Heat stress (HS) is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting the production and quality of wheat. Rising temperatures are particularly threatening to wheat production. A detailed overview of ...morpho-physio-biochemical responses of wheat to HS is critical to identify various tolerance mechanisms and their use in identifying strategies to safeguard wheat production under changing climates. The development of thermotolerant wheat cultivars using conventional or molecular breeding and transgenic approaches is promising. Over the last decade, different omics approaches have revolutionized the way plant breeders and biotechnologists investigate underlying stress tolerance mechanisms and cellular homeostasis. Therefore, developing genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics data sets and a deeper understanding of HS tolerance mechanisms of different wheat cultivars are needed. The most reliable method to improve plant resilience to HS must include agronomic management strategies, such as the adoption of climate-smart cultivation practices and use of osmoprotectants and cultured soil microbes. However, looking at the complex nature of HS, the adoption of a holistic approach integrating outcomes of breeding, physiological, agronomical, and biotechnological options is required. Our review aims to provide insights concerning morpho-physiological and molecular impacts, tolerance mechanisms, and adaptation strategies of HS in wheat. This review will help scientific communities in the identification, development, and promotion of thermotolerant wheat cultivars and management strategies to minimize negative impacts of HS.
SARS-CoV-2 infection alters various blood parameters, which may indicate disease severity and thus help in better clinical management.
To study the association between various hematological ...parameters and disease severity of COVID-19. To analyze the effects of hypertension and diabetes on neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and neutrophil-monocyte ratio in patients suffering from COVID-19.
The study was a cross-sectional study involving 148 laboratory-confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The patients were divided into three groups on the basis of disease severity. Various hematological parameters were analyzed. The effects of hypertension and diabetes on NLR and NMR in COVID-19 patients were evaluated.
Of the 148 patients, 78.4%, 8.1% and 13.5% cases were in the mild, moderate and severe groups, respectively. Mean age was 42.63 ± 16.04 years (IQR: 29, 54.75; Range: 7–74). 58.8% patients were male while the rest (42.2%) were female. Mean TLC (cells/mm3), neutrophil (%), lymphocyte (%), monocyte (%), eosinophil (%), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and neutrophil-monocyte ratio (NMR) among mild, moderate and severe COVID-19 was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Basophil (%) and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR) was statistically insignificant among the three groups. Lymphocyte (%), monocyte (%) and eosinophil (%) were negatively correlated to disease severity. Among diabetics, both NLR and NMR were statistically significant (p < 0.05). However, among hypertensive cases, only the NLR was statistically significant.
Older age, higher TLC, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, eosinopenia, high NLR and high NMR are associated with severe COVID-19. High NLR and high NMR are indicative of severe disease among diabetic patients. High NLR also indicates severe disease among hypertensive patients.
•Leukocytosis, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, monocytopenia and eosinopenia are associated with severe COVID-19.•High neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and neutrophil-monocyte ratio (NMR) are indicators of disease severity in COVID-19.•Basophil count and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR) are not related with severity of illness in COVID-19.•High NLR is statistically significant (p < 0.05) among diabetics and hypertensives who suffer from COVID-19.
Apoptosis is the elimination of functionally non-essential, neoplastic, and infected cells via the mitochondrial pathway or death receptor pathway. The process of apoptosis is highly regulated ...through membrane channels and apoptogenic proteins. Apoptosis maintains cellular balance within the human body through cell cycle progression. Loss of apoptosis control prolongs cancer cell survival and allows the accumulation of mutations that can promote angiogenesis, promote cell proliferation, disrupt differentiation, and increase invasiveness during tumor progression. The apoptotic pathway has been extensively studied as a potential drug target in cancer treatment. However, the off-target activities of drugs and negative implications have been a matter of concern over the years. Phytochemicals (PCs) have been studied for their efficacy in various cancer cell lines individually and synergistically. The development of nanoparticles (NPs) through green synthesis has added a new dimension to the advancement of plant-based nanomaterials for effective cancer treatment. This review provides a detailed insight into the fundamental molecular pathways of programmed cell death and highlights the role of PCs along with the existing drugs and plant-based NPs in treating cancer by targeting its programmed cell death (PCD) network.
