Identification of sorghum genotypes with resistance to the sugarcane aphid Melanaphis sacchari under natural and artificial infestation

Sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari is an endemic pest of sorghum during postrainy season, and there is a need to develop cultivars with resistance to this pest. Evaluation of a diverse array of sorghum genotypes under natural and artificial infestation resulted in identification of seven lines (ICSB 215, ICSB 323, ICSB 724, ICSR 165, ICSV 12001, ICSV 12004 and IS 40615) with moderate levels of resistance to aphid damage. Under artificial infestation, 10 lines suffered <20% loss in grain yield as compared to 72.4% grain loss in the susceptible check, Swarna. The genotypes ICSR 165, ICSB 724, IS 40615, DSV 5 and ICSB 323 exhibited moderate levels of resistance to aphid damage (damage rating, DR <5.0) and also had high grain yield potential (>30 q/ha). In another experiment, ICSB 215, ICSB 695, ICSR 161, Line 61510, ICSV 12004, Parbhani Moti and IS 40618 exhibited high grain yield potential (>25 q/ha) and exhibited <50% variation in grain yield as compared to more than 80% in the susceptible check, in CK 60 B. The genotypes RSV 1211, RS 29, RSV 1338, EC 8‐2, PU 10‐1, IS 40617 and ICSB 695 though showed a susceptible reaction to aphid damage, but suffered relatively low loss in grain yield, suggesting that these lines have tolerance to aphid damage. Principal coordinate analysis suggested that the genotypes with aphid resistance are quite diverse and can be used to breed for aphid resistance and high grain yield potential and also in breeding for aphid resistance in sorghum with adaptation to the postrainy season.     

Validation of male sex‐specific UBC‐8071200 ISSR marker and its conversion into sequence tagged sites marker in Jojoba: a high precision oil yielding dioecious shrub

There is a recent surge in the marker‐assisted selection of desired sex type among economically important dioecious crops. Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba), a dioecious crop is of immense agricultural importance where only the female plants are preferred for commerce. DNA fingerprinting technology, ISSR analysis along with bulk segregant analysis (BSA), has been carried out on a diverse set of 17‐ to18‐year‐old mature male and female plants of Jojoba to validate a male sex‐specific ISSR marker, UBC‐807₁₂₀₀ on larger population that comprises 330 female and 255 male plants of Jojoba. This male sex‐specific DNA fragment of ~1200 bp was cloned and sequenced. The sequence was found to be 1120 bp in length and based on the sequence information, a pair of sequence tagged sites primers was developed that amplified a single ~800 bp band, consistently only in all the male populations while no amplification was seen in their female counterparts. The marker was named as Jojoba Male Sex Marker which was further validated on 330 female plants from 22 genotypes and 255 male plants from 17 genotypes.     

Seasonality of the common cutworm Spodoptera litura in a soybean ecosystem

Seasonal occurrence of the common cutworm Spodoptera litura (Fab.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) moths captured in synthetic sex pheromone traps and associated field population of eggs and larvae in soybean were examined in India from 2009 to 2011. Male moths of S. litura first appeared in late July or early August and continued through October. Peak male trap catches occurred during the second fortnight of September, which was within soybean reproductive stages. Similarly, the first appearance of S. litura egg masses and larval populations were observed after the first appearance of male moths in early to mid-August, and were present in the growing season up to late September to mid-October. The peak appearance of egg masses and larval populations always corresponded with the peak activity of male moths recorded during mid-September in all years. Correlation studies showed that weekly mean trap catches were linearly and positively correlated with egg masses and larval populations during the entire growing season of soybean. Seasonal means of male moth catches in pheromone traps during the 2010 and 2011 seasons were significantly lower than the catches during the 2009 season. However, seasonal means of the egg masses and larval populations were not significantly different between years. Pheromone traps may be useful indicators of the onset of numbers of S. litura eggs and larvae in soybean fields.     

