Molecular genetic diversity analysis in emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccon Schrank) from India

Emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccon Schrank) is still largely cultivated in India, and highly appreciated for the preparation of traditional dishes. Moreover, its nutritional characteristics could justify a development of its cultivation. The perspective of genetic improvement however requires a good knowledge of the genetic diversity existing within the eco-geographic group of Indian emmer wheats. A set of 48 emmer wheat accessions from India including 28 from a local collection and 20 Indian accessions obtained from CIMMYT, Mexico, was assessed for genetic variability using 47 microsatellite (SSR) markers, distributed over all the 14 chromosomes. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 9, with an average of 3.87 alleles per locus. A total of 201 alleles were detected at 52 loci with average polymorphic information content of 0.35 per locus and a mean resolving power of 1. The pair-wise similarity coefficients calculated from binary data matrix based on presence or absence of alleles varied from 0.15 to 0.98, but was greater than 0.5 for most accessions, indicating a high level of similarity. A cluster analysis based on the similarity matrix identified nine distinct accessions and three clusters. All the recently developed commercial varieties were distinctly different from the clusters. Based on the analysis, it appears that Indian emmer wheats are not very diverse. Consequently, there is a need to increase the diversity within the Indian emmer wheat eco-geographic group, by introducing diversity from other eco-geographic groups, or even from other wheat species.     

Genetic diversity in melon (Cucumis melo L.): Anevaluation of African germplasm

The genetic diversity among 126 exotic (108) andreference array (RA) melon (Cucumismelo L.) accessions (18) was assessed byvariation at 49 random amplified polymorphic DNA marker bands(putative loci) using 29 10-mer primers. Africanaccessions of unknown melon market classes were compared to the RAaccessions from a broad range of C.melo subsp. melo groups(Cantalupensis, Conomon, Inodorus and Flexuosus). Althoughdifferences in groupings occurred after multidimensional scaling andcluster analysis, both analyses placed African accessions into twogroups, which were separate from RA groupings. One African group of33 accessions containing accessions from Zimbabwe (5),Zambia (24), Mali (1), one of two Senegalaccessions and two of three South African accessions examined. Thesecond group, which consisted of 67 accessions containing collectionsfrom Egypt (40), Tunisia (6), Libya(13), Morocco (1), Algeria (2),Ethiopia (1), Niger (1), Sierra Leone(1), S. Africa (1), Zambia (1) andZimbabwe (1). Depending on the multivariate analysistechnique employed, accessions from Kenya, Senegal and Ghana formedeither unique groupings or were grouped with accessions(Cantalupensis) from the RA. Both analyses indicate thatthe genetic differences inherent between the African gene pools isassociated with the geographic proximity of African countries(northern vs. central-southern Africa) in thegermplasm array examined. Moreover, these data indicate that thegenetic diversity of U.S. and European commercial RA germplasm(Cantalupensis and Inodorus) could be enhanced by theintroduction of genetic variation from African accessions, and thatit would be advantageous to acquire more accessions from thisgeographically and ecologically varied region to ensure the retentionof existing genetic diversity.     

Factors responsible for soil erosion hazard in submontane Punjab, India

Abstract. Various factors of soil erosion (erodibility of the soil, slope of the land and nature of the plant cover) were studied in a representative area of submontane Punjab. In the north-eastern part of the area, slope steepness, slope length, convexo-concave and concave slope patterns and sparse vegetation were the dominant factors governing erosion hazard. In the central and lower south-western part of the area, high soil credibility and sparse vegetation were the most important factors.
Rill erosion was positively correlated ( r = 0.87) with slope steepness. The erodibility of the soil was strongly correlated ( r = 0.98) with amounts of silt + very fine sand.
In the area with steeper slopes, the lower segments of transects were prone to more erosion because of high credibility. Slope shapes such as convexo-concave and concave could result in sloughing and greater erosion hazard if not properly protected. Slopes facing southwest were more prone to erosion than others because of more solar energy, greater aridity, less vegetation and concave shape.     

