Assessment of inoculation methods to identify resistance to Fusarium crown rot in wheat

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Crown rot, caused by Fusarium culmorum and Fusarium pseudograminearum, is one of the most pervasive diseases of wheat throughout the world. Fusarium...     

Chemical Bonding of Organic Dye onto Cotton Fibers Using Silane as Coupling Agent (I)

A derivative of an optical brightening agent (organic dye), i.e., 2,6-dibromo-4-flouroaniline (synthesized and reported previously) has been chemically bonded to cotton fabrics through a coupling agent, i.e., 3-(2-aminoethylamino)- propyltrimethoxy silane. These chemically treated cotton fabrics have been characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, color observation, tear properties determination, and UV-DRS analysis. The relevant spectra of FTIR confirm chemical bonding of the silane with cotton on one end and with the dye on the other. Comparison of the various treated and untreated cotton samples before and after washing by visual observations confirms the claim of chemical bonding of the dye with the cotton. The consistent decreasing patterns observed in tear strengths of the treated cloths with increase in concentration of the respective chemical validate modification of the cotton cloths. UV-DRS analysis of the modified cotton cloths show that the reflectance decreases with the use of silane.     

Analysis of genetic diversity of soybean germplasm from five different origins using RAPD markers

The pattern of genetic diversity among 92 genotypes of soybean from 5 different origins/sources (Pakistan, the USA, Asian Vegetable Research Development Centre (AVRDC), Japan and North Korea) was analyzed using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA markers. Out of 20 random primers 6 tested, 10 were polymorphic among genotypes and they yielded 107 markers, with an average of 10.7 markers per primer. The proportion of polymorphic bands within genotypes ranged from 0.47 to 0.71 with an average of 0.59. Pakistani and US genotypes exhibited the highest number of polymorphic bands (95%), while North Korean genotypes revealed the lowest (60%). The mean band frequency of the primers among genotypes was 0.57 with a range of 0.08–0.99. The Shannon’s index and Nei’s genetic diversity index revealed that primer OPF-06 showed maximum genetic diversity among the genotypes. Dendrogram constructed using Unweighted Pair Group Mean Average (UPGMA) method divided the genotypes into 5 main groups consisting of 13 clusters. The results of cluster analysis indicated that the genetic diversity between Pakistani and US or AVRDC genotypes is much larger than that between Pakistani and North Korean or Japanese genotypes. The Pakistani genotypes had distinct bands from plant introductions. Therefore, the Pakistani genotypes may be useful to soybean breeders.     

Effect of Establishment Methods and Weed Management Practices on Some Growth Attributes of Rice

In rice, the traditional system of transplanting gives the crop a 14 to 21-day growth advantage over the weeds [1]. The transplanting also enables rice to capture space earlier. This is because the young rice plants have leverage over germinating weeds due to shading and earlier establishment of root system. The immediate flooding after transplanting limits the establishment of many weeds [2]. Similarly, in direct seeded method, the use of high seed rates could reduce weed infestation to a lar…     

Interaction of Rhizobium and Pseudomonas with Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) in Potted Soil with or Without P2O5

The effect of inoculation of Rhizobium or Pseudomonas, or both, in the presence and absence of phosphorus pentoxide (P₂O₅) fertilizer on wheat yield was tested. The experiment was conducted outdoors in potted soil during two consecutive years under natural conditions. Rhizobial strain (Thal 8-chickpea nodulating bacteria) and Pseudomonas strain (54RB), both indigenous P solubilizers were applied in broth culture at seedling stage. Fertilizer in the form of P₂O₅ was an additional treatment applied at sowing time. Results revealed that inoculation of Pseudomonas strain in presence of phosphorus (P) fertilizer increased yield up to 41.8% when it was compared with only P fertilizer applied. Co-inoculation of Rhizobium and Pseudomonas strains with the P₂O₅ treatment however resulted in increased grains yield by 10% over the P₂O₅ treatment alone. It is inferred that inoculation with Rhizobium and Pseudomonas combined with P₂O₅ is not only environmentally beneficial but also economically sound and productive, with wheat yield increases of 10% to 42%.     

