Plastic pollution is the challenging problem of the world due to usage of plastic in daily life. Plastic is essential for packaging food and other goods and utensils to avoid the risk of microbial attack. Due to its hydrophobic nature, it is used for wrapping as laminates or packaging liquid substances in pouches and sachets. The tensile strength of the plastic is more therefore it is used for manufacturing carrying bags that can bear heavy loads. Plastic is available in various forms as per the requirements in our daily life. Annually millions to trillions of polyethene carry bags are being manufactured and utilized throughout the world. The plastic requires millions of years for natural degradation. The physical and chemical processes are able to degrade plastic material at the meager level by 200 to 500 years in natural conditions. Many industries focus on recycling of plastic. Biodegradation is a comparatively slow and cheaper process that involves microbes. To dispose of plastic completely there is a need of an integrated process in which all the possible methods of disposal are involved and used sustainably so that minimum depletion occurs to the livestock and the environment. In the current review, we could try to emphasize the intricate nature of plastic polymers, pollution caused by it and possible mitigation strategies for plastic waste management.

Background . Onion thrips ( Thrips tabaci ) is a complex of cryptic species with subtle morphological differences and distinct genetic backgrounds; thus, species identification using traditional methods remains challenging. The existence of different haplotypes and genotypes within a species can significantly influence various aspects of its biology, including host preference, reproductive capacity, resistance to pesticides, and vector competence for plant viruses. Understanding the genetic diversity and population structure of cryptic species within T. tabaci will not only aid in the development of more effective control strategies tailored to specific genetic variants but also in monitoring population dynamics, tracking invasive species, and implementing quarantine measures to prevent the spread of economically damaging thrips biotypes. Methods . This study aims to explore intraspecies genetic diversity and molecular evolutionary relationships of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase gene subunit I (mtCOI) in T. tabaci populations from India. To capture diversity within the Indian T. tabaci populations, amplicon sequencing was performed for the thrips mtCOI gene from eight diverse localities in India. A total of 48 sequences retrieved for the mtCOI gene from the NCBI Nucleotide database were analysed. Results . Multiple insertions and deletions were detected at various genomic positions across the populations from different localities, with the highest variation observed in the 300-400 genome position range. Molecular diversity analyses identified 30 haplotypes within the population, with certain subpopulations exhibiting higher gene flow. Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism patterns within the mtCOI gene across diverse Indian locales revealed significant intrapopulation genetic heterogeneity and its potential repercussions on gene functionality. Elevated F statistics (Fst) values in the northern-western subpopulations suggested high genetic variability, particularly evident in haplotype networks originating mainly from the northern region, notably Delhi. While most populations displayed stable and ancient evolutionary histories, thrips populations from northern, western, and north-eastern regions indicated rapid growth.

Cissus quadrangularis is a succulent, perennial plant belonging to the family Vitaceae typically found in Asia and Africa’s tropical and subtropical forest zones. It is an ancient medicinal plant, containing phytosterols, polyphenols, flavonoids, carbohydrates, and ascorbic acid. Due to the presence of phytosterols it plays a crucial role in bone fracture healing. However, due to the limited resources of these medicinal plants there is a need to search for a reservoir of biologically active metabolites. This medicinal property of the plants therefore may be attributed to the endophytic fungi within the plant. This study includes isolation of endophytic fungi from C. quadrangularis and the characterization of fungal extracts. Three endophytes were isolated namely Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Colletotrichum siamense and Phoma sp. The qualitative analysis of targeted metabolites from Cissus quadrangularis stem and fungal extracts of all the three endophytes showed the presence of phytosterols. Methanol extracts of endophytes and C. quadrangularis plant exhibit significant antioxidant and the radical scavenging activity because of the presence of β-carotene. The Ic50 value for stem and isolated endophytes was 5.748, 19.937, 7.00, and 6.493 respectively. This study will give further scope for studying the bone healing ability of phytosterol from the endophytic isolates of C. quadrangularis plant.

