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Jack (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is a multipurpose fruit-tree species with minimal genomic resources. The study reports developing comprehensive transcriptome data containing 80,411 unigenes with an N50 value of 1265 bp. We predicted 64,215 CDSs from the unigenes and annotated and functionally categorized them into the biological process (23,230), molecular function (27,149), and cellular components (17,284). From 80,411 unigenes, we discovered 16,853 perfect SSRs with 192 distinct repeat motif types reiterating 4 to 22 times. Besides, we identified 2741 TFs from 69 TF families, 53 miRNAs from 19 conserved miRNA families, 25,953 potential lncRNAs, and placed three functional eTMs in different lncRNA-miRNA pairs. The regulatory networks involving genes, TFs, and miRNAs identified several regulatory and regulated nodes providing insight into miRNAs' gene associations and transcription factor-mediated regulation. The comparison of expression patterns of some selected miRNAs vis-à-vis their corresponding target genes showed an inverse relationship indicating the possible miRNA-mediated regulation of the genes.

Immune mechanisms are major players in ensuring the normal functioning of testicular functions. However, apart from their role in active defence against pathogens, prior studies have also suggested a possibility for reproduction-related (non-immune) functions of certain immune elements. This study employs a comparative transcriptomics approach followed by network analysis for tracking the variation in the immuno-reproductive milieu of Clarias magur testis in spawning versus pre-spawning phase. The results show a significant modulation of both reproduction and immune-relevant genes in spawning versus pre-spawning phase. The functional enrichment of the upregulated reproduction-relevant gene network also shows immune-related biological processes which indicates a probability of involvement of these candidates in spermatogenesis-related events for switching from pre-spawning to spawning phase. The upregulated immune network is highly dense with 40 hubs, 10 cluster sub-networks and 142 functionally enriched pathways in comparison to its downregulated counterpart with only 5 hubs, 1 cluster and 1 enriched pathway. These findings indicate that the synchronisation in modulation of both reproductive and immune-related factors is critical for progression of testicular events guiding the switch from pre-spawning to spawning phase. The reproductive phase-dependent variation in plasma sex steroid levels and the selected genes for quantitative PCR also corroborated this hypothesis. The study also serves as a preliminary screening step for probable immune candidates that may be involved in reproductive functions of testis in addition to defence.

We have recently cloned a pathogen inducible blast resistance gene Pi-k h from the indica rice line Tetep using a positional cloning approach. In this study, we carried out structural organization analysis of the Pi-k h locus in both indica and japonica rice lines. A 100 kb region containing 50 kb upstream and 50 kb downstream sequences flanking to the Pi-k h locus was selected for the investigation. A total of 16 genes in indica and 15 genes in japonica were predicted and annotated in this region. The average GC content of indica and japonica genes in this region was 53.15% and 49.3%, respectively. Both indica and japonica sequences were polymorphic for simple sequence repeats having mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-, and pentanucleotides. Sequence analysis of the specific blast resistant Pi-k h allele of Tetep and the susceptible Pi-k h allele of the japonica rice line Nipponbare showed differences in the number and distribution of motifs involved in phosphorylation, resulting in the resistance phenotype in Tetep.

The diversity among 52 landraces and cultivars of tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum Gaertn.) and one accession of its wild ancestor, F. tataricum ssp. potanini Batalin, from diverse geographic origins was examined using random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) markers. Eighteen primers produced a total of 240 fragments, of which 153 (63.75%) were monomorphic and 87 (36.25%) polymorphic bands. UPGMA-based pairwise Jaccard’s coefficient of similarity was used to deduce the relationships among 53 genetically diverse accessions. The similarity between cultivated tartary buckwheat accessions ranged from 0.61 to 1.00. Four distinct clusters were formed which corresponded well with the geographic distribution of the tartary buckwheat. Nepalese accessions showed maximum diversity followed by Chinese accessions. Tartary buckwheat accessions from the Himalayan region of northwestern India revealed a narrow gene pool. The wild buckwheat accession did not group with any of the three cultivated tartary buckwheat groups, and formed its own single-entry group. Genetic similarity (0.59) of Chinese buckwheat accessions with the wild ancestor reaffirmed that cultivated tartary buckwheat originated in the Yunnan province of northwestern China. Consistent with some earlier reports, our study demonstrated the usefulness of the RAPD technique for the characterization of plant genetic resources and assessment of diversity between species.

