Ethnobotanical flora used by four major tribes of Koraput, Odisha, India

The aim of this study is to chronicle the utilization pattern of a number of plant species by four major tribes inhabiting in Koraput district of Odisha, India. Fifteen villages dominated by tribal communities, under five Community Development Blocks were selected. A semi structured questionnaire was developed to bring together data on traditional crops and forest species still used by the communities. The methodology engaged was personal discussions with mixed focused groups combined with field visits, photographs, voice recordings and collection of materials. Findings were that tribal communities cultivate a diverse crop species with varying durations to meet their food and economic requirement throughout the year. This was supplemented by wild food collections during scarcity periods. Various forest species provide wood, fibre, leaves and grasses for agriculture, house construction and specific uses besides enhancing household income. Tribal health care practitioners collect medicinal plants from the wild and semi wild to treat both humans and livestock. At the end of the study the team assumed that tribal communities would continue to depend on traditional crops and wild forest foods for their household consumption and a diverse species of plants for other specific use. Conservation of these valuable resources in its natural habitat would be an appropriate approach for ensuring food security of future generations. Conventional plant breeders and biotechnologists should undertake scientific validation of these crops and plants to make their value explicitly known. This knowledge could be utilized for crop improvement and bio-prospecting. There is also scope for equitable sharing of benefits if used by the seed and pharmaceutical industries in future.     

Physiochemical and Textural Alterations in Indian Squid (Loligo duvauceli) Mantle During Frozen Storage and Cooking

Textural variations in squid mantle and the role of proteins on texture during frozen storage and cooking were investigated. Myofibrillar protein (62.36%) and pepsin soluble collagen (10.70%) accounted for the major fraction of total protein (22.17%). The histochemistry of mantle tissue showed a mesh-like arrangement of myofibrillar proteins with a collagenous dermal layer and feebly passing collagen through myotome bundles. Texture profile analysis of unfrozen mantle suggested the first phase of hardening at 50°C with hardness 1 (H1) of 11.53 kgf and hardness 2 (H2) of 9.68 kgf; and the second phase of hardening with optimal texture and maximum juiciness at 70°C (H1, 8.11 kgf; H2, 7.13 kgf) that varied with extended frozen storage. Increased frozen storage and cooking led to protein denaturation and formation of new low molecular weight proteins as evidenced in sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE); these possibly influenced the functional and microstructural properties of the tissue.     

Diversity of woody plant seedling banks under closed canopy in fragmented coppice forests

? Seedling banks of woody species established under closed canopy have received little consideration in coppice forests despite their potential importance for natural regeneration.

? This study aimed to evaluate the influences of canopy composition and of distance from the nearest forest edge on the abundance and species richness of the seedling bank, for different ecological groups of seedlings (age, successional status and dispersal vector) in 68 fragmented coppice stands.

? Seedlings were found in 67 stands, with 19 species identified. Eight species present as older seedlings were lacking as first-year old seedlings, suggesting temporal variability of species recruitment. Seedling abundances of species with low-dispersal ability were positively correlated with the abundances of their conspecific adults. Seedling abundance of mid-successional species was negatively correlated with the distance from the nearest forest edge, while mid-to-late successional species seedling abundance presented the opposite pattern.

? Our results showed that woody species were able to establish frequently under closed canopy in these fragmented coppices and form a seedling bank which may be used for natural regeneration.

     

Arsenic Bioaccumulation by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eruca sativa</Emphasis> Is Unaffected by Intercropping or Plant Density

Because crop uptake of arsenic from soils poses a human health concern, this study examines the effect of plant species, neighborhood, and planting density on arsenic uptake by brassicas grown with companion crops. At a field site contaminated by arsenic and lead, we measured arsenic uptake in arugula (Eruca sativa) and collards (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) grown in arrangements varying in species diversity and density. We further tested the effect of species diversity on arsenic uptake in two greenhouse experiments with arsenic-spiked potting soil, one test using brassicaceous plants with intercropped pairs of arugula, collards, and kale (B. oleracea var. acephala). The other had intercropped pairs of arugula, lettuce (Lactuca sativa), and marigold (Tagetes patula). Arugula in all cropping arrangements accumulated the highest and most variable concentrations of arsenic compared to other species, with neither species diversity in the companion crops nor planting density affecting arsenic uptake. We observed increased phosphorus and sulfur uptake by arugula exposed to soil arsenic in the greenhouse brassica intercropping experiments, a result that may be explained by a biological response to arsenic or competition of arsenate with phosphate and sulfate for adsorption sites in the soil. Arsenic uptake was largely independent of plant-plant facilitation effects sometimes reported for other elements, possibly because of strong buffering of the bioavailable fraction of arsenic in the soils tested.     

