Synthetic seeds: A review in agriculture and forestry

Production of synthetic seeds has unraveled new vistas in in vitro plant propagation technology, because it offers many useful advantages on a commercial scale for the propagation of a variety of crop plants. These tools provide methods for production of synthetic seeds for conversion into plantlets under in vitro and in vivo conditions. This technology is useful for multiplying and conserving the elite agricultural and endangered medicinal plant species, which are difficult to regenerate through conventional methods and natural seeds. The synthetic seed technology was developed in different economically important plant species such as vegetable crops, forage legumes, industrially important crops, cereals, spices, plantation crops, fruit crops, ornamental plants, orchids, medicinal plants and wood yielding forest trees etc. All these aspects are presented in this review.Key words: Synthetic seeds, in vitro, in vivo plant propagation

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Not AvailableFlue cued Virginia (FCV) tobacco is an important commercial crop grown under rainfed conditions (>70% area) in Southern Transitional Zone (STZ) of Karnataka and is typically characterized by drysub humid to semi-arid climate. Being a rainfed production system, the sustainable leaf productivity and cured leaf quality / chemistry is largely influenced by climate changes and prevailing weather situations during the crop growth period. Even though Meteorological Standard Week 26th was found to be a dry spell week indicating that the short term drought can occur during the active growth stage of the crop, the fluctuations or the coefficient of variations in rainfall (RF) intensity and rainy days of July month are very high enough (46.3 and 39.8%, respectively) to cause serious losses in productivity and leaf quality. Regression models based on RF data of 34 years (1981-2014) indicated that productivity followed sigmoid/ bell shaped curve with the July RF. Nicotine content in cured leaf found to be negatively correlated with increase in quantum of July RF, but on the other hand reducing sugars found to increase with increase in July RF. Leaf chlorides showed declining trend with increased rainfall. The study suggested that the reliable forecast of July month rainfall situation becomes very much relevant in determining not only yield estimates/ quality assessment, but also serves for planning possible climate mitigation/crop management strategies for maintaining better productivity and quality leaf required for sustaining the export potential and farm income in this rainfed agro-climatic zone.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableFlue cued Virginia (FCV) tobacco is an important commercial crop grown under rainfed conditions (>70% area) in Southern Transitional Zone (STZ) of Karnataka and is typically characterized by drysub humid to semi-arid climate. Being a rainfed production system, the sustainable leaf productivity and cured leaf quality / chemistry is largely influenced by climate changes and prevailing weather situations during the crop growth period. Even though Meteorological Standard Week 26th was found to be a dry spell week indicating that the short term drought can occur during the active growth stage of the crop, the fluctuations or the coefficient of variations in rainfall (RF) intensity and rainy days of July month are very high enough (46.3 and 39.8%, respectively) to cause serious losses in productivity and leaf quality. Regression models based on RF data of 34 years (1981-2014) indicated that productivity followed sigmoid/ bell shaped curve with the July RF. Nicotine content in cured leaf found to be negatively correlated with increase in quantum of July RF, but on the other hand reducing sugars found to increase with increase in July RF. Leaf chlorides showed declining trend with increased rainfall. The study suggested that the reliable forecast of July month rainfall situation becomes very much relevant in determining not only yield estimates/ quality assessment, but also serves for planning possible climate mitigation/crop management strategies for maintaining better productivity and quality leaf required for sustaining the export potential and farm income in this rainfed agro-climatic zone.Not Availabl

OPTIMIZED PLANT TISSUE CULTURE PROTOCOL FOR IN VITRO MORPHOGENESIS OF AN ENDANGERED MEDICINAL HERB Ceropegia ensifolia Bedd.

In the present study effect of different concentrations of sucrose and Thidiazuron (TDZ) on in vitro morphogenesis of C. ensifolia was investigated and rapid micropropagation protocol was developed from in vitro derived nodal explants. Among the sucrose concentrations tested, medium concentration (3%) of sucrose induced maximum number of healthy shoots (6.5±0.68). The shoots formed in this concentration are normal and elongated rapidly. Whereas at higher concentrations delayed shoot induction with stout shoots stunted in their growth was observed. Among different concentrations of TDZ tested healthy shoots with well developed leaves were formed in lower concentration i.e. 0.2 mg/l. the number of shoots formed in this concentration was limited to 3.6±0.18 shoots/explant. The shoots raised in vitro were best rooted on MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/l α-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) in combination with 0.05 mg/l 6-Benzyladenine (BAP). The maximum root induction (84%) with mean number of roots  of 6.7±0.26 and with mean root length 3.5±0.28 cm was observed after six weeks of inoculation. Complete plantlets developed in vitro were acclimatized successfully with 85% survival in field conditions.

