Nutritional and antinutritional evaluation of indigenous Ethiopian Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) seed accessions

Okra, of high nutritional potential, is one of the underutilized indigenous vegetables in Ethiopia. A food based-intervention specifically dietary diversification is an affordable and sustainable strategy to meet the demand of adequate food supply and population growth. One way of ensuring dietary diversity is to search and promote underutilized indigenous plant species such as okra. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine nutritional and anti-nutritional factors content of the seeds of eight okra accessions (OPA#1, OPA#2, OPA#3, OPA#4, OPA#5, OPA#6, OPA#7 and OPA#8) grown at Assosa Agricultural Research Center in Benishangul Gumuz region, Ethiopia. Molar ratios of the seeds were also calculated and  compared to the critical values to predict the mineral bioavailability. All the analyses were conducted using official standard procedures and grade standard reagents. The results of this study revealed that the proximate composition (g/100 g) of the seed accessions varied significantly (P<0.05) and had respective ranges for moisture content 9.27-12.70, crude protein 22.51-38.09, crude fat 18.64-36.84, crude fibre 1.94-5.96, crude ash 4.53-6.05, utilizable carbohydrate 18.69-37.77 and metabolisable energy  324.88-423.84 kcal/100g. The mineral composition (mg/100g) also varied significantly (P<0.05) with range of calcium 66.37 to 103.66, iron 8.33 to 20.29, potassium 90.00 to 187.92, zinc 3.92 to 6.42, phosphorus 16.94 to 1497.23 and sodium 15.06 to 27.81. The seeds of accession of OPA#6 contained high amounts of crude protein and fat, whereas OPA#8 was high in calcium, iron and potassium. The range of phytate, tannin and oxalate content (mg/100g) of the seed of okra accessions ranged from 0.39 to 0.46, 0.71 to 3.78, 0.74 to 0.75, respectively. The calculated molar ratios of  phytate:calcium, phytate:iron, phytate:zinc, oxalate:calcium and  phytate*calcium/zinc were 0.0025 to 0.0037, 0.0017 to 0.0041, 0.0063 to 0.106, 0.0020 to 0.0051 and 0.0140 to 0.0175, respectively, below the critical value, indicating high bioavailability of calcium, iron and zinc in all accessions. The results of this study revealed that seeds of okra contain appreciable amounts of essential nutrients and are low in  anti-nutrient content implying high mineral bioavailability. Hence, increasing the production and consumption of these nutrient rich  underutilized okra seeds could help in food fortification, dietary diversification and alleviation of problems associated with malnutrition in the country.Key words: Okra, Seed, Accession, Proximate composition, Minerals,  Anti-nutritional factor

Pangenomics in microbial and crop research: Progress, applications, and perspectives

Advances in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics tools have fueled a renewed interest in whole genome sequencing efforts in many organisms. The growing availability of multiple genome sequences has advanced our understanding of the within-species diversity, in the form of a pangenome. Pangenomics has opened new avenues for future research such as allowing dissection of complex molecular mechanisms and increased confidence in genome mapping. To comprehensively capture the genetic diversity for improving plant performance, the pangenome concept is further extended from species to genus level by the inclusion of wild species, constituting a super-pangenome. Characterization of pangenome has implications for both basic and applied research. The concept of pangenome has transformed the way biological questions are addressed. From understanding evolution and adaptation to elucidating host–pathogen interactions, finding novel genes or breeding targets to aid crop improvement to design effective vaccines for human prophylaxis, the increasing availability of the pangenome has revolutionized several aspects of biological research. The future availability of high-resolution pangenomes based on reference-level near-complete genome assemblies would greatly improve our ability to address complex biological problems

Neutrino Oscillations and Collider Test of the R-parity Violating Minimal Supergravity Model

We study the R-parity violating minimal supergravity models accounting for the observed neutrino masses and mixing, which can be tested in future collider experiments. The bi-large mixing can be explained by allowing five dominant tri-linear couplings $\lambda'_{1,2,3}$ and $\lambda_{1,2}$. The desired ratio of the atmospheric and solar neutrino mass-squared differences can be obtained in a very limited parameter space where the tree-level contribution is tuned to be suppressed. In this allowed region, we quantify the correlation between the three neutrino mixing angles and the tri-linear R-parity violating couplings. Qualitatively, the relations $| \lambda'_1 | < | \lambda'_2| \sim | \lambda'_3|$, and $|\lambda_1| \sim |\lambda_2|$ are required by the large atmospheric neutrino mixing angle $\theta_{23}$ and the small angle $\theta_{13}$, and the large solar neutrino mixing angle $\theta_{12}$, respectively. Such a prediction on the couplings can be tested in the next linear colliders by observing the branching ratios of the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP). For the stau or the neutralino LSP, the ratio $|\lambda_1|^2: |\lambda_2|^2: |\lambda_1|^2 + |\lambda_2|^2$ can be measured by establishing $Br(e\nu): Br(\mu\nu) : Br(\tau\nu)$ or $Br(\nu e^\pm \tau^\mp ): Br(\nu\mu^\pm\tau^\mp) : Br(\nu\tau^\pm\tau^\mp)$, respectively. The information on the couplings $\lambda'_i$ can be drawn by measuring $Br(l_i t \bar{b}) \propto |\lambda'_i|^2$ if the neutralino LSP is heavier than the top quark.Comment: RevTex, 25 pages, 8 eps figure

