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In the present study, we have isolated endosulfan tolerant bacterial strains from the rhizosphere of plants growing in a pesticide-contaminated area. The tolerance capacities of these strains were tested up to 50,000 µg ml

Silicon (Si), the second most abundant element on earth, remains unavailable for plants’ uptake due to its poor solubility. Microbial interventions to convert it in soluble forms are well documented. However, studies on discrimination of Si and P solubilizing microbes due to common estimation method and sharing of solubilisation mechanism are still obscure. A defined differential media, i.e., silicon solubilizing media (NBRISSM) is developed to screen Si solubilizers. NBRISN13 (B. amyloliquefaciens), a Si solubilizer, exhibiting antagonistic property against Rhizoctonia solani, was further validated for disease resistance. The key finding of the work is that NBRISSM is a novel differential media for screening Si solubilizers, distinct from P solubilizers. Dominance of Pseudomonas and Bacillus spp. for the function of Si solubilization was observed during diversity analysis of Si solubilizers isolated from distinct rhizospheres. Sphingobacterium zeae, a different strain other than Pseudomonas and Bacillus sp, is identified as Si solubilizer along with a novel strain of Pseudomonas sp. Role of acidic phosphatase during Si solubilization has been firstly reported in our study in addition to other pH dependent phenomenon. Study also showed the combinatorial effect of feldspar and NBRISN13 on elicited immune response through (i) increased Si uptake, (ii) reduced disease incidences, (iii) modulation of cell wall degrading and antioxidative enzyme activities, and (iv) induced defense responsive gene expression.

Plant and plant products including essential oils are globally acclaimed for their medicinal and therapeutic values. It’s an age-old practice, owing to their safety and protective effects against reactive oxygen species (ROS)/oxidative stresses. Aging is a global challenge and needs proper attention to check on its causative factors. The increased ROS production/oxidative stress is one of the major contributing factors endorses aging and age-related disorders. To this end, the present study was designed to explore the in vivo-antioxidant and anti-aging potentials of Juniper berry essential oil (JBEO) by using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism. Present work investigated the impact of different doses (0, 10, 50, 100 ppm) on lifespan and healthspan of C. elegans. The present study revealed that lower dose (10 ppm) was highly effective and enhanced the lifespan of C. elegans by 18.54% as compared to the control. Similarly, same concentration, i.e. 10 ppm was also showing potential against various oxidative and thermal stresses. The JBEO treated worms showed 30.40% more survival under thermal stress as compared to control. Besides the increased survival percent of worms, the elevated expression of SOD-3 (39.49%) and GST-4 (25.13%) was also observed, indicating oxidative stress resistance in worms. The screening studies on mutants of C. elegans for prediction of mechanism demonstrated the involvement of major conserved transcription factors (DAF-16, SKN-1, and HSF-1) which coordinates in the stress-induced transcription and extends longevity. Overall, here we unrevealed potentials of JBEO in anti-stressor activities and lifespan extension in C. elegans. Thus, in future, more studies on JBEO will pave paths for commercialization of essential oils in the formulations of antiaging products.

A comprehensive survey for 09 agro-climatic zones of Uttar Pradesh, India was conducted to isolate and characterize salt tolerant 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase possessing plant growth promoting (PGP) rhizobacteria for salt stress amelioration in rice. Here, we have isolated 1125 bacteria having the ability to tolerate 1M NaCl and out of those, 560 were screened for utilizing ACC as sole nitrogen source. 560 isolates were subjected for bacteria coated seed germination assay under 100mM salt (NaCl) stress resulting to 77 isolates which were further evaluated for seed germination assay, PGP and abiotic stress tolerance ability in vitro. This evaluation revealed 15 potent rhizobacteria representing each agro-climatic zone and salt stress mitigation in vitro. In particular, the biomass obtained for bacteria coated rice seedlings were corroborated with the performance of isolates exhibiting maximum average indole acetic acid (IAA) production respective to the agro-climatic zone. Surprisingly based on 16S rRNA, much of the propitious isolates belonged to same specific epithet exhibited variedly in their characteristics. Overall, Bacillus spp. was explored as dominant genera in toto with highest distribution in Western Plain zone followed by Central zone. Therefore, this study provides a counter-intuitive perspective of selection of native microflora for their multifarious PGP and abiotic stress tolerance abilities based on the agro-climatic zones to empower the establishment and development of more suitable inoculants for their application in agriculture under local stress environments.