Microplastic disposal into riverine ecosystems is an emergent ecological hazard that mainly originated from land-based sources. This paper presents a comprehensive review on physical processes ...involved in microplastics transport in riverine ecosystems. Microplastic transport is governed by physical characteristics (e.g., plastic particle density, shape, and size) and hydrodynamics (e.g., laminar and turbulent flow conditions). High-density microplastics are likely to prevail near riverbeds, whereas low-density particles float over river surfaces. Microplastic transport occurs either due to gravity-driven (vertical transport) or settling (horizontal transport) in river ecosystems. Microplastics are subjected to various natural phenomena such as suspension, deposition, detachment, resuspension, and translocation during transport processes. Limited information is available on settling and rising velocities for various polymeric plastic particles. Therefore, this paper highlights how appropriately empirical transport models explain vertical and horizontal distribution of microplastic in riverine ecosystems. Microplastics interact, and thus feedback loops within the environment govern their fate, particularly as these ecosystems are under increasing biodiversity loss and climate change threat. This review provides outlines for fate and transport of microplastics in riverine ecosystems, which will help scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders in better monitoring and mitigating microplastics pollution.
Sugarcane productivity is being hampered globally under changing environmental scenarios like drought and salinity. The highly complex nature of the plant responses against these stresses is ...determined by a variety of factors such as genotype, developmental phase of the plant, progression rate and stress, intensity, and duration. These factors influence plant responses and can determine whether mitigation approaches associated with acclimation are implemented. In this review, we attempt to summarize the effects of drought and salinity on sugarcane growth, specifically on the plant’s responses at various levels, viz., physiological, biochemical, and metabolic responses, to these stresses. Furthermore, mitigation strategies for dealing with these stresses have been discussed. Despite sugarcane’s complex genomes, conventional breeding approaches can be utilized in conjunction with molecular breeding and omics technologies to develop drought- and salinity-tolerant cultivars. The significant role of plant growth-promoting bacteria in sustaining sugarcane productivity under drought and salinity cannot be overlooked.
Spinach leaves powder was modified by activation with conc. H2SO4 and was characterized by using FTIR, optical microscopy, XRD analysis and methylene blue adsorption method. The maximum specific ...surface area measured by the Methylene blue adsorption method was 499 m2/g. The adsorption of iodine was investigated by varying parameters as pH, adsorbent dose, contact time and I2 concentration. The adsorption process was fitted to the Langmuir model controlled by pseudo - second – order kinetics with a constant rate value of 0.00305 g/(mg·min). The maximum adsorption was at pH 10. The maximum adsorption capacity was 909.091 mg/g. The ∆G value was -25 kJ/mole, which confirmed the physico - chemcal adsorption process.
Plants are frequently subjected to heavy metal (HM) stress that impedes their growth and productivity. One of the most common harmful trace metals and HM discovered is chromium (Cr). Its ...contamination continues to increase in the environment due to industrial or anthropogenic activities. Chromium is severely toxic to plant growth and development and acts as a human carcinogen that enters the body by inhaling or taking Cr-contaminated food items. Plants uptake Cr via various transporters, such as sulfate and phosphate transporters. In nature, Cr is found in various valence states, commonly Cr (III) and Cr (VI). Cr (VI) is soil's most hazardous and pervasive form. Cr elevates reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity, impeding various physiological and metabolic pathways. Plants have evolved various complex defense mechanisms to prevent or tolerate the toxic effects of Cr. These defense mechanisms include absorbing and accumulating Cr in cell organelles such as vacuoles, immobilizing them by forming complexes with organic chelates, and extracting them by using a variety of transporters and ion channels regulated by various signaling cascades and transcription factors. Several defense-related proteins including, metallothioneins, phytochelatins, and glutathione-S-transferases aid in the sequestration of Cr. Moreover, several genes and transcriptional factors, such as
and
TF genes, play a crucial role in defense against Cr stress. To counter HM-mediated stress stimuli, OMICS approaches, including genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and metallomics, have facilitated our understanding to improve Cr stress tolerance in plants. This review discusses the Cr uptake, translocation, and accumulation in plants. Furthermore, it provides a model to unravel the complexities of the Cr-plant interaction utilizing system biology and integrated OMICS approach.
