No abstract

Although the toxicological impact of metal oxide nanoparticles has been studied for the last few decades on aquatic organisms, the exact mechanism of action is still unclear. The fate, behavior, and biological activity of nanoparticles are dependent on physicochemical factors like size, shape, surface area, and stability in the medium. This study deals with the effect of nano and bulk CeO particles on marine microcrustacean, Artemia salina. The primary size was found to be 15 ± 3.5 and 582 ± 50 nm for nano and bulk CeO (TEM), respectively. The colloidal stability and sedimentation assays showed rapid aggregation of bulk particles in seawater. Both the sizes of CeO particles inhibited the hatching rate of brine shrimp cyst. Nano CeO was found to be more toxic to A. salina (48 h LC 38.0 mg/L) when compared to bulk CeO (48 h LC 92.2 mg/L). Nano CeO-treated A. salina showed higher oxidative stress (ROS) than those treated with the bulk form. The reduction in the antioxidant activity indicated an increase in oxidative stress in the cells. Higher acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) was observed upon exposure to nano and bulk CeO particles. The uptake and accumulation of CeO particles were increased with respect to the concentration and particle size. Thus, the above results revealed that nano CeO was more lethal to A. salina as compared to bulk particles.

Background: Salinity is a significant abiotic stress which affects eggplant (Solanum melongena) growth and development, decreasing photosynthesis and reducing yield. To address this problem, we performed a salt induction response (SIR) study in eggplant. Methods: In this experiment, we optimized the salt induction cycle of 60, 80, 100 and 125 mM NaCl concentrations at 120-min time intervals. Eggplant seeds were exposed to three treatments. In particular, induced, non-induced, and control. The induction responses were tested with a supply of sub-lethal dose (100 mM NaCl) of saline water irrigation. Results: Salt induction improved the eggplant seedling vigour, germination, adjusts the physiology, antioxidant machinery and increase the fruit yield under salinity. Conclusion: Salt induction acclimatizes the eggplant seedlings to salinity stress and enhances the salinity tolerance at the whole-plant level.

The effect of high-temperature situations leads to a significant reduction in yield. The elevated temperature on crops is expected to have a widespread negative effect as a consequence of global warming. Meanwhile, the global population is rapidly increasing and is predicted to be 11 billion in 2100. An increase in 70% of global food production is a challenging task to feed the increasing population. Increasing the food crop yield is crucial to meet the global food demand and ensuring food security. An increase in high temperature every year due to global warming and an increase in greenhouse gases leads to a rise in temperature. The rise in temperature significantly affects the yield; so, it is important to understand the mechanism and how to counteract high temperature on food crops. It is also important to neutralize the effect of high temperature on food crops and to increase the yield by minimizing the effect of high temperature and developing heat resistant or tolerant variety. It is essential to develop heat-tolerant crops or transgenic food crops that can assure great yield and food security for future generations. It is essential to examine the metabolic, physiological, and molecular mechanisms of food crops to have an enhanced understanding of high temperature and their effects on crops.