Background: Rainfed lowland rice genotypes are often defined ambiguously for its historic lack of attention from the rice researchers. With little scope for expansion of the irrigated rice lands, it is necessary to exploit the diversity of the rainfed lowland and deep water rice genotypes to improve the productivity and to develop new cultivars showing tolerance to submergence and other abiotic stresses.
Results: Genetic variation of 21 lowland rice cultivars and 3 shallow water rice cultivars were investigated at the DNA level using SSR marker method using PCR. 45 SSR markers were used to amplify DNA fragments and 146 PCR products were obtained. The result of PAGE electrophoretic analysis confirmed 131 bands (89.72%) to be polymorphic. All the 45 primers amplified generating two to eight major bands. Polymorphism information content ranged from 0.041 to 0.728. Two primers showed monomorphism. Cluster analysis grouped the rice genotypes into 5 classes. In general, higher polymorphism was found between rainfed lowland and deepwater varieties. A dendrogram that shows the genetic distance of 24 rice cultivars was constructed based on their DNA polymorphisms.
Conclusion: This diversity analysis of lowland rice analysis was found to be better and more accurate than the previous classification made by RAPD and other SSRs. This micro satellite information can be efficiently used to assess the diversity of various rice genotypes that are potentially useful in further breeding programs and can act as a landmark for variety registration authority.
Background: The nutritional and antinutritional contents of Albizia lebbeck seed were investigated. Levels of nutrients like the crude protein, ether extract, crude fibre, ash, mineral and antinutrients like phytate, cyanide, oxalate, saponin, and tannins were determined.
Results: The results indicated a high protein level of 27.30 ± 0.001, ether extract of 7.50 ± 0.10, crude fibre of 38.50 ± 0.01, ash content of 4.20 ± 0.10 and NFE (carbohydrate bydifference) content of 19.40 ± 0.00. Minerals like magnesium, 7.47 ± 0.07ppm, Fe, 2.80 ± 0.002 ppm, Cu, 1.83 ± 0.001 ppm and Se, 4.886 ± 1.03 ppm. The antinutrients discovered include phytate,2.91 mol/kg, cyanide, 0.338 mg/kg, oxalate, 0.0012mg/100g and saponin, 90.00mg/100g. However, the presence of tannins was not detected.
Conclusion: It is considered that Albizia lebbeck could be a very good source of protein and minerals in animal feeds, if well processed, to reduce or eliminate the antinutritional factors. The high saponin content also shows that it could be a potent aphrodisiac
Background: Management and conservation of common-carp fishes was made with different concentration of primary treated spentwash (PTSW) (0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%, 0.5%, 0.6%, 0.7%, 0.8%, 0.9%, 1.0%, 1.1% and 1.2%) in water. Spentwash was analyzed for its physico-chemical parameters. Finger link fishes were obtained from V.C. Farm, Mandya, and Karnataka. They were divided into 13 groups (G1 to G13) of 10 each and keeping G1 as ‘control unit’, G2 to G13 were exposed to different concentrations of primary treated spentwash for a period of 6 days in different aquariums of 36”x15”x18”size.
Results: It was found that all fishes behaved normally up to 0.9% spentwash, but at higher concentration, the fishes behaved abnormally and there after, could not sustain for longer time and eventually died. By this, it is presumed that insufficient DO for natural respiration at higher concentration of spentwash in water was the cause. The ‘mortality rate’ (MR) was 100% in G13 (1.2% spentwash) after 12 hr exposure, in G12 (1.1%spentwash) the MR was 17% after 7 hr in G11 MR was 8% after 24 hr and in G10 to G2 MR was ‘0’% respectively after exposure of 6 days.
Conclusion: The study emphatically verdicts that the un-sustainability was due to insufficient DO for respiration at higher concentration of distillery spentwash. Higher the contamination of distillery spentwash into water bodies results deleterious effect on the life of common carp (cyprinus carpio) fishes.
Background: In the present study, an attempt has been taken to evaluate phylogenetic relationship among six different species of Asparagus by utilizing 20 RAPD, 6 ISSR and 2 isozyme markers. The species of Asparagus of Asparagaceae (formerly Liliaceae) are important as ornamental, vegetable and medicinal plants.
Result and conclusion: Generated RAPD and ISSR fragments showed high variance among species and population level. The UPGMA cluster analysis and Squared Euclidean matrix prepared from RAPD, ISSR and isozyme data revealed a distinct relationship between these different species of Asparagus.
