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To protect a growing world population against food insecurity, the (https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2018/02/wild-relatives-of-commercial-crops-harbor-untapped-reservoirs-of-resilience/) chickpea is one crop that humanity definitely wants on its side: highly productive and rich in protein and calories, [...]

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A total of 151 pollen loads were recovered directly from the honeycombs of Apis dorsata (Rock Bee) collected during December 16, 2011-November 30, 2012, from Nandgaon, Ratnapur, and Lonwahi forest area of Sindewahi Tehsil of Chandrapur District of Maharashtra State, were analyzed. Twelve (7.94%) pollen loads were found to be uniforal, 47 (31.12%) bifloral, and 92 (60.92%) multifloral. The unifloral pollen loads were contained four of Cajanus cajan, three of Capsicum annum, two of Hyptis suaveolens and Prosopis juliflora, and one of Tridax procumbens. The pollen of C. annum was recovered from 96 (63.57%) of the total pollen loads studied. The study highlights C. annum (Solanaceae) do the major pollen sources and C. cajan (Papillionaceae), Lathyrus sativus (Papillionaceae), T. procumbens (Asteraceae), H. suaveolens (Lamiaceae), P. juliflora (Mimosaceae), Blumea spp. (Asteraceae), Capparis grandis (Capparidaceae), and Bidens pilosa (Asteraceae) as fairly important sources of pollen for the honeybees during the summer period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diverse studies have showed that the pesticides can cause important damages in ecosystem. Therefore, the development of bio pesticides through nanotechnology can increase efficacy and limit the negative impacts in the environmental that traditionally seen through the use of chemical pesticides. Nanoparticles obtained from plants' extracts can be used for effective pest management as a combined formulation of metal and some other organic material present in the plants. In the present study, our evaluated biosynthesis of nanoparticles of copper used two plant extracts (Acacia cornigera and Annona purpurea), and the Taguchi method was adopted for the synthesis optimization of the following variables of biosynthesis: temperature, pH, extract concentration, and reaction times to maximize the insecticidal activity on Tribolium castaneum. Our results showed that the nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using Acacia cornigera and Anona purpurea extract under optimum conditions under Taguchi L 9 orthogonal design, where copper nanoparticles were obtained with a size of 63–153 nm for using A. cornigera extract, 87–193 nm for A. purpurea extract, and a zeta potential of 9.6 mV and −32.7 mV, respectively. The nanoparticles of copper from A. cornigera showed effective insecticidal activity against Tribolium castaneum, and 90% mortality compared to the 76.6% obtained from nanoparticles of copper from A. purpurea. The results suggest that Cu-nanoparticles derived from both plants could be used as a biocontrol agent of Tribolium castaneum, a pest of stored grain with great economic importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood mechanical properties of Acacia crassicarpa were assessed at the age of ten years old in a progeny test at Cam Lo, Quang Tri Province, central Vietnam. A total of 208 trees from 52 open-pollinated families were selected for study. Height and diameter at breast height were measured for all selected trees and spiral grain was also measured at breast height on the standing trees using a Chalmers device, which measures the grain angle of the surface wood. Basic density and shrinkage were measured on one 12-mm bark-tobark increment cores taken at breast height from each sampled tree. Microfibril angle was measured on fiber prepared from the core samples using polarized light microscopy. Genetic parameters of the wood and growth traits were estimated using individual-tree linear mixed models. High coefficients of additive genetic variation (CVa, 17-34%) and high heritabilities (h2 = 0.61-0.82) for all wood traits indicated that there is potential to improve basic density, wood shrinkage, grain angle and microfibril angle in the species in central Vietnam. The genetic correlation between DBH and shrinkage was positive and thus unfavourable, whereas correlations between DBH and both spiral grain and microfibril angle were negative and favourable. The Chalmers device appeared to be a reliable indirect method for investigating genetic variation in spiral grain in A. crassicarpa. Index selection, based on genetic parameters and economic weighting dependent on breeding objectives is suggested for development of seed orchards to deliver genetic gain for A. crassicarpa in central Vietnam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Desmanthus is a Mimosaceae legume genus that is native to the Americas. Decades ago, the introduction of Desmanthus with impressive survival ability in semi‐clay soil filled the gap of no sown pasture legume adaptive to the northern Australian environment. In this study, the comprehensive phenolic profile of Progrades™ Desmanthus collected across northwestern Queensland was characterised by LC‐ESI‐QTOF‐MS2. Their antioxidant potential was evaluated by the in vitro antioxidant assays and correlatively analysed with the phenolic contents. As discovered, the phenolic contents varied significantly among geographical locations. Desmanthus collected from Armreynold showed the highest phenolic content mainly consisting of condensed tannins, whereas the Madison region sample displayed the highest flavonoid content. The mass spectrometry results identified 68 phenolic compounds, highlighting 21 phenolic acids and 36 flavonoids. This study provides academic evidence for the utilisation of Desmanthus in food and husbandry industries as an antioxidant ingredient or a potential source of phenolic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Acacia is a large group of woody legumes containing an enormous amount of morphological diversity in leaf shape. This diversity is at least in part the result of an innovation in leaf development where many Acacia species are capable of developing leaves of both bifacial and unifacial morphologies. While not unique in the plant kingdom, unifaciality is most commonly associated with monocots, and its developmental genetic mechanisms have yet to be explored beyond this group. In this study, we identify an accession of Acacia crassicarpa with high regeneration rates and isolate a clone for genome sequencing. We generate a chromosome-level assembly of this readily transformable clone, and using comparative analyses, confirm a whole-genome duplication unique to Caesalpinoid legumes. This resource will be important for future work examining genome evolution in legumes and the unique developmental genetic mechanisms underlying unifacial morphogenesis in Acacia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: S. Shafique, S. Shafique, U. Attia and M. Zameer Keywords: Alternaria arborescens, Genetic characterization, Leaf spot disease, Morphology, Vigna radiata. INTRODUCTION Mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) is an imperative [...]