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Citrus plants have a secure and important place in human health. Citrus is not only significant for its delicious fruits but also because of certain medicinal and pharmacological properties. The presence of secondary metabolites like flavonoids, limonoids, alkaloids, phenolics and coumarins has dramatically increased its efficacy in treating bacterial and fungal infections. Emergence of new and improved extraction techniques has helped researchers to isolate novel phytochemicals from citrus species, and there is a greater attention. Numerous studies throughout the world have focused to isolate novel metabolites from citrus plants. There is a rich biodiversity of citrus species in the Indian subcontinent based on climatic condition which supported the growth and maintenance of diverse varieties. Analysis of metabolomic and medicinal properties of local citrus plant will aid in understanding their importance in pharmacological industry. The present review is focused on the medicinal and secondary metabolite profile of citrus plants from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to assess the effect of irradiated chitosan as an elicitor on the biochemical traits associated with resistance to purple blotch disease in onion. Chitosan was electron beam irradiated at 100 kGy dose to obtain low molecular weight chitosan. Irradiated chitosan at 20 and 0.04% concentration and different time intervals was used as a biological elicitor cum antimicrobial agent against purple blotch disease in onion. Field grown onion (Variety Basanvant 780) plants were foliar sprayed with irradiated chitosan and the biochemical responses were monitored using parameters namely chlorophylls, carotenoids, antioxidant enzymes, phenols, and antifungal enzyme β-1,3 Glucanase using standard methods. Compared to control treatment, a positive correlation with irradiated chitosan treatment was observed for an increase in β-1,3-glucanase, peroxidase activity, and contents of total phenolics, chlorophylls, and carotenoids, which cumulatively contributed to resistance response against the purple blotch disease. Irradiated chitosan (0.04%) treated onion plants at 30, 45, and 60 DAT showed a higher total phenolics, β-1,3-glucanase activity, and peroxidase activity besides enhanced antioxidant properties. The results suggest that irradiated chitosan has elicited resistance responses against purple blotch disease in onion. The increased production of antioxidant metabolites may provide value addition to onion as a food commodity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular trafficking between different subcellular compartments is the key for normal cellular functioning. Voltage-dependent anion channels (VDACs) are small-sized proteins present in the outer mitochondrial membrane, which mediate molecular trafficking between mitochondria and cytoplasm. The conductivity of VDAC is dependent on the transmembrane voltage, its oligomeric state and membrane lipids. VDAC acts as a convergence point to a diverse variety of mitochondrial functions as well as cell survival. This functional diversity is attained due to their interaction with a plethora of proteins inside the cell. Although, there are hints toward functional conservation/divergence between animals and plants; knowledge about the functional role of the VDACs in plants is still limited. We present here a comparative overview to provide an integrative picture of the interactions of VDAC with different proteins in both animals and plants. Also discussed are their physiological functions from the perspective of cellular movements, signal transduction, cellular fate, disease and development. This in-depth knowledge of the biological importance of VDAC and its interacting partner(s) will assist us to explore their function in the applied context in both plant and animal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CoJ 85 is an early-maturing, commercial sugarcane (Saccharum spp. complex) variety grown in Punjab, India. Farmers have adopted it because of its high sucrose content. However, it is shy in tillering and produces a low number of millable canes. It is also prone to lodging at maturity. Conventional breeding approaches are not feasible to further improve this variety, as it does not flower even under optimum tropical conditions. In this paper, we report on the use of gamma radiation-mediated in vivo mutagenesis to generate variation for cane number in CoJ 85.Contrary to general practice of irradiating tissue culture-derived calli (in vitro approach), single-bud cane setts (in vivo approach) of CoJ 85 were exposed to gamma rays to induce mutations for cane number. Our in vivo, standardized approach avoided tedious tissue culture cycles that cause undesirable somaclonal variation. Based on the germination data of buds, 25 Gy was found to be the 50% lethal dose (LD50). Thus, a mutant population of CoJ 85 was generated using 25 Gy gamma radiation and advanced to M1V2. The effects of different radiation doses were evaluated for number of tillers, number of millable canes, cane height (cm), cane weight (kg), and Brix (%) [Brix refers to total soluble solids content in juice; expressed in percentage) in the field-grown M1V2 population. A total of 38 elite mutant lines, which exhibited a significant increase in number of millable canes and Brix, were advanced for field evaluation and possible commercial use. We have demonstrated gamma rays-induced in vivo mutagenesis to be an effective method to generate stable mutants for increased cane number in CoJ 85. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UV-B radiation (280–320 nm) as an environmental stress has damaging effect on plants and its overexposure can potentially interfere with growth and development. The effect of thiourea (TU) on UV-B stress tolerance of 10-day-old Brassica juncea seedlings subjected to supplementary UV-B for 5 days was investigated. An increase in the UV-B absorbing compounds anthocyanin, flavonoids and phenolic compounds was observed in UV-B + TU treated seedlings as compared to that of control. The enhanced synthesis of UV-B screening compounds resulted in lesser damage to chlorophyll and also gain in fresh weight and dry weight in UV-B + TU as compared to UV-B alone treatment. The enzymatic activities of guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) also increased in UV-B + TU. The expression profiling of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (pal) and chalcone synthase (chs) indicated an upregulation under UV-B + TU treatment, compared to that of control, suggesting that TU treatment ensured an early and efficient induction of flavonoid biosynthetic pathway. The results indicate that TU helps in ameliorating the damaging effects of UV-B stress by efficiently maintaining the antioxidant status and attenuating the penetration of the UV-B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic (As) contamination of the environment has emerged as a serious problem. Consequently, there is an urge to understand plants’ responses to As. The analysis of various hypertolerant and hyperaccumulator plants and comparison of their responses with non-tolerant and nonaccumulators have provided valuable information about the mechanisms of As tolerance and detoxification. Therefore, we understand why most of the pteridophytes are able to hyperacumulate As, why it is difficult to find hyperaccumulators among angiosperms and why rice is able to translocate As to its grains more efficiently than any other cereal crop. This information can be employed to generate As hyperaccumulators in angiosperms and to develop safe cultivars of rice for human consumption through biotechnological approaches. Although measurable success, in terms of application in the field, has so far not been achieved, transgenic research has yielded promising results, which shed light on the approaches to be taken up in future endeavor. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of As tolerance and detoxification in plants and transgenic research conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In order to discriminate between the ionic and osmotic components of salt stress, sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L. cv. Co 86032) plants were treated with salt-NaCl or polyethylene glycol-PEG 8000 solutions (−0.7 MPa) for 15 days. Both the salt and PEG treatments significantly reduced leaf width, number of green leaves, and chlorophyll stability index. Osmotic adjustment (OA) indicated that both the stresses led to significant accumulation of osmolytes and sugars. Salt stressed plants appeared to use salt as an osmoticum while the PEG stressed plants showed an accumulation of sugars. Oxidative damage to membranes was not severe in plants subjected to salt or PEG stress. The salt stressed plants showed an increase in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), while PEG stress led to an increase in SOD but not APX activity as compared to the control. Thus, results indicate that the iso-osmotic salt or PEG stress led to differential responses in plants especially with respect to growth, OA, and antioxidant enzyme activities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]