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The studies of metal oxides in environmental remediation of chemical and biological pollutants are gaining colossal importance. Herein, we report the facile synthesis of multifunctional copper oxide nanosheets (CuO NS) using an aqueous extract of Rhazya stricta. The phytochemical investigation of R. stricta indicated the presence of saponins, tannins, and reducing sugars, responsible for the reduction and stabilization of CuO NS. A UV–Visible spectrophotometer initially confirmed the fabrication of CuO NS with specific Surface Plasmon Resonance at 294 nm. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy FTIR, and XRD were further used to characterize the CuO NS. The obtained CuO NS were poly-dispersed with an average size of 20 nm. Interestingly these particles were aligned together in 3D cubical sheets layered above each other via self-assembly. The as-synthesized CuO NS showed enhanced antibacterial potential (17.63 mm, overall mean inhibition zone) in comparison to the known antibiotics (11.51 mm, overall mean inhibition zone) against both Solanaceous crop's wilt-causing bacteria ( Ralstonia solanacearum and Clavibacter michiganensis ). Furthermore, the appreciable photocatalytic potential of CuO NS has also been observed, causing 83% degradation of methylene blue (MB) upon solar irradiation. The synthesis methodology is devoid of any toxic waste or by-products. It could be used to produce eco-friendly CuO nanomaterial for industrial uses.

In recent years, there have been an attempt to develop safe and environmental friendly solvents to replace conventional solvents, and use for extraction bioactive compounds from natural sources. A current investigation involved the preparation of green, methanolic, and ultrasonic extracts of S. sclarea , and compared their phenolic profiling using HPLC–DAD, antibacterial, antioxidant, and enzyme inhibition activities. The HPLC–DAD analysis revealed that Rosmarinic acid was the main content in all extracts, with Ellagic acid only present in the green extract. The green extract exhibited superior anti-biofilm activity against S. Aureus and E. Faecalis compared to the other extracts at MIC concentration. Furthermore, the green extract also displayed the highest inhibition of swarming motility in P. Aeruginosa with inhibition range 68.0 ± 2.1 (MIC) to 19.5 ± 0.6 (MIC/4). and better enzyme inhibitory activity against BChE (with IC 50  = 131.6 ± 0.98 µg/mL) and AChE (with inhibition 47.00 ± 1.50%) compared to the other extracts; while, the ultrasonic extract showed strong inhibition of violacein production by C. Violaceum with a inhibition range 05.5 ± 0.1 (MIC/32) to 100 ± 0.00 (MIC), followed by the green extract with a inhibition range 15.0 ± 0.5 (MIC/8) to 100 ± 0.00 (MIC), additionally, the ultrasonic and methanoic extracts showed significant activity against urease enzyme with (IC 50  = 171.6 ± 0.95 µg/mL and IC 5 0  = 187.5 ± 1.32 µg/mL) respectively. Both the green and methanolic extracts showed considerable antioxidant activities, as β -carotene-linoleic acid (IC 50  = 5.61 ± 0.47 µg/mL and 5.37 ± 0.27 µg/mL), DPPH · (IC 50  = 19.20 ± 0.70 µg/mL and 16.31 ± 0.23 µg/mL), ABTS · + (IC 50  = 8.64 ± 0.63 µg/mL and 6.50 ± 0.45 µg/mL) and CUPRAC (A 0.5  = 17.22 ± 0.36 µg/mL and 12.28 ± 0.12 µg/mL) respectively, likewise the green extract performing better in metal chelating compared to the other extracts. The green extraction is reported as a cost effective and solvent free method for extracting natural products that produces compounds free of toxic chemicals. This could be the method to be used in the industries as a renewable method.

BackgroundIn the list of abiotic stresses, salt stress is a main growth retarding factor which affects 7% of rain-fed while 30% worldwide irrigated agriculture. However, various strategies are assumed to manage this problem, but the use of endophytes is cheap and eco-friendly. The goal of this study was to evaluate the behavior of endophytic Aspergillus awamori (EWF) in creating salt tolerance in mung bean in terms of its seedling growth, biochemical indices, antioxidant enzymes, endogenous IAA, and ionic status of the plant.ResultsThe results revealed that the 150 mM of NaCl reduced seedling growth (seedlings’ weight and length; leaves number), chlorophyll contents, and IAA. On the other hand, proline, polyphenols, flavonoids, tannin, lipid peroxidation, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase were increased. Inoculation of EWF had promoted the mung bean growth under all tested conditions. EWF enhanced the biomass and IAA contents of the mung bean plants under salt stress. Moreover, EWF-associated mung bean seedlings exhibited low accumulation of stress markers, and Cl, Na, Na/K, and Ca/K ratio, whereas higher concentrations of Ca, Mg, K, N, and P in mung bean seedlings.ConclusionThe results provided a sustainable approach in using endophytic EWF under salt stress, thus concluded that this fungus can be very handy in mung bean as well as other important crop production in saline areas.

