Lentil Plants Research Articles

Impact of variable concentrations of sulphur dioxide exposure on biochemical contents in lens culinaris l.

The effect of Sulphur di oxide gas on crop production as well as physiological and biotic dynamics at both the individual and community scale. pulses are a remarkable source of protein in India. Plant variety that produces legume such as lentil and dry pea are negatively affected by the existence of Sulphur dioxide causing in decrease in their whole production. In present work biochemical content extracted from lentil plant leaves treated with various concentration of SO2 and prepared sample were exposed to a range of light having various wavelength and interpreted using a Spectrophotometer and calculation of chlorophyll a and b applying Arnon method (1949). It was observed that biochemical content chlorophyll and also carotenoid was higher in low concentration and depleted gradually with higher concentration.

Lentil adaptation to drought stress: response, tolerance, and breeding approaches.

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is a cool season legume crop that plays vital roles in food and nutritional security, mostly in the least developed countries. Lentil is often cultivated in dry and semi-dry regions, where the primary abiotic factor is drought, which negatively impacts lentil growth and development, resulting in a reduction of yield. To withstand drought-induced multiple negative effects, lentil plants evolved a variety of adaptation strategies that can be classified within three broad categories of drought tolerance mechanisms (i.e., escape, avoidance, and tolerance). Lentil adapts to drought by the modulation of various traits in the root system, leaf architecture, canopy structure, branching, anatomical features, and flowering process. Furthermore, the activation of certain defensive biochemical pathways as well as the regulation of gene functions contributes to lentil drought tolerance. Plant breeders typically employ conventional and mutational breeding approaches to develop lentil varieties that can withstand drought effects; however, little progress has been made in developing drought-tolerant lentil varieties using genomics-assisted technologies. This review highlights the current understanding of morpho-physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms of lentil adaptation to drought stress. We also discuss the potential application of omics-assisted breeding approaches to develop lentil varieties with superior drought tolerance traits.

Effect of seed priming with polyethylene glycol, distilled water, and sorbitol on physical, chemical quality parameters, and nodule microbiota of lentil.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different seed priming solutions on physical and chemical quality parameters of lentils as well as nodule bacterial diversity before sowing. Therefore, lentil seeds were treated with polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) (15%), sorbitol (6%), and distilled water, and none pretreated lentils (Lens culinaris) were used as control. The seeds were kept in these solutions for 24h, then dried on toweling paper for 24h, and used for the experiment. For nodule microbiota analysis, the plant root was divided into two equal parts, upper and lower, according to the root length and all nodules were collected from each region. According to the results, it was observed that emergence and flowering started late in the control compared to other seed priming treatments. Sorbitol application was found to provide advantages in terms of germination and seedling development. PEG and distilled water (DW) treatments showed an increase in total phenolic component activity; however, no significant change was observed in DPPH radical scavenging activity. Amplicon-based metagenomic analysis revealed that sorbitol and distilled water were the seed priming solutions altering the species diversity, especially Rhizobium sp. as the genus. In the comparison of samples taken from different parts of the root nodules, more Rhizobium sp. as a genus and Rhizobium leguminosarum as the species were found in the nodules collected from the top of the root. According to the overall results of lentil pod, lentil plant, and microbiota, sorbitol and DW can be considered to be a good priming solutions.

Synergistic impact of Rhizobium and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on lentil plant tolerance to heavy metal-rich fly ash amended soil

The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of microbes [symbiotic bacteria viz. Rhizobium (Frank) and the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) viz. Funneliformis caledonius (Nicolson & Gerd.) and Glomus bagyarajii Mehrotra] on the growth and physiology of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) cultivated in soil alone and soil amended with fly ash. The experiment had twenty-four treatments, twelve in sterilized soil and twelve in unsterilized soil (with six treatments in soil alone and six in soil amended with fly ash in both the sets). Amendment of soil with 25% fly ash significantly increased plant growth. Microbial inoculation further increased the plant growth and physiological parameters studied (plant length, fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll and protein content, and nitrate reductase activity). Microbial parameters like nodule number and fresh weight, mycorrhizal root colonization and spore numbers were also significantly higher in plants inoculated with Rhizobium + AMF. Soil amendment with 25% fly ash together with inoculation of Rhizobium + AMF further improved the growth of lentil. Plant heavy metal (Cd, Pb, Zn) content was significantly more in soil amended with fly ash, but microbial inoculation significantly decreased heavy metal uptake. Of the two AM fungus studied F. caledonius proved to be better, resulting in higher plant growth and physiological parameters studied with reduced heavy metal uptake.

