To ensure global food security and sustainable agricultural productivity in the coming years, modern technology is essential. It can boost food production, increase resilience to agroclimatic disruptions, and maintain healthy agroecosystems. Pesticide use is widely considered unsustainable due to inefficient application, high energy and water consumption, and potential harm to agroecosystems. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) present a promising alternative to traditional pesticides by enabling targeted delivery and controlled release of active ingredients (AIs), thereby enhancing pesticidal efficacy and efficiency. This review examines how nanopesticides, which enhance crop defense and directly target pathogens much like optimal plant nutrition, can be used to manage agricultural pests and improve yields. Nanopesticides offer several benefits, including improved crop yield and quality, enhanced foliar adhesion, and targeted delivery of active ingredients (AIs) to reduce damage from biotic and abiotic stressors. This article finds that while nanopesticides are more effective and sustainable than traditional pesticides, they may also pose greater ecological risks. Therefore, further research is needed to fully understand these potential detrimental impacts. By boosting crop yields, these benefits promote sustainable agriculture and enhance global food security.

Saline soil and drought are among the most devastating abiotic stresses constraining sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) production globally, with soil salinity affecting over 1,125 Mha worldwide and drought causing severe yield losses in tropical and subtropical agroecosystems. As a glycophytic C4 crop supplying ~80% of the world’s sugar, sugarcane is particularly vulnerable, with threshold salinity tolerance at a mere 1.7 dS m–1 electrical conductivity (EC). This review integrates recent developments in the physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of sugarcane during stress conditions. Under salinity, photosynthetic CO2 efficiency, chlorophyll integrity, source–sink partitioning, reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism, phytohormone signaling, and osmolyte accumulation are altered based on the sugarcane cultivars and cultivation regions. Under drought, stomatal regulation, root hydraulics, abscisic acid (ABA) cascades, and the expression of dehydrin and late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins govern tolerance. At the molecular level, ion-transporter genes (SOS pathway), DREB/ERF transcription factors, aquaporins, and small RNAs constitute central regulatory hubs. Mitigation strategies, including agronomic interventions, exogenous osmoprotectants, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, biochar amendment, and advanced breeding tools such as CRISPR/Cas9, marker-assisted selection, and transgenic approaches, are comprehensively discussed for sustainable sugarcane production.

Electron beam (e-beam) irradiation is an emerging physical mutagenesis technique for sugarcane improvement. However, the functional mechanisms underlying dose-dependent physio-biochemical responses remain poorly understood. The effects of e-beam irradiation at different dose levels, such as 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 Gy on three sugarcane genotypes, i.e., GT11-2320, GT11-2142, and GT16-1232, were assessed. Different physio-biochemical parameters, i.e., protein content, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, malondialdehyde, soluble sugars, proline, free amino acids, and photosynthetic pigments, were measured at specific time intervals across 102 samples. Two-way ANOVA analysis indicated that the irradiation dose significantly affected eight of nine parameters, with malondialdehyde (F = 10.91, P < 0.001) and chlorophyll content (F = 6.70, P < 0.001) showing the strongest dose responses. Genotype significantly influenced protein (F = 19.98, P < 0.001), peroxidase (F = 28.74, P < 0.001), proline (F = 4.90, P = 0.010), and amino acid content (F = 3.99, P = 0.022), respectively. Catalase activity was the single parameter exhibiting a significant genotype × dose interaction (F = 2.60, P = 0.009), indicating differential catalase regulation among genotypes. High-dose treatments (60–100 Gy) enhanced malondialdehyde content (45.4

