Aritri Laha’s scientific contributions

A severe threat to agricultural output and sustainability are global problems including soil erosion, contaminants, and agricultural productivity loss brought on by urbanization and agricultural expansion. Many technological advancements are being used to improve the quality of contaminated soils or purify contaminants in the soil, but they haven't been able to restore or improve the condition of the soil to the desired levels because they are expensive, impractical, or, to a lesser extent, require a lot of labour. Recent developments in nanotechnology promise to raise crop yields and soil quality indices while maintaining environmental sustainability. It has been discovered that the existence of nanomaterials (NMs) within soils may influence or enhance the efficiency of rhizosphere microbes or farming crucial microbes, allowing the access of nutrients to crops and improving the functioning of root systems as well as crop growth in general, creating up an opportunity for the enhancement of soil health. It could be useful to assess nanotechnology in order to learn more about the actual utilization of NMs for enhancing soil health.

Mycological bioremediation is a novel strategy that takes advantage of the special skills of mushrooms, has become a viable method to reduce environmental pollution brought on by numerous toxins. This paper looks at the promise of mycological bioremediation as a long-term, environmental friendly technique for cleaning up the polluted regions while also giving an overview of recent breakthroughs in the field. It has become clear that using living creatures to remove or neutralize environmental pollutants is a potential strategy for dealing with a variety of environmental toxins. Mycology, the study of mushrooms, has become increasingly popular among the many bioremediation techniques due to its extraordinary potential for cleaning up polluted habitats. Fungi are significant agents in bioremediation efforts due to their distinctive characteristics, which include quick development, a wide range of metabolic skills, and an affinity for different contaminants

Farmers' growing reliance on chemical fertilizers has enhanced agronomicoutput, but it has also increased environmental contamination and put thestability of the world's ecosystem in greater danger. By making abioticstresses more frequent, climate change has exacerbated the issue. Even ifagriculture is only permitted on 50% of the world's livable land, it is criticallynecessary to ensure its sustainability and security. Boost crop yield and foodsecurity while using little to no chemical fertilizers and pesticides is one ofcontemporary agriculture's greatest problems. The vanguard ofenvironmentally friendly farming methods is rhizobacteria that promote plantdevelopment (PGPR). They offer an advantageous and safe alternative tochemical fertilizers as well as a suitable solution to less difficult situations.Numerous bacterial species that function as PGPRs have significantlyenhanced plant growth, well-being, and production. The major subjects ofthis review include the use of these rhizobacteria under various stresscircumstances, their significance in sustainable agriculture, and theunderlying mechanisms driving growth promotion

Since the 1950s, plastics have been frequently utilized due to theiraffordability and durability. The widespread use of plastics poses a greatrisk to the environment. As plastics are non-degradable and have resistanceto moisture, they get piled up in the environment, causing soil and waterpollution. Global food chains are suffering due to the heavy use of plastic.Bioremediation is a technique that employs the use of living organisms,like microbes and bacteria, in the removal of contaminants, pollutants, andtoxins from soil, water, and other environments. Using microorganisms tobreak down plastic and turns it into low molecular weight molecules, thatare safe for the ecosystem is the most cost-effective and environmentallybeneficial way to reduce the amount of plastic in the environment.Microorganisms degrade plastics by secreting metabolites such aspolyhydroxyalkanoate depolymerases, which help in plastic breakdown.This review outlines the potential of different bacteria and fungi that canbreakdown plastics and explains the general procedure of microbialbiodegradation of plastics and also the different types of enzymes used bythe microorganisms to degrade plastics.

One of the biggest environmental problems facing the world today is the soil contamination caused by industrialization and the widespread use of chemicals. "Bioremediation" is an affordable and ecologically beneficial cleanup method that employs microorganisms to swiftly and efficiently break down dangerous pollutants. Substances that are toxic are changed into less harmful forms. The ability of fungi to change a variety of hazardous compounds has led to the possibility of using them in bioremediation. Mushroom-foring fungi, mostly basidiomycetes, are some of the natural most powerful decomposers due to their quick development and huge biomass output. They also emit strong extracellular enzymes. Among these enzymes are lignin peroxidases, laccase, and manganese peroxidase. Several mushrooms have been used to remove contaminants from contaminated environments, including Agaricus bisporus, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Phanerochaete chrysosporium Trametes versicolor. Bioremediation has made use of Lentinus squarrosulus, Pleurotus tuber-regium, P. ostreatus, and P. pulmonarius. This paper highlights the use of mushrooms for bioremediation as well as applying fungal mycelia in bioremediation, in general referred to as myco-remediation. A brief summary of the future of using mushrooms for bioremediation is also provided.

