Amelioration of calcareous saline sodic soils through phytoremediation and chemical strategies

Abstract. The worldwide occurrence of saline sodic and sodic soils on more than half a billion hectares warrants attention for their efficient, inexpensive and environmentally acceptable management. These soils can be ameliorated by providing a source of calcium (Ca²⁺) to replace excess sodium (Na⁺) from the cation exchange sites. Although chemical amendments have long been used to ameliorate such soils, the chemical process has become costly during the last two decades in several developing countries. As a low‐cost and environmentally acceptable strategy, the cultivation of certain salt tolerant forage species on calcareous sodic and saline sodic soils, i.e. phytoremediation, has gained interest among scientists and farmers in recent years. In a field study conducted at three calcareous saline sodic sites (pH_s=8.1–8.8, EC_e=7.8–12.5 dS m^–1, SAR=30.6–76.1) in the Indus Plains of Pakistan, we compared chemical and phytoremediation methods. There were four treatments; two involved plants: Kallar grass (Leptochloa fusca (L.) Kunth), and sesbania (Sesbania bispinosa (Jacq.) W. Wight). The other two treatments were uncropped: soil application of gypsum and an untreated control. All treatments were irrigated with canal water (EC=0.22–0.28 dS m^–1). The plant species were grown for one season (5–6 months). Sesbania produced more forage yield (34 t ha^–1) than Kallar grass (23 t ha^–1). Phytoremediation and chemical treatments resulted in similar decreases in soil salinity and sodicity, indicating that phytoremediation may replace or supplement the more costly chemical approach. The soil amelioration potential of sesbania was similar to that of the Kallar grass, which suggests that moderately saline sodic calcareous soils can be improved by growing a forage legume with market value.     

Androgenetic response of heterozygous triticale populations using a greenhouse hydroponic system

Production of haploids, followed by chromosome doubling to produce doubled haploids (DH) represents the most rapid means of achieving complete inbreeding. In order to improve the androgenetic responses and maximize the production of green regenerants from selected plants of twenty-five triticale (× Triticosecale, Wittmack) populations (BC₁F₁, TC₁F₁, and F₂) we used a uniform and optimal growth environment for anther donor plants within a greenhouse hydroponic system. Non-orthogonal analysis of deviance showed highly significant differences (p < 0.001) among populations for both induction and regeneration. The overall induction response of the populations was very high with a mean of 50.4 embryoids per 100 anthers plated. Among all tested-populations, M86-6068/TW179//EP80 (TC₁F₁) was the most responsive for both induction and regeneration which could be associated to its Triticum timopheevii cytoplasm. On the other hand, although populations 80465/II83-194 both as BC₁F₁ and F₂ had a high level of induction response, only a few green plants were regenerated. These populations probably possess a partial Secale montanum genome, which could be contributing to the low regeneration ability. In conclusion, the need for optimization of donor plant growth conditions to effectively assess the androgenetic ability of individual populations/lines would be emphasized. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Recent advances in molecular marker techniques: Insight into QTL mapping,GWAS and genomic selection in plants

Recent advances in sequencing technology have brought several novel platforms for marker development and subsequent genotyping. The high-throughput and cost effective marker techniques have changed the entire scenario of marker applications. The huge genotypic data obtained with next generation sequencing (NGS) also demands analytical tools, statistical advances, and comprehensive understanding to cope with breeding applications. In the present review, we discussed different available marker techniques, their strengths, and limitations. Emphasis was given on software tools, analytical pipelines, workbenches, and online resources available for marker development. Comparison of SNP genotyping involving complexity reduction techniques like GBS, RRL, RAD, and array-based platforms were presented in a view to describe suitability for specific purposes. We found that genotyping by whole genome re-sequencing has great potential, and could be a routine application in the near future with continuously decreasing cost of sequencing. Microsatellites, still a valuable option for breeders, have also advanced with NGS. Here a catalogue of tools for microsatellite evaluation in short sequence reads was provided. The most common applications of molecular marker like QTL mapping, genome-wide association mapping (GWAS), and genomic selection were highlighted. The present review will be helpful for the effective utilization of available resources and for the planning of crop improvement programs employing molecular marker techniques.     

