Performance of mono‐sex tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in rice field with different ditch size

The effects of ditch size on growth and production of mono‐sex tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus in rain fed concurrent rice–fish system were technically and economically evaluated for a period of 4 months. Three different ditch sizes were tried: 5%, 10% and 15% of the total cultivable rice field. The fish fingerlings stocking density (5000 ha^?1) and management practices were similar in all plots. The water temperature, dissolve oxygen, pH, Secchi disc visibility, ortho‐phosphate, ammonia nitrogen and alkalinity were found to be in the range of 31.5–31.9°C, 5.10–5.27 mg L^?1, 7.56–7.62, 34.81–35.41 cm, 0.88–0.96 mg L^?1, 0.014–0.021 mg L^?1 and 66.23–69.76 mg L^?1, respectively, and all the values were found suitable for tilapia fish farming. Sediment organic matter, available nitrogen and phosphorous were increased significantly (P < 0.05) in all plots after cultivating the fish. Larger ditch size (15% of the total land area) resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) higher specific growth rate, survival and fish production compared with the smaller (5%) and medium (10%) ditch sizes. However, significantly (P < 0.05) higher net income and benefit–cost ratio were obtained in medium ditch size with the values of 2.6% and 3.6% higher than the smaller and larger ditch sizes respectively. It is concluded that rice–fish farming in a rain fed ecosystem of Bangladesh with medium ditch size and stocking density of 5000 ha^?1 mono‐sex tilapia can achieve better economic return.     

Vegetation structure of subtropical forest of Tabai,South Waziristan,Pakistan

Phytosociological parameters, soil and temperature conditions, importance values of species, life form, leaf size, and biomass were investigated at the village Tabai during autumn 2006. There was very little difference in air and soil temperature due to similar elevation. There was a great difference in biomass production for various stands. The original vegetation structure has been altered due to deforestation and overgrazing. There is a need for restoration of the habitat.     

Genetic analysis and identification of SSR marker linked to Phomopsis blight resistance in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)

The present investigation was carried out to decipher inheritance of resistance and to identify linked SSR markers for Phomopsis blight resistance in eggplant. An F₂ population comprising 161 plants was developed from the cross of Pusa Kranti and BR-40-7. Genetic analysis was carried out using Chi square test. Artificial inoculation of fruits was carried out using pin prick method, and scoring was done as per the standard scoring scale. The F₂ plants segregated into 92 susceptible (77—highly susceptible, 15—susceptible): 69 resistant (17—highly resistant, 27—resistant, 25—moderately resistant) suggesting complimentary epistasis with ratio of 9:7. To identify the putatively linked markers to resistance gene, parental polymorphic markers were subjected to bulk segregant analysis (BSA), and two markers (emk03O04 and emf11A03) could differentiate resistant and susceptible bulk and co-segregated with resistance gene. The genetic distance between the identified markers was found to be 18.12 cM using QTL IciMapping V3.2 software depicting two new QTLs on chromosome number 6. The identified QTLs have great significant importance in marker assisted breeding programme.     

Organic soil amendments in relation to nematode management with particular reference to India

The addition of organic materials to soil has been used in managing plant-parasitic nematodes and has resulted in increased crop yield. Research on the utilization of waste materials such as oilseed cakes, chitin, compost, livestock and poultry manures, and cellulosic wastes appears promising for reducing populations of plant-parasitic nematodes. Nitrogen based amendments, plant phenolics, nematotoxic chemicals, development of predators and parasites of nematodes and microorganism stimulation have been considered to be promising agents for nematode management. In addition, organic amendments change the physical as well as the trophic structure of soil, which affects the pathogen development and overall plant growth performance. Mechanisms of action of organic soil amendments in relation to nematode management are yet to be fully explored.Plant Protection Division, Institute of Agriculture     

