Enhancement of seed germination in stored seeds using different pre-sowing treatments in Bauhinia purpurea L.

Bauhinia purpurea L. is one of the important avenue tree species used in garden, road side plantations and other places. Fresh seed produce good germination upto 75 to 100 per cent. Seeds of this species stored for five months produced less germination (38.00 %) and it could be due to seed dormancy. Hence, the present study was carried out to evaluate different seed treatments to enhance seed germination in stored seeds of B. purpurea. Treatment like soaking seeds in hot water for 2 min to 5 min followed by overnight soaking in normal water resultedin highest germination of about 59.00 per cent over control (40.00%). Significant variation for germination parameters such as mean daily germination, germination rate index and germination value as well as early seedling vigour was recorded among different pre-sowing treatments in stored seeds

Stability analysis for yield and yield components over seasons in cowpea [Vigna unguiculata L. (Walp.)]

Twenty diverse genotypes including one local check (C-152) of cowpea were evaluated over three seasons to study the stability parameters viz.,regression coefficient (bi) and mean square deviations (s2di) from linear regression along with per se performance for five yield related traits.Variances due to genotype, environment, genotype x environment, environment + (genotype x environment), environment (linear) weresignificant for pods per plant and seed yield per plant. Based on the stability analysis, the genotype IL3 was found stable across the seasons fortest weight. Genotypes such as M17, Goa local and Bailhongal local were stable and superior across all the environments for seed yield

Investigations on Genetic Variability and Character Association in Triticum dicoccum under Salinity Stress

Salinity is one of the most important abiotic stresses affecting crop yield and quality. Wheat is regarded as a moderately salt tolerant crop; wheat species exhibit high variability that can be conveniently explored to improve wheat species for salt tolerance. Hence, the magnitude of variability for salt tolerance was studied in dicoccum wheat germplasm accessions. High phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variance were observed for grain yield and yield attributes like tillers per meter, biomass, spikelets per spike and harvest index. The heritability and genetic advance over mean were moderate to high for grain yield, thousand grain weight, tillers per meter, biomass, spikelets per spike, harvest index, plant height, days to 50 per cent flowering and days to maturity. Character association studies revealed that harvest index and SPAD at anthesis stage exhibited a positive significant correlation under both saline and control condition. Path coefficient analysis revealed that traits like harvest index, biomass, tillers per meter and days to 50 per cent flowering were showing a high direct effect on grain yield under both saline and control condition. Thus, the present study provides valuable genetic resources for grain yield and yield parameters improvement which are associated with the salt tolerance in wheat species

Safflower Improvement: Conventional Breeding and Biotechnological Approach

Not AvailableSafflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is one of humanity’s oldest oilseed crops, although it is a minor crop with limited distribution due to environmental factors and the crop’s spiny nature. In India, the crop has traditionally been produced in combinations with other “rabi” crops such as wheat and sorghum during the “rabi” or winter dry season. It is a self-pollinated crop with 5–40% outcrossing due to the action of numerous insects, primarily honeybees. It’s mostly utilized in the production of vegetable oil, animal feed, biofuel, plant-based pharmaceuticals, and industrial oil. The crop was traditionally grown for its flowers, which were used to color and flavor dishes, as well as make dyes (particularly before cheaper aniline dyes became accessible) and medicines. Lower oil content and seed yield, insect pest susceptibility, and disease resistance are all characteristics that reduce safflower production and quality, contributing to its underutilized status. The limited genetic diversity of local and traditional varieties necessitates collecting accessions from all over the world to explore the genetic diversity of the available germplasm. These collections will provide information that will improve future safflower conservation and utilization. Genetic diversity in breeding lines and cultivars among global germplasm and main centres of origin must be characterized in order to develop effective breeding strategies. Cultivar improvement ought to have played a role in the enhanced yield levels. Nonetheless, oil content remained fairly consistent, ranging between 28% and 30%, with only a few cultivars attaining an average of 35% oil. In recent years, several countries’ research efforts have mostly concentrated on increasing seed or oil yield. Pure line selection is the most often employed breeding approach for cultivar development in India when it comes to safflower improvement. This is shown by the fact that local selection has resulted in the development of more than 17 varieties for commercial production in the country. Through both genetic and cytoplasmic male sterility systems, hybrid vigor has been commercially exploited for the production of hybrids in safflower. Now there is shift in objectives in development of non-spiny cultivars which can address the problem of operational costs. In recent years, biotechnological methods have played a supporting role in safflower breeding. However, because safflower is an “orphan” of the genomics revolution, breeding efforts have been impeded by a lack of molecular tools that might otherwise allow for faster development. However, in recent years, this scenario has begun to shift. Safflower research is dispersed, and there is an urgent need to concentrate on the crop’s untapped potential. The diverse floral and physiological features, flower yield, pigment content (carthamin, carthamidin, and luteolin), leaf and medicinal components, and antioxidant activity of safflower have not been studied genetically. There have been no studies on proteomics of safflower. Biotechnology can be used to further investigate the medicinal application of safflower for pharmaceutical objectives. For safflower breeding, advances in molecular farming and transcriptome research to identify key genes (e.g., gene incorporation in enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant biosynthesis) are recommended. Hence, there is urgency of biotechnological interventions to make cutting-edge breakthrough in case of safflower.Not Availabl

