Number Of Siliques Research Articles

Involvement of NGATHA-Like 1 Transcription Factor in Boron Transport under Low and High Boron Conditions.

NGATHA-Like 1 (NGAL1) transcription factor has been identified as a gene regulated through AUG-stop-mediated boron (B)-dependent translation stall; however, its function in B response remains unknown. Here, we show that NGAL1 plays an important role in the maintenance of B transport under both low- and high-B conditions in Arabidopsis thaliana. NGAL1 mRNA is accumulated predominantly in shoots in response to B stress. Independent ngal1 mutants carrying transferred DNA (T-DNA) and Ds-transposon insertions exhibit reduced B concentrations in aerial tissues and produce shortened and reduced number of siliques when B supply is limited. Furthermore, the expression of B transporter genes including nodulin 26-like intrinsic protein 6; 1 (NIP6;1), NIP5;1, NIP7;1 and borate exporter 1 (BOR1) is significantly decreased in ngal1 mutants under low-B condition, suggesting that NGAL1 is required for the transcript accumulation of B transporter genes to facilitate B transport and distribution under B limitation. Under high-B condition, ngal1 mutants exhibit reduced growth and increased B concentration in their shoots. The accumulation of BOR4 mRNA, a B transporter required for B efflux to soil, is significantly reduced in roots of ngal1 plants under high-B condition, suggesting that NGAL1 is involved in the upregulation of BOR4 in response to excess B. Together, our results indicate that NGAL1 is involved in the transcriptional regulation of B transporter genes to facilitate B transport and distribution under both low- and high-B conditions.

Residual Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Growth and Yield Toria in North Central Plateau Zone of Odisha

A field experiment on "Planting pattern and nutrient management in rainfed sweet corn + cowpea system and its residual effect on succeeding toria" was conducted during the kharif and rabi seasons of 2019-20 and 2020-21 at Regional Research and Technology Transfer Station, Keonjhar, Odisha. The experiment was laid down in Split plot design with three replications. The experiment was conducted to identify the suitable planting pattern and effect of nutrient management practices for enhancing production potentials of Sweet corn+ Cowpea and its effect on Toria. The treatments taken in this experiment consists of planting pattern with 3 levels i.e P1 : Sweet corn +Cowpea (1:1) in alternate rows, P2 : Sweet corn +Cowpea (2:2) in alternate paired rows and P3 : Sweet corn +Cowpea (1:1) in the same row and nutrient management practices with seven levels i.e. F1- STBFR to Sweet Corn , F2- Proportionate of STBFR of (Sweet Corn + Cowpea) based on population, F3- STBFR to Sweet Corn + Consortia biofertilizer , F4- 75% STBFR to Sweet Corn + STBFR to Cowpea based on population, F5- 50% STBFR of Sweet Corn + STBFR to Cowpea based on population, F6- 75% STBFR of Sweet Corn + STBFR to Cowpea based on population + Consortia biofertilizer, F7- 50 % STBFR of Sweet Corn + STBFR to Cowpea based on population + Consortia biofertilizer. Sweet corn variety 'Sugar 75', Cowpea variety 'Kashi kanchan' and Toria variety 'Anuradha' were used as test crops. The main objective of this experiment was to find out the residual effect on growth, yield attributes and yield of toria in the sequence. Before the harvest of the crop the observations on growth parameters were recorded. Height of the plant was taken at harvest and the number of leaves per plant were taken at an interval of , 45 and 60 days after sowing and number of primary and secondary branches per plant was recorded. After harvesting, yield attributes and yield (number of siliqua per plant, number of grains per siliqua, 1000 seed weight (gm), grain yield (t/ha), stover yield (t/ha), and harvest index (%)) were recorded. Planting of sweet corn + cowpea (2:2) in alternate paired rows(P2) with application of 75% STBFR of Sweet Corn + STBFR to Cowpea based on population + Consortia bio fertilizer to the preceeding maize + cowpea crop (F6) followed by STBFR of sweet corn and cowpea (F2) was suprior in terms of both yield and yield parameters.

