Genetic studies and a search for molecular markers that are linked to Striga asiatica resistance in sorghum

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is important both as a food and feed crop in Zimbabwe. Its yield losses can be up to 100% when the crop is heavily infested by witchweeds [Striga asiatica (L.) Kuntze]. Witchweed resistant cultivars offer the most practical control option under smallholder (SH) farmer conditions and could become part of a sustainable integrated control strategy. Development of S. asiatica resistant cultivars by conventional breeding is slow and has been hampered by the lack of efficient and reliable screening techniques in breeding programs. Molecular markers that are linked to witchweed resistance can expedite the development of resistant cultivars through adoption of appropriate markerassisted selection (MAS) strategies. The objectives of this investigation were to study the inheritance or low germination stimulant (lgs) production in cultivar SAR 29 and to identify molecular markers that are linked to this trait. Low germination stimulant production is one of the recognised mechanisms of witchweed resistance. A segregating F2 population derived from crosses between cultivars SV-1 (high germination stimulant producer, Striga-susceptible) and SAR 29 (low germination stimulant producer, Striga-resistant) was used for this purpose. Parental and F2 genotypes were screened for lgs production using the agar gel technique (AGT). Maximum germination distance (MGD) was used as the index ofresistance. Deoxyribonucleic acid was extracted from agar gel-screened F2s, and DNA bulks were createdfrom 16 resistant (MGD<10 mm) and 25  extremely susceptible (MGD>25 mm) progeny. Bulked segregantanalysis (BSA) was done using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Ninety-nine of the primers that were polymorphic between parent genotypes (10 SSR and 89 RAPD) were then used to screen a total of 77 segregating F2 progeny. Linkage analysis was performed using the computer software MAPMAKER 3.0b. Segregation ratios of high to low F2 stimulant producers did not differ significantly (P³0.05) from the expected ratio of 3:1. It was therefore deduced that a single recessive gene controlled lgs production in cultivar SAR 29. No molecular marker was found to be linked to the lgs locus. Instead, linkage analysis resulted in the construction of a molecular marker linkage mapconsisting of 45 markers that were distributed over 13 linkage groups (LGs). The other fifty-four loci, including the locus for lgs production, were completely unlinked and could not be assigned to any linkage group. The LGs consisted of 2-8 markers, identified at a LOD grouping threshold of 4.0. The map spanned a total distance of 494.5 cM, Haldane

The Mae I assay for scoring atrazine resistance is codon-usage dependent in legumes

A research experiment on herbicide atrazine usages as observed out in Zimbabwe.Nine different cowpea varieties were grown and total deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) isolated from the young leaves. This DNA was used to amplify a 291 base pair fragment that contained codon 264 of the psb A gene. The primers used were designed based on the soybean psb A gene sequence. The 291 base pair fragment was digested with the restriction enzyme Mae I to assay for sensitivity/resistance to atrazine using a published method. When Mae I did not cut the 291 base fragment, the whole gene was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction, cloned into pBSK+ll (Stratagene, CA, USA) and sequenced around codon 264. Codons 263 and 264 were found to be GCA and AGT respectively. UWGCG and BLASTsearchesofthepsbAgenesequences in the databases confirmed that Mae I has a recognition site that overlaps with codons 263 and 264 in some legumes but not in others. The Mae I assay used by Cheung and co-workers is therefore not universal but depends on codon usage in legumes

Skeletal morphologic features of Anterior Open Bite Malocclusionamongst black patients visiting the Medunsa oral health centre

INTRODUCTION: Anterior open bite (AOB) malocclusion presents as lack of vertical overlap of anterior teeth. It is viewed to be unaesthetic and may affect speech and mastication It develops due to the interaction of hereditary and environmental etiological factors and these usually affect the vertical growth of the face. This study describes the vertical changes of South African black people presenting with AOB. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim was to determine skeletal morphological features of patients with AOB malocclusion. DESIGN: The design was a retrospective, cross-sectional study. MATERIALS: Archived pre-treatment lateral cephalographs of 181 patients who consulted between 2007 and 2014 were divided into four groups: control group of 62 patients with skeletal Class I pattern without AOB; test groups of patients with AOB (119) divided into 35 Class I, 43 Class II, and 41 Class III malocclusions. Records of each group were divided according to gender. Descriptive statistics, the Pearson correlation coefficient, t-test and. Wilcoxon test were employed to analyze the data, and p values of <0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Patients with AOB had a larger vertical facial pattern in all classes of malocclusion. Males presented with larger Sn-GoGn angles than females. The PFH/AFH ratio was lower across all classes of malocclusion compared to the control group

Contribution of Baobab Production Activities to Household Livelihoods.

