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Effects of Surface Sterilization Protocol and Haustorium Removal on Germination and Growth of Hybrid PB121 Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera L.) Zygotic Embryos Cultured in vitro
No full textAims: This study aims to identify the best surface sterilization and evaluate the effect of haustorium suppression on in vitro germination of coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L.) zygotic embryos.
Study Design: Survival rate and contamination rate of zygotic embryos after different surface sterilization treatments, regeneration rate and organogenesis through the number of leaves and the length of shoots after haustorium suppression were determined. For data processing, the Analysis of Variance was used to compare the means which were separated according to Tukey test (P = 0.05).
Place and Duration of Study: Coconut fruits (hybrid PB121) were collected 12 to 14 months after controlled pollination from CRAPP (Centre de Recherches Agricoles Plantes Pérennes), station of Sèmè-kpodji in Benin. Experiments were done in Central Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology and Plant Improvement, University of Abomey-Calavi and conducted from june to december in 2019.
Methodology: For the zygotic embryos surface sterilization, four treatments combining three concentrations (3%, 6% and 15%) of commercial bleach (Javel la Croix© containing 12° active chlorine) and immersion durations (5 min, 10 min and 20 min) were tested and the survival rate were determined for each treatment after two months culture. The zygotic embryos were then divided in two sets (haustorium excised embryos set and the whole embryos set) and cultured in modified Y3 medium supplemented with 7 g L-1 agar, 2.5 g L-1 activated charcoal, 5% sucrose, 6.10-3 mM 2.4 D (2.4-dichlorophonoxyacetic acid), gibberellic acid and 0.3 mM BAP(6-benzylaminopurine). After five months culture, the regeneration rate, the number of leaves and the length of shouts were recorded.
Results: The high survival rate (80%) was obtained with 6% of bleach and 20 min for the immersion duration without pre-disinfection. The suppression of haustorium have significantly increased the number of leaves (4.3 ± 0.02) and the length of shoots (16.2 ±0.7cm) compared to the whole zygotic embryos.
Conclusion: This protocol can help to ensure better surface sterilization of zygotic embryos before their in vitro culture and the development of vigorous plantlets in order to improve the slow growth of plantlets, when transferred to the greenhouse or field. 
Emerging Trend of Bio-plastics and Its Impact on Society
No full textBio-plastics are either bio-based polymers or capable of degradation into simple compounds. The rising development in the production and use of bio-plastics has globally revolutionized the dependency on traditional plastics. The conventional plastics prepared from petroleum, coal and natural gas have been extensively used by humans since antiquity as a prime component of almost all the materials used in day to day life. Since, these plastics are non-biodegradable; they cause serious impact on the environment. Recent years have witnessed the introduction of a wide variety of bio-plastics derived from natural polymers such as starch, cellulose, chitin etc. These bio-plastics are now being utilised in packaging materials, electronics, medical devices; holding immense potential for utility in future. This mini-review confers about types of bio-plastics, their utility in different sectors and their future prospective
Prediction of Solanum lycopersicum Target of Rapamycin (SlTOR) Protein
No full textAims: Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is an important protected vegetable in China. Its yield and quality receive much concern, however, its growth is often adversely affected by environmental stress, and so improving stress-resistance of tomato has become an urgent issue to be resolved in facility cultivation. Recent studies find that the TOR(Target of Rapamycin) complex acts as a central coordinator of energy, growth, hormones and stress signals, as well as plays a critical role in regulating transcription, protein synthesis, cell size, cell division, and basal metabolism. To study the mechanism of SlTOR in tomato growth and development as well as in stress responses, we did a series of bioinformatics analysis on SlTOR.
Study Design: In order to explore the mechanism of TOR in regulating tomato resistant to adverse conditions, we systematically analyzed the SlTOR gene with bioinformatics methods, and carried out the determination of its tissue-differential expression, aiming at laying down the basis for further experiment research.
Place and Duration of Study: College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, between March 2018 and April 2019.
Methodology: Bioinformatics analysis was conducted by online programmes. The expression of SlTOR gene in different tissues of tomato was determined by qRT-PCR.
