Optimizing agricultural sustainability: enriched organic formulations for growth, yield, and soil quality in a multi-crop system.

Utilizing agricultural and industrial wastes, potent reservoirs of nutrients, for nourishing the soil and crops through composting embodies a sustainable approach to waste management and organic agriculture. To investigate this, a 2-year field experiment was conducted at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, focusing on a pigeon pea-vegetable mustard-okra cropping system. Seven nutrient sources were tested, including a control (T1), 100% recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) through farmyard manure (T2), 100% RDN through improved rice residue compost (T3), 100% RDN through a paddy husk ash (PHA)-based formulation (T4), 75% RDN through PHA-based formulation (T5), 100% RDN through a potato peel compost (PPC)-based formulation (T6), and 75% RDN through PPC-based formulation (T7). Employing a randomized block design with three replications, the results revealed that treatment T4 exhibited the significantly highest seed (1.89 ± 0.09 and 1.97 ± 0.12 t ha-1) and stover (7.83 ± 0.41 and 8.03 ± 0.58 t ha-1) yield of pigeon pea, leaf yield (81.57 ± 4.69 and 82.97 ± 4.17 t ha-1) of vegetable mustard, and fruit (13.54 ± 0.82 and 13.78 ± 0.81 t ha-1) and stover (21.64 ± 1.31 and 22.03 ± 1.30 t ha-1) yield of okra during both study years compared to the control (T1). Treatment T4 was on par with T2 and T6 for seed and stover yield in pigeon pea, as well as okra, and leaf yield in vegetable mustard over both years. Moreover, T4 demonstrated notable increase of 124.1% and 158.2% in NH4-N and NO3-N levels in the soil, respectively, over the control. The enhanced status of available nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the soil, coupled with increased soil organic carbon (0.41%), total bacteria population (21.1%), fungi (37.2%), actinomycetes (44.6%), and microbial biomass carbon (28.5%), further emphasized the positive impact of T4 compared to the control. Treatments T2 and T6 exhibited comparable outcomes to T4 concerning changes in available N, P, soil organic carbon, total bacteria population, fungi, actinomycetes, and microbial biomass carbon. In conclusion, treatments T4 and T6 emerge as viable sources of organic fertilizer, particularly in regions confronting farmyard manure shortages. These formulations offer substantial advantages, including enhanced yield, soil quality improvement, and efficient fertilizer utilization, thus contributing significantly to sustainable agricultural practices.

Harnessing the power of native biocontrol agents against wilt disease of Pigeonpea incited by Fusarium udum.

Fusarium wilt, caused by (Fusarium udum Butler), is a significant threat to pigeonpea crops worldwide, leading to substantial yield losses. Traditional approaches like fungicides and resistant cultivars are not practical due to the persistent and evolving nature of the pathogen. Therefore, native biocontrol agents are considered to be more sustainable solution, as they adapt well to local soil and climatic conditions. In this study, five isolates of F. udum infecting pigeonpea were isolated from various cultivars and characterized morphologically and molecularly. The isolate from the ICP 8858 cultivar displayed the highest virulence of 90%. Besides, 100 endophytic bacteria, 100 rhizosphere bacteria and three Trichoderma spp. were isolated and tested against F. udum isolated from ICP 8858 under in vitro conditions. Out of the 200 bacteria tested, nine showed highest inhibition, including Rb-4 (Bacillus sp.), Rb-11 (B. subtilis), Rb-14 (B. megaterium), Rb-18 (B. subtilis), Rb-19 (B. velezensis), Eb-8 (Bacillus sp.), Eb-11 (B. subtilis), Eb-13 (P. aeruginosa), and Eb-21 (P. aeruginosa). Similarly, Trichoderma spp. were identified as T. harzianum, T. asperellum and Trichoderma sp. Notably, Rb-18 (B. subtilis) and Eb-21 (P. aeruginosa) exhibited promising characteristics such as the production of hydrogen cyanide (HCN), cellulase, siderophores, ammonia and nutrient solubilization. Furthermore, treating pigeonpea seedlings with these beneficial microorganisms led to increased levels of key enzymes (POD, PPO, and PAL) associated with resistance to Fusarium wilt, compared to untreated controls. In field trials conducted for four seasons, the application of these potential biocontrol agents as seed treatments on the susceptible ICP2376 cultivar led to the lowest disease incidence. Specifically, treatments T2 (33.33) (P. aeruginosa) and T3 (35.41) (T. harzianium) exhibited the lowest disease incidence, followed by T6 (36.5) (Carbendizim), T1 (36.66) (B. subtilis), T4 (52.91) (T. asperellum) and T5 (53.33) (Trichoderma sp.). Results of this study revealed that, P. aeruginosa (Eb-21), B. subtilis (Rb-18) and T. harzianum can be used for plant growth promotion and management of Fusarium wilt of pigeonpea.