Prevalence and risk-factors of early childhood caries among 2–6-year-old Anganwadi children in Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh, India: A cross-sectional survey

Purpose/Objectives: The objective of this study is to study the prevalence and associated risk determinants of early childhood caries (ECC) among preschool children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was designed to assess the ECC prevalence and associated risk factors among preschool children in Anganwadi of Nellore district using a standardized questionnaire. Results: A total of 550 study participants of age 2–6 years are enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Mean age of the participants was 4.39 ± 0.89 years. Most of the study participants (38%) were in the age of 5 years. When gender wise comparison was made girls represented 62% and boys 38% of the total population. When the risk factors were assessed for their association with caries experience, socioeconomic status, mother's schooling at child's birth, duration of using bottle, and bottle feeding while sleeping and plaque scores showed significant association with caries experience. Conclusion: ECC was more prevalent among 5-year-old children as compared to other age groups and moreover demographic factors such as mother's occupation, education, socioeconomic status, developmental characteristics such as enamel hypoplasia, feeding habits like prolonged and nocturnal bottle feeding and clinical parameters like plaque scores showed significant correlation with ECC

Micropropagation of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Stemona tuberosa</i> Lour.—An endangered and rare medicinal plant in Eastern Ghats of India

420-424An in vitro technique of multiple plantlet regeneration was developed for conservation of endangered wild medicinal plant Stemona tuberosa Lour.. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 7.0 mg/L Kn (kinetin) was found to be the optimum for axillary bud proliferation and multiple shoot induction. Excision and culture of nodal segments from the in vitro-shoots on medium containing 7.0 mg/L Kn and 4.0 mg/L TDZ (thidiazuron) showed maximum number of shoot multiplication with 7.10±0.37 shoots/node. Rapid shoot growth with simultaneous tuberous root formation was also observed in the same concentration. Shoots developed were rooted best on ½ strength MS with 1.0 mg/L IAA (indole acetic acid). Plantlets established in pots exhibited 85% survival. Plantlets successfully established in field exhibited morphological characters identical to mother plants. </span

Cognizance and social attitudes regarding tobacco control laws in and around educational institutions of Nellore city, India

INTRODUCTION: Indian national law namely Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) exists since 2003 and aims at protecting all the people in our country, but smoking is still prevalent among people. This study was aimed to assess awareness, attitudes, and practices regarding prohibition of sale of tobacco products near educational institutions of Nellore city, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in degree colleges of Nellore city of Andhra Pradesh. The study population includes institutional personnel (student, teaching staff, nonteaching staff, and workers) of selected degree colleges of Nellore city. A structured questionnaire was designed for this study which was validated by Davis criteria; reliability was assessed by test–retest design. The questionnaire was divided into five parts consisting of demographic details (age and gender), smoking behavior, knowledge about tobacco control laws, attitudes toward the law and policies, and practices followed in the institution. Logistic regression analysis was used to find out the association between different independent variables to tobacco usage among institutional personnel. RESULTS: Among the study population (n = 400 [100%]), 75.8% of the teaching staff do not know that there should be a board in the institution saying that “sale of tobacco product in an area within the radius of 100 m of educational institution is strictly prohibited,” 82.2% of the study population were not aware to whom should they report, 96.3% of the study population accepted that strict execution of COTPA law saves life, the participants who answered no to strict implementation of COTPA law, and to punish the person who is violating the COTPA law are susceptible to 0.28, and 0.14 times greater odds to be a smokeless tobacco user, respectively. CONCLUSION: The study concluded that there was lack of knowledge about smoke-free legislation among the study population and a high support for strict implementation of COTPA

