In silico targeting enterotoxin from Staphylococcus aureus with selected flavonoids: Hope for the discovery of natural anti-mastitis agents

Staphylococcus aureus is a facultative anaerobe and catalase-positive bacterium responsible for various skin infections and life-threatening problems, including bacteremia and pneumonia. This bacterium produces a bunch of superantigens in the blood called enterotoxin. This toxin is responsible for food poisoning and toxic shock syndrome. Moreover, Bovine mastitis is also associated with S. aureus. Further, S. aureus related to drug resistance makes the infection more dreadful. Now a day, various natural compounds such as phytochemicals are gaining importance as they are effective against many diseases, including S. aureus infections. The present study used molecular docking of three ligands, i.e., Kaempferol, Apigenin, and Quercetin, with enterotoxin A from S. aureus. The docking study revealed that the binding energy of ligands with receptors was -6.6 to -6.9 Kcal/mol. Kaempferol had the highest binding affinity of -6.9 Kcal/mol, suggesting it has a potential against S. aureus. Therefore, in the current research, we have tried to identify occurring compounds that might be used to develop an effective anti-S.aureus agent. The findings are encouraging and will aid researchers in creating new mastitis-fighting medications based on natural phytochemicals

Role of Salicylic Acid in Combating Heat Stress in Plants : Insights into Modulation of Vital Processes

Peer reviewe

Characterization of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] grains

Among cereals, sorghum, a gluten-free cereal is a rich source of bioactive polyphenols and dietary antioxidants. Sorghum polyphenolic compounds were characterized and quantified in five sorghum genotypes by high performance liquid chromatography. Grain samples of five sorghum genotypes were grounded and subjected top extraction for profile of polyphenols via High Performance Liquid Chromotography. Results showed that red and brown pericarp genotypes had higher total proanthocyanidin and total phenolic content, therefore, resulting in overall high antioxidant activities. The phenolic acids that showed the higher antioxidant activity in red (SSG 59-3) and brown (G-46) genotypes were caffeic acid, taxifolin and apigeninidin. SSG 59-3 (20.55 ± 0.11a, 45.66 ± 0.23b, 15.34 ± 0.10c) had higher antioxidant activity evaluated by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assay. The concentrations of the sorghum-specific 3-deoxyanthocyanidins luteolinidin and apigeninidin were higher in red sorghum. Correlation analysis showed that antioxidant activity had a linear relationship with their polyphenols. Thus, our findings indicated that there is cumulative effect of both high antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds which may be exploited for human food to improve the nutritional value and health properties

Exploring the Potential of <em>Calotropis procera</em> in Pharmacological Approaches

Medicinal plants have been a source of treatments for many ailments for thousands of years. The WHO estimates that 80% of worldwide population use traditional medicines to treat common health issues. Plant derived bioactive substances constitute 50% of Western medications. The increase in incidents of emerging medical challenges, including post-COVID syndrome, rising multidrug-resistant (MDR), and many more, has raised annual fatalities. To address these issues, novel medications and strategic approaches are urgently required. Designing novel drugs relies on exploring medicinal plants, which have great scope in combating diseases. Calotropis procera is a medicinal plant belongs to Apocynaceae family and subfamily Asclepiadoideae that have been exploring for developing novel drugs. C. procera consists of numerous phytochemicals including flavonoids, terpenoids, cardenolides, steroids and oxypregnanes. Therefore, its phytoconstituents have been used to treat a variety of conditions including cancer, asthma, epilepsy and snake bite. C. procera is reported to have anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anthelmintic, antibacterial, antinociceptive and antimalarial properties. Roots, leaves and flower of C. procera have been used in wide range of ethnomedicinal and pharmacological actions including leukoderma, malaria and eczema. Recent ongoing techniques including computational tools using the phytoconstituents of C. procera against various diseases will open up avenues for developing novel drugs

Mapping QTLs for morpho-physiological traits related to grain yield under late sown conditions in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

