Allelopathy of gymnospermous trees

The present paper reviews the available literature on the allelopathy of gymnosperms which constitute the famous boreal forests known for their high quality timber and other products of great commercial importance. Nineteen genera belonging to six of the seven taxonomic families of conifers comprising one of the most dominating and largest group of present day gymnosperms, are reported to show the phenomena of allelopathy. The available information signifies the role these mighty trees play in determining the understorey vegetation, ecological succession and forests dynamics besides causing regeneration problems to the donor trees. The allelochemicals, identified from these plants, responsible for such interactions have also been summarised. In most of the cases the leaching of phenolics from the litter predominantly of tree needles, which remain on the ground for a longer time due to slow decomposition rate, are held responsible for these interactions.     

Fowl adenovirus serotype 4 associated with outbreaks of infectious hydropericardium in Haryana, India

During 1998, hydropericardium syndrome was observed among 3-to-6-wk-old broilers in 45 different flocks of Haryana, India, with mortality ranging between 10% and 30%. Fowl adenovirus (FAV) was isolated from one of the affected flocks by chicken embryo liver cell culture. Serum neutralization test and polymerase chain reaction assay coupled with restriction enzyme analysis confirmed that the isolated virus belonged to FAV serotype 4. The disease was reproduced in 28-day-old broilers by subcutaneous and oral inoculation of isolated FAV4 alone. Typical hydropericardium and basophilic intranuclear inclusions in hepatocytes were observed in experimental birds by day 4 postinoculation.     

Herbicidal activity of eugenol towards some grassy and broad-leaved weeds

Journal of Pest Science - The present study investigated the phytotoxic potential of eugenol, a major component from the essential oil of clove [Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merrill and Perry], towards...     

A preliminary genetic analysis of fibre traits and the use of new genomic SSRs for genetic diversity in jute

Jute is one of the most important fibre crops, which is second only to cotton in providing environment-friendly (biodegradable and renewable) ligno-cellulose fibre. In order to improve this largely neglected crop, we conducted a preliminary study involving the following: (i) analysis of nature and extent of the genetic variability for fibre yield and four other related traits in a set of 81 genotypes belonging to two commercially cultivated Corchorus species (45 genotypes of C. olitorius + 36 genotypes of C. capsularis), (ii) development and analysis of a set of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers from C. olitorius, and (iii) use of a sub-set of SSRs for assessment of genetic diversity in the above set of 81 genotypes. The results suggested quantitative nature of fibre yield and other related traits, with a preponderance of dominance component in genetic variance. A sub-set of 45 SSRs derived from C. olitorius, when used for a study of DNA polymorphism and genetic diversity, showed high transferability of these C. olitorius SSRs to C. capsularis. The average number of alleles for individual SSRs was surprisingly low (3.04 for both species, 2.02 for C. capsularis and 2.51 for C. olitorius), and so was the average polymorphic information content (PIC; 0.23 and 0.24 in two species). In the dendrogram obtained using a similarity matrix, the 81 genotypes were grouped into three clusters, which largely corresponded to the two species, Cluster I belonging mainly to C. capsularis and the other two closely related clusters (clusters II and III) belonging to C. olitorius. It was also shown that a minimum of 15 SSRs could give the same information as 41 SSRs, thus making many SSRs redundant. The SSR markers developed during the present study and to be developed in future will prove useful not only for evaluation of genetic diversity, but also for molecular mapping/QTL analysis, and for comparative genome analysis of the two Corchorus species. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

A modified protocol for high-quality DNA extraction from seeds rich in secondary compounds

High-quality DNA is a prerequisite for a range of molecular biology experiments and thus DNA extraction is one of the most important steps for several downstream experiments. DNA isolation directly from seeds could save time and effort, particularly for large-scale experiments where growing and maintaining multitude of genotypes in parallel is cumbersome. However, seeds often contain polysaccharides, polyphenols, mucilage, oils, etc., which cause DNA extraction from seeds difficult and sometimes a research limiting step. In the present study, we have considered many previous protocols and optimized these methods to devise a general method for extraction of DNA from the seeds of diverse plant genera. The new SGS buffer (sucrose, glycerol and sodium dodecyl sulphate) was used to extract intact DNA from seeds with yield and quality better than in the previous protocols. Moreover, the proposed protocol is devoid of hazardous and expensive reagents and can be scaled up.     

Pharmacokinetics,urinary excretion and plasma protein binding of danofloxacin following intravenous administration in buffalo calves (Bubalus bubalis)

Pharmacokinetics, urinary excretion and plasma protein binding of danofloxacin was investigated in buffalo calves following intravenous administration at the dose rate of 1.25 mg/kg to select the optimal dosage regimen of danofloxacin. Drug concentrations in plasma and urine were measured by microbiological assaying. In vitro plasma protein binding was determined employing the equilibrium dialysis technique. The distribution and elimination of danofloxacin were rapid, as indicated by values (mean ±SD) of distribution half-life (t_1/2α = 0.16 ± 0.07 h) and elimination half-life (t_1/2β = 4.24 ± 1.78 h), respectively. Volume of distribution at steady state (Vss) = 3.98 ± 1.69 L/kg indicated large distribution of drug. The area under plasma drug concentration versus time curve (AUC) was 1.79 ± 0.28 μg/mlxh and MRT was 8.64 ± 0.61 h. Urinary excretion of danofloxacin was 23% within 48 h of its administration. Mean plasma protein binding was 36% at concentrations ranging from 0.0125 μg/ml to 1 μg/ml. On the basis of pharmacokinetic parameters obtained, it is concluded that the revision of danofloxacin dosage regimen in buffalo calves is needed because the current dosage schedule (1.25 mg/kg) is likely to promote resistance.