Hybrid Programming Research Articles

GENETIC DIVERSITY OF FIELD MUSTARD (BRASSICA RAPA L.) AND THEIR SATURATED AND UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS ASSOCIATION

The oilseed crop improvement for Brassica rapa L. (field mustard) is considered to be important in respect of yield production coupled with unsaturated fatty acids of the existing cultivars. Hence, the genetic diversity, and nutritional components of 14 B. rapa cultivars were evaluated based on their yield attributes and fatty acid profiles at the Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. These 14 B. rapa cultivars differed significantly and were grouped into five diversified clusters. The highest intra-cluster distance was found in cluster II (2.43), while the highest inter-cluster distance was found between clusters II and V (20.41). In the fatty acid profile, the maximum threshold acceptable level (<7%) of saturated fatty acids for human consumption was found in Sonali Sarisha and BARI Sarisha-14. The total monounsaturated fatty acids viz., oleic, eicosenoic, and erucic acid ranged from 62.74% in BARI Sarisha-15 to 69.51% in Sonali Sarisha. The highest oleic acid and eicosenoic acid were obtained from the local variety, Maghi (21.06%) and Improved Tori (9.08%). The highest essential linoleic and linolenic acids were found in BARI Sarisha-15 (17.10%) and Improved Tori (8.16%), respectively. However, the local cultivar Maghi, containing the highest oleic acid (21.06%) has the lowest erucic acid (35.53%). On the other hand, BARI Sarisha-14 contained the lowest oleic (17.22%) and the highest erucic (44.02%) acids. The negative and strong correlation also reinforced the reverse relationship between oleic and erucic acids. Similarly, both linoleic (-0.497) and linolenic (-0.443) acids also showed a negative correlation with erucic acid. As a whole, BARI Sarisha-14, BARI Sarisha-15, Maghi, Sonali Sarisha, and Improved Tori could be selected as potential parents for a hybridization program to breed potential recombinant lines with higher oil content and healthier unsaturated oleic and linoleic fatty acids.

INVESTIGATE GENETIC RELATION AMONG WATERMELON CULTIVARS USING MOLECULAR DNA MARKERS

This study was aimed to investigate genetic relation among 21 selective of watermelon seeds which collected from different commercial companies for different origins and produced at different years by using 12 primers for Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR). The results showed that the selective of Crimson sweet had genotypes highest genetic relation between ( K1 and K2) it was found less than the genetic similarity between ( K1and K4) , ( K2 and K4) .The four selective were divided two groups A and B. The results showed that the selective a Charleston gray had the highest genetic relation between (CH4 and CH6) while it found less than the genetic relation between (CH5 and CH9). The ten selectives were divided two cluster A and B,The groups A was divided three sub clusters .The results revealed that the highest genetic relation between the selective of the variety Sugar baby (S1and S3). While found less genetic relation between the (S1 and S5) and divided the selectives of Sugar baby into two main cluster A and B, The cluster B was divided two sub cluster. The result found that the highest genetic relation among the 21 selective it was between ( CH4 and CH6), while found less than of genetic similarity among ( CH8 and S5) ( CH8 and S2),( S2 and K1) ,( S2 and K2) ,( S2 and CH9),( K1 and S5) ( S5 and CH9). The 21 selectives was divided two main clusters A and B the group A was divided to three sub clusters while the group B was divided two sub clusters. It could be concluded that the genetic relation it is very important in the hybridization programs to it prove a large genetic base to benefit of plant breeding programs.

Studies on Genetic Variability and Divergence in Mustard (Brassica Juncea L.).

