Breaking Barriers:Selenium and Silicon-Mediated Strategies for Mitigating Abiotic Stress in Plants

Numerous plant species,particularly those that can accumulate selenium(Se)and silicon(Si),benefit from these essential micronutrients.Se and Si accumulation in plants profoundly affects several biochemical reactions in cells.Understanding how plants react to Se/Si enrichment is crucial for ensuring adequate dietary Se/Si intake for humans and animals and increasing plant tolerance to environmental stressors.Several studies have shown that Se/Si-enriched plants are more resistant to salinity,drought,extreme temperatures,UV radiation,and excess metalloids.The interplay between Se/Si in plants is crucial for maintaining growth and development under normal conditions while providing a critical defense mechanism against stressors like heavy metals and drought.Se and Si commonly stimulate antioxidant defense systems in plants exposed to environmental stressors,but the involved mechanisms are complex and not well understood.To ensure the positive effects of Se/Si fortification in plants,it is essential to consider the degree of accumulation,the chemical form of Se/Si used,the method of application,and the likelihood of interaction with other elements.In this review,we will discuss the effects of Se/Si bio-fortification on plants subjected to abiotic stressors.Plant responses to exogenous Se/Si will also be reviewed,emphasizing the influences of Se/Si in the modulation of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defense mechanisms under various abiotic stress conditions.

Lipid Production,Oxidative Status,Antioxidant Enzymes and Photosynthetic Efficiency of Coccomyxa chodatii SAG 216-2 in Response to Calcium Oxide Nanoparticles

The extensive use of nanoparticles(NPs)in diverse applications causes their localization to aquatic habitats,affecting the metabolic products of primary producers in aquatic ecosystems,such as algae.Synthesized calcium oxide nanoparticles(CaO NPs)are of the scarcely studied NPs.Thus,the current work proposed that the exposure to CaO NPs may instigate metabolic pathway to be higher than that of normally growing algae,and positively stimulate algal biomass.In this respect,this research was undertaken to study the exposure effect of CaO NPs(0,20,40,60,80,and 100μg mL^(−1))on the growth,photosynthesis,respiration,oxidative stress,antioxidants,and lipid production of the microalga Coccomyxa chodatii SAG 216-2.The results showed that the algal growth concomitant with chlorophyll content,photosynthesis,and calcium content increased in response to CaO NPs.The contents of biomolecules such as proteins,amino acids,and carbohydrates were also promoted by CaO NPs with variant degrees.Furthermore,lipid production was enhanced by the applied nanoparticles.CaO NPs induced the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide,while lipid peroxidation was reduced,revealing no oxidative behavior of the applied nanoparticles on alga.Also,CaO NPs have a triggering effect on the antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase,catalase,ascorbate peroxidase,and guaiacol peroxidase.The results recommended the importance of the level of 60μg mL^(−1) CaO NPs on lipid production(with increasing percentage of 65%compared to control)and the highest dry matter acquisition of C.chodatii.This study recommended the feasibility of an integrated treatment strategy of CaO NPs in augmenting biomass,metabolic up-regulations,and lipid accumulation in C.chodatii.

Selenium: A Game Changer in Plant Development, Growth, and Stress Tolerance, via the Modulation in Gene Expression and Secondary Metabolite Biosynthesis

The presence of selenium(Se)is not widely established as crucial for crops,although it is commonly recognized as an important nutrient for animals as well as humans.Even so,it is inevitably accepted that Se usually contributes positively to the life cycle of plants.Previousfindings suggested that small amounts of Se seem to have a productive role in growth and production.As a result,Se is assumed to function in multiple ways,primarily by influencing a variety of biochemical and physiological functions.Also,Se also acts as a plant antioxidant and pro-oxidant and confers tolerance against different abiotic stresses,including salinity,drought,extreme temperature,and toxic metals/metalloids stresses.It reflects a defensive barrier against stress by increasing chlorophyll content synthesis,photosynthesis,oxygen supply,osmoprotectant concentration,and secondary metabolite acquisition.One other crucial role of Se is its ability to strengthen antioxidant performance in plants,thereby decreasing the concentration of reactive-oxygen-species(ROS).Furthermore,Se generates and modifies genes and proteins that respond situationally to stress,and the presence of high Se concentrations in the growth-medium can cause phytotoxic conditions via excessive ROS production,and through pro-oxidative Se occurrence,suppression of chlorophyll contents in the biosynthetic pathway,and the inhibition of plant developmental and normal physiological functions.Like a phytofortifier,the correct amount of Se can indeed enhance the nutrient quality of both crop and fodder production.Furthermore,crops have naturally developed ways to combat Se-deficiency and Se-toxicity.The current review focuses on recent advances in understanding the dynamics of Se,the positive and negative roles of Se in crop management,and its efficiency in countering abiotic stress.