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Not AvailableTobacco is very sensitive to nitrogen fertilization and leaf being the economic product, nitrogen plays a key role in realizing optimum yields and quality. The nitrogen use efficiency in Northern Light Soils (NLS) area seldom exceeds 50%, hence, identification of genotypes with higher nitrogenuse-efficiency (NUE) may be a promising strategy to reduce the application of N fertilizer. A field experiment was conducted during 2011-12 crop season at CTRI Research Station, Jeelugumilli to evaluate the flue-cured tobacco genotypes for nitrogen use efficiency. Treatments includes eighteen flue-cured tobacco genotypes (16/103, Mc Nair-12, CM-12, Kanchan, TOBIOS-2, RT-31-1, RT40-1, RT-42-1, RT-46-1, RT-51-2, RT-52-3, RT-571, RT-62-1, RT-102-1, ABL-8-1, ABL-10-1, ABL-491 and NLSH-1) grown with (120 kg N/ha) and without N in three replications. Results revealed that fluecured tobacco genotypes showed differential response to applied nitrogen. The cured leaf yield of genotypes without N application ranged from 744 to 1244 kg/ha with an average of 1006 kg/ha. The yield of 18 genotypes grown with N (120 kg N/ha) varied between 1606 to 2722 kg/ha with an average of 2370 kg/ha. The genotypes which produced higher yields than the average under no nitrogen and 120 kg N/ha were considered as genotypes with higher use efficiency and high yield potential respectively. Based on that criterion, the genotypes 16/103, RT-31-1, RT-52-1, RT-57-1, RT-62-1, ABL8-1, ABL-10-1, ABL-49-1 and NLSH-1 have higher efficiency and the genotypes viz., RT-57-1, RT-512, NLSH-1, ABL-8-1, RT-42-1, ABL-49-1, RT-62-1, RT-102-1 and RT-31-1 have high yield potential. The Agronomic use efficiency (AE) of the genotypes varied between to 5.74 to 15.14 kg/kg with an average of 13.37 kg/kg. The genotypes which showed more than average AE were considered as nitrogen responsive genotypes. The genotypes viz., TOBIOS-2, RT-40-1, RT-42-1, RT-46-1, RT-51-2, RT57-1, RT-62-1, RT-102-1, ABL-8-1, ABL-49-1 and NLSH-1 showed higher responsiveness to nitrogen. The genotypes which recorded higher yield under no nitrogen and 120 kg N/ha and more AE are considered as efficient and responsive genotypes with high yield potential. From this study it can be inferred that among the flue-cured tobacco genotypes evaluated, RT-51-2, RT-57-1, RT-62-1, ABL-8-1, ABL-49-1 and NLSH-1 can be selected as nitrogen use efficient genotypes with high yield potential.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableA field experiment was conducted during rabi, 2007-08 and 2008-09 at Jeelugumilli, Andhra Pradesh under irrigated Alfisols conditions to find out the effect of levels of nitrogen and potash on growth, yield and nutrient uptake pattern of flue-cured Virginia tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) cv. Kanchan which is a heavy feeder and high yielder. The results of the experiment revealed that leaf dry weight increased from 30-90 days after planting with increase in N dose from 90 to 140 kg N/ha. Maximum accumulation of leaf dry weight was observed between 60-90 days after planting. Stem and root dry weight increased up to 120 days after planting during both the years. Green leaf yield and cured leaf yield increased progressively and significantly with increase in the N level from 90 to 140 kg N/ha. Higher grade index was recorded at 115 kg N/ha followed by 140 and 90 kg N/ha. The concentration of nitrogen in the leaf increased with increase in nitrogen dose but decreased with increase in level of potassium at the same nitrogen level. Nitrogen uptake increased with increased levels of N and K. Potassium content was high in the initial stages and slowly decreased with the advance in the age of the crop. Initially the difference in the uptake of N and K was narrow, the ratio widened with the age of the crop and finally the ratio was 1:1.3 to 1.4. Higher K uptake in leaf was observed at 115 kg N and while, higher K uptake in stem and root were observed at 140 kg N with 140 kg K2O /ha. The chemical quality parameters, viz. reducing sugars and nicotine in leaf lamina were within the acceptable limits. Higher green leaf yield, cured leaf yield, nitrogen and potassium uptake were recorded with application of 140 kg each of N and K2O/ha in FCV tobacco cv. Kanchan in irrigated Alfisols of Andhra Pradesh.Not Availabl