Fresh pods of Moringa oleifera with nutraceutical importance are widely consumed in food commodities as vegetables. It is nutritious and it also has several biological activities. In the present study, a simple, rapid, cost-effective, and sensitive high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was applied for the simultaneous determination of six phenolic compounds, viz., gallic (phenolic acid), p-coumaric, caffeic acid (hydroxycinnamic acid), chlorogenic acid (cinnamic acid derivative), quercetin and kaempferol (flavonols) in flowers, pods, leaves, twigs, and seeds of M. oleifera. Simultaneous separation and quantification of compounds were achieved on HPTLC pre-coated silica gel 60 F254 aluminum plates using the mobile phase toluene–ethyl acetate–formic acid (14:10:1). Densitometric determination was carried out at λmax 282 nm. The calibration curves were linear, ranged between 0.984 and 0.998; the limit of detection and quantification ranged between 110.8 ng mL−1 and 142.3 ng mL−1, and 301....

Emerging environmental issues related to heavy metal contamination in rice draw great concern about the soil quality of paddy farming lands irrigated with groundwater. Investigating the functioning of soil microorganisms exposed to heavy metal contamination is imperative for agricultural soil manipulations. The current study accentuates the influence of heavy metals on microbial activity and community composition in arable soil of West Bengal State of India. The result revealed that the fertility indicators (activity of all soil enzymes) and growth-limiting factors (soil N and P) were negatively correlated with the heavy metal stress except the soil total organic content which demonstrated significant positive correlation with the heavy metals. In case of functional diversity of soil, all the considered diversity indices exhibited no specific pattern along with the availability of heavy metals. Further, despite the heavy metal contamination, we observed a very complex and indifferent pattern of bacterial community composition along the heavy metal contamination sites. Overall, we found that γ-Proteobacteria had been the most abundant bacterial community followed by Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, β-Proteobacteria and α-Proteobacteria. Commemorating all the results, we can infer that arsenic and other heavy metal contamination is deteriorating the soil quality and hence warrants immediate attention of concerned soil scientist and agronomists.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the relationship among phenotypic and quality traits in a set of indigenous and exotic accessions of linseed (Linum usitatissimum). The experimental material consisted of 151 accessions of linseed belonging to landraces and cultivars collected from diverse agroecological zones. Five randomly chosen plants of each accession in each replicate were tagged, and data were recorded for the 12 following agronomic traits: days to flowering, days to maturity, plant weight, plant height, tillers per plant, secondary branches per plant, capsules per plant, seeds per capsule, 1,000 seed weight, harvest index, seed yield per plant, and oil content. Capsules per plant, harvest index, and plant weight played a direct and indirect major role on seed yield. High heritability, coupled with high genetic advance for plant weight, secondary branches per plant, capsules per plant, and seed yield per plant, suggests that selection based on these traits can be effective. Regarding per se performance, the following accessions can be exploited for commercial cultivation: Shweta (5.41 g), Gaurav (5.07 g), and EX-3-3 (4.77 g) for seed yield; and Shubhra (45.09%), Mukta (44.94%), Laxmi-27 (45.06%), and Shweta (44.25%) for oil content. The chemical profiling of fatty acids obtained in the present study can provide a platform for the selection of accessions for the genetic improvement of linseed.

