Meta-QTL analysis for mining of candidate genes and constitutive gene network development for fungal disease resistance in maize (Zea mays L.)

Not AvailableThe development of resistant maize cultivars is the most effective and sustainable approach to combat fungal diseases. Over the last three decades, many quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping studies reported numerous QTL for fungal disease resistance (FDR) in maize. However, different genetic backgrounds of germplasm and differing QTL analysis algorithms limit the use of identified QTL for comparative studies. The meta-QTL (MQTL) analysis is the meta-analysis of multiple QTL experiments, which entails broader allelic coverage and helps in the combined analysis of diverse QTL mapping studies revealing common genomic regions for target traits. In the present study, 128 (33.59%) out of 381 reported QTL (from 82 studies) for FDR could be projected on the maize genome through MQTL analysis. It revealed 38 MQTL for FDR (12 diseases) on all chromosomes except chromosome 10. Five MQTL namely 1_4, 2_4, 3_2, 3_4, and 5_4 were linked with multiple FDR. Total of 1910 candidate genes were identified for all the MQTL regions, with protein kinase gene families, TFs, pathogenesis-related, and disease-responsive proteins directly or indirectly associated with FDR. The comparison of physical positions of marker-traits association (MTAs) from genome-wide association studies with genes underlying MQTL interval verified the presence of QTL/candidate genes for particular diseases. The linked markers to MQTL and putative candidate genes underlying identified MQTL can be further validated in the germplasm through marker screening and expression studies. The study also attempted to unravel the underlying mechanism for FDR resistance by analyzing the constitutive gene network, which will be a useful resource to understand the molecular mechanism of defense-response of a particular disease and multiple FDR in maize.Not Availabl

Seed Longevity in Legumes: Deeper Insights Into Mechanisms and Molecular Perspectives

Sustainable agricultural production largely depends upon the viability and longevity of high-quality seeds during storage. Legumes are considered as rich source of dietary protein that helps to ensure nutritional security, but associated with poor seed longevity that hinders their performance and productivity in farmer's fields. Seed longevity is the key determinant to assure proper seed plant value and crop yield. Thus, maintenance of seed longevity during storage is of prime concern and a pre-requisite for enhancing crop productivity of legumes. Seed longevity is significantly correlated with other seed quality parameters such as germination, vigor, viability and seed coat permeability that affect crop growth and development, consequently distressing crop yield. Therefore, information on genetic basis and regulatory networks associated with seed longevity, as well as molecular dissection of traits linked to longevity could help in developing crop varieties with good storability. Keeping this in view, the present review focuses towards highlighting the molecular basis of seed longevity, with special emphasis on candidate genes and proteins associated with seed longevity and their interplay with other quality parameters. Further, an attempt was made to provide information on 3D structures of various genetic loci (genes/proteins) associated to seed longevity that could facilitate in understanding the interactions taking place within the seed at molecular level. This review compiles and provides information on genetic and genomic approaches for the identification of molecular pathways and key players involved in the maintenance of seed longevity in legumes, in a holistic manner. Finally, a hypothetical fast-forward breeding pipeline has been provided, that could assist the breeders to successfully develop varieties with improved seed longevity in legumes

Ultrastructural Analysis of Proteins Implicated in Synaptic Vesicle Docking and Priming in C. elegans

Neurotransmitter release at synapses is mediated by the fusion of neurotransmitter containing synaptic vesicles (SV) with the presynaptic membrane. As neurotransmitter release is critical for integrating sensory inputs and for the subsequent cognitive and behavioral outcomes, it is highly regulated at every stage by cellular and molecular players. Research over the years have established SNARE (soluble-N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment receptor) complex as the core synaptic vesicle fusion machinery. There are several other neuronal proteins that regulate SV fusion by directly or indirectly affecting SNARE complex assembly and its function. My thesis focuses on understanding the role of three such neuronal proteins: UNC-13 (Uncoordinated), SAX-7 (Sensory Axon Guidance), and VPS-39 (Vacuolar Protein Sorting). By studying the ultrastructural changes at the synapses, I contributed to the understanding of the function of these regulators in the critical SV fusion stage of neurotransmission

