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Melampsora medusaef. sp. deltoidae is causing serious foliar rust disease on Populus deltoidesclones in India. In the present study, a novel fungal hyperparasite on M. medusaehas been reported. The hyperparasitic fungus was isolated from the uredeniospores of the rust fungi and identified as Cladosporium oxysporumby morphological characterization and DNA barcode technique based on the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region of nrDNA and beta-tubulin (TUB) gene region. Hyperparasitism was further confirmed through leaf assay and cavity slide methods. Leaf assay method showed no adverse effect of C. oxysporumon poplar leaves. However, the mean germination percentage of urediniospores was significantly decreased (p< 0.05) in the cavity slide method when a conidial suspension (1.5 × 107conidia per ml) of C. oxysporumwas applied in different deposition sequences. Scanning and light microscopic observations were made to explore the mode of action of the hyperparasitism. The antagonistic fungus vividly showed three different types of antagonism mechanisms, including enzymatic, direct, and contact parasitism. Alternatively, by screening 25 high-yielding clones of P. deltoides, five clones (FRI-FS-83, FRI-FS-92, FRI-FS-140, FRI-AM-111, and D-121) were enlisted under highly resistant category. Present study revealed an antagonistic relationship between C. oxysporumand M. medusae, which could be an effective method of biocontrol in field plantations of poplar. Combining this biocontrol approach with the use of resistant host germplasm could be an environment friendly strategy for preventing foliar rust and increasing poplar productivity in northern India.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis(Berk.) is a fungus closely related to medicinal mushroom, which belongs to the family Ophiocordycipitaceae. It is a well-known and rich herbal source of bioactive active constituents. The medicinal mushroom has garnered worldwide attention owing to its multifarious bioactivities. This mushroom grows on the larva of ghost moths (Hepialidae) and produces fruiting bodies, which serve as a vital natural source of medicine and supplementary diets. On account of the diverse pharmacological and bioactive constituents present in O. sinensis,it has been established as a potential antioxidant, anticancer, antibacterial, anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory agent that has been successfully used for treating several health issues, including hypoxia-related problems encountered by mountaineers, pilgrims, tourists and soldiers occurring at high-altitude regions such as acute mountain sickness (AMS), high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), frostbite, chilblains, hypothermia, etc. The most important pharmacologically active compounds present in the O. sinensisinclude nucleobases and its derivatives (adenosine, cordycepin, 3-deoxyadenosine, AMP, GMP, UMP, guanosine, uridine), polysaccharides (mannose, glucose, galactose, rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, galactose), proteins, peptides and steroids. This article focuses on the various research endeavors undertaken to scientifically establish the medicinal properties of O. sinensis,highlighting the various principally active compounds, their pharmacological action, drug designing and development and future perspective for various health benefits.

The study was conducted to evaluate the discriminatory potential of selected chloroplast-based DNA barcode regions for identifying and resolving phylogeny of the Indian bamboos. Among 11 chloroplast markers screened, only four, namely matK, rbcL, psbK-Iand rps16-trnQshowed successful amplification in 88 genotypes of 30 Indian bamboo taxa under Bambuseae and Arundinarieae tribes. A total of 244 sequences were generated for the four chloroplast regions. Tree-based analysis demonstrated that none of the tested regions successfully discriminated the taxa under Bambuseae tribe. Importantly, our highly concerned Himalayan temperate bamboo species under Arundinarieae tribe, were successfully discriminated by matKlocus with high bootstrap support (>60%). Sequence comparisons revealed that the discriminatory power demonstrated by matKregion actually lies in the few unique fixed nucleotides (UFNs) despite the overall DNA polymorphism. Although, rps16-trnQregion was found to be the most polymorphic and revealed high genetic divergence among different taxonomic levels, it could not successfully discriminated the taxa with strong statistical support. In a taxonomically difficult plant group like bamboos, whose genome is relatively more complex and has a slow rate of molecular evolution, it is difficult to get a universal marker. Further, highly variable barcode regions utilized in other species may not be informative, and thus, the development of DNA barcodes for different taxonomic levels, such as lineages or tribes could be a viable approach.

Dendrocalamus hamiltoniiis a commercially important bamboo species of India, experiencing population depletion due to heavy extraction from natural forests. Nuclear simple sequence repeats (nSSRs) were used to study the genetic diversity and population genetic structure of 19 natural stands of D. hamiltoniidistributed across the northeast Himalayas. A total of 68 nSSR primer pairs of D. latiflorusand Bambusa arundinaceahave been tested in D. hamiltoniifor their transferability, out of which 17 primers showing positive and polymorphic amplification were used for genotyping. A total of 130 alleles were generated in 535 individuals of all the populations using selected primer pairs. The marker analysis indicated that D. hamiltoniipopulations have maintained a low level of genetic diversity (h= 0.175, I= 0.291) in northeastern region of India. Despite a large proportion of the genetic variation (83.47%) confined within the populations, a moderate level of genetic differentiation (FST= 0.165) was observed among the populations. The clustering pattern obtained in UPGMA and STRUCTURE analysis revealed that most of the populations were clustered in accordance with their geographical distribution. Two populations (DH03 and DH13) exhibiting significant genetic admixture were identified and recommended for in situ conservation. In addition, six highly diverse populations were also suggested for conservation in different geographical area under study. The study has revealed useful nSSR markers for D. hamiltonii, which were lacking earlier and the information generated herein is of paramount importance in devising programs for species conservation and genetic improvement.