Browsing by Author "Munish Kumar Upadhyay"

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A Successive Application Approach for Effective Utilization of Three Aquatic Plants in Arsenic Removal
(Springer International Publishing, 2017) Poonam; Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Ambedkar Gautam; Shekhar Mallick; Sudhakar Srivastava
In the present study, the performance of three selected aquatic plants [Hydrilla verticillata (H), Ceratophyllum demersum (C), and Lemna minor (L)] was evaluated for As removal from water when used in a successive application approach. The plants were subjected to 4 L of As-containing Hoagland medium (500 and 2500 μg L−1as low and high exposure, respectively) for a period of 21 days in slots of 7 days each. The results showed that total As removal in 21 days varied in different combinations. The best combination was HCL showing 27 and 18% As removal in low and high As treatments, respectively, followed by HLC (21 and 16%), and LCH (15% and 12%). The lowest As removal was achieved by LHC and CLH combination in low As treatment (11%) and by CLH in high As treatment (6%). Individual plant exhibited different removal potential from combination to combination and from application at various stages. The contribution of Hydrilla varied from 8 to 52%, Ceratophyllum from 18 to 64% and Lemna from 18 to 66%. The study advocates the combination of Hydrilla-Ceratophyllum-Lemna for achieving the maximum As removal in the same period. © 2017, Springer International Publishing Switzerland.
An assessment of arsenic hazard in groundwater–soil–rice system in two villages of Nadia district, West Bengal, India
(Springer Netherlands, 2019) Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Arnab Majumdar; Anil Barla; Sutapa Bose; Sudhakar Srivastava
The present study measured arsenic (As) concentrations in soil, groundwater and rice grain samples in two villages, Sarapur and Chinili, under Chakdaha block, Nadia district, West Bengal, India. This study also included a survey of the two villages to understand the knowledge among villagers about the As problem. Soil and groundwater samples were collected from fields in two villages while rice grain samples were collected from villagers’ houses. The results revealed the presence of As in higher concentrations than the maximum permissible limit of As in drinking water (10 µg L−1 and 50 µg L−1 by WHO and Indian standard, respectively) in groundwater [124.50 ± 1.11 µg L−1 (Sarapur) and 138.20 ± 1.34 µg L−1 (Chinili)]. The level of As in soil was found to range from 47.7 ± 0.14 to 49.3 ± 0.19 mg Kg−1 in Sarapur and from 57.5 ± 0.25 to 62.5 ± 0.44 mg Kg−1 in Chinili which are also higher than European Union maximum acceptable limit in agricultural soil (i.e. 20 mg Kg−1). The analysis of As in rice grains of five varieties, collected from residents of two villages, showed the presence of higher than recommended safe level of As in rice by FAO/WHO (0.2 mg Kg−1). The As concentration order was Gosai (0.95 ± 0.044 mg kg−1), Satabdi (0.79 ± 0.038 mg kg−1), Banskathi (0.60 ± 0.026 mg kg−1), Kunti (0.47 ± 0.018 mg kg−1) and Ranjit (0.29 ± 0.021 mg kg−1). Importantly, Gosai and Satabdi were the most popular varieties being consumed by local people. The data of consumption of rice per day in the survey was used for the measurement of average daily dose and hazard quotient. It was seen that the As hazard was negatively correlated to the age of residents. Therefore, children and toddlers were at higher risk of As exposure than elderly people. In addition, people with skin related As toxicity symptoms were also cited in the two villages. The study emphasized the severity of As problem in remote areas of West Bengal, India where people consume As tainted rice due to lack of awareness about the As problem and associated health issues. © 2019, Springer Nature B.V.
