Chlorocholine chloride mediated resistance mechanism and protection against leaf spot disease of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni

Investigations have been carried out to determine the influence of chlorocholine chloride on induction of the resistance mechanisms of Stevia rebaudiana against leaf spot disease, caused by Alternaria alternata. The paper also focuses an impact of chlorocholine chloride induced resistance on reduction of leaf spot disease. Chlorocholine chloride is attributed to its significant role in defence responses through augmentation of phenol and salicylic acid content as well as stimulation of phenylalanine ammonia lyase and peroxidase activity in S. rebaudiana following inoculation with A. alternata. Histochemical studies revealed that fungal invasion as well as infection process was appreciably reduced in chlorocholine chloride treated plants through peroxidase-H₂O₂ mediated strengthening of cell wall. The overall study highlights the significant role of chlorocholine chloride in induction of resistance in S. rebaudiana against A. alternata.     

Correlations among <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anaplasma marginale</Emphasis> parasitemia and markers of oxidative stress in crossbred calves

The present study was designed to determine the correlations among Anaplasma marginale parasitemia and markers of oxidative stress in crossbred calves. Blood was collected from 11 crossbred calves infected with A. marginale along with 11 healthy crossbred calves as controls for determination of hematology and oxidative stress indicators. Percentage of parasitemia in infected calves varied from 0.8% to 6.0%. The values of hematological indicators and antioxidant enzymes were decreased, whereas erythrocytic lipid peroxidation (LPO) and plasma nitrate (NO) level were significantly (p < 0.05) augmented in A. marginale-infected animals over healthy group. Parasitemia was positively correlated (p < 0.01) with erythrocytic LPO and plasma NO and negatively correlated (p < 0.01) with hematological indicators and antioxidant enzymes. In addition, erythrocytic LPO was negatively correlated (p < 0.01) with the hemoglobin, erythrocyte count, and packed cell volume. From the present study, it can be concluded that anaplasmosis in crossbred calves is associated with a parasitic load-dependent oxidative damage as indicated by poor antioxidant status and enhanced oxidative stress, which are contributed to severe anemia.     

The Upland Settlement Project of Bangladesh as a Means of Reducing Land Degradation and Improving Rural Livelihoods

Because of illegal logging, increased population pressure and intensified shifting cultivation, forest coverage of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) has decreased drastically resulting in land degradation. Many development projects have been implemented to combat forest loss and land degradation and also to improve the livelihoods of the hill people. This paper reports an empirical study of the Upland Settlement Project (USP) of Bangladesh which was undertaken to prevent land degradation and enhance the standard of living of the people. Planters were found to have given up shifting cultivation and adopted soil conserving agroforestry practices, and forest coverage has been increased in the project village. Interacting with project staff members, government officials and NGOs assisted planters in diversifying livelihood strategies thereby reducing dependency on project resources. Rich planters, utilizing their own capacity, expanded their income sources successfully. Poor planters still remain wage labourers because they do not have sufficient finance and networks to invest in productive ventures. Planters’ participation in project activities and the information flow between them and project staff were found to be minimal. Suggestions are made for the continuity of project functions, which involve greater participation of planters in rubber management functions, improved information flow, resolution of land tenure and greater equality in distribution of rubber revenue.

Depressed polymorphonuclear cell functions in periparturient cows that develop postpartum reproductive diseases

The study was planned to see if there is any important and significant changes in the PMN function in cows suffering from postpartum reproductive diseases (PRD). Blood sampling was done from 41 pregnant cows on 15 days prepartum (?15d), calving day (0d), 15 days (15d) and 30 days (30d) postpartum and thorough gynaecological examination was performed on 0d, 15d, 30d and 45d for diagnosis of PRD like retained placenta (RP), clinical metritis (CM), clinical endometritis (CE) and delayed involution of uterus (DIU). The heparinised blood was used for isolation of PMN leukocytes for estimation of superoxide (SO), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and enzyme myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in each group of cows. The SO production (ΔOD) was greater for normal (0.19 ± 0.05) than cows suffering from RP (?0.12 ± 0.09), CM (?0.15 ± 0.13) and CE (?0.07 ± 0.05) at -15d. The mean value was greater for normal cows (0.12) than the cows with PRD (0.05 to 0.9) at 30d. The H₂O₂ production was greater for normal than cows with PRD at all sampling days and significantly greater than cows with RP and CE at 15d (p < 0.01) and 30d (P < 0.05). The MPO activity (μmol/1 × 10⁷) was greater for normal (18.77 ± 1.27) than for RP (12.52 ± 2.57) and CM (11.31 ± 3.30) cows on 0d. The depressed capability of the PMN from the cows with PRD to produce SO, H₂O₂ and MPO during the periparturient period indicated their association with the development of RP, CM and CE.     

B-mode and Doppler ultrasound of chronic kidney disease in dogs and cats

Ultrasound is the imaging test of choice for renal evaluation, because it provides information about the position, size, shape, internal architecture and hemodynamics of the kidneys without harming the patient. In chronic kidney disease, the main findings observed in B-mode ultrasound images are increased cortical echogenicity, loss of corticomedullary differentiation, reduced renal volume and irregular renal contour, and when these changes are associated, they are indicative of end-stage renal disease. However, the cause of kidney disease cannot be determined by ultrasonography, but must be confirmed by means of biopsy, although the presence of ultrasonographic changes indicative of the end-stage of the disease may contraindicate this procedure. The Doppler ultrasound test complements the ultrasonic B-mode examination and enables the assessment of renal perfusion based on a calculation of the hemodynamic indices, which are increased in cases of chronic kidney lesions, with higher values ??in the most severe cases. Thus, ultrasound examinations are not only useful in diagnostics but also play an important role in defining the prognosis of patients with chronic kidney disease.     

