OsSUV3 transgenic rice maintains higher endogenous levels of plant hormones that mitigates adverse effects of salinity and sustains crop productivity

Background

The SUV3 (suppressor of Var 3) gene encodes a DNA and RNA helicase, which is localized in the mitochondria. Plant SUV3 has not yet been characterized in detail. However, the Arabidopsis ortholog of SUV3 (AT4G14790) has been shown to be involved in embryo sac development. Previously, we have reported that rice SUV3 functions as DNA and RNA helicase and provides salinity stress tolerance by maintaining photosynthesis and antioxidant machinery. Here, we report further analysis of the transgenic OsSUV3 rice plants under salt stress.

Findings

The transgenic OsSUV3 overexpressing rice T₁ lines showed significantly higher endogenous content of plant hormones viz., gibberellic acid (GA₃), zeatin (Z) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in leaf, stem and root as compared to wild-type (WT), vector control (VC) and antisense (AS) plants under salt (200 mM NaCl) stress condition. A similar trend of endogenous plant hormones profile was also reflected in the T₂ generation of OsSUV3 transgenic rice under defined parameters and stress condition.

Conclusions

In response to stress, OsSUV3 rice plants maintained plant hormone levels that regulate the expression of several stress-induced genes and reduce adverse effects of salt on plant growth and development and therefore sustains crop productivity.     

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...     

Enzyme-modified casein fibers and their potential application in drug delivery

Enzymatic crosslinking of casein fibers was done using Transglutaminase (TGase) to improve the mechanical properties, particularly the stability in aqueous conditions and make them suitable for controlled drug release application. Crosslinking casein with 5 U/g of TGase in the spinning dope for 60 min at 25 °C increased the tenacity and tensile strain of the fibers from 0.40 g/den and 4.2 % to 0.70 g/den and 23.1 %, respectively. The stability of the fibers in water at different pH levels was considerably improved after the enzymatic crosslinking. The SDS-PAGE electrophoresis confirmed that higher molecular weight proteins were formed in TGase-crosslinked fibers. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that TGase treated fibers also had a higher thermal degradation temperature than the non-crosslinked fibers. Crosslinked fibers exhibited delayed and lower rate of drug release from the fibers suggesting their suitability for controlled drug release.     

Growth and body composition of rohu (Labeo rohita) fed diets containing oilseed meals: partial or total replacement of fish meal with soybean meal

A 56‐day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate growth, feed utilization and body composition of fingerling rohu, Labeo rohita (4.5 ± 0.2 cm; 2.58 ± 0.04 g), fed five isonitrogenous (350 g kg^?1 crude protein) and isoenergetic (15.7 kJ g^?1 metabolizable energy) diets in which the main protein contributors were: diet I, fish meal (FM); diet II, soybean meal (SBM); diet III, groundnut meal (GNM); diet IV, equal amounts of SBM, GNM and canola meal (CM); diet V, equal amounts of FM, SBM, GNM and CM. Fish were stocked in triplicate groups of 25 fish held in 70 L flow‐through tanks (water volume 55 L) and fed twice daily (0900 and 1700 hrs) to apparent satiation. Fish fed diet I exhibited the highest (P < 0.05) values for live weight gain and specific growth rate (% per day). Feed conversion and protein efficiency ratio were better (P < 0.05) in fish‐fed diets I and II. Fish‐fed diet II exhibited lower (P < 0.05) fat and ash contents in carcass. Based on these findings, a 70‐day trial (Experiment II) was conducted with six diets fed under the same conditions where FM was incrementally replaced with SBM. Fingerling L. rohita (6.7 ± 0.4 cm; 4.07 ± 0.02 g) were used for the study. Crystalline l ‐methionine was added to diets containing more than 250 g kg^?1 SBM. This second study showed no significant (P > 0.05) variation in growth, feed utilization and carcass composition for fish fed the different diets. In conclusion, SBM was more effective than GNM or CM, as FM was replaced in feeds for fingerling L. rohita and could completely replace FM when supplemented with methionine and fortified with minerals under the conditions of this study.     

