Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is a private university located in&nbsp;Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 1984, as Vellore Engineering College, the institution offers 20 undergraduate, 34 postgraduate, four integrated and four research programs. It has campuses in Vellore, Amravati, Bhopal and Chennai.

VIT is one of the top ranked private universities in India according to NIRF, THE and QS Rankings.&nbsp;Govt. of India has recognized&nbsp;VIT, Vellore as an&nbsp;Institution of Eminence. This has allowed VIT to take independent quality initiatives and move up in world ranking.

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VIT University

Silicon is a beneficial element to improve the biological process, growth, development, and crop productivity. The review mainly focuses on the advantage of crops supplemented with silicon, how Si alleviate abiotic stress as well as regulate the genes and proteins involved in metabolic and biological functions in plants. Abiotic stress causes damage to the proteins, nucleic acids, affect transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, alter the nutrient balance, and cell desiccation which could reduce the growth and development of the plants. To overcome from this problem researchers, focus on beneficial element like silicon to protect the plants against various abiotic stresses. The previous review reports are based on the application of silicon on salinity and drought stress, plant defense mechanism, the elevation of plant metabolism, enhancement of the biochemical and physiological properties, regulation of secondary metabolites and plant hormone. Here, we discuss about the silicon uptake and accumulation in plants, and silicon regulates the reactive oxygen species under abiotic stress, further we mainly focus on the genes and proteins which play a vital role in plants with silicon supplementation. The study can help the researchers to focus further on plants to improve the advancement in them under abiotic stress. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.

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VIT School for Agricultural Innovations and Advanced Learning

Vellore Campus

Journal of Biotechnology

Silicon biology in crops under abiotic stress: A paradigm shift and cross-talk between genomics and proteomics

Grafting with different rootstocks may provide increased tolerance and yield, even under poor-quality irrigation conditions. We examined the effects of potato rootstock on physiology, dry mass, and yield of tomato scion in pots irrigated with saline water. Tomato (cv. Ikram), potato (cv. Charlotte) and grafted (cv. Ikram/Charlotte) plants were subjected to saline and non-saline water-irrigation treatments (electrical conductivity 5.0 and 1.0 dS m−1, respectively). Physiological, mineral, dry mass and yield analyses were performed. Potato rootstock unchanged the total plant dry mass without disturbing the physiology of the tomato scion under saline water irrigation. The grafted plants showed differential root trait responses with balanced mineral partitioning across plant parts under saline water irrigation. Grafted plants were superior in water productivity by 56.8 and 70.5 % over the control plants under saline and non-saline water-irrigations, respectively. Potato rootstock could improve the tolerance of tomato scion to saline water irrigation through distinct changes in dry mass allocation, and the induction of mineral-compartmentalization processes. The results of this study suggest that the use of potato rootstock may be a good strategy for increasing tolerance to saline water irrigation, as well as the production of both fruits and tubers in a single plant. © 2021 The Author(s)

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Scientia Horticulturae

Grafting of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) onto potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) to improve salinity tolerance

Rice is a staple food predominantly consumed by more than half of the global population. Water deficit is a crucial threat to produce rice globally. Prevailing water-saving techniques for rice can reduce water inputs but are not widely adopted due to the high yield penalty. Partial root-zone irrigation (PRI) is an innovative water-saving technique that allows simultaneous wet and dry areas within the root zone. We hypothesized that optimized PRI improves the water use and reduces the yield penalty of rice. A split root experiment was conducted on rice grown in pots with six defined PRI treatments, that is, PRI1, PRI2, PRI3, PRI4, PRI5, and PRI6. Half of the root system was wetted and alternated between halves with one- (PRI1), two- (PRI2), three- (PRI3), four-(PRI4), five- (PRI5), and six- (PRI6) day intervals. Conventionally irrigated rice plants where the whole root zone of rice was wetted and grown in the nonsplit pot were maintained and considered as control. Control and PRI treatments were irrigated based on 100% potential evapotranspiration demand (ETc). In particular, one PRI treatment (PRI3) showed a remarkable increase in active roots and leaf photosynthesis (PN) by wet and dry cycles within the root zone. Distinctive shoot responses of rice under PRI indicated enriched physiological responses for superior water productivity. The third-day-interval partial root-zone irrigation (PRI3) and conventional irrigation had similar leaf water potential (Ψleaf ), while PRI3 had higher grain yield than conventional treatment and higher root surface area that may have compensated for the moderate level of stress in PRI. The finding that PRI scheduled at three-day intervals (PRI3) was superior to conventional irrigation for a single rice plant is promising and needs to be tested and adapted to field conditions. © 2020 Theivasigamani Parthasarathi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

