Plant Resilience Research Articles

Bioprospecting for plant resilience to climate change: mycorrhizal symbionts of European and American beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria and Ammophila breviligulata) from maritime sand dunes.

Climate change and global warming have contributed to increase terrestrial drought, causing negative impacts on agricultural production. Drought stress may be addressed using novel agronomic practices and beneficial soil microorganisms, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), able to enhance plant use efficiency of soil resources and water and increase plant antioxidant defence systems. Specific traits functional to plant resilience improvement in dry conditions could have developed in AMF growing in association with xerophytic plants in maritime sand dunes, a drought-stressed and low-fertility environment. The most studied of such plants are European beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria Link), native to Europe and the Mediterranean basin, and American beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata Fern.), found in North America. Given the critical role of AMF for the survival of these beachgrasses, knowledge of the composition of AMF communities colonizing their roots and rhizospheres and their distribution worldwide is fundamental for the location and isolation of native AMF as potential candidates to be tested for promoting crop growth and resilience under climate change. This review provides quantitative and qualitative data on the occurrence of AMF communities of A. arenaria and A. breviligulata growing in European, Mediterranean basin and North American maritime sand dunes, as detected by morphological studies, trap culture isolation and molecular methods, and reports on their symbiotic performance. Moreover, the review indicates the dominant AMF species associated with the two Ammophila species and the common species to be further studied to assess possible specific traits increasing their host plants resilience toward drought stress under climate change.

Improvement in the Adaptation and Resilience of the Green Areas of Yerevan City to Climate–Ecological Challenges

The services provided by green infrastructures may lead to a decrease in climate-related ecological, social, and health risks, especially in the urban environment. Consequently, the best guarantee to make this environment as safe as possible is to increase the extent of green areas, taking into consideration the functional importance, and climatic–ecological peculiarities of the area. These are also issues for the Republic of Armenia’s (RA) capital Yerevan. There the current conditions of the green areas of Yerevan city do not meet the expected requirements of the climatic–ecological development of urban areas. The green area per capita is 8 m2, which is unevenly distributed within 12 different administrative districts of Yerevan city. The aim of this research was to study the natural climatic and ecological conditions of Yerevan city and the status of the green areas of the city. The eco-biological indicators of the trees and shrubs growing in Yerevan green areas have been assessed, and the more resilient plant species have been singled out. All 12 administrative districts of Yerevan have been mapped and the green area per capita for each administrative district has been calculated. The received data have been combined with health indicators and suggestions have been made to add green areas in Yerevan according to the functional significance and sustainability of shrubby species and to their decorative and phyto-filtration properties. The city has unfavorable climatic conditions. It is located in the northern section of the subtropical climatic zone and has a distinct dry continental climate. Temperatures above +40 °C are typical, while winter is rather cold and sometimes temperatures may drop below −20 °C (in January 2008, it dropped to −27.6 °C). The amount of atmospheric precipitation has reduced by 9%. The city is counted as one of the driest urban areas of the South Caucasus. The other unfavorable ecological conditions are heavy traffic, the city’s open landfill, the concentration of industrial enterprises, large-scale construction works, etc. The atmospheric concentrations of particulate matter (PM), gases and heavy metals have been detected to exceed the permitted limits. In terms of health care, the death cases due to various diseases (acute respiratory, vascular, and cancer) have increased, which requires complex activities to reduce environmental pollution and to improve the microclimate.

Halophytes and heavy metals: A multi-omics approach to understand the role of gene and genome duplication in the abiotic stress tolerance of Cakile maritima.

