Hafeez Ur Rehman

Key message Integrated application of MLE and GSH mitigated salinity and HM stress in wheat via enhancement of antioxidant defense system, nutrient balance, and reduced sodium toxicity, and thereby improved crop performance and grain nutritional quality. Abstract Salinity obstructs the uptake of essential minerals by simultaneously increasing heavy metal (HM) concentration to affect the growth, yield, and grain nutritional quality in crop plants. This study evaluated the potential of moringa leaf extract (MLE; 3%) and glutathione (GSH; 1 mM) applied in sequence with H₂O as a seed priming (SP) and foliar spray (FS) on antioxidant enzymes activity, GSH, and protein levels, leaf macronutrients as well leaf and grain micronutrients, and HM contents at booting and maturity stages under HM-contaminated saline conditions (9.06 dS m⁻¹) for two growing seasons. Soil salinity induced high Na⁺ and Cd toxicity, triggered leaf antioxidant enzymes activities (SOD, CAT, GPOX), enhanced GSH levels, and reduced protein content as well as macronutrient (N, P, Ca) and micronutrient (Fe, Mn, Zn) contents. This was associated with increased Na⁺ (~ 50–52.94%) and HMs (Cu~23.89%, Pb~65.58–86.52%, Cd~36.21–40.5%) as well NO₃ and NO₂ contents, ultimately reducing the straw (29.92–34.96%) and grain yields (31.59–32.78%) in wheat. Sequenced application of MLE and GSH as SP and FS further enhanced antioxidant enzymes activities (SOD~44.78–49.00%, GPOX~51.4–56.14%), increased total protein (~ 32.16–33.2%) and GSH (~ 60.38–70.4%) contents, macronutrients N (~ 28.01–50.94%), P (~ 47.62–50.0%), K^{+ (}~ 19.6–25.89%), and Ca²⁺ (~ 33.33–53.34%), and micronutrient contents (Fe~33.33–51.13, Zn~47.72–53.57, Mn~36.18–36.55) in the leaves and grains (Fe~47.1–50.44, Zn~48.57–74.19, Mn~48.57–74.19) of wheat. This increase was with a simultaneous decrease of HM contents (Cu~19.28%, Cd~47.21–50.42, Pb~48.50–49.31) in leaves and grain (Cu~26.47%, Cd~29.00–30.11%, Pb~47.05–53.86%), as well as grain NO₃ and NO₂ contents under saline HM conditions. This enhanced nutritional crop status, antioxidant defense system, and its homeostasis with reduced leaf Na⁺ (~ 40.00–45.45%) toxicity, and NO₃ (~ 47.32–54.25%) and NO₂ (~ 54.10–61.2%) contents, which led to increased wheat straw and grain yields under HM-contaminated saline soil. In conclusion, integrated applications of MLE and GSH can be a promising strategy to reduce the detrimental effects of dual salinity and HM stress with substantial increase in crop performance and grain nutritional quality in wheat.

