Effect of harmones on callus induction in Maize (Zea mays L.)

Callus induction from explants is a critical process in regeneration, micropropagation and transformation of maize (Zea mays L.) plants. Formation of callus from plant tissues on culture is affected by several factors. This study revealed to establish the effect of genotype, source of explants and auxin concentration on callus induction from five genotypes UMI 757 (G1), UMI 615 (G2), UMI 112 (G3), UMI 285 (G4) and CO 1 (G5) and one hybrid CO H (M) 5 (G6). Callus induction of the six maize varieties was investigated using immature embryos (E1), leaf bits (E2), root tips (E3), hypocotyls (E4) and seeds (E5) as explants with different concentrations of hormones. In this study, immature embryo was taken from 10 to 12 days after pollination (DAP) to get maximum response. The highest percentage of callus induction was observed (99.10) in immature embryo culture and seed culture gave the highest percentage of rhizogenic callus formation when compare to immature embryo. Among the genotypes tested, CO H (M) 5 recorded the highest callus induction percentage on (2D2K2) medium composition

Impact of pollination strategies on fruit set and fruit growth attributes in jasmine

Jasmine occupies predominant position among the flower crops in India in terms of area, production and productivity. The demand for jasmine flowers is growing day by day owing to its wide range of uses and there is a pressing need for improving the crop by exploring strategies to evolve diverse genotypes. The present study focuses on the hybridization of Jasminum spp with the objective of introgression of desirable traits that would aid in creation of wider genetic variability. Pollination is the basis in any hybridization programme. The main aim of this research study was to determine the suitable pollination methods among self, open and cross pollination and to assess the effect of the pollination methods on the fruit set and fruit characteristics. The results of the study revealed that the overall response of J. auriculatum was found effective with maximum fruit set percentage. J. auriculatum cv Parimullai yielded the highest fruit set of 76.43% under open pollination and the least fruit set rate of 2.14% under self-pollination. Among the possible cross combination involving J. auriculatum and J. grandiflorum cultivars as seed parents with various pollen parents, J. flexile showed considerable results. Cross combination of J. auriculatum x J. flexile recorded maximum fruit set revealing best cross compatibility while crosses involving J. sambac resulted in no fruit set indicating the prevalence of fertilization barriers that hinder hybridization

Synthesis of gamma ferric oxide by direct thermal decomposition of ferrous carbonate

Ferrous carbonate was precipitated from the reaction of ferrous sulfate and sodium carbonate in an aqueous medium. The precipitate was calcined at different heating rates (2, 5 and 10 °C/min, respectively) up to 500°C and the iron oxides produced were found to be magnetic. X-ray diffraction studies indicated the presence of gamma ferric oxide as a major phase in all the cases. It was found that wet precipitates, faster heating rate and short residence time in the furnace produced gamma ferric oxides with better magnetic properties (coercivity of around 360 Oe and saturation magnetization of 64 emu/g). The effect of aging time of ferrous carbonate precipitates on the magnetic properties was also studied

IN VITRO AND IN SILICO APPROACHES ON THE ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF TINOSPORA CORDIFOLIA METHANOLIC STEM EXTRACT

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of methanolic stem fraction of Tinospora cordifolia against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus by in vitro and in silico approaches. Methods: In agar disc diffusion method, the inhibitory zone produced by various concentrations of the fraction showed a dose-dependent inhibition pattern. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were calculated by broth dilution method. The total DNA present in the fraction treated bacterial cultures was estimated and compared with control DNA. The two-dimensional and three-dimensional structures of the gas chromatography– mass spectrometry (GC–MS) identified compounds were generated using ChemSketch tool. The docking studies were performed for analyzing the receptor and ligand interactions. Results: The higher zone revealed the maximum inhibition of the growth of bacteria that were ranged from 2 mm to 6 mm for E. coli and 1.5 mm to 6.3±0.29 mm for S. aureus. MIC values showed that 30 μg/ml of the fraction was found as the effective dose. The DNA content isolated from the treated culture of both the strains was comparatively lesser than that of the untreated control culture. The GC–MS data analysis depicted the presence 15 major components in the fraction and the sharp peaks were obtained at time intervals 17.50, 20.27, 30.06, etc. Conclusion: Thus, methanolic stem fraction of T. cordifolia possesses promising therapeutic activity against the urinary tract infection pathogens such as E. coli and S. aureus and a further exploration in the isolation and characterization such as plant-derived phytoconstituents would open up new ventures in the field of antibacterial drug discovery

Growth and Characterization of Co-Doped L-Lysine Monohydrochloride Dihydrate (CLMHCl) Single Crystals by Slow Evaporation Method

Single crystal of Cobalt doped L-Lysine monohydrochloride dihyrate (CLMHCl) was grown by slow evaporation technique from its aqueous solution. The effects of Co-doping on the growth, structural, and optical properties of CLMHCl crystal have been investigated. To grow good quality crystals pH value of growth solution has been optimized and solubility of CLMHCl values was determined. The cell parameters are verified by single crystal X-ray Diffraction. Fourier transform infrared spectum (FT-IR) is used to confirm the presence of various functional groups in the grown crystal. The presence of Co in the grown crystal was confirmed by Inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) elemental analysis. The optical transmission study shows that the CLMHCl crystal has good optical transparency in the UV and visible regions