Occurrence and Geochemistry of Arsenic in Groundwater of Punjab,Northwest India

Abstract

Arsenic (As) is a deadly poison at high concentrations. It is mysterious in the sense that people are exposed to it most of the time through drinking groundwater, fortunately at much lower concentrations than the deadly levels, and usually without knowing it. Arsenic content in alluvial aquifers of Punjab varied from 3.5 to 688 µg L^?1. Arsenic status of groundwater is classified into low (<10 µg L^?1), moderate (≥10 to <25 µg L^?1), high (≥25 to <50 µg L^?1), and very high (>50 µg L^?1). In zone I, the concentration of As in groundwater varied from 3.5 to 42 µg L^?1 with a mean value of 23.4 µg L^?1. On the basis of these limits, only 8% of samples were low, whereas 51 and 41% of the total samples collected from this region fall in the moderate and high As categories. The concentration of As in groundwater of zone II varied from 9.8 to 42.5 µg L^?1 with a mean value of 24.1 µg L^?1. Arsenic concentration in the alluvial aquifers of the central plain of zone II is 2 and 52% in the low and moderate limits. In this region, 46% of groundwater sites contain high As concentrations. Arsenic concentrations in the aridic southwestern parts are significantly different from other two provinces. The As concentration ranged from 11.4 to 688 µg L^?1 with average value of 76.8 µg L^?1. Eleven percent of the aquifers of the southwestern region of zone III are in the moderate category, 54% in the high, and 35% in the very high. According to safe As limits (<10 µg L^?1), only 3 and 1% of the groundwater samples collected from zones I and II were fit for dinking purposes with respect to As content. In the aridic southwest, zone III, all water samples contained As concentrations greater than the safe limits and thus are not suitable for drinking purposes. The presence of elevated As concentrations in groundwater are generally due to the results of natural occurrences of As in the aquifer materials. The concentration of other competitive oxyanions in waters such as phosphate, sulfate, and borate also depressed the adsorption of As on the sorption sites of aquifer materials and thereby eventually elevate the As concentration in groundwaters. In groundwater of alluvial aquifers of Punjab, released from sulfide oxidation and oxyhydroxide of iron, elevated (>10 µg L^?1) concentrations of As were widespread because of high pH (>8.0) and higher concentrations of phosphate, borate, sulfate, and hydroxyl anions. It is conclusively evident that geochemical conditions, such as pH, oxidation–reduction, associated or competing ions, and evaporative environments have significant effects on As concentration in groundwater. These conditions influence how much As is dissolved or precipitated into the water and how much is bound to the aquifer materials or the solid particles in water.     

Diversity among melon (Cucumis melo L.) landraces from the Indo-Gangetic plains of India and their genetic relationship with USA melon cultivars

We report here the first broad genetic characterization of farmer-developed landraces of melon (Cucumis melo L.) from the Indo-Gangetic plains of India, an area overlooked in previous melon genetic diversity analyses of Indian melon germplasm. Eighty-eight landraces from three melon Groups in two subspecies (C. melo subsp. agrestis Momordica Group, and C. melo subsp. melo Cantalupensis Group and Reticulatus Group) were collected from the four agro-ecological regions (six sub-regions) of two northern states of the Indo-Gangetic plains of India, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Significant differences were found among the landraces and eight USA Reticulatus Group reference cultivars for 18 plant and fruit traits: no. of primary branches per plant, days to marketable maturity, sex expression, fruit shape, flesh colour, netting, no. of fruit per plant, fruit weight, shelf life, total soluble solids (°Bx), ascorbic acid (mg/100 g), titratable acidity (%), fruit length and diameter, seed cavity length and diameter, flesh thickness, and resistance to Cucumber mosaic virus. The three melon groups differed significantly for 10 of the plant and fruit traits. Cantalupensis Group and Reticulatus Group accessions were andromonoecious, and the Momordica Group was monoecious. Neighbour-joining (NJ) tree and factorial correspondence analysis (FCA) of simple sequence repeat loci also revealed a high level of genetic variability in this germplasm. The 96 melon genotypes clustered into five groups in the NJ tree analysis: the 16 Indian Reticulatus Group accessions and eight USA reference cultivars formed a distinct group; and the 60 Cantalupensis Group accessions clustered in four other groups with the 12 Momordica Group accessions in a distinct subgroup of one of the Cantalupensis groups. The FCA plot largely confirmed the NJ tree with three distinct groups, one for each melon group. The close affinity of the Indian and USA Reticulatus melons was not unexpected, but it is not clear whether it was inherent in the group and maintained as Reticulatus melons moved from India through Central Asia and Europe to North America, or the result of recent intercrossing of Indian landraces with the USA-derived cultivars and selection for a broad range of Reticulatus type melons.     