Methods of denoising of electroencephalogram signal: a review

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is obtained as a result of electrical activity of neurons in the brain. These signals have very small amplitudes and hence are quite prone to contamination by different artefacts. The major types of artefacts that affect the EEG are baseline wandering, power line noise, eye movements, Electromyogram (EMG) disturbance, and Electrocardiogram (ECG) disturbance. The presence of artefacts makes the analysis of EEG difficult for clinical evaluation and information. To deal with these artefacts, numerous methods and techniques have been evolved by different researchers. These methods include regression, blind source separation, wavelet and empirical mode decomposition etc. This paper provides a review of these methods for denoising of EEG signal

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Not AvailableThe prevailing global climate change and population explosion have threatened global food security by mounting the demand of more quantity and better quality food. Crop breeding attempts to meet this increasing demand but having a major limitation of long breeding cycle required for developing any suitable cultivar. Therefore, shortening the crop duration in every generation of a breeding cycle has been a long dream of breeders. In the past, many efforts have been made to fasten crop generation time by implementing several techniques like shuttle breeding, embryo rescue, and doubled haploid. In this direction, recently, speed breeding (SB) has emerged as a novel technology to shorten the crop breeding cycle and fasten the crop improvement through rapid generation advancement. Growing crops in the customized growth chambers of SB helps to speed up research on crops with adult plant phenotyping, crossing, mutant studies, and transformation. Till now many crop-specific protocols have been developed in wheat, rice, barley, canola, etc. for SB in growth chambers or glasshouses with controlled environmental conditions. But, still, SB protocol for maize (Zea mays L.), one of the three major staple foods worldwide has not been developed yet. Considering the multiple uses and economic importance of maize, there is a need to accelerate its production to meet future demands. Deploying the SB technique in maize could be beneficial in achieving the same. Thus, despite being challenging, we need to explore the possibilities of using SB in the maize breeding programme. The present review throws light on the current status of SB and future perspectives to make SB successful in maize. The adoption of SB along with other breeding methodologies can be an effective and efficient tool to develop suitable maize hybrids in a short time frame for meeting global demands.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableGlobal climate change leads to the concurrence of a number of abiotic stresses including moisture stress (drought, waterlogging), temperature stress (heat, cold), and salinity stress, which are the major factors affecting maize production. To develop abiotic stress tolerance in maize, many quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been identified, but very few of them have been utilized successfully in breeding programs. In this context, the meta-QTL analysis of the reported QTL will enable the identification of stable/real QTL which will pave a reliable way to introgress these QTL into elite cultivars through marker-assisted selection. In this study, a total of 542 QTL were summarized from 33 published studies for tolerance to different abiotic stresses in maize to conduct meta-QTL analysis using BiomercatorV4.2.3. Among those, only 244 major QTL with more than 10% phenotypic variance were preferably utilised to carry out meta-QTL analysis. In total, 32 meta-QTL possessing 1907 candidate genes were detected for different abiotic stresses over diverse genetic and environmental backgrounds. The MQTL2.1, 5.1, 5.2, 5.6, 7.1, 9.1, and 9.2 control different stress-related traits for combined abiotic stress tolerance. The candidate genes for important transcription factor families such as ERF, MYB, bZIP, bHLH, NAC, LRR, ZF, MAPK, HSP, peroxidase, and WRKY have been detected for different stress tolerances. The identified meta-QTL are valuable for future climate-resilient maize breeding programs and functional validation of candidate genes studies, which will help to deepen our understanding of the complexity of these abiotic stresses.Not Availabl

Occlusal characteristics and prevalence of associated dental anomalies in the primary dentition

