Cumulatively, biotic and abiotic stresses of various magnitudes can decrease the production of crops by 70%. miRNAs have emerged as a genetic tool with enormous potential that can be exploited to understand stress tolerance at the molecular level and eventually regulate stress in crops. Plant miRNA targets frequently fit into diverse families of TFs that control the expression of genes related to a certain trait. As key machinery in gene regulatory networks, it is agreed that a broad understanding of miRNAs will greatly increase our understanding of plant responses to environmental stresses. miRNA-led stress regulatory networks are being considered as novel tools for the development of abiotic stress tolerance in crops. At this time, we need to expand our knowledge about the modulatory role of miRNAs during environmental fluctuations. It has become exceedingly clear that with increased understanding of the role of miRNAs during stress, the techniques for using miRNA-mediated gene regulation to enhance plant stress tolerance will become more effective and reliable. In this review we present: (1) miRNAs as a potential avenue for the modulation of abiotic stresses, and (2) summarize the research progress regarding plant responses to stress. Current progress is explained through discussion of the identification and validation of several miRNAs that enhance crop tolerance of salinity, drought, etc., while missing links on different aspects of miRNAs related to abiotic stress tolerance are noted.
Regulation of spatio-temporal expression patterns of stress tolerance associated plant genes is an essential component of the stress responses. Eukaryotes assign a large amount of their genome to transcription with multiple transcription factors (TFs). Often, these transcription factors fit into outsized gene groups which, in several cases, exclusively belong to plants. Basic leucine zipper domain (bZIP) transcription factors regulate vital processes in plants and animals. In plants, bZIPs are implicated in numerous fundamental processes like seed development, energy balance, and responses to abiotic or biotic stresses. Systematic analysis of the information obtained over the last two decades disclosed a constitutive role of bZIPs against biotic stress. bZIP TFs are vital players in plant innate immunity due to their ability to regulate genes associated with PAMP-triggered immunity, effector-triggered immunity, and hormonal signaling networks. Expression analysis of studied bZIP genes suggests that exploration and functional characterization of novel bZIP TFs in planta is helpful in improving crop resistance against pathogens and environmental stresses. Our review focuses on major advancements in bZIP TFs and plant responses against different pathogens. The integration of genomics information with the functional studies provides new insights into the regulation of plant defense mechanisms and engineering crops with improved resistance to invading pathogens. Conclusively, succinct functions of bZIPs as positive or negative regulator mediate resistance to the plant pathogens and lay a foundation for understanding associated genes and TFs regulating different pathways. Moreover, bZIP TFs may offer a comprehensive transgenic gizmo for engineering disease resistance in plant breeding programs.
Agroforerstry (AF) in the farmlands of Punjab (Pakistan) is a tradition, but it was practiced without any proper methodology. From last few years, AF practices have become popular in Punjab. Especially in the rural areas woody biomass is being used as a major source of energy. The study was designed to examine the contributions of AF on the socio-economic conditions of the farmers in the central Punjab of Pakistan. District Chiniot was selected as the universe of study and a detailed survey was conducted in the three tehsiles by interviewing 150 randomly selected farmers with the use of a wellstructured questionnaire. In addition, secondary data was also collected from district agriculture offices. Chi-Square test was used for quantitative data analysis. Results showed that farmer’s annual income and household status was improved after practicing AF. Reasonably less poor farmers have more income increase than the poor farmers due to an extra investment, but income generation helped poor farmers to maintain the minimal living standards. Farmers perceived the advantage of trees immensely and the large scale farmers taking this as a genuine source of income. In adoption of AF, attitude of the farmers was independent of family size and settlement period, but was dependent on the occupation and number of livestock holding. The study suggested that, in the present financial scenario of the poor farmers, planting of suitable tree species with multiple benefits is an escape way to come out of the vicious circle of poverty. Along with that agroforestry can play a vital role in increasing the vegetation cover in forest deficient countries. Extension services and awareness programs should be arranged in the areas where people have negative attitude about AF practices, because the cultivated fields are the best places to grow the tree with crops. Moreover, subsidies and income generating project should be launched to motivate people towards AF.
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