Aluminium toxicity tolerance in crop plants: Present status of research

Soil acidity is one of the major constraints to agricultural production in large parts around the world. In acid soils, aluminium toxicity and consequent low phosphorous availability impair plant growth. The primary response to aluminium stress is visible in the roots. Exclusion and neutralization are two well known mechanism of aluminium tolerance in plants. Although, relative root growth in high aluminium containing solution is often used for screening, a reliable screening procedure needs to be developed. 14 genes from seven different species are reported for aluminium tolerance of which genes of the Aluminium-activated malate transporter (ALMT) and multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) families are prominent. In this review, the progress of research in identifying aluminium toxicity tolerant genes is discussed.Keywords: Aluminium toxicity, soil acidity, hydroponic screening, aluminium-activated malate transporter, multidrug and toxic compound extrusionAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(24), pp. 3752-375

Evaluation of digital elevation model in hilly region of Uttarakhand: A case study of experimental farm Hawalbagh

Not AvailableDigital Elevation Model (DEM) is used to display terrestrial information on map. Moreover, DEMs are often used in geographic information systems (GIS), and serve as a basis for generation of relief map. The present study was conducted to evaluate the google earth (GE) derived DEM with three established open source DEMs such as, shuttle radar topographic mission (SRTM) DEM, advanced space borne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (ASTER) DEM and advanced land observing satellite phased array type l−band synthetic aperture radar (ALOS PALSAR) DEM. The study area of present research is experimental farm, Hawalbagh of the ICAR− Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan (VPKAS), Almora, India which lies in middle Himalayas using online tool (GPS visualizer). The accuracy statistics were evaluated using 100 points in the study area having varying topography with three DEMs such as, SRTM DEM, ASTER DEM and ALOS PALSAR DEM. The result showed that google earth data was positively correlated with all established 2 DEM with r value of 0.88 for SRTM, 0.92 for ALOS PALSAR Dem and 0.83 for ASTER DEM. The result showed that the accuracies for the google earth derived DEM is suitable for hydrological and other water resources modelling.Not Availabl

Gene Discovery and Advances in Finger Millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] Genomics—An Important Nutri-Cereal of Future

The rapid strides in molecular marker technologies followed by genomics, and next generation sequencing advancements in three major crops (rice, maize and wheat) of the world have given opportunities for their use in the orphan, but highly valuable future crops, including finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.]. Finger millet has many special agronomic and nutritional characteristics, which make it an indispensable crop in arid, semi-arid, hilly and tribal areas of India and Africa. The crop has proven its adaptability in harsh conditions and has shown resilience to climate change. The adaptability traits of finger millet have shown the advantage over major cereal grains under stress conditions, revealing it as a storehouse of important genomic resources for crop improvement. Although new technologies for genomic studies are now available, progress in identifying and tapping these important alleles or genes is lacking. RAPDs were the default choice for genetic diversity studies in the crop until the last decade, but the subsequent development of SSRs and comparative genomics paved the way for the marker assisted selection in finger millet. Resistance gene homologues from NBS-LRR region of finger millet for blast and sequence variants for nutritional traits from other cereals have been developed and used invariably. Population structure analysis studies exhibit 2-4 sub-populations in the finger millet gene pool with separate grouping of Indian and exotic genotypes. Recently, the omics technologies have been efficiently applied to understand the nutritional variation, drought tolerance and gene mining. Progress has also occurred with respect to transgenics development. This review presents the current biotechnological advancements along with research gaps and future perspective of genomic research in finger millet

Characterization of maize genotypes using microsatellite markers associated with QTLs for kernel iron and zinc

224-234Crop genetic resources rich in Fe and Zn provide sustainable and cost-effective solution to alleviate micronutrient malnutrition. Maize being the leading staple crop assumes great significance as a target crop for biofortification. We report here wide genetic variation for kernel Fe and Zn among 20 diverse maize inbreds lines, majority of which were bred for quality protein maize (QPM) and provitamin-A. Kernel Fe ranged from 30.0 - 46.13 mg/kg, while kernel Zn ranged from 8.68-39.56 mg/kg. Moderate but positive correlation was observed between the micronutrients. Characterization using 25 Single sequence repeats (SSRs) linked to QTLs for kernel Fe produced 58 alleles. Similarly, 86 alleles were identified from 35 SSRs linked to QTLs for kernel Zn. One unique allele for kernel Fe and three unique alleles for kernel Zn were identified. The mean polymorphic information content (PIC) was 0.40 for both kernel Fe and  Zn. Jaccard’s dissimilarity coefficients varied from 0.25 - 0.91 with a mean of 0.58 for kernel-Fe while 0.27- 0.88 with a mean of 0.57 for kernel Zn. Principal coordinate analysis depicted diversity of inbreds. Cluster analysis grouped the inbreds into three major clusters for both kernel Fe and Zn. Potential cross combinations have been proposed to develop micronutrient rich hybrids and novel inbreds with higher Fe and Zn. The information generated here would help the maize biofortification programme to develop nutritionally enriched hybrids

Synthesis of green zinc‐oxide nanoparticles and its dose‐dependent beneficial effect on spermatozoa during preservation: sperm functional integrity, fertility and antimicrobial activity