STUDYING THE DIVERSITY OF LENTIL VARIETIES BY ALLELES OF THE EARLY FLOWERING GENE LcELF3 USING MOLECULAR MARKERS

Lentils are one of the most widespread leguminous crops in the world and now Kazakhstan is also experiencing a significant expansion of acreage. Howev-er, late sowing is unacceptable for this crop, since in this case the photoperiod effect and drought lead to loss of crop samples if the flowering period of lentil plants is not optimized. The genes controlling early flowering (EFL3) are associ-ated with the rate of growth and the beginning of flowering and are independent of the length of daylight. In this study, the presence of the early flowering gene LcELF3 was analyzed in 76 collection samples of lentils. As a result of PCR am-plification and sequencing of the LcELF3 gene using the Sanger method, genetic polymorphism was detected and codominant SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymor phism) markers were developed. Further testing of collection samples of lentils by ASQ genotyping allowed us to identify 36 samples with homozygous geno-type aa (late flowering) and 40 samples with homozygous genotype bb (earlier flowering). The use of factor analysis of the productivity elements of lentil sam-ples bearing favorable bb alleles of the early flowering gene LcELF3 made it pos sible to conduct a visual analysis for the studied years. Thus, using the example of lentils, the possibility of sampling samples containing favorable bb alleles of the LcEFL3 gene, controlling early flowering, which are necessary to increase its yield in conditions of prolonged spring and short summer season in the dry steppe zone of Northern Kazakhstan, is shown.

Mapping and quantifying unique branching structures in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.)

BackgroundLentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is a globally-significant agricultural crop used to feed millions of people. Lentils have been cultivated in the Australian states of Victoria and South Australia for several decades, but efforts are now being made to expand their cultivation into Western Australia and New South Wales. Plant architecture plays a pivotal role in adaptation, leading to improved and stable yields especially in new expansion regions. Image-based high-throughput phenomics technologies provide opportunities for an improved understanding of plant development, architecture, and trait genetics. This paper describes a novel method for mapping and quantifying individual branch structures on immature glasshouse-grown lentil plants grown using a LemnaTec Scanalyser 3D high-throughput phenomics platform, which collected side-view RGB images at regular intervals under controlled photographic conditions throughout the experiment. A queue and distance-based algorithm that analysed morphological skeletons generated from images of lentil plants was developed in Python. This code was incorporated into an image analysis pipeline using open-source software (PlantCV) to measure the number, angle, and length of individual branches on lentil plants.ResultsBranching structures could be accurately identified and quantified in immature plants, which is sufficient for calculating early vigour traits, however the accuracy declined as the plants matured. Absolute accuracy for branch counts was 77.9% for plants at 22 days after sowing (DAS), 57.9% at 29 DAS and 51.9% at 36 DAS. Allowing for an error of ± 1 branch, the associated accuracies for the same time periods were 97.6%, 90.8% and 79.2% respectively. Occlusion in more mature plants made the mapping of branches less accurate, but the information collected could still be useful for trait estimation. For branch length calculations, the amount of variance explained by linear mixed-effects models was 82% for geodesic length and 87% for Euclidean branch lengths. Within these models, both the mean geodesic and Euclidean distance measurements of branches were found to be significantly affected by genotype, DAS and their interaction. Two informative metrices were derived from the calculations of branch angle; ‘splay’ is a measure of how far a branch angle deviates from being fully upright whilst ‘angle-difference’ is the difference between the smallest and largest recorded branch angle on each plant. The amount of variance explained by linear mixed-effects models was 38% for splay and 50% for angle difference. These lower R2 values are likely due to the inherent difficulties in measuring these parameters, nevertheless both splay and angle difference were found to be significantly affected by cultivar, DAS and their interaction. When 276 diverse lentil genotypes with varying degrees of salt tolerance were grown in a glasshouse-based experiment where a portion were subjected to a salt treatment, the branching algorithm was able to distinguish between salt-treated and untreated lentil lines based on differences in branch counts. Likewise, the mean geodesic and Euclidean distance measurements of branches were both found to be significantly affected by cultivar, DAS and salt treatment. The amount of variance explained by the linear mixed-effects models was 57.8% for geodesic branch length and 46.5% for Euclidean branch length.ConclusionThe methodology enabled the accurate quantification of the number, angle, and length of individual branches on glasshouse-grown lentil plants. This methodology could be applied to other dicotyledonous species.

