Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Properties of Bran in 51 Wheat Cultivars

Whole‐grain‐based diets have been suggested to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease and colon cancer. Phenolic compounds, most of which are present in the wheat bran, may be one of the factors contributing to whole‐grain health benefits. We measured the free, bound, and total phenolic content and antioxidant activity in the bran of 51 wheat cultivars belonging to eight Western Canadian spring wheat market classes grown in a replicated trial at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The free phenolic (extracted with 80% v/v aqueous ethanol) content ranged from 854.1 ± 265.1 to 1,754.9 ± 240.3 μg/g of bran gallic acid equivalent (GAE). Saponification followed by a liquid‐liquid solvent extraction released bound phenols ranging from 2,304.9 ± 483.0 to 5,386.1 ± 927.5 μg/g of bran GAE, contributing 66–82% of the total wheat bran phenolic content. Total phenolic content ranged from 3,406.4 ± 32.3 to 6,702.7 ± 19.6 μg/g of bran GAE, with the average being 5,197.2 ± 804.9 μg/g of bran GAE. Antioxidant activity ranged from 11.86 ± 2.59 to 20.12 ± 0.51%, while the overall average was 15.6 ± 2.2%. Based on varietal means, antioxidant activity correlated with free, bound, and total phenolic content (r = 0.8, P < 0.05).     

Site-Specific Nitrogen Management in Rice Using Remote Sensing and Geostatistics

Proper doses of nitrogenous fertilizer are most important for rice production system because a large part of the nitrogen may be lost if it is not applied judiciously. A study was conducted covering five blocks of Balasore and two blocks of Bhadrak districts. Soil samples were collected randomly, and field visit was conducted during peak vegetative stage of rice. Two approaches have been used in this study for estimating the site-specific nitrogen (N) requirement in the study area. In one approach, geostatisical analysis and kriging was used to develop the soil test–based N recommendation map by which a minimum of 72 kg N ha^?1 and maximum of 94 kg N ha^?1 were recommended. In a second approach, remote sensing was used and N recommendation map was developed using the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) leaf area index (LAI) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) satellite data, and a minimum requirement of 60 kg N ha^?1 and maximum of 120 kg N ha^?1 was estimated through this approach.     

Effect of conservation agriculture on soil organic and inorganic carbon sequestration and lability: A study from a rice–wheat cropping system on a calcareous soil of the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains

Increasing soil carbon (C) in arable soils is an important strategy to achieve sustainable yields and mitigate climate change. We investigated changes in soil organic and inorganic carbon (SOC and SIC) under conservation agriculture (CA) in a calcareous soil of the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains of India. The treatments were as follows: conventional-till rice and wheat (CT-CT), CT rice and zero-till wheat (CT-ZT), ZT direct seeded rice (DSR) and CT wheat (ZT-CT), ZTDSR and ZT wheat without crop residue retention (ZT-ZT), ZT-ZT with residue (ZT-ZT+R), and DSR and wheat both on permanent beds with residue (PB-PB+R). The ZT-ZT+R had the highest total SOC in both 0–15 and 15–30 cm soil layers (20% and 40% higher (p < .05) than CT-CT, respectively), whereas total SIC decreased by 11% and 15% in the respective layers under ZT-ZT+R compared with CT-CT. Non-labile SOC was the largest pool, followed by very labile, labile and less labile SOC. The benefits of ZT and residue retention were greatest for very labile SOC, which showed a significant (p < .05) increase (~50%) under ZT-ZT+R compared with CT-CT. The ZT-ZT+R sequestered ~2 Mg ha⁻¹ total SOC in the 0–15 cm soil layer in 6 years, where CT registered significant losses. Thus, the adoption of CA should be recommended in calcareous soils, for C sequestration, and also as a reclamation technique.     

Tillage force prediction from terrain characterization with the bevameter

The relationship between the soil parameters measured during soil testing using the bevameter system and horizontal forces acting on a simple tillage tool were investigated. Field experiments were conducted on untilled, compacted and recently tilled soil. On both soils, five sites were randomly chosen where bevameter and draft measurements were performed. The parameters measured were modulus of soil deformation, wet and dry bulk density, soil moisture content, tool operating depth, tool operating speed and horizontal draft.

A statistical analysis of data indicated that a mathematical model for predicting draft should include operating depth, dry bulk density and modulus of deformation.     

Status and Regeneration of Himalayan Maple in the Himachal Pradesh: Honing Red List of Plants

The population status and regeneration of a data-deficient tree species were examined in both protected and unprotected areas. The target species was found in six habitat types, seven aspects between 2,100- to 3,300-m altitude, and sites dominated by different species. The species was best represented in a shady moist habitat, north and northwest aspects, altitudinal range >2,700 m, and sites dominated by Acer caesium in both protected and unprotected sites; but the generalized linear model indicated nonsignificant effect of sites, habitat, altitude, and dominance except for aspects. Difference in sapling and seedling density among aspects and sites only was significant. Probability of use and resource use index indicated poor preference and less pressure as fuel. It can be concluded that the species is not under any significant threat in the study area. But, further studies on population status, regeneration, and relationship with environmental factors in a wider geographic region are suggested to evaluate species and place under suitable priority category.     

