On the Structure and Molt Controlling Function of the Y-Organ in the Prawn Penaeus indicus

The morphological and histological structure of the Y-organ of Penaeus indicus is described. The gland 1–2 × 0.3 mm (LXW) is located in between the mandibular and posterior dorsoventral muscle at the junction of prebranchial and branchial chambers. Histochemical tests were performed to determine the chemical nature of the Y-organ cells. Significant changes in the size and tinctorial affinity of the Y-organ cells were observed in relation to the molt cycle. Y-organectomy experiments revealed that the onset of premolt development was inhibited, suggesting the presence of molt inducing factor in the Y-organ.     

Leaf Growth, Reproduction Growth and Yield in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

In three genotypes of cotton differing in height, reproductive growth increased with the increase in number and size of the leaves and was maximum when leaf area was also maximum. After this stage though the leaf area continued to remain high for 3 weeks and then declined, more buds were shed than produced. Within genotypes the taller type LRA 5166 produced more leaves with greater area than MCU-5 whereas the dwarf type KD (CAKD) had more leaves with lesser area than MCU-5. The maximum leaf area as well as the yield of seed cotton were one and a half times in LRA 5166 than in MCU-5. Though the maximum leaf area in MCU-5 was also one and a half times than in KD (CAKD) , their seed cotton yields were the same. Since even during the period of maximum reproductive growth substantially more number of leaves were produced by LRA 5166 and KD (CAKD) than MCU-5 , maintenance and retention of bolls appeared to depend not only on leaf number and area but on their photosynthetic efficiency and perhaps nutrient reserves.     

Population structure and regeneration patterns of tree species in climate-sensitive subalpine forests of Indian western Himalaya

The population structure of tree species has been explored in order to elucidate regeneration potential of the subalpine forests of Indian western Himalaya. For this study, the subalpine forest area was divided into three strata, i.e., lower altitude （〈3000 m）; mid-altitude （3000-3200 m）; and high altitude （〉3200m）. Considering the major compositional attributes, an increase in altitude came with a significant decline in tree density and the total basal area for all the sites. However, no such clear trends were observed for recruits （i.e., seedlings and saplings）. Seedling density did not exhibit uniform patterns for sites and altitude strata. In general, overall seedling density was greater at the Pindari site compared to the Lata and Tungnath sites. By comparison, significant variation in seedling density along the altitude strata was recorded for the Tungnath and Pindari sites only. Likewise, sapling density patterns varied across the sites and altitude strata, and significant variation in sapling density along the altitude strata was recorded only for the Lata site. At the Pin- daft site, the continuous increase in sapling density along with increasing altitude was revealing. The Pindari forests of exhibited expanding population structure. In contrast, greater accumulation of individuals in the sapling class and sharp decline toward both higher tree classes and lower seedling classes was generally apparent for the Lata and Tungnath sites. This indicates that the replacement in tree size classes from sapling stage is not proportional and the population may decline in the long-term. Considerable variation in patterns of forest and dominant species popula- tion structure were evident across altitude strata. But in all cases irrespective of sites, we found growth at the high-altitude stratum, in the form of entire forests or dominant species. This trend deserves further investigation to explore its relevance under changing climate scenarios.     

Soil properties,crop productivity and energetics under different tillage practices in fodder sorghum + cowpea – wheat cropping system

Tillage is an important agricultural operation which influences soil properties, crop yield and environment. Nine combinations of three tillage practices including conventional tillage (CT), minimum tillage (MT) and zero tillage (ZT) were evaluated in fodder sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) + cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) – wheat (Triticum durum) cropping system for 5 years (2009–2014) on clay loam soil under limited irrigation. Continuous ZT practices significantly improved surface soil organic carbon, bulk density, infiltration rate and maximum water holding capacity. Carbon sequestration rate, soil organic carbon stock and soil enzymatic activities were relatively more under ZT than CT-CT practice. Higher fodder yield of sorghum + cowpea was recorded with CT (kharif) while wheat grain yield with ZT (rabi). However, the system productivity was statistically similar in all the tillage treatments on pooled data basis. The economic benefits were also maximum under ZT-ZT practice. The ZT-ZT practice recorded significantly lowest energy input (17.1 GJ ha^?1) which resulted in highest energy use efficiency (13.6) and energy productivity (518 kg GJ^?1). Thus, adoption of ZT significantly improved soil health, stabilized crop yield, increased profitability and energy use efficiency in the semi-arid agro-ecosystem.     

