Browsing by Author "Vishnu D. Rajput"

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A Dual Therapeutic Approach to Diabetes Mellitus via Bioactive Phytochemicals Found in a Poly Herbal Extract by Restoration of Favorable Gut Flora and Related Short-Chain Fatty Acids
(Springer, 2024) Amit Kumar Singh; Pradeep Kumar; Sunil Kumar Mishra; Vishnu D. Rajput; Kavindra Nath Tiwari; Anand Kumar Singh; Tatiana Minkina; Ajay Kumar Pandey; Prabhat Upadhyay
Diabetes mellitus (DM), a metabolic and endocrine condition, poses a serious threat to human health and longevity. The emerging role of gut microbiome associated with bioactive compounds has recently created a new hope for DM treatment. UHPLC-HRMS methods were used to identify these compounds in a poly herbal ethanolic extract (PHE). The effects of PHE on body weight (BW), fasting blood glucose (FBG) level, gut microbiota, fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production, and the correlation between DM-related indices and gut microbes, in rats were investigated. Chebulic acid (0.368%), gallic acid (0.469%), andrographolide (1.304%), berberine (6.442%), and numerous polysaccharides were the most representative constituents in PHE. A more significant BW gain and a reduction in FBG level towards normal of PHE 600 mg/kg treated rats group were resulted at the end of 28th days of the study. Moreover, the composition of the gut microbiota corroborated the study’s hypothesis, as evidenced by an increased ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes and some beneficial microbial species, including Prevotella copri and Lactobacillus hamster. The relative abundance of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum, Ruminococcus bromii, and Blautia producta was found to decline in PHE treatment groups as compared to diabetic group. The abundance of beneficial bacteria in PHE 600 mg/kg treatment group was concurrently associated with increased SCFAs concentrations of acetate and propionate (7.26 nmol/g and 4.13 nmol/g). The findings of this study suggest a promising approach to prevent DM by demonstrating that these naturally occurring compounds decreased FBG levels by increasing SCFAs content and SCFAs producing gut microbiota. Graphical Abstract: Flow chart summarizing research on the dual therapeutic approach to diabetes mellitus via bioactive chemicals found in a poly herbal extract and the management of gut microbiota in relation to DM. (SCFAs, short chain fatty acids; SMB53, a genus of bacterial microbiota of small intestine; LPS, lipopolysaccharide) (Figure presented.) © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.
A review on phytotoxicity and defense mechanism of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on plants
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2023) Sumit Kumar; Prahlad Masurkar; Bana Sravani; Dipanjali Bag; Kamal Ravi Sharma; Prashant Singh; Tulasi Korra; Mukesh Meena; Prashant Swapnil; Vishnu D. Rajput; Tatiana Minkina
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are noteworthy used nanomaterials in a wide array of fields, particularly in the agricultural sector. Plants play a multifarious role in the ecosystem and provide a source of food for mankind. The responsibility of the scientific community is to recognize the deleterious impact of AgNPs (1–100 nm in size) on critical crop growth and development of plants, which is required for the assessment of environmental threats to plant, human, and animal health. The continued use of AgNPs in agriculture areas may have negative effects on plant biochemical and physiological responses. The current context focused mainly on AgNPs uptake, transport, and accumulation on crop plants and summarizes different levels of phytotoxicity of AgNPs on plant functions and focused on mechanisms of phytotoxicity employed by AgNPs. Moreover, some tolerance mechanisms and various survival strategies developed by plants under AgNPs toxicity are discussed. This background provides comprehensive information necessary to facilitate profound understanding of the toxic impacts of AgNPs on crop plants. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.
