Defence Life Science Journal
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Functional Importance of Endophytic Microorganisms in Plant Growth Promotion Bioactive Compound Production for Sustainable Agriculture
Get PDFEndophytes constitute living microorganisms inhabiting inside tissues of plants. Endophytes perform criticalfunctions in upgrading the growth of plants and their defense to fight stress by a variety of phytohormones, biologically active compounds, volatile organic compounds, and biotechnologically valuable enzymes. How biological nitrogen fixation, nutrient uptake, and disease suppression occurs by endophytes, have been discussed in detail in the review. The mutual symbiotic relationship enhances plant growth, fitness, physiology, and metabolite production ability. Endophytes inhibit the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms and protect crops against diseases. Endophytes are also involved in strategies for environmental clean-up such as biodegradation, bioremediation, and phytoremediation. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze and study the mechanisms of interactions, colonisation, diversity, and functionalities for successful implications in agriculture. Thus, the endophytic relationship opens possibilities for medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology. The present review emphasizes the importance of endophytes in sustainable agriculture under several adverse environmental impacts through a better understanding of their functioning inside the plant
Recent Advances in Hydroponic Culture Media Composition and Their Effect on Plant Growth
Get PDFThe growing demand for food resources is facing a shortage of supplies subject to the reduction in cultivable land globally, and a dire need for alternative cultivation strategies is the need of the hour.Scientists and researchers throughout the world are focusing onalternative cultivation strategies. However, this kind of cultivation is scarce in developing countries, including India, where the impact is paramount and will woo offthe growing population and reduce cultivable land, as per land census data (2020).Hydroponics isa robust solution forgrowing plants under controlled and regulated cultivation conditions.The term hydroponics means the water at work, which primarily focuses on giving specific nutrientsto support the growth and development of the plant.This opens floodgates for researchers to formulate and optimize novel nutrient growth media.Agricultural output has been duly enhanced with this multifaceted intensive technique.Marketing research data projects that thehydroponics market will be 12,000 million US dollars by 2025.The nutrient solutions are designed to provide all essential macro and micronutrients to plants.The well-aerated media with essential nutrients, crucial organic salts, and balance of ionic concentration, conductivity, and pH, is vitalfor hydroponic culture, a solution to redundant environmental concerns.The current review highlights recent advances in the optimization of hydroponic media compositions.The synergistic effects of a multitude of media on plant growth and product yield have been discussed
Phytochemical Screening, In Vitro Antidiabetic and Antioxidant Activity of Rabdosia rugosa (Wall. ex Benth.) H. Hara Extract from Kinnaur District, Himachal Pradesh
Get PDFRabdosia rugosa (Wall. ex Benth.) H. Hara. (Syn. Plectranthusrugosus Wall.) belongs to the Lamiaceae family and is used by local communities of the Kinnaur district to cure diabetes. The selection of the plant material is based upon data that aerial parts of the plant (leaves along with flowers) are used in folklore to manage the postprandial hike in blood sugar levels. Therefore, in the present investigation, antiradical and antidiabetic activities of the ethanolic extract of the plant were checked. Preliminary tests for phytochemicals, total phenols, and flavenoids were also determined. Our results manifested that R. rugosa (Rabdosia rugosa) extract exhibited superior antioxidant activity (p˂0.05) by DPPH and H2O2 assays with IC50 = 9.62 ± 2.70 μg/ml and IC50 = 28.22 ± 2.94 μg/ml. This plant also exhibited preeminent repression action against the enzyme, i.e., alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase (p˂0.05) with IC50 = 10.49 ± 6.17 μg/ml (Porcine α – amylase), IC50 = 1.87 ± 1.79 μg/ml (Yeast α - glucosidase), ( IC50 = 16.89 ± 0. 06 μg/ml(Intestinal rat α - glucosidase) Hence, we concluded that present plant possessed excellent antiradical and antidiabetic activity. The antidiabetic activity was estimated higher than the standard Acarbose. As per our information, this may be the first time to report on the extract of R. rugosa for its antioxidant and antidiabetic capacity. The current findings divulge that this plant can further be studied to verify its therapeutic activities
Size of Passive Solar Greenhouse Determine Growth and Yield of Cauliflower and Cabbage During Winter in High Mountain Ladakh Region, India
Get PDFThe length and span of passive solar greenhouse are important factors that determine greenhousemicroclimate. However, there are no established length and span recommendations for guiding construction of passive solar greenhouse in high altitude regions, especially above 3000 m asl. Majority of the farmers in trans- Himalayan regions have preference for low-cost small size (<10 m length) passive solar greenhouses. We studied two different sized greenhouses and found that a large greenhouse (27.4 m length, 8.2 m width) was better than a small greenhouse (9.8 m length, 5.5 m width) for growing cauliflower and cabbage in winter. The large greenhouse remained 1.5±0.3 to 7.4±2.1 °C warmer during daytime, and 0.6±0.1 to 1.5±0.8 °C warmer at night. All the recorded plant growth parameters were higher in the large greenhouse. The mean marketable weight of cauliflower cv. Shantha was 599±35 g in the large greenhouse as against 537±42 g in the small greenhouse. Similarly, the marketable weight of cabbage cv. Golden Acre in the large greenhouse was significantly higher (619±53 g) than the small greenhouse (523±121 g). Therefore, large passive solar greenhouses are recommended for farmers in high altitude trans-Himalayan Ladakh regions
Physicochemical Characterisation of Commercially Available Prussian Blue Insoluble Samples and Its Comparison with Radiogardase Cs
