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Introduction: Direct laryngoscopy followed by intubation induces a stress response leading to haemodynamic changes that are often transient, unpredictable, and variable. Both dexmedetomidine and lignocaine have been used in nebulised form successfully to blunt haemodynamic stress response, but they have never been compared previously. Aim: To compare nebulised dexmedetomidine and nebulised lignocaine in blunting the haemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation. Materials and Methods: This randomised, double-blinded study was conducted on 135 patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical Status I and II, aged 18 to 60 years, planned for surgery under general anaesthesia with endotracheal intubation. Patients were divided into three groups of 45 each using a computer-generated random number table. Patients in group D were nebulised with dexmedetomidine 1 μg/kg, with lignocaine 1.5 mg/kg in group L, and with normal saline in group C. The primary objective was to compare nebulised dexmedetomidine and nebulised lignocaine in blunting the haemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation with respect to Heart Rate (HR), Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP), Diastolic Blood Pressure, and Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP). The secondary objective was to study side-effects associated with the use of nebulised dexmedetomidine and lignocaine. Results: The demographic profile was found to be comparable in all three groups. The mean age was 40.44±11.77 years, 40.04±12.33 years, and 42.89±11.57 years in group D, group L, and group C, respectively, with a p-value of 0.4. The rise in HR during intubation and at all later time points was found to be less in group D and group L compared to group C. Additionally, the rise in HR was found to be higher in group L compared to group D. Similarly, the attenuation effect on SBP and Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) was greater in group D patients. Conclusion: Both nebulised dexmedetomidine and lignocaine were effective in attenuating the pressor response during laryngoscopy and intubation, with dexmedetomidine being more effective than lignocaine without any adverse haemodynamic effects.

Methanotrophy is a biological process that effectively reduces global methane emissions by utilizing microorganisms that can utilize methane as a source of energy under both oxic and anoxic conditions, using a variety of different electron acceptors. Methanotrophic microbes, which utilize methane as their primary source of carbon and energy, are microorganisms found in various environments, such as soil, sediments, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. These microbes play a significant role in the global carbon cycle by consuming methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and converting it into carbon dioxide, which is less harmful. However, methane is known to be the primary contributor to ozone formation and is considered a major greenhouse gas. Methane alone contributes to 30% of global warming; its emissions increased by over 32% over the last three decades and thus affect humans, animals, and vegetation adversely. There are different sources of methane emissions, like agricultural activities, wastewater management, landfills, coal mining, wetlands, and certain industrial processes. In view of the adverse effects of methane, urgent measures are required to reduce emissions. Methanotrophs have attracted attention as multifunctional bacteria with potential applications in biological methane mitigation and environmental bioremediation. Methanotrophs utilize methane as a carbon and energy source and play significant roles in biogeochemical cycles by oxidizing methane, which is coupled to the reduction of various electron acceptors. Methanotrophy, a natural process that converts methane into carbon dioxide, presents a promising solution to mitigate global methane emissions and reduce their impact on climate change. Nonetheless, additional research is necessary to enhance and expand these approaches for extensive use. In this review, we summarize the key sources of methane, mitigation strategies, microbial aspects, and the application of methanotrophs in global methane sinks with increasing anthropogenic methane emissions.

The article is devoted to monitoring the condition of the respiratory tract during general anesthesia, which is the most important duty of an anesthesiologist. Despite advances in airway monitoring devices, rigid laryngoscopy and intubation remain preferred methods. Airway treatment during intubation causes a hemodynamic reaction due to stimulation of the upper respiratory tract, which leads to an increase in catecholamine levels, which leads to hypertension, tachycardia and rhythm disturbances. This reaction reaches its maximum immediately after intubation and usually lasts 5-10 minutes. Despite the successful use of both nitroglycerin for intravenous administration and magnesium sulfate for this purpose, there is currently no direct comparison of these two drugs in the literature with respect to attenuation of hemodynamic changes during laryngoscopy and intubation. Therefore, our research is aimed at conducting such a comparative study. The study was a double-blind, prospective, randomized study involving sixty patients aged 18 to 60 years who were scheduled for surgery requiring general anesthesia and endotracheal intubation, with the status of asa I and II.Both intravenous administration of MgSO4 (30 mg/kg) and NTG (1 mcg/kg) were effective in attenuating the pressor reaction caused by laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation. However, MgSO4 was significantly superior to NTG in reducing heart rate. Key words: Airway management, general anaesthesia, nitroglycerine, magnesium sulphate, haemodynamic stress

