Browsing by Author "Seema Devi"

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Biotechnological approaches in mitigating climate variability and anthropogenic factors
(Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2023) Riddha Dey; Surya Prakash Dube; Seema Devi; Richa Raghuwanshi
Rapid climate change and harsh anthropogenic activities have affected the ecosystem beyond resilience. Human-natural systems interference has brought about a large number of negative impacts across the continents, which includes the rise in the sea level, biodiversity loss, altered ecosystem; structure and function, and human livelihoods. Many species have got extinct and many are listed as endangered. To protect them and restore the balance of the environment, it is crucial to sensitize humans and encourage the applications of biotechnological tools in ecosystem restoration. The interference of biotechnology in agriculture has helped in developing climate-resilient crops. The techniques like genetic engineering, meta-omics, and CRISPR Cas9 are some of the promising conservation technologies that are commercially affordable, reproducible, and need to be implemented at the pilot level. This chapter may help in representing possible approaches to improve adaptive capacity as well as restoration of the ecosystem. It deals with various effects of anthropogenic activities and climate changes on different ecosystems like the Himalayan ecosystem, desert ecosystem, terrestrial ecosystem, and aquatic ecosystem. It also focuses on the biotechnological techniques which can be used to diminish biodiversity loss and help restore the ecological balance. © 2023 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Himalayan botanical mediated elicitation regulates wheat growth through secondary metabolites and hormonal signalling
(Elsevier Ltd, 2025) Seema Devi; Yashoda Nandan Tripathi; Richa Raghuwanshi
Plants as a resource of novel elicitors capable of inhibiting pathogen and promoting crop growth are gaining significant attention. Himalayan plants (Colebrookea oppositifolia, Digitalis purpurea and Rumex hastatus), well documented for their pharmacological value and antimicrobial properties were studied for their growth promoting potentials on wheat. Methanolic crude extract obtained from leaf samples of the selected Himalayan plants were applied on wheat through seed priming and foliar spray method. Morphological parameters selected for phyto-stimulatory assessment of treatments were germination percent, shoot length, root length, seedling fresh weight and dry weight, vigour index, stem thickness and root volume, where significant improvements were recorded. Biochemical changes in response to treatment measured were photosynthetic pigments, total phenolic and flavonoid content, osmolytes and antioxidant activity. Wheat plants showed an increment in all the parameters after treatment with botanicals. The growth-promoting potentials of the selected botanicals were further evaluated for quantifying endogenous phytohormone (IAA and GA) levels in wheat through High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Increased expression of hormones was recorded in wheat, which was treatment specific. Wheat stems examined through transverse sections showed increased lignification around the vascular tissue and hypodermis. This study represents the first documented investigation into the growth-promoting effects of selected botanicals on wheat, providing novel insights into their potential as biostimulants. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd
Implications and adaptive responses in Avena sativa towards rhizospheric bacteria under drought stress
(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Sandeep Kumar Gupta; Riddha Dey; Seema Devi; Richa Raghuwanshi
Water deficiency is one of the major abiotic stress conditions that decrease the yields of crops by affecting various metabolic processes in plants. The current state of food security has been alarmingly affected by these circumstances. Consequently, biological approaches to the issue can be implemented while taking into account their positive effects on the environment. The goal of the current work was to obtain rhizospheric bacterial strains possessing stress tolerance abilities, suitable to use as potent plant growth regulator under drought. For this purpose, bacterial strains were isolated from rhizospheric zone of different drought exposed plants and their putative plant growth-promoting attributes were analyzed by morphological and biochemical studies. Among the 30 isolates obtained, the best three drought tolerant and plant growth-promoting strains were selected and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing as Enterobacter cloacae-BHUSR1 (MG913373), Serratia marcescens-BHUSR2 (MG913374) and Klebsiella aerogenes-BHUSR3 (MG913375). These bacterial strains were good EPS, IAA, ammonia and siderophores producers as well as nutrient (K, Zn, P) solubilizers. The selected strains were used for biopriming Avena sativa seeds which were further exposed to water stress (5 days) in a completely randomized design to check the bacterial effect on plant growth. Water stress caused a significant alteration in growth, protein and chlorophyll content of Avena sativa. However, biopriming improved the physiological conditions of the oat plants by increasing the osmolytes (proline, phenol and sugar) under water deficient conditions. This technique was even helpful in augmenting the plants antioxidant levels, as high catalase activity was observed in oat after biopriming. It can be concluded from the study that bacterial seed biopriming can be a helpful tool in overcoming drought effects, as it regulates the plants physiological response towards stress with Klebsiella aerogenes-BHUSR3 being an efficient plant growth promoter in water deficient soils. © 2024 The Authors
Pseudomonas gessardii suppresses Xanthomonas vesicatoria through 4-Dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid interference with virulence proteins
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2025) Riddha Dey; Seema Devi; Jay Kishor Prasad; Jatin Jangra; Rajnish Kumar; Richa Raghuwanshi
Endophytic bacteria reside asymptomatically inside host plant tissues and have the potential to protect the host plant from phytopathogens and enhance plant immunity. Exploration of the biocontrol mechanism of these beneficial bacteria can assure the development of eco-friendly pesticides for the effective management of phytopathogens. In our study, the isolated endophytic bacteria examined for its antimicrobial potential was identified as Pseudomonas gessardii strain RRBHU-1 based on 16 S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The crude extract containing the secondary metabolites from the P. gessardii strain RRBHU-1 demonstrated antagonistic activity against Xanthomonas vesicatoria, the causal organism of bacterial leaf spot disease in tomato plants. X. vesicatoria when treated with the RRBHU-1 extract showed disruption of the cell membrane, significant ROS production, and substantial antibiofilm activity. The extract separated through TLC and RP-HPLC and characterized using FT-IR, NMR, and HRAMS, and was identified as 4-Dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (4-DBSA). This study is the first report on the presence of 4-DBSA in the Pseudomonas genera. In silico studies revealed stable interactions and high binding energies of 4-DBSA and the proteins directly involved in Xanthomonas virulence. This study suggests the possible utilization of P. gessardii strain RRBHU-1 as biopesticides against X. vesicatoria, encompassing sustainable agricultural practices. (Figure presented.) © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2025.
The potential of Burkholderia sp. in meeting the goals of sustainable agriculture
(Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2023) Richa Raghuwanshi; Seema Devi; Surya Prakash Dube
Interest in sustainable approaches to biological control of plant pathogens and plant-growth augmentation has been driven by environmental and public concerns. Burkholderia sp., a diverse and adaptable bacterial genus is an incredibly versatile Ggram-negative genus with over 120 species. Burkholderia, a phylogenetically coherent genus wellrecognized in agricultural applications are often isolated from infected patients as well. Recent studies have demonstrated that the pH of the soil has a significant impact on its biogeographic range. Burkholderia sp. exhibiting laccase activity is beneficial for the survival of the strain in phenol-rich environments. Burkholderia is an important bacterial species that directly promotes plant growth by phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, phytohormone production and indirectly by producing antibiotics and siderophores, inhibiting phytopathogens in diverse crops. It is also well-known for its bioremediation, biopesticidal activities as well. The genus holds potential in producing multiple antibiotics by quorum sensing, a cell-density-dependent regulatory mechanism. The inhibitory metabolites produced by Burkholderia including pyrrolnitrin, phenylpyrroles, altericidin A, altericidin B, altericidin C, bacteriocins, and a novel lipopeptide are active against diverse organisms, including the plant parasitic nematode, bacteria, and several important soil-borne plant-pathogenic fungi. The goal of sustainable agriculture is to develop efficient, biological systems that don't need high levels of material inputs. Healthy soil is an important component of sustainability and Burkholderia sp. holds immense possibilities to enhance and protect the productivity of the soil. The multifaceted roles exhibited by Burkholderia sp. in attaining the sustainable agricultural practices are dealt in detail in the present chapter. © 2023 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.