A STUDY ON EPIPHYTIC LICHENS FROM PRUNUS PERSICA

 Objective: The objective of this study is to explore and identify the epiphytic lichens on the tree bark of Prunus persica from Kodaikanal area and analyze its phytochemical properties.Methods: Samples were collected from Kodaikanal area, identified by morphological and chemical constituents. Macromolecules present were quantified by DNS method, Lowry's method, and lipid tests. The secondary metabolites present were analyzed by standard phytochemical tests and thin-layer chromatography.Results and Conclusion: It was interesting to observe that species belonging to the lichen genera - Parmotrema, Ramalina, and Usnea dominated the area. The samples have been identified and deposited in LWG herbarium, NBRI, Lucknow. As lichens form an ideal model to study the humongous secondary metabolites present in it, a preliminary investigation was performed to understand the nutritive value as well as phytochemicals present in the lichens. The results indicate that these organisms can be of potential medicinal value with Ramalina and Usnea species contributing good amount of macronutrients present in them, while qualitative analysis of phytochemicals reports all the lichens for enormous metabolites

Hepatoprotective Activity of Aegle marmelos in CCl4 Induced Toxicity - An In-vivo Study

Medicinal plants are of great importance for healthy living of an individual. Aegle marmelos is one of the Indian medicinal plant, which has enormous medicinal values against various diseases / disorders and it has traditionally been used by ayurvedic people for the treatment of liver problems. This study is aimed to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of crude ethanolic extract of the leaves of A. marmelos (AMEE) in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced toxicity in mice. The ethanolic extract at a dose of 500mg/kg body weight when given orally exhibited a significant (

Transpiration difference under high evaporative demand in chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.) may be explained by differences in the water transport pathway in the root cylinder

Terminal drought substantially reduces chickpea yield. Reducing water use at vegetative stage by reducing transpiration under high vapor pressure deficit (VPD), i.e. under dry/ hot conditions, contributes to drought adaptation. We hypothesized that this trait could relate to differences in a genotype’s dependence on root water transport pathways and hydraulics. • Transpiration rate responses in conservative and profligate chickpea genotypes were evaluated under increasing VPD in the presence/absence of apoplastic and cell-to-cell transport inhibitors. • Conservative genotypes ICC 4958 and ICC 8058 restricted transpiration under high VPD compared to the profligate genotypes ICC 14799 and ICC 867. Profligate genotypes were more affected by aquaporin inhibition of the cell-to-cell pathway than conservative genotypes, as measured by the root hydraulic conductance and transpiration under high VPD. Aquaporin inhibitor treatment also led to a larger reduction in root hydraulic conductivity in profligate than in conservative genotypes. In contrast, blockage of the apoplastic pathway in roots decreased transpiration more in conservative than in profligate genotypes. Interestingly, conservative genotypes had high early vigour, whereas profligate genotypes had low early vigour. • In conclusion, profligate genotypes depend more on the cell-to-cell pathway, which might explain their higher root hydraulic conductivity, whereas water-saving by restricting transpiration led to higher dependence on the apoplastic pathway. This opens the possibility to screen for conservative or profligate chickpea phenotypes using inhibitors, itself opening to the search of the genetic basis of these differences

Chickpea Genotypes Contrasting for Vigor and Canopy Conductance Also Differ in Their Dependence on Different Water Transport Pathways

