Rapa Var Research Articles

Correlation and Path coefficient analysis for various quantitative traits in Turnip (Brassica rapa var. rapifera L.) genotypes

The present investigation was carried out at Experimental field, Division of Vegetable Science, SKUAST-K, Shalimar during rabi 2019. Twenty-eight genotypes of turnip were evaluated in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications for each genotype. Observations in this experiment revealed that root yield/ha was positively and significantly associated with all the traits except petiole length indicating that the direct selection of all the traits except petiole length will be rewarding. Path coefficient analysis depicted considerable amount of direct positive effect of component traits viz., root length, root breadth, leaves per plant, total plant weight, total root weight, total shoot weight, root shoot ratio and root compactness on dependent trait i.e root yield/ha indicating that the direct selection of these traits will be effective for improving the root yield of turnip

Effect of coexisting metal ions on bio-precipitation of Cu<sup>2+</sup> phosphate by Rahnella sp. LRP3 and its stability in soil

The phosphate precipitation of heavy metal induced by microorganisms plays an important role in immobilising heavy metal in soil. However, there is little knowledge about the effect of coexisting metal ions on the induction of Cu phosphate mineral and its stability. In this paper, the Cu phosphate precipitations, coexisting with Pb<sup>2+</sup> or Ca<sup>2+</sup> induced by strain LRP3, were characterised, and the stabilisation of the induced phosphate precipitates was also studied. The coexistence of Cu with Pb or Ca decreased the removal efficiency of Cu<sup>2+</sup> by 17.18% and 9.78%, respectively, indicating the competitive adsorption between cations. Strain LRP3 could induce a new phosphate mineral of CuCa<sub>10</sub>(PO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>7</sub> when coexisting with Ca and also generate the phosphate minerals of Pb(H<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub> and Cu<sub>3</sub>(PO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub> when coexisting with Pb. The Cu-Ca coprecipitate could enhance the stability of Cu in dilute acid solution and soil with or without a plant, whiles the Cu-Pb one showed the opposite effect. Also, the Cu-induced phosphate precipitates were relatively stable and not easy to be absorbed by Pakchoi (Brassica rapa var. chinensis). The results showed that the influence of coexisting metal ions should be considered when phosphate mineralisation technology is used to immobilise heavy metals in the environment.

First Report of Pectobacterium brasiliense causing soft rot on mizuna (Brassica rapa var. japonica) in the United States.