The origin of diversity is a fundamental biological question. Gene duplications are one mechanism that provides raw material for the emergence of novel traits, but evolutionary outcomes depend on which genes are retained and how they become functionalized. Yet, following different duplication types (polyploidy and tandem duplication), the events driving gene retention and functionalization remain poorly understood. Here we used Cakile maritima, a species that is tolerant to salt and heavy metals and shares an ancient whole-genome triplication with closely related salt-sensitive mustard crops (Brassica), as a model to explore the evolution of abiotic stress tolerance following polyploidy. Using a combination of ionomics, free amino acid profiling, and comparative genomics, we characterize aspects of salt stress response in C. maritima and identify retained duplicate genes that have likely enabled adaptation to salt and mild levels of cadmium. Cakile maritima is tolerant to both cadmium and salt treatments through uptake of cadmium in the roots. Proline constitutes greater than 30% of the free amino acid pool in C. maritima and likely contributes to abiotic stress tolerance. We find duplicated gene families are enriched in metabolic and transport processes and identify key transport genes that may be involved in C. maritima abiotic stress tolerance. These findings identify pathways and genes that could be used to enhance plant resilience and provide a putative understanding of the roles of duplication types and retention on the evolution of abiotic stress response.

Improving strawberry plant resilience to salinity and alkalinity through the use of diverse spectra of supplemental lighting

BackgroundThis study explores the impact of various light spectra on the photosynthetic performance of strawberry plants subjected to salinity, alkalinity, and combined salinity/alkalinity stress. We employed supplemental lighting through Light-emitting Diodes (LEDs) with specific wavelengths: monochromatic blue (460 nm), monochromatic red (660 nm), dichromatic blue/red (1:3 ratio), and white/yellow (400–700 nm), all at an intensity of 200 µmol m-2 S-1. Additionally, a control group (ambient light) without LED treatment was included in the study. The tested experimental variants were: optimal growth conditions (control), alkalinity (40 mM NaHCO3), salinity (80 mM NaCl), and a combination of salinity/alkalinity.ResultsThe results revealed a notable decrease in photosynthetic efficiency under both salinity and alkalinity stresses, especially when these stresses were combined, in comparison to the no-stress condition. However, the application of supplemental lighting, particularly with the red and blue/red spectra, mitigated the adverse effects of stress. The imposed stress conditions had a detrimental impact on both gas exchange parameters and photosynthetic efficiency of the plants. In contrast, treatments involving blue, red, and blue/red light exhibited a beneficial effect on photosynthetic efficiency compared to other lighting conditions. Further analysis of JIP-test parameters confirmed that these specific light treatments significantly ameliorated the stress impacts.ConclusionsIn summary, the utilization of blue, red, and blue/red light spectra has the potential to enhance plant resilience in the face of salinity and alkalinity stresses. This discovery presents a promising strategy for cultivating plants in anticipation of future challenging environmental conditions.

Pollinator-assisted plant phenotyping, selection, and breeding for crop resilience to abiotic stresses.

Food security is threatened by climate change, with heat and drought being the main stresses affecting crop physiology and ecosystem services, such as plant-pollinator interactions. We hypothesize that tracking and ranking pollinators' preferences for flowers under environmental pressure could be used as a marker of plant quality for agricultural breeding to increase crop stress tolerance. Despite increasing relevance of flowers as the most stress sensitive organs, phenotyping platforms aim at identifying traits of resilience by assessing the plant physiological status through remote sensing-assisted vegetative indexes, but find strong bottlenecks in quantifying flower traits and in accurate genotype-to-phenotype prediction. However, as the transport of photoassimilates from leaves (sources) to flowers (sinks) is reduced in low-resilient plants, flowers are better indicators than leaves of plant well-being. Indeed, the chemical composition and amount of pollen and nectar that flowers produce, which ultimately serve as food resources for pollinators, change in response to environmental cues. Therefore, pollinators' preferences could be used as a measure of functional source-to-sink relationships for breeding decisions. To achieve this challenging goal, we propose to develop a pollinator-assisted phenotyping and selection platform for automated quantification of Genotype × Environment × Pollinator interactions through an insect geo-positioning system. Pollinator-assisted selection can be validated by metabolic, transcriptomic, and ionomic traits, and mapping of candidate genes, linking floral and leaf traits, pollinator preferences, plant resilience, and crop productivity. This radical new approach can change the current paradigm of plant phenotyping and find new paths for crop redomestication and breeding assisted by ecological decisions.

