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During evolution, chloroplasts, which originated by endosymbiosis of a prokaryotic ancestor of today’s cyanobacteria with a eukaryotic host cell, were established as the site for photosynthesis. Therefore, chloroplast organelles are loaded with transition metals including iron, copper, and manganese, which are essential for photosynthetic electron transport due to their redox capacity. Although transport, storage, and cofactor-assembly of metal ions in chloroplasts are tightly controlled and crucial throughout plant growth and development, knowledge on the molecular nature of chloroplast metal-transport proteins is still fragmentary. Here, we characterized the soluble, ATP-binding ABC-transporter subunits ABCI10 and ABCI11 in Arabidopsis thaliana, which show similarities to components of prokaryotic, multisubunit ABC transporters. Both ABCI10 and ABCI11 proteins appear to be strongly attached to chloroplast-intrinsic membranes, most likely inner envelopes for ABCI10 and possibly plastoglobuli for ABCI11. Loss of ABCI10 and ABCI11 gene products in Arabidopsis leads to extremely dwarfed, albino plants showing impaired chloroplast biogenesis and deregulated metal homeostasis. Further, we identified the membrane-intrinsic protein ABCI12 as potential interaction partner for ABCI10 in the inner envelope. Our results suggest that ABCI12 inserts into the chloroplast inner envelope membrane most likely with five predicted α-helical transmembrane domains and represents the membrane-intrinsic subunit of a prokaryotic-type, energy-coupling factor (ECF) ABC-transporter complex. In bacteria, these multisubunit ECF importers are widely distributed for the uptake of nickel and cobalt metal ions as well as for import of vitamins and several other metabolites. Therefore, we propose that ABCI10 (as the ATPase A-subunit) and ABCI12 (as the membrane-intrinsic, energy-coupling T-subunit) are part of a novel, chloroplast envelope-localized, AAT energy-coupling module of a prokaryotic-type ECF transporter, most likely involved in metal ion uptake.

مقدمه پس از غلات، دومین منبع غذایی انسان حبوبات است. لوبیا هفتمین محصول غذایی عمده در جهان است که به طور گسترده توسط شرایط محیطی مانند خشکسالی تحت تاثیر قرار می­گیرد. علی رغم اهمیت اقتصادی لوبیا، مطالعات کمی بر روی ژنتیک و ارزیابی منابع ژنتیکی آن انجام شده است. مواد و روش ها با توجه به اهمیت این تنش، در این مطالعه به منظور بررسی مقاومت ژنوتیپ­ های لوبیا به سطوح مختلف تنش خشکی، آزمایشی به منظور بررسی تاثیر تنش خشکی بر عملکرد لوبیا و اجزای آن انجام شد، به طوری که یک آزمایش فاکتوریل در قالب طرح کاملا تصادفی در گلخانه در دانشگاه ایلام اجرا شد. در این آزمایش، مقاومت چهار ژنوتیپ لوبیا (ناز، اختر، Ks41128 و G11867) به سطوح مختلف تنش خشکی شامل 70، 50 و 30 درصد از ظرفیت زراعی مورد ارزیابی قرار گرفت. تنش خشکی 10 روز پس از کاشت بر گیاهان اعمال شد. صفات اندازه گیری شامل وزن خشک، ارتفاع بوته، عملکرد دانه در بوته، طول غلاف، تعداد غلاف در بوته و تعداد دانه در بوته بودند. نتایج و بحث نتایج نشان داد که بین صفات مورد مطالعه در بین ژنوتیپ­ها تفاوت معنی­دار وجود دارد که نشان­دهنده تنوع ژنتیکی ژنوتیپ­ها است. همچنین تفاوت معنی­داری بین سطوح تنش خشکی برای تمام صفات وجود داشت و کمبود آب توانست تمام صفات مورد مطالعه را کاهش دهد. هر چند تفاوتی بین تنش ملایم و شدید وجود نداشت. نتایج ارزیابی واکنش ژنوتیپ­ها به تنش خشکی نشان داد که ژنوتیپ KS41128 بیشترین تغییرات درصد عملکرد و اجزای عملکرد را داشت. دو ژنوتیپ (اختر و Ks41128) در شرایط بدون تنش متوسط عملکرد بالاتری داشتند، ولی عملکرد Ks41128 نسبتا به شدت تحت تاثیر تنش قرار گرفت اما ژنوتیپ دیگر کمتر تحت تاثیر تنش قرار گرفت. نتیجه­ گیری کلی با توجه به درصد تغییرات اغلب صفات، اختر (ژنوتیپ با رنگ دانه قرمز، فرم ایستاده، و به علاوه بازاریابی و کیفیت مطلوب) حداقل درصد تغییرات را داشت و بنابراین می­تواند در برنامه­های اصلاحی جهت انتشار ارقام متحمل به تنش آبی مورد استفاده قرار گیرد.

Leaf scald, caused by the necrotrophic fungus Monographella albescens, is one of the main threats to rice (Oryza sativa L.) around the world. This disease decreases yields in rice by up to 30% because of dead leaf tissue, damaged seeds, and sterile flowers. Currently, there is limited knowledge about the molecular mechanisms involved in rice plant resistance against this pathogen. For this purpose, six commercial cultivars of rice were primarily screened for M. albescens infection and development. Dasht and Salari were found to be the most resistant and susceptible to M. albescens infection, respectively. The plants were kept in a greenhouse at 29 ± 2°C during the day and 26 ± 2°C at night with a relative air humidity of 85 ± 5%. Forty-five days after sowing, the plants with three biological replications were inoculated by transferring a PDA disc (0.3 cm2) containing M. albescens mycelia to the middle third of the 7th, 8th, and 9th completely open leaves. The leaves were collected 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hai. Leaf samples were also collected from the non-inoculated plants (0 h) to serve as controls. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) showed rapid induction and significant accumulation of jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET) responsive genes such as lipoxygenase (LOX), allene oxide synthase 2 (Aos2), jasmonic acid carboxyl methyltransferase 1 (JMT1) and ACC synthase 1 (ACS1) in the resistant Dasht cultivar after infection with M. albescens. Furthermore, the transcripts of salicylic acid (SA) responsive phenyl alanine ammonia lyase 1 (PAL1) and nonexpressor of pathogenesis-related genes 1 (NPR1) genes were induced in the incompatible interaction. The activities of the defense enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX) and glutathione reductase (GR) increased strongly in Dasht in response to M. albescens infection. In addition, there was an increase in the H2O2 levels in the leaves of the Dasht cultivar during the infectious period of M. albescens associated with the enhancement of catalase (CAT) activity as well as higher levels of malondialdehyde (MDA). This is the first study on the interaction between rice and M. albescens at the molecular level. It can contribute to understanding how rice responds to pathogen infection, as well as assist with future research plans of molecular breeding regarding the tolerance to leaf scald disease.

The aim of the present work was to evaluate the selectivity of nicosulfuron, alone and in combinations, applied in post-emergence (V4) of glyphosate and sulfonylurea tolerant (RR/STS) soybean. The experiments were conducted in 2015/16 and 2016/17, in Piracicaba – state of São Paulo (SP). In 2016/17, the experiment was also conducted in Palotina – state of Paraná (PR). The experiment was a randomized block design, with four repetitions and 16 treatments, with combinations of nicosulfuron, glyphosate, chlorimuron, sulfometuron and cloransulam, applied alone or in tank mixture. Crop injury and variables related to agronomic performance were evaluated. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and treatment means were compared by the Tukey test. The results obtained are significant in the positioning of herbicides in RR/STS soybean, since in the five experiments, all the treatments were selective, except for glyphosate + sulfometuron which reduced the yield of a cultivar (CD 2630 RR/STS) in the 2015/16 season.

Plant derived α-amylase inhibitors are proteinaceous molecules that regulate the enzyme activity in plants and also protect plants from insect attack. In the current study, 28 accessions of 19 plant species were screened for their α-amylase inhibitory activity. The durum wheat varieties, Beni Suef-1 and Beni Suef-5, showed strong α-amylase inhibitory activity and were subjected to further purification studies using ammonium sulfate fractionation and DEAE-Sephadex G-25 column. The isolated inhibitors were found to be stable at temperatures below 80°C with maximum activity obtained at 40−50°C. Also, they were stable in a wide pH range (2−12). The ion exchange products of purified α-amylase inhibitors from Beni Suef-1 and Beni Suef-5 varieties showed a molecular weight of 16 and 24 kDa, respectively. The purified α-amylase inhibitors were tested against Tribolium castaneum and Callosobruchus maculatus both in vitro and in vivo. There was linear inhibition of α-amylase activity with increasing inhibitor concentration until saturation was reached. Beni Suef-5 α-amylase inhibitor was more potent against α-amylase with lower IC50 values than Beni Suef-1 α-amylase inhibitor except in the case of T. castaneum larva. Kinetics analysis revealed that Beni Suef-1 and Beni Suef-5 α-amylase inhibitors are non- -competitive types of inhibitors with high affinity toward α-amylase of T. castaneum and C. maculatus. Results of the in vivo studies demonstrated that α-amylase inhibitors isolated from durum wheat, Beni Suef-1 and Beni Suef-5 varieties, were very effective in inhibiting the development of T. castaneum and C. maculatus and could be used for future studies in developing insect resistant transgenic plants approaching α-amylase inhibitor genes.

