The far-reaching consequences of climate change, including high temperature stress, significantly impede plant growth and development, posing a major challenge to plant productivity. Seedling stage of lentil is vulnerable to heat stress, which adversely affects seedling vigour. “Beat the heat by the heat” is a fascinating idea to improve seedling performance by priming the seeds with moderately high temperature to confer protection against the later heat stress. Our research demonstrated that thermo priming lentil seeds at 32 °C for 24 h effectively mitigates the adverse effects of heat stress during the seedling phase. Heat stress was induced by placing lentil seeds (IPL 316, PDL 1 and L 4147 genotypes) at 30 °C for 16 h, followed by 20 °C for 8 h in a repeated manner for 10 days. All three genotypes exhibited improved germination attributes, characterized by higher germination rates and reduced mean germination times, leading to quicker germination under heat stress. Thermo priming alleviated the adverse effects of heat stress by activating antioxidant defenses such as catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, which neutralize reactive oxygen species and reduce malondialdehyde, a by-product of lipid peroxidation, thereby maintaining membrane stability and promoting vigourous seedling growth. Moreover, pre-exposure to stress priming confers protection during seedling development by modulating metabolites, photosynthetic mechanism, sugar signals, ROS and other signaling pathways, ultimately enhancing plant tolerance to subsequent stressors. Therefore, seed thermo priming emerges as a highly effective strategy to mitigate the detrimental effects of heat stress on lentil seedlings.

BackgroundDrought stress significantly hinders the growth and productivity of many crops, including lentil. Hence, improving our understanding of the genetic and molecular bases underlying drought response is essential for mitigating yield losses under water-limited conditions. The primary objective of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with various morpho-physiological traits using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) and to identify putative candidate genes contributing to drought tolerance in lentil.ResultA F7 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population was developed to map QTLs for morpho-physiological traits including root and shoot length, fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots, drought score, seedling survivability, relative water content, proline, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) enzyme activities and seed yield/plant under controlled (hydroponic) and rainout shelter conditions over multiple drought environments during 2021-2024. A 'hotspot QTL' cluster consisting of six QTLs was detected for drought tolerance related traits viz. seed yield/plant, fresh weight of roots and shoots and chlorophyll content on linkage group 7. These QTLs detected under four environments were found to be strongly linked with drought tolerance and explained 48.83% phenotypic variance on a cumulative basis. Furthermore, the hotspot harboured several drought responsive functionally annotated genes.ConclusionThe present study provides valuable insights into QTLs and SNPs associated with drought tolerance in lentil. The identification of a robust QTL hotspot region, together with key candidate genes, offers promising targets for fine mapping and development of marker assisted breeding strategies aimed at improving drought tolerance in lentil.

Aluminum (Al) toxicity, is a major yield-limiting factor in acid soils, reducing the yield of crop plants including lentil through its adverse effects on the root system. In the present study, a diverse set of 50 genotypes including wild was phenotyped at the seedling stage using root length, root staining score, and root regrowth after staining as well as callose deposition. All traits, except root staining score exhibited significant genetic variability among the genotypes under Al stress condition. Al-tolerant genotypes displayed greater root length and increased root re-growth after root staining, and increased secretion of organic acids such as citrate and malate, which corresponded to lower accumulation of Al and callose in their roots The secretion of organic acids showed strong and positive correlation with root centric traits, while significant negative association with callose and Al accumulation was notices in response to Al stress. These findings indicate that coordinated regulation of organic acid secretion and root-associated traits confers Al tolerance in lentil.

