2,4-D mediated moderation of aluminum tolerance in Salvinia molesta D. Mitch. with regards to bioexclusion and related physiological and metabolic changes.

We examined the efficacy of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D; 500 µM) in enhancing the potential of Salvinia species for tolerance to aluminum (Al) toxicity (240 and 480 µM, seven days). Salvinia showed better efficacy in removal of toxicity of Al by sorption mechanism with changes of bond energy shifting on cell wall residues and surface structure. Plants recorded tolerance to Al concentration (480 µM) when pretreated with 2,4-D through adjustment of relative water content, proline content, osmotic potential, and improved the pigment fluorescence for energy utilization under Al stress. Photosynthetic activities with regards to NADP-malic enzyme and malic dehydrogenase and sugar metabolism with wall and cytosolic invertase activities were strongly correlated with compatible solutes. A less membrane peroxidation and protein carbonylation had reduced ionic loss over the membrane that was studied with reduced electrolyte leakage with 2,4-D pretreated plants. Membrane stabilization was also recorded with higher ratio of K+ to Na+, thereby suggesting roles of 2,4-D in ionic balance. Better sustenance of enzymatic antioxidation with peroxidase and glutathione metabolism reduced reactive oxygen species accumulation and save the plant for oxidative damages. Moreover, gene polymorphism for antioxidant, induced by 2,4-D varied through Al concentrations would suggest an improved biomarker for tolerance. Collectively, analysis and discussion of plant's responses assumed that auxin herbicide could be a potential phytoprotectant for Salvinia as well as improving the stability to Al toxicity and its bioremediation efficacy.

In previous reports, aquatic weeds, particularly, from pteridophytic flora have been exercised, however, in less frequent. Aluminum (Al) toxicity, being a major problem, specifically with respect to cultivated crops like rice and vegetables, is a serious issue in alkaline soil. In context to growth of Salvinia in the areas of low lands where few important crops like rice are frequently cultivated. Therefore, Al toxicity with regards to rice cultivation in low land conditions, which is habitat for Salvinia, could be interesting. Thus, decontamination of low land for salinity with aquatic environment can be remediated with biological materials where Salvinia would be a choice. This would be something new in studies for the aquatic weeds over the existing database. Moreover, 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) being a common herbicide in agricultural field that becomes more problematic with metal toxicity is another focus for physiological responses with Salvinia. The adoption and sustainability of Salvinia against 2,4-D may highlight insights for physiological activities would be the biomarker for herbicide toxicity.

Carbon dioxide sensitization delays the postharvest ripening and fatty acids composition of Capsicum fruit by regulating ethylene biosynthesis, malic acid and reactive oxygen species metabolism.

Present study would be significant in the sustenance of quality characters for postharvest storage of Capsicum fruit with CO2-sensitization in biocompatible manner. The present experiment describes effects of CO2 sensitization on delaying postharvest ripening through physiological attributes in Capsicum fruit. The experiment was conducted with acidified bicarbonate-derived CO2 exposure for 2 h on Capsicum fruit, kept under white light at 25 °C through 7 days postharvest storage. Initially, fruits responded well to CO2 as recorded sustenance of greenness and integrity of fruit coat resolved through scanning electron micrograph. Loss of water and accumulation of total soluble solids were marginally increased on CO2-sensitized fruit as compared to non-sensitized (control) fruit. The ethylene metabolism biosynthetic genes like CaACC synthase, CaACC oxidase were downregulated on CO2-sensitization. Accompanying ethylene metabolism cellular respiration was downregulated on CO2 induction as compared to control through 7 days of storage. Fruit coat photosynthesis decarboxylating reaction by NADP malic enzyme was upregulated to maintain the reduced carbon accumulation as recorded on 7 days of storage under the same condition. CO2-sensitization effectively reduced the lipid peroxides as oxidative stress products on ripening throughout the storage. Anti-oxidation reaction essentially downregulates the ROS-induced damages of biomolecules that otherwise are highly required for food preservation during postharvest storage. Thus, the major finding is that CO2-sensitization maintains a higher ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids in fruit coat during storage. Tissue-specific downregulation of ROS also maintained the nuclear stability under CO2 exposure. These findings provide basic as well as applied insights for sustaining Capsicum fruit quality with CO2 exposure under postharvest storage. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-024-01471-4.

Terahertz fiber link using dielectric silicon waveguide interface.

