Female Parent Research Articles

Exploitation of heterosis in linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.)

Heterosis was estimated for 55 hybrids for eight different characters and was expressed as increase or decreaseover superior parent. Hybrids in which R-17, Gaurav and Shubhra were involved as female parents and 1/76 andShubhra as male parents exhibited highest positive heterosis for most of the characters. This indicated the presence of higher frequency of additive alleles in these parents. Hybrids viz., Gaurav x 1/76 and Shubhra x 1/76 were found superior in respect of seed yield/plant, primary branches/plant, number of capsules/plant and 100-seed weight.

Detection of True Hybrids in Pearl Millet Cross Combinations by Employing SSR Molecular Markers

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L. R. Br.), a crucial staple food and significant cereal crop, is gaining prominence due to its versatile applications as feed, food, and fodder. Heterosis of this crop has been extensively harnessed to increase productivity. Hybrid variants exhibit superior grain and stover yields compared to open-pollinated varieties.Top of Form The primary aim of this investigation was to evaluate and confirm authentic hybrids within three resultant F1 progenies. The assessment of parents and F1 hybrids was carried out during the Kharif 2021for the purpose of accurate discrimination and rapid verification of true hybrids by employing 20 SSR molecular markers. The experimental materials consisted of three distinct cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines including ICMA 843-22, ICMA 04999, and ICMA 02333, used as female parents along with three fertility restorers, viz., ICMR 01004, ICMR 20233, and ICMR 20342, were utilized as male parents. The analysis of SSR profiles was based on distinctive banding patterns, resulting in unique profiles for the hybrids. The amplified fragment sizes ranged between 90 to 300 base pairs (bp), effectively enabling the differentiation of authentic hybrids. Within the specific crosses, the percentage of polymorphism was determined 75% for the cross ICMA 843-22 × ICMR 01004, 80% for the cross combination ICMA 04999 × ICMR 20233, and 75% for the cross ICMA 02333 × ICMR 20342. The true hybrids were calculated using hybrid purity percentage formula using heterozygous banding patten among total plants evaluated. Among a total of 100 F1 plants, 85, 86, and 88 plants were accurately identified as true hybrids in the respective crosses i.e., ICMA 843-22 × ICMR 01004, ICMA 04999 × ICMR 20233, and ICMA 02333 × ICMR 20342. The identified markers hold significant potential for applications such as hybridity test, genetic purity assessments, diverse germplasm identification, and DNA fingerprinting endeavors in future.

Crossability of miniature rose and quantitative and qualitative traits in hybrids.

Potted miniature roses are popular indoor ornamental plants. Due to consumer demands, different varieties are introduced to the market every year. The most widely used method for the development of potted miniatures is cross breeding. Six divergent popular pot miniature roses as female parents and Rosa centifolia and Black Baccara as male parents as well as 190 of their F1 hybrids were studied to determine the extent of crossability and the heterosis effects for several quantitative and qualitative traits for determining miniature rose breeding potential. The percentage of pollen viability and the pollen germination rate differed between 48.61% and 61.27% and between 23.26% and 32.19%, respectively. All cultivars exhibited a strong correlation between the fruit set, the weight of fruit, the total set, the weight of seed, the number of seeds per fruit, and the seed germination rate. The cultivar Rosa White Star as a female parent exhibited a good fruit set and crossing success, whereas Juanita Kordana showed a poor crossing success rate. The maximum setting after the crossing was that of Rosa White Star × R. centifolia comprising 75% of fruits, 132 total seeds, and seed weight of 0.68 g. The highest number of seeds per fruit (12.63) was obtained from Rosa Bling Love Star × R. centifolia, and the Red Romance × Black Baccara had the maximum germination of seed rate (48%). The potential for heterobeltiosis and heterosis varied and exhibited a contrasting performance for various qualitative and quantitative traits between F1 progenies. The parents and F1 hybrids were sorted into three major groups by cluster analysis based on the phenotypic variation.

