Shoot Root Length Research Articles

A method for experimental warming of developing tree seeds with a common garden demonstration of seedling responses

BackgroundForest dieback driven by rapid climate warming threatens ecosystems worldwide. The health of forested ecosystems depends on how tree species respond to warming during all life history stages. While it is known that seed development is temperature-sensitive, little is known about possible effects of climate warming on seed development and subsequent seedling performance. Exposure of seeds to high air temperatures may influence subsequent seedling performance negatively, though conversely, warming during seed development may aid acclimation of seedlings to subsequent thermal stress. Technical challenges associated with in-situ warming of developing tree seeds limit understanding of how tree species may respond to seed development in a warmer climate.ResultsWe developed and validated a simple method for passively warming seeds as they develop in tree canopies to enable controlled study of climate warming on seedling performance. We quantified thermal effects of the cone-warming method across individual pine trees and stands by measuring the air temperature surrounding seed cones using thermal loggers and the temperature of seed cone tissue using thermocouples. We then investigated seedling phenotypes in relation to the warming method through a common garden study. We assessed seedling morphology, physiology, and mycorrhizal nodulation in response to experimental cone-warming in 20 seed-source-tree canopies on the San Francisco Peaks in northern Arizona, USA. The warming method increased air temperature surrounding developing seed cones by 2.1 °C, a plausible increase in mean air temperature by 2050 under current climate projections. Notable effect sizes of cone-warming were detected for seedling root length, shoot length, and diameter at root collar using Cohen’s Local f2. Root length was affected most by cone-warming, but effect sizes of cone-warming on root length and diameter at root collar became negligible after the first year of growth. Cone-warming had small but significant effects on mycorrhizal fungal richness and seedling multispectral near-infrared indices indicative of plant health.ConclusionsThe method was shown to reliably elevate the temperature surrounding seed cones and thereby facilitate experimental in-situ climate warming research on forest trees. The method was furthermore shown to influence plant traits that may affect seedling performance under climate warming.

Agro-morphometric Diversity Analysis in Carrot Germplasm from Indian Genebank

Carrot is a nutrient rich and commercially important root vegetable in India. A study was undertaken in rabi seasons of 2015-16 and 2016-17 to assess the agro-morphological diversity in 100 accessions collected from different regions of India and from other countries. Wide variation was observed in accessions for qualitative (root and core colour) and quantitative (plant length, root length and length, shoulder, root, core size, number of leaves per plant, total plant weight root yield etc.) traits. Maximum accessions had red and mixture of light red (45) to light purple roots (38). Only orange accessions had uniformity in root shape and colour. Wide variation was observed in root length (13.6-25.6 cm) and shoot length (25.0 - 88.3 cm). The study revealed wide variation in carrot germplasm maintained by Indian genebank, however, intra-population variation needs to be fixed before use in breeding.

Green and chemically synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles: effects on in-vitro seedlings and callus cultures of Silybum marianum and evaluation of their antimicrobial and anticancer potential

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have been produced by physical and chemical methods. Here, the comparative evaluation of both chemically-synthesised ZnO-NPs (C-ZNPs) and in-vitro cultured S. marianum mediated green-synthesised ZnO-NPs (G-ZNPs) were investigated on seed germination frequency, root and shoot growth, callus induction and biochemical profile of medicinally important plant Silybum marianum. Of all the treatments, callus-mediated ZnO-NPs gave optimum results for seed germination (65%), plantlet’s root length (4.3 cm), shoot length (5.3 cm) and fresh and dry weights (220.4 g L−1 and 21.23 g L−1, respectively). Similarly, the accumulation of phenolic (12.3 µg/mg DW) and flavonoid (2.8 µg/mg DW) contents were also enhanced in callus cultures treated with G-ZNPs. We also observed maximum antioxidant activity (99%) in callus cultures treated with G-ZNPs, however, in case of plantlets, these activities were found highest for in-vitro whole plant-mediated ZnO-NPs. Moreover, G-ZNPs also enhanced total protein content (265.32 BSAE/20g FW) in callus cultures. G-ZNPs were further assessed for their effects on several multidrug resistant bacterial strains and human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells and our findings revealed that callus extracts treated with G-ZNPs show ameliorated antibacterial (highest zone of inhibition (19 mm) against Klebsiella pneumonia) and anticancer (highest cytotoxicity of 64%) activities.

