Mechanistic insights of salicylic acid-mediated salt stress tolerance in L. seedlings.

Elevated sodium level (Na) poses significant threat to crop plant physio-biochemical processes, leading to impaired growth followedby decline in productivity. Addressing this challenge, requires an eco-friendly and cost-effective strategy that enhances plant salt stress tolerance capacity. In this context, the exogenous source of plant growth regulators (PGRs) proved to be an efficient approach.

Abscisic acid: Metabolism, transport, crosstalk with other plant growth regulators, and its role in heavy metal stress mitigation.

Heavy metal (HM) stress is threatening agricultural crops, ecological systems, and human health worldwide. HM toxicity adversely affects plant growth, physiological processes, and crop productivity by disturbing cellular ionic balance, metabolic balance, cell membrane integrity, and protein and enzyme activities. Plants under HM stress intrinsically develop mechanisms to counter the adversities of HM but not prevent them.

Realization of Lodging Tolerance in the Aromatic Grass, Through Ploidy Intervention.

Artificial polyploidy that brings about increase in cell size confers changes in histo-morphology leading to altered phenotype, causing changes in physiological attributes and enhanced concentration of secondary metabolites. The altered phenotype is generally a manifestation of tissue hardiness reflected as robust plant type. Based on a case study undertaken on an industrially important grass, (2 = 60) valued for its citral rich essential oil, here we report that the artificial polyploidy not only brings about enhancement in concentration of essential oil but also facilitates lodging tolerance.

Characterization of a Chitin-Binding Protein from Bacillus thuringiensis HD-1.

Strains of Bacillus thuringiensis produce insecticidal proteins. These strains have been isolated from diverse ecological niches, such as soil, phylloplane, insect cadavers and grain dust. To effectively propagate, these strains produce a range of molecules that facilitate its multiplication in a competing environment.