B × R cross de rived parental line development using breeding value: A new model for hybrid rice parental line development

Three-line hybrid rice system is the most successful and widely practiced method around the world. Hybrid rice breeders have used B × B, A × R and R × R (R = Restorer line, B = Maintainer line, A = CMS line) scheme of parental line improvement frequently and avoided B × R and R × B scheme. As a result, female parents lack the genetic diversity carried by R lines. But B × R and R × B mating have great potential to produce high value parental lines of hybrid rice and overcome the limitation of the previous approach. We have demonstrated a new method for three-line hybrid system to minimize the barrier of crossing in parent selection for developing new elite maintainers and restorers. Parental combinations were selected based on breeding value of the genotypes. Breeding values were estimated based on ancestor, pedigree information and yield data of 74 test genotype to select parents for restorer and maintainer line improvement. This new protocol allows (B × R), (R × B) (R × Elite) and (B × Elite) improvement technique to bring out high yielding diverse B and R lines. This B line will be used for developing new A line in the genetic background of B line. Doubled haploid and RGA i.e. rapid generation advance tools of breeding will save the precious time and reduce breeding cycle length; and large population size will increase selection accuracy. We have predicted the genetic gain in parental line development for four parental cross using the studied 74 genotypes for doubled haploid and rapid generation advance methods. Our objectives were to demonstrate the new breeding approach plus breeding value and positive dominant gene effect-based parent selection strategy. We are hopeful about the new method that hybrid rice breeders across the world will extract benefit utilizing the new methodology of hybrid rice parental line development.

Molecular identification of Bambusa changningensis is the natural bamboo hybrid of B. rigida × Dendrocalamus farinosus.

Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants commonly used in food, fibre, paper, biofuel, ornamental and medicinal industries. Natural hybridization in bamboo is rare due to its long vegetative period followed by gregarious flowering and death of the entire population. In the current study, a new bamboo species, Bambusa changningensis, shows intermediate characteristics of Dendrocalamus farinosus and B. rigida morphologically, but it is unknown whether B. changningensis is a natural hybrid. Moreover, B. changningensis has been identified as a superior variety of Sichuan Province with high pulping yield, fibre length and width. Therefore, we analyzed the morphological characteristics, DNA markers, DNA barcoding and chloroplast genomes to identify the hybrid origin of B. changningensis and possible maternal parent. We have developed the transcriptomic data for B. changningensis and mined the SSR loci. The putative parental lines and hybrid were screened for 64 SSR makers and identified that SSR14, SSR28, SSR31 and SSR34 markers showed both alleles of the parental species in B. changningensis, proving heterozygosity. Sequencing nuclear gene GBSSI partial regions and phylogenetic analysis also confirm the hybrid nature of B. changningensis. Further, we have generated the complete chloroplast genome sequence (139505 bp) of B. changningensis. By analyzing the cp genomes of both parents and B. changningensis, we identified that B. rigida might be the female parent. In conclusion, our study identified that B. changningensis is a natural hybrid, providing evidence for bamboo's natural hybridization. This is the first report on confirming a natural bamboo hybrid and its parents through SSR and chloroplast genome sequence.

New Germplasm for Breeding: Pink-flowered and White-fruited Strawberry

Most strawberry plants have white flowers and red fruit. We developed a new strawberry selection with pink flowers and white fruit, and named it G23. Basic phenotypic data were recorded over years of observation and experimentation with the flower crown diameter, petal color, and rate of fruit set, as well as fruit skin color, flesh color, seed color and attachment status, fruit weight and shape, soluble solids contents, and firmness. We found that G23 bloomed with a stable pink flower and produced white fruit consistently with a relatively high fruit-set rate compared with its female parent, ‘Pink Panda’. G23 displayed high resistance to Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum) and anthracnose (Colletotrichum spp.). It is also tolerant of high temperatures (up to 40 °C) and long-term drought. The asexual propagation ability of G23 is high, with ∼60 to 100 stolon ramets formed during the summer. In summary, this new pink-flowered and white-fruited strawberry germplasm is suitable for ornamental use, as a result of its remarkable flowering and fruiting characteristics. In addition, it provides opportunities for innovative strawberry germplasm for future breeding.

