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The rhizosphere represents an intricate microenvironment, consisting of a complex network involving soil, root and soil microbes. Conditions in the rhizosphere exert a direct influence on the growth and yield of crops. The unregulated and widespread application of synthetic fertilizers has emerged as a grave concern for the sustainability of agriculture and the equilibrium of ecosystems. These chemical substances accumulate within the soil, leach into water sources and release into the atmosphere, persisting for decades and posing a substantial threat to the overall ecosystem. This issue is of significant concern, necessitating a potential solution that can only be realized through the involvement of microorganisms and organic amendments. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) has assumed a pivotal role in addressing this concern. The established role of microorganisms in enhancing plant growth, managing nutrients and exerting biocontrol is well-documented. PGPR, present in the rhizosphere, has the capacity to transform numerous nutrients that are initially inaccessible to plants into forms that can be readily utilized. Additionally, PGPR synthesize plant hormones, secondary metabolites, antibiotics, stressrelieving compounds, chelating agents, and signaling molecules, enabling interactions with both beneficial and pathogenic organisms within the rhizosphere. Moreover, PGPR is involved in the improvement of soil physical properties, chemical properties and overall functioning that offers direct or indirect benefits to crop growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lodging is more than just plants falling over; it incurs significant economic losses for farmers leading to a decrease in both yield and quality of the final produce. Human management practices, such as dense sowing, excessive nitrogen fertilizer applications, inappropriate sowing dates, and upland rice cultivation, exacerbate the risk of lodging in rice. While breeders have developed high-yielding rice varieties utilizing the sd1 gene, relying solely on this gene is insufficient to enhance lodging resistance. Identifying the traits that contribute to lodging resistance is crucial. Key factors include biochemical, anatomical, and morphological traits, such as the levels of lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, silicon, and potassium, along with the number and area of vascular bundles and the thickness, diameter, and length of the culm. Moreover, markers associated with lodging-related genes, like SCM2, SCM3, SCM4, and prl4, can be utilized effectively in marker-assisted backcrossing to develop rice varieties with desirable culm traits. This literature review aims to aid rice breeders in addressing the issue of lodging by examining traits that influence lodging resistance, developing phenotyping strategies for these traits, identifying suitable instrumentation, exploring methods for screening lodging-resistant plants, understanding the mathematical relationships involved, and considering molecular breeding aspects for pyramiding genes related to lodging.

The first step in developing high yielding heterotic hybrids is to find restorers that can effectively restore the fertility of CMS lines. Two distinct and dominant nuclear genes for restoring fertility, Rf3 and Rf4, are primarily in charge of the fertility restoration of CMS-WA lines in rice. Identifying fertility restorer lines can be accelerated and made simpler by molecular mapping of Rf3 and Rf4. The present investigation was carried out to validate the presence of two fertility restorer genes Rf3 and Rf4 in the F4 generations of two populations viz., CBSN 25/WRM 21-24 (86 families) and CBSN 25/WRM 93-20 (79 families) using seven SSR molecular markers. The results revealed that 17 plants in the cross CBSN 25/WRM 21-24 and 47 plants in CBSN 25/WRM 93-20 were found to be double positives for both Rf3 and Rf4 genes. Hence, after stabilization these identified plants from both crosses could be used as male parents or restorers in CMS-based hybrid rice breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of spray volume on weed control in transplanted rice ecosystems using the Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) needs to be better understood for management in the advancements of UAV-based spraying technology. The present study aimed to find out the influence of varied spray volumes of 15 L/ha, 20 L/ha and 25 L/ha using the UAV and 500 L/ha using a Knapsack sprayer (KS) to compare the weed density, weed dry matter and weed control efficiency and yield in transplanted rice (Oryza sativa L.). Pre-emergence (PE) application of Pyrazosulfuron-ethyl at 25 g a.i./ha at three days after transplanting (DAT) and postemergence (PoE) application of Bis-pyribac sodium at 25 g a.i./ha at 25 DAT were used as herbicide treatments. The results revealed that varied spray volumes significantly influenced the weed density, dry matter, and weed control efficiency of the UAV and KS. Application of herbicides using KS (500 L/ha) and UAV (25 L/ha) had better control on the weeds by reducing weed density and dry matter at 20, 40, and 60 DAT, with no significant difference. Higher grain yield and straw yield were recorded in KS (500 L/ha) and UAV (25 L/ha), with no significant difference. However, applying 25 L/ha had better weed control efficiency and higher yield, possibly due to optimum deposition. Considering the low volume application of UAV (25 L/ha) as compared with KS (500 L/ha), it is better to go for the optimal application of 25 L/ha, which is an energy-efficient and cost-effective, laboursaving approach compared to KS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India and other countries, rice straw, a byproduct of rice production, is burned in enormous amounts, which contributes to environmental pollution and climate change by releasing greenhouse gases viz., CO2, N2O, CH4, into the atmosphere. This study aimed to accelerate the degradation of this enormous amount of agricultural biomass via microbial inoculants. Four treatments--rice straw (RS), rice straw plus water (RSW), rice straw plus water plus Pusa decomposer (RSWF), and rice straw plus water plus Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) biomineralizer (RSWB) were used in the current investigation. The study's findings demonstrated that rice straw treated with