Nascent data-intensive emerging technologies are mandating low-loss, short-range interconnects, whereas existing interconnects suffer from high losses and low aggregate data throughput owing to a lack of efficient interfaces. Here, we report an efficient 22-Gbit/s terahertz fiber link using a tapered silicon interface that serves as a coupler between the dielectric waveguide and hollow core fiber. We investigated the fundamental optical properties of hollow-core fibers by considering fibers with 0.7-mm and 1-mm core diameters. We achieved a coupling efficiency of ∼ 60% with a 3-dB bandwidth of 150 GHz in the 0.3-THz band over a 10 cm fiber.

Plant Responses and Tolerance to Salt Stress: Physiological and Molecular Interventions 2.0.

Environmental problems are pervasive and significantly impact a variety of plant species, which are affected by two broad types of conditions: abiotic and biotic stress [...].

Plant Responses and Tolerance to Salt Stress: Physiological and Molecular Interventions.

Salinity is considered one of the most devastating environmental stresses that drastically curtails the productivity and quality of crops across the world [...].

Mechanistic Insights of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria Mediated Drought and Salt Stress Tolerance in Plants for Sustainable Agriculture.

Climate change has devastating effects on plant growth and yield. During ontogenesis, plants are subjected to a variety of abiotic stresses, including drought and salinity, affecting the crop loss (20-50%) and making them vulnerable in terms of survival. These stresses lead to the excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damage nucleic acid, proteins, and lipids. Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) have remarkable capabilities in combating drought and salinity stress and improving plant growth, which enhances the crop productivity and contributes to food security. PGPB inoculation under abiotic stresses promotes plant growth through several modes of actions, such as the production of phytohormones, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase, exopolysaccharide, siderophore, hydrogen cyanide, extracellular polymeric substances, volatile organic compounds, modulate antioxidants defense machinery, and abscisic acid, thereby preventing oxidative stress. These bacteria also provide osmotic balance; maintain ion homeostasis; and induce drought and salt-responsive genes, metabolic reprogramming, provide transcriptional changes in ion transporter genes, etc. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the effects of PGPB on drought and salinity stress to mitigate its detrimental effects. Furthermore, we also discuss the mechanistic insights of PGPB towards drought and salinity stress tolerance for sustainable agriculture.

Raman lidar for remote sensing of oil in water.

We describe a portable Raman lidar system that can remotely detect oil leakages in water. The system has been developed based on a frequency-doubled, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, operated at 532 nm with a receiver telescope equipped with some filters and photomultipliers. Stand-off detection of oil is achieved in a 6-m-long water tank, which allowed us to considerably increase the survey capability of subsea infrastructures, including both the range observation and target identification.

Regulation of Reactive Oxygen Species and Antioxidant Defense in Plants under Salinity.

The generation of oxygen radicals and their derivatives, known as reactive oxygen species, (ROS) is a part of the signaling process in higher plants at lower concentrations, but at higher concentrations, those ROS cause oxidative stress. Salinity-induced osmotic stress and ionic stress trigger the overproduction of ROS and, ultimately, result in oxidative damage to cell organelles and membrane components, and at severe levels, they cause cell and plant death. The antioxidant defense system protects the plant from salt-induced oxidative damage by detoxifying the ROS and also by maintaining the balance of ROS generation under salt stress. Different plant hormones and genes are also associated with the signaling and antioxidant defense system to protect plants when they are exposed to salt stress. Salt-induced ROS overgeneration is one of the major reasons for hampering the morpho-physiological and biochemical activities of plants which can be largely restored through enhancing the antioxidant defense system that detoxifies ROS. In this review, we discuss the salt-induced generation of ROS, oxidative stress and antioxidant defense of plants under salinity.

Effect of tebuconazole and trifloxystrobin on Ceratocystis fimbriata to control black rot of sweet potato: processes of reactive oxygen species generation and antioxidant defense responses.

