Malaysia recorded 8904 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases and 124 deaths as of 27 July 2020. Globally, everyday there are thousands of new cases of COVID-19 being recorded. Due to the high number of infections globally and nationwide the increase in the amount of clinical waste (CW) generation was expected. Malaysia has reported a 27% (by weight) increase in the generation of CW which was mostly attributed to COVID-19 related waste. This article presents the impacts of COVID-19 in waste generation, policy and regulation of CW management (CWM) in Malaysia and a case study on the CWM at a selected hospital used as a COVID-19 focal point. The current practice of CWM due to COVID-19 related cases follows the existing policy and legislation of CWM detailed in the Schedule Waste Regulation (2005), Environmental Quality Act, 1974, and with the standard operating procedure provided by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. The case study conducted through survey and questionnaire interviews revealed that the CWM in government hospitals followed existing guidelines for CWM for COVID-19 waste, with some additional precautions and rules by the waste management contractors.

Endophytic microorganisms, including bacterial and fungal species, establish symbiotic relationships within plant tissues, contributing to plant growth, nutrient acquisition, and stress resilience. In this review, multiple roles of endophyte-plant interactions have been discussed. Endophytes aid in nitrogen fixation for plants, enhance nutrient solubilization and uptake, control the attack of phytopathogens on plants, and help the plants to tolerate environmental stresses. The molecular mechanisms of these interactions, uncovered by the advancements in genomics, metabolomics, and microbiome engineering, reveal novel bioactive compounds and metabolic pathways that can improve crop resilience. The integration of multi-omics technologies and functional validation holds great potential for sustainable agriculture, offering new strategies for formulating effective biostimulants, bioinoculants, and biocontrol agents to improve crop health, agricultural productivity, and nutritional quality.

Plant biomass is the largest and amply available biomass on the earth. Petals of flowering plants serve as an excellent raw material to synthesize nanoparticles. Biologically prepared silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have garnered interest due to their simple and cost-effective green approach compared to chemical and physical methods. This investigation aimed to analyze the antibacterial, antioxidant, and antibiofilm properties of AgNPs synthesized from Hibiscus Sabdariffa L. petal extract and assess their potential as a stabilizing agent. A surface plasmon resonance peak at 421 nm confirmed the formation of AgNPs in the ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) range. Additionally, size and morphological studies of the AgNPs were obtained using Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The identification of functional groups that are responsible for the stabilizing layer of AgNPs was achieved through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The antioxidant activity of synthesized AgNPs was investigated using the DPPH and ABTS radicals; the best performance was found in the scavenging of the DPPH radical, with an IC₅₀ value of 37.71 ± 0.07 μg/ml. AgNPs actively suppressed the growth of four pathogenic bacteria (Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella boydii, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli). Notably, Escherichia coli biofilm formation was absent at 40 and 80 g/ml of AgNPs up to 96 h. Finally, the overall findings of this present study confirmed that the AgNPs prepared from Hibiscus Sabdariffa petal extract can be used as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antibiofilm preparations.

Drought is a major problem worldwide for agriculture, horticulture, and forestry. In many cases, major physiological and biochemical changes occur due to drought stress. The plant’s response to drought stress includes a set of systems for intracellular regulation of gene expression and inter-tissue and inter-organ signaling, which ultimately leads to increased stress tolerance. Meanwhile, the role of plant growth-promoting bacteria in improving many harmful consequences of drought stress has been discussed. One of the new ways to increase tolerance to drought stress in plants is drug design using methods based on computer analysis, bioinformatics, pharmacokinetics, and molecular docking. The present study aimed to identify volatile and non-volatile compounds involved in drought tolerance using molecular docking methods. In this research, among the volatile and non-volatile compounds effective in increasing growth and inducing drought tolerance, compounds that have a high affinity for interacting with the active site of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) protein were identified through molecular docking methods, and it was presented as a suitable inhibitor for this protein. Based on the docking results, the inhibition potentials of the studied compounds differed, and the most vital interaction in the case of LEA 3 protein was related to the gibberellic acid compound, whose energy is equivalent to −7.78 kcal/mol. Due to the basic understanding of many mechanisms operating in the interactions of plants and bacteria, it is expected that the practical use of these compounds will grow significantly in the coming years, relying on pharmacokinetic methods and molecular docking.

Crown gall disease, caused by Agrobacterium tumefaciens, results in significant loss in agricultural productivity losses due to induced tumor‐like growths on various crops. The virulence of A. tumefaciens is controlled by its quorum sensing (QS) system, specifically through the TraR protein, which regulates the expression of genes essential for pathogenicity and plasmid transfer. Beyond pathogenic interactions, QS plays a crucial role in the plant microbiome, influencing symbiosis, competition, and plant health. This study aimed to identify QS inhibitors (QSIs) that disrupt TraR‐mediated signaling as a novel approach to mitigate crown gall disease while exploring broader implications for plant‐microbe interactions. Using a combination of molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and protein−protein interaction analysis, we screened a library of potential QSIs and identified N‐phenylselenourea as a potent candidate with a binding affinity of −8 kcal/mol to TraR. MD simulations confirmed the stability of this compound within the TraR binding pocket, with strong interactions observed with key residues such as Tyr53 and Asp70. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis supported these findings, highlighting the disruption of critical pathogenic pathways. Our findings underscore the dual benefits of QSIs, offering a targeted strategy to control A. tumefaciens infections while potentially enhancing plant‐microbiome interactions for improved plant health. This study lays the groundwork for developing sustainable agricultural practices by leveraging QS disruption to manage plant diseases and promote beneficial microbial communities.