A Systematic Review on Emission, Accumulation, Mechanism, and Toxicity Perspective of Micro-Nanoplastics in the Soil–Plant Nexus
(John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2025) Priyadarshani Rajput; Pradeep Kumar; Swarnendra Banerjee; Vishnu D. Rajput; Chao Qin; Hemant Kumar; Manjeet Kumar Sah Gond; Shivangee Dubey; Ritu Rani; Saglara Sergeevna Mandzhieva; Tatiana Mikhailovna Minkina; Yanzheng Gao
The ubiquitous occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in terrestrial ecosystems has been a significant environmental issue attributable to their recalcitrance and ecotoxicological effects. This review synthesizes the state of knowledge on the contamination of the soil environment by MPs, including sources, transportation processes, adsorption onto soil components, and effects on ecological and human health. It is derived from various human activities and penetrates agricultural soils, urban soils, and natural environments. MPs notably change soil physico-chemical properties by modifying pH and porosity (~88 mg/kg). It suppresses enzymatic activity (LDPE MPs at 0.50% [w/w] β-glucosidase [~31%], urease [~14%] as well as dehydrogenase [~41%]) through adsorption and altering the soil microenvironment and disturbs biological indices of soil (~1000 mg/kg), thereby impacting nutrient cycling, soil fertility, and crop yield (PS at 50 mg L−1 in faba beans). MPs also interact, adsorb (through electrostatic binding), and co-transport heavy metals and pollutants, which increases the toxicity risk in the soil–plant system. In plants, uptake and translocation of MPs (through apoplastic, symplastic, and crack-entry pathways) are dependent on particle size, charge, and plant species. It has been documented in the edible parts, raising concerns about food safety. MPs' vertical and horizontal transfer is facilitated by soil organisms such as earthworms and insects, affecting ecological processes. Research on MNPs has risen from 2009 to 2025, emphasizing their detection in human tissues and their links to endocrine malfunction, reproductive issues, neurotoxicity, and carcinogenesis. This study highlights the immediate necessity for multidisciplinary research, sustainable plastic alternatives, and efficient mitigation strategies to protect health and ecosystems. © 2025 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
An Overview of Micronutrients: Prospects and Implication in Crop Production
(Springer International Publishing, 2020) Hanuman Singh Jatav; L. Devarishi Sharma; Rahul Sadhukhan; Satish Kumar Singh; Surendra Singh; Vishnu D. Rajput; Manoj Parihar; Surendra Singh Jatav; Dinesh Jinger; Sunil Kumar; Sukirtee
Micronutrients are important for plant growth and they significantly play an important role in balanced crop nutrition. They are vital for appropriate growth and development of plants in their entire life span. A deficiency of any one of the micronutrients in the soil can limit the growth of plants, even when all other nutrients are available in adequate amounts. The deficiency of micronutrients is widespread in many areas due to the nature of soils, high pH, low organic matter, salt stress, continuous drought, high bicarbonate content in irrigation water and imbalanced application of fertilisers. In India, the most deficient micronutrient in the soil is Zn, followed by B. In recent years, the deficiency of micronutrient has risen to a great extent. Zn and B deficiencies are focussed mainly for their adverse impacts on human health and food production. This chapter attempts to examine the defects of Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu, B and Mo deficiency in the soil and crops as well as the management of micronutrient deficiencies by way of fertilisation, development of agronomic strategies and creation of awareness of micronutrient dose. Deficiencies of Zn and B cause some severe complications in crop production in India. In view of the problems, we discuss the importance of micronutrients in agriculture and their roles and ways to improve crop productivity. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.