Morphological diversity in sorghum germplasm from India

Summary Of the 5000 sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Monench) germplasm accessions assembled at ICRISAT Asia Center (IAC), over 4000 accessions from 11 major sorghum growing states in India were evaluated for morphological and agronomical characters at IAC during rainy and postrainy seasons.Considerable diversity was observed for all the characters studied. Diversity was more among states than within states. Variation among the seasons was also considerable. Days to flowering ranged from 42 to 129 days during postrainy and 33 to 180 days during the rainy season indicating their day length sensitivity. Plant height ranged from 65 to 330 cm during postrainy and 75 to 655 cm during rainy season. Panicle length ranged from 5 cm to 52 cm and panicle width from 1 to 51 cm. Erect and compact panicles are more frequent although all possible panicle shapes and compactness were found. In general, sorghums from India produce medium to large, lustrous grains in which the subcoat (testa) is absent. All the 5 basic and 10 intermediate sorghum races were found in India though durra or half-durra predominate. Racial diversity is maximal in the state of Andhra Pradesh followed by Maharashatra state. In the world collection a majority of the sources of resistance to shoot fly, stem borer, and striga are from India. Based on diversity for morphological and agronomical characters, India could be considered as the secondary center of diversity. Sorghum germplasm from India is useful for good quality large grain.     

Distribution and bioavailability of selenium fractions in some seleniferous soils of Punjab,India

Soil-solid phase associations of Se in seleniferous soils of Punjab were investigated by following sequential extraction procedures involving multiple extractions with 0.2 M K2SO4 (2 times), 0.1 M Na2SeO3 (4 times), 0.05 M NH4OH (4 times), 6 M HCl (2 times) and 9 M HNO3 (2 times) vis-a-vis single extractions with 0.25 M KCl, 0.1 M KH2PO4, 4 M HCl and concentrated HCl. Soil samples were equilibrated with 75Se (as Na2SSeO3) @ 9.25 kBq g - 1 soil by incubating at field capacity moisture regime and subjecting to alternate wetting and drying cycles. Following multiple extraction procedure, out of total 75Se added, 8.8 - 26.1% was present in readily available form (0.2 M K2SO4 extractable); 27.6 - 49.0% as isotopically exchangeable (0.1M Na2SeO3 extractable) and 5.3 - 12.0% as organic Se (0.05 M NH4OH extractable). Selenium extractable in K2SO4 was significantly correlated with free iron (r = - 0.774, p < 0.05) and CaCO3 (r = 0.670, p <0.10) content of the soils. Negative relationship was observed between Se uptake by maize (Zea mays L.) and ammonium hydroxide extractable (r = - 0.752, p <0.05) as well as residual Se (r = - 0.726, p <0.05) in soils. Highly positive coefficients of correlation between isotopically exchangeable Se and Se content (r = 0.851, p <0.01) as well as its uptake by maize (r = 0.841, p <0.01) indicated that the isotopically exchangeable form of Se may be considered as an index of bioavailable Se in seleniferous soils of Punjab. None of the fractions defined by following single extraction procedure was correlated with either the soil characteristics or Se uptake by maize plants. Multiple extraction procedure could, thus, better explain the distribution of Se in different fractions and uptake by plants.     

