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Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) play a crucial role in enhancing plant defense by activating systemic resistance against a broad range of pathogens. This review explores the molecular basis of PGPR-mediated induced systemic resistance (ISR), with particular emphasis on defense signaling pathways regulated by jasmonic acid, ethylene, and salicylic acid. The induction of ISR involves multiple mechanisms, including the regulation of plant hormone signaling, synthesis of antimicrobial metabolites, and priming of plant defense systems. As a result, plants exhibit increased expression of defense-related genes and a strengthened immune response. A clear understanding of these molecular interactions is essential for promoting sustainable agricultural strategies and minimizing dependence on chemical pesticides. Recent progress in omics-based approaches and bioinformatic tools has significantly improved our understanding of PGPR-plant interactions, facilitating the discovery of new bacterial strains and key signaling components. Future studies should emphasize the integration of multi-omics data with field-based research to enhance the effective application of PGPR for improved crop protection and productivity.

Lepidoptera, comprising butterflies and moths, are generally perceived as harmless insects; however, growing evidence demonstrates that several species possess potent venoms, particularly during the larval stage. Lepidopteran venoms have evolved primarily as defensive adaptations against predators, parasitoids, and accidental human contact. These venoms are delivered through specialised structures such as urticating setae, spines, and venomous scales, which release bioactive compounds upon contact. Venomous caterpillars, including Lonomia obliqua, Doratifera vulnerans, and Comana monomorpha, can cause a range of effects from localised pain and dermatitis to severe haemostatic disorders. Lepidopteran venoms are biochemically diverse, comprising peptides, proteins, enzymes, and inflammatory mediators, and have evolved independently across multiple lineages. Beyond their medical relevance, these venoms represent promising sources of novel bioactive molecules with potential applications in agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology.

Rapid changes in food habits, urbanization, and increasing reliance on processed foods have contributed to widespread malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in India. Nutrition gardening, also known as kitchen or nutri-gardening, has emerged as a low-cost, sustainable, and household-level intervention to improve dietary diversity, food security, and overall well-being. Nutrition gardens involve the planned cultivation of diverse vegetables, fruits, leafy greens, herbs, and medicinal plants in available household spaces, ensuring year-round access to fresh and safe produce. Beyond nutritional benefits, nutrition gardening enhances women?s empowerment, reduces household food expenditure, and strengthens livelihood resilience. Sustainability lies at the core of this approach, as nutrition gardens reduce food miles, conserve water through efficient use, enhance on-farm biodiversity, and promote circular resource use through composting and organic inputs. Supported by national programmes and extension systems, nutrition gardening integrates environmental, economic, and social dimensions, making it a scalable strategy for improving household nutrition, health, and community resilience.

Insect mitochondrial genomics is an important tool for investigating genome organisation, evolutionary relationships and applications in pest management. Insects possess compact mitochondrial genomes of approximately 15?18 kb, encoding 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, two ribosomal RNAs and a non-coding control region. These genomes are maternally inherited, show limited recombination and evolve rapidly, making them informative for phylogenetic and comparative studies. Advances in next-generation sequencing have greatly increased the availability of complete insect mitochondrial genomes, revealing variation in genome structure, including gene rearrangements, nucleotide compositional bias, control-region duplication and genome fragmentation. While these features provide useful phylogenetic signal, they may complicate deep-level inference. Mitochondrial genomics also supports species identification, detection of cryptic taxa, monitoring of invasive pests and insecticide resistance, contributing to pest management and biosecurity.

Genetically modified (GM) crops contribute significantly to sustainable agriculture by increasing yields, enhancing tolerance to pests, diseases, and environmental stresses, and reducing reliance on chemical pesticides. Currently cultivated in 29 countries across nearly 190 million hectares, major GM crops such as soybean, maize, cotton, and canola show particularly high adoption in the Americas and India. Their cultivation has improved farmer incomes and reduced production costs. Bt-based crops have also lowered pesticide exposure, benefiting farm workers? health. However, concerns related to allergenicity, antibiotic resistance, long-term health risks, and public acceptance persist, highlighting the need for rigorous biosafety evaluation and transparent scientific communication.

