Search

Field experiments were conducted during consecutive spring seasons of 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 at ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow, in subtropical India to find the best irrigation application parameters that lead to significant reduction in total water use and to characterize soil moisture spread along the furrow. The soil of the experimental site is categorized as Inceptisol neutral in reaction (pH 7.6), low in organic carbon (0.33%) and available N (187.5 kg/ha), medium in available P (19.7 kg/ha) and K (239.4 kg/ha). The treatment consisted of two length of furrows (F1-50 m and F2-75 m) and six discharge and cut-off length (D1: Furrow-8 L per second – lps + 75% cut-off length, D2: Furrow-10 lps + 75% cut-off length, D3: Furrow-8 lps + 85% cut-off length, D4: Furrow-10 lps + 85% cut-off length, D5: Border-75% cut-off length and D6: Border-85% cut-off length). Experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications. The number of millable canes (109.27 t/ha), cane length (169.21 cm), average cane weight (0.68 kg), cane yield (50.93 t/ha) and sugar yield (6.75 t/ha) were found significantly higher under longer furrow length (75 m). Significantly highest number of shoot counts (168.61 t/ha at 180 DAP), millable canes (106.61 t/ha), cane yield (54.02 t/ha) and sugar yield (7.03 t/ha) were recorded with discharge of 10 lps + 85% cut-off length. Moisture flow pattern showed a clear downward movement of water in all the furrow irrigation combinations methods with required water availability at tail end region. Significantly voluminous root (53.25 cc/clump), longer root length (33.90 cm), higher number of root hairs (918.9 cm), wider horizontal spread (27.0 cm) and root efficiency (22.84) were observed under discharge of 10 lps at cut-off of 85% discharge of water at 10 lps with 85 m cut-off length recorded highest IWUE (2239.71 kg/ha cm). Under conventional method of irrigation, IWUE was very low. Thus, it may be concluded that to conserve and save irrigation water, a cut-off at 85% furrow length and discharge of 10 lps are efficient to soak the soil at tail end of the field. Further, the length of the furrow may be kept up to 75 m under sandy loam alluvial soils having slope less than 1%.

Components of the cholinergic system—acetylcholine, acetylcholinesterase, and acetylcholine receptors—are the principal components of the nerve transmission in animals. Plants, though nerveless, have long been known to possess most of the components of the cholinergic system. Plants also have a repertoire of chemicals that inhibit various components of the acetylcholine system. A hitherto overlooked fact is that many of these anticholinergic chemicals present in some plants act as allelochemicals and help the plants to dominate their habitat by affecting the growth of other plants in their vicinity. Since the target sites of most of the allelochemicals in victim plants are unknown, the possibility of cholinergic chemicals as allelochemicals opens new areas of research in plant biology. We have shown earlier that the extract of Cyperus rotundus inhibits acetylcholinesterase activity in electric eel, wheat, and tomato and that it also inhibits germination and growth of root and shoot in tomato and wheat. Now, we present evidence that the methanolic extracts of 45 weeds, including invasive weeds like Lantana camara, Ageratum conyzoides, Argemonemexicana, Ranunculus sceleratus, and Prosopis juliflora contain very high levels of anticholinesterases. Anticholinesterases block the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, resulting in an increase in the levels of acetylcholine in the system. We propose that cholinergic chemicals act as allelochemicals in plants.

The animal neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) induces rooting and promotes secondary root formation in leaf explants of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller var. Pusa Ruby), cultured in vitro on Murashige and Skoog's medium. The roots originate from the midrib of leaf explants and resemble taproot. ACh at 10(-5) M was found to be the optimum over a wide range of effective concentrations between 10(-7) and 10(-3) M. The breakdown products, choline and acetate were ineffective even at 10(-3) M concentration. ACh appears to have a natural role in tomato rhizogenesis because exogenous application of neostigmine, an inhibitor of ACh hydrolysis, could mimic the effect of ACh. Neostigmine, if applied in combination with ACh, potentiated the ACh effect.

Cyperus rotundus (nutgrass) is the world's worst invasive weed through tubers. Its success in dominating natural habitats depends on its ability to prevent herbivory, and to kill or suppress other plants growing in its vicinity. The present study was done to investigate whether chemicals in nutgrass target neuronal and non-neuronal acetylcholinesterases to affect surrounding animals and plants respectively. Methanolic extract of tubers of nutgrass strongly inhibited activity of AChE from electric eel, wheat and tomato. It also inhibited seed germination and seedling growth in wheat and tomato. Our results suggest that inhibitor of AChE in nutgrass possibly acts as agent of plant's war against (a) herbivore animals, and (b) other plants trying to grow in the same habitat. An antiAChE from nutgrass has been purified by employing chromatography and crystallization. The structural determination of the purified inhibitor is in progress.