An assessment of various potentially toxic elements and associated health risks in agricultural soil along the middle Gangetic basin, India
(Elsevier Ltd, 2022) Nidhi Tyagi; Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Arnab Majumdar; Saurabh Kumar Pathak; Biswajit Giri; Manoj Kumar Jaiswal; Sudhakar Srivastava
The present study analysed the levels of potentially toxic elements along with physico-chemical properties of agricultural soil samples (n = 59) collected from fields situated along the path of river Ganga in the middle Gangetic floodplain in two districts, Ballia and Ghazipur. Arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) levels were analysed by Wavelength Dispersive-X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (WD-XRF) and the associated health risks along with diverse indices were calculated. The mean concentrations of As, Cu, Cr, Pb, Zn and Ni were found to be 15, 42, 85, 18, 87 and 47 mg kg−1, respectively in Ballia and 13, 31, 73, 22, 77 and 34 mg kg−1, respectively in Ghazipur. Physico-chemical properties like pH, ORP and organic matter were found to be 7.91, 209 and 1.20, respectively in Ballia and 8.51, 155 and 1.25, respectively in Ghazipur. The calculated health quotient (HQ) for all the elements was observed to be within the threshold value of one, however with few exemptions. Therefore, the present study showcases the contamination of potentially toxic elements in agricultural fields and possible health hazards for people. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd
Antioxidant enzymes and transporter genes mediate arsenic stress reduction in rice (Oryza sativa L.) upon thiourea supplementation
(Elsevier Ltd, 2022) Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Arnab Majumdar; Ashish Kumar Srivastava; Sutapa Bose; Penna Suprasanna; Sudhakar Srivastava
Thiourea (TU) is a chemo-priming agent and non-physiological reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger whose application has been found to reduce As accumulation in rice grains along with improved growth and yield. The present field study explored TU-mediated mechanistic changes in silicon (Si) assimilation in root/shoot, biochemical and molecular mechanisms of arsenic (As) stress amelioration in rice cultivars. Gosai and Satabdi (IET-4786) rice cultivars were selected for field experiment at three different places; control field and two other As contaminated experimental fields (EF1 and EF2) in West Bengal, India. The average As reduction was observed to be 9.5% and 19.8% whereas the yield increment was 8.8% and 17.7% for gosai and satabdi, respectively among all the three experimental fields. The positive interrelation was also observed between improved internal ultrastructure anatomy and enhanced Si assimilation (36%–423%) upon TU application. The level of photosynthetic pigments was increased by 29.8%–99.2%. Further, activities of antioxidant enzymes were harmonically altered in TU supplemented plants. The expression of various As related transporter genes in flag leaf and developing grains (inflorescence) was changed in both the rice cultivars (gosai and satabdi). It was also presumably responsible for observed As reduction in grains. Thus, TU application was found to be an efficient and sustainable agronomic practice for amelioration of As toxicity in rice plants in As contaminated field conditions. © 2021
Arsenic dynamics and flux assessment under drying-wetting irrigation and enhanced microbial diversity in paddy soils: A four year study in Bengal delta plain
(Elsevier B.V., 2021) Arnab Majumdar; Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Biswajit Giri; Sudhakar Srivastava; Ashish Kumar Srivastava; Manoj Kumar Jaiswal; Sutapa Bose
Arsenic (As) assessment in agricultural soils and corresponding crops is necessary from the global health safety perspective. To the best of our knowledge, we are reporting for the first time, As flux determining parametric equations for paddy field with seasonal rice cultivation under conventional flooding and dry-wet irrigation approaches. Rigorous field experiments and measuring quantitative parameters, flushed out or percolated into the deeper soil As flux was assessed. A wintery (boro)-monsoonal (aman) study from 2016 to 2019 has been conducted showing the efficiency of dry-wet irrigation on reduction of soil As bioavailability. The reduction in boro was 52.4% in 2016 to 64.8% in 2019 while in aman, it was 61% in 2016 to 74.9% in 2019. Low bioavailability was correlated to plant's internal vascular structure that was found more rigid and firm in dry-wet field grown plants. Observed soil physico-chemical parameters clearly influenced As bioavailability as well as soil microbial community. Assessment of microbial diversity using metagenomics under altered water regime was done by population analysis, relative abundance, species richness, Krona chart comparison. Dry-wet field was found to be more diverse and enriched in microbial community than that of the flooded soil indicating an affective reduction of As bioavailability under biotic-abiotic factors. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.
