Stability of fatty acids and leaf protein concentrate of Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum)

Freeze-dried leaf protein concentrate (LPC) contained 18% lipids in which linolenic acid (61.5%) was the major component. Linolenic acid in LPC was almost stable when stored at ambient temperature (30 to 35°C) and exposed to air for 24 weeks. Heating of LPC (50 to 200°C) in presence of moisture (6 to 12%) progressively increased the rate of destruction of linolenic acid. Below 100°C the presence of lipids did not affect the protein quality but at higher temperatures due to the lipid oxidation protein quality as estimated by dye-binding capacity was considerably affected.     

Ascorbic Acid Enhances Growth and Yield of Sweet Peppers (Capsicum annum) by Mitigating Salinity Stress

Salinity is a crucial problem which has affected crop productivity globally. Ascorbic acid is considered helpful against abiotic stresses due to its powerful antioxidant potential. In the pot experiment, salinity stress (0, 35, 70, and 105?mM) was applied to sweet peppers in split doses after 20 days of transplantation. To mitigate the adverse effects of salinity, ascorbic acid (0, 0.40, 0.80, and 1.20?mM) was applied as foliar spray after a 6-day interval during vegetative growth. Sweet pepper plants sprayed with distilled water (control) recorded maximum plant height (cm), leaf area (cm²), number of branches, stem diameter (mm), number of fruit plant^?1, fruit diameter (cm), yield plant^?1 (g), and chlorophyll content (mg 100?g^?1), while the maximum polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity (unit mg protein^?1 min^?1) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity (unit mg protein^?1 min^?1) were recorded in plants treated with 70?mM NaCl application. Salinity stress beyond 70?mM significantly reduced all the studied parameters. An ascorbic acid concentration of 1.20?mM significantly mitigated the negative effects of salt stress and recorded maximum plant height (cm), number of leaves plant^?1, leaf area (cm²), number of branches plant^?1, stem diameter (mm), number of fruit plant^?1, fruit diameter (cm), yield plant^?1 (g), chlorophyll content (mg 100?g^?1), PPO activity (unit mg protein^?1 min^?1), and APX activity (unit mg protein^?1 min^?1). Hence, a 1.20?mM concentration of foliar ascorbic acid could be used in saline conditions up to 70?mM of sodium chloride (NaCl) for better growth, productivity, and enzymatic activity of sweet peppers.

     

Antibacterial Activity of 2-(2′,4′-Dibromophenoxy)-4,6-dibromophenol from Dysidea granulosa

2-(2′,4′-Dibromophenoxy)-4,6-dibromophenol isolated from the marine sponge Dysidea granulosa (Bergquist) collected off the coast of Lakshadweep islands, Indian Ocean, exhibited potent and broad spectrum in-vitro antibacterial activity, especially against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), vancomycin resistant Enterococci (VRE), vancomycin sensitive Enterococci (VSE) and Bacillus spp. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was evaluated against 57 clinical and standard strains of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. The observed MIC range was 0.117–2.5 μg/mL against all the Gram positive bacteria and 0.5–2 μg/mL against Gram negative bacteria. The in-vitro antibacterial activity observed was better than that of the standard antibiotic linezolid, a marketed anti-MRSA drug. The results establish 2-(2′,4′-dibromophenoxy)-4,6-dibromophenol, as a potential lead molecule for anti-MRSA and anti-VRE drug development.     

Groundwater governance through electricity supply management: Assessing an innovative intervention in Gujarat, western India

