Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
C. N. Neeraja, Firoz Hossain, K. Hariprasanna, Sewa Ram, C. Tara Satyavathi, T. Longvah, P. Raghu, S. R. Voleti, R. M. Sundaram
Summary: This article presents an overview of the efforts made in India towards the development of biofortified cereal varieties enriched with iron, zinc, protein, and provitamin-A using conventional breeding approaches. The possibilities of scaling up and adoption to alleviate malnourishment are also discussed.
Article
Agronomy
Yin Wang, Yusha Meng, Yanping Ma, Lei Liu, Dianxing Wu, Xiaoli Shu, Liqing Pan, Qixian Lai
Summary: Breeding new rice varieties with high Zn bioavailability by combining high Zn density and low phytic acid mutants could significantly increase bioavailable Zn content in rice grain, offering a practical and useful approach to alleviate human Zn deficiency.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Danyu Kong, Sabaz Ali Khan, Huilan Wu, Yi Liu, Hong-Qing Ling
Summary: Iron and zinc are critical micronutrients for human health, and approximately two billion people worldwide suffer from iron and zinc deficiencies. Biofortifying rice and wheat with iron and zinc is an important and economical approach to address these nutritional deficiencies. This review provides an overview of iron and zinc uptake, translocation, storage, and signaling pathways in rice and wheat, and discusses current progress and future perspectives in biofortification.
JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Fahad Shafiq, Aqsa Ahmad, Sumera Anwar, Mehr-un Nisa, Muhammad Iqbal, Syed Hammad Raza, Arslan Mahmood, Muhammad Ashraf
Summary: In this study, we synthesized a spinel nanocomposite and investigated its effectiveness in improving the micronutrient status and yield traits of rice. The results showed that foliar application of this nanocomposite can enhance rice grain yield and improve its nutritional quality, with significant changes in biochemical traits. These findings suggest that micronutrient supply in the form of a nanocomposite can positively regulate nutritional quality and rice grain yield.
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Vivek Sharma, Mukesh Choudhary, Pawan Kumar, Jeet Ram Choudhary, Jaswant S. Khokhar, Prashant Kaushik, Srinivas Goli
Summary: Micronutrient deficiencies, particularly iron and zinc, affect over three billion people globally, especially in developing nations where diet is cereal-based. Wheat, a key cereal crop, has inherently low bioavailability of zinc and iron, but developing mineral-enriched wheat cultivars offers a sustainable solution to malnutrition. Recent advances in genomics and molecular biology indicate the potential for high-yielding, biofortified wheat varieties.
Article
Agricultural Economics & Policy
Caitlin L. Herrington, Mywish K. Maredia, David L. Ortega, Victor Taleon, Ekin Birol, Md Abdur Rouf Sarkar, Md Shajedur Rahaman
Summary: Zinc deficiency is a severe public health problem in Bangladesh. This study found that with nutritional information, consumers are willing to pay a premium for zinc biofortified rice, but still prefer high-milled white rice. Female consumers who are more educated, engaged in non-farm activities, and have children under 5 years of age show a higher willingness to pay for high-zinc-low-milled rice. This highlights the importance of nutritional awareness campaigns for promoting the consumption of zinc biofortified and low-milled rice.
AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Lu Liu, Wen-Feng Cong, Bruno Suter, Fusuo Zhang, Wopke van der Werf, Tjeerd Jan Stomph
Summary: This study conducted a global meta-analysis of previous studies and found that soil and foliar application of zinc fertilizer can significantly increase zinc concentration in rice grains, while foliar application of iron fertilizer can significantly increase iron concentration in rice grains. These findings provide important knowledge for designing effective fertilization strategies to improve the nutritional quality of rice.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Sergey Shepelev, Alexey Morgounov, Paulina Flis, Hamit Koksel, Huihui Li, Timur Savin, Ram Sharma, Jingxin Wang, Vladimir Shamanin
Summary: This study evaluated the variation of macro- and microelements and trace metals in different genetic resource groups of wheat. It identified traits that were relatively easy or difficult to enhance genetically and observed higher concentrations of certain elements in specific genetic resources. Additionally, superior germplasm with high macro- and microelement concentrations was found in all groups.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Anil K. Choudhary, Pankaj Sood, Shakuntla Rahi, D. S. Yadav, O. C. Thakur, K. R. Siranta, Anchal Dass, Y. V. Singh, Adarsh Kumar, S. Vijayakumar, Ingudam Bhupenchandra, V. K. Dua, R. S. Shivadhar, R. S. Bana, Vijay Pooniya, Seema Sepat, Sushil Kumar, Mahendra Vikram Singh Rajawat, G. A. Rajanna, M. N. Harish, T. Varatharajan, Anil Kumar
Summary: Through field experiments conducted in the northwestern Himalayas of India, it was found that using the system of rice intensification (SRI) combined with recommended fertilizer application and zinc fertilization can significantly increase rice yield and quality, enhance zinc biofortification, improve nutrient use efficiency, and combat malnutrition and zinc deficiency effectively.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Subhashisa Praharaj, Milan Skalicky, Sagar Maitra, Preetha Bhadra, Tanmoy Shankar, Marian Brestic, Vaclav Hejnak, Pavla Vachova, Akbar Hossain
Summary: Micronutrient malnutrition is a global health issue with over two billion people suffering from it. Strategies such as agronomic and genetic biofortification can be cost-effective and efficient in alleviating zinc deficiency.
