Effect of spacings and nitrogen levels on herb and oil yield oil concentration and composition in three selections of Cymbopogon jwarancusa (Jones) Schultz

The performance of three selections of Cymbopogon jwarancusa (SL-7822, SL-7869 and SL-7896) was studied under five spacings and two levels of nitrogen. Though herbage and oil yield was higher in 4.01 m' stand density (50 x 50 cm spacing), 1l.l/m' (30 x 30 cm spacing) stand density was preferred as the projected yield per ha was higher in the latter. Increase in nitrogen from 200 to 300 kg/ba did not result in higher herbage and oil concentration in the leaves. The composition of oil was also not affected by spacings or nitrogen levels. &nbsp

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

<b>Cultivation prospects of endangered species <i style="">Celastrus paniculatus</i> Willd.</b>

482-486Celastrus paniculatus Willd. is an important Ayurvedic medicinal plant gaining popularity in the primary healthcare systems and in herbal drug formulations. Its seed oil is reported to be beneficial in stimulating intellect and sharpening the memory. It has also been reported as nervine tonic, rejuvenant, anti-depressant, anti-oxidant, free radical scavenger, etc. Over-exploitation of the plant has put this species in endangered category. Work was initiated on its cultivation and the results obtained are presented in the paper. Maximum seed germination of 74.75% was achieved after Gibberellic acid treatment (350mg/l) and survival rate of seedlings was 73.72%. Plants raised from seeds flowered and set fruits in the 3rd year. The cytological study confirmed chromosome number of the species as 2n=46. Meiotic studies revealed regular formation of 23 bivalents per PMC. The species, however, exhibited seed shattering character. Chemical analysis of seeds of six accessions raised at experimental farm was also done to compare percentage of oil yield and other properties of wild and cultivated samples. The seeds on solvent extraction yield 55% (w/v) thick, pinkish red coloured and faintly aromatic oil. The cultivation practices/procedure developed will serve as a reliable and reproducible protocol for cultivation of this species

Comparative analysis of genetic diversity using molecular and morphometric markers in Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees

Andrographis paniculata is a medicinal plant of immense therapeutic value. The present study was aimed to elucidate its genetic diversity based on morphochemical and RAPD markers from 53 accessions belonging to 5 ecogeographic regions. Analysis of variance and D2 statistics revealed significant differences in all the metric traits and sufficient inter-cluster distances indicating considerable diversity among the accessions. The complementary approach of RAPD was used to evaluate the genetic dissimilarities among all the accessions using 6 highly polymorphic primers. The average proportion of polymorphic loci across primers was 96.28%. The molecular genetic diversity based on Shannon index per primer averaged 5.585 with values ranging from 3.08 to 8.70 indicating towards wide genetic base. RAPD based UPGMA and D2 cluster analysis also revealed that various accessions available in different eco-geographic regions might have originated from native places of wild abundance. Similarity matrices were generated for molecular markers and morphometric data to determine the degree of congruence between the two. A highly significant but low correlation(r = 0.547, P < 0.001) was obtained thus implying the correspondence between the two. The species is hermaphroditic and a habitual inbreeder. The present study yielded a typical triangular congruence between its breeding system, morphometric traits and RAPD markers thus elucidating the usefulness of complementary approaches to make diversity analysis more explanatory and purposeful for optimum genetic amelioration and effective conservation of its genotypic variability

Variation of oil content in a new clone of Jamrosa ‘RL‐931’(Cymbopogon nardusvar. confertiflorus× C. jwarancusa)during one year of crop growth

The effect of seasonal changes on oil content of a new clone of Jamrosa 'RL-931'(Cymbopogon nardus var. confertiflorus × C.jwarancusa) was investigated during 1998-99. The pre-monsoon and onset of the monsoon period (May-July) was characterised by a higher oil content, whereas the post-monsoon and winter period (August-December) showed a comparatively lower oil content. The quality of the oil is best in May-July. High temperature and low humidity favours the accumulation of geraniol, geranyl acetate, and a low citral content in the oil. Maximum oil content was recorded when both maximum and minimum temperatures were high

