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AbstractBackgroundTrigonella foenum-graecum(Fenugreek) is an extensively researched phytotherapeutic for the management of Type 2 diabetes without any associated side effects. The major anti-diabetic bioactive constituents present in the plant are furostanolic saponins, which are more abundantly available in the seed of the plant. However, the bioavailability of these components depends on the method of extraction and hence formulation of the phytotherapeutic constitutes a critical step for its success.ObjectiveThe present study reports the efficacy of a novel, patented fenugreek seed extract, Fenfuro®, containing significant amount of furostanolic saponins, in an open-labelled, two-armed, single centric study on a group of 204 patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus over a period of twelve consecutive weeks.ResultsAdministration of Fenfuro®in the dosage of 500 mg twice daily along with metformin and/or sulfonylurea-based prescribed antidiabetic drug resulted in a reduction of post-prandial glucose by more than 33% along with significant reduction in fasting glucose, both of which were greater than what resulted for the patient group receiving only Metformin and/or Sulfonylurea therapy. Fenfuro®also resulted in reduction in mean baseline HOMA index from 4.27 to 3.765, indicating restoration of insulin sensitivity which was also supported by a significant decrease in serum insulin levels by >10% as well as slight reduction in the levels of C-peptide. However, in the case of the Metformin and/or Sulfonylurea group, insulin levels were found to increase by more than 14%, which clearly indicated that drug-induced suppression of glucose levels instead of restoration of glucose homeostasis. Administration of the formulation was also found to be free from any adverse side effects as there were no changes in hematological profile, liver function and renal function.ConclusionThe study demonstrated the promising potential of this novel phytotherapeutic, Fenfuro®, in long-term holistic management of type-2 diabetes.

Crop yields must drastically increase to meet the demands of a rapidly increasing global population. One current option being investigated is the augmentation of photosynthetic capacity by incorporating the C4photosynthetic pathway into C3crops such as rice to significantly increase production. Crops with improved photosynthetic mechanisms would make better use of the solar radiation that can be converted into yield. This will help to boost grain yield, reduce water loss, and increase nitrogen use efficiency, particularly in hot and dry conditions. Identifying and manipulating the genes required to install C4photosynthesis in rice is a big challenge. However, the international C4rice collaboration, is formed to test the possibility of incorporating the C4mechanism into rice. This article summarizes the parameters that must be changed in rice in order for the C4pathway to be successfully introduced. It also examines the biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, and synthetic biology approaches between the C3and C4photosynthetic processes.

Microbial antagonists and organic products were exploited in the present investigation both in vitro and in vivo conditions to formulate an effective and eco-friendly management strategy for the suppression of root rot disease of sesame. Native Trichoderma asperellumisolate (Ta) from healthy sesame rhizosphere and Pseudomonas fluorescens(Pf) found superior among fungal and bacterial biocontrol agents tested recording 80.59% and 88.79% respectively, against Macrophomina phaseolinain dual culture technique. Among oil cakes, neem cake inhibited maximum M. phaseolinamycelial inhibition (52.59%, 68.89%, and 87.06%) in vitro at 3%, 4% and 5% concentrations. Meanwhile, T. asperellum, P. fluorescensand neem cake were found compatible with each other in vitro in the compatibility test. However, combined application of T. asperellumand P. fluorescensas seed treatment (5 g each/kg) and soil application (2.5 kg/ha) along with neem cake (250 kg/ha) and farm yard manure (100 kg/ha) enhanced 24.38% yield by suppressing the disease incidence to an appreciable level (64.45%). From the present research, it was concluded that, co-application of T. asperellumand P. fluorescensalong with organic products suppressed the disease incidence and augmented plant growth than its sole application and much better than a chemical application which could be serve as a step towards sustainable agriculture.

The soil-borne polyphagous pathogen Macrophomina phaseolinais highly damaging and has expanded its range and diversity. Ten sesame root rot pathogenic M. phaseolinaisolates were collected from various parts of Odisha, India and subjected to molecular analysis and phenotypic characterization. In molecular assays, 27 bands representing 71.9% polymorphism were obtained for genetic diversity with four ISSR primers. Among them, ISSR9 had the highest PIC value of 0.663. The isolates were divided into three groups, each sharing 60% of their genetic makeup, according to UPGMA clustering method. The dendrogram and principal component analysis (PCA) ordination of isolates revealed a reliable correlation between geographic origin and the pathogen’s genetic foundation. The isolates showed comparable clustering based on phenotypic characteristics and pathogenicity. There was a wide range of phenotypic (colony colour, colony type, growth rate, and the size, shape, colour, and abundance of the aerial mycelium microsclerotia) and virulence among the various isolates (against sesame cultivar VRI-1). Microsclerotia size was found to be negatively correlated to virulence. The results corroborate the existence of a robust association between phenotypic traits, virulence, and the genetic foundation of the pathogen, and furthermore, confirm the occurrence of heterogeneity among the isolates. The pathogen population structure may be better grasped with this kind of information on its defining characteristics.

