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This study presents a systematic observation of the ability of bismuth nanostructures to detect trace amounts of mercury. Nanostructured hexagons of bismuth were synthesized using electrochemical deposition with potentiostatic mode on indium tin oxide-coated glass electrodes. Regular hexagons composed of nano-sized hexagonal building blocks (edge length ≈ 80 to 700 nm) with well-defined edges were observed in scanning electron microscopy studies. X-ray diffraction pattern indicates the presence of polycrystalline bismuth and bismuth oxide in rhombohedral and cubic phases, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was done to analyze the chemical structure of the prepared nanostructures. Square wave anodic stripping voltammetry technique confirms that these nanostructured electrodes are highly sensitive to H g 2 + ions down to concentrations as low as 0.74 ppb.

In the present work, the Nickel oxide (rGO–NiO), Silver (rGO–Ag), Copper oxide (rGO–CuO) doped Graphene Oxide are reported for catalytic reactions. A comparative study for catalytic activities of these materials are performed with nitroaromatic compound 4-nitroaniline and the results are statistically studied by using univariate analysis of variance and Post Hoc Test through Statistical Package for Social Sciences and it is observed that CuO doped Graphene material is showing better catalytic activity in minimum time. So, further research has been focused on the catalytic acitivity of rGO–CuO only and it is found that it is efficient in reducing other nitro compounds also such as Picric acid and Nitrobenzene. Dye degradation of Methylene blue is also performed using CuO decorated Graphene material and significant changes were observed using UV spectroscopy. The characterization of rGO–CuO is done with Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Powder X-ray Diffraction, Thermogravimetric Analysis, Scanning Electron Microscope and Transmission Electron Microscopy.

The present study is aimed to study the effect of SiO2 nanoparticles on in vitro morphogenesis and secondary metabolite biosynthesis potential of Stevia rebaudiana in solid and liquid culture media. Significant variations were recorded (in all the parameters) between plants regenerated on solid and liquid media, while no uniform pattern was obtained in the variations among different treatments. Morphological properties including shoot number (1.4 × to 1.8 × ), shoot length (1.7 × to 2 × ), node count (1.5 × to 1.8 × ), leaf area (2.6 × to 2.75 × ) and fresh weight (10.6 × to 14 × ) were higher in liquid cultures than solid cultures, irrespective of the SiO2 NP treatment. However, some concentrations of SiO2 NPs had positive impact on shoot morphology in both types of cultures increasing the parameters up to 2.4 folds in solid and 1.3 folds in liquid cultures. In case of biochemical parameters, inverse pattern was recorded such that chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were respectively 6 × to 10.6 × and 10 × to 12.5 × higher in solid cultures than in liquid cultures. Antioxidant activities also exhibited similar pattern which indicated higher stress in shoots regenerated on solid medium than on liquid medium. Further, content of reb-A was significantly higher in plants grown on solid medium than in liquid medium. In fact, the content increased up to 1.7 folds in the presence of SiO2 NPs in solid medium, wherein the content decreased in presence of SiO2 NPs in liquid medium. These findings provide first report which indicates that liquid cultures have growth promoting effect while in solid cultures the plants are comparatively under more stress even without any external stimuli and thus produce higher reb-A content. Moreover, SiO2 NPs are likely to have different uptake and action mechanism in solid and liquid medium which needs further investigation to gain a deeper insight into the mechanisms responsible for these effects.Key MessageLiquid medium promotes morphogenic response in Stevia, but solid cultures may provide a more conducive environment for inducing secondary metabolite biosynthesis in presence of SiO2 NPs, possibly due to comparatively slower & reduced nutrient diffusion into the plant cells.

