Follicle characteristics of non-woolly Indian goats

Skin follicular studies of four non-woolly Indian goat breeds are reported. The number of primary follicles ranged from 2 to 14 mm-2 with an overall mean of 6.40 +/- 0.22. Secondary follicles per mm2 ranged from 1 to 23 with an overall mean of 9.48 +/- 0.55. The secondary/primary follicle ratios (S/P) for Black Bengal, Jamnapari, Barbari and Sirohi goats were 1.57 +/- 0.21, 1.15 +/- 0.16, 1.61 +/- 0.21 and 2.04 +/- 0.21, respectively, with an overall mean of 1.59 +/- 0.99. The corresponding values for the total follicles per mm2 for the four breeds were 16.83 +/- 1.39, 15.86 +/- 1.08, 17.66 +/- 1.41 and 13.19 +/- 1.41 with an overall mean of 15.88 +/- 0.66. Per cent primaries were lowest in Sirohi and highest in Jamnapari goats. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences between breeds for the number of primary follicles and S/P ratio. Sex differences and the interaction between breed x sex were not significant for any of the follicle traits studied. On the basis of follicle characteristics the non-woolly short-haired goats offer a reasonable scope for crossing with fibre goats, and Sirohi goats possibly have better skin quality for leather conversion than other goat breeds studied.     

Toxicity of essential oil compounds against diamondback moth,Plutella xylostella,and their impact on detoxification enzyme activities

Essential oils are by-products of plant metabolism that are now known to interfere with basic metabolic, physiological and behavioral functions of insects, thereby having promise for use as pest control agents. Accordingly, four essential oil compounds, thymol, 1,8-cineole, linalool and pulegone, were evaluated against the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae), to determine their acute toxicity. Thymol and 1,8-cineole were highly toxic to third instars with a LD₅₀ of 0.22 and 0.41 μg/larva, respectively. Linalool and pulegone were moderately active against this insect species, exhibiting <45 % mortality in up to 15 μg/larva. However, in biorational mixtures pulegone was synergistic to both thymol and 1,8-cineole where the increase in activity was almost twofold. Thymol and 1,8-cineole, though active individually against P. xylostella larvae, were antagonistic as biorational mixtures. Linalool was antagonistic in all combinations. In various assays with detoxification enzymes in treated conditions, there was a significant increase in enzyme levels both in vivo and in vitro. Thymol and 1,8-cineole were the active toxicants against P. xylostella, with significant potential to control this pest as biorational mixtures in a synergistic combination with pulegone. Induction in enzyme levels by these compounds suggests possibilities of resistance, which at present remains a speculation, but cannot be summarily ignored because the induction of enzymes due to involvement of detoxification enzymes in the metabolism of a broad range of xenobiotics and secondary metabolites in plants is well known.     

Assessment of genetic diversity within and among Basmati and non-Basmati rice varieties using AFLP,ISSR and SSR markers

Molecular markers provide novel tools to differentiate between the various grades of Basmati rice, maintain fair-trade practices and to determine its relationship with other rice groups in Oryza sativa. We have evaluated the genetic diversity and patterns of relationships among the 18 rice genotypes representative of the traditional Basmati, cross-bred Basmati and non-Basmati (indica and japonica) rice varieties using AFLP, ISSR and SSR markers. All the three marker systems generated higher levels of polymorphism and could distinguish between all the 18 rice cultivars. The minimum number of assay-units per system needed to distinguish between all the cultivars was one for AFLP, two for ISSR and five for SSR. A total of 171 (110 polymorphic), 240 (188 polymorphic) and 160 (159 polymorphic) bands were detected using five primer combinations of AFLP, 25 UBC ISSR primers and 30 well distributed, mapped SSR markers, respectively. The salient features of AFLP, ISSR and SSR marker data analyzed using clustering algorithms, principal component analysis, Mantel test and AMOVA analysis are as given below: (i) the two traditional Basmati rice varieties were genetically distinct from indica and japonica rice varieties and invariably formed a separate cluster, (ii) the six Basmati varieties developed from various indica × Basmati rice crosses and backcrosses were grouped variably depending upon the marker system employed; CSR30 and Super being more closer to traditional Basmati followed by HKR228, Kasturi, Pusa Basmati 1 and Sabarmati, (iii) AFLP, ISSR and SSR marker data-sets showed moderate levels of positive correlation (Mantel test, r = 0.42–0.50), and (iv) the partitioning of the variance among and within rice groups (traditional Basmati, cross-bred Basmati, indica and japonica) using AMOVA showed greater variation among than within groups using SSR data-set, while reverse was true for both ISSR and AFLP data-sets. The study emphasizes the need for using a combination of different marker systems for a comprehensive genetic analysis of Basmati rice germplasm. The high-level polymorphism generated by SSR, ISSR and AFLP assays described in this study shall provide novel markers to differentiate between traditional Basmati rice supplies from cheaper cross-bred Basmati and long-grain non-Basmati varieties at commercial level.The first two authors have equal contribution     

