Advances in DNA methylation and its role in cytoplasmic male sterility in higher plants

The impact of epigenetic modifications like DNA methylation on plant phenotypes has expanded the possibilities for crop development.DNA methylation plays a part in the regulation of both the chromatin structure and gene expression,and the enzyme involved,DNA methyltransferase,executes the methylation process within the plant genome.By regulating crucial biological pathways,epigenetic changes actively contribute to the creation of the phenotype.Therefore,epigenome editing may assist in overcoming some of the drawbacks of genome editing,which can have minor off-target consequences and merely facilitate the loss of a gene’s function.These drawbacks include gene knockout,which can have such off-target effects.This review provides examples of several molecular characteristics of DNA methylation,as well as some plant physiological processes that are impacted by these epigenetic changes in the plants.We also discuss how DNA alterations might be used to improve crops and meet the demands of sustainable and environmentally-friendly farming.

Dry Matter Partitioning, Nodulation and Seed Traits of Medium and Late Maturing Soybean Varieties as Affected by Planting Pattern and Plant Density

An experiment was conducted on Fluvisols of Awassa for two consecutive years （2005-2006） to determine effects of planting pattern and plant density on dry matter accumulation, nodulation, protein and oil content in early and late maturing soybean varieties. Results indicated that Awassa-95 variety produced significantly higher （P 〈 0.05） number of nodules/plant （NDN）, nodule dry matter （NDM） and leaf dry matter （LDM at R2 （mid flowering） stage of soybean growth than that of variety Belessa-95）. Similarly, variety Awassa-95 （45%） produced significantly higher protein content than variety Belessa-95 （40%）. However, variety Belessa-95 accumulated significantly higher （P 〈 0.01） dry matter in straw, grain and total biomass at R7 （physiological maturity） stage of soybean growth than variety Awassa-95. Similarly, oil content of variety Belessa-95 （18.1%） was significantly （P 〈 0.05） higher than that of variety Awassa-95 （15.9%）. Equidistant rows produced significantly higher （P 〈 0.05） NDM than either rectangular or paired rows. Moreover, soybean plants grown in both rectangular and equidistant rows produced significantly higher （P 〈 0.01） straw dry matter than those grown in paired rows; but, grain dry matter/plant （GDM） was significantly higher （P 〈 0.01） paired and rectangular rows compared to equidistant rows. Plant density also affected the per plant GDM production as it was significantly higher （P 〈 0.01） in 20 and 30 plants/m2 than higher plant densities （40 and 50 plants/m2）. However, dry matter and yield components had strong negative association with protein content. In fact, strong positive correlation （R 〉 0.600） occurred between grain yield and its components with dry matter components at R2 （stem dry matter （SDM）, leaf dry matter （LDM） and stem ＋ nodule ＋ leaf dry matter together known as TDM） and straw dry matter at R7 in both varieties. This study depicted that soybean plants that produce higher dry matter components at R2 would probably produce more straw dry matter, greater grain yield components and higher grain yield dry matter at later stages.

Assessment of Genetic Diversity of NIFOR Oil Palm Main Breeding Parent Genotypes Using Microsatellite Markers

The genetic diversity among 15 NIFOR breeding parents was assessed using 10 microsatellite markers. A high genetic diversity was observed with a total of 64 alleles including 23 rare alleles or alleles at frequencies less than 0.05. The NIFOR tenera parents recorded the highest number of rare alleles. The average observed heterozygosity and mean gene diversity across all parental groups were 0.6889 and 0.7029, respectively. Higher genetic diversity was detected among the NIFOR dura and tenera parents compared to that of the Deli dura parents in absolute terms. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 87% of the total variation (p < 0.001) observed was due to differences among parents. Rogers’ genetic distance ranged from 0.2988 to 0.8000 (mean = 0.5570). The dendrogram constructed on the basis of Rogers’ genetic distance clustered the parents in three groups. They generally clustered in heterotic manner rather than by geographic origins. The groupings obtained through PCoA confirmed the results obtained by cluster analysis. The results obtained are strong assets for NIFOR breeding programme.

