Effect of single and dual phosphate-solubilizing bacterial strain inoculations on overall growth of mung bean plants

Available phosphorus is limiting in most cultivable soils in several parts of India, including Rajasthan. Four phosphate-solubilizing bacterial strains viz. Pseudomonas fluorescens BAM-4, Burkholderia cepacia BAM-6, B. cepacia BAM-12 and Aeromonas vaga BAM-77 were isolated from the rhizosphere of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum, cv. Raj 171), mung bean (Phaseolus aureus, cv. RMG 492) and sesame (Sesamum indicum, cv. RT 46). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on phosphate solubilization by Aeromonas vaga. Seed inoculation of mung bean with or without tricalcium phosphate (TCP) was performed to study the effect of single and dual bacterial inoculations in pot trials having sterilized sandy loam soil, and was found to enhance the growth and yield of plants. The results were on a par with chemical fertilizer, single superphosphate (SSP) and commercial biofertilizers, PSB (Bacillus polymyxa) and MC (Pseudomonas striata), used as standard reference. Addition of TCP to soil gave better results and dual inoculation was more effective than single inoculation of bacteria. Among the four strains studied, A. vaga and P. fluorescens were found to be more valuable as single inoculants in terms of plant growth, whereas in combination treatments, P. fluorescens along with B. cepacia and A. vaga performed very well both in the presence and absence of TCP.     

Temporal responses of soil biological characteristics to organic inputs and mineral fertilizers under wheat cultivation in inceptisol

A 2-year field experiment was conducted in wheat ecosystem to assess the key soil biological characteristics in inceptisols of northeastern region of India. Nine treatments using organic inputs (farmyard manure and vermicompost) and mineral fertilizers were applied by modulating the doses of organics and mineral N fertilizer. Soil enzymes (urease, phosphatase, dehydrogenase, fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and arylsulphatase), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), bacteria and fungi populations were measured before seed sowing (GS₁), at flowering stage (GS₂) and after harvest (GS₃) of wheat, whereas total organic carbon (TOC) was studied at GS₃. GS₂ recorded significantly higher soil enzyme activities, except FDA, which increased considerably at GS₃. Enzyme activities, available N and TOC significantly (p ≤ 0.05) enhanced with application of organic inputs even with reduced (50%) mineral N. Except urease and phosphatase, other enzymes did not respond significantly to mineral fertilization. Vermicompost application increased mean enzyme activities, MBC, microbial growth and TOC fractions (particulate organic carbon, humic acid and fulvic acid carbon) than farmyard manure. Significant (p ≤ 0.05) positive correlations (r = 0.61–0.87) were obtained between TOC and its fractions with studied soil enzymes. Thus, in conclusion, 5 t ha^–1 organics incorporation (especially vermicompost) in wheat fertility programme can uphold soil biological health, reduce (50%) N application and would be a sustainable option for wheat grown in inceptisols of northeastern region of India.     

Aboveground biomass and carbon stock in the largest sacred grove of Manipur,Northeast India

Aboveground biomass and carbon stock in the largest sacred grove of Manipur was estimated for trees with diameter [10 cm at 1.37 m height.The aboveground biomass,carbon stock,tree density and basal area of the sacred grove ranged from 962.94 to 1130.79 Mg ha~(-1),481.47 to 565.40 Mg ha~(-1) C,1240 to 1320 stem ha~(-1) and79.43 to 90.64 m~2 ha~(-1),respectively.Trees in diameter class of 30–40 cm contributed the highest proportion of aboveground biomass(22.50–33.73%).The aboveground biomass and carbon stock in research area were higher than reported for many tropical and temperate forests,suggesting a role of spiritual forest conservation for carbon sink management.     