Arsenic in Rice Agro-Ecosystem: Solutions for Safe and Sustainable Rice Production
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2020) Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Arnab Majumdar; Jisha Suresh Kumar; Sudhakar Srivastava
Arsenic (As) is a toxic metalloid classified as group 1 carcinogen. The presence of As in high concentrations in paddy soil and irrigation water results into high As accumulation in rice grains posing a threat to the health of millions of people worldwide. The main reason for As contamination is the biogeochemical weathering of rocks and the release of bound As into groundwater. Human interventions through intensive agricultural practices and excessive groundwater consumption have contributed greatly to the prevailing As contamination. The flooded cultivation practice of rice favors the accumulation of As in rice grains. The formation of iron (Fe) plaque on paddy root surfaces, changes in the level of Fe and manganese (Mn) hydro(oxides), soil organic matter, soil pH, soil redox potential, and microbial activities under flooding conditions influence concentrations of various As species in the water–soil–paddy agroecosystem and favor the predominance of highly mobile arsenite [As(III)]. Once inside the rice plant, the concentration of As is regulated by arsenate reduction, arsenite efflux, root-to-shoot translocation, and vacuolar sequestration of As. The detailed understanding gained about the factors affecting As dynamics in soil and transport in rice plants may be helpful in developing feasible methods for sustainable cultivation of rice plants with low grain As. There is also need to ensure high production yields as well as grain quality to achieve the goals of sustainable development. This article discusses the aspects of As in the water–soil–paddy agroecosystem and presents suitable strategies to reduce the As load in rice grains. © Copyright © 2020 Upadhyay, Majumdar, Suresh Kumar and Srivastava.
Biotechnological strategies for remediation of arsenic-contaminated soils to improve soil health and sustainable agriculture
(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Reshu Chauhan; Surabhi Awasthi; Poonam Tiwari; Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Sudhakar Srivastava; Sanjay Dwivedi; Om Parkash Dhankher; Rudra Deo Tripathi
Soil health is the foundation of sustainable agriculture, and its preservation is paramount in global arsenic (As) contamination challenges. Soil As contamination is a critical issue for environmental and agricultural sustainability. Rapid global urbanization and agricultural and industrial expansion release toxic metal (loid)s including As into the soil. Arsenic contamination disrupts the rhizosphere ecosystem, affecting plant health, microbial communities, and overall soil functionality. Ensuring soil health in the face of As contamination is imperative for human well-being and for developing a resilient, sustainable environment. This review signifies the need for comprehensive strategies to revitalize soil ecosystems, promoting resilience and long-term ecological balance. Advanced biotechnological approaches, particularly bioremediation including phytoremediation, microbial remediation, mycoremediation, nano-remediation, and other integrative strategies, are highlighted for their effectiveness in addressing As contamination and promoting soil health. Conventional physico-chemical techniques make soil unsuitable for agriculture by disrupting the microenvironment. Consequently, the urgent need for remediation of As-contaminated soil demands the adoption of eco-friendly and sustainable approaches, such as bioremediation, phytoremediation, and rhizoremediation, to enhance soil health. Development of transgenic lines and genetically modified organisms are effective tools in reducing the As burden. Bacteria including Sphingomonas desiccabilis, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus idriensis expressing the arsM gene all show promising results to reduce the As burden. Transgenic rice, incorporating the arsM gene from Rhodopseudomonas palustris, demonstrated 10 times more volatile arsenicals and reduced As accumulation in the grain. Additionally, the use of As-hyperaccumulating plants and conventional methods, like chemical-assisted phytoextraction, show potential for decontaminating As- contaminated soil. Future research should explore the contributions of novel biotechnological strategies to enhance soil health in regions affected by As contamination. © 2024
Cellular and subcellular phosphate transport machinery in plants
(MDPI AG, 2018) Sudhakar Srivastava; Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Ashish Kumar Srivastava; Mostafa Abdelrahman; Penna Suprasanna; Lam-Son Phan Tran
