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The current study provides the morphometric and meristic characteristics of a small indigenous freshwater balitorid, Triplophysa marmorata (Heckel, 1838), thriving in Manasbal Lake, Kashmir, India. The research involved the collection of 360 samples of T. marmorata from Manasbal Lake. The analysis revealed that the morphometric measurements were dependent on body size and there was a gradual increase in body length. Regression analysis was performed between the independent variables TL and the dependent variables viz. SL, FL, PrAL, PrVL, PrDL, BD, HL, CFL, PFL and PVL as well as between the dependent variables HL and the dependent variables ED, SnL, PrOL and PoL. The results indicated a positive relation between various morphometric characters and both TL and HL, displaying correlations that ranged from medium to high strength. On the other hand the fish showed constant meristic characters where there was no change in meristic counts with the increase of body length. The fin formula is derived as D 6-9; P 8-10; V 6-7; A 4-6; C 13-18. The findings demonstrated characteristic morphometric traits exclusive to T. marmorata in Manasbal Lake establishing crucial data for future investigations into the biological dynamics and conservation objectives pertaining to the fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fecundity is an important parameter in fisheries that predicts the reproductive capability of fish stock. Information on the fecundity of Common carp is helpful in estimating the amount of offspring produced in spawning season, which is essential for the stock assessment of the species. Assessment of the fecundity of a fish is essential for evaluating the commercial potentialities of its stock, life history, practical culture and actual management of the fishery. Common carp is a commercially important fish which has the potential to meet the demand of food in the country. Scanty of data is available on fecundity parameter of common carp in Kashmir waters. Therefore, this research work aims to estimate the fecundity of Common carp collected from the Dal lake of Kashmir. Methods: The present study aims to estimate the fecundity of Common carp, [Cyprinus carpio var. communis] existing in Dal Lake, Kashmir. The 30 fish samples were collected once every month from the month of January 2018 to December 2018. Fishes were brought to Fisheries Resource Management (FRM), Faculty of Fisheries, SKUAST-K Laboratory for the estimation of total length, weight of fishes and weight of ovaries. Gravimetric and actual counting method was used for the estimation of fecundity. Result: It was observed that the number of eggs varied from 16650 (for a fish with total length 180mm and total weight 120 g) to 129000 (for a fish with total length 430 mm and total weight 1300 g. The mean absolute fecundity was recorded as 68864.07±6563.59 for a fish with a mean total length of 301.43±13.93 mm and mean total weight of 435.1±66.51 g. The relative fecundity ranged from 99.2-240.8 and the mean relative fecundity was 185.96. Significant positive correlation was found between fish weight and absolute fecundity. (r= 0.907, p<0.01), fish length and absolute fecundity (r= 0.976, p<0.01), Ovary weight and absolute fecundity (r= 0.998, p<0.01). Relative fecundity showed a significant negative correlation with weight, length and absolute fecundity (r= -0.747, p<0.01; r= -0.419, p<0.05 and r= -0.460, p<0.05 respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastro somatic index and other indices such as Relative Gut Mass (RGM), Relative Length of Gut (RLG), Zihler's Index (ZI) and Gut Vacuity Index (GVI) of Schizothorax labiatus were observed during the present study. The total length of the fish ranged 140mm to 378 mm and Total Weight of fish ranged from 47gm to 449 gm. Lowest GaSI value was observed in the month of April (3.70) and highest value was observed in the month of July (6.81). Annual mean GaSI was recorded as 5.05 ± 0.28. The mean RGM and RLG values observed were 0.03 ± 0.02 and 1.40 ± 0.08 respectively thereby indicating that S. labiatus has omni-herbivore feeding habit. The mean value of Zihler's index (ZI) was recorded as 7.27± 0.24 and mean GVI value was recorded as 9.30 ± 0.65 exhibiting the gluttonous nature of this species. This type of study is helpful in providing important information on food and feeding habits S. labiatus in Kashmir valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Soybean leaf blight has been viewed as a possible biotic stress responsible for decreasing yield potential of soybean in Kashmir over the years. Therefore, its etiology and recording associated yield loss were deemed necessary corresponding to baseline findings for deciding any chemical or non-chemical intervention in disease management. Methods: Field and laboratory investigations were