Legume In India Research Articles

Evaluating the genetic variability in selected accessions of medicinal legume Mucuna pruriens (L) DC through ISSR markers

Mucuna pruriens, a widely available but underutilized legume in India, stands out for its nutritional and medicinal potential. Understanding the genetic diversity of M. pruriens is vital for its conservation and utilization in breeding programs aimed at enhancing its nutritional and agronomic traits. In this regard, molecular markers like ISSRs offer a reliable and informative tool for assessing genetic diversity. In the present study, 23 M. pruriens accessions from northeastern India were evaluated using ISSR markers, revealing high levels of polymorphism and significant genetic diversity. A total of 512 amplicons were generated across 33 ISSR primers, with an average polymorphic percentage of 98.05 %. PIC values ranged from 0.22 to 0.50, indicating substantial genetic variation within the accessions. Supplementary indicators such as EMR and MI were employed to evaluate the marker system's efficacy. EMR ranged from 6 to 22, averaging 14.95, while MI ranged from 2.64 to 9.02, averaging 6.04, with a positive correlation observed between EMR and MI. Cluster analysis based on Jaccard's similarity coefficient classified the accessions into two major groups, with the northeastern Indian accessions displaying higher diversity compared to those from other regions of India. Interestingly, geographical proximity did not consistently correlate with genetic similarity, suggesting complex patterns of gene flow and historical germplasm exchange. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the genetic diversity of M. pruriens and highlights the importance of conserving and utilizing this underutilized legume for addressing global food security challenges.

Microwave assisted disinfestation of green gram (Vigna radiata L.) infested with pulse beetle, Callasobruchus maculatus (F.).

Pulse beetle (Callasobruchus maculatus) is a common infestation during storage of legumes in India, and presently being managed by chemical fumigation. In the present investigation, a non-chemical method based on dielectric heating by microwaves (900W, 2450MHz) was studied for disinfestation of green gram at different grain layer thickness (5, 10, 15 and 20mm) and exposure durations (0-60s). The susceptibility (LT95) of different stages was in the order of egg (31.668s) > grub (40.388s) > pupa (44.176s) > adult (49.018s). The adult was tolerant up to 50s (R2-0.799, P < 0.01) to microwave exposure duration without green gram, and up to 30s (R2-0.804, P < 0.01) with green gram. Hundred percent mortality was observed at 10mm (30s, R2-0.969, P < 0.01) and 15mm (30s, R2-0.972, P < 0.01) grain layer thickness without significantly affecting grain quality. Cooking time and germination did not vary significantly up to 30s of exposure, thereafter, reduced significantly. However, water uptake did not vary significantly up to 60s of exposure. The microwave radiations are found effective for disinfestations of green gram without significantly affecting the grain quality.

Revisiting the taxonomy of Crotalaria priestleyoides (Fabaceae: Papilionoideae), an endemic legume of Western Ghats

Crotalaria priestleyoides Benth. ex Beddome an endemic and rare legume in India is reviewed for its identity, occurrence and nomenclature. Description and colour photographs are provided along with notes on its distribution. Previous lectotypification based on Stock’s collection is superseded due to conflict with the protologue.

Parasitoid complex of legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) on different pulses

The spotted pod borer, Maruca vitrata Fabricius is an important herbivore of major pulses and vegetable legumes in India and the chemical pesticides are major contributors for its management. In order to have an idea on other alternative management tools, the present studies were carried out on the availability of parasitoids and its genetic variation. Totally, four larval parasitoids viz., Bassus sp., Trathala flavoorbitalis Cameron, Phanerotoma hendecasisella Cameron and an undetermined Braconid wasp were recorded on M. vitrata larva. The occurrence of P. hendecasisella was reported for the first time from Tamil Nadu, India. The Bassus sp. was found to be dominant with the parasitism of 3.0 to 12.7% in different pulses and total parasitism of four parasitoids was maximum in pigeonpea (16.1 %). Total parasitism had a positive relationship with number of webbings on cowpea. The larval parasitoids Bassus sp. and braconid wasp (undetermined) yielded specific fragments (~800 bp) with mitochondrial COI primer. Presence of Wolbachia was confirmed in all four larval parasitoids with the amplicons size between 600 and 650 bp. Present study clearly indicated the close proximity of Bassus sp. on M. vitrata than other parasitoids studied. Hence, it gives way for further insights on suitability, mass culturing and development for sustainable management of this insect pest.