Genetic analysis of a CSR10 (indica) × Taraori Basmati F3 population segregating for salt tolerance using ISSR markers

Segregation for salinity tolerance and ISSR markers based molecular polymorphism were investigated in a F₃ plant population raised via single-seed descent method from a cross between salt-tolerant indica rice variety CSR10 and salt-susceptible premium traditional Basmati rice variety Taraori Basmati HBC19. A total of 130 F₃plants were evaluated individually for salinity tolerance on 1–9 scale on the basis of seedling growth parameters; the average score ranged between 1.7 to 8.3. Frequency distribution curve obtained using the salinity tolerance data of F₃ population and a chi-square analysis, showed a good fit to a normal distribution. Eleven plants each in the category of salt-tolerant and salt-susceptible were selected from the segregating F₃ population for ISSR marker analysis. A total of 149 bands (4–11 bands per primer) ranging from 200 to 3530 bp were scored for the two rice varieties and the selected CSR10 × HBC19 segregating F₃ plants using 26 ISSR primers. Of these, 89 were monomorphic and 60 were polymorphic. Of the 60 polymorphic bands,36 and 20 bands were specific to CSR10 andHBC19 respectively. The remaining four bands were amplified using UBC primers 810,848, 853 and 886 and present in only some of the CSR10 × HBC19 F₃ plants. Notably, ISSR primers with dinucleotide repeat motif and 5'-anchored end amplified more number of bands (7.0 bands/primer) compared to3'-anchored dinucleotide primers (5.4bands/primer), but 3'-anchored dinucleotide primers revealed higher level of polymorphism (2.6 polymorphic bands/primer) compared to 5'-anchoreddinucleotide primers (1.43 polymorphic bands/ primer). While distribution of majority of the polymorphic bands were more or less in the expected ratios in salt-tolerant and/or salt-sensitive F₃segregating plants, but some of the bands amplified using UBC ISSR primers 823, 825,826, 849, 853, 864, 866 and 884 showed highly skewed distribution. Such polymorphic bands stand greater chances of having a linkage with the genes/ QTLs for salinity tolerance and shall be the target for further studies. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effect of Water Stress on Physiological Attributes and their Relationship with Growth and Yield of Wheat Cultivars at Different Stages