Mizuna (Brassica rapa var. japonica), a member of family Brassicaceae, is a leafy vegetable having phenolic and other compounds beneficial to human health, such as natural antioxidants (Khanam et al. 2012). In October 2020, a field of mizuna (variety: Early) on Oahu island was observed having 20-30% diseased plants. Four randomly selected infected mizuna plants, showing the symptoms of wilt and stem rot (Figure 1A-D), were collected and isolations were made to determine the pathogen. Small sections of infected stems were cut, surface sterilized with 0.6% sodium hypochlorite solution for 30 sec, followed by three consecutive rinses in distilled water. The tissues were macerated in a sterile 1.5 ml centrifuge tube containing 100 μl sterile water-macerated tissues were streaked onto crystal violet pectate medium (CVP) (Hélias et al. 2011) and incubated at 26 ± 2°C for 48 h. Isolated bacterial colonies that formed pits on the CVP plates were re-streaked onto dextrose peptone agar: Peptone (10 g/L), Dextrose (5 g/L) and Agar (17 g/L) (DPA-without tetrazolium chloride; Norman and Alvarez 1989) to obtain purified colonies for DNA isolation using DNeasy Blood and Tissue Kit (Qiagen, Germantown, MA). The two housekeeping genes (dnaA and gapA) were amplified and sequenced following the protocols used by Dobhal et al. (2020) and Boluk et al. (2020), for identity confirmation and phylogenetic analysis. Cleaned PCR products were sent to the GENEWIZ facility (Genewiz, La Jolla, CA) for sequencing of sense and antisense strands. The obtained sequences were aligned, manually edited, and consensus sequences were analyzed with BLASTn using the NCBI GenBank nucleotide and genome databases for identity confirmation. The BLASTn results demonstrated 100% query coverage of all four strains (PL248-PL251); and showed 100% identity of PL248 and PL249, and 99% identity of PL250 and PL251 with Pectobacterium brasiliense. All the sequences were submitted to the NCBI GenBank database under the following accession numbers: dnaA gene MW560271 - MW560274 (PL248 - PL251); and gapA gene MW560275 - MW560278 (PL248 - PL251). Pathogenicity was assessed by artificially inoculating 100 µl bacterial suspension of each strain (PL248 - 1.12x 10⁸ CFU/ml; PL249 - 1.32x 10⁸ CFU/ml; PL 250 - 1.2x 10⁸ CFU/ml and PL251 - 1.15x 10⁸ CFU/ml) onto four-week-old mizuna (variety: Leafy Asian Greens) plants in three replicates, using sterile pipette tips, which was stabbed into stem halfway and wrapped with parafilm. The inoculated plants were well maintained under controlled greenhouse conditions. As negative controls, three plants were inoculated with 100 µl distilled water. Soft rot and wilt symptoms (Figure 1E-H) were observed 24 hours post inoculation. No symptoms were observed on control plants (Figure 1F). All four strains were re-isolated from the inoculated plants and confirmed as P. brasiliense based on resequencing of the dnaA region and 100% homology with the sequences of original strain. In the phylogenetic tree (Figure 2), based on two housekeeping genes (dnaA and gapA), the bacterial strains from mizuna grouped with other P. brasiliense retrieved from the NCBI GenBank database. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. brasiliense infecting mizuna plants in Hawaii or in the USA and is important because this species is one of the most aggressive pectolytic pathogens in the genus Pectobacterium. Understanding the diversity of different pectolytic phytopathogens is essential to formulating risk mitigation strategies as P. brasiliense could potentially pose a threat to additional vegetable crops, especially the crucifers vegetables (Arizala et al. 2019; Klair et al, 2021).

Draft Genome Resources for Brassicaceae Pathogens Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. raphani and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. rapae.

The soilborne filamentous fungus Fusarium oxysporum causes devastating diseases of many cultivated plant species. F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani and f. sp. rapae are two of four formae speciales that are pathogenic to Brassicaceae plants. Here, we present high-quality genome sequences of F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani strain Tf1262 and F. oxysporum f. sp. rapae strain Tf1208 that were isolated from radish (Raphanus sativus) and turnip (Brassica rapa var. rapa), respectively. These genome resources should facilitate in-depth investigation of interactions between F. oxysporum and Brassicaceae plants, and enable comparative genomics of the F. oxysporum species complex to uncover how pathogenicity evolved within F. oxysporum.[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license.

Studies on physiochemical properties of oil extracted from Brassica nigra and Brassica rapa toria

The family of Brassicaceae accounts for one of the earliest cataloged annual oilseed referred to as Mustard. Brassica nigra and Brassica rapa var. toria are two of the commercially important varieties of mustard seed which are endowed with biomedical properties. The present study was designed for the comparative scrutiny of quality and physicochemical parameters of both oilseed mustard varieties. Oil content, near infrared reflectance analysis, moisture content, color, pungency, free fatty acid value, acid value, presence of argemone test and gas chromatography were studied. B. nigra and B. rapa toria showed oil content corresponding to 37.68% and 43.06% respectively. Less moisture content was observed in B. rapa toria (5.33 %) in comparison to B. nigra. Higher color units were investigated in B. nigra in comparison to B. rapa toria. B. rapa toria showed lesser pungency with 0.034 % allyl isothiocynate content. B. nigra illustrated free fatty acid (FFA) content of 0.79% and high acid value (1.58%). While B.rapa toria showed less FFA and acid value. Argemone oil contamination was not seen in oil of both varieties. B. nigra showed 6.45%, 69.25%, 24.29% of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids respectively. B. rapa toria demonstrated valuable gas chromatographic analysis with lesser saturated fatty acid and higher monounsaturated fatty acid. In comparison to B. nigra, higher oil content, lesser moisture, low FFA value, less acid value and favorable fatty acid composition analysis has been shown by B. rapa toria there upon, indicating superior quality of B. rapa toria oilseed.

Mapping clubroot resistance of Brassica rapa introgressed into Brassica napus and development of molecular markers for the resistance

AbstractTo date, more than 20 clubroot resistance (CR) loci have been reported in the A‐genome of Brassica rapa; however, only a few of them has been introgressed into B. napus canola. The introgression of additional CR loci will broaden the genetic base of resistance of this crop. In this paper, we report the genetic basis of CR of B. rapa var. pekinensis cultivar ‘Bilko’ introgressed into B. napus, mapping this resistance using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population developed from B. napus × Bilko‐CR interspecific cross. Evaluation of the F2 and F3 populations of Bilko revealed that a single gene controls resistance to pathotype 3 in this cultivar. Quantitative trait loci‐seq approach using whole‐genome resequencing identified a genomic region of chromosome A03 associated with this resistance in the RIL population. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)‐based allele‐specific markers from the TIR‐NB‐LRR (TNL) gene Bra012688 co‐segregated with this resistance, however, with 0.4–0.8% recombination. Bra012688 is located at 23,877,250–23,883,169 bp of B. rapa cultivar Chiifu‐401 whole‐genome assembly v.3.0, and at 378 bp downstream of another TNL gene Bra012689. Molecular markers, linked to previously reported CR loci of A03, did not co‐segregate with the resistance in the RIL population; this demonstrates the need for the development of new markers for the CR loci following introgression into the recipient species. The knowledge and the SNP allele‐specific markers developed in this study could be used in breeding for clubroot resistance in B. napus.

Persistence of Escherichia coli in the microbiomes of red Romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. \u2018Outredgeous\u2019) and mizuna mustard (Brassica rapa var. japonica) - does seed sanitization matter?

BackgroundSeed sanitization via chemical processes removes/reduces microbes from the external surfaces of the seed and thereby could have an impact on the plants’ health or productivity. To determine the impact of seed sanitization on the plants’ microbiome and pathogen persistence, sanitized and unsanitized seeds from two leafy green crops, red Romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. ‘Outredgeous’) and mizuna mustard (Brassica rapa var. japonica) were exposed to Escherichia coli and grown in controlled environment growth chambers simulating environmental conditions aboard the International Space Station. Plants were harvested at four intervals from 7 days post-germination to maturity. The bacterial communities of leaf and root were investigated using the 16S rRNA sequencing while quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and heterotrophic plate counts were used to reveal the persistence of E. coli.ResultE. coli was detectable for longer periods of time in plants from sanitized versus unsanitized seeds and was identified in root tissue more frequently than in leaf tissue. 16S rRNA sequencing showed dynamic changes in the abundance of members of the phylum Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes in leaf and root samples of both leafy crops. We observed minimal changes in the microbial diversity of lettuce or mizuna leaf tissue with time or between sanitized and unsanitized seeds. Beta-diversity showed that time had more of an influence on all samples versus the E. coli treatment.ConclusionOur results indicated that the seed surface sanitization, a current requirement for sending seeds to space, could influence the microbiome. Insight into the changes in the crop microbiomes could lead to healthier plants and safer food supplementation.

Pre-sowing seed treatment with kinetin and calcium mitigates salt induced inhibition of seed germination and seedling growth of choysum (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis)

In recent years, improving plants' resistance towards abiotic stresses with exogenous application of plant growth regulators and nutrients has emerged as a matter of great interest. The present study assessed the potential roles of kinetin (Kn, 0.2 mM) and calcium (Ca, 2 mM) in mitigating the salt (200 mM NaCl) induced inhibitory effects on seed germination and growth of choysum seedlings. The results indicated that NaCl stress significantly reduced the seed germination percentage (42.6%), germination potential (42.0%), germination index (52.1%), seedling vigor index (65.2%), and declined the fresh weight (43.8%), dry weight (52.2%), radicle length (37.2%), and plumule length (41.2%) of germinated seeds, compared to control treatment. The delayed germination and decrease in seedling growth were positively correlated with salinity-induced hormonal imbalance, ion toxicity, and oxidative stress. However, Kn and Ca pretreatment partially mitigated the adverse effects of NaCl stress, evident by early germination and enhanced seedling growth. Kn and Ca effectively increased the accumulation of proline, soluble protein, and soluble sugars, and upregulated the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase that significantly reduced the production of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide anions in germinating seeds, thereby minimizing the NaCl-induced oxidative damages. Moreover, Kn and Ca pretreatment counteracted the NaCl-induced ionic toxicity by decreasing Na+ and increasing K+ contents and maintained a balanced Na+/K+ ratio in radicles and plumules of choysum seeds. Additionally, Kn and Ca under NaCl stress enhanced hormonal regulation by decreasing the ABA levels with a concomitant increase of GAs (especially GA4) levels and promoted early germination. Remarkably, the co-application of Kn and Ca was most effective by completely counteracting the inhibitory effects of NaCl and maintaining seed germination kinetics, seedling growth, and biochemical parameters almost similar to that in the stress-free control treatment. These results demonstrate that supplementation of Kn and Ca on choysum seeds is an effective chemical strategy regulating the various physiological and biochemical responses that would result in better germination and growth of seeds under stress conditions.

Human Health Risk Assessment of Some Selected Heavy Metals in <em>Brassica rapa</em> var. <em>parachinensis</em> in Peninsular Malaysia

Biomonitoring of heavy metals is an important part of the ecotoxicological study. However, without the application of the metal data to reflect human wellbeing, it is considered the low impact on the society. In this study, the heavy metals in green mustard Brassica rapa var. parachinensis were collected from Sikamat (Negeri Sembilan in 2013), Kg. Sitiawan (Perak in 2016), and Ara Kuda (Penang in 2016) of Peninsular Malaysia, were determined. The samples are analyzed for the concentrations of Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn by using the flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. For the leafy edible part, the metal concentrations (mg/kg dry weight) ranged from 16.1-18.5 for Cu, 145-207 for Fe, 1.02-1.64 for Ni, 0.90-2.73 for Pb, and 74.0-203 for Zn. These metal data were assessed for human health risks. It was found that all the values of target hazard quotients for Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn in both adults and children were less than 1.00. This exhibited there were no non-carcinogenic risks of the five metals through the intake of the Brassica from the present study. This could indicate that the accumulation of metals and pollution threshold is below the limit of causing hazardous effects to consumers. Nonetheless, regular assessment of health risks of heavy metals in this vegetable needs to be conducted from time to time these vegetables are prone to continuous heavy metal contamination.

Spatial Characterization of Microbial Communities on Multi-Species Leafy Greens Grown Simultaneously in the Vegetable Production Systems on the International Space Station.

The establishment of steady-state continuous crop production during long-term deep space missions is critical for providing consistent nutritional and psychological benefits for the crew, potentially improving their health and performance. Three technology demonstrations were completed achieving simultaneous multi-species plant growth and the concurrent use of two Veggie units on the International Space Station (ISS). Microbiological characterization using molecular and culture-based methods was performed on leaves and roots from two harvests of three leafy greens, red romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. ‘Outredgeous’); mizuna mustard, (Brassica rapa var japonica); and green leaf lettuce, (Lactuca sativa cv. Waldmann’s) and associated rooting pillow components and Veggie chamber surfaces. Culture based enumeration and pathogen screening indicated the leafy greens were safe for consumption. Surface samples of the Veggie facility and plant pillows revealed low counts of bacteria and fungi and are commonly isolated on ISS. Community analysis was completed with 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Comparisons between pillow components, and plant tissue types from VEG-03D, E, and F revealed higher diversity in roots and rooting substrate than the leaves and wick. This work provides valuable information for food production-related research on the ISS and the impact of the plant microbiome on this unique closed environment.

Antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of biosynthesized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) from Chinese lettuce (CL) leave extract (Brassica rapa var. pekinensis)

In this study, a methodology to produce the high-quality gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) from aqueous Chinese lettuce (CL) leave extract as a reducing agent is presented. The effect of various parameters including Chinese lettuce (CL) leave extract, time, pH, temperature, and concentration of HAuCl4 in AuNPs synthesis was studied using the UV–vis spectroscopy. The synthesized AuNPs were recognized with XRD, FTIR spectroscopy and also TEM analysis. In addition, antibacterial activity, antifungal activity, DPPH radical scavenging, ABTS radical scavenging, MTT assay, DAPI staining and flow cytometry against the A549 cells were examined. AuNPs synthesis produced a color change in the colloidal solution from light yellow to wine, and spectrum absorption showed the maximum peak about 521 nm indicating AuNPs formation. The optimum condition for AuNPs synthesis was 2 mM HAuCl4.3H2O and 3 ml CL leave extract at pH 6. The particle sizes of AuNPs were about 25 nm due to TEM results. XRD structural analysis confirmed that the nanoparticles have a crystalline structure with miller indexes (1 1 1), (2 0 0), (2 2 0) and (3 1 1) in the cubic network. Due to the FTIR analysis, the high stability of AuNPs can be attributed to the existence of CL leave extract on particles’ surfaces. No significant differences were observed in the cell viability at AuNPs concentration ranging from 0 to 2 μg/ml; however, A549 cells proliferation was strongly suppressed in a dose-dependent manner at concentrations higher than 4 μg/ml. Cytotoxicity results indicated that the viability of cells was 90% after 48 h of treatment with AuNPs. Also, a healthy nucleus with less chromatin condensation after 48 h of treatment was observed. These findings suggested that AuNPs did not have adverse the effects on chromatin and DNA of A549 cells. The results of apoptosis assay indicated that AuNPs did induce necrosis and apoptosis in A549 cells. Although CL leave extract and AuNPs due to CL leave extract showed little antimicrobial activity, they indicated profound antioxidant activity against DPPH. The scavenging activity for DPPH and ABTS in AuNPs were more than CL leaves extract. This study indicated the promising potential of synthetized small sized and highly uniform AuNPs.

Synergistic and Offset Effects of Fungal Species Combinations on Plant Performance.

In natural and agricultural ecosystems, survival and growth of plants depend substantially on residing microbes in the endosphere and rhizosphere. Although numerous studies have reported the presence of plant-growth promoting bacteria and fungi in below-ground biomes, it remains a major challenge to understand how sets of microbial species positively or negatively affect plants’ performance. By conducting a series of single- and dual-inoculation experiments of 13 plant-associated fungi targeting a Brassicaceae plant species (Brassica rapa var. perviridis), we here systematically evaluated how microbial effects on plants depend on presence/absence of co-occurring microbes. The comparison of single- and dual-inoculation experiments showed that combinations of the fungal isolates with the highest plant-growth promoting effects in single inoculations did not have highly positive impacts on plant performance traits (e.g., shoot dry weight). In contrast, pairs of fungi with small/moderate contributions to plant growth in single-inoculation contexts showed the greatest effects on plants among the 78 fungal pairs examined. These results on the offset and synergistic effects of pairs of microbes suggest that inoculation experiments of single microbial species/isolates can result in the overestimation or underestimation of microbial functions in multi-species contexts. Because keeping single-microbe systems under outdoor conditions is impractical, designing sets of microbes that can maximize performance of crop plants is an important step for the use of microbial functions in sustainable agriculture.

Intermittent Root Flushing with Ozonated Water Promotes Growth of Japanese Mustard Spinach (Brassica rapa var. perviridis) grown in a Nutrient Film Technique Hydroponic Culture—Preliminary Results

ABSTRACT Japanese mustard spinach with 4–5 unfolded leaves were transplanted in a nutrient film technique hydroponic system to investigate the effects of washing roots intermittently with ozonated water (OW) on plant growth. The high concentration of OW generated electrolytically was mixed in the nutrient solution tank, showed 5.8 mg.L−1, and circulated through the culture beds for 1 h every week. After washing the roots with OW or tap water (TW) as a control for 1 h, Otsuka house A solution (NO3-N: 16.8 me.L−1, NH4-N: 1.8 me.L−1, P: 5.1 me.L−1, K: 8.6 me.L−1, Ca: 8.2 me.L−1, Mg: 3.0 me.L−1) at 1.2 dS.m–1 was provided for plant cultivation in hydroponic culture systems. The OW or TW was replaced every week. The fresh and dry weights of the leaves, number of leaves, leaf length, and leaf width of plants treated with OW were significantly higher than those of the plants treated with TW at 1, 2, and 3 weeks after transplanting (WAT). The ratio of the shoot and root dry weights at 1, 2, and 3 WAT was significantly higher in plants grown in the OW flushing treatment compared with the control treatment. However, the roots dry weights were not significantly different between the OW- and TW-treated plants. Moreover, the number of coliform bacteria and aerobic plate count (APC) in the solution and plants were not significantly different between the two treatments. These results indicate that washing roots intermittently with 5.8 mg.L−1 dissolved ozone concentration of OW for 1 h per week promotes aerial plant growth without physiological disorder and is not accompanied by a decrease in the number of coliform bacteria and APC in the solution and plants.

Measurement of Environmentally Influenced Variations in Anthocyanin Accumulations in Brassica rapa subsp. Chinensis (Bok Choy) Using Hyperspectral Imaging

Dietary supplements of anthocyanin-rich vegetables have been known to increase potential health benefits for humans. The optimization of environmental conditions to increase the level of anthocyanin accumulations in vegetables during the cultivation periods is particularly important in terms of the improvement of agricultural values in the indoor farm using artificial light and climate controlling systems. This study reports on the measurement of variations in anthocyanin accumulations in leaf tissues of four different cultivars in Brassica rapa var. chinensis (bok choy) grown under the different environmental conditions of the indoor farm using hyperspectral imaging. Anthocyanin accumulations estimated by hyperspectral imaging were compared with the measured anthocyanin accumulation obtained by destructive analysis. Between hyperspectral imaging and destructive analysis values, no significant differences in anthocyanin accumulation were observed across four bok choy cultivars grown under the anthocyanin stimulation environmental condition, whereas the estimated anthocyanin accumulations displayed cultivar-dependent significant differences, suggesting that hyperspectral imaging can be employed to measure variations in anthocyanin accumulations of different bok choy cultivars. Increased accumulation of anthocyanin under the stimulation condition for anthocyanin accumulation was observed in “purple magic” and “red stem” by both hyperspectral imaging and destructive analysis. In the different growth stages, no significant differences in anthocyanin accumulation were found in each cultivar by both hyperspectral imaging and destructive analysis. These results suggest that hyperspectral imaging can provide comparable analytic capability with destructive analysis to measure variations in anthocyanin accumulation that occurred under the different light and temperature conditions of the indoor farm. Leaf image analysis measuring the percentage of purple color area in the total leaf area displayed successful classification of anthocyanin accumulation in four bok choy cultivars in comparison to hyperspectral imaging and destructive analysis, but it also showed limitation to reflect the level of color saturation caused by anthocyanin accumulation under different environmental conditions in “red stem,” “white stem,” and “green stem.” Finally, our hyperspectral imaging system was modified to be applied onto the high-throughput plant phenotyping system, and its test to analyze the variation of anthocyanin accumulation in four cultivars showed comparable results with the result of the destructive analysis.

Is Juglone the Only Naphthoquinone in Juglans regia L. with Allelopathic Effects?

We investigated whether juglone is the only allelochemical in a leaf extract from the walnut (Juglans regia L.). This was achieved through comparisons of the effects of pure juglone (1 mM, 100 μM, 10 μM control juglone) and J. regia leaf extract (prepared as 1 mM, 100 μM leaf juglone) on seed germination, seedling growth, and secondary metabolism of the selected crop vegetables. Two control treatments were also applied, as extraction medium and water. For inhibition of seed germination, S. lycopersicum, B. rapa var. japonica, and V. locusta were more sensitive to 1 mM leaf juglone, and L. sativa was more sensitive to 1 mM control juglone. This suggests that this walnut leaf extract contains specific phenolic substance(s) that can stimulate seed germination in some species and inhibit it in others. Seedling length was more sensitive to 1 mM leaf juglone than 1 mM control juglone, with selective strong inhibition of root length versus shoot length by 1 mM control juglone. Juglone also had significant effects on the secondary metabolism of L. sativa, in particular for seedlings treated with 100 μM control juglone, with marked decreases in all secondary metabolites studied. Flavonols constituted the majority of these metabolites in L. culinaris, which showed the least sensitivity to both control juglone and leaf juglone treatments. Thirty compounds were identified and quantified in S. lycopersicum, L. culinaris, and L. sativa, some for the first time in these plants, and all for the first time in the seedlings of these crop vegetables.