Evaluation of machine learning approaches for prediction of pigeon pea yield based on weather parameters in India.

Pigeon pea is the second most important grain legume in India, primarily grown under rainfed conditions. Any changes in agro-climatic conditions will have a profound influence on the productivity of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) yield and, as a result, the total pulse production of the country. In this context, weather-based crop yield prediction will enable farmers, decision-makers, and administrators in dealing with hardships. The current study examines the application of the stepwise linear regression method, supervised machine learning algorithms (support vector machines (SVM) and random forest (RF)), shrinkage regression approaches (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) or elastic net (ENET)), and artificial neural network (ANN) model for pigeon pea yield prediction using long-term weather data. Among the approaches, ANN resulted in a higher coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.88-0.99), model efficiency (0.88-1.00) with subsequent lower normalised root mean square error (nRMSE) during calibration (1.13-12.55%), and validation (0.33-21.20%) over others. The temperature alone or its interaction with other weather parameters was identified as the most influencing variables in the study area. The Pearson correlation coefficients were also determined for the observed and predicted yield. Those values also showed ANN as the best model with correlation values ranging from 0.939 to 0.999 followed by RF (0.955-0.982) and LASSO (0.880-0.982). However, all the approaches adopted in the study were outperformed the statistical method, i.e. stepwise linear regression with lower error values and higher model efficiency. Thus, these approaches can be effectively used for precise yield prediction of pigeon pea over different districts of Karnataka in India.

Molecular and immunological characterization of cysteine protease from Phaseolus vulgaris and evolutionary cross-reactivity.

A commonly consumed legume in India, the kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is associated with allergy. We report molecular and immunological characterization of cysteine protease allergen and its cross-reactivity. In silico allergenicity assessment and phylogenetic analysis of kidney bean cysteine protease showed significant sequence homology (upto 67%) with allergens from kiwi, papaya, soybean, ragweed pollen and mites. Physicochemical properties and motif-analysis depicted cysteine protease as probable allergen. Multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis indicated structural conservation between kidney bean and homologous cysteine protease sequences. The gene was cloned, expressed and affinity purified. Cysteine protease was resolved at 42 kDa and exhibited high IgE binding (up to 89%) with hypersensitive sera. Cysteine protease showed functional property on cross-linking IgE receptors and upregulated expression of CD203c on activated basophils. In inhibition studies, 8.4ng of cysteine protease was required for 50% self-inhibition, whereas significant inhibition was also observed with kidney bean (52 ng), black gram (155 ng), chick pea (437 ng), mesquite pollen (36 ng), house dust mite (64.85 ng), Alternaria alternata (78.8ng) and Curvularia lunata (73.6ng) extracts. ConSurf analysis indicated conserved active site and catalytic residues in mature domain among proteases from legumes, fruits, pollens, mites and fungus. In summary, P. vulgaris cysteine protease was molecularly characterized having functional activity. This study demonstrated, cross-reactivity between food and aeroallergens based on evolutionary conservancy that showed its clinical importance as cross-reactive allergen. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Adaptation of sustainable lifestyle has led to a surge in consumption of plant-based foods especially legumes. Their high nutritional content lowers the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, and stroke. Kidney beans, a commonly consumed legume in Indian subcontinent, have a potential to be used as nutraceutical and functional food. Despite its alimentary nature, it elicits allergic reactions. Being a major sensitizer, trivial information regarding its allergic components has led to an urgent need for exploring its allergen repertoire. Our study reported biochemical and immunological characterization of its major cysteine protease allergen. Cysteine proteases are major cross-reactive allergens from insects, fruits and fungal sources. Identification and molecular characterization of such immunodominant allergens by RDT offers the prospect of using recombinant proteins for accurate diagnosis and therapeutic purposes. This study suggests that a potential major cross-reactive allergen may aid in developing allergy management interventions for a wide range of allergenic sources.