Phosphorus (P) is an essential element required for incorporation into several biomolecules and for various biological functions; it is, therefore, vital for optimal growth and development of plants. The extensive research on identifying the processes underlying the uptake, transport, and homeostasis of phosphate (Pi) in various plant organs yielded valuable information. The transport of Pi occurs from the soil into root epidermal cells, followed by loading into the root xylem vessels for distribution into other plant organs. Under conditions of Pi deficiency, Pi is also translocated from the shoot to the root via the phloem. Vacuoles act as a storage pool for extra Pi, enabling its delivery to the cytosol, a process which plays an important role in the homeostatic control of cytoplasmic Pi levels. In mitochondria and chloroplasts, Pi homeostasis regulates ATP synthase activity to maintain optimal ATP levels. Additionally, the endoplasmic reticulum functions to direct Pi transporters and Pi toward various locations. The intracellular membrane potential and pH in the subcellular organelles could also play an important role in the kinetics of Pi transport. The presented review provides an overview of Pi transport mechanisms in subcellular organelles, and also discusses how they affect Pi balancing at cellular, tissue, and whole-plant levels. © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Chemical intervention for enhancing growth and reducing grain arsenic accumulation in rice
(Elsevier Ltd, 2021) Ashish Kumar Srivastava; Manish Pandey; Tejashree Ghate; Vikash Kumar; Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Arnab Majumdar; Abhay Kumar Sanjukta; Ashish Kumar Agrawal; Sutapa Bose; Sudhakar Srivastava; Penna Suprasanna
Thiourea supplementation downregulated aquaporins to restrict arsenic accumulation in seedlings. Foliar-applied thiourea enhanced yield and reduced grain arsenic accumulation. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd; Arsenic (As) is a ubiquitous environmental carcinogen that enters the human food chain mainly through rice grains. In the present study, we evaluated the potential of thiourea (TU; non-physiological reactive oxygen species scavenger) in mitigating the negative effects of arsenic (As) stress in indica rice variety IR64, with the overall aim to reduce grain As accumulation. At seedling stage, As + TU treatment induced the formation of more numerous and longer crown roots compared with As alone. The As accumulation in main root, crown root, lower leaf and upper leaf was significantly reduced to 0.1-, 0.14-, 0.16-, 0.14-fold, respectively in As + TU treated seedlings compared with those of As alone. This reduced As accumulation was also coincided with light-dependent suppression in the expression levels of aquaporins and photosynthesis-related genes in As + TU treated roots. In addition, the foliar-supplemented TU under As-stress maintained reducing redox conditions which decreased the rate of As accumulation in flag leaves and, eventually grain As by 0.53-fold compared with those of As treatment. The agronomic feasibility of TU was validated under naturally As contaminated sites of Nadia (West Bengal, India). The tiller numbers and crop productivity (kg seed/ha) of TU-sprayed plants were increased by 1.5- and 1.18-fold, respectively; while, grain As accumulation was reduced by 0.36-fold compared with those of water-sprayed control. Thus, this study established TU application as a sustainable solution for cultivating rice in As-contaminated field conditions. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Efficacy of Seed Priming Technology in Ameliorating Metals and Metalloids Toxicity in Crops: Prospective and Issues
(Springer, 2025) Debojyoti Moulick; S. C. Santra; Arnab Majumdar; Anupam Das; Bhaben Chowardhara; Bedabrata Saha; Dibakar Ghosh; Jayjit Majumdar; Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Poonam Yadav; Sukamal K. Sarkar; S. Garai; Anannya Dhar; Saikat Dey; Sayanti Mandal; Shuvasish Choudhury; Binaya Kumar Pattnaik; Goutam Kumar Dash; Sai Krishna Repalli; Akbar Hossain
Seed priming technology (SP) is a practice (conducted prior to sowing) where seeds are treated with a wide range of seed priming agents (SPA) for a set time period followed by withdrawal. The efficacy of SP has been widely examined against various abiotic and biotic stressors with various crops in controlled field environmental conditions. Among the abiotic stressors, heavy metals and/or metalloids (HMs) are considered as a serious threat to sustainable agriculture. Compared with other stressors, the efficacy of SP in ameliorating HM-induced phytotoxicity and minimizing HMs content in edible parts are limited. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive study dedicated to HMs stress in wide range of crops. This review article employs a blend of bibliometric-based analysis (to assess global trends) followed by systematic evaluation of traditional (micronutrient, biomolecules, etc.) and nanomaterial (NMs)-based SPAs in ameliorating HMs-induced stress and accumulation in various crops. Our assessment suggests SPs as a suitable means to fill the vacuum that exists among the controlled environment and field condition, cost effective, easy remedial measure for HMs-induced stress. However, the need of in-depth (cellular and molecular level) as well as multi-location trials will definitely add to the current knowledge for development of effective HM stress resilience. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.
