Grain legumes are a rich source of dietary proteins and hence are essential for achieving food and nutritional security, worldwide. Grain legumes are negatively affected by salt stress, which results in decreased growth, yield, productivity, and other financial losses. Salt stress causes severe phytotoxicities, like specific ion toxicities, hormonal and nutritional imbalances, disruptions of stomatal conductance, and alterations in leaf water potential and rate of photosynthesis. To enhance agricultural productivity under salt stress conditions, several ecofriendly methods have been tried recently. Out of these, the use of biostimulants gained particular attention due to their ease of availability and high-stress ameliorative potential. It includes the use of non-microbial biostimulants like humic acid and seaweed extracts (SWE), as well as microbial biostimulants like mycorrhiza, plant growth-promoting and nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which promote plant growth and development. Biostimulants successfully alleviate salt stress-induced toxicities in legumes, when introduced either alone or in combination with other macro- or microorganisms in the soil. In response to salinity, plants raise their cellular levels of osmolytes (proline and glycine betaine) and polyamines, as well as phytohormones. The application of biostimulants in grain legumes alleviates the salt stress-induced toxicity by improving the seed germination, seedling growth, rate of photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, absorption and uptake of minerals, grain development, yield, ROS homeostasis and osmoregulation. Many of the reviews have lacked the assessment of the effect of these ecofriendly biostimulants on mitigation of salt stress in grain legumes. The development of integrated, eco-friendly and sustainable use of various biostimulants and their mode of action in managing salt stress in legume production is discussed in the present review.

Nano-fertilizers have the potential to enhance crop productivity by enhancing nutrient use efficiency. The present investigation was conducted during the rabi season of 2022-2023 in the experimental farm of DAV University, Jalandhar, to determine the effect of seed priming by Nano-Urea and Nano-Zinc on growth, yield and quality attributes of rat-tail radish. The experiment was laid in a randomized block design (RBD) with three replications comprising twelve treatments viz., T1 (Control), T2 (NPK i.e., 100% recommended dose), T3 (Nano-Urea i.e., 100%), T4 (Nano-Urea i.e., 50%), T5 (Nano-Zinc i.e., 100%), T6 (Nano-Urea i.e., 100% + Nano-Zinc i.e., 100%), T7 (Nano-Urea i.e., 50% + Nano-Zinc i.e., 100%), T8 (NPK i.e., 100% recommended dose + Nano-Zinc i.e., 100%), T9 (NPK i.e., 100% recommended dose + Nano-Urea i.e., 100%), T10 (NPK i.e., 100% recommended dose +Nano-Urea i.e., 50%), T11 (NPK i.e., 100% recommended dose +Nano-Urea i.e., 100% + Nano-Zinc i.e., 100%) and T12 (NPK i.e., 100% recommended dose + Nano-Urea i.e., 50% + Nano-Zinc i.e., 100%). The results showed that the seed-priming application of Nano-Urea (50%) along with NPK minimised the days to 50% germination. It was also observed that NPK along with Nano-Urea (100%) and Nano-Zinc (100%) minimised the days to 50% flowering, and increased the number of leaves per plant, leaf length and leaf area. Further, the combination of both Nano-Urea (50%) and Nano-Zinc (100%) along with NPK recorded the highest plant height, number of branches per plant and leaf width. Among, the pod yield of rat-tail radish, the highest pod length and pod diameter were recorded with the combination of NPK along with Nano-Urea (100%). Whereas, the maximum number of pods per plant was recorded under the combination application of both Nano-Urea (100%) and Nano-Zinc (100%) along with NPK. It was also observed that NPK along with Nano-Urea (100%) and Nano-Zinc (100%) recorded the highest pod yield per plant, pod yield per plot and pod yield per hectare. Among the quality attributes, the soluble protein content, carotenoid content, total phenolic content and chlorophyll content. The TSS was recorded maximum when NPK was applied with 100% Nano-Zinc. Ascorbic acid and total flavonoid content were recorded maximum when NPK was applied in combination with the seed-priming of 100% Nano-Urea and 100%Nano-Zinc. The analysis of yield suggested that the maximum gross income, net income and benefit-cost ratio from the treatment T11 (NPK i.e., 100% recommended dose + Nano-Urea i.e., 100% + Nano-Zinc i.e., 100%).