Application of Nano-Biochar to Improve Soil Quality and Sustainability
(Apple Academic Press, 2025) Shreni Agrawal; Pradeep Harish Kumar; Richa Das; Amit Kumar Singh; Praveen Kumar Shukla; Pooja Verma; Vishnu D. Rajput; Indrani Bhattacharya; Sunil Kumar Mishra; Kavindra Nath Tiwari
The Green Revolution has been beneficial in promoting the growth of human civilization, but it has also degraded the soil, destroyed biodiversity, and accelerated climate change. Advanced nanomaterials, including nano-biochar, have provided prolonged solutions for a wide range of current challenges. Nano-biochar is a specialized form of biochar with a structural size on the nanometer scale featuring better morphological and physiochemical properties. Nano-BC application improves soil qualities, making it better suited for plant growth and development. By enhancing soil porosity, resistivity, and water-holding capacities—all crucial for sustaining soil activity—Nano-BC offers an ideal soil habitat for bacteria. Biomass is pyrolyzed to produce the bulk parent biochar, which is then mechanically processed using various milling methods to generate nano-biochar. Different types of nano-biochar, such as biochar nanocomposites, magnetic nano-biochar, functional nanoparticles coated nano-biochar, and colloidal biochar, have greater environmental applications than normal biochar, such as improving plant growth, removing pesticides from soil, adding fertilizer, microbial growth, and managing disease. A large surface area, high degree of crystallinity, high nutritional quality, and good chemical group concentrations are a few of the distinctive characteristics of nano-biochar. The features of biochar basically depend on biomaterials that were utilized and the pyrolysis circumstances, with its distinctiveness resting on its large specific surface area and a constant source of carbon, which predispose to superior crop responses and soil health. These chapters discuss the production, types, and various applications of nano-biochar, as well as their significant contributions to agriculture, particularly in soil development. © 2025 by Apple Academic Press, Inc.
Appraisal on accumulation of nanoenabled agrochemicals in plants with subsequent morphophysiological implications
(Elsevier, 2024) Pradeep Kumar; Kajal Singh; Amit Kumar Singh; Nancy Singh; Sakshi Singh; Vishnu D. Rajput; Tatiana Minkina; Sunil Kumar Mishra; Kavindra Nath Tiwari
The use of agricultural goods that are nanoenabled with nanotechnology, including nanoemulsions, nanoherbicides, nanofertilizers, and nanopesticides, to enhance the efficacy of agrochemical distribution to crop plants has become a more practical option. Many experiments have shown that the use of nanoagrochemicals has the efficacy of lowering the negative effects of chemical-derived fertilizer on the natural environment, in addition to significantly boosting crop yield. Still, new evidence suggests that goods made using nanotechnology not only have the ability to boost agricultural productivity but also bring about changes to the condition of the crop. There have been reports of variations in the amount of carbohydrates, amino acids, and starch present, in addition to the necessary metals. The levels of verbi gratia, albumin, globulin, and prolamin have dramatically increased in rice that has been subjected to CeO2-engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), whereas the levels of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus have risen in different crops that received treatments treated with CeO2, CuO, and ZnO ENPs. On the other hand, researchers found that Mo and Ni levels dropped in both cucumbers and kidney beans after they were treated with synthetic nanoparticles made of CeO2 and ZnO, respectively. However, brief studies on the particular effects of nanoenabled agrochemical in agricultural area have been disscussed. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Arsenic remediation through sustainable phytoremediation approaches
(MDPI, 2021) Sudhakar Srivastava; Anurakti Shukla; Vishnu D. Rajput; Kundan Kumar; Tatiana Minkina; Saglara Mandzhieva; Antonina Shmaraeva; Penna Suprasanna
Arsenic contamination of the environment is a serious problem threatening the health of millions of people exposed to arsenic (As) via drinking water and crops grown in contaminated areas. The remediation of As-contaminated soil and water bodies needs to be sustainable, low-cost and feasible to apply in the most affected low-to-middle income countries, like India and Bangladesh. Phytoremediation is an aesthetically appreciable and successful approach that can be used for As decontamination with use of the best approach(es) and the most promising plant(s). However, phytoremediation lacks the required speed and sometimes the stress caused by As could diminish plants’ potential for remediation. To tackle these demerits, we need augment plants’ potential with appropriate technological methods including microbial and nanoparticles applications and genetic modification of plants to alleviate the As stress and enhance As accumulation in phytoremediator plants. The present review discusses the As phytoremediation prospects of soil and water bodies and the usefulness of various plant systems in terms of high biomass, high As accumulation, bioenergy potential, and economic utility. The potential and prospects of assisted phytoremediation approaches are also presented. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Artificial night light alters ecosystem services provided by biotic components
