Effects of different concentrations of sucrose and citric acid on vase life of rose

Vase life is the most important parameter to determine the quality of cut flower, however, due to highly perishable nature is always challenging to vase life. An experiment was conducted at Horticulture Lab, Prithu Technical College, Dangon 2018 in order to find out best concentration of sucrose and citric solution that enhances and prolongs the better flower quality and longevity. Experiment was laid out in completely randomize design (CRD) with nine treatments and three replication. Rose sticks were harvested at flower bud stage and two sticks were kept in each vase solution. 2% sucrose with 15 ppm citric acid solution found longest vase life and this combination has the potential to be used as a commercial cut flower preservative solution to delay flower senescence, enhance post-harvest quality and prolong the vase life of cut rose flowers

Isolation and Screening of Antibiotics Producing Streptomyces spp from the Soil Collected around the Root of Alnus nepalensis from Godawari

Actinomycetes are considered as the most invaluable prokaryotes whose genome mining show a great number of putative secondary metabolite biosynthesis pathways as well as gene clusters ranging from 20 to 50 per genome. The genus Streptomyces has been explored for its ability to produce 60% antibiotics worldwide. Alnus nepalensis (Alder) has been found to harbor diverse Eubacteria in its rhizosphere. To evaluate the antibiotic production potential from Actinomycetes, we collected soil samples from rhizosphere (5-7 cm deep) of Alder tree. Primary screening was done by cross-streak method against Multidrug Resistant (MDR) such as Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus auereus (MRSA), Vancomycin resistant Enterococcus feacalis (VRE), Imepenem resistant Acinetobacterbaumannii, Vancomycin resistant Klebsiella pneumonia and Imepenem resistant E. coli as well as Non-MDRs (E. coli, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, S. aeureu and Enterococcus feacalis). Extraction of antibiotics was done using rota-vapour from extract obtained by solid-substrate fermentation technique followed by solvent extraction. Secondary screening was done using well diffusion assay against MDRs. Among total of 40 isolates of Actinomycetes recovered, 14 showed remarkable zone of inhibition (ZOI) to various MDRs. NASA 303 showed 26 mm of ZOI against VRE, NASA 101 had ZOI of 34 mm against MRSA, NASA 319 had 33.7 mm ZOI against Imepenem resistant E. coli, NASA 306 had 36 mm of ZOI against Vancomycin resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, and NASA 108 showed ZOI of 29.6 mm against Imepenem resistant E. faecalis. This investigation revealed that the Actinomycetes found in Rhizosphere of Alder tree had MDR killing potent antibiotics, which needs to be further explored

Conserved defense responses between maize and sorghum to Exserohilum turcicum.

BACKGROUND:Exserohilum turcicum is an important pathogen of both sorghum and maize, causing sorghum leaf blight and northern corn leaf blight. Because the same pathogen can infect and cause major losses for two of the most important grain crops, it is an ideal pathosystem to study plant-pathogen evolution and investigate shared resistance mechanisms between the two plant species. To identify sorghum genes involved in the E. turcicum response, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS). RESULTS:Using the sorghum conversion panel evaluated across three environments, we identified a total of 216 significant markers. Based on physical linkage with the significant markers, we detected a total of 113 unique candidate genes, some with known roles in plant defense. Also, we compared maize genes known to play a role in resistance to E. turcicum with the association mapping results and found evidence of genes conferring resistance in both crops, providing evidence of shared resistance between maize and sorghum. CONCLUSIONS:Using a genetics approach, we identified shared genetic regions conferring resistance to E. turcicum in both maize and sorghum. We identified several promising candidate genes for resistance to leaf blight in sorghum, including genes related to R-gene mediated resistance. We present significant advancements in the understanding of host resistance to E. turcicum, which is crucial to reduce losses due to this important pathogen