The purpose of the research is to study Genetic Variability, Divergence and correlation studies on 20 genotypes of mustard The phenotypic coefficient of variation was greater than genotypic coefficient of variation for all the traits. The high magnitude of both coefficients was recorded in case of number of primary number, secondary, number of siliquae per plant, seed yield per plant and harvesting index. High heritability with high genetic advance was recorded for number of primary branches, number of secondary branches, length of main raceme, number of siliquae in main raceme, number of siliqua per plant, number of seeds per siliquae, biological yield, 1000 seed weight, seed yield per plant and harvesting index. In the present findings the significant phenotypic correlation of seed yield per plant were found positive for the characters Days to 50% flowering, plant height, number of primary branches, number of secondary branches, length of main raceme, number of siliqua per plant, length of siliqua, number of seeds per siliqua, harvesting index and seed yield per plant showed positive significant correlation with seed yield per plant. The path coefficient analysis of different characters revealed that highest positive direct effect on seed yield per plant per plant was exerted by harvest index per plant followed by biological yield and negative direct effect on seed yield / plant was exhibited by number of siliqua per plant followed by length of siliqua, days to 50% flowering, number of secondary and number of primary branches. Diversity among clusters varied from 11.87 to 33.28.The highest intra-cluster distance was recorded in cluster II The genotypes falling in these clusters could be utilized for hybridization programme in Indian mustard.

Characterization of the Genetic Variability in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) and its Assessment Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA)

Present investigation was conducted to estimate genetic parameters such as Genotypic Coefficient of Variation (GCV), Phenotypic Coefficient of Variation (PCV), heritability and Genetic Advance (GA) along with correlations, path coefficients, Genetic divergence and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) from data collected on 21 rice genotypes. The results revealed highly significant mean squares due to genotypes for all traits studied, indicating the existence of sufficient variation among the genotypes and therefore an ample scope for effective selection. High PCV, GCV, heritability and genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for 1000-grain weight, seed yield per plant, and harvest index, indicating the effectiveness of direct selection for improvement of these traits. Thousand grain weight and harvest index had recorded positive and significant association with seed yield per plant. The results on path analysis also revealed high and positive direct effect for harvest index followed by flag leaf width, days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height, panicle length, number of filled grains/panicle, number of spikelets/panicle and hence, these traits were identified as the most effective selection criteria for improvement of seed yield per plant in rice genotypes. The results on divergence analysis revealed that the genotypes were grouped into five clusters. Cluster I constituted maximum number of (17) genotypes. Maximum differences among the genotypes within the same cluster (intra-cluster) were shown by cluster I (18.33) followed by cluster II, III, IV, V showed zero intra -cluster distance. Cluster III and V (37.41) showed maximum inter cluster distance, suggesting that the genotypes constituted in these clusters may be used as parents for future hybridization programme. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was utilized to estimate the relative contribution of various traits for total variability. Five components were found to possess eigen value more than 1.00. The PC1, PC2, PC3, PC4 and PC5 contributed 31.2, 14.5, 12.6, 10.5 and 10.1 per cent of variability. Together, they accounted for 78.9% of the variability of the genotypes used in the study has revealed the traits contributing for the variation.

Genetic Diversity Analysis for Seed Yield and Its Component Characters in Urdbean (Vigna Mou (L.) Hper)

Forty-six genotypes were subjected to genetic diversity studies for seed yield and its component characters using Mahalanobis’s D2 statistic. The analysis of variance indicated significant differences among 46 genotypes for all the 14 characters. Forty-six genotypes were grouped into nine clusters, out of which cluster-II had the maximum number of genotypes (16), followed by cluster-III (10), cluster-I (9) and cluster- IV (6). The rest of the clusters i.e. cluster-V, VI, VII, VIII and IX, each possessed single genotype. The intercluster distances surpassed the intra-cluster distances, expressing existence of stupendous diversity among the entries. The cluster-III and IV have the greatest diversity among their genotypic groups consequently these genotypes can potentially be utilized in varietal development programmes. Highest inter-cluster distance was noted between cluster-IV and VII followed by cluster-VII and VIII, and cluster-VI and VII, indicating ample of diversity available among them, Therefore, the genotypes of these clusters can be used as parents for crossing in hybridization programme to obtain desirable and excellent segregants. Protein content was the greatest contributor towards genetic divergence followed by number of clusters per plant and number of pods per cluster, suggesting direct selection of these characters. Bangladesh J. Bot. 51(2): 223-228, 2022 (June)

Variability, Correlation, Path Coefficient and Genetic Diversity Analysis in Indian Mustard

Phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation (PCV & GCV), heritability, genetic advance (GA), correlation, path and diversity analysis for fourteen characters in twenty-five genotypes of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) were evaluated for seed yield and thirteen other yield contributing traits. Genetic variability indicated that, the PCV was greater than GCV for all the traits studied was majorly due to the influence of environment. High heritability along with high genetic advance as percent of mean were recorded for plant height, number of primary branches per plant, number of secondary branches per plant, length of main raceme, number of siliqua on main raceme, number of siliqua per plant, 1000 seed weight, biological yield per plant, seed yield per plant and harvest index, Indicating the breeding improvement through direct selection. In correlation analysis, seed yield per plant had significant and positive correlation with number of primary branches per plant, number of secondary branches, number of siliqua on main raceme, number of siliqua per plant, length of siliqua, number of seeds per siliqua, 1000 seed weight, biological yield per plant and harvest index at both genotypic and phenotypic levels. Path coefficient analysis indicated that, the highest positive direct effects was noted for days to 50% flowering, plant height, number of siliqua per plant, number of seeds per siliqua, length of main raceme, number of primary branches per plant, 1000 seed weight, biological yield per plant, harvest index. Therefore, these traits should be given more priority for selection in breeding programme. Genetic divergence assessed using D2 statistics for characters enabled grouping of all the genotypes in six clusters. Diversity among the clusters varied from 9.67 to 24.03 inter-cluster distances, cluster II and V showed maximum inter cluster distance followed by that between cluster V and VI. The genotypes falling in these clusters could be utilized for hybridization programme in Indian mustard.

Improvement of Fruit Pubescence and Fruiting Pattern among Pure Lines and Landrace of Okra (Abelmoschus spp.) through Interspecific Hybridization

The research study was aimed at improving fruit pubescence and growth pattern in the highly mucilaginous but very spiny local and wild okra variety - ‘Ele Ogwu’ through generic hybridization with selected glabrous conventional and early maturing varieties at the Research Farm of the Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The hybrid seeds generated from their diallel crosses were selfed to generate the F2 seeds. Backcrosses (BC1 and BC2) were also made to the much improved and glabrous varieties. The parents, F1, F2 and BC genotypes were sown in an experimental field in a randomized complete block design and organoleptic assessment was done at harvest. The F2 hybrids from the crosses, ‘UHIE x CLM’ and ‘AGW x CLM’, yielded some smooth fruits; although most of the hybrids generated, exhibited intermediate smoothness, except for ‘OGW x UHIE’ and ‘OGW x LD88’ that exhibited high degree of spineness. Most of the F2 hybrids generated exhibited intermediate growth and fruiting pattern, except for ‘OGW x UHIE’ which showed indeterminate pattern. The Chi-square statistics for the F2 showed that fruit pubescence for the highly spiny landrace and the more glabrous improved ones was monogenically controlled with incomplete dominance, while growth pattern were polygenically controlled. The successful backcrosses obtained showed reduction in the proportion of fruits spininess and increased fruit determinate growth pattern. This hereby indicates the prospect of obtaining okra plants with glabrous, highly appealing and determinate growth pattern with early maturity from the local, wild spiny but mucilaginous, nutritious and high yielding local varieties through sustained hybridization programme.

Implementing a Hybrid Internship during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic institutions led to rapid shifts from person-to-person services to fully online services in the spring of 2020. These shifts presented unique challenges for graduate practicums and internships—experiences that bolster students’ job-preparedness before graduation. An internship at the Louisiana State University (LSU) Libraries in the United States, originally structured as face-to-face and hands-on, shifted to a hybrid experience in which a graduate student worked with two librarians through a combination of in-person and virtual meetings. The librarians aimed to implement a hybrid internship that provided as authentic and informative an experience for the intern as an in-person internship. This article discusses the planning and implementation of the hybrid internship. It highlights benefits to the intern, including the adaptability of the hybrid program, learning in multiple formats, and opportunities for networking, and the challenges of altering the original plan for the internship.