Pre-Sowing Seed Treatment of Selected Botanical Extracts and Biofertilizers on Growth, Yield and Yield Attributing Traits of Mustard (Brassica juncea.L)

The present investigation was carried out for “Pre-sowing seed treatments of selected botanicals extract and biofertilizers on growth, yield and yield attributing traits of Mustard (Brassica juncea L.)”. For this pur- pose, 13 priming treatments including control on Mustard seeds variety were used to study under filed condi- tions during rabi, 2021-22. Field experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications respectively during Rabi 2021-22. Analysis for the data in field experiment revealed significance mean sum of squares due to seed priming treatments for all the characters under study. In order to standardize method of seed priming specific to mustard crop and they were evaluated by screeming a range of duration and concentration Viz T0- Control, T1 Neem Leaf Extract 5% (6Hrs), T2 Neem Leaf Extract 10%(6Hrs), T3 Moringa Leaf Extract 5% (6Hrs), T4 Moringa Leaf Extract(10%Hrs), T5 Trichoderma viridae 0.1%(6Hrs), T6 Trichoderma viridae 0.3%(6Hrs), T7 Azosprillum 0.1%(6Hrs), T8 Azosprillum 0.3%(6Hrs), T9 Neem Leaf Extract + Moringa Leaf Extract(5% +3%) 6hrs, T10 Trichoderma viridae + Azosprillum (0.1%+0.1%), T10 Trichoderma viridae + Azosprillum (0.1%+0.1%), T11 Neem Leaf Extract + Trichoderma viridae (3% +0.1%), T12 Moringa Leaf Extract + Azosprillum(3% +0.1%)To find out Influence of different seed treatment on growth, yield and seed quality parameters of mustard showed that significant treatment Field emergence (%), Plant height (30,60,90 DAS), Days to 50% flowering, Number of branches per plant, Number of silique per plant, Number of seeds per silique, Seed yield per plant (g),Seed yield per plot (g),Biological yield (g),Harvest index. The study helps to improve the quality to improve of seed with help of seed different Leaf extracts and Biofertilizers priming treatment which are cost effective and economic, non- toxic, ecofriendly sources. Pre- sowing treatment with It is concluded from the present study that the seeds of Mustard (Variety - sonalika) were treated with T9 Neem Leaf Extract + Moringa Leaf Extract(5% +3%) 6hrs enhanced the Field emergence percentage, Plant height (cm), Number of branches per plant, Number of silique per plant, Number of seeds per silique, Seed yield per plant, Seed yield per plot, Biological yield, Harvest index followed by T12 Moringa Leaf Extract + Azosprillum(3% +0.1%) and T4 Moringa Leaf Extract(10%Hrs) as compared to control ( untreated ) seeds.

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.

High-level expression of anti-interleukin-6 single chain variable fragment through plastid transformation technology

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine which participates in the pathogenesis of a variety of clinical disorders, including many kinds of cancers. Anti-IL-6 antibody was proved to be useful for the immunotherapy of various inflammatory diseases. Plants are low-cost platforms for producing specific proteins of therapeutic interest. Two dependent transplastomic tobacco lines expressing murine anti-IL-6 single chain variable fragment (scFv) were generated after bombardment and regeneration, homoplasmy was then verified by Southern blotting analysis. The anti-IL-6 scFv gene was successfully expressed at both transcriptional and translational levels in transplastomic tobacco plants. Functional anti-IL-6 scFv accumulated to 1% of total soluble proteins, namely 41 mg/kg fresh weight. There was no obvious phenotypic difference between the wild-type and the transplastomic tobacco plants, including the growth rate, the height of mature plants and the number of siliques. The high-level expression of anti-IL-6 scFv indicates the potential for cost-effective production of scFV using transplastomic plants.

BnKAT2 Positively Regulates the Main Inflorescence Length and Silique Number in Brassica napus by Regulating the Auxin and Cytokinin Signaling Pathways.