Aluminium toxicity and phosphorus deficiency are primary limitations to crop yield under acidic soil conditions. Developing aluminium (Al) and phosphorous (P) stress tolerant cultivars is one of the effective way to increase plant productivity under acidic soils. Hence, the present study was conducted at 6 different acidic environments during 2020-21 and 2021-22 to map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with Al and low P tolerances in 150 F7 recombinant inbred lines derived from BM-4 (Al-sensitive) x L-4602 (Al-tolerant) genotypes. Sixteen morpho-physiological and yield related traits were studied in response to Al and P stresses under hydroponic and field conditions. Seven QTLs were identified using composite interval mapping on linkage group 1 for six morpho-physiological traits including root re-growth (RRG), fluorescent signals (callose accumulation), aluminium content, phosphorus content, days to flowering and days to maturity under Al stress (E-1), Al with P stresses (E-2) and acidic field condition (E-6). Individual QTLs accounted for logarithm of odd (LOD) values of 2.73 to 6.85 and phenotypic variation between 5.4% to 19.8%. The major QTLs with Al tolerance and P efficiency components can be integrated into elite lentil cultivars using molecular breeding. Improved lentil lines for Al tolerance and P efficiency will reduce the input need for lime application and phosphate fertilizers, significantly cutting costs, together with increased productivity in acidic, and P deficient soils, altogether boosting farmers’ and seed industry profitability.

BACKGROUND:Salinity is a major environmental stress that significantly limits the cultivation of lentils (Lens culinaris L.), causing a yield loss of over 20% in India. This study evaluated the effects of integrated seed priming with silicic acid and humic acid on seed quality and physio-biochemical traits during storage under normal and saline conditions. Key metabolites such as chlorophyll, free amino acids, proteins, and total soluble sugars act as signaling molecules in multiple metabolic pathways and cell cycle regulation. Salinity stress reduces enzymatic activity, impairing antioxidant defense and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis, thereby disrupting physiological and biochemical metabolism. RESULTS:Primed lentil seeds maintained superior quality under both normal and saline conditions. Significant improvements were observed in final germination percentage, seed vigor index I, seed vigor index II, speed of germination, germination rate index, and germination index after 0, 3, and 6 months of storage under salinity stress compared with non-primed seeds. Biochemical parameters, including enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, chlorophyll, free amino acids, total protein, and total soluble sugars were also enhanced across the storage period. Membrane damage, measured with malondialdehyde (MDA) and electrical conductivity (EC), was significantly reduced in primed seeds. CONCLUSION:Seed priming mitigated salinity-induced stress by maintaining membrane integrity and enhancing physio-biochemical resilience. Negative correlations between EC, mean germination time (MGT), and MDA on the one hand and germination and vigor indices on the other confirmed improved seed performance. Integrated priming with humic acid (100 mg L-1) and silicic acid (1 mM) for 16 h over a period of up to 6 months offers a cost-effective strategy to enhance lentil seed storability and stress tolerance, supporting sustainable agriculture and efficient seed management. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

The membrane transporters viz. multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) and aluminum-activated malate transporter (ALMT) are associated with aluminum (Al) tolerance by accelerating secretion of organic acids, which can influence nutrient availability and stress response. However, such transporter families have not yet been reported in lentil under Al stress condition. In this study, 90 MATE and 14 ALMT genes were identified and clustered into four (MATE) and five (ALMT) subfamilies/clades with smaller subgroups. All the MATE and ALMT genes were unevenly dispersed across lentil chromosomes. Duplication analysis suggested that LcMATE gene family has expanded primarily through tandem duplication event. Collinearity of lentil with soybean suggested a close relationship between the MATE genes. The MATE promoter regions harboured many stress responsive as well as Al resistance transcription factor 1 related cis-regulatory elements. Predicted 3D (three-dimensional) structure and molecular docking revealed that 5 LcMATE proteins could bind citrate and contain amino acids related to its secretion via citrate exuding motif and other neighbouring sites. Expression analyses of LcMATE and LcALMT genes were performed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Six genes namely, LcM1, LcM42, LcM46, LcM47, LcALMT8 and LcALMT14 responded to Al stress with varying levels of expression patterns at different time points (3, 6, 12 and 24 h). Our findings offer thorough details on the MATE and ALMT transporters in lentils and will aid in valuable understanding for future functional studies of these transporters in generating Al tolerant cultivars.

