Effects of transplanting time on the yield and quality of onion (Allium cepa L.)

A field experiment was conducted at Spices Research Sub-Centre (SRSC), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Faridpur, Bangladesh during the winter season of 2018-2019 to investigate the influences of transplanting times of seedlings and the varieties on the yield and quality of onion bulbs. There were six levels of transplanting time such as T1: November 15, T2: November 30, T3: December 15, T4: December 30, T5: January 14 and T6: January 29 under the trial. The varieties used in the study were: BARI Onion-1 and BARI Onion-4. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) of factorial concept with three replications. The results revealed that dates of transplanting, varieties and their combined effects had significant effect on the parameters studied with minor exception. The plant height, number of leaves/plant and incidence of bolting were decreased with the passage of transplanting time. The maximum values (54.51 cm, 8.53 and 71.28%) of the aforementioned traits were recorded at early transplanting on November 15, respectively. The reduced percent of bolting (2.22%) was observed at December 30. While no incidence of bolting was found under transplanting on 14-29 January. Bulb diameter, individual bulb weight, yield, total soluble solid content and dry matter content of bulb were increased up to transplanting on December 15. Afterwards the values of aforesaid parameters were gradually decreased. The highest yield (17.65 t/ha), total soluble solid content (17.02 0brix) and dry matter content of bulb (15.95%) were obtained from December 15 insignificantly followed by December 30 (16.30 t/ha). The delayed transplanting on 29 January markedly reduced the yield (6.72 t/ha), total soluble solid content (12.58 0brix) and dry matter content of bulb (11.61%) as well. The variety BARI Onion-4 performed better in respect of yield and yield attributes but it showed inferior quality. The combined effect of December 15 x BARI Onion-4 gave the highest yield attributes and yield of onion followed by the combination of November 30 x BARI Onion-4 and December 30 x BARI Onion-4 while the values among the three treatments were statistically similar

A Phase 1/2 trial of SRA737 (a Chk1 inhibitor) administered orally in patients with advanced cancer

Background This was a first-in-human Phase 1/2 open-label dose-escalation study of the novel checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) inhibitor SRA737. Methods Patients with advanced solid tumours enrolled in dose-escalation cohorts and received SRA737 monotherapy orally on a continuous daily (QD) dosing schedule in 28-day cycles. Expansion cohorts included up to 20 patients with prospectively selected, pre-specified response predictive biomarkers. Results In total, 107 patients were treated at dose levels from 20–1300 mg. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of SRA737 was 1000 mg QD, the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) was 800 mg QD. Common toxicities of diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting were generally mild to moderate. Dose-limiting toxicity at daily doses of 1000 and 1300 mg QD SRA737 included gastrointestinal events, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. Pharmacokinetic analysis at the 800 mg QD dose showed a mean Cmin of 312 ng/mL (546 nM), exceeding levels required to cause growth delay in xenograft models. No partial or complete responses were seen. Conclusions SRA737 was well tolerated at doses that achieved preclinically relevant drug concentrations but single agent activity did not warrant further development as monotherapy. Given its mechanism of action resulting in abrogating DNA damage repair, further clinical development of SRA737 should be as combination therapy. Clinical trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02797964

Physico-chemical attributes and correlation among grain quality traits of some exotic aromatic rice lines

Forty three rice genotypes were used to evaluate their aroma detection through sensory test. Aroma was detected by 1.7% KOH as a sensory test. Thirteen rice genotypes were detected having strong aroma; ten had moderate aroma; fifteen had slight aroma and five had no aroma. In case of grain shape study, 37 genotypes were evaluated as slender and six as medium. In this study, grain aroma had significant and positive association with grain length width ratio; significant and negative association with grain width, significant and negative association with gelatinization temperature, and significant and negative association with grain length. Gelatinization temperature had significant and negative correlation with grain length, significant and negative association with grain length width ratio, significant and positive association with grain width. Grain length had significant and negative correlation with grain width; significant and positive correlation with length width ratio. Grain width had significant and negative correlation with length width ratio. Finally, it can be concluded that among 43 genotypes Basmati370,CT19541-13-3-1-2P- 1P,PSBRC18,PSB-RC2(IR32809-26-3-3),IR64,IR50,2001059-TR2151-6-1-1,IR64-P401,IR72-P204 were found good grain quality traits having higher physico-chemical attributes. These elite lines could be readily used in breeding programmes to improve grain quality traits

Nutritive value of BJRI mesta-2 (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) leaves

e genus Hibiscus has more than 300 globally distributed species. is plant is well known for its bast fiber biogenesis, while its nutritional and medicinal values are largely ignored. Consequently, the nutritional properties of the Roselle variety, BJRI mesta-2, are unknown. erefore, this study was carried out to analyze the nutritional composition of our selected Roselle tissues to support the nutritional requirements for humans in early summer in Bangladesh. Leaves were found to be a good source of calcium (2.7%), magnesium (1.6%), ash (7.34%), vitamin A (165.9%), and vitamin C (94.88%), whereas calyx was the potential source of potassium (1.9%), iron (422%), manganese (126%), and moisture (87.45%). Roselle seeds also have edible oil-producing capabilities, along with their nutritional properties. Our results indicate that BJRI mesta-2 can be an additional source of leafy vegetables, along with its herbal tea and edible oil content

Mapping inequalities in exclusive breastfeeding in low- and middle-income countries, 2000–2018

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF)—giving infants only breast-milk for the first 6 months of life—is a component of optimal breastfeeding practices effective in preventing child morbidity and mortality. EBF practices are known to vary by population and comparable subnational estimates of prevalence and progress across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are required for planning policy and interventions. Here we present a geospatial analysis of EBF prevalence estimates from 2000 to 2018 across 94 LMICs mapped to policy-relevant administrative units (for example, districts), quantify subnational inequalities and their changes over time, and estimate probabilities of meeting the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target (WHO GNT) of ≥70% EBF prevalence by 2030. While six LMICs are projected to meet the WHO GNT of ≥70% EBF prevalence at a national scale, only three are predicted to meet the target in all their district-level units by 2030