Search

Plant diseases caused by microbial pathogens pose a severe threat to global food security. Although genetic modifications can improve plant resistance; however, environmentally sustainable strategies are needed to manage plant diseases. Nano-enabled immunomodulation involves using engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) to modulate the innate immune system of plants and enhance their resilience against pathogens. This emerging approach provides unique opportunities through the ability of ENMs to act as nanocarriers for delivering immunomodulatory agents, nanoprobes for monitoring plant immunity, and nanoparticles (NPs) that directly interact with plant cells to trigger immune responses. Recent studies revealed that the application of ENMs as nanoscale agrochemicals can strengthen plant immunity against biotic stress by enhancing systemic resistance pathways, modulating antioxidant defense systems, activating defense-related genetic pathways and reshaping the plantassociated microbiomes. However, key challenges remain in unraveling the complex mechanisms through which ENMs influence plant molecular networks, assessing their long-term environmental impacts, developing biodegradable formulations, and optimizing targeted delivery methods. This review provides a comprehensive investigation of the latest research on nanoenabled immunomodulation strategies, potential mechanisms of action, and highlights future perspectives to overcome existing challenges for sustainable plant disease management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate, land-use, and invasive plants are among the important drivers of ecosystem functions through the changes in functional composition. In this study, we studied the effects of climate (drought), land-use (Biochar application), and the presence of invasive species on the productivity and performance of invaded experimental grasslands. We ran a greenhouse experiment under controlled conditions, in which we grew a combination of the three native species Silene gallica, Brassica nigra and Phalaris minor and the invasive species Avena fatua, being subjected to four different treatments: Biochar+drought, Biochar, drought, and control. We measured the productivity of native and invasive species as total biomass and root to shoot ratio (RSR) and the performance by measuring several plant functional traits (plant height, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf nitrogen content (Nmass), leaf carbon content (Cmass) and total chlorophyll (Chltotal) of all individuals occurring in each plot. The study showed that invasive species were more productive (higher total biomass and lower RSR) and performed better (taller plants, higher SLA, Nmass, Cmass and Chltotal and lower LDMC) than the native species under drought conditions as well as with Biochar application. Accordingly, in contrast to our expectations, the lower productivity and performance of native compared to invasive species under drought were not mitigated by Biochar application. These results provided a deeper understanding of the interplay between climate, land-use, and biological invasion, which is crucial for predicting the consequences of changes in functional composition on ecosystem functions and consequently restoration of grasslands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sultan Qaboos University Journal for Science is the property of Sultan Qaboos University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Plant diseases caused by microbial pathogens pose a severe threat to global food security. Although genetic modifications can improve plant resistance; however, environmentally sustainable strategies are needed to manage plant diseases. Nano-enabled immunomodulation involves using engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) to modulate the innate immune system of plants and enhance their resilience against pathogens. This emerging approach provides unique opportunities through the ability of ENMs to act as nanocarriers for delivering immunomodulatory agents, nanoprobes for monitoring plant immunity, and nanoparticles (NPs) that directly interact with plant cells to trigger immune responses. Recent studies revealed that the application of ENMs as nanoscale agrochemicals can strengthen plant immunity against biotic stress by enhancing systemic resistance pathways, modulating antioxidant defense systems, activating defense-related genetic pathways and reshaping the plant-associated microbiomes. However, key challenges remain in unraveling the complex mechanisms through which ENMs influence plant molecular networks, assessing their long-term environmental impacts, developing biodegradable formulations, and optimizing targeted delivery methods. This review provides a comprehensive investigation of the latest research on nano-enabled immunomodulation strategies, potential mechanisms of action, and highlights future perspectives to overcome existing challenges for sustainable plant disease management., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Masood, Qi, Zahid, Li, Ahmad, Lv, Shahid, Ali, Ondrasek and Qi.)