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Characterization of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) varieties and landraces/farmers selections for spike and berry traits: Characterisation of black pepper for spice and berry traits
No full textStatistical tools such as analysis of variance, correlation, path coefficient analysis, Scott-Knott test and principal component analysis were used in the present study to characterize black pepper verities/hybrids for spike and berry traits. ANOVA indicated that fifteen traits under study were statistically significant. Traits like fresh pericarp weight and dry pericarp weight showed high positive correlation (>0.95) with spike weight. Path coefficient analysis revealed that berry weight and seed size are contributing directly to spike weight. Scott-Knott test identified Panniyur-1 and Nedumchola as the most contrasting genotypes for most number of traits studied. Based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA), first three principal components had an eigen value above unity and explained 88 per cent of cumulative variation. Principal component PC-1 accounted for maximum variation of about 42.4 percent which discriminated the genotypes based on fresh berry weight, dry seed weight and fresh pericarp weight. These traits serve as the selection criteria for improvement of yield in black pepper
Metabolic profiling of Kaempferia galanga leaf and rhizome extract using GC-MS
Get PDFKaempferia galanga Linn. is an endangered rhizomatous medicinal plant belonging to the Zingiberaceae family. It has evolved as an emerging industrial crop and dominates pharma as well as aroma sector. Though the extracts of this species have been extensively used in herbal medicine across the globe for the treatment of numerous diseases, but still the composition of the extract is not characterized properly. Thus, methanol extracts of K. galanga leaves and rhizomes were subjected to phytochemical screening, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to analyze the phytoconstituents. Leaf extract contained more TPC and TFC values as compared to rhizome extract. A total of eight and ten compounds were identified in the leaf and rhizome extract accounting for 61.44% and 96.97% of the total peak area respectively. Ethyl p-methoxycinnamate was found as the main constituent in rhizome extract covering 80.39% of the total area. Other important compounds like ethyl cinnamate (9.61±0.45%), pentadecane (3.12±0.2%) were also found in the rhizome extract, whereas leaf extract contained 2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-7-hydroxy-3-methoxy-4H-chromen-4-one (18.26%), 2-(3-hydroxy-4- methoxyphenyl)-3,7-dimethoxy-4H-chromen-4-one (14.01%), octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (11.79%). The study indicated that K. galanga is a good source of phytoconstituents which can be used at the industrial level to produce pharmaceuticals, perfumes and flavouring agents
Fungal spore distribution in two hospitals in Kabale district, Uganda
Get PDFFungi infections are a danger to the value of human life as they cause health issues such as depression, lack of self-confidence and seclusion in infected individuals. To date, the prevalence and distribution of airborne fungi spores are still not well documented in Uganda. Airborne fungi spores in Kabale Referral and Rugarama hospitals were monitored for two months. This study also examined the proportion of fungal infection cases reported in the two hospitals regularly. The fungal colonies were collected for two months using the open plate sedimentation method with Petri dishes of Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) media, cultured and identified morphologically. The obtained results were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and means were separated using Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMTR) with a level of significance at P<0.05. A total of 398 fungal colonies were obtained from the two locations for the period of study. Aspergillus flavus (15.3%) followed by Aspergillus fumigatus (10.6%) recorded the highest number of fungal colonies while Nigrospora (1%), Fusarium spp,(2.3%) and Trichoderma spp, (1.3%) had the least number of species in all the locations sampled. A number of the fungi isolated are opportunistic and are allergens that cause various diseases, irritations and allergic reactions in humans. Therefore, this study recommends routine aerobiological monitoring in both outdoor and indoor hospital environments for better management of fungal infections
Chemical composition, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of acetone extract from the branches and leaves of Jasminum annamense subsp. annamense (Oleaceae)
