Increasing human population and changing climate, which have given rise to frequent drought spells, pose a serious threat to global food security, while identification of high yielding drought tolerant genotypes remains a proficient approach to cope with these challenges. To offer a methodology for the evaluation of the drought-tolerant wheat genotypes based on the pheno-physiological traits, a field experiment was executed, entailing four wheat genotypes viz. BARI Gom 26, BAW 1158, BAW 1167, and BAW 1169 and two water conditions viz. control treatment (three times irrigation at 20, 50, and 70 DAS, i.e., 100% field capacity) and stressed treatment (no irrigation during the entire growing season). The results revealed that drought stress drastically reduced the days to booting, heading, anthesis and physiological maturity, relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll content, canopy temperature depression (CTD), and photo-assimilates-spike dry matter (SDM), grains spike−1 and grain yield of all wheat genotypes. In addition, the genotypes BAW 1167 and BARI Gom 26 remained more prone to adverse effects of drought as compared to BAW 1169 and BAW 1158. Furthermore, DS induced biosynthesis of compatible solutes such as proline, especially in BAW 1169, which enabled plants to defend against oxidative stress. It was inferred that BAW 1169 remained superior by exhibiting the best adaptation as indicated by the maximum relative values of RWC, total chlorophyll, CTD, proline content, SDM, grains spike−1, and grain yield of wheat. Thus, based on our findings, BAW 1169 may be recommended for general adoption and utilization in future wheat breeding programs aimed at developing potent drought-tolerant wheat genotypes to ensure food security on a sustainable basis.

This study evaluated the role of gibberellic acid [GA3; (0, 100, 200, and 300 ppm)] in modulation of the growth, physiology, yield, and quality traits in two varieties (BARI Mung-6 and BARI Mung-8) of mungbean (Vigna radiata L.). Irrespective of the two varieties (BARI Mung-6 and BARI Mung-8), 100, 200, and 300 ppm of GA3 differentially modulated the tested parameters (relative water content, RWC; photosynthetic pigments: chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids; growth parameters: fresh and dry weights of leaves, petioles, stems, and roots; yield contributing traits such as plant height, number of pods plant−1, number of grains pod−1, pod length, and 100-grain weight; quality traits such as grain nitrogen and protein). However, compared to the lowest GA3 (100 ppm) and the highest GA3 (300 ppm), the moderate concentration of GA3 (200 ppm) led to highest values of leaf-RWC, where this parameter exhibited 16.1 and 13.4% increase in BARI Mung-8 and BARI Mung-6, respectively. Similarly, the tested herein growth parameters and the yield traits significantly increased up to the foliar application of the moderate GA3 concentration (200 ppm), and thereafter these traits decreased with 300 ppm GA3. The 200 ppm-led changes in the growth and yield traits were significantly higher in BARI Mung-8 when compared to BARI Mung-6. Considering the quality traits, GA3 positively influenced the nitrogen and protein content in grains, where 200 ppm of GA3 led to increases of 25.2% in N, and 17.7% in protein over control in BARI Mung-6; whereas, BARI Mung-8 exhibited 28.3% in N, and 18.3% in protein with 200 ppm GA3 over control. Overall, BARI Mung-8 significantly responded to the foliar supply of 200 ppm GA3 when compared to BARI Mung-6. Hence, in order to high yield and grain protein content, the application of 200 ppm GA3 may be applied in V. radiata before and during flowering. The major mechanisms underlying the responses of the water relation, growth, and yield traits to the GA3 concentrations need to be explored.

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The grain yield of rice is far below from its potential yield due low organic matter and micronutrients in the soil. Application of cow dung and zinc fertilizer increases grain yield and quality. A field experiment was, therefore, conducted to evaluate the effect of zinc fertilization and well decomposed cow dung on the spikelet sterility, yield, zinc concentration in grains and plants of aromatic rice (cv. Tulsimala). In this experiment,two levels of well decomposed cowdung (CD) of 0, 10 tha-1, and fourdoses of zinc fertilization viz. 0, 2.16, 4.32, 6.48 kg ha-1 of zinc were used followingeight treatment combinations. The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD) with replication thrice. The data revealed that zinc fertilization remarkably increased the grain yield of Tulshimala by reducing the spikelet sterility percentages in both conditions of CD and the efficiency of zinc fertilization was superior in manuring (CD) condition to non-manuring condition. However, zinc fertilization at the rate of 4.32 kg ha-1 of zinc produced the maximum grainyields under manuring and non-manuring conditions. Zinc fertilization increased the concentration of Zn in the rice plants and grains without and with CD. The strong linear relationship between the grain yield and zinc concentration in the rice plants and grains was found with in this study. Zinc fertilization increased grain yield and quality by decreasing sterility percentage under CD. Hence, for increasing productivity towards food security in future generation, integrated use organic and inorganic fertilizers should be used.

Optimizing the dose and foliar application frequency of growth regulators such as gibberellic acid (GA3) may play an important role in ensuring food security under changing climate scenarios by boosting grain yield of food legumes such as mungbean. A trial was conducted to evaluate the growth promoting effect of foliage applied gibberellic acid (GA3) at various spraying frequencies for mungbean crop. The employed treatments included four gibberellic acid levels (0, 100, 200, and 300 ppm) and two application frequencies (single spray at 30 days after sowing DAS, and two sprays at 30 and 40 DAS). Water relations, yield contributing characteristics and mungbean grain yield were among the response variables investigated. The research findings revealed that GA3 (200 ppm applied twice at pre-flowering and post-flowering stages) significantly improved the water relations, morphological and yield attributes of mungbean. This treatment combination remained unmatched by producing the highest relative water content in the stem (85.52), water retention capacity in the stem (17.24), and water uptake capacity in the stem and leaf (2.35). Furthermore, the same treatment combination resulted in the maximum plant height (50.04 cm), pods per plant (11.07), pod length (6.62 cm), grains number per pod (11.00), 100-grains weight (3.78 g), grain yield per plant (4.57 g), and a minimum water saturation deficit. Thus, GA3 foliage application at 200 ppm at 30 and 60 DAS has the potential to stimulate growth and increase the yield attributes and grain yield of mungbean. However, additional in-depth field trials with various doses of GA3 sprayed at a higher frequency may be required before recommending GA3 for general adoption to mungbean growers.