Genetic Variability Studies in F2 Population of the Wheat Cross DDK-1029 x GPM DIC 66

The selection of breeding material heavily relies on genetic variation and its inherited components. A thorough understanding of genetic variation is necessary in order to develop an improved variety. Thus, genetic parameters were assessed in the F2 population of the cross between DDK-1029 and GPM DIC 66. The genetic variability results indicated a moderate to high phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation for characters like days to 50% flowering, plant height, productive tillers per plant, spike length, spikelets per spike, grains per spike, thousand grain weight and grain yield. In contrast, the protein, iron and zinc contents exhibited low to moderate phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation. All the traits had higher heritability except for grain yield which exhibited a moderate heritability. All the characters exhibited significant GAM except for days to maturity, iron content and protein content which exhibited moderate GAM. This suggests that high genetic variation, heritability, and GAM for such traits will aid in their improvement through both direct and indirect selection

Whole Genome Sequencing and Comparative Genomics of Indian Isolates of Wheat Spot Blotch Pathogen <i>Bipolaris sorokiniana</i> Reveals Expansion of Pathogenicity Gene Clusters

Spot blotch is a highly destructive disease in wheat caused by the fungal pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana (teleomorph, Cochliobolus sativus). It is prevalent in warm and humid areas, including Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the USA. In the present study, twelve isolates of B. sorokiniana were collected from wheat fields in three different geographical locations in India. The pathogenicity of seven sporulating isolates was assessed on ‘DDK 1025’, a spot blotch-susceptible wheat variety under greenhouse conditions. The isolate ‘D2’ illustrated the highest virulence, followed by ‘SI’ and ‘BS52’. These three isolates were sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq1000 platform. The estimated genome sizes of the isolates BS52, D2, and SI were 35.19 MB, 39.32 MB, and 32.76 MB, with GC contents of 48.48%, 50.43%, and 49.42%, respectively. The numbers of pathogenicity genes identified in BS52, D2, and SI isolates were 2015, 2476, and 2018, respectively. Notably, the isolate D2 exhibited a relatively larger genome with expanded arsenals of Biosynthetic Gene Clusters (BGCs), CAZymes, secretome, and pathogenicity genes, which could have contributed to its higher virulence among the tested isolates. This study provides the first comparative genome analysis of the Indian isolates of B. sorokiniana using whole genome sequencing

Studies on Genetic Diversity and Stress Indices for Salinity Tolerance in Triticum dicoccum

Salinity stands out as a crucial abiotic stress factor that significantly impacts both crop yield and quality. Wheat, considered a moderately salt-tolerant crop, offers a wealth of variability and diversity within its species, presenting an accessible avenue for enhancing wheat's salt tolerance. Consequently, this study investigated the extent of genetic diversity for salt tolerance among sixty Triticum dicoccum germplasm accessions. In both saline and control condition, the genotypes were divided into three and nine separate clusters respectively, showing that there was a significant level of genetic variability among the genotypes by multivariate analysis. It was observed that biomass was the largest contributor (85.19 %) to the divergence in the saline situation. Among the yield parameters under saline condition, tillers per meter followed by thousand-grain weight and spike length were observed to be important. Thirteen genotypes were salt-tolerant, according to the Stress susceptibility index (SSI). The stress tolerance index (STI) was defined as a useful tool for determining the high yield and potential stress tolerance of genotypes. Based on the stress tolerance index, only eight genotypes were said to be tolerant