Soil is the main component in the agroecosystem besides water, microbial communities, and cultivated plants. Several problems face soil, including soil pollution, erosion, salinization, and degradation on a global level. Many approaches have been applied to overcome these issues, such as phyto-, bio-, and nanoremediation through different soil management tools. Mushrooms can play a vital role in the soil through bio-nanoremediation, especially under the biological synthesis of nanoparticles, which could be used in the bioremediation process. This review focuses on the green synthesis of nanoparticles using mushrooms and the potential of bio-nanoremediation for polluted soils. The distinguished roles of mushrooms of soil improvement are considered a crucial dimension for sustainable soil management, which may include controlling soil erosion, improving soil aggregates, increasing soil organic matter content, enhancing the bioavailability of soil nutrients, and resorting to damaged and/or polluted soils. The field of bio-nanoremediation using mushrooms still requires further investigation, particularly regarding the sustainable management of soils.

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Green Synthesis of Nanoparticles by Mushrooms: A Crucial Dimension for Sustainable Soil Management

Insights into Plant Beneficial Microorganism-Triggered Induced Systemic Resistance

Wheat is the most important staple food worldwide, but wheat cultivation faces challenges from high food demand. Fertilizers are already in use to cope with the demand; however, more unconventional techniques may be required to enhance the efficiency of wheat cultivation. Nanotechnology offers one potential technique for improving plant growth and production by providing stimulating agents to the crop. In this study, plant-derived Ag/ZnO nanomaterials were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, SEM, EDX, FTIR, and XRD methods. Various concentrations of phytogenically synthesized Ag/ZnO nanomaterials (20, 40, 60, and 80 ppm) and nitrogen-based fertilizers (urea and ammonium sulphate 50 and 100 mg/L) were applied to wheat varieties (Galaxy-13 and Pak-13). The results obtained from this research showed that application of 60 ppm Ag/ZnO nanomaterials with nitrogenous fertilizers (50 and 100 mg/L) were more effective in improving biochemistry and increasing yield of wheat plants by reducing enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants (proline content, soluble sugar content, malondialdehyde, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase); and significantly increasing the protein content, number of grains per pot, spike length, 100-grain weight, grain yield per pot, and harvest index of both wheat varieties, compared to untreated plants. These findings allow us to propose Ag/ZnO nanomaterial formulation as a promising growth- and productivity-improvement strategy for wheat cultivation.

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Effects of Phytogenically Synthesized Bimetallic Ag/ZnO Nanomaterials and Nitrogen-Based Fertilizers on Biochemical and Yield Attributes of Two Wheat Varieties

Host-associated fungi can help protect plants from pathogens, and empirical evidence suggest that such microorganisms can be manipulated by introducing probiotic to increase disease suppression. However, we still generally lack the mechanistic knowledge of what determines the success of probiotic application, hampering the development of reliable disease suppression strategies. We conducted a 3-season consecutive microcosm experiment in which we amended banana Fusarium wilt disease-conducive soil with Trichoderma-amended biofertilizer or lacking this inoculum. High-throughput sequencing was complemented with cultivation-based methods to follow changes in fungal microbiome and explore potential links with plant health. Trichoderma application increased banana biomass by decreasing disease incidence by up to 72%, and this effect was attributed to changes in fungal microbiome, including the reduction in Fusarium oxysporum density and enrichment of pathogen-suppressing fungi (Humicola). These changes were accompanied by an expansion in microbial carbon resource utilization potential, features that contribute to disease suppression. We further demonstrated the disease suppression actions of Trichoderma-Humicola consortia, and results suggest niche overlap with pathogen and induction of plants systemic resistance may be mechanisms driving the observed biocontrol effects. Together, we demonstrate that fungal inoculants can modify the composition and functioning of the resident soil fungal microbiome to suppress soil-borne disease.

Additive fungal interactions drive biocontrol of Fusarium wilt disease.

A new systematic structural study was performed using the Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) reporting statistical parameters of polymeric particles based on gelatin and poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) containing essential oil from Lippia origanoides. The developed biocides are efficient alternative controlling agents of Conotrachelus humeropictus and Moniliophtora perniciosa, the main pests of Theobroma grandiflorum. Our results showed that the particles morphology can be successfully controlled by advanced stereometric parameters, pointing to an appropriate concentration of encapsulated essential oil according to the particle surface characteristics. For this reason, the absolute concentration of 1000 µg·mL−1 (P1000 system) was encapsulated, resulting in the most suitable surface microtexture, allowing a faster and more efficient essential oil release. Loaded particles presented zeta potential around (–54.3 ± 2.3) mV at pH = 8, and particle size distribution ranging from 113 to 442 nm. The hydrodynamic diameter of 90% of the particle population was found to be up to (405 ± 31) nm in the P1000 system. The essential oil release was evaluated up to 80 h, with maximum release concentrations of 63% and 95% for P500 and P1000, respectively. The best fit for the release profiles was obtained using the Korsmeyer–Peppas mathematical model. Loaded particles resulted in 100% mortality of C. humeropictus up to 48 h. The antifungal tests against M. perniciosa resulted in a minimum inhibitory concentration of 250 µg·mL−1, and the P1000 system produced growth inhibition up to 7 days. The developed system has potential as alternative controlling agent, due to its physical stability, particle surface microtexture, as well as pronounced bioactivity of the encapsulated essential oil.

