Increased Crop Growth Research Articles

Potential of Indigofera tinctoria Natural Dyes Compost on Maize Vegetative Growth

Expanding sustainable agriculture approaches is critical to increase crop growth and productivity. This farming system should involve organic fertilization and not neglect the recycle of organic waste. One of the organic wastes that can be used as compost is Indigofera tinctoria natural dye waste. The research objective was to examine the vegetative growth response of corn plants to Indigofera tinctoria compost. The design used was a complete randomized block design with one factor of fertilization doses with 3 six levels namely 2.91; 5.83; 8.75; 11.67; 14.58 tons/ha, and chemical fertilizers as controls. Indigofera tinctoria compost meets the standards as organic fertilizer according to the Ministry of Agriculture with characteristics of 18.2% water content, 52.48% organic C, 90.48% organic matter, 2.84% total nitrogen, 1.54% total phosphate, total potassium 2.44%, 1.30% available nitrogen, 0.92% available phosphate, 1.52% available potassium and 60 cmol/kg cation exchange capacity. The dose of compost significantly affected on plant height of 2-4 WAP, stem diameter of 2 WAP , and root biomass of 2 WAP. The compost dose of 5.83 tons/ha has increased root growth and plant height.

Vertical farming for crop production

Vertical farming for crop production

ZnO quantum dots outperform nanoscale and bulk particles for enhancing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) growth and nutritional values.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) seedlings were exposed by foliar or root applications to Zn in different nanoscale and non-nanoscale forms (40 mg Zn/L) under hydroponic conditions for 15 days. Under foliar exposure, ZnO QDs significantly promoted tomato growth, while ZnO NPs and BPs had lower impacts. ZnO QDs increased fresh weight and plant height by 42.02 % and 21.10 % relative to the untreated controls, respectively. The ionic control (ZnSO4·7H2O, 176.6 mg/L) decreased fresh weight by 39.31 %. ZnO QDs also significantly increased the Chla/Chlb ratio, as well as carotenoids and protein content by 7.70 %, 8.90 % and 26.33 %, respectively, over the untreated controls, suggesting improvement in seedling photosynthetic performance. Antioxidant enzyme (POD, PPO and PAL) activities in ZnO QDs treated shoots were significantly decreased by 31.1 %, 17.8 % and 48.3 %, respectively, indicating no overt oxidative damage from exposure. Importantly, the translocation factor of Zn (TFZn) in the foliar exposure of the ZnO QDs treatment was 73.2 %, 97.1 % and 276.9 % greater than the NPs, BPs, and ionic controls, respectively. Overall, these findings clearly demonstrate that foliar spray of nanoscale nutrients at the appropriate concentration and size can significantly increase crop growth and be a sustainable approach to nano-enabled agriculture.

Biostimulants and Herbicides: A Promising Approach towards Green Deal Implementation

Biostimulants are products that can increase crop growth and can be applied either to the soil or to the plant and seed of a wide range of crops. However, there is a large gap in knowledge regarding the potential interactions of biostimulants with plant protection products like herbicides. The present review aims to highlight various effects of the combined use of biostimulants with herbicides in terms of weed management, crop yield and quality parameters. Special emphasis is given to the comparison between the combined use of biostimulants with herbicides and herbicides used alone (without biostimulants). In wheat and potato, the combined use of biostimulants with herbicides can in some cases be beneficial for the crop compared with herbicides alone, with recorded yield increases of up to 14.7% depending on the biostimulant, the herbicide, the year and the method of application (mixture or sequentially). Combining herbicides and biostimulants shows potential to achieve good weed management while improving crop yields and quality and thus lower herbicide rates could be probably used for sufficient weed control in full agreement with the goals of Green Deal and agroecology approaches.

