Integration of breeding innovations and epigenetic modifications offers the potential to boost productivity and promote sustainable agricultural practices, particularly in tomato production, which accounts for 16 % of global vegetable production. They are susceptible to various stress factors, Both abiotic (light, temperature, water, humidity, nutrients) and biotic (pests, diseases), which can impact fruit quality and reduce yield quantity by 50-70 %leading to food insecurity and economic losses. Climatic factors impact the traditional farming of tomatoes in the open field; innovative technologies aim to tackle the adverse effects of both abiotic and biotic stress factors. It highlights advancements in crop productivity and stress tolerance, including increased phytochemicals biosynthesis, improved water use efficiency, and soil salinity tolerance. However, challenges like photooxidative damage and downregulation of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes persist. This review provides highlights of promising technologies to mitigate the impact of stress factors on open field tomato production, highlighting both qualitative and quantitative losses. Besides sustainable systematic solutions, such as agroforestry systems, the advantages of using beneficial microbial endophytes, nanomaterials, and exogenous phytohormones in agriculture are discussed.

Large amounts of chemical fertilizers are still used to suppress pathogens and boost agricultural productivity and food generation. However, their use can cause harmful environmental imbalance. Furthermore, plants typically absorb limited amounts of the nutrients provided by chemical fertilizers. Recent studies are recommending the use of microbiota present in the soil in different formulations, considering that several microorganisms are found in nature in association with plants in a symbiotic, antagonistic, or synergistic way. This ecological alternative is positive because no undesirable significant alterations occur in the environment while stimulating plant nutrition development and protection against damage caused by control pathogens. Therefore, this review presents a comprehensive discussion regarding endophytic and rhizospheric microorganisms and their interaction with plants, including signaling and bio-control processes concerning the plant's defense against pathogenic spread. A discussion is provided about the importance of these bioinputs as a microbial resource that promotes plant development and their sustainable protection methods aiming to increase resilience in the agricultural system. In modern agriculture, the manipulation of bioinputs through Rhizobium contributes to reducing the effects of greenhouse gases by managing nitrogen runoff and decreasing nitrous oxide. Additionally, mycorrhizal fungi extend their root systems, providing plants with greater access to water and nutrients.

Heavy metal (HM) pollution in agricultural soils threatens plant growth and food security, underscoring the urgency for sustainable and eco-friendly solutions. This study investigates the potential of endophytic fungi, Fusarium proliferatum SL3 and Aspergillus terreus MGRF2, in mitigating nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd) stress in Solanum lycopersicum (tomato). These fungi were evaluated for their plant growth-promoting traits, including the production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and siderophores, offering a sustainable strategy for alleviating HM toxicity. Inoculation with SL3 and MGRF2 significantly reduced metal accumulation in plant tissues by enhancing metal immobilization and modifying root architecture. Microscopic analysis revealed that fungi protected root epidermal cells from Ni- and Cd-induced damage, preserving cellular integrity and preventing plasmolysis. Fungal-treated plants exhibited improved growth and biomass, with SL3 demonstrating superior Cd stress mitigation and MGRF2 excelling under Ni stress. Photosynthetic pigment levels, including chlorophyll-a and carotenoids, were restored, highlighting the role of fungi in maintaining photosynthetic efficiency. Antioxidant activity was also modulated, as reduced glutathione (GSH) levels and increased flavonoid production were observed, contributing to enhanced oxidative stress management. Hormonal profiling revealed that fungal inoculation balanced stress-induced hormonal disruptions, with lower abscisic acid (ABA) levels and improved salicylic acid (SA) and gibberellic acid (GA) pathways. These changes facilitated better stress adaptation, enhanced nutrient uptake, and improved physiological performance. qRT-PCR analysis further revealed differential gene expression patterns, while antioxidant enzyme activity strengthened the plants' defense against HMinduced oxidative damage. Multivariate analyses highlighted shoot and root traits as critical indicators of resilience, with fungal inoculation driving substantial improvements. These findings demonstrate the potential of SL3 and MGRF2 as eco-friendly bioinoculants, offering a sustainable and cost-effective approach to reducing HMs toxicity in contaminated soils while enhancing crop productivity. This work highlights the promising role of plant-microbe interactions in advancing sustainable agriculture and addressing the challenges posed by heavy metal pollution.

