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Authors = Wardah Azhar

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20 pages, 7847 KiB  
Article
Brassinosteroid-Mediated Resistance to Cobalt-Induced Toxicity by Regulating Hormonal Balance, Cellular Metabolism, and Antioxidant Defense in Maize
by Abdul Salam, Jinzhe Chang, Liupeng Yang, Muhammad Zeeshan, Anas Iqbal, Ali Raza Khan, Muhammad Siddique Afridi, Zaid Ulhassan, Wardah Azhar, Zhixiang Zhang and Peiwen Zhang
Plants 2025, 14(13), 2076; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14132076 - 7 Jul 2025
Viewed by 450
Abstract
Brassinosteroids (BRs) play an essential role in regulating plant metabolic pathways that influence growth, development, and stress responses. However, their role in alleviating cobalt (Co) stress has not been extensively studied. This research aimed to assess the impact of exogenous BRs (0.1 µM) [...] Read more.
Brassinosteroids (BRs) play an essential role in regulating plant metabolic pathways that influence growth, development, and stress responses. However, their role in alleviating cobalt (Co) stress has not been extensively studied. This research aimed to assess the impact of exogenous BRs (0.1 µM) on maize subjected to Co stress (300 µM) in a hydroponic experiment. The results indicated that BR supplementation significantly decreased the accumulation of H2O2 by 17.79 and 16.66%, O2•− by 28.5 and 21.48%, and MDA by 37.5 and 37.9% in shoot and root, respectively, as compared to Co stress alone. Additionally, BRs enhanced endogenous levels of BRs (31.16%) and growth hormones (IAA 50.8%, JA 57.8%, GA 52.5%), and reduced Co contents by 26.3% in roots and 36.1% in shoots. BRs enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity both in the shoot and root, leading to reduced ROS levels as confirmed by laser scanning confocal microscopy. Furthermore, BRs increased phenols, flavonoids, and soluble sugars, and elevated total protein content. Observations from transmission electron microscopy indicated reduced ultrastructural damage in plants treated with BRs under Co stress. Taken together, this study highlights the role of BRs in alleviating Co stress in maize, demonstrating their efficiency in enhancing stress tolerance by modulating hormone levels and key metabolic processes. Full article
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22 pages, 13562 KiB  
Article
Brassinosteroids Alleviate Ethylene-Induced Copper Oxide Nanoparticle Toxicity and Ultrastructural and Stomatal Damage in Rice Seedlings
by Wardah Azhar, Abdul Salam, Ali Raza Khan, Irshan Ahmad and Yinbo Gan
Agriculture 2025, 15(8), 907; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15080907 - 21 Apr 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 570
Abstract
Nanoparticle contamination has been associated with adverse impacts on crop productivity. Thus, effective approaches are necessary to ameliorate NP-induced phytotoxicity. The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of brassinosteroids and ethylene in regulating CuO NPs toxicity in rice seedlings. Therefore, we comprehensively [...] Read more.
Nanoparticle contamination has been associated with adverse impacts on crop productivity. Thus, effective approaches are necessary to ameliorate NP-induced phytotoxicity. The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of brassinosteroids and ethylene in regulating CuO NPs toxicity in rice seedlings. Therefore, we comprehensively evaluated the crosstalk of 24-Epibrassinolide and ethylene in regulating CuO NP-induced phytotoxicity at the physiological, cellular ultrastructural, and biochemical levels. The results of the study illustrated that exposure to CuO NPs at 450 mg/L displayed a significant decline in growth attributes and induced toxic effects in rice seedlings. Furthermore, the exogenous application of ethylene biosynthesis precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) at 20 µM with 450 mg/L of CuO NPs significantly enhanced the reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation that led to the stimulation of ultrastructural and stomatal damage and reduced antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT and APX) in rice tissues. On the contrary, it was noticed that 24-Epibrassinolide (BR) at 0.01 µM improved plant biomass and growth, restored cellular ultrastructure, and enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT and APX) under exposure to 450 mg/L of CuO NPs. In addition, brassinosteroids reduced ROS accumulation and the toxic effects of 450 mg/L of CuO NPs on guard cells and the stomatal aperture of rice seedlings. Interestingly, when 0.01 µM of brassinosteroids, 20 µM of ACC, and 450 mg/L of CuO NPs were applied together, BRs and ethylene showed antagonistic crosstalk under CuO NP stress via partially reducing the ethylene-induced CuO NP toxicity on plant growth, cellular ultrastructure, stomatal aperture, and guard cell and antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT and APX) in rice seedlings. BR supplementation with ACC and CuO NPs notably diminished ACC-induced CuO NPs’ toxic effects on all of the mentioned attributes in rice seedlings. This study uncovered the interesting crosstalk of two main phytohormones under CuO NPs stress, providing basic knowledge to improve crop yield and productivity in CuO NPs-contaminated areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Crop Production)