Applying a non-GMO breeding approach with an identified natural variation to reduce food allergen Len c3 in Lens culinaris seeds.

Lentils (Lens culinaris) are produced in diverse agroecological regions and are consumed as one of the most important food legumes worldwide. Lentils possess a nutritional profile from a human health perspective that is not only nutrient dense but also offers a better balance between protein and carbohydrates. However, lentil causes food allergy, which has been a significant concern due to increased consumption in parts of the world. Len c3, a non-specific lipid transfer protein (LTP), was identified as one of the allergens in lentil seeds. In this study, we identified an LTP gene Lcu.2RBY.4g013600 that encodes the lentil allergen Len c3. We then focused on gene screening from a collection of natural accessions to search for natural mutations of the Len c3 allergen-encoding gene. A natural lentil line M11 was identified with mutations at LcLTP3b and low accumulation of vicilin through genomic-assisted approaches. Furthermore, we generated a pool of lentil germplasms with LcLTP3b mutation background through crossing the identified lentil plant M11 with two lentil cultivars, CDC Redmoon and CDC Gold. These generated lentil hybrids can be used as a breeding resource targeting at reducing allergen risk in lentil consumption.

Performance Depending on Zonal and Genotypic Factors in Apsheron and Jalilabad Districts of Azerbaijan

In modern literature there are opinions that the genetic diversity of the lentil plant has decreased by up to 40%. Taking this point of view into account, to increase the efficiency of breeding work, it is necessary to use the gene pool of the Lens culinaris Medik. species based on an in-depth study of economically important traits and obtain it as primary material, traditional and newly developed selection methods. The main role in this work should be assessed based on the study of the morphological, biochemical, agrobiological and other characteristics of the primary material. The exchange of hybrid samples between countries, their research in different ecological regions, different climatic and soil conditions, the discovery and creation of productive, high-quality, complexly resistant varieties and at the same time the use of these materials as starting material in future breeding work and hybridization programs are quite common in the world practice and gave effective, efficient results.

Unraveling the potential of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus for arsenic resistance and plant growth promotion in contaminated lentil field

The legume crop, lentil is often found to be contaminated with arsenic (As) across the globe, and becomes a serious problem when consumed as dietary component. Bioremediation techniques are considered to be sustainable, and low cost measures to combat this problem. The current study has been aimed at identifying the As-resistant endophytic bacteria from the root nodule of lentil plants grown in As-contaminated soil, assess their capacity to tolerate As, and establish their contribution in plant growth promotion. Four As-resistant endophytic bacteria were isolated from the lentil nodules in the contaminated (17.1 and 1.54 mg kg−1 of total and available As) field (Uttar Panchponta, Nadia, West Bengal, India located at 23° 05′ N and 88° 54′ E). The results showed that among all isolates, ARGNCAR-1 exhibits the highest As resistant capacity (200.0 mM for arsenate and 21.0 mM for arsenite). Interestingly, the ARGNCAR-1(Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, KX882106) is also able to solubilize phosphate (8.59-8.6 µg mL−1 under arsenate stress and 8.0-8.1 µg mL−1 under arsenite stress) and produce significant amount of indole acetic acid (10.2-10.4 µg mL−1 under the arsenate stress and 9.4-9.5 µg mL−1 under arsenite stress). The presence of aoxB gene was detected in these four As (III) oxidizing isolates. A pot experiment was conducted with the contaminated soil and the isolated strains were inoculated. The strain ARGNCAR-1 was found to be the most efficient in reducing about 20% As from soil and 22% As from the lentil seeds and ensured significant plant yield enhancement (5.17 g plant−1) than uninoculated soil (4.54 g plant−1) mainly through their corresponding increase in pod plant−1 (110) and biomass (6.51 g plant−1). Considering the efficacy of curbing As load as well as improving plant growth, the ARGNCAR-1(Acinetobacter calcoaceticus KX882106) emerged as one of the most promising candidates in As contaminated belts.