Results: Our results showed that SlTOR was an evolutionarily conserved protein kinase, of which the molecular formula was C12366H19734N3490O3584S104, the relative molecular weight was 277978.19Da and the number of amino acid residues was 2470. Besides, it was predicted to be an acidic and unstable protein. SlTOR protein did not contain the signal peptide or transmembrane region, showing that it might be an intracellular protein. And SlTOR was speculated to be targeted to the chloroplast. Moreover, SlTOR had five domains including HEAT, FAT, PIKKc_TOR, FRB and FATC. The KEGG database displayed the only one SlTOR metabolism pathway related to autophagy. The STRING database found that SlTOR probably interacted with SlSnRK1 and SlPP2C. The experimental results of the expression of SlTOR gene in different tissues suggested that in the mature tomato plant, it was expressed the most highly in the root, followed by in the fruit let and in the mature fruit. Our experimental results were roughly consistent with the predicted results
Analysis of Water Stress in Different Varieties of Maize (Zea mays L.) at the Early Seedling Stage
No full textMaize (Zea mays L.) is a widely grown crop with a high rate of photosynthetic activity due to its C4 pathway leading to higher yields of grain and a potential for biomass. It is predominantly cross-pollinated crop, a feature that has contributed to its wide morphological variability and geographical adaptability. Abiotic stress such as drought stress negatively affects plant growth and development. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of drought stress on the morphological and biochemical content of seven different maize varieties. Here we have tested 7 different varieties of maize from the Marathwada region of Maharshtra, India. One week old plants have been affected by drought stress. After one week of drought stress, the plants were subjected to various morphometric and biochemical tests. The results showed that water stress treatment significantly affects root length, shoot length and fresh biomass of seven different varieties, i.e. TMMH 806, NMH 1008, DELTA 10V30, INDAM 1122, SRIKAR 3555, DKC 9141, SGA. Drought stress also had a negative impact on chlorophyll and proline content. Result further exhibited that based on drought tolerance index, variety SRIKAR 3555 could be ranked as drought tolerant and NMH 1008 as drought-sensitive, while remaining cultivator ranked as drought intermediates
The Effect of Nigella sativa and Piper guineense Aqueous Extracts on the in Vivo Expression Profile of Lipid and Sex Hormones
No full textAim: The study investigated the effect of aqueous extract of Piper guineense and Nigella sativa on Testosterone, Estrogen and Follicle stimulating hormone levels in male and female rats induced by diets supplemented with high dose of sucrose and margarine for four (4) week.
Materials and Methods: Thirty male and female Wistar rats of average weight (100 g) were used for the study. The rats were arranged into five groups with six rats in each of the groups. The rats had access to their normal feed but sucrose and margarine were used to induce hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia respectively on the rats with the exception of the rats in the positive control group. The rats in the negative control were induced using the sucrose and margarine but were not treated using the aqueous extracts. The rats in the Piper guineense group were treated with 2 ml of Piper guineense aqueous leaf extract, while the rats in the Nigella sativa group were treated with 2 ml of Nigella sativa aqueous extract. The rats in the Nigella sativa and Piper guineense group were treated with 2 ml of the combined aqueous extract.
Results: The results showed that the extracts had an increasing effect which was time dependent on the hormones. The highest increase was obtained on the third week of feeding when compared to the control. The testosterone levels (mlU/ml) showed for the, positive control (2.28 ± 0.08), uziza leaf (6.45 ± 0.01), black seed (2.85 ± 0.01), black seed &uziza (8.47 ± 0.08)(p<0.05). The increase for estrogen levels (mlU/ml) showed for the positive control (99 ± 0.82), uziza leaf (98 ± 1.63), black seed (100 ± 1.63), black seed & uziza (113 ± 0.82). Furthermore, the extracts also had an increasing effect on the follicle stimulating hormone levels with the highest increase obtained on the third week (p>0.05). The FSH levels (mlU/ml)) showed for the positive control (0.23 ± 0.01), uziza leaf 0.25 ± 0.01), black seed (0.54 ± 0.02), black seed & uziza (0.58 ± 0.01)(p<0.05).
Histopathological findings also suggest that treatment with the aqueous extracts of P.guineense and N .sativa after inducement salvaged the testes and ovaries when compared to the induced group after the second week of administration. Although the combined mixture N.sativa and P.guineense extract was more effective.
Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that the aqueous extract of a combined mixture of Nigella sativa and Piper guineense might be an effective plant in indigenous medicine, which may be used to combat infertility caused by hormonal imbalance
Reproductive Toxicity and Biomarker Response to a Daily Dose of Tramadol in Male Albino Rats (Rattus norvegicus)
No full textThis study was designed to evaluate the effect of a daily dose of tramadol on selected biomarkers viz: haematological parameters, sperm count, kidney and liver damage in male albino rats. Twenty four wistar rats were divided randomly into two groups: control group and treated groups, the treated group were further divided into four groups and housed in cages. Clean drinking water was served to control (group 1), and 1.6 mg/kg bodyweight of tramadol was administered to group 2 (7 days treatment), group 3 (14 days treatment), group 4 (21 days treatment) and group 5 (21 days treatment +7 days withdrawal) in addition to a daily standard diet for all groups. Treatment of rats with tramadol caused significant decrease (P<0.05) in WBC, platelet and lymph. in group 2, on bicarbonate, AST and protein, it showed significant decrease (P<0.05) in group 3, and it showed significant decrease (P<0.05) in group 5 on Cl-, AST, ALT, bicarbonate, AST, PCV, Hb, RBC, WBC, platelet, lymphocytes and sperm count. The results indicates that tramadol has negative effects on the liver which may induce severe liver damage when used for a prolonged period, the results also shows that tramadol can cause anaemia as seen by the observed negative changes in the blood parameters evaluated. Therefore, administration should be with great caution and from a licensed pharmacist or doctor while self prescription or over the counter administration should be avoided considering the associated adverse effects
