Process Optimization for the Development of Nutritionally Enhanced Nuggets using Ficus geniculata: A Nutritional Approach

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Ficus geniculata (FG) is one of the underutilized fig species in India and throughout the world. However, the different parts of the plant have numerous...     

Variation of Phyllosphere Microflora of Different Rice Varieties in Sri Lanka and its Relationship to Leaf Anatomical and Physiological Characters

Anatomical and physiological characters of the leaf surface and its physico‐chemical environment substantially influence the density and diversity of phyllosphere‐inhabiting microorganisms, which may include natural antagonists of important pathogens. The objective of this investigation was to quantify the phyllosphere (i.e. leaf surface) microbial population in a range of rice varieties grown in Sri Lanka and to identify the leaf anatomical and physiological characters that determine the density and diversity of phyllosphere microbes. Fifteen rice varieties including both traditional and new high‐yielding varieties were used in a planthouse experiment and a field experiment in two consecutive seasons to quantify the phyllosphere microbial population and measure leaf characters that may influence it. There were highly significant intervarietal variations in the density and diversity of epiphytic bacterial, fungal and total microbial populations under both planthouse and field conditions. However, there was no difference between traditional and new, high‐yielding varieties in their capacity to harbour epiphytic microbes in the phyllosphere. Total microbial density (TMD) under both conditions showed positive correlations with leaf hair density, stomatal density and transpiration rate. Under planthouse conditions, TMD was also positively correlated with leaf hair length and negatively correlated with leaf temperature. These correlations can be explained in terms of providing favourable microsites on the phylloplane for epiphytic microbial growth.     

QTL analysis of morphological and developmental traits in the Ler × Cvi population of Arabidopsis thaliana

Drought frequently constrains production of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), but development of tolerant cultivars is hampered by low heritability for drought tolerance and a lack of effective selection strategies. Our objective was to identify an optimum selection regime for wheat in drought-prone environments. Six-hundred entries derived from 10 crosses were developed by selection under continuous high moisture, alternating high with low moisture, alternating low with high moisture, and continuous low moisture conditions for five generations. The selections were evaluated in two low-yield, a medium-yield, and a high-yield environment in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico. The mean performance of entries derived from a particular selection regime was dependant on the stress level of the evaluation environment. Lines developed and selected under continuous high moisture and continuous low-moisture regimes produced the highest mean yields in the low moisture evaluation environment. There was no relationship between continuous selection under either high yielding conditions or low yielding conditions and the mean performance of the resultant lines in their respective high and low yielding evaluation environments. The mean yield of lines selected using the alternating high/low moisture regime as well as the five highest yielding lines were superior in the HY environment, and had similar performance with other regimes under the low yielding evaluation environment. Our results indicate that alternating selection between high and low yielding environments is the most effective way to develop wheat germplasm adapted to environments where intermittent drought occurs. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

RAPD and ISSR fingerprinting in cultivated chickpea (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cicer arietinum</Emphasis> L.) and its wild progenitor <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cicer reticulatum</Emphasis> Ladizinsky

Detection of genetic relationships between 19 chickpea cultivars and five accessions of its wild progenitor Cicer reticulatum Ladizinsky were investigated by using RAPD and ISSR markers. On an average, six bands per primer were observed in RAPD analysis and 11 bands per primer in ISSR analysis. In RAPD, the wild accessions shared 77.8% polymorphic bands with chickpea cultivars, whereas they shared 79.6% polymorphic bands in ISSR analysis. In RAPD analysis 51.7% and 50.5% polymorphic bands were observed among wild accessions and chickpea cultivars, respectively. Similarly, 65.63% and 56.25% polymorphic bands were found in ISSR analysis. The dendrogram developed by pooling the data of RAPD and ISSR analysis revealed that the wild accessions and the ICCV lines showed similar pattern with the dendrogram of RAPD analysis. The ISSR analysis clearly indicated that even with six polymorphic primers, reliable estimation of genetic diversity could be obtained, while nearly 30 primers are required for RAPD. Moreover, RAPD can cause genotyping errors due to competition in the amplification of all RAPD fragments. The markers generated by ISSR and RAPD assays can provide practical information for the management of genetic resources. For the selection of good parental material in breeding programs the genetic data produced through ISSR can be used to correlate with the relationship measures based on pedigree data and morphological traits to minimize the individual inaccuracies in chickpea.     

Pathogenesis-related (PR)-proteins: Chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase in defense mechanism against malformation in mango (Mangifera indica L.)