Reduction of arsenic uptake in lentil through arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Arsenic (As) is a carcinogenic and hazardous substance that poses a serious risk to human health. The present research focused on the transport of As in seven lentil varieties developed by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) viz., BARI Mashur1, BARI Mashur 2, BARI Mashur 3, BARI Mashur 4, BARI Mashur 5, BARI Mashur 6 and BARI Mashur 7 and the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMFs) in mitigating As phyto-toxicity in them. The transportation of As from soil to root, shoot, and grain was lower after week 13 than in weeks 6 or 10 after lentil seedling emergence. The As accumulation in grains was higher in BARI Mashur 1 than in other test genotypes. Treatment with AMF significantly increased growth and biomass accumulation in lentil genotypes compared to non-AMF plants. Furthermore, AMF effectively reduced As concentrations in roots and shoots of lentil plants grown in 8 and 45 mg kg-1 As-contaminated soils. This study revealed a remarkable variation among the BARI-developed lentil genotypes in terms of As accumulation in plant parts. Treatment with AMF could effectively reduce plant uptake of As and mitigate As-induced phytotoxicity in lentils. The results reveal a great potential of AMF to mitigate As toxicity in lentils caused by the transport of As from soil to the shoot mass and reallocation to grains. This may enable farmers to expand lentil cultivation in As- affected areas throughout the world. Ann. Bangladesh Agric. (2023) 27 (1): 41-56

Co-applications of Rhizobium and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi synergistically alleviate heavy metal uptake and toxicity in lentil plants (Lens culinaris Medik.) grown in sewage sludge amended soil

Reusing sewage sludge as a mode of nutrients and an organic amendment may be a viable choice for the appropriate treatment of organic waste. This study examined the impact of symbiotic microbes such as Rhizobium and two selected arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Funneliformis caledonius (Nicolson & Gerd.) and Glomus bagyarajii (Mehrotra), on the growth, photosynthetic pigments, biochemical content, microbial population, and heavy metal uptake in lentil plants grown in soil mixed with 20 % sewage sludge. Lentil seeds were inoculated with Rhizobium prior to sowing and with either of the AMF (Funneliformis caledonius or Glomus bagyarajii) in pots filled with soil-sewage sludge mixture. The results showed that the tested microbial inoculum enhanced the growth and productivity of lentil plants. Lentil plants inoculated with Rhizobium and AMF had better nodulation and root colonization, leading to an increase in the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) content and a decrease in the stress marker, proline, in plant parts. In addition, the inoculated microbes also improved the photosynthetic and biochemical contents of the plant. Lentil plants grown in sewage sludge-amended soil when inoculated with Rhizobium and either of AMF were found to be more effective in accumulating Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, and Zn in the roots, while restricting their translocation to the above-ground parts of the plant, thereby improving plant health. Overall, the study outcomes provide evidence that Rhizobium and AMF have the potential to tolerate heavy metal stress caused by the addition of sewage sludge to soil, which has important implications for sustainable agriculture practices. The study also highlights the importance of microbial inoculants, such as Rhizobium and AMF in enhancing growth and yield, particularly under heavy metal stress in economically important lentil.

Newly isolated Brevundimonas naejangsanensis as a biocontrol agent againstFusarium redolens the causal of Fusarium yellows ofchickpea.

Three endophytic bacteria, namely BvV, BvP and BvL, were newly isolated from the root nodules of bean, pea and lentil plants respectively cultivated in Mascara the northwest of Algeria, and identified by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing as Brevundimonas naejangsanensis. These strains were able to produce hydrolytic enzymes and hydrogen cyanide. All strains produced a growth-promoting hormone, indole acetic acid, varying in concentration from 83.2 to 171.7 µg/mL. The phosphate solubilizing activity of BvV, BvP and BvL varied from 25.5 to 42.02 µg/mL for tricalcium phosphate. The three antagonistic Brevundimonas spp. showed in vitro the most inhibitory effect on mycelial growth of Fusarium redolens FRC (from 78.33 to 85.55%). Strain BvV, BvP and BvL produced also volatile metabolites which inhibited mycelial FRC growth up to 39.2%. All strains showed significant disease reduction in pot experiments. Chickpea Fusarium yellows severity caused by FRC was reduced significantly from 89.3 to 96.6% in the susceptible cultivar ILC 482 treated with antagonistic B. naejangsanensis. The maximum stimulatory effect on chickpea plants growth was observed by inoculation of strain BvV. This treatment resulted in a 7.40-26.21% increase in shoot height as compared to the control plants. It is concluded that the endophytic bacterial strains of B. naejangsanensis having different plant growth promoting (PGP) activities can be considered as beneficial microbes for sustainable agriculture. To our knowledge, this is the first report to use B. naejangsanensis strains as a new biocontrol agent against F. redolens, a new pathogen of chickpea plants causing Fusarium yellows disease in Algeria.

