Effect of sub-optimal moisture levels on the quality of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) during storage in triple-layer hermetic storage bags

Storage is an important aspect of groundnut, as the in-shell and shelled kernels are prone to infestation by insects, pests, and fungi. Among several storage pests, the groundnut bruchid, Caryedon serratus, causes serious losses. Farmers often resort to different management practices, including hermetic storage, to control it. The moisture content of the commodity plays an important role in insect infestation during storage. Drying to safe moisture levels before storage is known to prevent the activity of various living organisms, such as storage pests. However, drying to low levels of moisture may not be economical for farmers, as they may not have access to devices to accurately check product moisture. In this regard, we wanted to demonstrate the efficacy of triple-layer hermetic storage bags in preventing the damage caused by C. serratus when the groundnuts are stored at intermediate (10%) and high (14%) levels of moisture compared to traditionally used bags such as polypropylene bags and jute bags. Groundnut pods at 10% moisture content and 14% moisture content were separately inoculated with adult bruchids and a toxigenic strain of Aspergillus flavus fungal inoculum before storing them for 6 months. Results from groundnut samples taken at two-month intervals indicated that groundnut pods stored in triple-layer hermetic bags were completely free from infestation by C. serratus by recording a zero number of eggs laid, number of pupae, adult emergence, percentage of loss, and percentage of damage up to 6 months of storage, by creating low oxygen (hypoxia) and high carbon dioxide (hypercarbia) conditions. Results also indicate no loss of pod weight stored in triple-layer bags, but a slight reduction in germination percentage was recorded due to a slight increase in fungal activity, but the reduction was significantly less in triple-layer plastic bags compared to other bag types. Similarly, biochemical constituents such as oil and protein content were slightly reduced in triple-layer plastic bags when pods were stored at a 10% moisture level, but a higher reduction was observed at a 14% moisture level. However, the reduction was very high and significant in other bag types at both 10 and 14% moisture levels

Visnagin treatment attenuates DSS-induced colitis by regulating inflammation, oxidative, stress, and mucosal damage

Ulcerative colitis (UC), is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by recurrent episodes of inflammation and ulceration of the colonic mucosa. This study aimed to explore the therapeutic potential effects of visnagin (VIS), a natural furanochromone using a murine model, focusing on tight junction protein expression, oxidative stress, apoptosis and associated inflammation in a dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) induced UC model. A total of 36 male C57BL/6 mice were divided randomly into six groups (n = 6): Group 1 served as the control, group 2, treated with DSS (2% with three 5-day cycles diluted in distilled water administered orally). Group 3 (VIS) perse alone (60 mg/kg b. wt), orally for 31 days, Group 4-low dose of VIS (30 mg/kg b. wt for 31 days with DSS, group 5-high dose VIS (60 mg/kg b. wt) for 31 days with DSS and Group 6 Dexamethasone sodium @ 1 mg/kg b. wt-IP with DSS for 31 days. Disease progression and therapeutic outcomes were assessed by monitoring clinical symptoms, body weight changes, colon length, Disease activity index (DAI), oxidative stress indices, gross and histopathological analysis, inflammatory cytokine levels and immunohistochemical expression. Results demonstrated that VIS co-administration, particularly at high doses, significantly mitigated DSS-induced weight loss, colon shortening. This protective effect was further supported by a significant reduction in oxidative and nitrosative stress which was evident from decreased levels of nitrite and Malondialdehyde (MDA) in VIS treated groups 4 and 5. Further, VIS suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ, NF-κB, IL-17, MPO and TGF-β) while increasing anti-inflammatory IL-10 levels in colon tissues. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis revealed significantly reduced mRNA expression of TNF-α and IL-17 along with increased occludin expression in groups 4, 5 and 6. VIS also improves intestinal barrier by increasing the expression of tight junction occludin, as confirmed through RT-PCR. Immunohistochemical analysis showed strong positive immunoreactivity for NF-κB, COX-2, NLRP3 and TNF-α in DSS group, which wa notably reduced in VIS-treated groups. Additionally, VIS improved intestinalbarrier integrity by upregulating occluding expression. Histopathological analysis further confirmed that VIS attenuated DSS-induecdcolonic lesions. In conclusion, VIS exhibits potent anti-inflammatory and mucosal-protective properties, making it a promising therapeutic candidate for managing UC. Its ability to modulate inflammatory pathways and enhance intestinal barrier function suggests its potential as an alternative treatment for UC