青枯菌GMI1000效应蛋白RipQ对致病力的作用研究

青枯菌通过Ⅲ型分泌系统向寄主植物细胞分泌100多种效应蛋白,对寄主植物的抗感病性产生影响。青枯菌效应蛋白RipQ启动子区存在典型的HrpB识别序列PIP box (5′-TTCGG-N15-TTCGC-3′),但其功能尚未明确。本研究分析了RipQ在青枯菌4种演化型菌株中的分布情况。以青枯菌GMI1000为出发菌,构建ripQ缺失突变体和过表达菌株,研究效应蛋白RipQ在青枯菌-番茄植物互作中的功能。结果显示,ripQ广泛分布于除演化型IV的不同青枯菌类群中。与野生型菌株相比,ripQ突变体在番茄上的致病力有一定程度的增强,而ripQ过表达菌株的致病力显著降低。突变体和过表达菌株在培养基中的生长与野生型没有区别,但过表达菌株在番茄体内的繁殖能力下降。RipQ过表达菌株侵染番茄后hrpB、hrpG和epsA基因表达量显著下调,且能够诱导番茄叶片H₂O₂的大量累积,过敏性坏死反应标志基因hin1和水杨酸信号通路标志基因PR1a的诱导表达。另外,在番茄上瞬时表达ripQ也可以观察到H₂O₂积累及叶片细胞坏...     

A Sero-Epidemiological Study of Haemophilus Somnus Infection in Dairy Cattle

Akhtar, S., Farver, T.B. and Riemann, H.P., 1997. A sero-epidemiological study of Haemophilus somnus infection in dairy cattle. Veterinary Research Communications, 21 (4), 229-239Five repeated cross-sectional serological surveys of 790 dairy cattle in 4 dairy herds between December 1985 and February 1987 provided an opportunity to study the changes in the seroprevalence of Haemophilus somnus across the 5 surveys and with respect to some demographic and disease variables. The demographic variables included were age (heifers or cows) and farm, representing two groups of herds (two herds in each group, located in the Central and Northern Valleys of California). The serological status of cattle as either negative or positive against H. somnus, Campylobacter fetus and Leptospira hardjo were determined with enzyme linked-immunosorbent assays. Logistic regression analysis was used to compute maximum likelihood estimates of adjusted odds ratios and their respective 95% confidence intervals.The baseline risk of being H. somnus seropositive in the cattle observed at first sampling did not vary significantly during the study period after adjustment for the effects of covariates. Only at first sampling were cows about twice as likely to be H. somnus seropositive than heifers. At samplings 1 and 3, but not at 2 and 5, being in the herds of the Central Valley appeared protective. In contrast, at sampling 4 the cattle in herds in the Central Valley were about 7 times more likely to be H. somnus seropositive. C. fetus-positive cattle were about 3 times more likely to be H. somnus seropositive at sampling 1 only. The relationship between H. somnus status and L. hardjo was not significant during the study period.     

Evaluation of immunostimulatory and immunotherapeutic effects of tropical mushroom (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lentinus edodes</Emphasis>) against eimeriasis in chicken

Mushrooms (Lentinus edodes) were processed for hot water (HWE), methanolic (ME), and polysaccharide (PSE) extracts. Polysaccharides were isolated through ion exchange (DEAE cellulose) and size exclusion (Sephadex G-100) chromatography. Monosaccharides including maltose (0.282%), glucose (0.113%), and mannose (0.451%) were identified, qualitatively and quantitatively, from the isolated polysaccharides through high-performance liquid chromatography. The whole study was divided into two experiments. Experiment 1 was meant for the evaluation of HWE and ME; whereas, experiment 2 was meant for the evaluation of PSE for immunostimulatory and immunotherapeutic activities. The cellular and humoral immune responses were demonstrated through lymphoproliferative response to phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P) and anti-body response to sheep red blood cells (SRBCs), respectively. The immunotherapeutic effects of these extracts were demonstrated against eimeriasis in terms of lesion scoring, oocysts per gram of droppings, and percent protection. Cell-mediated immune responses observed at 24, 48, and 72 h post-PHA-P injection were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in chickens administered with any of the three extracts (PSE, ME, and HWE), when compared with the controls. Humoral immune response in terms of anti-SRBCs anti-body titers was also observed higher in chickens administered with mushroom extracts. In the challenge experiment, significantly higher (P < 0.05) OPG and lesion scores were observed in controls as compared to the groups administered with mushroom extracts (HWE, ME, and PSE). Significantly higher (P < 0.05) percent protection against eimeriasis was observed in all groups administered with different extracts of L. edodes as compared to controls. In conclusion, L. edodes extracts showed immunostimulatory potential which persisted against eimeriasis in chicken.     

