The menace of saffron adulteration: Low-cost rapid identification of fake look-alike saffron using Foldscope and machine learning technology.

Saffron authenticity is important for the saffron industry, consumers, food industry, and regulatory agencies. Herein we describe a combo of two novel methods to distinguish genuine saffron from fake in a user-friendly manner and without sophisticated instruments. A smartphone coupled with Foldscope was used to visualize characteristic features and distinguish "genuine" saffron from "fake.

Genetic Diversity Analysis based on the Virulence, Physiology and Regional Variability in Different Isolates of Powdery Mildew in Pea.

Powdery mildew is an omnipresent disease that reduces the yield and quality of pea crops ( L.). To examine the powdery mildew pathogen's morphological, molecular, and genetic diversity, we collected samples of powdery mildew-affected pea crops from ten distinct locations in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, India.

CRISPR/Cas tool designs for multiplex genome editing and its applications in developing biotic and abiotic stress-resistant crop plants.

Crop plants are prone to several yield-reducing biotic and abiotic stresses. The crop yield reductions due to these stresses need addressing to maintain an adequate balance between the increasing world population and food production to avoid food scarcities in the future. It is impossible to increase the area under food crops proportionately to meet the rising food demand.

Spectrum of Mucormycosis Before and During COVID-19: Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Current Therapeutic Interventions.

Purpose Of Review: More than half a billion people have been infected and 6.2 million killed by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) since the start of the pandemic in 2019. Systemic glucocorticoids are a double-edged sword, on the one hand, life-saving in treating COVID-19 complications while on the other hand, potentially leading to life-and-limb-threatening opportunistic fungal infections.

Green extraction of bioactive compounds from apple pomace by ultrasound assisted natural deep eutectic solvent extraction: Optimisation, comparison and bioactivity.

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) coupled with ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) was evaluated as extraction techniques for bioactive compounds from apple pomace. Seven natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) with different molar ratios were explored as green extraction solvents to evaluate extraction efficiency in terms of total flavonoid content (TFC), total phenolic content (TPC), lipid peroxidation inhibition (LBI) and antioxidant potential. The solvents which performed better than conventional solvent were DES1 (Choline chloride: glycerol (1:2)), DES2 (Choline chloride: lactic acid (1:3)) and DES5 ((Choline chloride: citric acid (1:1)).

A review of the influence of nanoparticles on the physiological and biochemical attributes of plants with a focus on the absorption and translocation of toxic trace elements.

Trace elements (TEs) from various natural and anthropogenic activities contaminate the agricultural water and soil environments. The use of nanoparticles (NPs) as nano-fertilizers or nano-pesticides is gaining popularity worldwide. The NPs-mediated fertilizers encourage the balanced availability of essential nutrients to plants compared to traditional fertilizers, especially in the presence of excessive amounts of TEs.

Chitosan augments bioactive properties and drought resilience in drought-induced red kidney beans.

Application of 0.25% chitosan during seed priming or its foliage spray on Phaseolus vulgaris L. grown under restricted irrigations was assessed for its role in the enhancement of bioactive properties like antioxidant potential of dry seed.

Comparative transcriptomics unravels new genes imparting scab resistance in apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.).

Apple scab is caused by an ascomycete fungus, Venturia inaequalis (Cke.) Wint., which is one of the most severe disease of apple (Malus × Domestica Borkh.

Nanoceria laden decellularized extracellular matrix-based curcumin releasing nanoemulgel system for full-thickness wound healing.

Decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) has been widely used for wound healing. But, ECM failed to integrate tissue and restore the tissue function properly, when elevated levels of free radicals and biofilm formation occur at the wound site. Here, nanoemulgel systems were fabricated, considering the combinatorial approach of nanotechnology (nanoceria and curcumin nanoemulsion) and ECM gel of goat small intestine submucosa.

Clostridium perfringens from fresh water fish of Kashmir Himalaya and their aquatic environment: Toxinotyping and phylogenetic analysis.

Clostridium perfringens is a common anaerobic foodborne pathogen known to produce >20 toxins. In nature, this bacterium has 7 different toxinotypes (A-G) based on the presence of its 6 main toxins. The present study examined the occurrence of different toxinotypes of this bacterium in the ichthyofauna and aquatic environments of Kashmir Himalayan lakes, India.