Development of Homozygous Lines by In Vivo Doubled Haploid Technique in Hybrid Maize Breeding

The maize breeding programs focuses on the development of homozygous parental lines for hybrid breeding to obtain heterosis. The Improvement of homozygous lines in a effective time is crucial for hybrid maize breeding. Objectives of this research were to obtain homozygous lines of maize in a short time by using of in-vivo maternal haploid (DH) technique and characterizing them morphologically. The experiments were carried out at the Eastern Mediterranean Agricultural Research Institute(EMARI). Inducers, RWS, RWK-76 and their hybrid RWS X RWK-76 were used as male parent. As female parent, 56 F2 segregated material obtained by selfing of 66 F1 hybrids developed in maize breeding program of Eastern Mediterranean Agricultural Research Institute (EMARI) and 2 F2 segregated material selected from the open pollinated plants of 9 commercial maize variety. As a result of the experiment, 29 doubled haploid lines (DH) were developed. In the developed DH lines, days to tasseling, plant height, height of first ear , ear length, ear diameter, number of kernel per ear and thousand kernel weight varied as 57-78 days, 151-248 cm, 43-112 cm, 11.20-24.50 cm, 24-45 mm, 224-537 kernels/ear, and 180-320 g, respectively. In conclusion, in-vivo maternal DH technique is a highly effective method for obtaining homozygous lines

Studies on Heterosis for Fruit Yield, Quality and ToLCV Resistant in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Aims: The current study was designed to investigate the nature and extent of heterosis for marketable fruit output, quality attributes, and resistance to tomato leaf curl virus.
 Study Design: Statistical Randomized Block Design.
 Place and Duration of Study: The current study was conducted in Horticulture Research Field at Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Sciences at Prayagraj U.P. India during Rabi, 2016–17.
 Methodology: The experimental included three testers and thirteen lines During Rabi, 2016–17, out of these, ten lines (female parents) were crossed with every three testers (male parents). The resulting 30 F1s were assessed for yield, fruit quality, and leaf curl virus resistance. To gather data, five plants from each replication were randomly tagged in each entry and analysis of variance was performed. Heterosis over better parent (BP) was calculated by treating each feature using the approach proposed by Hayes et al. [1]. The studied data were statically analyzed using the Indostat software Hyderabad program.
 Results: The standard heterosis for fruit yield ranged from -67.19 to 29.70% Check (Kashi Abhiman). Five crosses viz., Arka Abha x Kashi Aman, Arka Abha x Kashi Vishesh, Pant T-7 x Kashi Vishesh, S-22 x H-88-78-5 and Pant T-7 x Kashi Aman were exhibited sufficient amount of significant and positive heterosis for fruit yield over standard check. The hybrids Azad T-5 x Kashi Aman and Pant T-7 x Kashi Aman exhibited low incidence with negative heterosis for the ToLCV incidence and severity.
 Conclusion: Commercialization of hybrid vigor in tomato (Solanum lycopersium L.) has gained prominence due to various advantages of hybrids over pure line varieties, including higher marketable fruit output, component characteristics, and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses. According to data presented in the study it is concluded that hybrid vigour can obtain by crossing of parents having desirable characters in tomato.

Development and characterization of intraspecific hybrids of low chill peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch

An experiment was conducted to broaden the range of early-ripening peach cultivars through hybridization. Low chill peach cultivars, specifically Shan-i-Punjab and Tropic Sweet, were selected as female parents and crossed with Florda Prince, Flordaglo, and Prabhat. Among the crosses, the highest fruit set (72.63%) was observed in Shan-i-Punjab x Florda Prince, while the lowest fruit set was recorded in Tropic Sweet × Flordaglo (18.87%). Despite the lower fruit set in Tropic Sweet crosses, they exhibited a significantly higher fruit retention percentage and a lower fruit drop rate than those involving the Shan-i-Punjab cultivar. Following ripening, seeds were extracted from the fruits and subjected to stratification at low temperatures until radicle emergence occurred. The stratification duration for the hybrid seedlings ranged from 76.00 days in Shan-i-Punjab × Florda Prince to 88.33 days in Tropic Sweet × Flordaglo. After sowing the seeds in the field, the highest seed germination percentage of 90.43 was recorded in Tropic Sweet × Florda Prince, which did not show a significant difference from Tropic Sweet × Flordaglo (88.94%), followed by Tropic Sweet × Prabhat (85.11%). Regarding seedling growth, Tropic Sweet × Flordaglo exhibited the maximum seedling height of 36.03 cm, while minimal variations were observed among different crosses regarding petiole length, leaf area, and internodal length.

