As the world grapples with the escalating threat of global warming, exploring sustainable agricultural practices has become imperative. Carbon sequestration is one such efficient method to mitigate carbon emissions and reduce global warming. Among the numerous sequestration options, terrestrial methods, notably via horticultural crops, have enormous potential. Horticultural crops, which encompass a diverse array of fruits, vegetables, plantations, and ornamental plants, offer a unique chance to sequester a considerable amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide. In particular, perennial horticultural systems provide numerous benefits over annual crops, such as increased productivity, reduced water and input requirements, and higher economic returns via carbon credits. However, the transition from annual to perennial crops presents logistical and financial challenges. The carbon sequestration capacity of plantations and horticulture crops is larger, at 16.4 Gt C, compared to the agroforestry system, which is at 6.3 Gt C. In order to fully use this capacity, it is essential to employ effective carbon management systems. These methods include growing higher biomass, recycling agricultural waste, employing animal manure, switching to perennial crops, adopting crop rotation, and encouraging agroforestry systems. Although there are advantages, substantial initial investments and continuous management are required to ensure effectiveness, and these demands might hinder widespread acceptance. This review emphasizes the critical role of horticulture systems in improving soil carbon levels, soil organic matter dynamics, different forms of carbon, and their overall potential for carbon sequestration. By unlocking the potential of horticultural crops to sequester carbon, we can help minimize atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, lessen the impact of climate change, and ensure nutritional security and economic benefits.

Metallothionein’s (MTs) are the lower molecular weight (6-7 kDa) proteins that are found to be present in almost all organism types ranging from prokaryotes to eukaryotes species. MT are the metal detecting proteins that can mitigate the effect caused by the excess metal ions. They are also found to be involved in cellular process such as cell growth regulation, ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) and DNA repair. The protein was termed as Metallothionein due to the unusual higher metal (metallo) and the sulfur (thiol) content. They are further grouped into 3 classes viz., class I, II and III. The Class I and II MTs are polypeptides that were obtained from direct gene products, the class III MTs are from the cysteine-rich non-translational molecules that are termed as phytochelatins. The metal ions are been sequestered through the MTs with Cys rich motifs. All the cysteines are present in the reduced form and are been co-ordinated through the mercaptide bonds. The cysteines present in the MTs are preserved across the species, it is supposed that, cysteines are essential for the function and the MTs are required for the life. Metallothionins structure, conservation in evolution, their ubiquitous nature of occurrence, the genes redundancy and the programmed MTs synthesis in development, regeneration and reproduction of living organisms are some of the weighty arguments in suspecting MTs to also serve others and perhaps the high particular metal-related cellular roles. In this chapter, there is a detailed discussion about Metallothionein its structure, occurrence and function.

Arsenic (As) pollution is a major environmental and agricultural issue across the world. Due to industrialization and over exploitation of ground water are the two most important factors for the occurrence of arsenic in the water. The irrigation of arsenic contaminated water poses threat not only to the plant system ultimately it affects all the living forms on the global. Early germination of seedlings is affected by the concurrent increase in As exposure in agricultural fields. The arsenic in very low levels also brings damage to the plant system phenotypically and metabolically. This study was carried out to evaluate the germination performance, initial growth characteristics and chlorophyll content of different crops viz., rice, maize, black gram, groundnut and tomato in response to the different level of As concentration (0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1, 10, 20, 40 and 60 mgL^-1) in the growing solution. Growth metrics in all crops were reduced as As content was increased. Among these crops rice was most tolerant to the level of 60 mgL^-1 of As concentration compared to other crops. The current study's findings revealed that tomato was most susceptible to As concentrations, whereas rice was the most resistant to As stress.

The Earth's fresh water resources predominantly is groundwater that is pumped out due to rapid urbanization and aggravated by climate change. Groundwater modeling is a crucial tool for understanding aquifer systems, employing 1D, 2D, and 3D numerical models with distinct applications. One-dimensional models focus on vertical dynamics, examining aquifer properties and simulating vertical contaminant transport. Two-dimensional models extend to regional scales, considering horizontal variations and assessing groundwater-surface water interactions, making them valuable for watershed-scale studies. Three-dimensional models provide a comprehensive representation of hydrogeological systems, capturing intricate flow patterns and aiding site-specific assessments. Comparative analysis reveals model strengths and limitations, emphasizing the importance of calibration for reliable results. Case studies showcase practical applications, such as 1D models in flooding analysis and 2D models for simulating debris flows. Three-dimensional modeling proves essential for understanding complex river-aquifer exchange fluxes. Future directions call for a global groundwater platform to address data variability and technical challenges. Despite substantial investments required, the anticipated returns in scientific advancements, societal benefits, and economic gains are expected to outweigh the initial costs. This review aims in highlighting the significance of advancing all three-dimension groundwater modeling for sustainable water resource management and environmental protection.

Vetiver grass is one of the best hyperaccumulator plants, widely used for environmental clean-up, therapeutic, and medicinal purposes. A field experiment was conducted with vetiver grass and organic amendments in tannery effluent-contaminated soils of Erode District, Tamil Nadu. Organic amendments viz., vermicompost (VC), biocompost (BC), and farmyard manure (FYM), were added to the soil in different proportions according to the treatments. Physiological parameters viz., photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and chlorophyll content observed in vetiver grass, recorded 13.53 µmol (CO2), 0.89 mol (H2O), and 38.51%, respectively, in vermicompost amended soil followed by the other treatments. Dry matter production and biomass production were positively correlated with the carbon sequestration potential of vetiver grass. The biomass obtained from the treatment T3 (VC + 100% Soil Test Crop Response (STRC)) recorded the highest carbon dioxide sequestration (33.89 t ha-1). In contrast, the lowest carbon dioxide sequestration (25.42 t ha-1) was recorded in the treatment T1 (Control). Among the various amendments used in the experiment, the soil amended with vermicompost (5 t ha-1) + 50% STCR (T3) performed best regarding crop growth, carbon sequestration, and pollutant removal.