microorganisms decomposed more quickly than RS and RSW treatments. According to EDAX spectra of elemental composition, the carbon content of rice straw in the RS, RSW, RSWF, and RSWB treatments was 33.66%, 29.75%, 13.33%, and 20.65% w/w, respectively. The RSWF treatment of rice straw was found to have the highest nitrogen concentration (0.64% w/w), followed by RSWB (0.61% w/w), RSW (0.45%) w/w, and RS (0.43% w/w). Treatments RSWF and RSWB had lower C/N ratios 20.83, and 33.85, respectively, than that RSW (66.11) and RS (78.28). The RSWF and RSWB treatments' porous, distorted, and rough surface structures provided further evidence that both microbial consortia could decompose rice straw more quickly than the RSW and RS treatments. Therefore, the results of this study imply that rice straw could be added to the soil to improve soil fertility for sustainable crop production rather than being burned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current dietary patterns are suboptimal for both human and planetary health(1,2). With growing consumer and business concerns around food sustainability, estimating the environmental footprint of foods and diets is pertinent. In many countries, supermarkets are the primary provider of foods and beverages; therefore, supermarket purchasing records represent a novel source of population dietary data that offers advantages over traditional methods(3). We developed a method for mapping greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) to food and beverage products from a high-street retailer's portfolio, to enable the estimation of the environmental footprint of population diets when linked with sales information. We used data from the food and beverage portfolio of a high-street retailer in the United Kingdom (UK), including product name/description, categorisation, ingredients, and weight. We mapped these products to GHGE (kg CO2-eq/kg) using a global database on the average environmental footprint of food commodities(4). This mapping process involved three stages utilising different mapping approaches, guided by product sales data, which we extracted from the retailer's loyaltycard transactions for Yorkshire and the Humber (UK) region during 2022. Stage 1 involved categorising the products into Living Costs and Food Survey food categories and mapping each category to GHGE, where possible (food-category approach). Stage 2 involved splitting selected food categories (based on complexity, necessity of a better mapping, and sales) and creating a sub-category-specific mapping based on an indicator product, which was selected as most popular using sales data (food-sub-category approach). The indicator-product mapping represented a weighted average GHGE value calculated using information on product ingredients and their estimated proportions (ingredient approach). Stage 3 utilised word-searches in product descriptions to distinguish further between product types within selected prioritised subcategories. We used the estimated product-level GHGE (mapped GHGE × product weight) and sales data to estimate food-category contributions to total GHGE and assess how these estimations change by mapping stage. Of >28,000 products, 77.7%, 98.0% and 98.6% were mapped to GHGE at the end of stages 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Of the final product mappings, 40% were at a food-category level and 60% at least at a sub-category level. We calculated 153 product-specific GHGE using ingredients information for prioritised indicator products. When using mappings from stage 3 vs 1, the contributions of 'savoury snacks' and 'chocolate' to total GHGE were approximately four and two times higher respectively, due largely to improved mapping that accounted for product sub-category and ingredients. Mapping environmental sustainability metrics to a retail product dataset is feasible when using a staged approach, guided and prioritised by sales data. However, mapping approach and the estimations' variability should be considered. This method could be used for estimating the environmental footprint from food purchasing data, helping to inform responses towards promoting healthier and more sustainable diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, a third of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) are produced by the food system(1). Estimating the carbon footprint of current diets is therefore important to consumers, businesses, and policymakers. With most home-consumed food in the United Kingdom (UK) purchased from supermarkets(2), supermarket purchasing records represent a novel data source that can provide insights into dietary patterns(3). These data are particularly useful in an environmental sustainability context as they provide information on the amounts of foods and beverages purchased, not just the amounts consumed (as in traditional dietary assessments). We estimated GHGE of foods and beverages purchased in Yorkshire and the Humber region of the UK using supermarket transaction data from primary-shopper loyalty cards over 12 months in 2022. We mapped a UK retailer's food and beverage products to GHGE (kg CO2-eq/kg) using data on the environmental footprint of food commodities(4), and grouped the products according to the Living Costs and Food Survey (LCFS) categories. The sustainability mapping process was guided by product sales (i.e., prioritising the most sold products and categories) and involved three stages utilising mapping approaches with different complexity, resulting in 98.6% of >28,000 store products being mapped. We estimated total GHGE of each product by multiplying the final mapped GHGE by the product weight (as sold). We then used these product-level GHGE estimations (kg CO2-eq/item) in conjunction with the sales data (number of items sold) to estimate the contribution of each product, and subsequently each LCFS category, to total GHGE from all purchases. When incorporating sales, the LCFS categories with the highest contributions to total GHGE included 'beef' (19.6%), 'milk' (9.8%), 'cheese and curd' (8.6%), 'ready meals' (6.9%), and 'poultry' (5.5%). The LCFS categories among the lowest contributors to total GHGE included 'confectionery products' (0.2%), 'pasta products' (0.4%) and 'soft drinks' (0.5%). Although some LCFS categories had higher GHGE per kg for their products, they were sold in smaller quantities, and therefore, their contributions to total GHGE were lower in total. For example, 'lamb' was in the top five LCFS categories with the highest GHGE per kg (39.7 kg CO2-eq/kg) but contributed to 1.4.