Salinity stress is one of the most detrimental abiotic factors affecting plant development, harming vast swaths of agricultural land worldwide. Silicon is one element that is obviously crucial for the production and health of plants. With the advent of nanotechnology in agricultural sciences, the application of silicon oxide nanoparticles (SiO-NPs) presents a viable strategy to enhance sustainable crop production. The aim of this study was to assess the beneficial effects of SiO-NPs on the morpho-physio-biochemical parameters of rice (Oryza sativa L., variety: DRR Dhan 73) under both normal and saline conditions. To create salt stress during transplanting, 50 mM NaCl was injected through the soil. 200 mM SiO-NPs were sprayed on the leaves 25 days after sowing (DAS). It was evident that salt stress significantly hindered rice growth because of the reductions in shot length (41 %), root length (38 %), shot fresh mass (40 %), root fresh mass (47 %), shoot dry mass (48 %), and root dry mass (39 %), when compared to controls. Together with this growth inhibition, elevated oxidative stress markers including a 78 % increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) and a 67 % increase in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) indicating enhanced lipid peroxidation were noted. Increasing the chlorophyll content (14 %), photosynthetic rate (11 %), protein levels, total free amino acids (TFAA; 13 %), and total soluble sugars (TSS; 11 %), all help to boost nitrogen (N; 16 %), phosphorous (P; 14 %), potassium (K; 12 %), and vital nutrients. The adverse effects of salt stress were significantly reduced by exogenous application of SiO-NPs. Additionally; SiO-NPs dramatically raised the activity of important antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX), and catalase (CAT), improving the plant's ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thereby lowering oxidative damage brought on by salt. This study highlights SiO-NPs' potential to develop sustainable farming practices and provides significant new insights into how they enhance plant resilience to salinity, particularly in salt-affected regions worldwide.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination in soil threatens global food production and human health. This study investigated zinc (Zn) addition as a potential strategy to mitigate Cd stress using two barley genotypes, Dong-17 (Cd-sensitive) and WSBZ (Cd-tolerant). Hydroponically grown seedlings were treated with different Cd (0, 1.0, 10 mu M) and Zn (0, 5, 50 mu M) levels. Results showed that Zn addition effectively alleviated Cd induced growth inhibition, improving SPAD values, photosynthetic parameters, fluorescence efficiency (Fv/Fm), and biomass. Zn reduced Cd contents in roots and shoots, inhibited Cd translocation, and ameliorated Cd induced ultrastructural damage to organelles. Transcriptomic analysis revealed distinct gene expression patterns between genotypes, with WSBZ showing enhanced expression of metal transporters, antioxidant defense, and stress signaling genes. Significantly, cell wall related pathways were upregulated in WSBZ, particularly lignin biosynthesis genes (PAL, C4H, 4CL, COMT, CAD/SAD), suggesting cell wall reinforcement as a key Cd tolerance mechanism. Zn induced upregulation of ZIP family transporters and downregulation of Cd transporters (HvHMA) aligned with reduced Cd accumulation. These findings provide comprehensive insights into molecular mechanisms of Zn mediated alleviation of Cd toxicity in barley, supporting improved agronomic practices for Cd contaminated soils.

Electronic waste (e-waste) from nonbiodegradable products present a significant global problem due to its toxic nature and substantial environmental impact. In this study novel electrically conductive biodegradable films of uncured natural rubber (NR) incorporating graphite platelets and chitosan were developed via a latex aqueous microdispersion method. Chitosan was added as a dispersing and thickening agent to encourage the uniform distribution of graphite in the NR matrix at loadings of 20-60 parts per hundred rubbers (phr). FTIR confirmed interactions between NR, graphite, and chitosan. FE-SEM and Synchrotron XTM analyses demonstrated uniform graphite dispersion. The result of XRD revealed the greatest crystallinity at 86.9% with 60 phr graphite loading. Mechanical properties testing indicated a significant increase in Young's modulus to 58.2 MPa, or about 470-fold improvement over the pure NR film. The composite films demonstrated improved thermal and chemical resistance, and their electrical conductivity could rise dramatically to 1.22 x 10-5 S cm-1 at 60 phr graphite loading, or about six orders of magnitude higher than pure NR film. The composite films exhibit antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and some inhibition against Escherichia coli. In addition, the NR composite films exhibited biodegradability ranging from 16.7% to 25.1% after three months of soil burial, declining with increased graphite loading. These results demonstrate the potential of NR-graphite composites as conductive materials for flexible electronics, such as thin-film electrodes in energy storage devices and sensors.