International Journal of Agronomy

Preliminary investigation on crop growth, physiology, and yield of rice under partial root-zone irrigation

Plants optimize water use and carbon assimilation via transient regulation of stomata resistance and by limiting hydraulic conductivity in a long-term response of xylem anatomy. We postulated that without effective hydraulic regulation plants would permanently restrain water loss and photosynthetic productivity under salt stress conditions. We compared wild-type tomatoes to a transgenic type (TT) with impaired stomatal control. Gas exchange activity, biomass, starch content, leaf area and root traits, mineral composition and main stems xylem anatomy and hydraulic conductivity were analyzed in plants exposed to salinities of 1 and 4 dS m−1 over 60 days. As the xylem cannot easily readjust to different environmental conditions, shifts in its anatomy and the permanent effect on plant hydraulic conductivity kept transpiration at lower levels under unstressed conditions and maintained it under salt-stress, while sustaining higher but inefficient assimilation rates, leading to starch accumulation and decreased plant biomass, leaf and root area and root length. Narrow conduits in unstressed TT plants were related to permanent restrain of hydraulic conductivity and plant transpiration. Under salinity, TT plants followed the atmospheric water demand, sustained similar transpiration rate from unstressed to salt-stressed conditions and possibly maintained hydraulic integrity, due to likely impaired hydraulic regulation, wider conduits and higher hydraulic conductivity. The accumulation of salts and starch in the TT plants was a strong evidence of salinity tolerance via osmotic regulation, also thought to help to maintain the assimilation rates and transpiration flux under salinity, although it was not translated into higher growth. © 2020 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society

Physiologia Plantarum

Wide vessels sustain marginal transpiration flux and do not optimize inefficient gas exchange activity under impaired hydraulic control and salinity

The use of drip irrigation in upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation is a contemporary water-saving strategy. However, inadequate evidence is available related to consequential changes in water productivity on rice yield. The effects of distinctive drip irrigation treatments, namely differences in lateral distances (0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 m), dripper discharge rates (0.6 and 1.0 L per hour, Lph), irrigation methods (surface and subsurface), and the conventional aerobic rice production system (control) on, physiology and water productivity of rice were studied during the summer of 2012 and 2013. Grain yield significantly increased in the subsurface drip irrigation method laid out at 0.8 m lateral distance and in 1.0 Lph discharge rate (5389 kg ha–1) compared with control irrigation method (4181 kg ha–1). This treatment mounts up dry matter partitioning, leaf photosynthesis as well as root oxidizing power. In addition, drip irrigation in aerobic rice production system had twice the water productivity and stimulates longer roots with higher density compared with control irrigation method. The subsurface drip irrigation system with drippers/laterals of 0.8-m distance with flow rate 1.0 Lph, in aerobic rice production system is a cost-effective method and had the potential to save water (27.0%) without compromising grain yield in comparison to control irrigation method. This could be the promising technology to be recommended for aerobic rice production system. © 2018 by the American Society of Agronomy.

Agronomy Journal

Evaluation of drip irrigation system for water productivity and yield of rice

Background: Roots are the key elements in water saving rice cultivation. So, the response of rice roots are to be phenotyped under varied drip irrigation treatments. Methods: This study describes an investigation on rice root phenotyping under drip irrigation treatments in split-split plot design. Two lateral spacing levels (0.8 and 1.2m), two depths of irrigation (5-10 and 15-20 cm) by solar powered and well operated irrigation were tested using TNRH 180, JKRH 3333 and ADT(R)45 rice genotypes during the summer season (2013 & 2014) in Coimbatore, India. Conventional aerobic irrigation was considered as control. Results and Discussion: An increased root length, root density (length and weight), root Adinosine Tri Phosphotase enzyme activity, root volume and filled grain percentage were favored in aerobic rice under the conditions of 0.8m lateral distance with 5-10cm depth of sub surface drip irrigation (SDI). Improved root characteristics were observed in JKRH 3333 rice hybrid, and root density and thickness favored the filled grains and yield increment in rice by drip irrigation. The 0.8m lateral distance laid out at 5-10cm depth SDI proliferated more roots at subsurface soil layer with significant yield increment in rice. © 2017 Parthasarathi T et al.

