Effectiveness of two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on concentrations of essential oil and artemisinin in three accessions of Artemisia annua L.

A field experiment was conducted to study and compare the effectiveness of two arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Glomus macrocarpum (GM) and Glomus fasciculatum (GF) on three accessions of Artemisia annua. The AM inoculation significantly increased the production of herbage, dry weight of shoot, nutrient status (P, Zn and Fe) of shoot, concentration of essential oil and artemisinin in leaves as compared to non-inoculated plants. The extent of growth, nutrient concentration and production of secondary plant metabolites varied with the fungus–plant accession combination. The mycorrhizal dependency of the three accessions was related to the shoot: root ratio. Comparing the two fungal inoculants in regard to increase in essential oil concentration in shoot, the effectiveness of GF was more than that of GM. While in two accessions, GM was more effective in enhancing artemisinin concentration than GF. Increase in concentration of essential oil was found to be positively correlated to P-status of the plant. Conversely, no correlation was found between shoot-P and artemisinin concentration.     

Effect of fertilization frequency on pond productivity and fish biomass in still water ponds stocked with Cirrhinus mrigala (Ham.)

Four different fertilization frequencies, namely twice per week, once per week, twice a month and once a month, were used in ponds to assess their effects on nutrient release, pond productivity and fish biomass. All ponds received the same total fertilizer inputs during the experimental period of 60 days (cow dung 208.3 kg ha^?1 week^?1, TSP 9.8 kg ha^?1 week^?1, urea 6.0 kg ha^?1 week^?1). Studies have revealed that the highest values of fish biomass, specific growth rate (SGR), net primary productivity (NPP), plankton population and nutrients were observed in the ponds that were fertilized twice a month. A strong and significant correlation of fertilization frequency was observed with dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), alkalinity, nutrient release, NPP, plankton density (no. L^?1), fish biomass and SGR. The linear relationship between NPP and fish biomass/SGR for all the ponds was strong (r²= 0.88). Sediment chemistry revealed that O‐PO₄, NO₃‐N, organic carbon and electrical conductivity (EC) increased significantly (P<0.05) with a decrease in the frequency of fertilization, while alkalinity and calcium were high in ponds that were fertilized twice a month.     

Soil water movement under a single surface trickle source

Under a trickle source, the flow of water in unsaturated soil takes place from a disc source having a radius changing with time due to change in the rate of infiltration. To predict the wetting pattern below an emitter placed on the soil surface, an unsteady, non-linearised numerical model has been developed in an oblate spheroidal coordinate system. Using this coordinate system, the problem involving disc source geometry having radius changing with time, is simplified, as the disc is a degenerate case of an oblate spheroid. The results of the proposed model are in close agreement with the experimental results of [Taghavi, S.A., Marino, M.A., Rolston, E., 1984. Infiltration from a trickle irrigation source. J. Irrig. Drain. Eng. ASCE 110 (4), 331–341] and the numerical model of [Bresler, E., 1978. Analysis of trickle irrigation with application to design problems. Irrig. Sci. 1, 3–17] developed in cylindrical coordinates. The applicability of the model has been analysed for special conditions of trickle irrigation e.g. large time water application, redistribution of soil water after discharge is cut off or reduced, and basin irrigation with restriction of surface water flow.     

Cytotoxic T-cell, delayed type hypersensitive and listeriolysin O responses in experimental bovine listeriosis

Five different antigens of Listeria monocytogenes NCTC 11994 were assayed for their lymphoproliferative, cytotoxic, humoral and delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses in experimentally infected calves. The antigens used were culture filtrate antigen (CFA), listeriolysin O (LLO), sonicated antigen (SA), live antigen (LA) and heat killed antigen (HKA). CFA was most lymphoproliferative when assayed in vitro. In an autologous monocyte cytotoxicity assay, soluble protein as well as bacterial cells elicited cytolytic responses, however, LA and LLO primed monocytes showed a higher cytotoxic effect. The expression of cell surface markers of lymphocyte subpopulations was almost identical in experimentally infected as well as non-infected calves. SA elicited the highest humoral and DTH responses. LLO being a major virulence factor with appreciable humoral as well as cellular responses may be used as a candidate antigen to develop a reliable diagnostic immunoassay.     