(Akademiai Kiado ZRt., 2021) Rajesh K. Singhal; Jyoti Chauhan; Hanuman S. Jatav; Vishnu D. Rajput; Gopal S. Singh; Bandana Bose
The global catastrophe of natural biodiversity and ecosystem services are expedited with the growing human population. Repercussions of artificial light at night ALAN are much wider, as it varies from unicellular to higher organism. Subsequently, hastened pollution and over exploitation of natural resources accelerate the expeditious transformation of climatic phenomenon and further cause global biodiversity losses. Moreover, it has a crucial role in global biodiversity and ecosystem services losses via influencing the ecosystem biodiversity by modulating abundance, number and aggregation at every levels as from individual to biome levels. Along with these affects, it disturbs the population, genetics and landscape structures by interfering inter- and intra-species interactions and landscape formation processes. Furthermore, alterations in normal light/dark (diurnal) signalling disrupt the stable physiological, biochemical, and molecular processes and modulate the regulating, cultural and provisioning ecosystem services and ultimately disorganize the stable ecosystem structure and functions. Moreover, ALAN reshapes the abiotic component of the ecosystem, and as a key component of global warming via producing greenhouse gases via emitting light. By taking together the above facts, this review highlights the impact of ALAN on the ecosystem and its living and non-living components, emphasizing to the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem. Further, we summarize the means of minimizing strategies of ALAN in the environment, which are very crucial to reduce the further spread of night light contamination in the environment and can be useful to minimize the drastic impacts on the ecosystem. © 2021, Akadémiai Kiadó Zrt.
Assessment of Heavy Metal Distribution and Health Risk of Vegetable Crops Grown on Soils Amended with Municipal Solid Waste Compost for Sustainable Urban Agriculture
(MDPI, 2023) Pallavi Bhardwaj; Rajesh Kumar Sharma; Abhishek Chauhan; Anuj Ranjan; Vishnu D. Rajput; Tatiana Minkina; Saglara S. Mandzhieva; Usha Mina; Shikha Wadhwa; Prakash Bobde; Ashutosh Tripathi
Rapid urbanization is one of the key factors that leads to defragmentation and the shrinking of agricultural land. It further leads to the generation of an ample amount of municipal waste. Several technologies have emerged in the past for its utilization, and in this regard, composting is one of the conventional approaches gaining popularity in modern agriculture. To overcome the possible criticality of intense urbanization, the concept of urban agriculture is taking shape. Municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) has been popularly explored for the soil amendments and nutritional requirements of crops. With this, the assessment of soil pollution (due to the heavy metals presently found in MSWC) is a required step for its safe application in agriculture. The present study aims at assessing the utilization of MSWC (in different ratios) to amend the soil and its impact on the growth and yield of brinjal (Solanum melongena), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus). The study also explored the uptake of heavy metals by plants and their risk to human consumption. The findings suggested that MSWC amendments upgraded the physio-chemical properties of soil, including organic matter (OM) and micronutrients, and increased the heavy metal concentrations in soil. Heavy metal analysis underlined the presence of several heavy metals both in soil and crops. Total metal concentration in soil increased with increased MSWC dosage. Concerning metal uptake by crop plants, 25% of MSWC was found to impart metal concentrations within permissible values in edible parts of crops. On the contrary, 50%, 75%, and 100% compost showed higher metal concentrations in the crops. A Health Risk Index (HRI) of less than 1 was found to be associated with soil amended with 25% MSWC. Our study implies that MSWC significantly improved the growth and yield of crops, and it can be considered an alternative to chemical fertilizer but only in a safer ratio (≤25%). However, further studies are required, especially on field conditions to validate the findings regarding metal accumulation. © 2023 by the authors.
