Browsing by Author "Rahul Prasad Singh"

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Advancement of Abiotic Stresses for Microalgal Lipid Production and Its Bioprospecting into Sustainable Biofuels
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2023) Rahul Prasad Singh; Priya Yadav; Indrajeet Kumar; Manoj Kumar Solanki; Rajib Roychowdhury; Ajay Kumar; Rajan Kumar Gupta
The world is currently facing global energy crises and escalating environmental pollution, which are caused by the extensive exploitation of conventional energy sources. The limited availability of conventional energy sources has opened the door to the search for alternative energy sources. In this regard, microalgae have emerged as a promising substitute for conventional energy sources due to their high photosynthetic rate, high carbohydrate and lipid content, efficient CO2 fixation capacity, and ability to thrive in adverse environments. The research and development of microalgal-based biofuel as a clean and sustainable alternative energy source has been ongoing for many years, but it has not yet been widely adopted commercially. However, it is currently gaining greater attention due to the integrated biorefinery concept. This study provides an in-depth review of recent advances in microalgae cultivation techniques and explores methods for increasing lipid production by manipulating environmental factors. Furthermore, our discussions have covered high lipid content microalgal species, harvesting methods, biorefinery concepts, process optimizing software tools, and the accumulation of triglycerides in lipid droplets. The study additionally explores the influence of abiotic stresses on the response of biosynthetic genes involved in lipid synthesis and metabolism. In conclusion, algae-based biofuels offer a viable alternative to traditional fuels for meeting the growing demand for energy. © 2023 by the authors.
Algae Polysaccharides (Carrageenan and Alginate)—A Treasure-Trove of Antiviral Compounds: An In Silico Approach to Identify Potential Candidates for Inhibition of S1-RBD Spike Protein of SARS-CoV2
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2023) Dikshansha Rohilla; Akhileshwar Kumar Srivastava; Rahul Prasad Singh; Priya Yadav; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Dharmendra Kumar; Nikunj Bhardwaj; Mahipal Singh Kesawat; Kapil Deo Pandey; Ajay Kumar
For the last three years, the world has faced the unexpected spread of the pandemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The high mortality rate and ever-changing shape of the virus are the challenging factors in the effective management of SARS-CoV-2. However, in last three years, research communities have made significant progress in developing vaccines and controlling the spread of the pandemic to a certain extent. These vaccines contain the attenuated pathogens, which after application did not kill the virus but protected the human by enhancing the immune system response during pandemic exposure. However, the negative side effects and the high cost of the synthetic vaccines are always of concern for researchers, consumers, and the government. Therefore, as an alternative to synthetic drugs, natural medicines or natural plant products have piqued researchers’ interest. Algae are considered as a treasure house of bioactive compounds such as carotenoids, vitamins, polysaccharides, proteins, etc. These bioactive compounds have been well documented for the treatments of various human ailments such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, sulfated polysaccharides such as alginate and carrageenan have been reported as having antiviral and immunomodulating properties. Therefore, this review addresses algal polysaccharides, especially alginate and carrageenan, and their application in the treatment of COVID-19. In addition, in silico approaches are discussed for the inhibition of the S1-RBD (receptor-binding domain) of SARS-CoV-2, which attaches to the host receptor ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2), and the interaction with the network of relative proteins is also explored, which will help in drug discovery and drug design. © 2023 by the authors.
