The Physiology of Seed Germination in Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L) Cultivar GG-2. I. Effect of Seed Size

The seeds of groundnut cultivar GG-2 were categorized according to their test weight (100 seed weight) as bold (58.2 g), medium (37.9 g), small (24.9 g), small wrinkled (13.4 g) and control (30.3 g) seed lot. The variation in their size and dimension was also taken into account. The overall germination percentage was high for medium size seeds and was closely followed by bold seeds. The performance of the small and small wrinkled seeds was comparable to that of control. The seed vigour was found to be higher with heavier seeds. Small seeds exhibited equally good performance in response to seed germination and growth of the seedling components. There were no significant differences for the development of hypocotyl, epicotyl and plumule.     

Isolation, enumeration, and characterization of diazotrophic bacteria from paddy soil sample under long-term fertilizer management experiment

A study was undertaken to determine the free-living culturable diazotrophic bacteria of paddy soils from a long-term fertilizer management experiment. Long-term application of different fertilizers significantly affected the population of free-living diazotrophs. Out of 165 distinct bacterial morphotypes observed during the isolation process, only 32 were positive for both acetylene reduction assay (ARA), and nifH gene screening. The ARA activity of the isolates ranged from 1.8 to 2,844.7 nmol ethylene h^?1 mg protein^?1. The 16S rRNA analysis identified the isolates to be members of 13 different genera viz. Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Paenibacillus, Serratia, Ochrobactrum, Lysinibacillus, Burkholderia, Brevundimonas, Herbaspirillum, Novosphingobium, Sphingomonas, Xanthomonas, and Azorhizobium. Though partial nifH gene sequencing of diazotrophic isolates showed good consistency with that of 16S rRNA-based identification, some nifH sequences were similar to a variety of uncultured nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The diversity of free-living diazotrophic bacteria and the wide distribution of nifH sequences indicate the potential contribution of these microorganisms to nitrogen input to paddy fields.     

Isolation of high-quality RNA from apple (Malus domestica) fruit

It is difficult to isolate sufficient quantities of high-quality RNA from apple fruit. An abundance of polyphenolic compounds and polysaccharides and a relatively low concentration of RNA in the fruit tissue create conditions that hamper RNA isolation when standard techniques are used. We have developed two RNA isolation methods that include an initial homogenization and extraction with acetone or ethanol. These in turn remove the interfering compounds and precipitate the protein and nucleic acids for subsequent RNA extraction. The quality of RNA was satisfactory with both acetone and ethanol preparations; however, the acetone powder produced consistently higher quantities of RNA.     

Natural daylight restricted to twilights delays the timing of testicular regression but does not affect the timing of the daily activity rhythm of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Background  

A stable and systematic daily change in light levels at dawn and dusk provides the most reliable indicator of the phase of the day. It is likely that organisms have evolved mechanisms to use these twilight transitions as the primary zeitgeber to adjust their circadian phases. In this study, we investigated under natural illumination conditions the effects of daylight exposure restricted to twilights on the timing of testicular regression and locomotor activity of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), which possesses a strongly self-sustaining circadian system.     

Effect of Different Leaf Litters on Carbon,Nitrogen and Microbial Activities of Sodic Soils

This study investigates the effect of single leaf litter of Terminalia arjuna (Ta) and Prosopis juliflora (Pj), mixed leaf litters [Ta, Pj, Azadirachta indica (Ai) and Albizia procera (Ap)] and paddy straw (Ps; Oryza sativa) on chemical properties and microbial activities of slightly sodic (SS), moderately sodic (MS) and highly sodic (HS) soils during 1 year in vitro decomposition process. For this purpose, equal amount (60 g) of single leaf litter [Ta (C : N = 43) and Pj (C : N = 38)], mixed leaf litters [1/4 of Ta, Pj, Ai and Ap (C : N = 30)] and Ps (C : N = 107) was added to equal amount (600 g) of SS, MS and HS soils. After addition of litters, changes in soil organic carbon (SOC), available nitrogen (N_av), microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen, soil respiration, microbial quotient (C_mic : C_org) and metabolic quotient (qCO₂) were observed at 2 months intervals for the whole year in greenhouse at constant soil moisture. The respective annual increase, at the end of the experiment, in SOC and N_av was highest in MS soil (40% and 45%), whereas soil microbial biomass and soil respiration showed decreasing trend from HS soil (39% and 29%) to SS soil (28% and 21%). The highest SOC was mineralized in the MS (42%) and HS (32%) soils containing litter of Ta; although greater (20%) accumulation of SOC in SS soil was noticed with mixed leaf litters. The study reveals that MS and HS soils comparatively showed fast decomposition of litters and significant increase in carbon, nitrogen and microbial activities. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.