Arsenic contamination poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity and food security, especially in Cicer arietinum L. (chickpea). This study evaluates the potential of silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) to mitigate arsenic stress in C. arietinum (Noor 2022). The experiment was conducted at The Islamia University of Bahawalpur using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with a factorial arrangement and three replications. A pot experiment was conducted using seven treatments comprising various concentrations of SiNPs applied alone or combined with arsenic [T0 (control, no SiNPs), T1 (3.5% SiNPs), T2 (7% SiNPs), T3 (10.5% SiNPs), T4 (3.5% SiNPs + 30 ppm Ar), T5 (7% SiNPs + 30 ppm Ar), and T6 (10.5% SiNPs + 30 ppm Ar)]. SiNPs were applied as foliar sprays in three splits from the second to fourth weeks after sowing. Morphological, physiological, and biochemical parameters were assessed, including chlorophyll content, total soluble proteins, proline, and antioxidant enzyme activities. The results demonstrated that SiNPs significantly enhanced stress tolerance in chickpea plants. At 10.5% SiNPs, chlorophyll content increased by 35%, carotenoids by 42%, and proline by 68% compared to arsenic-stressed plants without SiNPs, indicating improved photosynthetic efficiency and osmotic adjustment. Antioxidant enzyme activities, including peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), increased by 50%, 47%, and 53%, respectively, mitigating oxidative damage. Soluble sugars and phenolic content also rose by 28% and 32%, respectively, under 10.5% SiNPs. However, when combined with arsenic, some antagonistic effects were observed, with a slight decrease in chlorophyll and antioxidant activity compared to SiNPs alone. These findings suggest that SiNPs are a promising tool for improving crop resilience in arsenic-contaminated soils, offering insights into sustainable agricultural practices. Further research is warranted to explore long-term impacts and optimize application strategies.

Globally, salt stress is one of the most significant abiotic stresses limiting crop production in dry-land regions. Nowadays, growing crops in dry-land regions under saline irrigation is the main focus. Soil amendment with organic materials has shown the potential to mitigate the adverse effects of salinity on plants. This study aimed to examine the ameliorative impact of soil amendment (manure + sandy, compost + sandy, clay + sandy and sandy soil) on the growth, yield, physiological, and biochemical attributes of Hedysarum scoparium Fisch. et Mey (HS) and Avena sativa L. (OT) under fresh and saline water irrigation in dry-land regions. The results showed that salt stress negatively affected both plant species' growth, physiological traits, yield, and chloride ions. In response to saline irrigation, plants of both species increased catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities as part of a self-defense mechanism to minimize damage. Salt stress also significantly raised levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA), and chloride ions (Cl). However, soil amendment treatments like manure + sandy and compost + sandy soil countered the negative effects of saline irrigation, significantly improving plant growth and yield compared with sandy soil. Thus, organic soil amendment is a promising strategy for sustainable crop production under saline irrigation in dry-land regions. This study provides valuable insights into enhancing agricultural production by fostering resilient halophytes and salt-tolerant plant species in challenging environments.

Revalorized olive waste impacts root microbiome.Root microbiome modulates plant-induced defense.Insect's exudate simulates the pest attack.The objective of this study was to investigate the combined effect of soil amendments and pest attack on plant-induced defense and their impact on a biological control agent's behavior. The effects of olive mill wastes revalorized through vermicomposting on the aboveground tri-trophic interactions among olive trees (Olea europaea), the olive seed-feeder, Prays oleae, and its natural predator, Chrysoperla carnea, were evaluated. The findings demonstrate that soil nitrogen and organic carbon levels, in conjunction with fungal diversity and functionality within olive roots, exert a significant influence on the volatile compounds emitted by the plant under attack that are most appealing to C. carnea. Moreover, the attractiveness of aerial volatiles was found to correlate with soil organic carbon content and the taxonomic and functional diversity of both bacteria and fungi in the olive root system. It is worthy of note that three particular volatile compounds, namely 5-hepten-2-one-6-methyl, acetic acid and nonanal, were consistently observed to attract C. carnea. These findings highlight the potential of soil amendments to enhance biological control strategies. Future research should prioritise the validation the greenhouse findings through large-scale field trials and the assessment of the practical applications of soil amendments in pest management programmes.

