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Evaluation of antioxidant activity of Impatiens walleriana & Sauropus androgynus extracts – A combination study
“Oxidative stress” underlies a number of ailments & lipid peroxidation (LPO) also has economic implications/safety concerns as it contributes to spoilage of food products/cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Antioxidants seem to hold solutions for such problems. Culinary herbs based antioxidants are in demand be it food, cosmetic or pharma industry. In pursuit of finding such safe antioxidants present evaluation employing a combined hydroalcoholic extract of two nutritious plants namely Sauropus androgynus & Impatiens walleriana is carried out using three in-vitro assays. FRAP assay results seem promising with the extract under investigation showing ferric reducing ability between 73-88% compared to standard showing 59-84%. Antioxidant effect in nitric oxide scavenging assay is averaged at 20% in comparison to the standard for which it is 70%. Results of hydroxyl radical scavenging assay range between 31-72% compared to standard wherein effect is between 79-88%. Ascorbic acid has been used as standard in the assays. Findings from all the three invitro assays reveal antioxidant potential of the combined extract. Further additional studies to determine mechanisms underlying antioxidant activity along with finding active principles contributing to the same are recommended
New method for detecting Collectorichum species found in Korea using image analysis
Colletotrichum acutatum spp. infects various economical crops worldwide and causes massive loss on their yields. Among those, Capsicum spp., which known as chili pepper, is on a critical issue by those pathogens. Due to the lack of their genetic markers in Korea, the unidentifiable various species of C. acutatum obstructs the mechanism studies of these pathogens and the selection of disease resistant breed lines. Therefore, we screened RGB images of the colonization progresses of pathogens to identify the species of Ca40042, K1, NN, AS2, and SW1 by time and temperature. Cultivated pathogens such as Ca40042, K1, and SW1 were detectable on quantified shape and color data of images from specific temperature conditions, while other pathogens were difficult to recognize. Although several limitations exist in identification results of current experiment, but also, we can expect this method can suggest the possibility to replace the genetic marker methods which is now unavailable in Korea
Physiological responses of cowpea simultaneously exposed to water deficit stress and varying light intensities at vegetative and reproductive growth stages
A combination of stresses as it occurs on the field poses more challenges to crop production than individual stress. Crops’ response to single stress also differs from that of combined stresses. The morpho-physiological responses of two cowpea varieties (IT89KD-288 and IT99K573-1-1) to a combination of stresses (water deficit stress and high light intensity) were investigated at different growth stages. Three levels of light intensities (L3: 259 Lux- 36%, L2: 394 Lux-55% and L1: 710.2 Lux-100%) were imposed using one, two and zero layer(s) of the net, respectively, while, water deficit stress at four levels (W1: no water stress; 0-5 bars, W2: moderate water stress; 5-15 bars, W3: moderately-severe; 15-40 bars and W4: severe water stress; 40 -70 bars) was imposed differently at vegetative and reproductive growth stages. Data were collected on the cowpea yield, Leaf Temperature (LT), Chlorophyll (C), Photosynthesis (P), Stomatal Conductance (SC) and Canopy Transpiration Rate (CTR). Exposure to W4 under L1 considerably reduced cowpea yield by 80% compared to those grown under L3 and full watering. Reduced light intensity enhanced cowpea grain yield irrespective of water deficit stress and IT89KD-288 was superior to IT99K573-1-1. Reduction in light intensity also increased the SC from 55.18 in L1 to 76.88 in 36 % L3. Full light intensity without water stress (100% light intensity), increased C content, while severe water stress reduced the C content and CTR. Photosynthesis was, however, reduced under low light intensity compared to 100% light intensity. It was also observed that water deficit stress imposed at the reproductive stage did not affect P, CTR and SC unlike that of the vegetative stage. In conclusion, reduced light intensity enhanced cowpea tolerance to water deficit and increased yield. Cowpea response was dependent on growth stage, variety and severity of stress
Genetic diversity of Libyan date palms cultivars using amplified fragment length polymorphism and biochemical analysis
