Swarnendu Roy

University of North Bengal · Department of Botany

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant affecting the growth and development of aquatic macrophytes. The present study was designed to evaluate the toxic effect of BPA on Azolla filiculoides. The plants were exposed to different concentrations of BPA and the effect was evaluated in terms of plant growth, physiological and oxidativ...

The deterioration in the water quality of urban water bodies through plastic contamination is emerging as a matter of serious concern. Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) both affect the growth and productivity of aquatic flora. However, there have been a lot of variations in the reported studies which calls for revisiting the results with a...

In recent times, nanotechnology has emerged as an efficient tool to manage the adverse effect of environmental stresses on plants. In this connection, carbon-nanodots (CNDs) have been reported to ameliorate the negative impacts of salinity stress. Further, surface modification of CNDs is believed to augment their stress-alleviating potential, howev...

This study attempted to explore the metabolome profile of Azolla filiculoides subjected to two different concentrations of BPA (1 and 30 mg L−1) in congruence with two different durations (3 and 9 days) of treatment. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a ubiquitously occurring environmental pollutant that imparts acute toxicity in aquatic plants. Therefore, study...

Starch-based biofilms are biodegradable, but their application is limited by lower mechanical strength and absence of antimicrobial properties. In this context, the present study attempted to unleash the potential of nanotechnology for synthesizing nano-starch (NS) and tannic acid-coated nano-starch (T-NS) for augmenting the tensile strength and an...

Heavy metals (HMs) are among the most dangerous environmental variables for a variety of life forms, including crops. Accumulation of HMs in consumables and their subsequent transmission to the food web are serious concerns for scientific communities and policy makers. The function of essential plant cellular macromolecules is substantially hampere...

Agriculture is the major source to fulfill human as well as all animal food demands. Increasing population demand for a higher amount of sustainable food security which can only be ensured with a higher amount of production from a gradually diminishing agricultural fields. For this, crop production has to be increased even under environmental stres...

Climate change has become a pressing global issue, and its impact on food production is undeniable. This book dives deep into the crucial relationship between climate change and our food system, providing valuable insights into our challenges and practical strategies to overcome them. Additionally, this book will explore the relationship between cl...

Lentil (Lens culinaris) and soybean (Glycine max) are proteinaceous legumes susceptible to salinity stress. This study aimed to evaluate the fertigating potential of silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) in improving the physiochemical status, yield parameters, and seed nutritional qualities of the legumes exposed to salinity stress. Characterization of the...

Nanotechnology is believed to accelerate our fight to sustain and enhance crop productivity for the ever-increasing world population. It has been reckoned as one of the safest and most cost-efficient techniques to boost crop productivity in the future. The ever-increasing state-of-the-art availability of various nanomaterials has allowed us to purs...

A considerable amount of fruit waste is being produced every day worldwide. The green synthesis of metal nanoparticles from fruit peel waste can be an innovative, cost-effective, and eco-friendly alternative to traditional methods. Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) were synthesized by a green method using the pineapple peels extract (PLX) and copper sul...

Here, spherical Mn2O3 nanozymes were synthesized via a one-step green method using different green precursors, and their physicochemical properties and biological activities were monitored with various green precursors. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) was performed to determine the crystalline properties and phases involved in the formation of cubi...

The growing population is driving up the demand for food, but the inadequate efficiency of traditional fertilizers is constraining crop production. Nanotechnology-based fertilizers represent a novel strategy for boosting agricultural output and show great potential as viable options in the fertilizer industry, as they can significantly enhance nutr...

Background Eu is a lesser-known and traditional millet-based fermented brew of the Toto tribe from West Bengal, India. The starter culture used in this brew consists of diverse microflora. Identifying those microbes will not only help us gain a deeper understanding of the brew, but also quantify the impacts of this brew on the human system after co...

Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) confer better growth and development of plants under salinity stress. Moreover, the surface-functionalization of SiNPs with bioactive molecules is expected to enhance its efficacy. The present study thus aimed to modify the surface of SiNPs, by attaching a bioactive molecule (trehalose) to obtain TSiNPs. The successful...

Micronutrient deficiency heavily affects the growth and propagation of mulberry plants. Herein, the present study aimed to determine the optimum dosage of nanoparticle application by investigating the effect of externally applied nano-micronutrients on the growth and biochemical attributes of the mulberry cuttings. Among the zinc, copper, and manga...

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential highly toxic element that poses a potential health threat for plants, humans, and animals at considerably smaller concentrations. Plants can uptake Cd from soil and water due to its high mobility. In this review, the plant responses toward Cd phytotoxicity and the mechanism of Cd tolerance are summarized. Prevalent r...

