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Due to the global rise of the human population, one of the top-most challenges for poor and developing nations is to use the food produces safely and sustainably. In this regard, the storage of surplus food (and derived products) without loss of freshness, nutrient stability, shelf life, and their parallel efficient utilization will surely boost the food production sector. One of the best technologies that have emerged within the last twenty years with applications in the packaging of food and industrial materials is the use of green mode-based synthesized nanoparticles (NPs). These NPs are stable, advantageous as well as eco-friendly. Over the several years, numerous publications have confirmed that these NPs exert antibacterial, antioxidant, and antifungal activity against a plethora of pathogens. The storage in metal-based NPs (M-NPs) does not hamper the food properties and packaging efficiency. Additionally, these M-NPs help in the improvement of properties including freshness indicators, mechanical properties, antibacterial and water vapor permeability during food packaging. As a result, the nano-technological application facilitates a simple, alternate, interactive as well as reliable technology. It even provides positive feedback to food industries and packaging markets. Taken together, the current review paper is an attempt to highlight the M-NPs for prominent applications of antimicrobial properties, nanosensors, and food packaging of food items. Additionally, some comparative reports associated with M-NPs mechanism of action, risks, toxicity, and overall future perspectives have also been made.

Background The era of first green revolution brought about by the application of chemical fertilizers surely led to the explosion of food grains, but left behind the notable problem of salinity. Continuous application of these fertilizers coupled with fertilizer-responsive crops make the country self-reliant, but continuous deposition of these led to altered the water potential and thus negatively affecting the proper plant functioning from germination to seed setting. Main body Increased concentration of anion and cations and their accumulation and distribution cause cellular toxicity and ionic imbalance. Plants respond to salinity stress by any one of two mechanisms, viz., escape or tolerate, by either limiting their entry via root system or controlling their distribution and storage. However, the understanding of tolerance mechanism at the physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels will provide an insight for the identification of related genes and their introgression to make the crop more resilient against salinity stress. Short conclusion Novel emerging approaches of plant breeding and biotechnologies such as genome-wide association studies, mutational breeding, marker-assisted breeding, double haploid production, hyperspectral imaging, and CRISPR/Cas serve as engineering tools for dissecting the in-depth physiological mechanisms. These techniques have well-established implications to understand plants’ adaptions to develop more tolerant varieties and lower the energy expenditure in response to stress and, constitutively fulfill the void that would have led to growth resistance and yield penalty.

Conventional agriculture solely depends upon highly chemical compounds that have negatively ill-affected the health of every living being and the entire ecosystem. Thus, the smart delivery of desired components in a sustainable manner to crop plants is the primary need to maintain soil health in the upcoming years. The premature loss of growth-promoting ingredients and their extended degradation in the soil increases the demand for reliable novel techniques. In this regard, nanotechnology has offered to revolutionize the agrotechnological area that has the imminent potential over conventional agriculture and helps to reform resilient cropping systems withholding prominent food security for the ever-growing world population. Further, in-depth investigation on plant-nanoparticles interactions creates new avenues toward crop improvement via enhanced crop yield, disease resistance, and efficient nutrient utilization. The incorporation of nanomaterial with smart agrochemical activities and establishing a new framework relevant to enhance efficacy ultimately help to address the social acceptance, potential hazards, and management issues in the future. Here, we highlight the role of nanomaterial or nanocomposite as a sustainable as well stable alternative in crop protection and production. Additionally, the information on the controlled released system, role in interaction with soil and microbiome, the promising role of nanocomposite as nanopesticide, nanoherbicide, nanofertilizer, and their limitations in agrochemical activities are discussed in the present review.

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Sugars, the chemically bound form of energy, are formed by the absorption of photosynthetically active radiation and fixation in plants. During evolution, plants availed the sugar molecules as a resource, balancing molecule, and signaling molecule. The multifaceted role of sugar molecules in response to environmental stimuli makes it the central coordinator required for growth, survival, and continuity. During the course of evolution, the molecular networks have become complex to adapt or acclimate to the changing environment. Sugar molecules are sensed both intra and extracellularly by their specific sensors. The signal is transmitted by a signaling loop that involves various downstream signaling molecules, transcriptional factors and, most pertinent, the sensors TOR and SnRK1. In this review, the focus has been retained on the significance of the sugar sensors during signaling and induced modules to regulate plant growth, development, biotic and abiotic stress. It is interesting to visualize the sugar molecule as a signaling unit and not only a nutrient. Complete information on the downstream components of sugar signaling will open the gates for improving the qualitative and quantitative elements of crop plants.

Summary: Field trials were conducted to evaluate herbicides for weed control in groundnut from 1977 to 1979. The pre‐emergence herbicides used were alachlor and metolachlor, applied alone or mixed with terbutryne. Some treatments were followed either by post‐emergence bentazone or by one supplementary hoe‐weeding. In the southern Guinea savanna zone, where early grass weed control was more important, alachlor or metolachlor at 1.5 kg ha−1 gave adequate weed control and pod yields comparable with that of the hoe‐weeded check. There was no advantage in adding terbutryne, or in supplementary hoeweeding or post‐emergence bentazone application. In the northern Guinea savanna zone, grass and broad‐leaved weeds were equally important. Application of alachlor, metolachlor or mixtures with terbutryne (2:1) at 1.5 kg ha−1 required post‐emergence application of bentazone or supplementary hoe‐weeding for effective weed control and high pod yield. The reduction in pod yield on untreated control plots ranged between 18 and 70% of the best treatment in these trials.

Tinospora is highly distributed in the tropical and subtropical region of India. This climbing deciduous shrub widely reported in China, Bangladesh and Srilanka. The plant is rich in many phytoconstituents that are useful in drug designing. It is highly used against cancer, tumour suppression, and act as an anti-allergic compound. It is commonly known as gudhuchi, belongs to the family Menispermeaceae. Tinospora is most valuable herb known for its medicinal properties from Vedic periods and cures various diseases such as malaria, asthma and urinary disorders. The genus Tinospora consists of many classes of chemicals such as alkaloids, diterpenoids lactones, steroids, aliphatic compounds and polysaccharides. It is the best remedy for both children as well as adults against respiratory tract diseases. The plant shows various antioxidant, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-neoplastic and hepatoprotective properties. In this review article medicinal property, chemical constituents and full description have been explored.