Mechanized Transplanting of Rice(Oryza sativa L.)in Nonpuddled and No-Till Conditions in the Rice-Wheat Cropping System in Haryana,India

The common practice of establishing rice in the rice-wheat system in India is manual transplanting of seedlings in the puddled soil. Besides being costly, cumbersome, and time consuming, puddling results in degradation of soil and the formation of a hard pan, which impedes root growth of subsequent upland crops. In addition, decreased availability and increasing cost of labor have increased the cost of rice cultivation through conventional methods. Because of these concerns, there is a need for mechanized transplanting of rice which is less labor-intensive and can ensure optimum plant population under nonpuddled and/or no-till conditions. A large number of on-farm trials were conducted at farmers’ fields in Haryana, India, from 2006 to 2010 to evaluate the performance of the mechanical transplanted rice (MTR) under nonpuddled and no-till situations as compared to conventional puddled transplant rice (CPTR). Compared with CPTR, nonpuddled MTR produced 3%-11% higher grain yield in different years. Rice cultivars, viz. HKR47, HKR127, PR113, PR114, PB1, PB1121, CSR30, and Arize6129, performed consistently better under nonpuddled MTR as compared to CPTR. Performance of different cultivars (PR113, PR114, HKR47, and Pusa 44) was also better under no-till MTR as compared to CPTR. The “basmati” cultivar CSR30 performed equally in no-till MTR and CPTR systems. The results of our study suggest that rice can be easily grown under nonpuddled and no-till conditions with yield advantages over the CPTR system. Even in the case of similar yield between CPTR and MTR systems, the MTR system will help in reducing labor requirement and ultimately, will increase overall profits to farmers.

Genetic linkage mapping and QTL identification for salinity tolerance in Indian mustard(Brassica juncea L.Czern and Coss.)using SSR markers

Soil salinity is one of the major environmental constraints that limits crop yield and nearly 7%of the total area worldwide is affected by salinity.Salinity-induced oxidative stress causes membrane damage during germination and seedling growth.Indian mustard is a major oilseed crop in India and its production and productivity are severely affected by salt stress.Breeding Brassica cultivars for salinity tolerance by conventional means is very difficult and time-consuming.Therefore,understanding the molecular components associated with salt tolerance is needed to facilitate breeding for salt tolerance in Brassica.In this investigation,quantitative trait loci(QTLs)associated with salt tolerance were identified using F_(2:3)mapping population developed from a cross between CS52(salinity tolerant)and RH30(salinity sensitive).Parents and F_(2:3)were evaluated under controlled and salinity stress conditions for 14 morpho-physiological traits for two consecutive generations(F2 and F_(2:3)),explaining proportion of the phenotypic variance under control condition.Simple sequence repeat(SSR)markers were used for mapping studies.A genetic linkage map based on 42 simple sequence repeats(SSRs)markers was constructed covering 2298.5 cM(Haldane)to identify the loci associated with salt tolerance in Brassica juncea.Forty-one SSRs showing polymorphism in the parents(CS52 and RH30)were mapped on 8 linkage groups(C1–C8).One marker(nga 129)did not map to any of the linkage group and was excluded from mapping.Linkage group 5(C5;317.9 cM)was longest and linkage group 1(C1,255.0 cM)was shortest.Further,we identified 15 QTLs controlling 8 traits using F_(2:3)population.These QTLs explained 12.44–60.63%of the phenotypic variation with a LOD score range of 3.62–5.97.Out of these QTLs,QMI4.1 related to membrane injury showed 51.28%phenotypic variance with a LOD score of 3.34.QTL QBYP8.1 related to biological yield per plant showed 60.63%phenotypic variance at a LOD score of 3.62.The highest LOD score of 5.97 was recorded for QTL related to seed yield per plant(QSYP4.1).Major QTLs were QTL for biological yield per plant(QBYP8.1),QTL for siliquae per plant(QSP4.1),QTL for primary branches(QPB4.1),QTLs for seed per siliqua(QSS4.1,QSS4.2),QTL for seed yield per plant(QSYP4.1),and QTL for membrane injury(QMI8.1)which showed more than 50%phenotypic variance.These QTLs identified in our study need to be confirmed in other populations as well so that these can be used in marker-assisted selection and breeding to enhance salt tolerance in Brassica juncea.

