Biological control of citrus mealybug,Planococcus citri with an introduced parasite,Leptomastix dactylopii in India

Planococcus citri (Risso) is one of the major pests of citrus orchards in India. For the control ofP. citri, an encyrtid parasite,Leptomastix dactylopii How. was introduced from West Indies in 1983. The parasite was mass bred and inoculative releases were made in 2 selected citrus orchards where infestation of mealybug on fruits (sweet orange, seedless lime and acid lime) ranged from 38 to 65 per cent. Establishment of the parasite in the 2 release orchards resulted in complete control of the mealybug within 3 to 4 months. No insecticidal sprays were required subsequently for the control ofP. citri in the following seasons. Contribution No. 152/85 of the IIHR, Bangalore — 560089.     

Utilization of wild relatives in the genetic improvement of Arachis hypogaea L.

Summary Synthetic amphidiploids were established in 32 combinations involving 8 diploid wild species representing both A and B genomes of section Arachis. Bivalent and multivalent associations in the amphidiploids of 7 A genome species confirm that these species have identical genomes. Contrastingly, high bivalent frequencies in amphidiploids involving the A and B genome species suggest that A. batizocoi has a distinct B genome that is partially homologous to the other genome A represented in the rest of the species. Crossability, chromosome pairing and pollen and pod fertility in hybrids between A. hypogaea and amphidiploids have revealed that these amphidiploids can be used as a genetic bridge for the transfer of genes from the wild species into the cultivated groundnut.Submitted as Journal Article No. 530 by International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)     

Comparison of single seed descent,selective intermating and mass selection for seed size in greengram (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek)

Summary Three selection methods (single seed descent (SSD), mass selection and selective intermating) were applied simultaneously to a highly heterogeneous and broadly based population of greengram. Progeny developing after two cycles of selection were evaluated for yield and seven other economic characters. The relative efficacy of each selection method was judged on the basis of the number of high yielding progeny, mean yield of top 10% progeny, and mean of the highest yielding progeny. Selection after two cycles of selective intermating was found to be the best method for generating productive progeny although mass selection favouring smaller seeds was an equally efficient method. Both of these were found superior to SSD selection.     

Phenolic acid effects on peanut growth and oil production

Plants of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L. var. PG No. 1) were given two foliar sprays of phenolic compounds (H-acid, 1, 2, 4-acid, resorcinol and RD-Brown) at 100 and 200 ppm, 35 and 50 days after sowing. In treated plants, shelling %, yield (kg/ha), number of gynophores per plant and number of pods per plant were significantly greater than in the control. Oil content of kernels also showed a significant increase with all the phenolic compounds applied. These compounds increased the linoleic acid concentration so improving nutritional quality. The number of gynophores was significantly correlated with the number of pods per plant and yield per hectare. The effect of phenolic compounds on growth and development was independent of their structural configuration.     

An autoradiographic study of the uptake of tritiated proline by osteoblasts during hibernation

Twenty-four LSH and LVG strain golden hamsters, Mesocricetus auratus, were used. Experimental animals were maintained at 5 C and allowed to hibernate. Control animals were kept at 27 C. Six animals (3 experimental, 3 control) were injected subcutaneously with 1 microCi of 3H-proline/gm body wt. (Spec. act. 3 Ci/mM) after hibernation lasting 12 hours, 1 day, 3 days, or 7 days. Animals were killed 1 hour after injection and autoradiographs were prepared from 5 microns thick decalcified sections of femurs. A greater number of endosteal cells were labeled than periosteal cells and also exhibited a greater magnitude of labeling throughout the study. Differences between endosteal and periosteal cells both in percentage of cells labeled and magnitude of labeling were maximum in control animals and progressively decreased with increasing periods of hibernation. A reduction in synthesis of matrix proteins during the early period of hibernation was seen and was attributed to a significant reduction both in average cell activity and in the number of active cells during hibernation. The latter phenomenon apparently made a large contribution to the reduced matrical synthesis. 3H-proline uptake by osteoblasts probably reflects the reduced requirements of matrical synthesis during hibernation.     