Get PDFThe physicochemical properties of insoluble Prussian blue (PB) play an important role in its thallium binding ability. Therefore, the present study aimed to characterise various physicochemical parameters of PB available commercially and compare them with the USFDA-approved Radiogardase ® -Cs. In addition, PB was synthesised by indirect and direct methods. PB samples and Radiogardase®-Cs were analysed for various parameters like particle size, moisture content, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and correlated with its Maximum Binding Capacity (MBC) for thallium. Radiogardase ® -Cs showed the highest MBC of 238 mg/g for thallium with D 90 of 785 μm and moisture content of 23.24 %. The MBC of other PB samples was found to be significantly lower than Radiogardase ® -Cs which was found to be directly proportional to the moisture content. However, other parameters like particle size, and iron content vary significantly but no correlation was observed with MBC for thallium. This finding suggests that moisture content and MBC are extremely important parameters for optimising the PB to achieve desirable pharmacological efficacy for removing thallium in vivo
Evaluation of in Vitro Antioxidant Activity and L Asparaginase Enzyme Production of Four Endophytic Fungi Isolated from Acanthus Ilicifolius
Get PDFThe need for novel and useful bioactive secondary metabolites to help and relieve people from all aspects of human conditions is constantly expanding. Every plant tissue has a variety of endophytic fungi, which are thought to be highly effective producers of natural products. In this work, the determination of total phenolics, antioxidants, and L-asparaginase enzyme activity in four fungal endophytes associated with the mangrove plant Acanthus ilicifolius was evaluated. The study indicated that total phenolic content (1633+8.7 μg equivalent to gallic acid) and reducing power (0.96) were the highest for methanolic extracts of the isolate Aspergillus terreus while scavenging activity was highest for the isolate Colletotrichum xishuangbannaense (78.2+4.5 %). The enzyme activity of L-asparaginase was expressed predominantly by all the isolates except Colletotrichum xishuangbannaense. Maximum enzyme activities of 50.1 U/mL, 48.1 U/mL, and 47.7 U/mL were observed in Aspergillus terreus, Colletotrichum cobbiƫense, and Fusarium multiceps respectively. The current research demonstrated that mangrove-associated fungi have a high potential for producing bioactive molecules and L-asparaginase, which can be used as a possible source for the creation of anticancer drugs
Enrichment and Characterisation of Cellulose Degrading Bacteria
Get PDFIn the current research, a total of 10 bacterial isolates have been collected from municipal waste, vegetable waste, a dumping ground, a rice field, termite waste, cotton dyeing industry waste, forest waste, the soil under a coconut tree, dead decomposed plant waste, and sewage waste.Using soluble carboxy methyl cellulose degradation assays, the 10 bacterial strains have been isolated and examined for cellulolytic activity. In one percentage CMC agar medium, four strains, namely C9D, C9E, C9C, and C9B, efficiently digested cellulose, with a cellulolytic index of 35 mm, 25 mm, 17 mm, and 18 mm, respectively. The appearance of a clear zone was utilised to estimate cellulolytic activity. High-cellulolytic-activity isolates were identified up to the genus level
In Vitro Antiproliferative Efficacy, Antioxidant Activity and LC MS Based Metabolite Profiling of Premna Barbata Stem Bark
Get PDFPremna barbata Wall. ex Schauer is used traditionally as folkloric medicines for the treatment of differentpathological conditions. The first reported constituent from the bark of the plant was an iridoid glycoside premnosidic acid having antioxidant activity. Other species of this genus i.e., Premna latifolia, Premna tomentosa has shown to have antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. Despite the ethnomedicinal uses, no scientific evidence in support of antitumor activity on the stem bark of Premna barbata is reported so far. Hence, the current work aims to assess anticancer potentiality of different extracts of P. barbata on various cancer cell lines. Different extracts i.e., Petroleum ether extract (PBPE), Chloroform extract (PBCE), Ethyl acetate extract (PBEE) and Alcoholic extract (PBAE) were prepared and on each extract in-vitro antiproliferative activity was performed by using SRB assay. The most potent extract i.e., PBEE was then evaluated for antioxidant activity. Qualitative phytochemical investigation of different extracts indicates the presence of proteins, carbohydrates, steroids/triterpenoids, alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, and phenolic constituents. Ethyl acetate extract of Premna barbata gives potent cytotoxic activity in all cancer cell lines but more selectively to human colon cancer cell line (COLO-205) with GI 50 44.6 μg/ml. The phenolic and flavonoid content in ethyl acetate extract was 3.43±0.09 mg GE/g and 4.28±0.18mg QE/g respectively. Nineteen compounds were observed in positive (+) ESI mode chromatograms when LC-MS analysis was carried out. The LC-MS analysis by positive ionization mode, the predicted compounds such as Geniposidic acid (synonym: Premnosidic acid) and Rutin were detected. The cytotoxicity observed on cancerous cell lines in our study may be due to the presence of observed compounds. So, it can be concluded that Premna barbata stembark has remarkable cytotoxic activity against different tumor cell lines but the effect is more on colon cell lines as compared to others
Organic Farming in India and its Way Forward
Get PDFIndia is home to 30% of the world’s organic growers and is likely to expand in the coming years. The solutionto the issues of sustainability, global warming, land degradation and food security is Organic Farming, which is seen as a sign of dynamic change for the agricultural industry. Organic Farming discards the use of synthetic fertilizers and promotes sustainable agricultural practices. Organic Farming holds immense potential to revive the degrading state of the agricultural sector in the world by offering environmental benefits, quality products and conserving non-renewable resources. It is a promising alternative to conventional farming and is expanding quickly. Organic Farming is gaining worldwide attention with 2.30 million hectares of land being used for the purpose. It helps to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improves soil fertility, boosting productivity and crop health. Organic Farming can also be used for land reclamation purposes. The aim of the present study is to examine the development of Organic Farming in India and globally, as well as identify any potential barriers to its implementation