% of total estimated GHGE when incorporating sales information, which was less than 'bread' (2.2%) and 'yoghurt' (1.7%). Our results highlight that although some foods might be very GHGE-intensive on a per weight basis, they have a lower overall GHGE impact if they are not frequently purchased in the population. These supermarket sales data are an important resource to understanding and subsequently tackling the environmental impact of the food system. Further research, including other environmental sustainability metrics (e.g., water and land use), is needed to provide a more comprehensive picture of the environmental footprint of foods and beverages purchased by UK consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was carried out to understand the genetic variability, association, cause and effect relationships between yield and its attributing agronomic and physiological traits in 23 F3 families of pre-breeding restorer germplasm in a hybrid rice program for six agronomic and three physiological characters. The variability and heritability parameters were grouped under the high category for the number of productive tillers per plant, leaf area per plant, dry matter production and single plant yield. The traits viz., the number of tillers per plant and panicle length, leaf area per plant and dry matter production showed a direct correlation with single plant yield and in cause and effect relationships. All traits had a direct influence on single plant yield except days to 50% flowering and chlorophyll index. At the intra-family level, six families namely 30, 35, 36, 46, 55 and 82 showed high variability and heritability values of all parameters for six traits. All nine traits exhibited normal distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Groundnut, commonly known as peanut, is a significant oil, food and feed legume crop grown in all seasons in Tamil Nadu, including kharif, rabi and summer and it is cultivated both under irrigated and rainfed conditions in all the seasons at Thiruvannamlai district. One of the most important applications of remote sensing in agriculture is a crop acreage and production estimation (CAPE). The CAPE's main goal is to estimate crop acreage and production of important crops, so that advanced food production, distribution and supply data were achieved. Methods: Multi-temporal Sentinel 1A SAR IW-GRD data with 20 m spatial resolution and 12 days temporal resolution of vertical - horizontal (V-H) polarization were downloaded for the period of 4th October 2020 to 8th January 2021 to have the full coverage during the crop growth period in the study area used for this work. Crop backscattering and multi-temporal features were extracted from MAPscape 5.2 automated pre-processing tool and its classified using supervised maximum likelihood classification for groundnut acreage extraction for Thiruvannamalai district. Result: The rabi groundnut area of Thiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu was estimated using SAR Sentinel-1A data as 32298 ha with a higher accuracy percentage of 87.4 and kappa coefficient of 0.75. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are high-flow, aggressive lesions that cause systemic effects and may pose a risk to life. These lesions are difficult to treat as they have a tendency to recur aggressively after excision or embolization. So, it requires a regulating free flap with robust vascular flow averting the postexcisional ischemia-induced collateralization, parasitization, and recruitment of neovessels from the surrounding mesenchyme—a phenomenon precipitating and perpetuating the recurrence of AVM. Materials and Methods Sixteen patients (12 males and 4 females) with AVMs Schobinger type 4 involving face were treated from March 2015 to March 2021 with various free flaps: three free rectus abdominis flaps, one free radial forearm flap, and twelve free anterolateral thigh flaps were used for reconstruction following the wide local excision of Schobinger type 4 facial AVM. The records of these patients were analyzed retrospectively. The average follow-up period was 18.5 months. The functional and aesthetic outcomes were analyzed with institutional assessment scores. Results The average size of the flap harvested was 113.43 cm2. Fourteen patients (87.5%) had good-to-excellent score (p = 0.035) with institutional aesthetic and functional assessment system. The remaining two patients (12.5%) had only fair results. There was no recurrence (0%) in the free flap group versus 64% recurrence in the pedicled flap and skin grafting groups (p = 0.035). Conclusion Free flaps with their robust and homogenized blood supply provide a good avenue for void filling and an excellent regulating effect in inhibiting any locoregional recurrences of AVMs

The foliar application of nutrients and plant growth regulators (PGRs) at critical crop growth periods can improve the yield of field crops. Hence, the present study was conducted to quantify the effects of the combined application of nutrients and PGRs (crop-specific formulation) on maize, blackgram, greengram, groundnut, cotton, sugarcane, and coconut yield. In all the crops except coconut, the treatments included (i) a foliar spray of crop-specific nutrients and PGR combinations and (ii) an unsprayed control. In coconut, the treatments included (i) the root feeding of coconut-specific nutrients and PGR combinations and (ii) an untreated control. Crop-specific nutrient and PGR formulations were sprayed, namely, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) maize maxim 1.5% at the tassel initiation and grain-filling stages of maize, TNAU pulse wonder 1.0% at the peak flowering stage of green gram and black gram, TNAU groundnut-rich 1.0% at the flowering and pod-filling stages of groundnut, TNAU cotton plus 1.25% at the flowering and boll development stages of cotton, and TNAU sugarcane booster 0.5% at 45 days after planting (DAP), 0.75% at 60 DAP, and 1.0% at 75 DAP of sugarcane. The results showed that the foliar application of TNAU maize maxim, TNAU pulse wonder, TNAU groundnut-rich, TNAU cotton plus and TNAU sugarcane booster and the root feeding of TNAU coconut tonic increased the yield of maize, pulses, groundnut, cotton, sugarcane, and coconut, resulting in higher economic returns.