This study describes an effective and eco-friendly approach to the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) utilizing papaya fruit peel extract (PPE). The structural evaluation and morphological features of synthesized ZnONPs were examined using various physicochemical analyses. The formulated ZnONPs were spherical to hexagonal in shape with...

Having powerful antibacterial and antioxidant effects, zinc oxide and manganese oxide nanomaterials are of great interest. Here we have synthesized manganese oxide decorated zinc oxide (MZO) nanocomposites by co-precipitation method, calcined at different temperatures (300–750 °C) and studied various properties. Here the crystalline structure of th...

Currently, the nutritional demands of this rapidly expanding population are approaching their peak, and all the available conventional farming approaches have failed to tackle such concerns in an efficient way. The application of traditional fertilizers not only interferes with soil fertility by hampering important soil properties and crop yield bu...

Nitric oxide (NO) is a highly reactive form of nitrogen species well discussed in varied literature and its significant role during physio-biochemical responses in plants has been well documented. Meanwhile, salinity is an important abiotic factor that limits the growth and production of almost all economically important plants worldwide. Due to sa...

Climate change has universally affected the whole ecosystem in a unified manner and is known to have improbable effects on agricultural productivity and food security. Carbon dioxide (CO 2) and temperature are the major environmental factors that have been shown to increase sharply during the last century and are directly responsible for affecting...

There is a paucity of information on the role of iron nutrition in regulating H2S-mediated salinity tolerance in plants. The present work implies exogenous Fe and Na2S (H2S-donor) for investigating the interactive effects of Fe and H2S in regulating seedling growth, osmolyte accumulation, chlorophyll accumulation and antioxidative defense under sal...

NBU JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCES

Silkworm larvae mainly consume mulberry leaves; therefore, mulberry cultivation is important for the production of raw silk. Drought stress and micronutrient deficiency (Zn) are known to affect the propagation of mulberry cuttings. In this purview, the current investigation attempted to inspect the efficacy of different concentrations of zinc oxide...

Herein, we explore the supramolecular complexation of Benserazide hydrochloride (BNZ) with Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) in an aqueous medium by means of UV-visible, surface tension, FT-IR, 1H NMR, 2D ROESY, DSC, PXRD and molecular docking study. These studies suggest the effective complexation of BNZ with HP-β-CD resulting in the formatio...

Endophytic fungi stimulate the production of an enormous number of bioactive metabolites in medicinal plants and affect the different steps of biosynthetic pathways of these secondary metabolites. Endophytic fungi possess a number of biosynthetic gene clusters that possess genes for various enzymes, transcription factors, etc., in their genome resp...

The global increase in the frequency of climatic extremes exposed the plants to various abiotic stresses. Assuring food as well as nutritional security of the increasing climate change-induced abiotic stress turned out to be a major challenge for the sustainability of crop production in the current era. To cope with this situation, researchers have...

In the agricultural sector, the use of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) has been acclaimed as the next big thing for sustaining and increasing crop productivity. A vast amount of literature is available regarding the growth-promoting attributes of different ENPs. In this context, it has been emphasized that the ENPs can bolster vegetative growth, le...

The development of the extraction process for improving the starch yield from unconventional plants is emerging as a topic of interest. In this respect, the present work aimed to optimize the starch extraction from the corms of elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius) with the help of response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural...

Lentil is one of the highly nutritious legumes but is highly susceptible to salinity stress. Silicon has been known to reduce the effect of various environmental stresses including salinity. Moreover, silicon when applied in its nano-form is expected to augment the beneficial attributes of silicon. However, very little is known regarding the prospe...

Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) accelerate silica uptake in plants compared to bulk silica. Additionally, SiNPs are potent enough to confer stress tolerance in crop plants against a wide array of abiotic and biotic stresses. The presence of hydroxyl groups (silanol) on the surface of SiNPs somewhat restricts its absorption and bioavailability inside t...

Diabetes mellitus is a major endocrine dysfunction that severely threatens the global population. Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers. (Lauraceae), commonly known as "mountain pepper", has been utilized in many chronic disorders in different countries. However, the antidiabetic activity of this plant has not been explored to date. The present study aimed to...

Agricultural sector is being continuously under threat since a long time due to losses associated with phytopathogens. In order to surmount this problem, majority of farmers highly depend on the chemical fungicides to protect the crop plants and balance productivity. However, frequent use of such fungicides leads to contamination of soil, water, an...

Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element present in soil. Plants take up Si in the form of monosilicic acid that plays a significant role in amelioration of different environmental stresses. Silicon uptake and accumulation in plants are regulated by some transporters like Lsi1, Lsi2, and Lsi6. Nano-silicon, nano-form of Si has been proven t...

Agriculture is one of the important sources to fulfill the demand of human food requirements.The conventional methods of increasing crop production presently depend upon chemical substances,which are harmful to the environment as a major proportion of the applied chemicals get accumulated in the environment.Therefore, a sustainable and environment-...

