Significant Increase In Growth Parameters Research Articles

He‐Ne Laser‐Induced Improvement in Biochemical, Physiological, Growth and Yield Characteristics in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

The water-soaked seeds of sunflower were exposed to low power continuous wave He-Ne laser irradiation of energies 0, 100, 300 and 500 mJ to evaluate the effect on various biochemical, physiological, growth and yield parameters of sunflower. The experiments which consisted of four replicates arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD) were carried out under the greenhouse conditions. The physiological attributes like, photosynthetic rate (A), transpiration rate (E), intrinsic CO(2) concentration (C(i) ), stomatal conductance (g(s)), chlorophyll a and b contents, relative membrane permeability and leaf water (ψ(w)), osmotic (ψ(s)) and turgor (ψ(p)) potentials, relative water contents and leaf area increased significantly as compared to control due to He-Ne treatment of seeds. The activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalases and contents of total soluble proteins, malondialdehyde, proline and leaf total phenolic also increased due to laser treatment. Significant increase in growth parameters of sunflower like shoot fresh and dry masses, root fresh and dry masses, root and shoot lengths, number of leaves per plant and stem diameter has also been observed. The contents of K, Ca and Mg in shoot and root were also increased and an overall increase of up to 28.12% was observed due to laser treatment.

Effect of formulated root endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria fluorescent pseudomonads R62 and R81 on Vigna mungo

In the present investigation, the effect of three beneficial organisms (root endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica (Pi) and pseudomonads strains R62 and R81) and their four different consortia (Pi+R62, Pi+R81, R62+R81, Pi+R62+R81) was investigated on the plant Vigna mungo through their inorganic carrier-based (talcum powder and vermiculite) formulations. All the treatments resulted in significant increase in growth parameters under glasshouse as well as field conditions and showed a consistency in their performance on moving from glasshouse to field conditions. In glasshouse conditions, a maximum increase of 4.5-fold in dry root weight and 3.9-fold in dry shoot weight compared to control was obtained with vermiculite-based consortium formulation of Pi+R81. In field studies using vermiculite as carrier, a maximum enhancement of 3.2-fold in dry root weight, 3.0-fold in dry shoot weight, 8.4-fold in number of nodules and 4.0-fold in number of pods in comparison to control was obtained with the bio-inoculant formulation containing consortium of Pi+R81. The same treatment also caused the highest improvement of 1.9-fold in nitrogen content and 1.7-fold in phosphorus content, while the highest increase of 1.4-fold in potassium content was obtained with Pi alone.

Chitin-based bioformulation of Beauveria bassiana and Pseudomonas fluorescens for improved control of leafminer and collar rot in groundnut

The talc-based formulation of Beauveria bassiana (B2 and B4) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (TDK1 and Pf1) strains and its mixture amended with and without chitin were developed and tested for their efficacy against the leafminer insect pest ( Aproaerema modicella) and collar rot (or) seedling blight pathogen ( Sclerotium rolfsii) in groundnut under glasshouse and field conditions. Application of talc-based formulation of B2 + TDK1 + Pf1 strains mixture (amended with or without chitin) through seed, soil and foliar spray effectively reduced the incidence of leafminer and collar rot in groundnut compared to individual bioformulation and control treatments both under glasshouse and field conditions. Groundnut leaves when treated with this bioformulation mixture, altered the feeding behavior of leafminer larvae and increased larval mortality under in vitro. Further, a significant increase in growth parameters and yield were observed in groundnut plants treated with B2 + TDK1 + Pf1 compared to individual bioformulation and untreated control. Increased accumulation of chitinase enzyme was observed in groundnut plants treated with mixture of B2 + TDK1 + Pf1 against A. modicella and S. rolfsii when compared to other treatments.

Xenograft of microencapsulated Sertoli cells as a therapy for experimental Laron syndrome.

Introduction and Aim The only treatment of Laron Syndrome (LS), caused by an inherited defect in the gene encoding the GH receptor resulting in the failure to generate IGF-1, consists of chronic administration of recombinant human IGF−1 (rhIGF-1) that is burdened side effects. Moreover, this approach is limited by the restricted availability of this drug for clinical use (orphan drug) which dramatically lowers number of treatable cases. It is known that IGF-1 represents one of the main growth factors produced by Sertoli cells (SC). Aim of our work was to assess if transplantation of barium alginate microencapsulated SC (BaMCs) would induce normalization of clinical features of growth hormone deficiency in “Laron mice”, the best animal model for human LS. Materials and Methods BaMCs were prepared from pre-pubertal piglets, according to our method and examined as far as: (a) SC morphology by light microscopy; (b) SC viability, by fluorescence microscopy after staining with ethidium bromide and fluorescein diacetate (EB+FDA); (c) SC in vitro function (α-aromatase activity and IGF-I secretion); (d) evaluation of growth parameters in Laron transplanted mice were concerned. Results BaMCs showed excellent features in terms of size, morphology, sphericity and coalescence. SC viability was very high (over 90%). Very good α-aromatase activity and IGF-I secretion were associated with the examined SC preparation. Intraperitoneal graft of BaMCs into Laron mice induced a significant increase in growth parameters in terms of weigth and nose-to-anus length as compared to untreated controls. Conclusions SC may be enveloped in BaMCs with no loss of their functional and morphological properties. Xenograft of BaMCs in Laron mice induced, an unprecedented, significant increase in growth parameters as compared to untreated controls. This result may open new perspectives for therapy of human LS.

