Arsenic contaminated water remediation: A state-of-the-art review in synchrony with sustainable development goals

Arsenic (As) is a highly abundant metalloid with detrimental effects on ecosystems and human health. Several research works have focused on the development and application of suitable materials capable of removing arsenic effectively from water. In this regard, nano-materials have been given considerable importance due to their unique properties. In addition to nano-materials, single, multi and doped metal oxides have also received substantial attention because of their high surface-to-volume ratio, increased magnetic properties, catalytic properties, etc. These metal oxides have been developed using several methods like solid state reaction, vapour deposition, chemical precipitation, etc. among which chemical precipitation is quite user friendly. Single and mixed metal oxides have been applied widely in arsenic removal since they usually have high arsenic adsorption capacity. Several biomaterials including biochar showed promising results in arsenic removal from water. Desorption studies showed that NaOH, KOH were effective in regenerating the adsorbents from the nanomaterials. Graphene based materials usually show very high surface area due to their open structure, thus, they are effective materials in arsenic removal from water. Water treatment using nanomaterials can be one of the sustainable solutions and in synchrony with Goal 6 in UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims to ensure availability and sustainable water management and sanitation for the global population. Nevertheless, there is a significant research gap between the application of these nano-materials in laboratory settings and their real-world field conditions. Additionally, only a limited number of studies have investigated the potential effects of these nanomaterials on the environment and living organisms. However, by carefully selecting appropriate materials and conducting thorough environmental risk assessments, we can overcome these challenges and move towards successful implementation of long term arsenic remediation

Exploring the potential of CRISPR/Cas genome editing for vegetable crop improvement: An overview of challenges and approaches

Vegetables provide many nutrients in the form of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which make them an important part of our diet. Numerous biotic and abiotic stresses can affect crop growth, quality, and yield. Traditional and modern breeding strategies to improve plant traits are slow and resource intensive. Therefore, it is necessary to find new approaches for crop improvement. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR associated 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) is a genome editing tool that can be used to modify targeted genes for desirable traits with greater efficiency and accuracy. By using CRISPR/Cas9 editing to precisely mutate key genes, it is possible to rapidly generate new germplasm resources for the promotion of important agronomic traits. This is made possible by the availability of whole genome sequencing data and information on the function of genes responsible for important traits. In addition, CRISPR/Cas9 systems have revolutionized agriculture, making genome editing more versatile. Currently, genome editing of vegetable crops is limited to a few vegetable varieties (tomato, sweet potato, potato, carrot, squash, eggplant, etc.) due to lack of regeneration protocols and sufficient genome sequencing data. In this article, we summarize recent studies on the application of CRISPR/Cas9 in improving vegetable trait development and the potential for future improvement.This research was funded by projects APOGEO Cooperation Program INTERREG‐MAC 2014–2020, with European Funds for Regional Development‐FEDER, the “Agencia Canaria de Investigación, Innovación y Sociedad de la Información (ACIISI) del Gobierno de Canarias” (Project ProID2020010134), and CajaCanarias (Project 2019SP43).Peer reviewe