The effect of rhizobia in improving the protective mechanisms of wheat under drought and supplementary irrigation conditions

IntroductionWheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a strategic crop and one of the world's most essential cereals, providing most of the world's calories and protein needs. Drought stress is one of the main limitations for crop production such as wheat in arid and semi-arid regions. Plants can accumulate antioxidants, carbohydrates, and stress hormones that stimulate cell and molecular regeneration under stress conditions. Irrigation saves water, improves crop photosynthesis, and increases plant ability to absorb water and elements from soil. Therefore, irrigation at the right time or supplementary irrigation can help plant growth and crop yield under drought conditions. Appropriate nutrition with fertilizers increases plants' stress tolerance. Bio-fertilizers are restorative elements used in soil to improve tolerance to stresses such as drought stress. A well-known class of bio-fertilizers is plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). These rhizosphere bacteria affect plant development and productivity by interacting with roots. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) alleviate drought stress in plants by enhancing their ability to absorb water and nutrients from the soil. Seaweed extract bio-fertilizer is organic matter used to increase crop growth and soil fertility. This bio-fertilizer is utilized as growth stimulants and food supplements. Our research analyzed the effects of rhizobia and seaweed extracts on wheat's drought resistance mechanisms.Materials and methodsThis research was conducted in Iran in the crop years of 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 in the research farm of Kurdistan University Faculty of Agriculture located in Dehgolan with coordinates 47°18′ 55″ East and 35°19′ 10″ North with an altitude of 1866 meters above sea level, 45 kilometers east It was done on the wheat plant in Sanandaj city. The experiment was conducted in the form of a split-split plot in the form of a randomized complete block design with four replications. Irrigation treatments as the main factor (no irrigation or dry-land, one irrigation in the booting stage, two irrigations in the booting and spike stages), two wheat cultivars (Sardari and Sirvan) as secondary factors, and the application of biological fertilizers at eight levels including Mycorrhiza + Nitrozist and Phosphozist, Seaweed extract + Nitrozist and Phosphozist, Mycorrhiza + Seaweed extract, Mycorrhiza + Nitrozist and Phosphozist and no application of biological fertilizers (control) as Sub-sub-factors were considered.Results and discussionAccording to the study, when bio-fertilizer was applied with once and twice supplementary irrigation levels, leaf relative water content (RWC) and soluble protein content (SPC) increased, while lack of irrigation increased malondialdehyde (MDA). In both years, bio-fertilizers, especially their combinations, increased the amount and activity of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, including peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), phenol (Phe), flavonoid (Fla), and anthocyanin (Anth). Also, it enhanced the inhibition of free radicals by 2-2-Diphenyl picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) and cleared active oxygen species. It was found that malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were very low in wheat under two times irrigation with averages of 3.3909 and 3.3865 μmol g−1 FW. The results indicated a significant positive relationship between non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants such as Phe, Fla, Anth, DPPH, POD, and SOD enzymes and their role in improving stress under dry-land conditions, especially in the Sardari variety. Biological fertilizers (Mycorrhiza + Nitrozist and Phosphozist + Seaweed extract) increased wheat yield compared to the control. Furthermore, Mycorrhiza + Nitrozist and Phosphozist + Seaweed extract improved grain yield by 8.04% and 6.96% in the 1st and 2nd years, respectively. Therefore, appropriate combinations of microorganisms, beneficial biological compounds, and supplementary irrigation can reduce the adverse effects of drought stress in arid and semi-arid regions.

Paclobutrazole, NAA and GA3 Effects on Growth and Dry Matter Partitioning of Andrographis paniculata Nees.

Andrographis paniculata is an important medicinal plant which possesses many medicinal applications. Looking to the importance of plant growth regulators one study was carried out on the influence of foliar spraying treatments in the yield of Kariyatu. Different treatments which includes NAA (50,100 and 200 mg l-1) , GA3 (50,100 and 200 mg l-1) and Paclobutrazol (50,100 and 200 mg l-1) with one as control were considered as foliar application at 30 days after transplanting. Experimental results indicated leaf, shoot and total dry matter increased in all the treatments progressivelly upto harvest but root-shoot ratio decreased with increase crop growth stage that means high proportion of shoot is increases. Leaf area duration was increased progressively up to 75–105 days after transplanting and thereafter declined while crop growth rate was shown increased up to 45–75 days after transplanting then decreased during the 75–105 days after transplanting which means after reproductive stage to maturity phase of growth, crop growth rate decline. The biomass duration was increased with age of the crop till harvest. Significantly positive effect was reported in GA3100 mg l-1 and lowest result was found in control. The translocation process must have been more prominent in the foliar spraying of GA3 100 mg l-1 than rest of the treatments indicates that photosynthesis and translocation efficiency increases by foliar spraying treatments with growth regulators. GA3 100 mg l-1 is efficient in dry matter production and its partitioning in leaves, stem as compared to other treatments.