Get PDFJasminum annamense subsp. annamense is a rare subspecies of Jasminum annamense belonging to the Oleaceae family. The aims of this study were to address the chemical profiles, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of acetone extract isolated from branches and leaves Jasminum annamense subsp. annamense for the first time. The chemical constituents of acetone extracts of studied samples were investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. There were a total of 24 components identified from the leaf extract, including lup-20(29)-en-3-one (27.93%), levodopa (19.68%), trans-cinnamic acid (7.58%), linolenic acid (6.35%) as the major compounds. Meanwhile, 26 components were reported from the branch extracts which are sorbitol (25.74%), lupeol (13.3%), cis-vaccenic acid (6.97%), glycerin (6.35%) and n-hexadecanoic acid (5.86%) were the main components. The two acetone extracts of J. annamense subsp. annamense exhibited antibacterial effect against Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis and Staphylococcus aureus based on disk diffusion assay. In addition, leaf and branch extracts of the studied species also display notable antioxidant activity in the ABTS assay with IC50 values of 311.75±3.39 and 664.46±3.732 µg/ml, respectively. This is the first report on the chemical and biological properties of J. annamense subsp. annamense and provides a promising perspective for developing good sources of antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds against both Gram positive and negative bacteria
Metabolomics characterization of Senna tora (L.) Roxb. using different approaches
Get PDFThe present study aimed to investigate the variety of elements, chemical compounds and their corresponding functional groups in the whole plant, leaves, and seeds of Senna tora. A preliminary phytochemical analysis has revealed the presence of secondary metabolites including alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, cardiac active glycosides, phenolics, etc. Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrophotometry (GC-MS) analysis of leaves and seeds of S. tora has depicted 31 and 27 compounds, respectively. Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy has further unveiled the presence of different functional groups such as amines, aromatic compounds, carboxyl groups, ketones etc. associated with different metabolites. Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (WD-XRF) has revealed the presence of more than 20 elements (macro and micro) including Ca, Mg, Fe, K, etc. This study has highlighted the detailed account of the chemical compounds and elements present in the plant species under investigation and substantiated its medicinal importance in the traditional health care system
Effect of silver nitrate and putrescine on in vitro shoot organogenesis of Polygonum multiflorum
Get PDFPolygonum multiflorum is a flowering plant that belongs to the family Polygonaceae and it is commonly used for medicinal and ornamental purposes. Few studies have been studied about the regeneration of this species. Therefore, we aimed to develop a suitable protocol for regeneration and subsequent growth of shoots by comparing the silver nitrate (AgNO3) (ethylene inhibitor) and the putrescine (polyamine). Internode explants were cultured on shoot regeneration media (Murashige and Skoog (MS) media containing 2 mg L-1 of 6-benzylaminopurine). To analysis, the effect of AgNO3 and putrescine on shoot regeneration and length, different concentrations (mg L-1) of AgNO3 (0, 1, 5, 7, 10, and 20) and putrescine (0, 10, 30, 50, 100, and 200) were added to the MS media. The result showed that at highest concentration (20 mg L-1) of AgNO3 treatment decrease number of shoots (NOS) (1.4 ± 0.2 mm) and shoot length (9.7 ± 1.6 mm) was observed. Putrescine considerably increased the regeneration efficiency, NOS per explant, and shoot length in all the concentrations when compared to AgNO3 treatment. Among the different concentrations, the highest NOS (2.52 ± 0.2 mm) was obtained in cultures supplemented with 30 mg L-1 putrescine, whereas the further increase in putrescine concentration reduced shoot regeneration. The longest shoots (20.5 ± 1.7 mm) were achieved in cultures supplemented with 200 mg L-1 putrescine. The findings of this study indicate that the addition of putrescine to the media could be suitable for P. multiflorum micropropagation and plant transformation
Effect of Temperature induction response on Cell viability, Cell Survivability, Malondialdehyde content and total soluble protein content of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) genotypes
Get PDF“Temperature Induction Response” (TIR) technique was employed to investigate the effect of temperature on popular 20 cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) genotypes in a laboratory experiment conducted at the Department of Crop Physiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore during 2020-2021. Identical sized ten days old cotton seedlings were selected and subjected to inductive temperature (gradual temperature raised from 28 to 40℃) for 4 h and non-inductive temperature (46℃ for 3 h, 47℃ for 3 h, 48℃ for 3 h and 48℃ for 4 h) for specific time duration. KC3 and SVPR6 recorded highest thermotolerance among the genotypes and TSH325 and TSH357 showed moderate thermotolerance while TSH375 and TSH383 were sensitive, in terms of seedling survival, cell viability, total soluble protein and malondialdehyde compared to remaining genotypes under non-inductive temperature
Effects of watering regime on the morphological, physiological and functional traits of seedlings of cacao provenances under screen house conditions
