High-resolution holocene environmental changes in the thar desert, northwestern india

Sediments from Lunkaransar dry lake in northwestern India reveal regional water table and lake level fluctuations over decades to centuries during the Holocene that are attributed to changes in the southwestern Indian monsoon rains. The lake levels were very shallow and fluctuated often in the early Holocene and then rose abruptly around 6300 carbon-14 years before the present (14C yr B.P.). The lake completely desiccated around 4800 (14)C yr B.P. The end of this 1500-year wet period coincided with a period of intense dune destabilization. The major Harrapan-Indus civilization began and flourished in this region 1000 years after desiccation of the lake during arid climate and was not synchronous with the lacustral phase.     

Dissolution of Dominant Soil Phosphorus Fractions in Phosphorus-Responsive Soils of Bihar,India: Effects of Mycorrhiza and Fertilizer Levels

We investigated the effects of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (AM) fungi and various phosphorus (P) levels on the distribution and availability of P in dominant soils of Bihar, India. Potassium chloride (KCl)-P (labile P), sodium hydroxide (NaOH)-P (Fe-Al-bound P), hydrochloric acid (HCl)-P (Ca-bound P), and residual P (Res-P) fractions were analyzed in the soils under maize plant. Ca-bound P was the most abundant P fraction in the alkaline soils (65% of the total P) followed by neutral soil (35% of the total P), whereas it was less abundant (<4%) in the acidic soil type. Fe-Al-bound P was found to be highest for acidic soil (65% of the total P). Soils under the inoculation with Glomus mossae and control gave the highest and lowest values (15.63 mg kg^?1 and 10.74 mg kg^?1 respectively) for the labile fraction which was similar to the organically bound residual fractions of P (200.17 mg kg^?1 and 193.66 mg kg^?1 respectively. Inoculation of the soils with AM fungi leads to the redistribution of P fractions in different soils which consequently helps in improvement of available P in soil conducive for plant uptake.     

Effect of scrotal bifurcation on breeding soundness traits in Beetal bucks during summer season

Relationship of scrotal bifurcation or splitness with breeding soundness traits was investigated in 15 Beetal bucks (17–20 months of age and 48.72?±?1.57 kg mean BW). Breeding soundness traits of conjoined/unsplit (n?=?6) scrotal bucks was compared with split (n?=?9) scrotal bucks having lengthwise >?1 in. bifurcation. Two consecutive semen ejaculations per buck were collected at monthly interval during summer season (April to June 2018) using intact buck as teaser and sexual behavior was simultaneously recorded. Scrotal morphometry parameters, i.e., scrotal circumference, scrotal volume, scrotal skin thickness, testis length, width, and thickness were also recorded. Bucks with split scrotum had relatively more scrotal dimensions (scrotal circumference (P?<?0.01), scrotal volume (P?<?0.01), testis length (P?<?0.01)) than conjoined scrotal bucks. Among various semen attributes, semen volume of first ejaculate (P?<?0.01), second ejaculate (P?<?0.05), mean semen volume (P?<?0.01), total sperm count of first ejaculate, and mean sperm count of both ejaculates were more (P?<?0.01) in split scrotal bucks. However, scrotal bifurcation had no influence on sexual behavior of bucks. It is concluded that Beetal bucks with split scrotum had relatively better breeding efficiency traits than conjoined scrotal bucks.

     

Assessment of genetic diversity in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) germplasm using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP)

AFLP technique was applied to assess genetic diversity among 44 common bean accessions that included 6 exotic accessions, 15 Indian land races and 23 released varieties. Eight AFLP primer pairs were used that produced 820 products of which 698 were polymorphic (85.12%). Wide variations were observed among all the accessions for the number of amplification products, percent polymorphism and average polymorphism information content (PIC). The Jaccard's similarity indices (J) based on the AFLP profiles were subjected to UPGMA cluster analysis. The dendrogram generated revealed seven major groups. Seventeen out of 23 released varieties were restricted to clusters VI and VII. The value of r = 0.934 in Mantel's test for cophenetic corrlelation applied to the cluster analysis indicated the high fitness of the accessions to a group. The germplasm used in the present study had narrow genetic base, although moderate to high genetic diversity was observed. The details of diversity analysis and the potential use of Indian common bean accessions in common bean breeding programme are provided in the present study.     