Effect of Long-Term Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) Practices on Soil Nutrients Availability and Enzymatic Activity under Acidic Inceptisol of North-Eastern Region of India

ABSTRACT

Soil acidity is one of the main limitations for optimal use of land resources for better crop production. And, long-term fertilization experiments found to be helpful in increasing the nutrient supply in these acidic soils. Keeping this in view, a field experiment on rice was carried out by applying biofertilizers and enriched compost in an acidic Inceptisol of Assam over 10 successive years (2006–15) to examine its effects on nutrient availability and soil enzymatic activity. This experiment had five treatments viz. absolute control (T₁), 100% recommended doses (RD) of inorganic NPK (T₂), 50% RD of inorganic NP + 100% K +biofertilizers (T₃), 50% RD of inorganic NP + 100% K +1 tonne enriched compost ha^?1 (T₄) and 25% RD of inorganic NP + 100% K +2 tonnes enriched compost ha^?1 (T₅) under randomized block design with four replications. After completing 10 years of experiment, it was observed that integrated use of enriched compost and biofertilizers with reduced doses of inorganic fertilizers enhanced the soil enzymatic activity as well as nutrient availability in rice grown in acidic clay loam soils of Assam. Application of biofertilizers and enriched compost had positive impact on plant accessible nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in soil as compared to inorganic fertilizers. Also soil organic matter content increased considerably by these treatment. Integrated nutrient management practice in rice had also significantly enhanced the dehydrogenase, fluorescein diacetate and phospho-monoesterase activity in soil.     

Identification and characterization of SSRs in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clarias batrachus</Emphasis> and their application in population study

Magur Clarias batrachus is an indigenous catfish, commonly found in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Presently, the populations of magur have declined rapidly in their natural habitat mainly due to overexploitation and habitat degradation. Understanding the population genetic structure of the species has significance in improvement of stocks and in conservation of the species. In the present study, simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used to differentiate the populations of magur, collected from three geographic locations. For this, a total of 31,814 SSRs were mined from the de novo assembled pooled of whole genome sequence data of C. batrachus. A bioinformatics pipeline with stringent criteria was applied to analyze the data which resulted in selection of 30,142 microsatellite loci falling in the intergenic region. Out of the 25 loci selected for primer development, 16 loci were successfully amplified and 9 loci were found to be polymorphic in this species. The average observed as well as expected heterozygosity in the loci across different stocks varied from 0.652 to 0.688 and 0.864 to 0.873, respectively. These three populations were further segregated into two clusters based on the NJ genetic distance. The Lucknow population formed one cluster, while the Bhubaneswar and Kolkata populations constituted another cluster. A comparable finding was also deduced from the STRUCTURE analyses. The results revealed significant variation among the populations of C. batrachus under study.     

Sensory receptors and their afferents in the caudal sympathetic nerve of the domestic duck

1. The behavioural reactivity of the visceral receptors and their afferents in the caudal sympathetic nerve (part of synsacral sympathetic chain) of domestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos) was studied using electrophysiological techniques to examine their involvement in different physiological functions.

2. In total, 114 single unit activities were recorded from the caudal sympathetic nerve of duck.

3. Receptors were classified according to location: in the anal sphincter (32 units), in the mucous membrane of the cloaca (45 units), at the branching point of the blood vessels over the rectum and adjacent mesentery (10 units), at the base of the feather follicles in and around the vent (17 units), and in the ventral and lateral lower abdominal wall muscle (10 units).

4. Both spontaneous and non‐spontaneous receptors responded to mechanical stimuli; average frequency of discharge of non‐spontaneous units being much higher.

5. Most of these receptors were of the rapidly‐adapting type. Only some receptors in the abdominal muscle layer, anal sphincter and mucous membrane of hind gut were of the slowly‐adapting type. Some of the latter responded to intraluminal distension pressure.

6. Except for responses to succinylcholine chloride by receptors in the abdominal wall muscles and some units in the external anal sphincter, mechanosensitive receptors were not responsive to chemical stimuli.

7. The discharge rate of the receptors at the base of the feather follicles varied according to the strength of stimulus.

