Plants in vitro propagation with its applications in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetic industries; current scenario and future approaches

Plant tissue culture technique employed for the identification and isolation of bioactive phytocompounds has numerous industrial applications. It provides potential benefits for different industries which include food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics. Various agronomic crops i.e., cereals, fruits, vegetables, ornamental plants and forest trees are currently being used for in vitro propagation. Plant tissue culture coupled with biotechnological approaches leads towards sustainable agricultural development providing solutions to major food security issues. Plants are the rich source of phytochemicals with medicinal properties rendering them useful for the industrial production of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. Furthermore, there are numerous plant compounds with application in the cosmetics industry. In addition to having moisturizing, anti‐ageing, anti‐wrinkle effects; plant-derived compounds also possess pharmacological properties such as antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal, anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergy characteristics. The in vitro propagation of industrially significant flora is gaining attention because of its several advantages over conventional plant propagation methods. One of the major advantages of this technique is the quick availability of food throughout the year, irrespective of the growing season, thus opening new opportunities to the producers and farmers. The sterile or endangered flora can also be conserved by plant micro propagation methods. Hence, plant tissue culture is an extremely efficient and cost-effective technique for biosynthetic studies and bio-production, biotransformation, or bioconversion of plant-derived compounds. However, there are certain limitations of in-vitro plant regeneration system including difficulties with continuous operation, product removal, and aseptic conditions. For sustainable industrial applications of in-vitro regenerated plants on a large scale, these constraints need to be addressed in future studies

Establishment of crops under minimal soil disturbance and crop residue retention in rice-based cropping system: Yield advantage, soil health improvement, and economic benefit

Minimum soil disturbance and increased crop residue retention practices are promising options to enhance soil organic matter, nutrient concentration and crop yield. However, the potentials of the practices in improving soil properties, increasing crop yield and in ensuring economic return have not been tested in the monsoon rice (Oryza sativa L.)-lentil (Lens culinaris L.)/wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-jute (Corchorus culinaris L.) cropping systems on seasonally flooded lowlands of the Eastern Gangetic Plain of South Asia. A field trial for consecutive three years was conducted in the Gangetic Plains of Bangladesh to evaluate the effects of zero tillage (ZT), strip-tillage (ST), bed planting (BP) and conventional tillage (CT) with two residue retention levels (RL—a low level similar to current farmers’ practice and RH—increased retention) on soil properties, yield and economic return. Between rice and jute crops, lentil was grown for the 1st and 2nd years and wheat for the 3rd year during the dry winter season. The ST and BP performed better than the CT and ZT in terms of yield of rice and lentil, whereas ST and ZT performed better than other practices in the case of jute. Higher residue retention (RH) increased crop yield for all the years. The highest rice equivalent yield (sum of 3 crop yields, expressed as rice yield) and the greatest benefit-cost ratio (BCR) were recorded with ST and RH. The increased yield in the ST was associated with reduced soil bulk density (BD), while ST with RH increased soil water (SW) and decreased penetration resistance (PR) of soil. Compared to CT, minimum soil disturbance of ZT and ST increased soil organic matter (SOM) stock by 24% and 23%, respectively; total nitrogen (TN) by 23.5% and 18.4%, respectively; extractable sulphur (S) by 21% and 18%, respectively; whereas Zinc (Zn) concentrations increased by 53% and 47%, respectively, in the upper 0–5 cm soil depth. Accumulation of extractable P, S and Zn in the 0–5 cm depth of soil followed the sequence as ZT > ST > BP > CT practice. The higher amount of residue retention significantly increased SOM, TN and extractable P, K, S and Zn concentrations at 0–5 cm and 5–10 cm soil depths. The 3-year study suggests that ST with RH is a potential crop management approach for the seasonally flooded rice-lentil/wheat-jute cropping systems to enhance soil nutrients status, crop yield and farm economy

Prevalence of erectile dysfunction among smokers in southwestern Saudi Arabia

Background: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the failure to develop or maintain erections that are adequate for sexual performance. ED is increasing in prevalence and incidence worldwide. According to the latest epidemiologic studies, around 10% of men aged 40 to 70 have severe or complete ED. An additional 25% of men in this age group have moderate or sporadic ED. The literature is replete with evidence that smoking has a negative impact on erectile function independent of age or comorbidities. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the southwestern region of Saudi Arabia, from March-2021 to June-2021. Data on demographic characteristics, erectile dysfunction, and smoking habits was collected by self-administered questionnaire. The descriptive statistics were calculated to measure significant differences among variables, and the chi-square test and t-test were used at 5% level of significance. The data analysis was done by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS)-version 20 software (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results: Out of 500 distributed questionnaires, 450 questionnaires were returned, yielding a response rate of 90.0%. Of 450 patients, the average (SD) age was 33.6 (8.9) years and 55.6% were sexually active (N = 250). Thirty six percent of sexually active respondents were smokers. Independent of age, smokers were at higher risk of having ED. Conclusions: Smoking was associated with higher risk of ED. So, health-policy makers should start an awareness campaign to educate people about the adverse effects of smoking on men’s health. The government should also support these programs for the public