Bamboo, a multipurpose and renewable forest resource, is essential for industries such as construction, paper, and bioenergy because of its fast growth, high biomass production, quick growth, and adaptability to many climates. There is a great potential for mass production of bamboo to produce genetically uniform plants, which are important to reach the growing demand of bamboo planting material. Plant cell and tissue culture can be used for propagating bamboo in vitro. This review discusses the significance, extent, and prospects of advanced techniques of micropropagation, especially, somatic embryogenesis, for sustainability and mass production of bamboo. Somatic embryogenesis facilitates rapid and controlled propagation by utilizing shoot tips, nodal segments, and mature embryos as explants, in contrast to conventional methods like seed propagation, vegetative cuttings which are associated with constraints such as lower germination rates and low genetic viability. Optimization of culture media, nutrient composition, and plant growth regulators (PGRs) play a key role in the in vitro culture initiation and plant regeneration. Somatic embryogenesis also ensures higher shoot multiplication and genetic uniformity. The advancements in in vitro culture techniques highlight potential for mass multiplication of bamboo as an environmental friendly approach to meet the demand of growing in bamboo planting material and bamboo-based industry.
The respiration rate (RR) of fresh produce is a critical factor influencing its postharvest quality and shelf life. For the effective design of any storage system, it is essential to understand the impact of storage temperature and duration on respiration dynamics. This study investigates the respiratory behavior of fresh tomato (cv. Avinash-2) at five different temperatures (10 degrees C, 20 degrees C, 25 degrees C, 30 degrees C, and 35 degrees C) using the hermetic storage system. The experimental data were utilized to develop predictive mathematical models, including nonlinear regression function (RF) and enzyme kinetics based Michaelis-Menten (MM) model. Model validation was conducted at 17 degrees C storage temperature, demonstrating a strong correlation between predicted and observed RR. Among the two models, the MM model exhibited superior predictive accuracy, making it a reliable tool for forecasting RR in tomatoes under different storage conditions. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for optimizing storage strategies, reducing postharvest losses, and improving fresh produce supply chain management.
The growing demand for sustainable food packaging solutions has increased research into antimicrobial active packaging systems based on biodegradable biopolymers and natural extracts.
Wheat plays a pivotal role in global food and nutritional security, supplying a significant proportion of calories, protein and essential micronutrients such as iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn). However, breeding efforts focused on yield enhancement have often compromised grain nutritional quality, exacerbating micronutrient deficiencies in populations reliant on wheat as a staple. This study aimed to dissect the genetic architecture of key agronomic and nutritional traits in bread wheat using a comprehensive diallel mating design, combining Griffing's combining ability analysis, Hayman's graphical approach and Vr-Wr regression. Significant general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) effects indicated the involvement of both additive and non-additive gene actions across agronomic and nutritional traits. Traits such as total protein content (TPC), grain iron content (GFeC) and grain zinc content (GZnC) exhibited high heritability and predictability, supporting the feasibility of selection-based breeding. In contrast, yield-related traits like grain yield per plant (GYPP) and grains per spike (GPS) were predominantly governed by non-additive effects, favoring heterosis breeding. Graphical analysis further confirmed overdominance and epistasis for complex traits, while additive effects dominated micronutrient traits. Promising parental lines, including JW 1203, HI 1633 and HI 1634, along with superior hybrids such as WB02 & times; HI 1633, were identified for their potential in combined yield and nutritional improvement. These findings highlight the necessity of dual breeding strategies, integrating selection-based approaches for micronutrient enhancement with heterosis breeding for yield improvement, to achieve sustainable gains in wheat productivity and nutritional quality. The insights generated provide a robust genetic framework for advancing biofortification and climate-resilient wheat breeding programs.
Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the world’s most important cereal crops, contributing to food and financial security, particularly in developing countries. High temperature due to climate change seriously threatens sustainable rice production. Rice crops are adversely affected by heat stress at the morphological, physiological, and molecular levels, resulting in reduced yield and poor grain quality. Rice is highly sensitive to heat during the reproductive phase, causing pollen sterility, impaired pollen dehiscence, pollen germination, and tube growth, ultimately drastically reducing spikelet sterility and yield. High temperature also promotes the accumulation of reactive oxygen species in plant cells, resulting in multiple adverse effects, including damage to chloroplasts and cell membranes, inactivation of photosystems, reduced Rubisco activity, and impaired production of photoassimilates. In this review, we have synthesized the current knowledge on the effects of heat stress on rice and summarized QTLs, genes, and regulatory pathways underlying thermotolerance. We further evaluate conventional breeding, transgenics, and diverse omics-based strategies to breed high-yielding, heat-tolerant rice varieties. The precise molecular insights gained through various omics approaches are expected to advance our understanding of the intricate nature of heat stress tolerance in rice. Additionally, we highlight the emerging roles of microbiome, high-throughput phenotyping technologies, and artificial intelligence as promising tools for accelerating the development of heat-resilient rice.