Betula utilis (BU), an important medicinal plant that grows in high altitudes of the Himalayan region, has been utilized traditionally due to it's antibacterial, hepatoprotective, and anti-tumor properties. Here, we demonstrated the longevity and amyloid-β toxicity attenuating activity of B. utilis ethanolic extract (BUE) in Caenorhabditis elegans. Lifespan of the worms was observed under both the standard laboratory and stress (oxidative and thermal) conditions. Effect of BUE was also observed on the attenuation of age-dependent physiological parameters. Further, gene-specific mutants and green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged strains were used to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the beneficial effects mediated by BUE supplementation. Our results showed that BUE (50 μg/ml) extended the mean lifespan of C. elegans by 35.99% and increased its survival under stress conditions. The BUE also reduced the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) by 22.47%. A delayed amyloid-β induced paralyses was observed in CL4176 transgenic worms. Interestingly, the BUE supplementation was also able to reduce the α-synuclein aggregation in NL5901 transgenic strain. Gene-specific mutant studies suggested that the BUE-mediated lifespan extension was dependent on daf-16, hsf-1, and skn-1 but not on sir-2.1 gene. Furthermore, transgenic reporter gene expression assay showed that BUE treatment enhanced the expression of stress-protective genes such as sod-3 and gst-4. Present findings suggested that ROS scavenging activity, together with multiple longevity mechanisms, were involved in BUE-mediated lifespan extension. Thus, BUE might have potential to increase the lifespan and to attenuate neuro-related disease progression.

Nagarmotha (Cyperus scariosus) rhizomes collected from 13 locations in India were characterized for oil content using hydro-distillation method. The distilled oil was subjected for estimation of its chemical composition using GC-MS. The oil yield analysed by using hydro-distillation varied from 0.20% Padampur (Orissa) to 0.58% Tilakgram (M.P.). The Gas chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses of the 13 hydro-distilled oils showed considerable differences in their chemical composition. The major compounds present in essential oil of nagarmotha rhizomes were identified as cyperene, longifolin, caryophylline oxide and longiverbenone. The amount of cyperene varied from 5.77% (Tilakgram M.P.) to 24.17% (Raipur, Chhattisgarh), longifolin varied from 5.95% (Raipur, Chhattisgarh) to 20.43% (Panna, M.P.), caryophyllene oxide ranged from 2.42% (Padampur, Orissa) to 10.38% (Tilakgram M.P.) and longiverbenone ranged from 3.96% (Padampur, Orissa) to 12.71% (Badarpur, Orissa). All the nagarmotha rhizom...

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) has been performed using cotyledonary node explants (CNs), which release phenolics upon excision that are detrimental to the viability of Agrobacterium tumefaciens and result in low transformation frequency. Twelve low molecular weight phenolic compounds and salicylic acid were identified in the exudates released upon excision during the preparation of cotyledonary nodes by reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Zone inhibition assays performed with the explant exudates released at periodic intervals after excision showed the inhibition of A. tumefaciens. Agroinoculation of freshly excised cotyledonary nodes of chickpea showed 98-99 % inhibition of colony forming units (cfu). Osmium tetraoxide fixation of excised tissues showed enhanced accumulation of phenolics in the sub-epidermal regions causing enzymatic browning, affecting the viability and performance of A. tumefaciens for T-DNA delivery. The periodic analysis of exudates released from excised CNs showed enhanced levels of gallic acid (0.2945 ± 0.014 μg/g), chlorogenic acid (0.0978 ± 0.0046 μg/g), and quercetin (0.0971 ± 0.0046 μg/g) fresh weight, which were detrimental to A. tumefaciens. Quantitative assays and the elution profile showed the maximum leaching of phenolics, flavonoids, and salicylic acid immediately after the excision of explants and continued till 4 to 8 h post-excision. Pre-treatment of excised explants with inhibitors of polyphenol oxidase like L-cysteine, DTT, and sodium thiosulfate before co-cultivation showed the recovery of A. tumefaciens cfu, decreased the accumulation of phenolics, and improved transformation frequency. Our results show the hypersensitive response of excision stress for the expression of defense response-related genes and synthesis of metabolites in grain legume chickpea against pathogen infestation including Agrobacterium.

