Identification and Characterization of Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) Markers Associated with Downy Mildew Resistance Locus “<i>RPV1</i>” in Grapes

The cultivation of grapes is severely impacted by the emergence of downy mildew (DM) disease which negatively affects quality and yield possibly resulting in heavy losses. Due to certain shortcomings in the usage of fungicides and the development of new cultivars by plant breeding, marker assisted selection (MAS) will be an efficient alternative method to introduce desired genes into the cultivated varieties in a short time period. The Simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers seem to be the most popular genetic marker of choice for MAS. In the present study, we identified 14 new SSR markers in RPV1 locus that are associated with downy mildew resistance in grapes. The characterization of the identified markers was carried out on the basis of various parameters such as types of repeat motifs, number of repeats, different classes and structure of microsatellites. Additionally, SSR genotyping in 56 different grape accessions was done to determine the susceptibility or resistance of these accessions to DM.

Elemental variations in glacier cryoconites of Indian Himalaya and Spitsbergen,Arctic

Cryoconite samples were collected from two different climatic domains i.e.,the Sutri Dhaka glacier,western Himalaya India and Svalbard glaciers,the Spitsbergen,Arctic,to understand the elemental source and elemental deposition patterns.The data of geochemical analysis suggest that the Himalayan cryoconite samples accumulate higher concentrations as compared to the cryoconite samples of the Arctic glaciers.The concentration of lithophile elements(Cs,Li,Rb and U)was recorded higher in the cryoconite holes of the Himalayas,especially,in the lower to the higher parts of the glacier,whereas,lower concentrations were recorded in the Arctic samples.Chalcophile elements in the Himalayan cryoconites are enriched in As and Bi while the Arctic cryoconite samples show a higher concentration of Bi,Pb and As.The higher concentrations are responsible for influencing the ecosystem and in human health related issues.Siderophile elements(Co,Fe,Mn and Ni)show high concentrations in the Himalayan samples,whereas,the Arctic samples show minor variations and low elemental concentration in these elements,respectively.In addition,a few elements,such as Ag,Mg,and Ca show higher concentration in the Himalayan glacier samples.Ca also occurs in high concentrations in Arctic glacier samples.R-mode factor analysis of the Himalayas(Arctic)samples indicate that the elements are distributed in four(three)factors,explaining 89%(90%)of the variance in their elemental distribution.The Factor 1 suggests statistically significant positive loadings for most of the lithophile,chalcophile and siderophile elements of the "Himalayan" and the Arctic cryoconite samples.The sample-wise factor score distribution shows a considerable variation in the sampling locations along the glaciers of both the regions.Factors 2 and 3,demonstrate insignificant loading for most of the elements,except statistically significant positive loading in some of the elements of the both,Himalayan and Arctic "cryoconites".The higher elemental concentration in the cryoconites of the Himalayan region may be an indicator of the natural processes and/or attributed to the rapid industrialization in the Asian countries.

Plant Community and Nutrient Status of the Soils of Schirmacher Oasis,East Antarctica

Investigations on plant community and micronutrient status of Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica have been presented in this paper. The dominant plant communities include moss and lichen. The frequency of species occurrence and changes in species composition at different location varied. Thirty-four soil samples were ana- lyzed for chemical properties of the soils of Schirmacher Oasis and Nunatak, East Antarctica. The most common plant species growing throughout the areas of Sehirmacher Oasis and Nunataks are： Candelariella tiara （ lichen ） and Bryum pseudotriquetrum （moss）. Large variations were observed among different soil samples in all the nutri- ents and other measured soil chemical parameters. The soils are characterized by a-cidic pH ranging from 4.42 - 6.80. The mean organic carbon content was 0.62 and ranged from 0. 06 - 1.29%. The electrical conductivity in 1 ： 2 soil water ratio ranged from 0.06 - 1.29. The average content of macronutrient cation, which are ammonium acetate extractable was in the order of Ca 〉 K 〉 Na 〉 Mg. The average content of DTPA extractable micronutrient cations was in the order of Fe 〉 Mn 〉 Cu 〉 Zn. Thirty one out of 34 samples contained less than 0.80 ppm DTPA extractable Zn. Correlation studies revealed that content of macronutrient cations significantly and positively correlated to that of chlorides. Electrical conductivity exhibited significant and positive relationship with pH, K, Ca, Mg, Na and chloride content. Sodium （r =0.876 ＊ ＊ ） exhibited highest correlation followed by K （r =0. 831 ＊ ＊ ） with chlo- ride content. The correlation coefficient for chlorides was higher with electrical conductivity （r=0.732＊ ＊ ） than pH （r =0. 513 ＊ ＊ ）. Organic carbon content of the soil was positively correlated with Fe （ r = 0. 442 ＊ ）. The nutrient status did not appear to be a limiting factor in growth of plants. Lichen and moss community structure and composition in the study area were not related with fertility status of soil. Terrestrial mosses are most abundant and luxuriant along the soil habitats near bank of water bodies and the melt water streams.