Black rot, caused by Ceratocystis fimbriata, is one of the most destructive disease of sweet potato worldwide, resulting in significant yield losses. However, a proper management system can increase resistance to this disease. Therefore, this study investigated the potential of using tebuconazole (TEB) and trifloxystrobin (TRI) to improve the antioxidant defense systems in sweet potato as well as the inhibitory effects on the growth of and antioxidant activity in C. fimbriata. Four days after inoculating cut surfaces of sweet potato disks with C. fimbriata, disease development was reduced by different concentrations of TEB + TRI. Infection by C. fimbriata increased the levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA), and electrolyte leakage (EL), and the activity of lipoxygenase (LOX) by 138, 152, 73, and 282%, respectively, in sweet potato disks, relative to control. In the sweet potato disks, C. fimbriata reduced the antioxidant enzyme activities as well as the contents of ascorbate (AsA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) by 82 and 91%, respectively, compared with control. However, TEB + TRI reduced the oxidative damage in the C. fimbriata-inoculated sweet potato disks by enhancing the antioxidant defense systems. On the other hand, applying TEB + TRI increased the levels of H2O2, MDA, and EL, and increased the activity of LOX in C. fimbriata, in which the contents of AsA and GSH decreased, and therefore, inhibited the growth of C. fimbriata. These results suggest that TEB + TRI can significantly control black rot disease in sweet potato by inhibiting the growth of C. fimbriata.

Protective role of tebuconazole and trifloxystrobin in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under cadmium stress via enhancement of antioxidant defense and glyoxalase systems.

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic metal and an environmental pollutant that significantly reduces plant growth and productivity. Proper management can ameliorate dysfunction and improve the plant growth and productivity exposed to Cd. Therefore, the present study was conducted to explore the protective role of the fungicides tebuconazole (TEB) and trifloxystrobin (TRI) in helping wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Norin 61) seedlings to tolerate Cd. Five-day-old hydroponically grown seedlings were allowed to mild (0.25 mM CdCl2) and severe (0.5 mM CdCl2) Cd stress separately and with the fungicides (2.75 µM TEB + 1.0 µM TRI) for the next four days. Compared to control, the level of H2O2 in the seedlings exposed to mild and severe Cd stress alone increased by 81 and 112%, respectively. The accumulation of Cd also increased in the wheat seedlings along with declining mineral nutrients under Cd stress. The protective effect of TEB and TRI was observed with the enhancement of the antioxidant defense and methylglyoxalase systems and reduction in oxidative damage. Applying TEB and TRI reduced MDA (by 9 and 18%), EL (by 21 and 17%), MG (by 12 and 17%), and LOX activity (by 37 and 27%), respectively, relative to Cd stress alone. Cadmium uptake also decreased in the shoots (by 48 and 50%, respectively) and roots (by 23 and 25%, respectively) of the fungicide-treated wheat seedlings under mild and severe Cd stress, relative to stress alone. These results indicate the exogenous application of TEB and TRI is a promising approach to improve Cd tolerance in wheat plants. Further investigation is needed under field conditions and for other crop species to determine the Cd-tolerance induced by TEB and TRI application.

Half-Maxwell fisheye lens with photonic crystal waveguide for the integration of terahertz optics.

Currently, optics such as dielectric lenses and curved reflector dishes are commonplace in terahertz laboratories, as their functionality is of fundamental importance to the majority of applications of terahertz waves. However, such optics are typically bulky and require manual assembly and alignment. Here we seek to draw inspiration from the field of digital electronics, which underwent rapid acceleration following the advent of integrated circuits as a replacement for discrete transistors. For a comparable transition with terahertz optics, we must seek mask-oriented fabrication processes that simultaneously etch multiple interconnected integrated optics. To support this goal, terahertz beams are confined to two dimensions within a planar silicon slab, and a gradient-index half-Maxwell fisheye lens serves to launch such a slab-mode beam from a terahertz-range photonic crystal waveguide that is coupled to its focus. Both the optic and the waveguide are implemented with through-hole arrays and are fabricated in the same single-etch process. Experiments indicate that a slab-mode beam is launched with ∼86% efficiency, over a broad 3 dB bandwidth from ∼260 to ∼390 GHz, although these reported values are approximate due to obfuscation by variation that arises from reflections within the device.

Regulation of ROS Metabolism in Plants under Environmental Stress: A Review of Recent Experimental Evidence.