The effects of water stress on physiological attributes of drought‐sensitive (Kalyansona) and drought‐tolerant (C‐306) wheat cultivars were studied in a pot experiment. Water stress was imposed by withholding irrigation at boot and anthesis stages. Leaf water potential, leaf osmotic potential and leaf turgor potential (measured with pressure chamber and osmometer), as well as leaf diffusive resistance, leaf transpiration rate and leaf‐to‐air transpiration gradient (measured with a steady‐state porometer) were measured diurnally. Growth and yield parameters were recorded after harvesting of the crop. Triplicate data were analysed using a completely randomized design and correlations amongst these parameters were computed. Water stress was found to reduce diurnal leaf water potential and leaf osmotic potential in both the genotypes but leaf osmotic potential was significantly higher in the drought‐tolerant cultivar C‐306 than in the drought‐sensitive cultivar Kalyansona. Positive turgor was recorded in both the genotypes under water stress and non‐stress conditions. Water‐stressed plants showed significantly lower turgor potential than control plants. In diurnal observations, water‐stressed plants exhibited significantly higher leaf diffusive resistance in both genotypes at both stages. The diffusive resistance of C‐306 was predominantly higher than that of Kalyansona. Water stress decreased leaf transpiration rate at both stages but the reduction was higher at the anthesis stage. The leaf‐to‐air temperature gradient was much higher in C‐306 than in Kalyansona at the boot stage but at the anthesis stage genotypic variation was non‐significant. The capacity to maintain cooler foliage was lower at the anthesis stage than at the boot stage in both the cultivars. Shoot dry weight, number of grains, test weight, grain yield, biological yield and harvest index decreased to a greater extent when water stress was imposed at the anthesis stage, while imposition of water stress at the boot stage caused a greater reduction in plant height and number of tillers. Similarly, water stress caused a smaller reduction in growth, yield and yield attributes in C‐306 than in Kalyansona. In general, the correlation coefficient of grain and biological yield with water potential and its components was positive and highly significant. Similarly, turgor potential was also correlated positively and significantly with grain yield at both the stages, but with biological yield it was significant only at the anthesis stage. A negative and significant correlation was obtained for diffusive resistance and leaf‐to‐air temperature gradient with grain yield at the boot and anthesis stages. The rate of transpiration was also positively and significantly correlated to grain and biological yields at both the stages. Amongst the yield attributes, number of leaves and number of tillers were positively correlated at the anthesis stage, whereas leaf area and shoot dry weight were significantly correlated with grain and biological yields at both the stages.     

SCAR marker tagged to the alien leaf rust resistance gene Lr19 uniquely marking the Agropyron elongatum-derived gene Lr24 in wheat: a revision

A sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker tagged to an Agropyron elongatum‐derived leaf rust resistance (Lr) gene Lr19 was validated on 18 known alien Lr gener in near‐isogenic lines (NILs) in the variety ‘Thatcher’, along with three wheat cultivers carrying Lr24 and two carrying Lr19. The marker was expressed only in the Lr24 lines confirming that the marker tagged the geneLr24. The monomorphic expression of the SCAR marker in 10NIL pairs for Lr19 and Lr24 revealed that each NIL pair possessed the same gene, Lr24. The donor parents used in the NIL pairs for Lr19 (‘Sunstar*6/C80‐1′) and Lr24 (‘TR380‐14*7/3Ag#14′) amplified the same fragment. Nonsegregation for leaf rust in the F₂ population of the cross between the above donor parents confirmed the presence of the same gene in the two parents. Apparently, a genuine parent stock of ‘Sunstar*6/C80‐1’ was not involved in the development of the NIL pairs for Lr19 due to an improper maintence bredding protocol either at source or destination which went undetected in the absence of signs of virulence for either gene in the region.     

Genetic diversity in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eremostachys superba</Emphasis> Royle ex Benth. (Lamiaceae), an endangered Himalayan species,as assessed by RAPD

Eremostachys superba Royle ex Benth. (Lamiaceae) has undergone a severe decline in population size since its discovery in the North-western Himalayas in late 19th century. One hundred and seventy-two plants from six populations in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, located between 0.45 km and 455.72 km apart from each other were evaluated for RAPD polymorphism. Sixteen random primers generated 92 bands overall, 77 of which were polymorphic. Shannon’s index of genetic diversity within populations (H _o) ranged between 0.305 and 0.421; the average within-population diversity (H _pop) was 0.389; and the total species diversity (H _sp) was 0.478. The population from Mohand (representing the type locality) had the fewest plants, at 18, and was genetically the most depauperate. Among the other populations, ranging in size between 52 and 1,022 individuals, no relation between population size and genetic diversity was evident. It is suggested that these six populations represent relics of a larger, extended population, in which the presence of perennating rootstocks has helped preserve historic patterns of genetic diversity. AMOVA revealed that 83.01% of the variation exists within populations, which was consistent with earlier studies on the reproductive biology of E. superba, which indicated this species is predominantly allogamous. FST distances between all populations were significant, indicating geographic differentiation despite some of them being closely separated. Habitat restoration and protection from indiscriminate harvesting are proposed as primary strategies for conserving E. superba. Rejuvenation of the Mohand population through intrapopulation crossing between plants bearing diverse molecular phenotypes is also suggested.     