Introduction: Morphological variations in primary dentition are of great concern to a pediatric dentist as it may pose clinical problems like dental caries, delayed exfoliation and also anomalies in the permanent dentition, such as impaction of successors, supernumerary teeth, permanent double teeth or aplasia of teeth. The present study was conducted to investigate the presence of dental anomalies in the primary dentition of 1000 schoolchildren in the 3–5 year-old age group in Faridabad. Materials and methods: One-thousand schoolchildren were examined using Type III examination (WHO, 1997) for primary molar relationship, occlusal characteristics, primate spaces, physiological spaces and other anomalies of teeth, including number and morphology. Results and conclusions: The prevalence of physiological spaces in maxillary and mandibular arches was 50.9% and 46.7%, respectively, whereas primate spaces were found in 61.7% of the children in the maxillary arch and 27.9% in the mandibular arch. The prevalence of unilateral anterior and posterior cross-bite was 0.1% and 0.8%, respectively, in the present study. The prevalence of hypodontia in the primary dentition was found to be 0.4% and the prevalence of fusion and gemination in the present study was 0.5%. Double teeth (fusion and gemination) and hypodontia were the most common dental anomalies found in the primary dentition in the present study

Recent Advances for Drought Stress Tolerance in Maize (Zea mays L.): Present Status and Future Prospects

Not AvailableDrought stress has severely hampered maize production, affecting the livelihood and economics of millions of people worldwide. In the future, as a result of climate change, unpredictable weather events will become more frequent hence the implementation of adaptive strategies will be inevitable. Through utilizing different genetic and breeding approaches, efforts are in progress to develop the drought tolerance in maize. The recent approaches of genomics-assisted breeding, transcriptomics, proteomics, transgenics, and genome editing have fast-tracked enhancement for drought stress tolerance under laboratory and field conditions. Drought stress tolerance in maize could be considerably improved by combining omics technologies with novel breeding methods and high-throughput phenotyping (HTP). This review focuses on maize responses against drought, as well as novel breeding and system biology approaches applied to better understand drought tolerance mechanisms and the development of drought-tolerant maize cultivars. Researchers must disentangle the molecular and physiological bases of drought tolerance features in order to increase maize yield. Therefore, the integrated investments in field-based HTP, system biology, and sophisticated breeding methodologies are expected to help increase and stabilize maize production in the face of climate change.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableParticipatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) paves a way to understand the grass root level problems faced by farmers following which successful research programs can be proposed. The present study was carried out at Chosla Village of Tonk District in Rajasthan. The PRA tools such as transect walk, agro-ecological mapping, social mapping, time trend, seasonal calendar, gender analysis, timeline, livelihood analysis, technology mapping, consequence diagram and SWOT analysis. Around 20 major problems were identified; in which aphid in mustard, fragmented lands, non-availability of irrigation water were the top three agricultural problems whereas among the non-agricultural problems: sanitation, lack of higher Education facility and lack of awareness about govt. schemes occupied the top three positions. The action plans for these various problems were formulated by the researchers which would eventually serve as the solutions to improve the socio and economic status of the peoples of the Chosla village.Not Availabl

Current Status and Potential of Biofortification to Enhance Crop Nutritional Quality: An Overview

Around 2 billion people are suffering from chronic malnutrition or “hidden hunger”, which is the result of many diseases and disorders, including cognitive degeneration, stunting growth, and mortality. Thus, biofortification of staple food crops enriched with micronutrients is a more sustainable option for providing nutritional supplements and managing malnutrition in a society. Since 2001, when the concept of biofortification came to light, different research activities have been carried out, like the development of target populations, breeding or genetic engineering, and the release of biofortified cultivars, in addition to conducting nutritional efficacy trials and delivery plan development. Although, being a cost-effective intervention, it still faces many challenges, like easy accessibility of biofortified cultivars, stakeholders’ acceptance, and the availability of biofortified germplasm in the public domain, which varies from region to region. Hence, this review is focused on the recent potential, efforts made to crop biofortification, impacts analysis on human health, cost-effectiveness, and future perspectives to further strengthen biofortification programs. Through regular interventions of sustainable techniques and methodologies, biofortification holds huge potential to solve the malnutrition problem through regular interventions of nutrient-enriched staple food options for billions of people globally