Screening of Basmati Rice Varieties for their Arsenic Accumulation in Punjab,North-West India

A pot study was conducted to screen different basmati rice varieties for their accumulation of arsenic (As). Different amounts of arsenic (0–800 µg/L) were applied through irrigation water to four basmati rice varieties (Pusa basmati-1121, Pusa Punjab basmati-1509, Punjab basmati-2, and Punjab basmati-3). Highest arsenic concentration was found in the grains of Punjab basmati-3 and lowest in the grains of Pusa Punjab basmati-1509. In all varieties, grain As concentration ranged from 0.038 to 0.288 mg/kg, which was within the permissible limit of 1.0 mg/kg in rice grain recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). In husk, highest As concentration was found in Pusa basmati-1121 and lowest in Punjab basmati-2. Among the four varieties, highest content of As was accumulated in roots and straw of Pusa Punjab basmati-1509, whereas least was accumulated in Punjab basmati-2. The distribution of arsenic among plant parts was found in the order: roots > straw > husk > grain. The mean arsenic concentrations in grain, husk, straw, and root of basmati rice varieties increased with increasing concentration of arsenic in irrigation water. Highest grain yield was obtained in Pusa Punjab basmati-1509 variety due to lesser accumulation of arsenic compared with other varieties. Rice yield, plant height, root weight, straw weight, test weight, effective tiller, and filled grain per panicle decreased with increase in arsenic concentration in irrigated water.     

Soil Characteristics and Mineral Nutrient in Wild Jatropha Population of India

Abstract

Mature leaves of naturally occurring Jatropha curcas plants and soils samples were collected from four different populations to determine the soil characteristics, soil‐available nutrients, and leaf nutrient contents. This study provides a reliable account of the endogenic concentrations of nutrients present in jatropha leaves. Soil manganese [diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)‐Mn] was the only soil‐available nutrient significantly correlated with its content in the plant. Relationships between soil characteristics, available nutrient in soil, and their content in plant leaves were also attempted.     

Mapping of Chemical Characteristics and Fertility Status of Intensively Cultivated Soils of Punjab,India

Cultivation of high-yielding crop varieties and intensive cropping has depleted the soil fertility in Northwest (NW) India, resulting in the appearance of multi-nutrient deficiencies in different crops and cropping systems. In the present investigation, geo-referenced soil samples from Indian Punjab were analyzed to map fertility status using a Geographical Information System (GIS). Soil texture, which affects soil hydraulic properties and soil strength, varied from sandy to clayey loam, with majority (47.3%) of the cultivated area being sandy loam. About 95% of the total area of the state shows pH between 6.5 and 8.5 (40% of the area between pH 6.5 and 7.5 and 54% between 7.5 and 8.5) and electrical conductivity (EC) <0.8 dS m^?1. Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) with <5% values represents 97% area of the state. The GIS-based maps indicate that irrespective of the agroclimatic variations, more than 90% of the soils showed low to medium soil organic carbon (OC) content and 50% low to medium (<22.4 kg P ha^?1) available phosphorus (P) content with a marginal (7%) deficiency of potassium (K). The dominance of low to medium status of available P in these soils could be due to the mining of soil P by the rice–wheat cropping system practiced in the region. The intensively cultivated soils of Indian Punjab showed 11% of soil samples were low in zinc (Zn), 15% low in manganese (Mn), 2% low in copper (Cu), and 12% low in iron (Fe). Availability of micronutrients increased with increase in OC content and decreased with increase in sand content, pH, and CaCO₃. GIS-based maps are effective in identifying hot spots, which need immediate attention and call for strategic planning for sustainable management.     