Background : Hybrid rice ( Oryza sativa L.) technology utilizing heterosis is essential for improving food security. This study assessed the combining ability, gene action, and heterosis for grain yield (GY), agronomic traits, and grain quality in newly developed rice hybrids. Methods : A line × tester (L × T) mating design was used involving three cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines and nine restorers to generate 27 hybrids. Field trials were conducted at Rice Research Department Farm, Egypt, during 2023 and 2024 seasons. All lines, testers, and hybrids were transplanted in 5 m ² plots using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Standard crop husbandry practices were followed. Morpho-agronomic and quality traits data were collected using standardized protocols. The analysis of variance (ANOVA), correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and clustering analysis were performed using RStudio. Combining ability and gene action were estimated using GENES software, while heterosis was calculated based on better-parent performance. Results : Specific combining ability (SCA) variances exceeded general combining ability (GCA) for most traits, indicating dominance gene action, except for hulling percentage (HP) and amylose content (AC) showing additive effects. Lines significantly influenced fertility percentage (FP), thousand grain weight (TGW), and AC, while testers affected days to heading (DTH), panicle weight (PW), and HP. L × T interactions contributed most to trait variation. Hybrid C12 showed the highest GY, while C27 exhibited significant heterosis for flag leaf traits and GY. Tester T1 had positive GCA effects for plant height (PH), chlorophyll content (CHC), total spikelet number per panicle (TSN), and elongation percentage (EP). CHC strongly correlated with TSN and GY. The PCA revealed over 54% of total phenotypic variation for first three principal components, with PC1 linked to yield-related traits (CHC, PW, TSN, TGW, GY, and harvest index [HI]), PC2 for developmental and architectural traits (DTH, flag leaf greenness [FLG], panicle length [PL], and gelatinization temperature [GT]), and PC3 for milling quality traits (PL, milling percentage [MP], head rice percentage [HRP], and AC). Cluster analysis clearly separated CMS lines (Cluster I) from high-performing testers and hybrids (Cluster II). CHC positively correlated with TSN, GY, and HI highlighting it as a reliable indirect selection criterion for yield in hybrid rice. Among hybrids, based on considerable phenotypic diversity for morpho-agronomic and milling quality traits and high SCA, C12, C4, and C11 are promising candidates for hybrid rice breeding in the Mediterranean environments. Conclusions : Traits TSN, HI, and GY are key targets for hybrid rice improvement with spikelet number as a critical selection trait due to its association with higher yield and biomass efficiency. With superior mean performance, significant positive SCA effects, and desirable better-parent heterosis (BPH) exceeding 40% for GY, hybrids C12, C4, and C11 are ‘promising candidates’ for use as parent material in hybrid breeding. Additive gene action in several traits supports the selection of favourable parental lines and provides a strategic foundation for breeding programmes to optimize hybrid combinations and target key traits for enhanced yield and grain quality.

Seed priming mitigates the negative effects of seed deterioration and abiotic stresses by increasing vigor with enhanced germination rate and percentage, as well as seedling growth. This study aimed to enhance the post-storage vitality of sesame by seed priming techniques and alleviate the detrimental effects of salinity, drought, and temperature stresses during germination and seedling growth stages. Seed priming techniques employed were halopriming (KCl 1.5%, CaCl ₂ 2%) _, hormopriming (GA ₃ 50 mg kg ⁻¹ ), priming with MLE (3%), and hydropriming in comparison to untreated dry seed as a control. Primed and control sesame seeds were exposed to different salinity (0, 2.5, 5 dS m ⁻¹ ), water potential (0, −0.2, −0.4 MPa), and temperature (10, 20, 30, 40 °C) stresses during germination and seedling growth stages. Outcomes showed that incremental drought and salinity reduced the germination and seedling growth of post-storage sesame seeds. No germination occurred at 10°C, while maximum germination and seedling growth was found at 30°C with a simultaneous decrease at 40°C. Halopriming (KCl or CaCl ₂ ) and hormopriming (GA ₃ ) enhanced post-storage vigor of sesame seeds was attributed to increase in final germination and its rate, germination energy, and its index. The enhanced vigor also decreased the time to 50% germination (T ₅₀ ) and mean germination time (MGT) under stress conditions. The post-priming improved vigor of sesame seeds was attributed to better membrane repairs owing to a decrease in seed leachates, MDA, and H ₂ O ₂ contents, as well as increased seedling fresh and dry weights under each stress type. A positive association of seed vigor with germination and seedling growth attributes was also found. In conclusion, halopriming (CaCl ₂ or KCl) and hormopriming (GA ₃ ) enhanced the post-storage vitality of sesame seeds and mitigated the detrimental effects of abiotic stresses during germination and seedling stages.

Canola (Brassica napus L) is cultivated on different types of soils, and as a result of that, many issues occur related to nutrition. Field and pot experiments were accomplished to determine canola performance in response to different sulfur and nitrogen sources. In this experiment, canola cv. “Super canola” was grown with five different nutrient treatments maintained as recommended NPK, nitrogen 220 kg ha-1, sulfur 60 kg ha-1, nitrogen-sulfur at 220-60 kg ha-1 and foliar-applied thiourea at 1000 mg L-1 at flowering initiation and pod formation. Application of thiourea improved the growth which was significantly similar to soil-applied N-S. Thiourea application also increased oil contents followed by a combined application of soil-applied N-S. Thiourea and N-S increased protein contents ranging from 19.28% to 23.50%. Among fatty acids, thiourea showed higher concentrations in linoleic (18.73%), oleic (58.39%), and linolenic acid (8.29%) while lowering the erucic acid concentration (2.92%). The highest erucic acid contents were observed when recommended NPK was applied. In conclusion, foliar-applied thiourea has the potential to boost canola growth, yield, oil quality, protein contents, and fatty acid profile while also being an economically viable and alternative source of N and S.