APLICAÇÃO DE BIOINOCULANTES DE SOLO COMPOSTADO PARA PROMOÇÃO DO CRESCIMENTO DE RÚCULA (Eruca sativa), CENOURA (Daucus carota sativus) e RABANETE (Raphanus sativus)

O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a capacidade da inoculação com consórcio microbiano de promover o crescimento de rúcula, cenoura e rabanete. As sementes das hortaliças foram semeadas diretamente no canteiro e banhadas com inoculante microbiano ou com água destilada (controle). Amostras inoculadas tiveram um aumento no comprimento da raiz e da parte aérea, na largura e no número de folhas e na massa total fresca. Os resultados demostraram que o uso de inoculantes melhora o crescimento de rúcula, cenoura e rabanete, sendo uma alternativa sustentável na produção de hortaliças.

Effect of lead (Pb) on seed germination of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica Forsk)

In this research, the effect of lead (Pb) on seed germination rate (%) of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica Forsk) have been investigated. The seeds were placed in 6 × 4 × 2 cm rockwool moistened with distilled water (control) and aqueous solutions of PbCl2 (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 μM). Germination test was done by sowing fifteen water spinach seeds with six replicates for each concentration Pb level for 4 days. Several parameters have been observed in the seed germination test. Such stress conditions revealed that by increasing the concentration of lead, the germination rate (%), the tolerance index (TI), and the seedling vigor index (SVI) decreased significantly, suggesting their toxic effect on water spinach. The obtained data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. The results showed that for lead-treated seeds were significantly different compared to the controls and showed a gradual decrease towards an increase in lead concentration (Pb) in shoot and root fresh weight, shoot and root length, SVI, and, TI. Germination percentage and seedling dry weight of lead-treated germinated seeds were not significantly different compared to the controls. Due to limitations of the data, the maximum lead concentration thresholds for water spinach cannot be accurately determined, but it can be inferred that they would be greater than 100 and less than 200, respectively.

ALLELOPATHIC INFLUENCE OF POPPY (Papaver somniferum L.) ON EMERGENCE AND INITIAL SEEDLING GROWTH OF RED RICE (Oryza punctata L.)

Allelopathy plays crucial role in effective weed control. Opium (Papaver somniferum L.) crop release different allelochemicals at maturity which have potential to act as natural weeds control in different crops. Phytotoxic effect of Papaver somniferum was examined on germination and initial seedling growth of red rice (Oryza punctata L.). Aqueous extract of different plant parts (leaves, stem and flower) were used at various concentrations (0.25%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 4% and 8%) along with distilled water as control. The aqueous extracts of leaves, stem and flower of P. somniferum were significantly inhibited the emergence, seedling growth as well as root length (cm), shoot length (cm), fresh weight (g) and dry weight (g) of O. punctata. Maximum mean emergence time (9.18 days) and minimum shoot length (1.13 cm) whereas minimum emergence index (0.89) and emergence percentage (6.67%) was observed under fruit extract at 8% concentration. P. somniferum aqueous extract of stem at 8% concentration take maximum time to complete 50% emergence minimum root length, fresh weight, dry weight of O. punctata. Based on this finding it can be concluded that the phyto-chemicals present in P. somniferum at 8% concentration may cause losses to the related as well as succeeding weeds through allelopathy and must be removed from the field to avoid destructive effects of these weeds.

Effects of salt and PEG-induced drought stress on seedling performance of perennial ryegrasses (Lolium perenne L.) cultivars