Background: Screening of salinity tolerant estuarine AM fungi was carried out in soil samples collected from Rajakkamangalam estuary of Kanyakumari district. Glomus geosporum was identified as the dominant estuarine AM fungi. Salinity tolerance activity of few selected AM fungi of the native soil was tested by pot-experiments that confirmed G. geosporum as the dominant AM fungi with higher salinity tolerance activity. In vitro culture of spores of selective AM fungi was performed in split plate culture. Protein profile of selective AM fungi were studied using extraradical hyphae produced from the spores in the saline amended M medium and the protein samples were loaded on SDS-PAGE. The protein profile of the saline treated and control extraradical hyphae were studied by performing electrophoresis.
Results: The protein band of 66kDa was identified for salinity tolerance activity. This protein band was sliced, sequenced and identified for protein and amino acid sequences. The amino acid bases of G. geosporum, the sequences from 7 to 350 bases showed 93% identities with the salinity tolerance gene of Arabidopsis thaliana.
Conclusion: It might be concluded that the bases 199 to 219 might be responsible for expressing salinity tolerance activity in the AM fungi G. geosporum, as the bases encodes a protein that complement a salt-sensitive phenotype.
Background: Methotrexate (MTX) is used as an antineoplastic drug in the treatment of various cancers and non-cancerous diseases. Ovarian ablation is considered to be effective in delaying recurrence of cancer and increasing survival in young women. When added to chemotherapy, it is less clear that this technique is effective. Uniqueness of the present study is that we used ovariectomized (OVX) rats as an experimental model to investigate the action of MTX and leucovorin (LCN) a universal antidote on uterus without or with estrogen and progesterone replacement therapy.
Results: The present study describes the drug effects on body and organ weights, histopathology of uterus and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) expression in the uterus. MTX treatment decreased body and organ (oviduct, uterus, cervix and vagina) weights in OVX rats. Histopathological studies revealed that MTX treatment regressed uterine epithelium and stroma revealing its anti-uterotrophic property. Considerable increase in body and uterus weights and improvement in histology of uterus were observed after estradiol and progesterone replacement. However, such changes were significantly decreased when MTX was treated in combination with LCN, estradiol and progesterone.
Conclusion: Our results unambiguously revealed that steroidogenic marker StAR protein expression in OVX uterus was enhanced by steroids supplementation. Additionally, MTX treatment alone or in combination with LCN, E2 and P treatment inhibited StAR protein expression in uterus thereby affecting steroid hormones replacement. LCN supplementation did not bring about a rescue of uterus and the side effects were profound. These results for the first time indicate antiestrogenic and antiprogestational action of MTX.
Background: Diabetes and its associated complications constitute a huge global health menace. Hyperglycemia induces alterations in several signaling pathways, which ultimately culminate in the development of various complications that includes Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). DR, a disease of retina is a major cause of blindness among diabetics.
Challenges: Although the precise mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of DR is broadly unclear due to its multifactorial nature, the contribution of oxidative stress and inflammation occupy the central stage.
Conclusion: In this review, the prevalence, clinical and pathobiological characteristics of DR and the possible cross-talk between the different contributing pathways involved in its development are described.
Background: An assessment of the germination of African oil bean seeds as affected by crude oil pollution of soil was carried out in Asaba, Nigeria in 2008. Six (0.0, 1.4, 2.8, 5.3, 11.2 and 22.4% by weight per 1.6kg of weight of soil sample) crude oil concentrations in soil served as the treatments. A randomized complete block design was adopted with four replications.
Results: The results showed that no significant differences (P>0.05) existed between the Pentaclethra macrophylla seeds sown in the unpolluted (0.0%) and those planted in the 1.4% level of oil pollution as regards percentage germination, days to germination and rate of germination. Significant differences (P≤0.05) were however observed in the germination characteristics of P. macrophylla seeds sown in soils as the concentration of oil in soils increased.
Conclusion: The study has established that crude oil pollution of soil has a significant effect of reducing the viability of Pentaclethra macrophylla seeds. It is also demonstrated in the study that crude oil application to soil significantly delayed and reduced the rate of germination of Pentaclethra macrophylla seeds while the minimum (critical) level of crude oil pollution that Pentaclethra macrophylla seeds can tolerate with respect to germination is 1.4% wet weight.