Terminal heat during reproductive stages of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) limits the productivity of the crop. Magnesium (Mg) is an essential macronutrient that is involved in many physiological and biochemical processes to affect photosynthesis and seed weight. The present study comparatively evaluated Mg applied to soil (80 kg MgSO₄·7H₂O ha⁻¹) and to plant foliage (4% w/v) in improving wheat performance under terminal heat. Wheat crop was grown in two sets of treatments until the booting stage, and then one set of plants was shifted to a glasshouse (±5 °C) at the booting stage to grow until maturity in comparison to control plants kept under ambient warehouse condition. Heat stress reduced the pollen viability while foliar- and soil-applied Mg improved it by 3% and 6% under heat stress, respectively, compared to the control without Mg treatment. The 100-seed weight, spike length, and biological yield reduced by 39%, 19%, and 50% under heat stress; however, foliar and soil application increased 100-seed weight by 45% and 40%, spike length by 8% and 5%, and biological yield by 35% and 25% under heat stress, respectively. Soil Mg showed maximum SPAD chlorophyll values; however, response was statistically similar to that of foliar Mg as compared to the control without Mg supply. Membrane stability decreased (4%) due to heat stress while foliar and soil treatments improved membrane stability by 8% and 5% compared to that of the control, respectively. Thus, Mg application through soil or plant foliage can be an effective way to reduce negative impacts of terminal heat in wheat by improving pollen viability at anthesis and 100-seed weight that was attributed to increased chlorophyll contents during anthesis.

Background: Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) plays an important role in cropping systems with sandy soil. However, studies on peanut cultivation in sandy soil of Binh Dinh province, Central Vietnam are still limited due to imbalanced fertilizer use. Methods: The present study compared two different fertilizer combinations including (T1) Control (Farmers’ practice): 24 kg N (urea) + 74 kg P2O5 (Thermophosphate) + 84 kg K2O (KCl) + 100 kg NPK (16 - 16 - 8 - 13S) ha-1 and (T2) 40 kg N (urea) + 90 kg P2O5 (Thermophosphate) + 90 kg K2O (K2SO4) based on 8 tons of cattle manure + 500 kg lime ha-1 on peanut yield, quality and some physico-chemical properties of the sandy soil. All treatments were arranged in a completely randomized block design (RCBD) with 3 replicates in Cat Hanh and Cat Hiep communes, Phu Cat district, Binh Dinh province. Results: The results showed that the application of fertilizer combination including potassium and sulfur increased peanut yield (4.35 - 4.48 tons/ha), protein content (24.4%), lipid (52.5 - 52.8%), and improved some soil physico-chemical properties (N 9.09% and P2O5 11.04%). Thus, balanced fertilizer application including 8 tons of cattle manure + 40 kg N + 90 kg P2O5 + 90 kg K2O (K2SO4) + 500 kg of lime ha-1 can be recommended for the best peanut production in sandy soil of Central Vietnam.

| Through the process of electron transport along a series of redox processes, sunlight energy is transformed into chemical energy that is then stored during photosynthesis. Photoinhibition is a significant and extremely complex phenomenon, which is basically light-induced damage to the photosynthetic machinery that principally affects the Photosystem II complex and leads to less photosynthetic productivity. A light-independent photosynthetic activity restricts the consumption of electrons produced in the early photoreactions, which appears to be the principal cause of photoinhibition by visible light. There is a chance that excessive photosynthetic electron transport could lead to an overabundance of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Reactive oxygen species such as H 2 O 2 and O 2 , that develops in photosystem II as a result of exposure to intense light, start to damage electron transfer system components and protein structure. Plants have adapted several protective mechanisms like production of antioxidants, enzymes and carotenoids to face reactive oxygen species and avoid photoinhibition. This article provides overview of molecular mechanisms involved in photoinhibition and its protective elements.