D UE TO climate change, salinity is one of the most important problems facing global food security in most agricultural lands. So, many studies were conducted to improve the crop yield and production under salinity conditions using various methods and compounds. Application of soil amendments and foliar application such as biochar, compost, vermicompost, green manure, farmyard manures, silicon, salicylic acid (SA), nano particles and plant growth promoting bacteria were used to mitigate the deleterious impacts of salinity and improve the growth characters and yield of several plants. To mitigate salinity stress, soil amendments were added to soil and led to improve morphophysiological and biochemical characters like stem length, leaves number, fresh weight, chlorophyll content, relative water content, osmotic adjustment and enzymes activity in the stressed plant. Furthermore, foliar application with some treatments especially, SA and plant growth promoting bacteria led to increase plant tolerance to salt stress via improving water status, ion homeostasis and plant anatomical structure as well as yield production. However, foliar application with these treatments caused significant decreases in lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species and electrolyte leakage as well as oxidative damages in the salt stressed plants. Because our aim is to increase the growth, and development as well as crop yield under salt conditions, the current review addresses the application of soil amendments and foliar application on morphological, physiological and biochemical as well as yield characteristics in the stressed crops as effective strategy for sustainable agriculture.

The efficacy of RemBind (R) 300 to immobilize per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aqueous film forming foam (AFFF)-impacted soil (& sum;(28) PFAS 1280-8130 ng g(-1); n = 8) was assessed using leachability (ASLP) and bioaccumulation (Eisenia fetida) endpoints as the measure of efficacy. In unamended soil, & sum;(28) PFAS leachability ranged from 26.0 to 235 mu g l(-1), however, following the addition of 5% w/w RemBind (R) 300, & sum;(28) PFAS leachability was reduced by > 99%. Following exposure of E. fetida to unamended soil, & sum;(28) PFAS bioaccumulation ranged from 18,660-241,910 ng g(-1) DW with PFOS accumulating to the greatest extent (15,150-212,120 ng g(-1) DW). Biota soil accumulation factors (BSAF) were significantly (p < 0.05) higher for perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSA; 13.2-50.9) compared to perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCA; 1.2-12.7) while for individual PFSA, mean BSAF increased for C-4 to C-6 compounds (PFBS: 42.6; PFPeS: 52.7; PFHxS: 62.4). In contrast, when E. fetida were exposed to soil amended with 5% w/w RemBind (R) 300, significantly lower PFAS bioaccumulation occurred (& sum;(28) PFAS: 339-3397 ng g(-1) DW) with PFOS accumulation 23-246 fold lower compared to unamended soil. These results highlight the potential of soil amendments for reducing PFAS mobility and bioavailability, offering an immobilization-based risk management approach for AFFF-impacted soil.

It is known that natural products can be used to strengthen and minimise stress of the gardening and sportive lawns, thus reducing the required inputs. In this paper, a trial is designed that allows for the study of the effect of a combination of two biostimulants and water -retaining agent products on different types of lawns. During 6 months, including the summer, soil and plant parameters are evaluated to compare the effects of treatments on soil temperature, humidity, and electrical conductivity, along with the NDVI of the grasslands. Treatment with the water -retaining agent and the second tested biostimulants has increased soil moisture by 10 %, with a greater effect on ornamental grasslands with lower maintenance requirements than sports lawns. The treatments with the two biostimulants without the water retaining agent do not lead to a significant variation in the aspect of the lawn. Marginal increases in the NDVI have been observed in all the treatments, which include the biostimulants. According to these results, it is possible to achieve better water efficiency in managing urban lawns by using natural products, which leads to a more sustainable use of hydric resources.

The Hetao irrigation region is located in Inner Mongolia, China, within a dry and semi-dry region. This region suffers from poor agricultural productivity and environmental damage due to the presence of saline soil. To explore the growth of salty lands using a more environmentally friendly method, this research employed three eco-conscious amendments to improve the soil. These include flue gas desulfurization gypsum (S), humic acid (H), and biochar (C). During a two-year study, the amendments were utilized to enhance the soil quality for planting sunflowers. Humic acid was used prior to every seedling season, whereas the remaining two substances were only used once. These additions increased the soil's water-holding capacity, reduced soil salinity during sunflower growth, and improved the macroaggregate proportion. The most effective treatment for decreasing the soil's salt content after the seedling stage was the application of humic acid (0.6 t ha(-1)). Biochar (15 t ha(-1)) decreased the soil's bulk density (from 1.49 to 1.34 g cm(-3)) and mostly increased the sunflower seed yield up to 3133-3964 kg ha(-1). Humic acid addition significantly increased the aggregate (>0.25 mm) content up to 27.88% after the experiment, but it led to a lower seed yield (2607-3686 kg ha(-1)). In 2019, the temperature was lower compared to 2018, which may have led to a reduction in the yield. However, these three amendments could potentially increase yields by more than conventional methods. These three environmentally friendly amendments are useful for improving saline soil and increasing yields. More studies are required to understand their impacts on larger areas and over extended periods.