F1000Research

Variation in rice root traits assessed by phenotyping under drip irrigation

Drip irrigation studies were conducted in aerobic rice during the dry season (July–October) of 2011 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India with three levels of lateral distances (0.6, 0.8 or 1.0 m) and two discharge rates, viz., 0.6 and 1.0 litre per hour (LPH) emitters. Among the lateral distances, 0.8 m lateral distance adjudged as optimum spacing for better performance in terms of physiological responses as well as yield. Between two-discharge rates, 1.0 LPH drippers out performed 0.6 LPH drippers. Interactively, laterals spaced at 0.8 m with 1.0 LPH drippers exhibited best performance by way of physiological attributes [such as relative water content, chlorophyll stability index, soluble protein, photosynthesis (PN), stomatal resistance (gs), internal CO2 concentration (Ci), nitrate reductase activity and proline content], yield and its components along with water productivity. Therefore, it is suggested that the lateral spacing of 0.8 m with 1.0 LPH drippers with the plants spaced at 20 × 10 cm is the best treatment for aerobic rice cultivation in enhancing the grain yield and water productivity in the areas of limited water availability. © 2015, Indian Society for Plant Physiology.

Indian Journal of Plant Physiology

Effects of impulse drip irrigation systems on physiology of aerobic rice

Maize (Zea mays L.) crops were grown at Coimbatore in the years 2009 and 2010 during the kharif season. The treatments imposed were three soil moisture levels: 100% irrigation water supply (0.8 IW/CPE ratio), 75% irrigation water supply (0.6 IW/CPE ratio) and 50% irrigation water supply (0.4 IW/CPE ratio). The plant density treatments adopted were normal spacing (60 × 20 cm), narrow spacing (30 × 30 cm) and reduced narrow spacing (45 × 20 cm) levels. Increasing the plant density, i.e., changing the plant population per unit area increased the yield of maize, even with some reduction in soil moisture levels. But further reduction in soil moisture and narrow spacing caused yield decrease. The individual treatments of normal irrigation practice, narrow plant spacing and their combinations registered better performance in terms of kernel and stover yield. From the correlation studies, the relative water content of leaves (90.7%), followed by yield components such as fi lled kernel number (67.0%) and 100-kernel weight (66.9%) were highly correlated with the kernel yield of maize. Copyright © 2014 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

International Journal of Water

Physiological interaction of soil moisture defi cit and plant population on yield and yield components relationships of maize (zea mays L.)

Experiment was conducted with three water levels such as 100, 75 and 50% with three spacing, viz. normal, narrow and reduced narrow spacing of maize. Reducing the plant spacing, enhanced the plant population per unit area which increases maize yield even under reduced soil moisture level. Individual treatments of normal irrigation practice, narrow plant spacing and its interaction registered better performance of kernel, stover yield and yield attributes.

Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Impact of soil moisture and plant population on yield components and yield of maize (Zea mays)

