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Water is an absolute necessity for all the living organisms on the earth. The evaluation of the river water quality is a critical element in the assessment of water resources. The exploitation of the rivers across Kerala is increasing in an immense manner that is resulting in flooding, water quality deterioration and dangerous extraction of riverbed deposits. Increasing urbanization is causing a number of serious impacts on the river basin system. The present study focuses on the assessment of water quality on a specific stretch of Karamanariver in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala state. To analyse the effect of urbanization on the water quality level in Karamanariver, the present study has collected data from 7 sampling points from various locations along the stretches of the river. The sampling points selected are Maruthoorkadavu, Iranimuttam, Thiruvallam, Parvathyputhanar, Edayar, Thopadi within the city and Aruvikkara which is a rural place far away from the Thiruvananthapuram city. For assessing the water quality, 10 parameters such as pH value, conductivity, turbidity, sulphate, chloride, phosphate, dissolved oxygen, biological oxygen demand, total solids and temperature are used. In the present paper, the data collected during the period November 2019 to February 2020 are analysed and presented. The study of water quality monitoring done in Karamanariver has provided an insight about the extent of deterioration of the quality of water in the river. The Karamanariver originates from the southern tip of the Western Ghats at AgastyarKoodam and flows 66 km westward and merges with Arabian Sea at Panathura near Kovalam. The river Killiyar and Parvathyputhanar also merges with the Karamanariver before it merges with the sea. The present study shows that a large quantity of sewage wastes reaches to Karamanariver at many places along the banks of the river and it pollutes water to a larger extend., {"references":["Badusha M., Santhosh S. Assessment of water quality of Neyyarriver, Kerala, India. Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries. 2017.5.","Arun Kumar Shrestha, Nabin Basnet, The correlation and Regression analysis of Physicochemical parameters of river water for the evaluation of percentage contribution to electrical conductivity. Journal of Chemistry, Article ID 8369613, 24 July 2018.","Sujitha P.C, Mitra Dev D, Soumya P.K., Mini Priya R. Physico-chemical parameters of Karamana river water in Trivandrum district, Kerala, India. International Journal of Environmental Sciences. 2012.3(2).","Kerala State Pollution Control Board (2019) in association with Department of Irrigation, Kerala Water Authority, Thiruvananthapuram corporation, Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment centre, Kerala SocioEconomic Foundation, KaramanaRiver Action Plan. February 2019.","Lakshmi E, Dr. G. Madhu. An assessment of water quality in river Periyar, Kerala, South India using Water Quality Index. IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicity and Food Technology.2014.8(8):11-16p.","Tingping Ouyang, Yaoqiu Kuang, Zhenyu Hu and Bo Sun. Assessing impact of Urbanization on river water quality in the Pearl river Delta Economic Zone, China. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2016","Sheela A M. Water quality assessment of river Karamana using Geographic Information System. July 2006."]}

Introduction The management of displaced and comminuted radial head fractures has been a matter of debate amongst surgeons for many years. Radial head excision formed the mainstay of surgical management of these injuries. Over the years, there have been improvements in the surgical techniques and availability of better implants and instrumentation techniques, hence, open reduction and internal fixation of these fractures is gaining popularity. Aim To compare the outcome of elbow function between radial head excision and open reduction and internal fixation of the radial head with mini screws of Mason Type II and Type III radial head fractures and to assess the complications that occur in both techniques. Materials and methods A prospective study was conducted in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery of Justice K.S.Hegde Charitable hospital. A total of 40 patients between the age group of 30-50 years with Mason Type II and Type III fresh closed radial head fractures were included in the study. Group I consisted of 20 patients who underwent radial head excision and Group II consisted of 20 patients who underwent open reduction and internal fixation with mini screws. Patients were reviewed at postoperative week 3, 6 and 24. Radiographs were taken and functional outcome assessment of the elbow was done during all the follow ups. Elbow physiotherapy was started on postoperative week three. Scoring of elbow function was done as per the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) scoring system. Results were tabulated, compared and analysed statistically using the 'chi-square test'. Results At the end of six months, the patients of the open reduction and internal fixation group had lower DASH scores (4.82±2.73 points) than the radial head excision group (14.23±5.60 points). This inferred that patients who underwent open reduction and internal fixation had better functional outcomes than the excision group. Complications of proximal radial migration was noted in three patients, elbow osteoarthritis was noted in two and periarticular ossification was noted in six patients who underwent radial head excision. Conclusion Open reduction and internal fixation of Mason Type II and Type III radial head fractures is a better management technique as compared to radial head excision for management of Mason Type II and III radial head fractures.

