Application of biochar in mitigation of negative effects of salinity stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Salinity is a major abiotic stress that affects crop production throughout the world. Biochar is an activated carbon soil conditioner that can alleviate the negative impacts of salinity. The research was conducted to evaluate the ameliorative effect of 1% and 2% of biochar application on wheat seed germination and growth attributes under salinity. Both levels of biochar improved the germination and growth conditions under salinity; however, 2% biochar level was more effective compared to 1% level. Root and shoot length increased up to 23% and11% with 2% biochar, respectively. The maximum increase of 16% and 10% in leaf water potential and osmotic potential was noted with 2% biochar at 150 mM salt. The decrease in proline content and soluble sugar at 2% biochar was 51% and 27%, respectively. Decrease in superoxide dismutase activity was 15.3% at 2% level of biochar under stress biochar mitigates the negative effects of salinity and improved wheat productivity.     

Variation amongst protoplast-derived moth bean Vigna aconitifolia plants

Summary Protoplasts were isolated from leaves of a single plant of Vigna aconitifolia, a drought resistant grain legume. The protoplasts regenerated and formed colony and calli from which 50 entire plants were regenerated and transferred to field conditions. Only 7 plants survived upto maturity and they flowered and produced pods with seed. The protoplast derived plants showed variation in important characters. Two groups of characters (one with 7 sets and another with 6 sets) were studied in the protoclones. In first group protoclones showed variations in seed germination, maturity age, pod length, pod and seed colour, number of abortive seed per pod and response to field rots, however, not much difference was recorded in pollen stainability and meiotic behaviour in these protoclones. In second group analysis of variants showed significance difference for plant height, rachis-length, length and breadth of mature odd leaflets, seed per pod and weight of seed. The results indicate that protoplast can be source of variation in this crop. However, detailed biochemical and genetical analysis of protoclones are required.     

A high temperature/low oxygen pulse improves cold storage disinfestation

Short periods of elevated temperature under controlled atmospheres (CA) effectively control insect pests. Cold treatment is also an effective non-chemical disinfestation process. If synergistic effects can be found by combining treatments, these may provide opportunities for cost reduction. Tests were performed to evaluate the tolerance of Packham's Triumph pears (Pyrus communis L.) to a range of temperatures (30–40 °C) combined with low oxygen (O₂ < 1 kPa). Treatment duration was 16–48 h and was followed by 1 month storage at 0 °C under air. When held at 30 °C, pears withstood up to 30 h of hypoxia. After cold storage, pears ripened slightly faster than controls but were undamaged. A temperature of 35 °C induced slight skin browning, and 40 °C resulted in substantial skin blackening. Some treatments were also tested on survival of lightbrown apple moth (LBAM), Epiphyas postvittana (Walker). All developmental stages were subjected to either 16 h at 30 °C, or 16 h under hypoxia, or 1 month at 0 °C, or a combination of the three treatments. With all treatments combined, all eggs, larvae and adults were killed. Only 4% of the pupae produced adults and combined treatments led to an increase in pupa mortality of 38%. A combined treatment (tolerated by pears) consisting of 30 h at 30 °C under low O₂ plus 1 month cold storage under air, killed 100% of LBAM pupae, and 100% of 5th instar larvae of both codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), and oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck). Implementation of such treatments would not require substantial investments for fruit industries equipped with CA storage facilities.     

A phenetic analysis and lateral key of the genus Lolium (Gramineae)

88 herbarium specimens of the genus Lolium were scored for 22 characters, comprising 7 vegetative, 8 inflorescence and 7 seed characters. The aim was to review the species relationship and to produce a lateral key to the genus. The data were analysed using principal components analysis, discriminant function analysis and cluster analysis. All analyses separated L. perenne, L. multiflorum and L. temulentum from each other. The 2 varieties of L. rigidum showed varying degrees of separation from each other and from L. multiflorum. Their distinction as a species and as 2 varieties is discussed. L. perenne and L. rigidum were shown to contain the greatest similarity between species and L. temulentum was found to be the most distinct. A lateral key is proposed that separates the species on the basis of 11 morphological characters that are easily scored in the field.     

