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Nanotechnology proved as a boon to this era and is widely applied in many areas of science and technology. Agriculture is the backbone of industrial raw material and it is very important to have technologies supporting high yield, better crop production and protection in a cost effective, ecofriendly and sustainable way. Globally, there is a lot of research being conducted in the field of application of nanoparticles in agriculture. In recent time nano-based materials like nanoparticles and nanoformulations, nano-based fertilizers, nano-pesticides and insecticides, nano fungicides and other plant disease control formulations are available in the market. Though this technology offers many advantages, yet there are some vices which is causing the concern among the researchers and practitioners. The unregulated exposure of the nanoparticles to the soil is expected to cause adverse effects on the soil microbiota and in some cases negatively impact the important adaphic factors like soil infertility and toxicity. The studies conducted so far have shown diverse responses of nanoparticles by soil fungi and soil bacteria. The enzymatic activities of the microbes have been reported to be affected when the stress is induced from different sources. In some studies, silver nanoparticles have been found to decrease FDA-hydrolysis in soil. More research still needs to be done on addressing the nanoparticle induced metal-stress by different microbes. This review provides the comprehensive account of side effects of the nanoparticles on soil fertility and their effect on the different properties of soil and plant growth along with the research gaps in the field of soil application of nanoparticles and way forward to introduce an ecofriendly application of nanoparticles.

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SUMMARY Simple methods for producing, handling and testing the viability of sclerotia were used on five fungi, three of which produced sclerotia freely in sand‐maizemeal cultures; the other two did not, and were grown on agar. After air drying, which did not affect viability, sclerotia were buried in the field in bags of nylon fabric. After recovery from soil they were surface‐sterilized with calcium hypochlorite and plated on a medium containing chloramphenicol and streptomycin sulphate. Some fungi, particularly those having basidiomycete affinities, are sensitive to high concentrations of chloramphenicol.

S U M M A R YSclerotia of Botrytis tulipae (Lib) Lind. buried in field soil germinated mainly in winter and early spring to produce conidiophores and conidia and then decayed. Except when buried very late in the year sclerotia germinated and decayed in the season following burial.I n the laboratory, sclerotia from pure culture germinated in two ways. On sterile water-agar they formed colourless mycelium but no conidiophores; the rate of germination was greatest at 25 "C. On unsterile filter paper and on soil they produced mainly conidiophores and conidia; the rate of I 0 0

Melatonin was discovered as a pineal gland hormone in animals and is now more significantly known as a signaling molecule in plants' biotic and abiotic stressors. Melatonin has been traced back to prokaryotic organisms during evolution and its primary function of antioxidant scavenging free radicals in photosynthetic prokaryotic bacteria is a lesser explored and exciting area for further research globally. The authors at IIT Delhi are trying to establish its potential role in stress management in agriculture. The present manuscript addresses the biosynthetic pathways hitherto suggested by scientists. In this manuscript, the potential scope of melatonin in agriculture as a growth promoter, post-harvest loss inhibitor, and signaling and quality improvement molecule is envisaged.

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