Textiles today serve not only as protectors and comfort providers but also as attentive listeners to the language of your body. The inherent potential of textile technology has been used to create high-end and high-tech products that cater to markets that are not traditionally served by textiles. Smart textiles are one of such technological creations. It's clear that smart clothing means more than filling a number of cargo pockets of a battle uniform with computer equipment or putting electronic devices and batteries in it. It's a technology with an enormous degree of complexity. The innovative use of sensor technology and textile engineering to track minor physiological changes generated by the human body is one of the functions of the smart textiles. These smart textiles are therefore known for their ability of tracking and analyzing the vital parameters such as body temperature, respiration, heart rate, and muscular activity. They serve as monitors of one?s health and well-being through incorporation of sensors and conductors seamlessly.

A growing tropical superfood prized for its remarkable nutritional makeup and therapeutic qualities is dragon fruit, also referred to as pitaya. This fruit, which is a member of the cactus species of the genera Hylocereus and Selenicereus and grows well in arid tropical regions, is widely grown in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and increasingly in India. It is abundant in the B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, iron, dietary fibre, and healthy fatty acids, all of which are vital for general health and well-being. Dragon fruit also includes potent bioactive substances such betalains, polyphenols, and flavonoids that help neutralise dangerous free radicals and offer high antioxidant protection. Among its many therapeutic advantages, the fruit is especially beneficial for cardiovascular health since it improves blood circulation and lowers bad cholesterol. Its high fibre content and low glycaemic index help to effectively control blood sugar and manage diabetes. Additionally, dragon fruit promotes digestive health by preventing constipation and enhancing good gut bacteria as a natural prebiotic. Laboratory studies indicate that its bioactive chemicals may have anti-cancer benefits, and its vitamin C and antioxidant content boost immunity and lower inflammation. Dragon fruit is important for agriculture and the economy in addition to its health benefits because of its adaptability, low water requirements, and rising demand on the international market. It also highlights its importance in future food security by providing chances for nutraceutical research and value-added product development. All things considered, dragon fruit is a nutrient-dense functional food that has significant potential to treat lifestyle disorders, enhance nutrition, and support global sustainable agricultural growth.

The global dairy sector is undergoing a transformative shift with the emergence of lab-grown milk, produced via precision fermentation. Unlike plant-based alternatives, lab-grown milk replicates the exact proteins found in cow?s milk?casein and whey?without involving animals. This technology offers sustainable, ethical, and climate-friendly solutions, with the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water consumption. Globally, start-ups such as Perfect Day, Remilk, and TurtleTree are pioneering fermentation-derived dairy, securing regulatory approvals in the US, Singapore, and Israel. For India, the world?s largest milk producer, lab-grown milk presents both opportunities and challenges: it can reduce imports of whey protein, create high-value protein markets, promote biotech entrepreneurship, and complement traditional dairying. Key challenges include regulatory clarity, consumer acceptance, technology costs, and protection of smallholder livelihoods. Strategic policy support, public-private partnerships, and investment in indigenous biotechnology are critical to the integration of lab-grown milk into India?s dairy sector. A balanced approach can enable India to harness innovation while safeguarding cultural traditions and rural economies, positioning the country as a global leader in sustainable dairy.

Seed production in annual flowering crops plays a crucial role in sustaining the floriculture industry by ensuring the supply of genetically pure, high-quality seeds. The essential principles of annual flower seed production including selection of suitable varieties, site and soil requirements, isolation distance and standardised cultural practices (Hartmann et al., 2011). It emphasises the importance of proper sowing time, nutrient and irrigation management, pollination behaviour and systematic roguing for maintaining varietal purity. Critical aspects of seed maturity, harvesting at physiological ripeness, post-harvest drying, processing and safe storage are also discussed to preserve seed viability and vigour.

