Long‐term changes in the floristic composition and soil characteristics of reclaimed sodic land during eco‐restoration

The study was conducted under the “Uttar Pradesh Sodic Lands Reclamation Project” to examine changes that occurred in the reclaimed sodic land in two districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. The study focuses on long‐term seasonal changes in the floral diversity and soil characteristics of the reclaimed sodic land over a period of 10 y. The changes in the floristic composition, plant density, and soil characteristics (microbial biomass carbon [MBC], pH, exchangeable‐sodium percentage (ESP), and electrical conductivity) were compared among the different study plots after different years of sodic‐land reclamation. The study plots comprised reclaimed land with rice–wheat cultivation; semireclaimed land under rice cultivation only and nonreclaimed barren sodic land. There was a significant variation in the floristic composition of the three study plots. Dominance in the floristic composition was shifted from monocotyledonous weeds in the nonreclaimed sodic land to dicotyledonous weeds in the reclaimed land after 10 y of reclamation. Among the soil characteristics, the most remarkable changes were observed in soil MBC and ESP during the course of sodic‐land reclamation. Soil MBC increased up to 480% and ESP values decreased up to 79% in the reclaimed plots with reference to the nonreclaimed plots. The soil amelioration was more pronounced in the upper layer (0–30 cm) as compared to the lower layer (below 30 cm depth). A positive significant correlation was revealed between soil MBC and floristic composition of the reclaimed plots. These changes in floristic composition and soil characteristics could be used as good indicators of the eco‐restoration of the sodic lands. The present study provides useful insights in understanding the temporal progress of eco‐restoration in the reclaimed sodic lands.     

Development of ISSR- and RAPD-derived SCAR markers for identification of Gladiolus germplasm

Gladiolus is an economically important ornamental crop, cultivated for its beautiful flowers throughout the world. The correct genotype identification of plant material is very significant for the floriculture industry. The aim of this study was to develop sequence-characterised amplified region (SCAR) markers from RAPD and ISSR fragments for identification and authentication of Gladiolus germplasm. The SCAR markers developed could be easily employed as valuable tools to identify newly developed Gladiolus cultivars. The SCAR markers, viz. ScG12, ScG34, and ScG36, are specific to the DNA from all 62 Gladiolus cultivars, as they did not amplify the DNA of other taxa of the family Iridaceae, including Iris, Amaryllis, and Narcissus. All three SCAR markers distinguished Gladiolus from other taxa of the family Iridaceae, whereas marker ScAm was specific to the ‘Amethyst’ cultivar. Our results confirmed that this particular SCAR marker distinguished the ‘Amethyst’ cultivar from the other 62 Gladiolus cultivars investigated in the present study. This development of SCAR markers based on RAPD and ISSR markers seems to be the maiden attempt for Gladiolus cultivars.