Polycyclic Hydrocarbons Vol. 1. Pp. xxvi + 487. 126S. (With a chapter on carcinogenesis by Regina Schoental.) Vol. 2. Pp. lvii + 487. 140s. By E. Clar. (London and New York: Academic Press; Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 1964.)

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

A chimeric gene was constructed consisting of the promoter of the nopaline synthase gene of Agrobacterium and the structural gene of the aminoglycoside phosphotransferase of Tn5. This chimeric gene was recombined into the T-DNA of Agrobacterium. When this strain was used in a cocultivation experiment, transformed calli could be selected out of a pool of non-transformed calli when kanamycin was added into the growing medium

Chimeric genes as dominant selectable markers in plant cells

Nanotechnology is a promising field of interdisciplinary research. It opens up a wide array of opportunities in various fields like medicine, pharmaceuticals, electronics and agriculture. The potential uses and benefits of nanotechnology are enormous. The current global population is nearly 7 */billion with 50% living in Asia. A large proportion of those living in developing countries face daily food shortages as a result of environmental impacts or political instability, while in the developed world there is surplus of food. For developing countries, the drive is to develop drought and pest resistant crops, which also maximize yield. The potential of nanotechnology to revolutionise the health care, textile, materials, information and communication technology, and energy sectors has been well publicized. The application of nanotechnology to agriculture and food industries is also getting attention nowadays. Investments in agriculture and food nanotechnologies carry increasing weight because their potential benefits range from improved food quality and safety to reduced agricultural inputs and improved processing and nutrition. While most investment is made primarily in developed countries, research advancements provide glimpses of potential applications in agricultural, food, and water safety that could have significant impacts on rural populations in developing countries. This review is concentrated on modern strategies used for the management of water, pesticides, limitations in the use of chemical pesticides and potential of nano-materials in sustainable agriculture management as modern approaches of nanotechnology. 
 
   
 
 Key words: Agriculture, nanotechnology, nanofertilizer, nanoencapsulation, nanoherbicides.

Nanotechnology in sustainable agriculture: Present concerns and future aspects

Nanotechnology in agriculture: Current status, challenges and future opportunities

In recent years, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have gained tremendous attention attributed to their unique properties. Notably, evidence has shown that zinc is an important nutrient in living organisms. As such, both prokaryotes and eukaryotes including bacteria, fungi and yeast are exploited for the synthesis of ZnO NPs by using microbial cells or enzyme, protein and other biomolecules compounds in either an intracellular or extracellular route. ZnO NPs exhibit antimicrobial properties, however, the properties of nanoparticles (NPs) are depended upon on their size and shape, which make them specific for various applications. Nevertheless, the desired size and shape of NPs can be obtained through the optimization process of microbes mediated synthesis by manipulating their reaction conditions. It should be noted that ZnO NPs are synthesized by various chemical and physical methods. Nonetheless, these methods are expensive and not environmentally friendly. On that account, the microbes mediated synthesis of ZnO NPs have rapidly evolved recently where the microbes are cleaner, eco-friendly, non-toxic and biocompatible as the alternatives to chemical and physical practices. Moreover, zinc in the form of NPs is more effective than their bulk counterparts and thus, they have been explored for many potential applications including in animals industry. Notably, with the advent of multi-drug resistant strains, ZnO NPs have emerged as the potential antimicrobial agents. This is mainly due to their superior properties in combating a broad spectrum of pathogens. Moreover, zinc is known as an essential trace element for most of the biological function in the animal’s body. As such, the applications of ZnO NPs have been reported to significantly enhance the health and production of the farm animals. Thus, this paper reviews the biological synthesis of ZnO NPs by the microbes, the mechanisms of the biological synthesis, parameters for the optimization process and their potential application as an antimicrobial agent and feed supplement in the animal industry as well as their toxicological hazards on animals.

/pdf/microbial-synthesis-of-zinc-oxide-nanoparticles-and-their-58qajgqkov.pdf

Microbial synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles and their potential application as an antimicrobial agent and a feed supplement in animal industry: a review

The increasing population density and industrialization are adversely affecting the environment globally. The contamination of the soil, agricultural lands, and water bodies with petroleum wastes and other hydrocarbon pollutants has become a serious environmental concern as perceived by the impacts on the aquatic and marine ecosystem. Various investigations have provided novel insights into the significant roles of microbial activities in the cleanup of hydrocarbon contaminants. However, the burden of these pollutants is expected to increase many folds in the next decade. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate and develop low-cost technologies rapidly, focusing on eco-sustainable development. An understanding of the details of biodegradation mechanisms paves the way for enhancing the efficiency of bioremediation technology. The current article reviews the applicability of various bioremediation processes, biodegradation pathways, and treatments, and the role of microbial activities in achieving efficient eco-sustainable bioremediation of hydrocarbon pollutants. It is envisaged that an integrated bioremediation approach, including biostimulation and bioaugmentation is preferably advocated for the cost-effective removal of toxic petroleum hydrocarbons and their derivatives.

