Ganeshan Shandeep

Boron (B) deficiency severely limits tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) productivity and fruit quality, particularly in alkaline or low-organic-matter soils, while conventional foliar boron fertilizers suffer from low uptake efficiency and environmental losses. In this study, we developed and characterized a novel nanoboron (NB) formulation and evaluated its efficacy compared with boric acid using physicochemical characterization, molecular simulations, greenhouse studies, metabolomics, and field validation. Physicochemical analyses confirmed stable nanoscale particles (∼58 nm hydrodynamic diameter, PDI 0.266, zeta potential −15.7 mV) with favorable colloidal stability. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated stable interfacial association of the nanoformulation with the leaf surface model without disruptive penetration. The foliar application in tomato cv. Shivam resulted in significantly higher boron accumulation in NB-treated leaves (1550–2080 ppm over 4–14 days) compared with boric acid and untreated controls. Untargeted metabolomics revealed distinct metabolic reprogramming, with significant modulation of stress-associated metabolites and volatile compounds following NB treatment. Molecular docking suggested potential interactions of differentially regulated metabolites with boron transporters (BOR1, NIP5;1) and antioxidant-related proteins, indicating possible links to boron homeostasis and redox regulation. Field-level validation demonstrated that NB significantly improved reproductive and yield parameters, including flower number, fruit set, fruit weight, and total yield (∼21 t ha–1), compared with conventional boric acid treatments. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that the NB formulation is an effective and sustainable foliar boron delivery system with enhanced nutrient use efficiency and promising agronomic benefits for tomato cultivation.

Concerns about pollinator health and the influence on agricultural ecosystems have developed as a result of pesticide‐caused population declines in honey bees. The research looked at the properties of the SDHA subunit of the enzyme Succinate dehydrogenase, which is important for energy production and mitochondrial function. The goal was to investigate the structural and functional characteristics of SDHA in several Apis bee species, as well as how pesticides can limit its activity. In silico analyses were conducted to understand the structural characteristics of the SDHA subunit, assess evolutionary conservation, analyze deformation energy, and investigate potential pesticide binding. Thirteen pesticides were subjected to molecular docking studies with the Apis SDHA subunit. The study revealed the stability and conserved nature of the SDHA subunit across different Apis sp. Deformation energy analysis highlighted regions of local flexibility, particularly in the active site and interdomain interfaces. Molecular docking analysis indicated that pesticides such as Carboxin, Clothianidin, and Dithianon potentially interfere with FAD binding, while Fipronil and Sulfoxaflor may disrupt both FAD and dicarboxylate binding. This research sheds light on pesticides′ probable inhibitory effects on SDH, a vital enzyme in honey bee energy production and mitochondrial function. The findings highlight the importance of stringent pesticide controls and long‐term pest management measures to protect pollinator numbers and ecosystem health.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most widely grown crops in the world, and is a staple food for more than half of the global total population. Root-knot nematodes (RKNs), Meloidogyne spp., and especially M. graminicola, seem to be significant rice pests, which makes them the most economically important plant-parasitic nematode in this crop. RKNs develop a feeding site in galls by causing host cells to differentiate into hypertrophied, multinucleate, metabolically active cells known as giant cells. This grazing framework gives the nematode a constant food source, permitting it to develop into a fecund female and complete its life cycle inside the host root. M. graminicola effector proteins involved in nematode parasitism, including pioneer genes, were functionally characterized in earlier studies. Molecular modelling and docking studies were performed on Meloidogyne graminicola protein targets, such as β-1,4-endoglucanase, pectate lyase, phospholipase B-like protein, and G protein-coupled receptor kinase, to understand the binding affinity of Beta-D-Galacturonic Acid, 2,6,10,15,19,23-hexamethyltetracosane, (2S)-2-amino-3-phenylpropanoic acid, and 4-O-Beta-D-Galactopyranosyl-Alpha-D-Glucopyranose against ligand molecules of rice. This study discovered important molecular aspects of plant–nematode interaction and candidate effector proteins that were regulated by M. graminicola-infected rice plants. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to describe M. graminicola’s molecular adaptation to host parasitism.

Southern root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita is an important nematode genus infesting okra growing tracts of Tamil Nadu. The present study was carried out to understand the cytological changes that occur during Meloidogyne incognita interaction with okra roots by employing Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results exhibited the explicit changes in cellular structures of healthy and nematode-infested roots. The healthy roots possessed normal cell size for metaxylem, protoxylem, pith and cortex region nevertheless nematode infested roots revealed coalesced cellular structures. Root cell wall thickening, cell wall ingrowth, and starch granule accumulates of varying diameter were also observed in M. incognita infested okra roots, which were found to be the factors responsible for producing above ground symptoms during host-nematode interaction. Longitudinal imaging of nematode infested roots showed the nematode entry points of varying diameter along with adhered juveniles Juveniles on root topography and this was in contrast in M. incognita infested okra roots. Comparatively, these structures were absent in healthy roots.