Garden pea (Pisum sativum L., 2n = 2x = 14) is commonly grown cool season leguminous vegetable in India. The knowledge on crop genetic diversity is essential for its exploitation in breeding programmes. The present study was carried out to assess morphological and molecular diversity among 82 garden pea genotypes. The genotypes were characterized for 9 qualitative and 11 quantitative morphological parameters during two cropping seasons of 2020–2021 and 2021–2022. The genetic analysis revealed wide variation among all the lines under study for all the agro-morphological traits. The cluster analysis and heat map based on quantitative morphological traits classified most of the exotic genotypes together. Similarly, molecular diversity estimated using 38 polymorphic SSR markers revealed that the major allele frequency ranged from 0.23 to 0.95 and allele number ranged from 2 to 10 with an average of 5.00 alleles per marker. Among 38 polymorphic SSR markers, 32 markers had PIC value more than 0.3 with mean PIC of 0.46. The NJ dendrogram classified the 82 genotypes into 2 major clusters. The population structure analysis revealed that there were four distinct populations in studied garden pea genotypes and it was observed that similar to morphological clustering, population structure analysis also grouped most of the exotic genotypes together in population IV. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that there was significant molecular difference among the studied genotypes. Thus, a combined approach of morphological and molecular diversity analysis will be helpful in widening the genetic base of garden pea genotypes for future breeding programmes.

The present study is the first report for a comprehensive understanding of key physio-chemical traits and important genes associated with drought tolerance in cucumbers. Drought stress is one of the severe threats to global cucumber production. Cucumber is a model plant for physiological and molecular studies. However, the physio-biochemical and molecular basis of drought tolerance in cucumbers needs to be better reported. This study evaluated a diverse set of cucumber core for drought response and identified contrasting genotypes for further studies. Under stress conditions, drought-tolerant genotypes exhibited minimal effects on root system architectural traits, facilitating the water uptake from deeper soil. These contrasting genotypes' physiological, biochemical, phenological and molecular responses were studied further under field conditions. Tolerant genotypes showed greater photosynthetic stability, higher transpiration rate, water use efficiency, greater membrane stability and higher canopy temperature depression in response to stress with the limited role of Fv/Fm. Tolerant genotypes exhibited a lower reduction of pollen viability and higher yield stability under field conditions. A lower concentration of stomata and reduced stomatal conductivity in the tolerant genotype was crucial for maintaining osmotic potential. At the cellular level, the increased activity and stronger expression of ROSscavenging enzymes, SOD, CAT, APX and soluble protein content provided stability to the cell membrane. Maintenance of hydration status in cells was enabled through higher proline accumulation. LEA4 and HSP70 were crucial molecular chaperones for providing stability to cell membrane protein under stress conditions. Differential expression of NAC, AP2/ERF, MBF and MybTF were integral parts of the molecular network associated with drought stress tolerance. A comprehensive understanding of physio-chemical response and molecular network will facilitate the identification of candidate genes, their functional validation and the design of resilient cultivars. This study provides a solid foundation to design and develop climate-smart cucumber genotypes with effective drought tolerance.

Extensive chromium (Cr) release into water and soil severely impairs crop productivity worldwide. Nanoparticle (NP) technology has shown potential for reducing heavy metal toxicity and improving plant physicochemical profiles. Herein, we investigated the effects of exogenous zinc oxide NPs (ZnO-NPs) on alleviating Cr stress in Cr-sensitive and tolerant chickpea genotypes. Hydroponically grown chickpea plants were exposed to Cr stress (0 and 120 μM) and ZnO-NPs (25 μM, 20 nm size) twice at a 7-day interval. Cr exposure reduced physiochemical profiles, ion content, cell viability, and gas exchange parameters, and it increased organic acid exudate accumulation in roots and the Cr content in the roots and leaves of the plants. However, ZnO-NP application significantly increased plant growth, enzymatic activities, proline, total soluble sugar, and protein and gas exchange parameters and reduced malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide levels, Cr content in roots, and organic acid presence to improve root cell viability. This study provides new insights into the role of ZnO-NPs in reducing oxidative stress along with Cr accumulation and mobility due to low levels of organic acids in chickpea roots. Notably, the Cr-tolerant genotype exhibited more pronounced alleviation of Cr stress by ZnO-NPs. These findings highlight the potential of ZnO-NP in regulating plant growth, reducing Cr accumulation, and promoting sustainable agricultural development.