Assessing the Impact of Organic and Chemical Herbicides on Agronomic Parameters, Yield, and Weed Control Efficiency in Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) under a Direct-Seeding System: A Comparative analysis

Lentil is characterized by low weed competitiveness due to its small size and slow development, resulting in the reduction of quality and quantity of production. Controlling these weeds with biological alternatives is necessary because lentils are phytotoxic to most herbicides. To address this gap, a field experiment was carried out at the pedagogical research farm of the National School of Agriculture in Meknes, Morocco, for two years, to evaluate the effectiveness of two weeds control strategies; chemical and agroecological. Three treatments, including a Nettle aqueous extract (T3) and two herbicides (Bentazone (T2) and Pyridate (T1)), were compared to the control (T0) in a complete randomized block design with four replications. All treatments resulted in effective weed management in terms of density and biomass, and significant improvement in agronomic parameters compared to the control. However, both herbicides used had a phytotoxic effect on the lentil plants, and the minimum yield was achieved in plots untreated (6.61Qx/ha) followed by plots treated with Pyridate. In contrast, Nettle aqueous extract had no phytotoxic effect, with the highest protein content in the lentil’s seeds, the highest economic grain, and a yield almost similar to that of Bentazone. Our study highlights the advantages of using organic Nettle treatment over herbicides for weed control, promoting sustainable agricultural practices. However, further research is needed to explore additional weed control strategies in lentil crops comprehensively.

Separate and Combined Effects of Silicic and Salicylic Acids On Growth and N2-Fixation in Lentil Plants Under Water Stress

Separate and Combined Effects of Silicic and Salicylic Acids On Growth and N2-Fixation in Lentil Plants Under Water Stress

Exogenously applied 5-aminolevulinic acid modulates growth, yield, and physiological parameters in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) under rain-fed and supplemental irrigation conditions

Lentils are a significant source of plant protein and are cultivated across Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Plants are subjected to various environmental stresses, which can hinder growth, yield, and productivity. 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a compound that acts as a precursor in the biosynthesis of tetrapyrroles and can increase plant tolerance to different abiotic stressors. However, the effects of exogenously applied ALA on lentil growth, yield, and physiological parameters under rain-fed and supplemental irrigation conditions are not well-known. In this study, a split plot experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of ALA foliar application and supplemental irrigation on lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.). The experiment was designed based on a randomized complete block with three replications. The main plot included four levels of supplemental irrigation [(supplementary irrigation in the flowering and early seed-filling stages, supplementary irrigation in the flowering stage, supplementary irrigation in the early seed-filling along with rain-fed conditions (no irrigation)]. The subplot considered foliar application of ALA at varying levels [(0 (control), 50 and 100 ppm)]. The results showed that water regimes and foliar spray with ALA significantly (P ˂ 0.01) affected plant height, number of pods per plant, pod weight, number of seeds per pod and weight of 1000 seeds, biological yield, seed yield, and harvest index. The highest total chlorophyll content was observed in plants that were subjected to supplementary irrigation in flowering and early seed filling stages and foliar sprayed with 100 ppm ALA. The study also found that exogenous ALA improved drought tolerance in lentil plants under rain-fed conditions mainly by regulating antioxidant enzymes, which ultimately protected the cellular membranes against overproduction of H2O2. Furthermore, ALA application increased total carbohydrate contents at all supplemental irrigation levels, but the rate was higher in complementary irrigation conditions during flowering and early seed-filling stages. Malondialdehyde (MDA), H2O2, and proline contents were increased in field-grown plants under rain-fed conditions without exogenous ALA application. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the effects of ALA foliar spray and supplemental irrigation on lentil growth, yield, and physiological parameters. The findings suggest that exogenous ALA can improve plant tolerance to various abiotic stressors and enhance plant growth, yield, and physiological parameters.

