Salinity stress is a major abiotic factor that severely limits global crop productivity. It disturbs plant water relations, ion homeostasis and redox balance, leading to reduced plant growth and productivity. Conventional practices have only partially alleviated these constraints, especially in the rapidly expanding salt-affected areas, driven by climate change and unsustainable irrigation practices. In this context, copper-based nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) have emerged as promising nano-agrochemicals, capable of modulating multiple stress-responsive pathways. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the morpho-physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms implicated in salinity tolerance in tomato and critically evaluates how Cu based nanoparticles modulate cellular homeostasis to improve salt resilience. Evidence from physiological, biochemical and ionic studies indicates that Cu based nanoparticles stabilize cellular metabolism under saline conditions, by strengthening antioxidant defense, improve Na+ exclusion and K+ retention and protect photosynthetic performance. Proteomic investigations further reveal that in Cu-NP-treated tomato plants, the aforementioned cellular alternations are coordinated through stress signaling proteins and involve energy metabolism. Thus, providing a mechanistic basis for the observed phenotypic benefits. Genotype as well as concentration dependent responses emphasize that Cu-NP efficacy is maximized at intermediate doses under moderate stress, while excessive application can trigger copper toxicity and redox imbalance. The review also discusses potential environmental risks, regulatory gaps and standardization challenges associated with deployment of copper-based nanoparticles under field conditions. By integrating multi-scale evidence, the review provides a conceptual framework for rationally designing Cu-NP based interventions and identifies key research priorities for their safe and effective use in tomato cultivation.

Cordyceps militaris (CM) is one of the most valuable edible mushrooms, treasured for its health promoting properties, largely due to cordycepin and adenosine. In the present experiments CM was cultivated on four different substrates (brown rice, finger millet, barnyard millet and barley) to evaluate growth dynamics, cordycepin and adenosine content. The most suitable substrate was supplemented with increasing concentrations of iron sulfate nanoparticles (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 ppm), to evaluate their effects on growth, nucleoside production and iron biofortification. Fresh and dry biomass of CM showed a biphasic response, with increase at lower nanoparticle concentrations (5-10 ppm) and declining at higher concentrations (15-30 ppm). Maximal increase in fresh (99%) and dry weight (10%) was recorded on substrate supplemented with 10 ppm iron sulfate nanoparticles. Iron sulfate nanoparticles led to a pronounced enhancement in bioactive nucleosides. Adenosine and cordycepin contents increased by up to 72% and 370%, respectively, at 20 ppm nanoparticle treatment, while iron content in fruiting bodies rose by up to 92% on iron nanoparticle supplemented substrate. The current study establishes an environmentally benign, solid-state cultivation strategy to enhance cordycepin and adenosine production in Cordyceps using iron sulfate nanoparticles, enabling iron biofortification.

Plant pests and diseases continue to cause substantial yield and economic losses globally, despite advances in host resistance, agrochemicals and agronomic practices. Current estimates place these yield penalties at 17 to 30% for major staple crops. Increasing pesticide resistance, emergence of invasive pathogens and climate driven shifts in disease geography highlight the need for newer approaches that can enhance crop protection while lowering environmental and health penalties. Nanotechnology offers such a platform by enabling precise modulation of plant-pathogen interactions from pathogen propagules and infection courts to host immune signaling and epidemic development.Metal and metal-oxide nanoparticles (e.g. silver, copper, zinc oxide, silica and iron oxides), carbon-based nanomaterials and biopolymeric nanoparticles (such as chitosan and alginate) show strong activity against many fungal, bacterial and some nematode pathogens. They can damage pathogen membranes, disturb redox balance, generate reactive oxygen species and interfere with nucleic acids and proteins, thereby suppressing spore germination, mycelial growth and biofilm formation. Nano-formulations also act as carriers that improve solubility, stability and controlled release of fungicides, bactericides, essential oils and defense elicitors. Nanoparticles can also stimulate plant defense or deliver RNA interference molecules for sequence-specific pathogen silencing.However, the nanoparticle properties that confer broad-spectrum activity can also perturb host redox homeostasis, hormone signaling and soil or phyllosphere microbiomes. The mechanistic integration across such experimental studies is limited by heterogeneous nanoparticle types, synthesis routes and exposure regimes. This review describes the current knowledge on nano-enabled plant disease management, focusing on how nanoparticle properties and synthesis routes shape antimicrobial activity and defense priming. The molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying host-pathogen-nanoparticle interactions, crop-specific responses and variability across pathosystems are discussed, along with key challenges of toxicity, environmental and regulatory concerns and knowledge gaps that presently limit field translation.