Mung bean production is significantly lowered by the biotic stress caused by Cercosporaleaf spot (CLS) in various parts of the globe. The most effective way to increase mung beans’ resilience towards this stress is to map the gene(s)/QTL that regulate it and then transfer that gene(s)/QTL to high-yielding mung bean cultivars. A panel population of 90 genotypes was created for the purpose of association mapping to identify the candidate gene(s)/QTL. Classification of the population was accomplished using GenAlEx 6.51b2, TASSEL 5.0 and STRUCTURE V.2.3.4 software, using 66 SSR markers. The stress resistance of the panel population’s genotypes showed a great deal of variance, and linkage disequilibrium was also observed. Two distinct genetic clusters were identified within the population. A significant connection of CLS resistance with markers CEDG006 and CEDG071 was found in marker-trait association study using both the generalized linear model (GLM) and the mixed linear model (MLM). Two novel QTLs controlling CLS resistance were detected and designated as qCls_2and qCls_8. Furthermore, novel QTLs were also identified for some of the quantitative traits, such as for plant height (qPht_8), for number of clusters (qNcl_6and qNcl_10), for hundred seed weight (qHsw_3and qHsw_11) and for yield (qYld_2, qYld_7and qYld_8) under CLS stress. The novel QTLs obtained from the present investigation could be further validated in diversified mung bean germplasms to understand the stability of the QTLs and then could be introgressed to elite mung bean varieties to develop CLS resistance lines. This study will help the breeding process towards CLS resistance in mung beans using genomic tools.

Charcoal rot causes severe yield loss in mungbean. To sustain the crop health, it is vital to include alleles that may be useful in resisting the charcoal rot disease. Therefore, in the present study, genetic divergence using ISSR primers across six samples were studied for charcoal rot resistance. One resistant and one susceptible cultivars of mung bean namely, WBM 4–34-1–1 and PDM-139, respectively were used in the present investigtion. Leaf samples were treated with an elicitor, Salicyclic acid (SA) at 1 milli molar (mM) and Macrophomina phaseolinawas inoculated at 15 DAS and untreated seedlings served as a check. Total genomic DNA was isolated from leaf samples of 15 days old seedlings of both the genotypes and ISSR genotyping was performed with six ISSR primers i.e., UBC- 847, ISSCR 2, ISSCR 5, UBC 825, A9 and C6. The primers UBC-847 and ISSCR-2 were observed to show moderate polymorphism of 15.15%. The UPGMA clustering method differentiated the test samples into three clusters i.e., Cluster I includes only one sample viz., Bireshwar genotype treated with Salicyclic acid @ 1 mM. Cluster II was the major one that included three samples viz.., Bireshwar genotype (Control), Samrat genotype (Control) and Samrat genotype of mungbean treated with Salicyclic acid @ 1 mM (SA @1 mM) and Cluster III included two samples viz. Bireshwar treated with salicyclic acid @ 1 mM and inoculated with pathogen (SA@1 mM with Pathogen Inoculated), Samrat genotype treated with salicyclic acid @ 1 mM and inoculated with pathogen (SA@1 mM with Pathogen Inoculated). These findings indicate that the mungbean genotypes used in the present study could enrich the local gene pool and provide information for charcoal rot resistance breeding.

A set of 32 maize hybrids were evaluated under excessive soil moisture (ESM) stress. The plants were subjected to waterlogging for 12 days at the flowering stage by maintaining 3–5 cm water level. Physiological and biochemical traits were examined to analyze plants’ response to waterlogging stress. The chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll content declined due to ESM stress, and the decrease was relatively higher in the case of susceptible hybrids. The decrease in chlorophyll content had shown a significant impact on total carbohydrate content, but the tolerant hybrids thrive better under stress with a capacity to maintain higher carbohydrate concentration. Proline accumulation was enhanced in all hybrids in response to the above stress, but it was tremendously increased in tolerant hybrids to offer osmotic protection compared to the sensitive genotypes. Total chlorophyll, chlorophyll-a, carbohydrate, proline as well as an increase in proline content in response to stress, revealed a significant positive association with seed yield, while percentage decline in chlorophyll, decrease in carbohydrate and senescence percentage maintained the reverse trend. Further, the chlorophyll ‘a' followed by an increase in proline content can be considered as important parameters for assessing tolerance to ESM stress owing to their high positive direct effects on seed yield.