QTL Analysis for Grain Iron and Zinc Concentrations in Two O. nivara Derived Backcross Populations

Identification of quantitative trait loci （QTLs） for grain mineral elements can assist in faster and more precise development of micronutrient dense rice varieties through marker-assisted breeding. In the present study, QTLs were mapped for Fe and Zn concentrations in two BC2F3 mapping populations derived from the crosses of O. sativa cv Swarna with two different accessions of O. nivara. In all, 10 and 8 QTLs were identified for grain Fe and Zn concentrations in population 1, and 7 and 5 QTLs were identified in population 2, respectively. Eighty percent of the QTLs detected in both populations were derived from O. nivara. Five QTLs for Fe and three QTLs for Zn explained more than 15% phenotypic variance either in interval or composite interval mapping. The locations of O. nivara derived QTLs such as qFe2.1, qFe3.1, qFe8.2 and qZn12.1 were consistently identified in both the populations. Epistatic interaction was observed only between RM106 and RM6 on chromosome 2 and between RM22 and RM7 on chromosome 3 for Fe concentration in population 1. Sixteen candidate genes for metal homeostasis were found to co-locate with 10 QTLs for Fe and Zn concentrations in both the populations. Most of the Fe and Zn QTLs were found to co-locate with QTLs for grain yield and grain quality traits. Some of the major effect QTLs identified can be used to improve rice grain Fe and Zn concentrations.

Screening and evaluation of chilli(Capsicum annuum L.)genotypes for waterlogging tolerance at seedling stage

Waterlogging is an illustrious abiotic stress and the constrictions it enforces on plant roots have negative effects on growth and development.This study was undertaken to investigate waterlogging stress tolerant potential in chilli(Capsicum annum L.)genotypes through evaluating morphological,physiological,biochemical and anatomical parameters.Thirty-five days old seedlings of 10 chilli genotypes were exposed to waterlogging stress maintaining water height 3–5 cm over the soil surface artificially for three days.This duration(36–38 DAE)was termed as waterlogging period,and subsequent withdrawal of waterlogging condition(39–45 DAE)was regarded as a recovery phase.Based on their survival performance,two tolerant genotypes viz.,SRC-517 and BARI morich-2 and two susceptible genotypes viz.,AHM-206 and RI-1(6)were selected for studying stress tolerance mechanism.Under waterlogging,however,both genotypes(tolerant and susceptible)exhibited reduced root shoot length,dry weight ratio,petiole weight and leaf area,and noticeable reduction regarding these parameters was observed in susceptible genotypes.Moreover,tolerant genotypes displayed a higher recovery than susceptible genotypes after removal of waterlogging stress.Lower reduction of leaf area and photosynthetic pigments as well as higher reduction of relative water content(RWC)were noticed in susceptible genotypes.Higher accumulation of proline and total antioxidant capacity(TAC)during waterlogging condition in tolerant genotypes suggested lower oxidative damage.Although both genotypes lost total soluble sugar(TSS)relative to control at waterlogging stress,better performance was recorded in tolerant genotypes.During the period after the removal of extra water,a similar genotypic response in terms of TSS gain was seen.Undoubtedly,under flooding conditions,the development of aerenchyma cells in tolerant genotypes is a means of tolerance mechanism for long-term survival.Thus,the morpho-physiological and biochemical changes help to understand the tolerance mechanism in chilli under waterlogging stress.

