Comportamiento de híbridos de maíz y aptitud combinatoria de líneas con caracteres contrastantes.

Se identificaron doce líneas con mazorca larga y doce líneas con mazorca gruesa. Las cruzas simples fueron evaluadas bajo un diseño de látice simple 12 x 12 en cinco ambientes duran-te 1995. Estimaciones de aptitud combinatoria general (ACG) y específica (ACE) para rendimiento de grano se calcularon con análisis de línea x probador. La línea Pob.21xPob.43 registró el valor más alto de ACG (0,58 t/ha) dentro de líneas con mazorca larga, mientras que en el grupo de líneas con mazorca gruesa el valor más alto de ACG (0,48 t/ha) fue para la línea 19 (Pob.25). El más alto rendimiento (8,35 t/ha) fue para la cruza 4 x 22 (Pob.21xPob.43) x (Pob.32). Se muestra la importancia de considerar el uso de líneas con caracteres contrastantes y su patrón heterótico en el desarrollo de híbridos para maximizar el comportamiento de la Fl

Genic and genetic drift effects associated with intrapopulation recurrent selection in the SA3 maize population

Foram avaliados os efeitos da seleção recorrente intrapopulacional e da oscilação genética na população de milho (Zea mays L.) SA3 tolerante a solos ácidos, submetida a 20 ciclos de seleção. Utilizaram-se amostras de oito ciclos seletivos, com o objetivo de estimar as respostas à seleção para produção de grãos e outros caracteres agronômicos, utilizando o modelo proposto por Smith (1983). O material genético utilizado consistiu em oito ciclos per se, oito ciclos per se autofecundados, 28 F1's entre ciclos, 28 F1's entre ciclos autofecundados e 28 F1's recombinados. Os experimentos foram conduzidos em cinco ambientes com solos ácidos, no Brasil e na Colômbia. As magnitudes das respostas esperadas à seleção (2ALI+2DLI) mostraram que os esquemas seletivos utilizados não foram eficientes para melhorar o caráter produção de grãos e para reduzir o caráter altura da planta. Porém, as estimativas indicaram que o processo de seleção foi eficiente para reduzir o número de dias para o florescimento feminino e aumentar o número de espigas por planta. As magnitudes das estimativas da oscilação genética (DQI) mostraram que seus efeitos não limitaram o melhoramento dos diferentes caracteres.The effects of intrapopulation recurrent selection and of the genetic drift were evaluated on 20 cycles of selection for SA3 maize (Zea mays L.) population, tolerant to acid soil conditions. A sample of eight cycles was used to estimate the response to selection for grain yield and other agronomic traits by the model proposed by Smith (1983). The genetic materials used included eight cycles per se, eight cycles per se selfed, 28 F1's among cycles, 28 F1's among cycles selfed and 28 F1's recombined. The trials were evaluated at five environments under acid soils conditions in Brazil and Colombia. The estimates of response to selection (2ALI+2DLI) showed that selection process was not effective to improve grain yield and to reduce plant height. However, the selection procedure was efficient to reduce days to silk and to increase the number of ears per plant. The magnitude of genetic drift estimates (DQI) indicated that its effects did not limit the improvement of the characters evaluated

Betelvine (Piper betle L.): A comprehensive insight into its ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and pharmacological, biomedical and therapeutic attributes

Piper betle L. (synonym: Piper betel Blanco), or betel vine, an economically and medicinally important cash crop, belongs to the family Piperaceae, often known as the green gold. The plant can be found all over the world and is cultivatedprimarily in South East Asian countries for its beautiful glossy heart-shaped leaves, which are chewed or consumed as betelquidand widely used in Chinese and Indian folk medicine, as carminative, stimulant,astringent, against parasitic worms, conjunctivitis, rheumatism, wound, etc., andis also used for religious purposes. Hydroxychavicol is the most important bioactive compound among the wide range of phytoconstituents found in essential oil and extracts. The pharmacological attributes of P. betle are antiproliferation, anticancer, neuropharmacological, analgesic, antioxidant, antiulcerogenic, hepatoprotective, antifertility, antibacterial, antifungal and many more. Immense attention has been paid to nanoformulations and their applications. The application of P. betle did not show cytotoxicity in preclinical experiments, suggesting that it could serve as a promising therapeutic candidate for different diseases. The present review comprehensively summarizes the botanical description, geographical distribution, economic value and cultivation, ethnobotanical uses, preclinical pharmacological properties with insights of toxicological, clinical efficacy, and safety of P. betle. The findings suggest that P. betle represents an orally active and safe natural agent that exhibits great therapeutic potential for managing various human medical conditions. However, further research is needed to elucidate its underlying molecular mechanisms of action, clinical aspects, structure–activity relationships, bioavailability and synergistic interactions with other drugs.This research was funded by projects APOGEO (Cooperation Program INTERREG-MAC 2014–2020, with European Funds for Regional Development-FEDER, ‘Agencia Canaria de Investigación, Innovación y Sociedad de la Información (ACIISI) del Gobierno de Canarias’ (project ProID2020010134), and CajaCanarias (project 2019SP43).Peer reviewe