Influence of crop establishment methods on yield,economics and water productivity of rice cultivars under upland and lowland production ecologies of Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains

A field study on assessment of crop establishment methods on yield, economics and water productivity of rice cultivars under upland and lowland production ecologies was conducted during wet seasons (June–November) of 2012 and 2013 in Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains of India. The experiment was laid-out in a split-plot design (SPD) and replicated four times. The main-plot treatments included three crop establishment methods, viz. dry direct-seeded rice (DSR), system of rice intensification (SRI) and puddled transplanted rice (PTR). In sub-plots, five rice cultivars of different groups like aromatic (Improved Pusa Basmati 1 and Pusa Sugandh 5), inbreds (PNR 381 and Pusa 834) and hybrid (Arize 6444) were taken for their evaluations. These two sets of treatments were laid-out simultaneously in two production ecologies, upland and lowland during both years. In general, lowland ecology was found favourable for rice growth and yield and resulted in 13.2% higher grain yield as compared to upland ecology. Rice grown with SRI method produced 19.4 and 7.0% higher grain yield in 2012 and 20.6 and 7.1% higher in 2013, over DSR and PTR. However, PTR yielded 13.1 and 14.5% higher grain over DSR during 2012 and 2013, respectively. On an average, Arize 6444 produced 26.4, 26.9, 28.9 and 54.7% higher grain yield as compared to PS 5, P 834, PNR 381 and IPB1, respectively. Further, the interaction of production ecologies × crop establishment methods revealed that, in upland ecology, SRI recorded significantly higher grain yield as compared to PTR and DSR, but in lowland, grain yield resulting from SRI was similar to the yield obtained with PTR and significantly higher than DSR. The latter two methods (PTR and DSR) yielded alike in lowland ecology in both study years. The production ecologies × crop establishment methods × cultivars interaction on grain yield showed that the growing of Arize 6444 cultivar using SRI method in upland ecology resulted in the higher grain yield (8.87 t/ha). But the cost of production was also highest in SRI followed by PTR and DSR across production ecologies and cultivars. Cultivation of hybrid (Arize 6444) involved higher cost of production than all other cultivars. Irrespective of crop establishment methods and cultivars, gross returns, net returns and B:C ratio were significantly higher in lowland compared to upland ecology. Owing to higher grain yield, SRI method fetched significantly higher gross returns and net returns over PTR and DSR. Average increase in net return with Arize 6444 was 68.8, 41.0, 37.7 and 33.1% over IPB 1, PNR 381, P 834 and PS 5, respectively. There was a saving of 30.7% water in SRI and 19.9% in DSR over PTR under upland ecology. Similarly in lowland ecology, water saving of 30.2% was observed in SRI and 21.2% in DSR over PTR. Due to higher yield and saving on water, SRI returned significantly higher total water productivity (TWP) (5.9 kg/ha-mm) as compared to DSR (3.5 kg/ha-mm) and PTR (3.6 kg/ha-mm) under upland ecology. In lowland ecology, also SRI (6.2 kg/ha-mm) resulted in higher TWP as compared to other two methods. However, DSR gave significantly higher TWP as compared to PTR. Among cultivars, hybrid Arize 6444 recorded the highest TWP in both upland and lowland production ecologies across crop establishment methods. Hence, growing of hybrid Arize 6444 with SRI method can enhance rice productivity and water-use efficiency in lowland and upland production ecologies of Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains and in other similar regions.     

Long‐term effects of fertilization on some soil properties under rainfed soybean‐wheat cropping in the Indian Himalayas

This study aims to examine the effects of long‐term fertilization and cropping on some chemical and microbiological properties of the soil in a 32 y old long‐term fertility experiment at Almora (Himalayan region, India) under rainfed soybean‐wheat rotation. Continuous annual application of recommended doses of chemical fertilizer and 10 Mg ha^–1 FYM on fresh‐weight basis (NPK + FYM) to soybean (Glycine max L.) sustained not only higher productivity of soybean and residual wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crop, but also resulted in build‐up of total soil organic C (SOC), total soil N, P, and K. Concentration of SOC increased by 40% and 70% in the NPK + FYM–treated plots as compared to NPK (43.1 Mg C ha^–1) and unfertilized control plots (35.5 Mg C ha^–1), respectively. Average annual contribution of C input from soybean was 29% and that from wheat was 24% of the harvestable aboveground biomass yield. Annual gross C input and annual rate of total SOC enrichment from initial soil in the 0–15 cm layer were 4362 and 333 kg C ha^–1, respectively, for the plots under NPK + FYM. It was observed that the soils under the unfertilized control, NK and N + FYM treatments, suffered a net annual loss of 5.1, 5.2, and 15.8 kg P ha^–1, respectively, whereas the soils under NP, NPK, and NPK + FYM had net annual gains of 25.3, 18.8, and 16.4 kg P ha^–1, respectively. There was net negative K balance in all the treatments ranging from 6.9 kg ha^–1 y^–1 in NK to 82.4 kg ha^–1 y^–1 in N + FYM–treated plots. The application of NPK + FYM also recorded the highest levels of soil microbial‐biomass C, soil microbial‐biomass N, populations of viable and culturable soil microbes.     