Mango, the king of fruits in India is cultivated commercially in many tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Undoubtedly, mango malformation is a serious disease affecting mango production in India and many other countries around the world. It is now shown that the malady is inflicted by Fusarium, a fungus, and also that the plants have the capacity to suppress or reduce pathogen attack by inducing the synthesis of antimicrobial metabolites such as chitinase and/or the synthesis of lignin, both of which may enhance plant defense system. The present study was aimed at investigating the variability and relationship between activities of chitinase, β-1,3-glucanase and content of lignin in the leaves using 12 mango cultivars with the different degree of resistance to floral malformation. Results revealed that the activity of chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase in the leaves were significantly high in mango cultivars resistant to malformation (r = −0.90 and r = −0.91, respectively) during the flowering period, whereas lignin content did not show a significant correlation with malformation. The highest activity of chitinase (1.977–2.011 units) and β-1,3-glucanase (80.54–82.06 units) was recorded in resistant mango cultivars Bhadauran and Elaichi. In contrast, these activities were less than 1.010 and 25.21 respectively in highly susceptible mango cultivars such as Amrapali, Eldon and Neelum. Lignin content was highest in resistant cultivar Bhadauran, but it did not show significant relation to the malformation intensity of the cultivars. Thus, leaf chitinase and β-1,3-glucanase may be contributing towards resistance to malformation in mango and that the relative activities of these enzymes can be used as a criterion to predict and screen the mango germplasm and cultivars for resistance to floral malformation.     

Comparison of virulence of various hantaviruses related to hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in newborn mouse model

The virulence of hantaviruses that are antigenically related but have different genetic characteristics from the prototype of hantavirus, Hantaan (HTN) virus, was examined in newborn mice. The H5 and B78 strains of the Amur (AMR) genotype, the Bao14 strain of the Far East (FE) genotype, and the 76-118 strain of HTN virus were inoculated subcutaneously (1focus-forming unit; FFU) into newborn mice. All of the AMR and FE genotype viruses inoculated mice were died by 16 days post-infection (dpi) and 21 dpi, respectively, while 50% of the HTN virus inoculated mice survived until 30 dpi. The AMR and FE genotype viruses inoculated mice had high viral titers in the lung (1.3x10(6) to 1.3x10(8) FFU/gram [g] tissue) , brain (2.1x10(7) to 1.2x10(9) FFU/g tissue), and kidney(2.5x10(5) to 1.6x10(7) FFU/g tissue), and showed a detectable level of antibodies (titers 1:16-1:32) at 14 dpi. In contrast, the HTN virus infected mice had viruses only in the lungs at low titers (1.1-5.3x10(5) FFU/g tissue). Observations of body-weight changes revealed that the AMR and FE genotype viruses inoculated mice had lower growth rates than the HTN virus inoculated mice. These data suggest that the AMR and FE genotype viruses are more virulent than the HTN virus in newborn mice.     

Molecular characterization and diagnostics of stubby root and virus vector nematodes of the family Trichodoridae (Nematoda: Triplonchida) using ribosomal RNA genes

Plant parasitic nematodes of the family Trichodoridae cause substantial yield losses in many agricultural crops. Rapid and accurate identification of trichodorids to the species level is critical for selection of appropriate measures for control. This study analysed 99 sequences of the D2–D3 expansion segments of the 28S rRNA gene and 131 sequences of the 18S rRNA gene from the stubby nematodes belonging to the genera Nanidorus, Paratrichodorus and Trichodorus. Species delimiting was based on the integration of morphological identification, which is not provided in the present article, and molecular‐based phylogenetic inference and sequence analysis. Twenty‐two valid species and several species complexes were identified among nematodes included in the analysis. PCR‐RFLPs of the partial 18S rDNA and the D2–D3 expansion segments of the 28S rDNA were tested and proposed for identification of these nematodes. Gel PCR‐RFLP profiles and tables with restriction fragment lengths for several diagnostic enzymes are provided for identification. Some problems of taxonomy and phylogeny of nematodes of the family Trichodoridae are also discussed.     

Diagnosis of paratuberculosis in goats by cell mediated immune response,conventional and molecular diagnostic techniques

In the present study efficacy of single intradermal Johnin test, acid fast staining of faecal smear and IS 900 faecal polymerase chain reaction tests was evaluated in 200 goats for detection of Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis. Two hundred goats comprising 150 goats from an organised farm in Trichur district and 50 goats reared under field condition at farmers premise from Malappuram district of Kerala state formed the study population. Faecal smear from all the 200 goats was stained by Ziehl–Neelsen acid fast stain and faecal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) specific for M. avium subsp paratuberculosis (MAP); IS 900 was performed on all samples. All the animals were subjected to single intradermal Johnin test. Out of 200 goats screened for paratuberculosis, six goats (3%), 11 goats (5.5%) and 42 goats (21%) were found positive by Ziehl–Neelsen acid fast staining of faecal smear, single intradermal Johnin test and IS 900 PCR respectively. Results of the present study indicate that amplification of IS 900 insertion element was the most specific and sensitive diagnostic detection method. Single intradermal Johnin test and Ziehl–Neelsen acid fast staining did not show any significant difference.