Prospects of Pigeonpea Hybrids in Indian Agriculture

Stagnant production, soaring prices, and enhanced imports of pigeonpea (red gram) have been matter of concern to the prime stakeholders in India. A new hybrid pigeonpea breeding technology, developed jointly by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) is capable of substantially increasing the productivity of red gram, and thus offering hope of pulse revolution in the country. The hybrid technology, based on cytoplasmic nuclear male-sterility (CMS) system, has given an opportunity of achieving the long-cherished goal of breaking yield barrier in pigeonpea. In the past two years ICRISAT and ICAR have tested over 1000 experimental hybrids and among these GTH 1 and ICPH 2671 were found the most outstanding. GTH-1 has yielded 32% more yield than best local variety, GT 101. ICPH 2671 is highly resistant to fusarium wilt and sterility mosaic diseases and produced 38% more yield over the popular variety Maruti in multi-location trials conducted for over four years. In the on-farm trials conducted in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand during 2007, 2008 and 2009 have demonstrated 30% yield advantage over local check varieties. So far the progress in the mission of enhancing the productivity of pigeonpea has been encouraging and the reality of commercial hybrids is just around the corner. The new hybrid pigeonpea will serve as the platform for the tremendous growth of pulse production in India

Organogenesis induction in rice callus by cyanobacterial extracellular product

Cyanobacteria or blue green algae are prokaryotic photosynthetic microorganism that produces a wide array of substances, including plant growth regulators. In the case of growth regulators, gibberellin, auxin, cytokinin, ethylene, abscisic acid and jasmonic acid have been detected in cyanobacteria. Many substances have been added to plant tissue culture media in order to promote plant regeneration. The present research communication gives a report of the study of the effect of extracellular products of Plectonema sp., isolated from paddy fields on regeneration of rice. The endosperm of three rice varieties, IR 50, ASD 16 and ADT 36, were used as explants. IR 50 showed earlier and good callus induction response in MS medium. For root induction, cyanobaterial extracellular product was added instead of 2,4-D. The result showed that the number of days taken for root initiation and root growth was quicker by adding the extracellular products. Interestingly, more proliferation of roots in cyanobaterial extracellular product treatments was also observed compared to 2,4-D which might due to the production of growth regulators like auxin(s). Tremendous growth of root length and volume in short period indicate that MS with cyanobaterial extracellular product may also be used for screening of rice genotypes for water stress condition.Keywords: Callus induction, cyanobacterial extracellular products, Plectonema sp., rice, root inductio

Breeding for abiotic stresses in pigeonpea

Pigeonpea, often considered as a drought tolerant crop, has the distinct advantage of having a large range of variation for maturity, leading to its adaptation to a wide range of environments and cropping systems. It encounters a number of abiotic stresses during its life cycle. The most important are extremes of moisture and temperature, photoperiod and mineral related stresses. While waterlogging affects plant growth by reducing oxygen diffusion rate between soil and atmosphere and by changing physical and chemical properties of soil, drought and high temperature mostly influence long duration pigeonpea, resulting in its forced maturity. Similarly, low temperature leads to conversion of intracellular water into ice and consequently shrinking of cells and wilting and death of plants. Soil salinity affects pigeonpea plants through osmotic stress and interference with uptake of mineral nutrients. Aluminium toxicity also reduces nutrient uptake efficiency of this crop. Though these stresses have a drastic impact on reducing productivity of pigeonpea, only limited efforts have been made towards screening and development of pigeonpea genotypes having tolerance to these abiotic stresses. Further, even these limited accomplishments are not well-documented. The present review provides comprehensive information vis-a-vis the work done on abiotic stress tolerance in pigeonpea

Genetic variations for herbicide tolerance (Imazethapyr) in chickpea (Cicer arietinum)

Plant resistance has been widely recognized as the most potential and successful way to minimize losses due to biotic stresses including weeds in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Weeds pose great threat to chickpea production through competing for natural resources. Herbicides are the most successful weed controlling agents. Presently we do not have chickpea genotypes having tolerance to post emergence herbicides. This study was undertaken to identify the sources of resistance to the post emergence herbicide in chickpea. 509 chickpea accessions (reference set and elite breeding lines) were screened during September to November 2011 for the post emergence, herbicide Imazethapyr (Pursuit™) tolerance. After preliminary screening, 31 most tolerant and 9 most sensitive genotypes were identified. Later these 40' genotypes were re-evaluated during November'2011 to February 2012r~Accessions, viz. ICC 1164, IPC 2010-81 and IPC 2008-59 were found to be most tolerant. Lines such as ICC 8522, ICC 6874 and ICC 5434 were recorded as the most sensitiv

Training for a First-Time Marathon Reverses Age-Related Aortic Stiffening.

