Alteration in important quality traits and antioxidant activities in Brassica oleracea with Ogura cybrid cytoplasm

In vegetable brassicas, cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) system is the most preferred mechanism for hybrid seed production and Ogura cybrid cytoplasm is the only source used widely. Effects of the alien cybrid cytoplasm on important quality traits need to be understood for their effective use in breeding programme. In analysing 38 Ogura cybrid cytoplasm‐based cauliflower CMS lines, it was revealed that introgression of Ogura cytoplasm resulted in significant alteration in important quality traits. Cupric reducing antioxidant activity and ferric reducing ability of plasma values were increased up to 5–10 times in different genotypes. Among 38 analysed CMS lines, concentration of plant pigments such as anthocyanin, total chlorophylls and ascorbic acid was reduced in 21, 17 and 32 genotypes, respectively. However, the concentration of total carotenoids and β‐carotene was elevated in most of the CMS lines and total carotenoid was increased up to 20 times in the CMS line, Ogu13‐85‐2A. The results indicate the role of nuclear–cytoplasmic interaction and mitochondrial genome in determining concentration of different quality traits.     

中国东南部红壤地区不同植被对土壤侵蚀和土壤养分的影响

The effect of different vegetation systems including bamboo plantation (BP), forest ecosystem (CF), citrus orchard (Ctr) and farmland (FL) on erosion and nutrients of red soil were investigated in hilly region of southeastern China to find effective control measures for soil erosion. The results showed that all the vegetation systems could significantly reduce soil erosion and nutrient losses compared to bare land (Br). The ability of different vegetation systems to conserve soil and water was in the order of Ctr > BP > CF > FL > Br. Vegetation could also improve soil fertility. The soil organic matter, total N and total P contents were much higher in all the vegetation systems than in bare land, especially for the top soils. Vegetation systems improved soil physical properties remarkably. Compared to the bare land, soil organic matter, TP, TK and available K, especially soil microbial biomass C, N and P, increased under all the vegetation covers. However, they were still much lower than expected, thus these biological measurements are still needed to be carried out continuously.     

Soil organic carbon and phosphorus availability regulate abundance of culturable phosphate-solubilizing bacteria in paddy fields

Low availability of phosphorus(P) is a major constraint for optimal crop production, as P is mostly present in its insoluble form in soil. Therefore,phosphate-solubilizing bacteria(PSB) from paddy field soils of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, India were isolated, and their abundance was attempted to be correlated with the physicochemical characteristics of the soils. Ninety-four PSB were isolated on Pikovskaya's agar medium, and quantitative phosphate solubilization was evaluated using NBRIP medium. The isolates solubilized P up to a concentration of 1 006 μg mL~(-1) from tricalcium phosphate with the secretion of organic acids. These isolates were identified by 16 S rRNA gene sequence comparison, and they belonged to Gammaproteobacteria(56 isolates),Firmicutes(28 isolates), Actinobacteria(8 isolates), and Alphaproteobacteria(2 isolates). Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the identification by clustering the isolates in the clade of the respective reference organisms. The correlation analysis between PSB abundance and physicochemical characteristics revealed that the PSB population increased with increasing levels of soil organic carbon, insoluble P, K~+, and Mg~(2+). The promising PSB explored in this study can be further evaluated for their biofertilizer potential in the field and for their use as potent bio-inoculants.     

Fatty Acid and Non-Fatty Acid Components of the Seed Oil of Celastrus paniculatus willd.

The yield and chemical composition of the seed oil of Celastrus paniculatus were determined by solvent extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The yield of crude fatty oil was found to be 45.5% in the mature seeds on dry weight basis. Fourteen compounds, constituting 97.57% of the oil, were identified. The oil was rich in unsaturated fatty acids (70.11%) followed by saturated fatty acids (25.2%). Oleic acid (54.42%), palmitic acid (20.0%), linoleic acid (15.51%), and stearic acid (4.18%) were the main fatty acids in the oil together with four other minor fatty acids. The current study identifies the novel compounds not previously reported in C. paniculatus oil, including 1,4-benzenediol (0.46%), cinnamic acid (0.15%), 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-benzoquinone (0.03%), butylated hydroxytoluene (0.4%), and eudalene (0.16).     

Evaluation of carbon sources,gelling agents,growth hormones and additives for efficient callus induction and plant regeneration in Indian wheat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum aestivum</Emphasis> L.) genotypes using mature embryos

Various factors affecting in vitro regeneration like different carbon sources, different gelling agents, and growth additives were assessed comprehensively for callus induction and plant regeneration for five Indian wheat cultivars using mature embryos as the explants for the first time. The tissue culture responses of cultivars WH-1105, HD-2967, and PBW-343 have not been reported earlier. Besides, the effect of different concentrations of the cytokinin, zeatin has also been optimized. Using the optimized factors, the efficiency of five different varieties, i.e., HD 2967, C 306, RAJ 3765, WH 1105, and PBW 343 was evaluated for regeneration. Modified MS basal medium containing dicamba reduced precocious germination of the embryo and induced embryogenic callus more efficiently. Removal of embryogenic calli from non-regenerable structures during early callus phase improved plant regeneration. These calli on zeatin (1.0 mgl^-1) and dicamba (0.1 mgl^-1) containing medium showed the highest regeneration frequency (98%) with a maximum of 8-9 shoots per calli. Maltose had the maximum callusing and regeneration percentage than other carbon sources. Various gelling agents did not have any significant difference on the regeneration. Of all the varieties, C-306 and HD-2967 were found to be more regenerative and can be used in transformation experiments.     

Pathotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Escherichia coli isolates from neonatal calves

Neonatal calf mortality is a major concern to livestock sector worldwide. Neonatal calf diarrhoea (NCD), an acute severe condition causes morbidity and mortality in calves. Amongst various pathogens involved in NCD, E. coli is considered as one of the major causes. The study was targeted to characterize E. coli isolates from neonatal calves for diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) types (pathotyping), antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiling and to correlate with epidemiological parameters. From neonates, a total of 113 faecal samples were collected, out of that 308, lactose fermenting colonies were confirmed as E. coli. Pathotypable isolates (12.3%) were represented by STEC (6.1%), EPEC (2.9%), ETEC (1.9%), EAEC (0.9%) and EHEC (0.3%). Occurrence of STEC was more in non-diarrhoeic calves, whereas ETEC was observed more in diarrhoeic calves. EPEC occurrence was observed in both diarrhoeic and non-diarrhoeic calves. Fishers extract test showed no significant association for occurrence of DEC types to type of dairies, health status, species, breed, age and sex of neonatal calves. Two hundred and eighty isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. The isolates showed maximum resistance towards ampicillin (55.4%) followed by tetracycline (54.3%), while minimum resistance was observed towards meropenem (2.5%). Multidrug resistant E. coli isolates were found to be 139 (49.6%), and Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers were 120 (42.9%). DEC pathotypes like STEC, ETEC, EHEC and EAEC that are also multidrug resistant present in neonatal calves have zoonotic potential and hence are of public health significance.

     

Use of Cyclop-eeze as a substitute for Artemia nauplii in larval rearing of giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man 1879)

Four feeding experiments, replacing 25% (T₁), 50% (T₂), 75% (T₃) and 100% (T₄), by dry weight, of the live feed Artemia nauplii for Cyclop‐eeze, a new larval feed that was claimed to contain the highest known levels of astaxanthin and omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, were compared against a control that was fed with Artemia and egg custard alone, to the larvae of giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man 1879). Analysis of different production characteristics of the larvae revealed that the highest survival up to postlarvae (PL) stage was obtained for T₂ in which 50% of the Artemia nauplii were replaced by Cyclop‐eeze [freeze‐dried (FD) deep frozen (DF)], and the highest astaxanthin content of the larval tissue obtained in T₄ in which the larvae were fed 100% Cyclop‐eeze, although the survival rate was the lowest in this treatment. The costs of different treatments were also compared. The Artemia consumption million⁻¹ larvae was the highest in control (11490 g), followed by T₁ (8240 g), T₂ (4990 g), T₃ (3730 g) and T₄, which completely replaced Artemia from stage 5 onwards (1830 g). The highest consumption of Cyclop‐eeze million⁻¹ larvae was in T₄ (1670 and 10 880 g), followed by T₃ (850 and 5560 g), T₂ (410 and 2690 g) and T₁ (230 and 1490 g) of FD and DF, respectively. The astaxanthin contents of the late‐stage larvae fed under the four treatments were 24.90, 27.40, 28.60 and 35.60 μg g⁻¹ tissue for T₁, T₂, T₃ and T₄, respectively, while that of the control was 23.70 μg g⁻¹. The lowest cost of live feeds million⁻¹ PL was obtained for T₂ (US$ 428.60), followed by T₁ (US$ 490.46), control (US$ 529.07) and T₃ (US$ 583.26), while it was the highest for T₄ (US$ 890.93). The results indicated that Cyclop‐eeze could economically replace Artemia nauplii at 50% level that could significantly improve the survival and carotenoid composition of the larvae of M. rosenbergii.     

Experiences with Rice Grown on Permanent Raised Beds: Effect of Crop Establishment Techniques on Water Use,Productivity, Profitability and Soil Physical Properties

In recent years, conventional rice production technologies have been leading to deterioration of soil health and declining farm profitability due to high inputs of water and labor. Conservation agriculture(CA) based resource-conserving technologies i.e. zero-tillage(ZT), raised-bed planting and direct-seeded rice(DSR) have shown promise as alternatives to conventional production technologies to overcome these problems. Present study was undertaken during 2009–2012 to establish an understanding of how permanent raised bed cropping system could be practiced to save water at the field application level to improve water productivity and also have the capability to enhance productivity, profitability and soil physical quality. The results showed that among different crop establishment techniques, conventional-tilled puddle transplanted rice(CT-TPR) required 14%-25% more water than other techniques. Compared with the CT-TPR system, zero till direct-seeded rice(ZT-DSR) consumed 6%–10% less water with almost equal system productivity and demonstrated higher water productivity. Wide raised beds saved about 15%–24% water and grain yield decrease of about 8%. Direct-seeded rice after ZT or reduced tillage or on unpuddled soil provided more net income than CT-TPR. The CTTPR system had higher bulk density and penetration resistance due to compaction caused by the repeated wet tillage in rice. The steady-state infiltration rate and soil aggregation( 0.25 mm) were higher under permanent beds and ZT and lower in the CT-TPR system. Under CT-TPR, soil aggregation was static across seasons, whereas it improved under no-till and permanent beds. Similarly, mean weight diameter of aggregates was higher under ZT and permanent beds and increased over time. The study reveals that to sustain the rice productivity, CA-based planting techniques can be more viable options. However, the long-term effects of these alternative technologies need to be studied under varying agro-ecologies in western Uttar Pradesh, India.