Beneficial microbiomes for bioremediation of diverse contaminated environments for environmental sustainability: present status and future challenges
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2021) Divjot Kour; Tanvir Kaur; Rubee Devi; Ashok Yadav; Manali Singh; Divya Joshi; Jyoti Singh; Deep Chandra Suyal; Ajay Kumar; Vishnu D. Rajput; Ajar Nath Yadav; Karan Singh; Joginder Singh; Riyaz Z. Sayyed; Naveen Kumar Arora; Anil Kumar Saxena
Over the past few decades, the rapid development of agriculture and industries has resulted in contamination of the environment by diverse pollutants, including heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls, plastics, and various agrochemicals. Their presence in the environment is of great concern due to their toxicity and non-biodegradable nature. Their interaction with each other and coexistence in the environment greatly influence and threaten the ecological environment and human health. Furthermore, the presence of these pollutants affects the soil quality and fertility. Physicochemical techniques are used to remediate such environments, but they are less effective and demand high costs of operation. Bioremediation is an efficient, widespread, cost-effective, and eco-friendly cleanup tool. The use of microorganisms has received significant attention as an efficient biotechnological strategy to decontaminate the environment. Bioremediation through microorganisms appears to be an economically viable and efficient approach because it poses the lowest risk to the environment. This technique utilizes the metabolic potential of microorganisms to clean up contaminated environments. Many microbial genera have been known to be involved in bioremediation, including Alcaligenes, Arthrobacter, Aspergillus, Bacillus, Burkholderia, Mucor, Penicillium, Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas, Talaromyces, and Trichoderma. Archaea, including Natrialba and Haloferax, from extreme environments have also been reported as potent bioresources for biological remediation. Thus, utilizing microbes for managing environmental pollution is promising technology, and, in fact, the microbes provide a useful podium that can be used for an enhanced bioremediation model of diverse environmental pollutants. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
Benefits of Nano-Enhanced Biochar
(Apple Academic Press, 2024) Khalil Mseddi; Vishnu D. Rajput; Tatiana Minkina; Pradeep Kumar; Faiçal Brini
Recently, biochar (BC) has received attention as a useful additive for soil, and its production has increased substantially on a worldwide scale. The synthesis of biochar occurs as a byproduct of the thermochemical process of biomasses that takes place in the absence of or with restricted access to oxygen. Applications using biochar as a component for combating pollution and climate change are quite recent. From 2014, research on the environmentally responsible production of nano-biochar (also known as nano-BC) for use in agriculture and soil has been carried out as a result of the development of nanotechnology. Micro-sized BC with diameters of less than a micrometer (μm) and up to a nanometer (nm), also known as “dissolved” and “nano-BC,” is created during the carbonization process. A recent study produced nano-BC with a diameter of less than 5 nm. In this review paper, we reported the benefits of Nano-enhanced Biochar in all use domains following the enhanced physical-chemical properties compared to bulk biochar. © 2025 by Apple Academic Press, Inc.
