Influence of foliar application of manganese on growth,pigment content,and nitrate reductase activity of Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek under salinity

The effect of the micronutrient manganese (Mn) on the physiological performance of green gram [Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek] under saline condition was studied in the present work. Green gram was grown under controlled conditions and treated with different concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl): 100, 200, and 300 mM. The plant samples were analyzed from 25 to 65 days of plant growth at every 10-day interval. Significant difference was observed in leaf area index, membrane stability index, nitrate reductase enzyme activity, total chlorophyll, and carotenoid content in treated plants. A drastic reduction was recorded at 200 and 300 mM NaCl treated plants in the parameters. The concentration 100 mM resulted in a slight increase of the parameters. Foliar application of Mn as manganese chloride (MnCl₂) was found to improve the physiological parameters in green gram at 200 and 300 mM salinity level and was useful in alleviating the detrimental effects of NaCl.     

Kinetics and Adsorption-Desorption Behavior of AM Nitrification Inhibitor in Mollisols

Kinetics and adsorption-desorption behavior of a potent nitrification inhibitor, 2-amino 4-chloro 6-methyl pyrimidine (AM), was examined in Mollisol samples of different depths. Adsorption of AM was better accounted by pseudo-second order kinetics. Adsorption and desorption data of AM onto soil samples of different depths conformed to single surface Freundlich isotherm model. The values of ln K varied from ?0.1515 (0–15 cm) to 1.5171 (45–60 cm) and of 1/n from 0.9961 (45–60 cm) to 1.3237 (30–45 cm). Computed values of desorption capacity (ln K’) varied from 3.4734 (0–15 cm) to 4.0674 (45–60 cm) while that of 1/n´ from 0.0017 (45–60 cm) to 0.0367 (0–15 cm). Intensity of desorption (1/n´) had significant positive correlation with soil electrical conductance and clay content. The values of desorption index (n´/n) varied from 14.60 (0–15 cm) to 472.33 (30–45 cm) indicating high degree of irreversibility of adsorbed AM and hence poor leaching from these soils.     

Phenetic and genetic diversity in Indian <Emphasis Type="Italic">Luffa</Emphasis> (Cucurbitaceae) inferred from morphometric,ISSR and DAMD markers

Genetic variations and relationships among cultivated and wild genotypes of five taxa of Indian Luffa were examined using inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR), directed amplification of minisatellite DNA (DAMD) markers and morphological characterization. Morphometric evaluation of 21 discrete characters in 51 representative accessions segregated the five taxa of Luffa in three main clusters: the two wild species (L. echinata, L. graveolens) in the first, and the cultivated L. aegyptiaca (smooth gourd) and L. acutangula (ridged gourd)/L. hermaphrodita (Hermaphrodite luffa) in the second and third clusters, respectively. Cumulative data analysis of 15 ISSR and seven DAMD markers revealed high percentage polymorphism (97.67 %), moderate genetic distance (0.06–0.72, avg. 0.51), and low heterozygosity and Shannon index values (H = 0.15; I = 0.22) across all the 76 genotypes assayed. A UPGMA dendrogram, based on the combined marker data, resolved the five taxa in two main clusters with high bootstrap support. The morphological and molecular trees showed incongruence in the number of main clusters resolved and in the disposition of the wild and cultivated taxa in different sub-clusters. The cluster analyses and PCoA plots revealed a nested grouping of the hermaphrodite luffa within the ridge gourd group. The Bayesian STRUCTURE analysis identified three genetic clusters for the five assumed taxa. Outcrossing test revealed a mixed mating system in Indian Luffa. This is the first ever report on the mating system in Luffa using molecular markers. The study also demonstrates the utility of using more than one DNA marker in the assessment of molecular diversity in a widely cultivated crop genus like Luffa with a narrow genetic base.     

Morpho-physiological evaluation of Elymus semicostatus (Nees ex Steud.) Melderis as potential donor for drought tolerance in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution - Gradual deterioration in water resources and unpredictable distribution pattern of annual precipitation amount are major threats having drastic effects on...