Effect of irrigation and antitranspirants on evapotranspiration,water use efficiency and moisture extraction patterns of barley

Summary Field experiments were conducted to study the effects of irrigation and antitranspirants on evapotranspirations (ET), water use efficiency (WUE) and the soil moisture extraction patterns of a barley crop grown on a sandy loam soil during the 1977 – 78 and 1978 – 79 seasons. An increase in irrigation frequency increased ET and decreased WUE. The moisture use by barley decreased with soil depth irrespective of treatment. The unirrigated barley extracted relatively more, but absolutely less moisture than the irrigated barley from the deeper soil layers. The application of various antitranspirants had no significant effect either on seasonal ET or on the pattern of moisture extraction from the root zone soil. However, daily ET was reduced significantly after the application of stomata closing type chemicals (Phenyl mercuric acetate [PMA] or Atrazine) used in conjunction with reflecting type antitranspirant (Kaolin). The moisture conservation effects of these chemicals lasted about two weeks under clear weather conditions. Such rainless periods occurred during anthesis and grain development of barley in the 1977 – 1978 crop season, explaining the significant increase in WUE following the use of PMA or Atrazine with Kaolin which only occurred in this crop season.     

Estimates of covariance components and genetic parameters for growth,average daily gain and Kleiber ratio in Harnali sheep

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The aim of the present study was to estimate the (co)variance components and genetic parameters for various growth traits (weight at birth (BWT) and 3 (WT3),...     

Effects of mother tree ages,different rooting mediums,light conditions and auxin treatments on rooting behaviour of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dalbergia sissoo</Emphasis> branch cuttings

Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. is one of the promising multipurpose tree species of South Asia. Most of the plantations of D. sissoo from seeds are facing severe threats due to the die-back disease, which ultimately causes death of this potential tree-species within a few months. Vegetative propagation could avoid the die-back disease. Thirty mother trees of different age-groups of D. sissoo were selected for evaluating the rooting behaviour of branch cuttings from D. sissoo as influenced by auxins (IAA or IBA at 100, 200, 500 mg·L⁻¹), ages of mother trees (10, 4 and 2 years old) and different environment conditions, i.e., different mediums (soil and sand) or light conditions (in shade and open condition). The results show that application of IAA and IBA induced more numbers of cuttings (collected from 10-year-old mother trees) to root compared to control. Branch cuttings of D. sissoo collected from 10-year-old mother trees and planted in soil bed in open conditions had 100.0% of cuttings to root in IAA (100 mg·L⁻¹) and IBA (200 mg·L⁻¹) treatments. Both rooting medium (Soil and sand) influenced significantly (p<0.05) on rooting response of branch cuttings. Soil medium was found to achieve maximum no. of branch cuttings to root, compared to sand medium.     

Efficiency of Bacillus coagulans as P biofertilizer to mobilize native soil organic and poorly soluble phosphates and increase crop yield

Bacillus coagulans, a phosphatase- and phytase-producing bacterium was isolated and tested under greenhouse conditions and in the field in a loamy sand soil. Bacterial population build-up and efficiency was compared under sterilized and non-sterilized soil conditions. Exploitation of plant unavailable (poorly soluble) P was higher in sterilized soil, mainly due to an increased bacteria population. A gradual increase in microbial build-up of up to 21 times the inoculated population was observed over a 4-week period under the sterilized soil condition. Clusterbean influenced acid phosphatase and phytase activity. The depletion of organic P was much higher than the depletion of mineral and phytin P. The microbial contribution to the hydrolysis of the different P fractions was significantly higher than the plant contribution. The maximum effect of inoculation on different enzyme activities (acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, phytase and dehydrogenase) was observed in pants between 5 and 8 weeks of age. A significant improvement in plant biomass (25%), root length (28%), plant P concentration (22%), seed (19%) and straw yield (28%) resulted from inoculation. The results suggested that B. coagulans produces phosphatases and phytase, which mobilized P from unavailable native P sources and enhanced the production of clusterbean.     