A study was conducted during April 2016–March 2017 to evaluate the surface water quality of River Ganga at selected Ghats (stairway in India leading down to a landing on the water) of Kanpur by analyzing the water samples for physico-chemical properties with emphasis on heavy metals. The metals detected were: Cr, Cd, Pb, As, Se, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Mo whose concentrations ranged between 27.85-37, ND-2.92, 21.85-166.62, 39.49-129.49, 3.02-23.96, 18.20-335.69 ± 9, 836-8074, 0.53-3.40, 12.41-238.70, 23.62-256.36, 54.18-213, 19.2-454.54 μ gl − 1, respectively. Of all the metals found at the study site, the concentration of Cr, Fe Cu, As and Pb in all the samples were higher than the limit prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) and World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) for drinking water, water for aquatic life and that for irrigation. The results of pollution indices, show that the river water is not suitable for drinking, aquatic life even not for irrigation uses except at Bithoor and Sarsaiyaghat where it was slightly to moderately affected and can be use for irrigation purpose only after proper treatment.

Adulteration in aromatic oils with natural isolates and identical synthetic compounds is common practice in flavour and fragrance industry. Blending of synthetic materials is done in such a way that the chemical profile by gas chromatography of product (adulterated) oil remains nearly identical to original one. This practice makes complex issue for detection of adulterants in aromatic oil. In the present study, natural and adulterated essential oils of lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) and palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii) were differentiated and identified on the basis of their carbon isotope composition (13C/12C) using isotopic-ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) technique. This technique differentiates the natural oils (lemongrass and palmarosa oils) with adulterated oils by showing decrease in their carbon isotopic composition as blending of synthetic compounds viz. geraniol, citral, polyethylene glycol (PEG), dioctyl phthalate (DOP) and diethyl phthalate (DEP) of these adulterants with increasing o...

The fruits of Trapa natans var. bispinosa Roxb. (singhara) of nutraceutical importance are commercially consumed in food commodities. It is nutritious while having several biological activities. In the present study, a simple, rapid, cost-effective, and sensitive highperformance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of four phenolic compounds viz. gallic (phenolic acid), caffeic acid (hydroxycinnamic acid), quercetin, and kaempferol (flavonols) in seeds and pericarp of green-, red-, and black-colored singhara fruits. The method is economical in terms of the time taken and the amount of solvent used for analysis. Simultaneous separation and quantification of compounds were achieved on HPTLC precoated silica gel 60 F254 aluminum plates using mobile phase of toluene-ethyl acetate-formic acid (13:11:2). Densitometric determination was carried out at λmax 282 nm. The calibration curves were linear ranging between 0.996 and 0.999; the limits of detection and quantification ranged between 86.8–135.0 ng µL−1 and 263.2–409.2 ng µL−1 and recovery ranged between 96.4% and 98.5%. The validated method was successively used to analyze the above compounds in fruit parts of singhara. The amount of phenolic compounds ranged from 0.04% kaempferol (green pericarp) to 2.11% gallic acid (red pericarp). The developed method may be used in the quality control and standardization of plant extracts as well as herbal drugs and formulations having polyphenols. As this study reveals the presence of specific phenolic compounds in green, red, and black pericarp of singhara, the agrowaste shall be a good source for isolation of the above compounds for industrial use.