Lower plant transpiration rate (TR) under high vapor pressure deficit (VPD) conditions and early plant vigor are proposed as major traits influencing the rate of crop water use and possibly the fitness of chickpea lines to specific terminal drought conditions—this being the major constraint limiting chickpea productivity. The physiological mechanisms underlying difference in TR under high VPD and vigor are still unresolved, and so is the link between vigor and TR. Lower TR is hypothesized to relate to hydraulic conductance differences. Experiments were conducted in both soil (Vertisol) and hydroponic culture. The assessment of the TR response to increasing VPD showed that high vigor genotypes had TR restriction under high VPD, and this was confirmed in the early vigor parent and progeny genotype (ICC 4958 and RIL 211) having lower TR than the late vigor parent and progeny genotype (ICC 1882 and RIL 022). Inhibition of water transport pathways [apoplast and symplast (aquaporins)] in intact plants led to a lower transpiration inhibition in the early vigor/low TR genotypes than in the late vigor/high TR genotypes. De-rooted shoot treatment with an aquaporin inhibitor led to a lower transpiration inhibition in the early vigor/low TR genotypes than in the late vigor/high TR genotypes. Early vigor genotypes had lower root hydraulic conductivity than late vigor/high TR genotypes. Under inhibited conditions (apoplast, symplast), root hydraulic conductivity was reduced more in the late vigor/high TR genotypes than in the early vigor/low TR genotypes. We interpret that early vigor/low TR genotypes have a lower involvement of aquaporins in water transport pathways and may also have a smaller apoplastic pathway than high TR genotypes, which could explain the transpiration restriction under high VPD and would be helpful to conserve soil water under high evaporative demand. These findings open an opportunity for breeding to tailor genotypes with different “dosage” of these traits toward adaptation to varying drought-prone environments

Plant vigour QTLs co-map with an earlier reported QTL hotspot for drought tolerance while water saving QTLs map in other regions of the chickpea genome

Background Terminal drought stress leads to substantial annual yield losses in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Adaptation to water limitation is a matter of matching water supply to water demand by the crop. Therefore, harnessing the genetics of traits contributing to plant water use, i.e. transpiration rate and canopy development dynamics, is important to design crop ideotypes suited to a varying range of water limited environments. With an aim of identifying genomic regions for plant vigour (growth and canopy size) and canopy conductance traits, 232 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between ICC 4958 and ICC 1882, were phenotyped at vegetative stage under well-watered conditions using a high throughput phenotyping platform (LeasyScan). Results Twenty one major quantitative trait loci (M-QTLs) were identified for plant vigour and canopy conductance traits using an ultra-high density bin map. Plant vigour traits had 13 M-QTLs on CaLG04, with favourable alleles from high vigour parent ICC 4958. Most of them co-mapped with a previously fine mapped major drought tolerance “QTL-hotspot” region on CaLG04. One M-QTL was found for canopy conductance on CaLG03 with the ultra-high density bin map. Comparative analysis of the QTLs found across different density genetic maps revealed that QTL size reduced considerably and % of phenotypic variation increased as marker density increased. Conclusion Earlier reported drought tolerance hotspot is a vigour locus. The fact that canopy conductance traits, i.e. the other important determinant of plant water use, mapped on CaLG03 provides an opportunity to manipulate these loci to tailor recombinants having low/high transpiration rate and plant vigour, fitted to specific drought stress scenarios in chickpea

Phenotypic and genetic dissection of water stress adaptations in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum)

Pearl millet is an important staple food for farming communities across semi-arid tropical systems of South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa where production suffers uncertain precipitation. This work is undertaken under the premise that maximizing grain yield under water-limited conditions depends on both maximizing water use and ensuring water availability for the grain filling period. Here we discuss the phenotyping methods targeting the variability in plant water use strategies which determine the crop production success in water-limited environments. A fine-mapping population of pearl millet, segregating within the previously identified drought tolerance quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 2 (LG02), was tested across different experimental environments (pot culture, high-throughput phenotyping platform (LeasyScan), Lysimeter, and Field). Recombinants were then analyzed for traits at different levels of plant organization, ranging from water-use traits (transpiration rate, leaf area, plant organ dry weights, etc.) to crop production and agronomic traits (grain yield, tiller number, harvest index, etc.) The linkages between traits across the experimental systems were analyzed, using principal component analysis (PCA) and QTL co-localization approach. The functional relevance of the phenotyping systems was traced by PCA analysis. Furthermore, we found four regions within the LG02-QTL underlying substantial co-mapping of water-use related and agronomic traits. These regions were identified across the experimental systems and justified linkages between water- use traits were phenotyped at lower level of plant organization to the agronomic traits assessed in the field. Therefore, the phenotyping systems at ICRISAT are validated and well set to accelerate crop breeding for drought adaptations

Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for water use and crop production traits co-locate with major QTL for tolerance to water deficit in a fine-mapping population of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L. R.Br.)