This study measures the impact of seven indicators of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on Goal 8, which is about productive and decent work and employment opportunities in India. The study employs pooled ordinary least squares (POLS) methods to capture the impact of seven indicators— annual growth rate of real GDP per capita, ease of doing business, unemployment rate, labour force participation rate, participation of informal workers, fatal and non-fatal occupation injuries, and banking outlets, on SDG 8, for 2018-2021. The findings reveal that the annual growth rate of real GDP per capita, labour force participation rate, and ease of doing business influence SDG 8’s score positively and significantly. On the contrary, the unemployment rate impacts sustainable score value negatively and significantly. The inferences of the study did not unwrap a significant effect of the percentage of workers in the informal sector, fatal and non-fatal occupation injuries and the number of banking outlets on SDG8. The study recommends reducing unemployment and increasing labour force participation rates in the economy for sustainability. At the same time, policymakers must focus on enhancing the ease of doing business and the annual growth rate of real GDP per capita to realise decent work and employment opportunities. To advance sustainable development goals, especially SDG 8, fostering sustainable and inclusive economic growth is the need of the hour.

Abstract Septage refers to the semi-liquid waste material that accumulates in septic tanks and other onsite sanitation systems. It is composed of a complex mixture of human excreta, wastewater, and various solid particles. Septage is a potential source of water pollution owing to presence of high organic content, significant pathogen concentrations, and a range of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. The harmful impacts of septage pollution poses significant risks to public health through the contamination of drinking water sources, eutrophication of water bodies and spread of water borne diseases. Conventional septage treatment technologies often face limitations such as high operational costs, energy requirements, and the need for extensive infrastructure. Therefore, with an aim to treat septage through an alternative cost effective and energy-efficient technology, a laboratory-scale constructed wetland (CW) system (0.99 m2) consisting of a sludge drying bed and a vertical flow wetland bed was utilized for the treatment of septage. The sludge drying bed and vertical flow beds were connected in series and filled with a combination of gravel with varying sizes (ranging from 5 to 40 mm) and washed sand. Canna indica plants were cultivated on both beds to facilitate phytoremediation process. The system was operated with intermittent dosing of 30 Ltrs of septage every day for 2 months. The HRT of the system was fixed at 48 h. The average inlet loads of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) were measured as 150 ± 65.7 g m−2 day−1, 713 ± 443.9 g m−2 day−1, and 309 ± 66.3 g m−2 day−1, respectively. After treatment, the final effluent had an average load of 6 g m−2 day−1 for BOD5, 15 g m−2 day−1 for COD, and 51 g m−2 day−1 for TSS, indicating that the CW system achieved an average removal efficiency of 88% for BOD, 87% for COD, and 65% for TSS. The average load of total coliforms and helminthes eggs in the influent was recorded as 4 × 108 Colony-Forming Units (CFU) m−2 day−1 and 3 × 107 eggs m−2 day−1, respectively. However, the CW system demonstrated significant effectiveness in reducing microbial contamination, with an average removal efficiency of 99% for both total coliforms and helminthes eggs. The vertical flow constructed wetland system, equipped with pretreatment by sludge drying bed, has proven to be efficient in treatment of septage.

A lab based hybrid constructed wetland system (1.645 m2) consisting of sludge drying bed (0.135 m2), vertical sub-surface flow bed (0.58 m2), and horizontal sub-surface flow bed (0.93 m2) was operated for the treatment of septage. All the beds were filled with gravels of varied sizes (5-40 mm), sand (0.25 mm) and planted with Canna indica L. Average concentration in influent and effluent was observed as; BOD5 (2395.6±1196.4 and 41.87±8.9 mg/L), COD (7442± 7342.6 and 29.6±7.6 mg/L), TSS (4965.9±801.69 and 336.1±152.9 mg/L), TN (1774.8±693.5 and 55.7±13.7 mg/L), and Total P (849.3±237.7 and 7.05±3.5mg/L) during study period. Hybrid System was operated with high influent loads of BOD5 (175.2± 87.5 g m-2 d-1), COD (544.5±537 g m-2 d-1), TSS (363.3±58.6 g m-2 d-1), Total N (129.8±50.7 g m-2 d-1), NH4-N (7.8±1.1 g m-2 d-1), and Total P (62.1±17.4 g m-2 d-1), throughout the study period. Hybrid-CW has showed significant removal of BOD5 (99.1±0.3%), COD (99.7±0.3%), TS (98.2±6.8%), TSS (96.9±4.9%), Total N (98.4±0.4 %), NH4-N (94.8±0.1%), and Total P (99.6±0.1%) from the septage. Finally treated septage met effluent discharge standards for all parameters except BOD5.