Abstract Transcriptional regulation of the high-affinity K+ (HAK) transporter gene is an important mechanism of plant response to low potassium stress. Cloning and analysis of the promoter of potassium transporter gene is not only helpful to its expression pattern and regulation mechanism but also important to improve the potassium absorption efficiency in sugarcane. The potassium transporter gene ScHAK10 is highly expressed and induced by low potassium stress in sugarcane，but the functions of its promoter is still unclear. In the present article, the 1918 bp promoter region of the ScHAK10 gene (pScHAK10) was cloned by genomic walking technique. Computational analysis affirmed the existence of abiotic stress-responsive cis and core cis-elements, such as TATA box, CAAT box, phytohormone responsive, stress response and light response motifs. GUS histochemical staining of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings showed that the leaf, corolla, and root tip were deeply stained, and paraffin sections of root tip tissue showed GUS staining in ductal tissue of A. thaliana shallowly stained. The 5′-terminal deletion of the promoter was cloned, and the lengths of 1918 (full), 1623 (Q1), 1332 (Q2), 957 (Q3), 576 (Q4), and 357 bp (Q5) were cloned into the GUS reporter vector for A. thaliana transient transformation. The transgenic plants generated through a single event exhibited a promising expression of the GUS reporter protein, which was treated with salt, low potassium, IAA and cold stress conditions. The results showed that the promoter activity correlates with the promoter fragment's length, and the long promoter fragment exhibits higher training. The Q5 was the least active and could not drive GUS expression. Under abiotic stress, the expression of GUS enzyme activity varies among different promoter fragments. Under low potassium and high salt stress, Q3 and Q4 showed the highest promoter activity. The Q1 and Q4 led the highest promoter activity during IAA and cold stress. These findings help to understand the molecular mechanism of ScHAK10 expression regulation and provide a theoretical basis for improving potassium uptake efficiency and breeding potassium-efficient varieties in sugarcane.

The mutualistic plant rhizobacteria which improve plant development and productivity are known as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). It is more significant due to their ability to help the plants in different ways. The main physiological responses, such as malondialdehyde, membrane stability index, relative leaf water content, photosynthetic leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence efficiency of photosystem-II, and photosynthetic pigments are observed in plants during unfavorable environmental conditions. Plant rhizobacteria are one of the more crucial chemical messengers that mediate plant development in response to stressed conditions. The interaction of plant rhizobacteria with essential plant nutrition can enhance the agricultural sustainability of various plant genotypes or cultivars. Rhizobacterial inoculated plants induce biochemical variations resulting in increased stress resistance efficiency, defined as induced systemic resistance. Omic strategies revealed plant rhizobacteria inoculation caused the upregulation of stress-responsive genes—numerous recent approaches have been developed to protect plants from unfavorable environmental threats. The plant microbes and compounds they secrete constitute valuable biostimulants and play significant roles in regulating plant stress mechanisms. The present review summarized the recent developments in the functional characteristics and action mechanisms of plant rhizobacteria in sustaining the development and production of plants under unfavorable environmental conditions, with special attention on plant rhizobacteria-mediated physiological and molecular responses associated with stress-induced responses.

The requirement for agricultural crops continues to enhance with the continuous growth of the human population globally. Plant pathogenic diseases outbreaks are enhancing and threatening food security and safety for the vulnerable in different regions worldwide. Silicon (Si) is considered a non-essential element for plant growth. It regulates the biological functions, plant development and productivity, and balance the defense mechanism in response to fungal, bacterial and pest attacks. The optimum crop yield can be achieved by applying Si in agricultural systems through different methods to replace or minimize the use of synthetic fertilizers. This approach can be effective on crop production during limited resources, extreme climates, pests and diseases, and environmental pollution. Silicon can be applied as foliar spray, priming of seeds, soil water irrigation, soil amendment and soilless medium (hydroponic) to enhance plant performance and stress tolerance capacity during stress conditions. This article summarized the effective roles of Si and the ability to perform in agroecosystems for better crop production, food security and safety for sustainable agriculture in the future.

Biochar has the potential to become a more promising carbon source with a broad range of applications in soil agroecosystems. The depletion of soil minerals is a big problem due to soil erosion and leaching of nutrients. Biochar is a soil conditioner used in crop production to improve soil profile, increase fertilizer use efficiency, plant growth and development, carbon sequestration, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is persistent in the environment and retains water, nutrients, and contaminants. It can also be applied in environmental rehabilitation for remediating contaminated soil. Applied biochar significantly enhanced the nutrients in the rhizospheric soil and reduced the bioavailability and uptake of heavy metals. The enhancement of soil nutrient values was the major functional mechanism for enhancing plant protection and production. Overall, the results of this mini-review are significant because they provide the strategies and technological direction for using biochar in sustainable agricultural systems.