Morphological and Yield Attribute of Blackgram Genotypes under Different Salinity Stress Conditions

Background: Blackgram is one of the important grain legumes in India. Pulses are the important source of protein for the vegetarian people. To meet out the current demand of pulses, there is a crucial need to increase the blackgram production. Mostly this crop is cultivated in marginal lands where the abiotic stresses like drought and salinity are predominant. The area under salinity in India is 6.73 million hectares and in blackgram no variety was identified as suitable for saline areas.Methods: This experiment was carried out to study the salinity tolerance levels of balckgram genotypes at vegetative and reproductive stages during Rabi season of 2018-20. A total of six blackgram genotypes were used to screen its performance under saline environment at vegetative and reproductive stage. All the genotypes were raised in pot with the size of 20 cm height and 15 cm width with four replications and salinity were stimulated artificially viz., 4.0 EC, 11.0 EC and 16.0 EC ds/m, its growth habits were observed.Conclusion: Salinity impact adversely affects blackgram genotypes under study. The number of days to survival of the plant and plant height were decreased by increasing salinity level and number of irrigation with saline water and it was reduced to ½ at 16 EC ds/m as compared to control. Days to 50% flowering, chlorophyll content and single plant yield were severally affected by increasing salt concentration. Increasing salt concentration was found directly proportionate to increasing number of days taken for flower initiation and at high level of salinity (16.0 EC ds/m) the plants dried before flowering. The plant yield was much affected by slight increase in salt concentration. At 4.0 EC ds/m level the yield was reduced to ¼ as compared to control. The 100 grain weight was not much affected by increasing salt concentration; Chlorophyll content also reduced 2/3 by increasing salt concentration after 15 DAS. The genotypes VBG-14-016 performed better under 4.0 EC ds/m level and survived for more number of days followed by the variety VBN 8.

Comparative Biology and Reproductive Performances of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) Populations Across India

Background: Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) is an important biotic constraint to major grain legumes in India. Biological characterization of any pest species is critical for making effective management decisions. Thus, this study comprehensively presents the biological and reproductive demographic traits of different geographic populations of H. armigera across the country. Methods: In this field-laboratory investigation (2015-18), populations from 20 localities were evaluated for developmental period of all the life stages, survival and reproduction and growth and fitness indices. All these parameters were recorded from the maintained insect cultures of each location from second filial (F2) generation.Result: The mean developmental periods of the immature stages, as well as adult longevity, were found to be longest in the Cooch Behar population. In contrast, the populations from South Zone took significantly shorter duration over others to complete their life cycle. All the populations were found to be female-biased, but significant differences were observed for reproductive competence of female moths. Wide variations were also observed in the relative growth and fitness indices, with the highest recorded from Varanasi population. Cluster analysis differentiated studied populations into two distinct groups. Such variations seem to be due to probable genetic heterogeneity in H. armigera populations of India.

Characterization of Seed Proteome Profile of Wild and Cultivated Chickpeas of India.

