Preparation and Quality Evaluation of Nutritionally Enriched Jam Made from Blends of Indian Blackberry and Other Fruits

Jamun (Syzygium cumini) is a tropical, underutilized fruit which is highly perishable in nature. It is a good source of vitamin C, tannins, gallic acid and anthocyanins and its beneficial effects are mostly due to the presence of bioactive compounds (pigments and phenolic compounds) in it. Due to astringent and fibrous nature, preparation of jam from jamun pulp is quite difficult, but other fruits (apple and kiwifruit) can be incorporated in it to improve its quality. This study aims to develop jam from blends of jamun with other fruits and analyse various physico-chemical, nutritional, textural and sensory properties. It was found that physico-chemical properties of jams were not found to vary greatly, but the jamun–kiwifruit jam was found to have fairly high amount of antioxidants(46.75 ± 0.67%), tartaric acid (26.24 ± 0.02 mg/100g sample), ascorbic acid (0.08 ± 0.01 mg/100 g sample) and lactic acid (23.95 ± 0.01 mg/100g sample) and lowest amount of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (0.38 ± 0.04 mg/100 g sample). Jamun jam and jamun–kiwifruit jam possessed the texture required for jam while jamun–apple jam was found to be a relatively harder gel. Jam made with jamun and kiwifruit pulp was found to have highest acceptability on the basis of sensory evaluation.     

Growth response of the siluroid, Heteropneustes fossilis bloch,fed pelleted feed

Growth response and survival of catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis, fed compounded pelleted diet have been studied. It was observed that the fish accepts and thrives well on pelleted feed, with 100% survival. The conversion factor of the feed over a 6-week feeding trial was found to be 1.8, corresponding to gross growth efficiency of 0.56. The study suggests that cost-effective raw materials could be used for compounding nutritive feed for this species.     

Morphological development of post hatch larval goldlined seabream Rhabdosargus sarba (Forskål, 1775)

Ultrastructural changes in Rhabdosargus sarba larva in early life history were investigated. At hatching, the digestive system was histologically undifferentiated. The digestive tract was a straight tube attached to the dorsal end of the yolk‐sac and was not connected to either the mouth or the anus. The layer of gut epithelium at some regions of the luminal surface was straight and microvilli were not present. These straight borders were not observed at 1 day post hatching (DPH) onwards as microvilli increased in number on the luminal surface and became more regular. At 2 DPH, the digestive system was well differentiated and the separation of the mid‐ and hindgut by the intestino‐rectal valve became more advanced. At 0 DPH, the eye was spherical and the retina had a zonation with undifferentiated cells. The eye also lacked differentiated photoreceptors (PR). The retinal PRs increased in length and in number as the yolk‐sac was absorbed. By 2 DPH, the eye was fully pigmented, suggesting that the larval vision system was functional. The larvae had a pure cone retina at the onset of exogenous feeding. Morphological and functional differentiation of the digestive tract and the eye of the larvae preceded the completion of yolk and oil globule absorption. The oil globule was exhausted at 4 DPH and at 2 DPH, the yolk‐sac was completely absorbed. Food particles were observed at 3 DPH. Food particle ingestion and absorption of the yolk‐sac were observed as vision became fully functional.     

High level of resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in introgression lines derived from hybridization between wild crucifers and the crop Brassica species B. napus and B. juncea

Sclerotinia rot caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is one of the most serious and damaging diseases of oilseed rape and there is keen worldwide interest to identify Brassica genotypes with resistance to this pathogen. Complete resistance against this pathogen has not been reported in the field, with only partial resistance being observed in some Brassica genotypes. Introgression lines were developed following hybridization of three wild crucifers (viz. Erucastrum cardaminoides, Diplotaxis tenuisiliqua and E. abyssinicum) with B. napus or B. juncea. Their resistance responses were characterized by using a stem inoculation test. Seed of 54 lines of B. napus and B. juncea obtained from Australia, India and China through an Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) collaboration programme were used as susceptible check comparisons. Introgression lines derived from E. cardaminoides, D. tenuisiliqua and E. abyssinicum had much higher levels (P < 0.001) of resistance compared with the ACIAR germplasm. Median values of stem lesion length of introgression lines derived from the wild species were 1.2, 1.7 and 2.0 cm, respectively, as compared with the ACIAR germplasm where the median value for stem lesion length was 8.7 cm. This is the first report of high levels of resistance against S. sclerotiorum in introgression lines derived from E. cardaminoides, D. tenuisiliqua and E. abyssinicum. The novel sources of resistance identified in this study are a highly valuable resource that can be used in oilseed Brassica breeding programmes to enhance resistance in future B. napus and B. juncea cultivars against Sclerotinia stem rot.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Agrobacterium</Emphasis>-mediated transformation of safflower and the efficient recovery of transgenic plants via grafting

Background

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is a difficult crop to genetically transform being susceptible to hyperhydration and poor in vitro root formation. In addition to traditional uses safflower has recently emerged as a broadacre platform for the production of transgenic products including modified oils and pharmaceutically active proteins. Despite commercial activities based on the genetic modification of safflower, there is no method available in the public domain describing the transformation of safflower that generates transformed T₁ progeny.