Hepatitis E virus in pigs and the environment: An updated review of public health concerns.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an important public health problem and is responsible for both acute and chronic viral hepatitis. Public health implications of HEV are derived from its transmission route, either water-borne or food-borne, and its zoonotic potential. Not only in developing countries, but HEV cases are also found in a high number in developed countries.

Genetic Augmentation of Legume Crops Using Genomic Resources and Genotyping Platforms for Nutritional Food Security.

Recent advances in next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have led the surge of genomic resources for the improvement legume crops. Advances in high throughput genotyping (HTG) and high throughput phenotyping (HTP) enable legume breeders to improve legume crops more precisely and efficiently. Now, the legume breeder can reshuffle the natural gene combinations of their choice to enhance the genetic potential of crops.

Morpho-Cultural and Pathogenic Variability of Causing White Mold of Common Beans in Temperate Climate.

The present systematic research on cultural, morphological, and pathogenic variability was carried out on eighty isolates of collected from major common bean production belts of North Kashmir. The isolates were found to vary in both cultural and morphological characteristics such as colony color and type, colony diameter, number of days for sclerotia initiation, sclerotia number per plate, sclerotial weight, and size. The colony color ranged between white and off-white with the majority.

Nutrigenomics in livestock sector and its human-animal interface-a review.

Noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer now outnumber all other health ailments in humans globally due to abrupt changes in lifestyle following the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution has also intensified livestock farming, resulting in an increased demand for productivity and stressed animals. The livestock industry faces significant challenges from a projected sharp increase in global food and high animal protein demand.

Indian Wheat Genomics Initiative for Harnessing the Potential of Wheat Germplasm Resources for Breeding Disease-Resistant, Nutrient-Dense, and Climate-Resilient Cultivars.

Wheat is one of the major staple cereal food crops in India. However, most of the wheat-growing areas experience several biotic and abiotic stresses, resulting in poor quality grains and reduced yield. To ensure food security for the growing population in India, there is a compelling need to explore the untapped genetic diversity available in gene banks for the development of stress-resistant/tolerant cultivars.

Phylogeny and pathogenicity of causing anthracnose of cv. Bhaderwah-Rajmash from northern Himalayas, India.

Unlabelled: With an annual loss of up to 100%, anthracnose caused by  is one of the most devastating diseases of common beans ( L.). Due to few distinctive morphological characters, species are frequently misidentified.

Standardization of micropropagation of Winter Jasmine ( using nodal explants.

Present investigation was carried out to arrive at an effective micropropagation protocol for Winter Jasmine ( using nodal segments from actively growing plants as explants. Explants were collected from current season shoots during April-May just after the initiation of new flush. Combined sterilization treatment of explants with 1.

Development of an efficient micropropagation system for Dioscorea bulbifera L. and phytochemical profile of regenerated plants.

Background: The present study was designed to develop an improved in vitro regeneration system for Dioscorea bulbifera using mature nodal explants. Direct organogenesis from nodal segments was achieved by culturing the nodal explants on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 3.5 mgl 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP).

Preparation of a biodegradable chitosan packaging film based on zinc oxide, calcium chloride, nano clay and poly ethylene glycol incorporated with thyme oil for shelf-life prolongation of sweet cherry.

This study includes development of chitosan-based films with incorporated essential thyme oil and different combinations of cross-linkers viz., ZnO, CaCl, NC, and PEG for the safe storage of sweet cherries. The resulting films stored with sweet cherries were analyzed for different physicochemical and antimicrobial properties.

Unravelling rutin content of tartary buckwheat of north western Himalayas and insights into nucleotide polymorphisms in PAL gene to infer the associations with rutin biosynthesis.

Unlabelled: Buckwheat ( spp) has immense nutritional and nutraceutical potential. All the plant parts of buckwheat possess various metabolites, such as rutin, quercetin, vitexin etc. The high content of rutin in this pseudo cereal crop strongly adapts it to grow under adverse environments.

Aquaculture omics: An update on the current status of research and data analysis.

Aquaculture is the fast-growing agricultural sector and has the ability to meet the growing demand for protein nutritional security for future population. In future aquaculture is going to be the major source of fish proteins as capture fisheries reached at its maximum. However, several challenges need to overcome such as lack of genetically improved strains/varieties, lack of species-specific feed/functional feed, round the year availability of quality fish seed, pollution of ecosystems and increased frequencies of disease occurrence etc.