Get PDFIn the present study, morphological and physiological responses of cocoa provenances to watering regimes under screen house conditions and the implications of the measured variables as drought tolerance strategy in Theobroma was discussed. A 4 by 3 factorial scheme involving four cacao provenances and watering regimes (well watering at full field capacity, 60 and 40% field capacity: 1.5, 0.9 and 0.6 L/plant at each watering event) the cocoa genotypes evaluated are PA 150 Series (the elite varieties), F3 Amazon and Amelonado. Observations were made on the morphological and physiological traits of seedlings of the cacao genotypes affected by watering regimes. The measured variables were deployed to rank the drought performance of cacao genotypes following nursery desiccation studies. Data on root and shoot biomass, water use, stomatal conductance, proline, water soluble carbohydrate and leaf chlorophyll concentrations of cacao seedlings were collected. The results showed that root zone moisture status affected the morphological and physiological characteristics of cacao provenances. Differences were obtained in root and shoot biomass, water use, the densities of stomatal and its conductance of gases, and the concentrations of leaf chlorophyll, and shoot and leaf proline and water soluble carbohydrates among the watering regimes imposed. Cacao provenances evaluated also differed in their responses to watering regimes and in morphological and physiological characters. The imposed root zone moisture scenarios elicited differences in the responses of cacao provenances evaluated. Most of the measured morphological and physiological variables were driven by root zone moisture status among cacao provenances, the measured traits appeared to have played important roles as root zone moisture deficit stress tolerance mechanisms in cacao. Seedlings of cocoa provenances had better vigour of growth when grown under 100 and 60% field capacity watering compared with 40% FC. Adequacy of soil moisture promotes growth and physiological functions in the seedlings of cacao provenances tested. The measured morpho-physiological variables were statistically superior under well watered situations (100% FC) compared with the 40% FC. The results confirmed that cocoa seedlings cannot withstand soil moisture deficit stress as was obtained for seedlings that were watered with 40% FC. It is recommended that watering cacao seedlings at full field capacity (FC) and at 70% FC (mild root zone moisture stress) will ensure the production of vigorous seedlings of cacao in the nursery
Nutritional value and therapeutic effect of Mentha pulegium L. and Artemisia abrotanum L.
Get PDFThis work is an informative study investigated the nutrient contents and the antioxidant activity of Mentha pulegium L. and Artemisia abrotanum L. two plants largely used in North African traditional medicine as well as in pharmaceutical and agro-alimentary industries. These plants have been used as herbal tea, or powder in herbal remedies, to treat painful menstruation, and gastrointestinal disorders. Recently they were extensively used during the pandemic of Covid-19. Results revealed that both plants were not, only, a good source of essential minerals, like Calcium, Iron, and Magnesium. But they were also rich sources of crude fibre and protein. Vitamin C amount was found 180.94 ±3.01 mg/g100g, with an IC50 value 54.45±25.53 μg/mL 10-1 in M. pulegium and 171.64±3.0 mg/100g with IC50 value 60.61± 19.71 μg/mL 10-1 in A. abrotanum. The antioxidant study showed a high activity that paves the way for the possibility of new health-related uses
Spices of the Pacific region with special reference to vanilla and ginger production: Challenges and the way forward: Vanilla and ginger production in the Pacific region
No full textThe Pacific region (Oceania) is divided into four sub-regions (i) Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), (ii) Melanesia, (iii) Micronesia, and (iv) Polynesia and the population of this region is around 0.5% of the global population. There are 14 independent countries and 12 dependent overseas territories in Oceania. Most of the countries are smaller in size, less developed (except Australia and New Zealand), remotely placed and vulnerable to natural calamities. Spices are mostly introduced crops to this region. Turmeric was the earliest spice introduced to this region. The Missionaries and Europeans who colonized these regions introduced many other spices. British introduced ginger to Australia during 1788. Fiji is an important south pacific country, where Fiji-Indians consume considerable amount of spices. Black pepper and vanilla were introduced during 1880’s; ginger before 1890 (Probably from Australia), cardamom, nutmeg and clove during 1930’s to Fiji. The FAO statistics provide data on spices production from ten Oceanica countries with a total production of 618, 914 tonnes which translates to 0.3% of the global spices production. The spice crops of the region are chillies, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, vanilla, nutmeg and coriander. Other spices like tamarind, mango, (tender mango) cinnamon, curry leaf, herbal spices are produced in small scale and exported within the region. Spice crops like clove, allspice, black pepper, small cardamom are also grown by a few individuals in limited number. There is not much research work on spices except for ginger in Australia and a few on vanilla diseases from the Pacific region. This review provides the status of spices in the Pacific region focusing on ginger and vanilla which helps to understand the status of spices of Oceania. The information complied here may help in designing strategies for enhancing spice production and trade, which can positively influence the economy of the region