Biothermoplastics from soyproteins by steaming

We report a novel method of developing thermoplastics from steamed soyproteins with good tensile properties. Soyproteins are generally made thermoplastic by using plasticizers or by chemical modifications. However, soyprotein thermoplastics developed using plasticizers have poor tensile properties when wet and chemical modifications make soyproteins expensive and/or environmentally unfriendly. In this research, soyproteins were steamed at various temperatures and time and the steamed proteins were compression molded into thermoplastic films. The effect of steaming on the molecular weight and thermal behavior and tensile properties of the films at different steaming and compression conditions were studied. Steaming substantially reduced the molecular weights, decreased the melting temperature and increased the melting enthalpy. Thermoplastics developed from steamed soyproteins had good tensile strength (5 MPa) and modulus (193 MPa) but moderate elongation (14.5%). Although glycerol was necessary to improve the thermoplasticity, soyprotein thermoplastics developed in this research required lower glycerol to form thermoplastic films compared to films reported in literature. Steaming of soyproteins shows promise to be an inexpensive and environmentally friendly process to develop biothermoplastics.     

Rapid and convenient gel‐free screening of SCAR markers in wheat using SYBR green‐based melt‐profiling

Sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers that are highly desirable in crop breeding for marker‐assisted selection (MAS) are routinely analysed by gel‐based methods that are low‐throughput, time‐consuming and laborious. In this study, we showed a rapid and convenient method for analysis of SCAR markers in a gel‐free manner. Seven SCAR markers, linked to rust resistance genes (Sr24, Sr26 and Sr31) and seed quality traits (Pina, Pinb and Glu‐D1) in wheat (Triticum aestivum), were amplified on a real‐time PCR machine using custom reaction mixture. Subsequently, melting curve analysis was performed, to assess the specificity of amplicons. Using the amplicon‐specific melt‐profiles, the presence/absence of SCAR markers was analysed in fifteen genotypes and five F₂ populations. Unlike the fluorescence‐based in‐tube detection methods, the present method used the amplicon‐specific melt‐profiles to evaluate the status of the SCAR markers, thus eliminating the need for gel‐based analysis. Results also showed feasibility of multiplex analysis of two markers with well‐separated melting profiles. Overall, the approach is a rapid, convenient and cost‐effective method for high‐throughput screening of SCAR markers.     

Crop establishment methods: foliar and basal nourishment of rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis>) cultivation affecting growth parameters,water saving,productivity and soil physical properties

A 3-year field experiment was carried out with tillage crop establishment (TCE) and rice nourishment in north-western India to evaluate the effect of five crop establishment methods and seven fertility treatments on crop production, water productivity, profitability, and soil physical quality. Maximum panicle length (30.9 cm) was noted with F₃ treatment and minimum (22.7 cm) with F₀ treatment. Zinc application methods and timing had significantly effect on paddy yield. Maximum yield (5.22 t ha^?1) was achieved in treatment F₃ and minimum yield (2.65 t ha^?1) was noted in F₀ treatment. Results also revealed that root dry weight, root volume, and root length were recorded with higher values in F₃ treatment and minimum in F₀ treatment. TCE methods were recorded with higher values in raised beds system than T₅ at all growth stages. Treatments T₁ and T₂ reduced the mean maximum soil temperature at transplanting zone depth by 3.6 and 2.7 °C compared to the T₃. Paddy yield in T₃ was always significantly less than in T₅. On average, treatment T₄ recorded about 13 % lower water use and 3.7 % higher water productivity compared to T₅. Treatment T₅ had higher bulk density. The cumulative infiltration for 498 min was about 2 times in treatment T₁, 5 times in T₃ and more than 8 times in T₄ of the values in T₅. Mean weight diameter of aggregates was higher in T₄ followed by the T₁ and lowest in T₅. The study reveals that TCE methods T₁ and T₄ with F₃ nourishment could be more viable options for rice crop in order to save input costs and enhance profitability.     

