Random amplified polymorphic DNA based genetic characterization of four important species of Bamboo, found in Raigad district, Maharashtra State, India

Bamboos are arborescent grasses belonging to the family Poaceae and are grouped under the subfamily Bambusoideae. Bambusoideae are differentiated from other members of the family by the presence of petiolate blades with parallel venation and stamens are three, four, six or more, gynoecium is with single style with one to three stigmas and caryopsis. Bamboo is regarded as the major resource that meets the need of common man and also a poverty alleviator due to its multipurpose uses. The Raigad district, Maharashtra, India, is a good pocket of wild as well as cultivated bamboo. This district is rich in Bamboo flora specially four species viz. Bambusa bambos; Pseudoxytenanthera ritcheyi; Pseudoxytenanthera stocksii and Dendrocalamus strictus. To study the genetics of bamboo, one has to face enormous difficulties simply because of rare flowering and we cannot make hybridizations as easily as like other angiosperms. The randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method is used for genetic characterization of bamboo. This method of DNA profiling is proven excellent for identification, phylogenetic analysis, population studies and genetic linkage mapping of many plant species. Establishing multilocus markers RAPD analysis of genomes provides a versatile and rapid technology requiring low infrastructural input and use of arbitrary primers for developing plant DNA fingerprinting. In the present study, a comparative genetic analysis of four species of bamboo B. bambus, P. ritcheyi, P. stocksii and D. strictus collected from different locations of Raigad district of Maharashtra, India had been carried out using PCR-RAPD analysis. The present results warrant an extensive survey of genetic variation between the given four species of bamboo. The results would be helpful in designing sequence characterized amplified regions (SCAR) marker for each species. These SCAR markers can be used as diagnostic marker to authenticate samples of given four species.Keywords: Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA ( RAPD), DNA-fingerprinting, sequence characterized amplified regions (SCAR), Genetic characterization, ritcheyi, stocksii, Raigad.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(28), pp. 4446-445

Improved bioassay method for evaluation of oviposition deterrents against Old World bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner)

Old world bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) is one of the serious pests of agricultural crops with more than 184 recorded hosts including cotton. In cotton, H. armigera usually causes yield losses up to 40% with 20-80% damage intensity. In the Indian context it has already developed resistance to most conventional classes of insecticide and its survival on Bt cotton also has been reported in some isolated places. Under such situation, application of semiochemicals can serve as an alternative management option. Among the semiochemicals, oviposition deterrent ones are known to be the most effective as they minimize the infestation at first line of attack by deterring the female moths and protecting the host from oviposition. However, before applying at field level, it is important to develop and standardize a bioassay method for evaluation of oviposition deterrent compounds under laboratory condition. Here, we report a suitable improved bioassay method for evaluation of effect of oviposition deterrents against H. armigera. The five days duration of bioassay method was finalized according to the peak activity of adult moth in terms of mating and fecundity. This investigation presents a method, for finding promising oviposition deterrent compound which will be helpful for researchers to identify the most potent molecule/compounds against H. armiger

Improved bioassay method for evaluation of oviposition deterrents against Old World bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner)

851-857Old world bollworm Helicoverpaarmigera (Hübner) is one of the serious pests of agricultural crops with more than 184 recorded hosts including cotton. In cotton, H. armigerausually causes yield losses up to 40% with 20-80% damage intensity. In the Indian context it has already developed resistance to most conventional classes of insecticide and its survival on Bt cotton also has been reported in some isolated places. Under such situation, application of semiochemicals can serve as an alternative management option. Among the semiochemicals, oviposition deterrent ones are known to be the most effective as they minimize the infestation at first line of attack by deterring the female moths and protecting the host from oviposition. However, before applying at field level, it is important to develop and standardize a bioassay method for evaluation of oviposition deterrent compounds under laboratory condition. Here, we report a suitable improved bioassay method for evaluation of effect of oviposition deterrents against H. armigera. The five days duration of bioassay method was finalized according to the peak activity of adult moth in terms of mating and fecundity. This investigation presents a method, for finding promising oviposition deterrent compound which will be helpful for researchers to identify the most potent molecule/compounds against H. armigera

Determining the association between stress and periodontal disease: A pilot study