Pistacia vera (L.) is an alternate bearing species. The tree produces axillary inflorescence buds every year. Still, they abscise in “ON” overloaded shoots, causing a limited production in the following “OFF” year, causing a significant and unfavorable production fluctuation. In this work, we carried out de novo discovery and transcriptomic analysis in fruits of “ON” and “OFF” shoots of the cultivar Bianca. We also investigated whether the fruit signaling pathway and hormone biosynthesis directly or indirectly linked to the premature fall of the inflorescence buds causing alternate bearing. We identified 1536 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in fruits of “ON” vs. “OFF” shoots, which are involved primarily in sugar metabolism, plant hormone pathways and transcription factors. The premature bud abscission linked to the phenomenon is attributable to a lack of nutrients (primarily sugar) and the possible competition between the same branches’ sinks (fruits vs. inflorescence buds). Hormone pathways are involved as a response to signals degradation and remobilization of carbon and nutrients due to the strengthening of the developing embryos. Genes of the secondary metabolism and transcription factors are also involved in tailoring the individual branches response to the nutritional stress and sink competition. Crosstalk among sugar and various hormone-related genes, e.g., ethylene, auxin, ABA and cytokinin, were determined. The discovery of putative biomarkers like callose synthase 5, trehalose-6-phosphate synthase, NAD(P)-linked oxidoreductase and MIOX2, Jasmonate, and salicylic acid-related genes can help to design precision farming practices to mitigate the alternate bearing phenomenon to increase farming profitability. The aim of the analysis is to provide insight into the gene expression profiling of the fate of “ON” and “OFF” fruits associated with the alternate bearing in the pistachio.

The alteration of heavy (&ldquo, ON/bearing&rdquo, ) and light (&ldquo, OFF/non-bearing&rdquo, ) yield in pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) has been reported to result from the abscission of inflorescence buds on high yielding trees during the summer, but the regulatory mechanisms involved in this bud abscission remain unclear. The analysis provides insights into the transcript changes between inflorescence buds on bearing and non-bearing shoots, that we indicated as &ldquo, ON&rdquo, and &ldquo, OFF&rdquo, and shed light on the molecular mechanisms causing premature inflorescence bud abscission in the pistachio cultivar &ldquo, Bianca&rdquo, which can be related to the alternate bearing behavior. In this study, a transcriptome analysis was performed in inflorescence buds of &ldquo, shoots. A total of 14,330 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), most of which are involved in sugar metabolism, plant hormone pathways, secondary metabolism and oxidative stress pathway, were identified. Our results shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying inflorescence bud abscission in pistachio and we proposed a hypothetical model behind the molecular mechanism causing this abscission in &ldquo, shoots. Results highlighted how changes in genes expressed in nutrient pathways (carbohydrates and mineral elements) in pistachio &ldquo, vs. &ldquo, inflorescence buds triggers a cascade of events involving trehalose-6-phosphate and target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling, SnRK1 complex, hormones, polyamines and ROS which end, through programmed cell death and autophagy phenomena, with the abscission of inflorescence buds. This is the first study reporting gene expression profiling of the fate of &ldquo, inflorescence buds associated with the alternate bearing in the pistachio.

Walnuts are among the most important nut crops grown in temperate regions of the world. Commercial production in California, and increasingly worldwide, relies on only few clonally grafted scion genotypes, particularly “Chandler,” and more recently clonally propagated disease-resistant rootstocks. Diseases, nematodes, insect pests, abiotic stresses, and other nutritional and environmental factors, can reduce walnut productivity and quality, affecting grower profitability. The California Walnut Breeding Program at UC Davis has developed and released scion cultivars and rootstocks to help address some of these problems. Sequencing of the walnut genome is expected to speed walnut breeding by facilitating development of molecular markers that can be linked to phenotypic traits, and by reducing the time needed to screen new genotypes. Nonetheless, conventional breeding of tree crops is still a long-term proposition. Here we describe a toolkit that utilizes the CRISPR-Cas9 system to enable rapid and precise editing of the genomes of currently grown commercial clonal walnut genotypes. A computational tool was developed to aid selection of guide RNAs targeting specific genomic sites of this crop and to identify potential off-target sites. As a proof-of-concept, the gene encoding phytoene desaturase (PDS) of walnut was targeted, disrupting its expression. A dominant visual phenotype associated with the successful editing of this gene was observed in non-pigmented “albino” shoots obtained from in vitro cultures. This toolkit can now be adapted to other important tree crop members of the order Fagales, which includes other valuable nut and tree species such as pecans, butternuts, chestnuts, hickory nuts, hazelnut, wingnut, and oaks.

