Response of Grass Seedlings to Smoke-Water and Smoke-Derived Butenolide in the Absence of Macronutrients (Nitrogen,Phosphorus, and Potassium)

Compositional transformation of South African semiarid grasslands and savannas owing to changes in soil nutrient status and fire-linked attributes is often reported. However, mechanisms of change are not fully understood. Currently, plant-derived smoke has attracted much attention as a fire-related cue responsible for stimulating germination and seedling growth. However, there is very little documentation on how these fire-linked factors, such as smoke, and soil macronutrients, such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), interact to effect seedling growth of grasses. In this study, smoke-responsive (Themeda triandra) and less smoke-responsive species (Eragrostis curvula and Panicum maximum) were tested with different concentrations and combinations of smoke-water and smoke-isolated butenolide with or without added N, P, or K under greenhouse conditions. In the absence of N, P, or K, smoke-water and butenolide treatments enhanced a number of seedling growth parameters of T. triandra. In contrast, exclusion of N from the nutrient solution significantly reduced shoot length, seedling weight, root volume, and vigor index of E. curvula at all tested concentrations of smoke-water and butenolide solutions compared to the control. In the presence of N, P, and K, smoke-water and butenolide suppressed seedling growth of P. maximum, whereas the absence of one of these macronutrients had a small promotory effect on some parameters. This study may assist in understanding the postfire seedling dynamics of grasses.     

The mechanism and inheritance of intraflower self-pollination in self-pollinating variant strains of periwinkle

The mechanism and inheritance of intraflower self‐pollination in self‐pollinating variant strains of periwinkle was studied using three self‐pollinating and two non‐self‐pollinating but fully self‐fertile strains. Intraflower self‐pollination in self‐pollinating strains occurred due to the continued growth of the gynoecium beyond the base of the anthers, even after anthesis, resulting in intraflower self‐pollination. In non‐self‐pollinating strains, the stigma remained below the base of the anthers and did not come into contact with the pollen up to flower drop. Intraflower self‐pollination was found to be governed by duplicate recessive genes. The utility of the intraflower self‐pollination trait in the breeding of periwinkle cultivars is discussed.     

Smoke‐water and karrikinolide (KAR1) foliar applications promote seedling growth and photosynthetic pigments of the biofuel seed crop Jatropha curcas L.

This greenhouse study tested the effect of smoke‐water and the smoke‐isolated biologically active compound karrikinolide (KAR₁) on growth and photosynthetic pigments of Jatropha curcas L. seedlings. Fifteen‐day‐old seedlings were sprayed once weekly for 5 weeks with three dilutions of smoke‐water (1 : 250, 1 : 500, and 1 : 1000 v/v) or KAR₁ (10^–7, 10^–8, and 10^–9 M). Growth parameters and photosynthetic pigment concentrations of 75‐d‐old seedlings were measured. Foliar application of both smoke‐water and KAR₁ on J. curcas seedlings showed significant increases in stem width, shoot length, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and total carotenoid concentrations compared to the untreated control. KAR₁ significantly improved leaf area, shoot and root dry mass, seedling‐vigor index, and photosynthetic pigments as compared to control treatments. These results suggest the possible use of smoke‐water and KAR₁ to achieve a vigorous and well established crop of J. curcas.     

Management of chickpea pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) through Nuclear Polyhedral Virus isolates

Investigations were carried out on Helicoverpa armigera Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus (HaNPV) isolates collected from different parts of India to study their genetic diversity through molecular characterization and their assessment in the IPM of Helicoverpa armigera on chickpea under field conditions. Variations were found in the DNA profiling of different HaNPV isolates. The similarity matrix relating the different isolates showed similarity co-efficients ranging from 0.38 to 0.82. The highest genetic similarity index of 0.82 was seen between the isolates from Raichur and Guntur followed by 0.77 between the isolates from Coimbatore and Raichur. Field evaluation of different HaNPV isolates against H. armigera in the chickpea ecosystem at the Main Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka for 2 years revealed that the performance of the Gulbarga and Coimbatore isolates was better than that of others in terms of their ability to cause greater larval mortality of H. armigera with a greater yield of chickpea. The Incremental Benefit Cost Ratio was highest with the Gulbarga (2.88) and Coimbatore (2.83) isolates, followed by the Dharwad isolate (2.39). This research paper was presented in the 2nd conference on precision crop protection held at the University of Bonn, Germany during 10–12th October 2007.     

Defluoridation of Drinking Water Using PURAL® MG-20 Mixed Hydroxide Adsorbent

Water, Air, &; Soil Pollution - High applications of P fertilizers and manure are general practice in intensive agriculture and may cause eutrophication in adjacent streams. Bioavailability of P...     

Honeycomb and simple mass selection for herb yield and inflorescence to leaf + stem ratio in palmarosa grass

Summary Honeycomb and simple mass selection for herb yield and inflorescence to leaf + stem ratio were studied in a population of palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini Stapf. var. motia) grown at a plant spacing of 90 cm. The inflorescence to leaf + stem ratio was studied for indirect selection for oil content. The effects of selection were evaluated at high (30×30 cm) and low (45×45 cm) plant densities. Honeycomb selection was effective in improving herb yield at both plant densities while simple mass selection was effective only at low plant density. Both selection methods were equally effective in improving inflorescence to leaf + stem ratio but only when the populations were grown at low plant density. Increases in oil content were obtained even when selection for an increased inflorescence to leaf + stem ratio was ineffective. Improvements in each of the three studied traits did not affect any other studied trait.