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Volume 5 Number 1 2011
CONTENTS AND ABSTRACTS
Manpreet Kaur, Jatinder Singh, Sukhdev Singh Kamboj, A. K. Saxena (India) A Lectin with Anti-proliferative, Mitogenic and Anti-insect Potential from the Tubers of Caladium bicolor Vent (pp 1-9)
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Original Research Paper: A new lectin with in vitro anti-proliferative activity, potent mitogenic potential and anti-insect activity was isolated from the tubers of an ornamental monocotyledonous plant Caladium bicolor Vent, from the family Araceae. The lectin was purified by affinity chromatography on asialofetuin-linked amino activated silica beads. The native molecular mass of C. bicolor lectin (CBL) was 52 kDa, while subunit molecular mass was 13.1 kDa, indicating the homotetrameric nature of lectin. The purified lectin gave a single band in native PAGE at pH 4.5 while multiple bands were obtained in native PAGE at pH 8.3 and isoelectric focusing revealing the presence of isolectins. The secondary structure analysis by circular dichorism spectroscopy showed the presence of a β-pleated sheet structure. CBL was inhibited by N-acetyl-D-lactosamine (LacNAc), which is an important marker in various carcinomas and asialofetuin at 25 mM and 125 mg ml-1 respectively. The hemagglutinating activity of the lectin was not affected upto 55°C and in a pH range of 2.5-12.5. The lectin was stable upto 3.0 M of various denaturants tested namely urea, thiourea, guanidine hydrochloride and did not require metal ions for its activity. Out of 13 human cancer cell lines employed in the present study, CBL significantly affect the proliferation of colon and liver cancer cell lines, including HCT-15, HT-29, SW-620 and HOP-62. The lectin also showed a potent mitogenic response towards BALB/c splenocytes and human lymphocytes. Furthermore, CBL significantly prolonged the development period of second instar larvae of melon fruit fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), and reduced the percentage pupation and emergence besides affecting the activity of esterases, an important class of hydrolytic enzymes.
Vasanthi Raguru Pandu, Venkataramana Endla, Bhaskara Reddy Bommu Veera, Thanuja Rani Idemadakala, Sivaprasad Yeturu, Raja Reddy Kondreddy (India) Identification of SSR Markers Associated with Resistance to Nematode Tylenchorhynchus brevilineatus Infection in Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) (pp 10-16)
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Original Research Paper: Kalahasti malady is a disease caused by the soil-borne nematode, Tylenchorhynchus brevilineatus that occurs during the post-rainy season in Andhra Pradesh, India. Screening of segregating populations is very difficult as maintenance of a sick plot at the experimental farm is not possible. Hence, identification of molecular markers is a research priority. Among 35 SSR markers used for the study, the alleles of two primers (i.e., 225, 260, 275, 310 and 330 base pair (bp) alleles of pPGS seq14H6 and 210 bp allele of pPGS seq 16G8) showed an association with resistance to Kalahasti malady when seven parents (Tirupati 3, Kalahasti, Narayani, Kadiri 6, Tirupati 4, Prasuna and ICG (FDRS) 79), six F1s and 25 genotypes were screened. Confirmation of the association between resistance and markers has to be further carried out in mapping populations i.e. F2 populations and recombinant inbred lines, which are now being developed.
M. Azher Nawaz, M. Afzal, Waqar Ahmed, M. Ashraf (Pakistan), Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva (Japan), Naeem Akhtar, S. M. Shahzad, Hameed Ullah, Zahoor Hussain (Pakistan) Exogenous Application of 2,4-D, GA3 and NAA at Flowering Improves Yield and Quality of Kinnow Mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) (pp 17-21)
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Original Research Paper: This study was undertaken to assess the ability of plant growth regulators (PGRs) to improve fruit set percentage and quality, and to reduce the number of seeds in ‘Kinnow’ mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco). Various concentrations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) (10, 20 and 30 mg/l), gibberellic acid (GA3) (5, 10 and 20 mg/l) and 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (5, 10 and 20 mg/l), were applied at the full bloom stage on thirty 10-year-old ‘Kinnow’ mandarin plants grafted onto ‘Rough lemon’ (Citrus jambheri Lush) rootstock. A randomized complete block design was followed with three replications and a single tree was assumed to be an experimental unit. The overall objective of the experiment was to increase the productivity and quality of ‘Kinnow’ mandarin. Exogenous application of all the PGRs significantly increased fruit set percentage (from 43.89% with 10 mg/l 2,4-D to 82.77% with 10 mg/l NAA) leading to an increase in the total number of fruits/plant and fruit weight/plant (yield). Juice percentage, total soluble solids, acidity and vitamin C concentrations in fruit juice were also improved following the application of PGRs. PGRs at lower concentrations enhanced fruit set more efficiently than higher concentrations. The application of 20 mg/l GA3 significantly reduced the number of seeds/fruit (15.82) compared to the control (19.63).
