PROCESSING OF SORGHUM FROM DIFFERENT VARIETIES AND HYBRIDS FOR SEMOLINA AND THEIR PRODUCTS

The present study was undertaken with the objective to standardise procedures for preparation of semolina (rava) from sorghum, to identify the best genotype for preparation of semolina and to study the nutritional quality parameters of semolina. For processing of sorghum, ten varieties and five hybrids were used for preparation of semolina and their products. A process has been standardized for semolina preparation using ultra grinding mill from sorghum grain. The semolina yield ranged from 46.51% to 54.29%. Hybrid CSH-15R gave the highest yield of semolina (54.29%). Starch content in semolina ranged from 59.93% to 66.43%. The new genotypes Phule Vasudha, Phule Yashoda and M 35-1 showed higher levels of starch content as compared to the other genotypes. The Phule Vasudha and Selection-3 showed higher levels of total soluble sugars in grains, as well as in semolina than the other genotypes. Phule Maulee gave higher level of crude fibre content (3.12%). The amino acid profile of sorghum grain and semolina showed very minor differences in the content due to the processing of sorghum grains into various products like semolina. The new genotypes of rabi sorghum showed comparable results for the mineral with that of hybrids. The organoleptic properties of the sweet (shira), upama and idali prepared from semolina were judged on the basis of colour, texture and appearance, flavour, taste and overall acceptability of the products using semi-trained judges and 1 to 9 hedonic scales. All products prepared from semolina were like very much and gave highest rating of more than 8 hedonic scales. While considering the yield of semolina from sorghum grains as well as their nutritional composition and organoleptic properties of the niche products (shira, upama, idali) prepared from them, the varieties Phule Vasudha and Phule Yashoda were the best one as compared to the other varieties and hybrids and overall varieties were better than the hybrids

NUTRITIONAL AND ROTI QUALITY OF SORGHUM GENOTYPES

Sorghum grains are mostly used for the roti preparation. The M 35-1 (Maldhandi) a sorghum cultivar is known for its good quality of roti due to having pearly white grain color, its flour having higher water holding capacity, and good organoleptic taste. However, this cultivar is low yielder. To evolve sorghum high yielding genotype coupled with this good roti qualities, systematic breeding program was planned and executed to overcome this problem. Twenty local land races, 92 genotypes, and seven improved cultivars of sorghum along with check M 35-1 were studied for various nutritional quality parameters, with special reference to the roti quality. Considering nutritional quality and organoleptic evaluation parameters studied for roti quality, the local land races viz., RSLG 428-1, RSLG 1238, RSLG 1275 and the genotypes viz., RSV 290, RSV 292, RSV 858, RSV 859, RSV 861, RSV 868, RSV 894, RSV 985, RSV 992, RSV 995, RSV 999 were found to be promising for protein, sugar, water absorption, and soluble protein content. Therefore, they can be used for further improvement in nutritional quality through breeding program. Among the improved cultivars, Phule Vasudha (RSV 423), CSV 22, and Phule Chitra (SPV 1546) werefound to be most promising for roti quality. The maximum score for overall acceptability was found for Phule Vasudha followed by Phule Anuradha (RSV 458), Phule Yeshoda (RSLG 262), and Phule Maulee (CSV 216)

MORPHOLOGICAL, PATHOGENIC AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceri ISOLATES FROM MAHARASHTRA, INDIA

Vascular wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceri (FOC) is considered as one of the major factors of low productivity in chickpea. The present study was conducted to determine the morphological, pathogenic and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) variability of twenty isolates of FOC collected from the Maharashtra State of India, along with four reference isolates corresponding to four known FOC races. Pathogenicity of each isolate was confirmed using the wilt susceptible chick-pea genotype JG-62. The mycelia of all the isolates were septate, hyaline and profusely branched. All the FOC isolates produced micro- and macro-conidia in pure culture within seven days after inoculation. Based on the abilities of the isolates to cause dis-ease on an international set of chickpea differentials and genetic variability estimated by the RAPD technique, these 24 isolates were grouped into two pathotypes, i.e. pathotype I and pathotype II

Impact of Innovations in Value Chain on Sorghum Farmers

The paper has studied the implementation of millets value chain pilot project under the NAIP to create demand for sorghum through diversification in farm production, procurement, ultimately aiming at economical benefits to both farmers and other stakeholders. This 4.5 years novel initiative is still in the mid-way. The study has reported that technological backstopping of sorghum cultivation with end-product specific improved cultivars has realized 51 per cent rise in incremental net income of Rs 16098/ha for the participating farmers (58 per cent rise in kharif and 44 per cent in rabi farmers). The inconvenience in the preparation of sorghum foods which has been the important reason for the decrease in its consumption, has been eliminated through development of convenient and ready-to-eat/cook foods. The factorization of the investment expenditure made per farmer (one acre of sorghum per participating farmer) has been worked out to be Rs 356 (equivalent of Rs 890/ha) in a season resulting in 51 per cent rise in incremental net income over baseline which is slightly higher in kharif sorghum than in rabi sorghum. The output pricing in kharif has helped in attaining these benefits. However, the benefit-cost ratio has worked out in favour of rabi sorghum farmers, i.e. 1:7.5 vis-à-vis kharif farmers BC ratio of 1: 4.2. The study has observed that linking up of the entire stakeholders through value addition throughout the value chain system would renew and uplift the diminishing sorghum area and production and its ultimate economical benefits to farmers and other stakeholders in the value chain.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Genetics of Starch Content and its Correlations with Agro-morphological Traits in Sorghum