SRG1, Encoding a Kinesin-4 Protein,Is an Important Factor for Determining Grain Shape in Rice

Grain shape is one of the important agronomic traits, which is closely related to the yield of rice. A new rice mutant, named small and round grain (srg1), was isolated from an indica cultivar Zhenong 34 by ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis. The microscopic analysis showed that the cell length of spikelet in srg1 was decreased compared with that in wild type (WT), which caused the grain length short. Meanwhile, the grains of srg1 were wider than those of WT because of the increased cell layers in spikelet in the lateral direction. Therefore, the inhibition of cell expansion and increased cell proliferation collectively led to the small and round grain. By map-based cloning, the gene SRG1 was located on the short arm of chromosome 9, which encodes a kinesin-4 protein, represented by the gene LOC_Os09g02650. A single nucleotide polymorphism, occurred in the 16th exon of SRG1, led to premature translation stop in mutant. The cell cycle-related genes were up-regulated in srg1, which conferred that SRG1 controlled grain width through the cell proliferation. Since the role of SRG1 in regulating grain shape was not clarified well before, it is valuable to explore the mechanism of grain development. This study could, hence, provide a morphogenesis and molecular basis for elucidating the function of SRG1, as well as a new germplasm resource for the further study of grain development.     

ISSR and SSR markers reveal sex-specific DNA sequences in three <Emphasis Type="Italic">Calamus</Emphasis> species from India

Calamus species yields the raw materials for the cane industry. However, the extraction of the cane from the forests is being carried out indiscriminately without considering the sustenance of the species. Plants of both sexes should co-exist for reproductive success. The sex of Calamus plants can be identified only after flowering and hence proper planning of managed forestry practices cannot be accomplished. A study was carried out in this background and male specific ISSR markers for C. tenuis and C. flagellum and SSR markers for C. thwaitesii were identified. The diagnostic potential of these markers can be exploited to sex the Calamus species at the seedling stage for proper breeding and agroforestry management.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium</Emphasis> elicitor-dependent calcium influx and associated ros generation in tomato is independent of cell death

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici elicitor (EFOL-2) treatment induces cytosolic influx of calcium in Fusarium-resistant tomato suspension culture. The calcium signature was found to be biphasic, which is characteristic of recognition of oligosaccharides in the elicitor preparation. Further, several lines of evidence such as, (i) attainment of saturation level of the [Ca²⁺]_cyt at a definite extra-cellular calcium concentration (ii) prominent reduction in EFOL-2-induced influx in [Ca²⁺]_cyt on treatment with the calcium channel blockers verapamil and diltiazem and (iii) establishment of a refractory stage of [Ca²⁺]_cyt level upon repeated stimulation by EFOL-2, is indicative of receptor-mediated activation of the calcium channel for cytosolic elevation. In addition, inhibition of EFOL-2-induced [Ca²⁺]_cyt increase by protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine and wortmannin indicate phosphorylation is a regulatory event of calcium influx. Additionally, monitoring of cell death on EFOL-2 treatment indicated that the degree of ROS generation is not capable of inducing cell death. Inhibition of ROS generation on two separate occasions such as, calcium-free media and on treatment with inhibitors causing calcium channel occlusion revealed ROS generation as a successive event of calcium influx.     

Small-scale agroforestry for upland community development: a case study from Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh

The potentialities of agroforestry are generally investigated through their biophysiological phenomena, cost–benefit analysis, and possible impact upon poverty reduction. There have been inadequate studies on the actual impacts of agroforestry intervention on small landholders and of farmers' attitudes toward these agroforestry programs. Drawing upon the findings of an empirical study, this article explores the effects of small-scale agroforestry on upland community development in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. More specifically, the study clarifies the merits and demerits of different agroforestry systems as perceived by farmers, their impacts on the rural economy and the environment, farmers' attitudes toward the adoption of agroforestry, and impacts of various government policies. Field data were collected by administering questions to 90 randomly selected smallholders of the Upland Settlement Project (USP), as well as from project staff. The research tools employed were semistructured interviews, group discussions, and uncontrolled observations. The results indicated that the agroforestry interventions have in fact increased farmers' income through employment and the selling of farm products, as well as by improving the ecological conditions of these areas through reduction of soil erosion, increasing tree coverage, and maintaining soil fertility. The adoption of different agroforestry systems was governed mainly by the farmers' interests in following these techniques, their ability to cultivate the land in the prescribed manner, and the market demand for their products. The major obstacles that prevented increased agroforestry improvements included lack of confidence in new land-use systems, inappropriate project design (e.g., top-down innovation approach), and policy issues regarding land tenure. Recommendations are proposed to strengthen social capital in local organizations to enhance the livelihoods of the upland communities.     

Forest-based betel leaf and betel nut People in Bangladesh： approach Lawachara National Park （LNP） farming of the Khasia indigenous to biodiversity conservation in

An exploratory survey was conducted among the Khasia living in Lawachara National Parkt （LNP） to investigate their depend- ency on the protected area （PA） for livelihoods, betel leaf hill farming, traditional forest conservation and perceptions of the PA, Field data were collected by interviewing 48 household heads from two villages （punjis） located inside the LNP and visiting their farms.： The economy of the Khasia was forest-based. They were largely dependent on betel leaf hill farming in LNP and nearly 71% of their mean annual income was de- rived from this irrespective of farmer category. On average, about 14% of the incomes of the poorer farmers came from forest produce followed by 10% and 6% for medium and rich farmers respectively. Hills and forests were the foundations of their lives and livelihoods, and LNP was the life-blood of Khasia survival. As a sustainable production system, this farming practice plays a vital role in conserving biodiversity in LNP and might be replicated elsewhere.