Advanced Strategies to Mobilize Crop Residue to Replace Coal in India

Various published data show the amount of crop residue available annually in India may range from a low of 90 to a high of 180 million tonnes. Different types of crop residue are collected from farmers depending on the geography and crop pattern for instance, in north India rice straw and cotton stalks are collected while in central India soya husk and sugarcane tops are collected. Baling and transporting straw from the field, though appear to be an option for safe disposal, will be feasible only when alternate, effective and economically viable usage methods are identified and facilities and infrastructure for ex-situ management methods are created. One immediate short term use of the residue is to replace 5% - 7% of the 670 million tonnes of coal India currently consumes to generate power. The farmers will benefit from the sale of their excess crop residue. The scheme will reduce pollution due to residue burning practices. Replacing coal will cut the GHG emissions. The challenge is to mobilize the crop residue collection and timely delivery to power plants. The data and calculations in this monogram show that it is economical for the farmer to remove the crop residue from the field quickly by using modern balers, to pelletize the biomass in small-scale distributed pellet plants, to store pellets in the modern steel bins and finally to deliver the pellets to coal plants by using rail transport. The delivered cost is estimated at around Rp 6.78/kg. The Government of India encourages the power plants to pay at least Rp 10/kg for the delivered biomass in the form of pellets. The current monogram analyzes the organization of an efficient supply chain in the State of Haryana India to ensure a sustainable modern enterprise.

Staphylococcus aureusβ-hemolysin-neutralizing single-domain antibody isolated from phage display library of Indian desert camel

Objective:To isolate and characterize Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus)β-hemolysinneutralizing dAbs from phage display library of Indian desert camel.Methods:Phage display library of 5×10 dAb clones of LPS-immunized Indian desert camel constructed in our laboratory was used for selection of S.aureus exotoxin-specific clones by panning technique.Enrichment of Ag-specific clones in successive rounds of panning was assessed by phage-ELISA and phage titration.Different dAb clones binding to S.aureus exotoxin Ags were expressed with C-terminal 6×His tag in E.coli and purified by Ni-chelate chromatography.The expression was verified by SDS-PAGE and western blotting.The purified clones were tested for inhibition of ’hot-cold’ hemolytic activity in vitro.Resistance to thermal inactivation of the dAb clones was studied by observing the effect of heat treatment from 50℃to 99℃for 30 min on the ’hot-cold’ hemolytic activity in vitro.Results:Several dAb clones binding to S.aureus exotoxins were isolated and enriched by three rounds of panning.The soluble dAb clones were approximately～16 kDa in size and reacted with 6×His tag specific murine monoclonal antibody in western blot.One of the Ni-chelate affinity purified dAb.6×His clones,inhibited S.aureusβ-hemolysin activity in vitro and resisted thermal inactivation upto 991.Conclusions:An S.aureusβ-hemolysinneutralizing dAb clone of possible therapeutic potential has been isolated.

印度喜马偕尔邦两种松树根际线虫新种(英文)

描述了来自印度喜马偕尔邦的两种松树根际线虫新种。线虫新种Ogma varispinosum sp.n.,分离自喜马拉雅长叶松(Pinus roxburghii Sarg.),雌虫特征:L(体长)=0.41 ～0.46mm;a(体长/最大体宽)=10.5～12.7;b(体长/体前端至食道与肠连接处的距离)=3.2～3.5;c(体长/尾长)=11.0～13.4;c′(尾长/肛门处体宽)=1.3～2.3;V(阴门至头顶距离×100/体长)=83.9 %～85.7 %;Stylet(口针长)为86～88μm;R(体环数)为77～81;Res(唇盘与贲门瓣之间的体环数)为23～25;RV(阴门与尾端之间的体环数)=12～13;RV-an(肛门与阴门之间的体环数)=4～6;8～9纵行的鳞片,第1行为环纹形状。另一线虫新种O.ornamentum sp.n,分离自乔松(P.wallichiana A.B.Jacks)。雌虫特征:L=0.31～0.37 mm;a=8.2～11.6;b=3.2 ～3.8;c=6.8～8.5;V=82.0 %～84.9 %;Stylet为69.9～72.0μm;R=59～62;Res=16～18;Rex=20;RV=11 ～12;RV-an=1～2;具有特殊的表皮结构。

PERFORMANCE AND PERSISTENCE OF GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN (gfp) MARKED AZOTOBACTER CHROOCOCCUM IN STERILIZED AND UNSTERILIZED WHEAT RHIZOSPHERIC SOIL

