Research Projects

Millets are a critical food source in India, rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, and serve as a staple diet, particularly in rural areas. The global spotlight on millets in 2023, marked by the "International Year of Millets," emphasized their role in sustainable nutrition. However, salinity stress severely affects millet production by disrupting nutrient uptake, biochemical composition, and nutraceutical quality, threatening food security and public health in regions already grappling with malnutrition. Addressing salinity stress is essential to maintain millet productivity, especially under the pressures of climate change. Nitric oxide (NO) has shown promise as a stress-ameliorating agent in plants, enhancing antioxidant defenses and nutrient metabolism. Conventional NO donors face challenges like instability under varying environmental conditions, leading to uncontrolled release, toxicity, and ineffective signaling. To overcome these limitations, encapsulating NO donors in chitosan nanoparticles (Cs-NPs) has emerged as a promising strategy. Cs-NPs encapsulated NO-donors offer controlled, gradual NO release with high bioavailability, minimizing adverse effects and ensuring sustained benefits in plant systems. Understanding the roles of sustained NO supply in regulating nutrient uptake, photosynthesis, and antioxidant defenses is crucial to fully harness its potential in mitigating salinity stress. While most existing research has focused on the effects of exogenous NO donors in crop plants, there is limited information specific to millets. Additionally, the effectiveness of NO varies, depending on plant species, cultivars, and soil salinity levels. Therefore, a synergistic combination of the signaling properties of NO with the bioactivity of chitosan in a nanocomplex could offer a novel solution to these challenges. The NO-chitosan nanocomplex could be applied as a foliar spray or soil drench, providing an environmentally friendly, accessible, and low-cost technology for smallholder farmers in India without requiring significant changes to existing agricultural practices. This research aims to develop and optimize the NO-chitosan nanocomplex to improve the growth, salinity tolerance, and grain quality of millets. It also focuses on enhancing protein content, antioxidant levels, and key nutrients (e.g., potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc), alongside optimizing carbohydrate profiles for better public health outcomes. These improvements are particularly significant for regions that rely heavily on millet as dietary staples. By expanding the cultivable area in salt-affected regions, this project seeks to boost millet production and support India’s food and nutritional security goals. The findings could establish a scalable, sustainable solution to enhance the resilience of millets, ensuring their role in addressing climate-adaptive agriculture and public health.