Non-destructive assessment of plant nitrogen (N) status is essential for efficient crop production and N management in intensive rice (Oryza sativa L.) cropping systems. Chlorophyll meter (SPAD-502) has been widely used as a rapid, non-destructive and cost-effective diagnostic tool for in-season assessment of crop N status. The present study was intended to establish the quantitative relationships between chlorophyll meters readings, plant N concentration (PNC), N nutrition index (NNI), accumulated N deficit (AND), and N requirement (NR), as well as to compare the stability of these relationships at different vegetative growth stages in Japonica and Indica rice cultivars. Seven multi-locational field experiments using varied N rates and seven rice cultivars were conducted in east China. The results showed that the PNC and chlorophyll meters readings increased with increasing N application rates across the cultivars, growing seasons, and sites. The PNC and chlorophyll meters readings under varied N rates ranged from 2.29 to 3.21, 1.06 to 1.82 and 37.10 to 45.4 and 37.30 to 46.6, respectively, at TL and HD stages for Japonica rice cultivars, while they ranged from 2.25 to 3.23, 1.34 to 1.91 and 35.6 to 43.3 and 37.3 to 45.5 for Indica rice cultivars, respectively. The quantitative relationships between chlorophyll meters readings, PNC, NNI, AND, and NR established at different crop growth stages in two rice ecotypes, were highly significant with R2 values ranging from 0.69 to 0.93 and 0.71 to 0.86 for Japonica and Indica rice, respectively. The strongest relationships were observed for AND and NR at panicle initiation and booting stages in both rice ecotypes. The validation of the relationships developed in the present study with an independent data exhibited a solid model performance and confirmed their robustness as a reliable and rapid diagnostic tool for in-season estimation of plant N parameters for sustainable N management in rice. The results of this study will offer a suitable approach for managing N application precisely during the growth period of the rice crop in intensive rice cropping systems in east China.

Soil salinity disrupts the physiological and biochemical processes of crop plants and ultimately leads to compromising future food security. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a contributor to nitric oxide (NO), holds the potential to alleviate abiotic stress effects and boost tolerance in plants, whereas less information is available on its role in salt-stressed lentils. We examined the effect of exogenously applied SNP on salt-stressed lentil plants by monitoring plant growth and yield-related attributes, biochemistry of enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD)) amassing of leaf malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Salinity stress was induced by NaCl application at concentrations of 50 mM (moderate salinity) and 100 mM (severe salinity), while it was alleviated by SNP application at concentrations of 50 µM and 100 µM. Salinity stress severely inhibited the length of roots and shoots, the relative water content, and the chlorophyll content of the leaves, the number of branches, pods, seeds, seed yield, and biomass per plant. In addition, MDA, H₂O₂ as well as SOD, CAT, and POD activities were increased with increasing salinity levels. Plants supplemented with SNP (100 µM) showed a significant improvement in the growth- and yield-contributing parameters, especially in plants grown under moderate salinity (50 mM NaCl). Essentially, the application of 100 µM SNP remained effective to rescue lentil plants under moderate salinity by regulating plant growth and biochemical pathways. Thus, the exogenous application of SNP could be developed as a useful strategy for improving the performance of lentil plants in salinity-prone environments.

The accumulation of cadmium (Cd) in leaves reduces photosynthetic capacity by degrading photosynthetic pigments, reducing photosystem II activity, and producing reactive oxygen species (ROS). Though it was demonstrated that the application of Methyl Jasmonate (MeJA) induces heavy metal (HM) stress tolerance in plants, its role in adjusting redox balance and photosynthetic machinery is unclear. In this study, the role of MeJA in modulating photosystem II (PSII) activity and antioxidant defense system was investigated to reduce the toxic effects of Cd on the growth of pea (Pisum sativum L.) cultivars. One-week-old seedlings of three pea varieties were subjected to Cd stress (0, 50, 100 μm), and MeJA (0, 1, 5, 10 μm) was applied as a foliar spray for 2 weeks. Cadmium stress reduced the growth of all three pea varieties. Cadmium stress decreased photosynthetic pigments [Chl a (58.15%), Chl b (48.97%), total Chl (51.9%) and carotenoids (44.01%)] and efficiency of photosystem II [Fv/Fm (19.52%) and Y(II; 67.67%)], while it substantially increased Cd accumulation along with an increase in ROS (79.09%) and lipid peroxidation (129.28%). However, such adverse effects of Cd stress varied in different pea varieties. Exogenous application of MeJA increased the activity of a battery of antioxidant enzymes [superoxide dismutase (33.68%), peroxidase (29.75%), and catalase (38.86%)], improved photosynthetic pigments and PSII efficiency. This led to improved growth of pea varieties under Cd stress, such as increased fresh and dry weights of shoots and roots. In addition, improvement in root biomass by MeJA was more significant than that of shoot biomass. Thus, the mitigating effect of MeJA was attributed to its role in cellular redox balance and photosynthetic machinery of pea plants when exposed to Cd stress.