Article
Agronomy
Jun Yang, Junfeng Xu, Ziling Wang, Xuemei Zhang, Zikang Guo, Li Wang, Chenrui Liu, Qing Sun, Chao Li, Yinglong Chen, Mei Shi, Zhaohui Wang
Summary: In a five-year field experiment, high-yield wheat cultivars with different grain zinc concentrations were evaluated for rhizosphere zinc activation, root zinc acquisition, and zinc translocation among plant parts under varying phosphorus fertilization rates.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Ronaldo Cunha Coelho, Roberto Carlos Fernandes Barsotti, Heloisa Franca Maltez, Cicero Alves Lopes Junior, Herbert de Sousa Barbosa
Summary: This study used ICP-MS to measure the nutritional quality of recently introduced biofortified and nonbiofortified cowpea cultivars as well as common beans, finding that biofortified cowpea cultivars have high levels of Fe and Zn. The in vitro digestion protocol showed that Fe and Zn in cowpea seeds have higher bioaccessibility and bioavailability, and cooking improves the availability of micronutrients in bean seeds.
Review
Agronomy
Rafal Januszkiewicz, Grzegorz Kulczycki, Mateusz Samoraj
Summary: Foliar fertilization is an effective method to quickly supply plants with deficient nutrients. This paper presents practical aspects of foliar feeding with micronutrients, as well as the requirements and sensitivity of basic crops to micronutrient deficiency. The market for foliar fertilizers is dynamic and foliar fertilization is becoming a fundamental element in crop production.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
G. Anusha, D. Sanjeeva Rao, V Jaldhani, P. Beulah, C. N. Neeraja, C. Gireesh, M. S. Anantha, K. Suneetha, R. Santhosha, A. S. Hari Prasad, R. M. Sundaram, M. Sheshu Madhav, A. Fiyaz, P. Brajendra, M. D. Tuti, M. H. Bhave, K. V. Radha Krishna, J. Ali, D. Subrahmanyam, P. Senguttuvel
Summary: The study found contrasting effects of general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) on grain micronutrient content in different growing environments, with hybrids showing positive correlation between grain yield and Fe/Zn content under limited water conditions. Testers T1 and T2 were identified as good combiners for grain Zn content under irrigated and aerobic conditions, respectively.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Review
Agronomy
Lucija Galic, Tomislav Vinkovic, Boris Ravnjak, Zdenko Loncaric
Summary: Selenium is an important micronutrient essential for most living organisms, with benefits for humans, animals, and plants. Selenium deficiency is a global issue, and agronomic biofortification is an effective strategy to increase selenium content in edible parts of plants.
Article
Plant Sciences
Aishah Alatawi, Xiukang Wang, Muhammad Hamzah Saleem, Muhammad Mohsin, Muzammal Rehman, Kamal Usman, Shah Fahad, Manar Fawzi Bani Mfarrej, Daniel Ingo Hefft, Shafaqat Ali
Summary: Copper pollution in agricultural soils is a serious health risk due to its accumulation in plants. This study found that the application of phosphorus and gibberellic acid can mitigate the effects of copper stress on jute plants, improving their growth, antioxidant defense system, and fiber yield and quality.
JOURNAL OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ali Shahzad, Hameed Gul, Muhammad Ahsan, Depeng Wang, Shah Fahad
Summary: A shortage of water severely limits maize plant development, leading to reduced maize production. This study identified potential drought-tolerant maize germplasm using a two-step screening approach. It was found that certain inbred lines performed better than others under drought stress conditions at both the seedling and maturity stages. Traits related to root weight and density showed high heritability at the seedling stage, while traits such as grain yield per plant and leaf area exhibited higher genetic advance at the maturity stage. Selection based on these traits can help identify better germplasms under drought conditions and promote yield stability. These findings have implications for future maize breeding programs.
