Improving Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) through Nitrogen Application under Semiarid Conditions

Nitrogen(N),the building block of plant proteins and enzymes,is an essential macronutrient for plant functions.A field experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of different N application rates(28,57,85,114,142,171,and 200 kg ha^(−1))on the performance of spring wheat(cv.Ujala-2016)during the 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 growing seasons.A control without N application was kept for comparison.Two years mean data showed optimum seed yield(5,461.3 kg ha^(−1))for N-application at 142 kg ha^(−1) whereas application of lower and higher rates of N did not result in significant and economically higher seed yield.A higher seed yield was obtained in the 2017–2018(5,595 kg ha^(−1))than in the 2018–2019(5,328 kg ha^(−1))growing seasons under an N application of 142 kg ha^(−1).It was attributed to the greater number of growing degree days in the first(1,942.35°C days)than in the second year(1,813.75°C).Higher rates of N(171 and 200 kg ha^(−1))than 142 kg ha^(−1) produced more number of tillers(i.e.,948,300 and 666,650 ha^(−1),respectively).However,this increase did not contribute in achieving higher yields.Application of 142,171,and 200 kg ha^(−1) resulted in 14.15%,15.0%and 15.35%grain protein concentrations in comparison to 13.15%with the application of 114 kg ha^(−1).It is concluded that the application of N at 142 kg ha^(−1) could be beneficial for attaining higher grain yields and protein concentrations of wheat cultivar Ujala-2016.

Response of Contrasting Rice Genotypes to Zinc Sources under Saline Condition

Abiotic stresses are among the major limiting factors for plant growth and crop productivity.Among these,salinity is one of the major risk factors for plant growth and development in arid to semi-arid regions.Cultivation of salt tolerant crop genotypes is one of the imperative approaches to meet the food demand for increasing population.The current experiment was carried out to access the performance of different rice genotypes under salinity stress and Zinc(Zn)sources.Four rice genotypes were grown in a pot experiment and were exposed to salinity stress(7 dS m^(−1)),and Zn(15 mg kg^(-1)soil)was applied from two sources,ZnSO4 and Zn-EDTA.A control of both salinity and Zn was kept for comparison.Results showed that based on the biomass accumulation and K^(+)/Na^(+)ratio,KSK-133 and BAS-198 emerged as salt tolerant and salt sensitive,respectively.Similarly,based on the Zn concentration,BAS-2000 was reported as Zn-in-efficient while IR-6 was a Zn-efficient genotype.Our results also revealed that plant growth,relative water content(RWC),physiological attributes including chlorophyll contents,ionic concentrations in straw and grains of all rice genotypes were decreased under salinity stress.However,salt tolerant and Zn-in-efficient rice genotypes showed significantly higher shoot K^(+)and Zn concentrations under saline conditions.Zinc application significantly alleviates the harmful effects of salinity by improving morpho-physiological attributes and enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities,and the uptake of K and Zn.The beneficial effect of Zn was more pronounced in salt-tolerant and Zn in-efficient rice genotypes as compared with salt-sensitive and Zn-efficient genotypes.In sum,our results confirmed that Zn application increased overall plant’s performance under saline conditions,particularly in Zn in-efficient and tolerant genotypes as compared with salt-sensitive and Zn efficient rice genotypes.

A Hybrid Approach for Network Intrusion Detection

Due to the widespread use of the internet and smart devices,various attacks like intrusion,zero-day,Malware,and security breaches are a constant threat to any organization’s network infrastructure.Thus,a Network Intrusion Detection System(NIDS)is required to detect attacks in network traffic.This paper proposes a new hybrid method for intrusion detection and attack categorization.The proposed approach comprises three steps to address high false and low false-negative rates for intrusion detection and attack categorization.In the first step,the dataset is preprocessed through the data transformation technique and min-max method.Secondly,the random forest recursive feature elimination method is applied to identify optimal features that positively impact the model’s performance.Next,we use various Support Vector Machine(SVM)types to detect intrusion and the Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy System(ANFIS)to categorize probe,U2R,R2U,and DDOS attacks.The validation of the proposed method is calculated through Fine Gaussian SVM(FGSVM),which is 99.3%for the binary class.Mean Square Error(MSE)is reported as 0.084964 for training data,0.0855203 for testing,and 0.084964 to validate multiclass categorization.

Recent Developments to Mitigate Selenium Deficiency in Agricultural Eco-Systems

Under changing climate,trace elements like selenium(Se)have emerged as vital constituent of agro-ecosystems enabling crop plants to off-set the adverse effects of suboptimal growth conditions.The available form of selenium is important for boosting its bioavailability to crop plants having varied agro-botanical traits and root architectural systems.As compared to selenite,the selenate has a weaker soil bonding,higher absorption in the soil solution which results in a comparatively absorption by plant roots.Various factors including dry climate,high pH,optimal ambient air temperature,less accumulation of water,and low concentration of organic matter in the soil tend to boost the selenate ratio in the soil.The use of selenium pelleted seeds has emerged as an interesting and viable alternative to alleviate selenium deficiency in agricultural eco-systems.Similarly,the co-inoculation of a mixture of Selenobacteria and Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi represents an evolving promising strategy for the bio-fortification of wheat plants to produce selenium-rich flour to supplement human dietary needs.Furthermore,in-depth research is required to assure the effectiveness of biological fertilization procedures in field conditions as well as to explore and increase our understanding pertaining to the underlying main mechanisms and channels of selenium absorption in plants.The focus of this review is to synthesize the recent developments on Se dynamics in soil-plant systems and emerging promising strategies to optimize its levels for crop plants.Recent developments regarding the use of micro-organisms as a biotechnological mean to enhance plant nutrition and crop quality have been objectively elaborated.The study becomes even more pertinent for arid and semi-arid agro-ecosystems owing to the potential role of selenium in providing stress tolerance to crop plants.Moreover,this review synthesizes and summarizes the recent developments on climate change and bioavailability,and the protective role of selenium in crop plants.