Review of research on kokum, camboge and related species

Garcinia species are distributed throughout the tropics and have tremendous potential, both as spices and medicinal plants. Though there are more than 200 species in the genus, only 20 are found in India. The two species namely Garcinia gummi-gutta (L) Rob. (camboge) and G. indica Choisy (kokum) are widely distributed in the Western Ghats and are very popular in Sooth Indian cuisine. Recently excited the scientific world for processing properties that regulate obesity. Though commercially important, these species remained neglected and not much attention was given for their research and development. In this review, an attempt has been made to collect and compile the available information so that areas of interest could easilly be identified for further investigation and research. &nbsp

In vitro propagation of Vanilla tahitensis Moore

A commercially viable protocol for mass propagation of Vanilla tahitensis, a cultivated species of vanilla, was standardized. A multiplication ratio of 1 : 4.7 was observed over a culture period of 60-70 days on benzylaminopurine (1 mgl-1) and a-naphthaleneacetic acid (O.1 mgl-1). &nbsp

In vitro propagation of Vanilla tahitensis Moore

A commercially viable protocol for mass propagation of Vanilla tahitensis, a cultivated species of vanilla, was standardized. A multiplication ratio of 1 : 4.7 was observed over a culture period of 60-70 days on benzylaminopurine (1 mgl-1) and a-naphthaleneacetic acid (O.1 mgl-1). &nbsp

Natural variation in Arabidopsis shoot branching plasticity in response to nitrate supply affects fitness.

The capacity of organisms to tune their development in response to environmental cues is pervasive in nature. This phenotypic plasticity is particularly striking in plants, enabled by their modular and continuous development. A good example is the activation of lateral shoot branches in Arabidopsis, which develop from axillary meristems at the base of leaves. The activity and elongation of lateral shoots depends on the integration of many signals both external (e.g. light, nutrient supply) and internal (e.g. the phytohormones auxin, strigolactone and cytokinin). Here, we characterise natural variation in plasticity of shoot branching in response to nitrate supply using two diverse panels of Arabidopsis lines. We find extensive variation in nitrate sensitivity across these lines, suggesting a genetic basis for variation in branching plasticity. High plasticity is associated with extreme branching phenotypes such that lines with the most branches on high nitrate have the fewest under nitrate deficient conditions. Conversely, low plasticity is associated with a constitutively moderate level of branching. Furthermore, variation in plasticity is associated with alternative life histories with the low plasticity lines flowering significantly earlier than high plasticity lines. In Arabidopsis, branching is highly correlated with fruit yield, and thus low plasticity lines produce more fruit than high plasticity lines under nitrate deficient conditions, whereas highly plastic lines produce more fruit under high nitrate conditions. Low and high plasticity, associated with early and late flowering respectively, can therefore be interpreted alternative escape vs mitigate strategies to low N environments. The genetic architecture of these traits appears to be highly complex, with only a small proportion of the estimated genetic variance detected in association mapping

Genotype By Environment Interaction in Shoot Branching

Plant development is highly plastic, allowing plants to adapt to constant changes in environmental conditions. An excellent example of developmental plasticity is shoot branching. The final architecture of the shoot system is determined by the integration of environmental cues such as light and nutrients with endogenous cues. In this thesis the effect of Nitrogen (N) availability on Arabidopsis shoot branching was used as a model to investigate plant developmental plasticity. In particular, natural variation in shoot branching response to N supply was investigated using a set of multi parent advanced generation inter cross (MAGIC) lines (Kover et al., 2009). Correlations between traits in a selected group of MAGIC lines revealed several interesting correlations, characterising two strategies for N response. One strategy involved flowering early, maintaining branch numbers of low N, and minimal shift in resource allocation to roots. This was associated with good seed yield and yield retention on low N. An alternative strategy involves late flowering, high branching on high N but low branching on low N, (i.e. high branching plasticity), and a substantial increase in root fraction on Low N. This was associated with high seed yields on high N, but poor yield retention on low N. The molecular basis for these different strategies are currently unknown, but it seems likely that plant hormones are involved. Analysis of bud activation on isolated nodal stem segments provided strong evidence that the regulation of branching by N availability requires strigolactone (SL), and that strigolactone acts by increasing the competition between buds. There was some evidence of strigolatone resistance in a low plasticity MAGIC line. Shoot system architecture is a key factor underlying crop yield, and yield stability under low N input is an agricultural priority. Therefore, in parallel the branching responses of a set of Brassica rapa lines to N limitation were determined. Results highlight many conserved features between Arabidopsis and Brassica, as well as some differences. These comparisons should aid breeding for shoot system architectures that can deliver improved yield under low N

Natural variation in Arabidopsis shoot branching plasticity in response to nitrate supply affects fitness.

The capacity of organisms to tune their development in response to environmental cues is pervasive in nature. This phenotypic plasticity is particularly striking in plants, enabled by their modular and continuous development. A good example is the activation of lateral shoot branches in Arabidopsis, which develop from axillary meristems at the base of leaves. The activity and elongation of lateral shoots depends on the integration of many signals both external (e.g. light, nutrient supply) and internal (e.g. the phytohormones auxin, strigolactone and cytokinin). Here, we characterise natural variation in plasticity of shoot branching in response to nitrate supply using two diverse panels of Arabidopsis lines. We find extensive variation in nitrate sensitivity across these lines, suggesting a genetic basis for variation in branching plasticity. High plasticity is associated with extreme branching phenotypes such that lines with the most branches on high nitrate have the fewest under nitrate deficient conditions. Conversely, low plasticity is associated with a constitutively moderate level of branching. Furthermore, variation in plasticity is associated with alternative life histories with the low plasticity lines flowering significantly earlier than high plasticity lines. In Arabidopsis, branching is highly correlated with fruit yield, and thus low plasticity lines produce more fruit than high plasticity lines under nitrate deficient conditions, whereas highly plastic lines produce more fruit under high nitrate conditions. Low and high plasticity, associated with early and late flowering respectively, can therefore be interpreted alternative escape vs mitigate strategies to low N environments. The genetic architecture of these traits appears to be highly complex, with only a small proportion of the estimated genetic variance detected in association mapping

Strigolactones enhance competition between shoot branches by dampening auxin transport

Strigolactones (SLs), or their derivatives, were recently demonstrated to act as endogenous shoot branching inhibitors, but their biosynthesis and mechanism of action are poorly understood. Here we show that the branching phenotype of mutants in the Arabidopsis P450 family member, MAX1, can be fully rescued by strigolactone addition, suggesting that MAX1 acts in SL synthesis. We demonstrate that SLs modulate polar auxin transport to control branching and that both the synthetic SL GR24 and endogenous SL synthesis significantly reduce the basipetal transport of a second branch-regulating hormone, auxin. Importantly, GR24 inhibits branching only in the presence of auxin in the main stem, and enhances competition between two branches on a common stem. Together, these results support two current hypotheses: that auxin moving down the main stem inhibits branch activity by preventing the establishment of auxin transport out of axillary branches; and that SLs act by dampening auxin transport, thus enhancing competition between branches