Development and characterization of F1 hybrids involving cultivated and related species of okra

Related species of any crop posses the traits of economic importance. It is important to involve the related wild species in the breeding programme to transfer the traits of economic importance to the cultivated species of crop plants. Further, the characterization of interspecific F1 hybrids is required to know the expression of various traits in both parents and their interspecific hybrid. Cultivated species of okra Abelmoschus esculentus was used to develop two interspecific F1 hybrids independently with two wild species, namely A. moschatus and A. tuberculatus. Both the related species were used as the pollen parent and the cultivated okra as the female parent. The interspecific hybrids were intermediate for days to 50% flowering, first flowering node, flower length, fruit length, fruit diameter, internodal length and plant height. The characteristics like early plant vigor, plant growth habit, flower petal color, fruit color and apex shape of fruit for both the interspecific hybrids were similar to cultivated okra parent.

GENETIC DIVERSITY OF THE BC2 POPULATION OF ALFALFA MULTIFOLIATE LEAVES BASED ON MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS USING CORRELATION, PRINCIPAL COMPONENT, AND CLUSTERING ANALYSIS

The current research aimed to assess the 179 BC2 population of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. cv. Huaiyin) and PL34HQ multifoliate leaves and their parents to select genotypes based on morphological traits for future alfalfa breeding programs. A backcross breeding was carried out between the recurrent male parent and alfalfa PL34HQ as the non-recurrent female parent of alfalfa. In the pod setting stage, morphological traits were measured in the BC2 populations. Data were analyzed for descriptive statistics, correlation, principal component (PCA), and agglomerative hierarchical cluster analyses. The result of descriptive statistics revealed high variation in the means, minimum, and maximum values for most of the morphological traits. Therefore, high variability was observed in plant height (PH) 26-98 cm, number of branches per plant (NBP) 6-74, stem diameter (SD) 1.46-5.46 mm, second branch length SBL 0-62 cm, number of multifoliate leaves per plant (NMFLP) 0-95.7%, number of multifoliate leaves on the main branch (NMFLMB) 0-90.6%, number of nodes (NN) 12-24, fresh shoot weight (FSW) 3.10-359.4 g, and dry shoot weight (DSW) 0.40-108.6 g. The results showed that the comprehensive traits of the BC2 population tended to the recurrent parent, about 32.40% of the total population. However, many plants tended to the non-recurrent parent, about 67.40% of the total population, with a high multifoliate rate. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive association of plant height with stem diameter, fresh shoot weight, dry shoot weight, second branch length, number of nodes, and branch number. Principal component analysis (PCA) discovered the first three components with an eigenvalue greater than one, contributing 78.98% of total variability for different traits. The PC1 showed favorable factor loading for all morphological traits. The contribution of dry shoot weight, fresh shoot weight, stem diameter, and plant height was highest in principal component 1. The average hierarchical cluster analysis method grouped all the genotypes into four main clusters. Alfalfa multifoliate leaf genotype clustering based on morphological traits would help identify potential genotypes for future breeding research and programs. Keywords: - Alfalfa multifoliate leaves, Principal component analysis, Correlation, Cluster analysis.

Development and validation of a scale assessing parental varied responses to Chinese adolescents' negative emotions.

Parental responses to children's negative emotions (PRCNE) constitute a critical construct in the study of emotion socialization in children and adolescents. The objective of this research was to develop and validate a concise scale for assessing how adolescents perceive PRCNE in a Chinese context, resulting in the creation of the parental varied responses to Chinese adolescents' negative emotions (PVRCANE) scale. The PVRCANE aims to evaluate seven forms of PRCNE, including the six types encompassed by the commonly used Coping with Children's Negative Emotions Scale-Adolescent Version (CCNES-AV), as well as an additional, culturally specific category frequently seen in Chinese families: didactic talk and teaching. In Study 1, a group of participants (N = 901, Mage = 13.39 years, SD = 0.92) completed the initial PVRCANE and the CCNES-Adolescent Version. In Study 2: A separate group of participants (N = 320, Mage = 13.54 years, SD = 0.57) filled in PVRCANE and scales evaluating parental socialization goals and adolescents' depressive symptoms. In Study 1, factor analyses showed that a four-factor structure best fit the data, leading to the final version of the PVRCANE, which includes 35 items. PVRCANE scores exhibited good internal consistency (Omega > 0.79) and convergent validity, demonstrated by their close correlation with traditional CCNES scores. Study 2 confirmed the PVRCANE's measurement invariance for both male and female parents and demonstrated criterion validity by showing significant relationships between PVRCANE scores, parental socialization goals, and adolescents' symptoms of depression. The PVRCANE is a brief, valid, and reliable scale for assessing PRCNE in Chinese adolescents. The study concludes with a discussion on future directions and how this research enhances the existing literature on emotion socialization, with a particular emphasis on the scale's potential application in other cultural settings.

