Vol. 2 No. 2 (2026)

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of natural farming inputs on the growth of French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). The field experiment was conducted during 2024 at Department of Horticulture, School of Agriculture, ITM University, Gwalior. The experiment consisted of nine treatments in randomized block design with three replications. The treatments were used T₁- Control, T₂- RDF (60:120:50 kg ha^-1), T₃- Vermicompost + 70% R.D.F., T₄- Beejamrit (1 litre/kg seed) + Jeevamrit (100 %) at weekly interval, T₅- Beejamrit  (1 litre/kg seed) + Ghanjeevamrit (100 %), T₆- Beejamrit  (1 litre/kg seed) + Jeevamrit (75 %) + Ghanjeevamrit (25 %), T₇- Beejamrit (1 litre/kg seed) + Jeevamrit (50 %) + Ghan-jeevamrit (50 %), T₈- Beejamrit (1 litre/kg seed) + Jeevamrit (25 %) + Ghanjeevamrit (75 %) and T₉- Beejamrit (1 litre/kg seed) + Jeevamrit (80 %)+ Ghanjeevamrit (80%). Treatment no. 7 i.e. Beejamrit (1 litre/kg seed) + Jeevamrit (50 %) + Ghanjeevamrit (50 %) showed fastest 50 % germination and 50 % flowering days. Beejamrit (1 litre/kg seed) + Jeevamrit (50 %) + Ghanjeevamrit (50 %) stands out with the highest mean among all treatments for leaf area and number of pods per plant. Maximum bacterial count was recorded in treatment with Beejamrit (1 litre/kg seed) + Ghanjeevamrit (100 %).

Sulfur plays a crucial role in the synthesis of proteins, chlorophyll, and specific amino acids in plants. This study explores the impact of processed sulfur fertilizer on leaf and stem length, relative growth rate (RGR), quercetin content, and antioxidant levels in Medicago sativa L. through a greenhouse pot study conducted using a completely randomized design over 60 days. The experiment involved four levels of sulfur fertilizer (0, 7.5, 10, and 12.5 mL L^-1) applied across three replications. Statistical significance level (p ≤ 0.05) was determined by Duncan’s test. The findings showed significant improvements in growth parameters, RGR, and quercetin antioxidant content with sulfur fertilization, particularly at 10 and 12.5 mL L^-1 dosages. On average, sulfur fertilizer enhanced leaf length by 86.66% and stem length by 52.38% compared to the control. Additionally, positive and significant correlations between sulfur-induced growth metrics and yield emphasize its importance in improving the productivity and quality of M. sativa. Sulfur application increased the SPAD number, RGR, antioxidant levels, and quercetin content by 61.90%, 89.47%, 50%, and 1450%, respectively. Therefore, processed sulfur fertilizer emerges as a promising practice for achieving higher yields and economic benefits from M. sativa cultivation.

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic heavy metal and a widespread environmental contaminant in paddy fields, where its accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.) poses significant risks to plant health, agricultural productivity, and human consumption. Cadmium toxicity adversely affects various physiological and biochemical processes in rice, including seed germination, root and shoot growth, nutrient homeostasis, photosynthetic efficiency, and grain yield. Additionally, Cd exposure induces oxidative stress by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to cellular damage and metabolic disruptions. To mitigate Cd toxicity, various agronomic, physiological, and biotechnological strategies have been explored. The application of essential nutrients such as zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), silicon (Si), and lime has been shown to alleviate Cd stress by modulating metal uptake and reducing Cd bioavailability in soils. Organic amendments, including compost and biochar, enhance soil properties and immobilize Cd, thereby limiting its translocation to rice tissues. Furthermore, the exogenous application of phytohormones, osmolytes, and signaling molecules has been demonstrated to improve rice tolerance by enhancing antioxidant defense mechanisms and stress response pathways. Genetic and breeding approaches, such as the development of low Cd-accumulating rice cultivars, offer a promising long-term solution for reducing Cd accumulation in edible plant parts. Additionally, utilizing beneficial rhizosphere microorganisms, including mycorrhizal fungi and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), can further aid in mitigating Cd toxicity. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of current mitigation strategies and highlights the need for an integrated approach combining soil amendments, genetic improvements, and sustainable agronomic practices to minimize Cd contamination in rice ecosystems.

Given the profound implications of biofilm formation in the food industry, including its role as a major driver of food spoilage, foodborne disease outbreaks, and the deterioration of processing equipment, a comprehensive understanding of the factors governing bacterial growth and biofilm development is indispensable. These factors, however, cannot be considered in isolation. Emerging evidence suggests that climate change, through rising global temperatures, altered humidity, fluctuating water availability, and shifts in nutrient dynamics, may further modulate microbial behaviour, enhancing the propensity of biofilm formation by pathogens and spoilage organisms. Understanding that biofilms can influence and are influenced by climate change is crucial to their effective management in the food industry. Climate-driven shifts in biofilm behaviour may complicate existing safety and hygiene protocols, necessitating more stringent control measures such as climate-adaptive sanitation technologies, infrastructure redesign, and updated monitoring frameworks capable of responding to the rapidly changing microbiological landscape of food-processing environments. Therefore, as the environment becomes more variable and extreme, it is critical to investigate biofilm dynamics to protect public health, manage ecosystems, and ensure sustainable industrial practices. This review aims to describe how climate-driven environmental pressures make biofilm eradication in the food industry particularly challenging, and to address innovative strategies for biofilm management and future research directions towards effective management.

Advancements in agricultural approaches, increased population and industrial development have created the problem of environmental pollution. This pollution causes loss of biodiversity and several serious health diseases. Therefore, several approaches have been utilized to remove environmental pollution. However, most of these methods have drawbacks. Nanotechnology is an extensively growing field that has various applications in decreasing the adverse effects of toxic pollutants. Nanotechnology is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method to solve the problem of environmental pollution. Nanoparticles (NPs) have been synthesized by traditional chemical and physical techniques. However, these traditional methods have several drawbacks, such as being expensive and producing toxic substances. The natural bioremediation method removes pollutants at a slow rate, and thus the removal process takes more time. Thus, it is important to introduce alternate techniques, which is nanobioremediation. Nanobioremediation includes the role of both microorganisms and NPs; as a result, the removal of pollutants by this method occurs within a shorter time. Biogenic resources such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, algae, yeast and plants are used to synthesize NPs. Biogenic method for the synthesis of NPs is a clean, safe, environmentally gentle, and sustainable method. The objective of the present review is to highlight the application of green synthesized NPs for the removal of pollutants such as dyes and heavy metals from wastewater. However, more research is required to study the toxic effects of green synthesized NPs, reusability and their commercialization at larger scale. It is expected that the use of green-synthesized NPs for the removal of pollutants will expand in the future.