Soil microbiome disruption reveals specific and general plant-bacterial relationships in three agroecosystem soils.

Soil microbiome disruption methods are regularly used to reduce populations of microbial pathogens, often resulting in increased crop growth. However, little is known about the effect of soil microbiome disruption on non-pathogenic members of the soil microbiome. Here, we applied soil microbiome disruption in the form of moist-heat sterilization (autoclaving) to reduce populations of naturally occurring soil microbiota. The disruption was applied to analyze bacterial community rearrangement mediated by four crops (corn, beet, lettuce, and tomato) grown in three historically distinct agroecosystem soils (conventional, organic, and diseased). Applying the soil disruption enhanced plant influence on rhizosphere bacterial colonization, and significantly different bacterial communities were detected between the tested crops. Furthermore, bacterial genera showed significant abundance increases in ways both unique-to and shared-by each tested crop. As an example, corn uniquely promoted abundances of Pseudomonas and Sporocytophaga, regardless of the disrupted soil in which it was grown. Whereas the promotion of Bosea, Dyadobacter and Luteoliobacter was shared by all four crops when grown in disrupted soils. In summary, soil disruption followed by crop introduction amplified the plant colonization of potential beneficial bacterial genera in the rhizosphere.

Deep Insight into IoT-Enabled Agriculture and Network Protocols

In recent years, research has combined the connection of agricultural equipment to increase crop growth rates and lower planting costs by refining the entire planting process. IT-enabled agriculture has beneficial effects on this industry and is yet a source of debate in academic circles. Trending network technologies like WSN and IoT have never been easy to develop and use in agriculture. The growth rate was not increased using outdated, conventional methods and technologies. Additionally, the rapid population expansion cannot meet human demands and expectations. Survey Methodology. The existence of IoT in agriculture was investigated and reported in this review. The paper describes the different IoT-agriculture network protocols. This study clarifies how the Internet affects agriculture and its underlying mechanisms. It also discusses how the growth rate is boosted when both sectors work together. This study intends to explore a platform that offers an infrastructure to link devices using the network protocol used in agriculture. In this study, several contemporary network difficulties relating to agriculture are also covered. Conclusion. The results of this study can be used as a guide for creating particular network protocols for the agriculture industry.

Impact of Compost Tea and Spirulina platensis Algae on Sugar Beet Grown under Different Levels of Inorganic Nitrogen Fertilizer.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Nitrogen is an essential macronutrient for plant growth, improving the absorption and utilization of some other nutrients and controlling total plant development. Compost tea (CT) is an aqueous extract of compost that contains high organic matter levels necessary for plants and aerobic soil microorganisms. <i>Spirulina platensis</i> is a multi-cellular blue-green micro-alga that contains green pigments, high levels of nutrients and plant growth regulators. This work was designed to study the possibility of using CT and <i>S. platensis</i> algae culture filtrate (ACF) in improving plant growth, yield and quality of sugar beet grown under different nitrogen fertilizer levels. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Two field experiments were conducted at Ismailia Research Station, Ismailia Province, Egypt, during the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons. The study involved two N levels (90 and 120 kg/fed), three CT rates (without, 30 and 60 l/fed) and three ACF levels (without, 1 and 2 l/fed) three times. A split-plot design was used. <b>Results:</b> Adding 120 kg N/fed increased crop growth rate (CGR), root yield/fed (RY) and sugar yield/fed (SY), while, sucrose (%) and quality index (QI) decreased. Soil drench with 60 l CT/fed incremented leaf area index (LAI), CGR, sucrose (%), RY and SY. Increasing ACF level up to 2 l/fed increased LAI, sucrose (%), QI, RY and SY. Root yield was positively correlated with SY and negatively with QI. <b>Conclusion:</b> Applying 90 kg N/fed combined with a soil drench of 60 l CT/fed and foliar spraying with 2 l ACF/fed thrice can be recommended to attain economical root and sugar yields.