Phenotyping of Hybrid Maize (<i>Zea mays</i>L.) at Seedling Stage under Drought Condition

Drought is envisaged as the greatest demolishing natural impacts throughout the world since it has observed extensive place of agronomical land sterile almost the world. It’s the significant crop output-limiting producer, and elaborated learning of its result on plant enhancement dictation is diametrical. At present, drought tolerant hybrid maize has been trying to induce Bangladesh especially drought affected zone to identify the drought endurance maize genotypes. Consequently, a feasible pot study of 49 hybrid maize genotypes were directed to determine an adequate drought level to promote aliment and promotion of maize plant below the water stress conditions with treatment (control and drought) and three replications. The data were received after 35 days of sowing using appropriate procedures. Specially, the stomata were collected by the white transparent nail polish from the lower part of leaves. Descriptive statistic of the all traits like percentage of SPAD, leaf rolling (LR), maximum root length (MRL), maximum shoot length (MSL), root dry matter (RDM), shoot dry matter (SDM), length of stomata (LS), width of stomata (WS), thickness of stomata (TS), total dry matter (TDM) and ANOVA for control and drought condition individually showed significant (P < 0.05) variations among the germplasm for their genotypes, treatment and interaction. The first fourth principal components (PCs) narrated about 82.0% of the total variation. Cluster analysis placed the 49 hybrid into 6 main groups among those cluster;groups five showed the maximum number mean value of traits. The highest positive relationship was obtained from TS, WS, RDM, SDM and TDM traits by forming genotype-traits bi-plot of 11traits of 49 genotypes. After analyzing, it is explicit that G18 (CML-80 × IPB911-16) and G22 (CZI-04 × IPB911-16) were the most tolerant hybrids maize genotypes and very susceptible hybrids maize genotypes were G16 (P-12 × CML487), G34 (CML-32 × PB911-16) and G37 (P-33 × CML487). It is expected that the higher expression of considered traits might be obligate for better yield under drought stress.

Marker-Assisted Introgression of Quantitative Resistance Gene pi21 Confers Broad Spectrum Resistance to Rice Blast

The quantitative resistance gene pi21 from Sensho was introgressed to an indica breeding line IR63307-4B-13-2,a pyramiding line IRBB4/5/13/21,and a tropical japonica line Kinandang Patong by marker-assisted backcrossing.A total of 192 improved lines at the BC4F3 and BC4F4 generations were developed and confirmed to have the gene introgression via genotyping using a pi21-specific InDel marker.Thirteen randomly selected improved lines,representing all the three genetic backgrounds,demonstrated resistance against leaf blast composites in the field and a broader spectrum resistance against individual isolates compared to the recurrent parents in the glasshouse.Specifically,the tested lines exhibited pi21-acquired resistance against 11 leaf blast isolates that elicited susceptible reactions from the recurrent parents.All the tested lines maintained a comparative heading date,and similar or improved panicle length,number of primary branches per panicle and number of total grains per panicle relative to the recurrent parents.The physical grain characteristics of the recurrent parents were also maintained in the 13 lines tested,although variability in the amylose content and chalkiness degree was observed.The successful marker-assisted introgression of pi21 in diverse genetic backgrounds and the resulting broader spectrum resistance of improved lines against leaf blast indicate the potential of pi21 for deployment in cultivars grown across other rice growing regions in Asia.

Insight into 5-aminolevulinic acid-induced modulation of cellular antioxidant metabolism to confer salinity and drought tolerance in maize

The current study investigated the comparative oxidative damage in twomaize seedlings induced by saline,drought,and combined stress and the ameliorative role of two different doses(20 and 80μM)of 5-aminolevulinic acid(ALA)against the above-mentioned stresses.Hydroponically grown 10-day-old maize(Zea mays,var.BARI Hybrid Maize-7(BHM-7)and BARI Hybrid Maize-9(BHM-9))seedlings were exposed to 12 dS/m of saline solution,200 mM mannitol-induced drought stress alone and their combined stress for 7 days.Result revealed that individual stresses retard the plant growth to some degrees,however,their combined stress has more detrimental effects,which might be correlated with lipid peroxidation(MDA)-induced oxidative stress in seedlings,enhanced Na+/K+ratio,and augmented generation of superoxide(O_(2)•^(−))and hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2)).In contrast,exogenous ALA supplementation at 20μM concentration markedly recovered from chlorosis and growth inhibition,substantially scavenged reactive oxygen species(ROS)and MDA by preserving ionhomeostasis and relaxing oxidative stress,also,by boosting catalase(CAT)and glutathione S-transferase(GST),and exclusively via depressing the activity of lipoxygenase(LOX)antioxidant enzyme.On the contrary,80μM ALA made things worse,nevertheless,higher activities shown by other antioxidant enzymes,like,superoxide dismutase(SOD),ascorbate peroxidase(APX),peroxidase(POD),and glutathione peroxidase(GPX),which were related to lessen the oxidative damage by highly produced O_(2)•^(−)and H_(2)O_(2) under combined stress.Non-denaturing gel electrophoresis was done for further confirmation.However,ALA importantly increased the photosynthetic pigment contents in both genotypes irrespective of doses.Nevertheless,GST might have assisted the plants to escape from the herbicidal effect by detoxification.However,in the combined stress condition,high ALA concentration may have some positive role to play.Our findings also showed that BHM-9 performed better than BHM-7.Therefore,ALA at lower concentration was effective for single stress of saline and drought,while higher concentration can improve plant survival under combined stress.