Emerging concern of nano-pollution in agro-ecosystem: Flip side of nanotechnology
(Elsevier Masson s.r.l., 2024) Debojyoti Moulick; Arnab Majumdar; Abir Choudhury; Anupam Das; Bhaben Chowardhara; Binaya Kumar Pattnaik; Goutam Kumar Dash; Kanu Murmu; Karma Landup Bhutia; Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Poonam Yadav; Pradeep Kumar Dubey; Ratul Nath; Sidhu Murmu; Soujanya Jana; Sukamal Sarkar; Sourav Garai; Dibakar Ghosh; Mousumi Mondal; Subhas Chandra Santra; Shuvasish Choudhury; Koushik Brahmachari; Akbar Hossain
Nanomaterials (NMs) have proven to be a game-changer in agriculture, showcasing their potential to boost plant growth and safeguarding crops. The agricultural sector has widely adopted NMs, benefiting from their small size, high surface area, and optical properties to augment crop productivity and provide protection against various stressors. This is attributed to their unique characteristics, contributing to their widespread use in agriculture. Human exposure from various components of agro-environmental sectors (soil, crops) NMs residues are likely to upsurge with exposure paths may stimulates bioaccumulation in food chain. With the aim to achieve sustainability, nanotechnology (NTs) do exhibit its potentials in various domains of agriculture also have its flip side too. In this review article we have opted a fusion approach using bibliometric based analysis of global research trend followed by a holistic assessment of pros and cons i.e. toxicological aspect too. Moreover, we have also tried to analyse the current scenario of policy associated with the application of NMs in agro-environment. © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS
Enhanced phytoremediation of Metal(loid)s via spiked ZVI nanoparticles: An urban clean-up strategy with ornamental plants
(Elsevier Ltd, 2022) Arnab Majumdar; Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Megha Ojha; Fathima Afsal; Biswajit Giri; Sudhakar Srivastava; Sutapa Bose
The increasing industrialization and urbanization are also triggering environmental pollution, mostly unnoticed, in the case of soil pollution due to uncontrolled contamination by toxic elemental dispersion. The present study focused on this aspect and studied the clean-up of urban soil in a low-cost and eco-friendly way to restrict arsenic (As), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) contamination. Four potential ornamental plants, Catharanthus roseus (vinca), Cosmos bipinnatus (cosmos), Gomphrena globose (globosa) and Impatiens balsamina (balsamina) were used along with zero valent iron (ZVI) nanoparticles (Fe NPs) for remediation of the soil spiked with As (70 mg kg−1), Pb (600 mg kg−1) and Hg (15 mg kg−1) in a 60 d pot experiment. All plants were divided into four groups viz. control, spiked, spiked+20 mg kg−1 ZVI NP and spiked+50 mg kg−1 ZVI NP. FTIR and SEM were used for ZVI NP characterization. Soil and plant analyses and elemental assessments were done using ICP-MS, XRF and SEM. Among the four plants, cosmos showed the maximum accumulation of toxic elements (41.24 ± 0.022 mg kg−1 As, 139.15 ± 11.2 mg kg−1 Pb and 15.57 ± 0.27 mg kg−1 Hg) at 60 d. The application of ZVI NP at 20 mg kg−1 dosage was found to further augment plants’ potential for metal(loid)s accumulation without negatively hampering their growth. Cosmos were observed to reduce soil As from 81.35 ± 1.34 mg kg−1 to 28.16 ± 1.38 mg kg−1 (65.38%), Pb from 1132.47 ± 4.66 to 516.09 ± 3.15 mg kg−1 (54.42%) and Hg from 17.35 ± 0.88 to 6.65 ± 0.4 mg kg−1 (61.67%) at 60 d in spiked + 20 mg kg−1 ZVI NP treatment. Balsamina was the most sensitive plant and showed the least metal(loid)s accumulation. In conclusion, three of these plants are potent enough to use together for a better and enhanced removal of toxic elements from the contaminated soil with cosmos to be the best amongst these in urban areas. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Evaluation of efficacy of non-coding RNA in abiotic stress management of field crops: Current status and future prospective