Various environmental stresses singly or in combination generate excess amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to oxidative stress and impaired redox homeostasis. Generation of ROS is the obvious outcome of abiotic stresses and is gaining importance not only for their ubiquitous generation and subsequent damaging effects in plants but also for their diversified roles in signaling cascade, affecting other biomolecules, hormones concerning growth, development, or regulation of stress tolerance. Therefore, a good balance between ROS generation and the antioxidant defense system protects photosynthetic machinery, maintains membrane integrity, and prevents damage to nucleic acids and proteins. Notably, the antioxidant defense system not only scavenges ROS but also regulates the ROS titer for signaling. A glut of studies have been executed over the last few decades to discover the pattern of ROS generation and ROS scavenging. Reports suggested a sharp threshold level of ROS for being beneficial or toxic, depending on the plant species, their growth stages, types of abiotic stresses, stress intensity, and duration. Approaches towards enhancing the antioxidant defense in plants is one of the vital areas of research for plant biologists. Therefore, in this review, we accumulated and discussed the physicochemical basis of ROS production, cellular compartment-specific ROS generation pathways, and their possible distressing effects. Moreover, the function of the antioxidant defense system for detoxification and homeostasis of ROS for maximizing defense is also discussed in light of the latest research endeavors and experimental evidence.

Tebuconazole and trifloxystrobin regulate the physiology, antioxidant defense and methylglyoxal detoxification systems in conferring salt stress tolerance in Triticum aestivum L.

Fungicides are widely used for controlling fungi in crop plants. However, their roles in conferring abiotic stress tolerance are still elusive. In this study, the effect of tebuconazole (TEB) and trifloxystrobin (TRI) on wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Norin 61) was investigated under salt stress. Seedlings were pre-treated for 48 h with fungicide (1.375 µM TEB + 0.5 µM TRI) and then subjected to salt stress (250 mM NaCl) for 5 days. Salt treatment alone resulted in oxidative damage and increased lipid peroxidation as evident by higher malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content. Salt stress also decreased the chlorophyll and relative water content and increased the proline (Pro) content. Furthermore, salt stress increased the dehydroascorbate (DHA) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) content while ascorbate (AsA), the AsA/DHA ratio, reduced glutathione (GSH) and the GSH/GSSG ratio decreased. However, a combined application of TEB and TRI significantly alleviated growth inhibition, photosynthetic pigments and leaf water status improved under salt stress. Application of TEB and TRI also decreased MDA, electrolyte leakage, and H2O2 content by modulating the contents of AsA and GSH, and enzymatic antioxidant activities. In addition, TEB and TRI regulated K+/Na+ homeostasis by improving the K+/Na+ ratio under salt stress. These results suggested that exogenous application of TEB and TRI rendered the wheat seedling more tolerant to salinity stress by controlling ROS and methylglyoxal (MG) production through the regulation of the antioxidant defense and MG detoxification systems.

Effective-medium-cladded dielectric waveguides for terahertz waves.

Terahertz integrated platforms with high efficiency are crucial in a broad range of applications including terahertz communications, radar, imaging and sensing. One key enabling technology is wideband interconnection. This work proposes substrate-less all-dielectric waveguides defined by an effective medium with a subwavelength hole array. These self-supporting structures are built solely into a single silicon wafer to minimize significant absorption in metals and dielectrics at terahertz frequencies. In a stark contrast to photonic crystal waveguides, the guiding mechanism is not based on a photonic bandgap but total internal reflections The waveguides are discussed in the context of terahertz communications that imposes stringent demands on performance. Experimental results show that the realized waveguides can cover the entire 260-400 GHz with single dominant modes in both orthogonal polarizations and an average measured attenuation around 0.05 dB/cm. Limited by the measurement setup, the maximum error-free data rate up to 30 Gbit/s is experimentally achieved at 335 GHz on a 3-cm waveguide. We further demonstrate the transmission of uncompressed 4K-resolution video across this waveguide. This waveguide platform promises integration of diverse active and passive components. Thus, we can foresee it as a potential candidate for the future terahertz integrated circuits, in analogy to photonic integrated circuits at optical frequencies. The proposed concept can potentially benefit integrated optics at large.

Efficient mode converter to deep-subwavelength region with photonic-crystal waveguide platform for terahertz applications.

