Post-Natal Dynamic Changes in Circulating Follicle-Stimulating Hormone, Luteinizing Hormone,Immunoreactive Inhibin,Progesterone, Testosterone and Estradiol-17β in Thoroughbred Colts until 6 Months of Age

The aim of present study was to clarify the post-natal profile of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), immunoreactive (ir)-inhibin, progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol-17β, and their relationships in Thoroughbred colts. Six hundred and thirty-six colts were used for the study. Single plasma samples from each animal were harvested from the blood drawn through jugular venipuncture. The subjects were born with high amounts of progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol-17β, all of which dropped significantly and remained at lower levels till the end of 6 months. FSH decreased transiently after birth until day 12 and then gradually increased to peak at day 100 which then maintained in lesser levels towards the end of the studied period. LH was highest during birth which decreased until day 26 and then increased slowly to sub-birth levels up to day 90. Animals were born with high amounts of ir-inhibin. It dropped slowly and halved by day 20 and then decreased towards rest of the studied period. The increase in FSH is negatively correlated with the declining ir-inhibin levels. The early increase in FSH can be the indication of early post-natal maturation of the hypothalamic pituitary testicular axis that ultimately might be responsible for priming the testes for future development.     

Detection of the occurrence of the fall armyworm,Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) strains on maize in Southern Rajasthan India

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), a polyphagous lepidopteran pest that is native to tropical and sub-tropical America has...     

Effect of isolated fractions of Barleria prionitis root methanolic extract on reproductive function of male rats: preliminary study

Male rats treated with 100 mg/kg for 60 days of isolated fractions of the Barleria prionitis root methanolic extract (Fr. I and Fr. II) showed a significant reduction on spermatogenesis without affecting general body metabolism. Sperm motility as well density in cauda epididymides was reduced significantly. The fertility was decreased by 33.4% in Fr. I and 100% in Fr. II treated rats. The blood parameters were within the normal range. Total protein, glycogen and sialic acid contents of testes were reduced after the plant fractions treatment. Seminal vesicular fructose was decreased significantly after the treatment. The population of various spermatogenic cells such as primary spermatocytes, secondary spermatocytes and round spermatids were declined significantly in Fr. II treatment groups whereas in Fr. I treated animals preleptotene spermatocyte and spermatid number was decreased. There was no significant change in the number of Sertoli cells and spermatogonia in any of the treatment group.     

Plant genetic resources of Nepal: A guide for plant breeders of agricultural, horticultural and forestry crops

Summary Nepal is rich in indigenous wild and landrace plant genetic resources for agronomic, horticultural, forestry, or medicinal uses, but much of this germplasm remains uncollected and awaits economic development. We list 485 entries (species, or genera for ornamental plants) in 14 categories, and compare these to existing germplasm collections in Nepal and the United States to highlight collection and conservation needs. To help plant plant collecting, we outline the key botanical and logistical data and legal framework for planning field work in Nepal.     

Pollution preventing efforts and strategies for the Kathmandu valley

The Kathmandu valley, nestled in the midst of the mighty Himalaya, is one of the worth visiting places in the world. Unplanned urbanization, increasing population, polluting vehicles and industries have started degrading the environment in the valley. Centralized development activities in the last two decades resulted in undesirable environmental change. If the current trend continues, valley will loose its importance. Realizing the importance of healthy environment, His Majesty's Government of Nepal has formed the Environment Protection Council under the chairmanship of Prime Minister to formulate environmental planning and policies. Over two dozen active NGOs are involved in environmental awareness and management in the Kathmandu valley. Some major steps have been undertaken by GOs and NGOs. Present paper deals with the state of pollution, efforts made to minimize it, and major actions/strategies for preventing pollution in the Kathmandu valley.     

Fertigation techniques for use with multiple hydrozones in simultaneous operation

Site-specific delivery of fertilizer is a useful tool to address differences in crop need. Modern systems with wirelessly networked sensors and valves allow multiple hydrozones to be created more easily than traditional wired systems. This allows irrigation and fertigation rates to be varied across small portions of a field. However, fertigation to multiple hydrozones with different fertilizer requirements may be complex if each zone cannot be fertigated in an independent set. Instead, it might be necessary to operate several fertigation zones simultaneously. This raises a concern over the ability to deliver fertilizer uniformly within each zone. Four fertigation strategies were tested. The conventional method was to fertigate multiple hydrozones at different times. Three site-specific strategies were considered, involving overlapping fertigation phases in multiple hydrozones. Fertilizer distribution uniformity tests were conducted with a 64-emitter drip line to determine which strategy gave the most uniform distribution of fertilizer within a hydrozone. All fertigation techniques performed well, with fertilizer distribution uniformities between 0.88 and 0.96. Selection of the optimum site-specific fertigation strategy will depend on crop needs, scheduling limitations, and system design parameters such as emitter type, fluid travel time, and slope. Similar to conventional fertigation, the main factor in fertilizer distribution uniformity for this study was drip emitter variability. In the presence of sloped terrain, the site-specific control strategy that involved a delay between fertilizer injection and flushing had the least uniform fertilizer application.     