Biological Control of Insect Pests of Agricultural Crops through Habitat Management Was Discussed

Biological control through habitat management leads to sustainable insect pest control. Different types of land composition such as multiple landscapes, patchiness of landscapes enhance the natural enemies which ultimately lead to control of insect pest. Plant characteristics such as flower shape, flower color and blooming period ensures excess food for natural enemies like nectar and pollen. Moreover, some agricultural practices such as tillage, crop rotation, and intercropping influence the natural enemies especially parasitoid and preda-tors. Consequently, they increase longevity and fecundity of parasitoid and predator that help to control insect pest. One of the most important recently used methods is push-pull which consists of semiochemicals called Herbi-vore-Induced Plant Volatiles (HIPVs). This compound has been used to pre-vent pest and attract natural enemies.

Genomic prediction of fruit texture and training population optimization towards the application of genomic selection in apple

Texture is a complex trait and a major component of fruit quality in apple.While the major effect of MdPG1,a gene controlling firmness,has already been exploited in elite cultivars,the genetic basis of crispness remains poorly understood.To further improve fruit texture,harnessing loci with minor effects via genomic selection is therefore necessary.In this study,we measured acoustic and mechanical features in 537 genotypes to dissect the firmness and crispness components of fruit texture.Predictions of across-year phenotypic values for these components were calculated using a model calibrated with 8,294 SNP markers.The best prediction accuracies following cross-validations within the training set of 259 genotypes were obtained for the acoustic linear distance(0.64).Predictions for biparental families using the entire training set varied from low to high accuracy,depending on the family considered.While adding siblings or half-siblings into the training set did not clearly improve predictions,we performed an optimization of the training set size and composition for each validation set.This allowed us to increase prediction accuracies by 0.17 on average,with a maximal accuracy of 0.81 when predicting firmness in the‘Gala’בPink Lady’family.Our results therefore identified key genetic parameters to consider when deploying genomic selection for texture in apple.In particular,we advise to rely on a large training population,with high phenotypic variability from which a‘tailored training population’can be extracted using a priori information on genetic relatedness,in order to predict a specific target population.

Morphological and Genetical Variability among Rhizoctonia solani Isolates Causing Sheath Blight Disease of Rice

Eighteen isolates of Rhizoctonia solani collected from infected rice plants in four different locations of Bangladesh were studied by using morphological characters and molecular markers. Anastomosis study with a reference isolate confirmed that all the isolates belonged to R. solani. Significant variation was observed in sclerotial size, shape and distribution. Un-weighted pair group method with arithmetic mean dendrogram constructed based on the Gower＇s general similarity coefficient showed that these isolates were grouped into four clusters at the 0.68 similarity coefficent according to morphological characters. Cluster I was a major cluster consisting of 13 isolates, while clusters Ⅱ to Ⅳ consisted of 1 or 2 isolates. Analyses by variable number of tandem repeat and amplified fragment length polymorphism markers showed that the isolates were grouped into five and three clusters at a similarity coefficient of 0.64 and 0.69, respectively. Although most of the variability was found between isolates from different regions as expected, significant variation was observed within the isolates collected from similar agro-ecological regions. Our results suggest the presence of different races of R. solani within the same local geographic regions.