The presence of high genetic diversity in physiological traits among maize inbreds had scope for improving the inbreds for better canopy architecture. Eight maize inbreds were characterized by twelve morpho-physiological traits and four yield-related traits. Among the physiological traits, the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is evenly distributed in S38, S157, S289, and S322 inbreds at the canopy level. Leaf Dry Matter (LDM) had positive association (r = 0.734*) for 100 kernel weight. In Principal Component Analysis (PCA), the first two PCs were used to construct the biplot where the total number of kernels, cob girth, Average Growth Rate (AGR), and leaf dry matter had a positive association with S157, S322, and D164 inbreds. The inbred S157 recorded high leaf dry matter (47.55 g), more cob length (20.43 cm), more 100-kernel weight (39.32 g) and more average growth rate (6.18 g/day). Hence, S157 is considered as the best ideotype for the developing high yielding maize hybrids based on better canopy architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Grape is one of the important cash crops cultivated in India. The grape bunches during growth stages are adversely affected by various biotic and abiotic factors which in turn affects the yield and quality. In addition, high usage of agrochemicals in grape cultivation increased concern over pesticide residues among consumers. Therefore, an alternative technique of fruit bagging to enhance the yield and quality as well as to minimize pest and disease infestation is emphasized. Bagging of grape bunches also aids in preventing the agrochemicals entry into the fruits. Methods: A field experiment was conducted to study the impact of fruit bagging on yield attributes in grape cv. Muscat Hamburg at Coimbatore during winter (August - December, 2018) and summer seasons (January - May, 2019). The grape clusters were covered with non-woven UV stabilized polypropylene bags of different colours viz., blue, white, yellow, red and green immediately after fruit set and were removed before harvest. The unbagged clusters were treated as control. Result: In the present study, the grape clusters covered with white colour non-woven UV stabilized polypropylene bags was found to be superior for yield attributes viz., bunch weight (255.03 g and 294.80 g), berry diameter (15.39 mm and 15.97 mm), berry weight (4.30 g and 4.85 g), pulp weight (3.88 g and 4.44 g), peel weight (0.28 g and 0.31 g) and yield per vine (7.7 kg and 8.8 kg) in both summer and winter season crops respectively. Hence, the present study emphasizes that fruit bagging improves the yield attributes in grapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation aims at estimating per se performance, combining ability and standard heterosis for 16 biometrical traits using 40intra-hirsutumhybrids synthesized from eight ovule and five pollen parents in Line x Tester fashion. The analysis of variance was significant for all biometrical traits except fibre fineness. Apart from internode length and ginning outturn, all traits were predominantly governed by dominance gene action. Among the parents CPD 1701, RHCHD 1314, RHCHD 1406, MCU 9, CO 16 and CO 14 ranked as good general combiners. Based on mean, sca effects and standard heterosis, PBH 116 x CO 16, RHCHD 1314 x CO 14, CPD 1701 x CO 16 and CPD 1702 x MCU 7 was perceived as amenable for heterosis breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The naturally coloured cotton is the age old crop holding evidence in ancient civilization. Over the course of time, the machine spinnable superior white linted varieties replaced the cultivation of coloured cotton which having poor yield and fibre quality. In the present era, concerns about pollution and toxicity caused by synthetic dyes and dyeing industries have resurrected the interest of naturally coloured cotton. In view of eco-friendly processing, improving the fibre characteristics of naturally coloured cotton is the need of the hour. The study of genetics behind the colour development serve in developing coloured linted varieties with enhanced fibre quality by crossing with superior white linted lines. The present study involved studying F2 populations of direct and reciprocal crosses between two naturally coloured (Parbani American and Red 5-7) and one white fibred (MCU 5) upland cotton. The F1 was intermediate to parents in fibre colour. The phenotypic ratio in F2 was observed to be 1:2:1 proving the inheritance to be governed by single incompletely dominant gene. But a lot of variation for colour intensity in F2 could be related to more than one loci or the presence of modifiers. This could be further examined at molecular level in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The British Nutrition Foundation held a 1‐day roundtable event to gather views from a wide range of stakeholders on the relevance and importance of the concept of nutrient density in supporting and motivating people to make healthier dietary choices. The opportunities and barriers associated with the use of this concept were also explored. The roundtable involved experts from research, public health nutrition, dietetics, retail and nutrition science communication, and this report describes the main themes emerging from the discussions. High obesity prevalence rates indicate that, on average, we are consuming too many calories relative to energy requirements; yet, the quality of our diets, with respect to certain vitamins and minerals and fibre, seems to be falling somewhat short of recommendations. Addressing this issue may require a more holistic approach than the current focus on restricting single nutrients prevalent in public health messaging internationally. Most members of the roundtable felt that communicating the concept of nutrient density may help in encouraging healthier food choices and dietary patterns that are higher in nutritional quality. However, while nutrient profiling has been used to guide front‐of‐pack labelling and in restricting the advertising of less healthy foods to children, there is a lack of consensus on the precise definition of a 'nutrient dense' food or which nutrients should be used as markers of the 'healthiness' of foods/drinks, and the term seems to be poorly understood by consumers and health professionals alike. Therefore, further work is required if tools around this concept are to be developed to try and successfully promote behaviour change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thirty-two hybrid combinations were obtained by crossing four lines with eight testers in L x T fashion and F1's along with their parents were used for assessing combining ability for different yield and fibre quality traits. Variance due to parents and hybrids showed significant differences for all the characters studied except for the number of monopodia, boll weight and elongation percentage. Variances due to GCA were larger than SCA for all the traits, indicating the preponderance of dominance gene action. The lines, TSH 0499 and TSH 04/115 and the testers, MCU 13 and TCH 1819 which registered high per se performance coupled with the significant GCA effect were identified as best parents in developing hybrids with improved yield and fibre quality traits. The hybrid combinations viz., TSH 04/115 x MCU 7, TSH 0499 x SVPR 4, TSH 0499 x TCH 1819, TSH 0499 x MCU 13 and TSH 04/115 x TCH 1819 which showed significant sca could be used in heterosis breeding programme for improvement of both yield and fibre quality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulses are one of the important food crops due to higher protein content. Among the pulses, greengram (Vigna radiataL.) is