Sanchita (YSWB 2014/2) and Anushka (YSWB 2011-10-1) - two yellow sarson (Brassica rapa var. yellow sarson L.) varieties notified for West Bengal

Sanchita (YSWB 2014/2)was developed through crossing betweenRajendra Sarson and PYS 2005 and Anushka (YSWB 2011-10-1) was developed through crossing between Benoy (B-9) and Rajendra Sarson. Both the varieties were tested during rabi 2010-11 to 2015-16 at different locations with National Checks (NC) YSH-0401, NRCYS-05-02 and PT-303, the latest release (LR) Pitambari and the Zonal Check (ZC) B-9 and Panchali. Sanchita has the distinction of attaining 24.04% yield advantage over YSH-0401, 6.7% over Pitambari and 26.7% over B-9. It also registered 8% higher oil yield advantage over YSH-0401, 7% over Pitambari and 32.9% over B-9. Anushka registered 29% higher mean seed yield during 2010-11 and 18% higher mean seed yield during 2012-13 over B-9. During 2014-15, Anushka also recorded 8.7%, 9.0% higher seed yield and 13.9 and 14.2% higher oil yield over the two toria varieties Panchali and PT-303, respectively. It was 10-12 days earlier in maturity than Benoy. Superior performance of Sanchita and Anushka in the coordinated and multilocation trials over the years, led to their notification by Central Variety Release Committee (CVRC) for release in West Bengal. Molecular marker analysis depicted distinct SSR alleles for Sanchita and Anushka compared to Benoy.

Method for Rapid Labeling of Waste Sludge from a Food Factory with 15N-Glycine and Evaluation of N Use Using Komatsuna (Brassica rapa Var. perviridis)

The waste sludge from food factories has rich nutrients and useful material for fertilizer or animal feed, but quick treatments and recycling of the waste sludge are difficult due to its higher water content. We have developed a rapid composting system to make sludge fertilizer using mix of waste sludge and shredded newspaper (Sludge Fertilizer Made by Paper Mixing Method, SF-PMM). The mixture was incubated in a box reactor, continuously aerated with warm air around 35°C, and changed to mature SF-PMM, in only two weeks. To search movement of N from the SF-PMM to plants, we developed a new method to label small amounts of SF-PMM with 15N-glycine. 50 L of wastewater from a food factory was incubated with 1 L of active sludge and 3 g of 15N-glycine (98 atom% 15N), and 175 g of labeled sludge was obtained in a day. This sludge was mixed with 25 g of newspaper chips, packed between two steel meshes, and placed at 20 cm depth in the reactor composting 200 kg of unlabeled sludge-paper mixture. Composting was restarted, and after about 7 days of reaction, 15N-labeled SF-PMM 7.03 atom% 15N was obtained. The surrounding unlabeled compost contained 4.0, 4.0, and 0.8% of N, P2O5, and K2O, respectively. C/N and pH were 10 and 7.4, respectively. Komatsuna (Brassica rapa var. perviridis) was cultivated in a pot with 50 and 100 mg N of SF-PMM, and healthy plants were obtained as in the Control experiments containing 50 mg N ammonium sulfate. No growth inhibition was observed in these experiments. Even in 100 mg SF-PMM, excellent growth of the roots was observed. About 56% of the N in the plant was shown to come from 15N-SF-PMM, and about 6% of the total15N in the 15N-SF-PMM was also shown to be incorporated into the plant.

Light-Time-Biomass Response Model for Predicting the Growth of Choy Sum (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis) in Soil-Based LED-Constructed Indoor Plant Factory for Efficient Seedling Production.

