Mating behaviour and behavioural ecology of a Predatory Wasp,Symmorphus allobrogus (de Saussure) (Hymenoptera: Eumeninae)

This paper represents an attempt to investigate the mating behaviour of Symmorphus allobrogus, explaining the willingness of male to mount and copulate. The male displays including mode and frequency of antennation and position while copulating, the displays further comprises of intensity and frequency of rejecting behaviour. The presence of the male’s copulatory and postcopulatory courtship studies, understands the maintenance of monandry. The wasp has numerous secondary sexual characters, and the mating behaviour follows a phyletic and the specific sexual mating characters in context of sexual selection. The duration of mating phases and the number of male antennation series during precopulatory, copulatory and postcopulatory phases of mounting, differs significantly. Mating success depends mostly on the activities of male in the premounting phase and the behaviour of both sexes has a roughly equal importance for it in precopulatory phase. While during copulation, activity of male has little influence on its duration; however, behaviour of female has crucial effect, inducing its earlier termination.     

Phenolic constituents and genetic profile of Hypericum perforatum L. from India

The content of hypericins (hypericin and pseudohypericin), hyperforin, and flavonoids (rutin, hyperoside, quercitrin, and quercetin) and genetic profiles of eight accessions of Hypericum perforatum L., collected from different locations in India, have been determined. The secondary metabolite content was determined using a highly selective LC/MS/MS method. Pearson and Spearman's correlation coefficient were used to investigate the relationships between the secondary metabolites and a significant positive correlation was found between hypericin and pseudohypericin contents. Genetic profiling was undertaken using the random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and single sequence repeat (SSR) methods. Among the 49 random primers used for the initial screening, only nine yielded polymorphic RAPD profiles. The SSR analysis shows that seven out of the 11 primers were polymorphic. There exists only a partial correlation between the chemical content and genetic profiling data among the accessions under study.     

Fungal growth promotor endophytes: a pragmatic approach towards sustainable food and agriculture

Agricultural productivity suffers a heavy loss due to plant pathogens, insect pests and various abiotic stresses. Agriculture being the world’s largest economic sector, it is the need of time to find and establish the ideal strategy for sustainable agriculture and improvement in crop growth. Endophytes are microorganisms that asymptomatically grow within the plant tissues without causing any disease to the host. Endophytic fungi live in symbiotic association with plants and play an important role in plant growth promotion, higher seed yield and plants resistant to various biotic, abiotic stresses and diseases. Many are able to produce antimicrobial compounds, plant growth hormones and various agrochemical bioactive metabolites. These mycoendophytes hold enormous potential for the development of eco-friendly and economically viable agricultural products. In this review we focused on the endophytic fungi recovered from different medicinal plants, their active principles involved in plant growth enhancement and the applications of fungal endophytes in agriculture. Moreover, we also discussed about endophytic fungi and their pragmatic approach towards sustainable food and agriculture.     

Prey infected with nucleopolyhedrovirus is preferred by the predatory stink bug Eocanthecona furcellata without altering its field fitness

Preference tests using the hemipteran predator Eocanthecona furcellata Wolff showed that nymphs and adults showed a constant preference towards virus-infected Spodoptera litura larvae. Adults feeding on healthy larvae throughout their life handled and consumed their prey quickly as compared to those feeding on infected prey, the differences being significant. Developmental time, survival rate, pre-mating period, sex-ratio and incubation period of E. furcellata that were reared on experimental plants infested with healthy larvae of S. litura as lifetime prey for all stages (control), healthy larvae during nymphal stage and infected larvae for adult stage, infected larvae for nymphal and healthy larvae for adult stage and infected larvae as lifetime meal for all stages of E. furcellata did not vary significantly. However, a significant reduction in body weight, fecundity, longevity and percent egg hatchability was observed when E. furcellata were fed on infected larvae as lifetime meal. The results revealed that the virus-infected larvae, relative to healthy larvae, had significant effect on prey preference of predators, but feeding on virus-infected prey had no adverse effect on its field fitness except on lifetime meal, which may not hold true under field conditions.     

