Yield and quality attributes with seasonal variation in Napier Bajra hybrid (Pennisetum purpureum × Pennisetum glaucum) under different nitrogen environments

Field experiment was conducted during kharif season of 2013 in randomized block design using three nitrogen doses (50, 75 and 100 kgN/ha) with three replications for Napier Bajra hybrid. Three nitrogen fertilizers, potassium nitrate (KNO3), urea [CO(NH2)2] and ammonium sulphate [(NH4)2SO4] were used in divided doses. The crop was harvested four times in different seasons. Growth attributes viz. plant height (72.6cm), number of tillers per plant (20.1) and leaf length (91.2) found highest at 100 kgN/ha doses and maximum values were recorded in monsoon season. Green fodder yield (321.0 q/ha) and dry fodder yield (79.6 q/ha) were recorded highest with KNO3 fertilization and found maximum in monsoon season. Among all the harvest seasons, crude protein yield (19.1 q/ha) was observed maximum in summer season. Quality attributes viz. ether extract (2.6%), ash content (12.9%) and in vitro dry matter digestibility (62.6%) were observed highest in summer season. Crude fibre, neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre decreased with increased level of nitrogen doses and observed maximum in monsoon season

Evaluation of Quality Traits of Nitrogen Treated Napier Bajra Hybrid Plants in Different Cuts Using Different Nitrogen Sources

Napier Bajra Hybrid, cv PBN-233 is a inter-specific hybrid between Pennisetum glaucum × Pennisetum purpureum. It is an important fast growing multi-cut fodder crop and provides fodder from April to November. It is widely distributed in sub-tropical regions of Asia, Africa, southern Europe and America. Nitrogen (N) is a fundamental regulator of plant growth and its supply strongly influence plant growth. In general, the availability of the nutrients influences the quality of various crops. Due to this reason, nitrogen fertilizers were increasingly used in agricultural sectors around the world. Some researchers reported that forage quality increased with nitrogen fertilization but nitrogen use efficiency declined. The increase in nitrogen fertilization improved considerably nitrogen uptake and would contributed to large photosynthetic activity and synthesis of higher protein content. Forages with high concentrations of crude protein (CP) considered of high quality because feeding high protein forage cut down the need of supplementary protein. Generally, high protein forages are more digestible and provide more energy than low protein forages. CP content generally decreased with the advancement of the plant growth due to synthesis of structural carbohydrates with advancing plant age. The declined protein content concentration was also attributed to reduction in leaf to stem ratio with advancing age. Neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) are regarded as good indicators of forage quality because of their negative relation to digestibility in animals. Low NDF containing forage preferred by animals than high NDF ones. High NDF content in forages not only decreased intake, but also reduces the availability of energy for higher milk production. Increased supply of nitrogen and other nutrients increased the protein content whereas decreased the NDF and ADF content. Therefore, an attempt was made to evaluate the effect of different nitrogen levels and sources on quality traits of Napier Bajra hybrid in different cuts

Bio-processing of Agro-industrial Wastes for Production of Food-grade Enzymes: Progress and Prospects

Background and Objectives: In the era of global industrialization, enzymes are being used extensively in the various sectors including food processing. Owing to the high price of enzymes, various initiatives have been undertaken by the R&D sector for the development of new processes or improvement in the existing processes for production of cost effective enzymes. With the advancement in the field of biotechnology, different bioprocesses are being used for utilization of different agro-industrial residues for the production of various enzymes. This review focuses on different types of agro-industrial wastes and their utilization in the production of enzymes. The present scenario as well as the future scope of utilization of enzymes in the food industry has also been discussed.Results and Conclusion: The regulations from the various governmental as well as environmental agencies for the demand of cleaner environment have led to the advancement in various technologies for utilization of the wastes for the production of value-added products such as enzymes. Among the different types of fermentation, maximum work has been carried under solid state conditions by batch fermentation. The research has indicated the significant potential of agro-industrial wastes for production of food-grade enzymes in order to improve the economics of the process.Conflict of interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest

Proizvodnja fruktooligosaharida iz inulina pomoću endoinulinaza i njihov prebiotički učinak