Insects possess beneficial and nuisance values in the context of the agricultural sector and human life around them. An ensemble of gut symbionts assists insects to adapt to diverse and extreme environments and to occupy every available niche on earth. Microbial symbiosis helps host insects by supplementing necessary diet elements, providing protection from predators and parasitoids through camouflage, modulation of signaling pathway to attain homeostasis and to trigger immunity against pathogens, hijacking plant pathways to circumvent plant defence, acquiring the capability to degrade chemical pesticides, and degradation of harmful pesticides. Therefore, a microbial protection strategy can lead to overpopulation of insect pests, which can drastically reduce crop yield. Some studies have demonstrated increased insect mortality via the destruction of insect gut symbionts; through the use of antibiotics. The review summarizes various roles played by the gut microbiota of insect pests and some studies that have been conducted on pest control by targeting the symbionts. Manipulation or exploitation of the gut symbionts alters the growth and population of the host insects and is consequently a potential target for the development of better pest control strategies. Methods such as modulation of gut symbionts via CRISPR/Cas9, RNAi and the combining of IIT and SIT to increase the insect mortality are further discussed. In the ongoing insect pest management scenario, gut symbionts are proving to be the reliable, eco-friendly and novel approach in the integrated pest management.

EDITORIAL article Front. Microbiol., 23 June 2023Sec. Microbiotechnology Volume 14 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1235565

The worldwide continuous growth of the human population resulted in increased demands for food. The green revolution has increased food production significantly (Evenson and Gollin 2003). But this increase in yield was often accompanied by reduced nutritional quality (Simmonds 1995; Oury et al. 2003). More than one billion people suffer from the low intake of proteins, minerals, and vitamins especially in developing and underdeveloped countries (WHO 2016), and thus biofortification of crops is a very important approach to overcome it (Wiegmann et al. 2019). Biofortification is the practice of enhancing the amount or bioavailability of vital nutrients in food using agronomic, genetic, and biotechnological methods (Bouis et al. 2011).

Crop improvement has always been a major concern to feed the continuously increasing human population. Since they trigger genetic rearrangement, the flowering traits in plants are the foundation of all breeding approaches. Flowers can set seeds after natural or artificial pollination, which means they can be improved genetically using conventional breeding methods. Unfortunately, any crop reaches the point where its genetic pool is exhausted and can no longer be improved. The breeders are looking for crop wild relatives to identify candidate genes with desirable traits. In general, cross-pollination between cultivated and wild relatives produces unusual barriers. However, in terms of incompatibility, congruity and incongruity lead to unsynchronized floral organ production and disturbances in postfertilization seed setting. However, the embryo can abort even after successful fertilization due to genetic incompatibility and environmental factors. Postfertilization transcription factors suppress embryo growth and prevent viable seed production at the molecular level. To prevent interspecific hybridized embryos from abortion, they are technically excised in vitro and cultured on media, referred to as "embryo rescue" (ER). ER is one of the oldest in vitro plant breeding strategies. Many factors influence the effectiveness of the ER technique, including crop genotype, culture media, plant growth regulators, the age of the fruit, and the more significant stages of the rescued embryos. When compared to other embryo stages, the torpedo stage embryo has the highest success rate. For field and horticultural crops, the ER technique was a boon for interspecific and intergeneric hybrids. Precocious germination, malnutrition, cytological changes during embryogenesis, endosperm balance number, and polar nuclei activation are several triggers of interspecific hybridization failure that can be resolved using this technique. Seed physiology, viability, and dormancy, as well as ploidy and various chromosome elimination research, all benefit from ER. As a result, this method has been very effective for the interspecific hybrid development in a various vegetable, fruits, and ornamental and field crops. The ER technique's facilitates growers, plant breeders, and the seed industry for global food and nutrition security. This chapter provides updated and detailed information about ER techniques, influences, and applications in commercial crops.