Biogeoaccumulation of zinc in hybrid rice (Oryza sativa L.) in an Inceptisol amended with soil zinc application and its bioavailability to human being
(Federation of Eurasian Soil Science Societies, 2022) Kiran Kumar Mohapatra; Satish Kumar Singh; Abhik Patra; Surendra Singh Jatav; Vishnu D. Rajput; Victoria Popova; Olesya Puzikova; Olga Nazarenko; Svetlana Sushkova
Soil Zn amended is an efficient agronomical Zn biofortification approach in rice. However, it is still need to know if higher rate of Zn over recommended dose can influence other essential nutrient uptake, high accumulation of Zn in soils and health risk for human consumption. This study was conducted by taking ten treatments (T1: control, T2: RDF, T3: RDF + 1.25 mg kg-1, T4: RDF + 2.5 mg kg-1, T5: RDF + 3.75 mg kg-1, T6: RDF + 5 mg kg-1, T7: RDF + 6.25 mg kg-1, T8: RDF + 7.5 mg kg-1, T9: RDF + 8.75 mg kg-1, T10: RDF + 10 mg kg-1) on hybrid rice in Zn (1.20 mg kg-1) enriched soil. The findings have shown that 6.25 mg kg-1 Zn application significantly increased crop growth and grain concentrations of N, K, Zn, Cu and Fe by 71.4, 125, 78.9, 28.5 and 2.4%, respectively. Nutrient harvest index was significantly affected by ranged between 29.1–36.4%. Application of Zn at 6.25 mg kg-1 (T7) recorded the highest Zn concentration in grain (28.2 mg kg-1) and bioavailability of the fortified Zn (2.05 mg Zn day-1). The lowest phytatic acid concentration in grain was recorded in T8 (RDF + Zn at 7.5 mg kg-1) and after that a significant increase was observed. Transfer coefficient was inversely behaving with Zn application and ranged between 6.03–18.0 grain. The average daily intake of Zn was ranged between 0.075–0.118 mg-1 kg-1 day. Across different treatments the Zn build-up factor, geo-accumulation index and soil enrichment factor was ranged between 0.98–4.90,-0.61–1.70 and 0.24–1.82, respectively in post-harvest soil. In conclusion, agronomic biofortification of Zn through soil applications at 6.25 mg Zn kg-1 was a sustainable way to improving growth and grain Zn, N, K, Cu and Fe uptake of hybrid rice to meet human recruitment. © 2022 Federation of Eurasian Soil Science Societies. All rights reserved.
Biological nitrification inhibition for sustainable crop production
(Elsevier, 2021) Rahul Sadhukhan; Hanuman Singh Jatav; Suman Sen; Laimayum Devarishi Sharma; Vishnu D. Rajput; Rojeet Thangjam; Anoop Kumar Devedee; Satish Kumar Singh; Andrey Gorovtsov; Sourav Choudhury; Kiranmay Patra
[No abstract available]
Biosynthesis and beneficial effects of microbial gibberellins on crops for sustainable agriculture
(Oxford University Press, 2022) Chetan Keswani; Satyendra P. Singh; Carlos García-Estrada; Samia Mezaache-Aichour; Travis R. Glare; Rainer Borriss; Vishnu D. Rajput; Tatiana M. Minkina; Aurelio Ortiz; Estibaliz Sansinenea
Soil microbes promote plant growth through several mechanisms such as secretion of chemical compounds including plant growth hormones. Among the phytohormones, auxins, ethylene, cytokinins, abscisic acid and gibberellins are the best understood compounds. Gibberellins were first isolated in 1935 from the fungus Gibberella fujikuroi and are synthesized by several soil microbes. The effect of gibberellins on plant growth and development has been studied, as has the biosynthesis pathways, enzymes, genes and their regulation. This review revisits the history of gibberellin research highlighting microbial gibberellins and their effects on plant health with an emphasis on the early discoveries and current advances that can find vital applications in agricultural practices. © 2021 The Society for Applied Microbiology.
