IN VITRO STUDIES ON MICROGRAFTING TECHNIQUE IN TWO CULTIVARS OF CITRUS TO PRODUCE VIRUS FREE PLANTS

Abstract This study was carried out to assess the potential use and applicability of micrografting technique for the development of virus free nursery in citrus. Some techniques that tend to increase the grafting success were employed. MS media added with 3%, 5% and 7% sugar was used in combination with two grafting methods e.g., inverted-T incision and surface placement in Kinnow mandarin and Succari sweet orange. The grafting was carried out under aseptic conditions by using15 days old etiolated seedlings of rough lemon. Shoot tips (1-2 mm) and 3-leaf primordia (0.3-0.5 mm) were taken from the fresh shoot flushes and grafted in vitro. Higher grafting success of 34.7% was recorded with inverted-T incision than surface placement which gave 26.7% successful micrografts. A total of 21% successful micrografts were achieved at 3% sugar level which increased significantly to 33% with increase in sugar level to 5% in both cultivars. Overall, Kinnow mandarin showed relatively better response in combination with inverted-T incision and produced 33.3% successful micrografts. Succari sweet orange responded maximum with surface placement method and yielded 30.7% successful micrografts

Surgical Management of Acute Presentation and Outcome of Patients With Complicated Abdominal Tuberculosis

Background: To study the acute presentation, surgical management and outcome of patients with abdominal tuberculosis.Method: All adult patients of either gender with clinical diagnosis of abdominal tuberculosis were included in this descriptive study. All admitted cases were assessed by history, physical examination and relevant investigations. Patients with signs of peritonitis were operated in emergency after resuscitation. Pre and postoperatively, all patients were treated with anti-tuberculous drugs.Results: Out of 161 adult patients with abdominal tuberculosis, 40.4% patients were males and 59.6% females with a male to female ratio of 1: 1.47. The mean age was 35.9 years and majority (72.7%) belonged to poor families. 54.7% patients presented with features of peritonitis and 43.5% with acute and sub-acute intestinal obstruction. Majority(88.2%) required surgical intervention and most common preoperative finding was intestinal perforation peritonitis (50.3%). Ileostomy was the most frequently performed procedure (54.2%) and only 2.1% patients underwent primary anastomosis. Eighty nine(55.3%) patients were discharged and 72 (44.7%) expired.Conclusion: Majority were young females, belonging to poor families. Most patients had primary abdominal tuberculosis and presented with complications like acute intestinal obstruction and intestinal perforation peritonitis, requiring emergency laparotomy. Gut exteriorization was the commonest surgical intervention. Primary anastomosis was not performed because of the poor nutritional status and diseased condition of the gut.A high mortality rate was encountered due to late presentation of the disease resulting in development of complications like perforation peritonitis

Isolation and Characterization of Fusarium moniliforme var. subglutinans from Malformed Mango

Mango malformation occurs in most mango growing regions of the world. Floral and vegetative malformation have been reported. There is general agreement that the fungal pathogen Fusarium moniliforme var. subglutinans or Fusarium subglutinans is the causal agent. Healthy and malformed samples of both floral and vegetative tissues were collected from different varieties of mango grown in several locations to verify the association of F.moniliforme with mango malformation disease in Pakistan. The fungus was isolated and cultured. Frequency of fungal association with the disease ranged between 90- 94%, There was less recovery of fungus from asymptomatic tissue (12- 15%). There was no difference among the commercial mango varieties in the level of susceptibility to this disease. However, seedling germplasm and land races showing resistance to mango malformation were identified. The in vitro growth characters of the fungus were determined on different culture media, at varying temperatures, light and pH conditions. Mycelial growth on potato dextrose agar was better than nine other media tested. At pH 7.00, the ideal temperature for growth was between 25-30° C. Normally, the malformation is not controlled by fungicide application. The in vitro sensitivity of fungus to six fungicides at three concentrations was determined to seek potential means of chemical control

Isolation and Characterization of Fusarium moniliforme var. subglutinans from Malformed Mango

Mango malformation occurs in most mango growing regions of the world. Floral and vegetative malformation have been reported. There is general agreement that the fungal pathogen Fusarium moniliforme var. subglutinans or Fusarium subglutinans is the causal agent. Healthy and malformed samples of both floral and vegetative tissues were collected from different varieties of mango grown in several locations to verify the association of F.moniliforme with mango malformation disease in Pakistan. The fungus was isolated and cultured. Frequency of fungal association with the disease ranged between 90- 94%, There was less recovery of fungus from asymptomatic tissue (12- 15%). There was no difference among the commercial mango varieties in the level of susceptibility to this disease. However, seedling germplasm and land races showing resistance to mango malformation were identified. The in vitro growth characters of the fungus were determined on different culture media, at varying temperatures, light and pH conditions. Mycelial growth on potato dextrose agar was better than nine other media tested. At pH 7.00, the ideal temperature for growth was between 25-30° C. Normally, the malformation is not controlled by fungicide application. The in vitro sensitivity of fungus to six fungicides at three concentrations was determined to seek potential means of chemical control

Morphological characterization of pakistani date palm (Phoenix dactylifera l.) genotypes

Twenty Pakistani date palm cultivars from nine different geographical regions were characterized to estimate the polymorphism and possible similarity level. Nineteen morphological traits were explored and subjected to principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis (CA) and correlation index. The results brought out important differences in phenotypic characters in all date palm cultivars. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that all quantitative traits along with number of wings, frequency of wings, seed surface and seed shape were highly divergent. Similarly cluster analyses (CA) also revealed morphological variability among date palm cultivars and, some relationship and heterogeneity was also observed within cultivars of the same origin

Role of temperature, moisture and Trichoderma species on the survival of Fusarium oxysporum ciceri in the rainfed areas of Pakistan

It has been observed in the present study that when spores of Trichoderma harzianum (Th-2) isolate were applied in the sandy clay loam soil and continuously incubated for 4 months at 25 degrees C and 35 degrees C and at three water potentials, -0.03 MPa, -0.3 MPa and <-50 MPa, it has resulted in significantly reduced (P<0.05), growth of Fusarium oxysporum ciceri (Foc) on branches of chickpea plant. The pathogen population was greatly reduced in the moist soil (43 MPa) when compared with the wet soil (-0.03 MPa) at both temperatures which was indicated by greater colonization and growth of T. harzanum-2 on the branch pieces of chickpea plants. The pathogen was completely eradicated from the chickpea branch pieces, after 6 months at 35 degrees C in the moist soil. In air-dry soil (<-50 MPa), Foc survived in 100% of the branch pieces even after 6 months at both temperatures. When chickpea plant branch pieces having pathogen was sprayed with Th-2 antagonistic isolates of Trichoderma spp., the Th-2 isolate killed the pathogen up to minimum level (10-12%) after 5 months at 35 degrees C in the sandy clay loam soil. It can be concluded that in chickpea growing rainfed areas of Pakistan having sandy clay loam soil, Foc can be controlled by using specific Trichoderma spp., especially in the summer season as after harvest of the crop the temperature increased up and there is rainfall during this period which makes the soil moist. This practice will be able to reduce the inoculum of Foc during this hot period as field remain fallow till next crop is sown in most of the chickpea growing rainfed areas of Pakistan