Amaç: Bu çalışma, Lolium perenne çeşitlerinin fide gelişim aşamalarında tuz ve kuraklık stresine tepkisini belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır.Yöntem ve Bulgular: Tohum materyali olarak dört çok yıllık çim çeşidi (Apple GL, Ecologic, Barminton ve Solstice II) kullanılmıştır. Lolium perenne çeşitlerinde fide gelişim aşamalarında tuz (0, 50, 100, 150 ve 200 mM NaCl) ve kuraklık (0, -0.4, -0.8, -1.2. ve -1.6 MPa, PEG-6000) stresi oluşturmak için beş farklı dozda sodyum klorür ve polietilen glikol kullanılmıştır. Fide gelişimi denemeleri tesadüf parselleri deneme deseninde faktöriyel düzende 4 tekrarlamalı olarak yürütülmüştür. Lolium Perenne çeşitlerinin fide gelişimi, tuz ve kuraklık stresine toleransları araştırılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda tuz uygulamasında fide kök uzunluğu hariç tüm özelliklerde çeşit, tuz stresi ve çeşit x tuz stresi interaksiyonların önemli olduğu belirlenmiştir. Kuraklık uygulamasında fide kök uzunluğu ve fide sap uzunluğu hariç tüm özelliklerde çeşit x PEG interaksiyonların önemli olduğu belirlenmiştir. Genellikle tuz ve kuraklık stresi arttıkça incelenen özelliklerde önemli azalma olduğu ortaya konmuştur.Genel Yorum: Lolium perenne çeşitlerinin fide gelişimi incelenen özelliklere göre, farklı oranda tepkiler vermiştir. Tuz’un ve PEG-6000'in Lolium perenne fide gelişiminde kuraklık stresi yaratmada yararlı bir ajan olduğu sonucuna varılabilir, ancak Lolium perenne tuz ve kuraklık stres toleransını daha iyi belirlemek için (150 mM )tuz ve (-1.2 MPa)'dan daha düşük ozmotik potansiyeller uygulanmalıdır. Çalışmanın Önemi ve Etkisi: Küresel ısınmanın etkilerini giderek hissedildiği günümüzde kuraklık sorunu ve alternatif su kaynaklarının kullanımına toleranslı tür ve çeşitlerin belirlenmesi çok önemli olacaktır. Kuraklık ve tuzluluk problemine toleranslı tür ve çeşitlerin kısa dönemde belirlenmesi de ayrıca önem taşımaktadır. 21 gün gibi kısa bir çalışma süreci ile yeşil alanlarda kullanılabilecek çeşitlerin test edilmesi tuzluluğa veya kurağa dayanıklı ya da toleranslı çeşidin belirlenmesi çim alanların sürdürülebilirliği açısından önem arz etmektedir.

The Effectiveness of Different Priming Treatments on Seeds of Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) Varieties

Bu araştırmada, farklı patlıcan çeşitlerine ait tohumların hidropriming (HP), ozmopriming (OP) ve termopriming (TP) uygulamalarının tohum çimlenme kalitesi üzerine etkileri araştırılmıştır. Manisa kır çizgili (MKÇ), Kemer 27 (K) ve Aydın Siyahı (AS) çeşitlerinin farklı olgunluk seviyelerinde hasat edilen (çiçeklenmeden sonraki 50, 55, 60 ve 75 gün sonra) patlıcan tohumları 35 0C’de 4 ve 8 saat (1:2/karanlık-aydınlık koşulda) süre boyunca, %10’luk PEG-6000 ile OP, 35 0C’de 4 ve 8 saat (1:2/karanlık-aydınlık koşulda) sürede saf su ile HP ve 50°C’de 2 farklı sürede (15 ve 30 dakika) su banyosunda TP işlemlerine tabi tutulmuştur. Tüm çeşitlerde kontrol ve uygulama gruplarında tohum nem miktarları belirlenmiştir. Uygulamalar sonunda tohumlar yüzey kuruluğu sağlanıncaya kadar bekletilerek ardından petri çimlendirme testine tabi tutulmuştur. Denemeler sonucunda, patlıcan tohumlarının OP, HP ve TP uygulamaları ile canlılık (ortalama çimlenme oranı ve süresi, fide kök-sürgün uzunlukları) bazında değerlendirilmiştir. İncelenen parametreler değerlendirildiğinde, priming olumlu etkisi tohumların olgunluğu ile ilişkili olduğu görülmüştür. Bağımlı değişkenler olan normal ve toplam çimlenme parametreleri; priming, çeşit, olgunluk ve bunların interaksiyonu ile istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bulunmuştur (p

