Is celery yellow net c used by parsnip yellow fleck virus

Celery yellow net w s described by Hollings (1964) s severe dise se of celery (Apium graveolens L. var. duke (Miller) DC.) that could be transmitted by grafting nd occasionally by mechanical inocul tion with leaf extracts. Pemberton & Frost (1986) observed similar symptoms in celery crops. but were unable to isolate the causal agent.
During recent attempts to isolate the causal gent of celery yellow-spot, another disease previously reported by Hollings (1964) and Pemberton & Frost (1986), we found that two of our samples from crop in Cheshire contained different virus. As well as yellow spots, these two plants also had yellow-net symptoms on the older leaves, and one of the plants was stunted with some distortion of the young leaflets. The two virus isolates appeared identical from extensive testing on range of herbaceous indicator plants, so one of them, CV506, w s selected for further study     

Complementation between genes for resistance to race 1 of Fusarium oxyspomm f.sp. ciceri in chickpea

The reactions of parents and F₁ and F₂ generations of crosses of chickpea cultivars K-850 with C-104 and JG-62 and F₃ progenies of K-850 × C-104 to race 1 of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceri were studied. The results indicate that K-850 carries a recessive allele for resistance at a locus different from and independent of that carried by C-104 and recessive alleles at both loci together confer complete resistance. The possible contribution of this recessive gene to late wilting in K-850 is discussed. These observations have important implications in breeding for resistance to wilt in chickpea.     

China-CIMMYT collaboration enhances wheat improvement in China

China and CIMMYT have collaborated on wheat improvement for over 40 years and significant progress has been achieved in five aspects in China. A standardized protocol for testing Chinese noodle quality has been established with three selection criteria, i.e., gluten quality, starch viscosity and flour color are identified as being responsible for noodle quality. Genomic approaches have been used to develop and validate gene-specific markers, leading to the establishment of a KASP platform, and seven cultivars have been released through application of molecular marker technology. Methodology for breeding adult-plant resistance to yellow rust, leaf rust and powdery mildew, based on the pleiotropic effect of minor genes has been established, resulting in release of six cultivars. More than 330 cultivars derived from CIMMYT germplasm have been released and are now grown over 9% of the Chinese wheat production area. Additionally, physiological approaches have been used to characterize yield potential and develop high-efficiency phenotyping platforms. CIMMYT has also provided valuable training for Chinese scientists. Development of climate-resilient cultivars with application of new technology will be the priority for future collaboration.     

Absorption and translocation of glyphosate with conventional and organosilicone adjuvants

This study was conducted to determine the effects of three organosilicone-based and six conventional organic adjuvants on the absorption and translocation of ¹⁴C-glyphosate in guineagrass and redroot pigweed. The organosilicone adjuvants produced rapid absorption of the ¹⁴C-glyphosate into the redroot pigweed leaves, reaching maximum absorption within 0.5–1.0 h after application. The conventional adjuvants produced slower absorption of the ¹⁴C-glyphosate, as the maximum absorption was not achieved until at least 24 h after application in redroot pigweed, remaining similar until 72 h. In guineagrass, the maximum absorption of the glyphosate was earlier than 24 h with the organosilicone-based adjuvants, compared with longer times for the conventional adjuvants. The organosilicone-based adjuvants also increased the glyphosate translocation in redroot pigweed, but not in guineagrass. Organosilicone adjuvants have the potential to provide greater rainfastness to glyphosate on redroot pigweed and, to a lesser extent, on guineagrass.     

Evaluation of genetic diversity in turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) using RAPD and ISSR markers

Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is an industrially important plant used for production of curcumin, oleoresin and essential oil. In the present study we examined the genetic diversity among turmeric accessions from 10 different agro-climatic regions comprising 5 cultivars and 55 accessions. Two DNA-based molecular marker techniques, viz., random amplified polymorphism DNA (RAPD) and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) were used to assess the genetic diversity in turmeric genotypes. A total of 17 polymorphic primers (11 RAPDs and 6 ISSRs) were used in this study. RAPD analysis of 60 genotypes yielded 94 fragments of which 75 were polymorphic with an average of 6.83 polymorphic fragments per primer. Number of amplified fragments with RAPD primers ranged from 3 to 13 with the size of amplicons ranging from 230 to 3000 bp in size. The polymorphism ranged from 45 to 100 with an average of 91.4%. The 6 ISSR primers produced 66 bands across 60 genotypes of which 52 were polymorphic with an average of 8.6 polymorphic fragments per primer. The number of amplified bands varied from 1 to 14 with size of amplicons ranging from 200 to 2000 bp. The percentage of polymorphism using ISSR primers ranged from 83 to 100 with an average of 95.4%. Nei's dendrogram for 60 samples using both RAPD and ISSR markers demonstrated an extent of 62% correlation between the genetic similarity and geographical location. The result of Nei's genetic diversity (H) generated from the POP gene analysis shows relatively low genetic diversity in turmeric accessions of South eastern ghat (P7), Western undulating zone (P8) with 0.181 and 0.199 value whereas highest genetic diversity (0.257) has been observed in Western central table land (P9). Knowledge on the genetic diversity of turmeric from different agro-climatic regions can be used to future breeding programs for increased curcumin, oleoresin and essential oil production to meet the ever-increasing demand of turmeric for industrial and pharmaceutical uses.     