Crop Yield Prediction Using Improved Extreme Learning Machine

ABSTRACT Crop yield prediction (CYP) is a critical challenge for decision-makers of any kind of levels, including regional and national decision-making. Farmers might use effective CYP model to help them determine what to cultivate or when to grow it. The primary aim of precision agriculture (PA) is to increase crop growth and yield thereby decreasing production costs and emissions. Various developmental factors influence potential yield, including soil properties, irrigation, weather, fertilizer maintenance, and topography. CYP is critical to worldwide agricultural production. To improve the global food security, policymakers depend on reliable forecasts to make timely exports and imports decision. The main aim of this paper is to predict the crop yield using machine-learning technique. The collected data are pre-processed using Kalman filter algorithm and then certain features are extracted using the Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). The CYP is done using the improved extreme learning machine (IELM). The output weight of the extreme learning machine is improved using the chimp optimization algorithm (COA). The implementation tool used in this method is PYTHON and the dataset used for the CYP is farm yield prediction. The experimental results showed an accuracy of 99.99% which is better when compared to existing methods.

Exogenously Applied Proline Enhances Morph-Physiological Responses and Yield of Drought-Stressed Maize Plants Grown Under Different Irrigation Systems.

The exogenous application of osmoprotectants [e.g., proline (Pro)] is an important approach for alleviating the adverse effects of abiotic stresses on plants. Field trials were conducted during the summers of 2017 and 2018 to determine the effects of deficit irrigation and exogenous application of Pro on the productivity, morph-physiological responses, and yield of maize grown under two irrigation systems [surface irrigation (SI) and drip irrigation (DI)]. Three deficit irrigation levels (I100, I85, and I70, representing 100, 85, and 70% of crop evapotranspiration, respectively) and two concentrations of Pro (Pro1 = 2 mM and Pro2 = 4 mM) were used in this study. The plants exposed to drought stress showed a significant reduction in plant height, dry matter, leaf area, chlorophyll content [soil plant analysis development (SPAD)], quantum efficiency of photosystem II [Fv/Fm, Fv/F0, and performance index (PI)], water status [membrane stability index (MSI) and relative water content (RWC)], and grain yield. The DI system increased crop growth and yield and reduced the irrigation water input by 30% compared with the SI system. The growth, water status, and yield of plants significantly decreased with an increase in the water stress levels under the SI system. Under the irrigation systems tested in this study, Pro1 and Pro2 increased plant height by 16 and 18%, RWC by 7 and 10%, MSI by 6 and 12%, PI by 6 and 19%, chlorophyll fluorescence by 7 and 11%, relative chlorophyll content by 9 and 14%, and grain yield by 10 and 14%, respectively, compared with Pro0 control treatment (no Pro). The interaction of Pro2 at I100 irrigation level in DI resulted in the highest grain yield (8.42 t ha–1). However, under the DI or SI system, exogenously applied Pro2 at I85 irrigation level may be effective in achieving higher water productivity and yield without exerting any harmful effects on the growth or yield of maize under limited water conditions. Our results demonstrated the importance of the application of Pro as a tolerance inducer of drought stress in maize.

Biogeoaccumulation of zinc in hybrid rice (Oryza sativa L.) in an Inceptisol amended with soil zinc application and its bioavailability to human being

Soil Zn amended is an efficient agronomical Zn biofortification approach in rice. However, it is still need to know if higher rate of Zn over recommended dose can influence other essential nutrient uptake, high accumulation of Zn in soils and health risk for human consumption. This study was conducted by taking ten treatments (T1: control, T2: RDF, T3: RDF + 1.25 mg kg-1, T4: RDF + 2.5 mg kg-1, T5: RDF + 3.75 mg kg-1, T6: RDF + 5 mg kg-1, T7: RDF + 6.25 mg kg-1, T8: RDF + 7.5 mg kg-1, T9: RDF + 8.75 mg kg-1, T10: RDF + 10 mg kg-1) on hybrid rice in Zn (1.20 mg kg-1) enriched soil. The findings have shown that 6.25 mg kg-1 Zn application significantly increased crop growth and grain concentrations of N, K, Zn, Cu and Fe by 71.4, 125, 78.9, 28.5 and 2.4%, respectively. Nutrient harvest index was significantly affected by ranged between 29.1–36.4%. Application of Zn at 6.25 mg kg-1 (T7) recorded the highest Zn concentration in grain (28.2 mg kg-1) and bioavailability of the fortified Zn (2.05 mg Zn day-1). The lowest phytatic acid concentration in grain was recorded in T8 (RDF + Zn at 7.5 mg kg-1) and after that a significant increase was observed. Transfer coefficient was inversely behaving with Zn application and ranged between 6.03–18.0 grain. The average daily intake of Zn was ranged between 0.075–0.118 mg-1 kg-1 day. Across different treatments the Zn build-up factor, geo-accumulation index and soil enrichment factor was ranged between 0.98–4.90, -0.61–1.70 and 0.24–1.82, respectively in post-harvest soil. In conclusion, agronomic biofortification of Zn through soil applications at 6.25 mg Zn kg-1 was a sustainable way to improving growth and grain Zn, N, K, Cu and Fe uptake of hybrid rice to meet human recruitment.