This book presents an inclusive approach to deal with plant stresses in light of recent technological advances. As we have entered into a new decade, researchers and scientists should review and evaluate the recent findings in the field of plant stress management and visualize what we need to focus upon in the near future to increase crop yield. Ab...

The present study aimed to characterize eight edible members of the family Araceae on the basis of their morphological and anatomical characteristics. The petiole length, leaf size, and corm size varied widely across the studied members. Significant variations in the stomatal index, stomatal length, and width were observed, although all were of par...

Apart from nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen sulphide (H2 S) has emerged as a potential gasotransmitter that has regulatory roles in root differentiation, proliferation and stress signalling. H2 S metabolism in plants exhibits spatio-temporal differences that are intimately associated with sulphide signalling in the cytosol and o...

A local cultivar of red potato vernacularly known as Badami alu with red pigmented tubers is known to be growing in the pockets of North-East India. The commercial value of the tubers has not been explored yet except for being consumed by the local people. In this context, isolation and characterization of starch from the local cultivar could incre...

Inthepresenttime,agricultural production isunderimmensethreatdueto rapid changes in global climate. Environmental stresses are imparted by a number of factorswhichincludesbioticfactorslikepathogenicmicrobes,fungus,herbivoresetc. and abiotic factors like nutrients, light, temperature, salinity, water etc.; all of which have been known to profoundly...

Phenolic compounds comprise one of the major water pollutants. Aquatic plants are mainly affected by the toxic effects of these pollutants. In this purview, the present study attempted to study the effect of phenolic compounds on a floating fern - Azolla filiculoides, which commonly grows in stagnant water bodies. Crystalline phenol was taken as a...

Soil salinity severely affects plant growth and development and imparts inevitable losses to crop productivity. Increasing the concentration of salts in the vicinity of plant roots has severe consequences at the morphological, biochemical, and molecular levels. These include loss of chlorophyll, decrease in photosynthetic rate, reduction in cell di...

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are antihypertensive medications often used in the treatment of diabetes-related complications. Synthetic ACE inhibitors are known to cause serious side effects like hypotension, renal insufficiency, and hyperkalaemia. Therefore, there has been an intensifying search for natural ACE inhibitors. Many pl...

Global climate change has drastically affected natural ecosystems and crop productivity. Among several factors of global climate change, CO2 is considered to be the dynamic parameter that will regulate the responses of all biological system on earth in the coming decade. A number of experimental studies in the past have demonstrated the positive ef...

Phenol and phenolic compounds are one of the major water pollutants increasing at an alarming rate due to uncontrolled anthropogenic activities. Aquatic plants are in the frontline to face the toxic effects of these pollutants. The present study attempts to study the effect of external phenols on a floating fern - Azolla filiculoides . In this cont...

Excess amount of salt causes problem in physiological and biochemical processes of plants. In the present study, the effect of different concentrations of NaCl on physiological and biochemical changes of Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek seedlings compared to the control plants were evaluated. Also the effect of proline-ascorbate mixture (PAM) on the alle...

The exploration of underutilized crops for nutritional benefits is one of the major strategies to feed the ever-increasing population. There are many nutritionally rich leguminous crops (Vigna unguiculata, Cassia hirsuta, Canavalia ensiformis, Dolichos biflorus, etc.) that have remained unexplored for a long time, though could provide a cheap and a...

Global increase in water scarcity is a serious problem for sustaining crop productivity. The lack of water causes the degeneration of the photosynthetic apparatus, an imbalance in key metabolic pathways, an increase in free radical generation as well as weakens the root architecture of plants. Drought is one of the major stresses that directly inte...

Biscuits prepared from composite flours substituted with unconventional plant resources have been considered important for enriching the overall nutritional quality. The present study was undertaken to explore the potential of banana pseudostem flour for the valorization of wheat flour biscuits. At the same time, the study attempts to address the p...

Nanobiotechnology has gained considerable momentum in the field of plant sciences in the last few years. Nanomaterials of various metal oxides has been utilized for enhancing growth, productivity and in crop protection strategies. Among them, nanosilica has emerged as a key player in orchestrating plant growth and conferring tolerance to various ab...

Current Science Reports

Phenols represent an organic group of toxic compounds, disposed of directly or indirectly into water bodies form agricultural and industrial sectors, causing critical impact on aquatic flora and fauna. Salvinia natans, an aquatic fern widely identified as a weed and known for its excellent ability to accumulate heavy metals and organic compounds, w...

Crop productivity is often threatened by salinity in arid and semi-arid regions where irrigation is indispensable for agriculture. Excess salt in soil and water causes ion toxicity that can hamper the growth and yield of crop plants affecting various metabolic pathways. Almost all the cereal crops are sensitive to increasing salinity levels, and th...

