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Context: Exogenous use of potential organic compounds through different modes is a promising strategy for the induction of water stress tolerance in crop plants for better yield., Aims: The present study aimed to explore the potential role of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) in inducing water stress tolerance in mungbean lines when applied exogenously through various modes., Methods: The experiment was conducted in a field with a split-plot arrangement, having three replicates for each treatment. Two irrigation regimes, including normal and reduced irrigation, were applied. The plants allocated to reduced irrigation were watered only at the reproductive stage. Three levels of ALA (0, 0.1, 0.15 mM) were applied through different modes (seed priming, foliar or priming+foliar)., Key Results: ALA treatment through different modes manifested higher growth under reduced irrigation (water stress) and normal irrigation. Compared to the other two modes, the application of ALA as seed priming was found more effective in ameliorating the adverse impacts of water stress on growth and yield associated with their better content of leaf photosynthetic pigments, maintenance of plant water relations, levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants, improved activities of enzymatic antioxidants, and decreased lipid peroxidation and H 2 O 2 levels. The maximum increase in shoot fresh weight (29% and 28%), shoot dry weight (27% and 24%), 100-grain weight (24% and 23%) and total grain yield (20% and 21%) in water-stressed mungbean plants of line 16003 and 16004, respectively, was recorded due to ALA seed priming than other modes of applications., Conclusions: Conclusively, 0.1 and 0.15 mM levels of ALA as seed priming were found to reduce the adverse impact of water stress on mungbean yield that was associated with improved physio-biochemical mechanisms., Implications: The findings of the study will be helpful for the agriculturalists working in arid and semi-arid regions to obtain a better yield of mungbean that will be helpful to fulfill the food demand in those areas to some extent., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2024 Mian et al.)

Salinity affects crop growth by modulating cellular ionic concentrations and generation of reactive oxygen species. Application of silicon (Si) has proved beneficial in ameliorating salinity-triggered plant growth and yield retardations. Leaf roll explants of three sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum ) genotypes (HSF-240, CPF-246, CPF-250) were cultured in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with K2 SiO3 . In vitro regenerated plantlets were acclimatised and grown in natural saline soil. In absence of Si, cv. CPF-246 exhibited better salt tolerance as indicted by maximum chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b contents, rate of photosynthesis and root K+ uptake along with less cellular hydrogen peroxide content. Silicon restricted root Na+ uptake but assisted in K+ , Ca2+ , Mg2+ and Fe2+ accretion in roots and their translocation towards shoots. Cv. HSF-240 and cv. CPF-250 exhibited more increase in photosynthetic pigment content, stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rate after addition of 25 or 50mgL-1 Si than control group. Optimum phenolic content and antioxidant enzyme activity along with decreased lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide content were recorded in all three sugarcane genotypes raised in presence of 25 or 50mgL-1 Si. These findings signify Si supplementation (50mgL-1 ) in tissue culture medium and plant adaptation in saline soil. Further in vitro studies involving Si-mediated gene expression modulations in sugarcane protoplasts shall assist in deciphering cross-talk between Si uptake and cellular responses. The application of Si can further be tested for other plant species to devise strategies for improved crop growth and utilisation of saline areas for crop cultivation.

We evaluated the effects of different concentrations (0.05 and 0.15mM) of a benzothiazine (BTh) derivative on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in normal (100% field water capacity, FWC) and drought (60% FWC) conditions. Various morphological and physiological characteristics, and the uptake of osmo-protectants and nutrients were measured under the two FWC conditions. Results show that the drought conditions significantly reduced plant growth, affected plant composition, reduced the concentrations of photosynthetic pigments and affected gaseous exchange attributes, stomatal behaviour, and uptake fluxes of essential nutrients, while increasing the contents of different osmo-protectants and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants to decrease the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within the cells/tissues. However, seed priming with BTh reduced water stress conditions by increasing plant growth and biomass, photosynthetic pigments, stomatal behaviour, different gaseous exchange attributes, and uptake fluxes of essential nutrients compared with unprimed plants. In addition, the plant has a strong antioxidant defense system, which further increased its activities under BTh derivative treatments, to scavenge ROS production and maintain cell turgor under water stress conditions. In conclusion, drought stress-induced oxidative stress and altered the growth of T. aestivum , whereas seed priming increased plant growth and antioxidant production by improving the plant tolerance to drought. We suggest that seed priming with a BTh derivative as an effective priming technique in T. aestivum for reducing drought stress tends to benefit a grower in terms of better growth to fulfil the market demand for food cereals.