Diversifying vegetable production systems for improving the livelihood of resource poor farmers on the East Indian Plateau

Failure of the rice crop, or low rice yield has dire consequences for rice-dependent households, including food insecurity and malnutrition, for India’s poorest farmers in the East Indian Plateau region. Crop diversification could reduce the risks of rice production from the vagaries of rainfall and provide cash income which is not generated from subsistence rice. Being the primary household laborers women bear the brunt of these difficult conditions in patriarchal societies. For this reason we engaged with the women farmers in Bokaro and West Singhbhum in the State of Jharkhand, and Purulia in West Bengal who participated in experiments conducted with vegetable crops and legumes in the upland and medium uplands where the traditional crop is broadcasted paddy rice. We explored four different vegetable systems, (i) cucurbits (rainy/kharif) (season—June to September), (ii) growing tomatoes in the “off season” (rainy season—July to October), (iii) growing legume crops in rotation with direct sown rice (dry/rabi season—November to January), and (iv) intercropping beans with maize (rainy season—June to September). The results showed that all the above crops proved much better in terms of income to the farmers, return per person day, although the input cost varied it was higher with the new systems explored. The research with the small-holding women farmers enabled them to try new options and make informed decisions about these opportunities. This study showed that farmers can increase crop diversity and expand the area sown to non-paddy crops. The farmers are now looking for new crops where the demand exceeds the supply. Importantly this study has demonstrated that the direct involvement of communities’ in research enables the farmers to sustainability explore solutions to the future problems with limited support from the external agencies

Blackgram–<i>Macrophomina phaseolina</i> Interactions and Identification of Novel Sources of Resistance

Macrophomina phaseolina, a fungus that causes dry root rot, is a relatively new threat to blackgram in South Asia. Because this pathogen is a polyphagic necrotroph, it remains viable in the soil for several years, making disease management challenging. One of the most economical methods for managing dry root rot in blackgram is through an integrated approach that uses resistant varieties. This study examined M. phaseolina associated with dry root rot in blackgram and screened 41 blackgram genotypes for dry root rot resistance. The present work also characterized morphological features and internal transcribed sequence regions of the nuclear rDNA operon to identify M. phaseolina from blackgram. Evaluation of the 41 blackgram genotypes against M. phaseolina by the paper towel technique identified two genotypes, CO-5 and IPU 07-3, with dry root rot resistance (disease scores: ≤3) and 18 genotypes with moderate resistance (disease scores: &gt;3 to ≤5). Five genotypes with disease scores &lt;4.0 and two susceptible genotypes were reevaluated using the paper towel method, which revealed moderate resistance reactions of CO-5, IPU 07-3, and MASH 1-1. To confirm dry root rot resistance of these seven genotypes, further screening was done in a greenhouse using the sick pot assay. Results revealed moderate resistance of CO-5, IPU 07-3, and MASH 1-1 genotypes. As compared with susceptible check (VO 2135-B-BL), CO-5 consistently excelled in plant survival with 13.4% disease incidence, followed by IPU 07-3 (16.7%) and MASH 1-1 (19.9%). Therefore, these three genotypes can be used as parents in blackgram breeding programs for developing blackgram cultivars with improved dry root rot resistance. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license . </jats:p

Understanding genetic diversity in drought-adaptive hybrid parental lines in pearl millet.

