Saud Alamri

Agronomic biofortification could possibly be a promising strategy to overcome zinc (Zn) deficiency in wheat; however, the cultivar’s response to foliar applications is enigmatic when it comes to the relative efficiency of Zn absorption and accumulation. To decipher that enigmatic response, this study was designed with the objectives (i) to track the amount of Zn absorbed through leaves after foliar application, (ii) to calculate the amount of the absorbed Zn actually translocated and stored in the grains, and (iii) to calculate the relative efficiency of the high yielding cultivars in terms of their Zn absorption and translocation. The results reveal that 0.90% of the zinc sprayed was absorbed through leaves, and 43% of the absorbed Zn was translocated to the grains. The cultivars significantly varied for their Zn absorption (0.71–1.07%) and subsequent translocation of the absorbed Zn (23–66%). Foliar zinc treatment also improved growth attributes such as leaf area, height, spikelet per spike, number of grains per spike, grain yield, leaf and grain Zn content, and grain protein content. These findings suggest a need for cautious parent selection in devising the breeding strategies intended for biofortification.

The presence of textile effluents in water bodies is a matter of concern due to toxicity caused by textile dyes, associated heavy metals and salts. Endophytic bacteria have been reported to reduce the phytotoxicity of textile wastewater (TWW) and improve crop potential. The purpose of this study was to sequester dye-degrading endophytic bacteria with the ability to remediate textile effluents and promote tomato plant growth. Six strains showing the highest dye decolorization were screened from the dye decolorization assay. Selected strains also showed plant growth-promoting traits and improved tolerance to heavy metals and salt. The results revealed that Enterobacter cloacae ZA14 showed the highest decolorization (90%) using 200 mg L−1 of dye concentration, high minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of heavy metals and improved salt tolerance. In a sand culture experiment, the T4 (25% TWW (consisting of 25 mL TWW with 75 mL distilled water) + ZA14) treatment showed an increase in root length (9.3%), shoot length (5.5%), improved chlorophyll contents (7%), and membrane stability index (5%), whereas maximum oxidative stress was indicated by T10 (100% TWW) with an increase of 122% in MDA and 80% in H2O2 as compared to T1. An increase of 41% in ascorbate peroxidase (APX), 37% increase in sodium oxide dismutase (SOD), 27% in peroxidase (POD), and 24% in catalase (CAT) by T4 treatment showed the least production of antioxidants as compared to plants receiving 50%, 75% and 100% TWW along with ZA14 application. These results suggested that 25% TWW is beneficial for crop production with the use of an appropriate approach like Enterobacter cloacae ZA14 to mitigate textile effluents efficiently and to improve crop production.

The Crop Research Centre of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology in Meerut (U.P.), India, conducted field experiments in a randomised block design, comprising three replicates, one late sown variety (DBW-90), and eight treatments, viz.: T1 was a conventional flood irrigation (CFI); T2, furrow irrigated with gated-pipe raised beds (FIGPRB); T3, all furrow irrigation (AFI); T4, alternate furrow irrigation (Alt. FI); T5, wide bed furrow irrigation (WBFI); T6, skip furrow irrigated (SFI); T7, Sprinkler irrigation (SI); and T8, Zero-till flat-irrigated using gated pipe/controlled-flood irrigation (ZTFIGP). These field experiments were conducted during the Rabi seasons of 2017–2018 and 2018–2019. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the yield, water productivity, and soil health under different tillage crop establishment methods. Test weight, spike length, and productive tillers were all considerably enhanced in treatment T5, with the treatment’s statistical significance being similar to that of treatments T8 and T2. Treatment T5 considerably outperformed the other treatments in terms of grain yield, straw yield, biological yield (44.32, 61.88, and 106.19 q ha−1, respectively), as well as harvest index (41.73). Thirty to sixty centimetres of soil were mined for the most water, followed by fifteen to thirty centimetres, zero to fifteen centimetres, and sixty to ninety centimetres. Both water-use efficiency (2.86 q ha−1 cm) and water productivity (1.91 kg cm−3) were highest under T7 (Sprinkler irrigation). The maximum total NPK (113.69; 27.45; 127.33 kg ha−1) was found in crops grown with wide bed furrow irrigation. The data also showed that treatment T6 (skip furrow irrigated) had the highest levels of accessible NPK in soil, followed closely by treatment T4 (alternate furrow irrigated). Treatment T8 (zero-till flat-irrigated using gated-pipe/controlled flood irrigation) had the highest bacterial, fungal, and actinomycete populations, followed by T5 (wide bed furrow irrigated) and T2 (furrow irrigated with gated-pipe/elevated bed). Our research showed that there may be more options for maintaining wheat crop water productivity and soil health under different agroecological conditions, including crop productivity, conservation tillage-based establishing methods, and irrigation regimes.