popular and major grain legume used for consumption since ancient days. Elevated temperature stress during critical crop growth stages affects yield in greengram and lead to very low productivity Worldwide. Hence, it is essential to study the responses of critical growth stages of greengram under elevated temperature stress. With this background, the present investigation was carried out in CO 8 variety of greengram to study the physiological characters and yield responses of greengram under different elevated temperature stress conditions. The experiment was conducted in the open top chambers located in the Department of Crop Physiology, Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Coimbatore during 2016-2017. Elevated temperature stress was given two levels, by raising the temperature up to 2°C and 4°C from the ambient temperature. Plants subjected to an elevated temperature at various stages viz., vegetative, flowering and pod development. Observations on various physiological parameters viz., leaf area, gas exchange parameters like photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, leaf temperature were recorded. Also, osmotic potential and osmotic adjustments were studied under stress period. The response of yield was also recorded under different elevated temperature stress. Among the growth stages, the flowering stage was more critical to the elevated temperature and the impact of 4°C raise from ambient temperature was higher when compared with the elevated temperature of 2°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted at the Department of Rice, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore-3 during Kharif season, 2017. The objective of the experiment was to study the influence of Zinc nutrition on growth, physiology, ZUE, yield and grain Zn content of rice genotypes at two stages of crop. The experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized block design with three replications. The results of the field study revealed the maximum total tillers per plant were observed in the rice genotype IR93354:19-B-12-21-9-1RGA-2RGA-1-B under 0.5% ZnSO4 condition at the grain filling stage. However the higher total dry matter production recorded in the genotype IR15M1266 under 0.5% ZnSO4 treatment. Regarding zinc use efficiency indices, the maximum zinc use efficiency (42.2%) was observed in the foliar application of 0.5% ZnSO4 in rice genotype IR14M117 followed by BPT5204 (39.0%). The higher spikelet fertility was observed in BPT5204 (98.2%) under foliar application of 0.5% ZnSO4 was followed by Kalanamak (97.3%) on par with Chittmutyalu (97.2%) was under 0.5% ZnSO4 application. The treatment 0.5% ZnSO4 had recorded higher grain yield (8870.0 kg/ha) in IR95097:3-B-16-11-4-GBS which was on par with IR14M124 (8800 kg/ha). To conclude, when foliar sprayed with zinc sources such as 0.5% ZnSO4 and 0.5% Zn EDTA at boot leaf and grain filling stage in rice genotypes like IR15M1003, IR95097:3-B-16-11-4-GBS, IR95040:12-B-3-10-GBS, IR15M1341 and IR95097:4-B-2-18-8-GBS showed significant changes in growth, physiology and zinc grain content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to study the rice genotypes for nitrogen use efficiency at the Department of Crop Physiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore during Kharif, 2017. Forty rice genotypes were used for this study with two nitrogen levels viz., 50% Recommended Dose of Nitrogen (RDN) and 100% RDN and the experiment was laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design with two replications. The rice genotypes were subjected to 100% RDN and 50% RDN and various morpho-physiological, biochemical and yield traits were observed. Among the genotypes, IRGC 6386-1 showed higher photosynthetic rate at 100% RDN and 50% RDN followed by WAS 169. Similarly, higher grain yield per plant was noticed in IRGC 6386-1 at 100% RDN (60.22 g) and 50% RDN (58.41 g). From the results, it is evident that the increased amount of nitrogen could enhance the growth dynamics and yield attributes of rice genotypes. However, the present study demonstrated that certain genotypes had performed better even at 50% RDN in terms of growth characters and yield attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to study the photosynthetic efficiency of rice genotypes and mutants at the Glass house, Department of Crop Physiology, TNAU, Coimbatore. The physiological and biochemical parameters viz., chlorophyll index, photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll fluorescence and soluble protein content were measured at different growth stages which depicted the relative ability of the genotypes to the photosynthetic efficiency. Significant variation in the photosynthetic characters among the rice genotypes was noticed in the experimental results. Among the two mutants studied for photosynthetic efficiency the mutant 377-1-1 performed better than the mutant 277-2 due to its superiority in certain morpho-physiological, anatomical and biochemical traits which ultimately contributed for better yield. Hence, the mutant 377-1-1 can be recommended for crop improvement programme for developing elite cultivars with better photosynthetic efficiency and yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abiotic stress seriously affect the productivity of legumes worldwide. Among legumes, greengram is very popular and extensively grown in India, however, the production is affected by hostile environments, especially heat stress due to climate change. The global air temperature is predicted to rise by 0.2°C per decade, which will lead to (1.8-4.0°C) higher temperature than the current level by 2100. In the above view, an experiment was conducted in CO 8 green gram by elevating the temperature up to 2°C and 4°C from ambient level to study the effect of elevated temperature on morpho-physiological, biochemical and yield attributes of greengram during different growth stages. The results revealed that when CO 8 greengram exposed to elevated temperature of 4°C from the ambient, showed higher variation in its growth, development and yield attributes when compared with 2°C raise. The impact was lesser when plants subjected to an elevated temperature of 2°C from ambient when compared to 4°C raise. This study helps us to know the response of green gram to different elevated temperature at various crop growth stages. Thus, the present investigation opened new vistas in the field of developmental physiology for identifying the heat tolerant genotypes in greengram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulses are popularly known as poor man's meat and rich man's vegetable. They contribute significantly to the nutritional security of the country. Among the pulses, greengram is one of the most ancient and extensively grown pulse crops of India. Pulses are very sensitive to drought, water logging and high temperature. Due to climate change, elevated temperature seriously affects greengram production worldwide. Global temperatures have increased in the past 100 years by an average of 0.86°C. Elevated temperature stress during sensitive crop growth stages affects yield in greengram and leads to very low productivity. With this background, the present investigation was carried out in CO 8 greengram under elevated temperature stress by raising the temperature upto 2°C and 4°C from the ambient temperature. The experiment was conducted in the open top chambers located at the Department of Crop Physiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The main objective was to investigate the effect of elevated temperature on physiological aspects and yield attributes of greengram by imposing stress at different growth