Search

Background: Juices are important and integral part of a healthy diet and are highly recommended for the nutritional content, phyto-chemical value and the presence of health promoting compounds. Both wood apple and aonla fruits are wonderful for their nutritional value. Blending of wood apple juice with aonla juice can give a slightly tasty taste in comparison to wood apple or aonla juice alone and it is also good from health point of view. Methods: The present investigation was carried out at Post Harvest Technology Laboratory and Biochemistry Laboratory at College of Horticulture, BUAT, Banda (U.P.) from December, 2019-March, 2020 to prepare nutritious processed products from wood-apples and aonla. Blending wood-apple juice with aonla juice is slightly tasty in comparison to a wood apple or aonla juice alone and it is also good for a health. In this study, ready-to-serve (RTS) beverage from wood apple-aonla was developed by blending aonla and wood apple in different proportions. The TSS and acidity were maintained as per FSSAI standards. Result: The developed RTS was stored and quality parameters were recorded at 30 daysintervals for a period of 180 days. The acidity percentage and TSS were calculated and maintained as per FSSAI standards. The combinations of RTS were standardized firstly and then a storage study was carried out. There were seven combinations of blend juices including control which were used to develop nutritional ready-to-serve. It was found that in T7 (40% wood apple+60% aonla) highest value of ascorbic acid, acidity (0.37%), TSS (11.02), total sugar (10.46%), browning (0.120) and phenol (22 mg/100 ml) was observed while the lowest value of brix: acid (30.71) and protein (0.21%) has been found in comparison to control. All treatments were consumable for up to 6 months based on sensory evaluation by the panel of 08 semi-trained judges.

An adaptive catalytic system that provides control over the nitroarene hydrogenation network to prepare a wide range of aniline and hydroxylamine derivatives is presented. This system takes advantage of a delicate interplay between a rhodium(III) center and a Lewis acidic borane introduced in the secondary coordination sphere of the metal. The high chemoselectivity of the catalyst in the presence of various potentially vulnerable functional groups and its readiness to be deployed at a preparative scale illustrate its practicality. Mechanistic studies and density functional theory (DFT) methods were used to shed light on the mode of functioning of the catalyst and elucidate the origin of adaptivity. The competition for interaction with boron between a solvent molecule and a substrate was found crucial for adaptivity. When operating in THF, the reduction network stops at the hydroxylamine platform, whereas the reaction can be directed to the aniline platform in toluene.

Drought stress is considered a severe threat to crop production. It adversely affects the morpho-physiological, biochemical and molecular functions of the plants, especially in short duration crops like mungbean. In the past few decades, significant progress has been made towards enhancing climate resilience in legumes through classical and next-generation breeding coupled with omics approaches. Various defence mechanisms have been reported as key players in crop adaptation to drought stress. Many researchers have identified potential donors, QTLs/genes and candidate genes associated to drought tolerance-related traits. However, cloning and exploitation of these loci/gene(s) in breeding programmes are still limited. To bridge the gap between theoretical research and practical breeding, we need to reveal the omics-assisted genetic variations associated with drought tolerance in mungbean to tackle this stress. Furthermore, the use of wild relatives in breeding programmes for drought tolerance is also limited and needs to be focused. Even after six years of decoding the whole genome sequence of mungbean, the genome-wide characterization and expression of various gene families and transcriptional factors are still lacking. Due to the complex nature of drought tolerance, it also requires integrating high throughput multi-omics approaches to increase breeding efficiency and genomic selection for rapid genetic gains to develop drought-tolerant mungbean cultivars. This review highlights the impact of drought stress on mungbean and mitigation strategies for breeding high-yielding drought-tolerant mungbean varieties through classical and modern omics technologies.

To transfer the 2S chromosomal fragment(s) of Aegilops kotschyi (2S(k)) into the bread wheat genome which could lead to the biofortification of wheat with high grain iron and zinc content.Wheat-Ae. kotschyi 2A/2S(k) substitution lines with high grain iron and zinc content were used to transfer the gene/loci for high grain Fe and Zn content into wheat using seed irradiation approach.Bread wheat plants derived from 40 krad-irradiated seeds showed the presence of univalents and multivalents during meiotic metaphase-I. Genomic in situ hybridization analysis of seed irradiation hybrid F2 seedlings showed several terminal and interstitial signals indicated the introgression of Ae. kotschyi chromosome segments. This proves the efficacy of seed radiation hybrid approach in gene transfer experiments. All the radiation-treated hybrid plants with high grain Fe and Zn content were analyzed with wheat group 2 chromosome-specific polymorphic simple sequence repeat markers to identify the introgression of small alien chromosome fragment(s).Radiation-induced hybrids showed more than 65% increase in grain iron and 54% increase in Zn contents with better harvest index than the elite wheat cultivar WL711 indicating effective and compensating translocations of 2S(k) fragments into wheat genome.