The elevating temperature makes heat stress one of the major issues for wheat production globally. To elucidate genetic basis and map heat tolerance QTLs for agroecology of the State of Bihar under NEPZ, a set of 166 doubled haploid lines (DHLs) derived from the cross between PBW343/IC252874 was used. The population was evaluated under normal sown (NS) and late sown (LS) conditions for two cropping seasons. The canopy temperature (CT) showed positive correlations with grain yield, whereas Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) chlorophyll meter value was not significantly correlated and associated with grain yield (GY) in both the normal and late sown conditions. Composite interval mapping identified a total of 12 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) viz., 2 (NS), 10 (LS) mapped on linkage groups 1A, 1D, 2B, 2D, 3B, 4D, 5B, and 6D, during both the crop seasons 2017–18 and 2018–19. Combining the results of these QTLs revealed a major stable QTL for GY on chromosome 3B which explained 11.84% to 21.24% of phenotypic variance under both sowing conditions. QTL for CT and SPAD was detected on chromosome 1A, while QTL for GY on chromosome 3B and 5B. The identified QTLs could be targeted for genetic improvement and marker-assisted selection for heat tolerance in wheat. The tools like SPAD and CT could be exploited to screen a large number of breeding lines

Impact of High Temperature on Germination, Seedling Growth and Enzymatic Activity of Wheat

Global warming has increased the temperature significantly over a large extent both spatially and temporally. The threat of heat stress during the germination and seedling establishment stages in the wheat crop is now more prevalent than ever before. The present experiment assessed the effect of elevated temperature on the germination and early seedling growth of wheat genotypes. The seeds were sown under four temperatures, viz., 20 °C, 25 °C, 30 °C and 35 °C; the germination, seedling vigor and enzyme activities in 8-day-old seedlings were assessed. The temperature significantly influenced germination and early seedling growth. The germination percentage at 20 and 25 °C was statistically on par with and higher than at 30 and 35 °C. The seedling vigor parameters were maximum at 25 °C and showed a reduction at higher temperatures. Genotypic differences were observed for early heat stress as the genotypes WH 730, WH 1123 and HD 2967 showed tolerance towards heat stress during germination, whereas the genotypes PBW 725 and WH 1105 were susceptible. Antioxidant enzyme activities in seedlings increased with the rise in temperature. Catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase enzymes showed increased activities at higher temperature levels

Biostimulant-Treated Seedlings under Sustainable Agriculture: A Global Perspective Facing Climate Change

The primary objectives of modern agriculture includes the environmental sustainability, low production costs, improved plants&rsquo; resilience to various biotic and abiotic stresses, and high sowing seed value. Delayed and inconsistent field emergence poses a significant threat in the production of agri-crop, especially during drought and adverse weather conditions. To open new routes of nutrients&rsquo; acquisition and revolutionizing the adapted solutions, stewardship plans will be needed to address these questions. One approach is the identification of plant based bioactive molecules capable of altering plant metabolism pathways which may enhance plant performance in a brief period of time and in a cost-effective manner. A biostimulant is a plant material, microorganism, or any other organic compound that not only improves the nutritional aspects, vitality, general health but also enhances the seed quality performance. They may be effectively utilized in both horticultural and cereal crops. The biologically active substances in biostimulant biopreparations are protein hydrolysates (PHs), seaweed extracts, fulvic acids, humic acids, nitrogenous compounds, beneficial bacterial, and fungal agents. In this review, the state of the art and future prospects for biostimulant seedlings are reported and discussed. Biostimulants have been gaining interest as they stimulate crop physiology and biochemistry such as the ratio of leaf photosynthetic pigments (carotenoids and chlorophyll), enhanced antioxidant potential, tremendous root growth, improved nutrient use efficiency (NUE), and reduced fertilizers consumption. Thus, all these properties make the biostimulants fit for internal market operations. Furthermore, a special consideration has been given to the application of biostimulants in intensive agricultural systems that minimize the fertilizers&rsquo; usage without affecting quality and yield along with the limits imposed by European Union (EU) regulations

Seedling vigour as affected by period of drying in case of on-farm priming (surface dried) and conventional priming (dried back to original moisture content).

Seedling vigour as affected by period of drying in case of on-farm priming (surface dried) and conventional priming (dried back to original moisture content).</p

Interactive effect of genotype and temperature on seedling vigour indices of wheat.

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Interactive effect of genotype and soaking duration of hydropriming on germination characteristics, seedling growth and seedling vigour indices of wheat.

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