Allelic relationship between spontaneous and induced mutant genes for stem fasciation in chickpea

Stem fasciation is a morphological abnormality observed in plants where the stem is widened and leaves and flowers or pods are clustered at the apex. Several spontaneous mutants and one induced mutant for stem fasciation are found in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). This study was aimed at determining allelic relationship between spontaneous and induced mutant genes controlling stem fasciation and effects of stem fasciation on grain yield. Two spontaneous (ICC 2042 and ICC 5645) and one induced (JGM 2) stem fasciation mutants were crossed in all combinations, excluding reciprocals. The F₁ and F₂ plants from a cross between the two spontaneous mutants had fasciated stem. This indicated the presence of a common gene (designated fas1) for stem fasciation in the two spontaneous mutants. The F₁s of the crosses of the induced mutant JGM 2 with both spontaneous mutants had normal plants and segregated in a ratio of 9 normal : 7 fasciated plants in F₂. Thus, the gene for stem fasciation in the induced mutant JGM 2 (designated fas2) is not allelic to the common gene for stem fasciation in spontaneous mutants. The two genes in dominant condition produced normal non‐fasciated stem. The fasciated and the non‐fasciated F₂ plants did not differ significantly for number of pods per plant, number of seeds per plant, grain yield per plant and seed size, suggesting that it is possible to exploit the fasciated trait in chickpea breeding without compromising on yield.     

RAPD and virulence analyses of Colletotrichum capski isolates from chilli (Capsicum annuum)

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Chilli (Capsicum annuum) fruits showing symptoms of an-thracnose disease were collected from farmer’s fields in different chilli-growing areas of...     

Ablation of polymers and biological tissue by ultraviolet lasers

When pulsed, ultraviolet laser radiation falls on the surface of an organic polymer or biological tissue, the material at the surface is spontaneously etched away to a depth of 0.1 to several micrometers. In the process, the depth of etching is controlled by the width of the pulse and the fluence of the laser, and there is no detectable thermal damage to the substrate. The material that is removed by etching consists of products ranging from atoms to small fragments of the polymer. They are ejected at supersonic velocities. This dry photoetching technique is useful in patterning polymer films. It is also under serious investigation in several areas in surgery.     

Fiber Separation from Ground Corn Flour Using an Electrostatic Method

Corn kernels contain 9% fiber by weight, which is not digested well by nonruminants such as chicken and swine. Also, fiber is nonreactive in the dry‐grind process for ethanol production and is considered as feedstock for the production of second‐generation bioethanol. Fiber separation can enhance starch concentration in animal feed and increase starch loading in ethanol plants. Electrostatic separation is used to separate particles from granular mixtures under the influence of electrical forces. The Elusieve process, a combination of sieving and air classification, separates fiber by taking advantage of differences in size, shape, and density. Differences in dielectric properties could also be exploited for fiber separation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of electrostatic separation of fiber particles from corn. When the electrostatic method was used in conjunction with Elusieve processing, the fiber product had higher neutral detergent fiber (NDF, 52.9%) compared with Elusieve processing alone (NDF of 40.5%). Also, a higher quantity of enhanced flour (95.0% yield) was produced when the electrostatic method was used in conjunction with Elusieve processing compared with Elusieve processing alone (93.0% yield), without any change in quality of the enhanced flour (NDF of 6.6% in both cases). The electrostatic method improved fiber separation when used in conjunction with Elusieve processing.     

Synthesis and bioactivity of some new N-aryl/alkyl/cyclohexyl-N'-(2,3-dihydro-2-oxo-4H-benz[e][1,3,2]oxazaphosphorin-2-yl) ureas

Several new substituted oxazaphosphorinyl urea derivatives of the type RR'P(O)NHC(O)NHR' were synthesized from alpha-(3-chloro-4-fluoroanilino)-o-cresol by reaction with chlorides of aryl/alkyl/cyclohexyl carbamidophosphoric acids in the presence of triethylamine at 0-50 degrees C. Their significant insecticidal and antimicrobial activity and promotion of Rhizobium bacteria growth in the soil without effect on the host tissue suggests their possible commercial application as ecofriendly pesticides and antimicrobial agents.     

