Salinity stress is a major constraint to sustainable crop production due to its adverse impact on crop growth, physiology, and productivity. As potato is the fourth most important staple food crop, enhancing its productivity is necessary to ensure food security for the ever-increasing population. Identification and cultivation of salt-tolerant potato genotypes are imperative mitigating strategies to cope with stress conditions. For this purpose, fifty-three varieties of potato were screened under control and salt stress conditions for growth and yield-related traits during 2020. Salt stress caused a mean reduction of 14.49%, 8.88%, and 38.75% in plant height, stem numbers, and tuber yield, respectively in comparison to control. Based on percent yield reduction, the genotypes were classified as salt-tolerant (seven genotypes), moderately tolerant (thirty-seven genotypes), and salt-sensitive genotypes (nine genotypes). Seven salt-tolerant and nine salt-sensitive genotypes were further evaluated to study their responses to salinity on targeted physiological, biochemical, and ionic traits during 2021. Salt stress significantly reduced the relative water content (RWC), membrane stability index (MSI), photosynthesis rate (Pn), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance, and K⁺/Na⁺ ratio in all the sixteen genotypes; however, this reduction was more pronounced in salt-sensitive genotypes compared to salt-tolerant ones. The better performance of salt-tolerant genotypes under salt stress was due to the strong antioxidant defense system as evidenced by greater activity of super oxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and better osmotic adjustment (accumulation of proline). The stepwise regression approach identified plant height, stem numbers, relative water content, proline content, H₂O₂, POX, tuber K⁺/Na⁺, and membrane stability index as predominant traits for tuber yield, suggesting their significant role in alleviating salt stress. The identified salt-tolerant genotypes could be used in hybridization programs for the development of new high-yielding and salt-tolerant breeding lines. Further, these genotypes can be used to understand the genetic and molecular mechanism of salt tolerance in potato.

Grafting on salt tolerant eggplant rootstocks can be a promising approach for enhancing the salinity tolerance of tomato. In this study, the performance of tomato cv. Kashi Aman grafted on two salt tolerant eggplant rootstocks (IC-111056 and IC-354557) was evaluated against non-grafted control under saline (EC_iw 6 and 9 dS m⁻¹) and non-saline (EC_iw ~1 dS m⁻¹) irrigation for 2 years. Grafting improved tomato plant performance under salt stress. Moreover, rootstock IC-111056 outperformed IC-354557. An increase in the average fruit yield of grafted plants compared with non-grafted control at 6 and 9 dS m⁻¹ was 24.41% and 55.84%, respectively with rootstock IC-111056 and 20.25% and 49.08%, respectively with IC-354557. Grafted plants maintained a superior water status under saline irrigation, evidenced with the relative water content and chlorophyll SPAD index, along with higher proline and antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase). Rootstocks mediated the partitioning of toxic saline ions in the scions by promoting higher Na⁺ accumulation (14% of mean accumulation) in the older leaves and lower (24%) in the younger leaves of grafted plants. This resulted in higher K⁺/Na⁺ ratios within the younger (active) leaves of the grafted plants. Our study demonstrates that grafting tomato seedlings on selected salt tolerant eggplant rootstocks is a viable alternative for improving plant physiological status and fruit yield under salt stress, through favorable modulation of salt ion partitioning in the scions.

Production of many crops, including onion, under salinity is lagging due to limited information on the physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms of salt stress tolerance in plants. Hence, the present study was conducted to identify salt-tolerant onion genotypes based on physiological and biochemical mechanisms associated with their differential responses. Thirty-six accessions were evaluated under control and salt stress conditions, and based on growth and bulb yield. Results revealed that plant height (6.07%), number of leaves per plant (3.07%), bulb diameter (11.38%), bulb yield per plant (31.24%), and total soluble solids (8.34%) were reduced significantly compared to control. Based on percent bulb yield reduction, seven varieties were classified as salt tolerant (with 40% yield reduction) and the remaining as moderately tolerant (with 20 to 40% yield reduction). Finally, seven salt-tolerant and seven salt-sensitive accessions were selected for detailed study of their physiological and biochemical traits and their differential responses under salinity. High relative water content (RWC), membrane stability index (MSI), proline content (PRO), and better antioxidants such as super oxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were observed in tolerant accessions, viz. POS35, NHRDF Red (L-28), GWO 1, POS36, NHRDF Red-4 (L-744), POS37, and POS38. Conversely, increased malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) content, reduced activity of antioxidants, more membrane injury, and high Na⁺/K⁺ ratio were observed in sensitive accessions, viz. ALR, GJWO 3, Kalyanpur Red Round, NHRDF Red-3 (L-652), Agrifound White, and NHRDF (L-920). Stepwise regression analysis identified bulb diameter), plant height, APX, stomatal conductance (gS), POX, CAT, MDA, MSI, and bulb Na⁺/K⁺ ratio as predictor traits accounting for maximum variation in bulb yield under salinity. The identified seven salt-tolerant varieties can be used in future onion breeding programs for developing tolerant genotypes for salt-prone areas.

Pumpkin is a traditional crop that is widely grown for its mature and immature fleshy fruits, seeds, flowers and processed products. It occupies a foremost place among the cucurbits owing to its high yield potential, nutritional value and longer shelf life. Pumpkin displays a wide range of variations for fruit colour, shape, size, number of seeds, flesh colour, thickness, sugar and carotenoid content. Large-sized flowers and seeds, a large number of seeds per fruit and a range of variability for different traits make the crop ideal for commercial breeding. However, the knowledge of inheritance and genetic behaviour of any traits is essential for planning an appropriate breeding strategy. Despite high morphological and biochemical variability and economic significance, very little emphasis is given for its genetic improvement. Hence keeping in view the significance of this crop, information on the inheritance of important traits, breeding strategies, application of molecular markers, genomics and transcriptomics in pumpkin breeding has been discussed here.

The study was conducted to evaluate the performance of thirty-six Basmati rice genotypes for yield and its related traits under direct-seeded rice (DSR), system of rice intensification (SRI), chemical-free cultivation (CFC), and conventional transplanted rice (TPR).The genotypes were evaluated for two years at two locations in randomized block design with three replications. Genotype Pusa Basmati 1121 scored highest ~22% yield increase in system of rice intensification method over transplanted rice followed by Pusa Basmati 1 (~20%) genotypes HKR 11-447 (~18 %). Genotype Pusa Basmati 1, Pusa Basmati 1637-2-8-20-5 and Pusa Basmati1734-8-3-85 produced 8-16 % higher yield in chemical-free cultivation in comparison to TPR. Genotypes HKR 98-476, CSR 30, PAU 6297-1 yielded equally in DSR as well as in TPR. All the genotypes under study showed earlier flowering and maturity in DSR followed by SRI and TPR=CFC. Pusa Basmati 1509recordedthe earliest flowering across the environments. Most of the genotypes showed an increase in panicle weight, number of tillers per plant, number of spikelets per panicle, percent filled spikelets, Biological yield, and grain yield under SRI over other methods of rice crop establishment. Among different methods, SRI was found best than TPR, CFC, and DSR (wet).