This study reports the synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) using chemical and green methods utilizing pineapple waste, including fresh peels, dried peels, and pineapple pomace from two different copper precursors, targeting antifungal activity and plant growth enhancement. Phytochemical analysis confirmed the presence of bioactive compounds with dry peel extract proving to be most effective for green synthesis. CuO NP formation was evidenced by color change and confirmed by UV-vis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis, revealing particle sizes under 50 nm. Green CuO NPs (GN) exhibited a better stability and superior antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri (64.20% inhibition at 1000 ppm), was lower than those of chemically synthesized NPs and precursors. In chickpea seed priming, GN significantly enhanced germination (100%), root length (11.3 cm), and seedling length (13.9 cm) at 250 ppm, indicating improved root-to-shoot balance and biomass accumulation. Thus, pineapple waste-derived CuO NPs offer a sustainable, eco-friendly solution for both disease management and growth promotion in chickpea.

The available literature suggests anaerobic digestion (AD) improves biogas yield by 30–50% and COD reduction exceeds by 80% along with cow-dung slurry. This makes AD a strong alternative to conventional treatment methods. Treatment of excessively organic loaded industrial effluents remains a critical environmental challenge due to their high chemical oxygen demand (COD) that depletes dissolved oxygen in water bodies causing severe ecological harm. AD outperforms other treatment methods by offering dual benefits of waste reduction and renewable energy generation. Studies show up to 98% BOD, 97% COD, and 86% TDS reduction with AD, producing a significant amount of biogas as an added advantage. This review explores AD as a solution to treat toxic effluent streams that are high in organic load as compared to other wastewater treatment technologies, such as chemical treatments and aerobic processes. This further highlights advantages of AD in terms of energy efficiency, lower sludge production, and resource recovery. The AD performance is suggested to be enhanced using cow-dung slurry as a co-substrate due to its optimal carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, buffering capacity and high microbial diversity. Furthermore, this process yields a nutrient-rich digestate, which could be used as an organic fertilizer, promoting circular economy principles. This review emphasizes on recent advances in AD technology, such as microbial consortia optimization, and process automation while identifying challenges in large-scale implementation, including process stability and economic feasibility. It more precisely focuses on a new perspective of integrating bioresource-based solution – cow dung slurry as a potential synergistic substrate – for enhancing AD of high COD industrial effluent. The review provides a comprehensive analysis of AD and its potential that aligns with global sustainability goals and promotes it as the only green, economically viable, and scalable solution.

The journal consistently attracts the most important and highly innovative papers from the current research; our commitment to rapid publication ensures that these are published in the fastest time possible. In addition to primary papers from world-renowned experts, the Journal contains authoritative reviews that summarize and evaluate the most significant recent developments. Also included are special reports, original short papers containing innovative and time-sensitive information. Submitted articles undergo a preliminary review by the editor. Some articles may be returned to authors without further consideration. Those being considered for publication will undergo further assessment and peer-review by the editors and those invited to do so from a reviewer pool. ​ Official Journal of the: International Society of Hypertension European Society of Hypertension