Heterosis and Mixed Genetic Analysis of Flowering Traits in Cross Breeding of Day-Neutral Chrysanthemum (Asteraceae)

Day-neutral multiflora chrysanthemums can flower throughout the year without being influenced by daylength and have great application value in gardens. Studying heterosis and the genetic basis of important traits in day-neutral chrysanthemums can accelerate the breeding of new cultivars. In this research, a genetic population was constructed by crossing 135 F1 hybrid progeny from the day-neutral chrysanthemum ‘82-81-19’ (female parent) and the late-flowering chrysanthemum ‘388Q-76’ (male parent). Six traits, including abnormal (crown) bud, plant height, plant crown width, budding date, full flowering date, and number of petal layers, were selected for inheritance and heterosis analyses, and a single-generation major gene plus polygene mixed inheritance model was used to perform mixed inheritance analysis on these traits. The results indicated that the six traits were widely segregated in the F1 population, with the coefficient of variation (CV) ranging from 30% to 84%. The phenomena of heterosis and extra-parent segregation existed generally in F1 progeny, and the ratio of heterosis value of mid-parents (RHm) for the six traits was 45.5%, 2%, 2%, 6%, 6%, and −0.3%, respectively. The mixed genetic analysis showed that the abnormal (crown) bud and budding date were fitted to the B-3 model and controlled by two pairs of additive major genes. The plant height and plant crown width were fitted to the A-0 model, and no major gene was detected. The full flowering date was fitted to the A-1 model and was controlled by one pair of major genes. The number of petal layers was fitted to the B-1 model and controlled by two pairs of additive–dominant major genes. The heritabilities of major genes for abnormal bud, budding date, full flowering date, and the number of petal layers were 1.0, 0.9871, 0.7240, and 0.5612, respectively, indicating that these traits were less affected by environmental factors. Using a percentile scoring method, eight day-neutral chrysanthemum genotypes were selected from the hybrid progeny.

Genetic Inheritance of Anthocyanin Pigmentation in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Rice is an important cereal crop that belongs to the grass family Poaceae. A unique feature of purple-coloured anthocyanin pigmentation is possessed by some of the rice varieties and the accumulation of anthocyanin in plants offers resistance to UV radiation and brings out responses to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Knowledge of the inheritance of pigmentation will aid breeders in developing appropriate selection strategies to improve the trait under consideration. In order to study the inheritance of anthocyanin pigmentation, an experiment involving the F1 and segregated F2 populations obtained by crossing the two Oryza sativa subsp. indica varieties, viz., BPT-5204 (non-pigmented) and HY-256 Purple (pigmented), was conducted during three consecutive growing seasons at AICRIP, ARS (Paddy), Sirsi. Hybridization between the female parent, BPT-5204 and male parent, HY-256 Purple, was done during summer 2021 and the seeds obtained from hybridization constituted the F1 generation and were sown during kharif 2021. The same were subjected to selfing to obtain seeds to generate the F2 population, which were evaluated along with the parents and F1 plants during summer 2022. Observations on the presence or absence of anthocyanin pigmentation for different morphological traits, viz., leaf blade, leaf tip, leaf margin, midrib, juncture and junctura back, were recorded in the parents, F1’s and F2 populations in such a way that the presence of pigmentation was recorded as purple, while its absence was recorded as non-pigmented or green. Purple-coloured anthocyanin pigmentation was absent in all the characters in the F1 plant. Similarly, varied segregation for pigmentation was observed and documented in 1276 plants that constituted the F2 generation. The data was analyzed for colour pigmentation to determine the fitness with diverse segregation ratios and to determine the mode of inheritance by chi-square test, which revealed the involvement of two to three genes with different gene interactions.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Parents toward (Infant & Child) Oral Health in Family Medicine Center at PSMMC, Riyadh