IES Working paper.Baobab production activities play a crucial role in contributing to the livelihoods of rural households. In the face of increasing village populations, commercial use of baobab has been steadily increasing to the point where currently, 43% of sampled households participate in baobab production activities. Commercial use of baobab products is especially important to the poorer households arid women. In terms of contributing to household livelihoods, baobab activities are ranked second only to some kinds of agricultural production. Numerical estimates of contribution to livelihoods bear out this result with cash income of approximately Z$5000 per annum received for each participating person, well above the official minimum wage. Opportunity costs of labour make up about four-fifths of this value, leaving one-fifth of the cash income accruing as economic rent. The rent available to households seems to vary widely, as there are households that are well located close to baobab trees, which greatly reduces production costs and increases economic rents captured. The importance of baobabs to livelihoods, combined with the potential ecological importance of these trees in contributing to biodiversity, makes the sustainability of this resource vital. Accordingly, if current use rates are not sustainable (see Romero et al., (in prep) there is scope for investigations into policies and management options that could foster sustainable use

In vitro effects of G-Protein Coupled Receptor 120 agonist on osteoblast differentiation and activity in osteosarcoma cells

National Research Foundationhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1dE7RR62sc4KkBLHMIpNW6ScUoYkEZjUJ/view?usp=sharinghttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zHnJYGbKy6ehN1aYaCerFl1_SodEBYoz?usp=sharinghttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QfaeMDpZYaV-hPXmra01zIsR0NfpDPPJ?usp=sharin

To reach the poor: results from the ISNAR-IFPRI Next Harvest study on genetically modified crops, public research, and policy implications

"Local farming communities throughout the world face productivity constraints, environmental concerns, and diverse nutritional needs. Developing countries address these challenges in a number of ways. One way is public research that produces genetically modified (GM) crops and recognize biotechnology as a part of the solution. To reach these communities, GM crops, after receiving biosafety agreement, must be approved for evaluation under local conditions. However, gaps between approvals in the developed and developing world grow larger, as the process of advancing GM crops in developing countries becomes increasingly difficult. In several countries, only insect resistant cotton has successfully moved from small, confined experimental trials to larger, open trials and to farms. By far, most GM crop approvals have been for commercial products that perform well under tropical conditions. However, complete information on public GM crop research in developing countries has not been assessed. “Will policies and research institutions in the developing world stimulate the safe use of publicly funded GM food crops?” The relatively few GM crops approved from public research, coupled with growing regulatory, biosafety capacity, trade, and political concerns, argue to the contrary. To tackle this issue, we identified and analyzed public research pipelines for GM crops among 16 developing countries and transition economies. Respondents reported 209 genetic transformation events for 46 different crops at the time when the survey was conducted. The pipelines demonstrate scientific progress among publicly funded crop research institutes in participating countries. Information and findings are presented for GM crops nearing final stages of selection. Additional details are provided for the types of genes and traits used, the breadth of genetic resources documented, implications for regulation, and the type of research partnerships employed. Regulations, GM crop approvals, choice of transgene, and policy implications are discussed as they affect this research. Based on these findings, recommendations are presented that would help sustain and increase efficiency of publicly supported research while meeting biosafety requirements. To do so, the study examines results concerning investments and choices made in research, capacity, and policy development for biotechnology. These indicate the risk and potential for GM technologies in developing countries. Policy makers, those funding biotechnology, and other stakeholders can use this information to prioritize investments, consider product advancement, and assess relative magnitude of potential risks, and benefits." Authors' Abstract

The Implications of Conservation Agriculture in Forests Management against Soil Erosion and Degradation

Ecosystems play a huge role in support of human life, this is evident through their provision of food, fiber, water and fuel. However, these potentials are reduced through human activities, which comes with the lack of conservation of our forests. Deforestation is one of the major issues as far as sustainable development is concerned. Deforestation contributes towards soil erosion, particularly, in forests across the world. Soil erosion deprives human beings of the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of harvesting the forests’ potential towards supporting human life, which includes the release of oxygen and the uptake of carbon dioxide. Thus, the concept of conservation agriculture becomes of paramount importance. Hence, this paper explored the implications of Conservation Agriculture in Forest management and evaluated policies in place to promote the adoption and use of conservation agriculture across the globe