Vermicompost Leachate, Seaweed Extract and Smoke-Water Alleviate Drought Stress in Cowpea By Influencing Phytochemicals, Compatible Solutes and Photosynthetic Pigments

Drought is a major constraint for agricultural production worldwide and is likely to become aggravated by global warming. It can induce land degradation, exorbitant food prices and menace livelihoods. Approaches for retaining optimal yield, especially in rainfed staple crops such as cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) are paramount. Biostimulants; vermicompost leachate (VCL), seaweed extract [Kelpak® (KEL)] and smoke-water (SW) have exhibited effective amelioration for plants under abiotic stresses, however, research on cowpea remains scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of seed priming of cowpea with VCL, KEL and SW on the growth, photosynthesis and biochemical levels in cowpea cultivated under three watering regimes. SW treatment amplified growth variables (i.e., foliage, shoot height, root length and number of flowers) of water-stressed cowpeas. KEL- and VCL-treated seeds significantly augmented shoot and nodules production by 2 and 4-fold respectively, compared to the control. Leaf carbohydrates and photosynthetic pigments in KEL- and SW-treated plants increased considerably under severe water deficits, while leaf proteins decreased by more than 3-fold. The biostimulants also lowered phenolic and flavonoid concentrations. Increasing and decreasing levels of soluble sugars, proteins, photosynthetic pigments, phenolics and flavonoids indicate stress alleviation and osmotic adjustment to water deficits. These biostimulants are a suitable alternative to improve soil fertility, growth, and yield of staple crops under water stress conditions.

Biofortification of Staple Crops to Eradicate Hidden Hunger: A Review

There is a very close association between humans’ beings and the enormous wealth of plants on this green planet. Amid the large floral diversity, numerous plants have been used for exclusive purposes, most notably the food. Though many staple crop plants and vegetables are rich sources of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to meet hunger and require nourishment, they invariably lack some of the essential minerals and vitamins vital for the ideal growth of a human being. Globally, a large portion of the populace is facing ‘hidden hunger’ attributable to the deficit of certain minerals and vitamins in their routine diet because most of the staple food and fodder are deficient in any specific essential nutrients and vitamins. To meet this problem, people have used many approaches and developed new methods to improve staple crops. Biofortification is one such method which the researchers with great success extensively use. In this attempt, various tactics of biofortification have been reviewed. The review also conferred which biofortification was achieved in many staple food crops and their applicability and limitations at the global level.

Calcium Biofortification of Crops–Challenges and Projected Benefits

Despite Calcium (Ca) being an essential nutrient for humans, deficiency of Ca is becoming an ensuing public health problem worldwide. Breeding staple crops with higher Ca concentrations is a sustainable long-term strategy for alleviating Ca deficiency, and particular criteria for a successful breeding initiative need to be in place. This paper discusses current challenges and projected benefits of Ca-biofortified crops. The most important features of Ca nutrition in plants are presented along with explicit recommendations for additional exploration of this important issue. In order for Ca-biofortified crops to be successfully developed, tested, and effectively implemented in most vulnerable populations, further research is required.

Parliamentary Authority over Creditors’ Claims

This chapter describes the history and impact of Parliament's Debt Recovery Act of 1732, which created a legal regime strengthening creditors' remedies against land and slaves throughout the British colonies in America and the West Indies. Parliament enacted the Debt Recovery Act in response to concerns among English creditors that the colonists were defeating their efforts to collect on debts by invoking traditional English legal protections to land. The merchants were interested in the laws of Virginia and Jamaica, where planters relied on credit to purchase an increasing supply of slave labor. With some exceptions, colonies relying heavily on slave labor to produce staple crops were more likely than other colonies to uphold the English protections to land and inheritance from unsecured creditors. A second concern driving Parliament's enactment of the Debt Recovery Act was that colonial legislatures might at any time enact laws characterizing slaves as “land” and thereby make the slaves legally immune from seizure by creditors under English law.