Small particles, big effects: How nanoparticles can enhance plant growth in favorable and harsh conditions.

By 2050, the global population is projected to reach 9 billion, underscoring the imperative for innovative solutions to increase grain yield and enhance food security. Nanotechnology has emerged as a powerful tool, providing unique solutions to this challenge. Nanoparticles (NPs) can improve plant growth and nutrition under normal conditions through their high surface-to-volume ratio and unique physical and chemical properties. Moreover, they can be used to monitor crop health status and augment plant resilience against abiotic stresses (such as salinity, drought, heavy metals, and extreme temperatures) that endanger global agriculture. Application of NPs can enhance stress tolerance mechanisms in plants, minimizing potential yield losses and underscoring the potential of NPs to raise crop yield and quality. This review highlights the need for a comprehensive exploration of the environmental implications and safety of nanomaterials and provides valuable guidelines for researchers, policymakers, and agricultural practitioners. With thoughtful stewardship, nanotechnology holds immense promise in shaping environmentally sustainable agriculture amid escalating environmental challenges.

Unveiling key mechanisms: Transcriptomic meta-analysis of diverse nanomaterial applications addressing biotic and abiotic stresses in Arabidopsis Thaliana

The potential applications of nanomaterials in agriculture for alleviating diverse biotic and abiotic stresses have garnered significant attention. The reported mechanisms encompass promoting plant growth and development, alleviating oxidative stress, inducing defense responses, modulating plant-microbe interactions, and more. However, individual studies may not fully uncover the common pathways or distinguish the effects of different nanostructures. We examined Arabidopsis thaliana transcriptomes exposed to biotic, abiotic, and metal or carbon-based nanomaterials, utilizing 24 microarray chipsets and 17 RNA-seq sets. The results showed that: 1) from the perspective of different nanostructures, all metal nanomaterials relieved biotic/abiotic stresses via boosting metal homeostasis, particularly zinc and iron. Carbon nanomaterials induce hormone-related immune responses in the presence of both biotic and abiotic stressors. 2) Considering the distinct features of various nanostructures, metal nanomaterials displayed unique characteristics in seed priming for combating abiotic stresses. In contrast, carbon nanomaterials exhibited attractive features in alleviating water deprivation and acting as signaling amplifiers during biotic stress. 3) For shared pathway analysis, response to hypoxia emerges as the predominant and widely shared regulatory mechanism governing diverse stress responses, including those induced by nanomaterials. By deciphering shared and specific pathways and responses, this research opens new avenues for precision nano-agriculture, offering innovative strategies to optimize plant resilience, improve stress management, and advance sustainable crop production practices.

Carboxysomes: Green Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture and Renewable Energy

Carboxyomes are emerging as potential tools in the sustainable agriculture and biofuel production. They are proteinaceous organelles that are distributed in different species of photosynthetic bacteria and archaea and are significantly involved in carbon fixation. They enable the organisms to thrive in diverse environmental conditions and enhance the efficacy of photosynthesis. They have shown promising potential to address challenging regarding global food security, climate change and renewable energy.  These nanocompartments encapsulate Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO), an enzyme that catalyzes the first step of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle that is a key pathway in carbon fixation. These specialized structures concentrate CO2 around RuBisCO ad shield it from the competing oxygen, thereby optimizing the efficiency of photosynthetic process and minimize wasteful photorespiration. The photosynthetic organisms having carboxysomes are therefore ideal candidates for sustainable agriculture as they are able to thrive in the harsh conditions such as low CO2 concentrations, water scarcity and high temperatures.   They are recently being studied for enhancing the productivity and yield of crops. Efforts are being exerted to introduce carboxysome shell proteins and RuBisCO enzymes into crop genomes. Researchers are aiming to create plants with the ability to efficiently capture and utilize CO2 for photosynthesis. These genetically modified crops can potentially increase crop yields, improve water and nutrient efficiency significantly. Moreover, these carboxysomal transgenes are also able to enhance the resilience of GM plants to different environmental stressors such as drought and heat, and ultimately contribute to global food security and sustainable agriculture.  In addition to their applications in agriculture, carboxysomes hold promise for biofuel production as well, as they are capable of carbon fixation. They have enabled researchers to engineer photosynthetic organisms to produce renewable fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel and hydrogen. Furthermore, nanobioreactors that are based on carboxysomes can contribute protectively against climate change as they have the potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by capturing CO2 from industrial emissions and converting it into valuable bioproducts.  This approach represents a promising avenue to address global challenges of food insecurity, climate crisis and rapidly declining non-renewable energy sources. If leveraged appropriately, these nanocompartments can significantly contribute in paving a way for more sustainable and resilient future.      