Genetic Diversity for Yield and Yield Contributing Characters of Short Statured Maize Inbred Lines

Genetic diversity is one of the useful tools to select appropriate lines for hybridization. Twenty short-statured maize inbred lines were taken for present study, which were collected from CIMMYT India and Mexico through Plant Breeding Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Gazipur. This experiment was conducted from November 2015 to April 2016 to identify parental lines to produce single cross short statured maize hybrids. From the genetic diversity studies, the importance of both additive and non-additive gene actions for the expression of yield and yield contributing characters were found. Values of vector I and II revealed that both the vectors had positive values for date of silking, plant height, rows/cob, grains/row and yield. These results indicated that these five characters had highest contribution towards divergence. Based on the relative magnitude of D2 values;20 inbred lines were grouped into five clusters. Seven inbred lines were selected on the basis of genetic diversity and per se performance which will be crossed separately in a half-diallel fashion to develop hybrids.

Development of New Submergence Tolerant Rice Variety for Bangladesh Using Marker-Assisted Backcrossing

Submergence tolerant high yielding rice variety was developed using BR11 as a recipient parent applying foreground, phenotypic and background selection approaches. Recombinant selection was found essential to minimize linkage drag by BC2F2 generation. Without recombinant selection, the introgression size in the backcross recombinant lines （BRLs） was approximately 15 Mb on the carrier chromosome. The BRLs were found submergence tolerance compared to the check varieties under complete submergence for two weeks at Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, and produced higher yield compared to the isogenic Subl-line under controlled submerged condition. The BRL IR85260-66-654-Gaz2 was released as BRRI dhan52 in 2010, which was the first high yielding submergence tolerant variety in Bangladesh. BRRI dhan52 produced grain yield ranging from 4.2 to 5.2 t/hm2 under different flash flood prone areas of Bangladesh in three consecutive seasons. The study demonstrated the efficiency of recombinant selection and better adaptability of the newly released submergence tolerant high yielding variety in flash flood prone different areas of the country with respect to submergence tolerance and yield potential.

Haplotype Diversity at Sub1 Locus and Allelic Distribution Among Rice Varieties of Tide and Flood Prone Areas of South-East Asia

Single nucleotide polymorphisms and restriction digestion-based haplotype variations among 160 flood prone rice varieties were analyzed with enzymes Alu I and Cac8 I to generate polymorphisms at Sub1A and Sub1C loci （conferring submergence tolerance）, respectively. Haplotype associated with phenotype was used to study the haplotype variations at Sub1A and Sub1C loci and to determine their functional influence on submergence tolerance and stem elongation. Three patterns at Sub1A locus, Sub1A0 （null allele）, Sub1A1 （does not cut） and Sub1A2 （one SNP）, and four patterns at Sub1C locus, Sub1C1, Sub1C2, Sub1C3 and Sub1C4, were generated. Both tolerant Sub1A1 and intolerant Sub1A2 had the same length, but the difference was presence of a restriction site in the Sub1A2, but absent at the Sub1A1. Further, two types of polymorphism were detected at the Sub1C, one included major length polymorphisms （165, 170 and 175 bp） and the other was a single restriction site at different position. Eight haplotypes （different combinations of the two loci）, A1C1, A1C2, A1C4, A2C2, A2C4, A0C2, A0C3 and A0C4, were detected among 160 varieties. Haplotype A1C1 was comparatively more related to haplotypes A1C2 and A1C4, having the same Sub1A allele, and these haplotypes were found only in Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Indian varieties. Most tolerant varieties in A1C1 haplotype showed slow elongation, having tolerant specific Sub1A1 and Sub1C1 alleles. Further, the varieties Madabaru and Kottamali （A2C2） also showed moderate level of tolerance without Sub1A1 allele. These varieties were different with FR13A and also suspected to carry different novel tolerant genes at other loci. These materials could be used for hybridization with Sub1 varieties for pyramiding additional tolerant specific alleles into a single genotype for improving submergence tolerance in rice.