Jeyaramraja Papanasam Rajamanickam (The State of Eritrea), Thushara Susan Sabu (India) Biometric Parameters in Certain Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Varieties Varying in Drought Tolerance (pp 22-26)
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Original Research Paper: This study was based on the field performance of selected groundnut varieties namely VRI-2, VRI-3, VRI-4, VRI-5, VRI-6, TMV-13, ALR-1, ALR-3 and CO-2, collected from different parts of Tamil Nadu, South India. According to their yield performance during crop (without water deficit) season and drought (with water deficit) season under field conditions, these varieties were categorized into drought tolerant (DT) and drought susceptible (DS) types based on their drought response index (DRI) values. An array of biometric parameters was also analyzed in all the varieties during both seasons in order to understand how these parameters fluctuate due to water deficit. The results showed that variations in biometric parameters among the varieties were statistically significant. It is also clear that the DT types were different from the DS types in terms of biometric parameters. This research paper indicates that drought tolerance in peanut is a result of the interaction among many different biometric traits that work in a synergistic manner, conferring the ability to evade water deficit under field conditions.
B. Vidya Vardhini, E. Sujatha, S. Seeta Ram Rao (India) Studies on the Effect of Brassinosteroids on the Qualitative Changes in the Storage Roots of Radish (pp 27-30)
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Original Research Paper: The effect of 24-epibrassinolide and 28-homobrassinolide on the qualitative changes in the storage roots of radish was studied. Brassinosteroids stimulated the growth of radish roots which was associated with increased levels of carbohydrates in terms of reducing sugars and starch. The soluble proteins were also elevated. Minerals like phosphorous, calcium and iron increased whereas the levels of potassium and sodium decreased. Brassinosteroids also considerably increased the contents of vitamins i.e. ascorbic acid and niacin present in the roots indicating their ability to improve the quality of storage roots of radish as the roots are the consumable parts of the plant.
B. Vidya Vardhini (India) Studies on the Effect of Brassinolide on the Antioxidative System of Two Varieties of Sorghum Grown in Saline Soils of Karaikal (pp 31-34)
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Original Research Paper: The effect of brassinolide on the antioxidative system of two sorghum varieties (‘CSH-5’ and ‘CSH-6’) plants grown in two saline experimental sites of Karaikal viz. Varchikudy and Mallavur, was studied. Brassinolide treatment increased the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase while reduced the activities of peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase of the two varieties of sorghum plants grown in two saline experimental sites of Karaikal, thus indicating their abilities to counteract the negative impact of saline stress.
Naveen Danesh, Anantha Nag Bhemanaik (India), Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva (Japan), Eralagere Thimmanaik Puttaiah, Bacchi Eshwarappa Basavarajappa (India) Physiological Responses of Some Tree Species to Air Pollution Stress around Bhadravathi Town, India (pp 35-41)
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Original Research Paper: Monitoring the effects of air pollutants on vegetation is very important to assess their possible damage to natural vegetation and crop plants. In this sense, ambient air quality monitoring was carried out during 2006-2008 at five sampling sites of Bhadravathi town. The concentration of suspended particulate matter was higher (41.02-236.56 µg/m3) than the concentration of nitrogen oxides (4.15-19.69 µg/m3) and sulfur dioxide (1.90-13.23 µg/m3). Four tree species (Polyalthia longifoia, Mangifera indica, Pongamia pinnata and Acacia auriculiformis) were selected to determine the effect of air pollution; the tested trees showed variation in biochemical parameters between sampling sites. The reduction in the range of ascorbic acid (1.80-4.99 mg/g of tissue), pH (5.2-6.5), relative water content (49-79%) and total chlorophyll content (1.39-2.77 mg/g of tissue) in tested trees at sampling sites versus trees at control site was significant. The variation among the biochemical parameters in the leaves of tested trees was directly attributed to the air pollution at Bhadravathi town.