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Alternative Controlling Agent of Theobroma grandiflorum Pests: Nanoscale Surface and Fractal Analysis of Gelatin/PCL Loaded Particles Containing Lippia origanoides Essential Oil

Green synthesis of nanoparticles and its key applications in various sectors

The riddles of Trichoderma Induced Plant Immunity

Trichoderma species due to their fungal plant pathogen suppression and ecofriendly nature are Trichoderma species due to their fungal plant pathogen suppression and ecofriendly nature are deployed in agriculture as biocontrol agents for the management of plant diseases in agricultural crops since a long-time. The potential biocontrol species/strains of Trichoderma from native geographic locations are often used for the effective management of various abiotic and biotic stresses in plants. Furthermore, bioformulation of biocontrol strains are often prepared using different carriers and evaluated for their effectiveness. Therefore, the isolates of Trichoderma were evaluated against plant fungal pathogens such as Fusarium oxysporum, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Alternaria solani and Phytophthora sp. suppression. The pot experiments carried in tomato plants inoculated with a combination of pathogens and one of the most effective Trichoderma asperellum isolate UCRD5 revealed that beside disease suppression, the biocontrol strain led to the significantly early induction of flowering in plants, compared to control. Further, characterization of talc powdered and calcium alginate based bioformulation of Trichoderma asperellum isolate revealed better shelf-life for calcium alginate based bead bioformulation. Keeping in view the difference in the biocontrol potential of Trichoderma isolates from different geographic locations, the present study explores the native isolates of Trichoderma from the agricultural fields of Punjab region, for the effective management of various abiotic and biotic stresses in agricultural crops. Further, efforts were made to enhance the shelf-life and biocontrol efficacies using sodium alginate based beads. The ability of the indigenous Trichoderma isolated to suppress plant fungal pathogens and induce flowering in tomato, coupled to encapsulated formulations with better shelf-life indicates its potential in enhancing the agricultural productivity. 

Characterization and evaluation of bioformulation from antagonistic and flower inducing Trichoderma asperellum isolate UCRD5

The viral diseases encouraged scientific community to evaluate the natural antiviral bioactive components rather than protease inhibitors, harmful organic molecules or nucleic acid analogues. For this purpose, medicinal plants have been gaining tremendous importance in the field of attenuating the various kinds of infectious and non-infectious diseases. Most of the commonly used medicines contains the bioactive components/phytoconstituents that are generally extracted from medicinal plants. Moreover, the medicinal plants offer many advantages for the recovery applications of infectious disease especially in viral infections including HIV-1, HIV-2, Enterovirus, Japanese Encephalitis Virus, Hepatitis B virus, Herpes Virus, Respiratory syncytial virus, Chandipura virus and Influenza A/H1N1. Considering the lack of acceptable drug candidates and the growing antimicrobial resistance to existing drug molecules for many emerging viral diseases, medicinal plants may offer best platform to develop sustainable/efficient/economic alternatives against viral infections. In this regard, for exploring and analyzing large volume of scientific data, bibliometric analysis was done using VOS Viewer shedding light on the emerging areas in the field of medicinal plants and their antiviral activity. This review covers most of the plant species that have some novel bioactive compound like gnidicin, gniditrin, rutin, apigenin, quercetin, kaempferol, curcumin, tannin and oleuropin which showed high efficacy to inhibit the several disease causing virus and their mechanism of action in HIV, Covid-19, HBV and RSV were discussed. Moreover, it also delves the in-depth mechanism of medicinal with challenges and future prospective. Therefore, this work delves the key role of environment in the biological field. 

Rhydum Sharma

Papers

Green synthesis of nanoparticles and its key applications in various sectors

The riddles of Trichoderma Induced Plant Immunity

Characterization and evaluation of bioformulation from antagonistic and flower inducing Trichoderma asperellum isolate UCRD5

Potential medicinal plants to combat viral infections: A way forward to environmental biotechnology

Biochemical characterization of volatile compounds and antimicrobial activity of Anethum graveolens seeds