Role of foliar spray of plant growth regulators in improving photosynthetic pigments and metabolites in Plantago ovata (Psyllium) under salt stress–A field appraisal

Salinity is one of the major abiotic factors that limit the growth and productivity of plants.Foliar application of plant growth regulators(PGRs)may help plants ameliorate the negative impacts of salinity.Thus,a field experiment was conducted at the Botanical Garden University of Balochistan,Quetta,to explore the potential role of PGRs,i.e.,moringa leaf extract(MLE;10%),proline(PRO;1μM),salicylic acid(SA;250μM),and thiourea(TU;10 mM)in ameliorating the impacts of salinity(120 mM)on Plantago ovata,an important medicinal plant.Salinity hampered plant photosynthetic pigments and metabolites but elevated oxidative parameters.However,foliar application of PGRs enhanced photosynthetic pigments,including Chl b(21.11%),carotenoids(57.87%)except Chl a,activated the defense mechanisms by restoring and enhancing the metabolites,i.e.,soluble sugars(49.68%),soluble phenolics(33.34%),and proline(31.47%),significantly under salinity stress.Furthermore,foliar supplementation of PGRs under salt stress led to a decrease of about 43.02%and 43.27%in hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde content,respectively.Thus,PGRs can be recommended for improved photosynthetic efficiency and metabolite content that can help to get better yield under salt stress,with the best and most effective treatments being those of PRO and MLE to predominately ameliorate the harsh impacts of salinity.

Synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles reinforced clay and their applications for removal of Pb(II)ions from aqueous media

The aim of the study was to synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles(ZnONPs)composite with clay by a novel route and then to explore the capability of composite of ZnONPs and silty clay(SC)as adsorbents for Pb(II)eradication from aqueous media by batch adsorption method.The effect of different operating factors like temperature,pH,dose and time of contact on the adsorption process were studied to optimize the conditions.Langmuir,Freundlich,Dubinin-Radushkevich(DR)and Temkin isotherms were applied for the interpretation of the process.The R^(2)and q values obtained from Langmuir model suggested that the process is best interpreted by this model.The values of adsorption capacity(qm)noted were 12.43 mg·g^(-1) and 14.54 mg·g^(-1)on SC and ZnONPsSC respectively.The kinetic studies exposed that pseudo second order(PSO)kinetics is followed by the processes suggesting that more than one steps are involved to control the rate of reactions.Various thermodynamic variables such as change in free energy(AGe),change in enthalpy(AH9)and change in entropy(ASe)were calculated.Thermodynamic data suggested that Pb(II)adsorption on SC and ZnONPsSC are spontaneous,endothermic and feasible processes.

Studies on batch adsorptive removal of cadmium and nickel from synthetic waste water using silty clay originated from Balochistan-Pakistan

The potentials of silty clay(SC),acquired from Chaman,Balochistan,were investigated as adsorbent for Ni(Ⅱ)and Cd(Ⅱ)removal from contaminated media.The influence of different operating factors like dose,pH,temperature,and time of contact was explored,and optimum values were noted under batch adsorption method.Isothermal study was conducted with varying concentrations of solutions on optimized conditions and different adsorption models i.e.,Langmuir,Freundlich,Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich(D-R)isotherm,which were employed to interpret the process.The isothermal data of both Ni(Ⅱ)and Cd(Ⅱ)were well fitted to Langmuir isotherm suggesting the formation of monolayer of metal ions on silty clay.The values of adsorption capacity noted for Ni(Ⅱ)and Cd(Ⅱ)were 3.603 mg·g^-1 and 5.480 mg·g^-1,respectively.Kinetic studies affirmed that pseudo second order(PSO)kinetics was being obeyed by the removal of Ni(Ⅱ)and Cd(Ⅱ).Thermodynamic variables like free energy change(ΔG°),enthalpy change(ΔH°)and entropy change(ΔS°)were calculated.The negative value ofΔG°and the positive values ofΔH°andΔS°unfolded that the removal process of both metal ions of by SC was spontaneous,endothermic and feasible.

Hapten design to prepare monoclonal antibodies and establishment of immunoassay for direct screening of oxamichydrazide in chicken,the metabolite of nifuraldezone

In this study,two novel haptens of oxamichydrazide(OXZ),the metabolite of nifuraldezone,were designed and synthesized by derivatization with ethyl-4-bromobutanoate and ethyl-2-bromoacetate for the first time.The rationality of the haptens was enlightened by conformational alignment and electronic evaluations based on computional chemistry.The synthesized haptens were efficient in generating antibody response to OXZ.A monoclonal antibody(mAb)named 2D9 with high affinity was obtained and used to establish an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(icELISA)for the direct determination of OXZ in chicken samples without the need for derivatization step.Under optimum conditions,the developed icELISA showed an IC50 value of 0.66 ng mL^(−1),and limit of detection of 0.11μg kg^(−1)in chicken.The average recoveries were found to be 80.4-91.3%with a coefficient of variation less than 9.0%.In conclusion,we have successfully desigened haptens,prepared mAbs and developed an immunoassay for the direct determination of OXZ in chicken samples without the need for a derivatization step for the first time.This provides a potentially rapid,accurate,and sensitive screening tool for nifuraldezone residue in animal-derived food.