Characterisation and validation of housekeeping genes for qRT-PCR expression analysis in Pterophyllum scalare

Aquaculture International - Quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) is the most sensitive and advanced method to quantify the expression of target genes of animals including fish. However, the...     

Impact assessment of soils treated with refinery effluent

The effluent collected from the Panipat oil refinery was analysed for different physico-chemical properties. The systematic investigations were carried out to evaluate the effect of refinery effluent on soil fertility by assessing its impact on various soil physico-chemical and biological properties temporally using pot culture experiments. Different concentrations of effluent viz. control, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% were used for the study. It was observed that application of effluent significantly increased pH, EC, TH, TDS, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, alkalinity, Cl^?, SO₄^2?, Fe, P, Na, K, heavy metals, soil dehydrogenase activity and organic content of soil during all intervals of time except bulk density and specific gravity. On the basis of the study it may be suggested that use of treated oil refinery effluent has no adverse effects on physico-chemical properties of soil and can also be used as an alternate source for irrigating crops as it increases the nutrient content of the soil which is essential for the proper growth and maintenance of crop plants.     

Nitrate assimilation and biomass production in Sesamum indicuml. Seedlings in a lead enriched environment

Seed germination was delayed and seedling growth inhibited by 0.04 to 1.9 mM Pb⁺² in Sesamum indicum L. var HT-I. In root, shoot and leaf Pb⁺² accumulation increased with increasing Pb⁺² concentration in the nutrient solution. In root and leaf tissues in vivo and in vitro nitrate reductase activity was inhibited significantly which was well correlated with the concentration of Pb⁺² supplied and its accumulation in the plant parts. The inhibition of the NR enzyme activity could be, however, reversed by simultaneous treatment of Sesamum seedlings with K₂HPO₄, CaCl₂ and KNO₃ dissolved in nutrient solution. Total organic N and soluble protein of roots and shoots/leaves, on the other hand, increased with increasing concentration of Pb⁺² while the same treatment caused a decrease in the N content of cotyledons. It appears therefore, that the increase in N and protein in the roots, shoots/leaves may be a result of increased translocation of N from the cotyledons to the roots and shoots/leaves during early seedling growth in a Pb⁺² enriched environment.