Gujarat, a rapidly industrializing state in western India, is notorious for groundwater over-exploitation. A perverse link between energy subsidies and groundwater overdraft has left the state with a bankrupt electricity utility and depleted aquifers, especially since the late 1980s. Moreover, this perverse relationship has meant that groundwater irrigators have essentially held Gujarat's non-farm rural economy to ransom. Efforts to regulate groundwater overdraft since the early 1970s have been unsuccessful, as have attempts to charge a rational electricity tariff to groundwater irrigators. During 2003-2006, drawing upon a proposal outlined by researchers, the government launched the Jyotigram (lighted village) scheme, which invested US$ 290 million to separate agricultural electricity feeders from non-agricultural ones, and established a tight regimen for farm power rationing in the countryside. By 2006, Gujarat covered almost all of its 18,000 villages under the Jyotigram scheme of rationalized power supply. With this, two major changes have occurred: (a) villages receive 24 h three-phase power supply for domestic uses, in schools, hospitals, village industries, all subject to metered tariff; (b) tubewell owners receive 8 h/day of power of full voltage and on a pre-announced schedule. The Jyotigram scheme has radically improved the quality of village life, spurred non-farm economic enterprises, halved the power subsidy to agriculture, and reduced groundwater overdraft. It has also produced positive and negative impacts on medium and large farmers, while notably harming marginal farmers and the landless, who depend for their access to irrigation on water markets which have become much smaller, post-Jyotigram. In addition, the water prices charged by tubewell owners have increased by 30-50%. We propose that the Jyotigram scheme, with some refinements, can be implemented successfully in other regions of South Asia facing similar challenges of groundwater governance.     

Optimizing nursery diets for post-metamorphic stage black sea bass: Growth performance,body composition,and feed utilization on open-formulated and commercial starter diets

The objective of this study was to optimize nursery diets for post-metamorphic stage black sea bass by evaluating growth performance, whole-body proximate and fatty acid composition, and utilization of University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW)-formulated and commercial diets under laboratory conditions. A feeding trial was conducted to compare two UNCW-formulated diets (D1 and D2) for black sea bass (54% crude protein = CP and 14% crude lipid = CL) and two premium, commercial marine finfish fry diets, Otohime (Reed Mariculture Inc., Campbell, CA, CP = 48% and CL = 14%, CD3) and Gemma Diamond (Skretting, Nutreco, Canada, CP = 57%, CL = 15%, CD4). The UNCW-formulated diet 1 (D1) contained high fish meal (FM, 40% of diet), whereas UNCW-formulated diet 2 (D2) replaced 50% FM protein by high-quality poultry by-product meal (PBM) protein. Post-metamorphic stage black sea bass (~0.60 g, d40ph) were stocked in each of sixteen 75-L tanks at a density of 1 fish per L (75 per tank), with four replicate aquaria per treatment. Fish were fed four times per day (0800, 1100, 1400, and 1600 h) to apparent satiation for 30 days. Final body weight (5.70–5.74), specific growth rate (7.40–7.45%/d), and percent body weight gain (834–848%) of fish fed the UNCW-formulated D1 (FM-based) and D2 (FM + PBM-based) were higher (p < .05) than in fish fed the commercial diets CD3 and CD4 (4.66–5.21 g, 6.80–7.15%/d, and 668–756%, respectively). Feed intake (% body weight/d was significantly lower for fish fed commercial diet (CD4) (3.94) compared with fish fed CD3 (4.20), but feed intake for CD3 was not significantly different compared with the UNCW-formulated diets D1 and D2 (4.10–4.12). Feed conversion ratios (0.76–0.82) were significantly higher for fish fed CD3 (0.82) than for fish fed D1 and CD4 (0.76). Survival was high (99–100%) in all diet treatments. Final whole-body crude protein content (15.2 to 15.9% wet basis), moisture (68.9–69.6%), and ash (4.31–4.77%) showed no significant differences; however, whole-body crude lipid was lower in fish fed CD3 (9.67%) than in fish fed the other diets (9.96–10.22%). Final whole-body fatty acid composition reflected the diet composition. Higher feed consumption and growth of fish fed the UNCW-formulated diets were attributed to a more optimal combination of marine (fish, squid, and krill meals), terrestrial plant (soybean meal) protein sources, and the addition of chemo-attractants, which provided both higher nutritional quality and palatability. The study suggests that the species-specific starter diets may improve growth performance and fingerling quality and may therefore lower production costs under intensive nursery conditions.     