Brassica napus is the dominant oil crop cultivated in China for its high quality and high yield. The length of the main inflorescence and the number of siliques produced are important traits contributing to rapeseed yield. Therefore, studying genes related to main inflorescence and silique number is beneficial to increase rapeseed yield. Herein, we focused on the effects of BnKAT2 on the main inflorescence length and silique number in B. napus. We explored the mechanism of BnKAT2 increasing the effective length of main inflorescence and the number of siliques through bioinformatics analysis, transgenic technology, and transcriptome sequencing analysis. The full BnKAT2(BnaA01g09060D) sequence is 3674 bp, while its open reading frame is 2055 bp, and the encoded protein comprises 684 amino acids. BnKAT2 is predicted to possess two structural domains, namely KHA and CNMP-binding domains. The overexpression of BnKAT2 effectively increased the length of the main inflorescence and the number of siliques in B. napus, as well as in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana. The type-A Arabidopsis response regulator (A-ARR), negative regulators of the cytokinin, are downregulated in the BnKAT2-overexpressing lines. The Aux/IAA, key genes in auxin signaling pathways, are downregulated in the BnKAT2-overexpressing lines. These results indicate that BnKAT2 might regulate the effective length of the main inflorescence and the number of siliques through the auxin and cytokinin signaling pathways. Our study provides a new potential function gene responsible for improvement of main inflorescence length and silique number, as well as a candidate gene for developing markers used in MAS (marker-assisted selection) breeding to improve rapeseed yield.

Effects of Different Pollination Methods on Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus) Plant Growth Traits and Rapeseed Yields.

Pollination success is essential for hybrid oilseed rape (OSR, Brassica napus) seed production, and the pollination method has some influences on the OSR plant growth traits. In order to explore the roles of different pollination methods, four pollination methods of “unmanned agricultural aerial system” (UAAS), “natural wind + UAAS” (NW+UAAS), “honeybee” (HB), and “no pollinators” (NP) were set in a hybrid OSR field to investigate their effects on OSR plant traits and rapeseed yields in this study. The control check (CK) area with natural wind (NW) pollination was set as a reference for comparison. The experiments were conducted continuously for 20 days during the OSR plant early to full-bloom stage. The results based on the evaluated OSR plants showed that the growth traits and the rapeseed yields exhibited some differences under different pollination methods. The average plant height under NP pollination was maximum, which was 231.52 cm, while the average plant heights under the other pollination methods exhibited nearly no difference. Except for the HB pollination, the average first-branch heights of the evaluated plants all exceeded 100 cm under the other pollination methods. The average once branch quantity of all the evaluated plants under different pollination methods was 5–7. The average number of effective siliques per plant varied greatly. The average quantity of effective siliques in each OSR plant was about 160 under UAAS, NW+UAAS, and NW pollination, about 100 under HB pollination, and only 2.12 under NP pollination. The thousand-rapeseed weight was 7.32 g under HB pollination, which was the highest of all of the pollination areas. In terms of rapeseed yield, the average rapeseed yields per plant were all more than 10 g, except for the one under NP pollination; the yield per hectare was highest under NW+UAAS pollination, reaching 4741.28 kg, and the yield under NP pollination was lowest, which was only 360.39 kg. The research results provide technical support for supplementary pollination in hybrid OSR seed production.

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.

Effect of Zinc as Foliar Application on Seed Yield in Radish

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of zinc as foliar application on seed yield and quality in radish which was carried out in Pandah farm of Department of Seed Science and Technology, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry Nauni, Solan during 2018-19. Treatments involved four zinc levels ( 0g l , 1g l , 2g l , 3g l ) and three stages of application (Bolting, Bolting +14 days after first -1 -1 -1 -1 application, Bolting +14 days + 28 days after first application) resulting in 12 treatment combinations. Zn S (2g/L zinc at the time of bolting) was 3 1 found superior over all the treatment combinations for growth and seed yield parameters viz: plant height (118.92 cm), number of siliquae plant-1 -1 -1(146.40), siliqua length (7.09 cm), number of seeds siliqua (6.34), days to maturity (104.67), average seed weight siliqua (0.185 g), seed yield plant (27.03 kg) and seed yield ha (9.90 q ha ).