Accurate heat detection plays a vital role in maintaining reproductive performance, milk yield, and overall farm income in dairy cattle and buffalo (De Vries, 2006; Lucy, 2001). Conventional observation methods frequently fail to identify estrus correctly, particularly in buffalo where heat signs are less visible, resulting in longer open periods and financial losses (Roelofs et al., 2010; Diskin & Sreenan, 2000). AI-based technologies utilize sensors, behavioral monitoring, and data analysis to determine the most suitable time for insemination (Saint-Dizier & Chastant-Maillard, 2012). Studies indicate that these systems significantly enhance detection efficiency, improve pregnancy rates, and contribute to more sustainable dairy production (Roelofs et al., 2010; De Vries, 2006).

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major cereal crop essential for global food security, yet its productivity is severely constrained by diverse diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes. These pathogens reduce yield, grain quality, and farmer income, particularly under favorable environmental conditions. Major fungal diseases such as rusts and Fusarium head blight, bacterial leaf streak, Karnal bunt, viral mosaic diseases, and cereal cyst nematodes significantly affect production worldwide. This manuscript reviews major wheat diseases, their symptoms, and impact, and presents a general methodological framework for disease assessment and management to ensure sustainable wheat production under changing climatic conditions.

The rapid growth of the digital era has resulted in the generation of huge and complex datasets from sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, environmental monitoring, finance, and social media. This has led to the emergence of Big Data, commonly characterized by the five V?s: volume, velocity, variety, veracity, and value. However, data alone cannot provide meaningful knowledge without proper analysis. Statistics plays a crucial role in Big Data by offering systematic tools for organizing, modeling, and interpreting large-scale datasets. Statistical techniques such as regression analysis, hypothesis testing, clustering, factor analysis, and predictive modeling help in identifying patterns, relationships, and trends, thereby supporting evidence-based decision-making. Modern tools including R, Python, SPSS, SAS, Apache Spark, Tableau, and Power BI enhance the processing and visualization of Big Data. Despite its benefits, challenges such as computational complexity, storage issues, privacy risks, and ethical concerns remain significant. Future developments must focus on scalable and transparent analytical methods for sustainable Big Data applications.

Streptococcal infections are among the most destructive bacterial diseases affecting aquaculture worldwide, particularly in warm-water fish such as Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Despite long-term dependence on antibiotics, streptococcosis continues to cause recurrent outbreaks, high mortality, and severe economic losses. The persistence of this disease is largely attributed to pathogen diversity, virulence variation, host?pathogen interaction, and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains. Recent advances in genomic and proteomic studies have provided critical insights into the adaptive mechanisms and virulence determinants of fish-pathogenic Streptococcus spp. This article reviews the epidemiology, pathogenesis, genomic characterization, and current challenges in the management of streptococcal infections in aquaculture systems.

Globally, about 10% of land is affected by waterlogging and over 6% by salinity, reducing soil health and crop productivity. Although conventional drainage systems work effectively, they are expensive and produce effluents that are difficult to handle. Biodrainage offers a sustainable alternative by using deep-rooted, fast-growing and high-transpiring plants to remove excess water and salts through evapotranspiration. This approach not only lowers groundwater levels but also enhances nutrient conservation, promotes carbon sequestration, supports biodiversity and improves crop performance, making it a viable strategy for integrating agroforestry into cropping systems and restoring sustainability in affected agricultural systems.

Predicting crop disease outbreaks remains a significant challenge in agricultural management, with far-reaching implications for food security, yield optimization and environmental sustainability. Traditional disease surveillance systems largely rely on manual field inspections and reactive control measures, which are often labour-intensive and costly prone to human error. To overcome these limitations, this study proposes a machine learning based framework for forecasting crop disease outbreaks by integrating weather and soil data, thereby enabling risk-driven crop protection strategies. The study first investigates the epidemiological relationships between key environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, rainfall, and soil pH, as the occurrence of major fungal, bacterial and viral crop diseases. Using historical datasets obtained from agricultural extension services and meteorological stations, multiple predictive models are developed and evaluated, including Random Forests, Gradient Boosting Machines (GBMs), and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural networks. These models are assessed based on their ability to provide early warnings of disease outbreaks at the farm level, supporting proactive pesticide application and timely agronomic decision-making.