Parthenium hysterophorus L., is an obnoxious weed known for its environmental health hazards and medicinal uses. These characteristics are due to presence of sesquiterpene lactones and organic acids; therefore a rapid and sensitive analytical procedure using HPLC-PDA-MS-MS was developed and optimized for separation, identification, and quantification of parthenin and six organic acids. Separation and characterization of compounds was achieved on a RP-C18 column with 1% acetic acid in water (A) and acetonitrile (B) as a mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.6 mL min−1 and by matching their UV and mass spectra with reference compounds. Six organic acids (ferulic acid, 0.1 mg g−1 to coumaric acid, 13.6 mg g−1) and parthenin (27.4 mg g−1) were characterized within 26 minutes of chromatographic separation in plant extract. The calibration curves are linear with correlation coefficients from 0.985 to 0.998, limit of detection and quantification ranged between 1.0 µg mL−1 (anisic acid) to 2.2 µg mL−1 (parthenin) and ...

A rapid, sensitive, and simple high performance liquid chromatography photo diode array mass spectrometry (HPLC-PDA-MS-MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of nine compounds, namely, psoralen (furocoumarin), daidzein, genistein (isoflavonoids), daidzin and genestin (isoflavone glycosides), biochanin A (methoxylated isoflavone), and quercetin, kaempferol, and rutin (flavonols). Chromatographic separation of these nine molecules was performed on RP C18 column within 20 min. Elution was accomplished by the application of trifluoroacetic acid (0.05%) in water and methanol in gradient system with flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. PDA and mass spectrometry was employed for qualitative and quantitative analysis. The method is economical in terms of the time expended and the amount of solvent used for each analysis. The calibration curves were linear and ranged between 0.994 to 0.999; limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) ranged between 1.02 to 1.18 and 2.23 to 3.34 and recovery ranged b...

Certain plants of the daily human diet are an important source of beneficially healthy flavonoids, possessing significant pharmacological activities against various diseases. Flavonoids display an array of chemical diversity based on relative positioning of benzopyrano moiety and aromatic ring. Due to structural diversity of these molecules, simultaneous quantification of these molecules in plant materials becomes difficult. In the present study, a rapid, simple, and sensitive, High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Photo Diode Array Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-PDA-MS-MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of three different classes of flavonoids,namely, isoflavonoids, flavanones, and flavonols in legume seeds, vegetables, fruits, and medicinal plants. The method was evaluated for validation parameters, such as linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), specificity, selectivity, and compound stability. The developed method was applied on extra...

India is the main producer of palmarosa oil obtained from rosha grass (Cymbopogan martini var. motia) of family Graminae. The essential oil obtained from the grass is rich in geraniol content. The oil is commercially obtained by hydro-steam distillation of rosha grass. Oil of palmarosa and its separated fraction geraniol are widely used in perfumery industry. The palmarosa oil is valued due to geraniol and largely used as base for fine perfumery. In this article, a simple, rapid, cost-effective and accurate method using high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method has been developed for separation, identification and quantification of geraniol in palmarosa oil. Separation and quantification of palmarosa are achieved by HPTLC using mobile phase of toluene-ethylacetate (92.5:7.5) followed by separation on precoated silica gel 60 F254 aluminium plates and densitometric determination carried out after derivatization with vanillin-sulfuric acid reagent at λmax, 400 nm, in absorption-reflectance m...

The edaphoclimatic conditions that affect the yield and qualities of Andrographis paniculata Nees, (Kalmegh) were studied. Under seasonal and soil pH variations, andrographolide content ranged between 2.25–3.85% in aerial parts of the plant. Total phenolic content, antioxidant activity and reducing power were 20.3 mg g−1 GAE, 66.8% and 2.8 ASE mL−1. FRSA measured by DPPH showed an IC50 of 0.34 mg mL−1, EC50 of 14.7 mg mg−1 DPPH, and anti-radical power of 6.76. AOA in different assays expressed as IC50 ranged from 0.31 to 1.29 mg mL−1. The extract showed significant protective effect against Fenton's reaction on supercoiled pUC18 DNA.