stages. Observations on various physiological parameters viz., chlorophyll index, chlorophyll fluorescence, relative water content, osmotic potential, and yield traits were studied under heat stress. From the results, it was concluded that CO 8 greengram variety exposed to elevated temperature of 2°C and 4°C from the ambient, showed significant changes in its physiology and yield attributes. Elevated temperature stress during flowering phase was critical when compared to other growth stages. Thus, the experiment created innovative views to study the molecular and physiological mechanism in detail to develop stress tolerant genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to study the certain morphological and physiological traits influencing the grain yield potential of small millets under irrigated condition. Out of six cultivated small millets, five of them viz., finger millet (CO15), little millet (CO 4), barnyard millet (CO 2), foxtail millet (CO 7) and kodo millet (CO 3) was taken for the study. The experiment was conducted during Rabi, 2015 in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four replications. The results indicated significant differences among the small millets in plant height, number of tillers per plant, LAI and LAD. The gas exchange parameters differed significantly among the crops leading to significant variation in total dry mater accumulation. However, the productivity was not only dependent on higher values of physiological traits but also on partitioning efficiency and test weight. Leaf area indices at different stages of growth were significantly higher in barnyard millet and it was followed by foxtail millet. Leaf area duration between vegetative to flowering stages was maximum in foxtail millet (48.54 days) and the minimum was observed in kodo millet (15.32 days). The barnyard millet, finger millet and foxtail millet had higher values for most of the physiological traits and yield components leading to higher grain yield when compared to other small millets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to study the physiological and biochemical traits contributing for better yield under reproductive stage drought in selected small millets viz., finger millet (CO 15), little millet (CO 4) and barnyard millet (CO 2). Drought was imposed during flowering stage of the crops by withholding irrigation till the soil moisture reaches below 20 per cent. The physiological parameters considered as indicators of drought tolerance viz., LA, LAI, LAD, NAR, soluble protein content and NR (Nitrate Reductase) activity measured during drought at reproductive stage depicted the relative ability of small millets to endure the water stress. Among the small millets, barnyard millet recorded the highest values for growth attributes such as LA (561.10 cm2 plant-1), LAI (2.24), NAR (1.52 mg g-1 day-1) and LAD (53.63 days) under stress at reproductive stage. Drought stress imposed at reproductive stage had an adverse effect on soluble protein content with considerable reduction in all small millets. Among them, barnyard millet recorded the highest soluble protein content (9.35 mg g-1) but the lowest reduction in soluble protein content due to water stress. Similar trend was observed for NR activity also. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted at woodhouse farm, Horticultural Research Station, Ooty, in the period of October 2017 to March 2018, to quantify the impact of tropospheric ozone and ozone protectants spray on chlorophyll content and antioxidant enzyme levels of cauliflower crop in a factorial completely randomized block design replicated thrice. During the study period, the plant exposed to ambient ozone level + 3% Panchagavya foliar spray had higher chlorophyll 'a', chlorophyll 'b' and total chlorophyll. The ambient ozone level + 3% Neem oil foliar spray had significantly higher total nitrogen, total phosphorous, total potassium. The elevated ozone exposure at 200 ppb significantly reduced the, total nitrogen, total phosphorous, total potassium, Chlorophyll 'a', Chlorophyll 'b', total chlorophyll and increased catalase and peroxidase enzyme activities in cauliflower plant. It is concluded that the tropospheric ozone had detrimental effect on chlorophyll contents and anti-oxidant enzymes in cauliflower crop. Further, the ozone protectants played a major role to nullify the tropospheric ozone effect on growth, physiology, development and yield of cauliflower and among the protectents, panchagavya performed well followed by neem oil and ascorbic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forty two Indian clusterbean genotypes were subjected to biochemical characterization. Biochemical profiling revealed the presence of ample amount of variation for crude protein, crude fibre, crude fat, ash, carbohydrate and guar gum content. Correlation analysis among the profiles expressed crude fibre positively and significantly correlated with ash content, but negatively and significantly correlated with crude protein. Carbohydrate showed significant and negative correlation with crude protein. Gum content showed positive and significant correlation with crude protein, but negative association with ash and carbohydrate content. High crude fat and ash content was found in the genotypes namely Amrit11, PNB, HVG2-30, T local and M local. These genotypes can be used for vegetable purpose as their length of the pod is higher than other genotypes. The genotype HFG119 has recorded high crude fat, ash and fibre content, which are the reasons attributed for the suitability as a fodder. Genotypes namely HGS16, RGC 1066, RGC1033, GAU 513, HGS870, MRSG6, RGM 1, RGC1002, SRG1008 suitable for gum extraction, after that they can be used for guar meal. Clustering based on proximate analysis distinguished the entire genotypes into gum producing and non gum producing genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In crops, drought stress reduces the photosynthetic rate and gamete function through oxidative damage. Earlier studies showed that nanoceria possesses an antioxidant property; however, the ability of nanoceria to alleviate drought-stress-stimulated oxidative damage in pulse crops has not been studied. Therefore, experiments were conducted to assess the impacts of nanoceria on drought-induced oxidative damage in mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]. We hypothesize that foliar application of nanoceria under drought stress can scavenge the excess produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to its inherent properties which could result in increased photosynthesis and reproductive success of mungbean. Three experiments were conducted under well-watered and limited-moisture conditions. The traits associated with oxidative damage, photosynthesis, reproductive success, and yield were recorded. Results showed that for mungbean, the optimum concentration of nanoceria for foliar spray was 100 mg L−1. Field and pot culture experiments showed that foliar application of nanoceria under drought decreased the superoxide radical content (29%), hydrogen peroxide content (28%), and membrane damage (35%) over water spray. Nanoceria increased the photosynthetic rate (38%), pod-set percentage (16%), and seed weight m−2 (44%) in drought-stressed plants compared to control plants. The increased photosynthetic rate by nanoceria spray under drought stress is associated with lesser oxidative damage and stomatal limitation caused by nanoceria’s inherent ROS-scavenging ability. Hence, foliar application of nanoceria at the rate of 100 mg L−1 under drought stress could increase mungbean seed yield per plant through increased photosynthetic rate and pod-set percentage.

