Cultivars of Triticum aestivum, T. durum, and Secale cereale were grown at low (2 µM) and sufficient (500 µM) phosphorus (P) under ambient carbon dioxide (380 µmol mol -1 ; aCO 2 ) and elevated CO 2 (700 µmol mol -1 , eCO 2 ) to study responses of cereal species in terms of growth and P utilization efficiency (PUE) under P x CO 2 interaction. Dry matter accumulation increased under eCO 2 with sufficient P. Nevertheless, dry matter accumulated at eCO 2 with low-P was similar to that obtained at aCO 2 with sufficient P. Leaf area was 43% higher under eCO 2 with sufficient P. Significant increase in lateral root density, length and surface area were noted at low-P under eCO 2 . Phosphorus use efficience (PUE) increased by 59% in response to eCO 2 in low-P plants. Thus, eCO 2 can partly compensate effect of low-P supply because of improved utilization efficiency. Among cereals, durum wheat was more suitable in terms of PUE under high CO 2 and limiting P supply.

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Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is an important feed purpose cereal grown under diverse production conditions and harsh environments. The present investigation was carried out to study performance of advanced breeding lines and identify superior genotypes of feed barley using multienvironment trial data from All India Coordinated Wheat and Barley Improvement Programme (AICW&BIP). Ninety three experimental genotypes and five released cultivars were tested across eleven locations during four years. Grain yield and other agronomic traits were analyzed. Stability and genotype superiority for grain yield and other traits were determined using genotype and genotype × environment (GGE) biplot analysis. The result showed that environment and genotype contributed 32.9 to 67.4% and 4.7 to 20.4% of the total variation, respectively. The genotype × environment interaction contributed 27 to 44% of total variation. The experimental genotypes showed arrays of variation for grain yield in each year, with mean values ranging from 2.12 to 5.36 t/ha. Twelve experimental genotypes were identified, which were either superior or equal performance to the best check based on their high yield and stability across environments. The locations Varanasi, Kanpur, Vijapur and Durgapura discriminated the genotypes more than other sites for grain yield and agronomic traits. The findings provided valuable information on wide adaptation of feed barley genotypes, which could be useful for barley improvement programmes.

Genome editing (GE) technology has emerged as a multifaceted strategy that instantaneously popularised the mechanism to modify the genetic constitution of an organism. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated (Cas) protein-based genome editing (CRISPR/Cas) approach has huge potential for efficacious editing of genomes of numerous organisms. This framework has demonstrated to be more economical in contrast to mega-nucleases, zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) for its flexibility, versatility, and potency. The advent of sequence-specific nucleases (SSNs) allowed the precise induction of double-strand breaks (DSBs) into the genome, ensuring desired alterations through non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) or homology-directed repair (HDR) pathways. Researchers have utilized CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome alterations across crop varieties to generate desirable characteristics for yield enhancement, enriched nutritional quality, and stressresistance. Here, we highlighted the recent progress in the area of nutritional improvement of crops via the CRISPR/Cas-based tools for fundamental plant research and crop genetic advancements. Application of this genome editing aids in unraveling the basic biology facts in plants supplemented by the incorporation of genome-wide association studies, artificial intelligence, and various bioinformatic frameworks, thereby providing futuristic model studies and their affirmations. Strategies for reducing the 'off-target' effects and the societal approval of genome-modified crops developed via this modern biotechnological approach have been reviewed.