In the current investigation, a (TiO 2–Ag/water) hybrid nanofluid (NF), saturated porous medium filled wavy-walled enclosure, and an unstable magneto-mixed convective flow are examined. Heat radiation (Rd) is present with the constant magnetic field (B0), and the cavity, which is partially heated from its bottom wall and cooled from its wavy-left and right walls, contains a square solid block that is solidly surrounded on all sides. The governing PDEs, which are represented in terms of stream function, temperature, and nanoparticle volume percent, are numerically solved using a finite volume technique. It is discovered that as the dimensionless heat source length (B) rises, the streamlines' strength marginally changes while the isotherms in the wavy porous cavity grow increasingly obvious. The results show that increasing the number of undulations and hybrid NF generally produces a higher average Nusselt number …

Salt stress has a significant impact on agricultural output, affecting seed germination and seedling growth. The uncontrolled production of oxidative species (ROS) induces a range of biochemical, physiological, and metabolic changes, resulting in reduced crop yields. Under such circumstances, seed priming may be a feasible and practicable approach for achieving rapid, uniform emergence, vigorous seedlings, and higher crop yields. The present study was therefore executed to explore efficacious effects of various seed priming agents, such as hydro-priming (HP), CaCl2 @ 2% (CaP), and melatonin @ 1000 M (MP) to cope with salt stress in salt-affected fields. A non-priming control treatment (WP) was also included in the trial to allow for a fair comparison of the treatments. Three promising maize genotypes, SB-9617 (V1), YH-1898 (V2), and NCEV-1530-9, were investigated with these priming treatments (V3). The study results depicted that all seed priming methods significantly attenuated the adverse effects of salt stress. However, seed priming with melatonin (MP), on the other hand, improved development and adaptability in maize seedlings under salt stress conditions. In our findings, melatonin priming (MP) significantly produced the higher total soluble sugar (34.6%), total phenolics contents (61.1%), proline contents (45.1 %), and total soluble protein contents (34.8 %), combined with enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity viz., SOD (32.5%), POD (18.2%) and CAT (17.1%) than un-primed (WP). The improved organic osmolytes coupled with activated enzymatic defense system in melatonin priming (MP) caused a significant reduction of malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (35.1%), H2O2 concentration (31.3%) and electrolyte leakage (16.9%) via improving the ROS scavenging activity (15.6%), membrane stability (22.7%) and relative water contents (29.3%) relative to un-primed treatment (WP). The melatonin primed plants also exhibited the highest crop growth and leaf area indices without causing substantial damage to the chlorophyll contents, resulting in increased radiation interception (PAR) and its usage efficiency with improved yield. Interestingly, SB- 9617 (V2) was proved the outperforming maize genotype in maintaining better crop growth and yield with improved physiological and biochemical characters under salt-affected field conditions. The current findings may serve as a chunk of scientific information for the researchers to disclose further the unexplored aspects of salt tolerance mechanism in maize crop to achieve sustainability in crop yield in salt-affected soils.

Approximately 33% of the arable land around the world is vulnerable to drought, which is a very serious issue affecting the yield
and productivity of cereal crops. Two contrasting rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes, HTT-138 (drought tolerant) and (HTT-39 droughtsensitive),
under various levels of water treatments, i.e. control flooded (CF) as recommended for rice (control), control saturated (CS)
100% field capacity (FC), 80% FC, and 60% FC without or with foliar spray (100 mg L–1) of salicylic acid (SA) evaluated to enhance the
yield for food security. The results showed that leaf gas exchange parameters, water use efficiency and water related parameters reduced
under all levels of water deficient conditions. Drought stress increased oxidative stress (superoxide anions and hydrogen peroxide) and
decreased after foliar spray of SA due to enhancement in antioxidant activity (catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, peroxidase, superoxide
dismutase). Ascorbic acid, total soluble protein, total soluble sugar, total phenolics, proline, anthocyanin, salicylic acid, and amylase
activity were reduced under drought stress and increased after foliar spray of SA. HTT-138 showed more tolerance to the drought
stress than HTT-39 under the same levels of water deficient conditions. Although drought-stress was ameliorated by the foliar spray of
SA which not only increased plant growth, dry weight, and metabolism or metabolic activities but also increased the nutritional status
of the plant by decreasing the concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the membranous bounded organelles. In conclusion,
the foliar spray of SA is useful to enhance plant growth and yield in cereal crops especially those grown in abiotic stress environments