Sulfur Alleviates Growth Inhibition and Oxidative Stress Caused by Cadmium Toxicity in Rice

ABSTRACT A hydroponic experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of sulfur (S) on growth inhibition and oxidative stress caused by Cd2+ toxicity, using two rice cultivars with different grain Cd2+ content. Treatments consisted of factorial arrangement of three S levels (0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 mmol), two cadmium (Cd) levels (0 and 1 μ mol), and two rice cultivars (‘Bing 97252,’ a cultivar with low grain Cd2+ content, and ‘Xiushui 63,’ a cultivar with high grain Cd2+ content). The results showed that Cd2+ addition in the medium generally increased Cd2+ and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in both roots and shoots; the increases were more pronounced in ‘Xuishui 63’ than in ‘Bing 97252.’ Dramatic reductions in growth parameters, including plant height, root and shoot weight, tillers per plant, chlorophyll content, and net photosynthetic rate were found in the plants exposed to Cd stress relative to the plants without Cd2+ treatment. ‘Xiushui 63’ showed more sensitivity than ‘Bing 97252’ under Cd2+ exposure. In comparison with the lower S level (0.2 mmol), the higher S levels (0.4 and 0.6 mmol) helped alleviate Cd toxicity, characterized by a significant increase in growth parameters, and a decrease in Cd2+ and MDA content in both roots and shoots. In addition, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the plants varied among tissues, cultivars, and Cd treatments. High Cd2+ and MDA content was consistently accompanied by higher SOD activity, and higher S levels caused a marked increase in glutathione content and a reduction in SOD activity, indicating a positive effect of S in alleviating oxidative stress.

Improvements in growth parameters in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis associated with the effect of methotrexate on disease activity

Objective. – To assess changes in growth parameters associated with the response to methotrexate (MTX) therapy in pre-pubertal children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and who had not been treated with steroids. Methods. – We enrolled 27 pre-pubertal children with JIA who had been treated with MTX but not with steroids. The children were considered to have responded to treatment if the number of joints with active disease decreased by at least 50% 1 year after treatment initiation. We compared growth parameters (height, growth rate, weight and body mass index (BMI)) in responders and non-responders. Results. – Twenty-one children (77.8%) responded to MTX therapy. The growth parameters were similar in the responders and non-responders before the onset of treatment. After 1 year, height ( P = 0.025), growth rate ( P = 0.03), weight ( P = 0.007) and BMI ( P = 0.05) increased significantly in the responder group, but not in the non-responder group. This increase was maintained for growth rate and weight after 2 and 3 years of treatment. After 1 year, height ( P = 0.023) and growth rate ( P = 0.0009) were significantly higher in the responders than in the non-responders, and these differences were still significant after 3 years ( P = 0.01 and P = 0.033, respectively). Conclusion. – In pre-pubertal children with JIA, a clinical response to MTX therapy is associated with a significant increase in growth parameters.

Characterization of transgenic poplar with ectopic expression of pine cytosolic glutamine synthetase under conditions of varying nitrogen availability

The present study addresses the hypothesis that enhanced expression of glutamine synthetase (GS) in transgenic poplar, characterized by the ectopic expression of pine cytosolic GS, results in an enhanced efficiency of nitrogen (N) assimilation and enhanced growth. Transgenic and control poplar were supplied with low and high N levels and the role of ectopic expression of the pine GS in growth and N assimilation was assessed by using amino acid analysis, (15)N enrichment, biochemical analyses, and growth measurements. While leaves of transgenic poplar contained 85% less (P < 0.01) free ammonium than leaves of nontransgenic control plants, leaves of transgenics showed increases in the levels of free glutamine and total free amino acids. Transgenic poplar lines also displayed significant increases in growth parameters when compared with controls grown under both low (0.3 mm) and high (10 mm) nitrate conditions. Furthermore, (15)N-enrichment experiments showed that 27% more (P < 0.05) (15)N was incorporated into structural compounds in transgenic lines than in nontransgenic controls. Using the methods described here, we present direct evidence for increased N assimilation efficiency and growth in GS transgenic lines.

Gestational Age-Specific Growth Parameters for Infants Born at US Military Hospitals

Military hospitals currently use gestational age-specific growth curves based on data collected in Denver, Colo, from 1948 to 1961. A number of population and environmental factors and medical practice changes may make these curves nonrepresentative. Determine if presently used growth curves represent norms for infants born in military hospitals and create new curves for use in military hospitals. Data were collected from medical records of tertiary- and primary-care military hospitals. We created growth curves created for birth weight, length, and head circumference and compared these curves at gestational ages 23-42 weeks to previously published norms and to 1998 national vital statistics. Racial and ethnic differences between groups were compared. A retrospective analysis of blood-glucose measurements for healthy term infants was performed to identify potential safety issues. Significant increases in growth parameters were noted for infants born in military hospitals. Specific racial and ethnic groups within the military also had an increase when compared with these groups in the United States as a whole. Less than 1% of infants classified as large for gestational age (LGA) according by old standards but average for gestational age (AGA) according to new curves experienced hypoglycemia. Published growth curves may not represent infants born in military hospitals. Term infants born in military hospitals as a group and in racial and ethnic subgroups are larger than term infants born in US civilian hospitals. Prospective use of curves will help to validate their long-term applicability in military and civilian nurseries.

INFLUENCE OF CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO AN ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD ON GERMINATION AND EARLY GROWTH OFQUERCUS SUBERSEEDS: PRELIMINARY STUDY

Cork oak acorns were chronically exposed to a 50-Hz, 15-μT electromagnetic field generated in a Helmholtz coil system for 13 weeks. The extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field increased the sprouting rate but did not modify the final percentage of germination and sprouting after a 13-week period. The significant increase in growth parameters of seedlings, such as main shoot length, axillary shoot formation, and fresh and dry weights of the emerged shoots, showed that electromagnetic stimulus was beneficial in increasing the biomass of Quercus suber seedlings.