The increased lead (Pb) content in the environment has an impact on all living beings, including plant growth and quality. The present study aims to investigate the protective roles of zinc (Zn)- and iron (Fe)- nanoparticles (NPs) in alleviating stress symptoms caused by lead (Pb) exposure in Basella alba seedlings. For this purpose, 15 different treatment combinations of seed priming with two NPs at 0 and 200 mg L⁻¹, and five Pb levels (0, 4, 8, 15, 20 mM) were chosen. Pb stress (20 mM) was found to reduce seed germination by 72.8% and seedling growth, particularly root length, by 92% when compared to the control. Under different Pb concentrations, seed priming with ZnNPs (200 mg L⁻¹) and FeNPs (200 mg L⁻¹) increased seed germination by 34.7% and 54.9%, respectively, and root length by 152.9% and 252.9%, respectively. In 20 mM Pb stress, NPs primed seedling showed decrease in Pb content by 33.7% with ZnNPs and 32.6% with FeNPs. Increased Pb stress resulted in increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation (H₂O₂) and lipid peroxidation (MDA) compared to non-Pb stressed seedlings. However, increased antioxidants in the NPs treatments such as SOD, CAT, POD and proline content, scavenged these ROS. Considering all the parameters under study, priming alleviated Pb stress in the following order: FeNPs > ZnNPs > hydropriming > control. To summarise, seed priming with Zn- and Fe-NPs has the potential to alleviate Pb toxicity via reduced Pb uptake, ROS generation and lipid peroxidation as well as increased proline content and activation of antioxidant enzymatic system.

Drought (soil and/atmospheric water deficit) is the most environmental constraints among abiotic stresses. Cowpea is inherently more drought tolerant than other vegetables, but it also suffers to a considerable yield loss when the moisture deficit is imposed during flowering and pod setting. The experiment was carried out at IIVR, Varanasi during spring-summer of 2012 and 2013. A total of 29 diverse cowpea genotypes, comprising of vegetable and grain types were selected for study. Drought stress was imposed 35 days after sowing by withholding the irrigation for 25 days. All genotypes were also kept under well watered control. Experimental findings revealed that under drought stress, some genotypes, viz., EC-30590, EC-37988, EC-390241, EC-15296, EC-472283 and Gomti expressed significantly higher relative leaf water content (>80%), photosynthesis (14.7 to 18.2 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹), stomatal conductance (0.443 to 0.818 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹), quantum yield of PSII photochemistry, i.e. Fv/Fm (0.467 to 0.727) and transpiration rate (0.0321 to 0.0467). These genotypes also showed less yield anddry matter reduction under drought stress as compared to susceptible cultivars/genotypes. The commercialcultivars such as, Akra Garima, Kashi Nidhi, Kashi Shyamal and Kashi Kanchan were found more susceptibleto drought. It may concluded that genotypes EC-30590, EC-37988, EC-390241, EC-15296, EC-472283 and Gomtiwere fairly drought tolerant, and may be utilized for cultivation under water limited condition or for breeding ofdrought tolerant cultivars.

In recent years, grafting has emerged as an efficient and alternative tool to the relatively slow conventional breeding methods, aiming to increase tolerance to abiotic stresses and soil pathogens while improving yield and quality attributes i...

Various strategies are being adopted to ensure sustainable fruit and vegetable production under the increasing population pressure and changing climatic conditions. Among these, grafting has emerged as an effective approach for improving crop performance without altering the genetic makeup of commercial cultivars. In this technique, a desirable scion is combined with a compatible rootstock possessing beneficial traits. When selected appropriately, such combinations can perform better than non-grafted plants, particularly under stress conditions. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important vegetable crops worldwide due to its high economic and nutritional value. Grafting in tomato has been reported to enhance plant vigor, improve tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses, and increase yield, often in the range of 15–30% under adverse conditions. However, the success of grafting largely depends on physiological compatibility between rootstock and scion. This review focuses on the physiological basis of rootstock–scion interactions in tomato, with an emphasis on water relations, nutrient uptake, and stress tolerance mechanisms. It also discusses current research gaps and highlights the need for a better understanding of the underlying physiological processes to improve the effectiveness of grafting in tomato production.

To meet the growing demand for fresh produce in cities, promoting peri-urban and urban farming is essential to reduce reliance on rural areas for vegetables. One innovative approach developed at ICAR-IIVR, Varanasi (2019-2022), is the dual grafting of brinjal and tomato on a single brinjal plant, termed 'Brimato' (Brinjal + Tomato). Using the vigorous, waterlogging and salinity-tolerant brinjal rootstock IC 111056, four brinjal cultivars (Kashi Sandesh, Kashi Uttam, Kashi Manohar, Kashi Vijay) and three tomato cultivars (Kashi Aman, Kashi Chayan, Vani) were selected as scions. Over three years, experiments showed that scion cultivars significantly impacted Brimato productivity. Kashi Manohar combined with Kashi Aman or Kashi Chayan yielded the highest brinjal fruit numbers, while Kashi Aman combined with hybrid brinjal Kashi Sandesh resulted in the highest tomato fruit numbers. The highest fruit yields were observed with the Kashi Sandesh + Kashi Chayan combination, yielding 2.58 kg/plant. The Kashi Aman + Kashi Sandesh combination produced a cumulative yield of 5.98 kg/plant. Physiological traits like photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll fluorescence yield varied significantly among scion cultivars, with Kashi Manohar and Kashi Aman scions exhibiting the highest photosynthetic rates. Grafted Brimato plants showed enhanced fruit quality, particularly in vitamin C and β-carotene content. These findings highlight the potential of Brimato plants for urban agriculture, offering a viable solution for sustainable fresh produce supply.

The experiment was conducted during winter (rabi) seasons of 2021–22 and 2022–23 at ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh to study the improvement in yield and quality parameters in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivar using brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) rootstock. Three improved cultivars of tomatoes i.e. Kashi Aman, Kashi Adarsh and Kashi Chayan were grafted over three brinjal rootstocks, IC-111056, IC- 354557, and Surya. Experimental findings revealed that brinjal rootstocks significantly affected photosynthetic traits, root architectures, fruit yields and quality traits of tomatoes. Maximum photosynthetic rate (23.8 µmol/m2/s) and stomatal conductance (492.74 mmol/m2/s) were recorded in Kashi Chayan grafted over Surya rootstock, whereas chlorophyll fluorescence yields (Fv/Fm) was significantly higher in Kashi Aman self-rooted plants (0.452–0.457). Grafting tomato onto brinjal rootstocks significantly enhanced most of the yield traits, such as fruit number, weight, size and yields. Surya + Kashi Chayan graft combination registered an enhancement in number of fruits and yields by 8.65% and 8.4%, respectively over self-rooted Kashi Chayan. Significantly higher root volumes were noticed in two graft combinations i.e. IC-354557 + Kashi Aman (28.53 cm2) and Surya + Kashi Chayan (27.98 cm2), while 63% and 44.5% higher root length density (RLD) were registered in graft combinations IC-354557 + Kashi Chayan and Surya + Kashi Chayan, respectively over self-rooted Kashi Chayan. Fruit quality such as lycopene and ascorbic acid contents were significantly affected in different rootstocks and scions, whereas fruit acidity was unaffected. From the present study it may be conclude that use of brinjal rootstock Surya significantly improved most of the physiological, yield, root architecture and fruit quality in Kashi Chayan tomato cultivars.