Anti-anaphylactic effect of Euphorbia hirta

The Euphorbia hirta ethanolic extract (EH A001) was found to possess a prominent anti-anaphylactic activity. A preventive effect of EH-A001 given by oral route at dose from 100 to 1000 mg/kg was observed against compound 48/80-induced systemic anaphylaxis. At the same range of dose, EH-A001 inhibited passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) in rat and active paw anaphylaxis in mice. A suppressive effect of EH-A001 was observed on the release of TNF-alpha and IL-6 from anti-DNP-HSA activated rat peritoneal mast cells.     

Water quality of Kaptai reservoir in Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh

A study was conducted in Kaptai reservoir, one of the largest man-made freshwater lakes of South-east Asia, to determine present status of water quality and its suitability for fishing and other uses. Water samplings were from middle part of the reservoir at 0.2 and 0.8 fractional depths at five different locations from upstream to downstream viz. Burburichara, Maichchari, Subolong, Basanthakum, and Rangamati. Water analyses show that concentrations of NO3-N, K+ and total P, and suspended solid at all the sampling stations were beyond the recommended values for fish culture. Concentrations of Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, SO42-, Cl-, total dissolved solid (TDS), dissolved oxygen (DO) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were within the standards for aquaculture. Concentrations of NO3-N, SO42-, K+ and total P showed no definite trend with depths, locations as well as rainy and dry seasons. Water pH, conductivity, Na+ and HCO3- contents were lower in rainy season, and DO and COD higher at almost all the locations in both the depths, compared with dry season. Total solids and concentrations of TDS, DO, COD, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Na+ were higher in upstream and decreased gradually towards downstream in the reservoir. Concentrations of DO and Ca2+ and pH were higher and Mg2+ less at 0.2-fractional depth than those at 0.8-fractional depth at almost all the locations. The reservoir is in mesotrophic condition containing high concentration of NO3-N and total P, in alarming status with the presence of excessive suspended solids from urban pollution around the town. It is necessary to adopt measures for protecting water quality in the reservoir due to such deteriorations.     

Development and Validation of SCAR Markers Co-Segregating with an Agropyron Elongatum Derived Leaf Rust Resistance Gene Lr24 in Wheat

Summary An Agropyron elongatum-derived leaf rust resistance gene Lr24 located on chromosome 3DL of wheat was tagged with six random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers which co-segregated with the gene. The markers were identified in homozygous resistant F₂ plants taken from a population segregating for leaf rust resistance generated from a cross between two near-isogenic lines (NILs) differing only for Lr24. Phenotyping was done by inoculating the plants with pathotype 77-5 of Puccinia triticina. To enable gene-specific selection, three RAPD markers (S1302₆₀₉, S1326₆₁₅ and OPAB-1₃₈₈) were successfully converted to polymorphic sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers, amplifying only the critical DNA fragments co-segregating with Lr24. The SCAR markers were validated for specificity to the gene Lr24 in wheat NILs possessing Lr24 in 10 additional genetic backgrounds including the Thatcher NIL, but not to 43 Thatcher NILs possessing designated leaf rust resistance genes other than Lr24. This indicated the potential usefulness of these SCAR markers in marker assisted selection (MAS) and for pyramiding leaf rust resistance genes in wheat.     

Intermittent drainage in paddy soil: ecosystem carbon budget and global warming potential

Intermittent drainage of rice fields alters soil redox potential and contributes to the reduction of CH₄ emission and thus may reduce net global warming potential (GWP) during rice cultivation. Incorporation of green biomass helps maintaining soil organic matter, but may increase CH₄ emission. We investigated net ecosystem carbon budget (NECB) and net GWP under two water management regimes—continuous flooding and intermittent drainage—having four biomass incorporation levels (0, 3, 6 and 12 Mg ha^?1). Water management and biomass incorporation level demonstrated significant (P < 0.05) interaction effect on the NECB and GWP. Intermittent drainage decreased the NECB by ca. 6–46 % than continuous flooding under same rates of cover crop biomass (CCB) incorporation. Moreover, intermittent drainage reduced seasonal CH₄–C fluxes by ca. 54–58 % and net GWP by 35–58 % compared to continuous flooding. There was also no significant reduction in rice yield because of intermittent drainage under similar CCB. This implies that incorporation of 3 Mg ha^?1 CCB and intermittent drainage could be a good option for reducing net GWP and higher grain yield.     