Genetic Diversity Analysis of Chickpea Genotypes (Cicer arietinum L.) for Seed Yield and Morpho-genetic Traits

Background: Based on D2 analysis 53 chickpea genotypes were grouped into seven clusters. Among the VII clusters, cluster I consists of 30 genotypes forming the largest cluster followed by cluster II with 16 genotypes, cluster VII with three genotypes and cluster III, IV, V and VI with one genotype each. Inter cluster distance were found to higher than intra cluster distance which depicted wide genetic diversity among the chickpea genotypes under study. Contribution of various characters towards expression of total genetic divergence indicated that seed yield (27.77%) contributed maximum (24.74%) followed by biological yield and number of pods per plant (20.43%). The clustering pattern of genotype demonstrated that clustering does not follow any particular cluster pattern with respect to origin. The pattern of cluster analysis of the first principal component had the largest eigenroot 4.18 per cent of total variation followed by 3.53, 2.91, 2.02, 1.45, 1.26 and 1.15 from second to seven principal components. The eigenroot of first principal component accounted for 19.91 per cent of total variation followed by second to seven principal components which accounted for 16.82, 13.84, 9.62, 6.90, 5.99 and 5.48 per cent of total variations present in the genotypes. Methods: The study was carried out at Pulses Research Sub-Station (PRSS), Samba and Advanced Center for Rain-fed Agriculture (ACRA), Rakh Dhiansar during Rabi seasons 2017-18 and 2018-19. The experimental material comprising of 48 chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes along with 5 checks were evaluated in augmented block design. Result: The genotypes of cluster II, V and VII had highest inter-cluster distances as well as higher cluster means for most of the yield component traits indicating that these genotypes were most diverse can be used as parents in hybridization programme of chickpea breeding. The variation present in the chickpea genotypes under study can be exploited through selection and hybridization among identified genotypes for breeding high yielding chickpea genotypes.

Response of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) Genotypes for their Germination and early Seedling Parameters Grown Under Different Saline levels

Seedling establishment is a most critical stage that determined the crop production at later stages. An in vitro investigation was carried out at the Laboratory of the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Sri Karan Narendra College of Agriculture, Jobner (Rajasthan) in Rabi season 2016-17 to study the response of fenugreek genotypes for their germination and early seedling parameters under five salt stress levels viz. 0.0 mM, 40 mM, 80 mM, 120 mM and 160 mM. Fifteen seeds of each genotype were sown in sterilized Petridish and seedling observations were recorded. Results revealed that the average value was found maximum in the control and minimum at higher salinity level for most of traits. Higher reduction was found at higher salinity levels for most of the characters viz., plumule length, radicle length, seedling length, plumule to radicle length ratio, plumule fresh weight, radicle fresh weight, plumule dry weight, radicle dry weight and seedling vigour index but germination percentage showed less reduction. The contrast between mean of various genotypes in control conditions (S0) versus Sm (mean of S1, S2, S3 and S4) for each character also showed that overall mean was highest in control as compared to the overall mean of salinity levels for all the traits. This investigation concluded that higher level of salinity (above 60 mM) adversely most affected to seed germination and other early seeding traits rather than (below 40 mM) lower salinity levels. Based upon the rank totals of genotype over different salinity levels S1, S2, S3 and S4 (Sm) and characters, the RMt-303 was found to be most desirable genotype followed by UM-385, RMt-143 and RMt-305. These lines would be used as a viable option under saline conditions and better exploit in hybridization programme.

The patient acceptability of a remotely delivered pain management programme for people with persistent musculoskeletal pain: A qualitative evaluation.

Remotely delivered pain management programmes have been offered in place of in-person programmes by many chronic pain services since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a lack of evidence regarding the acceptability of these programmes. In this evaluation, we have explored patients' acceptability of a remotely delivered pain management programme for patients with persistent musculoskeletal pain. Qualitative data were collected using focus groups with participants who had previously attended the remote pain management programme. Data were analysed using abductive analysis. Three focus groups were conducted with a total of 13 participants. The programmme was either entirely acceptable, had some acceptable components or was not acceptable to patients. Factors leading to the programme being acceptable include learning to manage pain from home, receiving high quality care from home, enhancing the potential of rehabilitation using technology, enabling attendance on a pain management programme from home, overcoming social distancing requirements of COVID-19 using technology, and virtual peer support. Factors leading to the programme not being acceptable include having an inappropriate home environment for virtual therapy, communication challenges with virtual therapy, technological issues and concerns regarding the quality of care. There is a spectrum of acceptability with respect to the remote programme. The factors that influence this are dynamic, individual and situational. Hybrid programmes have the potential to enhance access to pain management programmes and improve patient experience and programme outcomes in the future.