Genetic diversity and population structure of Fusarium udum in India and its correlation with pigeonpea wilt incidence.

In a study conducted in India, 50 Fusarium isolates were collected from pigeonpea growing regions and extensively examined for their cultural and morphological characteristics. These isolates exhibited significant variations in traits including growth rate, mycelial growth patterns, color, zonation, pigmentation, spore size, and septation. Subsequently, 30 isolates were chosen for pathogenicity testing on eight pigeonpea genotypes. Results showed distinct reactions, with four genotypes displaying differential responses (ICP8858, ICP8859, ICP8862, and BDN-2), while ICP9174 and ICP8863 consistently exhibited resistance and ICP2376 and BAHAR remained susceptible to wilt disease. To study the interaction between Fusarium isolates and pigeonpea host differentials (HDs), an additive main effects and multiplicative interaction analysis was conducted. The majority of disease incidence variation (75.54%) was attributed to HD effects, while Fusarium isolate effects accounted for only 1.99%. The interaction between Isolates and HDs (I × HD) contributed 21.95% to the total variation, being smaller than HD but larger than I. Based on HD reactions, isolates were classified into nine variants, showing varying distributions across pigeonpea growing states, with variants 2 and 3 being prevalent in several regions. This diversity underscores the need for location-specific wilt-resistant pigeonpea cultivars. Furthermore, genetic analysis of 23 representative isolates, through internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA and translation elongation factor 1-α gene sequencing, revealed three major clusters: Fusarium udum, Fusarium solani, and Fusarium equiseti. These findings hold potential for developing location-specific wilt-resistant pigeonpea cultivars and enhancing disease management strategies.

Molecular Characterization and Seasonal Variation in Expression of HSP70.1 Gene in Gangatiri Cattle and Its Comparison with Buffalo.

Under tropical climate heat stress is a major challenge for livestock production. HSP70.1 is a ubiquitously expressed protein maintaining cellular machinery through proper folding of denatured proteins and prevents cellular apoptosis and protect cell from heat stress. Therefore, present investigation was undertaken to explore genetic variability in HSP70.1 gene in Gangatiri cattle, its comparison with buffalo sequences and differential expression in different season. The allelic variant was identified by sequencing amplified PCR product of HSP70.1 gene by primer walking. Season-wise total RNA samples was prepared for differential expression study. Brilliant SYBR Green QPCR technique was used to study the expression kinetics of this gene. DNA sequencing by primer walking identified four allelic variants in Gangatiri cattle. Sequence alignment study revealed four, six and one substitutions in the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR), coding and 3' untranslated region ((3'UTR) of HSP70.1 gene, respectively. Comparative analysis of HSP70.1 gene revealed that Cattle has shorter 5'UTR and 3' UTR than the buffalo. In Gangatiri cattle, summer season has significantly higher (P ≤ 0.05) expression of HSP70.1 than the spring and winter. The relative expression of HSP70.1 was increased by more than six folds in summer and nearly 1.5 folds higher in winter in comparison to the spring season. Therefore, HSP70.1 may be considered to have a critical role in the development of thermal tolerance in Gangatiri cattle.

Impact of induced mutation-derived genetic variability, genotype and varieties for quantitative and qualitative traits in Mentha species.

