Lentil (Lens culinaris) is an important winter season annual legume crop known for its highly valued seed in human and animal nutrition owing to its high lysine and tryptophan content. Shortage of water during the crop growth period has become the major impediment for cultivation of pulses in rice fallow in particular. Under such conditions, the application of hydrogel can be a potential alternative to improve photosynthetic efficiency, assimilate partitioning, and increase growth and yield. A field experiment was conducted from November to February during 2015–16 to 2017–18 on clay loam soil that was medium in fertility and acidic in reaction (pH 5.4) at Central Agricultural University, Imphal, Manipur. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications. There were three hydrogel levels in total in the main plot and foliar nutrition with five different nutrient sprays in sub-plots, together comprising 15 treatment combinations. The data pooled over three years, 2015–2018, revealed that application of hydrogel at 5 kg/ha before sowing recorded a significantly greater number of pods per plant (38.0) and seed yield (1032.1 kg/ha) over the control. Foliar application of nutrients over flower initiation and pod development had a positive effect on increasing the number of pods per plant eventually enhanced the seed yield of lentil. Foliar application of either 0.5% NPK or salicylic acid 75 ppm spray at flower initiation and pod development stages recorded significantly more pods per plant over other nutrient treatments. Further, the yield attributed improved because of elevated growth in plant. Significantly maximum seed yield (956 kg/ha) recorded in the NPK spray of 0.5% remained on par with salicylic acid 75 ppm (939 kg/ha) over the rest of the treatments.

The semi-dwarfing allele, sd1-d, has been widely utilized in developing high-yielding rice cultivars across the world. Originally identified from the rice cultivar Dee-Geo-Woo-Gen (DGWG), sd1-d, derived from a spontaneous mutation, has a 383-bp deletion in the SD1 gene. To date, as many as seven alleles of the SD1 gene have been identified and used in rice improvement, either with a functional single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), with insertion–deletions (InDels), or both. Here, we report discovery of a novel SNP in the SD1 gene from the rice genotype, Pusa 1652. Genetic analysis revealed that the inheritance of the semi-dwarfism in Pusa 1652 is monogenic and recessive, but it did not carry the sd1-d allele. However, response to exogenous gibberellic acid (GA₃) application and the subsequent bulked segregant and linkage analyses confirmed that the SD1 gene is involved in the plant height reduction in Pusa 1652. Sequencing of the SD1 gene from Pusa 1652 revealed a novel transition in exon 3 (T/A) causing a nonsense mutation at the 300th codon. The stop codon leads to premature termination, resulting in a truncated protein of OsGA20ox2 obstructing the GA₃ biosynthesis pathway. This novel recessive allele, named sd1-bm, is derived from Bindli Mutant 34 (BM34), a γ-ray induced mutant of a short-grain aromatic landrace, Bindli. BM34 is the parent of an aromatic semi-dwarf cultivar, Pusa 1176, from which Pusa 1652 is derived. The semi-dwarfing allele, sd1-bm, was further validated by developing a derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (dCAPS) marker, AKS-sd1. This allele provides an alternative to the most widely used sd1-d in rice improvement programs and the functional dCAPS marker will facilitate marker-assisted introgression of the semi-dwarf trait into tall genotypes.

Cereals and pseudocereals are foundational to global food and nutritional security. While staple cereals like rice, wheat, and maize dominate agriculture, nutrient-dense pseudocereals – quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, and chia – are emerging as vital alternatives. This chapter explores the evolving role of these grains in the twenty-first century, focusing on production systems, climate resilience, nutritional value, and market dynamics. Often termed “forgotten grains,” pseudocereals are transforming agricultural and dietary paradigms by offering solutions where conventional cereals often fall short. Traditionally cultivated with minimal inputs on marginal lands, these crops are gaining renewed attention for their sustainability and hardiness. Quinoa, revered as the “mother grain” of the Incas; amaranth, once sacred to the Aztecs; buckwheat, a versatile non-cereal; and chia, the ancient energy seed – all exemplify this untapped potential. This analysis highlights how pseudocereals advance sustainable agriculture and nutrition, addressing contemporary challenges and future opportunities for the global food system.

We are all familiar with plants growing from seeds placed in soil. However, some plants, such as roses, develop from stem cuttings, while other plants, like potatoes, grow from tuber (the part we eat) sprouts. But is there another way to multiply plants without seeds? The answer is yes! Starting from a piece of live plant tissue, exact copies, or clones, can be produced by providing the tissue with all the nutrients required for its growth and development. This technique, called plant tissue culture, is typically done by placing the plant tissue in a glass dish kept in a safe laboratory environment. Plant tissue culture is a fairly new way to multiply chosen plants in large numbers. In this article, you will learn why scientists choose to produce plant clones and how those clones are produced in the laboratory.