Identification of novel SNPs in Pun1 locus for pungency in Capsicum species.

BACKGROUND: Capsaicin and its analogues known as capsaicinoids are the principal sources of pungency in Capsicum spp. In this study, characterization of North-West Himalayan chilli germplasm and commercial landraces of different Indian states known for different pungency-color combinations was done based on capsaicin concentration. Moreover, molecular variation in pungency among high, medium and mild/not pungent Capsicum spp., especially those adapted to North-West Himalayas were elucidated. METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty-nine genotypes of chilli comprising breeding lines of Kashmiri origin, commercial landraces of Southern Indian origin and one of the world's hottest chilli Bhut Jolokia from Nagaland state of India were used as an experimental material. Wide variation in capsaicin content was observed among the genotypes, wherein, Bhut Jolokia (Capsicum chinense) expressed the highest capsaicin content (10,500.75 µg/g). Further, molecular analysis of PunI gene was done for discovering SNPs responsible for variations in pungency. In the non-pungent Nishat-1 (Capsicum annuum var. grossum), the 650 bp DNA fragment was not amplified due to 2.5 kb deletion spanning the putative promoter and first exon of AT3. The amplified DNA product for high and medium pungent was sequencing. Sequence alignment among revealed SNPs which were further observed responsible for variations in amino acid sequence and protein structure. CONCLUSION: The observed variation in protein structure might be responsible for high capsaicin production in one genotype as compared to the other and hence the protein conformation determines its interaction with the substrate.

Landfill leachate a new threat to water quality: a case study from the Temperate Himalayas.

Landfills are commonly seen as the most cost-efficient and practical approach to waste management in various regions around the world. Nonetheless, the infiltration of hazardous materials from poorly managed dumping sites remains a significant environmental issue in most developing countries such as India. Leachate serves as a prominent point source of contamination in many environmental media like soil, groundwater, and surface water around the world. So the prime issues humans are experiencing are associated with water quality. Thus, the investigation was undertaken to assess the impact of leachate from the Achan landfill on surface water quality in the Temperate Himalayas. Monitoring was done during in all four seasons, viz., spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Among the sites, the leachate outflow site was found to have the highest mean value of pH (7.95), EC (2.16 dS/m), total nitrogen (2.64 mg/l), P (4.75 mg/l), K (1.41 mg/l), Ca (107.45 mg/l), Mg (54.93 mg/l), Zn (0.8 mg/l), Fe (1.78 mg/l), Cu (0.66 mg/l), Mn (0.81 mg/l), BOD (21.47 mg/l), COD (66.24 mg/l), temperature (14.22 °C), turbidity (14.29 NTU), while lowest mean values of all parameters were recorded at control site. Among the seasons, summer season was found to have maximum value of pH (7.9), EC (2.36 dS/m), total nitrogen (2.54 mg/l), P (4.0 mg/l), K (0.89 mg/l), Ca (85.94 mg/l), Mg (43.91 mg/l), Fe (1.4 mg/l), Cu (0.52 mg/l), Mn (0.64 mg/l), BOD (22.82 mg/l), COD (65.87 mg/l), temperature (18.99 °C), and turbidity (8.49 NTU). The maximum mean value of Zn (0.66 mg/l) was recorded during winter season, while other parameters were found to be minimum during winter season. From this study, we concluded that a decreasing trend was observed during all the seasons in the concentration of all physico-chemical parameters with an increase in distance from the landfill. So it is recommended that the leachate should be treated at the source before disposing into the water body and the landfill should be lined properly to prevent the entry of leachate into water sources.

Study on the effect of vehicular pollution on the ambient concentrations of particulate matter and carbon dioxide in Srinagar City.

The present study was carried out to monitor the ambient concentrations of particulate matter and carbon dioxide caused by vehicular pollution in Srinagar City of Jammu and Kashmir, India, for a period of 12 months from June 2019 to May 2020 as the major contributions in these areas are due to vehicular movement. Out of five, four locations (viz. Dalgate, Jehangir Chowk, Parimpora and Pantha Chowk) had highest traffic density in the city and the fifth location (Shalimar) had low traffic volume. The sampling was done on every fortnight using AEROCET 831-aerosol mass monitor and CDM 901-CO2 monitor with each sampling being carried out three times a day, i.e. morning (9:00 am-10:30 am), afternoon (1:00 pm-2:30 pm) and evening (4:30 pm-6:00 pm) with three replications at each site based on the peak traffic hours. The results show that during the whole period, average PM1 concentrations ranged from 15.10 to 108.9 µg/m3, PM2.5 (28.70-577.50 µg/m3), PM4 (44.50-780.87 µg/m3), PM10 (57.13-1225.53 µg/m3), total suspended particulates (77.77-1410.27 µg/m3) and CO2 (332.4-655.0 ppm). The average concentrations of these parameters showed that the maximum PM1 concentration was found at Dalgate (53.77 µg/m3) and PM2.5 had its maximum average concentration at Jehangir Chowk (140.13 µg/m3). Other parameters like PM4, PM10, TSP and CO2 had a maximum average values at Jehangir Chowk (240.23 µg/m3, 633.40 µg/m3, 853.50 µg/m3 and 533.20 ppm, respectively). The pollution load was observed to be maximum during winter season followed by autumn, summer and spring. The lowest concentration of all pollutants except CO2 was observed in April 2020 and this might be due to COVID-19 lockdown observed in the country during the same period.

Assessing soil properties and chemical quality indices under trees outside forests (TOFs) in temperate Himalayan region.

Trees outside forests (TOFs) have assumed importance in view of its potential to mitigate CO2 under different carbon pools with soil as the prominent pool. The ability of any TOF practice to fix soil organic carbon (SOC) efficiently depends on its SOC build up and soil quality that varies across different strata within TOFs. Soil physico-chemical properties under six TOF practices (boundary plantation, roadside plantation, riverside plantation, horticulture, scattered patches with clumpy plantation (SPCP), and woodlot) in central region of Kashmir valley were investigated to assess SOC content and soil quality. Additive soil quality index (ASQI) approach was used to assess soil quality using "lower or higher is better" criteria. Correlation analysis between soil variables was carried out to assess the relationships. The results showed that TOF soils in the region were sandy clay loam in texture with slightly acidic to alkaline pH and electrical conductivity within normal limits. Lowest bulk density (0.94 g cm-3) was found in SPCP and highest (1.38 g cm-3) in roadside plantation. Highest SOC %, available nitrogen (N), and available phosphorus (P) values were observed in SPCP and lowest in boundary plantation. Average available potassium (K) was observed highest in SPCP (333.04 kg ha-1) and lowest in riverside plantation (244.58 kg ha-1). Soil pH showed significant but negative correlations with SOC and other nutrients (N and P). A significant but perfect positive correlation was observed between SOC and available N. SOC content was found highest in SPCP (60.16 t ha-1) and lowest in boundary plantation (34.56 t ha-1). The hypothesis that all soils under different TOF strata have similar quality and same SOC build up rate was observed otherwise with SPCP exhibiting highest CSQI. SPCP was observed to be more qualitative and dynamic growing system among all strata with an enhanced capacity to fix and conserve SOC to help mitigate climate change. Present study demands plantation of more trees outside the forest areas especially in the pattern of SPCP for enrichment of soil and enhancement of carbon sequestration.