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the infant/child oral health (IOH) related knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of parents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 327 parents. Visiting the family medicine center at prince sultan military medical city, Riyadh Saudi Arabia. A 39-item questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics and questions pertaining to KAP regarding OH care will used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics, Student's t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Scheffe’s test will use for the statistical analysis (P ≤ 0.05). Results: The result showed that majority of the parents had good knowledge regarding OH, knowledge of cleaning (92.4%) and knowledge of amount of sugar (88.1%). The parents of age group (30 to 39) years (n=147) reported the highest mean (knowledge, attitudes, and practice) scores among all other age groups with a knowledge mean score of (6.80± 1.73), an attitude mean score of (8.86±1.37), and a practice mean score of (5.14± 1.86). Female parents showed a significantly higher mean knowledge, attitude and practices scores than the male parents. In addition, middle income level parents’ group (n=295) reported higher knowledge mean score compared to low-income parents’ group (n=15) with mean difference d=1.15, p=.041. Conclusion: Parents knowledge about maintaining oral and dental health care for infant/child was inadequate. Essentially, medical professionals are the initial ones to interact with expecting and new moms. Therefore, need to raise parents’ awareness about oral and dental health for infants/ child, through develop and implementation long-term education and promotions programs.

Estimation of crossbreeding parameters for growth and feed efficiency traits in exotic chicken breed crosses with Fayoumi under reciprocal mating

A better understanding of genetic parameters is required to evaluate the combining abilities of different genotypes. The current experiment aimed to estimate crossbreeding parameters for body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in genetic groups generated through reciprocal mating between Fayoumi (FM) and three other exotic breeds, namely, Koekoek (KK), Sasso (SS), and White Leghorn (WL) at different growth stages. Birds were weighed individually at hatch and every four weeks until 20 weeks, and BWG was determined. The FCR was estimated based on the feed intake of each genetic group. Purebred effect (PE), general combining ability (GCA), maternal effect (ME), specific combining ability (SCA), and heterosis were highly significant for BW, BWG, and FCR at different ages. Purebred SS had the highest PE and GCA for BW and BWG but the lowest estimate for FCR; in some instances, KK showed values slightly closer to SS's. Closely followed by KK, purebred SS had the highest ME for BW. Crosses of FM with WL and KK exhibited the highest SCA for BW and BWG and the lowest value for FCR, whereas reciprocal crosses between FM and KK had positive heterosis for BW and BWG but negative heterosis for FCR. The results generally suggest the importance of additive (PE, GCA, and ME) and non-additive (SCA and heterosis) genetic effects for the inheritance of growth and feed efficiency traits. In crossbreeding programs involving these genetic groups, synthetic breeds with different breed combinations could be developed using genotypes showing the highest additive effects (SS and KK) as male parents and those having the highest non-additive effects (FM x KK, KK x FM, and FM x WL) as female parents.

Development and Characterisation of a New Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. Cultivar (‘Krishna's Radiance’) from India

A new significant cultivar Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. cv. ‘Krishna's Radiance’ has been developed from the cross pollination of H. rosa-sinensis L. cv. ‘Houdini’ (Female pod parent) and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. cv. ‘HVH Rain Drop’ (Male pollen parent). The new cultivar characterised by upright, fast growing shrubs with bluish-purple flowers. It can be recognised from parents by its large, creamy-white eye zone and allied to male parent (HVH Rain Drop) by its bluish colour flower but it can be separated by large single regular flower, clockwise arrangement of petals and creamy-white large eye zone whereas male parent has small single cartwheel flower, anticlockwise arrangement of petals and small whitish-pink eye zone.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Parents toward (Infant & Child) Oral Health in Family Medicine Center at PSMMC, Riyadh