Three vertical sub-surface flow (VSSF) constructed wetland (CW) systems (CW-1, CW-2 and CW-3) filled with different filter media, each 4 m2 in area, planted with Arundo donax was operated for 4 years for treating dairy farm wastewater. The vertical CW systems received high fluctuations in influent concentration and loads i.e. BOD (26 to 619 mg L-1 and 1.5 to 34 g m-2 d-1), TSS (165 to 643 mg L-1 and 9.1 to 24 g m-2 d-1), TP (16 to 49.9 mg L-1 and 1.2 to 2.7 g m-2 d-1) and NH4-N (24.5 to 76.2 mg L-1 and 1.3 to 4.2 g m-2 d-1) during the assessment period. Average annual removal rates showed fluctuations in removal of BOD (70.5 to 92.9%), TSS (82.5 to 97.5%), TP (51.1 to 91.9%) and NH4-N (34.6 to 69%). This shows that the removal of BOD is very sensitive to inlet load fluctuations in CWs. High inlet loads may confine good nitrification that affects ammonium-nitrogen removal while TP removal rate reduced when inlet TP loads reduced. The average concentration of the pollutants (BOD, TSS, TP and NH4-N) in the treated effluent showed noticeable decrease: 43.4 to 16.1 mg L-1 for BOD; 43.3 to 11.7 mg L-1 for TSS; 17.9 to 3.1 mg L-1 for TP and 33.2 to 22.7 mg L-1 for NH4-N. Thus from the outcomes of the current study, it can be concluded that the VSSF CW system may provide promising outcomes despite there is fluctuations in the influent loads.

Background and Aims: Uncontrolled hyperthyroid patient in pregnancy for emergency caesarean section under general anaesthesia managed by giving antithyroid agents, beta blockers, dexamethasone preoperatively to inhibit peripheral conversion of T4 to T3 and to control symptoms of hyperthyroidism. Case presentation: A 20-year-old primigravida, presented at 37 weeks of gestation with complaints of respiratory difficulty, tremors, excessive sweating, prominent eyes, palpitations and anxiety. Patient was given oral propylthiouracil, lugol’s solution, tablet propranolol, injection dexamethasone and injection pantoprazole intravenous preoperatively. Nasogastric tube was inserted for further administration of antithyroid medications. Arterial blood pressure cannula secured and central venous cannulation done in case thyroid storm occurs which may require large volume resuscitation. Patient was managed successfully under general anaesthesia and monitored for thyroid storm in postoperative period. Discussion: In patients with poorly controlled hyperthyroidism labour, delivery or caesarean section can precipitate life threatening thyroid storm. In case of thyroid storm antithyroid drugs can be administered orally or rectally so Ryle’s tube was inserted preoperatively. General anaesthesia should be considered in patients of uncontrolled hyperthyroidism requiring emergency surgery as it provides less fluctuations in hemodynamic parameters. Sympathetic stimulation should be avoided in perioperative period. Regional anaesthesia can be performed safely if there are no signs of cardiac failure. In the present case there were no signs of cardiac failure but the patient had tachypnoea so a decision to proceed with general anaesthesia with central venous catheterization and invasive blood pressure monitoring was made.

