Modeling the Drying Kinetics of Pigeon Pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millspaugh]

We set out to model the oven-drying kinetics of a legume known as pigeon pea, harvested in the Bouenza department in the south-west of the Republic of Congo. The drying kinetics of pigeon peas was carried out in an oven under experimental conditions using temperatures of: 50°C, 60°C and 70°C. Seven mathematical models were used to describe pigeon pea drying. During drying, water loss was faster and shorter at 70°C [10.446 g/25 g wet weight (wwb) for 320 min (5.3 h)] compared to 50°C [10.996 g/25 g wet weight (wwb) for 520 min (8.6 h)] and 60°C [10.616 g/25 g wet weight (wwb) for 420 min (7.0 h)] where it was slower and longer. With regard to modeling, and based on the principle of choosing the right model focusing on the high value of R2 and low values of χ2 and RMSE, two models were selected, the Midili model for temperatures of 50°C and 60°C and the Henderson and Pabis model modified for temperature of 70°C showed better results. The R2, χ2 and RMSE values calculated for pigeon pea are 0.99985, 3.93404E-5 and 0.00627;0.9997, 9.245E-5 and 0.00962;0.99996, 1.56332E-5 and 0.00395 respectively at 50°C, 60°C and 70°C.

Amelioration of Aluminium Toxicity in Pigeon Pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] Plant by 24-Epibrassinolide

The effect of 24-epibrassinolide on growth of pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] under aluminium toxicity was studied. 24-EBL reduced the impact of Al stress on plant growth. Particularly 24-EBL reduced the inhibitory impact of aluminium toxicity on root growth which was further manifested in overall improvement of vegetative growth. Application of 24-epibrassinolide removed the inhibitory influence of Al nodulation. The growth stimulation in Cajanus plants by 24-EBL under Al stress was associated with elevated levels of chlorophylls, nucleic acids and soluble proteins. 24-Epibrassinolide application enhanced proline content in Al3+ stressed Cajanus plants. Further, the supplementation of 24-epibrassinolide to Al stress treatments increased the activities of antioxidative enzymes viz., catalase [EC 1.11.1.6];peroxidase [EC 1.11.1.7];superoxide dismutase [EC 1.15.1.1] and ascorbate peroxidase [EC 1.11.1.11]. Lipid peroxidation induced by Al was found reduced with the supplementation of 24-epibrassinolide. The present studies demonstrated the ameliorating capability of 24-epibrassinolide on the Al induced inhibition of plant growth of C. cajan.

Neuroprotection of Stilbenes from Leaves of Cajanus cajan against Oxidative Damage Induced by Corticosterone and Glutamate in Differentiated PC12 Cells

Objective To investigate the neuroprotective effects of four stilbenes, namely cajaninstilbene acid （CSA）, Iongistyline A, Iongistyline C, and cajanolactone A, isolated from the leaves of Cajanus cajan. Methods Neuroprotective effects of the four stilbenes were evaluated using rat pheochromocytoma cell line （PC12 cells） damage models induced by corticosterone （Cort） or glutamate. In order to elaborate whether the neuroprotective effects of stilbenes are related to anti-oxidant properties, both oxidant and anti-oxidant parameters were measured. Results The results of MTT assay and LDH release assay demonstrated that the four stilbenes possessed neuroprotective effects. Moreover, the treatment on PC12 cells with Cort or glutamate （Glu） could significantly increase the levels of ROS and MDA with decreasing the activities of SOD and CAT. However, the four tested stilbenes could significantly alleviate such situation by dropping out the levels of ROS and MDA, as well as enhancing the activities of SOD and CAT. Conclusion These results provide a scientific basis for further studies to explore the potential neuroprotective effects on neurodegenerative diseases.

A Comprehensive Transcriptome Assembly of Pigeonpea （Cajanus cajan L.） using Sanger and Second-Generation Sequencing Platforms

A comprehensive transcriptome assembly for pigeonpea has been developed by analyzing 128.9 million short Illumina GA IIx single end reads, 2.19 million single end FLX/454 reads, and 18 353 Sanger expressed sequenced tags from more than 16 genotypes. The resultant transcriptome assembly, referred to as CcTA v2, comprised 21 434 transcript as- sembly contigs （TACs） with an N50 of 1510 bp, the largest one being -8 kb. Of the 21 434 TACs, 16 622 （77.5%） could be mapped on to the soybean genome build 1.0.9 under fairly stringent alignment parameters. Based on knowledge of intron junctions, 10 009 primer pairs were designed from 5033 TACs for amplifying intron spanning regions （ISRs）. By using in silico mapping of BAC-end-derived SSR loci of pigeonpea on the soybean genome as a reference, putative mapping posi- tions at the chromosome level were predicted for 6284 ISR markers, covering all 11 pigeonpea chromosomes. A subset of 128 ISR markers were analyzed on a set of eight genotypes. While 116 markers were validated, 70 markers showed one to three alleles, with an average of 0.16 polymorphism information content （PIC） value. In summary, the CcTA v2 transcript assembly and ISR markers will serve as a useful resource to accelerate genetic research and breeding applications in pigeonpea.

