Plant tissue culture techniques have become an integral part of progress in plant science research due to the opportunity offered for close study of detailed plant development with applications in food production through crop improvement, secondary metabolites production and conservation of species. Because the techniques involve growing plants under controlled conditions different from their natural outdoor environment, the plants need adjustments in physiology, anatomy and metabolism for successful in vitro propagation. Therefore, the protocol has to be optimized for a given species or genotype due to the variability in physiological and growth requirement. Developing the protocol is hampered by several physiological and developmental aberrations in the anatomy and physiology of the plantlets, attributed to in vitro culture conditions of high humidity, low light levels and hetero- or mixotrophic conditions. Some of the culture-induced anomalies become genetic, and the phenotype is inherited by clonal progenies while others are temporary and can be corrected at a later stage of protocol development through changes in anatomy, physiology and metabolism. The success of protocols relies on the transfer of plantlets to field conditions which has been achieved with many species through stages of acclimatization, while with others it remains a challenging task. This review discusses various adjustments in nutrition, physiology and anatomy of micro-propagated plants and field grown ones, as well as anomalies induced by the in vitro culture conditions.

Salinity is one of the most significant abiotic stress factors influencing crop production, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Plants’ response to salinity stress depends on the cultivated genotype. A pot experiment was conducted to study the impact of two concentrations of sodium chloride (4 and 6 dS∙m–1) on some physiological and production traits of 58 chickpea genotypes. A genetic variation in the response of the investigated chickpea genotypes for NaCl-induced salinity stress was noted. Studied morphophysiological traits and yield components were affected under salt stress in all genotypes tested. Plant height was observed to have the lowest rate of reduction (32%, 48%) at 4 and 6 dS∙m ^–1, respectively. Leaf stomatal conductance decreased as salinity increased. Salinity stress conditions affected all studied yield components, but there was a genetic variation in the response of the studied genotypes. Under no stress conditions and compared to the other genotypes, the number of pods was significantly higher in BG362 genotype. The seed number was significantly higher in ILC9076 genotype. The 100 seed weight was significantly higher in the genotype ILC2664. The mean seed yield was significantly higher in ILC9354 and the harvest index was significantly higher in ILC8617. In general, salinity stress caused the reduction of all parameters. We assume that the assessment of tolerance of chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes to salinity stress should be based on a complex of morpho-physiological traits and analysis of yield complement.

Nutrient deficiency (ND) stands as a prominent environmental factor that significantly impacts global plant growth and productivity. While numerous methods have been employed for detecting nutrient deficiencies in plants, many of them are invasive, time-consuming, and costly. In contrast, chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) signals have emerged as a non-destructive tool for the identification of specific nutrient deficiencies, such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), across various plant species. In this pioneering study, ChlF measurements were employed for the first time to detect a combination of nutrient deficiencies, including deficiencies in nitrogen and phosphorus (–NP), nitrogen and potassium (–NK), potassium and phosphorus (–KP), and a complete NPK deficiency (–NPK). The experiment was conducted using wheat (Triticum aestivum) and maize ( Zea mays) plants, which were grown under controlled laboratory conditions. An optimal hydroponic system was established to facilitate eight experimental conditions, namely: control, –N, –P, –K, –NP, –NK, –KP, and –NPK. Measurements were systematically collected at two-day intervals over a span of 24 days. Our findings demonstrate that chlorophyll fluorescence signals can enable the differentiation of various nutrient deficiencies even prior to the onset of observable symptoms. Furthermore, the examination of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters enables us not only to identify a singular macronutrient deficiency but also to detect multiple macronutrient deficiencies concurrently in a plant.