Chickpea is a widely grown legume in India, Australia, Canada, and Mediterranean regions. Seeds of chickpea are good source of protein for both human and animals. Wild relatives of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) are the potential gene pool for crop improvement; however, very little information is available on the seed proteome of these wild chickpeas. We aimed to analyze the seed proteome profiles of three wild relatives of chickpea, Cicer bijugum, Cicer judaicum and Cicer microphyllum along with two cultivated varieties JG11 and DCP 92/3. Total seed proteins were extracted using various extraction buffers for 2-D gel electrophoresis. Protein separated in a 2-D gels were subjected to image analyses, differentially expressed proteins were extracted from the gels and identified by the MALDI TOF/TOF. Seed protease inhibitors were analysed biochemically. We have standardized the 2-D gel electrophoresis method and separated seed proteins using the modified method. We identified a large number (400) of protein proteins which were differentially expressed in cultivated and wild type species of chickpea. A comparative analysis between C. bijugum and JG 11 revealed the presence of 9 over-expressed and 22 under-expressed proteins, while the comparison between C. bijugum with DCP 92/3 showed 8 over-expressed and 18 under-- expressed proteins. Similarly, comparative analysis between C. microphyllum with DCP 92/3 showed 8 over-expressed proteins along with 22 under-expressed proteins, while the comparative study of C. microphyllum with JG11 displayed 9 over-expressed and 24 under-expressed proteins. We also compared C. judaicum with DCP 92/3 which revealed 15 overexpressed and 11 under-expressed proteins. On the other hand, the comparative analysis of C. judaicum with JG11 showed 10 over-expressed proteins, while the numbers of under-expressed proteins were 14. Among the differentially expressed protein proteins, 19 proteins were analyzed by the MS/MS, and peptides were identified using the MASCOT search engine. In the wild relatives the differentially expressed proteins are phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5- kinase, β-1-6 galactosyltransferase, RNA helicase, phenyl alanine ammonia lyase 2, flavone 3'-0-methyl transferase, Argonaute 2, Myb related protein, Tubulin beta-2 chain and others. The most important one was legumin having α- amylase inhibition activity which was up regulated in C. bijugum. We also studied the activity of protease inhibitor (trypsin and α- amylase inhibitors) in these seed lines which showed differential activity of protease inhibitors. The highest trypsin and α- amylase inhibition was observed in C. judaicum and C. bijugum, respectively. The differentially expressed proteins of wild relatives of chickpea appeared to be involved in various metabolic pathways. The study provides us information about the differences in the seed proteome of these wild species and cultivated varieties for the first time.

Characterization of circular RNAs and their role in wilt stress tolerance in soybean

Soybean (Glycine max) is an important oil seed crop and widely grown legume in India as well as in the world. The yield of soybean is severely affected by Wilt disease caused by a fungus Fusarium oxysporum. Several coding and non-coding RNAs in plant cells may directly or indirectly play a role in exhibiting stress tolerance to wilt. Here, an attempt has been made to identify the role of circular RNAs (circRNAs), a type of non-coding RNAs, in wilt stress tolerance mechanism. The study also aims at identification of circRNAs that act as endogenous target mimics (eTMs) or as sponges to miRNAs that may regulate the genes involved in wilt stress tolerance. The study reveals the presence of 24 differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs) between the transcriptomes of wilt affected and control samples out of which 18 were acted as eTMs for 10 microRNAs (miRNAs). These miRNAs in turn found to regulate 275 genes that fall under 14 Gene Ontology (GO) based functional categories. The GO analysis further shown the annotation term ‘stimulus response’ for most of the DEcircRNAs, which were found in various vital activities like polygalacturonase activity, carbohydrate metabolic process. Hence, it is predicted that the identified miRNAs got absorbed by the circRNAs that acted as sponges or eTMs and the miRNA regulated genes are likely to be freed up in cell to exhibit wilt stress tolerance mechanism in soybean.

Seed transmission of a distinct soybean yellow mottle mosaic virus strain identified from India in natural and experimental hosts

Soybean yellow mottle mosaic virus (SYMMV) is a newly identified member of the genus Gammacarmovirus from grain legumes in India. As the modes of transmission of this virus have not been described, we assessed the possibility of SYMMV to be transmitted through seed collected from field infected mungbean plants and mechanically sap inoculated French bean plants using serological and molecular techniques followed by progeny assays. Direct antigen coated enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (DAC-ELISA) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results are inconsistent with field infected mungbean seed tissues to ensure seed transmissibility irrespective of seed number used. Seed from mechanical sap inoculated French bean showed higher absorbance values in DAC-ELISA and amplification corresponding to replicase, movement and coat protein regions of SYMMV genome. The relative accumulation of SYMMV was higher in pod walls, immature seed and stamens and stigma of mechanical sap inoculated French bean. Progeny assays with infected seed revealed the seed transmissibility of SYMMV at the rate of 63.33% in mungbeanand 73.33% in French bean. Mechanical sap inoculation of mungbean progeny seedlings on French bean cv. Pusa Parvati produced characteristic symptoms of SYMMV. The results obtained from this study demonstrate that SYMMV is seed borne in nature and can be transmitted to next generation seedlings. This is the first report of seed transmission of SYMMV in mungbean and French bean.

