With an increasing population, world agriculture is facing many challenges, such as climate change, urbanization, the use of natural resources in a sustainable manner, runoff losses, and the accumulation of pesticides and fertilizers. The global water shortage is a crisis for agriculture, because drought is one of the natural disasters that affect the farmers as well as their country’s social, economic, and environmental status. The application of soil amendments is a strategy to mitigate the adverse impact of drought stress. The development of agronomic strategies enabling the reduction in drought stress in cultivated crops is, therefore, a crucial priority. Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) can be used as an amendment for soil health improvement, ultimately improving water holding capacity and plant available water. These are eco-friendly and non-toxic materials, which have incredible water absorption ability and water holding capacity in the soil because of their unique biochemical and structural properties. Polymers can retain water more than their weight in water and achieve approximately 95% water release. SAP improve the soil like porosity (0.26–6.91%), water holding capacity (5.68–17.90%), and reduce nitrogen leaching losses from soil by up to 45%. This review focuses on the economic assessment of the adoption of superabsorbent polymers and brings out the discrepancies associated with the influence of SAPs application in the context of different textured soil, presence of drought, and their adoption by farmers.

An investigation of traditional food uses among people in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district’s Palampur region indicated an extensive diversity of divergence in regional dishes derived from cereals, pulses, dairy products, and tubers. A few popular cereal-based traditional recipes include Mithdu, Babroo, Gulgule, Sheera, and Meethi roti. The nutrient content of tali roti consumed by people in Himachal Pradesh’s Palampur region was documented and analyzed. The raw materials, as well as recipes for traditional foods, were analyzed for their nutritional composition and consumer acceptability. According to the findings, maize flour had the highest moisture content (14.11%), whereas raw sheera had the highest protein content (13.38). Maize flour had the highest crude fat and crude fibre contents (4.14% and 2.26%, respectively). Wheat flour had the highest ash content (3.26%). Basmati rice had the highest total carbohydrate content (89.94%), whereas maize flour had the lowest (79.29%). Wheat flour had the highest phytic acid content (222.47 mg/100 g), whereas maize had the highest total phenol content (14.72 mg TAE/100 mg). Kidney beans had the highest phytic acid content (96.74 mg/100 g), whereas Bengal gram dhal had the lowest (37.99 mg/100 g). Chickpeas had the highest total phenol content (117.16 mg TAE/100 g), whereas kidney beans had the lowest (92.95 mg TAE/100 g). Kidney beans had the highest oxalates (0.91 mg/100 g), whereas chickpeas had the lowest (0.24 mg/100 g).

Biofertilizers symbolize a promising and eco-friendly approach to increasing agricultural productivity while reducing the hazardous environmental impact of chemical fertilizers. Biofertilizers are compounds containing living microorganisms or their byproducts that, when applied to soil, enhance nutrient uptake and promote plant growth. These biological agents include nitrogen-fixing bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi, and phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms. Biofertilizers are well recognized for their composition, cost-effectiveness, and environment-friendly nature. These are safe substitutes for hazardous synthetic fertilizers. They contribute to soil health and biodiversity conservation by enriching the soil with beneficial microorganisms. This review provides an overview of biofertilizers, their significance in modern agriculture, and their potential to promote sustainable farming practices.

Recalcitrant xenobiotic chemicals, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, different types of industrial effluents, and heavy metals such as chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and mercury (Hg), pose substantial environmental as well as hazardous impacts on public health. Require effective removal from contaminated environments. Conventional remediation techniques often fall short in the elimination of these pollutants, necessitating innovative and possibly effective sustainable solutions. Bioremediation involves the use of biological agents, such as microorganisms, to degrade, detoxify, or remove xenobiotics from ecosystems. While bacteria have shown considerable potential, fungi have demonstrated even greater efficacy in breaking down persistent pollutants. AMF play a crucial role in heavy metal bioremediation by employing multiple mechanisms, including metal sequestration within vacuoles, cell wall adsorption, enzymatic detoxification, and chelation by metallothioneins and phytochelatins. Also enhance the metal immobilization through protein-metal complexes, like glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSP), which enhanced soil stabilization and metal bioavailability. Additionally, AMF improves physiological resilience by enhancing gas exchange, protecting plant photosystem (PSII), and stimulating the antioxidant behavior activity to oxidative stress. This study explores the multifaceted role of AMF in heavy metal detoxification and phytoremediation to provide insights into their mechanisms for metal tolerance, sequestration, and detoxification. These findings contribute to the advancement of AMF-assisted phytoremediation strategies, emphasizing the potential for restoring contaminated ecosystems through sustainable, biologically driven interventions.

Purpose: The production and use of traditional petroleum-based plastics have caused significant environmental problems, such as non-biodegradable waste and pollution. This environmental concern can be overcome using biotechnological tools and techniques to develop bio-plastic as a sustainable alternative to daily use plastic and ensuring a smooth transition from fossil-based to bio- based plastics. Various industrial biotechnology methods such as microbial fermentation, enzymatic catalysis are used as primary methods for bio-plastic production. The microbes are genetically modified, harvested and engineered for this purpose of fermentation for high quality and quantity production.This article provides an in-depth overview of bio-plastic such as corn- starch plastic as an alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics and to mitigate environmental concerns arising from them. Corn starch plastic, also known as polylactic acid (PLA), is a biodegradable polymer made from corn starch that is gaining popularity due to its properties and biodegradability. It includes its properties, production, applications, challenges, and future directions.Research method: It involves a number of biotechnological processes. Starting with extraction of corn starch from corn kernels and separation of starch from mixture. It is followed by gelatinization of starch and plasticization with plasticizers like glycerol to enhance flexibility. Further, the starch is processed using injection molding, and ultimately cooling and solidification are carried out.Findings: Findings reveal that a number of by-products are retrieved during the extraction process of corn starch plastic that can be further mixed with corn starch plastic to enhance its properties and produce plastics of different kinds and applications. For example, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) is a complex polymer that, when added to corn starch plastic, enhances its strength and flexibility. Cellulose acetate (CA) is another renewable polymer that produces a transparent bio-plastic that is also chemically resistant and durable. Many such polymers have been identified and described further.Research limitations: Process is energy consuming and water intensive inputs are required. Microorganisms can cause unwanted contamination, hindering the process.Originality/ value: Production of bio-plastics that is biodegradable.