Novel insights into the mechanism(s) of silicon-induced drought stress tolerance in lentil plants revealed by RNA sequencing analysis

BackgroundLentil is an essential cool-season food legume that offers several benefits in human nutrition and cropping systems. Drought stress is the major environmental constraint affecting lentil plants’ growth and productivity by altering various morphological, physiological, and biochemical traits. Our previous research provided physiological and biochemical evidence showing the role of silicon (Si) in alleviating drought stress in lentil plants, while the molecular mechanisms are still unidentified. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of Si-mediated drought stress tolerance can provide fundamental information to enhance our knowledge of essential gene functions and pathways modulated by Si during drought stress in plants. Thus, the present study compared the transcriptomic characteristics of two lentil genotypes (drought tolerant-ILL6002; drought sensitive-ILL7537) under drought stress and investigated the gene expression in response to Si supplementation using high-throughput RNA sequencing.ResultsThis study identified 7164 and 5576 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from drought-stressed lentil genotypes (ILL 6002 and ILL 7537, respectively), with Si treatment. RNA sequencing results showed that Si supplementation could alter the expression of genes related to photosynthesis, osmoprotection, antioxidant systems and signal transduction in both genotypes under drought stress. Furthermore, these DEGs from both genotypes were found to be associated with the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. The identified DEGs were also linked to cell wall biosynthesis and vasculature development. Results suggested that Si modulated the dynamics of biosynthesis of alkaloids and flavonoids and their metabolism in drought-stressed lentil genotypes. Drought-recovery-related DEGs identified from both genotypes validated the role of Si as a drought stress alleviator. This study identified different possible defense-related responses mediated by Si in response to drought stress in lentil plants including cellular redox homeostasis by reactive oxygen species (ROS), cell wall reinforcement by the deposition of cellulose, lignin, xyloglucan, chitin and xylan, secondary metabolites production, osmotic adjustment and stomatal closure.ConclusionOverall, the results suggested that a coordinated interplay between various metabolic pathways is required for Si to induce drought tolerance. This study identified potential genes and different defence mechanisms involved in Si-induced drought stress tolerance in lentil plants. Si supplementation altered various metabolic functions like photosynthesis, antioxidant defence system, osmotic balance, hormonal biosynthesis, signalling, amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids under drought stress. These novel findings validated the role of Si in drought stress mitigation and have also provided an opportunity to enhance our understanding at the genomic level of Si’s role in alleviating drought stress in plants.

Silicic and Humic Acid Priming Improves Micro- and Macronutrient Uptake, Salinity Stress Tolerance, Seed Quality, and Physio-Biochemical Parameters in Lentil (Lens culinaris spp. culinaris).

Lentil is an important grain legume crop which is mostly grown on marginal soils that hamper its productivity. Improvement of salt tolerance in lentils is considered to be a useful strategy of utilizing salt-affected lands in an economic manner. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of seed priming using silicic acid and humic acid both seperately and in combination to improve salt stress tolerance among three different lentil varieties: IPL-316 (tolerant), PSL-9, and PDL-1 (susceptible). The concentrations and durations of treatments were standardized under the normal condition and the salinity stress condition. Salt stress hindered seedling emergence and biomass production and accelerated Na+ toxicity and oxidative damage at the seedling stage in untreated seeds. Nevertheless, chemical priming improved early seedling emergence, increased root length, shoot length, and seed vigor index I and II, and reduced the mean germination time. A significant quantitative change in biochemical parameters under normal and salinity stress conditions was observed in IPL-316,viz. Specifically, for IPL-316, the following parameters were observed (values under the normal condition and values under salt stress conditions, respectively): chlorophyll-a (16 and 13 mg/g Fw), chlorophyll-b (25 and 16 mg/g FW), total chlorophyll content (42 and 30 mg/g FW), relative leaf water content (92% and 82%), total soluble sugars (26 and 33 ug/g FW), free amino acid (10 and 7 mg/g FW), total phenol (26 and 24 mg of GAE/g FW), total protein (35 and 29 mg/g FW), carbohydrate (208 and 173 mg/g FW), superoxide dismutase (SOD) (29 and 35 unit/min./g FW), proline (0.28 and 0.32 u mol/g FW), catalase (CAT) (84 and 196 unit/mL/g FW), and peroxidase (POX) (217 and 738 unit/mL/g FW). Furthermore, histochemical analysis of H2O2 and O2-, micronutrients, and macronutrients also increased, while malondialdehyde (MDA) (0.31 and 0.47 nmol/mL FW) content decreased using silicic and humic acid priming under salt stress conditions. The combination of silicic and humic acids improved seedling growth and reduced oxidative damage in lentil plants under salt stress conditions. The combination of silicic and humic acid priming hastened seedling emergence, seed quality parameters, and biochemical parameters under salt stress over respective control. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of integrated chemical priming in lentils for salinity stress. In conclusion, chemical priming using a combination of silicic and humic acid performed better in terms of seed quality due to enhanced antioxidant machinery, better membrane stability and osmolyte protection, and enhanced nutrient uptake under salt stress conditions.