Drought is a serious environmental challenge that reduces the productivity of valuable crops, including wheat. Brassinosteroids (BRs) is a group of phytohormones that have been used to enhance wheat drought tolerance. Wheat cultivars with different adaptation strategies could have their own specific drought tolerance mechanisms, and could react differently to treatment with growth regulators. In this work, the effect of seed pretreatment with 0.4 mu M 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) was investigated in two wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars contrasting in drought behavior, tolerant Ekada 70 (cv. E70) and sensitive Zauralskaya Zhemchuzhina (cv. ZZh), in early ontogenesis under dehydration (PEG-6000) or soil drought conditions. EBR pretreatment mitigated the stress-induced inhibition of seedling emergence and growth, as well as membrane damage in cv.E70 but not in ZZh. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed substantial changes in hormonal balance associated with ABA accumulation and a drop in the levels of IAA and cytokinins (CKs) in drought-subjected seedlings of both cultivars, especially ZZh. EBR-pretreatment reduced drought-induced hormone imbalance in cv. E70, while it did not have the same effect on ZZh. EBR-induced changes in the content of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) belonging to the protective proteins in E70 seedlings suggest its contribution to EBR-dependent adaptive responses. The absence of a detectable protective effect of EBR on the ZZh cultivar may be associated with its insensitivity to pre-sowing EBR treatment.

The present study uncovers the impacts of pesticide-thiamethoxam (TMX- 750 mg L- 1 ) and salicylic acid (SA- 0.01, 0.1 and 1 mM) in Brassica juncea L. TMX poisoning exacerbates the nuclear and membrane damage, whereas an increment in the oxidative stress markers like hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anions (O2- ) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents has been observed. The significance of phytohormone SA in mitigating TMX toxicity by enhancing the growth, and antioxidant capacities of B. juncea seedlings is not well documented. Salicylic acid priming to these TMX-exposed seedlings maximizes the germination potential by 34%, and root, shoot length by 86.9% and 41.5%, whereas, minimizing the levels of oxidative stress indicators such as H2O2 by 34.8%, O 2- by 26.9% and amounts of MDA by 45.6% and EL (electrolyte leakage) contents by 22.7% under 1 mM of SA. Also, an increment in the activity of enzymatic antioxidants like superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APOX), glutathione peroxidase (GPOX), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), glutathione reductase (GR), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) by 122.1%, 186%, 39%, 82.61%, 40.02%, 75.6% and 59.5% was observed when TMX exposed seeds were supplemented with the highest SA (1 mM) concentration. Whereas, an upregulation in the gene expressions of enzymatic antioxidants was assessed as well as a swift decrease in the RBOH1 (respiratory burst oxidase1) gene expression was observed under the subsequent SA supplementation. Thus, the results effectively address the ameliorative potentials of exogenously applied SA in order to maximize the growth and development, by mediating osmotic adjustments, and antioxidant potentials in B. juncea L.

Soil salinization is a severe environmental issue limiting the growth and yield of crops worldwide. Subsurface drip irrigation with micro-nano bubble hydrogen water (SDH) is an innovative way to realize the role of hydrogen gas (H2) in improving plant resistance to salt stress in practical agricultural productions. Nonetheless, limited information is available on how SDH affects the plant salt tolerance performance. Especially, the underlying physiological respond, hormone-regulated and soil microbial-mediated mechanisms have not been reported so far. In this study, the effects of SDH on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) growth, photosynthesis, root development, antioxidant system, phytohormone, and soil microbial community were investigated under normal and salt stress conditions. The results showed that, with salt stress, SDH significantly enhanced the lettuce fresh weight, photosynthesis activity, and root growth. The leaf antioxidant enzyme activities increased and reactive oxygen species (ROS) content decreased to reduce the oxidative damage. The decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content indicated a low membrane lipid peroxidation responsible for cellular damage. SDH also helped to maintain osmotic homeostasis, which was reflected by the increased soluble protein (SP) content. Reduced Na+/ K+ ratio and ROS did not trigger excessive production of stress response hormones abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid (JA), which alleviated the mediated growth inhibition effects. SDH enriched the abundance of the plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in the soil, such as Arthrobacter and Pseudomonas. That might be the reason for explaining the increase in hormone indoleacetic acid (IAA) in lettuce and 1-aminocyclopropane-1carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity in the soil, which was beneficial for inhibiting ethylene production and promoting plant growth. Under the normal condition, variations of physiological and growth indicators as affected by SDH were similar to those under the salt stress condition, except for root development. High concentration of dissolved hydrogen gas in water might expel the oxygen. The induced soil anoxic environment limited oxygen diffusion, in turn inhibited root respiration and growth. The effect of hydrogen concentration on the plant tolerance against salt stress under different salt content could be further studied.

To feed the nearly 10 billion people by the year 2050, agricultural activities and yield must be enhanced substantially, maintaining soil health and overpowering the expected adverse effects of climate change. High soil salinity is one of the major concerns in future farming, as salinity is a prominent abiotic stress that significantly impacts plants inhabiting arid and semiarid environments worldwide. The increasing levels of soil salinity are proving detrimental to agriculture, the general productivity of the ecosystem, and the economy at large. Excessive salt accumulation in plants leads to an osmotic imbalance, resulting in a decrease in photosynthesis, formation of reactive oxygen species, DNA damage, hormonal instability, and decreased water and mineral uptake. To mitigate the adverse impacts of salt stress, along with diverse physiological mechanisms, plants have developed symbiotic associations with endophytic microorganisms that reside within the plant tissues and help the plants in many ways. Endophytes have been found to alleviate the effects of salinity stress by diverse mechanisms-synthesis of osmolytes, and antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase; synthesis and modulation of phytohormones such as ethylene, indole-3-acetic acid, gibberellin, abscisic acid, etc.; promotion of siderophore production and exopolysaccharide formation; carrying out nitrogen fixation, and increasing phosphate solubilization. In this review, the effects of salinity stress on plants, and the mechanisms by which endophytic microorganisms help the plants to withstand such stress are discussed at length. The application of tailored endophytic microbial consortia holds the key to future food security through sustainable agriculture.