Bacillus species have been reported to reduce the negative effects of salt stress on plants; the involvement of Bacillus anthracis PM21 and the internal mechanisms involved in this process are unclear. The effects of PM21 inoculation on maize plants under salt stress were investigated in this study. The study aimed to assess the ability of Bacillus anthracis PM21 to endure high levels of salinity stress while preserving the concentration of plant growth regulators. The biomass, photosynthetic pigments, relative water content (RWC), antioxidants, osmoprotectants, inorganic ion contents, regulation of plant hormones and expression of antioxidants enzyme encoded genes were investigated under normal and salinity stress conditions. Bacillus anthracis PM21 produced a significant amount of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase enzyme (ACC deaminase) and exopolysaccharides (EPS) under salt stress and normal conditions. PM21 also produced plant growth stimulants including indole acetic acid, gibberellic acid (GA3), kinetin, and siderophore under salinity stress and normal conditions. Under salt stress, PM21 inoculation markedly increased plant growth indices, stimulate antioxidant enzyme mechanisms, osmoprotectants, and chlorophyll content. The use of qRT-PCR to analyze the transcription of targeted genes indicated greater expression of antioxidant-encoded genes and inferred their possible function in salinity stress tolerance. Our findings shed light on the functions of PM21 and its regulatory mechanisms in plant salt stress tolerance, as well as the importance of PM21 in this process. This study will provide a thorough analysis of the theoretical framework for adopting PM21 in agricultural production as an eco-friendly method to enhance crop growth and yield under salinity stress., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a common edible plant, famous for several nutritional and therapeutic benefits. This study investigates the salt -induced modulations in plant growth, physio-biochemical responses, and antioxidant performance of M. oleifera grown under 0, 50, and 100 mM NaCl concentrations. Results showed that the plant effectively managed moderate salinity (50 mM NaCl) by maintaining succulence, weight ratios, and biomass allocation patterns of both shoot and root with minimal reduction in dry biomass. However, high salinity (100 mM NaCl) remarkably declined all growth parameters. The plant accumulated more Na + and Cl - , while less K + under salinity as compared to the control. Consequently, osmotic potentials of both root and leaf decreased under salinity, which was corroborated by the high amount of proline and soluble sugars. Increased level of H 2 O 2 with significantly unchanged membrane fluidity indicating its role in perceiving and managing stress at moderate salinity. In addition, increased activities of superoxide dismutase, and catalase, with increased glutathione and flavonoid contents suggest an integrated participation of both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant components in regulating ROS. On the other hand, high salinity caused an outburst of ROS indicated by high H 2 O 2 , MDA, and electrolyte leakage. As a response, moringa drastically increased the activities of all antioxidant enzymes and contents of antioxidant molecules including ascorbic acid, glutathione, total phenols, and flavonoids with high radical scavenging and reducing power capacities. However, a considerable amount of energy was used in such management resulting in a significant growth reduction at 100 mM NaCl. This study suggests that moringa effectively resisted moderate salinity by modulating physio-biochemical attributes and effectively managing ion toxicity and oxidative stress. Salt stress also enhanced the medicinal potentials of moringa by increasing the contents of antioxidant compounds including ascorbic acid, glutathione, total phenols, and flavonoids and their resulting activities. It can be grown on degraded/ saline lands and biomass of this plant can be used for edible and medicinal purposes, besides providing other benefits in a global climate change scenario., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Different techniques are being employed to reduce the adverse effects of water stress on seed yield and quality of crop plants. The current study aimed to improve the water stress tolerance of field-grown sunflower by foliar-supplied ecofriendly iron-chelated aspartate (Fe-Asp) in comparison with FeSO 4 . Water stress decreased the plant growth and yield, accompanied with disturbed water relations, nutrient acquisition, accumulation of amino acids, and antioxidative defense mechanisms. However, lipid peroxidation, total anthocyanin, and photosynthetic pigments were increased. Fertigation of FeSO 4 and Fe-Asp as foliar sprays proved effective to reduce the negativities of limited irrigation on biomass production and seed yield, accompanied with a reduction in lipid peroxidation and improvements in water relations, antioxidative defense mechanisms, and leaf photosynthetic pigments. In comparison with FeSO 4 , foliary applied Fe-Asp better improved the plant water relations with more accumulation of essential amino acids and nutrient acquisition, especially leaf aspartate (Asp) and Fe accumulation which showed better translocation. Overall, foliary applied Fe-Asp proved better for induction of drought tolerance in sunflower plants as compared with FeSO 4 . The study recommended the use of the ecofriendly Fe-Asp as a foliar spray for better growth and production of sunflower under limited irrigation.

