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Nowadays, there are many critical concerns in the agricultural sector, including reduced productivity of plants due to various environmental factors. Hence, a continuous innovation of existing technologies is necessary. Among the available technologies for sustainable agriculture, nanotechnology is one of the more promising technologies and has a great scope for development in agriculture. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have attracted much attention due to their good properties and can be put into agriculture as nano-fertilizers, nano-growth regulators and nano-pesticides, although much remains to be explored about their mechanisms. Here, we review the literature on the interaction of ZnO NPs with plants through (i) uptake and transport pathways of ZnO NPs in plants. (ii) The mechanisms involved in improving growth, development and resistance. (iii) their effects on the rhizospheric environment. (iv) The toxic effects and mechanisms in plants. Our major conclusions are as follows: (1) they can be absorbed by the plant through the roots and leaves, with subsequent transformation. (2) moderate application can promote plant growth and mitigate stress, while excessive application can produce toxic effects. (3) the effects of them on the rhizospheric environment cannot be ignored. This study may provide a reference for the safe and effective use of ZnO NPs in agricultural production. • A wide range of mechanisms drive ZnO NPs to promote plant growth and alleviate stress. • ZnO NPs trigger the function of relevant regulatory genes involved in nutrient elements. • It provides new insights into the interactions between NPs and microorganisms/enzymes. • ZnO NPs can be a novel alternative for sustainable agricultural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant secondary metabolites (SMs) play a crucial role in shielding plants from pathogens and environmental stressors. These natural products find widespread applications across various industries, including pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic, and healthcare. However, the quantity and quality of these compounds in plants can be influenced by factors such as genetics, morphology, plant age, and the seasonal and daily variations. The timing of harvest holds particular significance for medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) as their active compounds peak at a specific moment during the plant growth cycle. Determining the optimal harvest time is essential to ensure the plants meet their intended cultivation goal. In this review, we analyzed how developmental and external factors impact the qualitative and quantitative effectiveness of SMs in MAPs. We examined recent studies on the effects of environmental and developmental factors on SMs of MAPs, compiling relevant data for analysis. The results of this review demonstrate how these factors influence the quantity and quality of plant SMs, underscoring the importance of determining the optimal harvest time (known as the balsamic time) to maximize the utilization of these compounds. Our findings offer crucial insights into the factors affecting SMs, serving as a tool for quality control in MAPs production. Moreover, this review can be a valuable resource for researchers, farmers, and industrial users aiming to optimize plant growth and harvest timing for maximum yield. Overall, our review provides valuable information for devising effective strategies to produce high-quality MAPs products. [Display omitted] • Morpho-phenological stages and timing significantly influence plant secondary metabolites (SMs). • Optimal harvest timing is crucial for achieving desired outcomes, as SMs peak at specific stages of the plant's growth cycle.. • The modification of SMs may occur due to changes the expression of biosynthesis genes. • The review proposes the concept of the "balsamic time" for optimal harvesting of various SMs in medicinal and aromatic plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exponentially increasing population and the demand for food is inextricably linked. This has shifted global attention to improving crop plant traits to meet global food demands. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a major non-grain food crop that is grown all over the world. Currently, some of the major global potato research work focuses on the significance of microRNAs (miRNAs) in potato. miRNAs are a type of non-coding RNAs that regulate the gene expression of their target mRNA genes by cleavage and/or their translational inhibition. This suggests an essential role of miRNAs in a multitude of plant biological processes, including maintenance of genome integrity, plant growth, development and maturation, and initiation of responses to various stress conditions. Therefore, engineering miRNAs to generate stress-resistant varieties of potato may result in high yield and improved nutritional qualities. In this review, we discuss the potato miRNAs specifically known to play an essential role in the various stages of the potato life cycle, conferring stress-resistant characteristics, and modifying gene expression. This review highlights the significance of the miRNA machinery in plants, especially potato, encouraging further research into engineering miRNAs to boost crop yields and tolerance towards stress. • Potato, being the third most important crop to sustain the hunger and nutritional needs of the world's exponentially growing population. • The environmental stresses brought on by the change in climate induce the nutritional imbalance in potato plants, which ultimately affects the plant growth and tuber yield. • microRNAs have emerged as versatile players in mitigating stress and architecture the potato life cycle. Therefore, decoding the role of miRNAs helps