The current research has been conceptualized to see the impact of Trichoderma harzianum synthesized siderophore in alleviation of heavy metal stress [lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and cadmium (Cd)] first time for Solanum melongena under high concentration. Alongside, we reported impact of siderophore in form of product for S. melongena seed germination in presence of heavy metal stress under high and low concentration. Optimization of siderophore production was achieved using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) that resulted in an increment of siderophore production. Through RSM, 92.7% siderophore unit was obtained whereas without using RSM only 89.1% siderophore unit was obtained. The novelty of this work lies in the fact that T. harzianum synthesized metal chelators have not been used previously for S. melongena seed germination under different heavy metal stress (Pb, Hg and Cd). Based on obtained results, we have found that in case of siderophore treated seeds, germination percentage was increased such as in 400 mg/kg of Cd and Pb concentration (with siderophore) seeds germination % was 66.6 ± 3.4% and 62.5 ± 6.8% respectively, whereas non-siderophore treated seeds germination % was 30.5 ± 5.1% and 27.7 ± 5.1% respectively. In presence of 100 mg/kg of Hg with siderophore, seed germination % was 59.7 ± 7.8% whereas in Hg stressed seeds (non siderophore treated) germination was 19.2 ± 3.9% respectively. The cluster heat map was deployed to analyze the effect of siderophore treatment on S. melongena seedling under heavy metal stress. Obtained results suggested that we can deploy the use of RSM to enhance the siderophore production using different factors such as carbon, nitrogen, pH and FeCl 3 etc. It is worthwhile approach to use siderophore as plant growth promotor in heavy metal stress due to its metal chelating activity.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are well-known for their potent antibacterial properties. However, the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria highlights the need for alternative antimicrobial strategies. Green synthesis using biological molecules offers an eco-friendly route to nanoparticle production. This study aims to synthesise AgNPs using plant growth hormones (Auxins), specifically indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), and to evaluate their antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria. AgNPs were synthesised using IAA and IBA as reducing and stabilising agents. The synthesised nanoparticles were characterised by UV-Visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Particle Size Analysis, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) for hydrodynamic diameter, Zeta potential for surface charge, and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) for morphological analysis. Antibacterial assays were performed against and . The IAA and IBA-mediated AgNPs showed controlled size distribution, stability, and uniform morphology. Enhanced antibacterial activity was observed, particularly against , compared to . IAA and IBA-mediated synthesis provide a green, sustainable method for producing AgNPs with significant antibacterial potential. These Auxin-based AgNPs represent promising candidates for combating antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.

Background Capsicum or chilli is an important crop in India which exhibits immense structural and genetic variations reflecting their intra- and inter-specific relationships. The aim of this study was to establish relationships amongst 54 Capsicum accessions through analysis of genetic and population structure using ISSR markers. Results Out of 19, successful DNA amplifications were shown by 7 ISSR primers and a total of 80 bands were identified ranging between 8 and 14 with an average of 11.43 bands/primer. A significant degree of polymorphic information content (PIC), discriminating power (DP), resolving power (RP), effective multiplex ratio (EMR), and marker index (MI) were identified as 0.39, 0.70, 6.40, 5.88, and 2.30, respectively, using ISSR markers in chillies. The cross-transferability ranged from 8.0 to 72.15% with an average of 52.63% among chillies. Amongst genetic information, grand mean values were 0.264, 0.180, 0.376, 0.296, and 0.180, which correspond to Shannon's information index (I), expected heterozygosity (He), Nei's gene diversity, total diversity among species (Ht), diversity within species (Hs), respectively. Further, the coefficients of gene differentiation (Gst) and gene flow (Nm) were 0.393 and 0.773, representing higher genetic variation among the population which was confirmed by analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). Conclusion ISSR markers represented a potent system for the estimation of relationships or variation studies and generated information useful for planning crop management and improvement strategies in chilli breeding.

Gene encoding enzyme based EST–SSR markers are more potent or functional marker system to evaluate astounding genetic and structural differentiation in plants. It is very useful in shaping divergences in metabolic fingerprinting, ecological interactions, conservation and adaptation among plants. Therefore, gene encoding enzyme mediated EST–SSR markers system were used presently to evaluate genetic and population structure among 48 Capsicum accessions. Total of 35 gene encoding enzyme based EST–SSR markers was used and generated 184 alleles at 35 loci with an average of 5.25 alleles per locus. The average value of polymorphic information content, marker index and discriminating power was 0.40, 0.232, and 0.216 respectively which revealed noteworthy degree of marker efficacy and their competency was further supported by primer polymorphism (93.57%) and cross transferability (44.52%). A significant genetic variability (Na = 1.249, Ne = 1.269, I = 0.247, He = 0.163, and uHe = 0.183) was identified among the Capsicum accession using EST–SSR markers. The mean value for Nei gene diversity, total species diversity (Ht), and diversity within population (Hs) were 0.277, 0.240 and 0.170 respectively. The coefficient of gene differentiation (Gst) was 0.296 indicating significant genetic differentiation within the population and Gene flow (Nm) was 1.189, which reflect a constant gene flow among populations. AMOVA revealed more genetic differentiation within the population which is similarly supported by principal coordinate analysis among the different Capsicum population. Thus, gene encoding enzyme based EST–SSR markers represent a potent system for estimation of genetic and structural relationship and is helpful for estimation of relationships or variations studies in plants.