Evaluation of the Ultraviolet Spectrophotometric Method for the Measurement of Total Nitrogen in Water

Abstract.— A simple, accurate, and environmentally sound procedure based on spectroscopy in the UV range was modified to measure total nitrogen concentrations in both freshwater and brackishwater. Water samples from freshwater fish ponds were analyzed for total nitrogen with the persulfate digestion method followed by analysis of nitrate with the UV method for comparison with the NAS reagent method. Brackishwater samples with salinities of 8 to 10 ppt from shrimp ponds were digested by the persulfate method and analyzed with the UV method. Percentage recovery of nitrogen and also precision were evaluated for the UV method. Nitrate concentrations in the freshwater persulfate digests determined by the UV method were similar to those obtained by the NAS reagent method ( P < 0.05). The slope of the regression line did not differ from 1.0 ( P < 0.05). Precision of both methods was acceptable over the range of nitrogen concentration used, but precision of the UV method tended to be better than that of the NAS method. Spike recovery averaged 97.4% in the NAS reagent method and 107.2% in the UV method. Interference from organic matter was minor in the UV method, because virtually all of the organic matter was oxidized during the digestion. Precision with brackishwater samples was slightly better than the freshwater samples and percentage spike recovery averaged 102.8%. Because spectrophotometers in most laboratories have the capability of reading in the UV range, the UV method is an attractive alternative for total nitrogen analysis.     

Fishmeal alternative from renewable CO2 for rainbow trout feed

The rapid global growth in fish farming and limited supply of fish meal (FM) has consequently reduced FM inclusion levels in compound feeds leading to a higher reliance on alternative protein sources. Sasya is a single cell protein (SCP) product that has a similar amino acid profile as FM. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of replacing FM with SCP on in vivo digestibility, growth, feed efficiency, whole‐body proximate/amino acid composition and gene expression levels of various hepatic enzymes in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Three isonitrogenous (470 g/kg crude protein) and isolipidic (18 g/kg crude lipid) diets were formulated as follows: Diet 1: control (30% FM); Diet 2:24% FM + 6% SCP and Diet 3:18% FM + 12% SCP. Each diet was hand‐fed to triplicate tanks containing 30 rainbow trout fingerlings (4.99 ± 0.20 g) for 9 weeks. Apparent digestibility coefficients of SCP for dry matter, crude protein, lipid and energy were 60, 80, 93 and 74% respectively. Growth performance (final weight: 69–71 g), feed conversion ratios (0.91–0.94) as well as whole‐body protein and amino acid composition were unaffected by diets. However, Diet 3 significantly increased whole‐body crude fat and energy. Fish fed the SCP‐based diets had significantly higher expression for carnitine palmitoyltransferase‐1b (CPT1b), fatty acid delta 6 desaturase (FADS6) and fatty acid elongase 5 compared to the control. Overall, the quality of the SCP was similar as FM. Therefore, this product could enlarge the portfolio of alternative protein sources that can be used in fish diets and thus open a new market opportunity for use of a new feed resource in the feed industry.     

Comparative analysis of diversity based on morpho-agronomic traits and microsatellite markers in common bean

Morpho-agronomic traits and microsatellite markers were used to survey genetic diversity in 115 common bean genotypes that included 70 Indian landraces, 24 released varieties and 21 exotic accessions. Twelve morpho-agronomic traits, namely, days to 50% flowering, leaflet length, leaflet width, pod length, pod width, number of pods per plant, days to maturity, seed length, seed width, number of seeds per pod, 100 seed weight and seed yield per plant were studied. Field data of two consecutive years were subjected to multivariate analysis as proposed by Mahalanobis’s D²-statistics, Tochers method of clustering and combined analysis of variance. Seventeen microsatellite markers were also used to examine genetic diversity at molecular level that showed polymorphic information content (PIC) in the range of 0.00–0.684. Dendrograms based on Euclidean distances and UPGMA analysis showed the presence of majority of released varieties into single cluster, which pointed toward their low genetic base in comparison to indigenous landraces and exotic germplasm. Significant correlation existed between morphological genetic distance and microsatellite genetic distance tested by Mantel test (r = 0.876).     