In this experiment, natural alteration of the sesame rhizosphere was done by combining organic products such as neem cake, farmyard manure, and two microbial antagonists and testing their efficacy against root rot disease, which affects sesame plant growth and yield. All the treatments showed a significant reduction in plant mortality and disease progression compared to control. Natural alteration such as seed treatment with a mixture of Trichoderma virideand Pseudomonas fluorescens(5 g/kg each) and soil amended with neem cake (250 kg/ha) as well as Pseudomonas-Trichodermafortified FYM (25 g/kg each) recorded the highest mean efficacy (72.39%) in reducing disease incidence, registering the least plant mortality (8.2%) as compared to control (29.7%) and treated control, Carbendazim (20.4%). It also enhanced the seed yield as high as 28.02% over control, augmenting plant growth such as shoot length (118.92 cm), root length (12.53 cm), and the number of branches/plant (7.40) and capsules/plants (11.46) with an ICBR of 1.88. The yield was negatively correlated with per cent plant mortality (r = − 0.96) and the progression of disease incidence expressed by AUDPC (r = − 0.69). A negative relationship existed between per cent disease incidence and plant traits such as shoot length, root length, number of branches/plant and number of capsules/plant, recording correlation coefficients of − 0.91, − 0.78, − 0.69 and − 0.90, respectively. Seed treatment with microbial antagonists and modification of the sesame rhizosphere by co-application of neem cake and Trichoderma-Pseudomonasfortified FYM suppressed macrophomina root rot disease and enhanced the yield, which could be a feasible option for sesame growers.

Rice (Oryza sativaL.) is one of the most important staple food crops that is cultivated in South East Asia. This crop is affected by a wide range of biotic and abiotic factors, each of which is contributing to a change in its physiology, biochemistry, and genetic makeup. Ozone is produced in the troposphere as a result of reactions between abiotic factors, such as oxides of nitrogen and carbon, and UV radiation. These reactions lead to the production of a wide variety of volatile organic compounds. Rice scientists have expressed a great deal of concern regarding the impact of ozone on rice, which has necessitated the development of strategies to combat the problem. The recent advances in rice genomics have led to the discovery of molecular biology approaches such as marker-assisted selection involving quantitative trait loci linked to genes that confer tolerance to ozone stress. This trait is thought to be controlled by a large number of loci with medium effects rather than by a single locus with a large effect. The current review is an effort to provide information on the physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of rice towards elevated ozone tolerance and also to reflect the available strategies to minimize the effect.

Automatic speech recognition in a regional language like Odia is a challenging field of research. Voiced Odia digit recognition helps in designing automatic voice dialler systems. In this study, a deep learning approach is used for the recognition of voiced Odia digits. The spectrogram representation of voiced samples is given as the input to the deep learning models after considering the feature extraction using MFCC. Various performance metrics are obtained by considering several experiments with different epoch sizes and variation in the dataset using the train-validate-test ratio. Experimental outcomes reveal that the CNN model provides improved accuracy of 91.72% in epoch size of 500 with a split ratio of 80-10-10 as compared to the other two models that use VSL and DNN. From the reported outcome it unravels that, the proposed CNN model has better average recognition accuracy as compared with contemporary models like HMM and SVM.

Cercosporaleaf spot (CLS) is a deadly biotic stress caused by the fungus Cercospora canescens, making mung bean cultivation difficult worldwide. The progress made in creating CLS-resistant mung bean varieties is encouraging. However, as the pathogen rapidly evolves, it is critical to understand the pathogen dynamics and develop effective screening procedures. Plant breeders need to know about the genetic diversity of mung beans and their wild relatives, gene function and accessible molecular markers. Molecular mapping of pathogen resistance genes in mung bean varieties is now possible due to advancements in next-generation sequencing methods and the availability of genetic sources. Breeding programmes will be accelerated by developing the potential markers linked with resistance to the fungal pathogen. This method saves time by preventing time-consuming breeding to change genetic backgrounds. This review focuses on the current status of knowledge on the disease, genetic resources available for this and advances made in traditional and marker-assisted breeding for CLS resistance in mung bean worldwide.