Study on waxing of cut foliage post harvest life of few ornamental species

Enhancing the vase life of cut foliages is one of the prime goals of floriculturist and it is very interesting and important aspect of floriculture.The efforts were made to find out best waxing treatment for enhancing the vase life along with excellent quality maintenance for few cut foliage species .The objective was to evaluate optimum percent wax solution for improving post harvest life and quality of ornamental plants. Different wax emulsion treatments (0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 %) showed significant results in both quantitative and qualitative attributes of ornamental species. In Asparagus densiflorus ‘Sprengeri’ and Eucalyptus teritecornis,0.75% wax emulsion concentration recorded minimum foliage weight (5.62, 20.49 g) and minimum water uptake (5.60, 32.73 ml) respectively on 3rd day, while maximum foliage weight (0.90, 6.84 g) and maximum water uptake (1.13, 13.77 ml) was recorded on senescence day. In Caryota urens (Fishtail palm) 0.50% wax emulsion concentration recorded minimum foliage weight (9.71 g), minimum water uptake (6.53 ml) on 3rdday, while maximum foliage weight(1.83 g) and maximum water uptake (1.20 ml) on senescence day. In Heliconia psittachroum cv. Golden Torch, 1.00 % wax emulsion concentration recorded minimum foliage weight (28.85 g), minimum water uptake (20.35 ml) on 3rdday, whereas maximum foliage weight (15.83 g)and maximum water uptake (5.75 ml) on senescence day. There was improvement and increament in post harvest quality and vase life of studied ornamental cut foliages

Variation in growth, flowering and seed yield of satin flower (Godetia grandiflora) planted on different dates

The effect of climatic conditions and planting dates on growth, flowering and seed production of satin flower (Godetia grandiflora Lindl.) under mid hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh during 2010-11 and 2011-12 were investigated. Plantings were done at an interval of 15 days starting from 17 September in both the years with planting dates as; 17 September, 2 October, 17 October, 1 November, 16 November and 1 December under randomized block design. The maximum plant height (68.35 cm), plant spread (50.66 cm), stem length (58.38 cm), duration of flowering (33.91 days), number of flowers/stem (central and side; 110.08 and 15.74), number of capsules/plant (327.50), number of seeds/capsule (90.69) and seed yield/plant (9.18 g) were recorded when planting was done on 17 September. However, earliest visible flower bud formation (121.36 days), days to flowering (151.53) and capsule formation (205.42 days) were observed in 1 December planting

Functional divergence of Heat Shock Factors (Hsfs) during heat stress and recovery at the tissue and developmental scales in C4 grain amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus)

Two major future challenges are an increase in global earth temperature and a growing world population, which threaten agricultural productivity and nutritional food security. Underutilized crops have the potential to become future climate crops due to their high climate-resilience and nutritional quality. In this context, C4 pseudocereals such as grain amaranths are very important as C4 crops are more heat tolerant than C3 crops. However, the thermal sensitivity of grain amaranths remains unexplored. Here, Amaranthus hypochondriacus was exposed to heat stress at the vegetative and reproductive stages to capture heat stress and recovery responses. Heat Shock Factors (Hsfs) form the central module to impart heat tolerance, thus we sought to identify and characterize Hsf genes. Chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) reduced significantly during heat stress, while malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased, suggesting that heat exposure caused stress in the plants. The genome-wide analysis led to the identification of thirteen AhHsfs, which were classified into A, B and C classes. Gene expression profiling at the tissue and developmental scales resolution under heat stress revealed the transient upregulation of most of the Hsfs in the leaf and inflorescence tissues, which reverted back to control levels at the recovery time point. However, a few Hsfs somewhat sustained their upregulation during recovery phase. The study reported the identification, physical location, gene/motif structure, promoter analysis and phylogenetic relationships of Hsfs in Amaranthus hypochondriacus. Also, the genes identified may be crucial for future gene functional studies and develop thermotolerant cultivars

Diversity, Abundance and Impact of Insect Visitors in <i>Litchi chinensis</i> Production

Litchi chinensis is the “queen of fruits”, and pollination is an essential requirement for fruit set and production. The present study was conducted in litchi orchards to study the diversity/abundance of insect visitors, the impact of pollination on quantitative parameters, and different modes of pollination. The results showed that 75 insect species during flowering were reported including Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera. In natural pollination, the abundance of insect visitors of Hymenoptera was more during morning and evening (50.25% and 44.89%, respectively) compared to Lepidoptera (21.83 and 26.67%) and Diptera (24.37 and 23.33%). Similarly, natural pollination with one Apis mellifera colony also showed higher abundance of insect visitors of Hymenoptera during morning and evening (50.15 and 57.31%, respectively) as compared to Lepidoptera and Diptera. The Dipteran insect visitors under natural pollination showed significant positive correlation with temperature, wind speed and UV. The fruit/seed size, peel weight, juice pH, pulp weight, moisture, and total soluble solids were higher in natural pollination with A. mellifera. The percentage of fruit set and fruit weight (g) was significantly higher in natural pollination with A. mellifera (23.24 ± 1.40% and 1.60 ± 0.11 g, respectively). There was no fruit set observed in bagged panicles with nylon mesh

Diversity, Abundance and Impact of Insect Visitors in Litchi chinensis Production

