Soybean, a major legume crop, has seen a decline in its production owing to challenges in seed germination and the development of seedlings. Thus, in this study, we systematically investigated the influence of various chitosan–S-nitrosoglutathione (chitosan-GSNO) nanoparticle (0, 25, 50, and 100 µM) and Si (0, 0.5, and 1 mM) priming concentrations on soybean seed germination and seedling growth over five different priming durations (range: 1–5 h at each concentration). Significant differences were observed in all parameters, except seedling diameter, with both treatments. Seed germination was significantly enhanced after 3 h of priming in both treatments. The final germination percentage (FGP), peak germination percentage (PGP), vigor index (VI), seedling biomass (SB), hypocotyl length (HL), and radical length (RL) of 100 μM chitosan-GSNO-nanoparticle-primed seeds increased by 20.3%, 41.3%, 78.9%, 25.2%, 15.7%, and 65.9%, respectively, compared with those of the control; however, the mean germination time (MGT) decreased by 18.43%. Si priming at 0.5 mM increased the FGP, PGP, VI, SB, HL, and RL by 13.9%, 55.17%, 39.2%, 6.5%, 22.5%, and 25.1%, respectively, but reduced the MGT by 12.29% compared with the control treatment. Chitosan-GSNO and Si treatment up-regulated the relative expression of gibberellic acid (GA)-related genes (GmGA3ox3 and GmGA2ox1) and down-regulated that of abscisic acid (ABA)-related genes (GmABA2, GmAAO3, and GmNCED5). Chitosan-GSNO and Si application increased bioactive GA₄ levels and simultaneously reduced ABA content. Hence, the use of exogenous chitosan-GSNO nanoparticles and Si as priming agents had a beneficial effect on seed germination and seedling growth because of the up-regulation in the expression of GA and down-regulation in the expression of ABA. Additional research is needed to understand the combined impact of Si and chitosan-GSNO nanoparticles, including their effects on the expression levels of other hormones and genes even in the later growth stage of the crop.

The application of silicon (Si) fertilizer positively impacts crop health, yield, and seed quality worldwide. Si is a “quasi-essential” element that is crucial for plant nutrition and stress response but is less associated with growth. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Si on the yield of cultivated soybean (Glycine max L). Two locations, Gyeongsan and Gunwi, in the Republic of Korea were selected, and a land suitability analysis was performed using QGIS version 3.28.1. The experiments at both locations consisted of three treatments: the control, Si fertilizer application at 2.3 kg per plot (9 m × 9 m) (T1), and Si fertilizer application at 4.6 kg per plot (9 m × 9 m) (T2). The agronomic, root, and yield traits, as well as vegetative indices, were analyzed to evaluate the overall impact of Si. The results demonstrated that Si had consistently significant effects on most root and shoot parameters in the two experimental fields, which led to significantly increased crop yield when compared with the control, with T2 (22.8% and 25.6%, representing an output of 2.19 and 2.24 t ha⁻¹ at Gyeongsan and Gunwi, respectively) showing a higher yield than T1 (11% and 14.2%, representing 1.98 and 2.04 t ha⁻¹ at Gyeongsan and Gunwi, respectively). These results demonstrate the positive impact of exogenous Si application on the overall growth, morphological and physiological traits, and yield output of soybeans. However, the application of the optimal concentration of Si according to the crop requirement, soil status, and environmental conditions requires further studies.

Introduction: Crop improvement is crucial in addressing food and nutritional security, as it requires a wide range of genetic diversity to serve as germplasm during breeding. Finger millet is an underutilized yet climate-resilient crop with valuable genetic variation that can be leveraged to enhance food security and improve nutritional quality. Methods: This study examines varietal diversity, farmers’ preferred attributes, varietal distribution, production environments, and traditional conservation practices of finger millet germplasm across six agroecological regions (Mid-Northern, Northern, West Nile farmlands; Southern dryland and highlands, Western highlands, and Karamoja drylands) in Uganda. Data was collected between June 2020 and February 2021 through household surveys, key informant interviews, and field observations. Results: Most agroecologies were highly to moderately suitable for finger millet production, and farmers utilized traditional knowledge to select and conserve millet germplasm for present and future purposes. Over 90% of the varieties collected were landraces exhibiting wide variability, providing desirable traits necessary for improving finger millet. A total of 460 landrace accessions were collected, and 198 distinct local names were documented across ethnic groups, depending on morphology, maturity, and cultural significance. Farmer selection and conservation of finger millet focused on taste (38.6%), drought tolerance (31.9%), pest and disease tolerance (14.1%), and early maturity (12.4%), confirming the role of preferential traits in addressing food and nutrition security. Conservation practices include sharing seeds with neighbors or relatives, replanting stored seeds, and selecting and storing seeds in designated areas, such as farm stores or rooftops. Over 72.1% of the seed was from farmer-saved sources, underscoring the important role of farmers in maintaining varietal diversity. Correlation analysis showed significant associations between soil characteristics, agroecology, seed sources, and farmer preference. PCA grouped varietal adoption drivers into environment factors, market/consumption attributes, and seed system/conservation practices. However, threats such as labor demands, drought, pests, diseases, aging farmers, and the replacement of millet with maize and rice pose a risk of genetic erosion. Conclusion: The abundance of landraces presents a rich genetic pool for breeding and conservation. Integrating both in situ and ex situ conservation strategies is recommended to safeguard finger millet diversity to support food and nutrition security.