Effects of high hydrostatic pressure (100, 200, and 400 MPa) and soaking solution (citric acid, calcium chloride, ascorbic acid, and distilled water) on proximate composition, polyphenols, anthocyanins, β-carotene, and antioxidant activity of white, orange, and purple fleshed sweet potato flour were investigated. Total polyphenol content was increased in sweet potato flour of Jishu 98 (white) at 200 MPa with ascorbic acid and Pushu 32 (orange) at 0.1 MPa with ascorbic acid treatment (0.51 and 0.83 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry weight, respectively), but was decreased in Xuzishu No. 3 (purple) in both high hydrostatic pressure and soaking solution treatments. Total anthocyanin content was declined in all treated sweet potato flour. Nevertheless, high hydrostatic pressure with citric acid, calcium chloride, and distilled water significantly increased the β-carotene content in Pushu 32. Correlation analysis between total polyphenol content, total anthocyanin content, and antioxidant activity suggested that polyphenols are the most pivotal antioxidant in sweet potato flour. High hydrostatic pressure and soaking solution treated sweet potato flour could be potentially utilized in food with acceptable nutritional values.

Environmental and anthropogenic activities are pushing the earth towards warmer years, which is reducing agricultural land and causing water scarcity. It is well documented that sunflower (being drought tolerant) crops can be grown under water deficit conditions with some additional supportive priming applications to compensate for drought-induced challenges. However, finding the most efficient and eco-friendly priming tools is always a top priority among researchers to improve plant growth, adaptive traits, and productivity. In this study, an experiment was performed on oil-producing crops (sunflower) using seed magnetic treatment. The seeds were subjected to 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 Tesla for 20 min, respectively. Plants were exposed to water limitation (100 and 50%) after 30 days of germination. Sunflower showed its tolerance to water limitation by maintaining the majority of growth parameters, nutritive value, metabolizable energy, and higher proline content. Nevertheless, a reduction in the achene number per capitulum, capitulum weight, chlorophyll, catalase activity, unsaturated to saturated fatty acids, anthocyanin, and hydroxyl derivatives of cinnamic acid supported our hypothesis about the need for some supportive techniques. Better metabolic adjustment and percentage of oil yield were manifested by 0.3 T magnetic seed treatment, which was used for phenolic and fatty acid profiling. To conclude, magnetic treatment of seeds may improve their primary metabolic capacity and antioxidation potential, which in turn may activate their secondary metabolism as evidenced by an excess of gallic acid, quercetin, benzoic acid, curcumin acid, sinapic acid, and chlorogenic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water stress is the most important abiotic factor limiting the germination, morphological and non-enzymatic attributes of plants. It also hampers the yield and firm crop stand establishment. For agricultural crops water stress poses a constant challenge and has been considered a severe constraint for the productivity of global agriculture and in the near future its severity and intensity are predicted to increase, towards water stress legumes shows high sensitivity. So, the present study was conducted to examine the water stress tolerance of twenty mung bean cultivars/lines based on the seed germination, morphological and non-enzymatic characteristics. Activities of seed germination attributes (GI and G.E), biomass production of seedling were adversely affected due to the imposition of water stress through PEG while MET and CUE enhanced significantly and G% remained unaffected whereas chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll, phenolics, proline, ascorbic acid, H2O2, flavonoids, total soluble proteins decreased due to the PEG-induced water stress but malondialdehyde (MDA) and glycine betaine contents were increased. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) were increased in all cultivars/lines being the maximum in line V14. The activities of CAT and POD were enhanced in line V14 under the conditions of water stress. In conclusion, line V14 was recommended as water stress tolerant and V19 as water stress sensitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mangrove speeies are growing in exposed areas whieh have heavy metal eontamination. The safeguard the mangrove eeosystem, it is important to understand their antioxidant responses to heavy metal toxieity. The goal of this study was to determine the effeet of multi-heavy metals i.e. (Pb, Cd, Cr and Hg) on two mangrove plants Avicennia marina and Rhizophora mucronata of Indus delta via investigating their antioxidative defenee meehanism of leaves and roots. In this regard mangrove seedlings of both speeies were treated with five different eoneentrations of four heavy metals and different time durations (15, 30, 45 and 60 days) for aseorbate peroxidase, eatalase and superoxide dismutase in leaves and root tissues. The findings indieate that the heavy metals have signifieantly altered the antioxidant enzyme aetivities with respeet of metals eoneentration and duration of exposure. With extended exposure higher antioxidant aetivities was observed in metal treated roots and leaves at higher eoneentrations. A pronouneed stimulation (P<0.001) of CAT aetivity in both roots and leaves of A. marina oeeurred after 15 days of stress (38.3 and 26.6 Limol/mg protein/min) at 1 MHM. Our analysis also found that roots have shown greater aetivity in proteeting against reaetive oxygen speeies (ROS). Among the roots of two mangroves SOD aetivity in A. marina showed better toleranee towards metals stress (9.26 U/mg protein at 15 MHM) eompare to R. mucronata (6.09 U/mg protein at10 MHM). APX showed maximum stimulation at 20 MHM in leaves (19.130 Limol/mg protein/min) and at 10 MHM in roots (19.02 Limol/mg protein/min) of A. marina after 30 days metals treated plant. Henee, it eonfirms that the antioxidative defenee system plays a eritieal role in A. marina and R. mucronata to tolerate the multiple heavy metals stress. However, A. marina showed greater antioxidant aetivity espeeially eatalyst enzyme aetivity as eompared to R. mucronata, whieh is well evident by its dominaney in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinity severely affects plant nutrient use efficiency and is a worldwide constraint for sustainable crop production. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, with inherent salinity tolerance, are able to enhance plant growth and productivity by inducing modulations in various metabolic pathways. In the present study, we reported the isolation and characterization of a salt-tolerant rhizobacterium from Kallar grass [Leptochloa fusca (L.) Kunth]. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed its lineage to Staphylococcus sciuri and it was named as SAT-17. The strain exhibited substantial potential of phosphate solubilization as well as indole-3-acetic acid production (up to 2 M NaCl) and 1- aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase activity (up to 1.5 M NaCl). Inoculation of a rifampicin-resistant derivative of the SAT-17 with maize, in the absence of salt stress, induced a significant increase in plant biomass together with decreased reactive oxygen species and increased activity of cellular antioxidant enzymes. The derivative strain also significantly accumulated nutrients in roots and shoots, and enhanced chlorophyll and protein contents in comparison with non-inoculated plants. Similar positive effects were observed in the presence of salt stress, although the effect was more prominent at 75 mM in comparison to higher NaCl level (150 mM). The strain survived in the rhizosphere up to 30 days at an optimal population density (ca. 1 × 106 CFU mL-1). It was concluded that S. sciuri strain SAT-17 alleviated maize plants from salt-induced cellular oxidative damage and enhanced growth. Further field experiments should be conducted, considering SAT-17 as a potential bio-fertilizer, to draw parallels between PGPR inoculation, elemental mobility patterns, crop growth and productivity in salt-stressed semi-arid and arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both cancer and diabetes mellitus are serious health issues, accounting more than 11 million deaths worldwide annually. Targeted use of plant-mediated nanoparticles (NPs) in treatment of ailments has outstanding results due to their salient properties. The current study was designed to investigate the safe production of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from Acacia nilotica. Different concentrations of AgNO 3 were tested to optimize the protocol for the synthesis of AgNPs from the bark extract. It was demonstrated that 0.1 M and 3 mM were found to be the optimum