Pre-Treatment of Currency Printing Ink Wastewater through Coagulation-Flocculation Process

Attempt has been made to study the treatability of printing ink wastewatergenerated from an Indian currency printing press using coagulation-flocculation process. Coagulant agents, viz. ferrous sulphate, ferric chloride, aluminium sulphate and polyaluminium chloride were studied to select the most suitablecoagulant for effective treatment, and attain the optimum coagulant concentration. Cationic polyeletrolyte in conjunction with the most effective coagulant was also studied to assess its effect on floc settleability. Polyaluminium chloride (PAC) was found to be the most efficient coagulant, achieving removals of colour, suspended solids (SS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 95.9–96.5%, 96.5–97.0%, 61.3–65.8%and 54.8–61.8%, respectively at an optimum concentration of 1500 mg L^-1. Other coagulants, viz. ferrous sulphate, ferric chloride and aluminium sulphate did not show substantial removals of colour, BOD and COD, except suspended solids in comparison to the performance of PAC. Cationic ploylectrolyte in combination with PAC at an optimum concentration of 1500 mg L^-1 of PAC and 1.0 mg L^-1 of polyelectrolyte further improved the removal efficiency of various parameters studied, in addition to improving the floc settling rate, and reduction in quantity of sludge generation.Effect of rapid mixing intensity expressed as mean temporal velocity gradient (G), and mixing time (t) on flocculation was also investigated. Rapid mixing at an impeller rotational speed (n) of 300 rpm and mixing time (t) of 60 sec indicated good floc formation, which resulted in achieving velocity gradient of 821 s^-1, and was found to be an optimum combination. This was also indicated by relatively high settling velocity of sludge formed and low residual colour in the supernatant. However, slow mixing beyond 5 min, adopted after initial optimum rapid mixing, indicated negligible effect on flocculation.     

Absence of detectable arsenate in DNA from arsenate-grown GFAJ-1 cells

A strain of Halomonas bacteria, GFAJ-1, has been claimed to be able to use arsenate as a nutrient when phosphate is limiting and to specifically incorporate arsenic into its DNA in place of phosphorus. However, we have found that arsenate does not contribute to growth of GFAJ-1 when phosphate is limiting and that DNA purified from cells grown with limiting phosphate and abundant arsenate does not exhibit the spontaneous hydrolysis expected of arsenate ester bonds. Furthermore, mass spectrometry showed that this DNA contains only trace amounts of free arsenate and no detectable covalently bound arsenate.     

Soil organic phosphorus fractions in response to long-term fertilization with composted manures under rice–wheat cropping system

Present investigation evaluates the effect of organic fertilization (OF), integrated nutrient management (INM) practice, and recommended dose of chemical fertilization (CF) on changes in soil organic phosphorus (P) and its fractions under rice (Oryza sativa L.)–wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropping system. The 4-year experiment (2009–2013), under split-plot design, showed that OF did not increase the total P or total organic P content of soil under either of the test crops. However, OF maintained the higher level of labile organic P and moderately labile organic P in soil under wheat the moderately stable organic P and highly stable organic P was highest in paddy soil under CF practices (11.34 and 7.77 μg g^?1, respectively) followed by wheat. The P concentration in organically grown rice or wheat grain was increased significantly compared with their CF counterparts. The productivity economics for rice and wheat crops showed INM fertilization to be more economical than OF.