BACKGROUND: Aging increases aortic stiffness, contributing to cardiovascular risk even in healthy individuals. Aortic stiffness is reduced through supervised training programs, but these are not easily generalizable. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether real-world exercise training for a first-time marathon can reverse age-related aortic stiffening. METHODS: Untrained healthy individuals underwent 6 months of training for the London Marathon. Assessment pre-training and 2 weeks post-marathon included central (aortic) blood pressure and aortic stiffness using cardiovascular magnetic resonance distensibility. Biological "aortic age" was calculated from the baseline chronological age-stiffness relationship. Change in stiffness was assessed at the ascending (Ao-A) and descending aorta at the pulmonary artery bifurcation (Ao-P) and diaphragm (Ao-D). Data are mean changes (95% confidence intervals [CIs]). RESULTS: A total of 138 first-time marathon completers (age 21 to 69 years, 49% male) were assessed, with an estimated training schedule of 6 to 13 miles/week. At baseline, a decade of chronological aging correlated with a decrease in Ao-A, Ao-P, and Ao-D distensibility by 2.3, 1.9, and 3.1 × 10-3 mm Hg-1, respectively (p < 0.05 for all). Training decreased systolic and diastolic central (aortic) blood pressure by 4 mm Hg (95% CI: 2.8 to 5.5 mm Hg) and 3 mm Hg (95% CI: 1.6 to 3.5 mm Hg). Descending aortic distensibility increased (Ao-P: 9%; p = 0.009; Ao-D: 16%; p = 0.002), while remaining unchanged in the Ao-A. These translated to a reduction in "aortic age" by 3.9 years (95% CI: 1.1 to 7.6 years) and 4.0 years (95% CI: 1.7 to 8.0 years) (Ao-P and Ao-D, respectively). Benefit was greater in older, male participants with slower running times (p < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Training for and completing a marathon even at relatively low exercise intensity reduces central blood pressure and aortic stiffness-equivalent to a ∼4-year reduction in vascular age. Greater rejuvenation was observed in older, slower individuals

Genetic Diversity in Selected Indian Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] Cultivars Using RAPD Markers

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to study the DNA polymorphism in Indian mungbean cultivars. A total of 60 random primers were used in the study and 33 of them generated reproducible RAPD patterns. Amplification of genomic DNA of most popular 24 Indian mungbean cultivars with these RAPD primers yielded 249 fragments that could be scored, of which 224 were polymorphic, with an average of 7.0 polymorphic fragments per primer. Number of amplified fragments with random primers ranged from 2 (OPI 9) to 17 (OPD 7). Percentage polymorphism ranged from 33% (OPX 5) to a maximum of 100% (OPX 4, OPX 6, OPX 13, OPX 15, OPX 19, OPD 5, OPD 7, OPD 20, OPI 4, OPI 6, OPI 13, OPI 14, OPI 18 and OPF 1), with an average of 90%. The Jaccard’s similarity indices based on RAPD profiles were subjected to UPGMA cluster analysis. And genotypes grouped in two major groups. Sixteen out of 24 released cultivars grouped to cluster I. This indicated the narrow genetic base in the Indian mungbean cultivars used in the study. The details of diversity analysis and possible reasons for narrow genetic base in mungbean cultivars are discussed in the present study

Sustained VWF‐ADAMTS‐13 axis imbalance and endotheliopathy in long COVID syndrome is related to immune dysfunction

Background Prolonged recovery is common after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning Long COVID syndrome remain unknown. VWF/ADAMTS-13 imbalance, dysregulated angiogenesis, and immunothrombosis are hallmarks of acute COVID-19. We hypothesized that VWF/ADAMTS-13 imbalance persists in convalescence together with endothelial cell (EC) activation and angiogenic disturbance. Additionally, we postulate that ongoing immune cell dysfunction may be linked to sustained EC and coagulation activation. Patients and methods Fifty patients were reviewed at a minimum of 6 weeks following acute COVID-19. ADAMTS-13, Weibel Palade Body (WPB) proteins, and angiogenesis-related proteins were assessed and clinical evaluation and immunophenotyping performed. Comparisons were made with healthy controls (n = 20) and acute COVID-19 patients (n = 36). Results ADAMTS-13 levels were reduced (p = 0.009) and the VWF-ADAMTS-13 ratio was increased in convalescence (p = 0.0004). Levels of platelet factor 4 (PF4), a putative protector of VWF, were also elevated (p = 0.0001). A non-significant increase in WPB proteins Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and Osteoprotegerin (OPG) was observed in convalescent patients and WPB markers correlated with EC parameters. Enhanced expression of 21 angiogenesis-related proteins was observed in convalescent COVID-19. Finally, immunophenotyping revealed significantly elevated intermediate monocytes and activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in convalescence, which correlated with thrombin generation and endotheliopathy markers, respectively. Conclusion Our data provide insights into sustained EC activation, dysregulated angiogenesis, and VWF/ADAMTS-13 axis imbalance in convalescent COVID-19. In keeping with the pivotal role of immunothrombosis in acute COVID-19, our findings support the hypothesis that abnormal T cell and monocyte populations may be important in the context of persistent EC activation and hemostatic dysfunction during convalescence

Large Genetic Variability in Chickpea for Tolerance to Herbicides Imazethapyr and Metribuzin

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is known to be sensitive to many herbicides and, therefore, choices for using post-emergence herbicides for weed control are limited. The present study was aimed at identifying sources of tolerance to two herbicides with different modes of action (imazethapyr—amino acid synthesis inhibitor; and metribuzin—photosynthesis inhibitor) for use in breeding herbicide tolerant cultivars. Screening of 300 diverse chickpea genotypes (278 accessions from the reference set and 22 breeding lines) revealed large genetic variations for tolerance to herbicides imazethapyr and metribuzin. In general, the sensitivity of the genotypes to metribuzin was higher compared to that for imazethapyr. Several genotypes tolerant to metribuzin (ICC 1205, ICC 1164, ICC 1161, ICC 8195, ICC 11498, ICC 9586, ICC 14402 ICC 283) and imazethapyr (ICC 3239, ICC 7867, ICC 1710, ICC 13441, ICC 13461, ICC 13357, ICC 7668, ICC 13187) were identified, based on average herbicide tolerance scores from two experimental locations each. The herbicide tolerant lines identified in this study will be useful resources for development of herbicide tolerant cultivars and for undertaking genetic and physiological studies on herbicide tolerance in chickpea