Diversification of maize (Zea mays L.) through teosinte (Zea mays subsp. parviglumis Iltis & Doebley) allelic

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - Zea mays ssp. parviglumis is the progenitor of maize and assume to have tolerance against various biotic and abiotic stresses. It...     

Antibody response of cattle to rinderpest vaccine

Antibody production was studied in cattle infected with rinderpest vaccine virus. Vaccinated cattle produced both IgM and IgG serum antibodies. The IgG antibodies were mainly those of IgG2 subclass. No IgA antibody response was detected in vaccinated animals.     

Hormonal changes and follicular activity after treatment with intravaginal progesterone‐releasing devices in llamas

Plasma progesterone (P₄) concentrations and follicular activity after administration of different P₄ doses were evaluated in 33 adult female llamas treated with intravaginal devices. In Study 1, a group of llamas (n = 10) was treated with an intravaginal device (IVD) containing 160 (n = 5) or 780 mg of P₄ (n = 5). Based on the results from the first study, in Study 2, females with follicles at different stages of development were treated with the IVD containing 780 mg of P₄ (n = 21) or remain untreated (control; n = 12) to evaluate the effect of P₄ on follicular activity. In Study 1, the IVD containing 160 mg of P₄ induced follicular turnover in 60% of females while the remaining 40% of llamas developed persistent follicles. Thus, this device controlled follicular activity in llamas, although it promotes the persistence of follicles present at start of treatment. Conversely, in both studies, the IVD containing 780 mg of P₄ suppressed follicular development and hasten the emergence of a new follicular wave in all females regardless of the follicular phase at insertion. Additionally, in Study 2, this device effectively concentrated the appearance of follicles with ovulatory diameter at a definite time after treatment in comparison with control animals. In conclusion, treatment with an IVD containing 780 mg of P₄ would be considered for the control of follicular activity in llamas as it ensures the presence of a young follicle with ovulatory diameter by day 6 after the end of treatment in all females.     

Zur Wirkung der Individuendichte auf die Kopulation und den Sauerstoffverbrauch von Hieroglyphus nigrorepletus Bol. (Orth., Acrididae)

Isolated pairs ofH. nigrorepletus did not show hastened mating behaviour like those in the crowd. The early mating points towards an expedited secretion of certain sex hormones responsible for inducing early mating under crowding stress.Insects in cages put permanently in open air appeared healthy and vigorous while those in cages in rooms appeared run down. It was found that oxygen consumption in insects of open air cages was 13.3 × 10^–4 ml./sec/adult in average. But there was no significant difference between crowded and isolated insects regarding oxygen consumption.     

Wirkungen eines Chemosterilants auf die Neurosekretion beiAcheta domesticus (L.) (Orthopt., Gryllidae)

Response of neuroendocrines to a chemisterilant in Acheta domesticus L. InAcheta domesticus administration of hemel — a chemosterilant — introduced neurosecretory changes coupled with hampered growth of the oocytes in ovarioles. A reduction in the haemolymphal acid and alkaline phosphatases activity was observed. It indicated that hemel led to reduction in protein and nucleic acid synthesis.     

Antifungal activity of the stem bark of Ailanthus excelsa

The methanol extract of stem barks of Alianthus excelsa was partitioned with chloroform. The chloroform extract showed fungistatic and fungicidal activity against Aspergillus niger, A. fumigatus, Penicillium frequentence, P. notatum and Botrytis cinerea.     

Breast-feeding initiation and determinants of exclusive breast-feeding - a questionnaire survey in an urban population of western Nepal

OBJECTIVE: To assess rates of initiation of breast-feeding and exclusive breast-feeding within 2 months after delivery and to determine the factors influencing exclusive breast-feeding. DESIGN: A health worker-administered questionnaire survey was carried out during the time period 1 August-30 September 2005. SETTING: Immunisation clinics of Pokhara, a submetropolitan city in western Nepal. SUBJECTS: Three hundred and eighty-five mothers who had delivered a child within the previous 2 months. RESULTS: The rates of initiation within 1 h and within 24 h of delivery were 72.7 and 84.4%, respectively. Within 2 months after delivery, exclusive breast-feeding was practised by 82.3% of the mothers. Breast milk/colostrum was given as the first feed to 332 (86.2%) babies but 17.2% of them were either given expressed breast milk or were put to the breast of another lactating mother. Pre-lacteal feeds were given to 14% of the babies. The common pre-lacteal feeds given were formula feeds (6.2%), sugar water (5.9%) and cow's milk (2.8%). Complementary feeds were introduced by 12.7% of the mothers. By logistic regression analysis, friends' feeding practices, type of delivery and baby's first feed were the factors influencing exclusive breast-feeding practice of the mothers. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the higher rates of initiation and exclusive breast-feeding, practices such as pre-lacteal feeds and premature introduction of complementary feeds are of great concern in this urban population. There is a need for promotion of good breast-feeding practices among expectant mothers and also the community, especially the families, taking into account the local traditions and customs.     