Inheritacne of submergence tolerance in rice

Summary Inheritance of submergence tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa L.) was investigated in an 8×8 diallel cross. Duration to 50% mortality of the diallel populations (F₁'s + parents) under completely submerged conditions at the seedling stage was used to characterize submergence tolerance instead of the usual submergence survival percentages.A strong prepotency of parents was found in transmitting the character to their offspring. Additive and nonadditive gene effects were highly significant. Parents highly tolerant to submergence also had high gca effects, and F₁'s between two tolerant parents were found to be the most tolerant of the diallel combinations. A high narrow-sense heritability was also observed.The additive-dominance model was found valid for this diallel cross. Submergence tolerance was partially dominant over susceptibility and recessive alleles were more concentrated in the susceptible parents IR42 and IR11288-B-B-69-1.     

Genetic analysis of pod quality characteristics in vegetable cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.)

A preliminary study of consumer preferences for pod characteristics in vegetable cowpea showed a general preference for greener, longer, fleshier pods that are less seedy. Methods of quantitatively assessing these traits were developed and used in understanding the inheritance of pod quality traits. Combining ability analysis, involving a 6 × 6 diallel mating design, showed that GCA effects were predominant for all pod characteristics. The additive effects were especially high for pod seediness. The dominance effect was, nevertheless, significant for all the characters. The dominance effects were unidirectional in the case of pod wall thickness and were in the direction of the thin walled parent. Dominance was ambidirectional for the other characteristics investigated. The study showed that it is relatively easy to improve these characters by carefully selecting the parents in hybridisation programmes.     

Management strategy,uptake and translocation of nitrogen in tidal flooded rice ecosystem

Abstract

Enhancing rice yield is a great challenge for rice growers in the tidal flooded ecosystem, where poor agronomic management is one of the major constrains. Improve management practice (IMP) was compared with traditional farmers’ practice (TFP) in evaluating rice productivity, nutrient uptake, translocation and farm income in tidal flooded ecosystem. Results revealed that, IMP significantly produced higher number of panicles m^?2, more grain panicle^?1 and better grain filling. The rice cultivars produced 2.0 to 2.5 t grain ha^?1 with TFP, while 3.0 to 4.0 t ha^?1 with IMP. In different rice cultivars, the grain yield in IMP increased 12 to 60% over TFP. Similarly, the grains in IMP treatment absorbed 21.41 to 57.03?kg N ha^?1 whereas only 15.85 to 46.94?kg N ha^?1 in TFP plot. However, higher nitrogen (N) transfer from shoot to grain in IMP also suggests that the amount of N in soil was too low to meet the plant demand in TFP. Although, the IMP involved additional cost, but it gave significantly higher gross return (438 to 954?US$ha^?1) and margin (397 to 913?US$ha^?1) which added farm income upto 225?US$ha^?1 over TFP. Hence, it could be concluded that IMP is a potential option for increasing grain yield and farm income during aman season in the tidal flooded ecosystem.     