Validation of Molecular Markers and Haplotype Diversity at the SalTol Locus on Chromosome 1 of Rice

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the most important economic activity on earth as it is second largest single use of the land for food production and also consumed by the half of the world's population. Salinity is the one of the

Salt-Induced Changes in Physio-Biochemical and Antioxidant Defense System in Mustard Genotypes

Salinity stress is a major factor limiting plant growth and productivity of many crops including oilseed.The present study investigated the identification of salt tolerant mustard genotypes and better understanding the mechanism of salinity tolerance.Salt stresses significantly reduced relative water content(RWC),chlorophyll(Chl)content,K^(+) and K^(+)/Na^(+) ratio,photosynthetic rate(P N),tran-spiration rate(Tr),stomatal conductance(gs),intercellular CO_(2) concentration(Ci)and increased the levels of proline(Pro)and lipid peroxidation(MDA)contents,Na+,superoxide(O_(2)^(•−))and hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2))in both tolerant and sensitive mustard genotypes.The tolerant genotypes maintained higher Pro and lower MDA content than the salt sensitive genotypes under stress condition.The activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT),peroxidase(POD),glutathione peroxidase(GPX),monodehydroascorbate reductase(MDHAR)and dehydroascorbate reductase(DHAR)were increased with increasing salinity in salt tolerant genotypes,BJ-1603,BARI Sarisha-11 and BARI Sarisha-16,but the activities were unchanged in salt sensitive genotype,BARI Sarisha-14.Besides,the increment of ascorbate peroxidase(APX)activity was higher in salt sensitive genotype as compared to tolerant ones.However,the activ-ities of glutathione reductase(GR)and glutathione S-transferase(GST)were increased sharply at stress conditions in tolerant genotypes as compared to sensi-tive genotype.Higher accumulation of Pro along with improved physiological and biochemical parameters as well as reduced oxidative damage by up-regulation of antioxidant defense system are the mechanisms of salt tolerance in selected mustard genotypes,BJ-1603 and BARI Sarisha-16.

Screening and Assessment of Selected Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) Genotypes for Drought Tolerance at Seedling Stage

This study was undertaken to investigate oxidative stress tolerant mechanisms in chilli(Capsicum annuum L.)under drought genotypes through evaluating morphological,physiological,biochemical and stomatal parameters.Twenty genotypes were evaluated for their genetic potential to drought stress tolerant at seedling stage.Thirty days old seedlings were exposed to drought stress induced by stop watering for the following 10 days and rewatering for the following one week as recovery.Based on their survival performance,two tolerant genotypes viz.BD-10906 and BD-109012 and two susceptible genotypes viz.BD-10902 and RT-20 were selected for studying the oxidative stress tolerance mechanism.Drought reduced root and shoot length,dry weight,ratio,petiole weight and leaf area in both tolerant and susceptible genotypes,and a higher reduction was observed in susceptible genotypes.Lower reduction of leaf area and photosynthetic pigments were also found in tolerant genotypes.Moreover,tolerant genotypes showed higher recovery than susceptible genotypes after the removal of stress.A higher reduction of relative water content(RWC)may cause an imbalance between absorbed and transpirated water in susceptible genotypes.Higher accumulation of proline in tolerant genotypes might be helpful to for better osmotic maintenance than that in susceptible genotypes.Tolerant genotypes showed higher antioxidant activity as they showed DPPH radical scavenging percentage than the susceptible genotypes.Moreover,closer stomata in tolerant genotypes than susceptible ones helped to avoid dehydration in tolerant genotypes.Thus,the above morphological,physiological,biochemical and stomatal parameters helped to show better tolerance in chilli under drought stress.

