Silicon (Si) deficiency limits plant growth, physiological efficiency, and yield in high-value crops such as Coriandrum sativum L. A field experiment was conducted on Si-deficient soil at TNAU Coconut Farm, Coimbatore, India, using coriander variety CO (CR) 4. Seven treatments in a randomized block design with three replications evaluated calcium silicate (CaSiO3), and rice husk ash (RHA) at 225, and 275 kg Si ha− 1, alone, and combined with Bacillus altitudinis SSB4, across growth, physiological, biochemical, antioxidant, and yield parameters. Si + SSB4 integration significantly improved plant height (up to 60.9

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), which is governed by mitochondrial-nuclear interactions that disrupt pollen development, is a crucial mechanism for hybrid seed production in rice. The wild abortive (WA) CMS system underpins over 95% of commercial hybrid rice, but overreliance on this single cytoplasm increases vulnerability to biotic and abiotic stresses. Limitations such as overreliance on a single cytoplasm, occasional incomplete fertility restoration, and a narrow restorer gene pool further constrain breeding efficiency. Diversifying CMS systems is therefore essential to enhance genetic resilience and hybrid performance. This review discusses strategies for CMS diversification, including the exploration of novel cytoplasmic sources from wild rice, development of new CMS lines through backcrossing, and molecular characterization of mitochondrial and restorer genes. Advances in genomics, proteomics, and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing have identified key sterility-associated genes such as orf79, orf312, and RMS, enabling precise fertility restoration. Integrating CMS diversification with cropping system innovations can further improve hybrid rice productivity, resource use efficiency, and climate resilience. Genomic insights into adaptive divergence among rice subpopulations provide promising avenues for developing novel CMS types. Coordinated research in mitochondrial biology, molecular breeding, and biosafety policy will be critical to fully harness the potential of diversified CMS systems for sustainable and high-yielding hybrid rice cultivation.

A set of 121 intersubspecific-derived rice lines was evaluated during Kharif 2024 and Summer 2025 at the Department of Rice, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, to assess genetic variability, genotype × environment interaction, inter-trait associations, and phenotypic diversity. The experiment was conducted in an alpha lattice design with three replications, and observations were recorded for twelve quantitative traits. Combined ANOVA across seasons revealed highly significant variation among the genotypes for all traits, demonstrating substantial variability. Higher genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation were observed for single plant yield, number of filled grains per panicle, flag leaf length, grain breadth, and productive tillers. High broad-sense heritability coupled with substantial genetic advance as a percentage of the mean was recorded for GB, GL, L/B ratio, NFP, and SPY. Correlation analysis revealed a positive relationship of SPY with FL and NFP. Principal component analysis extracted five principal components with eigenvalues exceeding unity, accounting for 75.35

Abstract Micronutrient deficiencies and soil nutrient variability are key constraints in cauliflower production because they reduce micronutrient availability and plant uptake and can cause inconsistent crop response,improper formulation and application may further create micronutrient imbalances. Additionally, environmental factors like pH and organic matter content influence nutrient retention and crop response. Previous studies have mainly focused on single or dual micronutrient applications (e.g., Zn and Fe) rather than holistic micronutrient mixtures, creating a gap in optimized, crop-specific multi-micronutrient formulations for improving soil fertility and crop productivity in deficient soils. To address this gap, this study develops and evaluates a holistic, crop-specific micronutrient mixture to enhance soil fertility, nutrient uptake, and cauliflower yield. This study applies Factorial Randomized Block Design (FRBD), soil and plant nutrient analysis, PCA, and statistical modelling. The study found that applying 30 kg ha⁻¹ of the R3 micronutrient mixture significantly enhanced cauliflower yield, nutrient uptake, and soil fertility, with strong positive correlations (p < 0.05) among key parameters. The results indicate that 30 kg ha⁻¹ of the R3 micronutrient mixture significantly improved cauliflower yield by 18.5%, soil organic carbon by 12.3%, and micronutrient availability (Fe by 15.2%, Zn by 11.8%, and B by 9.7%) compared to the control. The Principal Component Analysis revealed that micronutrient application at 30 kg ha⁻¹ (L4) with Ratio 3 (R3) had the strongest positive influence on soil fertility, plant growth parameters, and cauliflower yield, explaining the highest variance among treatments. Overall, R3L4 was identified as the most effective treatment for enhancing cauliflower productivity under micronutrient-deficient soil conditions.