Complete nucleotide sequence analysis of the oncogene “Meq” from serotype 1 Marek’s disease virus isolates from India

1. A study was undertaken to characterise the oncogene Meq at the molecular level for three serotype 1 Marek’s disease virus (MDV) field isolates from vaccinated poultry flocks which had encountered a Marek’s disease outbreak in the southern part of India. The isolates were named Ind/TN/11/01, Ind/KA/12/02 and Ind/TN/12/03. The oncogene Meq was amplified by PCR and sequenced.

2. The isolates were shown to have a homology for the Meq gene of 99.1–99.8% with various isolates from China and 98.5–99.2% with isolates from Europe and the USA. Alignment analysis of the nucleotide sequences showed that nucleotide mutations at 5 different positions in the Meq gene displayed perfect regularity in MDVs circulating in the southern part of India, which could be considered as features of field MDVs recently prevalent in this area.

3. In addition, the mutation in the Meq gene at positions 251, 260 and 437 was unique and coincides with very virulent strains from China GX0101, GXY2 and a Hungarian strain ATE. The mutation at positions 283 and 300 was unique and coincides with the very virulent strain ATE of Hungary. There were also single nucleotide mutations at positions 155 (A–T), 369 (A–C), 462 (C–A) and 548 (C–T) observed in the isolate Ind/TN/12/03.

4. Phylogenetic analysis of Meq sequences revealed that field MDVs in this area evolved independently but have similarities with very virulent strains from China, and that Meq has more similarities with the very virulent Hungarian strain.     

Identification of resistance to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bemisia tabaci</Emphasis> Genn. in closely related wild relatives of cultivated tomato based on trichome type analysis and choice and no-choice assays

The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Genn., is a major pest of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and other crops throughout the tropics and subtropics. The objectives of this study were to characterize 255 accessions of S. galapagense, S. cheesmaniae and S. pimpinellifolium for trichome types, and to evaluate selected accessions with high densities of glandular trichomes for resistance to whitefly. Twenty-two accessions classified as either sparse or abundant for type IV trichomes were selected and evaluated for numbers of adults, eggs, nymphs, and puparium of whitefly in choice bioassays, for adult mortality and egg numbers in no-choice bioassays, and for densities of type I, IV, V, and VI trichomes. The highest whitefly resistance was detected in S. galapagense accessions VI063177 and VI037239 based on choice and no-choice bioassays. In addition, we found high levels of whitefly resistance in S. cheesmaniae accession VI037240 based on the choice bioassay and in S. pimpinellifolium accession VI030462 based on the no-choice bioassay. Whitefly resistance in VI037240 and VI030462 is noteworthy because these species are closely related to cultivated tomato and introgression of whitefly resistance should be relatively straightforward. High densities of type IV trichomes and low densities of type V trichomes were associated with reduced numbers of whitefly adults, nymphs, puparium, and eggs in the choice bioassay and with high adult whitefly mortality in the no-choice bioassay. Preliminary trichome analysis followed by choice and no-choice assays facilitated rapid identification of whitefly-resistant accessions from a large pool of candidates of different species.     

Formation of whey protein isolate (WPI)-dextran conjugates in aqueous solutions

The conjugation reaction between whey protein isolate (WPI) and dextran in aqueous solutions via the initial stage of the Maillard reaction was studied. The covalent attachment of dextran to WPI was confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) with both protein and carbohydrate staining. The formation of WPI-dextran conjugates was monitored by a maximum absorbance peak at approximately 304 nm using difference UV spectroscopy. The impact of various processing conditions on the formation of WPI-dextran conjugates was investigated. The conjugation reaction was promoted by raising the temperature from 40 to 60 degrees C, the WPI concentration from 2.5 to 10%, and the dextran concentration from 10 to 30% and lowering the pH from 8.5 to 6.5. The optimal conjugation conditions chosen from the experiments were 10% WPI-30% dextran and pH 6.5 at 60 degrees C for 24 h. WPI-dextran conjugates were stable under the conditions studied.