Bioefficacy of chemical insecticides against major sucking insectpests on grain legumes in India- A review

Grain legumes are the important source of dietary protein in tropical regions and insect pests are the major biotic constraints in the production of the grain legumes throughout the country. About 150 species of insects are known to attack pulse crops in India. Among the insect pests, the sucking pests like aphid, Aphis craccivora Koch; jassid, Empoasca kerri Pruthi; whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Gennadius, thrips,Thrips palmi Karny and flower thrips, Megalurothrips usitatus Bagnall are known to cause significant damage to the pulse crops and also indirectly acting as a vectors in transmitting the deadly diseases resulting in severe loss in grain yields of the legume crops. The present review highlights the losses caused by the sucking pests and critically review the literature generated on the bio efficacy of conventional and novel groups of chemical insecticides for the management of sucking pests infesting grain legumes at different locations in India.

Molecular identification and sequence analysis of bipartite Begomovirus infecting Horsegram legume in India

The molecular diversity of Begomovirus infecting Horsegram yellow Mosaic viruses (HgYMV1 and HgYMV2), from two main horsegram growing farms near Bangalore, Karnataka State, South India was investigated. The viral DNA was amplified from horsegram plants exhibiting mild and severe symptoms by polymerase chain reaction, and complete genome of the HgYMV were identified by their sequence analysis. Isolates of HgYMV1 and HgYMV2 were found to be associated with severe symptom phenotype from HgYMV. HgYMV was most closely related to Mungbean yellow mosaic indian viruse (MYMIV) and Mungbean yellow mosaic virus (MYMV) at 81.8 to 84.8 % nucleotide identity, based on DNA-A and DNA-B component sequences. HgYMV was distantly related to Dolicos yellow mosaic virus from Asia (DoYMV-Ban and DoYMV-DB) and partially to Cowpea golden mosaic virus from Nigeria (CPGMV-[NG]) at 64 and 62 % DNA nucleotide identity. Analysis of the DNA-B sequence of HgYMV revealed a DNA-B component identical to those of Bean golden yellow mosaic virus BGYMV isolates described. Furthermore, the DNA-B component for extant BGYMV isolates and strains were also the closest relatives for the HgYMV1 DNA-B components at 48.7 % nucleotide identity. Therefore, HgYMV could be considered to be a new species of the genus Begomovirus (family Geminiviridae). Keywords: Begomovirus, Horsegram, yellow Mosaic viruses , DNA sequencing

Short durartion cowpea varieties for cultivation as a niche crop in various cropping systems for enhanced pulse production

Agriculture must become nutrition-smart. Food security without nutrition security is not enough. Our basic food systems have to be optimized to provide the greatest amount of nutrients per square meter per unit time, especially in the face of climate change. Majority of the Indian people are vegetarian and they depend primarily upon grain legumes for dietary protein. Unfortunately the production of grain legumes in India has remained stagnant since 1950 causing declining per capita availability and widespread malnutrition. This is because most of the good lands have gone to the green revolution led ‘wheat-rice’ and ‘rice-rice’ cropping systems and food legumes have been pushed to marginal lands. Also, the traditional food legume varieties are late in maturity with low yield potential. This has led to inadequate protein and minerals in the diets of rural and urban masses on one hand and imbalanced soil fertility due to cereal-cereal rotation on the other hand. Therefore, increased cultivation of pulses is urgently needed. How can this be achieved with the limited land is one of the major challenges of agricultural research. The only answer is to breed and cultivate short duration food legumes in the existing niches between cereal-cereal systems. Wheat is harvested in March–April and rice is transplanted in July leaving about 80-90 days gap in which a short duration food legume can be grown. A number of photo-insensitive and heat tolerant ‘60-day cowpea’ varieties have been recently developed by Pantnagar University which were tested under farmer participatory on-farm trials and All India Multi-location Coordinated Trials with the support from Harvest Plus Project of CGIAR. These varieties can be grown as a niche crop in the wheat-rice cropping system of northern India which has a potential area of over 10 million ha. and also fit well in rice fellows in southern India.