Habitat prediction mapping using BioClim model for prioritizing germplasm collection and conservation of an aquatic cash crop ‘makhana’ (Euryale ferox Salisb.) in India

An aquatic cash crop, ‘makhana’ (Euryale ferox Salisb.) was studied for predicted habitat suitability through ‘BioClim’ model for the year 1950–2000 and projected climate data for 2050 and 2070 for the Indian region based on primary data from survey and exploration for germplasm collection by ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR), New Delhi, India. A total of 362 diverse ‘makhana’ or foxnut germplasm accessions were augmented mainly from different districts of Indian state of Bihar and conserved at the National Genebank (NGB) at ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi. Predicted habitat suitability map of climate for the period 1950–2000 showed that the current locations of the highly suitable areas of cultivation of ‘makhana’ in Bihar were extended to other states namely- Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal in eastern India. Out of the total highly suitable estimated areas, maximum were located in Bihar (65.0 per cent) followed by Uttar Pradesh (12.3 per cent), Jharkhand (12.2 per cent) and West Bengal (10.5 per cent). Based on future predicted climate data for the year 2050 the habitat suitability map indicated that out of the total high suitable areas, Bihar had maximum area as compared to the other three states. Predicted climate data using ‘BioClim’ variables showed that high suitable areas shifted from major part in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal and negligible areas bordering Katihar district of Bihar. While predicted climate data for the year 2050 and 2070 showed high suitable areas in West Bengal, especially Malda and Dakschin Dinajpur districts completely shrank due to temperature rise; while Uttar Dinajpur (Goal Pokhar-I, Goal Pokhar-II and Islampur districts) appeared as new areas. In Uttar Pradesh, new districts viz. Balrampur and Shravasti were identified as high suitable areas for ‘makhana’ cultivation. As ‘makhana’ is a popular cash crop of eastern part of the country, and has not been cultivated widely in other regions, hence the knowledge on its botany, distribution, cultivation practices and uses are provided.

     

Antioxidant Capacity and Phenolics Content of Apricot (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus armeniaca</Emphasis> L.) Kernel as a Function of Genotype

Fourteen apricot genotypes grown under similar cultural practices in Trans-Himalayan Ladakh region were studied to find out the influence of genotype on antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content (TPC) of apricot kernel. The kernels were found to be rich in TPC ranging from 92.2 to 162.1 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g. The free radical-scavenging activity in terms of inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) ranged from 43.8 to 123.4 mg/ml and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) from 154.1 to 243.6 FeSO₄.7H₂O μg/ml. A variation of 1–1.7 fold in total phenolic content, 1–2.8 fold in IC₅₀ by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and 1–1.6 fold in ferric reducing antioxidant potential among the examined kernels underlines the important role played by genetic background for determining the phenolic content and antioxidant potential of apricot kernel. A positive significant correlation between TPC and FRAP (r = 0.671) was found. No significant correlation was found between TPC and IC₅₀; FRAP and IC₅₀; TPC and physical properties of kernel. Principal component analysis demonstrated that genotypic effect is more pronounced towards TPC and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) content in apricot kernel while the contribution of seed and kernel physical properties are not highly significant.     

Genetic architecture, inter-relationship and selection criteria for yield improvement in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

This study has been conducted to determine the extent of genetic association between yield of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) and its components. The present experiment was carried out with 40 Rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes which were evaluated in a randomized block design with 3 replications during wet season of 2007 and 2008. Results showed that sufficient amount of variability was found in the entire gene pool for all traits studied. Higher magnitude of genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation was recorded for seed yield, harvest index, biological yield, number of spikelets per panicle, flag leaf length, plant height and number of tillers indicates that these characters are least influence by environment. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as percent of mean was registered for seed yield, harvest index, number of spikelets per panicle, biological yield and flag leaf length, suggesting preponderance of additive gene action in the expression of these characters. Grain yield was significantly and positively associated with harvest index, number of tillers per hill, number of panicle per plant, panicle length, number of spikelet's per panicle and test weight at both genotypic and phenotypic levels. Path coefficient analysis revealed that harvest index, biological yield, number of tillers per hill, panicle length, number of spikelets per panicle, plant height and test weight had direct positive effect on seed yield, indicating these are the main contributors to yield. From this study it may be concluded that harvest index, number of tillers per hill, panicle length and number of spikelet per panicle and test weight are the most important characters that contributed directly to yield. Thus, these characters may serve selection criteria for improving genetic potential of rice.     