/pdf/bioremediation-of-hydrocarbon-pollutants-recent-promising-2c6tild9.pdf

Bioremediation of Hydrocarbon Pollutants: Recent Promising Sustainable Approaches, Scope, and Challenges

Hyperspectral imaging is a newly developed approach to estimate the current state of the plants and to develop the methods of soil and plant ecological state improvement under the effect of different sources. The study was devoted to the novel approach of hyperspectral imaging application in the case of persistent organic pollutants (POP) uptake by plants. Hordeum vulgare L. was used as a test plant and grown on the soil artificially contaminated by benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in the doses of 20, 100, 200, 400, and 800 ng g-1, which corresponds to 1, 5, 10, 20, and 40 maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) and correlates with the level of soil pollution near industrial facilities in the Rostov Region (Russian Federation). It was analyzed a group of indexes responsible for plants stress, consists of broadband greenness group, narrowband greenness group, light use efficiency group, and leaf pigments group. Benzo[a]pyrene had a stronger effect on the efficiency of the photosynthesis process than on the content of chlorophylls. In the phase of active adaptation to stress in H. vulgare, the content of photosynthetic pigments was increased. The proposed method for selecting spectral profiles by cutting off profiles that do not belong to a plant, based on the NDVI value can be effectively used for the estimation of the plants stress under the BaP contamination and for future perspectives in the most suitable way for the application of the plant's growth stimulants. 

/pdf/hyperspectral-imaging-for-small-scale-analysis-of-hordeum-3j990cmw.pdf

Hyperspectral imaging for small-scale analysis of Hordeum vulgare L. leaves under the benzo[a]pyrene effect

Abiotic stresses causing extensive yield loss in various crops globally. Over the past few decades, the application of silicon nanoparticles (nSi) has emerged as one of the abiotic stress mitigators. The initial responses of plants are shown by the biogenesis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to sustain cellular/organellar integrity to ensure in vivo operation of metabolic functions by regulating physiological and biochemical pathways during stress conditions. Plants have evolved various antioxidative systems to balance/maintain the process of homeostasis via enzymatic and non-enzymatic activities to repair the losses. In the adverse environment, supplementation of Si mitigates the stress condition and improved the growth and development of plants. Its ameliorative effects were correlated with the enhanced antioxidant enzymes activities to maintain the equilibrium between the ROS generation and reduction. However, there are limited studies covered the role of nSi in the abiotic stress condition. This review addresses the accumulation and/or uptake of nSi in several crops and its mode of action linked with improved plants’ growth and tolerance capabilities to confer sustainable agriculture.

/pdf/nanosilicon-an-approach-for-abiotic-stress-mitigation-and-3k73fj6z.pdf

Nanosilicon: An approach for abiotic stress mitigation and sustainable agriculture

Anatomical characteristics play a pivotal role in understanding the evolutionary relationship among various plant taxa and identifying species of pharmacological importance. Though the anatomical features of the family Apocynaceae have been widely recognized, there is limited research on the stem wood anatomy of Kopsia fruticosa, whereas nothing was previously known about its root wood anatomy. The present work describes and analyses its anatomy and correlates the anatomical features with the habitat and ecology of this plant. The oval shape of the young stem and the presence of unicellular trichomes, stone cells in the pith region, laticiferous canals, calcium oxalate crystals, and vascular bundles of two different sizes, viz., smaller in the broad, flattened region and more prominent on the two narrow sides, are remarkable features of the plant, which collectively may often be helpful in distinguishing K. fruticosa from other species of this genus. Apart from the previously known qualitative characteristics of the family Apocynaceae, the coalescence of pit aperture and storied pattern of vessels of K. fruticosa are newly observed features of the subfamily Rauvofiòideae. On the other hand, in the root wood, vessels are wider (33–64 μm), less frequent (about 53% more in the stem), and shorter, and the rays are larger (21–46 cells in height) and more frequent than those of stem wood; these are the valuable findings which strongly support the non-climbing nature of the studied plant. The vulnerability and mesomorphy indices for stem wood are 0.914 and 349, respectively, indicating plants’ adaptation toward a mesic habitat. The correlation of the anatomical traits of plants with the habitat and ecology represents their survivability in different situations. Consequently, anatomical features such as intraxylary phloem, vessel grouping, the storied pattern of vessels, the simple perforation plate, and intervascular vestured pits suggest that plants can tolerate drought. We firmly believe that the present study’s outcome can fulfil the research gaps of this hardy plant.

/pdf/elucidating-the-anatomical-features-adaptive-and-ecological-19s78q45.pdf

Vishnu D. Rajput

Papers

Bioremediation of Hydrocarbon Pollutants: Recent Promising Sustainable Approaches, Scope, and Challenges

Hyperspectral imaging for small-scale analysis of Hordeum vulgare L. leaves under the benzo[a]pyrene effect

Nanosilicon: An approach for abiotic stress mitigation and sustainable agriculture

Elucidating the Anatomical Features, Adaptive and Ecological Significance of Kopsia fruticosa Roxb. (Apocynaceae)

Socio Economic Aspects of Sewage Sludge Use in Agriculture