The production and applications of food-grade oligosaccharides are increasing rapidly. Amongst them, fructooligosaccharides represent one of their major classes in terms of production. They are relatively new functional food ingredients that have great potential as prebiotics, apart from having a number of desirable characteristics which are beneficial to the health of consumers. These are manufactured either by transfructosylation of sucrose using ß-fructofuranosidases or hydrolysis of inulin by endoinulinases. Inulin, a polyfructan, occurs as a reserve carbohydrate in many plant families, representing more than 30 000 species. It is a potent substrate both for the production of inulinases and fructooligosaccharides. The review focuses on the recent developments in the production of fructooligosaccharides from inulin by endoinulinases, their prebiotic potential, functionalities and applications in food industry, and future perspectives.Proizvodnja i primjena oligosaharida u prehrambenoj industriji sve je učestalija, a najzastupljeniji su fruktooligosaharidi. Od nedavno se koriste kao funkcionalni sastojci hrane, jer zbog prebiotičkog učinka i niza drugih osobina povoljno utječu na zdravlje potrošača. Dobivaju se transfruktozilacijom saharoze pomoću β-fruktofuranozidaza ili hidrolizom inulina pomoću endoinulinaza. Inulin je polifruktan koji se kao rezerva ugljikohidrata nalazi u više od 30 000 vrsta biljaka. Dobar je supstrat za proizvodnju inulinaza i fruktooligosaharida. Ovaj revijalni prikaz obuhvaća novija dostignuća u proizvodnji fruktooligosaharida iz inulina pomoću endoinulinaza, njihova prebiotička svojstva, funkcionalnost i mogućnost primjene u prehrambenoj industriji

Biodegradable Eri silk nanoparticles as a delivery vehicle for bovine lactoferrin against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells

This study used the Eri silk nanoparticles (NPs) for delivering apo-bovine lactoferrin (Apo-bLf) (~2% iron saturated) and Fe-bLf (100% iron saturated) in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. Apo-bLf and Fe-bLf-loaded Eri silk NPs with sizes between 200 and 300 nm (±10 nm) showed a significant internalization within 4 hours in MDA-MB-231 cells when compared to MCF-7 cells. The ex vivo loop assay with chitosan-coated Fe-bLf-loaded silk NPs was able to substantiate its future use in oral administration and showed the maximum absorption within 24 hours by ileum. Both Apo-bLf and Fe-bLf induced increase in expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 and lactoferrin receptor in epidermal growth factor (EGFR)-positive MDA-MB-231 cells, while transferrin receptor (TfR) and TfR2 in MCF-7 cells facilitated the receptor-mediated endocytosis of NPs. Controlled and sustained release of both bLf from silk NPs was shown to induce more cancer-specific cytotoxicity in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells compared to normal MCF-10A cells. Due to higher degree of internalization, the extent of cytotoxicity and apoptosis was significantly higher in MDA-MB-231 (EGFR+) cells when compared to MCF-7 (EGFR-) cells. The expression of a prominent anticancer target, survivin, was found to be downregulated at both gene and protein levels. Taken together, all the observations suggest the potential use of Eri silk NPs as a delivery vehicle for an anti-cancer milk protein, and indicate bLf for the treatment of breast cancer

Effect of weed management on weeds, growth and yield of toria

ABSTRACT A field experiment was carried out at Ludhiana, Punjab during 2009 and 2010 to study the effect of different weed control treatments on growth and yield of rapeseed. Eight herbicide treatments, viz. trifluralin at 0.48 kg and 0.60 kg/ha (pre-plant and pre-emergence), pendimethalin at 0.56 kg and 0.75 kg/ha (preemergence), pendimethalin at 0.75 kg/ha (pre-plant) and oxyfluorfen at 0.25 kg/ha (pre-emergence), two hand weeding (25 and 45 days after sowing) and unweeded control were kept. Two hand weedings, preplant application of trifluralin at 0.60 kg/ha, and pre-plant and pre-emergence application of pendimethalin at 0.70 kg/ha significantly decreased dry weight of associated weeds as compared to unweeded control. Weed control efficiency recorded similar trend as of dry matter of weeds. Accordingly, the increased with application of these weed control treatments. Key words: Pendimethalin, Oxyflourfen, Trifluralin, Toria, Yield Among the various oilseeds grown in India, rapeseed and mustard group is the second most important crop after groundnut, contributing nearly 18% of the total oilseed production in the country. These crops are grown on an area of 5.59 million ha with a production of about 6.61 million tonnes, out of which Punjab occupies 30,000 ha and produces 39,000 tonnes, respectively (Anonymous, 2011). The agro-climatic conditions in Punjab are congenial for the production of oilseed crops. Rapeseed (toria) is an important oilseed crop. Adoption of high-yielding varieties with the judicious use of inputs and irrigation plays an important role in boosting its production. As it is exclusively grown under irrigated conditions, problem of weeds poses a serious threat to its potential production. The crop is infested with both grasses and broad-leaved weeds, which pose a serious competition during early period of crop growth, and reduce seed yield by 15-20% (Brar et al. 1991). Weeds cause enormous damage to the mustard and the magnitude of losses ranges from 30-50%, depending upon the growth and persistence of weed population MATERIALS AND METHODS The field investigation was carried out for two years at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during 2009 and 2010. The soil of the experimental field was loamy sand in texture, low in organic C, low in available N (230 kg/ha), medium in available P (18.6 kg/ha), available K (150 kg/ ha), and neutral in reaction. The trial was laid out in randomized block design with four replications. Among the herbicidal treatments, trifluralin at 0.48 kg and 0.60 kg/ha, pendimethalin at 0.56 kg and 0.75 kg/ha as pre-emergance, pendimethalin 0.75 kg/ha as pre-plant and oxyfluorfen at 0.25 kg/ha were applied pre-emergence. In addition, two hand weedings (25 and 45 days after sowing) and unweeded control were also kept for comparison. The sowing of rapeseed (toria) variety 'TL 15' was done during mid-September, using a seed rate of 3.75 kg/ ha at a distance of 30 cm in rows. Plant to plant distance of 10 cm was maintained by thinning after 20 days of sowing. All the nutrients, i.e. 62 kg N and 20 kg P 2 O 5 /ha were applied at the time of sowing. Herbicides were sprayed after dissolving in water as per the treatment with knapsack sprayer fitted with flat fan nozzle using a spray volume of 375 litres/ha. The data on dry matter production by weeds was recorded at 45 days after sowing with the help of quadrat (30 × 30 cm) placed randomly at two spots in each plot. Observations on plant height, branches/ plant and siliqua/plant were recorded at harvest from randomly selected five plants from each treated plot. Crop was raised using recommended agronomic practices and protected against insects and diseases. The data on weeds were subjected to square root transformation to normalize their distribution. Weed control efficiency was calculated by using standard formul