Aim: To evaluate the relationship between stress and periodontal disease. Materials and Methods: This study included fifty chronic periodontitis subjects. The clinical parameters assessed for the full-mouth periodontal examination were as follows: Plaque index (PI), probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL). The subjects were provided with a questionnaire for the assessment of stress based on the Zung's self-rating depression and anxiety scale, the scores of which were correlated with the periodontal findings. Results: The number of subjects showing depression and anxiety were significantly less and the severity of depression and anxiety was mild in them. The clinical parameters (PI, PD, CAL) showed no significant differences among the subjects with varying levels of stress. There was no statistical significance for stress to be contributing toward the periodontal disease. Conclusion: The present study showed no association between stress and periodontal disease, and future longitudinal studies directed at larger population, might yield conclusive results

Effect of Spacing and Nutrition on Soil Nutrient Status and Uptake of Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)

A field study was conducted to investigate the influence of spacing and nutrition on soil nutrient status and Uptake of Broccoli and the investigation was titled "Effect of spacing and nutrition on soil nutrient status and uptake of Broccoli." The experiment consists of 3 limits of spacing i.e., S1 (45x30 cm), S2 (45x45 cm), S3 (60x45 cm) and 3 limits of nutrient i.e., N1 (100 percent recommended dose of nutrients), N2 (75 percent recommended dose of nutrients), N3 (125 percent recommended dose of nutrients). It was designed in FRCBD includes nine treatment combinations with three replications. The analysed experimental data showed that the available nutrient in the soil and nutrient uptake by the plant after harvesting of Broccoli. Increasing the spacing and nutrient levels enhances the soil N, P and K availability and absorbed by the broccoli after harvesting. The maximum availability of N (296.57kg ha-1), P (116.54kg ha-1) and K (72.85kg ha-1) in the soil was found in the S3. The higher availability of N (275.20kg ha-1), P (104.88kg ha-1) and K (71.37kg ha-1) in the soil was shown in the fertilizer limit N3.  The higher N (160.16kg ha-1), P (127.13kg ha-1) and K uptake (65.83kg ha-1) by the Broccoli was reported in the wider level of spacing S3. The maximum N (158.09kg ha-1), P (127.94kg ha-1) and K uptake (65.84kg ha-1) by Broccoli was observed in the nutrient level of N3

Comparative genomics of Gossypium and Arabidopsis: Unraveling the consequences of both ancient and recent polyploidy

Both ancient and recent polyploidy, together with post-polyploidization loss of many duplicated gene copies, complicates angiosperm comparative genomics. To explore an approach by which these challenges might be mitigated, genetic maps of extant diploid and tetraploid cottons (Gossypium spp.) were used to infer the approximate order of 3016 loci along the chromosomes of their hypothetical common ancestor. The inferred Gossypium gene order corresponded more closely than the original maps did to a similarly inferred ancestral gene order predating an independent paleopolyploidization (α) in Arabidopsis. At least 59% of the cotton map and 53% of the Arabidopsis transcriptome showed correspondence in multilocus gene arrangements based on one or both of two software packages (CrimeStatII, FISH). Genomic regions in which chromosome structural rearrangement has been rapid (obscuring gene order correspondence) have also been subject to greater divergence of individual gene sequences. About 26%-44% of corresponding regions involved multiple Arabidopsis or cotton chromosomes, in some cases consistent with known, more ancient, duplications. The genomic distributions of multiple-locus probes provided early insight into the consequences for chromosome structure of an ancient large-scale duplication in cotton. Inferences that mitigate the consequences of ancient duplications improve leveraging of genomic information for model organisms in the study of more complex genomes

Meta-analysis of Polyploid Cotton QTL Shows Unequal Contributions of Subgenomes to a Complex Network of Genes and Gene Clusters Implicated in Lint Fiber Development

QTL mapping experiments yield heterogeneous results due to the use of different genotypes, environments, and sampling variation. Compilation of QTL mapping results yields a more complete picture of the genetic control of a trait and reveals patterns in organization of trait variation. A total of 432 QTL mapped in one diploid and 10 tetraploid interspecific cotton populations were aligned using a reference map and depicted in a CMap resource. Early demonstrations that genes from the non-fiber-producing diploid ancestor contribute to tetraploid lint fiber genetics gain further support from multiple populations and environments and advanced-generation studies detecting QTL of small phenotypic effect. Both tetraploid subgenomes contribute QTL at largely non-homeologous locations, suggesting divergent selection acting on many corresponding genes before and/or after polyploid formation. QTL correspondence across studies was only modest, suggesting that additional QTL for the target traits remain to be discovered. Crosses between closely-related genotypes differing by single-gene mutants yield profoundly different QTL landscapes, suggesting that fiber variation involves a complex network of interacting genes. Members of the lint fiber development network appear clustered, with cluster members showing heterogeneous phenotypic effects. Meta-analysis linked to synteny-based and expression-based information provides clues about specific genes and families involved in QTL networks

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