PURPOSE: The genus Mentha spp. is an aromatic herb from the family 'Lamiaceae'. It is extensively predominant in temperate and sub-temperate regions of the world. The essential oil of this species is enriched with broad aroma constituents extensively utilized in food, beverages, flavor, cosmetics, perfumery, and pharmaceutical enterprises. With the global menthol market size estimated to be worth USD 765 million in 2022, India (accompanied by China and Brazil) is the world's primary manufacturer, consumer, and exporter of Mentha oil. Despite prominent global demand, the crucial bottleneck in mint cultivation is the need for more superior commercial cultivars. Predominant vegetative propagation mode with difficulties in manual emasculation, differential blooming times, sterile/sub-sterile hybrids, and low seed viability are the primary containment in creating genetic variability by classical breeding approaches. Therefore, genetic complications encountered in conventional breeding have led the breeders to apply mutation breeding as an alternative crop improvement approach in Mentha spp. These attempts at mutation breeding have produced some distinctive mutants as genetic pools for plant breeding programs, and some novel mutant mint cultivars have been made available for commercial cultivation. CONCLUSIONS: The prime strategy in mutation-based breeding has proven an adept means of encouraging the expression of recessive genes and producing new genetic variations. The present review comprises a significant contribution of mutation breeding approaches in the development of mutant mint species and its effects on physiological variation, photosynthetic pigment, essential oil content and composition, phytochemical-mediated defense response, pathogen resistivity, and differential expression of genes related to terpenoid biogenesis. Development and diversification have led to the release of varieties, namely Todd's Mitcham, Murray Mitcham, Pranjal, Tushar, and Kukrail in M. piperita L., Mukta, and Pratik in M. cardiaca Baker, Neera in M. spicata L., Kiran in M. citrata Ehrh., and Rose mint in M. arvensis L. that have revolutionized and uplifted mint cultivation leading to economic gain by the farmers and entrepreneurs.

Radio-frequency (RF) room temperature plasma treatment of sweet basil seeds (Ocimum basilicum L.) for germination potential enhancement by immaculation.

Ocimum basilicum L. is an antiviral and immunity boosting medicinal plant and culinary herb. Potential use of sweet basils in COVID 19 prevention and management is making its demand rise. This study is aimed at germination potential enhancement of sweet basil seeds. Reported study is evidenced with scientific data of radio-frequency cold plasma treatment using Ar + O2 feed gas. O. basilicum seeds, placed inside the rotating glass bottle, were directly exposed to RF (13.56 MHz) plasma produced in Ar + O2 feed gas. Seed treatment was done using RF source power (60 W, 150 W, 240 W), process pressure (0.2 mbar, 0.4 mbar, 0.6 mbar), and treatment time (5 min, 10 min, 15 min) at different combinations. Results show that, the most efficient treatment provide up to ∼89 % of the germination percentage which is an enhancement by 32.3 % from the control. SEM images revealed slight shrinkage in the seed size with eroded appearance over the seed. Enhancement of lipid peroxidation, show that oxidation of seed coat may propagate internally. Water imbibition analysis, of the treated seeds, was carried out for 2-12 hours. Further analysis of seed weight, on every one hour, after soaking shows enhanced water absorption capability except the treatment at 240 W, 0.6 mbar and 15 min. Plasma treatment enhanced carbohydrate content and protein content which is reported to be due to increased primary metabolism. Whereas, increased activity of secondary metabolism results in the enhancement of enzymatic (catalase) and non-enzymatic antioxidants (proline). Vital growth parameters, such as SVI I and SVI II, got amplified by 37 % and 133 % respectively after treatment. Ameliorative effects of plasma treatment are found highly significant with a positive and significant correlation value (p < 0.01) between germination percentages, SVI I, SVI II, carbohydrate, protein and proline show their interrelationship. Ar + O2 plasma treatment is found to bring forth significant changes in the O. basilicum seeds which eventually enhanced the germination potential and it could be a very promising technology for the medicinal crop.

Origin of metamagnetism in skyrmion host Cu[Formula: see text]OSeO[Formula: see text].

Skyrmion host chiral Cu[Formula: see text]OSeO[Formula: see text] has attracted researchers due to several intriguing properties. Observation of metamagnetism in low-temperature and low-field makes the magnetic properties of Cu[Formula: see text]OSeO[Formula: see text] more complex. Here, we present an investigation on metamagnetism in Cu[Formula: see text]OSeO[Formula: see text] by analyzing its structural and magnetic properties. Study of magnetic properties reveal spin-flip of one of the Cu[Formula: see text] ions, embedded in square pyramidal CuO[Formula: see text] polyhedra, due to the development of strain in low-temperature and low-field regime. The spin-flip is found to be the main reason for field-induced first-order metamagnetic transition. Magnetic phase diagram of Cu[Formula: see text]OSeO[Formula: see text] has been constructed with the help of magnetization analyses. It is argued that the metamagnetic hysteretic field region may be low-temperature skyrmion phase with additional spiral and tilted-conical phases. A tricritical point has been observed in the phase diagram at which first-order metamagnetic hysteretic field range ceases to exist.