Aluminium (Al) toxicity causes major plant distress, affecting root growth, nutrient uptake and, ultimately, agricultural productivity. Lentil, which is a cheap source of vegetarian protein, is recognized to be sensitive to Al toxicity. Therefore, it is important to dissect the physiological and molecular mechanisms of Al tolerance in lentil. To understand the physiological system and proteome composition underlying Al tolerance, two genotypes [L-4602 (Al-tolerant) and BM-4 (Al-sensitive)] were studied at the seedling stage. L-4602 maintained a significantly higher root tolerance index and malate secretion with reduced Al accumulation than BM-4. Also, label-free proteomic analysis using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometer exhibited significant regulation of Al-responsive proteins associated with antioxidants, signal transduction, calcium homeostasis, and regulation of glycolysis in L-4602 as compared to BM-4. Functional annotation suggested that transporter proteins (transmembrane protein, adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transport-related protein and multi drug resistance protein), antioxidants associated proteins (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dependent oxidoreductase, oxidoreductase molybdopterin binding protein & peroxidases), kinases (calmodulin-domain kinase & protein kinase), and carbohydrate metabolism associated proteins (dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase) were found to be abundant in tolerant genotype providing protection against Al toxicity. Overall, the root proteome uncovered in this study at seedling stage, along with the physiological parameters measured, allow a greater understanding of Al tolerance mechanism in lentil, thereby assisting in future crop improvement programmes.

Chromium (Cr), a highly toxic redox-active metal cation in soil, seriously threatens global agriculture by affecting nutrient uptake and disturbing various physio-biochemical processes in plants, thereby reducing yields. Here, we examined the effects of different concentrations of Cr alone and in combination with hydrogen sulfide (H2S) application on the growth and physio-biochemical performance of two mungbeans (Vigna radiata L.) varieties, viz. Pusa Vishal (PV; Cr tolerant) and Pusa Ratna (PR; Cr sensitive), growing in a pot in hydroponics. Plants were grown in the pot experiment to examine their growth, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant levels, electrolyte balance, and plasma membrane (PM) H+-ATPase activity. Furthermore, root anatomy and cell death were analysed 15 days after sowing both varieties in hydroponic systems. The Cr-induced accumulation of reactive oxygen species caused cell death and affected the root anatomy and growth of both varieties. However, the extent of alteration in anatomical features was less in PV than in PR. Exogenous application of H2S promoted plant growth, thereby improving plant antioxidant activities and reducing cell death by suppressing Cr accumulation and translocation. Seedlings of both cultivars treated with H2S exhibited enhanced photosynthesis, ion uptake, glutathione, and proline levels and reduced oxidative stress. Interestingly, H2S restricted the translocation of Cr to aerial parts of plants by improving the nutrient profile and viability of root cells, thereby relieving plants from oxidative bursts by activating the antioxidant machinery through triggering the ascorbate-glutathione cycle. Overall, H2S application improved the nutrient profile and ionic homeostasis of Cr-stressed mungbean plants. These results highlight the importance of H2S application in protecting crops against Cr toxicity. Our findings can be utilised to develop management strategies to improve heavy metal tolerance among crops.

High temperature causes several morphological, physiological, and biochemical changes in crop plants, and garden pea is highly sensitive to a higher temperature than other legume crops. This study assessed garden pea genotypes' physiological and biochemical responses during a reproductive stage in regular and heat stress season at the Division of Vegetable Science, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi (India). Forty-five garden pea genotypes, including 15 tolerant, 15 moderately tolerant, and 15 susceptible genotypes, were analyzed for three physiological, six biochemical, and 11 quantitative morphological traits under regular and heat stress seasons. Our results showed a considerable decrease in leaf water content, greenness index, and membrane stability index in heat stress season and a substantial increase in malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and antioxidant enzymes in heat stress season compared to the regular season. The 15 heat-tolerant genotypes showed a significant increase in antioxidant enzymes compared to the 15 heat-susceptible genotypes, which impart thermotolerance by scavenging reactive oxygen species generated in high-temperature stress conditions. Further, correlation and biplot analysis of morpho-physiological and biochemical traits indicated that physiological and biochemical traits were important in determining yield and related traits under heat stress conditions in garden pea genotypes. Thus, estimating critical physiological and biochemical traits could facilitate in differentiating thermotolerant genotypes from susceptible genotypes in garden peas and aid in heat-tolerant breeding programs of similar cool-season legume crops.

