东方白鹳与家禽消化器官形态特点的比较

用东方白鹳，鸡，鸭和鹅各４只，采取主要消化器官，进行常规组织学观察与测量，与家禽比较，东方白鹳食管长，无素囊，食管粘膜上皮薄，食管腺不发达，腺胃体积大，肌胃较小，小肠较短，但十二指肠发达；大肠较短，其中盲肠退化，肠壁内充满了淋巴组织；胆囊呈梭形，肝管和胆囊管分Ａ，Ｂ，Ｃ三型，胰岛数量较多。     

Isolation and characterisation of an Indian strain of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides type LC from a case of caprine arthritis

Isolation and characterisation of an Indian strain of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides LC from a case of caprine arthritis is reported in the study. The isolate was identified based on biochemical, digitonin sensitivity and growth inhibition tests. The virulence of the organism was studied by pathogenicity test in mice and goat. The antigenic and genomic profile of the isolate was compared with that of the standard strain (Y-Goat). Using different sets of primers, polymerase chain reaction was employed for rapid detection of the strain.     

Morphological basis of resistance to spotted bollworm, Earias vittella (Fabricius) in Asiatic cotton

Ten genotypes of Asiatic cotton, Gossypium arboreum, viz. C-353, G 17, G 33, AC-3545, LD 491, LD 575, B 11 A, SAG-BLY (Red), Sargosi and LD 694, were screened under epiphytotic conditions against spotted bollworm, Earias vittella, at the cotton farm of the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India, and their morphological basis of resistance to spotted bollworm was studied. The plant characters examined were plant color, leaf shape, size and shape of bract, density of gossypol glands, nectaries, hair density and hair length. Hair density was positive (r?=?0.81, P?=?0.005) and significantly correlated with the number of eggs laid by E. vittella, whereas a significantly negative (r?=?–0.66, P?=?0.038) correlation was obtained with gossypol glands. Similarly, correlation of larval population with hair density was significantly positive (r?=?0.68, P?=?0.030) and gossypol glands were negative (r?=?–0.63, P?=?0.050) and significantly correlated with larval population. The R² values, computed together for multiple regression analysis, indicated that the morphological plant traits, viz., gossypol glands and hair density, cumulatively contributed 67% and 50% variability in the egg and larval population, respectively. Genotype B 11 A, with the lowest egg and larval population, had a high number of gossypol glands, low hair density and smaller bracts and proved to be the best, followed by LD 491. Genotypes with low hair density, smaller bracts and a greater number of gossypol glands are desirable for low oviposition and larval population of E. vittella. These characteristics should be taken into consideration when planning a resistance breeding program against spotted bollworm in arboreum cotton.     

Landscape-level effects on avifauna within tropical agriculture in the Western Ghats: Insights for management and conservation

A critical handicap to tropical biodiversity conservation efforts in agroecosystems is the unknowns regarding the influence of landscape-scale factors on the persistence of species. To address these uncertainties, we explored two essential landscape-scale questions, within India’s biologically-rich Western Ghats, examining two nearby human-dominated landscapes that dramatically differed in their pattern of land cover. First, how does the proximity of intact forest patches affect bird community composition within agricultural landscapes? Second, can simple remote sensing-derived measures (brightness, wetness, and NDVI) be used to estimate native bird species composition within those landscapes? In both landscapes, as distance to intact forest decreased, the similarity in bird community composition between agricultural areas and intact forest increased. This suggests that the retention of tropical forest bird communities within human-dominated landscapes critically depends on the maintenance of nearby intact forest. In an answer to the second question, the remote sensing measures correlated with forest-affiliated avian species richness in only one of the two landscapes, reflecting an ecological difference between the two in the response of forest bird species to local agricultural conditions. In the landscape where a correlation was found, there was high variation in vegetative structure, which strongly impacted both the remote sensing measures and forest bird species richness. In the other landscape, forest species richness strongly correlated with changes in tree species composition in the agriculture, a factor that could not be detected by the remote sensing metrics. In order to successfully conserve biodiversity in tropical agricultural landscapes, our findings show that it is essential to conserve intact forest within those landscapes and to understand the effect of local agricultural practices on species.     

