Salinity tolerance-associated phenotypes of 35 EMS mutagenized wheat lines originating from BARI Gom-25 were compared. Vegetative growth was measured using non-destructive image-based phenotyping. Five different NaCl concentrations (0 to 160 mM) were applied to plants 19 days after planting (DAP 19), and plants were imaged daily until DAP 38. Plant growth, water use, leaf Na⁺, K⁺ and Cl⁻ content, and thousand kernel weight (TKW) were measured, and six lines were selected for further analysis. In saline conditions, leaf Na⁺, K^+, and Cl⁻ content variation on a dry weight basis within these six lines were ~9.3, 1.4, and 2.4-fold, respectively. Relative to BARI Gom-25, two (OA6, OA62) lines had greater K⁺ accumulation, three (OA6, OA10, OA62) had 50–75% lower Na⁺:K⁺ ratios, and OA62 had ~30% greater water-use index (WUI). OA23 had ~2.2-fold greater leaf Na⁺ and maintained TKW relative to BARI Gom-25. Two lines (OA25, OA52) had greater TKW than BARI Gom-25 when grown in 120 mM NaCl but similar Na⁺:K⁺, WUI, and biomass accumulation. OA6 had relatively high TKW, high leaf K^+, and WUI, and low leaf Na⁺ and Cl⁻. Phenotypic variation revealed differing associations between the parameters measured in the lines. Future identification of the genetic basis of these differences, and crossing of lines with phenotypes of interest, is expected to enable the assessment of which combinations of parameters deliver the greatest improvement in salinity tolerance.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of a new nitrogen-enriched organic-based fertilizer (NEO) on Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) yield and soil fauna feeding activity. Nitrogen is transformed from the air to manure by a plasma process. At the farm level, NEO could improve self-sufficiency and sustainability. The work was carried out under controlled conditions in two pot trials. Five fertilization regimes were used: no fertilizer, different amounts of mineral fertilizer, three NEO types, organic fertilizer (untreated manure), and organic fertilizer + different amounts of N in mineral fertilizer, including 14 treatments in trial one and 11 treatments in trial two. Besides evaluating dry matter yields, we utilized the Bait-lamina test system to assess the feeding activity of soil fauna. The results indicated a clear positive impact of nitrogen (N) on ryegrass yield where all fertilizers increased the yield in correspondence with their N availability regardless of the fertilizer type; whereas the yield was highest with mineral fertilizer up to our maximum level of 235 kg N ha⁻¹ in trial one and 175 kg N ha⁻¹ in trial two. The NEO fertilizers yielded in the same range as mineral fertilizers. The same clear pattern was not observed for soil fauna feeding activity. Instead, a tendency was observed where no fertilization tends to give the highest feeding activity. We saw no correlation between the yield and the soil fauna feeding activity. The feeding activity was highest in depth below 5 cm from the soil surface. Feeding activity also increased over time after fertilization. The NEO fertilizers had no more adverse effects on soil fauna feeding activity than other fertilizers. Other factors than fertilization alone are determining the soil fauna feeding activity.

Magnesium (Mg) is a vital macronutrient that underpins multiple processes essential for plant growth, development, and survival. As the central atom in chlorophyll, Mg is indispensable for photosynthesis, the foundation of crop productivity. Beyond light capture, Mg functions as a structural, enzymatic, and regulatory ion, making it a critical mediator of plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. Drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, and nutrient deficiencies continue to limit agricultural yields, yet Mg-mediated pathways can significantly mitigate their effects. By influencing photosynthesis, ion homeostasis, osmotic adjustment, antioxidative defenses, and signal transduction, Mg reinforces multiple layers of plant stress adaptation. This review consolidates current knowledge of Mg’s roles in enhancing plant tolerance to adverse conditions, with particular emphasis on the molecular, physiological, and biochemical mechanisms underlying these roles. By integrating findings across different scales, it advances understanding of Mg-mediated stress adaptation and highlights its potential as a key factor in developing climate-resilient crop production systems. Unlike earlier works that have focused narrowly on Mg nutrition and photosynthesis, this review offers a holistic framework linking molecular insights to agronomic applications. Additionally, it provides future perspectives and research directions to bridge current knowledge gaps and guide innovation in crop breeding, nutrient management, and sustainable production systems.

Soil contamination with salinity and heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) is becoming a serious global problem due to the rapid development of the social economy. Although plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria PGPR and organic agents such as salicylic acid (SA) are considered major protectants to alleviate abiotic stresses, the study of these bacteria and organic acids to ameliorate the toxic effects of salinity and Cd remains limited. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the individual and combined effects of PGPR and SA on enhancing the phytoremediation of salinity (100 mM NaCl) and Cd (50 µM CdCl₂) using rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants. The research results indicated that elevated levels of salinity and Cd stress in soil significantly (P < 0.05) decreased plant growth and biomass, photosynthetic pigments, and gas exchange attributes. However, salinity and Cd stress also induced oxidative stress in the plants by increasing malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) by 44% and 38%, respectively, which also induced increased compounds of various enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants, and also the gene expression and sugar content. Furthermore, a significant (P < 0.05) increase in cadmium accumulation, potential health risk indices, proline metabolism, the AsA-GSH cycle, and the pigmentation of cellular components was observed. Although the application of PGPR and SA showed a significant (P < 0.05) increase in plant growth and biomass, gas exchange characteristics, microbial diversity, functional gene abundance in the rhizosphere, enzymatic and nonenzymatic compounds, and their gene expression, and also decreased oxidative stress. In addition, the application of PGPR and SA enhanced cellular fractionation and decreased metal accumulation by 37% in shoots, proline metabolism, and the AsA-GSH cycle in O. sativa plants. These results provide new insights for sustainable agricultural practices and hold immense promise in addressing the pressing challenges of salinity and heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils.

Twenty-three lines from a mutagenized Bangladeshi BARI Gom-25 wheat population that included previously identified salt-tolerant lines, and the BARI Gom-25 control variety, were cultivated in a drip-irrigated salinity test field at Salt Farm Texel, Netherlands, to assess their performance during salt stress in European climatic conditions. Lines were tested at irrigation salinity levels of 1, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 dS m⁻¹ in four repetitions of plots with 24 plants per plot. Average plant height, tiller number, spike length, frequency of live plants, and total grain weight (TGW) were recorded as functions of seasonal mean pore water salinity in the soil. Increases in salinity triggered reductions in all evaluated variables of the assessed lines and the control variety. However, nine mutagenized lines had at least twofold higher mean TGW than the control variety, 18.73 ± 4.19 g/plot at 1–16 dS m⁻¹ salinity levels. Common models of salt tolerance confirmed this pattern, but there were no clear differences in salinity tolerance parameter estimates between the mutagenized lines and the control variety. Thus, despite the apparent similarity in responses of all lines to salinity increase, we clearly identified lines that tended to have higher TGW at given salinities than the control variety. This higher TGW at the full range of salinity treatments indicates not only a possible higher salinity tolerance but a higher yield potential as well. The mechanisms involved clearly warrant further attention.