October 2012
Therapeutic properties of meswak chewing sticks: A review
Meswak “a chewing stick” usually 15 cm long and 1 cm in diameter is taken from the roots or young twigs of Salvadora persica L. Meswak has been used in folk medicine for a very long time for different medical condition treatments. The cultural and religious use of meswak for dental hygiene is still wildly spread, throughout parts of Asia, Africa, and Middle East, and because of its wide...
October 2012
Genetic diversity and chemical polymorphism of Tunisian Lavandula multifida L. (Lamiaceae) populations
Eleven Tunisian natural populations of Lavandula multifida L., from different geographic regions and bioclimates, were assessed for their variability using six polymorphic loci and 35 terpenoids. Isozymes were revealed by 13% gel electrophoresis. Volatiles were analysed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). A high genetic diversity within...
October 2012
Genetic diversity of Najdi sheep based on microsatellite analysis
The prime objective of this research was to measure the genetic polymorphism of main sheep breed of Saudi Arabia, Najdi. Randomly selected 49 blood samples were used to extract the DNA followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using 19 microsatellite markers, which were used to investigate the genetic differentiation. Altogether, 173 alleles were identified ranging from 2 to 14, with the mean observed...
October 2012
Genetic diversity among selected genotypes of almond Prunus dulcis Miller D.A. Webb assessed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers
Genetic relatedness and diversity in 32 almond genotypes were analysed using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. All the genotypes maintained at Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, India comprised ten exotic introductions and 22 indigenous selections. Using 16 selected 10-mer primers, 87 bands were generated and all the bands were recorded to be polymorphic. The RAPD...
October 2012
Appraisal of some physiological traits in two wheat cultivars subjected to terminal drought stress during grain filling
In a greenhouse experiment, two winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties differing in post anthesis drought resistance, tolerant (cv. Zagros) and sensitive (cv. Marvdasht), were subjected to either well-watered (WW) or water-stressed (WS) from anthesis to maturity. All physiological parameters were affected by drought stress. Results show that water deficits enhanced the senescence by...
October 2012
Characterization of a novel curled-cotyledons mutant in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]
Cotyledons that affect the plant development are important part of soybean. We describe a recessive soybean mutant, designated as curled-cotyledons mutant which is derived from sodiumazide (NaN3) and 60Coγ ray mutagenized seeds of the ‘Nannong 94-16’ cultivar. The curled-cotyledons mutant has defective morphology in cotyledons development, compared to the wild-type...
October 2012
Growth, symbiotic, and proteomics studies of soybean Bradyrhizobium in response to adaptive acid tolerance
Bradyrhizobial inoculated soybean often performs poorly on acid-soil because of the acid sensitivity of their associated root nodule bacteria. Acid tolerance in rhizobia has been considered as a key phenotypic characteristic in that it enables the bacteria to perform well under the restrictive conditions of excessive acidity. Since bacteria could develop acid tolerance to a more acid condition by using...
October 2012
In vitro propagation of katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum Sieb. Et Zucc), an endangered plant in China
Katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum Sieb. Et Zucc) is a long-lived, deciduous, wind-pollinated tree with dimorphic leaves. It is valued as an ornamental or a shade tree for landscape and a commercially valuable tree. Conventional propagation through seeds and cutting is not sufficient to satisfy the progressive demand. There is an exigent need to develop protocols for rapid propagation of katsura...
October 2012
Bioreduction of chromium (VI) to chromium (III) by a novel yeast strain Rhodotorula mucilaginosa (MTCC 9315)
Introduction of heavy metal compounds like chromium, lead, arsenic and mercury into the environment generally induces morphological and physiological changes in the microbial communities hence exerting a selective pressure on the microorganisms. Generally, sites which are contaminated with heavy metals are the sources of metal resistant microorganisms. This paper describes the bioreduction of Cr6+ to...
October 2012
Physicochemical characterization of Quassia undulata seed oil for biodiesel production
In many parts of the world, there is a surplus of traditional crops and a continuous search for break and new crops, including some which produce useful oils. Quassia undulata seed oil is such an attractive resource. This present research was carried out to assess the physicochemical properties of the oil from Q. undulata seeds extracted using normal-hexane as solvent. Q....
October 2012
Acute and sub-chronic toxicity studies of methanolic extract of Tulbaghia violacea rhizomes in Wistar rats
The methanolic extract of the rhizome of Tulbaghia violacea (RTV) was tested for toxicity in albino Wistar rats. A single oral administration of a 5 g/kg dosage of RTV extract did not produce mortality or significant behavioral changes during 14 days of observation. In the sub-chronic study, the extract administered daily for a period of 28 days showed no mortality or morbidity and the relative...
October 2012
Purification and characterization of extracellular amylolytic enzyme from Aspergillus species
In the present study, the amylase enzyme producing potential of four differentAspergillus species was analyzed. The extracted amylase enzyme was purified by diethyl amino ethyl (DEAE) cellulose and Sephadex G-50 column chromatography and the enzyme activity was measured by using synthetic substrate starch. The partially purified enzyme exhibits maximum activity at the optimum pH (7.0), temperature (60 to...
October 2012
Optimal sulphuric acid production using Acidithiobacillus caldus (DSM 8584): Bioprocess design for application in ion-exchange
An optimised bioprocess was designed for the optimal production of sulphuric acid for application in an isotope recovery ion-exchange process. Firstly, the production of sulphuric acid (H2SO4) was optimised in aerated batch bioreactors usingAcidithiobacillus caldus (DSM 8584) using elemental sulphur, achieving H2SO4concentration of >0.4 to ~0.5 M (0.45 M average) with the following bioprocess...
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