Lake Qarun, the third-largest saline lake in Egypt, has been plagued with algal blooms and experienced decline in fisheries. However, the toxicity of these blooms has not explored yet. Therefore, the present study is the first to evaluate the toxicity of the most frequently recorded harmful algal blooms (HABs) in Lake Qarun. The results showed an occurrence of dinoflagellate bloom in site1 located near El-Bats drain (1.4 ×10 8 cells L −1 ) and site 2 located near El-Wadi drain (1.9 ×10 8 cells L −1 ), but not found in site 3 located away from drains. This bloom associated with high nutrient concentrations and low salinity in these sites. Both intact cells and cell lysate of bloom samples and cultured species, but not cell-free supernatants, exhibited toxicity towards Artemia salina and cytotoxicity for the gill assay, with higher toxicity incurred by lysed cells. The cytotoxicity varied signif- icantly among bloom-constituting species, with highest obtained by the most dominant species; Protoperidinium quinquecorne (LC 50 = 445 cells ml −1 for lysed cells), Prorocentrum micans (LC 50 = 757 cells ml −1 ) , Gymnodinium lantzschii (LC 50 = 1151 cells ml −1 ) and Am- phidinium carterae (LC 50 = 1289 cells ml −1 ). These LC 50 s showed greater correlation with the percentages of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA): octadecatetraenoic (OTA), eicos- apentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) in these microalgae, indicating the role of these fatty acids in ichthyotoxicity. No detectable levels of known phycotoxins were found in bloom or cultured species. This study suggests regular monitoring and systematic as- sessment of HABs and their toxins in Lake Qarun to mitigate their occurrence and maintain fisheries and seafood safety.

Drought stress is an inevitable factor that disturbs the production of plants by altering
morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular functions. Breeding for drought tolerance
requires a complete understanding of the molecular factors controlling stress-responsive pathways.
The plant responds to drought stress by adopting four mechanisms: avoidance, escape, tolerance, and
recovery. Traditional plant-breeding tools have been employed to increase tolerance in cotton, but the
complexity of drought tolerance has limited the use of these breeding methods. The plant adopts
several key strategies against drought stress, such as activating the signaling network and activating
molecular factors. Cotton breeders have been engaged in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of
drought tolerance in cotton using significant molecular tools such as quantitative trait loci (QTL)
mapping, transcription factor (TFs) analysis, transcriptome analysis, genome-wide association studies
(GWAS), genetic engineering, and CRISPR/Cas9. Breeders have studied the functional description of
genes and the interacting pathways accountable for controlling drought tolerance in cotton. Hundreds
of genes/QTL have been identified, and many have been cloned for drought tolerance in cotton;
however, a complete understanding of these traits still needs more study. This review presents a
detailed overview of molecular tools, their application for improving drought tolerance in cotton,
and their prospects. This review will help future researchers to conduct further studies to develop
drought-tolerant cotton genotypes that can thrive under conditions of water scarcity.

Plants in their natural environment are constantly subjected to various abiotic and biotic stressors and, therefore, have developed several defense
mechanisms to maintain fitness. Stress responses are intricate and require various physiological, biochemical, and cellular changes in plants. The reaction
mechanisms in plants subjected to drought, salinity, or heat stress alone have been explained in numerous studies. However, the field conditions are significantly
different from the controlled laboratory conditions. In the field, crops or plants are simultaneously exposed to two or more abiotic and/or biotic stress
conditions, such as a combination of salinity and heat, drought and cold, or any of the abiotic stresses combined with pathogen infection. Studies have shown
that plants’ reactions to combinations of more than two stress factors are distinct and cannot be explicitly deduced from their responses to different stresses
when applied separately. Therefore, additional research is needed to understand the complete mechanism of plant responses to stress by analyzing data
between single stress and multiple stress responses. This review aims to provide an overview of current research on plant responses to a combination of
various stress conditions and their influence on the metabolic, transcriptional, and physiological characteristics of plants.