undertaken during crop periods of 2019 and 2020. Disease specimens were collected from various locations across valley and the pathogen was isolated on Potato Dextrose Agar medium. To identify the host range of soybean isolate, nine pulse crops were tested under controlled conditions (Tem. 22±3℃ and RH>80%). The relative yield loss and critical stage of chemical intervention were assessed by exposing soybean populations to disease at different phenological stages which created five different levels of disease in a field experiment laid in RBD with four replications. Result: Phoma sojicola (syn. Ascochyta sojicola) was associated pathogen of this disease of soybean in Kashmir. Typical disease symptoms on leaves comprised of roughly circular and brown lesions (up to 20 mm diameter) with concentric rings having interspersed pycnidia. Most often the diseased tissue fall apart and gives it a shot hole expression. Radial daily mycelial growth of the pathogen was 3.62 mm colony was grey olivaceous in the centre and light olivaceous towards periphery. Conidia were hyaline, oblong to ellipsoidal and 1-2 celled with average dimensions of 7.98 × 2.87 μ. Chlamydospores were brown olivaceous, globose to sub-globose with average dimensions of 16.89 × 9.30 μ. After artificial inoculation, Phaseolus vulgaris, Vigna sinensis, V. radiata, V. mungo, Cicer arietinum, Vicia faba and Cajanus cajan manifested disease symptoms after variable incubation periods of 8-13 days, while as Lens esculenta and Pisum sativum resisted the invasion. Early appearance of the Phoma blight (V-1 stage) in soybean can reach a terminal intensity of 67.16 per cent besides causing 51.72 per cent yield loss. Tolerable yield loss (5.63%) was achieved only when the crop was maintained disease free up to R-3 (beginning pod development) stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We extend the well known Bernstein inequality to the generalized derivative of a polynomial introduced by Sz-Nagy [13] with restricted zeros and obtain some new inequalities with respect to sup-norm. The obtained results include some known inequalities of Turán, Malik and Govil as special cases for the ordinary derivative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study is region specific carried out to see the relation of bean anthracnose with weather in Kashmir and also to assess the yield loss in bean vis-à-vis anthracnose. Such studies form basis for deciding disease suppressive crop geometry and also sowing date alterations besides helping in disease predictions. The yield loss study in particular reveals the importance of a disease before any management strategies are worked out. Methods: Epidemiology was conducted under natural epiphytotic conditions using a susceptible bean cv. Shalimar Rajmash-1 for recording disease development at weekly intervals. Yield loss assessment was also recorded on Shalimar Rajmash-1 where different disease levels were created by inoculating at different phonological stages after maturity the crop stand disease free. Conclusion: During cropping season, the incidence and intensity of bean anthracnose developed to the extent of 77.06 and 54.51 per cent, when average temperature, average RH and weekly rain fall ranged from 16.6-23.8°C, 62.2-76.5 per cent and 1.7-48.2 mm, respectively. However, the highest periodic increase in disease incidence (12.62%) was recorded during 24th standard metrological week which coincided with highest rain fall and the increase in periodic disease intensity was higher (> 10%) when RH was above 70 per cent. The yield loss in bean vis-a-vis variable levels of disease as created by inoculating different unit population of bean plants at different phenological stages revealed significant and positive correlation of bean anthracnose and yield loss. Highest yield loss (68.42%) was recorded in populations where the disease started at 1st trifoliate stage which then reached maximum intensity of 81.09 per cent at physiological maturity. The terminal disease intensity in population where disease started at pod filling was significantly low (18.59%) and caused least yield loss of 10.95 per cent. The study reveals that bean anthracnose caused significant yield loss when it appeared at any stage upto flowering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In present study, maturation and spawning season of rainbow trout O. mykiss was studied between August 2015 to January 2016 from three trout rearing farms namely Dachigam Trout Farm, Mammar Trout Farm and Achabal Trout Farm. The maximum ova diameter was observed during spawning phase (6.01mm) and minimum ova diameter was obtained during resting phase (1.19mm). The ova diameter analysis of O. mykiss (pooled and site-wise) revealed a significant difference with a p value <0.05, with the considerable increase in ova diameter frequency (pooled and site-wise). The results of GSI for the pooled data revealed maximum value of 15.05% in December and minimum value of 1.60% in August. The gonadosomatic index (site-wise) revealed maximum value of 21.39% at Dachigam in January. The monthly condition factor (K) revealed the highest values for the pooled data in the month of September (1.33) and lowest value in the month of November (1.10). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study is to describe the phases of gonadal development and determine the spawning season of Schizothorax curvifrons in River Jhelum Kashmir. A total of 298 fish specimen were studied to analyse the gonadosomatic index and maturity stages of S. curvifrons. Five maturity stages namely Immature phase, Preparatory phase, Maturing phase, Ripe/spawning phase and Spent phase were observed in the gonads. Based on GSI values and gonadal conditions, April to June appears to be the spawning season for S. curvifrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizothorax curvifrons, an indigenous cyprinid fish of Kashmir, forms an important coldwater fishery resource of the valley. This study was aimed to describe the morphometrics and length-weight relationship of S. curvifrons in River Jhelum Kashmir. The various morphometric characters showed high co-efficient of correlation (r) values, indicating that the characters were highly correlated to each other. The length-weight relationship was established logarithmically as Log W = -3.9323 + 2.5863 Log L (r²=0.746) for males, Log W = -4.1708 + 2.6852 (r²=0.745) Log L for females and Log W = -3.9975 + 2.6138 Log L (r²=0.746) for pooled data. The b value (2.6138) was found to be significantly different from 3 indicating negative allometric growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Epidermal growth factor plays a critical role in breast malignancies by enhancing cell proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition ( EMT) is a crucial process by which epithelial cells lose polarity and acquire migratory mesenchymal properties. Gold nanoparticles are an efficient drug delivery vehicle for carrying chemotherapeutic agents to target cancer cells and quercetin is an anti-oxidative flavonoid known with potent anti-malignant cell activity. Materials and methods Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay, and protein expression was examined by Western blotting and immunocytochemistry. Cell invasion was monitored using invasion chambers, and cell migration was analysed by scratch wound-healing assay. In vitro and ex vivo angiogenesis studies were performed by capillary-like tube formation assay and chick embryo angiogenesis assay ( CEA). 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene ( DMBA) induced mammary carcinoma in Sprague-Dawley rats. Results We observed a significant reduction in protein expression of vimentin, N-cadherin, Snail, Slug, Twist, MMP-2, MMP-9, p- EGFR, VEGFR-2, p- PI3K, Akt and p- GSK3β, and enhanced E-cadherin protein expression in response to Au NPs-Qu-5 treatment. Au NPs-Qu-5 inhibited migration and invasion of MCF-7 and MDA- MB-231 cells compared to free quercetin. Au NPs-Qu-5-treated HUVECs had reduced cell viability and capillary-like tube formation. In vitro and in vivo angiogenesis assays showed that Au NPs-Qu-5 suppressed tube and new blood vessel formation. Treatment with Au NPs-Qu-5 impeded tumour growth in DMBA-induced mammary carcinoma in SD rats compared to treatment with free quercetin. Conclusion Our results suggest that Au NPs-Qu-5 inhibited EMT, angiogenesis and metastasis of the breast cancer cells tested by targeting the EGFR/ VEGFR-2 signalling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greengram sown from May-26 to July-5 at 10 days interval in Kashmir manifested variable disease scores. While May-26 sown crop suffered significantly lower leaf spot intensity (25 %) and pod infection (34 %), the following sowings such as June-5, June-15, June, 25 and July-5 suffered 32-47, and 39-64 per cent leaf spot intensity and pod infection, respectively. May-26 sowing supported maximum seed yield (8.2 q/ha) and a proportionate decrease in seed yield of late sowings was recorded with lowest (7 q/ha) obtained in July-5 sown crop. Fungicides were evaluated as seed treatment as well as one or two foliar applications. Seed treatment with carbendazim and captan showed poor results in both disease control and seed yield. However, application of carbendazim (0.05 %) at first appearance of disease followed by another spray with hexaconazole (0.02 %) ensured significant reduction in pod infection (77 %) and leaf spot intensity (68 %) besides supporting proportionately attractive seed yield (8.62-8.95 q/ha) at an acceptable B:C ratio (6.38:1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cercospora canescens was inoculated onto different aged (20-70 days old) plants of greengram (Cv. Shalimar