In the present study we aimed to characterize the interspecific hybrids made between Triticum aestivum cv. Pavon monosomic for chromosome 5B with different accessions of Aegilops kotschyi (UUSS) and Aegilops peregrina (UUSS) at cytological, molecular and morphological basis. Molecular analysis using Ph1 locus specific dominant marker and cytological analysis clearly differentiated between F1 hybrids (ABDUS) with and without 5B chromosome. Plants without chromosome 5B showed stunted and bushy growth habit with reduced height and more number of tillers per plant while those with 5B plants showed normal growth. Agreement of morphological observations with the cytological and molecular results indicates that the morphological characteristics could also be used to screen plants without 5B chromosome. The results clearly demonstrated that the absence of chromosome 5B through the use of Pavon monosomic for chromosome 5B can be an efficient way to induce homoeologous pairing between chromosomes of wheat and Aegilops species for precise introgression of useful variability.

Iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) contents in hexaploid wheat are very low and are further reduced because of the removal of micronutrient-rich bran of wheat grains during milling and processing. Therefore, hexaploid wheat, its wild species and wheat–Aegilops kotschyi substitution lines were evaluated to identify the genome(s) carrying gene(s) for high Fe and Zn concentrations in bran and endosperm fractions of grains. It is reflected from the results that Triticum monococcum (acc. W463) may serve as a promising donor for biofortification of Fe, and Aegilops speltoides (acc. 3804) may serve as a promising donor for biofortification of Zn in the endosperm of cultivated wheat. Further, among the three wheat–Ae. kotschyi substitution lines, the higher concentration of Fe and Zn in endosperm fraction was observed in BC2F4 63-2-13-1. The work on precise transfer of useful gene(s) from 7Uk chromosome of this line is in progress to reduce linkage drag.

Purpose To transfer the 2S chromosomal fragment(s) of Aegilops kotschyi (2Sk) into the bread wheat genome which could lead to the biofortification of wheat with high grain iron and zinc content. Materials and methods Wheat-Ae. kotschyi 2A/2Sk substitution lines with high grain iron and zinc content were used to transfer the gene/loci for high grain Fe and Zn content into wheat using seed irradiation approach. Results Bread wheat plants derived from 40 krad-irradiated seeds showed the presence of univalents and multivalents during meiotic metaphase-I. Genomic in situ hybridization analysis of seed irradiation hybrid F2 seedlings showed several terminal and interstitial signals indicated the introgression of Ae. kotschyi chromosome segments. This proves the efficacy of seed radiation hybrid approach in gene transfer experiments. All the radiation-treated hybrid plants with high grain Fe and Zn content were analyzed with wheat group 2 chromosome-specific polymorphic simple sequence repeat markers to identify the introgression of small alien chromosome fragment(s). Conclusion Radiation-induced hybrids showed more than 65% increase in grain iron and 54% increase in Zn contents with better harvest index than the elite wheat cultivar WL711 indicating effective and compensating translocations of 2Sk fragments into wheat genome.

Thirty different wheat genotypes, including landraces, cultivars, and related wild species, were analyzed for puroindoline genes and proteins. Full-length Pina and Pinb genes were amplified using gene-specific markers where 13 genotypes amplified both genes, while 17 genotypes had either one or none of the puroindoline genes. None of the puroindoline genes were detected in any of the Triticum durum cultivars. Genotypes with both puroindoline genes had a soft grain texture, while other genotypes had hard grains. Related nonprogenitor species with A, C, M, U, and S genomes also showed the presence of either one or both the puroindoline genes, indicating that these species can also be utilized for development of extra-soft wheat. SDS-PAGE analysis of selected wheat genotypes revealed that puroindoline proteins are approximately 13-14 kDa and the protein results were in agreement with the PCR results. Puroindoline proteins of selected 3 soft wheat genotypes HPW 89, Naphal, and IITR-9 also exhibited antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Both genes of a soft wheat cultivar, HPW 89, were successfully cloned in the Escherichia coli DH-5 $\alpha$ strain. Introgression and molecular characterization of diverse Pina and Pinb genes to develop extra-soft wheat is in progress.

