Toxic effect of lead nitrate on testicular functions in male Swiss albino mice

Lead, heavy metal, has been associated with various health disorders including respiratory, digestive, nervous and reproductive systems. Male reproductive disorders are rising worldwide in parallel to increased exposure to harmful chemicals through anthropogenic sources. The aim of this study was to find the effect of lead nitrate on sperm quality, serum testosterone level and testicular histopathology in male Swiss albino mice. Male Swiss albino mice were divided as Control and three groups of lead nitrate treated mice (LN-15,LN-30 and LN-45) with four animals in each group. An oral method was applied to administer 52 mg/ kg body weight of lead nitrate to each mice of LN-15,LN-30 and LN-45 for 15, 30 and 45 days, respectively. Distilled water was administered to the control group for 45 days. Sperm quality and serum testosterone level was studied for each group on completion of exposure to each group. There was a significant decline in sperm count (10.81±0.97 to 5.85±1.22) in LN-45; sperm motility (74.0±5.95 to 47.75±5.97) in LN-30 and (74.0±5.95 to 40.75±7.81) in LN-45; normal sperm morphology(77±3.11 to 42.0±8.04) in LN-30 and (77.50±3.11 to 35.5 ±5.19). Serum testosterone levels decreased significantly (5.29±0.84 to 2.61±0.51) in LN-45 group. Lead nitrate adversely affected testicular functions and increased adversity with a longer exposure duration in Swiss albino mice. It can reduce male fertility by hampering the formation of normal mature sperms

Selenium Mediated Alterations in Physiology of Wheat under Different Soil Moisture Levels

Soil moisture stress is one of the most serious aspects of climate change. Selenium (Se) is regarded as an essential element for animal health and has been demonstrated to protect plants from a number of abiotic challenges; however, our knowledge of Se-regulated mechanisms for enhancing crop yield is limited. We investigated the effects of exogenous Se supplementation on physiological processes that may impact wheat productivity during soil moisture stress. The plants were grown in plastic containers under screen-house conditions. The experiment was laid out in CRD consisting of three soil moisture regimes, i.e., control (soil moisture content of 12.5 ± 0.05%), moderate (soil moisture content of 8.5 ± 0.05%), and severe moisture stress (soil moisture content of 4.5 ± 0.05%). Selenium was supplied using sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) through soil application before sowing (10 ppm) and foliar application (20 ppm and 40 ppm) at two different growth stages. The foliar spray of Se was applied at the vegetative stage (70 days after planting) and was repeated 3 weeks later, whereas the control consisted of a water spray. The water status, photosynthetic efficiency, and yield were significantly decreased due to the soil’s moisture stress. The exogenous Se application of 40 ppm resulted in decreased negative leaf water potential and improved relative water contents, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance in comparison to the control (without selenium) under water shortage conditions except the plants treated with soil application of selenium under severe moisture stress at 70 DAS. Subsequently, Se-regulated mechanisms improved 100 seed weight, biological yield, and seed yield per plant. We suggest that Se foliar spray (40 ppm) is a practical and affordable strategy to increase wheat output in arid and semi-arid regions of the world that are experiencing severe water shortages

Selenium Mediated Alterations in Physiology of Wheat under Different Soil Moisture Levels

Soil moisture stress is one of the most serious aspects of climate change. Selenium (Se) is regarded as an essential element for animal health and has been demonstrated to protect plants from a number of abiotic challenges; however, our knowledge of Se-regulated mechanisms for enhancing crop yield is limited. We investigated the effects of exogenous Se supplementation on physiological processes that may impact wheat productivity during soil moisture stress. The plants were grown in plastic containers under screen-house conditions. The experiment was laid out in CRD consisting of three soil moisture regimes, i.e., control (soil moisture content of 12.5 ± 0.05%), moderate (soil moisture content of 8.5 ± 0.05%), and severe moisture stress (soil moisture content of 4.5 ± 0.05%). Selenium was supplied using sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) through soil application before sowing (10 ppm) and foliar application (20 ppm and 40 ppm) at two different growth stages. The foliar spray of Se was applied at the vegetative stage (70 days after planting) and was repeated 3 weeks later, whereas the control consisted of a water spray. The water status, photosynthetic efficiency, and yield were significantly decreased due to the soil’s moisture stress. The exogenous Se application of 40 ppm resulted in decreased negative leaf water potential and improved relative water contents, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance in comparison to the control (without selenium) under water shortage conditions except the plants treated with soil application of selenium under severe moisture stress at 70 DAS. Subsequently, Se-regulated mechanisms improved 100 seed weight, biological yield, and seed yield per plant. We suggest that Se foliar spray (40 ppm) is a practical and affordable strategy to increase wheat output in arid and semi-arid regions of the world that are experiencing severe water shortages