Adenylate cyclases (ACs), much like guanylate cyclases (GCs), are increasingly recognized as essential parts of many plant processes including biotic and abiotic stress responses. In order to identify novel ACs, we have applied a search motif derived from experimentally tested GCs and identified a number of Arabidopsis thaliana candidates including a clathrin assembly protein (AT1G68110; AtClAP). AtClAP contains a catalytic centre that can complement the AC-deficient mutant cyaA in E. coli, and a recombinant AtClAP fragment (AtClAP^261–379) can produce cyclic adenosine 3′,5′ monophosphate (cAMP) from adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in vitro. Furthermore, an integrated analysis of gene expression and expression correlation implicate cAMP in pathogen defense and in actin cytoskeletal remodeling during endocytic internalization.

Food security is an urgent global challenge, with cereals playing a crucial role in meeting the nutritional requirements of populations worldwide. In recent years, the field of metagenomics has emerged as a powerful tool for studying the microbial communities associated with cereal crops and their impact on plant health and growth. This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview of cereal metagenomics and its role in enhancing food security through the exploration of beneficial and pathogenic microbial interactions. Furthermore, we will examine how the integration of metagenomics with other tools can effectively address the adverse effects on food security. For this purpose, we discuss the integration of metagenomic data and machine learning in providing novel insights into the dynamic interactions shaping plant-microbe relationships. We also shed light on the potential applications of leveraging microbial diversity and epigenetic modifications in improving crop resilience and yield sustainability. Ultimately, cereal metagenomics has revolutionized the field of food security by harnessing the potential of beneficial interactions between cereals and their microbiota, paving the way for sustainable agricultural practices.

Endophytic microorganisms contribute significantly to water bioremediation by enhancing pollutant degradation and supporting aquatic plant health and resilience by releasing bioactive compounds and enzymes. These microorganisms inhabit plant tissues without causing disease or any noticeable symptoms. Endophytes effectively aid in eliminating contaminants from water systems. Nanoparticles serve as potent enhancers in bioremediation processes, augmenting the efficiency of pollutant degradation by increasing surface area and bioavailability, thereby improving the efficacy and rate of remediation. Their controlled nutrient release and ability to stabilize endophytic colonization further contribute to the enhanced and sustainable elimination of contaminated environments. The synergistic effect of endophytes and nanoparticles in water remediation has been widely explored in recent studies, revealing compelling outcomes. Water pollution poses significant threats to human health, ecosystems, and economies; hence, the sixth global goal of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 of the United Nations aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water resources, recognizing their crucial importance for current and future generations. Conventional methods for addressing water pollution exhibit several limitations, including high costs, energy-intensive processes, the production of hazardous by-products, and insufficient effectiveness in mitigating emerging pollutants such as pharmaceuticals and microplastics. Noticeably, there is an inability to effectively remove various types of pollutants, thus resulting in incomplete purification cycles. Nanoparticle-enhanced water bioremediation offers an innovative, eco-friendly alternative for degrading contaminants. A growing body of research has shown that integrating endophytic microorganisms with nanoparticles for water bioremediation is a potent and viable alternative. This review examines the potential of using endophytic microorganisms and nanoparticles to enhance water remediation, exploring their combined effects and applications in water purification. The paper also provides an overview of synthetic methods for producing endophyte–nanoparticle composites to optimize their remediation capabilities in aqueous environments. The final section of the review highlights the constraints related to integrating endophytes with nanoparticles.

As the global population is surging, the agricultural industry is required to meet the food demand while simultaneously providing eco-friendly sustainable crops that can withstand numerous abiotic and biotic stresses. The current era requires high-throughput biotechnology approaches to alleviate the current plant production and protection crisis. Omics approaches are regarded as a collection of high throughput technologies ending with “omics” such as genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, phenomics and epigenomics. Furthermore, omics provide the best tactic to increase high quality crop production yield. A body of evidence has shown that microbial diversity, abundance, composition, functional gene patterns, and metabolic pathways at the genome level could also assist in understanding the contributions of the microbial community towards plant growth and protection. In addition, the link between plant genomes and phenotypes under physiological and environmental settings is highlighted by the integration of functional genomics with other omics. However, application of single omics technologies results in one disciplinary solution while raising multiple questions without answers. To address these challenges, we need to find new age solutions. For instance, omics technologies focusing on plant production and protection. Multi-layered information gathered from systems biology provides a comprehensive understanding of molecular regulator networks for improving plant growth and protection, which is supported by large-scale omics datasets. The conclusion drawn from the in-depth information is the holistic integration of multi-disciplinary omics approaches to pave the way towards eco-friendly, sustainable, agricultural productivity.

Agriculture is crucial for sustaining the world’s growing population, however various abiotic and biotic stressors, such as drought and salt, significantly impact crop yields. Pearl millet, a nutrient-rich and drought-tolerant crop, is essential as a food source in arid regions. Understanding its response mechanisms to drought and salt stress is important for devising strategies for improved crop performance under water deficit and saline environments. This study investigated the pearl millet’s morphological, physiological, and molecular responses subjected to individual and combined drought and salt stresses for 25 days. Significant reductions in morphological traits, such as plant height, shoot and root fresh weights and lengths, and leaf numbers were observed. Furthermore, key physiological parameters, including chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, and transpiration rates notably declined, indicating a complex interaction between stress factors and water regulation mechanisms. Protein expression analysis showed differential upregulation and downregulation patterns between the control and stressed pearl millet plants. Gene ontology mapping identified key biological processes, molecular functions, and cellular components of differentially expressed proteins associated with individual and combined stresses. Notably, a high number of unclassified proteins were identified, indicating the presence of potentially novel proteins involved in stress adaptation. Catalytic and binding activities were the predominant molecular functions detected across treatments suggesting their central role in stress response. These highlighted potential mechanisms of tolerance and adaptation in pearl millet. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the detrimental effects of drought and salinity on pearl millet at the morphological, physiological, and proteomic levels, uncovering previously unexplored proteomic responses. These insights offer valuable molecular marker targets for breeding programs aimed at enhancing stress tolerance in pearl millet and related crops.