5.8S ribosomal RNA plays an important role in protein synthesis and eukaryotic ribosome translocation. Contact DNA insecticides based on antisense fragments of 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene of gypsy moth Lymantria dispar L. showed prospective insecticidal activity on its larvae. The most pronounced insecticidal effect was found for antisense fragments 10 and 11 nucleotides long (oligoRIBO-10 and oligoRIBO-11), whereas 12 nucleotides long fragment (oligoRIBO-12) caused the lowest level of insect mortality. This data corresponds to results obtained earlier using rabbit reticulocyte and wheat germ extracts, where maximum inhibition of protein synthesis was observed when a relevant oligomer 10-11 nucleotides long was used, whilst longer chain lengths resulted in reduced inhibition. Using oligoRIBO-11 fragment we have shown penetration of antisense oligonucleotides to insect cells through insects’ exoskeletons. MALDI technique registered the penetration of the oligoRIBO-11 fragment into insect cells after 30 min and a significant response of insect cells to the applied oligonucleotide after 60 min, which indicates not only that the oligonucleotide enters the insect cells, but also the synthesis of new substances in response to the applied DNA fragment. Contact DNA insecticides developed from the L. dispar 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene provide a novel biotechnology for plant protection using unmodified antisense oligonucleotides.

The rules and guidelines for integrated pest management specified in Annex III, sections 2 and 3, state “General principles of integrated pest management”: Harmful organisms must be monitored by adequate methods and tools, where available. Such adequate tools should include observations in the field as well as scientifically sound warnings, forecasting and early diagnostic systems, where feasible, as well as advice from professionally qualified advisors. As part of Multiannual Programs, the Institute of Plant Protection – NRI in Poznań has been carrying out work and research for many years to develop or modify guidelines for monitoring short- and long-term forecasting of pest occurrence on crops. These guidelines are extremely helpful for farmers and advisers in determining the optimum date of chemical control of pests on plants. Regularly revised and improved the guidelines deal with pests which currently pose a threat to crops. They are developed according to the latest scientific findings and are successfully promoted among professional users and agricultural advisors. These guidelines are standardized to include descriptions of species, life cycles, symptoms of damage/infestation of crops, methods of observation targeted at warning of the need for plant protection treatments, and threshold values of harmfulness. All guidelines include extensive photographic material. Guidelines for the monitoring of pests on orchard plants, vegetables and others are prepared at the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation − NRI in Puławy and the Institute of Pomology in Skierniewice. Guidelines for about 80 pests of crops are available for public use in the on-line Pest Warning System (Platforma Sygnalizacji Agrofagów, www.agrofagi.com.pl).

The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii is an economically significant insect pest infesting various important crops and vegetables. The neonicotinoid, acetamiprid was recommended against aphids with excellent results. Resistance emergence and environmental pollution makes acetamiprid a favorable alternative to conventional insecticides. The aims of the present work were to predict acetamiprid resistance risk in A. gossypii, investigate cross resistance to other tested insecticides and explore acetamiprid stability in the absence of selection. A field-collected population from Sharqia governorate, Egypt was selected with acetamiprid. After 16 generations of selection, there was a 22.55-fold increase in LC50 and the realized heritability (h2) of resistance was 0.17. Projected rates of resistance indicated that, if h2 = 0.17 and 50% of the population was killed at each generation, then a tenfold increase in LC50 would be expected in 12.2 generations. If h2 was 0.27 then 7.63 generations would be needed to achieve the same level. In contrast, with h2 of 0.07 it necessitates about 30 generations of selection to reach the same level. Cross resistance studies exhibited that the selected strain showed obvious cross resistance to the other tested neonicotinoid members, moderate cross resistance to alpha-cypermethrin and no cross resistance to pymetrozine. Fortunately, resistance to acetamiprid in the cotton aphid was unstable and resistance reverses the nearby susceptible strain throughout five generations without exposure to acetamiprid. Our results exhibited cotton aphid potential to develop resistance to acetamiprid under continuous selection pressure. The instability of acetamiprid makes A. gossypii amenable to resistance management tactics such as rotation with pymetrozine.

The insecticidal efficiency of Ag-loaded 4A-zeolite (ZAg) and its formulations with Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil (RO) was evaluated against Sitophilus oryzae (L.) and Rhyzopertha dominica (F.). For comparison, different rates of ZAg (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 g ⋅ kg–1 wheat) were used solely and in a combination with LC50 concentrations of RO. Mortality was assessed after 7, 14, and 21 days of insect exposure to treated wheat. The progeny production was also evaluated. The use of ZAg accomplished a complete mortality (100%) on S. oryzae and 96.67% on R. dominica as well as 100% mortality of progeny against the two insect species after the longest exposing duration (21 days), at the highest rate (1 g ⋅ kg–1). On the other hand, the complete mortalities of ZAg formulations on S. oryzae were obtained after 14 d of treatment with F1 formulation (0.605 g ⋅ kg–1 RO + 0.25 g ⋅ kg–1 ZAg) and after 7 days with the other tested formulations. In addition, the complete mortality on R. dominica was obtained only by F8 (0.059 g ⋅ kg–1 RO + 1 g ⋅ kg–1 ZAg) formulation after 14 days of treatment. Concerning the efficiency of the examined formulations on the progeny of S. oryzae, F1 (0.605 g ⋅ kg–1 RO + 0.25 g ⋅ kg–1 ZAg) and F2 (0.605 g ⋅ kg–1 RO + 0.5 g ⋅ kg–1 ZAg) formulations recorded 100% mortality. In addition, F3 (0.605 g ⋅ kg–1 RO + 0.75 g ⋅ kg–1 ZAg) and F4 (0.605 g ⋅ kg–1 RO + 1 g ⋅ kg–1 ZAg) formulations suppressed the progeny production. Furthermore, the complete mortality of R. dominica progeny was obtained with F7 (0.059 g ⋅ kg–1 RO + 0.75 g ⋅ kg–1 ZAg) and F8 (0.059 g ⋅ kg–1 RO + 1 g ⋅ kg–1 ZAg) formulations. ZAg, especially its formulations with R. officinalis oil, had potential effects against two stored-product insects. F1 and F8 formulations could be treated efficiently on S. oryzae and R. dominica, respectively.

Due to inadequate efforts to reinforce nitrogen fixation capability of bean via symbiosis with rhizobia, improvement of bean productivity is still highly dependent on chemical fertilization. An advanced understanding of agro-ecosystem-bean-Rhizobium interaction is required to improve symbiosis efficiency. Thus, seasonal development of rhizobial nodulation was characterized according to 20 agro-ecological properties for 122 commercial bean fields. Principal component analysis identified soil texture as a major descriptor of agrosystem-bean-disease-Rhizobium interaction. Nonparametric correlation analysis indicated significant associations of root nodulation with bean class, fungicidal treatment of seed and soil, Fusarium root rot index, planting date and depth, soil texture, clay and sand content. Ordinal regression analysis demonstrated that rhizobial nodulation was improved by applying initial drought, heavier soil textures with greater organic matter and neutral pH, using herbicides and manure, growing white beans, irrigating every 7–9 days, later sowing in June, reducing disease and weed, shallower seeding, sowing beans after alfalfa, avoiding fungicidal treatment of seed and soil, and omitting urea application. This largescale study provided novel information on a comprehensive number of agronomic practices as potential tools for improving bean-Rhizobium symbiosis for sustainable legume production systems.

Onion yellow dwarf virus (OYDV), an aphid-borne potyvirus is one of the major viral pathogens of garlic causing significant yield losses worldwide. It is found almost everywhere in the world where Allium species is grown. The aim of this study was to test the presence of OYDV infection in garlic from Ethiopia. The presence of the virus was tested by Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The direct sequencing of the PCR product produced a sequence of 296 bp. Sequence analysis showed 89.27% sequence homology with an isolate from Australia (HQ258894) and 89.29% with an isolate from Spain (JX429964). A phylogenetic tree constructed with MEGA 7.0 revealed high levels of homology with various isolates of OYDV from all over the world and thus further confirmed the identity of the virus.

The tuber necrotic strain of Potato virus Y (PVYNTN) causes widespread disease and has severe negative effects on the growth and yields of plants, especially those of the Solanaceae family. The consequences of residual toxicity and non-biodegradation of synthetic chemicals and pollution of the environment has led to investigations into new non-toxic and biological treatments to control plant viral diseases. Ethanolic extracts of Bowiea volubilis (bulbs), Cotyledon orbiculata (leaves), Gomphocarpus fruticosus (leaves), Merwilla plumbea (dry and fresh bulbs), Nerium oleander (leaves), and the fruits and leaves of Strophanthus speciosus, were evaluated against PVYNTN in vivo and in vitro. At a concentration of 20 mg · ml−1, ethanolic extracts of Strophanthus speciosus (leaves) and fruits (50 mg · ml−1) significantly reduced the expression of PVYNTN symptoms on tobacco plants in vitro without affecting the normal growth and development of the plant. Similarly, at 50 mg · ml−1, N. oleander, C. orbiculata and B. volubilis (fresh bulbs) and S. speciousus leaves at 20 mg · ml−1 extracts showed significant differences in PVYNTN symptoms in the in vivo experiment. Strophanthus speciosus leaf and fruit extracts showed significant inhibition in the in vitro and in vivo assays and demonstrated that S. speciosus has potential to be used as an antiphytoviral treatment.