Identification of QTLs for agronomic traits using association mapping in lentil

A diverse panel of 96 genotypes of lentil was used in this study to identify QTL for nine agronomic traits through marker-trait association analysis. This study showed significant genetic variability among the lentil genotypes for nine agronomic traits and had medium to large broad sense heritability estimates (h² =?0.58–0.95). Screening of 534 SSR markers resulted in 266 polymorphic loci that generated 697 alleles ranging from 2 to 16 alleles per locus across the genotypes. The model-based population structure analysis identified two distinct subpopulations among lentil genotypes and each subpopulation did not show any admixture. Marker trait association (MTA) analysis following ML model resulted in the identification of 24 MTAs for nine traits at P?<?0.01. The per cent of phenotypic variation explained by each associated marker with particular agronomic trait ranged from 7.3 to 25.8%. The highest proportion of total phenotypic variation (23.1–25.8%) was explained by the QTLs controlling the primary branches/per plant. In the present study, few EST-SSR markers showed significant association with days to maturity, pods/plant, secondary branches/plant, 100 seed weight, yield/plant and reproductive duration and explained large phenotypic variation (7.3–23.8%). Hence, these markers can be used as functional markers in lentil breeding program for developing improved cultivars.     

Grain founder in a male camel (Camelus dromedarius)

A rare case of laminitis was recorded in an adult camel that was kept in confinement without giving any exercise and fed daily with considerable quantity of pearl millet grains (Pennisetum typhoideus) for more than five months.     

Immunomodulation and interferon gamma gene expression in sutchi cat fish,Pangasianodon hypophthalmus: effect of dietary fucoidan rich seaweed extract (FRSE) on pre and post challenge period

A 45‐days feeding trial was conducted to study the immunomodulatory effect and interferon gamma gene expression of dietary fucoidan rich seaweed extract (FRSE) from Sargassum wightii on Pangasianodon hypophthalmus fingerlings. One hundred and eighty fingerlings were distributed into six experimental groups in triplicates. Each group was stocked with 10 fish and fed to satiation with iso‐nitrogenous (34.96 ± 0.09–35.18 ± 0.03 CP%) and iso‐caloric (368.65 ± 0.86–375.09 ± 0.26 Kcal/100 g) purified diets containing either 0% FRSE (control), 1% FRSE (TF₁), 2% FRSE (TF₂), 3% FRSE (TF₃), 3% seaweed powder (TS₃) or 6% seaweed powder (TS₆) in the feed. After feeding trial the experimental fish were challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila. Immunological parameters like respiratory burst activity, lysozyme activity, phagocytic activity and total leukocyte count (TLC) were increased with the increasing level of dietary FRSE, whereas serum Albumin/Globulin (A/G) ratio and blood glucose level exhibited decreasing trend (P < 0.05). Increased TLC, blood glucose level, respiratory burst activity, serum A/G ratio, lysozyme and phagocytic activities were recorded during the post‐challenge period. Maximum expression of interferon gamma (IFN‐γ) gene was recorded in FRSE fed groups than the control group both in pre and post challenge condition. After challenged with A. hydrophila the highest survival was observed in TF₂ and TF₃ groups whereas lowest survival was observed in the control group. Hence, dietary supplementation of FRSE at an optimum level of 2% reduced the stress and improved the immune status of P. hypophthalmus fingerlings.     

An acidic method of zein extraction from DDGS

Zein with a higher intrinsic viscosity and phosphorus content, similar protein content, lower yellowness, and at potentially much lower cost than commercially available zein was obtained from distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). A novel extraction method using acidic conditions in the presence of a reducing agent has been used to obtain about 10% aqueous ethanol soluble zein from DDGS. The optimum pH, time, temperature, and amount of reducing agent that can produce zein with high quality and yield have been developed. In addition to the zein, about 17% oil based on the dry weight of DDGS has also been obtained during zein extraction. The zein obtained from this research is expected to be suitable for use as fibers, films, and binders and in paints.     

