitrogen regardless of whether the plants are grown in the presence or absence of cadmium.

Water soluble carbon nanotubes affect growth of the common gram (Cicer arietinum)

AbstractMulti-walled Carbon nanotube, its role and implications in biological systems are currently under evaluation and became interesting for many researchers primarily working on the interface of chemistry, physics and biology. However, concerns about the potential toxicity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes have been raised. To carry such affords, herein we investigate the effects of carboxylic acid functionalized water soluble carbon nanotube (wsCNT) on the growth of gram Cicer arietinum plant. The growth of gram plants was observed with and without the presence of wsCNT to demonstrate that carboxylated functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes showed better growth and under more wsCNT, the growth was enhanced without showing apparent toxicity. Although this is a preliminary study with a small group of plants, our results encourage further confirmation studies with larger groups of plants.

�ber Vorkommen und Lokalisation eines flavonolumwandelnden Enzyms in Pflanzen

The occurrence and distribution of an enzyme converting flavonols to 2,3-dihydroxy flavanones has been measured in various plants and found to occur in all plants tested. In garbanzo bean, Cicer arietinum L., the enzyme is found mainly in roots, hypocotyls, epicotyls and cytoledons while the other organs, rich in flavonols, possess much lower levels of the enzyme. In garbanzo seedlings the enzyme is formed between the second and sixth day after germination and appears parallel to the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase. The data indicate that the enzymes for both flavonol biosynthesis and turnover are formed simultaneously. These results further support earlier observations that regulation of flavonoid formation and regulation of turnover seem to be dependent on each other. The activity of the flavonol-converting enzyme does not increase in Cicer arietinum plants transferred to darkness though under such conditions flavonol turnover is accelerated. In Pisum sativum, Glycine max and Sinapis alba the flavonol converting enzyme is more evenly distributed over all organs, so that a correlation between flavonol content and enzyme is less obvious. The data are discussed with respect to intracellular regulation of flavonol turnover.