Different Critical Exponents on Two Sides of a Transition: Observation of Crossover from Ising to Heisenberg Exchange in Skyrmion Host Cu_{2}OSeO_{3}.

We present experimental investigation on critical phenomena in Cu_{2}OSeO_{3} by analyzing the critical behavior of magnetization using a new method. This is necessary as a crossover from 3D Ising to 3D Heisenberg has been observed in Cu_{2}OSeO_{3}. The proposed method is applicable to explore the physics for a wide range of materials showing trivial or nontrivial critical behavior on two sides of the transition. A magnetic phase diagram has been constructed from the critical analysis. Multiple critical points due to multiple phases and transition between them have been observed in the phase diagram of Cu_{2}OSeO_{3}.

Quantification of genetic variability and stable genotype selection over the years in the germplasm of critically endangered Prishanparni (Uraria picta Desv.).

Prishanparni (Uraria picta Desv.), a critically endangered annual shrub belonging to the family 'Papillionaceae'. It is widely distributed throughout India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Tropical Africa, Malay Islands, and the Philippines. The consistent performances of U. picta accessions based on ten economic traits studied were identified as P-12, P-16, P-21, P-22, P-31, P-47, and P-48. These accessions could be used for commercial cultivation in northern Indian plains. Among the total twenty-three studied accessions P-50, P-21, P-48, and P-47 were found superior for rhoifolin content in their aerial as well as root part, which may have various therapeutic potentials used in traditional and modern systems of medicines. These accessions can be exploited for commercial cultivation or in a hybridization program for further crop improvement. Wide range cultivation of the selected accessions in the Indo-Gangetic plains will fit in the existing cropping systems of this region, resulting in comparatively better supplementation of herb to the pharmaceutical and herbal drug industries and reducing the pressure on the wild populations.

In silico screening of therapeutic potentials from Strychnos nux-vomica against the dimeric main protease (Mpro) structure of SARS-CoV-2.

The novel coronavirus also referred to as SARS-CoV-2 causes COVID-19 and became global epidemic since its initial outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Research efforts are still been endeavoured towards discovering/designing of potential drugs and vaccines against this virus. In the present studies, we have contributed to the development of a drug based on natural products to combat the newly emerged and life-threatening disease. The main protease (MPro) of SARS-CoV-2 is a homodimer and a key component involved in viral replication, and is considered as a prime target for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug development. Literature survey revealed that the phytochemicals present in Strychnos nux-vomica possess several therapeutic activities. Initially, in the light of drug likeness laws, the ligand library of phytoconstituents was subjected to drug likeness analysis. The resulting compounds were taken to binding site-specific consensus-based molecular docking studies and the results were compared with the positive control drug, lopinavir, which is a main protease inhibitor. The top compounds were tested for ADME-Tox properties and antiviral activity. Further molecular dynamics simulations and MM-PBSA-based binding affinity estimation were carried out for top two lead compounds' complexes along with the apo form of main protease and positive control drug lopinavir complex, and the results were comparatively analysed. The results revealed that the two analogues of same scaffold, namely demethoxyguiaflavine and strychnoflavine, have potential against Mpro and can be validated through clinical studies.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Multiple magnetic phase transitions with different universality classes in bilayer La[Formula: see text]Sr[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] manganite.

Here, we report three magnetic transitions at 101 K (T[Formula: see text]), 246 K (T[Formula: see text]) and 295 K (T[Formula: see text]) in bilayer La[Formula: see text]Sr[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text]. The second order phase transitions have been identified at these transition points with the help of change in entropy analysis and modified Arrott plots (MAPs). The critical behavior around T[Formula: see text], T[Formula: see text] and T[Formula: see text] have been studied by MAPs and Kouvel-Fisher method. Based on these analyses four magnetic phases are: (1) 2D Ising ferromagnetic (FM) below T[Formula: see text],(2) 2D Heisenberg canted antiferromagnetic (CAFM-I) and FM clusters in temperature range T[Formula: see text] < T < T[Formula: see text], (3) 2D Heisenberg CAFM-II and FM clusters with non magnetically interacting planes in temperature range T[Formula: see text] < T < T[Formula: see text] and (4) paramagnetic for T > T[Formula: see text].