Lentil is an important grain legume crop which is mostly grown on marginal soils that hamper its productivity. Improvement of salt tolerance in lentils is considered to be a useful strategy of utilizing salt-affected lands in an economic manner. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of seed priming using silicic acid and humic acid both seperately and in combination to improve salt stress tolerance among three different lentil varieties: IPL-316 (tolerant), PSL-9, and PDL-1 (susceptible). The concentrations and durations of treatments were standardized under the normal condition and the salinity stress condition. Salt stress hindered seedling emergence and biomass production and accelerated Na+ toxicity and oxidative damage at the seedling stage in untreated seeds. Nevertheless, chemical priming improved early seedling emergence, increased root length, shoot length, and seed vigor index I and II, and reduced the mean germination time. A significant quantitative change in biochemical parameters under normal and salinity stress conditions was observed in IPL-316,viz. Specifically, for IPL-316, the following parameters were observed (values under the normal condition and values under salt stress conditions, respectively): chlorophyll-a (16 and 13 mg/g Fw), chlorophyll-b (25 and 16 mg/g FW), total chlorophyll content (42 and 30 mg/g FW), relative leaf water content (92% and 82%), total soluble sugars (26 and 33 ug/g FW), free amino acid (10 and 7 mg/g FW), total phenol (26 and 24 mg of GAE/g FW), total protein (35 and 29 mg/g FW), carbohydrate (208 and 173 mg/g FW), superoxide dismutase (SOD) (29 and 35 unit/min./g FW), proline (0.28 and 0.32 u mol/g FW), catalase (CAT) (84 and 196 unit/mL/g FW), and peroxidase (POX) (217 and 738 unit/mL/g FW). Furthermore, histochemical analysis of H2O2 and O2−, micronutrients, and macronutrients also increased, while malondialdehyde (MDA) (0.31 and 0.47 nmol/mL FW) content decreased using silicic and humic acid priming under salt stress conditions. The combination of silicic and humic acids improved seedling growth and reduced oxidative damage in lentil plants under salt stress conditions. The combination of silicic and humic acid priming hastened seedling emergence, seed quality parameters, and biochemical parameters under salt stress over respective control. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of integrated chemical priming in lentils for salinity stress. In conclusion, chemical priming using a combination of silicic and humic acid performed better in terms of seed quality due to enhanced antioxidant machinery, better membrane stability and osmolyte protection, and enhanced nutrient uptake under salt stress conditions.

Background Alkaline soils cause low productivity in crop plants including lentil. Alkalinity adaptation strategies in lentil were revealed when morpho-anatomical and physio-biochemical observations were correlated with transcriptomics analysis in tolerant (PDL-1) and sensitive (L-4076) cultivars at seedling stage. Results PDL-1 had lesser salt injury and performed better as compared to L-4076. Latter showed severe wilting symptoms and higher accumulation of Na + and lower K + in roots and shoots. PDL-1 performed better under high alkalinity stress which can be attributed to its higher mitotic index, more accumulation of K + in roots and shoots and less aberrantly dividing cells. Also, antioxidant enzyme activities, osmolytes’ accumulation, relative water content, membrane stability index and abscisic acid were higher in this cultivar. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to these parameters were upregulated in tolerant genotypes compared to the sensitive one. Significantly up-regulated DEGs were found to be involved in abscisic acid (ABA) signalling and secondary metabolites synthesis. ABA responsive genes viz . dehydrin 1, 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase, ABA-responsive protein 18 and BEL1-like homeodomain protein 1 had log 2 fold change above 4.0. A total of 12,836 simple sequence repeats and 4,438 single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified which can be utilized in molecular studies. Conclusions Phyto-hormones biosynthesis—predominantly through ABA signalling, and secondary metabolism are the most potent pathways for alkalinity stress tolerance in lentil. Cultivar PDL-1 exhibited high tolerance towards alkalinity stress and can be used in breeding programmes for improving lentil production under alkalinity stress conditions.