Optimal NPK Fertilizer Combination Increases Panax ginseng Yield and Quality and Affects Diversity and Structure of Rhizosphere Fungal Communities.

Soil microorganisms affect crop rhizospheres via the transformation and transport of nutrients, which has important influences on soil fertility, carbon sequestration, and plant yield and health in agroecosystems. There are few reports on the effects of fertilizer application on the growth of Panax ginseng (C. A. Mey.) or the structure of its rhizosphere microbial communities. In this study, an orthogonal experimental design was used to explore the effects of nine different combinations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizers with different amounts and proportions on ginseng growth and accumulation of ginsenosides and the structure of rhizosphere soil fungal communities. Soil without fertilization was the control. With the combined application of NPK, ginseng growth and development increased. The fertilization scheme N3P1K3, with N fertilizer at 50 g·m−2, P fertilizer at 15 g·m−2, and K fertilizer at 60 g·m−2, had the most comprehensive benefit and significantly increased ginseng rhizome biomass and ginsenoside contents (Rg1, Re, Rf, Rg2, Rb1, Ro, Rc, Rb2, Rb3, and Rd). Amplicon sequencing showed that NPK application increased the diversity of fungal communities in ginseng rhizospheres, whereas richness was bidirectionally regulated by proportions and amounts of NPK. Ascomycota was the dominant fungal phylum in ginseng rhizosphere soil, and relative abundances decreased with combined NPK application. Combined NPK application increased the relative abundance of potential beneficial fungi, such as Mortierella, but decreased that of potentially pathogenic fungi, such as Fusarium. Correlation analysis showed that potential beneficial fungi were significantly positively correlated with ginseng rhizome yield and ginsenoside contents, whereas the opposite relation was observed with potential pathogenic fungi. Thus, in addition to directly increasing crop growth, precise NPK application can also increase crop adaptability to the environment by shaping specific microbial communities. The results of this study suggest that the combined effects of biotic and abiotic processes on agricultural production determine crop yield and quality.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi prevent the negative effect of drought and modulate the growth‐defence trade‐off in tomato plants

AbstractIntroductionA wide range of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can be applied to agricultural soils as biofertilizers for increasing crop growth and yield. Current research also shows that AMF can stimulate plant defences against a range of herbivores and pathogens. However, to date, the efficient use of AMF in agriculture is largely impaired by our inability to predict the performance of different AMF‐plant complexes in variable environments. For instance, AMFs by increasing plant foraging capacity might alleviate allocation constraints in relation to growth versus defences. However, whether this effect occurs might depend on the in situ conditions. The main goal of this study was to investigate the context‐dependency of the ability of AMF to modulate plant growth and resistance against herbivores under variable soil water availability.Materials and MethodsTo address our goal, we performed a greenhouse experiment for measuring the effect of different AMF inocula (Funneliformis mosseae, Rhizophagus irregularis, or both) on tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) growth and defences against an insect herbivore under two conditions: a normal watering regime or drought conditions. We measured the functional, physiological and chemical traits of the plants.ResultsWe found that AMF presence generally decreased plant growth, but increased chemical defences and resistance against generalist caterpillars. Such growth‐defence trade‐off was nonetheless dependent on the identity of the mycorrhizal inoculum and on soil water content. Under drought, inoculated tomato plants lowered their investment to defence and noninoculated plants lowered their growth.ConclusionThis study highlights the influence of abiotic factors and fungal identity on plant–AMF–herbivore interactions. In a broader sense, our results point to the necessity of finding AMF species that have reduced context‐dependency to climatic factors, for more widespread use in organic agriculture.