Deciphering a transcriptional regulatory code: modeling short-range repression in the Drosophila embryo

A well-defined set of transcriptional regulatory modules was created and analyzed in the Drosophila embryo.Fractional occupancy-based models were developed to explain the interaction of short range transcriptional repressors with endogenous activators by using quantitative data from these modules.Our fractional occupancy-based modeling uncovered specific quantitative features of short-range repressors; a complex nonlinear quenching relationship, similar quenching efficiencies for different activators, and modest levels of cooperativityThe extension of the study to endogenous enhancers highlighted several features of enhancer architecture design in Drosophila embryos

Association of Ambulatory Hemodynamic Monitoring With Clinical Outcomes in a Concurrent Matched Control Analysis.

Importance: In a randomized clinical trial, heart failure (HF) hospitalizations were lower in patients managed with guidance from an implantable pulmonary artery pressure sensor compared with usual care. It remains unclear if ambulatory monitoring could also improve long-term clinical outcomes in real-world practice. Objective: To determine the association between ambulatory hemodynamic monitoring and rates of HF hospitalization at 12 months in clinical practice. Design, Setting, and Participants: This case-control study of Medicare beneficiaries used claims data collected between June 1, 2014, and March 31, 2016. Medicare patients who received implants of a pulmonary artery pressure sensor were identified from the 100% Medicare claims database. Each patient who received an implant was matched to a control patient by demographic features, history of HF hospitalization, and number of all-cause hospitalizations. Propensity scoring based on comorbidities (arrhythmia, hypertension, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and renal disease) was used for additional matching. Data analysis was completed from July 2017 through January 2019. Exposures: Implantable pulmonary artery pressure monitoring system. Main Outcomes and Measures: The rates of HF hospitalization were compared using the Andersen-Gill method. Days lost owing to events were compared using a nonparametric bootstrap method. Results: The study cohort consisted of 1087 patients who received an implantable pulmonary artery pressure sensors and 1087 matched control patients. The treatment and control cohorts were well matched by age (mean [SD], 72.7 [10.2] years vs 72.9 [10.1] years) and sex (381 of 1087 female patients [35.1%] in each group), medical history, comorbidities, and timing of preimplant HF hospitalization. At 12 months postimplant, 616 HF hospitalizations occurred in the treatment cohort compared with 784 HF hospitalizations in the control cohort. The rate of HF hospitalization was lower in the treatment cohort at 12 months postimplant (hazard ratio [HR], 0.76 [95% CI, 0.65-0.89]; P \u3c .001). The percentage of days lost to HF hospitalizations or death were lower in the treatment group (HR, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.64-0.84]; P \u3c .001) and the percentage of days lost owing to all-cause hospitalization or death were also lower (HR, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.68-0.88]; P \u3c .001). Conclusions and Relevance: Patients with HF who were implanted with a pulmonary artery pressure sensor had lower rates of HF hospitalization than matched controls and spent more time alive out of hospital. Ambulatory hemodynamic monitoring may improve outcomes in patients with chronic HF