Algal Metabolites Can Be an Immune Booster against COVID-19 Pandemic
(MDPI, 2022) Ajay Kumar; Rahul Prasad Singh; Indrajeet Kumar; Priya Yadav; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Kaushalendra; Prashant Kumar Singh; Rajan Kumar Gupta; Shiv Mohan Singh; Mahipal Singh Kesawat; Ganesh Dattatraya Saratale; Sang-Min Chung; Manu Kumar
The world has faced the challenges of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) for the last two years, first diagnosed at the end of 2019 in Wuhan and widely distributed worldwide. As a result, the WHO has proclaimed the illness brought on by this virus to be a global pandemic. To combat COVID-19, researcher communities continuously develop and implement rapid diagnoses, safe and effective vaccinations and other alternative therapeutic procedures. However, synthetic drug-related side effects and high costs have piqued scientists’ interest in natural product-based therapies and medicines. In this regard, antiviral substances derived from natural resources and some medicines have seen a boom in popularity. For instance, algae are a rich source of compounds such as lectins and sulfated polysaccharides, which have potent antiviral and immunity-boosting properties. Moreover, Algae-derived compounds or metabolites can be used as antibodies and vaccine raw materials against COVID-19. Furthermore, some algal species can boost immunity, reduce viral activity in humans and be recommended for usage as a COVID-19 preventative measure. However, this field of study is still in its early stages of development. Therefore, this review addresses critical characteristics of algal metabolites, their antioxidant potential and therapeutic potential in COVID-19. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Beneficial and negative impacts of wastewater for sustainable agricultural irrigation: Current knowledge and future perspectives
(Elsevier B.V., 2023) Priya Yadav; Rahul Prasad Singh; Rajan Kumar Gupta; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Hariom Verma; Prashant Kumar Singh; Kaushalendra; Kapil D. Pandey; Ajay Kumar
Currently world faces the high risk of water crisis and the rising human population and changing climatic conditions accelerate this challenge. Therefore there is urgent need of water management for the human beings and all the living organisms. Agriculture is currently the world's largest water consumer. Furthermore, it has been anticipated that by 2050, the amount of water available for agricultural irrigation will have to increased by 70% to meet the demand of food for the rising global population. In this scenario, wastewater may be a viable option as a source of water for the agricultural irrigation. Although the waste water contains various trace elements and fertilizers contents and these can be used to enhance the agricultural production. However the presence of heavy load of some toxic compounds/metals in the waste water negatively affect the quality of plant, soil as well as environment and human health. Therefore in this chapter we have discussed briefly the merit and demerits of waste water utilization for agricultural irrigation. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.
Biogas production using waste water: Methodologies and applications
(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Priya Yadav; Rahul Prasad Singh; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Mahjabin; Ajay Kumar; Amit Raj; Luiz Fernando Romanholo Ferreira
Biogas is competitive, viable, and generally a sustainable energy resource due to abundant supply of cheap feedstock's and availability of a wide range of biogas applications in heating, power generation, fuel, and raw materials for further processing and production of sustainable chemicals including hydrogen, and carbon dioxide and biofuels. Biogas can also be used in fuel cells for direct conversion to electricity and raw material for hydrogen and transport fuel production which is a significant pathway to sustainable energy development. Enriched biogas or biomethane can be containerized or injected to gas supply mains for use as renewable natural gas. Biogas digesters provide an opportunity for integrated waste management systems that combine waste treatment, energy generation, and resource recovery. By integrating biogas digesters into waste management infrastructure, it becomes possible to create closed-loop systems that maximize the potential of organic waste while minimizing environmental impacts. This holistic approach promotes sustainable practices, reduces reliance on conventional waste treatment methods, and creates a more circular and resource-efficient economy. © 2024 Elsevier Inc.
Bioprospecting and mechanisms of cyanobacterial hydrogen production and recent development for its enhancement as a clean energy
(Springer Nature, 2023) Rahul Prasad Singh; Priya Yadav; Indrajeet Kumar; Ajay Kumar; Rajan Kumar Gupta
Energy security is a major concern for economic strength worldwide because of fossil resource depletion and rising costs. The synthesis of biohydrogen from cyanobacteria is a viable alternative clean and renewable energy source with significant viable potential. Cyanobacteria are highly relevant and valuable as prospective hydrogen producers because they produce hydrogen from water due to solar energy conversion. Furthermore, cyanobacteria have high photosynthetic efficiency and produce a large amount of biomass, which is used as a fourth-generation feedstock to produce biohydrogen. The yield of cyanobacterial biohydrogen has been improved in various ways with limited information in a systematic way. That's why the current state of research in the field of cyanobacterial hydrogen production enhancement is discussed with earlier published reports in this chapter. The major aim of this chapter is to discuss cyanobacterial hydrogen production, characteristics and roles of nitrogenase and hydrogenase enzymes concerned with hydrogen production, the various mechanisms of hydrogen production, recent metabolic pathway developments, modern photobioreactor efficiency, new cyanobacterial molecular genetic engineering and synthetic cyanobacterial biology. Finally, the major limitations to more efficient cyanobacterial hydrogen production and improvements for future commercialisation are also discussed. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.
