Sandeep Kaushik’s research while affiliated with Indira Gandhi National Tribal University and other places

The research studies on herbarium specimens have unraveled the mysteries hidden in historical treasured specimens, which could not have been possible with the living plants. A plethora of research studies have been carried out on herbarium specimens. The specimens have been instrumental in advancing our comprehension of diverse scientific phenomena, including but not limited to climate change, the impact of the ozone hole, phenological variations, indicators of effective pollination, interactions in pollination processes, antibiotic activity, biodiversity assessments, and the development of evolving conservation strategies. Additionally, they have facilitated investigations into coevolution within plant–insect relationships, allowed for noninvasive anatomical studies, led to the discovery of phytochemicals with commercial significance, provided insights into the migration patterns of plant pathogens, aided our current understanding of the origin of invasive herbivores, and supported research in molecular systematics and evolution. Furthermore, herbarium specimens have been instrumental in addressing issues related to patent claims, among other scientific inquiries. The observations on the trend of research studies on herbarium specimens indicate that several new understandings are likely to emerge in times to come since the specimens are dynamically contributing to the enhancement of the knowledge base. The current review comprehensively covers the fascinating research studies on herbarium specimens, as evidenced by appropriate examples.

Genetic variability induced by somaclonal variation is a viable tool to generate new traits in plants and create a new variety. During the last three-four decades, somaclonal variation has been utilized efficiently in selecting variants with desirable characteristics in many commercially important plants, including fruit crops. Somaclonal variation offers immense scope for crop improvement in fruit plants, as most fruit plants are trees that have many breeding concerns. Several valuable somaclonal variants, mainly associated with crop improvement traits like disease resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, fruit quality, growth characteristics, etc., have been selected in many fruit plants through in vitro selection techniques. Few of them are released as commercial cultivars. This chapter emphasizes the potential and perspectives of somaclonal variation in fruit crop improvement. Further, the chapter also includes a list of useful variants selected through somaclonal variation in fruit plants.

Global population expansion has resulted in an acute demand for proliferated food production and distribution. As a result of this augmented food production, the agricultural sector has become a key waste producer too. Huge agricultural waste is produced annually through intense farming, cultivation, harvesting, and industrial processes. Agricultural wastes are classified as offcuts, crop residues, industrial wastes, food-related wastes, and animal wastes. Incineration of agricultural waste produces carbon dioxide and smoke which, when released into the environment, generates heat and causes global warming due to severe air pollution. Therefore, appropriate attention must be taken to decompose agricultural waste using an agricultural waste management strategy. Agriculture waste is reclaimed to produce enzymes, biofuels, vitamins, antioxidants, antibiotics, animal feed, and other useful compounds. Exploration of agricultural waste is a promising non-renewable resource alternative to support environmental feasibility and to address the increasing energy problem. This chapter discusses the right scientific approaches and methodologies for using agricultural waste as raw materials. Furthermore, we discuss numerous methods and techniques for obtaining valuable outputs and products from agricultural waste for a sustainable future.

Lac, the only natural resin of animal origin is produced by the Indian lac insect- Kerria lacca. It is the by-product of the complex natural interaction between the lac insect and its host plant. Despite several studies on the perspectives of the chemistry of lac and its production, very little work has been carried out to understand the biology of lac and its associated plant taxa. The present work has been designed to understand the preliminary response if any, of the host plant against lac insect infestation. Structural studies and metabolic profiling such as the determination of total phenolics, flavonoids, antioxidants, FTIR, and GC-MS were carried out. The anatomical investigations revealed coagulation/deposition of metabolites in the infested sites. The infested bark showed higher phenolic, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity in comparison to non-infested bark which was corroborated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and GC-MS biochemical analysis. This preliminary study will shed some light on understanding the lac plant host's physiological response and the putative mechanism used by the lac insect in overcoming the plant response.