Exopolysaccharides (EPS) are biological polymers secreted by microorganisms and are gaining attention due to their widespread use; however, their yield relies on the culture conditions. This study reports the EPS-producing bacterium Bacillus rugosus L1C7T for EPS production and describes the EPS, as well as its potential applications. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the growth medium and enhance EPS production to achieve this goal. The highest concentration of EPS (1.35 g l− 1) was obtained in a culture medium that contained 11.25 g of NaCl, 6.25 g of K2HPO4, and a C/N ratio of 0.5. The EPS of B. rugosus L1C7T was analyzed using FT-IR, and the results revealed the presence of the following functional groups: O-H, C = O, C-C, C = C = C, N = C = S, C-O-C, N = C = O, and N = O. The 1H NMR spectroscopy of the EPS revealed the presence of pyranose, 6-deoxy and acetyl sugars spectra. Additionally, this EPS demonstrated suitable radical scavenging capabilities, outstanding water solubility, water absorption, and oil absorption capacities of 125

Soil quality indices (SQIs) assess an ecosystem’s susceptibility to land-use change (LUC), highlighting the impacts on soil parameters. This study developed an SQI for six ecosystems in the Kolli Hills (KH), Eastern Ghats (EG), India: evergreen forest (EF), deciduous forest (DF), thorn forest (TF), agricultural system (AS), horticulture system (HS), and plantation system (PS). Soil samples were collected at two depths, surface (15 cm) and subsurface (30 cm), from 240 sites (40 samples per depth per ecosystem) and analyzed. LUC altered the soil physical and chemical properties. AS and HS had higher sand content (54.63

The stay-green character is a crucial trait linked to delayed leaf senescence, which enables the plant to continue photosynthetic activity for an extended time under early and terminal drought. Reduced water availability causes early leaf senescence, lower chlorophyll content and eventually poor yield in maize. The objectives were to quantify the effects of irrigation regimes, nanocomposite levels physiological parameters, yield attributes and yield of maize. The main plot treatments comprised of well irrigated and withheld irrigation, while the sub plot treatments consisted of different nanoparticles viz., ZnO, MnO, (ZnO + MnO), TNAU nano revive and ZnSO4 + MnSO4. The results revealed that higher dry matter production (5282 and 9891 kg/ha), leaf nitrogen (44.28 and 39.97), grain filling rate, grain filling duration (34.44 days), green leaf area (92.50%) and proline content (0.59 and 1.28 mg g -1) were recorded at tasseling and grain filling stage, respectively under well-irrigated conditions. Foliar spraying of ZnO (100 ppm) and MnO (20 ppm) nanocomposite, registered higher root biomass (24.21 and 32.11 g/plant), leaf nitrogen (44.6 and 39.1), dry matter production, green leaf area, lowest proline content which ultimately resulted in a higher number of cobs/plant, number of grains row/cob, number of grains/grain row, test weight (1000 grains weight), shelling percentage, crop water use (18.79 kg/ha/mm), grain yield (8.20 t/ha), stover yield (12.2 t/ha) and benefit cost ratio of 2.4. Thus, it could be concluded that well-irrigated condition followed by foliar spray with ZnO (100 ppm) and MnO (20 ppm) registered higher growth, yield attributes, yield, and economics.

The notable increase in chicken waste resulting from the rapid expansion of the chicken industry represents a major concern and danger to public health and the environment. Therefore, this varied waste stream in the chicken industry, including bedding materials, dung, feathers, and mortalities, requires efficient management techniques. Improper chicken waste disposal can lead to nutrient leakage and water and soil contamination, which can cause eutrophication and aid in spreading harmful bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella. Moreover, untreated waste exacerbates climate change by increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, in response to these challenges, this review analyses many treatment techniques that might convert this complicated waste stream into a useful resource to support environmental sustainability in the chicken industry and enhance soil health. Furthermore, this study evaluates gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, and composting as viable methods to reduce pollution from chicken waste while producing useful byproducts. Anaerobic digestion uses bacteria to produce biogas, a sustainable energy source; pyrolysis produces biochar and bio-oil; composting converts waste into fertilizer; gasification produces syngas for fertilizer production. However, choosing the most efficient treatment approach necessitates thoroughly assessing waste properties, intended end products, and economic factors. This review aims to expand the understanding of these treatment procedures and their related advantages to assist in developing sustainable and effective strategies for dealing with chicken waste. These strategies, which prioritize value development, environmental preservation, and public health, have the potential to pave the way for a more responsible and sustainable future for the chicken industry.

