Effect of ethylene on physiological and biochemical parameters in different crop plants - A review

A phytohormone may be defined as an organic substance other than a nutrient active in very minute amounts which is formed in certain parts of all plants and which is usually translocated to other sites, where it evokes specific biochemical, physiological and morphological responses. The gaseous plant hormone ethylene modulates many internal processes and growth responses to environmental stimuli. Ethylene is known to exert its effects by altering gene expression both at transcriptional and post-transcriptional level. Ethylene has long beenrecognized as a growth inhibitor, but evidence is accumulating that ethylene can also promote growth. Therefore, the concept of ethylene as a general growth inhibitor needs reconsideration. Different authors screened various concentrations viz. 100 ppm, 150 ppm which promotes the plant growth in groundnut, soybean, mustard, barley, pigeonpea etc. The lower concentration of ethylene (100ppm) has increased the yield by 17 percent in pigeonpea. It increased the yield by manipulating source-sink relationships and flower retention The present study highlights the various processes of growth stimulated by ethylene and its use in enhancing yield of various crop species. It could be inferred that lower concentration of ethrel sprayed at pre-flowering stage promoted the growth and yield of various crops (barley, corn, groundnut, pigeonpea, soybean etc.)

Studies on the Induction of Mutations in Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.)

Trigonella foenum-graecum commonly known as fenugreek, an annual dicotyledonous herbaceous plant belongs to the family Leguminosae with branched stems, trifoliate ovate-orbicular leaves, roots bearing nodules, white flowers, paplionaceous corolla, stamens diadelphous [1+(9)], ovary superior, ovules many, pods bearing golden yellow seeds. Seeds vary from rectangular to round in outline with a deep groove between the radical and cotyledons. In general, two types of flowering shoots are observed. The common ones bear axillary flowers showing an indeterminate growth habit, whereas so called “blind shoots” have axillary and terminal flowers, becoming “tip bearers” for seed pods. Both cleistogamous (closed) and aneictogamous (open) flowers have been described (Petropoulos, 1973) but the vast majority of fenugreek flowers are closed or cleistogamous.The purpose of the study was to study the effect of different mutagenic treatments on various biological parameters.To investigate the chromosome behaviour of treated populations with respect to controls.To investigate the chromosome behaviour of treated populations with respect to controls and To isolate promising mutants based on changes in phenotypic traits

Frequency and spectrum of M2 mutants and genetic variability in cyto-agronomic characteristics of fenugreek induced by caffeine and sodium azide

Trigonella foenum graecum L. (Fenugreek) is a valuable medicinal plant cultivated for decades for its therapeutic characteristics. Still no pronounced improvement concerning wild form was accomplished as it is a self-pollinating crop. Induced mutagenesis is encouraged as a remarkable tool on this plant to circumvent the genetic bottleneck of cultivated germplasms. As a result, novel allelomorphic combinations for short-term agronomic attributes were developed. Fenugreek cultivar Pusa Early Bunching, selected for the present experiment, was mutagenized with five doses (0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, and 1.0%) of caffeine and sodium azide (SA) to evaluate its impact on the qualitative and quantitative traits of M1 and M2 generation conducted in a Complete Randomized Block Design (CRBD), replicated five times during 2019–2020 and 2020–2021, respectively. The frequency of induced phenotypic variations was assessed in M2 progenies, resulting in the identification and isolation of a broad spectrum of mutants with altered phenotypes. Mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency were found to be maximum at lower concentrations of the mutagen treatments and highest in SA, followed by caffeine. Various morphological mutants with modified characters were observed at different concentrations in M2 generation. The spectrum of mutations was wider in SA than in caffeine, as caffeine produced 51 while SA produced 54 individual mutants under seven major categories. The maximum frequency of morphological mutants was associated with leaf, followed by plant size, plant growth habit, pod, seed size, seed shape, and seed color. Morphological and structural variations in the guard cells of stomata and seeds were observed through scanning electron microscopy. The variations created in the economically important traits may enrich the genetic diversity of this plant species. Moreover, these morphological mutants may serve as a source of elite genes in further breeding programs of fenugreek