Due to environmental pollution, crop growth and productivity are threatened at different levels. Recapitulation
of changes in plant bodies due to water pollution and mitigating strategies reveal the need for pr´ecised actions to
save crop losses. The present study was carried out to estimate modulations in growth, mineral homeostasis, and
nutrient profile of fruits in Capsicum annum L. grown with three concentrations of wastewater (25, 50, 100%) and
two levels of silver nanoparticles (40 and 80 mg/L AgNPs). It has been reported that ion accumulation patterns
from wastewater clearly vary among crops. Our findings manifested that the application of AgNPs significantly
improved the mineral ions in different plant tissues, that ultimately helped to improve growth. Highest improvements
were recorded for root shoot P (316 and 197%) at T9 (80 mg/L AgNPs + normal water), while K
(273 and 262%), Mg (638 and 916%), and Ca (148 and 273%), at T11 (80 mg/L AgNPs + 50% Wastewater), in
comparison with control. Such reduction in elemental uptake that remain detrimental even at low concentrations
positively correlates with growth and nutrition of Capsicum plants. Another facet of our observation is dosedependent
improvement in nutritive attributes of fruits i.e., crude fibers, proteins, and carbohydrates by
AgNPs. T8 (40 mg/L AgNPs + 100% Wastewater), improved nutritional attributes such as P (55%), Mn (44%), Zn
(38%), Carbohydrates (62%), Crude fat (38%), and Fibers (49%) as compared to control. Application of silver
nanoparticles (AgNPs) combined with untreated wastewater (WW) reduced the hazards of contaminants in
plants. The finding of the current study suggested that AgNPs are a cost-efficient and environment friendly
material having the potential to mitigate harmful impacts of WW on plants.

This review delves into the mesmerizing technology of nano-agrochemicals, specifically
pesticides and herbicides, and their potential to aid in the achievement of UN SDG 17, which aims to
reduce hunger and poverty globally. The global market for conventional pesticides and herbicides is
expected to reach USD 82.9 billion by 2027, growing 2.7% annually, with North America, Europe, and
the Asia–Pacific region being the biggest markets. However, the extensive use of chemical pesticides
has proven adverse effects on human health as well as the ecosystem. Therefore, the efficacy, mechanisms,and
environmental impacts of conventional pesticides require sustainable alternatives for
effective pest management. Undoubtedly, nano-agrochemicals have the potential to completely transform
agriculture by increasing crop yields with reduced environmental contamination. The present
review discusses the effectiveness and environmental impact of nanopesticides as promising strategies
for sustainable agriculture. It provides a concise overview of green nano-agrochemical synthesis
and agricultural applications, and the efficacy of nano-agrochemicals against pests including insects
and weeds. Nano-agrochemical pesticides are investigated due to their unique size and exceptional
performance advantages over conventional ones. Here, we have focused on the environmental risks
and current state of nano-agrochemicals, emphasizing the need for further investigations. The review
also draws the attention of agriculturists and stakeholders to the current trends of nanomaterial use
in agriculture especially for reducing plant diseases and pests. A discussion of the pros and cons of
nano-agrochemicals is paramount for their application in sustainable agriculture.

The study of the DNA damage response in erythrocytes after exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can present evidence for its potential effect as genotoxic- biomarkers for environmental pollution. Although VOCs are dangerous pollutants, still little is known about hemotoxic, cytotoxic, and genotoxic effects of such pollutants on fish. We optimized an assay method for apoptosis and DNA damage in erythrocytes of adult tilapia fish after 15 days exposure to benzene (0.762 ng/L), toluene (26.614 ng/L), and xylene (89.403 ng/L). The highest level of apoptosis and DNA damage were recorded in benzene-exposed fish, as was the highest level of histopathological alterations in gills, liver, and kidney. The imbalance of the antioxidants profile explained the stress-case reported in exposed fish. These results suggest that hemotoxic, cytotoxic, genotoxic, and tissue damage were recorded after exposure to BTX in Oreochromis niloticus.

Microplastics (MPs) pollution is a newly emerging environmental issue. MPs can accumulate within animals and humans, which can pose a serious health threat. Petroleum-based polyethylene (PE) is one of the most popular plastics. Accordingly, its exposure rates have steadily increased over the years. This study aimed to analyze the effects of PE-MPs on the hematological system of albino rats and the epigenetic effect. Five groups of adult male eight-weeks-old rats received either distilled water, corn oil, 3.75 mg/kg PE-MPs, 15 mg/kg PE-MPs, or 60 mg/kg of PE-MPs, daily by oral gavage for 35 days. PE-MPs significantly increased the body weights of the rats and lipid peroxidation, with concomitant reduction of superoxide dismutase activity and depletion of reduced glutathione, thus adversely affecting oxidants/antioxidants balance. Moreover, PE-MPs increased the % of abnormal RBCs, irregular cells, tear drop cells, Schistocyte cells, and folded cells. The genotoxic effects on DNA were evident by increased DNA damage, confirmed by the comet assay, in addition to increased DNA methylation. The effects of PE-MPs have been shown to be dose correlated. In conclusion, this study provides evidence of dose-related PE-MPs-induced hematological, genotoxic, and epigenetic effects in mammals, and thus emphasizes the potentially hazardous health effects of environmental PE-MPs.