FORMULATION AND IN-VITRO EVALUATION OF SUSTAINED RELEASE MATRIX TABLETS OF GLIPIZIDE

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder caused by insufficient production of endogenous insulin, with or without resistance to insulin action, resulting in hyperglycaemia. In type 1 diabetes mellitus, there is a failure in production of insulin as a result of destruction of the cells of the pancreas, and patients require treatment with insulin whereas type 2 diabetes can be characterised by defects in both insulin action (i.e. insulin resistance) and insulin secretion, and is associated with elevated basal hepatic glucose production.  Glipizide is a second-generation sulfonylurea that can acutely lower the blood glucose level in humans by stimulating the release of insulin from the pancreas and is typically prescribed to treat type II diabetes. Different formulations were prepared by varying the concentration of HPMC used as polymers. The effect of varying concentration of hydrophilic polymers (HPMC 5cps and 15 cps) was studied on the release pattern of glipizide. Sustained release glipizide matrix tablets were prepared by wet granulation and compression of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (5 cps and 15 cps), drug and other excipients mixture. The promising formulation was compared with the marketed sample of suatained release glynase in terms of release pattern. The release rate of a glipizide from matrix tablet was decreased with increasing the concentration as well as viscosity polymer. This might be probably due to increased swelling and reduced erosion rate of matrix tablet. The formulation 13 (F13) showed the similar result as marketed sample of sustained release glynase tablets in terms of release rate.Key Words: Glipizide, Hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), Viscosity grade

Detection of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) Associated with the Fruit Morphology of Tomato

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is the second most-consumed vegetable in the world. The market value and culinary purpose of tomato are often determined by fruit size and shape, which makes the genetic improvement of these traits a priority for tomato breeders. The main objective of the study was to detect quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with the tomato fruit shape and size. The use of elite breeding materials in the genetic mapping studies will facilitate the detection of genetic loci of direct relevance to breeders. We performed QTL analysis in an intra-specific population of tomato developed from a cross between two elite breeding lines NC 30P × NC-22L-1(2008) consisting of 110 recombinant inbred lines (RIL). The precision software Tomato Analyzer (TA) was used to measure fruit morphology attributes associated with fruit shape and size traits. The RIL population was genotyped with the SolCAP 7720 SNP array. We identified novel QTL controlling elongated fruit shape on chromosome 10, explaining up to 24% of the phenotypic variance. This information will be useful in improving tomato fruit morphology traits

Molecular Genetic Study of Rooting Ability and Sulfur Sensitivity in Vitis Aestivalis-Derived \u27Norton\u27 Grapes

The Vitis aestivalis-derived ‘Norton\u27 is a commercial red grape cultivar that can be grown in regions where V. vinifera is difficult to grow, due to high disease pressure and cold temperatures in winter and spring. However, Norton is difficult to propagate from dormant cuttings and is sensitive to sulfur. Molecular techniques may improve breeding for rooting ability and sulfur tolerance capacity in Norton hybrids. The objectives of this study were to: (1) identify interspecific hybrids of Norton and V. vinifera (Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Merlot) and Vitis interspecific hybrid ‘Vignoles\u27 using microsatellite markers; (2) construct a haploid linkage map of V. vinifera ‘Cabernet Sauvignon\u27; and (3) localize quantitative trait loci (QTLs) governing the rooting ability from dormant cuttings and sulfur tolerance in Cabernet Sauvignon. A high percentage of hybrids (70 - 92%) were obtained in all crosses except Norton x Merlot (17%), which demonstrate the reliability of microsatellite markers for Norton-based interspecific hybrid identification. A complete haploid map of Cabernet Sauvignon covering 1590.8cM was constructed by genotyping 183 F1 progenies of Norton and Cabernet Sauvignon at 272 microsatellite loci. QTLs were detected by non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test and interval mapping methods. A QTL governing root length was obtained in linkage group 18 that explained 15.9% of the total phenotypic variation. Similarly, QTL governing sulfur tolerance was obtained in linkage group 7 explaining 19.3% of the total phenotypic variation. This result revealed the genomic regions controlling rooting ability and sulfur sensitivity of grapevines, which represents the first step towards development of marker-assisted selection of these traits