Morphological, molecular and pathogenic characterization of Macrophomina pseudophaseolina the causal agent of charcoal rot disease on lentil (Lens culinaris) in Algeria

Charcoal rot disease is one of the emerging diseases, recently detected on lentil plants in Algeria and worldwide. The present study was conducted to isolate, identify and characterize the causal agent of charcoal rot of lentil. Macrophominapseudophaseolina, responsible of this disease, was isolated from infected lentil plants from five different fields in the northwest of Algeria: Mascara, Tiaret and Relizane. A total of six isolates were obtained, their pathogenicity was evaluated on lentil Cv. Syria 229. The most virulent isolate M1, was selected for further studies. Molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis using concatenated sequences of ITS and TEF1-α regions confirmed the identity of M1 as Macrophominapseudophaseolina. A histopathological study was conducted on lentil plants infected with M1 to detect the presence of the pathogen, and the damage caused as a result of the invasion. The observations of histological sections of stems and roots revealed the presence of the pathogen's mycelium and microsclerotia inside the host as well as the colonization of the fundamental tissues. A morphological characterization was carried out using eleven different culture media, different temperatures and pH. The results showed an impressive adaptation of M.pseudophaseolina on the different physiological parameters. This study provides valuable information on the diagnostic of charcoal rot disease of lentil in the field, and the behavior of the pathogen which can be useful for the development of control strategies.

Employment of Some Aquatic Plants for Removal of Cadmium, Lead, and Copper from the River Water

The world’s most valuable resource is water in addition to being essential to life, freshwater is also used in many other processes, including those that involve agriculture, industry, and human consumption due to interference with its quality, it continues to be a limited resource. Fresh potable water supply, particularly in urban areas, has been severely impacted by population increase, urbanization, and consumption. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand the behavior of some heavy metals in the river waters via aquatic life represented by some aqua plants to achieve this three tanks of river water made from glass were prepared and injected with three heavy metals each which they are (copper, lead, and cadmium). The first tank represents the control (without any plants) while the second tank contains lentil plants moreover, the third tank contains the ceratophllum. The removal of heavy metals from river waters is enhanced by the presence of these plants using lentil plants and Ceratophyllum plants, respectively, led to removals of roughly 77% and 73% of the copper (Cu) content compared to the regular operation (control tank). For lead (Pb) removal, the Ceratophyllum removed about 72.6%, and the presence of lentil plant removes 52% of the Pb and only around 20% of the substance has been removed in the control tank. With ceratophullum present, there was a higher removal percentage of cadmium (45.9%)compared to tanks without aqua plants or lentil plants, which had removal rates of 21% and 42.3%, respectively. In general, necessary action to minimize the impact of discharging polluted wastewater must be taken to save aquatic life and the environment.

Effects of nitrogen fertilization and a commercial arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculant on root rot and agronomic production of pea and lentil crops.

In the Canadian prairies, pulse crops such as field pea (Pisum sativum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris L.) are economically important and widely grown. However, in recent years, root rot, caused by a variety of fungal and oomycete pathogens, including Aphanomyces euteiches, has become a limiting factor on yield. In this study, we examined the impacts of nitrogen (N) fertilization and a commercial arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) inoculant on pea and lentil plant health and agronomic production at three locations in Saskatchewan: Swift Current, Indian Head and Melfort. The AMF inoculation had no impact on root rot severity, and therefore is not considered a reliable method to manage root rot in pea and lentil. In contrast, N fertilization led to reductions in root rot in Swift Current, but not the other two sites. However, N fertilization did reduce nodulation. When both pea and lentil are considered, the abundance of A. euteiches in soil increased from pre-seeding to mid-bloom. A negative correlation between soil pH and disease severity was also observed. The high between-site variability highlights the importance of testing root rot mitigation strategies under multiple soil conditions to develop site-specific recommendations. Use of N fertilizer as a root rot management strategy merits further exploration, including investigation into its interactions with other management strategies, soil properties, and costs and benefits.