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Cereal rust is one of the most damaging diseases of small-grain cereals. The fungus Puccinia hordei causes leaf rust in barley and other small grain crops. Puccinia hordei causes serious yield losses in the cultivating areas where susceptible and late-maturing barley varieties are cultivated. Therefore, rust-resistant barley cultivar is highly demandable for sustainable small-grain crop production. Improving barley yields and quality is one of the major objectives of barley breeding programs in our country. Exotic and indigenous germplasm is one of the best sources of resistance to biotic stresses in barley particularly leaf rust caused by Puccinia hordei. Hence, the present investigation was carried out to identify the resistance sources to P. hordei and incorporate them into the breeding programs for higher barley yields under changing climatic scenarios. The study aimed to identify new resistant cultivars in barley and other small grain crops. In this study, 100 barley genotypes (Hordeum vulgare L.) were considered for screening susceptibility to P. hordei causing rust disease. Several biochemical responses were analyzed in P. hordei infected barley genotypes. However, the variable response was observed among the 100 barley genotypes while those were screened against leaf rust disease under high altitude cold arid conditions of Ladakh, India. The efficiency of the 100 barley genotypes were categorized into different classes including high resistance (4 genotypes)>resistance (14 genotypes)> moderately resistance (20 genotypes)> moderately susceptible (33 genotypes)>moderately susceptible to susceptible (19 genotypes)> and susceptible (10 genotypes) based on plant response to P. hordei. Among the total genotypes, SHEIKH/KP-706, SHEIKH-B1, SHEIKH-636, and IC-062190 showed high resistance (8.07-8.63) as per the international leaf rust scale, while EC-667381, EC-667390, EC-667392, EC667396, EC-667417, Jyoti, EC-667434, EC-667442, EC-667445, and EC-667446 were found as susceptible (3.13-3.97) to P. hordei. The highly resistant genotypes accumulated a high level of phenols and flavonoids and cooperated with susceptible and other rest of the genotypes in response to P. hordei rust. The efficiency of plant immune response and or fitness to P. hordei was correlated to the disease susceptibility index of particular genotypes. This provides a new insight and the mechanistic basis of genotype-specific rust disease susceptibility against P. hordei. A large number of genotype-based studies at the field level could be useful to plant breeders and farmers for improving rust resistance in barley and other small-grain cereals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploitation of hybrid vigour is one of the most important applications of genetics in agriculture. It has highly contributed to food security, without affecting the environment. The availability of effective restorer lines that combines well with the CMS lines for various agro-morphological traits, determines the success of hybrid rice technology under temperate conditions like Kashmir Valley. To identify the best performing lines of rice in different cross combinations, four CMS lines and 34 genotypes were characterized for various agro-morphological and fertility restoration related traits. Out of 136 crosses, 43 (31.6%) were found to show the fertility restoration and 30 (22.06%) were found to be partial restorers. Sixty-three (46.32%) cross combinations were found to be partial maintainers and no cross combination was found to exhibit the maintainer behaviour. The genotypes RL-2, RL-3 and RL-8 were found to show restoration across all the CMS lines. Analysis of variance indicated the existence of significant differences among the genotypes, revealing that sufficient variability is present for different traits. The maximum positive value of st and ard heterosis for grain yield was recorded in SKUA-7A × RL-3. The marker-based assay using Rf3 and Rf4 linked markers was also carried out to validate the genes responsible for fertility restoration. The genotypes RL-1, RL-2, RL-5, RL-9, RL-11 and RL-12 showed polymorphism with all the markers. Sixteen hybrids showed fertility restoration behaviour with all the markers as well as under the field condition. Among these, 8 fall in the class of top 10 heterotic hybrids in the present study. The heterotic hybrids were evaluated for grain and cooking quality features. Out of the top 10 heterotic hybrids evaluated, nine were of medium to short grain types and only one SKUA-19A × RL-5 was of long grain type. Heterotic hybrids along with their parents showed intermediate amylose content which is preferable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effectiveness of three biopesticides viz., Biowilt-X (based on Trichoderma harzianum), Bionem-X (based on Pochonia chlamydosporia) and Biocure-X (based on Bacillus subtilis) were tested against wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceri), root-knot (Meloidogyne incognita) and the wilt disease complex (F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceri + M. incognita) of chickpea (cv. BG-256). The biopesticides were developed by involving novel technology patented in USA and India and were applied to seeds (5 g/kg seed) and soil (40 g/microplot) to evaluate their effectiveness against the target diseases under field conditions. The pesticides viz., carbendazim and nemacur were applied @ 1.25 kg a.i./h and 6.0 kg a.i./h as soil application, and 2g/kg seed as seed treatment. Chickpea grown in the plots infested with pathogens singly or concomitantly developed characteristic wilt and root-knot symptoms, and exhibited significant yield decline. Application of biopesticides checked the severity of the diseases and the resulting yield declines. Application of Biowilt-X decreased the wilt incidence by 60% and promoted the yield of chickpea (46%) grown in F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceri infested plots. The biopesticides Bionem-X and Biocure-X were found effective against root-knot disease and suppressed the galling by 20 and 12% and promoted the yield of infected chickpea plants by 28 and 34% in comparison to the control. Application of Biocure-X was found highly effective against the fungus-nematode wilt disease complex; its seed treatment substantially controlled the wilt and root-knot, and increased the yield of concomitantly infected chickpea by 49°C. Biocure-X was found more effective in increasing the nodulation as compared to other treatments. Effect of carbendazim and nemacur was significant (P ≤ 0.05) in checking the wilt, root knot and disease complex but were not as effective as biopesticides. The present study has demonstrated that biological management of wilt, root-knot and disease complex can be successfully achieved with the application of the developed biopesticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to reconnoiter the potential of endophytic bacterium of brown sarson root tissues, Pseudomonas fluorescens strain smppsap5 for enhancing the growth of brown sarson plants under organic agriculture of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The novel bacterium strain smppsap5 isolated was identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. The isolated strain was selected among 81 isolates for highest phosphate solubilization activity in terms of the phosphate solubilization index (3.19) and phosphate released (313.58 mg/L) from tricalcium phosphate in the liquid assay. The optimal phosphate solubilizing activity of the strain was determined with different incubation periods and nitrogen sources. It was observed that maximum phosphate solubilization occurred in presence of the nitrogen source tryptone and incubation period of 72h and phosphate solubilization was minimum among all with nitrogen source NaNO3 and incubation period of 24h. The effect of temperature and PEG on growth of this strain was also observed besides many metabolic, physiological and biochemical attributes. The beneficial effect of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain smppsap5 in brown sarson plants was observed in terms of root shoot length, germination percentage, chlorophyll content, oil content and other yield attributes besides its inoculation impact on soil physio-chemical and biological properties. The results from the present study suggested that Pseudomonas fluorescens strain smppsap5 enhanced the plant and soil health when compared to control and thus it could be used as a potential bio inoculant under integrated, organic and sustainable farming systems. [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]