Genotypic Variability in Biomass Protein and Nucleic Acids in Four Linum Species to Sodicity Stress

Differences in gas exchange parameters i.e. carbon exchange rate (CER), transpiration (Tr), water vapor conductance (g) were investigated, under a controlled environment, in a semi-dwarf (SD) Triticum aestivum line, its tall (TL) near isoline and the Payne (PA) variety characterized by small leaves. The plants were maintained in: (a) optimal substrate moisture condition (CTR); (b) salinized by watering with a 0.12 m NaCl solution (SLT); (c) water stressed by withholding waterings during a period of six days (STR); (d) stressed and salinized during the same period and with the same saline solution (S + S). CER and Tr were negatively affected by the stresses; SLT and S + S treatments had a higher WUE compared to their respective controls CTR and STR.
SD line had a better performance in terms of CER and WUE, particularly when water and salt stresses interacted. Leaf anatomy and assimilation/internal CO₂ concentration curves contributed to explaining the SD performance.     

The extent of genetic diversity among Vanilla species: Comparative results for RAPD and ISSR

Vanilla is a large genus of about 110 species in the orchid family (Orchidaceae), including the species Vanilla planifolia from which commercial vanilla flavoring is derived. Since most species of vanilla are considered rare and endangered there is an urgent need to conserve them through genetic analysis and propagation/conservation studies on this crop.The present study investigated the genetic diversity among nine leafy- and leaf-less Vanilla species employing 30 decamer RAPD primers and 10 ISSR primers. The species under study were diverse and displayed a range of variability (0–66% and 0–81% for RAPD and ISSR, respectively). A total of 154 RAPD polymorphic markers (83.24%, h = 0.378) and 93 ISSR polymorphic markers (86.11%, h = 0.363) were used to generate a genetic similarity matrix followed by the cluster analysis. Specific groupings were revealed by each cluster analysis with slight variation between two different markers. Among the nine species studied, V. planifolia, Vanilla aphylla and Vanilla tahitensis revealed very low level of variation within their collections, thus indicating a narrow genetic base. The large genetic distance of Vanilla andamanica from other species suggests its different origin. A close genetic affinity was observed between the pairs V. planifolia, V. tahitensis and Vanilla albida, V. aphylla. These are the first comparative results for RAPD and ISSR reporting inter-relationship among nine cultivated, wild and hybrid Vanilla species.     

Physiological Basis of Irrigation Scheduling for Seed Production in Egyptian Clover Syn. Berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) Crop

A field experiment was conducted to find out the critical physiological stages of irrigation schedules inducing better growth, physiological efficiency and seed yield potential of berseem ( Trifolium alexandrinum L., Var. S-99-1). For this purpose eight irrigation treatments were made comprised of four treatments of three irrigation (W₁, W₂, W₃ and W₄), three treatments of four irrigation (W₅, W₇ and W₈) and one treatment of five irrigation (W₆) at various physiological stages i. e. regeneration, flower initiation, full bloom, seed initiation and advance seed development stage.
Thus based on the experimental results the physiological role of watering in berseem seed production could be discussed as:
With-holding of irrigation either at regeneration or at full bloom stage developed potential water stress in plants as indicated by high proline content of irrigation treatments — W₄, W₁ and W₇; and further brought out disturbance on the formation of carotene, synthesis of water soluble sugar and translocation of sugar towards reproductive organs during grain development stage. These stresses adversely affected the plant growth and flowering behaviour. The irrigation at seed initiation stage increased the seed yield. Continuous irrigation did not appear to be useful. Thus it can be concluded that irrigation at three critical physiological stages i. e. regeneration, full bloom and seed initiation was found to be essential for obtaining potential seed yield of berseem.     