Distribution,Etiology,Molecular Genetics and Management Perspectives of Northern Corn Leaf Blight of Maize(Zea mays L.)

Maize is cultivated extensively throughout the world and has the highest production among cereals.However,Northern corn leaf blight(NCLB)disease caused by Exherohilum turcicum,is the most devastating limiting factor of maize production.The disease causes immense losses to corn yield if it develops prior or during the tasseling and silking stages of crop development.It has a worldwide distribution and its development is favoured by cool to moderate temperatures with high relative humidity.The prevalence of the disease has increased in recent years and new races of the pathogen have been reported worldwide.The fungus E.turcicum is highly variable in nature.Though different management strategies have proved effective to reduce economic losses from NCLB,the development of varieties with resistance to E.turcicum is the most efficient and inexpensive way for disease management.Qualitative resistance for NCLB governed by Ht genes is a race-specific resistance which leads to a higher level of resistance.However,some Ht genes can easily become ineffective under the high pressure of virulent strains of the pathogen.Hence,it is imperative to understand and examine the consistency of the genomic locations of quantitative trait loci for resistance to NCLB in diverse maize populations.The breeding approaches for pyramiding resistant genes against E.turcicum in maize can impart NCLB resistance under high disease pressure environments.Furthermore,the genome editing approaches like CRISPR-cas9 and RNAi can also prove vital for developing NCLB resistant maize cultivars.As such this review delivers emphasis on the importance and current status of the disease,racial spectrum of the pathogen,genetic nature and breeding approaches for resistance and management strategies of the disease in a sustainable manner.

Identification of QTLs for Yield and Associated Traits in F_(2) Population of Rice

Identification of quantitative trait loci(QTLs)controlling yield and yield-related traits in rice was performed in the F_(2) mapping population derived from parental rice genotypes DHMAS and K343.A total of 30 QTLs governing nine different traits were identified using the composite interval mapping(CIM)method.Four QTLs were mapped for number of tillers per plant on chromosomes 1(2 QTLs),2 and 3;three QTLs for panicle number per plant on chromosomes 1(2 QTLs)and 3;four QTLs for plant height on chromosomes 2,4,5 and 6;one QTL for spikelet density on chromosome 5;four QTLs for spikelet fertility percentage(SFP)on chromosomes 2,3 and 5(2 QTLs);two QTLs for grain length on chromosomes 1 and 8;three QTLs for grain width on chromosomes1,3 and 8;three QTLs for 1000-grain weight(TGW)on chromosomes 1,4 and 8 and six QTLs for yield per plant(YPP)on chromosomes 2(3 QTLs),4,6 and 8.Most of the QTLs were detected on chromosome 2,so further studies on chromosome 2 could help unlock some new chapters of QTL for this cross of rice variety.Identified QTLs elucidating high phenotypic variance can be used for marker-assisted selection(MAS)breeding.Further,the exploitation of information regarding molecular markers tightly linked to QTLs governing these traits will facilitate future crop improvement strategies in rice.

Breeding Potential of Some Exotic Tomato Lines:A Combined Study of Morphological Variability,Genetic Divergence,and Association of Traits

