Study of Genetic Divergence Analysis in Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

Aim: To determine the extent of genetic divergence (D2 statistics) present in sesame genotypes for different traits. Study Design: The experiment was conducted in Augmented Block Design (ABD). Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was laid out in kharif 2020 at BSP (Groundnut) Research Farm, JNKVV, Jabalpur (M.P.). Methodology: Total 160 sesame genotypes and 5 checks viz., RT346, PBTil2, GT10, TMV-7 and VRI-1 were used for diversity analysis for twelve quantitative traits for selection of diverse parents. The 165 genotypes were grouped into eight clusters based on the Mahalanobis D2 values following Tocher’s methods. Results: Maximum inter cluster distance (63.235) was exhibited between cluster III and cluster VIII and intra cluster distance (28.509) was in cluster VII. The lowest inter cluster divergence (15.881) was noticed between cluster III and V indicating that the genotypes included in them were closely related. Relative contribution of different characters to total divergence was assessed through comparison of actual D2 values for individual characters over all possible combinations. Cluster III had highest mean value for plant height (126.609), days to flower initiation (34.308), days to 50% flowering (37.462), and oil content (44.715). Cluster VII reported to be days to maturity (91.750), number of primary branches per plant (3.833) and number of secondary branches per plant (2.625) and in cluster V had capsule length (2.651). cluster VI reported for number of capsules per plant (59.484) and seed yield per plant (9.168), number of seeds per capsule (58.533) and thousand seed weight (2.848). It was revealed that number of primary branches per plant (11.32%) followed by oil content (11.06%) and number of capsules per plant (11.05%) contributed maximum to total divergence and minimum contributed by days to flower initiation (3.49%). Conclusion: So, it is expected that crosses between genotypes of cluster III with genotypes of cluster VIII will give rise to high yielding sergeants as high inter cluster distance and those clusters has recorded good mean values can be preferred in selecting germplasm lines for respective traits

Economics of Lac Production on Annual Host Cajanus cajan under Different Plant Density and Soil Moisture Condition

Inclusive of cash crop in crop production system a small and marginal farmer is an important state to shift them from sustainable farming to an economical farming. Lac is a cash crop while Cajanus cajan is a popular pulse crop in India. The present attempt was to evaluate economics of lac and grain production on C. cajan indifferent plant densities and soil moisture conditions. The two year data revealed that the highest net returnRs. 125.21 per plant, Rs. 149749.08 per hectare, in (S2W3) medium plant density (S2) and higher level of irrigation (W3), also highest input-output ratio (2.95) and B:C ratio (1.95)

Molecular characterization and meta-analysis of gut microbial communities illustrate enrichment of prevotella and megasphaera in Indian subjects

The gut microbiome has varied impact on the wellbeing of humans. It is influenced by different factors such as age, dietary habits, socio-economic status, geographic location, and genetic makeup of individuals. For devising microbiome-based therapies, it is crucial to identify population specific features of the gut microbiome. Indian population is one of the most ethnically, culturally, and geographically diverse, but the gut microbiome features remain largely unknown. The present study describes gut microbial communities of healthy Indian subjects and compares it with the microbiota from other populations. Based on large differences in alpha diversity indices, abundance of 11 bacterial phyla and individual specific OTUs, we report inter-individual variations in gut microbial communities of these subjects. While the gut microbiome of Indians is different from that of Americans, it shared high similarity to individuals from the Indian subcontinent i.e., Bangladeshi. Distinctive feature of Indian gut microbiota is the predominance of genus Prevotella and Megasphaera. Further, when compared with other non-human primates, it appears that Indians share more OTUs with omnivorous mammals. Our metagenomic imputation indicates higher potential for glycan biosynthesis and xenobiotic metabolism in these subjects. Our study indicates urgent need of identification of population specific microbiome biomarkers of Indian subpopulations to have more holistic view of the Indian gut microbiome and its health implications