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Purpose: Buckwheat is a major traditional crop of hilly regions, capable of growing in adverse climatic conditions. During the survey, it was reported that prolonged consumption of buckwheat leads to digestive problems and numbness. The present study was conducted to study the effect of γ-irradiations on buckwheat to make them suitable for daily consumption. Materials and methods: Buckwheat seeds were irradiated by 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 Gy doses of γ-radiations, to access the phytoconstituent variability using standard methods. Results: Significant (p < 0.05) increase in total phenol, total flavonoid, total antioxidant activity, rutin, β-carotene, iron, calcium up to 6.23, 16.48, 18.62, 19.06, 8.08, 47.66, 32.74% in common buckwheat and 9.58, 16.66, 39.16, 9.19, 9.00, 53.99, 36.75% in tartary buckwheat was found by increasing doses of γ-radiations up to 800 Gy. Significant decrease was found in phytate, tannin, and oxalate content up to 18.92, 17.95, 15.32% in common buckwheat and 24.73, 19.72, 24.07% in tartary buckwheat. Conclusions: It can be concluded that 800 Gy dose of γ-radiation, maximally increased the nutritional value by significant (p < 0.05) increase in nutrients and their bioavailability. This makes buckwheat more amenable for daily consumption to fulfill RDA, by Himalayan population depending on traditional foods without any digestive problem. Furthermore, significant increase in rutin by γ-radiations will be useful to fulfill the demand of cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. But minimization of reduction loss for some nutrients by γ-radiations is the thrust area for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The upper part of the Harudi Formation of the Kutch basin in Gujarat, western India, has recently yielded a heretofore undocumented assemblage of elasmobranchs, including extinct sand tiger sharks Brachycarcharias lerichei and Striatolamia macrota, extinct tiger sharks Galeocerdo eaglesomei and G. clarkensis, requiem shark Carcharhinus mancinae, as well as sawfish Pristis sp. A bony fish taxon represented by Trichiurus sp. was also recovered. After a 43-years gap, this study provides a taxonomic update on the middle Eocene sharks of Kutch. Their coexistence with the larger benthic foraminifera Nummulites obtusus and planktonic foraminifera Orbulinoides beckmanni dates this fish fauna to 40–41.03 Ma, which corresponds to the time frame of the Bartonian transgression and extreme warming event Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO). The MECO elasmobranch assemblage of Kutch comes from shelf settings with bathymetry of 30–60 m, and it differs from those associated with Paleocene–Eocene hyperthermal events and deposited in the bay complex. It seems that G. clarkensis and C. mancinae emerged in Kutch during MECO. The global stratigraphic distribution demonstrates that B. lerichei and S. macrota originated in North America, and their appearance in Kutch expands their geographic range into the eastern Tethys realm, possibly as a result of MECO-linked Bartonian/Kirther transgression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the inheritance pattern of petalous and apetalous traits in yellow sarson (Brassica rapa var yellow sarson) and its significance for breeding efforts. Utilizing three crucial crosses between petalous (Pant Sweta, Pant Girija, YSH0401) and 'apetalous' parents, we observed the absence of apetalous plants in the F1 generation, indicating dominant inheritance of petalous plants. The F2 generation consistently displayed a 3:1 ratio of petalous to apetalous plants, confirming the dominance of the petalous trait. Chi-squared tests on each generation supported this conclusion. Backcrosses with petalous parents yielded no fruit, reinforcing the dominance of the petalous trait. Chi-squared tests on these backcrosses further confirmed the dominance inheritance pattern. Conversely, backcrosses with apetalous parents consistently exhibited a 1:1 ratio, highlighting the recessive nature of the apetalous trait. The study underscores the importance of understanding the inheritance pattern of petalous and apetalous traits in B. rapa var yellow sarson crop, as it has implications for breeding goals. Knowledge on trait inheritance can guide future breeding strategies, facilitating the transfer of the apetalous trait as needed. This study provides valuable insights for genetic investigations and breeding initiatives in B. rapa var yellow sarson. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Seed shape in chickpea, a less known but not a trivial trait to study, as the possibility to include it in applied breeding aspect is yet to be deciphered. The present study mainly focuses on the study of seed shape classification and its interrelationship with seed quality parameters. Methods: The present study was conducted at the N.E. Borlaug Crop Research Centre, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in Pantnagar, Uttarakhand. Seed shapes in chickpea were classified into distinct classes like angular, globular and owl headed types, using set of genotypes that constituted all the three seed shapes and corresponding hybrids obtained by crossing them. Result: The codominance of radicle length and dominance nature of shape of chalazal end was observed in a definite pattern. Angular types were dominant over owl-head and globular types, whereas the globular type was dominant over owl-head type. Angular and globular types had low and high protein content respectively. Globular types would be a key to merge the bi-directionally acting seed traits like protein content and seed weight. From our observations seed shape can be a potential criteria to select for seed protein content. We made clear cut shape classification based on seed components, which could helps in seed shaped based selection in large populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molasse deposits in the Indus Basin of India-Asia collision zone (Indus Suture Zone) of Ladakh, NW Himalaya, preserve a record of orogenic sedimentation associated with uplift and erosion of the southern margin of Asia in the course of ongoing India–Eurasia collision. Fossils from these continental deposits are scarce but hold important clues to the early history of India-Asia collision. Here we describe a small collection of dental remains of cyprinids, a family of freshwater fishes, from the Late Eocene Liyan Formation exposed in a high altitude (>5000 m) locality in the Indus Suture Zone of Eastern Ladakh. The find assumes significance since, unlike the Liyan Formation, most other molassic deposits of Ladakh rest unconformably over the Ladakh Batholith and are much younger (Late Oligocene/Early Miocene). The Liyan cyprinids, which represent the oldest record of Cyprinidae in India, suggest fluvial connections with contemporary Eocene ecosystems in Mainland Asia where this family originated in the middle Eocene or earlier. Dispersal of cyprinids from the Mainland Asia into the Indus Suture Zone of Ladakh took place from Tibet via alluvial drainage of the paleo-Indus river during floods or high runoff following the India-Asia collision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]