Identification of each human chromosome with a modified Giemsa stain

Differential staining of human chromosomes can be obtained when the pH of Giemsa stain is changed to 9.0 from the usual 6.8. Such staining permits identification of all homolog pairs and distinct regions within chromosome arms. In most instances, the pattern is quite similar to that obtained with quinacrine mustard fluorescence staining. Certain regions, such as the paracentric constrictions in chromosomes Al and C9, and the distal end of the long arm of the Y chromosome stain differently with the Giemsa 9 technique. The technique is considerably simpler than the quinacrine mustard fluorescence technique and identification of homologs is also easier than in cells stained by the latter.     

Monitoring of spatial variations of particulate matter (PM) pollution through bio-magnetic aspects of roadside plant leaves in an Indo-Burma hot spot region

Particulate matter (PM) is an important air pollutant because of its adverse impacts towards human health. The existing and conventional methods of PMs monitoring are found to be inadequate in feasibility, which paved the way of magnetic biomonitoring approach. The magnetic measurement carried through the plant leaves is useful means in assessing the PM pollution. Plant species are found to be an effective biomonitors and may act as natural filters by trapping and retaining the PM on their leaf surfaces. Therefore, the aim of this communication is to demonstrate the magnetic properties [magnetic susceptibility (χ), anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) and saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM)] of two roadside plant leaves (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Mangifera indica) at four spatially distant sites. The study measures and compares the capabilities of these plants to accumulate and retain the PMs. The study also assesses the PM pollution at selected sites and establishes the relationship between magnetic properties and PM in the city of an Indo-Burma hot spot region. The results indicated a significant correlation between the concentration of ambient PM and magnetic measurement (χ, ARM and SIRM) of both the roadside plant leaves. Similarly, reasonably good correlations are obtained between magnetic parameters (χ, ARM and SIRM) and Fe content in PMs. Present study is, perhaps, a novel contribution in the area of bio-magnetic monitoring studied with several magnetic parameters viz., χ, ARM and SIRM. Results indicated that the bio-magnetic monitoring is applied for environmental geomagnetism which act as proxy for ambient PM pollution and further employed as an eco-sustainable tool for environmental management in urban and peri-urban regions.     

Histopathological changes and tissue residue concentrations of monosex Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus,L) fries exposed to oxytetracycline

Aquaculture International - The current study evaluated the biosafety of oxytetracycline (OTC) exposure for 30 days in monosex Oreochromis niloticus fries. The fries were exposed to OTC...     

Nitrogen dynamics and crop growth on an Alfisol and a Vertisol under a direct-seeded rainfed lowland rice-based system

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) followed by chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) or a fallow is one of the predominant cropping systems in the rainfed lowlands of India. Crop rotation experiments over 3 years (1996–1998) to quantify N supply and demand under rainfed lowland rice–chickpea and rice–fallow cropping systems on a loam Alfisol and a clay Vertisol in Raipur, India were conducted under direct-seeded rice culture. The rice growth, yield, development and N accumulation were affected most by N rates (0, 40, 80, 120 kg ha⁻¹) followed by cropping system (rice–chickpea, rice–fallow) and soil types (Alfisol, Vertisol). The incorporation of chickpea in the cropping system helped in accumulating a greater amount of soil N than fallow. The rice yield, dry matter and N accumulated were significantly higher in rice–chickpea than rice–fallow systems on both soils and in all years. The lowest rice yields were recorded in 1997 due to unfavorable rainfall distribution. The total rainfall was the highest in this season, but most of it occurred during a short period at an early growth stage. The post-heading rains were lowest in this season and resulted in the lower rice yield as compared with that of 1996 and 1998. This indicates the significance of rainfall distribution in controlling yield in a rainfed environment. The rice yields were lower on Vertisol than Alfisol during periods of drought. The performance of chickpea was also better in Alfisol as compared with that in the Vertisol due to its better soil physical attributes. The residual effect of N applied to the preceding rice crop was non-significant on all yield, growth and N accumulation parameters of chickpea. The N balance computed from the top 70 cm soil layers indicated less N loss in the rice–chickpea system as compared with that in rice–fallow. The recovery efficiency at the highest N rate (120 kg N ha⁻¹) was higher for the rice–chickpea (57–61%) than that of rice–fallow (49–53%) system. The improved N balance for rice–chickpea system from third year onwards was due to switch to dry seeding and improved soil N status. The inclusion of legume and the effective capture of biologically fixed N and soil N through direct-seeded rice system in rainfed lowlands may help in improving the rice yield of resource poor farmers.     

Review on fabrication and applications of ultrafine particles from animal protein fibres

Protein fibre wastes from animal hairs, feathers and insect secreted filaments can be aptly utilized by converting them into ultra-fine particles. Particles from animal protein fibres present large surface-to-weight ratio and significantly enhanced surface reactivity, that have opened up novel applications in both textile and non-textile fields. This review article summarizes the state-of-the-art routes to fabricate ultrafine particles from animal protein fibres, including direct route of mechanical milling of fibres and indirect route from fibre proteins. Ongoing research trends in novel applications of protein fibre particles in various fields, such as biomedical science, environmental protection and composite structures are presented.     