Exploring the Influence of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbology on the Antioxidant Potential of Liverwort Asterella multiflora: A Comprehensive Study on Rhizoid and Thallus Anatomy

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is a vital ecological interaction between plants and fungi that enhances nutrient uptake and plant resilience. While extensively studied in vascular plants, AM symbiosis in liverworts remains relatively unexplored. Six populations of Asterella multiflora were collected throughout the year to scan for arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization and enzymatic antioxidant activity. Percent mycorrhizal colonization was measured in smooth as well as tuberculated rhizoids. Anatomical detail of the thallus was also observed. Arbuscules were observed in the cells of the storage zone of the thallus. Enzymatic antioxidant activities, i.e., superoxide dismutase (SOD), guaiacol peroxidase (GPOX), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase activity (APOX) and glutathione reductase activity (GR) were calculated. Maximum enzyme activity was observed in ascorbate peroxidase, which calculated 1.92-2.09 UA/mg protein, while catalase showed minimum activity of 0.01 UA/mg protein. A positive correlation was observed between enzyme activities and percent mycorrhizal colonization. This study delves into AM symbiosis in liverworts, focusing on Asterella multiflora and investigates the impact of AM colonization on enzymatic antioxidant activities, i.e., superoxide dismutase (SOD), guaiacol peroxidase (GPOX), catalase (CAT) ascorbate peroxidase activity (APOX) and glutathione reductase activity (GR). Antioxidants play a crucial role in stress tolerance and plant health, making them central to understanding the implications of symbiotic relationships.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Rhizobium Improve Nutrient Uptake and Microbial Diversity Relative to Dryland Site-Specific Soil Conditions

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and rhizobium play a significant role in plant symbiosis. However, their influence on the rhizosphere soil microbiome associated with nutrient acquisition and soil health is not well defined in the drylands of Montana (MT), USA. This study investigated the effect of microbial inoculants as seed treatment on pea yield, nutrient uptake, potential microbial functions, and rhizosphere soil microbial communities using high-throughput sequencing of 16S and ITS rRNA genes. The experiment was conducted under two contrasting dryland conditions with four treatments: control, single inoculation with AMF or Rhizobium, and dual inoculations of AMF and Rhizobium (AMF+Rhizobium). Our findings revealed that microbial inoculation efficacy was site-specific. AMF+Rhizobium synergistically increased grain yield at Sidney dryland field site (DFS) 2, while at Froid site, DFS 1, AMF improved plant resilience to acidic soil but contributed a marginal yield under non-nutrient limiting conditions. Across dryland sites, the plants’ microbial dependency on AMF+Rhizobium (12%) was higher than single inoculations of AMF (8%) or Rhizobium (4%) alone. Variations in microbial community structure and composition indicate a site-specific response to AMF and AMF+Rhizobium inoculants. Overall, site-specific factors significantly influenced plant nutrient uptake, microbial community dynamics, and functional potential. It underscores the need for tailored management strategies that consider site-specific characteristics to optimize benefits from microbial inoculation.

