The present study uncovers the impacts of pesticide-thiamethoxam (TMX- 750 mg L- 1 ) and salicylic acid (SA- 0.01, 0.1 and 1 mM) in Brassica juncea L. TMX poisoning exacerbates the nuclear and membrane damage, whereas an increment in the oxidative stress markers like hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anions (O2- ) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents has been observed. The significance of phytohormone SA in mitigating TMX toxicity by enhancing the growth, and antioxidant capacities of B. juncea seedlings is not well documented. Salicylic acid priming to these TMX-exposed seedlings maximizes the germination potential by 34%, and root, shoot length by 86.9% and 41.5%, whereas, minimizing the levels of oxidative stress indicators such as H2O2 by 34.8%, O 2- by 26.9% and amounts of MDA by 45.6% and EL (electrolyte leakage) contents by 22.7% under 1 mM of SA. Also, an increment in the activity of enzymatic antioxidants like superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APOX), glutathione peroxidase (GPOX), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), glutathione reductase (GR), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) by 122.1%, 186%, 39%, 82.61%, 40.02%, 75.6% and 59.5% was observed when TMX exposed seeds were supplemented with the highest SA (1 mM) concentration. Whereas, an upregulation in the gene expressions of enzymatic antioxidants was assessed as well as a swift decrease in the RBOH1 (respiratory burst oxidase1) gene expression was observed under the subsequent SA supplementation. Thus, the results effectively address the ameliorative potentials of exogenously applied SA in order to maximize the growth and development, by mediating osmotic adjustments, and antioxidant potentials in B. juncea L.

Salinity stress significantly impacts crops, disrupting their water balance and nutrient uptake, reducing growth, yield, and overall plant health. High salinity in soil can adversely affect plants by disrupting their water balance. Excessive salt levels can lead to dehydration, hinder nutrient absorption, and damage plant cells, ultimately impairing growth and reducing crop yields. Gallic acid (GA) and zinc ferrite (ZnFNP) can effectively overcome this problem. GA can promote root growth, boost photosynthesis, and help plants absorb nutrients efficiently. However, their combined application as an amendment against drought still needs scientific justification. Zinc ferrite nanoparticles possess many beneficial properties for soil remediation and medical applications. That's why the current study used a combination of GA and ZnFNP as amendments to wheat. There were 4 treatments, i.e., 0, 10 mu M GA, 15 mu M GA, and 20 mu M GA, without and with 5 mu M ZnFNP applied in 4 replications following a completely randomized design. Results exhibited that 20 mu M GA + 5 mu M ZnFNP caused significant improvement in wheat shoot length (28.62%), shoot fresh weight (16.52%), shoot dry weight (11.38%), root length (3.64%), root fresh weight (14.72%), and root dry weight (9.71%) in contrast to the control. Significant enrichment in wheat chlorophyll a (19.76%), chlorophyll b (25.16%), total chlorophyll (21.35%), photosynthetic rate (12.72%), transpiration rate (10.09%), and stomatal conductance (15.25%) over the control validate the potential of 20 mu M GA + 5 mu M ZnFNP. Furthermore, improvement in N, P, and K concentration in grain and shoot verified the effective functioning of 20 mu M GA + 5 mu M ZnFNP compared to control. In conclusion, 20 mu M GA + 5 mu M ZnFNP can potentially improve the growth, chlorophyll contents and gas exchange attributes of wheat cultivated in salinity stress. More investigations are suggested to declare 20 mu M GA + 5 mu M ZnFNP as the best amendment for alleviating salinity stress in different cereal crops.