Climate change and secondary metabolism in plants: resilience to disruption
(Elsevier, 2025) Priyanka K. Singh; Prince Kumar Singh; Umesh Kumar; Saumya Mishra; Parvati Madheshiya; Rahul Prasad Singh; Rajesh Kumar Sharma; Indrajeet Kumar
Global ecosystems are facing serious challenges as a result of climate change, which is upsetting ecological equilibrium and changing biological processes. As main producers, plants are most impacted by these changes, which calls for a better comprehension of how resilient and adaptable they are to climate stressors. Plant metabolism can be greatly impacted by a variety of climatic stressors, which can either promote or inhibit the synthesis of secondary metabolites (SMs). Although these substances are crucial for plant defense and acclimatization, little is known about how they will react to climate change. It is becoming more and more important to comprehend how climate change regulates plant secondary metabolism as its consequences worsen. Research continues to investigate the influence of various climate change factors, including elevated temperatures, increased carbon dioxide levels, drought conditions, enhanced ultraviolet-B radiation, and their interactions, with SMs such as phenolics, terpenes, and alkaloids, with growing evidence shedding light on these complex dynamics. This chapter also provides an overview of the impact of climate-induced stress on SM production, including shifts in metabolic pathways, epigenetic modifications, and interactions with symbiotic organisms. Furthermore, it delves into the mechanisms underlying plant adaptability, such as metabolic flexibility and cross-talk between pathways, which allow plants to mitigate the adverse effects of climatic disruptions. This chapter provides an overview of the impact of climate change and resilience mechanisms in plants under climatic stress. © 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Contamination of soil and food chain through wastewater application
(Elsevier B.V., 2023) Priya Yadav; Rahul Prasad Singh; Rajan Kumar Gupta; Twinkle Pradhan; Amit Raj; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Kaushalendra; Kapil D. Pandey; Ajay Kumar
Current time, wastewater irrigation is becoming more prominent as a response to the decline in freshwater resources triggered by climate change. Globally, population density and freshwater resources are not distributed equitably. Wastewater irrigation has been identified as a severe environmental concern in many nations due to pesticides, heavy metal, etc. accumulation in food crops and soils, as well as potential health hazards to those who consume these foods. In terms of agricultural use, as well as environmental contamination and toxicological, this approach has both beneficial and negative consequences. However, wastewater is a significant necessary source of plant nutrients, the presence of harmful pollutants and bacteria in wastewater poses a number of environmental, sanitary, and health hazards after long-term agricultural irrigation. As wastewater irrigation becomes more common, human health risks become more important since the advantages to food security and livelihoods must be evaluated against exposure to various contaminants. This chapter discussed the impact of wastewater irrigation on the biological, chemical, and physical attributes of soil including pH, anions and cations, organic matter, and microbial activities. We described how potentially toxic elements (PTEs) accumulate in soil body and how they are transferred to flora and fauna. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.
Contamination removal from waste water using electrochemical approaches
(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Priya Yadav; Rahul Prasad Singh; Gurudatta Singh; Hariom Verma; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Praveen Dahiya; Ajay Kumar
Every year, a substantial amount of wastewater from industrial sources is discharged into the environment. To combat this pollution, a variety of techniques are employed for wastewater treatment. Among these methods is electrocoagulation (EC), which utilizes electrochemical reactions to generate coagulant substances on-site by dissolving sacrificial anodes typically made of iron or aluminum. By applying an electric current, EC effectively disrupts and removes suspended, dissolved, or emulsified pollutants. It holds great potential for eliminating a broad spectrum of contaminants, encompassing both organic and inorganic substances, from diverse wastewater types. The efficiency of the EC process depends on multiple parameters, including pH, electrode choice, operation duration, and current density. Nonetheless, EC encounters two primary challenges: electrode passivation and energy consumption. Despite these challenges, EC demonstrates advantages over conventional methods, such as decreased energy requirements and lower operational costs. © 2024 Elsevier Inc.