Kolandasamy Padmadevi, Murugaiah Jawaharlal (India) Molecular Characterization of Chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora Tzvelev) Mutants using RAPD Analysis (pp 42-46)
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Original Research Paper: Chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora Tzvelev) is commercially cultivated as a cut flower, loose flower and pot plant. Physical and chemical mutagens were used in this study to induce variation in flower colour and form. Twenty five mutants from two chrysanthemum cultivars ‘Ravi Kiran’ (17) and ‘Acc.116’ (8) were characterized by RAPD to understand the extent of diversity and relatedness. Out of 28 random primers screened, 25 gave reproducible polymorphic bands. Cluster analysis of the mutants of both cultivars revealed that they fell into two major groups. In ‘Ravi Kiran’, of the two groups obtained, mutants caused by 0.5 kR gamma (γ) rays (3) obtained through in vitro mutation induction showed high genetic diversity with a maximum of 32 flowers per plant compared to the other mutants and parents. In ‘Acc.116’, of the two groups, mutants induced by 0.3% ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) (14) and 0.5 kR γ rays + 0.1% EMS (in vitro) showed high genetic diversity with a maximum number of viable mutants (11) compared to the other mutants and parents. RAPD markers can be a useful tool to determine the genetic relationship among chrysanthemum mutants.
I. N. Bheema Lingeswara Reddy, D. Srinivas Reddy, V. Prathap Reddy, M. Lakshmi Narasu, S. Sivaramakrishnan (India) Efficient Microsatellite Enrichment in Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn) - An Improved Procedure to Develop Microsatellite Markers (pp 47-51)
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Techniques Paper: One of the most recent advances in molecular genetics has been the introduction of microsatellite markers to investigate the genetic structuring of natural populations. To facilitate simple sequence repeat (SSR) discovery in finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn), a simplified protocol is proposed for using multi-enzyme digestion/ligation, biotin-labelled probes and a streptavidin-coated magnetic beads hybridization capture strategy. The procedure was carried out with trinucleotide repeats and the analysis showed more enriched microsatellites. More than 200 SSR motives were detected (SSR motifs ≥3 repeat units or 9 bp). Considering SSRs with 4 or more repeat units, the level of enrichment was 83.3%. 27 primers were designed. This method is an improvement over the current repeat-enrichment strategies which usually give fewer clones with trinucleotide repeats, resulting in representative small-insert libraries with a very high proportion of positive clones. Development and utilization of markers such as SSRs is a valuable asset for estimating genetic diversity and analyzing the evolutionary and historical development of cultivars at the genomic level in finger millet breeding programs.
Ankala Basappa Vedamurthy, Mysore Krishnaiah Sateesh, Shirur Dakappa Shruthi, Gajanana Ramachandra Naik (India) Effect of Red Rot Phytotoxin on in Vitro Shoot Differentiation of Sugarcane Variety CoC671 (pp 52-53)
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Short Communication: The sugar industry in India is well developed with a consumer base of more than a billion people. It is also the second largest producer of sugar in the world. The early maturing, high-yielding sugarcane variety CoC671 is very susceptible to red rot disease caused by Colletotrichum falcatum Went. During the present investigation, a red rot toxic metabolite (phytotoxin) was isolated using sugarcane host extract medium and solvent extraction. Partially purified phytotoxin was incorporated into modified MS medium supporting the differentiation of shoots from callus of var. ‘CoC671’ at different concentrations: 0.05 to 0.5% (v/v). The phytotoxin stimulated the emergence of shoot buds from callus at 0.05 and 0.1% but significantly inhibited shoot differentiation at 0.5%. The growth of regenerated shoot buds was stimulated at lower levels of phytotoxin (0.05, 0.1%) and inhibited at 0.4 and 0.5%. Use of the phytotoxin would help in the selection of sugarcane clones resistant to C. falcatum.