Phoenix dactylifera L. is a flowering plant species commonly known as the date palm and is widely cultivated in most Middle East countries, including Libya. The present study analysed the biochemical and genetic diversity of fully mature eight Libyan date palm cultivars grown in different regions using the amplified fragments length polymorphism (AFLP) technique. Six pairs of AFLP molecular marker combinations were utilised to discriminate the eight date palm genotypes. Fruit dimensions (length x diameter) varied based on the type; Majhool Alheelo fruit had the highest value (15.29 cm2), while the lowest value was for Alkhadraya fruits (7.9 cm2). Reducing sugar content ranged from 10.4 per cent of flesh dry weight in Umfetity cultivars to 61.2 per cent in Sufeer-genab, which also showed the highest polymorphism percentage (P%=4.9), while Alkhadarya was the lowest (P%=0.519). The phylogenetic tree indicated that the most distantly related cultivars were Sufeer-genab, Alhamraya and Majhool Alhelo. The two most closely related cultivars were the Alsaeedy Show and Alkhadarya, grown in different regions. Our results indicate that the nutritional and genetic diversity of Libyan cultivars is not closely matched with the growing region
Cryopreservation of coconut plumule using droplet vitrification
In the present investigation, four types of explants from mature zygotic embryos of coconut, viz., whole upper cotyledonary region without haustorium, half of the upper cotyledonary region without haustorium, plumule with a portion of radicle and exclusively plumular tissue, were cultured in 12 different media combinations to find a suitable explant which could be regenerated after cryopreservation. Explants were pre-cultured in medium with 0.4 and 0.5 M sucrose for three days followed by dehydration in PVS3 solution for different durations on a sterile aluminum strip after treating with loading solution. Strips were treated with liquid nitrogen inside a cryoflask until bubbling stopped and quickly transferred to a cryovial and stored for a minimum period of 24 hours in liquid nitrogen. It was observed that plumule alone or with a small portion of outer tissue was ideal for fast in vitro growth and recovery of whole plantlets of coconut in a medium supplemented with NAA alone. Addition of glutamine (5 mg L-1), TDZ (1 mg L-1) and NAA (18 mg L-1) aided the vigorous growth of plantlets. In control, the survival rate ranged from 60 to 90 per cent in plumule pre-grown in media containing 0.5 M sucrose after dehydration with PVS3 for various durations, whereas it was 14 to 75 per cent in cryopreserved ones. Considering the high survival (75%) and regrowth (35%) of cryopreserved plumule in the present study, there is much scope for further improvement of the procedure to find the right combination of factors so as to enhance complete recovery of plantlets without much injury to plumules during cooling and rewarming
Effect of different crop management practices for better economic returns from Kharif onion: Effects of NPKS fertilizer levels and spacing on Kharif onion
The present study was undertaken at the Agricultural Research Substation, Sumerpur-Pali to find out the effect of different fertilizer levels and crop geometry on kharif onion (Allium cepa L.) production. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with NPKS levels as main plot and crop geometry as subplot with three replications. Spacious crop geometry with highest dose of fertilizer (15 cm x 15 cm + 140 N: 80 P: 80 K: 40 S kg ha-1) produced maximum plant height (98.20 cm), leaves plant-1 (20), bulb polar diameter (79.34 mm), equatorial diameter (85.10 mm), bulb weight (137.44 g) and harvest index (51.30) with huge quantity of split/multiplier bulbs (6.54 t ha-1). Marketable yield (43.71 t ha-1), gross return (` 5.25 lakhs), net return (` 4.25 lakhs) and B: C ratio (4.25) were higher in the closer crop geometry (10 cm x 10 cm) with highest dose of fertilizer, whereas maximum biological yield (126.75 t ha-1) and total bulb yield (61.60 t ha-1) were reported in the closest spacing with highest dose of fertilizer (7.5 cm x 7.5 cm + 140 N: 80 P: 80 K: 40 S kg ha-1), which also produced the highest quantity (28.69 t ha-1) of unmarketable bulbs. It is concluded that for maximum production of better quality of kharif onion bulb, the seedlings should be planted at 10 cm x 10 cm spacing with the highest level of fertilizer dose (140 N: 80 P: 80 K: 40 S kg ha-1)
Natural Regeneration of Parkia biglobosa (Néré): Status and variation along the South-North climatic gradient in Mali