Genetic Diversity in Snake Gourd (Trichosanthes Cucumerina Var. Anguina L.)

Multivariate analysis of fifty five genotypes of snake gourd was performed at the experimental field of Horticulture Department, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh from March to June, 2017 to estimate genetic diversity and choosing the potential parents for a successful hybridization program. The genotypes are grouped into six clusters according to an analysis of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Mahalanobis D2. The highest inter-cluster distance was noted between clusters I and VI (205.66) and the lowest between clusters II and V (38.87). The maximum intra-cluster distance was in cluster V (31.23) while the minimum was in cluster VI (15.00). Among the six clusters the IV was the most important cluster, which contains most of the desirable parent selection characters. Taking into account the magnitude of genetic divergence, cluster distance and agronomic performance, 7 parents could be selected from the clusters for the future hybridization program. Crossing among the genotypes of the selected clusters would produce high heterotic progeny.
 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 45(2): 99-111, June 2020

The Best Gift You Could Give a Resident

This qualitative study explored access to and usage of resources to promote well-being following an unwanted patient outcome through semi-structured interviews of 28 general surgery residents from 14 residency programs across the United States, including community, academic, and hybrid programs. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to analyze transcripts. Residents described 3 main types of institutional resources available to them to promote well-being, including counseling services, support from program leadership, and wellness committees. Residents also described important barriers to use for each of these resources, which limited their access and value of these resources. Finally, residents shared their recommendations for future initiatives, including additional protected time off during weekdays and regular usage of structured debrief sessions following adverse patient outcomes. While institutional resources are commonly available to surgery residents, there remain important limitations and barriers to use, which may limit their effectiveness in supporting resident well-being in times of need. These barriers should be addressed at the program level to improve services and accessibility for residents.

Identification of carriers of Puccinia striiformis resistance genes in the population of recombinant inbred wheat lines

Stripe rust (yellow rust) caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, one of the most dangerous diseases of wheat. Marker assisted selection methods make it possible to accelerate the selection of resistance gene donors to improve breeding material through their introduction into hybridization programs. The goal of this study was to determine the presence/absence of yellow rust resistance genes in wheat recombinant inbred lines Almaly/Avocet (S) and to evaluate their response to Pst. Evaluation of seedling resistance to Pst allowed us to select 2 lines simultaneously resistant to races 111Е231 and 7E63. Race 7E63 was avirulent to most samples, and 111Е231 was highly virulent. All the studied lines demonstrated a resistant and moderately resistant reaction to the causative agent of yellow rust at the adult plant stage (R-MR). Molecular screening revealed the presence of a marker allele associated with the Yr18/Lr34 gene complex in 5 RIL. The frequency of resistant genotypes inheriting the Yr18 gene was 22.7%. The results can be used in MAS wheat breeding programs to increase resistance to yellow rust of wheat.

Adapting a medical school cancer research education program to the virtual environment.