Detection of a homologous series of C26-C38 polyenoic fatty acids in the brain of patients without peroxisomes (Zellweger''s syndrome).

The brains of patients with inherited abnormalities in peroxisomal structure and function contain greatly increased proportions of a homologous series of unique polyenoic fatty acids with carbon chain lengths ranging from 26 to 38. Based on evidence by chemical ionization and electron impact mass spectrometry before and after catalytic hydrogenation, and argentation t.l.c., these lipids have been tentatively identified as 26:5, 28:5, 30:5, 30:6, 30:7, 32:5, 32:6, 32:7, 34:5 and 34:6 fatty acids. A further two fatty acids eluting at very high temperatures from gas chromatography columns have been tentatively identified on the basis of their chemical ionization mass spectra as 36:6 and 38:6 fatty acids.     

The structural gene for the mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase maps to human chromosome 12

Summary A cloned 850 bp cDNA fragment corresponding to the 3-coding part of human ALDHI-mRNA was used as a probe for the chromosomal assignment of the ALDHI gene. Southern blot analysis of human-rodent somatic cell hybrids indicates that the human ALDHI gene resides on chromosome 12.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. H. Holzer on the occasion of his 65. birthday     

Bkm sequences are polymorphic in humans and are clustered in pericentric regions of various acrocentric chromosomes including the Y

Summary Probes of uncloned Bkm satellite DNA and a Drosophila clone 2(8), consisting mainly of GATA repeasts related to a major sequence component in Bkm, have been used to probe Southern blots of human male and female DNAs obtained from a Caucasian and an Australian aboriginal population and to human chromosomes in situ. Hybridization was observed to a distinct and an indistint series of bands against a smeared background. The same distinct bands are identified in the DNA samples with both probes, but are most readily detected using the uncloned Bkm probe. Most restriction bands are common to both populations and some are polymorphic. However, certain bands appear to be characteristic of the Australian aboriginal samples. There are no distinct sex-linked patterns. However all of the small acrocentric human chromosomes, including the Y chromosome show hybridization to uncloned Bkm in situ.     

Studies on Antifungal Properties of Essential Oil of Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague

The essential oil from the fruits of Trachyspermum ammi exhibited toxicity at 800 ppm against Aspergillus flavus and A. niger, the nature of toxicity being cidal. The toxicity of the oil was not affected by autoclaving, temperature treatment and storage upto 365 days. The oil killed the test fungi within 50 seconds; withstood heavy inoculum density and was inhibitory to as many as 21 fungi at its minimum inhibitory concentration. However the seeds of Arachis hypogea whentreated with oil at 5000 ppm and stored for 12 months did not show the appearance of any fungi indicating thereby the grain protectant activity of the oil. The oil was characterized by various physico chemical properties and on chemical investigation Thymol and p-cymene were isolated as antifungal principles of the oil exhibiting toxicity against the test fungi at 1000 ppm.     

Molecular asymmetry in alkaline phosphatase of Escherichia coli

Thermal inactivation of alkaline phosphatase of Escherichia coli has been studied at different temperatures (45 to 70 degrees C) and pHs (7.5, 9.0, and 10.0) for the commercial, buffer-dialyzed (pH 9.0) and EDTA-dialyzed (pH 9.0) enzymes. In each case, the inactivation exhibits biphasic kinetics consistent with the rate equation, (formula; see text) where A0 and A are activities at time zero and t, and k1 and k2 are first-order rate constants for the fast and slow phase, respectively. Values of k1 and k2 change independently with temperature, pH, and pretreatment (dialysis) of the enzyme. Time course of inactivation of the enzyme with excess EDTA and effect of Zn2+ ion concentration on the activity of EDTA-dialyzed enzyme have been investigated. The data suggest that the dimeric enzyme protein has two types of catalytic sites which have equal catalytic efficiency (or specific activity) but differ in several other properties. Structural implications of these results have been discussed.