Yield and quality of tomato grown under organic and conventional nutrient management

Nutrient management plays an important role in yield and quality of tomatoes. A field experiment was conducted during the years 2008–09 and 2009–10 to analyze the effect of organic and conventional sources of fertilizer on yield and quality of tomatoes in an acid lateritic soil of India. The organic sources of fertilizer were vermicompost (VC), crop residue (CR), vermiwash (VW) and biofertilizer (BF). The conventional input was chemical fertilizer (CF) applied at recommended dose of 100:80:60 kg ha^?1 of N:P₂O₅:K₂O for the tomato. The organic source VC was used to supply 100% N recommendation as single source or 50% N recommendation when combined with CF or organic sources. Maximum fruit yield was recorded when CF was applied at full dose, which was on a par with VC at full recommendation. A higher percentage of large-size fruits (>7 cm) was obtained in VC-based treatments compared with CF treatment. Vermicompost at full dose increased ascorbic acid, beta carotene, total soluble solids and color value compared with its half dose along with other organic sources (CR, BF). The potential exists to improve tomato fruit quality through a better nutrient management, whether it be conventional, organic or a combination of both.     

Optimum Seed Rate and Nitrogen Fertilizer Requirement of Rice Under Semi-deepwater Ecosystem

The effect of varying seed rates (100–1000 seeds m⁻²) and nitrogen fertilizer (0–60 kg N ha_-1) applied either in a single basal dose or in splits was investigated on a tall elongating, photosensitive rice variety, Nalini, under semi-deepwater conditions (0–100cm) during 1993 and 1994 at Cuttack, India. Seedling emergence was higher in 1993 (53.9 %) than in 1994 (44.1 %) and it increased proportionately with increasing seed rate, Increase in the number of tillers and panicles m⁻² at higher seed rates was associated with a corresponding decrease in panicle weight. Regression analysis indicated a decrease of 0.91–1.28g in panicle weight for an increase of 100 panicles m⁻². The grain yield of rice was significantly higher at 400 seeds m⁻² in 1993 and at 600 seeds m⁻² in 1994 than at low seed rates but further increase in seed rate did not increase the yield. Application of N fertilizer increased the panicle number and thereby grain yield significantly. The effect of basal and split applied N at active or maximum tillering stages as well as between 30 and 60 kg N ha⁻¹ was not significant on the grain yield. The results suggest that a basal dose of 30kg N ha⁻¹ and seeding density of 400–600 seeds m⁻², resulting in 40–50 % seedling emergence and 150–200 panicles m⁻², each with 2.0–2.5 g weight, may be adequate for optimum productivity of rice under semideepwater conditions.     

Effects of Nitrogen on Dry Matter Accumulation and Productivity of Three Cropping Systems and Residual Effects on Wheat in Deep Vertisols of Central India

A field experiment was conducted on deep vertisols of Bhopal, India to study the effects of three levels of nitrogen (N), namely 0, 75 and 100 % of the recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN), on the dry matter accumulation (DMA) and productivity of three cropping systems (sole soybean, sole sorghum and soybean + sorghum intercropping) during the rainy season and their residual effect on the subsequent wheat crop during the post-rainy season. During the rainy season, sole sorghum was found to have significantly higher DMA and productivity in terms of soybean equivalent yield (SEY) than sole soybean or soybean + sorghum intercropping. Increasing the N dose from 0 to 100 % RDN significantly improved the DMA and SEY. At a low fertility level (N₀), soybean + sorghum intercropping was found to be more productive, while at a high fertility level (100 % RDN), sole sorghum was more productive than the other two cropping systems. However, during the post-rainy season, sole soybean as the preceding crop gave the highest DMA and seed yield of wheat, which were similar to those found with soybean + sorghum intercropping. Sorghum followed by wheat gave the lowest DMA and seed yield of wheat. Application of 100 % RDN irrespective of cropping system during the preceding crop improved the DMA of wheat but not its seed yield. However, N applied to the wheat crop significantly increased its DMA and seed yield.     