Metallic deep-subwavelength features can aid in integration of microscopic components or strong light-matter interaction with a low-loss dielectric waveguide platform. A mode converter or coupler is required to integrate the devices. However, there is a vast difference in the physical scale and modal distribution between the deep-subwavelength structures and the dielectric waveguide platform. Here, we employ a tapered-slot mode converter to facilitate the electromagnetic wave transition from a gap width smaller than 1/100 of a wavelength (λ) to a larger-scale mode that is amenable to a terahertz (THz) silicon photonic-crystal waveguide. The mode converter is metallic, and fabricated on top of indium phosphide substrate, leading to incongruity with the modal field distribution of the silicon photonic-crystal waveguide. To mitigate this, a sandwiched structure is developed to match the symmetry of the mode of photonic-crystal waveguide, thereby facilitating efficient transfer of energy. For a proof of concept, we integrate a resonant tunneling diode (< 2 µm) as a THz detector in a photonic-crystal waveguide platform in the 0.3-THz band (λ ∼ 1 mm). The coupling efficiency is close to unity (∼90%) with broadband operation (∼50 GHz) in experiments. Thereafter, we employ the developed integrated device as a receiver in a THz communication experiment. In this manner, we successfully achieve real-time error-free data transmission at 32 Gbit/s, and demonstrate wireless transmission of uncompressed 4K high-definition video.

Silicon-induced antioxidant defense and methylglyoxal detoxification works coordinately in alleviating nickel toxicity in Oryza sativa L.

Nickel (Ni), an essential nutrient of plant but very toxic to plant at supra-optimal concentration that causes inhibition of seed germination emergence and growth of plants as a consequence of physiological disorders. Hence, the present study investigates the possible mechanisms of Ni tolerance in rice seedlings by exogenous application of silicon (Si). Thirteen-day-old hydroponically grown rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. BRRI dhan54) were treated with Ni (NiSO4.7H2O, 0.25 and 0.5 mM) sole or in combination with 0.50 mM Na2SiO3 for a period of 3 days to investigate the effect of Si supply for revoking the Ni stress. Nickel toxicity gave rise to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cytotoxic methylglyoxal (MG), accordingly, initiated oxidative stress in rice leaves, and accelerated peroxidation of lipids and consequent damage to membranes. Reduced growth, biomass accumulation, chlorophyll (chl) content, and water balance under Ni-stress were also found. However, free proline (Pro) content increased in Ni-exposed plants. In contrast, the Ni-stressed seedlings fed with supplemental Si reclaimed the seedlings from chlorosis, water retrenchment, growth inhibition, and oxidative stress. Silicon up-regulated most of the antioxidant defense components as well as glyoxalase systems, which helped to improve ROS scavenging and MG detoxification. Hence, these results suggest that the exogenous Si application can improve rice seedlings' tolerance to Ni-toxicity.

Interactive Effects of Salicylic Acid and Nitric Oxide in Enhancing Rice Tolerance to Cadmium Stress.

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the prominent environmental hazards, affecting plant productivity and posing human health risks worldwide. Although salicylic acid (SA) and nitric oxide (NO) are known to have stress mitigating roles, little was explored on how they work together against Cd-toxicity in rice. This study evaluated the individual and combined effects of SA and sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a precursor of NO, on Cd-stress tolerance in rice. Results revealed that Cd at toxic concentrations caused rice biomass reduction, which was linked to enhanced accumulation of Cd in roots and leaves, reduced photosynthetic pigment contents, and decreased leaf water status. Cd also potentiated its phytotoxicity by triggering reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and depleting several non-enzymatic and enzymatic components in rice leaves. In contrast, SA and/or SNP supplementation with Cd resulted in growth recovery, as evidenced by greater biomass content, improved leaf water content, and protection of photosynthetic pigments. These signaling molecules were particularly effective in restricting Cd uptake and accumulation, with the highest effect being observed in "SA + SNP + Cd" plants. SA and/or SNP alleviated Cd-induced oxidative damage by reducing ROS accumulation and malondialdehyde production through the maintenance of ascorbate and glutathione levels, and redox status, as well as the better activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S-transferase, and monodehydroascorbate reductase. Combined effects of SA and SNP were observed to be more prominent in Cd-stress mitigation than the individual effects of SA followed by that of SNP, suggesting that SA and NO in combination more efficiently boosted physiological and biochemical responses to alleviate Cd-toxicity than either SA or NO alone. This finding signifies a cooperative action of SA and NO in mitigating Cd-induced adverse effects in rice, and perhaps in other crop plants.

Polyamine Action under Metal/Metalloid Stress: Regulation of Biosynthesis, Metabolism, and Molecular Interactions.

