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Whitefly infestations have posed a severe threats to cotton crops in recent years, affecting farmers globally. These little insects consume food on cotton plants, causing leaf damage and lower crop yields. In response to this agricultural dilemma, we developed a novel method for detecting whitefly infestations in cotton fields. To improve pest detection accuracy, we use the combined efficiency of visual transformers and low-cost acoustic sensors. We train the vision transformer with a large dataset of cotton fields with and without whitefly infestations. Our studies yielded encouraging results, with the vision transformer obtaining an amazing 99% accuracy. Surprisingly, this high degree of accuracy is reached after only 10-20 training epochs, outperforming benchmark approaches, which normally give accuracies ranging from 80% to 90%. These outcomes underline the cost-effective potential of the vision transformer in detecting whitefly attacks on cotton crops. Moreover, the successful integration of acoustic sensors and vision transformers opens doors for further research and advancements in the domain of cotton pest detection, promising more robust and efficient solutions for farmers facing the challenges of whitefly infestations.

CRISPR/Cas is a breakthrough genome editing system because of its precision, target specificity, and efficiency. As a speed breeding system, it is more robust than the conventional breeding and biotechnological approaches for qualitative and quantitative trait improvement. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an economically important crop, but its yield and productivity have been severely impacted due to different abiotic and biotic stresses. The recently identified SlHyPRP1 and SlDEA1 are two potential negative regulatory genes in response to different abiotic (drought and salinity) and biotic stress (bacterial leaf spot and bacterial wilt) conditions in S. lycopersicum L. The present study aimed to evaluate the drought, salinity, bacterial leaf spot, and bacterial wilt tolerance response in S. lycopersicum L. crop through CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing of SlHyPRP1 and SlDEA1 and their functional analysis. The transient single- and dual-gene SlHyPRP1 and SlDEA1 CRISPR-edited plants were phenotypically better responsive to multiple stress factors taken under the study. The CRISPR-edited SlHyPRP1 and SlDEA1 plants showed a higher level of chlorophyll and proline content compared to wild-type (WT) plants under abiotic stress conditions. Reactive oxygen species accumulation and the cell death count per total area of leaves and roots under biotic stress were less in CRISPR-edited SlHyPRP1 and SlDEA1 plants compared to WT plants. The study reveals that the combined loss-of-function of SlHyPRP1 along with SlDEA1 is essential for imparting significant multi-stress tolerance (drought, salinity, bacterial leaf spot, and bacterial wilt) in S. lycopersicum L. The main feature of the study is the detailed genetic characterization of SlDEA1, a poorly studied 8CM family gene in multi-stress tolerance, through the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system. The study revealed the key negative regulatory role of SlDEA1 that function together as an anchor gene with SlHyPRP1 in imparting multi-stress tolerance in S. lycopersicum L. It was interesting that the present study also showed that transient CRISPR/Cas9 editing events of SlHyPRP1 and SlDEA1 genes were successfully replicated in stably generated parent-genome-edited line (GEd0) and genome-edited first-generation lines (GEd1) of S. lycopersicum L. With these upshots, the study’s key findings demonstrate outstanding value in developing sustainable multi-stress tolerance in S. lycopersicum L. and other crops to cope with climate change.

Storage temperature fluctuation is a major problem faced in food and pharmaceutical industry, apart from prevailing fraud in marketing frozen products as fresh. The present work aimed to study the effect of intrinsic properties of chitosan on synthesis and performance of gold nanoparticles as smart packaging devices. Different types of Chitosan from shrimp waste were used as reducing and capping agent in the synthesis of metal nanoparticle. Time is taken to reduce gold atom to gold nanoparticles varied with the type of reducing agent, between 6 min 40 s to 15 min 02 s. The maximum absorbance (λ max) for AuNPs was observed between 517 and 530 nm. An increase in the concentration of chitosan resulted in smaller and uniform size AuNPs with size ranging from 8.09 to 9.95 nm compared with 14.44 to 19.88 nm for lower concentration of chitosan. Visible ruby red colour of AuNPs synthesised using trisodium citrate (TSC) and lower concentration of chitosan (0.1%) changed to colourless and grey to blue, respectively upon exposure to frozen condition (−18 °C ± 1 °C). UV Visible spectra indicated distinctly different (broader) spectrum with reduced peak intensity. A visible change in colour from ruby red to bluish and colourless state indicates that irrespective of the properties of available chitosan, it can be used for synthesis of gold nanoparticles as smart packaging to distinguish packed fresh/chilled/refrigerated products from frozen ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deglaciation has led to the transformation of glaciers into rock glaciers in various mountainous regions worldwide. However, the science of permafrost and rock glaciers remains under‐researched in the Himalayan region. This study presents a detailed inventory, dynamics, and permafrost distribution map for the Jhelum basin in the Kashmir Himalaya. The Permafrost Zonation Map (PZM) is created using a Logistic Regression Model based on topographic and climatic variables. High‐resolution satellite images are used to identify rock glaciers as visual indicators. Active and relic rock glaciers are classified based on surface topography and geomorphology. Results reveal 207 rock glaciers in the Jhelum basin, covering ∼50 km2, with over 100 falling into the active category. The PZM aligns well with the global permafrost zonation index map. Slope, aspect, and elevation of rock glaciers are computed using the ASTER Digital Elevation Model. The average elevations range from 3,700 m to 4,550 m, and the average surface slope ranges from 12° to 26°, with maximum slopes from 25° to 65°. Most rock glaciers are oriented toward the south or southeast. Field investigations confirm that these rock glaciers occur in highly elevated regions with steep slopes. This study provides valuable information on the high areal abundance of permafrost in the Himalayan region and suggests increased risks of thawing permafrost due to climate warming in the future. The findings contribute to the understanding of permafrost and rock glaciers, filling knowledge gaps in the Himalayan context. Plain Language Summary: In this study, we focused on understanding how glaciers turn into rock glaciers and how permafrost is distributed in the Jhelum basin of the Kashmir Himalaya. We found that many glaciers in mountainous regions around the world have transformed into rock glaciers due to deglaciation. However, there is limited research on permafrost and rock glaciers in the Himalayan region. Using satellite images and on‐the‐ground investigations, we created a detailed inventory and map of rock glaciers in the Jhelum basin. We also developed a permafrost distribution map by considering factors like temperature, solar radiation, and slope aspect. This map helps us understand where permafrost is located in the area. Our findings revealed that there are 207 rock glaciers in the Jhelum basin, covering an area of approximately 50 square kilometers. More than 100 of these rock glaciers are active. The map we created aligns well with existing global permafrost maps, showing the accuracy of our approach. This study enhances our knowledge of permafrost and rock glaciers in the Himalayan region, providing important information about their presence and the potential risks associated with thawing permafrost due to climate change. Key Points: Study investigates glacier‐to‐rock glacier transformation in Jhelum basin, Kashmir Himalaya due to deglaciationPresents detailed rock glacier inventory, dynamics, and permafrost distribution map using satellite images and field investigationsHighlights high permafrost abundance in Himalayan region, indicating increased thawing risks with climate warming [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]