PROBLEMS OF INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF CROP PRODUCTION

The article discusses the problems of increasing the efficiency of crop production, the impact on meeting food needs, which will help increase crop growth and solve agricultural problems. The tasks of this sector have been reduced to providing the population with basic foodstuffs, primarily food and light, industrial products. Currently, there are three categories of agricultural producers in this area of production: agricultural organizations, farmers, households. They make various contributions to the production of agricultural products, the individual ratio and quality of resources used, there are trends of unequal development within the main economic regions of the country. However, in general, the situation with crop production is still unstable.

Machine Learning Techniques for Precision Agriculture Using Wireless Sensor Networks

In India, approximately 70% of the total population is dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. Hence, it is essential to pay attention to agriculture to increase crop quality and quantity, thus increasing the overall cultivation yield. The traditional methods used require a lot of farmer’s effort and hard work, which results in delayed crop cultivation. Moreover, it’s challenging to predict the environmental conditions and detect the particular area where there are weeds, insects, etc., which requires immediate treatments, thus affecting overall crop production. So, there is a need to make it automated, and this can be done by adopting advanced techniques of precision agriculture (PA) or intelligent agriculture. Precision agriculture is one of the fields in which wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are widely adopted, which consists of a large number of sensors placed in the field to monitor and measure the various environmental parameters, such as humidity, temperature, soil moisture, soil PH value, precipitation, water level, etc., for enhancing the productivity, profitability, quantity, and quality of crops. The machine learning techniques can be applied to precision agriculture to increase crop growth, manage the process of crop cultivation, and create a perfect environment for the crops to increase productivity with less human effort. This paper provides an insight into various machine learning techniques used for precision agriculture using wireless sensor networks.

An Insight into Abiotic Stress and Influx Tolerance Mechanisms in Plants to Cope in Saline Environments.

Simple SummaryThis review focuses on plant growth and development harmed by abiotic stress, primarily salt stress. Salt stress raises the intracellular osmotic pressure, leading to hazardous sodium buildup. Plants react to salt stress signals by regulating ion homeostasis, activating the osmotic stress pathway, modulating plant hormone signaling, and altering cytoskeleton dynamics and cell wall composition. Understanding the processes underlying these physiological and biochemical responses to salt stress could lead to more effective agricultural crop yield measures. In this review, researchers outline recent advances in plant salt stress control. The study of plant salt tolerance processes is essential, both theoretically and practically, to improve agricultural output, produce novel salt-tolerant cultivars, and make full use of saline soil. Based on past research, this paper discusses the adverse effects of salt stress on plants, including photosynthesis suppression, ion homeostasis disturbance, and membrane peroxidation. The authors have also covered the physiological mechanisms of salt tolerance, such as the scavenging of reactive oxygen species and osmotic adjustment. This study further identifies specific salt stress-responsive mechanisms linked to physiological systems. Based on previous studies, this article reviews the current methodologies and techniques for improving plant salt tolerance. Overall, it is hoped that the above-mentioned points will impart helpful background information for future agricultural and crop plant production.Salinity is significant abiotic stress that affects the majority of agricultural, irrigated, and cultivated land. It is an issue of global importance, causing many socio-economic problems. Salt stress mainly occurs due to two factors: (1) soil type and (2) irrigation water. It is a major environmental constraint, limiting crop growth, plant productivity, and agricultural yield. Soil salinity is a major problem that considerably distorts ecological habitats in arid and semi-arid regions. Excess salts in the soil affect plant nutrient uptake and osmotic balance, leading to osmotic and ionic stress. Plant adaptation or tolerance to salinity stress involves complex physiological traits, metabolic pathways, the production of enzymes, compatible solutes, metabolites, and molecular or genetic networks. Different plant species have different salt overly sensitive pathways and high-affinity K+ channel transporters that maintain ion homeostasis. However, little progress has been made in developing salt-tolerant crop varieties using different breeding approaches. This review highlights the interlinking of plant morpho-physiological, molecular, biochemical, and genetic approaches to produce salt-tolerant plant species. Most of the research emphasizes the significance of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in protecting plants from biotic and abiotic stressors. Plant growth, survival, and yield can be stabilized by utilizing this knowledge using different breeding and agronomical techniques. This information marks existing research areas and future gaps that require more attention to reveal new salt tolerance determinants in plants—in the future, creating genetically modified plants could help increase crop growth and the toleration of saline environments.