Cyanobacteria and salinity stress tolerance
(Elsevier, 2022) Rahul Prasad Singh; Priya Yadav; Reena Kujur; Kapil Deo Pandey; Rajan Kumar Gupta
Cyanobacteria are primitive oxygenic photoautotrophic organisms called blue-green algae, which are found in all types of habitat. Due to their evolutionary history, a cyanobacterium with a cosmopolitan distribution ranges from saline soils to coastal swamps. Both the heterocystous and nonheterocystous cyanobacteria differently feature under high salinity stress. High salt concentration during stress reduces the water availability inside cytosol and increases the amount of inorganic ions. The hypersaline condition affects the cyanobacterial growth, photosynthesis, plasma membrane composition, and alteration of several other biochemical reactions. High salinity causes both osmotic and ionic stress, which causes oxidative damages. The generation of an antioxidative defense system could mitigate this, and cyanobacterial cell also has several defense mechanisms to acclimate under high salinity stress. Most of the work has focused on several specific salinity-sensing mechanisms and the identification of numerous proteins forming under salt stress. However, this chapter summarizes the adaptive mechanism of the cyanobacterial cell under salt tolerance and their bioreclamation properties for salt-affected soil will help in remediation of reconstructing green agriculture and promote the sustainable development of human society. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Cyanobacteria as a Biocontrol Agent
(Springer International Publishing, 2022) Priya Yadav; Rahul Prasad Singh; Arun Kumar Patel; K.D. Pandey; Rajan Kumar Gupta
Cyanobacteria, one of the least investigated microbes, may synthesize and generate a significant number of antimicribial secondary metabolites. As they are ubiquitous in distribution and present in all possible habitats, cyanobacteria have developed several mechanisms to survive in various extreme habitats. Also, they are compatible biocatalysts, and they can be used in the field of “white biotechnology” for increasing the sustainable manufacture of nutraceutical and pharmaceutical compounds as novel drugs and also as clean energy sources such as biodiesel and hydrogen. Cyanobacteria are known as a mother of wide categories of secondary metabolites with different biological activities, i.e., antibacterial, antitumoral, antiviral, antifungal, antialgal, antimalarial, antiinflammatory, and anticancer properties. In this chapter, we try to uncover the application of various metabolites like phytols, free fatty acids, exopolysaccharides, phenolics, terpenoids, phytoene, sterols, carotenoids, MAAs, scytonemin, phytohormones, cyanotoxins, biocides (algicides, fungicides, bactericides, and insecticides), etc. and its various applications. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.
Cyanobacterial photosynthetic reaction center in wobbly light: Modulation of light energy by orange carotenoid proteins (OCPs)
(Elsevier, 2022) Rahul Prasad Singh; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Ajay Kumar; Arpan Modi; Avinash Chandra Rai; Sandip Ghuge; Anil Kumar; Mukesh Kumar Yadav; Punuri Jayasekhar Babu; Prashant Kumar Singh; Garima Singh; Kaushalendra; Naveen Chandra Joshi; Avinash Singh; Wenjing Wang
High irradiance and fluctuating light boons substantial risk to photosynthetic life forms by summoning responsive oxygen species (ROS). To bear the high irradiance level, plants, algae, and cyanobacteria have developed mechanisms to diminution the energy hitting at reaction centers to protect it from high irradiance by a photo-defensive system. In cyanobacteria, these photoprotection systems reduce the light energy arriving at the reaction centers by reducing photosynthesis and enhancing thermal energy dissipation at the level of the phycobilisome (PB), the extra-membranous light-harvesting antenna. Fluorescence recovery proteins (FRPs) and orange carotenoid proteins (OCPs) alluded to as essential elements for this mechanism by nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ). Initially, cyanobacteria were considered not to fit for performing NPQ, and the last shreds of evidence advocated NPQ as a crucial and primary photoprotective tool. OCP comprises two domains, (1) N-terminal domain (NTD) and (2) C-terminal domain (CTD), with a solitary carotenoid as a chromophore traversing evenly in the two areas. Blue-green or high irradiance light actuates the transformation of OCP from a dormant orange state (OCPO) to a dynamic red state (OCPR). Dynamic OCP (OCPR) ties to the center of the light-harvesting antenna complex, phycobilisomes (PBs), extinguishes fluorescence, and aids dispersal abundance energy’s nonradiative pathway. OCP-intervened photoprotection mechanism effectively managed by FRP by accelerating the OCP transformation of active OCP (OCPR) to the resting state (OCPO) under light-limiting conditions. However, numerous inquiries concerning the working of FRP have stayed dubious. This chapter summarizes the current information and comprehension of the FRP and OCP in cyanobacterial photoprotection and the possibilities of exploiting these systems for plant resilience to high irradiance. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