The present article demonstrates the applicability of liquid medium in propagation and short-term storage of synthetic seed of Justicia adhatoda L., a medicinally important plant used in many ayurvedic drugs. Shoot tips and nodal segments excised from shoots regenerated on meta-topolin (mT) containing medium were encapsulated in 3% Na-alginate and 100 mM CaCl2.2 H2O for the preparation of artificial seeds. Irrespective of media composition, shoot tips performed better than nodal segments with respect to shoot emergence from alginate beads and further conversion into plantlets in a single step. Morphogenic responses of encapsulated shoot tips in liquid as well as on agar-solidified medium were evaluated and maximum plantlet conversion was observed on PGR-free MS liquid medium. Encapsulated shoot tips were stored for 60 days using slow-growth storage approaches which were induced by a reduction of sucrose concentration (1%) in the medium and reducing MS medium strength to half. After storage, more than 50% synthetic seeds were converted into plantlets when transferred to a regrowth medium. This slow-growth approach may be applied for the short-term storage of synthetic seeds for a reasonable period that is sufficient for the exchange of germplasm for distant places.

Over the last century, accumulation of microplastic has emerged as a greater threat to the environment, plants, microorganisms and even human beings. Microplastics can be intentionally produced for industries such as cosmetics, or they may be unintentionally generated from degradation of bulk plastic debris. Furthermore, mismanagement of plastic waste is a major source of microplastics. When ingested, microplastics can alter several physical, chemical and biological processes in living organisms. Thus, their toxicity silently spreads its roots into the biosphere. Unfortunately, current strategies for the elimination of microplastics are not sufficient for their complete removal and degradation. Therefore, the adoption of green innovative technologies is the first step toward a microplastic-free environment. However, advances for its effective degradation and elimination are hindered by our limited understanding. This literature study investigates microplastic comprehensively, covering their sources, fate, ecological impacts and their effects on biological processes. It includes an analysis of microplastics in Indian rivers, explores methods for its eradication and degradation, emphasizes plastic recycling and offers future recommendations to pave way toward achieving a microplastic-free environment. Graphical Abstract

The field of nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that combines knowledge from various disciplines of science, i.e., materials science, applied physics, molecular biology, polymer science, and engineering etc. Nano-materials measured on nano-scale form the foundation of nanotechnology and, based on their specific characteristics, i.e., size, distribution, composition and morphology, exhibit superior chemical, physical, magnetic, electronic and biological properties. Currently, the nanomaterials exist in a number of potential forms, i.e., nano-particles, nano-fibers,nano-rods, nano-wires etc making them suitable for various biomedical applications involving tissues and cells. TEM not only provides detailed topological, morphological, compositional information about the materials at nano-scale but also helps in the visualization of biological structures at a higher resolution than that offered by light microscopy. This chapter reviews the latest developments in TEM used for physicochemical characterization of nano-materials as well as the progress of nanoparticles of various kinds in the biomedical field. (PDF) Transmission electron microscopy for biomedical nanotechnology. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372845784_Transmission_electron_microscopy_for_biomedical_nanotechnology [accessed Aug 06 2023].

The development of nanotechnology, in particular metal oxide nanoparticles, has captured immense scientific attention in the global arena due to their unique properties leading to their unique diverse applications. But the use of toxic precursors and high operational cost make existing methodologies inefficient for synthesising metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs). Biogenic synthesis of MONPs has been hailed as a more sustainable approach for the synthesis of NPs due to its alignment with the principles of green chemistry. Microorganisms (bacteria, yeast, algae), animal sources (silk, fur, etc.), and plants are effective, low-cost, and eco-friendly means of synthesizing MONPs since they possess a high bio-reduction abilities to produce NPs of various shapes and sizes. The current review encompasses recent advancements in the field of plant-mediated MONP synthesis and characterisation. The detailed evaluation of various synthesis processes and parameters, key influencing factors affecting the synthesis efficiency and product morphology, practical applications with insight into the associated limitations and challenges presents a valuable database that will be helpful in developing alternative prospects and potential engineering applications.