Salinity is one of the most significant constraints to crop production in dry parts of the world. This research emphasizes the beneficial effects of plant growth-promoting rhizobacterial isolates (PGPR) on the physiological responses of maize and wheat in a saline (NaCl) environment. Soil samples for the study were collected from a maize field in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, India. Isolated bacterial strains were screened for salt (NaCl) tolerance and plant growth-promoting characters (i.e., indole acetic acid (IAA) production, siderophore production, amino cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity, hydrogen cyanide (HCN) production, and mineral phosphate solubilization). Screened bacterial isolates were further tested in pot experiments to examine their effects on wheat and maize growth. The treatments included five levels of bacterial inoculation (P0: control, P1: ACC deaminase positive + siderophore producer + NaCl tolerant bacteria, P2: mineral phosphate solubilizer + HCN producer + NaCl tolerant bacteria, P3: IAA producer + ACC deaminase positive + NaCl tolerant bacteria, P4: bacterial consortium, P5: Phosphomax commercial biofertilizer) and salt stress at 6 dS/m. Research findings found that exposure to a bacterial consortium led to the highest growth parameter in maize, including shoot length, root length, shoot and root dry weight followed by P2, P3, and P5 treatments at 6 dS/m salinity levels. However, P2 showed the best results for wheat at the same salinity levels, followed by P3, P4 and P5 treatments. P1 treatment did not show a significant result compared to control at 6dS/m salt level for both crops. The maximum proline content in maize and wheat was observed in P4 (23.28 μmol · g−1) and P2 (15.52 μmol · g−1) treatments, respectively, followed by P5 with Phosphomax biofertilizer. Therefore, the study proposed the application of growth-promoting bacterial isolates as efficient biofertilizers in the Baddi region of Himachal Pradesh, India.

Abiotic stressors contribute to growth restriction and developmental disorders in plants. Early detection of the first signs of changes in plant functioning is very important. The objective of this study was to identify chlorophyll fluorescence parameters that change under phosphorus deficiency stress in cucumber. In this work, a trail to study the early changes caused by phosphorus deficiency in cucumber plants by analysing their photosynthetic performance is presented. Chlorophyll- a fluorescence (ChF) parameters were measured every 7 days for a period of 28 days. Measurements were made separately on young and old leaves and on cucumber fruit. Parameters that decreased during the stress were: p2G, PI _abs, PI _total, RE_o/CS _o, and TR_o/CS_o. P deficiency decreased total electron carriers per RC ( EC_o/RC), yields ( TR_o/ABS ( F_v/F_m), ET_o/TR_o, RE_o/ET_o, ET_o/ABS and RE_o/ABS), fluxes ( RE_o/RC and RE_o/CS_o) and fractional reduction of PSI end electron acceptors, and damaged all photochemical and non-photochemical redox reactions. Principal component analysis revealed a group of ChF parameters that may indicate early phosphorus deficiency in cucumber plants. Our results are used in the discovery of sensitive bioindicators of phosphorus deficiency in cucumber plants. Most JIP test parameters are linked to mathematical equations, so we recommend using of advanced statistical tools, such as principal component analysis, which should be considered very useful for stress identification. It has also been shown to be more effective in multivariate methods compared to univariate statistical methods was demonstrated.

Potato from the Solanaceae family is one of the most important crops in the world and its cultivation is common in many places. The average yield of this crop is 20 Mg·ha ^–1 and it is compatible with climatic conditions in many parts of the world. The experiment studied the possibility of exogenous regulation of the adaptive potential available for four potato cultivars through the use of growth stimulants with different action mechanisms: 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) and chitosan biopolymer (CHT). The results allowed us to establish significant differences in growth parameters, plant height, leaf index, vegetation index, chlorophyll content, and yield structure. Monitoring growth and predicting yields well before harvest are essential to effectively managing potato productivity. Studies have confirmed the empirical relationship between the normalised difference vegetation index ( NDVI) and N-tester vegetation index data at various stages of potato growth with yield data. Statistical linear regression models were used to develop an empirical relationship between the NDVI and N-tester data and yield at different stages of crop growth. The equations have a maximum determination coefficient (R ²) of 0.63 for the N-tester and 0.74 for the NDVI during the flowering phase (BBCH ¹ 65). NDVI and N-tester vegetation index positively correlated with yield data at all growth stages.