Intersubspecific hybridization is one of the strategies used to exploit genetic diversity and hybrid vigor in crop breeding, particularly in rice. The genetic diversity within and across rice subspecies indicates variability in hybridization programs. However, hybrid sterility remains a barrier, impeding the full realization of benefits such as hybrid vigor associated with intersubspecific hybridization. Many hybrid sterility loci affecting pollen sterility, female gamete abortion, or both through one-locus allelic and two-locus epistatic interactions have been identified. Hybrid sterility loci S5, S1, Sa, Sc, S7, hsa1, qHMS7, qHMS1, ESA1, and RHS12/Se/pf12 adhere to one-locus interaction model. However, S27/28, DPL1/DPL2, DGS1/DGS2, and S22A/S22B are two-locus interaction models. Epigenetic mechanisms, encompassing DNA methylation, histone modifications, and noncoding RNA regulation, drive indica–japonica hybrid rice heterosis. Key tactics to address hybrid sterility include the development of indica-compatible japonica lines, wide compatibility lines, and genomics-based introgression techniques. Additionally, other genetic consequences of intersubspecific hybridization, such as the suppression of recombination, segregation distortion of male gametes, and linkage drag, affect the stability and development of hybrids with desirable traits. This review aims to explain the loci causing hybrid sterility, discuss ways to overcome these challenges in hybridization programs, and highlight the need for further investigation into the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying hybrid sterility in the development of intersubspecific hybrids.

Silicon is an essential mineral that plays a crucial role in increasing plant growth, improving crop yields, and imparting resilience against environmental stresses. This study explored the silicate solubilization potential of Achromobacter sp. L1C9T2, Bacillus altitudinis L3C3T2, Bacillus safensis L5C13T, Bacillus altitudinis SSB4, and Priestia aryabhattai KSBN2K7 using three silicate minerals, magnesium trisilicate (MGT), quartz (QT), and bentonite (BT). Both qualitative and quantitative assessments revealed that the maximum silicate solubilization was exhibited by Bacillus altitudinis SSB4 (87.71

Magnesium (Mg) an essential plant nutrient is widespread deficient in the acidic soils of Nilgiris of Tamil nadu, India. The vegetable yield and quality is especially affected due to deficiency of nutrients like Mg. This study investigates soil characteristics and bacterial diversity in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, India, with respect to Mg deficiency. The soil samples were collected from different vegetable growing regions of the Nilgiris to assess soil physiocochemical parameters, soil enzymes and soil Mg status. 16S rRNA gene-based metagenomic analysis used to investigate the functional potential and structural diversity of the bacterial communities in high Mg and low Mg deficiency soil. Results indicated mildly acidic soils with a sandy loam texture and high organic carbon content. While nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) levels were adequate, Mg deficiency was consistent. Soil enzymes such as dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase, urease and aryl sulfatase, varied across the soil samples. Additionally, 16S rRNA gene-based metagenomics analysis revealed the bacterial diversity and functional pathways in soils with high and low Mg deficiency. Low Mg levels were associated with increased bacterial richness, dominated by Proteobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Acidobacteria. Functional pathways related to carbon metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis, and various metabolic processes were more abundant in low Mg deficient soils. This research highlights the significant influence of Mg levels on bacterial diversity and functional potentials in acidic soils, providing insights into soil management strategies in Mg-deficient regions.

Salinity stress poses a critical threat to global crop productivity, driven by factors such as saline irrigation, low precipitation, native rock weathering, high surface evaporation, and excessive fertilizer application. This abiotic stress induces oxidative damage, osmotic imbalance, and ionic toxicity, severely affecting plant growth and leading to crop failure. Silicon (Si) has emerged as a versatile element capable of mitigating various biotic and abiotic stresses, including salinity. This review offers a comprehensive analysis of Si's multifaceted role in alleviating salinity stress, elucidating its molecular, physiological, and biochemical mechanisms in plants. It explores Si uptake, transport, and accumulation in plant tissues, emphasizing its contributions to maintaining ionic balance, enhancing water uptake, and reinforcing cell structural integrity under saline conditions. Additionally, this review addresses Si transformations in saline soils and the factors influencing its bioavailability. A significant focus is placed on silicon-solubilizing microorganisms (SSMs), which enhance Si bioavailability through mechanisms such as organic acid production, ligand exchange, mineral dissolution, and biofilm formation. By improving nutrient cycling and mitigating salinity-induced stress, SSMs offer a sustainable alternative to synthetic silicon fertilizers, promoting resilient crop production in salt-affected soils.

Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a vital leguminous oilseed crop, widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions due to its high nutritional and economic significance in food, feed, and oil purposes. It is a rich source of protein, oil, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and anti-aging properties. Globally, groundnut production is approximately 54.2 million tonnes, with India contributing 10.1 million tonnes through rainfed cultivation. However, its productivity is constrained by drought, salinity, soil nutrient deficits, and disease infestations. Conventional farming depends on chemical inputs to enhance yield and productivity but negatively impacts soil health and fertility, reduces microbial diversity, and pollutes agroecosystems, creating an urgent need for sustainable alternatives. Microbe-based bioinoculants comprising nitrogen-fixers, phosphorus solubilizers, potassium solubilizers, sulphur oxidizers, other plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), mycorrhizal fungi, and cyanobacteria offer an alternative approach to enhance the growth and yield of groundnut through various direct and indirect mechanisms, including augmenting nutrient absorption, improving quality parameters, suppressing plant pathogens, stimulating plant defence, and increasing resilience to abiotic stresses. This narrative review examines the diversity, benefits, and growth-promoting mechanisms of rhizospheric, phyllospheric, and endophytic microorganisms associated with groundnut. Additionally, molecular docking of groundnut root exudate metabolites, produced upon microbial inoculation, with stress-responsive proteins highlights the significance of microbial inoculants in mitigating drought and salinity stresses. This review synthesizes recent advances in microbial inoculant applications, highlighting their potential to revolutionize sustainable groundnut cultivation. Therefore, microbial inoculants provide a promising solution ensuring sustainability and assurance of food security amid global difficulties.

Permanent manurial experiment was started from the year 1909 at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, in order to assess the impact of continuous addition of organic and mineral fertilizers on crop yield and soil quality. Conducting a long-term experiment at fixed site with continuous cropping will help to monitor the changes in soil quality and crop yields sustainability and also guide in developing strategies for fertilizer management while minimizing the environmental degradation. From the results revealed that the application of 100% NPK + Farmyard manure (FYM) @ 12.5 t ha-1 (INM) increased the seed yield (1879 kg ha-1) and straw yield of sunflower crop (3916 kg ha-1) when compared to control. Highest carbon build up was observed in the application of 100% NPK + Farmyard manure (FYM) @ 12.5 t ha-1 (INM) 9.8 g kg-1when compared to control (5.4 g kg-1).The present hypothesis showed that, the application of chemical fertilizer along with FYM @ 12.5 t ha-1 had positively impact on yield sustainability and soil health.

High soil pH and excess CaCO3 are major contributors to calcareous soil limitations on crops’ access to essential nutrients, especially phosphorus (P) and micronutrients, which in turn impact pulses yields and growth. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of bio sulfur granules (BSG) on the growth of black gram and the availability of nutrients in calcareous vertisols deficient in sulfur. BSG was developed by using sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) and elemental sulfur (ES) through an incubation study. Developed BSG was tested in a pot and field conditions to evaluate their effectiveness on black gram growth and yield. In the incubation study, soil treated with Methylobacterium thiocyanatum VRI7-A4 and ES (40 kg S/ha) significantly decreased pH and increased available S (SO42−) in calcareous soils. After 40 days of incubation, the solubility of P, Fe, and Zn was greatly increased by the addition of ES @ 40 kg S/ ha in combination with M. thiocyanatum VRI7-A4 or Pandoraea thiooxydans ATSB16. Black gram in S-deficient calcareous soil was improved by the application of BSG (ES @ 40 kg S/ ha with M. thiocyanatum VRI7-A7) in terms of root and shoot lengths, nodule number, plant biomass, pod yield, and biological yield as compared to control. The same treatment greatly increased plant nutrient intake as well as the concentrations of P, Fe, and Zn in the soil. The results showed that the addition of BSG granules (ES @ 40 kg S/ha + M. thiocyanatum VRI7-A4) to calcareous vertisol deficient in S enhanced the nutrient solubility through S oxidation. The developed bio sulfur granules may be added to the fertilizer schedule of the pulses growers to get improved crop growth and yield of black gram in calcareous soil.