Decomposition of leguminous crop residues in a ‘jhum’ cultivation system in Arunachal Pradesh,India

Decomposition of leaves, stems, and roots of two leguminous plants, french bean and pea, was studied in a ‘jhum’ cultivation (shifting agriculture) system in north‐eastern India in litter bag experiments. The dynamics of decomposition varied between the crop residues and species studied. All the three studied types of residues of french bean and the leaves and roots of pea showed polynomial decomposition model with three distinct phases: an initial slow decomposition phase (1), followed by a faster decomposition rate (2) and again by a slow decomposition phase (3). However, the stems of pea plants showed an exponential increase in the decomposition rate during field incubation. Initial N, lignin, and lignin : N ratio were determined in crop residues. In general, roots decomposed slowly as compared to the leaves and stems due to greater lignin content. Soil microbial activity as determined by CO₂ evolution was significantly correlated with the decomposition rates. Over all, the decay constants reveal that these fast decomposing leguminous crop residues can be properly managed for soil nutrient management in the low input shifting agricultural fields in the hills.     

Yield potential of garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) varieties,and soil properties under organic and integrated nutrient management systems

The identification of suitable crop varieties that respond best to organic management is the key to achieving better crop yields. A field experiment was conducted during the winter season of 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 at Almora (Indian Himalayas) to evaluate the performance of five varieties of garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) and changes in the soil properties under organic and integrated nutrient management (INM) systems. The yield reduction under organic management was 14.4% in 2005–2006 and 10.1% in 2006–2007 compared with INM. Among the garden pea varieties ‘Vivek Matar 9’, ‘Vivek Matar 8’ and ‘Azad pea 1’ produced similar but significantly higher pod yield compared to other varieties. The soil pH, organic carbon, and microbial activities in terms of dehydrogenase and phosphatase (acid and alkaline) were higher in the plots under organic management compared to INM. The latter, however, had higher activity of urease, and N, P, and K contents in soil. We conclude that at least 15–20% price premium for organic garden pea may be required to offset the higher cost of cultivation and low yields under organic production system. Among the garden pea varieties, ‘Azad pea 1’, ‘Vivek Matar 8’ and ‘Vivek Matar 9’ were found suitable for organic cultivation.     

Extraction, characterization of components, and potential thermoplastic applications of camelina meal grafted with vinyl monomers

Camelina meal contains oil, proteins, and carbohydrates that can be used to develop value-added bioproducts. In addition to containing valuable polymers, coproducts generated during the production of biofuels are inexpensive and renewable. Camelina is a preferred oilseed crop for biodiesel production because camelina is easier to grow and provides better yields. In this research, the components in camelina meal were extracted and studied for their composition, structure, and properties. The potential of using the camelina meal to develop thermoplastics was also studied by grafting various vinyl monomers. Oil (19%) extracted from camelina meal could be useful for food and fuel applications, and proteins and cellulose in camelina meal could be useful in the development of films, fibers, and thermoplastics. Thermoplastic films developed from grafted camelina meal had excellent wet tensile properties, unlike thermoplastics developed from other biopolymers. Camelina meal grafted with butylmethacrylate (BMA) had high dry and wet tensile strengths of 53.7 and 17.3 MPa, respectively.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pandanus amaryllifolius</Emphasis> Roxb. cultivated as a spice in coastal regions of India

Pandanus amaryllifolius, an herb, is cultivated in home gardens in coastal regions of India. The leaves are added to ordinary rice while cooking to impart basmati rice aroma. The plant bears the same aroma principle 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP) that has been reported in Basmati and other scented rice. Quantitatively the 2AP contents are highest in this plant among the plant kingdom. Therefore, it has good scope for commercial cultivation.     

Properties of high-quality long natural cellulose fibers from rice straw

This paper reports the structure and properties of novel long natural cellulose fibers obtained from rice straw. Rice straw fibers have 64% cellulose with 63% crystalline cellulose, strength of 3.5 g/denier (450 MPa), elongation of 2.2%, and modulus of 200 g/denier (26 GPa), similar to that of linen fibers. The rice straw fibers reported here have better properties than any other natural cellulose fiber obtained from an agricultural byproduct. With a worldwide annual availability of 580 million tons, rice straw is an annually renewable, abundant, and cheap source for natural cellulose fibers. Using rice straw for high-value fibrous applications will help to add value to the rice crops, provide a sustainable resource for fibers, and also benefit the environment.