(Elsevier Masson s.r.l., 2023) Swati Hazra; Debojyoti Moulick; Arkabanee Mukherjee; Synudeen Sahib; Bhaben Chowardhara; Arnab Majumdar; Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Poonam Yadav; Priyabrata Roy; Subhas Chandra Santra; Sayanti Mandal; Samapika Nandy; Abhijit Dey
Abiotic stresses are responsible for the major losses in crop yield all over the world. Stresses generate harmful ROS which can impair cellular processes in plants. Therefore, plants have evolved antioxidant systems in defence against the stress-induced damages. The frequency of occurrence of abiotic stressors has increased several-fold due to the climate change experienced in recent times and projected for the future. This had particularly aggravated the risk of yield losses and threatened global food security. Non-coding RNAs are the part of eukaryotic genome that does not code for any proteins. However, they have been recently found to have a crucial role in the responses of plants to both abiotic and biotic stresses. There are different types of ncRNAs, for example, miRNAs and lncRNAs, which have the potential to regulate the expression of stress-related genes at the levels of transcription, post-transcription, and translation of proteins. The lncRNAs are also able to impart their epigenetic effects on the target genes through the alteration of the status of histone modification and organization of the chromatins. The current review attempts to deliver a comprehensive account of the role of ncRNAs in the regulation of plants’ abiotic stress responses through ROS homeostasis. The potential applications ncRNAs in amelioration of abiotic stresses in field crops also have been evaluated. © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS
Heavy metal dispersion in water saturated and water unsaturated soil of Bengal delta region, India
(Elsevier Ltd, 2017) Anil Barla; Anamika Shrivastava; Arnab Majumdar; Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Sutapa Bose
[No abstract available]
Heavy metals' stress responses in field crops
(CRC Press, 2022) Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Arnab Majumdar
[No abstract available]
Selenium – An environmentally friendly micronutrient in agroecosystem in the modern era: An overview of 50-year findings
(Academic Press, 2024) Debojyoti Moulick; Arkabanee Mukherjee; Anupam Das; Anirban Roy; Arnab Majumdar; Anannya Dhar; Binaya Kumar Pattanaik; Bhaben Chowardhara; Dibakar Ghosh; Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Poonam Yadav; Swati Hazra; Sukamal Sarkar; Subrata Mahanta; S.C. Santra; Shuvasish Choudhury; Sagar Maitra; Udit Nandan Mishra; Karma L. Bhutia; Milan Skalicky; Oliver Obročník; Viliam Bárek; Marian Brestic; Akbar Hossain
Agricultural productivity is constantly being forced to maintain yield stability to feed the enormously growing world population. However, shrinking arable and nutrient-deprived soil and abiotic and biotic stressor (s) in different magnitudes put additional challenges to achieving global food security. Though well-defined, the concept of macro, micronutrients, and beneficial elements is from a plant nutritional perspective. Among various micronutrients, selenium (Se) is essential in small amounts for the life cycle of organisms, including crops. Selenium has the potential to improve soil health, leading to the improvement of productivity and crop quality. However, Se possesses an immense encouraging phenomenon when supplied within the threshold limit, also having wide variations. The supplementation of Se has exhibited promising outcomes in lessening biotic and abiotic stress in various crops. Besides, bulk form, nano-Se, and biogenic-Se also revealed some merits and limitations. Literature suggests that the possibilities of biogenic-Se in stress alleviation and fortifying foods are encouraging. In this article, apart from adopting a combination of a conventional extensive review of the literature and bibliometric analysis, the authors have assessed the journey of Se in the “soil to spoon” perspective in a diverse agroecosystem to highlight the research gap area. There is no doubt that the time has come to seriously consider the tag of beneficial elements associated with Se, especially in the drastic global climate change era. © 2023 The Authors