Coping with the challenges of abiotic stress in plants: New dimensions in the field application of nanoparticles
(MDPI AG, 2021) Vishnu D. Rajput; Tatiana Minkina; Arpna Kumari; Harish; Vipin Kumar Singh; Krishan K. Verma; Saglara Mandzhieva; Svetlana Sushkova; Sudhakar Srivastava; Chetan Keswani
Abiotic stress in plants is a crucial issue worldwide, especially heavy-metal contami-nants, salinity, and drought. These stresses may raise a lot of issues such as the generation of reactive oxygen species, membrane damage, loss of photosynthetic efficiency, etc. that could alter crop growth and developments by affecting biochemical, physiological, and molecular processes, causing a significant loss in productivity. To overcome the impact of these abiotic stressors, many strategies could be considered to support plant growth including the use of nanoparticles (NPs). However, the majority of studies have focused on understanding the toxicity of NPs on aquatic flora and fauna, and relatively less attention has been paid to the topic of the beneficial role of NPs in plants stress response, growth, and development. More scientific attention is required to understand the behavior of NPs on crops under these stress conditions. Therefore, the present work aims to comprehensively review the beneficial roles of NPs in plants under different abiotic stresses, especially heavy metals, salinity, and drought. This review provides deep insights about mechanisms of abiotic stress alleviation in plants under NP application. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
CRISPR Plants against Fungal Diseases: Methods and Applications
(CRC Press, 2025) Lara Jadhav; Richa Das; Shreni Agrawal; Indrani Bhattacharya; Pradeep Harish Kumar; Amit Kumar Singh; Vishnu D. Rajput; Tatiana Mikhailovna Minkina; Kavindra Nath Tiwari; Sunil Kumar Mishra
There is a long list of fungal pathogens that severely affect the vegetation globally. Worldwide, 10–23% of crops are lost to fungal infections every year, and an additional 10–20% is lost post-harvest. Fungi have become a global threat to food security because of their capacity to grow exponentially. Conventional methods of disease control such as breeding for resistance and the use of chemical fungicides have shortcomings in terms of sustainability and effectiveness. However, clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeat (CRISPR) plants have come to light as a significant tool in combating fungal diseases. CRISPR/CRISPR-associated (Cas) protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) is a revolutionary technology for gene editing based on an adaptive immune strategy observed in bacteria and archaea. The emergence of CRISPR technology has tremendously helped in the improvement of economically important crops because of its simplicity, cost-effectiveness, specificity, and user-friendliness. Researchers can improve the defense response of plants or stop the virulence factor expression in fungi. This chapter provides a brief summation of different methods of CRISPR technology in developing fungal disease-resistant plants. These methods involve using CRISPR technology to edit host plant genomes or by targeting fungal pathogens. We have also focused on CRISPR-mediated gene regulation methods such as CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and CRISPR activation (CRISPRa), which can help us to regulate the expression of specific genes involved in plant–fungal interaction. Another method involves a combination of RNA interference with CRISPR technology. Each method mentioned in this chapter is supported by examples of research studies conducted by different researchers and scientists. © 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Crop Nitrogen Stress Identification at Different Phenological Stages for Sorghum Using a Regional Crop Yield Estimation System (RCYES)
(Apple Academic Press, 2024) Ganesh B. Gohain; R.S. Singh; Anil Kumar Singh; Abhishek Singh; Ragini Sharma; Vishnu D. Rajput; Karen Ghazaryan
During the growth period of a crop, estimating the crop yield and other crop stresses like water and nitrogen helps the farmers, planners, policymakers, and researchers in making decisions on effective maintenance and utilization of resource input distribution, and regulation on import and export. Crop stress identification during the crop growth at different stages helps categorize potential zones and variation in production as a result of managing crops, agronomic, and climatic features. The crop’s nitrogen requirement is a crucial factor in determining the season’s crop production. It is an essential element for plant growth and development. The most important agricultural phases that can reduce production of the crop are the Leaf growing, Anthesis, and grain filling phases. Many approaches are adopted to identify crop nitrogen stress. Various users use CSM (crop simulation model) decision support system (DSS) for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) software for their study. The CERES-Sorghum CSM embedded in the DSSAT software is used to estimate crop nitrogen stress during our research. We used the developed RCYES (regional crop yield estimation system) created using Python to prepare an experimental file and simulate yield and crop nitrogen stress at the spatial resolution of 25 km in the districts of Maharashtra, India for Sorghum crop. The RCYES system has different modules. It simulates the crop model, extracts the required information, and efficiently prepares files, graphs, and maps without much human intervention. © 2025 by Apple Academic Press, Inc.