JOURNAL OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Manar Fawzi Bani Mfarrej, Xiukang Wang, Muhammad Fahid, Muhammad Hamzah Saleem, Aishah Alatawi, Shafaqat Ali, Ghulam Shabir, Rehman Zafar, Muhammad Afzal, Shah Fahad
Summary: This review article explores the cost-effectiveness and innovation of floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) in remediating petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated water. It discusses the use of plants and bacterial combined functions and improvement of microbial efficacy for hydrocarbon degradation in FTWs. The article shows the various applications of FTWs in removing different organic pollutants and describes the potential benefits of FTWs.
JOURNAL OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sajjad Hussain, Muhammad Mubeen, Ashfaq Ahmad, Hamid Majeed, Saeed Ahmad Qaisrani, Hafiz Mohkum Hammad, Muhammad Amjad, Iftikhar Ahmad, Shah Fahad, Naveed Ahmad, Wajid Nasim
Summary: This research examines the impact of changes in land use/land cover on land surface temperature (LST) in Southern Punjab, Pakistan, using remote sensing data. The study finds that the expansion of buildings and conversion of vegetation land into commercial and residential areas has accelerated the increase of LST. The study also shows a negative correlation between NDVI and NDWI with lower LST, and a positive correlation between NDBI and higher LST.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sukun Lin, Li Zhang, Peiwen Zhang, Rilin Huang, Muhammad Musa Khan, Shah Fahad, Dongmei Cheng, Zhixiang Zhang
Summary: This study investigated the differences in the accumulation of fipronil and glucose-fipronil in Eisenia fetida and discussed the reasons behind these differences. The results showed that fipronil accumulated at higher concentrations in E. fetida compared to glucose-fipronil, and the addition of a hexose transport inhibitor significantly inhibited the accumulation of glucose-fipronil. Glycosylation can reduce the bioaccumulation of fipronil in E. fetida and shorten its half-life in soil.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Muhammad Kamran, Zhengang Yan, Irshad Ahmad, Qianmin Jia, Muhammad Usman Ghani, Xianjiang Chen, Shenghua Chang, Tengfei Li, Kadambot H. M. Siddique, Shah Fahad, Fujiang Hou
Summary: In arid regions, proper irrigation and nitrogen management can play a crucial role in balancing greenhouse gas emissions, crop production, and economic benefits. Moderate irrigation and nitrogen application were found to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while improving economic and yield benefits, making it an effective and balanced strategy.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Muhammad Amjad Khan, Qing Huang, Sardar Khan, Qingqing Wang, Jingjing Huang, Shah Fahad, Muhammad Sajjad, Yin Liu, Ondrej Mased, Xiaohui Li, Junfeng Wang, Xiaomao Song
Summary: This paper investigates the contamination of microplastics (MPs) in the agricultural soil of Hainan Island, China. The study finds that plastic mulching and farming practices are the main contributors to soil MPs contamination, while social and environmental factors promote the fragmentation of soil MPs. The results of this study suggest a serious contamination of MPs in the agro-ecosystem of Hainan Island, posing a concern for ecological and environmental safety.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Muhammad Shahab, Sergio Ruffo Roberto, Muhammad Adnan, Shah Fahad, Renata Koyama, Muhammad Hamzha Saleem, Jamal Nasar, Shah Saud, Shah Hassan, Taufiq Nawaz
Summary: Phenolic compounds are plant secondary metabolites with strong antioxidant potential and play important roles in stress tolerance, plant defense, and environmental protection. They have been consumed as part of the human diet for centuries due to their medicinal and antioxidant properties. The production of anthocyanins, which directly influence fruit color in grapes, is linked with the production of abscisic acid. This review focuses on the production of phenolic compounds, the role of abscisic acid in anthocyanin production, and its impact on color development and final quality.
JOURNAL OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Tayyaba Naz, Muhammad Mazhar Iqbal, Shah Fahad, Javaid Akhtar, Muhammad Saqib, Saud Alamri, Manzer H. Siddiqui, Shah Saud, Jabar Zaman Khan Khattak, Shamsher Ali, Shah Hassan, Taufiq Nawaz, Hafiz Mohkum Hammad, Jan Banout, Chao Wu, Depeng Wang, Rahul Datta, Subhan Danish, Wajid Nasim
Summary: Salinity is a major environmental constraint in arid and semi-arid regions, depleting soil fertility and reducing uptake of micronutrients. Wheat, being a staple for a large population, is often low in important minerals like iron and zinc. Limited research exists on fortifying wheat with iron and zinc under saline conditions. This study aimed to assess the responses of selected wheat cultivars to soil and foliar application of iron and zinc under salt stress. Results showed that salt stress significantly deteriorated plant growth and yield, but application of iron and zinc increased wheat plant growth under salt stress. Foliar application was more efficient than soil application, and the combined application gave the highest yield and micronutrient accumulation in shoot and grains. This highlights the effectiveness of combined soil and foliar application in ameliorating micronutrient deficiency in crops grown in salt-affected soils.