Productivity,soil fertility and soil erosion under cassava based agroforestry systems

The interactions between component species in three-tier agroforestry systems were studied on sloping laterite soils of South India for three years. The wood yield of Eucalyptus was found to increase in association with the intercrops, with cassava + groundnut resulting in the best growth of Eucalyptus. Green forage yield of Leucaena was adversely affected by cassava but was improved by inclusion of a short duration seasonal crop. Both spread and mean length of lateral roots of Eucalyptus and Leucaena were restricted by cassava intercropping. Both the tree species were found to reduce the tuber yield of cassava and also the pod yield of both the seasonal crops when grown in association. Monocropping with cassava was found to improve the fertility and an increase in phosphorus and potassium contents of the soil was observed when grown in association with Eucalyptus and Leucaena. Soil fertility fell considerably after three years of cultivation of the tree species. The nutrient uptake by cassava was low when grown in association with perennial species. Both run off and soil loss were effectively reduced when cassava was grown in staggered mounds under Eucalyptus and Leucaena.     

Determination of essential oil contents and micropropagation of Gaultheria fragrantissima,an endangered woody aromatic plant of India

Summary

Leaves of mature of Gaultheria fragrantissima Wall. plants (Indian wintergreen) were collected from various locations in the Eastern Himalayan region on the Indo-China border and were analysed by steam distillation and gas chromatography to identify an elite line that contained 1.79% (v/v) essential oils, 98% of which was methyl salicylate. Subsequently, a highly reproducible micropropagation protocol using adult shoot tips from this elite genotype was developed in order to conserve this highly-valued, endangered, woody oil-bearing aromatic shrub in India. Among several plant growth regulator (PGR) combinations tested for in vitro multiplication, up to 35 shoots per explant could be induced within 14 weeks of culture on woody plant medium (WPM) fortified only with 0.22 mg l^–1 thidiazuron (TDZ). These shoots could elongate on WPM containing 1.0 mg l^–1 kinetin. Rooted plantlets were acclimatised ex vivo, with 70% success. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis indicated the genetic uniformity of both the micropropagated plantlets and the donor plants. This is the first report on in vitro micropropagation of G. fragrantissima.     

Effects of hydrolysed Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast and yeast cell wall components on live performance, intestinal histo-morphology and humoral immune response of broilers

1. The effects of enzymatically hydrolysed whole Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast (HY) and the pellets of yeast cell wall (YCW) on production traits, the microbiology and histo-morphology of the small intestine, and humoral immune responses against Newcastle disease virus (NDV), of Ross 308 broilers were investigated.

2. The control group received a maize-soyabean meal based basal diet for 42 days. In the treated groups the basal diet was supplemented with 1?g/kg of HY and YCW. There were 8 replicate pens per group (n?=?12 birds/pen).

3. HY and YCW supplementation improved live weight (P?=?0·006) and FCR (P?=?0·003) at 42-d as compared with the control group.

4. In the small intestine, Salmonella spp and Escherichia coli numbers were higher (P?=?0·01) in the mucosa and lower (P?=?0·01) in the digesta of the HY and the YCW fed groups at 25?d of age. Lactobacillus in the duodenal and jejunal digesta was higher (P?

5. Following oral challenge with Salmonella pullorum, Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus increased (P?P?

6. Supplementation of HY and YCW increased villus height in the jejunum (P?=?0·02), width of villus in the ileum (P?=?0·034) and number of goblet cells in villi of the jejunum (P?=?0·006) and ileum (P?=?0·01).

7. YCW increased antibody level against NDV at 21 and 42?d of age compared with the control and the HY supplemented diets (P?

8. It was concluded that HY and YCW improved growth and feed efficiency in broilers, and considering the improvements in production traits and humoral immune responses, yeast cell wall may be a better dietary tool than the hydrolysed whole yeast cell as a performance enhancer for broilers.     