Sustainable water management in rice cultivation reduces arsenic contamination, increases productivity, microbial molecular response, and profitability
(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Arnab Majumdar; Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Biswajit Giri; Poonam Yadav; Debojyoti Moulick; Sukamal Sarkar; Barun Kumar Thakur; Kashinath Sahu; Ashish Kumar Srivastava; Martin Buck; Mark Tibbett; Manoj Kumar Jaiswal; Tarit Roychowdhury
Arsenic (As) and silicon (Si) are two structurally competitive natural elements where Si minimises As accumulation in rice plants, and based on this two-year field trial, the study proposes adopting alternating wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation as a sustainable water management strategy allowing greater Si availability. This field-based project is the first report on AWD's impact on As-Si distribution in fluvio-alluvial soils of the entire Ganga valley (24 study sites, six divisions), seasonal variance (pre-monsoon and monsoon), rice plant anatomy and productivity, soil microbial diversity, microbial gene ontology profiling and associated metabolic pathways. Under AWD to flooded and pre-monsoon to monsoon cultivations, respectively, greater Si availability was achieved and As-bioavailability was reduced by 8.7 ± 0.01–9.2 ± 0.02% and 25.7 ± 0.09–26.1 ± 0.01%. In the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons, the physiological betterment of rice plants led to the high rice grain yield under AWD improved by 8.4 ± 0.07% and 10.0 ± 0.07%, proving the economic profitability. Compared to waterlogging, AWD evidences as an optimal soil condition for supporting soil microbial communities in rice fields, allowing diverse metabolic activities, including As-resistance, and active expression of As-responsive genes and gene products. Greater expressions of gene ontological terms and complex biochemical networking related to As metabolism under AWD proved better cellular, genetic and environmental responsiveness in microbial communities. Finally, by implementing AWD, groundwater usage can be reduced, lowering the cost of pumping and field management and generating an economic profit for farmers. These combined assessments prove the acceptability of AWD for the establishment of multiple sustainable development goals (SDGs). © 2024 Elsevier B.V.
Thiourea supplementation mediated reduction of grain arsenic in rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars: A two year field study
(Elsevier B.V., 2021) Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Arnab Majumdar; Anil Barla; Sutapa Bose; Sudhakar Srivastava
The present study delineates the interactions of arsenic (As), a carcinogenic metalloid, and thiourea (TU), a non-physiological reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, in rice plants grown in As contaminated fields in West Bengal, India. The study was performed for four consecutive seasons (two boro and two aman) in 2016 and 2017 with two local rice cultivars; Gosai and Satabdi (IET-4786) in a control and two As contaminated experimental fields. Thiourea (0.05% wt/vol) treatment was given in the form of seed priming and foliar spray. Thiourea significantly improved growth and yield of rice plants and reduced As concentration in root, shoot, husk and grains in both cultivars and fields. The reduction in As concentration ranged from 10.3% to 27.5% in four seasons in different fields. The average (four seasons) increase in yield was recorded about ~8.1% and ~11.5% in control, ~20.2% and ~18.6% in experimental field 1, and ~16.2% and ~24.1% in experimental field 2, for gosai and satabdi, respectively. Mean hazard quotient (HQ) and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values of As reduced upon TU supplementation for both cultivars as compared to that of non-TU plants. Hence, TU can be effectively used to cultivate rice safely in As contaminated fields. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.