Leucas aspera (Willd.) Link is an underutilized leafy vegetable which has not been adequately characterized for its nutraceutical and antioxidant properties. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to profile the extract. The tissue had free radical scavenging activity and contained the bioactive c...

Bisphenol A (BPA), is one of the high volume produced chemical which is extensively used as raw material for polycarbonate and epoxy resin manufacturing. Being one of major used and disposed material from a wide source, traces of BPA have been diagnosed from everywhere. BPA has been identified as an endocrine disruptor compound (EDC) for most of an...

Salinity poses a major threat to agriculture and hence to food production globally. Though a number of plants are halophytes, surviving in saline environment and, in some cases, requiring a saline soil for growth, none of the cultivated crops are halophytes. Microorganisms, being ubiquitous, are present everywhere, and a large number of salt-tolera...

NAC transcription factors (TFs) are one of the largest and important TF family that are involved in the regulation of plant growth and development. They are characterized by a highly conserved N-terminal domain and a variable C-terminal domain. In the present study, the amino acid sequences of NAC TFs from four embryophytic plant species viz. Arabi...

An endophytic bacterium (HR1 isolate) previously isolated from the root nodules of Vigna mungo and identified as Klebsiella pneumoniae was screened for Cd(II) tolerance. Application of this bacterium to the V. mungo plants in the form of seed bacterization was further assessed for concurrent growth promotion under different concentrations of Cd(II)...

The Himalayas have provided shelter to the various communities for thousands of years and have remained the cradle for the origin of diverse cultures and traditions. The Himalayan belt is rich in biodiversity and have ushered mankind with numerous gifts for survival and existence. The art of pickling is believed to have developed independently amon...

Comparative analyses of the responses to NaCl in Cynodon dactylon and a sensitive crop species like rice could effectively unravel the salt tolerance mechanism in the former. C. dactylon, a wild perennial chloridoid grass having a wide range of ecological distribution is generally adaptable to varying degrees of salinity stress. The role of salt ex...

The salt tolerance of 12 native forage grasses from the eastern part of Terai-Duar grasslands was assessed using a rapid method of leaf disc senescence bioassay. Samples of these grasses were grown in untreated water as well as 100 and 200 mM NaCl solutions for periods of 3, 6 and 9 days. Discs of fresh leaf were then placed in untreated water as w...

Pteridophytes are recognized for their biological and medicinal properties for long time but very less work has been done on wetland pteridophytes. In our present study we evaluated the antioxidant activity of two wetland pteriodphytes Diplazium esculentum (Retz.) Sw. and Marsilea minuta L. Presence of bioactive compounds like phenols, flavonoids a...

Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas, a part of Eastern Himalayan Hotspot, is characterized by its richness of plant diversity. Herbal medicine has been one of the most popular and reliable healing practices among the different ethnic groups of this region for ages. However, the lack of documentation practice by the traditional healers has led to obscur...

A study was undertaken to evaluate the salt-tolerant attributes of Cynodon dactylon by comparing it with three varieties of the model glycophyte crop rice (Oryza sativa L.). For cross generic studies, all plants were uprooted and transferred to 0.1× Hoagland solution supplemented with 0, 10, 100, 200 and 500 mM NaCl. All plants were exposed to NaCl...

In vitro antioxidative properties of methanol, chloroform and diethyl ether extracts of the leaves of Daphniphyllum chartaceum Rosenthal. were examined spectrophotometrically. In vitro antioxidant activity of all the extracts were determined by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity assay, reducing power assay, hydro...

Increasing soil salinity in the agricultural fields all over the world is a matter of concern. Salinity poses a serious threat to the normal growth and development of crop plants. What adds to the concern is that all the cereal crops are sensitive to increasing soil salinity. So it is implacable to either search for salinity resistant varieties of...

Salt glands in Poaceae are often found in the Panicoid and Chloridoid grasses. Imperata cylindrica is a perennial panicoid grass with widespread distribution from non-saline to saline habitats. The effecient mechanism of salt gland is an essential property of the salt tolerance in any plant. Salt glands in Imperata are present and actively function...

Antibacterial and antioxidative activity of methanol, chloroform and diethyl ether extracts of the leaves of Daphniphyllum himalense(Benth.) Muell. Arg. was examined. All the extracts showed antibacterial activity against the test microorganisms (Pseudomonas malleiMTCC 7300, Pseudomonas aeruginosaMTCC 424, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus...

Article Info Abstract Article History Out of a large number of bacteria isolated from the rhizosphere of Cynodon dactylon, a facultative halophyte, nine were found to be highly salt-tolerant, growing in nutrient agar medium supplemented with 10% NaCl. Morphological, biochemical, and molecular characterization of all the isolates was done. RAPD anal...