Strategy of endophytic bacterial communities in alfalfa roots for enhancing plant resilience to saline–alkali stress and its application

Strategy of endophytic bacterial communities in alfalfa roots for enhancing plant resilience to saline–alkali stress and its application

Impact of Heavy Metal Pollution in the Environment on the Metabolic Profile of Medicinal Plants and Their Therapeutic Potential

The paper provides a comprehensive examination of heavy metal stress on medicinal plants, focusing on its impact on antioxidant capacity and biosynthetic pathways critical to their therapeutic potential. It explores the complex relationship between heavy metals and the physiological and biochemical responses of medicinal plants, highlighting how metal stress disrupts biosynthetic pathways, altering concentrations of secondary metabolites. This disruption may compromise the overall quality and efficacy of medicinal plants, requiring a holistic understanding of its cumulative impacts. Furthermore, the study discusses the potential of targeted genetic editing to enhance plant resilience against heavy metal stress by manipulating genes associated with antioxidant defenses. This approach represents a promising frontier in safeguarding medicinal plants in metal-contaminated environments. Additionally, the research investigates the role of phytohormone signaling in plant adaptive mechanisms to heavy metal stress, revealing its influence on biochemical and physiological responses, thereby adding complexity to plant adaptation. The study underscores the importance of innovative technologies and global cooperation in protecting medicinal plants’ therapeutic potential and highlights the need for mitigation strategies to address heavy metal contamination effectively.

Brown macro-seaweeds derived agro-biostimulant for Zea mays farming in saline conditions: Growth enhancement and optimum biochemical and ion feedback

Salinity negatively affects maize growth, a cereal crop and used as a vital source of food production. Seaweeds are macro-aquatic biocatalysts and might act as a promising biostimulant for conferring crop salinity resistance by providing essential nutrients and growth-promoting regulators. This study was designed for the first time to examine the effects of two commonly found seaweeds, Iyengaria stellata and Colpomenia sinuosa, on the growth of maize under 0, 100, and 200 mM NaCl application. Plants treated with both salinities reduced plant growth, but the application of seaweed I. stellata and C. sinuosa significantly increased growth parameters, especially plant biomass (fresh and dry), length (root and shoot), and total plant height than other treatments. In addition, higher growth under seaweed amends was supported by improved chlorophyll, carbohydrates, carotenoids, and polyphenols as well as lower electrolyte leakages to escape from oxidative stress. Plants treated with both algal species enhanced Na+ and K+, which is important for osmotic balance and precise ion homeostasis and could be effective for optimum leaf metabolism for growth resilience of maize plants under saline-stress conditions. This study emphasizes the potential of C. sinuosa and I. stellata as effective biostimulants. They offer a sustainable approach to cultivating climate-resilient maize that can thrive in salt-affected environments.

Dynamics and interplay of photosynthetic regulatory processes depend on the amplitudes of oscillating light.

Plants have evolved multiple regulatory mechanisms to cope with natural light fluctuations. The interplay between these mechanisms leads presumably to the resilience of plants in diverse light patterns. We investigated the energy-dependent nonphotochemical quenching (qE) and cyclic electron transports (CET) in light that oscillated with a 60-s period with three different amplitudes. The photosystem I(PSI) and photosystem II (PSII) function-related quantum yields and redox changes of plastocyanin and ferredoxin were measured in Arabidopsis thaliana wild types and mutants with partial defects in qE or CET. The decrease in quantum yield of qE due to the lack of either PsbS- or violaxanthin de-epoxidase was compensated by an increase in the quantum yield of the constitutive nonphotochemical quenching. The mutant lacking NAD(P)H dehydrogenase(NDH)-like-dependent CET had a transient significant PSI acceptor side limitation during the light rising phase under high amplitude of light oscillations. The mutant lacking PGR5/PGRL1-CET restricted electron flows and failed to induce effective photosynthesis control, regardless of oscillation amplitudes. This suggests that PGR5/PGRL1-CET is important for the regulation of PSI function in various amplitudes of light oscillation, while NDH-like-CET acts' as a safety valve under fluctuating light with high amplitude. The results also bespeak interplays among multiple photosynthetic regulatory mechanisms.