Effect of Various Presowing Seed Treatments on Growth and Yield Parameters of Yellow Mustard (Sinapis alba.L) Variety (ISP -186)

The present investigation was conducted during Rabi season in the year (2021-2022) at post graduate Central Research Farm, Department of Genetics and plant Breeding , Naini Agriculture Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology And Sciences, PRAYAGRAJ-211007 (U.P) with a goal to evaluate the influence of different seed priming treatments on growth and yield attributes of yellow mustard (Sinapis alba) Variety (ISP-186) and to find out suitable seed priming method for mustard under Randomized Block Design with 13 priming treatments which are replicated thrice. The seed priming materials are rhizobium, vermiwash, neem leaf extract and tulsi leaf extract. The results revealed that treatment T3 rhizobium (10%) recorded maximum Field emergence (97.17), plant height (90.26cm) ,Number of Branches (15.07),Days to 50% flowering (71), Days to Maturity (117days), Number of siliqua\plant (289.33), Number of seeds\siliqua (16.40), seed yield /plant (7.35gm)seed yield \plot(28.7gm) Biological yield (131.54),Harvest index (17.94).significance mean sum of squares due to seed priming treatments were observed for all the characters under study viz., Field emergence percentage, Plant height (30, 60, 90, 120 DAS and at harvest), Number of branches/plant, Days to maturity, Number of silique/plant, Number of seeds/plant, seed yield/plant (gm), Seed yield/plot (gm), Biological yield (gm), Harvest index (%) which were highly significant at 1% level of significance indicating presence of good amount of variability among the treatments for these characters.

Genetic Variability Analysis of M4-M5 Mutants of Indian Mustard (Brassica juncea L.)

Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. & Coss.] is an important oilseed crop grown in India under diverse agro-ecological conditions in the temperate and subtropical regions during Rabi season. It fits well in the rainfed cropping system with low production cost and high potential to increase edible oil. Farmers in Assam grow rapeseed toria (Brassica rapa) due to its short duration but end up with low yield. Development of short-duration superior Indian mustard varieties is required to increase the average yield of rapeseed-mustard in Assam. Some Indian mustard genotypes were developed by induction of mutations at Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat. In the present study, 143 M4 lines from the parent variety NRCHB-101 of Indian mustard developed through mutation breeding using gamma rays, were evaluated during Rabi 2020-21 followed by 116 M5 selected lines during the Rabi 2021-22 to assess to genetic variability and interrelationships between yield component traits. Significant variation due to genotypes for the characters observed. Moderate genetic variation was observed for seed yield plant-1, number of primary and secondary branches plant-1. Moderate heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for number of siliquae in main shoot, number of primary branches, and number of secondary branches. The mutant lines JMM-NRCHB101-37, JMM-NRCHB101-57, JMM-NRCHB101-107 were found to be promising exhibiting superior performance for most of the yield attributing characters. The mutant line JMM-NRCHB101-86 and JMM-NRCHB101-95 also showed potentiality for early maturity with a high yield which could be exploited for the development of early maturing mustard varieties.

Association of Heterosis and Heterobeltiosis for Yield and its Contributing Traits in Indian Mustard (Brassica juncea L. Czern & Coss)

The heterosis breeding strategy is one of the most successful technological approaches for improving Indian mustard varieties for seed yield quality and quantity, as well as other yield contributing character. The present investigation was undertaken ten genetically diverse parents following diallel mating design excluding reciprocals. The resultant 45 F1s and all the ten parents were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with three replications under three different environments. Data on quantitative characters were recorded and heterosis and heterobeltosis were determined that showed sufficient degree of heterosis and heterobeltiosis for all the attributes. The crosses, RGN-13 x RH-406 was identified for days to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity, number of secondary branches per plant, number of siliquae per plant, 1000-seed weight, oil content, leaf area index and harvest index and the cross RGN-303 x RGN-229 was identified for days to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity, number of secondary branches, number of seed per siliqua and 1000-seed weight. Among the 45 crosses, RGN-13 × RH-406 emerged as good heterotic as well as heterobeltiotic crosses for seed yield and other contributing characters.