EFFECTS OF SALT STRESS ON THE GROWTH TRAITS OF CHICKPEA (CICER ARIETINUM L.) AND PEA (PISUM SATIVUM L.) SEEDLINGS

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and pea (Pisum sativum L.) both are important legume crops grown throughout the world for protein and they also contain essential vitamins and fibers. Chick pea and pea are very sensitive to abiotic stress that includes heat, drought, cold and salt stress conditions. To access the effects of salt stress on the chick pea and pea an experiment was performed in the Green House of Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore, Lahore. The seeds of both genotypes were grown in 18 pots with 2 kg pure sand and applied different concentrations of NaCl stress after 7 days of germination. The application of salt treatments was repeated 4 times each after 7days interval and data of different morphological traits was recorded each time. The treatments were included control, 0.25Molar NaCl, 0.5Molar NaCl concentrations. The data was recorded and pooled analysis of variance was carried out for significance of results. The average root length was recorded as 5.7522±0.0211cm and shoot length (11.139±0.0011cm) while average fresh plant weight was recorded as 0.5811±0.0002g under different salt stress conditions. The finding of our result proved that both varieties chickpea and pea showed variable behavior under salt stress conditions while the pea genotype showed more tolerant against different salt treatments which indicated pea genotypes may be used for future breeding to improve yield and growth of pea crop. The results showed that there was significant and positive correlation among root length, shoot length and leaf length of chickpea and pea seedlings which concluded that root length and shoot length may be used as selection criteria to induced stress tolerance in crop plants.

GENETIC ASSOCIATION AMONG MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS OF ZEA MAYS SEEDLINGS UNDER SALT STRESS

Zea mays is an important cereal crop which has been used by human from last thousands of years as grain crop. It is very sensitive for drought, heat, cold, salinity and heavy metals toxicity. For evaluating corn for salt stress we have conducted an experiment in the greenhouse of IMBB, University of the Lahore. Four maize genotypes were selected for our research work, viz., B-316, EV-1097Q, Raka-poshi and Sahiwal-2002 under the treatments of salt were kept as following: control, 0.2Molar NaCl, 0.5Molar NaCl, 0.7Molar NaCl and 1Molar NaCl. The selection of genotypes for high shoot and root length under treatments 0.5Molar NaCl, 0.7Molar NaCl may be fruitful for the improvement of crop production and productivity. It was found from results that the B-316 performed better under all stress treatments for seedling traits as compared with EV-1097Q and Sahiwal-2020 maize genotypes. The results showed that higher genetic advance and heritability was recorded for both root length and shoot length. The significant and positive correlation was recorded among root length, shoot length, root dry weight and shoot dry weight. The regression analysis showed that the higher contribution for shoot length was found for root length. It was concluded from our study that the selection of maize genotypes may be fruitful on the basis of root length and shoot length to improve grain yield under salt stress conditions.

GENETIC VARIABILITY AND ASSOCIATION AMONG SEEDLING TRAITS OF ZEA MAYS UNDER DROUGHT STRESS CONDITIONS

Maize is an important food crop for human and feed for animals or livestock. It is highly sensitive for abiotic and biotic stress conditions. An experiment was conducted in the greenhouse of Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore for the determination of effects of drought on maize growth related seedling traits. Four maize genotypes/varieties viz., B-316, Raka-poshi, Pak-Afghoi and EV-1097Q were grown to evaluate the effects of drought stress. Four drought treatments were used including 20% irrigation water, 40% irrigation water, 60% irrigation water, 80% irrigation water, 90% irrigation water and control or 100% irrigation water. It was found that the genotypes B-316 and Raka-poshi showed better performance for all studied traits especial shoot and root length as compared with other two genotypes EV-109Q and Pak-Afghoi. The minimum effects of drought were reported at control and 90% irrigation water. The effects of drought were increased with the increase in concentration of drought stress. The adverse drought effects were reported under the treatment of drought at 20% and 40% irrigation water. The higher genetic advance and heritability was recorded for root length, shoot length, dry shoot weight and dry root weight. The significant correlation was recorded between root length, shoot length and dry shoot weight. The higher contribution for shoot length was reported for root length, dry shoot weight and number of roots per plant. It was concluded from study that the selection of maize genotypes on the basis of root length, shoot length and dry shoot weight may be fruitful to produce drought stress tolerance maize hybrids and synthetic varieties.

GENETIC EVALUATION FOR SEEDLING TRAITS OF MAIZE AND WHEAT UNDER BIOGAS WASTEWATER, SEWAGE WATER AND DROUGHT STRESS CONDITIONS

Cereals grains have feed mankind since their domestication thousands of years ago and remained the most important source of calories for the majority of human population. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and Maize (Zea mays L.) are used as staple food for more than 50% of world population. For evaluation of wheat and maize genotype under biogas wastewater, sewage water and drought stress, an experiment was conducted in the greenhouse of Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan. The treatments of biogas wastewater, sewage water and drought for maize and wheat genotypes were kept as following T1: control (normal irrigation condition) T2 (sewage water 100ml), T3 (biogas wastewater 100ml), T4 (drought 75% (25ml water)), T5 (biogas 150ml) and T6 (sewage water 150ml) respectively). It was observed from the results that the performance of maize and wheat genotypes were highly variable under biogas wastewater, sewage water and drought treatments. The treatment of sewage water (150ml) and drought (75%) were found as the higher toxic treatments of maize and wheat which were predicted as they may cause to decrease in the photosynthetic rate, productivity and growth of plants. The significant correlation was found between root length and shoot length for both of the genotypes. It was found from the results that maize genotype (Raka-poshi) performed better under most of the stress treatments as compared with wheat genotype (Galaxy-2013) while the higher genetic advance and heritability were reported for maize genotype which revealed that the maize may used to grow for higher grain production under biogas wastewater, sewage water and drought stress conditions.