JOURNAL OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Adnan Rasheed, Anwar Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Nawaz, Athar Mahmood, Uzma Arif, Muhammad Umair Hassan, Javed Iqbal, Muhammad Hamzah Saleem, Basharat Ali, Shah Fahad
Summary: Soybean, a significant oilseed and food crop, is vulnerable to abiotic stresses, with aluminum toxicity being the most serious threat. Advances in molecular biology have identified potential genes and QTL involved in soybean response to aluminum stress, but genetic erosion poses a risk to the beneficial alleles. Molecular techniques like transcription factors and genetic engineering have been used, but the understanding of aluminum tolerance mechanism is still incomplete. More efforts should be made to breed aluminum-tolerant cultivars by targeting the identified genes/QTL.
JOURNAL OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ke Liu, Matthew Tom Harrison, Haoliang Yan, De Li Liu, Holger Meinke, Gerrit Hoogenboom, Bin Wang, Bin Peng, Kaiyu Guan, Jonas Jaegermeyr, Enli Wang, Feng Zhang, Xiaogang Yin, Sotirios Archontoulis, Lixiao Nie, Ana Badea, Jianguo Man, Daniel Wallach, Jin Zhao, Ana Borrego Benjumea, Shah Fahad, Xiaohai Tian, Weilu Wang, Fulu Tao, Zhao Zhang, Reimund Roetter, Youlu Yuan, Min Zhu, Panhong Dai, Jiangwen Nie, Yadong Yang, Yunbo Zhang, Meixue Zhou
Summary: Extreme weather events pose a threat to food security, especially due to crop waterlogging, but there is a lack of global assessments on its impacts. This study develops a paradigm that identifies common stress patterns caused by waterlogging and uses a farming systems model to understand future changes. The findings suggest that yield penalties caused by waterlogging will increase in the future, but adaptations such as altering sowing time and using waterlogging-tolerant genotypes can help mitigate the losses.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ihsan Muhammad, Jun Wang, Upendra M. Sainju, Ahmad Khan, Li Yang, Shakeel Ahmand, Yining Zhang, Shah Fahad, Xun Bo Zhou, Weijun Shen
Summary: This study found that tillage and fertilization can significantly improve wheat crop productivity, quality, and net income for farmers. Reduced tillage and a mixture of farmyard manure and inorganic nitrogen fertilizer were shown to have the most positive effects on wheat yield, protein content, and net return.
JOURNAL OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATION
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Hongyang Wang, Shengnan Chen, Hao Liu, Junhua Li, Qamar uz Zaman, Khawar Sultan, Muzammal Rehman, Mouna Jeridi, Sazada Siddiqui, Shah Fahad, Gang Deng, Aie Chen
Summary: The application of biochar can effectively enhance plant growth and improve soil health in metal-polluted soils. This study evaluated the effect of different concentrations of maize straw biochar on potato growth and found that the optimal concentration of 7% significantly improved plant growth, reduced metal accumulation, and increased soil enzyme activities and essential nutrient content.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Shah Saud, Zhaoyu Jiang, Shah Fahad
Summary: This article reviews the research progress on rhizosphere chemical signaling and soil nutrient transformation, emphasizing the importance of rhizosphere chemical signaling metabolites in the formation and function of rhizosphere microbiomes. The future research directions for rhizosphere chemical signaling metabolites, including chemical detection, multi-omics technology, synthetic microbial community, and other advanced methodologies, are also highlighted.
JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANT NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Shah Saud, Aoao Yang, Zhaoyu Jiang, Du Ning, Shah Fahad
Summary: Microplastics in the environment can absorb and interact with organic pollutants, altering their toxic effects. They come from primary sources as well as secondary sources resulting from the fragmentation of larger plastic materials. Microplastics can migrate through various environmental substrates and research is being done to develop monitoring methods and examine their impact. Microplastics can cause physical damage and have a wide range of effects on organisms, as they act as vectors for chemical pollutants. Further research is needed on the occurrence, fate, and toxicity mechanisms of microplastics in terrestrial environments.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ADVANCES
(2023)