concentrations for the synthesis of AgNPs. Standard characterization techniques such as UV–vis spectrophotometry, SEM, SEM-EDX micrograph, spot analysis, elemental mapping and XRD were used for the conformation of biosynthesis of AgNPs. Absorption spectrum of plant-mediated AgNPs under UV–vis spectrophotometer showed a strong peak at 380 nm and 420 nm for AgNPs synthesized at 0.1 M and 3 mM concentration of salt. The SEM results showed that AgNPs were present in variable shapes within average particle size ranging from (20–50 nm). Anticancer, antidiabetic and antioxidant potential of green AgNPs was investigated and they showed promising results as compared to the positive and negative controls. Hence, AgNPs were found potent therapeutic agent against the human liver cancer cell lines (HepG2), strong inhibitor for α-glucosidase enzyme activity and scavenging agent against free radicals that cause oxidative stress. Further studies are however needed to confirm the molecular mechanism and biochemical reactions responsible for the anticancer and antidiabetic activities of the particles. • AgNPs were synthesized using A. nilotica bark extract. • NPs were characterized with XRD, SEM-EDX, EDS spot analysis, Elemental mapping. • Average size of NPs was < 24 nm with agglomerated and crystalline forms. • NPs have anticancer, α-glucosidase inhibition activity and antioxidant potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pot experiment was conducted to appraise the inhibitory effects of salt stress on biochemical attributes in the three mungbean cultivars (NCM-209, NCM-89 and NM-92). Salt stress caused a significant decrease in plant height, shoot relative water contents, photosynthetic pigments, endogenous levels of K+and K+/Na+ratios and increase in cellular levels of H2O2, MDA, Na+and Cl−. However, cv. NCM-209 was found to be tolerant in terms of lower salt-induced decline in K+, K+/Na+ratio and photosynthetic pigments. The endogenous levels of H2O2and MDA were also lower in cv. NCM-209. Salt stress markedly also affected different yield attributes in all mungbean cultivars. Again cultivar NCM-209 exhibited less inhibitory effects of salt stress on different growth attributes. Salt stress resulted in a marked increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase) in mungbean cultivars. Activity of peroxidase was maximal in cv. NCM-209 and catalase activity was maximal in cv. NCM-89, whereas cvs. NCM-89 and NM-92 showed higher activities of superoxide dismutase. Similarly activity of ascorbate peroxidase was higher in cv. NM-92. It could be inferred from data of antioxidant enzymes that mungbean cultivars cannot be categorized as salt tolerant or sensitive on the basis of a single antioxidant enzyme. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Cadmium stress deleteriously affects plant growth and yield with disturbed plant metabolism. Phenylpropanoid pathway (PePP) is an important component of plant secondary metabolism known to produce nutraceutical antioxidants. We hypothesized that tyrosine (Tyr) and lysine (Lys) vary in their metabolic entry into PePP pathway and modulate it differently. Hence, a completely randomized experiment was planned with four replicates; 12 hours primed (control, hydroprimed, 0.2% Tyr, and 0.2% lysine) mungbean seeds with two stress levels (0 and 0.22 mM CdCl2). Harvests were planned at vegetative and fully mature stages of growth. Attributes like total soluble proteins, total phenolic contents, flavonoids, membrane damage characteristics, and phenolic profile were used to compare the efficacy of applications. Cadmium (0.22 mM) reduced growth in terms of leaf dry weight, leaf area, germination percentage, root vigor, shoot vigor, number of pods, and soluble proteins. Enhanced levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and relative Root Electrolyte Leakage indicated oxidative damage in stressed plants. Other parameters of growth and yield remained ineffective with increased accumulation of phenolics and flavonoids indicative of moderate cadmium tolerance. Lys and Tyr priming improved root fresh weight, shoot length, leaf dry weight, germination percentage, root and shoot vigor, number of pods, soluble proteins, phenolics and flavonoids with reduction of MDA and root electrolyte leakage. Activity of PAL, leaf number and leaf area were exclusively increased in Tyr primed stressed plants. Tyr directly and Lys indirectly affected products of PePP with improved stress tolerance in mung bean. [Display omitted] • Cadmium induces