Background: Endoscopic dilatation is the first line of treatment for benign oesophageal strictures. There are limited data available on the use of Celestin dilators. Methods: The efficacy and safety of Celestin dilators was evaluated retrospectively in 61 patients with benign oesophageal strictures. Three hundred and nintey-three dilatations using Celestin dilators were performed over a period of 10 years on an outpatient basis in patients with corrosive, peptic and other causes of benign oesophageal strictures. Results: Initial success was achieved in all patients in the peptic and miscellaneous group and in 91% in the corrosive group of patients. Patients with corrosive strictures required significantly more dilatations for initial success compared with the peptic group (mean 5.82 vs 1.62 P

Genetic variation in Alternaria brassicae, A. brassicicola, and A. raphani collected from geographically diverse regions of the world was studied with RAPD and RFLP markers. Twenty 10-mer primers of arbitrary nucleotide sequences were tested for amplification of genomic DNA of A. brassicae using PCR. Of these, five primers amplified the genomic DNA from 20 A. brassicae isolates and produced reproducible RAPD profiles. UPGMA analysis of RAPD data showed that isolates collected from geographically distinct regions could be broadly classified into four groups. Intra-regional variation between isolates was less apparent. Variation was, however, higher in A. brassicicola, as based on RAPD analysis. Two isolates (from Canada and France) of A. raphani also showed variability with different RAPD profiles generated by all five primers tested. Five polymorphic, distinct RAPD products were used as hybridization probes for RFLP analysis to detect inter- and intra-specific variation. Variation among A. brassicae, A. brassicicola, and A. raphani was evident. Non-radioactive probes were also used to hybridize with Southern blots of A. brassicae, A. brassicicola, Leptosphaeria maculans, Rhynchosporium secalis and Brassica juncea for the selection of A. brassicae-specific probe(s). Probe AbP3 specifically hybridized with restriction digests of A. brassicae but not with those of A. brassicicola or other tested species. This probe should, therefore, be useful for distinguishing between two important pathogens of crucifers, i.e. A. brassicae and A. brassicicola both in culture and infected tissues.

A rapid and reliable flow cytometric method of determining plant cell and pollen grain viability upon treatment with Alternaria brassicae pathotoxin (destruxin B) has been standardized on the basis of light scattering properties of cells of Brassica juncea cv. Kranti stained with fluorescein diacetate. Data on relative fluorescence of cells treated with 60 and 120 mu g destruxin B ml(-1) were collected. The frequency distribution of fluorescence and histogram statistics showed a gradual loss of fluorescence in destruxin B-treated cells. The cell viability was 81% in untreated cells and 39% in 120 mu g destruxin B ml(-1) treated cells after 96 h of culture in the Murashige and Skoog medium. These observations were similar to those obtained by manual counting with a light microscope using Evans blue. Optical sectioning with a confocal laser scanning microscope revealed plasmolysis of destruxin B-treated cells. Viability of pollen grains of B. juncea cv. Kranti treated with destruxin B was also determined on the basis of their relative fluorescence. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited

A study was conducted to know the characteristic and constraints of garlic growers in adoption of improve production technology at Chhindwara and Betul comes under the Satpura Plateau agro climatic zone of Madhya Pradesh. Study revels that the maximum number of responded possessed medium knowledge (51.79 per cent), the main source of information were progressive farmers (87.61 per cent), relative/friends (73.21 per cent), literature (66.07 per cent) and local dealers (68.65 per cent). Garlic growers had also gathered the information through demonstration and group discussion. The State department and State Agricultural University had also played the major role in transformed the technologies. The major constraints faced by the garlic grower were lack knowledge about the source of seed availability and higher cost of planting material. Input and out put ratio Non availability of credit in due course of time and technical knowledge and guidance were also the constraints.

Field studies were conducted at the International Rice Research Institute, IRRI, farm on a manual rice transplanter, developed at the IRRI, under the following conditions: three levels of land preparation (low, medium and high); three water depths: 0–30 mm, 30–60 mm and 60–100 mm; and three seedling ages of 14–17, 18–21 and 22–25 days. The studies were extended to two other types of soils in farmers' fields to assess the results for the combination of land preparation, water depth and seedling age found to give minimum defective hills among treatment groups at the IRRI farm. At this farm the transplanter performed well, with less than 5% defective hills when using seedlings 14–17 days old in up to 100 mm water depth at the medium level of land preparation, up to 60 mm water depth at the low level of land preparation and up to 30 mm water in overprepared (high level) land. The transplanter also worked satisfactorily using 18–21 day old seedlings at up to 60 mm water depth in medium level prepared fields and up to 30 mm water in low level tilled fields. In sticky soils, at Zaragoza, the planting depth was greater and there were more defective hills of all kinds than at the IRRI farm. In the loam soils of Florida-Blanca the planting depth was less, and only floating hills were significantly more than at the IRRI farm. The machine had an average work rate of 0·034 ha/h.