AbstractPlant cellulose synthase is one of the important glycosyltransferases, which catalyzes the synthesis of the paracrystalline of H-bonded-β-(1,4)-glucose chains. This study isolated the cellulose synthase 3 (Ces3) sequence from sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) leaves. SoCes3 (GenBank accession No. MG324347) has a full-length cDNA sequence of 3625 bp. It contains an open reading frame (3225 bp), encoding 1074 amino acids with a molecular weight of about 120.89 kDa and isoelectric point of 6.26. SoCes3 protein showed high activity with other plant cellulose synthases. The recombinant protein contains plant cellulose synthase (Ces) protein conservative domains. In subcellular localization experiments, the fusion protein of SoCes3 with green fluorescent protein (GFP) was specifically localized in the cell membrane. The gene expression of SoCes3 was found in the leaf, leaf sheath, and internodes of the sugarcane stem. The highest expression level was found in the internode, especially with the highest expression level in the 5th internode and lowest in the leaves, and the gene expression level of SoCes3 was upregulated by PP333 and not in gibberellic acid-treated plants. It was conducted in tobacco plants to understand the biotechnological potential of SoCes3. The contents of cellulose and lignin were increased in SoCes3-overexpressing tobacco. Transcriptomic analysis showed that the transgenic tobacco induced different genes associated with different biological regulatory processes. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) mediated plant hormone signal transduction, starch and sucrose metabolism signaling pathways were widely induced and mostly upregulated. The transcription levels in SoCes3-overexpressing transgenic lines were higher than wild-type. Graphical Abstract

To meet the global food demand while maintaining the minimum possible negative impacts on the soil, air, and water, sustainable and precise agricultural practices are essential. The efficient use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) can replace conventional fertilizers and pesticides, subsequently minimizing the environmental impact of agricultural approaches. Slow-release or controlled-release nitrogenous fertilizers may enhance crop productivity while alleviating agro-environmental constraints. Nitrogen is the essential element which limits worldwide agricultural production. Despite numerous efforts, the N-use efficiency (NUE) in agriculture remains around 50%. The ongoing investigation of novel approaches has resulted in the synthesis of innovative nanomaterials (NMs), providing a potent mechanism for the development of unique element characteristics. The most promising engineered materials being explored, whether for soil or foliar applications, is nanofertilizers. Although not much is known about the usage of NFs, significant results have been observed in various plant species. Granular fertilizers are commonly applied to the soil for the nitrogen requirement of plants. These fertilizers may cause more losses due to the surface runoff or leaching with ammonia volatilization and N oxides (N 2 O, NO, NOx) emissions. n-NFs are expected to improve NUE by increasing the efficiency of N delivery to plants and minimizing N losses to the environment. A chance to use n-NFs in plants may arise in unique conditions with increasing economic and environmental limitations. This article highlights the possible application of n-NFs as a novel strategy to ensure NUE with the reduction in N losses to the environment, including addressing its potential for sustainable agriculture. Graphical Abstract

Fluoride (F-) stress is one of the major environmental pollutant, affecting plant growth, development and production, globally. Acquisition of eco-friendly F- stress reliever seems to be the major concern these days. Consequently, application of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) has been increasing to improve agri-economy. However, the impact of silicon nanoparticles (Si NPs) on mitigation of F- stress has not been investigated yet. Thus, the present study was conducted to compare their protective roles against F- stress by improving diurnal photosynthetic efficiency of sugarcane plant leaves. An ability of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum cv. GT44) plants to ameliorate F- toxicity assessed through soil culture medium. After an adaptive growth phase, 45 days old plants select to examine F- mitigative efficacy of silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs: 0, 100, 300 and 500 ppm) on sugarcane plants, irrigated by F- contaminated water (0, 100, 200 and 500 ppm). Our results strongly favour that SiNPs enhanced diurnally leaf photosynthetic gas exchange viz., photosynthesis (-1.0-29%), stomatal conductance (-3.0-90%), and transpiration rate (-0.5-43%), significantly, as revealed by increments in photochemical chlorophyll fluorescence efficiency of PS II linked with performance index and photosynthetic pigments during F- stress. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first investigation to explore the impact of SiNPs improving and/or maintaining the diurnal photosynthetic responses in sugarcane plants in response to Fstress. It may also precisely unlayer action of molecular mechanism(s) mediated by SiNPs, found essential for mitigation of F--toxicity to explore nano-phytoremediation approach for crop improvement and agri-economy as well.