Multi-Block Data Modeling for Characterization of Soil Contamination: A Case Study

Multi-block (heavy metals, pesticides, physico-chemical parameters) data set pertaining to the soils of alluvium region in Indo-Gangetic plains was analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple factor analysis (MFA) methods to delineate the contaminated sites and to identify the possible contamination sources in the study region. In normal PCA, the first three factors were dominated mainly by heavy metals, pesticides and physico-chemical variables, respectively, thus identifying samples/sites contaminated with these. The MFA results, due to its unique weighting scheme of variables of different blocks extracted, to more realistic information about the spatial distribution of samples and relationships among the variables. MFA minimized the influence of variables of one single block on the first few components, allowing variables of all blocks equally to share the common MFA space. This resulted in delineating the sites/regions contaminated with variables (Al, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, Na, SO₄, aldrin, lindane, HCB, HCH, DDT, and endosulfan) of all the blocks, rather than by particular block variables as in case of normal PCA, where, the variables of single block dominate the first factors, suppressing other block variables. MFA which can be considered as a method for standardization of the multi-block variables was successfully applied to the three block data set of soils.     

Potato bacterial wilt in India caused by strains of phylotype I, II and IV of Ralstonia solanacearum

Bacterial wilt or brown rot is one of the most devastating diseases of potato caused by a bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum (Smith 1986) Yabuuchi et al. (Microbiol Immunol 39:897–904 1995). Traditionally, R. solanacearum is classified into five races (r) on the basis of differences in host range and six biovars (bvs) on the basis of biochemical properties. Recently using molecular methods, R.?solanacearum has been classified into phylotypes based on the intergenic transcribed sequence of the ribosomal RNA genes 16S and 23S and into sequevars based on the endoglucanase gene (egl) sequence. In the present study, 75 bacterial strains, isolated from wilt infected potatoes from various potato growing regions of India, were classified by traditional and molecular methods. The identity of all the strains was confirmed as R. solanacearum as expected single 280-bp fragment resulted in all the strains following PCR amplification using R. solanacearum specific universal primer pair 759/760. Biovar (bv) analysis, based on utilization of disaccharide sugars and hexose alcohols, categorised the 75 strains into bv2 (78.7 %), 2 T (5.3 %), 3 (5.3 %) and 4 (10.7 %). The phylotype specific multiplex PCR assigned 78.7 % strains to phylotype II, 16.0 % to phylotype I and 5.3 % to phylotype IV. Phylogenetic analysis of egl gene sequences clustered all fifty nine phylotype II (bv2) strains with reference strain IPO1609 (IIB-1), all four phylotype IV (bv2T) strains with reference strain MAFF301558 (IV-8), three phylotype I (bv3) strains with reference strain MAFF211479 (I-30) and all eight phylotype I (bv4) and one phylotype I (bv3) strain with reference strain CIP365 (I-45). The study concluded that the Indian potato strains of R. solanacearum belong to three out of four phylotypes namely: the Asian phylotype I, the American phylotype II, and the Indonesian phylotype IV. This is the first study to address the diversity of R. solanacearum from potato in India using phylotype and sequevar scheme. We also report here for the first time the occurrence of phylotype IV sequevar 8 (bv2T) strain of R. solanacearum causing potato bacterial wilt in mid hills of Meghalaya in India.     

ROOT ZONE TEMPERATURE INFLUENCES ZINC REQUIREMENT OF MAIZE CULTIVARS ON A CALCAREOUS LOAM SOIL

The zinc (Zn) requirement of a maize (Zea mays L.) hybrid (‘FHY-396’) and an indigenous variety (‘EV-7004’) was measured at low (22.4 ± 5°C) and high (28.8 ± 5°C) root-zone temperatures (RZT). Four Zn rates (0, 3, 9 and 27 mg kg^?1 soil) were applied to a calcareous loam soil in pots for the glasshouse study. Shoot and root dry matter yields were significantly more at the higher RZT. Regardless the RZT, maximum relative shoot dry matter yield in hybrid and variety was produced, respectively, at 9 and 3 mg Zn kg^?1 soil. Zinc concentration in roots and shoots of both the cultivars increased with Zn rates and it was significantly more at the higher RZT. Cultivars differed in critical Zn concentration (C_ZnC) required for maximum shoot dry matter yield. The C_ZnC ranged from 25 to 39 μg Zn g^?1 plant tissue for optimum growth of both the cultivars at low and high RZT.     

Morphological differentiation in four species of the genus Lolium

Three hundred and sixteen accessions belonging to four species of the genus Lolium were analysed for morphological differentiation following field trials. Principal component analysis (PCA) was shown to explain over 74% of the variation with the date of ear emergence, spike height and flag leaf length and width being responsible for the major differentiation. L. perenne separated into two groups following PCA, cluster analysis and k-means clustering, as a result of floral initiation in the sowing year. Those accessions that did not attain floral initiation until the second year were found to be from northern Europe. The inbreeder L. temulentum was separated from the three outbreeding species, L. perenne, L. multiflorum and L. rigidum, which are themselves distinct from each other although there is some introgression between them, especially between L. multiflorum and L. rigidum. The results are discussed in relation to selection of a core collection of Lolium accessions.