EVALUATION OF MAIZE SEEDLING TRAITS UNDER SALT STRESS

Maize is an important cereal crop lies at third after wheat and rice in Pakistan. It is very sensitive to salt, heat, drought, cold and heavy metal stresses. To evaluate the effects of salt (NaCl) on maize plant we have conducted a research experiment in the Green House of Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore, Lahore. We select hybrid P1429, P5971 and P6103 of Maize to access the effect of different concentrations of NaCl stress included control, 0.25Molar NaCl, 0.5Molar NaCl, 0.75Molar NaCl, and 1Molar NaCl applications. The pots were filled with pure sand and seeds of each hybrid were sown in each pot and were let to germinate. After 7 days of germination the data was collected for leaf length, root length, shoot length and root/shoot length ratio. The pots were then given the treatment and data of above mentioned traits was recorded, the application of treatments and data recording were repeated 4 times. The data recorded (4 times each after one week) was subjected to pooled analysis of variance to find significant differences among hybrids and treatments. The result of our study showed that there were significant correlation among root length, shoot length and leaf length of seedlings, from average performance of hybrid P6103 was better as compared with other two hybrids under higher salt stress conditions. It was suggested from our study that the hybrid P6103 may be used as salt tolerance hybrids for improving grain and fodder yield of maize under salt stress condition.

Genetic Variability in Physiological Seed Quality of Maize Genotypes of Different Maturity Groups

A study was conducted to investigate genetic variability in physiological seed quality using viability and vigour tests which were conducted at the seed testing laboratory of Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Moor Plantation, Ibadan. The investigational materials consisted of twelve genotypes of maize of different maturity-early, intermediate and late collected from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan and IAR&T, Moor Plantation, Ibadan, respectively. The experimental design used was completely randomize design (CRD) and data was collected for some viability and vigour traits and the data collected were subjected to analysis of variance. Significant differences were found among all the maize genotypes for the characters under observation. Hundred seed weight ranged from 24.6-29.3 g, 18.5-26.6 g, 22.9-29.1 g, standard germination ranged from 54.0-100.0%, 16.0-92.0%, 50.0-100% and accelerate ageing germination also ranged from 6.0-96.0%, 7.0-84.0%, 0-90.0% in the early, intermediate and late- maturing genotypes, respectively. Conductivity ranged from 5.34-17.10 µS/cm/g, 13.7-91.7 µS/cm/g and7.06-33.6 µS/cm/g with mean values of 11.14, 39.23 and 14.05 µS/cm/g in the early, intermediate and late-maturing genotypes, respectively. Variability was smaller in the late-maturing genotypes for Root Number (RN) and Shoot Length (SLT) but higher for both early and late- maturing genotypes. It was concluded from this study that seeds of early-maturing genotypes had significantly higher physical and physiological quality parameters. All the early materials used for the study tend to be homogenous for all the traits measured and selection should be practiced for hundred seed weight to increase yield potential in maize varieties.