Aroma profiles of the curry leaf, Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng. chemotypes: Variability in north India during the year

Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng. (Rutaceae) is characterized by a large chemical intraspecific variability among the land races. This fact makes it difficult to detect real changes occurring in their essential oil composition during annual cycle. Based on this, variations of essential oil yield and composition in two chemotypes (‘A’ and ‘B’) of M. koenigii were assessed in spring, summer, rainy, autumn and winter seasons under foot hill conditions of northern India. The essential oil yield ranged from 0.15% to 0.18% in chemotype ‘A’, while it varied from 0.12% to 0.14% in chemotype ‘B’. Essential oils of both chemotypes from different seasons were analysed by gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of fifty-eight constituents representing 93.7-98.8% of chemotype ‘A’ and fifty-six constituents forming 96.1-98.7% of the total composition of chemotype ‘B’ were identified. Chemotype ‘A’ was characterized by higher percentages of α-pinene (34.6-41.9%), sabinene (26.1-36.1%), (E)-caryophyllene (2.4-5.4%) and terpinen-4-ol (1.5-5.3%), whereas chemotype ‘B’ was dominated by higher amount of α-pinene (52.7-65.3%), β-pinene (10.7-12.9%), (E)-caryophyllene (3.1-10.3%) and limonene (5.1-7.8%). Comparative results showed considerable variations in the essential oil composition of both chemotypes due to season of collection. Present study concluded that the M. koenigii leaves of desired quality may be obtained by selecting suitable chemotype and season.     

Concomitant production of lipase, protease and enterocin by Enterococcus faecium NCIM5363 and Enterococcus durans NCIM5427 isolated from fish processing waste

Enterococci are widely distributed in the environment ranging from foods to humans and are gaining industrial importance due to their technological traits. In the present study, enterococci (Enterococcus faecium NCIM5363 (EF-63) and Enterococcus durans NCIM5427 (ED-27)) which are native to fish processing waste with an ability to produce lipase, protease and enterocin concomitantly were characterised. Lipase assay was performed by titrimetry and protease activity and was estimated using haemoglobin and casein as substrates in the presence of buffers at acidic, basic and neutral pH. Furthermore, enterocin produced by the isolates was characterised. Enterocin was also checked for its stability at different pH, temperature and proteolytic enzymes. Lipase production was found to be 22 and 10 U/ml in the absence of tributryin and increased to 40 and 24 U/ml in its presence for EF-63 and ED-27, respectively, indicating that the lipase produced is substrate dependent. Protease production was confirmed by protease assay, and the protease produced showed more affinity towards the acidic substrate. Enterocin produced was stable at low pH (2 to 3) and high temperature (121°C, 15 min) and had a molecular weight of approximately 6 kDa. It exhibited antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative food-borne pathogens. Proteinase K inactivated enterocin completely, whereas trypsin did not. Novelty of this work lies in the immense industrial importance these cultures hold as they are capable of producing lipase, protease and enterocin apart from being useful in recovering proteins and lipids from fish processing wastes.     

Identification of PCR-based DNA Marker Linked to High Phytase Level of Wheat

The phytase is a key enzyme to hydrolyze phytic acid present in wheat grains and improves the bio-availability of micronutrients in monogastric animals. Phytase trait being contributed by specific regions of the genome requires identification of these regions, using suitable molecular markers. Hence, in the present investigation we attempted to develop a PCR-based marker that detects the phytase level in wheat. Six sets of PCR primers were designed on the basis of nucleotides sequence variation found in the sequence of both varieties. Out of six set of primers, one set amplified two different sized bands, i.e. 334 bp and 295 in two wheat cultivars C-306 (low phytase) and DBW 17 (high phytase), respectively. It exhibited a polymorphic banding pattern with length polymorphism and clearly separating low and high phytase genotypes. The primer set was also used for PCR of 46 synthetic hexaploids and 46 release varieties of wheat to validate the developed markers. Association among identified markers and phytase activity was found to be at 99.9% confidence level based on Fisher’s exact test (F-test). Therefore, this PCR primer set will be useful to select the wheat germplasm having high phytase levels and also in wheat breeding programs aimed at improving phytase levels in bread wheat cultivars.