Unraveling trait relationships in maize inbred lines

An experiment was carried out during Kharif 2020 at wetland farm of Sri Venkateswara Agricultural College, Tirupati using 30 inbred lines of maize to assess the trait association for 16 yield and yield attributes. It revealed that ear length, number of kernels per row, plant height, ear girth, SPAD chlorophyll meter reading, 100 kernel weight, number of kernel rows per ear, specific leaf area, harvest index and tassel length had notable positive correlation with kernel yield per plant suggesting that selecting these characters simultaneously lead to an increase in kernel yield per plant. Path analysis revealed a significant and positive direct influence of ear length on the kernel yield per plant. Hence, ear length could be considered during selection in maize for improving kernel yield

Applications of raman spectroscopy in dentistry part II: Soft tissue analysis

Raman spectroscopy is rapidly moving from an experimental technique for the analysis of biological molecules to a tool for the real-time clinical diagnosis and in situ evaluation of the oral tissue in medical and dental research. The purpose of this study is to identify various applications of Raman spectroscopy, to evaluate the contemporary status and to explore future directions in the field of dentistry. Several in-depth applications are presented to illustrate Raman spectroscopy in early diagnosis of soft tissue abnormalities. Raman spectroscopy allows to analyze histological and biochemical composition of biological tissues. The technique not only demonstrates its role in the disclosure of dysplasia and malignancy but also in performing guided biopsies, diagnosing sialoliths, and assessment of surgical margins. Raman spectroscopy is used to identify the molecular structures and its components to give substantial information about the chemical structure properties of these molecules. In this paper, we acquaint the utilization of Raman spectroscopy in analyzing the soft tissues in relation to dentistry

An Empirical Comparison of Consumer Innovation Adoption Models: Implications for Subsistence Marketplaces

So called “pro-poor” innovations may improve consumer wellbeing in subsistence marketplaces. However, there is little research that integrates the area with the vast literature on innovation adoption. Using a questionnaire where respondents were asked to provide their evaluations about a mobile banking innovation, this research fills this gap by providing empirical evidence of the applicability of existing innovation adoption models in subsistence marketplaces. The study was conducted in Bangladesh among a geographically dispersed sample. The data collected allowed an empirical comparison of models in a subsistence context. The research reveals the most useful models in this context to be the Value Based Adoption Model and the Consumer Acceptance of Technology model. In light of these findings and further examination of the model comparison results the research also shows that consumers in subsistence marketplaces are not just motivated by functionality and economic needs. If organizations cannot enhance the hedonic attributes of a pro-poor innovation, and reduce the internal/external constraints related to adoption of that pro-poor innovation, then adoption intention by consumers will be lower

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Not AvailableThe tea mosquito bug, Helopeltis spp. is a destructive pest of cocoa across the globe. In the climate change scenario, the tea mosquito bug species complex, viz. Helopeltis theivora Waterhouse, 1886, H. bradyi Waterhouse, 1886, and H. antonii V. Signoret, 1858, poses a serious threat to cocoa cultivation in India. Presently, systemic and/or broad-spectrum insecticides are used for mirid management by cocoa growers. However, concerns about their adverse effects on human health and the environment prompted us to search for alternative eco-friendly options for their management. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are an effective and eco-friendly alternative to chemical insecticides for the management of cocoa mirids. The use of native strains of biological control agents improves their success rate. Hence, the present investigation was conducted to isolate, characterize and evaluate an indigenous insect-pathogenic isolate of EPF Metarhizium anisopliae against the mirid H. theivora. An extensive survey was conducted in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, India, to collect the adults of H. theivora naturally infected with entomopathogenic fungi. A pure culture of the EPF named as TMBMA1 was isolated from the infected adults. Based on the detailed morphological and molecular characterization, the isolate TMBMA1 was identified as Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorokin. The isolate TMBMA1 was found to be highly effective against H. theivora in an in-vitro bioassay and caused 100% insect mortality at 1 × 108 and 1 × 109 conidial suspensions 6 days post inoculation. Similarly, TMBMA1 was found effective in significantly reducing the incidence of mirids in field evaluations conducted for two consecutive years. TMBMA1 was found better than other commercial biopesticides and was comparable with the recommended chemical insecticide Lambdacyhalothrin. In conclusion, our results reveal that the native EPF, M. anisopliae isolate TMBMA1 has great potential against the mirid H. theivora and can serve as an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative for mirid management in cocoa and other plantations in India.Not Availabl

International Perspectives on Substantiating theEfficacy of Herbal Dietary Supplements andHerbal Medicines Through Evidence onTraditional Use

The efficacy of botanicals in medicines can be substantiated with evidence on traditional use, whereas in foodstuffs, this is often not possible. In Europe, for example, the evaluation and subsequent authorization of health claims on herbal dietary supplements (HDS) have been put on hold by the European Commission. This study aims to analyze the role of evidence on traditional use in international legal frameworks of foods and pharmaceuticals. Both legal sources as well as scientific studies offering insights into these regulatory frameworks were included into the analysis. The international approach toward evidence on traditional use for substantiating efficacy of botanicals varies highly. For herbal medicines, substantiating efficacy with evidence on traditional use is possible in all studied jurisdictions, except for Japan and the United States. HDS efficacy can only be substantiated with evidence on traditional use in India and New Zealand, although the enforcing authorities do not describe which data are required. Australia and Canada regulate botanicals in a separate "borderline" category from foods and pharmaceuticals. Both jurisdictions allow for substantiating efficacy with evidence on traditional use. This study's second objective was to assess the applicability of the international approaches in the European legal framework, in light of the ongoing political debate regarding the use of traditional evidence. Implementation of the analyzed international approaches would require major revisions of the current European legal framework. This review of international approaches might, however, aid in deciding upon future approaches for substantiating health claims with evidence on traditional use