A field study was conducted on the reuse of wastewater from Mardan city to evaluate its risk of contaminating soil and wheat grains at different NPK levels. Three irrigation sources i.e. waste water (WW), canal water (CW) and alternate waste + canal water (WW+CW) were applied to wheat (cv Atta Habib 2010) grown at 0, 50, 75 and 100% NPK levels of 120:90:60 kg N:P 2 O 5 :K 2 O ha -1 at Palatoo Research Farm, Amir Muhammad Khan Campus, Mardan during 2015.The results showed higher grain and biomass yields in WW irrigated plots as compared to CW at NPK levels up to 50% of recommending dose revealing supplementing nutrient requirements in deficient conditions. However, irrigation of WW at higher NPK levels especially at or beyond 75% of recommended dose tended to reduce the crop yield that could be associated with heavy metals toxicity and nutritional imbalances. The use of WW substantially increased AB-DTPA extractable Zn, Mn, Pb, Ni and Cd indicating a potential threat to soil contamination. Similarly, WW irrigated wheat had higher concentrations of these heavy metals as compared to CW which limits its use for production purposes without any remediation measures. The alternate use of CW and WW as revealed by its comparative lower contamination in soil and wheat than sole WW could be one of the possible solutions and may increase the time required for threshold soil contamination.

Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P) deficiency is a major yield limiting factor across the globe and their proper management plays a vital role in optimizing crop yield. This field experiment was conducted to assess the impact of soil and plant nitrogen N and P ratio on the growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in alkaline calcareous soil. The study consisted of various levels of nitrogen (0, 40, 80, and 160 kg ha−1 as urea) and phosphorus (0, 30, 60, and 90 kg P2O5 ha−1 as diammonium phosphate), and was carried out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with factorial arrangement having three replications. The result showed that the addition of 160 kg N ha−1 significantly improved biological yield (10,052 kg ha−1), grain weight (3120 kg ha−1), chlorophyll content at tillering stage soil plant analysis development (SPAD) value (35.38), N uptake in straw (33.42 kg ha−1), and K uptake in straw (192 kg ha−1) compared to other N levels. In case of P, 90 kg P2O5 ha−1 had resulted maximum biological yield (9852 kg ha−1), grain yield (3663 kg ha−1), chlorophyll content at tillering stage (SPAD value 34.36), P (6.68 mg kg−1) and K (171 kg ha−1) uptake in straw. The sole use of N and P have positively influenced the biological and grain yield but their interaction didn’t response to biological yield. The present study reveals that SPAD value (chlorophyll meter) is the better choice for determining plant N and P concentrations to estimate the yield potential.

A field experiment was conducted during the Rabi season 2017–2018 (October–March) at the University of Agriculture, Peshawar research farm to examine the influence of different nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) levels on two different oat varieties: Australian and Ukrainian. The treatments included control and three levels of nitrogen and phosphorus at 30, 60, and 90 kg ha −1 . The treatments were arranged in randomized complete block design (RCBD) and replicated three times. The findings showed that the oat varieties were significantly different from one another in yield and yield parameters. The Australian variety recorded higher emergence (49 plants m −2 ), days to emergence (15 days), days to flowering (122 days), days to maturity (145 days), plant height (142.7 cm), number of leaves (6.03 leaves plant −1 ), number of tillers (92.2 tillers m −1 ), biological yield (8,179.2 kg ha −1 ), and grain yield (3,725.6 kg ha −1 ) than the Ukrainian variety. Similarly, different N and P levels, the maximum days to emergence, days to flowering, and days to maturity were recorded in a control plot. The application of 105 kg N + 90 kg P ha −1 was statistically similar to the application of 105 kg N + 60 kg P ha −1 . Maximum emergence (60 plants m −2 ), number of leaves (7.0 leaves plant −1 ), plant height (118.6 cm), number of tillers m −1 (102.6), biological yield (9,687.5 kg ha −1 ), and grain yield (4,416.7 kg ha −1 ) were determined in Australian variety. Based on the findings of this study, the Australian variety performed better in terms of yield and yield components and the application of N and P fertilizers at the rate of 105 kg N + 60 kg P ha −1 produced the best results in both oat varieties.