ENDOPHYTIC BACTERIAL STRAINS FROM CURCUMA AMADA RHIZOME: BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND PLANT GROWTH PROMOTING TRAITS ANALYSIS
(Prof (Dr.) P. R. Yadav, 2025) Diksha Joshi; Monika M. Singh; Rahul Prasad Singh; Priyvrat Singh Chauhan; Nikunaj Bhardwaj; Ajay Kumar
Curcuma amada Roxb. commonly referred as mango ginger is a promising herb, frequently used in the traditional medical system due to their broad pharmacological activity. In this study, endophytic bacterial strains were isolated from rhizome of Curcuma amada. All these endophytic bacterial strains were characterized and designated as Bacillus species CA1, Bacillus subtilis CA2, Pseudomonas aeruginosa CA11 and Pseudomonas sp. CA13 on the basis of biochemical or molecular rRNA gene sequence analysis. All these four strains showed some differential response during the biochemical test and plant growth promoting traits analysis. All strains showed positive response during the Catalase, Glucose, Sucrose and Starch hydrolysis test. However, for the Maltose, Mannose strains showed differential response. The strain P. aeruginosa CA11 synthesized higher amount (42.34±2.67 µg ml-1) of IAA production while minimum was recorded in B. subtilis (32.65 µg ml-1). All the strains showed phosphate solublization and siderophore activity. Similarly, during salinity stress tolerance test, P. aeruginosa CA11 showed highest tolerance of 8% and Bacillus sp. showed lowest of 5% of NaCl level. The study showed that these strains especially P. aeruginosa CA11 can be used as microbial biofertlizers during the normal and salinity stress conditions. © 2025, Prof (Dr.) P. R. Yadav. All rights reserved.
Endophytic fungi: diversity and their relevance in sustainable agriculture
(Elsevier, 2024) Sunil Kumar; Yashoda Nandan Tripathi; Vaishali Shukla; Rahul Prasad Singh; Ajay Kumar; Ram Sanmukh Upadhyay
The extensive use of chemicals to increase agriculture productivity has disturbed the delicate ecological balance, resulting in pathogen resistance and health risks for other living beings, including humans. A growing interest has been shown in finding eco-friendly and safe ways to increase sustainable agriculture productivity. Fungal endophytes are a significant component of plant micro-ecosystems and have been found in many plant species. They solubilize insoluble phosphates and produce plant growth-promoting hormones, including auxins, cytokinins, and gibberellins. Fungal endophytes are common in many plant species and are an important component of plant micro-ecosystems. Fungal endophytes are an important component of plant micro-ecosystems and have been found in a wide range of plant species. They dissolve insoluble phosphates and produce plant growth hormones such as auxins, cytokinins, and gibberellins. Because of the beneficial activities of fungal endophytes, research on the plant–fungus relationship has increased dramatically in recent years. Recently, genetically modified endophytes were used by researchers to improve plant productivity and defensive properties. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Enhancing Biocrust Development and Plant Growth through Inoculation of Desiccation-Tolerant Cyanobacteria in Different Textured Soils
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2023) Priya Yadav; Rahul Prasad Singh; Abeer Hashem; Elsayed Fathi Abd_Allah; Gustavo Santoyo; Ajay Kumar; Rajan Kumar Gupta
In recent years, there has been a burgeoning interest in the utilization of cyanobacteria for the purpose of land rehabilitation via enhancements in soil fertility, prevent erosion, and counter desertification. This study evaluated the ability of Nostoc calcicola BOT1, Scytonema sp. BOT2, and their consortia to form biocrusts on the substrate of coarse sand, fine sand, and loamy soil. A nutrient- and water-deficient substrate was inoculated with cyanobacteria to facilitate biocrust formation and evaluate their impact on agriculture. Cyanobacteria inoculation resulted in significant improvements in soil fertility, especially in coarse and fine sand, which initially had the lowest fertility. The findings of this investigation underscore that the consortium of cyanobacteria exhibited greater efficacy than individual strains in enhancing soil fertility and stimulating plant growth. The loamy soil treated with the consortium had the highest plant growth across all soil types, in contrast to the individual strains. The consortium of cyanobacteria showed promising results in promoting biocrust formation and fostering rice seedling growth in fine sand. This study provides empirical evidence supporting the potential utility of cyanobacterial consortia as a valuable tool for the rehabilitation of degraded land. Furthermore, the results indicate that cyanobacterial species can persist in soil environments even following prolonged periods of desiccation. © 2023 by the authors.
