Association of Pedilanthus leaf curl virus with yellow mottling and leaf curl symptoms in two jasmine species grown in India

Association of Pedilanthus leaf curl virus (PeLCV) with yellow mottling of crape jasmine (Tabernaemontana coronaria) and leaf curl of night blooming jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum) was investigated using a sequence analysis of the cloned full-length genome amplified by Rolling circle amplification using Φ-29 DNA polymerase. In the sequence analysis, virus isolates from T. coronaria (JN807764) and C. nocturnum (JQ012790) shared 95 % sequence identity with each other and the highest identity (93 %) and the closest phylogenetic relationships with PeLCV (AM712436); therefore, the virus isolates were identified as PeLCV strains. This report from India is the first on the occurrence of PeLCV on T. coronaria and C. nocturnum anywhere in the world.     

Experimental verification of two calculation methods for relating horizontal infiltration to soil-water diffusivity

Two recently proposed methods are used to relate horizontal infiltration data to soil- moisture diffusivity. The theoretical background is only discussed briefly and more emphasis is given to an experimental verification. With the described methods numerous experiments were performed on two soils under varying initial moisture content in the same soil samples. Data of four representative experiments are summarized in a table and a number of figures.The horizontal infiltration into a silty loam soil with an initial moisture content of 0.08 cm³/cm³ is not in accordance with theoretical expectations, whereas that into a fine sand with the same initial moisture content is in accordance with theory. The latter may be due to the building up of a soil-air pressure in the silty loam which was recorded to be in the order of 40 mbar.It further appears that the approximate method of the two referred to above yields similar results in terms of D(θ) as compared with the exact but more laborious method only if the soil was air dry.Finally two examples of (re)-using the obtained D(θ) data are given.     

Molecular identification of a begomovirus causing yellow vein disease on Calendula officinalis in India

A whitefly transmitted begomovirus was detected by PCR using begomovirus-specific primers from naturally infected Calendula officinalis plants showing yellow vein disease symptoms. An approximately 800 bp PCR amplicon was cloned and sequenced to identify the species of the virus isolate. Analysis of nucleotide sequence data resulted in its identification as the complete coat protein gene open reading frame (CP ORF) of 771 bp, which encoded 256 amino acid residues. The coat protein of the virus isolate shared maximum identities of 96–97% with four strains of Tobacco curly shoot virus (ToCSV) and an Ageratum enation virus (AgEV) during BLAST analysis of sequence data. Nucleotide- and amino acid-based phylogenetic analysis revealed the close relationship of the isolate with ToCSV strains, therefore it has been identified as an isolate of ToCSV and C. officinalis is considered to be a new host of ToCSV begomovirus. Association of a DNA-β molecule with the virus isolate was also detected by PCR and Southern hybridization tests using DNA-β specific primers and probe.     

Mobilization of seed reserves pretreated with H2O2 during germination and establishment of sunflower seedlings under salinity

Abstract

Several studies have shown hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as a metabolic messenger that increases plant tolerance to various stress conditions. However, little is known about its effect on the mobilization of seed reserves in the establishment of seedlings. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of pretreatment with H₂O₂ in salt-tolerance and mobilization of reserves during the germination of seeds and establishment of sunflower seedlings. Seeds were pre-imbibed for 24?hr in solutions containing: deionized water (control); H₂O₂ (1?mM); NaCl (100?mM). Subsequently, seeds were distributed on germitest paper, moistened with deionized water or saline solution (100?mM NaCl). In seedlings not pretreated with H₂O₂, the salinity increased Na⁺ and Cl^? ions contents and reduced the growth of sunflower seedlings. However, pretreatment of seeds with H₂O₂ reduced the negative effect of salinity, promoted an increase in salt-tolerance by the reduction of Na⁺ and Cl^? uptake, lower energy cost for osmoprotection by compatible solutes accumulation, and by the higher equilibrium in the mobilization of the cotyledon reserves for the development of the embryonic axis.     

Evaluation of maturity and stability parameters of composts prepared from farm wastes

A composting experiment was carried out to study changes in physical [color, odor, temperature, organic matter (OM) loss], chemical [C:N ratio, water-soluble organic carbon (C_w):organic N (N_org) ratio, NH₄ ⁺-N and NO₃ ^?-N, humic acid (HA):fulvic acid (FA) ratio, humification index (HI) and cation-exchange capacity (CEC):total organic carbon (TOC) ratio)] and biological [seed germination index (GI)] parameters to assess compost maturity and stability over a period of 150 days. Five composts were prepared using a mixture of different farm wastes with or without enrichment of N, rock phosphate (RP) and microorganism (MO) inoculation. All the composts appeared to change to a granular and dark grey color without foul odor, and attained a constant temperature with no measurable changes (ambient level) at 120 days of composting. Correlation analysis showed that the optimal values of the selected parameters for our experimental conditions are as follows: organic matter loss > 42%, C:N ratio < 15, HA:FA ratio > 1.9, HI > 30%, CEC:TOC ratio > 1.7 and C_w:N_org ratio < 0.55. Composts enriched with N + RP or N + RP + MO matured at 150 and 120 days, respectively, whereas composts without any enrichment or enrichment with N or RP + MO did not mature even at 150 days of composting.     

Coenzyme Q10 in Equine Serum: Response to Supplementation

Although the importance of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in health and disease and its critical role in cellular bioenergetics have been well established in various species, there is a total lack of information on the role of CoQ10 in horses. Therefore, the present study was undertaken first to ascertain the occurrence of CoQ10 and/or possibly other homologs of coenzyme Q (CoQ) in horse serum, and then to examine the response to CoQ10 supplementation on serum CoQ10 concentration. The study was carried out with 2-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Total CoQ (reduced and oxidized forms) in serum was assayed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The data show that horse serum contains CoQ as CoQ10, at a much lower concentration as compared with that of humans and several other species. There is no evidence for the presence of coenzyme Q9 or other homologs of CoQ. On supplementation with CoQ10 at 800 mg a day (1.47 mg/kg body weight), there was a significant increase in serum CoQ10 concentration, approximately 2.7-fold at 60 days. CoQ10 supplementation at this dosage was found to be safe and well tolerated. Additional studies are needed to examine whether maintaining higher serum CoQ10 concentrations is of potential health benefit to the horses, as assessed by selected biochemical markers and also in terms of performance.     

Securinega suffruticosa

This review gives an account of the current knowledge on the chemical constituents, biological activity and pharmacological properties of Securinega suffruticosa. A wide range of chemical compounds have been isolated, mainly alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and lipids. From the pharmacological point of view the most interesting group are the alkaloids, among which securinine, an indolizidine alkaloids containing a unique tricyclic structure.