Irrigation and Nitrogen Fertilization Alter Soil Bacterial Communities, Soil Enzyme Activities, and Nutrient Availability in Maize Crop.

Irrigation and nitrogen (N) fertilization rates are widely used to increase crop growth and yield and promote the sustainable production of the maize crop. However, our understanding of irrigation and N fertilization in the soil microenvironment is still evolving, and further research on soil bacterial communities under maize crop with irrigation and N management in subtropical regions of China is needed. Therefore, we evaluated the responses of two irrigation levels (low and high irrigation water with 60 and 80% field capacity, respectively) and five N fertilization rates [i.e., control (N0), N200 (200 kg N ha−1), N250 (250 kg N ha−1), N300 (300 kg N ha−1), and N350 (350 kg N ha−1)] on soil bacterial communities, richness, and diversity. We found that both irrigation and N fertilization significantly affected bacterial richness, diversity index, and number of sequences. Low irrigation with N300 treatment has significantly higher soil enzymes activities, soil nutrient content, and bacterial alpha and beta diversity than high irrigation. In addition, the Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, Chloroflexi, and Firmicutes were the dominant bacterial phyla under both irrigation regimes. The acidic phosphates, acidic invertase, β-glucosidase, catalase, cellulase, and urease were positively correlated with the Shannon index under both low and high irrigation. Therefore, low irrigation improves soil nutrient utilization by boosting soil enzyme activity, directly affecting soil bacterial communities. It was concluded that greater soil nutrients, enzyme activities with higher bacterial diversity are the main indicators of soil reactivity to low irrigation water and N300 for maintaining soil fertility and soil microbial community balance.

A Common Feature of Pesticides: Oxidative Stress-The Role of Oxidative Stress in Pesticide-Induced Toxicity.

Pesticides are important chemicals or biological agents that deter or kill pests. The use of pesticides has continued to increase as it is still considered the most effective method to reduce pests and increase crop growth. However, pesticides have other consequences, including potential toxicity to humans and wildlife. Pesticides have been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and birth defects. Labels on pesticides also suggest limiting exposure to these hazardous chemicals. Based on experimental evidence, various types of pesticides all seem to have a common effect, the induction of oxidative stress in different cell types and animal models. Pesticide-induced oxidative stress is caused by both reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), which are associated with several diseases including cancer, inflammation, and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. ROS and RNS can activate at least five independent signaling pathways including mitochondrial-induced apoptosis. Limited in vitro studies also suggest that exogenous antioxidants can reduce or prevent the deleterious effects of pesticides.

Utilization of nano calcium for improving wheat germination, growth, and metabolic activities

The widespread availability of using nano technology can ensure food security through boosting agriculture production. Nanoparticles have potential to improve growth and yield of wheat crop. This paper studies effects of wheat grains priming in nanoparticles and bulk calcium hydroxide on germination, growth criteria, photosynthetic pigments, carbohydrates, and proteins content of wheat. Calcium hydroxide nanoparticles were 73nm size. Wheat grains were soaked for four hours in 0, 8.0, and 16.0 mM nanoparticles and 16 mM bulk solutions of calcium hydroxide for germination experiments in the laboratory. Also soaked grains were cultivated in clay-sandy soil (2:1 w/w), in small plastic bags in the green house of faculty of science for studying growth and some metabolic activities. Results showed that application of calcium hydroxide nanoparticles increased germination percentage significantly with 8 and 16 mM nanoparticles in comparison to control and calcium hydroxide bulk. Grain germination was hundred percentages with the 16.0 mM nanoparticles concentration. Root and shoot fresh weight and dry weight increased significantly (about 30%) at 8 and 16 mM as compared to control and calcium hydroxide bulk. Higher concentration (16 mM) of calcium hydroxide nanoparticles significantly enhanced fresh weight, dry weight, chlorophyll and protein content over control and calcium hydroxide bulk. Nonetheless, effect of 8 and 16mM caused more utilization of carbohydrates in the plant growth as compared to control. Calcium hydroxide nanoparticles have definite potential to increase crop growth and yield. Nonetheless, comprehensive experimentation is required to establish the most suitable concentration, size and mode of application of calcium hydroxide nanoparticles for higher growth and yield in the field crops.