Litchi chinensis is the &ldquo;queen of fruits&rdquo;, and pollination is an essential requirement for fruit set and production. The present study was conducted in litchi orchards to study the diversity/abundance of insect visitors, the impact of pollination on quantitative parameters, and different modes of pollination. The results showed that 75 insect species during flowering were reported including Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera. In natural pollination, the abundance of insect visitors of Hymenoptera was more during morning and evening (50.25% and 44.89%, respectively) compared to Lepidoptera (21.83 and 26.67%) and Diptera (24.37 and 23.33%). Similarly, natural pollination with one Apis mellifera colony also showed higher abundance of insect visitors of Hymenoptera during morning and evening (50.15 and 57.31%, respectively) as compared to Lepidoptera and Diptera. The Dipteran insect visitors under natural pollination showed significant positive correlation with temperature, wind speed and UV. The fruit/seed size, peel weight, juice pH, pulp weight, moisture, and total soluble solids were higher in natural pollination with A. mellifera. The percentage of fruit set and fruit weight (g) was significantly higher in natural pollination with A. mellifera (23.24 &plusmn; 1.40% and 1.60 &plusmn; 0.11 g, respectively). There was no fruit set observed in bagged panicles with nylon mesh

Exogenous applications of gibberellic acid modulate the growth, flowering and longevity of calla lily

Calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica (L.) Spreng.) is an important ornamental crop used in garden landscapes, floral arrangements, and medicinal applications. Gibberellic acid (GA3) is actively involved in cell elongation, growth, physiology, and flowering. In addition, it is an environmentally-friendly compound which can be applied to plants to increase the ornamental production. Therefore, the present study was designed with three GA3 spray times viz., single, double and triple spray and five exogenous applications of gibberellic acid concentrations viz., 0, 25, 50, 100, and 200 mg L−1 with factorial randomized block design. Results revealed that the interaction effect of combinations of two time applications of GA3 at 100 mg L−1 induced higher growth parameters over control. Significantly higher physiological parameters viz., photosynthetic rate (14.3 μmol m−2s−1), number of stomata (26.5 mm−2), stomatal conductance (0.28 mmol m−2s−1), and transpiration rate (3.6 mmol m−2s−1) were reported when plants were treated twice with 100 mg L−1 GA3. Similarly, among flowering traits, days to flower were significantly low in plants treated two-time spray at GA3 100 mg L−1 (169.8 days). The number of flowers in the double spray at GA3 100 mg L−1 treatment increased by 11.3 and 23.7% over triple spray and control, respectively. Vase life was also significantly higher in plants treated with double spray at GA3 100 mg L−1 (6.3 days). The regression equation and correlation matrix indicated a strong relationship between growth, flowering and GA3 concentrations up to 100 mg L−1. The PCA analysis revealed that the calla lily crop is positively affected by spray timing and GA3 treatments. In the context of vegetative, reproductive, and longevity parameters of the crop, a dual spray of 100 mg L−1 GA3 can be recommended to small scale farmers and commercial growers as an alternative technique for promoting growth, yield and improving the ornamental value for commercial level production

Propagation of <i>Jasminum parkeri</i>: A Critically Endangered Wild Ornamental Woody Shrub from Western Himalaya

Jasminum parkeri Dunn is a narrowly endemic, critically endangered woody ornamental shrub confined to sub-temperate zone of Western Himalayas, and rediscovered from its type locality after a lapse of about 100 years. In the present study, a propagation technique of J. parkeri, using stem cuttings, was established for the first time through application of auxins, namely, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), at varying concentrations ranging from 1000 to 4000 ppm. The highest rooting percentage (98.33% (85.68% ± 4.32)), number of primary roots (36), root length (29.68 cm) and survival percentage (96.67% (83.85% ± 6.16)) were recorded for cuttings treated with 3000 ppm NAA. The phenological comparison between pot plants propagated through seeds and stem cuttings in a naturally ventilated polyhouse revealed a reduction in vegetative and flowering phases in cutting raised plants. Additionally, a noteworthy adaptive behavior of two weeks of early flowering and four weeks of extended flowering (February to October) was observed in plants raised under polyhouse conditions. This method will help in protecting the species from population decline, thereby significantly increasing its potential to be harnessed as an ornamental plant in India. Furthermore, plants grown ex situ will be reintroduced in natural populations

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Supplementary sheet of " Metagenomic assembled genomes indicated the potential application of hypersaline microbiome for plant growth promotion and stress alleviation in salinized soils"</p

Microgreen: A tiny plant with superfood potential

The design of novel and functional foods is a major driver of innovation in the food industry, which strives to meet consumer's rising demand and expectations for healthy foods. In recent years, microgreens have received popularity as functional foods due to their high-density nutrients and bioactive or secondary metabolite content. The morphology of microgreens is comprised of well-developed cotyledonalary leaves, immature true leaves, and a central stem. The scientific literature has documented numerous studies on microgreens such as nutritional content assessment, metabolite accumulation, nutraceutical potential, and shelf life enhancement. Physical, chemical, biological, and cultivation factors significantly increased the microgreen’s photosynthetic efficiency, growth, nutrient profile, antioxidant activity, and metabolite content. Using omics data, scientists have investigated the underlying molecular mechanism and potential gene(s) associated with nutrients, specialized metabolites, stress resistance, shelf-life enhancement, and disease resistance in nutraceutical plants