Mung-1). The genotype was found invariably susceptible at all its growth stages with incubation period of 6-7 days and leaf spot diameter of 7.1-7.4mm as recorded after 15 days of inoculation. Total sugar content showed an increasing trend and ranged from 124 to 129 and 133 to 135mg/g dry weight during pre- and post-flowering periods, respectively. The total phenol content also increased with plant age and was maximum (26.5 mg/g dry weigh) in 60 days old plants following which an insignificant decrease (26.5 mg/g dry weight) was recorded. Twenty five genotypes of greengram were screened for resistance against the pathogen under field conditions. The genotypes showed an indifferent response to invasion by C. canescens and none showed absolute resistance. However, five genotypes viz., ML-935, PDM-54, Pusa Vishal, SM-710 and SM-366 were moderately susceptible and manifested lower leaf spot intensity (27.5-30.4 %) and pod infection(34-35.4 %). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of follicular size (small, <2 mm diameter and large, ⩾2 mm) on in vitro maturation, fertilization and culture of ovine oocytes. The ovaries (n=80) were collected from abattoirs in Srinagar city, India and transported in normal saline solution containing 50 μg gentamicin sulphate per ml in a thermos flask. The oocytes were collected by puncture technique and good and fair quality oocytes obtained were subjected to maturation in TCM-199 supplemented with epidermal growth factor (EGF) for 24 h under 5% CO2 and humidified atmosphere at 38.5°C. The matured oocytes were then subsequently subjected to fertilization and culturing was done for six days. The results revealed that the maturation rate of large follicle oocytes (85.20%) was higher than small follicle oocytes (52.44%, P=0.002). In vitro fertilization rates for small and large follicle oocytes were not significantly different (79.54 and 76.65%, respectively). However, cleavage and morula rates were higher in large follicle oocytes (58.69 and 34.13%) than small follicle oocytes (38.63 and 19.32%, respectively, P<0.05). In conclusion, there is higher developmental competence of oocytes from the large follicles than small follicles and the pre-maturation of oocyte occurring during follicular growth is essential for subsequent embryonic development in sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seventy five percent samples from repeat breeder cows were positive for bacterial isolates with single organism in 76.67% (46) and mixed infections in 23.33% (14) samples. Staphylococcus spp. was predominant 16 (21.05%) isolates followed by E. coil 14 (18.42%), Bacillus spp. 10 (13.16%), Corynebacterium spp. 10 (13.16 %), Pseudomonas spp. 8 (10.53%), Proteus spp. 8 (10.53%), Klebsiella spp. 6 (7.89%) and Streptococcus spp. 4 (5.26%). Levofloxacin was found to be the most effective antimicrobial with 90.79 % sensitivity followed by Gentamicin (85.53%), Enrofloxacin (73.68%), Neomycin (72.39%), Ciprofloxacin (71.05%), Oxytetracycline (71.05%), Ofloxacin (71.05%), Ceftriaxone (67.11%) and Ampicillin/Cloxacillin (38.16%). The animals were treated based on AST with Levofloxacin, Gentamicin and Ciprofloxacin and untreated control group revealed conception rate of 93.33, 80.00, 73.33 and 20.00% respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of repeat breeding (RB) was calculated retrospectively for a period of 6 years from 2005 to 2010. The overall prevalence of RB was recorded as 28.31 %. Prevalence of repeat breeding was although found to vary from 1st to 5th parity, but the difference was non-significant. However, significantly lowest prevalence was recorded at ≥ 6th (6.25 %) when compared to other parities. Prevalence of RB with respect to breed, season and different years were found non-significant. Ovulatory disturbances (27.30%), ovarian cysts (7.89%) and metritis (18.09%) contributed as some of the major causes of repeat breeding in cattle of rural Kashmir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kashmir earthquake of 2005 triggered numerous landslides in inaccessible areas of the western Himalayas, which could be mapped using satellite remote sensing. The largest recorded seismicity-induced landslide dammed a river, which resulted in the formation of a stream in the toe region and created two reservoirs that pose an enormous threat in the event of a landslide dam breach. Using Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data sets corresponding to the pre- and post-earthquake period and derived digital elevation models, landslide-induced lakes were monitored. The aerial extent, depth profile and volume of both the reservoirs were determined. This study has demonstrated the utility of ASTER data in providing valuable information that is critical for hazard mitigation in case of a landslide dam breach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]