Human health and survival have always been seriously threatened by cancer. Although surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy could improve the survival rate of cancer patients, most patients with chronic cancer have a poor survival rate or cannot afford the high cost of treatment. The development of oncolytic viruses provides us with a new technique for treating or even curing malignant cancers. Oncolytic viruses (OVs) have gained interest as a potential approach in cancer therapy because of their potential to selectively infect and destroy tumor cells, without affecting healthy cells . They also work against cancer by releasing immunostimulatory chemicals from dead cancer cells. Oncolytic virotherapy, like other anticancer therapies, has various limitations, including viral transport to the target, tumor mass penetration, and antiviral immune responses. Nanoparticles (NPs) have gained a lot of interest in clinical studies because of their distinctive appearance characteristics. However they have encountered challenges due to the inefficiency of drug delivery to the tissue of interest and their dispersion in bloodstream. In this scenario, various chemical alterations can be employed to the nanoparticle surfaces to boost their efficacy in drug delivery. To improve the functioning of these two therapeutic methods, the sophisticated technique of OVs encapsulated with nanoparticles can be employed, which has shown significant therapeutic outcomes in the treatment of various malignancies. This review focuses on the clinical advancements of oncolytic viruses and nanoparticles in cancer therapy and their combinational effects on tumor cells. This review also provides insight into the future prospects by assessing both the advantages and disadvantages of nano-based oncolytic virotherapy.

Increasing anthropogenic practices for industrialization and rapid gloalization have contributed to problems of metal – induced toxicity, results in severe environmental deterioration. In the current scenario, heavy- metals contamination is a major threat to living beings of the world because of these toxic metals persist in the environment for a prolong time. The phytoremediation is considered as a suitable process in present days to eliminate heavy-metals from environment as its cost- effectiveness, eco-friendliness etc. In the field of phytoremediation, the ornamental plants can be used for dual purpose – cleaning the environment and bringing the aesthetic value to the site. The ornamental plant is used as a test plant because of their high biomass and accumulate more heavy metal concentration from the soil. Moreover, as ornamental plants are not edible, so the risk of biomagnifications and bioaccumulation into the food web is reduced. This comprehensive review highlights recent progress on the applicability and advantages of ornamental plant for the phytoremediation potential in heavy- metals contaminated soil. In addition, briefly discuss on several factors that affecting the phytoremediation techniques of heavy metals and addressed their future directions for sustainable treatment of heavy metals.

Now a days, Phytoremediation is treated as a set of emerging techniques that use several selected plants to contain, eradicate, immobilize or degrade contaminants from water and soil in order to clean the contaminated sites. Recent researches have directed to the application of non-edible floriculture plants having the capability to erase the toxic metals from polluted environment including their aesthetic value as a good proposal for phytoremediation. The plant Tagetes erecta Linn., locally recognized as Ganda Phul (Marigold) that belongs to the family of Asteraceae can grow widely in heavy metal stress of Cd, Cr, Pb etc. The plant species can absorb and accumulate varieties of contaminated heavy metals like Pb, Cr, As, Cd, Co, Hg etc. This article includes a brief overview about the toxic impact of the Cr, Cd, and Pb on the plant. In addition, the discussion highlights recent progress on the application of phytoremediation competence of the plant, Tagetes erecta Linn. concerning with the heavy metals.

Phosphorus (P) is crucial for plant growth and development, it is a macroelement that is required for plants to function physiologically. Even though there are a lot of P-containing organic and inorganic molecules in soil, most of them are inert, making them unavailable to plants. Phosphorus (P) deficiency is widely acknowledged as a critical constraining factor in agricultural production, primarily due to its essential role in various biochemical pathways, including ATP synthesis, nucleic acid formation, and energy transfer processes within plant cells. In rhizosphere soil a diverse community of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), particularly phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) are present, by increasing nutrient bioavailability—especially in the case of phosphate—these bacteria have a beneficial effect on plant growth, increasing total plant productivity and yield. Phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms (PSMs) aid in the hydrolysis of resistant organic and inorganic phosphate (P) forms into soluble forms that are easily absorbed by plants. Despite decades of research on PSMs, the practical implementation of PSM-based strategies to enhance soil phosphorus fixation and improve crop yields at the field scale remains largely undeveloped. This review aims to deepen our comprehension of the pivotal role played by PSMs as biofertilizers in the context of crop production.

Now environmental pollution is a serious issue. The use of chemical fertilizers continuously can cause soil and water pollution. We know that the soil is a source of indigenous microorganisms. Among them, the plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are promising bioinoculants for vegetable crops that provide sustainable, environmentally friendly ways to increase growth, production, and stress tolerance due to the production of plant-growth-promoting properties (Phosphate solubilization, Indole acetic acid production, etc.). These advantageous bacteria penetrate the rhizosphere, form symbiotic associations, and support nutrient uptake, root growth, and general plant health. By enhancing water and nutrient uptake, controlling osmotic balance, and inducing the plant's immunological response, they also boost vegetable crop stress tolerance. The use of PGPR-based bioinoculants reduces the need for chemical pesticides and fertilizers while minimizing environmental contamination.