Ultra-structure alteration via enhanced silicon uptake in arsenic stressed rice cultivars under intermittent irrigation practices in Bengal delta basin
(Academic Press, 2019) Arnab Majumdar; Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Jisha Suresh Kumar; Sheena; Anil Barla; Sudhakar Srivastava; Manoj Kumar Jaiswal; Sutapa Bose
The study implements a periodical intermittent water cycle during rice cultivation providing insight potential in minimizing soil bio-available arsenic. Soil As concentrations were 34 ± 0.49 and 72.03 ± 0.54 mg kg-1 As respectively in two selected fields with rice cultivars gosai and satabdi, in comparison to 42.26 ± 0.37 and 83.69 ± 0.48 mg kg-1 in continuously flooded field soil, determined through ICP-MS. The study found higher translocation of silicon from soil to rice plant parts under intermittent irrigation having pH range of 7.6–9.4 and greater availability of soil organic content that in turn release more labile silicon from soil to aqueous phase for plant accumulation. This increased uptake of silicon strengthens rice shoots, nodes and leaf xylem-phloem integrity compared to conventional continuously flooded rice cultivation approach, suppressing the arsenic translocation, as observed under FE-SEM real-time imaging. Fresh plants were analysed for bioaccumulation and translocation factors of arsenic and silicon to justify the enhanced silicon uptake under proposed practice. Plant stress regulator enzymes viz. malondialdehyde (MDA), total protein, superoxide dismutase (SOD), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) from both conditions and found to be better in intermittent method over conventional practice with higher productivity. © 2019 Elsevier Inc.
Vermiremediation of metal(loid)s via Eichornia crassipes phytomass extraction: A sustainable technique for plant amelioration
(Academic Press, 2018) Arnab Majumdar; Anil Barla; Munish Kumar Upadhyay; Dibyarpita Ghosh; Punarbasu Chaudhuri; Sudhakar Srivastava; Sutapa Bose
Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth), imparts deficiency of soluble arsenic and other toxic metal (loid)s through rhizofiltration and phytoaccumulation. Without proper management strategy, this phytoremediation of metal (loid)s might fail and get reverted back to the environment, contaminating the nearby water bodies. This study, focused on bio-conversion of phytoremediating hyacinths, spiked with 100 times and greater arsenic, lead and cadmium concentrations than the average water contamination, ranging in 58.81 ± 0.394, 16.74 ± 0.367, 12.18 ± 0.153 mg Kg−1arsenic, 18.95 ± 0.212, 9.53 ± 0.054, 6.83 ± 0.306 mg kg−1 lead and 2.79 ± 0.033, 1.39 ± 0.025, 0.92 ± 0.045 mg kg−1 cadmium, respectively in root, shoot and leaves, proving it's phytoaccumulation capacity. Next, these hyacinths has been used as a source of organic supplement for preparing vermicompost using Eisenia fetida following analysis of total metal content and sequential extraction. Control soil was having 134.69 ± 2.47 mg kg−1 arsenic in compare to 44.6 ± 0.91 mg kg−1 at premature stage of compost to 23.9 ± 1.55 mg kg−1 at mature compost indicating sustainable fate of phytoremediated vermicompost. This vermiremediation of arsenic and other toxic elements, restricted the bioavailability of soil pollutants. Furthermore, processed compost amended as organic fertilizer, growing chickpea, coriander, tomato and chilli plant, resulted in negligible metal(loid)s in treated samples, enhancing also plant's growth and production. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd