February 2014
Nanotechnology in sustainable agriculture: Present concerns and future aspects
Nanotechnology is a promising field of interdisciplinary research. It opens up a wide array of opportunities in various fields like medicine, pharmaceuticals, electronics and agriculture. The potential uses and benefits of nanotechnology are enormous. The current global population is nearly 7 */billion with 50% living in Asia. A large proportion of those living in developing countries face daily food shortages as a...
February 2014
Plant regeneration in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.): A review
Eggplant is highly responsive to various tissue culture techniques. Somatic embryogenesis and direct organogenesis are widely studied protocols in this crop, but potential of regeneration varies with genotype, explant and culture media supplemented with different combination and concentration of growth hormones. The genotype is the most important factor affecting somatic embryogenesis and organogenesis. Embryogenic...
February 2014
Reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and its usefulness in soil microbial ecological studies - A review
The reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is a highly specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method that allows one to detect very low transcription levels of functional gene(s) in soil. RT-qPCR helps us to know the active members of the microbial community, and their activities can be linked with other ecological processes in soil. If after the extraction of RNA from soil, the mRNA is...
February 2014
Diversity analysis of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam) germplasm from Burkina Faso using morphological and simple sequence repeats markers
Collecting and characterizing plant material has been basic for crop improvement, and diversity has long been seen as vital for rational management and use of crops. Thirty (30) morphological characters and thirty (30) simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used to assess the diversity among 112 sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam) cultivars in Burkina Faso and to develop a core collection. Eight morphological...
February 2014
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera L. Dunal) crop as affected by the application of farm yard manure (FYM) and inorganic phosphorus in typic Torripsamment of Hisar
The vegetative parameters of ashwagandha (viz. plant height, number of primary branches, plant spread and dry weight of shoot) were enhanced significantly with the application of 12.5 mg P2O5 kg-1 soil, whereas; dry weight of roots was enhanced up to the application level of 25 mg P2O5 kg-1 soil. FYM at the rate of 12.5 t ha-1 in combination with 12.5 mg P2O5 kg-1 soil significantly improved all the vegetative...
February 2014
Genomic DNA extraction method from Annona senegalensis Pers. (Annonaceae) fruits
Extraction of DNA in many plants is difficult because of the presence of metabolites that interfere with DNA isolation procedures and downstream applications such as DNA restriction, replications, amplification, as well as cloning. Modified procedure based on the hexadecyltrimethyl ammoniumbromide (CTAB) method is used to isolate DNA from tissues containing high levels of polysaccharides. The procedure is applicable to...
February 2014
Quantitative trait loci analysis for seed yield and component traits in sunflower
The present investigation was carried out to identify the molecular markers associated with various characters in sunflower using recombinant inbred lines. Linkage analysis was carried out and five linkage groups were obtained with 19 simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers. Linkage map construction, single marker analysis (SMA) and composite interval mapping analysis were carried out with SSR primers and quantitative...
February 2014
The use of histological analysis for the detection of somatic embryos in sugarcane
The aim of this study was to establish an in vitro system for the induction, maturation and regeneration of somatic embryo in sugarcane from buds of cultivar RB 867515. Embryogenic calluses were obtained on semi-solid MS medium supplemented with 4.42 mg L-1 2,4-D. After four weeks of culture of explants on the callus induction medium, globular structures were obtained. At the end of 20 days in maturation medium, somatic...
February 2014
Safety and efficacy of a Labisia pumila var alata water extract on sexual well being and lipid profile of pre- and postmenopausal women: A randomized double-blind pilot study
This randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study investigated the safety and efficacy of Labisia pumila (LP) water extract on sexual health, lipid profile and inflammatory markers in 36 healthy pre-and post-menopausal North American women. Participants were randomized to either LP (200 mg) or placebo for 12 weeks. The female sexual function index (FSFI) and short form-36 health survey (SF-36) were completed, and...
February 2014
Resistance-related gene transcription and antioxidant enzyme activity in Nicotiana spp. resistant to anthracnose
The two tobacco relatives of Nicotiana alata and Nicotiana longiflora display a high level of resistance against Colletotrichum nicotianae and the two genes NTF6 and NtPAL related to pathogen defense transcription were higher in N. alata and N. longiflora than the commercial cv. K326. Inoculation with C. nicotianae reduced the abundance of NTF6 and NtPAL transcript during the first 48 h post inoculation (hpi) when only...
February 2014
Comparative effects of some medicinal plants on blood glucose concentration and lipid levels in alloxan-induced diabetic rats
The comparative effects of the chloroform extracts of the leaves of Psidium guajava (Myrtaceae), Anacardium occidentale (Anacardiaceae) and Eucalyptus globulus (Myrtaceae) and fruits of Xylopia aethiopica (Annonaceae) on blood glucose concentration and lipid levels of diabetic rats were investigated using standard methods. The results show 74, 82 and 83% reductions in the blood glucose concentrations upon the...
February 2014
Potentiality of benthic dinoflagellate cultures and screening of their bioactivities in Jeju Island, Korea
Eleven strains of benthic dinoflagellates (Amphidinium carterae (D1), Prorocentrum rhathymum (D2), Symbiodinium sp. (D3), Coolia malayensis 1 (D4), Ostreopsis ovata 1 (D5), Ostreopsis ovata 2 (D6), Coolia malayensis 2 (D7), Amphidinium operculatum 1 (D8), Heterocapsa psammophila (D9), Coolia malayensis 3 (D10) and Amphidinium operculatum 2 (D11)) were collected in Jeju Island, Korea and cultured in 20 L carboys after...
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