Edible ferns and fern–allies of North East India: a study on potential wild vegetables

The North East India houses around 130 ethnic tribal communities which exhibits unique tradition, dialect and culture. These communities collect edible plants from wild forming a common practice for livelihood and subsistence even today. Of the varieties of plant consumed, ferns and fern–allies also constitute an important food supplement. An inventory survey was conducted in order to assess the wild edible ferns and fern–allies which are used as vegetables by various ethnic communities of North East India. Altogether, twenty-three (23) ferns and fern–allies are found to be edible, and used in preparing various cuisines. Four species viz. Diplazium esculentum (Retz.) Sw., Huperzia phlegmaria (L.) Rothm., Huperzia squarrosa (G. Forst.) Trevis. and Nephrolepis cordifolia (L.) C. Presl were cultivated in small scale for consumption and horticultural purposes, while the rest of the species were directly harvested from wild habitat. Role of these ferns in local cuisines, other reported uses and bioactive components were discussed. The study also emphasises on future development of ferns and its allies as potential vegetables in North East India.     

The influence of temperature,pH/molarity and extractant on the removal of arsenic,chromium and zinc from contaminated soil

Purpose  

Normal soil washing leave high residual pollutant content in soil. The remediation could be improved by targeting the extraction to coarser fractions. Further, a low/high extraction pH and higher temperature enhance the pollutant removal, but these measures are costly. In this study, the utility of NaOH, oxalate–citrate (OC) and dithionite–citrate–oxalate (DCO) solutions for extracting of arsenic, chromium and zinc from contaminated soil were assessed and compared. In addition the effects of NaOH concentration and temperature on NaOH extractions, and those of temperature and pH on OC and DCO extractions, were evaluated.     

Antibacterial activity of Urena lobata root

The methanol extract of Urena lobata root showed a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity.     

Response of climbing perch,Anabas testudineus to industrial pollutants: Head kidney peroxidase,iodide peroxidase,and blood thyroxine profiles

The study demonstrates that in teleosts pollutants influence thyroxine release mediated via the peroxidase system of iodination. Mixtures of toxicants either prepared in the laboratory or collected from a factory discharge, are equally detrimental towards the thyroxine homeostasis: Inhibition of head kidney peroxidase was usually associated with a decrease in iodide peroxidase activity and blood thyroxine level.     

Somatic embryogenesis of Limonium sinense: a study on the regeneration efficacy via direct and indirect approach followed by Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation

An efficient indirect somatic embryogenesis and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocol for Limonium sinense has been established, wherein neomycin phosphotransferase II (npt II) and β-glucuronidase (GUS) genes were used as selectable and screenable markers, respectively. The efficiency of plantlet regeneration from transformed tissue was compared between direct embryogenesis from leaf and indirect embryogenesis from callus. Embryogenic callus (EC) was initiated from leaf explants on MS medium supplemented with 6.7 μM 2,4-D and 2.22 μM BA. The somatic embryos were induced, matured, and germinated when ECs were transferred onto MS medium supplemented with 4.44 μM BA and 1.07 μM NAA. Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA 4404 containing the vector pBI121 was used for the transformation. Transient GUS expression frequency was evaluated and putative transgenic plants were successfully grown on culture medium in presence of kanamycin (80–100 mg L^?1). PCR analysis of putative transgenic plants confirmed the presence of GUS and nptII genes. The transformation efficiency obtained through indirect embryogenesis from calluses (4%) was much higher than through direct embryogenesis from leaf explants (0.9%).     

Time-dependent changes in dough color in hexaploid wheat landraces differing in polyphenol oxidase activity.

Time-dependent changes in the color of noodle sheets (using 2% NaCl or 1% alkaline salts in the formulation) made from 43 Iranian hexaploid wheat landrace accessions were measured. Pekar slick tests in water and in alkaline conditions were also carried out. A wide variation in color characteristics of the landraces was found, with L values of salted noodle sheets at 2 h ranging from 80.9 to 89.2 and b values of alkaline noodle sheets at 2 h ranging from 19.1 to 27.4, showing potential application in noodle wheat improvement programs. For initial rapid screening of samples it was observed that a single reading of the dough sheet after 2 h was adequate. The dough sheets should be kept at 5 degrees C during storage, to prevent microbiological activity in the dough, which would give erroneous results. The Pekar slick test results were not highly correlated to color measurements on the dough, so this test is not recommended for screening for noodle color potential in landraces.     

Remote sensing-based assessment of impact of Phailin cyclone on rice in Odisha,India

Assessing the nature and extent of damage due to natural calamities remains one of the thrust areas in monitoring resource inventory through remote sensing. The effect of the cyclone Phailin and the post-incessant rains during second fortnight of October 2013 on coastal Odisha was studied in terms of rice area flooded, submerged and damaged. Multi-temporal SAR data were analysed to obtain the rice mask, and from this rice mask, the flood affected rice area was determined. Taluka-wise and district-wise crop loss proportion was estimated, and the overall production loss has been estimated. SAR data aided in delineation of flooded regions, while AWiFS NDVI data of subsequent dates showed both continued inundation and crop vigour status post-flood time period. The ground truth indicated that a major portion of the inundated region was not rice but was typha grasses and harvested rice field which should not be accounted as damage to rice crop. The damage on crop yield was difficult to assess; however, the inundation of the crop at panicle initiation and flowering would have impact on grain filling (results in chaffiness) and was considered as completely damaged. Most of the current inundated rice regions fall in this category. It was estimated that a total of 0.167 million hectares and 0.37 million tons of rice crop was lost in the cyclone and floods. The district-level percentage area of rice flooded was communicated to State Remote Sensing Centre in four days timeframe. The overall accuracy obtained for the validation of the ground truth sites was 91.5 %.