Determining the Influence of Boron and Sulphur on Growth, Yield and Nutrient Uptake of Mustard (Brassica juncea L.)

A field experiment was carried out during the rabi season of 2021-22 at the Crop Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj to study the response of Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L)] to different levels of sulphur and boron. The experiment was comprised of 9 treatments with including all the combination of three sulphur levels (0, 10 and 20 kg/ha) and three levels of boron (0, 2 and 4 kg/ha). Results revealed that the highest plant height, plant dry weight (g/plant), crop growth rate (g/m2/day), relative growth rate (g/g/day), Number of siliqua per plant, Number of seed per siliqua, test weight (gm), Seed yield (q/ha), Stover yield (q/ha) were recorded with combination Boron (2 kg/ha) + Sulphur (20 kg/h) and application of (control) recorded maximum harvest index (%). Maximum gross return, net return and B:C ratio were also recorded with application of Boron 2 kg/ha + Sulphur 20 kg/ha.

Response Of Rapeseed (Brassica Campestris Var Toria) Varieties To Sowing Dates In Middle Terai

A field experiment was conducted during the winter season at Tamsariya-7, Nawalparasi, Nepal to determine the effect of sowing dates on growth and yield of rapeseed varieties. Four varieties of rapeseed (Unnati, Preeti, Pragati and Local) were planted in four sowing dates; October 13th, October 28th, November 12th and November 27th. The experiment was laid out in split-plot design with sowing date in the main plot and varieties in the sub-plot. Significant variations due to sowing dates and varieties were observed in plant height, leaf area index, dry matter accumulation, branches per plant, number of siliqua per plant, siliqua length, number of seeds per siliqua, abortion percentage, test weight and the grain yield. Results showed that the highest grain yield (1.278 t/ha) was obtained from the October 28th sowing date and it was statistically different from the yield of all other dates of sowing. There were 17.05%, 40% and 62.18% reduction in grain yield for October 13th, November 12th and November 27th sowing dates compared to October 28th sowing date. Variety Preeti was the highest yielding variety for October sowing while variety Unnati was the highest yielding variety for November sowing. So, variety Preeti sown on October 28th is recommended to the farmers of the area and similar locations for obtaining optimum yield but under late sown condition, variety Unnati is preferred to Preeti for obtaining the optimum yield

Seed priming with carbon nanotubes and silicon dioxide nanoparticles influence agronomic traits of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) in field experiments

The present study demonstrates the effect of seed priming with carbon nanotubes and silicon dioxide nanoparticles on field performance of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea var. NRCDR 2) crop. A randomized block design study was conducted in research fields in which 3 groups of nano-primed seeds were sown in three replications. Two groups comprised treatments with 5 different concentrations (25, 50, 75, 100 and 125 μg/ml) of hydroxyl (–OH) functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanoparticles, and the third group was water treated seeds referred to as the control group. Sixteen different agronomic traits were considered, out of which three (leaf petiole length, siliquae length and number of seeds per siliqua) were found to have increased significantly, five traits (leaf length, length of main inflorescence, number of siliquae per plant, harvest index and biological yield) got decreased and nine traits (leaf width, plant height, number of primary and secondary branches, number of siliquae per main inflorescence, 1000 seed weight, oil content and seed yield) were not altered significantly as compared to control group. This first detailed report on field performance of a crop grown using seed priming as a mode of application of nanomaterials, demonstrated various alterations in agronomic characteristics of Brassica juncea, which were dosage dependent and were also influenced by the type of nanomaterials used to prime the seeds.