Magnetism in quasi-two-dimensional tri-layer La2.1Sr1.9Mn3O10 manganite.

The tri-layer La[Formula: see text]Sr[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] manganites of Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) series are naturally arranged layered structure with alternate stacking of ω-MnO[Formula: see text] (ω = 3) planes and rock-salt type block layers (La, Sr)[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] along c-axis. The dimensionality of the RP series manganites depends on the number of perovskite layers and significantly affects the magnetic and transport properties of the system. Generally, when a ferromagnetic material undergoes a magnetic phase transition from ferromagnetic to paramagnetic state, the magnetic moment of the system becomes zero above the transition temperature (T[Formula: see text]). However, the tri-layer La[Formula: see text]Sr[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] shows non-zero magnetic moment above T[Formula: see text] and also another transition at higher temperature T[Formula: see text] 263 K. The non-zero magnetization above T[Formula: see text] emphasizes that the phase transition in tri-layer La[Formula: see text]Sr[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] not a ferromagnetic to paramagnetic state. We show here the non-zero magnetic moment above T[Formula: see text] is due to the quasi-two-dimensional nature of the tri-layer La[Formula: see text]Sr[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] manganite. The scaling of the magnetic entropy change confirms the second-order phase transition and the critical behavior of phase transition has been studied around T[Formula: see text] to understand the low dimensional magnetism in tri-layer La[Formula: see text]Sr[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text]. We have obtained the critical exponents for tri-layer La[Formula: see text]Sr[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text], which belong to the short-range two-dimensional (2D)-Ising universality class. The low dimensional magnetism in tri-layer La[Formula: see text]Sr[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] manganite is also explained with the help of renormalization group theoretical approach for short-range 2D-Ising systems. It has been shown that the layered structure of tri-layer La[Formula: see text]Sr[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] results in three different types of interactions intra-planer ([Formula: see text]), intra-tri-layer ([Formula: see text]) and inter-tri-layer ([Formula: see text]) such that [Formula: see text] and competition among these give rise to the canted antiferromagnetic spin structure above T[Formula: see text]. Based on the similar magnetic interaction in bi-layer manganite, we propose that the tri-layer La[Formula: see text]Sr[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text] should be able to host the skyrmion below T[Formula: see text] due to its strong anisotropy and layered structure.

Effect of ozone application on the removal of pesticides from grapes and green bell peppers and changes in their nutraceutical quality.

The present study evaluates the efficacy of ozonated water for the removal of pesticide residues in grapes and green bell peppers. Fruit fortified with pesticides (azoxystrobin, chlorothalonil, chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, hexaconazole and methyl parathion) were subjected to 15 and 30 min aqueous ozone treatment. GC analysis of ozonated fruits showed a 48.67% to 96.95% decrease in pesticide residues of different pesticides. Methyl paraoxon, a toxic degradation product of methyl parathion, was detected in the ozonated water sample. To assess the effect of ozonation on the nutraceutical quality of fruits, the concentrations of eleven polyphenols and ascorbic acid were analyzed. The individual polyphenols showed different trend in 15 and 30 min treatment. Overall, there was an increase in the levels of all the polyphenols in grapes after 30 min ozonation treatment. In peppers, there was a net increase in quercetin, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, rutin and kaempferol in 30 min while other polyphenols were decreased. The ascorbic acid content of both the fruits was decreased by more than 70% upon ozonation. Thus, ozonation treatment was effective in pesticide removal. However, it changed the nutraceutical quality of grapes and green bell peppers.

Gamma irradiation-induced variability in morpho-agronomic and oil quality traits of Mentha piperita L.