8. Conduction velocity of the caudal sympathetic afferent fibres ranged from 2·5 to 45 m/sec.

     

Enhancement of Growth and Yield of Glycine max Plants with Inoculation of Phosphate Solubilizing Fungus Aspergillus niger K7 and Biochar Amendment in Soil

Addition of biochar in agriculture soil and bioinoculation of several fungi have been proved to benefit the growth and yield of crops; however, these have been mostly studied separately. Therefore, to perceive the effect of biochar along with Aspergillus niger K7, the present investigation was planned in soybean. Maximum solubilization was found at 20°C in vitro. Further, the strain was morphologically and molecularly identified. In plant-soil experiment, all the treatments showed a significant (p < 0.05) increase in growth, root nodulation, and yield of soybean plants; however, biochar supplemented with K7 treatment was the best. Hence, it can be concluded that the addition of both bioinoculant and biochar simultaneously can be a good practice to improve soil fertility and crop yield. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on comparative study of the effect of biochar and phosphorus (P)-solubilizing K7 strain on growth, yield and P uptake in soybean plants grown in Kumaon Himalayas.     

Shredded Hard Stems of Pruning Litters Supported the Growth of Young Tea Plants by Supplementing Nitrogen in Soil: Evaluating Suitable Combination of Urea and Prunings

Tea is an evergreen shrub, and tea bushes (plants) are periodically pruned at 3-year intervals. This practice generates tons of pruning litters (leaves and stems) in tea gardens. In spite of availability, the hard nature and slow decomposition rate limit the use of pruning litters as soil amendments. In this study, an attempt was made to cycle pruning litters in shredded form to evaluate their effect on young tea plants under greenhouse condition. It was observed that shredded prunings were decomposed in soil within study duration and enhanced nitrate-N content in the soil. The study revealed that different parameters like plant height, biomass weight, and N uptake were enhanced due to the application of suitable combinations of pruning litter and urea in the soil. Based on this study, it could be concluded that application of shredded prunings had potential to replace up to 15% of recommended urea during tea cultivation.     

Elevated carbon dioxide level along with phosphorus application and cyanobacterial inoculation enhances nitrogen fixation and uptake in cowpea crop

Climate change, as a result of increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases, influences growth and productivity of leguminous crops. A study was carried out to analyse the impacts of elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) and cyanobacterial inoculation on growth, N₂ fixation and N availability and uptake in cowpea crop, under different doses of phosphorus. Cowpea crop was grown under ambient (400 µmol mol^?1) and elevated (550 ± 20 µmol mol^?1) CO₂ levels using Free-Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment facility. Elevated CO₂ level increased chlorophyll content in leaves, improved nodulation and nitrogen fixation by the crop. Increase in P dose up to 16 mg kg^?1 soil enhanced nodule development and N₂ fixation under high CO₂ condition. Cyanobacterial inoculation increased nodule weight, leghaemoglobin content in nodules and total nitrogenase activity. Although nitrogen concentration in cowpea seeds decreased in high CO₂ treatment, higher N uptake was recorded. Under elevated CO₂ condition, cyanobacterial inoculation and higher P doses led to enhanced root growth and N₂ fixation and availability of soil nitrogen. The study illustrated the synergistic effect of high CO₂ and cyanobacterial inoculation in enhancing crop growth and availability of soil N, mediated by biological N₂ fixation in cowpea under different levels of P.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of lingual antimicrobial peptide cDNA of Bubalus bubalis

Antimicrobial peptides form a crucial component of innate immune system, making it a highly effective first line of defense in animals. In the study, lingual antimicrobial peptide cDNA of Bubalus bubalis has been characterized. The characterized cDNA has complete ORF of 195 bases. The signal sequence of buffalo LAP comprised of N-terminal 1-20 amino acids and mature peptide from 23-64 amino acids. The percentage of similarity of buffalo LAP and buffalo EBD at nucleotide and amino acid level was 96.4% and 92.3% respectively. The identity of buffalo LAP with cattle LAP and TAP at nucleotide level was 92.8% and 90.3%. Both at nucleotide and amino acid level buffalo LAP is closer to buffalo EBD followed by cattle LAP and TAP. Phylogenetic tree at nucleotide and amino acid level also showed close relationship of buffalo LAP with buffalo EBD, cattle LAP and TAP. The synthesized LAP fragment had antibacterial activity.