in developing the novel potato cultivar with enhanced stress tolerance and yield. • Keeping this in view we highlight the significance of the miRNA machinery in plants, especially potato, encouraging further research into engineering miRNAs to boost crop yields and tolerance towards stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inorganic orthophosphate (Pi), a major form of essential macronutrient phosphorus (P), is available in rhizosphere for acquisition and assimilation by plants. However, the limited availability of Pi in soils affects the growth and development of plants. In Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis), Phosphate Deficiency Response2 (AtPDR2) , interacts genetically with Low Phosphate Root1 (AtLPR1) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and plays a key role in the inhibition of primary root growth (PRG) during Pi deficiency. However, the role of OsPDR2 , the homolog of AtPDR2 , either in roots response to Pi deficiency and/or in growth and development has not been elucidated as yet. Therefore, qRT-PCR was employed to determine the spatiotemporal effects and the availability of Pi on the expression of OsPDR2. OsPDR2 showed variable levels of relative expression pattern in vegetative and/or reproductive tissues analyzed at different stages of growth and development (5–17 weeks). Transient expression analysis revealed its subcellular localization to the ER. Further, the reverse genetics approach was employed for determining the function of OsPDR2 by generating RNAi lines (Ri2, Ri9, and Ri18). The study revealed significant inhibitory effects of RNAi-mediated suppression of OsPDR2 on the development of root, male reproductive traits, and yield. Moreover, 32P isotope labeling and split-root experiments under different Pi regime with RNAi lines revealed the function of OsPDR2 in regulating homeostasis of Pi. • Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is a key element for growth and development of plant. • OsPDR2 in O. sativa is a homolog of PDR2 but its role in Pi homeostasis not known. • OsPDR2 is induced and suppressed in Pi-deprived roots and shoot, respectively. • OsPDR2 also show variable expression in vegetative and reproductive traits (VRTs). • Knockdown of OsPDR2 revealed its effects on Pi homeostasis and on some of the VRTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary metabolites (SMs) of medicinal plants are the material basis of their clinically curative effects. They are also important indicators for evaluating the quality of medicinal materials. However, the synthesis and accumulation of SMs are very complex, which are affected by many factors including internal developmental genetic circuits (regulated gene, enzyme) and by external environment factors (light, temperature, water, salinity, etc.). Currently, lots of literatures focused on the effect of environmental factors on the synthesis and accumulation of SMs of medicinal plants, the effect of the developmental growth and genetic factors on the synthesis and accumulation of SMs still lack systematic classification and summary. Here, we have given the review base on our previous works on the morphological development of medicinal plants and their secondary metabolites, and systematically outlined the literature reports how different environmental factors affected the synthesis and accumulation of SMs. The results of our reviews can know how developmental and environmental factors qualitatively and quantitatively influence SMs of medicinal plants and how these can be integrated as tools to quality control, as well as on the improvement of clinical curative effects by altering their genomes, and/or growth conditions. • The secondary metabolites (SMs) of plant can be especially affected by developmental and environmental factors. • The review reveal the dynamic accumulation of SMs in medicinal plants. • Developmental and environmental factors has influence on the expression of SMs biosynthesis genes. • The review suggest regulation at post-transcriptional/translational levels on SMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the key enigmas in conventional and modern crop improvement programmes is how to introduce beneficial traits without any penalty impairment. Rice (Oryza sativa L.), among the essential staple food crops grown and utilized worldwide, needs to improve genotypes in multifaceted ways. With the global view to feed ten billion under the climatic perturbation, only a potent functional master regulator can withstand with hope for the next green revolution and food security. miRNAs are such, miniature, fine tuners for crop improvement and provide a value addition in emerging technologies, namely large-scale genotyping, phenotyping, genome editing, marker-assisted selection, and genomic selection, to make rice production feasible. There has been surplus research output generated since the last decade on miRNAs in rice, however, recent functional knowledge is limited to reaping the benefits for conventional and modern improvements in rice to avoid ambiguity and redundancy in the generated data. Here, we present the latest functional understanding of miRNAs in rice. In addition, their biogenesis, intra- and inter-kingdom signaling and communication, implication of amiRNAs, and consequences upon integration with CRISPR-Cas9. Further, highlights refer to the application of miRNAs for rice agronomical trait improvements, broadly classified into three functional domains. The majority of functionally established miRNAs are responsible for growth and development, followed by biotic and abiotic stresses. Tabular cataloguing reveals and highlights two multifaceted modules that were extensively studied. These belong to miRNA families 156 and 396, orchestrate multifarious aspects of advantageous agronomical traits. Moreover, updated