Diazinon resistant status in Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus collected from different agro-climatic regions of India

The resistance status of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus to "Diazinon" was evaluated in 20 locations situated at various agro-climatic regions of India. Adult immersion test (AIT) was optimized using laboratory reared acaricide susceptible IVRI-I strain of R. (B.) microplus and minimum effective concentration of Diazinon was determined as 635.2 ppm. The discriminating dose (DD) was worked out as 1270.4 ppm and was tested on female ticks collected from organized and unorganized farms located at different agro-climatic regions of India. On the basis of the data generated on three variables viz., mortality, egg masses and reproductive index, the resistance level was categorized as I, II, III and IV. The average resistance factor (RF) of 6.1 (level II) was recorded in the ticks collected from the northern sub-temperate trans-gangetic plains while high average RF values of 26.65 (level III) was recorded in the ticks collected from tropical middle-gangetic plains. The tropical middle gangetic plain has a very high density of animal populations where farmers use Diazinon for tick control, for agricultural practices and for mosquito control. Due to the continuous use of OP compounds the environmental load of Diazinon has become high in the area. This is the first experimental data generated on Diazinon resistant status in ticks of India.     

Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Embryonic Stem Cell‐Like Cells and Preimplantation Embryos Exhibit Comparable Expression of Pluripotency‐Related Antigens

In this study, inner cell mass (ICM) cells were isolated from in vitro produced buffalo blastocysts and were cultured on mitomycin‐C treated buffalo foetal fibroblast feeder layer for producing embryonic stem (ES) cells. Among different sources (hatched vs expanded blastocysts) or methods (enzymatic vs mechanical), mechanical isolation of ICM from hatched blastocysts resulted in the highest primary colony formation rate and the maximum passage number up to which ES cells survived. Putative ES cells expressed alkaline phosphatase and exhibited a normal karyotype up to passage 7. Putative ES cells and embryos at 2‐ to 4‐cell, 8‐ to 16‐cell, morula and blastocyst stages strongly expressed stage‐specific embryonic antigen (SSEA)‐4 but lacked expressions of SSEA‐1 and SSEA‐3. Putative ES cells also expressed tumour rejection antigen (TRA)‐1‐60, TRA‐1‐81 and Oct4. Whereas in all early embryonic stages, TRA‐1‐60 was observed only in the periplasmic space, and TRA‐1‐81 expression was observed as small spots at a few places inside the embryos, both these markers were expressed by ICM. Oct4 expression, which was observed at all the embryonic stages and also in the trophectoderm, was the strongest in the ICM. Buffalo putative ES cells possess a unique pluripotency‐related surface antigen phenotype, which resembles that of the ICM.     

Resveratrol metabolites do not elicit early pro-apoptotic mechanisms in neuroblastoma cells

Resveratrol, a nontoxic polyphenol, has been shown to inhibit tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model of neuroblasoma. However, resveratrol is rapidly metabolized, mainly to its glucuronidated and sulfated derivatives. This study demonstrates that resveratrol alone, and not the glucuronidated or sulfated metabolites, is taken up into tumor cells, induces a rise in [Ca(2+)](i), and ultimately leads to a decrease in tumor cell viability. A new water-soluble resveratrol formulation was delivered directly at the site of the tumor in a neuroblastoma mouse model. The amount of unmodified resveratrol associated with the tumor increased more than 1000-fold. The increase of unmodified resveratrol associated with the tumor resulted in tumor regression. The number of residual tumor cells that remained viable also decreased as the ratio of the metabolites relative to unmodified resveratrol declined.     

Investigation of inter fiber cohesion in yarns. II. Influence of fiber and process parameters on the cohesion in man made and blended yarns

This paper discusses the inter fiber cohesion in man made and blended yarns. The fiber parameters such as fiber length and fineness influence the cohesion. Studies have been focused on polyester and viscose spun yarns. Though polyester and viscose yarns show similar trend in cohesion, viscose yarns exhibit better cohesion due to their serrated cross section. Studies on the effect of blend proportion of polyester cotton and polyester viscose yarns reveal that increase of polyester and viscose in the respective blends improve the inter fiber cohesion.