Assessing synergism of combined applications of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoderma harzianum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas fluorescens</Emphasis> to control blast and bacterial leaf blight of rice

Laimaphelenchus suberensis sp. nov. obtained from declining Quercus suber trees of Herdade da Gouveia de Baixo, Alentejo, Portugal, is described and illustrated based on morphological, biometrical and molecular characters. The diagnosis of Laimaphelenchus species has been commonly based on the presence or absence of a vulval flap and on the shape structure of the tail tip. The species described here has been included in the Laimaphelenchus group without vulval flap, and can be distinguished from morphologically similar species by its tail tip shape structure that has a stalk-like terminus and three diffuse tubercles with 4–6 finger-like protrusions. For the molecular analyses, the mitochondrial DNA region from the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (mtCOI), the D2-D3 expansion segments of the large subunit (LSU) and small subunit (SSU) of rRNA gene were amplified and sequenced. Sequences of L. suberensis sp. nov. clustered separately from all Laimaphelenchus spp. with available sequences in Genbank, confirming its identification as a new species. This is the second report of the genus Laimaphelenchus in Portugal, associated with Q. suber: L. heidelbergi and L. suberensis sp. nov.     

Biochemical changes associated with flowering in Bambusa arundinacea and Bambusa nutans

Biochemical changes associated with flowering in Bambusa arundinacea Linn and Bambusa nutans Wall.ex Munro were analyzed.Gregarious flowering was initiated in natural areas and plantations of B.arundinacea in late 2014 and reached full bloom in early 2015,whereas sporadic flowering recorded during 2014–2015 in vegetatively propagated plants of B.nutans.Leaf and nodal shoot samples from flowering culms/shoots and nonflowering culms/shoots were collected in February 2015 at the initiation of fruit filling,then analyzed and compared for soluble sugars,phenols and peroxidase activity.In both species sugars were higher in leaves of flowering culms/shoots and lower in nodal shoots of flowering culms/shoots compared to the nonflowering.Phenols were lower in leaves and nodal shoots of flowering B.arundinacea,but higher in leaves and decreases in nodal shoots of B.nutans.Peroxidase activity increases in leaves and nodal shoots of B.arundinacea after flowering but increases in nodal shoots and decreases in leaves of B.nutans.     

Strategic Marketing Prospects for Developing Sustainable Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Businesses in the Indian Himalayan Region

Among the non-timber forest products, the medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP) are key forest resources for the world’s herbal medicine, cosmetics, health food and other natural products industries. MAP businesses are continuing to increase in many biodiversity-rich areas of the world. The overharvesting and depletion of forest based MAP and their unregulated trade are creating ecosystem and business sustainability issues for the MAP industry. This paper assesses the current state of the MAP industry in Uttarakhand State in the northwestern Himalayan region of India and offers marketing strategies for the conservation and sustainable commercialization of MAP in this region. A qualitative research method was first used involving interviews with policymakers and other industry stakeholders including local MAP traders and growers. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis and a quantitative strategic planning matrix analysis were then conducted to identify appropriate marketing strategies. The study reveals that the existing practices of MAP businesses in Uttarakhand are inconsistent with the plants’ conservation requirements and the livelihoods of the primary producers. In its current form, the region’s MAP industry is therefore in a precarious position. However, if policymakers consider and act on the industry’s strengths and opportunities they could positively influence its sustainable development and help to minimize the negative impacts of the trade on the region’s forest MAP resources.     

Physiological and biochemical studies during flower development in two rose species

The present investigation was aimed to study the changes in various physio-chemical attributes in petals of two different rose species, Rosa damascena Mill and Rosa bourboniana Desport differing in flowering behaviour from small bud (stage 1) till full bloom (stage 8). In both rose species fresh weight, dry weight and moisture content were maximum during full bloom. Electrical conductivity of the petal diffusates reached maximum at full bloom with significantly higher values in R. damascena. In both the species, starch content declined as the flower reached its full bloom stage with maximum reducing sugar content during this period. With progressive increase in petal growth, total protein and RNA declined. The results showed that in both the species peroxidase (POX) and catalase (CAT) activity were lower during full bloom with high activity of invertase and lipoxygenase (LOX) at this period. The present study indicates that lipid peroxidation induced membrane permeability could partly be the result of higher lipoxygenase activity during full bloom. The possible significance of these findings is discussed in relation to flower development in the two diverse rose species.