Pot study on wheat growth in saline and waterlogged compacted soil: II. Root growth and leaf ionic relations

Soil compaction affects plant growth by causing increased resistance to root penetration and a decreased uptake of water and ions. A pot experiment was conducted to study the effect of soil compaction in conjunction with the soil salinity and waterlogging on root growth and leaf ionic composition of two wheat genotypes (Aqaab and MH-97). Compaction was achieved at a 10% soil moisture content by dropping 5 kg weight, controlled by a tripod stand for 20 times from 0.6 m height on a wooden block placed inside the soil-filled pots. Soil bulk density of non-compact and compact treatments was measured as 1.21 and 1.65 Mg m⁻³, respectively. The desired salinity level (15 dS m⁻¹) was developed by mixing required amount of NaCl in the soil before filling the pots. Waterlogging was developed by flooding the pots for 21 days both at tillering and booting stages. Compaction significantly reduced the root length density (RLD) of both the wheat genotypes while the combined effect of compaction×salinity was more drastic on root length density than compaction alone. Waterlogging however, did not decrease the root length density, rather it mitigated the effect of compaction. Compaction decreased the concentration of K⁺ and K⁺:Na⁺ ratio in leaves. Salinity also decreased the concentration of K⁺ and K⁺:Na⁺ ratio, but increased the concentrations of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ in the crop leaves. Salinity and compaction interacted to cause a greater reduction in K⁺ concentration and the K⁺:Na⁺ ratio, while there was lesser increase in the concentrations of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ compared with salinity alone. Waterlogging also decreased the concentration of K⁺ and K⁺:Na⁺ ratio in leaves. It intensified the effect of salinity but decreased the effect of compaction on leaf ionic composition. Therefore, the effect of compaction on root growth and ion uptake is more severe under salt-affected soil conditions than under normal soil conditions while occasional waterlogging of a compact soil for a few days makes the soil conditions favorable for root growth both under non-saline as well as saline soil conditions. Also, the performance of a genotype in stressed environment is related to maintenance of higher root length density, leaf K⁺ concentration and K⁺:Na⁺ ratio and lower leaf Na⁺ and Cl⁻ concentrations.     

Interaction of Rhizobium and Pseudomonas with Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) in Potted Soil with or Without P2O5

The effect of inoculation of Rhizobium or Pseudomonas, or both, in the presence and absence of phosphorus pentoxide (P₂O₅) fertilizer on wheat yield was tested. The experiment was conducted outdoors in potted soil during two consecutive years under natural conditions. Rhizobial strain (Thal 8-chickpea nodulating bacteria) and Pseudomonas strain (54RB), both indigenous P solubilizers were applied in broth culture at seedling stage. Fertilizer in the form of P₂O₅ was an additional treatment applied at sowing time. Results revealed that inoculation of Pseudomonas strain in presence of phosphorus (P) fertilizer increased yield up to 41.8% when it was compared with only P fertilizer applied. Co-inoculation of Rhizobium and Pseudomonas strains with the P₂O₅ treatment however resulted in increased grains yield by 10% over the P₂O₅ treatment alone. It is inferred that inoculation with Rhizobium and Pseudomonas combined with P₂O₅ is not only environmentally beneficial but also economically sound and productive, with wheat yield increases of 10% to 42%.