Minerals are the key factor determining human beings' optimum growth and development. The deficiencies of minerals and vitamins hinder the human normal growth and development and economic status. In the 21st century, macro and micronutrient deficiencies are significant challenges to improving the nutritional value of foods at the socio-economic level. Bio-fortification is a simple strategy to improve the nutritional value of the human diet. Several bio-fortification strategies, including traditional breeding, transgenic, agronomic, and modernized agriculture practices, were employed to biofortify crops to meet nutritional needs. However, these strategies are also lacking sustainability due to the specific crop species and micronutrients, provision of long-term monitoring and assistance, long term high cost of special chemical fertilizers, losses of crop yield due to chemical fertilizers-induced alterations of plant metabolism, environmental and health impact originating from incorporation new minerals elements like Se and Cu. Therefore, microbial bio-fortification can promote human health and agriculture sustainability. This review highlights; the phyto-availability of micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Mg, Ca, Se, I, & Cu) for human diets; availability of micronutrients value in a stable in the edible part of plants; plant uptakes of micronutrients from the soil system; & strategies of crops fortification and its importance. At present, microbial bio-fortification should be emphasized by exploring the macro and micronutrients regulatory mechanisms through plant-microbe interaction with specific soil systems and climate change.

Lectins are important for plant defence against various insect and viral invasions. Allium species are rich source of lectins, but till date no lectin is reported to have insecticidal activity against the onion thrips. In the present study, wild Allium species were mined for potential lectins against onion thrips. The full-length lectin genes were amplified and cloned from four wild Allium species (A. hookeri, A. altaicum, A. fistulosum and A. angulosum) which is 534 bp in length. The ‘QXDXNXVXY’ motif responsible for recognition of alpha-D-mannose is present in all the sequences of lectin. The qPCR expression analysis of lectin genes showed that A. hookeri has fourfold more expression as compared to the onion (Allium cepa). The whole plant damage assay and detached leaf damage assay revealed that A. hookeri was resistant to Thrips tabaci. The per cent leaf area damage was lowest in A. hookeri, and further larval survival rate of T. tabaci was also least (61.46 ± 1.47%) when fed on A. hookeri. The overall development of T. tabaci was also found to be delayed on A. hookeri compared to other species. The present investigation will be helpful in developing interspecific crosses and transgenics for thrips control in onion.

Purple blotch (PB) is one of the most destructive foliar diseases of onion and other alliums, caused by a necrotrophic fungal pathogen Alternaria porri. There are no reports on the molecular response of onion to PB infection. To elucidate the response of onion to A. porri infection, we consequently carried out an RNAseq analysis of the resistant (Arka Kalyan; AK) and susceptible (Agrifound rose; AFR) genotype after an artificial infection. Through differential expression analyses between control and pathogen-treated plants, we identified 8,064 upregulated and 248 downregulated genes in AFR, while 832 upregulated and 564 downregulated genes were identified in AK. A further significant reprogramming in the gene expression profile was also demonstrated by a functional annotation analysis. Gene ontology (GO) terms, which are particularly involved in defense responses and signaling, are overrepresented in current analyses such as "oxidoreductase activity," "chitin catabolic processes," and "defense response." Several key plant defense genes were differentially expressed on A. porri infection, which includes pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins, receptor-like kinases, phytohormone signaling, cell-wall integrity, cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, and transcription factors. Some of the genes were exclusively overexpressed in resistant genotype, namely, GABA transporter1, ankyrin repeat domain-containing protein, xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase, and PR-5 (thaumatin-like). Antioxidant enzyme activities were observed to be increased after infection in both genotypes but higher activity was found in the resistant genotype, AK. This is the first report of transcriptome profiling in onion in response to PB infection and will serve as a resource for future studies to elucidate the molecular mechanism of onion-A. porri interaction and to improve PB resistance in onions.

For the burgeoning global population, sustainable agriculture practices are crucial for accomplishing the zero-hunger goal. The agriculture sector is very concerned about the rise in insecticide resistance and the Modern Environmental Health Hazards (MEHHs) that are problems for public health due to on pesticide exposure and residues. Currently, farming practices are being developed based on microbial bio-stimulants, which have fewer negative effects and are more efficient than synthetic agro-chemicals. In this context, one of the most important approaches in sustainable agriculture is the use of biocontrol microbes that can suppress phytopathogens and insects. Simultaneously, it is critical to comprehend the role of these microbes in promoting growth and disease control, and their application as biofertilizers and biopesticides, the success of which in the field is currently inconsistent. Therefore, editorial is part of a special issue titled "Biocontrol Strategies: An Eco-smart Tool for Integrated Pest and Disease Management" which focuses on biocontrol approaches that can suppress the biotic stresses, alter plant defense mechanisms, and offer new eco-smart ways for controlling plant pathogens and insect pests under sustainable agriculture.