Anatomical changes in the cell-wall structure of Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit as caused by the decay fungi Trametes versicolor and Trametes hirsuta

The structural changes in the cell wall and delignification pattern caused by Trametes versicolor and Trametes hirsuta in the sap wood of Leucaena leucocephala were examined by light and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The in vitro decay test was conducted for 12 weeks. Both species of Trametes used in this study caused anatomical characteristics specific to simultaneous white rot. Formation of boreholes, erosion troughs, erosion channels with U-shaped notches in tangential sections and thinning of cell walls were evident in the wood inoculated with each of the fungal species. Cell separation due to removal of middle lamellae occurred at the early stages of infection (30 d) with T. versicolor. In contrast, middle lamellae remained intact in wood inoculated with T. hirsuta and showed cell separation due to degradation of the outer layer of the secondary wall and degradation of the middle lamellae observed only in severely decayed wood at late stages. Confocal microscopy revealed the delignification pattern particularly from cell corners and vessel walls at an advanced stage of decay, indicating strong ligninolytic activity of both species in the sapwood of L. leucocephala.     

Population genetic structure and diversity of high value vulnerable medicinal plant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acorus calamus</Emphasis> in India using RAPD and chloroplast microsatellite markers

Acorus calamus is a highly valued medicinal plant with global distribution used in several drugs of health care systems. We evaluated the genetic diversity and population structure of 50 populations of A. calamus from different geographical regions in India through RAPD and chloroplast microsatellite markers. From the total screened 82 RAPD primers and 18 cpSSR primers, 10 RAPD and nine cpSSRs were found polymorphic. The selected 10 RAPD primers produced a total of 96 reproducible bands, out of which 65 wer...     

The protein kinase p90 rsk as an essential mediator of cytostatic factor activity

Persistent activation of p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p42 MAPK) during mitosis induces a "cytostatic factor" arrest, the arrest responsible for preventing the parthenogenetic activation of unfertilized eggs. The protein kinase p90 Rsk is a substrate of p42 MAPK; thus, the role of p90 Rsk in p42 MAPK-induced mitotic arrest was examined. Xenopus laevis egg extracts immunodepleted of Rsk lost their capacity to undergo mitotic arrest in response to activation of the Mos-MEK-1-p42 MAPK cascade of protein kinases. Replenishing Rsk-depleted extracts with catalytically competent Rsk protein restored the ability of the extracts to undergo mitotic arrest. Rsk appears to be essential for cytostatic factor arrest.     

Nano-sized albumin-copolymer micelles for efficient doxorubicin delivery

We present the discovery of a nano-sized protein-derived micellar drug delivery system based on the polycationic albumin precursor protein cBSA-147. The anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) was efficiently encapsulated into nanosized micelles based on hydrophobic interactions with the polypeptide scaffold. These micelles revealed attractive stabilities in various physiological buffers and a wide pH range as well as very efficient uptake into A549 cells after 1 h incubation time only. In vitro cytotoxicity was five-times increased compared to free DOX also indicating efficient intracellular drug release. In addition, multiple functional groups are available for further chemical modifications. Based on the hydrophobic loading mechanism, various classical anti-cancer drugs, in principle, could be delivered even synergistically in a single micelle. Considering these aspects, this denatured albumin-based drug delivery system represents a highly attractive platform for nanomedicine approaches towards cancer therapy.     