11029 Background: As the number of patients with a cancer diagnosis grows in the United States, there is an increasing need for physician scientists with oncology-related research training to develop new approaches to screening, diagnosis, therapy, and survivorship. A single US medical school developed the National Cancer Institute-funded Scholars in Oncology-Associated Research (SOAR) cancer research education program. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SOAR transitioned from fully in-person in 2019 to virtual in 2020 and hybrid in 2021. This study examines whether the in-person, virtual, or hybrid formats provide better educational experiences as rated by participants. Methods: SOAR includes a seminar series, an 11-week full-time cancer research experience, weekly research cluster group meetings, and tumor board and interprofessional shadowing experiences. In 2019 all program activities were in-person. In 2020 all activities were virtual with the shadowing suspended. In 2021, seminars and tumor boards were virtual, shadowing was in-person, and all other activities were hybrid. Pre- and post-surveys were collected from all participants to assess understanding of oncology and associated medical specialties. How participant understanding of oncology and related specialties changed within each year’s program was analyzed with a Wilcoxon rank-sum test. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to examine change in understanding between the cohorts. Results: 37 students participated in SOAR (2019 n = 11, 2020 n = 14, 2021 n = 12). Self-reported understanding of oncology as a clinical (p < 0.01 for all) and research discipline (p < 0.01 for all) improved within all three cohorts. There was no significant difference between each cohort’s improvement in research understanding (p = 0.6158). However, there was a trend towards more of an improvement in the in-person cohort (p = 0.0796) for clinical understanding. There was no significant difference between each cohort’s improvement in understanding of oncology-related disciplines such as medical oncology, radiation oncology, pediatric oncology, surgical oncology, and survivorship as both clinical and research disciplines (p > 0.1 for all). Conclusions: A virtual cancer research education program can be as effective as an in-person or hybrid program for research education although it may be suboptimal for learning about clinical oncology. Given the ongoing challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, flexibility is needed in delivering cancer research education programs such as SOAR. With modern research methodology and communications technology, cancer research is becoming increasingly diverse and flexible in terms of research environment. If program leaders are steadfast in their adaptation of research education programs to a virtual or hybrid environment, participant understanding of oncology as a clinical and research discipline remains robust.

Phenotypic characterization of aromatic rice (Oryza sativa L.) landraces of Odisha, India

A total of 127 accessions of aromatic short grain rice were collected with detailed passport informationfrom 30 districts of Odisha, India. The agro-morphological characters of all the landraces wererecordedaccording to Distinctiveness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) guidelines with 21 qualitative and 16quantitative characters and statistically analysed. Out of the different qualitative traits studied, ligule colour,panicle type, secondary branching, panicle axis and awning were found to be dimorphic; blade colour,blade pubescence, basal leaf sheath colour, collar colour, auricle colour, internode colour, culm strength,panicle exsertion, sterile lemma colour and stigma colour were trimorphic; leaf angle, culm angle, flag leafangle, apiculus colour and lemma palea colour were tetramorphic. Variations were observed for all thequalitative traits except the presence of collar, auricles, and split shaped ligule among the accessions. Thehighest frequency was observed for panicle architecture; the presence of secondary branching (96%) anddrooping type of panicle axis (95.3%).The weight of 1000 grain wt. which is a key character for selectinghigh yield variety, varied from 11.86g (Ranimasuri) to 23.09g (Kalkati). Similarly, panicle weight variedfrom 1.42g (Siresa) to 3.7g (Tulasiphool). The days to 50% flowering varied from 85.5 (Basumati) to 131(Basauoga) with a mean of 111.17 days indicating that they are mostly medium to late flowering landraces.High grain yield landraces are Basapatri2, Basumati, Kalkatia, Tulasibas. These landraces may be popularizedamong the farmers and the same may be used in hybridization programmes for varietal development.

Study of genetic divergence among Eucalyptus tereticornis clones through principal component analysis (PCA)

Eucalyptus tereticornis is one of the fastest growing multipurpose tree species. It is planted extensively under agroforestry and farm forestry. It was needed to estimate the genetic variability and contribution of yield contributing traits towards the total divergence. The PCA summarizes variability present in studied traits into utilizable form and to practical importance. Therefore, in the present study, eight clones of E. tereticornis were studied under field trial for their growth performance and contribution of individual traits towards total divergence were estimated. The eigene value of all three vectors (PCs) were found greater than one, which revealed that all the principal components explained a significant amount of variability present in traits. The proportion of variability explained by PC1 was 48.15 percent, by PC2 was 38.09 percent and by PC3 was 5.75 percent, all together these three vectors explained 92 percent of total variability. In PC1 and PC2, Plant height, biomass, leaf area, number of leaves, number of branches, leaf width and collar diameter were contributed positively towards the divergence hence the selection based on these traits will be rewarding. The times ranked contribution study also confirmed the contribution of L/W ratio (35.71%) and biomass (14.29%) towards the divergence. These traits are very important for the selection of parents in hybridization programs and effective selection of productive clones.