Lacking an organized immune system and being of sessile nature, plants face many biotic stresses like viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and insects in their environments. The bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and insects may be limited to the specific time period of the plants. At the same time, once viruses integrate themselves to the plant genome, they become part of the plants and keep damaging plants from generation to generation. That is why viruses are one of the most important challenges to plants due to lack of cures, and they cause potential quality and yield loss in plants' performance. The losses become more severe in asexually propagated plants such as banana, potatoes, sugar cane, garlic, ornamentals, etc. Meristem culture is a plant tissue culture technique in which a plant's fastest growing tissue is cultured, and it is very helpful to produce virus-free plants, as the rate of meristem growth is always higher than virus cell to cell transmission. The technique of virus-free plant production using meristem was initially developed in 1952, and at present, it is frequently used to eradicate plant viruses from many economically important crops. The meristem culture combined with heat, chemicals, and radiation is proven to be more effective in virus elimination in many plants. Further, meristem tissue has higher genetic stability and growth potential. This chapter describes detail about virus-free plant production in different economically important crops using meristem culture.

Rheum emodi is a stout perennial medicinal herb belonging to the family Polygonaceae. The native place of this plant is believed to be somewhere in the Northern Mountains of Nepal and China and is currently growing in different parts of the world along the temperate and subtropical zones, including Pakistan, India, Nepal and Myanmar. It is a source of various pharmaceutically active biomolecules and is also called as a wondrous herb. It is enlisted in the official pharmacopoeia of the Government of India. Since ancient times, it is used to treat numerous diseases due to its various phytoconstituents with multiple ranges of biological activities viz. antidiabetic, antifungal, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiproliferative, antitumor, cytotoxic, and immune enhancing etc. In the present chapter, we attempted to pool all the available published data on R. emodi under the following objectives: (1) to discuss the botanical and taxonomic status of R. emodi, (2) to highlight the origin and geographical distribution of R. emodi around the world, (3) to enlist various phytoconstituents of R. emodi root/rhizome extract, and (4) to overview the pharmaceutical potential of R. emodi.

Abstract Papaya ringspot disease is caused by Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV-P). The coat protein gene (CP) sequences of 14 isolates of PRSV-P from different papaya growing areas from Western Indian states, Maharashtra and Gujarat, were analysed and compared with previously reported CP gene sequences. The sequence length of CP gene ranged 855–861 nucleotides, encoding 285–287 amino acids. Sequence analysis of CP gene showed that the PRSV-P isolates from Maharashtra and Gujarat shared 80 to 100% and 81 to 98% nucleotide sequence identities, respectively with other Indian isolates. Nine putative recombination sites were identified in CP of PRSV-P isolates analysed. This study contributes in understanding of virus population and genetic recombination.

Abstract Elevation and land use/ land cover (LULC) plays an important role in the diversity of lichens in the Himalayas. The elevation gradients and LULC can be remotely assessed using remote sensing (RS) and geographical information systems (GIS). The current study was done in the Chopta-Tungnath landscape in the Kedarnath wildlife sanctuary, western Himalaya, India. Digital elevation modelling of the study area was done using shuttle radar topography mission data (SRTM-DEM) processed in Esri ArcGIS® ArcMAPTM 10.5, to assess the elevation gradient of the study area and selection of four lichen sampling sites. The LULC maps of the study area were prepared using Landsat 8 and Google Earth Pro 7.3.2.5776 imagery processed using LeicaTM ERDAS IMAGINE® 9.2. An elevation gradient of 2750 m to 3703m was recorded by SRTM-DEM. The LULC analysis resulted in five LULC classes of which the four sampling sites fall in the 3 LULC classes. The principal component analysis (PCA), used to analyse the lichen communities along the RS-GIS recognized LULC classes. The study found lichen communities to be a proxy to the LULC classes in the Himalayas with clear gradients of growth forms and habitat subsets along the increasing elevation gradient.

Most of the microorganisms interact with metals.This property of microbes can be explored for metal extraction.