Dinesh Chandra

Bryophytes: Hoard of remedies, an ethno-medicinal review

Bryophytes are the second largest group of land plants after angiosperms. There is very less knowledge available about medicinal properties of these plants. Bryophytes are popular remedy among the tribal people of different parts of the world. Tribal people use these plants to cure various ailments in their daily lives. Bryophytes are used to cure hepatic disorders, skin diseases, cardiovascular diseases, used as antipyretic, antimicrobial, wound healing and many more other ailments by different tribal communities of Africa, America, Europe, Poland, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Japan, Taiwan, Pakistan, China, Nepal and different parts of South, North and Eastern India. Apart from ethno-medicinal uses some bryophytes possesses antitumor activities against different cancer cell lines and this property of bryophytes needs to be more focused in the future. Compile information about medicinal properties and anticancer properties of bryophytes is lacking till date. In the present review, the authors tried to compile all the ethno-medicinal and other related information of bryophytes and fill the knowledge lacuna in this particular field. Some published reviews are available but the information is segregated. This manuscript will help people doing research in the bryophytes.

PGPR: Heart of Soil and Their Role in Soil Fertility

Soil is an excellent niche for the growth of microorganisms which includes plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs). PGPRs have great potential for plant growth promotion as they control pest and disease and have been considered important in sustainable agriculture. PGPRs induce and/or synthesize various growth-promoting and biocontrolling chemicals which are useful for sustainable agriculture and environment. These chemicals are phytohormones, antibiotics, enzymes, etc., which react with the soil and provide better health to the plants. PGPRs directly or indirectly circulate their products to soil for better soil health which further enhance the soil immunity followed by influencing plant growth, productivity, and yield. Soil immune system works strongly by the activities of soil microbes which are considered as a heart of soil. These soil microbes are responsible for increasing soil fertility and productivity which are considered important for sustainable agriculture.

Influence of IAA and ACC Deaminase Producing Fluorescent Pseudomonads in Alleviating Drought Stress in Wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Drought is one of the major constraints limiting agricultural production worldwide. Soil bacteria containing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase and indole acetic acid (IAA) producing traits with the potential for the alleviation of drought stress in combination with plant growth promotion would be extremely useful tools in sustainable farming. The present study was undertaken with two drought-tolerant bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens strain DPB15 and P. palleroniana strain DPB16 containing ACC deaminase activity as isolated from rainfed agriculture areas of Kumaun regions of Uttarakhand, India. There were two sets of pot trails, i.e., non-stressed (watered) and drought stressed (non-watered). The growth parameters were recorded after fifty-four days of growth. Bacterial inoculation enhanced the growth of wheat in terms of root and shoot biomass, height and foliar nutrient content in treated as compared to untreated plants. In addition, a significant increase in antioxidant activity (SOD, CAT, GPX and APX) was also observed where bacterial treatment improves the plant fitness by protecting it from the oxidative damage created by drought. A correlation study between non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants demonstrated that a perfect positive significant correlation between SOD and Chl, GPX and Pro, CAT and H2O2, and CAT and TPC; a perfect negative correlation between TPC and H2O2; and for others parameters nonsignificant correlation were observed under water-stressed conditions.

Commercial Microbial Products: Exploiting Beneficial Plant-Microbe Interaction

Plants and microbes are known to interact with each other since ancient times. The plant growth-promoting microbes have the ability to facilitate nutrient uptake, modulating plant growth and imparting abiotic and biotic stress tolerance to the plants. These microbes along with proper carrier form the basis of commercial microbial inoculants, which slowly but steadily are gaining acknowledgment in the market due to the drawbacks associated with their counterpart agrochemicals like reduced soil fertility, food toxicity, or increasing cost and diminishing profits. The nitrogen fixers and phosphate and zinc solubilizers are the foremost microbial categories that are presently exploited on a commercial level. The success of microbial inoculants in the field relies on the carrier material used in the formulation. Many carriers are explored for this purpose; peat, perlite, clay, vermiculite, alginate, agricultural waste products, and biochar are among the leading options.

Harnessing Endophytic Microbial Volatile Organic Compound (MVOC) for Sustainable Agroecosystem

Endophytic bacteria and fungi emit a wealth of volatiles, representing a promising group of microorganisms, as they are a largely untapped reservoir of metabolic diversity. These volatile organic compounds (VOCs) occur as mixtures of low molecular mass hydrocarbons, alcohols, heterocyclic compound, aldehydes, ketones, and other small molecules. They have characteristic aromas and are produced during primary and secondary metabolism of microbes. Their ability to diffuse makes them excellent chemical signaling molecules in nonaqueous habitats and facilitates the ability of microbes to engage in chemical conversations. The methods for the collection and detection of MVOC are steam distillation, liquid–liquid extraction, simultaneous distillation extraction, purge and trap, supercritical fluid extraction, and solid phase microextraction (SPME). Among them, SPME is the most commonly used technique as it integrates the extraction, concentration, and introduction in one step thus resulting in reducing preparation time. A growing body of evidence indicates that MVOCs are eco-friendly and can be exploited as a cost-effective and sustainable strategy in agricultural practice as agents triggering plant immunity and promoting plant growth. Also, MVOC-mediated conversion of solid cellulosic biomass to liquid biofuels may provide a renewable energy source for transportation fuels.