Micro-morphological diversity of rice (Oryza sativa L.) as seen under foldscope

Rice being the global grain, its genetic diversity is essential to support farmers' adaptation to climate change for sustainable production. Genetic variability analysis is essential to identify the diverse genotypes and to use them in hybridization programs. Although several advanced molecular techniques are now being used to characterize plants, morphological characterization is always preferred owing to their ease of detection. However, not all morphological traits can be observed through naked eyes. Observing micro-morphological variations requires the help of specialized optical instruments. "Foldscope" is a simple and portable optical instrument, which offers a great opportunity to exploit micro-morphological variations in crop plants. Hence, the current study was aimed at the micro-morphological characterization of rice crop using a foldscope. A total of 24 elite rice genotypes including checks were evaluated using Randomized Complete Block Design during Kharif 2018 at Agricultural Research Station Gangavati, to explore their genetic diversity. Five often neglected micro-morphological traits but associated with the traits of economic importance were recorded using 'foldscope' to assess the variability existing among the selected genotypes. The analysis of variance revealed substantial variations across all genotypes for all the characteristics investigated. The traits viz., length of leaf serrations, length of hairs on the lemma, and root hair length exhibited higher GCV, PCV, heritability, and GAM most likely because of additive gene effects. So, selection for these traits may be effective. The study also showed that foldscope can be effectively used in agriculture to study micro-morphological diversity between crop genotypes.

Genetic divergence analysis in Taramira (Eruca sativa Mill.) under different environment conditions with special reference to principal component analysis

The field experiment was conducted to identify the principal component among ten morphological one (biochemical) oil content traits of thirty germplasm lines from the All India coordinate research project oilseeds (Taramira) in a randomize block design (RBD) with three replications in each of the test conditions, which were generated using 3 separate sowing dates with fifteen days interval from October 2nd week to November 3rd week (15th October, 30th October & 15th November 2018-19). First three principal components contributed 76.8% proportion of variation with an eigen value more than one (1.329). The largest percent contribution (30.11) to overall genetic divergence was shown by siliqua per plant followed by test weight, number of primary & secondary branches per plant & seed yield per plant. The genotypes were divided into nine groups, with Cluster II having the most genotypes (12), followed by Cluster I with five genotypes. Based on mean value of seed yield, oil content & cluster analysis, eight germplasms with cross combination viz., RTM-1806 X (RTM-314, RTM-1351, RTM-1805, RTM-1810, RTM-1800, RTM-1791, RTM-1815) & RTM-1804 X (RTM-314, RTM-1351) were identified as high yielding which can be widely utilized as a parents in hybridization programme for the development of 9 new diverse varieties/ hybrids for enhanced seed yield as well as oil content.

Assessing the genetic diversity for yield traits in rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes using multivariate analysis under controlled and water stress conditions

The genetic diversity of yield and yield attributing characteristics was explored in this research. In the topical study, fifty-two rice genotypes including four checks were used under three environmental conditions i.e. irrigated (IR), rainfed (RF) and terminal stage drought (TSD) conditions. The prevalence of genetic divergence was evaluated using clustering and Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine the relative contribution of various traits. To fulfill the aim of the study, fifty-two genotypes were grouped into three distinct and non-overlapping clusters among these 3 clusters, cluster-I was the largest with the highest number of genotypes i.e. 47, 49 and 49 under IR, RF and TSD conditions, respectively. The highest average intra-cluster distance was observed in cluster-I, also the genotypes showed high variability under all three conditions. The highest inter-cluster distance between the cluster-II and cluster-III (IR and TSD) and cluster-I and cluster-II (RF) was observed, indicated that genotypes from the group should be considered for direct use as parents in hybridization programme to produce high yield. Only five of the 13 principal components (PCs) have been considered in the study based on the Eigen values and variability criteria. From the complex matrix it was revealed that the first-PC accounted for the highest variability. Genotypes which fall under a common PC were observed to be the most important factor for grain yield.