Molecular identification and phylogenetic analyses of multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus isolated from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lymantria obfuscata</Emphasis> (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) in India

The Lymantria obfuscata Walker (Lyob) multiple (M) nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) (LyobMNPV) has been isolated and successfully applied for the management of the Indian gypsy moth, L. obfuscata in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), India. The present work aimed to investigate the variability of LyobMNPV isolates from six localities of J&K through molecular [amplification of the polyhedrin (polh), late expression factor-8 (lef-8) and late expression factor-9 (lef-9) genes] and biological (bioassays) characterization. To identify the position of LyobMNPV in the phylogenetic tree of baculoviruses, partial sequences of the polh, lef-8 and lef-9 genes were determined by using the DNA sequences within their coding regions by optimizing the polymerase chain reaction with degenerate primers. The sequence alignment revealed that LyobMNPV isolates exhibited seven, five and eleven single nucleotide polymorphic sites in the case of polh, lef-8 and lef-9, respectively. The phylogenetic analyses supported placing LyobMNPV with the Lymantria dispar L. MNPV (LdMNPV) isolates from different countries, and showed that it was more closely related to LdMNPV than to Lymantria xylina Swinhoe NPV and Lymantria monacha L. NPV. The contaminated diet plug bioassays using 2nd instar larvae indicated that the median lethal dose (LD₅₀) and median survival time (ST₅₀) of different isolates of LyobMNPV against L. obfuscata were lower than those of LdMNPV against L. dispar. LyobMNPV was more closely related to LdMNPV but its LD₅₀ and ST₅₀ were lower than those of LdMNPV. The study provides novel information on the position of LyobMNPV in the phylogenetic tree of baculoviruses and about biological and genetic variation of Lymantria species’ NPV isolates from different parts of the world.     

Mesenchymal stem cell basic research and applications in dog medicine

The stem cells, owing to their special characteristics like self-renewal, multiplication, homing, immunomodulation, anti-inflammatory, and dedifferentiation are considered to carry an “all-in-one-solution” for diverse clinical problems. However, the limited understanding of cellular physiology currently limits their definitive therapeutic use. Among various stem cell types, currently mesenchymal stem cells are extensively studied for dog clinical applications owing to their readily available sources, easy harvesting, and ability to differentiate both into mesodermal, as well as extramesodermal tissues. The isolated, culture expanded, and characterized cells have been applied both at preclinical as well as clinical settings in dogs with variable but mostly positive results. The results, though positive, are currently inconclusive and demands further intensive research on the properties and their dependence on the applications. Further, numerous clinical conditions of dog resemble to that of human counterparts and thus, if proved rewarding in the former may act as basis of therapy for the latter. The current review throws some light on dog mesenchymal stem cell properties and their potential therapeutic applications.     

Mesenchymal stem cell: Basic research and potential applications in cattle and buffalo

Characteristic features like self-renewal, multilineage differentiation potential, and immune-modulatory/anti-inflammatory properties, besides the ability to mobilize and home distant tissues make stem cells (SCs) a lifeline for an individual. Stem cells (SCs) if could be harvested and expanded without any abnormal change may be utilized as an all-in-one solution to numerous clinical ailments. However, slender understanding of their basic physiological properties, including expression potential, behavioral alternations during culture, and the effect of niche/microenvironment has currently restricted the clinical application of SCs. Among various types of SCs, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are extensively studied due to their easy availability, straightforward harvesting, and culturing procedures, besides, their less likelihood to produce teratogens. Large ruminant MSCs have been harvested from various adult tissues and fetal membranes and are well characterized under in vitro conditions but unlike human or other domestic animals in vivo studies on cattle/buffalo MSCs have mostly been aimed at improving the animals’ production potential. In this document, we focused on the status and potential application of MSCs in cattle and buffalo.     