Allium species are known for their culinary, medicinal, and ornamental purposes. Fusarium basal rot is one of the most damaging soilborne fungal diseases of Allium species and poses a significant threat to yield, quality, and storage life worldwide. Various species of Fusarium have been identified as causal agents for Fusarium basal rot, depending on the Allium species involved. Diverse disease management practices have been implemented to mitigate the impact of Fusarium basal rot. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the recent progress in detecting different species of Fusarium involved in Fusarium basal rot and strategies to control them in affected Allium species involving chemical, biological, and cultural methods. It covers the latest advancements in host plant resistance research from traditional breeding to modern molecular techniques and studying secondary metabolites involved in defense mechanisms against Fusarium basal rot.

Salinity stress is one of the most important environmental factors that substantially affects the yield of plants and changes their secondary metabolites worldwide. Biochar is a vital eco-friendly amendment widely used to improve soil health and promote plant productivity under stress conditions. In the present study, the effect of biochar, a carbon-rich organic substance (0, 1, 2, and 3% of the total mass of the pot), on agro-morphological and physiological traits, essential oil and carvacrol percentage, and antioxidant activity of Satureja khuzistanica under salt stress conditions (0, 2, 4, and 8 ds m(-1 )NaCl). The plant agro-morphological traits and yield, including plant height, number of main and secondary branches, length and width of leaf, fresh and dry weight of aerial parts, and dry weight of leaves and flowers were decreased with increasing salinity level, but these traits were improved with the application of biochar. The highest yield was observed in the 3% biochar treatment in normal conditions. The highest percentage of essential oil (3.55%) and carvacrol (97.66%) were obtained from the plants under salinity stress (8 ds m-1) treated without and with 3% biochar. With increasing levels of salinity stress, the amount of SPAD decreased, and electrolyte leakage (EL) and the activities of peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) enzymes increased. However, biochar treatments effectively reduced the damage caused by salinity stress, so that the addition of 3% biochar treatment will decrease the destructive effects of salinity stress in the S. khuzistanica, so that decreased EL content and the activity of POD, SOD, and CAT enzymes. According to the positive effects of biochar on functional traits, essential oil content, carvacrol percentage, and SPAD index, its application can be suggested as a sustainable strategy to increase the yield of S. khuzistanica under salinity stress.

Biochar (BC) and humic acid (HA) are well-documented in metal/metalloid detoxification, but their regulatory role in conferring plant oxidative stress under arsenic (As) stress is poorly understood. Therefore, we aimed at investigating the role of BC and HA (0.2 and 0.4 g kg(-1) soil) in the detoxification of As (0.25 mM sodium arsenate) toxicity in rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. BRRI dhan75). Arsenic exhibited an increased lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide, electrolyte leakage, and proline content which were 32, 30, 9, and 89% higher compared to control. In addition, the antioxidant defense system of rice consisting of non-enzyme antioxidants (18 and 43% decrease in ascorbate and glutathione content) and enzyme activities (23-50% reduction over control) was decreased as a result of As toxicity. The damaging effect of As was prominent in plant height, biomass acquisition, tiller number, and relative water content. Furthermore, chlorophyll and leaf area also exhibited a decreasing trend due to toxicity. Arsenic exposure also disrupted the glyoxalase system (23 and 33% decrease in glyoxalase I and glyoxalase II activities). However, the application of BC and HA recovered the reactive oxygen species-induced damages in plants, upregulated the effectiveness of the ascorbate-glutathione pool, and accelerated the activities of antioxidant defense and glyoxalase enzymes. These positive roles of BC and HA ultimately resulted in improved plant characteristics with better plant-water status and regulated proline content that conferred As stress tolerance in rice. So, it can be concluded that BC and HA effectively mitigated As-induced physiology and oxidative damage in rice plants. Therefore, BC and HA could be used as potential soil amendments in As-contaminated rice fields.