Browsing by Author "Keswani Chetan"

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Bioengineering Bacillus spp. for Sustainable Crop Production: Recent Advances and Resources for Biotechnological Applications
(Springer, 2025) Aurelio Ortiz; Estibaliz Sansinenea; Keswani Chetan; Tatiana Mikhailovna Minkina; Satyendra Pratap Singh; Bhagwan Narayan Rekadwad; Rainer Borriss; Kathleen Laura Hefferon; Trinh Xuan Hoat; Debasis Mitra; Pradeep Kumar Das Mohapatra; Periyasamy Panneerselvam
The goal of sustainable agriculture is to meet the rising need for food, while minimizing adverse impacts on the environment, protecting natural resources, and ensuring agricultural output over the long term. The pressing need to increase agricultural yield through sustainable agriculture is being emphasized. Several Bacillus species have been used as commercial biopesticides since they can act against plant pathogens by potentially suppressing them. At the same time, they can act as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and are known for their diverse characteristics and beneficial properties, making them potential candidates for use sustainable crop production programs. Knowledge of genetic information opens the door of possibility for understanding the way these microorganisms behave. By applying biotechnological tools to Bacillus, strategies can be adopted for the purpose of increasing the yield of crops and managing pests and pathogens that infect them. In this review, we identify the genes in the most significant Bacillus spp. that contribute to plant improvement. The most important biotechnological tools and advance computational approaches are described to provide an extended vision on this topic. However, increasing the crop production through application of beneficial microbial strains requires a multifaceted approach that considers ecological, economic, and social aspects. By implementing these strategies and practices, we can work towards a sustainable and resilient agricultural system that meets the growing food demand, while preserving the environment for future generations. © The Author(s) 2024.
Mechanisms of microbe-assisted metal tolerance in phytoremediators: A review
(Soil Science Society of China, 2025) Swati Sachdev; Keswani Chetan; Tatiana Mikhailovna Minkina; Kuldeep Bauddh
Escalating anthropogenic activities have caused heavy metal contamination in the environmental matrices. Due to their recalcitrant and toxic nature, their occurrence in high titers in the environment can threaten survival of biotic components. To take the edge off, remediation of metal-contaminated sites by phytoremediators that exhibit a potential to withstand heavy metal stress and quench harmful metals is considered an eco-sustainable approach. Despite the enormous potential, phytoremediation technique suffers a setback owing to high metal concentrations, occurrence of multiple pollutants, low plant biomass, and soil physicochemical status that affect plants at cellular and molecular levels, inducing morphological, physiological, and genetic alterations. Nevertheless, augmentation of soil with microorganisms can alleviate the challenge. A positive nexus between microbes, particularly plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs), and phytoremediators can prevent phytotoxicity and augment phytoremediation by employing strategies such as production of secondary metabolites, solubilization of phosphate, and synthesis of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase and phytohormones. Microbes can mediate tolerance in plants by fortifying their antioxidant machinery, which maintains redox homeostasis and alleviates metal-induced oxidative damage in the plants. Associated microbes can also activate stress-responsive genes in plants and abridge metal-induced toxic effects. An in-depth exploration of the mechanisms employed by plant-associated microbes to trigger tolerance in phytoremediators is crucial for improving their phytoremediation potential and real-world applications. The present article attempts to comprehensively review these mechanisms that eventually facilitate the development of improved/new technology for soil ecosystem restoration. © 2025 Soil Science Society of China
Unraveling the Seed Bio-priming Contours for Managing Plant Health
(Springer, 2025) Sumit Kumar; Rameshkumar Arutselvan; Kothur Greeshma; Shrey Bodhankar; A. U. Akash; Vurukonda Sai Shiva Krishna Prasad; Yasser Nehela; Udai B. Singh; Ingudam Bhupenchandra; Arnab Sen; Laxman Singh Rajput; Marina V. Burachevskaya; Tatiana Mikhailovna Minkina; Keswani Chetan
From germination to maturity, crops face myriad stresses thereby threatening food security. The foundation of modern agriculture rests on the status of seed health and resilience. Hence, developing highly efficient, low-cost, farmer-friendly, and sustainable approaches for improving seed health and performance under both field and greenhouse conditions. Seed bio-priming with plant beneficial microorganisms (++; mutualistic) improves the physiological, molecular, and stress tolerance functions of the seeds. This process allows the microorganisms adhere to the seed coat and establish an early relationship with the radicle, thereby forming the first line of defense against any external threat. Seeds bio-primed by mutualistic rhizomicroorganisms stimulate plant immunity by inducing the biosynthesis of defense-related proteins, phytohormones, antioxidants, polyphenols, etc. This review maps the various functional and applied aspects of seed bio-priming on the overall plant health under stressed environments. Furthermore, it critically examines the modulation of biochemical and molecular mechanisms for establishing redox homeostasis. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.