In the current study the antifungal activity of inorganic reagents was tested against Cryphonectria parasitica in vitro in a mycelial growth inhibition test. Three reagents, each consisting of chloride silver (AgCl) in combination with (1) aluminum oxide − Al2O3, (2) zinc oxide − ZnO, and (3) Al2O3 and titanium dioxide – TiO2, were tested. Significant differences of the tested reagents on the growth of C. parasitica were recorded. The study demonstrated that silver in mixture with ZnO had an antifungal effect and significantly reduced the mycelial growth of C. parasitica in vitro. The mixture of AgCl with the other two combinations of inorganic metal oxides had no inhibition effect on the growth of the pathogen. It was confirmed that ZnO (applied in a single compound test) is responsible for inhibition of C. parasitica mycelium growth. A preliminary in planta assay was performed but statistically significant differences were not recorded in the average increment of canker length.

Luffa cylindrica M. Roem, is commonly called sponge gourd or Egyptian cucumber. In September 2018, several plants showing symptoms of powdery mildew were observed in some fields at different locations in Egypt. Identification and pathogenicity tests indicated that the causal fungus of powdery mildew disease of luffa cylindrica was Podosphaera xanthii. Results of surveyed luffa plants grown at different field localities of northern Egypt, for powdery mildew disease incidence revealed that the maximum record (57.33%) of disease occurrence was recorded in some fields belonging to Beheira governorate followed by, Alexandria and Sharqia (53.67% and 48.00%, respectively). Meanwhile, fewer occurrences were observed in Kafer El-Sheekh governorate (45.33%). We applied biocontrol agents as a foliar spray against powdery mildew in vitro and under field conditions. The effects of some essential oils, organic acid and bioproducts were also studied. All treatments significantly reduced P. xanthii compared to untreated plants. Chaetomium globosum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae alone or grown on rice straw and/or bagas showed highly reduced disease incidence compared to the other treatment. From the present study it could be suggested that the usage of biocontrol formulated on rice straw might be used as an easily applied, safe and cost effective control method against powdery mildew diseases.

Rice blast is one of the most destructive rice diseases known to cause considerable yield losses globally. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are closely associated with rice plants and improve plant growth and health. To determine how isolated bacteria trigger rice growth, an assessment of phosphate solubilization and auxin production mechanisms was carried out in vitro and in vivo. In this study, the interactions between PGPR and Rhizophagus irregularis were evaluated in wildtype and CYCLOPS mutant plants to provide a sustainable solution against blast disease and reduce the amount of yield loss. Importantly, Bacillus subtilis UTSP40 and Pseudomonas fluorescens UTSP50 exhibited a suppressive effect on AMF colonization which shows the probable existence of a functional competition between AMF and PGPR to dominate the rhizosphere. On the other hand, R. irregularis decreased the biocontrol activity of B. subtilis UTSP40 in wild type, although this reduction was not significant in mutant plants. Results showed that the same defense-related genes were induced in the roots of wild type colonized by B. subtilis UTSP40 and R. irregularis. Therefore, plant cell programs may be shared during root colonization by these two groups of beneficial microorganisms.

Aphids are one of the most important economic pests and vectors of viral diseases in crops. Brevicoryne brassicae L., one of the most serious aphid pests in Brassicaceae, if not controlled, often reaches very high densities. The present study compared the systemic effects of ethanolic, methanolic and aqueous Melia azedarach L., Peganum harmala L., Calendula officinalis L. and Otostegia persica Boissier extracts with two systemic pesticides, acetamiprid and pirimicarb (at the maximum label-recommended rate). Population growth percentages of B. brassicae through leaf spraying under greenhouse conditions were assessed. The chemicals were sprayed on one of the leaves in greenhouse condition. The results indicated that all the plant extracts have systemic effects at different levels. Among different extracts, O. persica ethanolic extract, P. harmala methanolic extract and M. azedarach aqueous extract resulted in a reduction of the B. brassicae population.

Eyespot is one of the most important fungal diseases of the stem base of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The presented study clearly demonstrated that the Pch1 gene was the main effective source for reducing the eyespot disease score in the analyzed winter wheat lines. Nevertheless, Pch1 was present only in 8−9% of the investigated lines. Using an isoenzymatic marker and molecular markers, the presence of the Pch1 gene and lack of the Pch2 gene was identified in six lines. Two lines, SMH 9409 and DL 358/13/4, were polymorphic in an isoenzymatic marker study. In the remaining three lines, C 3373/11-1, KBH 15.15 and KBP 1416, the Pch1 gene was identified only with the use of an isoenzymatic marker. Both genes Pch1 and Pch2, as well as the resistant variety Rendezvous, were found in three lines: DD 248/12, KBP 15.2 and STH 4431. In line DD 708/13, the presence of the Pch1 and Pch2 genes was identified, where the association between the Pch1 and the locus of the Xorw5 marker was broken. It was shown that the presence or absence of Pch1 and Pch2 genes did not significantly affect the grain yield (from the plot), although the yield was highest in the presence of both genes. A significant effect of the presence of the Pch1 gene on thousand kernel weight (TKW) was observed. Lines with the Pch1 gene showed significantly higher TKW values than lines without both genes or with the Pch2 gene only.

The molluscicidal activity of six monoterpenes and two phenylpropenes against Theba pisana adults was evaluated using fumigation and direct contact methods. In the fumigant toxicity assay, (-)-citronellal showed the highest toxicity with LC50 value of 7.79 μl · l−1 air after 24 h of treatment, followed by (-)-terpinen-4-ol (LC50 = 12.06 μl · l−1), (-)-menthone (LC50 = 12.28 μl · l−1 air) and p-cymene (LC50 = 16.07 μl · l−1 air). Eugenol and trans-cinnamaldehyde were the most potent contact toxicants against T. pisana. Their LD50 values were 0.18 and 0.29 mg · snail−1 after 24 h of treatment, respectively. These two compounds were more toxic than a reference molluscicide, methomyl. In contrast, α-terpinene and (-)-citronellal were the least toxic compounds. In another experiment, the synergistic effect of piperonyl butoxide (PBO) on tested monoterpenes and phenylpropenes by topical application was examined. The results showed that the toxicity of the tested compounds was increased when mixed with PBO at a ratio [compound/PBO (1 : 2)] except for α-pinene and (-)-terpinen-4-ol in which the toxicity of binary mixtures was less than for single compounds. The synergistic effect of PBO improved with increased exposure time. The highest synergistic effect was observed with (-)-menthone and α-terpinene with synergistic ratios of 9.25 and 4.37, respectively. Monoterpenes and phenylpropenes and their mixtures with PBO described herein merit further studies as potential T. pisana control agents.

Pest mites of the family Tetranychidae are commonly reported in several legumes. However, reports of their occurrence in lima beans are insipient, especially in Brazil. The objective of this research was to record the occurrence of mites in lima bean plants and to describe their damage in this Fabaceae. Tetranychus neocaledonicus André and Mononychellus planki McGregor were found in lima bean plants, Phaseolus lunatus (Fabaceae or Leguminosae). The lima bean plants, when infested by these mites, initially exhibit small whitish spots in the leaflets, which with increasing population density rapidly evolve into chlorotic patches, followed by silvering, and may dry out and fall due to their overfeeding. The extent of the damage caused to lima bean plants and the adaptability of the mite to warm and dry conditions indicate that T. neocaledonicus has greater potential as a lima bean pest than M. planki in northeastern Brazil. This is the first record of these mites associated with P. lunatus.

Background Wind strongly impacts plant growth, leaf traits, biomass allocation, and stem mechanical properties. However, whether there are common whole-plant wind responses among different plant species is still unclear. We tested this null hypothesis by exposing four eudicot steppe species to three different wind treatments in a field experiment: reduced wind velocity using windbreaks, ambient wind velocity, and enhanced wind velocity through a novel methodology using wind-funneling baffles. Results Across the four species, wind generally decreased plant height, projected crown area, and stepwise bifurcation ratio, and increased root length and stem base diameter. In contrast, the response patterns of shoot traits, especially mechanical properties, to wind velocity were idiosyncratic among species. There was no significant difference in total biomass among different treatments; this might be because the negative effects on heat dissipation and photosynthesis of low wind speed during hot periods, could counteract positive effects during favorable cooler periods. Conclusions There are common wind response patterns in plant-size-related traits across different steppe species, while the response patterns in shoot traits vary among species. This indicates the species-specific ways by which plants balance growth and mechanical support facing wind stress. Our new field wind manipulation methodology was effective in altering wind speed with the intended magnitude. Especially, our field wind-funneling baffle system showed a great potential for use in future field wind velocity enhancement. Further experiments are needed to reveal how negative and positive effects play out on whole-plant performance in response to different wind regimes, which is important as ongoing global climatic changes involve big changes in wind regimes.