Parkia biglobosa offers food, medicine and income to rural populations. A study, was undertaken in three agro-climatic zones in southern Mali, to characterise P. biglobosa populations. Plots of 0.25 ha each were established in fields and fallows and adult trees in the plots were monitored. Natural regeneration was monitored in five subplots of 12.5 m x 12.5 m = 156.25 m2 each within each plot and data were collected from 2019 to 2021. Natural regeneration of P. biglobosa was found to be very weak in all sites. The mean density of seedlings varied from 11 to 24 seedlings ha-1 with a decreasing trend from 2019 to 2021. In Zanzoni, where the weakest regeneration was observed, the density varied from 0 to 8 seedlings ha-1. The highest density of seedlings was observed in Somasso in 2019 (42 seedlings ha-1) and 2020 (30 seedlings ha-1). In 2021, the highest density was observed in Diou (25 seedlings ha-1). The weakness of natural regeneration is very alarming for this tree species facing several other threats (ageing and decreasing adult tree populations, sanitary constraints, several pressures, etc.). It is therefore very important and imperative to investigate ways for regenerating the species for its sustainability and for maintaining the parklands biodiversity. Artificial regeneration (planting), could be the one and ultimate way to ensure the sustainability of P. biglobosa
Growing Dahlias, Dahlia coccinea Cav., for Commercial Cut Flower Production in Aquaponics and AutoPots
Commercial floriculture is years behind food agriculture in the adoption of organic and sustainable practices and enacts a heavy toll on the environment, resulting in excessive water usage, soil erosion, heavy pesticide use, and a massive carbon footprint. In this study, Dahlias (D. Coccinea) were grown in AutoPots fed by an established aquaponics system to explore the sustainability and environmental impacts of aquaponics on commercial floriculture. Dahlias were grown starting from both tubers and cuttings, for a six month period, in a greenhouse setting, assessing the bloom time, bloom quality, stem count, pesticide usage, water usage, and tuber formation. Dahlias bloomed in a typical time frame, compared to field grown plants, the quality of the blooms was equivalent to field grown, the stem counts were significantly lower than field grown, pesticide usage was slightly decreased, water usage was dramatically lower than field grown, and tuber formation was not impacted. To date, this is the first published evidence that Dahlias can be grown in aquaponics, that typical environmental benefits were observed when growing Dahlias via this method, and tuber formation was not hindered by the high moisture conditions produced by a coupled aquaculture system
Morphological and phytochemical studies of Suaeda maritima (L.) Dumort growing along the coastal belt of Purba Medinipur District, West Bengal, India in search of the prospective variation
Suaeda maritima (L.) Dumort of the family Chenopodiaceae is an annual succulent mangrove herb. This annual salt marsh is quite regularly used by the local people for food and pharmaceutical. This species has been cursorily noted to have variation in some morphological characters. Earlier reports indicated the presence of triterpenoid e.g. alpha amyrin in some species of Suaeda. However, no report on the variation in the quantity of it in this species was presented. The present study has furnished an account of subtle variation in morphology of this herb growing on different sites in the area under study. It also shows a difference in the amount of alpha amyrin in the plant individuals of different places, revealed through the HPTLC study. Morphological variations have been noted mostly in respect of the characteristics of the stem and leaf of the species
Expression analysis of diosgenin pathway genes and diosgenin accumulation in fenugreek sprouts after exposure to copper sulfate
Trigonella foenum-graecum L. is an annual herb belonging to the family Fabaceae commonly called Fenugreek. It is rich in various secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and steroidal saponins. In recent years, diosgenin has much attention in the cosmetic, functional food, and pharmaceutical industries. In this study we aimed to examine the effect of different concentrations of copper sulfate (CuSO4) on growth, diosgenin biosynthetic (DB) gene expression, and diosgenin accumulation in T. foenum-graecum sprouts. Results showed that the seed germination, fresh weight, shoot length, and root length were gradually decreased with increasing the CuSO4 concentrations. In contrast, the expression level of DBGs i.e., TfSQS, TfSQLE, TfCAS, and TfSTRL were gradually upregulated with increasing the CuSO4 concentrations. Among all those tested concentrations, the expression levels of all those genes were significantly higher in 0.5 mM CuSO4 treated sprouts. The highest expression level was obtained in the TfCAS gene, which was 3.25-fold higher than the unexposed sprouts. The diosgenin content was significantly influenced in the CuSO4 exposed sprouts. The highest diosgenin content was achieved in the 5.0 mM followed by 1.0, 10.0, and 0.5 mM CuSO4 exposed concentrations, with a reduction of 41%, 39%, 36%, and 35%, respectively. From these results, it is shown that exposure of fenugreek sprout to CuSO4 is one of the suitable strategies to enhance the accumulation of diosgenin content