Enhancing lipid productivity in microalgae: Novel approaches for sustainable biofuel production
(Elsevier, 2025) Rahul Prasad Singh; Priya Yadav; Indrajeet Anil Kumar; Manoj Kumar Solanki; Ajay Kumar; Rajan Kumar G. Gupta
Global energy consumption is increasing due to rising global population and higher energy demands in modern society. Algal biofuel production is a promising source of sustainable and renewable energy. The commercialization of algal biofuel production faces challenges, such as high production costs and difficulties in scaling up the process. Several novel approaches have been developed to overcome the hurdles and make algal biofuel production more cost-effective and scalable. This study primarily aims to examine the novel approaches being explored to reduce the cost and scale up algal biofuel production. Various novel approaches have been demonstrated to enhance the cultivation of microalgae with high lipid production, such as algal strain selection, integrated algal cultivation systems, co-cultivation and consortia systems, nutrient recycling, genetic engineering, and automation and monitoring. Continued research and technological advancements in these areas have the potential to make algal biofuels more economically competitive with conventional fossil fuels. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Impact of dehydration on the physiochemical properties of Nostoc calcicola BOT1 and its untargeted metabolic profiling through UHPLC-HRMS
(Frontiers Media SA, 2023) Priya Yadav; Rahul Prasad Singh; Hissah Abdulrahman Alodaini; Ashraf Atef Hatamleh; Gustavo Santoyo; Ajay Kumar; Rajan Kumar Gupta
The global population growth has led to a higher demand for food production, necessitating improvements in agricultural productivity. However, abiotic and biotic stresses pose significant challenges, reducing crop yields and impacting economic and social welfare. Drought, in particular, severely constrains agriculture, resulting in unproductive soil, reduced farmland, and jeopardized food security. Recently, the role of cyanobacteria from soil biocrusts in rehabilitating degraded land has gained attention due to their ability to enhance soil fertility and prevent erosion. The present study focused on Nostoc calcicola BOT1, an aquatic, diazotrophic cyanobacterial strain collected from an agricultural field at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. The aim was to investigate the effects of different dehydration treatments, specifically air drying (AD) and desiccator drying (DD) at various time intervals, on the physicochemical properties of N. calcicola BOT1. The impact of dehydration was assessed by analyzing the photosynthetic efficiency, pigments, biomolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, osmoprotectants), stress biomarkers, and non-enzymatic antioxidants. Furthermore, an analysis of the metabolic profiles of 96-hour DD and control mats was conducted using UHPLC-HRMS. Notably, there was a significant decrease in amino acid levels, while phenolic content, fatty acids, and lipids increased. These changes in metabolic activity during dehydration highlighted the presence of metabolite pools that contribute to the physiological and biochemical adjustments of N. calcicola BOT1, mitigating the impact of dehydration to some extent. Overall, present study demonstrated the accumulation of biochemical and non-enzymatic antioxidants in dehydrated mats, which could be utilized to stabilize unfavorable environmental conditions. Additionally, the strain N. calcicola BOT1 holds promise as a biofertilizer for semi-arid regions. Copyright © 2023 Yadav, Singh, Alodaini, Hatamleh, Santoyo, Kumar and Gupta.