In an attempt to study the influence of nutrients and plant growth regulators on physiological traits of finger millet, field study was carried out at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore in randomized block design with three replications during rabi 2014. The experiment consisted of eight treatments with PGRs viz., Brassinosteroids (BRs) (0.5 ppm), Mepiquat chloride (200 ppm), Chlormequat chloride (200 ppm) and nutrients, Thiourea (1000 ppm), All 19 (19:19:19 NPK @1%), MgSO4 (0.5%), ZnSO4 (0.5%), Boron (0.2%) and nutrients + PGR as Consortia along with untreated control. The study revealed that the foliar application of nutrients and PGR as consortia, twice at 50 and 70 DAS was found better in manipulating the physiological traits of finger millet for obtaining higher yield and economic returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strobilurins are new class of fungicide with an unique mode of action, effective in altering the physiological and biochemical traits of crop plants. An experiment was conducted to study the influence of strobilurin compounds on nitrate reductase, indole acetic acid oxidase enzymes and total phenolics of chilli. Combined application of strobilurin with triazole compound in the form of Nativo (trifloxystrobin + tebuconazole) @ 400 g ha-1 recorded significantly higher NRase activity and total phenolics content compared to control and other treatments. It is also observed that the combined application of pyraclostrobin with metiram as Cabriotop @ 1500 g ha-1 recorded the maximum IAA oxidase activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of silicon fertilization on physiological parameter and yield of hybrid maize under irrigated and rainfed conditions during Rabi, 2017-18 at eastern block farm of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The treatments comprised of two factorsviz., three irrigation strategies and two silicon sources as seed priming and foliar application. The results of the study indicated that adequate irrigation strategy registered significantly higher physiological parameters, grain yield (6679 kg/ha) and stoveryield. Silicon application as seed priming with 1.5 mM of sodium meta silicate and foliar application of silicic acid @ 0.2% at knee high and tassel initiation stages was recordedhigher physiological parameter like SPAD meter value and Relative Water Content (RWC) and grain (6130 kg/ha) and stoveryield. It was comparable with foliar application of silicic acid @ 0.2% at knee high and tassel initiation stages alone in registering higher growth and yield of maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to study the yield traits under reproductive stage drought in selected small millets viz., finger millet (CO 15), little millet (CO 4) and barnyard millet (CO 2). The crops were imposed with drought during their flowering stage by withholding irrigation till the soil moisture reaches below 20 per cent. Barnyard millet performed better under drought at reproductive stage over other small millets, such as finger millet and little millet, in terms of more number productive tillers (11.16 plant-1), ear heads (12.99 plant-1), lesser reduction in ear head length (13.35%), ear head weight (21.66%) and 1000 grain weight (14.93%) compared to well watered control plants. Little millet recorded the highest reduction in ear head length (19.01%), ear head weight (39.64%) and 1000 grain weight (23.26%) whereas finger millet recorded the lowest number of productive tillers (9.41 plant-1) and ear heads (9.71 plant-1) under drought over control. Regarding the grain and straw yields of small millets subjected to water stress, it was evident from the results that the impact of water deficit at reproductive stage was prominent in little millet compared to barnyard millet and finger millet. Barnyard millet recorded the highest grain yield (18.94 g plant-1) and straw yield (42.12 g plant-1) followed by finger millet (14.48 and 33.14 g plant-1). Little millet recorded the lowest grain yield (11.31 g plant-1) and straw yield (26.01g plant-1) under drought condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of exogenous application of ascorbic acid on growth and associated biochemical parameters in sugarcane cultivars CoC 24 and C 260628 under salt stress. In this study, ascorbic acid was applied at the concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0 mM in the hydroponic solution containing NaCl salts along with control. The morphological parameters nitrate reductase activity, proline and antioxidant enzyme activities (catalase and peroxidase) were recorded. The presence of NaCl salt reduced the growth of the plant and also affected the physiological activities. The application of ascorbic acid not only mitigated the inhibitory effects of salt stress but also induced a stimulatory effect on certain growth parameters. However, in this study, application of 1.0 mM ascorbic acid proved to be better option in mitigating the adverse effects on salinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of foliar spray of nutrients and plant growth regulator on morphophysiological traits, biochemical parameters and yield of blackgram. The treatments viz., foliar spray of 2% DAP, 100 ppm salicylic acid + 2% DAP + 0.2 % Boric acid + 0.5% FeSO4 + 0.5% ZnSO4 + 0.05% Na2MoO4, 2% urea, humic acid 20 kg soil application + 0.1% humic acid foliar spray, 1% KCl + humic acid 20 kg/ha as soil application + 0.1% humic acid foliar spray, 1% KCl + humic acid 20 kg/ha as soil application, brassinosteroid 0.1 ppm and control were imposed at 25 days after sowing and 15 days after first spray. Among the treatments, foliar spray