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Chlorophyll contents reflects the plants ability to adapt to stress, and has been used as a diagnostic tool to study genotypic variation. Fifteen clones of Casuarina equisetifolia L. selected from varied climatic conditions were compared for their growth performance and biochemical profile in order to identify markers for early screening of perennials for their adaptation to changing climatic conditions. Chlorophylls a and b, total chlorophyll, a:b ratio and carbonic anhydrase were chosen as indicators of biochemical alteration. The main questions addressed in this study were (1) Do clones show variations at the biochemical level, and can it be correlated with growth performance? (2) Which biochemical indicator is more effective as a marker for productivity and consequently in predicting carbon accumulation in clones? Significant variations were observed in all the parameters studied. The chlorophyll a and the hydrolytic enzyme, carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity correlated positively with DBH, a measure of the carbon accumulation in plants suggesting their application as a sound method to test seedling stock quality for enhanced sequestration potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low fruit yield is a major constraint in Jatropha curcas plantations in South India.The variations in flowering and fruiting characters across years was studied in a three year old Jatropha plantation. The relationship among the characters and their stability revealed existence of significant genetic differences among different phenotypes. The reproductive success was high as evidenced by the high correlation between female flowers and fruit set. It also suggested that J. curcas displays phenomenon of alternate bearing. The limitation of low count of female flowers needs to be tackled by adoption of silvicultural practices to enhance female flower production per plant. The study suggests need to understand the planting material selected for breeding and crossing programmes should aim at increasing yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seeds of Acacia species and subspecies were characterized using an image analyzer and discriminated for the purpose of identification of species, using their seeds. The species considered in the study were Acacia nilotica subsp. indica, A. nilotica subsp. cupressiformis, A. nilotica subsp. tomentosa, A. tortilis subsp. raddiana, A. tortilis subsp. spirocarpa, A. raddiana, A. senegal, A. auriculiformis, A. farnesiana, A. leucophloea, A. mearnsii, A. melanoxylon, A. planifrons and A. mangium. Eight samples each consisting of 25 seeds per species were studied using the image analyzer for physical characteristics of seeds, such as 2D surface area, length, width, perimeter, roundness, aspect ratio and fullness ratio. Discriminant analysis showed that acacias can be discriminated at species and subspecies levels, with 96% accuracy. Exceptions were A. nilotica subsp. tomentosa (75.0%), A. tortilis subsp. spirocarpa (75.0%) and A. raddiana (87.5%) which had relatively low discrimination accuracy. However, discriminant analysis within selected species showed complete recognition of these species except for A. tortilis subsp. spirocarpa, that had still a large overlap with A. leucophloea. The study also revealed that both seed size and shape characteristics were responsible for species discrimination. It can be concluded that rapid analysis of seed size and shape characteristics using image analysis techniques can be used as primary and secondary keys for identification of acacias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A protocol for Jatropha curcas genomic DNA isolation based on a cetyl alkyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide (CTAB) method described for other woody species was optimized. The method involves mortar grinding of tissue, a modified CTAB extraction employing high salt concentration, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, successive isoamyl alcohol-chloroform extractions and an RNase treatment. High quality intact DNA (260/280 = 1.87) was isolated. The routine yield was approximately 40 μg DNA per 100 mg of initial fresh plant material. The genomic DNA obtained by this method is suitable for use in random amplified-polymorphic DNA reactions. This extraction method allows molecular analysis of shoots from different accessions distributed throughout the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study of patients with congenital heart diseases across 15 countries which revealed that patients from Argentina depended on spirituality and religion the most, followed by Malta, the U.S. and India patients.

The article presents a study conducted by Priyal Baral and her team at Nirma University where bergenin showed antioxidant capacity and inhibited butyrylcholinesterase and acetylcholinesterase.