The role of oxidative stress management was evaluated in two maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes - Parkash (drought-resistant) and Paras (drought-sensitive), subjected to drought stress during reproductive stage. Alterations in their antioxidant pools - glutathione (GSH) and ascorbic acid (AsA) combined with activities of enzymes glutathione reductase (GR), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), peroxidase (POX) and catalase (CAT) involved in defense against oxidative stress and stress parameters, namely chlorophyll (Chl), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were investigated in flag leaves from silk emergence till maturity. The drought caused transient increase in GR, APX, POX and CAT activities in drought-tolerant genotype (Parkash) which decreased at later stages with the extended period of drought stress. However, in Paras, drought stress caused decrease in activities of GR and CAT from initial period of stress till the end of experiment, except for POX which showed slight increase in activity. A significant increase in GSH content was observed in Parkash till 35 days after silking (DAS), whereas in Paras, GSH content remained lower than irrigated till maturity. Parkash which had higher AsA and Chl contents, also showed lower H2O2 and MDA levels than Paras under drought stress conditions. However, at the later stages, decline in antioxidant enzyme activities in Parkash due to severe drought stress led to enhanced membrane damage, as revealed by the accumulation of MDA. Our data indicated that significant activation of antioxidant system in Parkash might be responsible for its drought-tolerant behavior under drought stress and helped it to cope with the stress up to a definite period. Thus, the results indicate that antioxidant status and lipid peroxidation in flag leaves can be used as indices of drought tolerance in maize plants and also as potential biochemical targets for the crop improvement programmes to develop drought-tolerant cultivars.

Half of the world population suffers from deficiencies in micronutrients—iron, zinc, vitamin A—largely among the people of developing countries depending on staple cereals, and these deficiencies may lead to health risks and even death in acute cases. The staple food crops are inherently low in micronutrients, and these are further reduced during grain and food processing. Among the various strategies to combat micronutrient malnutrition, biofortification may prove to be the most economical, feasible, and sustainable approach to increase the mineral content of staple food crops. Biofortified crops also bear the potential to enhance the agronomic efficiency of plants on mineral-poor soils. Biofortification involving enhanced uptake of minerals from soil, their transport to the leaves, and improved sequestration in the edible tissues of grains, is being done through combination of conventional and molecular breeding and genetic engineering. Bioavailability of micronutrients from cereal-based diets is also crucial and can be enhanced by lowering the anti-nutritional compounds like phytic acid and simultaneously increasing promoters of mineral absorption, such as ascorbic acid, inulin, and β-carotene. Thorough understanding of the molecular basis of micronutrient uptake, transport, and deposition in various grain tissues will further strengthen the biofortification program to enhance the micronutrients and minimize their losses during processing.

Fifteen days old seedlings of waterlogging tolerant (Parkash) and sensitive (Paras) maize genotypes were subjected to short-term waterlogging (18 h) under field conditions. Activities of various antioxidative and anaerobic metabolism enzymes were investigated in leaf and root tissues. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased in leaf tissue while glutathione reductase (GR) activity was enhanced in leaf as well as root in both the genotypes. However, tolerant genotype had better induction capability of SOD and GR in roots in comparison with sensitive genotype. Catalase activity increased in roots of both genotypes. Waterlogging caused strong induction in alcohol dehydrogenase activity in the roots of Paras and Parkash under stress conditions. Aldehyde dehydrogenase activity was significantly increased only in roots of Parkash in response to waterlogging. In comparison with sensitive genotype, the tolerant genotype had low H2O2 and malondialdehyde content in roots under stress conditions. The present studies suggested that tolerant genotype had a greater protective ability due to higher induced activities of antioxidant and ethanolic fermentation systems than Paras.

During the recent decades, awareness towards the role of essential fatty acids in human health and disease prevention has been unremittingly increasing among people. Fish, fish oils and some vegetable oils are rich sources of essential fatty acids. Many studies have positively correlated essential fatty acids with reduction of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, infant development, cancer prevention, optimal brain and vision functioning, arthritis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and neurological/neuropsychiatric disorders. Beneficial effects may be mediated through several different mechanisms, including alteration in cell membrane composition, gene expression or eicosanoid production. However, the mechanisms whereby essential fatty acids affect gene expression are complex and involve multiple processes. Further understanding of the molecular aspects of essential fatty acids will be the key to devising novel approaches to the treatment and prevention of many diseases.

The present investigation was undertaken to identify the possible mode of mechanism that could provide tolerance to maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings under waterlogging. Using cup method, a number of maize genotypes were screened on the basis of survival of the seedlings kept under waterlogging. Two tolerant (LM5 and Parkash) and three susceptible (PMH2, JH3459 and LM14) genotypes were selected for the present study. Activities of antioxidant and ethanolic fermentation enzymes and content of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), glutathione and ascorbic acid were determined in roots of these genotypes after 72 h of waterlogging. Waterlogging treatment caused decline in activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in all the genotypes. However, only susceptible genotypes showed slight increase in glutathione reductase (GR) activity. Significant reduction in APX/GR ratio in susceptible genotypes might be the cause of their susceptibility to waterlogging. The tolerant seedlings had higher GR activity than susceptible genotypes under unstressed conditions. Stress led to decrease in H202 and increase in glutathione content of both tolerant and susceptible genotypes, but only tolerant genotypes exhibited increase in ascorbic acid under waterlogging conditions. In the tolerant genotypes, all the enzymes of anaerobic metabolism viz. alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) were upregulated under waterlogging, whereas in susceptible genotypes, only ADH was upregulated, suggesting that efficient upregulation of entire anaerobic metabolic machinery is essential for providing tolerance against waterlogging. The study provides a possible mechanism for waterlogging tolerance in maize.

Seedlings of selected six genotypes of maize (Zea mays L.) differing in their drought sensitivity (LM5 and Parkash drought-tolerant and PMH2, JH3459, Paras and LM14 as drought-sensitive) were exposed to 72 h drought stress at two leaf stage. Alterations in their antioxidant pools combined with activities of enzymes involved in defense against oxidative stress were investigated in leaves. Activities of some reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging enzymes, catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were enhanced in tolerant genotypes in response to drought stress. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was significantly decreased in sensitive genotypes, but remained unchanged in tolerant genotypes under stress. Peroxidase (POX) activity was significantly induced in tolerant, as well as sensitive genotypes. Imposition of stress led to increase in H2O2 and malondialdehyde (MDA, a marker for lipid peroxidation) content in sensitive genotypes, while in tolerant genotypes no change was observed. Significant increase in glutathione content was observed in sensitive genotypes. Ascorbic acid pool was induced in both tolerant and sensitive genotypes, but induction was more pronounced in tolerant genotypes. Significant activation of antioxidative defence mechanisms correlated with drought-induced oxidative stress tolerance was the characteristic of the drought tolerant genotypes. These studies provide a mechanism for drought tolerance in maize seedlings.

The antioxidant activity of extracts of different polarity from seeds of Local variety of Coriandrum sativum was assessed via both in vitro and ex vivo models. Results indicate that hexane extract of coriander exhibited no appreciable affects at either of the concentrations in all the three in vitro free radical scavenging models i.e. hydroxyl radical, super oxide radical and nitric oxide radical. Instead, it showed prooxidant activity at higher concentrations. Whereas methanol: hexane extracts of coriander were found to be ineffective in quenching hydroxyl radical but revealed only moderate activity in quenching super oxide radical (EC50=711.81 μg/ml) and nitric oxide radical (EC50=569.02 μg/ml). Only methanolic extract of Local variety offered strong antioxidant activity in a concentration dependent manner for the same three free radicals with EC50 of 18.33 μg/ml, 553.50 μg/ml and 179.53 μg/ml respectively. Even in vitro linoleic acid peroxidation model proved methanolic extract of coriander (80% inhibition till 48 h) to be far better than standard antioxidant ascorbic acid (70% inhibition till 12 h). EC50 and SC50 for ex vivo linoleic acid peroxidation of rat liver homogenate and erythrocytes were recorded as 383.10 μg/ml and 166.78 μg/ml respectively. The methanolic extract of Local variety was further evaluated for its protective effect on osmotic fragility and antioxidant enzymes of erythrocytes at various time intervals (24–96 h). The decrease in% hemolysis and protection of activities of antioxidant enzymes even for 96 h of incubation in test groups supplemented with coriander proved indubitably, the effectiveness of methanolic coriander extract in alleviating protective mechanisms.

Micronutrient deficiency (Iron and Zinc) is the major problem worldwide mostly in the developing countries with high dependence on staple foods. Biofortification of staple cereal and tuber crops has been considered and taken up as the most effective, feasible and economic approach for alleviating micronutrient deficiency. The present study was the initiative towards biofortification of wheat where the previous work of wide hybridization between HD2687 and Aegilops longissima accession 3506 and subsequent backcrossing with Triticum aestivum cultivar WL711 has been continued. In this study the alien chromosome introgression, chromosomal stability of BC1F6 and BC2F4 wheat-Ae. longissima derivatives has been investigated for their potential as germplasm for future breeding and biofortification program through morphological, cytological and biochemical analysis. We found that the selected derivatives showed stable 42, 44 and 46 chromosomes for most of the plants where single plant reported for each 41, 43 and 45 chromosomes with 19–22 bivalents and few trivalent. The GISH analysis of derivative 79-1-4-8-1-2-2 revealed introgression of two univalent Sl chromosomes. Finally four derivatives were selected from BC1F6 (79-1-4-8-10-2-2, 79-1-4-8-10-2-5, 79-2-4-4-1-1-3 and 79-2-4-4-1-1-5) and three from BC2F4 (HD2687/L3506//WL711-3///WL711-1-2-7-1, HD2687/L3506//WL711-3///WL711-1-2-7-3, HD2687/L3506//WL711-3///WL711-1-2-7-5) as stable biofortified lines for future breeding to alleviate hidden hunger.