Effects of crop growth and soil treatments on microbial C,N, and P in dry tropical arable land

We studied the dynamics of microbial C, N, and P in soil cropped with rice (Oryza sativa) and lentils (Lens culinaris) in a dryland farming system. The crop biomass and grain yield were also studied. The microbial biomass and its N and P contents were larger under the lentil than under the rice crop. Microbial nutrients decreased as the crops grew and then increased again. Farmyard manure and NPK fertilizer applications increased the level of microbial nutrients, crop biomass, and grain yield by 35–80%, 55–85%, and 74–86%, respectively. However, these applications had no significant effect on most of the soil physicochemical properties in the short term. The microbial biomass was correlated with the crop biomass and grain yield. The calculated flux of N and P through the microbial biomass ranged from 30–45 and 10–19 kg ha^-1 year^-1, respectively. Cultivation of a cereal crop followed by a leguminous crop sustains higher levels of microbial nutrients and hence greater fertility in impoverished tropical arable soils. The soil microbial biomass appears to contribute significantly to crop productivity by releasing nutrients, and applications of manure, either alone or with fertilizers, promote this effect more strongly than the application of NPK fertilizers alone.     

Antiparasitic activity of the medicinal plant Dillenia suffruticosa against the marine leech Zeylanicobdella arugamensis (Hirudinea) and its phytochemical composition

Zeylanicobdella arugamensis (Annelida: Hirudinea), a marine parasitic leech, is currently affecting different species of cultured groupers, hybrid groupers, snappers and sea bass in Malaysia. Dillenia suffruticosa (Dilleniaceae), a medicinal plant found in Sabah, has been selected in our experiment to kill the leeches as a natural control method. The leech‐infested hybrid groupers were collected from aquaculture facilities, and the isolated leeches were challenged against methanol extract of D. suffruticosa leaves. The experiment was carried out using various concentrations of the extracts such as 25, 50 and 100 mg/ml. The methanol extract showed significant antiparasitic activity against Z. arugamensis with 100% mortality at a concentration of 100 mg/ml in 14.39 ± 3.75 min., followed by 50 and 25 mg/ml in 32.97 ± 9.29 and 41.77 ± 5.40 min., respectively. The phytochemical composition of the extract was determined using GC‐MS analysis to understand the nature of the principal compounds responsible for its antiparasitic properties. The leaves of D. suffruticosa demonstrated the presence of different bioactive compounds of various natures with varying percentages. Thus, it could be revealed that the methanol extract of D. suffruticosa mainly contains vital phytochemical compounds and showed an effective antiparasitic activity against the harmful leeches of hybrid groupers.     

Characterization of Aquimarina hainanensis isolated from diseased mud crab Scylla serrata larvae in a hatchery

Mass mortality due to necrosis signs occurred in hatchery-reared zoea stage larvae of the mud crab Scylla serrata in Okinawa, Japan, and a causative bacterium was isolated. In this study, we identified and characterized the bacterium by genome analysis, biochemical properties and pathogenicity. The bacterium was a Gram-negative, non-motile, long rod, forming yellow colonies on a marine agar plate. It grew at 20–33°C (not at 37°C) and degraded chitin and gelatin. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence identified the bacterium as Aquimarina hainanensis. Genome sequence data obtained from Illumina MiSeq generated 29 contigs with 3.56 Mbp in total length and a G + C content of 32.5%. The predicted 16 chitinase genes, as putative virulence factors, had certain homologies with those of genus Aquimarina. Experimental infection with the bacterium conducted on larvae of four crustacean species, brine shrimp Artemia franciscana, freshwater shrimp Caridina multidentata, swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus and mud crab S. serrata, revealed that this bacterium was highly virulent to these species. The present study suggests that the bacterium caused mass mortality in mud crab seed production was A. hainanensis and can be widely pathogenic to crustaceans.     

Pesticide—induced reproductive dysfunction in Indian fishes

Numerous studies are available reporting the effects of pesticides on reproductive activity in Indian fishes. The majority of these reports deals with histopathological changes in gonads and endocrine glands involved in the regulation of reproduction following treatment with different pesticides. Pesticides are reported to cause degenerative changes in gonads and arrest gametogenic processes either by acting directly on the gonads or by interfering with the secretory activity of the hypothalamo-hypophyseal-gonadal/thyroid axis that regulates various reproductive events. Secretion of hormones such as gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), gonadotropin, growth hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), testosterone, estrogens, 17,20β-dihydroxyprogesterone and thyroid hormones are in general lowered, leading to cessation of gametogenesis, vitellogenesis, oocyte maturation, ovulation, spermiation, etc. Adverse effects of pesticides have also been demonstrated on fecundity, fertilization, hatching, and postembryonic development. The effects are highly variable and depend on the nature, dose, and mode of application of the pesticides.