Breeding oats for high yield and for resistance to crown rust in India

Summary The progenies of the crosses Landhafer × Punjab local, ag 331 × Punjab local and Gopher × Curt were studied in relation to their resistance against the most virulent race 227 of crown rust and their yield performance. Landhafer was found to possess one dominant gene for resistance to this race, while the oat cultivar ag 331 had two, Gopher had only one gene for resistance, the expression of which was suppressed by an inherent inhibitory factor. The few selected fixed lines of these crosses were put into multilocational yield trials. All the lines (cultures) of cross ag 331 × Punjab local were resistant to rust. They were superior to Kent by 4–46% in fodder and 2–35% in grain yield. The cultures of the cross Gopher × Curt were superior by 23–49% in fodder and by 9–35% in grain yield to Kent besides being resistant to rust.     

Spice oil cinnamaldehyde exhibits potent anticandidal activity against fluconazole resistant clinical isolates

Fluconazole resistance is becoming an important clinical concern. We studied the in vitro effects of cinnamaldehyde against 18 fluconazole-resistant Candida isolates. MIC₉₀ of cinnamaldehyde against different Candida isolates ranged 100–500 μg/ml. Growth and sensitivity of the organisms were significantly affected by cinnamaldehyde at different concentrations. The rapid irreversible action of this compound on fungal cells suggested membrane-located targets for its action. Insight studies to mechanism suggested that cinnamaldehyde exerts its antifungal activity by targeting sterol biosynthesis and plasma membrane ATPase activity. Inhibition of H⁺-ATPase leads to intracellular acidification and cell death. Toxicity against H9c2 rat cardiac myoblasts was studied to exclude the possibility of further associated cytotoxicity. The observed selectively fungicidal characteristics against fluconazole-resistant Candida isolates signify a promising candidature of this essential oil as an antifungal agent in treatments for candidosis.     

Promising genetic resources for resistance to wheat streak mosaic virus and the wheat curl mite in wheat-<Emphasis Type="Italic">Thinopyrum</Emphasis> partial amphiploids and their derivatives

Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), vectored by the wheat curl mite (WCM),Aceria tosichella Keifer, is one of the most destructive viral diseases of wheat found in many wheat producing areas of the world. Host resistance is the most effective method for controlling this disease and its vector. Symptomatological analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to characterize WSMV-resistance in wheat-alien partial amphiploid lines and their derivatives. The results showed that most of partial amphiploids derived fromThinopyrum ponticum andTh. intermedium were free of systemic symptoms with very low ELISA readings that were similar to that of the non-inoculated Chinese Spring control. While the partial amphiploid lines 693 and PWM706 were identified as new genetic resources of resistance to WSMV. The present study demonstrated that both symptomatological and ELISA methods efficiently assessed WSMV-resistance in the wheat-alien hybrids and systemic symptom incidence and ELISA absorbance readings were highly correlated (r ₂ = 0.8658–0.9323) over time following inoculation. The ELISA results also indicated that the virus did not buildup in the plant tissues of these virus-resistant partial amphiploids. Similar results were observed in chromosome translocation and substitution lines that have the geneWsm1 conferring WSMV resistance. However, the lines containing the geneWsm1 and all the partial amphiploid lines, except Agrotana, were susceptible to the WCM. One line derived from a cross of wheat and Agrotana, was effective in controlling the spread of WSMV and was highly resistant to the WCM. Another line and an accession ofTriticum dicoccoides (Koern.) Schweinf. were highly susceptible to WSMV and WCM. Early disease development was delayed in a new hard red winter cultivar McClintock. The partial WSMV-resistance of McClintock was demonstrated by initially low ELISA readings, and a lower percentage of infected plants than other WSMV-susceptible wheat. The use of the identified promising sources of resistance to WSMV and the WCM in wheat breeding is discussed.LRC Contribution No. 387-01061.     