Polyamines (PAs) are found in all living organisms and serve many vital physiological processes. In plants, PAs are ubiquitous in plant growth, physiology, reproduction, and yield. In the last decades, PAs have been studied widely for exploring their function in conferring abiotic stresses (salt, drought, and metal/metalloid toxicity) tolerance. The role of PAs in enhancing antioxidant defense mechanism and subsequent oxidative stress tolerance in plants is well-evident. However, the enzymatic regulation in PAs biosynthesis and metabolism is still under research and widely variable under various stresses and plant types. Recently, exogenous use of PAs, such as putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, was found to play a vital role in enhancing stress tolerance traits in plants. Polyamines also interact with other molecules like phytohormones, nitric oxides, trace elements, and other signaling molecules to providing coordinating actions towards stress tolerance. Due to the rapid industrialization metal/metalloid(s) contamination in the soil and subsequent uptake and toxicity in plants causes the most significant yield loss in cultivated plants, which also hamper food security. Finding the ways in enhancing tolerance and remediation mechanism is one of the critical tasks for plant biologists. In this review, we will focus the recent update on the roles of PAs in conferring metal/metalloid(s) tolerance in plants.

Explicating physiological and biochemical responses of wheat cultivars under acidity stress: insight into the antioxidant defense and glyoxalase systems.

Soil acidity causes proton (H+) rhizotoxicity, inhibits plant growth and development, and is a major yield-limiting factor for wheat production worldwide. Therefore, we investigated the physiological and biochemical responses of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to acidity stress in vitro. Five popular wheat cultivars developed by Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), namely, BARI Gom-21, BARI Gom-24, BARI Gom-25, BARI Gom-26, and BARI Gom-30, were studied in growing media under four different pH levels (3.5, 4.5, 5.5, and 6.5). We evaluated the cultivars based on their relative water content, proline (Pro) content, growth, biomass accumulation, oxidative damage, membrane stability, and mineral composition, as well as the performance of the antioxidant defense and glyoxalase systems. Although decrements of pH significantly reduced the tested morphophysiological and biochemical attributes in all the cultivars, there was high variability among the cultivars in response to the varying pH of the growing media. Acidity stress reduced growth, biomass, water content, and chlorophyll content in all the cultivars. However, BARI Gom-26 showed the least damage, with the lowest H2O2 generation, lipid peroxidation (MDA), and greater membrane stability, which indicate better tolerance against oxidative damage. In addition, the antioxidant defense components, ascorbate (AsA) and glutathione (GSH), and their redox balance were higher in this cultivar. Maximum H2O2 scavenging due to upregulation of the antioxidant enzymes [AsA peroxidase (APX), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), GSH reductase (GR), GSH peroxidase (GPX), and GSH-S-transferase (GST)] was observed in BARI Gom-26, which also illustrated significant enhancement of methylglyoxal (MG) detoxification by upregulating glyoxalase I (Gly I) and glyoxalase II (Gly II). This study also showed that balanced essential nutrient content as well as lower toxic micronutrient content was found in BARI Gom-26. Therefore, considering the physiological and biochemical attributes and growth, we conclude that BARI Gom-26 can withstand acidity stress during the early seedling stage, by regulating the coordinated action of the antioxidant defense and glyoxalase systems as well as maintaining nutrient balance.

Acetate-induced modulation of ascorbate: glutathione cycle and restriction of sodium accumulation in shoot confer salt tolerance in Lens culinaris Medik.

Physiological and biochemical changes in six-day-old hydroponically grown lentil seedlings exposed to 100 mM salinity stress with or without 5 and 10 mM Na-acetate were studied. Results showed that salt stress reduced recovery percentage, fresh weight (FW), chlorophyll (chl) content, disturbed water balance, disrupted antioxidant defense pathway by decreasing reduced ascorbate content, and caused ion toxicity resulting from increased Na+ accumulation, severe K+ loss from roots in hydroponic culture. However, exogenous application of Na-acetate improved the seedling growth by maintaining water balance and increasing chl content. Furthermore, Na-acetate application reduced oxidative damage by modulating antioxidant defense pathway, and sustained ion homeostasis by reducing Na+ uptake and K+ loss. In the second experiment in glass house, we investigated the role of Na-acetate on lentil for long-term salinity. Acetate application increased FW and dry weight, reduced oxidative and membrane damage, and lowered the accumulation of Na+ in shoot compared with salt stressed seedlings alone. From the results of both experiments, it is clear that the exogenous application of Na-acetate enhanced salt tolerance in lentil seedlings.