Current Status of Early Blight Resistance in Tomato: An Update

Early blight (EB) is one of the dreadful diseases of tomato caused by several species of Alternaria including Alternaria linariae (which includes A. solani and A. tomatophila), as well as A. alternata. In some instances, annual economic yield losses due to EB have been estimated at 79%. Alternaria are known only to reproduce asexually, but a highly-virulent isolate has the potential to overcome existing resistance genes. Currently, cultural practices and fungicide applications are employed for the management of EB due to the lack of strong resistant cultivars. Resistance sources have been identified in wild species of tomato; some breeding lines and cultivars with moderate resistance have been developed through conventional breeding methods. Polygenic inheritance of EB resistance, insufficient resistance in cultivated species and the association of EB resistance with undesirable horticultural traits have thwarted the effective breeding of EB resistance in tomato. Several quantitative trait loci (QTL) conferring EB resistance have been detected in the populations derived from different wild species including Solanum habrochaites, Solanum arcanum and S. pimpinellifolium, but none of them could be used in EB resistance breeding due to low individual QTL effects. Pyramiding of those QTLs would provide strong resistance. More research is needed to identify additional sources of useful resistance, to incorporate resistant QTLs into breeding lines through marker-assisted selection (MAS) and to develop resistant cultivars with desirable horticultural traits including high yielding potential and early maturity. This paper will review the current understanding of causal agents of EB of tomato, resistance genetics and breeding, problems associated with breeding and future prospects

Feasibility and Effectiveness of Telephone-Based Telephysiotherapy for Treatment of Pain in Low-Resource Setting: A Retrospective Pre-Post Design

Introduction. Telephysiotherapy (TPT) is a provision of physiotherapy services at a distance, using telecommunication technology when an in-person visit is not a feasible option. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of TPT in management of pain caused due to various problems among patients living in rural areas of a developing country. Methods. This retrospective study conducted in rural areas of Nepal recruited all patients who met the eligibility criteria during a day campaign. Two physiotherapists, one for assessment and another for treatment, were involved. Based on pretraining assessment finding, evidence-based individualized physiotherapy was prescribed. Pamphlets containing pictures of the prescribed exercises and instructions in the Nepali language were distributed. The treating physiotherapist made telephone calls to every patient each week to give necessary information, correction, modification, and progression of the exercise whatever required. At the end of the second and fourth weeks, pain was assessed using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) through telephone calls. The data were analyzed using ANOVA with repeated measures followed by pairwise comparisons. Results. Fifteen patients having pain due to various conditions participated in the study. The NPRS demonstrated significantly decreased pain (at rest: F = 3.5, p=0.04, when worst: F = 26.4, p<0.001, during activities of daily living: F = 16.6, p<0.001, and during occupation: F = 15.6, p=0.001) across time. The result met the minimal clinically important difference of NPRS, which is 2. Conclusions. The telephone-based TPT interventions demonstrated significant reduction in pain caused by various musculoskeletal problems. It could be a feasible and effective treatment option for the patients living in rural areas. However, we recommend for large-scale trials to establish effectiveness of the intervention and for its implication into routine clinical practice

Advances and Challenges in Bacterial Spot Resistance Breeding in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Bacterial spot is a serious disease of tomato caused by at least four species of Xanthomonas. These include X. euvesicatoria (race T1), X. vesicatoria (race T2), X. perforans (races T3 and T4), and X. gardneri, with the distinct geographical distribution of each group. Currently, X. gardneri and X. perforans are two major bacterial pathogens of tomato in North America, with X. perforans (race T4) dominating in east-coast while X. gardneri dominating in the Midwest. The disease causes up to 66% yield loss. Management of this disease is challenging due to the lack of useful chemical control measures and commercial resistant cultivars. Although major genes for resistance (R) and quantitative resistance have been identified, breeding tomato for resistance to bacterial spot has been impeded by multiple factors including the emergence of new races of the pathogen that overcome the resistance, multigenic control of the resistance, linkage drag, non-additive components of the resistance and a low correlation between seedling assays and field resistance. Transgenic tomato with Bs2 and EFR genes was effective against multiple races of Xanthomonas. However, it has not been commercialized because of public concerns and complex regulatory processes. The genomics-assisted breeding, effectors-based genomics breeding, and genome editing technology could be novel approaches to achieve durable resistance to bacterial spot in tomato. The main goal of this paper is to understand the current status of bacterial spot of tomato including its distribution and pathogen diversity, challenges in disease management, disease resistance sources, resistance genetics and breeding, and future prospectives with novel breeding approaches