Au Sénégal, la confrérie mouride, depuis sa fondation par Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba (1850-1927), a pris une ampleur socio-économique importante. Très tôt, les Mourides ont développé une culture paysanne axée sur la migration et l’exploitation des terres agricoles. Originaires du bassin arachidier, les Mourides ont fini par conquérir la quasi-totalité des terres situées dans cette partie du Sénégal. Depuis quelques années, l’expansion agricole des Mourides s’est étendue jusqu’à la vallée du fleuve Sénégal générant ainsi des formes de mobilités internes entre le bassin arachidier et la vallée du fleuve Sénégal. Nos enquêtes ont montré une diversité d’acteurs mourides dans la vallée : 1) des entrepreneurs venus de leur propre initiative ; 2) des ressortissants des daaras (unité de production agricole constituée de disciples qui travaillent gratuitement pour leur marabout) ; 3) des fonctionnaires qui ont été affectés dans la zone ou encore 4) des individus ayant suivi leurs parents. Entre attachement à la terre, pouvoir religieux et puissance financière, les Mourides ont commencé à prendre une place socio-économique prépondérante dans la vallée. Cette dynamique économique portée par les néo-entrepreneurs mourides ne peut guère laisser indifférent car elle est à l’origine d’une extension importante des superficies cultivées et à une dynamique économique non négligeable. Qu’ils soient migrants ou saisonniers, les acteurs mourides, chacun selon ses moyens, contribuent activement au développement agricole de la vallée du fleuve Sénégal.

Dans le Rif occidental au Nord du Maroc, le bassin versant du Tleta est affecté par de nombreux changements globaux, dont la magnitude s’est amplifiée ces 15 dernières années. Il s’agit d’une baisse tendancielle des pluies, mais aussi et surtout des changements d’usages des sols conduisant à leur dégradation. Cependant, ces changements restent un enjeu difficile à appréhender et encore peu intégrés dans les stratégies de gestion à l’échelle des exploitations agricoles, des filières et des territoires. S’inscrivant dans un programme de recherche méditerranéen sur les mosaïques paysagères pluvieuses, cette recherche a pour objectifs de décrire les systèmes de production dans ce bassin versant, et d’étudier les stratégies de résilience, la perception et les pratiques adaptatives des exploitations agricoles face à ces changements globaux durant ces 15 dernières années. Les exploitations agricoles ont mis en oeuvre différentes stratégies d’intensification, mais aussi de gestion des aléas, à la fois en termes de choix de production agricole, de mode de fermage, et de lien avec les villes. Les actions des acteurs institutionnels dans la zone pour renforcer les capacités de résilience des populations sont nombreuses mais restent fragmentaires et manquent d’intégration. Elles conduisent aussi parfois à un renforcement des dynamiques de migration vers les villes. L’avenir de cette région reste pour le moment incertain, d’où la nécessité d’une démarche concertée pour engager un dialogue sur cet avenir.

En Tunisie, où l’essentiel du territoire se situe en zones arides et semi-arides, les agriculteurs sont confrontés à des crises liées à la rareté de l’eau et ont développé plusieurs stratégies d’adaptation. Ces stratégies traduisent aussi leurs réponses aux changements que connaissent les politiques publiques de gestion de l’eau. Cette étude se propose d’analyser les interactions entre les pratiques locales de gestion de l’eau et la politique publique de sauvegarde des agrumes dans la région du Cap Bon au nord de la Tunisie. La nécessité de préserver le patrimoine agrumicole et le souci de sauvegarder les ressources en eaux souterraines ont d’abord justifié une mobilisation croissante des ressources en eau de surface avant de s’orienter vers des programmes d’économie d’eau. Cependant, les agriculteurs ont continué d’exploiter intensivement les eaux souterraines tout en renforçant au maximum leur accès à l’eau de surface. Ce manque de coopération a provoqué un accroissement de la demande en eau et des difficultés dans la gestion collective du réseau de distribution de l’eau tout en accentuant les inégalités entre les irrigants. L’amélioration de l’efficacité des interventions de l’Etat nécessite une coopération renforcée entre tous les acteurs impliqués dans la gestion des systèmes irrigués et une prise de conscience des impacts de ces interventions sur la durabilité des ressources en eau souterraines.

Anthocyanins are the primary pigments contributing to the variety of flower colors among angiosperms and are considered essential for survival and reproduction. Anthocyanins are members of the flavonoids, a broader class of secondary metabolites, of which there are numerous structural genes and regulators thereof. In western European populations of Lysimachia arvensis, there are blue- and orange-petaled individuals. The proportion of blue-flowered plants increases with temperature and daylength yet decreases with precipitation. Here, we performed a transcriptome analysis to characterize the coding sequences of a large group of flavonoid biosynthetic genes, examine their expression and compare our results to flavonoid biochemical analysis for blue and orange petals. Among a set of 140 structural and regulatory genes broadly representing the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway, we found 39 genes with significant differential expression including some that have previously been reported to be involved in similar flower color transitions. In particular, F3′5′H and DFR, two genes at a critical branchpoint in the ABP for determining flower color, showed differential expression. The expression results were complemented by careful examination of the SNPs that differentiate the two color types for these two critical genes. The decreased expression of F3′5′H in orange petals and differential expression of two distinct copies of DFR, which also exhibit amino acid changes in the color-determining substrate specificity region, strongly correlate with the blue to orange transition. Our biochemical analysis was consistent with the transcriptome data indicating that the shift from blue to orange petals is caused by a change from primarily malvidin to largely pelargonidin forms of anthocyanins. Overall, we have identified several flavonoid biosynthetic pathway loci likely involved in the shift in flower color in L. arvensis and even more loci that may represent the complex network of genetic and physiological consequences of this flower color polymorphism.

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is a self-pollinating, diploid, annual, cool-season, food legume crop that is cultivated throughout the world. Ascochyta blight (AB), caused by Ascochyta lentis Vassilievsky, is an economically important and widespread disease of lentil. Development of cultivars with high levels of durable resistance provides an environmentally acceptable and economically feasible method for AB control. A detailed understanding of the genetic basis of AB resistance is hence highly desirable, in order to obtain insight into the number and influence of resistance genes. Genetic linkage maps based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers have been developed from three recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations. The IH × NF map contained 460 loci across 1461.6 cM, while the IH × DIG map contained 329 loci across 1302.5 cM and the third map, NF × DIG contained 330 loci across 1914.1 cM. Data from these maps were combined with a map from a previously published study through use of bridging markers to generate a consensus linkage map containing 689 loci distributed across seven linkage groups (LGs), with a cumulative length of 2429.61 cM at an average density of one marker per 3.5 cM. Trait dissection of AB resistance was performed for the RIL populations, identifying totals of two and three quantitative trait loci (QTLs) explaining 52 and 69% of phenotypic variation for resistance to infection in the IH × DIG and IH × NF populations, respectively. Presence of common markers in the vicinity of the AB_IH1- and AB_IH2.1/AB_IH2.2-containing regions on both maps supports the inference that a common genomic region is responsible for conferring resistance and is associated with the resistant parent, Indianhead. The third QTL was derived from Northfield. Evaluation of markers associated with AB resistance across a diverse lentil germplasm panel revealed that the identity of alleles associated with AB_IH1 predicted the phenotypic responses with high levels of accuracy (~86%), and therefore have the potential to be widely adopted in lentil breeding programs. The availability of RIL-based maps, a consensus map, and validated markers linked to AB resistance provide important resources for lentil improvement.

Milk is one of the most consumed products by society worldwide, and this consumption has been growing gradually in Brazil. Before this, milk production is an alternative that can be very profitable for producers and for the production chain. Knowing the need of rural producers to obtain efficient production practices, the objective was to learn about the process of raising dairy cattle on a rural property located in the municipality of Vila Rica and another in Canabrava do Norte (MT). The following characteristics were analyzed: management, lactation period, interval between births, reproductive status and body score of animals in these properties. For the production of the data we use bibliographic studies on websites and articles in addition to field research. The procedures used were questionnaires, observations and manuscripts. When analyzing the results obtained, it was found that the technical monitoring of these properties is of paramount importance for the producer, aiming to guarantee the good productivity of the animals. It’s also noticed that the property that had the greatest persistence in the program run by Embrapa Nosso Leite, was the one that was most successful in its productivity. O leite é um dos produtos mais consumidos pela sociedade em todo o mundo, e esse consumo vem crescendo gradativamente no Brasil. Diante disto, a produção de leite é uma alternativa que pode ser muito rentável para os produtores e para a cadeia produtiva. Sabendo da necessidade dos produtores rurais em obter práticas eficientes para a produção, objetivou-se conhecer o processo de criação de gado leiteiro em uma propriedade rural localizada no município de Vila Rica e outra em Canabrava do Norte (MT). Foram analisadas as seguintes características: manejo, período de lactação, quadro reprodutivo e escore corporal de animais nessas propriedades. Para a produção dos dados utilizamos estudos bibliográficos em sites e artigos, além de pesquisa de campo. Os procedimentos utilizados foram questionários, observações e manuscritos. Ao analisar os resultados obtidos verificou-se que o acompanhamento técnico dessas propriedades é de suma importância para o produtor, visando garantir a boa produtividade dos animais. Percebe-se, ainda, que a propriedade que teve maior persistência no programa Nosso Leite da Embrapa (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária), obteve maior êxito em sua produtividade comparando-se com a outra propriedade.