Abscisic acid is a potent inhibitor of growth and sporidial formation inneovossia indica cultures: Dual mode of actionvia loss of polyamines and cellular turgidity

The inhibition of polyamine biosynthesis inNeovossia indica (Mitra) Mundkur by D,L— α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) caused an effective reduction of mycelial growth and sporidial production underin vitro conditions, which was reversed by ornithine application. Abscisic acid proved to be similarly effective, not only in inhibiting mycelial growth and sporidial formation but also the germination of teliospores, which constitute the primary inoculum of the pathogen. ABA-mediated inhibition resulted in decreased polyamine levels and loss of cellular turgidity of mycelial cultures. Scanning electron microscopy of ABA-treated cultures revealed extremely shrunken hyphae, in marked contrast to the turgid controls. It is suggested that the manipulation of ABA levels and/or tissue sensitivity in wheat could be a strategy to combat ‘Karnal’ bunt, the disease caused byN. indica.     

Application of unmanned aerial systems for high throughput phenotyping of large wheat breeding nurseries

Background

Low cost unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have great potential for rapid proximal measurements of plants in agriculture. In the context of plant breeding and genetics, current approaches for phenotyping a large number of breeding lines under field conditions require substantial investments in time, cost, and labor. For field-based high-throughput phenotyping (HTP), UAS platforms can provide high-resolution measurements for small plot research, while enabling the rapid assessment of tens-of-thousands of field plots. The objective of this study was to complete a baseline assessment of the utility of UAS in assessment field trials as commonly implemented in wheat breeding programs. We developed a semi-automated image-processing pipeline to extract plot level data from UAS imagery. The image dataset was processed using a photogrammetric pipeline based on image orientation and radiometric calibration to produce orthomosaic images. We also examined the relationships between vegetation indices (VIs) extracted from high spatial resolution multispectral imagery collected with two different UAS systems (eBee Ag carrying MultiSpec 4C camera, and IRIS+ quadcopter carrying modified NIR Canon S100) and ground truth spectral data from hand-held spectroradiometer.

Results

We found good correlation between the VIs obtained from UAS platforms and ground-truth measurements and observed high broad-sense heritability for VIs. We determined radiometric calibration methods developed for satellite imagery significantly improved the precision of VIs from the UAS. We observed VIs extracted from calibrated images of Canon S100 had a significantly higher correlation to the spectroradiometer (r = 0.76) than VIs from the MultiSpec 4C camera (r = 0.64). Their correlation to spectroradiometer readings was as high as or higher than repeated measurements with the spectroradiometer per se.

Conclusion

The approaches described here for UAS imaging and extraction of proximal sensing data enable collection of HTP measurements on the scale and with the precision needed for powerful selection tools in plant breeding. Low-cost UAS platforms have great potential for use as a selection tool in plant breeding programs. In the scope of tools development, the pipeline developed in this study can be effectively employed for other UAS and also other crops planted in breeding nurseries.

     

Toxicological effects and recovery of the corneal epithelium in Cyprinus carpio communis Linn. exposed to monocrotophos: an scanning electron microscope study

This study was conducted based on the evidence of fish habitats in North India being affected by organophosphate pesticides draining from agricultural fields into bodies of water, especially during the rainy season. Various tissues of fish such as scales, gills ovaries, kidney, and liver have been studied from the toxicological point of view, but the toxicological effects of aquatic pollutants on fish cornea have not been investigated to date. We conducted comparative toxicological studies on the cornea of Cyprinus carpio communis using two sublethal (0.038 and 0.126 ppm) concentrations of monocrotophos pesticide for 30 days. Corneas from all the groups were evaluated by a scanning electron microscope. The fish exposed to the monocrotophos pesticide developed corneal necrosis due to the formation of crystalloid‐like structures, thinning and shrinkage of microridges on the corneal epithelium. After 30 days, fish from the monocrotophos‐treated tank were transferred to normal environmental conditions. After 60 days under natural condition, epithelial cells did not fully recover. In conclusion, exposure to monocrotophos induces irreversible changes in the cornea of C. carpio communis. As fish and mammalian visual systems share many similarities, the reported finding may offer useful insights for further toxicological and ophthalmological studies in humans.     

Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Upland Cotton (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gossypium hirsutum</Emphasis> L.) Breeding Lines by using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) Markers and Morphological Characteristics

Genetic diversity in 24 advanced breeding lines of cotton was studied by using six amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) primer-pairs and 14 morphological characters. The six selected AFLP primer-pairs generated a total of 535 amplification products, of which 460 were found to be polymorphic resulting in 85.9% polymorphism. The observed genetic distances using AFLP markers ranged from 30% to 87% with an average of 34%. A wide range of variability was observed for all the morphological traits studied. The range in taxonomic distance was from 0.60 to 2.77. Most of the lines could be clustered in two major clusters in both the analyses. But the correlation coefficient between the pair-wise distances estimated from AFLPs and the average taxonomic distances estimated from morphological characters was found to be 0.04. UPGMA cluster analysis revealed inconsistencies in the clustering patterns, as the co-phenetic correlation coefficient between the dendrograms for morphological and AFLP data indicated a poor fit for the two data types. From combined information, genotypes ‘RST-12’, ‘H 1226’, ‘P 348’, ‘KDCAKD’, ‘CISV 24’ and ‘H1222’ were found to be distinct from rest of the material.     

Assessment of clonal fidelity of micropropagated gerbera plants by ISSR markers

True-to-type clonal fidelity is one of the most important pre-requisites in micropropagation of crop species. Genetic fidelity of in vitro raised 45 plants of gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii Bolus) derived from three different explants, viz., capitulum, leaf and shoot tips, was assessed by 32 ISSR markers, for their genetic stability. Out of 32 ISSR markers, 15 markers produced clear, distinct and scorable bands with an average of 5.47 bands per marker. The markers designed from AG motif amplified more number of bands. The markers anchored at 3′ ends produced high number of consistent bands than unanchored markers. Fifteen ISSR markers generated a total of 3773 bands, out of which 3770 were monomorphic among all the clones. The Jaccard's similarity coefficient revealed that out of 45 clones derived from different explants, 44 were grouped into a single large cluster alongwith the mother plant with a similarity coefficient value of 1.00, whereas one clone (C38) remained ungrouped. The clones derived from capitulum and shoot tip explants did not show any genetic variation, whereas, one of the leaf-derived clones exhibited some degree of variation.     

Neurological trypanosomiasis in quinapyramine sulfate-treated horses—a breach of the blood–brain barrier?

Trypanosoma evansi infection typically produces wasting disease, but it can also develop into a neurological or meningoencephalitis form in equids. Trypanosomiasis in horses was treated with quinapyramine sulfate, and all the 14 infected animals were recovered clinically. After clinical recovery, four animals developed a neurological form of the disease at various intervals. Two of these animals treated with diminazene aceturate recovered temporarily. Repeated attempts failed to find the parasite in the blood or the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), but all of the animals were positive in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The calculation of the antibody index (AI) in the serum and the CSF and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of the CSF and brain tissue were carried out to confirm the neuro-infection. We found PCR and AI analyses of the CSF to be useful tools in the diagnosis of the neurological form of trypanosomiasis when the organism cannot be found in the blood or CSF. The increased albumin quotient is indicative of barrier leakage due to neuroinflammation. The biochemical changes in the CSF due to nervous system trypanosomiasis include increases in the albumin quotient, total protein, and urea nitrogen. It seems to be the first report on relapse of the nervous form of trypanosomiasis in equids even after quinapyramine treatment in endemic areas.     

Intersubgeneric Crossability in the Genus Glycine Willd.

In intersubgeneric crosses between wild perennial Glycine species of submenus Glycine and soybeans, Glycine max (L.) Merr., of subgenus Soja, all the putative hybrid pods aborted from 9 to 30 days after pollination (DAP). Spraying of 70 ppm gibberellic acid on hybridized gynoecia facilitated pod retention. Fluorescence microscopy revealed normal pollen germination and pollen tube growth in all the intersubgeneric crosses except in the G. cyrtoloba × G. max cross.