Nicotine promotes rooting in leaf explants of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller var. Pusa Ruby). Nicotine at 10(-9) to 10(-3) M concentrations was added to the MS basal medium. The optimum response (three-fold increase in rooting) was obtained at 10(-7) M nicotine-enriched MS medium. At the same level i.e. 10(-7) M Nicotine induced dramatic increase (11-fold) in the number of secondary roots per root. We have shown earlier that exogenous acetylcholine induces a similar response in tomato leaves. Since nicotine is an agonist of one of the two acetylcholine receptors in animals, its ability to simulate ACh action in a plant system suggests the presence of the same molecular mechanism operative in both, animal and plant cells.

Multi-grain dalia (MGD) formulations were prepared utilizing sprouted wheat and mixer of other three grains (barley, sorghum and pearl millet) in the ratio of 100:0 (MGD-A), 75:25 (MGD-B), 50:50 (MGD-C), 25:75 (MGD-D) and 0:100 (MGD-E), respectively. The mixer of barley, sorghum and pearl millet was prepared using 50, 25, 25 parts of these grains, respectively. The recovery of grits/ dalia (particle size 1.41 to 2 mm) from sprouted wheat and barley was 74.56 and 69.77 %, respectively while sorghum and pearl millet yield 47.94 and 49.39 % (particle size 0.954 to 1.41 mm), respectively. Sprouting brought a reduction of cooking time by about 50 % as compared to un-sprouted studied grains. Cooking time for different MGD formulations ranged from 3.91 to 4.42 min, which was slightly increased with increasing proportion of mixer of barley, sorghum and pearl millet (p > 0.05). Rehydration ratio of MGD samples varied from 3.12 to 3.45 with minimum in MGD-E sample. Though protein content was decreased with increasing proportion of mixer of three grains in MGD samples but in vitro protein digestibility (58.68 to 62.75 %) was similar (p > 0.05). The mean overall sensory acceptability scores for MGD samples ranged from 7.50 to 8.49 with ≥8.0 in samples having up to 75 % grits of mixer of three grains. In view of very good overall sensory acceptability, rich in crude fibre, calcium and iron content and low cooking time, 25:75 parts of sprouted wheat and mixer of studied three grains, respectively may be considered for preparation of acceptable quality quick cooking multi-grain dalia.

Cholinesterase (ChE) activity in plants was surveyed by employing an in vivo test in 106 species belonging to 53 families of Angiosperms, seven species belonging to five families of Gymnosperms and five species belonging to five families of Pteridophytes. Of the 118 species screened, ChE activity.could be detected sn 67 species belonging to 41 families. In plants tested positive, not all parts showed ChE activity. All the species of the families Euphorbiaceae and Leguminosae showed ChE activity. Most of the members of Solanaceae tested positive and leaves of Physalis minima (Solanaceae) were the richest source of ChE in plants reported thus far with ChE equal to one fifth of that present in the giant axon of squid. Most of the Asteraceae tested negative. However, the lack of detection of ChE in a plant may not imply its absence. The results confirm widespread distribution of ChE in plant kingdom and identify rich sources of ChE to be used as model experimental systems.

We present experimental evidence to show that acetylcholine (ACh) causes decrease in shoot formation in leaf explants of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller var Pusa Ruby) when cultured on shoot regeneration medium. The optimum response was obtained at 10(-4) M ACh-enriched medium. ACh also causes decrease in percentage of cultures forming callus and reduces the callus mass. Inhibitors of enzymatic hydrolysis of ACh, neostigmine and physostigmine, also suppresses callogenesis and caulogenesis. On the other hand, the breakdown products of Ach, choline and acetate, do not alter the morphogenic response induced on the shoot regeneration medium. Neostigmine showed optimal reduction in shoot formation at 10(-5) M. The explants cultured on neostigmine augmented medium showed decline in the activity of ACh hydrolyzing enzyme acetylcholinesterase. ACh and neostigmine added together showed marked reduction in callus mass. These results strongly support the role of ACh as a natural regulator of morphogenesis in tomato plants.

The neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) is present in plants including bryophytes. The first biochemical evidence for ACh hydrolysis by enzyme cholinesterase (ChE) in bryophytes is presented. Thirty-nine species belonging to 16 families of bryophytes were surveyed for ChE activity. Thirty species belonging to 13 families showed ChE activity. Of the bryophytes tested, Anoectangium bicolor showed the highest ChE activity. Widespread distribution of ChE in bryophytes indicates their suitability as a system to study the role of ACh in plants.

The performance of opium poppy (Papaver somniferum Linn) cultivars grown at four locations spread over the entire opium poppy growing belt of India was evaluated in terms of three main economic characteristics, namely seed, oil and latex yields. Distinct environmental and varietal effects on these traits were observed. The cultivars were also evaluated in terms of their adaptability and stability under different agroclimatic conditions. The seed yield showed positive and significant correlation with oil and latex yields, indicating that seed yield alone may be taken as a reliable index in breeding high oil-and latex-yielding varieties.

Cholinesterase (ChE) activity was tested spectrophotometrically in cell free extracts of ten marine algae belonging to Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta. All the algae showed ChE activity. Of the algae screened, Gracilaria corticata (Rhodophyta) showed the highest ChE activity.