The correct management of a pasture is the determining factor for a good production and response by the animal. Thus, the present work aimed to compare the development of rotational and extensive grazing systems in rural milk producing properties in the municipality of Confresa-MT. The methodology of the project sought the application of a questionnaire, collection of forage samples, and monitoring of milk production of the twelve chosen properties, the samples of each evaluated property were collected and sent to the bromatology laboratory of the Federal Institute of Mato Grosso - Campus Confresa , a total of 36 samples of different forages evaluated. Three treatments were analyzed, rotated grazing system with two days of occupation, rotated with more than two days of occupation and continuous grazing system. According to statistical data on the Tukey test at 5%, the system rotated with 2 days of occupation showed superior results in contents of green mass, dry mass and milk productivity in relation to the other systems. It was found that the rest period was a major factor for this result. O manejo correto de uma pastagem é o fator determinante para uma boa produção e resposta por parte do animal. Assim o presente trabalho visou comparar o desenvolvimento dos sistemas rotacionado e extensivo de pastejo em propriedades rurais produtoras de leite do município de Confresa-MT. A metodologia do projeto buscou a aplicação de questionário, coleta de amostras de forragem, e acompanhamento da produção leiteira das doze propriedades escolhidas, as amostras de cada propriedade avaliada foram coletadas e encaminhadas para o laboratório de bromatologia do Instituto Federal de Mato Grosso – Campus Confresa, um total de 36 amostras de diferentes forrageiras avaliadas. Foram analisados três tratamentos, sistema rotacionado de pastejo com dois dias de ocupação, rotacionado com mais de dois dias de ocupação e sistema contínuo de pastejo. Segundo dados estatísticos ao teste de Tukey a 5% o sistema rotacionado com 2 dias de ocupação apresentou resultados superiores em teores de massa verde, massa seca e produtividade leiteira em relação aos demais sistemas. Verificou se que o período de descanso foi fator primordial para tal resultado.

This study was aimed to determine extension activities provided to rice farmers in raising the awareness for compost manufacture in Al-Diwaniyah province and investigate the level of awareness of rice farmers in the field of compost manufacturing , as well as the problems facing farmers when manufacturing compost, mythology a questionnaire design to collect data from rice farmers during the 2018 . The research society consisted of the agricultural departments of the directorate of Agriculture in Al Diwaniyah province. A random sample was taken from rice farmers related to the agricultural departments in the Directorate of Agriculture with their (632) farmers, The results of this study inculcated that the level of awareness for the farmers in the manufacture of compost, The average tends to weak in their awareness, The role of the agricultural extension has also just through extension seminars, which is considered one of the most extension activities were used to rice farmers of compost manufacturing, In addition, there is an absence of workers in the field of composting of rice residues,It could be to pay adequate attention to the rice crop as a strategic crop through the utilization of its waste and the elimination of environmental pollution that occurs as a result of burning those waste.

Lesion mimic mutants spontaneously produce disease spots in the absence of biotic or abiotic stresses. Analyzing lesion mimic mutants’ sheds light on the mechanisms underlying programmed cell death and defense-related responses in plants. Here, we isolated and characterized the rice (Oryza sativa) spotted leaf 36 (spl36) mutant, which was identified from an ethyl methanesulfonate-mutagenized japonica cultivar Yundao population. spl36 displayed spontaneous cell death and enhanced resistance to rice bacterial pathogens. Gene expression analysis suggested that spl36 functions in the disease response by upregulating the expression of defense-related genes. Physiological and biochemical experiments indicated that more cell death occurred in spl36 than the wild type and that plant growth and development were affected in this mutant. We isolated SPL36 by map-based cloning. A single base substitution was detected in spl36, which results in a cysteine-to-arginine substitution in SPL36. SPL36 is predicted to encode a receptor-like protein kinase containing leucine-rich domains that may be involved in stress responses in rice. spl36 was more sensitive to salt stress than the wild type, suggesting that SPL36 also negatively regulates the salt-stress response. These findings suggest that SPL36 regulates the disease resistance response in rice by affecting the expression of defense- and stress-related genes.

Background Karrikins (KARs) are recently described group of plant growth regulators with stimulatory effects on seed germination, seedling growth and crop productivity. So far, an analytical method for the simultaneous targeted profiling of KARs in plant tissues has not been reported. Results We present a sensitive method for the determination of two highly biologically active karrikins (KAR1 and KAR2) in minute amounts of plant material (1 was employed as an internal standard for the validation of KAR quantification using a stable isotope dilution method. The application of the matrix-matched calibration series in combination with the internal standard method yields a high level of accuracy and precision in triplicate, on average bias 3.3% and 2.9% RSD, respectively. The applicability of this analytical approach was confirmed by the successful analysis of karrikins in Arabidopsis seedlings grown on media supplemented with different concentrations of KAR1 and KAR2 (0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 µmol/l). Conclusions Our results demonstrate the usage of methodology for routine analyses and for monitoring KARs in complex biological matrices. The proposed method will lead to better understanding of the roles of KARs in plant growth and development.

Background Grain chalkiness is one of important factors affected rice grain quality. It is known that chalkiness is affected by the high temperature during the seed filling period. Although a larger of QTLs for chalkiness were reported across all 12 chromosomes, only a few of the QTLs were fine mapped or cloned up to now. Here, we fine map two QTLs for chalkiness in two single-segment substitution lines (SSSLs), 11–09 with substitution segment from O. sativa and HP67–11 with substitution segment from O. glaberrima. Results The grain chalkiness of SSSLs 11–09 and HP67–11 was significantly lower than that in the recipient Huajingxian 74 (HJX74) in consecutive 8 cropping seasons. The regression correlation analysis showed that percentage of chalky grain (PCG) and percentage of chalky area (PCA) were significantly and positively correlated with percentage of grain chalkiness (PGC). Two QTLs for grain chalkiness were located on two chromosomes by substitution mapping. qPGC9 was mapped on chromosome 9 with an estimated interval of 345.6 kb. qPGC11 was located on chromosome 11 and delimited to a 432.1 kb interval in the O. sativa genome and a 332.9 kb interval in the O. glaberrima genome. qPGC11 is a QTL for grain chalkiness from O. glaberrima and was mapped in a new region of chromosome 11. The effect of two QTLs was incomplete dominance. The additive effects of two QTLs on chalkiness in second cropping season (SCS) were significantly greater than that in first cropping season (FCS). Conclusions qPGC11 is a new QTL for grain chalkiness. The two QTLs were fine mapped. The donor alleles of qPGC9 and qPGC11 were sensitive to the high temperature of FCS.

Sixteen parents and 28 F1 (14×2) genetic male sterility based cross combinations were evaluated in a line x tester mating design in Asiatic cotton (Gossypium arboreum). The statistical analysis was performed using the method developed by Kempthorne (1957) with the help of an OPSTAT computer program (developed by CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar). Sufficient variability among hybrids and their parents was found as the mean squares of genotypes for all the traits including fibre quality investigated were significant. The total genetic variability was partitioned to general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA). The variance due to GCA was higher than SCA for fibre strength (g/tex) only. For other traits viz., seed cotton yield, plant height (cm), bolls per plant, boll weight (g), 2.5 % span length and micronaire value, the SCA was higher which reflects the role of both additive and non-additive types of gene action (dominant or epistatic). In the present study, additive variances were significant for a 2.5% span length, fineness and fibre strength and non-additive as well as additive gene effects for seed cotton yield, plant height, boll number, boll weight and ginning percentage. GCA was significant for male parents, G-27, DLSA-17, DLSA-8, PA-496, LD-713, LD-853 and LD-733 for seed cotton yield; G-27, DLSA-17, DLSA-8, PA-255, PA-304, PA-405, PA-496 and LD-713 for plant height; G-27, DLSA-202, PAIG-8/1, PA-464 and PA-496 for bolls per plant; G-27, DLSA-202, PAIG-8/1, PA-464 and PA-496 for boll weight; DLSA-202, DLSA-17, PAIG-8/1, PA-405, PA-464, LD-733 for ginning out turn (GOT%); DLSA-202, DLSA-17, DLSA-8, PA-255, PA-464, PA-496, LD-713 and LD-733 for 2.5% span length (mm); DLSA-17, DLSA-8, PA-255, PA-464, PA-496 and LD-713 for lower micronaire value having fineness and DLSA-17, PAIG-8/1, DLSA-8, PA-255, PA-304, PA-496 and LD-713 for fibre strength (g/tex) which were considered as good general combiners. Similarly among 28 cross combinations, SCA was positively significant for 9 crosses for seed cotton yield, 11 crosses for plant height, 7 crosses for boll number, 10 crosses for boll wt, 9 crosses for GOT(%), 15 crosses for 2.5% span length, 8 crosses for micronaire and 8 crosses for fibre strength.

The experiment was carried out at the Research Area of Cotton Section and Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCSHAU, Hisar (Haryana, India) during kharif 2017-18. The observations were recorded for different morphological and biochemical characters to assess the association among the traits and to estimate the direct-indirect effects through path analysis. Seed cotton yield was found positively correlated with various traits; strongest among them were lint yield (0.954, 0.956), boll weight (0.742, 0.768), and the number of bolls per plant (0.771, 0.799) at both phenotypic and genotypic levels. Path coefficient analysis revealed that the highest direct effect is contributed by boll weight (1.198) followed by the number of bolls per plant (1.181) to the seed cotton yield. Thus these two traits play a major role in the selection of high yielding seed cotton genotypes.

A high yielding Cumbu Napier hybrid clone TNCN 1280 was evolved from an inter specific cross between fodder Cumbu CO 7 and Napier grass FD 459 at the Department of Forage Crops, Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore and identified for release as CO 6 for the states of Central and North Western Zone of India during 2019. The clone TNCN 1280 had registered a mean green fodder yield of 385.3t/ha than the check CO (BN) 5 (343 t/ha) in station trials conducted from 2013 to 2015 and the per cent increase over the check was 12.3. Under Multi Location Trial (2015 to 2018), TNCN 1280 recorded the green fodder yield of 386.4 t/ha with a yield advantage of 6.03 per over the check CO (BN) 5. Simultaneously the clone was evaluated under AICRP on FC&U trials from 2016-2018 and the clone TNCN 1280 recorded 13.6, 11.4 and 8.2 per cent higher green fodder yield than the national checks CO (BN) 5, CO 3 and NB 21, respectively in North Western Zone. Similarly in Central Zone also, TNCN 1280 registered a superior green fodder yield than the national checks namely CO (BN) 5 (18.8%), CO 3 (12.0%) and NB 21 (43.3%). For dry matter yield, TNCN 1280 out yielded the national checks CO (BN) 5 (11.7%), CO 3 (11.5%) and NB 21 (14.9%) in North Western Zone. The clone TNCN 1280 exhibited its superiority for crude protein yield against two national checks CO (BN) 5 (20.6%) and NB 21 (27.2%) in North Western Zone, and in Central Zone, it recorded 14.7, 9.3 and 19.4 per cent superiority over the national checks CO (BN) 5, CO 3 and NB 21, respectively. It is resistant to leaf blight and moderately resistant to leaf spot disease. It ranked first in North Western Zone and Central Zone for green fodder yield. Based on the overall performance of TNCN 1280, it was identified for release as Cumbu Napier hybrid grass CO 6 for the states of North Western Zone and Central Zone of India.

The new sorghum variety GDJ 1 (Banas Surya) breed through pedigree selection method from the cross between SPV 2113 × GFS 5 at Sorghum Research Station, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Deesa, Gujarat. The variety GDJ 1 was tested in a preliminary evaluation trial (PET) in kharif 2016. It was found promising and further it was tested in state multilocation trials from kharif 2017 to 2019. It was also tested under the AICRP-sorghum IVT trial in kharif 2018 as SPV 2565 at fifteen locations (Zone-I, II and III) across the nation. The sorghum variety GDJ 1 was tested under a total of 20 state trials against various check varieties viz., CSV 20, GJ 39, GJ 42, GDJ 1 and GJ 43. The mean performance of GDJ 1 for grain yield over 21 locations, including the preliminary trial was 2506 kg/ha. In the case of dry fodder yield, the mean performance over 22 location, including the preliminary trial was 167.0 q/ha. In North Gujarat, based on seven testing trials GDJ 1 exhibited high grain yield (2576 kg/ha) with an increment of 50.0, 50.7 19.6, 21.5 and 41.8 per cent, respectively and dry fodder (228.7 q/ha) with an increment of 49.8, 52.3, 10.9, 49.6 and 34.2 per cent over the years and locations against checks GJ 39, GJ 42, GJ 43, GNJ 1 and CSV 20, respectively. It matures within 100-105 days, tall in nature, very long and broad leaves, the long symmetric semi-loose panicle have a medium neck with long branches and medium glume length. The grain is medium bold and yellow-white. From the quality point of view the released variety have a fair amount of protein in grain (10.1%) and dry fodder (9.20%) and low tannin (0.215 mg/g) in grain indicated the good quality of grain and dry fodder. It is moderately resistant to diseases like leaf blight, anthracnose, grain mold, ergot and lower infestation of shoot fly and stem borer.

Introduction Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is one of the most important oilseed plants that has been ranked third in the oil production after soybeans and oil palm (Oil World, 2012). Drought stress is the most important limiting factor in the production of agricultural products in arid and semiarid regions (Debaeke and Aboudrare, 2004). Although water shortage in many developmental stages reduces the yield of rapeseed, the negative effects of stress during flowering and growth stages are much more pronounced (Sinaki et al, 2007). Materials and methods In order to study the ecophysiology of new winter varieties of rapeseed (six lines ready for introduction and Ahmadi's native species as control), the drought stress of the end of the season was observed in two latent cultivation conditions including the usual sowing date (11th of October) and the latent planting date (26th of October) and Irrigation was carried out in two levels including irrigation (control) and irrigation cut off from stepping stage to a factorial split plot design in a randomized complete block design with three replications in two years of cultivars 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 at the Research Institute for Correction And planting seedlings and seeds of Karaj. Planting dates and irrigation will be the main factor and the cultivars of the sub-cultivar. Data analysis was performed using SAS software. First, the Bartlett test is performed and then the combined analysis of the two-year data is tested. Comparison of mean of main effects by LSD method at 5% level and in the case of meaningful interactions, cutting and comparing the meanings were done using L.S.Means test. The results showed that the main effect of cultivar, and the effects of year on planting date and cultivar, were significant on planting date on seed oil. Results and discussion Results showed that in the first year and sowing date of 11th of October, the highest seed oil was obtained in the amount of 24.31%. The lowest amount was obtained in the second year and the sowing date of October 26th. In general, the seeding date of Oct. 11, in both years, had more seed oil yields. Regarding the interaction between sowing date and cultivar, results showed that the highest seed oil at the planting date of 11th of October and L72 was 54.44 percent. The lowest values were obtained on the 26th of October and the HW3 cultivar. In general, L72 had more seed oil in both dates. The results showed that the main effect of year, main effect of irrigation, main effect of cultivar, main effect of sowing date and interaction effects of planting date on cultivar on seed yield was significant. In the second year, oil yields more than the first year. In irrigation, the yield of oil was 231.2 kg/ha, which was 21% more than irrigation treatment. The results of interaction between sowing date and cultivar showed that the highest yield of seed oil (2576.6 kg/ha) was obtained on the 20th of September and L72 cultivars. The lowest values were obtained on the 5th of November and the HW3 cultivar. In general, the L72 had more seed oil yields on both dates. The results showed that the main effect of year, main effect of irrigation, main effect of cultivar, main effect of planting date and interaction effects of planting date on cultivar was significant on grain yield. In the second year, grain yield was more than the first year. In irrigation, grain yield was 4444.72 kg/ha, which was 30% more than irrigation treatment. The results of interaction between sowing date and cultivar showed that the highest grain yield was obtained at 4231.2 kg / ha in sowing date of 11th of October and L72 cultivar. The lowest values were obtained on the 26th of October and the HW3 cultivar. In general, the L72 had more seed yield on both dates.

Background In vitro culture of olive, as an economically valuable tree, has fundamentally a genotype-dependant low micropropagation rate which needs to be improved in already established and newly released cultivars. Various plant tissue culture media, planting systems and growth factors were evaluated in two promissing Iranian olive cultivars ˈAminˈ and ˈMeshkatˈ and the commercial Spanish cultivar ˈArbequinaˈ. Results The results showed that cultivars have their specific optimal media, i.e. ˈAminˈ in the MS with 4 mg/L zeatin, ˈArbequinaˈ in the OM with 1 mg/L zeatin, and ˈMeshkatˈ in the OM and MS with 2 mg/L zeatin, which produced significantly a higher number of axillary shoots than other media. The results also indicated a significant improvement in the growth indices of ˈAminˈ (number of axillary shoots) when cultured using periodical mini bioreactor (PMB) in the VS medium. In comparison with VS, OM did not reveal any significant differences when both culturing systems (PMB and semi-solid media (SSM)) were used. Regarding the effect of carbon source and light intensity, mannitol and 2000 cd sr m−2 greatly enhanced ˈArbequinaˈ growth indices (main shoot length and growth quality). The results of genetic stability of callus induced shoots (CIS) and meristem induced shoots (MIS) revealed that 2C DNA value assessed by partec flow cytometery (FCM) had 0.01, 0.03 and 0.08 pg discrepencies in ˈAminˈ, ˈArbequinaˈ and ˈMeshkatˈ, repectively. The Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) results also indicated that the cultivars were classified regardless of the micropropagation origin (CIS or MIS), except for ˈArbequinaˈ. The AFLP findings showed that ˈArbequinaˈ had the highest dispersal (7–38%) in CIS and MIS, while the Iranian cultivar of ˈMeshkatˈ (5–9%) had the highest stability. Conclusions This study indicated the importance of in vitro growth parameters for improving the micropropagation indices of olive cultivars. It showed that optimized protocols (OM, PMB, zeatin, mannitol and 2000 cd sr m−2) co-produced larger calli resulting in indirect organogenesis. Based on FCM and AFLP analysis, it can be concluded that true-to-typeness of micropropagated olive was cultivar-dependent.