Agronomic effectiveness and residual effects of Egyptian and Togo phosphate rocks on clover production

The high cost of conventional, water‐soluble phosphorus (P) fertilizers limits their use by resource‐poor farmers in sub‐Saharan Africa. Phosphate rocks are a low‐cost alternative. We evaluated the effectiveness and residual effects of Egyptian phosphate rock (EPR) and Togo phosphate rock (TPR) relative to triple superphosphate (TSP) applied at 0, 20, 40, 80, and 160 kg P ha^‐1 to annual Trifolium species grown in a P‐deficient Vertisol. The fertilizers were applied once and their effects were followed on seven consecutive annual clover crops. Clover responded to P at all the rates used. Significant (P<0.05) responses to P at the low 20–40 kg P ha^‐1 rates were registered up to the fifth crop after application of P, and responses to higher rates of 80–160 kg P ha^‐1 were significant up to the seventh crop. Critical evaluation of residual effects by comparing the response of clover to these fertilizers with response to fresh applications of TSP in the second and third crops confirmed these observations. Over all the seven crops, EPR was 82% as effective as TSP in increasing clover DM and 83% as effective in increasing P uptake. Its substitution rates were 67% for DM yields and 69% for P uptake. For TPR, the relative responses were 54% and 52% for DM yield and P uptake, respectively, and the corresponding substitution rates were 29% and 27%. In separate experiments, the effects of mixing these phosphate rocks with triple superphosphate (TSP) in various proportions (at 60 kg P ha^‐1) were also investigated. The highest response of clover was observed with TSP applied alone, but the phosphate rocks applied alone also significantly increased yields compared with the controls without applied P. Mixtures of TPR and TSP increased yields only slightly over pure TPR, and mixtures of EPR and TSP had no effect on yields compared with pure EPR, presumably because EPR is more reactive than TPR. It was concluded that EPR is highly effective in these soils, but the effectiveness of TPR is low. The highly reactive EPR could be used to elevate the P status of the P‐deficient Vertisols and increase feed availability and livestock productivity in the Ethiopian highlands. Mixing of these phosphate rocks with TSP cannot be recommended.     

Optimum application level of winter cover crop biomass as green manure under considering methane emission and rice productivity in paddy soil

The combined seeding and cropping of non-leguminous and leguminous cover crops during the cold fallow season is recommended as an important agronomic practice to improve total biomass productivity and soil fertility in mono-rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivation system. However, application of plant residues as green manure can increase methane (CH₄) emission during rice cultivation and affect rice quality and productivity, but its effects are not well examined. In this field study, the mixture of barley (Hordeum vulgare R.) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa R., hereafter, vetch) seeds with 75 % recommended dose (RD 140 kg ha^?1) and 25 % RD (90 kg ha^?1), respectively, were seeded after rice harvesting in late November, 2010, and harvested before rice transplanting in early June 2011. Total aboveground biomass was 36 Mg ha^?1 (fresh weight basis with 68 % moisture content), which was composed with 12 Mg ha^?1 of barley and 24 Mg ha^?1 of vetch. In order to determine the optimum recycling ratio of biomass application that can minimize CH₄ emission without affecting rice productivity, different recycling ratios of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 % of the total harvested biomass were incorporated as green manure 1 week before rice transplanting in a typical temperate paddy soil. The same rates of chemical fertilizers (N–P₂O₅–K₂O?=?90–45–58 kg ha^?1) were applied in all treatments. Daily mean CH₄ emission rates and total CH₄ fluxes were significantly (p?<?0.05) increased with increasing application rates of cover crop biomass. Rice productivity also significantly (p?<?0.05) increased with biomass application, but the highest grain yield (53 % increase over the control) was observed for 25 % recycling. However, grain quality significantly (p?<?0.05) decreased with increasing cover crop application rates above 25 % recycling ratio, mainly due to extended vegetative growth periods of rice plants. Total CH₄ flux per unit grain yield, an indicator used to simultaneously compare CH₄ emission impact with rice production, was not statistically different between 25 % biomass recycling ratio and the control but significantly increased with increasing application rates. Conclusively, the biomass recycling ratio at 25 % of combined barley and vetch cover crops as green manure might be suitable to sustain rice productivity without increasing CH₄ emission impact in mono-rice cultivation system.