EVALUATION OF SALT AND HEAVY METAL STRESS FOR SEEDLING TRAITS IN WHEAT

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important cereal crop of the world. It is one of the staple foods for major portion of world population. There are various biotic and abiotic factors responsible for low production of wheat in our country. Among these factors, soil salinity is major problem playing an important role in soil degradation, thus consequently reducing wheat production and quality. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of various salinity and heavy metal levels against three wheat cultivars fir salinity resistance. Three different varieties of wheat were screened against the salinity under controlled conditions in the laboratory of tissue culture, University of Lahore. Seeds of three wheat varieties (Anaj-2006, Faisalabad-2008 and Inqalab-91) were sown in seedling trays. NaCl and CuSO4 were applied as salinity and heavy metal treatment upon wheat cultivars. In order to evaluate, hazardous effects of salinity and heavy metal on wheat certain growth parameters were observed i.e. leaf length and width, leaf area, stem and root length, fresh and dry weight of leaf, stem and root, root shoot length ratio and photometry of leaf, stem and root was measured. Results depicts salinity and heavy metal application has negative correlation with growth parameters of wheat particularly combine application of NaCl and CuSo4 have led to impose major detrimental effects on wheat cultivars. Regarding varietal comparison, “Anaj-2006” proved to be comparatively better in context of less salt’s residual accumulation in leaf, stem and roots along with lower root to shoot length ratio thus exhibiting a strong genetic potential to keep surviving and maintain healthy growth. However, it was concluded that salinity and heavy metal have adversely affected growth and yield potential of “Faisalabad-2008”. So conclusively, there is dare need to screen out indigenous and exotic wheat germplasm available throughout the country for finding some suitable genetic resources having moderate to high resistance levels against salinity and heavy metal which can be further used for breeding purpose in varietal improvement program.

Mechanistic elucidation of germination potential and growth of Sesbania sesban seedlings with Bacillus anthracis PM21 under heavy metals stress: An in vitro study

Soils contaminated with heavy metals such as Chromium (Cr) and Cadmium (Cd) severely impede plant growth. Several rhizospheric microorganisms support plant growth under heavy metal stress. In this study, Cr and Cd stress was applied to in vitro germinating seedlings of a Legume plant species, Sesbania sesban, and investigated the plant growth potential in presence and absence of Bacillus anthracis PM21 bacterial strain under heavy metal stress. The seedlings were exposed to different concentrations of Cr (25–75 mg/L) and Cd (100–200 mg/L) in Petri plates. Growth curve analysis of B. anthracis PM21 revealed its potential to adapt Cr and Cd stress. The bacteria supported plant growth by exhibiting ACC-deaminase activity (1.57–1.75 μM of α-ketobutyrate/h/mg protein), producing Indole-3-acetic acid (99–119 μM/mL) and exopolysaccharides (2.74–2.98 mg/mL), under heavy metal stress condition. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences in growth parameters between the seedlings with and without bacterial inoculation in metal stress condition. The combined Cr+Cd stress (75 + 200 mg/L) significantly reduced root length (70%), shoot length (24%), dry weight (54%) and fresh weight (57%) as compared to control. Conversely, B. anthracis PM21 inoculation to seedlings significantly increased (p ≤ 0.05) seed germination percentage (5%), root length (31%), shoot length (23%) and photosynthetic pigments (Chlorophyll a: 20%; Chlorophyll b: 16% and total chlorophyll: 18%), as compared to control seedlings without B. anthracis PM21 inoculation. The B. anthracis PM21 inoculation also enhanced activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (52%), peroxidase (66%), and catalase (21%), and decreased proline content (56%), electrolyte leakage (50%), and malondialdehyde concentration (46%) in seedlings. The B. anthracis PM21 inoculated seedlings of S. sesban exhibited significantly high (p ≤ 0.05) tissue deposition of Cr (17%) and Cd (16%) as compared to their control counterparts. Findings of the study suggested that B. anthracis PM21 endured metal stress through homeostasis of antioxidant activities, and positively impacted S. sesban growth and biomass. Further experiments in controlled conditions are necessary for investigating phytoremediation potential of S. sesban in metal-contaminated soils in presence of B. anthracis PM21 bacterial strain.

Effect of indigenous beneficial rhizobacterial isolates on growth of Litchi seedlings

A pot experiment was conducted to observe the effect of indigenous strains of rhizobacteria isolated from litchi orchards of East Champaran, Bihar (India) on the growth and survivability of litchi seedlings. Three efficient native rhizobacterial isolates belonging to genera Pseudomonas, Azotobacter and Ochrobactrum were used in seven different combinations and their effect on germination rate, shoot height, root length, number of leaves were observed and recorded in litchi seedlings. Pot 7 containing mixed combination of all the three isolates in equal proportion showed maximum root length (11.7 cm) and shoot length (12.5 cm), early germination as compared to control Pot P8 devoid of any isolates. Pot 4 (Pseudomonas + Azotobacter) and pot 5 (Pseudomonas + Ochrobactrum) also gave satisfactory result in all the parameters recorded. The results clearly state that, mixture of all the three rhizobacterial isolates as “Biomix” produced stimulatory growth results on litchi seedlings as compared to sole application and control. This “Biomix” could be used for formulating effective biofertilizers for litchi orchards in future.

