Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is a unique group of bacteria that colonize the rhizosphere and roots of plants. They are involved in a plethora of interaction with the host plant and benefit the host plant from nutritional and pathological point of view. The beneficial role of PGPR extends from fixation of atmospheric nitrogen, solubilization of phosphates, siderophore production, synthesis of plant growth regulators, and conferring protection to plants through production of antibiotics and ultimately helping the plants in acquiring resistance. The microbes are also being used for bioremediation purposes and thus act as an eco-friendly cleansing agent. PGPR has gained immense interest in the scientific community and have emerged as a very reliable tool for eco-friendly and sustainable approach for crop production. PGPR is a potent candidate of bioprospection for sustainable use in agriculture and bioremediation process for the overall benefit of mankind.

The pollination events in Nigella sativa Family: Ranunculaceae; common name: black cumin; significant plant species for therapeutic uses and possessing spice yielding property) has been studied in relation to floral morphology, consequences of pollination types on reproductive parameters, types of visitors (Apis dorsata Fabr. – honeybees; Coccinella transversalis Fabr. - lady bug, Danaux plexippus L. - butterfly and Colletes succinctus L. - wasp) and flower color changes from bud to blooming stage. Honeybees are the predominant pollinators. Pollination is of ‘generalized type’. The study has provided insight on the effective mode of pollination in the species maximizing seed yield

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Summary Eight male sterile-female fertile mutants possessing a similar phenotype (semi-dwarf with dark green cup shaped pinnae), normal meiotic chromosome behavior and 100.0% sterile pollen grains were scored at M 2 (0.1% over mutagenized population; 7845 plants scored) following different mutagen treatments (0.25%, 2 h EMS; 0.5%, 4 h dES; 1.00%, 2 h H 2 O 2 ; 0.25%, 4 h NaN 3 ; 0.50%, 4 h NH 2 OH; 100 Gy, gamma irradiations) to dry seeds (moisture content: 19.04%) of Nigella sativa L. (Family: Ranunculaceae; common name: black cumin). The marked phenotype of the M 2 mutant plants did not persist in subsequent generations (M 3 and M 4 ). Male sterility is reported to be of the non-structural nuclear type. Segregation studies revealed that male sterility was monogenic recessive to male fertility. The male sterile plant type assessed over the generations (M 2 to M 4 ) was characterized morphologically, palynologically (pollen attributes studied following SEM analysis, DAPI staining and using stain tests for viability), and cytologically in relation to male fertile normal plants. The results obtained were discussed.