Background: Early childhood caries may develop as soon as teeth erupt. Promoting oral health care programs is very important and helps to reduce dental caries in young children. The aim of this study was to assess the infant/child oral health (IOH) related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of parents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 327 parents. Visiting the family medicine center at prince sultan military medical city, Riyadh Saudi Arabia. A 39-item questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics and questions pertaining to KAP regarding OH care will be used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics, Student’s t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Scheffe’s test will use for the statistical analysis (p ≤ 0.05). Results: The result showed that the majority of the parents had good knowledge regarding OH, knowledge of cleaning (92.4.%), and knowledge of the amount of sugar (88.1.%). the parent’s age group (30 to 39) years (n =147) reported the highest mean (knowledge, attitudes, and practice) scores among all other age groups with a knowledge mean score of (6.80 ± 1.73), an attitude mean score of (8.86 ± 1.37), and a practice mean score of (5.14 ± 1.86). Female parents showed significantly higher mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores than male parents. In addition, the middle-income level parents’ group (n = 295) reported higher knowledge mean score compared to the low-income parents’ group (n = 15) with a mean difference of d = 1.15, p = .041. Conclusion: Parents’ knowledge about maintaining oral and dental health care for infants/children was inadequate. Essentially, medical professionals are the initial ones to interact with expecting and new moms. Therefore, need to raise parents’ awareness about oral and dental health for infants/children, through the development and implementation of long-term education and promotions programs.

Stretching the wings further- susceptibility of Culex pipiens Linnaeus to bovine ephemeral fever virus infection under experimental conditions

Bovine ephemeral fever (BEF) is a significant viral disease of cattle in the tropical, subtropical, and temperate climatic zones. This disease is also known as three-day sickness due to the spontaneous recovery of the cattle within a short period (usually 3–5 days). Despite its short duration, the disease may have a considerable impact. It can cause heavy economic losses, primarily due to decreased milk production, lowered fertility in bulls, and even fatality in severe cases. The virus is suspected to be transmitted by haematophagous insects (mainly mosquitoes and Culicoides biting midges); however, the identity of a competent vector for BEFV remains a mystery. Here, we investigated whether BEFV may replicate for a short duration in Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758, the most prevalent mosquito species in Israel and a potential vector of this virus to Israeli cattle. We applied nested- qPCR to test BEFV abundance in Cx. pipiens every 24 h for 14 consecutive days post-infection. Additionally, we collected eggs laid by BEFV-infected females and investigated BEFV abundance in the different developmental stages of F1 mosquitos. Our results suggest that Cx. pipiens mosquitoes have the potential to act as a vector of BEFV and also indicate that BEFV may be vertically transmitted from Cx. pipiens female parent to her female offspring.

Utilizing differences in bTH tolerance between the parents of two-line hybrid rice to improve the purity of hybrid rice seed.

Two-line hybrid rice based on Photoperiod/thermo-sensitive genic male sterile (P/TGMS) lines has been developed and applied widely in agriculture due to the freedom in making hybrid combinations, less difficulty in breeding sterile lines, and simpler procedures for breeding and producing hybrid seed. However, there are certain risks associated with hybrid seed production; if the temperature during the P/TGMS fertility-sensitive period is lower than the critical temperature, seed production will fail due to self-pollination. In a previous study, we found that the issue of insufficient purity of two-line hybrid rice seed could be initially addressed by using the difference in tolerance to β-triketone herbicides (bTHs) between the female parent and the hybrid seeds. In this study, we further investigated the types of applicable herbicides, application methods, application time, and the effects on physiological and biochemical indexes and yield in rice. The results showed that this method could be used for hybrid purification by soaking seeds and spraying plants with the bTH benzobicylon (BBC) at safe concentrations in the range of 37.5-112.5 mg/L, and the seeds could be soaked in BBC at a treatment rate of 75.0 mg/L for 36-55 h without significant negative effects. The safe concentration for spraying in the field is 50.0-400.0 mg/L BBC at the three-leaf stage. Unlike BBC, Mesotrione (MST) can only be sprayed to achieve hybrid purification at concentrations between 10.0 and 70.0 mg/L without affecting yield. The three methods of hybrid seed purification can reach 100% efficiency without compromising the nutritional growth and yield of hybrid rice. Moreover, transcriptome sequencing revealed that 299 up-regulated significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the resistant material (Huazhan) poisoned by BBC, were mainly enriched in phenylalanine metabolism and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway, it may eliminate the toxic effects of herbicides through this way. Our study establishes a foundation for the application of the bTH seed purification strategy and the three methods provide an effective mechanism for improving the purity of two-line hybrid rice seeds.