The development of phosphorus-efficient crop cultivars boosts productivity while lowering eutrophication in the environment. It is feasible to improve the efficiency of phosphorus (P) absorption in lentils by enhancing phosphorus absorption through root architectural traits. The root architectural traits of 110 diverse lentil genotypes of Indian and Mediterranean origin were assessed, and the relationships between traits were investigated. In a hydroponics experiment, the lentil lines were examined at the seedling stage under two conditions: adequate P supply and deficient P supply. The Pearson correlation coefficients between root architectural traits and genetic diversity among lentil lines were assessed. To estimate variance components, a model (fixed factor) was used. In this experiment, both phosphorus (P) and genotype were fixed variables. Our lentil lines showed significant genetic variability and considerable genetic diversity for all traits under both treatments. The TRL (total root length) and PRL (primary root length) showed strong positive associations with all other characteristics excluding root average diameter (RAD) in both P treatments. In both P treatments, the RAD revealed a negative significant association with Total Root Tips (TRT), as well as total root volume (TRV) and total root forks (TRF) in the deficit conditions of P. Total root volume (TRV), total surface area (TSA), and total root tips had higher coefficient variance values. The first two principal components represented 67.88% and 66.19% of the overall variance in the adequate and deficit P treatments respectively. The Shannon-Weaver diversity index (H′) revealed that RAD, PRL, and TSA had more variability than TRT and TRF under both treatments. According to the Comprehensive Phosphorus Efficiency Measure (CPEM), the best five highly efficient genotypes are PLL 18-09, PLS 18-01, PLL 18-25, PLS 18-23, and PLL 18-07, while IG112131, P560206, IG334, L11-231, and PLS18-67 are highly inefficient genotypes. The above contrasting diverse lentil genotypes can be utilized to produce P-efficient lentil cultivars. The lentil germplasm with potentially favorable root traits can be suggested to evaluated for other abiotic stress to use them in crop improvement programme. The scientific breakthroughs in root trait phenotyping have improved the chances of establishing trait–allele relationships. As a result, genotype-to-phenotype connections can be predicted and verified with exceptional accuracy, making it easier to find and incorporate favourable nutrition-related genes/QTLs in to breeding programme.

Extensive transcriptomic skimming was conducted to decipher molecular, morphological, physiological, and biochemical responses in salt-tolerant (PDL-1) and salt-sensitive (L-4076) cultivars under control (0 mM NaCl) and salinity stress (120 mM NaCl) conditions at seedling stage. Morphological, physiological, and biochemical studies revealed that PDL-1 exhibited no salt injury and had higher K+/Na+ ratio, relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll, glycine betaine, and soluble sugars in leaves while lower H2O2 induced fluorescence signals in roots as compared to L-4076. Transcriptomic profile revealed a total of 17,433 significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under different treatments and cultivar combinations that include 2557 upregulated and 1533 downregulated transcripts between contrasting cultivars under salt stress. Accuracy of transcriptomic analysis was validated through quantification of 10 DEGs via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). DEGs were functionally characterized by Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and assigned to various metabolic pathways using MapMan. DEGs were found to be significantly associated with phytohormone-mediated signal transduction, cellular redox homoeostasis, secondary metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, and cellular stress signaling. The present study revealed putative molecular mechanism of salinity tolerance in lentil together with identification of 5643 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 176,433 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which can be utilized to enhance linkage maps density along with detection of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with traits of interests. Stress-related pathways identified in this study divulged plant functioning that can be targeted to improve salinity stress tolerance in crop species.

Aluminum stress deteriorates lentil production under acidic soils. Enhanced insight into Al tolerance traits is needed to improve its productivity. Therefore, Al-resistant (L-4602, PAL-8) and Al-sensitive (BM-4, EC-223229) cultivars along with a resistant wild (ILWL-15) were characterized for morpho-physiological traits viz. seedling root architecture (SRA), Al accumulation, and localization via fluorescent and non-fluorescent staining under control and Al-treated conditions. Also, antioxidant activities and organic acid secretion were quantified, and expressions of 10 associated genes were analyzed. Roots of Al-resistant cultivars and wild genotype showed higher root growth, antioxidant enzyme activities, and organic acid secretion than Al-sensitive ones. Among these traits, higher organic acid secretion was influenced by enhanced expression of genes, especially-aluminum sensitive-3 (ALS 3), aluminum-activated malate transporter (ALMT), multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE), citrate synthase (CS), and phospho enol pyruvate carboxylase (PEPC)-which helped in reducing Al and callose accumulation. These genes were located on lentil chromosomes via sequence alignment with lentil draft genome. A strong link between morpho-physiological variation and organic acid secretion was noted which reinforced the prominence of exclusion mechanism. It was complemented by enhanced antioxidant activities at seedling stage which mitigated Al stress effects on SRA. Wild outperformed over cultivars indicating its impregnable evolution which can be exploited to better understand tolerance mechanisms. Al-resistant cultivars had significantly higher seed yield than Al-sensitive and national checks on Al-toxic fields, confirming-tolerance is sustained till reproductive stage in lentil. This study elucidated role of gene families in eliminating Al toxicity that will assist breeders to formulate strategies for developing Al-resistant cultivars.