Introduction: The development of an effective extender is important for semen preservation and the artificial insemination (AI) industry. This study demonstrates the beneficial effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) as an additive to semen extenders to improve semen quality, fertility, and antibacterial activity during liquid preservation in a boar model.Methods: Initially, to find out the safe concentration of ZnO-NPs in sperm cells, a wide range of ZnO-NP concentrations (0, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 μM) were co-incubated with sperm at 37°C for a cytotoxic study. These NP concentrations were compared to their salt control zinc acetate (ZA) at the same concentrations and to a control group. The effect of the different concentrations of ZnO-NPs on sperm motility, membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and apoptosis was assessed. Accordingly, the non-toxic dose was selected and supplemented in MODENA extender to determine its beneficial effect on the boar semen parameters mentioned and the lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels during liquid preservation at 16°C for 6 days. The non-cytotoxic dosage was subsequently chosen for AI, fertility investigations, and the evaluation of the antibacterial efficacy of ZnO-NPs during preservation hours. An antibacterial study of ZnO-NPs and its salt control at doses of 10 μM and 50 μM was carried out by the colony forming unit (CFU) method.Results and discussion: The cytotoxic study revealed that 5, 10, and 50 μM of ZnO-NPs are safe. Consequently, semen preserved in the MODENA extender, incorporating the non-toxic dose, exhibited 10 and 50 μM ZnO-NPs as the optimal concentrations for beneficial outcomes during liquid preservation at 16°C. ZnO-NPs of 10 μM concentration resulted in a significantly (p < 0.05) improved conception rate of 86.95% compared to the control of 73.13%. ZnO-NPs of 10 and 50 μM concentrations exhibit potent antimicrobial action by reducing the number of colonies formed with days of preservation in comparison to the negative control. The investigation concluded that the incorporation of 10 μM ZnO-NPs led to enhancements in sperm motility, membrane integrity, and MMP, attributed to a reduction in the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. This improvement was accompanied by a concurrent increase in fertility rates, including farrowing rate and litter size, during the liquid preservation process. Furthermore, ZnO-NPs exhibited an antimicrobial effect, resulting in decreased bacterial growth while preserving boar semen at 16°C for 6 days. These findings suggest that ZnO-NPs could serve as a viable alternative to antibiotics, potentially mitigating antibiotic resistance concerns within the food chain

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The manual ‘Doubled Haploid Production in Maize Using In Vivo Maternal Haploid Induction System' aims at providing the users with basic information on various steps involved in the process of production of doubled haploids (DH) in maize using maternal haploid inducer lines. In the first few chapters, the concept of DH production is briefly explained to familiarize the users with the underlying genetic mechanisms involved in generating homozygous lines from heterozygous source germplasm. The DH production steps described in the manual have been adapted from the CIMMYT DH production protocol to enable users to implement the protocol with available facilities and under limited resource conditions. The manual also contains information on haploid induction rate (HIR) and DH production efficiency achieved with CIMMYT haploid inducer line TAILP1, performance of DH lines generated at ICAR-VPKAS, and the comparative economics of DH and conventional breeding. Status of DH breeding at the national level, strategies for developing indigenous genetic resources for further enhancing efficiency of DH technology and enabling wider access to the generated DH germplasm, and approaches to promote wider adoption of DH technology is also discussed. Relevant publications are listed in the end for further reading.Not AvailableNot Availabl

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Not AvailableMaize is the most important cereal crop globally after wheat and rice in terms of area under cultivation; however, the diverse uses of maize make it the most important crop worldwide. Biofortification of important cereal crops is recognized as an inexpensive and effective means of malnutrition alleviation. Significant progress has been made in developing biofortified varieties in maize especially lysine- and provitamin A-enriched varieties. Use of marker-assisted selection has helped speed breed varieties by shortening the varietal development process. Progress for other nutritionally important traits such as methionine, iron, and zinc, however, has been constrained by the lack of robust molecular markers. Transgene delivery and gene editing approaches have shown promise by accelerating creation of novel sources for these traits by altogether circumventing the long conventional breeding methods. Integration of molecular markers with doubled haploid technology and targeted gene editing presents opportunities for speedy delivery of biofortified maize cultivars in the future.Not Availabl

Identification and expression pattern of aluminium-responsive genes in roots of rice genotype with reference to Al-sensitivity

Abstract Aluminium (Al) is the third most abundant element in the Earth's crust. Globally, acidic soil occupies 30–40% of ice-free land areas; Al toxicity is a major threat to crops. The first symptom of Al toxicity is the inhibition of root growth followed by poor root hair development, swollen root apices, necrosis of leaves and reduced yield. Although Rice (Oryza sativa) is an Al toxicity tolerant crop, it shows considerable variations among rice genotypes to Al exposure. Therefore, it is pertinent to understand Al toxicity and underlying mechanisms for Al tolerance in Rice. In the present study, 63 rice genotypes screened under Al stress showed significant variations of root growth. Expression stability of endogenous control genes (ECGs) revealed sulphite reductase (SR) as the most stable ECG that can be used as a reference gene for quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Expression patterns of Al-responsive genes suggest genes associated with cytoskeletal dynamics, metabolism, and ion transporter could play significant roles in Al adaptation and tolerance in rice. The results showed Motodhan, Vietnam-1, Yimyu and N-861 as Al-toxicity tolerant, while Lespah, RCPL-13, VL-31329, and UPR2919-141-1 as most Al-sensitive genotypes among the studied rice lines cultivated in North-East India