Key message Four genetic regions associated with water use traits, measured at different levels of plant organization, and with agronomic traits were identified within a previously reported region for terminal water deficit adaptation on linkage group 2. Close linkages between these traits showed the value of phenotyping both for agronomic and secondary traits to better understand plant productive processes. Abstract Water saving traits are critical for water stress adaptation of pearl millet, whereas maximizing water use is key to the absence of stress. This research aimed at demonstrating the close relationship between traits measured at different levels of plant organization, some putatively involved in water stress adaptation, and those responsible for agronomic performance. A fine-mapping population of pearl millet, segregating for a previously identified quantitative trait locus (QTL) for adaptation to terminal drought stress on LG02, was phenotyped for traits at different levels of plant organization in different experimental environments (pot culture, high-throughput phenotyping platform, lysimeters, and field). The linkages among traits across the experimental systems were analysed using principal component analysis and QTL co-localization approach. Four regions within the LG02-QTL were found and revealed substantial co-mapping of water use and agronomic traits. These regions, identified across experimental systems, provided genetic evidence of the tight linkages between traits phenotyped at a lower level of plant organization and agronomic traits assessed in the field, therefore deepening our understanding of complex traits and then benefiting both geneticists and breeders. In short: (1) under no/mild stress conditions, increasing biomass and tiller production increased water use and eventually yield; (2) under severe stress conditions, water savings at vegetative stage, from lower plant vigour and fewer tillers in that population, led to more water available during grain filling, expression of stay-green phenotypes, and higher yield

Plant vigour QTLs co-map with an earlier reported QTL hotspot for drought tolerance while water saving QTLs map in other regions of the chickpea genome

Background Terminal drought stress leads to substantial annual yield losses in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Adaptation to water limitation is a matter of matching water supply to water demand by the crop. Therefore, harnessing the genetics of traits contributing to plant water use, i.e. transpiration rate and canopy development dynamics, is important to design crop ideotypes suited to a varying range of water limited environments. With an aim of identifying genomic regions for plant vigour (growth and canopy size) and canopy conductance traits, 232 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between ICC 4958 and ICC 1882, were phenotyped at vegetative stage under well-watered conditions using a high throughput phenotyping platform (LeasyScan). Results Twenty one major quantitative trait loci (M-QTLs) were identified for plant vigour and canopy conductance traits using an ultra-high density bin map. Plant vigour traits had 13 M-QTLs on CaLG04, with favourable alleles from high vigour parent ICC 4958. Most of them co-mapped with a previously fine mapped major drought tolerance “QTL-hotspot” region on CaLG04. One M-QTL was found for canopy conductance on CaLG03 with the ultra-high density bin map. Comparative analysis of the QTLs found across different density genetic maps revealed that QTL size reduced considerably and % of phenotypic variation increased as marker density increased. Conclusion Earlier reported drought tolerance hotspot is a vigour locus. The fact that canopy conductance traits, i.e. the other important determinant of plant water use, mapped on CaLG03 provides an opportunity to manipulate these loci to tailor recombinants having low/high transpiration rate and plant vigour, fitted to specific drought stress scenarios in chickpea

Effect of Oscillatoria willei – a Marine Cyanobacterium on Hydrazine Induced Toxicity

Aims: To find out the effect of crude extract of Oscillatoria willei, a marine cyanobacterium on hydrazine induced toxicity. Methodology and Results: In this study, the experimental mice were injected intramuscularly with 5 mg of hydrazine/kg body weight continuously for 20 days. Crude extract of Oscillatoria willei was given to the animals induced with hydrazine toxicity. The animals were subjected to various biochemical and immunological parameters after exposing to hydrazine and followed up treatment. The results revealed that intra-peritoneal administration of O. willei reduced interleukin 2 (IL-2), reducing sugar, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), liver enzymes, bilirubin, creatinine and uric acid level. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: O. willei treatment was found to reduce the ill effects induced by hydrazine