Plastics’ unavoidable and rampant usage causes their trash to be extensively dispersed in the atmosphere and land due to its numerous characteristics. Because of extensive plastic usage and increased manufacturing, there is insufficient recycling and a large accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in the environment. In addition to their wide availability in the soil and atmosphere, micro- and nanoplastics are becoming contaminants worldwide. Agro-ecosystem functioning and plant development are being negatively impacted in several ways by the contamination of the environment and farmland soils with MPs (<5 mm) and nanoplastics (<1 µm). The contributions of some recyclable organic waste and plastic film mulching and plastic particle deposition in agroecosystems may be substantial; therefore, it is crucial to understand any potentially hazardous or undesirable impacts of these pollutants on agroecosystems. The dissolution of bioplastics into micro- and nano-particles (MBPs and NBPs) has not been considered in recent studies, which focus primarily on agro-ecosystems. It is essential to properly understand the distribution, concentration, fate, and main source of MPs, NPS, MBPs, and NBPs in agroecosystems. Based on the limited findings, understanding the knowledge gap of environmental impact from micro and nanoplastic in farming systems does not equate to the absence of such evidence. It reveals the considerations for addressing the gaps to effectively protect global food safety and security in the near future.

Ganoderma lingzhi is an important medicinal fungus, and it is particularly important to select strains with high yields and active substance contents. In this study, protoplasts of G. lingzhi were thermally inactivated to destroy intracellular enzyme proteins and preserve DNA. The DNA of G. resinaceum was damaged by ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and other components of the protoplasm except DNA were preserved. Then, the protoplast was induced using polyethylene glycol (PEG) for fusion. The results showed that the optimal thermal inactivation conditions for G. lingzhi were 30 min in a 45 °C water bath, and the optimal UV inactivation conditions for G. resinaceum were 70 s of irradiation using a 20 W UV lamp at a vertical distance of 15 cm. Antagonistic tests, internal transcribed space (ITS) and mitochondrial DNA identification, intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) molecular markers and morphology were used to distinguish the parents from the fusants. Four true fusants were obtained, and the yield was 2.5%. The fruiting body yield of the fusants was significantly higher than that of G. lingzhi, and the polysaccharide and triterpene contents of the RAD-64 fusant were significantly higher than those of G. lingzhi. The results presented in this paper show that protoplast fusion technology can effectively improve G. lingzhi varieties and support the breeding of new varieties.

Insufficient availability of water is a major global challenge that plants face and that can cause substantial losses in plant productivity and quality, followed by complete crop failure. Thus, it becomes imperative to improve crop cultivation/production in unsuitable agricultural fields and integrate modern agri-techniques and nanoparticles (NPs)-based approaches to extend appropriate aid to plants to handle adverse environmental variables. Nowadays, NPs are commonly used with biological systems because of their specific physicochemical characteristics, viz., size/dimension, density, and surface properties. The foliar/soil application of nanosilicon (nSi) has been shown to have a positive impact on plants through the regulation of physiological and biochemical responses and the synthesis of specific metabolites. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced in plants in response to drought/water scarcity, which may enhance the ability for adaptation in plants/crops to withstand adverse surroundings. The functions of ROS influenced by nSi and water stress have been assessed widely. However, detailed information about their association with plants and stress is yet to be explored. Our review presents an update on recent developments regarding nSi and water stress in combination with ROS accumulation for sustainable agriculture and an eco-friendly environment.

Background Hami melon ( Cucumis melo var. saccharinus ) is a popular fruit in China because of its excellent taste, which is largely determined by its physicochemical characteristics, including flesh texture, sugar content, aroma, and nutrient composition. However, the mechanisms by which these characteristics are regulated have not yet been determined. In this study, we monitored changes in the fruits of two germplasms that differed in physicochemical characteristics throughout the fruit development period. Results Ripe fruit of the bred variety ‘Guimi’ had significantly higher soluble sugar contents than the fruit of the common variety ‘Yaolong.’ Additionally, differences in fruit shape and color between these two germplasms were observed during development. Comparative transcriptome analysis, conducted to identify regulators and pathways underlying the observed differences at corresponding stages of development, revealed a higher number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in Guimi than in Yaolong. Moreover, most DEGs detected during early fruit development in Guimi were associated with cell wall biogenesis. Temporal analysis of the identified DEGs revealed similar trends in the enrichment of downregulated genes in both germplasms, although there were differences in the enrichment trends of upregulated genes. Further analyses revealed trends in differential changes in multiple genes involved in cell wall biogenesis and sugar metabolism during fruit ripening. Conclusions We identified several genes associated with the ripening of Hami melons, which will provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of fruit characteristics in these melons.