AFLP fingerprinting of tartary buckwheat accessions (Fagopyrum tataricum) displaying rutin content variation

In light of the economic importance of buckwheat as well as existence of enormous accessions of Fagopyrum species in the Himalayan regions of India, the characterization of tartary buckwheat for rutin content variation vis-à-vis DNA fingerprinting was undertaken so as to identify fingerprint profiles unique to high rutin content accessions. Rutin content analysis in mature seeds of 195 accessions of Fagopyrum tataricum showed a wide range of variation (6 μg/mg to 30 μg/mg D.W.) with most of the accessions (81%) containing 10-16 μg/mg of rutin followed by 14% accessions with significantly higher rutin content (17 μg/mg to 30 μg/mg) and 5% accessions with low rutin content (≤10 μg/mg). AFLP fingerprinting of 18 accessions having high (≥17 μg/mg) and low rutin content (≤10 μg/mg) with 19 EcoRI/MseI primer combinations yielded 136 polymorphic fragments out of total 907. The hierarchical and model-based cluster analyses of AFLP data strongly suggested that the 18 populations of F. tataricum were clustered into two separate groups. The high and low rutin content accessions were clustered into two separate groups based on AFLP fingerprinting. The AFLP fingerprints associated with high rutin content accessions of F. tataricum are expected to be useful for evaluation, conservation and genetic improvement of buckwheat.     

Formation of metal complex in a poly(hydroxamic acid) resin bead

Poly(hydroxamic acid) resin beads were prepared and complexed with various metal ions. We used IR spectroscopy to investigate the structure of metal complex. It proved that the products formed by introduction of metal ions gave stable and colored complex. It was found that the resin bead as synthesized would be a good column packing material for continuous extraction. Energy dispersive spectroscopy was used to study the distribution of metal ions in the resin matrix. It could be tentatively concluded that adsorption and diffusion of metal ions in the chelating resins mainly depended on the loading of the resin matrix which indicated interacting sites with metal ions.     

Exploitation of wild annual Cicer species for widening the gene pool of chickpea cultivars

Introgression of unadapted genes from the wild Cicer species could contribute to the widening of genetic base of important traits such as yield, yield attributes and resistance to major biotic and abiotic stresses. An attempt was made successfully to intercross two wild annual Cicer species with three cultivated chickpea cultivars. Four interspecific cross‐combinations were made, and their true hybridity was ascertained through morphological and molecular markers. These cross‐combinations were also studied for some important quantitative traits under real field conditions. The range, mean and coefficient of variation of agro‐morphological traits were assessed in the parental lines, their F₁ and F₂ generations to determine the extent of variability generated in cultivated chickpea varieties. A high level of heterosis was recorded for number of pods/plant and seed yield/plant in F₁ generation. Three cross‐combinations of ‘Pusa 1103’ × ILWC 46, ‘Pusa 256’ × ILWC 46 and ‘Pusa 256’ × ILWC 239 exhibited substantially higher variability for important yield‐related traits. The present research findings indicate that these wild annual Cicer species can be easily exploited to broaden the genetic base of cultivated gene pool for improving seed yield as well as adaptation.     

Action of bioresmethrin on the corpus cardiacum of Locusta migratoria

The action of the pyrethroid insecticide bioresmethrin on the corpus cardiacum (CC) has been studied in Locusta migratoria. Bioresmethrin increased the spontaneous electrical activity recorded from both the glandular and storage lobes, and induced repetitive discharge in these lobes in response to single electrical stimulation of the nervus corpus cardiacum II (NCC II) and NCC I, respectively. Incubation of the isolated CC in low concentrations of bioresmethrin (0.1-1.0 μmol) induced the release of bioassayable hyperlipaemic hormone. Injection of bioresmethrin into locusts was found to induce an elevation in the haemolymph lipid at a stage when there was no overt symptom of poisoning. It is concluded that bioresmethrin may act directly on the CC of locusts to modulate electrical activity and induce the release of hormones. The effects may precede overt symptoms of poisoning.     

Responses of maize × teosinte derived backcross inbred lines (BILs) to maydis leaf blight (MLB) disease

Euphytica - Rice growth and productivity are greatly affected by cold stress, which is likely to become more of a hindrance for high and stable rice yields. To identify cold tolerance at the...