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Gradual deterioration in water resources and unpredictable distribution pattern of annual precipitation amount are major threats having drastic effects on wheat crop biology. Whole life cycle of plant, from seed germination to seed setting, is quite sensitive to water given them, a major recognizable factor influencing its survival. Here, we evaluated morpho-physiological traits of Elymus semicostatus (Nees ex Steud.) Melderis grown under three water regimes condition during the year 2017–18. Plants were grown at A, B and C conditions marked as 25, 50 and 100% respectively based on the water availability. The pubescence on different plant parts, spike consistency, plant height, leaf area, chlorophyll content, relative water content, days to flowering, tiller number and thousand grain weight parameters were used to evaluate the effect of drought or water deficit conditions on plants. Variation with germplasm plasticity traits i:e:spike length, leaf area, grain weight, tiller number and positively correlated with days to flowering based on stress tolerance (r = .786, r = .525,r = .895 and r = .890 respectively). Overall, E.semicostatus accessions were identified as efficent donar of drought tolerance but NBPAU 13, NBPAU14, NBPAU18 and NBPAU28 showed much potential in drought tolerance. In concert with collection and in-situ conservation of wheat wild relatives, elaborative taxonomic keys, characterization and evaluation of these accessions, address the hybridization barriers for introgression of gene flow from wild germplasm is prioritized. The selection from broad set of useful morpho-physiological traits in Elymus semicostatus may explain the drought tolerance strategies in reference to phenotyping may have accelerated wheat breeding programs.

MicroRNAs are small, ubiquitous, non-protein-coding essential endogenous task masters of RNA interference (RNAi). These are more or less 22 nucleotide-long RNAs that repress gene expression post transcriptionally by binding to the 3′ untranslated region of target mRNAs. MicroRNAs are self-regulating transcription units that balancing the physiological processes by maintaining the interaction between various factors. These conserved evolutionary units target the specific mRNAs to mediate post-transcriptional regulation by mean of translational repression changes. The paper highlights the involvement of miRNA biogenesis, mechanism and developmental aspects (such as regulating the flower development, root-shoot development) nutrient uptake, abiotic and biotic stress tolerance. With the introduction of molecular tools, the function of miRNAs will definitely have regarded as multidisciplinary role. Thus, an attempt is made to understand the role of miRNAs in coordinating the regulatory pathways of the plant life cycle.

Plants establish tiny, cellular signaling pathways playing a unique coordination role in growth and development. Plasmodesmata are playing a central role in the formation of domain, which regulates the cellular network and trafficking of molecules required to create gradient for physiological and developmental processes. The plasmodesmal trafficking provides a novel tool for studying the informational molecules to control the processes such as embryo development, root nodule formation, flower development and stomata growth and differentiation, and other cellular differentiation. Finally, comprehensive role of plasmodesmata as nano bridges for communication in signaling within plant tissue is detailed. This review paper highlights the developmental processes that are tightly coordinated by plasmodesmata and the role of molecular signals that explains how these are altered.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are widely generated in various redox reactions in plants. In earlier studies, ROS were considered toxic byproducts of aerobic metabolism. In recent years, it has become clear that ROS act as plant signaling molecules that participate in various processes such as growth and development. Several studies have elucidated the roles of ROS from seed germination to senescence. However, there is much to discover about the diverse roles of ROS as signaling molecules and their mechanisms of sensing and response. ROS may provide possible benefits to plant physiological processes by supporting cellular proliferation in cells that maintain basal levels prior to oxidative effects. Although ROS are largely perceived as either negative by-products of aerobic metabolism or makers for plant stress, elucidating the range of functions that ROS play in growth and development still require attention. Keywords: Oxidative signaling, Developmental processes, Plant, ROS, Functional range

Sugars, the chemically bound form of energy, are formed by the absorption of photosynthetically active radiation and fixation in plants. During evolution, plants availed the sugar molecules as a resource, balancing molecule, and signaling molecule. The multifaceted role of sugar molecules in response to environmental stimuli makes it the central coordinator required for growth, survival, and continuity. During the course of evolution, the molecular networks have become complex to adapt or acclimate to the changing environment. Sugar molecules are sensed both intra and extracellularly by their specific sensors. The signal is transmitted by a signaling loop that involves various downstream signaling molecules, transcriptional factors and, most pertinent, the sensors TOR and SnRK1. In this review, the focus has been retained on the significance of the sugar sensors during signaling and induced modules to regulate plant growth, development, biotic and abiotic stress. It is interesting to visualize the sugar molecule as a signaling unit and not only a nutrient. Complete information on the downstream components of sugar signaling will open the gates for improving the qualitative and quantitative elements of crop plants.

Salinity is one of the most important constraints for global cereal production, and breeding for salinity tolerance is a challenge. The limited gene pools, merged information regarding osmotic stress/tissue tolerance mechanism(s) including the accumulation of Na+ , over-stressed on the Na+ exclusion mechanism, and inadequate suitable screening methods further weaken the progress. In the present study, an attempt was made to evaluate the salt tolerance in Triticum aestivum lines using the membership function value (MFV) of certain traits viz., the root and shoot length (RL & SL), shoot and root fresh weight (SFW & RFW), shoot and root dry weight (SDW & RDW) and germination percentage (GP). This study screened 314 wheat lines (278 linked top cross population [LTPs] and 36 normal wheat cultivars) under lab conditions to evaluate their salt tolerance. A positive, and the highest, correlation coefficient was recorded between salt tolerance index (STI) of SL and the STI of RL.0.11 highly salt tolerant (HST), 59 salt tolerant (ST), 100 moderately salt tolerant (MST), 137 salt sensitive (SS), and seven highly salt sensitive (HSS) were observed with a distance of 2.2 between each category. The R-square value was maximum (0.836) between the STI of SFW and the mean MFV, which can be used as the most reliable trait for the salinity tolerance in T. aestivum at the germination phase. Wheat tolerant lines had higher tolerance to salt stress in comparison with the used normal wheat cultivars were detected at the seedling stage.