Salicylic Acid Application Mitigates Oxidative Damage and Improves the Growth Performance of Barley under Drought Stress

Drought is a severe environmental constraint,causing a significant reduction in crop productivity across the world.Salicylic acid(SA)is an important plant growth regulator that helps plants cope with the adverse effects induced by various abiotic stresses.The current study investigated the potential effects of SA on drought tolerance efficacy in two barley(Hordeum vulgare)genotypes,namely BARI barley 5 and BARI barley 7.Ten-day-old barley seedlings were exposed to drought stress by maintaining 7.5%soil moisture content in the absence or presence of 0.5,1.0 and 1.5 mM SA.Drought exposure led to severe damage to both genotypes,as indicated by phenotypic aberrations and reduction of dry biomass.On the other hand,the application of SA to drought-stressed plants protected both barley genotypes from the adverse effects of drought,which was reflected in the improvement of phenotypes and biomass production.SA supplementation improved relative water content and proline levels in drought-stressed barley genotypes,indicating the osmotic adjustment functions of SA under water-deficit conditions.Drought stress induced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species(ROS),such as hydrogen peroxide(H2O2)and superoxide(O_(2)•^(−)),and the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde(MDA)in the leaves of barley plants.Exogenous supply of SA reduced oxidative damage by restricting the accumulation of ROS through the stimulation of the activities of key antioxidant enzymes,including superoxide dismutase(SOD),peroxidase(POD),catalase(CAT),ascorbate peroxidase(APX)and glutathione peroxidase(GPX).Among the three-applied concentrations of SA,0.5 mM SA exhibited better mitigating effects against drought stress considering the phenotypic performance and biochemical data.Furthermore,BARI barley 5 showed better performance under drought stress than BARI barley 7 in the presence of SA application.Collectively,our results suggest that SA played a crucial role in improving water status and antioxidant defense strategy to protect barley plants from the deleterious effects of water deficiency.

Development of High Yielding Aromatic Rice Variety BRRI dhan70 for Wet Season of Bangladesh

BRRI dhan70 is a new aromatic, high yielding and extra-long slender grain containing transplanted Aman rice variety which is an improvement over existing premium quality rice BRRI dhan37. BRRI dhan70 has pleasingly passed in the proposed variety trial conducted in the farmers’ field. As a result National Seed Board (NSB) approved this variety for commercial cultivation in the wet season (T. Aman) of Bangladesh in 2015. The important feature of BRRI dhan70 is the straw colored extra-long slender, higher elongation ability and aroma of the cooked rice. The growth duration of BRRI dhan70 is 130 days which is 10-15 days earlier growth duration than BRRI dhan37. Thousand grain weight of the variety is 20 gm and it has colored grain tip and pointed awn. The rice has 21.7% amylose content with 9.5% protein content. The special character of the variety is lodging tolerance. It has long, erect deep green flag leaf. BRRI dhan70 can produce 4.8-5.0 t/ha yield with proper management which is approximately 1.0-1.35 t/ha higher yield than BRRI dhan37. The exportable aromatic rice BRRI dhan70 is an excellent variety for cultivating in the wet (T. Aman) season and farmers can be benefited by the cultivation of BRRI dhan70.

Chromosome Structural Rearrangements in Onion(Allium cepa L.)through Induced Mutation

This study investigated whether there was any chromosomal structural rearrangement in individual chromosome of two mutant lines of onion viz.,BP2-100/1 and BP2-100/2 compared to the parental chromosomes which may explain the seed to seed productions of the mutants in the same winter season even at late planting in January unlike the parent variety.The chromosome preparation was made from the root tip by haematoxylin method.No deviation in the number of chromosomes was found in the mutant lines but the length of the individual chromosomes was longer than that of their parent variety.Out of the eight pairs of homologous chromosomes,seven pairs were metacentric and one pair submetacentric in the parent“BARI Piaz-2”;five pairs were metacentric and three pairs submetacentric in BP2-100/1;and three pairs were metacentric,three pairs submetacentric and two pairs of subtelocentric in BP2-100/2.It was assumed that the length extension of the chromosomes and rearrangements in the arm ratio were due to gamma irradiation that induced duplication and or translocations of some regions of the chromosomes.Further research is needed to identify the induced genes and to establish relationships of the genes with the modified seed production behavior of the mutants.