Approaches in biotechnological applications of natural polymers

Natural polymers, such as gums and mucilage, are biocompatible, cheap, easily available and non-toxic materials of native origin. These polymers are increasingly preferred over synthetic materials for industrial applications due to their intrinsic properties, as well as they are considered alternative sources of raw materials since they present characteristics of sustainability, biodegradability and biosafety. As definition, gums and mucilages are polysaccharides or complex carbohydrates consisting of one or more monosaccharides or their derivatives linked in bewildering variety of linkages and structures. Natural gums are considered polysaccharides naturally occurring in varieties of plant seeds and exudates, tree or shrub exudates, seaweed extracts, fungi, bacteria, and animal sources. Water-soluble gums, also known as hydrocolloids, are considered exudates and are pathological products; therefore, they do not form a part of cell wall. On the other hand, mucilages are part of cell and physiological products. It is important to highlight that gums represent the largest amounts of polymer materials derived from plants. Gums have enormously large and broad applications in both food and non-food industries, being commonly used as thickening, binding, emulsifying, suspending, stabilizing agents and matrices for drug release in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In the food industry, their gelling properties and the ability to mold edible films and coatings are extensively studied. The use of gums depends on the intrinsic properties that they provide, often at costs below those of synthetic polymers. For upgrading the value of gums, they are being processed into various forms, including the most recent nanomaterials, for various biotechnological applications. Thus, the main natural polymers including galactomannans, cellulose, chitin, agar, carrageenan, alginate, cashew gum, pectin and starch, in addition to the current researches about them are reviewed in this article.. }To the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientfíico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for fellowships (LCBBC and MGCC) and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nvíel Superior (CAPES) (PBSA). This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, the Project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462) and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) (JAT)

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Not AvailableSesame and its oil has numerous health and industrial benefits and is widely used for baking, medicine, cosmetics and animal feeds. In India sesame is grown in 15.8 lakh ha with a production of 7.92 lakh tons and with an average productivity of 500 kg/ha. (Department of agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers welfare. Third Advance Estimates of Production of Commercial Crops for 2020-21). Sesame is predominantly cultivated during kharif season (Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat) followed by summer season (after late paddy or potato harvest in Odisha) and as pre kharif and rabi crop in parts of Southern India. The productivity is low during kharif season (150-800 kg/ha) when compared with summer season (650-1000 kg/ha). Photo and thermo sensitivity of the crop and genotype x environment interaction restrict the breeders to develop varieties specific to season and region. Development of sesame populations which have broad genetic base with favourable alleles is the need of the hour to obtain genotypes with photo and thermo insensitivity. Population developed involving diverse multiparents is expected to have higher recombination and consequent genetic diversity. In this regard, a MAGIC population was developed using eight diverse parents/varieties grown in different agro-ecological regions of India viz., E-8 (Karnataka ; kharif), GT-2 (Gujarat ;kharif), HT-1 (Haryana; kharif), Phule til (Maharashtra; kharif), RT-351 (Rajasthan; kharif), Swetha til (Telangana ;summer), TKG-22 (Madhya Pradesh; kharif) and VRI-3 (Tamil Nadu; summer) by single capsule descent approach. The F5 RIL’S possess wide genetic base for most of the agronomic and yield traits. This MAGIC population would beuseful to map QTL’s linked to traits of interest with higher resolution and can also serve as a source material for further molecular studies.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableThe present investigation was framed to understand the genetics and development of conspicuous purple coloured corolla tip flower and multicapsules at axil in sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) from the cross between genotypes IC-205776 ($) 9 EC-118591 (#). The conspicuous corolla lip colour is recessive in expression and under digenic control, differing from the earlier reports. The ratio at F2 generation was best fit for 13:3 indicating inhibitory gene action for purple corolla lip colour. Among two genes, one acts as an inhibitory gene at recessive condition to produce conspicuous purple corolla lip colour. Multicapsules/axil is dominant in expression, controlled by more than one gene. The ratio of multiple capsules/axil and single capsules/axil at F2 generation was the best fit for the ratio 11:5 indicating dominance modification of duplicate genes for a number of capsules per axil. Single capsule/axil results due to dominance modification of duplicate genes where the homozygous condition of one gene reverses the dominance relation of another gene in heterozygous condition. Joint segregation analysis indicated independent segregation of corolla lip colour and capsule number per axil.ICA

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Not AvailableNot AvailableVietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), Vietnam and conducted at ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad, Indi

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Not AvailablePandey BB, Ramya KT, Ratnakumar P, Guhey A, Bairav PL (2022) Agricultural Drone is a modern and contemporary version of precision agriculture. Krishisewa. 1-4Not Availabl

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Not AvailableFemale agonid wasps, pollinators of monoecious figs, on entering a syconium (foundresses) are trapped in it and are committed to share the limited resources (flowers) with other foundresses. Hence, foundresses need to ensure that they choose the most suitable syconium. In three fig–wasp associations, we analysed if foundresses could indeed discriminate among syconia of different resource levels. In Ficus benghalensis, F. microcarpa and F. racemosa, the foundress wasps could easily discriminate between the empty and wasp-laden syconia and preferred to enter the former than the latter. Further, in two of these species (F. benghalensis and F. microcarpa), the speciesspecific foundresses were also capable of quantitatively assessing loads of the foundresses in the syconia on the basis of wings left behind at and around the ostiole. The wings load on the ostiole was strongly correlated to the foundresses loads. Foundresses preferred entering those syconia from which the wings were removed to those on which the wings were retained. The extent to which the foundresses preferred to enter the syconia was found to be influenced by the density of wings at and around the ostiole. Adding wings artificially to the empty syconia also deterred the foundresses from entering them, suggesting that these residual wings serve as negative feedback regulators for the preference and entry of foundresses. Thus, we show that pollinator wasps of fig–wasp associations choose the most suitable syconia to enter as long as they have opportunityNot Availabl

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This paper highlights the observations made regarding the influence of environmental factors on genetic purity of hybrid seed produced during the participatory seed production oftwo castor hybrids viz., DCH 177 (DPC 9 x DCS-9) and DCH-519 (M 574 x DCS 78) in two villages of Mahabubnagar district, Telangana. Preliminary observations indicated that development of environmentally sensitive interspersed staminate flowers (ISF) on istillate lines was influenced by their genetic nature, soil and agronomic management of crop as well as weather parameters. Higher incidence of ISF was observed in shallow and red soils irrigated by furrow method compared to medium/deep, clay loamy and black soils irrigated and fertigated by drip method, leading to higher number of selfed female plants, low genetic purity of certified hybrid seed (32°C temperature) increased the number of ISF in primary spike order itself and later decreased in subsequent spike orders owing to decreased temperatures. Incidence of whiteflies and Spodoptera was particularly high in intensively cultivated agro-ecosystems. Small and marginal farmers depending on family labour were better suited for hybrid seed production of castor. Selection of suitable agro-ecosystem, farmers and their training, and genetic nature of parents proved to be critical requirements for hybrid seed production in castor.ICA