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Plants being sessile in nature are often challenged to various abiotic stresses including temperature fluctuations, water supply, salinity, and nutrient availability. Exposure of plants to such environmental perturbations result in the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells. To scavenge ROS, enzymatic and molecular antioxidants are produced at a cellular level. ROS act as a signaling entity at lower concentrations maintaining normal growth and development, but if their levels increase beyond certain threshold, they produce toxic effects in plants. Some developmental stages, such as development of reproductive organs are more sensitive to abiotic stress than other stages of growth. As success of plant reproductive development is directly correlated with grain yield, stresses coinciding with reproductive phase results in the higher yield losses. In this article, we summarize the redox control of plant reproductive development, and elaborate how redox homeostasis is compromised during abiotic stress exposure. We highlight why more emphasis should be given to understand redox control of plant reproductive organ development during abiotic stress exposure96to engineer crops with better crop yield. We specifically discuss the role of ROS as a signaling molecule and its cross-talk with other signaling molecules such as hormones and sugars.

The bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae L.) is one of the important tropical cut flowers. Generally, flowers like bird of paradise (BOP) grown for the commercial ornamental market must be of high pre and postharvest quality. Thus, to improve the postharvest longevity and increase marketability, the relative efficacy of two different biologically synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) was evaluated. The novel proprietary stimulants were graphene oxide (GO) and silver nanoparticles (SNPs). The NP treatments were applied as a vase (lower concentrations) solutions. Among all the applied treatments, the synergistic effect of GO + SNPs at 1 µL L−1 vase solution significantly (p =0.05) prolongs the post-harvest life of cut flowers of BOP. Increased vase life over the deionized water (DI) control was associated with better maintenance of relative water uptake, relative fresh weight, suppressed microbial density at stem-end and delay of stem blockage, reduced electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde (MDA), SOD, and POD activity. In contrast to control, administration of NPs gave better results for all analyzed parameters. Application of biologically synthesized NPs in combination (GO + SNPs at 1 µL L−1) extended the vase life of cut flowers by 6 days compared with control flowers, and overall, showed better results than the control. The findings of the studies revealed that the standardized NPs could have more potential in prolonging the postharvest life of cut flowers in BOP. Thus, this technique can be used as a novel postharvest technology for commercial application in cut flowers.

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The acceptance of new crop varieties by consumers is contingent on the presence of consumer-preferred traits, which include sensory attributes, nutritional value, industrial products and bioactive compounds production. Recent developments in genome editing technologies provide novel insight to identify gene functions and improve the various qualitative and quantitative traits of commercial importance in plants. Various conventional as well as advanced gene-mutagenesis techniques such as physical and chemical mutagenesis, CRISPR-Cas9, Cas12 and base editors are used for the trait improvement in crops. To meet consumer demand, breakthrough biotechnologies, especially CRISPR-Cas have received a fair share of scientific and industrial interest, particularly in plant genome editing. CRISPR-Cas is a versatile tool that can be used to knock out, replace and knock-in the desired gene fragments at targeted locations in the genome, resulting in heritable mutations of interest. This review highlights the existing literature and recent developments in CRISPR-Cas technologies (base editing, prime editing, multiplex gene editing, epigenome editing, gene delivery methods) for reliable and precise gene editing in plants. This review also discusses the potential of gene editing exhibited in crops for the improvement of consumer-demanded traits such as higher nutritional value, colour, texture, aroma/flavour, and production of industrial products such as biofuel, fibre, rubber and pharmaceuticals. In addition, the bottlenecks and challenges associated with gene editing system, such as off targeting, ploidy level and the ability to edit organelle genome have also been discussed.

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Environmental pollution, especially indoor air pollution, has become a global issue and affects nearly all domains of life. Being both natural and anthropogenic substances, indoor air pollutants lead to the deterioration of the ecosystem and have a negative impact on human health. Cost-effective plant-based approaches can help to improve indoor air quality (IAQ), regulate temperature, and protect humans from potential health risks. Thus, in this review, we have highlighted the common indoor air pollutants and their mitigation through plant-based approaches. Potted plants, green walls, and their combination with bio-filtration are such emerging approaches that can efficiently purify the indoor air. Moreover, we have discussed the pathways or mechanisms of phytoremediation, which involve the aerial parts of the plants (phyllosphere), growth media, and roots along with their associated microorganisms (rhizosphere). In conclusion, plants and their associated microbial communities can be key solutions for reducing indoor air pollution. However, there is a dire need to explore advanced omics technologies to get in-depth knowledge of the molecular mechanisms associated with plant-based reduction of indoor air pollutants.