Aphids pose a significant threat to global agricultural crop production, leading to widespread pesticide use and resistance. This necessitates the use of alternative substances, like plant secondary metabolites (PSMs). Plants have developed protective compounds known as alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolics, sulfur- and nitrogen-containing metabolites. These compounds exhibit promising characteristics against aphids, such as antifeedant, aphicidal, and disrupting survival fitness. This review highlights the importance and application of secondary metabolites in combating aphid populations. Different insect-resistant substances have different mechanisms for managing aphids and other pests, including defensive signaling, inhibiting growth, and attracting natural predators by releasing herbivore-induced volatiles (HIPV). The application of plant secondary metabolites as biopesticides has proven to be an effective, economical, and eco-friendly alternative to synthetic pesticide chemicals. Furthermore, this review comprehensively discusses the principle role of plant secondary metabolites, encouraging sustainable agricultural practices and emphasizing the integrated management of the aphid population.

Pea is an important legume crop because of its higher bioactive compounds, and its seeds are famous as functional foods. However, the yield of pea is still limited because of multiple biotic and abiotic stresses which prevailed during the growth period. Saline conditions significantly hamper pea growth, yield, and quality among abiotic stresses. Salicylic acid is effective for the activation of oxidative, non-oxidative, osmolytes, and metabolites. Hence, the present study was conducted at exogenous application of salicylic acid (control, 1 µM, 2 µM, and 3 µM) to mitigate the adverse effects of salt stress (control, 25 mM, 50 mM, and 100 mM NaCl) in pea plants grown in the year 2019–2020. The aim of the present study was to evaluate pea performance under saline conditions by salicylic acid sprays. Pea growth and yield were significantly decreased at 100 mM NaCl compared with the control and other salinity levels. Moreover, the growth and yield of pea were improved under exogenous application of salicylic acid treatment at 3 µM than others. Quality traits, i.e., carotenoids, ascorbic acid, and phenolic content, were decreased at 100 mM NaCl, and these quality traits were significantly improved under salicylic acid treatment of 3 µM. Chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, photosynthesis, and stomatal conductance were reduced at 100 mM NaCl. In contrast, photosynthetic pigments, photosynthesis, and stomatal conductance were enhanced at 3 µM salicylic acid. The increases in SOD, CAT, POD, and APX were observed at 100 mM NaCl and 3 µM salicylic acid. The current study proved that exogenous application of salicylic acid concentrations had the potential to mitigate the salinity’s adverse effects by maintaining the physiological and metabolic activities of pea plants.

Various environmental stressors, such as salinity, heat, drought, and metals, present significant obstacles to crop productivity. This study delves into the adverse effects of metals, specifically focusing on cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and copper (Cu) on plants. It explores the sources of these metals, examining both natural occurrences and human-induced activities, and investigates the mechanisms through which plants absorb them. Metal pollution, in particular, negatively affects plant and microbiome well-being, producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) that harm essential macromolecules. Traditional stress-resistant plant varieties necessitate substantial development, leading to the exploration of innovative approaches like nanotechnology. This examination underscores the diverse applications of nanoparticles (NPs), such as titanium oxide, copper oxide, zinc oxide, etc., in alleviating metal stress and improving crop resilience. Nanoparticles possess advantageous characteristics, including increased reactivity, small size, and efficient transport within plants. The earlier information underscores the influence of nanoparticles on morpho-physiological and biochemical traits of plants, addressing the limited information in this field, especially under metal toxicity. Mechanisms of NP action encompass chelation, antioxidant enzymatic activity, and the formation of complexes, presenting promising avenues for sustainable agriculture and enhanced food productivity. Future perspectives in nanoparticle strategies for metal toxicity emphasize tailored formulations and long-term ecological studies. Integration with precision agriculture and genetic engineering offers synergies, highlighting collaborative efforts and global cooperation for practical adoption.

The tuber dormancy is an important aspect of tuber’s physiological age and begins with tuber initiation. It is largely dependent on genotype, environmental conditions, and tuber age. The group Phureja among diploid potatoes, has a very short or no tuber dormancy while the tubers of Solanum jamesii, a wild potato species, may remain dormant for more than eight years and have the tendency to sprout in favourable conditions. The dormancy breakage in potato is accompanied by many physiological changes such as changes in the ratios of abscisic acid (ABA)/ cytokinin and ABA/ gibberellic acid (GA3), catalase inhibition and accumulation of soluble sugars. These all changes are interlinked and occur in the same time frame. The dormant buds have 77% of their nuclei in the growth phase (G1), compared to only 13% in the preparation phase for mitosis (G2), resulting in slower development of active buds. This paper reviews various factors involved in natural and forced dormancy breakage of potato tuber in relation to their use as seed potatoes immediately after harvesting and implementation of different exogenous dormancy breaking methods like cold pre-treatment, growth regulators, electric current and irradiation to induce sprouting in potatoes.

Pomegranate is famous for its health benefiting chemical and biochemical constituent compounds. The present study was undertaken to characterize pomegranate germplasm for its various fruit traits, acids, and sugar profiling through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Among 11 detected acids and 8 sugars, citric acid and fructose were predominant in 18 domestic and 5 wild genotypes, respectively. Fruit weight, aril weight and wood portion index (WPI) were ranged from 15.82% to 24.42%, 10.99% to 113.78%, and 2.39% to 17.25%, respectively. Genotypes were grouped as sweet, sweet–sour, sour–sweet, and sour based on citric acid contents. Lactic acid and pyruvic acid showed the highest correlation (r = 0.92), however, sour and sweet genotypes had strong association for acids and sugars, respectively. Straddling of dendrogram showed the flow of genetic material in a cultivated location with wild and cultivated pomegranates grouped in different classes, however, wild and sour landraces grouped in the same class with 71% similarity of traits. Based on the observations of the current study, it was concluded that selected wild and arid zones (Multan, Bahawalpur) genotypes are poor in nutrients (acid and sugars) quality, however, genotypes of Rahim-Yar-Khan, Muzafar Garh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have a better composition of sugars and acids.

Mosquitoes, as disease vectors causing global morbidity and mortality through diseases like malaria, dengue, and Zika, necessitate mosquito population control methods. This study investigated the efficacy of nano-formulated insecticide-based sugar baits in controlling Anopheles gambiae populations and assessed their potential non-target impact on Coccinella septempunctata. This laboratory-based study employed thiolated polymer-coated attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) nano-formulations, delivering pesticides via nano-carriers. Adult and larvae populations of insects were collected from rice and cotton fields subjected to bioassays with 0.5% and 1% concentrations of each nano-formulated and conventional insecticide within ATSB solution, alongside a control 100% attractive sugar bait (ASB). Mosquitoes interacted overnight with insecticide-treated baits, and mortality was assessed. Further observations up to 72 h were conducted for potential delayed toxic effects. Results highlighted nano-ATSB carbosulfan’s effectiveness, particularly among organophosphates and pyrethroids. Among pyrethroids, nano-ATSB cypermethrin exhibited high efficacy, while Deltamethrin displayed lower mortality. Among organophosphates, nano-ATSB chlorpyrifos induced substantial mortality. The nano-formulations of insecticide were harmless against C. septempunctata compared to their conventional form. Nano-formulations demonstrated enhanced mortality rates and prolonged efficacy against mosquitoes, having a benign impact on non-target beetles. We expect these results to aid in developing effective plant protection products suitable for IPM practices.