Self-consolidating earth concrete (SCEC) addresses the long construction process of conventional earthen constructions and their structural limitations, while further efforts are needed to enhance its sustainability. This study explores the development of a kaolinite-based self-consolidating earth paste (SCEP) due to their blended powder system, incorporating raw and treated (calcined and ground-calcined) kaolinite under various activation techniques, such as water hydration, sodium hexametaphosphate (NaHMP), and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) activation. The synergistic effect of calcination and mechanosynthesis on rheological, mechanical, structural, and microstructural properties of SCEP were investigated. Mechanically treated kaolinite increased yield stress, plastic viscosity, storage modulus evolution, and build-up index, while delayed the strength development compared to the calcined kaolinite samples. Among the investigated activators, NaOH resulted in more promising structural build-up, storage modulus, and compressive strength development. These findings were elaborated with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Nanotechnology is an emerging tool which has the potential to stimulate photosynthetic process in stress related environment. Unfortunately, the role of nanotechnology on photosynthetic performance explaining photosystem II functionality and specific energy fluxes in crop plants are rather scarce. Photosystem II contributes 90% of the energy requirement in plants, therefore its participation in a sub-optimal environment cannot be ruled out. The current study not only elucidates the role of Zinc-NP on light harvesting efficiency of photosystem II and specific energy fluxes but also explains their subsequent involvement in physiological tolerance against salt stress in saline soil. Oryza sativa L. rice var. Diamond and Triticum aestivum L.wheat var. Benazir seeds were sown in plastic pots and were allowed to grow in natural condition. Fifteen-day-old plants were exposed to ZnO-NP at 0.02 g/L with or without salt stress (0, 75, and 150 mM) NaCl concentration. Application of nanoparticles in saline environment showed 22 to 36% increase in rice and 9 to 25% in wheat growth. Biomass accumulations and relative water content (RWC) were also increased from 10 and 111% in a suboptimal condition. Moreover, nanoparticles reduced the oxidative damages in both rice and wheat plants indicating -20.2 to -58.3% and -28.7 to -20.2% reduction in the MDA and H2O2 production under moderate to severe salt stress. Maximum quantum yield (Fv/Fm) was less affected in severe and moderate salt stress indicating -7 and -5.4% decrease in stress condition. Foliar application of ZnO-NP improves the size and number of active reaction centre of photosynthetic machinery (Fv/Fo) and performance index (PIabs) in saline soil. It was concluded that Zn-NP not only sustained light harvesting potential in both cereal plants under salinized soil but also increases the biomass accumulation and reduces oxidative damage in a sub-optimal environment.

Salt-affected soils severely decrease agricultural productivity by reducing the uptake of water and nutrients by plants, toxic ions accumulation and soil structure degradation. The sustainable synthesis of hybrid nanospheres through green approaches has emerged as an effective strategy to enhance crop productivity and improve tolerance to abiotic stress. However, the defensive functions and fundamental mechanisms of green synthesized calcium-doped carbon nano-spheres in protecting maize against salt stress remain elusive. Thus, calcium-doped carbon nanospheres were innovatively synthesized by doping calcium oxide nanoparticles (CaO NPs) with lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) which were further analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). These analyses validated the successful doping of Ca@CNs, elucidating the purity and morphology of the hybrid nanospheres. More importantly, the effect of Ca@CNs on maize plants under NaCl stress, unreported so far, was examined. Results of the current study showed that treating salt-stressed plants with Ca@CNs significantly improved maize growth and biomass accumulation by enhanced absorption of minerals and improved photosynthetic efficiency. Furthermore, Ca@CNs application has also reduced NaCl-induced oxidative damage by enhancing antioxidant defense mechanisms and maintaining cellular integrity, resulting in improved resistance to salt stress. Moreover, Ca@CNs substantially up-regulated the expression of salt-tolerant genes ZmNHX3, CBL, ZmHKT1, and MAPK1, as well as genes involved in lignin biosynthesis such as 4CL2, PAL1, CCR, and COMT, in both shoot and root tissues. Conversely, the expression levels of genes Zm00001d003114, Zm0001d026638, Zm00001d028582 and Zm00001d051069 associated with Ca2 +-responsive SOS3 pathway were all down-regulated under NaCl treatment, while up-regulated in the presence of Ca@CNs along with NaCl. The observed changes in transcript levels of these genes highlight the potential of Ca@CNs in alleviating NaCl toxicity. These results demonstrated that the green synthetic Ca@CNs can significantly alleviate salt stress and promote plant growth in saline environments, which will provide a new strategy for the utilization of nanoparticles in agriculture to maintain sustainable agriculture and improve crop yield.

The management of subterranean termite pests remains a major challenge in Southeast Asia, where these pests cause significant structural and economic damage. Termite baiting has emerged as an effective option to conventional soil termiticides, offering a safer pest management approach with reduced chemical input into the environment. In this paper, we review the history of termite research in Southeast Asia, highlighting the turning points of termite research, from agriculture and plantations to buildings and structures, and the transformative impact of termite baiting on the pest management industry in the region over the last 25 yr. We also discuss the outcome of a survey of pest management professionals on their baiting practices, bait performance, and reinfestation rates. All bait products eliminated termite colonies. There were significant differences in terms of the baiting period to colony elimination, with Xterm outperforming Sentricon, Exterra, and Exterminex. Above-ground (AG) baiting was preferred over in-ground (IG) baiting due to construction constraints and low IG station interception rates. While bait effectively controlled Coptotermes spp., challenges persist in managing fungus-growing termites such as Macrotermes gilvus Hagen. Reinfestation occurred in < 10% of baited premises.