Impact of high-density stocking and selective harvesting on yield and water productivity of deepwater rice-fish systems

We examine the productivity of deepwater rice-fish systems and management strategies that include high-density initial stocking and selective harvesting. All species of fish and prawns grow faster after 120 days of rearing, probably due to periodic selective harvesting that minimizes the competition for food and space, as well as physiological stress at reduced density. We observe a higher survival rate, a lower apparent feed conversion ratio (1.77) and higher fish yield (14.1%) in rice-fish culture with selective harvesting (T₁) than in rice-fish culture without selective harvesting (T₂). The highest paddy yield was recorded in T₁, primarily due to the higher number of panicles per m² (139.5) and the number of filled grains per panicle (111.5). The increase in paddy yield over rice mono-cropping was higher in T₁ (25%) than T₂ (16.9%). The smaller number of panicles (122.2/m²) and filled grains (98.5 per panicle) in rice mono-cropping was probably due to the absence of fish and prawns in the field as fish and prawns improve soil fertility, recover lost energy, and adjust energy flow by consuming plankton, weeds, insects and bacteria that compete with rice for nutrients. The highest rice equivalent yield (38.5 t ha⁻¹), the output value-cultivation cost ratio (1.56) and net water productivity (Rs. 7.30/m³) in deepwater rice-fish culture was recorded when selective harvesting was practiced. This eco-friendly dual production system (rice and fish) and on-dyke horticulture, which generate near-term lucrative returns and generates employment opportunities, can be adopted and expanded in lowlands and waterlogged areas.     

Effect of Vibrio Bacterial Product CIBASTIM Administration on Productivity in Commercial Tiger Shrimp Penaeus monodon Culture Ponds in Gujarat

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of an immunostimulant product prepared from vibrio bacterial components on production of Penaeus monodon culture in five commercial shrimp farmer’s ponds in the Navsari district of Gujarat. The product was administered at the concentration of 2 × 10⁸ cfu/kg pelleted feed as top dressing using a commercial binder for two consecutive days in a week. In general, we observed improvement of up to 33.33% in average body weight, up to 44.83% in survival rate, up to 11.11% in FCR, and up to 50.00% in production per ha over untreated control ponds on the same farm. Administration of this vibrio bacterial product could improve shrimp production in Gujarat.     

First report on serological evidence of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infection in farmed and free ranging mithuns (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bos frontalis</Emphasis>)

Despite reports of BVDV infection in several domestic and wild ruminants, no information exists for mithun (Bos frontalis) species. Hence, this study was undertaken to determine prevalence of BVDV infection in mithuns, which contribute significantly to local economy in the North Eastern region of India. Blood and serum samples were collected between 2013 and 2016 from mithuns (n = 466) belonging to the states of Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh. Serum samples were tested for BVDV antibodies by a commercial ELISA and leukocytes were tested for BVDV by real-time RT-PCR. The overall true seroprevalence rate was 13.1% (95% confidence interval, CI: 6.9–17.8%) with higher prevalence in mithuns reared under semi-intensive system (27.5%) than in free-ranging mithuns (7.6%). Among the three states, seroprevalence (16.2%) was highest in Nagaland, while prevalence rates varied markedly among geographical locations. Age-wise data showed highest seroprevalence rate in >6-year-old animals (20.6%) than 2–6 years old (16.9%), 6 months–2 years old (8.5%), and <6-month-old animals (11.3%). The seroprevalence was higher in males (20.9%) than in females (12.1%). Among the four mithun strains, higher prevalence was evident in Manipur (30.3%) than Arunachal (21.3%), Nagaland (11.7%), and Mizoram strain (10.2%). However, no BVDV genomic RNA could be detected. The results provide first serological evidence of BVDV infection in mithun species and extend the knowledge on BVDV host range. The baseline data will help further investigations on epidemiology of BVD in mithun and its impact on mithun production.     

A major QTL for plant height is linked with bloom locus in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]

Plant height is one of the most important agronomic traits in sorghum with its relevance for biomass, grain yield, fodder and lodging. To understand its genetic basis, the quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population consisting of 168 RILs derived from the cross between the two sorghum inbred lines 296B (dwarf) and IS18551 (tall) over six seasons. Two major QTL were identified one each on chromosomes SBI-06 and SBI-07 corresponding to the Dw2 and Dw3 gene loci together accounting 41 % plant height variation. In addition, a morphological bloom trait locus which remained unlinked in the linkage map was found to be significantly linked with plant height in single marker analysis explaining 22 % of the trait variation. By comparing the map positions of Dw1, Dw2 and Dw3, the new locus for plant height linked with bloom is proposed as Dw4 locus. Both SSR and the morphological bloom loci linked with height QTL of the present study can be employed as effective tools in marker-assisted breeding for rapid conversion of selected inbred parent lines either as dwarf seed (male sterile) parents or taller pollinators for hybrid seed industry, or for developing high biomass lines in sweet sorghum for exploitation as high bio-fuel crop.     

Marker‐assisted backcrossing to develop foliar disease‐resistant genotypes in TMV 2 variety of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

TMV 2 is a very popular peanut variety among the Indian farmers, but it is highly susceptible to fungal foliar diseases like late leaf spot (LLS) and rust. Marker‐assisted backcrossing (MABC) in TMV 2 using foliar disease‐resistant donor, GPBD 4 and the disease resistance‐linked markers (GM2009, GM2079, GM2301, GM1839 and IPAHM103) resulted in a large number of backcross populations and also straight cross populations. Foreground selection followed by field evaluation under disease epiphytotic conditions could identify a few superior genotypes. Two homozygous backcross lines TMG‐29 and TMG‐46 showed enhanced resistance to LLS and rust diseases (score of 3.00 for both) along with 71.0% and 62.7% increase in the pod yield per plot, respectively, over the check, TMV 2. These foliar disease‐resistant and productive lines can be released as commercial varieties or can be used as genetic resources in the peanut improvement.