Nesting behaviour and foraging characteristics of Andrena cineraria (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)

The current studies were carried out in the three experimental locations of Kashmir valley during 2013 to 2016. The species Andrena cineraria formed the dense nest aggregations in plan grounds, barren lands and hilly areas near the fruit orchards and other landscapes with clay loam soil type. The species start flying and foraging in the orchards from April till July. The nests were allodalous, 29–36 cm in depth, with cells located obliquely around the main barrow. The nests were dense with a maximum density of 11.09 nests/m² observed in landscapes of Budgam. The barrow diameters were found varying with depth from main entrance. The maximum barrow diameter recorded was 2.05 mm. At certain depth, the female constructs the first cell and the upper nest burrow is vertical and lower is oblique. The nest entrance is generally hidden under the tumulus. In the depth of average 30.48 cm, each cell directly opens to main burrow either alternately or unilaterally. The cell number, diameter, and length varied with depth. Foraging behaviour of A. cineraria on various fruit crops and other shrubs and social forestry trees were determined and the abundance, visitation rate, total visits and time spend per flower were found significant, especially on fruit crops. The significance of the studies is important for the melittologists, as it will help in the conservation of bee fauna. The study is also important in using this species for pollination purpose and would also help to detect and understand the possible pre-adaptation of species in temperate region of Kashmir valley.     

Quantification of polyphenolic compounds and relative gene expression studies of phenylpropanoid pathway in apple (Malus domestica Borkh) in response to Venturia inaequalis infection

Apple (Malus domestica Borkh) is rich in phenolic compounds, which may enhance resistance to scab disease caused by Venturia inaequalis. In present study, apple cv. Golden Delicious was used for estimation of total phenols, flavonoids and quantification of six individual phenolic compounds. between control vs inoculated samples at different inoculation stages. The relative gene expression of phenylalanine ammonia lyase, chalcone synthase and flavanone 3 hydroxylase increased and polyphenolic compounds were constitutively upregulated at different post-inoculation stages. Data suggest that synthesis and accumulation of polyphenols is closely related with disease resistance against Venturia inaequalis. This study may play a vital role in understanding and finding out the governing mechanisms of scab resistance.     

Enantioselective DNA binding of iron(II) complexes of methyl-substituted phenanthroline

The enantioselective binding of [Fe(4,7-dmp)₃]²⁺ (dmp: 4,7-dimethyl-1,10-phenantroline) and [Fe(3,4,7,8-tmp)₃]²⁺ (tmp: 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) to calf-thymus DNA (ct-DNA) has been systematically studied by monitoring the circular dichroism (CD) spectral profile of the iron(II) complexes in the absence and presence of ct-DNA. The effect of salt concentration and temperature on the degree of enantioselectivity of the ct-DNA binding of the iron(II) complexes, i.e. the molar ratio of Δ- to Λ-enantiomer in the solution or vice versa has been rigorously evaluated. It is noticeable that Δ-[Fe(4,7-dmp)₃]²⁺ and Λ-[Fe(3,4,7,8-tmp)₃]²⁺ are preferentially bound to ct-DNA as reflected in their opposite CD spectral profiles. The preferential binding of the Λ-enantiomer of [Fe(3,4,7,8-tmp)₃]²⁺ to ct-DNA compared to that of the Δ-enantiomer is associated with the bulkiness of the ancillary ligands due to substitution of four hydrogen atoms in 1,10-phenanthroline for four methyl groups. The determination of enantiomeric inversion constant (K_inv) at various salt concentrations has revealed that the degree of enantioselectivity is salt concentration dependent, indicating that electrostatic interaction is involved in the enantioselective binding of the iron(II) complexes to ct-DNA. Although [Fe(4,7-dmp)₃]²⁺ and [Fe(3,4,7,8-tmp)₃]²⁺ exhibit an opposite pattern in the CD spectra, the degree of their enantioselectivity (K_inv) is not different from each other significantly. A thermodynamic study on the enantioselective binding of [Fe(4,7-dmp)₃]²⁺ to ct-DNA using the van’t Hoff plot of ln K_inv versus 1/T has demonstrated that the enthalpy change (ΔH°) in the inversion process from the Λ- to Δ-enantiomer of [Fe(4,7-dmp)₃]²⁺ ct-DNA is positive, indicating that the process is endothermic and thus entropically driven.