Forms and Uptake of Manganese in Relation to Soil Taxonomic Orders in Alluvial Soils of Punjab,India

Different forms of manganese (Mn) were investigated, including total, diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid (DTPA) extractable, soil solution plus exchangeable (Mn), Mn adsorbed onto inorganic sites, Mn bound by organic sites, and Mn adsorbed onto oxide surfaces, from four soil taxonomic orders in northwestern India. The total Mn content was 200–950 mg kg^?1, DTPA-extractable Mn content was 0.60–5.80 mg kg^?1, soil solution plus exchangeable Mn content was 0.02–0.80 mg kg^?1, Mn adsorbed onto inorganic sites was 2.46–90 mg kg^?1, and Mc adsorbed onto oxide surfaces was 6.0–225.0 mg kg^?1. Irrespective of the different fractions of Mn their content was generally greater in the fine-textured Alfisols and Inceptisols than in coarse-textured Entisols and Aridisols. The proportion of the Mn fractions extracted from the soil was in the order as follows: Adsorbed onto oxide surfaces > adsorbed onto inorganic site > organically bound > DTPA > soil solution + exchangeable. Based on coefficient of correlation, the soil solution plus exchangeable Mn, held onto organic site and oxide surface (amorphous) and DTPA-extractable Mn, increased with increase in organic carbon of the soil. The two forms, adsorbed onto inorganic site (crystalline) and DTPA extractable, along with organic carbon, increased with increase in clay content of the soil. DTPA-Mn and Mn adsorbed onto oxide surfaces and held on organic site decreased with increased with an increase in calcium carbonate and pH. Total Mn was strongly correlated with organic carbon and clay content of soil. Among the forms, Mn held on the organic site, water soluble + exchangeable and adsorbed onto oxide surface were positively correlated with DTPA-extractable Mn. DTPA-extractable Mn seems to be a good index of Mn availability in soils and this form is helpful for correction of Mn deficiency in the soils of the region. The uptake of Mn was greater in fine-textured Inceptisols and Alfisols than in coarse-textured Entisols and Aridisols. Among the different forms only DTPA-extractable Mn was positively correlated with total uptake of Mn. Among soil properties Mn uptake was only significantly affected by pH of the soil.     

Genetic structure and diversity of India hybrid tea

The most important evolutionary event in the success of commercial tea cultivation outside China in ~30 countries came about by the origin of India hybrid tea in India, derived from the extensive spontaneous hybridization that took place between the Assam type tea growing in the forest regions of Assam, North-East India and China type tea introduced from China in ~1875 to many regions of North-East India. The release of an enormous pool of vigorous and highly variable plants of India hybrid tea in North-East India was a significant step forward for the origin and evolution of tea as a highly successful crop plant. The 1,644 accessions and clones of India hybrid tea, representatives of known 15 morphotypes, were screened by 412 AFLP markers amplified by 7 AFLP primer pair combinations. All the 412 genetic loci were polymorphic across the 1,644 accessions and clones. The analysis was done with distance (PCoA and NJ) methods, and the STRUCTURE (Bayesian) model. Both PCoA and NJ analysis clustered 1,644 tea accessions and clones into six major groups with one group in each, constituted mostly by China hybrid, Assam China hybrid and Assam hybrid morphotypes, of distinct genetic identity. No group was exclusive for any particular morphotype. The accessions and clones belonging to morphotypes, Assam type, Assam hybrid, China hybrid and China Cambod were distributed in all the groups. It is the Assam type/Assam hybrid morphotypes which exhibit much broader genetic variability than in China type/China hybrid/Cambod type/Cambod hybrid morphotypes. The STRUCTURE analysis inferred 16 populations (K = 16), for which the greatest values of probability were obtained. Nine of the 16 clusters were constituted by the tea accessions and clones of ‘pure’ ancestry. The remaining clusters were of ‘mixed’ ancestry. This analysis provides evidence that the accessions and clones of the same morphotype are not always of same genetic ancestry structure. The tea accessions and clones obtained from outside North-East India shared the same groups (distance method) and clusters (STRUCTURE model) which were constituted by North-East India accessions. The present study also demonstrates very narrow genetic diversity in the commercial tea clones vis-à-vis the profound genetic diversity existing in the tea accessions. These clones were distributed in hardly two of the six groups in NJ tree. The identified 105 core accessions and clones, capturing 98% diversity, have their origin from almost all groups/subgroups of NJ tree.     