the disturbance in the balance of ROS of the plant. • Cadmium reduced growth due to malondialdehyde and ultimately the membrane stability • Primed plants were with better stress tolerance, improved growth and better yield • Tyr directly and lys indirectly affected products of Phenylpropanoid pathway [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil and water contamination from heavy metals and metalloids is one of the most discussed and caused adverse effects on food safety and marketability, crop growth due to phytotoxicity, and environmental health of soil organisms. A hydroponic investigation was executed to evaluate the influence of citric acid (CA) on copper (Cu) phytoextraction potential of jute (Corchorus capsularis L.). Three-weeks-old seedlings of C. capsularis were exposed to different Cu concentrations (0, 50, and 100 μM) with or without the application of CA (2 mM) in a nutrient growth medium. The results revealed that exposure of various levels of Cu by 50 and 100 μM significantly (p < 0.05) reduced plant growth, biomass, chlorophyll contents, gaseous exchange attributes, and damaged ultra-structure of chloroplast in C. capsularis seedlings. Furthermore, Cu toxicity also enhanced the production of malondialdehyde (MDA) which indicated the Cu-induced oxidative damage in the leaves of C. capsularis seedlings. Increasing the level of Cu in the nutrient solution significantly increased Cu uptake by the roots and shoots of C. capsularis seedlings. The application of CA into the nutrient medium significantly alleviated Cu phytotoxicity effects on C. capsularis seedlings as seen by plant growth and biomass, chlorophyll contents, gaseous exchange attributes, and ultra-structure of chloroplast. Moreover, CA supplementation also alleviated Cu-induced oxidative stress by reducing the contents of MDA. In addition, application of CA is helpful in increasing phytoremediation potential of the plant by increasing Cu concentration in the roots and shoots of the plants which is manifested by increasing the values of bioaccumulation (BAF) and translocation factors (TF) also. These observations depicted that application of CA could be a useful approach to assist Cu phytoextraction and stress tolerance against Cu in C. capsularis seedlings grown in Cu contaminated sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ixora coccinea Linn. root showed strong antioxidant activity under both electrochemical (cyclic voltammetry) and conventional (DPPH and FRAP) testing systems. • coccinea root samples were also active against Gram-positive and -negative bacteria, especially Shigelladysentriae. • coccinea root contained bioactive phenolic compounds including pyrocatechol, catechin, and chlorogenic acid. • This study highlights the importance of I. coccinea root as a natural source of bioactive molecules with potent antioxidant and antimicrobial effects. Antioxidants scavenge free radicals thereby prevent or delay oxidative stress and associated degenerative diseases. Antioxidant capacity of plant-based natural compounds depends on their molecular structure and type of radicals. We report here the content and composition (by HPLC) of Ixora coccinea Linn. root methanol extract (ICME) and its fractions separated by petroleum ether (ICPEF), chloroform (ICCFF), and ethyl acetate (ICEAF). Antioxidant capacity of all root samples have been evaluated by conventional radical scavenging (DPPH) and reducing power (FRAP) tests, as well as by electrochemical method using cyclic voltammetry (CV). In addition, antimicrobial activities of root samples were also determined against pathogenic bacterial strains. All samples showed considerable antioxidant activity, however, ICEAF and ICME were the most active samples in DPPH and FRAP, which were comparable to ascorbic acid and better than BHT. Both samples also showed potent superoxide anion (O 2 ●−) radical scavenging activity in CV. All extracts displayed significant antibacterial activity against all test stains except Escherichia coli , where ICCFF showed highest inhibition against Shigella dysentriae. Both ICEAF and ICME contained higher quantities of total phenols, flavonoids, proanthocyandins and tannins than other samples. HPLC analysis showed that both samples contained 7 identified phenolic compounds, of which pyrocatechol, catechin, and chlorogenic acid were most abundant. This study highlights the importance of I. coccinea root as a natural source of bioactive molecules with potent antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]