Recent spreading of a divergent canine parvovirus type 2a (CPV-2a) strain in a CPV-2c homogenous population

Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), which causes acute hemorrhagic enteritis in dogs, is comprised of three antigenic variants (2a, 2b, and 2c) that are distributed worldwide with different frequencies. Variant prevalence was analyzed in 150 CPV-2-positive samples collected from the Uruguayan dog population in 2007-2010. Samples were analyzed with polymerase chain reaction, restriction fragment length polymorphism, and sequencing of the coding region for the largest and most variable loop of the VP2 capsid protein. CPV-2c was the only strain detected from 2007 to 2009. Uruguayan CPV-2c showed high homogeneity in both nucleotide and amino acid sequences, indicating a low level of genetic variability. In 2010, an unexpected epidemiological change occurred in Uruguay as a consequence of the appearance of a novel CPV-2a strain. This variant rapidly spread through the Uruguayan dog population and was detected in 20 of the 52 cases (38%) analyzed in 2010. CPV-2a sequences were identical in all field viruses analyzed, and in addition to the characteristic 426Asn residue, the sequences showed amino acid substitutions (267Tyr, 324Ile, and 440Ala) not observed in the Uruguayan CPV-2c. These data and the first detection in April 2010 suggest that the CPV-2a variant recently emerged in Uruguay and underwent clonal expansion. This observation is the first case in which a CPV-2a variant increased its frequency in a dog population where CPV-2c was prevalent. Our results emphasize the dynamic changes in CPV variants and highlight the importance of ongoing surveillance programs to provide a better understanding of virus epidemiology.     

Metabolism of some sterol inhibitors in fungi and higher plants,with special reference to the selectivity of fungicidal action

The metabolism of triforine, chloraniformethan, the α-(pyrimidin-5-yl)benzhydryl alcohols (fenarimol, nuarimol and triarimol), the trityl-azoles (fluotrimazole and clotrimazole), and the morpholine types of sterol inhibitors is reviewed; the metabolism of the azolyl-alkane derivatives (mainly triadimefon and triadimenol) is discussed in detail. Redox and hydrolytic reactions are of primary importance. Enzymic inactivation may be one factor influencing fungicide selectivity. Metabolism is the dominant factor of selectivity if it represents the activation process, as with triadimefon. Transformations in higher plants do not differ significantly from those occurring in fungi, except that factors such as the formation of conjugates with natural compounds of plant tissues also play a role, as with triforine and triadimenol. The selectivity of fungitoxic action may be influenced by metabolism both in the host plant and the pathogen.     

The diastereomeric ratio in the triadimenol produced by fungal metabolism of triadimefon,and its role in fungicidal selectivity

The ratio of the two diastereomeric forms of triadimenol, produced by the reduction of triadimefon in various fungi, was studied. The reduction of triadimefon in fungi seems to be a concentration-dependent process, the virtual irreversibility of which is proved. Not only the degree of triadimefon reduction, but also the ratio of the triadimenol diastereomers produced, was characteristic for each of the fungal species. A direct correlation, between the production of the more active diastereomeric form and the sensitivity of the fungal species to triadimefon, was observed.     

Treatment of Metastatic Equine Melanoma with a Plasmid DNA Vaccine Encoding Streptococcus Pyogenes EMM55 Protein

A 19-year-old castrated male Arab/Quarter horse presented with an extensive history of cutaneous metastatic melanoma. Over a period of 8 months, a total of 8 doses of plasmid DNA vaccine expressing the Streptococcus pyogenes emm55 gene (pAc/emm55) were administered intratumorally at 300 μg/dose via a needless injector. Upon completion of the vaccination protocol, the size of the injected lesions, on average, were reduced by 40.3% from the initial size measurements. Lesions that were not injected were reduced by 47.6%. The overall reduction in total tumor burden was 42.3%. Tumor regression was also associated with the augmentation of antimelanoma IgG antibody response, thus implying that an induction of an effective antimelanoma response would be of great advantage in the management of equine melanoma.     

Effects of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide on physical and biochemical properties of the claw horn of Holstein cows

The effects of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide on the physical and biochemical properties of the claw horn of Holstein cows were evaluated. Significant (P < 0.05, 0.01) decreases in hardness and elasticity were found in claw horns soaked in ammonia (NH₃) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) solutions compared with those that were soaked in water for 12, 24, and 48 h. Water absorption rate, as a indicator of permeability barrier function, increased significantly (P < 0.05) over time during the soaking period and was found to be dependent on the concentrations of NH₃ and H₂S in the solutions. The contents of ceramide, the main lipid component for the permeability barrier system of the stratum corneum, were significantly decreased in claw horns soaked in NH₃ and H₂S solutions compared with the values before soaking. Quantities of eluted protein released from claw horns treated with NH₃ and H₂S solutions were approximately 20 times and 30 to 40 times greater than those released from claw horns treated with water alone. Interestingly, the quantities of cytokeratin 10, the main cytoskeletal protein of the stratum corneum, eluted from claw horns treated with NH₃ and H₂S solutions were markedly greater than the quantity released from horns soaked in water. Our results suggest that abnormal changes in the physical property of claw horn caused by NH₃ and H₂S treatment are due to disruption of the biochemical property of the claw horn induced by these chemical agents derived from slurry.