Maximizing Hybrid Seedlings Recovery and Early Identification of Highly Polyembryonic Acid Lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swing.) × Lemon (Citrus limon Burm.) Hybrids using SSR Markers

Abstract Nucellar embryony is the major obstacle in getting hybrid seedlings in interspecific crosses in citrus. Hence, the present study was conducted to standardize embryo age, culture media for maximizing germination, and subsequent identification of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to differentiate the hybrids. A factorial experiment was conducted with three embryo ages – 80–90, 110–120, and 130–140 days after pollination (DAP). The germination of the rescued immature embryos of acid lime × lemon crosses was initiated on three different growing media. The fruits harvested at 130–140 and 80–90 DAP had a higher number of functional seeds (90%). Older embryos (130–140 DAP) and middle-aged embryos (110–120 DAP) germinated in 100% on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 500 mg·l−1 malt extract, 1.5 mg·l−1 gibberellic acid (GA3), and 0.02 mg·l−1 naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). MS medium supplemented with 500 mg·l−1 malt extract proved better for the germination of embryos taken at 80–90 DAP. Plantlet survival was the highest in younger embryos (80–90 DAP) cultured on MS basal medium (84.21%) and the lowest in older embryos cultured on MS medium supplemented with 500 mg·l−1 malt extract plus 1.5 mg·l−1 GA3 and 0.02 mg·l−1 NAA. The seedlings obtained from the culture 80–90 DAP had the highest root length (4.9 mm) and shoot length (5.3 mm) at 60 days after inoculation (DAI) on the above medium. SSR marker analysis revealed that CCSM-4 and CAC-33 markers expressed polymorphism between female and male parents, proving their ability to identify the hybrids of ‘Kagzi’ acid lime × ‘Konkan Seedless’ lemon.

Effects Of Fish Amino Acid (Faa) Application on Growth and Development of Okra (Abelmoschus Esculentus) at Different Sampling Times

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of fish amino acid (FAA) application on growth and development of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) with different sampling times. It was placed at Soil Science Laboratory, Blok Pakar at the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI). The okra plant was treated with a different amount of FAA (5 mL and 10 mL). Total of experimental units were 24. The used experimental design was Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD). The parameters such as root length, shoot length, plant biomass, soil pH and soil moisture content were analysed after 2 weeks and 4 weeks of transplanting. The data was analysed by using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and means comparison were using Tukey HSD test with significant level (P≤0.05). Results showed that FAA application and different sampling times were significantly affected the shoot length of okra. Besides, the volume of FAA and the number of weeks were significantly affected the soil pH and the soil moisture content, respectively. However, the addition of FAA application did not affect the root length and plant biomass of okra.

Desert Soil Microbes as a Mineral Nutrient Acquisition Tool for Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Productivity at Different Moisture Regimes.

Drought is a major constraint in drylands for crop production. Plant associated microbes can help plants in acquisition of soil nutrients to enhance productivity in stressful conditions. The current study was designed to illuminate the effectiveness of desert rhizobacterial strains on growth and net-return of chickpeas grown in pots by using sandy loam soil of Thal Pakistan desert. A total of 125 rhizobacterial strains were isolated, out of which 72 strains were inoculated with chickpeas in the growth chamber for 75 days to screen most efficient isolates. Amongst all, six bacterial strains (two rhizobia and four plant growth promoting rhizobacterial strains) significantly enhanced nodulation and shoot-root length as compared to other treatments. These promising strains were morphologically and biochemically characterized and identified through 16sRNA sequencing. Then, eight consortia of the identified isolates were formulated to evaluate the growth and development of chickpea at three moisture levels (55%, 75% and 95% of field capacity) in a glass house experiment. The trend for best performing consortia in terms of growth and development of chickpea remained T2 at moisture level 1 > T7 at moisture level 2 > T4 at moisture level 3. The present study indicates the vital role of co-inoculated bacterial strains in growth enhancement of chickpea under low moisture availability. It is concluded from the results that the consortium T2 (Mesorhizobium ciceri RZ-11 + Bacillus subtilis RP-01 + Bacillus mojavensis RS-14) can perform best in drought conditions (55% field capacity) and T4 (Mesorhizobium ciceri RZ-11 + Enterobacter Cloacae RP-08 + Providencia vermicola RS-15) can be adopted in irrigated areas (95% field capacity) for maximum productivity of chickpea.