Determination of evapotranspiration for maize and berseem clover

Maize and berseem are among the most important crops in India and several other countries in the world. Irrigation is provided to these crops to get higher production; hence, determining the water requirements of these crops is important for irrigation planning. Improved water management of these crops requires accurate scheduling of irrigation, which in turn requires accurate measurement of crop evapotranspiration (ET_c). Thus, the first objective of this study was to measure daily, weekly and seasonal ET_c of maize and berseem directly from weighing type lysimeters. Experiments were conducted in a set of two electronic weighing-type lysimeters of 7.82 m³ to measure the hourly ET_c of maize and berseem from June 1996 to April 1998 at Karnal, India. The average daily ET_c of maize varied from <2.8 mm day^-1 in the early growing period to >4 mm day^-1 at development and reproductive stages. The peak daily ET_c of maize was 7.7 mm day^-1 and this occurred 9 weeks after sowing (WAS) at the silking stage of maize when leaf area index (LAI) was 5.5. The measured seasonal ET_c of maize was 354 mm. In the case of berseem, the average daily ET_c was 0.9 mm day^-1 at the initial stage, achieved a peak value of 6.9 mm day^-1 between 25 and 26 WAS during the fifth cut. The measured seasonal ET_c of berseem was 480 mm. Precise information on the crop coefficient, which is required for regional-scale irrigation planning, is lacking for semi-arid climates such as those found in north India. Therefore, the second objective of this study was to develop crop coefficients (K_c) for maize and berseem from ET_c measurements and weather data. The estimated values of K_c for maize by the Penman-Monteith method at the four crop growth stages; namely, initial, crop development, mid-season and maturity, were 0.55, 1.00, 1.23 and 0.64, respectively, and the corresponding values for berseem were 0.76, 0.82, 1.11 and 1.24, respectively. In the case of these two crops, actual K_c values determined from this study are different from those suggested by the FAO (Allen et al. 1998), indicating the need for generating these values at the local/ regional level.     

RAPD markers in the analysis of genetic diversity among common bean germplasm from Central Himalaya

A set of 99 common bean germplasm collected from central Himalaya was investigated for their genetic variability using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Ten oligonucleotide primers, selected from 60 initially screened, generated 123 amplicon products. Of these, two amplicons were shared by all the accessions whereas 112 were polymorphic at least in two pair wise comparison. Nine unique bands identified were as low as 0.32 kb M.W. to as high as 3.5 kb and were confined to eight collections. All primers produced polymorphic amplicons though the extent of polymorphism varied with each primer. The primer OPF-17 was found to be most powerful and efficient as it generated a total of 17 bands of which 15 were polymorphic. RAPD markers data were analysed statistically using NTSYSpc.2.02e software and a dendrogram was generated using Jaccard’s similarity coefficient. The similarity coefficient values varied from 0.19 to 0.91. Grouping analysis revealed the categorization of 99 germplasm into 12 major branches with different level of similarity. Three branches namely branch 2, 3 and 5 out of 12 had only one accession. Branch 1 which consisted of three accessions was the most divergent as revealed by Jaccard’s similarity coefficient. Branching pattern of the accessions did not show any correlation with morphological data or altitudinal alignment of the accessions.     

Development of SCAR markers for identification of stem rust resistance gene Sr31 in the homozygous or heterozygous condition in bread wheat

The stem rust resistance gene Sr31, transferred from rye (Secale cereale) into wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) imparts resistance to all the virulent pathotypes of stem rust (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici) found in India. Wheat genotypes including carriers and non‐carriers of the Sr31 gene were analysed using arbitrary primed polymerase chain reaction (AP‐PCR). AP‐PCR markers viz. SS30.2_580(H) associated with the Sr31 gene and SS26.1₁₁₀₀ associated with the allele for susceptibility were identified. Linkage between the markers and phenotypes was confirmed by analysing an F₂ population obtained from a cross between a resistant and a susceptible genotype. The markers were tightly linked to the respective alleles. Both the AP‐PCR markers were converted into sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers, viz. SCSS30.2₅₇₆ and SCSS26.1₁₁₀₀ respectively. The markers were validated in two more segregating populations and 49 wheat genotypes. Using both markers it was possible to distinguish the homozygous from the heterozygous carriers of the Sr31 gene in the F₂ generation. The markers developed in this study can be used for pyramiding of the Sr31 gene with other rust resistance genes and in marker‐assisted selection.