Evaluation of genetic variability between yellow vein mosaic disease resistant gamma-irradiated okra mutant and parent

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) is a member of the Malvaceae family. It has been cultivated as one of the most important fruit vegetables in various tropical countries. In okra, the Yellow Vein Mosaic Disease (YVMD) is caused by more than ten different viruses and the widespread incidence of disease transmitted by the vector Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) has highly affected the successful cultivation and production of the crop. Mutation breeding using radiations is one of the promising methods to get disease resistant elite cultivars of various crops. In this study, attempts were made to evaluate the genetic variability of gamma-ray irradiated mutant of okra. Four ISSR primers generated 26 amplified fragments. Of the 26 fragments, the lowest number of fragments (5) was produced by the primer ISSR12. Between the parent (P) and mutant (M4; mutant from fourth-generation) varieties of okra, primer ISSR07, primer ISSR16 and primer ISSR21 produced two monomorphic bands and three polymorphic bands (60% polymorphism) whereas primer ISSR12 produced one monomorphic band and three polymorphic bands (75% polymorphism). The mean percentage of polymorphism generated by four primers was 63.75%. Although the level of polymorphism exhibited by different primers varied from intermediate (60%) to high (75%), all primers could distinguish parent and gamma-irradiated mutant varieties of okra

A new variety of Alseodaphne semecarpifolia Nees (Lauraceae) from the Western Ghats of Kerala, India

A new variety from the Western Ghats of Kerala, Alseodaphne semecarpifolia Nees var. malabarica var. nov. is described and illustrated. It chiefly differs from its most morphologically similar taxon A. semecarpifolia Nees var. angustifolia Meisn., in having thickly coriaceous, considerably smaller leaves and entire margin; ferruginous tomentose apical bud; sparsely puberulent inflorescence; 2-loculed third whorl of stamens; glabrous, greenish fruit pedicel

Evolutionary history of Kingiodendron pinnatum (Fabaceae: Caesalpinoideae), an endangered species of Western Ghats, India: A phylogeographical approach

Palaeoclimatic conditions and the Palghat Gap (PG), an ancient geological break, influence structuring of genetic diversity in the Western Ghats (WG) of India. The present study describes the first approach of its kind on a plant species in the WG to decipher its evolutionary history by testing three hypotheses: (1) PG acts as a geographical barrier and forms two distinct phylogroups; (2) speciation and diversification occurred before Pleistocene glaciations; and (3) no distributional shifts have occurred since the late Pleistocene. The trnH?psbA and trnL?trnF markers were sequenced from leaf samples of Kingiodendron pinnatum collected from 14 populations across its geographical distribution. Two divergent haplogroups were found to the North and South of PG, with 13 and 12 haplotypes, respectively. A dated phylogenetic tree of haplotypes reveals the time of divergence between these groups as ~14.62 Mya. Diffusion analysis predicts the most probable origin of diversification to be in central Kerala. Niche modelling suggests that the potential distributional range of K. pinnatum in the present conditions covers a larger area than that predicted for the Last Glacial Maximum. Thus, only the first and second hypotheses are accepted. The predicted future distribution suggests that two subgroups in the southern group should be treated as evolutionarily significant unitsFil: Raveendran Nair, Rahul. Centre For Evolutionary Ecology, Aushmath,biosciences; IndiaFil: Karumathil, Sudeesh. Centre for Evolutionary Ecology, Aushmath Biosciences; IndiaFil: Udayan, Punnakkal Sreedharan. Department Of Botany, Sree Krishna College; IndiaFil: Prakashkumar, Raveendran Pillai. Centre for Evolutionary Ecology, Aushmath Biosciences; IndiaFil: Sersic, Alicia Noemi. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentin