Silicon nanoforms in crop improvement and stress management.

Although, silicon - the second most abundant element in the earth crust could not supersede carbon (C) in the competition of being the building block of life during evolution, yet its presence has been reported in some life forms. In case of the plants, silicon has been reported widely to promote the plant growth under normal as well as stressful situations. Nanoform of silicon is now being explored for its potential to improve plant productivity and its tolerance against various stresses. Silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) in the form of nanofertilizers, nanoherbicides, nanopesticides, nanosensors and targeted delivery systems, find great utilization in the field of agriculture. However, the mechanisms underlying their uptake by plants need to be deciphered in detail. Silicon nanoformss are reported to enhance plant growth, majorly by improving photosynthesis rate, elevating nutrient uptake and mitigating reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced oxidative stress. Various studies have reported their ability to provide tolerance against a range of stresses by upregulating plant defense responses. Moreover, they are proclaimed not to have any detrimental impacts on environment yet. This review includes the up-to-date information in context of the eminent role of silicon nanoforms in crop improvement and stress management, supplemented with suggestions for future research in this field.

A comparative study of the effective response of di-potassium phosphate (K2HPO4) on physiological, biochemical and anatomical aspects of crops dwelling with zinc oxide nanoparticles toxicity.

The dipotassium phosphate (K2HPO4) is a source of phosphorus (P), which is an essential micronutrient for plant growth and reproduction and also acts as a stress alleviator against abiotic stresses. Therefore, it could also become a potential mineral to cope up with zinc oxide nanoparticles' (ZnONPs) toxicity in crops. This study primarily includes synthesis, characterization and differential toxic impacts of ZnONPs on two crop plantsThis study includes synthesis, characterization and differential toxic impacts of ZnONPs on two crop plants, i.e. Triticum aestivum and Solanum lycopersicum, as well as assuage the toxic impacts of ZnONPs through nutrient management approach implied via supplementation of P. The growth and physiological changes under toxic doses of ZnONPs and ameliorative potential of P in crop plants were examined by analysing growth, intracellular Zn accumulation, photosynthetic pigment contents, the kinetics of photosystem II (PS II) photochemistry, root cell anatomy and cell viability via histochemical staining 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and propidium iodide. ZnONPs at 500 and 1000 µM concentrations significantly affected the growth, photosynthetic pigment and PS II photochemistry and cell death in both the plants. It also caused deformation in root anatomy of T. aestivum and S. lycopersicum. Whereas supplementation of P caused significant improvement against ZnONPs stress by causing remarkable enhancement in growth, photosynthetic pigments and activity of PS II photochemistry and decreased cell death. Moreover, the study also discloses the tolerant nature of S. lycopersicum comparing with T. aestivum seedlings. Thus, P is comparatively more effective in managing the ZnONPs toxicity in S. lycopersicum than in T. aestivum.

Histochemical Techniques in Plant Science: More Than Meets the Eye.

Histochemistry is an essential analytical tool interfacing extensively with plant science. The literature is indeed constellated with examples showing its use to decipher specific physiological and developmental processes, as well as to study plant cell structures. Plant cell structures are translucent unless they are stained. Histochemistry allows the identification and localization, at the cellular level, of biomolecules and organelles in different types of cells and tissues, based on the use of specific staining reactions and imaging. Histochemical techniques are also widely used for the in vivo localization of promoters in specific tissues, as well as to identify specific cell wall components such as lignin and polysaccharides. Histochemistry also enables the study of plant reactions to environmental constraints, e.g. the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) can be traced by applying histochemical staining techniques. The possibility of detecting ROS and localizing them at the cellular level is vital in establishing the mechanisms involved in the sensitivity and tolerance to different stress conditions in plants. This review comprehensively highlights the additional value of histochemistry as a complementary technique to high-throughput approaches for the study of the plant response to environmental constraints. Moreover, here we have provided an extensive survey of the available plant histochemical staining methods used for the localization of metals, minerals, secondary metabolites, cell wall components, and the detection of ROS production in plant cells. The use of recent technological advances like CRISPR/Cas9-based genome-editing for histological application is also addressed. This review also surveys the available literature data on histochemical techniques used to study the response of plants to abiotic stresses and to identify the effects at the tissue and cell levels.

LIB spectroscopic and biochemical analysis to characterize lead toxicity alleviative nature of silicon in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings.

The responses of wheat seedling treated with silicon (Si; 10 µM) and lead (Pb; 100 µM) for 7 days have been investigated by analyzing growth, Pb uptake, chlorophyll fluorescence, oxidative stress, antioxidants and nutrients regulation. Results indicated that, Pb significantly (P<0.05) declined growth of seedlings which was accompanied by uptake of Pb. Under Pb stress, fluorescence parameters: Fv/Fm ratio and qP were significantly (P<0.05) decreased while NPQ was increased. Si addition alleviated Pb-induced decrease in growth and alterations in photosynthesis, and also significantly (P<0.05) lowered Pb uptake. Under Pb treatment, oxidative stress markers: hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation were enhanced while DPPH(•) scavenging capacity and total phenolic compounds (TPCs) were decreased significantly, however, Si addition improved the status of antioxidants. The non-protein thiols (NP-SH) showed enhanced level under Pb stress. Pb stress considerably disturbed status of the nutrients as decrease in Ca, P, Mg, Zn and Ni contents while an increase in K, S, B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Na contents were noticed. Si addition maintained status of all the nutrients remarkably. The quickest method of element analysis: LIBS spectra revealed significantly lower uptake of Pb in seedlings grown under Si and Pb combination and same was correlated with the data of AAS. Overall results pointed out that excess Pb uptake disturbed status of nutrients, photosynthetic performance, antioxidant capacity, hence severe oxidative damage to lipids occurred. Further, Si supplementation successfully regulated these parameters by inhibiting Pb uptake hence maintained growth of wheat seedlings. Similar pattern of data recorded by the LIBS, AAS and ICAP-AES confirmed that LIBS may be one of the promising and authentic tools to monitor the mineral and metal distribution in the plants without hampering or disturbing the environment due to its eco-friendly and non-invasive nature.