Role of arbuscular mycorrhizal (Glomus intraradices) fungus inoculation on Zn nutrition in grains of field grown maize

Abstract Bioavailability of zinc (Zn) concentrations in maize grains is low causing malnutrition in humans. This study is aimed to use mycorrhizal fungal inoculation as one of the biological strategies to improve Zn concentrations in field grown maize. Treatments consisted of three levels of Zn (0, 2.5 and 5 kg Zn ha -1 ), two levels P (30 and 60 P kg ha -1 ) and two mycorrhizal fungal inoculation with (AMF+) and without arbuscular mycorrhizal (AMF-) fungus (Glomus intraradices Schenck & Smith) replicated three times in a FRBD. AMF+ plants had significantly (P ≤ 0.01) higher root length (AMF-16.8; AMF+ 23.5 cm) and volume, leaf area and chlorophyll concentrations regardless of P or Zn fertilization but the response to AMF inoculation was higher at lower levels of Zn fertilization. Maize grains of AMF+ plants had higher Zn and tryptophan concentrations by 15 and 8.6%, respectively, in comparison to AMF-plants. The plant available Zn concentration in soil had a highly significant correlation with Zn content in roots (r = 0.93), shoots (r = 0.91) and grains (r = 0.91). AMF symbiosis enhances Zn supply to the host plant by improving the available Zn and P enabling the plant to maintain higher nutritional status and produce grains fortified with Zn and tryptophan concentrations in field grown maize

Advances in Nanotechnology as a Potential Alternative for Plant Viral Disease Management

Plant viruses cause enormous losses in agricultural production accounting for about 47% of the total overall crop losses caused by plant pathogens. More than 50% of the emerging plant diseases are reported to be caused by viruses, which are inevitable or unmanageable. Therefore, it is essential to devise novel and effective management strategies to combat the losses caused by the plant virus in economically important crops. Nanotechnology presents a new tendency against the increasing challenges in the diagnosis and management of plant viruses as well as plant health. The application of nanotechnology in plant virology, known as nanophytovirology, includes disease diagnostics, drug delivery, genetic transformation, therapeutants, plant defense induction, and bio-stimulation; however, it is still in the nascent stage. The unique physicochemical properties of particles in the nanoscale allow greater interaction and it may knock out the virus particles. Thus, it opens up a novel arena for the management of plant viral diseases. The main objective of this review is to focus on the mounting collection of tools and techniques involved in the viral disease diagnosis and management and to elucidate their mode of action along with toxicological concerns