Transmission of Cowpea Mild Mottle Virus by Bemisia tabaci in a Nonpersistent Manner

In studies in India, individual adults of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) acquired cowpea mild mottle virus (CMMV) after an acquisition feed on infected soyabean plants and transmitted it within 5 min to healthy soyabean plants. Starvation before the acquisition feed had no influence on transmission, but starvation after the acquisition feed decreased transmission frequency. Irrespective of the length of the acquisition feed, the ability to transmit CMMV was retained for only 4 successive inoculation access periods of 5 min each, but adults that lost the ability to transmit the virus could acquire and transmit it again. CMMV was not detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in adults that had been provided with access to infected plants for 1-8 h

Glycerolysis of Fats and Methyl Esters.

The glycerolysis of methyl esters and triglycerides with crude glycerol. a coproduct from the transesterification of triglycerides, was studied. Three procedures were followed ior this conversion. The first procedure was a one-step glycerolysis with methyl esters. The second procedure was a two-step process. This proced~~irnev olved an initial partial glycerolysis with methyl esters, followed by fat glycerolysis. The third procedure u,as a simultaneous glycerolysis n,ith methyl esters and triglycerides. In the glycerolysis with methyl esters, the removal of methanol is vital to the production of mono- and diglycerides. Methanol was removed either by drawing vacuum on the reactor or by stripping methanol out by means of an inert carrier gas (nitrogen]. Different molar ratios of methyl esters to glycerol were tested in the first two processes. At low concentration of methyi esters, total conversion oi methyl esters to mono- and diglycerides was achieved. As the concentration oi methyl esters was increased, the conversion of methyl esters to mono and diglvcerides was decreased. Furthermore, the ratio of mono- to diglycerides was also higher at lower roncentrations of methyl esters. The conversion of triglycerides in the two-step process with crude glycerol was similar to a one-step fat glycerolysis with pure glycerol. The composition of different coniponents and the ratio of mono to diglycerides were also comparabl

Mapping of fishery resources in trawling grounds along the Malabar-Konkan coast

Two categories of bottom trawl units are in operation along the Malabar-Konkan coast. The first category comprises of small boats (<9.75 m OAL) conducting daily trips operating trawl nets with codend mesh size of 10-20 mm and catch generally prawns, flatfishes and other finfishes

Isolation and characterization of a geminivirus causing yellow mosaic disease of horsegram (Macrotyloma uniflorum (Lam.) Verdc.) in India.

Horsegram yellow mosaic disease was shown to be caused by a geminivirus; horsegram yellow mosaic virus (HYMV). The virus could not be transmitted by mechanical sap inoculation. Leaf dip and purified virus preparations showed geminate virus particles, measuring 15-18 * 30 nm. An antiserum for HYMV was produced and in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunosorbent electron microscopy (ISEM) tests HYMV was detected in leaf extracts of fieldinfected bambara groundnut, french bean, groundnut, limabean, mungbean, pigeonpea and soybean showing yellow mosaic symptoms. Bemisia tabaci fed on purified HYMV through a parafilm membrane transmitted the virus to all the hosts listed above but not to Ageratum conyzoides, okra, cassava, cowpea, Croton bonplandianus, Lab-lab purpureus, Malvastrum coromandalianum and tomato. No reaction was obtained in ELISA and ISEM tests between HYMV antibodies and extracts of plants diseased by whitefly-transmitted agents in India such as A. conyzoides yellow mosaic, okra yellow vein mosaic, C. bonplandianus, yellow vein mosaic, M. coromandalianum yellow vein mosaic, tomato leaf curl and cassava mosaic. HYMV was also not found to be related serologically to bean golden mosaic, virus

A Mission to Enhance Productivity of Rain-fed Crops in Rain-fed Districts of Karnataka, India.

Water shortage is a major constraint for rain-fed crop production and achief cause of poverty and hunger in the semi-arid tropics of the world.Over 95 per cent of the world’s poor and mal nourished people live inIndia, China, the Eastern and Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of LatinAmerica. Rain-fed agriculture is practiced on 80% of the world’s farmarea, and generates almost 60% of the world’s staple foods, providingthe livelihoods of 80 per cent of the world’s population. In India, 40% ofthe population depends on rain-fed agriculture, which is cultivated 85million hectares, and produces 44% of food and fodder requirements forthe country. Rain-fed areas in India covering 60% of agriculture produce75% of pulses and more than 90% of sorghum, millet, and groundnut.These areas are the hot spots of poverty, suffer from water scarcity anddroughts, land degradation and low rainwater use efficienc

ICP 7035 – A Sterility Mosaic Resistant Vegetable and Grain Purpose Pigeonpea Variety

ICP 7035 is a medium duration, non-determinate pigeonpea landrace collected in 1973 from Bedaghat (near Jabalpur), Madhya Pradesh, India. Plants mature in 170-200 days (in south-central regions of India) and, at this stage, reach an average height of 120-140 cm. Each plant produced around 100 pods and each pod contained 5 seeds, which are nutritionally rich and contain high percentages of digestible carbohydrates, vitamins and micronutrients. The large seeds (9-11 mm diameter) had purple seed coats and green cotyledons, and are suitable for consumption as vegetable. The fresh seed contains 8.6% protein, 12% fibre, and 45.7% carbohydrate and starch. The pinkish-purple colour of the pod and seed coat is due to high anthocyanin contents. While the normal sugar level in most pigeon pea cultivars is approximately 5%, the sugar content in ICP 7035 seeds is 8.8%. Decorticated dried split seeds measure 5-6 mm in diameter and 100 dried seeds weigh 19.2 g. The seed contains 19.6% protein, 27.4% dietary fibre, 33% starch and 67% carbohydrate, and has high amounts of copper, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. Resistance to Pigeonpea sterility mosaic virus in ICP 7035 has a positive impact on yield as a result of negligible crop loss in endemic areas. In the absence of the disease, the yield of ICP 7035 is on a par with the yields of local cultivars. Recently, provisional approval was given for the release of this cultivar in SMD endemic areas of southern Karnataka

Prawn fauna (Crustacea: Decapoda) of India - An annotated checklist of the Penaeoid, Sergestoid, Stenopodid and Caridean prawns

Twenty four species of Pandalid shrimps reported from the Indian waters, of which six genera (Chlorotocella, Chlorotocus, Chlorocurtis, Dorodotes, Heterocarpoides and Stylopandalus) are represented by single species each. The genera, Plesionika and Heterocarpus are represented by eleven and seven species respectively. Plesionika adensameri (Balss, 1914) a deep-sea shrimp hitherto unreported from Indian waters is recorded from west coast of India. Information on some biological aspects of few Pandalid shrimps from Indian waters is also reported in the present paper