and exhaustive functional aspects of different supplemental miRNA modules that would strengthen rice improvement are also being discussed. The frequency distribution of functionally studied miRNAs in rice is broadly classified to regulate growth and development processes, provide adaptation to sustain themselves under various abiotic stresses, and protect them from a large repertoire of disease-causing agents. [Display omitted] • Yield potential for staple crops, viz. rice, must be enhanced to keep pace with the burgeoning population. • miRNAs are the vital regulators that regulate a plethora of advantageous agronomical traits. • We highlighted and discussed the current update on the functional miRNA module discovery in rice. • Among others, miRNAs 156 and 396 families have been extensively studied to a functional extent. • Such studies will be supportive of the new research design by finding appropriate research gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron (Fe) deficiency is one of the most common problems of soybean. It causes upper leaves yellowing, interveinal chlorosis, stunted growth and yield loss. Manganese (Mn) deficiency affects the reactions in the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II and increase the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The aim of this research is to study the effect of Fe and Mn deficiencies applied separately and simultaneously on physiological, biochemical, nutritional and growth (morphological) parameters of soybean cultivars (Glycine max L.). The experiment was conducted in nutrient hydroponic solution lacking Fe or Mn or both Fe and Mn. Chlorophyll content index (CCI) and chlorophyll a fluorescence were measured through time to detect nutritional disorders at an early growth stage before the apparition of visual symptoms. The results showed that Fe and Mn deficiencies had a significant negative effect on the photosynthetic efficiency, CCI, stomatal conductance, protein content and shoot/root nutrient uptakes. Iron and manganese stress conditions were found to enhance the accumulation of secondary metabolites and increase the antioxidant activity such as total polyphenol content (TPC), malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). These impacts were more accentuated when Fe and Mn stress were applied simultaneously than when any of the deficiencies was applied alone. More than that, Mn stress alone did not significantly affect the biomass accumulation. The obtained results showed that, in hydroponic conditions, iron and manganese rational fertilization can improve the studied parameters. • A significant negative effect on the photosynthetic efficiency, CCI, stomatal conductance, protein content and shoot/root nutrient uptakes. • Enhancement of the accumulation of secondary metabolites and increase the antioxidant activity such as TPC, MDA and SOD. • These impacts were more accentuated when Fe and Mn stress were applied simultaneously than when any of the deficiencies was applied alone. More than that, Mn stress alone did not significantly affect the biomass accumulation. • In hydroponic conditions, iron and manganese rational fertilization can improve the studied parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sucrose is not only the primary photosynthetic product but also the major component translocated in the phloem of economically important plant species. Sucrose transporters or carriers (SUTs or SUCs), function as sucrose/H + symporters and play a crucial role in determining the cell-to-cell distribution of sucrose throughout the entire plant. However, whether such genes are involved in responses to abiotic stress and other biological processes is largely unknown. Here, we report that MdSUT2 in apple is a homolog of the Arabidopsis vacuolar sucrose transporter AtSUT2 . Ectopic expression of MdSUT2 in Arabidopsis decreased sucrose sensitivity in germination and seeding stage and increased sucrose transport activity. In addition, our results showed that MdSUT2 impacted on plant growth by accelerating vegetative growth and promoting early flowering in Arabidopsis . Overexpression of MdSUT2 significantly improved abiotic stress tolerance including NaCl, ABA, and mannitol in apple calli and Arabidopsis . Together, these findings provide evidence that the apple sucrose transporter MdSUT2 is involved in abiotic stress resistance and the regulation of plant growth and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Podophyllotoxin (PPT) and its derivatives, isolated from the rhizome of Podophyllum hexandrum Royle ( P . hexandrum ), are typically used in clinical settings for anti-cancer and anti-virus treatments. Empirical studies have verified that P . hexandrum had stronger tolerance to chilling, due to involving PPT accumulation in rhizome induced by cold stress. However, the cold-adaptive mechanism and its association with PPT accumulation at a molecular level in P . hexandrum are still limited. In this study, the morpho-physiological traits related to plant growth, PPT accumulation and key gene expressions controlling PPT biosynthesis were assessed by exposing P . hexandrum seedlings to different temperatures (4 °C and 10 °C as chilling stress and 22 °C as the control). The results showed that chilling significantly increased chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and plant biomass, whereas it greatly decreased transpiration rates and intercellular CO 2 concentration. Compared to the control, the chilling treatments under 4 °C and 10 °C conditions induced a 5.00- and 3.33-fold increase in PPT contents, respectively. The mRNA expressions of six key genes were also up-regulated by chilling stresses. The findings are useful in understanding the molecular basis of P . hexandrum response to chilling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]