Animal-derived foods such as milk, meat, eggs, and fish provide humans with essential nutrition and are widely consumed across the world. These foods are rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals. However, if proper hygiene is not maintained during production, processing, storage, or transportation, such foods may become contaminated with harmful microorganisms, including viruses.Viruses are microscopic infectious agents that cannot be seen with the naked eye. When contaminated food is consumed, these viruses may enter the human body and cause illnesses such as diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, and gastroenteritis. Therefore, detection and monitoring of viruses in animal-origin foods are extremely important for ensuring food safety and protecting public health. This article explains the major methods used for viral detection in food samples, including ELISA, Latex Agglutination, RT-PCR, and Agarose Gel Electrophoresis, in simple language.

Water scarcity and rising cultivation costs have increased the need for efficient irrigation methods in Indian agriculture. Conventional surface irrigation practices such as flood, basin, and furrow irrigation often result in low water-use efficiency, uneven water distribution, and soil-related problems. In this context, rain-gun sprinkler irrigation offers a practical and efficient alternative for irrigating large agricultural fields. A rain-gun system applies water in the form of artificial rainfall through a high-pressure rotating nozzle, enabling uniform water application over a wide area within a short time. The system consists of key components such as pipelines, connectors, valves, filters, and a tripod-mounted rain gun, and may be used in portable or fixed form depending on field conditions. Rain-gun irrigation is suitable for crops like sugarcane, maize, cotton, groundnut, pulses, vegetables, and fodder, particularly in medium to large fields with sandy loam and loamy soils. Field experiences indicate improved water-use efficiency, reduced labour requirement, and better coverage compared to conventional surface irrigation. Although adoption is influenced by factors such as energy requirement and wind sensitivity, government support through subsidy schemes and growing awareness of water-saving technologies highlight the potential of rain-gun irrigation for sustainable water management in Indian agriculture.

India possesses vast and diverse inland fisheries and aquaculture resources that play a crucial role in supporting livelihoods, food and nutritional security, poverty alleviation and economic development. Inland fisheries contribute significantly to employment generation, income diversification and value addition, particularly for rural and marginalized communities, including women. The sector also supports ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation and national economic growth through trade, taxation and contributions to gross domestic product. Despite its immense potential, the effective use of fisheries for poverty alleviation faces multiple challenges, including resource constraints, overexploitation, destructive fishing practices, post-harvest losses and inadequate adoption of ecosystem-based management approaches. Global initiatives such as the FAO?s Blue Transformation framework highlight the need for sustainable and inclusive management of aquatic food systems. Addressing these challenges through responsible fisheries management, value addition, livelihood diversification and policy support can enhance the sector?s contribution to poverty reduction, food security and sustainable development in India.

Squalene is natural potent antioxidant present in vegetable oil, fish liver oil, palm oil, grain amaranth, buckwheat etc. It is mainly used in skin care products due to photoprotective agent and strongly quenches free radicals. Commercially squalene is derived from deodorized distillate from the refining of vegetable oil followed by extraction either by solvent or super critical fluid extraction method. Micronized squalene emulsions are being used as immune adjuvant, treat the COVID 19. Natural source of squalene served the functions of nutraceuticals i.e. prevention and treatment of CVD, improves the immunity, increase the GSH, CAT, SOD hormones to quenches the free radicals in cellular level. Squalene's potential health benefits are attributed to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cardio protective properties, among others. Hence, the consumption of squalene rich foods can boost immunity, improve skin health and also maintain healthy life style.