Variation in melon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cucumis melo</Emphasis>) landraces adapted to the humid tropics of southern India

We present here the first comprehensive genetic characterization of melon landraces from the humid tropics of southern India. The genetic diversity among 50 melon landraces collected from 3 agro-ecological regions of southern India (6 agro-ecological sub-regions) was assessed by variation at 17 SSR loci, morphological traits of plant habit and fruit, 2 yield-associated traits, pest and disease resistance, biochemical composition (ascorbic acid, carotenoids, titrable acidity) and mineral content (P, K, Fe, Zn). Differences among accessions were observed in plant and fruit traits. Melon germplasm with high titrable acidity, higher than average amounts of mineral content and resistance to Cucumber mosaic virus, Zucchini yellow mosaic virus, powdery mildew (races 1, 2, 3, 5), Fusarium wilt (races 1, 2), Aphis gossypii and leafminer was recorded in the collection. A high level of genetic variability in melon germplasm was suggested by the SSR analysis. Comparative analysis using SSRs of the genetic variability between Indian melons from north, south, and east regions and reference accessions of melon from Spain, France, Japan, Korea, Iraq, Zambia showed regional differentiation between Indian melon accessions and that Indian germplasm was weakly related to the melon accessions from other parts of the world, suggesting that an important portion of the genetic variability found within this melon collection has not been used yet for the development of new cultivars. Additional collections of acidulus melon germplasm should be made in southern India and adequate management of this important genetic resource is clearly a necessity.     

Adsorption of Arsenate on Coarse Loamy Mixed Hyperthermic Fluventic Haplustept Soil of Punjab,Northwest India

A laboratory experiment studied the adsorption of arsenate on coarse loamy mixed hyperthermic Fluventic Haplustept soil of Punjab to serve as cheap materials for removal of arsenic (As) from water with elevated As concentration. The arsenate adsorptions onto soil and soil + iron fillings are described by a two‐region Langmuir isotherm equation; that is, the plots showed two distinct linear portions. The bonding energy and adsorption maxima for arsenate adsorption by soil increased slightly at higher equilibrium temperature of 305 K relative to 280 K in the Langmuir plot for region I but followed an appreciative decline in both parameters for region II. The addition of iron fillings enhanced the adsorption maxima of arsenic soils by 2.5‐fold because of physical adsorption and 4.44‐fold because of chemisorptions or precipitation at weak and strong As concentrations, respectively, in soil–water equilibrated systems. Thus, the results of the present investigation suggest that water withdrawn from shallow aquifer containing elevated As concentrations should be equilibrated with mixtures of soil and iron fillings for removal of As. After an equilibration period, separation of water by decantation or filtration could be used for drinking purposes for humans and domestic animals.     

甜瓜不同轮作模式对土壤真菌多样性及 理化性质的影响

随着甜瓜生产规模化和专业化程度的不断提高,甜瓜连作障碍现象逐年加重。为了揭示甜瓜-水稻、甜瓜-南美白对虾、甜瓜-大麦苗等不同轮作模式与连作栽培对土壤理化特性及真菌多样性的影响规律,保障甜瓜产业的可持续发展,对3种连作及轮作模式下土壤理化性质及真菌多样性进行研究。结果表明,不同轮作模式均对土壤氮素影响较大,3种轮作模式中甜瓜-南美白对虾轮作模式对土壤理化性质影响最显著。甜瓜-水稻轮作可提高土壤真菌丰度和多样性,而甜瓜-大麦苗则可提高土壤真菌物种数量,但降低真菌群落多样性,甜瓜-南美白对虾轮作则使土壤真菌物种数量和多样性均降低。甜瓜-南美白对虾轮作对土壤真菌多样性影响最大,甜瓜-水稻和甜瓜-大麦苗轮作影响则相对较小。甜瓜-水稻轮作可降低稻瘟病、炭疽病、白粉病、枯萎病、根腐病、立枯病相关真菌属的相对丰度,其中镰刀菌属降低2.87%。甜瓜-大麦苗轮作可降低麦瘟病、白粉病、炭疽病、枯萎病、根腐病相关真菌属的相对丰度,但增加黑点根腐病、立枯病、纹枯病相关真菌属的相对丰度。甜瓜-南美白对虾轮作仅降低稻瘟病和炭疽病相关真菌属的相对丰度,对枯萎病、白粉病、根腐病、虾镰刀菌病等相对丰度则为升高,其中镰刀菌...     