Tomato(Solanum lycopersicum L.)is called‘the poor man’s orange’due to its low price and improved nutritional values.An experiment was conducted to study the breeding potential of some exotic tomato lines by assessing various qualitative and quantitative traits conferring yield and quality attributes.Among the qualitative traits,greater variability was observed for growth type,stem hairiness,and fruit shape and size.A determinate growth habit was observed in the genotype AVTO9802 while the genotype AVTO0102 produced yellow color fruits.A significant(p≤0.01)variation was also observed for the studied quantitative traits.Based on yield and traits attributed to yield,the genotypes AVTO0314,GPB0107,GPB0120 and AVTO9802 were selected as promising genotypes.The differences between the genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation(GCV and PCV)of the studied quantitative traits were very low.This suggests that the apparent variation was mainly due to the genotypes.The higher GCVand PCV values were observed for the number of primary branches plant^(−1)(NPB),number of fruits cluster^(−1)(NFC),individual fruit weight(IFW)and total soluble solids(TSS).High heritability was recorded for all quantitative traits in a broad sense.However,the individual fruit diameter showed the highest heritability(99.56).The highest(102.75)genetic advance(GA)was observed for the number of fruits plant^(−1)(NFP).High heritability coupled with high GA as percentage of mean were recorded for the traits NFP,NFC,fruit yield plant^(−1)(FYP)and IFW.FYP showed a significant positive correlation with NFC(0.714^(***))and a negative correlation with days to the first harvest(−0.539^(***))and plant height(−0.492**).Principal component analysis revealed that the first four components explained 78.5%of the total variation among the genotypes.Thus,the promising genotypes(AVTO0314,GPB0107,GPB0120,AVTO9802 and AVTO0102)isolated from this study can be used for developing high-yielding and high-quality tomato varieties.

Proteomic Profiling and Protein-Protein Interaction Network Reveal the Molecular Mechanisms of Susceptibility to Drought Stress in Canola(Brassica napus L.)

Drought stress is one of the most important abiotic stresses that plants face frequently in nature.Under drought conditions,many morphological,physiological,and molecular aspects of plants are changed and as a result plants experience a remarkable reduction in growth,yield,and reproduction.To expand our understanding of the molecular basis of the plant response to drought stress,the proteomic profile and protein-protein network of canola(Brassica napus L.)were studied.The focus was to show molecular mechanisms related to canola susceptibility to drought stress.The experiment used a completely randomized design,implemented in a hydroponic system under greenhouse conditions.To impose drought stress,plants were exposed to Hoagland’s solution supplemented with polyethylene glycol(PEG)6000 for 7 days.The drought stress resulted in 161reproducible protein spots in twodimensional electrophoresis of canola leaves.The t-student test showed 21 differentially abundant proteins(DAP),of which 2 and 19 were up and down accumulated,respectively.Two spots identified as 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase and D-2-hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenase showed an increased abundance of 2.11 and 1.77,respectively.The extended protein-protein interaction of differentially abundant proteins and KEGG analysis showed 47 pathways directly and indirectly associated with canola response to drought stress.DAPs with increased abundance were associated with amino acid and signaling processes,whereas DAPs with decreased abundance were mostly connected with pathways responsible for energy production.The results of the study will help to elucidate further the molecular events associated with the susceptibility to drought stress in canola.

Laboratory-and Field-Phenotyping for Drought Stress Tolerance and Diversity Study in Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.)

Drought susceptibility and low genetic variability are the major constraints of lentil(Lens culinaris Medik.)production worldwide.Development of an efficient pre-field drought phenotyping technique and identification of diversified drought tolerant lentil genotype(s)are therefore vital and necessary.Two separate experiments were conducted using thirty diverse lentil genotypes to isolate drought tolerant genotype(s)as well as to assess their diversity.In both of the experiments,significant(p≤0.01)variation in genotype(G),treatment(T)and G X T was observed for most of the studied traits.In experiment I,genotypes were examined for drought tolerance at the seedlings stage under hydroponic conditions by assessing root and shoot traits.Among the 30 genotypes studied,BM-1247,BM-1227 and BM-502 were selected as highly tolerant to drought stress as they showed maximum seedling survivability and minimum reduction in growth parameters under drought stress.In experiment II,the genotypes were assayed for diversity and drought stress tolerance based on morphological traits grown under field condition.Drought stress caused a substantial reduction in yield attributing traits,however,the genotypes BM-1247,BM-981,BM-1227 and BM-502 were categorized as drought tolerant genotypes with less than 20%yield reduction.The field screening result of drought stress tolerance was coincided well with the results of laboratory screening.Genetic divergence study reflected the presence of considerable diversity among the genotypes.Considering laboratory and field screening results,the genotypes,BM-1247,BM-1227,BM-981 and BM-502 were selected as the best drought tolerant genotypes.This information can be exploited for further breeding in developing drought tolerance in lentil.