Egg production forecasting: Determining efficient modeling approaches

Several mathematical or statistical and artificial intelligence models were developed to compare egg production forecasts in commercial layers. Initial data for these models were collected from a comparative layer trial on commercial strains conducted at the Poultry Research Farms, Auburn University. Simulated data were produced to represent new scenarios by using means and SD of egg production of the 22 commercial strains. From the simulated data, random examples were generated for neural network training and testing for the weekly egg production prediction from wk 22 to 36. Three neural network architectures-back-propagation-3, Ward-5, and the general regression neural network-were compared for their efficiency to forecast egg production, along with other traditional models. The general regression neural network gave the best-fitting line, which almost overlapped with the commercial egg production data, with an R(2) of 0.71. The general regression neural network-predicted curve was compared with original egg production data, the average curves of white-shelled and brown-shelled strains, linear regression predictions, and the Gompertz nonlinear model. The general regression neural network was superior in all these comparisons and may be the model of choice if the initial overprediction is managed efficiently. In general, neural network models are efficient, are easy to use, require fewer data, and are practical under farm management conditions to forecast egg production.     

Thiamine (vitamin B1) seed treatment enhances germination and seedling growth of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) exposed to soaking injury

Seed treatment with thiamine mononitrate significantly increased germination rate of bean (Phasenius vulgaris L.) seedlings germinated at high soil moisture levels and low night-temperature (5° C). Beneficial effects of thiamine applications on germination were also observed in soil-free germination tests when the seeds were submerged in water for 1–4 d at 18°C. Optimum response was achieved at thiamine concentrations of 3 mM, applied during the first 24 h of imbibition. As an early response to the thiamine treatment, vital staining with triphenyltetrazolium chloride revealed a lower proportion of damaged tissue of the embryonic axes. In later stages of seedling development, thiamine seed treatment resulted in a lower proportion of abnormal seedlings with malformations of the shoot apex and of the primary leaves. The beneficial effect of thiamine was more pronounced when the temperature during submergence was kept at 25° C compared to 5° C. There was no response to thiamine applications when the germinating seeds were exposed to low temperature treatments only. The thiamine effect could be mimicked by raising the osmotic potential of the incubation medium, indicating a relationship to soaking injuries. The results suggest that normal seedling development may be impaired by thiamine deficiency in the embryonic tissue induced by soaking injury, whereas low temperatures are not involved as a stress-factor.     

Capillary column gas chromatographic determination of trace residues of the herbicide chlorsulfuron in agricultural runoff water

A capillary column gas chromatographic method is described for determining parts-per-trillion (ppt) levels of chlorsulfuron in agricultural runoff water. The water sample is acidified with acetic acid and extracted with methylene chloride. The chlorsulfuron in the extracts derivatized to its monomethyl derivative. After Florisil column cleanup, the methylated chlorsulfuron is determined by electron-capture gas chromatography. Recovery of chlorsulfuron from fortified water samples is greater than 80%. Detection limit of the method is 25 ng chlorsulfuron/L water (25 ppt). There are 2 reaction sites on the chlorsulfuron molecule, both of which are susceptible to methylation leading to monomethyl chlorsulfuron and dimethyl chlorsulfuron. A procedure is described to methylate selectively the sulfonamide nitrogen of chlorsulfuron.     

One-step extraction and cleanup procedure for determination of p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD, and p,p'-DDE in fish

A simplified method that combines extraction, partitioning, and cleanup in a single step for measuring p,p'-DDT and its metabolites in fish is described. Minced fish samples are emulsified with disodium hydrogen orthophosphate and trisodium citrate, ground with sodium sulfate, and eluted from a chromatographic column prepacked with alumina and silicic acid. The fats and fatty acids are solubilized and easily extracted from the tissues and retained by the column, while p,p'-DDT and its metabolites are quantitatively eluted with 40 mL n-hexane. The eluate is directly applied to a gas chromatographic column. Average recoveries of p,p'-DDT and its metabolites added to fish in vitro are 81%. The average coefficient of variation for recoveries of p,p'-DDT and its metabolites is less than 6.5% and the detection limit is 0.001 micrograms/g for p,p'-DDE, thus making this method very suitable for residue analysis.