The Impact of Innovative Research Methods for Enhancing Agricultural Plants for Sustainable Development in The Future

In the pursuit of sustainable agricultural practices, the role of innovative research methods in enhancing agricultural plants is paramount. This abstract delineates the profound impact of such methodologies on sustainable development in the foreseeable future. Cutting-edge techniques such as genomic sequencing, molecular markers, and genome editing technologies revolutionize plant breeding by identifying and manipulating genes responsible for desirable traits, including disease resistance and drought tolerance. Omics technologies, encompassing transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, provide comprehensive insights into gene expression patterns and metabolic pathways, thereby facilitating targeted breeding strategies aimed at enhancing plant resilience and productivity. High-throughput phenotyping platforms enable rapid and accurate characterization of plant traits, empowering breeders to select superior varieties with enhanced performance under diverse environmental conditions. Concurrently, bioinformatics tools and data analytics play a pivotal role in deciphering complex genomic datasets, aiding in the identification of key genes and regulatory networks governing important agronomic traits. Biotechnology and synthetic biology approaches offer novel avenues for genetic manipulation, allowing for the design and engineering of plants with optimized traits, such as improved nutritional content and stress tolerance. Additionally, the integration of climate modeling with systems biology provides valuable insights into the interaction between genotype and environment, facilitating the development of climate-resilient crop varieties tailored to specific agroecosystems. Through the synergistic application of these innovative research methods, agricultural scientists and breeders can accelerate the pace of crop improvement while simultaneously promoting sustainability by fostering resilience, resource efficiency, and environmental stewardship. This transformative paradigm in agricultural research promises to address the complex challenges of food security, climate change, and environmental degradation, thereby laying the foundation for a more sustainable and resilient agricultural future.

Unraveling the role of nanoparticles in improving plant resilience under environmental stress condition

Abstract Background As the world grapples with increasing agricultural demands and unpredictable environmental stressors, there is a pressing need to improve plant resilience. Therefore, understanding the pioneering role of nanoparticles in alleviating plant stress is crucial for developing stress-resilient varieties to enhance food secure world. Nanoparticles have unique physical and chemical properties, and demonstrate their potential to enhance plant growth, nutrient utilization, and stress tolerance. This review delves into the mechanistic insights of nanoparticle-plant interactions, highlighting how these tiny particles can mitigate diverse stressors such as drought, salinity, and heavy metal toxicity. The action of different types of nanoparticles, including metal, carbon-based, and biogenic nanoparticles, are discussed in the context of their interaction with plant physiology and stress responses. Aims This article also explores the potential drawbacks and environmental implications of nanoparticle use, emphasizing the need for responsible and sustainable applications. Therefore, this study aimed to offer exciting possibilities for managing both biotic and abiotic stress in plant species, from improving water-use efficiency and stress resilience via nanotechnology. Conclusions Future research directions are suggested, focusing on nano-bioengineering and precision agriculture to create stress-resilient crops and enhance food security. Through the lens of interdisciplinary research, this paper underscores the significance of nanoparticles as innovative tools in the realm of agriculture, catalyzing a paradigm shift towards sustainable and stress-resilient farming systems.

A Comprehensive Review on Harvesting Abundance: Exploring the Tools and Techniques of Zero Budget Natural Farming

Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is an innovative and sustainable agricultural paradigm that redefines conventional farming practices. Pioneered by Subhash Palekar, ZBNF promotes a harmonious coexistence with nature by minimizing external inputs and eliminating the use of synthetic chemicals. The approach is rooted in indigenous wisdom, emphasizing the use of locally available resources and traditional farming techniques. Through the judicious application of inputs such as Jeevamrut and Bijamrita, ZBNF aims to enhance soil fertility and plant resilience. ZBNF advocates crop diversification, cover cropping, and agroforestry, fostering biodiversity and mitigating the risks associated with monoculture. The method encourages farmers to adopt natural pest management strategies, reducing reliance on chemical pesticides. One of the distinctive features is its "zero budget" approach, wherein farmers aim to meet their agricultural needs without incurring additional costs. By integrating traditional knowledge with modern ecological principles, ZBNF stands as a promising model for sustainable and regenerative agriculture, addressing global concerns about environmental impact and food security.