Determination of Ultra Trace Level of Uranium in Ground Water of Different Geo-Chemical Environment by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry

The mineral mobilisation in ground water due to rock water interaction largely depends on the localized subsurface geo-chemical environment. During this work, traces of uranium were measured by adsorptive stripping voltametry (AdSV) in groundwater having various level of dissolved minerals. Experimental solutions were prepared in the laboratory by spiking natural groundwater with standard solutions of major cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺), anions (Cl^?1, F^?1, and $ {\text{PO}}^{{3 - }}_{4} $ ), trace metal ions (Cu and Pb) and DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon). The concentrations of these anions, cations and DOC in subsurface water changes due to changes in the geo-chemical environment at different locations. Experimental results show that major anions do not have any pronounced impact on the analysis of uranium. In the case of cations, only Cu²⁺ shows strong interferences. However addition of 2% Ethylene Diammine Tetra-acetic Acid (EDTA) solution in the ratio of 1:25 removes interference due to copper upto a concentration of <0.2 ppm. Interference with copper was also studied by varying the accumulation potential, pH and concentration of chloroanilic acid. Though no interferences were observed in ground water having dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the range of 0.01–15 ppm, between 15–16 ppm of DOC, the ability to detect uranium by AdSV decreases sharply. Further, if DOC exceeded 16 ppm it was not possible to do the analysis of uranium by AdSV without destruction of DOC, as DOC is a surface active organic compound and accumulates on Hg electrode preferentially over uranium-chloroanilic complex.     

Farm Management Effects on Rhizosphere Colonization by Native Populations of 2,4-Diacetylphloroglucinol-Producing Pseudomonas spp. and Their Contributions to Crop Health

ABSTRACT Analyses of multiple field experiments indicated that the incidence and relative abundance of root-colonizing phlD+ Pseudomonas spp. were influenced by crop rotation, tillage, organic amendments, and chemical seed treatments in subtle but reproducible ways. In no-till corn plots, 2-year rotations with soybean resulted in plants with approximately twofold fewer phlD+ pseudomonads per gram of root, but 3-year rotations with oat and hay led to population increases of the same magnitude. Interestingly, tillage inverted these observed effects of cropping sequence in two consecutive growing seasons, indicating a complex but reproducible interaction between rotation and tillage on the rhizosphere abundance of 2,4-diacetlyphloroglucinol (DAPG) producers. Amending conventionally managed sweet corn plots with dairy manure compost improved plant health and also increased the incidence of root colonization when compared with nonamended plots. Soil pH was negatively correlated to rhizosphere abundance of phlD+ pseudomonads in no-till and nonamended soils, with the exception of the continuous corn treatments. Chemical seed treatments intended to control fungal pathogens and insect pests on corn also led to more abundant populations of phlD in different tilled soils. However, increased root disease severity generally was associated with elevated levels of root colonization by phlD+ pseudomonads in no-till plots. Interestingly, within a cropping sequence treatment, correlations between the relative abundance of phlD and crop stand or yield were generally positive on corn, and the strength of those correlations was greater in plots experiencing more root disease pressure. In contrast, such correlations were generally negative in soybean, a difference that may be partially explained by difference in application of N fertilizers and soil pH. Our findings indicate that farming practices can alter the relative abundance and incidence of phlD+ pseudomonads in the rhizosphere and that practices that reduce root disease severity (i.e., rotation, tillage, and chemical seed treatment) are not universally linked to increased root colonization by DAPG-producers.     

Genomic characterization of drought tolerance-related traits in spring wheat

Drought tolerance was investigated in ‘C306’, one of the most drought tolerant wheat cultivars bred in India in the 1960’s. An intervarietal mapping population of recombinant inbred lines of the cross ‘C306’ × ‘HUW206’ was evaluated for drought tolerance components, namely potential quantum efficiency of photosystem (PS) II (F_v/F_m), chlorophyll content (Chl), flag leaf temperature (Lt), and grain yield per plant (Gyp) under stress. Three independent experiments were conducted under well-watered and water-stressed conditions in greenhouses and growth chambers at Kansas State University (USA). Five hundred and sixty microsatellite markers covering the entire genome were screened for polymorphism between the parents. A QTL (QLt.ksu-1D) for Lt (low flag leaf temperature under stress) on the short arm of chromosome 1D between markers Xbarc271 and Xgwm337 at LOD 3.5 explained 37% of the phenotypic variation. A QTL for F_v/F_m (QF _v /F _m .ksu-3B) and Chl (QChl.ksu-3B) controlling quantum efficiency of PS II and chlorophyll content under stress were co-localized on chromosome 3B in the marker interval Xbarc68–Xbarc101 and explained 35–40% of the phenotypic variation for each trait. A QTL (QGyp.ksu-4A) for Gyp on chromosome 4A at a LOD value of 3.2 explained 16.3% of the phenotypic variation. Inconsistent QTLs were observed for F_v/F_m on chromosomes 3A, 6A, 2B, 4B, and 4D; for Chl on 3A, 6A, 2B and 4B; and for Lt on 1A, 3A 6A, 3B and 5B. The identified QTLs give a first glimpse of the genetics of drought tolerance in C306 and need to be validated in field experiments using the marker-phenotype linkages reported here.