Climate change has escalated abiotic stresses, leading to adverse effects on plant growth and development, eventually having deleterious consequences on crop productivity. Environmental stresses induce epigenetic changes, namely cytosine DNA methylation and histone post-translational modifications, thus altering chromatin structure and gene expression. Stable epigenetic changes are inheritable across generations and this enables plants to adapt to environmental changes (epipriming). Hence, epigenomes serve as a good source of additional tier of variability for development of climate-smart crops. Epigenetic resources such as epialleles, epigenetic recombinant inbred lines (epiRILs), epigenetic quantitative trait loci (epiQTLs), and epigenetic hybrids (epihybrids) can be utilized in epibreeding for improving stress tolerance of crops. Epigenome engineering is also gaining momentum for developing sustainable epimarks associated with important agronomic traits. Different epigenome editing tools are available for creating, erasing, and reading such epigenetic codes in plant genomes. However, epigenome editing is still understudied in plants due to its complex nature. Epigenetic interventions such as epi-fingerprinting can be exploited in the near future for health and quality assessment of crops under stress conditions. Keeping in view the challenges and opportunities associated with this important technology, the present review intends to enhance understanding of stress-induced epigenetic changes in plants and its prospects for development of climate-ready crops.

Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) is an important food grain legume, but its production capacity is threatened by global warming, which can intensify plant stress and limit future production. Identifying new variation of key root traits in mungbean will provide the basis for breeding lines with effective root characteristics for improved water uptake to mitigate heat and drought stress. The AVRDC mungbean mini core collection consisting of 296 genotypes was screened under modified semi-hydroponic screening conditions to determine the variation for fourteen root-related traits. The AVRDC mungbean mini core collection displayed wide variations for the primary root length, total surface area, and total root length, and based on agglomerative hierarchical clustering eight homogeneous groups displaying different root traits could be identified. Germplasm with potentially favorable root traits has been identified for further studies to identify the donor genotypes for breeding cultivars with enhanced adaptation to water-deficit stress and other stress conditions.

Legumes are a better source of proteins and are richer in diverse micronutrients over the nutritional profile of widely consumed cereals. However, when exposed to a diverse range of abiotic stresses, their overall productivity and quality are hugely impacted. Our limited understanding of genetic determinants and novel variants associated with the abiotic stress response in food legume crops restricts its amelioration. Therefore, it is imperative to understand different molecular approaches in food legume crops that can be utilized in crop improvement programs to minimize the economic loss. 'Omics'-based molecular breeding provides better opportunities over conventional breeding for diversifying the natural germplasm together with improving yield and quality parameters. Due to molecular advancements, the technique is now equipped with novel 'omics' approaches such as ionomics, epigenomics, fluxomics, RNomics, glycomics, glycoproteomics, phosphoproteomics, lipidomics, regulomics, and secretomics. Pan-omics-which utilizes the molecular bases of the stress response to identify genes (genomics), mRNAs (transcriptomics), proteins (proteomics), and biomolecules (metabolomics) associated with stress regulation-has been widely used for abiotic stress amelioration in food legume crops. Integration of pan-omics with novel omics approaches will fast-track legume breeding programs. Moreover, artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithms can be utilized for simulating crop yield under changing environments, which can help in predicting the genetic gain beforehand. Application of machine learning (ML) in quantitative trait loci (QTL) mining will further help in determining the genetic determinants of abiotic stress tolerance in pulses.