Mapping of QTL controlling tocopherol content in winter oilseed rape

Tocopherols are natural antioxidants in vegetable oils and are important dietary nutrients. Enhanced tocopherol content has become an important objective in oilseed rape breeding. A segregating DH population was tested for 2 years at two locations in replicated field trials. Genotypic differences occurred for α‐, γ‐ and total tocopherol content as well as α/γ‐tocopherol ratio, but highly significant genotype x environment interactions resulted in low heritabilities. Using a mixed‐model composite interval mapping approach between one and five QTL with additive and/or additive x environment interaction effects could be mapped for α‐, γ‐ and total tocopherol content and α/β‐tocopherol ratio. In addition, one to six locus pairs with epistatic interaction effects were identified, indicating a strong contribution of epistasis to trait variation. In total, the additive and epistatic effects explained between 28% (α‐tocopherol content) and 73% (total tocopherol content) of the genotypic variance in the population, with individual QTL and locus pairs contributing between 7.5 and 29.2% of variance. Considering the low heritabilities of the tocopherol traits, the results of this study indicate that marker‐assisted selection may be an efficient strategy in a breeding program for enhanced tocopherol content in rapeseed.     

Anti-inflammatory activities of Taxusabietane A isolated from Taxus wallichiana Zucc

Current study was conducted to identify constituents of Taxus wallichiana Zucc. that might be responsible for its folk use in anti-inflammatory conditions. Taxusabietane A was isolated from the bark extract of Taxus wallichiana Zucc. Taxusabietane A was analyzed for in-vitro and in-vivo anti-inflammatory activities using Lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibition assay and carrageenan-induced paw edema model. Taxusabietane A revealed considerable LOX inhibitory activity with the IC₅₀ value being 57 ± 0.31. Standard compound Baicalein showed the IC₅₀ value being 22.1 ± 0.03 μM. Taxusabietane A also showed significant (5 and 10 mg/kg) anti-inflammatory activity induced by carrageenan. However, this study highlighted the potential of Taxusabietane A to be further explored as a new lead compound for management of conditions associated with inflammation.     

Analysis of groundwater behaviour in a farmer controlled subsurface tile drainage system in Mardan, Pakistan

Extensive subsurface drainage system was installed in districtMardan in the North West Frontier Provinceof Pakistan in 1987 to control increasingwater logging and salinity problems due tocanal irrigation. Several recentlycompleted fields studies have indicatedthat subsurface drainage system hasenormously lowered watertable in certainareas due to extensive drainage network. Therefore, a study of controlled subsurfacedrainage technique was initiated in MardanScarp area to observe the temporal andspatial variations in water table depths ofthis specific case under various modes ofcanal irrigation and monsoon rains. Twoartificially drained areas, consisting of40 ha and 160 ha respectively, werecontrolled and selected for extensivemonitoring. A total of 98 observationswells (7.6 cm dia. and 4.1 m depth) wereinstalled in between lateral drains toobserve water table fluctuation. Theresults of this study are very interesting.Each of the two areas monitored in thestudy behaved differently. It was observedthat in one of the areas design water tabledepth at 1.1 m was maintained with properfunctioning of the controlled techniqueapplied to the subsurface drainage system. The results from this area showed that 25to 55% of the time throughout the yearachieved this objective whereas in thesecond area desired water table could notbe maintained and water table depth in thisarea remained between 2.0 to 2.7 m causingunnecessary water stress to plants. Alsoit was observed that watertable in theformer area is mostly controlled by thefunctional behavior of the irrigationcanal. In addition, the proper functioningof controlled techniques in subsurfacedrainage system supplemented veryefficiently to retain the groundwater levelto the optimal limits in dry season and tothe design ones in the others for timelyneeds of the crops. Also rainfalls havesignificant impact on the spatial andtemporal behaviors of water table depths inboth the areas during the monsoon season.     

Evaluation of IGF-I levels and serum protein profiles of diabetic cats and dogs

In this study, we measured the insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I levels and evaluated the serum protein profiles of diabetic, insulin-treated, and healthy cats and dogs. The total IGF-I concentrations were 33.74 ± 3.4 ng/mL for normal, 25.8 ± 4.5 ng/mL for diabetic, and 180.4 ± 31.4 ng/mL for insulin-treated cats. IGF-I concentrations were 46.4 ± 6.6 ng/mL for normal, 25.1 ± 4.1 ng/mL for diabetic, and 303.0 ± 61.3 ng/mL for insulin-treated dogs. Total serum protein profiles were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. Fourteen bands ranging from 25 to 240 kDa in size were observed for cats, and 17 bands ranging from 25 to 289 kDa were observed for dogs. The densities of the bands differed among control, diabetic, and insulin-treated animals. In conclusion, we found that serum protein profiles and IGF-I concentrations were altered in both diabetic and insulin-treated animals. When judiciously interpreted in the light of other clinical and laboratory data, the techniques used in our study provide a valuable modality for measuring the severity of diabetes mellitus in dogs and cats.