Genetic diversity analysis of some Bangladeshi aromatic rice (Oryza sativa L.) using simple sequence repeat markers (SSRM)

In order to germplasm management, conservation, parental identification and proper utilization of aromatic rice germplasm of Bangladesh genetic diversity assessment and molecular characterization is necessary. We used ten microsatellite markers across twenty aromatic rice landraces along with four improved varieties to discriminate and characterize among them. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 8, with an average of 4.30 alleles across 10 loci. A total of 43 polymorphic alleles were detected. The values of Polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.217 to 0.835 (average 0.495) which indicate high genetic diversity among the studied aromatic rice genotypes. It was concluded by the PIC value of RM5339 that it might be the finest marker for diversity estimation and characterize of these aromatic rice genotypes, followed by RM334, RM414 and RM28502 markers. The UPGMA cluster dendrogram constructed in this study identified seven clusters with a correlation coefficient 0.874. Molecular characterization of aromatic rice landraces of Bangladesh exhibited large variations among the genotypes. Five rice genotypes namely BRRI dhan38, BRRI dhan50, Bashmoti safed, Malaysira, Khas-kani showed highest genetic dissimilarity among the studied rice genotypes. The findings of this study would be useful for background selection in backcross breeding programs for aromatic rice improvement as well as identification of genetically distant and genetically close accessions for maintenance and conservation

Zn Supplementation Mitigates Drought Effects on Cotton by Improving Photosynthetic Performance and Antioxidant Defense Mechanisms

Drought is recognized as a paramount threat to sustainable agricultural productivity. This threat has grown more severe in the age of global climate change. As a result, finding a long-term solution to increase plants’ tolerance to drought stress has been a key research focus. Applications of chemicals such as zinc (Zn) may provide a simpler, less time-consuming, and effective technique for boosting the plant’s resilience to drought. The present study gathers persuasive evidence on the potential roles of zinc sulphate (ZnSO4·7H2O; 1.0 g Kg−1 soil) and zinc oxide (ZnO; 1.0 g Kg−1 soil) in promoting tolerance of cotton plants exposed to drought at the first square stage, by exploring various physiological, morphological, and biochemical features. Soil supplementation of ZnSO4 or ZnO to cotton plants improved their shoot biomass, root dry weight, leaf area, photosynthetic performance, and water-use efficiency under drought stress. Zn application further reduced the drought-induced accumulations of H2O2 and malondialdehyde, and electrolyte leakage in stressed plants. Antioxidant assays revealed that Zn supplements, particularly ZnSO4, reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation by increasing the activities of a range of ROS quenchers, such as catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and guaiacol peroxidase, to protect the plants against ROS-induced oxidative damage during drought stress. Increased leaf relative water contents along with increased water-soluble protein contents may indicate the role of Zn in improving the plant’s water status under water-deficient conditions. The results of the current study also suggested that, in general, ZnSO4 supplementation more effectively increased cotton drought tolerance than ZnO supplementation, thereby suggesting ZnSO4 as a potential chemical to curtail drought-induced detrimental effects in water-limited soil conditions

Ethanol Treatment Enhances Physiological and Biochemical Responses to Mitigate Saline Toxicity in Soybean

Soil salinity, a major environmental concern, significantly reduces plant growth and production all around the world. Finding solutions to reduce the salinity impacts on plants is critical for global food security. In recent years, the priming of plants with organic chemicals has shown to be a viable approach for the alleviation of salinity effects in plants. The current study examined the effects of exogenous ethanol in triggering salinity acclimatization responses in soybean by investigating growth responses, and numerous physiological and biochemical features. Foliar ethanol application to saline water-treated soybean plants resulted in an enhancement of biomass, leaf area, photosynthetic pigment contents, net photosynthetic rate, shoot relative water content, water use efficiency, and K+ and Mg2+ contents, leading to improved growth performance under salinity. Salt stress significantly enhanced the contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde, and electrolyte leakage in the leaves, suggesting salt-induced oxidative stress and membrane damage in soybean plants. In contrast, ethanol treatment of salt-treated soybean plants boosted ROS-detoxification mechanisms by enhancing the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione S-transferase. Ethanol application also augmented the levels of proline and total free amino acids in salt-exposed plants, implying a role of ethanol in maintaining osmotic adjustment in response to salt stress. Notably, exogenous ethanol decreased Na+ uptake while increasing K+ and Mg2+ uptake and their partitioning to leaves and roots in salt-stressed plants. Overall, our findings reveal the protective roles of ethanol against salinity in soybean and suggest that the use of this cost-effective and easily accessible ethanol in salinity mitigation could be an effective approach to increase soybean production in salt-affected areas