African yam bean: morphology, clonal propogation and nitrogen fixation

Morphological and growth observations made on landraces of African yam bean (AYB) used in this study confirm that this species is the most morphologically variable in the genus (Potter, 1992). Morphological characters such as seed colour, stem colour, internode length, leaf size and number of leaves per plant were found to vary between landraces. Growth and development was controlled by both genotype and environment. Flowering was observed only when plants were grown at 25°C, rather than at 30°C, with a 12 h photoperiod. Tuber formation occurred only in AYBS and not in other landraces. Growth rates differed between landraces and between environments with plants grown in the soil displaying faster growth than those grown in pots. The response to the environment (pot and soil experiment) differed between landraces, i.e. AYB1 performed better than AYB2 in the pot experiment, whereas it was surpassed by AYB2 in the soil experiment. Clonal propagation protocols were developed using nodal explants/propagules to reproduce material with a high level of genetic uniformity from existing shoot meristems. Clonal propagation was investigated using macro (leafy stem cuttings) and micro (in vitro propagation from nodal stem segments) approaches. Axenic shoot cultures have been achieved from stem nodal segments sterilised with 10% "Domestos" bleach and grown in MS-based medium fortified with cytokinins. Amongst the cytokinins used, BAP (6-benzylaminopurine) was found to be more suitable than TDZ (N-phenyl-N'-1,2,3thidiazol-5-ylurea) and 2iP (6-(y, y-dimethylallylamino)purine) at both culture establishment and shoot multiplication stages, although optimisation of the protocol for shoot multiplication requires further study. There was persistent callus proliferation at both the establishment/initiation of cultures and the multiplication stage and the use of other plant growth regulators, such as GA3 (Gibberellic acid) and TIBA (2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid), known to counter callus growth in cultures, did not give positive results. Although in vitro adventitious root formation was erratic, some shoots were able to root when exposed to auxins (IBA [indole-3-butyric acid] and NAA [αnaphthaleneacetic acid]) and were established in compost. IBA was preferable to NAA, as it induced more root formation. Overall, AYB cuttings produced adventitious roots relatively easily with or without auxins. Auxins at low concentrations induced rapid formation of roots in high numbers. Unlike in vitro rooting, adventitious rooting of cuttings was as high as 100% without any auxin treatment, suggesting a possibility of other factors involved in the rooting process in vitro. A cheap source of nitrogen for AYB is in the form of biological nitrogen fixation. AYB nodulated profusely with strains of both a slow growing Bradyrhizobium sp. and a fast growing Rhizobium sp., plants forming nitrogen fixing nodules with strains ORS302, CP279 and NGR234. Nitrogen fixed from the atmosphere accounted for 79-98% of the plant nitrogen and supported plant growth by an increase of up-to 1547% of dry matter in shoots

African yam bean: morphology, clonal propogation and nitrogen fixation

Morphological and growth observations made on landraces of African yam bean (AYB) used in this study confirm that this species is the most morphologically variable in the genus (Potter, 1992). Morphological characters such as seed colour, stem colour, internode length, leaf size and number of leaves per plant were found to vary between landraces. Growth and development was controlled by both genotype and environment. Flowering was observed only when plants were grown at 25°C, rather than at 30°C, with a 12 h photoperiod. Tuber formation occurred only in AYBS and not in other landraces. Growth rates differed between landraces and between environments with plants grown in the soil displaying faster growth than those grown in pots. The response to the environment (pot and soil experiment) differed between landraces, i.e. AYB1 performed better than AYB2 in the pot experiment, whereas it was surpassed by AYB2 in the soil experiment. Clonal propagation protocols were developed using nodal explants/propagules to reproduce material with a high level of genetic uniformity from existing shoot meristems. Clonal propagation was investigated using macro (leafy stem cuttings) and micro (in vitro propagation from nodal stem segments) approaches. Axenic shoot cultures have been achieved from stem nodal segments sterilised with 10% "Domestos" bleach and grown in MS-based medium fortified with cytokinins. Amongst the cytokinins used, BAP (6-benzylaminopurine) was found to be more suitable than TDZ (N-phenyl-N'-1,2,3thidiazol-5-ylurea) and 2iP (6-(y, y-dimethylallylamino)purine) at both culture establishment and shoot multiplication stages, although optimisation of the protocol for shoot multiplication requires further study. There was persistent callus proliferation at both the establishment/initiation of cultures and the multiplication stage and the use of other plant growth regulators, such as GA3 (Gibberellic acid) and TIBA (2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid), known to counter callus growth in cultures, did not give positive results. Although in vitro adventitious root formation was erratic, some shoots were able to root when exposed to auxins (IBA [indole-3-butyric acid] and NAA [αnaphthaleneacetic acid]) and were established in compost. IBA was preferable to NAA, as it induced more root formation. Overall, AYB cuttings produced adventitious roots relatively easily with or without auxins. Auxins at low concentrations induced rapid formation of roots in high numbers. Unlike in vitro rooting, adventitious rooting of cuttings was as high as 100% without any auxin treatment, suggesting a possibility of other factors involved in the rooting process in vitro. A cheap source of nitrogen for AYB is in the form of biological nitrogen fixation. AYB nodulated profusely with strains of both a slow growing Bradyrhizobium sp. and a fast growing Rhizobium sp., plants forming nitrogen fixing nodules with strains ORS302, CP279 and NGR234. Nitrogen fixed from the atmosphere accounted for 79-98% of the plant nitrogen and supported plant growth by an increase of up-to 1547% of dry matter in shoots