OGG1 DNA Repair Gene Polymorphism As a Biomarker of Oxidative and Genotoxic DNA Damage

Background:Single nucleotide polymorphisms in OGG1 gene modulates DNA repair capacity and functions as one of the first lines of protective mechanisms against 8-OHdG mutagenicity. OGG1-Cys326 gene polymorphism may decrease DNA repair function, causing oxidative stress due to higher oxidative DNA damage. The main purpose of this study was to examine the link of oxidative and genotoxic DNA damage with DNA repair OGG1 gene polymorphism, in charcoal workers exposed to polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Methods:Urinary 8-OHdG excretion (a biomarker of oxidative DNA damage) was determined in both exposed and control populations. Genotyping of OGG1 DNA repair gene in the blood samples of subjects was carried out by PCR-RFLP method. Results:The 8-OHdG urinary concentration was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the exposed (geometric mean 12.33 ± 3.78) than in the unexposed (geometric mean 7.36 ± 2.29) population. DNA damage, as measured by 8-OHdG and TM content, was found to be significantly higher in OGG1 homozygous mutants (mt/mt; 18.81 ± 3.34; 6.04 ± 0.52) as compared to wild-type genotypes (wt/wt; 10.34 ± 2.25; 5.19 ± 2.50) and heterozygous (wt/mt) mutants (12.82 ± 2.81; 6.04 ± 0.93) in the exposed group. Conclusion:We found a significant association of OGG1 heterozygous (wt/mt) and homozygous (mt/mt) variants with oxidative and genotoxic damage, suggesting that these polymorphisms may modulate the effects of PAH exposure in occupational workers. Key Words: 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine, 1-hydroxypyrene, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons     

AM fungi ameliorates growth, yield and nutrient uptake in Cicer arietinum L. Under salt stress

A pot experiment was performed to see the effect of two indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi Glomus mosseae and Acaulospora laevis, alone and in combination on growth, biomass and mineral nutrition of Cicer arietinum under different salinity levels imposed by 4, 8, and 12 dS/m EC solution (sodium chloride, calcium chloride and sodium sulphate). All AM inoculated plants showed significant increment in growth, biomass, mineral nutrition and yield over control. The extent of bioinoculants response on plant growth as well as root colonization decreases with the increase in the level of salinity. Among all the growth parameters plant height (26.4 ± 1.14 cm), root length (13.4 ± 1.67 cm), total chlorophyll (2.33 ± 0.02 mg/100 mg f. wt), root colonization (41.6 ± 2.70%) and AM spore number (63.8 ± 1.78 per 10 gm soil) were recorded highest in dual combination (G. mosseae and A. laevis) at 4 dS/m while fresh shoot (6.80 ± 0.67 gm) and dry shoot weight (0.96 ± 0.18 gm) was found maximum in G. mosseae at the same concentration of salinity. Greater Phosphorus (P) acquisition and yield was observed at 4 dS/m with dual combination (G. mosseae and A. laevis) that possibly be responsible to protect plants from salt stress. Although Nitrogen (N), Potassium (K) and Sodium (Na) contents also declined with increasing salinity. Overall results showed that mycorrhizal colonization improves host plant mineral concentration and thereby increases the growth, yield and nutrient uptake of C. arietinum ameliorating the harmful effect at salinity stress.     

Expression and Localization of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and its Receptors in the Corpus Luteum During Oestrous Cycle in Water Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)

The aim of this study was to document the expression and localization of VEGF system comprising of VEGF isoforms (VEGF 120, VEGF 164 and VEGF 188) and their receptors (VEGFR1 and VEGFR2) in buffalo corpus luteum (CL) obtained from different stages of the oestrous cycle. Real‐time RT‐PCR (qPCR), Western blot and immunohistochemistry were applied to investigate mRNA expression, protein expression and localization of examined factors. In general, all the components of VEGF system (the VEGF isoforms and their receptors) were found in the water buffalo CL during the oestrous cycle. The mRNA as well as protein expression of VEGF system was highest during the early and mid‐luteal phase, which later steadily decreased (p < 0.05) after day 10 to reach the lowest level in regressed CL. As demonstrated by immunohistochemistry, VEGF protein was localized predominantly in luteal cells; however, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 were localized in luteal cells as well as in endothelial cells. In conclusion, the dynamics of expression and localization of VEGF system in buffalo corpora lutea during the luteal phase were demonstrated in this study, indicating the possible role of VEGF system in the regulation of luteal angiogenesis and proliferation of luteal as well as endothelial cells through their non‐angiogenic function.