Bhavaniamma Vijayakumari (India), Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva (Japan), Hiranmai Yadav Rameshwar (India) Influence of Fresh and Decomposed Parthenium and Poultry Droppings on Sesame Yield (pp 54-61)
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Research Note: Sesame seed is a source of edible oil and is also used as a spice. The seed contains a high percentage of oil which has very good stability due to the presence of natural anti-oxidants. The utilization of waste through recycling is essential for environmental safety, economic stability and ecological sustainability. Several methods have been developed to convert biowastes into organic manure as an alternate source of farmyard manure and a substitute for chemical fertilizers. A pot culture experiment was conducted to assess the effect of fresh, composed, and vermicomposted Parthenium and poultry droppings on the yield and quality of sesame. There were 15 treatments, each with three replications. Fresh, composed, and vermicomposted Parthenium and poultry droppings were mixed with red soil and sand at 2: 1. The maximum number of capsules/plant, weight of grains/plant, and weight of capsules/plant for sesame were with poultry droppings at 35.0 g/pot. The weight of capsules/plant increased when composted Parthenium was applied at 35.0 g/pot and 100-grain weight increased when vermicomposted Parthenium was applied at 35.0 g/pot. The ascorbic acid content of sesame grains was higher in the N:P:K treatment while the protein content was highest when poultry droppings were applied at 35.0 g/pot.
Kanivebagilu Shankaranarayana Vinayaka, Subrahmanya Shravanakumar, Echalasara Shankaranarayana Kumaraswamy Udupa, Yelugere Linganaik Krishnamurthy (India) Diversity of Epiphytic Lichens and Evaluation of Important Host Species Exploited by Them in Tropical Semi-Evergreen and Deciduous Forests of Koppa, Central Western Ghats, India (pp 62-66)
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Research Note: This paper deals with epiphytic lichen flora in semi-evergreen and deciduous forests of Koppa taluk, central Western Ghats. A total of 36 lichen species belonging to 15 genera and 9 families were documented. The Shannon-Winner diversity value was 3.34 and Simpson’s richness value was 0.031. Deciduous forests have more lichens (27 spp.) than semi-evergreen forests. More epiphytic lichens grow on the main trunk (25 spp.) than branches and fallen twigs. Twenty four different host trees were recorded from the study area. Trees < 25 cm GBH (girth at breast height) sustained the growth of more lichens (33) than the other girth classes. Randia dumetorum, which has moderate bark texture, supported Graphina sp., Graphis celata, Heterdermia incana, H. pseudospeciosa, Lecanora indica, Porina americana, and Leptogium burnetiae. The assemblage of distinct species at different sites indicates restrictive species distribution and signifies the need for protecting large areas for lichen conservation.
Amalendu Tikader (India) Distribution, Diversity, Utilization and Conversation of Mulberry (Morus spp.) in North West of India (pp 67-72)
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Research Note: To ascertain the availability of mulberry genetic resources in Northwest India, an extensive survey and exploration was conducted. A total of 261 collections were made in different states of northwest India. The variation of these collections was recorded during a survey as well as after establishment at an ex-situ field gene bank. Four species of mulberry reported in India were collected and a good number of collections showed significant variation within and among different species. Some collections were utilized in a crop improvement programme while others were used directly in a field evaluation. The performance of wild species indicated that genetic improvement is possible through a pre-breeding approach and the incorporation of wild genes into cultivated varieties. Broadening of the genetic base of cultivated varieties was attempted with wild species and an improvement both in qualitative and quantitative aspects was observed. Valuable collections from different geographical regions of north-west India have some economic bearing and require extensive studies and conservation for posterity. Thus, genetic improvement, ex-situ conservation and future utilization can be assured by correctly exploiting collected materials.
Sundaresha Siddappa, Rohini Sreevathsa, Rangaswamy Kattarigatta Topegowda, Udayakumar Makarla (India) Strategies for Viral Disease Resistance in Crop Plants (pp 73-78)
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Research Note: Most crop plant species are susceptible to a number of different viruses, some of which may cause severe systemic infection resulting in significant crop losses. Hence a major preoccupation of both breeders and growers alike has been the development of strategies (pathogen-derived resistance) that protect against infection. Traditional approaches for managing plant virus diseases include avoiding virus-infected material, chemical control of arthropod vectors and, when available, use of virus-resistance in cultivated crops. However, all of these are labour intensive and chemical control of insect vectors is becoming more expensive with potential undesirable side effects, including environmental hazards and the generation of insecticide resistance in vector populations and those of other insect pests. The observation of cross protection, wherein the inoculation of mild virus strains on plants provided protection from more severe strains, suggested that alternative approaches were possible. Transgenic technology opened up environmentally friendly options to engineer plants for resistance to viruses. This includes both protein and RNA-based approaches. One of the earliest approaches through transgenic technology to combat the viruses was the coat protein-mediated resistance. In the recent years, many RNA-based approaches that involve silencing of the viral proteins are in vogue. This involves both the artificial miRNA and siRNA based approaches. This overview is an update on the different strategies used to improve crops against viral diseases. In addition, we would also focus on novel strategies that utilize the multigene concept for virus control which forms the highlight of this review.
Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva (Japan), Judit Dobránszki (Hungary) The Rule of 17: New Ground Rules for Plant Science and Bio-medical Manuscripts (pp 79-84)
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Research Note: In science publishing, whether plant science or bio-medical science in general, submission of a manuscript to a journal constitutes the final and one of the most important phases of an entire research project. Care with scientific writing, language and style all increase the chances of publication in a target journal, even one of repute. Naturally, in all cases, the style of a journal is followed, but there are some uncovered and unabridged errors that many scientific editors encounter during the review process which are almost never corrected by the authors, or are passed over or ignored by the editorial board. In this short paper we wish to highlight the most important of these errors to provide a new set of simple but useful guidelines that would allow scientists, particularly from developing countries and from countries whose first language is not English, particularly in Asia, to sharpen their presentation skills, thus improving, even if slightly, the chances of acceptance. These issues are almost never covered by journals or their publishers, and are never clearly indicated in the Instructions for Authors. This new “Rule of 16” could serve as a solid complement to any journal’s current Instructions for Authors.
Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva (Japan), Pham Thanh Van (Japan/Vietnam) Ethics of Authorship: Survey among Plant Scientists (pp 85-89)
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Research Note: A small quantitative survey was conducted among a small population of plant scientists (n = 68 from 35 countries) to determine some key aspects of publishing and authorship ethics to better understand what their understanding and interpretation of key aspects of these areas of study is. Eleven questions were posed and respondents could respond online with the possibility of also freely adding any additional comments as a 12th question. 74% of respondents had some form of international research collaboration, 31% of which claimed that all authors gained automatic authorship in published papers. 24-28% of respondents indicated that authorship had been provided to an English native speaker in published papers, although 56-63% of respondents found this type of co-authorship to be ethical and 65% of their institutes and funding agencies also considered this to be an ethical and valid form of authorship. 62% of respondents found a statistician to be a valid form of authorship while a surprising 16% found a ghost-writer to be a valid form of authorship. Collaboration, partnership and co-operation (CPC) are real forms of fostering stronger ties in science, both in research and in publishing. The results of this survey indicate that, at least in the plant sciences, there is a strong rift between ideologies, which may be as a result of the lack of suitable guidelines and in-depth and open discussion on these issues.
Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva (Japan) Should English Language Teachers (ELTs) be Co-authors in Scientific Papers? (pp 90-94)
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Research Note: English is most probably the single most important factor for the success of a publication other than its scientific content when submitted to a peer reviewed scientific journal. Although it is difficult to quantify the number of non-native English speakers who publish in international, peer-reviewed journals, it is highly likely that this number may in fact exceed the number of so-called native English-speaking scientists. A priori, these non-native English-speaking scientists are at a disadvantage, such as most in Asia, and to bridge this linguistic gap, they seek assistance, free or paid, usually from language revision services or from English language teachers, or ELTs. In several cases, authorship is attributed to the ELT in exchange for language assistance, which may pose ethical hurdles in the scientific community. In this manuscript, I exemplify how ELTs, although offering some skeletal advice on sentence structure and grammar, fail to significantly improve the manuscript quality, especially the scientific content and accuracy, and even English expressions and grammar. However, a writing collaboration partner who is both a native English speaker (and/or an ELT) can provide significant improvements to the linguistic and scientific aspects of a scientific paper. An ELT should not be attributed co-authorship unless: 1) they make significant improvements to the linguistic aspects; and 2) they are competent professionals in that field of study. An ELT who fulfills both criteria – and not only one – could be entitled to co-authorship if at the request of all co-authors, provided that all other publishing ethics are respected. |