Genetic diversity assessment in Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb. populations of India

Pandanus amaryllifolius is cultivated in home gardens in coastal regions of India. Leaves of P. amaryllifolius are scented and exploited commercially by flavour industry. In the present attempt, 40 clonal populations were used for genetic diversity assessment using ISSR and AFLP molecular marker. In ISSR based diversity analysis, out of 38 scorable primers, only one primer showed polymorphism and most of the polymorphic fragments were found in clonal populations from Thailand locality only. In AFLP based diversity analysis all clonal populations from India showed very low genetic distance except Kolkata and Amtala but these populations showed more similarity with Sri Lanka clones and these two localities showed more similarity with Thailand population. Present study confirms that the species has very low level of genetic variation even though it is exposed to a wide range of environmental conditions across peninsular India. Thus, the genome of P. amaryllifolius is said to be highly conserved and remained unaffected through its spread. As per previous report P. amaryllifolius has been introduced in Kolkata, India in 1798 from Indonesia, the similarity is shown by the populations of West Bengal with Thailand population which is close to Indonesia. The populations from Sri Lanka showed similarity with the populations from east and west coast of India suggests that Sri Lanka may be the another source of introduction of P. amaryllifolius in India.     

Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System for Monitoring Nutrient Status of Mango Trees in Submountainous Area of Punjab,India

Abstract

The Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) was used to identify nutrient status of mango fruit trees in Punjab, India. Standard norms established from the nutrient survey of mango fruit trees were 1.144, 0.126, 0.327, 2.587, 0.263, 0.141% for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S), and 15, 3.5, 145, 155, and 30 mg kg^?1, respectively, for zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and boron (B) in dry matter. On the basis of DRIS indices, 16, 15, 12, 17, and 16% of total samples collected during nutrients survey of mango trees were low in N, P, K, Ca, and Mg, respectively. For micronutrients, 19, 18, 12, 20, and 6% samples were inadequate in Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, and B, respectively. DRIS‐derived sufficiency ranges from nutrient indexing survey were 0.92–1.37, 0.08–0.16, 0.21–0.44, 1.71–3.47, 0.15–0.37, and 0.09–0.19% for N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S and 11–19, 1–6, 63–227, 87–223, and 16–44 mg kg^?1 for Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, and B, respectively.     

Monitoring Nutrient Status of Guava Fruit Trees in Punjab,Northwest India through the Diagnostic and Recommendation Integrated System Approach

Abstract

The Diagnostic and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) was employed for interpreting nutrient analyses of leaf tissue of guava fruit trees (Psidium guajava L.) cultivated in Punjab, northwest India. Standard reference DRIS norms were established for various nutrient ratios and used to compute DRIS indices, which assessed nutrient balance and order of limitation to yield. The DRIS evaluation and sufficiency range approach were equally effective and in agreement for diagnosing deficiencies of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu). The results also show that the position of leaf tissue sampled does not have a major effect on the DRIS diagnosis. Nutrient sufficiency ranges derived from DRIS norms were 1.41–1.65, 0.10–0.17, 0.51–0.97, 1.16–2.12, 0.31–0.51, 0.18–0.28% for N, P, K, Ca, magnesium (Mg), and S and were 105–153, 58–110, 15–29, and 6–16 mg Kg^?1 for iron (Fe), Mn, Zn, and Cu, respectively. According to these sufficiency ranges 35, 62, 51, 75, 70, and 68% of samples were sufficient, and 4, 29, 36, 9, 10, and 22% of samples were low in N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S, respectively. More than 50 and 2% of the guava trees selected for sampling was found to deficient in N and P, respectively. For micronutrients, 15, 6, and 7% of samples were found to be low in Mn, Zn, and Cu.