Alteration in important quality traits and antioxidant activities in Brassica oleracea with Ogura cybrid cytoplasm

In vegetable brassicas, cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) system is the most preferred mechanism for hybrid seed production and Ogura cybrid cytoplasm is the only source used widely. Effects of the alien cybrid cytoplasm on important quality traits need to be understood for their effective use in breeding programme. In analysing 38 Ogura cybrid cytoplasm‐based cauliflower CMS lines, it was revealed that introgression of Ogura cytoplasm resulted in significant alteration in important quality traits. Cupric reducing antioxidant activity and ferric reducing ability of plasma values were increased up to 5–10 times in different genotypes. Among 38 analysed CMS lines, concentration of plant pigments such as anthocyanin, total chlorophylls and ascorbic acid was reduced in 21, 17 and 32 genotypes, respectively. However, the concentration of total carotenoids and β‐carotene was elevated in most of the CMS lines and total carotenoid was increased up to 20 times in the CMS line, Ogu13‐85‐2A. The results indicate the role of nuclear–cytoplasmic interaction and mitochondrial genome in determining concentration of different quality traits.     

Repellency and toxicity of aromatic plant extracts against the mosquito Culex pipiens molestus (Diptera: Culicidae)

The insecticidal activities of essential oil extracts from leaves, flowers and roots of aromatic plants against fourth-instar larvae of the mosquito Culex pipiens molestus Forskal were determined. Extracts of Foeniculum vulgare Mill were the most toxic, followed by those of Ferula hermonis Boiss, Citrus sinensis Osbeck, Pinus pinea L, Laurus nobilis L and Eucalyptus spp with LC50 values of 24.5, 44.0, 60.0, 75.0, 117.0 and 120.0 mg litre(-1), respectively. Combination tests between the LC50 and the maximum sub-lethal concentration (MSLC) were determined. Over 20 major components were identified in extracts from each plant species tested. Five essential oils and nine pure components were studied for their repellency against mosquito bites. Terpineol and 1,8-cineole were the most effective against Culex pipiens molestus bites offering complete protection for 1.6 and 2 h, respectively.     

Forest structure, composition, and tree diversity response to a gradient of regeneration harvests in the mid-Cumberland Plateau escarpment region, USA

Upland hardwood stands on mesic, escarpment-oriented sites on the Cumberland Plateau region of northeastern Alabama provide a myriad management opportunities. Stands are primarily managed for Quercus, but the high species diversity allows for management that targets multiple species. Stand composition is unique in that dominant species include shade tolerant species such as Acer saccharum, intermediate tolerant Quercus spp. and Carya spp., and intolerant Liriodendron tulipifera. Three replications of five levels of disturbance were created to assess species compositional changes; disturbances included three levels of harvest intensity, a mid-story herbicide treatment, and a control. After eight growing seasons, there were no discernable differences in species richness, diversity or evenness. Importance values based on relative basal area and relative density also changed little, except for clearcuts where L. tulipifera greatly increased. An initial gradient in basal area, canopy cover, and light created by harvesting or thinning dissipated following five growing seasons. Options exist for future stand management, including promoting two-aged or uneven-aged systems. Maintenance of Quercus will require additional tending.     

Identification of Minimum Data Set Under Balanced Fertilization for Sustainable Rice Production and Maintaining Soil Quality in Alluvial Soils of Eastern India