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24 pages, 2359 KiB  
Review
Nano-Priming against Abiotic Stress: A Way Forward towards Sustainable Agriculture
by Abdul Salam, Muhammad Siddique Afridi, Muhammad Ammar Javed, Aroona Saleem, Aqsa Hafeez, Ali Raza Khan, Muhammad Zeeshan, Baber Ali, Wardah Azhar, Sumaira, Zaid Ulhassan and Yinbo Gan
Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 14880; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214880 - 10 Nov 2022
Cited by 80 | Viewed by 8250
Abstract
Agriculture is directly linked to human life, providing food for survival and health. It is threatened by a number of challenges, such as climate change, resource depletion, and abiotic stresses, including heavy metals (HMs), salinity, drought, etc. Various strategies have been employed to [...] Read more.
Agriculture is directly linked to human life, providing food for survival and health. It is threatened by a number of challenges, such as climate change, resource depletion, and abiotic stresses, including heavy metals (HMs), salinity, drought, etc. Various strategies have been employed to palliate the phytotoxic effects of these stressors from the soil–plant system. Nanotechnological approaches have emerged as a promising tool for increasing crop productivity and promoting sustainable agriculture. Interestingly, the seed nano-priming approach has shown potential against all of the above-mentioned abiotic stress factors and has improved crop productivity. The application of nanoparticles (NPs) via seed priming is an innovative and cost-effective approach that improves seed germination and subsequent plant growth by activating plant physiological processes and providing tolerance against various stresses. The seed priming with NPs induces electron exchange and increases surface reaction capabilities related to plant cell and tissue components. This review aims to provide an overview of recent advances and research findings on seed nano-priming and the possible mechanism of plant stress-tolerance augmentation against various stresses. Furthermore, we also shed light on gaps in studies conducted in previous years, which will open new avenues for future research. Full article
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14 pages, 1465 KiB  
Review
Exploring the Adaptive Responses of Plants to Abiotic Stresses Using Transcriptome Data
by Muhammad Haseeb Javaid, Ali Raza Khan, Abdul Salam, Asifa Neelam, Wardah Azhar, Zaid Ulhassan and Yinbo Gan
Agriculture 2022, 12(2), 211; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12020211 - 1 Feb 2022
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 5013
Abstract
In recent decades, global climate change and heavy metal stress have severely affected plant growth and biomass, which has led to a serious threat to food safety and human health. Anthropogenic activities, the rapid pace of urbanization, and the use of modern agricultural [...] Read more.
In recent decades, global climate change and heavy metal stress have severely affected plant growth and biomass, which has led to a serious threat to food safety and human health. Anthropogenic activities, the rapid pace of urbanization, and the use of modern agricultural technologies have further aggravated environmental conditions, resulting in limited crop growth and productivity. This review highlights the various adaptive transcriptomic responses of plants to tolerate detrimental environmental conditions, such as drought, salinity, and heavy metal contamination. These stresses hinder plant growth and development by disrupting their physiological and biochemical processes by inducing oxidative stress, nutritional imbalance, and osmotic disturbance, and by deteriorating their photosynthetic machinery. Plants have developed different strategies to safeguard themselves against the toxic effects of these environmental stresses. They stimulate their secondary messenger to activate cell signaling, and they trigger other numerous transcriptomic responses associated with plant defense mechanisms. Therefore, the recent advances in biological sciences, such as transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics, have assisted our understanding of the stress-tolerant strategies adopted by plants, which could be further utilized to breed tolerant species. This review summarizes the stress-tolerant strategies of crops by covering the role of transcriptional factors in plants. Full article
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