Neutrino masses in R-parity violating supersymmetric models

We study neutrino masses and mixing in R-parity violating supersymmetric models with generic soft supersymmetry breaking terms. Neutrinos acquire masses from various sources: Tree level neutrino--neutralino mixing and loop effects proportional to bilinear and/or trilinear R-parity violating parameters. Each of these contributions is controlled by different parameters and have different suppression or enhancement factors which we identified. Within an Abelian horizontal symmetry framework these factors are related and specific predictions can be made. We found that the main contributions to the neutrino masses are from the tree level and the bilinear loops and that the observed neutrino data can be accommodated once mild fine-tuning is allowed.Comment: 18 pages; minor typos corrected. To be published in Physical Review

Enzyme Immobilization on Glass Surface for the Development of Phosphate Detection Biosensors

Rosana G. Moreira, Editor-in-Chief; Texas A&M UniversityThis is a paper from International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (CIGR, Commission Internationale du Genie Rural) E-Journal Volume 9 (2007): Enzyme Immobilization on Glass Surface for the Development of Phosphate Detection Biosensors. Manuscript FP 06 019. Vol. IX. April, 2007

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Not AvailableInsect biodiversity of Salt Lake of Great Rann of Kutch in western India has not been studied in detail so far. This region is one of its kinds being a seasonal salt marsh representing India and Pakistan. Shore insects are one of the major invertebrates that inhabit this unique habitat and use carbon source for their growth and are considered as greenhouse pests. To identify these less described insect taxa, first specimens were morphologically delineated the species. Thereafter, DNA barcoding based on COX1 gene was applied to distinguish specimens collected into 9 different species. The quantification of biodiversity revealed that 80% of specimens belonged to Diptera and 10% each of Hymenoptera and Coleoptera. Based on molecular identification, two specimens that had 99% similarity with GenBank sequences were identified up to species level and were designated as Australospesis niveipennis (Diptera: Sepsidae) (insect code as SH6 GenBank accession no. KP227753 and SH7 accession no. KP227754) and one species designated as Atherigona varia (Diptera: Muscidae) (insect code SH2 GenBank accession no. KP227750). Three species were in dentified up to genus level, viz., Musca sp. (Diptera: Muscidae) (insect code SH1 GenBank accession no. KP227749), Microchironomus sp. (Diptera: Chironomidae) (insect code SH4 GenBank accession no. 227752) and Lispe sp. (Diptera: Muscidae) (insect code SH12 GenBank accession no. KP227758). However, other four insects could be identified up to family level only as it has similarity from 77-91% only in GenBank similarity test. These insects belonged to Chloropidae, Staphylinidae and Evaniidae. A monophyletic tree was observed with 4 clades showing interordinal relationship between 7 species of Order Diptera, 1 species of Coleoptera and 1 species of Hymenoptera. The overall transition/transversion bias R was 3.70 and nucleotide composite distance was 0.232, indicating a strong negative correlation trend, which suggests further sampling of these taxa in the Salt Lake area in different seasons.Not Availabl

Elemental composition of aquaculture fish from West Bengal, India: nutrition versus food safety

Aquaculture production continues to grow in West Bengal, where on average people consume 8.2 kg capita−1 of fish each year, and an extensive mosaic of aquaculture ponds has developed along the River Hugli as clay pits are repurposed. The adjacent brickworks and industry (especially tanneries) are a source of environmental pollution, with potential for bioaccumulation of potentially harmful elements (PHEs) in fish farmed in these ponds. Fish from aquaculture present an opportunity to meet food sufficiency in West Bengal; however, an investigation to assess their effectiveness for micronutrient supply balanced against food safety is required. Five ponds close to industrial brick manufacture (urban) and three from rural areas were assessed for the degree of pollution within their pond sediments and waters. Fish were also sampled from each location including a subset from the market in Kolkata to determine the concentrations of PHEs in their fish muscle tissue. Dietary intake and PHE loading were calculated for four fish species to evaluate their nutrient content with respect to recommended daily intakes for adults, e.g. calcium (Ca), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se), and to establish whether the provisional maximum tolerable intakes (PMTIs) are exceeded for PHEs, e.g. aluminium (Al), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), tin (Sn), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb). Preliminary results suggest that aquaculture is making an important contribution to nutrition, with fish being a good source of Se. However, in contrast to small wild-caught fish, aquaculture fish in the present study were poor sources of Fe, Ca and Zn. The fish also made substantial contributions (> 10%) to the PMTI of Hg and As. Therefore, there is an urgent need for ongoing monitoring and an expanded sampling programme, as well as research into approaches which might improve the nutritional quality of the farmed fish

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Not AvailableComparing the performance of sorghum genotypes for charcoal rot resistance in a multilocation trial becomes difficult due to non-uniform disease reactions over locations obtained by applying mean number of nodes cross (MNC) scale. This study analyzed the relationship between disease incidence and severity and developed a disease rating index for use in the multilocation trial. The incidence-severity relationship for the disease was studied based on multilocation and multiyear data sets obtained from the all India coordinated research programme on sorghum. The incidence, severity and relationship between them varied depending on the crop growing environments (year, locations) suggesting that it would be inappropriate to consider incidence in place of severity and vice versa for the measurement of the disease. The reasons for the inconsistent I-S relationship were attributed to the environmental and pathogenic variations across the locations and years. Five charcoal rot rating indices (CRI 1 to CRI 5) were developed combining incidence and severity in different proportions to average out these effects. Suitability of the indices for comparing the performance of sorghum genotypes in the multilocation trials was tested using genotype + genotype-environment (GGE) biplot analysis. CRI 2 that combined incidence and severity in the 40:60 proportions was found to be the most stable index in terms of performance across the locations. CRI 2 rated the charcoal rot reactions of the sorghum genotypes with greater accuracy and reliability (R2 = 0.341, p = 0.001) compared to the existing MNC scale (R2 = 0.001, p = 0.965) in replicated field trials. The index (CRI 2) will help identify disease reactions among sorghum genotypes with greater consistency in multilocation trials.Not Availabl

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