Sorghum can be an alternative to corn for industrial uses, especially in drought prone areas of the world. Sorghum cultivars with high potential of grain and starch yields are needed to continuously meet the industrial demands. We have studied the genetics of grain yield and starch content of sorghum to decide the breeding procedure to develop suitable cultivars for starch industry. The genetic material from 8 × 8 diallel (28 F1 and 8 parents) was grown in a randomized complete block design, with three replications at Directorate of Sorghum Research, Hyderabad, India. Observations were recorded on seven agro-morphological and two grain quality traits including grain yield and starch content. Correlation studies revealed that the grain hardness was negatively correlated to starch and positively correlated to grain yield, panicle weight and days to flowering. Variance due to specific combining ability effects was greater in magnitude for both starch content and grain yield. Bi-parental crossing in F2 will help in getting pure lines with high starch content and high grain yield. The parents chosen for breeding program need to be good combiners for starch and grain yields to obtain superior hybrid. One MS line, 422B was a good combiner for grain yield, high starch content and 100 grain weight, and had good per se performance

Developing a Sweet Sorghum Ethanol Value Chain

Sweet sorghum is a fascinating crop by virtue of its rapid growth, high biomass production potential, and adaptability to a range of conditions, high water use efficiency and its multipurpose use. Although scientists have been working on sweet sorghum for many years, the focus was mainly on its fodder value and use. Recognition of its utility as biofuel feedstock is a recent development. Considering the energy requirements, particularly of a rapidly growing economy like India and its ethanol blending commitments, attention to sweet sorghum as an alternative feedstock for bioethanol production is a perfect choice. Keeping this in view, a sub-project on ‘Sweet sorghum ethanol value chain development’ was developed with the help of consortium partners that included the Directorate of Sorghum Research (DSR), Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Sri Venkateshwara Veterinary University (SVVU) and Rusni Distilleries, which was eventually approved for funding by the National Agricultural Innovation Project under the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (NAIP (ICAR)). Taking a cue from the on-going genetic and crop management research on sweet sorghum, the sub-project was built on developing a sustainable sweet sorghum ethanol value chain by exploring the various options to increase onfarm productivity, enhance the harvest window, plug loopholes in the supply chain, increase the juice extraction efficiency and its storage, mechanize sweet sorghum production and processing, and efficiently utilize the by-products. These major activities were shared among the partners based on their competencies, and were implemented in letter and spirit to build a successful sweet sorghum ethanol value chain. The economic competitiveness of sweet sorghum vis-à-vis other feedstocks; economics of sweet sorghum for ethanol production, and the biofuel policy of India are also discussed in detail. The progress made in this endeavor, the experiences gained and lessons learned are thoroughly documented and presented in this book. A few critical issues include favorable policy intervention in terms of stalk pricing (subsidizing raw material cost to the industry) and ethanol pricing (subsidizing current ethanol production cost at an optimum level until the initial teething problems are overcome) and institutional support to help the industry to scale up the processing of sweet sorghum for bioethanol production more rapidly. xi This is a joint work of all the partners in the consortium and we have cherished working together. We thank the NAIP (ICAR) for funding this work and providing us an opportunity to work together to provide a road map for promotion of sweet sorghum towards ethanol production. We are confident that this report gives a realistic depiction of state-of-the-art technologies, the progress made in developing sweet sorghum, the opportunities and issues involved and the way forward to make the sweet sorghum ethanol value chain successful and sustainable

CSH 22SS – an improved sweet sorghum hybrid

Parentage: ICSA 38 x SSV 84 Medium duration hybrid: 120 days;Days to 50% fl owering: 80 to 88 days;Plant height: 280–350 cm;High stalk yield (44–52 t ha-1): 29% higher than SSV 84 and CSV 19SS. ; High ethanol yield (1250–1320 L ha-1):43% higher than SSV 84 and 34% 8% higher than CSV 19SS. High CCS (3.2–4.0 t ha-1): 33% higher than SSV 84

Impact of rare earth ion size on the phase evolution of MoO3-containing aluminoborosilicate glass-ceramics

Transition metal and rare earth (RE) elements are important fission products present in used nuclear fuel, which in high concentrations tend to precipitate crystalline phases in vitreous nuclear waste forms. Two phases of particular interest are powellite (CaMoO4) and oxyapatite (Ca2RE8(SiO4)6O2). The glass compositional dependencies controlling crystallization of these phases on cooling from the melt are poorly understood. In the present study, the effect of rare earth identity and modifier cation field strength on powellite and apatite crystallization were studied in a model MoO3-containing alkali/alkaline-earth aluminoborosilicate glass with focus on (1) influence of rare earth cation size (for RE3+: Ce, La, Nd, Sm, Er, Yb) and (2) influence of non-framework cations (RE3+, Mo6+, Na+, Ca2+). Quenched glasses and glass-ceramics (obtained by slow cooling) were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). All samples were X-ray amorphous upon quenching, except the Ce-containing composition which crystallized ceria (CeO2), and the sample devoid of any rare earth cations which crystallized powellite. On heat treatment, powellite and oxyapatite crystallized in the majority of the samples, with the former crystallizing in the volume and the latter on the surface. The EPMA results confirmed a small concentration of boron in the oxyapatite crystal structure. RE cations were incorporated in the glass, as well as in powellite, oxyapatite, and in the case of Yb3+, keiviite (Yb2Si2O7). Raman spectroscopy showed that the primary vibration band for molybdate MoO42−in the glasses was strongly affected by the ionic field strength of the modifying cations (alkali, alkaline earth, and RE), suggesting their proximity to the MoO42−ions in the glass, though the Mo–O bond length and coordination according to XAS suggested little local change

Postrainy season sorghum: Constraints and breeding approaches

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is the fifth most important cereal crop in the world. Different types of sorghum are recognized. These are: grain sorghum, dual purpose (grain and fodder) sorghum, fodder sorghum, forage sorghum and sweet stalk sorghum. Also two types of sorghums are noted based on the season of adaptation; these are rainy (wet) season or postrainy (dry) season sorghum. There are two distinct sorghum growing seasons in India, kharif (rainy season; June–October) and rabi (postrainy season; October–January). In India, the grain productivity is about 1.2 t ha-1 in the rainy season, and about 0.8 t ha-1 in the postrainy season whereas the global grain productivity of sorghum is 1.4 t ha-1 (FAOSTAT 2011). The grain sorghum requirements for these two seasonal adaptations are quite diverse due to different agroclimatic conditions (Rana et al. 1997). There has been a significant decline in area under grain and dual purpose sorghum during the rainy season due to grain molds, but the area has remained stable in the postrainy season where mostly dual purpose sorghums are cultivated

Global surveillance of cancer survival 1995-2009: analysis of individual data for 25,676,887 patients from 279 population-based registries in 67 countries (CONCORD-2)

BACKGROUND: Worldwide data for cancer survival are scarce. We aimed to initiate worldwide surveillance of cancer survival by central analysis of population-based registry data, as a metric of the effectiveness of health systems, and to inform global policy on cancer control. METHODS: Individual tumour records were submitted by 279 population-based cancer registries in 67 countries for 25·7 million adults (age 15-99 years) and 75,000 children (age 0-14 years) diagnosed with cancer during 1995-2009 and followed up to Dec 31, 2009, or later. We looked at cancers of the stomach, colon, rectum, liver, lung, breast (women), cervix, ovary, and prostate in adults, and adult and childhood leukaemia. Standardised quality control procedures were applied; errors were corrected by the registry concerned. We estimated 5-year net survival, adjusted for background mortality in every country or region by age (single year), sex, and calendar year, and by race or ethnic origin in some countries. Estimates were age-standardised with the International Cancer Survival Standard weights. FINDINGS: 5-year survival from colon, rectal, and breast cancers has increased steadily in most developed countries. For patients diagnosed during 2005-09, survival for colon and rectal cancer reached 60% or more in 22 countries around the world; for breast cancer, 5-year survival rose to 85% or higher in 17 countries worldwide. Liver and lung cancer remain lethal in all nations: for both cancers, 5-year survival is below 20% everywhere in Europe, in the range 15-19% in North America, and as low as 7-9% in Mongolia and Thailand. Striking rises in 5-year survival from prostate cancer have occurred in many countries: survival rose by 10-20% between 1995-99 and 2005-09 in 22 countries in South America, Asia, and Europe, but survival still varies widely around the world, from less than 60% in Bulgaria and Thailand to 95% or more in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the USA. For cervical cancer, national estimates of 5-year survival range from less than 50% to more than 70%; regional variations are much wider, and improvements between 1995-99 and 2005-09 have generally been slight. For women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005-09, 5-year survival was 40% or higher only in Ecuador, the USA, and 17 countries in Asia and Europe. 5-year survival for stomach cancer in 2005-09 was high (54-58%) in Japan and South Korea, compared with less than 40% in other countries. By contrast, 5-year survival from adult leukaemia in Japan and South Korea (18-23%) is lower than in most other countries. 5-year survival from childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is less than 60% in several countries, but as high as 90% in Canada and four European countries, which suggests major deficiencies in the management of a largely curable disease. INTERPRETATION: International comparison of survival trends reveals very wide differences that are likely to be attributable to differences in access to early diagnosis and optimum treatment. Continuous worldwide surveillance of cancer survival should become an indispensable source of information for cancer patients and researchers and a stimulus for politicians to improve health policy and health-care systems