Bacterial and Fungal Pathogen Synergetics after Co-infection in the Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
No full textWheat is one of the most important staple grains in the world and the leading source of calories, production is limited by biotic stress. There is a number of pathogen attacks on wheat crops, depending on environmental conditions. In some cases, more than one crop pathogen attack leads to higher damage or decrease susceptibility. There are very few studies in the field of multiple pathogen interactions; in this study, we analyzed the co-infectionof wheat with fungal and bacterial pathogens. Field isolated Xanthomonas translucens and Xanthomonas compestris bacteria have been used against GM-322 and PDKV varieties co-infected with Fusarium fungus spp. In our experiment, we used Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium equitus. Compared to the combined effect of the fungus and bacteria, we measured the length and width of the infected leaf part. We have observed that there is more susceptibility to X. compestris and F. graminearium in the GM-322 wheat variety. The second susceptible cvs was PDKV when we co-infected F. oxysporum and then X. translucens fungal and bacterial infected symptom analysis showed yellow stripes on the leaf surface of the wheat crop. We observed head blight in wheat when it was infected with F. graminearum and X. compestris. As a result, we concluded that varietal susceptibility also depends on co-infection pathogen attacks and their synergetic interaction
Plant Regeneration via Somatic Embryogenesis in Solanum nigrum L. (Black nightshade) (Solanaceae)
No full textAim: To study the effect of various plant growth regulators (PGRs) for induction of somatic embryogenesis and plantlet formation from cotyledon and leaflet explants in S. nigrum (night shade) an important medicinal plant used in treatment of digestive problems and skin infections.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biotechnology, Kakatiya university, Warangal. Telangana, India, 3 years.
Methodology: Cotyledon (0.8 cm2) and leaflet explants (0.8-1.0 cm2) from 3 week and 4 week old were cultured on MS medium supplemented with 30 g/L sucrose along with different concentrations of 0.5 mg/L BAP+NAA (0.5 – 6.0 mg/L) .
Results: Maximum percentage of somatic embryogenesis was observed in cotyledon(89%) and leaf (98%) explants on MS medium augmented with 0.5mg/L BAP in combination with 2.0 mg/L NAA whereas the highest number of somatic embryos per explant (86 ± 0.19) was formed in leaflet explant.
Conclusion: Somatic embryogenesis was induced from both cotyledon and leaf explants. Since it is threatened and medicinally important species S. nigrum, the present protocol can be used for its conservation and genetic transformation experiments
Callus Induction and Synthetic Seed Development in Draceana sanderiana Sanderex Mast: Lucky Bamboo
No full textThe study was carried out for callus induction and synthetic seed development from the shoot tips of Draceana sanderiana sander ex Mast. The shoot tips were subjected to different concentrations (0.25, 0.5 &1.0 mg/l) of 2,4-D on MS medium. The research findings revealed that the 2,4-D at concentrations of 0.25 mg/l was more suited for the profuse callus formation. The friable and light yellow callus was induced within 2 weeks of culture at 0.25 mg/l of 2,4-D on MS medium as compared to the other two concentrations of 2,4-D i.e.; 0.5 and 1.0 mg/l. Similarly the effect of sodium alginate and calcium chloride percentage on synthetic seed formation was observed, it was found that somatic embryos formed from shoot tips via callus kept in 2.5% sodium alginate and 100 milli molar CaCl2 produced synthetic seeds with firm spherical beads. The study leads to the formation of synthetic seeds of Draceana sanderiana which can be used for the conservation of germplasm through cryopreservation and the micro propagation of the said plant species
Effect of Process Variables on the Transesterification Process of Palm Oil Sludge to Biodiesel
No full textIn this research work, the optimum process variables (catalyst, methanol to oil ratio and reaction time) for transesterification of palm oil sludge (POS) to biodiesel were studied. The transesterification process was carried by mixture of palm oil sludge, methanol and catalyst with the help of magnetic stirrer at 300 rpm and at temperature of 60ºC. The catalyst used for the process was potassium hydroxide (KOH). One-Factor-at-A-Time was used to select the possible optimum levels of process variable that gives high biodiesel yield. The study was evaluated by five levels of methanol-to-oil ratio (1:1 – 12:1), catalyst (0.1- 2%) and reaction time (30 – 150 min).The optimum process variables for transesterification of palm oil sludge (POS) to achieved maximum biodiesel yield were found to be methanol to oil molar ratio of 12:1, catalyst loading of 1.5wt% and reaction time of 30 min. At this optimum conditions the maximum biodiesel yield was 61.2%. The biodiesel produced from transesterification of palm oil sludge was characterized in order to determine the properties of the product. The density of POS is 857.0 kg/m3, kinematic viscosity of 5.38 mm2/s, flash point of 180°C, pour point of -5°C, and Acid value of 0.17 mgKOH/g. The biodiesel produced from transesterification of palm oil sludge meets the EN 14214 and ASTM 6751 standard. Thus, this study will be helpful to determine an efficient and economical procedure for biodiesel production from non-edible raw materials with high free fatty acid