Calcareous soils are soils containing amounts of calcium carbonate that distinctly affect the soil properties related to plant growth, whether physical, such as soil–water relations and soil crusting, or chemical, such as the availability of plant nutrients. The primary crop productivity constraints in calcareous soils include phosphorus and trace element (e.g., iron, zinc, and copper) deficiency, surface crust formation, and an impermeable subsurface compact layer. Soil productivity constraints in calcareous soils can be overcome by adequately choosing and placing fertilizers and adding organic matter. Applying acid-forming fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate and urea fertilizers, sulfur compounds, organic manures, and green manures is considered an effective measure to reduce the pH of the soil to a neutral pH value. Elemental sulfur is one amendment that can be used to lower the pH of a calcareous soil. Even sulfur will take some time to be effective. Sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOBs) can be essential in reclamation soils with alkaline, sodic, and calcareous properties. Through biochemical sulfur oxidation, SOBs can convert reduced inorganic sulfur compounds into sulfuric acid, reducing soil pH and dissolving calcium carbonate in calcareous soils. This chapter extensively discusses the characteristics of calcareous soils, nutrient limitations, and the use of colorless SOBs to enhance nutrient availability and plant growth in calcareous soils.

The utilization of various agrochemicals in crop production technology leads to soil health and fertility depletion. Multiple measures have been taken to revitalize the health of polluted soil. In this context, organic agriculture has increased over the past few years to overcome the detrimental effects of extensive modern agricultural practices. Several traditional organic formulations, such as panchagavya, jeevamurtha, beejamurtha, bokashi, etc., are vital in converting polluted farmlands into organic. Various countries have their own organic formulations to improve crop growth and yield. These formulations are rich sources of many macro and micronutrients, growth-promoting phytohormones, and provide resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses. Apart from these benefits, these formulations consist of several groups of beneficial microorganisms that belong to the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroides, and Actinobacteria, while some of the novel groups of microorganisms were also reported from the ingredients used in the preparation of these organic formulations. These microorganisms can solubilize nutrients such as phosphorous and zinc, oxidize sulfur, reduce nitrate, and are also involved in the production of indole acetic acid, ethylene reduction enzyme (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase), and organic acids that promote plant growth and induce resistance in the plant system. Hence, the utilization of traditional organic formulations helps in the reclamation of environmental health without compromising crop yields. This review describes the importance of organic farming, the preparation and application of different types of traditional organic formulations in different countries, and the microbial composition and mechanism of growth promotion of different traditional organic formulations.

The study aimed to investigate the impact of zinc (Zn) nutrition on enzymatic activity in soil and plant systems of zinc-deficient soils. Additionally, it aimed to understand the impact of solubilizer (such as Zinc Solubilizing Bacteria) and mobilizer (like AM Fungi) on enzyme activity and zinc nutrition in plants across calcareous and non-calcareous soil environments. A pot experiment was carried out with two different soils with three Zn sources (ZnSO4, ZnO and Zn-EDTA), organic manure (FYM) and microbial inoculants - Zinc Solubilizing Bacteria (ZSB) and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AM F). The DTPA-Zn and plant Zn content increased with applied sources of Zn. The microbial inoculants and FYM enhanced the use efficiency of all sources of Zn compared to unapplied treatments. Regarding soil enzyme activity, FYM and AM fungi played a major role which in turn altered the dehydrogenase (SDHA) and alkaline phosphatase (AlP) activities in both soils. The Zn sources and ZSB addition enhanced the plant enzyme activity. Calcareous soil recorded higher CA, SOD and alkaline phosphatase activities compared to non-calcareous soil the latter registered higher dehydrogenase activity and fruit Zn content.

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Changes in land use have an impact on ecosystem services by affecting soil quality. Thus, soil quality assessment using the soil quality index (SQI) can help better understand the LUC (land use change) impact on soil health. This study was established to explore the soil quality of the Nilgiri Hill Region (NHR) in the Western Ghats global biodiversity hotspot (India’s first biosphere reserve) under six major ecosystems cropland (CL), deciduous forest (DF), evergreen forest (EF), forest plantation (FP), scrubland (SL) and tea plantation (TP). The minimum data sets (MDS) were selected using PCA (Principal component analysis) and EO (Experts’ opinion). LUC from the natural ecosystem has significantly decreased soil quality. The selected indicators under PCA (water-soluble carbohydrates, microbial biomass carbon, dehydrogenase, available K, available N and carbon stock), and EO ( aggregate stability, pH, CEC, available N, available Zn, passive pools, CO2, dehydrogenase, and aggregate size organic carbon (2 mm)) spotlights the wide variation between the natural and the altered ecosystems. Furthermore, the selected indicators were positively correlated with total organic carbon (TOC). This research cautions that the LUC will have a substantial effect on soil quality, a crucial factor for achieving a future that is environmentally sustainable. Our research indicates the need for an immediate implementation of management strategies to improve the soil quality in degraded ecosystems (CL and TP) of NHR.