Current State of Knowledge in Diagnosis and Mitigation of Micronutrients Deficiency in Crop Production from an Indian Prospective
(Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2022) Satish Kumar Singh; Astha Pandey; Ayush Bahuguna; Kiran Kumar Mohapatra; Abhik Patra; Eetela Sathyanarayana; Hanuman Singh Jatav; Surendra Singh Jatav; Vishnu D. Rajput
Indian soils are fairly satisfactory with respect to total micronutrient content. But in spite of the relatively high total contents, micronutrient deficiencies have been frequently reported in many crops due to low levels of available micronutrients in soils. Based on the critical limits followed in different states of India, the status of the micronutrients deficiencies was assessed in different soils under the leadership of ICAR All India Coordinated Research Project on Micro- and Secondary Nutrients and Pollutant Elements in Soils and Plants (AICRP-MSPE). In addition to single micronutrient deficiencies, multimicronutrient deficiencies have emerged in different areas of the country over the years, posing a threat to the sustainability of agriculture. Various diagnostic procedures for micronutrients deficiency in soil and plants have been briefly discussed in this paper. In total 1421 field experiments were conducted on specific crops to determine the critical nutrient concentration of different micronutrients. Based on field experiments and crop response to micronutrients, generalized transition zones were worked out for different nutrients across the soil types. Various factors affecting micronutrients availability in soil and deficiency symptoms of micronutrients have been discussed along with their mitigation strategies. Hence this paper represents the current status of micronutrients in Indian soil with emerging solutions for micronutrient deficiency. © 2022 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Economic Shock and Agri-Sector: Post-COVID-19 Scenario in India
(Springer Nature, 2021) Hagera Dilnashin; Hareram Birla; Vishnu D. Rajput; Chetan Keswani; Surya P. Singh; Tatiana M. Minkina; Saglara S. Mandzhieva
The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on the human health and global economy. The food and agriculture sectors have also felt these effects. In many countries, the measures taken to curb the spread of the virus were initiated to hinder the supply of agricultural products to markets and consumers inside and outside the borders. How this impacts the food safety, nutrition, and the livelihoods of farmers, fishermen, and others working in the food supply chain depends mainly on short-, medium-, and long-term policy responses. Epidemics pose severe challenges to the food system in the short term, but they also offer an opportunity to face challenges and accelerate the transformation of the food and agricultural sectors to increase resilience. The aim of the review was to highlight the valuable insight on the impact of COVID-19 on the Indian agricultural system and rural economy, as well as potential strategies for post-pandemic recovery. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
EDCs exposure-induced alteration in the germination, growth, and physiological trait of the plant
(Elsevier, 2024) Anuj Saraswat; Shri Ram; Sonal Sharma; Rukoo Chawla; Neha Khardia; Deeksha Chauhan; Dinesh Kumar Vishwakarma; Md Basit Raza; Vishnu D. Rajput; Prithwiraj Dey; Ram Swaroop Meena; Biswaranjan Behera
Environmental health is a major concern around the world due to the exponential increase in pollutant discharges into the environment from industrial and agricultural activities. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are a broad category of natural or synthetic substances with properties that may cause endocrine disruption in an intact organism, its progeny, or (sub)populations. Everyday products such as plastics, personal care products, and cleaning agents, as well as pesticides, herbicides, and industrial chemicals, may contain EDCs. These chemicals can enter the environment through air and water pollution and can accumulate in the food chain, leading to widespread exposure in both humans and wildlife. EDCs can disturb the normal functioning of plants, humans, and animals. These compounds can enter in plant through roots and atmospheric air and hinder the activity of several enzymes and hormones. Several studies showed that EDCs have negatively affected the various physiological processes of plants such as photosynthesis, which are discussed in this chapter. To tackle the challenges posed by EDCs, numerous organizations and governments have urged for enhanced research, regulation, and public awareness of these chemicals. Certain countries have implemented legislation to limit the use of EDCs in specific products, and several manufacturers have voluntarily removed EDCs from their products. Nonetheless, further action is required to minimize exposure to EDCs and safeguard human and environmental health. In summary, EDCs are a complex and prevalent group of environmental pollutants that pose significant risks to human and wildlife health. Thus this chapter will focus on how EDCs exposure induces alteration in the plant’s germination, growth, and physiological trait. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.