Impact of rainfall variability on the ecophysiology of Hyptis suaveolens: a study in the constructed tropical grassland
(Springer, 2020) Talat Afreen; Vartika Singh; Vinod Kumar Yadav; Rahul Prasad Singh; Hema Singh
Hyptis suaveolens is considered one of the most potent invaders in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh, India. Climate change especially precipitation variability along with invasion has enormous consequences. To understand how an invasive plant (H. suaveolens) performs and interacts with precipitation variability, particularly in tropical monsoon climate, is vital. To assess the above, three rainout shelters with simulated rainfall of 1600 mm (60% more rainfall than ambient), 1100 mm (average rainfall) and 800 mm (20% less rainfall than ambient) along with one unsheltered plot (open C) were established. Three invaded grassland (IG) and three uninvaded grasslands (NIG) patches of 1 × 1 m2 size were established randomly in each sheltered and unsheltered plot. Among the studied physiological properties and growth measurements, photosynthetic rate, height, diameter and biomass varied significantly with precipitation, in general, the maximum value of these in plots receiving maximum precipitation. Also, the aboveground biomass of H. suaveolens was found to be more sensitive towards precipitation treatment than belowground biomass. H. suaveolens biomass was linearly related to soil moisture (R2 = 0.73), and a linear combination of SM and soil pH increased the R2 value by 19%. The results indicate that H. suaveolens mediates certain soil properties especially related to N-mineralisation, to maintain a constant supply of nutrient, for faster growth under the favourable condition of enhanced precipitation. These findings suggest that the population of H. suaveolens has not evolved drought tolerance, so it is likely that H. suaveolens will not spread in the part of the world which is drier either naturally or due to climate change. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
Mechanisms of Stress Tolerance in Cyanobacteria under Extreme Conditions
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2022) Priya Yadav; Rahul Prasad Singh; Shashank Rana; Diksha Joshi; Dharmendra Kumar; Nikunj Bhardwaj; Rajan Kumar Gupta; Ajay Kumar
Cyanobacteria are oxygen-evolving photoautotrophs with worldwide distribution in every possible habitat, and they account for half of the global primary productivity. Because of their ability to thrive in a hostile environment, cyanobacteria are categorized as “extremophiles”. They have evolved a fascinating repository of distinct secondary metabolites and biomolecules to promote their development and survival in various habitats, including severe conditions. However, developing new proteins/enzymes and metabolites is mostly directed by an appropriate gene regulation system that results in stress adaptations. However, only few proteins have been characterized to date that have the potential to improve resistance against abiotic stresses. As a result, studying environmental stress responses to post-genomic analysis, such as proteome changes using latest structural proteomics and synthetic biology techniques, is critical. In this regard, scientists working on these topics will benefit greatly from the stress of proteomics research. Progress in these disciplines will aid in understanding cyanobacteria’s physiology, biochemical, and metabolic systems. This review summarizes the most recent key findings of cyanobacterial proteome study under various abiotic stresses and the application of secondary metabolites formed during different abiotic conditions. © 2022 by the authors.
Mechanistic approaches and factors regulating microalgae mediated heavy metal remediation from the aquatic ecosystem
(Elsevier B.V., 2023) Kapil D. Pandey; Sandeep Kumar Singh; Livleen Shukla; Vineet Kumar Rai; Rahul Prasad Singh; Priya Yadav; Rajan Kumar Gupta; Prashant Kumar Singh; Kaushalendra; Ajay Kumar
Heavy metal is considered to be most lethal and toxic when entered in food chain along with terrestrial aquatic system. The waste water is an important source of deposition of heavy metals or toxic elements in the aquatic ecosystem, Hence remediation becomes very important for the survivality of living organisms present in the aquatic ecosystem. Microalga technology plays vital role in heavy metal remediation from the aquatic ecosystem as microalgae dominates over other biological organism and other traditional method to detoxify heavy metals in an eco-friendly manner. The remediated heavy metals are taken up by the microalgae as a nutrient source, which helps in producing biomass which is valorize into different forms of energy as world is facing immense energy crises, so microalgae is considered to be alternative form of fossil fuel which helps in overcoming energy crisis by producing different type of biofuel. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.