PURPOSE: To develop elite mutant in Mentha piperita having morphotype and oil content of Mentha arvensis, and oil quality of M. piperita. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The dormant runner of menthol rich genotype MPK-5 were subjected to different doses of γ- irradiation (10, 20, 30, 50, 70, 90, and 110 Gy) at a dose rate of 55 Gy/min to induce the genetic variability for herb and oil yield as well as oil quality. A wide spectrum of variability for agro-morphological traits, herb yield, and quality profile was observed among the mutants. RESULTS: The developed and selected superior mutants viz. MPK-5(1) and MPK-5(3) have a mean herb yield potential of 23.923 and 21.503 Kg/9 m2; mean oil yield of 92.953 and 80.047 ml/plot; mean menthol content of 69.012% and 69.160% with mean menthofuran content of 1.554% and 0.531%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Mutational breeding through γ- irradiation is considered complementary to the conventional breeding method, to broaden the spectrum of genetic variability. The developed and selected mutants namely viz. MPK-5(1) and MPK-5(3) identified as promising mutants, based on herb yield, oil yield, and essential oil quality, could be used as a parental line for exploitation in hybridization program/recombinant breeding.

Cost effective liquid phase exfoliation of MoS2 nanosheets and photocatalytic activity for wastewater treatment enforced by visible light.

Scalable production of high-quality MoS2 nanosheets remains challenging for industrial applications and research in basic sciences. N-methyl-2pyrrolidine (NMP) is a commonly used solvent for exfoliation of MoS2 nanosheets having further disadvantage of slow volatility rate. The present study demonstrates a cost-effective facile chemical route to synthesize few-layer MoS2 nanosheets using acetone as a solvent and by varying bulk initial concentration of samples to scale up the production in large scale to fulfill the demand for potential applications. In our study, we aim to obtain stable growth of high quality few layer MoS2 nanosheets by long sonication times. Optical absorption spectra, Raman spectra, size of nanosheets and layer thickness of as-grown MoS2 nanosheets were found to be matching with those obtained from other synthesis methods. Effective photocatalytic performance of MoS2 nanosheets without being consumed as a reactant was experimented by decomposing Methylene Blue dye in aqueous solution under irradiation of visible light. This study provides an idea to synthesize low-cost, sustainable and efficient photocatalytic material in large scale for the next generation to control water pollution quite efficiently by protecting the environment from the contamination coming from these dyes.

Investigating genetic variability in Hsp70 gene-5'-fragment and its association with thermotolerance in Murrah buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) under sub-tropical climate of India.

The present study was undertaken to investigate genetic variability in a fragment comprising 5'UTR along with partial coding sequence of Hsp70 gene and its association with thermotolerance traits in Murrah buffalo at ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna (India). The allelic variants were identified from genomic DNA samples using SSCP technique. The PCR products were sequenced and analyzed. Data on different thermotolerance traits recorded in three seasons were analyzed by least squares ANOVA taking the SSCP genotypes as fixed effect. Two allelic variants (A and B), each of 503-bp in size, were documented with frequency of 0.59 and 0.41, respectively, and three genotypes (AA, AB and BB) with corresponding frequency of 0.30, 0.58 and 0.12. The allelic variants were due to single nucleotide substitution at 55th base position leading to a change of threonine (A) to methionine (B) in amino acid sequence. Both the allelic variants had 99.8% similarity in nucleotide sequence. In phylogenetic tree, allele A was in a cluster while allele B and Gangatiri cattle sequence formed a different cluster. The SSCP genotypes had significant effect on different thermotolerance traits in summer with thermo-humidity index of ≥ 84. Buffaloes with AA genotype had the highest (P Ë‚ 0.05) summer evening rectal temperature, respiration rate and pulse rate, inferring that the buffaloes carrying AA genotype had more stress in summer than those with AB and BB genotype. These SSCP genotypes might have differential role in heat shock protein response to induce thermotolerance of Murrah buffaloes in Gangetic plains.

3D-Ising like ferromagnetism in skyrmionic-bubbles host infinite-layer La0.825Sr0.175MnO3 manganite perovskite.

The critical behavior of infinite-layer La0.825Sr0.175MnO3 of Ruddlesden-Popper series manganite has been studied around the transition temperature ([Formula: see text]). To reveal the universality class that explains the critical behavior in La0.825Sr0.175MnO3 several methods, such as modified Arrott plots, Kouvel-Fisher, entropy and critical isotherm analysis have been employed. The critical exponent [Formula: see text] for infinite-layer is obtained independently from critical magnetization isotherm and found to satisfy the Widom scaling relation [Formula: see text]. The universality class of the critical phenomenon in infinite-layer La0.825Sr0.175MnO3 manganite can be explained with the help of renormalization group theory approach for three dimensional (3D) systems. We have shown that a short-range 3D-Ising type interaction is responsible for ferromagnetic and second-order phase transition to paramagnetic phase.

