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PubMed2026

β-carotene enhances drought tolerance in fenugreek by modulating antioxidant defense and redox homeostasis.

Drought stress is one of the main abiotic factors that modulates the morphology and physiology of crops. This study investigated the effect of foliar application of β-carotene on the growth, physiological, and biochemical responses of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) under drought stress conditions. A pot experiment was conducted using two varieties, Kasuri and Local, under two drought stress levels (control and 50% field capacity), and three β-carotene concentrations (0, 100, and 200 ppm) were applied. Drought stress significantly declined shoot fresh weight up to 35.02% and 58.04%, and shoot length to 17.12% and 17.14%, while increasing the root fresh weight by 133% and 26.2% and the root length to 109.1% and 13.4%, respectively, in the Kasuri methi and Local. Drought stress decreases the total Chl. by 55.4% and 59.3% and carotenoids 42.1% and 59.3% and increased the MDA by 6.35% and 24.2%, respectively, and the content of hydrogen peroxides increased by 12.05% and 44.2% in Kasuri and Local as compared to control. By the application of 200  ppm β-carotene, the shoot fresh weight increased by 95.06% and 66.7%, the shoot length increased by 49.6% and 44.5%, and the total Chl. increased by 194.3% and 144.3%, and carotenoids 71.6% and 63%, and MDA decreased by 14.7% and 15.8%, hydrogen peroxides 26.6% and 27.8%, in Kasuri methi and Local under drought stress conditions. Additionally, with the application of β-carotene, antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, POD, and CAT) and osmoprotectants (total soluble proteins and sugars) improved significantly, indicating enhanced oxidative defense. Overall, foliar β-carotene application, especially at 200 ppm, proved highly effective in improving fenugreek's drought tolerance by enhancing antioxidant capacity, maintaining pigment stability, and supporting metabolic homeostasis, thereby highlighting its potential role in sustainable crop management under water-limited conditions.

beta Carotene↗
PubMed2026

Bacillus subtilis isolated from medicinal plants rhizosphere effectively controls Cercospora leaf spot and improves plant growth in mung bean (Vigna radiata).

BACKGROUND: Mung bean is an important leguminous crop, which is reported to face devastating yield losses of up to 70% due to Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) disease. Traditional methods, such as the application of agrochemicals and fungicides, have been used to control CLS, but their intensive use has toxic effects on edible crops. METHODS: To find out a sustainable alternative, this study characterizes a strain, Bacillus subtilis Medicinal_04, isolated from Cannabis sativa rhizosphere and explores its role as an eco-friendly biofungicide and biostimulant. The species level identification of the isolate was confirmed by Average Nucleotide Identity (ANIb) and a digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH). The antagonistic efficacy of B. subtilis Medicinal_04 against Cercospora canescens was evaluated in vitro as well as in planta assays. RESULTS: ANIb of 97.80% and a dDDH score of 85.90% against the reference B. subtilis str. 168. confirmed this isolate as B. subtilis. The in-vitro results showed that B. subtilis robustly inhibited C. canescens growth by 81.5%, strongly correlated with positive chitinolytic activity and a diverse genomic array of secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters. The in planta results demonstrated that B. subtilis seed priming reduced disease incidence by 80 and 71.4%, while foliar application resulted in reductions of 90 and 85.7% for NM-51 and NM-20-21 varieties, respectively. Furthermore, fungicide application successfully reduced disease, however it caused noticeable phytotoxic reductions in root-shoot architecture and chlorophyll content. In contrast, biological interventions completely bypassed these trade-offs as B. subtilis application displayed improved root-shoot length, pod number, and chlorophyll content, while simultaneously enhancing antioxidative enzyme activities (SOD, POD, and CAT) and PR-1 gene expression. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that B. subtilis Medicinal_04 has the potential to serve as a multifunctional biocontrol agent and is capable of securing high-level disease suppression and optimizing plant productivity, offering a valuable toolkit for climate-smart, sustainable agriculture.

Bacillus subtilis↗