Insufficient water is a leading environmental problem that affects overall crop development, productivity, and sometimes total crop failure. It brings a number of morpho-physiological and cellular disturbances. The purpose of this study was carried out to assess the effects of photosynthetic pigments and antioxidative enzyme activities of Saccharum spontaneum cv. GX83-10 plants during mild to severe water stress conditions. After 90 days of bud setts germination, S. spontaneum plants were sustained up to 15 days of withdrawing water. Our results indicated that the stressed plants were negatively affected, such as growth, biomass, photosynthetic loss, and significant reduction in photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rate. Severe water stress enhanced the level of osmolytes, i.e., proline, soluble protein, soluble sugar, and malondialdehyde, as well as catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase enzyme activities. Antioxidative enzyme activities in S. spontaneum plant leaves were improved and enhanced the metabolism of superoxide, leading to enhanced water stress tolerance efficiency. The present findings may help in better understanding of S. spontaneum antioxidative defense systems in drought-stressed conditions.

Drought is the abiotic factor that adversely affects plant growth, development survival, and crop productivity, posing a substantial threat to sustainable agriculture worldwide, especially in warm and dry areas. However, the extent of damage depends upon the crop growth stage, severity and frequency of the stress. In general, the reproductive growth phase is more sensitive to stresses causing a substantial loss in crop productivity. Saccharum spontaneum (L.) is the most variable wild relative of sugarcane with potential for use in sugarcane crop improvement programs. In the present study addresses the transcriptomic analysis of drought stress imposed by polyethylene glycol-6000 (PED-6000; w/v- 25%) on the root tip tissues of S. spontaneum GX83-10. The analysis of microarrays of drought-stressed roots was performed at 0 (CK), 2 (T2), 4 (T4), 8 (T8) and 24 h (T24). The analyzed data were compared with the gene function annotations of four major databases, such as Nr, KOG/COG, Swiss-Prot, and KEGG, and a total of 62,988 single-gene information was obtained. The differently expressed genes of 56237 (T4), 59319 (T8), and 58583 (T24), among which CK obtained the most significant number of expressed genes (35920) as compared to T24, with a total of 53683 trend genes. Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG analysis were performed on the 6 important trends, and a total of 598 significant GO IDs and 42 significantly enriched metabolic pathways. Furthermore, these findings also aid in the selection of novel genes and promoters that can be used to potentially produce crop plants with enhanced stress resistance efficiency for sustainable agriculture.

Sugarcane is a cash crop that plays an integral part in the sugar industry. The Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI) has been adopted globally, ensuring enough and aiming for more yield, helping increase disease-free sugarcane cultivation. Single-bud seeds could be the best approach for sugarcane cultivation. Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) is a rooting agent utilized significantly in seedling propagation. Greenhouse experiment results discovered the significant growth promotion in sugarcane seedlings and accumulation of plant hormones at 100 ppm IBA. Next, we performed transcriptomic analysis of sugarcane buds using RNA sequencing and compared their gene expression during root development due to affect of IBA (100 ppm). A total of 113,475 unigenes were annotated with an average length of 836 bp (N50 = 1,536). The comparative RNA-seq study between the control (CK) and IBA-treated (T) buds showed significant differentially expressed unigenes (494 upregulated and 2086 downregulated). The IBA influenced major biological processes including metabolic process, the cellular process, and single-organism process. For cellular component category, cell, cell part, organelle, membrane, and organelle part were mainly affected. In addition, catalytic activity and binding were primarily affected in the molecular function categories. Furthermore, the expression of genes related to plant hormones and signaling pathways was analyzed by qRT-PCR, which was consistent with the RNA-seq expression profile. This study provides new insights into the IBA response to the bud sprouting in sugarcane based on RNA sequencing, and generated information could help further research on breeding improvement of sugarcane.