The scarcity of non-renewable fertilizers resources and the consequences of climate change can dramatically influence the food security of future generation. Introduction of high yielding varieties, intensive cropping sequence and increasing demand of food grains day-by-day, application of recommended dose of fertilizers could not fulfill our targets due to outdated fertilizers recommendations are yet in practice. It not only alters soil quality, nutrient balance, microbial and enzymatic ecology but also affected productivity and sustainability of rice in Gangetic alluvial soils of India. The effect of fertilizers application based on “fertilizing the soil versus fertilizing the crop” which insure real balance between the applied and available soil nutrient is urgently needed. Hence, the present study was conducted during three consecutive crop seasons (2010, 2011, and 2012) to assess the effect of imbalance and balance fertilization based on initial soil test values and targeted yields, and to determine the effect of farmyard manure (FYM) when superimposed with balanced fertilizers on identification of minimum data set for the development soil quality, nutrient acquisition, and grain yield of rice. The six fertilizer treatments were laid out in a randomized block design with three replications. The treatments were: T₁-control (no fertilization), T₂-farmyard manure @ 5 t ha^?1, T₃-farmers practice (60:30:30 kg N:P₂O₅:K₂O ha^?1), T₄-precise application of mineral fertilizers based on initial soil test values (77:24:46 kg N:P₂O₅:K₂O ha^?1) for targeted grain yield of 4.0 t ha^?1, T₅-precise application of mineral fertilizers based on initial soil test values (74:23:43 kg N:P₂O₅:K₂O ha^?1) plus FYM (5 t ha^?1) for targeted grain yield of 4.0 t ha^?1 and T₆-precise application of mineral fertilizers based on initial soil test values (135:34:65 kg N:P₂O₅:K₂O ha^?1) for targeted rice grain yield of 5.0 t ha^?1. Result revealed that the targeted rice grain yield of 4.0 and 5.0 t ha^?1 was achieved in T₄ and T₆ treatments with 1.59% (4.06 t ha^?1) and –3.40% (4.83 t ha^?1) deviations, respectively. T₄, T_5, and T₆ significantly increased crop growth, nutrient uptake, available P (P_a) and K (K_a) and augmented rice grain yield by 10.6, 20.2 and 31.6%, respectively, over T₃. Microbial biomass carbon, soil respiration and enzymatic activity were enhanced significantly in T₅ as compared to T₆. Highest soil quality index was found in T₅ (0.95) followed by T₆ (0.90) and, lowest was in T₁ (0.63). The contribution of minimum data set (MDS) toward the SQI was in the descending order of ALP (30.6%) > SOC (21.5%) > K_a (11.3%) > PSM (9.68%) > N_a (8.51%). Overall, rice yield and soil quality was improved by using balance fertilization based on fertilizing the crop Vs fertilizing the soil in alluvial soils of India.     

Genetic diversity of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) genotypes revealed by RAPD markers and agronomic traits

Bitter gourd or bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) is considered as minor cucurbitaceous vegetable in spite of having considerable nutritional and medicinal properties. Although some reports on genetic diversity based on morphological characterization are available, no work has been conducted to estimate genetic diversity using molecular markers in this crop. In the present study, 38 genotypes of M. charantia including few commercially cultivars collected from different parts of India based on agro-ecological zones were analysed for diversity study both at morphological and molecular levels. Genomic DNA was extracted from young healthy leaves following the procedure of Doyle and Doyle [Doyle, J.J., Doyle, J.L., 1990. A rapid DNA isolation procedure from small quantity of fresh leaf material. Phytochem. Bull. 119, 11–15]. Pair-wise comparison of genotypes was calculated as per the procedure of Jaccard [Jaccard, P., 1908. Nouvelles recherches sur la distribution florale. Bull. Soc. Vaud. Sci. Nat. 44, 223–270]. Dendrogram was constructed using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) and the computation for multivariate analysis was done using the computer programme NTSYS-pc Version 2.0 [Rohlf, F.J., 1998. NTSYS-pc Numerical Taxonomy and Multivariate Analysis System, Version 2.01. Exeter Software, Setauket, NY, USA]. Diversity based on yield related traits and molecular analysis was not in consonance with ecological distribution. Among 116 random decamer primers screened 29 were polymorphic and informative enough to analyse these genotypes. A total of 208 markers generated of which 76 (36.50%) were polymorphic and the number of bands per primer was 7.17 out of them 2.62 were polymorphic. Pair-wise genetic distance (GD) based on molecular analysis ranged from 0.07 to 0.50 suggesting a wide genetic base for the genotypes. The clustering pattern based on yield related traits and molecular variation was different.     

