Around the world, salinity a critical limiting factor in agricultural productivity. Plant growth is affected by salt stress at all stages of development. The contemporary investigation focused on Chaetomorpha antennina aqueous extracts (SWEs) to decrease the effects of salt strain on rice germination, growth, yield, and the production of key biological and biochemical characters of the rice, Oryza sativa L. (Poaceae). SWE improved the germination capacities of rice seedlings by promoting their emergence 36.27 h prior to those that had been exposed to saline stress. The creation of 79.647% longer radicles by SWE treatment on salt-stressed seeds which boosted the establishment effectiveness of seeds produced under salt stress longer radicles resulted in plants that were 64.8% taller. SWE treatment was effective in revoking the levels of protein (26.9%), phenol (35.54%), and SOD (41.3%) enzyme levels that were previously constrained by salinity stress. Additionally, SWE were also efficient in retaining 82.6% of leaf water content and enhancing the production of photosynthetic pigments affected by salt exposure earlier. The improvement in plant functionality was evident from the display of increase in tiller numbers/hill (62.36%), grain yield (58.278%), and weight (56.502%). The outcome of our research shows that SWEs protected the plants from the debarring effects of salinity by enhancing the plant functionality and yield by mechanistically enriching their physiological (germination and vegetative growth) and biochemical attributes (leaf RWC, photosynthetic pigments, protein, phenol, and SOD). Despite the increase in TSS and starch levels in rice grain exposed to salinity stress, SWE improved the grain protein content thus cumulatively enhancing rice nutrition and marketability. The current investigation reveals that the extracts of C. antennina can help alleviate rice plants from salt stress in an efficient, eco-friendly, as well as economical way.

Spodoptera litura Fab. is a polyphagous pest causing damage to many agriculture crops leading to yield loss. Recurrent usage of synthetic pesticides to control this pest has resulted in resistance development. Plant-derived diterpenoid compound andrographolide was isolated from the leaves of Andrographis paniculata. It was analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy and quantified by HPLC. Nutritional indices and digestive enzymatic profile were evaluated. Third, fourth and fifth instar larvae were treated with different concentrations of andrographolide. At 3, 6 and 9 ppm-treated concentrations the larvae showed decreased RGR, RCR, ECI, ECD values with adverse increase in AD. The digestive enzymes were significantly inhibited when compared with control. Conspicuously, andrographolide showed pronounced mortality of S. litura by inhibition of enzyme secretion and intake of food. The binding ability of andrographolide with CYTP450 showed high affinity with low binding energy. Andrographolide has the potential to be exploited as a biocontrol agent against S. litura as an eco-friendly pesticide.

The sustainability of agroecosystems are maintained with agro-chemicals. However, after more than 80 years of intensive use, many pests and pathogens have developed resistance to the currently used chemistries. Thus, we explored the isolation and bioactivity of a chemical compound, Precocene I, isolated from the perennial grass, Desmosstachya bipinnata (L.) Stapf. Fractions produced from chloroform extractions showed suppressive activity on larvae of Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), the Oriental armyworm. Column chromatography analyses identified Precocene I confirmed using FTIR, HPLC and NMR techniques. The bioactivity of the plant-extracted Dp-Precocene I was compared to a commercially produced Precocene I standard. The percentage of mortality observed in insects fed on plant tissue treated with 60 ppm Db-Precocene I was 97, 87 and 81, respectively, for the second, third and fourth instar larvae. The LC₅₀ value of third instars was 23.2 ppm. The percentages of survival, pupation, fecundity and egg hatch were altered at sub-lethal concentrations of Db-Precocene I (2, 4, 6 and 8 ppm, sprays on castor leaves). The observed effects were negatively correlated with concentration, with a decrease in effects as concentrations increased. Distinct changes in feeding activity and damage to gut tissues were observed upon histological examination of S. litura larvae after the ingestion of Db-Precocene I treatments. Comparative analyses of mortality on a non-target organism, the earthworm, Eisenia fetida, at equal concentrations of Precocene I and two chemical pesticides (cypermethrin and monocrotophos) produced mortality only with the chemical pesticide treatments. These results of Db-Precocene I as a highly active bioactive compound support further research to develop production from the grass D. bipinnata as an affordable resource for Precocene-I-based insecticides.

Agricultural pests can be effectively controlled using microbes, providing an eco-friendly alternative to available synthetic pesticides. Suitable entomopathogenic bacterial strains were collected from agricultural fields and evaluated for their insecticidal potential against Cnaphalocrocis medinalis. In the four tested entomopathogenic bacteria (W1, Yc1, S1, EB01), the larval mortality ranged from 38 to 74%. Among these isolates, Bacillus subtilis (EB01) induced the highest mortality (74%). In greenhouse conditions, the tests confirm that the results were dosage-dependent: B. subtilis infection considerably delayed the overall development period, reduced pupal conversion, and decreased adult emergence with induced morphological deformities. Larvae fed B. subtilis-treated leaves initiate bacterial infection and broadly damage the midgut tissue, including the epithelial and peritrophic layers. The bacterial growth in the C. medinalis hemolymph considerably increases the activity of enzymes like α and β esterase (85.14 and 44% at 96 h) compared to the control. The isolate B. subtilis-treated diet significantly reduced the larval digestive α and β galactosidase enzyme activity (88.17 and 91.88% at 96 h). Furthermore, germination bioassay with strain EB01 in rice varieties (TN1 and ASD16) significantly increased both varieties’ germination and biomass index. This study shows that the B. subtilis EB01 strain potentially inhibited the biological activity of C. medinalis and improved the rice seeds’ germination index. It can be a potential biocontrol agent in sustainable pest-management strategies.