Drip irrigation studies were conducted in aerobic rice during Dry Season (DS), 2011 and Summer Season (SS) 2012 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Drip irrigation treatments comprised of three levels of lateral distance (0.6, 0.8 or 1.0 m lateral distance) with the two discharge rates (0.6 or 1.0 L h -1 emitters) in DS 2011. In SS 2012, the micro irrigation treatments namely; surface, sub surface drip irrigation SDI with two discharge rates (0.6 or 1.0 L h-1 emitters) with 0.8 m lateral distance and a lysimeter based irrigation treatment were applied. Among the lateral distances, 0.8 m lateral distance registered as the optimum spacing for the better performance in root characters, growth and yield attributes than rest of the lateral distances. From the surface-drip and sub-surface drip irrigation SDI treatments, the SDI performed better in terms of root character, growth and yield attributes. Among the discharge rates, 1.0 L h-1 drippers outperformed 0.6 L h-1 drippers in terms of water use efficiency and grain yield. Interactively, laterals spaced at 0.8 m with 1.0 L h-1 drippers laid sub surface-drip through fertigation exhibited better performance in terms of root parameters (such as root length, Root Mass Density, root biomass and root volume) along with growth attributes (Leaf Area Index, Specific Leaf Weight, Crop Growth Rate and Net Assimilation Rate), yield and its components (such as productive tillers, spikelet numbers, filled grain percentage and Harvest Index) along with water productivity when compared with the conventional irrigation treatment. Therefore, it is suggested that the lateral spacing of 0.8 m with 1.0 L h-1 drippers when the plants spaced at 20 cm × 10 cm with SDI through fertigation is adjudged as the best treatment for aerobic rice cultivation in enhancing the values for water productivity and grain yield in areas of limited water availability.

International Agricultural Engineering Journal

Effect of various micro irrigation treatments on growth and yield response of aerobic rice

Drip irrigation studies were conducted in aerobic rice during Dry Season (DS), 2011 and Summer Season (SS) 2012 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Treatments comprised of three lateral distances (0.6, 0.8 or 1.0 m lateral distance) with two discharge rates (0.6 or 1.0 lph emitters) in DS 2011. Surface, sub surface drip irrigation (SDI) with two discharge rates (0.6 or 1.0 lph emitters) were implied in SS 2012. Interactively, laterals spaced at 0.8 m with 1.0 lph drippers + 30% more water on surface drip through fertigation exhibited better performance in terms of root parameters (such as root length, Mass Density, volume and biomass), yield and its components. But, Lateral spacing of 0.8 m plants spaced at 20×10 cm with 1.0 lph drippers along with SDI treatment achieved good root parameters with yield and better water productivity when compared with the conventional irrigation treatment.

American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture

Effects of impulse drip irrigation on root response of aerobic rice

Maize (Zea mays L.) crop was grown at Coimbatore in the year 2009 during kharif season. The treatments imposed were three soil moisture levels, 100% irrigation water supply (0.8 IW/CPE ratio), 75% irrigation water supply (0.6 IW/CPE ratio), 50% irrigation water supply (0.4 IW/CPE ratio) and plant density treatments adopted were normal spacing (60×20 cm), narrow spacing (30×30 cm), reduced narrow spacing (45×20 cm) levels. Increasing the plant density which cause by the change in plant population per unit area that increase the yield of maize even the reduction in soil moisture levels. But further reduction in soil moisture and narrow spacing causes yield decrease. The individual treatments of normal irrigation practice, narrow plant spacing and its combinations were registered better performance on kernel, stover yield. From the correlation studies the relative water content of leaf (90.7%) followed by the yield components such as filled kernel number (67.0%) and 100-kernel weight (66.9%) were highly correlated with the kernel yield of maize.

Plant Archives

Physiological impact of irrigation water deficit and plant density on maize yield and yield components

Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers

Development of surfactin based nanoemulsion formulation from selected cooking oils: Evaluation for antimicrobial activity against selected food associated microorganisms

Nanoagriculture is a viable technology by using nanomaterials under various purposes such as nano biocides, seed germination, genetic material transfer in agricultural crops. Nanoparticles were toxic to the plant, human and environment. The nanoparticles are move to the plant by various mechanisms by root uptake, cuticular translocation. The Phytotoxic effect of nanoparticles were reduced root length, shoot length, biomass production, increased genetic material damage, agglomeration observed by the increasing nanoparticle concentration. By reduce the effect of nano material in cultivable crops; prior invitro analysis reduces the phytotoxic effect. Standardization of safe concentration of each nano material at varying concentration and its physiological, biochemical response to agricultural crops should be studied are used to reduce the phytotoxicity to the sustainable safe environment and sustainable for second green revolution in the future. © 2011 IEEE.