Betula utilis (family Betulaceae) is an important medicinal plant that grows in high altitudes of Himalayan region of India. The present study is aimed to determine the biochemical composition in the bark of Betula utilis using HPLC, HPTLC and GCMS methods. The optimization of solvent system for maximum extraction yield has been carried out. Total Phenolic Content (TPC), Total Flavonoid Content (TFC) and Antioxidant Activity (AA) were estimated in various solvent extracts. Maximum extractive yield (14.56%), TPC (14.47 mg/g), TFC (20.10 mg/g) in 75% ethanol and scavenging activity (92.89%) were found in 50% ethanol. Pentacyclic triterpenoids (betulin, tupeol, oleanolic acid, beta-sitosterol) were characterized and quantified using HPLC, HPTLC and GCMS found close within limits. Betulin was found maximum in ethanol.

Total phenoliccontent(TPC), specific polyphenols (Gallic, ellagic and protocatechuic acid),antioxidant activity (AOA), free radical scavenging activity (FRSA), lipid peroxidation (LPO), inhibition of nitroblue tetrazolium chloride (NBT) reduction caused by superoxide anions and reducing power (RP) through various extraction optimization parameters using solvents of different polarity, time, temperature and pH variation were evaluated in fruits, leaves, twigs and bark of Trewia nudiflora. The extraction parameters exhibited a broad range of TPC inplant parts varying from 7.9–668.6mg/g gallic acid equivalent(GAE), AOA 14.6–82.9% and RP 0.47–7.2ASE/ml. FRSA, measured as IC50 invarious antioxidant assays ranged from 0.014–4.1mg/ml. The extracts of all plant parts showed significant protective effect against Fenton's reaction on supercoiled plasmid DNA pUC 18 assayed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Fruits were found to possess the highest TPC, AOA and FRSA in all the tested models, with reduction in the activity, in order of fruits > leaves > twigs > bark.

Cyperus scariosus R.Br. (Nagarmotha) is pestiferous perennial, delicate slender sedge found wildly in various parts of the country, especially in damp or marshy areas and collected wildly for extraction of its essential oil using steam distillation. The rhizomes of C. scariosus possess pleasant aromatic odour, the essential oil is used as anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-fungal agent and it is also used as one of the ingredients in several formulations for the Ayurvedic systems of medicine. Phytochemical studies have shown that the major chemical components of this herb are polyphenol, flavonol, glycoside, alkaloid, saponins, sesquiterpenoids and essential oil. Rhizome of the plant is used in fever, arthritis, diuretic, nervine tonic, treatment of diarrhea and dysentery, leprosy, bronchitis, amenorrhea and blood disorders. The fruits of the plant are used as carminative, diuretic tonic and have stomachic. The details of plant and its essential oil, chemical constituents and biological activities have been described in this review.

Terminalia is an important genus of trees, used in ‘Ayurvedic’ system of medicine. Four species of Terminalia (arjuna, bellarica, chebula and muelleri) were studied for their total phenolic contents (TPC), antioxidant activity (AOA) and free radical scavenging activities (FRSA). The TPC varied from 110.1 to 275.5 mg/g GAE, AOA from 62.3% to 92.1% and FRSA showed in terms of IC50 (inhibitory concentration) from 0.031 to 0.110 mg/ml, EC50 (efficient concentration) from 1.34 to 4.78 mg/mgDPPH and antiradical power (ARP) from 20.91 to 74.62 in four species of Terminalia. TPC in fruits of all species were found highest from other parts. The fruits of T. arjuna showed better inhibition of lipid peroxidation assayed by ammonium thiocyanate. On the other hand, ferric ion chelating capacity (FICC) of fruits of T. chebula was highest. Fruits were also potential inhibitors of lipid peroxidation (LPO) and nitroblue tetrazolium chloride (NBT) reduction caused by superoxide anions. Specific phenolic composition performed through LC-PDA-MS-MS showed that the plant parts, especially fruits were rich in gallic acid, ellagic acid, and quercetin. The fruit extract of all species showed significant protection of DNA damage caused by free radicals.