Genetic Analysis of Some Chemotypes in Ocimum basilicum var. glabratum

Screening of a population of Ocimum basilicum var. glabratum Benth., raised from seeds collected from France, West Africa and Kerala (India) was carried out for chemical composition of its essential oils. In all three collections, plants were found to be comprised of 3 chemotypes which were morphologically indistinguishable, but each chemotype was found to be capable of intercrossing freely with the other two. Selfing was carried out during 4 consecutive generations, after which three pure lines were established. Study of the selfed progeny of each collection exhibited an interesting segregation in S₂ and S₃ generations. Along with segregation in F₂ and F₃ generations of various hybrids the results can be explained by assuming a gene ‘M’ existing in 3 (or more) allelic forms: The allele M₀ for biosynthesis of estragole (methyl chavicol) is dominant to allelcs M₁ , for eugenol and M₂ for camphor. Also, allele M₁ is dominant to allele M₂ . The assumption was further confirmed by testcrosses of F₁ hybrids of each cross with their recessive parent.     

Adoption and Impact of Modern Rice Varieties on Poverty in Eastern India

The factors affecting the adoption of modern varieties(MVs) of rice and impact on poverty in Odisha, India were discussed. A total of 363 households from Cuttack and Sambalpur districts of Odisha via multistage sampling technique participated in the survey. The Cragg's Double hurdle model was used to model the determinants of adoption and intensity of adoption of MVs of rice, and the propensity score matching was used to analyze the impact of adoption on poverty. The results showed that age, education, risk aversion, land size, yield, perception of MVs as high yielding, resistant to diseases and availability of MVs positively influenced the decision to adopt. However, variables such as household size, experience of a farmer, off-farm job participation, amount of credit received, cost of seeds, insecticides and fertilizers negatively influenced the adoption of MVs. Intensity of adoption of MVs was negatively influenced by experience of a farmer, cost of fertilizer and marketability of MVs, and positively affected by household size, risk aversion, land size, cost of insecticides, perception of MVs as high yielding and availability of MV seeds. Poverty incidence, gap and severity were high among non-adopters to adopters of MVs. After matching adopters and non-adopters of MV groups using four different algorithms of nearest neighbour matching, stratification matching, radius matching and kernel matching, the impact of MV adoption resulted in higher per capita monthly household expenditure by about US$ 52.82 to US$ 63.17.     

Genome-wide association study for spot blotch resistance in Afghan wheat germplasm

Spot blotch (SB), caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana, is a devastating disease of wheat globally, especially in South Asia and South America. Understanding the genetics of resistance to SB is important for developing breeding strategies to improve resistance. A panel of 301 genotypes from Afghanistan was phenotyped over two crop seasons using a mixture of virulent B. sorokiniana isolates and genotyped using DArTSeq to obtain genome-wide markers. Fifty genotypes (16.6%) showed disease scores less than the resistant control. Principal component analysis using the genotypic data clustered the genotypes into five different groups. Among models used for genome-wide association mapping, the multilocus mixed model, and fixed and random model circulating probability unification algorithms were most effective in identifying significant marker-trait associations (MTA). Twenty-five MTAs at p ≤ .001 were identified on chromosomes 1A, 1B, 1D, 2B, 2D, 3A, 3B, 4A, 5A, 5B, 6A, 7A, and 7D, indicating the quantitative nature of resistance to SB. Phenotypic variation explained by these markers ranged from 2.0% to 17.7%, and genomic regions on the chromosomes 1D, 2D, 3A, 3B, 4A, 5A, and 5B coincided with loci identified in previous studies. Three single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers on chromosomes 1B (SNP 1113207) and 5A (SNPs 5411867 and 998276) were significant in both crop seasons as well as in the combined analysis across seasons. Marker 5411867 is close to Vrn-A1, shown to be associated with SB in previous studies. Furthermore, among known SB resistance genes, Sb2 on chromosome 5B was predicted to be significant in this panel.     