© 2018 Balan, Ibáñez, Dandekar, Caruso and Martinelli. A bioinformatic analysis of previously published RNA-Seq studies on Huanglongbing (HLB) response and tolerance in leaf tissues was performed. The aim was to identify genes commonly modulated between studies and genes, pathways and gene set categories strongly associated with this devastating Citrus disease. Bioinformatic analysis of expression data of four datasets present in NCBI provided 46–68 million reads with an alignment percentage of 72.95–86.76%. Only 16 HLB-regulated genes were commonly identified between the three leaf datasets. Among them were key genes encoding proteins involved in cell wall modification such as CESA8, pectinesterase, expansin8, expansin beta 3.1, and a pectate lyase. Fourteen HLB-regulated genes were in common between all four datasets. Gene set enrichment analysis showed some different gene categories affected by HLB disease. Although sucrose and starch metabolism was highly linked with disease symptoms, different genes were significantly regulated depending on leaf growth and infection stages and experimental conditions. Histone-related transcription factors were highly affected by HLB in the analyzed RNA-Seq datasets. HLB tolerance was linked with induction of proteins involved in detoxification. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis confirmed a possible role for heat shock proteins in curbing disease progression.

Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) production suffers a high level of alternate bearing. The mechanism underlying this negative phenomenon is different from other species, such as apple and olive. Pistachio produces a high number of inflorescence buds every year that in heavy cropping trees (“ON”) mostly fall during the kernel development phase, which occurs in July-August. Primary metabolites (i.e., carbohydrates) play a key role in the signaling related to inflorescence bud abscission. In this work, RNA-Seq was used as a tool to investigate transcriptome of inflorescence buds and fruits, sampled from branches with low (“OFF”) and high (“ON”) crop load. Reference based RNA-Seq analysis using Arabidopsis thaliana genome was performed to discover differentially regulated genes in “ON” vs. “OFF” branches. In fruits developed on “ON” branches, photosynthesis, terpenoid and alpha-amylase-related genes were induced while tetrapyrrole was repressed; in inflorescence buds, photosynthesis was repressed while two genes involved in terpenoids pathways were still induced in comparison to the buds bore on “OFF” branches. A comparison with citrus transcriptomic data was performed. The data collected in the present study will be further utilized by the completion of pistachio genome and transcriptome de novo assembly.

Identifying key information in transcriptomic data is very important, especially when the “omic” study deals with plant responses to stresses in field conditions where a high number of variables and disturbing factors may affect the analysis. In this meta-analysis we collected 12 transcriptomic works in Malus in order to identify which key genes, proteins, gene categories are involved in general plant pathological conditions and those features linked with exclusive biotic stress responses. Those genes that are only related with molecular responses to pathogen attacks and those linked with other plant physiological processes were identified. A pipeline composed by pathway and gene set enrichment analysis, protein-protein interaction networks and gene visualization tools was employed. A total of 13,230 genes of the 12 studies were analyzed with functional data mining tools: 5,215 were upregulated, 8,015 were downregulated. Gene set enrichment analysis pointed out that photosynthesis was inhibited by Erwinia amylovora and fungal pathogens. Different hormonal crosstalk was linked with responses to different pathogens. Gibberellin-related pathways, ABA-related were mostly repressed by fungal pathogens. Relating to transcription factors, genes encoding MYBs and WRKY2 were downregulated by fungal pathogens and 12 WRKYs were commonly regulated by different biotic stresses The protein-protein interaction analysis discovered the presence of several proteins affected by more than one biotic stress including a WRKY40 and some highly interactive proteins such as heat shock proteins. This study represents a first preliminary curated meta-analysis of apple transcriptomic responses to biotic stresses.

RNA-Seq analysis is a strong tool to gain insight into the molecular responses to biotic stresses in plants. The objective of this work is to identify specific and common molecular responses between different transcriptomic data related to fungi, virus and bacteria attacks in Malus x domestica. We analyzed seven transcriptomic datasets in Malus x domestica divided in responses to fungal pathogens, virus (Apple Stem Grooving Virus) and bacteria (Erwinia amylovora). Data were dissected using an integrated approach of pathway- and gene- set enrichment analysis, Mapman visualization tool, gene ontology analysis and inferred protein-protein interaction network. Our meta-analysis revealed that the bacterial infection enhanced specifically genes involved in sugar alcohol metabolism. Brassinosteroids were upregulated by fungal pathogens while ethylene was highly affected by Erwinia amylovora. Gibberellins and jasmonates were strongly repressed by fungal and viral infections. The protein-protein interaction network highlighted the role of WRKYs in responses to the studied pathogens. In summary, our meta-analysis provides a better understanding of the Malus X domestica transcriptome responses to different biotic stress conditions; we anticipate that these insights will assist in the development of genetic resistance and acute therapeutic strategies. This work would be an example for next meta-analysis works aiming at identifying specific common molecular features linked with biotic stress responses in other specialty crops.