Formation of biofilm under varying stress conditions is a significant strategy adopted by bacterial strains for their successful survival in plant rhizosphere. In this study, the activity of biofilm formation of 20 isolates and strains of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) was determined under different salt concentrations. The results indicated that all of the 20 PGPRs have the activity of biofilm formation under 0.0, 250, 500 or 1000mM NaCl which was increased with increasing salt concentration. PGPR strains with the highest activity of biofilm formation were selected and used to coat barley grains. The coated grains were sown in clay/sandy soil and left to grow for 25 days. The results showed that bacterial inoculation was effective in alleviating the deleterious effect of salinity on some growth criteria (seedling length, fresh and dry masses as well as relative water content), compared with the control. The isolate HM6 (B6), which showed the highest activity of biofilm formation at all the studied NaCl concentrations, was identified using 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplification and sequencing of the PCR product. The similarity sequence analysis indicated that HM6 isolate has 97.4% similar sequence identity to Bacillus amyloliquifaciens. It could be speculated that the bacterial activity of biofilm formation is helpful for improving salt stress tolerance of barley

Taking into consideration, the challenges faced by the environment and agro-ecosystem make increased for suggestions more reliable methods to help increase food security and deal with difficult environmental problems. Environmental factors play a critical role in the growth, development, and productivity of crop plants. Unfavorable changes in these factors, such as abiotic stresses, can result in plant growth deficiencies, yield reductions, long-lasting damage, and even death of the plants. In reflection of this, cyanobacteria are now considered important microorganisms that can improve the fertility of soils and the productivity of crop plants due to their different features like photosynthesis, great biomass yield, ability to fix the atmospheric N_2,capability to grow on non-arable lands, and varied water sources. Furthermore, numerous cyanobacteria consist of biologically active substances like pigments, amino acids, polysaccharides, phytohormones, and vitamins that support plant growth enhancement. Many studies have exposed the probable role of these compounds in the alleviation of abiotic stress in crop plants and have concluded with evidence of physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms that confirm that cyanobacteria can decrease the stress and induce plant growth. This review discussed the promising effects of cyanobacteria and their possible mode of action to control the growth and development of crop plants as an effective method to overcome different stresses.Graphical Abstract

Gamma radiation is a very effective tool for inducing genetic variation in characters of many plants. Black seeds of M2 mutant were obtained after exposure of an Egyptian cowpea cultivar (Kaha 1) to a low dose of gamma rays. Segregation of seed coat color, weight of 100 seeds and seed eye pattern of the black seeds of this mutant line were further examined in this study. Four colors were observed for seed coat in the M3 plants ranging from cream to reddish brown and three eye patterns were distinguished from each other. SDS-PAGE of the seed storage proteins showed 18 protein bands; five of these bands disappeared in the seeds of M3 plants compared to M2 and M0 controls while other 5 protein bands were specifically observed in seeds of M3 plants. PCR analysis using twelve ISSR primers showed 47 polymorphic and 8 unique amplicons. The eight unique amplicons were characteristic of the cream coat color and brown wide eye pattern (M03-G10) while the polymorphic bands were shared by 6 coat-color groups. A PCR fragment of 850 bp was amplified, using primer HB-12, in M3-G04 which showed high-100 seed weight. These results demonstrated the mutagenic effects of gamma rays on seed coat color, weight of 100 seeds and eye pattern of cowpea M3 mutant plants.

As long as we know, little attention has been given to evaluating roles of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs) in plants grown under salinity stress. In the present study, biochemical and molecular responses of salt-stressed soybean cv. Giza111 under different ZnONPs were assessed. Treatment with a high NaCl concentration (250 mM) alone caused a significant reduction (65%) in germination percentage as well as a significant decrease in all measured growth parameters (root length shoot height, fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots) and photosynthetic performance (Fv/Fm) compared to control plants. In addition, malondialdehyde (MDA) & proline contents, and activities of antioxidant enzymes (catalase CAT, peroxidase POX and superoxide dismutase SOD) were highly increased. In contrast, presoaking of soybean seeds with different concentrations of ZnONPs (25, 50, 100, 200 mg/L) stimulated the growth of stressed plants which was exhibited by improved growth parameters and photosynthetic performance as well as lower levels of proline and MDA in stressed plants particularly at ZnONPs concentration of 50 mg/L compared to controls. Moreover, isozyme analysis of CAT, POX and SOD showed variable pattern of alleles at 50 mg/L ZnONPs. Accordingly, these results recommend application of 50 mg/L ZnONPs for improving the productivity of soybean cultivated in saline soils.

Background: Numerous pesticides and herbicides used in excess cause oxidative stress in plants. These chemicals protect plants from weeds and pests, but they also have very negative side effects, making them common abiotic stressors. One of the most significant nutritional crops in the world is the wheat plant. Conditions of herbicide stress have a negative impact on the plant’s phonological phases and metabolic pathways. Plants primarily make an effort to adjust to the environment and develop oxidative homeostasis, which supports stress tolerance. Methods: When controlling broadleaf weeds that emerge after cereal crop plants have been planted, bromoxynil is frequently used as a selective-contact herbicide. This study looked at the effects of the cyanobacteria Arthrospira platensis and Nostoc muscorum aqueous extracts, tryptophan, and bromoxynil (Bh) alone or in combination on wheat plant growth parameters. Both tryptophan and cyanobacterial extract were used as chemical and natural safeners against Bh application. The antioxidant activity and transcriptome studies using qRT-PCR were assayed after 24, 48, 72, 96 h, and 15 days from Bh application in the vegetation stage of wheat plants (55 days old). Results: In comparison with plants treated with Bh, wheat plants treated with cyanobacteria and tryptophan showed improvements in all growth parameters. Following application of Bh, wheat plants showed reduced glutathione content, as well as reduced antioxidant enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione-s-transferase. The combination of different treatments and Bh caused alleviation of the harmful effect induced by Bh on the measured parameters. Additionally, the expression of glutathione synthase and glutathione peroxidase, in addition to those of three genes (Zeta, Tau, and Lambda) of the GST gene family, was significantly upregulated when using Bh alone or in combination with different treatments, particularly after 24 h of treatment. Conclusion: The current study suggests using cyanobacterial extracts, particularly the A. platensis extract, for the development of an antioxidant defense system against herbicide toxicity, which would improve the metabolic response of developed wheat plants.