Effect of Row Spacing and Zinc on Growth and Yield of Mustard (Brassica juncea L.)

The field Study was conducted during Rabi season of 2021 at experimental field of the Crop Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology & Sciences, Prayagraj and Uttar Pradesh, India to determine the “Effect of row spacing and zinc on growth and yield of Mustard (Brassica juncea L.)”. This experiment embodied of 3 row spacings 20 cm, 30 cm, 40 cm and 3 levels of zinc fertilizer of 5 kg/ha, 10 kg/ha and 15 kg/ha. The experiment was layed out in statistical design of Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications. Full doses of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium fertilizers were applied as basal. The used variety was Varuna T-59. Report of the study indicates that, among different row spacings and zinc the treatment with row spacing 40 cm and zinc at 15 kg/ha produced significantly highest plant height (202.36 cm), higher number of branches (11.18), dry weight/plant (32.96g). The treatment combination with row spacing 30 cm and zinc 15 kg/ha produces the highest number of siliquae per plant (295.65), number of seeds per siliqua (15.47), test weight (3.87 g), seed yield (2.10 t/ha), stover yield (4.53 t/ha), and Harvest index (31.66%). However, the treatment with row spacing 30 cm and zinc at 15 kg/ha was found to be effective in highest gross return (126420 INR/ha), net return (89638.4 INR/ha) and benefit cost ratio (2.43) when compared to the other treatments.

Effect of Nitrogen and Zinc levels on Yield and Economics of Mustard (Brassica juncea L.)

A field experimental trial entitled “Effect of Nitrogen and Zinc levels on Yield and Economics of Mustard (Brassica juncea L.)” was undertaken during Rabi season (2021-2022) at Crop Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, SHUATS, Prayagraj (Allahabad) (U.P.). The size of experimental field is 243m2 and soil of experimental field was sandy loam in texture, nearly neutral in soil reaction (pH 7.1), low in organic carbon (0.28 %), available Nitrogen (225 kg/ha.), available Phosphorus (19.50 kg/ha.) and available Potassium (213 kg/ha.). The treatments consisted of 3 levels of Nitrogen N1 (60 kg/ha.), N2(80 kg/ha.), N3 (100 kg/ha.) and 3 levels of Zinc Zn1 (5 kg/ha.), Zn2 (10 kg/ha.) and Zn3 (15 kg/ha.). The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with 9 treatments and 3 replications. The results revealed that the application of Nitrogen 100 kg/ha. + Zinc 15 kg/ha. recorded maximum siliqua length (5.20 cm), number of siliquae per plant (398.90), number of seeds per siliqua (24.40), test weight (3.53 g). The economic analysis demonstrates that Nitrogen 100 kg/ha. + Zinc 15 kg/ha. treatment produced higher grain yield (1.89 t/ha.), stover yield (3.11 t/ha.), gross returns (103650.00 INR/ha.), net returns (70264.08 INR/ha.) and B:C ratio (2.10). The major challenges experienced throughout the research work were mostly related to the use of nitrogen and zinc.

Effects of Intercropping on Plant Growth and Yield Performance of Toria (Brassica campestris L.) and Field Pea (Pisum sativum L.) under Irrigated Conditions

Background: Intercropping with legumes improves resource use efficiency, soil N, soil quality, yields and profitability. Having deep root system, legumes can extract moisture and nutrients from deeper layer and hence does not compete with associated cereals. Therefore, intercropping particularly with leguminous crops is a sustainable option especially under adverse climatic conditions. Methods: The experiment consisted of seven intercropping systems based on Sangam variety of Toria and Arkel variety of field pea viz., sole toria (T1), sole field pea (T2), toria + field pea, 3:3 (T3), toria + field pea, 3:2 (T4), toria + field pea, 3:1 (T5), toria + field pea, 2:3 (T6) and toria + field pea, 1:3 (T7). All the treatments were arranged in RCBD and replicated four times. Result: Findings of the present investigation showed that toria + field Pea-3:3 resulted maximum plant growth compared to minimum values of these attributes under sole cropping system. This system also resulted in highest number of siliqua per plant (215), siliqua length (6.9 cm), number of grain per siliqua (23.0) and test weight (4.6 g) of toria as well as maximum pods per plant (20.1), number of grains per pod (8.6) and test weight (56.4 g) of field pea. Improved plant growth and yield attributes finally reflected in terms of higher grain yield (12.0 and 10.6 q/h) and harvest index (32.1 and 44.7%) of both toria as well as field pea.