Wastewater contains various emerging contaminants, including heavy metals, residues of pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. Therefore, irrigation with wastewater can enhance heavy metal contamination in soil and adversely affect plant growth. To mitigate this problem, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPR) can improve plant growth under heavy metal stress. This study aimed to isolate and characterize rhizospheric and endophytic bacteria from the rhizosphere soil and roots of a cucumber plant irrigated with municipal wastewater. A total of 121 morphologically distinct bacterial isolates from the rhizosphere and 90 bacterial isolates from the endophytic region were isolated and tested for heavy metal resistance and in vitro plant growth-promoting characteristics, including indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production, phosphate solubilization, Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) production, and siderophore production. Most of the bacteria analyzed from the rhizospheric and endophytic regions showed various plant growth-promoting characteristics and were tolerant to different heavy metals at various concentrations. Bacterial strains R1 (Proteus sp.) and E2 (Bacillus sp.) were antagonistic to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Lycopersici. Wastewater irrigation increases heavy metal-resistant bacteria in cucumber plants, which can alleviate heavy metal stress. Additionally, Proteus sp. and Bacillus sp. isolates are potential candidates for removing heavy metal-contaminated soil and could be potential biofertilizer candidates for selected plants and biocontrol agents.

The adoption of sustainable agricultural practices is increasingly imperative in addressing global food security and environmental concerns, with microbial based bio-inoculums emerging as a promising approach for nurturing soil health and fostering sustainable crop production.This review article explores the potential of microbial based bio-inoculumsor biofertilizers as a transformative approach toenhance plant disease resistance and growth. It explores the commercial prospects of biofertilizers, highlighting their role in addressing environmental concerns associated with conventional fertilizers while meeting the growing demand for eco-friendly agricultural practices. Additionally, this review discusses the future prospects of biofertilizers, emphasizing the ongoing advancements in biotechnology and formulation techniques that are expected to enhance their efficacy and applicability. Furthermore, this article provides insights into strategies for the successful acceptance of biofertilizers among farmers, including the importance of quality control, assurance, and education initiatives to raise awareness about their benefits and overcome barriers to adoption. By synthesizing the current research findings and industrial developments, this review offers valuable guidance for stakeholders seeking to exploit the potential of biofertilizers or beneficial microbes to promote soil health, ensure sustainable crop production, and addressing the challenges of modern agriculture.

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offers unconditional security in principle. Many QKD protocols have been proposed and demonstrated to ensure secure communication between two authenticated users. Continuous variable (CV) QKD offers many advantages over discrete variable (DV) QKD since it is cost-effective, compatible with current classical communication technologies, efficient even in daylight, and gives a higher secure key rate. Keeping this in view, we demonstrate a discrete modulated CVQKD protocol in the free space which is robust against polarization drift. We also present the simulation results with a noise model to account for the channel noise and the effects of various parameter changes on the secure key rate. These simulation results help us to verify the experimental values obtained for the implemented CVQKD.

The dumping of wastewater containing the dyes is harmful to the health of aquatic living beings. The colour in water bodies reduces the penetration of light and thereby reduces the concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) of water bodies. The decreased value of DO is also harmful to aquatic organism. Therefore treatment of wastewater containing dyes becomes essential. Mushrooms have proven to be highly efficient and economical for removing pollutants through bioabsorption. Therefore, in the present study an attempt has been made to study the efficiency of Spent Mushroom Waste (SMW) viz. Agaricus bisporus as biosorbent for the biosorption of Basic Fuchsin Dye (BFD) from aqueous solution. The effects of certain factors such as the dose of adsorbent, temperature, exposure time, and pH were studied on the dye degradation by a given biomass of SMW. The results of the present study revealed that the optimum value of temperature, contact time, adsorbent dose, pH, was 7, 20 minutes, 20 mg, and 30˚C respectively. The biosorption efficiency of the used SMW ranged from good to excellent. The results of the present study revealed that the SMW of Agaricus bisporus is an economically and environmentally sound adsorbent and can be used for the degradation of dyes from water based solutions. Further investigation is required to enhance the adsorption rate of SMW of Agaricus bisporus.

Plants are essential to our life as they provide us with food and, through photosynthesis, release oxygen into the atmosphere. Historical accounts about plants demonstrate their many benefits to humans and other living things. Rapid population growth and industrialization have damaged agricultural and forest flora. Raising awareness of the value of plants for sustainable development is necessary. This study focuses on the medicinal benefit of the phyto-diversity of angiosperms from the Shamli region of Uttar Pradesh and their medicinal value for mankind. Shamli is located near the Ganga River, on the eastern side of the Yamuna River at an elevation of 248 meters above sea level. This region's ideal temperature is between 13.8°C and 33.2°C. The vegetation of Shamli is enhanced by a variety of trees, shrubs, and plants. In addition to documenting fifty plant species that belong to several angiosperm genera and families, such as Abutilon indicum, Aegle marmelos, Azadirachta Indica, Moringa oliefera, and Calotropis gigantea, a critical study of the area's plant life has been conducted. The engagement with the locals of the Shamli region recorded the ethnomedicinal significance of the collected plants.