Free fatty acids from Lathyrus sativus seed coats acting as short-range attractants to Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

Lathyrus sativus L. (Leguminosae) seed, commonly known as khesari, is an important legume in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, and Ethiopia. Ten free fatty acids were identified in seed coat waxes of four varieties of L. sativus with total fatty acids accounting for between 10.5 and 17.4 mg per 100 g of seed depending on the variety. Palmitoleic acid (C16:1) was the predominant free fatty acid in two of the varieties; whereas palmitic (C16:0) and lauric (C12:0) acids were the predominant free fatty acids in the two other varieties. Attraction of free fatty acids from seed coat waxes of the four varieties were tested for attractiveness to females of Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) at 2–8, 2–8, 4–8, and 4–8 μg concentrations, respectively, in Y-tube olfactometer bioassays. The attractiveness of synthetic mixtures comparable to the fatty acid compositions of the four varieties were also tested. Individual synthetic myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic, and stearic acids at 0.66, 1.18, 1.36, and 1.18 μg, respectively, elicited attraction of the insect. A synthetic blend of 0.93, 1.68, 1.82, and 1.18 μg of myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic, and stearic acids, respectively, was most attractive to the insect. At present, C. maculatus are controlled with insecticides, which are harmful to human health and environment. Hence, the above mentioned combination of four fatty acids might be used for insect pest management such as baited traps.

Evaluating soil quality and bioefficacy study of Cajanus cajan L. in coal mine-degraded land

Surface mining activities in past and recent times have resulted in the existence of a number of overburden dumps (mine spoils) through excavation and deposition of removed soil and rock debris. These spoils require environmental stabilization/restoration through proper revegetation. The present study was undertaken to examine the influence of various amendments to soil properties and the growth and yield of Cajanus cajan L. cultivation in mine-degraded soils. An experiment was conducted with nine combinations of various amendments to C. cajan L., a widely cultivating legume in India for its highly nutritious seeds. The physicochemical and biological properties of mine spoil before and after treatment were analyzed. Plant growth in terms of seed germination, shoot length, root length, total dry weight, number of leaves, root nodules, and yield components were measured. The experimental results revealed that combination of C 3 (mine spoil amended with biofertilizers, farmyard manure, and fly-ash) and C 8 (mine spoil amended with biofertilizers, vermicompost, and fly-ash) showed the best results to support vegetation. Percentage increases in crop growth, grain yield, and soil nutrients compared to the control were also observed. With C 3 , grain yield was found to be maximum (79.66 g/pot), with an increase of 215.95%. Number of pods per plant was found to be 27.50 and 27.75 in C 3 and C 8 treatments, respectively. All the physicochemical and biological properties were enhanced significantly (P ≤ 0.05) in all the combinations compared to the untreated control. C 8 exhibited significantly higher concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium of about 67.55, 5.16, and 58.33 mg kg -1 , proving it to be good at improving soil quality.

Is Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek a suitable crop for Lindane contaminated soil?

Lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane) is an organochlorine pesticide recently included in the Stockholm list of persistent organic pollutants for global elimination. However, India is still allowed to use lindane for combating vector borne diseases. Because of its large scale utilization during the last few decades, lindane residue is reported from almost all agricultural soils of India. So there is an immediate need to monitor the accumulation of lindane residue in crop plants growing in contaminated systems and suitable strategies should be taken to prevent the possible entry of lindane in food chain. Therefore, in the present study, we studied the accumulation and translocation of lindane in Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek (Mung bean), a widely grown legume in India as a cheap source of protein. The test plant was grown in four different concentrations of lindane viz. 5, 10, 15 and 20μgg−1 soils and harvested at 15 and 45 days and at maturity. The experimental results showed that irrespective of the exposure days, the accumulation of lindane in plant parts were linearly correlated (r2=0.915) with the lindane concentration in soil. However, the lindane concentration in soil significantly reduced the growth and yield (number of pods, pod length, number of seeds and seed weight) of the test plants at 95% confidence level (α=5). At maturity, the concentration of lindane in whole plant (root+shoot+leaf+seed) growing at four different concentrations were reached up to 3.8, 9.4, 13.5 and 17.79μgg−1 dry matter, respectively. Worryingly, lindane residue was found in the seeds of test plants grown at 10, 15 and 20μgg−1 soils and the concentrations were detected as 0.2, 0.4 and 0.89μgg−1 dry seed, respectively. Most importantly, the residue level detected in the edible part was higher than the maximum residue limit set by WHO and Codex Alimentarious Commission (0.1μgg−1). Thus our study suggests that Mung bean is not a suitable crop for medium to high level lindane contaminated soil.

Market integration of grain legumes in India: the case of the chickpea market

The present study assesses the market integration of chickpea in India from 2003 to 2010. The month end prices of chickpea for twelve markets in north India were used for the study. Out of twelve markets, only three markets are cointegrated, indicating weak integration of chickpea markets in India. However, the terminal markets located in major consuming (Delhi) and export/import locations (Dohad/Gujarat) clearly play an important role in price discovery and influences other domestic markets indicating the relevance of the import prices and large consuming centres on local market prices. Error correction terms indicate that the adjustment process from short-term disequilibrium in prices to long run price equilibrium is very slow. Overall, there is evidence of weak cointegration in the chickpea markets in North India and imports and major consuming centres are playing an important role in price discovery in domestic chickpea markets.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/sja.v10i2.18320 SAARC J. Agri., 10(2): 11-29 (2012)

Molecular Detection of Mungbean Yellow Mosaic Virus and Their Associated Satellite DNA from Field Samples of Tamil Nadu

Pulses are the important source of protein in vegetarian diet and they are affected by several viral diseases. Among the virus diseases, yellow mosaic disease (YMD) caused by Mungbean yellow mosaic virus (MYMV) belonging to the genus Begomovirus (family: Geminiviridae) is a serious malady in cultivation of grain legumes in India and cause severe yield loss. YMD has very narrow host range within legumes and cause biologically indistinguishable symptoms, so the identification of virus is difficult. The molecular detection of MYMV from infected blackgram plants showing yellow mosaic symptoms was carried out. PCR with begomovirus specific primers detected the presence of begomovirus from the infected samples with amplicons of ~1100bp. The PCR with MYMV-specific coat protein primers detected the presence of MYMV from the samples collected from three districts of Tamil Nadu with the amplicons of ~1000bp. The dot blot hybridization showed positive response with the infected samples and negative response with healthy samples. The associated satellite DNA components were detected using universal abutting primers. Hence, molecular detection of MYMV seems simple and very sensitive method.

The DNA-1 like alphasatellites in association with the bipartite Mungbean yellow mosaic virus in natural infections

Yellow mosaic disease is the major limitation in the production of grain legumes in India. This disease is caused by bipartite begomovirus, Mungbean yellow mosaic virus. In addition to the bipartite genomic components, the yellow mosaic disease affected urdbean plants which contain satellite like DNA-1 component called as alphasatellites. The present study has been attempted to characterise the alphasatellites associated with Mungbean yellow mosaic virus. Nucleotide sequence analysis of alphasatellites showed 98% identity with Vernonia yellow vein Fijian alphasatellite, VYVFA (JF733780). Since the sequence identity is more than 98%, the threshold value for demarcation of alphasatellites species, the alphasatellites of the present study are named as Vernonia yellow vein Fijian alphasatellite. Comparison with other, alphasatellites shared 51–55% identity with alphasatellites associated with monopartite begomovirus and it shared only 41–42% identity with an unusual alphasatellites, DNA-2. This is the first report on characterisation of alphasatellites associated with Mungbean yellow mosaic virus.