Heat stress and effect of shade materials on hormonal and behavior response of dairy cattle: a review

In tropical countries, at high temperatures, several physiological rearrangements occur in cows as they attempt to facilitate heat dissipation and/or reduce metabolic heat production. Following exposure to heat, cattle appear to acclimatize within 2–7 weeks. The failure of homeostasis at high temperatures may lead to reduced productivity or even death. The situation is even worse when humidity adds to high temperature. Livestock with elevated body temperature exhibit lower DMI and growth with less efficiency, reducing profitability for dairy farms in hot and humid climates. Shading of feed and water also offers production advantages. Although several elaborate methods for reducing heat stress in cows have been reported, simple shade materials appear to be the most cost-effective methods that are currently applicable to tropical developing countries. Different materials are being used to provide shade during warm weather. The shade material determines the microclimate—it should be light, strong, durable, weatherproof, good looking and a bad conductor of heat, and free from tendency to condense moisture inside. This review discusses various shade materials and their advantages and disadvantages in different situations.     

Temperature shifts induce adaptive changes in the physical state of carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) erythrocyte plasma membranes in vitro

Blood, freshly collected from warm- and cold-acclimated carp, Cyprinus carpio L., was cooled to 5°C for 4h or warmed to 25°C for 4h, respectively, and the fluorescence anisotropy of washed red blood cells was recorded using the fluorescent dye 3-(p-(6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatrienyl) phenyl propionic acid [DPH-PA] (which is restricted to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane) before and after the temperature shift. Despite individual variation, the plasma membrane of cold-exposed erythrocytes became more fluid while that of warm-exposed cells became more rigid following the temperature shift. This response was rapid and reversible. Cold-exposed cells from warm-acclimated fish became more fluid within 40–60 minutes and reverted to their original fluidity within the same time on warming, at a rate of 1°C/min; erythrocytes, from cold-adapted carp displayed an opposite change in fluidity over a similar time period. Cells from warm-acclimated, temperature down-shifted carp hyperfluidized their plasma membranes in the cold, whereas cells from cold-acclimated fish up-shifted in temperature showed no similar effect. These cells showed a complete adjustment of membrane physical state to the temperature. Total phospholipids obtained from warm-acclimated temperature down-shifted cells became more rigid than they were, when assayed at the acclimation temperature. In contrast, phospholipids obtained from cold-acclimated cells became more rigid when exposed to increasing temperatures. No significant changes occurred to the polar head groups, or to the fatty acid composition of the total phospholipids. It was concluded that the lipids play only a secondary role in the control of the physical state of plasma membrane in carp erythrocytes, and that some non-lipid components of these structures might be involved in these regulatory processes.     

Neurological trypanosomiasis in quinapyramine sulfate-treated horses—a breach of the blood–brain barrier?

Trypanosoma evansi infection typically produces wasting disease, but it can also develop into a neurological or meningoencephalitis form in equids. Trypanosomiasis in horses was treated with quinapyramine sulfate, and all the 14 infected animals were recovered clinically. After clinical recovery, four animals developed a neurological form of the disease at various intervals. Two of these animals treated with diminazene aceturate recovered temporarily. Repeated attempts failed to find the parasite in the blood or the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), but all of the animals were positive in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The calculation of the antibody index (AI) in the serum and the CSF and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of the CSF and brain tissue were carried out to confirm the neuro-infection. We found PCR and AI analyses of the CSF to be useful tools in the diagnosis of the neurological form of trypanosomiasis when the organism cannot be found in the blood or CSF. The increased albumin quotient is indicative of barrier leakage due to neuroinflammation. The biochemical changes in the CSF due to nervous system trypanosomiasis include increases in the albumin quotient, total protein, and urea nitrogen. It seems to be the first report on relapse of the nervous form of trypanosomiasis in equids even after quinapyramine treatment in endemic areas.     

Underplanting to sustain future stocking of oak (Quercus) in temperate deciduous forests

New Forests - Oaks (Quercus spp.) are one of the most important tree taxa in the northern hemisphere. Although they are dominant in mixed species forests and widely distributed, there are frequent...