Results

An efficient and reproducible protocol has been developed with a transformation efficiency of 4.8% and 3.1% for S-317 (high oleic acid content) and WT (high linoleic acid content) genotypes respectively. An improved safflower transformation T-DNA vector was developed, including a secreted GFP to allow non-destructive assessment of transgenic shoots. Hyperhydration and necrosis of Agrobacterium-infected cotyledons was effectively controlled by using iota-carrageenan, L-cysteine and ascorbic acid. To overcome poor in vitro root formation for the first time a grafting method was developed for safflower in which ~50% of transgenic shoots develop into mature plants bearing viable transgenic T₁ seed. The integration and expression of secreted GFP and hygromycin genes were confirmed by PCR, Southern and Western blot analysis. Southern blot analysis in nine independent lines indicated that 1-7 transgenes were inserted per line and T₁ progeny displayed Mendelian inheritance.

Conclusions

This protocol demonstrates significant improvements in both the efficiency and ease of use over existing safflower transformation protocols. This is the first complete method of genetic transformation of safflower that generates stably-transformed plants and progeny, allowing this crop to benefit from modern molecular applications.

     

Preliminary study on antifertility activity of Calotropis procera roots in female rats

The effect of ethanolic extract of the roots of Calotropis procera has been studied in albino rats to explore its antifertility and hormonal activities. A strong antiimplantation (inhibition 100%) and uterotropic activity was observed at the dose level of 250 mg/kg (1/4 of LD(50)). No antiestrogenic activity could be detected.     

Fatty Acid and Non-Fatty Acid Components of the Seed Oil of Celastrus paniculatus willd.

The yield and chemical composition of the seed oil of Celastrus paniculatus were determined by solvent extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The yield of crude fatty oil was found to be 45.5% in the mature seeds on dry weight basis. Fourteen compounds, constituting 97.57% of the oil, were identified. The oil was rich in unsaturated fatty acids (70.11%) followed by saturated fatty acids (25.2%). Oleic acid (54.42%), palmitic acid (20.0%), linoleic acid (15.51%), and stearic acid (4.18%) were the main fatty acids in the oil together with four other minor fatty acids. The current study identifies the novel compounds not previously reported in C. paniculatus oil, including 1,4-benzenediol (0.46%), cinnamic acid (0.15%), 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-benzoquinone (0.03%), butylated hydroxytoluene (0.4%), and eudalene (0.16).     

Agronomic fortification of rice grains with secondary and micronutrients under differing crop management and soil moisture regimes in the north Indian Plains

Although the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) has been reported to produce higher paddy (Oryza sativa L.) yields with better-quality grains, little research has addressed the latter claim. This study investigated the interactive effects of rice cultivation methods with different irrigation schedules and plant density on the uptake and concentration of sulfur (S), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu) in the grain and straw of two rice cultivars during two rainy seasons in the northern plains of India. As the two seasons differed in amounts of rainfall, there were impacts of soil moisture differences on nutrient uptake. Plots with SRI cultivation methods enhanced the grain uptake and concentrations of S, Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu by 36, 32, 28, 32 and 63%, respectively, compared to conventional transplanting (CT). Under SRI management, the highest concentrations of S, Zn and Cu in the grain and straw occurred with irrigation intervals scheduled at 3 days after disappearance of ponded water (DADPW; 3_D), whereas Fe and Mn concentrations in the grain and straw were higher with irrigation at 1 DADPW (1 _D ) compared with plots under 3 _D or 5 DADPW (5 _D ). The higher nutrient uptakes were also manifested in higher grain yield in 1 _D and 3 _D plots (by 9 and 6%, respectively) compared with 5 _D . Wider spacing (25 × 25 cm) compared with closer spacing (20 × 20 cm) significantly increased yield and the uptake and concentrations of all the said nutrients in the grains. When comparing the performance of two cultivars, the total uptakes of Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu in both grain and straw were significantly more in Hybrid 6444 than the improved variety Pant Dhan 4. Overall, SRI crop management compared to CT practices led to more biological fortification of rice grains with respect to S and the four micronutrients studied, giving a concomitant yield advantage of about 17% on average in this region.     

基于目标像素变化的柚果单目测距算法

针对山地果园光线变化和枝叶遮挡干扰果实距离检测的问题,该研究提出一种利用目标区域像素数量变化预测成像距离的算法。根据单目测距原理和柚果成像特性,以具备尺寸和形状代表性的离树柚果样本为研究对象,在采摘作业距离范围内利用单一相机以固定间隔步距对果实某一侧面连续获取图像数据,用以建立并验证目标区域像素数量变化与成像距离变化之间的多元回归关系。随后将该算法应用于果园中树上柚果样本以检验其适用性,并讨论初始成像距离和步距取值对测距精度的影响。研究结果表明,在125 cm以内,6个树上柚果样本的测距相对误差均低于5%,满足采摘机械手目标定位的精度要求;初始成像距离对该算法测距精度具有显著影响。该研究单目测距算法满足果园环境中柚果目标与相机间距离检测需求,为相关采摘机械手的柚果目标识别提供了一种可行方案。