Mechanical hill wet-seeded rice machine is beneficial for establishing and growing uniform rows of seedlings. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the effects of the establishment of furrows on growth, lodging and yield, and their relationships with root traits. In this study, field experiments were conducted during 2012 and 2013 using two super rice varieties (hybrid rice Peizataifeng and inbred rice Yuxiangyouzhan) under three furrow establishment treatments (T1, both water and seed furrows were established by the machine; T2, only seed furrows were established by the machine; and T3, neither water nor seed furrows were established by the machine). Lodging index, lodging-related traits, grain yield, above-ground dry weight and root traits were measured. The results showed that the lodging index was significantly affected by the treatments with furrows (T1 and T2). The strongest lodging resistance was detected in the mechanical hill wet-seeded rice with furrow treatment (T1) in both 2012 and 2013. Lodging resistance was strongly related to the breaking resistance. No significant difference was found in grain yield or dry weight of the mechanical hill wet-seeded rice. Therefore, the mechanical hill wet-seeded rice with furrow treatment increased rice lodging resistance, which was related to root traits.

Genetic diversity among forty-seven genotypes of Mundu chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) was assessed for fifteen yield and quality characters during kharif 2018. The analysis of variance disclosed that significant difference present for most of the parameters studied, which indicated the existence of wide diversity among all Mundu chilli genotypes. Mahalanobis D2 statistic stated that the forty-seven genotypes were grouped into six clusters. The highest contribution for genetic divergence was dry fruit yield per plant (25.7%), Ascorbic acid (11.56%), 1000 seed weight (10.85%) and the number of seeds per fruit (10.5%). Among the clusters, the largest was cluster II containing 21 genotypes followed by cluster III (13 genotypes) and cluster I (10 genotypes) whereas, clusters IV, V and VI were grouped as solitary clusters (one genotype in each cluster). The highest inter-cluster distance was noted between clusters IV and VI (1588.27) whereas, the lowest was recorded between clusters II and V (192.44). Cluster III (144.94) has recorded the highest intra-cluster distance and the lowest was observed in clusters IV, V and VI (0.00). D2 cluster analysis revealed wide genetic distance (inter-cluster) between the genotypes of cluster I (PKMCA-38), II (PKMCA-20, PKMCA-32, PKMCA-33) and V (PKMCA-08). Hence, genetic improvement by crossing among these groups can exploit heterotic hybrids.

Germplasm can be exploited efficiently by determining its genetic diversity and identifying desirable parents for crop improvement programs. In this study, 200 diverse sets of sorghum accessions were evaluated during rabi, 2019 with an aim of assessing genetic diversity for fodder component traits using D2 statistics. Fresh biomass contributed the highest (47.4%) towards divergence followed by days to flowering (35.9%) and plant height (16.7%). All the 200 genotypes were grouped into 6 clusters with Cluster I having the maximum number of genotypes (108) followed by cluster IV (47), VI (39) and clusters II, III, V having the least genotype number (2). Cluster I had the highest (10.61) intra cluster distance while cluster II had the least (0.41) intra cluster distance. Inter cluster distance between I and IV was observed the highest (10.43) while the least was observed between III and V. Genotypes from Cluster II and IV were observed to be the best suited for fodder improvement programs.

A study was conducted to assess the diversity of 72 castor genotypes used as male lines in the hybrid breeding programme in India using multivariate analysis in addition to morphological characterization using DUS (Distinctiveness, Uniformity and Stability) testing guidelines of castor. Fifteen agronomical and three morphological traits were measured in 72 genotypes in field studies conducted for two years. The multivariate data set was subjected to genetic divergence analysis using Mahalonobis’ D2 static and clustered into nine subgroups following Tocher’s method in addition to Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The genotypes from Clusters 1 and 5 and Clusters 2 and 5 are genetically diverse with 556.9 and 469.7 units while cluster 7 genotypes with higher mean seed yield are potential candidates as varieties after multilocation testing. In PCA, the first two canonical variants were significant and accounted for 68 per cent of the inter accession variability. Grouping of castor genotypes was also done based on four grouping characteristics of DUS guidelines like stem color, bloom, capsule spines and maturity. Combining ability analysis indicated that DCS-96, DCS-94, DCS-104, DCS-97 were good general combiners for seed yield while M-568 x DCS-96 yielded 21 per cent standard heterosis over the best check DCH-177.

Twenty five pumpkin germplasm from the north eastern region were evaluated for twenty traits for the genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance. The results revealed that analysis of variance showed that there was a highly significant variation for all of the considered characters. In the present investigation, PCV was recorded higher than the GCV for all the characters indicating the considerable modifying effect of environment in the expression of all characters studied. The highest PCV and GCV was observed for vitamin A (PCV=86.27%, GCV=86.23%) followed by cavity length (PCV=35.52%, GCV=34.24%) and 100 seed weight (PCV=30.04%, GCV=29.37%). The maximum estimate of heritability (in the broad sense) recorded for vitamin A (100%) followed by cavity length (98%), carbohydrates (98%), 100 seed weight (96%) and fruit yield per plant (95%). The highest genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for the characters vitamin A followed by cavity length, 100 seed weight and fruit yield per plant. Therefore, keeping the above point of view the genotypes could be select for the further breeding programme.

Jatropha curcas L. is a tree borne oilseed crop and growing as a shrub as a living fence in a farmers’ field. Characterization is an initial step for the development of any plant database. The characterization of plant characters (plant height and growth habit), stem characters (stem colour and young shoot colour) and leaf characters viz., juvenile leaf colour, leaf shape, leaf texture, leaf length, leaf width, petiole length and petiole colour was recorded in 56 Jatropha hybrids. There was no difference in stem characters and leaf shape in all the hybrids. The other traits viz., plant height, growth habit, juvenile leaf colour, leaf texture, leaf length, leaf width, petiole length and petiole colour showed variation and categorized qualitatively as per the PPV&FRA descriptors. The plant height varies from 65.6 cm (CJH 1 and CJH 22) to 162.8 cm (CBM 1) and mature leaf length ranged between 4.4 cm (CBM 5) and 17.7 cm (TNMC 7). The results obtained in the present study could be useful for making the plant database for the Jatropha hybrids.

Background OryzaGenome (http://viewer.shigen.info/oryzagenome21detail/index.xhtml), a feature within Oryzabase (https://shigen.nig.ac.jp/rice/oryzabase/), is a genomic database for wild Oryza species that provides comparative and evolutionary genomics approaches for the rice research community. Results Here we release OryzaGenome2.1, the first major update of OryzaGenome. The main feature in this version is the inclusion of newly sequenced genotypes and their meta-information, giving a total of 217 accessions of 19 wild Oryza species (O. rufipogon, O. barthii, O. longistaminata, O. meridionalis, O. glumaepatula, O. punctata, O. minuta, O. officinalis, O. rhizomatis, O. eichingeri, O. latifolia, O. alta, O. grandiglumis, O. australiensis, O. brachyantha, O. granulata, O. meyeriana, O. ridleyi, and O. longiglumis). These 19 wild species belong to 9 genome types (AA, BB, CC, BBCC, CCDD, EE, FF, GG, and HHJJ), representing wide genomic diversity in the genus. Using the genotype information, we analyzed the genome diversity of Oryza species. Other features of OryzaGenome facilitate the use of information on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between O. sativa and its wild progenitor O. rufipogon in rice research, including breeding as well as basic science. For example, we provide Variant Call Format (VCF) files for genome-wide SNPs of 33 O. rufipogon accessions against the O. sativa reference genome, IRGSP1.0. In addition, we provide a new SNP Effect Table function, allowing users to identify SNPs or small insertion/deletion polymorphisms in the 33 O. rufipogon accessions and to search for the effect of these polymorphisms on protein function if they reside in the coding region (e.g., are missense or nonsense mutations). Furthermore, the SNP Viewer for 446 O. rufipogon accessions was updated by implementing new tracks for possible selective sweep regions and highly mutated regions that were potentially exposed to selective pressures during the process of domestication. Conclusion OryzaGenome2.1 focuses on comparative genomic analysis of diverse wild Oryza accessions collected around the world and on the development of resources to speed up the identification of critical trait-related genes, especially from O. rufipogon. It aims to promote the use of genotype information from wild accessions in rice breeding and potential future crop improvements. Diverse genotypes will be a key resource for evolutionary studies in Oryza, including polyploid biology.