Glucose-G protein signaling plays a crucial role in tomato resilience to high temperature and elevated CO2.

Global climate change is accompanied by carbon dioxide (CO2) enrichment and high-temperature stress; however, how plants adapt to the combined environments and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. Here, we show that elevated CO2 alleviated plant sensitivity to high-temperature stress, with significantly increased apoplastic glucose (Glc) levels in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves. Exogenous Glc treatment enhanced tomato resilience to high-temperature stress under ambient CO2 conditions. Cell-based biolayer interferometry, subcellular localization, and Split-Luc assays revealed that Glc bound to tomato regulator of G protein signaling 1 (RGS1) and induced RGS1 endocytosis and thereby RGS1-G protein α subunit (GPA1) dissociation in a concentration-dependent manner. Using rgs1 and gpa1 mutants, we found that RGS1 negatively regulated thermotolerance and was required for elevated CO2-Glc-induced thermotolerance. GPA1 positively regulated the elevated CO2-Glc-induced thermotolerance. Transcriptome and chlorophyll fluorescence parameter analysis further revealed that GPA1 integrated photosynthesis- and photoprotection-related mechanisms to regulate thermotolerance. These results demonstrate that Glc-RGS1-GPA1 signaling plays a crucial role in the elevated CO2-induced thermotolerance in tomato. This information enhances our understanding of the Glc-G protein signaling function in stress resilience in response to global climate change and will be helpful for genetic engineering approaches to improve plant resilience.

Advanced Biotechnological Interventions in Mitigating Drought Stress in Plants.

This comprehensive article critically analyzes the advanced biotechnological strategies to mitigate plant drought stress. It encompasses an in-depth exploration of the latest developments in plant genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, shedding light on the complex molecular mechanisms that plants employ to combat drought stress. The study also emphasizes the significant advancements in genetic engineering techniques, particularly CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, which have revolutionized the creation of drought-resistant crop varieties. Furthermore, the article explores microbial biotechnology's pivotal role, such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and mycorrhizae, in enhancing plant resilience against drought conditions. The integration of these cutting-edge biotechnological interventions with traditional breeding methods is presented as a holistic approach for fortifying crops against drought stress. This integration addresses immediate agricultural needs and contributes significantly to sustainable agriculture, ensuring food security in the face of escalating climate change challenges.

Antifungal Activity of Moringa peregrina Plant Extracts Against Candida kruzei

Commercial antibacterial drugs commonly used to treat diseases have led to the current drug resistance in humans. Early human civilizations used Moringa peregrina extracts against a variety of illnesses and infections caused by food. M. Peregrina grows well in a variety of harsh conditions, including high temperatures, limited water supply, and nutrient-deficient soils. There is something remarkable about this plant's resilience and ability to survive in challenging environments. To conserve water and withstand extreme drought conditions, it has evolved unique adaptations. M. peregrina's deciduous leaves allow it to shed its leaves during dry periods to reduce water loss through transpiration. As a result of this adaptation, it is able to endure prolonged periods of water scarcity. A serious infection can be caused by Candida kruzei, an opportunistic fungal pathogen that is especially dangerous to immuno-compromised individuals, and the increasing drug-resistance of several Candida strains have necessitated the search for alternative to standard anti-fungal agents to which resistance has grown. The objective of this study was to investigate the antifungal effect of M. peregrina ethanolic extract derived from its leaves, seeds, and roots against C. kruzei. The phytochemical screening of M. peregrina extracts were performed using qualitative determination whilst the antifungal activity of methanol and water extracts of leaves, seeds, and roots was performed using the agar diffusion method. The results of the phytochemical analysis demonstrated the presence of phenolic compounds, steroids, flavonoids, tannins, and saponins. The studied extracts displayed various degrees of antifungal activities against C. kruzei. The extract of the leaves was active against C. kruzei with recorded minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 10mg/ml. There is a need for further research to isolate and identify the antimicrobial agent in different parts of M. peregrina. A deeper investigation should be conducted into the antibacterial agent dosages of these plant parts, which may then be used by the pharmaceutical industry.