Little is known about how exactly light plays its role in the growth of choy sum (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis), a widely cultivated vegetable in Asia. By applying a commercial soil using black peat as major constituent with 17:10:14 ratio of NPK fertilizer in this study, the growth responses of choy sum seedling to progressively increasing white LED light intensity in an indoor plant factory were investigated, where positive enhancements were observed in choy sum morphology and growth including both dry and fresh mass accumulation under higher light intensity till 400 μmol/(m2⋅s), then a reduction occurred due to light oversaturation and overheat. In indoor plant factory, the inhomogeneous distribution phenomenon of illumination level was inevitably occurred in indoor farm racks generally. For accurately evaluating the productivity of choy sum grown on such racks, a light-time-biomass response model of choy sum seedling grown at the seedling stage was thus established for the first time, which could reliably predict the production outcome of this species in indoor farming practice under various lighting condition and duration. The robustness of the model was further tested by model variation test and sufficient robustness of this model was confirmed. The new insight obtained for the light-dependence of choy sum growth and the light-time-biomass response model can be used to efficiently direct its seedling production in indoor plant factories.

Effect of Different Plants on the Growth and Reproduction of Thrips flavus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae).

Simple SummaryThrips flavus Schrank (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is a worldwide phytophagous pest in Palearctic Asian and European countries. T. flavus feeds on a wide spectrum of host plants. Thus, understanding its host plant preferences is important for pest control. We tested the development duration, population parameters, and population growth of T. flavus on five species of plants. The intrinsic rate of increase and fecundity was the highest on Cucumis sativus, followed by Glycine max and Capsicum annuum. However, Solanum melongena and Brassica rapa var. glabra were not suitable host plants. These results help to improve our understanding of the population dynamics of T. flavus and should lead to positive measures to control thrips in the field.Host plants play an important role in affecting insect development and reproduction. Understanding the host plant preferences is important for pest control. Thrips flavus Schrank (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is a worldwide phytophagous pest in Palearctic Asian and European countries. We used a life table analysis to study the development duration, population parameters, and population growth of T. flavus on five plant species, including Solanum melongena (Solanaceae), Capsicum annuum (Solanaceae), Glycine max (Leguminosae), Brassica rapa var. glabra (Cruciferae), and Cucumis sativus (Cucurbitaceae). The results showed that T. flavus can survive and reproduce on Cu. sativus and G. max, which were two potentially suitable host plants. T. flavus preferred to oviposit on Cu. sativus with a shorter duration of development (17.8 days) at 25 °C. Therefore, the host plant was an important factor influencing the development and fecundity of T. flavus populations. These results will improve our understanding of the population dynamics of T. flavus and facilitate the development of more scientific and efficient measures to control thrips.

The Effect of Organic Biofertilizer on The Growth of Mustard Greens (Brassica Rapa Var. Parachinensis L) in Peat Soils as a Support for Practicum Material for Plant Growth and Development in Grade XII High School

Peatlands are potential land for horticultural crops. Organic biofertilizer is one of the alternative fertilizers that can increase fertility, soil quality, and health, as well as provide sufficient nutrients needed by plants to grow well, increase plant production and be more environmentally friendly. This study was conducted to determine the effect of organic biofertilizer on the growth of mustard greens (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis L) in peat soil media, and to determine the composition of an effective organic biofertilizer to support the growth of mustard greens (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis L) in peat soil media. This research is an experimental research type with a completely randomized design (CRD) consisting of 6 treatments and 4 replications. The independent variable of this study was organic biofertilizer, while the dependent variable was mustard greens (Brassica rapa var. Parachinensis L) and the growth of mustard greens on peat soil media. The results obtained in this study were based on the statistical analysis of One Way Anova after 30 DAS, the number of leaves F_hitung (6.88)> F_ (table 5%) (2.77), leaf width F (count) (8.901)> F (table 5%) (2.77) and wet weight F_count (12.30)> F (table 5%) (2.77). All data show F_ (count)> F_ (table 5%), this means that organic biofertilizer has a significant effect on the growth of mustard plants in peat soil media. The best biofertilizer composition used is the AS treatment which contains microorganisms consisting of Pseudomonas sp, Bacillus sp, Klebsiella sp, Aspergillus sp, and Azotobacter sp.