Annual Report 2017-18

Not AvailableI am extremely happy and privileged to present the annual report of ICAR-CRIDA for the year 2017- 18. During the reporting year, ICAR-CRIDA has made eloquent progress in technology development and dissemination associated with climate change in rainfed agriculture and dealing contingencies in agriculture and allied sector. The institute has received copyright for “Unreaped yield potentials in major rainfed crops and scope for bridging yield gaps - A decision support system”. ICAR-CRIDA along with SAUs and KVKs prepared contingency plans at district level for all the 126 agro-climatic zones of the country (623 districts) to deal with weather related aberrations. An IFS module with cotton, vegetables, fodder and small ruminants with farm pond using portable raingun at Chenchu tribal farmer field implemented in Petrallachenu village of Nagarkurnool district showed positive impact on socio economic condition of the farmer with total net income of Rs. 96,605/- over the traditional system of growing only rainfed cotton, which gave negative returns of Rs. (-) 3600. A small scale solar powered micro-irrigation system was designed and installed for small farmers having one acre or less land under farm pond system for growing vegetables. The assessment based on daily rainfall dataset, annual average effective rainfall and runoff percentages helped in developing the expected runoff in various rainfall zones, which could be used to estimate the runoff in meso-scale watersheds. Seven inbreds of maize (DTL2, SNJ2011- 03, SNJ2011-37, SNJ2011-26, Z101-15, Z32-12 and HKI7660) were found to be promising for use in crop improvement programme under rainfed conditions. 4:4 strip intercropping system of sorghum and pigeonpea with relay horse gram performed better compared to traditional 2:1 intercropping system. In a study on resource conserving technologies, conventional tillage recorded 15% lower maize yields as compared to conservation agriculture practices. Intensive system of rearing livestock not only improved the profitability but also significantly reduced methane emissions as compared to semi-intensive and extensive systems. Heat Load Index (HLI) and Temperature Humidity Index (THI) was found to be better choice for comparing heat stress in extensively and intensively reared sheep, respectively. A rotary implement for weeding operation was developed to effectively utilize low horse power tractor for field applications. A raised bed planter cum herbicide applicator was developed and the design was transferred to Avanthi Bufa Industries Ltd., Jahirabad. Farmers’ first project, envisaged to transfer rainfed technologies with objective of doubling farmers income is being implemented in 4 villages of Pudur mandal of Vikarabad district. Among 12 pigeonpea genotypes AKT-8811, PUSA-33, GRG-276-1 and RVK-274 were the high yielders in both unstressed and rainfed conditions. An econometric analysis of impact of climate change on crop yields showed that the impacts would be more severe and widespread towards the end of the century. Under changing climatic scenarios, runoff is not expected to vary much in Vijayapura district under low or medium emission scenarios, but the high runoff potential available under the present scenario itself shows substantial scope for rainwater harvesting and its utilization for supplemental irrigation. Decreased grub duration with increased predation capacity of M. sexmaculatus on A. craccivora with elevated CO2 indicated increased predation in future climate change scenarios. For assessing the real time climate change impacts on crop water requirements, SCADA Preface based rainfall simulator and precision lysimeter was designed and developed by using state of art process automation instrumentation in climate change research complex at Hayathnagar. Rotavator, cultivator and disc plough + harrow recorded higher GHG emissions and global warming potential, whereas animal drawn implements recorded lower emissions. Evaluation of the performance of different crops under organic, inorganic and integrated production systems showed that yield of sunflower was 14 and 7% higher under integrated management (1374 kg/ha) than that of under inorganic and organic management, respectively. Supplementation of chromium propionate @ 200 ppb can help in mitigation of heat stress in grazing lambs. An experiment to evaluate 36 elite clones of short rotation and high biomass yielding multipurpose tree species (M. dhubia, Casuarina, B. balcoa, D. sisoo and Eucalyptus) was established at Hayathnagar Research Farm. The KVK under technology assessment and refinement has assessed 17 technologies through 115 trials on crop varieties, integrated crop management, horticulture and livestock management. 269 Frontline demonstrations on 19 technologies were conducted in different disciplines. It also organized 115 need based and skill oriented training programmes on various aspects of improved technologies to 3005 clientele farmers and filed level extension workers. Two special skill development programmes allotted by Department of Horticulture, Government of Telangana in the disciplines of “ farm pond construction and lining” were organized for 520 rural youths. Exemplary performance of its scientists were visible as two scientists attended trainings/exposure visit outside the country and 52 graduate and post graduate students carried out research work at ICAR-CRIDA. Sustained performance of its scientists were exhibited in terms of 20 scientists of Institute receiving several awards, fellowships, copyright and recognition from national academies, professional societies and other institutions. The scientists of the institute published a total of 116 research articles in international and national journals, 29 books/bulletins including 2 in Hindi and 112 book chapters. The contributions of scientists also appeared in the form of a number of policy papers, bulletins, popular articles, presentations in conferences, e-publications and radio and television programmes. The collaborations with several Ministries and Departments, SAUs, NGOs and Private Industries reflect its commitment to work hand-to-hand with grow together and finding the technological solutions to the problems of farmers in rainfed regions of India. I would like to place on record my sincere gratitude to Indian Council of Agricultural Research for its continued guidance and support. I appreciate all the committee members of annual report for their timely compilation and shaping this report in time.Not Availabl

