ABSTRACT
A study was carried out on growth, photosynthetic pigments, and yield attributing and seed characteristics of Arachis hypogaea L. (Cv. SB-11). The treatments comprised of different concentrations (5, 50, 100 and 200 ppm) of Sulfosalicylic acid (SSA). The results showed that 50 ppm concentration of foliar applied SSA effectively promoted the growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments (chl a, chl b, total chl, carotenoids and chlorophyll stability index), yield parameters and seed protein and seed oil contents of groundnut. Similarly significant decrease in severity of tikka disease was reported with 50 ppm SSA. SSA 100 ppm profound better influence on the number of branches, height of plant and the shelling percentage. It could be concluded that SSA proved to be beneficial in promoting plant growth and yield and in inducing systemic resistance against tikka disease in groundnut.
ABSTRACT
The present work was carried out to study the individual and combined effects of boron and salinity on soybean seed germination. The results revealed that all the treatments of both NaCl and boron (5 ppm) delayed the germination. However higher concentrations (50 and 100 ppm) of boron was found to be enhanced germination percentage over control by 10 %. The combinations of boron with NaCl (especially 5 and 100 ppm Boron with 200 mM NaCl and 50 ppm boron with 100 mM NaCl) effectively mitigate the adverse effects of NaCl on germination of soybean seeds. In addition to it 50 mM NaCl concentration was found to be reduced the delayed effects of 5 ppm boron on germination.
ABSTRACT
The present investigation has been carried out on the influence of various concentrations of salicylic acid (SA) on the germination performance of groundnut seeds of cv. W-55, W-44, TAG and SB-11. The groundnut cultivars W-44, TAG and SB-11 showed significant germination by SA application over control. In cv. W-55 all the imposed SA concentrations increased germination except 10 ppm SA particularly after 48 hrs of germination. In general Salicylic acid with 50 ppm concentration showed significant germination in all groundnut cultivars. SA also showed positive impact on root and shoot growth in W-44, TAG and SB-11 cultivars whereas opposite trend was noticed in W-55. These findings clearly indicated that the cv. SB-11 was the best performer to salicylic acid among the studied cultivars of groundnut.
ABSTRACT
The current study examines the genotoxic effects of subchronic exposure via drinking water to a mixture of eight metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, chromium, nickel, manganese and iron) found as contaminants of water sources in different parts of India and its possible association with oxidative stress. Male rats were exposed to the mixture at 0, 1, 10 and 100 times the mode concentration of each metal daily for 90 days. Another dose group at concentration equivalent to maximum permissible limit (MPL) for each metal and a reference group given ip cyclophosphamide were incorporated. The mixture at 100x level significantly increased chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei induction (2.4 folds) in bone marrow cells and reduced the ratio of polychromatic to normochromatic erythrocytes by 25%. The mixture significantly increased sister chromatid exchange in bone marrow (1.67 and 2.3 folds) and spleen (1.57 and 1.98 folds) cells with both 10x and 100x doses. Cyclophosphamide was more potent than the mixture in causing cytogenetic damage in these parameters. In rat spleen, the mixture at 10x and 100x doses caused dose-dependent increase in lipid peroxidation (25.95 and 52.71%) and decrease in the activities of superoxide dismutase (20.36 and 40.62%), catalase (18.24 and 35.50%), glutathione peroxidase (22.33 and 36.12%) and glutathione reductase (19.22 and 31.35%) and in the level of GSH (19.76 and 35.15%). The results suggest that the mixture induced genotoxicity in rat bone marrow and spleen cells at concentrations relatively higher than that found in groundwater sources and the genotoxic effect could relate to induction of oxidative stress. However, observations with lower doses indicate that additive or synergistic interactions following exposure to metal components at MPL levels or at mode concentrations of contemporary groundwater levels in India may not result in clastogenicity in male rats.