Cloning and functional analysis of<italic> BnMAPK2 </italic>gene in <italic>Brassica napus</italic>

<p id="C3">The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade is involved in plant growth and development and it is in response to a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, a<italic> BnMAPK2</italic> (BnaC01g28210D) gene was isolated and cloned from <italic>Brassica napus</italic>. The cDNA and its coding sequence were 1516 bp and 1113 bp in length, respectively, encoding 371 amino acids. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the molecular weight of BnMAPK2 protein was 42,497.0 kD, the isoelectric point was 6.36, protein instability coefficient was 38.74, it was a hydrophobic protein, and it had STKc_TEY_MAPK_ plant (cd07858) conserved structure domain unique to MAPKs protein, protein secondary level. The alpha helix accounted for the largest proportion of 44.05% in the secondary structure of protein, and there was no signal peptide, which was more closely related to the C group <italic>AtMAPK2</italic> of <italic>Arabidopsis</italic>. The core element prediction indicated that BnMAPK2-P contained related cis-acting elements in response to salicylic acid hormone, heat stress, and light, including TCA-element, HSE, AAAC-motif, and MYB binding sites. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) demonstrated that<italic> BnMAPK2</italic> was expressed in various tissues and organs in <italic>Brassica napus</italic>, which was induced by methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, H₂O₂, injury, high temperature, and <italic>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. </italic>The phenotypic data of transgenic <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> lines expressing <italic>BnMAPK2</italic> heterologously showed that compared with the wild type, the overexpression of <italic>BnMAPK2</italic> made the bolting period of <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> plants earlier, and significantly increased plant height, the effective length of main inflorescence, and the number of siliques. We speculated that <italic>BnMAPK2</italic> gene was involved in the regulation of plant growth and development. This study provides reference materials and data support for in-depth exploration of the molecular mechanism of <italic>BnMAPK2 </italic>regulating the growth and development in<italic> Brassica napus</italic>.

Assessment of agro-morphological and molecular diversity among Indian mustard (Brasssica juncea) genotypes

An experiment was conducted in randomized block design with three replications during winter (rabi) season2015–16 at Instructional farm, RCA, MPUAT, Udaipur. Genetic diversity of the 10 Indian mustard [Brassica juncea(L.) Czern. &amp; Coss] varieties was evaluated by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA markers and morphologicalcharacters. Fifteen RAPD primers were used out of which three were amplified. These three amplified primers produced total 148 amplicons, of which 128 amplicons (86.48%) were polymorphic. The polymorphic information content value ranged from 87.50% (OPA-2) to 100% (OPA-11) with an average of 93.33%. A dendrogram based on UPGMA analysis separated 10 Indian mustard varieties in four clusters at 0.58 similarity coefficient. Genetic divergence using Mahalanobis D2 statistics was worked out and based on D2 values, the varieties were grouped into four different clusters. Cluster 1 included maximum (seven) genotypes and cluster 2, 3 and 4 had only one genotype. Maximum divergence was observed between clusters 1 and 4 followed by cluster 1 and 2. Number of siliquae per plant was the main trait contributing to this divergence followed by test weight, seed yield per plant, number of seeds per siliqua, days to 50% flowering and number of secondary branches per plant. The genotypes PM-27 and Pusa Vijay were the most diverse on the basis of UPGMA clustering analysis and genotypes PM-27 and Bio-902 were most divergent on the basis of D2 value clustering. The results obtained can be utilized in hybridization and selection for breeding programmes.