The persistence and performance (growth promoting potential) of green fluorescent protein (gfp) marked Azotobacter chroococcum strain ABR 4G were studied in sterilized and unsterilized wheat rhizospheric soil. The gfp was integrated via Tn 5 transposition into A. chroococcum chromosome and the resultant gfp marked colonies were identified by green fluorescent emission under UV light. The gfp was stably maintained in A. chroococcum and the gfp insertion had no apparent adverse effect on the growth promoting properties of the marked soil isolate ABR 4G. The growth promoting properties (nitrogen fixation, ammonia excretion, phosphate solubilization and IAA production) of the parent soil isolate and the gfp marked strain were found to be almost the same. All the quantitative wheat plant traits were significantly influenced by inoculation of A. chroococcum ABR 4G strain in sterilized and unsterilized soil. Inoculated bacterial counts increased gradually in wheat rhizosphere, reached maximum on 60 th d and declined on 80 th d. Fertility levels also affected survival of marked strain and the survival was comparable in sterilized and unsterilized soil. The growth promoting properties were also determined from the marked strain reisolated from wheat rhizosphere in both types of soil. Fig 1, Tab 2, Ref

DROUGHT STRESS RESPONSES OF TWO CONTRASTING BRASSICA SPECIES

The studies related to place of origin, domestication and ploidy of plant species are be-coming more important due to changing global climatic conditions. Crops now adapted toa specific climatic zone might be replaced by others under changed agro-climatic condi-tions. There would be an extension of the agricultural zones into semi-arid and desert

Effect of pH on Antioxidant and Phytochemical Activities of Mulhatti Roots (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.)

Glycyrrhiza glabra L.is the most widely used herb in the ancient history of Ayurvedic medicine,as a medicinal value as well as an aromatic herb,and it is commonly known as Mulhatti.Mulhatti roots are useful for medically and are also a good source of phytoproducts and secondary metabolites present in Mulhatti roots are triterpenoid saponin,glycosides,glycyrrhizin,prenylated biaurone,licoaagrone,7-acetoxy-2-methylisoflavone,4-methylcoumarin,liqcoumarin,glycyrrhetinic acid,quercetin,liquiritigenin,isoliquiritigenin,etc.This study was carried out to study the evaluation of phenolic compounds,2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH)free radical activity and general antioxidant capacity of water extracts of Mulhatti roots prepared at different pH values,namely 2,4,7 and 9.Data have shown great differences in terms of results.Most of the phenolic compounds are at pH 7(19.25),followed by pH 9(17.25),pH 2(14.62)and pH 4(8.89 mg GAE/g),respectively.Similarly,the flavonoid data also showed variations,the maximum has been present in pH 2(5.39),then pH 7(3.02),pH 9(1.79)and pH 4(1.40 mg CE/g),respectively.The value for DPPH IC50 free radical scavenging activity was the lowest at pH 7(82.22),followed by pH 2(110.40),pH 4(111.99)and pH 9(146.24μg/mL)and IC50 reference standard(ascorbic acid)was 59.52μg/mL in distilled water.The total capacity of the antioxidant was the highest at pH 2(9.93)followed by pH 4(5.54),pH 7(5.34)and pH 9(4.23 mg AAE/g).According to current research,pH 7 is the best for phytochemicals as well as antioxidants that catch harmful radicals.

SOME INEQUALITIES FOR POLYNOMIALS SATISFYING p(z)=z^n p(1/z)

Let p(z)=be a polynomial degree n and let Then accord-ing to Bernstein's inequality ||p'||<n||p||.It is a well known open problem to obtain inequality analogous to Bernstein's inequality for the class IIn of polynomials satisfying p(z)≡znp(1/z)Here we obtain an inequality analogous to Bernstein's inequality for a subclass of IIn Our results include several of the known results as special cases.

Identification of Techno-Economically Viable Crop Residue Utilization in India

India generates more than 140 million tonnes of surplus crop residue every year In Haryana, the agricultural sector alone produces 24.64 million tonnes of residue annually;of which only 71% is consumed in various domestic and commercial activities within the state. The rest of the material is burned causing severe contamination of air with smoke. There is an urgent need to identify suitable and sustainable conversion technologies that are efficient, eco-friendly as well as cost-effective for managing the huge available biomass not only in the state but also in the country. This paper reviews briefly the available crop residue and quantities burned, proposes a scheme to incorporate part of the residue in the field for its fertilizer value. The remaining biomass is harvested for animal feed and the excess is converted to bioenergy and biofuels. Among the developed and developing biofuels, the paper identifies biogas production from biomass for on-farm use. Pelletization is identified as an enabling technology to provide high quality feedstock for conversion to heat/power and in near future to advanced biofuels.

