A study of 1,2-dibromoethane residues in wheat and milled products

A method is described for determining residues of 1,2-dibromoethane (EDB) in milled wheat products. The residues are first extracted with benzene, then recovered azeotropically for reaction with alkali and subsequent determination of liberated bromide ion by a Volhard titration. Freshly milled flours from wheat fumigated with 65.0 and 325 mg EDB/litre at 37°C were found to contain 10.6 to 39.4 mg EDB/kg and the bran contained from 51.4 to 153 mg EDB/kg.     

1,2,4-Triazolyl functionalized allyl sulfide with antifungal potential for the control of Fusarium fujikuroi causing foot rot of rice

European Journal of Plant Pathology - The present study focuses on antifungal potential of 1,2,4-triazole derivatives of allyl sulfides. The antifungal potential of synthesized...     

Comparative performance of potato crops raised from microtubers induced in the dark versus microtubers induced in light

Summary The performance of potato crops raised from two types of microtuber, green (induced in light-dark photoperiod) and white (induced in continuous darkness), of 18 genotypes was studied for 22 morphological and agronomic characters. Mean squares due to microtuber type, genotype and their interaction were mostly significant for various characters. Green microtubers were better than white microtubers for subsequent crop performance for most of the characters including tuber yield and general impression. This was mainly due to more eyes and shorter dormancy in green microtubers than in white microtubers. The in vitro system of microtuberization by serial culture of axillary buds in separated nodes, as used in the present study, was found to be genetically stable for the propagating material.     

Influence of soil applied boron on yield of berseem (Trifolium alexandrium L.) and soil boron fractions in calcareous soils

A greenhouse experiment was conducted in North-west India to study the effect of soil applied boron on yield of berseem (Trifolium alexandrium L.) and soil boron fractions in boron deficient calcareous soils. Three soils with varying calcium carbonate content viz. 0.75% (Soil I), 2.6% (Soil II), and 5.7% (Soil III) were collected from different sites of Ludhiana, Bathinda, and Shri Muktsar Sahib districts, Punjab, India. The treatments consisted of six levels of soil applied boron viz. 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25, 1.5, and 2.0 mg B kg^?1 along with control. The green fodder yield and dry matter yield increased significantly at 0.75 mg B kg^?1 soil treatment level in the first cutting, while these were significant at 1.0 mg B kg^?1 soil treatment level in all soils at second, third, and fourth cuttings. Among all three calcareous soils, Soil I with lower calcium carbonate was the best soil in respect of mean yield in comparison to Soil II and Soil III. Combined effect of boron level and soils had significant effect on yield of berseem. There was a significant increase in mean dry root biomass at 1.0 mg B kg^?1 soil level over control and then remained non-significant with further high levels of soil applied boron. The mean dry root biomass decreased significantly for the soils having 0.75%, 2.6%, and 5.7% calcium carbonate levels. Readily soluble fraction is considered to be easily available fraction of B for plant uptake and consisted of 0.47–0.62% in Soil I, 0.31–0.43% in Soil II, and 0.24–0.34% in Soil III of the total boron. Among all B fractions, mean readily soluble, specifically adsorbed, and oxide-bound fractions got increased significantly with increase in B levels. Readily soluble and organically bound B fractions were more in Soil I as compared to Soil II and Soil III. Specifically adsorbed boron, oxide bound fraction, residual and total boron were more in Soil III in comparison to Soil I and Soil II. Among all fractions, residual fraction accounted for the major portion of the total B. It comprised of 92.71–93.90% in Soil I, 94.51–95.40% in Soil II, and 94.91–95.25% in Soil III of the total boron.     

Micronutrient Distribution in Different Physiographic Units of the Siwalik Hills of the Semiarid Tract of Punjab,India

We investigated the profile distribution of total and diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid ( DTPA )- extractable micronutrients ( Zn , Mn , Cu , Fe ) in soils developed on six physiographic units of the semiarid Siwalik hills of Punjab in northwest India . The soils showed a gradual fining of texture from shoulder slopes to toe slopes . All soils were alkaline and calcareous . In general , total and DTPA-extractable micro nutrients were higher in surface horizons and decreased in subsurface horizons . However , none of the micronutrients exhibited any consistent pattern of distribution with depth on different geomorphic surfaces . Physiography had a strong influence on the spatial distribution of total and available micronutrients . Contents of all micronutrients and their forms were higher in fine-textured and uneroded soils than in coarse-textured eroded soils . Soil pH , calcium carbonate , organic matter , and size fractions had strong influence on the distribution of total and extractable micronutrients . Based on linear coefficients of correlation , total content of micro nutrients increased with increase in clay content , whereas DTPA - extractable micronutrient content increased with increase in organic carbon and decreased with increase in pH and CaCO3 content . Except for Cu , no other micronutrient showed influence of total reserves on availability of the respective micronutrient . Among the various micronutrients , deficiency of Zn was found to be widespread , followed by Fe and Cu in the cultivated soils on foot slopes , toe slopes , and floodplains .     

Inter-relationships among total crude protein and digestible dry matter production and their component traits in Guinea grass

Summary Phenotypic and genotypic correlation coefficients of total crude protein per plant (TCP) and digestible dry matter per plant (DDM) with dry matter yield per plant (DMY), tiller number, plant height, stem thickness and leaf-stem ratio, pooled over two years, revealed that TCP and DDM were correlated at both the phenotypic and genotypic levels with DMY, tiller number and plant height. But only DMY had high direct effects on TCP and DDM. Tiller number and plant height had only indirect effects on TCP and DDM via DMY. Thus, selection based on tiller number and plant height may not only improve dry matter yield per plant but also total crude protein per plant and digestible dry matter per plant. Further, screening of high TCP and high DDM clones among the high yielding clones would be a more remunerative approach to improve TCP and DDM in Guinea grass.     

A differential series of pepper (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Capsicum annuum</Emphasis>) lines delineates fourteen physiological races of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phytophthora capsici</Emphasis>

The study of the genetics of resistance in pepper to the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora capsici has been complicated due to a lack of use of a common set of pathogen isolates and host genotypes. We have developed a differential series for this system using eleven pepper genotypes and thirty-four isolates of the pathogen from California, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Turkey. Through differential patterns of virulence of the isolates on the hosts, we identified fourteen different physiological races of P. capsici. There appears to be no restriction of races to particular geographical locations. Isolate mating types were also determined, and both mating types were found in one field in California. The significance of the characterization of physiological races and existence of both mating types in the field to pepper growers and breeders is discussed.     

Screening of wild Oryza species against bacterial leaf blight (Xanthomonas oryzae py. oryza) pathotypes of Punjab (India)

One-hundred and sixty-seven accessions belonging to 13 wild Oryza species were screened against the bacterial leaf blight (BB) pathogen (Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryza) in Punjab, India. Nine species were identified as carrying resistant genes against the four most prevalent pathotypes under conditions in Punjab. These included O. barthii (eight accessions), O. longistaminata (five accessions), O. meridionalis (three accessions), O. nivara (five accessions), O. rufipogen (two accessions), and one accession each from O. punctata, O. minuta, O. malampuzhaensis and O. latifolia. This is the first report showing the availability of BB resistance in two species namely, O. meridionalis and O. punctata. The resistant accessions, especially those with a similar genome (AA) could potentially be used for the transfer of BB resistance to well-adapted high-yielding rice cultivars.