The Effect of Azotobacter Chrococcum as Nitrogen Biofertilizer on the Growth and Yield of Cucumis Sativus

Biofertilizer has been identified as an alternative to chemical fertilizer to increase soil fertility and crop production in sustainable farming. The use of biofertilizer is steadily increased in agriculture and offers an attractive way to replace chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and supplements. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of Azotobacter chroococcum as nitrogen-biofertilizer on growth and yield of Cucumis sativus (cucumber) under greenhouse conditions. The study was done by planting 210 cucumber seeds distributed into seven treatments which were used in our study as follows: control (without treatment), biofertilizer only, organic fertilizer only, chemical fertilizer only, organic fertilizer + biofertilizer, 20% chemical fertilizer + biofertilizer, and biofertilizer, (two dose). After 3 months and through cucumber growth criteria, (shoot length, root length, shoot wet and dry weight, root wet and dry weight, number of leaves, number of branches), yield parameters, mineral content (N%) of cucumber were measured. In the green house experiment, growth parameters of cucumber showed that the productivity of cucumber increased. Seed inoculation with A. chroococcum increased yield about 6%, compared to control. The increase of biofertilizer treated plants in dry root weight were 31%, 18% in wet root weight, 11% in dry whole plant weight, 13% in wet whole plant weight, 14% in whole plant length, 10% in number of branches, 27% in number of leaves over control. The increase in shoot nitrogen percentage was 15% in biofertilizer treated plants, where it was 40% in biofertilizer + 20% chemical over control. The increase in root nitrogen percentage was 18% in biofertilizer treated plants, where it was 22% in biofertilizer + 20% chemical over control. Our results provided a proof of the efficiency of Azotobacter chroococcum as an important biofertilizer in yield of Cucumis sativus (cucumber)

An Intercropping Bibliography

This issue was undated. The date given is an estimate.126 pages, 1 article*An Intercropping Bibliography* (Federer, Walter T.) 126 page

Antifungal activity of selected pesticidal plants against phaeoisariopsis personata and phytochemical analysis, central Tanzania

A Thesis Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Life Sciences of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyThe late leaf spot (LLS) caused by Phaeoisariopsis personata L., is the most serious fungal disease of groundnut worldwide. The LLS causes considerable damage to groundnuts leading to leaf defoliation and consequently reduces pod yields by more than 50%. Research was carried out to evaluate the antifungal activity of Parthenium hysterophorus, Azadirachta indica and Jatropha curcas against P. personata and analyse the possible compounds exhibiting antifungal properties at the Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticide Authority (TPHPA)-Arusha, Tanzania. The field survey results indicated that the LLS disease of groundnuts prevailed in the central zone of Tanzania with overall disease incidences between (54.65-84.70%) and severities (4.9-7.00). This finding provides alerts to the global plant health regulators suggesting a proper management skill. The evaluation the selected pesticidal plants revealed that all the plant extracts showed antifungal activities against P. personata under in vitro and in vivo (screen-house) conditions. The methanolic leaf extracts of all tested plants offered higher antifungal activities with >75% inhibition of mycelial growth of P. personata compared to control (0% inhibition). Similarly, the application of methanolic leaf extracts of selected plant extracts on groundnuts seedlings grown in pots under screen-house condition at the highest concentration (0.5 mg/ml) exhibited antifungal potentials against P. personata by reducing the disease incidence being 14.30% and severity of 2.22 compared to chloroform (17.44%, 4.07) and ethyl acetate (20.56%, 4.26) leaf extracts. Subsequently groundnut seed yield/plant was greater 45.09 g for crop treated with the most effective plant extract (A. indica at 0.5 mg/ml) as compared to untreated 7.76 g. Furthermore, the phytochemical analysis of the selected pesticidal plants by GC-MS identified important phytocompounds with antifungal properties from the tested plant extracts mainly; hexadecanoic acid ethyl ester, methyl salicylate, phytol, phenol 2,4-bis (1,1-dimethylethyl), n-hexadecanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid methyl ester and hexadecane. The presence of these antifungal phytocompounds in the selected plants is associated with their effect on the P. personata. A further study under field condition is recommended on the tested plants (P. hysterophorus, A. indica and J. curcas) on possibility of developing bio fungicides for the management of groundnut LLS disease in Tanzania