Influence of Water Content on the Quality of Pigeonpea Seeds

The species Cajanus cajan L. where pigeonpea is from presents a harvest potential in tropical regions for it is used as human and animal feed, besides being used as green fertilizer. However, the harvest area of this Fabaceae is still insignificant, due to especially the lack of quality seeds. In this context, it is possible to affirm that drying and store are portrayed as important steps for obtaining superior quality seeds. The aim of this study is to evaluate the physiologic quality of dwarf pigeonpea seeds, with different water content during storage. A factorial scheme 3 × 6 was adopted in the delimitation completely randomized, with four replications. Treatments were constituted by the combination of lots of seeds containing three different water contents (11%, 14% and 16%), submitted to a 10-month storage period, with evaluations every two months (0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10). Seeds were stocked in a bag type kraft under normal lab conditions, that is, no control. Physiologic quality of the seeds was evaluated through the following tests: Germination Pattern Test—GPT, first count of germination, accelerated aging and electric conductivity. It can be concluded that pigeonpea with hard seeds containing water content at 11% existing superior physiologic quality throughout the 10-month storage, under no controlled condition, certainly promoted by the less intense breathing from the reserves cumulated in the seed lot. Pigeonpea seeds storage with water content superior to 14% promotes a sharp decrease of physiologic quality, due to an increase in metabolic activity.

木豆引种筛选试验

为筛选适宜贵州省草地生态畜牧发展需求的豆科牧草品种,采用随机区组法对参试26份木豆(Cajanus cajan)材料进行比较试验。结果表明,(1)参试材料均能正常开花结实,完成整个生育周期,其生育期为168~226 d,成熟期株高为124~286 cm;(2)鲜草产量较高,在65.41~67.18 t/hm^(2)之间的材料分别是201510、201505、201502、201508、201516;(3)种子产量较高,在3252.45~4221.58 kg/hm^(2)之间的材料分别是201516、引进料黄色、201511、201507、201517等5份材料;(4)通过引种筛选试验分别提出了5个适宜牧草和种子生产利用的品种,为生产上不同用途的推广利用提供了优良品种。

Antibacterial activity of naringenin-rich fraction of pigeon pea leaves toward Salmonella thypi

To identify bioactive compound in pigeon pea leaves (Cajanus cajan) that inhibits Salmonella thypi (S. thypi).MethodsThe leaf sample was powdered and macerated with methanol and fractioned by liquid-liquid extraction using ethyl acetate. The fraction was chromatographed and the isolates were identified for major component with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and the antibacterial activity was tested against S. thypi by Kirby-Bauer method.ResultsSubfraction 1 from the ethyl acetate fraction formed a yellowish solid with m/z 272, identified as naringenin. The naringenin-rich fraction shows fairly well inhibitory toward S. thypi in comparison with chloramphenicol.ConclusionsNaringenin shows antibacterial activity and can be developed to treat typhoid.

Physiological Quality of Pigeonpea Seed after Application of Desiccant Herbicides

The pre-harvest application of herbicides may impair seed quality. This way, this paper was conducted to evaluate the effects of the application of desiccant herbicides on the physiological quality of pigeonpea seeds. Six batches of seeds from plants desiccated with glyphosate were evaluated at doses: 1.125 (B1), 1.5 (B2) and 1.875 L&middotha-1 (B3);and Gramocil (20% Paraquat + 10% Diurom) at doses: 1.5 (B4) and 2 L&middotha-1 (B5), and a control which received no application (B6). Seed viability was assessed through the germination standard test, and vigor through the first germination count, accelerated aging, electrical conductivity, seedling length, seedling dry matter and biomass density tests. The experimental design was the completely randomized, with four replications. Data were submitted to variance analysis, and when significant effects were observed, the Scott- Knott test was carried out at 5% probability using the SISVAR 5.1 software. The results showed that: a) the application of 1.875 L&middotha-1 of glyphosate was harmful to pigeonpea seed viability and vigor, evaluated through the accelerated aging test;b) applications of glyphosate in a 1.875 L&middotha-1 dose and Gramocil in 2 L&middotha-1 resulted in low vigor according to the electrical conductivity test of seeds;and c) the seed vigor measured by the first count, seedling length, seedling dry matter and biomass density test was not influenced by the type of desiccant applied.