Effect of long-term balanced and imbalanced inorganic fertilizer and FYM application on chemical fraction of DTPA-extractable micronutrients and yields under rice–wheat cropping system in mollisols

The imbalanced use of chemical fertilizers under intensive cultivation practices over a period of years leads to various soil-associated problems particularly nutrient availability. Thus, to examine the effect of long-term application of balanced and imbalanced inorganic fertilizer and farm yard manure (FYM) application on the chemical fraction of DTPA-extractable micronutrients under rice–wheat cropping system after 29 years, the observations were recorded from the ongoing field experiment at Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, India. An application of balanced inorganic fertilizer with FYM in rice, while without FYM in wheat significantly improved the DTPA-extractable Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu after rice and wheat crops in both the surface and sub-surface soil layers. Lowest DTPA-extractable Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu were recorded, in surface and sub-surface soil under rice and wheat crops in control. The highest DTPA-extractable Zn, in both surface and sub-surface layers of rice (3.31, 1.62 mg kg⁻¹, respectively) and wheat (2.96, 0.99 mg kg⁻¹, respectively) was recorded because of application of N₁₈₀+P₈₀+K₄₀+Zn(F) + FYM in rice and N₁₈₀+P₈₀+K₄₀+Zn(F) in wheat. However, the DTPA-extractable Fe, Mn and Cu were highest in rice and wheat because of N₁₂₀+P₄₀+K₄₀+FYM and N₁₂₀+P₄₀+K₄₀ application, respectively. The balanced use of inorganic fertilizer with FYM (N₁₈₀+P₈₀+K₄₀+Zn(F) + FYM) in rice and without FYM [N₁₈₀+P₈₀+K₄₀+Zn(F)] in wheat supported the highest rice (6.74 t ha⁻¹) and wheat (3.50 t ha⁻¹) grain yields, while lowest in control. Based on the study results, long-term application of FYM at 5 tonnes ha⁻¹ in rice crop sustained the availability of DTPA-extractable cationic micronutrients to rice and wheat in Mollisols.     

Breeding for drought tolerance: Direct selection for yield, response to selection and use of drought-tolerant donors in upland and lowland-adapted populations

Drought is the most important constraint reducing rice yield in rainfed areas. Earlier efforts to improve rice yield under drought mainly focused on improving secondary traits because the broad-sense heritability (H) of grain yield under drought stress was assumed to be low, however gains in yield by selecting for secondary traits have not been clearly demonstrated in rice. In present study, the effectiveness of direct selection for grain yield was assessed under lowland reproductive stage stress at Raipur in eastern India and under upland reproductive stage drought stress at IRRI. The selection under severe stress (in both upland and lowland trials) resulted in greater gains under similar stress levels (yield reduction of 65% or greater under stress) in evaluation experiments than did selection under non-stress conditions, with no yield reduction under non-stress conditions. We observed similar H of grain yield under stress and non-stress conditions, indicating direct selection for yield under drought will be effective under both lowland and upland drought stresses. None of the secondary traits (panicle exsertion, harvest index, leaf rolling, leaf drying) included in our study showed a higher estimate for H than grain yield under stress. Secondary traits as well as indirect selection for grain yield under non-stress situation were predicted to be less effective in improving yield under drought in both lowland and upland ecosystem than direct selection for grain yield under the respective stress situations. The low, but positive values observed for genetic correlation (r_G) between yield under stress and non-stress indicated that it is possible to combine drought tolerance with high-yield potential but low values also indicated that selection for grain yield needs to be carried under stress environments. The study also indicated that under lowland drought stress, the use of highly drought-tolerant donors, as parents in crosses to high yielding but susceptible varieties resulted in a much higher frequency of genotypes combining high-yield potential with tolerance than did crosses among elite lines with high-yield potential but poor tolerance. Breeding strategies that use drought-tolerant donors and that combine screening for yield under managed drought stress with screening for yield potential are likely to result in the development of improved cultivars for drought-prone rainfed rice producing areas.