Gravity-fed drip irrigation system for hilly terraces of the northwest Himalayas

Development of small tanks lined with low-density polyethylene film has provided irrigation facilities on the upland areas of hills on a limited scale. To utilise the scarcely available water, a gravity drip irrigation system was designed for the hilly terraces. The system had the capability to provide uniform emitter discharge throughout the command area spread on several terraces with varying elevations and irregular shapes. The design includes the estimation of the command area of the tank (runoff or low discharge spring-fed) using data on rainfall, evaporation and crop water requirement, and the hydraulics of the drip irrigation system. A useful and more pertinent star configuration of microtube layout with one lateral line feeding four rows was devised which had some advantages over the traditional layouts in terms of achieving the desired discharge rate, better handling of the system, appropriate water delivery, adjustment in spatial head variation due to friction loss in pipes as well as field slopes, and economic factors. Pilot testing of the system showed that the system worked efficiently, with field emission uniformity above 90%. Although the design criteria were developed for the topographical and climatic conditions of the mid-hills of the north-west Himalayas, they can easily be adapted for other locations.     

Antifungal properties of wheat histones (H1-H4) and purified wheat histone H1

Wheat ( Triticum spp.) histones H1, H2, H3, and H4 were extracted, and H1 was further purified. The effect of these histones on specific fungi that may or may not be pathogenic to wheat was determined. These fungi included Aspergillus flavus , Aspergillus fumigatus , Aspergillus niger , Fusarium oxysporum , Fusarium verticillioides , Fusarium solani , Fusarium graminearum , Penicillium digitatum , Penicillium italicum , and Greeneria uvicola . Non-germinated and germinating conidia of these fungi were bioassayed separately. The non-germinated and germinating conidia of all Fusarium species were highly susceptible to the mixture (H1-H4) as well as pure H1, with viability losses of 99-100% found to be significant (p < 0.001) at ≤10 μM or less for the histone mixture and pure H1. F. graminearum was the most sensitive to histone activity. The histones were inactive against all of the non-germinated Penicillium spp. conidia. However, they significantly reduced the viability of the germinating conidia of the Penicillium spp. conidia, with 95% loss at 2.5 μM. Non-germinated and germinating conidia viability of the Aspergillus spp. and G. uvicola were unaffected when exposed to histones up to 10 μM. Results indicate that Fusarium spp. pathogenic to wheat are susceptible to wheat histones, indicating that these proteins may be a resistance mechanism in wheat against fungal infection.     

Isolation and biochemical diagnosis of cell lines of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L) selected on glyphosate†

Three cell lines of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L), an important oilseed legume, were selected on glyphosate using in-vitro culture techniques. The cell lines isolated through single as well as stepwise selection procedures showed c 20-fold increase in glyphosate tolerance as compared to the unselected control cell line. Studies on the biochemical mechanism of glyphosate tolerance in these cell lines showed a significant increase in the total extractable activity of the target enzyme, 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase (EC 2.5.1.19), which was further confirmed with immunological data. The over-expressed EPSP synthase activity was, however, subject to inhibition by glyphosate in vitro. Two other key regulated enzymes of the shikimic acid pathway, 3-deoxy-D -arabino heptulosonate 7-phosphate (DAHP) synthase (EC 4.1.2.15) and chorismate mutase (CM) (EC 5.4.99.5) did not show any change in specific activity in the selected cell lines. The enhanced activity of EPSP synthase in the tolerant cell lines was found to be stably inherited in the absence of selection pressure. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Genetic improvement of soybean varieties released in India from 1969 to 1993

Summary Soybean is an important oilseed crop in India and varieties with high yield potential are being developed since 1969. This study was conducted to assess the impact of breeding on yield and plant characteristics during the last 25 years. A 3-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate forty three soybean varieties belonging to two different selection cycles and representing most of the varieties developed in the domestic breeding programme of India from 1969 to 1993. Varieties resulting from selection cycle 1 showed 4 times higher seed yield and harvest index as compared to the farm traditional variety Kalitur. This yield increase was due to an increase in biomass, pods plant^–1, mean seed weight and longer seed filling duration, but a reduced plant height and improved lodging tolerance, less seeds pod^–1 and early flowering and maturity dates. The varieties of selection cycle 2 showed 19% higher seed yields and 16% increase in harvest index over selection cycle 1 accompanied by longer seed filling duration, more seeds pod^–1 and reduced plant height. The annual genetic gain in seed yield of soybean varieties released in India from 1969 to 1993 was approximately 22 kg ha^–1.