The increasing rate of industrialization, anthropogenic, and geological activities have expedited the release of heavy metals (HMs) at higher concentration in environment. HM contamination resulting due to its persistent nature, injudicious use poses a potential threat by causing metal toxicities in humans and animals as well as severe damage to aquatic organisms. Bioremediation is an emerging and reliable solution for mitigation of these contaminants using rhizospheric microorganisms in an environmentally safe manner. The strategies are based on exploiting microbial metabolism and various approaches developed by plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) to minimize the toxicity concentration of HM at optimum levels for the environmental clean-up. Rhizospheric bacteria are employed for significant growth of plants in soil contaminated with HM. Exploitation of bacteria possessing plant-beneficial traits as well as metal detoxifying property is an economical and promising approach for bioremediation of HM. Microbial cells exhibit different mechanisms of HM resistance such as active transport, extra cellular barrier, extracellular and intracellular sequestration, and reduction of HM. Tolerance of HM in microorganisms may be chromosomal or plasmid originated. Proteins such as MerT and MerA of mer operon and czcCBA, ArsR, ArsA, ArsD, ArsB, and ArsC genes are responsible for metal detoxification in bacterial cell. This review gives insights about the potential of rhizospheric bacteria in HM removal from various polluted areas. In addition, it also gives deep insights about different mechanism of action expressed by microorganisms for HM detoxification. The dual-purpose use of biological agent as plant growth enhancement and remediation of HM contaminated site is the most significant future prospect of this article.

Introduction: Patients with oropharyngeal masses pose a challenge for an anesthetist in terms of ventilation and tracheal intubation. Thus, preoperative assessment and preparation become an integral part of the management of such anticipated difficult airway cases.Case report: A 45-year-old female presented with growth in the oropharynx causing dysphagia and hoarseness of voice. Clinical examination and investigations predicted a difficult airway. It was managed with fibreoptic nasotracheal intubation with successful perioperative outcomes. Tracheostomy was kept as plan B in case of the CVCI situation.Conclusion: Careful preoperative examination and assessment are required to prepare oneself for a difficult airway. Fibreoptic bronchoscope-guided nasotracheal intubation in a spontaneously breathing patient is a safe and successful technique of airway management in difficult airway cases.

Goldenhar's syndrome is a congenital defect caused by maldevelopment of the first and second brachial arch. This causes maldevelopment of the ears, nose, soft palate, mandible, and vertebral column. These patients pose a unique challenge to anesthetists in having difficult management of the airway and neuraxial blockade. This report describes two patients of Goldenhar syndrome who came for the surgery under anesthesia and their management.

The guava (Psidium guajava L.), known as ‘Apple of the Tropics’ is a rich source of polyphenols, pectin, dietary fiber, and carotenoids. Guava comes under climacteric types of fruits; due to its high transpiration and respiration rate it experiences high post-harvest losses. Giloy leaf and ajwain seed herbal extracts-based nano-formulations (NFs) were synthesized using biopolymer sodium alginate and CaCl2, viz., T1 (Alginate: CaCl2), T2 (Alginate: CaCl2: Ajwain extract), and T3 (Alginate: CaCl2: Giloy extract). Antibacterial and antioxidant activity of the NFs were examined to check their efficacy as antibacterial agents, which was checked against E. coli, P. aeruginosa and B. cereus bacterial culture. The zone of inhibition against bacteria ranged from 6 ± 0.42 mm to 14 ± 0.92 mm. Antioxidant activity was 93.27%, 71.67%, and 67.04% for T2, T3 and T1 NFs and 89.90% and 67.05% for ajwain and giloy extracts. NFs treated fruits showed minimum loss in physiological weight, firmness, and color change compared to control fruit (uncoated). Physiological loss in weight ranged from 3.16 to 17.21% and 3.23 to 15.57% and fruit firmness ranged from 4.47 to 8.41 kg/cm2 and 4.84 to 8.37 kg/cm2 during storage at 25 ± 2 °C (incubation) and 32 ± 2 °C (room temperature), respectively. Among NFs, T2 showed the best results in preventing ripening and maximum loss of quality was observed in control (uncoated) fruits. Thus, NFs are an effective method of extending the shelf-life of fruits and ajwain based NFs increased shelf life of guava from 4–5 days to 7–8 days. Fruits storage at 25 ± 2 °C showed better results compared to storage at 32 ± 2 °C. Thus, NFs treated fruits storage at lower temperature controls the ripening related changes maximally.