Management of organic matter and micronutrients is very important for the sustainable improvement of soil health. Poor soil organic matter usually results in lower availability of zinc (Zn) micronutrients in plants. Such deficiency in Zn causes a significant decrease in the growth and yield of crops. The need at the current time is to balance the application of organic amendments with Zn micronutrients to achieve optimum crop yields. Thus, the current study was conducted to investigate wheat, using compost as organic matter and Zn as a micronutrient. There were three levels of compost (i.e., control (0C), 5 t/ha (5C) and 10 t/ha (10C)) and four levels of Zn (control (0Zn), 2.5 kg Zn/ha (2.5Zn), 5.0 kg Zn/ha (5.0Zn) and 10.0 kg Zn/ha (10.0Zn)) applied with three replicates. The addition of 10C under 10.0Zn produced significantly better results for the maximum enhancement in plant height (8.08%), tillers/m2 (21.61%), spikes/m2 (22.33%) and spike length (40.50%) compared to 0C. Significant enhancements in 1000-grain weight, biological yield and grain yield also validated the effectiveness of 10C under 10.0Zn compared to 0C. In conclusion, application of 10C with 10.0Zn showed the potential to improve wheat growth and yield attributes. The addition of 10C with 10.0Zn also regulated soil mineral N, total soil N and extractable soil P. Further investigation is recommended with different soil textures to verify 10C with 10.0Zn as the best amendment for the enhancement of wheat yield in poor organic matter and Zn-deficient soils.

The occurrence of elevated levels of arsenic in water sources is a global health concern and necessitates implementing sustainable removal technologies. The utilization of biochar composite for treating arsenic contaminated water has been reported as a promising technique in recent years. In the present study, corncob biochar was magnetically modified and amended with zirconium (CCB@Fe.sub.3O.sub.4-Zr with Zr to Fe.sub.3O.sub.4 molar ratio of 1:1, and 1:5) for the purposively removal of As(III) and As(V) from aqueous solutions. Characterization analyses and factors affecting the adsorption, such as adsorbent dose, initial As(III) and As(V) concentration, pH, temperature, contact time, and co-existing anions were investigated. Results demonstrated that the removal of As(III) and As(V) were about 81 and 99%, respectively with the initial concentration of 80 mg/L. Lower solution pH favored As(V) removal and it slightly affected As(III) adsorption in pH range (5.0 to 9.0) due to the presence of neutral As(III) form. Also, increased solution temperature promoted As(V) removal performance demonstrating of an endothermic nature of the adsorption process. Characterization analyses confirmed of the successful magnetization of biochar and zirconium amendment with 7.8 Am.sup.2/kg saturation magnetization potential and thermally super stable (> 60% residual mass). The weight percentage of Fe and Zr were 12.23 and 7.54% in CCB@Fe.sub.3O.sub.4-Zr, which revealed the sufficient agglomeration of the surface modified components on biochar and the post-adsorption tests revealed arsenic adsorption. Findings from the present study suggested that the adsorbent composite could be a precise and promising alternative for enhanced As(III) and As(V) removal from contaminated water.

The occurrence of elevated levels of arsenic in water sources is a global health concern and necessitates implementing sustainable removal technologies. The utilization of biochar composite for treating arsenic contaminated water has been reported as a promising technique in recent years. In the present study, corncob biochar was magnetically modified and amended with zirconium (CCB@Fe 3 O 4 -Zr with Zr to Fe 3 O 4 molar ratio of 1:1, and 1:5) for the purposively removal of As(III) and As(V) from aqueous solutions. Characterization analyses and factors affecting the adsorption, such as adsorbent dose, initial As(III) and As(V) concentration, pH, temperature, contact time, and co-existing anions were investigated. Results demonstrated that the removal of As(III) and As(V) were about 81 and 99%, respectively with the initial concentration of 80 mg/L. Lower solution pH favored As(V) removal and it slightly affected As(III) adsorption in pH range (5.0 to 9.0) due to the presence of neutral As(III) form. Also, increased solution temperature promoted As(V) removal performance demonstrating of an endothermic nature of the adsorption process. Characterization analyses confirmed of the successful magnetization of biochar and zirconium amendment with 7.8 Am 2 /kg saturation magnetization potential and thermally super stable (> 60% residual mass). The weight percentage of Fe and Zr were 12.23 and 7.54% in CCB@Fe 3 O 4 -Zr, which revealed the sufficient agglomeration of the surface modified components on biochar and the post-adsorption tests revealed arsenic adsorption. Findings from the present study suggested that the adsorbent composite could be a precise and promising alternative for enhanced As(III) and As(V) removal from contaminated water. Graphical Abstract