Information on genetic diversity and population structure is helpful to strategize enhancing the genetic base of hybrid parental lines in breeding programs. The present study determined the population structure and genetic diversity of 109 pearl millet hybrid parental lines, known for their better adaptation and performance in drought-prone environments, using 16,472 single nucleotide polymorphic (SNP) markers generated from GBS (genotyping-by-sequencing) platforms. The SNPs were distributed uniformly across the pearl millet genome and showed considerable genetic diversity (0.337), expected heterozygosity (0.334), and observed heterozygosity (0.031). Most of the pairs of lines (78.36%) had Identity-by-State (IBS) based genetic distances of more than 0.3, indicating a significant amount of genetic diversity among the parental lines. Bayesian model-based population stratification, neighbor-joining phylogenetic analysis, and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) differentiated all hybrid parental lines into two clear-cut major groups, one each for seed parents (B-lines) and pollinators (R-lines). Majority of parental lines sharing common parentages were found grouped in the same cluster. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed 7% of the variation among subpopulations, and 93% of the variation was attributable to within sub-populations. Chromosome 3 had the highest number of LD regions. Genomic LD decay distance was 0.69 Mb and varied across the different chromosomes. Genetic diversity based on 11 agro-morphological and grain quality traits also suggested that the majority of the B- and R-lines were grouped into two major clusters with few overlaps. In addition, the combined analysis of phenotypic and genotypic data showed similarities in the population grouping patterns. The present study revealed the uniqueness of most of the inbred lines, which can be a valuable source of new alleles and help breeders to utilize these inbred lines for the development of hybrids in drought-prone environments

Rapid generation advancement of RIL population and assessing the impact of Rhizobium nodulation on crop yields in Chickpea

Abstract Chickpea, a widely cultivated legume, actively fix atmospheric nitrogen in root nodules through a symbiotic relationship with rhizobia bacteria. A recombinant inbred line (RIL) population, progressing from F2 to F7 generations, was developed in a short-period of 18 months using the Rapid Generation Advancement (RGA) protocol. The F7 RILs were evaluated during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 crop seasons under typical field conditions to quantify the effects of nodulation on seed yield (SY) and its associated traits. The analysis of variance revealed a highly significant difference (P < 0.01) among genotypes for seed yield and other agronomic traits, with no significant seasonal effect. In the pooled analysis, nodulating genotypes (NG) exhibited a substantial increase (P < 0.01) in SY (62.55%), 100-seed weight (SW100; 12.21%), harvest index (HI; 6.40%), number of pods per plant (NPPP; 39.55%), and number of seeds per plant (NSPP; 44.37%) compared to non-nodulating genotypes (NNG). Both NG and NNG exhibited a significant (P < 0.01) positive correlation between SY and NPPP (r = 0.64 and 0.63), NSPP (r = 0.66 and 0.61), HI (r = 0.27), and number of primary branches per plant (PBr) (r = 0.31), respectively. The top-performing genotypes for yield and related traits were predominantly nodulating. Genotype-trait bi-plot analysis identified nine nodulating genotypes as the most adaptable across the two seasons—six for SY, plant height, SW100, and three for days to first flowering and maturity. These findings underscore the critical role of nodulation in maximizing chickpea yields and the significant yield penalties associated with non-nodulation. To boost chickpea production, future breeding efforts should focus on developing genotypes with high compatibility with rhizobium strains

Genetic Dissection and Quantitative Trait Loci Mapping of Agronomic and Fodder Quality Traits in Sorghum Under Different Water Regimes

Livestock provides an additional source of income for marginal cropping farmers, but crop residues that are used as a main source of animal feed are characteristically low in digestibility and protein content. This reduces the potential livestock product yield and quality. The key trait, which influences the quality and the cost of animal feed, is digestibility. In this study, we demonstrate that sorghum breeding can be directed to achieve genetic gains for both fodder biomass and digestibility without any trade-offs. The genotypic variance has shown significant differences for biomass across years (13,035 in 2016 and 3,395 in 2017) while in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) showed significant genotypic variation in 2016 (0.253) under drought. A range of agronomic and fodder quality traits was found to vary significantly in the population within both the control and drought conditions and across both years of the study. There was significant genotypic variance (σg2) and genotypic × treatment variance (σgxt2) in dry matter production in a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population in both study years, while there was only significant σg2 and σgxt2 in IVOMD under the control conditions. There was no significant correlation identified between biomass and digestibility traits under the control conditions, but there was a positive correlation under drought. However, a negative relation was observed between digestibility and grain yield under the control conditions, while there was no significant correlation under drought population, which was genotyped using the genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technique, and 1,141 informative single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were identified. A linkage map was constructed, and a total of 294 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were detected, with 534 epistatic interactions, across all of the traits under study. QTL for the agronomic traits fresh and dry weight, together with plant height, mapped on to the linkage group (LG) 7, while QTL for IVOMD mapped on to LG1, 2, and 8. A number of genes previously reported to play a role in nitrogen metabolism and cell wall-related functions were found to be associated with these QTL.</jats:p