The Himalayan region is conferred by diverse wealth in term of flora and fauna. Among Himalayan plant biodiversity, Saussurea obvallata (common name Brahma Kamal) has an immense spiritual and medicinal significance. Owing to high demand, this herb is on the verge of extinction. Numerous studies have been carried out for preservation and in vitro regeneration of Saussurea obvallata. In view of above, this is the first study which aims to isolate and identify rhizospheric fungi associated with this plant. Soil samples were collected from three locations in Kedarnath valley and total 34 fungal isolates were isolated. Out of 34, three fungal isolates i.e. MaHaD1, MaHaD2 and MaHaD3 were selected for morphological and molecular characterization. The 16S rDNA sequencing identified MaHaD1, MaHaD2 and MaHaD3 as Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Trichoderma longibrachiatum and Aspergillus fumigatus respectively. The presence of these three dominant fungi in rhizospheric region seems to be results of climatic conditions and plant physiology. Results indicate that the presence of fungal microflora may play a vital role in survival and proliferation of Saussurea obvallata plant by providing tolerance and resistance to abiotic stress and fungal/nematode pathogens respectively.

Background and Aims: Regional analgesic techniques are difficult to use in tubercular spine patients due to distorted spinal anatomy and presence of infection. This study was conducted with the aim to evaluate analgesic efficacy of local wound infiltration before wound closure in tubercular spine patients. Methods: This pilot randomised double-blind controlled study was conducted in 32 American Society of Anesthesiologists I-III patients, age ≥15 years, undergoing elective surgery for spinal tuberculosis. All the patients received general anaesthesia using standard technique and intravenous morphine for intraoperative analgesia. They received wound infiltration with either normal saline (group C) or local infiltration analgesia with 0.375% ropivacaine 3 mg/kg, adrenaline 5 μg/mL and dexmedetomidine 1 μg/kg in a total volume of 0.8 mL/kg (group LIA) before wound closure. Patient-controlled analgesia using intravenous morphine provided postoperative analgesia. The primary objective was to study 24-h morphine consumption, whereas the secondary objectives included pain scores, complications and patient satisfaction. Repeated measures analysis of variance, Chi-square test and Mann–Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis. Results: Morphine requirement was lower in group LIA (6.7 ± 2.7 mg) than in group C (27.7 ± 7.9 mg);P < 0.001. Group LIA also had lower pain scores (P < 0.001), longer time to rescue analgesic (P < 0.001), better patient satisfaction to pain relief (P = 0.001) and lower incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting than group C. Conclusion: Wound infiltration with ropivacaine, adrenaline and dexmedetomidine before wound closure provided good postoperative analgesia with lower morphine requirement.

Chickpea is one of the most economically important food legumes, and a significant source of proteins. It is cultivated in more than 50 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, North America, and South America. Chickpea production is limited by various abiotic stresses (cold, heat, drought, salt, etc.). Being a winter-season crop in northern south Asia and some parts of the Australia, chickpea faces low-temperature stress (0–15°C) during the reproductive stage that causes substantial loss of flowers, and thus pods, to inhibit its yield potential by 30–40%. The winter-sown chickpea in the Mediterranean, however, faces cold stress at vegetative stage. In late-sown environments, chickpea faces high-temperature stress during reproductive and pod filling stages, causing considerable yield losses. Both the low and the high temperatures reduce pollen viability, pollen germination on the stigma, and pollen tube growth resulting in poor pod set. Chickpea also experiences drought stress at various growth stages; terminal drought, along with heat stress at flowering and seed filling can reduce yields by 40–45%. In southern Australia and northern regions of south Asia, lack of chilling tolerance in cultivars delays flowering and pod set, and the crop is usually exposed to terminal drought. The incidences of temperature extremes (cold and heat) as well as inconsistent rainfall patterns are expected to increase in near future owing to climate change thereby necessitating the development of stress-tolerant and climate-resilient chickpea cultivars having region specific traits, which perform well under drought, heat, and/or low-temperature stress. Different approaches, such as genetic variability, genomic selection, molecular markers involving quantitative trait loci (QTLs), whole genome sequencing, and transcriptomics analysis have been exploited to improve chickpea production in extreme environments. Biotechnological tools have broadened our understanding of genetic basis as well as plants' responses to abiotic stresses in chickpea, and have opened opportunities to develop stress tolerant chickpea.

