DNA fingerprinting: an overview on genetic diversity studies in the botanical taxa of Indian Bamboo

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - Bamboo is an economically important member of the grass family Poaceae with over 1500 documented uses. India has the 2nd largest reserve of bamboo in Asia...     

Carbon storage and sequestration rate assessment and allometric model development in young teak plantations of tropical moist deciduous forest,India

Carbon (C) sequestration through plantations is one of the important mitigation measures for rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This study aimed to assess C s...     

Heat stress in crop plants: its nature,impacts and integrated breeding strategies to improve heat tolerance

Increasing severity of high temperature worldwide presents an alarming threat to the humankind. As evident by massive yield losses in various food crops, the escalating adverse impacts of heat stress (HS) are putting the global food as well as nutritional security at great risk. Intrinsically, plants respond to high temperature stress by triggering a cascade of events and adapt by switching on numerous stress‐responsive genes. However, the complex and poorly understood mechanism of heat tolerance (HT), limited access to the precise phenotyping techniques, and above all, the substantial G × E effects offer major bottlenecks to the progress of breeding for improving HT. Therefore, focus should be given to assess the crop diversity, and targeting the adaptive/morpho‐physiological traits while making selections. Equally important is the rapid and precise introgression of the HT‐related gene(s)/QTLs to the heat‐susceptible cultivars to recover the genotypes with enhanced HT. Therefore, the progressive tailoring of the heat‐tolerant genotypes demands a rational integration of molecular breeding, functional genomics and transgenic technologies reinforced with the next‐generation phenomics facilities.     

An Aboriginal Australian genome reveals separate human dispersals into Asia

We present an Aboriginal Australian genomic sequence obtained from a 100-year-old lock of hair donated by an Aboriginal man from southern Western Australia in the early 20th century. We detect no evidence of European admixture and estimate contamination levels to be below 0.5%. We show that Aboriginal Australians are descendants of an early human dispersal into eastern Asia, possibly 62,000 to 75,000 years ago. This dispersal is separate from the one that gave rise to modern Asians 25,000 to 38,000 years ago. We also find evidence of gene flow between populations of the two dispersal waves prior to the divergence of Native Americans from modern Asian ancestors. Our findings support the hypothesis that present-day Aboriginal Australians descend from the earliest humans to occupy Australia, likely representing one of the oldest continuous populations outside Africa.     

PH—Postharvest Technology: Surface Gloss and Weight of Eggplant during Storage

Surface gloss and weight loss are two important parameters to judge the freshness of eggplant. Data were collected in order to develop some quick and reliable instrumental methods to determine these. Surface gloss and weight loss of eggplant stored for 0–96 h at 80–84% relative humidity and 20°C temperature were determined using a computerized spectral radiometer and a precision electronic balance, respectively. The surface gloss was quantified in terms of gloss index, and a relationship between weight and gloss index during storage of eggplant was established. Gloss index and weight both decreased quadratically with storage period. Major changes were observed in the first 48 h of storage. Weight and gloss index of eggplant during storage were found to be correlated linearly.     

Plant genetic resources of Nepal: A guide for plant breeders of agricultural, horticultural and forestry crops

Summary Nepal is rich in indigenous wild and landrace plant genetic resources for agronomic, horticultural, forestry, or medicinal uses, but much of this germplasm remains uncollected and awaits economic development. We list 485 entries (species, or genera for ornamental plants) in 14 categories, and compare these to existing germplasm collections in Nepal and the United States to highlight collection and conservation needs. To help plant plant collecting, we outline the key botanical and logistical data and legal framework for planning field work in Nepal.