Data Mining Strategy for "Gene Prediction" with Special Reference to Cotton Genome

This paper presents an integrated approach towards solving the problem of "Gene Prediction".The "Gene Prediction" problem solving undergoes well defined stages starting with a DNA sequence as input and lab treatment and computational analysis go hands in hands throughout the process.Many bioinformatics tools are available for analysis at different stages of "Gene Prediction",but a simplified and integrated approach is needed to support and speed up the task of a life scientist.     

应用改进的平板检测法快速筛选解钾菌

The utility of microorganisms for solubilizing the unavailable forms of potassium(K) from soil has led to renewed interest in fabrication of rapid and sensitive plate assays for their isolation and screening. The present study developed a modified plate assay and compared it with previously reported methods for the isolation and screening of K-solubilizing bacteria. The newly developed plate assay is based on improved visualization of halo zone formation around the colonies on agar plates, through inclusion of an acid-base indicator dye, bromothymol blue(BTB), to modify the previously reported Aleksandrov medium. The halo zone exhibited a significant correlation(R = 0.939) with K released in liquid medium. The visualization of potential K solubilizers was improved using this method, which would help in detection of weak/non-acid producers based on secretion of organic acids in the medium. Organic acids in plate diffuse radially and form halo zones in response to reaction with the acid-base indicator dye BTB. Furthermore, K solubilization on plates with this method can be observed within 48–72 h, against the incubation time of 4–5 d needed in the earlier method. Therefore, the newly developed protocol for the plate assay was time saving, more sensitive, and beneficial in comparison to the previously reported Aleksandrov plate assay.     

Tuberculosis seroprevalence and comparison of hematology and biochemistry parameters between seropositive and seronegative captive Asian elephants of Nepal

We conducted a tuberculosis (TB) serosurveillance program of captive elephants in Nepal and compared hematology and biochemistry parameters between seropositive and seronegative elephants. A total of 153 elephants (male=20, female=133) from four national parks were tested for TB using the ElephantTB STAT-PAK^® Assay (ChemBio Diagnostic Systems, Inc., Medford, NY, USA). The mean reported age for 138 elephants was 38.5 years (range 2–71 years). Seroprevalence for TB was 21.56% (33/153). The majority of seropositive elephants were female (n=30) and from Chitwan National Park (n=29). The occurrence of TB seropositive cases in other more remote national parks suggests TB may be widespread among the captive elephant population of Nepal. Hematology and biochemistry analyses were performed on 13 and 22 seropositive elephants, respectively and, nine elephants from a seronegative TB herd for comparison. Hematology parameters (hemoglobin, packed cell volume, platelet, white blood cells, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate) were comparable between the two groups. Total protein, globulin, and lactate dehydrogenase were significantly higher in seronegative elephants, and bilirubin was significantly higher in seropositive elephants whereas blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase/aspartate aminotransferase (GOT/AST), glutamic pyruvic transaminase/alanine aminotransferase (GPT/ALT), gamma glutamyl transferase (GT), and albumin were not significantly different. The range of biochemical parameters that were significantly different between seropositive and seronegative elephants had narrow ranges. Thus, the potential of these parameters as a direct biomarker for TB diagnosis is limited based on the findings in this study. We recommend including blood parameters in future TB surveillance studies.     

不同土壤层次和土壤水分对章古台樟子松固沙林土壤N矿化过程的影响

选择章古台地区三块典型樟子松(Pinus sylvestris var. Mongolica)人工固沙林为研究对象,采用实验室好氧培养法测定了不同土壤层次和在不同水分条件下的N矿化过程.结果表明:土壤0-60 cm 层N净矿化速率垂直变化范围为1.06-7.52 mg·kg-1·month-1;土壤层次和含水量及其交互作用对土壤N净矿化速率的影响均达到差异显著(P<0.05);净矿化速率随着土壤层次的加深而明显下降,0-15 cm层占总净矿化量的60.52%;半饱和与饱和含水量处理差异不显著,但均高于不加水处理.为此,在半干旱地区必须进一步加强开展调控生态系统N矿化、循环及其收支平衡影响因素的研究.     

Recent trends in muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) research: an overview

Muskmelon is a warm season old-world cucurbit species which belongs to family Cucurbitaceae. It has served as a wonder crop since ancient times, as the leaves and seeds of it are used to treat hematoma, and the stems to reduce hypertension. For decades, it has played key roles in the field of plant molecular biology and plant physiology, serving as an excellent model plant for investigating the phenomenon of sex determination and ripening processes. Elite varieties of melons carrying the wide potential to serve as more demanding to end user and against tolerance to drought condition and inferior lands, or diseases have been developed. Plant-breeding methods (conventional or molecular breeding) and transgenic technology are the only tools left, with which we can deploy to regenerate the elite varieties in melon fruits to meet the global demand for next decades. The development of plant biotechnological tools for melons offers the prospect to develop new varieties, more rapidly, avoiding natural genetic barriers. The use of these methods has extended to increase the genetic diversity by somatic hybridisation or gene transfer and to optimise conventional breeding programmes. In this review, we have focused on the status of crop improvement in muskmelon since a period of time for different traits like quality improvement, sex expression as well as resistances against biotic and abiotic stresses.