Rice straw recycling: A sustainable approach for ensuring environmental quality and economic security

One of the major challenges in Asian countries is the effective management of rice straw.To ensure food security for their ever-growing population,Asian countries grow more rice,leading to increasing rice straw generation.Burning of rice straw,a common practice,is detrimental to both environmental and human health.However,if managed effectively,rice straw has the potential to safeguard the sustainability of agricultural ecosystems and to uplift the economic security of the population depending on rice farming.Judicious management of rice straw involving minimum soil disturbance along with retention of residues alters the soil carbon cycle through reduced carbon emissions and increased levels of total soil organic carbon.Several alternative uses of rice straw,such as production of livestock feed,bioethanol,biochar,biogas,electricity,mushroom,and paper,can add prosperity to rice farmers’life by fetching extra income.It is evident that efficient management of rice straw is of enormous economic value.Therefore,it is essential to create awareness among the different rice stakeholders of these alternative economic avenues associated with rice straw.This review is an attempt to provide effective options for sustainable rice straw management and rice straw value chains for harnessing its economic potential.It further identifies gaps in our understanding of the effects of rice straw on ecological sustainability,particularly concerning the multifaceted connections between the diverse mechanisms of rice agro-ecosystems,which may greatly influence food security in the 21st century.

Hydrogen cyanide production by soil bacteria: Biological control of pests and promotion of plant growth in sustainable agriculture

Currently, plant diseases and insect infestations are mainly controlled by the extraneous application of pesticides. Unfortunately, the indiscriminate use of such agrochemicals can cause ecological and environmental problems, as well as human health hazards. To obviate the potential pollution arising from the application of agrochemicals, biological control of soilborne pathogens or insect pests using antagonistic microorganisms may be employed. Certain soil bacteria, algae, fungi, plants and insects possess the unique ability to produce hydrogen cyanide(HCN), which plays an important role in the biotic interactions of those organisms. In particular, cyanogenic bacteria have been found to inhibit the growth of various pathogenic fungi, weeds, insects, termites and nematodes. Thus, the use of HCN-producing bacteria as biopesticides offers an ecofriendly approach for sustainable agriculture. The enzyme, HCN synthase,involved in the synthesis of HCN, is encoded by the hcnABC gene cluster. The biosynthetic regulation of HCN, antibiotics and fluorescent insecticidal toxins through the conserved global regulatory GacS/GacA system is elaborated in this review, including approaches that may optimize cyanogenesis for enhanced pest control. In addition, the effects of bacterially synthesized HCN on the production of indole acetic acid, antibiotics and fluorescent insecticidal toxins, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase utilization and phosphate solubilization may result in the stimulation of plant growth. A more detailed understanding of HCN biosynthesis and regulation may help to elaborate the precise role of this compound in biotic interactions and sustainable agriculture.

Long-Term Conservation Agriculture and Intensified Cropping Systems:Effects on Growth,Yield,Water,and Energy-use Efficiency of Maize in Northwestern India

Conservation agriculture(CA)-based best-bet crop management practices may increase crop and water productivity, while conserving and sustaining natural resources. We evaluated the performance of rainy season maize during 2014 under an ongoing long-term trial(established in 2008) with three tillage practices, i.e., permanent bed(PB), zero tillage(ZT), and conventional tillage(CT) as main plots, and four intensified maize-based cropping systems, i.e., maize-wheat-mungbean, maize-chickpea-Sesbania(MCS), maizemustard-mungbean, and maize-maize-Sesbania) as subplot treatments. In the seventh rainy season of the experiment, maize growth parameters, yield attributes, yield, and water-and energy-use efficiency were highest at fixed plots under ZT. Maize growth parameters were significantly(P < 0.05) superior under ZT and PB compared with CT. Maize yield attributes, including cobs per m^2(7.8), cob length(0.183 m), grain rows per cob(13.8), and grains per row(35.6), were significantly higher under ZT than CT; however, no significant effect of cropping systems was found on maize growth and yield attributes. Zero tillage exhibited the highest maize productivity(4 589 kg ha^(-1)). However, among the cropping systems, MCS exhibited the highest maize productivity(4 582 kg ha^(-1)). In maize, water use was reduced by 80.2–120.9 mm ha-1under ZT and PB compared with CT, which ultimately enhanced the economic water-use efficiency by 42.0% and 36.6%, respectively. The ZT and PB showed a 3.5%–31.8% increase in soil organic carbon(SOC) at different soil depths(0–0.45 m), and a 32.3%–39.9% increase in energy productivity compared with CT. Overall, our results showed that CA-based ZT and PB practices coupled with diversified maize-based cropping systems effectively enhanced maize yield and SOC,as well as water-and energy-use efficiency, in northwestern India.