of 2% urea had the profound effect in improving the growth attributes, chlorophyll content, soluble protein and nitrate reductase activity. Further foliar spray of 2% urea recorded the highest yield of 900 kg/ha with a yield increment of 20% over control. The yield enhancement might be due to the improved morpho-physiological traits and yield attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Secondary regional vascular insufficiency (RVI) is a pathophysiological state that occurs most commonly following the successfully involved perforosome-directed distal revascularization (IPDDR). This IPDDR renders bounding pulse in the vicinity of diabetic foot ulcer, which shows no signs of early granulation (the sign of healing potential) for variable time. This is the main cause for delaying the definitive reconstruction in the successfully revascularized diabetic foot. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of microvascular and nonmicrovascular reconstructions (NMVRs) in the treatment of secondary RVI of the neuroischemic diabetic foot following successful IPDDR. Endpoints assessed in this study were as follows: (1) Time taken to render a stable and shoe able foot or foot residuum following successful revascularization of the neuroischemic diabetic foot. (2) Time interval between IPDDR and definitive reconstruction in both groups. (3) Rate of complications including recurrence of foot ulcers and failures of reconstruction in each group. Patients and Methods: From 2014 to 2017, 128 neuroischemic diabetic foot patients (a multicenter study) after successful IPDDR for their critical limb ischemia subsequently underwent various types of reconstructions. All had a variable period of secondary RVI following successful revascularization. A retrospective study was conducted by dividing them into two groups – MVR group with 69 patients and NMVR group with 59 patients. The interval between the IPDDR and definitive reconstructions in each group was called the “latent period.” All were followed up for an average period of 30 months. The standard postoperative care and offloading techniques were followed in both groups. Results: The average time taken for obtaining shoeable and stable foot or its residuum in the MVR group was 55.5 days and NMVR group was 76.5 days. By statistical analysis, the MVR group had lesser latency period (P = 0.042), lesser ulcer recurrences (P = 0.044), and lesser flap and reconstruction failures leading to amputation (P = 0.0345). Conclusion: The MVR by bringing tissue from above or at the level of hip area produces sound and early healing of secondary RVI with higher limb salvage rate following the successful revascularization of neuroischemic diabetic foot.

Intuitionistic Fuzzy numbers each of which is characterized by the degree of membership and the degree of non-membership of an element are a very useful means to depict the decision information in the process of decision making. The aim of this article is to investigate the approach to multiple attribute group decision making with intuitionistic trapezoidal fuzzy numbers, some operational laws of intuitionistic trapezoidal fuzzy numbers are applied. We investigate the group decision making problems in which all the information provided by the decision makers is expressed as decision matrices where each of the elements are characterized by intuitionistic trapezoidal fuzzy numbers and the information about attribute weights are known. We first use the intuitionistic trapezoidal fuzzy hybrid aggregation (ITFHA) operator to aggregate all individual fuzzy decision matrices provided by the decision makers into the collective intuitionistic fuzzy decision matrix. Furthermore, we utilize weighted average rating method and score function to give an approach to ranking the given alternatives and selecting the most desirable one. Finally we give an illustrative example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is defined as chronic atherosclerotic disease of the lower limbs. Patients with lower extremity PAD present with wide spectrum of symptoms ranging from asymptomatic to minor exertoinal leg pain, significant walking impairment and ulceration or gangrene. The first step in decision making for the treatment of PAD is to confirm PAD with history, physical examination and non invasive vascular laboratory tests. Decision making regarding revascularization is based on symptom status and patient comorbidities. Treatment strategies for intermittent claudication is medical management and for critical limb ischemia is revascularization in the form of either endovascular or surgical management to avoid amputation.

Anterior tibial artery (ATA) pseudoaneurysm is a rare condition that occurs following lower extremity orthopedic intervention or after trauma. We report a series of cases of pseudoaneurysm which were treated surgically. The diagnosis was confirmed with computed tomography angiogram. Aneurysmal sac excision with ligation of ATA was performed.

Case report of iliac artery pseudoaneurysm from the nephrectomized site of transplant kidney. Endovascular management of iliac artery pseudoaneurysm after transplant graft nephrectomy is rarely reported. Patient presented with abdominal pain and pulsating mass in the right lower abdomen. The diagnosis of pseudoaneurysm was made with computed tomography angiogram. Iliac artery stent graft across the aneurysm excluded the sac and treated the compressive symptoms of patient. The endografting decreases intimal hyperplasia and allowing vascular conduit for the lower limb. The endovascular stent-graft placement in iliac artery is a reasonable and durable alternative in selected patients.