Phenotypic and Molecular Assessment of Wheat Genotypes Tolerant to Leaf Blight,Rust and Blast Diseases

Globally among biotic stresses,diseases like blight,rust and blast constitute prime constraints for reducing wheat productivity especially in Bangladesh.For sustainable productivity,the development of disease-resistant lines and high yielding varieties is vital and necessary.This study was conducted using 122 advanced breeding lines of wheat including 21 varieties developed by Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute with aims to identify genotypes having high yield potential and resistant to leaf blight,leaf rust and blast diseases.These genotypes were evaluated for resistance against leaf blight and leaf rust at Dinajpur and wheat blast at Jashore under field condition.Out of 122 genotypes tested,20 lines were selected as resistant to leaf blight based on the area under the diseases progress curve under both irrigated timely sown and irrigated late sown conditions.Forty-two genotypes were found completely free from leaf rust infection,59 genotypes were identified as resistant,and 13 genotypes were identified as moderately resistant to leaf rust.Eighteen genotypes were immune against wheat blast,42 genotypes were categorized as resistant,and 26 genotypes were identified as moderately resistant to wheat blast.Molecular data revealed that the 16 genotypes showed a positive 2NS segment among the 18 immune genotypes selected against wheat blast under field conditions.The genotypes BAW 1322,BAW 1295,and BAW 1203 can be used as earlier maturing genotypes and the genotypes BAW 1372,BAW 1373,BAW 1297 and BAW 1364 can be used for lodging tolerant due to short plant height.The genotypes WMRI Gom 1,BAW 1349 and BAW 1350 can be selected for bold grain and the genotypes WMRI Gom 1,BAW 1297,BAW 1377 can be used as high yielder for optimum seeding condition but genotypes BAW 1377 and BAW 1366 can be used for late sown condition.The selected resistant genotypes against specific diseases can be used in the further breeding program to develop wheat varieties having higher disease resistance and yield potential.

Design and Development of a Novel Symmetric Algorithm for Enhancing Data Security in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a kind of computing that depends on shared figuring assets instead of having nearby servers or individual gadgets to deal with applications. Technology is moving to the cloud more and more. It’s not just a trend, the shift away from ancient package models to package as service has steadily gained momentum over the last ten years. Looking forward, the following decade of cloud computing guarantees significantly more approaches to work from anyplace, utilizing cell phones. Cloud computing focused on better performances, better scalability and resource consumption but it also has some security issue with the data stored in it. The proposed algorithm intents to come with some solutions that will reduce the security threats and ensure far better security to the data stored in cloud.

Enhanced Women Safety and Well-Suited Public Bus Management System in Bangladesh Using IoT

IoT can aid alliance of communication, monitor and information processing across various transportation systems. The authors have developed a real time public bus management system based on IoT and android application. The authors have used GPS (Global Positioning System) to track the nearest location of the bus and police station;IR sensor is used for checking seat availability. The authors also use a Panic Alert Button on every seat of the bus to reduce women harassment. With the press of the panic alert button, the notification sends to the owner and the nearest police station with the current location of the bus.

Impact of industrial effluent on growth and yield of rice(Oryza sativa L.) in silty clay loam soil

Degradation of soil and water from discharge of untreated industrial effluent is alarming in Bangladesh. Therefore, buildup of heavy metals in soil from contaminated effluent, their entry into the food chain and effects on rice yield were quantified in a pot experiment. The treatments were comprised of 0, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% industrial effluents applied as irrigation water. Effluents, initial soil, different parts of rice plants and post-harvest pot soil were analyzed for various elements, including heavy metals. Application of elevated levels of effluent contributed to increased heavy metals in pot soils and rice roots due to translocation effects, which were transferred to rice straw and grain. The results indicated that heavy metal toxicity may develop in soil because of contaminated effluent application.Heavy metals are not biodegradable, rather they accumulate in soils, and transfer of these metals from effluent to soil and plant cells was found to reduce the growth and development of rice plants and thereby contributed to lower yield. Moreover, a higher concentration of effluent caused heavy metal toxicity as well as reduction of growth and yield of rice, and in the long run a more aggravated situation may threaten human lives,which emphasizes the obligatory adoption of effluent treatment before its release to the environment, and regular monitoring by government agencies needs to be ensured.