The study investigated the impact of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) on Fusarium wilt in chickpea. CuONPs, synthesized using coffee powder, were subjected to washing and sonication using Milli-Q water as the solvent during the purification process. Subsequently the nanoparticles were characterized through UV-vis spectroscopy, DLS, Zeta Potential and FTIR analysis. The NPs exhibited a size range of 85-100 nm with a zeta potential of -25.3 mV. Seven days old chickpea seedlings treated with different concentrations of CuONP (10, 25, 50 ppm) via root immersion showed a significant reduction in Fusarium infection severity. Treatment with 10 and 25 ppm CuONPs led to a remarkable 74.5% and 50% decrease in wilt incidence, along with increased root and shoot length, protein, tannin, phenolics, and flavonoid content in chickpea seedlings, grown in Fusarium infected soil. Enzyme activity (PAL, PPO, NR) was enhanced, while proline, H2O2, and MDA content decreased in 10 and 25 ppm CuONPs treated seedlings. A reduced activity of APX and SOD was also recorded in 10 and 25 ppm CuONPs treated seedlings. Chlorophyll content increased by 50.08% in 10 ppm treated seedlings but decreased with 25 and 50 ppm. The findings emphasize the protective role of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) at a lower concentration of 10 ppm against Fusarium wilt disease. This protective effect is manifested through the reduction of oxidative stress, decreased wilt incidence, and an increased biomass.

Calocybe indica, generally referred as milky mushroom, is one of the edible mushroom species suitable for cultivation in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. However, lack of potential high yielding strains has limited its wider adaptability. To overcome this limitation, in this study, the germplasms of C. indica from different geographical regions of India were characterized based on their morphological, molecular and agronomical attributes. Internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS4)-based PCR amplification, sequencing and nucleotide analysis confirmed the identity of all the studied strains as C. indica. Further, evaluation of these strains for morphological and yield parameters led to the identification of eight high yielding strains in comparison to the control (DMRO-302). Moreover, genetic diversity analysis of these thirty-three strains was performed using ten sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers/combinations. The Unweighted Pair-group Method with Arithmetic Averages (UPGMA)-based phylogenetic analysis categorized the thirty-three strains along with the control into three clusters. Cluster I possesses the maximum number of strains. Among the high yielding strains, high antioxidant activity and phenol content was recorded in DMRO-54, while maximum protein content was observed in DMRO-202 and DMRO-299 as compared with the control strain. The outcome of this study will help the mushroom breeders and growers in commercializing C. indica.

Transgenic plants are genetically engineered crops having desirable traits, which are stable and often pass to the progeny. The wild varieties grown in the natural environment are prone to attack by various biotic and abiotic factors which result in yield reduction, qualitatively and quantitatively. Genetic engineering provides a plausible way to combat such stresses by reorganizing biochemical photosynthetic pathways. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is one of the most popular economically important crops which is widely cultivated throughout the world. Apart from its economical uses, cucumber is also used as a model plant to study sex determination and cell trafficking system in plant vascular biology. The availability of assembled draft genome sequences for cucumber provides the treasured basis for the transformation of desired traits by the identification of candidate genes. Various techniques are employed for Agrobacterium-mediated and other gene transfer methods for cucumber. Tissue culture techniques using different explants for complete plantlet regeneration are discussed in this chapter. This chapter also summarizes the current status of cucumber transgenic with respect to phenotypic stability of transformed trait and its inheritance to the progeny. The availability of transgenic plants with respect to new and improved variety is likely to be an important factor influencing the continued development of transgenic technology, its subsequent field trials, and commercial availability. However, various social and ethical factors have been an obstacle in the process of transgenic plant development.

Phytohormones are ubiquitously involved in plant biological processes and regulate cellular signaling pertaining to unheralded environmental cues, such as salinity, drought, extreme temperature and nutrient deprivation. The association of phytohormones to nearly all the fundamental biological processes epitomizes the phytohormone syndicate as a candidate target for consideration during engineering stress endurance in agronomically important crops. The drought stress response is essentially driven by phytohormones and their intricate network of crosstalk, which leads to transcriptional reprogramming. This review is focused on the pivotal role of phytohormones in water deficit responses, including their manipulation for mitigating the effect of the stressor. We have also discussed the inherent complexity of existing crosstalk accrued among them during the progression of drought stress, which instigates the tolerance response. Therefore, in this review, we have highlighted the role and regulatory aspects of various phytohormones, namely abscisic acid, auxin, gibberellic acid, cytokinin, brassinosteroid, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, ethylene and strigolactone, with emphasis on drought stress tolerance.