With the increasing water scarcity and the demand for sustainable agriculture, precise estimation of crop evapotranspiration (ET) is crucial for effective irrigation management, crop yield ...assessment, and equitable water distribution, particularly in semi-arid regions. In this study, a large aperture scintillometer (LAS) was used to validate the remote sensing-based ET model SETMI (Spatial Evapotranspiration Modeling Interface) in an irrigated maize-wheat cropping system in a semi-arid region at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. Results obtained by the SETMI model depicted modeled surface energy fluxes compared well with LAS field data, showing a very high R2 (0.83–0.95) and NRMSE (8–29%). The SETMI model performed better in the case of the maize crop than the wheat crop in field experiments. Further, the SETMI model was employed at the regional level using high-resolution Sentinel-2 to estimate the regional water productivity of wheat crops over a semi-arid region in India. The estimated regional, seasonal wheat actual ET mainly ranged between 101 mm and 325 mm. The regional wheat water productivity varied from 0.9 kg m−3 to 2.20 kg m−3. Our research reveals that the SETMI model can give reliable estimates of regional wheat water productivity by examining its spatial and temporal fluctuations and facilitating the creation of regional benchmark values.
An oomycetous fungus Phytophthora causing fruit rot is the most devastating disease of arecanut in different agro-climatic zones of Karnataka with varied climatic profiles. The main aim of this ...investigation was to characterize the geo-distant Phytophthora populations infecting arecanut using robust morphological, multi-gene phylogeny and haplotype analysis. A total of 48 geo-distant fruit rot infected samples were collected during the South-West monsoon of 2017-19. Pure culture of the suspected pathogen was isolated from the infected nuts and pathogenic ability was confirmed and characterized. Colony morphology revealed typical whitish mycelium with stellate or petalloid pattern and appearance with torulose hyphae. Sporangia were caducous, semipapillate or papillate, globose, ellipsoid or ovoid-obpyriform in shape and sporangiophores were irregularly branched or simple sympodial in nature. Subsequent multi-gene phylogeny (ITS, β-tub, TEF-1α and Cox-II) and sequence analysis confirmed the identity of oomycete as Phytophthora meadii which is predominant across the regions studied. We identified 49 haplotypes representing the higher haplotype diversity with varying relative haplotype frequency. Comprehensive study confirmed the existence of substantial variability among geo-distant populations (n=48) of P. meadii. The knowledge on population dynamics of the pathogen causing fruit rot of arecanut generated from this investigation would aid in developing appropriate disease management strategies to curtail its further occurrence and spread in arecanut ecosystem.
Sustaining crop yield under abiotic stresses with optimized resource use is a prerequisite for sustainable agriculture, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. Water and heat stress are major abiotic ...stresses impacting crop growth and yield by influencing complex physiological and biochemical processes during the life cycle of crops. In a 2-year (2015-2017) research, spring wheat cv. HD-2967 was grown under deficit irrigation and delayed sowing conditions to impose water and terminal heat stresses, respectively. The data were analyzed for seasonal crop water use, radiation interception, water productivity (WP), and radiation productivity (RP) under combined water deficit and terminal heat stresses. Seasonal crop water use was significantly affected by stresses in the order of water + terminal heat > water > terminal heat. Water stress showed minimal effect on the light extinction coefficient and consequently on seasonal intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IPAR). However, seasonal IPAR was primarily affected by combined water + terminal heat and terminal heat stress alone. The slope of crop water use and IPAR, i.e., canopy conductance, an indicator of canopy stomatal conductance, was more influenced by water stress than by terminal heat stress. Results showed that linear proportionality between WP and RP is no longer valid under stress conditions, as it follows a curvilinear relation. This is further supported by the fact that independent productivity (either water or radiation) lacked the ability to explain variability in the final economic yield or biomass of wheat. However, the ratio of RP to WP explained the variability in wheat yield/biomass under individual or combined stresses. This suggests a clue for improving higher wheat yield under stress by managing WP and RP. The highest biomass or yield is realized when the ratio of RP to WP approaches unity. Screening of genotypes for traits leading to a higher ratio of RP to WP provides an opportunity for improving wheat productivity under stressed environments.
PDF