Heat shock protein 70 expression in different tissues of Cirrhinus mrigala (Ham.) following heat stress

Members of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) are highly conserved proteins of about 70 kDa and play important roles in protein folding. Levels of these proteins increase when cells are under stress. Environmental temperature influences both the basal and induced levels of HSPs. However, studies on HSPs in fishes from a tropical country such as India are lacking. In the present study, Indian major carp (IMC) Cirrhinus mrigala (Ham.) acclimatized at 25±2°C had high levels of HSP70, viz., 1.2–1.3 ng μg^?1 total protein in kidney and gill and 4.2–5.3 ng μg^?1 total protein in liver and brain tissues, indicating the presence of biochemically significant levels of stress. However, maintenance of acclimatized fish at 17°C for up to 48 h did not lead to a significant decrease in stress protein levels. A heat shock at 37°C for up to 48 h resulted in only two to threefold increase in HSP70 levels in these organs. Although the increase in HSP70 levels was apparent from the first hour of heat stress in all these tissues, the increase was significant from the second hour in the brain, the sixth hour in liver and kidney and the 20th hour in the gills.     

Laboratory study of phosphorus forms and test procedures on soils under aerobic and anaerobic conditions

The inorganic forms of phosphorus in nine samples of surface soils from the Nainital Tarai of India were determined by a series of extractions with different reagents after incubation for 45 days under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. The forms of phosphorus in samples incubated under aerobic conditions and the pH range of 7.2–8.5 indicated that the soils had been subject to slight chemical weathering. Anaerobic incubation to simulate conditions in lowland rice paddies converted part of the inorganic phosphorus into more labile forms, based on changes in amounts of isotopically exchangeable phosphorus. Amounts of the element converted to more labile forms differed among the nine soil samples.A better correlation was found between amounts of phosphorus extracted by 0.5M NaHCO³ (Olsen's method) than by 0.03N NH₄F in 0.25N HCl (Bray's method) and the isotopically exchangeable phosphorus. The better correlation suggests that the bicarbonate extraction would be the better method for estimating “availablelrd phosphorus in soils of lowland rice paddies. Recalibration of the test prior to such use seems desirable to allow for increases in amounts of phosphorus in labile forms after soils have been shifted from aerobic to anaerobic conditions.     

Effects of Partial and Complete Replacement of Synthetic Cryoprotectant with Carrot (Daucus carota) Concentrated Protein on Stability of Frozen Surimi

ABSTRACT

The study aimed to evaluate the effects of carrot concentrated protein (CCP) as additive on the functional and textural properties of surimi from striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) during six months of frozen storage (?20°C). The CCP (82.22% crude protein) was used as an additive either a lone or with a synthetic cryoprotectant (sucrose-sorbitol-sodium tri-polyphosphate). Control was made with synthetic cryoprotectant only. Molecular weight of CCP was found to be 36 kDa. After six months, the results revealed that up to 50% of synthetic cryoprotectants could be replaced by CCP during frozen storage of surimi. Biochemical parameters such as protein solubility, Ca²⁺ATPase activity, and gel strength decreased significantly (p < .05) during storage. Treatment T-3 (CCP 0.5% + 50% of synthetic cryoprotectant) maintained quality of protein significantly superior (p < .05) in respect to denaturation and other functional and sensory attributes compared to all the treatments. The microstructure images of surimi confirmed that addition of CCP modified the ice crystal growth during frozen storage. This study suggests that CCP can be a potential additive to protect protein from denaturation along with partial replacement of chemical cryoprotectants.     

Studies on pesticides based on coumarin. III. Synthesis and antifungal activity of substituted 4-methyl-coumarins and related compounds

A series of substituted 4-methylcoumarins was synthesised and the members tested for their toxicity towards mycelial growth of seven phytopathogenic fungi in culture. Rhizoctonia solani, Alternaria alternata and Fusarium solani exhibited maximum sensitivity to these compounds whereas Pythium aphanidermatum, Colletotrichum falcatum, Drechslera oryzae and Macrophomina phaseolina were relatively less sensitive. 6-Ethyl-3-n- propyl-7-hydroxy4-methylcoumarin ( I ) was relatively toxic towards all fungi except C. falcatum, P. aphanidermatum and M. phaseolina. The 6-n-butyl ( III ) and 6-(1, 1, 3, 3-tetramethylbutyl) ( VI ) derivatives were highly toxic to R. solani with EC₅₀, values of lμg ml^?1.