High-Throughput Phenotyping:A Platform to Accelerate Crop Improvement

Development of high-throughput phenotyping technologies has progressed considerably in the last 10 years.These technologies provide precise measurements of desired traits among thousands of field-grown plants under diversified environments;this is a critical step towards selection of better performing lines as to yield,disease resistance,and stress tolerance to accelerate crop improvement programs.High-throughput phenotyping techniques and platforms help unrave-ling the genetic basis of complex traits associated with plant growth and development and targeted traits.This review focuses on the advancements in technologies involved in high-throughput,field-based,aerial,and unmanned platforms.Development of user-friendly data management tools and softwares to better understand phenotyping will increase the use of field-based high-throughput techniques,which have potential to revolutionize breeding strategies and meet the future needs of stakeholders.

Contribution of microbial phytases to the improvement of plant growth and nutrition: A review

Phytases belong to the class of phosphohydrolases that begin the step-wise hydrolysis of phosphates from phytates. Phytates are a derivative of myo-inositol, which is the primary storage form of organic phosphorus in plant cells. Phytase has been used globally to diminish phosphorus pollution and to enhance nutrition in monogastrics. In this review, the classification, sources, and diversity of microbial phytases, and their practical applications, as well as supplementation of the soil with transgenic and wild types of microbial strains, which can release phytase to enhance phosphorus availability for plant uptake and reduce the need for fertilizers, are discussed. The overexpressed microbial phytases in transgenic plants enhance the growth capacity of co-cultivated plants and can therefore be employed in agricultural and biotechnological practices, such as intercropping. The introduction of phytases into the soil for improved plant growth and enhanced crop yield can be accomplished without extra cost. A diverse group of photoautotrophic microalgae can synthesize phytase and will likely be useful in many human food and animal industries.

Nitrogen use scenario in India

Nitrogen is one of the major plant nutrients without which the agricultural production is not possible. Nitrogen use in Indian agriculture was nearly 55000 tons in 1950-1951 that increased to 11.31 million tons in 2001-2002. The total food production of the country has also experienced the similar increase from 50.83 to 222 million tons in the respective years. Interestingly the N fertilizer consumption of India remained almost constant during the last six years indicating the possibility of reducing N consumption. The highest N consumption is in North zone owing to the introduction of rice-wheat cropping system followed by West, South and East.The N use efficiency has been reported to be varying between 30% to 50% depending on the crops and the management. But in most of the cases, N use efficiency has been calculated based on the total N removed by the crops (above ground part only) ignoring the N content left in the roots. It has been observed in controlled experiments that the total N uptake by roots varied from 18% to 44% of the total N removed by the above ground parts, i.e. grain and straw. If the root N is also accounted, the N use efficiency will be higher than reported. The management of other organic sources has to be improved so as to increase the fertilizer use efficiency as well as to check the direct release of N in the atmosphere. In this review all these issues will be dealt.

Application of remote sensing for sustainable agriculture and forest management

Global warming resulting from greenhouse effect has threatened to the sustainability of agriculture,forest and land surface globally.A significant rise in extreme weather events has been observed worldwide,particularly in developing countries[1].In the changing climatic era,the economic importance of the remote sensing and geographical information system(GIS)to monitoring forests and agricultural resources is imperative to the development of agro-ecosystem services and the products responding to user needs[2].The applications of the remote sensing for forestry and agriculture,including the estimation of the land surface,biophysical variables,forest vegetation’s,methods for mapping land cover,primary soil properties,the estimation of the forest cover area,and the contribution of remote sensing for crop and water monitoring to manage adverse conditions.