Salinity stress has become a significant concern to global food security. Revealing the mechanisms that enable plants to survive under salinity has immense significance. Sorghum has increasingly attracted researchers interested in understanding the survival and adaptation strategies to high salinity. However, systematic analysis of the DEGs (differentially expressed genes) and their relative expression has not been reported in sorghum under salt stress. The de novo transcriptomic analysis of sorghum under different salinity levels from 60 to 120 mM NaCl was generated using Illumina HiSeq. Approximately 323.49 million high-quality reads, with an average contig length of 1145 bp, were assembled de novo. On average, 62% of unigenes were functionally annotated to known proteins. These DEGs were mainly involved in several important metabolic processes, such as carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, cell wall biogenesis, photosynthesis, and hormone signaling. SSG 59-3 alleviated the adverse effects of salinity by suppressing oxidative stress (H2O2) and stimulating enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activities (SOD, APX, CAT, APX, POX, GR, GSH, ASC, proline, and GB), as well as protecting cell membrane integrity (MDA and electrolyte leakage). Significant up-regulation of transcripts encoding the NAC, MYB, and WRYK families, NHX transporters, the aquaporin protein family, photosynthetic genes, antioxidants, and compatible osmolyte proteins were observed. The tolerant line (SSG 59-3) engaged highly efficient machinery in response to elevated salinity, especially during the transport and influx of K+ ions, signal transduction, and osmotic homeostasis. Our data provide insights into the evolution of the NAC TFs gene family and further support the hypothesis that these genes are essential for plant responses to salinity. The findings may provide a molecular foundation for further exploring the potential functions of NAC TFs in developing salt-resistant sorghum lines.

Chickpea is sensitive to cold stress, especially at reproductive stage, resulting in flower and pod abortion that significantly reduces seed yield. In the present study, we evaluated (a) whether cold acclimation imparts reproductive cold tolerance in chickpea; (b) how genotypes with contrasting sensitivity respond to cold acclimation; and (c) the involvement of cryoprotective solutes and antioxidants in anthers and ovules in cold acclimation. Four chickpea genotypes with contrasting cold sensitivity (cold-tolerant: ICC 17258, ICC 16349; cold-sensitive: ICC 15567, GPF 2) were grown in an outdoor environment for 40 days in November (average maximum/minimum temperature 24.9/15.9 °C) before being subjected to cold stress (13/7 °C), with or without cold acclimation in a controlled environment of walk-in-growth chambers. The 42-d cold acclimation involved 7 d exposure at each temperature beginning with 23/15 °C, 21/13 °C, 20/12 °C, 20/10 °C, 18/8 °C, 15/8 °C (12 h/12 h day/night), prior to exposing the plants to cold stress (13/7 °C, 12 h/12 h day/night; 700 μmol m−2 s−1 light intensity; 65–70% relative humidity). Cold acclimation remarkably reduced low temperature-induced leaf damage (as membrane integrity, leaf water status, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic pigments, and chlorophyll fluorescence) under cold stress in all four genotypes. It only reduced anther and ovule damage in cold-tolerant genotypes due to improved antioxidative ability, measured as enzymatic (superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase) and non-enzymatic (ascorbate and reduced glutathione), solutes (particularly sucrose and γ-aminobutyric acid) leading to improving reproductive function and yield traits, whereas cold-sensitive genotypes were not responsive. The study concluded that cold tolerance in chickpea appears to be related to the better ability of anthers and ovules to acclimate, involving various antioxidants and cryoprotective solutes. This information will be useful in directing efforts toward increasing cold tolerance in chickpea.

We prove two general fixed theorems for maps in G-metric spaces and then show that these maps satisfy property P.