A superior Proso millet culture, TNAU 202, was bred at the Department of Millets, CPBG, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore and tested throughout the country for three years (2008 to 2010). Being a profusely tillering, short duration ( 73 days) culture with better culm strength, it is best suited for the drylands of India. It is a derivative of the cross involving PV 1453 x GPUP 16. It yields on average, 1872 kg/ha of grain and 3700 kg/ha of straw during kharif season. The panicle is loose and branched with more number of grains. The grains are medium bold with desirable grain and cooking qualities. Since it is a short duration crop, it is very well suited for contingency planting. It recorded an increased grain yield of 26.23 and 15.06 per cent over qualifying varieties TNAU 196 and TNAU 201, respectively in All India Coordinated Trials. It recorded 19.16 per cent increased yield over the check TNAU 145, 15.34 per cent over TNAU 151, 31.09 per cent over GPUP 21 and 7.10 per cent as compared to the K1. Hence, TNAU 202 was released for cultivation in different states of the country in the year 2011.

Heat stress at the seedling stage can increase mortality and has become an increasing threat for Indian mustard cultivation. Indian mustard is being predominantly grown under a rainfed ecosystem. In this context, the selection of heat tolerant genotypes may be one of the panaceas. Hence, this study was planned to evolve, evaluate and identify some of the promising early maturing heat stress tolerant from a pool of advanced breeding lines, to be used as probable donors for transferring heat tolerance. For this purpose, heat stress was imposed on 10 Indian mustard advanced breeding lines at the seedling period. The mean performance of the ten advanced breeding lines of Indian mustard with respect to morphophysiology revealed that the genotype DRMRHT-13-13-5-4 recorded earliest in maturity (117.5 days), high oil content (43.14 %) and seed yield of 3182.82 (kg/ha) which was 19.75 per cent higher seed yield over best check NPJ-112 under heat stress conditions. Similarly, the genotype DRMRHT-13-13-5-6 also recorded early in maturity (118.5 days), oil content (42.18%) and seed yield of 2964.92 (kg/ha) which was 11.55 per cent higher seed yield over the best check NPJ-112. There was a positive correlation between relative water content and membrane stability index (r=0.945) but both of these traits were negatively associated with excised-leaf water loss. Cluster survey classified 10 advanced breeding lines in five divergent groups. The tree diagram revealed abundant diversity between the Indian mustard genotypes for different characters and some magnitude of a consortium between different clusters. Based on the higher membrane stability index, water retention capacity of leaves, relative water content, minimum excised-leaf water loss and seed yield, advanced breeding lines DRMRHT-13-13-5-4 and DRMRHT-13-13-5-6 were identified as early in maturity and heat tolerant at a seedling stage which could be used in breeding programmes.

Pennisetum plants (Pennisetum alopecuroides L.), displaying a dwarfing phenotype along with delayed flowering and mosaic symptom on leaves, were found in Beijing, China. Flexuous filamentous particles with a size of approximate 15 × 850 nm were observed in symptomatic leaves via transmission electron microscopy. Deep sequencing of small RNAs (sRNA) from symptomatic leaves and analysis of sRNA populations were then conducted to determine the genome sequence of the viral agent in diseased plant tissues. It showed that the viral agent had one positive-sense and single-stranded RNA genome, which consisted of 9717 nucleotides (nts) excluding poly(A) tail. The complete viral genome contained a large open reading frame, encoding a polyprotein of 3131 amino acids (aa). Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the viral agent belonged to the genus Potyvirus in the family Potyviridae. In the cladogram it was most closely related to johnsongrass mosaic virus, sharing 72% nt and 65% aa sequence identity. This viral agent was provisionally named pennisetum alopecuroides mosaic virus (PalMV). Subsequently, it was confirmed that PalMV is the causal agent of this new disease in P. alopecuroides by Koch’s postulates and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. Moreover, maize, millet, wheat, sorghum and rice plants were experimentally infected by PalMV via rub inoculation. Consequently, we proposed that PalMV could be a potentially dangerous virus threating a wide range of cereal crops.

One hundred genotypes of green gram were evaluated at the Pulse Research Station, AAU, Vadodara, Gujarat during summer 2019 for genetic diversity study based on six biometrical traits and to identify the best performing genotype suited to Gujarat. To determine the extent of variability existing among 100 green gram genotypes, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), cluster analysis and the inter-relationship existing between biometrical traits through Pearson’s correlation analysis were carried out. The highest correlation was observed among the seeds per pod and pod length, pods per plant and the number of branches per plant. 100 seed weight had a negative and significant correlation with plant height, the number of branches per plant and pods per plant. According to the principal component analysis, two principal components (PCs) had eigenvalues more than unity and accounted to explain 67.37 per cent of the total variance that exists among six traits. PC1 and PC2 accounted for 39.88 and 27.49 per cent proportion of total variance, respectively. All traits were highly loading on PC1 except pod length and 100 seed weight which were loading on PC2. Three different groups of biometrical traits were observed in the component pattern. A hundred genotypes were classified into eleven clusters through the hierarchical cluster analysis method. Cluster I comprised a maximum number of genotypes followed by cluster VI, cluster II and cluster VII. Based on the cluster analysis, it could be recommended that crosses could be made between the genotypes of Cluster VIII and IX, Cluster VIII and X and Cluster X and XI which are distantly related. Lower plant height was observed in the genotypes under Cluster VIII and clusters X consisted of tall genotypes with a higher number of branches per plant. The highest pod length, pods per plant and seeds per pod were recorded under cluster IX. Cluster IV had a significantly higher 100 seed weight. Intraclass correlation (R2) was the highest for pod length followed by plant height and seeds per pod indicating that these traits played an important role in divergence.

IntroductionNowadays, corn is recognized as a nutrition seed for human, birds and some animals. Corn is considered as an energetic nutrition. It will be graded after wheat and rice among whole the cereal according to the significance and the rate of cultivation. Breeding for environmental stress is one of the most important goals in plant breeding. Among stresses, drought stress has high influencing on limitation of maize production. potash management under water limitation condition is an important factor to obtain high grain yield of maize. . All the plants are in contact with biological fertilizer. One of the most important effects of such a biological fertilizer is the operation enhancement in the lands which are low fertility, confronting with different land disease, and strengthening the plant against drough. In general, Plants are exposed to environmental stresses. Water and Potassium availability are two major factors for crop production under different conditions In this study, correlation and stepwise regression of biochemical traits with grain yield of corn hybrids under drought stress conditions and application of potassium chemical and biological fertilizers are investigated. Materials and methods This study was performed to evaluate the effects of chemical and biological potash fertilizers and drought stress Biochemical characteristics and Grain yield of Zea mays varieties in 2014 - 2015 in Dehloran, Iran. The experiment was conducted as split split plots in randomized complete blocks design with three replications. The treatments included drought stress (normal irrigation, cutting irrigation at 12 leaf stage and at tassel emergence) as main factor, potassium sulfate application in three levels (100% potassium sulfate, 70% potassium sulfate fertilizer with 30% fertile-2 fertilizer, and 50% potassium sulfate fertilizer with 50% fertile-2 fertilizer) as sub plots and three corn hybrids (AS71, NS640 and CORDONA) as sub sub plots. Finally, the data was analyzed by the MSTAT-C. Results and discussion The results of data analysis showed that the occurrence of stress had a negative effect on Some biochemical traitsand and corn yield. Creating stress in the emergence stage of coronal grass compared with the stress in the 12 leaf stage, had more impact on the evaluated indicators. Consumption of biological and chemical fertilizers of potash by modifying the effects of drought stress had a positive effect on biochemical traits and grain yield. Application of 50% chemical potash+ 50 % seed incubation by Fertil-2 led to 10% increasing of kernel yield, Between studied genotypes, AS71 and NS640 showed highest (10717 kg/ha) and lowest (5887 kg/ha) means, respectively. According to interaction between treatments, it was founded that highest kernel yield (12130 kg/ha) was obtained by AS71 under optimum irrigation conditions + 50% urea fertilizer with 50% fertile-2 fertilizer treatment. Grain yield with proline content, chlorophyll a and b had a positive and significant correlation. The results of stepwise regression showed that the effects of chlorophyll a, proline content and catalase and superoxide dismutase enzymes activity on grain yield had a significant . ConclusionsAccording to the results of this research and due to the extreme sensitivity of the biochemical characteristics in water stress conditions, and the relationship of these traits with grain yield, it is necessary to prevent the occurrence of water stress at critical stages of plant growth.Combined use of biological potash fertilizers with chemical potash fertilizers were more effective than chemical fertilizers and significantly increased grain yield. In general, due to the changes in the traits, supplying 50% of needed fertilizer in form of potash fertilizer combined with Barvar-2 fertilizer and AS71 in optimal irrigation conditions were selected as the best experimental treatments.