Genetic profiling of Hsp70 gene in Murrah buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) under sub-tropical climate of India.

This study was aimed to genetic profiling of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) gene in Murrah buffalo investigating 50 unrelated adult animals at ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna (India) in winter, spring, and summer. PCR ready genomic DNA samples and season-wise total RNA samples were prepared. The PCR products of Hsp70 eluted from agarose gel were sequenced and analyzed. The first-strand cDNA was synthesized and concentration was equalized to 25 ng/µl. Expression kinetics of mRNA transcripts in different seasons was studied using Brilliant SYBR Green QPCR technique and the data retrieved was analyzed by least-squares ANOVA. DNA sequencing by primer walking revealed four allelic variants of Hsp70 gene. Alignment study revealed one substitution in 5'UTR, six substitutions in coding region, and one addition in 3'UTR. The highest percent identity and negligible phylogenetic distance were found among the alleles and reference bovine sequences. The relative mRNA expression was significantly higher in summer when THI ≥ 84 than the spring and winter; fold change increased by 4.5 times in summer than the spring whereas found nearly half in winter. These findings can be useful for heat stress management in buffaloes and help in understanding the mechanism of thermo-regulation well.

Production of novel rhamnolipids via biodegradation of waste cooking oil using Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC7815.

In this paper, Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC7815, a biosurfactant producing strain was studied for its ability to utilize waste cooking oil (WCO) as a sole carbon source for the production of biosurfactant. Culture conditions were optimized based on surface tension reduction and biomass concentration. The obtained biosurfactant was characterized using 1H NMR, FTIR, LC-MS, and MALDI-TOF techniques. The chemical properties of the produced biosurfactant were estimated by assessing the critical micelle concentration (CMC), emulsification index (E24) and oil displacement test. The optimal culture conditions were found to be similar to the natural domestic sewage such as basic pH value of 10, temperature of 25 °C and a very high WCO concentration of 40 gL-1 (C/N ratio of 40/1). The biosurfactant yield was found to be significant as 11 ± 0.2 gL-1 upon utilizing about 90% of WCO within 5 days of incubation. The biosurfactant produced was found to be a mixture of mono- and di-rhamnolipid in nature and comprised excellent surface active properties i.e. an extremely low CMC of 8.8 ± 0.3 mgL-1, E24 of 62.5 ± 0.3% and surface tension reduction up to 26.2 ± 0.5 mNm-1. These results suggest the suitability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the biosurfactant production at commercial scale along with waste remediation in an economic way.

Ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with principal component and cluster analysis of Swertia chirayita for adulteration check.

This article describes the study to standardize phytochemically and distinguish Swertia chirayita from that of possible substitution/adulteration using ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) with photodiode array detector (PDA) and chemometric tools viz. principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). Five ecotypes of Swertia chirayita and five possible substitutions, e.g.,Swertia bimaculata (SB), Swertia chordata (SCH), Swertia ciliata (SCL), Swertia paniculata (SP), and Halenia elliptica (HE) collected from different Indian Himalayan region. Samples evaluated for 04 marker compounds- swertiamarin (SM), mangiferin (MF), gentiopicroside (GP), and sweroside (SW). Reverse phase column (Waters Acquity BEH C18, 50 mm × 2.1 mm , 1.7 µm) provided high resolution for all target analytes with binary gradient elution. The detector response was linear (concentration 2.5-125 µg/mL, R2 > 0.999). The limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of targeted compounds was in the range of 1.40-2.06 and 4.57-6.27 µg/mL respectively. The combined relative standard deviation (%RSD) for intra-day and inter-day precision values were less than 2%. The recoveries study comply the method suitability. Chromatogram similarity analysis based on congruence coefficient was higher than 0.925 for the chirayita ecotypes while much lower than 0.629 for possible substitutes. HCA showed that the samples could be clustered (all 5 clusters in two-level) reasonably into different ecotypes and substitutes. HCA together with loading plots has indicated different chemical properties of all five groups. PCA results showed that the discrimination of chirayita ecotypes is because of the presence of SW while SM may have more influence on the targeted substitutes to discriminate from chirayita ecotypes. Therefore, UPLC fingerprint in association with chemometric tools provides a reliable and accurate quality assessment and detection of possible adulteration.