尼泊尔中部山区Melamchi流域农户类型及其土地利用方式

农户生计策略变化为土地利用变化提供了新的研究视角。基于问卷调查、半结构访谈、数理统计等方法,对尼泊尔中部山区Melamchi流域4个典型村进行了系统调查,分析了不同类型农户的生计策略及土地利用特征。结果表明:农为主和非农为主型农户生计策略组合较优,生计多样性指数相对较高,生计风险相对较小。不同类型农户在耕作面积、土地利用结构、劳动力投入、土地增产性投入等方面均表现出不同特征。不同类型农户对改善生计的认识及策略不同,其对土地的作用及影响也有所差异。非农生计活动不仅降低了生计脆弱性和生计风险,同时也降低了农户对土地的依赖程度和垦殖率,促进了土地所有权改变和土地再分配,提高了农业生产率,但也增加了土地质量退化和环境污染的风险。针对尼泊尔山区资源环境特点及影响农户生计改善的不利因素,从农户和区域层次分别提出农户生计优化及土地可持续利用的建议。     

The effect of saw kerf width on the value of the axial growth stress measured by slitting a log along its axis

The surface growth stress in logs can be determined by slitting the log axially and measuring the outward deflection of the two halves. The saw kerf removes stressed material which generates a compressive strain in the remaining material and thereby reduces the surface growth stress. The purpose of the work is to establish the magnitude of this error. The analysis assumes a uniform compressive stress in the core of the log and a logarithmic distribution in the outer region. The total axial force in the kerf before removal is calculated and, from this, the stress change in the material remaining after kerf removal is derived. Data are presented for a range of kerf widths and for three different growth stress distributions. Direct measurement of the kerf removal error was made by direct measurement of the contraction of the log and by strain gauges to measure the strain. The measured values were close to the calculated values for three growth stress distributions. The analysis yields acceptable values for the kerf removal error. The investigation concludes that for kerf widths not greater than one-tenth of the log diameter, the error in the measured tensile surface growth stress is less than 10%.     

Mapping of Lr56 translocation recombinants in wheat

In an attempt to transfer the Lr56/Yr38 resistance loci from Aegilops sharonensis to wheat, a 6A‐6S^sh chromosome translocation was produced. It involves essentially the entire chromosome 6S^sh with a small terminal segment of 6AL. Induced homoeologous recombination of the translocated chromosome with 6A produced numerous recombinants including three recombined chromosomes carrying Lr56 that could not be precisely mapped for lack of suitable markers. This study aimed to determine the chromosomal locations of the translocation breakpoints in these three recombinants using various DNA markers as well as physical and genetic mapping. The three recombinants Lr56‐39, ‐157 and ‐175 carry small segments of Ae. sharonensis chromatin distally to the Xgpw4329 and IWA5416 loci near the 6AS telomere. The Ae. sharonensis chromatin that remains in each line includes a homoeolocus of the wheat marker locus Xdupw217 (on 6BS) and its characteristic amplification product can be used as a dominant marker for the presence of Lr56. Of the three recombined chromosomes, Lr56‐157 retained the least alien chromatin and appears to be the best candidate for use in wheat breeding.     

Effects of Boron and Lime on Productivity of Garden Pea under Acidic Soils in Northwestern Himalayas

An experiment comprising seven treatments was conducted to study the effect of boron and lime integrated with organic manures and nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) fertilizers on garden pea productivity. Seed yield along with growth parameters were significantly influenced by combined use of farmyard manure and NPK fertilizers either alone or in combination with boron and lime. Treatment combination of 20 t farmyard manure / ha + 100% NPK + borax (T₄) resulted in 37% increase in seed yield over recommended practice of 20 t farmyard manure / ha + 100% NPK (T₃). In addition, recommended practice supplemented with granubor (T₅) and lime (T₆) also significantly surpassed T₃ with respective increase of 14 and 10% in seed yield. Similarly, maximum nutrient was observed in T₄. Hence, application of boron along with farmyard manure and NPK fertilizers could be the best option to maximize pea productivity in acidic soils under humid subtemperate climate.