Climate change not only leads to high temperatures, droughts, floods, storms and declining soil quality, but it also affects the spread and mutation of pests and diseases, which directly influences plant growth and constitutes a new challenge to food security. Numerous hormones like auxin, ethylene and melatonin, regulate plant growth and development as well as their resistance to environmental stresses. To mitigate the impact of diverse biotic and abiotic stressors on crops, single or multiple phytohormones in combination have been applied. Melatonin is a multifunctional signaling molecule engaged in the development and stress response of plants. In the current review, we discuss the synthesis and action of melatonin, as well as its utilization for plant resistance to different stresses from the perspective of practical application. Simultaneously, we elucidate the regulatory effects and complex mechanisms of melatonin and other plant hormones on the growth of plants, explore the practical applications of melatonin in combination with other phytohormones in crops. This will aid in the planning of management strategies to protect plants from damage caused by environmental stress.

BackgroundYellow lupine (Lupinus luteus L.) is a high-protein crop of considerable economic and ecological significance. It has the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen in symbiosis with Rhizobium, enriching marginal soils with this essential nutrient and reducing the need for artificial fertilizers. Additionally, lupine produces seeds with a high protein content, making it valuable for animal feed production. However, drought negatively affects lupine development, its mutualistic relationship with bacteria, and overall yield. To understand how lupine responds to this stress, global transcriptome sequencing was conducted, along with in-depth biochemical, chromatography, and microscopy analyses of roots subjected to drought. The results presented here contribute to strategies aimed at mitigating the effects of water deficit on lupine growth and development.ResultsBased on RNA-seq, drought-specific genes were identified and annotated to biological pathways involved in phytohormone biosynthesis/signaling, lipid metabolism, and redox homeostasis. Our findings indicate that drought-induced disruption of redox balance characterized by the upregulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging enzymes, coincided with the accumulation of lipid-metabolizing enzymes, such as phospholipase D (PLD) and lipoxygenase (LOX). This disruption also led to modifications in lipid homeostasis, including increased levels of triacylglycerols (TAG) and free fatty acids (FFA), along with a decrease in polar lipid content. Additionally, the stress response involved alterations in the transcriptional regulation of the linolenic acid metabolism network, resulting in changes in the composition of fatty acids containing 18 carbons.ConclusionThe first comprehensive global transcriptomic profiles of lupine roots, combined with the identification of key stress-responsive molecules, represent a significant advancement in understanding lupine's responses to abiotic stress. The increased expression of the Delta 12DESATURASE gene and enhanced PLD activity lead to higher level of linoleic acid (18:2), which is subsequently oxidized by LOX, resulting in membrane damage and malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. Oxidative stress elevates the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and catalase (CAT), while the conversion of FFAs into TAGs provides protection against ROS. This research offers valuable molecular and biochemical candidates with significant potential to enhance drought tolerance . It enables innovative strategies in lupine breeding and crop improvement to address critical agricultural challenges.

Although much interest has been focused on the role of selenium (Se) in plant nutrition over the last 20 years, the influences of organic selenium (selenomethionine; Se-Met) and inorganic selenium (potassium selenite; Se-K) on the growth and physiological characters of cadmium (Cd)-stressed Glycine max L.) seedlings have not yet been studied. In this study, the impacts of Se-Met or Se-K on the growth, water physiological parameters (gaseous exchange and leaf water content), photosynthetic and antioxidant capacities, and hormonal balance of G. max seedlings grown under 1.0 mM Cd stress were studied. The results showed that 30 mu M Se-K up-regulates water physiological parameters, photosynthetic indices, antioxidant systems, enzymatic gene expression, total antioxidant activity (TAA), and hormonal balance. In addition, it down-regulates levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS; superoxide free radicals and hydrogen peroxide), oxidative damage (malondialdehyde content as an indicator of lipid peroxidation and electrolyte leakage), Cd translocation factor, and Cd content of Cd-stressed G. max seedlings. These positive findings were in favor of seedling growth and development under Cd stress. However, 50 mu M Se-Met was more efficient than 30 mu M Se-K in promoting the above-mentioned parameters of Cd-stressed G. max seedlings. From the current results, we conclude Se-Met could represent a promising strategy to contribute to the development and sustainability of crop production on soils contaminated with Cd at a concentration of up to 1.0 mM. However, further work is warranted to better understand the precise mechanisms of Se-Met action under Cd stress conditions.