Comparisons of RFLP and PCR-based markers to detect polymorphism between wheat cultivars

Previously chromosome 3A of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was reported to carry genes influencing yield, yield components, plant height, and anthesis date. The objective of current study was to survey various molecular marker systems for their ability to detect polymorphism between wheat cultivars Cheyenne(CNN) and Wichita (WI), particularly for chromosome3A. Seventy-seven `sequence tagged site' (STS), 10simple sequence repeat (SSR), 40 randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers, and 52 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) probes for wheat homoeologous group 3 chromosomes, were investigated. Three (3.9%) STS-PCR primer sets amplified polymorphic fragments for the two cultivars, of which one was polymorphic for chromosome 3A. Sixty percent of SSR markers detected polymorphism between CNN and WI of which 50% were polymorphic for chromosome 3A. Twenty percent of RAPD markers detected polymorphism between CNN and WI in general, but none of these detected polymorphism for chromosome 3A. Of the fifty-two RFLP probes, 78.8% detected polymorphism between CNN and WI for group 3 chromosomes with one or more of seven restriction enzymes and 42% of the polymorphic fragements were for chromosome 3A. These high levels of RFLP and SSR polymorphisms between two related wheat cultivars could be used to map and tag genes influencing important agronomic traits. It may also be important to reconsider RFLP as the most suitable marker system at least for anchor maps of closely related wheat cultivars. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Does diversified environmental regulation effect the foreign direct investment inflows and technological innovation? A three-stage least square approach

Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows have been significantly impacted by environmental regulation (ER). This study is aiming at analyzing the ER effect on the FDI inflows. By using the data of 2008–2018, we use Three-stages least square (3SLS) method to assess the connection between FDI inflows and ER. The study results reveal that in Chinese industries, technological innovation (TI) is stipulated by the ER, and as a result, FDI has been engrossed. The results further reveal that TI has been enhanced by capital penetration, and a positive effect is perceived between TI and FDI. The findings of our study also show that there is a significant association between foreign capital (FC) inflows and TI, which indicates that technological policies are effective and advanced environmental policies would intensify the relevant policies between firms. Based on the study outcomes, this research proposes some policy suggestions for constructing a attuned policy system of environmental protection and FDI by regulating the implementation of conforming strategies.     

Renal clearance of endogenous creatinine and urea in sheep during summer and winter

Simultaneous measurement of the renal clearance of endogenous creatinine and exogenous inulin in eight sheep showed similar mean +/- SD (n = 32) values of 13.8 +/- 1.3 and 13.2 +/- 2.0 ml min-1 (10 kg)-1 bodyweight respectively. These results demonstrate that the renal clearance of endogenous creatinine is a satisfactory measure of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in sheep. The plasma concentrations of endogenous creatinine and urea were significantly higher because of haemoconcentration during summer, resulting in lower GFR than in winter. Besides glomerular filtration and back diffusion, the renal handling of urea in sheep seems to involve mechanisms analogous to active tubular secretion.     

Stephanofilarial dermatitis in India

Four species of Stephanofilaria have been reported from India causing various forms of dermatitis in cattle, buffalo, goat and elephant. However, additional work is needed to establish their identity as separate species. The lesions appear to flare up following reinfection, while the application of a petroleum jelly alone reduces them. In vitro tests have shown organophosphorous compounds to possess stephanofilaricidal action in addition to their insecticidal activity. Aspects where further work is needed are indicated.     

A Pragmatic Approach for Obtaining Lines Possessing Desirable Traits in Silk Banana

Silk Banana is amongst the most popular groups of bananas grown in different parts of the world. However, the commercial scale cultivation requires identification of superior genotypes with desirable attributes including growth, yield, quality and resistance to Panama wilt disease which is a major concern. Panama disease caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense has been wreaking havoc in banana plantations throughout the world. A large number of varieties fall prey to the pathogen and hence world’s banana production has been threatened to a considerable extent, Silk Banana being the most vulnerable. Long term use of chemicals has not only failed to provide protection against the disease but has also raised concern about the environmental health. Resistance breeding is thus only viable alternative; however, breeding in banana is hindered by a number of inherent problems. In this communication, a systematic approach was proposed taking a typical case of Silk Banana var. Nanjanagud Rasabale to preselect lines possessing Panama wilt resistance and other desired traits. The proposed methodology comprised of identification of spontaneous variants in growing regions of the variety and their subsequent screening using a multi-pronged strategy. A number of lines exhibiting superiority in terms of tolerance to panama wilt, precocity, plant stature, physicochemical and shelf life related attributes have been reported. Considering overall performance, six promising lines were identified. This methodology has wider applicability as it could be effectively exploited with suitable modifications for identifying lines with desired traits in other varieties of banana.