Extraction of biosurfactants from plants is advantageous than from microbes. The properties and robustness of biosurfactant derived from the mesocarp of Balanites aegyptiaca have been reported. However, the dark brown property of biosurfactant and lack of knowledge of its biocompatibility limits its scope. In the present work, the decolorization protocol for this biosurfactant was optimized using hydrogen peroxide. The hemolytic potential and biocompatibility based on cell toxicity and proliferation were also investigated. This study is the first report on the decolorization and toxicity assay of this biosurfactant. For decolorization of biosurfactant, 3 4 full factorial design was used, and the data were subjected to ANOVA. Results indicate that 1.5% of hydrogen peroxide can decolorize the biosurfactant most efficiently at 40 °C in 70 min at pH 7. Mitochondrial reductase (MTT) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) assays on M5S mouse skin fibroblast cells revealed that decolorized biosurfactant up to 50 µg/mL for 6 h had no significant toxic effect. Hemolysis assay showed ~ 2.5% hemolysis of human RBCs, indicating the nontoxic effect of this biosurfactant. The present work established a decolorization protocol making the biosurfactant chromatically acceptable. Biocompatibility assays confirm its safer use as observed by experiments on M5S skin fibroblast cells under in vitro conditions.

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocol has been developed for Eleusine coracana (var. PR-202) by varying several factors which influence T-DNA delivery. Green nodular regenerative calli with meristematic nodules of seed origin were used as the target tissue for Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer. The highest frequency of transformation (44.4%) was observed when callus was infected, co-cultivated and incubated at 22°C. Incorporation of higher level of CuSO₄ in the regeneration medium had significantly positive effect on the recovery of transformed plants. PCR analysis of T ₀ and T ₁ generation plants with nptII-specific primers revealed the amplification of nptII gene. Southern blot analysis of six regenerated plants confirmed selectable marker gene integration in three plants. This is a first report on Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of finger millet and will pave the way for further studies in this and other millet crops.

KEY MESSAGE : Pithecellobium dulce has a huge repository of morphological and genetic diversity within the species which has been documented for further tree research and breeding programmes. A total of 40 accessions of a multipurpose leguminous tree, Pithecellobium dulce, differing in morphological and phenological characteristics was collected from different locations in Rajasthan and genetic diversity assessed using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Out of 60 RAPD primers, 43 decamer primers produced 311 scorable bands of which 223 bands were polymorphic. Polymorphic banding patterns with the number of amplified fragments varied from 1 (OPA-12 and OPF-17) to 12 (OPF-04, OPT-07, OPT-17, OPT-20). Percent polymorphism ranged from 33.3 % (OPF-07, OPA-20, OPT-05) to 89 % (OPA-13) with an average of 64.34 %. Out of the 20 ISSR primers screened, 8 primers produced 77 amplification products of which 55 were polymorphic. The number of bands amplified per primer varied between 6 (UBC-820) and 13 (UBC-808 and UBC-816) with average band size between 300 and 4,500 bp. Percent polymorphism ranged from 38 % (UBC-817) to 100 % (UBC-811) with an average of 71 %. Dendrogram constructed on the basis of combined RAPD and ISSR markers separated the accessions into five distinct clusters at 53 % variation with Jaccard’s similarity coefficient ranging from minimum similarity (0.35) between Karoli (K) and Malviya Nagar, Jaipur (MN1) to maximum similarity (0.81) between two populations of Kota (K1 and K2). The matrices for two markers, RAPD and ISSR, were also compared using Mantel’s test. The correlation value between the matrices is high (r = 0.83) indicating good correlation between the two molecular marker systems. The study indicated a high level of morphological and genetic diversity in P. dulce.