Soil salinization is increasingly recognized as a critical environmental challenge that significantly threatens plant survival and agricultural productivity. To elucidate the mechanism of salt resistance in poplar, physiological and transcriptomic analyses were conducted on 84K poplar (Populus alba x Populus glandulosa) under varying salt concentrations (0, 100, 200 and 300 mM NaCl). As salt levels increased, observable damage to poplar progressively intensified. Differentially expressed genes under salt stress were primarily enriched in photosynthesis, redox activity and glutathione metabolism pathways. Salt stress reduced chlorophyll content and net photosynthetic rate, accompanied by the downregulation of photosynthesis-related genes. NaCl (300 mM) significantly inhibited the photochemical activity of photosystems. The higher photochemical activity under 100 and 200 mM NaCl was attributed to the activated PGR5-cyclic electron flow photoprotective mechanism. However, the NAD(P)H dehydrogenase-like (NDH)-cyclic electron flow was inhibited under all salt levels. Salt stress led to reactive oxygen species accumulation, activating the ASA-GSH cycle and antioxidant enzymes to mitigate oxidative damage. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis showed that five photosynthesis-related hub genes (e.g., FNR and TPI) were down-regulated and nine antioxidant-related hub genes (e.g., GRX, GPX and GST) were up-regulated under salt stress conditions. PagGRXC9 encodes glutaredoxin and was found to be differentially expressed during the salt stress condition. Functional studies showed that overexpressing PagGRXC9 enhanced salt tolerance in yeast, and in poplar, it improved growth, FV/FM, non-photochemical quenching values and resistance to H2O2-induced oxidative stress under salt stress. This study constructed the photosynthetic and antioxidant response network for salt stress in poplar, revealing that PagGRXC9 enhances salt tolerance by reducing photoinhibition and increasing antioxidant capacity. These findings provide valuable insights for breeding salt-tolerant forest trees.

Soil salinization threatens sustainable agriculture, necessitating innovative restoration strategies. Suaeda salsa (L.) Pall., a halophyte with exceptional salt tolerance and vivid pigmentation, serves as an ideal model for salinity adaptation. This study integrates physiological and transcriptomic analyses to reveal how high salinity (400 mmolL(-)1 NaCl) upregulates 4,5-DOPA dioxygenase after 30 days of salt stress, promoting betacyanin accumulation to mitigate oxidative damage. Compared to the control, betacyanin content in the 200 mmolL(-)1 and 400 mmolL(-)1 NaCl groups increased to 1.975-fold and 3.675-fold, respectively, while chlorophyll a content decreased by 45.78% and 69.88%, chlorophyll b by 11.45% and 28.24%, and total chlorophyll by 30.28% and 53.06%. This trade-off in pigment allocation highlights the plant's adaptive strategy under salinity stress. The photosynthetic characteristics of S. salsa confirm that its photoprotective mechanisms are significantly enhanced under 400 mmolL(-)1 NaCl. At the molecular level, betacyanin biosynthesis alleviates oxidative stress, while transcriptional regulation of photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII) genes-such as PsbY, PsaO, PsbM, and PsbW-partially restores photosynthetic activity. Stabilization of the electron transport chain by upregulated genes like PetA and PetH further enhances photosynthetic resilience. These findings highlight the synergy between betacyanin production and photosynthetic regulation in enhancing salinity resilience, providing insights for soil restoration and salt-tolerant crop breeding.

In recent decades, flash drought events have frequently occurred in the humid regions of southern China. Due to the sudden onset and rapid intensification of these droughts, they often cause severe damage to vegetation photosynthesis. However, our understanding of the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of flash droughts across different vegetation types, as well as the response regularity of photosynthesis to flash droughts, especially early responses, remains limited. This study analyzes the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of flash droughts for different vegetation types in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River Basin from 2000 to 2023. It uses solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) and fluorescence yield (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\:{{\upvarphi\:}}_{\text{F}\:}$$\end{document}) to explore the response regularity of vegetation photosynthesis to flash droughts, with a systematic analysis of the 2013 flash drought event. The results show that, over the past 24 years, the frequency of flash droughts for different vegetation types in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River Basin has decreased, but the total duration has increased, with forests experiencing the highest frequency of flash droughts, while cropland experiences the least. Cropland photosynthesis is the most sensitive to flash drought, showing an early response 8-16 days after the onset and reaching a negative anomaly between 24 and 32 days. Forests mainly show an early response between 16 and 24 days and a negative anomaly response between 32 and 40 days. During the 2013 flash drought, cropland showed an early response on the 10th day after the onset and a negative anomaly on the 26th day, while forest responses were later, with early responses on the 20th day and negative anomalies on the 36th day. These results align with long-term statistical data. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of vegetation photosynthesis response regularity to flash droughts and provides insights for developing effective flash drought management strategies.