Geranium (Pelargonium sp. ‘hybrid’) essential oil in subtropical and temperate regions of Jammu and Kashmir

Six accessions of geranium (Pelargonium sp. ‘hybrid’) were introduced in temperate and subtropical regions of Jammu and Kashmir. The herbaceous parts in the commercial distillation gave 0.09–0.13% oil on fresh weight basis. The calculated herbage yield (tonnes/ha) and oil yield (litre/ha) varied from 31.5 ± 1.87 to 49.1 ± 2.73 and 32.40 to 57.12, respectively. The geranium oil produced in different regions of Jammu and Kashmir was comparable to that produced in other geranium-growing areas in India in terms of its major constituents, citronellol (22.5–34.5%) and geraniol (13.9–24.7%), respectively. This suggests that geranium can be successfully grown in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

SDS-PAGE profile of purified recombinant proteins.

<p>SDS-PAGE (10%) of purified recombinant proteins from <i>E.coli</i> BL-21 transformed with pGEX-<i>WsCPR1</i> and pGEX-<i>WsCPR2</i>. Lane 1; Standard protein markers, Lane 2&3; Cell lysate (CL) of WsCPR1 and WsCPR2 expressing cells remained after incubation with GST-beads, Lane 4; Purified recombinant GST-fused WsCPR1, Lane 5; Purified recombinant GST fused WsCPR2, Lane 6; Purified WsCPR1 after removal of GST using thrombin and Lane 7; Purified CPR2 after removal of GST.</p

Three dimensional models and conserved residue prediction for WsCPR1 and WsCPR2.

<p>4A & 4D: Cartoon display of the 3-D structures of WsCPR1 <i>and</i> WsCPR2 as predicted by Phyre² using crystal structure of <i>Rattus norvagicus</i> (PDB ID: 1J9Z) as template. 4B & 4E: Predicted ligand (shown in green) binding sites as predicted by 3DLigandSite Web Server. 4C & 4F: Conserved residue analysis of <i>WsCPR1 and WsCPR2</i> were performed using Consurf and Conseq web servers. Residue conservation from variable to conserve is shown in blue (1) to violet (9). The residues involved in substrate binding and active site are shown in the center core of the structure.</p

Phylogenetic analysis of deduced amino acid sequences.

<p>Phylogeny of <i>WsCPRs</i> was inferred using the Neighbor-joining method using MEGA 5 software. A total of 33 protein sequences used for analysis were from following plant species: <i>Withania somnifera</i> (WsCPR1: HM036710, WsCPR2: GU808569), <i>Petunia hybrida</i> (CPR1: DQ099544, CPR2: DQ099545); <i>Petroselinum crispum</i> (CPR1: AF024635, CPR2: AF024634); <i>Gossipium hirsutum</i> (CPR1: FJ719368, CPR2: FJ719369); <i>Populus trichocarpa</i> (CPR1: XM_002307300, CPR2: XM_002329600, CPR3: AF302498); <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> (CPR1: X66016, CPR2: X66017); <i>Capsicum annuum</i> (EU616557); <i>Vigna radiata</i> (P37116); <i>Vicia sativa</i> (Z26252); <i>Stevia rebaudiana</i> (DQ269454); <i>Ricinus communis</i> (XM_002514003); <i>Pisum sativum</i> (AF002698); <i>Picrorhiza kurroo</i>a (JN968968); <i>Artemisia annua</i> (EF104642); <i>Papaver somniferum</i> (U67185); <i>Taxus cuspidate</i> (AY571340); <i>Taxus chinensis</i> (AY959320); <i>Perilla frutescens</i> (GQ120439); <i>Ophiorrhiza pumila</i> (AB086169); <i>Medicago truncatula</i> (XM_003610061); <i>Lotus japonicas</i> (AB433810); <i>Catharanthus roseus</i> (Q05001); <i>Centaurium erythraea</i> (AY596976); <i>Zea mays</i> (CAC83301); <i>Triticum aestivum</i> (AGC27711) and <i>Eschscholzia californica</i> (U67186). All CPRs were grouped into two clusters where the WsCPR1 and WsCPR2 confined to their corresponding cluster like other CPRs.</p